Vanguard Final Word Update

4200 words. This marks the unofficial ending to the Vanguard draft. I definitely did a lot better this time around compared to the old Vanguard, and while I kept the flowstate going, I've had several ideas prop up over the course of typing this out, things I can add/change to give you guys the best possible experience as I create this little universe. So, as usual, I will be going back and revising all of Vanguard, checking grammer, removing and adding things. Can't give a time estimate but I will do my best to be speedy.

But keep an eye out for the poll on what story you want me to do next! I have an inkling which will win, but we'll wait and see what happens.

****

“Believe me, I’m way ahead of you on that front, Sir. Good luck.”

“You too.”

They backtracked down the stairs and through the control room, Hunter and the two civilians going one way, the rest going another. Cadell was first, followed by Samiha and Kazlu, Eleanor hidden between their shields, with Kurtis bringing up the rear. They moved in single file, Cadell’s heart thumping against his chest as he navigated the hallways as quickly as he could, while still checking his corners for hostiles. They could have as little as a few minutes left to live before the whole station was dusted, but Cadell would be damned if he was going to let all the shipyards personnel die along with it. He wasn’t going start his life as an Alliance trooper by leaving people behind.

They came upon an x-shaped junction, Cadell taking a precious moment to consult his map. Eleanor beat him to the punch, however.

“Take the left,” she said. “there’s an emergency stairway down there, shouldn’t be as many Feds down that way.”

Cadell considered taking the most direct route, but considering Eleanor worked on this station, she must know what she was talking about. They moved down the left passage, which terminated at an emergency door a quick walk away. Distant gunfire rumbled from somewhere far off, but it had a distinctly lessened quality, the silent pauses only interrupted by the sounds of their boots. The rest of the platoon was evacuating, and it wouldn’t’ be long before Cadell’s team was the only one left on station.

Through the door was a stairwell, lit by white fluorescents, and small enough that the aliens had to practically crouch to fit through. Cadell stormed down two storeys, the group breaching the appropriate door. The process took up a portion of the little time they had, Cadell ordering the others to pick up the pace once they were clear.

Like the previous deck, this part of the station was all tight hallways and blind corners, the only difference being the lack of paint on the metal walls, and the distant sound of hissing pipes from one of the off turns. It was not unlike the engineering deck of the Endeavour, were function took precedence over form.

The light strips overhead suddenly flickered, Cadell peering up at the ceiling with a frown.

“Power’s failing,” Eleanor said. “We’re running out of time.”

“Pick up the pace!” Cadell said, the party falling into a pace between a run and a power walk. They were just a few turns away from the room that housed the reactor.

The final intersection was a right angle, and as Cadell turned the corner, he heard an electrical whine. He glanced up the corridor, seeing an open pressure door maybe ten meters ahead. He could see massive machinery, but there was something between him and it that blocked his view.

There was a chest-high tripod standing in the middle of the aisle, and mounted on top of it was a rotary gun, a triple-barrelled weapon poking out of a mechanical housing. It was mounted on a turntable, which clunked and whirred as the barrel swivelled to aim at Cadell’s chest, a red dot appearing on his armour.

The whining tone shortened out, giving way to automatic fire as the wireless gun opened up, its muzzle flicking yellow points of light. Cadell would have been mowed down right there if Samiha hadn’t grabbed him by the arm and hauled him back behind the wall, the chain gun ripping holes through the wall at their flank.

“Are you okay?” Samiha asked.

“Y-Yeah,” he said, giving Samiha an appreciative nod. “Thanks to you.”

“It is my duty to protect,” she replied. “What is that?”

“Sentry gun,” he said. “It’s a wireless platform that shoots anything that isn’t registered as a friendly. Read about them back on the Hub.”

The sentry gun stopped shooting, having no targets within its sensors, but the shooting didn’t stop. Cadell heard more gunshots tear into the hallway from the reactor room. The sentry gun wasn’t alone.

“These humans are insane!” Kazlu said, shoving Eleanor behind her protectively. “This entire place will be destroyed at any moment, and they’re still fighting?”

“Anyone willing to fight for the Confederation is a radicalised lunatic,” Kurtis replied. “Just look at the guy who set off this whole thing. He’d rather let himself and everyone else die if it means sticking it to the Alliance.”

“We must keep moving,” Samiha said. “I will deal with this sentry.”

She made to step forward, her shield at the ready, but Cadell raised a hand.

“Hold up, those are fifty cal rounds it’s shootin’, don’t risk it. I’ll throw a flashbomb first, overload its sensors.”

Cadell reached for one of the grenades on his belt, letting his coilgun hang on its sling as he primed the fuse. The metal capsule had a red button on one end, and Cadell thumbed it, tossing it around the corner without exposing too much of himself.

He heard the grenade bounce along the deck a couple times, and then there was a sudden flash of light, so harsh that he could see afterimages when he blinked. The gunshots ceased, too, leaving a strange moment where there was no external noise for an instant.

“Now!” Cadell said. Samiha took the corner, Kazlu and Cadell following after. Kurtis hung back, protecting Eleanor, who was probably their only chance of getting through this alive.

The sentry turret voiced its targeting whine, but the barrel didn’t track towards Cadell or the aliens, its sensor suite overloaded by the flash of light. Cadell directed them to aim their fire at the legs of the tripod, and Kazlu cut one of them off with a burst of coilgun rounds, the sentry tipping over with a loud clank of metal. There were two Confederates flanking the gun, hands on their visors, their momentary dazes cut short as Cadell and Samiha put rounds in their chests.

Another pair of soldiers were hidden just within the reactor room door, revealing themselves when they heard their approach. They opened up, but their bullets didn’t penetrate the barriers of light, and the aliens cut them down with just as much brutal efficiency as the first two.

Cadell’s heart missed a beat as the fallen sentry elicited another targeting tone, the turntable still functional enough to move the turret. The gun rotated, but Samiha slammed her clawed foot down on the housing, Cadell watching with a mix of awe and horror as she crushed the rebar like it was wet paper.

They moved through the pressure door, Cadell training his sights on the banks of machinery stacked along the far wall, scanning the relative darkness for any more Confederates. There were giant shelving units that looked like bookshelves, only they were stacked with power capacitors along with other components he wasn’t able to identify.

On the lefthand wall, a glass pane looked out into a room separated from this one. What looked like maybe thirty upright cylinders formed a circle around a giant opening, the gap too steep to see into from this angle. White vapours trailed up from the exposed wires and cables snaking around the cylinders. Cadell wasn’t an engineer, but if he had to take a guess, that must be the reactor, and those glowing cylinders shouldn’t be extended out of their casings like that.

“We are clear,” Samiha called, having walked over to check behind the shelving units. Her avian features were lit as a giant spark lanced out from inside the reactor’s core, the floor beneath their feet rumbling as much force as a small earthquake. Cadell glanced through the glass, and saw that a couple of the cylinders, which must be the fuel rods Eleanor had mentioned, were melting like candles exposed to sunlight.

“Do I want to know what the hell that was?” Kurtis asked over the radio.

“Get Eleanor get in here!” Cadell shouted, unable to suppress his panic. After a moment the two appeared, Eleanor stepping forward. She glanced through the pane toward the reactor, then moved over to a set of consoles built into the wall nearby.

“Can you fix it?” Cadell demanded, rushing up to her side.

“I read the manual a long time ago,” she replied. “And I can’t remember how it goes if you don’t shut up, Corporal.”

Cadell stepped back, forcing back the urge to tell her to hurry up, he’d just distract her otherwise. This entire mission, he’d been able to deal with their problems directly, but this was a task he couldn’t solve with the barrel of his coilgun.

“Where the fuck is it?” Eleanor snapped, using the arrow keys to scroll through a nest of functions. “Come on, manual override, manual override…”

It felt horrible to be so powerless, troubled thoughts rushing through his mind. Had he just condemned his entire team to certain death, Eleanor along with them? Were they too late?

He felt a hand sneak its way between his fingers, and he looked up to see Samiha sidling up next to him. She didn’t say anything, she didn’t have to, some of the tension bleeding away as he squeezed her hand. At the very least, he’d be going out with his lover close by, and he was sure that he did love her, he’d never been so certain about anything before.

There was a terrible moment in which Cadell thought it was the end, a sound like shredding metal filling the room, its direction coming from the reactor core. He looked, expecting to see destruction, but his eyes lit up as he watched the rods sink back into their protective housings, their glowing-hot surfaces disappearing behind metal capsules.

“The pumps are back on,” Eleanor reported. “A few of the rods are slagged, but I’ve engaged a cold shutdown, that should limit any more damage until someone can get in there and fix the damn thing.”

Relief washed over him, Cadell releasing a breath he hadn’t noticed he’d been holding in. “How much time did we have?” he asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Eleanor replied.

“Hot dog,” Cadell sighed. He’d been so pumped with adrenaline, but the news forced it wear off and leave him utterly exhausted. Samiha chuckled beside him, sounding just as tired as he was. He made to pull her into a hug, but the presence of Eleanor and his squad made him hesitate, so he resorted to giving her a friendly pat on the leg.

Samiha wasn’t nearly as prudish. Foregoing all sense of professionalism, she swept him into her arms, thrusting him into her warm embrace, Cadell feeling his feet leave the deck as she squeezed him.

“It is done! I cannot say your tactics did not worry me, Cadell, but your decisiveness makes you a fine Kith’sla.”

“Just doing what I was trained to do,” Cadell replied, resting his head against her armoured chest. She bundled him up tighter as they celebrated, and then she gently put him back down, glancing around to see they had an audience. Eleanor was confused, while Kurtis and Kazlu just chuckled at them.

“You’re getting pretty touchy with Cadell there, Samiha,” Kazlu said, and her smirk could be heard in her voice.

“I was just… congratulating the Kith’sla,” Samiha defended. “That is all.”

“How long you going to keep that up?” Kazlu replied. “I know you two are an item, Kurt told me all about you two rocking up to the barracks in a daze.”

“Didn’t take you for a loudmouth, Kurt,” Cadell mused.

“I get paid to shoot things, not keep secrets.”

“I wouldn’t call it secret,” Kazlu said. “Samiha’s been putting her hands on Cadell ever since we left the Hub. She-”

“We should report in!” Samiha interrupted. “The Captain must be confused as to why we are not currently dust in the void right now.”

“Will there be a water ritual?” Kazlu asked. “Will I be a part of the circle?”

“I will call the Captain,” Samiha said, quickly busying herself with her wrist display, doing her best to ignore Kazlu’s probing questions. Cadell didn’t know what she meant by water ritual or circle, but it seemed to have made Samiha more flustered than he’d ever seen.

He turned to Eleanor, giving her a grateful pat on the arm. “That was some mighty fine work you did just now,” he said. “Playin’ with the settings of a dammed nuclear reactor. You’re braver than I am.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Eleanor replied. “You were the one getting shot at. The last time that happened to me was back in basic, and those were blank rounds.”

“I had my Balokarid friends to help me with that,” Cadell replied. “Technically they got shot more than I did.”

“I’ve never seen a Balokarid before,” Eleanor said, glancing over at the two aliens. “Being held at gunpoint was not how I imagined meeting one. Those shields they’re carrying, I’ve never seen anything like them before. What are they?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Cadell said. “right now we’re still in a combat zone. Hopefully that’ll change once the Feds realise their plan’s dead in the water.”

-xXx-

Cadell leaned over the balcony railing, watching as a procession of Confederate troopers were rounded up, gloved hands on their heads as Alliance soldiers patted them down for any weapons. After the all-clear was given that the reactor had stabilised, the platoon had redeployed to the station, and the remaining pockets of Confederate forces had been cornered. With a few choice words from their captured leadership, the enemy had eventually accepted the futility of their situation, and surrendered.

The bridge module was packed with Confederates and the station personal alike, medical aid and hot meals being handed out to the relieved civilians. Technically they were Alliance personnel, not civilians, but neither their equipment or their training cam even close to the level of training that Cadell’s platoon had come from.

He and the rest off his team were idling around the upper level of the habitat, lounging around in various states near the place they’d rescued Eleanor. It turned out the woman had been responsible for sending out the SOS that had started this whole mission, and Cadell imagined she’d earn a medal or two for that. The Confederates had found this out too, which explained all the bruises and scars he’d seen on her face. Recognition was the least she deserved for that.

They’d had no standing orders since the Confederate surrender, but that soon changed when Cadell saw one of the bridge doors open, and Vonstock move through it, flanked by a pair of armed guards. After conversing with some of his men and one of the prisoners, he made his way up the steps, Cadel motioning for his friends to pay attention.

Kurtis and Hunter stopped the card game they were playing, Samiha and Kazlu leaving their shield sleeves they’d been fine tuning to stand in a line, Cadell placing himself at the far right.

“At ease,” the Captain said, clasping his hands behind his back. “When we first conversed on the Hub,” he continued. “I made my thoughts very clear on what it meant taking the five of you under my command. Being the petri dish of this experiment was one thing, but forgetting one of the first things I said to each of you is another.”

“We remember, Sir,” Cadell said.

“Do you now?” Vonstock prompted, Cadell swallowing as he was scrutinised. “If that was the case, Corporal, you would have taken my advice to heart, but you did not. Last I checked, respecting the chain remained utterly divided by your thoughts, when you went against my orders to evacuate the station. Is that not true?”

“Sir, I-”

“You’ve not been given permission to speak,” Vonstock said, cutting him off. “Is it also not true that by going against my orders on a suicidal attempt to disable the reactor put not only your companions’ lives at risk, but also the life of one Communications Officer named Eleanor, who you took with you into the line of fire of said attempt?”

The following pause was the worst Cadell had ever experienced, and he almost wanted the Captain to continue to chew him out.

“I took a chance on all of you,” Vonstock continued. “Especially you, Corporal. I give you a field promotion, and you respond by disobeying orders and putting the lives of others at risk. Your actions leave you with nothing short of a court martial.”

He let those words simmer in the silence, which Cadell was forced to break.”

“Sir, I’m-”

“It was a group decision!” Samiha suddenly said, stepping forward. “We all collectively agreed to go, Sir, it is not Cadell’s sole fault.”

“Samiha, don’t,” Cadell said, but she waved him off.

“I encouraged his decisiveness,” she continued. “let me share in the blame.”

“Me as well,” Kazlu added. “Our clan has a grudge against the Confederates, and I told the Kith’sla we couldn’t let what happened on Dur’shala happened here.”

Hunter spoke up next. “I wasn’t there because the Corporal ordered me to escort some of the hostages,” he said. “I’d have been right there alongside him otherwise.”

“The plan worked, didn’t it boss?” Kurtis added. “Everyone would have died if we hadn’t got it done.”

“Enough,” Vonstock said. “I don’t need one Private covering for another, let alone four of them. All of your roles in this incident have been duly noted, and your superiors on the Hub, the Balokarid Kith’sla included, will be notified. Whether this will impact the completion of your training, it’s a strong possibility.”

The group’s moment of enthusiasm dimmed, each of them sharing worried glances.

“That being said,” the Captain continued. “disobeying your orders came with an outcome that even I did not expect, and its direct success on our overall mission cannot be denied. All one hundred and seventy-eight hostages here have you to thank for the Alliance victory here, and the shipyard should be battle-ready once more, after repairs to the hull have been completed. Congratulations are in order.”

Worried glances became ones of relief, the knot in Cadell’s stomach releasing.

“I’d be remiss to dismiss such a critical team in this operation, Vonstock added. “Especially the role you two played,” he said, addressing the Balokarids. “I have analysed the security footage of you two during the mission. Your unique shielding technology allowed your team to manoeuvre and control firefights that a human-only squad could not, and I see no reason more Alliance units should not be reinforced with Balokarid auxiliaries. I will make note of this to my superiors.”

Samiha beamed down at the human, her excitement palpable. Cadell couldn’t’ believe it either, there long-term goal of proving that humans and Balokarids could work together had been proven in Vonstock’s eyes, the program was as good as won.

“But don’t mistake this for admiration,” Vonstock continued. “Disobeying orders should never be taken lightly, even if the result is favourable. I advised you all to temper your ambitions, not all Navy officers will be so forthcoming.”

The implication was directed to the group, but his gaze was focused more on Cadell than the others. Going against the word of a Captain would be a stain on his record that would never go away, but hopefully his part in saving the shipyard would overshadow any doubts.

“We will be occupied for some time rounding up the Confederates and securing the rest of the station,” Vonstock said. “Once more support arrives from neighbouring systems and we figure out just how the Confederates managed to slip through the Cordon, you’re all on guard duty. The break room on the deck above us is operational, take advantage and get a hot shower while you can. Dismissed.”

They saluted the Captain, and Vonstock turned away, sparing them an expression that Cadell couldn’t tell was proud or disappointed, maybe it was a mixture of both.

“You heard the Cap,” Hunter said once he was out of earshot. “Looks like we’re basically relieved. Feds aren’t going to put up much of a fight once they’re cuffed.”

“Good time to get some sleep,” Cadell said, stretching his arms out.

“And some grub,” Kurtis said. “I saw a vending machine out in the hall a ways, gotta be better than the crap on the carrier.”

“I’ll join you,” Hunter said. “You bring any credits for it?”

Kurtis tapped the butt of his coilgun, miming the strike of a hammer with his gloves, the implication raising a chuckle from the group.

“I’m going to get my suit looked at,” Kazlu added. “This broken seal’s giving my anxiety. I’ll join you after.”

The group parted off towards different sections of the habitat, Cadell glancing up at Samiha, who hadn’t moved or said much since Vonstock had gone.

“Hey, Samiha,” he began.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I know what you meant, what you said back on the Hub?” Samiha cocked her head in confusion, so he elaborated. “That night when we… made love, you said in the morning that you wanted to transfer. I’ve been thinking about how I reacted and… I’m sorry. I had no right to get angry with you the way I did, I should’ve respected your wishes. I even get it now,” he added, gesturing around them. The blood had yet to be cleaned up. “This whole mission, you were shot at more times than I can count, and any one of them could have been your last. It was worrying me to death, and that was partly why I didn’t want you to follow to the reactor, I didn’t want you to get hurt. That kind of distraction doesn’t belong in a war, does it?”

Cadell laughed under his breath, but there was no humour behind it.

“I guess what I’m getting’ at is, you should transfer to another platoon first chance you get. N-Not that I want you to,” he quickly added. “Believe me, I’d love nothing more than to be with you, but… we’re emotionally compromised, I think it’s called, and I think going our own ways would be better in the end.”

“Mitch…” Samiha said, her hand resting his shoulder.

“Just promise me you’ll visit every now and then,” he said. “maybe we’ll both get some shore leave on the Hub, go to that steakhouse and catch up.”

“Mitch,” Samiha repeated. “Stop. Just stop.”

He flashed her a confused look, but then his world went dark as she wrapped her arms around him, his chest coming into contact with her stomach. His hands snaked their way around her familiar, curvy torso.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Samiha said from far above him.

“W-What? But… I thought…”

“I cannot abandon the man I love,” she continued. “And don’t you ask me to. Don’t you dare.”

“Y-You said that you can’t fall in love with me,” he said. “Those were your exact words, Samiha.”

“And I have had a change of mind since,” she replied, as though annoyed by his point. “I’ve thrown away so many chances for happiness,” she said. “I cannot keep going like that. Takeela would not want that to be how I live the rest of my life.”

“What about you sayin’ you didn’t want another death on your conscience?” he said. “We almost got caught in a nuclear blast today, I nearly got stabbed through the guts. One day all these chances are gonna run out.”

“Then I will delay that day as long as I can,” Samiha said. “I am your shield and your mate, Cadell, what kind off person would I be if I left you now?”

Cadell shook his head into her armour. Why was he even arguing with her? They had completely reversed their standpoints since their night together, the audacity making him chuckle into her slim torso.

“If you’re sure…” Cadell said, voicing it like a warning.

“I have never been more certain of anything,” Samiha replied. “I have lived a life of pushing others away, and look where that put me. I made you distrustful of me, and that only delayed this connection between us.”

“And what is this thing we have going?” he asked.

“I am not sure,” she admitted with a chuckle. “There is not exactly a guidebook on interspecies coupling. What I am sure of, is that I want more of it.”

“So do I,” he said, Samiha giving him an appreciative smile.

“Come,” Samiha said, taking him by the wrist possessively. “The Captain said there are hot showers waiting, let us get one.”

As Samiha led him off towards the exit, Cadell thought back on all they’d done. They’d taken a hit in the Captain’s good graces, but their mission was a success in more ways than one. Balokarids would almost certainly be working more closely with Alliance troopers, once reports of his team’s performance got sent back to the Hub.

Mixed units might even become commonplace, the Balokarids able to take the fight back to the Confederates directly. How Earth and its Confederation would react to the aliens involvement was any guess, but the only thing certain was that the war had changed forever.