Debauchery Worlds 23 (Patreon)

Debauchery Worlds

Chapter 23

-VB-

???

2981.03.30

“The attack was a failure.”

“Unfortunate.”

“It seems that … it is the Blake’s will that a thorough on-ground attack is what is needed to root out these mercenaries.”

“It does seem like it, brother.”

“... I doubt that I will come back alive. These mercs are extremely vigilant when it comes to security. Once we break in, there will be no breaking out. On top of that…”

“I know. May Blake bless you and greet you in the afterlife.”

“Blake wills it, sister. I will be waiting on the other side.”

-VB-

???

The order had come from Luthien itself.

The Dragon had ordered for these mercenaries - that had shamed the Dragon’s forces - to be eliminated and any of their aberrant technological samples to be shipped back to Luthien where the Combine’s scientists and engineers may replicate them.

“So you are the one they sent.”

“Hai,” a black-haired caucasian smiled and bowed. “I am here to see the order of the Dragon fulfilled, regardless well or not well your group performs.”

Tai-i Hrrantu Josa nodded. “If that is the will of the Dragon, then so it shall be. I assume you have brought intel?”

“I have,” the newcomer replied as he pulled out a small map. He spread it out, and Josa nodded upon seeing the map. Truly, the man had been sent by the Dragon for how else would they have in their hands a map of the mercenary compound that they have failed to infiltrate? “... Those are factories.”

“Hai,” the newcomer replied. “These factories have been producing arms at an astonishing rate. There is some debate about where these factories came from, but the current consensus is that at least one of them must have originated from the Star League era.”

“... Truly, we have fallen so low if we missed such a factory right underneath our feet for so long when we had this world in our grasp for over a century.”

“The Dragon does not fault you for something you were not tasked with. However, he does demand that you fulfill your duty in ensuring that the Davions no longer have this factory. It is becoming clear to him and his advisors that this world, if the factory were to remain standing, will become a focal point that the weak Davions will use to lunge deep into the Combine.”

“It must not be allowed.”

“Indeed,” the newcomer said with a nod as he drew a symbol on the factory.

Josa’s stomach sank.

“... It must be serious. Very serious.”

“Hai. One of these factories are responsible for rapid production of assault dropships.”

Josa’s eyes flew open.

Assault dropships?!

“How many?!”

“Three in the past month alone.”

“... I understand. Glory to the Coordinator.”

“Glory to the Draconis Combine.”

-VB-

Alan Marris

David II

2981.03.31

All of our girls in the know were safe and sound on the planet, but we kept them separated and away from the compound. Tuka herself was being ushered to where they were along with a dozen of our clones who also carried with them critical datacores and arms to keep Tuka and the rest of the girls safe.

We weren’t sure if the attacks weren’t over, because anyone willing to use nukes would have other ways to ensure that their attacks succeeded. This, in our minds, meant that there had to be more attacks incoming, or they had agents on the ground.

There were many jump routes to David System. A simple glance of the star map alone gave us half a dozen ways they could have come in, but we knew that one of those was not it because Proserpina, one of those six systems close enough for a stand jump, was where our clones were with the 41st Avalon Hussars in transit to Proserpina IV and we didn’t see any jumpships leave after we jumped into the system.

We also doubted that the Davions would have missed those raiders if they were moving through their systems, which dropped two Davion systems. This left three systems on the Draconis Combine side of the border that could have been the staging point for th-.

BBOOOMMM!!!

All of us whirled around just in time to see the bloom of a nuclear explosion ring out… and the only reason all of us were alive was because we had installed energy shields we meant to keep hidden on our walls and majority of our facilities, including the residential buildings.

Motherfuckers.

They had agents on the ground. They just used nukes on the ground!

Surviving clones came under attack immediately. More nukes went off, and this time, many of the periphery shields failed and both clones and infrastructure vaporized in the man-made suns. But one of my clones, before they died, saw the enemy who detonated the nukes.

A man wearing the black and red symbol of the Draconis Combine.

Fucking Combine!

---

6A2

Proserpina System

2981.03.31

A single flick of a switch opened a comm line to the general.

“General, this is 6A2.”

“What is it, captain?”

“I have just received word from home base that the Combine have used nuclear weaponry both in space and on planet. I’m sorry, general. Most of the capital city is in ruin.”

There was a pause.

“Please repeat that, captain,” the general shaky voice came back.

“The Combine have used nuclear weapons in space and on ground at David II. We are still trying to figure out the extent of the damage… but I’m sorry, general. I don’t think anything is left of the regiment you left behind.”

“A… And how did you get this information?”

“We may or may not hae a miniature HPG-like device in our possession.”

“Of fucking…” A pause. Deep breathes. “Thank you. Our … Our order stands. We strike Proserpina. But there is now a new addition to your order, captain.”

“Ma’am.”

“You are to destroy any and all Draconis Combine forces you see using whatever bullshit you have to pull. After that, once DCMS force on ground has been removed, you have my permission to raid all nearby Combine systems.”

“Order and permission received, general. Good hunting.”

“You too.”

---

Alan Marris

David II

A thorough review of the hive mind told me just how many of us died.

Of the four hundred plus clones that made up the hive mind, there were now only two hundred.

Half of the hive mind had been killed by the wanton nuclear destruction the Combine levied upon us.

And for what?!

Thankfully, our clones had our power armors, which helped against the radiation, and we quickly moved into our compound and the irradiated city to review the extent of the damage and to hutn down any surviving Combine soldiers.

Once we recovered from this blow, there will be hell to pay…!

-VB-

Combine Nuclear Strike on David II, 2981.03.31

Pre-assault David II population: 3.9 million

Post-assault David II population: 1.3 million, HPG station destroyed

David System: isolated, damaged, defenseless

…

…

…

Com Gurad Expeditionary WarFleet III jumping in from Tallassee.

-VB-

Com Guard Holy Veil Expeditionary WarFleet III

CO: Precentor XII Joseph Quantar***

CSV Righteous Fury (Aegis)

CSV Hammerstrike (Essex)

CSV Determination (Vincent)

CSV Resilience (Vincent)

10x dropships

-VB-

A/N: so some things to keep in mind. Alan and his clones do not know about ComStar and their shenanigans. They have no evidence that this could be anyone but Combine while enough circumstantial evidence point to the Combine as perpetrators. For now. Also, as you saw in the chapter, the ComStar infiltrated and suborned/tricked/whatever an ISF cell on ground into using nuclear weapons against Alan. This … will also be a turning point for Alan regarding the surviving former Combine citizens that he has been treating semi-decently up to this point, disregarding the fact that they also got nuked by the tricked ISF cell. Until he sees something else that changes his mind very soon.

Oh and there will be misunderstandings.

A/N: *** OC

A/N: yeah… ComStar’s not messing about. They’ve been gathering a shit ton of data, and this is the ONLY solution they could think of to prevent proliferation of high tech. Detonating their own HPG station to silence a world and then jumping in from a dead system… They mean business. Or lack thereof. Unfortunately for them, they have no idea what Marris can cook up, how far they can reach, and the fact that they already have this universe’s coordinates to Earth. So once they see those ComStar and ComGuard logos and insignias…