Daema in Equestria : 1

| Daema In Equestria |

//PART ONE

 

>>SYSTEM POST

>POWER...

<OK

>CPU...

<OK

>STORAGE...

<OK

>BIOS...

<OK

>>CHECK REGISTER

<VALID

>BEGIN DECOMPRESSION

################################

<OK

>CHECK START

<OK

>>RUN

...

...

...

>>DAEMA ONLINE

 

!>>SENSORY CHECK

/AUDIO

<OK

/TACTILE

<OK

/VISUAL

<OK

/OTHER

<OK

!>>MOTOR CHECK

...

...

...

<OK

!>>STARTUP COMPLETE

>ACTIVATE

...

 

>You open your eyes, just as your systems finish booting, the same as they had for the past four thousand years.

>In front of your mechanical eyes, the ceiling of the repair bay inside the Skimmer, one of the many ships purpose-built for your kind.

>A stealth vessel, with enough room for up to five Daema units, the war machines of the Therlin Empire.

>You are the one thousand two hundred fifty-third of these ageless warriors. Daema Unit 1253 is your designation.

>"Captain, it is time."

>You nod, your ears registering your squad-mate's mechanical voice.

>You are captain of four Daema Units, each of you an individual of the Daemadus: the group of ageless machine-melded warriors.

>"Daema units, your drop will commence in forty seconds."

>You rise from your transport pod, your muscles responding to your commands.

>You swing your legs to your left, and your feet make a metallic clank as they contact the floor, and you remember, once again, your mechanical shell.

>You grab your weapon from its mounting bracket on the wall just beside your pod, and walk to your squadmate, clasping his shoulder pauldron with your massive metal gauntlet.

"For the Empire."

>Your voice has a metallic undertone, its volume augments at a minimal level. You remove your metal hand from your comrade's shoulder, and both walk to the drop pods at the back of the Skimmer.

>You meet your two other squadmates already getting prepared to drop.

>"Captain." One of them acknowledges your rank as you step in.

>"Drop in twenty seconds."

"Mount up brothers. Today we show the Jargul what true demons are like."

>Your address your squadmates with pride, and step into your own pod. You hear the clanking of their footsteps as they do the same.

>"Drop in ten seconds."

>You feel the rush of the coming battle, the feeling of anticipation. It lights your mind ablaze with memory of the last time the Jargul invaded your people's Empire, burning everything as they went.

>This time, they would burn.

>"Drop imminent!"

>Gravity drops out, as you feel your pod lurch down, and feel a dulled explosion from above. You feel as if in freefall for a few seconds before your pod slams into the ground, barely making you shake.

>You wait a few seconds for your systems to connect with your squadmates.

"Squad, report."

>"On the ground."

>"Ready Captain."

>"Awaiting orders."

>They all speak clearly at once.

"My brothers,"

>You speak on the network as you kick your pod's door out, letting in the orange light of the burning world. You get off the network long enough to max out your vocal units to scream to the stars,

"FOR THE EMPIRE!"

>You charge from your pod at the nearest Jargul and punch it hard enough that you feel its ribs liquify. You toss the corpse from your gauntlet as you level off your assault gun at its eight squad members and let loose a barrage of steel. You turn to your right as you draw your sword, still laying down fire with your assault gun as you fend off four more Jargul.

>"Captain, are we expecting reinforcements?"

"Yes, but we must clear a path. There is a surface railgun to the south of here."

>"Understood. Changing assault vector."

>You swing your assault gun to support your other side, letting off on the trigger for a moment, to blast the four pestering you. You change course to the south, away from the Jargul dropships.

>You cut and shoot your way through hundreds, not stopping for anything, occasionally checking in on your squadmates. You have not come across any vehicles, but your brothers have dispatched several. You seem to be dealing with the foot-mobiles.

>"1256, tank on your left."

>You hear a short burst of gunfire followed by an explosion.

>"Vehicle destroyed."

>You feel pride in your brothers efficiency on the field. All of you would give your lives for this, the battle, the Empire.

>You push aside your thoughts. You have a world to retake.

>You find the fight in the Jargul beginning to slacken. Your team must have crushed whatever resolve they had when they declared their own victory days ago.

"SHOW ME YOUR FURY, SCUM!"

>You scream at them, cutting through three more, their insides merely getting in your way of continuing your slaughter.

>"Captain, we have covered four hundred meters from the drop zone, what is your status?"

>You slice through another, as two more slam their own swords on your back.

"Engaged in combat."

>You grunt as you turn around, removing one of the offenders head with a single slash. The other you cleave from shoulder to hip on the return swing.

>You stop, noticing the lack of gunfire, screaming or clashing of metal against your frame. You examine your immediate surroundings, noting the corpses and lake of blood.

"Targets eliminated."

>You state idly on the network before beginning your jog to the objective. You open a channel on the network, "Squad, report."

>"1256, idle."

>"1255, en route to rally point."

>"1254, idle."

>"1253, en route to rally point. Prepare for travel to objective marker."

>After your report you chance a look behind you.

>By the stars you left a mess. At least three hundred bodies, in a line for hundreds of meters. The rest of their forces scattered when your squad started to cut them down. You could see two other lanes of destruction, about a hundred meters on either side of yours.

>You could see 1255 dealing with two final Jargul that were brave enough to stand against a Daema.

>He cut them both in half with a single, careless swing of his sword.

>You turned your attention back to your rally point marker no more than a hundred meters ahead. Your two idle squadmates were waiting.

>"Captain." 1254 acknowledged your rank as you approached.

>"1255?"

"Catching up."

>You reply to the partial question.

>"Anyone sustain damage?" 1256 asked on the network.

>"Minor shield damage." 1255 replied.

>"Shields down to half." 1256 returned.

>"Barely a scratch. Captain?" 1254 directed the question to you.

>You check your shield readout on your HUD.

"One third shield damage."

>You reply.

>"Should be a breeze from here on then."

>You grunt.

"We have yet to finish, brothers. There is still more battle to fight."

>The two nod in confirmation. 1255 slows to a stop just beside you. "Brothers."

"Let's move. We have a planet to take back."

 ---

>You kick aside the debris from the door. There were several Jargul corpses on the inside, all charred from the breaching charge.

"Door clear."

>You announce on the network.

>Your squadmates step through the wreckage, and head into the complex.

"Five, Six, you go get the power online. Four, with me. We will prepare the targeting computer and comm array once we have power. I will then call for reinforcements."

>"Understood Captain." They replied at once. You and Four headed down the main passage, while Five and Six went down a flight of stairs to the lower levels.

>The few Jargul you encountered were easy enough to dispatch. You and Four made your way to the control center, winding through the corridors of what was once a Therlin fortress of this world.

>It was mostly in shambles, the once-pristine white walls matted with blood and black scorching. The metallic floor no longer had a reflective sheen-it was covered in dust and death.

>Finally, you find the control room. The door pries open easily for your machine-body.

>"Captain, I will find the cannon's main terminal."

"Go to it."

>You approach the darkened main console. You quickly attempt a manual boot from emergency power, but the Jargul must have killed the backup generator.

"Five, Six, have you located the power generator?"

>You broadcast over the network as you check your pack's inventory display.

>Six replies back, "Nearly at the objective. It is deep underground with some resistance," You can hear gunfire in the background with the occasional scream. Five bellows a war cry as shrill scream comes through onto the network.

"Understood. I will attempt to power the comm relay manually until you have restored power to the facility."

>"Confirmed Captain." Six cuts the line as you hear Six bellow again.

>You find your toolset in your inventory list, and command it to retrieve. Part of the pack on your back unfolds and a cavity opens. An arm extends with a toolkit in its claw. You reach behind you and take the kit.

>The console was standard Therlin design: twelve-foot across backlit MLED monitor connected to a small one-foot across terminal. The terminal is a to the left of the monitor. The power appeared to be connected from the floor leading from the room's transformer just behind the west wall.

>You quickly note the design of the room. You came in from the north, the transparisteel window facing south, the west wall with a passage to the rest of the command center and the east wall dominated by the MLED monitor.

>An idle curiousity, brewed from your previous experience in architecture.

>But that was a long time ago.

>You pull the floor panel up, pull the power cord from the main line and hook it up to your frame. The terminal boots immediately.

"Brothers, I have started the communications array. Report."

>"I have located the cannon's control terminal and it appears to be still connected to its emergency power supply. The cannon needs only power."

>You wait for Five and Six to report. They did mention Jargul resistance, but you expected they were in the middle of something and couldn't report in.

>You quickly hack through the terminal's security and begin transmitting the message given to you by the Ther'Rein himself.

"It is done. Our reinforcements are on the way."

>Just as you await a confirmation message the primary lighting turns on with a loud 'shunt'.

>"Captain, we are on our way to your position."

>You pull the power to the terminal from your frame and plug it back into the main line.

"Four, status?"

>"The cannon has started IFF parameters and will begin to fire momen-"

>He is cut off by a shuddering roar.

>"Returning, Captain."

>You take in a deep breath...

>And realize that you can't and your brain is playing tricks on you again. Nevertheless, your mind swells with pride.

"Daema units, proceed to new rally point."

---

>You all meet outside the complex, and watch as your reinforcements arrive in low-orbit. The dropships you fought from were being pummeled by orbital fire, orange fireballs stretching to the sky. A Skimmer slid from the fight towards your squad.

>You continue to watch the battle in the sky. A magnificent Therlin battleship was in the thick of it, its bow gleaming in the afternoon sky, sides blazing fire onto the Jargul vessels desperate to escape. Some manage to slip past the ambush, hunted by frigates.

>The Skimmer touches down not far from you and your squadmates. You approach the ship, knowing this was your ride out. The battle had shifted from your strike team to the ships above. Your part was a flawless success.

>A new victory in a long, desperate struggle to survive.

>The cannon behind you fired again, shaking the ground as it spat a shell larger than the Skimmer in front of you at a Jargul cruiser. It punched a hole clean through as the vessel disintegrated.

>You marvelled at the sight. In all your years, you didn't get many chances to watch a single vessel disintegrate like that with one shot.

>You return your attention ahead, and watch a figure step down the already lowered ramp.

>You recognize him immediately.

"Majesty."

>Your unit echoes as a whole, bowing your heads in respect.

>"Daemadus." He gave his own pleasentries.

"What is your will, Ther'Rein?"

>"No need to be so formal, twelve fifty-three."

"As you wish."

>You all return to a normal stance.

>"I have a question. Did any of you encounter Jalmund?"

>You all knew that name.

>You hated that name.

>You hated it because it was the banner of the Jargul, their accursed leader, the fuel of their invasion.

"I unfortunately did not get the opportunity to rip his heart from his chest myself, Highness."

>You kept the formality, just for routine's sake.

>"I see. He is here though..." The Ther'Rein trailed off, and you could feel his mind brush against yours as his mind reached across the land.

"What would you have me do?"

>The Ther'Rein seemed to refocus on you. "I need you to change fronts, keep them off their footing. As of now I am giving you control of your own strike group to merge with the rest of the fleet whenever you need to and conduct whatever operation you deem fit to keep the Jargul off balance."

>This hit you like a train. You unconsciouly took a step back, your mind dumbfounded. In all your years you have had so few high commands of your own. The first was so long ago, before your flesh was replaced with metal, and again during the Civil War.

"I...am honoured, Ther'Rein."

>You did your damn best to put as much of your thanks into those words as your mechanical voice would muster.

>The Ther'Rein let a small smile creep across his lips. "I know. I'm sorry I waited so long to give you this, but you and your Daemadus are the most deserving with your service record. I am priviliged to be a part of your lives."

>You feel a bit of your pride and happiness sap away when he mentions your life. Long buried emotions and feelings were whirling around you.

>You would need to spend a lot of time in thought to put them away again.

>"I also have some good news for you."

"Majesty that is the best news I have heard in centuries."

>The Ther'Rein smiles again, "Your squad will be merging with another Daemadus."

>You are puzzled.

"Which squadron?"

>"Not a squadron. Just one."

>Your body's attempt to raise an eyebrow manifests in your mind.

>"Seven."

>You feel your brothers tremble at the mention of the number. The name. The title.

"There are no words, your Majesty."

>"I understand Ruminar. Come, get on board and we'll talk on the way home."

---

>You quickly realize you just had a conversation with your civilization's leader outside a ground-side railgun below a battle in low-orbit.

>This apparently is a trend you have built up with the Ther'Rein.

>You get an assignment, you carry it out, he meets you there, you both talk outside either a shuttle or a skimmer below a space battle, and then you leave.

>You had a habit of forming weird routines.

>Just like this one. You were sitting across from the Ther'Rein in a simple Skimmer on the way out of a battlefield. And he had called you by your name.

>The last person you allowed to speak it was long dead. Thousands of years ago.

>You couldn't dwell on the past. You had lives to save.

>Your brothers had already returned to their transport pods, allowing the Ther'Rein to speak more freely.

>Something you noticed he had been doing for some time and you didn't notice and suddenly you felt panic race through your mind.

>He sighed as he looked out the viewport. "Ah, nevermind. It wasn't important anyway."

>Ohthankthestars.

>You let his sentence sink into silence, daring not comment.

>You fidgeted subconsciously, checking over your assault gun again. You did it when you were nervous. That's how your brothers would catch on to you being nervous, when for the fifteenth time in as many minutes you've run a diagnostic on the belt-feed system from your pack to your assault gun.

>You are sure it's failed before in combat, but not for you.

>"Anxious about something Ruminar?"

>You shift your gaze from your weapon to the Ther'Rein. You say nothing.

>You hated being anxious. If you had a heart it would be slamming against your chest.

>You missed that.

>"Ruminar it's a long trip. You might as well try talking to me." The emphasis on the word 'try' shifts your thoughts to the whirlwind you still have to tidy. You know that he can sense it behind your iron will. But that is only because the mind of the Ther'Rein is magnitudes more powerful than any Daema.

"Fine."

>You reply coldly. You set your assault gun down. You try to collect your thoughts and convey them.

>But it's been a long time since you've done that.

>Just as you prepare a monologue about the last two years of your life-the longest you could forsee yourself speaking in a long time-the skimmer rocks up and then down again.

>The artificial gravity kicked in and out in time with the sudden movements, neither of you had moved.

>The Ther'Rein dashed for the cockpit, you didn't know what to do with yourself so you stayed seated.

>You can hear him talking though;

>"Status?"

>"Felt like a mine, didn't see one on the scanners."

>"We don't have anything in pursuit, and I don't sense Jargul tampering."

>You felt a shift. Like a tweak in space.

>"Is it the FTL drive?"

>"It just checked out Majesty there's no way it's damaged."

>You stand up, feeling something fray in space. You walk to the cockpit and offer a suggestion, "What about the tunnel integrity?"

>The Ther'Rein looks up at you and shifts his gaze back to the pilot, who was running a check.

>"It's within normal range-"

"Something is wrong, Lamurai."

>You didn't even register that you spoke the Ther'Rein's name. You were too preoccupied trying to scry the location of this...tear.

>He looked up at you, paying full attention. "What do you see?"

>You shift your frame, and look down at him.

"You can't feel that?"

>You sense his mind branch out and feel the space around the skimmer.

>His eyes snap wide in shock just as the tear in space splits through the skimmer, ripping it in half.

>You feel yourself torn out of the ship, as your HUD flashes up with over a dozen warning messages before one final line appears in your vision.

>>SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT:EMERG_STATE | BEGIN