Week of 2023/2/13 - SSFF - Chapter 8 - 10

Chapter 8: The Conspiracy

For one reason or another, the corporal answered any question Athena asked. The first thing he confessed was his true identity. As far as Athena and the queen could tell, he wasn’t lying.

“We are members of the Venya Revolutionary Guard. All of us in the squad are, except for you, Ren, and Michael.”

“My Queen?” The Zerg queen was a little confused by the unfamiliar name. If they were talking about the Terran Dominion or the Protoss Empire, she would be quite knowledgeable, but at this point, her understanding of the various factions in this galaxy was nonexistent.

“It’s a group that opposes the Venya Imperium. I will give you more details later.” Athena replied to the queen silently. She couldn’t really talk to the queen and the corporal at the same time, and she didn't want to halt the interrogation now. Of course, she recognized the name. It was a name neither she nor anyone in the sector should be unfamiliar with.

“Who else in the company is part of the Guard?” She demanded quietly. Nine troopers from a squad of twelve, including the squad leader, were secretly traitors. This was bad.

“I don’t know the exact number, but I know we have more than enough on our side to complete our mission on this planet.” Corporal Huo carefully scanned Athena’s face for any reactions he could potentially use.

“And what mission is that?”

“Doctor Payton.” Corporal Huo replied. “The lady from the Imperial Research Academy. It turns out that she is kind of a big deal in the eyes of certain people, people who are willing to give a lot in exchange for her. Our job is to help kidnap her.”

Athena frowned. If Doctor Payton was indeed such an important person, then why was she sent here with only a single company as protection? Sure, she still had legionnaires from the Imperial Security Corps as protection, but it was only a single combat squad. 12 men. As far as Athena knew, researchers who were truly considered valuable to the Imperium often had entire divisions following them around as protection. In an age where technology meant power, they were worth the cost.

Then again, if someone in a position to coordinate such an operation believed otherwise, perhaps they knew something she didn't.

“What is the plan?” Athena pushed. An operation this secretive likely had a premeditated strategy that officers like Corporal Huo were clued in on. These men here were conspiring to betray the Imperium in one of the worst ways possible. They couldn’t afford the consequences of failure.

Corporal Huo glanced at Athena again. He knew his chance of escaping this alive was low, but the chance was still there, and to seize that opportunity, he needed to be honest for now. That was why he made no attempt to deceive Athena.

“Ever since we landed on this planet, we have been using expedition missions like this one to weed out loyalists among our ranks. We took them by surprise and executed them in the wild. When we returned to base, we made it look like they were lost to the environment outside.”

“That’s why you tried to shoot me.” Athena nodded. That would explain the sudden betrayal. She was no longer the old Athena, but the rest of the squad didn't know that. They thought she was still the same loyalist as before, and that made her a threat that had to be terminated.

“Yes. If we had known…” The corporal’s voice trailed off before continuing with the plan. “There will always be some moving parts, but here are the basics. When the time comes, a small Republic task force will arrive over this planet’s orbit. At the same time, we will act and use the surprise to control the armory and the hangar. This prevents the Imperials from having any chance of calling for help or putting up an effective defense. Once that is done, if possible, we will advance to the lab and go after Doctor Payton. The Republic task force will deploy its ground troops and help us break the defense of the loyalists if needed. When this is all over, we join the Republic forces and leave this world behind. By the time the Imperials realize what happened, we would be long gone.”

Athena tapped her fingers thoughtfully. This was a good plan, not necessarily because the person who came up with it was a genius but more so because the Imperial loyalists had all the disadvantages in the world to begin with. They would be outgunned, possibly outnumbered, and completely taken by surprise. The plan was very straightforward, but then again most good plans were.

Corporal Huo saw the thoughtful expression on Athena’s face and secretly took a breath of relief. Given the interest the young woman was showing, his plan might actually work!

“Look, Athena…” He continued. “What happened here was unfortunate, but we don’t have to remain enemies! If…if we go back to the base together, I can tell my superiors that you are an ally. Stay with us, help us take down the Imperials, and we can leave this world and the Imperial Army behind!”

Athena gave no reply, and the corporal kept on pushing, raising his voice in the process. As far as he could see, his chances of surviving were getting higher and higher. “Aren’t you tired of all this bullshit in the Army, Athena? With what you can do with these beasts, you can get so much more than a life of being a slave to an Imperium that doesn’t give a shit about us! We are just numbers to them! Numbers! Nothing more! If you want to leave the Imperial Army in one piece, this is your best chance!”

Athena didn't give the nearly frenzy man an immediate reply. Instead, she asked another question. “Who is the leader of the rebels in the company? Captain Hanson? One of the sergeants?”

“I…I don’t know.” Corporal Huo was clearly disappointed by Athena’s question. “I promise! I get my orders from Sergeant Louis. He is one of us.”

Maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe he wasn’t. Athena made no reaction and proceeded to ask a few more questions. The planned date of the operation. More names of undercover Guard members. Whether they had assets inside the Imperial Security Corps combat squad. Whether Instigator Kendrick leading the combat squad was in on it as well. The corporal answered some and claimed ignorance with others.

As she went on, the corporal became less and less inclined to give her answers.

“Look, we need to get back to base as soon as possible, Athena.” The man finally stated, doing his best to keep his voice calm. “If we’re too much behind schedule, others will ask questions. Once we get back to base, I can guarantee you will be given all the information you want. I promise you will make it to the Republic ship alive!”

The corporal was getting restless, and Athena likewise dropped her facade as well. She let a scoff climb onto her face and countered with a simple question.

“And, tell me, corporal. What will happen to me after I end up in the hands of the Republic?”

The corporal’s face suddenly turned pale, but he still did his best to act like he was on her side. “Don’t worry about that, Athena. As I said, I will explain to the Republic that you’re on our side…”

“That is not what I’m concerned about. Maybe you’re aware of it. Maybe you’re not. It doesn’t matter.” Athena turned and glanced at the Zerg units beside her, more specifically the queen. After a brief pause, she issued a single silent command. “Kill him. Do it quickly.”

The corporal couldn’t hear the command, and before he knew what was going on, the Zerg queen attacked without a moment of hesitance. A single spine pierced the corporal’s skull, ending his life quickly and relatively painlessly.

As the body hit the ground, Athena let out a sigh and sat down on the ground as well. She quietly turned to the Zerg queen who seemed to have a lot of questions.

She started by giving some context to the queen.

“The Venya Revolutionary Guard is an organization mainly composed of citizens of the Venya Imperium who sought to liberate the people of the Imperium from their oppressive overlords and build a democratic society similar to the United Republic of Dorn. As their name states, they are revolutionaries. Or…that’s what they claim to be.” She explained.

“According to the Imperial media, the so-called Revolutionary Guard is nothing more than a terrorist cell filled with the most mentally-deranged and traitorous individuals in the entire Imperium. Its ranks are staffed with rapists, murderers, thieves, and psychopaths, and its sole purpose of existence is to weaken the Imperium from within on behalf of foreign forces like the United Republic of Dorn. Allegedly, the Republic funds the Guard and secretly trains its members. According to the Imperium, almost any derogatory term can be used to accurately describe the Guard.”

Athena scoffed. She could sense the hatred the old Athena harbored toward the Guard, a hatred forged by decades of propaganda. If the old Athena had her way, she would want to burn every single person associated with the Guard and all their family members for all the crimes the Guard committed against the glorious Imperium. In her eyes, only the most mentally crippled individuals would even dream of marching against the Imperial cause, and death was a mercy for these people.

Luckily, it was her in the driver's seat, and she was able to approach the issue much more objectively. She didn't think the Guard was this completely selfless organization full of heroes, but she didn't believe it was as villainess as the obviously biased Imperium claimed. Like many things, the reality was probably somewhere in between.

The queen took some time to silently process the information. As she finished, Athena turned to the Zerg. “You have more questions.”

“That is correct, my Queen.” The Zerg unit gestured at the corporal’s body. “I sense this human has been telling the truth. If you return to Outpost Delta with him, you will be able to join the winning side with the Guard while collecting more resources during the slaughter. It will give you a significant tactical advantage.”

The queen did execute Corporal Huo because this was her order, but that didn't mean she necessarily believed it was the right thing to do.

Athena nodded gently. It seemed like her understanding of the lore was quite correct. Zerg queens were suitable tactical commanders, but they weren’t too talented with more complicated strategies. This was, of course, by design. Like all Zerg units, when they were first created, the queens were only as smart as they needed to be to do their job. Anything beyond that would be a waste of resources.

Luckily, the queens’ ability to learn far exceeded that of the drone or the zerglings.

“I am sure if I go back with him and he tells his fellow Guard members what happened out here, I will be welcomed by the Guard with open arms. Hell, I’ll be protected, even. Maybe they’ll go as far as abandoning the mission completely and just focus on getting me on the Republic ship out of here, but…then what? If I am planning to betray them, why would I show my hands and alert them of what I am capable of? If I am going along with them and leaving this planet with the Guard, what happens then?”

“As far as the corporal saw, I can summon dangerous beasts out of thin air and control these beasts to fight for me. Either of those two is likely beyond anything the galaxy has seen. Hoping that he will keep my secret for me is…optimistic. The Republic may let the Guard soldiers go free, but me? Once they know what I can do, it will all be over for me. Hell…they’ll probably take me to their capital and throw me in their most heavily guarded cell. They will interrogate and experiment with me until they can find a way to control or duplicate my powers.”

She scoffed again. “Just because the Republic and the Guard fight against an oppressive Imperium doesn’t make them heroes. The Republic is a nation of a hundred sectors with its own culture, politics, and goals. If they are given the opportunity at significant technological advancements, and at the expense of a random Imperial soldier, you can bet they’ll do whatever it takes to extract every ounce of value from me.”

“If I have an infestor here, or even an overseer for a changeling, I may be able to do something about this and control what the corporal says or does. As of now?” Athena shook her head. “I’ll have to settle with the information he gave me. That is why the corporal can’t be allowed to live.”

She bit her lips and stood back up. Like she said to the corporal, maybe this was a part of the man’s plan all along to save himself and potentially get quite a hefty reward by giving her to the Republic. Maybe the corporal was only looking to save his own skin by turning her to their side. Either way, it didn't matter. Let the corporal return to the base and tell the others what he saw, and she would be in for a world of trouble.

Athena was no fool. The Starcraft units were her best chance of survival, but they could also lead to targets being painted on her back. Maybe one day she would show her secret to people she truly trusted, but Corporal Huo, someone who was trying to kill her just minutes ago? It would be absurd for her to place her life in his hands.

The Zerg queen took a moment to process Athena’s words. “I understand, my Queen. He is a threat to your safety. Therefore he cannot be allowed to live.”

“Yeah, something like that. If I let him alive, I would have to die.” The young woman sighed to herself. She scanned the carnage around her once again before slowly returning to the driver’s seat of one of the MSVs. As she leaned back against the seat, she did her best to force her attention away from the massacre and toward what her next steps would be.

The Imperial base she thought was relatively safe was infiltrated by the Venya Revolutionary Guard. If the corporal was telling the truth, then within four standard days, they, with the help of a Republic task force, would launch an attack on the base from within, slaughtering the Imperial loyalists and kidnapping Doctor Payton.

The question was simple. What role would she play in this incident?

Chapter 9: Research Outpost Delta

Athena knew very well that her current situation was tricky. Yes, she had the support of Zerg units and these units gave her more ability to take action that an average Imperial infantry soldier, but she didn't have nearly enough to overwhelm any and all threats to her life by force. She still had to play her cards carefully if she wanted to survive.

“My Queen, as you said, you will not be able to join the side of the Guard or escape the planet on your own.” The Zerg queen suggested. “Your only choice will be to remain as a loyalist to the Imperium until an opportunity to escape presents itself.”

“You’re right.” Athena nodded. “It’s just that…if I want to remain a loyalist and get out of this ordeal alive, I will need to do more than just stay loyal. I also have to find a chance to prove it.”

“Can you elaborate, my Queen?”

“The Imperium doesn’t take kindly to traitors.” Athena bit her lips. “There is a common saying within the Imperium: it is better to let a thousand innocents die than let a single traitor go. That statement itself may be a little exaggerated, but the message is simple. If most of my company turn out to be traitors, then it will be very difficult for the higher-ups to know if I am a traitor as well. If I can’t prove that I’m not, I may very well be executed, just in case.”

The Zerg queen’s talons ticked. As a Zerg command unit who was used to treating lower Zerg units as cannon fodders, she obviously didn't have too many moral concerns. Whether this was an effective strategy was a whole different matter. Her only problem was that this philosophy was causing problems for her Queen.

“The only individuals on this planet in a position to vouch for me will be members of the Imperial Security Corps.” Athena continued. “After the Guard show themselves, the officers in the company, even if they survive, will have trouble saving themselves. If I want to get off this world without being executed, I need to prove my loyalty to members of the ISC combat squad and then make sure they make it off the world alive as well.”

In other words, Athena also had to clear up a significant number of rebels herself, both to keep herself alive and to protect the ISC legionnaires. She couldn’t control the rebels, but she could order the Zerg units to “accidentally” let them go.

Athena turned to the Zerg queen. “It wasn’t really a fair fight, but you have seen the Imperial troops in combat against the Zerg. Any thoughts?”

Tactical analysis and command. This was what the queen was good at, and the Zerg unit quickly produced a reply using the information she witnessed and gathered from the other Zerg units.

“The rifles of these humans, while not as dangerous as the Terran gauss rifles, still pose a significant threat to drones and zerglings. It is likely that they will perform quite well against zerglings at range. Once within melee range, zerglings will be able to decimate the human soldiers with superior speed and reflex. It is likely these human soldiers have only fought human enemies before. They don’t seem to be trained or equipped against the zerglings.”

“If the battle does take place within the tight confines and corridors of the outpost, then the situation will benefit the zerglings.”

“Indeed, my Queen.”

“How would the inclusion of heavy weapons change things?” Athena knew the armory of the research outpost contained far more than just rifles and power armor. “The rebels will likely control the armory at the first possible moment. They will have heavy machine guns, flamethrowers, and rocket launchers at their disposal.”

“I don’t have the details of these heavy weapons, my Queen, but they will likely pose a significant threat to the zerglings even within the enclosed space.” The queen admitted. In the Korupul Sector, firebats have always been a deadly counter to zerglings. The flamethrowers here might not be as effective as firebats, but the number of zerglings Athena had were also limited.

Luckily, the queen had a suggestion. “Given the situation, it may be best to morph and deploy roaches as the main fighting force. They are more expensive than zerglings, but they are tougher and more resilient. They also have powerful ranged attacks that can decimate lightly armored targets. They will be deadly in an environment where the humans can’t deploy air or artillery support.”

Athena nodded before opening the game.

Her resource count jumped by 225 units after massacring the rest of the squad. Knowing 9 people died and after doing some quick math, Athena came to the conclusion that each human life taken gave her 25 units of resources.

This brought her total resources up to around 600 units, and thanks to the newly unlocked Zerg structure, the roach warren, she had a good way of spending the money.

The roach warren unlocked two more Zerg units for Athena: the roach and the ravager.

Roaches were the armored tanks of the Zerg. Their bodies were covered in layers of extremely thick armor that made it almost impossible to take them down with anything short of heavy explosives or artillery. Small-caliber firearms and flame weapons were almost made useless against them. At the same time, roaches posed a significant threat to any ground target in their way. A roach’s main weapon was its highly corrosive acid saliva, capable of dissolving armor and flesh alike upon contact with ease. If the enemies got into close-quarter range, the roaches could easily dispatch them with the blades on their backs. Almost all Zerg units were deadly in melee, but the roaches were especially so.

Each roach cost 200 resources and 2 supplies. Expensive, but well worth the price.

Ravagers were the artillery units of the Zerg. Their main weapon was their plasma discharge which, in addition to being used as a direct-fire weapon, could be fired at ranged targets in an arc similar to a mortar round. These projectiles often excelled at demolishing heavily armored units or defensive structures that had limited mobility.

Ravagers had to be evolved from roaches. In addition to the original cost of the roach, a ravager needed 300 additional resources and occupied 1 additional supply.

At the same time, unlocking the roach warren gave her 50 extra Zerg supplies, bringing the total up to 100.

Athena knew she needed more resources. As effective as roaches were, it would take a lot more than three of them and a dozen zerglings to gain control over the outpost. After looking at the clock in her armor and knowing she still had some time left, Athena decided to stay a little longer. For the next hour, as she waited near the MSVs, her zerglings and trio of roaches went into the forest and hunt down as many of the local animals as they could.

Most of Athena’s zerglings were lost in the process, but by the end of the hour, Athena had a total of 13 roaches. The roaches also proved their strength during the hunting. Few local animals could fare too well after a single shot of the roach’s acidic saliva, and the roaches shrugged off the teeth and claws of any predators that tried to challenge them. Their accomplishments gave Athena plenty of confidence in surviving this whole ordeal.

When the time came, Athena recalled the Zerg units back into the game, hopped onto one of the multi-terrain scout vehicles, and started making her way back to the outpost.

Several hours later, Athena’s single MSV reached Research Outpost Delta. She expertly maneuvered the vehicle past a handful of sensors and automated gun turrets before driving it into the base’s garage. But even as Athena got home, she hardly had time to rest. For one thing, she had a report to make to her superiors. As she expected, they weren't too happy with how things turned out.

“Let me get this straight, private. Your entire squad is dead. Your corporal is dead. You, however, made it back. Somehow.”

Standing in the middle of the office, still in her armor but without her weapons, Athena drew a deep breath as she listened to Captain Hanson’s words. The captain was a man in his forties. The old Athena respected the man. Allegedly, the captain started his career in the Army as a common trooper and climbed to his position after spilling god-knew how much blood. He was a well-respected officer and what many thought a good Imperial should be. Loyal, determined, and disciplined.

The suspicion in the captain’s words was obvious, but Athena saw this coming. Her entire squad was killed. This type of mission has been dangerous, but this type of near-total casualty was so far unprecedented. She did retrieve the specimen and complete the mission objective, but that didn't mean there wouldn’t be questions asked.

Luckily, if she played her cards right, she should be able to do just fine. That was the benefit of being the sole survivor. The truth would be what she said it was.

So Athena gave the captain the story she prepared. According to her, her squad successfully acquired the sample and made it back to the spot where they parked their MSVs. This was when something suddenly went very wrong. Countless predators suddenly charged out of the forest and overwhelmed them, acting more like an army than a horde of animals. In the chaos, she had no choice but to get out of there with only a single MSV. The rest of the squad was quickly overwhelmed and killed by the horde.

This was just one of the many stories Athena could tell to explain the death of her squad, but Athena chose this one for a rather specific purpose.

As she finished, Athena scanned the room. In addition to Captain Hanson, there were two sergeants present. Sergeant Louis, head of her platoon and, according to Corporal Huo, a member of the Guard. Sergeant Diaz, the head of another platoon in the company and a close friend of Captain Hanson. In addition. standing behind her near the door was a pair of sentries, bodyguards handpicked by the captain for their expertise and loyalty.

Who among these people was part of the Guard? Some of them? Most of them? All of them? Athena knew her best bet was to assume they were all turned. She would rather be surprised that some of them were loyalists than be surprised that all were traitors.

“So you left your men, including your commanding officer, behind to die?” Sergeant Louis scoffed. He was clearly not too happy with Athena. “Need I remind you that desertion is punishable by death, private?”

“I did what had to be done to complete my mission, sir. My objective was more important than anything else.” Athena defended herself, unfazed. “This is what Corporal Huo would have wanted.”

The sergeant frowned, but there was little he could say to counter Athena’s point. He turned and glanced at Captain Hanson, who simply nodded at what she told him.

“You are right, Private Dane. Your mission was the top priority. You did the right thing.” The man said, his tone a little nicer than before. “You have had a long day, private. Go get some rest. You deserve it. Sergeant Louis will be responsible for inserting you into another squad in your platoon.”

“Yes sir.” Athena saluted before turning and leaving the room.

As the door shut behind Athena, Sergeant Louis snapped to Captain Hanson. He could barely contain the fear in his voice.

“What should we do about her, sir? Should I arrange another mission and have her taken out?”

The captain leaned back in his seat. He could sense his subordinate’s panic, “Relax, James.”

“Relax? With all due respect, sir, you know what will happen to us if we fail! How can I relax?”

“That is precisely why you need to remain calm, James. Panic will only lead to mistakes, and you said, we cannot afford mistakes.” Captain Hanson looked to the sergeant, his voice cold and threatening.

“I…I am sorry, sir.” The sergeant, much younger and less experienced than the captain, was taken aback by the harsh tone.

The captain tapped the table gently before turning to Sergeant Diaz, a veteran officer he trusted much more than Sergeant Louis. “Thoughts, old friend?”

Like so many times before, Sergeant Diaz gave Captain Hanson a satisfactory answer.

“There are two possibilities, sir. Either she knows about our secret or she doesn’t. I personally think she doesn’t know our plan and is telling the truth. If our people had a chance to attack, she would not be alive right now. The fact that she is back here likely means her squad was taken out before Corporal Huo could act.”

Captain Hanson nodded in agreement. He knew more than anyone else that combat in real life was different from what was portrayed in all the movies. In the movies, an Imperial hero could easily gun down dozens of traitors and enemies in a firefight with nothing but mild injuries. In reality, especially on the planet of Morgo IV, a single bullet was enough to put even the toughest soldier down. If the Guard members did open fire, Athena would never have been able to make it back alive.

“We don’t have an effective way of safely taking her out. Instigator Kendrick has access to all the mission reports. He likely knows this Athena is the only survivor of one mission, and he will grow suspicious if we send her on another one so soon. Throwing her in a cell draws a similar level of attention. If we try to kill her within the facility, well…that would just be stupid. There are so many things that can go wrong. If we try to kill her now, we will almost certainly rouse suspicion.”

“If she doesn’t know anything, we should just leave her be. If she does somehow know about our plan, which again is almost impossible, then the worst case is if she tries to alert Instigator Kendrick and his legionnaires.” Sergeant Diaz continued. “What then? They won’t know who to trust in our company, and fighting back with just a dozen men would be suicide. They will try to escape, but our men already have control over most of the facility. The armory and the hangar are already ours. In the worst-case scenario, we intercept them in the hangar and take them down.”

“This could lead to more casualties than if we struck first. Or the death of Doctor Payton.” Sergeant Louis frowned.

“Both are always possible. As I said, it is almost impossible Private Dane knows anything she shouldn’t. How would she find out?” Sergeant Diaz countered. “If we kill her, the only thing we will do is expose ourselves early for nothing in return. Remember, the Republic reinforcements are scheduled to arrive in four standard days. If we fight now, we have to do all the work.”

The last sentence was enough to get Sergeant Louis to go silent.

Captain Hanson watched the two go back and forth and sighed. The reality was that if the Guard wanted, they could take over the facility, neutralize the ISC combat squad, and capture Doctor Payton right now. They had the numbers and the firepower. What they didn't have…was the will to die for their cause.

Despite what it tried to show to the public, the Guard was hardly an organization filled with revolutionaries who would die a thousand deaths for their mission. These people certainly exist, but they were just a small percentage of the entire Guard. In many cases, the Guard often involved a mix of true revolutionaries, mercenaries, criminals, pirates, and countless more groups who had their own reasons to pick up arms against the Imperium.

The situation in this facility was no different. Some of the troops were turned to the Guard because they believed in the idea of a free Venya. Some simply wanted a way out of the decade of military service. Some were convinced to join because representatives from the Republic promised them new lives as free Republic citizens and a significant sum of Republic credits. Others just utterly hated the Venya Imperium and wanted to watch it burn.

Most of the Guard elements in the 432nd Company didn't want to die in this outpost. They were fine with shooting loyalists in the back or, if they had the firepower, in the front. They were fine with seizing the security center when the time came and allowing Republic covert troops to enter the base unnoticed and storm the lab. None of these was that risky.

But fighting the deadly veteran legionnaires of the Imperial Security Corps head-on all by themselves? The legionnaires of the Corps often kept their guard up when facing the Imperial soldiers, so taking them by surprise would be difficult. In addition, the legionnaires were all zealots to the Imperial cause. An abrupt betrayal, instead of shocking them, would only fill them with fury toward the traitors. Unless it really came down to it, few in the Guard wanted to be the ones to take them out.

Just like that, the decision was made. One option was a tiny possibility where the Guard had to do all the fighting. The other was a guarantee the Guard would have to fight and die. In that case, the final decision was hardly a surprise.

“Get her to a new squad, James. Keep your eyes on the goal and don’t be distracted by a simple accident.” The captain finally ordered. “Remember. Four days. Four days, and we will be out of here. Don’t screw all this up when we are almost at the finishing line.”

“Yes sir.”

As the pair of sergeants left the office, Captain Hanson dismissed the pair of sentries as well. As he was alone in the room, the captain looked at a photo on the desk. It featured a man, a woman, and a young boy. His eyes landed on the face of the boy. His son. In the photo, the little boy was smiling. His smile was so wide and contagious that even now, Captain Hanson couldn’t help but grin a little as well. A grin that quickly disappeared.

Everyone in the Guard joined for different reasons. Sergeant Louis joined to secure himself a way out of the Army without being hunted down and executed as a deserter. Sergeant Diaz wanted to free the people of the Venya Imperium. The leader of Athena’s squad, Corporal Huo, as the captain had learned, was in it for the money.

As for the captain himself, well, he was one of the individuals who just wanted to see the Venya Imperium burned to the ground.

Chapter 10: The Calm Before the Storm

In the only female bathroom in the outpost, Athena stood in front of a large mirror. With the help of a set of equipment in the armory, she was able to finally remove the suit of Guardian-class power armor that had been on her ever since she found herself in this new body. She had to admit that it was good to finally be free. The armor was good at keeping her alive, but comfort? There was a reason the power armors of high-ranking officers like colonels were almost never touched. Comfort was the least the engineers had in mind when designing the armor.

The first place she headed to was the bathroom. Her body was covered in sweat, a feeling she absolutely hated. Of course, given the lack of resources on a planet like Morgo IV, the only individuals who had access to quick showers were Captain Hanson and maybe a few members of the Imperial Security Corps combat squad. Common soldiers like Athena had to handle their hygiene with wet towels.

After cleaning herself to the best of her abilities, Athena stood in front of one of the large mirrors and examined her body. She was never really into working out or sports when she was back on Earth, which was why she was a little amazed by her new athletic body. Like all female soldiers who lasted more than a year in the Imperial Army, the old Athena was as tough as any of the men in the units. She might not be the prettiest girl out there, but she was a damn good fighter.

At the same time, this body came with its fair share of scars and injuries. Athena’s finger landed on a scar on her abdomen and immediately recalled she received the scar around a year ago. It was the result of a piece of grenade shrapnel that went through her armor and almost caused her to bleed out. Apparently, the medic later informed Athena that she might not be able to have children in the future. The old Athena didn't really mind this at all. It was a small price to pay for the Imperium and the Leviathan.

A part of Athena felt sorry for her predecessor. So many years of service. So many injuries. And what did she get? Six years in, she was still a simple private with no chance of achieving anything more in life. Corporal Huo was right in this one thing. The Imperium she suffered for didn't give a damn about her, yet she was still so content with beings its slave.

Her hands gently touched her face as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. It was quite an odd feeling to look into the mirror and see a face different from the one you expected to see looking back. It almost made her feel that none of this was real. A dangerous thought.

“Athena Dane?”

A female voice called to Athena from behind, and Athena turned around to find herself facing a young woman in a black bodysuit worn by almost all Imperial troops outside of their power armors. There was the symbol of a sword on the uniform's chest that represented the Imperial Army. Similar to Athena, the young woman had her red hair tied into a ponytail. She looked at Athena’s naked body and let out a small smile.

“Yes?” Athena answered quietly as she walked to the closet on the side and started putting on her own black uniform. The redhead watched her and only continued when she finished dressing.

“My name is Adrianna. Adrianna Crowley.” The young woman said. “Sergeant Louis wants me to let you know you have been moved to the 2nd squad under Corporal David. We will be working together for the foreseeable future.” She grinned. “It’s nice to have another girl in the squad. Most girls don’t join the Imperial Army.”

Athena nodded as her mind quickly went into overdrive. Was this young woman a member of the Guard sent to assassinate her or get close to her? An assassination would be unlikely as it would draw too much attention, but even so, she should be careful. Perhaps she wanted to get close to her and find out what she knew?

“Of course.” She answered quietly and did her best to act innocent.

“Follow me.” Adrianna turned. “I will show you around.”

Athena watched in silence for a second as Adrianna walked out of the bathroom. She soon followed, but not before preparing herself for any attack. As long as she was careful, she should be able to survive long enough to summon Zerg units to defend her. Things would get messy if she had to do that, but if the Guard wanted her dead now, she wasn’t going down without a fight.

Luckily for her, no such ambush arrived. It seemed like Adrianna was only trying to help Athena get used to her new squad. The transfer process was over rather quickly. As someone who was in the Army for six years and had watched countless of her comrades fall, Athena was hardly new to changing her squad. Honestly, very little was different now that she was in a different squad under a different corporal. Sure, she had a different room and she had to learn the names of her new comrades, but that was about it.

After half an hour, Athena sat down on her new bed. She had a PEI in her hand, a Personal Electronic Interface. It was similar to a phone from back on Earth, except PEIs have incorporated a number of technological advancements in the last 1,700 years.

Imperial soldiers like Athena were allowed to carry their own PEIs to the worlds they were deployed in. For soldiers who were on garrison missions, their duties often only took a small portion of their days. To maintain morale, they were permitted to use these devices as entertainment and distraction during their downtime.

The old Athena stored her PEI in her locker room. Athena retrieved the device after she returned, but before turning the device on, Athena turned and glanced at the young woman sitting in the bed beside her. Adrianna.

“Is there anything else?” She asked politely.

“Oh yeah. Just one more thing.” Adrianna said before reaching into a bag she had next to her bed. Athena’s entire body tensed up as she gently rested the PEI on her bead. Under her nervous gaze, Adrianna’s hand pulled out of her bag, and it was holding…a bottle of alcohol.

Athena: “...”

The redhead held the bottle to Athena, who hesitantly received it. Her eyes landed on the piece of paper on the bottle. Imperator Brewery. A state-owned brand that allegedly had stores all across the Imperium. Athena had to admit she was a little surprised by the offer, but her memories quickly told her this was quite normal.

In the same way that cigarettes were frequently given to soldiers during World War 2 to keep the men calm and entertained, the Imperial Army also looked for ways to keep their troops happy as they were marched to die on bloody battlefields. The PEIs was one such way. Alcohol was another. All troubles would go away after emptying a bottle.

Of course, drinking on duty was always severely punished, but no army could remain vigilant at all times, and the troops could do whatever they wished when off duty. Once again, this helped the troops keep their morale up.

Athena frowned a little and gently set the bottle on the counter next to the bed. Even if she was a drinker, which she wasn't, she wouldn’t risk getting drunk here and now. Not with all the secrets she had in her head. A drunk person would spill everything when asked. This was something both Athenas had witnessed in the past. Perhaps this was why Adrianna was going through this trouble.

“I’m good.” She declined, fully expecting the redhead to keep insisting.

Much to her surprise, Adrianna simply shrugged and took the bottle back. “More for myself then.” She opened the bottle, sat down on her own bed, and started drinking.

Athena glanced at her, somewhat confused. This was not what she would expect from an undercover Guard member. She had secrets she couldn’t risk spilling. So did they.

Still laying on her bed, she turned her attention back to the PEI in her hand. She quickly scrolled through the various folders as memories popped up in her head about what was in those folders. Like all veteran soldiers who knew how boring life could be, the old Athena had downloaded a number of images, videos, and text to her PEI. Some were male and female models who had a little too few clothes on. Others were documentaries about how the Imperium rose to its current power, including stories about the heroic deeds of the various Leviathans. Deeds that might or might not be fictional. There were also news reports and published stories on various matters.

In one of the folders, Athena found pictures and videos of the old Athena’s late parents. It seemed like, despite the stoic appearance of the old Athena, she still loved and missed her parents.

Another folder contained articles, images, and videos of Princess Laura. It was a familiar name. Princess Laura. Daughter to the Leviathan and the 4th Princess of the Venya Imperium. Nicknamed the Rose of Balleran, the princess was a young woman in her twenties who often wore a suit of elegant silver armor when she led her own fleet, Battlefleet Crimson Rose, to war. She was a renowned commander and an even more famous womanizer. The old Athena, like countless men and women across the galaxy, was a huge fan of hers.

Athena switched to holographic projection mode and set the PEI down on the bed. As an image of the princess popped up in front of her in 3D, Athena shrugged and admitted the princess was pretty. Then again, given the current technology, anyone with the amount of wealth and influence the princess had could only be ugly if they wanted to be.

With the flick of a finger, Athena turned off the PEI. She turned to Adrianna and, much to her own surprise, realized the young woman had fallen asleep already. She stood up, walked to Adrianna’s bed, and picked up the half-empty bottle she was still holding onto. A quick smell made her realize the drink was indeed alcohol.

Only a third of the bottle was left. How long had it been since she started drinking? Athena suspected there was a decent chance Adrianna would die from liver disease or cancer before she was killed on the battlefield even with the casualty rate of the Imperial Army.

“Ok…wow.” Athena raised her eyebrows, set the bottle back down on the table, and returned to her own bed. Once again, she really doubted Adrianna was a member of the Guard. If she was, she was incredibly stupid. How many people have let slip secrets when they were drunk? Of course, Athena would still keep the proper guard up. In her situation, a single mistake could get her killed. Given the Starcraft units she had under her command and their potential, it would be a really tragic death.

With that in mind, Athena returned to her bed. This time, instead of looking at her PEI, she entered the game. She produced and selected a Terran SCV. There, in the building tab, three buildings were lit up.

There was the command center, which had always been unlocked. And then there was the supply depot and the barracks.

On the top right corner, the Terran supply was 1/80.

Athena unlocked the supply depot when she first stepped into the research outpost. The notification for the barracks hit her when she was in the armory. It seemed like all the infantry weapons in the armory were enough to unlock the barracks, much to her excitement and surprise.

The Terran barracks allowed Athena to produce Terran marines. Protected by CMC armors, Terran marines carried C-14 impaler gauss rifles in one hand and M98 ballistic alloy combat shields in the other. They were light infantry units who often served as the backbone of any Terran army, supplementing heavier armored and artillery units with the firepower of their own gauss rifles.

Terran marines were the basic unit of the Terrans similar to how the zerglings were the basic unit of the Zerg. Each marine cost 50 resources and 1 supply.

For a while, Athena toyed with the idea of producing marines to take part in the battle that would go down soon, but in the end, she abandoned the idea. The presence of roaches could still be somewhat explained, given the number of alien lifeforms on the planet. Human soldiers that randomly show up within the base would draw a lot of unwanted attention.

Plus, it would just be unnecessary. This was an environment where the heavily armored roaches would perform better.

Suddenly, Athena’s personal PEI buzzed as a notification popped up. She picked it up and looked at the message she received. It came directly from the base’s command center.

“Private Dane. Please make your way to Room 21 as soon as possible. Your presence is required there.”

“Copy that. I am on my way.”

Athena replied to the message. As she did, a small smirk climbed onto her face. Room 21 was the office of Instigator Kendrick of the Imperial Security Corps. It seemed like the story she told Captain Hanson had achieved its purpose and secured her an audience with the only person who could vouch for her loyalty when the time came.

Now, all she had to do was put up a good act.