The first of a few stories paired with Ara’s story, "The Return", a mixing of their Core Universe and my Accord universe. It takes place after Same-Day Delivery, the exotic Assistant being sent back to spread propaganda and experience the Accord invasion first-hand. You should go read it first, it’s good. The Accord invades Chire-02, and a military unit is sent to shut down the planet-wide transit infrastructure. Non-con mind control, physical violence, dystopian themes. ~2300 words.
"This is Kettle 3-2, fully loaded and ready to drop."
The Avian pilot flicked the 'loading door close' switch as the last Avian soldier climbed into the landing craft and buckled themselves in. A quiet hiss was heard as the ship pressurised, ready for launching.
"Huntress reads last; Kettle 3-2 proceed to Bay 318 and await further instructions." The aerospace controller responded over the radio. "Kettle 3-1 and 3-3 will join you shortly."
The pilot held the control stick with one hand, pushing the throttle up with the other, the ship's engines spooling up for vertical takeoff. The hangars of the AOC Huntress were spacious, especially since a large chunk of landing crafts had since landed on-world, so the pilot was able to freely push the ship forward towards the launching bay.
"This your first drop?" The pilot asked, over the intercom.
"For some of 'em, yeah." A gruffer Avian replied, seemingly the captain. "Every unit has been split and reinforced, so we have the boots on the ground for this."
"First time I've seen a grey attached to a unit, though." The pilot replied, referring to the lightly-armoured and armed Assistant sitting in the middle of the rest of the Avians. "Thought my rear-view mirror was foggy when I saw that."
"Nah, Melipha isn't that bad." Another soldier replied, giving the Assistant a rough pat on the back. "Someone's got to be first in the door."
Melipha glanced down, not responding to the taunt. At least the units made up of just Class Bs didn't torment him.
The captain frowned at the soldier, which caused them to put their arm back down beside them. "Shut your beak, Indigo. Even though they're a Class C, they're still Communications. You are reinforceable anywhere, they are not."
The pilot chuckled and throttled down the ship as they took their spot in Bay 318, Kettle 3-1 landing to their left. "It's not every day you get told you're worth less on the battlefield than a grey..." They flicked open communication channels with the aerospace controller. "Kettle 3-2 in position, awaiting instructions."
"Huntress reads last. Your mission has been assigned and you are cleared for launch when Kettle 3-3 arrives."
"Melipha?" The captain asked, looking to the Assistant.
"Uh, yes, sir, it's just downloading now." He replied, closing his eyes, focusing on what the chip was telling him. "Okay, we've been ordered to shut down the planetary transportation network they have. Intelligence says that it's centrally administered from the capital, in a section we don't yet control. There's no expected military presence, but if we shut it down, we'll remove the rapid transport abilities of what they have left."
"Enemy territory? Sounds good to me." The pilot says, re-engaging the landing craft's engines as Kettle 3-1 pulled up beside them. "Lets just hope Goddess's Wrath took out all the air defence they said they did."
The landing craft rattled as it broke through the atmosphere, the air growing slightly warm from the re-entry heat that bathed it. The soldiers had all been trained for this, and the pilot had already done a dozen drops to this planet, so the ship was mostly calm. Melipha had kept his eyes shut and hands held together tightly, trying not to make a squeak every time the craft jolted.
"Welcome to scenic Chire-02, population nine point seven four billion." The pilot almost sang, in a by-now practiced tone. "The Accord's first jewel in this campaign."
As the landing craft ducked under the clouds, the capital city was visible through the large cockpit windows. Smoke billowed from a few locations on the outskirts of the metropolis, military targets that the battleships orbiting the planet had first laid waste to in precision kinetic bombardments. The city itself seemed mostly intact, save for a few smoke pillars where fighting had occurred. Intelligence had reported that the standing military was small and mostly consisted of volunteers -- volunteers that, if they didn't perish in the initial orbital assault, had mostly surrendered once they had to face the fearless and mindless combat units made up of Class A Assistants.
"Core Transport Authority complex in sight, taking us down."
The CTA complex was in the heart of the city, a large assortment of transit terminals and administration buildings. Hundreds of maglev rails entered and exited the main terminal, containing in excess of four dozen platforms on several levels. The craft, in search of a landing space, hovered around the main terminal, giving the soldiers inside a peek at what they were to enter.
"No suitable landing space, so, making my own..."
The pilot swung the craft around and hovered in front of the main entrance, a large array of fountains and trees skirted by various now-deserted restaurants, cafes, and bars. The craft tipped its nose forward slightly, pointing at a large fountain made up of stacks of dishes, and fired a barrage of plasma from the wing-mounted cannons, obliterating it. Melipha gripped onto their seat as fragments of marble flicked up against the cockpit windows, only letting go when the pilot had touched down on top of the rubble pile that was once a loved piece of scenery.
"Here's your stop. Good luck." The pilot said, turning around from her chair and giving a salute. "And don't get the grey killed, will you? He's cute."
Melipha mumbled under his breath, embarrassed. Regardless of what the pilot wanted, he wasn't sure what would happen on the ground...
The Accord had prioritised keeping civilian infrastructure mostly intact during the initial invasion. As time went on, and resistance dug in, exceptions were made, but so far buildings like the central terminal had been left untouched. Melipha found the experience haunting, as it was completely deserted, yet entirely operational. Maglev trains came and went, although they were all empty, set on their predetermined schedules. Automated announcers read out safety notifications, with display screens listing news and timetables. As expected, the Accord invasion was being televised, nervous news reporters beside digitised maps of various cities.
"What are they saying?" The captain asked, motioning towards a large screen with the pair of feline news hosts.
"That the bombardments have decimated Core Military stations and bases. Thirty percent of this city is under Accord control. Fighting in the streets between Accord and militia." Melipha summarised. His chip could understand their language, the knowledge gleaned from a Core citizen that had been captured previously and chipped. The others could not. "Fears that the Network links will be further cut."
"The Network?" A soldier asked, scanning the area with plasma rifle raised.
"It's basically like the Mesh back home." Melipha winced a little at mentioning 'home'. However far away that was... "We destroyed their satellites, but they have wired links across the planet, and low-latency links to other systems. It's how everyone communicates."
"Right, well, why aren't we destroying that instead?" Another asked.
"Because --" The captain spoke up, knowing the Assistant didn't have the answer, "-- they gain nothing from it, and we gain free propaganda. Now, focus forward, clear those ticketing stations. Administration is at the end of the terminal."
The soldiers pushed forward, clearing the ticketing desks in front of the main doors, and then moving further into the station. Melipha kept his head down, and a hand on his own plasma pistol. He was not allowed to unholster it unless directly threatened by an enemy, but the coolness of the metal grip made him feel at least a little safer in this alien building.
Two other units had landed with Kettle 3-2, tasked with the same mission. Purely combat groups, they took up positions guarding the rear of the half-dozen soldiers that Melipha was attached to.
"Kettle 3-1, 3-3, this is 3-2 actual, preparing for entry to the administration area." The captain said into his microphone. "Don't mind the entry charges."
The secure access doors of the administration building were lightly fortified, in the off-chance of any civil disturbance. This didn't at all reduce the effectiveness of the entry charges that the unit carried with them.
"Three... two... one..." The soldier with the detonator said, clicking it after 'one'.
Melipha yelped when it went off, sitting on the ground around a corner, holding his hands over his ears, not at all trained for combat or even a safe door entry. "Oh, goddess..."
"You're fine, now get on your feet." The captain said, to the embarrassed Assistant.
"Yes... yes, sir. Do we know where we're going?"
"No, that's your job. Let them clear the room, then look for signs."
Melipha did as he was told, holding his hand over his chest and trying to will his heart-rate lower as the soldiers cleared the immediate area. Once that all-clear was given, he entered the room and started looking around. "This is... some sort of security station." Panels of monitors and controls covered the desks, with a chair where the one monitoring it all would sit. Beside one of the panels sat an ID card, left by whoever was there last. "Let me see if I can unlock everything..."
"Sounds good. You three, clear that hallway. If you find anyone, just stun them, and bring them back here. We need to find where we can control the lines."
The three soldiers the captain was pointing at saluted and went off down the hall from the security room, searching. Melipha, meanwhile, found where the ID card was entered to enable the system, and read over the control panel. It was old; probably installed with the facility years ago, but still functioned, which was probably why it remained as such.
"I don't know what these zones are..." He muttered.
"Unlock all of them."
"Okay. I can put the facility on emergency alert, so everything opens up" Melipha said, flicking a line of override switches, and pressing a button. "This should do it..."
The lights shut out for a half-second before they came back on, joined by emergency panel lighting towards exits. The destroyed remnants of the security door clicked, as if it were unlocking.
"Hey, Captain." Said one of the soldiers, running back down the hall. "We found one."
"Good. Melipha, come with me."
A grey cat lay trembling on the ground covering its head, the other two Avians sent to clear the hall keeping their rifles aimed.
"Don't move." Said one, not realising that the fur could not understand a word they were saying.
"Melipha, ask them where the controls are." The captain said, as another soldier grabbed the feline and forced them into an office chair for the Assistant to question.
"Please, please don't hurt me..." The feline begged, glancing between each of the Avians keeping a rifle to her head. "I... I will do whatever you want..."
"She says that she will do whatever we want. They don't want to be hurt." Melipha said, before stepping forward to address the captive directly. "Where are the controls for the transport system?" He asked, in the Core's language. He had practiced for hours when he was told he'd be assigned to a unit as a translator, but it still felt weird to speak something that wasn't Avian.
"The... the controls?" The feline asked, a little confused. "Like, the timetabling?"
"No." Melipha responded, thinking how to phrase it in the alien language. "The shut-down switch for the trains. All of them."
"Oh... oh, there's a central control station, that should have that... I-I can take you there, if you promise not to hurt me."
Melipha translated it back into Avian for the captain, which caused him to chuckle. "We won't hurt you, if you cooperate." Melipha translated back. He knew that the Avian armed forces didn't include the inevitable chipping of the civilians that they had control over as 'hurting'... "We will need to restrain you, though."
The feline grumbled as they were forced back up and had their paws cuffed behind their back, but settled down a bit once the rifles were then lowered. "Ugh, brutes..." They muttered, Melipha choosing not to translate that back into Avian. He didn't want one of the soldiers to make them unwilling -- or unable, he feared -- to cooperate.
The Avians trailed the feline closely through the halls, and up the elevators, to the main control room. It was unlocked from the security station they had previously taken, allowing them entry. The captive was pushed into a chair, one left to guard, as the rest spread out over the room, wall-to-wall windows allowing a view of the terminal's interior.
"Melipha, find the power switch. Make it quick, this place is too open." The captain said, gesturing at the panels.
The Assistant nodded, and started looking over each of the more modern panels. Everything was digital, touchscreens, and there wasn't an ID card to allow him access this time. There was a red-striped panel on the edge, though, containing what seemed to be an emergency shutdown. With a lack of better options, Melipha hit it, and the screens went red. "Emergency shutdown, they say." He said, before anyone asked. "I don't know if it's done what we wanted."
"Kettle 3-1, 3-3, this is 3-2 actual. Can you report on the status of the trains?" The captain said, into his radio, before nodding at the response. "Everything's shut down, at least locally. I don't think we can do any more from here, though. Indigo, put down some charges."
Melipha stood back as the soldier started jamming demolition charges between the touchscreen panels. "Should I enquire about our next objective, sir?"
"Go ahead. We'll be done here shortly, and the sooner we have a next task, the sooner we're off this planet..."
Melipha closed his eyes again, and focused on the interface with the chip. He didn't have to report mission success; the chip reported that up the chain throughout. The Accord had quickly set up the Mesh, the orbiting battleships themselves acting as communication points. And through this communication line came the next objective. "The Ministry wants some infiltrators, and have picked a small town outside of the city as a source for them. We're to assist clearing it, and then remain as security for the Internal Affairs agents that will come after. Our landing ship will be here soon."
"What about this one?" The captain asked, gesturing to the captive feline.
Melipha asked the chip in his mind, and winced at the response. "...they have been classed as expendable, sir."