Chapter 636: Liberation Unit
Space rippled for a moment before the Wyvern suddenly materialized. The Hound’s tooth followed it a moment later as they entered a system controlled by the daemons. One of the reasons they picked it was to test out their stealth technology. Which was not the primary reason they were here. But Jace was feeling a bit playful and decided to take out some targets while they had the opportunity.
Jace looked at the screen and hummed as he decided to take out a few of the daemon’s outposts and bases. While the group on the Wyvern mined the minerals and ores they needed. They would probably end up doing more than one trip. But that was a necessity of the situation.
"We spotted our first grouping that we are going to work on." Victor announced.
"Good, we are going to annoy the daemons." Jace answered over the radio as he looked to the front from the side of the seat. Looking at Salem who was in the pilot’s chair. He was currently situated in the co-pilot’s chair. "You have a handle on the controls?"
"I do, but it is clearly set up for you." Salem pointed out before tapping one of the controls. "I can tell you still have a few of your bad piloting habits."
Jace scoffed as he pulled up routes for the system as well as possible targets. "So what do you want to destroy first? The massive portal on the primary planet? Or-"
"Yes, we will start there." Salem agreed immediately. She was clearly used to giving orders. Far more used to giving orders than Jace was, who had done it for a while, she had seamlessly slipped into the role as opposed to Jace who preferred to lead from the front. "Then afterwards chart a course that would allow us to destroy any space defenses the daemons have built in the system. Once we cripple them enough, a liberation unit can move in."
"Liberaion unit?" Jace asked as he only took a few seconds to chart five different courses that would allow her to destroy all of the enemy defences. He could do tactics and strategy just fine, it was the leading that was a problem for him.
"The liberation unit is a term or rather slang for the military groups that are used to take back systems from enemies." Salem began explaining. "Among all the military groups, they are the most disliked and hated. They are made up mostly of nobility and politicians. Each time they retake the tiniest bit of land they struggle and cause problems for people who want to return to their homes. There are plenty of claims that they are stilling from homes and other places as they go."
"No surprise there." Jace chuckled. "There is no benefit to defending a place. But retaking places provides not only glory and fame. It can also provide monetary value if played right. Nobles and politicians are trying to build up their own place using all of that while hoping to avoid danger."
"I noticed." Salem moved the hound’s tooth forward. It shot through space toward the central planet in the system. Its stealth abilities activate as they go. "The military is already starting to become a political minefield."
"Planning to leave?" Jace asked as he realized she was adjusting the route of the flight path so they could enter one of the routes that Jace had pathed for her.
"Once we are done we are going to the Underworld System and settling down. I am sure you do not want to deal with the political setup either." Salem pointed out as she sped up. He could feel the primary engines activating.
"I don’t but..." Jace frowned. "I am surprised you do not want to either."
"I think it would be better if we took the Cerberus Unit and made them a viable threat to the galactic government in the event that they start taking liberties and rights from common people or any specific groups." Salem explained. Getting a hum of confusion from Jace. "Just like how you set them up, as a ’break glass in case of emergency’ group."
"It will still be at least a few years." Jace reminded her. "It is not exactly easy to set up and build a machine that will create a gravitational field that will stop external portal travel, transmissions, and warp travel."
Salem flinched at the mention of the last item. "Would that stop warp travel within the galaxy?"
"Nope." Jace shook his head as he leaned back as they entered the gravity well of the planet. "Nor would it stop the teleportation within the galaxy. It would just block off the galaxy from the rest of the universe with an invisible border."
"Sort of like a wall or natural border. That is clever but... how are you so sure it would work?" Salem asked as they passed through the atmosphere and entered the planet. The readings on Jace’s screen showed a difference from the records. The air had been manipulated and changed. It had been partially terriformed or was still in the midst of being terriformed.
"They are terraforming the planet." Jace informed her and then noticed something else, his eyebrow twitching. "The superstructure portal is operating. The scan shows a massive amount of energy near where the portal is supposed to be."
"You never answered my question." Salem pointed out as Jace could feel the energy weapon heating up.
"Because it was working before. When a system with a massive gravitational anomaly existed. I wrote an entire theory on the specifics but I believe if created correctly. A gravitational anomaly could act as a shield when done correctly." Jace explained as he made a record of the atmosphere. "How often do they terraform planets?"
"They do it to all of the planets they take. We are still finding ways to reverse it but the liberation unit just bombs the terriformed planets to hell and makes them unlivable." Salem informed him with a sigh as they started coming up on the portal. It was open and they could see the red skies of a daemon planet on the other side. The terriformed atmosphere they were in was still brown, still in the midst of being terriformed.
"Daemons keep slaves. Please tell me they take those lives into account." Jace asked with a grunt of annoyance as he was already realizing the truth. The liberation unit was made up of cowards.
Salem shrugged in the pilot’s seat as she unleashed a pair of hardlight lasers through the portal. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. Probably because the weapons need a few minutes to charge. They would have to do a lap around the planet so she could disable the portal. The fighter craft snapped to the side to veer away from the portal as two lasers went through the portal.
Jace got a quick scan of the ground around the portal and realized the daemons were sending living things through the portal. Likely in retreat. He was sure they would pick up speed or close the portal once they realized they were attacked.
"They do not care. It has been kept quiet. But the moment this war ends a numerous amount of atrocities they committed will come to light. Those are among them. Fortunately some of the leaders of the liberation units know not to do that and have been forcing their people to go planetside and take the planet. Unfortunately the nobles and politicians are causing problems for them." Salem explained as she stabilized the fighter craft and sped up. He could hear an explosion as they broke through the first of the sound barriers.
"I assume MILD and Director Fenrir are keeping score?" Jace asked.
"She is and the younger Admiral Dakota is keeping score as well. She and most of the other spectres plan on exposing and making public the crimes the military are currently committing. Ulin is the only other one that is not part of that greater group." Salem informed him as another explosion of air occurred with Jace feeling it slightly this time.
"Dahlia made her own faction. She is delving into politics?" Jace asked in surprise.
"She is. Ulin was actually kicked out of the military after she refused to follow an order to cleanse a planet when they detected half of the population was still alive on the surface." Salem began explaining. "They probably would have court-martialed her if it was not for the fact that she got assistance from the Cerberus Unit to take the planet and then joined them. There were talks of considering the Cerberus Unit as hostile until the military minds that were aligned with the politicians pointed out that half of the galaxy would be in an uproar and the Cerberus unit is outfitted with technology at least two generations ahead of anything the military has."
"Eventually they are going to get pent up with feeling inadequate and try something." Jace sighed as he could already think of it. It was a childish action, but he had learned many things over his life and the few low life politicians he had encountered showed they were typically foolish and selfish. He never came across any decent politicians.
