Insurrection Era, 0024
Thirteen Hours into Operation Skystorm
Skies Above Io
“H-He’s a monster…!”
It was at that moment that the soldier knew not whether to fear the Praetorians more, or this blackened mobile suit that came rushing in at them.
“Two-hundred and sixty-five…”
A monotonous voice was heard from the comms of the many Grazes in the airspace. They knew it wasn’t from themselves, which could only mean it came from the mobile suit they faced.
“Haah… haaah… hrrgh.”
A one moment flashed to the next, the black machine closed itself in on a Graze, using its large claw-shaped hand to rip and tear through the green machine like butter. It then turned its attention to an incoming missile, red eyes flashing like crackles of lightning. It took aim with its arm-mounted railgun and fired a precise shot directly at the missile, causing the nuclear warhead to detonate mid-air. A massive flash of light and ball of flame ignited the air, almost as if a sun had momentarily appeared within the sky.
“Two-hundred and sixty-six…”
The voice sent shivers down the Graze pilots’ backs, and the machine’s menacing gaze peered straight into their hearts, as if to pull their fear out directly from within.
____
After Insurrection War Era 0024
The Dodging Duck Chinese Pub
PLANT Colony Kowloon
“Hang on now, you’re telling me he was flying for thirteen hours straight, and took out over two hundred missiles and pilots?”
The man gave a suspicious look, raising his eyebrow at the old man’s story.
“The story is only starting from here.”
The old man gave a reply with a grin as he finished off his beer.
“I can’t believe it.”
The other man took a swig of his beer
“But why would the guy do it? What was he getting out of keeping the Alliance from ending the war?”
A third man interjected.
“Use your brains boys, Io might’ve been mostly overrun by the machines, but people still lived there. The Alliance’s move to bombard the planet was little short of genocide."
The old man grabbed another pint.
“There’s no way, my dad was a pilot in the Jovian Alliance! There was no such word about that! And even if so, there’s no way General Tully would permit such a thing.”
“No… No, I think he’s right. My dad was the radio operator on the Dragonstar, and heard Tully’s conversation with his Lieutenant.”
A fourth man, though more quiet, came into the discussion.
____
Insurrection Era, 0024
Orbit of Jupiter’s Moon, Io
Jovian Alliance 14th Strike Armada
Skipjack-Class Dragonstar
“Admiral Tully, preliminary results have come in from our scouts.”
On the bridge of the Dragonstar, Admiral Cygnus Tully received a digital pad from one of his officers.
“Their numbers exceed twenty thousand. Projected casualties of an invasion would likely be double that.”
The officer gave his report and anxiously waited for the admiral’s reaction. Cygnus read through the report slowly in silence, holding the tablet with one hand and resting his cheek on his other fist. His eyes shifting left to right, countless times over as he made sure to miss no details of what was written.
After a long silence he took a deep sigh and gave a look of worry.
“Such is the situation… huh?”
He finally spoke, unsettled by what was written in the document. He leaned back into his chair and gave another look at the document. The fleet’s numbers were roughly a hundred thousand strong, split between foot soldiers, tanks, mobile suits, and aircraft. A projected damage estimate of 50% was far beyond what Cygnus considered reasonable or acceptable. It was almost suicide to charge guns blazing onto Io.
It was an unfortunate circumstance, but somewhat of one that couldn’t be helped.
“I’m afraid I cannot allow an invasion with these numbers, lieutenant. I won’t risk my men in such a disastrous attack.”
Cygnus set the tablet down and looked to his lieutenant.
“B-But sir, we were given orders by Tsar Regius to take back Io no matter what.”
“That’s…”
Cygnus paused as he thought, placing his chin into his hand. A safer option was needed to win this war, and a pyrrhic victory was not something Cygnus wanted. He gave a long pause as he sorted through what options were available to them. His lieutenant looked in anticipation, waiting for an answer once more. Would he need to resort to that? Was there any other choice?
To end this cleanly, perhaps there was no other choice.
“Lieutenant, were there any estimates of the local population?”
Cygnus once again turned to his Lieutenant.
“In small numbers, sir. Many scattered colonies all over the surface, with more in the subterranean area as well.”
“...I see.”
Cygnus gave one last moment to think, and finalize his decision.
“Lieutenant, give the order to launch all functional Graze Ds. Also, prepare our nuclear warheads.”
“...S-Sir?!”
“We will commence a saturation bombardment of Io’s surface.”
“B-But sir, the aftermath won’t be short of anything but devastating…!”
“Lieutenant! We have no other choice!”
“There are people there…! Won’t their li-”
“Dammit Lieutenant! Do you think I don’t know that?! But I have to choose between the lives of my soldiers and that of the people down there, I’ll be damned if I don’t prioritize my mens’ lives first.”
Cygnus raised his voice and stood up from his chair, with an angry, yet pained look on his face. The lieutenant went silent and stepped back. After a similarly pained look on his face, he took a sigh and refocused himself.
“...Aye aye, sir.”
His head began to hang. Cygnus too recollected himself and sat back down in his chair. He tipped his hat downward and closed his eyes.
“...I’ll take full responsibility for what happens.”
He spoke quietly.
“May God help us all.”
____
“There’s no way that actually happened, right?”
The man sunk back into his chair and placed his hand to his forehead.
The old man nodded his head in agreement.
“So what happened next?”
A younger man, likely in his twenties listened intently to the story seemingly eager for more.
“Well, now that we’re done squabbling, let me start once more from the beginning, the tale of the Day of Raining Hellfire…”
The old man opened one eye and leaned into the group of listeners.
Thirteen Hours into Operation Skystorm
Skies Above Io
“H-He’s a monster…!”
It was at that moment that the soldier knew not whether to fear the Praetorians more, or this blackened mobile suit that came rushing in at them.
“Two-hundred and sixty-five…”
A monotonous voice was heard from the comms of the many Grazes in the airspace. They knew it wasn’t from themselves, which could only mean it came from the mobile suit they faced.
“Haah… haaah… hrrgh.”
A one moment flashed to the next, the black machine closed itself in on a Graze, using its large claw-shaped hand to rip and tear through the green machine like butter. It then turned its attention to an incoming missile, red eyes flashing like crackles of lightning. It took aim with its arm-mounted railgun and fired a precise shot directly at the missile, causing the nuclear warhead to detonate mid-air. A massive flash of light and ball of flame ignited the air, almost as if a sun had momentarily appeared within the sky.
“Two-hundred and sixty-six…”
The voice sent shivers down the Graze pilots’ backs, and the machine’s menacing gaze peered straight into their hearts, as if to pull their fear out directly from within.
____
After Insurrection War Era 0024
The Dodging Duck Chinese Pub
PLANT Colony Kowloon
“Hang on now, you’re telling me he was flying for thirteen hours straight, and took out over two hundred missiles and pilots?”
The man gave a suspicious look, raising his eyebrow at the old man’s story.
“The story is only starting from here.”
The old man gave a reply with a grin as he finished off his beer.
“I can’t believe it.”
The other man took a swig of his beer
“But why would the guy do it? What was he getting out of keeping the Alliance from ending the war?”
A third man interjected.
“Use your brains boys, Io might’ve been mostly overrun by the machines, but people still lived there. The Alliance’s move to bombard the planet was little short of genocide."
The old man grabbed another pint.
“There’s no way, my dad was a pilot in the Jovian Alliance! There was no such word about that! And even if so, there’s no way General Tully would permit such a thing.”
“No… No, I think he’s right. My dad was the radio operator on the Dragonstar, and heard Tully’s conversation with his Lieutenant.”
A fourth man, though more quiet, came into the discussion.
____
Insurrection Era, 0024
Orbit of Jupiter’s Moon, Io
Jovian Alliance 14th Strike Armada
Skipjack-Class Dragonstar
“Admiral Tully, preliminary results have come in from our scouts.”
On the bridge of the Dragonstar, Admiral Cygnus Tully received a digital pad from one of his officers.
“Their numbers exceed twenty thousand. Projected casualties of an invasion would likely be double that.”
The officer gave his report and anxiously waited for the admiral’s reaction. Cygnus read through the report slowly in silence, holding the tablet with one hand and resting his cheek on his other fist. His eyes shifting left to right, countless times over as he made sure to miss no details of what was written.
After a long silence he took a deep sigh and gave a look of worry.
“Such is the situation… huh?”
He finally spoke, unsettled by what was written in the document. He leaned back into his chair and gave another look at the document. The fleet’s numbers were roughly a hundred thousand strong, split between foot soldiers, tanks, mobile suits, and aircraft. A projected damage estimate of 50% was far beyond what Cygnus considered reasonable or acceptable. It was almost suicide to charge guns blazing onto Io.
It was an unfortunate circumstance, but somewhat of one that couldn’t be helped.
“I’m afraid I cannot allow an invasion with these numbers, lieutenant. I won’t risk my men in such a disastrous attack.”
Cygnus set the tablet down and looked to his lieutenant.
“B-But sir, we were given orders by Tsar Regius to take back Io no matter what.”
“That’s…”
Cygnus paused as he thought, placing his chin into his hand. A safer option was needed to win this war, and a pyrrhic victory was not something Cygnus wanted. He gave a long pause as he sorted through what options were available to them. His lieutenant looked in anticipation, waiting for an answer once more. Would he need to resort to that? Was there any other choice?
To end this cleanly, perhaps there was no other choice.
“Lieutenant, were there any estimates of the local population?”
Cygnus once again turned to his Lieutenant.
“In small numbers, sir. Many scattered colonies all over the surface, with more in the subterranean area as well.”
“...I see.”
Cygnus gave one last moment to think, and finalize his decision.
“Lieutenant, give the order to launch all functional Graze Ds. Also, prepare our nuclear warheads.”
“...S-Sir?!”
“We will commence a saturation bombardment of Io’s surface.”
“B-But sir, the aftermath won’t be short of anything but devastating…!”
“Lieutenant! We have no other choice!”
“There are people there…! Won’t their li-”
“Dammit Lieutenant! Do you think I don’t know that?! But I have to choose between the lives of my soldiers and that of the people down there, I’ll be damned if I don’t prioritize my mens’ lives first.”
Cygnus raised his voice and stood up from his chair, with an angry, yet pained look on his face. The lieutenant went silent and stepped back. After a similarly pained look on his face, he took a sigh and refocused himself.
“...Aye aye, sir.”
His head began to hang. Cygnus too recollected himself and sat back down in his chair. He tipped his hat downward and closed his eyes.
“...I’ll take full responsibility for what happens.”
He spoke quietly.
“May God help us all.”
____
“There’s no way that actually happened, right?”
The man sunk back into his chair and placed his hand to his forehead.
The old man nodded his head in agreement.
“So what happened next?”
A younger man, likely in his twenties listened intently to the story seemingly eager for more.
“Well, now that we’re done squabbling, let me start once more from the beginning, the tale of the Day of Raining Hellfire…”
The old man opened one eye and leaned into the group of listeners.