Future Stories Of Man

15th September 2256

It's been three months since Human reinforcements have landed, the planet is now ours again. Estimates are being made that out of the 25 million humans that lived on C’Viirb, only 3.5 million have survived the onslaught with over half remaining noncombatants. The minister for Defense has personally led the largest Armada of Human ships to ever exist to meet with some of the leaders and standout fighters responsible for the resistance in the most devastating atrocities committed on known record. The youngest in attendance was a 15 year old girl who saved five men by administering first aid and scavenging ammo and rations stuck on the perimeter of our holdout for three days and carried on dragging another boy to safety after being partially buried by debris.

 With a small fleet detachment defending the border world, he invited 55,000 of us to meet him. Despite being on the peripherals of politicians most of my life, I have never met someone so close to the Royel Family, and almost never as someone as genuine as this one. He gave a grand speech, thanking us for our fortitude and devotion to our fellow man, almost breaking down into tears recalling the first confirmed reports of resistance and how dire the situation became. Everyone in attendance received the Imperium Stella Colony Medal, an award only given to citizens and citizenry militia surviving in the most hostile settlement conditions in Imperial controlled space. Concluding his speech, he declared total war against our aggressors and gave us an option, if we wished to seek revenge against our enemy, we could join the Expeditionary Forces. Many of us now above the age of 18 took this opportunity. Battle hardened as we were we have been sent off to a developing region closer to the empire core regions to the colony named Regent. We will endure 6 months of training to prepare us for the invasion of Yondarim worlds. This is an opportunity I accepted.

It has only recently occurred to me that though this decision was made mostly on impulse, it also is a logical choice. Though I’m not from C’Virrb, the recent conflict has destroyed my whole life. I have no school to return to, no friends to speak with, my family has died, and I’m too young to inherit my father’s responsibilities. Even if I could, where could I start? 90% of infrastructure is damaged beyond repair, rumour has it that this colony is almost completely lost. Despite getting calls and messages from extended family back on Theia urging me to return, my uncle a veteran in the first Yondarium war wrote to me telling me that he could pull strings to get me on a transport back to Theia if I wished, another early colony that is the second most developed in the entire imperium.

They all promised that I would have a normal life, I could return to school, I could complete studies and go into a position of influence. My Grandfather, an old politician and administrator long past his prime even made a point that surviving such a tragedy elevates my position. What good is that?!? None of them understand. How can I live a normal life after what I have endured the past months? I saw the footage of my Fathers office being levelled and turned to metal slag and glass as he tried to organize evacuation operations, I saw my mother and brother vaporised escaping genocidal fanatics, I have seen children starve, friends die and lively streets turn to ash and rubble. I have seen executions and honour killings, I have crawled in mud and blood and over body’s, I have hidden in holes escaping artillery and seen night turn into day. No, I will honour them by fighting to make sure this never happens again.  

As we set out, we cautiously walked through a large stone hallway littered with glass and damage from shrapnel. As we press forward, I recall seeing entire sections of the building missing from explosives as the icy wind turned your face numb, whistling through the building. We made it through over halfway until we spotted a squad towards the exit preparing defences.

Quickly and quietly, we peeled off into the auxiliary corridors on the left and right and set up a nasty plan to remove the threat. A team of ten, five in each corridor would get as close to the enemy squad as possible and try to take out as many as quiet and quickly as possible with one person firing there suppressed weapon at anyone stationed at the door with the rest of the force preparing to rush forward to begin securing the air logistic hub and small urban area.

As we took positions, I swapped weapons with a team member, William who had a suppressed high-powered rifle. As soon as William gave the signal we attacked. As the team on the other side jumped over and used the knifes on the enemy squad, tackling, punching, thrashing and cutting their opponents, we did the same. I darted out of cover, weapon raised, I fired three shots at both sentries further from us at the exit being careful to place my shots, I swung the rifle around to fire two more shots at the Yondarim Heavy Repeater operator mid ark lugging his high-powered high rate of fire weapon.

As I looked around at the carnage ten of us did to a force of a similar size I look to William in between his knife strokes with one of the enemies before hooking its head and lodging the blade underneath its arm. That’s when he shouted at me “Look out!” before I turned around to see one of the sentries heavily wounded but not quite dead swipe at me with its signature sword forcing me to block with the rifle. To gain the advantage, I directed the blade and the blow to one side dropping the rifle and pulling my knife out simultaneously driving the blade in between its plate armour before punching it with all my might under its beak, beating it to the ground. As its Iridescent Blood pooled out of the wound while it tried to recover, I pulled my sidearm and pressed it into a damaged armour plate and fired a single shot ending the struggle and muffling the noise.

Throughout this conflict it has been interesting to see how two different species technology has aligned with its philosophy on warfare. For the Yondarim, they have developed energy-based weapons and armour to disperse the force of similar weaponry. Being a theatrocracy, they are ruled by a high priestess. They believe that this war is sanctioned by their gods, they believe that conflict is ceremonial. This explains their tactics and the ceremonial blade that they resort too believing that through swift attacks meeting the enemy head on is the only way to honour their gods. Despite rigid tactics built around honour, they make no distinction between combatant nor civilian adding a level of brutality and savagery not conceivable. As for humans, there is no honour in war, victory is survival and the hopes of gaining something that justified the loss of life. The only way to win conflict is not a display of honour or skill but enacting superior and fluid tactics. Its with this philosophy that humans are a lot more disciplined than our fanatical opposition, though not as clean and “pure” as energy based weaponry, using advanced kinetic and ballistic weaponry although is crude, still is effective against shields and advanced protective plating.

As we collected ourselves and re-equipped for the battle to come Will scolded me telling me to be more careful next time, I do recall him noting that the shots were good, “that was dicey but no way you could have anticipated that, you just got unlucky. Good CQC”. William usually is a no-nonsense type of guy, though he comes across as harsh he is compassionate in his own way. Then again, after the hell he specifically has been through, I don’t blame him. William used to be a Commando and an intelligence operative in the first war with our adversary, he earned a name for himself in high profile raids and later counter terrorism operations. When he speaks, you listen.

Our next strategy was to rush out in teams to key points, three teams of five would move to specific points of interest, one to the Armory and supply depot warehouse, the second to the communication and control tower, and the third to man the defensive perimeter on the far side of the landing field cutting off any potential reinforcements coming from the town or through a transit network on the far side of the urban area connecting to another settlement. The remaining ten would sweep and secure the airfield before joining the perimeter defence. With minimal guards on standby solely relying on the now disabled building defences, there was little resistance. As I led the main force sweeping the airfield, rifles raised, we moved from cover to cover, swiftly firing at pilots attempting to board their dropships and returning fire from stray sentry’s attempting to disrupt our advance.  Within fifteen minutes, we took eighteen prisoners including the commanding officer and killed a defensive force of thirty with all points of interest seized. In the following ten minutes that proceeded, we repelled an attempt to reinforce the security team but lost seven in that skirmish.

After two months of brutal fighting, finally a glimmer of hope, the Yondarim fleet in orbit left the system over a month ago indicating help is on its way. Communications are back online and 90% of Humanity’s navy has been committed to pushing back the Yondarim Royal fleets with entire legions of ground personnel preparing for both relief missions and invasion against our aggressors. The situation here at what we have called the underground supply and logistics centre that we are taking refuge in, “The Rock” has gotten dire. This position and the distribution hubs that are connected on the other side of settlements are the only last hold outs of Humanity on this forsaken world. Millions have been killed or captured in this war with those who are residing here in the tunnels of The Rock are faced with bombing raids, perimeter attacks and starvation. Eating once or twice a day is the norm with it not being uncommon for not eating for days on end. Every abled body man is required to fight, Women guard the perimeter and manage communications and children between 14-16 search the dead on the perimeter for rations, ammunition, weapons, anything that can be used. There isn’t even enough clothes or medicine to treat those that are falling ill to the elements.

Because of our dwindling numbers and the scarcity of supply’s even for the Yondarim on account of their fleets leaving. Our tactics shifted from defence in depth to deep infiltration hamstringing their supply lines. The front line is no longer a set of defences, it’s the area of 15km around The Rock where we go in as far as we can, identify any targets, hit them, and move on.

I’m lucky to be under the command of William, a former tactical police officer, now the soldier that saved my life. Even though there Is no time for training, he teaches what he can when he can to those under him and equips us the best he can manage. Most of us in the fire team are civilians with more experienced soldiers or law enforcement taking on specialist roles. It is understood that the inexperienced are more expendable than those who have seen action and as such, fatalities are high in most squads. Between our limited equipment and ripped bloodstained uniforms from shrapnel and stone, we are outfitted with no uniformity. For example, I usually field an Impact rifle, similar to a kinetic based rifle but less reliable and less powerful, essentially an Impact rifle is virtually the first integration and adoption of small arms Railguns, as such, the fire rate is slow and prone to jamming. As for wears, I use a pair of worn-down boots, combat pants, and a hoody with a combat vest with Yondarim armoured plates riveted onto the vest for the lack of ballistic or directed energy protection.

I remember a few weeks back we got wind of Yondarim forces holding out in a high rise connecting to a plateau overlooking the mid-city just before the capital narrows against the colossal mountain range before leading to the old city. A natural choke point. We figured out this would be a landing zone for any reinforcements and is where they stockpile a lot of their front-line supply’s, including an air wing. The strategic importance of this point is paramount; the success of the operation would boot the enemy back into the old city and limit the effectiveness of their bombing raids.

Multiple teams were assigned to this operation. Three teams were designated to ascend the tower from the main entry with my team and another climbing up the cliffs to a bluff ahead of time before acceding via ascension equipment to the connecting building to the plateau, essentially a horizontal tower acting as a bridge to a planetary shipping company and a small urban area on the plateau. The first three teams are acting as a distraction whilst we infiltrate.

The operation was high risk, even higher reward. We set out the night before slowly climbing the cliffs to the bluff. Combining ill equipped and an undertrained fire team spells for disaster, surprisingly though, there were no issues other than altitude sickness and exhaustion. Once we were briefed and prepared our equipment, we began ascending to an entry point identified as a structural maintenance walkway after some rest. As we ascended at the designated time, we could see the flashes of explosions and rifle fire below through the low hanging clouds.

We could see the shadows of enemy forces running though the corridors making their way to defensive positions, it appeared as if the distraction was holding or maybe it was the inconceivable nature of the plan that gave us an advantage.

Delirious and ears bleeding, I gained some consciousness and pulled myself into what use to be a hotel lobby of the main street. As I rest behind a pillar trying to collect myself, Though I couldn’t hear I could feel the vibrations from rifle fire still happening. As I weighed up my next option, which was to cut through the alleys. As I dragged myself up I came face to face with a Yondarim soldier, a Royel Shock Trooper I believe, known for their brutality in the previous war equipped with an energy based rifle as opposed to our kinetic based weaponry, a curved melee weapon with no point reminiscent of a butchers knife attached to his back, and wearing its distinct black chest plate armour. I raised my hands clearly trying to surrender, this fucking thing manipulated its beak into a grin and raised its weapon, it was saying something, but I still couldn’t hear a thing as my head still rang from concussive shock of the pulse. I looked right to see the bodies of soldiers but mostly civilians lining the streets. Expecting then to meet my end, I looked at the Yondarim soldier who was joined by another joking with each other.

Then, in that moment, I saw three flashes, two of those shots passed straight through the head and the abdomen of the Shock Trooper pointing the gun at me, the last shot passing through the knee blowing it out setting the other soldier kneeling on the ground dropping his rifle. It was then I met my current Commanding Officer, a surviving Tactical Police Operator named William in a tattered uniform from weeks of fighting with no respite. Stepping into view, he rushes forward towards the last enemy. As the remaining soldier pulled his sword out, William drew his knife. With one arm he caught the arm that swung at him and with his knife slashed his neck causing the last to keel over.

Still concussed and stunned, I don’t remember too much what was said but it led to me putting on the chest rig and armour of one of the fallen enemy soldiers and his rifle with William following suit as he ran out of ammo. Following his lead, I took cover behind the doorway to the street as William crouched behind a pile of rubble. The situation was precarious, small arms fire drove the drop ships away thankfully but there was still the advance force holding position weakening the defensive line. I remember asking why we aren’t traveling through the alleys to get to the supply base, he responded simply saying “it’s the only way in or out, this road leading to the defences is the choke point. That’s why the attack is so reckless, that’s why we must hold the road and junction for as long as possible.” Before he then checked his comms device speaking in call signs and code. He turned to me and said “get that rifle ready, were coving the advance.” The gun fire eased, the shock troopers slowly advanced killing any injured humans, soldiers and civilians alike. As they made it to the wreckage of the APC they set up their own heavy gun emplacements joined by light assault vehicles dropping off more soldiers soon after.

Before the panic could set in a voice over the comms said execute. Accurate motor fire hit the gun emplacements and the vehicles, the remaining infantry ran forward in an attempt to rush the defensive line, it was then the force was divided into two with half pulling back to cover and the other half forced to continue to run forward as coordinated machine gun fire rained down from elevated positions in the surrounding buildings. As 12 or so enemy soldiers ran forward out of the vector of the machine gun fire they started shooting not at us, but at squads running towards them from the defences with a APC rolling behind. We started to shoot at them and them at us, it was hard to keep track of what I was shooting at, streaks of light flew through the street coming at you and across your field of vision. I didn’t stop until the Yondarim Laz gun overheated, firing shots until I could feel my hand burning until soldiers joined our position with the APC edging past laying down heavy fire across the intersection.

I was pulled inside the lobby of the building by a soldier with holes in his uniform and was told to hold beside what would have been a grand stone staircase. Before I could ask why I heard the echoes and chirps of the Yondarim solders presumably trying to flank the APC to take it out.

Some came around the corner and others through a shattered wall. Two of the five that were with us died, I traded fire with a Yondarim who shot me in the shoulder as I hit him once in the gut and just above the chest plate. The resistance was just enough, it forced them back as they launched directed plasma at us eviscerating our cover that once again launched me over a desk concussed again.

5th April 2256

I record this log with rage and sorrow, C’Viirb has fallen back to the Kingdom of Yondarim. Roughly a month and a half ago, a massive attack cut trans-system communication off. UHISA security forces that responded were massacred as the surrounding settlements took up arms. Over the weeks Human settlers were executed in the streets in adjacent settlements, Businesses were burned, infrastructure crumbled, schools bombed, all while tense urban combat broke out in every district in the capital.

For a time, though we were in the mid districts of the city, the outer walls provided a degree of safety acting as a buffer.

Short range communication has been blaring on a continuous loop that all Humans are to stay in shelter if safe or to travel by night to the capital if necessary. Despite the military putting up a good fight at establishing safe routes and holding them, it wasn’t long before they collapsed. Around the same time ships arrived in orbit, landing troops on the ground and glassing the space ports suitable to host evacuation efforts. The original salvos that were fired turned my father’s office at the space port into Moulton slag as well as striking water pump stations, energy infrastructure, and of course, the inner-city walls, he was the first in my family to die.

It was recently found out that the loyalists infiltrated every level of the colonial administration, communicating information back to the Yondarim. The attack that crippled our communication infrastructure was a coordinated and planned operation to keep the United Human Imperium blind and dumb of what was happening before the invasion was realised and war once again declared.

As for the rest of my family, they all died traveling the humanitarian corridor, we never stood a chance. One minute we were walking in the dark in nigh silence, the way forward only shown by the flashes of explosions and flares above. Buildings once made of marble and stone that once whispered the dedication of the artisan’s craft at blending the philosophies of both peoples now screamed, tainted by the scars of shrapnel and stray ammunition. As we walked in seldom, retreating further into the city where the next defensive line was being prepared as we sought possibly our last chance of refuge, an underground logistic complex almost completely insulated from the public maglev train network connected to other logistic nodes and points of interest for the military.

Suddenly soldier suddenly barked out “contact right!” we stood stunned at the last junction in front of the outer hastily made defensive line within sight.

The entire junction was lit up from the light of Kinetic Repeaters, essentially semi-automatic guns firing superheated rounds. As I turned my head, I saw the invading Yondarim advance force taking cover at the bottom and 3rd level of a multi-story building with a blown out wall and witnessed as a fortified position held by friendly forces in the middle of the junction comprised of infantry and an Armoured personnel carrier fire their weapons ripping through the enemy troops that failed to take cover in time.

Stunned from the shock of the sudden violence, it wasn’t until a solider shouted to move that we started to run trying not to trip over the people beside or in front of us. I remember looking over my shoulder to see the Yondarim returning fire, shooting indiscriminately at both civilians and at the defensive position. It was then I tripped over someone struck by a stray round. I remember looking forward to seeing my mother and my younger brother ahead turn back before flashes from flack cannons obstructed my view, as I looked back behind me, I see the drop ships of the enemy approach at impossible speeds at a recklessly low altitude which explains the inefficiency of the anti-air response. One of the three was knocked into a building from the force of the flack.

This was all futile in the end, the economy stalled, supply chains were unstable, strategic opportunities to seize critical systems failed, social decay ran rampant as administrations buckled, and with only a few habitable worlds suitable within our borders humanity faced a dilemma, put the future of Humanity in jeopardy through inaction? Or expand through conquest? Under the assumption that Aliens at the time had superior numbers, technology, and the same capacity for violence due to initial hostile first-contact events and raids on stations and fledgling colonies within Human borders on the fringes of our territories. The emperor declared war on the Kingdom of Yondarim, an Avion birdlike species East of our borders inhabiting Frigid planets of subzero temperature whilst trade was conducted in the West of the Empire with another newly discovered empire that were more enterprising and friendlier called the Slydrian.  

Pending victory after 5 years of war against a superior foe attributed to refined tactics around Manoeuvre Warfare and Defence in Depth tactics, six systems were surrendered, and four colonies were seized. These fledgling colonies that were once on the forgotten fringes of the Yondarim were now the industrious centre of the Imperium and for over a decade, these colonies prospered and developed into one of Humanity’s most important territory both economically and culturally until Yondarium loyalists sowed division.

To minimize the administrative strain, failing colonists were relocated to more established ones and a limited number of Humans settled around critical military and economic infrastructure in the capitals in 2241 to pacify the inhabitants whilst the remaining indigenous military and law enforcement were disarmed. My family was picked to help oversee the rebuild efforts for industry on C’Viirb.

I tell you what, this planet is harsh on Humans, the whole planet is an alpine region of dramatic mountain ranges stretching high into the stratosphere. The only arable land and that of which can be settled are the flat corridors where water flows through the valleys and the plateaus eclipsed by even higher cliffs. The colossal Mountain Ranges is also home to a vast Cavern network that cuts through continents, these caverns at points are so large, entire settlements exist within these systems and are critical corridors of travel and mineral extraction.

To make it worse, recent bombings have made it unsafe to travel to any region outside of the district walls. I have become a prisoner within my own city. God I just want to go back home to Theia in the Core, I miss the warm weather and the beach. I just want to leave this Planet; I know duty to the many comes before the duty to oneself, but I want to see more of the stars. Maybe working for a trans system enterprise would be nice, working as a Diplomat or in the Expeditionary Forces also would be interesting. The annoying thing is that I have the grades for this if I do well in finals, so help me God though if a revolt happens it would through me off completely, all Humans will have to evacuate.

The Yondarim are better adapted to this climate than what we are, there have been bases found higher than what was thought was possible and deep in the mountain caverns stockpiling and producing small arms and distributing them to different settlements. These bases are found to have a communication network set up but it can't be confirmed if it’s for local comms or trans system capable.

What connects the planetary capital to the various settlements are highspeed railways that transport resources and civilians around. Such infrastructure is heavily regulated by the United Human Imperium Space Armada clearly as one of the most obvious attempts to further pacify the local populations. It has been known for a while that corruption here has taken root at a local level and with contraband being found at a frequent rate, terrorism and attacks are thought to be coordinated by loyalists.

2nd January 2256

This audio Diary is the property of Atlas Br’ode. I can’t exactly voice why I am doing this Diary on my own fruition; in one part it is to document my final year of school as part of a reflection-based portfolio. I hope that by verbalizing what I'm thinking and feeling, some degree of direction becomes clear of what I am to do when all is said and done. On the other hand, this diary documents the recent happenings of Galactic events across human-controlled space. Quite frankly, it is bizarre and with conflict seeming imminent, very concerning.

Perhaps that is what sensationalist state media is spouting to keep us in line. Still, if critics, experts across the board, and public commentary are going back and forth, how in the 7 rings am I supposed to know? I’m only 17.

As far as I understand the situation. The catalyst for this conflict arose centuries ago back on Earth. According to aging records, late in the 21st century post the proxy wars that ensued after WW3, coined “The Great Restructure” or the “Decade of Sorrow”. The powers that came after the period sought to establish themselves as the dominant faction. After unfeasible economic and militaristic opposition for resources on world, rudimentary Sliplane Drive technology was created to settle the stars and seek opportunities off world. Three colony ships were created, each with thousands of souls, all were lost.

Two of the colony ship fates are unknown. One went off course, drifting at shattering speeds that later by chance settled on Apollo, A fitting name both historically and in a sense, ironically as the name of the Greek Messenger god shares the same name, at least, I think.

After almost 190 years of hardship and the rise of an Authoritarian global government born out of necessity keeping contentious peace amongst differing factions and cultures, The United Human Imperium was established and born in 2190. Over the next 30 years or so, with what was assumed the last of Humanity united, a period of peace and expansion ensued under the Aralias succession.