Forerunner Series - Total Eclipse #12

Chapter 4

April 12^th, 2279

Mars Orbit – Ares Naval Shipyards – Dock 114

Warhawk Class Light Carrier El Oso

Captain Jeremy Willis

            “Captain, all sections checked in, ready for departure.”

            Willis was maintaining his trademark stoic front, but inside, he was excited.  Finally, after years of reconstruction on the El Oso, months of logistical nightmares, and weeks of training, it was finally time to put it all to the test.  All of his crew had finally found their way on board, all the equipment had been stowed, and the majority of the problems fixed.  The El Oso was as ready as she’d ever be.

            “Give me shipwide,” he said to the communications officer Lieutenant Sara Glenn. She nodded to him after a moment.

Forerunner Series - Total Eclipse #11

Chapter 3

Mars Orbit - Ares Naval Shipyards

February 28^th, 2279

Trainees Redding, Beasley, Vermanov, and Drake

            “Cutting it a little close.  Still, I’m impressed you’ve all made it on time.” Steiner’s nasally voice came in over the radio.  The two Switchblades had made it to the coordinated they’d been given by Ares Control just shy of eight thirty. 

            “Welcome to hell, Blue Group.  Redding, Beasley, you are Blue One.  Vermanov, Drake, you are Blue Two.  Your mission, and thus your test, is to survive.  That is all.  Good luck.”

            “What?  That’s it?  Survive what?” Sasha asked loudly in irritation.

“Shyla, I’m showing targets inbound.  No IFF signature,” Nate said suddenly, sitting up straighter in his seat.

Forerunner Series - Total Eclipse #10

February 27^th, 2279

150,000km from Mars

“Death Course”

            ‘Death Course’ lived up to its name.  It had been almost second nature for Redding and Beasley to save forty-some lives on an escape vector away from the station, but running the course of markers that Michaels had conjured was something altogether different.  Michaels had programmed them to move randomly, sometimes folding in on itself, and other times looping to confuse the course.  Michaels was severely proud of his so-called ‘Death Course’ and had humbled cadets with it every year.  To pass, pairs had to navigate down the constantly shifting course while destroying all targets and defending all incoming fire.  Any hits, missed targets, or falling off-course was instant failure.  Cadets were given two tries.  Failing both meant failing the course, and a return trip next semester. 

Forerunner Series - Total Eclipse #9

Mars Orbit – Ares UTF Naval Shipyards

Warhawk Class Light Carrier El Oso in drydock

Chief Engineer Ethan Grimes and Exo-Armor Leader Commander Haley Odell

            “That’s it, just ease it back, one step at a time,” Chief Grimes said over the radio.  He was down on the tarmac using lightrods to guide the large exo-skeletal armor into its docking clamp.  The Exo-Armors were brand new to the UTF Navy inventory.  They were designed as close-range anti-air point support for capital ships.  It wasn’t completely decided yet if the machines were successful in that role, so the El Oso was given one squadron of prototypes as a test case.  The so-called Knights piloting the armor were a mish-mash of handpicked sailors.  Most with space piloting backgrounds, they had all been given special training for the suits and were then dispatched to the El Oso for trial testing.  So far, the jury was still out.  The machines were extremely complicated, and therefore prone to problems.  One of the biggest issues was docking, as Squadron Leader Commander Haley Odell was finding out.  She cursed as she missed the step and had to quickly regain the large machine’s balance. 

Forerunner Series - Total Eclipse #8

Chapter 2
February 26^th, 2279

Mars Orbit – Deimos II Space Station

Sergeant-Major Michaels and Cadets

            “Welcome to space!  Well, as close to space you’re going to get until you receive your postings.  From here on out, you’ll be training in low-G and zero-G environments.  You’ll also be piloting the Swift trainer.  The Swift is a little larger than the Fangs you’ve become accustomed to, so get yourselves familiar with it.”  Michaels was leading the class of cadets from reception through the commons area of the gravity ring.  The station was rather old, and had been built before gravity generators had been invented, so still used spinning rings to generate false gravity.  It was disorienting, but got the job done.   

Forerunner Series - Total Eclipse #7

Mars – MCNA – Commons

PT Shyla Redding and EWOT Nate Beasley

            Beasley caught up to her just inside the commons area.  She had stopped, and even though he couldn’t see her face from behind, her body language indicated she was downright furious.  When Beasley saw past her, he understood why: the whole of the commons had stopped talking when she entered.  Some looked irate, others looked congratulatory.  Beasley had forgotten, but it was a major event that an Academy record had been broken, and two records on the same day by the same crew were practically unheard of.  The cadets in the Commons didn’t know whether they should be celebrating or forming a lynch mob.

            “How’d you do it, Redding?  Hack the Tower’s clock?  Hack the drones?  Nobody could do that run in under fifteen,” said a fiery brunette standing at the head of a large group of cadets.  Pilot Trainee Sasha Vermanov was something of an Academy idol.  Her fan club, formed of other cadets that idolized her, followed her everywhere she went.  Of all the people Shyla had ever met in her entire life, she hated Vermanov the most.  Shyla, unable to leave the bait alone responded, “No, it’s possible, just not with your skills, Vermanov.”

Forerunner Series - Total Eclipse #6

February 16^th, 2279

Mars – Melas Chasma Naval Academy

Pilot-Trainee Shyla Redding and EWO-Trainee Nate Beasley

            That afternoon, Shyla and her fellow cadets were at attention in formation in the hangar.  Michaels was passing out the revised pairing list.  Pilots were always paired with an Electronic Weapons Officer.  Piloting space fighter craft was a tricky affair at best and adding anything but piloting to the to-do list had quickly been proven too taxing for a single person, the Navy had quickly found out.  An Electronic Weapons Officer had then been added, and that person, sometimes referred to as the Guy In Back, or GIB, handled everything from weapons, to electronic counter-measures, and electronic counter-counter measures.  Since the two roles needed to be performed as one to create an effective combat unit, pairs were started early and always flew together.  Changes weren’t uncommon, but grew increasingly rare as the cadets moved through the academy.