The Battery Part II
Posted on Sun Aug 10th, 2025 @ 6:34am by Gunnery Sergeant Gaagii & Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble & 1st Lieutenant Jeksyne Vale & Lieutenant Mira Jayna & Gunnery Sergeant Tessia T'Lar & Sergeant Azure Thompson & Sergeant Sina Ravenna & Sergeant Tyrigus Fry & Sergeant Miranda Schultz
Edited on on Sun Aug 10th, 2025 @ 4:44pm
2,409 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Under the surface of Wren IX
Timeline: MD010 0830
Servo's whining, Neil locked his arms around the bugs head as it tried to thrash him and it's friends crowded in very danger close. He managed to get his heels dug in, locked his arms around the bug's head as it tried to stab at him with it's appendages. Neil was able to lock his fingers and with a sharp, twisting motion ripped the head from the bug, coating his suit with green goo. Free for the moment as more playmates rushed him, Neil stepped back into the opening he'd made and as he dropped, his backpack launcher chuffed on automatic, rapid fire.
Air bursts shredded the charging bugs, clearing the marines escape route. Three high yield, photon grenades rippled out into the while four more grenades detonated on contact two seconds later, configured as shaped charges to push all of their energy up into the ceiling.
Nearly two metric tons began to rain down on Neil as he got his feet under him and moving forward. Chunks of debris rained and a few watermelon sized bounced off his shoulders and helmet before he could get clear. Then he realized he was still holding the bug's head, and had been like a life preserver clutched against his chest when he'd dropped.
Nearly giggling from the stress, Neil bit his lip and dropped the head.
Gathered himself, Neil focused on the job and took in the new readouts as feed came back from the other marines in this stick’s loop. Fry was in point and they were all moving with the current of this underground river.
Frowning, he checked his weapons load and took a minute to change power packs on his carbine. With the ceiling caved in, effectively plugging the river off, he thought that the overall flow should be diminished and set Rommie to gauging that as he began to push his way after the other Marines. Seeing Vale’s blip on his HUD, just ahead of him, Neil opened a direct channel to the lieutenant, double checking that no one else was on the comm frequency.
As he half swam, half bounced through the salt water, he said, “Tremble to Vale. Lieutenant. I know we were in the heat of it back there, but I sequenced the drop because I wanted you leading this stick from the front like you’re supposed to. Disregard my orders again and I’ll wear your guts for garters, you read me Lieutenant?”
"Sir" Was all that Jeksyne said as he took point, moving up ahead to link up with his small fireteam.
Fry skipped ahead, getting the rhythm of the movement through the thick, cloudy salt water down easily. His sensors were cut even further by all the materials in the water. It wasn’t just salt but some other minerals his suits built in tricorder was still working through it all. After perhaps a kilometer of twisting and turning his infrared showed the river shallowing and the channel dropped off into what read as a massive chamber. As they’d gotten closer, the channel had declined causing the water flow to pick up velocity. Tyr had to skid his feet slightly to keep an even speed and the riverbed was smooth.
Feet scrambling, he planed his back like a tiller board, pushing himself toward one side wall and stabbed frantically with armored fingers, trying to get a handhold to slow his speed as his HUD suddenly bleated out that the river dropped off into a waterfall, the chamber was nearly a half a kilometer deep!
Tyr’s hand finally stabbed through the rock and he partially slowed. Dropping his rifle to hang by it’s sling, his other hand stabbed out and he pinwheeled, but managed to slow himself enough to take stock and saw that there was a ledge, still in the water. He got himself levered up onto it and rolled to a kneeling position, taking in the area as he readied his report.
Water fell down the walls of the chamber in channels, causing it to flow all around to the other side as well. Spray filled the room with a light fog, but his sensor’s cut through that and he edged further forward, to look down into the depths.
Over the comm, he reported. “Point here. Waterfall chamber coming up. Watch yourselves. Speed picks up and if you’re not careful, you could yeet yourself right into about a mile deep cistern.”
Azure had been enjoying her float down the lazy river, the salt content helping to keep her buoyant. Hearing Shy's report, she fired a harpoon into the left side of the tunnel wall and winched herself out of the water.
Miranda activated her comms. "Definitely no yeeting. Looks like there's a ledge or something on the left."
Gaagii ran for what seemed like ages with T'Lar keeping pace with him. Finally, he could see the Colonel and his team as they made their way literally down a corridor. When he arrived at the Colonel's side. "Colonel I have ill report. We have just come from what seems to be a breeding chamber. Lots of eggs and hatchlings. We engaged a mechanical spider that took out Sergeant Ravenna. She is safely aboard the Pioneer. I believe that spider may be on our six."
Eggs and spiders. Jayna shivered, then made herself focus on the problem at hand and what Neil would do next.
Seeing Gaagii and T'Lar, Azure said. Gunnys, nice of you to join us."
Skipping and skidding in the river's current, Neil took stock as he moved through the river his comms were flickering slightly and Rommie did her best to descramble a transmission from Lachlan. ---nel, Cure’s on stat---. Fleet ----- engaged—bugs every----. We’ve got a ------- perim---, ------ team’s near --- portal. Holding, --- now.”
Wincing at the static, Neil decided it at least sounded promising. Two of his teams were still alive and it sounded like the science team was doing their thing. He was watching Rommie update information on his HUD and nearly skidded OFF of the waterfall into the chasm below as he got himself situated. "Sergeant Fitch was beamed out as well. If we have incoming, ...."
Then he paused as Rommie made his HUD flash red to get his attention.
And his mouth went dry as she detected his pupil's change and she updated his sensor feed as the combined marines suits all took readings and she filtered through them.
"Look at the walls...", Neil said as he his HUD image shivered slightly and then enhanced. The entire chamber dropping down nearly a half a mile resembled the Borg drones regenerative alcoves. By a quick count there were, "There's nearly five thousand of the Silence in there... What the clot is this?"
"That can't be good," Jayna whispered. "I'm feeling...like electricity is dancing across my skin. But it's not electricity, exactly."
Azure moved over to observe the walls. "Appears to be some kind psionic transmitter." She said. "Perhaps, its how the enemy can tap into The Silence's hive mind. We encountered something similar when I was assigned to the Rochester."
"Can it be taken offline or destroyed without hurting the Silence?" Jayna asked. Because if the entity could be cut off from them, it would be easier to defeat it.
"Its not my specialty, but if we could some how block the frequency, we could sever the link, leaving our enemy hungry and weakened." Azure replied.
As with some snipers, Gaagii had a habit of raising his weapon and looking at everything through his scope, when he was unsure of what transpired. This situation was one of those times. As he swept the sniper rifle from left to right images of the Silence and all that had been occuring came into view on the HUD. The images had better definition than others and gave wind and heading readings as appropriate for a sniper. Suddenly, he stopped the sweep and small creep he performed. Over the communal comm channel his voice came softly. "Yá'át'ééh ké dah, yáʼátʼééh ké dah" A Navajo phrase that means Good be upon us, good be upon us. It was his attempt to invoke the Divine Spirits of his people and the closest a Navajo could come to God Save Us.
The thought of the Silence as hostages to the entity reminded Jayna of the underwater research facility. Fortunately, she never saw the facility's engineering, but she saw the tentacles and the victims in the mirror. She didn't want to think of what the entity was doing to the Silence here. They had to be freed. "Yes," Jayna replied to Azure, "But who can sever a telepathic link? Unless there's some sort of device that helps control them."
Jeksyne thought for a moment, breaking the link could mean destroying the emitter. His eyes got wide for a moment with a thought as he pulled out a block from his armor.
"We could rig the emitter to blow. I have some C4, we attach it to the emitter and detonate it, cutting the Silence off from the link. That could work in saving them."
"Or kill them." Azure said. "Maybe Schultz could create something to block the signal."
"It depends on the type of signal," Miranda replied. "I can check." She set her suit to give her details on the signal. "I agree that an explosion isn't always the best answer. Especially if we don't want to bring the ceiling down on us."
"Don't use explosives," Jayna said, supporting Miranda. "You can't take out the alcoves without killing them, and we can't risk that. We have to find another way."
Neil listened to his Marines bounce ideas back and forth, evaluating them as he looked into the misting waters at the bodies half concealed in their...living nightmare...was the best he could come up with. Rommie was tracking the energy floes of the place and giving it a visual representation. One of the Stiletto drones had went over the edge and was sending back telemetry. This model had gliding wings on which it was circling lower toward the plunge pool far below.
He remembered another waterfall. Not so long ago and it drew his thoughts toward Jayna for a moment. He had a headache currently and it was nagging at him. He could feel his thoughts wandering and in his minds eye he saw Jayna slipping from their kiss and leaping into a dive out past the overhang and his own reaction to lean out and watch her form. Neil leaned forward more, watching her form.
And then he was falling again. This time it was an upper atmospheric drop and somehow his suit had him going arse first and no matter what he tried, he couldn't get himself twisted back around. The artificial horizon was spinning rapidly and he could hear Rommie's voice, talking urgently to him.
"Neil!" Something was wrong. Jayna wasn't sure what it was, but she knew she had to get to him. To stop him. From what, she didn't know. She tried to reach him again, wishing for once that she was more of a telepath.
When he didn't respond, Jayna contacted someone else. "Rommie. What's going on with Neil?"
Rommie ran through her limited profiles and the logic engine decided she could and should take direct action. As the Colonel took a half step, nearly over the edge she locked all servo's in place and moved his suit backwards. Activating the open comm as programmed for anyone to help, she said, "The Colonel's brain waives became erratic approximately twenty seconds ago. They registered the same as a deep REM sleep might, but it is unusual for such a transition in a small amount of time during such a stressed moment. Most Marines can sleep any place anytime, but this is not normal. I have switched my interface and locked his suit pending a change of disposition. Not knowing what is wrong, I can not order a cocktail from the auto-doc that might help. I am monitoring..."
A deep REM sleep? An image flashed in Jayna's mind. A giant cave spider in a web... Then it was gone. "Yes. Keep monitoring him. I think what happened may have some connection to what's happening to the Silence." But she'd need to talk it over with Alyssa. "Let me know if I can help."
"I don't really know, Lieutenant. I can't get through...perhaps if you could. I don't know," The AI was at something of a loss. "Maybe try to get his attention? He isn't responding to me?"
"Neil! Neil! This is Jayna. I'm pregnant with twins and you're the father."
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
Battalion Commander, The Cure
First Lieutenant Jeksyne Vale
Company Executive Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Sergeant Tyrigus Fry
Rifleman, Team 1, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Sergeant Azure Thompson
Corpsman, Team 1, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Mira Jayna
Intelligence Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Gunnery Sergeant Gaagii
RECONN, Team 2, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Gunnery Sergeant Tessia T'Lar
Sniper, Team 1, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Sergeant Sina Ravenna
Pathfinder, Team 1, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Sergeant Miranda Schultz
Communications Specialist HQ, The Cure
USS Pioneer
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