<div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://i.cubeupload.com/YsxWKl.png">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;"></div>Sandra peered out from around the corner of a burning building. She heard the sirens rising up into loud wails throughout the city, and she felt a sense of fear that the once innocent girl had never known. Through the glow of the burning city she could see large round objects that looked biogenic, long strands of what almost looked to be hair but was in fact strands of fleshy tissue trailed closely behind them as they descended through the cities airspace. The girl was thrown off balance and almost fell as a large vibration shook the street below her, it's origination the obvious crash site of the large biogenic craft. They were landing throughout the city, and as the night sky was turned alight by the cities defense systems for every object destroyed two more arrived at their objectives. Moving across the street rather clumsily she began to hear far off crack of gunfire. She wasn't going let her fear consume her though, having been one of the most advanced disciples at her university, and having had participated in the Fleet's early training programs. The cities paramilitary security sections and local military would no doubt be in some form of engagement. It was obvious to the young woman that her world was under attack. It had occurred on other Drotharii colonies throughout the decades, and she had been made well aware through her education. Sandra was well on her way to becoming a fleet officer, having completed all of the early training regiments that were required. Part of the Fleet's promotional hologram that her class had been the recipients of had been centered around the Fleet's important duty of securing Drotharii borders. Yet now the planet of Are, one of the core worlds of the Drotharii Federation had come under attack by an unknown force, and during a time that the local fleet was not present, having a routine repair and update at the space forges above Abwehr.<br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;"></div>Now the world of Are had been left virtually defenseless, and if this lifeform was a class 3 Bio-Consumer like Sandra believed the local planetary military and paramilitary forces would not be adequate to contain. Even if the Fleet were to return, which they were almost three days away using cold fusion warp technology, they would likely be required to glass the entire world from space. It had been attempted to out wait such an infection as was now occurring on Are, but with the amount of animal life on a life supporting world's biosphere, the infection often took at least a decade to perish. Yet when such a tactic was used on the colony of Neue Grüne the new colonists sent to pioneer Drotharii civilization had been the victims of a renewed infection. Some lifeforms of this archtype could spread using spores, the colonists on Neue Grüne and the Drotharii Fleet had learned that the difficult way. Yet after the incident Fleet protocol and priority regarding infected worlds shifted to a more drastic and violent approach, entire worlds being glassed. It was half the reason that so many had decided to stay in the Abwehr system, their homes placed on Abwehr I, Erebus, Bohlberg, Arum, and the refitted Drothica. An ancient world ship that Sandra's ancestors had arrived in.<br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;"></div>Such things drifted from the young Droth's mind as she continued to move stealthily through the streets. Her friend Nicholas lived just up the next street, he would know what to do when she arrived. Nicholas' father was the operator of a not quite legal business of weapons distribution in the mega-city of Cologne. The capital of the planet Are, it had been the first extra-stellar colony of Drotharii Federation. It's ports rich due to the distance of the other colonies from the home world, trade and commercial movement funneling through Are to reach either the colonies or the Abwehr system. Though due to high taxes on certain trade items the Home world was still far richer, it's advancement of trade regarding xeno civilizations. There had been issues of the past concerning disease and sabotage but as the Federation matured those issues seemed to grow far away. Though they were still prevalent the majority of cases were black filed by the Drotharii High Command.<br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;"></div>Suddenly a loud wail could be heard approximately four blocks ahead of Sandra, her training giving her a slight edge over the civilians that had begun to run through the streets. She pushed them steadily aside as she made her way to Nicholas' dwelling, an underground affair as most Drotharii preferred. Running up to the residence she used the neural net to contact Nicholas', her message depicting urgency as she scrambled to gain a connection. Suddenly she was through, her urgency and emotional state having made it difficult for her to use the net. Something she scolded herself silently on. A Fleet officer was required to have full access to the net at any time on board a Federation vessel, even during combat when stress levels could reach the extreme. It took years of dedication and training to reach such a sustainable level, time and experience that the young woman had not yet been witness.<br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;"></div>A sliding EdgeSteel door opened and a dark haired pale faced boy ushered her inside, closing the door behind them. Using the neural net they didn't need to speak with one another, the first method of communication being much more efficient. He had missed her and had been worried of that she was certain by reading his emotions. Yet she had to understand why he seemed to care for her so much, they were quite simply friends and he had never thought of him as more. She wondered about Nic sometimes. Sandra was informed by Nik that his father and mother had been away on business for several days, and that they had not yet returned. Nik had acquired two Mk-4 Flechet Assault Weapons which were lying on the floor next to the home's heating elements. There were almost twenty four magazines but Sandra couldn't see any of the gear that they'd be using, the room being barren besides the rifles. Using the net she asked Nik what they were going to carry everything in. Replying with a virtual grin that the Woman was used to Nik led her into another room.<br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;"></div>Using the net to access a hidden safe that Sandra was suddenly made aware of, the wall sliding away to reveal something that caught her by surprise. Before her in a large closet that had once been hidden stood two Class 2 Scouting ExoFrames, both looking to be in working order according to a diagnostic she had run using the net. They were both new and both military grade ExoFrames, which had been exactly what had surprised her. She had not been aware of the extent of Nicholas' father's business, nor the contacts which he made. He would need either an elite team of operatives to heist a Fleet armory, or an Officer on the inside that was assisting in the smuggling venture for a percentage. The only ExoFrame that Sandra had ever used was a Class 1 Commercial ExoFrame. She ventured to perceive that this class of suit and it's purpose might be an entirely different experience.<br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;"></div>They were quick to enter the Frames, using the net to unlock the suits. Each suit was facing away from the two young adults, and upon access the two Frames shifted apart from behind, providing a simple access. A blue mesh of nanite gelatin that would absorb her sweat and other bio waste that would be converted and recycled for re-consumption. She'd always been interested in ExoFrames, and being able to operate one now was like a rush, but it was tainted by weapon discharge and strange noises in the distance. Having taken Fleet training she walked over to the Mk-4 Flechet Assault Weapon and hefted it, placing the magazines along the grooves in the armor, their connection ensured via a magnetic system. Sandra slapped one of the magazines into the weapon and immediately pulled the bolt using the net. One of the positive attributes of using a neural net was that thoughts were transferred nearly instantaneously to equipment that was grades to be operated as such. It allowed her to operate the suit like it was her own body, sensors and nanites working in unison to give her a sense of touch and smell. Which gave the Scout ExoFrames a considerable advantage over those races the Drotharii had fought before. Even though it had been over two hundred years since the Drothica began it's orbit of Abwehr, the Drotharii still possessed the most advanced ExoFrames in the star cluster. The other races would refer to their frames as powered armor, and it was second to none. Using their neural pathways and their artificial nerves and muscles the two Droth moved quietly out of the house and down a side street. Explosions and screams could be heard in the distance, the sound of sonic explosions as strike craft blasted by overhead. Luckily the noise was dulled significantly by the suits internal sound dampeners, which operated much like the Photochromic elements in her ExoFrames viewing plate. Which darkened when presented with extremely bright light. The sound dampeners did likewise but with sound from the outside not including unit communications.<br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;"></div>The invasion of Are and the mega-city of Cologne had begun, and all they had known and loved torn from the two that night. They had evaded and ran from the bio-consuming forces that entire night, never having seen one of the lifeforms but coming close on several occasions. Luckily the lifeforms pods mostly landed to the south of the city, which had given the two Droth enough time to escape Cologne and move into the dense vegetation of the surrounding rain forests. The ExoFrames had been built to operate for more than a month and a half without needing to replace their internal power source, and due to Nicholas' father's foresight they had brought over fifteen of the ExoCells that were powered by small cold-fusion elements. They'd escaped the slaughter that had no doubt beset many of the cities residence, but now they would need to survive the wildness, the infection, and contact for rescue which was slim. Even if they could contact reclaiming forces it was doubtful that it's Fleet Commandant would approve of a rescue, as it could lead to the spread of infection on board Fleet vessels. "How would they survive?" she thought to herself.