Aurora, Wayward Pt. 06

She walked up. "You ever leave the service and want a spot in the Home Guard or to become a hybrid as well we will give you that chance. Shadow was the top scorer for the non-hybrids.

They did not know they were flying with hybrids in their midst. I brought in 6 as well, 3 snipers, and 3 flyers. One of whom is the Pena representative on the council and the top graduate overall. She became my Flight Wing Commander aboard my Battleship for her efforts and my Lead Pilot in the Home Guard overseeing training within the Home Guard.

I worked to decide which of the first 7 would go to this training. The seventh will be in the next class as will five others from the Home guard who may or may not be hybrids or Penans. They will be known as hybrids if they are and not hidden among them in future classes. I give you Shadow and Maniac both from Pena."

They did not hear it or see it but a sniper bullet struck Vivian in the middle of the forehead. She had her shield belt and telekinetic belt on and the bullet bounced away but it did graze her skin slightly and knocked her on her ass. Rocan thought, * Find me that sniper Aurora! How were they fucking missed!? *

She ran the video and expanded the search area. She called out, "3.2 km away. Outside sniper range normally. We are tracking the room and the subject leaving it. We have local law enforcement on the way as well as our marines."

Rocan looked at the crowd, "She is alive. Our flight suit is fitted with a shield belt. All of them are. She also has a belt for telekinesis to create a force field around it being a hybrid. It just knocked her unconscious from the force of the impact. We have a medical shuttle en route in case it is needed.

The sniper position was on the 28th floor of a building just over 3km away. The subject is being tracked from orbit now and marines with local law enforcement are on their way."

Vivian came too and looked over, "Did I just get hit with a sniper round in the head?"

He nodded, "Subject is on the run. The marines and police are already on it."

She sighed, "How did it get missed?"

He looked at her, "The shot was 3.2km away. That is beyond a sniper rifle's range."

Vivian shook her head, "I know of one man who can shoot that far. He had a prototype hyper-velocity railgun sniper rifle he designed. Was a master chief until he was kicked out and jailed for knocking some woman unconscious. Caught on camera. She was another marine's lover that he wanted and she rejected him.

Jason Trill was his name. Not accusing him, but he had a gun that could make that shot and would not allow others to use it. He is the only one I know who can shoot that far. Only because of the equipment he built."

He heard from Aurora, "The police just released him in front of our Marines. Our marines are taking him into custody. The police said he is some type of diplomat."

Rocan looked over, At the governors. He had the man's face displayed on the screen, * Tell the marines to hold him until he has been cleared by the 5 governors on the stage. *

He looked up, "Second shot of live camera footage. What colony is his paperwork for?"

She sighed, "It is for Gresen. I am running it now through public profiles. He is going by the name Mark Telnor. He has minimal but traces of gunshot residue. For a rail gun weapon, it would have little if any GSR. They are asking that he be fingerprinted and a DNA test."

He looked at the Governor, "Will you allow it as you may have an imposter in your diplomatic corps?"

She nodded, "Yes, do it. I want to get to the bottom of this. If he legitimately has immunity, then I am withdrawing it until this is resolved at a minimum."

Aurora laughed, "He tried to punch one of our marines barehanded now. He just broke his hand for his efforts. The file declaring his immunity terminated was sent to the police. Facial recognition tells me they are the same man.

From public mug shots taken when he was arrested. We need permission from the Governor to search the building for the rifle. Something like that he would want to come back for."

Wira Kell called a judge who issued the search warrant. Rocan looked at Vivian, "What can you tell me about this gun?"

She sighed, "I only saw it a couple of times at the range, he wanted to get a weapons manufacturer to mass-produce them eventually. The power was a problem. It used a very high-density round. It was powered by a belt that had 8-12 micropower cells in it at that time. 2 shots and it was depleted, the second lost significant velocity. Depending on the size of the power cells and the distance to the target.

He might have changed the power source since then. That was 4 years ago. The barrel had a tight neodymium coil down the barrel with a Zirtosium casing and inner barrel that was a few mm thick of a type of metal he would not let anyone know about. The other metals are common enough here on Pena. Not so much on other planets. It is an export metal."

Aurora called out over the loudspeaker, "We located the rifle and have a forensic team en route to work with your police. They can find trace DNA if it exists. The weapon now has a large stock on it that holds 10 power cells. The other metal is titanium with a spiral bored barrel that could last 10 shots...maybe.

The barrel is way too thin and bored too tightly to last without being replaced. It is a hard metal to find and manufacture in this system. Nobody here could mass produce it as it is a rare metal in system. It is not a typical rail-gun as railguns are not bored weapons in the traditional sense. It is a hybrid of the two and a lousy design."

Rocan looked back at the crowd, "She had both belts active and charged again. We have expanded our coverage for monitoring for snipers based on this new information. Shadow if you would like to speak first." He silently added to himself, 'While Vivian regained her senses.' He heard his ladies chuckle in his head for that thought, including Vivian.

Shadow nodded, "I am a marine sniper here on Pena. Was assigned to a different squadron but 'Snipes' or should I say Maniac, ruled the roost during my first 3 years of service. She kicked my ass in squadron competitions at max distance. She even stepped up and tried to help me afterward.

I was younger and stupid in not wanting her guidance. I took it with a grain of salt until I saw her at the training ground at the JUMP Academy that first day. I knew she left the service and was surprised to see her, then I heard of a couple of others who came back because their governors called them for this and they agreed.

Then I read her story and then ended up flying with her. I did not see her complete story if you will until after the graduation flight, the things she had gone through that drove her. I listened more to her advice while we trained together.

Thanks to her I was one of 3 snipers in that group that all tagged and killed the graduation bogey. The other being Warcry from Gresen. The only non-sniper to score a shot on the target was Rabbit in our group. She is a pilot from Ridan and was listed as the most improved from entry to exit.

She took her shot at Maniac's guidance, Maniac was her spotter. She told Rabbit what moves to do and then spotted for her because it was a close combat scenario. She tagged him second. Maniac was the only one to tag him twice. Maniac talked about reading the battlefield and she came up with a couple of formations to try and draw him in.

Then the rabbits, the other three pilots broke off and tried to tail him manually. She took us and put us in a 360-degree arc of coverage with the bottom of our craft next to the Jump Academy carrier so we would not get attacked from underneath and to throw off his targeting computer.

She reminded all of us, snipers go for the high ground. In space, there is no high ground. We went to the bottom of the carrier. For us, up was down. We found out he searched the top of the carrier for us and then went after Rabbit. Maniac tagged him.

This is targeting without computers or sensors and striking with a single shot at a long distance. You have to feel your way. He was flying a craft the stealth net cannot pick up; we checked it as we flew the last two spots in the V formation.

We had been called out to check those systems for the 'true fighter pilots' as Screamer liked to differentiate between our areas of training. Nothing was showing in the area. The graduation was only a part of the testing.

This is the part that tripped up a lot of the 'true pilots.' There is training in hand-to-hand combat, strength training, and of course a firing range that extended out to 2.5km for sniper rifle training.

Everyone, pilot, and sniper were tested as each range. Stationary targets, moving targets, wind changes, and solar winds when we were in our craft. We flew out near Molten for a few training runs. To try and adjust for solar winds. Those that relied on the targeting computers missed their targets. They had to adjust and got better.

Those that adjusted their aim from the targeting computers hit the targets, it should have warned us all that manual targeting was critical, but we were still unaware of what the purpose of this training would bring. What Rocan, Eviscerate is his call sign, had planned for us.

It was all a series of lessons to take us into an unknown battlefield. The carrier was deployed for a stealth target; a real one with the rest of the Home Guard. The Command Admiral took out his fighter with Manic in another that apparently was just as invisible.

They destroyed two destroyers that were cloaked, then worked a deal to capture the two cruisers and let the target go. 100km from the asteroid belt, Admiral Brena Rivar ordered all of us to open fire on the aggressor. The Home Guard followed our rules. Like he did with the Caldar. Attack us from stealth and there is no surrender.

It is a hell of a course and I learned a lot from it. I had some space flying skills from being a kid and flying my father's craft with him. I was comfortable in a cockpit. The speeds these space fighters get up too is incredible. I am honored by the offer and I may consider it at some point. Maybe just to get back into those faster fighters."

He smiled at her as she stepped away from the podium.

Vivian looked out as she took her place, "I am a sniper who has now been shot 8 times and stabbed 4 times. I had a bounty on my head from a weapons manufacturer and a member of congress here on Pena. Weapons, drugs, and you get the idea.

I found out what they were doing and what they had. I went to the police. I was released when I got out. It did not stop me from getting stabbed those 4 times. My sword name is Marine of Vengeance and I joined the Marines to learn how to be that sniper.

Like the 2 who put 3 bullets into me before becoming a marine, or an adult for that matter. I wanted to be ready for when they returned. Little did I know the man I suspected of being the second sniper escaped from jail. The Home Guard gave me one of their sniper rifles.

It did nasty damage when I shot it down his scope and removed his face with the plasma round. The Home Guard protected me and welcomed me. I did not understand why he wanted a sniper in these units until graduation day. I knew nothing of his stealth fighters."

She looked back and smiled, "This is a vid of Freia and the Command Admiral putting the material over those fighters. It sticks to nothing; it will not alloy with anything, and we cannot get any readings from an electron microscope from it. It is next to useless except to a telepath who got creative.

It is the same material our swords are made from. Samples of it were given to each governor and the colony top scientists could find no method of doing anything with it, let alone get reading off of it.

They built the shell in pieces and then merged them together so it is a solid shell around everything. While allowing for the weapons, engines, and of course entry into the craft to function.

I ended up with a very creative group that took my sniper skills to the next level. The video coming out is an actual video with the Terran battleship Excalibur. The battleship the Teacher, before it was named, and two destroyers built in-system in Samarthat are Sentinel manned right now. They are out there to monitor and protect the planets while surveys are being conducted still.

The fifth ship over the target is the Drakor arriving. You see the black blur here on the image, "That is an arrow escaping from inside an engine compartment. They are designed to be used in the air or space, and for decompressing and boarding another craft. They ram their way through. We did not exercise that as we do not have enough assets to let everyone tear apart ships."

The crowd chuckled. "Yet Rocan did it there and then we both did it against this latest threat."

She showed her gun camera footage of going through the stealth destroyer. Sliced it in two. "The Terrans were impressed enough to ask for a copy of the design. Which the Admiral let them have for some old information on the rail guns they started with.

That is another topic though I will say it should be fun to watch when he gets it ready to display. I am thankful for the opportunity they gave me. They sought me out and I applied right in front of the Governor. At the time she was surprised by it being a marine sniper.

Then at the governor's meeting, he showed them that blacked-out line in his records. Then his awards listed made sense. He is a pilot and more. He is a Marine. He is the teacher call sign 'Eviscerate' and he showed us why he had that callsign. Thank you for everything."

Rocan came to the podium, "I hope to be able to show you the railgun design we have been building along with the unique ammunition very soon. We have prototypes but we have not had a chance to even test fire them yet. We have them on our craft but we decided to capture some alien technology and offered the Governors another opportunity at the carrier lab to work together on reverse engineering alien technology.

A General stood up, "If you have them and they are armed. You see that 20-story building over there?" Rocan nodded. "It is set to be demolished. We just started getting bids in to do the work."

He smiled and looked at the governor, "It is not a ship. There is no sulfur in our rounds. Yet, it may burn it to the ground."

She nodded, "I want to see this weapon. See what it does in the atmosphere if you will."

He nodded to Vivian, "Maniac, get the target nose down, fire 3 km away and pull out and land."

Aurora responded, "The area is clear of any Penan life signs."

Vivian nodded and got in her fighter and took it out and straight up she came barreling down and fired. The right gun fired. The Left one exploded in the barrel, eating away the middle third of her wing. The distant section of the wing sheared off and then exploded as it has the extra ammo.

Her fighter banked hard and was headed at the ground and the crowd. Rocan held out his hand and the craft suddenly slowed down and she was set on the ground skidding back toward the group of new fighters at a greatly reduced speed.

Rocan sighed, "Telekinesis to slow the craft and get it on the ground. I would say the prototype needs some work yet."

He looked out as the building burned down the middle and then into a crater left by the plasma that sat there and it quickly ate the first floor of the building. If finally collapsed downward into itself. The crowd could see it was hollowed out, as the building went down.

Astra thought to him, * I did a replay of your landing and parking and her barrel was bent at the tip. Likely from going through the destroyer or battleship pylon. *

She threw the image up on the screen for him. Rocan nodded, "The barrels should be round. That was likely damaged by the destroyer she cut in half or the battleship we ripped engine pylons off of during our last encounter.

I will have to make a design modification for that to the fighters to better protect them against that kind of damage. That should have been caught in the pre-flight inspection by our flight mechanic."

A shuttle arrived to take her craft back to the destroyer. She walked in from the 'landing site.' Vivian walked over and hugged him, "Thank you for that. I know you saved me, yet again." He pointed at the screen. "Likely damaged from the destroyer or the pylons."

She nodded, "That is your department on how to fix that design issue."

Rocan smiled as the crowd stood to ask questions, "What is the largest thing you have lifted with telepathy?"

Rocan sighed, "It is telekinesis. Not telepathy. I can do both but not with a mundane. Someone who has telepathy. As to the thought behind your question. I just brought down a broken space fighter. I did not try to lift it, just slow its rate of descent and cushion the fall in order to save her and the crowd. I do not work out in the gym lifting weights with my mind. Sorry, that is not my thing."

The people chuckled at him. One male reporter 55looked at Vivian, "You expect us to believe you were shot 3 times and stabbed 4 times before you got into the marine corps?"

Aurora appeared on screen, "Snapshots of her in the hospital and pictures of the wound sites for the investigations that occurred. News article on her third straight sniper training score. Her service record showing she finished at the top of her class. Shall I go into your public records and find out your class ranking for the military and school?"

The reporters laughed as that reporter sat down quickly. Rocan looked over, "We vet someone, they give us permission to do a complete background search and we will even get into redacted and sealed files for that person. We need to know if there is anything anyone can blackmail or hold over a hybrid.

I have already had this discussion with the Governors. That will not change in the future. We don't do it to blackmail anyone, or to create havoc but to avoid corruption within our own ranks.

Those physical scars she had from those attacks are gone, by the way, we repaired those. The emotional ones our people have counselors to work through those unseen wounds. What we do is a focused search.

The one I did for Dr. Trose uncovered the Trisan military was aware of the Caldar alien threat in their military years ago. He shot her in the back for disobeying an order to fight to the death and instead she saved 45 lives. From what we found out by the new governor's investigation it never went outside of military brass.

Several lost their jobs over that cover-up. That was her investigation, once we gave her the ammunition. The unredacted file had the information on the 'alien officer' in question. She is one of the few who escaped a Caldar feast and it was known and buried.

Her lawyer managed to get her a settlement that covered her school loans with some left aside. They had terminated, illegally, her tuition for schooling. She was a doctor with a mountain of school debt who worked her ass off.

In the service, she was a nurse who took the courses when not at war. Regardless, She was a hero for saving all of those lives. Then a doctor after her release and completing medical school. The lawyer was, of course, Wira Kel."

That got a few chuckles and the Pena governor stepped forward, "I wanted to take a moment and thank Rocan Spartan for his efforts in not only this training ground and these new fighters.

Also, the work with the blockades, the farming ships, the blood and sperm, medical facilities, fighting corruption efforts, and aiding in this toxin issue. Which they both have to get decontaminated for again by being here, as do the other governors.

Now this training and research facility for all colonies to work together. On behalf of the other governors, we are very appreciative for all you have done and continue to do for the Penan people as a whole."