Hakon
The final withdrawal from Starcrown was fast and quick. For a couple hours the sky of the world was filled with shuttles, landing crafts, and drop ships as the last of the 113th, and it’s equipment were brought up to the ‘Axetooth’ along with the last of the loot that was stolen from the planet, and it’s people.
Second Companion Ragnor Ark had been right. The looting had gotten worse as the final withdrawal date neared. Attacks against members of the 113th became commonplace during the last few days. Reports of attacks on Starcrown continued long after the last transport left the world as the locals began to fight one another for resources left behind.
Hakon had watched the intelligence reports as they came through, and felt the guilt of countless deaths that had already happened, but worse, which would continue long after they were gone. The 113th had come to Starcrown to help the so-called king of Barta suppress rebels, and while they had killed many, how many more had they made.
There seemed to be few within the legion that cared, at least openly. Their contract had been fulfilled, they had been paid, and now they would go home. Even if the mission on Starcrown had not gone as planned, the rest of the 113th had destroyed several rebel ships, and so there would be peace in the sector, at least for a while, even if Starcrown, and several other worlds were filled with chaos.
The ‘Axetooth’ remained in the Starcrown system for a few days after the last of the forces withdrew from the world. Hakon had to admit that he enjoyed the feeling of freedom from his power armor, but he also enjoyed the feeling of a ship's deck under his feet.
“Have you heard about the battle?” Frea asked Hakon as she climbed into her bunk.
Hakon nodded. Reports had been filled with reports of the space battle fought by the General. “General Archer, and the ‘Thunderbolt’, and ‘Blade’ defeated a rebel controlled battleship, and several cruisers while collecting taxes.”
“General Archer got the rebels to attack him, while thinking they were laying an ambush for him, all the while walking into their own ambush,” Frea said with awe. “Do you know how much prize money they earn?” she asked, and rolled over in her bunk.
“More than we earned on Starcrown,” First Companion Vault said as he lifted weights in the back of their quarters.
“The King of Barta was so pleased with General Archer’s action that he doubled the bonus, let him keep most of the collected taxes. Something to do with several of the dead or captured rebel leadership,” Thane Longreach added.
“Fuck,” Frea said with a frustrated sigh. “A real battle, and where were we? Where was the 4th Division, and ‘Axetooth’? Getting our ass hammered by low skill, hungry and desperate rebels that had been hiding in caves for months, under our own nose.”
Hakon stopped for a moment from cleaning his rifle, to look at Frea in her bunk as she rested with one hand on her hand, and nothing but her underwear, and light top that most the retinue matched her with while in their quarters. “We wouldn’t have been much help in the battle at any rate, not from the reports I have seen.”
“Retainer Ashworth is correct,” Guard Rusty replied. Hakon looked at the new Bot which replaced Guard Yaronda. Rusty was a newly promoted Echo, in its second term of service with the Imperial Guard, and granted it’s own body. It felt both good, and nerve wracking to have a Bot with them full time, but he knew it shouldn’t. It was no different than the Echo’s on each one of their wrists that controlled their Wraiths, except for the fact that Echo had a name, and no one controlled him.
“Hakon,” Hakon finally said. “Call me Hakon in private.”
Rusty looked at him with a tilted head for a moment, and then nodded. “Very well Hakon, but that does not change what I said. You are correct. General Archer did not launch boarding parties onto the rebel ships until they had all surrendered. Two of the ships life support was destroyed, along with all on board.”
“Still,” Frea cut in. “It would have been better than the so-called Battle of Starcrown.”
“I must disagree with Retainer Dawn,” Rusty replied. “General Archer’s victory was impressive, and removed much of the rebel leadership, and fleet from operation, but it also only cost the rebels a single Battleship, three cruisers, and four escorts. While the starships are a blow to their cause, they also only lost thirty thousand killed or captured, while the 4th division killed more than sixty thousand rebels that we could confirm, and the ‘Sparrow’s Nest’ killed another forty thousand on their assigned world. Not to mention that should all four starships of the 113th have been together, the rebels may not have attempted the ambush.”
Frea signed again. “Sixty thousand starving grunts. Not to mention sixty thousand grunts stuck on a world far from the fight.”
“Rusty is right,” Thane Longreach said. “Starcrown wasn’t the rebels' target, but without us here the system would have been in rebel hands, and we all know the system was not their target. It was just a launching pad. The General set us up where he needed us, and he bought the Barta King a couple more years on his throne.”
“Yeah, well I agree with Frea,” First Companion Vault cut in, and set his weights back down. “I’d rather partake in a real battle, and earn some real renown than babysit some backwater locals. You know the cut of the 2nd division, and 3rd division will be twice that of ours, and you just know those mother fuckers won’t let us live it down.”
“Fuck the others. The 4th will just have to make it up,” Frea said as she rolled back over in her bunk. “Everyone knows the 4th is the true strength of any legion. Besides, there is always the next contract, and hopefully the next one is some real one outside Bolgar Space.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Thane Longreach said. “Seems like the only contracts the Jom takes these days are in Bolgar Space, unless you count the peaceful ones taken with Furse lords.”
Frea let out a sigh, and Hakon nodded. The Jom didn’t want to cause trouble with worlds of Fabian Space, and Furse Space had been peaceful since the fall of King Rodger Dawn Aegis. Bolgar space was filled with infighting, warlords, and minor nations at war with one another. Even the major nations of Bolgar Space were often at war with one another, or the Furse, or even Fabians. Even the King of Warta was often at war against his own nobles or defending his newly formed realm against the Holy Fabian Protectorate as they sought to expand further east.
“So what happened to the King of Barta anyways?” Frea asked.
“King Zalek Wolyn has retired to the Barta Sector, pleased with the Gorbina Sector being brought under his control,” Rusty informed them.
“For now,” Hakon said softly.
“Yes for now,” Rusty replied. “I cannot speak for the future.”
“I can,” Hakon said. “All we did was create the next generation.”
Rusty tilted his head as he looked at Hakon. “That is a possibility.”
Hakon grunted, and let out a sigh as an alarm came through the comm system of the ‘Axetooth’. “FTL jump in T minus one minute. Prepare for jump.”
“Great,” Hakon said as he secured his rifle with the others, and then climbed into his bunk to secure himself. “I fucking hate FTL jumps.”
“Hey just be glad you didn’t make it to one of the ship gardens,” Frea called out.
“Try to make it to the bathroom this time,” Fredric Vault called out with a laugh as the ship board announcements began to count down to the FTL jump, the first of many that would reunited the ‘Axetooth’ with the rest of the ships of the legion, and Hakon felt his stomach go queasy as the starship jumped almost a light year in a single moment.
