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Angels 2200
The Angels 2200 Forum Role Playing Game

Angels 2200 is Copyright Peter Haynes and Nathaniel Savio © 2002 - this is an inofficial fanpage.


The Battle of New Thebans

Part 1

Read Part 2

"So, do you really want to hear my story? How I got this beautiful face of mine and this bloody medal? I can tell you if you want...

Did you ever hear about the Battle of New Thebans? I didn't think so. Well, it actually isn't worth the title of a "battle" since it was more like a "skirmish", but that's how the official report labels it. New Thebans itself is probably the most unexciting place in the whole solar system. Well at least if you're not a jumpy person, because the place can be quite creepy from time to time. There was this girl who thought she had seen ghosts in the old converter hallways, she surely had a hell of a time there, I can tell you. But let's start at the beginning...

New Thebans is an old space station at the inner rim of the asteroid belt. It's in a solar orbit, always following the shadow of Mars. Originally it had been a mining station with a steel mill, furnaces and really vast storage holds, but it had been taken out of service many years ago. They say it's at least a hundred and fifty years old, drifting dead and vacant in space for about half of the time. But back somewhere in the eighties, when the Martian crisis was becoming really hot, OSI instated a secret listening post there, to spy on Martian communication. Of course it was closed down with the plague, but they reopened it in ninety-six - to spy on the Martian underground movement this time. Being short on personnel they sent only a very small crew: Two OSI officers - Lieutenant Maryland and Ensign Casol - and four radio operators from the navy - Sergeant Cullman, Corporal Phong, PFC Eichorn and me. We were sitting in this huge and ugly metal box for about a year, scanning all communication going in and out from Mars. Of course we techs didn't get to see too much from those communication - because of secrecy obligations and such. I can tell you, I've never been that bored in my whole life. You see, we didn't have any recreational facilities there. And since this was a secret post we weren't allowed to communicate with anyone at all. The only thing you could do there besides from watching the open TV channels was to wander through the station. About ninety percent of the station was still deserted - and as I mentioned this place was really huge, the whole upper section being one giant factory, as well as living quarters for the workers. Most of those parts were either freezing cold or muggy and warm because there was no ventilation and climate control. There also was no power, so you had to pry open every door by force and always bring a light. Well, we had some fun exploring those upper levels, looking for things the previous occupants had left, but after three months when Mai-Mai - Corporal Phong that is - saw her ghost and almost dropped to her death after taking the wrong turn when panicking and running through the dark corridors, the Lieutenant had all entrances to the upper levels sealed and the area was deemed off-limits. From that time on the only diversion from constant boredom was the monthly arrival of a supply shuttle.

Well, we got our excitement soon enough. As you probably know, in ninety-seven the Charans sent a couple of ships to assist the Martians. But as you maybe don't know a few of those ships took a little detour before they were shot to tiny bits by out glorious Terran Navy. And guess what, as luck would have it this detour took them right past New Thebans. And of course as this was a long range listening post it wasn't shielded too well, so they must have noticed the station not being as derelict as it was supposed to be. I don't know why they even bothered - they must have had a lot of more serious trouble at that time - but obviously their commander decided to capture New Thebans. Maybe they thought they just could pick us up as they went by, without delaying too long. Well it doesn't matter. The fact is, they sent a shuttle with a platoon of marines to board the station. Being of civilian origin it did have neither any perimeter defenses nor especially secured docking bays and airlocks. Of course we had noticed them by now and our Lieutenant was determined not to hand the station over without a fight - not that anyone of us would have been to happy about that. So there were the four of us, hastily barricading the main docking hangar with empty ore crates from the reopened upper levels, while the OSIs got the weapons from the station's weapon stash, where they had been locked up for about two centuries - two ancient HK G201 assault rifles and a PPG pistol for each of us. Good thing was, there was plenty of ammo.

By the time they entered the hangar we had entrenched ourselves quite well, or at least we thought so. We immediately opened fire with everything we got - which was apparently more than they had expected. Three of them went down before they even returned fire. But when they did we noticed we had been horribly wrong. Have you ever seen one of those heavy PPG-rifles in action? You know how big the holes are they blast? It turned out the old ore crates did offer almost no protection at all, they shot right through them - and they shot well. The Sarge and the Lieutenant, who had our two assault rifles both were instantly hit multiple times. By the amount of blood they spilled at the wall they must have been dead before they hit the floor. A second later Mary-Ann - PFC Eichorn I mean - lost her head. No, she didn't panic or something, her head was just gone. She must have taken a direct hit. I still remember that smell of vaporized brain and flesh. And I still get sick.

By now none of us did shoot back anymore, in fact the remaining three of us lay flat on our stomachs, in a growing puddle of our companion's blood and our own piss. Meanwhile the Charans had entered the hangar, split up and advanced on our position from two directions. When they stopped shooting for a moment we ran. I heard Mai-Mai scream in pain, but I didn't look back. We hurried through the access tunnel to the main hall, the Charans in hot pursuit, still firing at us. There I noticed Mai-Mai hadn't made it. Casol went straight for the observation deck, locking the door behind her. Fortunately I didn't realize my situation at that point, for if I had I probably had broken down right there, just to be shot an instant later. Instead I jumped into the service elevator to the upper decks. When I was up five decks the lift stopped - they must have somehow cut the power. After I had managed to force open the lift door I was close to losing it, running aimlessly through the dark and freezing corridors, but the chilly air eventually brought me back to my senses. I was all alone in the coldest part of the station, a nineteen year old radio operator not trained for combat actions, armed only with a handgun with a half empty power pack - all our ammo was still lying at the barricade - the only source of light the small barrel-mounted flashlight of the gun. Meanwhile god knew how many hostile soldiers who were equipped with heavy rifles, body armor, probably grenades and all kind of equipment, maybe even night vision, were looking for me. When I now look back I wonder why I didn't just shoot myself at that point. But it's amazing what your instinct of self-preservation can do to you in a situation like this. I just didn't want to end like the others. So I went up on foot one more level into the main factory hall. This one is really vast, spanning the area of the size of three or four football fields. Of course it was still stuffed with all kinds of engines and equipment, so it actually resembled sort of a maze - a maze with lot's of hiding places. Scared as I was I imagined I might hide there until the Charans left. Of course I would have frozen to death long before that happened, but I didn't think that far at this time. Well, as you can see it didn't come this far. As I was straying around between the machines the Charans were already there and I suddenly ran into one of them. Later I figured they probably had followed my trail with infrared equipment, always being right on my heels. That particular Charan although turned out to be as surprised to see me as I was to see her. While looking for a hiding place I had changed directions multiple times and she obviously hadn't expected me to come at her head-on.

I don't know how long we stood there, staring at each other. It might have been only an instant, but it could as well have been half a minute - I honestly don't remember. But I do remember her face - it was nice and soft, with large brown doe eyes and red cheeks. Under other circumstances I would have spontaneously found her likable. But now she was pointing a blaster at me - and she shot at me. No, it wasn't her who burned my face, she missed by several feet. But I did hit her. The first shot hit her helmet, sending her stumbling backward a few steps. But the Kevlar had withstood the blast and she aimed at me again, so I shot another time. My second shot hit her in the face, the PPG disintegrating the better half of her lower jaw and parts of her throat. Oh God, what would I give to get rid of this image of her, lying on the back, staring at me. And the gurgling noises she made. But I fear both are burned into my brain for good. I don't know if she tried to talk or if it was just the blood in her destroyed windpipe. I couldn't have cared less. I just wanted her to stop, but before I could shoot her again something hit me at the cheek and all went black. I know it's almost disappointing, but it just was that unspectacular.

When I woke up everything was over. I was in sick bay on some Terran Navy destroyer, a big bandage around my head. They had recently captured a Charan ship where I was found to be hold captive. There I learned Mai-Mai had lost her left leg - she hung herself half a year later - and Ensign Casol had died from an explosion when our people attacked the Charan ship.

So here I am, last survivor of New Thebans, proudly flaunting my Blue Crescent and the scars that prove I earned it. Now gimme another beer."


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