Pegasus: Eos Typhoon

by Jatheus

3 - Armistice

“What in Tartarus happened to you?” someone shouted as Eos Typhoon landed at her company’s assigned outpost.

She ignored the question and brushed past everyone until she found Commander Granite. He was looking over some paperwork and discussing it with their clerk. She interrupted without a second thought.

“Commander Granite, Clipper and I were attacked by a hidden airship just off the north eastern edge of our patrol. I believe The Storm is going to launch an offensive, today.”

He looked up at her, eyes widening slightly.

“Where is Clipper?”

“He…” heat returned to her eyes, but she held the tears back. “K.I.A., sir.”

“How does one hide an airship?” his emotions were impossible to read.

“They had lined the deck with carbon ice and water, which was making fog, lots of it. We nearly mistook them for a fracking cloud at first.”

A flash of recognition filled Commander Granite’s gaze, or perhaps it was admiration. He turned his attention to his subordinates.

“Come to alert status. Probable attack underway, prepare for action. This is no drill.” He turned to the radio operator, “Raise Military Command. I need Chief Bedrock.”

“Right away,” the operator replied, her face going ghostly pale.

Addressing Eos again, “Lieutenant, what happened to your head?”

She recounted everything that she could remember from the moment they spotted the airship. Her anger began to burn against The Storm. They violated the cease fire. They killed her brother, tried to kill her. She would return the favor. She would repay; she would make them suffer, blood for blood.

“This is Command Actual, go ahead, Rocky Crag,” Bedrock’s unmistakable voice came over the radio.

“This is Rocky Crag Actual,” Commander Granite began, “One of our unarmed scouting parties discovered an airship hiding in a cloud heading in the direction of Alabaster Spire. Upon investigation, the scouts were attacked, and one of them was killed. The other managed to evade capture and returned to report. It is my belief that an attack is imminent.”

“That is quite a serious accusation… Do you have any confirmation beyond the one scout? Have any other scouts reported anything out of the ordinary?”

“Negative, the scouts were sent in pairs and the second is K.I.A. No other scouts have reported anything suspicious at this time.”

“I will send scouts to the area and find out what happened more fully. Maintain your posture of observation only and continue to report.”

Granite’s jaw clenched, “Command, if an attack is underway, every second we delay could be disastrous. My company is effectively unarmed. Request permission to equip my company for possible contact.”

“Rocky Cragg, it is imperative that no action is taken that could escalate this incident into a military confrontation. We have negotiated hard for the armistice, and we cannot allow anything to jeopardize the peace, is that understood?”

Through gritted teeth, Granite said, “Understand, take no action.”

“Stand by for further orders when we find out more. Command out.”

“Rocky Crag, out.”

The radio operator hardly had time to sever the connection before Eos Typhoon lost her composure.

“What the actual frack is that idiot thinking? Take no action? What kind of plan is that? Why don’t we just slit our own throats and be done with it?”

Commander Granite met her gaze and stared, boring through her eyes and into her soul. So severe was his expression that words left her. He agreed with everything she’d just said, but there was a warning that she’d best not speak further.

It was her turn to speak through gritted teeth, “Apologies for speaking freely without permission, sir.”

He eased somewhat, seeming satisfied.

“The problem is, that they know where we are, and probably that our disposition is limited after the arms drawdown,” Granite said thoughtfully. “First we need to run inventory on what weapons we have available, and where we can get more without being stopped, in the event hostilities do break out.”

They stood for a moment before he looked back to Eos and added, “I hope you’re wrong, Lieutenant.”

A lump formed in her throat. She wished the same thing, wished her brother was still by her side, but he was gone. She knew what she’d seen. What other explanation could there be?

“I’m not…”

He sighed, “I know.”

Comments

[DMDash71]

Yeah, seeing that Battlestar Galactica vibe.

[Jatheus]

11119146
Yeah, you caught me! 🍪

I took a lot of inspiration from there, both the original and the 2004 remake.