Praeton Chronicles

[Kefka]

There will be 4 stories, each one showing you a different aspect of the world of Praeton. You will see stories about empires, space pirates, wizards, and rebels. The world of Praeton is a wide and wondrous world. Enjoy!

EDIT: Part 2 is out. It took me awhile, due to school and also working out the kinks in my fiction world to make things smooth. This chapter deals with the space pirates of Praeton.

Coming soon....the Mystics of Argantia...

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A large explosion was heard as half of the assault vehicle flew over the trenches, crashing into a burst of flames when it hit a tree. The Trevlov Federation soldiers were popping up and down sporadically from the trench to fire a couple of rounds from their assault rifles at the rogue army. Their enemy was a resistance group that was armed rather well. They were sending assault vehicles and gunmen at the soldiers. The vehicles were laying down a blast of suppression fire to keep the soldiers in the trench.
“Fire!!!” yelled one of the soldiers in the back as three other ones popped out of the trench armed with rocket launchers. They fired their rockets at the incoming vehicles, colliding head on with them. The vehicles exploded as shrapnel flew everywhere across the battlefield. The soldiers got out of the trench and proceeded a counter attack, keeping the battle going.
The rebels were trying to take Fort Cyro, the main structure that protected the city of Solanel and kept it under Federation control. However, they had to go up against a strong army, and an even stronger man in charge; Captain Tresh.

Captain Tresh was the commanding officer of Fort Cyro, and many regarded him as a great man. He was a key factor in keeping the Federation forces running like a well oiled machine for these past few years in Solanel. Currently, he was standing in the war room of Fort Cyro, observing the entire situation from the numerous screens all over the room.

Hmmm….the main front looks pretty secure for now. Our turrets should be able to hold off any large threats and my men can surely take care of the rest. Our only concern would be if they flank us from another side….Tresh thought as he looked at a 3-D hologram of the battlefield.

“Captain!” one of the operators in the room yelled.

“What is it?” He turned to the man who called him, hoping it better be good to ruin his train of thought.

“Enemy forces are approaching from the right side through the forest. It appears they have more firepower than the main fighting force at the plains.” The operator said, looking at his radar screens that he was in charge of.

Damn, so they were tricking us the entire time. Their main force is this one, not the one they sent to the plains. Tresh thought as he tried to figure out a new plan. The captain turned to one of the other men in the war room.
“Private, give me a report on available men.” He ordered.

The man quickly scanned through a system that listed all available squads. “We only have 4 available squads that are ready to be sent out. The rest are being held back to defend the fort and the city if need be.”
Captain Tresh cursed under his breath at this predicament, mumbling “I guess that leaves me no choice…” He looked up, talking now in a loud tone, the same tone he used to give orders.

“Prepare those 4 squads for battle on the right front….and prepare my squad to go out with them as well.”

A number of the operators in the room turned to look at the captain’s last words. It was rare for his own squad to go out into battle, so they knew that he meant serious business. The Captain’s squad was a unique one, as it was made of 5 members; Captain Tresh and his 4 bodyguards. Each bodyguard was equipped with a special suit of armor and an energy lance, which is what made them such a lethal force.

In today’s world, people have a large variety of weapons to choose from. They could arm themselves with anything from a gun to energy swords, lances, and even bows. However, due to the complexity of using energy-based weapons, most commoners and lower skilled soldiers use guns while the upper tier use the more elaborate weapons. It takes an exquisite skill and a lot of practice to be able to fight off gunmen with a lance.

The gates of Fort Cyro opened and out emerged the 4 squads and Captain Tresh’s squad in the middle of them. They all marched on towards the right flank to hold off the rebellion advance onto the fort. The rebel forces were twice the size of the Federations force going to meet them, and they had backed themselves up with artillery to give them that extra edge to compensate for when they got close to the fort. The turrets on the right side of the fort had a limited distance, so they couldn’t hit the enemy the moment they appeared in the distance like the main turrets were capable of.
The rebel forces started to open fire on the Federation soldiers, causing them to seek defensive positions as they returned fire on the move. Tresh’s squad charged into battle in a square formation; the lancers had formed the square with Tresh in the center of it. The two forward lancers spun their lances affront of them, creating what appeared to be an electric shield that warded off most shots fired at them. Tresh pulled out what appeared to be a handgun, but looked like it was designed for nobility. He unleashed shot after shot, each one hitting a rebel soldier right in the chest and sending them to the ground lifeless.
When they finally met up with the forces, that was when the true battle began and Tresh showed off why he was a Captain. He holstered his handgun and drew a rapier instead. However, the blade of his rapier was made of pure energy, and was another energy weapon similar to the lances used by his bodyguards. The five of them wasted no time in taking out the resistance fighters. The rebels were not expecting melee combat, as most of the Federation’s units used guns and other technology similar to that. The bodyguards’ lances were skewing the rebels and their bleeding corpses were being thrown into other fighters, acting as human shields to take the bullets. These lancers were skilled in their profession and watching them fight was almost artistic in a way.
However, their artistic manner was nothing compared to the antics of Captain Tresh. He fought with his rapier like a fencer would, knocking out the opponent’s gun from their hands and finishing them off with the follow up strike. Because of the close quarters combat and his experience, he was able to move quickly and not have to worry about that much crossfire from the guns. Even when someone did attempt to shoot at Tresh, he managed to evade it and come in for the kill. The only problem with this battleplan was that the Trevlov soldiers were still being held back by the rebel’s artillery fire and were being decimated with each bombardment.

“I must get rid of that artillery….” Tresh said as he looked at one of the two artillery encampments.
He whispered under his breath, “Spiral Shot….” And with those words, he pushed a button that was hidden behind the guard of his rapier. Suddenly, the energy blade of the rapier began to glow brighter and brighter as more energy was being pumped into it. He aimed the rapier at the artillery. Once the charge was complete, the rapier discharged all of the energy and it shot out towards the encampment in a spiraling pattern. The blast was devastating as the entire encampment went up in flames, bodies being tossed ever which way possible.
With one artillery encampment destroyed, some of the Federation troops could advance on the Resistance. The rebels realized this and saw that they were in trouble. It would only be a matter of time before Tresh could fire another Spiral Shot and finish the other encampment off, allowing the soldiers to finish the rebels on this front. They quickly barked their retreat commands to each other as they scurried back under the protection of their artillery.
Tresh grinned as he raised his left wrist to his mouth, talking into the comm. system that was inside his bracer.
“Tresh here…how is the main front holding up?” He said, the message being relayed back to the war room.
“The main front is a back and forth battle…although the rebels seem to be weakening with your victory in beating them back on the right side..” the voice said back to him.

Good. Tresh thought as he rallied his troops together and headed back to Fort Cyro. “No one goes up against the Federation….we are the Sword of the Galaxy.” Tresh said in his order-giving tone.

[SHiKaMaRi]

o.O Nice~ Very interesting story you have there. Update soon please? ^^

>>>Suggestions: Thoughts in italics.<<<

[Evanesque]

Yup yup, I agree with Shika...thoughts in italics are a good option so the reader can distinguish it from the quotes

Nice story...*cookie*

[Kefka]

The thoughts are italics on word..but I posted this at like midnight last night so I forgot that I have to redo them on the cb post. *kicks cb for not keeping the words in italic*

EDIT: Finally got around to making thoughts in italica and spacing it up a bit.

[Kaze]

Hmm, this has potential ^_^.

[Kefka]

Part 2: The Space Pirates

Log 1481:

The days on the Orion have been slow lately. I don’t know where we are heading, but the other crewmates don’t want to tell us rookies about it. Luckily, we have a good chef onboard the ship so I don’t have to starve for a week like I used to on other adventures I went on. I really wonder sometimes….

“Writing in your diary again???” Val said as he ruffled the hair of David Newman, the newest crewmate of the Orion.

“Grrr….It’s a log, thank you very much.” David said, smacking Val’s hand away from him, “And I would really appreciate if you stop doing that.”

Val smirked as he leaned against the wall, looking at David. Val had been a crewmate for a couple of months now, but he still hadn’t promoted into any significant position on the ship. The Trevlov Federation persecuted his family, so he wanted to get back at them by being a renegade. He had short, spiky blonde hair and a rough shaved. He thought he looked cool and tried to act suave to attract the ladies, but it didn’t work for him.
David on the other hand was a few years younger than Val. He never knew his parents as they died when he was young. He was raised as an orphan on a space station most of his life, and eventually he heard about the Zodiac Clan. The Zodiac Clan was an organization that doubled as a resistance movement to the Federation and a home for space pirates. David tried constantly to get onto a ship and he got on a couple, but never really prospered that much. It was then he was transferred to the Orion, where he would meet some of the most interesting characters of the Zodiac Clan.

“You have any idea where we are going?” Val asked, finally tired of pestering David for now.

“Not a clue….no one wants to tell us anything. I guess that means we probably won’t be involved in the mission either….” David said, sighing in disappoint of not being involved again.

Val also looked disappointed. “I know…I even asked Candyman about it….but he just told me to watch the show.”

“….Candyman?” David asked, looking up at Val.

“Geez, if you want to fit in with the crew, you should learn people’s codenames.” Val said, shaking his head as he pushed off the wall.

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A hand rummaged through a bowl on the desk, picking out what resembled a jolly rancher. The man unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, disposing of the wrapper in his personal garbage bin. He pushed his glasses up his nose as he stared at the three computer screens affront of him, monitoring all the data and reports on them. His clothes weren’t that well kept, and his hair was all disheveled and messy, obvious a sign of late nights staring at a screen.

“Exiting Sector Y5-IJ” The man said, spinning around in his revolving chair to the cockpit of the ship.

The lady who was piloting the craft looked like a professional at it. She did it elegantly, but also with precision as she maneuvered through any bit of turbulence she faced. She had long black hair that she held away from her face with a hairband. Her deep green eyes stared through the window into deep space as she parked the ship near some debris, holding it there so they could hide their presence.

“ETA to the convoy’s arrival?” Kat said as she leaned back in the chair, able to finally get some rest after all the flying.

“They should arrive any moment if there on schedule” Candyman, the man with the jolly rancher in his mouth, replied as he checked the radar for incoming ships.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Three blips appeared on the radar as they all looked out the window. Coming in through hyperspace were three spacecraft. They were flying in a formation where two of them were surrounding the third one. The two outside starships looked like small warships, their turrets rotating slowly to detect any threat. These ships were destroyers; they packed enough firepower to hold back most attacks, but not enough if a large firefight ensued.

“Captain, the Trevlov convoy arrived.” Kat said, waiting to see how her captain would react now.

The captain was a man in his 30’s. He sat in the captain’s chair, or should we say slept in it. He was laying in it perpendicularly with one leg dangling over the right armrest. His head was resting against the seat as he had his eyes closed for most of the trip. Most of the crew didn’t know if he was sleeping or if he was in deep thought. Either way, the man known as Robert Fulton opened his eyes and stood up, stretching wide. He had black hair that he combed back to brush away from his face. His skin was rough and it was obvious that he had been through a lot of battles due to some visible scars here and there. His brown eyes stared at the Federation convoy as he took a step down from the platform the captain’s chair was.

“Hold our position for now….the convoy isn’t complete….” Fulton said, folding his arms across his chest.

Sure enough, as if almost on cue, there was another blip on the radar. This blip was larger as a Federation cruiser exited hyperspace behind the original three ships. The cruiser was more heavily armored than the destroyer, and was one step higher on the warship ladder than it.

“See, what did I tell you?” Fulton said, grinning. Sometimes it pays to be a former member of the Federation. Fulton thought.
Robert stood there, analyzing the situation at hand before making his decision. “Weinzrich…prepare the Ares and the Leo.” Fulton said to his man in the hangar. The voice on the other side of the comm replied with a yes as the sounds of machinery coming to life came through the speaker before the channel was shut off.

The Zodiac Clan got its name from the fact that it used zodiac-class Mechs. A few years ago, development began on creating these 12 different classes, one for each zodiac sign, that would have there own unique traits and truly stand out. However, the scientists and engineers working on the project abandoned the contracts of the Trevlov Federation when they found out its true intentions, forming what is now the Zodiac Clan. The Clan controls the production and use of most of the zodiac-class mechs, but there are some that have been stolen or sold to freelancers in circulation.

From the hanger of the Orion, two mechs were launched into space, their boosters taking over after the initial launch to guide them towards the Trevlov convoy. The first -one was an Ares classed Mech. It was of medium build, and the steel that it was made out of was a dim red. The suit appeared to be equipped for close combat, as not many guns were visible. The other mech, a Leo class, had a sleeker design. It was colored in a green tint, and trailed behind the Ares one. The interesting thing was that a cannon-like weapon was strapped to the back of the Leo, but it still managed to keep its pace with the Ares.
The convoy spotted the two mechs coming towards it as sirens began blaring onboard the Federation ships. The cruiser launched 6 mechs that were all heading to intercept the two Zodiac fighters.

“You got them Leo?” the pilot of the Ares said over the comm..
“Sure thing.” Leo responded, breaking away to deal with the fighters.

As he flew at them, his shoulders opened up to reveal missile launchers. In a burst, a flurry of cluster missiles shot out towards the fighters, breaking up into smaller missiles. This assault took out the front two Trevlov fighters, and injured another two. In response to this attack, the fights took out their guns, firing at the Leo. It was then that they met the true power of the Leo. The cannon on its back disengaged off him and he grabbed it, pulling it around him to aim it at the fighters. The Leo started to charge it up, a red glow quickly growing inside the cannon.

“Firing Heat Cannon..in 3…2…1…” The Leo was heard saying.

A roaring sound was heard as the cannon fired its beam at the fighters. The beam incinerated two of the fighters completely. The other two Trevlov fighters had armed their missiles and were locking onto the Leo, when suddenly; their weapons system had shut off. They had fallen into the second effect of being too close to the blast of the Heat Cannon, which would overheat their systems. It would take a short time to get things cooled and rebooted, but that was more than enough time for Leo to finish them off.

Meanwhile, the Orion had gotten itself closer to the destroyers and within firing range. Robert stared out the window at the battle that was slowly unfolding.

“Gunner…prepare the main cannons.” The captain said.
“You got it boss!” said his weapons chief, Gunner Brasch. Gunner was a large, muscular man who was obvious he used to be a military commando. However, he also had a brain for weapons so he was able to use the ship’s computer well enough to become the weapons chief of this spacecraft. He was activating the main cannons, all 6 of them and had them aimed in the direction of the closest destroyer.
Aries was keeping himself busy as well while all this action was going on. He had activated what appeared to be an energy blade that emitted from his wrist. The blade was an ion blade, specially made to disable ships. He would run along the side of the destroyer and cut into it with his ion blade, doing damage not only to the hull of the ship but also weaken the systems of the ship.

“Whenever you’re ready Leo” Ares said, after finishing his third attack run on the first destroyer.
“You got it!” Leo replied, having finished off the fighters. He turned his attention over to the destroyer as his heat cannon disengaged again, grabbing it and aiming. Just like before, a massive heat beam shot out and hit the side of the ship, causing the hull to melt around the edges and leave a large black dent in the ship. The ship’s hull was heavenly weakened from that heat blast, and its outsides were burnt like charcoal.

“That’s our cue….fire the cannons!” Fulton said, pointing towards the destroyer. With that, Gunner aimed the cannons at the dent and fired all 6 cannons at once directly at it, causing the destroyer to split into half from the shear force, debris flying everywhere through space.

“Wooohooooo!!!!” Aries said as the two mechs watched the Trevlov ship bite the dust. “One down, one more to go.” He said as he flew towards the second destroyer, planning the same strategy that worked previously.
However, this time it was a little different. The cruiser which was originally too far from the action to use its guns was closing in at full speed and would be within firing range shortly. “Gunner…” Robert said, turning to his weapons chief.
“Already on it boss.” Gunner replied, changing the target of the cannons to the cruiser. The cannons fired their blasts at the cruiser, hitting it on the side to do some damage. It wasn’t weakened like the destroyer was, so the ship kept going. However, it turned its attention to the Orion, which is just exactly what Fulton wanted.

The second destroyer tried its hardest to destroy the two mechs, but they were being piloted by skilled pilots so they managed to dodge and swerve past the gunfire from the turrets. Aries launched two heat missiles, an attack it didn’t use before, at the ships engine, managing to destroy one of the four main engines. The other engines didn’t last that long though, as Leo unleashed another heat cannon blast into the engines, causing them to explode in a massive blast that sent shockwaves through the entire ship. The destroyer somehow managed to stay together, but it wouldn’t for long. The two mechs had done their job in getting rid of the destroyers.

Robert saw the explosion out of the corner of his eye and grinned. “Prepare me a shuttle and some men…we’re raiding the convoy.” He said, turning around to go get ready to raid their target. He stopped at his chair, pushing one of the buttons on the armrest.
“Priest…I need you to get ready. You’re coming with me.” The captain said to his man in charge of supplies. With that, he left the bridge and left the rest to his skilled crew of Kat, Candyman, and Gunner.

As Fulton walked through the hallway, he passed by Val and David and turned to look at them.
“You two…you’re coming with me. We’re going on a raid.”

The two rookies were amazed they were finally getting to go on a mission, and with the captain no less! They nodded anxiously as they quickly got their gear in order and their guns. They met in the hanger and saw the rest of the raiding party. The raiding party consisted of approximately 12 members, with two of them being part of the elite crew. Along with the captain was Marcus Gradai, or better known as “Priest”. Marcus was a tall man who dressed in a long cloak and a large hat with the brim hiding most of his facial features. The main feature was the large Celtic cross that hung from his neck, to show he was a man of faith. He was the Orion’s supply manager, the man in charge of all the supplies, equipment, rations, and anything of that nature. His weapon of choice was an energy crossbow, a crossbow that fired bolts of condensed energy. Some people had jokingly nicknamed it the “holy crossbow” to take the idea of him being a holy man further.
The raiding party boarded the small shuttle, a transport for people and a small group of supplies. The ship was very bloated in the center, and was called the Blowfish. It left the hanger and started propelling itself towards the convoy, now unprotected since the two destroyer escorts were no more.
Aries had disabled the convoy with his Ion blade so that it wouldn’t escape or put up much of a fight from the forced boarding. On the other hand, Leo was helping the Orion fight the cruiser, using a combination of cluster missiles and heat cannon. The Blowfish was all clear as it docked with the disabled convoy. The raiding party stood at the airlock door, with Val and David near the back, holding their assault rifles as they watched with anticipation.

Their captain had armed himself with some unusual weapons, but it appeared to be what he always used. On his back was a katana. It seemed to be made out of something different than steel, and looked to possess some hidden qualities. Besides the katana, his other weapons were two energy pistols, both of them built to resemble the old colt .45 revolvers. This provided an elegant look, but also delivered a powerful shot from each energy blast.
“Priest…do the honors.” Fulton said, looking at his companion.
The tall, silent man just nodded as he pulled out from under his cloak two pulse grenades. He threw them at the airlock door and the grenades exploded, causing the door to be destroyed and clearing the path of the raiding party.
Through the smoke and debris, Robert walked in, unleashing three shots at the guards who came to stop them, each shot being an accurate headshot as he flashed his sly grin.
“This is a raid….so let’s get going boys!”