I'm bored right now.
At 6:00 on January 16th, 1807, Gaius Marcellus flipped through his HUD's feed of the external cameras one last time. The fleet had been scrambled in a few hours, but they were finally in position. All ships had formed a spherical perimeter around the station. Anything trying to flee would be torn to pieces by the sheer number of cannons that would concentrate fire once the Battle Command Network sensed a threat.
The Anchor III rebellion was the last time such an armada had been formed. Every available warship had been sent. Gaius again marveled at the Republic's raw strength. From the Galley-class frigates, the Trireme-class destroyers to the Quinquireme-class battleships, each was a sight to behold. In truth, these vessels took very little from their ancient seaborne brethren, but they had kept the elongated from and ram-shaped bow.
The most striking feature, however, was the presence of the Corvus Quinquireme Aeneid, Father of the Fleet. The first space faring warship, it was built in 1648 AD to show Rome’s power, to serve more an intimidation tool then a weapon. It was so huge that when in low orbit, it could be seen clearly in the sky. Elaborate engravings in its armor depicted Rome’s most glorious moments, from Aeneas carrying his father as Troy burned, Brutus driving the Tarquin from the city, the invention of the steam-motor, the founding of the first Mars colony and so on. But it was not all looks. The ship sported well over a dozen high-gauge rail guns on each side, aged but so huge a single shot could destroy most capital ships. It bristled with point defense weapons, and the bow had been used several times to ram enemy ships that foolishly attempted to block its path.
The sight of such a beast made Gaius proud to be a Roman citizen. Wealth, family, ethnicity and creed no longer determined your rank, only virtue was what a man was to be judged by. In truth, corruption was as always a problem, racism still existed in some places and he still hated politicians, but Gaius was able to push that aside for a second.
He was a Tribune of the Praetorian Guard, after all. He was in charge of an entire Cohort; each of the 450 men equipped with Mark V Praetorian powered armor and given the finest weapons and training Rome could offer, with several heavy support automations. They had been founded as a bodyguard for Augustus, but after Germanicus and his brother Claudius overthrew Tiberius, they were reassigned as an elite member of the Roman army, a Legion in their own right, and were now Rome’s finest specials forces unit. Time and time again, they had stood against impossible odds and triumphed. He was proud to lead them.
It was then he snapped out of his thoughts and focused on his mission. They were here to rescue one of their own. Trebonius Cinna, the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, Hero of the Republic, shining example of virtue and Gaius' friend had not sent his weekly transmission. He had been sent as an ambassador to a vacation space station inside Cornerian space. The Republic had offered the finest Son of Rome as an ambassador to show their desire for peace. Soon after arriving, the Cornerians locked down the station and stated a terrorist had infiltrated it. Trebonius was stranded there until the crisis would be over, but was able to send regular transmissions and stated he would be fine.
This week, he had not sent his transmission. In less then two hours, an emergency meeting of the SPQR authorized the fleet to launch a rescue mission. They would not abandon Trebonius, and Gaius would not abandon his friend. The nine dropships, each carrying fifty Praetorians, continued their rush towards the station’s hangar doors, escorted by well over two-dozen heavy fighters and fire support drones. He switched back to combat view and loaded the dual belt feeds for his twin-barreled heavy machine gun.
Nothing would stand before him.
Topic: Wrath of Rome: Deployment (Read 2048 times)
