Legionnaire

[soldierboy234]

It is the year 2632. Mankind has colonized hundreds of star systems, thousands of worlds. There are three separate entities in human space. The Terran Alliance, centered on Mars ( Earth went toxic centuries ago, and is now a dumping ground for waste), The Hegemony of Human Worlds, centered on New Saigon, and the Earth Confederacy, based on New France. There are several hundred indepenent colonies. These were formed completely autonomously of the empires, and most have no desire to join these confederacies. But at times, they are invaded by one or more of the three groups, or by insurgencies. Many of these worlds formed their own militias. But for those who have no armed forces to guard their liberties, there are few options. Some contact one of the three empires for troops to keep the peace. For those who do not wish to depend on any of the three, there is the Terran Legion. Descended from the French Foreign Legion, they are an army of mercenaries, who are based on the world Camerone. They have no loyalty but to the world that pays for their services. Since the exodus from Old Earth, they have only been defeated in battle once.

[soldierboy234]

His Majesty, the Emperor of the world of Muskovia, Vladimir the XIII, looked out of his palace windows at the city walls of the capitol city, New Moscow. The city was under siege; it had been for weeks. So far the rebel forces hadn't been able to breach the walls, thanks to the well trained Imperial Guard regiment in the city, and the sacrifices of the Loyalist Militia units formed from the city's populace. Thank God his ancestors had decreed mandatory military training for all citizens who reached the age of 18; but it was a double edged sword. All of the rebel forces outside the walls had the same training; but they still hadn't breached the walls. They had little in the way of armored forces, and those forces were engaged in the Volga Mountains with the Imperial Cavalry Regiments, led by Vladimir's son, Frederick, the Crown Prince of Muskovia. The rest of the Royal Family was still inside the Royal Palace, had been since the Rebels had organized and armed themselves. " My Lord. " said a deep voice from behind him. This was General Marko Tupolev, the commander of the Palace Guard; since the foundation of Muskovia and the establishment of the monarchy, Tupolev's family line had been responsible for the protection of the Emperor and the Imperial Family. " Yes, General? " asked Vladimir. " I have just heard from General Bolitonov and Colonel Kaminski; they estimate our provisions inside the city will last another month. And it will be about twenty six days before the enemy can breach the walls and enter the city. " said Tupolev. Vladimir sighed. It was not good. " I want you to get me a secure comlink to Camerone. " he said to Tupolev. " The Legion? " asked the General. Vladimir nodded. " It has become that desperate. Then I want you to inform Frederick; He is to carry on the fight no matter what he hears from the rebels. The Legion may not arrive on time; I want him to assume command. Have him marshal all necessary forces. " said Vladimir. " Yes My Lord. " said Tupolev. He moved to carry out his orders.

Assault Transport Danjou, 1st Terran Legion Orbital Drop Incurstion Battalion

Brigadier General Thomas Gerard, commander, first ODIB, awakened in his freezer unit. It was cold in the cryogenic bays; as usual. He was the first one up; that meant a new mission. He sighed, got into a set of ship's coveralls, and headed for the HUB; the core of the ship, where the communcations bay tied into the ship's AI. He sat down, keyed in his access code, and waited.

Hello, Tom, My old friend. I'm sorry to wake you up early, and I know you were on your way home for some R and R, but your unit is the closest on to the new objective. I'll send you the details. The Emperor of Muskovia has contracted our services; he has an insurrection he needs put down; it's gotten so bad that he needs an entire division, including the Armor regiment and the Artillery Divison. Plus he's offered to purchase weapons and equipment to manufacture more. It's a big order; but at the moment he needs whatever forces we can marshal quickly to take and hold the capitol city. We need you to get there quickly and secure the palace, then use the battalion to plug the leaks in the city's defenses. Once the Division has landed, we'll relieve you and you can return home with your battalion. Your ship has already been redirected to set a course for Moskovia. Best of luck General.

Major Evan Fredericks, QRF, 1st Orbital Drop Incursion Battalion, sat at the mess hall table, eating with his two junior officers and two senior NCO's. His unit was two platoons of the hardest, toughest men in the ODIB, whose job was primarily hostage rescue and intelligence gathering. His younger brother, Kieran, was the QRF's senior NCO, and the best fighter in his command. Colonel Beck, the Battalion XO, walked to their table. They stood to attention. " At ease, men. Grab your trays and report to the senior officer's mess. You'll be briefed there on your mission. " said Beck. " You heard him. " said Fredericks. They grabbed their trays and headed forward into brass country.

1st Platoon, QRF, stood in the drop shuttle as they departed and moved into low orbit of Muskovia. There were four newbies on board; they were seasoned legionnaires, but new to the QRF. Major Fredericks and his younger brother were both dropping; Fredericks trusted no one more to watch his back. " Two minutes to drop. Legionnaires, enter your pods. " said the pilot. The legionnaires entered the pods, except for the two brothers, who sealed them inside their drop pods and then stood next to their own. A shuttle crewman sealed them inside their own pods. " All hands prepped for drop. " said Fredericks. The pilot counted down, then released the drop pods into the upper atmosphere of Muskovia.

[soldierboy234]

Vladimir looked at the men who now guarded his family. Two hours before, the Marxists had managed to breach the walls and made straight for the palace. Two regiments of the militia, true to their oaths of fealty, had died trying to stop them.

" What do you want with us? " he asked the one in charge of the guards, a Captain Pyushin.

" We wish for you to contact your son, who is stalling our armored force in the Volgas, to surrender. You and your family will be held here, until our superiors decide your fate. " said Pyushin. He was a former Cavalry officer, who showed a lot of professionalism and deference.

" Frederick will not respond to any orders; before you entered the palace he was instructed not to answer any more hails from here. He will never surrender. " said Vladimir. His wife and three daughters were in his office, under guard. His youngest son, Nicholai, was sleeping in a chair. Pyushin was very kind to the boy, even striking one of the guards who had raised his voice.

" A wise move, Your Highness. But he will surrender. " said Pyushin. Little did the man know that the wheels of fate had just turned against him.

[soldierboy234]

Kieran shrugged out of his harness and looked around him. They had dropped in an erratic pattern, each pod at least a hundred yards apart. The newbies were with him and Corporal Lohn, his best team leader. He activated his homing beacon so they could converge on him. Their mission had changed en route; the Royal Family were hostage, so now they had to extract them. A gunship was in orbit, ready to move in and pull them out. Then the Danjou would begin bombarding the large concentrations of rebel forces, stirring them up long enough for the entire battalion to begin its landing. The Royal Family would remain on board the ship until the 1st Regiment of Infantry, along with the Legion's Armor and Artillery Division, arrived two weeks hence.

" We're here, Sergeant. " said Private Sams, one of the newbies.

" Okay. Mission change. We're no longer to secure the palace. We infiltrate, rescue the Royal Family, and extract them. There's a gunship on the way for that; it's our primary objective. " said Kieran.

" Yes sir. " said Corporal Lohn.

" Staggered formation. Wedge. Double quick. Let's move! " said Fredericks. They moved out towards the palace.

[soldierboy234]

Vladimir sat at his desk. He wasn't alone in his office; there were two guards there, plus another two outside. The Marxists weren't taking any chances. He knew that the war would be lost without the Terran Legion's reinforcements, but they hadn't arrived. Suddenly he heard a loud THUD. Less than two seconds later, the door burst in, and two men in black armor entere the room, shooting silenced weapons, dispatching the guards. One of the men approached him and raised the visor on his helmet.

" Your Majesty, I'm Major Fredericks, from the Legion. We're here to help. " he said.

" Thank God. Where is my family? " asked Vladimir.

" I have a team extracting them. Come. You'll be a lot safer on the Danjou; she's in orbit waiting. " said Fredericks. He looked at Lohn, who was already calling for the gunship to exfiltrate the Royal Family. He gently led the Emperor out into the hallway, where the team had the Royal Family surrounded, plus a Marxist officer. It was Pyushin.

" Do not harm him, Major. He has ensured my family's safety. " said Vladimir; he believed in honor above all else.

Fredericks nodded. They ran down the stairs. The guards there had already been dispatched. They waited until they could hear the roar of the attack gunship; the second it touched down, the team and the civilians ran to it. Once they were aboard, Fredericks got on the command channel.

" Fredericks to Danjou. The packages are safe; you can commence with your landing. " he said.