Classified Transmission

[Quicksilver]

He slapped Giosso on the shoulder paldron. "Here we go again." He smiled.

"Another trip to paradise." he replied to Henniger, a slight smile appearing despite the look of distant consideration on his features. His mind clearly elsewhere, with frequent glanced down to his arm-mounted screen. There was a ping. Giosso silently swore and rushed off.

"Hey Sergeant Major," Giosso called out, "And LT?" he added as an afterthought, "You've got to see this! Before we head out."

He walked over to one of the larger wall mounted displays, the ones usually used for inventory manifests or outside cameras, and plugged the Intelligence unit into it. A long range picture of the rogue asteroid appeared on it, fuzzy with the unmistakeable sign of algorithmic enhancement.

"So, just after the briefing I got a ping from a monitor I put on one of the civilian deep space observatories watching this rock."

He punched a key, and the screen jumped to another image. A new object had slipped onto his long-range scope, barely a whisper of a return. At first it looked like it was ghost noise, solar interference, maybe a bird-sized fragment breaking off the meteor’s tail. Then various lines started to appear, showing animated vectors and predictions, along with assorted warning signs.

"It got flagged as a trailing fragment, probably impact debris, but something about it didn't sit right. It was too clean, to well defined. I had it run for predictive modeling and it didn't line up with an orbit. What ever is out there it's not orbiting - it's flying. So I forced the ship's computer to analyze it and ignore the asteroid itself. And this is what it flagged."

He punched the key again and showed another screen, one all to familiar from Marine briefings. A threat assessment view. In the middle of the readout was A long, spine-laced silhouette, almost predatory in shape. Smooth curvature like a biological hull. A crescent-like frame, thin and skeletal, built for stealth rather than brute transit. A vessel. A vessel that was tracking parallel to the meteorite then quietly arcing toward their sector like it was choosing prey.

Below it, in the centeral computer unit's familiar text, was a very terse assessment:

"METEORITE: Slow, massive, predictable, passive.
UNKNOWN CONTACT: Fast, deliberate, intelligent course vector."

<Tag Everyone>

[Pale Rider]

The CIC was running in low power—just the bare bones systems active while they tracked the meteorite and waited for Soles’ squad to finish assembling. Quiet. Routine. Background hum, clicking keyboards, soft voice traffic on authorized channels.

Then a dead frequency lit up.

A frequency no one was using.

A frequency that wasn’t even supposed to be open.

The console nearest Giosso emitted a sharp chirp—so abrupt the comms tech flinched.

“Uh… Lieutenant? We just got a handshake attempt on—” He paused, tapping his earpiece, confusion tightening his voice. “—on MilCom channel four-seven-bravo. But that band is… sir, that band is cold. It’s not even scheduled.”

Before the Lieutenant could respond, the channel opened by itself.

Static rolled in first. But not random static—structured, patterned, pulsing in a rhythm that sounded almost like breath. Then the static folded into something more… deliberate.

A voice.

Except it wasn’t shaped like a human voice.
It fit inside human speech protocols—but only barely.

It spoke in their language, but with a metallic undertone like someone playing a recording through a throat that wasn’t meant to speak.

> “United Americas Armed Command vessel… we have located you.”



The comm tech froze.

“…that’s definitely not ours.”

Giosso swallowed. “Soles is gonna want to hear this.”

The CIC lights flickered, once, as if the transmission itself brushed against their systems.

The voice continued.

> “Do not fear. We will come to you. We will meet you. We have crossed far… to complete the joining.”



The Lieutenant leaned over the console, hands tight on the edge.

“Repeat that,” he snapped.

The message repeated—perfectly, like an audio loop—but each time the cadence shifted a hair closer to natural human rhythm, as if the speaker were learning them.

The radar operator’s voice wavered.

“Sir… the vessel that Giosso tracked? It’s slowing. Vector shift… it’s matching our drift.”

Static pulsed again—four beats, deliberate, mechanical—then the voice reshaped itself one last time, gaining an unsettling smoothness.

> “We come in accordance with the pattern. Prepare yourselves. We will initiate contact… shortly.”



The channel snapped closed.

No carrier wave.
No lingering static.

Silence filled the CIC, thick and cold.

Then the comms tech whispered:

“…sir, that wasn’t a request.”

[LT_Chun]

Henniger had frozen in place when the CIC received the...traffic. Monsters that bled acid and face raped you, he hadn't exactly gotten used to that reality, but he'd accepted it. Things that drove starships and could speak English? Too far above his pay grade.

Now, he broke free internally and grabbed his ruck and pulse rifle.

"Cerberus, prepare for immediate deployment, assemble on me."

<Tag Cerberus>

As the other Marines gathered he slapped a magazine into his pulse rifle and checked his safety lever. It was in the rearward, safe position.

He knew the sergeant Major wouldn't wait around for whatever the hell these things were to board them. They'd be taking the initiative.

[Corporal Hicks]

"Alvarez, Hooper, Skirata, radio check."

"Hooper, check."

Troy stood there, stunned and baffled by the new threat and changing mission parameters. At first, he just felt panicked at the thought of doing an E.V.A. while some alien vessel was out there. But quickly, he realized that this new danger was going to take first priority over anything else.

Hooper felt helpless as the ship drew nearer to them. He was helpless to do anything about an external threat like that. It made his hair stand up.

"Cerberus, prepare for immediate deployment, assemble on me."

Calm flooded back as Henniger took control. Troy couldn't fly the ship or man the weapon systems, but he knew damn well how to shoot a rifle. He could repel boarders. This realization made him feel like he was in control again, at least to some small degree.

He cocked his pulse rifle with a loud 'CHHK-CHHK' and practically vibrated with intensity. "I'm ready, Corporal!" He stood beside Henniger, his feet in an active stance, his index and middle fingers drumming rapidly on the side of the trigger guard.
<Tag Henniger>

[SpectralDragon87]

Having sent out the updated orders, Henniger repacked his gear and set his short range com to rearrange his team.

"Alvarez, Hooper, Skirata, radio check."

<tag Cerberus>

"Final PCC's and PCI in three minutes, stand ready to load up."

He grabbed a flame unit and spare canister from an armory rack and strapped it down vertically to the side of his rucksack. He stuffed the spare canister, batteries for his suit and personal lights, and marking flares down into his ruck and sealed it up tight.

"Alvarez, check."
As Marcella went through her final prep she couldn't help but think of how comforting it was to find someone who made her part of the group so quick, helps making her feel oriented in the middle of what would was a chaotic time.

Her thoughts were cut short by the eerie transmission. Not sure what to think of it she looked to her superiors. Seeing the worry there she said. "Looks like we need to prepare one hell of a welcome wagon. Anyone got turrets?"

<Tag anyone>

[eyeball]

well that changed things some what Paulson thought, as he rapidly started loading up his personal gear.

"Fenrir lock and load ASAP" he said as they all stood round the table full of equipment.

rapidly the table cleared as team members stowed everything, eva suits went on weapons loaded safties engaged, now all they needed was new orders to answer this change in situation, would they split the teams to one vessel each or head to intercept the new one first and leave the other mor predictable one till later?

[LT_Chun]

Skirata had just replied via coms and Henniger set the channel to default.

"Lima Charlie Cerberus, gather up."

<tag Cerberus>

Henniger went down the line of three Marines in front and then behind, all their gear and the suits looked nominal. He turned around in front of Alvarez to be checked himself.

<tag Alvarez>

[SpectralDragon87]

Skirata had just replied via coms and Henniger set the channel to default.

"Lima Charlie Cerberus, gather up."

<tag Cerberus>

Henniger went down the line of three Marines in front and then behind, all their gear and the suits looked nominal. He turned around in front of Alvarez to be checked himself.

<tag Alvarez>

Marcella took the time to go over every detail of Hennigers gear.
"10x10 sir."

<Tag Henniger>

[LT_Chun]

Henniger nodded and gave the smart gunner a thumbs up in his gauntlets.

He tapped his earpiece to the command net.

"Cerberus green. Redcon One, standing ready."

<tag Soles>

[Pale Rider]

The intercom crackled—once, twice—then seized control of the channel without anyone touching a console.

Not the harsh snap of a hijacked frequency this time.

This was… clean.

Every light in the CIC dimmed by half as the system rerouted power on its own. Giosso’s screen froze mid-sweep. The radar held steady, locked on the Hybrid vessel, as if waiting.

Then Marrow’s voice came through the shipwide intercom.

Clear. Calm. Too composed for something that looked like a child when you met it.

> “Knights of the moving board… this is Marrow.”



A pause—measured, deliberate. Like a player letting their opponent see the board before the next move.

> “The other side has revealed a piece they did not place openly.
Not a falling stone.
Not a chance move.”



The radar blipped softly, once.

> “This is a knight that moves when you are not watching the square.”



Soles slowly turned toward the intercom speaker, jaw tightening.

Marrow continued.

> “The pawns believe the sky is the game.
It is not.”



Another pause. Longer this time.

> “The meteorite is weight.
The vessel is intent.”



Several Marines exchanged uneasy looks. One crossed himself without realizing it.

> “They hailed you on a dead channel because they believe the board belongs to them.”



Marrow’s tone didn’t rise. Didn’t fall.

It evaluated.

> “They believe you are pawns guarding a square already lost.”



The lights flickered again—very slightly—as Marrow leaned into the thought.

> “You are not pawns.”



A soft, almost human hesitation entered the voice.

> “But you are being tested like ones.”



The radar display updated—vector cones overlapping now. Two threats. One obvious. One deliberate.

> “If you remain still, they advance a knight.
If you rush the meteorite, they sacrifice nothing and take your king.”



Silence stretched.

Then, quietly:

> “I recommend you move first.”



The intercom clicked off.

No static.
No echo.

Just the hum of systems and the weight of realization settling over the room.

Soles finally spoke, voice low and iron-hard.

“…Alright,” he said. “Somebody tell me how the hell we take a knight off the board.”

<Tag Everyone>

[LT_Chun]

Henniger looked over at the sergeant major from the cluster of his milling tac team.

"Usually lure them out away from the pawns and hit them with a bishop or a rook Sarn't Major. The knight is great to sacrifice and lure in one of your opponent's better pieces, especially with his pawns just behind it to take your better piece once you're within striking distance of their main battle line."

<tag Soles>

He then looked at the bemused faces of the Marines around him. He felt a bit foolish but no one was speaking up.

"What? It got boring on the Outer Rim on my first enlistment sometimes. Damn ship's computer was a cheat as well."

<tag anyone>

[Pale Rider]

"The question is who is the knight and who are the pawns?"

[Corporal Hicks]

Hooper was no Chess Master, but he had a tactical mind and enjoyed the game. He couldn't make much sense of the cryptic transmission, however. "Whatever that thing is, it's telling us to strike something. Maybe the approaching ship is covering some veiled threat? I don't see why we should trust the advice from an unidentified voice, though." He closed his mouth, not wanting to overstep his role. Then, he decided it was better to risk the beatdown than to stay quiet. "We can't trust that voice, and we can't trust the ship, but it sure seems like there's more to this meteor than we expected. And it seems like we are under serious threat. We should play defense until we find out more about what's going on. Don't get too close, don't take any chances, and keep our options open. There's no point rushing in if we don't know what we are facing or where it is. Defend our forward pawns and castle the king." He smirked at the last bit about Chess. It was a self indulgence.
<Tag anyone>

[SpectralDragon87]

Hooper was no Chess Master, but he had a tactical mind and enjoyed the game. He couldn't make much sense of the cryptic transmission, however. "Whatever that thing is, it's telling us to strike something. Maybe the approaching ship is covering some veiled threat? I don't see why we should trust the advice from an unidentified voice, though." He closed his mouth, not wanting to overstep his role. Then, he decided it was better to risk the beatdown than to stay quiet. "We can't trust that voice, and we can't trust the ship, but it sure seems like there's more to this meteor than we expected. And it seems like we are under serious threat. We should play defense until we find out more about what's going on. Don't get too close, don't take any chances, and keep our options open. There's no point rushing in if we don't know what we are facing or where it is. Defend our forward pawns and castle the king." He smirked at the last bit about Chess. It was a self indulgence.
<Tag anyone>

"I agree, I was only mildly joking about the turrets. I may not trust this Marrow character but I do believe setting up a defensive stance is a good option. I would love nothing more than to strike first, but I feel we would just be leaving ourselves open for a punch we don't know is coming."

<Tag anyone>

[eyeball]

paulson listened to the conversation around him. he was truely confused but that wasn't an unusual state. he fell back on his default position, wait till he got orders from someone above him or a clear and present danger presented itself.