[Starhawk]

Something Wicked this way Comes:
It had been three months since the Andermanian Presidency had declared Marshall law in order to keep the rioting under control, despite the best efforts of the presidency the recent defeats suffered by the Andermanian navy, and the allies in general were leaked to the public and an all out panic was taking place on many worlds, especially on the frontiers where more and more people began to vanish behind the ever advancing Icaran wall. The Sol Coalition, EOM and Mantisoran governments had far better control over their people as they were repoting the numberous victories along their frontiers, however what none of them seemed to realize was that there were still many worlds left alone with no protection deep behind Icaran lines, this is the story of one of those worlds called simply Torque IX by the Icaran military planners it's citizens referred to it as New India, a small world with only two hundred and seventeen million people it was totally defenseless, and would swiftly find it's self on the receiving end of an Imperial invasion.

On “New India” hundreds of thousands flocked to the space port hoping against hope that the Cruisers that were headed for the newly opened warp point would stop off and pick at least some of them up before they left, other citizens prayed in the temples for their gods to protect them while still others raced to the armory to equip themselves with whatever weapons and armor they could.
Word had come in just yesterday that the Icaran 3rd fleet had entered system and that an Admiral William Jefferson Ross was demanding that the Sol Coalition worlds surrender unconditionally. Of course what Ross hadn’t realized was that it had been nearly twenty years since these people had ever even seen a hint of the Solarin government and unlike Icaran worlds which often went decades without seeing so much as an Imperial warship, the desperate citizens of the Torque worlds had been totally isolated from any signs of their government and any food stuffs and goods from the outside galaxy, effectively the citizens of Torque had broken down into their own planetary governments, each independent and some actively hostile towards one another. This state of affairs made surrender practically impossible, because even if one world surrendered it did not mean their neighbors did.
Unfortunately for Tarra Somenev and her family New India was the first world in system that could be reached by the 3rd fleet, Tarra had just celebrated her fourteenth birthday two days ago, and had just blown out the candles on her cake when the new warp point opened. Their first hopes were that a Sol coalition transport fleet would come through and give them food, but the civilian cutters which had approached the warp point were either boarded or destroyed as the Icaran war fleet came through like a hurricane.

That was two days ago now and Tarra’s parents had grabbed her and her six year old brother and run out the door with the other panicking masses and now they were all huddled together at the spaceport waiting, hoping and praying for the six Sol cruisers in system to pull at least some of them out before the Icarans arrived.
Tarra’s little brother was crying and huddled with her parents, Tarra too was huddled with her parents but she felt that she had to act brave for the sake of her brother and parents, she wanted to cry and throw her arms around her parents in fear but she held the tears back and kept from embracing her parents, though she did stay close both because of the cold and the freaks that would do anything to get aboard an evac ship.
“Mommy, Daddy why are they coming here, what did we do?” Jordan asked tearfully of his parents as his little six year old hand grabbed on to his favorite stuffed dog.
“I don’t know honey, they are just very bad people, they don’t want us to be happy and they want to take what we have.” His mother’s voice sounded brave but her eyes were tearful and her hands trembled uncontrollably as she watched her two children as if they would vanish any moment.
Tarra’s father smiled bravely at her when she looked up but he too was obviously terrified, Jordan’s soft voice spoke again, this time oddly optimistic sounding.
“Maybe if I give them Nara they’ll be happy, maybe they are just sad.” His little chin perked up and he smiled bravely as he looked up at his parents, they smiled back and nodded but Tarra only felt her heart sink as she realized no one knew what the Icarans were really like, there had been rumors that any world that fell into their hands was turned into a slave, some rumors had it that the Icarans weren’t even really human….not really but that they were aliens that ate human flesh.
Tarra was about to speak but a loud cry went up from a hundred people at once and the masses of people massed at the spaceport looked up into the royal blue night sky through the dome to see hundreds of lights streaking through the sky like a meteor shower.
“Oh Vishnu protect us they’re here!” Someone screamed, and almost on que tens of thousands of people began moving at once all, trying to get out of the space port and make it to the shelters, Tarra felt powerful hands grab her by the shoulders and screamed in protest until she realized that her family had been shoved away from her in the massive surge of movement.
“Tarra it’s me relax I’m not going to hurt you!” a voice screamed as she sank her teeth into his hand, the young girl whirled around to see Jason Hadrada clutching his bleeding hand and glaring at her, he was a boy from her school that had always joked with her about one day taking a trip around the galaxy with her.
“I’m sorry Jason….where’s my family!” She raised her voice so she could be heard over the throngs of screaming people.
“They were pushed toward the southern shelters, my family was shoved toward the east while I was trying to find medicine for my father, come on we’ve got to get out of here before we’re crushed to death by these idiots!” He grabbed her arm with his non-bloody hand and surprised her again with his strength as he guided her through the crowds, shoving his way through people that refused to yield, Tarra felt another pair of strong hands grab her other arm and screamed as she saw a big man with a strange look in his eyes, Jason whirled along her body with surprising speed and the strange looking man went down in a scream as Jason’s fist crushed his nose causing a geyser of blood to erupt and a nauseating crunch.
Without even pausing Jason began pulling her along again, until the air was suddenly split with an inhuman wail that caused hundreds of people to freeze in place, including Jason and Tarra, the two managed to turn around in time to see a small group of Icaran dropships come screaming in overhead, loudspeakers blaring in several languages
“This is the Icaran Royal Army, you are ordered to surrender, you can not win, surrender and live or fight and die.” the message repeated again even as Jason and Tarra ran for the shelters.
Another ear splitting noise followed moments later, but this time it was no loudspeaker, somewhere the dome had been breached by weapons fire and that meant even now Icaran dropships would be pouring into the city.
“Jason I see my family!” Tarra howled as she caught a glimpse of her father carrying her baby brother with one arm and guiding her mother with the other. Jason didn’t even turn around to look at her as he turned towards her family and started running even faster trying desperately to catch up and not be crushed by the stampeding people.
What seemed an eternity later Jason and Tarra managed to reach her parents and as one group they continued for the nearest shelter.
Meanwhile gunfire and artillery could be heard throughout the city as the Icaran soldiers advanced in a seemingly unstoppable wave, washing aside any planetary militiamen that tried to resist with incredible ease.

Tarra’s family and Jason were almost to the shelter when a deafening whistle split the air, someone screamed and a barely a second later a massive explosion cut into the crowd of people behind Tarra’s family, the shockwave pushed her down and she saw Jason go down with a spray of blood from his forehead. Tarra’s whole body ached and she heard the sounds of militia gunfire and some sort of strange whining weapons that she’d never heard before, the sounds of fighting were drawing closer and she expected at any second to hear another whistle and explosion that would end her life.
After a moment of panic the young girl forced herself to her feet and forced her eyes to focus again, she saw her mother picking up her little brother and her father heading for her, she shook her head and managed to squeak an “I’m alright.” she turned toward Jason and saw him lying very still, blood still gushing from an open cut in his forehead, her father quickly noted where her gaze had fallen and ran over to the young boy and gently picked him up to carry him to the shelter.

As Tarra’s family and a few others managed to claw their way toward the shelter the young girl had to force herself not to look behind her as the awful smell of burned flesh, and the groaning or screaming of the dying battered her senses.
When the shelter doors closed the young girl and her family felt as if they were entering a tomb, and to her sickening horror Tarra turned briefly to see the mangled blood soaked concrete where just moments ago hundreds of people had been, including some people that were just her age, the shock overwhelmed her and she felt her head swim as everything went dark and she passed into merciful blackness.

It was the sound of a breaching charge that woke Tarra, followed by the sound of screaming and crying as a second breaching charge blew the doors of the shelter apart, and figures in dark green armor carrying some sort of rifle Tarra didn’t recognize charged in with amazing speed.
Some of the startled inhabitants of the shelter stood up only to be clubbed down by a rifle butt, or dropped by a kick, an old man next to Tarra stood up and screamed something she didn’t quite understand but his scream was cut short by a gurgling choke as one of the Icaran energy weapons spat a green ball of light straight through the old man’s chest.
Tarra screamed as the body fell over her, her mother threw her body over Jordan and her dad threw himself over her mother, as her own body was protected by the dead old man lying on top of her.
“Everyone cease resistance or we will use deadly force!” one of the armored figures shouted.
“Alright alright for Vishnu’s sake don’t kill us please!”
“We won’t fight, I swear on my wife’s head we won’t fight!” people shouted and prostrated themselves before the Icaran soldiers.
Tarra felt a surge of terror as she saw two soldiers walk over to her and her family, but to her surprise one of them gently lifted the old man’s body off of her and pulled out what appeared to be some kind of medical device.
“Hold still young miss I just want to make sure your unhurt.” The soft masculine voice surprised her and she tried to rise only to have an armored hand gently push her back down.
“I’m not hurt please let me see my family.” the young girl felt tears swelling in her eyes and her tone was pleading and sobbing, the Icaran soldier nodded slightly and helped her to her feet.
The other soldier was standing over her family, trying to convince them to get off their son before they crushed him, Tarra ran past the Icaran and hugged her parents “It’s okay Ma’ dad please get up before you hurt Jordan.” she said tears flowing freely as she spoke.
After a moment of shock her parents did as the Icarans and their daughter pleaded and got off the squirming little six year old and rose to their feet.
“Name, age, and size of family.” The one soldier said as the man that had tried to check Tarra out knelt down to check out her little brother for any injuries.
Tarra absently heard her mother and father speaking as she desperately tried to find Jason Hadrada, the boy that had saved her life and reunited her with her family, when she saw him being carried off in a litter by two Icaran soldiers she broke down again and collapsed to her knees crying.
A female voice came from behind her “Hey your going to be alright young miss, no one here will hurt you.” Tarra turned and felt an odd sense of shock when she saw a girl that looked about sixteen standing over her in an Icaran uniform that had an emblem of a spaceship with an eagle clutching a wreath with a lion in it upon her left breast.
“Come on now you’ll be okay.” the girl said again and knelt down beside Tarra, somehow the young New Indian expected the other girl to turn into some kind of monster and devour her any moment now but instead the Icaran placed a gentle gloved hand on her shoulder and smiled solemnly.
“What are you going to do to us?” Tarra managed to get out through her shock and fear even though she dreaded the response.
“Well that’s up to high command, but we’ve been ordered to annex you folks into the Icaran empire, congratulations young miss your now an Icaran.” the navy girl answered jovially before standing and hurrying off to some other task.
Tarra walked over to her family as the two Icaran soldiers turned to walk away and stopped dead in her tracks as her little brother spoke
“Excuse me mister….”he blurted, causing the two Icarans to pause and turn around, young Jordan walked over cautiously yet bravely and looked up at the two soldiers bravely and reached out, his favorite stuffed dog Nara in his hands.
“If you want Nara you can have him…”his little voice was brave and he managed a ghost of a smile as one of the Icaran soldiers took the stuffed dog and knelt to be “face to face” with the young boy, even though the soldier’s face was not visible through the breather mask and visor.
“I tell you what young man, we aren’t allowed to keep pets on our ships but you can watch him for me okay.” the soldier handed Nara back gently and patted Jordan on his head before standing up to leave.
“What about food and water!” someone shouted and one of the Icaran Navy personnel stepped up and raised a mic to his mouth to amplify his voice over the crowds of crying and some shouting and angry people.
“You are all going to receive ninety day rations after that your should be responsible for yourselves as you have been for the past few years, you are now Icaran citizens and will be treated as such, a noble will be sent to rule over you in the name of the Praetor and you will be treated well, do not fight us and you will be treated as citizens, fight us and we’ll have no choice but to drop SS brigades on your world and have them enforce a Martial Law.” The Naval officer turned toward the shelter doors and nodded to another man wearing a Naval uniform.
“You will be processed and organized by our soldiers, after that you will be led out of the shelter to the city square for indoctrination before being permitted to return to your homes, those of you whom were wounded or are suffering illness will be taken to ai stations, please remain calm and orderly and you’ll be back home in a matter of hours.” this time the Naval officer spoke softly as if to fellow countrymen instead of conquered people, after that he began answering some of the questions that people shouted at him, but Tarra didn’t much care as she ran over to her parents and younger brother to hug them.

The Icaran occupation lasted only two weeks and the soldiers of the 3rd fleet were replaced by those of the Icaran “Home Fleet” and their storm trooper regiments, during that two week occupation Tarra found out that she and her family should be glad they did not make it onto the cruisers that were evacuating the system, apparently the fools had tried to engage Icaran starships at the other end of the warp point and were destroyed along with twenty four million people. Though she was surprised to admit it Tarra had also found that she liked these Icarans, she had gotten in touch with that girl from the shelter and found out her name was Jenna and that she was just a year older then Tarra, she had talked to Jenna a lot over that week and found that she and the other young girl had a lot in common.
Jason Hadrada had recovered from his injuries and been returned to school and his family the day after his injuries, his family and Tarras got together for dinner a few times after his recovery and spent hours talking and laughing with one another.
Tarra was a little depressed when she found out that by Icaran law ordinary citizens were not permitted space travel unless specifically ordered by the Noble, or unless enlisted in the Merchant fleet but after talking to Jenna for the two weeks she and Jason had decided they would join the Icaran navy when they were old enough and oddly though there was some bitterness and resentment on New India over the Icaran conquest and the four thousand people that had died for the most part the New Indian populace felt that not much in their lives had changed, after all they had been an independent state with no real allegiances for a long time and in some ways the Icaran conquest simply meant more access to food and interstellar trade once again.
Tarra did find the schooling system of the Icarans hard to get used to and figured it would still take her a few more months to adapt much less get into the physical condition that was required to be a “proper” Icaran student and that neural education net of theirs was just baffling to the New Indians and even though Icaran teachers were left behind to help the native teachers figure the technology out it would still take a while for the children to get used to doing “12 hours” of school in less then four hours of real time.
Though Tarra did hate one thing about the Icaran society, the uniforms that she had to wear to school were definitely not fashionable and even though Tarra was considered a beautiful girl by New Indian standards she still liked getting to wear makeup and pretty clothing, but no longer would she be able to wear any of that at school, and in fact she was stunned to hear that not many Icaran common women wore makeup at all much less every day.
The occupation was not all pleasant however as there were a lot of protesters and people who tried to start riots and free themselves from the “Icaran oppressors” though what they actually thought they would accomplish was beyond Tarra or her family, the Icaran empire was hundreds of worlds with hundreds of billions of people and had conquered their world in a single day and it seemed obvious even to a fourteen year old girl that even if these idiots drove the Icarans off New India they would be back and retake the world in a heartbeat, assuming of course they didn’t destroy the colony outright like she heard they had done to others who had rebelled or caused to many casualties to Icaran forces.
Even the young people at Tarra’s school knew that nothing in the Torque system would stop the march of Icara and that any who resisted would just end up being crushed, it was only a matter of time before the entire Torque system was Icara’s and no one on New India who had survived the battle and seen the speed and brutal efficiency of the Icarans doubted it.


OT: Hey all I am proud to announce that the SE story has grown so large I've created a second MS word file to hold it so that i don't have the incredible lag factor caused by over 200 pages of text.