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Meeting transcript of 4th fleet command staff, [ERROR: DATE REDACTED]

Uqustacran: Thank you all for attending this meeting (clears throat). Let’s start by introducing Lieutenant Bixav here. As the only survivor of the Netzav incident, I believe that he is our best source of intelligence on the human intruders…is there a problem Admiral Tusir?

Tusir: Problem? Of course there is a problem! This blabbering animal of the lower caste should be out there overseeing slaves in the mining colonies! Not participating a high level military meeting!

Uqustacran: I understand that Admiral Tusir. However, the human attacks have intensified in the past pace-cycle. 2 slave processing stations and 4 outposts have been attacked. We need a solution to this problem.

Tusir: Problem? The real problem is in the Ilioneus sector. The Kozir Federation is…

Gorganol: Enough! We will need to do something about the humans. They have been sabotaging our slave trade routes. Lieutenant Bixav, what do you know about the humans?

Bixav: Thank you Lord Admiral. (stands up and salutes to Gorganol) From my limited interaction with these xenos, they are stealthy hunters lurking in the darkness. These cunning tacticians use various diversions to defeat larger foes.

Tusir: Are you sure that they are not taking advantage of your stupidity instead?

Gorganol: Quiet Tusir! (slams claws on table) Lieutenant, tell us about your experience with them. You were deployed in Netzav-6, correct?

Bixav: That would be correct Lord Admiral. Our detachment received a distress call from the planet. There was a slave rebellion in the anti-matter production complex. Local forces had requested assistance in supressing these ahujlhi (*) before they could detonate the anti-matter cores stored there.

Tusir: The planetary commander couldn’t even stop a slave rebellion? He should be executed for his incompetence!

Bixav: (Clears throat)… In any case, our assault ship arrived at Netzav-6 6 hours after receiving this message. Upon entering orbit, our sensors detected a friendly destroyer hiding in an asteroid belt near Netzav-6. They didn’t respond to our hails and when we approached them, they opened fire upon us.

Gorganol: A destroyer disguised as one of our own? How did they managed to fool our IFF system?

Uqustacran: (Raises his claws and stands up) They did not need to spoof systems. According to our records, that destroyer was indeed one of ours. It was the Vespira, a Mythic class destroyer from the 3rd fleet which went missing after the Sol system incident. From what we have gathered, the humans might have captured it and converted it into a raider against our trade hubs and merchant ships.

Tusir: What?! Those animals got their hands on one of our ships? I want that captain to be thrown into a slave camp immediately!

Gorganol: Enough Tusir! (slams claws on table again) Please continue Lieutenant.

Bixav: The opening salvo crippled our generators and weapon systems. Our captain had no choice but to crash-land our ship onto the surface of Netzav-6 to prevent it from being completely destroyed.

Tusir: Coward!

Bixav: With all due respect Admiral, our ship was incapable of fighting back. Planetary assault ships are not a space warfare vessels. They are designed to conduct orbital bombardment and planetary assault operations. Given the circumstances, I believe that our captain had made the right decision.

Gorganol: Did she survive the crash?

Bixav: No, but about half of the crew survived. I managed to crawl out of the burning wreckage and rendezvoused with my company. Company commander Daxav ordered us to gather our weapons and match towards the reactor factory, intending to complete our original mission.

Gorganol: A commendable initiative. What about the rest of the crew?

Bixav: Most of them were wounded or incapable of fighting so they were left behind. Those who were able to fight were ordered to grab a weapon and follow our lead. They were grouped together as an improvised combat unit, acting as our company’s rearguard.

Gorganol: According to your written report, your ship crashed in an uninhabited valley 40 standard units away from the factory district. Is that correct?

Bixav: Yes. We left everything we didn’t need behind and started to march towards the factory district. Our short range comm system were jammed so we could not contact any of the guard units around the factory. We had no idea how bad the situation was. I advised commander Daxav to remain vigilant, for we were not only fighting rioting slaves, but also those who destroyed our ship… we did not know that it was the humans back then… not until a storm of explosions erupted within our column at least.

Gorganol: An ambush?

Bixav: That is correct Lord Admiral. A few rapid fire grenade launchers were set up on the hill above us. Metal fragments and pieces of rock flew everywhere, obliterating everything in their path. My power armor was enough to protect me from these splinters but unarmored personnel weren’t so lucky. Our ad-hoc rearguard unit was cut down mercilessly from those hill top positions.

Gorganol: How did the humans manage to move heavy weapons up there? Did they bring a team of slaves to carry these weapons for them?

Uqustacran: We believe that these humans are exceptionally strong. They can march with these heavy weapons on their backs. They can even carry belts of ammunition on their shoulders without wearing power armour.

Tusir: Good for hauling ore in our mines.

Bixav: (Clears throat) They were more than just strong. Their gun was moved from one place to another between bursts. We could only fire blindly on their former positions, as if we were being toyed by hunters in darkness. I got the men into cover behind a large boulder and asked Commander Daxav for orders.

Tusir: What did your cowardly commander do? Hide behind a rock crying for mommy?

Bixav: (Draws heavy breath) Commander Daxav took cover in a ditch about 50 short-units away from my position. He had gathered a few men around him and ordered them to charge at the human guns. As he stood up to lead the charge, a kinetic weapon struck him down from afar. His left leg was shot off, sending him tumbling down the slope. One of the men crawled towards him, only to be shot in the head.

Gorganol: Did you locate the shooter?

Bixav: We couldn’t see where the rounds were coming from, especially since the human grenade launchers resumed firing at us. I popped a smoke screen with the smoke generators on my armor, hoping that it would confuse the human gunners. But… those stalking human was still able to see me through the smoke. A shot clawed into my armor’s heat exchanger and knocked me on the ground. I crawled a few short-units forward to find Commander Daxav laying in a ditch, bleed out and covered in debris.

Tusir: How…?

Gorganol: (waves claws in dismissal) What did you do after that?

Bixav: I immediately stepped up and took over command as the only officer left standing. I ordered one of my squads climb uphill and eliminate the human guns. The rest of us fired on the hilltops in the hopes of suppressing the human guns. However, the human guns quickly moved to new positions, trapping us in an overlapping field of fire. A hail of shells cut through our ranks, leaving dismembered bodies behind.

Gorganol: What about the squad you sent out?

Bixav: They were fighting their way up the steep slope. As they got close to the human positions, a chain of explosions engulfed them completely. When the dust settled, I could only see the disfigured bodies of my men.

Tusir: What kind of stupid story is this! Did the ground just explode under their feet? Do you think I am some hatchling wearing diapers?!

Bixav: (Turns towards Admiral Tusir) Admiral, I am telling the truth. The humans had placed small explosive charges in front of their positions. Once our men trip on their wires, the charges detonated and engulfed our men in shrapnel.

Tusir: This is a stupid weapon! The blast could have killed those who place the charges…

Gorganol: This is a question for another time. (Turns to Bixav) Please, do continue.

Bixav: I ordered a tactical withdraw. We have too many wounded in our ranks and morale was extremely low. We needed time to regroup.

Tusir: Coward! You ran away…

Bixav: With all due respect, sir, we were combat ineffective. It was impossible to stand our ground against the humans.

Gorganol: This is a topic for future discussion. I need to know what happened on Netzav-6. Please continue Lieutenant Bixav.

Bixav: Thank you Lord Admiral. I withdrew a few standard units away into a forest. We took shelter in the trees and tended our wounded. Few men were still willing to fight. Fewer still were capable of lifting a weapon. I decided that we would need eyes behind our main formation in case the humans decided to chase after us. A few men volunteered and I lead them out of the forest, towards the way we came.

Gorganol: Did the humans follow you?

Bixav: I took out a pair of enhanced optics and scanned the hilltops for movement. Soon, I found the human gunners taking turns to run from one hill to another. Every time a group runs forward, another group would sit down with their weapons and take aim at our direction. One of our men took a few shots at a group of running humans, the other group immediately fired on our position, forcing us back into the forest.

Tusir: Your men have more courage than you!

Gorganol: Enough! (Clicks claws aggressively) Continue Lieutenant.

Bixav: We made our way back towards the main group. I ordered the men to fortify their positions and prepare for a human attack. However, we had left all our tools back at the crash site and we barely made any progress when the humans started shelling us.

Gorganol: They have artillery with them? Are they strong enough to lift that too?

Uqustacran: The humans operate some sort of light artillery called mortars. They seem to be crude muzzle loaded weapons with relatively poor accuracy.

Bixav: These mortars pounded us and devastated our formation. A shell landed right next to me and I was sent flying. I landed with a thud and lost consciousness.

Tusir: You are sure that you didn’t just run away?

Bixav: No sir. I stayed and fought until I was knocked out. When I woke up, I saw an ahujlhi tugging my particle beam rifle. I pulled my sidearm out and killed it.

Gorganol: Ahujlhi?

Uqustacran: Lord Admiral, we were able to recover some footage from the reactor core factory before it was destroyed. It seems that the humans had not only freed the slaves, but also allowed them to salvage our warriors’ gear.

Tusir: (Stands up in anger) Disgraceful! We must annihilate all those lowly slaves and the humans! We shall take no prisoners!

Gorganol: (Nodded) This is unacceptable. Lieutenant Bixav, what happened when you saw what they were doing?

Bixav: I got up and shot another lizard with my sidearm. Its dying scream caught the humans’ attention. A few humans started to fire at me and I ran away as fast as I could. A projectile hit my ruined power armor and knocked me to the ground. I rolled into a ditch and hid there until the humans and lizards left.

Tusir: How could you…

Gorganol: So you just lay there until the relief force arrived?

Bixav: Affirmative Lord Admiral.

Gorganol: I have heard enough. Colonel Uqustacran, please escort Lieutenant Bixav back to his quarters.

*Ahujlhi means lowly slaves. On Netzav-6, a few slave species had been used in mining, manufacturing and household entertainment. The humans seems to be very interested in freeing these slaves.

Addendum: Since the Netzav-6 incident, 8 more similar raids has been observed in the sector. The Commonwealth fleet has been tasked with guarding slave processing facilities to deter human raiders from attacking. The effectiveness of such operation remains to be seen