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[center][color=khaki][h1]Skyguard/[color=thistle]Elysium Defense Contract[/color][/h1][/color][/center]
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[i][center][color=khaki]SKYGUARD Capital Ship, Defender II...[/color][/center][/i]

[color=khaki][indent]THE inky void of space dwindled in the viewport of the Admirals quarters. Vane Vonn sat at his console staring down the endless eternity of space.  Within moments a glowing red sphere began to dip into view. Despite centuries of terraforming, Mars retained a distinctive red tint-owing to the still hundreds of thousands of kilometers of red desert choking the planet. The cities and civilizations of man spread like black veins across the planets surface in a sea of red. Vonn stood as the computers voice chirped to life. [color=silver]"Entering orbit Admiral Vonn,"[/color] said a synthesized female voice. [color=silver]"Downloading communications and protocols."[/color][/indent][/color]
[color=khaki][indent]Vonn shook himself from his reverie as communications began sounding and the reports started appearing on his console. The protocol was automatic-triggered as the ship slipped into orbit. His console lit up with streams of data-weather, news, ship and troop movements-Vonn skimmed the major points;faction details and weather reports. The old warrior sighed and flicked the console off. He turned his attention to a six inch thick folio on his desk. The angular insignia of Skyguard was embossed on the front alongside the seal of the Jupiter Alliance. The Terran symbol was conspicuously absent; a decision that twenty representatives of Skyguard (including himself) had made even before landing on Jupiter to decide the fate of Mars. The Terran Government was finished after the assassinations of the Air Marshals-the highest ranking officials in the regime. Earths fate would be civil war. Vonn and the Jupiter Alliance had hoped Mars would not share the same fate and quickly drafted the treaty now sitting on his desk-a treaty that placed Mars under direct Skyguard control. Now all Vane had to do was convince the natives.[/indent][/color]
[color=khaki][indent]Vonn knew what the treaty [i]really[/i] was after all-a stack of papers some beauracrats and lawyers drafted. The real power would come from Jupiters economic power and the might of Skyguards armada. Vonn smiled at that. He would be at the helm when Skyguard became a legitimate government. His name would be in the books as first chairman of a unified Martian Nation, and all it had taken was the assassination of two Terran Air Marshals. The order to kill them hardly even bothered Vonn anymore.[/indent][/color]

[i][center]Sector 43, Utopia Coast, Elysium City...[/center][/i]

[indent][color=thistle]The city squares usually serene atmosphere was in discord. Crowds of protestors, rioters and anarchists had flooded into the city center for the forty-third day in a row since the fall of the Terran Government. The workers quit first, as soon as they realized the United Terran Government backed Martian Dollar was worth nil. The wage riots gave way to looters and increased terrorist activity, especially the Bloody Brothers-a faction that seemed only interested in destruction and murder. The city was on the brink of total anarchy and the city-square was the epicenter.[/color][/indent]
[indent][color=thistle]Inspector Leo Grimes of the Elysium Defense Contract private police force stood on the rooftop of EDC-1, the headquarters for the faction in Elysium. Heavily armed ornithopters circled overhead, flashing spotlights randomly at the crowd. The sun had dipped behind the city skyline and dark was closing in. A sargeant in black fatigues holding an automatic weapon approached the Inspector.[/color][/indent]

[indent][color=silver]I think we need to evacuate you sir," [color=thistle]said the sergeant.[/color][/color][/indent]

[indent][color=silver]"Any word from the other base sergeant? Do we have reinforcements coming?"[/color] [color=thistle]said Grimes.[/color][/indent]

[indent][color=thistle]"Negative. Protestors have set up outside EDC-2 and 3 sir. Theres a shit-load of them. Bloody Brothers spotted with them too sir. Set off a bomb in subway station 34. Could be the BB or any number of terrorist groups that popped up last week." the sargeant looked over the edge of the building at the mob below. "Good god." A sea of miners, workers, ex-military and government workers shouted and screamed and shoved.[/color][/indent]

[indent][color=silver]"This could break any minute sergeant. Order your Armored Division to move in to break up this crowd. You have authority to open fire if need be. I'm getting on that chopper,"[/color][color=thistle]said Grimes pointing at one of the circling aircraft that had begun to descend.[/color][color=silver]"I'll be back with reinforcements from EDC-3 and 2. You stay and make sure those rioters know who this city belongs to."[/color] [color=thistle]Grimes turned and ran for the landing pad. The ornithopter touched down lightly, just long enough for the Inspector to board, and took off just as quick. The sergeant opened up a communications channel to his Amrored units on the ground floor.[/color][color=silver]"Move in boys. Lethal force authorized."[/color][/indent]

[indent][color=thistle]The sergeant watched the ornithopter accelerate and disappear behind a skyscraper and out to sea. [color=silver]"Son of a bit-"[/color] An explosion rocked the bottom of EDC-1 and the sergeant was thrown to the ground. A fireball lit up the night sky as dark camo-colored aircraft whizzed over head. Plumes of smoke and fire leapt from the city square where rioters scattered. Hundreds lay dead in piles of fire and smoke. The aircraft crept in again, hovering and opened fire with machine guns. The sergeant, both horrified and elated stood up and took in the scene. Another aircraft loomed into view and lit up the rooftop with a searchlight. The sergeant gave a half-wave. The aircraft opened fire.[/color][/indent]