Unseen Foes

This article is part of the expanded universe The subject and contents of this article are part of the fan-made expanded universe.

Unseen Foes is a short story by CWp Firebird and published in issue #3 of the Battlezone Magazine that tells of an encounter between Jason Bates and a small group of CCA/NSDF renegades on Mars shortly after the end of the Biometal War.

Synopsis

Shortly after the Biometal War and the destruction of the Furies, the Recycler Montana is deployed to Mars on a peacekeeping mission under the command of Grizzly One. While en-route to the deployment site the Montana detected a group of incoming ships - two Bobcats and a Czar - that weren't known to be in the area, and Grizzly One investigates.

Bates encounters the Bobcats, one of whom identifies himself as Lt. Packson and asks to be led to the Montana. When Bates insists Packson instead lead him to the base site, Packson turns on him. Bates damages Packson's tank and kills his wingman, but Packson manages to escape and Bates gives chase and eventually kills him.

On returning to the Montana Bates finds a group of Czars nearby. As he requests their support they reveal that they, too, are part of the renegade squadron; he orders the Montana to flee towards the base and heads out before it to right off the renegade units. As he reaches the base site he finds it empty, having already fallen victim to the renegades. The renegades succeed in destroying the Montana just behind him, and Bates' Grizzly is caught in the blast and destroyed. He survives, and is left alone and armed only with his sniper rifle.

Continuity

• The Montana is identified as the USS Montana, a prefix meaning United States Ship that, whilst used by the real-life US Navy, is not used by the NSDF.