Darken Border Prologue (test)

These are several paragraphs of my novel idea. Please give feedback of [b]anything[/b] that strikes you. I am looking for criticism and will appreciate any that I get. [u]Prologue[/u] “[i]Humanity cannot allow itself to feud constantly over who owns what. Independent nations cannot survive in the depths of space without unity and a large wallet to back up its investments. That's what the Alliance is for. But if you feel that you can do a better job, then, by all means, try building a Translight Drive and financing a colony all on your own. I assure you the rest of us will not interfere.[/i]” -Sukuan Sung, first Secretary-General of the Alliance of Unified Governments, 2204CE Alliance of Unified Governments (AUG) colony world Ambroth, Mizar system, September 13th 2449, Tapaz continent As the early hours of dawn approached, a pair of Stockholm light-aircraft soared effortlessly through the air. They were small, light-weight, and used for rapid attack and infantry deployment. Strapped onto its sides were eight soldiers, four to a craft, each wearing a black body suit. The cold pre-dawn air chilled the carbontanium plates sealed to the suits’ pattern of sticky-rail, a patchwork of acne-like dots the armour clung to. The men drifted silently in the air, held to the craft by nanofibre cords, their boots resting on the side landing skid. Even with being positioned so close to the heat vent Abel could feel the stinging cold through his armour. While the plate armour he wore offered the best protection possible, covering everything from his neck to his ankles, it didn’t help against the cold. He clenched his hands into fists and rubbed against the exposed lines of his suit in a failed attempt to keep himself warm. What little heat he made with the friction was blown away in the wind. “It’ll all go to waste, Sergeant.” The Stockholm’s pilot said. “I might as well try to keep warm before hitting the ground. At least you don’t have to worry about the cold.” “You’ll warm up during the run.” “And the compound has working air conditioning” the operation’s commanding officer, Commander Singh, chipped in. “We’ll see.” Abel said. He gave up and tried to keep the exposed lines out of the wind. What little conversation there was died as the Stockholms flew high over a town, the few lights below shining against the morning dark. Just as the first light of dawn peaked over the horizon the marines saw their target: a mid-way compound for lorry drivers on long hauls. The vehicles were still in the parking lot as well as the confirmed car bomb; information gleamed from the blackmailed insurgent double agents now working for the AUG, who had marked the vehicle by its chemical signature. As the two aircraft neared their destination they began a rapid descent that left the soldiers ears filled with the rushing wind. When the Stockholm's decent began to slow, they checked weapons, slapped magazines in, killed safety switches, and checked their armour's sealing. When the Stockholm's decent reached a crawl, the light above Abel’s head switched green “Sergeant, you’re taking point.” the Commander said. Both aircraft halted a metre off the ground, then Abel reached up and hit the release switch for his grip-cords. There was a click, and they slumped sadly from his shoulders. He kicked off and hit the ground at a run. As soon as he started moving, the rest of his team followed suit. “First squad moving” he said into his helmet’s mic. “Heading towards east-side door”. “Copy that 1st Squad.” came an accented reply, second squad's leader Peters. “2nd Squad heading for west-side door now”. Maintaining a bent run, Abel reached the door with the other three behind him. They stacked up against the wall and Abel sent two bursts of static over his mic, which was repeated by two bursts from Peters. “Teams are ready, mam.” Peters said. “Operation is a go.” the Commander replied. “Proceed at your discretion.” With the creation of the modern AUG from the Earth governments rather reluctant funding, the founding council members had drawn up a strict doctrine of rules to follow for newly founded colonies, governing everything from population control to industry. The basics of the doctrine were clear: careful integration of humanity with the new ecosystem, ensuring that industry did not take priority over ecology. Though Ambroth had been founded early on in the colonization boom, the Ministry of Colonial Affairs was still enforcing the same doctrine drawn up two-hundred and forty-five years ago. The message of careful population and environmental control had led to Ambroth's slow growth and value as an industrial and economic power-house admits an abundance of resources, a fact that most of its most colonists resented. The fear that human interference could disrupt the ecosystem of a planet without careful control was raised by supporters of the doctrine. The so-called Ambroth Loyalists argued for a new doctrine of rights for their planet. Sympathy had grown for the leaders of the resolution, but with talks degrading, the more radical side had started a war of aggression three years ago to force the provincial government off Ambroth and replace it with a separatist one instead. Slogans and propaganda from the groups proclaimed the separatist leaders as the only people with the vision to bring Ambroth out of a restrictive ruling; the resistance idolized as the only factor capable of bringing prosperity. The war had started atrociously, but, slowly, the situation had started to change. At first the AUG military had slammed down hard on the separatist groups, arresting many of the doctrine resolutors and forcing the Loyalists underground. The end result was criticized by many in the AUG as prolonging the conflict by giving the separatists an opening in persuading Ambrothians that the Loyalist cause was just. Abel had been at the start of the war and in three years very little had changed. A few victories here and there; but the results of the war had found their way to the citizens of other worlds. By now most people were tired of it and some suggested excluding Ambroth from the New Colony Doctrine. With the increasing presence of Loyalist supporters, the AUG military had responded with a new tactic through the use of the Alliance Military Intelligence. AMI had deployed several agents from Divisions 1, 2 and 3. Division 2 took on pro-AUG propaganda and hostile disorganization. Division 3, whose role was intelligence gathering, worked in conjunction with Special Operations teams and Division 1 field agents. The Alliance Army stationed on Ambroth had been organized into a peacekeeping role, patrolling the highways and country roads while also maintaining checkpoints into the cities, though it still performing raids and operations when it was needed. With the raid authorized, Abel pushed off from the wall, raised his foot to the door, and kicked it open, breaking the lock. He found himself in the compound’s repair bay, where the haulers were stored and checked overnight. In the middle of the shop, a lone mechanic wiped his head around at the sound of the breaking lock. The mechanic, surprised at Abel's entrance, moved towards him, slipped on a layer of oil and fell to the floor. Abel raced over to the man and slapped a hand over his mouth. “Don't make a sound; not one word.” Abel whispered through his helmets outer mic. The mechanics eyes widened with fear, but no sound escaped him. A second crack announced the entry of 2nd squad. Both teams spread throughout the garage, searching for anyone who might have hidden when First squad had entered. Peters dashed over to Abel and the frightened mechanic. “Second squad reports no one else awake” the Welshman said. Abel nodded and de-polarized his helmet's visor, removing his hand from the man's mouth. “Sleeping quarters, where are they?” he said fiercely. The hard tone increased the mechanics panic. The man stuttered as he tried to speak. This was a lie: all eight men knew the layout of the building. The mechanic took several deep breaths as Peters de-polarized his visor too. “It’s okay,” he said “We know you're a loyal citizen of the planet. Be calm; relax.” Like a father to a frightened child. Both he and Peters’ helmet Heads-Up-Display (HUD) had been screening the man’s identity through the Ambroth Citizen Database (Civi-Data). Sixty million people lived on Ambroth but the Ambroth planetary Artificial Intelligence had located the man's identity with lighting fast proficiency: Armando Landez. Landez eventually found his voice, the stutter now replaced by a heightened pitch. “What are you doing here?” he asked in a whisper. “Alliance peace keeping.” Peters said, kneeling down beside Landez. “Counter-terrorism forces. Those delivery men sleeping here are suspected of being involved in terrorist plots with the intent to cause harm to AUG citizens, citizens such as yourself. We need to know where the sleeping quarters are.” “On the second floor, overlooking the parking lot. Left from the top of stairs, at the far end of the corridor” the mechanic said, his voice still shaky with fear. “Thank you Armando Landez, you've helped us a great deal” Peters said. “Kimer, tend to the mechanic while we secure the driver's” Abel said “1st and 2nd up the stairs.” Abel took point leading the squads up. A single office looked out over the bay from a corner. A desk, chair and filing cabinet were the only furniture inside. Split left and right were two dormitories. Thermal scans showed only the left dormitory was occupied. The seven soldiers stacked themselves up against the door, three to a side. Peters counted, then charged.