Here is my teams solution, well technically they are not a team yet. This is how they first meet, well, most of them anyways…
Austin James awoke from his cryogenic slumber to discover a world far different from the one he had known. The Earth was scarred from war and biological devastation; he moved from console to console bringing his old and wounded space station back to life, not unlike his own situation. The irony was not lost on him; he grimaced as he studied the readings he was getting back from his deep space probes. Scans showed that the more recent destruction was caused by space debris plummeting into the atmosphere; it was one of those near passes that had caused the computer to awaken him. Another large object was on its way…
The security detachment at Olympus detected an orbital platform powering up, Briareos and his team loaded them selves onto a shuttle and headed up to see if it belonged to a rival faction. They were surprised to find a scientist from the 20th century aboard an ancient space station which had lay dormant until now. He alerted them to the arriving object, Briareos contacted Olympus and asked for heavy weapons to be brought up and mounted to the station so they could destroy it when it came into range. Austin and Briareos argued about his idea, and about making a scientific observatory into a weapons platform. Austin was hauled away and locked into a room and put under guard, as the weapons were being mounted onto the station Austin distracted himself by studying movement of the object and trying to see where it had come from.
Briareos was shocked when Austin demanded to see him and was informed that the object had been making course corrections, which meant it was no longer just a rock on a ballistic heading, it was a guided weapon. And destroying it was going to be even harder than first thought. Briareos was outraged and demanded to know where it had come from; Austin told him that he would find out, but only if Briareos agreed to remove the weapons once his people were no longer in danger. He agreed. After some probes had been launched they were able to determine it had come from the asteroid belt, and once the probes got closer they discovered a mining facility there. And another asteroid was being rigged up with thrusters, and this one was even larger. It was large enough to create a life ending nuclear winter.
Briareos relayed the information to Olympus, it was determined that the Mars colonists must have set up an illegal mining operation there and were using it as a means to strike at Earth without drawing attention directly to themselves. None of the remaining city states had interplanetary spacecraft anymore after the last war, and Mars must have known this and this is why they were attacking now. Olympus and the other factions were donating shuttles to place into orbit and were being equipped with nuclear missiles. Everyone knew it would probably not be enough but it was all that they had to offer.
Despondent Austin sat in his lab and talked into his recorder, and poured out his feelings on the matter. It broke his heart that Earth had gone through so many tribulations during his slumber, and that now, just as things are coming back around. Children of the Earth were seeking to destroy their home just to secure their imagined freedom from Earth. His heartfelt monologue went on for a long time, and unknown to him the microwave transmitter was also on. Austin’s soulful plea was going into space, and it was heard.
Gomtuu heard the message and was touched by the plea it shook her out of her dark depression; this was just the type person she had longed for ever since her pilot had died so long ago she abandoned her plan of passive suicide and left the orbit of the dying star, she followed the transmission back to its source she must meet this person. Austin heard the soft voice of the alien vessel in his head, after a few moments of conversation Austin realized he was not insane and it was real. Gomtuu appeared beside the space station after Austin warned them about it, Briareos joined Austin aboard the vessel and they raced off to intercept the larger incoming rock and to stop the miner’s attacks.
Once Gomtuu was out of range the weapons opened up on the incoming asteroid, it broke up into smaller pieces and continued coming. The railgun phalanx systems began chewing up the majority of the midsized pieces, missiles intercepted the larger chunks. Particle beams tried to obliterate whatever else came through but it soon became obvious that they could not get it all; the miners must have altered the composition of the rock somehow. It was far more resistant to their weapons than it should have been. A hail of space rocks made their way toward Shinjuku Japan.
Gomtuu locked onto the kilometers wide asteroid and with tractor beams and hurled it on a trajectory for the sun, and then they continued on toward the mining facility. Briareos and Austin tried reasoning with the miners, ok Austin tried reason, and Briareos tried threats. It was a mixed message at best. Gomtuu refused to fire on the compound, she said she would protect the Earth from threats but she refused to take life. While Briareos argued with the ship the miners opened fire, it was of no use the shields protected the ship. Briareos yelled, “Fine, if you won’t fire back then let me out and I will!” Gomtuu obliged, and Briareos make quick work of them and destroyed the facilities. It would be a long time for them recover from the attack and reopen any kind of mining facility again. As they returned to Earh Gomtuu and Austin silently bonded using their telepathic link, Gomtuu felt whole again with a pilot in her seat and another mind joined to hers.
The protective spirits of Shinjuku summoned Karas; they sensed the threat coming from above. He transformed into aerial mode and rose up to meet the threat, energy beam after energy beam slagged the plummeting debris. It seemed that the worst was over until he saw the largest of them all; it was too big to blast. He flew into it and used all of his energies to push it away from the city, he succeeded. But it left him powerless to slow his own descent; he plummeted to his death beside the enormous meteorite. The spirits of the city will need to find another host for their armor; this one has died a noble death.
EDIT: Forgot to list the song (oops) “Holding out for a Hero”.
Unless someone listens to it and types it out. But that’s a bunch of text…plus there’s the whole Iron Eagle and Buck Rogers “tucking” thing.
Sorry Audra…
