Existential Threat: Chapter 11 Part 2 of 2 (Patreon)

The leader of the Orkaran had not deigned to talk to Haver or anyone else again, but others, several positions lower were consulted and talked to by XO’s and different captains.

Freight holding food, water and the air mix the Okaran required was requisitioned directly from yards, freighters and wherever it could be found and jumped under escort to the lagrange the Orkaran were moving through.

Admiral Haver watched the freighter separate from its two corvette escort, crossing through space to reach another medium freighter in classic Sphere World Design.

The crew had been changed to Federation military, two more fleets ready to jump into the lagrange at a moment’s notice.

Haver shifted in his chair as time stretched. He gritted his teeth at the way his officers moved around the command deck taking care of various tasks.

It grated over his nerves caught in inaction, nothing to do but sit. He debated leaving to access the net and do something, anything else. He reeled himself in, it would take time, but once pulled off then it would advance his plans to take on Orion’s Belt Enterprises.

He pulled up reports, moving through them.

“Admiral, transfer is complete,” An officer announced, pulling him up from his reports.

His freighter that had been filled with goods, had barely a third of a load.

“Good, have them jump to their assigned rally point, have them use the randomized pattern to throw off any would-be followers. I want a count of what they collected as soon as possible.”

“The Overlord’s staff is requesting that we contact their overlord,” the communications officer said.

“Friendly freighter is wormholing out,” Sensors called out.

“Get me a count on what they gave us,” Haver said. “Call him in five minutes.”

Haver pulled on his uniform, adjusting his medals and sash.

“Count on the freighter, sir,” The communication officer broke into a smile. “Three large factories, a dozen or so medium and several dozen small. Each of them unlocked with full templates.”

Haver shared in the man’s smile, tightening it.

“Good, they are to return to Federation military yards as soon as possible.”

“Yes Admiral! Ready to contact the Overlord.”

“Do it.”

The screen changed to a loading version. Minutes ticked by.

“Wormhole emergence!” Sensor’s called out. “Three just appeared around where the Orkaran wormholed in.”

“Orkaran are deploying wormhole projectors!” Another Sensor officer said.

Where the hell were they running to, what were they running from? He needed their factories and their ships would be useful too.

“Transmit the Orkaran coordinates to Rally point Charlie, offer them diplomatic protection. We don’t want them getting away. What’s coming through?”

“Three seconds on sensors.”

The first ships came through.

“Adraxi,” The man’s throat clenching onto that hated word.

Haver’s stomach trembled, blood flushing through his body. They could show humanity, show the Adraxi the Federation was not to be messed with.

“Coordinate wormhole barrage with other fleets and defensive stations against the incoming fleet,” Haver said.

“Yes Admiral,” The communications officer and those under his command speed talked into their microphones and tapped out messages.

“Non-standard Adraxi fleet, different markings from fleets faced in the past. Fifteen scout ships, upgraded to Corvette size, Six frigates and six Cruisers, the Cruisers are as large as Harvesters now. Weaponry is different as well. Drop Carrier, we have a Drop Carrier! No harvesters spotted.”

Haver pulled an up-close on the ships, their manta-ray appearances.

Instead of the shimmering skin of the previous Adraxi ships, protrusions stuck out of their battle-scarred armor that seemed to drink in the star light.

Adraxi fleet is changing formation around the Drop-Carrier. They’re launching missiles through the Drop Carrier’s wormhole. Missiles through the wormhole, they are accelerating after Orkaran fleet.

“They’re firing missiles at the Orkaran.”

“Orkaran have wormholes open and are fleeing. They are firing missiles and rail cannons to cover their retreat.”

“First ships are through!”

Adraxi missiles chased them as ships accelerated hard for the wormholes.

“Confirmation that Orkaran wormholes are exiting at rally point Charlie!”

Come on, move your damn asses. Haver willed.

“Status of remote barrage?”

“Eighty percent of systems are primed and aimed.”

“Time till one hundred percent?”

“Minute and a half.”

“Get the names of the stations that were unable to do it within sixty seconds on report.”

“Yes Admiral.

It would not do to have sloppiness in his navy.

His orders were transmitted through his fleet, the two that were on standby the now twenty four fleets that patrolled Federation space, the tens of defense stations  and their hundreds of defensive weapons, meant to protect and stop an enemy fleet from impinging upon their controlled space. Weapon systems went active, missile magazine checks carried out as ammunition was drawn from storage, ready to replace what was fired. Wormhole projectors warmed up and activated.

“Drop Carrier has finished deploying five frigat-friendly wormhole opening.”

The first was joined by a second, then a third and forth, wormholes snapped open faster and faster, creating a sphere around the Adraxi wormholes.

“Barrage in five seconds, repeat every seven seconds, offset weapon systems to not overheat. Target the Adraxi Drop Carrier,” Haver repeated the words he’d practiced in his mind for decades. A bone deep satisfaction filling him as he sat up straight.

Missiles, monsters meant to crack the thickest interlayered armor humanity had to offer, to crack warships of the line, hardened battle stations buried in asteroids, to remove cities from the face of a planet or moon, or asteroid. Measuring in the dozens of kilotons to a full megaton. They cut through the wormholes at multiple tens of gravities, racing to reach the enemy, racing to vent their star-born fury upon those that dared to lay in their path.

“Barrage in five seconds aye, repeat every seven, target enemy Drop Carrier, aye admiral,” Communications relayed back, a timer rolling down.

"Realtime telemetry from the wormholes."

Haver grunted-focused on the hundreds and then thousands of missiles pouring through the Federation wormholes. Venting fury and destruction upon their enemy. Those that had attacked their home, that had polluted their planet.

Something deep and terrible, rose up in Haver’s gut, a cold satisfaction and promise. You will not survive.

"Main Adraxi wormholes are closed. Smaller wormholes have opened. Enemy are firing missiles through."

'Time till impact on first barrage?'' Haver said, trying not to tap his fingers in impatience.

Sensors cleared his throat. "Four seconds Admiral."

"Enemy have launched missiles," Another sensor officer stumbled on her words." Estimated three thousand and rising."

"Three thousand?" Haver raised his voice. He needed information not guesses.

"Sensors are having a hard time seeing through all the data. The estimate is on the low side. All ships fired at the exact same time."

Haver studied the shoals of missiles racing for one another. Weaving and altering paths to confuse targeting systems.

The Adraxi missiles shot forth without any of the altering movement the Federation missiles employed.

"Lets send these bastards back to the hell they spanned from."

"Aye Admiral." The communications officers voice quietly and coldly determined.

“Enemy missiles started moving!” Sensors called out.

The Adraxi missiles scattered, trying to take out packets of Federation missiles.

"Orkaran are worm-holing to rally point we sent them," Sensors said.

"Good. Have defensive stations switch their wormhole locations closer-to employ their rail cannons. with secondary wormhole locations if they’re fired upon. I want the ships and stations on the other side ready to engage with Close In Weapon Systems."

Wormholes opened next to the Action belching heavy rail-cannon fire. The missile barrages were being whittled down-each of the three touring the other as if one organism.

Readouts put their defensive abilities even higher then the damned Orion ships. "Enemy fleet has changed directions of radiance-they're pushing for the inhabited planets of the system.

Haver grimaced, having seen such a display before from the recordings of the ship at Rukian system. Message missiles.

“Prepare to wormhole to secondary position.”

Missiles detonated close to the Adraxi Drop Carrier ships as to scour its surface, thousands of missiles had died in the charge.

“Adraxi fleet, altering formation.”

The ships created a sphere around the Drop Carrier, lightest ships on the exterior.

“Friendly wormholes are shifting,” A communications officer called out.

“First barrage impact,” sensors called out, the enemy fleets defenses had whittled down the missiles but not enough.

Detonations crawled closer, tearing up weapon systems, then impacting armor, making the massive ships shudder as holes spewed liquids and gasses into the vacuum.

Federation wormholes snapped closed and new ones opened, Railcannon rounds, missiles and spitter rounds form the Adraxi ships crossed one another.

Liquids leaked from the Drop Carrier, auto-sealing taking longer and longer to stop it.

Impacts tore into the Drop Carrier’s surface but it powered on. The slug fest going back and forth Lights bloomed at the wormholes.

The other craft weren’t as lucky. Missile impacts breaking off sections, finding fuel for their mayhem and cracking several ships.

“Adraxi defensive fire is weakening,” Sensors said.

The Federation powered through with simply the weight of weaponry they were able to bring to bear. Holes punched into the enemy Drop Carrier, its own missiles raced out to catch the incoming rounds.

It was against the tide that crashed down upon it, the Drop Carrier receiving hit after hit. Missiles struck the surface of the Drop Carrier, causing it armor to dent, scorching it.

Haver frowned, those weapons were rated to crack Federation Cruiser armor.

“Once the Drop Carrier is dealt with, focus on the cruisers and then smaller vessels.”

“Scouts are going high acceleration!” Sensors called out. “They’re breaking away.”

“Track them, continue to focus on the Drop Carrier.

The Scouts formed together into a writhing mass, like fish or birds might.

A section of the Drop Carrier detonated, then another, impacts broke through armor, cracking the massive warship.

Hit after hit rang through, breaking the ship’s back.

Cheers rang through the command center as missile after missile struck the Drop Carrier, breaking the ship apart into smaller and smaller chunks.

Missiles turned on the Cruisers, washing them down as the ships seemed to stagger the Adraxi slowed for a few seconds before coming back up. The Drop Carrier’s lost must have affected their morale. Mindless beasts, we’ll teach them to have fear. Haver thought to himself.

The half second gave the missiles the time they needed to drive their payload home, right into the teeth of the enemy warships, two Cruisers listed from the attacks, Wormholes re-positioned, firing rail cannons into the ships at near point blank range.

The Adraxi ships opened wormholes, missiles heading through.

“Destroy them before they’re able to retreat, no quarter,” Haver said.

“Yes sir,” Communications said.

Ships bigger than mega-towers, bigger than warpgates bucked and shuddered, their weapons scraped away in nuclear fury as missiles slammed home, venting their fury inside the ships, blooms burned through liquids and gasses, turning them into fuel, fireballs bloomed from openings in the armor.

Hulls cracked, interiors were scoured and broken into their molecules, armor breaking in a fury that Haver had only seen in simulations, but could never achieve the gut clenching, heart squeezing, palm sweating reality.

Adraxi weapons went silent, missiles crashed upon the remains, consuming them and spreading the remainder across the void.

“Cease fire,” Haver called out.

Communications called out to one another. Missiles ceased to flow, hundreds still crossing space, wormholes closed.

Haver let out a breath and sucked in another, feeling light-headed, his eyes catching the readings on the Orkaran fleet.

“Lets go meet up with our new guests, I want those factories put to immediate use to support the liberation mission.”

“Yes Admiral,” Communications said.

“Plotting wormhole jump for fleet rendezvous with Orkaran fleet,” Navigation said.