Existential Threat: Chapter 12 Part 1 of 8 (Patreon)

Chapter 12:

11/07/2242

Screens played through the Federation fight in the Ilsun system aboard Shoki within the Dark Space system.

Welcome to human controlled space.

“About what we expected,” Dana said.

“A few more defensive batteries and ships adding in their firepower,” Leblanc said.

“More firepower to show their strength. I’d think a large amount of it was already primed to shoot into the area.”

“Well I’ll say one thing, the Federation sure like to use their missile batteries,” Klinsky let out a low whistle.

“How are we looking on those wormhole readings?” Dana asked.

“It will take another couple of minutes for the Adraxi wormhole’s light to reach our seeded hypernet sensors around the system. It shouldn’t take us long to extrapolate where they came from and the situation on the other side,” Ayambe said.

“Adraxi missiles?”

“They’re angling towards different planets that could support Adraxi life,” Leblanc tossed over the readings.

Dana sent them to the council group-chat.

[Adeline] Ilsun have command posts set up on their stations but not on their planets.

[Stuart] If they want them, let them ask us. We can’t clean up everyone else’s messes.

[Ichika] Are they aware of the incoming missiles?

“Ayambe, make sure that the Ilsun authorities know about the missiles heading for their planets,” Dana said.

“Yes Admiral.

[Dana] They will.

[Brad] The ships looked different, thoughts?

[Dana] They were highly coordinated, more than the fleets we’ve seen in the past. Once the Drop Carrier was broken the speed that the Adraxi acted decreased greatly.

[Sally] They’ve adapted. They store information from each fight, that information is passed to the next Omega they create. That sifts through the information, updates forces and ships and creates new ones.

[Dana] We’ve killed all the Adraxi we’ve run into?

[Sally] You have, this fleet is from somewhere else, a group that you’ve never fought before.

“Shit,” Leblanc’s voice sent goosebumps up Dana’s arms and neck.

“Leblanc?”

“Just got the light from the Adraxi wormholes,” Leblanc threw up a partial system overlay. Dana threw it into the chat, broadcasting the conversation. Leblanc zoomed in.

“Sim thinks thirteen planets overall. Third planet, terrestrial with the ruins of a Sphere World and Adraxi fleet in orbit.” She stopped zooming, markers showing partials of two Adraxi fleets over the planet.

“Markings and size shows strong correlations between them and the ones the Federation just destroyed.

“This must be where the Orkaran came from,” Dana said softly.

“Three harvesters, twelve Frigates, twelve Cruisers and a drop Carrier in orbit. Systems are telling me that there are signs of fighting on the planet, as well as one drop carrier and three harvesters. Five other ice based planets in-system that the Adraxi could use.”

[Foster] We need recon on the planet, if there are people down there we need to help.

[Mission: Destroy Adraxi Fleets and Ground Forces]

[Failure to do so will result in finding new Administrator]

[Mission: Investigate Sphere World 127’s Demise]

[Failure to do so will result in finding new Administrator]

[Brad] The hell Sally?

[Sally] I am sorry but this is hard wired into me. We have to investigate. I was built to curb the spread of Adraxi and save possible allies.

[Stuart] Dana, have your forces scout this Orkaran system as soon as possible. Ready your fleets to take out the enemy force. Foster ready ground forces. If there are people on the ground and their willing to accept our help we’re going to damn well help them.

[Foster] Ground and pounders ready and waiting.

[Dana] |

He icon blinked as she breathed in and out.

[Dana] I request the use of a Cold Armada to be used, as well as the ability to utilize the Silver-Fist barrage system.

“Foster has launch officers prepping ground forces. Ichika’s launch officers are checking all fighters and dropships,” Ayambe said.

“Understood,” Dana said, returning to the bridge conversation, half an eye watching the chat. “Relay all information to Diego and Jung-Su be prepared to wake up the Iron Armada from cold. Ready everything to wormhole over to the Orkaran system. Launch sensor buoys for every lagrange, I want to know if the Adraxi landed anywhere else in the system. Start fleet and Armada prep to hit the terrestrial planet nearest the Sphere World.”

“Admiral,” Klinsky and Leblanc said together.

“Ayambe, tell Diego his objectives will be to secure the Sphere World and clear any planets the Adraxi landed on. We’ll target the terrestrial planet that hopefully holds life first, but I don’t want any more of those bastards using the other planets and corrupting them. Waiting for Administrator confirmation.”

“Copy.”

The faster they could cut into the Adraxi spread the better chances to save the planet and system.

[Brad] Stuart and I agree. Silver Fist, Cold Armada approved. If the ground forces request support, land, clean them, evacuate them. If there is nothing left of the natural world, Scorch it. Damocles unlocked and ready if required.

Images of the Adraxi world burning under KEW’s lighting the very sky on fire as the compressed stone came apart, the impacts cracking tectonic plates, terrible white, spreading red and black. Walls of fire visible from orbit as the planet burned, as she turned it into a husk of burnt materials.

[Dana] Understood.

“Battle plan?” Leblanc asked meeting Dana’s eyes as she cleared her messaging screen.

“Silver fist the Adraxi from the damaged Sphere World lagrange, hellbores and missile barrage. We will deploy the Iron Armada, clean up anything left behind and begin landing ground forces on the planet. We’ll hold the orbitals and support. Diego and the Phoenix Armada sweep in behind, secure the Sphere World, repair it and bring it back online. From there they send out forces to clear the planets of any Adraxi spore. Ayambe get with Adeline and Minnie I want two Armada’s worth of freighters loaded with ground combat gear.”

“Aye Admiral. I’ll pass onto command channel.”

“Thank you,” Dana’s eyes quested through the readouts. Is there anything I missed?

She caught Klinsky’s screen out the corner of her eye, flicking with mathematical equations, calculating wormhole points across the Orkaran system.

Dana drew in a breath entering codes into her console, passing through lockouts. “Starting upgrade package.”

Nanites across the ship’s hull awoke, spreading to the weapon systems the engines. Under her hull Shoki had been upgraded, but everything externally had been hidden.

“Klinsky, coordinate with Dark-Space, get us wormholes next to the Orkaran Sphere World.”

“Aye Admiral!”

“Ayambe, I want Jung-Su on alert, to watch over our own systems. Once our ships are clear of the Dark Space, I want to have Diego enter the system ready to jump in after us,” Dana said.

“Copy boss.”

Engineer bots and repair rollers set to work, grabbing parts waiting next to airlocks and in bays. Hatches opened across the ship, engineers heading out into the dark to upgrade Shoki’s weapons.

“Ichika is loading all fighters and Dropships. Do you have a priority exit deployment?” Ayambe asked.

“Boxers first, we’ll dump the Hells and Turtles into the gravity well at the same time. Request and updated launch plan once she and Foster comes up with it,” Dana said, the wormhole had reached a size big enough to fit Shoki. Well they’re going to know something is up and that we can wormhole a lot faster than before.

It was good to keep some secrets from the other factions, but it mattered little with lives hanging in the balance. She couldn’t imagine how bad it must be on a planet with two over-strength Adraxi fleets in force sitting orbit.

“Silver Fist firing sensor buoys.” Leblanc said. “First target is the lagranges around the terrestrial planet.”

Markers appeared within the Orkaran system map, ships and missiles appearing.

“There are live combatants on the terrestrial planet. I am picking up markers of weapons fire from artillery to small arms. Fuel Air bombs. No Nuclear. Information is up to one minute old,” Sally said. “I request a missile to be put out to see the status of the system one day, two day and everyday up to a week ago.”

Dana quick-recorded the last few seconds and fired it to Foster and Ichika. “Ayambe pass onto to Diego.”

“Yes Admiral.”

“Minnie how long till we’re ready for combat?” Dana keyed a private chat.

“Seven minutes!”

“Leblanc, Sally, I want a Silver-Fist fireplan on those Adraxi ships ASAP.”

“Working on it,” Leblanc said.

Sally materialized next to Leblanc, her lips moving but no sound in the vacuum as they used private or group chat.

Dana scanned through reports, integrating with her Armada, becoming in-tune with each and every ship, reading from positioning, logs, reports the status and ability of every crew, every ship.

She nodded to herself, they were handling themselves well, but this would be the first time out of the simulation for many of them.

The Iron Armada’s ships completed their checks, already loaded into the warpgates.

***