C69 Prelude to disaster.
Prelude to disaster.
Oldran System.
“ Hope ! “ Anthony called out after he had heard the last message send from the TMS Silencer, the warning about those green orbs that currently approached the 8 ships trying to intercept a group of Xa’Leen.
“ On it. “ She would respond, firing the maneuvering thrusters of those ships in question to evade the projectiles.
“ Someone make that make sense. “ Anthony groaned, watching closely on his screen, how the ships formation broke, veering off into different directions to reduce the risk of being hit, or worse, damage one another in case one of the ships is being hit.
“ Nana, turn your ships reactor off, use the engine conversion until you met up with the Silencer. “ He instructed the Siren that was in command of the one Mark two that approached the Terran fleet.
“ Anthony, we’ve got one likely impact. “ Hope warned, as one of the projectiles was too close to one of the ships.
Anthony would quickly reach out to the android within the ship then, fully claiming it with his ability. And he did so just in time as the reactor was struck and the heat within begun to tear the reactor apart.
“ No ! You don’t ! “ Anthony grunted, exerting his power over the ship to repair the reactor, forcing it to shut down the fuel lines while repeatedly sealing the damage so that the heated plasma within could not reach the fuel lines, which would cause a cascading chain of explosions. A Chain that would surely have ripped through reactor fuel, engine fuel and missile ammo alike.
“ Hope, reboot the reactor, and do an emergency shutdown if another of those orbs gets to close. It will be easier to repair and reboot if the system goes through a purge, rather then a complete containment failure. “ Anthony instructed, as emergency shutdowns usually resulted in the reactor releasing the heated plasma into space.
That function only worked as long as they had a functioning containment field however, which, by the Terran’s warning, was completely interrupted by those projectiles.
“ Kira, keep a look out for those orbs as well. If they approach, shut down reactors immediately. “ He then directed towards the siren.
“ Received. “ Kira responded.
“ Hope, did you detect anything before these creatures popped up ? “ Anthony then demanded.
“ Negative. They seem to simply appear. I had visual sensors spread out across a wider area after the Silencer opened fire, and this new group simply seemed to, materialize out of nowhere. “ Hope reported.
“ Yeah, someone make that make sense. “ Anthony grunted again, and then reached out to each of the mark two Dusks to claim those nine ships.
“ Hope, The Mark one, just use missiles on them for now, reduce the risk of catastrophic failures. And make sure to keep an eye on the reactors. They should be able to endure a few emergency shutdowns. “ Anthony instructed, keeping his own limit in mind.
He could potentially claim more of them, leave control to Hope, and only reach out to them to repair them. But as it would be an indirect control, it would mean he’d waste a lot of his available command points for too little in return.
No, that was not exactly true as he realized now. He could claim them all, and then leave them idle. He just had to keep control on the androids. As long as the ship itself was in an Idle state in regards to his ability, he could use hundreds of them, and just keep enough room for him to directly or indirectly control them long enough to perform repairs.
It was a solution that felt to early though, and he already accepted that there would be losses. But this situation simply felt to unbalanced. Besides, to remove them from the control pool again, would mean having those ships destroyed as well, either in combat, or by complete disassembly. And he still intended to save the space for more valuable assets.
“ Nana, how long till your docked to the Silencer ? “ He asked as his mind kept looking for alternatives.
“ 7 minutes. “ She responded.
“ New contacts detected, 35 vessels that are heading towards the station. “ Hope then warned.
“ What ? “ Anthony uttered, opening his map display to watch in disbelieve how these new creatures had appeared between the group of 31 vessels headed for the Terran fleet, and the station.
“ Hope, redirect the mark one and open fire. Don’t let them reach the station. “ He instructed, while trying to understand what he was watching here.
“ Kira ? Is this normal for Xa’Leen ? “ He would ask though, while a slight suspicion formed in his mind.
“ No. Their mode of travel is linear, and I am not aware of any method to hide themselves. Even if they had developed such a method, it seems unlikely for them to drop it this early. “ She responded.
“ How likely do you think they might have developed something like, a jump drive, like our Seltran jumper ? “ Anthony asked, sharing his suspicion.
“ Unlikely, but not impossible I guess ? I don’t see them using any aether at least. “ Kira admitted.
“ Aether is just the power-source for the Seltran ship. Are there any other methods to achieve a similar effect ? “ Anthony inquired, which left Kira to remain silent for a few moments.
“ There are. “ She then finally admitted, probably to have looked through her memories before she could give a proper response.
“ Hope, contact the Terran fleet, advise that these creatures might be using some form of instantaneous travel method. “ He’d instruct then.
“ Will do. And it appears that the Silencer has launched fighter-craft to assist with the new targets. About 45 craft are currently setting course to intercept. “ Hope responded, and then added, “ Opening fire on new contacts, “ as the mark one vessels opened their missile tubes to release a coordinated strike against the new contacts, all while still trying to adjust their heading.
A few minutes later, aboard the TMS Silencer…
“ Sovereign vessel has docked, their representative is about to come aboard. “ A security team announced via the private intercom to Alber, while he watched the last of the corvette types in front of them being thorn apart by their weapons fire.
“ Escort them to the bridge. “ Alber instructed, taking note of a sudden but brief static that surged through a lot of the systems. Something that quickly had to be discarded as a brief system glitch for now.
His attention was quickly drawn back to the tactical screen before him, to try and properly evaluate the situation they were in.
The creatures ahead were nearly wiped out, the smaller group of vessels from Sovereign were dealing with the second group of Xa’Leen. And while they seemed unorganized at first glance, attacking targets like a swarm of angry hornets, they actually worked quite efficiently.
At first they used four ships to gun down one destroyer type, but realizing it to be overkill, they just used two of their vessels per destroyer type target, destroying them with rail guns, while firing missile towards the corvette and frigate type Xa’Leen.
Sovereigns second frigate group was working just as effectively, slower and less maneuverable, but the number of ships made up the difference. And with the three squadron’s of fighters they send to assist, dealing with the third Xa’Leen group was no problem either.
Sovereigns ships used mostly missiles on this third group, and the heavy fighter craft, who had been closer to the third group was opening fire with medium rail gun calibers. It made this all look more like a slaughter then an actual battle.
If there was a problem on their side, it was perhaps that the Sovereign ships could be seen venting hot plasma once an enemy projectile grew to close, which suggested they purged their reactors to prevent catastrophic failures.
It would damage the reactors gradually, but it kept them alive. But it was also suggesting that their ships had little to no power-storage, meaning, they needed those reactors to keep working for them to remain combat worthy.
But there was the greater issue still. The intelligence report suggested a high degree of coordination for the Xa’Leen. Tactical maneuvering, and a strong reliance on massive swarms in at least more developed systems.
But, there was nothing of that here. It felt more like, slaughter. There was no display of even a faint bit of intelligence in these beasts. There was just a reliance on those strange projectiles, and a rather unorganized charge of them towards their targets. And that charge wasn’t even much of a danger as these beasts accelerated only slowly.
Honestly, he could see how the claim of millions of them, in a settled system, could bring utter devastation. But other then that, they were just like lambs brought to the slaughter.
It left Alber to wonder, were those reports accurate ? Or was there simply something missing on the Xa’Leen’s side to enable their more, challenging nature ?
“ Cap. “ Alber heard uttered to his left, and averting his attention from the screen before him, he looked over to see the security detail, composed of two armed guards, flanking what must have been their guest from Sovereign.
A female, by human standards, which made him wonder for a moment.
If it where not for her complexion, those eyes and ears, one may have mistaken her for a human. It nearly felt like a cosmic joke to him. How this being combined a strange ethereal beauty, and a sort of eerie airs surrounding her, with how those eyes seemed to judge whilst her face remained neutral.
“ Welcome aboard the TMS Silencer. Do forgive me for remaining seated, the situation is, not what I had expected. “ Alber spoked.
“ I agree, the Xa’Leen are not what they used to be. “ The representative responded.
“ Return to your stations. “ Alber ordered the security detail, and then nodded towards the Representative.
“ I am Grand Admiral Tell. “ He finally introduced himself to her, and then waved his left hand over to the empty seat to his left while uttering, “ Please, have a seat. “
“ Nana, of Sovereign. “ The Representative responded with a light bow, and then leaned to sit down on the offered command chair.
“ You mentioned they have changed ? Does that mean, you know the Xa’Leen ? “ Alber then asked, latching onto the implication her words suggested.
“ Briefly. There had been contact in the past, but they used to be more docile then, and they had no weapons we are aware of. But perhaps we may have fallen for a ruse then. “ The representative responded.
“ Interesting. Our reports speak of a Highly intelligent aggressor, organized, and working with ruthless efficiency. But I can’t say our current situation does seem to reflect either perspective. “ Alber remarked.
“ New Contacts at 110 to 40. Counting 143 vessels at a distance of 134.500 km distance. “ Tactical called out.
Alber promptly checked his tactical display again, his fingers once more to dance over it as he adjusted his fleet’s orientation, before forwarding the changes towards Tactical.
“ Coordinate target selection, small and medium calibers only. Aim for the smaller vessels to thin them out. Laser strikers aim for the destroyer types. “ Alber ordered as the enemy fleet was composed of 30 destroyer sized creatures, and the rest was a mix of frigate and corvette types that were barely even a threat considering current circumstances.
“ Those ships, headed for Oldran station, are they armed ? “ Alber then directed at Nana, trying to determine a future strategy, just in case the situation suddenly changed. Still to hold the option open that the Xa’Leen might be following some sort of tactic of deception, if a somewhat wasteful one.
“ Barely, those ships are transports. Three of them are here to fulfill a contract. The other ten are transporting a large ground unit. The intent is to have them placed on the station itself to supplement it’s defense if need be. They use laser based weapons, but the internal reactor will only allow their weapon to fire around once per minute at max output. “ Nana responded.
Alber nodded slowly, glad that she so freely shared such detail, nearly to have expected that they would try and withhold such crucial information. It was a pleasant surprise that they seemed so willing to openly cooperate, despite what the information about them suggested.
He was not big on Diplomacy himself, but he would not mind actually learning a bit more about these people. Perhaps he would still have the chance, depending on how well this assignment, and their cooperation went. Though, he did wonder about that suggested instant communication of theirs, one of the questions he would likely try to pose later, given the chance.
“ Then please, have your larger fleet join up with us once they dealt with their current targets. “ He requested, to which Nana merely nodded.
He still thought this a bad idea, given his feeling that the Xa’Leen may actually count on this. But with how random their appearance was, spread across the area around Oldran 3, it may become pivotal to split his fleet. Merging his fleet with Sovereign ships, given their brawler like combat style, would be a good way to decrease the overall risk.
Meanwhile on Anthony’s side…
“ Hold it together Nana. “ Anthony reprimanded the Siren as she was not at all as calm as the Android made her out to be.
Nana was quite nervous, and Hope had to help her out with how she responded to Alber. In part because the Siren could not bear that intense gaze of his, as it seemed to be something of a weakness.
“ I am trying. Just, give me a moment. “ Nana muttered in response, trying to focus her mind on the issue at hand, and not on the image of that gaze above her, looking down at her as she’s pinned into bed.
“ No Fair ! “ She huffed then.
“ New Contact group at 270 to 70, counting 93 vessels at 125.000 kilometers. “ They could then hear through Nana’s connection, as the appearance of new Xa’Leen vessels was announced.
“ What kind of system are they using ? “ Anthony openly wondered, not quite making heads or tails of the Silencer’s system to announce new targets.
“ It appears they are using the Silencer’s current orientation. 360 degree on level plain, with 0 designating the front of the ship, and a 180 degree measure for the second value to suggest elevation in relation to them. Zero being above the ship, 180 being below. “ Hope suggested.
“ I see. “ Anthony uttered, not sure how to feel about it. briefly to consider how that value holds up if the ship was actively moving. But then again, if they only announced that value upon detection, and then leave the rest to the ship systems target tracking, that would make it plausible, to some degree.
“ Anthony, your ships are closest to them. “ Hope suggested.
“ Heading for them now. Go ahead and analyze the Silencer. “ Anthony responded.
“ Are you planning to keep the ship ? “ Kira asked, as he had used the moment Nana’s ship docked to it, to claim the Silencer, so that in essence, the ship was his now.
“ No, it’s just a safety precaution. And we can use the ship data for our own construction needs. “ Anthony remarked.
“ It’s actually using a large nuclear reactor. No wonder it’s still at full power while the other ships have to rely on their backup power-banks. “ Hope noted, seeming to appreciate the design.
“ Yes, less power output, but certainly an advantage against those green orbs. “ Anthony admitted.
“ I think I could reproduce this ship quite easily. Some minor adjustments to the hull to distinguish it from the original. Though it would not be as sturdy, we still lack the means to properly produce the nano-weave for the armor platings. “ Hope suggested.
“ I would like to have a few proper destroyers first. The Dusk will only fool the Terran’s for so long, and if this situation with the Xa’Leen escalates. Well, I would rather not find out what happens when they enter one of our systems. “ Anthony responded, worried as the assumption of a jump drive like movement capacity meant they could easily reach him.
“ How long do you think it would take for you to build our own version of the Silencer ? “ He asked, as having at least one other design besides the Dusk would be an option he could not simply discard.
Besides, he did suggest before that he wanted a weapon that was all about destructive power, and while the Silencers main gun was obviously phased out by the Terran’s, it certainly was nothing to scoff at.
“ Current estimate suggests about, 1 1/2, perhaps two month. And that would only be the prototype, considering your desire to base designs around an arrowhead. “ Hope suggested.
Anthony would then dare check the Silencers design as he needed to wait a bit anyway. His ships were on approach to the new enemy group, already opening fire with the medium caliber rails, but it would be a little before the actual brawl would happen.
“ Hm, I think we don’t have to follow that philosophy to the letter. Maybe a bit towards a dagger design in this case, with a mix of those battleship designs they used in sea battles. “ Anthony mused then, trying to come up with a design idea, but he had to admit, that was not his strong suit.
“ I do not have any data related to old earth designs concerning sea faring ships. “ Hope responded.
“ I can help you with that, I can show you a few models later to use for comparison. “ Kira offered.
“ That would be very much appreciated. “ Hope responded to Kira.
“ Good, then reserve one shipyard for it. And reduce Dusk production, focus more on the new Frigate and destroyer designs. “ Anthony then decided, to which Hope gave the usual, “ Will do. “
“ Cap, encrypted message from Allistor, they have enemy contact. “ They could hear the communications officer of the Silencer announce through Nana.
“ Shit, that’s our evacuation path for the Union. “ Anthony cursed, listening in on how Alber asked for more details, near relieved to hear that it seemed only two loosely organized fleet’s that had appeared there.
“ Kira ? Got contact with the Union yet ? “ He asked then.
“ Yes, first transport is going to dock in about ten minutes, the Union has access to a private docking area. But they will need a bit of time to gather all their personal on the station. “ Kira reported.
“ Good, make sure they understand that time is of the essence. “ Anthony warned.
“ Cap, Emergency call from both Bospherous and Allistor, a massive enemy presence has been detected in both system.
Local defense fleets are gathering to protect the colonies, and the blockade ships are breaking off to join the defenders. But they are requesting reinforcements from all adjacent systems. “ The communications officer on the Silencer then reported to Alber.
“ Crap. “ Anthony uttered under his breath, trying to listen in more closely.
For a few moments there was no response from Alber, not until Anthony could hear a deep sigh being released by the old man that carried the weight of a decisions that he clearly was not ready to make.
“ Recall all fighter squadrons and contact Oldran station, under Military law, all armed vessels are hereby ordered to Join the defense of Allistor. “ Alber then ordered.
“ Forced Military conscription, sounds like he means to join the defense of Allistor then. “ Kira remarked.
“ It is a large colony, there are near 41 million settlers on Allistor 5. Bospherous 2 has only 8 million, which is still more then Oldran station. “ Hope remarked.
“ I can not demand your cooperation in this, but would you mind defending Oldran with your fleet ? “ Alber then directed towards Nana after he considered his remaining options for a moment.
Anthony groaned then, he understood what Alber was trying to do. That old fool was asking them to defend Oldran, knowing very well that it is likely to fall if the attacks on Oldran increase. The ships they brought were enough to hold out for quite some time, but if the attacks kept coming, they would eventually run out of ammunitions.
But perhaps that was also a disguised hope from the Grand Admiral, that he would chose to assist with Allistor or Bospherous instead.
“ What should I tell him ? “ Nana requested, forcing Anthony indirectly to make a choice.
“ Kira ? Does Oldran station have any movement capacity ? “ Anthony would ask first.
“ Limited, they have maneuvering thrusters for light Orbital corrections. “ Kira responded.
“ Nana, tell the Admiral that our ships will join his fleet to defend Allistor, you’ll stay on the Silencer. Hope, I leave ship control to you and the Siren for now. “ Anthony finally decided.
“ Is that wise ? You’ll have to reveal the jump-ship. “ Hope warned.
“ Honestly, I don’t want to get involved, but this way, they owe us one, and we can use this to safely evacuate the Union as well. “ Anthony responded, quite unhappy about having to show one of his available cards to play.
Then again, he would feel bad simply abandoning the people on the station to their fate. It was that old conflict still, his dislike for human society as he perceived it, to abandon them and their views in their entirety, and his own desire to be better then them. How could he be better, if he turned a blind eye when he had the means to help in a situation like this ?
“ Sovereign offers the current ships to help in the defense of Allistor, and to relocate Oldran station to a more, secure location. “ Nana then responded to Alber.
“ Relocate ? “ Alber asked audibly surprised, which was as Anthony would expect.
“ Yes, we have a vessel available that can take the station away, the station merely has to establish a new orbit on it’s own, as all momentum will be lost after the transport. “ Nana responded based on her own knowledge.
“ Then please do so. And send my thanks to Sovereign. “ Alber spoke, not asking how they meant to achieve such a feat.
“ Hope, coordinate with the Station, get the power output on those thrusters and their fuel reserves. And based on that, give me a new system where they can establish somewhat of a safe orbit, at least until they can fully evacuate if needed. “ Anthony then begun to order.
“ Kira, dock all three transports to the station and stay there until the station is transported. Have the once with the Haunt’s join Tell’s fleet, depending on the situation over there, it may be best to have additional firepower. “ He then added.
“ Understood. “ Kira responded, while Hope remained silent for a moment longer.
“ Anthony, I am intercepting a lot of chatter coming through the phase lanes, using the Silencers systems. By what I am seeing, massive was an understatement. Alber is probably shutting down open reports on the situation given our presence, but I don’t think either system can last until their arrival. “ Hope then reported.
“ How bad is it ? “ Anthony asked.
“ Bospherous is reporting the appearance of 2 gas giants, and millions of Xa’Leen swarming the system. Considering the time these reports take to reach the Silencer, it is save to assume that the system defense is already destroyed. And the colony may be under attack.
Allistor has a greater number of defending ships, but there are 3 gas giants that have established an orbit in system, and the Number of Xa’Leen is simply too great. “ Hope explained.
“ Do you know how many ships the Terran’s have in either system ? “ Anthony asked.
“ Just an Eta, Bospherous should have around 210 ships, blockade fleet included. Mostly frigates with some destroyers in the mix. Allistor has around 500 ships there, with around 20 to 40 destroyers.
There is a chance that bordering System fleets join in, but it is not looking good for them. It appears Destroyers are mostly located at the Seltran front, and within core systems, so any help send from there would be to late. “ Hope suggested.
“ So, sending our ships will do little difference. “ Anthony uttered, though more to himself.
“ Yes, they might buy time, but considering the Reports I found on the Silencers Database, if they are true, then Tell’s fleet may not even reach Allistor 5. “ Hope warned.
“ And he is going anyway. Dutiful, but stupid. “ Anthony groaned, though deep down, he found himself respecting that old man.
Not many would boldly charge to the rescue, knowing they would likely die. But considering the Phase Network, he probably had no other choice either. If both those systems fell, he’d be cut off from the rest of Terran space, which may just as well be a death sentence for him.
All things considered, there may not even be reinforcements from other systems. If they are aware of the situation, it is more likely they gather larger fleets first, and by then, it would already be to late.
And considering how few ships they stationed in Oldran alone, no one bothered to consider that the Xa’Leen may not be reliant on the phase network, or have a way to travel faster then light. But that was to be expected perhaps ? Even Kira was unaware that the Xa’Leen had that ability, or weapons for that matter.
“ I doubt we can talk him out of it. Let’s help as far as we can. And I want you to further increase ship production and industrial base. If the Xa’Leen jump around with entire planetary bodies, I want to have a fleet ready in case they come our way. “ Anthony uttered.
“ I doubt we can manage a fleet in time that would offer meaningful resistance. “ Hope warned.
“ Then we have to move. Expand as much as you can, and phase out ship production on the Hope itself, I want her mobile again as soon as possible, just in case we have to evacuate her. “ Anthony ordered.
“ Understood. “ Hope responded.