Chapter 198: A New Kind Of D-Day
The Command and Ops Nexus within the TRC Command Base hummed with a grim, desperate energy. Around the massive holographic Earth display, the Eastern Hemisphere glowed with ominous red zones, depicting the ongoing chaos of the second Krill invasion wave.
General Mark Dempsey, his face etched with exhaustion and frustration, stood alongside several other UEDC generals and a few bewildered US politicians. Their eyes, heavy with the weight of recent reports, constantly flickered towards Richard Santamo, a silent plea for his unparalleled insight.
Live feeds on the holographic display painted a horrifying reality. In Moscow, UEDC soldiers dropped their weapons, eyes glazed over, walking in a trance towards the shimmering, purple, eyeless Vorloks. Massive Grak’Toruun, "Dreadmaws," smashed through buildings, their colossal forms tearing concrete and steel asunder. And in the skies above, a fiery maelstrom raged, choked with fire-breathing Volriths and darting Zal’kren, turning fighter jets into burning wrecks.
"The psionic effect... it’s devastating our ground forces," General Dempsey’s voice was strained, raw with the effort of holding despair at bay. "Our neural dampeners prototype are only partially effective, and we can’t get enough of them deployed. And the aerial beasts... our air superiority is crumbling. We’re losing ground rapidly."
A US Politician, his face pale, his voice trembling, gestured frantically at the displays. "This is... this is a nightmare. How do you fight something that can control your mind? Or a creature that breathes fire and flies faster than our jets?" All eyes, desperate and fearful, turned to Richard Santamo.
Richard stepped forward, his presence calm amidst the rising panic. He gestured to the holographic map, his voice clear and authoritative, cutting through the tension like a laser.
"Gentlemen, this new enemy brings significant challenges, but they are not insurmountable. The psionic war-dogs, can be countered. Our Automated Forces – the Android Marines – possess no biological brain to be controlled. They are immune. We will deploy them in force to engage the Vorloks directly. However, for your human soldiers, they must maintain maximum possible distance from these creatures. Their psionic range, while potent, is not infinite."
He shifted the holographic display to the chaotic aerial battle, the swirling red icons of Volriths and Zal’kren dominating the airspace. "For the skies, your conventional fighters are outmatched by the Krill’s bio-engineered aerial units in terms of raw speed and maneuverability at high Gs.
I can lend you our VASIMR fighter jets. These craft can achieve speeds exceeding Mach 5, and their extreme maneuverability is offset by integrated inertial dampeners. Your pilots will not need to worry about high-G maneuvers; the jets will handle the stresses. These will engage the Volriths and Zal’kren directly."
A collective sigh of profound relief rippled through the UEDC generals. The sheer pragmatism and immediate effectiveness of Richard’s solutions were overwhelmingly apparent. General Dempsey, a rare smile touching his lips, nodded slowly. "Inertial dampeners... that changes everything for our pilots. Thank you, Mr. Santamo."