--Multiple Operations Selected: SWITCHBACK & VELVET HAMMER—
Day 216, 0248 Local
Strike Group Orestes
High Orbit, Ahn System“Alright folks, you heard the man. The hacking crews want those grenadiers.”
“Incoming!” The ship rocked with the incoming fire. “More AI on scope sir!”
“Figured. They have been fortifying this system for a while. Get some fire on those tractor units. They are spreading us out too much.”
“Sir, message from
Termagant. They have deployed and are moving to intercept.”
“Copy that. Coordinate our fire with
Termagant. Let’s get this done.”
Day 218, 1824 Local“That’s the last of them sir.”
“Signal
Menelaus. They have point for the hack. Helm, move us to the Dourish wormhole. We are out of here once the hack is done.”
Day 221, 1936 Local
Strike Group Menelaus
High Orbit, Dourish System
“Phase 1 is complete sir. We have repaired the citadel.”
“Excellent. Let
Orestes know they are clear for Phase 2. Aalst is theirs, we will keep things clear on the home front.”
Day 234, 1112 Local
Strike Group Orestes
High Orbit, Aalst SystemHe shook his head in amazement. It seemed the brass never changed. They spend all their effort on what is called a “high-priority”, then they go and deploy it wastefully. “Sir, command reports both the
Aegis and
Phalanx have been disabled and are heading to the rear for repairs.”
“Very well, what’s our status here?”
“Crews are working on the station construction now. Once that is complete, they will move to repair the battlestation.”
Day 238, 1600 Local“That was a close one. The AI clearly isn’t happy.”
“No ****. Dourish is down and we almost lost it here. Get the repair crews out there. Rumor has it command wants that new power generator next door.”
Day 250, 0112 Local
Home Fleet Command
Low Orbit, Rhodia PrimeNot a moment too soon…”Sir the warp grid is spiking! It’s looks similar to the massive attack we had 4 months ago.”
“Another one? I guess I’m not surprised, given our recent windfall. Is Dourish back online?”
“Yes sir, and it’s a real tempting target for the AI. All our crews have been pulled out, it’s in automatic mode now.”
“Perfect. If we can’t stop the flood, we can at least direct it. At least we are ready for it this time.”
Day 271, 1512 Local“Excellent. That makes 3 of these power generators under our control.”
“Sir, take a look at this.” He turned the monitor so he could see, “The latest scout reports.”
He let a hint of a smile appear on his face, “Another one, and what is that thing?”
“Unknown sir. They describe it as looking similar to an old Terran hornet or wasp nest, but it’s massive. Even larger than our battlestations.”
“Hmm…have the scouts get some more information. I’m recalling the battlegroups now from the eastern flank. They will be in position to either go for the superterminal, the 3rd citadel, or…that.”
Day 280, 1612 Local
Strike Group Orestes
High Orbit, Hudak System“They call it a Hive.”
“A Hive? An apt description. Damn thing even looks like one. Has command given us the go?”
“Not yet. Latest intel shows the AI is still in a holding pattern, but command has not said anything beyond that.”
“We have
Aegis,
Phalanx, and
Bastion all moving toward the superterminal. Command has parked us here, and they still haven’t given us a green light to grab the last citadel. We can’t sit around forever.” A bell rang in the command center, signaling FLASH traffic was incoming. He nodded once, “Good. Someone finally got a boot in the rear.”
His aide brought him the printout. He took it with a quick nod and skimmed the contents. He suddenly stopped and started reading it again from the top. “So…that’s why command has been so quiet.” He softly chuckled and passed the brief to his XO. “Take a look at this.”
“They finally found it have they? About time.”
“Pardon me sir, if I may ask, command found what?” his aide inquired.
“The AI homeworld. Their command and control system.” His aide turned three shades paler at that pronouncement. “But that’s not our target this time. Signal the group, we are moving out.”
Fleet Status:
Strike Group Orestes –
52x Velociraptor Mk.I
208x Dagger Mk.IV
208x Turbo Stingray Mk.I
42x Sniper Mk.I
42x Spider Mk.I
6x Raid Frigate Mk.IV
Strike Group Termagant -
267x Space Plane Mk.IV
58x Inhibiting Tesla Corvette Mk.III
16x Zapper Mk.III
Striker Group Menelaus –
51x Harasser Mk.III
54x Grenade Launcher Corvette Mk.III
24x Vanguard Mk.I
94x Raider Mk.IV
1x Devastator Frigate Mk.I
Strike Group Bellerophon –
8x Vanguard Mk.I
149x Grenade Launcher Corvette Mk.III
2x Tritium Sniper Frigate Mk.I
2x Assault Frigate Mk.I
Strike Group Aeneas –
46x Porcupine Mk.I
51x Kite Mk.I
55x MLRS Corvette Mk.III
34x Concussion Corvette Mk.I
Strategic Theatres:
A: Operation SHOWDOWN – Strike the Super Terminal now. Hinder the AI with a single massive hack. Circled in GREEN
B: Operation SWARM LOGIC– Capture and repair the Hive. As a side bonus, another ZPG is on site. Circled in YELLOW
C: Operation SPOTLIGHT(CHRONOS revised) – The frigate communications node. However, unlike CHRONOS, we have included provisions to hack the command augmenter on site. We need to get more defenses on our backwater planets to slow the AI down. Circled in RED