Novels2Search
Aetherias Ascent
Chapter 12 - Interlude: The Terror Named Humanity

Chapter 12 - Interlude: The Terror Named Humanity

UGT: Unknown; the moment the ASF Aurora joins the battle

Location: Unknown yellow dwarf system; 9 million kilometres away from the third planet

----------------------------------------

"Im offering you to leave the system without further conflict. By taking this system, we got what we wanted. There is no reason for further bloodshed between our previously befriended species. We should not repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. What do you say, human admiral?" Grand Admiral Xiè-Sûthú asked. Honestly, he was amused because of the situation. The hated humans, the ones who halted the ruidan advance on the galaxy, now were at the Association's mercy. If he wanted to, he could blast the local human "fleet" out of existence, most likely without loosing a single ship.

Alas, it wasn't supposed to be. The Queen Regent and the council of grand admirals hat spoken. And while he, as a Grand Admiral himself and controller of the local enclave of the Association, had a vote as well, he was unable to gain a mojority in the council. Therefore, his orders were to remain as civilised and cooperative as possible with the humans. Still, wouldn't stop him from mocking the human Admiral a bit. The hairless apes didn't deserve anything else, anyway.

"I think-", the human Admiral started saying, only for the combat readiness alarm on both ships to go off. "Grand Admiral, something broke away from the third moon and opened fire on our fleet! Our ships were gone in seconds! Nothing remained!", the Grand Admiral's Lookout Officer screamed. "A trap.", the Grand Admiral realised, motioning to his Communications Officer to cut the broadcast. He had made himself fool enough. "What can you tell me about the new enemy?", he asked instead.

"First measurements mark the new enemy as a... Super Battleship, Sir! That must be the FSF Hurricane! The terror of humanity is here!", the Lookout Officer screamed, clearly hystherical. The Grand Admiral could only shake his head. "Impossible. We know were the FSF Hurricane is located at all times. It's one of the Associations highest priorities. These human bastards must have buil a second Super Battleship, breaking the GCL by not notifying the Galactic Council. We were wrong. We were so very wrong from the very beginning. There is no First Federation technology here. Just the newest human megaproject, now mobilised to punish us for our attack. And, most important of all, this think is spherical. Just like the aetherian ships of old.", he muttered.

"To all units, open fire on the human ships and than retreat! We have to get back into our own space and notify the council of grand admirals immediately! The Federation is unlike us officially at war, there is nothing stopping them from using their Super Battleships against us!", the Grand Admiral ordered, bringing action into the command centre once more. Everyone understood how the situation had just turned for the worse.

"Grand Admiral, the Super Battleship accelerates impossibly fast and they set an intercept course for our fleet! This is technology not even the Association has!", the Lookout Officer reported, making the Grand Admiral curse silently. "Of course they installed new and unrivaled technology! I bet they deliberately made themselves look weak all these years, while assembling this fucking titan! Im willing to bet that the humans found First Federation technology quite some time ago. They just didn't announce it to the galaxy while quitle reverse engineering it. That seems to be the fruits of their work! A spherical ship, the best, as well as hardest, form a spaceship can have. They definitly shouldn‘t have something like that!"

"We detected electromagnetic pulses between the FSF Defiance, the enemies flagship, and the Super Battleship.", reported the Communication Officer quitely, thereby sealing the deal in the eyes of the Grand Admiral. "No doubt they are trying to work out the current chain of command.", he snorted. Their only hope to flee unscated was for the Super Battleship to refuse taking orders from the local Admiral.

"I want everything we have on our hypershields and thrusters. Use the afterburners as well. I don't care how much we destroy the ships if it means a chance at escaping.", the Grand Admiral commanded. It was a slim hope that any of these measures would do more than prolong the inevitable outcome of the situation. "The Super Battleship is now less than 50.000 kilometres away! But... they aren't shooting?" That was the second the entire ship shuddered and alarms started to blare.

"What happended?!", the Grand Admiral shouted instantly. "Our shields are getting hit by continuous laserbeams and another unidentifiable energy moving with the speed of light! There is no sign of the Super Battleship having to Slow down their assault! That should be impossible! Shields are down to 54%, weakening further with every second we get hit! They ignore or easily go through every defence we throw their way!", the Lookout Officer sreamed in panic. On the tactical display, the Grand Admiral saw how smaller ships around them already got snuffed out, unable to stand against the Super Battleships laser beams, even with how weakened they were, because of the very long distance between them and the Super Battleship.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"The Super Battleship is accelerating further, crossing the 25.000 kilometre mark... now!", The CN announced, obviously starting to support the Lookout Officer in in his tasks. "The Super Battleship, additionally to their constant barrage of lasers, now fired their missilies and railgun projectiles as well!", the Lookout Officer added, making the Grand Admiral clenching his teeth.

"Order to all ships, accelerate and jump out of the system the moment you can. Start evasive maneuvres, trying to confuse or block a Super Battleships attacks will be useless! Only by not getting hit will we have a chance to survive! Once the Super Battleship closes in to less than 10.000 kilometres, all ships fire at will! Every ship bigger than a Corvette will than turn around and start an encircling maneuvre, thereby reducing the firepower the ship can throw at us, buying time for our smallest and fastet ships to escape!", he said, his orders getting transferred to the entire fleet.

Instantly everyone in the command centre was pushed into their seats, as the pilots started complex evasion maneuvres, the artificial gravity unable to keep up. But as long as it meant they would survive, the Grand Admiral was okay with that. "The missiles are going to hit any moment. We are unable to evade them properly. Our deflactors are doing nearly nothing to their sensors.", the Lookout Officer said through gritted teeth. Than the missiles hit.

The entire ship shook violently and new alarms started blaring, lights rapidly flickering. "We got hit hard, our hypershields are down to 12%! It took most of the ships energy and an eight of our remaining antimatter supply to power through the attack! The railgun projectiles are now incoming! The Super Batttleship is starting a second wave of missiles and railguns as well!, the Lookout Officer reported. "We lost eleven Corvettes, four Frigates and three Destroyers in the attack. The Cruisers suprisingly made it through without any losses.", the CN added quitely.

Suddenly, the ship shuddered once more, with even more alamrs blaring. "A single railgun projectile managed to punch through our hypershield and grazed us. Sections 14 and 16 are open to space. The suspected antiatter load of the projectile luckily didn't detonate.", the CN said. The Grand Admiral only nodded. "Shield stability and causalities of the fleet?", he asked.

"A Corvette, a Frigate, three Destroyers and finally, one Cruiser got destroyed. Shields are down to 3%, we're strengthenig them with everything we have. But our antimatter and energy reerves are depleting rapidly. The next wave of attacks will probably rip through our hypershield and hit the ship directly.", the Lookout Officer reported lifeless. He had obviously given up hope to get out of the situation alive. "Distance to the Super Battleship fell below 25.000 kilometres. What are our orders?", the CN asked.

"Change in plans. Everything bigger than a Frigate is to turn arround. We have to buy time and hopefully pressure the Super Battleship into decelerating, so they can deal with us. This would create ample time for our Corvettes and Frigates to flee. Should the flagship be deytroyed, our ships are to surrender.", the Grand Admiral ordered. He had no intention to let his people die in vain. He didn't wanted to be known by their next generations as the Grand Admiral, who ruthlessly sacrificed his own people for nothing. He would rather face the dishonour of dying because of such an underhanded tactic and offering up his ships to the enemy, than disgracing his name any further!

"The next wave of missiles is closing in. We should be able to evade most of them, as there wasn't any-", the Lookout started, only to be cut of, as the entire ship screeched, accompanied by a loud explosion.The lights flickered massively once more before going out, only for the emergency generator to activate. "What happened?!", the Grand Admiral barked immediately. "The enemies missiles... They just... multiplied and accelerated out of nowhere!", the Lookout Officer screamed.

"Multiple of these multiplied antimatter missiles hit us. We had a bunch of primary and secondary exposions. We are incredibly lucky the cold fusion generator didn't just explode on us. But I suspect the incoming railguns are going to change that very soon. The only reason our ship ist still existing is because the Super Battleship already redirected its laser beams. Evacuation for the crew was already ordered. Because of these multiplying missiles, our fleet lost another Corvette, two Frigates, four Destroyers, three Cruisers and even one of our Battlecruisers. I expect the fleet to capitulate the moment our flagship officially ceases to exist.", the CN said dryly.

The Grand Admiral sighed silently. If this was how it's going to end, than he would not shy away from it. "Fire all our weapons in the direction of the Super Battleship. An act of final defiance. And give me a visual, highlighting the railgun projectiles. I want to see death coming with open eyes. Everyone else, flee. Try to evacuate from the ship. But I will die with my fleet.", he said, determined.

The Grand Admiral watched as the command centre cleared, until only he was left. He watched, as the evacuation shuttles started, his crew leaving their ship and their Grand Admiral behind. And he watched, as the antimatter loaded railgun projectiles closed in on his flagship. Than, he was no more, a gigantic explosion ripping the Battlecruiser apart.

He did not see the rest of his fleet capitulating, nor the sole Corvette who managed to slip into the hyperlane just in time, to evade its untimely death. Carrying the knowledge of what had transpired deeper into Association controlled territory.