Chapter One Hundred and Seven - Retribution
Day caught the signatures of incoming drones before her sisters, but that was only because she’d looped around on an intercept course and was looking for them.
The drones in question were coming in from Ceres, and were quite bulky. There were six of them in all, and each one had almost as much mass as she did, though they weren’t exactly pretty to look at.
The drones were little more than a few rocket engines and manoeuvring thrusters slapped on the back of a set of cargo containers. There was some sensors and additional equipment strapped to them, but the main purpose of these was to go from A to B with as little material used in their construction as possible.
A single swipe from an Accord laser array would probably be enough to rip one of the drones apart. But that didn’t matter, because they were arriving long after Day and her sisters had cleared out any threats.
She aimed a tight beam to Lullaby, Twilight, and Candle. “The drones are here,” she said. “I’m splitting them off.”
She got some replies, but they were all plain affirmatives.
The six drones were split into three groups of two, and Day escorted them back to the FTL ships.
The ships had been regrouped and brought closer together. It hadn’t taken too long to take over the massive ship’s manoeuvring thrusters, and while the military vessel was damaged too heavily to be moved under its own power, that didn’t mean that they didn’t have options.
Options like letting Candle physically tug the ship closer, then using their repair drones and the now-emptied lifeboats to hold the ship in place.
In the end, they had all three close enough together that they were able to literally strap the ships together with long metal lines welded to their hulls.
The surviving crews, civilians, and military personnel were all moved to the most intact of the three ships while Twilight continued to rip apart any communication devices mounted to the hull.
It was hard work, yes, but nothing that they couldn’t manage, especially not when they were working together.
What was harder to manage was their time. Days had passed since their successful attack, and there was no doubt that the fleets were aware of their actions.
They’d basically doomed them all to staying within the Sol system.
One of the cruisers had fired off a high-powered message out of the system, aiming towards a distant star.
It would get there in about three decades, and then it would be just as long before anyone could send a reply.
Still, that meant that the timer had gone off. The ERF had just over thirty-two years left in Sol before they could expect another, more potent, visit from the Accord.
That was plenty of time. At least, if they managed to get rid of their current guests.
The drones slowed down hard, burning bright and loud until they came to a stop next to their designated ships. There was no point in having them be stealthy.
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The moment the ships came to a full stop then finished manoeuvring closer, they broke.
The cargo holds opened up, and swarms of smaller repair drones, tug drones, and salvagers poured out of their confines and set to chopping into the FTL ships with ravenous glee. Each of the transport drones also had a single container filled with fresh supplies. Day idly took over those meant for her and refilled her torpedo bay and ammo stowage with fresh munitions.
More bullets would be good to have, because they’d need them soon enough.
“This next bit’s gonna suck,” Candle said.
“It will,” Day agreed.
Their next target was the nearest fleet to their current position. The same fleet heading towards Earth. The planet was closer to the edge of the system they were on, and while the entire fleet had clearly been distressed to learn what happened to their FTL ships, they hadn’t changed course.
Day had been expecting them to turn around, slow down, or maybe for both fleets to consolidate into a single larger fleet. But no, they’d kept steady, which was at once the stupidest thing they could have done, and which also foiled a few of her plans.
“I’m ready to go,” Day said once the supply drone that carried her fuel finished topping her tanks back up. She kept the drone hooked up, that way she could take what fuel was left on it, then discard the drone later like a detachable tank.
The FTL ships would go through a months-long deconstruction operation out here on the edge of the system, and if everything went well, in a few months or maybe a year, they’d send out some barges to bring the raw materials back to Ceres.
The prisoners technically had enough air and food and supplies to last that long, if they all behaved and were logical and careful with their supplies.
Day had a hard time finding the energy to care for them at the moment, not when their next move might prove to be the last one she and her sisters took.
“I’m ready,” Twilight said.
“Likewise,” Candle replied.
Lullaby took a moment to reply. “Mhm.”
“Right,” Day said. “In that case, let’s get moving everyone. We have a fleet to kill.”
Their respective drives came to life in sync. With a blaze of violent light, her engines ignited and Day was thrown forwards, accelerating with the kind of kick that would have splattered the average organic.
No stealth. The enemy would see them coming regardless, and Day wanted them to know that they weren’t fighting a foe they could ever hope to match.
And, because she was feeling particularly petty, Day sent a message ahead, targeting the very fleet they were heading towards. “We’re coming. And we’re bringing the fire of retribution with us.”
“You are such a dork,” Candle said.
“Oh, shut up,” Day muttered right back.
***