Chapter 114 – Briefings
Adelina settled into her chair at the head of the briefing room. Everyone who had been waiting took their seats following her example. She nodded to Captain Holt as soon as everyone was settled.
Holt cleared his throat. “Lieutenant Commander Herrera, please give the admiral the detailed report of our findings in the system.”
Herrera stood up, pointer in hand. With a click, the room dimmed, and a holographic representation of the Sigma system materialized in the center of the room.
“Our scout detachments have completed a full scan of the system,” Herrera began, gesturing to the hologram. “Short-range detectors confirm no outbound FTL signatures. We’ve detected only one entry point besides our own.”
Adelina leaned forward slightly. “Time of that entry?”
Herrera’s brow furrowed. “It’s been too long for an exact timestamp, but it aligns with our timeline for Fremont’s departure and fastest route from Adril-38.”
“So we’re fairly certain the girl and the ship haven’t left the system,” Adelina mused, her voice steady.
Herrera nodded. “That’s most likely, yes.”
It matched their initial findings, and the detailed scans seemed to confirm it. Unless the girl had somehow developed a new type of FTL travel—highly improbable.
“What new information do we have?” Adelina asked, her gaze sharp.
Commander Naomi stepped forward, clearing her throat. The hologram shifted to a system map view.
“Recon units have analyzed for sub-light drive signatures for the outer ten planets, showing no activity,” Naomi reported. “The inner six are inconclusive due to solar radiation outflows.” She paused, her expression thoughtful. “The system itself is... unusual. There’s an excessive number of planetary bodies, statistically improbable.”
Adelina’s eyebrow arched. “Meaning?”
Naomi shrugged, her hands gesturing to the hologram as she explained. “The likelihood of this system existing is incredibly slim. If any planetary body deviated from its orbit by less than a percent, the entire system would destabilize. A single gravitational event could—would cause a catastrophic chain reaction.”
“And the habitable planet?” Adelina pressed, her interest piqued.
Naomi highlighted Sigma 16 on the hologram. Yellow-brown continents sprawled across the globe, intersected by swaths of green. Massive oceans capped both poles.
“We’ve detected irregular energy signatures,” Naomi continued. “They indicate technological activity, including HEM power cells and...” She hesitated. “Nuclear detonations.”
Adelina’s eyes narrowed. “Fusion or Fission?”
“Both. It’s likely ground combat is ongoing on the surface,” Naomi said, gesturing towards the hologram. “Just who or what, we’ve no idea, though. We still haven’t been able to detect any surface habitation. It’s possible there’s extensive underground infrastructure hidden from long-range scans.”
Naomi used her pointer to highlight a specific desert region on the hologram. Adelina’s eyes narrowed as she watched multiple pings and detections of explosions radiating from certain positions on the map.
“How long has this been going on?” Adelina asked, her voice sharp.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Naomi’s response was immediate. “For the entire duration that the planet was turned toward us, we detected these emissions.”
Captain Holt spoke up. “There’s a full-blown ground war going on if they are maintaining that frequency. We can see that there is a rough frontage where they are occurring as well.”
Adelina frowned, her mind racing through potential scenarios. “How much closer do we need to get for more detailed scans?”
Naomi shifted uncomfortably. “There are some issues with our sensors picking up readings. The planet’s magnetic field is irregular and disrupting our scans. We’ll need to descend to at least medium orbit, preferably geosynchronous orbit above the current zone of activity.”
“Any combat detected in other regions?” Adelina pressed.
Naomi shook her head. “Only on the single continent, and only in that region’s desert and one jungle zone, have we detected the energy spikes.”
Holt turned to Adelina, his expression concerned. “While there have been no signs of an orbital defense net, those altitudes would place the Horizon Ascendant in potential danger from planetary weaponry.”
Adelina nodded, her decision already forming. “We’ll deploy one of our escorts for detailed reconnaissance.”
At Holt’s questioning look, Adelina waved her hand. The main hologram display flipped to a fleet view, showing the various escorts scattered through the system and the Horizon Ascendant with its remaining protection. She pointed, and the screen zoomed in on the Destroyer ‘Radiant Descent’.
“We’ll send the destroyer, with its marine detachment,” Adelina stated firmly.
Herrera interjected, “We’ll need to take careful consideration before deploying the marines to the surface—if that’s your intent, ma’am.”
Adelina nodded, her voice steady. “I want them on station. If their recon can uncover Talia Fremont’s location, they will be tasked with an orbital drop to retrieve her.”
The room fell silent, shock evident on the faces of her officers. Holt managed to speak first. “An Orbital Drop, Admiral? For one girl?”
Adelina’s gaze hardened. “We have our orders, and we will carry them out—as long as it is safe to do so. I expect a full scan and plan of action before any drop is authorized. We aren’t going to send them in without a clear picture.”
She dismissed the hologram with a wave of her hand. “Get me an operational plan by the end of the hour. Captain Holt, you’ll join me on a call with the Radiant Descent’s captain. Herrera, get on a call with Lieutenant Colonel Harring, inform him that depending on the circumstances, his unit will be undertaking ground operations. Let him know what we discussed here.”
Adelina took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping across the room. She locked eyes with each officer in turn, her voice steady and commanding.
“Let’s get this moving, people. If there’s a shooting war down there, our principal is almost certainly in the middle of it.”
Naomi’s brow furrowed. “What if she’s the cause of it?”
Adelina nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line. “That’s a possibility too, but it makes it even more important to pull her out.”
She leaned forward, her hands clasped on the table. “From what we know her ship uses standard UFE tech. If she’s somehow unlocked military schematics planetside, it should be easy enough to backdoor them and calm whatever is going on down there if that is warranted.”
The weight of the situation settled over the room. Adelina stood, prompting everyone else to rise. The officers moved with purpose, each heading off to tackle their assigned tasks.
As the room emptied, Adelina’s mind raced. The picture of a socialite heiress Adelina had been presented with had already been suspect, but this was far, far beyond anything she had expected.
Really, a ground war? Or was the planet just riddled by frequent nuclear fire? That didn’t make sense either.
Adelina adjusted her cap and moved to join Holt to call the Radiant Descent’s captain.
She shook her head, pushing away the memories of Lily. Now wasn’t the time for sentimentality. They had a job to do, and the clock was ticking.
Whatever was happening on Sigma 16, they’d get to the bottom of it before she decided what they would do.