“Status report!” Sounded Wolf to his crew.

“Long-range scanners are picking up traces of enemy signatures all around the system. Putting it up on the tactical display now.”

With a bright shimmer, the rectangular table was brought to life with an updating image of the solar system. What showed was a yellow dwarf, much like our own, followed by five planets. Three existed within an asteroid belt before the two gas giants. The fourth planet had a multitude of smaller satellite moons and the fifth consisted of two rings, making a stretched ‘X’ across the planet. Beyond that sat a second asteroid belt acting as the final barrier for the system.

Several red dots were indicated around some planets. Running them through their known ship's database, the crew was able to identify what types of signatures the scanners picked up.

The first set orbited a gas giant with two rings.

“Minerva,” Wolf commanded, “What do you know of this system? Did they have anything recorded for it?”

Her likeness was materialized in a blue light and she gave a bow.

“I do,” she started, motioning toward the outermost planet and began working her way toward the star, “Where we exist now, is known to them as the Peiper Belt; a lightly industrialized sector and home to abundant rare minerals. They began mining operations some twenty rotations ago. Therefore, much of this asteroid belt is untouched.”

Wolf noted the information and a scribe noted the tactical and economic value of an untouched asteroid belt.

She continued, “The last planet of their system is known as Beladir; their only planet with a naturally formed ring also mined for resources.”

She zoomed on the planet, and it grew in detail of their large crossing rings. Within them were a series of stations identified with an ‘M’, for mining or mineral station. Within the skies of the planet was also a series of what looked to be floating platforms of the gaseous blue planet.

“They have made a series of advancements in terraforming technology, but it is merely in its infancy. The most they were able to achieve was a barely suitable layer of breathable atmosphere in the layer where the stations reside. No doubt the stations are the cause for the change,” Wolf agreed.

For a civilization to willingly change a planet’s composition to something habitable for residents. Regardless of its stage, terraforming was a grand achievement all on its own. It was a shame he had to destroy what they built.

“You said this technology is in its infancy, what are the chances that research and development have moved off world?”

She was silent as she ran her programs and routines but came back with a sufficient answer, “Scanning their network and isolating chatter surrounding their stations, I’ve come to the conclusion that Beladir is their only project regarding the manner. To ensure this is the case, I ran cross-checks of other known planets and their purpose. I can make sure if we are closer for a full invasive search.”

Wolf mulled over her suggestion for a bit as he also looked over his tactical display. There was a light military presence over Beladir which he could easily neutralize. Before proceeding, he asked for information about the rest of the system.

She nodded, “The next planet is another gas giant, roughly six times greater than that of Beladir, known as Dorn. Like Jupiter, Dorn has a plethora of moons, each with their characteristics and also home to numerous research facilities. The presence of Sellian navy is light but more than Beladir. It may be worthwhile to infiltrate and retrieve what research they may have. I believe Commander Vale and his group would be sufficient for that task.”

“We’ll see. What else do they have beyond that? Defenses, traps, there has to be more.” The tactical holo-display slowly increased the amount of red dots as a wave emanating from their sector made its way across the view like a wave.

“Scanners are nearing max capacity for output, but I will do my best to alleviate that,” she said as the last of the dots in the latest ping halted.

“Beyond Dorn is the Teela Belt; a heavily industrialized asteroid belt unlike their Peiper belt. There are a series of defensive stations housing fighter attack craft and weaponry. Beyond that is Sellia, their cradle world, Halen, then finally, Lorbin.”

“Just send me a report on the rest, meanwhile, prepare for an assault on Beladir,” she gave a bow and the ship began its Slip Stream procedures.

Wolf then turned to Randal, who sat quietly during the exchange between AI and Admiral, “Inform Vale and his group to redirect to Dorn. Take out their defenses and to secure all research and development.”

“Yes Sir,” he replied, making his way to the comms officer who then began relaying Wolf’s intent.

As the ship, and the rest of the fleet, began their Slip Stream Jump, Wolf began reading through the material sent to him by Minerva. It began with Sellia and its moon, Selu, but he skipped past it and read about Halen and Lorbin first.

Lorbin was the first planet in their solar system and shared similar features to Venus. It didn't rotate in its orbit and so one side was constantly scorched while the dark side was below freezing. The distance from their sun was enough to keep this equilibrium. The center following the poles was a smaller area, about 50-75 km wide that houses a population of its own. She also detailed reports of habitants extending down below the surface. Something he may investigate later if there's cause.

Moving beyond Lorbin was now Halen, a desert planet on the inner edge of the habitable zone and home to a vehicle manufacturing plant. It apparently writhed with many super large fauna known as the Halen Death Worm, but became extinct less than five years ago by a Chief-Captain Namu. A name he vaguely remembered from the battle of Draxis in an after action report.

“If I remember right…” Wolf began but was interjected by Minerva.

“He was a Chief promoted to Chief-Captain before the battle of Draxis and was subsequently neutralized by an auxiliary force in a research sector of the Draxis System. They were unable to breach the research facilities and were held off until TRSC forces arrived.”

“How… disappointing,” Wolf muttered with bored disregard.

“The same could be said for Chief-Captain Dalogon,” she added.

He wanted to reply with a ‘Who?’ as a joke but kept it to himself. He knew of him from recent memory over the planet of Verbus and taken prisoner. However, he felt that something was off when he turned over control of the POWs to the rest of the TRSC. It was an assault ship utilized by the Orbital Drop Raiders but was detached from the current 4th battalion currently in the fleet.

The ‘TRSC Noble Vengeance’, a ship that was responsible for the sole transport of the prisoners taken in orbit from Verbus, the first planet they assaulted, after he scoured through a report from Randal. The ODR were the last on his mind to take prisoners, so he was the first to grow skeptical of their involvement.

“Can you investigate where the Nobel Vengeance headed?” Asked Wolf to Minerva, “I want to know where they were taken.”

She nodded, “It will take some time, but it should be possible.”

“Good. Take care of that once we’re finished here,” he said, taking his seat near the rear of the room, “but meanwhile, are we ready to attack, Randal?”

Randal turned from the Holo-table after discussing plans with other ship captains of the fleet. “We are,” he said, changing the void-scape to that of the area of Beladir, “Their force here is light, a couple of cruisers, some frigates, and a detachment of fighters taking a patrol around the AO.”

He highlighted the high-atmosphere stations previously designated as the cause for their terraforming technology, “We plan to send in several bombers loaded with size nine torpedoes-”

“Mark forty-fives, to be exact,” interjected a commander from one of the displays used for conference calls, “It should do a number to whatever is keeping them in the air.”

“Right, with the Mark forty-fives,” Continued Randal, “There’s a total of five stations placed along the equator of the planet. They’re large but as long as we strike the bottom, then we can let gravity do the rest.”

It was a solid plan from the looks of it. There was a detailed placement of troops on the tactical table of which ships were going to engage with the enemy fleet and who were chosen to strike at the terraforming plants. The Sword of Reckoning would remain in the rear with a decent escort and to support the fighters. Their route would be in orbit of the planet but hardly would they ever be that close. It was just so that they couldn’t be fired on from a stationary position. That would be a rookie mistake in and of itself.

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Gruda, the quiet passenger, was next to speak up. He was quiet for so long that much of the bridge crew almost forgot he was still present, even as a newly inducted Ensign.

“It might be best to strike simultaneously,” Randal looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a nod, beckoning him to continue.

“If memory serves, the military are fond of their use of shield technology. It's likely they have some form of shielding to protect it from the occasional meteorite,” Gruda provided exceptional insight that Randal was surprised and welcomed it if he was right.

“Minerva,” spoke Randal, to which she replied with a simple ‘Yes?’, “Can you scan if the platforms have shields and if they could deflect our ordnance?”

Her form paused for a moment as she calculated before giving her answer.

“The platforms do have a decent shield generator but currently, they are reduced in capability; approximately 35% operation. Two Size Nine Torpedoes should be capable of breaking their shields even at 85% operation. As Ensign Gruda suggests, it would be wise to strike them simultaneously before they have a chance to raise the output.”

Looks of awe and praise were lightly showered on Gruda, as he sat back down, slightly dejected.

“What’s wrong?” Wolf was the first to notice his expression and was also the first to ask.

“It… feels wrong. To plot against my brethren like this,” Wolf placed a hand on his shoulder, not to empathize, but to teach.

“Do you know the first rules of war, Gruda?” to which he replied.

“Attack swift, and deny enemy retaliation,” Wolf nodded at his response, knowing that it was likely from Sellian War Doctrine, but was similar to humanity in the way they fought.

“You’re not wrong,” he started, “Each nation has their own way of fighting, even among the TRSC. Each fleet commander, captain, whoever, has a way they fight that works for them. Even we have one doctrine that throws the enemy off almost all the time, simply for its unpredictable nature, but I digress.”

Wolf pointed to the station platforms that were their target as they floated in the upper atmosphere of the planet.

“One of the first rules in any war is to target infrastructure of the enemy. To make it as difficult as possible to deny them resources that they could use. Energy production, vehicle factories, research and mining stations, etc. Your people used a similar tactic during their initial invasions,” Gruda seemed to rack his brain at the statement.

“Communications,” Wolf said before Gruda could answer, “They disabled communications down to individual ships, rendering an organized front almost impossible, at least initially. For us, we find that taking out these stations would significantly delay its commercialized use. In other words, denying their future economy.”

Gruda’s face lit up with realization. If his people were able to perfect terraforming technology in the near future and at a cheaper cost, then over all habitation of dead planets would flourish with an economy. Wolf knew this and now Gruda.

“That’s right. It might seem shortsighted, but the long-term implications would practically run the empire to the ground. It’s what we call, asset denial; destroy prospective means of potential production in resources and economy, and you can topple an empire. Besides, I'm sure the Republic will have a solution when we’re done here.”

As wolf finished his explanation, Randal sounded off the commencement of the operation; code-named Operation Trailblazer.

Wolf knew the implications of an attack this could cause for their enemy, which is why he green lit the operation. It was the basics for all who partook in warfare with the capability to match. Strike at their infrastructure at the beginning of a conflict to reduce their ability to resupply their armies. Fuel, food, and ammunition productions are all prime targets, which is why there was always a need to have suitable defense surrounding key points of interest. Why was there always a need to build in an area that no one can view from orbit. Wolf know this down to its fundamentals, and he put it into practice with the information gathered from the ship’s numerous advanced scanners.

With multiple Slip-Space bubbles materializing for a brief moment, ships of specified attack groups entered their respective space and were sent to their destinations with the intent to cause the utmost destruction they could.

“Several minutes until we reach Beladir,” reported Randal.

His face one perspiring now that the 7th fleet had made its way into the Sellian home system. Something they had tried, but utterly failed, when they attacked humanity. He gave orders to various officers of the bridge before the ship, and its escorts, would inevitably exit Slip-Space.

Fighters were prepped, and their engines were online waiting for the go ahead from their flight deck control. Wolf then found it suitable to speak into the all call speaker system to address the crew about what they were about to do.

“Good afternoon, Sailors, Marines, Raiders. We are soon to arrive in our first encounter with the Sellian Empire home system. That’s right. Their home. They had tried to do the same to us, but we beat them to it. Your actions aboard this vessel, and your brothers and sisters alike aboard other ships of this fleet, have worked hard to ensure our mission was a success in curbing the alien menace from making a stomping ground of Terran Colonies. We will show them what true power is as a vessel of the TRSC! For our fallen! For our lost! Terra will have its vengeance! Admiral, out.”

The reception was well received among the crew and many would come to call this day Sellian Judgement Day. Dema system, along with Draxis, were two systems with plenty of citizens lost to the onslaught of the alien advance. Many lost still had yet to be found, and it would take an entirely new effort to locate them. Even with all the money the Stellar Navy has, it couldn't make finding enslaved Terrans its priority. They would have to relegate that to an agency solely dedicated to the effort.

When the swirl of purple, black and white ceased, the crew of the main fleet were met with the familial serenity of the ever black canvas of space. Except this time, a blue orb with two distinct rings making an X was seen in the distance as well as enlarged on the central tactical holo-table. A fleet of a cruiser sized ship with multiple corvette were seen patrolling in orbit above one of the stations. This was true for the other four stations around the planet. They were a small detachment but if they mounted a coordinated defensive, it would prove troublesome.

Wolf ordered Randal on how they should proceed with the attack, knowing that they were probably detected on scanners.

“Hit them with the MACs and start thinning them out. Take out their comms while we’re at it. We can't give them time to retaliate,” Randal nodded and began issuing orders to other captains of their fleet.

Several frigates capable of MAC ordnance were sent forward, their ship’s computer supported by Minerva in their firing solutions. They were still tens of thousands of kilometers from the planet that it took a severe amount of processing power to account for anything that could cause a MAC round from deviating even at a fraction of light speed. When it was deemed nominal for most firing solutions, they fired in volleys towards the nearest enemy.

The shots made a streak of light that lasted for only moments at any given moment. A volley of death in a magnitude unheard of by those who came before and who never thought possible the kind of destruction that it wrought. The Sellians would be the second to witness such power, and they would not be the last.

Wolf now knew, they were not alone. If there were the Sellians, then there may be more out there who are not as keen to have them in the same space, and they would need to be ready for that. He wished that wouldn’t be the case, but it would be naive to assume that the universe was kind. It is cruel and unforgiving, not yielding to the pleas of those subject to its torment, but humanity had something they prided themselves in. Something that had carried them when they were surrounded by death and misfortune; the indomitable human spirit.

From using nature’s wind to carry them across the sea to their man-made devices that allowed for faster than light travel. Humanity forged their path in the blood, sweat, and tears of their ancestors to be more than what they limited themselves to.

Now humanity faced another threat, this time to their entire existence as a race. By their will alone, they would acquit that notion and face their aggressors with none other than the human will. And in the next moment, the Sellian ships met their fate. Their debris molding with the rings of Beladir, by an act of righteous and vengeful fire.

Their signatures on the tactical table were removed, one by one, as the frigates fired a continuous volley at their unsuspecting enemy. The first shots had destroyed their local communications array, but that didn't mean the ships themselves couldn’t send for reinforcements. With the continuous fire, the enemy presence was reduced to nothing, with other groups reporting the same as the table indicated.

“Enemy forces diminishing, Admiral,” reported Minerva, “Capacity for enemy counter-attack is now less than 5.67% and dropping.”

Wolf acknowledged the report and turned to Gruda who sat quiet in his chair, “I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of combat, Gruda.”

The person in question nodded silently in response, “You must be willing to have what it takes to do what needs to be done, and unfortunately, this is one of those things.” He pointed to the hologram display of the planet of the slowly diminishing Sellian Navy that he had once served with.

“I know,” he said softly, “It’s still difficult to watch this of my brethren. I'm sure they do not know what they are truly fighting for…”

Gruda grew solemn in witnessing his brethren face death at the gate simply for being associated with the force that attacked humanity first, even if they weren’t present on the front lines at all. But that was war. There were casualties regardless of what and Wolf had to send a message. He couldn’t waste time trying to appeal to those who might have shared the same sentiment as Gruda and Yorla. The time for diplomacy was over and Humanity came in force.

The fighters of the carrier that Wolf commanded were finally sent out after the initial bombardment, and they made a slip-stream jump to just over their respective destinations. With a nod from Wolf, Randal enacted the next stage in the attack.

“All bombers, you are cleared to engage. Weapons hot,” The unsuspecting stations for Sellian Terraforming research and development were now faced with their inevitable destruction.

Gruda watched on the display of the path of the fighters to a holographic representation of the terraforming station with a light transparent bubble surrounding it. An indicator in the shape of a triangle was then let loose from a ship, tens of kilometers from their target. The first missile had hit the bubble surrounding the station, but scanners indicated that that hit was a success and that a second payload was only for good measure, in the midst of a severely damaged station.

After the second missile, the figure of the station disappeared and a round of cheers were sounded from the crew. One down and four more to share the same fate.