Memory transcription subject: Onso, Yotul Technical Specialist
Date [standardized human time]: March 23, 2137
The captain bore a somber look on her face, as Tyler first imparted the news of Dominion reinforcements from the direction of Kalqua. There were a few hushed and hurried conversations, as I strained to pick up the comms chatter. While I couldn’t hear what our personnel were saying, I could see the humans’ faces cycling through different emotions. The bridge crew were dividing their attention between this new situation, and waging battle against the Arxur ships entrenched in the gas giant’s ring. Our progress was slow and steady, careful not to overplay our hand; their cover was being chipped away at, though it cost us a few ships. Plasma arced from our railgun, seizing a clean angle that I’d forwarded through my analysis of the battlefield.
I tried to focus on that single enemy erupting into smithereens, and the increased ability we had to avoid hazards from our closer vantage point. The Dominion didn’t budge from their positions, as a few allies fell; our own ship was the recipient of an attempted target lock, likely the same foe that singled us out for a previous plasma strike. I put my head down, and searched for whichever miscreant was gunning for us. Through close inspection, I located a small warship hiding in the shadow of a larger ally. Not wasting a second that could mean the difference between life and death, I forwarded the new target to weapons.
“Plasma is recharging, but with those nanodrones we stocked up on, I say now’s a good time to use them!” I shouted.
Captain Monahan angled her ear toward me ever so slightly. “You heard the Yotul. Unload the nanodrones, and deploy a mini-missile salvo to distract them in the meantime.”
The Terran commander’s addition to my plan was sound, but it was disappointing that I hadn’t presented the solution myself. The new Dominion blips, thirty thousand of them, were distracting me; a part of my brain was mapping their trajectory, and had reached a gut-wrenching conclusion before my conscious mind connected the dots. As the mini-missile delivery vehicles wove around the larger hull, and their payload battered the shieldless hull of the foe targeting us, I checked to confirm my instinctual suspicions. All of the new reinforcements were closing in on our manned vessels to aid their Arxur brethren. We had chosen this engagement because it was the most viable option on the competency gradient.
Have we walked into a trap? What do we even do; peel back and push through the ambushers, weapons at full blast, to regroup? Summon drone backup, when our automatons are already contesting the shadow fleet?
The nanodrones reached their intended target, punching through the drive compartment; there was nothing the Arxur harassing us could do to avoid going up in flames. The explosion lobbed icy debris from the planetary rings at nearby comrades, which damaged several of its allies. I was certain that Monahan would advise other ships to pivot to nanodrones, but that tactic didn’t address the inbound problem. We had a few minutes before the Dominion completed its pincer movement. While I racked my brain for out-of-the-box solutions, the sensors readout glitched. The unmistakable raiding vessels switched over to green, friendly markers.
“Tyler, thirty thousand Arxur vessels are coming in hot on our heels,” I announced. “I advise immediate action to address this threat. Also, the enemy may have tapped into our systems, since they’re suddenly denoted as friendlies.”
Sovlin huffed with skepticism. “Did you press the wrong button by mistake? All that bouncing and fidgeting you do on your hindlegs…”
“I didn’t touch it. You are disrupting matters of the gravest importance; does Tyler need to remove you from the bridge?!”
“Well, I spoke up to offer sensical advice. Unless it’s that nasty Chief Hunter Isif’s ships, it’s obvious Dominion ships aren’t friendlies. And Isif is buddy-buddy with Zhao, so I’d venture since we didn’t know they were coming, it’s not him. The grays don’t have cyber capabilities like Terrans, as Onso should know; hacking is a fantastical notion. That leaves the possibility that the markers were mislabeled by the Yotul, or by someone else in a high-ranking position. Would any humans betray their kind to aid the Arxur?”
Captain Monahan snapped her head toward us. “No. We’re pulling back to fall in line with the new Dominion ships. We have new intel being forwarded that says they’re here to take Aafa…and are very much against cooperating with the Kolshians. I’ll be hailing the new arrival’s commander to gather info for the fleet; XO Schwartz has control over battle stations. Comms, extend the hail.”
I blinked in confusion, doubtful over whether to trust these sources. Sovlin could have a point about power-hungry traitors to the Terrans’ cause, though I knew very little about this “Isif” he mentioned. Tyler told me that he was an ardent supporter of some Archives gray, but I didn’t know the specifics. However, it wasn’t impossible that this sensor anomaly was an inside job to sow confusion, a betrayal from within. As was evident in the seediest parts of Yotul history, all it took was one person in the right spot who was tempted by grandiose offerings to sell out a movement. If the primates were too trusting of the wrong people, our vessels could be waltzing blind into a crossfire!
“Our intelligence hasn’t dropped the ball yet, Onso, knock on wood. If this was entire agencies’ conclusion, there must be some basis for it,” Tyler reassured me.
Carlos dipped his head in agreement. “Maybe it’s a new addition to the Arxur rebels. I thought they preferred insurgent tactics to direct engagement, but maybe this group buys into the prideful aggression doctrines.”
“Aggression sounds great. Hell, as long their bloody guns point in the right direction, I don’t care if they follow the whims of the Flying Spaghetti Monster,” Samantha huffed.
Our warship reversed its momentum with gradual thruster changes, and glided backwards; the hostile Arxur wouldn’t concede their strategic location by the gas giant to pursue us. Of the thousands of Dominion ships in this cluster, we’d picked off a few percentage points. I could see nearby remains of a few of our craft too; we hadn’t escaped unscathed. Even with shields, a few well-placed hits in close succession would turn a Terran vessel to scrap metal. Captain Monahan was aware of the singular focus required during a space battle, which was why she was in a hurry to complete the call to our mysterious ally. Seconds passed without a response from the thirty thousand ships, who were almost upon us. If there was no answer from this gray bunch, it would certainly elevate my suspicions.
Any genuine aid would want to coordinate with their allies. What could possibly be the delay?
Before my doubts could creep back in, regardless of the humans’ faith in their intelligence, a strange Arxur blinked onto the screen. Abundant scars laced his face, which was an unusual greenish-gray. Rather than standing in their typical display of strength and ferocity, this commander was in an unusual seated position. If he was answering our hail, this must be the Chief Hunter presiding from a command ship; given that Sovlin wasn’t reacting with recognition, this wasn’t the “friendly” Isif. The carnivorous alien bared his teeth in a true snarl, rather than the relaxed teeth flashing Terrans favored.
“Humans. I am Chief Hunter Ilthiss, and I am here to help you deal with these traitors to Betterment,” the Arxur growled. “Betterment is an ideal of cruelty and dominance. A friend of yours reminded me of this; I was able to contact Chief Hunter Usliff from my neighbor sector, before Giznel could get to her with that plea.”
Monahan narrowed her eyes. “Why are you helping us, Chief Hunter? We like to know who we’re fighting alongside.”
“Usliff and I both wanted to show these Kolshians we don’t need their permission to do anything…and that we don’t work with prey! I’ve obtained a copy of some damning footage between those codgers Giznel and Nikonus, but the Dominion ships have disabled communications for that reason. The command ships are jamming inbound signals to be sure, under the guise of cybersecurity. I could convince many others here to turn if they saw this one clip!”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“There’s no way to get them to accept file transfers or hails, without hacking their systems and forcing them to listen. If we had malware on their ships, I suspect it would’ve been activated the second our brass heard the Dominion was here. You’ll need to fight your comrades. Will that be acceptable for you?”
“Hss, you speak as if I care about my associates, human. I’m not so pathetic. They are in my way, they are defending the leaf-licking scum who think they can control us, and I’d rather fight with a sniveling predator like you than join the piss-ridden Federation. At least you don’t shy away from a threat.”
“I think the Federation finds us humans to be most troublesome. Clearly, the Dominion’s not a fan of the strength and gumption we bring to the table either. If I may, Chief Hunter, do you know how the Arxur were persuaded to work with the Commonwealth?”
“Hrr, they claimed that you will eliminate any threats to your claim over the prey animals that populate the galaxy. Therefore, the Arxur will not have a right to exist, and pooling forces with an undesirable herbivore is to protect future raids. They say it’s about the right to cruelty, but it’s really about control and a lack of ambition. Isif told me that you’ll back a society with a different despot to Giznel; I’ll answer to no more cowards. That senile, defective Chief Hunter has the right idea with a power grab, but the role seems better-suited to me.”
“We can settle the future of the Dominion after the Federation is gone, Chief Hunter.” The perfect tone of diplomacy from Monahan, for this self-centered individual. “This is a chance to defeat them entirely, and stop the Arxur from being directly controlled by the herbivores who insulted you…by trying to starve you. Who do you want to be the one responsible—a hero even—in their defeat?”
Ilthiss’ eyes glowed with malice. “Generations will know of my power. A true Chief Hunter would never fight for the Federation. We’re taking the gas giant; if you leaf-lickers want to come with us, you better keep up!”
The Arxur disconnected from the hail, and Captain Monahan allowed her neutral mask to fall. She closed her binocular eyes with a bit of weariness, no doubt from her negotiating attempts all being centered on crazy people from deranged regimes. That would tucker anyone out, and challenge their professional tone. I could at least rest assured that this newcomer’s motives checked out, so human intelligence had read the situation correctly. The Terran manned ships merged with Ilthiss’ vessels, coordinating with Arxur commanders over comms; with thirty-thousand new craft on our side, we should be able to clean up the inferior force much quicker.
I checked my sensors readout, gauging the other battlefronts. “Sir, an update on our allies’ status. The other Yotul ships have pushed deeper into Aafa’s system; if I’m reading this correctly, it seems Terran drones quietly slapped on their own particle beams. The shadow fleet is sustaining disproportionate losses. The Sapient Coalition is struggling against the enemy’s manned ships, though, and appears to need urgent backup.”
“We can’t afford to divert any resources. We’re committed to pushing forward with Ilthiss, and if the A-team is succeeding against the shadow fleet, they should keep the foot on the gas too. Taking out those ships is the top priority, after all.”
“What happens when the SC ships fall on their first engagement, of many? We’re at the outer bounds of the system, not Aafa.”
“If we spend this battle bailing them out, we won’t be able to focus on our goals. They knew the risks. They need to hold their own, unless we get more magical reinforcements out of left field.”
While I knew that my human exchange partner was correct, having only two main groups to deploy would hinder our capabilities to address evolving threats. It was a shame that herbivore-crewed militaries were always bumbling fools; I think that knowledge colored Terrans’ initial perception of me, in this role, more than the primitive accusations I faced elsewhere. Determined to set myself apart from other ex-Federation volunteers, I hunched over the sensors to find us an edge. The green dots denoting Ilthiss’ ships were throttling ahead at full burn. It was convenient for us that they sent themselves to the front lines to absorb the worst of the incoming fire.
This is a novelty, seeing Dominion ships fighting against themselves; untold aggression canceling each other out. Ilthiss will want to push into the ring for close-range angles, blasting his opponents with kinetics and plasma they can’t dodge. It’d be a no-win bloodbath, except that we can seize the distraction for mid-range strikes.
“Ilthiss is likely to get up close and personal with his old friends,” I advised. “We should be careful not to hit him…”
Sovlin grumbled to himself. “Should we now? So much for ‘Wise sage Sovlin, handle tactics.’”
“Ahem. Don’t hit him, because we need his vessels alive to increase our chances during later engagements. I suggest we hold our fire to precede him by just a little bit, so the enemies are distracted when he pulls up alongside them.”
Tyler grinned with approval. “Good work, Onso. Chart Ilthiss’ intercept vectors, and inform us when you estimate a ship is ten seconds from deploying kinetics.”
“Yes, sir.”
Thirty-thousand overlapping lines blinked onto my sensors readout, but I knew our vessel needed to protect one; other Terran craft would handle the others. I applied filters to chart vectors only for Ilthiss’ speediest ships, and those who were the closest to the gas giant’s ring. After combing through the data, and allowing our new allies to get nearer to the target, I pulled up a nimble warship’s pathing. It was flying headlong into a barrage of plasma, while we conserved the brunt of our weaponry for the climax of this aggressive strategy. The fresh Dominion ships had an abundance of missiles to unload at the Kolshian-allied hostiles. Scores of casualties were racking up on both sides, but the arrogant Chief Hunter had almost gotten his ships inside of the icy debris.
I pulled up one vessel; we could just barely catch an angle of its belly. “We can blow a hole in the underside of this one, or at least make it startle. Plasma needs to get a shot off in the next few seconds.”
“Weapons, fire on this target now,” Monahan ordered.
My ears perked up as our beam was dispatched with impressive haste; somehow, the humans hadn’t sacrificed anything in the way of precision. Our Arxur foes were paying more mind to their kinsmen than the UN fleet hanging back, perhaps under the assumption that the debris lent them enough shelter to disregard us. Their negligence allowed us to tear a gash in the mark’s belly, compromising its integrity. Terran vessels around us fired off similar shots, landing strikes wherever we could. A few kills, along with many damaging hits, were notched on our enemies. Several enemy guns, which had been preoccupied raining hellfire on a charging Ilthiss, zapped plasma in our direction in response.
The Terran manned fleet was able to avoid prolonged fire, since Ilthiss regained their attention with his arrival. The scarred Chief Hunter had lost thousands of ships with his recklessness, but it was one way to flush the Dominion from the icy rings. The Arxur friendlies stormed the natural-made fortress, cycling between their three main munitions as fast as biologically possible. More missiles were spit off from close-range in an overkill, wasteful gesture, while turrets revved to life to pump kinetics across entire ship bodies. Plasma had barely flashed from twin railguns, before it collided with our enemies. Ilthiss’ strategy was to shoot everything his force had, all at once, without giving them a second to breathe—and it was working like a charm.
Now that our plasma has recharged, another supporting volley should cause them to crumble. Even the Arxur themselves didn’t expect this much aggression from one of their own. This Ilthiss gray is unhinged; not my ideal choice of ally.
I served up another target on the platter, and weapons needed a quick go-ahead to sizzle energy toward the fray. The Terran fleet had drifted nearer, allowing a shorter time to impact. I had the viewport focused on our current mark, as human technicians blasted plasma straight into key systems; the craft somehow stayed together, but the gaping hole through its hull left it listing off-vector. Ilthiss’ people were on it in a second, killing a vessel that was already out of the game for good measure. The Dominion’s numbers had dwindled in light of our new arrival, though they pumped out desperate last shots toward the new Chief Hunter. Our crazy ally was able to pounce on the final remnants, with our help, but the swift victory was at the cost of an eye-watering ten thousand of his ships.
“Ilthiss’ help won’t last long, if he keeps bleeding ships like this.” I adjusted the viewport toward the open expanse of stars, as our warship banked to join our allies deeper in the system. “Speaking of allies, that Sapient Coalition situation I mentioned has gotten worse. We should help them.”
Samantha rolled her eyes. “In a shocking turn of events, our alien help leaves much to be desired. Except for the Yotul ships; you’re pretty much as good as ex-Feds get.”
“I’m so flattered. Not that you’re completely wrong. With help like this, we certainly could use more ships. We just made it past their first bastion of defense, and the numbers won’t get any prettier.”
Sovlin tapped a claw against the screen, finding faint indicators from the edge of the opposite side of the system. “Then you’re going to like this. Already marked a tentative green: computer must think they’re not Kolshian or Dominion. We should ask these guys to head toward the bulk of the action, rather than drifting way out yonder.”
The first wave of reinforcements that were on our side had quieted my doubts, but the Gojid war criminal was speaking as if more new additions were joining our fleet. I snapped my attention to the activity that he picked up, seeking out supplemental information so I could brief the captain on their origin. The subspace trails were a bit strange, and would take a moment to untangle from this range, but I was confident I’d figure it out. Whoever this latest group was, I was hoping it was someone more reliable than gunslinging Ilthiss. Humanity needed proper aid to bail out their Sapient Coalition partners.