Memory transcription subject: Onso, Yotul Technical Specialist
Date [standardized human time]: March 25, 2137
After the human troops leapt from our ship toward the lunar surface, survival up in the stars proved to be a harrowing task.
There were several factors that left our warship in a precarious spot. On a grander scale, the gap we’d cleared with three rounds of antimatter bombs had sealed. The UN drones had borrowed seconds for us against hopeless numbers, falling by the thousands; half of our allies were situated on the other side of the shadow fleet, but were unable to help us retreat due to their own problems. Turning back wasn’t an option, and with that door closed, it was a matter of avoiding immediate death. The nuclear weapons tucked away on the moon were launched as soon as we got past the fleet, leaving us quite the radioactive payload to evade. Drones scrambled to cut them down, despite having Kolshians spitting plasma at their heels.
While our drones on this side of the globe had suffered heavy casualties, manned ships hadn’t gone unscathed either. Our vessel had taken a beating, with several direct hits to our underbelly, and we lacked any shields once those were taken down. Honestly, if someone didn’t engineer a way to facilitate a shield current despite magnetoresistance, they were all but useless in future battles; the United Nations hadn’t scrounged up any alternative innovations on that front yet. While I had my eyes on any missile launches, we couldn’t afford to take many more hits from conventional weapons as well; our craft was hanging together by a thread, with a single love tap able to cause structural integrity to unravel.
Even if Sovlin, Carlos, and Samantha are able to gain control of the ground stations, that will take time. I’m not sure how we’re supposed to hold out against nukes, free shots for planetary defense lasers, and shadow fleet ships.
The Terran fighters were mere nuisances to the drones, and were getting their asses handed to them. Though it was difficult to discern through the sea of sensor blips, the Duerten Shield and Sapient Coalition seemed to be struggling against a Dominion assault. The Arxur had brought tons of spacecraft into the fray; while the avian alliance was showing novel aggression, the grays were the seasoned veterans in that department. The carnivores hadn’t been expecting such a fight from the Homogeneity, but they adapted their strategies swiftly. Concurrently, on the far side of Aafa, Chief Hunters Ilthiss and Usliff’s fleet had been reduced to stray remnants. The UN drones and Technocracy craft there were left outnumbered, on their own, and unable to join our engagement by the moon.
“This is not how we wanted the battle to go. Particle beams alone won’t win this fight,” I hissed.
Tyler scratched his blond scalp. “Let’s hope taking the planetary defenses is enough. We don’t have many tricks left in the bag. ‘Less ya got something in mind, Onso?”
“My suggestion is to get somewhere those lasers can’t have free rein to shoot us. Except we can’t go back the way we came, and we’ve suffered enormous losses. The way I see it, we just need more ships. The Shield and Ilthiss just don’t cut it.”
“This goes to show why we ain’t provoked the Dominion. We didn’t wanna fight them and the shadow fleet at the same time, or for Betterment to know how much we had their number. Guess that ship has sailed, huh?”
“I think if things get much worse, the Duerten will follow through on their promise to bomb Aafa. Since we are on the brink of defeat, maybe you should tell them to.”
My friend’s jaw muscles tightened. “I don’t want to authorize that.”
“I know. Neither do I, after seeing how senseless the glassing of Caato was…but even if we flip the planetary defenses, it’ll be too late to bring back our losses. We might’ve lost fifty thousand ships across all our allies, which is a large chunk of our fleet. Enemy casualties are maybe twenty thousand so far, and that’s almost solely from particle weapons…which most of our fleet doesn’t have. I don’t see a scenario where we win here.”
The sensors officer’s scowl deepened, displeased with my suggestions. His blue eyes seemed to be counting the minutes that had passed since Sovlin and his team leapt into space; they should be barging into the complexes by now, given how close their landing sites were. It was a miracle we’d managed to keep out of range and alive that long. What would happen to the troops if we fell, and they were left stranded on that moon with limited oxygen? What would become of humanity and the Yotul, if our all-out attack came up short? I supposed before drastic, scorched-earth action would be authorized, we should see if the planetary defenses could be impactful enough.
A laser from the moon was identified as aiming at us, leaving us mere seconds to swerve off its vector. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, as my brain came up empty of any last-ditch strategies. We would’ve won this battle if it was just the Kolshians; we’d done admirably to make it this far, with the Dominion joining in. But now, I could see two shadow fleet vessels tearing after us, lining us up for when their plasma weapons recharged. I desperately passed along the nearest drone’s coordinates to weapons, but thanks to the foe’s dramatic twirl, our shot didn’t cripple it like I’d hoped. It merely made a dent in its armor, so meaningless that the hostile didn’t slow in its pursuit.
There had been a momentary pause in the planetary defense firing, but I could see the entire complex lighting up below us now. It was a shame we were out of bombing range, and that we’d committed to foot soldiers taking the installation regardless. I fumbled with the sensor readout, searching to map the laser’s path. How were we meant to dodge two plasma beams that would tear off any second, and a laser? We still had a physical barrier to deploy to impede one incoming munition, but we couldn’t shield both sides. I made a split-second decision, and relayed the suggestion to drop it in front of the shadow fleet. While the lasers were stronger, the chances of evading synchronized plasma arcs were slim without some fortress.
Captain Monahan’s weary eyes turned to the bridge crew. “We’ve received word from our unit leaders on the ground. All planetary defenses are under our control, except for a single module that was able to initiate self-destruct.”
I could see an explosion near the shadowy border of the moon, where sunlight wasn’t illuminating its cratered surface. The sensors readout had switched the defense complexes to friendly indicators, after that new info was fed into its database. I tilted my head in confusion, wondering why the nearest lasers were powering up and pointing at us. My befuddlement turned into a laugh, perhaps a sign that I was delirious from the stress of the battle. We might not be on track to win the battle, but it was amusing that the shadow fleet had no idea what was coming. A bluish flash radiated from the powerful weapons, and I tracked its lightning-quick path across the viewport.
The complex’s computer had charted the optimal angle to sizzle through both Kolshian drones, splicing them clean in half before the algorithms realized what changed. Planetary defenses revved to life on our side, finally granting some breathing room to our battered fleet. Without having to worry about flying straight into a stream of hostile lasers, I relayed a suggested course to sensors; it would take us as close to the lunar surface as possible. Further, that locale was in the blind spot of the complexes, so we didn’t have to worry about friendly fire. It would also aid in getting the shuttles, evacuating our soldiers, back onto the ship. As insensitive as Sovlin could be, it felt weird standing on the bridge without his jabs.
With our former pursuers dead in the water, our warship beelined toward the moon with a new lease on life. I highlighted the marker of the UN shuttle assigned to our vessel, seeing that it was circling over the evac point. The soldiers would need a few minutes to travel by foot to the pickup site; to my knowledge, the rovers had been left behind and jury-rigged with explosives, in case any Kolshians thought to retake the facilities. Sovlin, Samantha, and Carlos wouldn’t return for a little while longer. I tried to focus on picking out long-range targets, knowing that we needed to tilt casualties in our favor. The lasers had struck down thousands of enemies, in the brief span we had them online, but the Kolshians were mobilizing on a bombing route.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
We had to push the shadow fleet back, despite how ill-equipped we were. It would be nice if we could rally the Technocracy and UN vessels from the other side of the globe, but they were in hot water. The shadow fleet was pelting them with missiles and plasma, and if the hostiles burned through their munition stores, they would ram themselves into Terran ships. We couldn’t replicate that crash and burn strategy, given that we were outnumbered. Back on our side, it would be a sacrificial play, summoning the Duerten Shield and the Sapient Coalition to hound the Kolshians from behind. Still, even though the Dominion had them on their heels, I thought we had to bring them to us.
If the planetary defenses are bombed out, with hardly a chance to rack up casualties, it’s over. We got mowed down like flies taking the complex, so we need an equalizer.
I pinned my ears back against my head. “Tyler…sir. Have comms reach out to the Duerten. I know they won’t like orders from us, but persuade them to abandon their positions against the Arxur. We need something to hound the shadow fleet from behind.”
“The Shield will be massacred, and then the Dominion will come at us too!” Officer Cardona objected.
“I know, but it’ll keep them at bay for a few extra minutes. We’ve invested too much in the planetary defenses. The UN drones took too many losses on our side to get us to the drop point, and we can’t handle the shadow fleet alone. The lasers are all we have; it's a simple calculation of what the greatest asset is.”
“Fuck. We can’t have gone through all of this to lose the lasers, and the Shield are gonna fall one-on-one with the Arxur anyway. I’ll…have Monahan pass along the message. She’ll tell them the truth—that it’s the only way—and hope they go for it.”
“If you remind them that this is all to stop the shadow fleet from marching on Kalqua, I believe the Duerten will make that sacrifice. They want to bring the Kolshians down, at all costs.”
My human friend shuffled off, and I snuck a glimpse at the shuttle’s sensor dot near the lunar surface. It was lifting off with our crewmates in tow, assuming all had gone well. Sovlin was a brave Gojid, to pull that death-defying stunt alongside the primates; I couldn’t wait to hear some version of how a primitive like me wouldn’t have been able to handle a jet pack (ignoring the fact I’d used them during maintenance spacewalks). Regardless of our fleet’s dire straits in the battle for the galaxy, some things never changed. If there wasn’t some kind of comment about my intellectual capacity, I would be concerned.
My attention returned to the present circumstances on the bridge, where Monahan huddled over her comms. I didn’t envy that conversation, but whatever she was saying seemed to be working. The Shield was trying to sidestep the Arxur vessels, who’d moved in for an up-close-and-personal kill. The Sapient Coalition was running interference; as the weakest links, their prey crews still proved selfless, standing in the way of blistering guns. Our plasma weapons could land a few long range shots, but between drone evasion capabilities and distance, our accuracy was lacking. Watching our side’s desperate actions now, I wished I hadn’t gotten my hopes up back when early reinforcements entered the system.
“Hey, don’t go doom and gloom on me.” Tyler tapped his palm against the work station for my attention. “Your spirits look in the toilets, my man, and I won’t be having that at my station. Give me one piece of good news, Onso.”
“Uh, we’re not dead yet?” My tail drooped further between my legs, as I struggled to find a bright side. Reading the shuttle’s passenger data, which showed 3 KIAs listed among the dozens of soldiers returning to our ship, meant I couldn’t attest to our friends’ safety. “Oh, I got one positive. Sovlin, Sam, and Carlos are heading back on the shuttle now…assuming they’re alive, we’ll see them soon.”
“That’s fantastic! Y’know, I was worried about sending that Gojid out on somethin’ extreme like that. He’s really come a long way since we first met him, and I’m glad we got a chance to make everything right between us.”
“By making things right, you mean that you punched him in the face.”
“Well, I was angry—you gotta know what that’s like, Onso. My knuckles may have grazed his jaw, but it all worked out. This fight will work out too, so keep your head in the game. I need you to keep watch for the Dominion ships, in case they turn on us. We gotta fight to our last and be ready if the whole damn fleet comes at us.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll have the Arxur’s vectors mapped pronto. It might help to forward any assessments to the SC and the Shield.”
Tyler gave me a hearty clap on the back, as I tried not to watch the Shield and Coalition bleed numbers. The Duerten were hurling munitions toward the shadow fleet with fury, forcing some to turn their attention away from our encampment by the moon. The Arxur hadn’t relented for a moment, and I could see their ships burning full thrusters ahead in our direction. However, in between my last visual and the present one, it seemed like something had discombobulated them. Their movements looked uncertain and disoriented, like they’d been thrown out of subspace by a disruptor pulse. My inquisitiveness prompted me to solve the puzzle, seeking out what had caused the sudden hesitation.
The majority of the Dominion ships seemed to reach a decision, forging ahead with shaky focus. However, before my watching eyes, an inexplicable breakdown occurred. Some Arxur vessels began firing on their own remnants; other agitated hunter craft turned their sights away from the Duerten, and peppered the shadow fleet from behind. A handful were shooting at both the Shield and Coalition, and their own side, blurring their allegiance even further. Any semblance of cohesion broke down with the in-fighting, as no party had a clue where to turn their guns. The Kolshians were taken off-guard by the grays’ betrayal, and after a moment of consideration, began shooting all Arxur vessels with blanket condemnation.
“Sir, the Arxur and the Kolshians started shooting at each other…why, I have no clue. Ilthiss said he couldn’t get through the comms embargo,” I explained. “What I can say is the same chaos is unfolding on the planet’s flip side. Our drones seem to be having a resurgence in efficacy.”
Tyler’s frosty eyes widened. “This changes everything. We have to seize this opportunity, while they’re reeling!”
“How do you say it? ‘Damn straight.’ We need to kick their ass before Sovlin shows up, so he can know we did it all without him.”
“I dunno about that. There’s still hundreds of thousands of ships to clear out, even if a shit-ton of the ones here were Dominion. How many are on our side? We could have numbers in our favor now.”
“It’s not so simple, sir, but the Kolshians are treating the Arxur all as hostiles. So I’d venture the ones who hadn’t turned on their mission will now. My…opinion is that we should target the shadow fleet with everything we have.”
“Damn straight. Whatever we have left, we’ll have it flying at them ASAP!”
True to my conjecture, the Kolshians’ targeting of all Arxur vessels resulted in Betterment’s entire fleet rounding on them. As the eye-popping number of ships on both sides traded blows, it was clear that the shadow fleet was annihilating the Dominion. While the grays landed thousands of kills through ship volume, their ranks were being ravaged much quicker. The Duerten Shield rallied among the confusion, eagerly shoving antimatter bombs meant for Aafa down the shadow fleet’s throat. Any nanodrones and cluster bombs the UN had left assailed the enemy, capitalizing on the confusion. Planetary defenses had never been contested, thanks to the diversion, and were still cranking out ship-ending lasers without refrain.
I eagerly passed along a target for our plasma railgun, and noted that the indicator denoting Sovlin’s transport had crossed into our ship. With the Gojid likely on his way to the bridge, I spared a glance back toward the other side of the globe; there wouldn’t be any gaps in my knowledge for him to question. The Yotul Technocracy was being aggressive in hounding the shadow fleet. With the Arxur to distract our foes, particle beams were surgically dissecting them. The Kolshians on that side were floundering enough that the UN could finally divert some drones to help our weaker flank here. We were on the cusp of winning the far half’s engagement altogether, which should tilt the lunar fray heavily in our favor.
My mind was reeling after, out of nowhere, it seemed that we could end the Federation within the hour. What had changed inside of the Arxur fleet, enough to sow that much division? Had humanity found a way through their cybersecurity, or was something else going on? Dominion vessels were falling in with Ilthiss and Usliff’s remnants on the far side, though on this half, their numbers were rapidly sinking toward zero. We needed to keep the pressure up while the shadow fleet’s focus was still on the Arxur. The Kolshians had lost not just their allies, but tens of thousands of their own vessels to the betrayal.
Even with our losses earlier, we have the advantage after this change. We have particle beams and planetary defenses still in play, to aid our reinvigorated fleet.
I watched with bated breath, as I wondered if this sudden infusion of chaos would be the deciding factor in the Battle of Aafa. Victory was within humanity’s grasp, and now, it was up to us not to let this opportunity slip away.