Subject: Fleet Leader Barrilin Onaya

Species: Oyan

Description: Avian humanoid, feathered tail. 6'1" (1.8 m) avg height. 96 lbs (43 kg) avg weight. 161 year life expectancy.

Ship: RSV Nolbarinil {Majestic In Flight}

Location: Unknown

"Omega, where's our reinforcements?" I asked.

"ETA is two minutes," it replied.

"Can you do that magic trick again?"

"They are actively communicating and sharing software patches in an attempt to counter my cyberwarfare tactics. So... yes, but it'll take time and won't last long."

"Understood. Salin, have our remaining defensive vessels focus on weakening the MPP's rate of fire. Have some US ships keep watch for suicide bombers, though. Everyone else, evasive maneuvers and fire at will."

"Yes, sir!"

Orders given, I sat back and nervously watched the battle play out on the tac-map. Since the MPPs had warped into the system, our casualties have skyrocketed. Thankfully, we weren't completely surprised by this counterattack. They've destroyed thousands of our ships, but we managed to take down one of the MPPs in the process. Four left.

I've found myself in the most perfectly terrible situation for a commander to be in. Outnumbered, outgunned, and without a single damned thing to do about it. I sighed softly and rubbed my beak as our casualty count hit eight thousand. One of the OU cruisers took a potshot at us which careened off of our shields, causing the ship to shudder and my hand to slip from my face.

"I did say evasive maneuvers, yes?" I asked jokingly.

"Yes, sir," Hindal replied.

She wasn't laughing anymore, she's far too busy keeping us alive. The RSV Nolbarinil isn't what I would call a clunky ship, but graceful would not be an accurate description either. We traded fire with the OU cruiser that had targeted us, but their ship seemed pretty evenly matched with our own and our rounds bounced off of each other's shields.

It seemed that we were in a battle of attrition when suddenly a frigate exited warp behind the cruiser and punched a hole in it from stern to bow. The United Systems saves the day again. I noted the difference in size and power ratios between my flagship and the frigate with annoyance.

I turned my attention back to our casualty count. Over ten thousand ships lost. The Dtiln Collective had lost half their forces and the Pwanti were completely wiped out. The Republic had lost the most ships, but had also brought the most ships. Five Pwanti ships, one thousand US ships, three thousand Dtiln Collective ships, and the rest were Republic.

I rubbed my eyes trying to think of some way to win this. There had only been one MPP in this system, and they planned this operation for three dreadnoughts per MPP. We hadn't planned on enemy reinforcements because as far as we knew, the only thing of value in this system was the MPP.

"Omega, are the OU reinforcing other systems as well?" I asked quietly. "Or is there a specific reason they want this system so badly?"

"They are reinforcing other systems, but their communications indicate that their deployment patterns are proximity based," the AI answered.

"They came to defend this system because they were closest to it?"

"Correct."

I grumbled softly about our bad luck. Still, I'd heard that the United Systems had managed to fight off Mobile Prime Platforms while they were outnumbered before. I desperately hope they're able to do it again. Though, they did that with full shields and preparation time...

I turned my attention back to the tac-map in time to see the USSS Carnage fire its Ultra-MAC just as it lost its shield. I watched the shell impact an MPP and split it apart. Only three MPPs left, but the situation isn't looking good for the Carnage.

Thankfully for us, Omega had quickly intervened when the dreadnoughts were about to begin preparing for warp. I'm not an engineer so the details elude me, but its one or the other with the Ultra-MAC and the FTLD. If the Ultra-MAC is charged, the FTLD can't be. The reverse is true as well. If the dreadnoughts had started charging their FTLDs, then we would have no hope of survival. Instead of the little hope for survival that we currently have.

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"The USSS Carnage has taken critical damage and is abandoning ship," Salin informed me.

"Have some frigates start grabbing their escape craft," I ordered. "We can't leave them sitting out there with all this going on."

"Yes, sir."

Moments later, the marker for the Carnage disappeared and its name was added to the casualty list. Three Mobile Prime Platforms against two United Systems dreadnoughts. The USSS Tip of the Tip and the USSS Gaping Maw began moving to take cover behind the wreck of the Carnage. The Tip of the Tip had already fired and was currently recharging. The Gaping Maw had fired the shot that destroyed the MPP we came here for, and they're currently halfway through recharging.

Unfortunately, both of the dreadnought's shields have taken a lot of damage. The Carnage and the Gaping Maw hadn't fully recovered their shields since the last battle. The Tip of the Tip hadn't taken a lot of fire in round one, but was currently being battered. The Gaping Maw had shielded the Carnage earlier, but the enemy reinforcements had warped in from the opposite direction, which had put the Carnage directly in their sights. It was pure luck that they were able to get a shot off when they did.

"Reinforcements inbound," Omega said calmly. "Twenty seconds."

The AI's calmness did not provide any reassurance. If anything, it pissed me off. Of course it can be calm, it's not as if its going to die here. This copy of it will, but it has dozens more. Maybe even hundreds. But we only get one body. One life. And so many of these lives were currently being lost, and so many more would be lost in the next twenty seconds.

I recognized my visceral rage as being stress induced and pinched the tip of my beak to keep from cursing. The AI is only doing what it was trained to do in stressful situations with organics. It is important to stay calm and keep a level beak in times of duress.

"The USSS Tip of the Tip has taken critical damage," Salin said quietly. "They're also abandoning ship."

"Wolyunvor {a curse invoking a patron deity of inbred children made by siblings}," I swore softly. "Make sure they're picked up too. As soon as possible."

"On it, sir."

The USSS Gaping Maw managed to secure a position behind the wreck of the Carnage, but this had caused the MPPs to focus their fire on the Tip of the Tip. Three MPPs against one dreadnought. The exact opposite of how this was supposed to go. I swallowed heavily as the indicator for the USSS Tip of the Tip disappeared from the tac-map and joined the casualty list, knowing exactly what will happen next.

The three remaining Mobile Prime Platforms turned their attention toward the Gaping Maw. One of the MPPs began firing into the wreckage of the Carnage, trying to penetrate the impromptu cover. The other two began to move around the cover, seeking a clear shot at our only remaining dreadnought.

"Got 'em," Omega said as the two MPPs cleared the wreckage. "Weapons disabled."

"How long?" I asked, leaning forward in my seat.

"Not long. Rough estimate would be fifteen seconds. Doing what I can to extend that."

"Good work, Omega."

We might not lose all three of our dreadnoughts, but the fight is far from over. Whoever comes to our aid will have to charge their MACs, and anything can happen during that time. While I have mixed feelings about the United System's possession of such a destructive weapon, I can't help but wish it had a faster rate of fire.

"Reinforcements inbound!" Salin shouted excitedly.

A massive fleet of ships suddenly appeared on my tac-map. They had sent ten dreadnoughts and too many support ships to count.

"I want every gun in this system targeting the MPP's MACs while those dreadnoughts charge," I ordered.

"Understood, sir!"

A rather fortunate paradigm shift. Our forces now outnumber the OU's, and this means certain victory. I breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately remembered that this isn't over. I shouldn't relax yet, because there could be-

"Enemy reinforcements inbound," Omega finished my thought. "ETA one minute."

"Any idea how many?" I asked.

"No. They're too grouped together."

"Understood," I sighed. "See if we can get some more reinforcements. Salin, I want the Gaping Maw and two of our new friends to target the three remaining MPPs with their Ultra-MACs. Have the rest save it for the incoming."

"Yes, sir!"

The Gaping Maw had already moved clear of its cover and was targeting one of the remaining three MPPs. It fired, and I held my breath as I tracked the projectile via the tac-map. It collided with the MPP, and I subtly clenched my talons in celebration.

The two remaining MPPs began to fire again, but they had lost too many of their cannons to be a threat to the dreadnoughts. The Gaping Maw's shields slowly began to climb as they made good use of the cover provided by the destroyed MPPs. A lot of tension left my body as I watched the dreadnought's charge indicators climb. A little knot in my stomach remained, though. While the last two MPPs would not survive to greet their reinforcements, there's no telling how many of those reinforcements there will be.

The knot remained even after our reinforcements destroyed the final Mobile Prime Platforms. The dreadnoughts began to focus their supplementary MACs on the OU fleet. Supplementary MACs seems like such an odd phrase for cannons that are larger than any of the MACs on this ship.

"Enemies have exited warp!" Salin shouted.

My eyes stayed glued to the tac-map as the enemy indicators appeared. I sat stunned for a moment, then clacked my beak excitedly. The dreadnoughts had finished charging just as eight enemy MPPs exited warp. Absolute perfection. The large fleet of OU ships were almost an afterthought.

"One dreadnought per MPP, please," I ordered with a laugh. "Kill them."

I watched as eight dreadnoughts fired their Ultra-MACs in unison, hoping that someone had caught the visual on a recording so I could see it with my own eyes one day. The shells sped toward their targets, and a cheer erupted on the bridge as all eight shots connected. The enemy's reinforcements had been wiped out almost instantly.

The knot in my stomach faded as I leaned back in my chair and sighed. I felt as if several years had been taken from my lifespan. The cheering on the bridge stopped abruptly as the ship shuddered, reminding us all that we were still in a fight.

"We're not done yet," I said. "Clean them up."