Warned

Commander Rexic stood at the podium. He was the first Human to dare appear in this sacred chamber and the Council was quite looking forward to the entertainment. They were a strange looking lot, thought the Prosecutor. Neither imposing physically nor known for any great intelligence. The perfect mix for a labour hungry government. However, the human immediately struck the wrong tone. Foolish species.

"This is our first meeting in peace. You have attacked our ships, you have attacked our colonies. You gave us no warning, no grievances. Just the murder of over eleven million men, women and children."

Rexic paused. That number included his family.

"You can choose peace or war, but we are here for justice. Surrender those that committed this piracy or we will come and get them."

The Council Chamber was kept as a deliberately dark and forbidding place. Apparently the human wasn't concerned by that. The Council sat, bewildered by this petty demand. Did these idiots understand nothing? The Council for the Prosecution of Battle rose from his seat. Sensing the atmosphere, he decided to be blunt.

" You are here to answer for your crimes, not threaten us! You sent probes into our space, you broadcast your nonsense throughout the galaxy. We have every right to punish such arrogance. You are a child to us, and I hope a well-timed slap will teach you your place. Be grateful that you were invited here to apologize and receive your sentence"

The court murmured its approval. A fine rebuttal, it was felt. These Humans needed to atone for disturbing the peace and, inevitably, pay heavily to the council as their penance.

Commander Rexic shook his head, a gesture lost on his audience. He didn't bother to hide his disgust. Twelve species so lost in privilege that they committed mass murder and blamed the victims. 

"We are aware of your 'penance'. You practice extortion on those you threaten. On those you attack. We will not bow to you."

The Councillor was a little surprised by this. To call the actions of the Council  'extortion' was ridiculous. Although a little defiance wasn't always a bad thing. Perhaps these Humans would serve in battle.He, himself, had written that law. Admittedly, it had taken some effort to justify some elements of the act, but sometimes sacrifices must be made for the good of the Council. By someone else, preferably.

 "The consequences of refusing this Council could be dire for your people. You will be excluded from the alliance, all trade agreements void, all your representatives barred from our space. You will face the universe hunted and alone until your debt is paid!"

Commander Rexic regarded the twelve. Twelve species that held the galaxy in an iron fist. Murder, extortion, slavery and more. When the despot's made the law, you know that the law serves them alone.

"We refuse. We defy you. Any Council ships in our space will be met with force. Any attacks on our people will be met with retribution. You are warned."

AKA System

Twelve hours later the first Council Fleet attacked Earth's furthest colony.  They didn't know the colony was built as a military installation.They didn't know it had been built as a weapon. Only ten people ran AKA. A mixed crew, joined together through necessity and pain. They controlled the most insane weaponry Mankind had ever imagined. 

No Geneva convention, no environment to protect, no civilians. Just a lot of weapons hidden in a nice tight space. The system had been chosen with care. Choke points, radiant heat, density of the asteroid fields. They controlled it all.

Ten people, ten layers of defense and attack. 

Commander Rexic sat in the control room. Humanity had designed this. If you are going to war, build for war. This was a death star, with no handy vents. He had been told that 'anti Jedi wire' spanned every outlet. He wasn't sure if it was true, but he wouldn't bet against it.

"Commander, Council Fleet has arrived. They're late."

Commander Rixic nodded." Out of practice"

"Tell Ten to begin. Tell her we salute her service. She will not be forgotten."

"Ten salutes, going dark"

"Now we wait"

Commander Ten regarded the incoming fleet. She had spent her youth on Castilian, before these fuckers glassed it. Taking everyone she ever cared about. This would repay that debt. She had given her life and her name for this post. This was a death sentence and a promise. 

They warned her:

"You will die in the field. We will give you the best weapons known to man, but you will die. Your job is to break them .You volunteered to be first. Are you sure?"

Cdr. Ten nodded her agreement, "Yes. I need this. Let me be the first to show them what we are. What we will do. What we are willing to do."

The Council Fleet, commanded by the T'well Admiral Isometric Dissipation, arrived in the system.

"Our orders are to eliminate this colony. Since this is their newest attempt at civilization we expect little resistance. Just go and destroy them, perhaps they will learn their lesson."

Their Fleet entered realspace and began regrouping.

Cdr. Ten issued her orders. "Send out the doppelgangers. We have the emissions from every one of these motherfuckers, make sure it's perfect,'

Drone ships configured themselves to match the enemy. Exactly the same emissions, exactly the same signatures. Each one a promise. Commander Rexic had provided all the details on his return from council space, she didn't bother to find out how.

"Admiral, our sensors report an issue, apparently we are receiving duplicate signals."

"It's just a sensor issue. Continue the attack. Looks like the Humans have some espionage capacity."

" The Fleet is assembling. Wait, something is wrong.."

The drone ships simply exploded. They  had chosen positions close to every major ship. Filled with the finest nuclear weapons humanity had ever built. Then they detonated. 

Cdr.Ten sailed straight to the Flagship and pressed the big red button. Nothing survived.

"Reporting the death of  Cdr. Ten. All Council ships have been destroyed. Rest in peace, Commander."

"Acknowledged. Contact Cdr. Nine"

Thousands of drones moved through the debris. Collecting tech, collecting information. Commander Rexic sat at the centre of it all.

"Contact the Council. Inform them that their Fleet is gone. Tell them to stay out of our space."

"Will they listen?"

"No."

Council Chambers

The Council blamed the T'well, paying no attention, wandering into a minefield. Faulty intelligence. Bad planning. Poor leadership. An embarrassment to the Council. They were fined heavily, excluded from further actions. In their embarrassment and grief the T'well withdrew from the council

The Anaxig were first to volunteer. An empty place at the Council? It could be a millennium before that happened again. 

"Supreme Drone Civa, we welcome your service. When you have revenged our fallen friends, you may fill their place on our council. However, you will be supporting the Honourable Intelligence.

 It will lead the attack. They represent the council in this matter. We wish you a good war. Destroy this deranged race for us and take your place amongst your friends as an equal."

Council War Room

"Well, you have your flesh shields. Go and wipe these bastard's out. This cannot stand. We think they are now talking directly to those traitors,the T'Well." 

The Honourable Intelligence sent in its eyes and ears. It suspected that the Human fleet died in a suicide attack on the previous fleet. However it had a useful idiot to use.

"Anaxig Fleet, began assault"

Nothing. Debris drifted about, unchecked and, apparently, unwanted.

Supreme Drone Civa was well aware that he was being used. His Queen had made it clear that he was a small player in this plan. She also wanted him home alive, which was unexpected. He informed the flagship.

"Nothing is moving. No emissions. No craft detected.'

"You will stand down. Maintain position. You will not engage. This victory is claimed by the Honourable Intelligence. You are discharged from duty"

Despite the sting, the Anaxig ships remained diligent.

"We will record their victory. Perhaps that will be enough."

The Honourable Intelligence moved gently into the system.

"Commander Nine, the floor is yours"

"Acknowledged. Going dark. Fair sailing"

"And you. See you soon"

As the Honourable Intelligence moved in system, thousands of micro satellites began broadcasting. They blinded the system with EMP pulses, lasers bouncing off every ship, feeding nonsense in every council language to the Council fleet. Both attackers and defenders were blinded. The Honourable Intelligence failed to see the Ninth fleet jump from the atmosphere of the local gas giant. 

The Ninth Fleet knew exactly where it was going. He knew his ships would lose any gunbattle, the Council fleet was too damn big. Instead he had other plans.

"Let's kill these fuckers. Burn it all." He had already flooded space with his pocket nukes. He had spent months seeding the planet core with antimatter mines. Surprise, assholes. He controlled the drones from his medical exo suit, waiting for the chance to end the horror that these scum had inflicted on him and get justice. And he got to blow up a planet, which was a pretty cool way to go.

The explosion evaporated the fleet, the planet and the observers.

"Sir, Ninth Fleet successful."

"Inform Cdr. Eight."

Council War Room

"Sadly, I must inform the Council that the Honourable Intelligence perished in our attack on the Human colony Aka. The Anaxig fleet was also mostly destroyed. They did however leave us a full recording of the event. For that we exempt them from further service. Permanently. They will never rise to the Council. We may, however, need two new members. "

AKA Battle Station

The system was awash with the explosion of a major gas giant. The inner planets were hit, the sun flared as debris hit. Aka station stood untouched. Shielded by the moon's presence, it waited it's turn. 

This time it was going on the offensive.

"Cdr. Eight, your mission is to inflict the maximum damage on the Council. You will attack the economies of our foes. Lie, cheat. Use whatever works, I want you to strike them where it hurts. In the pocket. Fair sailing. Wear our pirate flag with pride."

The Eighth Fleet emerged into chaos. The retreating commercial shipping was desperate to leave. It never occurred to them that a warzone wasn't always something that happened to other people.

"Kill everything"

They did. The Eighth Fleet destroyed anything that had FTL.

Commander Eight didn't wait around, heading straight for the next trade route. Again and again, he attacked the lifeblood of this insane government. 

Within a week the merchant fleets of the Council were staying on the ground or refusing anything other than short, fast delivery for exorbitant rates.

Commander Eight knew his time was nearly up. He knew the Council fleets were out in force, looking for him. Ha. He had already won. The merchants that funded this shitshow were dead or hiding. He had left a little present in every system he had attacked. Now his drones were low on resources and it was time to end this.

Council War Room

"This is stupid. It's a small colony. Yes, we have paid a price for our arrogance but there are ten of us! Bring in the full fleet. Everyone needs to be here when we crush them. We will crush this colony first, then their homeworld".

The Eighth Fleet

Cdr. Eight regarded the debris field in front of his ships. The ‘Honourable Intelligence’ was dead and now so was its base. Its homeworld was now surrounded by nothing but dead satellites and dust. Nothing was launching from there again. Now for the outer system.

“ Prepare the drones for Divine Wind doctrine. We will sweep through and attack the rest”

Cdr. Eight grinned. “ Begin seeding the Unfortunate Accident Array, set it up as we progress.”

The fleet picked up speed, aiming to slingshot the star. The ships divided into seven squadrons, each one targeted on a different planetary system. Their first target was a rock world, twin moons, extensive terraforming being evident. Clearly well defended. Orbital platforms swarmed the space, defending what appeared to be major shipbuilding facilities.

Cdr. Eight “ Pity they designed this against invasion. Squad one, begin collecting big rocks and throwing them at the planet. Call me when everything is on fire.”

The drone ships located every useful rock and began accelerating them towards the planet and its moons. With no ships to oppose them they simply stayed out of range of the weapons platforms. Within hours the atmosphere was alight, anything on the ground long dead, “ Good work. Squad One execute Divine Wind on all remaining facilities.”

The drone ships reconfigured. They chose multiple trajectories and began their approach. By the time they impacted they were moving at a respectable percentage of the speed of light. Kinetic energy is fun. Despite multiple losses, Squad One impacted all remaining assets. Nothing remained.

“ Squad Two, prepare for engagement.” Commander Eight regarded the Gas Giant. According to the math he had worked out with Cdr. Nine this should be both possible and entertaining. Massive refineries were set deep in the atmosphere. Endless streams of cargo ships moved between the layers. It truly was the work of ages.

“ Squad Two, let's blow this shit up! Engage antimatter generators. Shields to maximum. Begin descent.”

Unlike Squad one, this was slow and gentle. The drone ships avoided all contact with the enemy. Those few that were engaged just continued to descend into the atmosphere, relying on their shields for protection. Over two hundred simultaneous antimatter explosions ignited the core. The Planet made its first, and final, bid to become a star.

“Tell Squad Three to gear up.”

Target Four was a series of interconnected moonlets. For some reason they had withdrawn every inhabitant from the surface. Missiles launched from hidden silos, plasma fired from deeply buried bunkers. Squad Three attacked anyway. Over forty percent of them failed to land. Sixty percent was plenty. The drones emptied out an army of bots. Human form, carrying standard human weaponry but without pity, without restraint and without any way back.

Everything mankind had ever learned in thousands of years of war. Trench war, blitzkrieg, Jungle, urban. This was what these bots carried. Trained through a million simulations before they were ever let loose with live weapons. Their relentless march through the target was broadcast live. Every helmet cam was posted to the universe at large.  As the army swarmed through, killing with knives, hammers and small arms they made a certain impression on anyone watching.

“ Sir, Squad Three reports that everyone else is dead. They are forwarding us all the intel they obtained.

“ Excellent. Finish it.”

The bot Army exploded. Every room became an inferno, every corpse shrapnel. The twisted and burned remains of this habitation would be forever a mausoleum. A warning of humanity's potential for enthusiastic murder.

“ Squadron Four reports ready, Sir”

“ Inform the planet they have four hours to evacuate or remain underground for the next ninety days.”

A green planet, blue clouds swirling, commercial spaceports only. A holiday world. Perfect place to take your family. No Military to speak of. Just like the colonies these bastards attacked. Three hundred drone ships dropped into the atmosphere and began releasing white phosphorus. An ancient evil, long banned on the homeworld, was now a light rain over these cities. Once their cargo was discharged, the drones exploded. Everything burned.

Back in AKA, Commander Rexic received a call. "Cdr. Eight has transmitted his Intel. He has destroyed the system and is moving to his final mission. We don't anticipate any further contact."

"Godspeed to him. Contact the council."

The Council

The Council for the prosecution of battle spoke "Our fleets stand ready".

He had to admit, he had expected that to have been a more dramatic statement. The missing fleets were painfully obvious.

"We estimate that we have an overwhelming advantage. Our fleet is an order of magnitude greater than anything that the Humans can possibly field"

A council drone interrupted "Honored  Councillors, the Human Rexic desires to speak."

The Council muttered among itself until one of them announced " They obviously want to surrender! Let the fool grovel. Then we will attack as soon as they stand down. We have wasted enough resources on this already!"

Commander Rexic readied himself. His uniform felt stiff and uncomfortable. He considered those who had paid for his ticket here, and those that would continue to pay.

" Council members, I apologize for not attending in person, but I felt that would be unwise, given the circumstances. Your Fleets have failed against us. We have demonstrated the cost that a war between our peoples will bring."

"I ask you now to stand down, accept our sovereignty. Leave us in peace."

The Council erupted in rage. The Prosecutor of battle was the first to respond, "Your debt to us grows. We expected you to learn some humility. Our Fleets stand ready to destroy you! We will speak in hushed tones of the fate of you and your people. Surrender or die!"

Cdr. Rexic stood tall. " Is this the view of the Council?"

"Yes! We will burn your worlds. Your people will serve only as a warning to others!"

Cdr Eight had nursed the remaining Fleet to their final destination. He knew it would come to this, even as he watched Commander Rexic plead for peace.

'Rexic knew as well, otherwise I wouldn't be here. Still this should give that clown Prosecutor something to cry about.' He wished the commander fair sailing. Thankfully he wouldn't be around to answer for what he was about to do.

"All ships go to Divine Wind protocol. I'm on target one."

Cdr. Rexic addressed the room. "You have chosen poorly. I ask the Council for the prosecution of battle to regard his homeworld." Behind the commander the screen lit up. Each drone broadcasting its view as they hurled towards a planet.

"I believe you have family and property here. This is the cost of your 'penance', your futile and vicious wars.This is what war really means!"

As he spoke the drones entered the atmosphere, unopposed. The screen narrowed to one camera. The Council for the prosecution of battle recognized his home. His family. His children. His life. He watched as the screen went white. The screen widened. It showed hundreds of mushroom clouds rising from the surface. Every major city, everything was gone.

"When you speak of burning our worlds, remember this. Yours burn too."

Commander Rexic cut the screen. He was aware of the pain he had inflicted. He, too, had watched his family burn. He knew exactly what he had done. He didn't expect to be forgiven.

"Prepare the Fleets. Tell them the enemy is coming in hot and stupid. Tell Earth to watch the skies."

The rage felt by the Council spread, the calls for extermination, the screams for retribution were fueled by thousands of years of superiority and an embarrassed military. Action, action now was the only solution.

The assembled Council Fleets gathered at an ad-hoc and very unofficial meeting. "This is bullshit, we have no idea where their Fleet is. We don't even know if they still have one"

"Why are we attacking this colony? Why aren't we going for their homeworld?

"Look, we lost three fleets here. We are going in hot. The Council insists this system is destroyed, before we continue the campaign. It's about the optics."

A sense of disbelief filled the room. Why would you send your ships in blind? 

"Our orders are to blow the system apart. Leave only rubble, then move on to their homeworld. I know it's dumb fuck stupid, but those are the orders."

In mankind's first flights,and later in its early Air forces, there developed a story. The “Gremlin” was born. The gremlins were responsible for every minor malfunction, every glitch and breakdown. Bullets jammed? Gremlin. Prop broke? Gremlin. With the advent of nano-scale machines and half-decent AI, humanity remembered the Gremlin and figured out how to weaponize them. The military doctrine of wounding, rather than outright killing, your enemies was an army idea. Wounded men take soldiers off the battlefield just as effectively but they also require support staff, endless military supplies and a substantial budget.

What, our creative staff asked, if we did that to everyone? Why wait until we are on a battlefield? What if we got our retaliation in first? They engineered the Unfortunate Accident Array. Currently deployed throughout the late ‘‘Honourable Intelligence” system it infected the council fleet sent to access the damage, then the pirates that dropped in to grab whatever they could. 

Scavengers, scientists, journalists, conspiracy theorists, they all came to wonder at the corpse of this once mighty system. Every ship picked up a small dose. It would grow in time, given the correct environment. Some bots looked for energy points, some looked for weapons arrays, some for ammunition. Some looked to build new bots. Every ship that landed spread the evil. Bots on the ship would seek out life support, atmosphere control, any form of CPU. 

If you knew where to look the bots would tell you where the enemy was, as well as mapping their travel routes. Every ship was a plague ship. Within days malfunctions began.  Critical systems broke, minor fires, unplanned drops into realspace. Weapon failures, life support failures, engine failures. Every day became a fire-fighting exercise, degrading morale, exhausting the support crews and inflicting increasing damage.

Council Fleet Coordination, ad-hoc

Council Fleet Admiral Rook,“ I will start shooting engineers if this... performance continues! I have thirty percent of my ships looking to return to dock! Cowardice!”

“ Excellency Sir, The support staff are doing the best they can. They cannot explain what is happening, they are working four shifts to maintain systems.”

“ The only explanation is sabotage. Arrest every T’well on my ships and throw them out the airlocks!”

“ Sir, the T’well are our engineers, without them it will get worse...”

“ Exactly! They lost their place at the council and now seek to take us down. Who else could inflict this kind of damage?

Follow my orders or go with them”

“ Of course Sir”

Fleet Military Police moved uneasily through the fleet, apprehending engineers, mechanics, quite a lot more navigation officers than they expected and most of the catering staff. There was quite a lot so they put them in ship bays rather than using the airlocks. Then they opened the bay doors. The Council Fleets crew watched. As did Earth.

Commander Rexic made the announcement.

“ The UAA reports serious degradation in the enemy ships. However, I expect them to advance regardless. 

Commander Seven, you are authorised to begin. Godspeed and fair sailing.”

Cdr Seven “ Thanks sir, fair sailing to you. See you on the other side. It’s been a privilege. Going dark.”

Cdr. Seven began plotting the incoming council fleets. The UAA lit them up nicely for him. It wasn’t about ship numbers, it was about space. Space is so damn big that it's quite hard to hit something. Unless you had, for example, a bloody good idea of where your enemies were going to turn up and had an entirely weaponised asteroid belt to play with.

Scout Ships started jumping in. Quite a lot of them hit unexpected debris. The recent explosion of a gas giant caused more problems. The shattered remains of three fleets already destroyed in the system shrouded any active ships from sensors.

Council Fleet Command, ad-hoc

“ This is a shit show. We can’t see. Everything reads as either one of ours or shrapnel from the planet. I recommend we just quarantine the system and move on.”

“ Negative, Sir. Orders are clear. Or do you want us to follow the T’well into space without a suit?”

“ Fine. Order the Fleet to enter realspace on my mark. Mark.”

Cdr. Seven regarded his map. The system spun in front of him. His assets all spun in a gentle green light. The enemy fleets were purple. He had already degraded their scouts. Now it was time to play with the big boys.

He still wasn't entirely sure how Rexic had persuaded these idiots to come and play with him, but he was looking forward to the game.

Council Fleet, Admiral Rook commanding.

"Why am I four fleets short? I ordered everyone here!"

"Excellency Sir, they report major and ongoing problems with engineering and navigation. They assure us that they are on the way."

"I am surrounded by liars and fools. Tell the Fleets to attack immediately. I intend to jump straight to their homeworld after this nuisance is destroyed"

Council Fleet Command, ad-hoc

Hereon Fleet

"We can't run straight in there! We haven't a clue what we face!"

"I know, but orders are orders."

"I'm sure our engineers are ready to report issues. Correct?"

Engineering was always reporting issues. That's the point of engineering as far as the officer knew.

"Inform the flagship that we will be slightly delayed. Forward the engineering reports to them. All of them."

He paused "let's hope it buys us some time "

Z'Inep Fleet

"Our glorious people have been chosen by the Council to be the vanguard of this war. We will destroy our enemies and secure the Universal order that we have gifted the people!"

High Ascending Fleet

"Prepare for battle. These Humans are costing us money.”

Cdr. Seven began moving his pieces. He sent a few hundred dead rocks into the path of the fleet designated ZF. He moved his Pirate Squadrons into support. While the enemy swerved and broke formation he triggered the Gremlins. Elegantly planned evasion turned into a shitshow. Ships collided. Ships simply exploded.

"These guys need to fire their IT support. Execute plan 'Arrgh'."

"I don't like the HF just sitting outside of this. Send in the clowns. Everyone loves clowns."

A cloud of asteroids suddenly accelerated, performing a perfect ballet towards the Hereon fleet. Point defense immediately began firing, turning many into small pieces. Those pieces continued their dance.

Hereon Fleet

"Sir. Withdraw the fleet. I don't even want to know what happens next."

"Too late"

The asteroids continued to dance towards the ships. Gaining speed. Then they began firing. Shooting more rocks.

"Sir, shields are failing. We need to leave."

More of his ships died in the hail of dancing rock.

"Take us home. We are not T'well. Inform the Humans we are no longer part of the council. We accept their sovereignty."

"What should I tell the council?"

" Nothing."

Cdr. Seven received the surrender first. Annoying. He redirected his pop rocks towards the High Ascending Fleet.

In the meantime he went to play with his pirates. From the asteroids shadowing the ZF designated target, thousands of bots emerged. They slowed enough to intercept the Z’inep battleships. The UAA blinded them to the thousands of drones attaching to the ships. They began burning through the hulls, fighting their way in.

There is a tradition in Earth history of the berserker. The idea of insane, invulnerable warriors. Free from pain, freed from all restraint. He had designed them himself. They poured into the ships. They carried only blades, intending to capture the ships intact. The slaughter was insane.  Shooting them broke some, but never enough. Fast, amoral and carrying four thousand years of human martial arts learning. They could not be stopped. Some of them may have held cutlesses. No reports are available.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

They were Cdr. Sevens favorite toys.

Commander Seven watched his pirates take ship after ship. He resisted the temptation to go into VR and join in. He needed to stay in the game.

"Sir, all crew eliminated. Sending Intel to Command."

"Take control of those ships. Raise our flag on them. Tell Cdr. Rexic they arr his to command."

"Aye, aye Captain."

Commander Rexic

"Get those ships out of the system. Order the drones to clean up and repair. We want them to be nice and shiny when they arrive at their target."

"Send our thanks to Cdr. Seven. We can expect enemy reinforcements to arrive shortly."

"Aye, aye"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, I meant Yes Sir."

"That's what I thought"

High Ascending Fleet

Admiral Rook commanding, "Can anyone explain why the Z'Inep Fleet is simply hanging in space? Order them to press the attack!"

"Where is the Hereon Fleet! What Is going on?!"

"Excellence, we are unable to communicate with the other fleets. We are attempting to find out why. It may be another engineering issue."

"Excellence, we must report that the Z'Inep Fleet appears to be leaving the system. Their communications must be compromised. All we are receiving are human battle songs from them. We have no explanation."

"Excellence, we must report that the Hereon Fleet is not in the system either. We don't know what happened. They may have been destroyed. Sensor readings cannot tell us anything."

"We are alone here."

"We will wait for our reinforcements to arrive."

Commander Seven watched as his new Pirate Fleet left the game. He remembered when that fleet had attacked his home. He felt they had paid a little towards the debt they owed. Not enough, but some. His 'pop rocks' were approaching the last fleet from the edge of the system. They seemed oblivious. Time for a little something to distract them.

"Activate the Lightsaber." Cdr. Rexic had really, really hated that name. He had stood his ground. If you are going to die you get to call things whatever you want.

The High Ascending Fleet was very fond of its plasma weapons. Cdr. Seven still remembered the smell of everything burning. Everyone burning, His home, hospitals, schools. They had left him in the ashes. But, hey, fight fire with fire right?

From the unnamed star at the centre of this mayhem came a stream of super heated plasma. One of the many reasons this system was chosen was Cdr. Seven's insistence that he could weaponize the sun. He was quite proud of that.

His Very Clever Rocks served as a path for the plasma. He chose the destination. He regarded it as a minor flaw that he was the final link in the chain. Without him babysitting it would miss. Probably.

"Order the Pop Rocks into position. Fair sailing."

The solar storm whipped towards the ships. Carrying the wrath of the sun and guided by the wrath of a man, it swept into the High Ascending Fleet.

Admiral Rook burned on his command throne. The ships that managed to escape were met with a hailstorm of asteroids that broke their shields just when they really, really needed them.

"Reporting the system clear of enemy ships sir "

Commander Rexic paused. The toll on both sides grew. This is war, they faced a criminal galaxy bent on mankind's destruction. But he remembered that Cdr. Seven was once called Ben and was fourteen years old.

Commander Five regarded his new fleet. He dispensed with the pirate flags. Except for one. That was raised to half mast on the bridge. Cdr. Seven had earned that.

The bots were reconfigured to the military standard he recognised. He let them keep the swords. They were surprisingly effective. His own drone fleet added serious weight. He had a weapon, orders and an objective. Like old times. Except this time he wasn't going to lose.

"Commander Five reports he is mission ready."

"Tell him to execute his orders. Godspeed and fair sailing. Tell him that he pays a price worth paying."

Commander Rexic stopped. It was becoming increasingly difficult to send his men to their death.

"Commander Five responded sir. He says he died when his shipmates did. He is only catching up with a better story to tell."

"Commander Five has gone dark sir"

"Acknowledged"

The Fifth fleet moved towards the Z'Inep homeworld. The garrison of the council. From here flowed the armies that powered the rape and pillage of a galaxy. This was one of the centers of Council power that needed to be destroyed if mankind was to live.

Ship scans and Intel extracted from the ships estimated a population of over ninety million. They were all military. This is where the stolen resources of a galaxy were spent.

"Begin stage one."

The occupied Fleet arrived in system. They broadcast the triumphant news that the Human threat was destroyed. They declared a day of celebration for the victory and a day of mourning for the brave souls lost in the battle. Fake reports, fake footage showed the human fleets burning. Video of successful attacks on human colonies were broadcast. Then they showed Earth burning. The massive fortifications didn't stand down. But they certainly didn't stand up. Garrison duty, the knowledge of another victory and a complacency built from success allowed thousands of drones to land quietly in their midst. They had all the codes anyway.

"Begin Stage two"

The Fifth Fleet, enjoying it's disguise as an upstanding member of the Council, docked with every spaceport in the system. Alas, they were in quarantine and forbidden from leaving their ships. They feared that the Humans may have spread something terrible and wanted to ensure people's safety. This was entirely true. They were referring to different people though. The bots stealthy planted security overrides, cameras and themselves throughout the system. In a conventional battle they would lose in a matter of hours. Days, at best. Cdr. Five still had work to do.

"Begin stage three"

Despite everything, Cdr. Five had resisted this. He was being asked to commit another act of mass murder. Even if we win, this will poison our relationship with the galaxy for centuries. Still, humanity could not afford to see these armies mobilised against Earth. They had to go. No-one had found a better solution.

"On my mark. Mark."

Every drone on the surface detonated. The world was turned into a swirling cloud of death. The enemy died in flames, barracks burning around them. Their own munitions spread destruction. Sudden and terrible death found them all.

" Engage the enemy."

Every ship disgorged thousands of bots into their space stations.

A massive cyber attack using stolen codes wiped their systems clean. Life support failed, navigation went haywire. Entire stations started to fall from orbit. Hidden explosives cracked open their stations. Communication became impossible, all signals blocked. The Pirate Fleet began broadcasting distress calls, altered footage showing Council military attacking. The resurrected ghosts of the enemy Fleets that mankind had killed began bragging about their defeat of the tratorious Z'Inep.

The battle began. Even with all the advantages, the surprise, the bombing and the lies, this was never going to be clean. The Z'Inep were warriors. The bots were soldiers. That's why the Z'Inep died heroically and quickly. No doctrine can tell you what to do when the lights go out and gravity turns off. No training will save you when a bot comes through the ceiling with a sword in one hand and a plasma rifle in the other. Especially when they are all shouting "Arrgh".

By the end of the day Cdr. Five was the only living thing in the system. He estimated forty percent loss on his troops, most of his drones had been spent on the planet. He estimated he had killed over a hundred million people. Mission accomplished. He felt sick.

"Begin stage four"

His intelligence drones began scanning the wreckage. They altered any records they found. They left the victory over earth, altered the attackers. It would look like the Council had used the Z'Inep to defeat the Humans and then crushed them as they celebrated.

"Begin dispersing the UAA. I expect company soon."

Z'Inep forces heard the call. A fleet was cobbled together from whatever was handy. They didn't ask nicely. Armies lifted off far flung planets, leaving empty forts behind them. The Z'Inep were coming home. All of them.

Council War Room

"Your excellency, Admiral Rook reports the complete destruction of the human colonies and homeworld."

"About time. Broadcast this to the galaxy. We will deal with our weak minded allies next."

"Excellency, we have intelligence that Admiral Rook died in his assault on Aka. We are attempting to communicate with the fleet."

"Excellency, the Z'Inep fleet reports complete victory. They have returned to their homeworld."

"You see, I knew it. Ignore any more futile propaganda from the Humans. They are already dead. This Council must deal with our membership issues."

"Excellence, the Hereon have declared independence. They have recalled their staff. Their Fleet is guarding their homeworlds. They are refusing to discuss why. "

"Internal politics. Inform the Z'Inep that they are required to occupy the Hereon systems. We will bleed them dry for this. Traitors."

"Excellence, we have lost contact with the Z'Inep. We have reports they are seizing ships and returning to their homeworlds. They are firing on any Council ships that attempt to interfere."

"Order the Prosecutor of battle to attend immediately. His compassionate leave is cancelled. We need to know what is happening!"

"Excellence, our best Intel reports that Human space is intact. The human fleets have not left their space. Whatever is happening is our own people. This is a rebellion."

Commander Five withdrew the fifth fleet from Z'Inep space. Just two battleships, broken and bleeding were left in the system.

"Begin stage five."

The bait ships cried into the void. They poured out footage of the great betrayal. They wept over the millions dead at the hands of their supposed allies.

Z'Inep Fleet, ad-hoc

Chief of War P'cium, "The Council reports the Humans destroyed. Our reports confirm that our fleet destroyed their Fleet and homeworld. Yet we have lost contact with home. I don't care what we need to kill. Get us home. Call in the tribes. We are going now"

They arrived in a system completely destroyed. Their world is on fire. Their stations are falling or broken. No-one alive. Of the proud Z'Inep nation all was fire and vacuum A faint voice was heard. Two ships, dying or dead, at the edge of the system. They relayed the truth. The victory. The betrayal.

Chief of War, P'cium, "We will await our brothers in arms. We will burn the Council for this!"

The UAA went to work. Cdr. Five inserted his ships among the growing fleet assembling in the Z'Inep system. More a mob than a fleet. One or two at a time his ships arrived, full of anger against the council.

Commander Rexic prepared for his speech. He could speak softly but he didn't have a big stick. They didn't know that.

"I address the incoming fleets. Your Council has betrayed you. They have burned the Z'Inep homeworld. They have executed your Admiral Rook. Before you face us in battle I suggest you speak to your people. You are being sent here to die. The Council has already burned our homeworld. This is our last colony and we will kill anyone approaching. Look to your own homes. What happened to us is happening to you."

"Tell Commander Six that the moment is here. Fair sailing."

`"Aye, Aye Commander"

"That works."

Commander Five looked out of the window at the assembled ships. The anger. The pain. The loss. This is defeat. He remembered it well.

His bots made their way through the assembled ships. Another few million on his conscience. Thankfully not for long.

The Z'Inep fleet grew but they had no target. Years, generations, of being the biggest bully. The henchmen. Now they had no clue. He watched as their ships arrived. At some point they would work it out. That couldn't be allowed to happen.

"Send our Intel to the commander. Godspeed and farewell. Tell him I needed this. I did not go gentle into the good night."

Cdr. Five detonated the fleet.

"Sir, the Z'Inep are gone."

"Acknowledged"

Commander Six watched as Cdr. Five took his fleet out of the system. Her job was here. She wished him fair sailing. More than any of the Commanders he had sought naked revenge. She hoped he redeemed himself before the end. He carried the ghosts of lost friends. She focused on the job in hand. She began activating her assets. Unlike some, she had no military experience. She was a builder, a maker. Her designs had been used in every colony world. Her printing technology revolutionised the entire economy of the human world’s.

When they dug her out and fixed what they could, it was her machines that gave her back her eyes, her right arm and most of her spine. They couldn't give her back her mind. She knew it was broken but the ordeal had bled all happiness from her world. She would endure this universe a little longer but, frankly, she didn't want to look up and know that the stars were held by murderous criminals. She was here to change that. So she built the Forge. She knew they didn't use names around here but fuck it, this was her planet and she could call it whatever she wanted. The military had never interested her. When she offered herself to this cause she had been appalled at what passed for design.

Privately she thought that the military spent it's time sharpening new types of rock. They never questioned why you need a rock or why you need to be standing on it to achieve your objectives. She had promised them weapons that could kill a star or fly through the eye of a needle. Time to see if she was right. The four incoming fleets were proof of concept. After that Earth could sort it out.

"Inform Commander Rexic that I am beginning."

Council Fleet, Approaching Aka System

Commander Irisk, Flowing River Fleet, Tensam Nation, “We have had no contact with any of the fleets that went into this system. Admiral Rook is not responding. We need to coordinate our actions. I suggest we appoint an interim commanding officer between us. I volunteer to assume command.”

Fleet Manager Overworld, Battlefleet One, Legate Corporation, “That would be efficient. However this victory will dictate which one of us will ascend to the council. I am not authorised to decide at that level. However I will agree to accept command. Please send me the relevant codes to assume control of your ships.”

Shipmaster Armem, Revenge and Occupy Fleet, Compass Alliance, “This is pointless. We cannot surrender command to anyone. My people would hang me for it. I suggest we each enter from a different direction and fight independently. Our communications are too unreliable to coordinate anyway.”

Haswas Fleet, Haswas Nation, “We concur. We surrender control to no-one. We will rise to the council alone”

Commander Irisk “Can we at least agree to delay the attack for a few days? Our engineering problems are ongoing.”

Haswas Fleet “We are not concerned with your machines. We have rid ourselves of the parasites. We will attack immediately. The Glory will be mine”

Fleet Manager Overworld “We too need to fix the inefficiencies that have occured. We will attack when we are satisfied with our capacities.”

Shipmaster Armen “Our orders were clear, I must attack immediately. The Admiral may need us. Hanging around for days will be seen as cowardice. I will attack with the Haswas Fleet.”

Commander Six searched for any sign of the Gremlins. Nothing yet. Never mind, she had her own tricks. The millions of micro satellites she put up for Cdr. Nine were still around. She set them to ping across the system, mapping the void. She had assumed the incoming fleets would avoid the wreckage of the previous ships. The burning debris from the gas giant littered a full quadrant of the system. So that was out. The massive solar anomaly created by Cdr. Seven shrouded more of the system. Such a nice boy. From the Forge her Ships rose. None of those inefficient crews, slowing down the acceleration. No carrying tons of pointless atmosphere. No endless radiation shielding to protect a bunch of flying apes from every solar squall. No windows for them to stare out of.

Her ships were engine first. Acceleration was a primary weapon. The AI was a sharp as mankind could create. Sensors were minimal, all her ships took information from the satellite system. Then she printed them out. Millions of devices, different sizes, different payloads. She had melted down her planet to create this. She had taken the essence of warfare and designed for it. Now it was her turn to bury these thieving bastards.

Commander Six watched her Ships rise. Filling the system. She had seen all the models the navy had presented. Ha. Why would you try and use tactics designed to defeat the ape in the next tree. In space! Space, the ultimate three dimensional battlefield. Her tactics were based on algorithms taken from the sea and the air. Raptors, sharks, bee swarms. The Orca class was a particular favourite of hers. Here they would take new forms.

"Commander, two fleets are entering the system. UAA is only available on one. The other reads as Armoured Biomass. Satellites are tracking."

"Looks like the Haswas have come to fight. They are perfect for this. Let's see if they recognise the tactics they are so fond of. Send out our welcome protocol."

The Forge lit up. She began sending out warnings, pleas, threats. Commander Rexic added his voice. He had been concerned about making her a target like this but she wanted close quarters.

Haswas Fleet, "The fools reveal themselves. This will be easier than I thought."

Shipmaster Armen "All ships attack that planet. No survivors. We will finish this!"

Cdr Six."Activate the UAA on the other fleet. Slow them down, but don't stop them"

"Shipmaster, our sensors are useless. At this speed we could hit a star and not see it coming."

The Shipmaster cursed. "Order the fleet to Visual tracking. Better to get there late than die in this accursed system."

A cloud of small ships began circling the Haswas Fleet. Their paths were too erratic for point defense and they weren't attacking, just swarming the Haswas sensors. Then they began flying into the shields.

Not many, but enough to trigger alarms and have the ships open fire into the dark. Some punched tiny holes in the shields, leaving a moment for more to penetrate and explode on the hulls.

Insignificant damage, but it was beginning to wear on the Haswas. Some forgotten instinct was making itself heard.

Cdr. Six smiled. She could guess what the Haswas was feeling. The same unease when prey scents something unexpected. The Haswas may have melded itself into a metal monster but it had once crept across its homeworld in the night.

Her larger ships came closer. First was the Barracuda types. They swirled around the ships, dipping in and out of the void. Sudden attacks blew more damage into hulls. Haswas responded with rage, firing blindly. Larger ships appeared briefly in the distance. Not attacking yet.

'What is this! This is not war. This is... this is hunting. I am not Prey!' The fear was unfamiliar. The panic grew.

Out of the dark flew a thousand predators. They did not stop, simply impacting wherever they scented damage.

The Wasp ships continued their dance.

Haswas broke screaming.

The Haswas Fleet scattered, every ship alone. They were hunted to their destruction as they tried to escape.

"Shipmaster, the Haswas Fleet is destroyed. We listened as they died. We don't know how or why but it panicked and ran. What the fuck are these Humans?"

"Go into a defensive formation. We don't move until the other fleets arrive. Let's get out of here alive. Fuck the Council. This place is a graveyard."

Commander Six watched as the RO fleet went into a huddle. Obviously they heard all the screaming. Presumably they were waiting for help. They should have called out by now. She instructed the satellites to continue playing the screams of Haswas dieing.

“Begin round two.”

Armens men were scared. He could smell it throughout the fleet.

His Captains were constantly looking for updates on their Allies.

When would they arrive, did he have any more Intel, was it true the Humans were all dead?

Are we fighting ghosts, can we stop the screaming?”

He had no answers. He had called for help, he had listened to the same broadcast from this accused place. Right now he just instructed them to boost shields and hold position. He suspected some would have broken away except for the screaming outside.

Cdr. Six send in her fleets, shoals, packs and pods..

The swarms surrounded Armens fleet. The small ships began the same pattern of attack but this fleet was already panicked. They just boosted their shields. The larger ships began attacking. They were inflicting damage, inflicting horror. The hours grew. The attacks mounted. Larger and larger ships attacked. He began taking losses. First the smaller ships. Then his less defended support ships.

His crews were at breaking point. More and more Captains demanded a retreat. The satellites now carried the screams from his own dead and dying.

Then a battleship Class ship arrived out of the blindness and blew asunder several of his frigates before returning to the dark.

He knew that it was over. “Call the Humans. See if there is someone out there that will take our surrender.”

The Satellites went silent.

Commander Rexic “ Withdraw your fleet to these coordinates. If you deviate you will be destroyed. If we detect any transmission you will be destroyed. Jettison all ammunition immediately. You will not be fired upon if you obey these instructions. We include a full explanation of your status as prisoners of war.

Commander Rexic

“ Cdr. Five has achieved his ambitions. We hope he went well. We are all asked to die for humanity. We do that by setting aside ours. We are doing what we would never ask anyone to do.

I will release any of you from this burden. I even beg you to allow yourself a second chance. If some small part of you wishes to walk the Earth again, please do so. The worlds will never mention us amongst their Heroes.

We have chosen a dark path and we travel together. Know that your family, your friends would reject everything we have done. I do not doubt that we are right. We will stand in the dark to protect them, but know that we become the monsters in the dark for our enemies. We could never forgive what we have done and I do not expect them to."

Commander Irisk, Flowing River Fleet, Tensam Nation

“What is the progress on our engineering issues?”

“Sir, they report they have all systems active. Some systems are less than ideal but they all work.”

“Good. Our orders are to move in immediately.”

“Any response from the other fleets in there?”

“Nothing, Sir, not since the screaming.”

“That doesn’t sound good, does it?”

“No, Sir.”

Fleet Manager Overworld, Battlefleet One, Legate Corporation

“The Council orders have changed. We are to join up with Commander Irisks Fleet and move in immediately.”

“ Of course Fleet Manager. Proceeding to rendezvous.

Commander Six watched the two fleets arrive on the edge of the system. She had withdrawn all her assets out of range, leaving them sit quietly in the dark. The Forge continued to warn and threaten, drawing the enemy towards her.

Cdr. Six” Commander Rexic, I have sent your fleets to you. Your armies are ready."

Cdr. Rexic” Thank you commander. The soldiers are very different from Cdr. Fives designs. Anything I need to know?”

Cdr. Six” Not really, some added features that are on the patch notes. Also I redesigned them a little to fit more in.”

Csr. Rexic” That's not what I was referring to.”

Cdr. Six “Oh that. Well I remembered some old stories and this seemed to fit.”

Cdr. Rexic” You have sent me three hundred thousand soldiers modeled on Slenderman. I am very grateful you are on our side.”

Cdr. Six “ Thank you Sir. I wish you well. Going dark”

Commander Rexic” Godspeed and fair sailing.”

Cdr. Irisk watched as his sensors reported nothing. The corpse of Haswas littered the edge of the system but there appeared to be no enemy debris. He couldn’t understand how that was possible.

“We have a contact at the rear. It's faint but it's there. It's fading in and out but it's following us in.”

Commander Six “ Begin broadcasting behind them.” The satellites began broadcasting the screams of Haswas again, remixed with Shipmaster Armens fleet crying for help.

Cdr. Irisk

“What the fuck is that noise? Turn it off!”

“Sir if I turn if off I will be unable to scan that area”

“Well put your headphones on”

“Sir, I respectfully decline."

Commander Six's fleet moved silently closer to the enemy. Appearing as ghosts, flashes in the dark. As the council fleets approached the Forge, Cdr. Six gave the order to begin the attack.

The Swarm began. Hitting the rear of the fleet, not enough to turn and fight but enough to ensure they kept moving. Herding them.

Fleet Manager Overworld

"Prepare to attack the planet. Whatever is following us is obviously too weak to fight. Perhaps the previous fleets have had some success.

"Fleet Manager, Cdr. Irisk wishes to turn and fight. He doesn't want to be trapped against the planet."

"Remind him our orders are to attack. Whatever is behind us is afraid to appear. We will deal with it later."

Commander Irisk "Shit. Continue the advance"

The planet came into range. Both fleets opening with a salvo of heavy nukes.

Commander Six grinned again. What will they do next?

The missiles approached the planet and Cdr. Six's defense began. She didn't believe counter missiles were worth the effort. Instead she learned from nature. She had surrounded her planet with layer upon layer of Parasites. They served no use in deep space but here and now they had a purpose.

The missiles began disintegrating long before they reached the surface. Heat shields failed, engine's shut down, warheads exploded in the airless skies.

"Sir we cannot identify any anti-missile defenses. Whatever is doing this, we can't see it."

"Where are the bunkers? Find me installations to attack! Find me something!"

There were plenty of bunkers and installations on the surface. They didn't do anything, but she felt they added a certain atmosphere to the place. They also told her what the enemy would be aiming at.

"Tell the Swarm to attack. Drive them in."

The Fleets pressed on, intense plasma fire hitting bunkers giving satisfying explosions.

"They are failing! Continue firing!"

The swarm descended on the enemy. No slow built up, this time they powered into the ships. They caused absolute chaos. Heavy ships slammed straight into them, smaller ones broke through. Thousands of them.

Commander Six smiled. "Execute Endgame. Send our Intel. Godspeed Commanders."

The entire surface of the planet launched towards the Fleets. Shard's the size of battleships hurled into the ships.

Commander Six rode the wave straight into the Fleets. This was her personal revenge for being buried alive. She threw a planet at them. She was still laughing when she slammed into the Fleet Managers ship.

Everything and everyone died.

The Council War Room

The Prosecutor for Battle

“Excellencies, You must face facts. We are losing. Every fleet we have sent against the Humans is dead. Their offensive against both my homeworld and others were successful. The Honorable Intelligence and the Z’inep are dead. We have no fleets and no armies and not one single victory to show for it.

We have made a mistake and are paying for it. You must contact their Commander Rexic and ask for peace. Or at least a cease-fire, time to build up for this war properly. Obviously we will destroy them, but now is not the time.”

The Council “No. We will not be humiliated by this upstart race. Order the Council Shipyards to go to full production. Begin conscription of civilian pilots. Call up the Militias. We will find the resources. If we fail here, this Council will fall. The moment our Client states realise we are struggling they will turn on us”

The former Prosecutor for Battle“You are compounding our error. This has already taken everything from me. I will forward my immediate resignation!”

“ Guards, please place the former Prosecutor of Battle under arrest. He has been sentenced to death by the Council. Carry out the sentence in the courtyard. Perhaps that might inspire some loyalty”

Commander Rexic was studying the newest Intel from the council planet. Concerning, but expected. It's always irritating when they start shooting the ones who see the truth. After that it's just a race to the bottom. They end up in a bunker screaming for all those divisions they told him they had.

"Sir, Commander Three wishes to meet you. He wants a word."

"Certainly. Send him in."

Cdr. Three "Sir, did you mean what you said? That I can return to Earth?"

Cdr. Rexic " I wish we all could. I encourage it. This is a difficult time and an impossible job. Do you want to go home?"

Cdr. Three "Sir, I don't want to let anyone down. The things we do, the things we have done. Millions dead. I can't. I'm sorry."

Commander Rexic nodded "Trust me, it will be the best thing I've done since I got here. If that's what you want, I'll call the ship."

"Yes Commander, that's what I want"

"Commander Pele has decided to return to Earth. Please arrange it."

"Yes Commander"

The ship disappeared into the distance.

You could hardly see the explosion.

Commander Rexic

"A dark path. You think I'm cruel? We can only offer one road. Revenge, justice, a chance to avenge their families. But we do not offer a way back.

He left without blood on his hands.

Without being a war criminal.

With hope.

Who of us has that?

If I had let him live then the evils we commit become the sins of the many, not the few. We cannot go home. If we did, it wouldn't be home anymore."

"Tell Commander Four to begin."

"Yes Commander."

Commander Four examined his new ships. He had wanted to be on the offensive and here he was. This was a fleet to be proud of. It was like leading a flight of arrows into battle

He was sitting on the biggest bomb he had ever heard of. That might restrict him in direct combat, but his wingmen were the best he had ever seen.

He had all the Intel that Earth had on the Council Shipyards. Based on the age of the ships, the nations flying them and knowing that the wealthiest got the newest ships he had a direction.

Assuming the Council was panicking, he just needed to get close and follow his nose.

The Council told everyone that the humans had deceived them, that they would never turn on their allies. That the humans had disguised themselves as a council fleet to destroy the trust people had in their Council. After that every council ship was met by an armed guard and, occasionally, a missile. Who could be sure who was on the ships?

Commander Four encountered, briefly, a convoy. They appeared to be a transport of conscripted pilots and ship staff. From the disgruntled notes he recovered in the wreckage he found his target. He sent the Intel back and moved on.

Central Council Shipyard, Axiom System

“Are you sure these orders are correct?

“Yes Sir. I checked. We are ordered to build ten new Fleets. They refuse to say what happened to the existing ones. We are also to accommodate and train crews for these new ships.”

“ Have they gone insane? We produce sixteen, maybe seventeen ships a week. How do they expect us to produce twelve thousand all at once!”

“ Sir they say they are sending an efficiency team to help. From Council Security.”

“Fuck. Don’t tell the men, we’ll lose half of them to desertions in a week.”

“Sir, they already know. The Council posted a warning about ‘ Poor work practises’ and ‘disloyalty’. We are already missing the T’well engineers, not one has shown up for work. Also we seem to be missing a Battleship, apparently it went out of system for trials. With a T’well crew.”

Commander Rexic

“Commander, we need you to occupy the Council worlds. We have defeated their fleets and destroyed their garrisons. Push as hard and fast as you can. We need the subjugated worlds to see that they can win. We can only defeat the Council if the Galaxy itself overthrows these parasites. We need you to take as many as you can. Your fleet awaits.”

Commander Two “ Would you be overly concerned if I altered the designs of my soldiers? Cdr. Six had a peculiar sense of humor.”

Cdr. Rexic “They are yours to command. I think I will keep mine as they are. Fair sailing and godspeed.”

Commander Rexic activated Cdr. Fives last creation. Aka system could never be allowed to lie abandoned. With him taking the final fleet out of the system its purpose was fulfilled. It did, however, hold many of mankind's secrets.

As he watched the much abused sun went nova. Every installation, every trace of what happened here was enveloped. Win or lose, no-one would find answers here. The final fleet went to work.

Commander Two's first call was the T'well home system. He was hailed as soon as they detected his arrival.

"Human Fleet, I represent the T'well provisional government. We surrender unconditionally. The garrisons are empty, the few military ships we have left contain only refugees from the council. Please respond."

The message repeated as he moved into the system.

Commander Two

" To the T'well government. I accept your surrender. I will place a garrison on the capital planet. They will take no action if not attacked. You are free to govern yourself as you see fit provided you enact the regulations attached. If you attempt to rejoin the Council you will not be permitted to surrender again."

Commander Two landed his soldiers without slowing down. A few ships were detached to stand guard.

Next stop was the Legate Corporation systems.

This time he was met with fire. The heavy price of complacency was evident. The installations were outdated and had obviously been underfunded for generations.

His Fleet blew them to shrapnel. Commander Two moved to the capital planet.

He broadcast the destruction of the Legate Fleet, followed by a message "I am here for your unconditional surrender. Submit or face battle."

From the surface flew missiles, plasma cannon fire and defiance.

Legate Government Complex

"We will not surrender our place on the Council. Flee before our Fleets arrive and destroy you!"

Commander Two broadcast the destruction of every fleet sent against mankind. "You have no Fleets."

He moved his ships into orbit and began to systematically began mapping and destroying every command and control center. Then he began landing his armies.

The first target was the Z'Inep central barracks, still empty since their militaries destruction. Guarded only by a few militia it was taken in moments. Commander Two decided to use it as his own command center.

Urban conflict had been a feature of human warfare for generations. The Legate had used mercenaries or proxies. They had no idea. Some of their militia even stood in the way and commanded his troops to stop. They didn't. Within hours he controlled the planet. His men surrounded the government complex.

Commander Two

"This is your final opportunity to surrender. We will accept nothing less than an absolute capitulation. Or you can die. I'm fine with either."

Legate Government Complex

"We surrender."

Commander Two

"You will immediately surrender the assets of all government officials, past and present. Also included are a list of criminal corporations that must be surrendered. We may add to this list.

Forward the banking details and account access now."

Commander Two sent the Intel to Earth. The largest heist in history. Earth now controlled over seventy percent of all Council assets.

Commander Four sent in his scouts. It was not promising. He needed to defeat the main shipyard complex but this was run by engineers. Either by design or professional pride the defenses were well placed and up to date.

His new Intel from Cdr. Two included codes and maps for much of the Complex. The T'well seemed to bear a grudge.

The tactical analysis of the system indicated that he would be able to reach the complex but, depending on response times, he could lose. Unacceptable. Time to change the equation. If he channelled his inner Skywalker and a bit of Ender Wiggin then he had a plan.

The repair yards were empty. Nothing had come back to be repaired. He could go straight through to the surface and below. All he needed was a screen. Commander Six had provided it.

His fleet swept into the system in a swirling, fractal pattern. Cdr. Four sat in the centre protected by the Swarm. They accelerated, firing on anything within range or sending out ships to engage and delay.

T'Well codes deactivated some defenses, confused others. Faster and faster the swarm approached the complex.

"Evacuate! Clear all stations. This is not a drill. Evacuate! Clear all stations. This is not a drill!"

Cdr. Four blew through the repair yards, the swarm dispersing to battle the approaching ships. Too late.

"You look out for the fighters, I'll take care of the towers. Ha. Send our Intel. Fair sailing."

His ship penetrated the planet. It buried itself deep.

The planet shook. It seemed to exhale. The ground rose, then fell. Buildings collapsed. The space elevators torn from their moorings, fell back towards the surface. The Council would never build their weapons here again.

Commander Rexic

“Updates?”

“Sir, Commander Two reports he has obtained the unconditional surrenders of the T’well, the Legate consortium, the Anaxig, the Tensan Nation and the Compass Alliance. The Compass Alliance was very grateful we returned most of their ships crew. He is moving to the next target.

Earth Fleet reports that they are inbound.””

“Acknowledged”

Council War Room

“Excellencies, it is no longer safe here. Our Shipyards have fallen. There will be no new fleets. The Humans are probably on their way. You must leave.”

“Traitor! We cannot be defeated! This is not the humans, they are dead ! This is you, this is a rebellion!

“Excellencies, the Human Fleet has arrived in our system”

Commander Rexic

‘The last time I was here to plead for justice. This time I am here to carry it out.’

“Activate the UAA.”

On his first trip he had dispersed the UAA across the council world. They had rested, passive, intercepting communications, gathering Intel. Now they began new tasks.

Orders were sent that cancelled all aggression towards the incoming fleet, identifying it as a council member, system defenses were sent into repair mode. Senior staff were dismissed without warning. Capable military strategists were faced with arrest warrants for sex crimes.

Entire departments were sent on holiday. News organisations began broadcasting the uncut footage of the multiple defeats and the ongoing surrenders. Chaos began.

Commander Rexic

“ Attention Council System. Any Ships or orbital stations in this system will be destroyed. We advise you to return to base or evacuate to the nearest planet. There will be no exceptions.”

“Begin the attack”

The Final Fleet began by annihilating all ships in the system unless they were clearly attempting to land. The small home guard fleet fled the system. They scoured space clean. The fleet moved into orbit.

“Council, I offer you a chance to surrender or face destruction. I want your unconditional surrender but I prefer your destruction. Choose.”

Council War Room

“ Kill them! They are ghosts. Call up the fleets. Crush them!”

Commander Rexic

“ Begin the Invasion”

Epilogue

“Members of the Council. I stand here once again. I warned you. For the first time you have paid the price for your greed, your casual cruelty and criminality. The deaths you inflicted on my people have been repaid a thousand fold. Those dead rest on your conscience. May you carry it forever, in this world and the next.

I am a human. I was your adversary in this war. I am not Humanity. You faced ten of us. Not some horde, some army, some vast enemy. You faced ten people who paid the price for your avarice. Humanity is coming. It will come with an open hand and a light heart.

What I did to you is what happens when you abuse that. When you think kindness is weakness. When you think hope is naivety. When justice is something bought and sold. When you attack the innocent, they do not remain innocent. We are war. We have done things to ourselves that, even now, would make you sick. Every day of peace is a battle we won.

I will return to the dark. You will find a new light shining. Now my people can look into the night sky and see hope. Mourn your dead, weep for the war and everything it cost. Don’t do it again. There will always be someone watching.”

“ Commander Rexic, are you sure?”

“ Do you need to ask?”

“ Well then, welcome to your new post, Commander Ten”

A single note exists, the only evidence we have.

Also Known As

Amortez, Jillian AKA Commander Ten

Murphy,Gerry AKA Commander Nine

DuBois, Jean AKA Commander Eight

Omotayo, Ben AKA Commander Seven

Sata, Mia AKA Commander Six

Morton, Bill AKA Commander Five

Gates, Andrew AKA Commander Four

Pele, ******** AKA Commander Three

Romano, Cid AKA Commander Two

Rexic, John AKA Commander One