Valios - A Tale of Plasma and Vacuum

Luna wrote:

Robotnik wrote:

OOC: Wait, so you're trying to destroy/take a guardian? AND you're part of the Commonwealth? This makes no sense whatsoever.

OOC: I didn't think it would. I also didn't know I was part of the commonwealth. I thought the Guardians were out of control Galactic alien killing machines and they were threatening everyone.

OOC:

o-o

You've missed a lot, it would seem. We're not at that point yet, right now at the buildup to the scenario described when I first created this thread. For reference, the 514 AI Fenway's been writing about is likely going to be the thing that makes the Guardians go kuku.

Everyone's currently part of the Commonwealth save for ACH, who has yet to make an appearance.

---------------------------------------------------

Plasma lanced from the starship’s trio of weapons platforms in rapid succession, aimed at the cloud of metal cylinders slowly enveloping it. The superheated compound took out swathes of the drones with each successive shot, but where one disintegrated in the vacuum, ten more took its place. Even though the range was such that the beings manning the turrets had no need to even zero in on their targets, it was too little, too late. Beams of low-power laser beams emitted from each of the aggressing swarm’s number, crashing against the Tien frigate’s shields and making short work of the capacitors holding them up.

But a handful of stellar kilometers away, Lev Hakan solemnly watched the scene unfolding before him on the panoramic viewscreen of Fleet Carrier Solstice’s bridge. Task force Argani had been dispatched with the goal of pacifying the terrorist threat within Lyran Federation borders, but now it seemed the roles of predator and prey were rapidly being reversed.

The auburn feathered avian let his wing twitch slightly in annoyance as his gaze drifted from the frigate’s destruction to his immediate superior, who himself was calmly watching the demise of some twelve crewmen within the slagged vessel from the command dias. Lev resisted the urge to click his beak in annoyance. He should have been the one in control, not this fool in her Arxin uniform standing like some prize hen.

It had started off so well, too, with none of the logistical problems one would expect to be associated with the deployment of half of an entire fleet. But the rebels had launched extraplanetary missiles, and every ship in the fleet responded with a volley of screening fire as per the mandate of Tien battle philosophy, even though their trajectories posed no initial threat. Soon enough the sector was filled with the battleprobes, a NeoRoman weapon concept that never left the prototype stage. At least not officially. Lev narrowed his eyes despite himself. How did these petty insurgents get ahold of premier weapons tech?

“Have you something to say, Altern?” A voice cut into his thoughts, one with a clipped, professional, and distinctly aristocratic accent.

Lev looked to the source to see the Arxin in her gold piped naval uniform looking down at him from the command dias. It was a curious thing, the dias. Any first-time observer might first presume the raised platform that composed the rearmost center of the bridge served to humble subordinates, with senior officers striding atop it, but in practice that was rarely the case. Tiens were creatures of efficiency, and typically thought nothing of any implement designed to maximize it. As it were, however, Lev couldn’t help but feel irritation at being spoken to as one might lecture a schoolchild.

“Ma’am.” He attempted the traditional salute, but it was difficult in the small space afforded to him by his station, one of six about the dias that monitored the groups of crewmen staffing the Solstice’s bridge.

The Arxin cocked her head in acknowledgement, but otherwise offered no response.
Lev continued. “It would be prudent to issue orders prior to the drones finishing with the Surat. If we attacked now…”

“If we attacked now, the drones will simply reconfigure their targets to any and all aggressors-”

“We have the firepower to take them all in a handful of blasts!”

She scoffed, though whether it be at the statement itself or the gross disrespect the interjection represented was beyond Lev. “Firepower. Fighter squadrons against drones always ends poorly for the former.”

The Arxin raised a wing to belay the objection waiting in Hakan’s beak.

“I don’t know what you were taught in tactical school, but this is a carrier, not a dreadnought with rows of heavy artillery. The other ships in the force also happen to be out of range, in case you were wondering. A glance at your viewscreen would tell you as such.”

“Then get in range!” The lesser officer near-bellowed out of frustration.

Silence swept over the bridge as soldiers manning the computers in the pits looked up from their tasks at the exchange taking place. The Arxin’s eyes became unfocused for a mere second, then settled in to glare at Lev.

“Are you challenging my authority?” She asked cooly, wings crossing against her chest.

Lev considered this, glancing over at the panoramic display with its grisly depicture of the Surat being torn asunder. There wasn’t much time until the NeoRoman drones would be finished.

“The plan.” He stated plainly, but advanced half a step on the crudely carpeted floor just in case.

“Know your place, Temen. It will be given to you as it is needed.”

Lev’s feathers ruffled in resentment. So she knew why he was on this wretched ship.

“Then yes. I am.”

The Arxin looked up at the bridge’s viewscreen, then back to Lev.

“If you insist.” She said, and gestured toward one of the two ramps leading onto the command dias.

Lev paused for the briefest of moments before he strode up. Combat to the death was one way to deal with insubordination, but certainly not the only one. Perhaps she perceived him as a threat to be dealt with permanently. Regardless of the reason, it would all be over soon one way or the other.

Lev paced himself cautiously as he walked to the Arxin’s location. It was very much random - she could produce a firearm in the time it would take him to navigate the sporadic scattering of terminals about the dias and be done with it in a single shot. But no plasma burned through his dark fatigues, and up until he moved to grapple the female Tien she was perfectly still.

But the lack of motion was well-compensated for in a single blow to his abdomen as he was off-balance, sending him reeling. As she surged forward for the kill, however, Lev extended his talons and spun kick her charging form. Dulled as they were for the purposes of civility, the claws nonetheless gained purchase on her uniform, tearing through the fabric and interrupting her movement long enough for Lev to attack once more.

She recovered quickly, though, and ducked beneath the punch, rolling behind him. Unable to turn in time, Lev took another strike to the nape of his neck before coming about and lunging at his opponent. The Arxin was prepared for this and tried to dodge once more, but Lev’s swift movement and accompanying momentum brought them both crashing to the floor. As she attempted to escape the entanglement, he grasped her midriff and used the grip to catapult himself atop her, his larger torso fully inhibiting her wings as his chest pinned hers to the ground.

“So.” Lev asked casually as he brandished a pistol and pressed it against her forehead. “About that plan..”

His inquiry was met with nothing more than a fierce glare from the other Tien.

He sighed. “This can only end one of two ways. I can kill you right here, or maybe we can figure out something..later.”

The Arxin’s eyes widened, yet Lev was entirely unprepared for the subsequent force of her legs kicking him airborne off of her.

“You depraved mutt.” She said quietly as she stood up. “I would end you right now, but there’s a battle to be won.”

Lev tried getting up, but found a strange force crushing him against the floor like a cascading waterfall from the ceiling itself, whose blue lights seemed unconcerned by his struggle.

“Squadrons Delta through Omega, intensify firepower to the fore of the formation. None of those drones gets through.” The Arxin ordered, her voice growing distant to Lev’s ears.

“Psionic..” He forced out through his beak, before succumbing to the darkness entering the corners of his vision.

The Strigiforme battlegroup Cyytl possessed several ships; a capital ship class dreadnought, 3 escort cruisers of the most recent variety that were closer to carriers than destroyers, 8 frigates, and one berthing ship, which carried supplies the other ships simply couldn't hold for an extended time in enemy territory. It had a manufacture, a small wet dock, and storage for many thousand tonnes of munitions, food, water, and loot. The 'new' Strigiforme tactic was the prolonged incursion; a battle group went in for months, sneaking behind enemy lines and taking out enemies. Right now, it was just a few less used trade lanes, which could easily be blamed on pirate activity.

That is, unless a small fleet came by; those are noticed when they go missing.

The Commonwealth strike group, composed of 2 carriers, 5 frigates, and a destroyer, were not prepared for an advanced, tactically prepared enemy. They came to fight some pirates who were probably using ballistic weapons, not plasma and high frequency lasers. Within minutes, a carrier and 2 of the frigates had fallen to the Yttrium torpedoes, and the rest were heavily damaged. Their comms blocked, they concentrated fire on the berthing ship, and eventually destroyed it, but died themselves.

Now, Cyytl battlegroup must either return to Strigiforme space, or find a way to get a ship far larger than a merchant ship with supplies; only a military grade supply ship.

((Contains two posts))

The crimson liquid ran down the wall, temporarily stopping along the few dents from the 13.4mm rounds. Maxis, the ship's pilot and navigator, quickly raised his hands to the droid before him.

"Maxis Lik, you are free to leave. The freighter Disciple of Valios is to be taken for processing. A shuttle has been prepared for you," the Lead droid spat this information in its hard, metallic voice. Maxis quickly walked out, a small squad followed him. The arm was wheeled out, followed by the majority of the droids, one carrying Arcos' corpse. The remainder began to tear open and smash boxes and crates.

---

The airlock opened, the cold body drifted out, shoved by its previous bearer. A lone turret pointed its gun at it, an explosive bolt impacted the corpse. Red liquid splattered out from the initial impact, then limbs flew about along with miscellaneous parts as it exploded. Pieces bounced off the shields, falling to the surface and farther out in space.

"Have they found anything yet?" the Administrator paced along his bay of screens and controls.
"We have located some missing equipment and a few weapons in multiple containers. The rest held irrelevant materials."

Jarvis pushed aside several medical personnel as he neared his quarry. The fighter pilot was lying on a bed, apparently injured from debris. The cold titanium bed was stained with crimson blood, and multiple medical apparatus's lay nearby him. Another doctor tried to stop him- this time the doctor pulled a gun on him. M-28 Aragon Laser Pistol. Standard Civilian issue. To him, he disarmed him and then tossed his ID card. Cleared for everything. At least, for the moment.

He pulled a small device out of his pocket as he neared the bed. It was a top-level experimental medical device. The edges of it were glowing a slight, pulsing blue from the segments of the device that composed it. The central reactor was highly unstable yet completely contained in a self-sustained fusion reaction. Without a component failure, the device would never run out of energy. Two sleek metal plates on the side of it marked the functions- arm, and activate. Each was glowing red at the moment. Jarvis pressed the top one, and both lights turned a flashing yellow. Several seconds passed. They both turned green, and two metal prongs extended from the device's base. He brought it down into the pilot's neck, and the device latched on and began it's functions.

Getting out wasn't a hassle. Jarvis knew the facility had been destroyed, and therefore the military had no reason to go after him. What they failed to realize was that he still had complete security authority. His position was for life and could only be removed by the Hierarch himself, and there was no Hierarch. The council was running away with power after the Hierarch's assassination, and they had no authority to order a nuclear strike on his facility. Under the terms of the government, they were rogue.

And that was his striking point. As he raised the dropship, he spotted the Ankylon institute. The communication antenna was still intact. He quickly brought the ship overhead the facility and landed precariously on one of the large landing pads that once served as the entrance to the massive facility, now a twisted mass of burnt steel. He made sure the pilot was secured and entered the massive complex, with one marine team tagging behind.

He pushed aside several pieces of titanium as he entered the main stairwell, a portion of the building rarely used by even the most health-conscious individuals residing in the structure. It ran up the central communication spire, and was completely intact. Jarvis ran up the stairs to the communication control room, passing by rows and rows of emergency lights, hovering above the titanium-grated flooring and featureless stone walls that made up the structure. As he neared the top, he drew another device out of his pocket.

This time it was a data drive, about 10 cm in length. It also glowed at the edges, composed of the same structure and design of the medical device, but this one glowed crimson. Same reactor, same two buttons; arm and activate. This one had a unique function; it would allow him to access any computer system in the Dominion without needing contemporary access codes. Every Dominion computer has a master override built into the deepest systems of the computer, triggered by an exceedingly complex authorization code. Every computer had a varying authorization color; personal computers were access color violet, which was accessible by law enforcement personnel and above, while military computers were access color orange, meaning only high-ranking officials could access them. Every government worker had a similar drive, and even many corporations used these drives as a means of corporate hierarchy. Jarvis had one of the only two crimson data drives in existence; the other was owned by the Hierarch, which shorted itself out at his death.

The central control panel was surprisingly still lit, and still feeding communications data from all over the sector. Multiple dials and switches auto-adjusted themselves as the algorithms called for, making sure they stayed within the optimum operating wavelength and frequencies for communication, whether at subluminal or superluminal speeds. All systems were currently locked in auto-run. Once Jarvis plugged the Crimson Drive in, he gained full access. He switched to a broadcast channel that was reserved for emergency military communications.

"Jarvis speaking to all fleets, do you copy?" At least 50 other independent bodies connected to the channel at a moment's notice.

"You have been labeled an enemy of the state, Jarvis," replied one of the bodies. Jarvis identified it as Battle Fleet 5.

"Not one of you has the authority to label me as an enemy."

"The council has given us orders to terminate you on sight, Jarvis." This was Defense Fleet 2, which was orbiting the capital planet.

"The council does not have the authority to order that. Only the Hierarch does."

"The Hierarch is dead, and the power goes..." Jarvis cut off Defense Fleet 1.

"The power transfers to the head of the Security Council." There was a moment of silence.

"Nevertheless, you have disobeyed direct orders..."

"Technically, the council has been insubordinate. They did not have the authority to order a Thermonuclear bombardment on Delta-1 Complex." Silence again. "The council has run away with power. As the head of the security council, I hereby impeach them and remove them from command."

"Standing at your orders, Jarvis." Battle Fleet 3 responded. Not long after, nearly every fleet, facility, station, and city responded in the same fashion. Except Battle Fleet 6. Jarvis uploaded a data packet to every connection.

"If I am correct, the Council has been compromised by Olympos long ago, and it has been working against us every step of the way. Through this, they gained access to everything. The Hierarch saw this and attempted to stop them, but there was no evidence, so he had no way to remove them."

"What have they taken and used against us?" asked Defense Fleet 6.

"I've received multiple reports, Jarvis," replied Gamma-3, a Weapon's Research Outpost. "The Tien's Task Force Argani is currently engaged with Prototype X-31, a combat drone scheduled for combat evaluation in 2 weeks."

"Ruby access. Precisely the level the Council possesses." Jarvis sighed. "We don't know what else they've taken, if any. They will no longer take anything from our files, but they still possess iteration 514, and Battle Fleet 6."

"What can they do with an AI?"

"514 is a homicidal AI with a twisted sense of humor. If i'm right, they're going to sabotage Guardian."

OOC: Holy crap Fen, how long do those take you to make?

OOC: Fen just writes a huge story, chunks it, and posts those. I think.

BIC:

The Lyran Federation's 12th battlegroup collectively winced as yet another frigate exploded into flaming tendrils. The fleet commander tapped a series of commands ino his console, then faced the Intelligence man behind him.

"It would appear your information was . . . correct. At least,to a degree. I am noting a distinct lack of the Taln battlegroup you said would be here."

The intel man regarded the commander coldly. "It would seem that they have either encountered delays, or possibly have been destroyed, Commodore. I can hardly be held responsible for what the Tien do with their fleets."

"Commodore!" interjected a lieutenant from the comunications station. "Sensors report there is a Taln force in the sector, sir. They appear to be engaged. Projecting coordinates now."

The commodore faced the viewscreen. "Then perhaps we should give them a hand. Or a wing, as the case may be. Plot us a course. Tell the Fidelity and Valiant to hold here and make sure those damn terrorists don't play hob with the colony. As soon as the orders are away, align and enter hyperspace."

The fleet pivoted and moved off, accelerating into hyperspace.

OOC: I write them as I go, usually in about half an hour. No cut-paste involved.

OOC: I am very disappoint.

BIC:

Jarvis monitored the readings of Battle Fleet 6 as he stood at the helm of the Guradyn, the flagship of the First Battle Fleet. It spanned nearly a kilometer long and was the closest approximation to a scaled-down guardian. It's long, sleek architecture reflected the depths of space like a mirror, folding at corners and opening in sections to reveal pointed barrels and accelerators. The back engines, four arranged in a trapezoidal pattern, pulsed with a bright blue light that competed with the rays sent by the system's vibrant giant star, pushing the ship slowly through space. A stray asteroid came near the ship and suddenly reversed direction, ricocheting off of the translucent blue layered shield than molded and conformed around the ship. The hexagonal pattern of the shield briefly flared as several power arcs raced through it after the asteroid's impact.

Inside the helm located on the top section of the ship, a large holographic map display hovered directly over the combat information center- in the center was the Guradyn, it's beauty captured even in the green triangles and lines that dictated the model on the map. Surrounding it was the rest of the First Battle Fleet, about 50 ships mirroring the designs and patterns of Guradyn, boasting the same reflective designs and all being Guardian Prototypes. Just ahead of it was an asteroid belt; every possible iteration and trajectory of the asteroids were displayed in real time, capturing even the slightest inclination or momentum change from gravity or collisions. Past that was Battle Fleet 6, nearly 80 ships of assorted sizes and assorted designs. All of them were older, now decommissioned designs, as the new face of war on the landscape favored the sleek and fast rather than the large, bold, and tough. Their hulls were all over the place, often strangely layered or patterned with conflicting designs that often made it tough to immediately identify it as a NeoRoman ship. They dated back hundreds of years, when the sector had been war-torn and divided.

Jarvis watched the soothing green light of the holographic map for a moment before deciding on a course of action. Battle Fleet 6 was 2000 km from Alpha Guardian, the center-point of the Guardian effort. Alpha was currently deactivated- it was awaiting the docking and uploading sequence promised by the former Council. Jarvis couldn't get a lock on it, either; either his access codes were no longer valid, the asteroid belt was interfering the signal, or the Council had gained full system control. Jarvis hoped it was the second; the other two prospects were terrifying.

The central console, composed of several control panels covered in various manual buttons and multiple data-feeding monitors, began to output a small beeping sound. It relayed communication channel information and IFF data. A ship had broken off from Battle Fleet 6 and was headed towards their fleet. "Be ready to fire at any moment," Jarvis commanded to the room as he opened the channel.

"T-this is Caligula, Punisher class Cruiser," the pilot stammered. "We are joini-" the transmission cut off.

"What happened?" Jarvis asked, angered. The monitor outputted a high-resolution map of the ship. Or the former ship. One of the Council's battleships had opened fire on it, and now there was nothing left except flaming debris and molten metal. "Open up a broadcast channel to every ship there."

After a few seconds, the channel was online. The fleet was close to passing through the belt. Jarvis transmitted IFF data and tapped a few buttons. "To all ships still loyal to the Dominion, this is Jarvis of the Head Security division." A pause. More buttons. "The Council is the enemy here, not us. They are traitors to the Dominion and to the entire sector, as agents of Olympos." He pressed several more buttons. "Leave their fleet at once, and rejoin us. All ships who remain loyal to the council will be branded as traitors and destroyed with extreme prejudice. This is your only warning."

The communication console began another data feed, this time a transmission from the Council's ship in the center of the fleet. "You again, Jarvis? I thought you were dead before leaving the institute."

"Cockroaches are hard to squash, former High Counciler Kalligus," Jarvis sneered back. "But you aren't a cockroach, are you?"

"You have no chance of stopping us, even with your... what?" The transmission cut off.

"Sir," said one of the technicians behind him. "I'm receiving new IFF data!"

"How many?"

"24 ships have joined us, sir." As he watched, several of the red tinted ships turned to the same green that his fleet was. More began blinking, one by one. 31 ships.

"Full thrust. Protect our new allies."

BIC:

It was almost like a fireworks show.

Despite fancy lights and advanced holographics, nothing could really capture the beauty that is fireworks. The smell of gunpowder in the air, the authentic, crisp colors of burning metal, the resounding explosions and booms released by the pyrotechnics. As a rule, they were unofficially- some thought they were officially- hosted by various groups and organizations all the time. Holidays such as Sakranis, the day when a black hole was successfully repelled from a highly populated world, or Ductapl, celebrating the miraculous recovery of the first major flagship, Tectonis IV, during the first contact wars. The details are fuzzy on that one; the most common was that the ship had repaired the FTL drive and stayed together with the application of copious amounts of liquid adhesive. That's what everyone wanted to believe; space tape fixes everything. In actuality, Tectonis IV recovered an FTL drive from a destroyed enemy ship, in the middle of a battle, managed to install and interface with it, and then jumped home. Somewhere along the line, the space tape became the primary focus. The government never bothered to correct the issue; people need something to believe in, something to celebrate, especially in an environment such as this.

A bright flash of green in a vibrant ray collided with an equally vibrant crimson ray, and the rays burst in a flash of light. Several objects darted by and exploded in a flash of yellow and particles, illuminated and reflected endlessly across the mirrors scattered around. Multiple beams seemed to converge on one point, a focus of the show, an energetic pyrotechnics display requiring the finest planning skills. It was a smashing success. At the same time, one group competed with a rousing display of red and yellow, a continuous explosion of truly massive fireworks. The ground shook with their force, and people lost hats and items by the mere shaking.

85 years ago, Jarvis and his few friends stumbled upon an ancient wooden home, deep in the forests of his home town. It was a small, standard town of only a few thousand, and had yet to be modernized by the sweeping advances in technology made by the industry giants. Cars were still grounded and electric, buildings still steel, stories limited to 5. The house was rotting away and almost collapsing in on itself; most of the kids said it was haunted. At the same time, everyone knew that the rusting pipes often amplified the noise of the underwater stream, usually quite randomly, but stories are still stories. Nobody would dare go in that house, even for a box of Yalar's Chocolate Chews, the king of candy. The way they would melt in your mouth, providing a never-ending fountain of milky deliciousness and yet being chewy at the same time; to not crave Yalar's was to not be a kid, as the mindset was. Jarvis took a chance, a dare, to dart inside the house and grab something. Upon exiting, he looked at his hands to find some strange triangular box, covered in a small layer of dirt and grime. He wiped the grime off the yellow plastic box and found himself looking at a firework. Yellow Jacket, designed to buzz and 'sting' in the sky.

Something was stinging him right now. Jarvis looked down to see a spot of red forming on his uniform. He also noticed he was much lower on the ground than he thought he was before. More red, crimson, much like the fireworks. Several people seemed to be hurrying to him; maybe they wished to enjoy the fireworks as well. He waved them over and continued to watch the dazzling display. It seems this year that they had commissioned blimps; as he watched, two converged on each other and started an extravagant display of red and green, yellow and crimson, pieces and bits, fire and smoke.

Ah yes, the festival. Being in such a small town mentality- he gave the firework to the local engineers to set off at Ductapl. It would perfectly symbolize the way the Tectonis went through, just like a bee, stinging and then returning home before it died. The show that year was spectacular; for weeks on end, Jarvis was congratulated for the brilliant idea of giving them the Yellow Jacket rather than setting it off himself.

If he was correct, Ductapl was actually in a few days. It would be perfect. People needed to hold things together.

And now, more than ever. In a dreamy, almost otherworldly voice, the firework announcer came online. "Guardian upload complete. Preparing system wide distribution."

((I have excuses))

So wait, are the Guardians dead now?

ACH0225 wrote:

So wait, are the Guardians dead now?

As far as I know, they're still Guarding.

Guardians gonna Guard..

Requesting lock, interest has died out for the time being and cats is making another thread.

I'm pretty sure cats' isn't an RP.
Unless you're referring to the fact we're blind to anything below the first line, then maybe yeah.

*rubs talons together
"CLEAR"
Resuscitates thread

It was all quiet on the home front.

The Strigiforme kept up their production during their silent invasion; raiding groups sometimes brought back trinkets and goods that were new or rare for the Strigiforme, allowing them to begin growing production.

But what they were producing, however, was a monster.

It was a new class of ships, larger than most of their ships and their enemies', it was just shy of the supership mark that stood apart the Aigaion and the Guardians, yet large enough to go on par with enemy capital ships. It had cargo bays with enough food and stores for months of constant operations, hangars with space for scores of strike craft wings, and weapons enough to combat whole fleets.

It's name was the Cotyys, the name of a great Strigiforme admiral.

Stats-
Cotyys class ultra-heavy dreadnought- 8 months until completion of first unit, 18 months until completion of 2 additional units.

And not a single response was to be had

ACH0225 wrote:

And not a single response was to be had

Excuses, I have them

One of them being that Tiel threads have a startlingly high mortality rate.

Then get the code blue team in here.

(CLEAR)

(BZZT)

The Federation was in trouble. With 2 fleets crippled or destroyed by Olympos' efforts, one line fleet desperately trying to maintain the peace, and home defense teams being overwhelmed, they turned to the SC for help. Getting too little, too late (mainly due to Olympos' work elsewhere), the Federation Council convened to vote.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for coming. Now, you know why we're here. We'll go by Call. Wayne?"

"I vote nay. They're doing their best. They just don't have the strength, similar to us."

"Ann?"

"I vote yes. As far as we can tell, we won't be a target for Olympos if this goes through."

"Dwight?"

"I vote yes. Olympos is showing a tendency to hit Commonwealth worlds."

"Mr Speaker?"

"I will abstain."

"Very well. Brian?"

"I vote yes. You've all heard my argument before."

"Indeed we have. Mr Speaker, as you have abstained, could you please inform the Commander and the Prime Minister of the final decision?"

"Indeed, Mr Secretary."

The Orion Confederation had been launching brutal strikes at Olympos strongholds for the past 4 months. Now they shifted their strategy. Instead of wasting lives getting the terrorists out of the holes, they were neutron bombing planets. These payloads had fusion bombs mixed in, so it was quite a cocktail.

It was now down to him, and him alone.

He swerved the fighter past a spray of plasma fire and briefly slid among the tumbling, erratic field of the asteroids. He circled around several asteroids, dodging debris as multiple shock-wave bombs went off around him.

Guardian 000 was rogue. It had received the AI and was preparing for system-wide distribution. And it had the necessary tools, the master control system. Upon receiving the AI, it had instantly annihilated every single ship in the vicinity. Except him.

He needed to get on board the Guardian at all costs. From there, he could override the control systems and wrestle the AI out of the Guardian network. But it wouldn't be easy under any circumstances.

He launched several high-impulse torpedo's towards one of the weaker sections of the Guardian's hull, briefly exposing himself to enemy fire. The laser cannons did not waste this opportunity- within seconds, half the fighter was destroyed and the fighter was spiraling towards the Guardian, flames and debris trailing behind it. Jarvis stabilized the fighter as the torpedo's impacted- a breach, just big enough for the fighter to fit. As the systems overloaded, he ejected from the fighter in a mechanical battle-suit and entered through the shrinking hole as repair systems began to seal the breach. The fighter spiraled after him, colliding with the large generator just beyond him and exploding in a colorful explosion of fire and metal.

The breach sealed behind him and his HUD activated, showing all systems. He attached himself to the floor magnetically- there was no gravity as the ships were unmanned. He was a kilometer from the control station. He activated his arm-mounted weapons systems and began his fight through the ship to stop 514.

Distribution Process 15%.

Yay! Plot!

IC:

Augustus Merrys loved his job. Pushing the boundaries, chasing new stars, exploring. It was great. Unfortunately, one's hip had needs - fuel and food were in short supply out past the civilized frontier. So, sometimes, he had to go back.

A blip. Reacting with reflexes honed by one too many a pirate encounter, Merrys focused his long-range scanning systems on it. The blip resolved into.. a Guardian. Good. He felt a little bit more protected.

Altering course, he headed towards it and engaged flux drives, accelerating to near light-speed. Approaching the Guardian vessel, he slowed, and pulled out his camera. Noting some damage on the hull, he snapped a photo.

Battle damage? Asteroid impact?

Lasers flickered, and a pulse weapon fired. Before he knew it had happened, his engines were gone, weapons offline, left wing melted off, and a hull breach in the back. Panicked, he grabbed his comms unit and flipped the frequency to Federation distress.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is explorer Federation Spyglass in the PGX 515 system. I am under sttack by a Guardian vessel, repeat, I am under attack by a Guar-"

[TRANSMISSION END - DISABLED AT SOURCE]