Renoir
smacked into the railing of the hologram platform and flipped over it. He
slammed onto his back and grunted. The rocking continued for nearly a full
minute, making it impossible for him to get up. Once they began to subside, he
rolled over and pulled himself up, wincing with pain. Legun appeared at his
side and helped him up.
“Status
report!” he barked out through clenched teeth.
“Some
kind of energy blast,” Lieutenant Biggs said as he climbed back into his chair.
“Not sure what kind, but it was powerful. I’m reading…” Biggs turned in his
seat to look at the Admiral. “Sir, I’m reading massive devastation across
Belladrix, and no comm signals from anywhere on the planet.” Mutterings and
gasps permeated the bridge at the news, and Renoir stepped back into his
holograms to see for himself. His arms fell to his sides as the report was
duplicated. No signals of any kind coming from Belladrix now.
“Wait…where
are the other ships? Did our sensor array get damaged?” He moved the holograms
around, searching for the other ships of the Alliance fleet, confused at their
absence until the realization began to dawn, and Lieutenant Biggs confirmed it.
“I’m
not detecting any signals from the other ships, sir. Checking visuals… I…think
they’ve all been destroyed, sir…”
du
Saniel had trouble believing it. The Great Enemy ship couldn’t possibly possess
enough firepower to single-handedly destroy three ships and a planet
simultaneously. He brought up the visual sensors, which showed expanding debris
clouds where the other three ships were. He felt his jaw go slack, and the
strength from his legs fade to where he had to support himself with the
railing.
“The
fighters…what about our fighters?” He said quietly. Legun consulted his
handheld pad.
“Some
were caught in the blasts, and others survived. Same with the Suits. We…we lost
two of the Savior Suits…” He nearly mumbled this last part, clearly afraid to
let the others hear. The Admiral put his free hand to his forehead and eyes,
trying to massage the stress away, but to no avail.
“And
Terranis?” He asked, trying to take his mind off the once-again crumbling
situation.
“Looks
like only one beam struck Terranis… An island in the south, a few miles of the
southwestern tip of the eastern continent. No known settlements, at lea-are you
alright?” Legun looked up, surprised to see du Saniel’s shocked expression.
“How…did
they know?” Renoir’s eyes were starting to go wide, and Legun began to worry
the shock was overwhelming him.
“Know
what? It was an empty island. Perhaps it was intended for another target, but
missed.”
The
Admiral stepped over to Legun and put an arm around him, whispering. “That’s
the official report, yes. But… There was a facility there.”
Legun’s
eyebrows lowered in confusion. “I never knew about any such facility. What was
it for?”
“It was
for ATS production, and some ancillary research. It wasn’t the most extensive
of factories, no, but it was enough. Most of the suits in our fleet were
manufactured there.”
Legun
remained silent for a moment, clearly contemplative. “I see… Was this the
secret you mentioned before, why we couldn’t abandon the system?”
“That
was part of it, but I know a small clandestine ATS factory is hardly something
to doom millions of people for. No… There was something else.” Renoir
instinctively thought of the other secret for an instant, and his mind filled
with the images of infinite stars, shining blue hair almost hidden by
overwhelming light, and a white feather drifting through the air.
Before
Legun could say anything else, du Saniel released his arm and stepped back into
the holograms, his usual confidence seemingly returned. “Damage report!” He
commanded, and Lieutenant Biggs filled him in. The blast from earlier had blown
clear through the Bastille, leaving a gaping hole in its launch decks, but
thankfully no critical systems were affected.
“And
the Enemy ship?” He asked. There were only the two capital ships remaining.
They were still in roughly the same position they were when they started: the
Great Enemy held the upper hand in terms of raw firepower, especially after
this last display, but superior tactics would see the humans still victorious.
Probably. Renoir had to admit to himself he felt a little less confident than
he did a few hours ago. No, he couldn’t start doubting himself now. He had to
see this through to the end, and let history decide whether he did things
right.
“Its
power levels are severely reduced, though it’s coming about.” The Lieutenant
reported. “Its shields appear to be greatly weakened, and its weapons have
ceased firing for now.”
“This
may be the best time to try and finish them off,” Renoir said mostly to
himself, though Legun heard him as well.
“We’re
not exactly in prime fighting condition ourselves. None of our fighter and Suit
units are at optimal strength. Most are simply fighting in groups of two or
three at this point, instead of proper squads. I don’t think I need to mention
the giant hole we have in our hull now, either.”
“I
know, Legun. We can’t just let them go. I doubt their commander will abandon
the rest of the system now. We need to consolidate on Terranis, and try to
bring that ship down.” Renoir turned to the helm controls. “Bring us back into
low orbit over Terranis. Recall all the fighters and suits, and maintain
long-range bombardment of the enemy ship as best we can. Get repair crews
focused on the shield system and getting the hangar deck at least operational
enough to land and re-launch what we have left.” Renoir sank against the
railing and stared at the floor for a few moments before looking up at Legun.
“I
think I need to sit down.”
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