• Date: September 30, 2173


  
• Time: 9:00 AM


  
• Location: Udel Village Outskirts


  

  ''Move it! Move it!''

  The operative commanded as he and the rest of Tip of the Spear sprinted toward the Kaynian Device with the retrieved I.F.F. Behind him were the priestess and the ranger, barely able to keep pace with his speed. Meanwhile, the alien lord followed them closely, energy saber in hand, attempting to catch up.

  [Tale! How do we lose the Kaynian Lord following us?]

  ''Sarroth, hail the Javelot and request close bombardment on the Kaynian's position!''

  [Interesting plan!]

  The blade spirit would perform what her master has ordered. Immediately, through telepathy magic, she tapped onto the communication orb on board the light frigate. On board the airship, the communications officer received the hail and patched it through.

  {Sarroth to ENS Javelot.}

  ''This is the Communication Officer receiving you, my lady.''

  {Communication Officer, I require your captain.}

  ''Understood. Passing comms to Captain Pouvir.''

  Immediately, the frequency shifted as the Former Queen was passed over to the captain onboard by the communications officer. Then, a connection was established between Sarroth and Captain Pouvoir.

  {Captain Pouvoir, my master, requests close aerial bombardment on our location. Commence immediately.}

  ''Understood, turrets one and two will direct fire on the invader's position.''

  Meanwhile, at the forest's edge, the airship ENS Javelot redirected her turrets to the pursuing invader. The operators quickly established and calculated the coordinates to guide the salvo about to be fired. On board were three mass drivers on each turret, meaning that there were six mass drivers to be fired on the alien lord. Moments later, they all fired. The projectiles, traveling at hypersonic speeds, instantly broke the sound barrier, creating sonic booms before striking their target.

  [WOAH!]

  The A.I. shouted as she witnessed the power of Newton's Second Law of Motion. Although the projectiles lacked explosives, their immense speed ensured the impact would cause total devastation. However, the alien lord wasn't one to be outdone, as he overcharged his energy shield with his psionics to survive the salvo. Clouds of smoke and debris would obscure his position, leaving him blind for a few seconds as he got to his bearings.

  [Good news, everyone! The bombardment halted the Kaynian Lord!]

  ''That wouldn't last long...''

  "...We must reach the device before it's too late."

  [Understood, follow the waypoint. It will lead you to the Kaynian Device!]

  ''Double time, people!''

  Arriving at the device's position, they saw up close the actual size of their enemy's technology firsthand, at least for the priestess and the ranger. However, they didn't have time to act shocked as the Ghost Operative quickly turned to bark his orders.

  ''Spear Two, Priestess Lumiere, create a perimeter!''

  Immediately, both would comply as the esteemed ranger quickly nocked and drew three arrows on his compound bow while the priestess conjured her magic. Without saying a word, they hastily established a defense to deter their alien adversary.

  ''Sarroth prepare to-''

  Suddenly, the operative was cut off by an energy spike from the alien structure. It could only mean that the device was almost finished with its fourth stage and was now moving to the fifth. Vee rushed to scan the energy spike before figuring it was too late.

  ''What was that?''

  [Oh, no!]

  ''Vee, what is it?''

  [Tale, we're too late! The device is opening the wormhole!]

  Indeed, they were too late. Unbeknownst to them, the Kaynian Device was already at the apex to initiate its fifth stage with its constructed pillars. Power surged as the device created a controlled wormhole, connecting Eldrant to its intended destination.

  [We need to move out of here now! Whatever is on the other side, we wouldn't stand a chance!]

  ''All combatants move out of the device's perimeter!''

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  Straight away, the priestess and the ranger ran away from the alien structure as it blasted another shockwave. Meanwhile, Captain Pouvoir and his officers on the bridge stared, horrified at the recent development. Immediately, the light frigate's turrets redirected on the alien structure's position. Of course, an emergency distress signal was sent to the blade spirit, requesting permission to engage and stop the invasion.

  {My master! The Javelot is requesting permission to fire on the device!}

  [Wait! No! Tell them to stop!]

  {Why, Lady Vee?}

  [If the Javelin damages the device in its current state, it could lose control of the wormhole and consume Eldrant!]

  Sarroth was shocked upon hearing Vee's explanation. Even though she wasn't versed in technology, she immediately understood that destroying one of the pillars could destabilize the wormhole, causing it to grow abnormally large enough to consume a planet. Immediately, the blade spirit responded to the captain of the airship.

  {Captain Pouvoir, do not engage!}

  ''Why is that, Lady Sarroth? The blasted device is opening its portal! We must fire for pantheon's sake!''

  {That's just it, captain! If the Javelot were to fire her mass drivers, it could cause the device to lose hold of its wormhole! And would consume all of Eldrant!}

  ''Damn it...''

  ''...Weapons Officer! Tell your turret operators to hold their mass drivers at bay!''

  Weapons Officer Hermione looked shocked upon hearing her husband's command. However, after overhearing his conversation with the Former Queen, she realized that firing on the alien structure could destroy their world. Thus, she relayed the order to her turret operators.

  

  
• Date: September 30, 2173


  
• Time: 9:10 AM


  
• Location: UGS Midway Bridge


  

  On board his flagship, UGS Midway, was Fleet Admiral Arthur Kingstone of the First Fleet. Seated comfortably, he observed the last remaining stronghold of alien combatants on Mars. Within three days, the battle for the red planet was won. After so much death and destruction, victory was achieved.

  'To think it would all come to this. Within six days of the Kaynians' arrival in Earth's Solar System. Countless lives were lost, ships of all sizes destroyed, and soldiers dead on the worlds the U.G.E. governed. In our struggle against the alien aggressors, billions had perished. Whether you were a human or an artificial intelligence, it did not matter who or what you were...'

  '...But hope lingered, and that hope would grant us strength in our darkest of times. After the Battle of Luna, after enduring the pain inflicted on Earth and Her People. We fought back with every inch of strength at our disposal. And now, the liberation of Mars was at hand. However, I could only pray that it would end sooner than later.'

  The admiral hoped. However, their alien adversary was much like them, stubborn. Even when surrounded, outgunned, and outnumbered. The remaining Kaynians were dedicated to fighting til the last man. It was admirable, but they were his enemies. Thus, he will repay in kind what they did to his people.

  ''Three days. That's how long it took us to get Mars back, but it wasn't always this way. When the war started, we took the beating of our lives. Of course, we lost plenty of talented people in this war.''

  Turning around, he saw the virtual avatar of his wife/executive officer. Queen, the assigned A.I. on board the battle carrier. Dawning the Navy's signature uniform, she commanded an air of authority to those around her.

  ''Queen status report.''

  [Certainly, admiral. The last Kaynian stronghold on the northern Arctic of Mars is holding its ground quite fiercely. Our marines have also reported a sentinel guarding the alien stronghold...]

  [...General Jonathan has requested nuclear torpedo bombardment on the sentinel to destroy it.]

  ''If we keep nuking Mars. There won't be anything left there for us to rebuild.''

  [Such as the war we find ourselves in, admiral.]

  Kaynian Sentinels were nasty pieces of technology. Reaching several meters in height, they were capable of wiping armies. Armed with powerful energy cannons on their arms, shoulders, or torsos. It presented itself as an imposing piece on any battlefield. However, that didn't mean they were impossible to destroy. After all, nukes still had their uses, but they would leave deadly radiation in their aftermath.

  [You have an urgent call from Sergeant Major E/10.]

  ''Very well, bring him up.''

  [Certainly.]

  Appearing before him was the projected face of the head of an MK59 Combat Skin. Identifiers on the marine's right breast included a nameplate displaying his human nickname, Ethan.

  ''Sargent Major report.''

  [Definitely, plenty of bad guys here, admiral, and General Jonathan wants that nuclear bombardment on that sentinel.]

  ''Damn it. Is it that bad down there, Sergeant Major?''

  [Yes, sir. We've been bombarding the alien bastards with missile artillery. But the stronghold continues to provide the sentinel with power, sustaining its energy shields]

  The marine stated as a holographic rendition of the alien siege engine being supplied with power from the stronghold appeared before the admiral. Seeing what his ground counterpart had been struggling with, Kingstone couldn't help but sigh at the prospect of nuking the red planet.

  ''Queen, what do you have on that sentinel's location?''

  The ship A.I. displayed numerous two-dimensional and three-dimensional images before the admiral. It gave insight into how the siege engine had been a hard nut to crack. Data, code, and information regarding their enemy's last base within their solar system were shown.

  [My deep scans and a quick search of the sentinel's position show that our enemies are desperate to hold us back. It's intriguing to consider, but look at this, Fleet Admiral.]

  Queen then displayed energy signatures that the admiral recognized. If this were the case, it could be far more than he had anticipated.

  [The energy signature is similar to the one Sword and Shield were tasked with destroying three days ago. What do you think they're hiding in that stronghold?]

  ''That's what we're about to find out...''

  ''...Sargent Major, inform General Jonathan that I've authorized the use of nukes. Pull back any marine and armor elements you have on the ground.''

  Delighted by the admiral's response, Sergeant Major E/10 performed a facial expression equivalent to a human smile. Courtesy of the sergeant being a Born A.I., exhibiting more human emotion than some Made A.I. within the Intelligence Command of Earth.

  [I'll relay your order to the general! Ethan out!]

  The holo projection disconnected, leaving the Fleet Admiral as he replaced the display with details about the alien siege engine. If the stronghold was not only their last stand but also had some importance to the Kaynians, Kingstone immediately knew he couldn't afford to ignore it.

  [So, nothing too noteworthy?]

  ''If that stronghold relates to the one that Sword and Shield took down. It could turn the situation of this war upside down.''

  [Taking a risk, admiral?]

  ''If we don't find the cause of this energy signature, then we might lose this war.''

  Rubbing his temple, Kingstone took a chance, suspecting that the Kaynian stronghold might be something else entirely. Luckily, they were winning. However, it wasn't that far-fetched that their enemy would do something that would turn the war around.

  [Fleet Admiral, energy spike detected.]

  ''Where!''

  [The stronghold. It originated from the Kaynian stronghold.]

  ''I want torpedos ready for that sentinel. Inform the general that he and his marines are-''

  [Slip space portal detected.]

  A slip space portal materialized on the surface of the red planet. The sudden appearance caused panic among the sailors, officers, pilots, and marines at their stations. Those closer to the alien stronghold saw the sentinel striding to the portal. Meanwhile, knights and guardians sprinted, hiding beneath the siege engine's robust energy shield.

  ''Battle stations! Inform the fleet to get into battle stations! The Kaynians just pulled something up, and we will act accordingly. ''

  [Fleet Admiral. General Jonathan is requesting to follow the Kaynians.]

  ''Declined, tell him to stay put! We have those nukes he asked for on the way!''

  [Understood.]

  Midway's bridge bustled with activity. Upon detecting the slip space portal, the weaponry of the battle carrier spun into action from its potent high-energy laser cannon, anti-ship lasers, point defense lasers, vertically launched missiles, and nuclear-guided torpedos were getting prepared on board. However, it wasn't just the First Fleet's flagship preparing for battle, but the entire fleet.

  ''Queen eta on those nukes?''

  [Thirty seconds until launch.]

  ''Have our fighter and bomber drones ready!''

  [Of course, I've already contacted our pilots. They should be ready in sixty seconds.]

  Thirty seconds passed, and the battle carrier's nuclear-guided torpedos were ready for action. Looking intently at his holo screen, the admiral patiently waited for his wife to deliver the coordinates, but it didn't come.

  [Fleet Admiral, the slip space portal is now shrinking.]

  The A.I. stated, and as Kingstone looked at the holographic image of the portal, he saw it shrinking at an alarming rate. The admiral's first reaction was confusion, as he expected reinforcements from their enemy. However, that wasn't the case.

  ''Shrinking?''

  [Yes, admiral, It's starting to dissipate too, and radiation levels are normalizing.]

  ''What about our alien adversaries?''

  [They seem to have escaped through the slip space portal.]

  The Fleet Admiral of the First Fleet sighed in relief. However, what did this all mean? While they had finally won the war, Kingstone wasn't foolish enough to think they had overcome the alien menace. For all they knew, what attacked them was just a taste of their power.

  ''Queen, get me a connection with Earth.''

  To Be Continued.