• Date: January 22, 2183


  
• Time: 7:40 AM


  
• Location: UGS Yorktown Bridge


  

  ''Vice Admiral Abraham Gaft. This is Fleet Admiral Sasha Zveroboy.''

  A female Russian accent spoke through the comms of the battle carrier. The Vice Admiral in charge of the vessel heard his superior loud and clear and smiled at the sight of her. The Fleet Admiral had a stoic look even though she was still in her thirties.

  ''I hear you loud and clear, Fleet Admiral.''

  ''Have you discovered the faint contact that appeared near our solar system?''

  ''Negative, ma'am. No Kaynian ships have appeared in our search.''

  Abraham responded, and it turned the mood of the Fleet Admiral into sour. Seeing this, Gaft immediately wanted to converse on another subject to distract his superior from her worries. Because in his career, never had he seen the daughter of the Famed Defender of Pluto this stressed and paranoid.

  ''Um, Fleet Admiral. Any news from Mesopotamia? Are there any Kaynians that appeared on their end?''

  This snapped the Fleet Admiral out of her trance, as Mesopotamia was the third planet colonized by the U.G.E. following the First Contact War. She was six light years away from Eden. If Babylon was hit first, it was inevitable that Mesopotamia was next.

  ''Nothing as of late, although I did hear that Fleet Admiral Jaxing Sun has issued a traffic lockdown over Mesopotamia's spaceports and stations.''

  ''Hmm, probably for the best.''

  ''Indeed, and it won't be long until I issue something similar.''

  Sasha responded, although her intentions were for the good of Eden. There will always be those who would counter her ways of protecting the peace. Stated that such orders could only be given if the Kaynians were headed their way, but she'd find a way, much like her father.

  ''Vice Admiral Abraham Gaft, you will receive your new orders.''

  After spending several minutes idly observing, Abraham was suddenly jolted into action. The thought of returning to the fleet and spending time with his wife brought him a smile.

  ''What are they, Fleet Admiral?''

  ''You are to return to Eden with your strike group and reconnect with the fleet.''

  ''Aye! Aye! Fleet Admiral, on my way.''

  ''I'll be waiting...''

  ''...Fleet Admiral Sasha Zveroboy, out.''

  Saying her farewells, the Fleet Admiral signed out and left Abraham to his devices. Sitting comfortably on his chair, the Vice Admiral eyed his terminals. Appearing on his holo screen was the ship A.I. on board the Yorktown, Luck, his wife.

  ''Luck, ready our FTL, and inform the strike group that we're going home.''

  [Of course, my dear...]

  [...Warming up real space drive and transmitting orders now.]

  The entire strike group soon turned portside to prepare for their launch to Eden. All ten vessels were evenly spaced apart, each warming up its individual FTL drive. It would take only a few minutes for an FTL drive to "warm up" before initiating the jump to its destination. Unfortunately, the entire strike group was not yet able to return home.

  "Luck, want to grab dinner at a restaurant?"

  [Why not? With all this talk about the Kaynians returning, it would feel nice to experience the fine things in life.]

  ''Alright, we just need-''

  Before the Vice Admiral could finish his sentence, a slip space portal manifested at the stern of the strike group and took everyone by surprise. Emerging from the portal was a kilometer-long Kaynian Frigate, and immediately, the instruments of the ships on the strike group warned them about the appearance of a new contact.

  [Slip space portal detected...]

  [...Contact detected: Kaynian warship, frigate class. Distance—one hundred seventy-seven thousand kilometers.]

  Luck informed, and this brought forth panic amongst the crew of the battle carrier. Officers immediately went into action and double-checked that the new contact was of Kaynian origin, which it was.

  ''What the! Turn us around, and the strike group! Ready the H.E.L. cannon, tell the destroyers and corvettes to their load torpedos, and launch drone craft squadrons!''

  [Understood, my dear.]

  The strike group turned in unison to face the lone Kaynian Frigate. They deployed their respective squadrons of drone craft and loaded their torpedo tubes in preparation to open fire.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  [H.E.L. cannon percentage at fifty percent. The strike group reports all torpedos loaded and awaiting launch. Point defense lasers, anti-ship lasers, and drone craft squadrons are ready to engage.]

  ''Tell the strike group to fire their torpedos! We'll crack its shields when our H.E.L. cannon is heated!''

  [Transmitting orders...]

  [...My dear, torpedos and drone craft squadrons on-.]

  But before Luck could initiate the launch of all torpedos from the destroyers and corvettes, an unidentified signal emerged from the Kaynian vessel. The signal was outdated and wasn't even encrypted by their standards.

  [My dear, I have detected a signal originating from the Kaynian Frigate.]

  ''What? Clarify, did I hear you correctly? A signal?''

  [Yes, to be precise, an outdated I.C.E. distress signal...]

  [...Shall I play it?]

  Abraham looked at his options as this was very odd. How was this particular Kaynian vessel transmitting an I.C.E. signal? The only way he could know whether this was real was to hear its contents.

  ''Do it.''

  [Very well, my dear.]

  A pause occurred as everyone on the bridge waited for the signal to play. What felt like seconds was an entire lifetime for those on Yorktown's bridge.

  ''This is Ghost Operative Tale...''

  ''...Do you hear me over?''

  Abraham's eyes widened as he heard the voice of a human over his comms. Observing the contents of the signal, it was positive that it came from a Ghost Operative, although it was outdated.

  ''Luck, isolate that signal!''

  [Understood.]

  ''Ghost, this is Vice Admiral Abraham Gaft. Do you copy?''

  The Vice Admiral responded, wondering how a Ghost was onboard a Kaynian Frigate. Waiting patiently, the operative in question would answer Abraham's response.

  ''Affirmative, sir, I've commandeered this Kaynian Frigate to escape Babylon.''

  ''Babylon? I thought all A.F.E. personnel died stalling the Kaynian forces for the Scorched Earth Protocole?''

  ''They did, sir...''

  ''...I arrived on Babylon a few hours after the protocol was issued by Fleet Admiral Lowe Mendelez.''

  Arrived? What the hell was this Ghost Operative talking about? Was he suggesting he was outside U.G.E. space as the Kaynians assaulted Babylon? Gaft eyed his terminal as he processed what he was hearing.

  ''Ghost, listen up, I have no idea how you got here, but I don't care! We're gonna bring you home!''

  With unwavering resolve, the Vice Admiral declared his decision, confident of the perfect candidate for the mission. Attached to his strike group was an I.C.E. stealth ship named UGS Howling Knight. The stealth ship and its Ghost Operatives of three should be able to rescue their stranded comrade.

  ''I'll be sending Ghost Operatives to your rescue. Thus, I suggest you go to the frigate's teleporter chamber; they'll arrive through there.''

  ''Understood, sir.''

  ''Break their legs, Ghost. Vice Admiral Abraham Gaft out.''

  Signing out, Abraham immediately stared at his wife as he formulated his plan before issuing them to her.

  ''Luck, inform the strike group not to engage their H.E.L. cannons and torpedos. We have a stranded Ghost on board that ship. Only point defense lasers, anti-ship lasers, and drone craft squadrons are permitted to engage.''

  [Very well, and I've already informed the Howling Knight about the situation. They say they are already preparing their ship for departure.]

  ''Good, the sooner they rescue that Ghost Operative, the better.''

  

  
• Date: January 22, 2183


  
• Time: 7:45 AM


  
• Location: Kaynian Frigate Bridge


  

  ''Break their legs, Ghost. Vice Admiral Abraham Gaft out.''

  The Vice Admiral responded before cutting off the communication between them and the battle carrier. This left Tale and Sarroth on their own devices about escaping this vessel undetected. That would require time and planning, both of which are unavailable.

  ''Looks like we're on our own for now.''

  {Indeed, master, but at least we have made contact with the A.F.E. is all that matters.}

  ''Indeed, the Vice Admiral mentioned that Ghost Operatives would rescue us. So, we'll be in good company.''

  Tale added, which was true. It had been quite some time since he had come in contact with his brothers. He hopes that not all of his batch during the First Contact War was wiped out.

  ''Sarroth, could you interact or hack Kaynian technology?''

  {Lady Vee left instructions on how I could interface with Kaynian technology. Although I am not as proficient as her. There is a possibility.}

  ''Good, that should come in handy...''

  ''...Scramble and corrupt the data of the terminals on the bridge. At least we could cripple their ability to move the frigate.''

  {Of course, master. Already doing it.}

  Following orders, Sarroth immediately integrated herself into the frigate's terminals and began wreaking havoc on its systems. Although it took a few seconds from the spirit's perspective, it was minutes, if not hours.

  {Done. I have crippled the systems present on the bridge.}

  ''We need to get to the teleporter chamber...''

  ''...Sarroth, could you possibly teleport us there? It's our only way out of this mess.''

  {Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it without a range weapon on your person, my master. The warlocks present would react to the burst of magic and the residue that would come after.}

  ''I see...''

  ''...Then, we're back to old school.''

  The Ghost stated before moving out of the bridge and heading towards the center of the Kaynian Frigate, the teleporter chamber. By employing invincibility magic, Sarroth ensured that her master remained invisible to the Kaynians. As he moved through the frigate's corridors, the Ghost demonstrated his expertise in stealth, maneuvering undetected.

  'Hmm, only a few-'

  Suddenly, the hull of the Kaynian Frigate shook as laser fire and missiles bombarded its shields. Meanwhile, the Kaynian crew of the frigate panicked about how there were ten A.F.E. warships. However, with the entire crew of the bridge dead, there was no one to steer the ship to safety nor change its direction to return fire. Kaynian Farers and Guardians rushed to their battle stations as the squadrons of drone craft and laser bombardment impacted the frigate's shields.

  {It seems the strike group is pummeling the frigate's shield.}

  ''Acknowledged, we need to hurry and reach the teleporter chamber.''

  As he moved through the vessel's hallway, several Kaynian Farers hurried past him. Their faces were marked with fear and panic—but where were they going?

  ''What's the status? Is the bridge not responding?''

  ''It seems the bridge is not communicating with us at all!''

  ''By the Betrayer. Those damn fools...''

  ''...Our orders from the lord is to execute those traitors and take their place!''

  ''Understood!''

  The official barked out, and his fellow Kaynians followed him. This was bad because not only had they realized that something happened on the bridge, but it would only take a small amount of time for them to realize that he escaped his cell.

  'If they found out that bridge crew is dead, then it would be a matter of time before we're found out.'

  Tale realized that, at the current pace, the Ghost would have to battle his way to the teleporter chamber. However, without a weapon, accomplishing that would be nearly impossible.

  ''Sarroth.''

  {Yes, master?]

  ''I'm gonna need a weapon. Can you make it so I could use a guardian's rifle?''

  He asked his companion because, without a ranged weapon, they don't have a chance of escaping if that's the case. Luckily, Sarroth has had ten years of research and theorizing of Kaynian technology. It was at this moment that her knowledge was put to the test.

  {Yes, master. After ten years of contact with me, your body is infused with my magic. That magic can serve as ammunition and an energy source for a guardian's rifle.}

  The real question now was how the Ghost would acquire a weapon. An armory seemed like the best option. His eternal servant had already scanned the entire ship using magic—perhaps she could guide him to one.

  ''Sarroth, during your search for the bridge; did you identify an armory?''

  {That I did here; I'll mark it on your heads-up display.}

  A second later, a waypoint was placed by the weapon spirit. With a heading on his heads-up display, the Ghost could finally make some progress. The narrow hallways and red lighting gave the feeling of being watched, and his senses screamed for him to stay hidden. It also didn't help that a Kaynian Lord could appear at any moment. Thus, he continued following the waypoint, which eventually led him to the entrance of the armory.

  {This is it, the armory...}

  {...My master, I detect several guardian's inside. Looks like they're gearing up.}

  ''Okay, we wait for them to get out before we go in.''

  As the Ghost replied, the door slid open, allowing a squad of eight guardians to rush past him, unaware of his presence. Seizing the opportunity, Tale slipped inside the armory.

  'That was close.'

  He muttered while surveying the area, noticing all the weapons had already been taken. All except for one. Taking a closer look, he picked up the rifle. It was gray, but usually, he'd see these weapons on guardian's glowing blue or, in this case, red.

  ''Sarroth, how do I do this?''

  {All you need to do is imbue it with magic to function.}

  ''Understood.''

  Concentrating on his magic, Tale slowly imbued the rifle with his magic. The amount of which was ginormous. Though he doesn't know it, his magic reserves far outpace the likes of Sarroth or her daughters. But as he slowly built up the magic to power the rifle, it glowed a bright blue.

  {Well done, my master!}

  The blade spirit commented on seeing how much control her master had over his magic already. Sensing the massive magic reserve within him, Sarroth couldn't help but be proud of herself for giving her master such an advantage.

  ''Weapon loaded...''

  ''...Now, let's head to the teleporter chamber and wait for our rescuers.''

  To Be Continued.