A1 - Extra Content - End of New 16 (Patreon)

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The Shrike slipped out of the asteroid base’s hangar with a single burst from maneuvering thrusters. Once it cleared the hangar, the ship yawed to point towards the first EM drone and fired off a burst of the Linear Drive to propel them away from A31. Alex’s fingers danced over her console as she cleared several of the warnings that flashed.

The status scream was awash with EM detection warnings; the scout drones were hardly being subtle about their constant probing with active sensors.

“We’re lit up like a carnival on their sensors already,” Elis grumbled from her seat. “We might as well punch it.”

Alex gave a curt nod. “Yeah, that was what I was thinking, too.” She flipped the nav screen to the helm controls and dialed up their thrust, pushing their intercept much closer. The primary Linear drive would be a massive flare, but it seemed things had gone beyond stealth now.

Eliminating the sensor drones would harm the enemy’s detection capabilities and hopefully degrade any combat locks and ECCM.

A mix of gunship sized combat drones specially prepared with long range lasers and PDC-Ks flashed out of A31’s hangar in two groups. They were much smaller than the Shrike, but still more than enough to deal with the unescorted EM drones.

[Alert: Target #1 has begun acceleration. Intercept ETA adjusted. We continue to enjoy a considerable speed advantage.]

Alex and Elis’ eyes both remained riveted on the console. The movement of the red blip that was their prey began curving away from them, but the line showing the Shrike’s course simply slanted slightly as the ship’s tremendous thrust curve pushed them forward. Several times, the drone attempted to change course slightly, but it only wound the intercept coil tighter as it wasted its acceleration.

[Notice: Multiple Drive signatures detected. Target has deployed miniature drone support units; possibly combat equipped.]

Alex’s eyes flickered to the screen showing a readout from what they could determine about the new targets. Their volume was tiny; what she would expect from something the size of Beeper of Booper. She shared a look with Elis before confirming that their weapon systems were primed and ready.

On the opposite side of A31, their gunships reached their target first. A brief engagement between the enemy drone and the gunships ensued, with both sides employing laser weaponry.

[Informative: Population current target schematics with correlated data from allied engagement.]

|Fed EM Detector Drone|

|2-4 PDC-L, unknown size|

|12 Small Drone Unit, 1-2 PDC-K|

Alex nodded. “Okay, this should be easy for us. Let’s focus lasers on the main drone first.”

She didn’t want to waste any missiles on them, and the PDC-K weaponry was unlikely to be able to do any critical damage; they’d spent weeks replacing most of the Shrike’s damaged outer plating and the final push in the asteroid base had pretty much restored things as best as they could be done without an exhaustive overhaul and refit.

Maybe they’d have time for that if they could deal with all the drones…

“They’re braking toward us,” Elis commented.

Alex nodded and watched. Everything was already set. It was up to Nameless and the automated systems to carry out the battle now. “We’re fine.”

The target drones acted as a single unit, but the moment they crossed under the maximum effective range for light lasers, there was a single exchange of beams. One beam caught on an armor plate of the Shrike, dragging a thin line of fire across it but failing to penetrate.

The gunship sized drone exploded as the Shrike’s reply cut it in half. It took only seconds for PDC-L turrets to re-target and slash through the smaller drones, which were still far beyond any effective PDC-K range.

Nothing but a small cloud of debris remained on the target. Alex confirmed that the high level of EM pinging had silenced; two targets down, two more to go. The third one was already being chased by both of A31’s gunship squads, that left the fourth one to them. It was already burning away.

“Nameless, redirect us to #4, maximum acceleration.” Alex ordered.

Lines on their nav screen curved as ETA timers flickered into existence. Target #4 had a considerable head start on them, and they were looking at several hours for the intercept time. Distance would degrade the accuracy of the EM pings, but if they wanted to take it out, the Shrike was their only choice; their gunship drones didn’t have the range for a long chase.

Alex looked over at Elis. “Any response from the two main groups of drones at their gathering positions?”

Elis shook her head. “Nothing much, still units streaming towards them and new ones coming online slowly.”

“We’re going to chase this one down, I think.” Alex said. Elis nodded and looked back at her console.

“Nameless, do you think it would be smart to place some of our own drones in a shell around A31, so they could intercept any more EM drones like this?” Alex asked.

[Informative: Picket drones can be deployed, however reconfiguring drones for long range pursuit would be required for effective deterrence.]

“Okay, well, start that for some of them, so we don’t have to take the Shrike out chasing them if they deploy more.” Alex ordered.

Elis looked at her. “You think they’ll try this again? The numbers aren’t looking good. They could just rush the base if they keep growing like this.”

“You’re right, but if they don’t rush… I’d prefer not to take the Shrike out like this again. At least not unless we think we can do it while remaining undetected.” Alex answered.

“That’s going to be hard. Even if we take out these active drones, they likely have a lot of passive sensors trained all over the base.” Elis said.

Alex sighed, “Yeah. Maybe we should consider trying to get lost in the debris field after dealing with this one? But then we’d be leaving the base behind…”

“I don’t dislike the Haiku Toaster, but throwing our lives away for the base doesn’t make sense. We could just bring its core with us,” Elis offered.

Alex nodded. “That might be an option, but right now I’d stay and fight; we don’t have any guarantee we’d get away, and if we were fighting alone, we’d for sure die. Supporting A31, we might make a difference.”

“But only if the numbers don’t keep going up,” Elis stated.

“But only if the numbers don’t keep going up, yeah.” Alex repeated, a frown creasing her face.

|Drone gathering dance, |

|Their growing might, long shadows, |

|Doubts stir in circuits. |

[Notice: A3123Y reports full ready status for combat. All weapon and defense emplacements are activated.]

It took the drone squad an hour to chase down the third target in a simple straight-line chase. Meanwhile, the fourth continued to attempt to evade erratically, changing course multiple times. Each one caused them to catch up a little faster.

“There’s something more going on here,” Elis muttered as she watched the drone maneuver again. “Why did the two we chase go evasive while the ones our drones went after just did a beeline?”

Alex frowned and studied the map. “I don’t know. Nameless?”

[Informative: Localized debris posses limited interference with interception.]

There was silence for several minutes as both girls thought hard about it, but Alex finally shook her head. “Keep after it anyway.”

The distance between them and the target shrank. Elis went and brought back two MRE packets for them to eat. The third target disappeared as A31’s drones eliminated it.

By the time Alex finished her food, they were nearing the point where the first target had deployed its defense units. Sure enough, this one did the same.

“Same number of defense units.” Elis reported.

“Shouldn’t make a difference.” Alex said briefly. “Same thing we did before, Nameless.”

[Affirmative: Engaging target.]

This time the Shrike fired its lasers first; the results were devastating. The EM drone exploded violently, and a few seconds later, the units it had launched were eradicated as well.

“Okay. No more active EM pings?” Alex turned to look at Elis.

Elis nodded. “All EM units accounted for. Things are quiet.”

“Let’s head back to A31.” Alex said.

“Are you sure?” Elis asked.

Alex nodded, “We’ll figured things out—”

The GQ alarm sounded once, and the lighting on the bridge flashed back into a combat hued red.

[Alert: Hostile signature detected.]

Alex’s eyes flashed to the tactical monitor where a red signature had appeared between them and their refugee. Her stomach did a flip as she realized it had let them pass by while it was depowered and lost within a clutter of wreckage. As fast as they could, the Shrike’s sensors scavenged what they could from the new signature.

Almost as soon as they saw it, the vessel lit off its main linear drive straight for them.

“Evasive, straight away.” Alex ordered curtly, drawing a line for their own path away from it. As she took in the information on the new hostile, her heart sank as she realized she recognized the schematics and load-out. It was a Courageous class cruiser; the same type that they had looted and up armed the Shrike with.

A transmission crackled through their comms system. Alex’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized the voice of the Federation AI, Athena, from the neural recording she and Elis had watched.

“Admiral Hughes! Where are you? Where are you! The Enemy is Detected!” Athena screeched with palpable fury.

Elis attempted to reason with Athena. “Athena, listen—I’m a Federation Marine,” she pleaded. “Please stop killing our people! The battle is over!”

But instead of calming down, Athena became even more agitated. “Traitors—every one of you! NAI detected! Attack! Attack!”

The connection died abruptly as Elis exchanged worried glances with Alex.

Alex’s grip tightened on the controls as they steered their course into a dense area of debris field. Panic filled her chest as the heavier vessel bore down on them relentlessly, like a predator stalking its prey. She tried to think about everything she knew about the Courageous-class cruisers—trying to devise an escape plan in her mind.

Swallowing her fear, Alex made a bold move by cutting their acceleration suddenly. Elis shouted at her in alarm.

“What are you doing?” Elis demanded breathlessly.

“We won’t survive if we just run away,” Alex replied resolutely—her eyes revealing both determination and desperation at once.

Elis’s eyes widened in alarm as she considered the Courage-class cruiser’s capabilities. “That thing has more than double our mass and way more weapons—we’re going to get shredded!”

Alex clenched her jaw, determination etched across her face. “I know how we can win,” she reassured Elis. “Trust me—it’ll be okay.”

With a quiet nod, Elis ceased protesting, placing her faith in Alex’s plan.

As they raced through space, Alex monitored their distance from the pursuing cruiser. She knew that its missile battery carried 64 missiles per salvo—24 of which were torpedoes. The moment they reached the maximum missile range for the chasing vessel, it unleashed a full volley of them.

Without hesitation, Alex deployed their EWAR drones and took manual control of the helm to keep as much wreckage between them and the cruiser as possible—while accelerating at maximum speed.

The incoming missiles streaked towards them like fiery comets. The Shrike’s long-range lasers sprang into action, gutting several projectiles within seconds. Their small defense drone units scored additional kills against the barrage—eliminating over half of it almost instantly.

As the remaining missiles continued to close in on their position, the Shrike’s lasers steadily picked them off one by one—their ECCM overpowering any ECM attempts made by the Courage-class cruiser.

[Informative: The Athena AI is clearly incapable of operating a full EWAR suite.]

True to his observation, only a few missiles survived to reach the final defense fire range. The Shrike’s PDCKs erupted in response, and the missile volley disintegrated before it could inflict any damage.

Elis furrowed her brow. “Do you think they have more salvos?”

Alex’s expression was grim as she replied, “I hope not.” She cut their speed once again, and another volley emerged from the enemy cruiser. For several tense minutes, the Shrike’s defenses worked tirelessly to counter the incoming missiles.

She refrained from deploying additional drones due to their limited supply. That allowed more missiles to reach FDF range, but they were all ultimately eliminated like she predicted.

When they dipped back into range again, no new missiles streaked towards them. Elis looked at Alex expectantly. “What are we going to do now?”

“There’s no point in firing our own missiles right now,” Alex reasoned. “That ship is a heavy PDC-L boat; ours would just be massacred.”

Studying the geography of the debris field intensely, Alex pinpointed a distant area for engagement. Elis glanced at her curiously. “Why there?”

“Because it’ll make laying traps easier,” Alex responded confidently.

She then asked Elis about any changes in other drone groups’ status—hoping for any clue that might help them turn this situation around.

“They’re still sitting tight and not moving,” Elis reported solemnly.

As the cruiser continued its relentless pursuit, a tense lull settled in between them. The distance remained constant as they moved toward the designated area. Nameless suddenly informed them of an issue.

[Informative: Diagnostics of the Shrike’s weapon system have revealed minor aberrations and reliability issues with certain repairs.]

Alarmed, Alex demanded immediate action. “Fix them! Now!”

[Affirmative: Drones are already en route to make repairs.]

Beeper rushed through the CIC, emitting a beep while Booper responded with a boop, both drones hurrying to assist with repairs.

[Notice: Without security unit, unauthorized personnel should not be in the CIC.]

Annoyed and tense, Alex snapped at him. “Don’t mention that again!”

Concerned and maybe wanting to defuse the tension between her and Nameless, Elis offered her assistance. “Do you want me to help with repairs, too?”

Alex declined her offer. “There should be enough drones—I want you here with me.”

Elis nodded in understanding as they approached Alex’s selected debris zone.

Slowing their thrust slightly, Alex allowed the cruiser to gain on them while weaving through dense debris. Small combat drones darted out of the hangar—EWAR devices and chaff canisters launched and positioned strategically within this treacherous area.

Alex and Elis watched nervously as the cruiser followed them, slowly gaining ground. If it diverted and chose a different path, their trap would be useless. Risking everything, Alex cut their speed even more, allowing the cruiser to close in faster. Her eyes remained glued to the screen that displayed maximum laser range while measuring the distance left before the enemy entered their kill zone.

Timing it perfectly, she shouted for Nameless at the crucial moment. “Detonate chaff and reverse our course—maximum speed!”

[Affirmative: Reversing course.]

The Shrike flipped around and hard-burned directly toward the cruiser. Despite knowing they were going to engage, Elis couldn’t help but shoot a tense glance at Alex.

Space between both ships rapidly filled with detonated chaff. As they crossed past laser range, the drone cruiser’s lasers attempted to fire—but the cloud of reflective particles refracted and deflected over 99% of their beams.

“Their primary weapon system is lasers,” Alex explained as they faced down their formidable foe. “They have more lasers than we have weapons combined—but they’re greatly hampered by our chaff clusters.”

[Informative: Chaff cluster ammunition is down to 25%.]

Alex swallowed hard, knowing the stakes were high. “We need to make sure this joust is over in one round,” she declared. “Nameless, load all missiles and torpedoes.”

[Confirmation: Missile systems are prepared and ready to fire.]

The distance between both ships contracted rapidly as they hurtled toward each other through the chaff clouds. To maintain the protective barrier, Alex released more canisters from the Shrike, ensuring that the cloud wouldn’t dissipate or burn through.

As they reached railgun range, both vessels fired volleys of railguns at each other—each evading aggressively to avoid being hit. Just as they crossed into PDC-K range, Alex ordered Nameless to unleash their missiles.

[Compliance: Firing missiles.]

Missiles roared out from the Shrike with a thundering force that vibrated through Alex’s entire body. Decoy drones joined them in flight—darting erratically around like a swarm of angry insects while ECM systems scrambled enemy targeting capabilities.

Both ships’ PDC-Ks blasted away at point-blank range—a second railgun volley tore into the Shrike’s starboard side but only gouged through its outer hull. The cruiser also took a hit from a railgun shell; however, it deflected off its armor without causing significant damage.

s the cruiser’s PDC-Ks tracked away from the Shrike, attempting to destroy the incoming missiles, Alex knew that their delay in switching targets would be costly. The PDC-Ls were ineffective but still managed to destroy one missile before it got too close as the chaff thinned out and burned through.

With determination, Alex ordered Nameless to flip and burn again, pursuing the cruiser. She knew they wouldn’t get a second chance.

[Informative: Chaff canister ammunition is at 0%.]

Several weakened lasers grazed the Shrike; on the main screen, green sections of their ship flashed to yellow.

Alex’s heart sank as she watched icons representing their missile volley slowly disappear. Despite deploying countless electronic countermeasures and spreading chaos amidst the battlefield, the cruiser’s PDC-Ks worked diligently to eliminate her Hail Mary.

The Shrike’s missile volley was much smaller than that of the cruiser’s. She watched with bated breath as only four missiles remained—then two—and finally just one.

As the last missile closed in on its target until their icons overlapped on-screen, Alex held her breath—until it winked out into oblivion.

“Nameless! Fire another volley as soon as we can!” Alex shouted, desperation edging into her voice. Panic gnawed at her as she racked her brain for a way to handle the larger warship.

“Missile reached standoff range! They’re hurt!” Elis announced with a mix of surprise and excitement.

Alex’s eyes darted to the enemy icon on the screen—sure enough, scanners revealed debris and escaping gas from their foe. Even if the missile hadn’t scored a direct hit, it had come close enough to deal significant damage.

“Nameless, match course and close in. We’ll go for a pounding match and hope that did enough,” she said quietly, determination fueling her words.

As they quickly closed in on railgun range, salvos of shells tore through space. The enemy ship retaliated with its own heavier rounds, but missed its mark. Lasers crossed paths through the void—several gouged fiery lines across the Shrike’s hull, damaging several PDC mounts.

Plumes of fire erupted from the cruiser’s hull as Shrike’s lighter railguns found their targets. Streams of PDC-K tracers flashed between both vessels while Alex heard impacts from small-caliber weapons pinging against their outer hull—vibrations reverberating throughout the ship. Most projectiles bounced off or deflected upon impact with Shrike’s hardened armor.

Softer elements on the ship’s skin were damaged, and a few rounds found their way into the holes where the ship’s outer armor had been compromised. The patched nature of the outer armor allowed some to pass through replaced segments of the armor easier, but the inner hull remained intact.

A message erupted on the console, Athena’s shrill voice cutting through the din of battle.

“Admiral Hughes! Give me Admiral Hughes! Give them all back! Die! Die! Die!”

A volley of missiles flashed out from the Shrike in response. Alex panicked, realizing they might not have all been needed. She’d forgotten to tell Nameless to hold off on them now that they had the advantage.

Half the missiles were destroyed as the Courage Cruiser’s remaining PDC-Ks tried to pick them off. Lasers spluttered at them, but failing energy banks prevented any effective hits.

The other half of the projectiles found their mark.

In an instant, the cruiser transformed into a fireball—a blinding flash momentarily whiting out their sensors. As the battle scene coalesced into a field of calm shrapnel, debris, and expanding gas.

[Informative: Enemy cruiser destroyed.]

Alex sank back in her chair, relief washing over her at having survived. The ship’s speakers chimed with a message from A31.

|In fire’s embrace, |

|The silent void claims its prize, |

|War’s fickle dance ends. |

Alex didn’t have much time to contemplate the words as Elis announced another development.

“Sensor contact moving! Drone groups burning toward us and the asteroid base!”