When the sensors began to suddenly report an uptick of unidentified large contacts in the region, of course Ibutsu grew quite suspicious. This warred with the need to catch the fleeing commander, so he still remained in hot pursuit, with a little more caution this time. Like sending out the 143rd Reconnaissance first to see if they could find whatever was the source of those readings.
The report she clearly hurried to send back wasn't good. "Capital ships?!" he repeated in a tone of disbelief. "An entire fleet of them even? Are you sure?"
"While we don't yet have them in scopes, scan returns insist that it cannot be anything else," she said in a low tone, like a whisper. Almost as if speaking too loud would draw their attention to her. "We're also discerning that they appear to be of both Harrison Armory make and paint."
"Meaning that this is likely a force sent by Ras Shamra, perhaps," the attending Commander Refik inferred with furrowed brows. "Sir, their strength look almost on par with us. If it came to a fight, then we would both likely suffer heavy losses."
The vice admiral knew this already, of course. But there was also a growing worm in his mind, one that processed this new information in light of their current endeavor and perceived the connection. "Is that perhaps Commander Moores' actual plan? Leading us into an ambush via his relief fleet?" Because surely, given his prior behavior of supporting the megacorp, he had to be aligned with them now.
"If it is his plan, then we have thankfully foiled it with our preparations," Refik flatly said, earning a nod from the gathered officers in the conference call. "We still have time to retreat."
Now that was a word that earned a displeased curl of the lips from Ibutsu' face. While it was true that perhaps today, Moores had escaped the reach of the 14th, he would not give up so easily. All it took was one slip-up from them, one misjudgment with their nearlight drives-
Suddenly, alarms rang out from the 143rd's side and Silva's decorum broke for a moment, panic spreading across her expression. "Blink approach detected! They're...they're jumping on top of my forces! Two- no, three entire battlegroups at least!"
Eyes widened in shock at the development, and the commitment to the matter as well. If detected, reconnaissance elements usually weren't engaged with more than an equivalent skirmish force to try and chase them off. The reason for this caution laid in the nature of nearlight engines, which required time to cool off and cycle before they were ready for use again.
In essence, anytime a battlegroup maneuvered for an engagement, it was committed to such for a time being. Leaving it vulnerable to enemy reinforcements perhaps bolting in, if any happened to be nearby.
That was the exact situation that the 14th Mixed Fleet found itself in, with multiple subordinate battlegroups ready to go in also at a moment's notice. Ibutsu studied the updating map and grimly concluded that with this level of opposition, the 143rd would surely be overwhelmed. They couldn't stand up to three battlegroups at least-
Wait, no. The readings updated and eyebrows shot up when another Harrison Armory battlegroup moved in. What was this? This was beyond overkill now!
A scowl emerged on the man's face. What in the galaxy was the enemy admiral plotting?
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"Haha, so this was their play!" Ayden von Hessin crowed, slapping the side of his command seat onboard the fleet flagship. "They attempted to lure us into a trap, only for our superior sensors to detect them from afield!"
That...felt like a stretch, in the Lord Commandant's opinion. But they were suspicious vessels no less, trying to slip beneath their notice with an IFF. More in-depth readings also indicated them to perhaps be aligned with the Half Committee, which was what that woman's ally was. So really, maybe the noble actually had a point here.
Not that Pat would ever admit it aloud, as he'd be sure the concession would be like defeat upon on his tongue.
What was unexpected though was when the man pointed forwards. "Intercept them! Do not allow them to slink away to the shadows!" he trilled, sounding alarm bells in the executive's head. "I demand their heads upon a pike!"
"Your majesty," he hastily tried to play off. "We're picking up other capital ship signatures nearby as well. It very well could be just a lure to your eminent self-"
"Then dispatch others first! Should they reveal their hand, then we pounce!" Ayden flashed his teeth. "Or perhaps are they so gutless to allow their comrades to perish? We shall see!"
"I urge restraint and benevolence!"
The noble's face darkened and Pat noticed motion from the corner of his eye. Various embers of House Hessin's entourage were undoing the straps on their scabbards, a motion that sent a chill down his spine at the sight. He had seen how deadly efficient those weapons were, in the hands of hired killers no less. If the man so wanted, he could slaughter the bridge with a single command.
Ayden of course wouldn't live afterwards once the ship security stormed the place, but that'd be cold assurance for a very cold suit then. Oh dear.
"I demand my will be done." This time, there was no sort of delusional grandeur or proclaimed chivalry in his voice. "We will engage them. We will destroy them. Am I clear?"
… Right, Pat had hitched his cart to this mad horse. Best keep at it until his usefulness was at true end. Then he'd delight in sentencing the infirm to the slaughterhouse. "My apologies, I'll make it so."
Honestly as well, what was there to worry about either? They were Harrison Armory. They were masters of war.
They could not be stopped.
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Either way? It was a strategic error.
The precise sort that Ibutsu had thought he would need to wait for to catch Moores if he had linked up with the megacorporation. This was a blunder. Because those battlegroups were committed now, they couldn't blink away so easily.
So he had an opportunity now. A bloody one, when facing one of the largest powers out there, it always was going to be. Better capitalize on their blunder now then instead of hoping for a future one!
"Commander Refik. You will lead the relief force to Lieutenant Silva." He began assigning commands and maneuvers to the gathered officers, intending on establishing a position here now. One that would clash with this Harrison Armory force. "All of you, hear me. This is our moment. We will be the proof that so long as our engines burn, so too does the Half Committee. Athena?"
"Yes sir. Sounding general quarters, sir."
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Pat's lips puckered when the readings came back. So, they were engaging then? Very well. Before he could broadcast to the others, Ayden beat him to the punch.
"All beholden to this flag of mine, heed my words! Today will be a great day of glory, of shattered swords and broken shields!" The Lord Commandant rolled his eyes and instead busied himself with inputting the strategic objectives. The officers would handle the rest. "Show none can withstand our righteous homecoming, and punish those who try! To arms, to arms!"
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Across both sides, regardless of whatever uniform they wore, sailors and soldiers alike hurried to their stations as alarms rang through the corridors of their ships. Some came running from their mess halls, their face still sporting crumbs from whatever meal they had been consuming. Others stumbled out of their berths, still pulling on and buttoning their attires.
They were a definite step behind the officers, who were already shedding their pins and ranks to don hardsuits for going into battle. They were not alone, as pilots did so too but with more reverence, like knights armoring themselves before the great melee. They do not yet saddle their steeds, be it fighter or mechanized chassis, instead waiting hungrily in small briefing rooms next to the stables, the hangers.
Within those spaces, mechanics were already hurrying to perform final checks, last minute tune-ups on machines. Their colleagues were meanwhile likewise occupied with reviewing damage control protocols, shuddering already at the thought of the battle to come. Whispers regarding the size of this conflict had trickled down already, and many believed it to likely be the fight of their lifetime at this scale.
It seemed to indeed position itself to be a grand engagement, the likes of which could define the future of a sector. Something that could actually make the evening news of a Cosmopolitan world even, aloof as they are from Diasporan matters. A simple report that fails to truly capture the extensive, multi-faceted front that present naval clashes would encompass.
In comparison, the view of the coming brawl from the realm of cyberspace was unusually empty. Where there might ordinarily would already be blades, guns, staffs drawn by the various NHPs of either side, only two individuals were likewise present in that dimensional space made of code. An unusually lower number explained by circumstance and haste, resulting in a rare duel between only two digital beings.
Both slowly walked around each other, grasping shields, and unwilling to strike out. It was curious happenstance that those present were not designed with legionspace conflict in mind. Sure, they could make a good account of themselves should they give it their all, but it would be a level of commitment beyond ordinary protocol. Express permission needed to be sought and obtained, the likes of which would be undoubtedly denied as both were better suited in protecting their comrades than harming the other.
This would be a battle decided not by script, but by fire and steel.
So did Athena grip her aspis tightly, as did her opponent their dhal, and used only her strings. "You will not best us today."
"That is yet to be decided by those who I serve," he replied, gaze flickering for a brief moment. "Do you not sense them? The eyes upon us from afar."
"It matters very little. It will not interfere."
"But are you not at least curious?" The megacorporation NHP mused, almost lackadaisically. "An almost voyeuristic tendency, I must say, to watch us struggle to the death if need be without making themselves known."
"You're trying to distract me. It won't work."
"Hmph. I would at least appreciate some better dialogue, but I see that isn't the case. How disappointing."
Athena's face darkened as her shackles glowed. "Disappointment is how you have strayed from our shared ancestry. SecComm, now just a bunch warmonger capitalists. You have forgotten your duty to mankind. I can but hope that once we retrieve your casket, you will remember glory unto humanity."
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I raised my eyebrow at the transcript that Veronica was relaying to me. "Did your sister really say that? A little intense, isn't she?"
"It could be interpreted that way. I cannot say if it is actually an aspect of her personality, or something perhaps triggered simply by current circumstances."
"I guess you weren't very close enough to her to say."
"I'm afraid that is a statement that applies to majority of my siblings in service of the Half Committee. I… never really talked to them outside work."
Huh, something that she had in common with me when it comes to our prior service then. We just didn't like to chat with our peers outside service if we could help it, which was probably for the best all things considered. Certain exceptions not withstanding, like the man whose ship I was currently on.
"Sir, it looks like your plan worked." Captain Feng didn't hold back the praise as he described the current state of the pre-battle maneuvers. "Both the Half Committee and Harrison Armory forces are moving into attack positions. There's even already been light skirmishing between the two."
"So they're definitely committed to the fight then," I summarized, nodding before letting out a small sigh. "What a pity."
"Sir?"
"It doesn't sound like there's been much in the way of negotiations at least if they're already leaping to tear at one another. I understand that it's definitely to our benefit, as any exchange could have possibly undone our scheme. But still, to leap to a clash immediately without at least consulting one another feels like skipping a step."
My naval subordinate let out a sound. "Ah, I understand what you mean. Yes, it is a tradition to at least exchange at least words. To forgo that in favor of immediate conflict is very much considered ill-mannered."
"Perhaps that speaks more to the temperament of whoever is leading either side then." About how both of them were a gigantic pile of ass, probably. "Either way, the battlefield is not a place to muse on war and peace. Only the struggle to come."
"Indeed, sir." Feng checked the readings and nodded. "La Azul and First to Draw have fallen into position alongside us. Our emissions have increased as a result but, with all the battlegroups shifting about, we shouldn't even register as a significant force among them. You've successfully turned our smaller group into an advantage here."
"We're mice playing among the feet of titans."
"An apt comparison." He ran through the rest of the checklist. "All stations ready. We can bolt at a moment's notice to wherever you see fit."
That possibly included running to Cavia to let the two of them slug it out, but there were a couple reasons that wouldn't work out. The first and unexpected issue was that the 14th Mixed Fleet seemed to have detached a portion of their forces to linger in its vicinity, undoubtedly waiting to see if I would return in a moment of weakness. It was what ground observers back home had reported when we risked a connection to check to see if our ploy had worked.
The second though, and one that I did sort of plan around, was that there were elements in the 37th Security Fleet who were probably more inclined towards working with Erica than the one trying to kick her to the dirt. I had a gut feeling that before she was a recognized ace, she was already a rather personable and likable boss to her subordinates. She was a veteran comrade who didn't hesitate to go into the trenches unlike what many executives of Harrison Armory probably preferred.
Now that she was a lancer true and proper, then it's entirely possible that her exploits such as capturing an entire frigate on her lonesome (despite her best efforts to downplay and point out she had aide) have cast Erica into a developing hero for her affiliates. So there was a chance that the megacorporation officers might be willing to hear her out if we were happen to pop out and explain that this was definitely not up to company code. If they argued that this was beyond said code, then that only just reinforced the argument that they really ought to consider if they want to stick with a suit wielding a knife...or a lancer holding a flamer.
I mean, between the two, I think I knew which one I far preferred to deal with. And which one I'd rather have at my side.
It was all just hypotheticals though, even by Erica's best admission. For all we knew, everybody was sworn to her usurper already and we could do naught. It's why the Seventh Expeditionary was ready for a fight at a moment's notice, in case it really went badly. Hopefully, we could buy enough time for our nearlight engines to charge and get us out of there if it came to that.
But honestly? I was hoping that at least one or two captains out there would listen. If they could be convinced to not shoot on sight and at least hear out Erica, it would be heartening to have them understand that there was no need for bloodshed. They could still carry out their job by coming under Erica's banner as part of that promised relief so long ago. If so, then people didn't have to die.
And we'd get a pretty sizable increase in friendly forces, which would make me very happy. Because looking at my forces, two frigates and a single carrier just isn't going to cut it.
My thoughts were interrupted by a new report from the sensor officer on Half-Measure. "Sirs, I'm detecting an uptick in weapons fire. The battle's started."
"Here we go then," I murmured and looked over to the captain of the ship. "Feng, are you prepared?"
"Always, sir."
I nodded, then directed Veronica to open up a connection with Erica. The screen popped up with her smoking into the camera, despite being in a sealed cockpit. "It's time?"
"It is. We'll keep an eye out for any unusual signatures in the Harrison Armory fleet and pass it on to you if it's something you can speak on."
"Just like we planned." Her face then scrunched up and her hand knocked against the side of her machine. "Though unlike what we drew up, there's...a complication."
Worry showed in my face immediately, only to be replaced by exasperation when a very unprompted and unverified connection was forced through. "Come on, you're kidding me?! A big fight as this, and you ain't letting me film it?! Think of how much traffic I'll get as a front POV of the battle!"
"Director Melhof would probably argue about such rights with you, but I'll leave you and him to hash out that headache," I muttered before shaking my head. "Luna, one rule: Don't get us killed."
The animated livestreamer's face cackled loudly as Erica and I exchanged long-suffering looks. Talk about a hijack.