'---SOLAR FEDERATION BROADCAST---
Federation Security Council
Planet Earth is under attack by a naval force of overwhelming power. This is a warning for all civilian vessels to clear the area, and a call for reinforcements to all military vessels and installations.
We formally request help from Alliance Naval Forces, as well as all other independent powers throughout the Sol system.
Join us in our fight to defend the homeland of humanity, and the main hub of the entire human civilization!
---END OF BROADCAST MESSAGE---'
We saw the message repeating over and over again. Multiple stations and ships were continuously sending this exact same message to all corners of the Solar System.
"If they are really asking for Alliance's help, they must be desperate." I said.
"Alliance is broadcasting too." Mei said.
'---THE ALLIANCE OF ASIAN NATIONS BROADCAST---
Alliance Naval Forces calls all military ships to return to Earth. Upon orbital insertion, every ship will get their individual orders from the Federation-Alliance Joint Command.
Civilian ships are advised to stay out of the major conflict zones.
---END OF BROADCAST MESSAGE---'
"What is going on there?" Mei asked.
"It won't be long until we find out." I said.
"There seems to be a very large scale war going on. If we appear anywhere near Earth, we will get ripped to shreds, no matter who we are allied with." said Mei.
"Mei, you make sense for sure, but we have to get there." I said. "We will find a way to get through safely."
"What if we lose Earth?" Mei asked. "To... whoever this enemy is?"
"We won't."
"How are you so sure?" she asked.
"Because we simply can not lose Earth." I said. "If all the nations on Earth together can not defend themselves, no one else can. And besides, Federation and Alliance are the two superpowers of the whole system; who are those new guys to pick a fight against them!?"
Mei, still doubtful and with no answers, got back to her job, preparing for our arrival to Earth.
In a few hours, Lodos had already started it's deceleration. The main engines were activated to slow down the ship's approach as we adjusted our trajectory to enter an almost equatorial Low Earth Orbit.
"Look at this." Mei said. "The sensors are cluttered with all sorts of objects!"
It was true; in Earth orbit was millions of debris chunks and active spacecraft. The planet was covered with layers of flying metal. And yet, new vessels were continuing to come in from deep space, and missiles were being launched from both Lunar and Terran surfaces.
As we got closer, we received an encrypted transmission.
'---SOLAR FEDERATION/THE ALLIANCE OF ASIAN NATIONS JOINT COMMAND---
Good to see you in the fight, XS Lodos II. We are sending you all the data on enemy spacecraft right now.
Admiral Mei is expected to report back as soon as possible.
---END OF DECRYPTED PACKAGE---'
"From within all that chaos, I'm impressed they noticed our entry into the Earth-Moon system." Mei said.
"Wait, what?" I said. "Do they expect us to fight? With THIS ship!?"
"They must be REALLY desperate." Mei commented.
"No, just no." I said. "Tell them we are here for something else."
"Wait, what?" said Mei. "We are refusing to fight for planet Earth?"
"Shut up, Mei, and do as I tell you." I said. "I applaud your bravery as always, but you won't score a single hit before you die."
"Yes, sir." Mei said, defeated by my simple argument. "So, Mr. President, what do I exactly tell them?"
"Tell them that you are carrying the President of the Republic of Mars, and that I need escort down to the surface. To USA, if possible. I have things to take care of."
"Aye, s-"
"Oh, and also, get a-"
"Mr. President!"
We were interrupted unexpectedly.
"Yes, doctor? Be quick please." I said.
"I-I-I don't know how quick would be suitable..." he hesitated a bit. "I've got some bad news, sir."
"Just make it quick as possible. What happened?" I asked, calmly.
"Quick..." he repeated. "Quick... Sir, we lost Ms. Qing."
"..."
"Her heart and lungs suddenly stopped about an hour ago. I tried everything, but couldn't bring her back."
"Kagan?" Mei worriedly looked at me.
"Nuan..." I said, softly.
"Kagan, get yourself together." said Mei. "We are diving into a war field."
"We lost her..."
"Kagan, snap out of it!" Mei screamed. "Oh, for the love of Republic... what has gotten into you?"
She kicked me. I fell down, and got up.
"Stop spacing out." Mei was angry. "There are still billions out there to save. Don't look at my face like that, go wait at the hangar bay! I will notify the fleet and get you a shuttle soon enough."
"Okay, I am sorry. Keep yourself and the ship safe while I am gone." I said. "Don't be brave enough to get stupid."
"Buzz off, you are the stupid one!"
With the thought of losing Nuan clouding half of my mind, I started running to one of the decks near the hangar.
"You bastards, you killed her... You bastards, you killed HER!"
I barely kept myself from changing my route to the medical bay... Mei was right about something - I had no time to stop and cry.
After a few minutes, a Federation Navy shuttle landed to pick me up. Around Lodos, a large fleet of escort vessels were waiting to protect me on my way down to Terran surface.
"Mr. President, this way."
With the agility of a marine, I quickly reached and jumped into the shuttle. We then departed Lodos, and with fighters all around us, made a deorbiting maneuver to descend into Earth's atmosphere. But before we even reached the stratosphere, a few enemy vessels had found and intercepted us. Our fighter escorts broke the formation to chase them away. I looked out of the window, surprised.
"Those are..." I said. "Those are the drones that attacked us earlier, back at Ceres!"
"I am not surprised even a little bit that you've encountered them before." said one of the Federation officers in the shuttle. "They are invading all over the Solar System, you must see all the reports flooding into the headquarters! First Titan, then Ceres, then Triton and now Earth! No one can match their fleets' total firepower!"
"What are 'they'?" I asked him. "You seem to know about them more than I do."
"Machines, sir! Just machines!" he said. "They are artificial intelligence death swarms!"
"Who is in charge of them?"
"It is yet to be determined, the intelligence agency is having a hard time with it. Everything happened too quickly, and the situation is too complex."
When we got down to the troposphere above New York City, I noticed the flames rising.
"They began an orbital assault!?" I asked. "Or is this a missile crash?"
"Neither, sir, unfortunately. Anarchy."
"I don't get- What!?"
"Half of the whole planet is in anarchy. Some of our naval forces even. It is a complex situation we simply 'found ourselves in'."
'Complex situation' was quite a modest choice of words indeed.