In a random, lonely corner of space, an asteroid careened through the void, accelerating on shockwaves that erupted from distant explosions. It traveled at 10,000 km/s and carried on purposelessly, heading to no place whatsoever—until it hit something.
The impact was astounding, but the object it struck didn't so much as flinch. Despite the asteroid's size, spanning several meters across, it was insignificant—no more than a speck of dust against the immense presence it had encountered.
Then, without warning, a colossal eye opened, its gaze locking onto the asteroid—the Gorgon—with an unsettling curiosity. Something had been awoken.
---
Major Terrence's fleet was massive, a gathering of the Calumet Star System's most potent military power. The flagship was one Super Dreadnought-class vessel, with three Leviathans to its right and left, twelve Heavy Battleships, twenty Heavy Cruisers, fifty-five Destroyers, and countless frigates. A fleet that could conquer nearly any battlefield in the galaxy.
But among these ships, there were about 15 of them marked with a red glow on every ship's VBA module—ships that belonged to traitors and were not meant to be restored. Instead of getting restored, the crew in the marked ships were captured.
All the suspected traitors were "collected" and kept in one place. They weren't revitalized thus preventing suicides, sabotage, or any subterfuge that could imperil the mission.
Slowly but surely, the pace of depetrification was accelerating. With each ship that got revived, the fleet's available Revitalizer Modules increased in count and sped up the entire process. Each new ship was informed of the situation, Major Terrence's orders were relayed, and then instructed to detain any crew that behaved suspiciously after revival.
And in the center of everything that was happening was me—acting commander of this entire operation while Major Terrence remained incapacitated in the Medical Pod.
"It's been five hours…" I muttered, rubbing my temples. The sheer scale of coordination required was exhausting. I glanced at the clock and sighed again.
In the game, this section of the quest typically took less than three hours, even on the slowest playthroughs. We were already running overtime, and the anxiety clawing at the back of my mind was growing unbearable.
"Well, I guess it's fine." I tried to reassure myself.
The portable Hyperspace Gate we had left outside the event horizon of the black hole would continue to function for another 70 hours. Theoretically, there was still plenty of time. Yet, despite the leeway, a gnawing sense of unease lingered—like an itch on my back that I couldn't quite reach.
Major Terrence's injuries from getting petrified were severe. Regenerating his legs in the Medical Pod would take at least 10 hours. Until then, I had to lead his fleet and bring them out of here in one piece.
{Lemegeton-105 to Falcon-000: All friendlies have been restored, over.}
Finally, the news I had been waiting for arrived. I pressed a button, activating the comms, and responded curtly. "This is Falcon-000. To all ships, prepare for a space jump. Those with damaged systems, prioritize repairing your jump drives ASAP. Over."
Giving the order eased the feeling of foreboding a little, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was stalking us—lurking just beyond the edge of our perception.
I caught a glimpse of Eva sitting on her station, orchestrating the ships that just got restored, passing Major Terrence's orders, and keeping everything moving. I could appreciate the work she was doing, but I just couldn't help but feel that with the MC correction at play, she was bound to pull trouble to us sooner or later.
{This is Salomon-010. All suspected spies are secured and accounted for. Awaiting further orders. Over.}
"Falcon-000 to Salomon-010, ensure the prisoners are restrained securely, prepared for the long haul later. Major Terrence needs them alive. Over."
{Roger that. I'll tie them down to the floor if I have to.}
Everything was proceeding as planned—albeit slowly. Frustratingly slowly. Patience was a virtue I didn't possess in abundance, and I was beginning to feel the strain of waiting.
And then, as if on cue, the blaring of the ship's sirens shattered the relative calm.
"What's going on?" I asked sharply, my eyes darting to the Star Map and Radar display.
Before I could analyze the data, Percy's voice rang out. Her usual flat voice sounded urgent and grim for a moment.
[Warning! Multiple hostile entities detected and approaching. Estimated count: 205,100 individuals.]
My heart sank. "That number… this isn't pirates, is it?"
The radar display confirmed my worst fears. The fleet—occupying a roughly 50-kilometer diameter—took only a tiny portion of the radar's screen. Surrounding us, an unbroken wall of red dots appeared, stretching in all directions for over 1,000 kilometers.
We were completely encircled.
"No way," I whispered, switching the radar to a 3D display.
The new view confirmed it: the hostile entities weren't just around us; they had formed a perfect sphere of encirclement. There was no path of escape!
"Arthur..." Eva's voice was barely audible.
When I turned to look at her, I saw the blood draining from her face. "They're all... the same exploding aliens we faced before." She added, her voice shaking.
"I know," I replied through gritted teeth.
This complicated things far beyond anything I had anticipated. If it were any other type of alien, we could try to blast a path through the encirclement and escape. But these aliens were essentially living hydrogen bombs, and their formation was impossibly tight. Destroying even one of them would trigger a chain reaction, causing all 205,100 to detonate simultaneously.
The explosion would be catastrophic—on the scale of an actual supernova. And we, who were sitting dead center in the blast radius... Without a doubt, only death awaited us if that happened.
'We can't afford to waste time. The longer we hesitate, the tighter the encirclement will get, making escape nearly impossible!'
Countless ideas darted through my mind in swift succession as I frantically rummaged around for means of escape from this hell. It was then my eyes focused on the biggest warship in Major Terrence's fleet, which was this Super Dreadnought-type vessel that stood a mind-boggling 15 kilometers long, 6 kilometers high, and 2.5 kilometers wide. On it, I saw a spark of hope.
'This could work!' I whispered to myself, my face breaking into a small grin. I had just discovered the key to breaking through this seemingly hopeless situation!
---
Five minutes. That was all it took to brief Major Terrence's fleet. Of course, not everyone was sold on my recollection of the explosive aliens at once. There was a level of skepticism hanging in the air like a fog until I presented them with the recordings from our earlier encounters.
The feed of our first battle against a sizeable swarm convinced everyone regardless of their previous doubts. Watching the catastrophic chain reaction unfold on screen—an entire area obliterated in an instant by the powerful explosion—was more than enough to make the doubters fall in line.
"As I've said before, time is not on our side. The longer we delay, the slimmer our chances of getting out of here alive!" I declared, my voice sharp with urgency. "Follow my orders, and I promise you this: we'll all live to see the sun of the Calumet System again!"
My words were just like a politician's: nothing but rhetorical, calculated, and chosen to inspire confidence, but there was no guarantee of any kind. Still, the response from the fleet was exactly what I had expected.
{Major Greenwood entrusted the fleet to you. We'll follow your lead.}
{What are your orders, Acting Commander Astoria?}
{Awaiting commands, Acting Commander!}
I allowed myself a fleeting smile before my face hardened again. "Good! Then place your trust in me, and I'll make sure no one is left behind!"
With that, I turned off the video comms and immediately sent the detailed, pre-planned instructions I had written while spending time convincing everyone. The compressed commands were then sent to all ships in the fleet so that each member of the crew knew what was expected of them without delay.
"That was impressive," Eva said from beside me, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Though, it might have been less convincing if they caught sight of that open e-book you were reading lines from."
"Oh, shut it. It worked, didn't it?" I replied, rolling my eyes.
I wasn't a politician, nor was I some naturally gifted leader. Back in TSO, dialogues were just pre-scripted options for players to select—there was no need to come up with inspiring speeches on the fly. So, improvising a speech like this? I needed all the help I could get. If quoting a few lines from a novel helped rally an entire fleet, then so be it.
"Anyway," I said, looking Eva dead in the eye, "you'd better steel yourself too. The plan is in motion, but there's no guarantee everything will go smoothly."
Eva smirked, though the slight tremor in her hands betrayed her nerves. "As long as I'm getting hazard pay for this insanity, I'm in. Well, it's not like I have a choice, either way."
Her words held a forced bravado, but I didn't blame her. Laughing in the face of death was our only real option right now.
{Nautilus-000 to Falcon-000: Acting Commander, stage one of the directives has been completed. All smaller ships are secured within larger vessels' hangars. Awaiting the next signal.}
As expected of Major Terrence's troops, they were remarkable in their efficiency. Stage one was completed in under a minute—the frigates, destroyers, and other small ships were safely tucked away inside the larger cruisers, battleships, and leviathans. It was a necessary precaution, for the next phase of the plan would expose us all to incredible risk.
I took a deep breath, clearing my head of anxiety and replacing it with determination. Then, with all the authority I could muster, I gave the order.
"Excellent! Let's proceed to stage two! Super Dreadnought-class vessel Heracles—you're up! GO!"