Unity

Chapter 27

The trip to the Tuleeririan colony went much smoother than our trip to Tuleeriri. I shuddered involuntarily as I thought about that horrific experience. We were near one of the populated planets that orbited the star. In their haste to defend this system, the Tuleeriri had neglected to provide names for the star and planets involved. Shahae was currently meeting with leaders on one of the planet's surface, and they were trying to organize local defense forces as well as evacuate civilians. With the clock ticking down, we headed out. The Tuleeriri were able to determine the general area where the Zrynt ships would emerge from subspace, how they knew, they had not told us yet. We stopped a safe distance away. With a little over an hour until the first ships arrived, I had my fleet running drills. I wanted them focused when the enemy arrived.

Our experience in fighting the Zrynt was very limited, so we had to rely on the Tuleeriri for information. I had originally proposed an ambush as soon as they emerged, but that was quickly dismissed. Apparently the first item to emerge from subspace would be a powerful bomb. This would ensure the Zrynt could emerge after the explosion without anything in the near vicinity, showing that they had faced an enemy who had attempted that tactic before. The Tuleeriri insisted that we meet them head on after they emerged, that was how noble races fought. When the countdown hit twenty minutes, I ordered all ships to return. I wanted to make sure that the Zrynt didn't see our forces and run away, the less they could report back, the better.

Lt. Smith, the Communications Officer on duty, spoke up and said, "Sir, we're seeing energy spikes. It looks like the enemy is arriving." True to the Tuleeriri's word, the first object that came through detonated in a massive explosion. Once the worst was over, several ships came into view with practiced precision. The ships looked much like the Zrynt ship we encountered, with each ship looking like it was made of several ships mushed together. The ships varied in size and shape. "Remind me to ask about their ship building techniques," I thought aloud. The Zrynt ships headed our direction, and as they moved, small fighters like the ones we previously encountered deployed from the main ships. It reminded me of a video I had seen of flies vacating a carcass. There were hundreds of the fighters, with more emerging. I could see why the Tuleeriri had such a hard time against the Zrynt.

"Launch half of the fighters," I commanded. "Don't activate the AAFG until I give the word. They won't know what hit them," I said with a smile. I felt a host of conflicting emotions as the enemy drew near. I was excited, scared, nervous, but most importantly, I was determined. If we failed, billions would lose their lives. "Weapons, fire at will once a targeting solution has been acquired. Be sure to conserve some of the munitions just in case reinforcements are on the way."

I watched as several missiles streaked towards the enemy. The fighters froze as they tried to understand this new threat. It became clear when the first missiles detonated. Swaths of the enemy fighters were destroyed, as well as one of the Zrynt destroyers. The enemy fighters managed to disable or destroy the rest of the incoming missiles. They had the ability to adapt fast, and I looked forward to the challenge. The enemy continued to approach, albeit at a much slower and cautious pace. I was losing my patience. "Pilots, take us forward. Let's get this over with."

We took off towards the Zrynt, leaving the Tuleeririan ships behind, as the gunners began firing dozens of rounds from the forward rail guns. Our last encounter proved how effective the weapon was, so I was determined to press the advantage. Dozens of fighters fell to the rail gun rounds, but more importantly so did three of the destroyers. I noticed that each time a destroyer was destroyed its fighters would momentarily shut down. The fighters must be some sort of AI, I realized. "Gunners, focus on the destroyers. The enemy fighters are AIs that rely on the bigger ships for command and control. Lt. Smith, pass the word to the other ships." Within minutes we had subdued the other destroyers. Inactive fighters littered the wreckage around the destroyed enemy ships.