Some Years Earlier
The ship drew away from the planet smouldering below. It had been a hard fight, it and its companion ships had triumphed in the conflict, another infestation had been sterilised, just in time too, left any longer and the plague may have been victorious, it had reached tech level 2 in some instances. The ship was hurt; a gash ran along three quarters of the hull, open to space, but the intrinsic repair capacity was more than capable of repairing the damage. Fortunately the crew did not mind vacuum, what there was of it were machines under the control of a quantum AI. The ship set course for the nearest resupply depot to replenish its magazines, then on to one of the hidden repair depots, which it had not visited in several thousand years to make permanent repairs. But a small corner of its electronic brain was worried, it was taking far longer to complete this circuit than was anticipated, it should have been completed centuries ago, now more delays and the infestations were becoming harder to eliminate.
2nd January 2025 Mars
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel entered Mars Orbit. A few hours later after essential checks on the terraforming package the Isambard Kingdom Brunel started to add safe green house gas to the atmosphere of Mars.
The Vasco Da Gama, which had accompanied the Isambard Kingdom Brunel to Mars, began a Geological survey of Mars from orbit.
12:00 2nd January 2025 1900m kilometres from Earth.
The Squadron emerged from the wormhole into a system with a warm G type star at its centre. The AI database furnished the information that this was a sterile system and contained a small re-supply base located at an easily identifiable gas giant. It would be a few days crossing to the next jump point. Then as its sensors stabilised the Command AI picked up an EM and thermal signature from a rocky planet third out from the primary where there should be none. Another infestation! The Squadron sailed inward picking up more detailed information, it was soon apparent this infestation showed evidence of TN technology. The Command AI in the Jump Cruiser directed the Squadron to close as the threat was examined. If they were fortunate they may get an isolated sample to examine before engaging the whole planet.
21:25 2nd January 2025. Starfield Observatory, USA.
Dr Frank Fields sat at his desk using his screen to alternate between a series of pictures from the Hawking Enormous Deep Space Telescope. It was the early hours on the 2nd January, the end of the New Year’s holiday, the last time to get access to the Hawking Telescope without having to compete for time on the instrument with other more august institutes.
Frank had an abiding interest in flare stars. He had just received this series of images. He was puzzled? There was indeed a “flare” but it appeared to be moving and the flare was not associated with a visible star! In fact there were several “jets” in the same apparent location, the telescope must have stuttered. An absurd idea, a solar flare could not have an apparent motion over such a short time scale. Then there were the spectral emissions, deuterium, tritium and a little lithium and their fusion products, it was like no other flare he had ever seen, the telescope must be way out of adjustment. Finally his eye lit upon the location ascribed by the telescope to the phenomena, a mere 1900 million kilometres, just beyond the orbit of Saturn! Frank picked up the phone to the Hawking Enormous Deep Space Telescope mission control, with a few pithy comments in mind.
16:00 3th January 2025, Home of Professor Walkin, Chief of Space Operations, NASA.
“Yes Professor Walkin, we have checked the telescope out from top to bottom, even had the USS Lexington carry out an EVA inspection, it’s in perfect working order! No the anomaly has not gone away; it’s still there and still closing with the Earth, about 1.5 billion kilometres out. If the telescope had not been looking at that particular patch of space we’d have never seen it. I am sorry to disturb your vacation but.....”
07:00 4th January 2025. Civilian Shuttle Terminal, Northern German Plains.
Colonists began boarding the Nieuw Amsterdam and Flandre in preparation for their journey to Mars. While it was only a 24-hour trip to Mars, the maiden voyage was to be used as a dress rehearsal for the cold sleep system, a proving flight for the longer outer system journeys.
09:00 4th January 2025 Kennedy Space Centre, NASA, Cape Canaveral.
“Kennedy Space Centre? Its Professor Walkin speaking, Chief of Space Operations, could you put me through to Director Derek Banda. Thank you.” There was a brief pause then there was the sound of a phone ringing, after a few moments it was answered. “Director Banda speaking.” “Hi Derek, It’s Kevin here; we have something that might interest you, we have found an anomaly just beyond the orbit of Saturn you might want to investigate.”Derek broke in “that’s strange our deep range gravitic sensor here at the Cape has picked up something unusual out there as well, the techs spent most of yesterday rebuilding the senor thinking there was a fault.....”
20:25 4th January 2025. Kennedy Space Centre, NASA, Cape Canaveral.
There were five pads operation at the Cape now, all geared to use the new Epsilon
launch vehicle built with the new TN technology and designed to send satellites up to 600 million kilometres from the Earth at velocities of 5000 k/s.
There was frantic activity around one pad as, after a rapid and accelerated launch sequence, an Epsilon launch vehicle was prepped for launch. Fifteen minutes later the activity died away and the Epsilon lifted off on a column of incandescent gases as it fought to clear the atmosphere and magnetosphere and then safely engage its Sorium fuelled main engine. Its payload was a sensor satellite tasked to investigate the deep space anomaly.
01:00 5th January 2025 The Asteroid Belt, Sol.
The Epsilon launch vehicle closed within two million kilometres of it target. As it did so the alien ship code named Odin switched on its active sensors, in so doing it set off the tripwires in all Space Force HQs across the Earth, as it became visible to those blocks without the Deep Range Sensor employed by the US. A few seconds later the sensor satellite separated from the launch vehicle.
At 01:08 the alien targets had closed to 300,000 kilometres from the satellite when the Epsilon launch Vehicle was destroyed by some kind of energy weapon. Seconds later the satellite itself disintegrated under a similar onslaught. The Hawking EDST focused on the alien ships caught the flash of the weapon’s discharge in the UV from one of the vessels.
01:08 5th January The Asteroid Belt, Sol.
After the probe from the inner system had been swatted out of space with barely the changing of a quantum state, the Command AI pondered for all of 0.25 seconds before directing the Squadron to reduce velocity to prolong the approach phase and gather more intelligence.
18:00 5th January 2025. Kennedy Space Centre Briefing Suite, Cape Canaveral.
Professor Walkin continued to speak to an audience of top ranking NASA and Space Corp officers. “We are absolutely certain, we have checked the telescope, the spectrographs, everything, its all in perfect order. We even had the USS Lexington perform an EVA on the telescope, and I would like to thank Admiral Groves for his cooperation. The alien vessels are also visible on the Deep Range Array at the Cape;” Professor Walkin nodded to Derek Banda in the audience. “There are 4 fusion drives in the Solar System and they’re heading our way.” “Where did they come from?” asked Rear Admiral Groves, current CO of the Space Corp. “Well they just appeared just outside the orbit of Saturn, accompanied by a peculiar electromagnetic and gravitic signature, we analysed all the deep space tracking data we could get hold of, both ours and our European allies, and they just appeared on all instruments at the same instant! The grainy visuals obtained from the Hawking Enormous Deep Space Telescope are not reassuring; the sensor sat gave us some telemetry before it ceased operating. There are four vessels, all matt black in colour with an apparent mass of 17,250 tonnes, they all have turret like projections. We know they are capable of a sustained velocity in excess of 5000 k/s and have a thermal signature of 433, which is on the low side for the velocity. The intruders are also emitting strength 40 ECM. So far they have not replied to any of our attempts at communication.” The briefing continued with speculation going beyond the meagre facts.
22:00 5th January 2025 Space Corp HQ, The Pentagon.
Rear Admiral Groves spoke into the video link “Yes Mr President, alien ships are going to visit Earth! In a matter of days. No I am not at all sure of their intentions; the ECM emissions have not slackened. No, there has been no overt hostile act other than the destruction of our sensor satellite, which perhaps they could have misconstrued. No they have not deactivated their sensors. Certainly Mr President we will begin to make preparations immediately.”
09:00 6th January 2025 Presidential Office, Brussels.
“President Woods, let me congratulate you on the successful deployment of your Mars colony” President Laura Woods of the EU heard over the secure link to Washington as President Digman began briefing his closest ally. The briefing closed with the sentiment that the two Alliances should work together and be prepared should events take an unfortunate turn. Their conversation was followed by a conference call between Rear Admiral Groves, US Space Corp and Commodore Ingram of the EU Space Defence Force. It was agreed that should the aliens continue to approach the Earth without communicating then the combined assets of the two forces would move to intercept, with the unproven EU fighters providing a final line of defence.
11:30 6th January 2025 UN Assembly, New York.
President Digman concluded his address to the Assembly, inviting the gathered Nations of Earth to select their representatives to greet the alien visitors.
The UN assembly dissolved into uproar, every nation was clamouring to be represented on the ship that was to be sent out to make first contact with the alien visitors. Finally after many hours of speeches, statements demands and deliberations the Indian Confederation made available the Survey Vessel Brahmaputra as being the only available unarmed ship, but its size limited the deputation’s size. There was some grumbling that one of the EU’s freighters could not be made available, but the EU regretfully informed the Assembly that they were already delivering infrastructure to the new Mars colony. The US made available its suborbital shuttle to get delegates to the launch facility in time for departure.
16:00 7th August 2025 Space Corp HQ, The Pentagon.
“Yes Mr President we have employed every technique we could think of short of detonating a nuclear weapon, they’re just ignoring us.” “Yes Mr President, I have seen the visuals, they do look ominous, they are still putting out ECM, and those turrets certainly house energy weapons after that recent demonstration on our probe, the computer enhanced visuals reveal what are likely to be a number of internal bay doors discernable on the surface of the ships which look similar to our missile bays,” “Do I think it’s likely they’re hostile?” “I just don’t know, the signs are not good Mr President, but why would they come all this way just to attack us?” Rear Admiral Groves put the receiver down, a troubled man. The alien ships were still on approach to the Earth, but at a much slower velocity than previously. But the silence was foreboding.
17:00 7th January 2025 Indian Space Commission Launch Facility
“Welcome your Excellencies to this Indian Space Commission Facility. Your shuttle for transfer to the GV Brahmaputra will be leaving in three hours, please proceed to the departure facility and don your pressure suits for the transfer. Please note that this facility will be sealed 60 minutes before liftoff and no one will be allowed to enter or leave the Facility regardless of status.”
19:00 7th January 2025 GV Brahmaputra Earth Orbit
“Good evening your Excellencies, This is Captain Indrani Nakhtare welcoming you to the Indian Space Commission Geological Survey Vessel Brahmaputra. Please make your selves as comfortable as possible for the duration of our journey. Please let a member of the crew know if there is anything we can do for your added comfort.”
The GV Brahmaputra left Earth orbit enroute for the alien ships.
There was a diplomatic incident brewing since the US and EU representatives missed the deadline for the shuttle flight to the Survey Vessel after being called back by their governments for a last minute briefing. This fact had raised the spirits of many of the diplomats aboard the Brahmaputra.
19:15 7th January 2025. Inside the asteroid belt, Sol.
The Command AI detected the small ship leave earth orbit on it thermal sensor. It ordered the Squadron to come to virtual stop to allow the ship to approach. This was a chance to gain intelligence on the infestation.
09:30 8th January 2025. European Union.
The EU announced that it had discovered substantial deposits of important TN minerals on Mars including Duranium deposits in the megaton range at reasonable availabilities.
The full geological read out which was not disclosed was Duranium 5,326,848 tonnes (0.6), Neutronium 99,000 tonnes (0.5), Corbomite 289,000 tonnes (0.4), Tritanium 115,600 tonnes (0.9), Boronide 96,000 tonnes ( 0.8 ), Sorium 9,572,836 tonnes (0.9), Gallicite 722,000 tonnes (0.3).
10:17 9th January 2025. Indian Space Commission Tracking Facility, historic First Contact being beamed Worldwide.
The commentator was reporting on the progress of the Brahmaputra. “ Captain Nakhtare has just reported that they have just passed to 60m kilometre mark on their approach to the alien vessels, only one of the ships has active sensors, The captain is doing all he can to attract their attention in a peaceful manner using the entire spectrum to signal the unknown vessels, but with no response. Now we’ll take a short commercial break and bring you all the news as it breaks....”
13:17 “We are breaking into the schedule programmes to bring you the latest news on the historic first contact with the alien ships. Captain Nakhtare has just reported that they have just passed the 35m-kilometre mark, still no response, but they have their first active returns from the four aliens resolving them into four individual vessels. There is still no response from the aliens. We will bring you any further developments as they happen, in the meantime we return you to our sponsors.....”
15:37 10th January 2025 GV Brahmaputra 320m kilometres from Earth, just inside the asteroid belt.
As the Brahmaputra approached to within 15 million kilometres of the alien ships, the Sensor Officer announced, “Captain, another alien vessel has activated its search sensors, we are being illuminated with what I would interpret as a targeting sensor! All the alien vessels are accelerating to match our velocity!” Captain Nakhtare replied over the open channel “Lieutenant, keep trying to communicate, all passengers and crew, please don your pressure suits. Pilot bring us to a halt and reverse course.”
15:41 10th January 2025. 335m kilometres from Earth, just inside the asteroid belt.
As the approaching small 1000-ton vessel passed the 15m-kilometre mark the Command AI ordered the release of a small missile salvo to test the intruder’s defences. Sterilisation Unit 1572 locked on and fired a spread of three Hammer missiles, each with a ten-megaton warhead. The Squadrons velocity also increased to match that of the infestation’s craft.
15: 51 9th January 2025 GV Brahmaputra 320m kilometres from Earth, just inside the asteroid belt.
The proximity alarm suddenly screamed, shocking everyone with it strident call! The Sensor Officer shouted over the address system “missiles incoming, impact in 5 seconds, passengers to the life pods, dumping sensor logs.”
15:51 9th January 2025. 333m kilometres from Earth
Ten minutes later the salvo intercepted the approaching small ship. The three missiles obliterated the vessel, the emission spectra providing the Quantum AI with information on the ship components as they vaporised. It was soon apparent that the ship was a mere tech level 1 construct, no threat to the Squadron. It was a pity it did not carry any ordnance, as that information would have been useful. The quantum state changed; the Command AI ordered the squadron inwards to complete its mission.
15:51 9th January 2025. Indian Space Commission Tracking and Mission Control Facility.
The GV Brahmaputra was retreating from the alien contacts after being illuminated by the alien fire control. One minute the GV Brahmaputra was in contact with mission control as it retired from the aliens, describing its broadband transmissions to the visitors and its sensor readings of them. Next there was a stunned silence for long seconds as the mission controllers suddenly lost contact with the Brahmaputra. The silence was broken by a sudden cacophony of noise, as the staffers realised what had happened when the last communication from the Brahmaputra came in and the distress beacons of the Brahmaputra’s life pods were picked up. There could have been little warning as the Brahmaputra carried only a small thermal sensor which with to detect the approaching missiles, and no defences to fight them off.
15:53 9th January 2025. Hawking Enormous Deep Space Telescope Ground Station.
Rear Admiral Groves looked at his staff as on the big screen the destruction of the Brahmaputra was graphically illustrated. He spoke grimly, “That was a deliberate act.” He then addressed his Fleet Operations Officer, Commander Reginald Newfield and his Intelligence Officer Lieutenant Commander Reini Bowman. ”Reg get the Battle Group ready, let’s intercept them as far out as possible. Our initial response should be with the big ships, the Brahmaputra was a 1000 tonner, the same size as our Essex class and she was intercepted well outside the range of the search sensor on the Sentries. Reina, get in touch with the Europeans, try and coordinate the final defence line with them. Start negotiations with the Chinese and Indians; see if they will commit any of their ships, then try and line up the Russians as a last line of defence.”
The Battle Group consisting of the Lexington, Saratoga, Enterprise and Hornet prepared to leave Earth orbit towards their fate.
15:55 9th January 2025. The UN Assembly Hall.
The UN Assembly, still in session to witness the historic moment when Humanity finally met another sentient species, descended into pandemonium. The hubbub eventually quieted, the Secretary General announced the Security Council would go into immediate session while the rest of the ambassadors discussed the incident in the Assembly Hall.
Once the Security Council was in session, the US Ambassador highlighted the short time frame available to the Earthly powers to intercept the alien threat; the alien vessels were capable of covering 18 million kilometres every hour, they could be here in sixteen hours! He also announced the intention of the US to protect the Earth and was prepared to dispatch their Fleet with intention of stopping the aliens and invited other TN powers to join the mission. The French and UK ambassadors supported him. The Islamic Block denounced by this as American warmongering, the African and Middle East representatives backed him up to some extent. The Indian Confederation representative denounced the alien’s deliberate destruction of their unarmed ship and demanded reparations. The Chinese and Russians thought that an ultimatum should be issued to the aliens, and they wanted control of close Earth defence. The Islamic Block representative refused to have anything to do with this foolish warmongering and rushed off to inform his government.
In the streets across the world there was panic and rioting. Space Forces dusted off their operations protocols and tried to find the one dealing with hostile aliens, the Hawking Hypothesis.
23:55 9th January 2025. UN Security Council.
After whirlwind negotiations the TN Powers excepting the Islamic Block agreed to join their fleets under the UN banner, the larger ships to depart as soon as possible and confront the alien menace as far from Earth as possible. The fast attack craft being retained as a second line of defence, should the unthinkable happen and the first UN Space Fleet in history fail. While there were dissenting voices, none had a veto. The aliens were now only 245m kilometres from the Earth, approaching at a lazy 2000 k/s.
15:21 10th January 2025.
In a rare show of efficiency and the fact that the Space Forces had been working at it since the destruction of the Brahmaputra the UN fleet departed Earth orbit, never having worked together, having only rudimentary communication protocols and the Fleet Commander having only a titular authority. The allied organisation before the Battle of the Java Sea was a paragon of organisation compared to this. Even as they left orbit the Indian Confederation contingent arranged initially in two groups were 10 minutes late leaving orbit.
15:21 10th January 2025. 156m kilometres from Earth
The Command AI detected the alien ships leaving planetary orbit. It immediately ordered a slow down on planetary approach, so as to engage the ships without giving them the benefit of any planetary defences. The Command AI was certain these would be warships, but against the Squadron no threat, however as a precaution the Squadron activated their shields.
06:30 11th January 2025. USS Saratoga, 93m kilometres from Earth.
Commander Florentino Lauritsen, UN Combined Fleet Commander, ordered the Coms Officer to try contacting the Chinese and Indian task groups again, to advise them he was going to accelerate to maximum attack velocity. The attack was turning into a farce, the task groups had lost contact within 30 minutes of leaving Earth orbit, the com links had failed, leaving the US Task Group effectively on its own, currently trailing the Chinese and Indian Task Groups. The US, Chinese and Indian Task Groups were strung out like beads on a string instead of making a concerted attack. At least the Indian Task Group had concentrated. To compound the situation the aliens had now activated some sort of absorption field around themselves, Commander Laurintsen wondered what it did?
06:38 11th January 2025. 152m kilometres from Earth.
As the first of the nineteen approaching ships entered the Squadrons missile engagement envelope the Command AI authorised the first full salvo releases against the incoming infestation by Sterilisation Units 1572, 1573 and 1574.
07:09:51 11th January 2025. INS Talwar, 95m kilometres from Earth.
Commander Lebbai, Captain of the Indian Confederation Warship Talwar, Flag Officer of the Indian contingent of the UN fleet, sat locked into his consol figuring the optimal missile release point when the proximity alarms went off with a howl! 21 missiles inbound! Five seconds later the Mumbai (Escort) dissolved in a hail of nuclear detonations, rending her hull and opening it to vacuum. The anti-missile fire of the remaining escorts, Mysore and Delhi, was largely ineffective only accounting for two missiles. Then it was their turn as the missiles rent space around them wrecking systems, detonating power systems, rending the hulls until the ships structures ruptured, spilling the crews into vacuum. Commander Lebbai, was shocked in the space of ten seconds his missile defences had been stripped away accounting for only three missiles, he could only hope the cloaking system on his ship was more effective than he feared.
Ten seconds later more thermal contacts appeared on the sensors, arrowing straight for his squadron. The squadron was wreathed in nuclear fire, but when it cleared the Rajput, Ranjit and Ranvir Missile Boats had sailed through the maelstrom of explosions almost untouched, only the Ranjit suffered internal damage, losing four missile launchers to a burn through.
07:10 11th January 2025. PLASF Anging, 93m kilometres from Earth.
Shang Xiao Zhou Wu Zhen grunted in satisfaction as the sensors revealed the Indian warships come apparently unscathed through the last bombardment.. He tensed as his own missile alert sounded, “Three salvos incoming Shang Xiao” noted his Weapons Officer.
07:10:10 11th January 2025. PLASF Anging, 93m kilometres from Earth.
It was the turn of the Chinese Task Group to suffer as space lit up with nuclear fire as missiles exploded around the squadron. Once more anti-missile fire proving ineffective, as missiles crashed into the Chinese vessels. The Anging shook as the Red Cherry interceptors left their launchers, and again as 10-megaton missiles burst nearby searing the hull, armour boiling off. Fortune was with them, only the Huaibei suffered internal damage, losing an engine and falling out of formation. Thirty second later the Tongling was hit but again received only minor damage. At 07:14 yet more missile salvos were detected, this time aimed at the Escort Cruisers Zhonghua and Guangzhou. This time the squadron was not so lucky, both ships suffered significant damage, the Zhonghua losing two engines and the Guangzhou losing a fire control. The missile defences were proving totally ineffective.
07:21 more missiles inbound, Shang Xiao Zhou flinched as his weapons Officer notified him. But this time he was the observer, they flashed passed his ships heading for the Yankee squadron. It was a futile gesture, but he ordered the Red Cherry interceptors fired in an effort to try and stop one or two of them anyway.
07:22 11th January 2025. USS Saratoga 96m kilometres from Earth.
Commander Lauritsen was tense in the command chair of the USS Saratoga, they were 57m kilometres out from their target, another 37 million and they could start launching. The missile-warning array detected three incoming missile salvos directed at the squadron. The Gunnery Officer tried to lock on, but the missiles were travelling at a velocity greater than 30,000 k/s, his fire control was unequal to the task. The Universe suddenly dissolved in a cataclysm of nuclear fire as alien missiles ploughed into the Lexington, Hornet and Saratoga. In the space of ten seconds in cruel twist of fate all the anti-missile defences of the three ships were destroyed and all took significant damage. The Enterprise was not long spared, seven missiles impaling her with spears of nuclear fire. In the space of twenty seconds the US squadron had gone from being the cream of humanity to barely spaceworthy wrecks.
07:23 Commander Lauritsen opened the com to Shang Xiao Zhou his deputy to transfer command, he had just got out “Shang Xiao Zhou I am....” when he felt rather than saw the terrible light that reached through the hull and snuffed him out. The Lexington joined the Saratoga in its immolation.
07:23:30 11th January 2025. PLASF Anging, 97m kilometres from Earth.
Shang Xiao Zhou took in the picture painted by his sensors, he had that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that they wouldn’t make it, the Fleet was being picked apart, all they could hope to achieve was to use up the alien magazine capacity, but retreat was not an option, he had a wife and two little boys at home, now the one family one child rule had been relaxed, he desperately wanted them to have a future.
He looked at the sensor screen once more as the Enterprise vanished in gouts of Trans-Newtonian fire. The Hornet pressed on alone, aware that its fate was rapidly approaching. A few seconds after the Enterprise was destroyed it was the Hornet’s turn, seven size 5 missiles bearing ten-megaton warheads, death incarnate approaching at 32,800 k/s. They tore though her as if she was made of paper, so perished the US Battle Group without firing a shot.
The weight of the forlorn hope fell on the shoulders of Zhou Wu Zhen. He reflected that the much-vaunted Yankee ECM had proved less effective than extra layers of armour.
07:39:36. Zhou Wu Zhen had just sixteen precious minutes with nothing inbound to try and compose a strategy when the klaxon sounded again, fraying nerves even before the detonations began. It was curious the Indian Talwar, Trishul and Tabar had yet to be targeted; perhaps their new system was actually effective? He began to open a com link to the Indian sub-commander as the Anging shook as though it was in the jaws of a gigantic terrier shaking it from side to side. When it stopped Zhou Wu Zhen found himself lying on the deck of the bridge, wreckage strewn about him. He clawed himself to the navigation station, his own consul inoperative. The Anging shook again as she and her consorts fired their Red Cherry interceptors in the vain hope that this time it would be different. Zhou Wu Zhen gave fervent thanks for the robustness of Chinese construction; unlike the Yankees after two salvos his ship was still here. He ran his eyes over the readouts there was another salvo incoming. He sank back to the deck in despair. He glanced up at one of the hull mounted video pickups that that were still operational in time to see the Tongling disappear in a cataclysmic fireball before the camera failed under the renewed onslaught of hard radiation. The Anging still shook as she fired off her interceptor to little avail. However the Tongling was the only fatal casualty, although the other vessels in the Chinese squadron were severely damaged.
08:00 11th January 2025. PLASF Huainan, 104m kilometres from Earth.
Zhong Xiao Yin long Tian returned to the command consul, he was pleased that, with his knowledge of the system he had been able to help the damage control team repair the damaged engine, The Huainan could now close up with the rest of the Chinese Squadron. He notified his exec he was back to his station and looked at the navigation consol repeater, suddenly realising that the Huainan was all that was left of the Chinese Squadron, the Huaibei was dead in space only awaiting the coup de grace and the Anging was struggling along at 689 k/s with only a single operational missile launcher and no fire control. He accessed his message log and took immediate note of the message from Shang Xiao Zhou, transferring command of the UN Fleet to Commander Lebbai of the Indian Space Commission. As he did so the sensors revealed a renewed assault on the Indian flotilla, again the fabric of space was torn by the detonations of TN fusion warheads, as they appeared to consume the Indian ships. However once the interference cleared the Rajput, Ranjit and Ranvir were still there but dead in space, toothless desperately trying to bring systems back online. The Talwar, Trishul and Tabar were once more unaffected. The proximity alert went off with a shriek, a handful of seconds later knives of plasma carved into the hull of the Huainan, shattering her integrity.
08:06 11th January 2025. INS Talwar, 104m kilometres from Earth.
Commander Lebbai stared unseeing into his monitors, the Rajput, Ranjit, Ranvir and
Huainan had just disappeared in the catastrophic hell of a Trans-Newtonian conflagration. Two minute later he was still staring at the monitors as the remnants of the Chinese flotilla vaporised under the onslaught of the alien missiles. The Talwar, Trishul and Tabar were all that was left of the UN Fleet, protected by their cloaks of invisibility. A faint hope on which to pin the survival of the Earth.
08:06 11th January 2025, 148m kilometres from Earth.
The Command AI reviewed the action so far. It had used over 60% of the munitions available on the Sterilisation Units and there were still thermal contacts approaching. This was a higher missile usage than forecast. While low tech, the infestation had built stronger vessels than it had anticipated. It was perhaps time to check the munitions dump placed in this system millennium ago. It orientated a communications emitter at a particular moon of the gas giant marked with rings, 1330 million kilometres away and triggered a signal. It would be just under two and a half hours before it could expect a ping in reply.
09:17 11th January 2025. INS Talwar, 104m kilometres from Earth.
Commander Lebbai could hardly believe it; his ships virtually unprotected had made it into missile range where all the others had failed. He gave the order that would cycle the missile launchers and send 12 Surya anti-ship missiles in four salvos of three. Talwar’s sister ships would be doing the same, but it was only enough to engage one of the alien devils. The Weapons Officer tried to lock on to the alien ships but could not cut through the jamming; the effective range was a little over 22m kilometres, they had another 14m kilometre to go before they could launch. Despair began to eat into Commander Lebbai.
10:25 11th January 2025. INS Talwar, 122m kilometres from Earth.
Commander Lebbai had done it, he had achieved lock on, his ships would start launching in the next few seconds, but the aliens had accelerated to over 5200 k/s trying to close, so he ordered the three ships to reverse course.
Nearly a minute later there was a loud reverberation through the Talwar as the missiles left their launchers and then there were rumblings and thuds echoing around the vessel as the reload mechanism started up.
10:37 139m kilometres from Earth.
The ping was faint but detectable; the depot has survived and now would begin to wake, activating its deep space tracking stations.
10:43 11th January 2025. INS Talwar, 119m kilometres from Earth.
The disappointment on the bridge was palpable, the alien ships had an efficient anti-missile defence, and none of the first salvos had made it through.
11:08 11th January 2025. INS Talwar, 117m kilometres from Earth.
The last missiles homed in on the alien menace, but all perished, the closest getting no nearer than 150,000 kilometres to the target. The despair was evident on the faces of Commander Lebbais’s subordinates as the ships attempted their escape.
11:53 11th January 2025. INS Talwar, 117m kilometres from Earth.
The little band of vessels were given notice of their impending doom as the thermal signature of alien missiles was detected. Five seconds later the Tabar dissolved in an enormous flash leaving little to mark her passing. Seconds later the Talwar and Trishul suffer a similar fate, turning into dense metallic gravel just beyond the orbit of Mars.
11:55 11th January 2025. Cheyenne Mountain Defence Command Centre.
Rear Admiral Groves heard the reports come in, the most advanced combat ships the Earth possessed had utterly failed, ashen faced, turned to his Chief of Operations, and his Head of Intelligence, “Looks like we’re are in deep trouble, start operation Armageddon Survival, some of the deep shelters may survive.” “Reg get the Attack boats started in, they are our last chance.”
11:55 11th January 2025. Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center.
Da Xiao Fu Spoke with a cracked voice, “Shao Xiao Xie contact the Yankees, inform them we are launching our Attack Ships at the aliens, Shau Xiao Jiang order the Orbital Defence Fleet to attack the aliens, alert the Jade Palace and Great Wall, have them go to alert status two.”
11:55 11th January 2025. Indian Space Commission, somewhere outside Calcutta.
Captain Torath looked around him, the faces looking back with fading hope. He spoke quietly “Commander Sehgal inform the Americans and Chinese we will commit our Attack Craft in support of theirs, we will run interference for them, we do not expect to achieve a firing solution with our old craft.”
14:52 11th January 2025. Essex Class Fast Attack Craft, 14m kilometres from the alien vessels.
Commander Marty Fredieu examined the screen at his station. “Mr Dalglesh request the Sentries to light up our targets please.” “Yes Sir” the reply came back. Then a short while later “captain, the Sentries are happy to oblige.” Seconds later Weapons Officer O’Brien spoke “Bogies at 14.1 million klicks, within our envelope.” “Very good Mr O’Brien, engage the enemy.” Time slowed, ”Sorry Sir, I cannot burn through the ECM, we will have to close to 9.2 million klicks” stated Lieutenant
O’Brien. “Very well Mr O’Brien,” replied the Captain “Mr Laffey take us in.” They all knew this was a virtual death sentence, while they were faster than the enemy, they would be too deep inside the enemies engagement envelope to escape should their attack fail. “Sir, missiles incoming on thermals” came the shout from the Sensor Officer as the missile warning alarm went off. The Crew braced for impact, once more time pasted slowly, the Sensor Officer spoke again, “Sir they have passed us! They are targeted on the Earth!” “Mr Dalglesh pass the word to Cheyenne Mountain to expect incoming” said Commander Fredieu.
This same act was played out in the Chinese flotilla but at 30m kilometres from the aliens, they had to only to close to 14m kilometres to achieve a firing solution.
14:55 11th January 2025. Under the French Alps EU Space Defence Force HQ.
“Sir the aliens have stopped 59m kilometres out and we have incoming passing the US and Chinese attack groups now!” the Communications Officer informed the CO EU Space Defence Force. Commodore Ingram swore softly under his breath.”Alright, since they won’t come to us we’ll go to them, scramble the fighter squadrons, maximum velocity intercept, let’s use them before we lose them.”
14:56 11th January 2025. 59m kilometres from Earth
The Command AI instructed the Sterilisation Units to engage the fastest of the approaching small craft with no more than three missiles each to conserve stocks, over 80% had already been depleted. The rest would have to be ignored for now. It was time to target the infestation proper. A little under a minute later and each of the very fastest approaching ships had been targeted by three missiles each and the first missiles were on their way to the planet. With only forty missiles left it was time to inflict real damage on the infestation; all remaining missiles would be used against the planet.
14:57 11th January 2025. Astrodrome 1 and 2, Europe.
Great armoured doors opened, exposing the cavernous interior full of launch cradles and strike fighters, as twenty Sorium fuelled engines awoke with a roar. Seconds later in pairs, the fighters left the base travelling at 15 kilometres a second until they cleared the atmosphere after which they accelerated to their full velocity of 7200 k/s.
14:57 11th January 2025. 59m kilometres from Earth
The die was cast if any more ships threatened then the Squadron would have to close and use their beam weapons as the magazines were dry. The Command AI instructed its consorts to wait until the first missiles hit the planet and then destroy the orbital installations and ground bases with lasers with meson cannon. Then they could proceed to the supply base and rearm.
15:00 11th January 2025. 12.2m kilometres from the alien ships.
Commander Fredieu was still hunched over his monitors, only another three million kilometres to go, his thought drifted to his wife, hoping she had taken the hint and gone to their mountain cabin when this all kicked off, the missile alarm screamed its warning and his world exploded around him, he never knew or felt the missile hit as a ten-megaton warhead detonated in virtual contact with the ship’s hull. In twenty seconds the entire US Attack Group was eliminated. Only the Chinese and Indian Attack Groups and the European fighters remained.
15:00 11th January 2025. Luhu Attack Ship 01,15.8m kilometres from the alien vessels.
Shao Xiao Toa shook visibly as the monitor in front of him depicted the destruction of the Yankee Attack Force. Space seemed to boil with the force of the explosions, attack vessels vaporising, as 600 megatons detonated in the space of ten seconds. Now it was up to him. The alien ships were beginning to move towards the Earth again.
Two minutes later the proximity alarm went off with a shrill clamour as twenty missiles streaked past his vessel. Seconds after that another twenty-one missiles speed by. He began to wonder if he survived what would there be left to go home to?
At 15:03, 14.1m kilometres from the enemy Shao Xiao Toa gave the order to open fire at last, once the first salvo was on its way they would reverse course. As the second salvo was loaded into the launchers Shao Xiao Toa’s heart jumped as the klaxon of the proximity alarm went off again, but yet again they ignored his little ship. He noticed that as his squadron reversed course the Indian flotilla pressed on.
15:14 Shao Xiao Toa ordered the change in target, they would have to hope that 60 missiles was sufficient for each target, he allowed himself a little hope.
15:15 11th January 2025.The Earth
The defences of the Earth detected the first salvos inbound, missiles and meson cannon were readied, five seconds later chaos reigned as meson beams split the sky and counter missiles rushed vainly at their targets, all with no success, mushroom clouds stalked the Earth, vaporising military and industrial targets alike along with the cities they were in, 21 million died in the first onslaught. The second attack wave arrived and wrought more devastation; although this time the defences got lucky and clawed three missiles out of the sky. The third wave was already inbound.
At the same time the alien ships, which had caused so much devastation were shrugging off the Chinese missile assault.
Every thirty seconds another wave of missiles crashed upon the Earth, ripping across the sky. Rome, Berlin, Paris, London, Madrid, Washington, Moscow, Beijing, Singapore, Sydney, Cairo, all were incinerated with many other large cities across the planet. Mushroom clouds burst across the landscape. In all 183 missiles were targeted at the Earth of these six were brought down by anti-missile defences, which proved themselves woefully inadequate, seven were targeted at orbital installations and the remainder smashed into the planet.
Of the salvo targeted at the orbital installations, the result must have been satisfying for the aliens. The Osaka Bridge Orbital Yard fell out of orbit, crashing into the Pacific, creating its very own tidal wave, the Northrop Grumman Ingalls Shipbuilding Yard and the Kawasaki heavy Yard both lost slipways, the debris cluttering near Earth orbits and further complicating the job of intercepting the alien missiles.
The death toll was 170 millions dead due to immediate blast effects, many more would follow from radiation and starvation. The Earth was already shrouded in a mantle of grey; this winter would go down as the winter without end. The Islamic Block suffered most receiving 33 missiles, while the Russian Federation suffered a particularly devastating blow. The last salvo hit the Kremlin’s deep shelter outside of Moscow. The Federation was decapitated at one fell swoop. The only control left were local commanders. This would add to the devastation wrought by the bombardment in the weeks and months to follow. For some reason the Islamic Block was particularly hard hit, with more missiles falling on its territory than anywhere else.
The undeveloped world did not escape, with both South America, Africa and the Middle East subjected to an assault for which they were ill prepared.[center:2pda7kuj][/center:2pda7kuj]
[attachment=0:2pda7kuj]Table 1.jpg[/attachment:2pda7kuj]
15:21 Alien ships, 59m kilometres from Earth.
As the Earth writhed under its nuclear flagellation the first crack appeared in the alien defence as a missile in the second Chinese wave finally struck home, but was absorbed by the electromagnetic shield surrounding the target.
15:24 Kula 02, Attack Craft, 55m kilometres from Earth, 3m kilometres from the Alien ships.
Commander Badam had closed the range to a suicidal 3m kilometres before opening fire, but his audacity might be rewarded as he reversed course, watching his first salvo head outward. He could not help but feel pride in the achievement of his obsolete Attack Craft.
15:26 55m kilometres from Earth.
The first wave of 45 Surya AS missiles screamed in towards their target. The alien point defence was as efficient as ever but at last it was overwhelmed, fourteen missiles actually hit their target, flattening the strange electromagnetic shields and scouring armour which in one place burnt through into the vessels interior, but without inflicting damage.
Five seconds later a second wave of twenty-five missiles was stopped cold by the alien point defence.
15:28 55m kilometres from Earth.
The last of the Chinese missile salvos streamed towards their target, but with insufficient numbers only two hit the target ship, being absorbed by shields.
15:34 54m kilometres from Earth.
Another 70 Indian missiles were inbound in two waves of 40 and 30. Six missiles in the first wave struck home, but again only managed to scour armour from the alien vessel. Twelve minutes later the last 30 Indian missiles approached but the aliens were able to destroy them with little effort.
15:45 45m kilometres from Earth
The alien ships were now only 680k kilometres from the fleeing Indian Squadron as they launched their last two missiles each, in the hope more than expectation that it would distract the pursuing vessels.
16:13 5m kilometres from the alien vessels.
No. 1 Red Bulls Squadron and No. 2 Sidewinders Squadron, each consisting of 18 Hurricane F1 Strike Fighters and two Atlantique Target Indicator Craft, closed to within 5 million kilometres of their target, safe in the knowledge that the alien ships could not detect them until the Atlantiques went active and would still be outside the range of the alien’s beam weapons.
The Aliens had managed to close the Indian Attack Craft and were busy carving them into pieces with 20cm lasers and destroying their internal structure with meson beams.
Commander Badam was still at his consul when three 20cm lasers cut his ship into fragments, the incandescent beams shearing through the flimsy hull, the crew tumbling into space, some intersecting the beams and vaporising in a flash. Every five seconds over the next minute, one or two of the Indian Attack Craft exploded into fragments of twisted alloy spread across the firmament as meson beams detonated internal power plants or ships were cut to ribbons by the AI’s lasers. So perished the Indian Attack Flotilla.
16:16. 42m kilometres from Earth.
If a Quantum AI could experience surprise then this was it. As it was busy obliterating the little craft, which had dared to actually damage the armour on one of the Sterilisation Units of the Squadron, four search sensors suddenly went active at a little over 2.5m kilometres. Without hesitation fire controls were reconfigured to the point defence role as the Squadron awaited the inevitable missile salvo. The shock was two minutes later as thermals detected two waves of missiles consisting of 105 and 75 Star Flash AS missiles incoming at 29,000 k/s. The Squadrons point defence and beam weapons went into overdrive to try and deal with this tsunami of missiles, 28 were destroyed, over thirty missed, but of the first wave 20 hit the command AI and 23 hit Sterilisation Unit 1573. The Command AI’s pain circuits triggered as the jump drive went off line. The Squadron was trapped in the system until it could be repaired! Sterilisation Unit 1573 suffered engine damage and its point defence mounts went off line. Then the second wave hit, spread between the same two targets, The Command AI felt the burning power surge as its reactors overloaded and exploded, shorting out critical pathways until finally the ship broke up, the malevolent intelligence fading, the quantum matrix evaporating under the searing blasts of the 6-megaton warheads as they ate into the ships vitals. Sterilisation Unit 1573 followed its Command AI into oblivion after the demonic energies had played across its hull; the actinic flash of its detonating power plants marked its passing.
16:18. Alien Ships, 42m kilometres from Earth.
The remaining Sterilisation Units were now bereft of their guiding AI, their own AI was nothing like as sophisticated; they had no knowledge of the supply dump in system or the command codes, they were good for tactical problems, but not strategy. All they could do was follow the last instruction from the Command AI, and destroy the orbital installations of the infestation on the third planet from the star. Sterilisation Units 1572 and 1574 boosted towards the Earth at over 5000 k/s leaving the wreckage of their consorts in their wake.
16:30 34m Kilometres from Earth.
The Red Bulls and Sidewinder squadrons made for their bases at full thrust, it was now a race, could they get back and rearm before the aliens reached the Earth. They had less than 2000 k/s advantage and it would take over twenty minutes to rearm the fighters.
16:48 The Earth.
The aliens had closed to 23m kilometres; they were now near enough for the Ground based fire controls to burn through the ECM and lock on. The US bases fired as one, a massive alpha strike, but one that couldn’t be repeated for 75 minutes. Some 70 Thor missiles with 15-megaton warheads plus 60 Star Bolt multi-warhead missiles with SIM-2 Dart sub-munitions were launched towards their targets. The EU launched twenty Blue Streak 13-megaton missiles while the Chinese launched a steady stream of Thunderbolt Star Dragons in salvos of five or ten.
16:59 23m kilometres from Earth
The US missiles approached their targets in two waves, the first wave of some 70 Thor anti-ship missiles and a second of 60 Star Bolt multi-warhead AS missiles a few minutes behind. The alien point defence locked and killed 20 Thors in the first wave and sixteen missed, but the remaining 32 had better luck, two took down the protective shield on the alien vessel designated Loki 002, the remaining thirty penetrated the defences to slam into the unprotected hull; each breaching the hull with 13-megatons of TN powered nuclear fury. One missile burnt through into the machinery spaces, starting a cascade of secondary explosions culminating in the ship disappearing in a spectacular fireball easily visible on Earth as a bright short-lived star.
16:59 23m kilometres from the Earth
The missile alert activated once more. Two more waves of missiles were inbound and now the Squadron was without the coordination of the Command AI, only 20 missiles were intercepted in the first wave. The missiles smashed into Sterilisation Unit 1574, the shield vanished like a moth in a flame then the hull boiled, burn through occurring in many places until the power core ruptured and the ship disappeared in a blinding flash. Sterilisation Unit 1572 pressed on alone.
17:00 22.8m kilometres from Earth.
The twenty EU Blue Streak missiles attacked the lone alien ship, fully half of them were intercepted by point defence and four missed, but the remaining missiles detonated, two took down the shield the rest sent brilliant shafts of plasma through the hull and deep into the vessels vitals. The ship vented atmosphere and slowed visibly.
17:04 21.6m kilometres from Earth.
The missile detector activated again, 60 large relatively slow missiles appeared on the sensors. The close-in defences went into action once more; it sorely missed the triple 15cm meson cannon disabled in the last attack. Suddenly, there was a haze of small contacts on the sensors as the Star Bolts released their sub-munitions. Fire spat from the point defence cannon, nine large missiles disintegrated, followed by 22 size 20 missile carcasses bouncing harmlessly off the shields. If an AI could feel relief this was it even if it was to be very short lived.
A handful of seconds later the sensors registered a blaze of 180 missile drives as the Darts lit off and ninety homed unerringly onto the alien ship, six went down to anti-missile fire, twenty-four missed, it didn’t matter. The hull was smothered in a nuclear conflagration as sixty 7-megaton warheads detonated. The AI had barely time to register the assault before its own reactor confinement failed and tore it apart in a cataclysm of fusing atoms, splitting the great hull from stem to stern, odd shaped pieces of machinery spilling from the interior, large fragments of hull spinning off into space. When the inferno died away the relic of the alien ship drifted silent with a slight blue glow and ninety more Darts circled fruitlessly looking for a new target. Only half the missile salvo had locked on!
17:39 Earth.
The EU fighter squadrons recovered to their bases, but now it was no longer a race for racial survival to rearm and launch. The alien menace had been vanquished this time, but what about next time?
11th January Between the orbits of Earth and Mars
Starting on the evening of the 11th January there was a heroic effort by the remaining ships left to the Earthly powers to recover the life pods littering space between the orbits of the Earth and Mars. It lasted all day on the 13th and concluded early on the 14th when the survivors of the Hornet were recovered. Strangely there were no survivors from the aliens ships, or even empty life pods. Shang Xiao Zhou Wu Zhen was one of the luck ones, he had made the bridge escape pod seconds before the Anging was destroyed, they said his leukaemia was treatable and a bone marrow donor was available, although this was now regarded as a patriotic duty and they had soothed and grafted his burns. But he wondered just what was left on Earth for him. Shenyang had been one of the unlucky cities, one of the 19 Chinese cities on the receiving end of a 10-megaton missile; he no longer knew whether his family was dead or alive.
