Admiral McCullick realized that his strategy had failed. The aliens were out of range again, and while his fleet could duck through the LaGrange point again, the aliens would just begin chasing the retreating carriers again. And positioned as they were, they would be getting farther away from the LaGrange point, not closer, so he couldn’t mousetrap them again. His eyes drifted to the carriers. The aliens were fast enough to chase them down and destroy them before they could reach the jump point. But…he could use them to draw the aliens into a position he wanted. He issued orders for the carriers to come about and move in nearly the opposite direction as they had been traveling. At the same time, he ordered his fleet to come about and begin moving in roughly the same direction as the carriers, in an attempt to draw the aliens into a better position for his next move.
Even as the terran fleet turned the aliens fired on the Andromeda again, reducing her shields to 64%. For thirty seconds the fleets danced, and then Admiral McCullick ordered his fleet back to the LaGrange point. Just before transiting the Andromeda was hit again, reducing her constantly recharging shields to 63%. After that the fleet slipped through the LaGrange point.
Admiral McCullick waited for twenty seconds at the far LaGrange point, and then ordered the fleet back through the LaGrange point to the inner system. They caught the alien fleet at 133,000 kilometers. Both sides started firing as soon as the first terran ship appeared. The aliens targeted the flagship, hitting the big dreadnought thirty-six times, knocking her shields out and shredding her armor. While her passive defenses stopped most of the damage, the Andromeda lost an engine, reducing her to the fleet standard speed of 7,500 km/s. In response the terran fleet targeted one of the Anubis class ships, hitting it twenty-six times, penetrating its armor four times and reducing its speed to 10,997 km/s.
With one of the alien ships slowed, McCullick ordered the bulk of the fleet’s firepower to be focused on a different Anubis class ship, and ordered the fleet into pursuit to keep them in range for as long as possible. The alien lasers were silent as they ran ahead of the terran fleet, trying to open the range, presumably recharging. The alien fleet left its damaged ship behind while it tried to open the range. The Terrans scored eight hits on the second Anubis, getting one penetration, but it continued on at the same speed as its consorts.
On board the Andromeda the situation was critical. The damage inflicted by the aliens appeared to have an acid-based component, and it continued doing damage, taking out another engine, reducing the Andromeda to half speed. Admiral McCullick, knowing he couldn’t slow the fleet down to the flagship’s speed, ordered the Andromeda back through the LaGrange point while the fleet continued to engine.
The fleet continued firing on the aliens as the fled, continuing to target the same Anubis class ship, which just stubbornly continued to soak up damage. The aliens fired on the Andromeda again before she could reach the LaGrange point, but only got one hit that was absorbed by the ship’s armor, and then again just as she slipped through the point, destroying a crew compartment. The Terrans got another penetrating hit on the Anubis, but were forced to refocus their fire on the slower Anubis as the other ships were nearly out of range.
Just before the Andromeda jumped, Admiral McCullick ordered the carriers to go into EMCON mode in the hopes that they would drop off the alien’s sensors. Fifteen seconds after the Andromeda jumped out, the aliens targeted the BB Pride of Sol with their long-range lasers, dropping her shields to 86%. The Terrans had continued to bombard the lagging Anubis with their lasers getting multiple hits and several penetrations, but the stubborn ship just continued on as if the damage meant nothing. The next long range laser attack from the aliens dropped the Pride of Sol’s shields to 81%.
On the far side of the jump point the Andromeda continued to suffer damage from the corrosive acid, losing her jump drive and another engine leaving her at a quarter of her maximum speed. With the aliens slipping out of range, Commodore Sessions, in command of the fleet with Admiral McCullick on the far side of the system, ordered the fleet back to the LaGrange point. Meanwhile, the Andromeda continued to suffer, losing her last engine, a laser emplacement, and a fuel tank. The fleet jumped out at 1125 to find the Andromeda drifting near the LaGrange point, powerless.
The aliens didn’t hesitate, after the fleet jumped out, they turned and set out for the carriers. The carrier force immediately activated their engines and began running. The carriers wouldn’t get far, though, with the far faster aliens in pursuit. At their current speed the aliens would run the carriers down in 887 seconds, or just under fifteen minutes, long before they could reach the jump point or any place important.
Sixty seconds after the fleet jumped to the outer system the acid finally stopped eating away at the Andromeda. The ship was a near wreck. Her engines were inoperative, as were two thirds of her shield generators and crew quarters, and her tanks had been breached and the fuel lost. Her jump drive was gone, and her weapons had been severely damaged. If the aliens came through the LaGrange point, she wouldn’t last five seconds, although her active shield generators were recharging. At Commodore Sessions’ urging, Admiral McCullick transferred to the Battleship Antares, leaving the crippled flagship behind.
While the fleet was focused on the Andromeda’s problems, the aliens had split up. One Anubis class ship, the damaged and slowed ship, was pursuing the carriers, while the other seven ships were on a reciprocal course towards an unknown target. They were passing the LaGrange point, but were out of weapons range of the point and would not get any closer on their current point. Captain Brennan, commander of the detached carriers, felt some relief. Her crews were reloading the fighters with their remaining missiles, but it would take time. While they didn’t have enough to take out the entire alien fleet, or load all of the fighter’s racks, they did likely have enough to take out one alien ship, even one of the tough Anubis. The problem was time. The Anubis would catch them before they could reload the fighters.
Two minutes passed. The main alien fleet was 1.7 mkm’s from the LaGrange point, while the lone Anubis was 2.2 mkm’s from the LaGrange Point in the opposite direction. At McCullick’s order, the fleet jumped back to the inner system in an attempt to distract the alien ships from the retreating carriers. Inexplicably, the alien ships continued on their original courses, ignoring the fleet sitting on the LaGrange point. This left McCullick in a difficult position.
If he did nothing the Anubis class ship would overtake the carriers before they could rearm their fighters with their remaining missiles. If he ordered his fleet to pursue the Anubis, they wouldn’t be able to catch it before it reached the carriers, and the main alien fleet could turn and trap them away from the LaGrange point, which would be disastrous.
In the end, having no real choice, McCullick ordered his fleet to remain on the LaGrange point and sent a transmission to the carriers informing them that they were on their own.
1134 hours: The Retribution Fleet remained on the inner LaGrange point. The main alien fleet was now 6.9 mkm’s away and speeding towards an unknown location, perhaps an unplotted jump point. The Retribution Fleet’s carrier group was 9.3 mkm’s away in the opposition direction, on course for the jump point and the force stationed there to secure it. The lone Anubis class ship pursuing the carriers was 3.3 mkm’s from the carriers and closing at nearly 3,500 km/s, meaning it would reach weapons range of the carriers in 858 seconds. That was approximately fifty minutes before the carrier group’s fighters would be rearmed.
Playing her last card, Captain Brennan ordered the China to launch her fighters. The China’s fighters had no missiles as their carrier’s magazines had run dry after the last strike, but in spite of this Captain Brennan had a mission for them. The fighters immediately streaked away from the three carriers on a tangent towards the Anubis class ship. The twenty-eight fighters were much faster than either their carriers or the alien ship, and soon arrived at a waypoint offset from the alien ship’s course.
Two minutes later the fighters were 1.5 mkm’s from the alien ship, off to one side. They then turned towards the Anubis with orders to close to within 300,000 kilometers from the alien ship, theoretically within range of its long-range lasers. One minute later they reached 300,000 kilometers from the alien ship and the fighter group slowed down to 10,700 km/s, just under the alien ship’s speed.
Unfortunately, the alien ship did not take the bait. Instead, it continued on course and began firing at long-range. Ten seconds after slowing two fighters exploded. The commander of the strike group, Lt Commander Hsieh Hui Guo, and orphaned survivor of the Raid Years and the destruction of China, knew that it was only his fighters that stood between the vulnerable carriers and destruction, so he ordered his group to full speed and closed on the alien ship. Perhaps if they got close enough, they could distract the alien ship from its target.
Twenty seconds later the fighters were ninety thousand kilometers from the alien when it fired again, destroying two more fighters with powerful laser blasts that simply vaporized the small ships. The alien continued on course towards the carriers. At this point, Captain Brennan did the only thing she could and ordered the carriers to split up. Five seconds later the Anubis fired a massively powerful laser that vaporized another fighter. Seeing the fighters’ valiant charge was futile, Captain Brennan ordered them back to the China.
The Anubis destroys four more fighters before they can get out of range, and appears to be chasing the China. It soon becomes clear that the Anubis is angling to move between the China and America in a bid to engage both. Captain Brennan orders the Phobos to join the China, and for the China to change course further away from the America, as the China is the only carrier with fighters capable of engaging the alien ship, if they can be rearmed. Unfortunately, the alien ship changes course to pursue the America. Knowing that the America’s time is limited, Captain Brennan orders the America’s strike group to launch and transfer to the China, which will continue its rearming. She then orders the China’s strike group to join with the Phobos, and for the Phobos to take a course radically divergent from the China’s, in the hopes that the alien will chase the Phobos next.
1146 hours: While still at 462,000 kilometers range, the Anubis opened fire on the America with twelve lasers, a stunning feat of technology. Fortunately, they all missed, but Brennan knew that wouldn’t last with the aliens closing on her ship. She was tempted to order her crew to abandon ship, in the hopes that at least some of them would survive, but she needed to distract the alien ship from the other carriers for as long as possible. In addition, she wasn’t sure the Imperial Fleet would be returning to this system any time soon, so a quick death was probably preferable to lingering in a life pod that would never be picked up.
The pursuit continued. The smaller alien lasers fired again in twenty seconds, at 392,000 kilometers, scoring one hit that penetrated the America’s thin armor and destroyed a hanger deck. The next salvo, twenty seconds later and seventy thousand kilometers closer, scored five hits, all of which penetrated. Two more hangar decks were destroyed, but so far, the America’s engines were undamaged and she could continue drawing the alien ship away from the other carriers. Fortunately, when the alien ship fired its large and powerful laser again, five seconds later, it missed, but the acid damage from the previous hits had begun eating away at the America’s interior, causing additional damage. The next salvo, fifteen seconds later, caused massive damage to the carrier, but her engines were still intact and she kept running, pulling the aliens further away from the other carriers.
1148 hours: The next salvo at the America was the beginning of the end. Ten powerful lasers struck the carrier, destroying her engines and leaving her drifting. Ten seconds later the Anubis’s powerful spinal laser carved the valiant carrier in two, gutting the ship. Captain Brennan died on the ship’s bridge, fighting her ship to the last.
The alien Anubis class ship overran the hulk of the America and kept going, running towards nothing that could be seen on any Terran plot or sensor, moving farther away from the two remaining carriers every second. Meanwhile, the main alien fleet was twenty million kilometers away from the LaGrange point and moving further away as well.
1232 hours: The China launches America’s rearmed strike group, and the twenty-six fighters and two sensor fighters raced away on an interception course for the lone Anubis.
1350 hours: The America’s fighters reach their launch point and in seconds one hundred and seventy-six missiles are in space and racing towards the Anubis. Twenty seconds later the missiles slammed into the Anubis, stripping her armor and scoring twenty-seven penetrating hits and reducing the tough ship to 1,832 km/s. The remaining missiles attacked again, and this time they took out the alien ship once and for all.
With the America’s destruction, they no longer had a mother ship to return to. However, the Fleet’s fighter losses had been bad enough that there were enough for them to return to. So, the squadron split up. Twelve headed for the strike carrier Phobos, to land on her empty decks. Eight headed for the China, to replace her lost fighters. And the remaining six fighters and two sensor fighters headed for the Retribution Fleet and the LaGrange point, so they could land on the Andromeda’s bays in the outer system. The two remaining carriers, the CV China and the CVS Phobos, set their course for the main fleet’s location on the LaGrange point.
1655 hours: The carriers have rejoined the fleet and the fighters have landed. The alien fleet is crossing the orbit of Omega Ceti V and is still headed out-system at full speed.
1710 hours: Just as the alien fleet reaches the orbit of Omega Ceti V they turn back and begin heading in-system again.
1810 hours: The Andromeda’s crew successfully repairs one of the DN’s engine rooms. The crippled ship immediately moves away from the LaGrange point on a course for the jump point. It will take the flagship nearly three days to reach the jump point at its current speed. With an engine repaired, her damage control teams begin working on her hangar bays, so the fighters from America that were diverted to her location can finally land.
1910 hours: For some unknown reason the alien fleet has turned again, and is heading out-system.
February 1, 2148, 0824 hours: The alien fleet continues to move aimlessly back and forth, ranging from 240 to 300 mkm’s from the Retribution Fleet. This is not far enough from the Retribution Fleet to allow them to run directly for the jump point, and the Andromeda is still limping towards the jump point from the outer LaGrange point. Once the Andromeda reaches the jump point the main fleet will be able to jump back to the outer LaGrange point and proceed from there to the jump point without being concerned that the alien fleet could run it down before it reaches the jump point. The Andromeda is still twenty-one hours from the jump point.
1848 hours: The main alien fleet has returned to the inner system and is headed for the LaGrange point and the Retribution Fleet’s location. It is now 110 mkm’s out and closing. Strangely, it reaches 100 mkm’s and then turns and begins heading for the outer system. Admiral McCullick has begun to wonder if the aliens are trying to tempt him away from the LaGrange point.
February 2, 2148, 0003 hours: The aliens are now 280 mkm’s away and about as far as they usually get before turning back, so Admiral McCullick orders his fleet through the LaGrange point. Once through they settle on the LaGrange point to see what the aliens will do. Admiral McCullick doesn’t want to get too far away from the La Grange point until he knows where the alien fleet is going.
0505 hours: The Andromeda has reached the jump point and joined with the five destroyers and escort destroyers left there to guard the jump point. Unfortunately, the Andromeda’s crew ran out of maintenance supplies for repairs during the trip, and were unable to repair the ship’s jump drive, meaning the ship cannot jump point of the system. They did manage to get the ship up to half speed, and repaired most of her bays, so most of the fighters were able to land. In the inner system the aliens have passed the innermost LaGrange point and are headed towards the outer system, on a course that will take them in between the outer LaGrange point and the jump point.
Unexpectedly, when the alien fleet reaches the orbit of Omega Ceti II it comes to a halt, 15 mkm’s from the second planet’s LaGrange point. Admiral McCullick is now in a difficult position. If he moves towards the jump point, the aliens have enough speed to intercept him before he can reach the jump point.
With the Andromeda unable to make the jump out of the system, the fleet is effectively trapped. A support squadron is due to arrive in the system in approximately 40 days. The support group carries fuel, maintenance supplies, but no missiles for the carriers, as the UNREP ships were taken from locations away from the solar system and thus had no stocks of missiles to draw from. A second support group was en route, but was several weeks behind the first group.
February 3, 2148, 0854 hours: The wreck of a Forward II class fighter disappears from the fleet’s sensors, in the location where the alien fleet is sitting. That explains what the alien fleet is doing. Admiral McCullick has begun to wonder if the aliens can see him in the outer system, but leaving the LaGrange point is risky. If he leaves the point and the aliens can see him, they will be in the perfect position to jump in behind him and run his fleet down in deep space, then destroy the entire fleet from beyond their own range. At least now he knows what they are doing. Admiral McCullick orders shields lowered and sensors off, then orders the fleet to proceed to the jump point.
February 4, 2148: The Retribution Fleet has reached the jump point. While the Andromeda is still not able to jump out, the fleet is reassembled and ready to be reloaded once the support ships arrive.
February 5, 2148: Another fighter wreck disappears from the fleet’s sensors.
March 12, 2148: The long-awaited support group jumps into the system. The group is composed of five tankers and three UNREP ships loaded with supplies. Admiral McCullick orders the jump-capable tanker that conveyed the group to the Omega Ceti system to jump back and rendezvous with the second support group, which is carrying the missiles desperately needed by his fleet. Meanwhile, the UNREP ships begin transferring supplies to the Andromeda so that she can continue repairs, and the tankers begin refueling the rest of the fleet.
While the fleet waited for the support group, the alien fleet in the inner system salvaged all of the wrecked fighters, and was now working on the wreck of the America.
Immediately after receiving the much-needed maintenance supplies, the Andromeda’s crew finished their repairs of the flagship’s hangar bays, meaning that the America’s two long-suffering sensor fighters could finally come on board.
March 14, 2148: As the crew of the Andromeda frantically works to repair her systems, in particular her jump drive, a new alien contact appears on the fleet’s thermal sensors. It is a single contact of a new class of ship, coming in from the general direction of the alien fleet, although somewhat offset. Its speed is 13,972 km/s, and current distance is just over 200 mkm’s. Fortunately, it is not headed directly towards the fleet, but rather across the system towards some unknown point. Several hours later the contact disappears from the fleet’s sensors, perhaps indicating it powered down. The contact then reappeared, but remained stationary approximately 152 mkm’s from the fleet.
March 16,2148, 0615 hours: The alien fleet in Omega Ceti’s inner system suddenly leaves its position and heads for the jump point and the Retribution Fleet. Three hours pass and the alien fleet, now composed of the large Osiris class ship, two Anubis class, and four destroyer-sized Mors class ships, reaches 200 mkm’s. Admiral McCullick orders the support group to jump out to the 111 Virginis system, and for the Andromeda, which has not managed to repair its jump engines yet, to begin moving directly away from the jump point.
When the alien fleet reaches 154 mkm’s from the jump point it turns and begins heading back into the system, away from the fleet. It then begins vacillating between 150 and 190 mkm’s, as if its commander cannot make up its mind. Admiral McCullick decides to take a risk, and orders his jump cruiser through the jump point to bring the jump tanker and an UNREP ship back to escort the Andromeda. If they can transfer enough supplies to the Andromeda, the ship’s crew may be able to repair its jump drive and the fleet can leave the system.
1201 hours: The Andromeda has come to a halt one million kilometers from the jump point, on the far side from the alien fleet, waiting for the support ships to return. At this point the alien fleet blows past its previous turn point and continues towards the jump point. The alien fleet closes to 125 mkm’s then turns away yet again.
1349 hours: The alien fleet is now 220 mkm’s from the fleet and is apparently headed back in-system, towards the two remaining wrecks.
March 18, 2148: The alien fleet headed back into the inner system several days ago, and ultimately dropped off of the fleet’s sensors. The lone alien ship within range of the jump point, tentatively ID’d as a scout, has been gradually inching closer to the jump point over the last several days, and is now 118 mkm’s from the fleet. The Andromeda is accumulating enough maintenance supplies to attempt a repair on her jump drive.
March 20, 2148: The Andromeda’s crew finally repairs her jump drive. The ship is still reduced to half speed, and has several other systems that need to be repairs, but she is finally jump capable. Admiral McCullick orders her to return to the jump point and rejoin the fleet. There is even better news that arrives through the jump point shortly after the Andromeda completed her jump drive repairs. A jump transport dispatched from the Monoceri naval base arrived in the Sigma Eridani system and escorted the UNREP ships carrying the fleet’s missile resupply through the jump point into the 111 Virginis system, and the UNREP ships were now speeding towards the jump point to the Omega Ceti system. They would arrive in eleven days.
At this point there are no alien ships within detection range, as the small alien ship that had been hovering in the fleet’s vicinity disappeared off its sensors some time ago. Admiral McCullick decides to wait on the jump point for the arrival of the support ships.
March 24, 2148: The alien Osiris class flagship reappears on the fleet’s sensors 918 mkm’s away, far out in the outer system. The ship moves in-system jumps through the outer LaGrange point, and then begins heading towards the fleet and the jump point. When it appears in the inner system the fleet’s sensors reacquire the other six ships escorting the large flagship.
For a times the alien fleet heads towards the Retribution fleet, but then it turns away and begins its vacillating course again, turning towards the fleet and away again.
March 25, 2148: The alien fleet jumps back through the inner LaGrange point to the outer system, and begins moving across the system, in the general direction of a suspected jump point. It then turns back and returns to the inner system.
March 26, 2148, 0449 hours: For the last thirty hours the alien fleet had been cruising back and forth between the inner system and the jump point that the Retribution fleet was located at. Now, that has changed. During its current run the alien fleet blew past all previous turning points, and is now just over five million kilometers from the jump point and the Terran fleet.
Admiral McCullick orders the Andromeda, which still has not been able to repair all of its engines, and the remaining support ships and carriers, to jump to 111 Virginis. Once through the jump point the carriers and support ships accelerate away from the jump point, while the Andromeda remains on station.
The alien fleet approaches to four point nine million kilometers and then turns away, back towards the inner system. Admiral McCullick sends a ship through the jump point to recall the support ships, so that the resupply and refueling of the Andromeda could continue. The carrier group continues away from the jump point to meet the missile resupply ships.
March 28, 2148: The carrier group meets the UNREP ships carrying the fleet’s missile resupply, and both groups turn towards the jump point to Omega Ceti. While they travel towards the jump point, the UNREP ships begin transferring missiles the China and the Phobos. Crews on the carriers immediately begin rearming their fighters.
March 31, 2148: The carrier group and its attendant UNREP ships join the Andromeda on the jump point to Omega Ceti. The UNREP ships immediately start filling the dreadnought’s magazines, so that its fighter complement can be rearmed. The Andromeda still has not been able to repair one of its engines, but is capable of the fleet standard speed. All of its other damage has been repaired, aside from the gouges in its armor belt.
At 1517 hours the Andromeda and the UNREP ships and tanker jumps into the Omega Ceti system and joins the fleet on the jump point. Once the UNREP ships and the tanker are through the jump point, the ships of the Retribution Fleet line up to begin resupplying and refueling. The alien fleet is on the far side of the system and out of sensor range.
1759 hours: The refueling and resupply is not yet complete, but the aliens are rising out of the inner system again. Admiral McCullick orders every strike fighter in the fleet to be launched for a strike on the alien ships. In short order forty-four strike fighters streak away from the fleet towards the oncoming alien ships.
The unpredictable alien ships almost immediately turn away, although they almost certainly could not detect the fighters at a distance of 260 million kilometers. Sure enough, the alien ships reach the inner system and then turn back towards the oncoming fighters.
2126 hours: The strike group has reached attack range. As one they fired off their missiles at the hated alien ships. The missiles were targeted on the two Anubis class ships, which had given the fleet so much trouble, and on one of the Mors class destroyers. Thirty seconds later the three hundred and fifty-two missiles slammed into the alien ships. The first attack caused armor hits on all three targets, but no penetrations. The second attack also caused armor damage, but there were again no penetrations. The third and last attack was stopped by alien point defense fire with no hits. The results were astounding.
Anubis 05: 24 hits
Anubis 06: 22 hits
Mors 01: 20 hits
An Imperial destroyer, approximately the same size as the alien Mors class ship, had armor that could possibly withstand twenty hits from Imperial Sparrow II ASM’s, but it would almost certainly suffer burn throughs. And the two Anubis had been attacked multiple times over the last month. How they would withstand the new attack was unknown. The fighters turned away to rearm.
The alien fleet followed the fighters for over an hour then turned away towards the inner system. The fighters landed on their carriers and rearming began at 0054 hours on the 1st.
By 0221 hours the fighters were rearmed, and the unknown class of alien ship tentatively ID’d as a scout was approaching the fleet from the general direction of Omega Ceti V. It was 103 mkm’s out when Admiral McCullick ordered the Andromeda to launch its six strike fighters to intercept. The fighters raced away from the fleet towards the contact, which was suspected to be small, as it was well within the active range of the fleet scout’s active sensors, but was only showing on the fleet’s thermal sensors.
Sure enough, when the fighters closed to forty-three million kilometers their sensitive active sensors determined that the alien ship was 3,246 tons, and was designated as a Charon class unit by the fleet’s tactical department. The fighters launched their forty-eight missiles at one point five million kilometers. The alien ship managed to intercept one missile, and took twenty-one hits before a massive internal explosion ripped it apart.
April 1, 2148, 0609 hours: The Terran fleet launches a second strike on the alien fleet, still vacillating just outside the inner system. The Andromeda’s fighters only have a partial load, but the two carrier’s fighter strike groups are fully loaded with missiles.
1240 hours: The fighters have closed to 750,000 kilometers, well within their missile’s range, as the alien fleet is fleeing directly away from the fighters. They launch as one, with all of the missiles targeted on the two Anubis class ships. Three hundred and twelve missiles streak away from the fighters and race towards the alien fleet.
The missile wave reaches the alien fleet, and one hundred and thirty are blown out of space before they can reach their targets. Forty-two hit the two Anubis class ships, and the remainder come around for a second attack. One hundred and two were shot down short of their targets, and only nine hit their targets, but one penetrated one of the Anubis’s armor. The remaining missiles were shot down before they could hit their targets. The damaged Anubis showed no signs of slowing.
Anubis 05: 29 armor hits
Anubis 06: 21 armor hits, 1 penetration
The fighters turned back towards their carriers. The land at 1713 hours, and by that time Admiral McCullick has made his decision. The carriers have enough missiles to rearm their fighters for one last strike, but he has decided against it. The previous strikes have shown little results, and while a change of targets might show improved results, McCullick decides that leaving the fleet with no long-range striking power in exchange for negligible gain. It is clear to Admiral McCullick that the alien ships were equipped with some sort of regenerating armor, as the two remaining Anubis class ships had been subjected to repeated attacks that should have destroyed them several times over.
Admiral McCullick orders the fleet to continue refueling from the tankers in preparation for leaving the system.
The fleet leaves the Omega Ceti system at 1136 hours on the 2nd of April.
