Date Point: February 7, 2437

Sol system, Terra

Terra News Corp HQ

“Breaking news from the Pan Asian Coalition. Reports are coming in that a firefight has broken out in the system when ships from the 2nd Han fleet engaged a mixed fleet of hostile alien warships in the Long Kou system. With us is retired Vice Admiral James Middletown. James, what can you tell us about this recent engagement?”

The wizened old man nodded once before speaking, “Well Jim, from the data we have so far we can tell that the battle was for all intents and purposes a decisive victory by Terran forces and a crushing defeat to the Xenos.”

A display popped up with an after-action report. Blue models representing Terran forces and red ones representing the enemy. The models flew around, disappearing and reappearing seemingly at random before red models started to flash and red X’s crossed them out.

“Two battlecruisers, the PAC ShenZhen and Hansan under the command of captain Yi Sun-Lin destroyed an entire Xeno battlegroup. The price they paid was mild damage to both ships and two hundred casualties. This is a clear sign that while the federation of alien races aligned against humanity may seem vast and unstoppable, it is obviously not the case. Whether through tactical, technological, or purely Terran superiority, our service-men met the enemy in the field of battle and crushed them entirely. Back to you Jim.”

“Thank you for the very insightful analysis, James. Now on to further news, more than three billion citizens have decided to do their part and enlisted in the Terran armed forces. Remember the call to arms means you. If you or anyone you know is between the ages of eighteen and forty-eight, enlist today and do your part in the fight against the aliens.”

______________________________________________________________________

Yi threw his PDP at the wall, “are you fucking kidding me?!”

The door to his quarters slammed open, “Sir! Is everything ok?” the guard stationed to guard him asked.

“Yeah it’s fine, just pissed at some lying no good politicians.” he kicked the PDP, before saying in a mocking voice, “Our Forces, Terran ships, Us, we. Where the fuck is the us and we when we were being attacked? They are using our blood, sweat, and tears to push their propaganda campaigns!”

His comm beeped and he cut off, “This is Captain Yi speaking.”

“Captain, there’s a call from the Admiral. Do you wish for us to patch it over?”

“That would be perfect lieutenant.”

A few seconds later, “Captain, this is Admiral Zhang Bao. Congratulations on your stunning victory.”

“Thank you, Admiral, it would not have been possible without the men under my command. Has there been any word from the ShenZhen?”

“No, we were hoping that you could give some first-hand information on what had happened to it?”

“I can not, I was preoccupied when the reports came in. There is nothing that I could say that the reports could not say better.”

“Understood, your new orders are to return to the station for repairs and refits. I will have you debriefed in person at a later date.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

“Zhang Bao out.” The moment the connection died, he called the bridge.

“Captain?”

“New orders, return to Tian Gong station for repairs. Don’t take the crew off of Battlestations just yet though. I won’t feel safe until we’re back in range of the planet's ODP.”

“Aye, sir.” sighing with satisfaction he kicked his feet up onto his desk. The war was just starting but his victory would most likely earn him and his crew some degree of fame. The bonuses alone were going to be enough for him to buy a copious amount of alcohol-

His PDP rang again, “For the love of God what now!?” he howled and smashed the answer key.

“Sir, the Admiral’s back on the line, he says it’s urgent.”

“What could be so urgent about refits?!” he shouted, “put him on my line.”

“Aye sir, I’ll pretend like I didn’t hear the first part.” the caller ID changed.

“Admiral, I did not expect you to call back so soon. Has something changed?”

The man chuckled, “I assume you are not at the bridge?” Yi hesitated, to admit it was to show ineptitude, that he was not always ready to fight. “Worry not, you’ve had a long few days. I am willing to overlook a few moments of weakness.”

“Thank you, Admiral.”

“Of course,” he said with a wave, his expression turned serious. “But alas the situation has become a lot more dire.”

“How so?”

“More fleets are appearing in system. A full report will be sent to your station within the next hour. But until then, stay on high alert, reinforcements will arrive within the day.”

He frowned, “Does that mean that our previous orders have been canceled?”

“Indeed, good luck out there Captain.” the connection cut off. Yi held his PDP for several more minutes before finally putting it down and getting dressed. He was going to be having a long next few days.

/-/

Oscar’s ears rang as Yang wound up for another punch. The first one had nearly knocked him out in one go. Off to one side, marines cheered her on or shouted encouragement to him. Her fist slammed into his ribs, knocking the air from his lungs. He quickly backed up, trying to put some distance between them.

Yang followed him, getting up close and personal with him so that he couldn’t use his longer reach. Oscar jabbed at her face, the blow glanced off her raised arms, and once again she was inside his guard. A flurry of rapid hits knocked him to the ground and she pounced on top of him, driving the air from his lungs.

“Hrrrrhh-” he wheezed, slapping the mat. Immediately Yang rolled off him and leaped into the air.

“Boom that’s how it’s done bitch!” she screamed.

Oscar rolled over, trying to catch his breath. The medic on duty ran onto the mat cursing at Yang, “God damn it you stupid slut! You killed another one!”

She ignored him as the medic knelt down over Oscar and consulted a tablet. “Quit being a little shit, you’re fine.”

“I don’t feel fine.” He wheezed.

“Relax, it’s only a broken rib, mild concussion, and dislocated shoulder.”

“That doesn’t sound fine.”

The medic patted him on the shoulder, “I’ll get you hooked up with some nanites and you’ll be back at ‘em in less than a week.”

“That’s way too long!”

“Nah, you won’t even feel it.” he said and pulled out a needle, “now I’m going to need for you to stop shaking or this is going to hurt real bad.”

Oscar whimpered, “what’s that.”

“DNA-coded painkillers.” he stabbed him, “now get your ass off the mat so someone else can go.”

Yang finished her victory lap and walked over holding a hand out to him, “come on little guy, I’ll get you to the infirmary.”

The medic shook his head, “no way, you’re the reason he looks like that. I can’t let you take him there by yourself.”

She rolled her eyes, “what you think I’m going to kill him?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be fine with her.” Oscar sighed, his head was a lot clearer once the painkillers kicked in, “If she’d wanted to kill me she would have done on Outlook Station.”

Yang nodded a little too happily, “See, even he said it.”

The medic tilted his head to the side, “fine, whatever. But Yang, if you’re going to kill him, go all the way through with it. The captain won’t be happy if you make him pay for Oscar’s surgery.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said and dragged Oscar along. As they exited he asked, “Should I be concerned about how the two of you were casually talking about murdering me?”

She laughed, waving it off, “what? Nah, we do it all the time.”

He paused, “Do what all the time, murder people or talk about it?”

Her silence did absolutely nothing to reassure him.

“Charming…” he sighed, shaking it off, “I can’t believe I got my shit rocked so fast.”

“Don’t sweat it, you’ve never gone through any real military training. I’m sure more people would have been alarmed if you had beaten me. You should have seen the odds stacked up against you.”

“What were they like?”

“Let’s just say some people would have gone broke if you’d have won.”

Oscar’s shoulders sagged, “Great, so people think I’m useless in a fight.”

“That’s not true, you’ve watched the combat analysis. You did just as well as anyone else.”

“Tanner and I got our shit rocked by that Class 18.” he shuddered, “stuff like that still freaks me out.”

“How so?”

“Just how evolution and biology can create fucking monsters. We dumped nearly two hundred rounds of armor-piercing into it and it just took it in stride, swatted us around like ragdolls too.”

She shrugged, “that’s just the way it is Oz. Hell, I’ve watched Xenos with half their limbs blown off crawl up bulkheads and still manage to kill people. The thing is, most of those high-class Deathworlders have no sense of compassion or loyalty. That’s what separates them from us. At the end of the day, most of them aren’t willing to sacrifice themselves for a greater good.”

He snorted, “You say that like most humans are.”

Her expression turned serious, “we are, once you’ve been doing this for as long as I have you notice things like that. Marines sacrifice themselves so that their squadmates can get away. Guys jumping on grenades. Hell, people give up their spots in emergency pods so that the weak and elderly can get away. It happens, that’s what makes us better.”

/-/

Eight hundred and ninety-nine. Eight hundred and ninety-nine were executed. Eight hundred and ninety-nine forced conscripts executed. That was the number of men and women that had faced their ends on the red stage of Docking bay 13. A gunshot rang out at least once an hour since those first few had attempted to escape.

Li’s schedule hadn’t changed in the slightest since his first day in training. Sure the faces had, as troops were moved around or placed into different roles. The ones that caught on faster were placed into higher units, like the single-digit battalions. Those that seemed hopeless were forced into the triple digits, destined to be nothing more than cannon fodder. Those men seemed to either work the hardest, desperately trying to get themselves into a better unit, while others gave up entirely. Accepting their fates and trying to live the remainder of their lives in some semblance of happiness. It was from those battalions that the deserters arose from.

Unit changes happened in the morning, massive boards were erected to show who was moving to where. Li desperately held his breath as they marched past one such board.

“Li Ming Tao, Zeng Zi Yen, Ren Zhen, ….. Are to be transferred to 9th battalion effective 0000.”

“Oh thank god.” he released his breath. Their chances of survival had probably just doubled. While being in the double digits meant they would be armed with suits at the very least, weapons had not been a guarantee. But in the single digits, they would be given at least a kinetic energy weapon to use.

The angry looks that the other conscripts shot them were nothing short of venomous. And in that moment, Li could not have thanked his parents more, they’d pushed for him to get his EVA license early and that had probably been one of the reasons they were being promoted over the older and definitely more experienced peers. Younger men could adapt more quickly to changing circumstances and the sudden shift from civilian life was harsh and sudden.

/-/

In his thirty years of service, Yi had never commanded a fleet as large as the one he saw before him. The Hansan was flanked by four cruisers, two-light, and two heavy. Along with their escorts, one destroyer and two frigates each. A battle group, thirteen hulls, and ten thousand strong. Each ship had brought their full marine detachment along to ward off against potential boarding actions.

With his new command came a battlefield promotion. The newly named Senior Captain Yi Sun-Lin scrolled through the situation report on his display.

“Senior Captain, at 0900 anomalies began to show up across all early warning systems. This rules out the likelihood of glitches or false alarms. Currently, there are two possible realistic reasons.

Hostile forces are jamming AEW systems through unidentified means. Hostile forces are much higher in strength than projections indicated.

In either case, the solution is the same. Deny a foothold in the Long Kou system until Intel can identify the problem. Admiral Zhang Bao has decided to split the fleet into sixteen theatre commands with a strategic reserve left for further use.

As the senior ranking officer of theatre 9, you have been given command of twelve ships. In furthering our objective of area denial, you are to consider yourself and any ship under your command expendable.

Good luck, may you bring our nation much honor.”

Haiyun looked very unimpressed as she reread the message, “Really, that’s it?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what they had us wait an hour for? We could have gotten all that in a single condensed file. What was the point of all that fancy bullshit we had to go through?”

“You mean security checks and clearance verifications?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Capt-” the comms officer frowned, “Senior Captain.”

“Just stick to calling me Captain will you? All this ‘senior’ stuff will start going to my head if it goes on any longer.”

“Yes sir, I’ve got the other ship’s captains on the line for you.”

“Pull them up on the main display, it will do the crew some good to see our fellow men.”

The massive screen at the front of the bridge shifted from the tactical view to thirteen individual video displays. Eight men and five women, all decorated sailors of Asian descent with decades in the service. As one, they saluted.

“Senior Captain, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Captain Duan Hui, commander of the PAC Nan Dao. I will be your second in command.” one of the older men said. Yi nodded to him, faintly remembering having met the man before.

“It is an honor to have you with us, Captain. By now I believe you have all received your call signs and linked tactical information. Is this correct?”

“It is,” tags marked each commander as he spoke, “Call signs will go as follows, the NanDao will be Tiger I, the NanDao’s destroyer will be Tiger II, and the frigates will be Tiger III and IV respectively. This pattern will go for the three other cruisers and their escorts as well.”

“The Guiyan will take the call sign Leopard I.”

“The Bijie will take the call sign Panther I.”

“The Panzhou will take the call sign Cougar I.”

“Very well, the HanSan will take the call sign Lion I. I am going to split you up into two task forces under the command of each of the heavy cruiser commanders.” he nodded to the tactical officer who assigned ships to their new designations. The two heavy cruisers were highlighted in red for friendlies, a Passover from the old traditions of the ancient seabound navies.

He continued, “Lion I will be in the middle, with both heavy cruisers on either side. The light cruisers will take up stations above and below Lion I. Have the frigates screen for us radially half a light minute from Lion I. Destroyers will be sent out as scouts with orders to return upon first contact. Is this understood?”

The captains nodded in confirmation and ships began to move. PAC battle tactics were radically different from their American counterparts. Instead of fleets of small agile frigates and destroyers jumping around, doing hit and runs with a core of superheavy carriers and battleships. PAC task forces applied much more powerful ships in smaller numbers. A modern light cruiser could take on up to a half dozen frigates or two destroyers on their own. That was, of course, other human warships, from what Yi had seen so far, a light cruiser such as the PanZhou would have been perfectly fine engaging two or three dozen Xeno warships in close quarters.

“Tactical, show me a view of the full system out to the Oort cloud.” he said, “and also where the rest of the fleet is located.”

“Aye sir, coming right up.” The holy tank in the middle of the bridge expanded to encompass the entire system. The yellow-white star in the center was about 3% larger than Sol and with the only habitable planet just 6% further from the star than Terra was. LongKou was slightly colder with longer seasons. The other five planetary bodies in the system were completely unlivable dead planets. Two gas giants on the outer edge and two rocky ones closer in. Mining operations had been placed on both with massive factories in orbit capable of pumping out just about anything a person could ever want.

Nearly a hundred ships were parked in orbit next to the factories with more than thirty thousand marines setting up defenses on the inside. Central command had expected the aliens to attempt a landing to take them for themselves.

hose factories were dwarfed by the ginormous TianGong Station. Such was its size that it created its own gravitational field that pulled asteroids and small moons into its orbit. Once a military installation rivaled only by those in the Core Systems, tens of thousands of rail guns and laser batteries studded its surface.

“Sir.” his tactical officer shouted, pulling his attention away from the holo, “we’ve got company!”