Eight Hundred and Thirtieth Year of the Exodus, Fifth Year of the Splintering

Eight Hundred and Thirtieth Year After the Battle of the Sol System

Soihtu’Liekki Laiska’Vanha’Verta sat in his command throne on the bridge of the Empire’s Fleet Guided Missile Battlecruiser (BCG) Viimein’Laiva’Elossa, the seventh ship to bear that name, waiting for the order to break orbit and depart the Crown World system. He had feared that this order would come down from the moment he had received this posting. His crew was competent, efficient, eager to be about their work. His ship was one of four BCGs to be dispatched, each leading a force of eight cruisers of all types and sixteen destroyers.

Laiska’Vanha’Verta’s Fourth Squadron of the Twenty Seventh Scout Flotilla was the lightest squadron, comprised of eight light cruisers and sixteen missile defense destroyers. His was made of entirely new-build ships, none older than a hundred Crown World Orbits, outfitted with the newest and fastest FTL drives available to the Empire. Laiska’Vanha’Verta would need that speed, as his Fourth Squadron had been assigned the most distant destination: a dwarf star with seven planetary bodies. HIs task was to reach the system, to scout it for threats and resources, and to report back to the Empire.

Laiska’Vanha’Verta hoped that he did not need to engage in combat, but there was a reason that his force was so large. The Empire had encountered other races besides the Fanatical Purifiers of the Toinen’Maailma system. Some had submitted to the Empire peacefully. Some had required the application of diplomacy or military strikes. Two had required technological uplifting. Only one, the Toinen’Maailma Fanatical Purifiers, had required annihilation. None of the survivors of the other races had been permitted FTL drives, and few had earned the right to travel beyond the bounds of their home system aboard Empire-owned ships.

Laiska’Vanha’Verta felt a ripple of eagerness caress his skin. The departure order had come. The Cryer had repeated it to the Fourth Squadron. BCG 004, the Viimein’Laiva’Elossa, was underway.

Rear Admiral Musume Supesu, Void Guard, Colonizer, commander of the Solar Wind was stargazing again. Her quarters were buried deep in the Far Strider’s core hull, just aft of the cryosleep array, and the bridge was just forward of that same component. Both had fantastic view screens that could project imagery from any one of the Far Strider’s sensor arrays. But it would be just that, projected imagery, not real starlight as seen with the human eye through the clear vacuum of space. Which is why Rear Admiral Supesu was standing in the ventral observation blister.

Behind her was The Third World, crouched and eager in its dockyard. Its weapons were ready, its cryosleep array was empty. The humans who would ride in it waited on three of the orbital habitats that dotted the TRAPPIST-1 system, waiting final boarding clearance. The Third World claimed that she had hit another snag with her gravity shield generators, delaying her launch yet again. Privately, Rear Admiral Supse doubted that this was the case. The Solar Wind’s gravity shields were functioning to specification. SO she had made some quiet orders. A few data taps had revealed that The Third World’s work crews were concentrated about her missile launchers.

Rear Admiral Supesu sighed. She knew her father too well, even if they had not spoken face to face in the last three years. He would be working for any and every advantage that he could get for the upcoming Second Battle of the Sol System. Fusion warhead equipped missiles had proved humanity’s only method of breaking the Twisted ship’s shields, so Rear Admiral Supesu knew that her father was making absolutely sure that his missiles were ready to go before leaving the infrastructure of the TRAPPIST-1 system behind for good.

“Colonizer Command Actual, Peacemaker Command. Come in Colonizer Command Actual.”

“Peacemaker Command, Colonizer Command Actual here. Send traffic.”

“Colonizer Command Actual, Peacemaker Command. We have sensor reports of ships reverting so sublight speed at the edge of the system. Sensor web indicates two five ships. I say again two five ships. All human ships are accounted for in this system, so they are not any of ours. Peacemaker command actual requests to know your intentions.”

“Peacemaker Command, Colonizer Command Actual. Intentions are being decided at this time. Request to know arrival vector of unknown ships.”

“Colonizer Command Actual, Peacemaker Command. Arrival vector calculations indicate unknown ships origin system as Alpha Centauri. Peacemaker Command Actual requests your intentions again.”

“Peacemaker Command, Colonizer Command Actual. Given the unknown ship’s arrival vector, I must assume that they are of Twisted origin, and therefore presumably hostile. My intentions are to disengage and leave the TRAPPIST-1 system. The Solar Wind is a colony ship, not a combat ship. We have nearly a billion civilians aboard in cryosleep. We want no part, I say again no part, of any combat.”

“Colonizer Command Actual, Peacemaker Command. Intentions acknowledged Colonizer Command Actual. Sail in fortune.”

“And to you Peacemaker Command. Out.”

Admiral Korekage Supesu stared down at the tactical repeater on his command chair. “Tracking, confirm unknown ships entry vector.”

“Admiral, Tracking. Unknown ships are on an entry vector that matches a least-time course from Alpha Centauri.”

“Acknowledged Tracking.” Admiral Supesu frowned. His ship was not fully combat ready. Admiral Supesu’s ship still had the damnable cryosleep array instead of the spinal heavy mass drivers. His gravity shield generators still had problems with the increased strength settings. And of six hundred missiles loaded into The Third World’s missile cells, only fourteen carried fusion warheads. Admiral Supesu needed to either flee, or fight on unfavorable terms. But more importantly, he needed more information.

“CIC, Admiral. Request estimated time to loading of all Militarists into the cryosleep array. Request estimated time until unknown ships are in mass driver range of The Third World.”

“Admiral, CIC. Estimated time to board all Militarist noncombatants is six hours under emergency conditions. Estimated time until unknown ships are in mass driver range of The Third World is zero point seven five hours.”

“CIC, Admiral. Thank you. Message acknowledged.” That settled things for Admiral Supesu. He could not load up the Militarist colonists in time. He had to stand and fight here in the TRAPPIST-1 system. At least the Solar Wind was fully operational and could help him if the unknown ships forced the issue.

“Helm, disengage from the shipyard. Emergency priority. Guns, ready all weapons. If we must fight, then we will give these Twisted one hell of a fight.”

“Admiral, Helm. Acknowledged.”

“Admiral, Guns. Aye aye Sir.

“Admiral, Tracking. The Solar Wind has begun to move. Projected course is a least-time vector to safe FTL distance from TRAPPIST-1. She is leaving the system.”

“Acknowledged Tracking. Communications, get me a link to the Solar Wind.”

“Admiral, Communications. Aye aye sir. Wait one. Solar Wind has declined ship to ship communications link. Incoming priority link from Colonizer Command Actual on your personal channel. Routing it to your helmet com now Admiral.”

“Acknowledged Communications.”

Admiral Supesu tapped the side of his helmet, dropping onto the personal circuit of his communicator and temporarily cutting off the link to the rest of the bridge. “What the hell do you think you are doing Musume?”

“What I think I’m doing, Militarist Command Actual, Is getting a billion human beings out from under before your damned nukes piss off the Twisted enough that they wipe out everyone in the system. I don’t know about your sensors, but mine are showing me twenty-five Twisted ships in system. Sixteen of them smaller than the Derelict, probably destroyers. Eight more about the same size as the Derelict, which would make them heavy guided missile cruisers. And one more bigger ship, probably a battlecruiser or battleship. The Solar Wind doesn’t have the mass drivers or missiles to fight that.”

“Damn you Musume, between the Solar Wind and The Third World, we can kick their asses all the way back to…”

‘Quit bullshitting me Militarist Command Actual. And quit fooling yourself while you are at it! You may be able to destroy this Twisted fleet, possibly even the next one, but there is no way humanity wins an open war at this time. You know this. I know this. The Solar Wind is getting out while we can. I’d suggest you do the same.”