Raid on Byzantium
The crew alternately sweated and slept; it was not that the voyage would be long or that the target was one they hadn't managed to infiltrate.
Rather, it was the conditions - one ship, designed for long voyages, yet in need of maintenance they couldn't provide. And the distance consideration couldn't be measured in miles without using up the ink production of Vastiva for... oh, about a century.
The many members of Ghost Wind alternately prepared weapons or listened to briefings by the aptly named "Hal", who was not only the mastermind behind this raid, but the main reason it had a ghost of a chance.
The largest attempt yet by Vastiva - and the one that promised the most.
IF it succeeded.
~ETA two hours... Alpha Team to combat suits... Beta team to briefing...~
Risaldar Khefko considered the screen in front of him again. Four minutes was not long to perform an insertion - particularly when you wouldn't know what was going to come after you until it did.
Business as usual.
".... Primary target will be here. It's a military rearmament dump, hidden near an asteriod field. Hal will be taking care of the external defenses - if the core isn't damaged, we should be able to arrive without many problems. Once the main doors are open, we have four minutes to insert our codepanels into these areas here, here, and here. Failing to do so means the whole place comes down around our ears."
"Sir, why are we using codepanels?"
"Good question. Hal can't guarantee the primary couplings are active, and transmissions weren't used on this dump. It's entirely isolated, and watched over by a single AI." He paused for effect. "That single AI also runs all the defensive systems."
"What sort of defenses?"
"We don't know and would rather not find out. Once we're in, we have the full run of the place - and we're going to strip it to the walls, people. Supposedly, there's enough in there to outfit a full fleet twice - Hal says there should be enough transportation available to stuff everything into nearby, and Hal will take care of co-opting additional transportation.
"Our job is simple - get in, code ourselves, then get to the AI and download it. A Midnight Run, children. Really."
~ETA twelve minutes... all teams to stations... this is not a drill... ~
The young Nasho wasn't at all sure how to act around the Colonel - she settled on military stiffness.
"Colonel? Hal has an initial report on Terran."
"Good. What news?"
".... none, sir. The probe...."
"Yes? Speak up, woman!"
"Yes, sir. The probe showed the three defense orbital platforms still intact, but they're mangled. The planet itself shows no artificial lights of any sort, and it's atmosphere - Hal states its the wrong color."
"Wrong color?"
"Yes, sir. Theory is..."
This time, the Colonel waited.
"Theory is Terran was hit by an ion storm. We may be proceeding towards a dead planet, sir."
"Allah Forfend! What of Terrator and Terrasot?"
"Terrasot, we have no report. Terrator shows light sources, but the probe was destroyed quickly."
"That may be a break. Very well, keep attentive, Nasho. And brief me in full when we get back."
"Yes... sir." She didn't ask what to do if he didn't come back. If the teams failed, none of them would be long recognizable as three-dimensional beings.
The first mission wet their feet - and showed them what success could bring.
All three teams hit their marks, made their targets. The AI - "Joe" - was reasonably convinced they were really whomever Hal had said they were.
The stripping commenced in detail; extra crew areas, bomb storage, every square meter which could hold something, held something. The three FTL shuttles Joe held were "put to use" carrying even more.
Even so, there simply was not enough room for everything to fit. They'd have to come back for more. And there was only one safe way to do that.
Alpha team stayed put. The depot had enough space, and secure areas with sufficient supplies for foot soldiers for a few months time. So there they would stay, entertaining "Joe" and waiting for Hal's return.
Hopefully soon.
The return took just over fifty hours, including unloading and travel time.
They arrived to a husk - blackened streaks marred "Joe's" exterior; the power was completely out, forcing them to make their own entry.
Inside was fried; the atmosphere had been churned to smoke, unbreatheable. "Joe" was completely offline - screens were either ant-races of garbage or destroyed.
Of Alpha team... they found all of them, twisted remnants of what was once probably human. Muscle spasms and pure energy had torn most of them apart. Their expressions told the tale - not all of them had died quickly.
They pulled out what was left - short one team, it took longer to catalogue what was salvagable, and what was junk. The previously downloaded copy of "Joe" helped some, until it collapsed in virtual tears over it's own demise.
When they left, only one warhead was still active.
Four hours later, a small sun attempted birth - and failed, expectedly.
It was generally agreed it was an apt funeral pyre.
"Joe" underwent therapy for the next billion years in computer terms - about twenty nanoseconds in the real world. Hal stated it was likely a success, but recommended Joe remain in his little box for now.
This was approved of rapidly.
Sending a plethora of probes towards Terran, Terrator, and Terrasot was a priority - though not as much of one as continuing to watch for the Ion Storm which had destroyed the depot, or any of it's siblings. So far they'd been lucky.
Hal took refuge inside a mostly-lead asteroid while the scouts went - and a few even came back.
"Terran is the closest of the three worlds, but intelligence is still incomplete. It's three auto-defense platforms are partially intact, but there are no signals from the surface, the atmosphere is the wrong color, and there are no lights showing on the dark side of the planet.
"Terrator still shows lights, three defense platforms in excellent shape, and according to Hal, looks just like when they left it.
"Terrasot is about the same, only no lights - but then again, a check of the database we got from Joe suggests it was never that heavily populated, and may be little more then jungle with a few settlements. The platforms are still a problem in any case."
The Colonel nodded. "We'll continue with the original plan then. Plot a course to Terran - take into account those platforms and see if we can't come in on a blind side. Failing that, pick the most damaged one and get us on it's least well armed side; short fights are better, we don't have much repair capability yet."
The plan they decided on was simple. One of the shuttles they'd gotten from Joe were sent on a course on the opposite side of the most damaged platform, set to give off distress signals as it headed on a downward course, getting closer to the platform as possible.
A payload of three antimatter missiles was a longshot, and not expected to work.
As it closed within firing range, Hal and another "deathshuttle" would show up on the opposite - and far more damaged - side, weapons arrayed towards the platform and firing, except the main graviton cannon. A flight of antimatter missiles later, the drive would again engage, taking them far away quickly, before the platform could bring undamaged weapons onto them - and before another platform would appear over the functional horizon. Given the damage to the platform, it was unlikely it could destroy all the missiles before impact.
{I will warn you, I am not designed to act as a fighter, and will have to turn energy resources towards defending us from what the platform will be able to turn on us - which is not insignificant. I cannot guarantee a clean attack.}
"What are the chances the decoy shuttles absorb enough damage to allow this to succeed?"
{If the AI aboard is functioning - which is low probability - our chances are around 20% of this ruse working. If it is not, and we are facing only hard automatic systems, perhaps 72%.}
"Do you see a method of increasing our chances?"
{Negative. I have not been able to raise the planet or the platforms - I can assume they have been very damaged. However, as there is the possibility of a third party having done this damage...}
"If there's someone else out there, we're screwed into the wall anyway. Best scenario, we destroy a platform at the cost of two shuttles and can find out what is going on on Terran. That may give us enough answers to work with Terrator and Terrasot."
{And if not?}
"We think of something else."
Terran was a dead world.
Risaldar Kevic na'Couros gripped his FNR90 close, it's presence comforting even through the stifling hug of his airsuit. Close by, members of his team picked through the rubble, noticing the wreckage, the bodies, the burn markings...
"What could have done all this?"
{An ion storm would be our best guess. We are monitoring for the presence of one, but can guarantee nothing in this part of space.}
"Just keep the planet between you and those other two platforms, Hal. We can't afford another close call. And we're out of shuttles."
{Affirmative. However, it is possible you will find more down there.}
They spent fourteen hours on the surface the first day; the trove here was both stunning and.... terrifying.
"Colonel wants an estimate?"
"An estimate? Of this? Tell him there's a whole world down here and it's hard baked. If there are survivors - and that's unlikely in the extreme - they're behind hard armor somewhere. And anything that could survive this, I wouldn't want to meet."
"Yes, Risaldar. But, an estimate?"
Kevic sighed. "An entire planet of debris. We won't find anything functioning - or if it is, it will be incredibly dangerous. We'll need better ideas of where any assets are before we go screwing around anywhere - just because it's dead doesn't mean it isn't dangerous and... hell, I don't understand half of what I've seen, and I doubt we've seen any good part of this city. It could take teams ages just to catalogue these areas - with no guarantee another storm wouldn't come along and..." He shook his head, kicked a rock - which fell into ash. "We've opened the lid of this treasure chest, and there's no guarantee we're the only ones who know about it."
"Yes, Risaldar."
"My recommendation would be to go to Terrator. We might find survivors - the collapse here was rather complete. And survivors might know how to deal with this disaster a little more realisticly then 'poke around'. This is an alien world, not a test tube. Here, the bugs just might bite back."
The team settled for a raid on two libraries - a move Risaldar Kevic na'Couros gave his nod to only after significant discussion and the uncovering of a "used shuttle lot". None of them worked; discussions with Hal gave some idea of how they may be made to work, but not enough definite answers to make the attempt worthwhile. A wall full of specs was enough to bundle aboard their sole remaining shuttle, along with many of the contents of the libaries - Hal directed them with some of the language, allowing them to pick and choose from more technical areas; though, it should be remarked on, the fiction section was completely looted, as was romance.
{We will need something more significant then my cargo areas if you want to continue this rattery.}
"It has been considered. We might find working ships on Terrator."
{Probably. Possibly also manned working ships. Or warships, though we had few enough of those.}
"I'm hoping for cargo vessels - your empire had to have more cargo vessels then just a few shuttles. And larger ships will mean this will go faster."
{Logical. One question - where are you going to put all of this?}
"One question at a time, Hal. First we have to find out what we have to move, and what can be kept here for the meantime - and who is available to translate all of this so we don't blow ourselves up mistaking a 'Keep Out' for 'Wet Paint'."
"It's then established - we can try to upload a base AI to that defense platform. If we manage to do it, we'll have a way in. If we fail..."
{At the very least, Joe will have had a chance at a better life}
"Hal, is it possible to upload a Joe to all three platforms?"
{Possible, but risky. We would suggest one attempt, and a long period of observation. We cannot be sure of what damage is there - or what will occur when Joe adapts to his new surroundings.}