• Date: January 24, 2183


  
• Time: 5:25 AM


  
• Location: UGS Yorktown Bridge


  

  In the ongoing battle between the A.F.E. Battlegroups defending the space station Atlantis, the situation worsened as seventy slip space portals opened and emerged the full might of the Kaynian Battle Flotilla. The battle continues as energy beams impact energy shielding and hulls of the A.F.E. Navy warships, with nuclear detonation peppering the last five Kaynian vessels present during the beginning. But the newly arrived seventy ships would bring their wrath on the exhausted and damaged A.F.E. Battlegroups and the space station.

  ''Luck, get every weapons system we have online! And launch all of our remaining drones and torpedos, battlegroup-wide!''

  [Understood- Agh!]

  Immediately, the Kaynian Dreadnought escorts exposed their broadsides and opened fire. The Yorktown was immediately hit with multiple energy beams and had her shielding shatter, causing damage across her hull. The heavy cruiser, Amagi, had quickly restored its energy shielding and fared better, sustaining only shield damage. Repairs on the engine were finally completed, allowing it to maneuver again.

  ''Report!''

  Abraham commanded as he oriented himself to his seat and saw his wife receiving information about what had happened.

  [The Yorktown's shield has been destroyed, and several breaches are detected on the hull. The Amagi was able to restore her shields in time, which saved her from the attack. Also, her engines have been repaired, allowing her to participate in the battle finally.]

  However, the same couldn't be said with the rest of the battlegroup. The damage sustained by one of the light cruisers was enough to be destroyed by several energy beams, with two destroyers suffering severe damage to their hulls as their shields shattered. The A.F.E. Corvettes didn't fare much better, with energy beams destroying their shields and impacting their hulls. Four corvettes were instantly destroyed with no survivors making it out, and one of the four auxiliary ships exploded from the inside due to its shields being unable to stop an energy beam that pierced the reactor.

  ''Status!''

  [The rest of the battlegroup are not faring so well. We lost one light cruiser, two destroyers, four corvettes, and one of the auxiliary ships, which exploded from the inside due to an energy beam going through the reactor that caused a reaction.]

  The Vice Admiral cursed eight ships in total that were lost just at the opening of the Kaynian Frigates. Their super capital hadn't even attacked, and the admiral hoped it wouldn't happen.

  ''H.E.L. cannon charge?''

  [Hundred percent, and ready to fire.]

  ''Good, let's return the favor. Focus on the escorting vessels first.''

  [Acknowledged, sending instruction to the battlegroup.]

  The A.I. responded before sending the directive to the battlegroup. Meanwhile, twenty-nine H.E.L. cannons were primed and ready to fire at the charging Kaynian Frigates. When the Vice Admiral's command was received, the captains complied with the order.

  ''All ships, return fire!''

  Gaft ordered, and simultaneously, twenty-nine H.E.L. cannons lit up and immediately impacted the energy shielding of the Kaynian Frigates. Yorktown's super type was enough to bring one of the escort frigates, with the Amagi firing its light and heavy type at another, which also destroyed it.

  [Yorktown's H.E.L. cannon destroyed one while the Amagi destroyed another.]

  ''Good, keep at it!''

  Meanwhile, the light cruisers managed to shatter two of the Kaynian Frigate's shields, allowing four destroyers to finish them. The remaining six destroyers also followed suit by destroying the shields of three before four A.F.E. Corvettes went ahead and finished them off. The remaining eleven corvettes would prioritize the remaining three. However, only one would be destroyed while the other two had their shields shatter. This left only two Kaynian Frigates to escort the super capital against the A.F.E. Battlegroups defending Atlantis.

  ''Luck, status?''

  [Eight frigates were destroyed by the battlegroup's H.E.L. cannon strikes, while the remaining two sustained severe damage.]

  Gaft cursed that two frigates were still operational. However, now was not the time to complain. The Kaynian Dreadnought was slowly presenting its broadsides, and if that ever happened, his battlegroups would be obliterated. Thus, they needed to retreat.

  ''Get me a connection with Rear Admiral Oxton Hue!''

  [Understood...]

  [...Connection established.]

  Appearing on his terminal, Abraham saw the stoic admiral shaken about their situation.

  ''Rear Admiral, we're retreating to the hell cannon platforms to protect them from the flanking Kaynian group's designation A and B.''

  ''Vice Admiral, I believe that's no longer an option for us.''

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  ''What? What do you mean? We're still following the plan!''

  ''The Kaynian Dreadnought is turning to expose its broadsides. And if that happens, it wouldn't take long until Atlantis suffers-''

  ''Because that's the point!''

  ''And leave Eden's H.E.L. cannon platforms at its mercy.''

  The Rear Admiral pointed out and halted Abraham's retort. Vice Admiral Gaft was taken aback by the Rear Admiral's response. Disobeying the command of your superior was considered punishable by demotion to the highest degree, and it seems that Oxton didn't care about its implications since he knew his death was near.

  ''Gaft, when Vice Admiral Accelerate stated that during the Battle of Babylon, the super capital didn't do a thing, but now, it is. You and I wished this thing would do the same here, but it's not the case...''

  ''...The Kaynian Dreadnought's objective is to wipe us.''

  Gaft soon figured out what the Rear Admiral was talking about. If it's true, then Eden may fall just like Babylon. That must be the reason why the Kaynians split their flotilla. They needed to get rid of the defending fleet first, which the super capital was about to do, and at the same time, deal with Eden's H.E.L. cannon platforms, hence why two groups of thirty Kaynian ships were passing through Atlantis and not attacking it.

  ''Then what do you suggest we do?''

  Abraham wondered how his counterpart would modify their plan. Suppose things were going south real fast. Then, the rest of the Second Fleet might not even be informed when to strike the Kaynian flotilla.

  ''Take the Amagi, three destroyers, and five corvettes and defend the H.E.L. cannon platforms as best as you can while I distract the super capital...''

  ''...Atlantis will still fall, but at least we did all we could to delay them. When the Kaynian groups A and B started making landfall on Eden's surface, I think you what to do.''

  ''You're sacrificing yourself and the remaining ships of our combined battlegroup.''

  ''Yes, but it's the only way...''

  ''...Get out of here, Vice Admiral.''

  Gaft held his breath; if he did this, Oxton and the rest of the battlegroup would be left to their demise, but with the situation at hand, it was the only way they could make a difference.

  ''Very well. Give 'em hell, Rear Admiral.''

  He was giving his thanks to his counterpart. The connection was immediately disconnected. Thus, the Vice Admiral would turn to his X.O. and give her the command.

  ''Luck, inform the Amagi and our strike group. That we will be retreating to the H.E.L. cannon platforms.''

  [Understood, my dear.]

  Luck responded as the Yorktown began to turn around with the mentioned ships attached to it. The strike group of ten—consisting of one battle carrier, one heavy cruiser, three destroyers, and five corvettes—was heading to Eden to prevent the destruction of its H.E.L. cannon platforms by the approaching Kaynians.

  

  
• Date: January 24, 2183


  
• Time: 5:35 AM


  
• Location: Space Station Atlantis


  

  An explosion erupted from the hangar of space station Atlantis as the two remaining Kaynian Frigates fired wildly. However, the defending battlegroup was not going to allow that. They retaliated, firing upon the alien ships to divert their attention from the space station.

  [WARNING ALL PERSONNEL. PLEASE EVACUATE. WARNING ALL PERSONNEL. PLEASE EVACUATE.]

  The program A.I. in charge of the space stations' ailing systems announced as thousands of military personnel ran to the hangar and boarded a craft to safety. The evacuation was spearheaded by officers and commanders who guided their subordinates to safety. Among them was Commander West of Sword and Shield.

  ''Merci, what's the status of the Howling Knight?''

  [Our shields only sustain light damage from the shockwaves.]

  ''Good, inform the others that I got I.C.E. personnel incoming for evac.''

  [Acknowledged.]

  The others were escorted out of the space station in escape pods. While I.C.E. personnel were granted the luxury of boarding Ghost stealth ships if any were available. President Orion Epta had established a standard protocol to ensure the safety of all I.C.E. agents during a Kaynian invasion.

  [I didn't expect our enemies to come to Eden this early.]

  Agent Indigo said as she ran beside Agent Thomas. The two were currently following the lead of the Ghost Commander. They were lucky that they were interrogating him about why he didn't enact the self-destruct sequence when they were captured. However, when Vice Admiral Abraham Gaft called, it was discontinued, and when the Kaynians arrived. The commander was obligated to evacuate them due to the protocol about I.C.E. agent safety.

  ''Indeed, madam Indigo. And here I thought things were looking great, but it seems things have taken a turn for the worse.''

  [Indeed, Agent Thomas, but let's focus on our evacuation. We wouldn't want to inconvenience the commander, after all.]

  The A.I. agent commented as they continued to follow the Ghost. It wasn't long until the stealth ship, Howling Knight, was spotted and its hangar bay doors lowered. The commander and the I.C.E. agents he had gathered swiftly boarded the stealth ship. The bay doors immediately began closing when the last agent was onboard.

  ''Bishop with me.''

  ''Understood.''

  Immediately, the commander of Sword and Shield barked out his orders to get a hold of the situation. They needed to get off of Atlantis before the Kaynians blew it up with their dreadnought.

  "Nomad and Tale! Tend to the agents and make sure their injuries are treated!"

  ''Affirmative, sir!2''

  Moving past the two Ghosts, West and Bishop left the hangar bay. Their concern was now to take off of Atlantis and head to Eden. Running along the hallway leading to the bridge, the duo hastened their pace as the faith of the U.G.E. was at stake. It wasn't long until they reached the bridge, the doors slid open, and they were greeted with a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the space station's hangar through multiple cameras scattered across the ship's hull.

  ''Merci, get the Howling Knight airborne and have us out of Atlantis!''

  [Already in progress.]

  True to her word, Merci was already pushing the reactor of the stealth ship in overdrive for their emergency takeoff. The hover pad thrusters immediately lifted the Howling Knight while the engines roared.

  ''Bishop, is the cloak functional?''

  ''Affirmative, commander, but the repairs on the cloak were nearly half done. We could only cloak the Howling Knight in a limited time.''

  ''Good enough...''

  ''...Once we're off of Atlantis, get it running. We'll support the marines on the surface of Eden. Hopefully, we could use the Howling Knight's armaments and deter Kaynian Sentinels while cloaked."

  ''Understood!''

  Although limited, West didn't mind that his ship's most potent tool could only cover them for so long until it broke. But still, he could make do with it.

  [Commander West, Howling Knight is ready for takeoff. The fusion reactor is at peak efficiency, and engines one and two are primed for afterburn thrust to launch immediately.]

  ''Good, get us out of here!''

  [Engaging thrusters.]

  Whatever was within the stealth ship was magnetically grounded on a surface. The afterburners roared again as the stealth ship blasted off through the burning hangar of the space station. Everyone on board held onto whatever surface they could find as they endured the launch. And it wasn't long until they reached space and felt the G-force whining off.

  [We have espaced Atlantis.]

  The A.I. stated as everyone onboard breathed a sigh of relief, but their troubles were only beginning.

  ''Merci set course to Eden, and Bishop, activate our cloak for our approach.''

  West barked his command, and both acknowledged it with a nod before promptly going to their task.

  ''Roger.''

  [Of course.]

  The dark-skinned Ghost, with the aid of his A.I. Archer. Set the cloak online, and a sphere enveloped the hull of the Howling Knight, making it invisible. Meanwhile, Merci established a waypoint to Eden to establish a connection with the A.F.E. However, unbeknownst to them, the Kaynian Dreadnought was about to fire its energy cannons at the surviving A.F.E. Battlegroup and the space station.

  [Warning energy build-up detected.]

  ''Where?''

  [The Kaynian Dreadnought...]

  [...Oh my god, it's broadsides. It's about to fire.]

  In the distance, West saw the Kaynian Dreadnought exposing its mighty broadsides at the A.F.E. Battlegroup and Atlantis. The energy cannons glowed in unison as they prepared to fire. Meanwhile, the remaining A.F.E. warships unleashed H.E.L. on the super capital. However, its energy shielding deterred any H.E.L. cannon strike, nuclear torpedos, or laser fire from piercing.

  'No.'

  The commander whispered as he saw the Kaynian ship preparing to engage. Suddenly, a flash of light blinded the bridge of the Howling Knight and incapacitated everyone within a fifty-thousand-kilometer radius. It didn't take long until the two Ghosts recovered. The first thing they saw was horrifying. The battlegroup was no more. There were no explosions or debris, just nothing.

  [The battlegroup is no longer present.]

  Merci informed them as she performed scans to determine what had happened. However, to West, it was obvious that the A.F.E. Battlegroup had been vaporized. Meanwhile, the space station was a wreck, and whatever part that wasn't vaporized was beyond recognition. Debris and bodies floated through space as the Kaynian Dreadnought officially destroyed Atlantis.

  ''Atlantis has fallen, sir.''

  Bishop stated as he observed through his terminals, with West clenching his fist at the sight of the destroyed space station. Nonetheless, this was reality, and it would dictate the future of Earth and Her People.

  ''I know...''

  ''...Merci, punch the engines. We need to hurry.''

  [Right away.]

  To Be Continued.