Hello everyone!
Here is the next chapter of this story.
I really hope you enjoy this chapter and this story.
Also, news about the Poll for Fairy Tail Excalibur. The reason I took out Fate: Stay Night was for the simply fact that after really thinking hard about it, I don't know jack diddly squat about how Fate: Stay Night goes. Like, all I have done is read fan-fictions on the internet about it. So, I decided to remove it as a choice
Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I have just not had any interest in typing recently. However, I am not abandoning this story. It will be completed, no matter what.
Without any more distractions, let's get this show on the road.
Chapter Fourteen: Battle at the Super Volcano.
Time: June 20, 2006. Time: 1100 Hours. Location: Taranis.
It was a nice day here on the planet Taranis. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining and life was really good.
Several people dressed in large battle armor moved along as they checked out the Ancient facility that the people of Taranis have been using for years now.
Just yesterday AR-15 came to this planet and made contact with the locals. Soon after AR-1 came to the planet and now the two groups are having civil discussions together.
John was currently chewing on a fruit bar while McKay was talking to the head scientist of this facility.
"So how long has the shield generator been giving you problems?" McKay asked a blond haired woman next to him.
She was a lady of incredible beauty, having long golden hair, hazel eyes and flawless skin.
"Indeed. Due to the rapid increase of Wraith activity about a year ago, we have had to increase the usage of our shield to give us more protection." The woman, whose name is Norina Pero said.
"Hm. Well, from what I am seeing the shield emitters are not the problem. They are still in good condition and the power lines seem to be good. What about the power source? I am not seeing a ZPM tied into the system here." McKay said to Norina.
"We run the shield off of geothermal energy. Here, let me show you." Norina said as she showed McKay several computer screens filled with data.
After going over the data for a little bit, McKay started to grow more and more concerned until he looked back at his Infiltrator and began to rapidly type away, sometimes typing on the computers as well.
"McKay? You alright?" Sheppard asked, watching the man type away furiously on the keyboard.
"I am just checking something, I hope I am wrong." McKay replied as he continued to type away for a while before he stopped and said, "This is bad."
"What is?" Norina asked.
"You see, shields are not meant to be used all the time Norina. When you increased the usage of the shield, you also increased the stress upon the geothermal energy source, which just so happens to be a dormant super volcano. Or rather former dormant super volcano since the increasing usage of the shield generators has made it incredibly active. It's going to erupt in 24 hours." McKay said as he showed a diagram of the volcano with the magma center approaching critical.
"Okay. McKay, go show that to the Chancellor. I'm going to go and tell Weir about this." Sheppard said as he ran out of the room and towards the DHD.
Once there, Sheppard quickly punched in the seven symbols for Atlantis and then pressed the large red button in the center, causing the the ever familiar explosion of blue water-like energy to erupt outwards from the Alterran creation. A second later, a blue shimmering water looking surface is held in suspension inside the arch of the Stargate.
Sheppard clicks his comm-link on the side of his Cyclone helmet and says, "This is AR-1 leader Colonel Sheppard calling Atlantis control. We have an emergency here."
"This is Weir here, what's going on John?" Weir asks from the other side of the wormhole.
"Well, McKay was running a scan of the Taranis facility and he discovered that due to their overuse of the shield to protect themselves from the Wraith, they have accidentally awakened the dormant super-volcano on the planet and it is set to erupt inside of 24 hours. We are going to have to begin the evacuation process soon if we want to get everyone off of the planet in time." Sheppard reported.
"Understood. I will come over to talk with the Chancellor." Weir said as she moved towards the gate on Atlantis.
A second later Weir was now on Taranis and said, "Let go."
The two quickly scaled the long line of stairs that ran up to the main facility where Lycus receded and quickly made their way to where he was.
Once there, the two of them found Rodney talking to Lycus while showing him the readings he got.
"So all in all, you have 24 hours to get this planet evacuated before the super volcano explodes." Rodney finished.
"I see. This is horrible. We have so many refugees here and it will take considerable effort to get them all evacuated before the volcano erupts." Lycus said just as he notices Weir and Sheppard in his office.
"I am Weir, commander of the ADF and I hereby offer all the of ADF resources to evacuating the planet as quickly as possible." Weir said as she sat down in front of Lycus.
"I am Chancellor Lycus. I accept you help. We need to begin evacuating immediately. Do you know of any planets we can relocate to?" Lycus asks.
Rodney took out his Infiltrator and began to type away at it until he stops and says, "Yes. M8F-789. It is a planet with 28 hour days, habitable climate, around 96% similar to this planet and to Lantea actually. All in all, a great place for you and your people to go to."
"Alright. Call any ADF vessels and tell them to come here immediately to begin evacuation procedures." Weir ordered.
Rodney nodded and then opened a new tab on his Infiltrator which showed a series of color coded tabs. Rodney clicked the third red tab and immediately, the screen changed to show a map of the Pegasus galaxy and where the 7 ADF vessels were currently at the moment.
"Okay. The Archangel, the Dominion, the Hades, the Ares, the Hermes and the Athena are all around about two and a half hours away from the planet while the Macross is three hours away." McKay reported.
"Alright. I'll call Atlantis and tell them to start sending in Jumpers to hasten the process." Weir said as she stood up.
"I will contact all of settlements and get them evacuating immediately." Lycus said as he too stood up.
With that, the group split up, but not before Norina stopped McKay and said, "There is something you need to see."
"Okay." McKay said, unsure of what was going on.
Norina lead McKay down deeper into the facility until they came to a large open hanger where a large familiar shape sat.
"This is our greatest secret Dr. McKay." Norina said as she put her hand out towards the shape.
It was an Aurora class warship. Signs of battle damage was clear all over her hull, but this vessel was in a much better shape then the Aurora was when they first found her.
"You guys have an Aurora class warship?" McKay asked.
"Indeed. We have attempted to make repairs to the ship for generations, but so far have been unsuccessful in making the ship operational once more, I was hoping you would be able to get it working again. If we can get the ship operational, we can use it so help evacuate the planet." Norina explained.
McKay nodded his head at that logic, but then said, "Is it alright for me to do so? I mean, the chancellor hasn't given his approval."
"It's alright. I have been given full access to allow anyone onto the ship if I deem them capable enough. C'mon." Norina said as she lead McKay down to the Aurora class warship.
McKay was soon on the bridge of the vessel checking over the system and to his surprise, the damage wasn't nearly as bad as it appears.
Weapons are completely offline, many of those crystals needing to be recalibrated or replaced entirely. Shields were capable of 40% capabilities, while Hyperdrive was entirely offline, but sublight engines were almost capable of being used again. Sensors and communications were down to 15% usability, but still operational. Hull integrity was down to 82%, but that was much better then McKay thought it would be.
"Okay. I am going to go and try to get the sublight engines back online. That is really the only thing I can get repaired at this time." McKay said as he went to get the sublight engines back online.
Once in the engine compartment, McKay activated the scanners on his Cyclone armor and began to scan the engines for signs of damage. Thanks to the finding of the Aurora, technical plans had been uploaded into the computers of the Cyclones, allowing them to identify flaws and faults in warships of this class.
After a few seconds of scanning, McKay located the five different components of the sublight engines that needed to be repaired before they can used.
Placing his hand on his right hip, a small sphere of raw nanites came out and formed over his hand. Moving to the first component, McKay thought of the tool he needed to enact the repairs for this component.
The ball of nanites morphed and changed and then finally solidified into a tool he needed and he then began to work.
The Omni-Nanite Tool was something Zor thought of. By taking a large ball of raw nanites and then given them telling them to form a specific tool, you no longer need to haul around giant amounts of tools, only a small ball of nanites.
Even McKay had to admit this was one of Zor's most useful inventions as it was extremely useful. Not that he would ever admit that to Zor. He has a reputation to maintain and not only that, he has a three way rivalry between himself, Zor and Lang to invent the best and coolest stuff imaginable. If he admits he has been bested those two will never let him live it down. It just makes it all the more important that his next invention is all the better.
Shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts, McKay moves on with the repairs as the clock continues to count down until the Super-Volcano erupts.
Time: 1400 hours. Location: Taranis main facility.
Sheppard was currently in the main facility watching on as Jumpers flew in and out of the Stargate in a mass of activity as groups of refugees were transported to their new home.
The Plato class warships had come and gone with their hulls filled to the brim with dozens of passengers as the warships flew across space to get them to their designation.
The Macross herself was due to arrive over the planet any moment now. It was truly a miracle that they hadn't started her retrofit for her Synchro cannons yet otherwise they would have been incapable of getting a vast majority of these people out in time.
Also, Rodney had called him and told him about the new Aurora class warship found in the shipyard portion of this facility. Sheppard had immediately said the ship was too be called the Orion before Rodney had a chance to come up with a name himself. The Orion is going to be capable of flight within five more hours, a small miracle that Rodney is ever so proud of.
All in all, things are going very well for the ADF and thus, the universe must intervene and make things much more complicated.
"Sir, we have something on our sensors!" A technician said.
Sheppard walked over and nearly swore as he stared at the screen.
Five Hives and twice that many Cruisers were approaching the Taranis. They would be here in only five hours at the rate they were flying. There was still several hundred thousand civilians to be evacuated off of the planet and there is no way they can get that many people to their new home in that little amount of time. Also, the Plato's will not be back in time to intercept the Wraith and so, they will only have the Macross and the Orion to destroy the Wraith. Things had just taken a turn for the worse.
"McKay, this is Sheppard. We have a fleet of fifteen Wraith warships coming in. How soon can we get the Orion into action?" Sheppard asked.
"I cannot rush myself. If I do, the chance for system wide catastrophic failure dramatically increases. These are some of the most important and sensitive crystal controls inside a Aurora. If I rush, I might leave a tiny flaw that can lead to the Orion's destruction. I have to take my time." McKay replied as he was fixing several crystals right now.
"Got it. I'll contact Atlantis." Sheppard said as he cancelled the channel and moved to contact Atlantis.
"Atlantis, this is Sheppard. We got some more problems here." He said.
"What is it now?" Weir asked.
"We have fifteen Wraith ships coming our way and they'll be here in around five hours." Sheppard explained.
"Dammit! Alright, where is the Macross?" Weir asked.
"The Macross is going to be over Taranis anytime now. However, even she doesn't have the firepower to take down a whole Wraith fleet by herself." Sheppard said.
"Well, all the Plato's are on-route to get the civilians to their new home and the Aurora can't leave ALUCE right now." Weir said as she tried to think of something to save her people and the civilians.
"Wait, the Macross has a number of Monster Destroids in her bays right?" Sheppard said.
"Yes, 24 to be exact. Why?" Weir asked.
"What if we have the Macross empty her bays of mecha and have the Destroids deploy on Taranis, while also have the Pendragon's fly out with anti-ship weaponry and cloak themselves and then wait for the Wraith to appear and come down to the surface to start culling. When the do that, the Macross appears behind them and attacks while the Destroids attack from planet side and the Pendragons from the flanks. We can even throw in the Aurora class ship McKay is working on right now as well. All that firepower will be enough to throw the Wraith into chaos. With all of us attack at the same time from all directions, we have a chance at taking down the Wraith." Sheppard explained to Weir.
"Not a bad plan. We can even send extra torpedoes and Drone's through the gate." Weir said as she considered the idea.
"This is probably the only way we can stop the Wraith from attacking the civilians. We need more time to evacuate them." Sheppard said.
"Alright, I'll call ALUCE and have them start sending down shipments of torpedoes to be sent out to Taranis. Once the Macross is over Taranis, tell Gloval the plan. Hopefully this will work." Weir said.
"That's all we can do." Sheppard said in reply as he ended the communication link with Weir.
A few moments later, the sensors in the facility detected the Macross exiting her hyperspace fold bubble.
Sheppard clicked his comm and said, "Gloval, this is Sheppard. We have a fleet of 15 Wraith warships coming our way and we need your help to destroy them."
"What's the plan?" Gloval asked.
"The plan is for the Macross to deploy her Destroid squadrons on the surface of Taranis around the facility, while having the Pendragons also launched with anti-ship weaponry. The Destroids and Pendragons will cloak themselves while the Macross herself uses her new Shadow Device and waits for the Wraith to arrive. They will try to land here on the planet to try and steal the advanced technology and when the do, we spring the trap. The Destroids attack from below, the Pendragons attack from the sides, and the Macross strikes from the rear, trapping the Wraith in a kill field they cannot escape from." Sheppard explained.
"Hm. Not a bad idea. Box them in and attack with everything we have." Gloval said.
"Also, Weir is sending us torpedoes and more Drones to help us out." Sheppard added.
"Alright. How long until the Wraith get here?" Gloval asked.
"Five hours. That's the same time until McKay finishes fixing the Aurora class warship he found called the Orion. She might be able to help us out in the fight." Sheppard said.
"Okay. We'll begin sending down our Destroids and Cyclones. The Pendragons will get the armament's changed as well. Good luck." Gloval said as the communication channel was cut.
Gloval then said, "Alright, Claudia, start sending down our ground forces and tell them the plan. Lisa, start operations for our Pendragons. Vanessa, watch those screens we need to know when the Wraith are getting close."
The woman nodded and begin following their orders. The Wraith are coming and there is no time for mistakes.
Time: 1900 Hours. Location: Taranis main facility.
Sheppard helped move some more civilians into an awaiting Jumper door, trying to get them out of here before the fighting started.
Around stood the giant forms of Monster Destroids, while Morgan Hovertanks rolled across the area, getting into better positions as Ascalon Destroids went over their ordinance load-out.
Five hours and finally they were ready for the Wraith. Destroids stood all around the facility, ready to cloak a few minutes before the Wraith arrive.
Sheppard then watched as the Jumper took off and flew threw the awaiting Stargate. The small transport went threw the blue portal and then disappeared as the Gate disconnected.
The remaining several thousand civilians had all been sent down to Aurora hanger bay, which is the deepest and most heavily fortified position on the facility. The Orion herself will have her shield raised to defend against any attacks that would otherwise hit the facility and cause damage.
Sheppard quickly transformed his Cyclone armor and drove back to the facility, headed towards one of the large transportable anti-aircraft turrets the Macross had sent down.
Sheppard moved towards the turret and got inside the controls, powering up the turret and preparing himself mentally for the attack.
Location: Taranis atmosphere.
Rick Hunter stared directly ahead of his Pendragon as he awaited for the Wraith to come. Ben and Max were by his Pendragon, their own specially colored Pendragons invisible to all who would stare at this area.
The Macross herself was behind Taranis's moon, waiting for the Wraith to come. The large booms of the mighty warship were already spread apart and ready to fire the moment the Wraith appeared.
Weir had defently delivered. Over 100 torpedoes and several thousand drones had been sent here and had been added to their own supply. They now have a fighting chance to take down the Wraith.
According to McKay, the Orion was as ready as they could get her under these circumstances. She can fly and raise her shields, but firing her weapons was a no go.
Even without the Orion, they had a lot of firepower to unleash upon the Wraith. They could only hope it would be enough.
It would appear fate had made sure to answer that question as 15 Hyperspace windows formed above Taranis and from them came 15 Wraith warships.
For a few seconds the warships stayed still, not moving a single inch and then the giant warships began to slowly enter the atmosphere, intent on stealing the advanced technologies from the facility.
Rick watched as the large organic hulls heated up as their hulls turned bright red from the friction of reentry. A few moments passed and the Wraith ships were through the atmosphere and moving towards the facility, the hanger doors opening to begin sending out their Darts.
Rick kept his hands on the mental trigger that would activate his weapons. The moment the signal to attack was sent out, he would be ready to fight.
Location: Near Taranis's Moon.
"Alright, they are here. Begin moving the Macross towards Taranis at maximum speed. Ready all weapons and prepare for combat." Gloval ordered out as he saw the Wraith ships starting to head through the atmosphere.
A slight change in the tone of the ship was the only indication that the ship was in fact moving forward as the kilometer-long battleship moved towards the Wraith warships.
"Sir, weapons are ho and ready to fire. Shields are also ready to be raised." Claudia said from her station.
"Understood. The moment Sheppard gives the word, raise the shields and fire the main gun. Aim for where we will do the most damage but try not to hit the surface." Gloval said as the Macross continued to fly towards Taranis.
Claudia nodded and then moved her hands over her holographic console, prepared to start sending the Wraith to oblivion.
Location: In the Ascended Realm.
Janus and hundreds of other Ascended Beings where watching the events taking place over Taranis and some of them had questions.
"Why do the ADF try to save those on this planet and why are they risking so much for a few civilians?" A Ascended asked.
"Because, it is who they are. If there is even a slight chance they can save someone else, they will do everything in their power to save them. They just cannot help themselves." Janus asked.
"This is most illogical. They are risking not only hundreds of their troops for a tactically insignificant planet, but they are also risking some of their best officers and their mightiest warship for the same tactically worthless planet. They are gambling some of their most important assets, all for what? The lives of a few thousand? It defies all logic." Another Ascended stated.
"Perhaps. But, did we not do the same? During the war with the Wraith, did we not risk the lives of our brothers and sisters to save the lives of those we had sworn to protect? The ADF is simply doing the same thing we did, only better." Janus said.
"That is why we lost the war with the Wraith. When we should have pulled back and reinforced other positions, instead why choose to fight in places that we had no chance of victory and slowly the Wraith bled us dry. The ADF will fall just like we did if they continue to fight with emotions instead of logic. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. They should have retreated and kept those troops and that warship safe in another solar system, instead of risking it here when it could be used to take back some of our old facilities we used." The second Ascended said.
"Maybe. However, I have complete confidence the ADF will achieve victory here and save the lives of those civilians still on the planet." Janus said back.
"We shall see." The second Ascended said.
The Ascended watch on, wondering if perhaps, the ADF made a huge mistake in choosing to fight for the civilians still on the surface.
Location: Taranis Main Facility.
Sheppard looked on as the Darts were preparing to fly out of their hangers and with a loud voice, he called out all over the comm link that all ADF members on the planet were connected to, "Open fire!"
Almost as one, the ADF sprung its trap.
The giant Monster Destroids, the largest and strongest Destroids to date showcased their awesome power for the very first time. Their massive 125 mm cannons glowed blue and then roared out, sending forth lances of raw super condensed streams of particles towards the surprised Wraith.
Joining them, the large amount of Phoenix Destroids started firing their large 30 mm Anti-aircraft batteries, filling the sky with their long beams of quick-firing death, while also unleashing their plethora of Stargazers, creating a large swarm of missiles streaking into the sky to inflict pain upon the Wraith forces here.
The numerous Mordred Destroids also joined in, their long-ranged heavy energy cannons sending forth massive beams of death into the hulls of the Wraith fleet, while their missiles also joined into the large missile swarm headed for the Hives and Cruisers.
The Ascalon forces on the planet also launched their missiles as well, plus also throwing in their Heavy Beam cannon shots in addition.
The Morgan Hovertanks fired their 72 mm particle cannons as well, plus the Gawains were firing their 48 mm cannons and their Stargazers.
The Cyclones were using the anti-aircraft turrets that the Macross had brought down with them and together, the forces of the ADF created an absolutely absurd screen of firepower that tore into the Wraith forces who were completely caught by surprise. They thought the facility had been abandoned. They never thought someone would use ground forces against their warships and they were paying for it.
Within seconds of the assault, dozes of gaping holes had been blown into the belly's of the Wraith ships as numerous explosions were clearly seen.
The Pendragons had also begun their assault, their anti-warship torpedoes flying forth and striking the hulls of the Cruisers. When the torpedoes hit, it caused massive eruptions of pure, raw destructive power that tore into the organic hull of the Cruisers and blew massive holes into their hull, all while the firestorm that the ground forces were unleashing tore into the undersides of the Cruisers and Hive with unending fury.
Already, two Cruisers had been destroyed by lucky strikes to their hangers that outright obliterated the Cruisers, causing large amounts of their pulverized hull to fall to the ground while on fire.
Just as the Wraith forces were starting to get themselves back under control, a massive cone of orange energy went screaming through the Wraith formation, causing a Hive ship to be outright obliterated in a matter of seconds, while a storm of blue-white lances blasted into the back of the Wraith warships, causing even more damage and causing two more Cruisers to be destroyed as well.
The Macross in all of her glory was now behind the Wraith warships and was blasting away at them with total immunity since all of their weapons are frontally mounted. After she finished firing her main cannon, she unleashed four streams of golden Alterran drone weapons that each went for a different Wraith ship.
The Drones activated their energy fields and blasted through the weakened hulls and frames of the Wraith warships, each drone ripping and tearing through the frames with ease until they came out of the ships, at which point they arched themselves backward and did this again.
The drones did this over and over again until the Wraith warships exploded, sending four more Wraith warships into oblivion.
At this point, the Wraith forces were in total disarray. They had lost 7 Cruisers and 2 Hives already, meaning 9 of their warships were now destroyed in just a matter of a few minutes and still they were being attacked and suffering terrible damage. They had been caught in a trap and now the ADF forces were moving in to tighten the noose.
Already the Macross's main gun was cooling down and recharging, only having 25 more seconds until the cannon was ready to be fired once more. The Wraith were trying to rotate themselves around to fire at the Macross, but the Pendragon's had attacked their turning engines and right now, they were just trying to stay in flight and not crash and die.
Like sharks that smell a bleeding animal, the ADF forces attack with a almost palpable blood lust, tearing and ripping apart the Wraith forces that were before them. The Monster Destroids had even claimed the lives of another Wraith Cruiser, further adding to the growing pile of dead Wraith that had their lives ended upon this day.
Location: Near a Wraith Cruiser.
Rick turned to the left to avoid the particle blast from the pursuing Wraith Dart. Rick simply sent a mental command to his Pendragon and like a genie, his Pendragon obeyed his command.
Servo-motors and metal plating moved and shifted as the process of Mechamorphosis activated, the once plane-looking Pendragon morphing and transforming into a humanoid-looking mecha.
With impossible grace, the Pendragon took out its GU-221 and fired a second long burst from the weapon, sending forth blue bolts of energy that blew apart the Dart behind the fighter.
With another thought, the Pendragon transformed back into a fighter plane and blasted off, searching for more prey to kill.
Rick saw Max and Ben flying towards him to regroup after a flight of fifteen darts forced them apart.
"Hey, Skipper." Max said cheerfully as he shot down another Dart.
"Max, Ben, you two alright?" Rick asked as he fired three Stargazers at a flight of Darts, the small missiles flying forth and destroying the Darts one by one in a few moments.
"Yeah, we're good. These jokers have no good pilots. The only thing they have going for them is the fact that there is a large number of them. Maybe if they actually put some effort in improving their flying skills they might actually be a challenge to use, but right now all they are is annoying." Ben said as he fired and destroyed a Dart that was attempting to flank the flight of three.
"Very true. What's your missile count?" Rick asked his two flight members.
"I have 6 missiles left." Ben replied.
"I got 9 missiles left." Max said.
"I have 8 missiles left." Rick said. "So, we're going to have to go back to the Macross for resupply operations soon."
"Understood Lieutenant. Be advised, I detect a flight of forty or more Darts coming towards our position." Max said as the information passed through his mind.
"Got it. Let's go give them a little greeting." Rick said as he moved his Veritech in a banking maneuver and flew off towards the Wraith Darts, followed quickly by Ben and Max.
Location: Macross Bridge.
"Sir, the main gun is ready to fire again. Also, our Drones will be finished reloading soon. Torpedoes are ready to fire as well." Claudia told Gloval as she looked at the information passing on her screen.
"Understood. Tell our forces to get out of the way and then fire the main cannon, then launch a Drone and torpedoes strike. Let's try to end this as quickly as we can." Gloval replied as the battlefield was displayed before him via a holographic screen.
"This is the Macross to all ADF forces, we are about to fire our main gun. The firing data is being transmitted to your computer cores. You have 20 seconds to get out of the firing area before the main cannon fires." Lisa transmitted over the comm-link.
There was an immediate effect as the ADF forces quickly got out of the danger area of the main cannon's beam.
"Sir, all forces are now out of the way." Vanessa reported.
"You heard her Claudia. Fire the main cannon." Gloval ordered.
"Understood. Firing the main cannon." Claudia said as she pressed the firing control for the Macross's greatest weapon.
Along the booms of the ADF's greatest warship, giant crackling arcs of pure energy flowed forth, growing faster and faster while also becoming more erratic by the second until the energy reached its peak and then the main gun unleashed its righteous fury.
The orange wave of unimaginable power tore forth from the Macross and blasted its way through another two Cruisers, vaporizing them almost entirely.
"Sir, we took down another two Cruisers." Vanessa reported. "We have destroyed a total of 10 Cruisers and 2 Hives for a total of 12 Wraith warships. The Wraith only have 3 ships left, 2 Cruisers and 1 Hive."
"Understood. Have the Drones target the Cruisers and the torpedoes for the Hives. Let's mop them up." Gloval said.
"Sir! Wraith warships are pushing all power into their engines. They are headed for the atmosphere. I think they are trying to run away." Vanessa said.
"We can't let those Wraith get away. All available power to engines. Keep up with them. We'll have to try and destroy them before they get out of the planet's atmosphere. Time until they get clear of the planet?" Gloval asked.
"Estimated time is a minute and a half until they get clear of the planet." Vanessa replied as a screen appeared before Gloval showing the remaining Wrath forces trying to flee from the planet.
"Sir, Drone launchers are unresponsive and offline. It appears there is a glitch between our computer system and the Drone chair. Maintenance is moving to fix the issue. ETA is roughly five minutes." Claudia told Gloval.
"Damn. Have our particle cannons target the engines of the Wraith vessels, try and to slow them down. Also, have all of our Pendragons follow us. Maybe they can do some damage to the Hives." Gloval said.
Claudia and Lisa nodded and quickly turned their efforts to executing their orders.
"This is Macross's main control. All available Pendragons are to follow the Macross. We are going to try and intercept the Wraith forces before they can leave the planet. Pendragons are ordered to try and stop the Wraith ships from getting to Hyperspace." Lisa ordered.
Immediately, Pendragons broke off from their previous engagements and flew as quickly as they could while still in the atmosphere and accelerated to reach the fleeing Wraith warships.
Across the Macross, the numerous 100mm and 72mm particle cannons glowed brightly before sending dozens of dense lances of energy directly into the aft armor section of the Hives.
Bio-armor-rated to survive reentry and the vacuum of outer space buckled and vaporized in seconds as the incredibly powerful weapons tore sections of the Wraith vessels apart, causing their engines to start to flicker and fade out.
The lead Hive, being larger with more power energy reactors, could afford the energy to regenerate the damage while the smaller Cruisers, having thinner armor and well as smaller reactors, simply couldn't keep up with the amount of damage they were taking and so two more Cruiser detonated, bright balls of plasma erupting in the upper atmosphere which bathed the Macross in a sea of flames.
The blackness of outer space was before the ADF forces as they gave chase to their enemies to make sure nothing could be taken back to the rest of the Wraith and used against them at a later date.
The lead Hive moved as fast as she could, her engines flaring brightly as they were pushed far beyond their limits with the Hive desperately clawing for each inch to escape the fury of the Tau'ri.
However, it was not to be as the Macross continued after the vessel with all the single-mindedness of a serial killer, her many particle cannons firing away ceaselessly punching holes in the Hive's armor.
"Main Gun is ready to fire Captain." Vanesa said from her station, eyes dancing across the holographic screens.
"Understood. Claudia, make that Hive go away." Gloval said as he nodded toward his subordinate.
"Aye Captain. Main gun firing." Claudia replied as she pressed the button for the main gun's activation.
The bow of the Macross split apart, giving the vessel a turning fork appearance before bright bolts of raw energy crackled between the lengths of the bow for a few seconds as the energy build-up increased until a massive beam of raw energy erupted forth from the vessel.
The lone Hive ship could only look on in horror as they swiftly approaching death finally struck them in the middle of the aft and tore the ship apart at the subatomic level, scatting the few remaining atoms across a hundred thousand kilometers.
"Sir, all enemy forces have been destroyed. Pendragons are reporting the destruction of all Wraith Darts. They are requesting permission to land." Lisa said.
"Permission granted. Head back to Taranis and prepare to use Asgard transport beams to get all of our forces off of Taranis quickly. We need to get those civilians out of here. Also, prepare tractor beams. Once the Orion leaves her berth she'll need a tow back to Moonbase ALUCE for repairs. Tell ALUCE to prepare a berth for the Orion." Gloval ordered.
"Yes, Captain." His crew said as they moved to fulfill his orders.
Time: June 21, 2006. 1300 Hours. Location: Atlantis.
Sheppard sighed deeply as he took a long drink from his coffee. A long night of helping move civilians to their new homes and then doing mission reports had left him very tired, but with coffee, all of his problems just seemed to melt away.
"So in conclusion, the eruption was just as bad as I said it was going to be. It will be centuries before Taranis is capable of supporting human life again. Or it would if not for our terraforming technology. By placing a few of Absorption Towers around the planet, the harmful ash and other various gases can be absorbed in only a few months to a year. With our help, Taranis can once again support human life in only two years." McKay said as he talked to Gloval, Sheppard, Weir, and Chancellor Lycus.
"Me and my people owe you a debt we can never repay. But, I am afraid I will have to ask you for you continued help in repairing Taranis." Lycus said.
"No need to ask Chancellor. We are already preparing to get our Absorption Towers up and running. You will have your home once more, I promise you that. We will try to help you settle in on your temporary home in any way we can. Now, about the Orion. We are prepared to offer you..."Weir began before Lycus cut her off.
"You saved my people, my family and myself and asked for nothing in return. The Orion is yours to use in anyway you see fit. Me and my people cannot even use it at all. If it stayed in our hands, it will only continue to lay unused when it could be used for so much more. I only ask you that you continue to protect and help others with the Orion." Lycus said.
Weir smiled and said, "That is a most agreeable set of terms. Thank you Chancellor."
"No, thank you, Command Weir. You and the ADF have done so much for my people. Giving you the Orion is the only thing I can do to properly show you me and my people appreciation for your actions." Lycus said before he left the room to head back to the new home of the Taranis people.
"Well, that went well. Rodney, how soon can the Orion be put into service?" Weir asked.
"Well, the Orion is in a much better state then the Aurora was when we found her. However, it will still take around a month or so before the Orion is upgraded to the same level as the Aurora Borealis." McKay said.
"Well, that's good. I think we can call this meeting adjourned if no one else has anything to say." Weir said as she eyes the people in the room.
No one said anything so the meeting wrapped up and everyone started to leave the room, feeling a great sense of joy. They saved several hundred thousand innocent people, taken down a number of Wraith warships and gained a Aurora class vessel in the process. All in all, a great day for the ADF.
Location: Galos Room.
The commander of the Aurora stared at the footage from the Macross about the battle yesterday. He had replayed it over and over again since he saw it the first time.
He had never seen anything like this victory. Back during the Lantean-Wraith war, there had never been anything close to a battle like this one.
Using ground forces and space forces in a circle type engagement was something his people never thought off. Also, the shear firepower of the Destroids was something he hadn't seen except for on battleships, and yet these humans had somehow created ground forces with enough firepower to take down even Hive ships. In a ground battle, ADF forces would be almost unstoppable with these kind of units in their arsenal.
The ADF forces had taken a battle which should have been unwinnable and yet, by using trickery, deceit and tactics, they were able to maneuver the Wraith into a position which gave the ADF all the advantages.
If it had been a Lantean in charge of that battlefield, Galos wasn't sure that victory could have been won and that got him thinking about the way he and his people waged the war against the Wraith.
The Lanteans had used vast warships on grand battle against the Wraith, fully believing that their Aurora's were unbeatable. Yet, they lost so many of them in the war. Also, they never thought to consider fighter craft or even good equipment for ground forces, since they firmly believed that ground forces could never beat a capital ship. And yet, that is what the ADF did.
Perhaps, simply outclassing a enemy through technology is not enough to achieve victory. Perhaps something could be said for the power of tactics.
Galos contemplated these things in his room for much time. He was starting to learn that his people's way of waging war was the incorrect one and that there was much to learn from the ADF forces.
Location: Ascended Realm.
Janus looked particularly smug as he said, "So, the humans were illogical for waging that battle were they? Not only did they achieve victory, they destroyed the Wraith forces and saved the civilians, plus receiving a additional Aurora to their arsenal. Guess you were wrong. The Tau'ri know what they are doing. They won a war against a galactic threat when they didn't have a single starship to their name."
"To be precise, the Replicators killed the Goa'uld. The humans simply killed the Replicators and then started picking off the few remaining System Lords that remained. If not for the Replicators, the Goa'uld would most likely still be around." The other Ascended countered.
"Be that as it may be, the fact remains the Tau'ri won. And by not replying on their technological superiority like we would have. They used their heads and found a way to turn the situation into their favor. We never would have even considered the possibility of using ground forces to take on Wraith Hives or by attacking from the rear by using a cloaked warship. We never even thought to create cloaks for our capitol ships. Or to create better ground forces. The humans did and their ingenuity and their ability to adapt to the situation at hand allowed them to achieve victory." Janus said back.
"True. Perhaps I underestimated these humans. They are unlike any of the other humans in the Milky Way or the Pegasus galaxies. They are unique. Perhaps the Asgard are not incorrect in saying they will one day become the Fifth Race. However, further examples are needed to fully convince me they are going to become the Fifth Race." The Ascended said as he disappeared in a flash of light.
"And further examples of their potential you shall receive. They shall continue to do things that shall amaze you." Janus said as he to disappeared in a flash of light.
The Ascended Beings continue to observe the Tau'ri as they continue to walk down their chosen path.
Where they go, only the hands of fate know. However, whatever destiny they arrive at, one thing is for sure.
It shall be a glorious destiny indeed.
And that is that!
Finally I got this chapter done. I am so sorry it took me forever to get this thing typed out. I apologize.
Here we finally see the arrival of the Orion, Galos questions the decisions of his people during the war and the Ascended Beings are starting to get very interested in the actions of the ADF.
Things are going to be very interesting moving forwards.
I know this is very late, but HAPPY NEW YEARS! I hope 2018 was a good year for you guys and I hope 2019 is an even better year for you guys.
I just want to thank all of you for supporting this story and I hope for your continued support moving forwards. You guys are the reason I even bother to type and so I hope you guys continue to enjoy this story.
That's all I got to say, so as always, if you have Comments, Criticisms, or Concerns, leave a Review or send me a PM, always appreciated.
Until next time, this is StrikeFreedom10, signing off.
Farewell for now!
PLUS ULTRA!