The First Fleet.
After five days, Admiral Chihaya boarded her flagship, the superbattleship Luddendorf. Two mental models were on the bridge, waiting for the admiral. Captain Hutchinson had returned to her own ship, the battleship Arizona.
One remarkable aspect of the Fleet's technology was the ease of upgrades. Designed a better gun? Just redistribute the nanomaterials to match the new design, and you had a new weapon. Upgrades could be implemented within minutes across the Federation fleet, especially on its ships. The girls had upgraded the battleships' shield emitters and main batteries, bringing them up to the cutting-beam standard found on the H-44s.
Only one superbattleship, the Luddendorff, was present in the First Fleet. However, the fleet had enough battleships, and lighter units to sterilize a star system in days. Chihaya would assume command of the Luddendorff as her flagship. Convincing Kotono to leave her hull behind had been difficult, but it would be naïve to wait for the Nexus to stop its attacks. The Fleet needed its natural leaders within Federation space, where they could command and inspire the girls in battle.
Gunzou took his time reaching the bridge, alternating between walking and using the ship's extensive tube network. During the journey, he toured one of the six main energizer rooms. The enormous reaction chambers, where matter collapsed into an artificial singularity, were engineering marvels. Naturally, being an engineer at heart, he relished the opportunity to visit one of the colossal main batteries. Seeing the massive guns, he fully understood why Hutten had been the target of a suicide attack—there was no surviving chance from a single shot from those weapons. "I need to reorganize the escorts around capital ships," he thought, recalling Hyuga's recent modifications to the old jump disruptor. If it worked as intended, the enemy's exit points would be chaos.
When Gunzou finally reached the spacious bridge, the mental models—Lady and Ludde, as the crew called them—were standing at attention. Both saluted crisply.
"Admiral Chihaya on the bridge!" they announced in unison.
Gunzou returned the salute with a nod. "Superbattleship Luddendorff. I am taking command. Thank you."
Though he wasn't a fan of strict military protocol, he understood that discipline was essential for a ship of this caliber.
"Comms, patch me through to the First Fleet," he ordered.
"Right away, sir," the comms officer replied, making the customary signal of spinning a finger around his head. "You have the Fleet, Admiral."
Gunzou stood tall, addressing the Fleet through the comms channel. "First Fleet, this is Admiral Chihaya, taking command. We will engage the Machines in their backyard and eliminate their star systems. Our mission is not just to destroy; we must relieve the pressure on Federation worlds. In time, we'll return to Forge, but we'll leave nothing but empty space behind us. The fleet folds in one hour. Chihaya out."
Turning to Lady and Ludde, Gunzou instructed, "Girls, bring the commanding officers to my ready room. We need to organize the fleet's formation."
"Yes, sir. The command crew will be ready in five minutes," Lady replied, her tone precise and formal.
Gunzou couldn't help but think, "What did Yamato and Hutchinson do to these girls? They're stiffer than a titanium beam. This will take time to fix." I will need time to get through them. He asked the ladies to follow him.
While the trio walked to the ready room, Chihaya tried to make conversation. The girls, clearly trying to be proper and professional after their earlier mistake on Atlantea, were putting too much effort into formality.
"So, how was your experience with Captain Hutchinson?" Chihaya asked, aiming for a casual tone.
Ludde answered promptly, "Captain Hutchinson is an excellent teacher. We conducted individual and fleet exercises almost daily for two weeks."
"Good," Chihaya said, satisfied. It seemed the talk with Yamato and Musashi had been memorable. "Relax. Maintain good battlefield awareness, stay sharp, stay calm, and don't leave your fleet position. Remember, a lone ship is an easy target."
"Yes, sir! We won't let you down," both girls replied, their rigid demeanors softening slightly.
"I'm sure about that," Chihaya affirmed.
Admiral's Ready Room.
The navigation, engineering, marines, weapons, and tactical officers assembled around Chihaya. He addressed them, cutting straight to the point.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Admiralty has given us the following orders. We are launching a campaign against the Machines' rear territories. Thanks to Iona and her sisters, we have a detailed map of the area."
Chihaya brought up a holographic projection, highlighting the enemy-controlled stars. "Seventeen systems. All of them critical. Factory worlds, resource hubs—every star system supports their war machine. Heavy resistance is guaranteed, and their fleet is sizable. This won't be a simple field trip. Our strategy will be hit-and-run: defold, attack, leave. Questions?"
"When do we leave?" asked the weapons officer in charge of missiles, his tone eager.
Chihaya glanced at Ludde, who replied, "Sir, ammunition loading will be complete in fifteen minutes."
A female officer in charge of the fold drives raised her hand. "Admiral, Luddendorff's dual-fold drives require at least five minutes in normal space to cool down. While this isn't a direct problem, the Machines will adapt quickly. They could stage ambushes during that cooldown period."
Smart observation, Chihaya thought. He frowned thoughtfully before answering, "We'll enforce a false cooldown time of fifteen minutes. If things go FUBAR, those extra ten minutes will be our contingency buffer."
The fighter wing commander was next. "Admiral, will we deploy our fighters?"
Chihaya paused, considering. "Not often. Launching and recovering fighters takes too much time for hit-and-run attacks. They'll remain ready, but unless conditions are ideal, they won't be used."
The officer nodded, though disappointment showed on his face.
"Understood, sir."
"Any other questions?"
The room was silent. Chihaya dismissed them. As they departed, he turned to Ludde. "Ludde, we'll meet in twenty minutes to finalize the fleet formation."
He sent the mental models a simple formation plan: five subformations arranged in a staggered wedge. It was a straightforward design, but it was effective for maintaining local superiority.
Twenty Minutes Later.
Gunzou used the time to say goodbye to his extended family. Choukai and Kongou were assigned to the same fleet, while Kotono and Takao remained behind to protect Forge and nearby colonies. Kongou, surprisingly clingy, had been the most emotional during their farewells.
"Gunzou," she admonished, "be unpredictable. Vary your attack patterns. And don't be too stubborn—sometimes follow someone else's plan. These machknes have proved to be very adaptable. They assimilate our tactics quite fast."
His young son, also named Gunzou, was safely on Earth under the protection of Atlas-02, one of the twin battlestations defending the planet. Anna, the mental model in command of the powerful battlestation assured him she will take care of his son. With his personal matters settled, Chihaya made his way to the bridge, stopping along the way to greet sailors, ask their names, and learn their posts. Many were serving for the first time and were worried about their families in the colonies.
This expedition would be the Federation's first long-range campaign. It could last months, even a year. The fleet was heavily stocked with food, nanomaterials, and hydroponics to ensure a steady supply of fresh produce. Anything else would come from nanoforges. Those wonderful devices can turn raw materials into what you need, screws or steaks. Even wrecked enemy ships and machines could be processed into raw materials. The irony of using machines' bodies to destroy their kin made Gunzou smile.
The Bridge.
Chihaya arrived at the bridge to find the crew tense but excited. He addressed the navigation officer. "Do we have fold coordinates?"
"Coordinates are ready, Admiral," the officer replied.
"Comms, open the Fleet Channel," Chihaya commanded.
"Channel open, sir. The Fleet awaits your orders."
Chihaya took his chair, eyes on the display showing dozens of squadron commanders. "First Fleet, fold!"
The massive fleet executed the transposition maneuver, traveling nearly five hundred light-years from home.
Deep Space.
The main viewscreen showed a completely alien section of the galaxy. Chihaya studied it silently. These stars had never been seen by human eyes. There was no time for wonder, however.
"Ludde, fleet status?"
"All ships accounted for, Admiral. The board is green across the fleet," Ludde replied confidently.
"Good. Begin astrometric scans. Passive scans only," Chihaya ordered.
Minutes later, the navigation officer reported, "Admiral, we're precisely where intended—five light-years from Target-01."
Chihaya nodded. "Open the Fleet Channel."
"Channel open, Admiral."
"In ten minutes, we will engage our first target. Captains, bring your ships to red alert. Chihaya, out."
Target-01 was a well-developed star system orbiting a blue star. Three rocky worlds and six gas giants orbited around a blue giant. One of the rocky planets was a super-Earth with 4G gravity. The crew nicknamed it Krypton, like the planet from that old comic . Sensors would need more time to analyze the structures within the system.
Something unusual caught Chihaya's attention: the Nexus fleet presence was minimal—only fifty cubes and sixty spheres, scattered across the system. The strategy seemed to be working: the Fleet's erratic attacks were keeping the Machines dispersed. However, as Kotono and Yamato had warned, dealing with pure Machines required discarding human instincts.
Chihaya finalized his battle plan. The fleet would split into three subformations, maintaining local superiority. They would fold into the system together, striking as one large hammer. If the Machines massed for a counterattack, two subformations would fold to bombard the planets directly.
"Let's see how the Nexus reacts," Chihaya muttered.
The fleet defolded between the second and third orbits. Krypton appeared at the right side, relative to the galactic core, the only way to differentiate right from left in space. Above and behind were easier, since the galactic north was always relative to the constellation of Coma Berenices, close to the star Arcturus, the south galactic pole lies in the constellation Scultor. The fleet used polar coordinates relative to an artificial galactic plane, placing the center in the massive black hole located in the galactic core.
"Ludde, status of the machines?" Chihaya asked, eyes scanning the tactical display.
The long-range sensors registered the machines changing their bearings, forming in weird, geometrical shapes.
"Their formations are changing," Ludde reported. "They're preparing to engage us." Chihaya studied the display. The Machines were warping closer, intent on attacking. They didn't hesitate, unleashing a barrage of energy beams. The human fleet responded in kind, lighting up the void with weapons fire.
Though the First Fleet outnumbered the Machines, many ships remained in reserve behind the front lines, unable to fire. The Machines, emboldened by the apparent gap in firepower, pressed forward, focusing their attacks on the lead battleships.
"Perfect," Chihaya muttered under his breath. He turned to Ludde and Lady, who were watching with barely restrained excitement. "The machines are overcommitting. Execute Phase Two."
The two mental models relayed the command. Immediately, the lateral wings of the human fleet folded out, leaving only the center formation to engage the Machines directly. The lateral wings folded into high orbit above the planets. Orbital installations, factories, and mining facilities were visible in stark, utilitarian structures. The ships unleashed a devastating barrage of mass-driver rounds.A simple, cheap, and easy to produce ammo by the battleships, a good choice for a fleet far from home. The projectiles—simple metal cylinders accelerated to 0.1c —used gravity to build up velocity, transforming kinetic energy into heat on impact. When the rounds struck, the results were catastrophic.
In less than ten minutes, the orbital installations were obliterated, and the planet's surface was reduced to molten, cratered wastelands. For Machines, there was no distinction between military and civilian infrastructure. Everything was a target.
Main Fleet: Luddendorff's Bridge.
His fleet let the machines infiltrate his battle lines. It was risky, of course, but the cubes and spheres remained paralyzed, blocked inside his lines. Even if the cubes were firing furiously, especially against the battleships, they were accumulating too much damage. Every ship too close to Luddendorff or the heavy battleships exhibited hulls perforated, scarred, and with lacking pieces. The cutting beams, so far, were impossible to stop by their shields. Five minutes later, the machines had lost the fight. Six cubes, the last ones, unable to control their bearings, were chosen as targets by four heavy cruisers squadrons, and they were being reduced to flying wrecks. One last missile broadside destroyed the last cubes.
Gunzou considered his options. Now, we could approach the planets and help, but several minning stations were more tempting targets. He ordered his fleet to accelerate to flank and to aim against the stations. He didn't fold, respecting the self-imposed cooldown time for folding again. Ten minutes later, they were in position. They used only the mass drivers. Sir Isaac Newton will guide them and destroy the stations. There is no need to stay here.
"All units, well done," Chihaya declared. "Fall back to rendezvous at Point Three. Now."
The fleet vanished, leaving behind a ruined star system.
The campaign proceeded with brutal efficiency. Three additional systems fell in rapid succession. Each encounter followed a similar pattern: small Machine fleets offered token resistance, but the primary threat came will come from heavily fortified planetary installations. However, something began to trouble Chihaya. The Machines' fleet presence in these systems was consistently underwhelming.
"They're too quiet," he muttered.
Ludde nodded in agreement. "It's possible they're concentrating their forces elsewhere, Admiral."
Chihaya leaned back in his chair, considering. "Or they're baiting us. Either way, we can't afford to be complacent. Ludde sent a priority one alert to Earth. Possible attack of a massive fleet."
