12th of Xenimatö, 0 BBT, Hour 9
Near the First Gate
Fleet Captain Aisûa Laserö of the 521st Elite Defense Fleet
Aisûa was a well-diciplined member of the Trianarö Imperium Forces, a Kanereö loyal to the Imperö and the Ikaranareans and willing to face death at their command.
Yet, for all her training, she couldn’t shake off the overwhelming sense of dread.
This was no ordinary threat. This was a threat no living thing had faced for well over 500 years. This was a threat that had killed trillions. And here she and her crews would face it alone.
Gods save us, she thought. She knew that the Imperö would give them her blessing, but against a demon like a Krekenai, they would have to hope the gods themselves blessed their success. But there was no point in simply praying. Even if they prayed, action needed to be taken. And so, Aisûa overcame her dread, if not her fear, and the 521st EDF sprung into action.
150 ships were in an EDF. 20 battleships, 40 destroyers, 50 Frigates, and 40 Corvettes. Krekenai were slow in combat, so mobility was not of primary concern. They needed firepower. It was good that she was in command of an Elite Defense Fleet, as the Klixûar class battleships would be her saving grace with their intense firepower. She took a deep breath before giving her first order.
“Release the swarmers from all destroyers and battleships,” she said in the intercom within her suit. She saw on her hologram of the battlespace all of the tiny USVs spill out of their compartments at the “bottom” of all of the ships which held them. She decided to go on the offensive before the Krekenai had any chance to do damage. As the swarmers got into position, she gave the order for her corvettes to go and pepper the demon. It had been over 500 years since the Trianarö had faced demons of this magnitude so she wanted to ensure that she truly understood how to fight this demon. The swarmers and corvettes started firing into the Krekenai, and as they fired, Brown spikes poked out of the thing as it seemed to absorb the barrage of missiles being shot at it, well before they hit it. This was Mosarkran shielding, like a Trianarö ship. In fact, A Krekenai was almost like a twisted biological ship, as would become apparent when the brown spikes that had sprung out of it started opening up and firing missiles of their own, seemingly plasma. They hit and destroyed many of the swarmers but the corvettes were able to get out of the way quickly.
From what she knew of the old military records, a Krekenai’s Mosarkran shielding wasn’t infinite. If the records held true, then it would be like fighting a Flagship. Of course, Flagships could take on fleets, but she could always call for another fleet if it came down to it. However, Aisûa wouldn’t use any more resources then she had to to defeat this threat.
“Frigs, Destroyers, stay a safe distance away, and pummel it with your weapons. Battleships, including us, will get closer to ensure our heavy weapons can hit. We can sustain the damage. Corvettes, keep circling and shooting at it, but focus on drawing its fire away and evasion.”
As her ship got into position, she could see on her datapad that this Krekenai was a formidable foe. In about 2 hours of combat, 12 corvettes were destroyed and shield stress was at about 40-50% on most of the battleships, with the lead battleship she resided on suffering 45% stress to the shielding. Frigates and destroyers could have dodged many of these shots with movement bursts, but they would have eventually been destroyed. The shots from the Krekenai slowed down, and although this was a relief, the fighting continued. The Krekenai wasn’t mobile, but she winced every time she saw a Corvette destroyed. Corvette crews were certainly brave, and the Gods would surely reward them for their service to the Imperö. She saw shield stress on some of the battleships reaching into the 80s with less Corvettes and Swarmers screening them. She thought she might have to pull back, until one of her assistants frantically told her, “Ma’am! Mosarkran readings have vanished. The demons’ shields are down!”
She immediately sent a message. “All ships, shields are down, take aim at the demons head. Glory to Trianar, this battle has been won.”
Commanding all ships to fire at the Krekanai’s head may have been overkill, but watching it die was worth it. She wondered if her ancestors had the same satisfaction. But what she didn’t know is that this was just the beginning, and the fight against the demons would not just be restricted to space. Or Trianarö space.