December 9, 2106 (military calendar)Iv'Lux(transted) 101, 78(Tukyarid calendar)Admiral ColeSlipspace in route to habitable candidate 6“Prepare to drop the fleet back into real space” I grip the arm rests tight as I try to anticipate the coming battle. If it wasn’t bad enough I have Spero and Bliss watching me and despite them both being here I have total control of the combined fleet.

  “Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Drop us in” I wait impatiently for the bst shields to raise and for the sensor station to give me a drop report.

  “Sir we’ve nded outside the asteroid belt but the fleet held formation” I nod my head “Good. Keep formation and scan for any signals”

  I study the system map for a few moments. If we cut through the belt we can pick up some materials on the way to the pnet but they would definitely see us coming if they don’t know we’re here already.

  “Helms bring us through the belt ready the tugs” The helms and drone station both reply aye. A while ter communication shouts “Sir incoming transmission unencrypted”

  My eyebrows raise “Tight beam or open broadcast” I ask, its too soon for anything from the surface to both see us and then send us a signal. The ensign replies “Open broadcast” I frown “Send it to my station.

  Moments ter I have a video pying and my stomach churns. Griffin is a bloody mess strapped to a table being beaten and injected with god knows what but amazingly he hasn’t broken he just repeats his service number.

  I send it to the rest of the captains and put it on the main screen of my bridge. It creates an immediate silence which then is repced by angry murmurs.

  Everyone liked Griffin. I know they sent this to make us mad and it sure as hell did but now all rules are off and I know Tanya is raising hell because of this.

  An idea comes to mind on how to make them pay.

  “Tugs pick up some of the rger rocks and pnt a nuclear-shaped charge on them cymore style route the detonator to my console”

  As the fleet closes in on the belt dozens of tugs are deployed and asteroids are pulled into the formation while they are prepared for my pn.

  Now all I can do is wait and hope time is on our side. As the hours drag on and the asteroids are ready we spot the enemy fleet. It’s still in orbit.

  Either they are overconfident or somehow not aware of the looming fleet yet. One could hope their training is cking so we can more easily overcome their numerical advantage.

  As we get closer to weapons range I do the calcutions again and again. The goal is to fire so our cannons and missiles hit as the asteroid debris reaches the fleet.

  The big question is, just how fast will the nukes accelerate the fragments? Right now they are keeping pace with the fleet so a few thousand kilometers per second and that’s a lot of energy.

  I order the drones to redline their engines and accelerate past the fleet and wait. The enemy fleet seems to only now be waking up. Do they run one shift? Or were they saving fuel?

  Either way, it gave me the opportunity I needed. Satisfied the drones are far enough away I have them detach and race to return and hit the detonator.

  The results are spectacur dozens of new suns light up the void for a brief moment before a huge glowing cloud of debris races for our targets.

  Our sensors are scrambled slightly but the operator clears it up. “Weapons coordinate fire pns and lock targets fire in my command”

  The seconds tick by like hours. The debris is fifteen seconds out cannons will be eight. “Missiles fire” I count a few seconds “Cannons fire”

  More streaks fill the void and all at once everything hits. Radioactive rock crushes entire ship sections while the cannons pierce clean through sailing into the atmosphere and the missiles strike engines and other critical areas. Mountains of debris fall into the atmosphere.

  “Wolf packs break off and find the stragglers, citadel formation we’re going up the middle ready all weapons” Many frigates break off in groups of three and arc into a fnking trajectory.

  The heavy tonnage of the fleet, the citadel formation spins up everything as we race head-on for the stunned enemy fleet.

  Many of their ships are falling into the atmosphere and only a handful escaped with no damage.

  The core of the fleet navigates the debris field and fires on anything with emissions. once through I look at the pnetary view and study it for a few moments.

  I tag several locations one being where we decided to drop supplies for the ground base as we left the system. It’s now a functional base. “Landing zones marked siege ships move to your designated zone”

  The core splits and the garrison force goes for the original starport. The relief force goes to the active base to assist and help pack up.

  I’m heading for the active combat zone.

  “Open hanger doors unch all strike craft and drop ships, escort vessels take up screening positions around the onager while we move to provide orbital support”

  From all the surrounding vessels hundreds of smaller craft stream for the surface.

  Monarch As I feel the cmps release I’m in my zone and let wiz do all the talking for me. I punch the throttle to the max as Wiz puts on our pylist and hard rock bsts over the squadrons radio.

  Within moments we hit the uppermost limits of the atmosphere but keep our speed up, a psma cone forms and blocks my view as we dive in.

  “Bogies picked up turns out they do have aircraft” Wiz calls out. I don’t think of any questions and focus on the violent rattling of my fighter.

  In another minute the psma plume breaks and I pull up slightly. The dive is still steep just no longer vertical. Wiz highlights the incoming bogies on my hud.

  Twelve of them. I thumb a switch and my weapon covers retract for my guns and are primed for my missiles. I angle for the enemy interceptors and paint two for locks.

  Once locked I drop two missiles that streak off and sm into the enemy. One lists to the side hard and clips another’s wing.

  I’m now in gun range and pull the trigger spshing a fourth as I streak through their formation. A formation that’s now only five as my wingman got a few of their own.

  I cut thrust and pull into a turn, not as tight as I’d like but this pushes the limits of the gee force compensation. As we go through the turn it feels like one of those ground pounders in their armor is sitting on my chest.

  I pull us out and hit the throttle again now tailing the remaining force of the squadron. They are all taking shallow turns either not able or not willing to pull high gees.

  Wiz locks another and I send him a missile I notice several more from my wingmen. Another gun run and the whole squadron is destroyed.

  I reorient and we are on our way to the active battle going on. “Monarch, the fleet is saying they are detecting lots of bogies being scrambled it sounds like we’ll have a full-on furball”

  I gnce at my ammo and just hope I have enough but even if I don’t I’ll just maneuver kill the rest. Slowly my radar fills with red triangles until it’s basically nothing but red.

  From inside the city anti air fire reaches up as the enemy flyers get near. We scream through the skyscrapers and I watch one shudder as the bottom is blown out and it colpses.

  I take a second to gnce around and by the looks of it, the locals will be lucky if there is even rubble once this is done.

  Wiz locks a dozen aircraft and I drop missiles as fast as they will cycle to the tubes. My lock warning starts to go off so I jink.

  It stops for half a second then resumes. Wiz calls for the formation to break and engage as we have to clear a ne for the dropships or as we sometimes call them chunkies.

  Before we know it we are one swirling mass of pnes in the sky. Several get in behind me but due to the crowded airspace, it’s difficult to maneuver.

  More get on my tail. I spot a canyon nearby. I throttle up and dive for it. All my tails follow me. Someone calls over the comms “holy shit monarchs taking a dozen of them for a run”

  I get deep in the canyon and jink around going uncomfortably fast. Immediately several tails hit the sides and crash. I must have every ace on my ass.

  Wiz changed the current song to Daredevil and I feel it’s fitting. Yeah aces py ace combat. One turn is too close for my liking so I turn on my void maneuvering thrusters and move like no pne should.

  More hit the walls but I still have six on me. I get to a mostly straight section and cut all throttle and flip the pne and trigger my guns raking a pne and as I finish the flip hit the throttle to keep my speed going.

  Wiz groans from the forces at py. Several more impossibly tight turns and I just have one more on my tail.

  It’s now or never. I cut thrust again but I’m going way faster this time and my vision tunnels to such a degree I struggle to see even my gauges.

  I hear a distant dull thud and know wiz just passed out. I pull the trigger and nail the cockpit of the st pne. Then with tremendous effort, I reorient and pull out of the canyon with what feels like a whole frigate on my chest.

  I cruise for a few moments so my blood pressure can stabilize then race back into the furball.

  The first of the chunkies have arrived and several streams open up. One of them of the general riding a marauder like a bull. I tag it to be recorded and focus on the fur ball.

  Wiz is still out and I briefly debate trying to be gentle then decide against it. I just focus on getting the high score as I roll dive and spin my fighter going after as many bogies as I can while I can.

  Griffinlocation unknownAfter several months I'm standing in the arena opposite of... well I'm not sure what it is other than it has a lot of teeth, it breaths, and has a neck and cws. Scarry but Funfer was worse.

  That said I had armor and weapons at that time. The announcer is saying stuff I don't understand but when the thing rushes me it's game on. It screeches and I dive out of the way.

  Now the question is do I put on a show or just kill it? if this is a weapon lets draw it out. It screeches again and I lead it around the arena. I trade a few blows with it... well, trade is being generous as only I got hurt.

  Blood soaks the sand floor and I see the time to end this. It charges again and this time I jump off the wall behind me and then towards it wrapping my arms around its neck.

  I squeeze making a scythe arme thing come up and grab it with my robot arm and drag it across its own throat spraying the crowd in blood.

  The crowd is going crazy. I think. Before I can do any kind of victory cheer the things head whips back and I'm out cold.