Chapter 1: Shanxi Outpost

20 May, 2398; 1100 Hours

Shanxi System

Commodore Lia Vicit internalised an exasperated sigh as she sat in the captain's chair on the bridge of her ship, the Imperial Navy Cruiser Elysian, at the head of a small formation of five ships above the Terran outpost of Shanxi. Shanxi Outpost was quite small, no more than a few hundred thousand settlers spread across a hundred-kilometre area of land. However, the outpost was not the source of her consternation. That award goes to the alien artefact that had recently been discovered by a mining expedition to the outer edges of the Shanxi System. The artefact in question was frankly massive by Terran standards, sensor readings from a probe launched by the Elysian recording it at fifteen kilometres long. Worst yet, the only two purposes Vicit could think that this artefact was for are either war or worship. She couldn't decide which one was worse.

Staring blankly at the source of her annoyance, she keyed her comm into the ship's resident Artificial Intelligence, "Amber..." she paused, watching as the amber-coloured hologram flung into existence next to her.

"Yes, ma'am?" The voice came from a beautiful woman flared in the light of her namesake, both soft and attentive.

"What is the status of my report to Luna?"

"...one minute, ma'am." Amber replied, blinking out of existence.

This 'one minute' actually turned out to be five before the AI returned to the Commodore's side and spoke quietly, "Perfect timing, ma'am. Luna just passed out the orders and was about to inform you and the General. The 34th Expeditionary Fleet is mobilising, but they're not going to get here for three weeks even whilst ERA assisted, two if they push their drives to the brink."

ERAs, or Einstein-Rosen Anchors were a relatively new design. They are large space stations that create artificial wormholes known as Einstein-Rosen Bridges at both an 'input' station and an 'output' station. Although standard Terran ships used the same concepts as ERAs for FTL travel, the massive reactors that the anchors could maintain, and the lack of need to divert power to other systems vital for human life, meant that ERAs could create bridges with a much more prominent sub-luminal FTL effect, practically cutting travel times for Terran ships in half.

The fact that the 34th Expeditionary Fleet was 10 days out minimum, even with these new devices, made the commodore sigh again, something she noted had been happening much more often lately, "Amber. I want you to be honest with me. If that... oversized tuning fork is in fact some form of alien weapon, how much of a chance do you suspect we have?"

Amber paused for a second before responding, quite concerning for an AI that thinks at the speed of light, "With my best calculations based on extremely limited knowledge, there's a 68% chance that the Elysian and her accompanying fleet will be destroyed."

"Damn it... I presume that Luna gave us more directives than just 'wait for help'?" Commodore Vicit looked over at the AI, getting the response that Amber clearly knew Vicit didn't want to hear.

"Yes, ma'am. Luna wants us to send a probe as close to the device, now designated X-Ray 0, as possible... to see what it does." Amber recoiled slightly, sensing the outrage from Commodore Vicit coming even before the orders actually clicked with the Commodore.

"Are they insane?! They want us to poke the unknown Alien Artefact, which is quite possibly some kind of super weapon, with our nearest support two weeks away!?" It was clear to anyone who saw her at this time that Commodore Vicit positively balked at the idea, and the entire bridge crew turned to her in surprise at the outburst. Even Amber looked slightly surprised, but hid it much better than the biological Terrans.

"Fucking... God damn it." Vicit prudently ignored the bridge crew and turned to look at Amber, calming herself quickly, "Amber... forward everything you have to General Williams. And tell him that I advise he gets the planetary CDF mobilised and is prepared to get the civilians into the shelters at short notice. Comms, get the other Captains on a vidcom." Commodore Vicit might not have liked the orders, but she would carry them out regardless.

Hearing two quick "Yes ma'ams", one from Amber and the other from her Communications Officer, she reclined in her chair, deep in thought. It was truly a testament to the discipline of the Imperial Navy that the bridge crew quickly returned to their duties without a second thought, despite the outburst of their commander.

"Ma'am, they're coming on-screen now."

Commodore Vicit nodded to the Sub-Lieutenant in acknowledgement before making sure she looked presentable to her captains and then, surely, one by one they came on screen in front of her. Although the Imperial Navy was more than capable of projecting a 3D image of the communicators, the navy opted for an older, more trusted system of a 2D projection of the face. Supposedly their ethos was 'the less complicated it is, the less likely it is to break'.

As they came up, the Commodore noted each and every one. At the far left there was Captain Ali Manich. Graduate of the Europa Military Academy, served multiple tours of duty on the Fringe with the same ship he had here, the assault frigate Hejaz. The only Captain with combat experience asides from herself. In fact, Captain Manich and herself had served together for several years. Vicit knew that she could rely on Captain Manich in any situation.

Next, Commander Océane Garreau. Recent graduate of the San Francisco Officer Academy, captain of the destroyer Volgograd. She had only been involved in some routine patrols in the core worlds. Commodore Vicit knew that she'd do alright, San Francisco's Naval Academy was one of the most renowned in the Empire. But it remains unclear how she will fare in a real combat situation.

Thirdly, Commander Steven Hackett. Hackett was quite well-known in the Navy. A few years ago, he was a simple enlisted man. Now he commanded the Imperial Frigate Sussex. The Sussex was a good, albeit ageing ship. Vicit herself was quite impressed with the man's record, although he had the same problem as Garreau and Vicit had concerns about whether he could be too prideful of his achievements. So far, during their short time in the Shanxi defence fleet together, he had done much to assuage her fears.

Lastly, Commander Sim Yeon-Seok. A graduate of the San Francisco Officers' Academy like Garreau. Vicit had heard that they had graduated from the same class, but had never bothered to look into it before. He captained the point-defence frigate Crimea.

Finishing her recap of her colleagues, she started speaking with the authority expected of someone of her position, "Ladies, gentlemen. We have received an update from Luna, the 34th Expeditionary Fleet has been mobilised to Shanxi."

As Vicit expected and was used to thus far, Hackett spoke up first, quickly processing the information, "What is the ETA, ma'am?"

"Three weeks. One and a half minimum, but unless we get into truly dire straits, no one is going to push their sub-light that hard. In the meantime, we have been ordered to dispatch a probe to interact with the Alien Artefact, designated X-Ray 0."

Captain Manich promptly spluttered and interrupted, "Are they insane?! There's no telling what that thing could do!"

"I know, Captain. I don't like this any more than you do, but disobeying an order, one straight from CENTCOM no less, is paramount to signing your death warrant. Besides, this comes from the top."

"God damn pencil pushers..." Garreau attempted to mumble, but her frustration clearly bled through and Commodore Vicit heard it clear as day.

"As much as I may share in your sentiments, Commander," Vicit said, sounding somewhat irritated, "CENTCOM has made their decision. Amber, What is the deadline on the probe launch?"

"CENTCOM wants the probe launched within two days, ma'am."

Vicit stifled another exasperated sigh, refusing to allow herself such a release in front of her officers before addressing the assembled personnel, "Alright. The probe will be launched on the 23rd, at 0950. Understood?"

Hearing a chorus of yes ma'ams, Vicit ended the vidcom only to be addressed by Amber.

"Ma'am, with respect, you need to get some rest."

"Amber, I need to stay on the bridge in the event that something happens with that god-forsaken tuning fork."

"Commodore, you've been up for twenty-seven hours. You will be no help to anyone if you pass out from exhaustion. Plus, if anything happens, I can just alert you. And Lieutenant-Commander Mona is perfectly capable." Amber argued fervently, refusing to allow Vicit to work herself half to death.

"Never get into an argument with an AI..." Vicit sighed before smiling, "alright, you win, Amber." Vicit stood up before addressing her XO.

"Mona, you have the bridge." Vicit then retired to her quarters after acknowledging her XO's reply.

However, sleep was no easy feat for the Commodore. She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. Nonetheless, the dark embrace of sleep took her not too long after, and she would remain blissfully unaware of how right she was until it was too late.

Codex:

Einstein-Rosen Bridges: The method of FTL utilised by the Empire of Terra. The process harnesses the huge amounts of energy released by Neutronium decay in order to create an artificial wormhole. The distance between the wormhole entrance and exit in 'realspace' is significantly larger than the distance between the entrance and exit inside of the wormhole. In effect, Terran ships travel at sub-luminal speeds inside a 'bridge' where the distance is significantly smaller than in actuality.

Imperial Navy: The Imperial Navy is the largest branch of the Terran Military, charged with the protection of the Empire of Terra against all threats, both external and internal. To do this, the Imperial Navy is given a huge budget, although the specifics are heavily classified, as is the exact size of the Imperial Navy.

Luna Central Command: The Central Command facility for all Imperial Military Operations, based on Earth's moon. The Luna CENTCOM is often just shortened to 'Luna' or 'CENTCOM'.

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AN: Hey there. This is the first story on fanfiction net I've actually decided to upload. I'm taking a bit of a leap of faith here so we'll see what happens. I hope you enjoy this story and leave a review.