-=+ +=- [COMPLETED] The Second Universe -=+ +=-

Part 4: There's No Time To Mourn

Makeshift runways placed on their single remaining super dreadnought are full of activity, with planes taking off and some frankly wannabe-looking LSOs signal planes and give commands. Some dumb pilots fly up at a full 90 degrees, ending up stalling and crashing their planes. The captain of the makeshift battlecarrier, a "Sir Johannes Dwardson", seems to be frantically speaking through a strange device.

It's not a radio, or a telephone, but a shiny well-cut dark crystal with some writing on it. It's in a completely different alphabet and script from the Earth-Latin alphabet heavily used by the New World Union, and the captain seems to view it as a religious object, praying to it on his knees. "Please, O Great Ones, let at the very least my men strike the enemy once, or at least drive them out of our world. Let our fleet be given the strength to at least damage their installations; to at least show that what remains of us can fight back."

He receives an answer from the crystal, which, from the look on his face, made him shiver his timbers. His gods, the 'Great Ones' he called them, who, they were told, never turned their backs on him or anyone else in the Balingian Empire in need, spoke to him through the crystal. "Aside from hiding you from the enemy as we have done, we refuse. It is impossible to help further, and our overt interference would only draw the wrath of the enemy. An enemy we are terribly equipped to fight."

He wordlessly and solemnly stood up and headed for the bridge, shutting the door and leaving the crystal. He then spoke through the loudspeakers, giving an announcement. "To all sailors of the Vengeance fleet, I am sure you are aware of our circumstances. In the blink of an eye, our home was destroyed. Our families are burning, suffering unknown atrocities from our invaders (no not really), and the Great Ones, who helped us reach where we are now by hiding our fleet, have turned their backs on us.-

There is now nothing to lose. There is nothing we can do to bring back our home. But what we can do is to hit the enemy with all of the strength we have left. The Great Ones' cloaking is slowly lifting, but we are approaching the enemy in Condetena. We must give to our enemy a final show of courage! OUR LIVES ARE FORFEIT, AND SO THEIRS WILL BE!"

"RAHHH!!!"

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"Attempted Raid"

December 3, 542 - 08:48:59

33rd HB-Division CO, ██████████████

Shore-Based and Inland Defenses

Condetena, Republic of Lesospian

"That's a cute little speech." She said, closing the interception feed and now activating the DIVCOM UI's built-in mic. "Light 'em up." She turned to look through the window on her right, seeing a single smokeless missile launch into the sky, screaming towards the enemy fleet while far above the clouds.

On the ground, 1LT ██████████████ watched the radar blips of the missiles and the blips of the enemy ships grow closer and closer with each refresh. They grow closer. And closer. Then the missile detonates above the fleet. Captain Dwardson, having just finished his speech, notices the sky suddenly turn orange, then everything goes dark.

The missile's detonation caused high-end hypersonic-speed nanometal fragments to be sent into the ships, detonating magazines and causing near nuclear-analogous explosions. The submarines that were submerged found themselves still unsafe, as some nanometal fragments still crashed into the water at incredible speeds, ripping through the submarines.

The submarines that were hit--meaning all of them--were torn in two, and then hit by the massive explosions caused by the other ships being ammoracked. The planes from the makeshift battlecarrier had the misfortune of being landed when the missile went off, and only one flying plane survived the blast, heavily damaged.