Iron Empire

Forty-Nine: From the Heavens

Report: Fisk
The Nevada Desert.
Arizona.
Axion manufacturing base.
Designation: "The Forge"

The circular command centre was filled with row upon row of powerful computers, each filled by a skilled technician. At the front of the room, a tactical team analyzed footage streamed onto a massive monitor.

None of them could stop the inbound warhead.

As the command center around me exploded into a panicked frenzy, calculating trajectory, bracing the ship for impact, I simply stood quiet.

A man of finance knows when a loss is simply unavoidable. This was one of those times.

Project Terminus hung suspended in the inky void of space. When observed closely by the approved personnel, it was easy to see that the warship had taken its influence from the modern dropship—Terminus' frame and form were of the same angular, streamline design. The difference, however, was in both the size and power of the vessels. Where a dropship utilized four jet thrusters on its bottom and the end of its fuselage, Terminus carried a whopping sixteen rocket engines mounted around the ship's frame. Seven airlocked hangars held the space for a fleet of dropships, making the vessel a portable command center.

Where dropships prioritized stealth, Terminus focused on defence. Deep in the heart of the vessel, Project Aegis worked to surround the ship in an iridescent energy shield that was almost invisible against the blue backdrop of Earth.

The cherry atop the multi-billion dollar cake was Project Killswitch, the perfect fusion of projects Apollo and Zeus. Project Apollo controlled the vessel's position and location, targeting likely threats, and Zeus would eliminate them in a hail of lightning.

Ten of the bulbous cannons adorned Terminus' hull, pointed in all directions.

An impenetrable energy shield.

An infallible targeting system.

An inescapable weapon.

An untouchable warship.

All of it was useless against the relic that was a nuclear warhead.

A bright streak against the darkness was the only warning visible to the human eye. Far too small to be targeted by Killswitch, I could only watch as the warhead reached its target.

The initial impact crippled the ship's starboard side, rolling it over mid-orbit. The reassuring blue aura of Project Aegis glowed brightly for an instant, straining, before vanishing entirely, utterly overwhelmed by the detonation.

The bulk of Terminus remained intact as atmospheric decompression savaged the space within. Dropships ejected from the warship's hangars, carrying their precious cargo to safety like sparks escaping from a flame. Four Killswitch cannons vanished in an instant.

All at once half of the computers in the room cut out in a wave of white noise.

Captain Andros Oakley stood behind me, holding a tablet, face grim.

"Confirmed nuclear detonation, sir. Although it completely neutralized the EMP effect, Project Aegis was only able to withstand half of the thirty-megaton blast."

I grimaced and spoke in as calm a voice as I could muster.

"Is the autopilot still online?"

"No, sir," Oakley responded. "Only the Killswitch array remains under our control. All other systems are offline, including engines."

I sighed. The ship had been mostly automated, but a nuclear blast had clearly been too much for the system to handle.

"Give me video footage of the bridge," I commanded.