Towards the Present We Go, Langobards AAR (The Steppe Wolf MOD)

[blklizard]

Here's to 2000 next!

I wonder what these Uyag are like and why they hate humans. Having watched a lot of sci-fi shows has given me some ideas.

I haven't finished celebrating for 1000 yet . It would be nice but it might take awhile for me to get there.

It's actually Uayg and I must admit even I will spell it wrong at times . They won't be making an appearance for quite awhile though. We'll be focusing on the Langobards and their journey for now.

Congrats on 1000!

The mention of the New World has made me think of something. How far back do you think the Langobards' historical records go?

Thanks! Langobards historic records goes as far back as when there were written records. During the Modern Era, the Langobards put these records into computers and, when lunar bases were set up, copies of the records were sent there to help educate those born on the Moon about the history of the Langobards. Naturally, the records would be brought along so the descendents won't forget about their rich history.

Table of Contents (Part 6):

The Departure
-Chapter 1001 -Chapter 1002 -Chapter 1003 -Chapter 1004 -Chapter 1005
-Chapter 1006 -Chapter 1007 -Chapter 1008 -Chapter 1009 -Chapter 1010

The Ambush
-Chapter 1011 -Chapter 1012 -Chapter 1013 -Chapter 1014 -Chapter 1015

Albion System
-Chapter 1016 -Chapter 1017 -Chapter 1018 -Chapter 1019 -Chapter 1020

Yulia
-Chapter 1021 -Chapter 1022 -Chapter 1023 -Chapter 1024 -Chapter 1025

The Fral Invasion
-Chapter 1026 -Chapter 1027 -Chapter 1028 -Chapter 1029 -Chapter 1030

Ciatania's Demise
-Chapter 1031 -Chapter 1032 -Chapter 1033 -Chapter 1034 -Chapter 1035

Jump Drive
-Chapter 1036 -Chapter 1037 -Chapter 1038 -Chapter 1039 -Chapter 1040

New Home
-Chapter 1041 -Chapter 1042 -Chapter 1043 -Chapter 1044 -Chapter 1045
-Chapter 1046 -Chapter 1047 -Chapter 1048 -Chapter 1049 -Chapter 1050
-Chapter 1051 -Chapter 1052 -Chapter 1053 -Chapter 1054 -Chapter 1055

The Alien Device
-Chapter 1056 -Chapter 1057 -Chapter 1058 -Chapter 1059 -Chapter 1060

New Home
-Chapter 1061 -Chapter 1062 -Chapter 1063 -Chapter 1064 -Chapter 1065

The Rohiri
-Chapter 1066 -Chapter 1067 -Chapter 1068 -Chapter 1069 -Chapter 1070
-Chapter 1071 -Chapter 1072 -Chapter 1073 -Chapter 1074 -Chapter 1075

The First Rohiri Expedition
-Chapter 1076 -Chapter 1077 -Chapter 1078 -Chapter 1079 -Chapter 1080
-Chapter 1081 -Chapter 1082 -Chapter 1083

The Coastal Ruin
-Chapter 1084 -Chapter 1085 -Chapter 1086 -Chapter 1087 -Chapter 1088
-Chapter 1089 -Chapter 1090

New Trier
-Chapter 1091 -Chapter 1092 -Chapter 1093 -Chapter 1094 -Chapter 1095

Larrelt
-Chapter 1096 -Chapter 1097 -Chapter 1098 -Chapter 1099 -Chapter 1100

The First Submarines
-Chapter 1101 -Chapter 1102 -Chapter 1103 -Chapter 1104 -Chapter 1105
-Chapter 1106 -Chapter 1107 -Chapter 1108 -Chapter 1109 -Chapter 1110
-Chapter 1111 -Chapter 1112 -Chapter 1113 -Chapter 1114 -Chapter 1115
-Chapter 1116 -Chapter 1117 -Chapter 1118 -Chapter 1119 -Chapter 1120
-Chapter 1121 -Chapter 1122 -Chapter 1123 -Chapter 1124 -Chapter 1125

Mescal
-Chapter 1126 -Chapter 1127 -Chapter 1128 -Chapter 1129 -Chapter 1130

Rescue Mission of Shark II
-Chapter 1131 -Chapter 1132 -Chapter 1133 -Chapter 1134 -Chapter 1135
-Chapter 1136 -Chapter 1137 -Chapter 1138 -Chapter 1139 -Chapter 1140

City Beneath the Waves
-Chapter 1141 -Chapter 1142 -Chapter 1143 -Chapter 1144 -Chapter 1145
-Chapter 1146 -Chapter 1147 -Chapter 1148 -Chapter 1149 -Chapter 1150

Rescue Mission of Shark II (Part 2)
-Chapter 1151 -Chapter 1152 -Chapter 1153 -Chapter 1154 -Chapter 1155
-Chapter 1156 -Chapter 1157 -Chapter 1158 -Chapter 1159 -Chapter 1160

Birth of Laser Weapons
-Chapter 1161 -Chapter 1162 -Chapter 1163 -Chapter 1164 -Chapter 1165

Expedition Convoy
-Chapter 1166 -Chapter 1167 -Chapter 1168 -Chapter 1169 -Chapter 1170

The Second Rohiri Expedition
-Chapter 1171 -Chapter 1172 -Chapter 1173 -Chapter 1174 -Chapter 1175

Inhabiting Rohiri
-Chapter 1176 -Chapter 1177 -Chapter 1178 -Chapter 1179 -Chapter 1180
-Chapter 1181 -Chapter 1182 -Chapter 1183 -Chapter 1184 -Chapter 1185

Rohiri Mutants
-Chapter 1186 -Chapter 1187 -Chapter 1188 -Chapter 1189 -Chapter 1190
-Chapter 1191 -Chapter 1192 -Chapter 1193 -Chapter 1194 -Chapter 1195
-Chapter 1196 -Chapter 1197 -Chapter 1198 -Chapter 1199 -Chapter 1200

The Improved Interceptors
-Chapter 1201 -Chapter 1202 -Chapter 1203 -Chapter 1204 -Chapter 1205

Colonizing Drov
-Chapter 1206 -Chapter 1207 -Chapter 1208 -Chapter 1209 -Chapter 1210

The Vision
-Chapter 1211 -Chapter 1212 -Chapter 1213 -Chapter 1214 -Chapter 1215

Colonizing Drov (Part 2)
-Chapter 1216 -Chapter 1217 -Chapter 1218 -Chapter 1219 -Chapter 1220
-Chapter 1221 -Chapter 1222 -Chapter 1223 -Chapter 1224 -Chapter 1225
-Chapter 1226 -Chapter 1227 -Chapter 1228 -Chapter 1229 -Chapter 1230

The Vision (Part 2)
-Chapter 1231 -Chapter 1232 -Chapter 1233 -Chapter 1234 -Chapter 1235
-Chapter 1236 -Chapter 1237 -Chapter 1238 -Chapter 1239 -Chapter 1240

The Preparations (Part 2)
-Chapter 1241 -Chapter 1242 -Chapter 1243 -Chapter 1244 -Chapter 1245
-Chapter 1246 -Chapter 1247 -Chapter 1248 -Chapter 1249

 

[blklizard]

The Departure

Chapter 1001

The PA system came on.

"The Ark will be leaving the underground in ten minutes. Would all those expected to board the ship report to the launch site now. We will be departing shortly. Please do not dawdle for we will not wait for stragglers. Time is of the essence. The Ark will be leaving in ten minutes. Please board the ship if you haven't already. We must leave soon. Thank you for your cooperation!"

The few stragglers quickly rushed to the launch site where they were led aboard the Ark. The ship was named after Noah's Ark in reference to the vessel that saved the lives of humans and animals. For this specific ship, the only passengers would be humans. Amongst the group of stragglers were two men. They both appeared to be very nervous as they followed the others onto the ship. They kept their briefcases close to them not letting anyone get close to them. One of the officers noticed and came over.

"Are you two alright?" he asked.

One of the men forced a smile. "Just nervous. We didn't think we'd see the day when we leave Earth altogether. I've ridden vehicles in the past but never did get a chance at a space ship. This first experience makes me rather nervous."

"You will get used to it after a day or two. The ship is designed so you feel like you are on solid ground all the time. What rooms were you two given?"

"We were assigned room 1492."

"Go straight down the hall and turn where the sign says fourteen hundred." The officer pointed the directions with the two men quickly thanking him.

The two men were relieved to see the officer busy helping others as they proceeded to their room. The time was counting down before the launch and they were both expected to accomplish their task before then. Vehicle problems saw them delayed quite a bit seeing them almost miss the ship altogether. Neither of them wanted to know what would happen if that were the case. Their bosses wouldn't be too pleased and they were known to be intolerant of errors. The two men arrived at their room where they quickly turned the lock before placing their suitcases on their beds.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

 

[blklizard]

The Departure

Chapter 1002

The two men worked quickly as they forgot about their nervousness from earlier. They focused on the task at hand with them opening their suitcases and carefully taking out a medium sized sphere from each of the suitcases. The spheres took up nearly the entire space in their suitcases with electronics and wires placed around them. Then, they took out the electronics and attached them to the spheres. They checked the connections and, with a deep breath, turned on the switch. As soon as the switch came on, a timer also came on showing two minutes and ticking down with each passing second.

"It's a good thing no one else was here. Otherwise, we might be in trouble."

"Well, their fate won't be that different. It's death either way. Though, I could see a knife slitting their throat would be a lot more merciful than what we have here." The man subconsciously reached for the knife he kept in his pocket should such an occasion happen. "To think that the two spheres are capable to blowing the entire ship from the inside out. Such destructive power from two relatively small spheres. We will be remembered as the Martyrs for our cause. If the government think they can get away with abandoning Earth altogether, they have another thing coming. They will live and die here on Earth. No one leaves Earth unless God said so. Until then, anyone who tries to leave is considered a traitor to God and follower of Satan. I never expected to see so many Satan's followers amongst us."

"A minute left, brother. I could feel the excitement already. Can you feel the strength given to us by God? He is calling for us. He knows we are doing this for him. He will be so pleased upon seeing us destroy millions of nonbelievers. Let them suffer in Hell for their crimes."

"I can feel it, brother. Do you see this incredible light surrounding us? The warmth. I think we might be in heaven soon. God might be sparing us the pain."

The two men closed their eyes as they waited for an indication they were dead. The timers on the two nuclear bombs were quickly approaching zero. The brothers took a deep breath waiting for the inevitable to happen. When the timer reached zero, the brothers only saw darkness.

 

[blklizard]

The Departure

Chapter 1003

A group of men waited outside the launch site. The leader of the group stared through a binocular at the ship in the distance. He understood that the ship must be destroyed for it was a creation of Satan. However, even he couldn't deny that the ship was an incredible feat of human engineering. The ship was capable of holding nearly five million people with enough accommodations, food, supplies and other necessities to keep everyone alive. The leader looked down at his watch a few times but the explosions he expected never did materialize. He listened as the PA system in the distance announced that the ship was preparing its launch.

"Damn it," said the leader as he threw his binoculars on the floor. "Looks like those two have failed. First, they are late and nearly missed boarding the ship altogether. Then, they couldn't even set up the bombs properly. I guess we were fools to think those two could accomplish anything great. Let's go!"

The group of men quickly stood up from where they sat and headed to their vehicle nearby where they grabbed their weapons. All of them were armed with rocket launchers capable of firing projectiles far enough to reach the ship from where they stood. This was supposed to be their backup plan if the two brothers failed to detonate the bombs they carried in their suitcases or were caught with the explosives. Seeing the two of them heading into the ship itself, the leader thought the ship was history. Yet, the bomb hadn't been detonated in the scheduled time so he could only assume the worse.

"Shoot at the engines!" shouted the leader. "Without those, that ship is pretty much stranded here. Fire!"

All the men took careful aim before they fired their rocket launchers at the ship. Unlike the rocket launchers used the in Faction wars, these rocket launchers fired special ammunition. These ammunition were no different from the nuclear bombs the brothers took with them. The group assumed that, since they were firing from the outside, these might be less effective. Thus, they must make up with numbers by bombarding the ship with them. These projectiles could cause enough damage to sabotage the journey altogether which was the goal of this radical group. While the first volley of projectiles were flying towards the ship, the group was already reloading their rocket launchers.

 

[blklizard]

The Departure

Chapter 1004

The captain of the ship, Finn, was scanning the launching site when he caught sight of something odd in the distance. "Give me a visual of our rear!" he ordered. Once the projectiles were seen on the screen, he was shocked to see them. "Intercept them!" Finn could only hope those projectiles could be stopped in time. "We mustn't let them get to our engines. Otherwise, all our hard work would be for nothing."

The crew worked quickly as a few of them took control of the guns in the rear. The original purpose for the guns were meant to shoot any space debris that might pose a threat against the ship. In this scenario, they seemed to be the only option available. The crew members were trained to shoot space debris so their training did involve shooting down fast moving projectiles heading their way. They took careful aim and fired hoping their training paid off. A few of the projectiles were hit seeing enormous explosions created as they detonated the other projectiles as well. The nuclear explosions had enough force to greatly rock the Ark. Finn, knowing that the people might be terrified, quickly spoke into his microphone.

"May I have the attention of all the passengers. We are experiencing some slight difficulties with our ascent. Be rest assured that these were expected so we are working to solve them right this moment. Please don't panic since we are in no danger. Please proceed with your new life as you settle down in your new home. I find it embarrassing that I haven't introduced myself to you. I am the captain of the Ark, Finn. It's a pleasure for me to take command of this incredible ship meant to accomplish so much. I guess it's fair for you to all know me a bit better. My father was an ordinary factory worker but I didn't want to follow in his footstep. I was always a daredevil and my desire for thrill eventually found me commanding this ship. Be assured that I will not take unnecessary risks during the trip and will notify you any new updates about our journey. We are expected to leave Earth's atmosphere in ten minutes and meet with our brothers and sisters on the Mars in five hours. Don't worry as I haven't forgotten about those on the Moon. They will be picked up soon after we leave Earth's atmosphere. I wish to thank you for boarding the Ark and hope you have a great day."

 

[blklizard]

The Departure

Chapter 1005

The radicals continued to fire their projectiles but the guns at the engines were intercepting their shots before they could do any damage. This was quite frustrating as the group didn't expect the ship to hold out so well against nuclear explosions not far from it. The leader took a gamble and fired at the head of the ship. He was hoping that the crew might be too preoccupied with the rear to notice the lone projectile heading at the head. The leader took careful aim at where he believed was the cockpit of the ship and fired. He watched, as though in slow motion, the projectile headed towards the front while he loaded up his next ammunition without looking down. He estimated in his head the distance the projectile still needed to cover. Soon, he was smiling knowing that the front would be hit. He didn't know how much damage could be done by a lone projectile but he suspected the crew navigating the ship might experience some casualties.

Finn was staring at the screen when he noticed something in his peripheral vision. As he turned to look, he felt his heart miss a beat upon seeing a projectile that headed right for him. He wanted to call out but knew it would be too late anyways. He tightened his fist as he prepared for the impact. If the earlier explosions were any indications, Finn had a feeling that they might not fare well against the incoming projectile at close range. Any damage they suffer could have catastrophic consequences once they leave Earth's atmosphere. Even a small opening could see their valuable air supply leaving steadily. Finn hated himself for not foreseeing this from happening. He knew that there were those who were heavily against the Ark and its purpose. He didn't think they would go as far as attempting such a sabotage. He and his crew were doing fine until the lone projectile was fired at the front. Finn closed his eyes at the last moment praying for limited or no damage.

The radical leader watched with satisfaction as his shot hit the ship. He waited several seconds but nothing happened. He looked down at his watch expecting time to be still but the seconds hand was still ticking. He looked up again but the explosion he wanted to see never did materialize. Instead, it was as though the shot never even existed. The ship, after finishing its preparations, began its ascent upwards through the opening. The radicals fired a few more projectiles but those fell short of their target. They cursed the ship knowing they have failed. The radical leader remained speechless for several minutes as he tried to came up with an explanation for what he saw or, rather, what he didn't see.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Ah, religious fanatics. Always lacking in logic and sense. Clearly setting off multiple nuclear explosions to kill millions is much better than just letting those millions leave for similar results. It's not like radiation will be a problem.

 

[blklizard]

Ah, religious fanatics. Always lacking in logic and sense. Clearly setting off multiple nuclear explosions to kill millions is much better than just letting those millions leave for similar results. It's not like radiation will be a problem.

Let's pretend this is their idea of a farewell party. Nobody said anything would go smoothly from this point onwards. As for their fate, history won't be remembering them once the Ark leaves the Earth's surface.

The Departure

Chapter 1006

Finn opened his eyes moments later. He looked around seeing his crew still focused on their controls. Finn half expected possible shattered windshield from the explosion but he didn't feel any rocking the ship. As he looked past the windshield, he could see they were already in the air making their way upwards. The captain rubbed his forehead thinking he either imagined that projectile or it was a stud. Either way, they were safe and heading towards their next destination. He could already tell this was going to be a long day indeed.

"What's the situation?" he asked once he got his bearings again.

"Our thrusters are approaching maximum speed. We should be escaping Earth's gravitational pull in eight minutes. Our sensors indicate no real hull damage from that attack. I'd say we are in the clear now."

"That's good to hear," replied Finn. "We just need to remember that it only gets tougher from this point onwards. That little attack was meant to keep us on our toes. Who knows where an enemy may lie. Have we received any messages from the Moon or Mars?"

"They both sent message requesting for our position. I've alerted them of the slight delay. Should I inform them that we have eight minutes before we leave Earth's atmosphere?"

"Go ahead. We got through the first obstacle in our journey with no damage. We should be expecting a smooth flight from here to Mars."

Finn waited until the ship escaped Earth's atmosphere before he breathed out. "Tell the lunar bases that we will be approaching them shortly."

"Their ship is already in space, captain. Here are their coordinates now."

Finn looked on a screen which showed the lunar ship fairly close to them. "Approach them with caution. Last thing we need is a collision between the two ships."

"Understood, captain."

The lunar ship soon came into view seeing Finn's ship slowly rotating so its side was facing the lunar ship. The crew aboard the Ark then gave the lunar ship permission to attach itself to the Ark. For the next five minutes, Finn and his crew watched nervously as the lunar ship approach the Ark and performed something that was only done in simulations before then. The lunar ship slowed down dramatically as it neared the Ark before its thrusters made minor adjustments. Soon, the ship attached itself helping relieve the tension in the Ark's cockpit.

"I will be meeting with the crew of the lunar ship," said Finn as he left the room. "Plot a course for Mars. Afterwards, we can leave our solar system for the unknown."

 

[blklizard]

The Departure

Chapter 1007

Finn, with the help of a map he prepared beforehand, soon arrived at the entrance leading to the lunar ship. He walked up to the controls where he entered the code. Moments later, a green light came on seeing the door beside him open. On the other side of the door, there were already a number of people patiently waiting for his arrival. They were part of the crew navigating the lunar ship and had been selected to meet the representative of the Ark. He greeted them warmly.

"Hello, my name is Finn. I'm the captain of the Ark. Welcome aboard!"

"Glad to be aboard," said the captain, Joan, of the lunar ship. "I must say those were tense moments when we tried to attach ourselves to your ship. I would prefer not to do it a second time."

"I concur," replied Finn with a laugh. "We still have a few more to go though. The Mars have a number of ship needing to attach to the Ark. I hope they will go as smoothly as your ship did."

"I can assume that we are heading to Mars right this moment?" asked Joan.

"That's correct. We don't want to waste time anywhere here when the aliens might be arriving soonish. I'd prefer we get as far from here as possible. Our start was already a bumpy one. Should take us a few hours before we reach Mars."

"Did something happen?" asked Joan with concern. "I learned that there were delays but your crew didn't specify what was causing the problem. We were worried that you had something serious preventing you from leaving Earth."

"Let's just say there were discontent radicals who wanted to stop us. They failed so we have nothing to worry about." Finn then brought up a map of the ship's interior. "I will show you the rooms for the crew members. I would assume that your crew prefer to still do what they were trained for?"

"That's correct," said Joan who was exploring the hallway. "We will be providing assistance should we encounter any complications during our flight."

"Follow me then."

 

[blklizard]

The Departure

Chapter 1008

Finn showed the crew of the lunar ship to the crew quarters where they quickly settled down by claiming a bed and putting away their possessions. Afterwards, he took them to the dining hall where there were already many civilians gathered there for lunch. Finn expected fewer people to be there since the departure from Earth could make a good number of people lose their appetite. Finn led his group to the part of the dining hall allocated just for crew members and government officials. They sat down at the table with their food.

"This feels quite odd," said Joan. "Having lived on the Moon all my life, I'm used to smaller and more confined spaces. This dining hall alone is very spacious and even our quarters are acceptable."

"The Ark was built to accommodate ten millions people at its current capacity. We built it so it's like a moving planet which we can control. Expansions will be necessary though."

"What's on your mind?"

"Have you ever wondered how long we will be in space? We need a home planet eventually where we could settle and start our empire. The Ark is great and all but it's not a suitable home for us humans. I know we are leaving Earth out of necessity but living on a large ship doesn't bode well with me." Finn pointed at the children who were playing in the playground built in the corner of the dining hall. "They deserve a better place than living on a ship all their life. Even those on the Moon and Mars live in colonies that are on solid ground. We aren't different from the nomads in our ancient history where the people must move around to survive. I find it ironic that, the more we progress into the future, the less we changed in comparison to our ancestors. It's as though we never evolved since then."

"I can understand your concern," replied Joan who offered a reassuring smile. "We will find a home for our people. It's only a matter of time before we do. Do you have the details regarding how we would proceed forward once we reach Mars?"

"The officials are still debating the details but I'm getting the impression they might want to head into the asteroid belt just outside Mars."

"Are we going to stop there? I know we are going through it to leave our solar system."

"Like I said earlier, we need to expand the Ark and that requires resources. Our population is going to grow steadily so we need extra space to accommodate the growing population. Our officials wish they have more time to plan for all this but, given that this is a first, they are learning as they go."

 

[Michaelangelo]

Just curious, but how advanced are the Langobard spaceships? Are we talking modern day ones that would take years just to reach the edge of the solar system or can they reach the speed of light yet?

 

[blklizard]

Just curious, but how advanced are the Langobard spaceships? Are we talking modern day ones that would take years just to reach the edge of the solar system or can they reach the speed of light yet?

They are somewhere in the middle. If you use the distance from Earth and Mars (225,300,000 km) with the time (5 hours), the speed is 45,060,000 km/hr. This is roughly four percent of speed of light (please correct me if my math seems off). Our space ships move at 250,000 km/hr which is quite pitiful. Of course, we must also remember that the Ark can carry ten million people along with all the facilities needed to keep everyone alive. Smaller vessels probably can go a lot faster (my estimate is roughly twenty percent of speed of light ). I'm throwing numbers around so they might be off somewhat.

The Departure

Chapter 1009

Once they finished their lunch, Finn led the lunar crew back to their quarters. Attempting this mass evacuation was very draining on the body so rest was needed. Finn felt it was best to let these crew members rest first so, if needed, they could be called to the cockpit in an emergency while being fairly fresh. The captain felt exhausted himself now that the adrenaline from the earlier battle flowed through his system. He was tempted to have a nap but decided against it the last minute. Finn wanted to be there when the Mars ships attached to the Ark before he could really rest. There was far too much at stake so he wasn't going to take anything by chance. Finn wished the lunar crew a good nap before he returned to the cockpit.

"Anything interesting happen when I was gone?" he asked his crew.

"We are making steady progress towards Mars. Nothing out of the ordinary except for the occasional comet or asteroid we see along the way. The way is clear to Mars."

"Keep your eyes peeled," said Finn. "I know you all need some rest but we don't have the necessary replacements. You can all get your breaks once the Mars ships attach to the Ark. Until then, please stay awake and remain vigilant."

"Captain, did you not bring any food for us? You could have at least brought us a snack to stop our stomachs from growling."

"On the bright side, growling stomachs will keep you awake. I think we have four hours left in our journey?"

"Yes, captain."

"Any word from Mars?"

"We informed them of our location. They replied that they will be preparing their evacuation shortly. From what I heard, no one is staying behind on Mars. This was the case for the Moon as well. I just don't get those who wanted to remain behind on Earth. Of course, we also have radicals who tried to blow us up so we couldn't reach our final destination."

"Don't worry about them anymore." Finn sat down in his seat. "They are no longer our concern the moment we left Earth's atmosphere. Despite they wishing harm on us, I will wish them luck against the aliens. If they could take a few aliens with them, they would have contributed to the Langobards."

 

[DKM]

The name of the ship - The Ark - has made me think of another question. Do you think there are any animals left? Also, do you think there were any animals left after the Disasteroid?

 

[blklizard]

The name of the ship - The Ark - has made me think of another question. Do you think there are any animals left? Also, do you think there were any animals left after the Disasteroid?

Well, I doubt the Armageddon could wipe out all life. There are probably creatures that live underground or in the deep sea. Given enough time, they will fill the niche left behind by the animals wiped out by the asteroid.

The Departure

Chapter 1010

Finn felt tense once again as he watched the five Mars ships docking against the Ark. He held his breath in while he waited for the lights below the screen to all go green. For the time being, they were a dark red which was nerve-wracking to look at. The other crew members also stared at the screen with a few of them praying for those on the Mars ships. One light turned green providing a tiny bit of relief. Then, a second green light came up. That was followed by the third and the fourth. The men and women inside the cockpit were almost expecting the fifth to come on but, as if fate was toying with them, the light refused to turn. Then, there was a request for communication from the lone Mars ship that hadn't docked yet.

"Patch them in," said Finn without hesitation. He waited for the communication link to establish before speaking into the microphone. "What's the problem over there? Do you need any assistance?"

"We are encountering minor problems with one of our thrusters. Please give us a few minutes while we sort this out."

"Don't be shy about asking for help. We are all in this together."

"We'll keep that in mind, thank you!"

As soon as the communication link ended, the crew above the Ark had to wait again. The seconds passed by incredibly slow making the entire process very agonizing. Finally, the light the crew waited for turned green instantly removing the tension from the room. Finn could finally sit back into his seat with a sigh of relief. The evacuation has went as planned with all those registered accounted for. The Ark was ready to begin her journey to the unknowns. The Langobards were prepared for a new chapter in their history. For this new chapter, they would leave the planet they lived on for many millenniums. They would also leave behind the solar system with the star they relied on for survival.

"Well, let's start heading towards the asteroid belt then. We will need the valuable resources for the near future. Everyone ready?" Finn saw many shakes of heads in the cockpit bringing a smile to his face. "Neither am I but we already took the first step. They always say the first step is the hardest so it should get slightly easier from here on out. I know many of you are in need of some sleep so I will speak with the lunar crew. They could act as replacements while you get a few hours of shuteye. We have a long journey ahead of us, after all."


Please bear with my paint drawings, I know they aren't spectacular but they should be helpful in visualization. Below is the Ark. I will be adding new rooms as we mention them in the story to help give an idea of how everything looked within the ship. The six "fins" are the six ships from the Moon and Mars. I will try my best to remember all the rooms I mentioned but remind me if I do forget. I will putting this picture up at the end of each of my days unless there are no additions. Thank you and enjoy/tolerate.

 

[blklizard]

The Ambush

Chapter 1011

The Ark headed towards the asteroid field between Mars and Jupiter soon after she left Mars' orbit. Resource collectors, vast improvements of those that were first designed on the Moon, were sent out as soon as the probes discovered the asteroids ripe for mining. These resource collectors had the capacity to carry ten tons of resources so it made sense for them to be sent out first to the asteroid belt to begin mining. These collectors were still controlled from afar but their handling almost rivals the handling of probes. The actual mining process might take awhile and, with the collectors' lead ahead of the slower moving Ark, a well timed trip could see lots of asteroids farmed of their valuable minerals. Those navigating the collectors were thrilled to learn about this new mission. They had been bored in their rooms with no tasks assigned to them. While resource collecting wasn't exactly an exciting task, it was a better alternative to spending all day in one's room.

Finn has, by then, already gone to bed for precious sleep. He didn't realize just how exhausted he was until he lay on his bed. He fell asleep immediately dreaming about his youth while on Earth. The crew members who were in charge of the Ark since the launch were already using the break for sleep. Joan, the leader of the lunar crew, was assigned to head the Ark's operations. Her crew took over and simply needed to navigate the ship to the assigned destination and give simple orders to those navigating the resource collectors. This was all simple enough with little room of error as long as they paid attention to their surroundings and watched out for space debris. Finn also told Joan that, if she needed any assistance, she could look for him. Since the crew's quarters were pretty much next to the cockpit, she didn't have to go far to call for the Ark's captain. Naturally, no one expected anything to go wrong with the toughest part of ships docking onto the Ark being accomplished. However, an unexpected surprise waited in the asteroid belt.

 

[blklizard]

The Ambush

Chapter 1012

Finn rubbed his eyes as he woke from his sleep. He considered more sleep but still got up knowing he had a ship to command. The fact that he wasn't woken up meant it was smooth operations with Joan in charge. He headed to the washroom where he washed up before returning to the cockpit where he found a bored Joan.

"I take it we encountered no problems since I left for bed?" he asked.

"We scrolled through the cameras but haven't found anything here except for asteroids. It was pretty cool at first but this sight got boring quickly. I only wish our resource collectors can speed it up. We shouldn't be wasting our time here all day."

"We need to make sure the mineral and metals warehouse are full. Those who stayed behind on Earth took a generous portion so we must regain them by mining the asteroid field." Finn walked over to a screen that was a rough map of the asteroid belt. "I know this isn't exciting but, in the long run, we will be needing those resources. If you are bored, you can go explore the ship. It's quite enormous so try not to get lost, alright?"

"I'll stay here then. I don't see what fun it could be exploring this ship when I'll be basically spending all of my time here, the crew quarters and the dining hall."

"Give me a quick sec," said Finn as he entered a three digit code by his microphone before speaking into it. "How are the engines operating? I know awhile back might have been shaky so did the engine room suffer any damage?"

There was a short delay before a response came through. "The engine rooms are fine, captain. The minor problems we reported earlier soon after the launch were all resolved. You can be certain that we got the situation under control back here. If something major comes up, we will be informing you of the developments. For the time being, we are using the moment to do a little maintenance."

"Sound good," said Finn before he shut off the communication link. He then turned to Joan. "We will be here for a few hours. Are you certain you don't want to explore the rest of the ship?

"I'm good," said Joan. "Where are we head..."

She was cut off when she saw a bright flash of light in the distance through the windshield. She couldn't find her words so she quickly pointed her finger at it. Finn turned in time to see a second explosion in the distance.

 

[blklizard]

The Ambush

Chapter 1013

Finn quickly entered another code by his microphone and waited impatiently for a response. A minute later, the other side finally answered.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "I thought we have the best pilots navigating those resource collectors. How the hell did they manage to crash not one but two resource collectors?"

"I apologize, captain. I wish it was human errors but that isn't the case."

"What's do you mean, Howard?" Finn didn't like where this conversation was going but he had to learn the truth sooner or later, preferably sooner. "If those weren't human errors, what caused those explosions?"

"I know it's tough to imagine but they were shot down. The two resource collectors were nowhere near space debris and, without warning, they were blown up. That's the only explanation I can give you."

Before Finn could ask Howard to clarify, Joan tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the windshield. Finn turned to the windshield and, for a few moments, didn't know what Joan was asking him to see. Then, in a quickly flash, he caught sight of what appeared to be small space fighters. The space fighters were moving quickly around the Ark before they started opening fire. Finn gave the crew order to fire the weapons on the Ark but the fighters were too maneuverable to hit. Frustrated, Finn tried to think of a solution to the problem. Then, one of the crew members shouted across the cockpit.

"Captain! I caught sight of a large fleet of ships and they don't look friendly."

Finn couldn't believe his ears and rushed to look at the screen. In the distance, there was indeed a large fleet of ship heading their way. Even at the distance, Finn could tell they were in the same faction as the fighters indicating they were likely hostile.

"Could they be the aliens that transmission was talking about?" Joan asked him.

Finn reluctantly nodded since he had no evidence to deny otherwise. The chances of an alien fleet in this solar system was already quite rare and the timing was quite bad for them. "Looks like our attempt to escape from them might be in vain. There's no way we can outrun that fleet."

 

[blklizard]

The Ambush

Chapter 1014

The Ark was already helpless against the fighters that were swarming around the large ship. No one in the cockpit knew what happened but the number of fighters suddenly multiplied in numbers and were soon too numerous to count. Finn didn't know the full extent of the damages the Ark took from the fighters alone but he had to focus on the alien fleet right behind them. He quickly gave orders for the crew to move the Ark in an attempt to create distance between them and the aliens. Even at maximum speed, the distance between the two sides were still closing quite rapidly showing the large margin in ship velocity. Of course, the swarms of fighters, in addition to dealing damage, were demoralizing the crew by blocking all that before them from view. The crew managed to shoot down a few dozen fighters purely by chance but the swarms made it very difficult to remove all of them before they shred through the ship's armor. Finn never felt so helpless in his life against an enemy they couldn't even touch. Each fighter they shot down thus far saw two taking its place. Meanwhile, the main alien fleet was closing in on the Ark.

"I can see some sort of light from one of the alien ships. There are several lights from multiple alien ships."

"What could those mean?" asked Joan.

"They are bad news either way. Please give us a visual." Finn, despite not wanting to see it, had to see what might cause their demise.

The screen before Finn and Joan was quickly switched to the rear camera which showed the alien fleet en mass. Finn and Joan watched as half a dozen alien ships had bright light illuminating the front of the ships. In the distance, those lights could have been mistaken for stars if the Langobards didn't see the fleet earlier. The light then seemed to shrink into a smaller area before they watched a concentrated light that seemed to become brighter with each passing second.

"Those are beams!" shouted Finn. "Can we evade?" he asked despite knowing the answer already.

"Too late! We must take the impact."

"Damn it!" shouted Finn just as the energy beams were mere seconds from hitting the Ark.

 

[blklizard]

The Ambush

Chapter 1015

The energy beams struck their target head on as their aim was true. The enormous ship did attempt to move out of the line of fire but its enormous hull made such maneuvers difficult, if no impossible. Shortly after the impact, a bright explosion resulted seeing all the nearby fighters destroyed from the impact as well. The bright illumination from the explosion lasted for a full minute before it dissipated. For those staring at a distance, the bright illumination could be mistaken for a supernova for the short minute. The ship called the Ark constructed by the humans was no more. There weren't even debris left from the explosion as the energy beams vaporized everything within a set radius. Even the alien fighters were gone without a trace. If there were any probes in the vicinity, they would find no evidence a battle happened. The Ark has simply been erased form existence.

The alien fleet, as a precaution, sent several probes to the last known location of the Ark. Once the aliens determined that there were no survivors from the explosion, the probe were recalled seeing the fleet continue on its destination to the planet Earth where remnants of the human race might still exist. The aliens, however, did spare the resource collectors that were in the asteroid belt. With the Ark gone, there was no longer any signals to command them into doing tasks. Thus, the resource collectors were left behind in the asteroid belt as they eventually became part of the space debris. The collectors would be discovered one day in the distant future with those making the discovery work hard to uncover the race responsible for these machines. Until then, the resource collectors would remain forgotten as they remained abandoned in a solar system soon to be devoid of complex life.

 

[blklizard]

We will be exploring a relatively long side story. Hope you will enjoy this.

Albion System

Chapter 1016

The Albion System was a few hundred light-years away from the Solar System where the Langobards existed. The Albion System consisted of a star, Xeth, with a planetary system of six planets orbiting around the star. There were also a number of dwarf planets that, while not appearing on the map, played vital roles in the history involving all those living in the Albion System. The date of the Albion System's formation remained unknown as no intelligent lifeforms bothered learning about its past. The planet, Rohiri, was the largest planet in the Albion System and this would be where the story began.

The year was 700 XD. The humans of Rohiri just experienced a civil war where their population plummeted to an all time low. The eventual victor rose to power as the ruler of all humans. He quickly stabilized the situation of Rohiri by providing peace and prosperity to his people. Peace seemed imminent but that would not be the case. In 702 XD, an alien race, Zof, invaded Rohiri intending on enslaving the local population. With the exception of their highly advanced ships, the Zof were actually on par in weaponry technologies with the humans. However, the humans were weakened from the civil war while the Zof fought at their full strength. The humans were soon defeated through the war of attrition seeing the majority of the surviving humans taken aboard alien ships to be shipped back to Coania as slaves. There were those who managed to evade capture but their numbers were dangerously low. The human race seemed destined to go extinct on Rohiri as the quick succession of terrible events threatened their very existence.