Chapter 16 - 2408 to 2421: Erad Station
A few days is all it takes for the Kiram ecosystem to collapse. Flora crumble and die within a day, and the wildlife is close behind it. Sapient life is next, as the food supply runs empty. The power grid shuts off due to the lack of sunlight from the neutron clouds. Within a month, millions are dead from starvation and the planet is essentially reverted to the steam age.
Scarcask a few hours after the neutron attack
The rebel leaders on Saxon surrender after news of what happened to Kiram reaches them. The planet is occupied, leaving only New Irass and the Rebel Fleet still resisting the Federation. Kimberly Zen is not found on New Irass, leaving the only theory being that she is commanding the Rebel Fleet.
Far away from the Kiram System, the Rebel Fleet prepares to enter the hyperlane to Saramore. This will be their 5th system in the same amount of months, but it was necessary to keep on the move to avoid the Federation Fleet that has been tailing them.
"Preparing to enter hyperlane," the CommO says over the fleet radio. "All ships in formation," he adds to Kimberly Zen.
"OK. When you're ready," she nods to the pilot. But then, the CommO's console beeps urgently.
"Hang on, commander, transmission from Saxon!" Kimberly Zen gets out of her seat and hurries toward him. "Oh God..."
"What does it say, Sturgon?" she asks. She begins to sweat. They left Kiram and Saxon as the Federation Fleets were closing in. They had no choice; it was either get out or be destroyed. But that does not mean she does not regret having to give that command.
"It says..." Sturgon stopped talking, choking for air. "Commander, Kiram is... Kiram is dead."
Everyone looked confused. "Clarify, Sturgon. What do you mean Kiram is dead?"
"General Yasmin on Saxon says, well, USS-05 fired upon Kiram, and..." He was struggling to find words. USS-05 (Unknown Space Ship 05) is the designation given to the Overlord by the rebel leaders. "Saxon lost contact with Kiram, but not before receiving a transmission. Apparently whatever was shot at them destroys everything biological."
There was a long silence on the bridge. "What else does the message say?" Zen asks.
"It says Yasmin is planning on surrendering."
That was that. In the last few minutes, the Rebel Fleet has become alone in the galaxy. "When you're ready," Kimberly Zen repeats to the pilot.
The Rebel Fleet, led by Zen, continues to evade capture. From Saramore, they go to Detheris. At long last, they are intercepted by the Federation Fleet. Before they can be engaged, Zen orders the Rebel Fleet to jump into Cartel territory.
"We cannot win. Not yet."
President HistoryDude, meanwhile, has no plans to give up his power at the end of the war. However, it is not by his doing that he keeps it. The next election is set to begin in 6 years time, but that election will never happen. With what the public is shown to be immense support from both the population and the council, he reforms the government, extending the time of each term by 100% and getting rid of plenty of "hindering and useless" bureaucracy. In the old government's stead is what is described on the media as an efficient, powerful, and fair administration, run by those with the people's best interests in mind. Along with that, the military and economic policy has shifted toward a more aggressive and domineering stance.
Earth-Cartel relations deteriorate significantly after they refuse to help the Federation track down the Rebel Fleet. And that is not the only relation destroyed. Jibru-Cartel relations were demolished in the last few years, to the point where border conflict after border conflict led to all out war. To the Cartel's defense, surprisingly, was the Steel Bank.
After 5 years of economic growth, military development, and scientific advancement, something finally happens. The Thimoid watchers, shocked by what is going on with the Federation's use of AI, declares war once again to dismantle the network. This time, President HistoryDude does not seek a white peace. This time, he goes for full victory.
No one comes to the Federation's aid. Even without war between the Federation's oldest allies, neither of them would be very willing to help. Galactic opinion of Earth has slid considerably since Kiram's demise and the rise of the HistoryDude oligarchy. Earth must face the Thimoid threat alone.
1st and 2nd Fleets head through Vissari territory toward Gol, while 3rd Fleet makes its way through the Steel Bank. Another, secret fleet remains in the Federation.
All three main fleets convene in Gol a year later. With their combined power, it is a quick and easy victory, and not a single ship is lost. 1st and 2nd Fleet move on to Saqqis, and 3rd Fleet is tasked with besieging Gol I.
Despite their cold attitude, the Cartel is kind enough to inform the Federation that both Thimoid fleets, immensely powerful, went through a wormhole and have come out in their territory. They are headed to Beta Caeli. The mysterious fleet in Kiram moves to defend the system.
Saqqis falls quickly from 1st and 2nd Fleets, and soon after so does Wodriax. Roboid armies arrive in orbit around Gol I, and the invasion begins.
The Beta Caeli Station notices something strange in the weeks leading up to the Thimoid attack: a new planetoid orbiting the star in the system. It is small, around the size of Earth's moon, yet it is definitely not native. Orbiting the planetoid is a large fleet of corvettes. As the Thimoid main fleet arrives, the nature of the thing becomes clear. It is Erad Station.
City-sized boosters around the station allows it to move, albeit slowly, and hanger bays and torpedo launch sites allow it to destroy any target in range. As the enemy fleet draws closer, thousands of swarm missiles launch from the station, and the corvette screening fleet attacks.
It is a devastating defeat for the Thimoid, and they loser over half their ships, but not without taking out half the Federation corvettes.
Seeing what befell their comrades, the second Thimoid fleet diverts its course and arrives in Tibbacor instead, heading to Detheris, where most of the Federation's alloys are forged. Erad Station (slowly) moves to intercept.
Erad Station arrives before the Thimoid fleet has the chance to move out of the system, and it engages the enemy.
It is another glorious victory for the Federation. Nearly all of the corvettes are now destroyed, but Erad station has taken very little damage. The entirety of the Thimoid fleet is destroyed.
Soon after, Gol I falls to the swarms of Roboid armies. The armies embark once more, this time targetting Wodriax II.
System after system fall, and soon only the Thimoid capital system of Ushminaria remains. All three main fleets enter the system and attack the incredibly powerful station around the star.
It is a tough fought victory, and 20 Federation ships are lost. The Celestial Throne and the Sky Temple are placed under siege and heavy bombardment.
The remnants of the main Thimoid fleet arrives back in ushminaria, where they meet all three of the Federation fleets. They are swarmed and surrounded, taking heavy damage before fleeing once more.
In 2421, the Overlord arrives above the Sky Temple. HistoryDude's military advisers believe the Sky Temple houses over a billion enemy soldiers. There is no army in the galaxy that can take that planet from the Thimoid. Orbital bombardment has decimated the planet, killing hundreds of millions, including millions of defending soldiers, but any attempt to invade the planet will surely lead to defeat. The President gives the order to employ the Overlord.
No one on the bridge has any hesitation when the buttons are pressed. Those who hesitated during the previous firing were taken off the crew immediately after. And, this time it was at a planet full of mindless religious freaks, rather than a planet of the Federation. Several hundred transports attempt to flee the planet, as the mouth of the Overlord lights up, but they are quickly destroyed. The neutron beam sweeps the planet, destroying biological life on a horrific scale. Soon, as with Kiram, the planet is back in the stone age.
Camglaria III and Ridathi I are invaded and fall in the months that follow. Now the Thimoids hold on to power only on the Celestial Throne. Bombardment has reduced the planet's main cities to rubble, and the defensive armies are pounded relentlessly. High above, the Federation armies arrive, ready to land. With the enemy in ruins, the invasion begins.
It takes just a month to obliterate the defenses. The Celestial Throne, the Thimoid seat of power, falls, and the "all-powerful" Thimond the Mighty is brought to heel. He is given just long enough to declare total surrender of his entire civilization before he is carted off back to Earth. No one is sure what will happen to him next.
The Celestial Throne