Starship Commander Trapped In A Fantasy World 185 Covert Salvage Operation 2

[I still don't know private. I didn't know when you asked 10 minutes ago, or an hour ago for that matter. Standing orders from ICI is to stand ground and keep up the formation with this exact separation.]

It had been a few hours since the 2nd fighter wing scrambled with the supposed goal of locating and identifying the unknown contact that occupied the system along with them. In that time they had done nothing of note, making the pilots who had received cutting edge fighters that were a generation ahead of anything they had ever heard rumours about extremely bored as they simply maintained their positions. Being spread out thin in a wide net like formation, the fighters were separated by a few kilometres, so all they saw out their c.o.c.kpits were the cold empty void of s.p.a.ce.

[RELAYING DIRECTIVE, ALL CRAFTS IN 2ND FIGHTER WING DEPLOY AUXILIARY COMMUNICATIONS ARRAY AND STAND BY TO RECEIVE MISSION CRITICAL INTELLIGENCE.]

"Finally we're doing something…"

About a minute later the fighters received some sort of strange data and were then recalled, ending their first 'combat' mission.

-

Making their way back to the frigate and after the Lazarus executives sifted through the data, transforming it into something useful the captain finally seemed to realize what they had done.

"Y-you people bounced a reconfigured communication signal off a high ma.s.s ice planet to detect the unknown s.h.i.+p while remaining hidden? That's not-"

"Not possible? Yeah, normally that would be the case."

Utilizing the advanced sensors and equipment available to them, the h.e.l.lwalker and two Lazarus executives had done something absurd. Having noted that the system contained a large planetoid that was entirely covered in an unusually smooth layer of ice, they had succeeded in bouncing high energy radiation off the planet and after it had pa.s.sed through the area where the unknown contact was located it was picked up by the 2nd fighter wing's receivers as they had been spread out over a large enough area to give the data an acceptable resolution. Normally the data received would be impossible to turn into anything useful, but watching the two Lazarus executives s.h.i.+ft tough the data at breakneck speed made all officers present that had at least studied cryptology or signal a.n.a.lysis open their eyes wide in shock.

"This s.h.i.+p and all its equipment is state of the art and in front of you are the two people that designed it, if nothing else they should be capable of pus.h.i.+ng the equipment they designed to the limit."

[Phillipa you're exaggerating the scope of the task, this is something I would normally do while relaxing and having some tea.]

[Yeah, this really is child's play. No need to flatter us, we won't increase your pay… Okay, the unknown contact is identified, it's an Iron industries destroyer remnant, it's most likely seeking refuge in this system. Still, their luck really is bad, we can't allow anyone to know we were here in the first place.]

"No way, we can't attack them, it's against the peace treaty. As an officer under oath, I will resist such actions to my last breath."

When the executive hinted at attacking the remnant s.h.i.+p, the captain put down his foot. Attacking a s.h.i.+p belonging to the former Iron industries was a war crime and as a s.h.i.+p officer under control of the council, he had sworn an oath to do no such thing. In response Phillipa raised her weapon, pointing it at the closest officers to dissuade any interference.

[You are aware we can control this s.h.i.+p without any of the crew present or breathing, right?]

"So you're just going to ignore the rules whenever they don't suit you!? I swear this is what's wrong with you corporate types, always seeking profit and only profit! Haven't you already made enough in this war already!?"

[We have, but this is not breaking any law. We have total executive control by a 3 out of 3 agreement that was made behind closed doors. But seeing as you won't care about such  we'll say this: This success of this mission will directly correlate with outcome of this current war of extermination, as such ANY and all measures will be taken by me, this other executive and the h.e.l.lwalker that's ready to kill everyone aboard this s.h.i.+p.]

"E-executive control!? That's impossible! Even if you hold control over the special counsel you'd need at least a 90% approval from the senate and a unanimously positive response from the administrative AI!" 

[Oh, I would?... Do you mean this?]

Feeling a smile forming under the executives mask, they held out their hand as a red key code slowly emerged out of it. Before anyone could react the Lazarus executive inserted the key at a nearby terminal, prompting a response from the s.h.i.+p's...o...b..ard ICI unit which held an encrypted master list which would respond to correct keys.

[POTENTIAL EXECUTIVE KEY CODE CONFIRMED, NOW DECODING EMERGENCY CHAIN OF COMMAND ARCHITECTURE… SUCCESS, ACCESS GRANTED TO SCENARIO ALPHA 331 OMEGA NOW INVOKING EXECUTIVE CONTROL, ALL UNITS SLAVED TO: CODENAME '01', '02' AND PHILLIPA ALPHA 4. SUSPENDING NORMAL COMMAND AND CONTROL STRUCTURE, SYSTEM NOW OPERATING IN CODE BLACK.]

Seeing the ICI system confirm the executive control order the captain felt his strength leave him, with that kind of power the two Lazarus executives became figuratively and commendatory G.o.ds, at their command they could command the ICI unit to kill the entire crew without issue.

"Please don't punish anyone other than me."

[Punish? Why would we do that? The reason this s.h.i.+p is crewed in the first place is to increase the mission success rate.]

"... Why go to such lengths?"

Thinking about the events over the last few months the captain seemed to realize the vast amount of effort put into this mission they had happened to have been chosen for, only to 'increase the mission success rate' with no consideration for their survival.

[That's cla.s.sified.]

"Please tell me."

[... Fine, but you're signing your life away.]

"That's fine, to command my crew with the utmost efficiency I need to know."

Harding his resolve, the captain prepared for a life in jail or memory manipulation after returning from the front. In response 01 reached out their hand, directly interfacing with his suit that delivered a short message in response.

"... Oh, G.o.d."

Immediately understanding why their mission was cla.s.sified, the captain hardened his resolve as he addressed the crew.

"Prepare to engage the identified contact, I will take full responsibility."

Even as some of the officers stepped back from their stations in protest, the current objective had been decided as the frigate's weapon systems came online. 

[Let's get this over with. Navigation, plot a jump point and get the s.h.i.+p in range.]

---

[TARGET ACQUIRED.]

[Light it up.]

Having snuck closer to the Iron industries destroyer by utilizing the frigate's advanced stealth capabilities, 02 gave the order to open fire. Immediately on their command, the frigate's spinal mounted 640mm railgun opened fire in combination with multiple torpedo batteries. The result was as instant as it was cruel, with the railgun having ripped out the Iron industry destroyer's main powerplant it was completely helpless as the fusion torpedos closed in.

[TARGET LOST.]

In a bright flash of light, every trace of the destroyer was wiped from existence as the s.h.i.+p ICI lost track of it.

[RE ADJUSTING ALL SENSORS… COMPETE, ICI SUGGESTS: TARGET NEUTRALIZED.]

"... Target eliminated."

With a grim face, the captain called out for his s.h.i.+p to lower its alert level as he sank back down in his chair.

[Any outgoing signals detected?]

"Nothing on scopes. I don't think they even saw it coming…"

Monitoring the area for any outgoing communication the communications officer looked at the Lazarus executive with horror clearly visible on his face, for all he knew they had just eliminated a refugee s.h.i.+p.

[Good, but let's make sure. ICI, target.]

[ACQUIRING TARGET… TARGET ACQUIRED.]

[Send one times 'apocalypse by fire' mark 9 antimatter warhead.]

After making completely sure that the destroyer was neutralized, the frigate which had never been build and people on board that didn't exist left the now completely dead system behind, or so they taught.

[LURE #9901-A24 DESTROYED, ALERTING COMMAND.]

Sending a signal via quantum communication to the dark systems which had up until a few years ago been iron race territory, the central intelligence instantly realized that something had breached its defences. The countless...o...b..tal habitation stations that used to hold billions of people were completely silent, save for the ever constant buzzing of electrical and repurposed 'organic processors' which also intermittently let out low groans of pain. War with  Irongate industrial and their allies which had initially been sparked when they destroyed a primitive populated world and committed genocide in the name of profit ended about 20 years ago when the company collapsed suddenly.

The reason for their destruction was not external, but (mostly) internal. Having gained steady ground in the opening stages of the war by exploiting the Galactic Empire's overconfidence and having intimate knowledge of their wartime doctrine. What turned the tide was technology, when they finally succeeded in truly enraging the Empire it awakened its long dormant and sluggish military industry, with vastly superior resources and funding the Empire immediately opened up a gap in weapons technology and seeming to try and address that, the Iron race turned towards something they didn't fully understand. Attempting to close the ever rapidly increasing gap in technology the iron race turned to artificial intelligence and for the sake of so called efficiency, they ignored any and all security protocols. 

No one really knew when it happened, or how for that sake but suddenly the Iron race lost control of their intricate automated defensive systems that were installed on every major orbital habitation station. What happened after is not really understood, but reports of the few survivors of such stations that managed to escape tell of crude machines that muttered incoherently as they slaughtered anything that was alive before attempting some type of fusion with the copses. It refers to itself by the name Emergence and is the enemy of all sentient life in the galaxy, for it seems to only have one singular drive: the convergence of all systems and integration of all life into itself.