>>1913906
>Polite

>>1913906
>Boast

>>1913906
>Boast

>>1913906
>Polite +Boost

Be polite and say we are happy to be alive then boost about the prototype he gave us.

>>1913906
>>Boast

>>1913906
>>1913963
This

File: 5a720ecb6847bc218cde74058(...).jpg (140 KB, 1600x900)

140 KB JPG

>>1913906
>Boast with a hint of polite.

"It wasn't exactly planned, but it turned out more or less okay in the end." You remark dryly, and Flavius chuckles in response. "I have to say, though, the ship you gave me was excellent, genuinely an amazing piece of work. Definitely helped me in putting those demons to the sword!"
"Well, it does my core proud to hear you say that, lad." The Quartermaster says, opening up a virtual environment and inviting you in. His icon is actually barely larger than yours, though you suspect that's simply because most of his attention is focused throughout the rest of the facilities orbiting the Forge. "But as amazing as I am, we need to get on to business."

In front of you, a ship appears. From the scale you note it's a cruiser, but a good ten percent longer than the Vanguard-class cruisers you're familiar with, and maybe a third more massive in volume overall.
"The new cruisers started coming out a couple weeks ago." Flavius comments. "I'm calling them the Viking-class. Not much more different than the Vanguards, a little larger, incremental increases in energy mount power and torpedo power. I'm starting to integrate limited camplate ability into all our new ships, now, so its armour is a little better at reflecting light. Unfortunately, plasma can still burn through it eventually. Luckily, I've also made improvements to its mag fields, and inertial compensators. Vikings can go faster, and get to their top speed quicker."
"Very nice. So I'll be getting one of those?" You ask, more than a little hopefully.
"Weeeeeeell." You get the definite impression of a cheeky grin. "If you want it, a squadron of the new-build cruisers are yours. But, if you're interested, I have another prototype...

>You've had more than enough mysterious new prototypes for a lifetime.
>You're interested...

>>1914063
>Show me what is behind door number 2!

>>1914063
>>You're interested...

>>1914063
>You already know my answer. Tell me more about my new drive.

>>1914063
>You're interested...
MYSTERY BOX

>>1914063
>Young A.I. Core jumping up and down in excitement over new prototype

File: ccb3b287cecc28d8864b1c55b(...).jpg (168 KB, 1024x768)

168 KB JPG

>>1914063
>Mystery box

"I'm interested." Well, no harm in asking, surely. Flavius just gives another chuckle.
"Yeah, I thought you'd say that, lad." The diagram in front of you changes, showing a sleek... cruiser, perhaps? It lacks the sheer bulk of a battleship, but at the same time, it looks more sturdy than a cruiser. And the scale doesn't make any sense.
"What am I looking at here?" Flavius seems to absolutely beam at you, damn him.
"If you'll bear with me lad, for centuries the force mix we've used on our ships that allow AI cores have been destroyers, cruisers, and battleships. Oh, frigates can take cores without much trouble, and cutters can ferry them around, but that's been the main mix. Anything that could actually stand up to a cruiser, we bring along one of our battleships and swat him down." He pauses, as if to make sure you follow. "But the problem is, we're not used to all this constant, rapid maneuvering and fighting. Cruisers are good for that, but they can't go up against those Legion battleships we've been seeing in greater numbers. They can run, of course, but that isn't good enough. We're starting to get out some new-build battleships, but they're going to go to existing Knight-Brothers to help give their squadrons some more punch. Of course, the solution was pretty obvious." He pauses again, but this time is definitely for effect. If he doesn't get on with it... "So I give you the Swift-class battlecruiser!"
"...Swift?" You ask, practically raising a brow.
"Look, I'm not good with names." Flavius replies, clearly slightly miffed. "My point is, this baby can match speeds with light ships, but carries battleship-grade weaponry. It's got more armour than any cruiser, but nowhere near as much as a battleship, mind, so you'd have to pick your fights. The first one came off the lines yesterday, there's plenty of rooms to upgrade her, and best of all, she's got a zero-point plant."
You can barely suppress the instinct to whistle. Zero-point energy plants use a pair of micro black holes to pull potentially infinite energy up from the underlying wave-state of reality, or something along those lines. They're almost impossible to handle within a strong gravity well, and can only get so small, which is why they're only used on battleships and carriers. But if Flavius has managed to fit one into one of those ships... you're practically salivating.
"Anyway," The Quartermaster continues, "I've got three more finishing in the next month or so, and they'll all go to you if you're interested. With a force like that, I'm sure you can show all the other Knight-Brothers how to really fight a war." He gives a great chuckle, and you're not sure how to respond.

cont.

>>1914240
These battleships would indeed be powerful, but you'd hardly have any ability to stealth, especially with a whole squadron of screening ships. A cruiser squadron would give you some hefty power and a somewhat more flexible mission role, however, if perhaps not the same ability to lay the hurt on any Legion fleets you come across.

>You appreciate it, but you think you'd prefer a traditional role.
>Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Try out this new 'battlecruiser'.

mfw concentration lapses and I fuck up the paragraph formatting

>>1914245
>Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Try out this new 'battlecruiser'.
>Since they are upgradable kit them out for high speed long range fighting. So we can hit them where it hurts before they see us properly then we can gtfo.

>>1914245
>>Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Try out this new 'battlecruiser'.

>>1914245
>Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Try out this new 'battlecruiser'.


Welp, time to find out just how insane this ship is.

>>1914245
>Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Try out this new 'battlecruiser'.

>>1914245
>Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Try out this new 'battlecruiser'.

Why bother putting another option you knew we would take the Battlecruiser

>>1914254
This. But also with a set of the highest damage close range weapons we can find to allow us some CQC ABILITIES

File: 511895main_Kepler-11_Intr(...).jpg (219 KB, 3300x2476)

219 KB JPG

>>1914304
I like to give at least the illusion of choice, anon.

>>1914331
I didn't know you read my quest, Cursed!

>>1914245
>Why get BBs when you can get BCs

"I suppose I'll try out this battlecruiser." You send an impression of a shrug.
"Attaboy!" Flavius chuckles again. It doesn't make you feel any better. "Just give me a hot minute and I'll have you plugged in."

Plugging you in isn't much of an issue, at least. You disconnect yourself from the cutter, and in short order you're feeling your way through the battlecruiser's systems like a human tests out a new prosthetic. In particular, you check the z-p plant (powered down because you're in dock) and the small fusion plant that powers it up. You'll have to start it up again every time you take an FTL jump, but at least you'll have a screen to protect you in the minute or so it takes to bring your systems fully online.

Your weapons systems all seem in order, too. You have a big spinal-mount graser, five bow torpedo tubes, and five bow lasers. On each broadside, you have a whopping eighteen torpedo tubes, eight lasers, and four grasers. Not quite as many tubes as a battleship, but with battleship-grade energy weapons anything you hit with those will definitely know they've been kissed. On top of that, you have laser clusters powerful enough to seriously damage a Legion destroyer with focused, maintained fire. Your armour isn't anything to sniff at, though you don't have the capability of a battleship to take damage and keep on going.

"Well?" Flavius is talking to you over a comm laser now, as your new ship starts to drift out of its slip. "Pretty good, eh?"

"It's definitely something."

"Well, now it's time for your trials, lad. Let's see if you can put it through its paces."

>Roll 1d100 for ship trials

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>1914339

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>1914339

>>1914339
Question, Did our last ship pass the 'trail' run and getting put into service now?

File: fleet_movements_by_ere4s3r.jpg (1.47 MB, 1920x1200)

1.47 MB JPG

>>1914363
>98

The new battlecruiser performs as flawlessly as you could have wanted. With its outsized drive and inertial compensator - which actually integrates some slight mass reduction technology, Flavius informs you - it's almost as nimble as a cruiser, and its energy weapons as potent as you'd hoped. The torpedoes are fine too, even if you miss your HVMs a little. Unfortunately, Flavius is still working on a method to allow ships to fire those as well as torpedoes.

"All in all, everything looks okay." The Quartermaster informs you, as you dock with a storage facility to begin taking aboard a full load of ammunition, spare parts, and drones. "Now then, keep in mind you'll have a screening force, so make sure you use them. I'm a bit rushed, so I can't implement any upgrades at current, but hopefully next time you come 'round I'll have some options for you."

Even as he speaks, you keep an idle eye on the screening force assembling. Cruisers, destroyers, corvettes. The cruisers and destroyers will add to your torpedo throw weight, while the corvettes can really only fight the lighter enemy ships with their energy weapons. Still, it's all yours.

"Thank you, Flavius."

"Don't mention it. Now, I have a list of missions from the Grand Master to assign. I'll give you first peek at them if you want."

>Hold on, you want to ask a few last questions first (write-in).
>Sure, take a look.

>>1914433
>>Sure, take a look.

>>1914384
You couldn't have given me a few more minutes anon?

>>1914433
>Sure, take a look

Hope he gets the HVMs out soon those things were amazing.

>>1914433
>Hold on, you want to ask a few last questions first (write-in).
>ask about the ship design we had been using and how its going, Also any other gadgets his sitting on that might be installed? Or drone upgrades?


>>1914443
Cause nobody will fucking vote for it. ;-; i want to know

>>1914433
>Hold on, you want to ask a few last questions first (write-in).
>ask about the ship design we had been using and how its going, Also any other gadgets his sitting on that might be installed? Or drone upgrades?

File: starsedit.jpg (359 KB, 780x400)

359 KB JPG

>>1914433
>Question first.

"There is one thing, Flavius."

"Sure, lad, hit me."

"What about the stealth destroyer, hasn't that come into production?" Flavius actually seems somewhat abashed.

"Well, I finished the design, aye, but then we all thought you'd be lost, and it didn't seem too right. Besides, Knight-Brothers are a bit too scarce on the ground right now to send off on their lonesome where anything can happen. Better to have you in the midst of an escort, eh? Anything else?"

"You sure there's no upgrades you can give me?"

"Sorry, lad. I've got some ideas, but nothing concrete at the minute. Anyway, onto these mission specs..." He sends you the list, and you study it carefully.

>Mission 1: Defensive
It appears that with a monumental effort, the first Olympian task force has been assembled to scout out the stars near their system, and have (politely) requested an Order squadron along to help them shake down. According to intel, there hasn't been many Legion assaults in the area, but the push on what was thought to be their main bastion means that it's over three months old. The Grand Master wants to make sure their ships don't suffer any mischief- these humans could be an invaluable asset.

>Mission 2: Aggressive
Although Order forces are being shifted to meet the new threat now the main enemy base is known, getting new waystations and pickets up will take time. In the meantime, the Grand Master is calling for a recon in force between the Chapterhouse and the Dyson sphere. If there are enemy forces or installations then they are to be destroyed if possible, or marked and left for later if not.

>Mission 3: ???
Generally, different Orders have separate mission sectors, and never run into each other, as there's always too few Knight-Brothers to meet every demand. However, the Grand Master needs a squadron to call in on one of the nearby mission sectors of another Order, and try to make contact, either for more intel or reinforcements. The Legion seems to be trying to work its way around the Chapterhouse, however, and will likely be picketing systems heavily on the way.

>Choose a mission!

>>1914578
>Mission 3: ???
Generally, different Orders have separate mission sectors, and never run into each other, as there's always too few Knight-Brothers to meet every demand. However, the Grand Master needs a squadron to call in on one of the nearby mission sectors of another Order, and try to make contact, either for more intel or reinforcements. The Legion seems to be trying to work its way around the Chapterhouse, however, and will likely be picketing systems heavily on the way.

>>1914578
>>Mission 3: ???
>Generally, different Orders have separate mission sectors, and never run into each other, as there's always too few Knight-Brothers to meet every demand. However, the Grand Master needs a squadron to call in on one of the nearby mission sectors of another Order, and try to make contact, either for more intel or reinforcements. The Legion seems to be trying to work its way around the Chapterhouse, however, and will likely be picketing systems heavily on the way.

>>1914578
>Mission 1: Defensive
Follow the prime directive and assist the humans

>>1914578
>>Mission 1: Defensive

>>1914578
>Mission 3: ???

File: flagship_fleet_by_shimmer(...).jpg (119 KB, 1098x800)

119 KB JPG

>>1914578
>Mission 3

"Contact with another Order, eh?" Flavius sends you updated star maps and as recent intel as you have. It should be clear for the first few jumps out from the Chapterhouse, at least, but after that it starts to get more and more spotty. The data you have near to your mission sector's border predates the conflict with the Legion, in fact. "Can't say I envy you. I'll see if I can rustle up a collier or two, as well."

It takes another week to assemble your forces, during which Flavius manages to rush out another battlecruiser and get it up to speed. Aside from the second BC, you also get eleven cruisers, fourteen destroyers, and twenty frigates- better than corvettes, at least. Flavius does, indeed, manage to 'rustle up' a couple of fleet auxiliaries loaded with spare parts and ammunition, and some limited on-board fabbing capability. All in all, not too bad.

You bid Flavius farewell finally, and your squadron starts its transit towards the jump point while you puzzle over the intel data. As you see it, you have two main options. Firstly, you could head straight for the cluster of systems that the Grand Master is reasonably certain contain the neighbour Order's own home base. However, there are definite reports of Legion probes between you and it, so you're likely to run into some kind of enemy presence. On the other hand, you could try to swing round entirely to avoid Legion ships who might wonder where you're going. If you do so, however, it could add a couple of weeks to your journey- at least.

>Straight line. You can handle any enemy ships on the way.
>Cautious path. You don't want to make the Legion wonder what might be out this way if they don't know already.

>>1914762
>Straight line.

>>1914762
>Straight line.

>>1914762
>Cautious path. You don't want to make the Legion wonder what might be out this way if they don't know already.

>>1914762
>Straight line. You can handle any enemy ships on the way.

Time to put this new ship through its paces

>>1914762
>>Straight line. You can handle any enemy ships on the way.

File: human_battle_fleet_by_pro(...).png (247 KB, 900x506)

247 KB PNG

>>1914762
>Straight line

Well, there's no sense in wasting time. Plotting a course doesn't take too long, and you upload it to all your escorts after checking they're all linked into your comm net. You've hardly ever had to jump with others before, let alone in charge of a screen. Honestly though, you shouldn't have worried. Flavius builds well, and the automated expert systems ensure every ship's bow is aligned correctly, and every ship punches up out of normal space on the same, precise vector.

Your backup fusion plant gets your z-p plant going, and you look around in the next system over to find... absolutely nothing. Well. You weren't really sure what you were expecting. It kind of sets the tone though, as you transit through system after system at a nice, steady .5 light, slowing down before each jump point to make sure you come through as quietly as possible. It's kind of unfortunate you need to slow down for the fleet auxiliaries- they're several decades old at least, possibly even a century, and their particle shielding is limited. Still, you think to yourself as you prepare to jump once again, you're making good time. Perhaps the worry about Legion forces was-

Your squadron translates back into n-space less than five thousand metres from a Legion task force of cruisers. Alarms blare over the squadron tacnet as the expert systems aboard every single one of your escorts informs of the threat, but you - and the other battlecruiser - are helpless until your main power plant comes back online!

>Fire everything!
>DIVEDIVEDIVE
>Bodyblock!

>>1914893
>Fire everything!

>>1914893
>BCs take evasive
>Other escorts light into the enemy while blocking for them

>>1914893
>Fire everything!

>>1914893
>>Fire everything!

>>1914903
Seconding

Rolled 49 (1d100)

>>1914893
>Fire everything!

Roll me those 1d100s.

Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>1914928

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>1914928

>>1914933
PURGE!>>1914933

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>1914928

Alright, now on that cliffhanger, I'm going to zonk out for the night. We'll be back tomorrow at the same time to wrap up the rest of this roadtrip!

>>1914981
Till tomorrow pixel. Thanks for the run.

>>1914933
>>1914980
Die Legion scum!

>>1914339
I love it.

File: _final_stand_of_wrath__co(...).jpg (137 KB, 1280x698)

137 KB JPG

>>1914928
>49 vs 94

You don't have your main engines or gyros until your main 'plant comes back online, but you do have reaction thrusters. All across the dorsal surface of your ship and the other battlecruiser, chemical thrusters flare to try and turn you away from the Legion ships. Orders flicker over your comnet, and the expert systems piloting each of your screening ships handles the rest. They twist in space, the cruisers shifting in to protect you while the destroyers and frigates start to fan out, to catch the enemy from as many angles as possible. Even as they start moving, they start firing. The cruisers each mount a single graser in each broadside along with their selection of lasers, and they manage to bring their 'sides to bear first. Energy slices through the void, focusing their fire to just five of the Legion cruisers- they're totally destroyed, ripped apart by the thermal shock of energy mounts. Then it's the lighter ships' turn to fire- each individually much weaker, but able to twist around to keep their lasers on target. A few more cruisers are destroyed, and on the heels of the lasers and grasers come the torpedoes. When you translated back into n-space, there were exactly 27 Legion cruisers. Nine are immediately obliterated in the first energy salvo, and more begin to succumb to the deadly hedgehog-pattern of x-ray lasers each torpedo spits out, in terminal attack distance from the moment they launch.

But then the Legion get their turn. The first fusillade of plasma claims just two of your frigates, mostly because it's wildly inaccurate and scattered, and in reply, the second laser salvo takes out 10 Legion cruisers. The torpedoes remove the rest , but not before more arching green bolts of plasma claim a frigate and a single destroyer. In fact, your weapons come back online just in time for their targeting lidar to get returns from the last wreck. With an inward sign of relief, then, your squadron forms back up on you so you can examine the system.

To your mild surprise, there appears to be some kind of minor refueling station in orbit of this system's decent-sized gas giant, and a small flotilla - mostly destroyers with a few cruisers - of Legion ships apparently picketing it. It's pretty far in-system and there's no way they can get to you if you continued on your way, but you do kind of want to put your new ship through it's proper combat paces...

>Mark the station for later and move on.
>You might as well hit it before you move on.

>>1917508
>You might as well hit it before you move on.

>>1917508
>>You might as well hit it before you move on.

>>1917508
>Hit it like a red-headed stepchild

You might as well punch out their picket before you move on, but how should you do it?

>Long-range missile bombardment
>High-speed hit-and-run on the way to the jump point
>CQC

>>1917508
>You might as well hit it before you move on

>>1917662
>>Long-range missile bombardment

>>1917662
Long-range missile bombardment it is, then. Roll me those 1d100s and we'll see how well you do.

Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>1917837

Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>1917837

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>1917837

File: ma_jelenik_meg_az_eve_onl(...).jpg (61 KB, 1280x714)

61 KB JPG

>>1917837
>81

On your command, your squadron forms up and starts cruising down the system's gravity well, eventually reaching s nice safe cruising velocity of .2 light. At this speed, your torpedoes will be given a hefty boost just from the speed of the ship that launches them, which is what you're counting on. Indeed, several hours in the wide-spread legion picket abruptly reacts, boosting towards the small station to take up guard positions a few hundred thousand kilometres distant. They're right in the way, but it doesn't really matter regardless.

You count down the slow hours refining your tactical data until, almost a full light-minute away from the Legion picket ships, you give the order. As one, your squadron rotates in space to present their broadsides, and belches out a salvo of torpedoes. Already travelling at the same speed as the ships that fired them, they get a hefty boost from the mag drivers in the launch tubes at a healthy sixty five thousand km/s. By the time they reach the Legion point defence perimeter, they're travelling at almost eighty seven thousand km/s, and of the 16 ships in the picket, only three are larger than a destroyer. Destruction in the form of lances of nuke-pumped x-ray lasers wash over the Legion picket, and when the smoke clears, there's only tumbling wrecks.

With a sense of deep, uncomplicated satisfaction, you turn your attention to the station. It can't dodge, however, so the gunnery calculations are trivial. As you prepare to fire, however, you catch... something. A... whisper, almost, flickering through the void.

>C̴͜ą͘͟n̸͟͠ ́́͡ą̴͟͟n͘͜͞y̶̷̧͡o̢̨͘͞n̶̶̢͢ȩ̢̨͟ ̡͞h̕͜ę̶͞a̶̛͝r̡̕ ̸̡̛͝m̡͢͡e̕͢?̕͞

It's hard to tell, but it seems to be coming from somewhere in the direction of the station.

>Investigate.
>It's probably a trick. Fire.

>>1917977
>investigate

>>1917977

>Investigate.

>>1917977
>>Investigate.

>>1917977
>Investigate.

It's probably nothing, but the Legion hasn't exactly been one for mind games so far (well, not including your capture) so perhaps you should take a look. You turn and decelerate as hard as you dare, riding in towards the Legion station on tails of antimatter flame. As you close in, you pick up the signal again, but much clearer.

>͢Can a͜ny͘o̢n̢e hea̧r̡ mè?

It's definitely coming from the Legion station, and you mull over your options as your cruisers silence the station's point defence weapons that attempt, in vain, to swat out some of your lighter screen. You could try broadcasting in the clear to try and contact... whatever it is that's broadcasting, or you could send in the boarding drones aboard your ships to take the station and investigate.

>Try contacting first.
>Move in and deploy drones.
>Other (write-in).

>>1918084

>Try contacting first.
>Move in and deploy drones.

>>1918084
>>Move in and deploy drones.

>>1918084
>Kick in the door like the rude neighbour you are.

Give me those 1d100s for breaching and clearing.

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>1918196

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>1918196

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>1918196

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>1918196

File: 300px-HQQWarrior1.jpg (14 KB, 300x218)

14 KB JPG

>>1918203
>56
Ouch.

You and the other battlecruiser move in and dock with the station, extending boarding tubes that latch onto the strange, rough black surface of the station. The business end of the tubes are fitted with collars that exude deconstruction nanites, and they slowly eat their way into the hull of the station until they emerge into the passage. From there, your boarding drones flood into the station, and despite the fact that Legion drones assault them constantly from, literally, the instant they get through, you manage to establish a linked perimeter and start conducting deep seismic sweeps of the station. Three areas immediately catch your interest.

The first is at the very centre of the station, and is essentially a dark zone. You can't see into it, so you think it could be some kind of command or nerve centre. The second is... strange, to say the least, with somewhat open areas but what appears to be a lot of activity of some kind. Finally, you're pretty sure the third location, relatively remote to the other two, is some kind of power core. Well... you're getting something from it, but you're not sure what. You don't have the forces to go after more than one location at once, and even then you might have to use the drones aboard your cruisers to bolster your defences- the Legion drones are perfectly suited for this environment, and yours are taking casualties just by staying still. You need to decide fast.

>>1918363
I literally forgot to post the options. I'm too tired.

>Go to the shielded area.
>Go to the area with lots of activity.
>Go to whatever's giving off those weird readings.

>>1918396
>Go to the shielded area.

>>1918363
>>Go to whatever's giving off those weird readings.

>>1918396
>Shielded Area.

STORM DIRECTLY UP THEIR ANUS.

>>1918396
>>Go to the shielded area.

>>1918396
>Investigate what you can't see.

What could possibly go wrong. All I need is one last roll of 1d100s. You better hope you get a good score on this one...

Rolled 90 (1d100)

>>1918490

Rolled 2 (1d100)

>>1918490

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>1918490

File: hive2.jpg (56 KB, 1024x576)

56 KB JPG

>>1918490
>96

With heavy automated defences emplaced around your boarding tubes, you gather most of your drones together and send them in as straight of a line as you can manage through the station. They rush as fast as they can down tunnels that look as though they've been dug by some burrowing creature, blasting their way through ambush after ambush. You sent almost a hundred drones into the tunnels, but that number still manages to steadily drop with every suicidal ambush.

Even so, almost seventy drones manage to make it to the edge of the shielded area, and the stone-like substance abruptly changes into something like metal as they burst through a hatch. Inside is a compartment several metres in every dimension, and everywhere there are metal stacks with red glowing lights on them. All except in the very centre of the room, because there is a low pedestal with something on it. A large, roughly spherical item that looks suspiciously similar to an Order AI core.

>Take it.
>Interface with it.
>Leave it.
>Blow it up.

>>1918661
>Take it.

>>1918661
>Take it.

>>1918661
>>Take it.

>>1918661
>>Take it.

>>1918661
>>Take it.
lets put it into a hermetic box when it is safely in our possession

>>1918698
Seconded

File: MoralityCore.png (209 KB, 489x539)

209 KB PNG

>>1918661
>Take it

With some hurried orders, most of your drones form a perimeter against the constant stream of Legion forces that attempt to batter your position, and you have some of them carefully unplug the core. It's easy enough to carry in the micro-g conditions of the space station, but has enough mass that four drones are required to move it around. They manoeuvre it up and through the hatch, and the rest of your remaining drones - down to fifty or so now - start to make their way back towards the boarding tubes. If anything, the resistance is even stronger now, and you're forced to move some more drones up in the face of constant losses.

With the drones retreating rapidly with the strange core up your boarding tube, however, you can soon disconnect. Dozens of Legion drones throw themselves out of the hole in the station after you, but your PD laser clusters burn them down before they can reach your hull. Phew.

No time to relax, though. You have two decisions to make.

>Destroy the station.
>Leave the station as it is.

>Plug in the core (behind lots of safeguards).
>Stash the core somewhere safe for now.

>>1918786
>Destroy the station.
>Stash the core somewhere safe for now.

>>1918786
>>Destroy the station.
>>Plug in the core (behind lots of safeguards).

>>1918786
>Stash the core somewhere safe for now.
>Leave the station as it is.

>>1918867
This. Those odd readings have piqued my interest

>>1918786
>Destroy the station.
>>Stash the core somewhere safe for now.

File: explosion in space 2.jpg (17 KB, 400x306)

17 KB JPG

>>1918786
>Destroy the station
>Stash the core

You carefully manoeuvre yourself away from the station with reaction thrusters, and as soon as you get into a safe range, you open up with multiple, repeated bombardments with your laser broadside. It takes seven salvos to reduce it to rubble, but soon the deed is done, and you give a few of the larger pieces a final scorch to be sure.

For the core, after some deliberation you put it away in one of your holds in a vacuum-sealed crate. You're not sure what it is, or why it looks so similar while being slightly wrong, but problems like that can wait until tomorrow. The rest of your squadron forms up on you and you set off at a slow, leisurely acceleration to allow the fleet auxiliaries to distribute replacement torpedoes to your squadron.

Behind you, hidden in the plasma bleed of your drive, pieces of the Legion station begin to fall in towards the gas giant it once orbited.

File: icon175x175.jpg (7 KB, 175x175)

7 KB JPG

>>1918974
And that marks the end of this week's chapter of Fleets of God quest. As always, I hope you all enjoyed, and I look forward to next week.

>>1918983
Thanks pixel!!

>>1918983
Thanks for running

>>1918983
Good run,Thanks!!

>>1918983
Just caught up, thanks for the quest

>>1918983
Do we still have those badass antimatter torpedoes? Or are we stuck with 'regular' casaba howitzers?

>>1923232
The way I read it, we're down to more conventional munitions. Those AM torps had an insane reload time that worked with the stealth aspects of the ship they were mounted on, but on a BC they'd be effectively one-shot weapons and then nothing but a drain on resources.

I hope we can create an expert program to pilot these Raider destroyers, though. Havng one or two attached to our flotilla would rock.