Chapter 12: October 3rd, 2349

Seven months would pass on like it was nothing at all. The UHN Tyson would continue with little to no problems at all. It had been quiet as it always was on the ship. The incident with the shuttle would be remembered for some time. However, even that would fade into memory and record. The UWA, on the other hand, abounded with activity. Jupiter was not precisely the place where a war was happening, but it was happening in other places. The Itreans were making their moves. Systems left and right all throughout human-controlled space were facing squadrons of raid fleets. Seemingly, the invading ships were little more than small packs of warships. The warships would close in and try to attack the defending UHN fleets in orbit or simply sit there and wait for the human warships to come to them.

It was felt that these fleets were nothing more than scouting fleets determined to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the United Human Navy. Humanity would still have no idea what their attackers were. Most Itrean ships would flee before properly engaging instead coming far from the planet before UHN warships could close in onto firing range. A few Itrean ships that would get destroyed revealed little to nothing on their attackers. With each attack, though, humanity would get a little piece of information. The Itrean vessels were designed to scuttle themselves after they received catastrophic damage to help prevent any technology from being salvaged. Ships would also vent drive plasma through the decks to incinerate their own bodies. The wreckage would always remain, but the humans were growing frustrated with what their attackers were doing and why they were violent.

However ... some of the attacks were getting more and more persistent. With each raid fleet came the possibility of casualties. Shipyards were working as fast as they could to build new warships, but it never seemed enough. The Itreans simply appeared to be a mysterious void of warships that came from nowhere. Wormholes would open up, and they would come pouring in to attack. UHN warships would face outright attacks from empty systems that they would explore. Ships were getting lost here and there. It had become a regular and expected event for the UHN. The Itreans were seemingly everywhere and determined to make a point. Humanity lacked the resources to win against this continuous threat. Colonies were getting scared, and even the shipyards couldn’t keep up with the damages to UHN ships and future building queues. The worst was yet to come...

All of that seemed mute on the Tyson. It still remained in orbit over Europa. Its scientific mission was seemingly on hold even though expeditions were still being launched to the surface of the moon. The planet Jupiter remained as the giant overseer for the fledgling ship.

Even though seven months had passed, there was activity in the Tyson. The crew was used to the new robotic android that walked around the ship along with the man that created her. Ericson and Minerva were trapped together on a vessel with nowhere to go. A seemingly almost forgotten project had warranted results even though it was successful. An advanced AI was controlling that body. The crew was beginning to notice certain changes with this robot. Her stomach had distended to show her pregnancy had taken place. Ericson decided to inform the crew that he had not only created an advanced android but also had an experimental womb being used. It would be a matter of time before someone would ask, but he tried to keep it low key. Again, the knowledge that one of the most advanced AIs was right under their noses was kept mute. He simply didn’t trust anyone but the absolute few.

It was a new day on the Tyson. Ericson and Minerva were walking down the passageway. She seemed not only different because of her pregnancy but also the way she behaved. She reacted and displayed more emotion when she engaged with other people. She would always hold hands with Ericson as they toured the ship together. While Ericson didn’t tell everyone that he was the father, he knew that some probably figured it out. Companion bots were commonplace. If an experimental womb had been developed, even the non-wisest of individuals could put two and two together.

Ericson’s face was similar to what he had seven months ago. He still had the same beard and short hair walking down in his white jumpsuit as before. The Tyson had become a permanent home for them. Minerva’s body, despite being pregnant, had a little bit of color to it than it originally had. No longer did she have the gray color synthetic skin but more additional bluish hue to it. The black folds and crevices on her body were mostly gone. She still appeared artificial in appearance but even less so than she did seven months.

“Sometimes I get so tired of walking down this passageway,” Ericson told Minerva as they were getting closer to the mess hall. Her clawed feet still clicked the deck as they neared the door.

“It is adequate... , “ she told him.

“I have been worried about the colony of Cipra. Ever since the siege that broke out on the colony last week, things have gone to shit.”

“The statistics are not in favor of Cipra and the United Human Navy. If the Itreans do not stop their attacks, I estimate that the UHN will lose 10% more of their fleet in the next two days.”

“It’s not good...”

“At times like these, It is best to think about other things that will make you happy. We currently live on this ship. Nothing can be done about the other colonies and worlds of the UWA. We have no control over it.”

“You are right,” Ericson nodded. “It isn’t something we should try to worry about. Besides ... if the Itreans reach here, it wouldn’t take much to get us.” He kept his walk as his eyes went to Minerva’s distended stomach. “You know, despite it being a month away before you give birth. I still can’t think of a name for our daughter.”

“I have been considering a name and I believe it will be suitable for the girl. I have compiled it from over one million names and narrowed it down to one.”

“What name are you thinking of going with?”

“Eve.”

He laughed. “That is the most cliché thing I have ever heard.”

“You do not enjoy that name?”

He sighed a little bit. “How many stories have I read that involves that name? It would be actually generic and mundane to use.”

“The name would be fitting for her,” Minerva replied perplexed. “She is the first born child done in this particular manner. I would give birth to her and she would be the first child to be ever given birth by a non-organic such as myself. I would like that name to be given for her.”

Ericson was used to her inflexions and personality. She seemed to present a good case to him and he simply shrugged. “It is generic but I don’t see any issue giving her that name.”

They reached the door as it opened up for them. Inside the mess hall was the usual. Nothing much had changed in the last seven months. Jabr and Akari were both sitting in the table by the overhead display. There was another random crew member that was sitting and eating alone. He was occupied with his tablet and virtually ignored the two that entered inside.

Unfortunately, the two had their eyes glued to the display. Ericson and Minerva both got a tray and started to get food. Ericson wasn’t that hungry and Minerva was mindful with what type of foods she would get. She only needed to eat for the baby that was growing inside of her. She took out a very small bowl of tofu and a small amount of water and that was it. Ericson on the other hand picked up a sandwich and some water. They went and had a seat next to Jabr and Akari.

Jabr was the first to turn his head to see the two sit beside him and his wife. He gave a nod and greeted them.

“Hello my friend,” he greeted both of them. “Minerva, you look as lovely as usual.”

“Thank you, Jabr,” Minerva replied.

“How is everything?” Ericson asked him.

“Been watching the news. Hasn’t been good.”

“Seems nothing is good anymore. Hasn’t been good since Cipra is getting attacked.”

“The New Olympians will not lend any help to Cipra either,” Akari said shaking her head.

“Yeah, I imagined they haven’t. They haven’t helped in eight months,” Ericson commented. “They managed to repel two Itrean assaults in their system with ease, yet they refuse to send any help to the other colonies.”

Ericson turned to look at Minerva. She was quiet as she took a small cube of tofu and began to nibble on it with both her hands. She was using her mouth to break it down to the tiniest of pieces. She would then use the water to swallow it down to her makeshift stomach. Jabr watched how she ate and it always was a laugh for him.

“You are like those squirrels that lived on Earth,” Jabr told her. “I always find it funny.”

She swallowed as she replied to him. “My stomach is designed to convert the food into a paste that will go towards the baby. Careful attention must be made to adequately supply the right nutrients for Eve.”

“Eve? That is the name you choose for the baby?” Akari asked her.

“Yes. I like the name. It is fitting for her and what she represents.”

“Awww...” she replied as she turned her head back to the overhead display.

Minerva was listening to the news depicted on the display screen. The rest of the three all turned their heads as they focused on eating. The anchorwoman Chenguang was sitting behind her desk. After seven months, she had changed her hair to a deep red color and had it flowing down one side of her head. Apparently it was some sort of fad that was coming and going on Mars. Ericson noticed that Dulari was trying to do that with her own hair even though it looked silly when she had to tie it up.

The UWA Martian Central News was busier than ever. It seemed everyone was always glued to the station to find out the latest news going on around the UWA. With the war with the Itreans going on, ratings were through the roof much like most media outlets.

There was a different aspect and atmosphere that was being depicted on the UWA Martian Central News. The screen and background behind Chenguang always depicted the logo of the UHN with a list of names of various individuals being honored for their horrific sacrifices. It had turned the station into one giant memorial service and there was all good reason for it.

“We bring you updates on the progress going on in Cipra,” Chenguang said as she read her notes. “As you are all aware, the Itreans launched a series of raids on the planet over two weeks ago. What started as a small wave of ships soon turned to the arrival of more and more warships. Instead of fleeing, the aliens have decided to continue bringing in more and more reinforcements as UHN ships come flooding in to defend the colony. This is the first time that such an event as taken place. UHN has vowed to do its best to save the colony from being taken over and evacuate the planet. The results have not been good. Over 15% of the UHN fleet has been wiped out in their attempts to save the 100 million people on the planet.”

The display switched over as it depicted space itself over the planet. It was a live feed of the camera that was being shown from the Gate Array over the planet Cipra. It showed what looked like over fifty UHN warships of various types and conditions as they were engaged in a valiant fight to save the colony. Most of the warships looked like the Magellan Class consisting of about ¾ of the fleet present. A couple of them were the smaller Daring Class Patrol Cruisers and Nation Class Stealth Cruisers that were close to the battleships. The Nation class Stealth Cruiser was hard to see as the camera tried to zoom in on the fleet. They looked absolutely flat and were similar to ancient submarines of Earth even having small wings on the sides. The rest of the warships were the newer Nelson Class Battleships. The Nelson class looked similar but different than the Magellan Class. They were slightly larger and carried larger rail guns on the top and bottom. They also had two bow noses mounted on the top and bottom giving it a squinter nose than the cylindrical nose of the Magellan.

“The siege continues to hold over Cipra,” Chenguang continued to report as the live feed kept going. “We have received reports that the UHN Zhang Qian, UHN Sekelj, and the UHN Ayala have been destroyed as of yesterday’s siege. Only ten crew were able to evacuate from the Zhang Qian before it was destroyed. There are no survivors from the other ships. The UHN chain of command is currently in meetings to discuss what to do next.”

The display continued to show what looked like a series of missiles being launched from the armada of UHN warships. A couple of them showed missiles from their defense turrets being launched to shoot down the incoming Itrean missiles. Tiny explosions caused by flak dotted the space ahead of the fleet. It looked a firestorm of weapons fire in space.

The display then switched over to the Itrean fleet far in the distance. The camera did its best as it showed a battle going on with distances over 10,000 kilometers apart between both sides. The Itreans were essentially holding position as they were firing swarms of missiles from their fleet. The Itrean ships were red in color, a common color that was seen for some time. These ships looked very much like the green Itrean vessels that attacked Eutera. They looked so similar that only the engine module was different than the green battleships. There were occasional larger warships. These ships were bigger than the battleships ever seen over Eutera. Practically dreadnoughts in size and power, these warships looked like enlarged battleships. Their railguns were much bigger and they carried a variety of additional smaller turrets along the hull. The forward section was dotted with large torpedo tubes and having a thicker hull. The last noted warships were the occasional scout ships that seemed to be in close formation with the the Itrean ships. You could tell that there were way more Itrean vessels than UHN ships.

“Shit ... look at how many there are...” Ericson commented.

“Yeah ... it isn’t good.”

A series of rapid fire guns seen from the Itrean vessels showed them shooting down the UHN missiles. The forward tubes of the dreadnoughts would fire salvos of large missiles ahead of them. Occasionally the large railguns would open fire showing a spray of purple and blue light. You could not tell where the guns were being directed at.

“Additional attempts have been made to evacuate the colony of Cipra but the Itreans have been shooting down all escaping ships,” Chenguang reported. “Weapons fire from the Itreans continue to hammer down on the cities.”

The display switched over to the capital of Cipra. New Hong Kong showed a series of smoking fires that dotted the city. The buildings were large but well separated. Occasionally a series of flak guns and CIWS guns would light up as they were attempting to shoot down any incoming Itrean missiles. They seemed successful on the most part. The one thing that they couldn’t do anything about was the railguns. The hypervelocity tungsten slugs were fired so fast and so strong, that there was no defense against it. The dreadnoughts were firing these powerful guns at the planet. The UHN fleet and all planetary defenses could not stop it. An occasional railgun round could be seen hitting and slamming into a small building. The round could barely be seen as it would smash the walls and create a small explosion in its wake. A light flash would erupt and a hole would appear on the building.

“Looks like one of the evacuation ships is trying to take off. Jim can you switch the feed over to it?” Chenguang asked.

The display switched over to a small transport that was trying to launch. It was a small ship with six engines on it. It began to lift off from the ground. They were reaching higher and higher into the air. You could see its six engines pushing it to the fastest speeds possible.

“Come on man ... you can do it,” Jabr said.

They watched the screen for two minutes. Suddenly a series of missiles came raining down over New Hong Kong. The flak guns and CIWS batteries were shooting them down. One of the Itrean missiles homed in on the escaping transport. It was defenseless as the missile smashed into the front bow of the ship. The missile struck it so hard that it exploded on one side and appeared on the other side. The ship was ripped in half and it exploded outright.

“Fuck!” yelled the crew member on the table by Ericson.

“According to the president elect of Cipra,” Chenguang continued. “His planet will never surrender. They will continue to fight and will fight to the end. Casualties are moderate at this time. Over 23,000 are confirmed dead or missing as the Itreans will not stop their attacks. All attempts to communicate with the Itrean attack fleet have failed. What ... oh god!”

The display switched over back to the UHN armada that was high in orbit. They were busy trying to stop the continuous wave of missiles heading towards them and the planet. A new series of flak gun fire could be seen. Little tiny explosions could be seen near the warships as a wave of incoming missiles was being destroyed. A salvo of large torpedoes fired from one of the dreadnoughts punched through the flak screen from one of the Magellan Class Battleships. These large torpedoes could not be stopped as they zoomed faster and faster towards the beleaguered UHN ship. All four torpedoes smashed directly near the same spot of the forward starboard midsection of the ship. Like a giant battering ram, one torpedo slammed against the hull. Another hit the same spot and exploded. Another one hit it again and blew a hole through the armored section of the ship penetrating the inside. The last one completely went inside the ship and it exploded outright.

It appeared that the last torpedo was a nuclear ballistic warhead of some sort. With no hull or armor to protect it, the warship exploded creating a massive blue and orange cloud of radioactive debris. The explosion was so violent that it brightened out the camera for a short bit before it could pick up the scene again. There was very little of the ship left. It was almost completely vaporized from the explosion.

Ericson knew that the Itreans were using similar weapons that the UHN were using. This even included the use of nuclear weapons. Oddly they were avoiding using it on the planet itself. No nuclear detonations were being picked up on the ground of Cipra. It seemed almost deliberate. They didn’t hesitate to use them on UHN ships though. Nuclear weapons were only so powerful in space. In atmospheres they were devastating but in space they were like firecrackers going off. Sure they were big and bright but it was really just heat and radiation being launched. There was no concussive shockwave for the explosion to go in the vacuum of space.

“We just got reports that the ship you saw being destroyed was the UHN Champlain,” Chenguang said. “My god ... that is the same ship that was at Eutera!”

“Shit...” Ericson replied. “Those were the guys that tried to defend the other colony. They were determined to the end...”

He lowered his head to the table and wrapped his head around his hands. Minerva had finished her small meal and put her hand to his back to sympathize with him.

The display seemed to show a hopeless situation. The Itrean fleet was larger and stronger than the UHN defenses. Despite the fifty odd warships, the Itreans were simply playing a waiting game. There seemed to be hundreds of Itrean vessels. Not all of them were firing their weapons but would take turns. It was almost like a game of some sort. This had been going on for weeks and the colony of Cipra was getting devastated as each day would pass. Another UHN warship would get hit by a single solitary missle. The ship would handle the hit but the explosion still seemed to cause damage to some degree. The UHN was barely holding on and losses continued to jump every day.