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Second Fusor trium lost any sense of boredom as the Human cruiser group lunged their direction, accompanied by a spattering of missiles, suicidal small craft, and millions of kinetic projectiles. The enemy magnetic mass drivers worked overtime, peppering Destroyer 6223 with shot that ground away at their armor like sand in a sonic storm.
“Increase our fire frequency,” One snapped. “Anticipate!” He demonstrated, deftly picking a burst of metal projectiles out of space by firing a fusor burst into its path. “The kinetic spheres cannot dodge, so simply throw plasma into their way. When they impact it they will fuse themselves, and strike us as hard gas.”
Two and Three held their communications, too busy to reply, and they had tasted these imprecations many times already. Still, One’s berating tone actually seemed to soothe and steady them, as it was familiar. For some time they simply fired and fired again, destroying some bursts, letting others pass, missing still others.
“Their attacks are insufficient,” Three declared confidently.
Two replied, “Their ships approach. The small craft have rammed us on more than one occasion. Do you think the cruisers will as well?”
“Absurd.” One thought about this a moment longer, and then realized that no matter how absurd such a thing seemed to him, reporting its possibility could only make him seem wise...if he structured his missive correctly.
“However, no matter how absurd, I shall suggest the possibility be taken into account.”
“I am always happy to contribute to your reports,” Two said.
“Of course, I will credit your contribution,” One replied.
“I had no doubt,” Two said in a doubting tone indeed.
Once he had sent off the communication package to shoot through the speedy nerve pathways of the Destroyer, One asked casually, “Do you really think they will try to ram us? There must be dozens, if not hundreds of Humans aboard each ship.”
“Thousands of them killed themselves individually in the small craft,” Two offered.
“I suppose they did. Then we must prepare for this possibility.”
Three turned his eyeball toward One. “Prepare how?”
“Watch your sector,” One snapped. After Three put his eye back on his screen, One replied, “I have some ideas, but I thought to give you two the chance to come up with effective solutions as well. Just as an exercise.” In reality, One had absolutely no idea what fusors could do against ramming ships approaching at the enormous velocities involved.
Silence filled the control compartment for some time, until Two finally said, “I have absolutely no idea.”
Three bobbed his eyeball in place as well. “Nor I.”
One vibrated with feigned exasperation. “When the time comes, perhaps I will reveal my brilliance. For now, just perform your duties.”
“The time is soon,” Two said. “They are getting very close.”
One, for once, had nothing to say before the Human ships flashed past. The control room shuddered and shook with a tremendous shock, and all of their screens and sensor feeds went dead.
“One of them rammed us after all, full on,” Two said. “It would have been more efficient had you explained your insights before the impact.”
“I...I am not certain they would have helped. After all, I can’t think of everything. But no matter. Return to your duties. We live, and Destroyer 6223 lives.” One accessed the damage control reports on the network as soon as they became available. “You see? The impact was severe, but the doubled nose armor of the skin of our old 6223-2 provided us enough protection and the gravitic dampeners did not fail. The Empire reigns supreme.”
“The Empire reigns supreme,” the other two echoed.
“Have confidence, faithful comrades. It will all be over soon.”
***
“What is this anomaly?” One asked. “Another ship of the Empire?” He highlighted the distant sensory tag as it approached on an almost-converging course with Destroyer 6223.
“So it appears,” Two said, refining the image. “It looks to be a Survey craft much like the one that the Humans drove us from.”
“Perhaps it is the same one?” Three spoke up.
“Do not be absurd,” said One. “Even if they captured and exploited some of the technologies aboard, our faithful ship would not have been controllable by mere Humans. Without those of the Pure Race, or at a minimum a Blend to guide it, it would have gone rogue. They would have had to kill it. They simply do not have the knowledge to fly Meme craft.”
“Undoubtedly you are correct,” Two said. “This one is larger. Though it is using our old encryption codes...which are still valid.”
“Still valid?” One radiated astonishment.
“Yes. You will remember that, because we left Sentry craft hidden within the Human solar system, the codes remained valid for their use. We have received important intelligence from them.”
“Ah. Of course. I was wise to do so.”
“Yes, but...” Three stopped nervously as the others looked his direction, then went on. “Why would this ship use our old codes?”
“And why is it continuing to accelerate toward us?” Two echoed.
“Is it fleeing the Human forces?”
Two checked his console. “Not apparently. Nothing they have can catch it. Should we raise our concerns with Command?”
One made a gesture of negation. “No. They must be aware of it.”
