Forty minutes after the first notification, the data from the planets under attack began to flow in. Three hundred Volga attack vessels had been downed, and over a million soldiers were dead.
None of the five planets was currently losing territory, and more forces were incoming.
The Alliance Envoys' shock at the situation was quickly turning to horror as the video feeds of the situation began to resolve on their screens. The Alliance had sent observation craft to the affected systems to check for signs of war crimes and other violations of the involved groups' treaties, and what they found was utter ruthlessness that made even the Hunters raise an impressed eyebrow.
The Reavers weren't trying to eliminate the Volga. They were trying to loot them dry.
The Volga had realized very quickly that the Fast Attack Crusaders could navigate the main corridors of their vessels and that they had no qualms about using Fusion Flamers on anything and everything that they came across. But when they noticed that the Mecha were deliberately ignoring the main engines and the bridge while melting out the power relays that would make them operational, the Commanders began to scuttle their own vessels to prevent them from being captured.
"Have you ever met a species known as the Gnomish? About a meter tall, with a fondness for all technology that is second only to the Innu? Your raiders remind me of them. They don't even fight to kill the Volga. They're just stealing everything that they can get their hands on." The Huntress laughed.
"Spoils of war. If we can take it back to our ship, it's ours." Max agreed.
The Giant seemed to have some reservations about that definition of the spoils of war, but the Innu had begun to sing a high-pitched song about smashing and looting for the good of the tech goddess. It seemed to be a Gnomish battle song, but her mind was becoming hazy, and it was difficult for Max to tell what she was thinking.
"I am pretty sure that the Innu Envoy is drunk off coffee. I'm not sure if it's the Caffeine or the combination of chemicals, but she is almost certainly intoxicated well beyond reasonable for this hour of the morning." Max informed the rest of the staff.
"We will take care of her. She has a fast metabolism, so she should be fine in a few minutes, and removing her from the Café at this point would only attract unwanted gossip from the civilians." The Dryad giggled, taking the Innu Envoy under her arm and swaying in time with the song.
[Commander Keres Max. The remainder of your Vessels are ready and have been scrambled into readiness due to the current situation.] Mary Tarith informed him while they moved into a cheerful song about circuitry.
Max looked over the data and found that their final four vessels were all ready and crewed, just waiting for his Command choice. They would arrive by Portal just before the decision about how to deal with the Volga was announced.
That wasn't much time to get a crew in order, but as mad as everyone seemed to be at aliens for attacking them when they were still sorting out the more annoying elements of their own species, it might not take much to get them to follow the plan without objections.
They were receiving three former Tapani Cruisers and one Destroyer Class battleship, fully equipped for Drone warfare.
That was a new spec, as far as Max knew. Instead of two Mecha Regiments and a Field Army, the Destroyer had fifty thousand Interceptors and Orbital Attack Craft accompanying a single reinforced Mecha Regiment, with twice as many Super Heavy Mecha as usual.
He felt a twinge of pity for the planet that was going to have to face that force. A few hundred or a thousand Drone Fighters were bad enough, but fifty thousand of them should provide air superiority even against a fully developed planet.
"You look impressed." The Valkia remarked while Max read the details of the shipment.
"The last of our preordered vessels have finished refurbishment and have been awarded an emergency crew from among the allied planets' militaries. It looks like the Cruisers are mostly from Kepler, but the Destroyer is almost all Cygnus born. It will be a great improvement in the security of the Terminus Trading Company in the future, as well as our exploration and research abilities.
Drones can explore anywhere without danger to life, so we can equip them for any purpose we want and send them into the most hostile of situations." Max replied proudly.
"That is wonderful. I see the ship's dimensions, and that is no insignificant addition to your fleet either. Congratulations on your purchase, Commander. Will your people be joining the battle against the Volga, then?" The Valkia Envoy asked.
"Of course. It would be considered rude for us not to send at least half of our fleet assets to the battle. Terminus herself won't be going anywhere near the battle, but most likely, I will personally join the attack fleet, to send a message of solidarity to our allies." Max shrugged.
The Envoys seemed to be thinking for a second and then gave him a suspicious look. "That wouldn't have anything to do with that supremely deadly Mecha that you pilot, would it? The Volga are a highly aggressive species, but I am not certain that they can equal such a weapon of war."
"The Reavers consider a Titan Class Mecha to be on par with a Colony Ship or Destroyer, including its contingent of forces. The Volga certainly have that much, as we have engaged larger forces in battle already. I can assure you that we won't deploy anything beyond reasonable into combat."
The Envoys seemed to be even more doubtful about that statement. "And what of the capabilities to level cities? That isn't the sort of thing that most armies would develop. Will the human forces refrain from the use of Orbital Lances in the upcoming battles?"
Max didn't even have to answer that one. The look on his face told them all that they needed to know. There was roughly zero chance that the human response wouldn't include orbital lances and Super Heavy mecha, likely at the same time, and perhaps while they deployed a jamming field to prevent portals from opening in their immediate vicinity.
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