Free Web NovelChapter 622: Emergency Signals
"Follow the course to enter the gateway and the exit of the gateway." Cain told him as Jace began changing the power output of the ship. Redirecting power away from unnecessary systems and putting them towards the ship shielding.
Now that they no longer had an excess in energy it was a good idea to direct the recharging ports to something useful and let everything else run on reserves until they could switch it back. They had plenty of reserves that had accumulated over the years. Not to mention that it looked like central computer systems had been modified so it could run on less power. It looked like the on board AI was still in its infant stage and was still learning.
"The Gateway will begin forming in three... two... one..." Cain announced as they watched through the screen as the three devices formed into a large triangle shape that would fit the Lance of Thanatos. It would be an upside down triangle shape.
The sides formed as blue lines before a blue film appeared in the area in between. That film just appeared to make the red star scape appear blue. The communication system started beeping incessantly almost immediately as they connected to a battle net that appeared to span their entire galaxy.
"Jace, don’t forget the other thing." Cain reminded him.
Jace blinked and then flinched. "Oh." He looked and then pointed at K and Victor. "You two, go to the brig and yank Catherine Hex out of the cryopod and bring her up here. She cannot be in cryosleep for the gateway transport."
They exchanged a look before they walked out of the room. "Why do you want her on the bridge?" Valkyrie asked her. "We could just leave her in the brig instead. Not like she has anywhere to go."
"She would find a way off the Lance, even then I do not want her roaming the ship. I would rather have her in front of me where I could watch her." Jace pointed out and still saw the doubt in Valkyrie’s gaze. "Would you want her to possibly encounter your child aboard the ship?"
"You have made a good point." Valkyrie agreed.
An almost incessant beeping began occurring just before West walked in. She was in a nightgown and quickly moved over to the communication station and froze in surprise at what she saw. "It has been doing that for the last few minutes." Jace told her.
"How are we receiving so many distress calls? On a variety of waves as well. Some of these methods of communication I have never even seen before." West asked as she quickly sat down.
"It’s the Spectre Galaxy intergalactic network. Seems like the Victorium got their wish." Shilla answered. "It was only in its idea phase when we left. But it was probably established some time before the invasion began. Send me the location tags for the distress calls. I will map it." Shilla ordered West and they both got quickly to work as Jace checked the progress of the portal. It was at least another half hour before they could go through.
Jace plotted the route through the gateway. From the details it looked like there were ’obstacles’ inside the gate that his cruiser would have to navigate around. As soon as he was done a holoprojection of their galaxy was placed in the center of the bridge. He actually had to turn around to look at it.
The area he and the others disappeared from was actually near what would be called the upper left corner from this orientation. Which was in the center of the former Holy Empire before the Mortella scouts tore through their country.
The Victorium was tucked in the left corner opposite the Holy Empire and was twice the size. At some points it reached the edge of the galaxy and some areas were marked red by Shilla. Those areas like the kitinol line were where it was uninhabitable because of some type of creature or something else. She even went as far to mark the small nations that did not join the Victorium but existed around them, like the Centuria.
While between the two and closer to the core were a variety of nations including the former Vexical Empire. Above those nations and between the Holy Empire and Victorium were various colonies and unoccupied zones.
Then on the lower end was the Kaiser Imperium Krieger. It occupied most of the lower area of the galaxy but it seemed like the edges were unoccupied as well. Although there were a few other nations scattered behind the Imperium’s borders. She must be using her people’s knowledge of the galaxy to provide additional details. Although at this point that information was probably outdated.
Because littered throughout the galaxy were blinking dots. On the Holy Empire remnant side were several white dots. They started down into the Imperium as well.
Then on the opposite side were a few green dots but those were at the edge of the galaxy. But notably there was an area the dots missed. Jace recognized the location of that system immediately and was glad the helmet could hide his beaming smile.
Then on the upper side where it was supposed to be unoccupied were black dots that covered the Oda Empire and other areas. Straying more into the Rogue Metal Legion territory rather than the Victorium. Which was a surprise considering the amount of fire power the AI-based nation had.
Then on the opposite end deep in the Imperium and scattered throughout several other secluded areas in the galaxy were red dots. Some were alone and some were grouped up together. But they were the only ones that appeared throughout the galaxy. Aside from the orange dots, he had a feeling he knew what those ones were.
"Okay, explain what we are looking at Shilla." Valkyrie requested.
Shilla sighed. "The orange dots are everything from supplies to pirates. The white is the mortella, or where the mortella are or were attacking. The green dots are the foreign nations who are trying to lay claim on our galaxy. The black dots are calling their enemy the Dark Elves. Then finally the red dots are daemons." She explained as Jace looked over the information and nodded.
"Where are we coming out at?" Valkyrie asked and looked at Jace before continuing. "Or do you not know?"
Jace reeled back, almost insulted. "You do not have to be mean." He remotely accessed the holographic file and added five symbols before making one of them blink. All five looked like a door. "These are the locations of the gateway’s in our galaxy and the blinking one is where we are coming out at."
"How did you manage to figure out where all of them are?" Valkyrie asked, sounding both annoyed and impressed in the same manner.
"Math." Jace answered with a shrug and got a glare. "I explained it when we first got here but I just had to do some gravitational math. Although I will say I was pleasantly surprised when I found our galaxy seemed to have a fifth and extra gateway."
"How is everything looking?" Cain asked over the communication network.
Jace focused on some key areas. "Kamot has fallen. So has the system the Princess’ Pride used to occupy. I am guessing it has moved since then."
"Even the Centuria are having trouble with the Dark Elves." Shilla mumbled under her voice but still loud enough to be caught by the communication device.
"I have no record or recollection of the Dark Elves." Cain responded. "Not even a mention in history."
"We will have to ask about them when we get back." Jace told him. "It looks like Operation Underworld worked." Jace declared with a bit of pride and heard a mechanical cackle.
"Operation Underworld?" Valkyrie asked.
"Securing the Cerberus Unit an entire star system. The one you picked?" Cain asked. freewebnøvel.coɱ
"Indeed." Jace nodded his head and did not explain further. "We should be prepared for combat. It looks like we are coming out behind the mortella’s primary line at the edge of the galaxy."
"How should we handle it?" Valkyrie asked.
"We will hide using cloaking and scan jamming." Jace started as he stood up and motioned at a set of star systems. "Following this path until we get to this first emergency signal. From there we will start responding to signals. Until we manage to get our own people’s attention."
"You are hoping they have created some sort of unified front to fight against the invaders." Catherine was the one to ask as she entered the bridge in handcuffs. She was not looking very happy. Just about the same attitude she had when they put her under. It was not like she was happy with being put into cryo.
"The unification against outside forces was already underway when we left." Valkyrie pointed out. "Everything from the plague to the-" She stopped as she did a double take as she looked at the holomap. "It is missing."
Jace frowned and looked at the map as well. Then he realized the area the plague started in, in the Crystoph Federation, was one of the branches of the emergency signals where the Dark Elves were reaching.
