Chapter Thirty-Seven (2/2)
Another Goliath ran for it.
Then another.
The formation dissolved, each Goliath fighting on its own, trying to defend just itself from the hammering being rained down upon the ancient Precursor machines.
With the Psychic Dampening Shields broken the Seventh Fleet launched their boarders. The Precursor machines found themselves fighting an internal battle just as fierce as the external battle.
One by one the remaining six Goliaths fell to the hammerblow of the Seventh Fleet. The smaller ships crushed the smaller ships left behind.
The Imps in the Oort Cloud fled.
Silence fell on the system.
The beings breathed a sigh of relief that the Precursor machines had been destroyed. The Planetary CEO's rubbed their hands with glee, the refineries and vast manufacturing and smelting arrays within the system had survived and the planets themselves had been protected.
Then came the next signal, broadcast across the entire system.
THIS SYSTEM IS UNDER MARTIAL LAW AS PER RELEVANT SECTIONS OF THE CONFEDERATE LEGAL CODE AND THE TERRAN CONFEDERATE MILITARY UNIFORM CODE OF JUSTICE. SEVENTH FLEET IS NOW ASSUMING CONTROL OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, JUDICIAL ADJUCATION, AND MATERIALS.
The CEO's began broadcasting their protests, but the ships came in system, disgorging landing craft that landed to deploy armored vehicles the size of stadiums, massive bipedal machines the size of skyscrapers, legions of armored Terran warborgs, self-deploying firebases, forward operating bases, and logistical bases. The output of the factories, refineries, and smelters were seized and applied to building system defenses.
The system's native race watched in awe as the CEO's and Executive Officers were arrested and hauled away to prisons to be tried at a later date for violation of the Confederate Code of Martial Law.
Fear in the native race and inhabitants gave way to a strange sense of disorientation as they watched informational broadcasts describing that they had something called Rights under Terran System Martial Law. The Right to peacefully assemble. The Right to Life. The Right to legal representation. The Right to the fulfillment of Basic Needs. The presumption of innocence beneath the legal code.
VI's and AI's spent time reassuring the population of the inhabited planets that it was not some cruel trick. They could say as they wanted, they could think as they wanted, they were free to stand out in front of the Military Governor's Office and yell profanity if they wanted.
One rainy morning a being that looked like a cross between a large fuzzy spider and an alligator stood out in front of the windows of the Governor's Office while he was speaking to other beings. He raised a vocal amplifier, called the cyborg a rude name, and ran away, fully expecting armored Lawsec goons to kick in his apartment door to haul him off for reeducation.
Instead, nothing happened.
The Confederate Military Governor had more important things to worry about.
Like protecting a system that stood right in the way of the steady, logical, and ever expanding wave of conquest by the Precursor machines.
Besides, he didn't even have a mother. He had been grown in a vat.
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CONFEDERATE ARMED FORCES REPORT
Metlikan-318 was assaulted by the Precursor war machines ahead of projected schedule with forces underestimated by CONFED MILINT. Task Force Hammerflight was able to hold the inner system until Seventh Fleet CyCo arrived. Joint operation between the two forces was able to eliminate Precursor activities and elements. Six Goliath class vessels escaped combat into Hellspace.
System was under the corporatocracy of the Elikshurek System Exploitation Corporation. Inhabitants were largely (99.132%) in debt peonage and under hereditary debt of the construction of system exploitation infrastructure, in direct violation of the Anti-Slavery Act of the Terran Confederate Charter of Sentient Beings. Placed all officers of Executive Rank and above under arrest and confined until a trial to be determined at a later date.
System is being reinforced and fortified. Expect additional attacks are immanent. Request reinforcements as available. Will hold until releaved.
7th Fleet, Cybernetic Organism Collective
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS MEMO
Ooooh boy, someone else gets to be on receiving end of an ass kicking. It's nice to be one of the kickers instead of the kickee.
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DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS
You aren't kidding.
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BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS
Ooooh, this is gonna be good!
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MANTID FREE WORLDS
You guys have been hanging around the Terrans too long.
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CLONE WORLDS DIRECTORATE
Ook ook, me like fire! Me like smash smash! Ooga booga!
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TREANA'AD FREE WORLDS
smashy smashy! Who have food? Me no like angry machine! Why bug people run away?
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MANTID FREE WORLDS
Excuse me, kind gentlebeing, although I appear to be on fire which spontaneously happened through no fault of my own, would you happen to know the time? Also, it appears your food dispenser may have broken before I arrived.
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TERRASOL
I CAN FUCKING HEAR YOU GUYS!
>Mantid Free Worlds has left the chat
>Treana'ad Hive Worlds has left the chat
>Digitial Artificial Intelligence Systems has left the chat
>Biological Artificial Sentience Systems has left the chat
>Clone Worlds Directorate has left the chat
Assholes.