Speaker 1: Hullo. I'm welcomed stories all the time. Glad you are here.
Let's get into it. Admiral's ex Star stood on the
bridge of the Starlight Defender and watched another world by
Through the large viewing screen. She could see the green
planet Mallory burning orange and red flames covered its surface
like angry scars. The beautiful forests and blue oceans that
once made this world home to forty million Calloi were
now gone forever. Admiral, we are getting the last evacuation ships,
said Commander Velter from his station. His voice was quiet
and sad. Only two hundred thousand made it out, said Starr,
closed her four eyes for a moment. Two hundred thousand
survivors from forty million people. The numbers always hurt to hear.
She had been fighting this war for three years now,
and every battle ended the same way. The Vortha came,
They consumed everything, and the calorie ran. How long until
the vortha creached the next system? She asked, Our scouts
say maybe two weeks, Admiral. They are moving faster now.
The Admiral looked at the tactical display floating above the
command table. Red dots showed where the Vorthak forces were
moving through their space. Blue dots showed what was left
of the Calorie fleet. There were far more red dots
than blue ones. The Vorthak were not like any enemy
a Calorie had ever fought before. Most wars in the
galaxy happened between different species who wanted the same planets
or resources. Those wars had rules, they had limits. When
one side won, the other side could surrender and make peace.
But the Vorthak did not want peace. They did not
want to rule over other species. They wanted to eat them.
Every living thing on every planet it conquered became fruit
for their By mechanical ships, they turned entire worlds into
giant factories that made more weapons and more soldiers. Sex
thorough remembered the first time she had seen a Vorthak
ship up close. It was three years ago, during the
Battle of Zurian Prime. The ship looked like a massive
insect made of metal and flesh. It had thousands of
small holes all over its surface, and from these holes
came smaller ships that looked like flying beetles. The big
ship itself was alive in some horrible way. It breathed,
it bled when it was damaged, and when it was
hurt badly enough, it would eat its own smaller ships
to heal itself. The worst part was how smart they were.
Every time the Calorie used a weapon against them, the
Vothackle learn to defend against it. Energy weapons that worked
perfectly in one battle would be useless in the next battle.
The enemy ships would grow new armor that could absorb
the energy blasts. They could change the shape to avoid missiles.
They could even copy Calorie technology and use it against them. Admiral,
we have an urgent message from a high command, said
Lieutenant Karrs from the communications station. But if reviewing screen
changed to shure the face of General Model, the leader
of all Calorie military forces, he looked older than Mendex
Thoroughs soon him. Last month the war was edging all
of them quickly, Admirable Cxorer, you need to return to
the capital immediately. We are calling all fleet commanders for
an emergency meet in gentle My ships are needed here
to covert the evacuation from Mallory of the evacuation is finished,
Admirable Dare is no one left to save on that world.
The General's voice was heavy with sadness. We have bigger
problems now. Our intelligence division has discovered something terrible about
the Vodak's next move. Sexara felt cold fear in her stomach.
What have they found gknob over this channel? Admiral, just
come home as fast as you can, and Seksaara, bring
every ship you have. We may not get another chance
to gather our forces like this. The transmission ended, leaving
the bridge in uncomfortable silence. Six Starr knew the tone
in the Genital's voice. She had heard it before when
they first learned that the Vorthak had destroyed the outer colonies.
It was the sound of some one delivering very bad news.
Commander Velter signal, all ships in the fleet, we are
returning to Calory Prime immediately. Yes, Admiral, should I tell them? Why?
Tell them? We have new orders from high command? Nothing more.
As he ships prepared to jump faster than light speed.
Sex Thoro looked one last time at the burning planet below.
Meloria had been one of the most beautiful worlds in
Calorie Space. Her sister had lived there with her family
before the war started. They had escaped during one of
their earlier evacuations, but millions of others had not been
so lucky. The stars stretched into long white lines as
the Starlight Defender entered hyperspace. The journey to Calory Prime
would take six hires. Ze's Thoro used the time to
review the latest battle reports from other parts of the war.
The news was all bad. Admiral Ckelon had lost half
his fleet trying to defend the industrial world of Factory seven.
The Vorthach had completely destroyed the mining colonies in the
Outer Room, whilst of all, the defensive fleet protecting the
agricultural wales had been wiped out completely. Those worlds grew
most of the food for the civilian population. By Zex's rascount,
the Callerie had lost over sixty percent of their military
ships in the last three years. They had lost even
more civilian ships trying to evacuate refugees from conquered worlds.
At this rate, they would have no ships left within
a year. But the ships were not even the biggest problem.
The biggest problem was that they were running out of
places to run to. The Vorthach had conquered or destroyed
over two hundred Calori worlds. Each conquered world gave the
enemy more resources to build more ships and more soldiers.
The Calorie had maybe fifty words left under their control.
When the fleet arrived at Calorie Prime that Ksora could
see that the home world was preparing for sea each
huge defense platforms had been built in orbit around the planet.
The space around the world was full of military ships,
supply vessels, and refugee transports from dozens of other worlds.
The admiral took a shuttle down to the surface and
went straight to the military headquarters in the capital city
of New Kolra. The building was buzzing with activity. Officers
and soldiers heard through the hallways carrying data tablets and
battle plans. Everyone looked worrid and tired. The emergency meeting
was held in the same room where the Calari Confederation
had declared warn the Worthic three years ago. All the
surviving fleet commanders were there, along with government officials and
military leaders. Sixty accounted only twelve other admirals in the room.
At the start of the war there had been thirty five.
General Morduks stood at the front of the room next
to a large holographic display. Thank you all for coming.
I know you have left your fleets at a critical time,
but what I am about to tell you effects survival
of our entire species. He activated the display which show
a map of Fortheck movements. Over the last month, our
intelligence teams have intercepted enemy communications. We have learned that
the Vortaka gathering their forces for what they call the
Final Consumption. They are bringing together every ship in their
empire for one massive attack. Admiral Techron, who commanded the
defense of the Northern Sectors, raised his hand. How many
ships are we talking about? General? According to our best estimates,
over one million vessels of various sizes. The room fell
completely silent, six thorough felt sick. One million ships. The
entire remaining Callori fleet had maybe eight thousand ships, and
most of those were damaged below on supplies. When will
this attack begin, us to Admiral Jansorer. Our sources suggest
they will be ready to move in approximately six months.
They are taking time to bring ships from the far
edges of their territory and to build new vessels using
the resources from recently conquered worlds. Command A Poulter from
the Intelligence Division stepped forward. We believe their target this
calorie Prime itself. They want to end this war by
destroying our home world and the government Sixtoros stood up
General with respect. How are we supposed to fight one
million ships with eight thousand. Even if we gathered every
civilian vessel we could find, we would still be outnumbered
more than fifty to one. That is exactly the question
we need to answer in this meeting, Admiral, our scientists,
our military strategists, and our political leaders have been working
around the clock to find some way to survive this attack.
We need ideas, we need miracles, We need anything that
might give us a chance for the next civil iris.
The room filled with desperate suggestions. Some commanders wanted to
scatter the fleet and tried to hide on remote walls
until the Vorthach moved on to the parts of the galaxy.
Others suggested trying to negotiate with the enemy, though every
one knew the Vorthek did not negotiate with food. A
few officers proposed using weapons of must destruction against forth
Ec worlds, but those whipons had already been tried early
in the war. The Vorthak ship simply absorbed the energy
from nuclear explosions and used it to make themselves stronger.
The most popular suggestion was to evacuate as many civilians
as possible to the unexplored regions beyond the galactic rim,
and hope that some Calorie would survive to rebuild the
civilization some day. As the meeting continued into the night,
Sextaro realized that none of these plans would really work.
The Vorthact were too strong, too adaptable, and too numerous.
They had been winning this war since the first day,
and nothing the Callorie had tried had been able to
stop them. There is one more option we have not discussed,
said doctor Lenora, the head of the Science division. We
could try to find allies. General Mordick shook his head. Doctor,
we have already contacted every major civilization in this part
of the galaxy. The eelkn Republic is too far away
to help in time. The Unified Worlds are fighting narrow
and war against a machine collective. The styll of Federation
has closed their borders and refuses to get involved. I
was not talking about the major civilizations, General, I was
talking about the small ones, the species we have not
contacted because we thought they were too primitive to matter.
What could primitive species do against the Vodka? We cannot
to ai ourselves. I do not know, doctor Lenarre admitted,
but we have exhausted all other possibilities. Maybe someone out
there has something we do not, Maybe someone has developed
weapons or strategies that we have never considered. Admiral's Extrara
thought about this idea as a meeting finally, and a
near dawn. It was a desperate plan, but then again,
they were in a desperate situation. As she walked back
to her shuttle, she looked up at the sunrise over
Calorie Prime. It was beautiful, but she wondered how many
more sunrises her people would see. Six months. That was
all the time they had left to find a miracle.
Six months to discover something that could stop an enemy
that had conquered half the galaxy. Six months to save
their entire species from extinction. The Admiral climbed into her
shuttle and prepared to return to her fleet. There was
still work to do, Silwell's to evacuate, still battles to fight,
but now she also had a new mission. She would
start looking for allies in the most unlikely places. After all,
when you are about to lose everything, even the smallest
hope is worth pursuing. Three weeks had passed, since the
emergency meeting on Calorie Prime. Admiral Vosekstara sat in her
command chairboard the stall Defender, reading through the latest reports
from the search teams. Doctor Lennarre's suggestion to contact primitive
species had been approved by the high Command, but the
results so far were disappointing. The science teams had found
dozens of small civilizations scattered throughout the outer regions of
the galaxy. Most of them were still using chemical rockets
to travel between planets and iron star systems. A few
had developed basic energy weapons, but nothing that could challenge
even the weakest fourth The scoutship command of Alder approached
her chair with another data tablet. Admiral, we have responses
from the contact teams in sectors seven through twelve. The
Brolin species offered to share their agricultural knowledge with us.
The Katari want to trade their out for our medical technology.
The Iliens asked if we could help them build better
space stations. Six Star rubbed her forehead with two of
her hands. None of them understand what we are facing,
do they no, Admiral. Most of them have never fought
a war beyond their own star system. They cannot imagine
an enemy like the Vorthek. Any word from the teams
in the outer Rim sectors still waiting for reports from
sectors fifteen through twenty. Those regions are so far out
that it takes three days for messages to reach us.
The Admiral looked at the tactical display showing forth the movements.
The enemy was still gathering their forces for the final attack,
but they were also sending scab fleets to Procollery defenses.
Every week brought needs of another skirmish and other lost
battle and other retreat dot. The Tenant Kirer's turned from
her communication station. Admiral, we are receiving a priority transmission
from contactem Gammons Sectory At Team put it through the
main screen, show Captain Morjen, one of the expedition leaders.
He looked excited, which was unusual. Most of the Contact
Team reports have been routine and borne. Admiral, we have
found something interesting. We encountered a species that calls themselves humans.
There from a star system called Soul, and they want
to meet with our command structure. What makes them different
from the other species we have contacted, well, Admiral, they
contacted us first. Our scouts ship was investigating their system
when they sent on vessels to intercept us. When we
explained our situation, they immediately offered to help. Six Storo
was surprised. Most primitive species were afraid when they first
net advanced aliens armed vessels. What kind of weapons do
they have? That is the strange part, Admiral. Their weapons
are very primitive. They use all the projectors instead of
energy beams. Their ships have no energy shields. They do
not even have faster than like communication systems. But they
seem very confident about their military abilities. How confident can
they be with such old technology. They claim to be
experience fighters, Admiral. They said they have been fighting wars
for their entire history as a species. They also said
something else that was interesting. What was that? They said?
They specialize in fighting enemies who think they are unbeatable.
Command of Walter Lean closer to the Admiral. It sounds
like they do not understand what they would be facing. Maybe,
said to Storer. But we are running out of options,
Captain Morgan. A range of meeting. I want to see
these humans for myself. Yes, Admiral, they suggested meeting at
the edge of the stores. They said they prefer to
conduct important meetings in neutral space. Very well, send them
the coordinates Ferrand de Viewpoint. We will meet them in
two days. Two days later, the Starlight Defender arrived at
the meeting coordinates, along three other Calorie ships. The human
fleet that was waiting for them was small, but organized
to extier counterdate vessels, each about half the size of
a Calorie cruiser. Of their ships look very basic, observed
Commander Velder. I am not detecting any energy signatures that
suggest advanced weapons systems. What about their defenses? They appeared
to have some kind of metal armor plating, but no
energy shields. Admiral, a single blast from our main cannon
could destroy one of their ships. The Admiral started the
human vessels through the viewing screen. They had a rough,
practical design that reminded her of the first schet to
her own people had built thousands of years ago, but
there was something about the way they moved, thus suggested
their crews knew what they were doing. Incoming transmission from
the lead human ship announced Lieutenant Carus put it through
the screens showed a heat and female in what appeared
to be a military uniform. She had short dark hair
and sharp eyes that seemed to take in every detail
at the Calorie Bridge. When she spoke, her voice was
calm and confident. I am Captain Sir John of the
Earth to fend For's vessel resilience. I speak for the
United Earth Government in this matter. I am an Admiral's
ex starer of the Calorie Confederation. Captain Chan, my people
are grateful for your willingness to meet with us. Admiral.
Our preliminary discussions with your contact team were quite concerning.
You are facing an enemy that has conquered hundreds of
worlds and is planning to attack your home while with
over one million ships. That is correct, Captain, the Vardic
Empire has been expanding across this part of the galaxy
for several years. They consume everything in their path. Captain
Chan was quite for a moment, and Zik Sar could
see her thinking carefully. Admiral, I need to be honest
with you. Humanity is never fought a space war on
this scale. Our conflicts have been limited to our own
star system and a few nearby regions. Commander Velter whispered
to the Admiral. They admit thing they cannot help us,
but Captain Chan continued speaking, However, we have been monitoring
Vothak movements at the edge of their territory. They have
sent scout fleets to investigate our systems several times in
the past month. You have encountered vorth Ak forces. Tex
thorough was surprised. Most primitive species would have been destroyed immediately. Yes, Admiral,
small groups of their bioshet have pro god defenses. Three times,
each time we have managed to drive them away. You
drove away forth Ak scouts. How we destroyed them, Admiral,
all of them. None of the enemy ships escaped from
any of the encounters. The Calori bridge fell silent, command
of all to check his censor readings again, as if
he could not believe what he was hearing. Lieutenant curest
aired at the human captain with white eyes. Captain Chan said, Sexora, slowly,
are you saying that your primitive weapons were able to
destroy Vorthic bioships. I would not call our weapons primitive, Admiral,
different perhaps, but not primitive. We have been developing military
technology for thousands of years. We may not of energy
shields or plasma canons, but we have learned to be
very good at what we do, What exactly do you do?
We specialize in kinetic weapons, admiral high velocity projectors, explosive devices,
and electromagnetic systems. We also have extensive experience in fighting
adaptive enemies. Dexter did not understand adaptive enemies species on
machines that learn from previous battles and change their tactics.
We have fought several wars against enemies who could modify
their behavior based on our strategies. We learn to count
to their adaptations. Commander valterstept poured. Captain chan Avotha can
adapt to any weapon system within minutes. Their buyer ships
literally grow new defenses during battle. How could kinetic weapons
possibly work against them? Captain Chuen smiled slightly. Commander may
I ask what kind of weapons you typically use against
the Vorthak energy weapons? Of course, plasma cannons, particle beams,
fusion missiles, and they adapt to all of the ease. Yes,
after a few hits, their ships develop amadakin absorb or
deflect energy attacks. What about solid projectiles metal slucks accelerated
to high velocity. Commander Veltel look confused. We stopped using
those weapons thousands of years ago. They were inefficient compared
to energy weapons. The Fisher, perhaps, but the vorth Act
have never encountered them, have they? Sex Star began to
understand what the human was suggesting. They think they might
not know how to defend against weapons they have never
seen before. It is possible, Admiral, our encounters with the
scout ship suggest that their adaptive capabilities are based on
previous experience. When they encountered weapons and tactics they had
never seen before, they struggled to respond effectively. Tell me
about these encounters. Captain Chhn activated display device on her ship.
Three weeks ago, a voth Act scouting force of twelve
buyer ships entered our Star system. They approached our utter
defense platforms using standard Fourth Act tactics that we had
observed through long range senses. The display showed a recording
of the battle. Sex thorough watched as the insect like Foroth,
that ship moved toward what paid be primitive human spased stations.
The bio ships were clearly expecting energy weapon attacks because
they had already begun growing their adaptive armor. Instead, the
human stations opened fire with streams of solid projectiles. The
metal slugs punched through the vorthakama like it was made
of paper. The bioships tried to adapt, but they could
not grow armor thick enough to stop high velocity metal
without making themselves too heavy to move effectively. The Vordic
ships were destroyed in less than ten minutes. Captain Chun explained,
then never managed to adapt to our weapons. Commander Velter
was staring at the display, but how did you know
this would work? We did not know for certain, Commander,
but we had studied the Vordic through long range observation.
We noticed that their adaptive armor was very effective against
energy weapons, but seemed to be designed for that specific threat.
Admirals ex thorough felt something she had not felt in months. Hope.
It was a small hope, but it was real. Captain Chen,
are you suggesting that humanity would be willing to join
our fight against the Vordic? Admiral, The Voldic scouts came
into our system for a reason. Our intelligence analysis suggests
that Earth is on their list of words to be consumed.
Whether we help you or not, we will eventually have
to fight them ourselves. But your forces are so small
compared to what the Vorthak will bring against us that
is true, Admiral, eight hips cannot defeat one million, but
eight ships might be able to teach your forces new
ways to fight. Captain Chuhn pauls and looked directly at
zex Thorer. Admiral, we would like to propose a joint operation,
a small battle where our forces work together against a
vorth target. If our methods prove effective on a larger scale,
we can discuss expanding the co operation. Six thorough thought
about the proposal. It was risky to commit any of
her remaining ships to an experimental battle, but if there
was even a small chance that human tactics could work
against a vorthoch, it was worth trying. What kind of
target did you have in mind? Our intelligence indicates that
there is a vodic supply convoy moving through the Arian
sector in five days, twenty bio ships escorting several cargo vessels,
large enough to be a real test, but small enough
that we could retreat if the opera ration fails. Commander
Walter whispered urgently to the admiral. Admiral, we cannot risk
our ships on and untest its strategy. That Sexto was
thinking about the millionship fleet that was coming to destroy
her home will. Conventional tactics had failed for three years.
Maybe it was time to try something unconventional. Captain Chan,
what would you need from us for this operation? Primarily,
we would need some of your ships to be temporarily
modified with human weapons systems. We would also need detailed
intelligence about for the adaptive capabilities modified with primitive weapons. Yes, Admiral,
we would need to install kinetic weapons systems and remove
some of your energy weapons. It would be a significant
change to your ships. Sextor closed her eyes and thought
about all the battles they had lost, all the wells
that had been consumed, all the people who had died.
Then she thought about the six months they had left
before the final attack. Captain Chen, I agree fewer proposal.
We will conduct a joint operation against the Czarian convoy.
Thank you, Admiral. I believe this could be the beginning
of a very important alliance. As the two fleets prepared
to depart the meeting point, Sexthor wondered if she had
just made the best decision of her career or the worst.
But one thing was certain. For the first time since
the war began, the Calorie were going to try something.
The vote that had never seen before. The Territorsnibula was
a perfect place for an ambush. The thick clouds of
gas and dust would hide the allied fleet until the
last moment, and the electromagnetic interference would make it hard
for the voter to call for help. Admirals of Star
restowed on the bridge of the Starlight Defender and watched
her technicians make the final adjustments to the human weapons
systems dot. It had taken four days to modify her
ships for the joint operation. The humans have worked around
the clock to install their kinetic weapons on three Calorie cruisers.
The process was more complicated than anyone had expected because
human technology was so different from Calorie systems. Admiral, the
weapon modifications are complete, reported Chief Engineer Corvin. We have
removed the plasma canan arrays from the Starlight Defender, the
store Runner, and the Nightwing. In their place, we have
insolved human kinetic weapons systems. How do they work? The
humans call them real goes, Admiral. They use electromagnetic fields
to accelerate metal projectors to extremely high speeds. The projectiles
are solid metal rods about the size of my arm,
but they travel at nearly thirty percent of light speed
when they leave the weapon. Thik Sura looked at the
strange new weapons mounted on her ship's hull. They were
much smaller than plasma cannons and had a simple approval appearance.
What about ammunition? Each weapon has a magazine that holds
two hundred projectiles. The humans brought enough spare ammunition for
alarm battle. Commander Velter approach with a word expression, Admiral,
I still think this is a mistake. We are removing
proven weapons and replacing them with technology that is thousands
of years old, old technology that has already proven effective
against fourth are scouts. The admiral reminded him. Besides, we
are keeping our energy weapons on the other ships in
the flee. If the human weapons fail, we can still
fight conventionally. Captain Chin's voice came over the communication system
Admiral's extorer, This is Captain Chan. My ships were in
position at the edge of the Nebula. Are your mauvided
vessels red ready for the operation? We are ready, Captain.
What is the status of the Vortak convoy? A long
rangeansor showed them approaching on schedule. Twenty Escot ships and
six cargo vessels. They should reach the ambush point in
approximately one ah. Understood, all ships moved to attack positions.
The combined human calorie fleet positioned itself within the Nebula clouds.
Dick Surer had twelve ships under her command, while Captain
Chan had brought eight human vessels against twenty vourth Ak bioships.
The odds were roughly even in terms of numbers, but
everyone knew that Vothak ships were individually more powerful than
anything the Alliance could field. Admiral I am detecting the
Vothit convy entering the Nebula, reported Lieutenant kerrors. They are
moving in standard formation, with the cargo ships in the
center and the escotes spread around them. Can we identify
the ship types? Yes, Admiral, mostly Hunter class buioships, with
three larger Destroyer class vessels providing heavy escort. The cargo
ships appear to be carrying raw materials and possibly by
mechanical components. Sext Arrow studied the tactical displayed of Vartak
formation was typical for supply confert. The escort ships would
be alert, but not expecting a major attack. As deep
in their territory. It was a good target for testing
human tactics. Captain Charm, are you ready to begin the attack? Ready, Admiral,
Remember we want to engage the escorts first and leave
the cargo ships for lust. We need to see how
the Vorthak react to our weapons before they can call
for reinforcements. Understowed, all ships prepare for attack. Modified vessels
will engage first, followed by support from conventional weapons. The
Starlight Defender moved out of the nebular clouds along with
the other two modified Calorie ships. The Vorthak escorts immediately
detected them and began moving into battle formission as expected
if the bioships started growing their adaptive armor even before
the first shots were fired, target the lead destroyer, Chief Engineer,
let us see what your new weapons can do. Yes, Admiral,
railcon systems are charged and ready to fire. The first
kinetic projector left the Starlight Defender at incredible speed. It
crossed space between the ships so quickly that it was
impossible to see. The metal rod struck the Vordic Destroyer
in the center of its hullm punched completely through the
bio's ship from front to back. The destroyer immediately began
trying to heal the damage, but something was wrong. Instead
of the rapid regeneration that usually followed damage to a
Vortak ship, the healing process was slow and chaotic. Green
fluid leaked from the hull and the ships towl. Direct
hip reported the targeting officer. The enemy ship is heavily
damaged but still functional. Fire again, same target. Free more
kinetic projectiles hit the destroyer within seconds, each one punched
through the bioship's hull in a different place. The vourthducked
vessel tried desperately to adapt, growing thick armor round the
impact points, but the armor could not stop projectile's traveling
at such high speed. The destroyer is breaking apart, announced
command of Velteur, with amazement in his voice. Admiral, it
is not healing at all. Sixth Thorow watched as the
mass of bioship split into several pieces and died. It
was the first time iron she had ever seen a
Vothok ship completely destroyed in less than a minute. Target
the next destroyer continue firing. The other vortheck Eskirts were
now moving to attack the modified Calorie ships, but they
were having the same problem as their destroyed companion. Their
adaptive armor, which had been so effective against energy weapons,
could not stop high velocity solar projectiles. Captain Chan's voice
came over the communication system. Admiral, now it would be
a good time to observe something interesting. What do you mean,
watch what happens when the Vothach tried to board one
of our ships. As if responding to her words, several
small vot at boarding pods launched from one of the
Hunter class ships toward the human vessel Resilience. The pods
attached themselves to the human ship's hull and began cutting
through the armor with biomechanical tools. Captain, should we provide assistance,
ask sixt Hor, Not yet, Admiral, this is part of
the test. The Admiral watched as board if biou soldiers
entered the human ship through the holes they had cut.
These creatures were some of the most dangerous weapons in
the enemy arsenal. They could adapt to any environment and
could interface directly with enemy computer systems to take control
of ships dot But after several minutes, something unexpected happened.
Instead of the voard that taken control of the human ship,
the boarding pots began detaching from the hull. The few
bio soldiers that made it back to their pots look
confused and agitated. Captain chn what just happened, Admiral. The
Vorfek boarding process relies on their ability to interface with
our computer systems and adapt to our technology. But our
ships use analog control systems and mechanical interfaces. The bio
soldiers cannot connect systems that are not digital, Commander, vaulta
leaned forward. You mean their most dangerous weapon does not
work against your ships exactly, Commander. They can cut through
a hull, but once there inside they cannot take control
of anything important. Our crew was able to drive them
off with simple chemical weapons. The battle continued for another
thirty minutes, but the outcome was no longer in doubt.
The human kinetic weapons were devastating against Fortac bioships, and
the traditional Votak bordering tactics were useless against human analog systems.
Dot By the end of the engagement, all twenty fourth
O Cascot's ships had been destroyed. The cargo vessels, lacking
any significant weapons, tried to flee, but were easily captured
by the faster human ships. Admiral, this is Captain chan,
I suggest we examine one of the cargo ships before
we destroy it. We might learn something useful about Vorthac technology,
agreed Captain. But we should be careful. Vortac ships sometimes
have self destruct mechanisms. The boarding team that investigated the
capture cargo ship made several important discoveries. The ships by
mechanical systems were incredibly advanced, but they were all designed
around the assumption that the Vothak would be fighting enemies
who used energy based technology. Chief Engineer Corvin, who had
joined the boarding team, sent a report back to the Admiral. Admiral,
the ship's defensive systems are amazing, but they are completely specialized.
Every piece of armor, every adaptive mechanism, every heeling system
is designed to counter energy weapons, plasma attacks, and digital systems.
What about the defensive capabilities the same thing, Admiral. Their
weapons are designed to o volowed energy shields and disrupt
digital targeting systems. They have no weapons that are particularly
effective against solid armor or analog systems. But the most
important discovery came when the boarding team tried to interface
with the cargochate computer systems. Vorthach by mechanical computers could
not understand human technology at all. When presented with analog
circuits and mechanical controls, the alien systems became confused and
began malfunctioning. It is as if they have never encountered
this type of technology before, reported the Chief Engineer. Third
optation protocols keep trying to find digital interfaces that do
not exist. Admirals Exterer, realize what this meant, Chief Engineer.
Are you saying that the Vortek Empire has never conquered
a species that used analog technology It but peers that way, Admiral.
Every adaptation they have developed is based on fighting digital civilizations.
The implications were staggering. The Vorthek had conquered hundreds of
wells and dozens of species, but apparently every one of
those civilizations had used advanced digital technology. The enemy had
never encountered a species that still used mechanical annalog systems.
Captain John requested a private communication with Admiral's x thorow
after the battle. Admiral, this change is everything the fourth
It can not invincible. They just appear invincible because every
enemy they have fought has used the same basic types
of technology. But Captain humanity cannot fight a million ship
fleet alone, no matter how effective your weapons are. You
are right, Admiral, But what if we could modify more
of your ships? What if we could teach your entire
fleet to fight using human tactics and weapons. Six horror
thought about this possibility. They would take months to modify
our entire fleet. We do not have that much time.
We might not need to modify every ship, Admiral. We
just need enough ships with kinetic weapons to cause confusion
in the fourth are ranks. Once their adaptive systems start malfunctioning,
your conventional weapons might become more effective to How do
you figure that? Think about it, Admiral. The Votak has
spent years developing defenses against energy weapons used by your people,
But those defenses were developed while fighting an enemy who
only used energy weapons. If we can disrupt their adaptation
process with kinetic weapons, their existing defenses might not work
properly any more. Commander Welter, who had been listening to
the conversation, spoke up, Captain, are you suggesting that we
could confuse their defensive systems exactly, Commander. Military adaptation requires
consistent patterns. If we can introduce in consistent patterns into
battle adaptive systems become much less effective. Admiral Admiral sek
Sara looked at the tactical display showing the destroyed Vodic
escort fleet. Twenty five ships that had seen in Vincible
just hours ago were now floating debris, all because they
had accounted weapons and tactics they had never seen before.
Captain Chan, how many calories ships could your people modified
before the final at all? With our current resources, maybe
fifty ships, But Admiral, we would need access to your
ship ouds and manufacturing facilities. We would all also need
your people to learn how to maintain and operate the
new weapons and in return. In return, Admiral, we offer
humanities for commitment to this war. Every ship we have,
every weapon we can build, every tactical innovation we can develop.
Sextra made her decision. Captain Chen, you have a deal.
Let us return to Calori Prime and begin preparations. We
have a war to win. As the combined fleet prepared
to leave the Teretis Nebula, admiral's Ekxtarer felt something she
had not experienced in three years of fighting the Vortec.
She felt like they had a real chance to survive
the enemy had made their first mistake in the entire war.
They had assumed that all civilizations would fight the same way.
Now it was time to show them how wrong that
assumption was. The news of the victory at Turtis Nebula
spread through the Calorie fleet faster than any official report
could travel within eyres of Admirals ex Thores returned to
Calorie Prime. Every ship captain in the system knew that
twenty Vorthek bioships had been destroyed without losing a single
Allied vessel. For the first time in three years, Calorie
crews were talking about winning instead of just surviving. General
Mortar called an emergency meeting of the High Command. As
soon as the admirals shuttle landed. The same room that
had been filled with the spare three weeks earlier was
now buzzing with excitement and possibility. Admiral's extror Captain Chan,
please explain exactly what happened at Turdis, said the General.
As soon as every one was seated, Sex activated the
holographic display and showed the battle recordings. The room fell
silent as the commander's warfact destroyers being torn apart by
kinetic weapons. When The display showed bio soldiers fleeing from
a human ship and confusion. Several officers have shutcheed. The
implications are clear, said doctor Lenara from the Science Division.
The Fourth Act have a fundamental weakenss that we can exploit.
Their entire military doctrine is based on fighting advanced digital civilizations.
Admiral Techarn raised his hand, but can we can we
really modify enough ships to make a difference. The final
battle is still only four months away. Captain Chain stood up. Admiral,
We have been working on that problem during the journey
back to Calorie Prime. We believe we can create a
hybrid approach that will be more efficient than completely converting
your ships. What do you mean by hybrid approach? Instead
head of removing all your energy weapons, we can add
kinetic weaponpods to your existing ships. This way, you keep
your current fireport but gain the ability to confuse forotic
adaptive systems. Chief Engineer Corvin, who had been studying human
technology for the past week, added his analysis. The human
kinetic weapons are actually quite simple to manufacture. We could
begin mass production immediately using our existing industrial facilities. General
Mordical lean forward. How many ships could we modify with
this hybrid approach. Captain Chun consulted a data tablet. With
the full cooperation of your ship heads and manufacturing centers,
we estimate we could modify approximately three hundred ships and
four months. That would give you enough hybrid vessels to
disrupt fourth informations during the final battle, three hundred ships
with kinetic weapons against one million fortic vessels us IT
Admiral Insorer. The odds are still terrible. What they are
not helpless, said k Sorer. We learn something else important
during the battle. When voth A adaptive systems are confused
by kinetic weapons, their defenses against energy weapons become much
less effective. She activated another section of the battle recording.
Watch what happens when we fired conventional plasma weapons at
bioships that had already been hit by kinetic projectiles. The
display shared the final phase of the Tardius battle. Calary
ships using normal energy weapons were achieving much better results
against fort that bioship that had been damaged by human
kinetic weapons. The enemy armor, that usually adapted quickly to
plasma file was slow to respond and less effective. The
kinetic weapons disrupt their entire adaptive process, explained Captain Chum.
Once therebiomechanical systems are confused, they cannot adapt, probably to
any weapons. Doctor Lenaro was studying the data carefully. Captain,
do you think this disruption effect would work on a
larger scale during a major fleet engagement. We believe so,
Doctor Oh. Analysis suggests that forthack ships share information about
adaptive responses through some kind of biological network. If we
can confuse enough ships at the beginning of a battle,
the confusion might spread to other ships in their fleet.
Commander Velter, who had been quite during most of the meeting,
finally spoke up. This could actually work. If we position
the hybrid ships correctly, we might be able to create
chaos in their entire formation. General Mordoc mate's decision very well.
We will commit all available resources to this project. Admiral's Extorer,
you will oversee this ship modifications, Captain Chen, we need
your people to train our crews in human tactics and
weapons operation. General, we will need more than just ship modifications,
said Captain Chen. We also need to change how your
flee fights. Hallary battle tactics so designed around energy weapons
and long range engagements. Kinetic weapons work best at shorter
ranges with different timing. What are you suggesting we need
to train your flee commanders in human combat doctrine. Our
tactics are based on overwhelming concentrated firepower and rapid position changes,
very different from traditional calorie strategies. Admirals zachs Starr nodded.
Captain Chaine is right. During the teutiest battle, I noticed
that human ships moved and fought in ways I had
never seen before. Their co ordination was excellent, but their
methods were completely foreign to us. How long would it
take to retrain our commanders? At least two months of
intentsive train in Admiral we would need to practice new formations,
new timing, new communication per calls, general more to c
looked around the room. Do we have any other choice? No,
Sir said sex Sorer. Conventional tactics have failed for three years.
If we want to survive the final battle, we need
to fight in ways the Vota kav never encountered. The
next four months transformed the Calarian military more completely than
the previous century of gradual improvements. Human engineers worked alongside
calorie technicians and Shippard's throughout the confederation. The sound of
kinetic weapons being tested could be heard on dozens of
worlds as crews learned to operate their new equipment. Captain
chn established a training academy on Calorie Prime where human
instructors talk Calorie officers how to fight using Earth combat doctrine.
The classes were intense enough and frustrating for commanders who
had spent their entire careers using energy based tactics. The
key difference, Captain Chun explained to a group of Calorie admirals,
is that human tactics assume the enemy will adapt to
your weapons. Therefore, we focus on changing our approach faster
than the enemy can respond. Admiral Rous and one of
the older commanders raise his hand. Captain, this requires us
to constantly modify about a plans during combat. Calorie doctrine
emphasizes careful planning and consistent execution, and Calorie doctrine has
been feeling against them worth up for three years, Admiral,
you need to learn to improvise. The training was not
limited to ship commanders. Human marines worked with Calorie ground
forces to develop new boarding and defensive tactics. The Calorie
had always relied on energy barriers and digital security systems
to protect their ships from borders. Now they were learning
to use mechanical locks, chemical weapons, and analog communication systems.
The idea is to make your ships as confusing as
possible for vote the biosoldiers, explain Sergeant Maria Rodriguez, a
human marine instructor, every system the encounter should be something
they have never seen before. Meanwhile, the ship modification program
was proceeding faster than anyone had expected. Human kinetic weapons
were simpler to manufacture than calorie energy weapons, and the
hybrid approach meant that existing ships could be upgraded without
complete reconstruction. Chief Engineer Corvin reported to Admiral's Xtra every
week on the program's progress. We have completed modifications on
two hundred forty ships so far, Admiral. The remaining sixty
ships should be finished within the next month. How are
the crews adapt into the new weapons better than expected? Admiral?
The kinetic weapons are actually easier to operate than plasma canons.
No complex energy calculations or heat management required. Point and shoot.
What about ammunition supplies? That was a concern initially, but
human manufacturing techniques are very efficient. We can produce ginetic
projectors much faster than we can manufacture energy weapon components.
The most significant breakthrough came when doctor Lenaris science team
discovered that they could improve the kinetic weapons even further
by studying Poorfook bioship samples from the Totis battle. Admiral
we found something interesting about forth the Chaumer, she reported
during one of the weekly briefings. Their adaptive biable is
extremely effective against energy attacks because it can absorb and
redistribute energy, but it actually becomes weaker when it tries
to adapt to physical impacts. What does that mean for
our weapons? It means we can design kinetic projectors specifically
to exploit this weakness. We have developed new ammunition that
becomes more effective the more the Vodkama tries to adapt
to it. Captain Chen was impressed by this development. Doctor
Yev turned our weapons from a surprise attack into a
permanent advantage. Even if the vod the colod about kinetic weapons,
they will not be able to develop effective defenses. As
the final month before the expective for the attack approached,
Admirals K's Tower conducted a series of large scale training
exercises to test the new hybrid fleet. The results were encouraging,
but also revealed areas that needed improvement. The good news
is that our kinetic weapons are devastatingly effective, she reported
to General Mordock. The bad news is that coordinating three
hundred ships using completely different tactics is extremely challenging. What
kind of coordination problems are you seeing? Timing mostly human
tactics require very precise co ordination between kinetic and energy
weapon attacks. If the timing is wrong, the weapons interfere
with each other instead of supporting each other. Captain Chan
had a solution for this problem, Admiral, we need to
restructure your fleet organization. Instead of traditional calorie formations, we
should organize ships into mixed human calorie battle groups. How
would that work? Each battle group would of human ships
providing kinetic weapons support and tactical coordination with calorie ships
providing heavy energy at weapon firebar. The human crews would
handle the timing and co ordination because they are trained
in these tactics. Admiral's Extar approved the reorganization and the
results were immediately obvious. Mixed battle groups performed much better
than pure calorie formations using hybrid tactics. But the most
important test came when long range scops reported that the
Voly Grand Fleet had begun moving toward Calorie space. Over
one million bioships were traveling in information so large that
it would take ayos for the entire fleet to pasture
a single star system. They will arrive in two weeks,
reported the Chief Intelligence Officer. Our latest estimates suggest they
have even more ships than we originally thought. The grand
Fleet may contain as many as one point two million vessels.
General morticulled final planning meeting Admiral's Extorer, Captain Chun, are
are we ready to Extoro? Looked at the tactical displays
showing the positions of the modified Calorie fleet three hundred
ships with kinetic weapons, fifty human vessels, four thousand conventional
Calorie ships against more than a million Vovak bioships. General,
we are as ready as we can be. The hybrid
ships are fully operational, the crews are trained in human tactics,
and we have enough kinetic ammunition for a long battle.
Captain Chan, what is your assessment? General? We have given
the Calorie the tools they need to win, but the
final battle will depend on execution, timing, and a little
bit of luck. General Mordak nodded, Then we will make
our stand at Calori Prime. If we lose, at least
we will lose fighting with every advantage we could gain.
Admiral's extarer looked around the room at the faces of
her fellow commanders. Two months ago, these same people had
been preparing for extinction. Now they were preparing for the
largest base battle in the Lactic history, and they actually
believed they could win. The Fourth Act ro about to
discover that their greatest strength was also their greatest weakness.
Their ability to adapt to any enemy had made them
over confident. They had never faced an enemy who could
exploit their adaptation process itself. In two weeks, the war
would end one way or another. But for the first
time since the conflict began, the cavalry fleet was not
just hoping to survive. They were planning to achieve something
no species had accomplished in three years of Vothak expansion.
They were planning to win. The Vothak Ran fleet arrived
at the Calory Prime like a plague of living metal
and flesh. Admirals Extra stood on the bridge of the
Starlight Defender and watched through the viewing screen as more
than one million bioships dropped out of hyperspace. The enemy
formation stretched cross space for millions of kilometers, blotting out
the stars with their dark halls. Admiral I am reading
one point three million vothock vessels, reported Lieutenant Kiris, her
voice barely steady. The lead ships are entering the outer
system now. The site was terrifying, even for crews who
had been preparing for this moment for months. The largest
fourfolk ships were the size of small moons, covered in
thousands of weapon pods. That pulls were organicolite. Smaller bios
ships warmed around the giants like in six around a corpse.
All ships, this is Admiral Zic Thorough, She announced over
the fleet communication system. Today we make our stand. Today,
we show the galaxy that the Calorie Confederation will not
die quietly. All battle groups moved to assigned positions. The
modified Calory Fleet began moving into formation around Calory Prime.
Three hundred ships with human kinetic weapons spread out among
four thousand conventional vessels. Captain Chan's fifty human ships took
position at key points where they could provide tactical coordination.
Captain Chen, are your forces ready? Us Sex thorough over
the private command channel. Ready, Admiral, Remember, we need to
hit them with kinetic weapons first to disrupt their adaptive systems.
Once they are confused, your energy weapons will be much
more effective. Understood, All hybrid battle groups prepare for initial
kinetic strikes. The Vorthach fleet continued its approach with the
confidence of predators who had never failed to consume their prey.
At the center of their formation a massive queensip with
biomechanical energy. Admiralsic Starr knew that destroying that ship was
the key to victory, but it was protected by thousands
of escort vessels. The enemy is entering weapons range, announced
Commander Velter four. The bioships are beginning to grow adaptive armor, perfect,
said Captain Chan. They are preparing for the same kind
of battle they have fought a hundred times before. Begin
the attack, the first wave of projectile streaked cross bays
at thirty percent of light speed. The fourth ships, expecting
energy weapons, had grown armored designed to absorb and to
fleck plasma fire. The solid metal rods punched through their
defenses like they were made of paper. Dozens of fourth
of five ships exploded as kinetic rounds told through their
vital systems. The enemy fleet immediately tried to atap, but
the biomechanical systems had never encountered this type of attack before.
The adaptive armor began growing thicker, but this made the
ships lower and less maneuverable. Direct hits on forty seven
enemy vessels, reported the targeting officer. Multiple ships destroyed, others
heavily damaged, but the VOD fleet was so large that
losing fifty ships barely affected their overall strength. The bioships
began returning fire with their own weapons, streams of living
metal that could bone through energy shields and consume enemy
vessels incoming fire. Cold Conander Volter all ships evasive maneuvers.
The Calorie fleet scattered according to human tactical doctrine, avoiding
the concentrated Forthak fire while maintaining their own attack patterns.
This was completely different from traditional Calorie tactics, which relied
on holding formation and treating firepower second wave fire kinetic
weapons orders to e ex Single quotes stah Adot, another
volley of solid projectiles slammed into the Vorthik formation. This time,
the enemy ships tried a different editation, growing reactive armor
that exploded outward went hit, but the kinetic grounds were
moving too fast and hit too hard for reactive armor
to stop them. Admiral the Vortheker trying something new, reported
Doctor Lennar from the science station. Their ships are linking
together into larger formations and sharing adaptive information. Captain Chin's
voice came over the communication system. Admiral, now is the
time to use your energy weapons. Hit the ships that
have been damaged by kinetic fire. All conventional ships target damaged,
fourthacked vessels with energy weapons. The plasma cannons and particle
beams of the regular Calorie fleet open fire on bioships
that had already been hit by kinetic weapons. The results
were devastating. The Vorthak adaptive armor, confused by the connecticutt ACKs,
could not properly defend against the energy weapons. The bioships
are not adapting correctly, observed command of Vaulter with excitement.
Their defensive systems are malfunctioning, keep firing orders, etcetera. All
ships concentrate fire on targets that have been hit by
kinetic weapons. The battle ridge across the Calorie system for ayres.
The Vortak fleet was so large that even destroying hundreds
of ships made little difference to their overall numbers, but
the human calorie tactics were working. Enemy bioships that should
have adapted to the attacks within minutes, were being destroyed
by weapons they should have been immune to you. But
the Vothak were not helpless. They began changing their tactics,
sending smaller ships to attack the human vessels while their
larger ships focused on the modified Calorie cruisers. They had
to identified the kinetic weapons as the source of their problems.
Admiral Human Ship Proscilience is under heavy attack, reported Lieutenant Caius,
their requesting assistance. Battle groups even moved to support the
Resilience order to ex Thorer. The battle was becoming more
chaotic as both cite adapted to each other's tactics. The
Vorthak were learning to avoid ships with kinetic weapons, while
the human Calorie Allianes was learning to protect their most
valuable vessels dot But then something unexpected happened. A group
of four at bioships attempted to board the human vessel
Enterprise using their standard boarding tactics. The bio soldiers entered
the human ship through hull breaches, expecting to take control
of the vessel systems. Instead, the boarding attempt turned into
a disaster for the Vorthek. The biosoldiers found themselves in
a shipful of analog controls, mechanical systems, and chemical weapons.
Their ability to interface with enemy technology was completely useless.
This as Captain Rodriguez of the Enterprise came transmission, the
worthic boarding parts are retreating. They cannot understand their systems
at all. But more importantly, the confused biosoldiers began transmitting
their confusion back to the main Vorthak fleet through their
biological communication network. Other bioships started receiving contradictory information about
human technology, which caused their own adaptive systems to malfunction. Admiral,
something strange is happening to the Vorthak fleet, reported Doctor Lenure.
Their coordination is breaking down. Ships are acting independently instead
of as a unified force. Captain Chun realized what was happening, Admiral.
The biological communication network that makes the Vorthak so effective
is also their weakness. The confusion from our analog systems
is spreading through their entire fleet to ac thirs all
the opportunity immediately all ships brests the attack tugger the
largest Buyer ships. While their systems are malfunctioning, the Alliance
fleet surged forward, focusing their combined firepur and the mass
of Vorthik command ships. Without proper coordination, the Buio ships
could not support each other effectively. Ships that should have
been nearly invincible were being destroyed by coordinated attacks. We
are breaking through their outer formations, reported Command of Velter.
The path to the Queenship is clearing that the Queenship
itself was not helpless. The massive vessel, larger than any
other ship in the battle, began moving toward Caloy Prine.
Its intention was clear. If the Vorta could not win
the space battle, they would land on the planet and
consume it directly. We cannot let that ship reached the planet,
said Dick Thorough. All available ships interset the Queenship. The
final phase of the battle became a desperate race. Every
human ship and every modified Colony vessel that could still
fight converged in the queenship, firing kinetic weapons and energy
weapons as fast as they could. The massive Bowship fought
back with weapons that could destroy cruises with single shots.
Captain Chin ship. The Resilients led the attack on the
queenship's hull. Admiral, we need to get boarding powers inside
that ship. If we can disrupt its control systems, the
entire Vorthek fleet might collapse. Captain, our boarding shuttles cannot
survive the weapons fire around them. Ship. Then we will
have to run through, Admiral. The Resilience can take more
damage than your ships. We will create a breach that
your marines can use. Captain. That is a suicide mission, maybe, Admiral,
but if we do not stop that ship, your planet
dies anyway. The Resilience accelerated toward the queen Ship at
maximum speed. Fourth act defensive fire tour through the human
vessel's armor, but the ship kept flying. At the last moment,
Captain Chun activated a chemical explosive device that had been
installed in the ship's cargo bay. The explosion tore a
massive hull in the queen Ship's hull, but it also
destroyed the Resilience completely. Captain Chun and her crew died
in the blast, but they had created the opening that
the Alliance needed. All marine shuttles assault the breech ordered
Admiral's xt hour human and calorie marines board that ship
and destroy its command center. The boarding part is that
entered the Queen Ship carried chemical weapons, mechanical tools, and
analog communication devices. The Vorfac bio soldiers inside the ship
had never encountered enemies like this everywhere, and the marines
used was something the Vothach had never seen before. Sergeant Rodriguez,
leading the human marines, reported from inside the queenship, Admiral,
we have reached what appears to be the command's center.
It is some kind of organic brain connected to the
ship systems. Can you destroy it? Yes, Admiral, we brought
chemical explosive specifically designed to destroy biological targets. The explosion
that destroyed the Queen Ship's command center was felt throughout
the Vordak fleet. The massive vessel stopped moving and began
to break apart. More importantly, the biological communication network that
connected all Vorthak ships went silent. Without the Queen mind
to coordinate them, the individual Vorthak bioships became confused and disorganized.
They had spent so many years as parts of a
collective intelligence that they could not function independently. Some ships
fled toward the edge of the system, others simply stopped
moving and floated helplessly in space. Admiral, the Worthak fleet
is in complete disarray, reported Command of Welter, with amazement.
They are not fighting back anymore. All ships continued the attack,
destroyed as many enemy vessels as you can before they recover.
The Alliance fleet spent the next several iOS hunting down
and destroying forth that bioships that could no longer defend
themselves properly. By the time the battle ended, more than
half of the enemy fleet had been destroyed, and the
survivors were fleeing into deep space. Admiral Tixorus stood on
her bridge and watched the wreckage of the fourth of
Grand Fleet drifting through the Calorie system. Ships that had
seemed invincible just hours before were now broken and lifeless.
The war that had lasted three years was finally over. Admiral.
We are receiving communications from Vortak ships throughout the galaxy,
reported Lieutenant Caros. They are reporting that their collective consciousness
has been severed. Many ships are requesting surrender. What should
we tell them? Six Thoro thought about all the worlds
that had been consumed, all the people who had died,
all the years of fear and desperation. But she also
thought about Captain John and her crew, who had died
to save a planet they had never seen before. Tell
them that the Calori Confederation accepts their surrender. Tell them
that the age of the Vortak Empire is over. As
the news of victory spread throughout Calori space, Admiral's Exthorer
realized that everything had changed because of one simple truth.
The voorth I could spent centuries perfecting their ability to
adapt to advanced enemies, but they had never considered that
sometimes the most powerful weapon was the simplest one. They
had never encountered. The war was over, but the alliance
between humanity and the Calorie would continue. Together they would
rebuild the galaxy and ensure that no species would ever
again face extinction alone. And that is the end. Thank
you for listening, and I will see you in the
next one.