Colony Builders: A Gamelit Factory Epic by Han Yang

Author:Han Yang [Yang, Han]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Royal Guard Publishing LLC
Published: 2023-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

Intermission 2

Porithu Scout Ship

Captain Tescrix

“Exiting in three bubbles, two, one, and we’re flowing free of wormhole space,” Officer Omish—the pilot of the scout ship—announced.

A sleek spacecraft that performed just as well in space as it did in the depths of the ocean swam out of the portal. The vessel arrived in the Oculi System, a tarnished destination to any civilized Porithu.

The interior water swirled with excitement and Captain Tescrix found himself ignoring his crew for once. He adjusted his long tentacles to peer at the display screen from a different angle. The Porithu didn’t know of many infestations, always training for eventual incursions, but rarely fighting.

For the Oculi System to face a threat was troubling and also fitting. The stain of their kind lived in terror within the oceans of Oculi Nine for their betrayals all those generations ago. And now… if the sentry was to be believed, the situation worsened.

“A more important moment has probably never been felt,” Captain Tescrix muttered, bubbles escaping his beak.

If the Captain discovered a new locust species, he’d forever earn a mark in history as the brave scout who defied the odds. A few seconds after arrival, the data returned to Tescrix’s station. A buoyant sensation coursed through him to the point he rapidly used a tentacle to tap, zoom, scroll, and finally pause the analytics.

“This ship was not what the scout reported,” Captain Tescrix said to his subordinate Lindo with a tint of orange.

Lindo flared translucent with guilt. “I concur, Captain. It is clear the situation has changed.”

“Carvish!” the cephalopod swore, clacking his beak in frustration. “It’s worse than we feared. This is an invasion!”

“We can maybe defeat the infestation, but that ship is stronger than a Porithu Frigate, and far tougher than this scout,” Officer Omish warned.

“We wait. Bamgo!” Captain Tescrix swore again, obviously flustered by the infestation's strength. “A few days will hardly make a difference and Supreme Void Admiral Ido is preparing the Xesha Fleet anyway.”

“I fear we should immediately report this to command,” Officer Omish said. He then hesitantly added. “And maybe engage the enemy for a decisive victory.”

“I said we wait! Are you challenging me!” Captain Tescrix demanded.

The small bridge only allowed room for six Porithu, and the Captain towered over his inferiors. Size determined all things amongst his species and for a smaller to make such statements in his presence flared his green hue to a violent orange.

Officer Omish shrunk his profile as a way to cede dominance. “I dare not, but Captain. I worry.”

“I do too. I do too,” the Captain said the repeat slower for emphasis. “We need information. What if all this progress is the result of that new ship? We return home with dire warnings only to be sentenced to a whirlpool fight against a Massroon! No. Not us. We’ll take punishment if needed but we’ll send a probe home and station ourselves here.”

“Their weapons are unknown,” Subordinate Lindo inferred.

On his screen, soft-skinned surface dwellers rejoiced around a fire, cooking some sort of flesh.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.