First Strike: A Military First Contact Series by Archer Spool

Author:Archer Spool [Spool, Archer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

Withdrawal of Sixth Fleet, successful. Datsot lost.

Grionc was too tired to even cheer. “Losses?”

Sixteen friendly ships lost.

Four enemy ships destroyed.

Twelve enemy landing ships destroyed.

All orbital defenses lost.

Planetary objective lost.

This is your highest score so far.

“Computer, your idea about the delaying action in planetary orbit was not too bad,” she admitted, drawing a new plan in her mind to combat the computer’s strategy in the previous round. There must be a way to beat it and even up the ratio…

Thank you, but I can’t take credit for it. The Terran commander who first used it has the current high score on the scenario, other than mine of course. Full disclosure, I only got my high score after copying their idea.

“Oh? Can you show me the Terran commander? I’d like to meet them.”

Confidential. The point of the simulator is to learn from your mistakes, not to get a high score, Fleet Commander.

“I see.” She didn’t see at all. “Can you at least tell me what their high score is?”

Sixteen enemy combat ships and twenty-four landing ships destroyed. No friendly fleet losses. Datsot was still lost.

“They killed sixteen Grass Eater combat ships and two dozen landing ships without losing a single ship?!”

Correct. They also managed to pack up most of the orbital defenses and evacuate an additional hundred thousand Marines after the enemy blinked in system.

She tilted her head. “Fascinating. How did they achieve the combat kills?”

They deduced the position of a battlegroup of sixteen isolated Znosian ships. Next, they feigned a hasty retreat, then spun around the star with a gravity slingshot to throw four overwhelming volleys of missiles at the isolated group before they got to the system edge and blinked out.

Then, it showed her. In the recording, the Terran commander split the Sixth Fleet into eight battlegroups, somehow managing to exert their command effectively across all eight simultaneously, executing flawless maneuvers in coordination. It was organized chaos. They made themselves look like vulnerable prey animals scrambling to get away from the incoming tidal wave of red ships, flipped around the star, then turned the tables on a vanguard force of sixteen of their assailants with brutal precision at the last possible moment.

Grionc frowned. “Is this commander cheating? I don’t see how they could have known that vulnerable battlegroup would be there?”

Experience and practice. You will develop that instinct one day, Fleet Commander.

“How long?”

Years of experience, usually. Or about sixteen real-time seconds for a super-Terran digital sentience like me. But nobody’s perfect, Grionc.

She ignored the machine’s not-so-humble-brag. “No better time to start, then. Let’s go again— let’s go again…”

Have you run out of new insults for me, meatbag? Would you like recommendations?

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