Quoted By:
“There is no turning back now. Yesterday afternoon, MERRYGATE discovered a critical system vulnerability in the purification system supplying the colony with tritium fuel. With my permission, she introduced a mixture of elemental impurities that have drastically altered the reaction chain at the colony’s heart.
Even here – several million kilometers away – my ship could sense the massive surge of fast-neutrons emanating from MIZAR-IX.
Through the colony’s cameras, I saw a burst of confused activity as the water inside the aquatic habit rapidly became inhospitable. The constant flux of free neutrons emitted by the reactor core transmuted innocuous electrolytes into aggressively radioactive isotopes. MERRYGATE provided an estimate of the expected biological dose given a fifteen minute exposure. It was not a small number.
The facility shifted to backup power only a few hours later, but the damage was done. I stopped watching once I began seeing radiation-bleached corpses crowding the camera feeds dotted around the colony. MERRYGATE did not, proudly examining her handiwork well into my standard sleep cycle.
By morning, I had noticed a change in the destroyer’s patrol pattern. It had plotted a direct intercept course with the colony – likely to dock and render aid. Part of me found my subsequent train-of-thought abhorrent. But another part of me appreciated a pragmatic opportunity when it presented itself…
>ATTACK – MSL-C (Conventional Fusion Warhead [10 Loaded]). Almost everyone on the colony is dead, and the destroyer is docked. There will be no time to respond to a missile attack. No ability to call for assistance. MIZAR-IX and its infrastructure will burn with a single warhead, and the NOVEMBER RAIN will be nowhere near the colony when it happens. Perhaps this might even seem like the result of a particularly unfortunate reactor accident…
>ATTACK – MSL-AM (AM MIRV Warhead[4 Loaded]).There is no question that this will be overkill. But for that reason, I know that it will send a clear message to anyone watching.
>ATTACK – CLOSE-IN. The NOVEMBER RAIN possesses a modest array of conventional anti-ship weapons that could – with enough time – destroy both the docked destroyer and the colony. While this would save missiles, close-in weapons demand direct line-of-sight and a proper radar lock. This option could be risky, but I do have time…
>LEAVE. I’ve done enough for now. While the colony – and its communications array – may be recovered and re-crewed at some point, I see no reason to push my luck further.
- [UNSIGNED], EXECUTIVE AUDITOR, TRS NOVEMBER RAIN, AD. 2242, JAN 24, PERSONAL JOURNAL
[EMPIRE INTEGRITY: 95%]
COMMUNICATION OUTPOST OUTAGE
14,000 DEAD
