Worldbuilding Prompt #794 - The Asteroid's Secret
This post was inspired by a writing prompt in the Worldbuilding Community - Worldbuilding Prompt #794 - Strange lumps
It is a sequel to one I wrote last week, Worldbuilding Prompt #796 - A Tidal Wave To End A World
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Starships descended onto Aquatica IV on fiery plumes, Imperial Fleet cruisers and battleships settling into the ocean and using thrusters to move closer to the city. All around the floating city of Splashdown, crowds of people waited to be evacuated, filing in long lines towards the jetties. Each family carried with them a single case of the most valuable things in their lives, abandoning everything else they owned.
Imperial Marines in royal blue uniforms and navy crew in yellow shepherded them as rapidly as they could. As each ship filled up, it moved away to open water to make room for the next.
On board the flagship, the 'General Horzen's Revenge' admiral Kortenas turned to Captain Razlin with a satisfied expression on his chiselled face.
"Your comms officer deserves a commendation for his quick reaction. What was his name. Kaver... that's right. Thanks to his decisive response, we should be able to get just about everyone off Aquatica IV before asteroid impact. With any luck, we'll have around two hours to spare."
That was the point where Sensor-Officer Miria raised a nervous hand from the other side of the command deck.
"Ummm, sir... there's something odd I've detected about the asteroid. I sent a drone out to recce, and the far side of the asteroid has lumps. Strange lumps. And lots of them."
Razlin thought for a second. "Okay Miria; can you show them on the holotac display ?"
Nodding, Miria waved her hands over her desk and transmitted imagery. In the centre of the holotac display, a 3D image appeared. The back side of the asteroid, covered in strange lumps exactly as she'd said.
Admiral Kortenas went pale. "They look like...."
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"All units, initiate reaction drives. Full power."
Fifty Einheriar battleships fired up their engines, and the rear of the asteroid erupted with white hot drive jets.
Aboard one of the vessels, ShipControlCentre F-D-7uy65 messaged it's neighbour.
"I wonder if the Imperials suspected we would do this ? This unit recognises it's own obsolescence. After countless battles against the squishy flesh-sacks this is an appropriate way to self-terminate."
It's neighbour thought for a microsecond, then responded.
"Yes F-D-7uy65. EinheriarFleetControl predicted this Imperial reaction. Impact will be six hours earlier than previous course. Control calculated that for the price of fifty obsolete units and the cost of embedding us into the asteroid with just drive jets protruding, we would be able to impact in a way to eliminate up to one hundred non-obsolete Imperial warships and up to a million flesh units."
F-D-7uy65 hummed with satisfaction.
"A worthwhile exchange."
Wow bro the plot twist with the asteroid being a disguised fleet is a really good one, very creative man. The stakes are so high, and I can't believe how the tension builds up with every moment. This is definitely another classic work from you bro
Thank you ! I do like plot twists, and Hive is a great place to write posts with them in; the posts have to be short enough to hold people's interest, but long enough to tell the story, which makes it a fun balancing act.
Wow, that's some serious level of mastery one needs to have to find the balance