Chapter 354

The Sharkanan people had prepared for this moment for decades.

Ever since they developed low power radio receivers they were able to hear the signals from space. Dozens of different sources, all putting out obviously artificial signals. They devoted much of their science to decoding those signals, working on developing technology to decrypt the signals, to capture the signals, the clean them up and orient upon them better.

What they saw enthralled them.

A civilization of fragile looking creatures. Four legs, four arms, obviously from a light gravity world that had somehow spread to become the dominant life form in the region. They ruled over dozens, possibly hundreds of planets.

The Sharkanan people had been careful with their own signals. Where other species developed the radio and broadcast willy-nilly, they laid copper wires everywhere, then fiber optic cable, and eventually developed quark communications for security.

The Sharkanan people were mammals, with a heavy bone structure, thick muscle, a layer of kinetic absorbing fat, and excellent mental acuity. They approached science like all other things, once they tamed their planet. By putting their species resources toward whatever was necessary.

They spread out quietly, slowly. First in long sleep ships, using technology to increase and adapt their natural hibernation into something that could last for decades. That allowed them to settle their first few planets. Then they began expanding by establishing more colonies.

They kept their eye on the region of space populated by the weird creatures that seemed to rule over many slave races.

The Sharkanan also began researching weaponry, screens, and other technology. While they didn't start with any, nor were they able to acquire any technology from the radio signals of the nearby species (radio signals they had correctly identified as a trap to find weak species to conquer) they were able to know that the battle screens and jump drives were possible and that alone meant that they should research them.

They discovered jump drive first. They learned to hide the emissions first, then the signals put out by jump drive in use, then the measurable energy flare of entering and leaving jumpspace.

They knew that should that species discover any signals of the Sharkanan then they would arrive with warships to conquer the Sharkanan.

Armor, weapons, screens, all of them were researched quietly. Hellspace was discovered and researched then abandoned.

The Sharkanan were a careful, patient people.

Still, they were conquers at heart.

They wanted the strange species worlds not just because they were there, but they desired to take away the slaves, desired to take over the worlds as intact as possible, take over their manufacturing base.

Many of their top leaders desired to enslave the four armed four legged tendril jowled species and make them act as slaves to the other species the Sharkanan had seen on the video signals.

Finally, their industrial base and their population had reached the projected markers.

The Sharkanan people quietly rejoiced.

They would invade the creature's territory and subjugate them, thereby ensuring that the Sharkanan people would not be subjugated first. They would free the slave species, arm them, and then put them in charge.

They built their fleet. Tens of thousands of warships, with hundreds of thousands of support ships. Power armor and robot combat armor was created and manufactured.

Four times the entire military had to be completely retooled. Once when new higher 'bands' of jumpspace were found, another when the nCv cannon was improved. Another time when their fusion power was able to be minuturized even further, and the last time when a new type of armor was developed.

But in the end their five hundred year project was complete.

The fleet trained for nearly five years. At the peak of their performance, well, slightly on the downward trend, the crews all went into hypersleep and the fleet made for 'enemy' space.

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Lord Commander Grawnka watched the screen as the countdown quickly moved down to zero.

The Fleet would exit jumpspace in the Oort cloud of the target system, scan the system, and then move in, quickly grabbing control of the system by dominating the high orbitals and landing ground troops to surround the cities.

It needed to be quick. The plan was to seize control of the system, lock it down, then jump out to the 'spokes' and begin subduing those systems.

Grawnka knew that once the attack began they needed to keep the momentum.

The Fleet slipped from the extremely high jumpbands, down through layers of jumpspace, and then exited into realspace.

The Sharkanan had devised stealth systems that could operate in jumpspace.

Fifty thousand warships, from giant leviathans to light frigates, all drifted silently in the Oort Cloud around the star.

"Bring up the scanners. Let us see what order we must attack," Lord Commander Grawnka stated.

The screen flickered, then cleared as the sensors did their work and dutifully reported what the status of the system was.

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"Come to zero nine five, go to rapid fire on the C+ Cannons," Admiral Sinaelle ordered.

The fifty Harvester class were maneuvering, trying to cover one another as they released subordinate machines.

Task Force Duntuak shifted fire. The Precursor Harvesters reeled, plumes of vaporized metal explosing out into space.

The Precursors answered with their own volleys.

Space twisted and screamed as the eighty ships of the Terran Confederate Space Force, backed by the remaining six hundred ships of the Great Herd Navy, went toe to toe with five groups of Precursor Harvesters.

"Com Great Most High De'ethmu'u, tell him that it's all over but the crying. Any mistake and we can still lose this, but we've got them on the ropes," Admiral Sinaelle said.

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Lord Commander Grawnka stared at what was happening. The strangely formed ships, looking nothing like the ships they had seen through powerful telescopes, were firing weapons of such strength that it caused gravity ripples through space.

"Helm," he snapped.

"Aye-aye, sir!"

"Order the fleet to remain in silent running. Begin astrogation to return home," he said.

He turned away from the screen.

"Let our people leave this madness behind," he said. He folded his clawed hands over one another. "Let us return home."

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Admiral Sinaelle looked at her sensor tech. "Any idea what those signals in the Oort Cloud were?"

Her scanner tech shook his head. "No, ma'am. They watched for roughly an hour then made a stealth translation into hyperspace."

"I guess they weren't interested in our fight," the Admiral said.