Bab 91: Goodbye, Motherland!
With the reports of the first enemy fleets departing Earth orbit, the evacuations had started. Hundreds of ships lifted off the Mars surface one after another, their engines creating an amazing light show above the Presidential Palace. The distinct sounds of every type of ship were blasting through the Martian atmosphere, echoing between large man-made structures and natural geographical features.
It didn't last too long. In just under a few hours, all ships were in orbit. The people remaining around the Presidential Palace were mostly soldiers and equally brave volunteers. Whole Cydonia was silent as if Mars has never been colonized.
Aerospace defense batteries and their support vehicles around the government buildings were being strategically relocated away to other places where they would be hard to find and destroy. There was no longer a government to protect anyway.
My only protections here were a single missile launcher that has been left next to the palace on purpose, and a lightly armed Republic Navy shuttle which landed somewhere near it.
"Mr. President, Fleet #15 is leaving for Makemake in the Kuiper Belt." the voice was coming from the computer in my office. Civilian fleets were reporting their status for one last time, and saying their last goodbyes before leaving Mars. "We have about 150,000 souls with us. Thank you for everything."
"Have a safe journey." I said.
"Glorious fighters of glorious Mars, Fleet #16 is leaving. We are headed to Triton with 45,000 people. We hope you will make it hard for the enemy to track us down."
"We will do our best, commander." I replied.
"There is a malfunctioning ship in Fleet #17. I repeat, a malfunctioning ship. SS Setsuna has lost her thrusters and is drifting away. SS Deniz and SS Comanche are moving in to help. It will take a while for us to get going."
"How many people are in SS Setsuna?" I asked.
"Around 1,500 estimated."
"How long do you think it will take?"
"Depends on what broke down. I can't say anything." the commander of Fleet #16 said.
"Please make haste, commander." I said.
"Mr. President, Fleet #18 departing to Eris in Kuiper Belt, with some 80,000 people onboard. Goodbye, our guardian angels."
"Hope we can fulfill your expectations, commander. Godspeed."
After 31 fleets of varying sizes departed, only Fleet #17 and Fleet #25 were left behind, both because of malfunctioning ships. If the ships couldn't be repaired in time, fleet commanders had no choice but to leave them behind.
Meanwhile, I was having a dilemma. Would it be better if I spent my last time in the front lines aboard one of our warships, or down here in the Presidential Palace, alone in my office?
"Admiral Rose, how long until the first enemy fleet arrives?" I asked.
"If their acceleration rates are constant, we expect about 5 hours."
"Thank you, Admiral."
I decided to say goodbye to my office in the Presidential Palace, which only served the Republic for no longer than a few days. I had a final look at my desk, and closed the office's door for one last time. I walked out through the empty hallways and got aboard the single shuttle waiting outside. This was probably the final spacecraft lifting off the Martian surface.
I made it to Lodos under half an hour. Mei happily allowed me to enter the hangar of her newly repaired spaceship. After that, I directly headed to the bridge. Unlike the previous times I've been aboard, this time, Lodos now had it's full crew complement of 45.
"Welcome aboard, Mr. President." she said, and then shouted. "Commander-in-chief aboard!"
The whole bridge crew turned around to salute me. I saluted back.
"Continue." I sent everyone back to their duties. "You didn't have to do that." I then whispered to Mei.
"It will be the last one you are going to get anyway." she said.
"I thought you would escort one of the large civilian fleets instead of facing the fleet directly." I said. "Lodos barely is a warship, you know that."
"Let's say I desperately want to surpass your kill count, my dear." she laughed a little. "This ship now has a desirable firepower with the latest refit."
"Well..." I said. "You will have the best chances to be trigger-happy."
"It will be a fun ride for sure."
"Any word from Tachibana? Is he back?"
"No." she said. "Not heard anything from or about him."
We had a sad silence. Mei clenched her fist.
"I will avenge him."
"Calm down, he might not be dead." I said. "He is a bit too good at sneaking around, you know..."
"Sir!" a crew member interrupted us. "Two ships closing in and decelerating!"
Mei increased the alarm status of her ship.
"I thought we still had like 5 hours." I said.
"Wait..." Mei paused. "Those are Federation ships!"
"Hail them." I said.
"Federation ships, this is Admiral Mei of Republic of Mars Naval Forces. Identify yourself and state your intentions."
"Admiral, this is Captain Holland of missile boat Federation. We, spaceships Federation and Dragon Breath are the only survivors of our fleet. We wish to join you to face the aggressors."
"Scan them." I ordered the bridge crew.
"Nothing suspicious, commander." a crew member said. "Both ships are willingly giving accurate information on their equipment, crew complement, weapons and damage status. Federation is a former Federation ship, Dragon Breath is a former Alliance ship."
"Let them join our fleet." I said. The only two human ships which survived the Battle for Earth joined the Republic fleet protecting Mars and the evacuation fleets.
And then, Lodos received a message which was bounced to the fleet from the Presidential Palace, directed to me personally.
"Mr. President, it is for you." Mei said. I decrypted the message with my personal decryption key to watch the video message.
It was Commander Arf, the man I've sent to activate the Crystal Mirage.
"Sir, I've arrived at the Crystal Mirage. It is being protected by a few Federation ships, they easily let me in. For some reason, the enemy still has not come to attack the device. Perhaps they don't see it as a great threat... Either way, I will activate the device when the time comes, but I can't guarantee how much damage I can do or if the conditions will be suitable or whatever. Commander Arf out."
After I finished that, we received another message.
'---REPUBLIC OF MARS ARMED FORCES---
Grand Admiral of the Republic of Mars
The strategic relocation of ground assets on Mars have been completed successfully. All aerospace defense groups report operational status.
Our bases on Phobos and Deimos are ready for action.
---END OF DECRYPTED PACKAGE---'
And with that final report, everything was ready to face the enemy.
Now, we just had to wait for them to come to us.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone