Chapter 233 — reminded once more
The silence from Varrak Prime did not last long.
It did not need to.
For Gaius, it had already said enough.
He stood in the control room, looking at the display as the system continued to process incoming data. Signals moved across the screen in steady patterns. No chaos. No confusion.
Structure.
That was what mattered.
Behind him, the Multiversal Chat remained active, the group watching everything as it unfolded.
Gaius spoke calmly.
"They are in defiance of Imperial authority."
No one in the room questioned it.
No one asked for confirmation.
The lack of response had already confirmed it.
He continued, his tone unchanged.
"The PDF has not answered. That confirms alignment."
A serf nearby understood immediately.
Rebels.
Not uncertain.
Not divided.
Chosen.
The mission brief had been straightforward: a civil war, divided between loyalists and rebels, with one key figure identified. Beyond that, there were no details.
But now, with what they had seen,
There was no doubt left.
The planetary forces were not holding the line.
They were part of the rebellion.
The serf at the console spoke up, voice steady despite the weight of what was happening.
"My lord. Signal sources have been identified."
Gaius did not turn.
"Report."
The display shifted.
Markers appeared across the surface of Varrak Prime.
Clusters.
Patterns.
The serf continued.
"Primary command signals originate from multiple hive spires. Highest concentration, central spire."
A brighter marker pulsed at the center of the display.
"The Palace Spire."
Other markers followed.
"Secondary sources, military bases across upper hive levels. Vox relay towers. Orbital defense controls."
Everything connected.
Everything coordinated.
Gaius looked at it once.
That was enough.
"Disable orbital defenses," he said.
A pause.
"Mark the spires."
Another pause.
"Prepare for deployment."
"Yes, my lord."
There was no hesitation.
The orders were relayed immediately.
Across the ship, systems shifted.
Weapons aligned.
Targeting arrays locked onto their objectives.
Above Varrak Prime, the orbital defense network activated in response.
But it was already too late.
The Oath of Rectitude moved first.
Precise.
Controlled.
Lances of light cut through the void.
Defense platforms shattered before they could fully respond. Weapons arrays broke apart under focused fire. Shield systems collapsed in seconds.
There was no drawn-out battle.
No exchange.
The orbital defenses were removed cleanly.
On the display, the system updated.
"Orbital defenses neutralized."
Gaius did not react.
He was already moving forward.
"Begin precision strikes."
The command was simple.
Targets appeared clearly on the screen.
Defense platforms.
Vox relay towers.
Anti-ship guns near hive tops.
Each one marked.
Each one necessary.
"Fire."
—
From orbit, the strikes began.
Bright lines cut through the atmosphere, visible from the surface like falling stars.
Then they hit.
Explosions spread across the upper levels of the hive cities. Massive structures shuddered under the impact. Fire moved quickly across reinforced platforms, and the shockwaves carried downward through the layers of the city, reaching far beyond the initial strike zones.
Some shots landed exactly where intended. Others were slightly off.
Even a small deviation changed the outcome.
The hive was too dense, too layered. A precise strike at this scale was difficult to contain. Damage spread beyond the target areas, and nearby structures began to fail as the force carried through them.
Back on the ship, the display updated in real time.
Markers shifted as impact zones expanded. Additional data appeared, population density, structural depth, surrounding sectors.
Some targets overlapped with occupied areas.
The system continued processing without pause.
Impact readings followed. Heat spikes across multiple zones. Structural failures spreading outward from the strike points.
Then a new line appeared.
Civilian presence: still high.
No one in the control room spoke.
They all saw it.
They all understood.
Behind Gaius, the Multiversal Chat reacted.
Mindy stared at the display, her expression tightening.
"…they hit the city…"
Her voice was quieter than before.
Naruto stepped forward slightly, his eyes wide.
"The city?!"
He looked at Gaius.
But Gaius did not turn.
He did not react.
He didn't even glance at the casualty estimates appearing on the screen.
In that moment, they were reminded again that Gaius was different from them. It wasn't carelessness, and it wasn't ignorance. To him, this was part of war, something expected.
His focus stayed on the objective.
The method was practical. Direct. It minimized risk to his own forces.
But it was a way of thinking they weren't used to.
Tanya spoke next.
"This is the most efficient way."
Her voice was steady.
No hesitation.
Saeko didn't respond immediately.
Neither did Diana.
Tony remained silent.
They all understood what she meant.
Even if they didn't fully agree.
Naruto frowned.
"Why?"
He looked at Tanya directly.
"Why is that the best way?"
Tanya did not look away from the display.
"Because it ends the war faster," she said.
She gestured slightly toward the strike markers.
"He's not targeting people. He's targeting infrastructure."
A brief pause.
"Defenses. Relays. Weapons."
More data appeared on the display as she spoke.
"If those remain intact, the war continues."
Her voice stayed calm.
"Longer war means more battles."
Another update.
"More battles mean more deaths."
Naruto didn't interrupt this time.
He listened.
Tanya continued.
"By removing these now, he breaks their coordination."
Her eyes shifted to the central marker.
The Palace Spire.
"Everything collapses toward one point."
A short pause.
"End the center."
Her voice didn't change.
"End the war."
Silence followed.
Then she added, just as calmly,
"Yes, civilians are being hit."
Another explosion lit the display.
"But delaying this would cost more lives."
Naruto and Mindy didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Not immediately.
Because what she said,
Made sense.
But it didn't make it easier to accept.
—
The system continued updating.
More impact zones.
More data.
Then something else came through.
Audio.
Fragments of intercepted vox signals.
Because the Oath of Rectitude had taken control of communications,
They could hear it.
Not clearly.
Not fully.
But enough.
Voices broke through the static.
"…we're hit—!"
"Get back, GET BACK—!"
"…where is command—?!"
Screams.
Confusion.
Orders shouted over each other.
Emergency calls overlapping.
The room remained quiet.
No one moved to turn it off.
They listened.
Not because they wanted to.
But because it was there.
Because it was part of what they were doing.
—
Gaius spoke again.
"Scan for loyalist signals."
The order came without hesitation.
"Yes, my lord."
The system adjusted.
Searching.
Filtering.
Identifying.
Then,
Results appeared.
Few.
Scattered.
Weak signals.
The serf reported.
"Multiple small groups transmitting Imperial codes."
Gaius looked at the display.
They were surrounded.
Cut off.
Losing.
Audio fragments confirmed it.
"…requesting support!"
"…we are overrun!"
"…is anyone receiving this?!"
"…Praetor, we need support!"
The signals were unstable.
Fading.
Behind him, Mindy reacted immediately.
"You can save them!"
Her voice carried urgency.
It seemed they were allies, and if no one reached them in time, they wouldn't last much longer, the signal was already fading.
Tony spoke next, more controlled.
"If he splits focus, he risks the mission."
Diana added,
"He's choosing the larger outcome."
They all understood what was happening, even if they didn't like it.
Gaius didn't respond. He didn't issue new orders or divert his attention. His focus remained on the objective from the start, the Palace Spire, the central command, the source.
The system updated again.
One by one, the loyalist signals began to fade, then disappear. There were no confirmations, no final reports. Just silence.
Naruto lowered his gaze slightly. He didn't say anything this time.
Because now, he understood.
Not completely.
But enough.
Back on the display, the situation had shifted.
Defense coordination had broken down. Signals were fragmented, and command lines were no longer stable. The hive cities were no longer acting as a single system.
It was exactly what they had been aiming for.
Gaius watched the changes in silence. His expression didn't shift. There was no sign of satisfaction, but no hesitation either, just a clear focus on what came next.
The objective hadn't changed. The path to it had simply become more direct.
"Prepare Thunderhawk deployment," he said.
"Yes, my lord."
The next phase was beginning.
Not from orbit, but on the ground.
Far below, Varrak Prime burned in sections.
Not entirely. Not destroyed.
But broken in key places.
The balance of the war had shifted. It was no longer under the control of those who had started it.
Aboard the Oath of Rectitude, Gaius stood at the center of it all.
~~~
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