Chapter 768: A Pressing Situation
"What is the status of Meinhoff's own defenses?" Raynor asked.
Matt pulled up another set of data.
"This is the information they were willing to share: four orbital defense platforms are in a state of full combat readiness, and two others are undergoing maintenance upgrades. They have a local defense fleet consisting of two older Battlecruisers, four destroyers, and several frigates."
"On the ground, they have a massive network of missile silos and automated turrets. Overall, their defensive strength is greater than the vast majority of fringe colonies, but..." He paused. "It is insufficient to fend off a large-scale Swarm fleet. Furthermore, their fleet has to divide its forces to protect the shipping lanes, enforce quarantine, and potentially conduct refugee evacuations."
"And the movements of the Swarm fleet?" Valerie asked.
"Meinhoff's reconnaissance network reports anomalous Swarm bio-signal activity detected in a sector about three warp jumps away. The scale is unknown, but it is definitely not scattered units." Matt highlighted a region in red. "Their trajectory... is not explicitly pointing toward Meinhoff for the moment, but they aren't moving away either."
Silence fell over the briefing room.
Everyone understood that Meinhoff was sitting on a powder keg.
"We still have to go," Raynor finally said. "At the very least, we can offload the refugees and give them a chance to survive. And if the Swarm really does attack, one more warship and a few more hands might just save a few more people."
Tychus grunted, but didn't object.
He might complain, but when it came to critical operations, he never truly went against Raynor's decisions.
After the meeting ended, Valerie returned to her cabin to prepare an update report for Ryo.
She compiled all the information: the overcrowding on Meinhoff, the quarantine delays, the defense capability assessment, and the signs of Swarm activity nearby.
She placed special emphasis on Dr. Hanson's view that the Swarm might possess strategic awareness.
At the end of the report, she added her own observation: "Raynor's team's core focus is currently entirely on the refugee crisis. Tychus occasionally discusses 'that matter' (referring to the Artifact fragment transaction) with Raynor in private, but specific details remain unknown."
"Due to the current situation, the operation to search for the next fragment appears to have been temporarily shelved. I suggest continuing observation and waiting for the crisis to alleviate or a breakthrough to occur."
She sent the encrypted report.
Shortly after, she received Ryo's brief reply: "Received. Continue observing the Meinhoff situation. If the Swarm attacks, record the local defensive efficacy and Swarm tactical shifts."
"Dr. Hanson's value confirmed; maintain technical exchange. Artifact fragment intelligence priority remains unchanged; seek opportunities."
The directives were clear. Valerie closed the comms and began thinking about how to simultaneously accomplish multiple objectives in the complex environment of Meinhoff.
During the twenty-fourth standard hour of the voyage, the Hyperion picked up broadcast signals from Meinhoff's public news channels. The bridge routed them to the internal comms system, allowing them to be heard in many areas of the ship.
The contents of the broadcasts were not optimistic.
"...The Meinhoff Governor's Office once again appeals to the interstellar community for aid. As the refugee population surpasses three hundred thousand, our reserves of medical supplies, food, and shelter are bottoming out."
"We urgently require more medical supplies, water purification equipment, and rapidly deployable temporary housing..."
"...The Department of Health confirms that the dysentery outbreak in Refugee Camp 3 has been initially contained, but there are still seventeen severe cases, all children and the elderly. Epidemiological investigations suspect a link to contaminated water sources..."
"...The Interstellar Freight Association warns that insurance rates for shipping lanes to Meinhoff have been increased by 300% due to the elevated Swarm threat level. Multiple freight companies have suspended non-essential flights to the sector..."
"...Breaking news: According to unverified reports, a refugee convoy composed of civilian vessels was attacked by unidentified spacecraft while en route to Meinhoff. Several ships were damaged, and casualties are unknown."
"The Meinhoff Defense Command has raised the alert level and urges all vessels traveling to this sector to remain vigilant and report any anomalies immediately..."
The voices on the broadcasts were calm, but each piece of information they delivered was heavier than the last.
In the corridors and cabins of the Hyperion, the faces of the refugees listening to the broadcasts were etched with anxiety and fear.
They had fled homes consumed by the Swarm, only to find their destination equally fraught with peril.
After hearing the broadcast on the medical deck, Dr. Hanson's face grew even more solemn.
She found Valerie and said in a low voice, "Attacking a refugee convoy... that's not the Swarm's style. The Swarm would just devour them; they wouldn't merely 'attack'. It could be pirates taking advantage of the chaos to pillage. Or it could be... something else."
Valerie's heart stirred.
Something else?
In the Koprulu Sector, aside from the Swarm and humanity, there were also the Protoss.
But would the Protoss attack human refugee ships?
According to the information she had acquired, while the Protoss were arrogant and held a complex attitude toward humanity, they did not seem to be a race that slaughtered innocents indiscriminately.
Or was it certain factions within the Dominion, trying to stop the influx of refugees into the Core Worlds?
There was not enough information to make a judgment.
But from chaos bred not only suffering, but also all manner of opportunities and dangers.
In the twenty-seventh standard hour of the voyage, the navigator reported: "Preparing to exit warp state. Entering the outer edge of the Meinhoff system."
The Hyperion shuddered slightly as it popped out of warp space.
On the main screen, a gray-blue industrial planet appeared in view.
In orbit around the planet, the silhouettes of several massive space stations and shipbuilding platforms could be seen, along with a dense, swarm-like cluster of small vessels—mostly refugee transports—waiting in line to enter the quarantine process.
Further out, Meinhoff's defense fleet was conducting routine patrols.
Those two older Battlecruisers looked massive but ponderous, their paint chipped, telling tales of their age.
But everyone's attention was quickly drawn to something else.
On the edge of the Meinhoff system, near the asteroid belt, floated some wreckage.
From the outlines, they could be vaguely identified as fragments of civilian transport ships. A few escape pods were scattered sporadically, some still broadcasting distress signals.
"It's the attacked convoy mentioned in the broadcast," Matt said grimly. "The wreckage is still fresh; the attack happened no more than ten hours ago."
Raynor stared at the wreckage, his face dark.
"Contact the Meinhoff Defense Command. Inform them we've discovered the attack site and ask if they need assistance with search and rescue for survivors. Also, bring the ship to condition three alert. Tychus, have your men ready."
"Already ready," Tychus's voice crackled over the comms.
The Hyperion began to decelerate, heading toward the Meinhoff orbital stations.
Ahead lay a long quarantine queue and a future full of uncertainty.
And in the shadows, the identity of the attackers, along with the threat of the Swarm, hung over everyone's heads like the Sword of Damocles.