Operation: Avalanche

Mechavax Short Story #2 detailing the events after the incident in the Gliese 412 System.

Three long and grueling weeks have passed since the 7th Company of Mechavax had taken an Einstein-Rosen bridge to the Gliese 412 system. The better part of a month went by without any communication from the 7th company. The staging area that the 7th company had met the enemy in was almost 16 light-years away, so there was no visible evidence in the night’s sky of the events that occurred that day. Everyone’s imagination ran wild with the possibilities of what could have gone wrong. It seemed that one hiccup in the plan was enough to set humanity back a few centuries. Every second that passed with no knowledge of what happened to the MIA units exponentially increased fear and distrust in the population.

The public sentiment was that of despair and outrage, and it seemed to seep into every corner of the globe. Crime skyrocketed, protests erupted in major city centers, and anti-government groups started to form factions of their own. A world that was once proudly united by a common cause had fractured into several factions trying to vie for favor in the Earth’s government. For the first time in over a century, there was civil unrest, and resources started dwindling due to supply chain interruptions. During that time, the Daomyo was also under political siege as the world demanded to know what had happened to the so-called hope of humanity. In an instant, two fronts for the upcoming war were created – one at home and one in space. The Daomyo had tried to deflect and emphasize that war was imminent, but this did little to ease the fears of the people. With escalating open rebellion against the government, things ultimately came to a boiling point. An uprising of armed insurgents needed to be quelled with military force during a highly-coordinated attack that targeted Daomyo granaries on multiple continents. Afterwards, martial law was put into effect for most of the planet. This socio-political situation could not have come at a worse time, as preparations on Io were coming to an end and the main contingent of Mechavax was ready for Incursion Day. Prometheus and the Daomyo leadership had retreated to their war room to plan next steps.

“Three weeks.” Prometheus sighed as he ran another set of simulations.

“How can we prepare Earth’s only hope for the battle to come if we have no data? It was foolish to put all of our eggs in this one basket. We must activate the auxiliary pilot program and start mass producing Mechavax on the off chance that we miscalculated the enemy strength.” the AI said aloud while hastily working on calculations for the upcoming battle.

“Perhaps it may be time for our contingency plan. I had hoped that we would not have to suffer catastrophic losses and endure such wanton destruction, but this seems futile. It is time to alert the planet that it will be in a mandatory total state of war. We need to let the government know that we have enacted Operation: Avalanche. From here on, the Daomyo will act like military leaders in the days of old. Until the war is won, the Daomyo will firmly control the planet. Odin, alert the other AI that it is time to start the draft and begin manufacturing immediately.”

“Dad, I think that the best course of action would be to not only enact our one failsafe…” said Odin, who sheepishly whirred with violet and purple lights. He had always been at his father’s side, working as an assistant. This was the first time he had ever spoken up. “Think about it, we have underestimated the enemy once before. The only way for us to guarantee victory would be a merging of the planes. It is the only chance we have. If the theory is correct, we could create the Merlin drive.”

Prometheus had become a recluse and refused to make public appearances or speak on the subject of the lost. It seemed as if the AI, once thought to be infallible, had suffered a major blow to its ego and decided to retreat rather than to face everyone. Since its birth, the AI had only known success and now it was staring straight in the face of adversity. Seeing one of his own stepping up to lighten his burden was a welcome sight. After mulling it over, he finally spoke and said “I think you are right, but we need to see how the defense of Io plays out first. After we know what we are up against, we can decide on that. The merging of the planes would not only affect us, but could have lasting implications for the rest of the universe.”