Just the Beginning

[Virus]

Virus read through the reports submitted by his Acolytes quietly in his 'study' on board the Revenant. Most of their reports were typical after-action reports, but one relatively minor bit of data in a report filed by Zodiac caught his attention.

[font=Courier New]...some Outcast-affiliated AI Cruiser named the |VE|Absolution or something showed up and started scanning us...Things sorta went downhill and we mostly destroyed it and let it limp off, trying to cloak itself most ineffectively.

The data collected from the scans that the new Converts, Nephilim and Zodiac, had taken of the supposed robotic ship they encountered in Bretonia indicated that the... "VE" were capable of effectively scanning Phantom technology and possibly replicating it or, even worse, determining it's origin. To maintain the secrecy of their masters, he would have to make sure they did not get to analyze the scans of Phantom vessels.

It took a while before the energy signatures from the robitic vessel had been analyzed. It was only a matter of tracing that signature to one of their bases. It took but a few hours to locate several cleverly hidden bases around Sirius, hidden well enough from those who aren't looking.

As the Hellbound closed in on the nearest station, Virus engaged the weapon systems and prepared for the glorious work ahead.

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Inside the Enclave base named: X-23, an asteroid base, used as a base of operations for all agents working around Sirius, it contained all research and data that the Enclave had stored so far about the other houses actions as of late, it held detailed information of the wars of the major houses, some schematics of the ships most commonly referred to as “ships of war.”

All was quiet, and the Arch Deacon Jonas was sitting in the control area at the top of the large station. He had been in a heated discussion with the resident AI nicknamed: Alyssa. She had discussed and argued against the placement of agents within the society of “junkers”, in which the Deacon had argued that:
“Whatever they are, they've had more experience dealing with most houses than other factions besides the Zoners here in Sirius, they are important.”

Alyssa had tried explain to the Deacon that:
“No matter what experience they possess it doesn't change the fact that the Junkers are nothing but scavengers and junk dealers!”

The Deacon had won the argument eventually but, alas, as Jonas knew the AI had a certain personality that where a bit “tidy.” No wonder the base was completely cleaned every morning, something that not only bugged Jonas but actually made him very... Annoyed.
They where finishing up the discussion when the proximity sensors pinged a warning.
“That is strange.. No ships where planned to return today.”
Alyssa responded within moments.
“Sir... It isn't one of ours.”
Jonas stood up his eyes wide and as he pushed the alarm key he knew something bad was to happen.
Ten fighters where scrambled within moments, and launched into space to interdict the unknown target, and from the command and control center Jonas saw each of their ships destroyed, with no damage done to the enemy ship.

He alerted all guard forms surrounding the station, the large robotic platforms capable of spacial warfare brought their guns bear down on the new target.



Virus smiled on the bridge of his warship, Hellbound, this would be too easy.

The large warship opened fire, the station shuddered, impacts striking at vital areas on the station. Jonas screamed to Alyssa “Damage report!”
Alyssa responded with a uneasy calm “Shields are down to 56% and we have hull breaches on sixteen out of 20 decks... Our people are dying of suffocation!”
Jonas sighed as he saw the large ship come into visual.. It resembled a Osiris class battleship, but seamed severely enhanced and advanced.

“It doesn't matter Alyssa, try to send a sub space message to..”

Then the Hellbound fired it's main cannons and the base collapsed in on itself, transforming into a slow expanding golden fireball that eventually engulfed the entirety of the base's defenses.

The Hellbound continued it's destruction of the bases of this so called Enclave. A base hidden within a Gas giant, clever. A mining base constructed on a dead world, impressive. With each new outpost Virus slowly understood that these Enclave people must have taken their sweet time hiding and constructing these bases, making it all the more entertaining to annihilate them.

As last they came to the only remaining outpost, a small space station on the edge of known space. A single missile launched from the Hellbound. The crew of the station watched helplessly as it arced smoothly through space and impacted against their station with a thud. The boarding ramp dropped and five Phantom marines stepped off the small vessel and easily disposed of the small crew standing there, frozen in fear.

The Marine Sergeant plugged a device into the nearest console, "Commander, we're downloading all information off of their database." Virus merely acknowledged the action. The information gleaned from the station was immense: schematics on shields, propulsion and the designs of star ships very different from what the Sirians were capable of constructing.

Two Marines set up a device in the center of the room and bolted it to the floor. A fusion bomb to finish things up once they left. No one would even know they had been there.

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Into the Maelstrom - A Measure of Salvation - Reaver Company Database