Swarmed I

(Completely forgot to tell y'all what the guild insignia looks like. Acta Non Verba = ANV. Go to tinyurl . com/anvlogo. It's that one but with purple as the background color. Replace "company logo" with "incorporated" and tagline with "ad astra" which is "to the stars" in Latin. Anyone have artists they know? Need for a few things.)

A few minutes later, I was finally able to let go of the bundle of grass. I was covered in dirt and my arm was sore. In fact, my entire body was a bit sore from being thrown a few dozen feet.

When I managed to stand up, I looked around. It appeared as if a bomb had gone off. One of the tanks was flipped on its side, both speeders were destroyed and in pieces, and the escape pod that HK had arrived in was missing several panels on its hull.

Near where the speeder wrecks were, HK was sitting on the ground clearly freaking out. He was cradling the AI core that appeared undamaged as he whispered to it unintelligibly.

Near the tanks, Sirius was unconscious and covered in dirt. The entire area was shredded, and the grass was torn up.

In the epicenter was a machine the size of a shipping container. It had twisting tubes and was made quite beautifully. There were covered pipes and plugs all over it. This was a masterpiece of engineering and design.

I found two chips floating in the air. After plugging in the one on the left, I got the error for the file being too large. I shrugged and plugged in the other one. Instantly a text file loaded.

"To whomever discovers this, count yourself the luckiest man in the galaxy. This machine is my masterpiece and my life's work. I pray that you will use it for the betterment of the galaxy unlike those who paid me to develop it. I do not have much time, but this machine is my legacy that I now pass on to you. I present to you, the Portable Universe Reactor. All you need to know before seeing the designs is that it can generate power from any type of refined fuel. Use it well. – Dr. Alfheim Ulrich."

Once I was finished reading it, I was silent for several seconds. That was so insane that I didn't even know how to react. Fortunately, I wouldn't be left frozen for long.

My comm beeped so I tapped on it. "Yo."

On the other side, Violet was speaking. "The two enemy cruisers have broken past the blockade and are moving towards orbit. It won't be long before they are in range to deploy."

I nodded. "Alright. I'm on my way."

-12:26 AM-

*BVVVVVVVVVVVVV*

These Havoc Turbo-Tanks were damn loud. Our main base was just ahead but I could already see people gathering to see what was going on. Driving them felt even better than they were loud. They just blew through everything!

Just a few seconds passed, and we were at the base. I left the tank running and hopped out of the driver's seat after pressing the button to put down the ramp.

I left the tank and strutted down the ramp like a peacock. Yeah, be jealous, peasants.

Barely had I reached the bottom of the ramp when Captain Kane rushed up to me looking quite flustered. "What is all this?"

I waited half a second before glancing back at the three tanks. "Oh these? Just some luck. Get three crewman squads and use two to start trucking stuff to the mountains. The items in that tank with the trailer, the trailer included, are more valuable than your life. Don't fuck this up."

She nodded hurriedly. "Yes, sir!"

I quickly walked away so that I wouldn't be bothered anymore. I wanted to see what Sigurd was up to before everything went to shit.

Sirius was following close behind me. "Master, when can I have a lightsaber?"

I sighed. "That'll be the first thing we do after we leave Kessel and the council approves of you being my padawan. The ritual can be quite… enlightening."

I could feel his concern at my comment. "What does that mean?"

I shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I already had a few screws loose. You should be fine. Also, we need to have a talk about your health issues when this is all over."

Sirius tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

I smiled. "When this is over, we'll talk about it."

Sirius nodded. "Yes, master."

Almost immediately after he replied, my comm beeped. I rolled my eyes in irritation. "What now?"

It was Violet again. "Enemy aircraft inbound. ETA T-1 minute. The blockade was broken through."

I sighed, looking towards the dark horizon. "They must have a very talented admiral with them. We will have to move up the evacuation."

Violet audibly sighed through the comm channel. "This is a disaster."

I nodded. "Yes. Yes, it is. Let's just get into the caves."

I then turned to Sirius after closing the channel. "Back to the tanks it is."

Seconds later, we were running up to the tanks. I looked to the skies as I approached the ramp. There were dozens of black dots that were getting larger by the second. "Shit."

I rushed into the tank and climbed the ladder to the main gunner compartment. I grabbed the sleeve of the crewman that was in the gunner seat and shook his arm. "You, out, now."

The crewman noticed my clothes and nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."

Once I sat down in the seat, I heard Sirius from below. "Master, where should I go?"

I thought for a moment. "Go help the lead crewman in the cockpit."

My focus was now on the controls in front of me. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and grounded myself in the moment. My virtual training came back to me as my hands felt onto the controls like a fish in water.

*BVVVVVVVVVVVVVV*

The engine roared as the tank accelerated with all of its power. This baby could go 0-60 in just a few seconds despite being so heavy. Let's just say that it made everything on Earth look like a Little Tykes truck.

Using the steering wheel like interface, I pulled back and the entire seat shifted. It moved with the gun that ran beneath the seat and out of the roof of the tank. As soon as I aimed towards the incoming aircraft, dozens of red squares formed over them on the large blast-proof window that sat between me and the outside.

I smirked and pressed the local comms button on the wheel. "LET'S DO THIS!"

*DUKDUKDUKDUKDUKDUK*

I pulled on the trigger and felt the violent vibrations of the heavy laser cannon firing on full auto. Almost instantly, a light freighter was torn through and was obliterated mid-air. "I HAVE THE POWAAAAAA!"

The enemy craft started carrying out evasive maneuvers and also redirected their shields to the front to protect themselves. It became a lot harder to shoot them down, let alone hit them.

I quickly opened a private channel with the other tanks. "MAIN GUNNERS, FOCUS FIRE ON THE LIGHT FREIGHTER AT 134 DEGREES SOUTHEAST!"

I shifted my aim and locked onto the freighter I had just mentioned. I watched as my targeting crosshair fell into the red square. "Bingo."

*DUKDUKDUKDUKDUK*

The sound of multiple heavy blaster cannons rang across the plains as the shields of the freighter lit up like Christmas. Then…

*BOOM*

Under the fire of multiple cannons, the freighter transformed into a ball of fire. Whatever was inside was no more.

Just like that, Operation Barren Charge truly became a military operation.