Thanks to Jekyll Rival's timely warning, the JE team gained enough time to implement their own emergency plan before Hyde Rival's minions attacked. The crew quickly packed crucial gear and stowed the crates in the Explorer cargo hold. JE personnel, both human and artificial, evacuated to their assigned seats aboard the Explorer. Captain Galileo Zeplin prepared the Explorer for a fast escape.
Only a skeleton crew remained in the Jonson Station Situation Room to monitor the long range sensors. Within hours of completing the preparations, the unmistakable signature of the attacking fleet appeared on the sensors. Seaplane could not believe the sheer scale: “Wow! This massive fleet seems at least twice as big as the huge fleet that earlier overran Jonson Outpost. They have us overwhelmingly outgunned, we cannot effectively fight back such an immense threat. OK, let's evacuate the remaining crew to the Explorer, and escape while we still can!”
Galileo fired up the engines and pulled the Explorer away from Jonson Station. Seaplane watched the aft view screen, which clearly showed the vast fleet approaching the station. The attacking vessels, determined to eliminate all resistance, fired multiple volleys, quickly destroying the station. The explosions proved so violent, that little remained of the once intact station within just a few minutes – even the debris field scattered so widely that only a few remnants could be seen here and there.
Leaving the sad scene of destruction behind, the Explorer picked up speed, and Galileo set course for Mars, where JE had reserved modest space at a friendly – and well armed – colony as part of the emergency plan.
Comments