The Olympus chamber felt colder than before.
On the main screen, the eleven alien scouts were still racing toward Earth.
But now their formation had changed.
Before, they moved like observers.
Now they moved like hunters.
EXTERMINATION PROTOCOL ACTIVE
Adrian read the message again.
"Yeah," he muttered, "that definitely sounds worse."
Elara stood quietly beside the console.
The destruction of the hunter warship had bought humanity a small victory.
But it had also done something dangerous.
It had made the enemy angry.
"Olympus," she said calmly.
The system responded immediately.
ALIEN SCOUT STATUS: HOSTILE
Adrian crossed his arms.
"So no more studying us."
"No."
"No more warning shots."
"No."
"Just war."
Elara nodded.
"Yes."
The council channel opened again.
This time the faces on the screen looked far more serious.
Secretary-General Kovac spoke first.
"We've confirmed the destruction of the alien hunter."
Adrian smirked slightly.
"Humanity: one."
Then he pointed at the incoming scouts.
"Aliens: eleven."
Kovac ignored the comment.
"What happens next?"
Elara zoomed into the scouts.
"They've changed their strategy."
"How?"
"They're spreading out."
Adrian saw it too.
The eleven ships were no longer flying together.
Instead they were separating into multiple trajectories.
Adrian frowned.
"That's not good."
"Why?" Kovac asked.
"Because now we don't know which one will attack first."
Elara checked Olympus simulations.
The results appeared across the screens.
Projected targets.
Major cities.
Military bases.
Satellite networks.
Adrian's expression hardened.
"They're preparing to hit everything."
Kovac leaned forward.
"Meaning?"
"They want to cripple Earth before the main fleet arrives."
Silence fell across the council chamber.
Because everyone understood what that meant.
The alien scouts weren't reconnaissance units anymore.
They were attack ships.
Elara studied the orbital defense grid.
Helios was still drifting above Earth.
But its energy core had been drained by the battle.
Adrian sighed.
"Helios is basically empty."
"Yes."
"How long to recharge?"
"Olympus estimates eight hours."
Adrian checked the scout trajectories.
"That might be too late."
The closest alien scout would reach orbit in six hours.
Another alert appeared.
ALIEN SIGNAL DETECTED
Adrian groaned.
"Oh great."
"What now?"
The message appeared across the screen.
Olympus translated quickly.
Adrian read the words slowly.
"Planetary defense weapon identified: Helios."
Another line appeared.
"Priority target: destruction."
Adrian sighed.
"They really hate that laser."
The alien scouts suddenly changed formation again.
Three of them accelerated directly toward Helios.
Elara whispered,
"They're going to destroy it."
Adrian nodded.
"Smart move."
Without Helios, Earth would have almost no orbital weapons.
"Olympus," Elara said.
The system responded instantly.
DEFENSE GRID ACTIVATED
Missile satellites rotated toward the incoming ships.
EMP platforms charged.
Kinetic interceptors aligned.
Adrian looked at the screen.
"That's still not enough."
Elara knew it too.
The scouts were far stronger than the drones.
Missiles might slow them down.
But destroying them would be much harder.
Another council member spoke up.
A Russian orbital defense commander.
"What about nuclear warheads?"
Adrian shook his head immediately.
"Too slow."
"And dangerous."
Elara added,
"Detonating nuclear weapons in orbit could damage our own satellites."
The commander sighed.
"So what do we do?"
Adrian pointed at the screen.
"We stall them."
"How?"
"Hit them with everything we have."
Missiles launched.
The first wave of interceptors streaked through space.
Explosions flashed around the approaching scouts.
But the alien ships moved with terrifying agility.
They dodged.
Accelerated.
Adjusted their flight paths instantly.
Adrian watched one of the explosions fade.
"Okay."
He frowned.
"That barely scratched them."
Elara zoomed into the scan.
The scout's organic hull had absorbed most of the impact.
Biological armor.
Self-healing.
Adrian sighed.
"Of course."
But Olympus suddenly detected something unusual.
One of the scouts slowed down.
Adrian noticed immediately.
"Why did that one stop?"
Elara zoomed in.
The ship rotated slowly.
Its sensors scanning Earth.
But not the military bases.
Not the defense grid.
Something else.
Adrian read the coordinates.
"That's… a city."
The scout was targeting a civilian population center.
Millions of people.
Elara's voice dropped slightly.
"It's threatening us."
"How?"
The alien ship's weapon system powered up.
The same cannon they had seen before.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"They're aiming at civilians."
The council erupted again.
"We can't let them fire!"
But the alien message appeared again.
The translation appeared across the screen.
PLANETARY SPECIES DEMONSTRATES RESISTANCE
Another line appeared.
COMMENCING PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPRESSION
Adrian whispered,
"They want to scare us."
"If they destroy a city…"
"Humanity might surrender."
The alien cannon charged.
Adrian looked at the Helios power gauge.
Still charging.
Still not ready.
"Elara."
"Yes?"
"We can't let that thing fire."
"I know."
But Olympus suddenly detected something else.
Another energy spike.
Adrian frowned.
"What now?"
The second alien scout began charging its weapon too.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
Adrian stared at the screen.
"They're coordinating."
Eleven alien ships.
All powering weapons.
All targeting different locations across Earth.
Cities.
Military bases.
Space facilities.
Elara whispered,
"They're preparing simultaneous strikes."
Adrian's voice dropped.
"How many targets?"
Olympus calculated.
The answer appeared.
STRIKE TARGETS: 11
One for each scout.
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"They're going to bombard the planet."
The council fell silent.
Because no defense grid on Earth could stop eleven simultaneous alien attacks.
Elara looked at Helios again.
The power gauge climbed slowly.
Still charging.
Still incomplete.
Adrian whispered,
"How long?"
"Two hours."
He checked the countdown.
The scouts would fire in less than thirty minutes.
Adrian ran a hand through his hair.
"Well…"
He looked at the screen.
"Humanity's about to have a very bad day."
But Olympus suddenly detected something strange.
The alien ships had transmitted another signal.
But this one wasn't directed at Earth.
It was sent deep into space.
Adrian frowned.
"Who are they talking to now?"
Elara zoomed the map outward.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Adrian…"
"What?"
"There's another signal responding."
From far beyond the alien carrier.
Something massive.
Something moving.
Adrian whispered,
"Don't tell me…"
The scan finished.
A new object appeared on the edge of the solar system map.
Much larger than the carrier.
Much darker.
And much more terrifying.
Olympus displayed the classification.
UNKNOWN ALIEN ENTITY — TITAN CLASS
Adrian stared at the screen.
Then whispered one word.
"Oh… no."