Orion The Fallen God Chapter 17: Chapter 16 - The Predator’s Gambit

Read chapter 17 of Orion The Fallen God by AltexTV on NovelPedia.

Meanwhile at Eryndor... What had begun as scattered streaks of crimson light descending through the upper atmosphere had transformed into a sea of fire stretching from horizon to horizon. Thousands of demonic vessels tore through the clouds, their engines painting the heavens in shades of red and black while trails of burning energy scarred the night. Beneath them, air raid sirens wailed endlessly across the city, their desperate cries echoing between towering skyscrapers and crowded transit hubs already overflowing with civilians trying to escape. For generations, the world of Eryndor had known peace. Its people had built vast cities that stretched across continents. Trade flowed freely between its nations. Children grew up learning about distant wars and ancient conflicts as though they were stories from another age. Few truly believed such horrors could ever reach them. Now those same stories were falling from the sky. Governor Elias Vorn stood atop the command balcony of the Planetary Defense Headquarters and stared through the reinforced glass overlooking the capital. Smoke already rose from multiple districts across the city while flashes of distant explosions illuminated the horizon. Entire sections of the outer sectors had disappeared beneath dark clouds of ash and fire. The invasion had begun less than four hours ago and the world was already dying. Around him, officers moved frantically between command stations while holographic projections filled the room with streams of military reports. Entire fleets blinked in and out of existence on the tactical displays as new casualty estimates arrived every few minutes. The atmosphere inside the command center had become suffocating. No one spoke louder than necessary. No one wasted words. Every person in the room understood they were witnessing the collapse of their civilization in real time. "The Third Fleet has been destroyed, sir," the report came from a young communications officer whose voice trembled despite her attempts to remain professional. Elias closed his eyes briefly. The Third Fleet had been the largest military force in the system. Hundreds of warships. Thousands of fighters. Generations of technological advancement concentrated into a single defensive armada. Now it was gone. A second officer immediately stepped forward, "The eastern shield network collapsed six minutes ago. Emergency generators failed shortly afterward." Another voice joined in before Elias could respond, "We've lost contact with three continental defense commands." The reports continued arriving one after another. Every update sounded worse than the last. Entire military formations had vanished. Planetary defense cannons had fallen silent. Strategic strongholds that were expected to hold for weeks had collapsed within hours. What had once looked like a coordinated defense was rapidly devolving into isolated pockets of resistance fighting desperately against an enemy they could neither understand nor stop. Elias stared at the battlefield projection suspended above the command floor. The map was drowning in red. At first there had been only a handful of invasion points scattered across the globe. Military analysts had believed they could contain them. Then the demons landed and now entire continents were disappearing beneath the advancing tide. The command center doors suddenly burst open. Several soldiers rushed inside carrying a wounded officer whose uniform was covered in blood and soot. The man looked barely conscious as they lowered him into a nearby chair. Elias immediately recognized him, Commander Harlan. One of the officers responsible for defending the western perimeter. "What happened?" Elias asked. The commander struggled to catch his breath before answering. "They broke through," his voice sounded hollow, "We hit them with everything we had." The room gradually quieted. Harlan stared at the tactical map floating above them, his expression distant and haunted. "The artillery batte