The next day Andrew changed the rest schedule as no one was rested, while being woken up every two hours.
Instead he divided the crew into four shifts, making sure there was someone in the command center at all times while giving everyone more than enough time to rest.
During the night, the five captured ships were placed in the shipyard, other than the corvette that got hit into its main bridge, the ships were in good condition.
After removing the boarding pods, it took about ten hours to patch up their hulls and any internal damage caused by the droids and the crews.
Then the frigate and one of the corvettes were redeployed with new captains and droid crews.
The frigate was sent to Rhuneek, while the corvette was sent to Drevon to boost their fleets.
Andrew also made a funeral arrangements for the crews of the ships by placing the bodies into Iron caskets and launching them in to the stars of his system after a short ceremony.
This was the best he could do at the moment to honor their bravery.
The more damaged frigate would need at least three days to be repaired, while the two transport ships were crewed but ordered to stay in the system until he decided what to do with them.
Other tyhan the ships themselves, they also got some intel about this species plans and their origin.
It turned out that they were from a small star nation in their universe and they lacked the power to conquer anything so they decided to send this small fleet to pillage the abandoned systems for resources.
Their orders were to take anything they could, preferably any technology they came across, but in case that was impossible, they were ordered to gather as much resources as possible and return before the second wave arrived.
Under no circumstances were they to attack any system that was capable of defending itself and they were strictly prohibited from targeting any pirate fleets larger than five ships.
The transport vessels were specifically built for this and each of them could store 550 000 tons of materials.
In the end it was just their bad luck that Rhuneek managed to spot them while the other invading fleets were not around.
-What do you think of this?
Andrew asked Tanira and Runir, once they read through the materials pulled from the ships computers.
The three of them were sitting in the conference module during their down time.
-I think that most fleets from the first wave are similar to them, and if that's the case, it would explain why they mainly attacked the weaker systems and stayed away from any system that managed to defeat other fleet.
Runir said after thinking for a moment.
-This also explains their dispersal pattern.
Tarina said when her friend finished.
-They are simply looking for easier targets.
She added and displayed the compositions of the invading fleets they have seen so far.
-If im right, the fleets with cargo ships, came here mainly for resources.
She said highlighting the data which showed that over 90% of the fleets they have seen on their sensors had some kind of cargo vessels accompanying them.
-The ones without cargo ships might have a goal of securing a foothold in out universe by conquering a system and holding it till their reinforcements arrive.
She displayed the remaining fleets which were more numerous and consisted almost exclusively of warships.
-In that case, we should target the gatherers and try using the same strategy, Rhuneek had devised to capture their ships.
Runir said, after hearing Tarina's theory.
-This will boost our strengths, and to be honest, its the only thing we can do at the moment, if we go after one of the conquering fleets we will suffer heavy losses and I'm not even sure if we would be capable of taking one of them down with our current forces.
She explained.
-That's something to think about.
Andrew said.
The enemy was lacking the sensor range they enjoyed, but that didn't mean the same strategy would always work.
-I want you to find targets that are separated from any other enemy forces and small in number.
Additionaly I want to be notified about every potential target, before you attack them.
He said.
There was nothing wrong with getting more ships while weakening the enemy forces.
However Andrew was afraid of falling into a trap.
He knew this was a war, and in war there are causalities, but they had to be smart since they didn't have many replacements with the low population of his territory.
-Alright.
Runir nodded.
-Andrew, the there is another fleet going after the AI system.
Nairin contacted him.
He had given orders to notify him whenever there was a fleet approaching that system.
Since from the beginning of the invasion at least five fleets tried to capture this system and ended up dead in space, once their ships were hacked.
-I'm on my way.
He responded.
The moment he arrived in the command center, he saw another fleet going dark.
-How many ships this time?
He asked.
- Seventeen, which brings the total to fifty nine ships.
Nairin reported.
-Well, that's one hell of a bait.
Andrew commented, looking at the ships drifting in the system.
Even he was tempted to grab them, but he knew better than to risk his people's lives for nothing.
He watched on the main screen as the ships that just jumped into the system went dark and begun to went atmosphere.
Andrew almost felt sorry for the crews of the invading fleets that entered that system, but since they were taken out it meant less problems for him and any other system master that was still alive.
This result was awaiting anyone who entered that system and even if he could use the ships to bolster his fleet, there was no way to get them.
-Monitor the situation and call me if there are any more developments.
Andrew said before he left the command center.
The next two days went by without anything note worthy happening except another fleet joining the graveyard in the AI system.
During this time every captain in the fleet and every station was looking for targets to take down, but unfortunately there were no fleets that strayed to far.
Even though Andrew was almost certain that the fleets would not help one another, he could not risk his ships depending on that alone.
The forces at his disposal were not small but they were far from the proper fleet that he needed to take on the invaders.
The human was sleeping after his shift in the command center ended when he was woken up by Lanarine's voice, asking him to get to the command center ASAP.
This has woken him up immediately and he rushed into the command center, while getting dressed on the way.
-Whats going on?
Andrew asked rushing into the command center.
-There is a fleet going for the AI system and this time I don't think it can protect itself.
She said displaying the fleet that was going straight for the system.
-Additionally one of our ships received a message front said system asking for help.
She displayed the text message.
It was short, but was to the point.
"Please Help.
Your ships wont be attacked as long as they stay away from the station.
If the enemy takes over this system they will become strong enough to conquer the whole sector."
That was all the massage said.
After thinking about it for a moment Andrew had to agree that this would most likely be the case if the incoming fleet took over the system and all the ships that were there.
-Sarill, contact the ship that got the massage and ask them to send a reply.
Andrew turned to the girl who was assigned the shift with Lan.
Before he started typing the reply.
-I agree with you're assessment.
What would we need to do to help you survive?
He typed and sent it.
Not even five minutes later, they received a reply.
"Disable the destroyer of the incoming fleet.
If it survives, it will belong to you along with the rest of the incoming fleet."
This had a lot of sense, since the destroyer class ships needed to have an AI to operate it at its full potential.
This also explained the call for help.
If that station really had an AI, then it could be stalled by the destroyer's AI while the rest of the ship obliterated the station, taking it out in the process and getting them over 70 ships not counting the pirate vessels.
Andrew took another look at the incoming fleet which consisted of 23 ships with the destroyer as its flag ship, four heavy frigates, eight frigates, and ten corvettes.
This fleet had more than enough fire power to take down the station and even his fleet would not be a match for it in an open battle.
Andrew thought about the pros and the cons, before typing the reply.
-I agree, my fleet will mobilize soon, send coordinates for their entry to your system.
After sending this message, he contacted Runir and explained everything to her.
She agreed that this fleet had to be stopped, and even if she was a bit worried about the fleet, Andrew told her how to minimize the risks, and he even shared a plan he came up with in case the AI decided to take them down after they helped it.
The plan was far from perfect, but it guaranteed their safety and even gave them a chance at taking out the AI if it decided to betray them in the end.
However Andrew made sure that this was only to be implemented as a last resort and not used to take over the system.