Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner
Chapter 358 - 358: Autonomous response

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The rendezvous with Task Force Umbra took place in the shadow of a massive assault carrier that dwarfed Cassandra's transport. The "Retribution" was one of the new generation of command ships—bristling with weapon systems, launch bays, and communication arrays that could coordinate operations across multiple star systems.

As her transport docked with the larger vessel, Cassandra felt the familiar mix of anticipation and apprehension that came with major operations. Everything was about to change, and there was no way to predict exactly how.

The docking bay was a controlled chaos of personnel and equipment—soldiers checking weapons, technicians running diagnostics on combat suits, officers coordinating deployment schedules. But when she walked down the transport ramp with her Beast Gear backpack and weapon clearly visible, conversations quieted and heads turned.

"Well, I'll be damned," a voice called from across the bay. "The Black Saber herself."

Cassandra turned toward the voice and saw Colonel Marcus Stone approaching with the confident stride of someone accustomed to having his presence noticed. He looked older than she remembered—graying at the temples, lines around his eyes that spoke of stress and difficult decisions—but he still carried himself with the kind of authority that made junior officers straighten their spines without conscious thought.

"Colonel Stone," she said, extending her hand for the traditional greeting.

"Still formal as ever," Stone said, but he was smiling as he shook her hand. "Though I hear you've been playing schoolteacher lately instead of breaking things and taking names."

"The Vanguard Program has been... educational," Cassandra replied carefully.

"I bet. Training the next generation of superhuman soldiers must be quite different from leading assault operations." His expression grew more serious. "Sorry to hear about Pierce and your people. Marcus was a good commander."

"Is," Cassandra corrected firmly. "Commander Pierce is a good commander. Present tense."

Stone nodded slowly, recognizing the correction and the meaning behind it. "Right. Present tense. Well, the Black Saber's back in the field, so I'd say his people have got the best possible chance of coming home."

The nickname felt strange after trying to get used to be being called Commander Beaumont by respectful recruits and fellow officers. Black Saber was what the veteran soldiers had called her during the worst of the Proxima Centauri campaign, when her tactical decisions had been so coldly efficient that even experienced commanders had found them unsettling. She was ready to cut through anything to achieve her mission parameters and she did.

"How's the task force?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Two thousand of our best people," Stone replied, leading her toward the command section. "Heavy assault teams, reconnaissance specialists, technical support personnel, and some... special assets that I can't discuss in open areas."

They walked through corridors filled with the kind of organized activity that preceded major military operations. Soldiers moved with purpose, equipment was being loaded and checked, officers were reviewing tactical displays and mission parameters.

"Intel briefing in twenty minutes," Stone continued. "But the short version is that we're facing an unknown situation with unknown capabilities. Several days of complete radio silence from multiple deployment teams suggests either massive technical failure or..."

"Or something that can systematically eliminate our communication capabilities," Cassandra finished.

"Exactly. Which is why we're going in with enough firepower to level cities and enough technical support to rebuild them afterwards."

They reached the command briefing room, where dozens of officers were already assembled around a massive holographic display showing the Sirius system. Cassandra recognized the tactical markers—three worlds, multiple resource sites, the last known positions of their missing personnel.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Stone called out, his voice carrying easily across the room. "I'd like you to meet Commander Cassandra Beaumont, architect of the Vanguard Program and the officer who's going to help us bring our people home."

The assembled officers turned toward her with expressions ranging from respectful attention to curious assessment. She recognized a few faces from previous deployments, but most were new to her—specialists and experts in fields she could only guess at.

"Commander Beaumont has firsthand knowledge of the capabilities and tactical approaches of the missing Vanguard personnel," Stone continued. "Her insights will be crucial to mission success."

Cassandra nodded to the assembled officers, feeling the weight of their expectations. These people were risking their lives based on her assessment of the situation, her understanding of what had happened to Pierce and his team as well as the other two recon teams sent initially.

"Thank you, Colonel," she said. "I'm honored to work with Task Force Umbra."

"The honor's ours," Stone replied. "Now let's figure out how to bring everyone home."

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Three hours later, the task force dropped out of hyperspace at the edge of the Sirius system. Cassandra stood in the command center, watching the tactical displays populate with information as their sensors swept the three worlds ahead of them.

"Preliminary scans show normal planetary conditions," the sensor operator reported. "No obvious signs of orbital bombardment, massive explosions, or surface disruption."

"Communications?" Stone asked.

"Still negative, sir. We're receiving no signals from any of our deployed teams."

Cassandra studied the display, her mind working through the implications. "Send a scout probe toward Sirius Prime. Minimum approach distance, maximum sensor sweep."

"Copy that," the communications officer replied.

They watched as the probe accelerated toward the first planet, its sensors actively scanning for any sign of their missing people. The minutes dragged by until the probe reached optimal scanning range.

"Probe is approaching effective sensor range," the operator reported. "Beginning deep scan in three... two... one..."

The probe's signal vanished.

"Communications lost," the operator said after several seconds of silence. "Probe is no longer responding to control signals."

"Same pattern," Stone observed grimly. "Get close to any of the three worlds, lose communications."

Cassandra nodded, her strategic mind already working through the problem. Pierce would have faced the same issue—communication failure that prevented coordination between his teams. He would have had to make decisions based on incomplete information.

"Commander Pierce would have split his forces," she said, thinking aloud. "Spread them across all three planets to cover more ground and maintain some chance of success even if individual teams failed."

"Smart tactical thinking," Stone agreed. "But it also means our people are scattered across three different worlds with no way to communicate with each other or with us."

"Which leaves us with a choice," Cassandra said, her voice carrying the weight of command decision. "We can approach each planet systematically, maintaining unit cohesion but taking three times as long to cover the ground. Or we can split our forces the same way Pierce did and risk the same communication failures."

Stone studied the tactical display, his expression thoughtful. "What's your recommendation?"

Cassandra looked at the three worlds displayed before them, thinking about the young soldiers who were somewhere down there, possibly fighting for their lives, possibly captured, possibly worse.

They were her people. Her responsibility. And they needed her to make the right decision.

"We split the force," she said finally. "Hit all three planets simultaneously. Humanity's already at war, Colonel. No reason to shy away from it now."

Stone nodded slowly. "Agreed. I'll take Sirius Alpha, you take Sirius Prime, and Commander Hayes takes Sirius Beta. Heavy support for each deployment, full combat readiness."

"Timeline?"

"Two hours to final approach. Deploy at 0800 system time."

Cassandra felt the familiar pre-combat tension building in her chest. In two hours, she'd be leading soldiers into unknown danger, facing whatever had swallowed three separate deployment teams without leaving a trace.

"Understood," she said. "Let's bring our people home."

The command center buzzed with activity as officers began coordinating the three-pronged assault. Outside the viewports, the three worlds of the Sirius system hung in space like pieces of a puzzle that held the key to their missing people.

Somewhere down there, Noah and his team were waiting. Cassandra was coming for them, backed by the best soldiers and equipment the Earth Defense Force could provide.

The question was whether it would be enough to face whatever was waiting for them in the silence of the Sirius system.