THE FALL OF RAIJIN
29 Oct 2024Jav Marlo
THE FALL OF RAIJINAfter helping in the clearing of the systems in the Pegasi sector from Thargoid presence Commander Jav Marlo and Ayumi take part in the final assault to the Titan Raijin.
24 OCTOBER 3310, Pegasi Sector IH-U b3-3, orbiting the second planet, maelstrom Raijin.
The Xenophon departing Drexler City
Raijin, the fearful God of Thunder of ancient Earth Japanese mythology, that was how they named the Thargoid Titan that invaded the Pegasi sector. It is also the seventh Titan mankind has been able to destroy. And we have come a long way since we destroyed the first Titan, Taranis, seven months ago.
The Xenophon approaching the Raijin maelstrom
And we have learnt a lot on that time. With every Titan that fell after Taranis, mankind improved its tactics. Engineers like Ram Tah and professor Palin continued developing new weapons based on the technology of the ancient enemies of the Thargoids, the civilization we know as the Guardians, that vanished long time ago.
The Xenophon trespassing the Raijing maelstrom
These days, Pulse neutralisers and caustic sink launchers are widely available, and the number of anti xeno commanders using them to navigate through the maelstroms has widely increased. That allows Aegis and the Anti-Xeno-Initiative to organise a constant assault for days on the Titans.
The Xenophon approaching the fight around Raijin
Seven months ago, we organise a massive clumsy assault on Taranis. Previous exploration of the Titan had shown that it had eight heat vent nodules on the tips of its fins, and that they could be bombed with the nanite torpedos I helped developing to trigger an emergency thermal vent that would expose the core of the titan with its eight hearts.
The Xenophon approaching Raijin
Now we have learnt to work in squadrons as a team with specialized vessels. Xeno-fighters for perimeter defence, nimble nanite bombers to block the heat vent nodules and heavy anti xeno bombers to perform attack runs under heavy fire on the Titan’s core. First step, collapsing the heat vent nodules with nanite torpedoes.
The Xenophon initiating a bombing run on a heat vent nodule
The next step in the attack sequence, after occluding the heat vents, is to swiftly fly into the ventral side of the Titan.
The Xenophon after bombing a Titan heat vent nodule with a nanite torpedo
That is when the thermal core descends exposing the Thargoid hearts, allowing the Titan bombers to do their runs, saturating the now vulnerable thermal core with fire from enhanced AX missiles and Guardian Shard Cannons.
The Xenophon firing enhanced AX missiles to Raijin’s thermal core
It only takes the Titan some seconds to reset its thermal vent system and to retract its core. And every time this happens, the Titan emits its disruption field pushing ships and causing system malfunctions. But it can be avoided by rapidly putting distance out of the blue torus that it creates around the Titan.
The Xenophon avoiding Raijin’s disruption field
Then the attack sequence starts again. Collapsing the heat vents, exposing the core and bombing the hearts. And all of it while sustaining heavy fire, both from the Titan and from the scouts and interceptors protecting it.
The Xenophon approaching Raijin under heavy fire
And this attack sequence is held for days, wave after wave, run after run. Until all the hearts are destroyed and, eventually, the Titan collapses.
The Titan Raijin some hours before meltdown
Once a Titan is defeated, its starts a meltdown state that usually lasts about 24 hours. During that lapse of time, the Titan is defenceless, but some scouts and interceptors still patrol the area. That gives a window of opportunity for Aegis rescue squads to approach the Titan in distress and try to rescue all the commanders which lost their ships and ejected during the battle.
The Xenophon waiting for Raijin’s meltdown while Aegis’ ships rescue commanders
I felt confident after Ram Tah isolated my Guardian implants from the Thargoid influence, so I risked it to wait for the Titan’s final collapse. I could feel the tension on Ayumi, considering what happened last time.
Titan Raijin collapse sequence starting
Once again, the Titan released an energy pulse that sent the Xenophon several light seconds away.
The Xenophon being pushed by Raijins’ energy pulse
And on this occasion I did not fainted, and I could witness the terrifying explosion of a Thargoid Titan.
The explosion of Raijin
That happened one hour ago. Now, while I record this log, I am viewing the huge caustic cloud Raijin’s explosion has created and its remains shine rivalling with that of the system’s star.
Raijin’s caustic cloud after exploding
It feels kind of odd. I thought that my connection with the Thargoids would be severed after Ram Tah’s intervention. And it is true that I do not feel the chest pain and headaches anymore. Also not fainting and convulsing is a great advantage. But I was expecting the humming I feel in my head whenever there are Thargoids around to diminish after Raijin exploded. And… somehow… it is more vivid now. It feels like an itch inside my head that I cannot scratch… quite… annoying. I think I should get back to Abel Laboratory for a full medical check up. Just in case.
Jav Marlo signing out.
Jav Marlo observing the caustic cloud led by Raijin’s explosion