(AN: Sorry for the late notice, but I will be away next week for the 4th of July. I meant to put the word out Monday, completely slipped my mind. Since my brother and his partner are at their home recovering, the family is taking the festivities to them. Catch you all again in a week!)
---3rd Person POV, Two Hours Later---
Reconvening as final preparations were wrapping up, Commander Lawson, King Gid, and Jedi Master Obi-Wan reviewed the Hive Fleet's status. Refreshing their live feed, the ships stalking the fleet had them placed just outside the fringes of the star system. Promptly activating the automated defense grid, Obi-Wan ordered their naval forces to prepare for contact. Watching laser and missile batteries spring to life, Gid took the opportunity to contact Anakin.
"How is our defensive perimeter looking?", Gid asked over the radio.
"We are as ready as we will ever be.", Anakin responded as the lights momentarily flickered. "The city's shields just came online, and our ground forces are in position."
"And my daughters and wife?", Gid questioned.
"They should be heading your way now. I received word a few minutes ago that the evacuation had been completed.", Anakin remarked with an exhausted tone. "It took longer than expected to complete because of several squabbles between evacuees; nothing your family could not handle, though."
Relieved to hear that, Gid turned to Zastin, who was standing silently beside him watching events unfold. Instructing the knight to prepare for departure, he entrusted his loyal soldier with the protection and safety of his wife and daughters. Distraught to learn he would not be fighting alongside his lord in the upcoming battle, Gid apologized and insisted he had no other choice.
"While I sincerely hope my daughters will respect my wishes today, in the event they do not, you must protect them with your life. You are the greatest swordsman in the history of our nation; I am placing my most valuable treasures in your hands.", Gid spoke, looking at Zastin with a sincere expression. "Though outward appearances may suggest I view my daughters as expendable pawns, I truly care about their well-being."
"I know, my lord.", Zastin acknowledged, snapping to attention. "I, Knight Zastin, humbly accept the task you have given me. Please rest assured I will give my everything to protect your family, even if it costs me my life."
Thanking his trusted knight for his understanding, a clone trooper stepped in to announce their arrival. Swiftly departing to join them, Gid returned his full attention to the updating map. Watching a swath of weapon batteries abruptly go offline, the three commanders immediately contacted the fleet to see what happened.
"I need a report on what is going on out there. Did something happen to the defense grid?", Obi-Wan questioned. 'Please do not say the Hive Fleet has grown long-range weapons. Our plan did not account for that because it has only ever happened once in recorded history.'
"G.R.S. Damascus reporting in.", a radio operator announced. "The enemy fleet launched a small, unknown object into the star system ahead of them. When it reached the first line of defense, it exploded and released a strong EMP blast."
(AN: GRS stands for Galactic Republic Starship.)
"It did what?!", Gid shouted, startled by this new development. "We have no record of this happening before. They have always adapted to fight whatever threat they were facing in that moment. Not once have they come prepared with countermeasures in place."
(AN: I researched this a bit and could find no mention of a Tyranid with the ability to generate an EMP.)
Recalling that not all their systems were hardened against EMPs, Obi-Wan contacted Anakin to apprise him of the situation. Asking the Jedi Knight to handle the problem as best he could, Anakin questioned his former mentor on how he was supposed to do that. Building something to shield equipment from an EMP was vastly different from jerry-rigging a podracer.
"I will contact our Engineering Division and see if they can spare a few hands to help. What mission-critical systems need hardened?", Lawson inquired.
"There are several systems I would like addressed, but the most crucial is the backup power system. Without the backup, the primary system will be overtaxed within minutes of their planetfall. If we have complete power loss, we will be forced to abandon Terminus.", Obi-Wan said, bringing up a map of the city. "The backup system is located under the planetary governor's residence. Everything is already unlocked; they should not have any trouble getting in."
Nodding his head, Lawson put out a call for some engineers as the fleet began pouring into the star system. Throwing everything they had at the Tyranids, everyone in the war room watched the live updates with bated breath. Having already accepted that the enemy would make landfall on Terminus, all they could do was hope their numbers would be modest.
---Victor POV---
Walking onto our private beach, my family and I got ready to enjoy another blissful day in paradise. Setting out the beach chairs and umbrellas, I enthusiastically took it upon myself to apply sunblock to my beautiful wives' backs. Allowing me to do as I pleased, while giving Slaanesh smug smirks, the Chaos God stood close by with a miffed expression. Once everyone was sufficiently protected, I inquired what everyone wanted to do today.
"Can we go diving on the reef, pretty please!", Nuelalla requested, looking up at me with her puppy dog eyes. "My swimming skills are still not that good, but I really want to swim with the fishies."
"Diving on the reef sounds like a wonderful idea!", Olivia agreed, kneeling to give the young girl a hug. "Right, dear?"
"Of course we can.", I said, retrieving an underwater propulsion unit for her. "This will make getting around underwater much easier for you."
Handing the child-sized device to her, she looked at it with a mixture of amazement and wonder. Taking her out into the water for a quick lesson in its operation, Nuelalla was soon zipping along the coast giggling with delight. Calling out to her mothers as she darted all over the place, they enthusiastically praised her while laughing along with her. Coming to a halt after a few minutes, the young Aeldari slowly swam over and hugged me as tightly as she could.
"Thank you for the gift, daddy!", Nuelalla said, emphasizing her last word.
"You… you are welcome, Nuelalla.", I replied, overcome by joy. 'She finally said it!'
Hugging my daughter back, my family began tearing up as they knew how much hearing her say that one word meant to me. Letting go of my daughter after a few seconds, I motioned for everyone to come join us. Running down to the water, we were about to head out to the reef when several voices called out to us.
"Hey, wait a second. Can we come along with you?", Tohru called out, sprinting down the beach at high speed. "We are tired of lounging around in the bangalowes, so let us tag along, please!"
"They are called bungalows, halfwit!", Loki snapped, walking around the bend with Elma and Ilulu. "Between these three and the two drunkards in my residence, I am slowly going insane. Please let us join you, or at the very least, take them off my hands. I beg you!"
Hearing the genuine frustration and pain in her tone, Lucoa released a long sigh before apologizing to Loki. Reluctantly agreeing to take them with us, she made her childhood friends swear to behave themselves. Promising to adhere to our rules, they blitzed past us and dove headfirst into the water. Forgetting to check what was under the waves first, Elma crashed into a concrete pylon while Ilulu and Tohru slammed into a rock.
"Should we let natural selection run its course?", Bo-Katan questioned, uncertain if it was okay to say it.
"Ha, if that was all it took, we would have died a very long time ago.", Lucoa snickered, recalling their escapades of yesteryear. "Give them a moment; they will bounce back like nothing ever happened."
"Sorry, Loki, I expressly told them not to do this before we checked in.", I apologized, glancing back at the Aesir goddess. "Nice swimsuit; the green with gold accents really suits you."
Refusing to meet my gaze, Loki quietly thanked me before inquiring about what our plans were for today. Excitedly telling her we were going diving on the reef, Nuelalla reached out her little hand to show her the way. Hesitantly accepting her hand, Loki allowed her to lead the way. Casting a water-breathing spell on everyone, we dove into the water and made our way to the reef.