The NCO tagged the planet with two short key strokes and a few hand swipes across the data display. Selecting the correct Marker Status, “Too easy Senior Op. Its location will be synced back to Headquarters once long distance correspondences have been opened up again.”
“Great, thanks,” Crestone replied before taking back his empty seat in front of the Navigation Section’s data display to watch the drones. Operated by a specially trained group within the Delta Infiltrator’s Navigation Team, the drones on the opposite side of the rogue planet had arrived on site and were beginning to display their results. With a radius of 3,600 miles, the medium sized planet would take the crew only twenty-seven hours to dissect it in its entirety.
Unlike the surface Crestone originally witnessed, the other side had far more pronounced geological features. A mountain range with 21,000 foot peaks came into view. Glaciers still seemed to be carving out eerie shapes into the mountain as they snaked their way down to ground level. Narrow canyons created by expired fast flowing liquids sprawled away from the mountain’s feet like dried up veins. Crestone longed to know what the planet looked like back when it had a star, wondering what life would have been like. He briefly imagined living in a house nestled deep in the mountains, far away from the outside universe.
A few minutes passed before the outer edges of a large crater appeared. Crestone’s heart skipped a beat when the abrupt interruption in the planet’s surface materialized. With its appearance came a thunderous response from the personnel in the Bridge as well, their worst fears becoming true. Despite the frigid air temperatures, the floor of the crater was stuck at nine hundred and fifty degrees; proving that some traumatic event had occurred recently. The crater’s exterior was nearly perfectly smooth and curved, as if a giant spoon was pressed into the planet.
As Crestone read the information, the data display began to glitch, causing the image to suddenly disappear and then reappear again. Back on the crater, rocks and dust were defying gravity by free floating forty-two feet above the smooth surface. When switched over to a rougher representation of the planet, even the yellow lines representing the surface seemed mysteriously disrupted by the crater. In the background, Crestone could hear one of the Aviators talking about the Ship’s analytical systems going haywire as they passed over the bowl shaped depression. Beginning to understand what was going on, Crestone zoomed out on the data display to get the entire crater in view.
The longer Senior Leading Operative Crestone kept zooming out, the more his fears grew. The colossal size of the blast site was simply astonishing. Fifteen seconds passed before the entire crater could fit on the display, reshaping at least one eleventh of the planet’s terrain. With the peculiar destruction in full view, Senior Leading Operative Crestone was able to confirm that it was not only too shallow to be created by a Fleet Vessel impact, but it was far too wide. Moreover, the evenness of the surface could not have been caused by a direct impact type of energy dispersal. All of the data registering throughout the Bridge seemed to befuddle everyone except for Crestone, who knew that the worst case scenario was in fact true.
Crestone quickly made his way to the Communications Section right next to him once he had seen enough to make the call. He grabbed a Classified Message Display System and shot a communications request directly to Steadfast and Loyal’s Command Center. Waiting for the Flagship to answer, the Senior Noncommissioned Officer tried to hold back the fear of a future with mankind’s most detrimental weapon being used as an everyday artillery round. Crestone had seen the result of a remote detonated Collider Bomb through Classified videos, the memory of the damage still haunted him in his dreams.
From the looks of the crater, and the data pouring in, Crestone knew that the Shadow Matter Bomb used to alter the rogue planet’s trajectory had to be one of the largest ever built. In fact, the shallow angles and curves of the crater meant that only two percent of the explosion actually affected the planet’s physical surface.
Shadow Matter Bombs, or Collider Bombs, were created by accident when a team of researchers collided gravitons with a Higgs Boson particle. The researchers spent months pouring over the results before concluding that the impact caused shadow matter’s interaction with the laws of the universal plane to break down in their entirety. Once free, the shadow matter ripped open a hole in the physical realm and temporarily bridged it with the “Intangible Realm.” While the rip only occurred for a few milliseconds, the resulting explosion could take hours to fizzle out. The unexplainable phenomena occurring at the epicenter could last indefinitely.
Speculative theory suggested the collision fundamentally broke down the natural laws of gravity and caused the violent reaction in a similar way stars went supernova. The fractured gravitational fields could only compress so long before they rebounded, causing a chain reaction that broke down other natural laws of the universe on its way out. What laid on the other side of the rip, “Universe X,” or the “Intangible Realm”, was still highly debated. The popular belief, however, had Universe X as the realm in which the “supernatural” occurred.
Collider Bombs had been banned for the last eleven thousand years, with each Empire equally wanting to ensure their destructive potential remained unused. Not only did Shadow Matter Bombs have a point zero one percent chance of permanently ripping open the universe, resulting in a never ending chain reaction that would completely destroy it, but they killed humans on levels that were unthinkable with the PMD in full swing.
Crestone was almost in a mental state of shock as he considered the possible implications this crater would have on the War, not to mention the Galactic Group’s future as a whole. While no mathematician, the Senior NCO knew that altering a planet sized object’s course was difficult enough, but adding in the fact that it had to be accurate enough to intercept a jump path meant that the Baikal Empire’s Military had been incredibly underestimated. Crestone slipped the CMDS over his head, welcoming the silence and darkness. He was met almost right away with Euphretes’s face, the Admiral’s piercing hazel eyes boring into his inner core.
“We found a crater, Sir. I also wanted to give you a friendly heads up that this thing has bad news written all over it. And while I could spend hours describing it to you, trust me, it has Shadow Matter Bomb traces everywhere. Rocks are hovering in the air, sensors are failing, and the crater’s elevated surface temperature hasn’t changed since we arrived.”
Euphretes shook his head in disbelief, “Still nothing on Demon’s Reckoning?”
“We literally just started to pass over the crater Sir. It was massive; I’m talking the explosion could’ve swallowed the whole planet, massive. So we should be coming up on another impact site here shortly or Demon’s Reckoning is still out there.”
The Empirical Admiral could barely comprehend what he was hearing. A controlled explosion of that size had never been attempted, let alone used as a weapon. Little did he know, however, that Emperor Indus was only capable of producing one Shadow Matter bomb of that size. It took years of saving up the needed material; and at great cost to his Empire’s budget. Unfortunately for the Emperor, he had no idea that his experimental weapon designers used the wrong bomb to alter the rogue planet’s course. Another Collider Bomb, one that was one hundred times smaller than the one detonated outside the planet, was supposed to be used as a test run. Indus intended for the much larger one to be used against the Natron Empire’s Capital System’s defenses. A simple miscommunication in the coded message told the detonating team for the rogue planet to run the calculations for the larger bomb.
When the Emperor gave the green light for the rogue planet to be the Armada’s murder weapon, the detonating team used the bigger bomb because that’s what they were planning for; not knowing that their mistake would be fatal. The second he was informed of the incident, in a moment of sobriety altering rage, Indus had the entire calculating crew executed and its RAIs expunged without decoding. Not thinking through the fact that they were the only ones who figured o
ut how to amass large amounts of Higgs Boson particles, the Baikal Emperor effectively killed off the threat of Shadow Matter bombs being a staple feature of the War. Emperor Indus, ever the ingenuitive murderer, found a use for the smaller Collider Bomb however; one that completely destroyed an entire solar system.
“How did they manage to aim a rogue planet?” Admiral Euphretes asked out loud.
“With a bomb, Sir,” Crestone wanted to sarcastically reply but remained professional because of the current circumstances. “I don’t know, but they definitely have my attention.”
“No kidding, but so far, they missed.”
“They didn’t miss,” the realistic Senior Noncommissioned Officer, who had seen far too much for one lifetime, bluntly stated.
“That’s the spirit! Either way, we’ll vindicate Demon’s Reckoning and her crew before this whole thing is through.”
“That we will Sir,” Crestone replied. He paused to reflect for a moment and then, “Anything new on the beacon where Demon’s Reckoning’s jump path was?”
“Nothing involving survivors, but it’s definitely part of Demon’s Reckoning. The team we sent after it is two minutes out.”
“Roger, thanks. Well, that was the reason for the communications request Sir. Unless you have anything more for me, that concludes my need for a connection.”
“Have the Command Team start syncing to Steadfast and Loyal now that you’re arriving on the scene. Other than that, I’m good on my end. Good work as always Crestone.”
“Too easy Sir,” The Senior NCO replied before removing the helmet.
Crestone returned to an entirely different Bridge. The once quiet room had become a beehive of activity. With the discovery of the crater and rumors about it being from a Shadow Matter Bomb, the room burst into action. Crew members scurried about with their partner RAIs on portable command consoles analyzing data and interpreting the surface images on a molecular level. Despite the commotion, Crestone was proud of Leading Operative Mercany’s soldiers. Her Bridge crew ran incredibly smooth, with everyone in their places, noise kept to a minimum, and they were entirely mission oriented. It was quite evident that Through the Abyss had made full use of their training time over the course of the Armada’s first jump sequence.
Walking back toward the primary data display and the Command Team, Crestone relayed the Armada Commander’s message before returning to the images of the rogue planet’s surface. Only three minutes passed after syncing Through the Abyss to Steadfast and Loyal when a rough voice screeched loudly, “We’ve got another one!” Crestone felt like his heart had just stopped beating.
Images of grotesquely contorted ground appeared. The planet’s surface began building up before dropping off into an impact canyon that could have been the gateway to hell. Growing up, Crestone was told how destructive a large Fleet Vessel could be when flown into a planet, but he had no idea what it would truly look like until now. There was only one other incident in the Galactic Group’s history in which a Fleet Vessel struck a planet sized object at jump speed.
Eight thousand years ago, with the PMD starting to have tremendous economic impacts on small communities, a Revolutionist Group seeking to begin the apocalypse, crashed a Cruiser Class Fleet Vessel into a Natron fringe territory. Damage and death, on a scale never before seen, forced every Empire to alter their planetary defense and security protocols. Only four other times was the strategy attempted again. Fortunately, each time, planetary defense systems picked up the incoming jump and shifted the attacking Fleet Vessel’s jump path by exaggerating gravity’s curvature around the targeted planet.
The images of the crater shocked everyone. Unlike the smooth scoop from the supposed Shadow Matter bomb, Demon’s Reckoning’s impact site appeared as if something grabbed a chunk out of the rogue planet and threw it out into the universe. In reality, because the Predator was on the far right side of the “V” formation, it struck the outer edge of the planet.
A small indention where the massive Ship first struck the surface gave way to an exit wound unlike any other. As the shear momentum combined with the Fleet Vessel’s immense mass carried it deeper into the planet, the energy it created forced rock and debris up and around in all angles. Nanoseconds later, the upsurge of the energy’s momentum forced magma and other material from the planet’s mantel to spew out of the ground. Once past the surface, the expelled material fell back into the space left behind by the vaporized ground and created a gigantic, magma filled crater-valley.
From above, the planet’s surface exploded forward and to each side, making the gorge seem deeper than it actually was. The sides of the crater rose four thousand feet above the original surface. Adding to the strange beauty, Demon’s Reckoning impacted with such force that it broke the horizon line, creating a “U” shape. A drone searching down in the chasm looking parallel to the ground was sending images of blackened clouds back to the display, as if the crater-valley had no ending. The high crater walls almost gave it the impression that the Drone’s images were coming from deep within the planet’s core itself.
Crestone studied the results of the collision. He couldn’t help but wonder what would have resulted if this had happened to a planet with human life on it. Adding to the horrible scenes playing out in his imagination was the fact that the Cruiser that hit the unsuspecting planet eight thousand years ago was only a tenth the size of a Predator. Most striking was that Crestone, deep down, knew that Indus was not only capable of attempting such an attack on a populated planet, but would do so willingly if it meant that he got ahead in the end. Regardless, the truth of the loss to his soldiers hit the Senior NCO like a wrecking ball. He failed.
Running mental calculations about where the Ship rammed into the surface, Crestone was amazed how easily that could have been the entire Armada. Because the Predator was on the outer edge of the Armada’s formation, had their Ships’s RAIs not taken evasive actions, they would have all been taken out. His mind could barely fathom the meticulousness that the attackers had. From the beginning of his training until now, Crestone had always assumed the Baikal Empire’s Military was full of bullies. To him, they were incapable of producing an original thought and too stubborn to learn the subtleties of war and the precision it takes to win them. The Baikal Military had always been sloppy, relying on their sheer numbers rather than strong, cohesive strategy. Now, it was as if Crestone faced an entirely new enemy; one that not only outmanned his, but one that was also catching up with the Huron Military’s technology at a rapid pace. The Baikal Military had come to win, and Crestone was beginning to fear that everyone else was simply hoping not to lose.
“Alright ladies and gentlemen, it’s time we start digging to see just what we’re dealing with. Lieutenant Klymber, please clear our three Transports. I want them below the atmosphere so they can be on standby should any survivors be found. Navigation, I need teams working on potential landing sites for our Transports. Maintenance, get recovery crews spun up and on an immediate standby status. Should wreckage be found, we need to be ready to jump on it immediately. Operations, clear the communication channels to give priority to our Transports and Recovery Crews. Also start spinning up our Intelligence Teams before they head down to the surface. That’s it for now everyone, get moving!” Warden Commander Ardein shouted in the background to the now busy Bridge.
Leading Operative Mercany raced out of the control room to oversee the work being done in the bay, taking a small group of soldiers with her. On her way out, Crestone could hear her barking orders left and right and kicking out soldiers snooping around unnecessarily. In spite of her voice trailing off, Mercany’s commanding presence could still be felt in her absence.
With the orders disseminated, Through the Abyss kicked their efforts into another gear. Crestone admired the crew’s attitude, running about as if their fellow soldiers were confirmed alive down on the surface. He was certain each one of them knew that the odds of anyone surviving the impact were slim to none, with none far ahead
; but they gave it their best regardless. If his soldiers acted this way for a lost cause, Crestone could only imagine their fortitude when it came to a winnable situation. Through the Abyss’s devotion reinvigorated the defeated Crestone, returning a renewed spirit to not give in to the darkness of his failure.
Warden Commander Ardein walked over to the Communications Section where Captain Astoria stood waiting after ensuring his orders were being properly carried out. The pair spoke privately for a few moments before agreeing that they were ready to send a communications request to Empirical Admiral Euphretes. Looking to brief him on the progress and to receive his next marching orders, they walked over to the central data display to await Steadfast and Loyal’s Command Center’s answer.
“What’d you got for me Captain Astoria?” Euphretes’s voice announced while his armored upper body appeared on screen.
“Sir, we have two confirmed impact sites, both recent.”
As Astoria briefed, the images on Through the Abyss’s data display began mirroring that on Steadfast and Loyal’s, allowing Euphretes to see exactly what the Captain was seeing. “As you can see on your end, the first one is too large and peculiar to be anything other than a Collider Bomb. One of the biggest the universe has ever seen, if not THE biggest Sir.” Astoria’s tone was foreboding.
“Tracking that on our end as well,” Euphretes interrupted. “Also, looking at the images of the second impact site, there’s no doubt that that’s Demon’s Reckoning. So really, my only question to either of you is what are the odds of anyone being found alive?”
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