Yes, Commander.
'Strap in men, we're going in under the Rid's guns. Spect keep our shields front, but speed high and divert weapon power to engines, Tremon.' Draethus headed for the liquid lake as both his crew acknowledged his commands.
The Dawn Eclipses' engines screamed as the golden vessel accelerated towards the Heridian flagship once more. Anti-air flooded the sky with red and yellow streaks of plasma as the enemy ship fired its guns at the oncoming vessel.
The ship rolled and banked over, weaving from side to side, navigating through the maze of death. A cluster of missiles headed towards them, leaving behind a trail of white smoke, then separated into smaller pieces. Each small warhead homed in on its intended target, spinning and twisting, calculating its attack trajectory. A burst of laser fire from the Eclipse lit up the area in front of the ship and blanketed the enemy missiles with a mixture of heat and electromagnetic pulses that disabled the projectiles.
'Excellent work, Tremon,' Draethus said over the coms.
'I wondered what that button did,' Tremon said to himself, smiling.
The ship rose sharply into the shadow of the behemoth and matched the speed and heading of the Heridian carrier, nestling in a dark crevice inside the guns turning circle. Without support of the enemy fighters, the carrier couldn't locate or fire upon the attacker.
We are in position, Commander, the Eclipse communicated to Draethus.
The tear came up quickly, a shimmer of something Draethus could only perceive as blue electricity. Both vessels dove through the tear in reality, the rip in space time that defied the known laws of physics, and traversed to another space time. The Heridian Carrier was once again back where it belonged.
*
'Something's coming through!' the young pilot on board the Arvernus yelled.
'Alright, keep it down,' Raeson commanded back to him. 'I'm looking at the same screen as you, boy.'
The enormous carrier entered the fabric of space, slowly and patiently, a predator taking its time to stalk its prey. Its hull bristled with guns and other weaponry, and then finally the world ending tails emerged, signalling its complete materialization. The tear, now depleted of energy, vanished without the light show Raeson expected, an anticlimax finish to the rarest of objects in the universe.
'The vessel is altering its course, Sir,' Slin said from his chair behind. 'Look's to be heading for the rest of the Rid fleets last known location.'
'Alright, let's shadow this thing for a while, after all the tears…' Raeson cut his command short as laser fire rocked the Arvernus from below, as three Heridian fighters launched from the carrier and smelled a kill.
'All turrets open fire! Get me a lock onto those bastards and change heading back to the fleet. I want this sky clear.' Raeson's blood was pumping under the pressure of combat.
'They have launched more fighters, Sir!' The youngster called out.
'Nash, get us out of here,' the Commander ordered, almost louder than the enemy weapons fire slashing into their nanite armored hull.
'We have eight; no twelve more fighters inbound.' Slin was marking them with his hands as the small holographic blips floated over his console. 'Estimate, they will be on us in twenty seconds. With that firepower, Commander, not even the Arvernus can withstand…'
'I realise, Slin,' Raeson replied with a grimace from his command chair. He finished buckling his straps and flicked away data floating in his face. 'How we looking, Nash?'
'Engines are over flaring but we don't have the initial speed to outrun those fighters.' Nash was hectically pulling out power from every system she could find that could get them away just that little faster.
Fifteen fighters buzzed and strafed the Arvernus as it rolled and dodged erratically, trying not to lose speed whilst keeping to a heading away from the Heridian flagship. One enemy fighter got too close and disappeared in a flash of explosion, taking a direct hit from the forward guns. The turrets of the defending corvette fired in all directions as the on-board computers did their best to track the fast moving Heridian craft to little avail. Two fighters appeared on the rear of the pirate vessel and launched a ferocious volley that vanished into the bright flares of the engines. A minor explosion signalled the demise of the corvette's continued acceleration. The Arvernus' engines activated emergency systems and shut off, though the ship continued to move forward through the void.
'We are adrift,' Nash said hopelessly from the now dimly lit control panel at the back of the bridge section.
'Sir, we have another blip heading our way from beneath us, a lot bigger than the fighters,' Slin reported.
Raeson stared out of the transparent armor of the forward section and wondered what he could have done differently.
If we hadn't needed the speed, we could have brought the defence fighters along, he thought to himself.
'The larger blip is almost on us,' Slin whispered.
Like a school of scared fish, the Heridian fighters scattered in multiple directions, trying to evade a greater threat. Two fighters exploded instantly, showering the Arvernus in debris and molten metal. A third trailed off into the distance, spinning out of control, leaving behind a trail of venting plasma.
The golden vessel, burst into Raeson's view from below, a flash of light across his mind. He staggered back, surprised and unsure of what was happening. 'Tell me what beast that was,' he ordered in Slin's general direction.
'Ah, that was the blip Sir, not sure if it's friendly but it doesn't like the Rids.'
'Well, let's not anger it.' The Commander walked over to the group of consoles, 'keep firing but don't hit that ship.'
The Dawn Eclipse rocketed high above, before falling onto its back to fly another pass at the attacking Heridian fighters. Streaks of light burst from the bow of the ship again and sent another fighter to its death, ripping its wings apart. The remaining hostiles scattered away from the battle and fled back in the flagship's direction. As the enemy carrier translocated from known space, the fighters vanished within its proximity.
Slowly the Dawn Eclipse approached the stricken pirate vessel, gliding up beside and keeping away from the Arvernus' front weaponry. The golden vessel was five times the corvettes size, mostly in length, and differed in design. Where the Eclipse shined in elegant golden layers of intricate waves and trailing fins, the Arvernus was black, slim and sleek.
The youngster aboard the pirate vessel brought up a three-dimensional image of the other vessel and let it rotate on the bridge. 'Impressive,' he said, making sure not to meet his Commander's eyes.
'Very,' Raeson replied, walking to the side display screen.
'The vessel is opening communications with us, Sir,' Nash announced. 'Should I accept connection?'
'Not much else we can do, accept the link, Nash' Raeson ordered.
There was a brief pause as the translation system activated and white noise sounded over the coms, followed by a deep voice of authority.
'Stricken vessel, my Name is Arcilous Draethus of the Dawn Eclipse; state your damage status and intent.'
'Sounds like law enforcement,' Slin said. 'I haven't seen one of those for years, though.'
Raeson touched the device on his ear to reply to the faceless voice. 'My name is Talon Commander, Xain Raeson of the corvette Arvernus.' He thought about holding back the truth of what force they belong to and decided against it. Some truths now might just build the trust they are going to need.
'They disable our engines with no means of self-repair, but weapons systems are working to normal standards.'
'And your intent?' Draethus asked.
'We were here to monitor the anomaly, the tear, and Heridian movements in this area. We are enemies of the Rids, as you seem to be also, and request docking rights and haulage back to our main fleet.' Raeson shifted on his feet, knowing what question was coming. Draethus' voice over the coms paused for a moment and continued, 'And what fleet might that be?'
'This is bad, Sir,' Nash whispered. 'What if he think
s we are a threat and just vaporises us like he did the Rid fighters? Shouldn't we make up a story, let him board and just take his ship?'
Raeson was already ahead of her. It would make sense, dock, meet the Dawn Eclipses' crew, take them out and steal the ship. After all, it was big, deadly and looked amazing. There was something in the back of his mind that caused him to hesitate, and not just because of this other crew's help. Something had been calling him, a whisper in the back of his mind ever since that flagship entered the tear.
Raeson smiled, 'My crew wish I make up a story and convince you we are just harmless individuals scouting the area.'
'I see,' the voice replied.
'As you seem to be enemies of the Heridians, I will extend a trust to you normally only reserved for our allies,' Raeson said and could see his crew's anxiousness as they knew what his words were about to mean for them.
'We also saved your lives and you are sitting dead in space, so you really don't have any choice but to trust us, Commander Raeson,' Draethus warned.
'Yes, I suppose you're right.' Raeson could almost visualise a finger on the trigger with him firmly in its crosshairs, begging for a reason to blow them out of space. 'We belong to a force known as the Cygnian Pirates, a force focused only on the destruction of the Heridian race and anyone who allies with them.'
Pirate.
The word hovered in the air for what felt like an eternity to the crew of the Arvernus. The youngster was sweating profusely, his hands shaking and feeling his last moments were upon him. He didn't want to die. Nash sat, her face buried in her hands whilst Slin just kept watch on his commander. Xain Raeson, Talon Commander, stood as always unshaken in front of his crew.
'Pirate,' replied the voice of Draethus, again over the coms. 'So time travel, assassins and now pirates. What should I expect next?' There was static briefly as Draethus pondered his next move. 'Tell me pirate, if I hauled you back to your fleet, would you ally with me to fight against the Rids on their home-world?'
The question shocked Raeson. 'No one has ever found a Heridian home-world, it's a myth, laughable!'
'It's real, and we are currently hunting it, which is how we ended up here. There is a Heridian leader on-board that flagship you just saw translocate away that can give us the final piece of information we need.' Draethus wouldn't normally diverge so much information, however if this pirate had more ships, he needed to build the trust and the force to invade an entire world. Though the idea of proximity within a pirate fleet made him shudder.
Draethus continued, 'Before that Rid carrier left, he, or it I should say, sent me the co-ordinates of a meeting place it wishes us to converge on. It wants to capture the Dawn Eclipse for the intention of releasing their Home-world and he wants the pleasure in killing me. I will take on his challenge and finish what I started, this abomination will die.'
'So what are your demands, Commander Draethus?' Raeson asked.
'It's more of an agreement than a demand. We will haul your ship to the safety of your fleet for repairs and you can help us locate a point of interest, the meeting place for our dual.' The logic made sense in Draethus' mind.
'Understood,' Raeson replied. 'Consider the agreement well and true, and if you can locate the home-world of the menace, we will be very in debt to you.'
'Happy to help. Begin docking procedures and Commander Raeson?' Draethus asked.
'Yes?'
'If you cross me, I will make sure you never get that location.' Draethus had the leverage he needed.
'Consider us allies, Commander Draethus. So what is this point of interest called exactly?' Raeson asked and looked at his crew.
'Tiberous,' replied the other Commander.
The crew of the Arvernus looked at each other with dread.
CHAPTER 12.
A Meeting of Morality.
The pirate vessel Arvernus sat motionless against the hull of the Dawn Eclipse, tethered by an invisible array of lasers strengthened by the tethering cables of the corvette itself. A docking collar extended from the golden ship, creating an air seal for the Eclipses' crew to cross over.
On the bridge of the Arvernus, its Talon Commander, Xain Raeson, stood with his crew beside him, facing their rescuers. Draethus took center, tall encased in his dark gray armor with his helm collapsed back. On his right his rival turned friend Tremon, behind to his left the scientist Spectalin. Silence ensued for a few moments before Draethus started.
'I'm Draethus, Commander of the Eclipse. I trust you all are unarmed?'
Raeson turned his palms outward as a sign of trust, 'That's correct, we have no intention of engagement here, especially with what's at stake. In the end it's our race against the Rids, there is no greater threat.'
Tremon, with his ever untrusting personality, squinted and scanned the pirates in front of him, 'Can't trust pirates, if you give me a reason…'
'We do not need to fight you,' Nash replied. 'It was you who saved us; we are in your debt after all.'
'What race are you exactly?' Draethus had the tendency to be a little blunt and hoped they didn't take offence.
'The Cygnian Pirates comprise a mixture of both human and a race you obviously haven't met before. The Elismorus.' Raeson slid a finger over the side of his head, joining his ears. 'We are a little different from humans, but not that different. Elismorus have always been very space faring and don't like the dirt much. Slin over here is full Elis, I am half.'
'Then you have full humans like me and…' Nash pointed to the young crewman next to her, him.'
'I have a name, you know,' the young pilot said, running his fingers through thick red hair.
'And maybe one day we'll remember it,' Slin laughed, lightly punching him in the shoulder.
'So how did you come about fighting the Rids?' asked Draethus.
'A long tale of death,' Raeson grimaced. 'The Rids hit us hard, took down our stations before wiping out our families on our home-planet. That was long before I was born, of course, my father used to tell me the tale when I was a child. The fleet was away in another sector of space and came home to find our world on fire, nothing left. Since then we have been a nomadic race collecting allies who experienced similar fates of their own free will or not. That's how the humans came to live amongst us, driven by the same thirst for vengeance.' Raeson motioned for the newcomers to sit, pointing at the nearby console stations near the door. 'So what's your story?' he asked.
Spect tapped his fingers across the new controls in front of him. 'We were minding our own business on our home-world when this guy appeared from nowhere with an army of Rids hunting him down. We fought, lost, found a golden space ship and followed them through a tear in space time, quite simple really.'
Slin chuckled. 'Well, you're a special one, aren't you?'
'Scientist actually,' Spect replied.
'Very special,' Tremon dropped in smiling.
'So when you appeared from the tear, dusted the Rids and saved our arses, our inclination is to trust you,' Raeson said. 'But what's your story, Draethus?'
I have co-ordinates locked Commander, do you want to proceed to translocate? the Eclipse said into Draethus' mind.
Proceed.
There was a flash in the eyes of both crews as the Dawn Eclipse, with the Arvernus attached, translocated out of normal space and headed to the location of the pirate fleet provided by Raeson.
'We are underway, roughly ten hours to reach the location of your fleet,' Draethus said, seeing the concern on the faces of the pirate crew. 'So my story, I haven't really talked much about it, I guess, even to my crew. I am also from Echelon, the same jungle planet as the two you see here, although at a different point, forward in time.'
'What, like the future?' the youngster said before realising he spoke out of turn.
'Yes, the future. I'm what's called a Soldier of the Void, a warrior dedicated to protecting the solar systems we inhabit. The SOV, as we call ourselves, arrived on Echelon when I was young, which is how I came to be in the
ir service. The first wave of Heridians attacked us, wiping out all our space faring vessels and left us stranded planet-side. When I vanished from there, the war had been raging for decades, although in our favour. We downed the last of their orbiting vessels and even killed their leader. I believe I took most of the remaining enemy with me when I activated the displacement device and ended up in your present… well, on the other side of the tear before it closed.'
'So you beat them?' Raeson asked, surprised. 'Hundreds of Rid capital space craft accompanied by thousands of fighters, escorts and ground troops?'
'Creator, no,' Draethus laughed. 'Three orbiting capital vessels, nothing like the size of that flagship you just saw, cruisers at most. I'd estimate three hundred ground troops with armor support remained.'
'What hit you must have only been a small section of their primary force.' The Arvernus' Commander said, troubled. 'Why send only a small portion when the main body of their armies could have defeated you in mere hours?'
Nash came over to the new crew, put down three glasses and poured a dark liquid into each, then repeated the same for her own crew mates. 'It's a common drink brewed in our fleet,' she said, drinking. 'See, it's not poisonous.'
Tremon tried first, sipped before closing his eyes, enjoying the burning sensation down his throat. 'Hope you have more of that,' he coughed.
Spect took one smell, realised it contained alcohol and pushed it away.
'What's the matter… Spect, was it? You don't drink?' Slin said, taking a sip of his own.
'I like nothing that clouds my thoughts, my brain is useful and I can't afford to kill it with toxins.'
Draethus held the glass to the light and continued. 'When the SOV arrived on Echelon, they found something on its moon that told them when and where the Rids would appear. They thought they were ready for the first wave, but underestimated the Rids firepower. I know however that the second wave is coming, the SOV leaders are aware of when but are unclear to the co-ordinates of where. If we can discover that location, rebuild our space vessels, we can wait and hit them as they arrive, hopefully a great distance from Echelon.'
A Dark Oceans Descent: (Heridian Saga, Book 1) Page 16