X-Calibur: The Descent

by Jackson-Lawrence, R.

  “I’m okay,” Gwen whispered back, squeezing him in return.

  They stayed like that for an eternity, the world around them fading out of existence. Neither of them knew how long they held each other, how long until the cries and sobs all around them finally broke the spell. Arthur put her down slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

  “Later,” Gwen promised, looking back at him. “We’ve got work to do now.”

  Arthur nodded and finally took in the world around him. Shelters burned and people lay dead in the streets, while others lay badly wounded and crying out in pain. Everywhere he looked was carnage, the remains of his dream turned nightmare.

  “Clear some room,” Arthur said, taking charge. “The wounded, they’ll be making their way here, they won’t know the infirmary’s been hit. I’ll land as many ships as we can make space for, use the scanners and equipment on board.”

  “Go,” Gwen said. “I’ll get started.”

  Arthur turned and ran back towards his ship, meeting Lance on the way. “She’s okay,” Arthur said hurriedly as he passed, not wanting to waste any time. “Go, help make space.”

  Lance didn’t argue. There would be time for conversation later, time to reflect and scold themselves for everything they’d done wrong. It was time to act, or more people were going to die.

  Arthur sprinted up the gangway and into the cockpit, not bothering to secure himself into his seat before taking off. The ship hovered just twenty metres in the air, gliding over the buildings. As he brought it down beside the infirmary, he called on the other ships to land close by, not waiting for them to confirm. Before he’d got out of his seat, Gwen was already helping the first of the wounded up the gangway.

  Chapter 2

  Options

  Earth Year 6239

  Day turned into night and still the wounded came, carried or crawling towards the infirmary. Arthur had managed to make space for four ships, but the medical bays were overwhelmed and more died as they waited. Gwen did her best to identify those in most need, having read about a process called triage in the Ark files, but there just wasn’t enough time to save them all. While Gwen did her best to help those she could, Arthur and Lance organised groups to bury those she couldn’t.

  They worked through the night, despite the exhaustion. Fires were doused and rubble cleared, but it would never be the same. They’d lived free and easy since they left the hive, but they’d received a brutal reminder that the hive hadn’t left them. No matter how far they went, no matter where they hid, there would always be a chance the hive would find them, and then it would be too late.

  Once Gwen had seen to the last of the patients, she found Arthur dozing in the galley, face resting in a bowl of lukewarm broth. She smiled despite the despair she was feeling, ruffling his hair to wake him.

  “Who? What?” Arthur stammered, sitting up quickly.

  “You’ve got something on your face,” Gwen told him, as the thick brown liquid trickled down his cheek.

  Arthur wiped his hand down his cheek, staring with disbelief at the slowly congealing meal on his hand. “I think I fell asleep,” he said.

  “I’m not surprised,” Gwen replied, the smile slipping from her face. “How many were there, in the end?”

  “I didn’t count,” Arthur told her. “I couldn’t, just, so many graves. Merlin, I think, he was making a list of all those we lost. It’ll be sunrise soon, we’ll meet with Lance and Gar-Wan then.”

  Gwen nodded. She felt dead on her feet, but she couldn’t imagine sleeping. Every time she let her mind wander, she focussed on the things she’d seen, the injured and the dying, the tears on Veronica’s face.

  “Before it all started,” Gwen began, trying to remember the moment of joy she felt earlier in the day. “One of the human women, she’s going to have a child.”

  “Really, how?” Arthur asked.

  Gwen blushed again as she thought about the illustrations she had seen in the Ark. “We’ll need to start talking to people about that,” she said. “And then there are the Dorgans. I don’t how they, you know, make children. Maybe Merlin or Gar-Wan can help?”

  “We’ll ask them in the morning,” Arthur suggested.

  They sat together in silence, avoiding eye contact as they reflected on the day. Gwen sat with a glass of water, her stomach too tight to eat, while Arthur stared at the food in front of him, waiting for the perfect moment to present itself.

  “Earlier,” he said after a while. “When I saw the infirmary. I thought, I mean, I was worried. I can’t imagine being here without you.”

  “Me either,” Gwen replied. “I’m pretty amazing.”

  Gwen smiled as she looked up, and Arthur laughed for the first time in what seemed like forever. “You are,” he agreed.

  Before Arthur could say anything more, Gwen leant over and kissed him.

  *****

  Arthur didn’t remember falling asleep again, not until Merlin appeared in his room and woke him. “I’m sorry, Arthur,” Merlin said apologetically. “Gwen, Lance and Gar-Wan are waiting for you.”

  “No, I’m sorry,” Arthur replied. “I’ll be right there.”

  Arthur pulled on his clothes and left the ship immediately, the cold morning air waking him as he jogged through the streets. Camelot felt deserted. Gone were the sounds of fun and laughter from the various communal areas he passed, replaced with a hollow silence, an emptiness of sound and spirit.

  As he entered the hangar, the others were already sat around the large circular table, looking at a holographic map of Camelot. The areas that had been hit were highlighted, patches of red amongst the blue, the colour disturbingly appropriate.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” Arthur said as he took his seat.

  “Don’t be,” Gar-Wan replied. “We all need sleep, but at the moment the people need answers more. I wish we could have left you where you were.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Arthur said. “Where are we?”

  “The final count was six-thousand, seven-hundred and twenty-three dead,” Merlin said mournfully. “Almost two thousand injured, some of them seriously. Gwen has taken over the holds of three of the cruisers to care for them.”

  Arthur looked at Gwen and smiled, his mind flashing back to the kiss they shared. “Do we know how they found us?” he asked. “I thought we took all the jump capable ships?”

  “I was able to access the remains of one of the computers,” Merlin replied. “The nine ships were dispatched by the Mori-Gran-Ra, when she lost contact with the hive ship we crippled.”

  “She sent them to find out what happened,” Gar-Wan said, shaking his head slowly. “I should have expected that. Being here these last eight months, I’ve grown complacent.”

  “You couldn’t have known,” Gwen said. “We all should have considered the possibility.”

  “What else did you learn?” Arthur asked.

  “The hive we left is still drifting in space,” Merlin continued. “Their gravity engines are off-line, but they’re making progress. Someone is driving the repairs forwards, but the records didn’t say who.”

  “And they got Earth’s location from the hive?” Lance asked.

  “I believe so,” Merlin told them. “It would appear they visited Ma’Han first, but came directly here afterwards.”

  “And now that we’ve destroyed those nine ships,” Arthur said, “we should assume the Mori-Gran-Ra will send more, maybe a lot more.”

  “So what do we do?” Lance asked. “Where do we go?”

  “We can’t go anywhere,” Gwen replied. “We’ve got, what? Twenty ships left capable of flight?”

  “Nineteen now,” Arthur said mournfully.

  “Nineteen ships,” Gwen continued. “There are tens of thousands of people, we’d never get a fraction of them onto nineteen ships.”

  “We can’t run,” Arthur said defiantly. “So if they come back, we fight. That’s the only option we have left.”

  “If I may, my King,” Merlin interrupted
. “I may have another option for you to consider.”

  “Please, Merlin,” Arthur said enthusiastically. “Anything.”

  “While I was searching the records on the hive,” Merlin continued, “I came across details of species who had successfully resisted the Mori. Both the Skarl and the Teleri were mentioned, though there were references to similar encounters from other hive ships. What if we were to seek out one of these species?”

  “I know of the Skarl,” Gar-Wan interrupted. “Or at least the stories about them. The official word is that the Skarl don’t exist, that they’re just stories to frighten children, but that’s not the case.

  “The Skarl occupy half the galaxy as far as I can work out, and they didn’t take control of it peacefully. They’re a warlike species, and the hives have fought them before.”

  “I didn’t realise,” Merlin remarked.

  “But the Teleri?” Arthur asked.

  “I don’t know anything about them,” Gar-Wan replied.

  “Your hive ship encountered them after enslaving the Dorgan people,” Merlin said. “They initially thought them to be technologically inferior, but they hadn’t realised the division in their society. At some point in their past, the Teleri split, some abandoning technology and others embracing it. Those who embraced technology moved below ground, leaving the surface untouched for those who desired a simpler life.”

  “And those below the surface,” Lance asked. “They fought off the Mori hive ship?”

  “Yes,” Merlin agreed. “The hive ship barely managed to escape.”

  “And they’ve been left alone?” Gwen asked with surprise. “Didn’t the hive call for reinforcements or attack them again?”

  “If the hive reported their defeat, the Mori-Gran-Ra would just as likely punish them for their failings,” Gar-Wan suggested. “If the hive didn’t believe them to be a threat to the Mori as a whole, they’d have no reason to involve the Mori-Gran-Ra. Out here, so far from the home world, the hives look after themselves.”

  “So why won’t she leave us alone?” Lance asked. “We’re no threat.”

  Gar-Wan shook his head. “You’re wrong,” he said. “What you achieved on the hive, a successful rebellion, that’s as much of a threat to the Mori as the Skarl. Slaves are such an integral part of life. If news of what you accomplished spread to other hives, who knows where it might lead.”

  “So, she’s not going to stop?” Gwen asked.

  “As soon as the scout ships miss their next communication,” Gar-Wan replied, “I suspect the Mori-Gran-Ra will send a much larger force to investigate.”

  Heads sank around the table as they contemplated the outcome of a larger attack. “It sounds like we need to find the Teleri,” Lance said at last, breaking the silence. “Do you think they’ll help?”

  “I have no way of knowing,” Merlin replied.

  “In the meantime, we can’t just leave Camelot undefended,” Arthur said. “I’ve instructed one of the remaining ships to stay in orbit, to contact us immediately if they see anything.”

  “What about the weapons and shield generators from the dismantled ships?” Lance suggested. “They wouldn’t help against a hive ship, but they might be enough to protect Camelot from another attack like today.”

  “That could work,” Gar-Wan said.

  “Indeed it could,” Merlin agreed. “I’ll begin drawing up the plans immediately.”

  “And I’ll get the ship ready to take us to the Teleri home world,” Gwen added.

  “Perfect,” Arthur agreed. “Let’s get started.”

  *****

  Arthur’s face appeared on view screens in homes and communal areas throughout the settlement. “People of Camelot,” he began. “I don’t know where to begin. Today has been the worst day since we escaped the hive. Lives have been lost and homes destroyed, but we’re still here, and that’s what matters.

  “We survived the hive, we survived the winter, and now we’ve survived an attack from stragglers from the hive ship. We’re still here and they won’t defeat us. This is Camelot, our home and our future!

  “We’ve become complacent, and I take full responsibility for that. We’ve grown and we’ve prospered, and we’d forgotten the threat that the hive posed. We won’t be caught off guard like that again.

  “From now on, our ships will remain in orbit, constantly alert for any incursions. Should anything be detected, they’ll contact the ground immediately and allow us to take action. As well as utilising evacuation space beneath the Tor, we’re drawing up plans to protect your homes.

  “We’ve begun the construction of weapons to destroy any ships if they enter the skies above us. The plasma cannons from the cruisers and scout ships will be more than powerful enough to defend us, and we’re also using the remaining shield generators to produce a dome over the city.

  “Also, Lance, Gwen and I will be leaving on an important mission. Merlin has heard of a people who may aid us, help defend us against the hive. If we can convince them to forge an alliance, we’ll never need fear the hive again.

  “If nothing else, I hope this tragedy has finally shown us who the real enemy is. People of all species died today. The enemy does not discriminate, and neither should we. With that in mind, I will be handing over control of Camelot to Gar-Wan in my absence. His words are my words, and he will be treated with the respect and dignity you would give me.

  “Stay strong, Camelot. This is but a minor setback on the journey to our future.”

  “Well done, Arthur,” Merlin said as he disabled the cameras. “A rousing speech.”

  “Where do you come up with them?” Arthur asked.

  “I have countless speeches in the Ark to refer to,” Merlin said with a smile.

  “But, we lied to them?” Arthur continued. “The ships didn’t really come from the hive, we know that. What about the Mori-Gran-Ra? Why didn’t we tell them the truth?”

  “It pains me greatly to lie to the people,” Merlin replied, “but telling them now would only cause panic. Once we have the defences in place and allies on our side, that will be the time to tell them everything.”

  “I see,” Arthur replied, though the expression on his face showed he wasn’t convinced. “You’re sure it was the right thing to do?”

  “Not entirely, no,” Merlin said honestly. “Perhaps I’m wrong, and hearing the full extent of the danger would spur the people on, but experience tells me otherwise. There are thousands of records in the Ark, reports of how people responded to disaster and tragedy, and few of them show positive responses to news of further threat.

  “Sadly, Arthur, doing the best for your people may not always mean telling them everything.”

  Arthur nodded. He saw the logic to what Merlin had said, and felt the growing fear in himself at knowing the Mori-Gran-Ra was after them, but he still hated lying to the people he had sworn to protect. “No more lies,” he said. “I’m going to tell them as soon as we return from the Teleri home world, whether they agree to help us or not.”

  “Of course, my King,” Merlin agreed. “I will support you in whatever you decide.”

  *****

  Three days after the attack, Merlin had constructed two ground based plasma weapons, ready and able to take out threats from above. They were also making good progress on the shield, the generators already covering a large portion of the eastern side of the city. The people were in better spirits, the purpose the work had given them driving them forwards.

  Before setting off for the Teleri home world, Merlin requested that Arthur, Gwen and Lance join him in the Tor. “What for?” Lance asked. “I thought you were coming with us?”

  “I am,” Merlin replied. “I have a surprise for you, that’s all, though I hope you won’t need them on our journey.”

  “What is it?” Gwen asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

  Merlin laughed. “What good is a surprise without the suspense?” he remarked.

  Arthur and the others moved quickly through
the city, their excitement palpable. People waved as they went past, and some of the merriment had returned to the communal areas. As they neared the Tor, Arthur saw a group of people working on a third plasma weapon, following Merlin’s designs. They had control of one of the large mechanical arms, holding one of the two plasma cannons in place as they secured it to the rotating platform.

  “By the time we get back,” Gwen said, “there’ll be defences like that throughout the city.”

  “I hope so,” Arthur replied. “Between the cannons and the shield, the city will be protected from almost anything.”

  “Anything except a hive ship,” Lance reminded them.

  “That’s why we won’t stop until the Teleri agree to help us,” Arthur said adamantly.

  “As long as they don’t kill us first,” Lance added.

  Arthur shook his head. “Remind me, Gwen,” he said. “Why exactly are we friends with him?”

  “He’s the optimist amongst us,” Gwen said with a smile.

  “Realist more like,” Lance remarked, but soon he was laughing along with them.

  When they stepped into the Tor, Merlin was nowhere to be seen. Most of the hangar was in darkness, the only light coming through the door behind them. “Merlin?” Arthur called.

  The spotlights in the top of the hangar burst to life, illuminating the large circular table. There were items on the table, though they were difficult to make out until they got closer. As Arthur reached to pick up the object closest to his seat, Merlin suddenly appeared before him.

  “My knights,” he said. “Behold, your surprise.”

  Arthur turned the chest plate around in his hands admiringly before holding it against his torso. It had been shaped to fit him perfectly, opened out around the shoulders and chest and tighter around the waist. There was also a back plate, similarly moulded, as well as shaped leg and arm plates with straps to secure them. Best of all, the chest plate had been decorated with a bold insignia; a Celtic knot in red against the black of the armour, the insides of the knot decorated with images from Arthurian legend. Arthur was able to make out Excalibur, a crown, a dragon and a goblet, though there were many others hidden within the design.