The Ballistae had raced through space in an attempt to reach the embattled Alliance Fleet. They had been unprepared, however, for the scope of the battle that awaited their arrival in the galaxy. The debris of hundreds of ships wreaked havoc on the radars, leaving the crew unsure of how many ships on each side still fought. Though rockets were still being fired from a half dozen of the Terran Destroyers, all the ships seemed damaged and were limping weakly from the battle. The Alliance had fared well, but none of their large Cruisers remained undamaged. Keryn grew concerned for their chances against the remainder of the Terran Fleet, who remained undamaged and fully stocked with ammunition.
The biggest beast of the Terran Battle Fleet loomed before them: the flagship of their rear vanguard. The shining white hull was nicked and smoking in areas, but remained relatively unharmed. Having been placed near the rear of the battle, the flagship had swooped in after the Alliance Fleet was already injured, finishing off the unfortunate Cruisers it passed. If left unchecked, the flagship would cause insurmountable damage to the Alliance, resulting in them being unable to pursue the rest of the Terrans who, even now, flew toward Arcendor.
“Give me an update, Adam,” Alcent requested from the Captain’s chair. Since taking the ship, Alcent had spent most of his time either on the bridge or meeting with the council.
“I’m stalling, but I don’t know how much longer they’re going to buy it,” Adam admitted.
“Keryn?” Alcent asked.
“I’ve got the best rate of fire plan that I can put together on short notice,” she admitted. “It’s now or never.” Keryn turned toward Adam. “You’ve done all you can for us. Go fly your fighter.”
Adam stepped away from his console and walked to her side. Leaning forward, he kissed her passionately.
“Now is not the time,” Alcent said. “We have a battle to win.”
Keryn smiled. “Be safe and…”
“…come back to me,” Adam finished. “Someday, you’re going to get tired of saying that to me.”
As Adam left the bridge, Keryn inputted the last of the data, sending her firing order to the weapons bays throughout the ship. She turned to Alcent and merely nodded, acknowledging that she was ready.
Alcent pulled down the microphone and activated the intercom. “All hands to battle stations,” he began. “All fighters prepare for launch. Fire the first salvo on my mark.” He released the transmit button and turned to his crew.
“Everyone ready?” he asked.
“That almost sounded professional,” Keryn chided. “If I can make you sound like a soldier, we might just pull this off.”
Alcent activated the microphone again. “Fire first salvo!” he yelled into the radio.
A dozen plasma missiles and a score of metal slugs leapt from the ship, driving toward the exposed rear of the Terran flagship. Caught unaware, the flagship made no effort to launch countermeasures as the barrage struck its hull. Massive tears appeared along the outside of the flagship as the plasma melted through the hull and the kinetic slugs penetrated deep though floor after floor inside the ship. Gases vented as the engines sputtered and died, their plasma reserves igniting from the rocket attacks. Soon, the entire rear of the ship was engulfed in blue and purple miasma as the explosions caused chain reactions that reached the weapons stores, igniting the plasma rockets. From the gaping maw that had once been the engine storehouse, tons of flaming debris launched into the vacuum of space.
Launching from the massive hangar bays of the Ballistae, Adam led the fighters in diving attacks against the remaining weapon systems located along the rear half of the flagship, disabling the remaining threats that the ship could have posed to the stolen Destroyer. Meanwhile, Keryn activated all channels, hoping that any Alliance vessel would hear her plea.
“Any Alliance ship on this net,” she called into the microphone. “This is Magistrate Keryn Riddell, currently operating out of the Terran Destroyer Ballistae. We have fired upon and destroyed the Terran flagship and will continue our assault against the remainder of the Terran Fleet. Do not fire on our ship. I say again, do not fire on our ship.”
She began the message again as her eyes met Alcent. A fine sheen of sweat covered his bony brow. A look of genuine concern was evident upon the Uligart’s face.
“Any Alliance ship on this net. This is Magistrate Keryn Riddell…”
“…currently operating out of the Terran Destroyer Ballistae,” Yen heard, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. After all this time and after all of his worrying, she was alive. More than that, she was here! Yen’s palms grew sweaty as images of her face danced before his vision. To see her again — he hardly believed it would be possible.
“It’s her,” he said softly into the empty cabin of his fighter.
“It is,” Iana replied. Yen didn’t realize he had been transmitting his message to the last two ships of his Team. “And she managed to do what we couldn’t, Commander. The Terrans have stopped firing defensive weapons from the flagship. They’re exposed to our own assault.”
“And not a moment too soon,” Gregario commented. “We have multiple bogeys heading our way. We need to attack now.”
Yen leaned his head back against the cushioned seat and tried to gain control of the pounding in his chest. He fought through the now constant thoughts of her and tried to focus on the mission at hand. It now seemed like a lifetime ago that he had been so determined to destroy the Terran flagship; it seemed as though his propensity for violence had happened to someone else. A calm settled over him that he had not experienced in quite some time.
“It’s now or never, sir,” Gregario said, breaking the silence over the radio.
Yen nodded to himself. “Let’s do this,” he said confidently. With Keryn here, there seemed to be nothing he couldn’t do. “Hit them with everything we’ve got.”
Launching their smaller ship-mounted plasma rockets, the trio plummeted toward the front of the damaged flagship. Their smaller missiles broke holes in the hull, allowing them to guide their larger rockets — the ones controlled by their onboard computers — into those gaps. As the other two ordered their large missiles to launch, Yen took control of all six of his missiles simultaneously, holding them in a psychic grip. Grouping them close together, he launched them all forward, adding his own powers to their booster rockets for incredible acceleration. The combined plasma and kinetic fury of his rockets drove through the hole in the weapons bay that Wallace had caused before his death. As all six plasma rockets ignited as one inside the volatile bay, the resulting explosion took Yen’s breath away.
The hull buckled along the length of the ship, bowing as the thick plating attempted to contain the plasma explosions within. Yen’s six rockets engulfed the Terran rockets within the bay in a bath of plasma, eating through their armored exterior and setting fire to their own plasma stores. The flames from the combined explosion raced through the halls, destroying the walls and floors inside the ship until the fire burst from the front view screen of the ship’s bridge. Combined with the four rockets launched from Iana and Gregario, the Terran flagship was quickly engulfed in fire.
They trio turned away and began the flight back to the Revolution. Between the excitement of destroying so large a ship and knowing that Keryn was here, actually within the same galaxy, Yen wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to catch his breath. A smile etched its way broadly across his face as he thought lovingly of Keryn.
“Keryn,” he said, reveling in the fact that she had returned to him.
Warning sirens sounded once more within his fighter. Yen scanned the radar and cursed himself for getting distracted. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about the fighters of which Gregario had warned him. As he watched, smaller markings appeared between Yen and the Terran fighters. They had launched missiles.
“Separate,” Yen ordered as he veered away from the other two. “They’ve launched missiles!”
The trio began weaving through the debris as missiles locked
onto their engines’ signatures. Artificial intelligence onboard the rockets would keep them on the trio’s trail until an obstacle got in the way or they ran out of fuel. Yen twisted his controls as he shot between two floating strips of metal, the origins of which he couldn’t begin to guess. He allowed himself a brief smile as space behind him lit up with plasma, one of the rockets trailing him having slammed into the debris. Still, his smile was short lived. Two more rockets still followed him.
Yen wanted to check on the others, to ensure that they were still avoiding their missiles as well, but he found himself too preoccupied with staying alive himself. Skating over the surface of a destroyed Cruiser, Yen accelerated heavily and launched himself upward, using the cloud of jettisoned furniture and equipment that had once been the Cruiser’s innards as cover. He cringed as the heavy objects ricocheted off his ship, but was pleased when another of the rockets exploded in the cloud. Yen allowed himself a bit of relief knowing only one more missile followed him.
As he began maneuvering through a field of destroyed fragments of fighter ships, his radio crackled to life.
“I’m clear,” Iana called happily, “and the three Terran fighters have been destroyed.”
“Almost…” Gregario called, a clear strain in his voice. Over the radio, Gregario let out an audible sigh. “Yes, I’m clear as well.”
“I’ve still got one on me,” Yen said, slipping his fighter over the remnants of two ships, destroyed and fused from whatever explosion led to their demise. “I can’t seem to shake it.”
Yen lashed out with his powers, aiming wildly at the rocket that remained on his tail. Unfortunately, unable to see the missile, his tendrils struck the same debris around which he flew instead of his target. Though he continued to try to destroy the rocket, it remained firmly affixed in its pursuit.
“Sir, it’s closing on you quickly,” Gregario said, worried. “I’m closer than Iana. I’m heading your way to help now.”
Cursing, Yen felt his mind growing tired. Keeping the tendrils active was physically taxing his body, lowering his reaction times while flying. He withdrew his tendrils as he scraped along a chunk of metal, gouging his right wing.
“I’m heading right for you, Commander,” Gregario called. “But I can’t get a clear shot on the rocket through all this debris.”
Yen frowned. He knew he could reactivate the tendrils, but it would drain him further and could do more harm than good. His best bet was Gregario, who was unable to get into position. Still, Yen thought he might find a use for his Teammate yet.
“I need you to come to my position,” Yen said, opening a communications channel just between him and Gregario, “I have an idea, but I’ll need you as close as possible for this to work.”
“Roger, sir, I’m on my way.”
Yen tried to pull himself out of the main field of debris, finding a small gap of open space. For his plan to work, he would need the rocket flying on a straight line. As he broke free of the main wreckage, Yen found himself in relatively open space. To his left, he could see Gregario quickly approaching.
“Sir!” Gregario yelled. “The missile is almost on you. Whatever you have planned, you better do it now.”
“I intend to,” Yen said evilly. Reaching out with a powerful reserve of psychic energy, Yen grabbed a hold of Gregario’s plane, pulling it quickly toward him. As his Teammate sped in his direction, pulled forward by Yen’s powers, Yen accelerated out of the way.
“What are you…” was all Gregario managed to say before his ship was pulled into the path of the oncoming missile, blocking the way between Yen and the rocket. The plasma rocket exploded as it struck Gregario’s ship, vaporizing the cabin and the pilot within. The shockwave sent Yen’s ship spinning, but he managed to regain control before reaching any further debris.
“What just…” Iana yelled into the radio.
“Don’t start with me, Iana,” Yen threatened. “Get back to the Revolution.”
“You killed him,” she said in disbelief.
“Don’t you dare question my decisions,” he quickly answered. “You don’t have the right to question the decisions I make during combat! No one does!”
Iana stuttered as words escaped her. Finally, she blurted, “Everyone will know what you did!”
“That would be a fatal mistake on your part,” Yen said, his voice rumbling over the radio. “Very fatal, indeed.” When he didn’t hear an immediate response, he added, “Get back to the Revolution. Now!”
As Iana’s fighter sped away, Yen let himself drift in space, recuperating from the intense chase and dangerous ending. Pushing the thought of Gregario and Iana from his mind, Yen let his thoughts fall back to Keryn. Quickly, the rage and homicidal impulses fled from his mind, replaced instantly with affection and tender compassion toward his lost love. After all this time, he would finally see her again. He wanted to call out to Keryn now, but lacked the ability to communicate with a Terran Destroyer. Instead, he let his thoughts wander to their time together and to the times he was sure they would share again.
His thoughts were interrupted as the Fleet-wide communications channel opened over the radio.
“All Alliance vessels, this is Captain Hodge of the Revolution. The last of the Terran Destroyers have been incapacitated and the surviving Terran fighters have surrendered. The battle is officially over!” Captain Hodge paused to allow the inevitable cheers to roll through the Fleet. “All fighters, return to your parent ships at once. If your parent ship was destroyed, find safe harbor with one of the other Cruisers and prepare for debriefing. Once we have accountability of all surviving ships to include the Ballistae, the newest addition to the Fleet, I need all Captains to ferry to the Revolution for an immediate tactical debrief. Captain Hodge, out.”
Yen was surprised at his sudden turn of luck. In just a few hours, he would be back aboard the Revolution, debriefed, and would have the opportunity to see Keryn as she ferried over for the Captain’s meeting. He was safe and the woman he loved was mere hours away. Yen smiled widely as he started his return flight to the Revolution.
CHAPTER 33:
“You son of a bitch!” Iana yelled as she caught him with a right cross on his jaw. Yen tumbled from the ramp next to his fighter, collapsing onto the ground in a heap. He immediately leapt to his feet, fury burning in his eyes.
“What are you going to do?” Iana asked, threateningly. “You going to hit me back? Better yet, are you going to kill me like you did Gregario?” She reached forward and tried to push him in the chest, but he caught her wrists before she could reach him. His power surging, Yen lifted her from her feet and threw her across the large room. Iana collapsed with a groan as the wind was knocked from her lungs.
“I warned you, Iana. I told you what would happen.” Yen took a step toward her, murderous anger clouding his mind once more, but paused as he noticed the stunned pilots gathering to watch the fight. “What are you looking at?” he snarled at them. “Go to the debriefing room!”
When he turned back around, Iana had disappeared amongst the crowd of departing pilots. He would have to have a stern talk with her about what she should and should not say in public. Pushing through the throng of pilots, Yen caught sight of her as Iana disappeared around the corner and fled up the hallway.
“Move,” he growled at the closest Uligart as the pilots bottlenecked into the narrow doorway. Though a few moved out of his way, the rest were not as fortunate. Driving his psychic power forward like a wedge, pilots toppled over one another as they were forced out of Yen’s path. Chasing her out of the bay, Yen turned left to follow Iana and stared down the long, empty hallway.
Moving until he was out of earshot of the rest of the surprised and angry pilots, Yen called down the hall. “You haven’t escaped me yet, Iana,” Yen said as he began probing the hallway with his mind. His power rolled down the hallway in waves, ricocheting and rebounding like sonar, probing and searching for any brainwaves that he could detect. “Why don’t you just come out
so we can talk? That’s all I want to do, Iana. I just want to talk to you.”
He continued down the hall, scanning continually for her. There was a chance that she had made it to one of the lifts already, but Yen didn’t think so. No, he was sure she was still on this floor somewhere, avoiding him.
“You obviously have some misconceptions about what happened out there,” Yen said, rubbing his still sore jaw. “Why don’t we discuss what you think happened? It would save us both a lot of time. Come out and talk to me. We’re old friends… don’t you still want to be friends?”
Yen didn’t expect an answer. The talking was just an excuse to keep her in hiding until he could find her. On cue, Yen detected a single life form near the end of the hall. Her emotions radiated from her in a perceivable aura. Yen reached out, searching her thoughts.
Yen’s snarl shifted to a decrepit smile as he advanced down the hallway toward his hiding prey. He turned off his power, conserving its energy for when he caught Iana. He didn’t need it anymore, anyway. She would be his soon enough. Walking until he was just around the corner from her, Yen paused, letting the destructive power build within. When he was on the brink of being overwhelmed by the magnitude of his psychic energy, the air whipping around him as though he were enveloped in a pillar of flames, Yen began speaking again and stepped around the corner.
“You’re a dead woman,” he said as he reached out, closing his hands firmly around the neck of a very surprised Crewman. Instantly, Yen released the man’s neck, who coughed roughly as he staggered backward. Not allowing him to escape, Yen grabbed a hold on the Crewman’s shirt.
“Where is she?” Yen yelled into the man’s face.
“Who?” the scared Crewman replied, as he squirmed, trying to free himself from Yen’s grip.
“Warrant Morven,” Yen growled.
“She…” the Crewman lost his words as Yen shook him roughly. “She ran past me just a second ago, heading for the stairwell. Please, sir, let me go!”
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