Backlash Rising

by Brandon Ellis

  Korrel, the Graxic leader, appeared on Enlil’s screen. “We didn’t come here to fight while your entire fleet sat back and watched. You got us into this mess, now help us or by Graxicca, I will kill you.”

  Enlil threw his hands up. “If you’re so incompetent not to see our entire fleet’s system is corrupted, then you’re as blind as you are brain dead.”

  Scales flared from the sides of Korrel’s neck. “We’re outmatched only because you sit idly by. A few more attempts to reach Earth and if they fail, and by Graxicca they better not, we’ll jump out of this system.” He held up a fist, his nostrils wide. “Your refusal to fight won’t sit well with the alliance council. We’ll sever off that head of yours.”

  “Then you’d have my father’s fleet to deal with, Korrel.” Enlil lifted his chin. “Do you want that?”

  Korrel blipped off the screen.

  Enlil grimaced and squeezed his fists, wanting to wrap his fingers around the lizard-head’s thick neck. He turned to the man he’d just shot, about to ask him a question. He shook his head and assumed he would have answered with an affirmative.

  He opened the commlink. “Everyone listen up. Let our entire fleet know we’re punching out. We’ll leave on my mark and let these Reptilians and Graxic fend for themselves. We can do nothing here but watch our people die.”

  On the viewscreen, a battleship in Enlil’s fleet broke apart, fire spewed and then fluttered out.

  “Ready…on my mark…”

  58

  Eden

  Starship Swift

  Eden slammed into her backrest, the restraints tightening around her. She clenched the armrests with both hands, her knuckles going white, sweat dripping down her cheek. Swift, are you there? The craft jostled, the lights on the bridge flickering. She stared at the vidscreen, the ship spinning, and Earth passing in front of them and then out of view.

  Nyx’s brows drew low, as if she wanted to end the Anunnaki from existence here and now.

  “Nyx,” yelled Eden. “Any ideas?” The vidscreen blinked out, displaying black.

  “We wait,” replied Nyx, closing her eyes, as if going into meditation.

  “Wait?” replied Eden. “Isn’t there anything we can do to steer the ship on our own without Swift? These Graxic and Reptilian ships are tearing us apart.”

  Nyx’s eyes remained closed as she shook her head. “No. All systems have failed.” The ship rocked back and forth from another hit and spun faster.

  “Eden,” Jantu’s voice came to Eden’s mind. “Seek faith and speak those faithful words out loud. The Master knows the power of the word.” A hum vibrated across the bridge, loud and almost deafening.

  Eden ignored it, turning her captain’s chair toward Jantu’s station. “Seek faith? And—” She paused, her lips downturned. Jantu and the rest of Sirians and humans chanted, their heads bowed, eyes shut. She side glanced at Nyx, who now muttered words she couldn’t understand.

  “What are you all—”

  I'm coming online, Eden, said Swift. We need better teamwork, you and I.

  Eden jolted to the side as another weapon met its mark on Swift's starboard. The chanting ceased, and everyone went back to business as the vidscreen blipped on.

  “Swift, where are our shields at?” asked Nyx.

  The screen split, displaying Swift’s blueprint. Port and bow shields blinked in the red, displaying nine percent. The rest of the craft highlighted in yellow with percentages all over the board. Nine percent jumped to eleven percent.

  I’m healing, said Swift.

  “Straighten out,” Eden ordered.

  Straightening out.

  Swift’s spin slowed and Eden’s eyes widened. “Bandit, twelve o’clock.” A ship with a silver sheen sparkled at Eden, barreling down on Swift. A hoard of smaller craft tailed it, moving in fast.

  Nyx lurched forward. “Evade, evade. The bastard is coming in for…” She calmed. “Never mind.” A smile crept on her face.

  The ship sent plasma bursts slinging past Swift, the tailing ships doing the same. “Tranquil?” Eden blurted.

  “And a mess of Avens,” said Nyx, her chin high.

  A cheer engulfed the bridge as Starship Tranquil flew by, followed by dozens of fast-moving Avens, their weapons’ fire sweeping across the darkness and hitting their targets.

  Jantu gave Eden a nod, getting back to business as the starship revved up and healed more. She turned to see how Sleuth had faired, only to see him passed out at his station. Or dead from fright. Eden didn’t know and had no time to find out.

  Eden, the Space Templar armada has arrived and is decimating the Anunnaki fleet.

  Eden pursed her lips. “Let’s continue to turn the tide. Get as many Avens with us as possible, and let’s push the Graxic and Reptilians out of this system.”

  Swift spun, following Tranquil and the Aven, a path of destroyed ships speckling the space before them. A hoard of Graxic ships propelled forward in the distance, heading for Earth.

  “Any report on those ships?” said Eden.

  All are fully functioning, barely a scratch on them. We’ll be in range soon.

  “Do we have anything that can reach them now?”

  “Plasma torpedoes, though only four on the ship left,” said Nyx.

  The enemy closed in on Earth.

  Eden pointed ahead. “Target the four largest, most heavily armed ships, Swift. Anticipate their trajectory. Let’s hope one hits. Fire, now.” The bridge turned into a sauna for a moment. It vibrated wildly, nearly too uncomfortable for Eden. Large, purple fiery orbs expelled, screaming toward the Graxic’s backsides. Eden clenched her jaw, waiting.

  A blaze lit up the screen, explosions and bursts dotted two Graxic ships an instant later, then blinked out.

  In range, firing missiles. Projectiles blasted toward the remaining ships. The ship’s sizzled from missile impact, but Swift continued to land shots. The shields failed, and the crafts erupted into fiery blasts.

  Eden’s pulse rose. “What do you got for me, Swift?”

  All ships are either dead from direct hits or offline from collateral damage. They aren’t a threat anymore. Swift switched direction, heading away from Earth. We have an emergency. Admiral Shae Lutz is in trouble.

  Eden about fell out of her chair. “What do you mean, Admiral Shae Lutz? Star Guild is here?”

  No. Shae leads a crew much like this one, and on a similar ship named Ascension.

  “What? How?” It didn’t matter, and she threw her arm forward, her index finger extended. “Go, go.”

  The last person she wanted dead was her mentor, Shae Lutz, the only person she could call a father, her biological father had left long before she was two years of age. How had they gotten Shae in a ship like hers, and how long had he been with the Space Templars?

  Ali's face appeared on the lower corner of the vidscreen, her eye’s twitching as if something was wrong, her brows high. “Starship Ascension is caught in a tractor beam. They need help now. You’re closer. Get there as soon as you can.” She blinked off the screen.

  Eden nodded. “Gladly.”

  Swift changed direction and headed for a Space Templar starship much like Swift. That must be Shae, and he’s headed for a Graxic ship as if he’s out of his own control.

  The Graxic ship’s dragon’s head lit up in red, ready to fire. Eden’s stomach contracted, anger rising. “Swift, fire everything you’ve got.”

  59

  Shae

  Starship Ascension

  Starship Ascension trembled. Kalista yelled words in a language Shae couldn’t understand. He looked down at his arms, jostling violently as if the entire craft were about to pull apart.

  Shae, listen to me, said Ascension. I’m attempting to disengage the tractor beam, though I don’t think I’ll have enough time before the beam completes its job. Devon’s hacks are working, though. Tell him to keep it up. One of his viruses might be strong enough to navigate through their systems and take them offline.

>   “What is this wide beam?”

  It’s draining our shields quickly. I give us precisely two minutes, eleven seconds. It’ll then send a kill blast once shields have drained completely. It’s blocking all inbound and outbound communication to our fleet.

  Perfect, thought Shae. He thought of Helen. His heart filled with wanting to see her again, but it was most likely a fleeting desire. If he didn’t make it, the rest of the Space Templar fleet and Ali would keep Helen and his human family on Earth safe and alive. He knew it.

  He grimaced, wanting to stay alive and be with Ali and Helen again, but death was part of war, and he’d accept whatever came his way as long as he fought with honor and courage. Until death arrived, he’d do everything in his power to keep his crew alive.

  Shae craned his neck. “Devon, you got a hit on the tractor beam?”

  Devon kept his eyes on the holomonitor, typing diligently. “It’s an unfamiliar comp language altogether, so it’s a mess. I’m throwing viruses at it left and right, but do they stick?” He shrugged. “I don’t know, because I don’t understand what I’m looking at.”

  Shae nodded sympathetically and told Devon it was okay, and the kid was doing well.

  Kalista’s voice boomed. “Get the damn viruses sticking then.”

  Devon went back to work, and Shae gave her a thumb’s up. “He’ll get it done.”

  A Space Templar at a station lifted a fist. “We have incoming friendlies.”

  Shae eyed the vidscreen and watched bursts of fire erupting from the dragon ship's nose. A plasma blast struck the heavy armor just under the dragon's chin. Starship Ascension stopped shaking and the surrounding beam disappeared.

  We're loose. Falling back now, said Ascension.

  “Who shot those plasma bolts?” asked Shae.

  Swift.

  Ascension reversed thrusters, sliding away from the Graxic ship as Starship Swift came into view, then Tranquil and dozens of Avens a moment later.

  “I think a virus stuck,” said Devon, a grin growing on his lips.

  The Graxic ship took hit after hit, though it didn’t return fire, either unable because of the virus or because it had spent most of its energy using the weapon beam. Shae bet on the former.

  Exterior armor blew away from the Graxic vessel, and it broke in half, spitting fire, its lights dimming and going out.

  It’s offline and done, said Ascension.

  Ascension angled off behind Tranquil and Swift, engaging boosters and moving toward several enemy craft making another run at Earth.

  “Zoom out, Ascension,” said Shae.

  A wide shot of space filled the screen. At Ascension's bow floated Earth, though still some distance away.

  “Rear cams.” Shae held down a smile. Behind him, the Space Templars’ fleet decimated the enemy armada, the tide changing for the better.

  “Normal view,” called Shae, and bow view appeared on the screen.

  “I detect all enemy craft defenses are offline,” said Devon. “A virus worked.”

  Ahead of them, Swift and Tranquil, along with several Avens, sent forth blast after blast, downing the ships heading toward his birthplace. It was a miserable, failed attempt by the Graxic.

  The enemy is leaving, Admiral.

  “Rear cams again,” he ordered.

  A handful of enemy ships lit up in rainbow colors and blinked out of existence. Shae raised his chest, his posture straight. “They’re retreating.” He looked around the bridge, seeing everyone relax, even Kalista. “Ascension, bring us around.” Ascension’s starboard thrusters initiated while the rear boosters continued to fire, and the giant turned a hundred and eighty degrees.

  Shae took in a deep breath, his heart lightening and the weight on his shoulder’s lessening. One by one, enemy ship after enemy ship blipped off the screen, jumping out of Earth’s system. The myriad of remaining ships in the Space Templar fleet floated, their shots ceasing. Shae threw his hands to his face, rubbing back and forth.

  Avens approaching landing bay. Opening landing bay doors.

  Shae nodded. The corner of the vidscreen had a shot of Earth. He stared at his old planet, massaging the back of his neck, thoughts invading his mind.

  I’d suggest strongly against it at this moment. We need to recoup and head to Aurora. Several Earth governments picked up on our activity, and entering Earth’s atmosphere may escalate a conflict we don’t want.

  “When can I see her again?” said Shae.

  I don’t know.

  Shae dipped his head, a knot forming in his throat. “I understand.” He’d just been through a major conflict. Seeing his wife wasn’t his reward, saving her life was. Shae unstrapped and stood, stretching. He eyed the crew. “After we get our legs under us, we’ll head home.” He cleared his throat. “Ascension, open coms to all ships in the fleet.”

  You’re on the comm now. Go ahead.

  “Attention Space Templar fleet. This is Admiral Shae Lutz, and I’m grateful for your help defending our original home, Earth. You outperformed what I could ever imagine. We’ve sent the armada away, with the Space Templars burned in their minds, hopefully never to return. Remember our own that fell today. Hold them close to your heart.” He paced. “We leave a third of the fleet here, designated by Sabra. We do this to keep Earth safe for the time being. Until then, get your space legs moving. We’ll be jumping back to Aurora soon.”

  60

  Ali

  Aurora

  Ali sniffed the Aurora air. Fresh flowers from the edge of a forest nearby wafted to her nostrils. The sky had a silvery-purple hue as the sun settled across the horizon. She sat on a soft, warm patch of grass, her legs crossed. She gazed at her lap, thinking.

  They had taken several jumps back to Aurora, leaving a third of the fleet behind to monitor and fend off any more intruders wanting to screw over her people on Earth. Sleuth walked off the ship, proud of his heroics, and Ali couldn’t have been more impressed with his work messing with the Anunnaki fleet. It impressed the Space Templars as well, though they carted him off in handcuffs. He had other crimes, which had nearly wiped Star Guild and Starbase Matrona clear off the galactic map.

  She didn’t want to live on this planet, Aurora. It was beautiful, and the air was as pure as anything she’d ever breathed. Yet, she’d wanted to stay behind with the third of the fleet. She wanted to take a trip to see her mother, to be with her, to hug her.

  “You know,” her mother once said, “your dad loved you very much. He did everything with you, taught you as much as he could, watched you play, and I can’t tell you how many times he brought you up in conversations with family and friends. You were the apple of his eye.”

  At the time, Ali sat at her mom’s table. The next day would be her first day teaching at the University of Michigan. Ali nodded to her mom, biting her bottom lip. “If it wasn’t for your pictures, I think I’d forget what he looked like. I can never forget his love, because like you said, it was always there, and no matter what I did, he was kind to me.”

  “It’s rare, dear. You were lucky to have it in your life for a time, though short, but be grateful.”

  A cool breeze ruffled her hair, bringing her back to planet Aurora. “I miss you, Mom.”

  Footsteps crunched on the ground, heading in her direction. “Are you ready, kiddo?” Shae extended his hand, helping her up.

  “When will we see Mom?” asked Ali.

  Shae brought her into a hug, his hands warm against her back. “I’m working on it.”

  “Good.”

  In front of them stood a cobblestone path leading to an enormous crystalline dome. Two large red doors, tall and wide, stood out like a sore thumb. Hours ago, and in passing, a Space Templar mentioned it was an assembly hall.

  “We head there?” asked Ali.

  “Yes.”

  As they walked, Shae pointed at a massive shipyard. There sat three starships—Ascension, Swift, and Tranquil. “I can’t get enough of those beauties.” Ali couldn’t get e
nough of them either. It seemed as if those ships came from a different dimension, built by advanced beings, and then handed to the Templars.

  She absently rubbed her arm. “You know, I enjoyed my time on Tranquil…well, when we weren’t nearly dying in combat, but it will be a long time before someone gets me in one of those things again.”

  “For me, never.” Shae shook his head. “Like I said, I’m working on getting us back home. All we need is a Starjumper, and we can get there, and surprise the living daylights out of Helen.”

  “As long as we don’t give her a heart attack.”

  Shae laughed. “True.” He motioned toward the dome. “Let’s see why Sabra asked us to meet her in the assembly hall.” They continued down the cobble path.

  “Are they going to bolster the forces around Earth?” asked Ali.

  Shae nodded. “They’re building a base on the far side of Earth’s moon. There they can monitor and keep supplies ready for an entire fleet if needed. If the Anunnaki have an itch up their ass and attack Earth again, the Space Templars will be ready and waiting.”

  Ali lifted her shoulders and took in a big breath. “Good.” She lifted her hand to push open the door. She stopped as memories abruptly flooded her mind. She shook her head and shoved away the image of near death when she first encountered Enlil in her mining mech, and he in his starfighter. She’d miraculously survived because S scrambled the starfighter’s targeting systems.

  She rubbed her temples and squinted as more memories surfaced, seeming to run through her mind like a slide show. The battle above Earth, the Bawn, the attempt to take Tranquil to get Starship Sirona’s people off their ship and onto Ali’s, the tunnel inside Mount Gabriel. On and on, Hendrick’s death, kidnapped from Earth, and her father missing from her life.

  Her shoulders fell, and she turned, embracing her father, his arms pulling her in tight. She rested her head against his chest, sobbing.

  He patted her back and kissed the top of her head. “I won’t let you go this time. Never again. All right?”