by Thomas Fay
The final citadel engaged its dark veil fully, cloaking it in an absorbent layer of anti-matter. The Juggernauts’ beam weapons sliced out continuously attempting to lock onto the citadel but were unable to. A dark blast of energy erupted from the murkiness, rupturing parts of the lead Juggernaut’s armour plating.
‘They can’t lock onto it,’ Vorn said.
‘We need to disperse the dark veil,’ Izikiel said. ‘Cassandra?’
‘I will do what I can to assist you, disciple.’
Their ethereal forms floated up through the Valiant Crusaders’ hull just as the second Juggernaut lost a section of its starboard hull plating from another anti-matter strike. The command crew scrambled to reposition it before the citadel struck again.
(‘Ready?’) Izikiel asked.
(‘Yes’)
(‘Aduro’) Izikiel channelled the Eternal Flame’s power. As he did, he felt Cassandra lending him her strength. The blue flame lashed out burning away the dark veil. It dissipated just as the first Juggernaut suffered a direct hit. The second Juggernaut saw its chance and unleashed a pent up weapons strike slicing the citadel in two. For a split second the dark fortress held together. Then its anti-matter containment fields failed and it disintegrated.
Izikiel’s ethereal form materialized on the bridge of the lead Juggernaut.
‘Thank you, General Caligrates. Without your help the forces of the Void would have destroyed the human colony worlds once and for all.’
‘No thanks are needed, disciple. I serve Tellus and its people to the end. Now, if you will return us to our own time, we have an invasion to complete.’
‘May the Flame burn within you, General.’
‘And you, disciple.’
Space and time rippled around the gigantic battleships as they were thrown back in time a thousand years. Moments later, Vorn’s Armada dropped into orbit around Vesta. Not a single ship had been damaged. For the first time since he had faced the Void Lords, Izikiel did something that he thought he would never do again.
He dared to hope.
NINETY FIVE
The Tellusian ships accelerated hard towards the surface of Vesta as the orbital sun platforms deployed in the lower atmosphere. Achieving operational altitude, the discs began to spin faster and faster throwing of torrents of blinding light. As the ships reversed thrust and prepared to unload their cargo of special operatives, the sun shield reached maximum efficiency. Blinding light swept across the remains of the New Babylon star port, amplifying and expanding the light of the twin suns. As the special operatives deployed around the star port, their individual armour reflected and magnified the light even further.
‘All troops have deployed and the sun shield is at one hundred percent operational efficiency,’ Xavier reported.
‘Good. Izikiel, can you sense anything?’ Vorn asked.
‘They’re definitely here. It seems that the sun shield is doing its work but we need to be careful. The Void is an elemental force of the Universe. We cannot assume that it will be so easily overcome by technology.’
‘Agreed. I’ll order the majority of the ships to assume a high altitude orbit around the planet and keep watch for any more citadels.’
‘Good idea. I think that we should -’
The wave of darkness brought him to his knees. Hitting the hard composite floor of the control room, Izikiel gasped for air.
‘Izikiel!’ Te’Anne cried out as she rushed to his side.
Pushing back against the oppressive presence of the Void, Izikiel managed to speak.
‘They’re coming! By the Flame get everyone back now!’
‘Izikiel what’s happening?’ Vorn asked. ‘We can’t turn back. All of our forces are fully deployed.’
‘They wanted us to land. It’s a trap. I’ve sensed over ten thousand void spawn inside the New Babylon star port. Our forces will be overwhelmed. We must fall back!’
‘We can’t fall back. This was a one-time only deal as we mobilized all of Tellus’ special forces. Besides, I don’t see anything.’
‘There, look!’ Cassandra said.
As one they turned to look at the view screen. Part of the display was relaying a composite image from the ships in orbit above them. It showed a mass of dark shapes swarming outwards from the star port. Like a giant pool of black oil, the void spawn flowed across the desolate landscape towards the line of Tellusian soldiers.
‘The sun shield will hold them back. If they can’t activate the dark veil then they will be vulnerable to our weapons,’ Jonas said.
‘We need to get out there,’ Xavier said. ‘C’mon Jonas, time to get some payback for New Babylon.’
Grabbing their modified gauss rifles, the two former security officers ran down the ramp. Their visors slid into place as they hit the warm desert sand. Seconds later, their suits interfaced with the sun shield cloaking the entire area and the two glowing figures sprinted into the fray. The sounds of rapid fire weapons filled the air around them.
‘I’m ordering all remaining ships on the ground to assume a defensive formation around the sun shield generators,’ Vorn said as he furiously input commands into the control console. ‘If we can keep them operational then it will give our troops a fighting chance.’
The battle unfolded before their eyes as relayed by the ships in orbit high above them. As the void spawn raced across the desert terrain, desperate to close with the Tellusian forces, the special operatives unleashed a savage barrage of weapons fire. Flaming projectiles accelerated at frightening speed to fling the void spawn back. Plasma charges sailed through the air to detonate among the dark shapes. Little by little, the Tellusian forces appeared to be gaining ground.
Inside the Valiant Crusader, Izikiel leaned against a console. The cool touch of metal made him flinch as it reminded him of the Void. Reaching upwards, he was about to seek out the flaming tendril of plasma, when a dark shadow fell across the twin suns.
‘By the Flame, no,’ he whispered.
The dark citadel descended through the atmosphere. Moments later, one of the ships in orbit spotted it. The communications channel was overloaded with the sound of everyone shouting at once.
Vorn slammed his hand down on the master override. Silence descended across the entire fleet. Then a single voice, his voice, was broadcast to all the ships simultaneously.
‘Fire everything you have at that citadel. It cannot be allowed to reach the sun shield!’
As one, all of the ship captains acknowledged the order. As one, they opened fire. The air above Vesta exploded with weapons discharge from all of the ships in orbit. Pieces of the dark citadel were ripped off with the savagery of the assault. Unable to activate its dark veil because of the sun shield, the dark citadel suffered catastrophic damage from the combined assault. Yet its pent up kinetic energy was such that it kept going. The ships intensified their assault as the dark citadel dropped out of the sky on a direct collision course with the sun shield generators.
‘Keep firing!’ Vorn shouted.
The weapons discharge in the atmosphere could be felt on the ground, such was its intensity as the human ships unloaded their full cargo of munitions. In the end, it wasn’t enough. The bulk of its structure destroyed, little more than a flaming piece of space debris, the dark citadel struck three of the spinning discs, destroying them on impact. The sun shield wavered. Then it collapsed.
Xavier and Jonas watched in horror as their suits dimmed to normal. Then the dark veil materialized around them and the void spawn rushed forward with a savage howl.
NINETY SIX
Pandemonium erupted on the surface of Vesta. Some of the special operatives fell back. The majority stood their ground and fired blindly into the dark veil closing in around them. They had been trained for this. They knew the risks. They knew what to expect. But no simulation could have prepared them for the reality of facing thousands of void spawn protected by a dark veil.
Half of the human forces died within minutes of the sun shield
failing. The rest fell back into a defensive formation orchestrated by Xavier and Jonas. Their combined barrage kept the void spawn at bay.
‘We need to get out there,’ Izikiel said. Turning to Cassandra and Jenevieve, he motioned for them to follow him.
‘What about us?’ Te’Anne asked.
‘Stay in the ship. Vorn get the Valiant Crusader back into orbit. Use what munitions you have to disrupt the dark veil from above. Co-ordinate your fire with the remaining forces on the ground.’
Vorn nodded as he activated the engines. A reassuring rumble of power ran through the ship as it reached flight readiness.
‘We cannot survive an assault of this magnitude,’ Cassandra said.
‘I know but we’ve got to do something. We can’t simply leave them to die. Not again,’ Izikiel said.
‘History is repeating itself,’ Jenevieve said. ‘I can feel the moments in time aligning. This was meant to happen.’
‘If that’s true, then this is good news. The last time this happened we were successful in defeating the Void Lords,’ Izikiel said.
‘There is no certainty of the outcome being the same. All I know is that events have reached this point because they were supposed to. What happens from here on out is up to us.’
‘I understand. It’s been an honour to fight by your side.’
‘No, disciple. It is we who are honoured,’ Cassandra said.
‘Let’s go.’
They stepped out onto the sand. The ramp slid back inside the Valiant Crusader and the ship lifted up into the sky. Izikiel surveyed the carnage before them. Bodies, both human and void spawn, were piled up all across the desert. A couple of hundred human soldiers remained standing. Their weapons glowed red hot from the sheer volume of projectiles they were discharging. While the human forces were almost depleted, the void spawn seemed to be limitless.
‘We need to get over there and shatter that dark veil,’ Izikiel said.
‘Lead the way,’ Cassandra said.
Sprinting across the hot sand they reached the defensive formation just as the dark veil closed in around them. The three true believers unleashed wave after wave of scorching heat, burning through the dark veil. Each time the tear healed faster and faster as more void spawn joined the fray. Xavier and Jonas materialised next to them.
‘We can’t hold them much longer. Our weapons will shut down soon and we’re dangerously low on ammunition,’ Xavier said.
‘Can we make it back to the ships?’ Izikiel asked.
‘No chance. Even if they could land, we’d be overwhelmed trying to get on board.’
They were surrounded on all sides by a sea of oily black creatures. The ships above continued their relentless barrage but it was having little effect. Izikiel could sense the fear and desperation in those around him. Their weapons were on the brink of shutting down. It could end only one way.
‘I’m so sorry, this is all my fault. I wasn’t strong enough, I -’
The flaming object hit the ground with such force that it disrupted a large section of the dark veil, knocking hundreds of void spawn aside. The shockwave threw a mountain of dust into the air as both sides turned to look at the crater that had materialised in the centre of the battlefield. A twelve foot tall being made entirely of flame was climbing out slowly.
Izikiel looked at Cassandra who nodded.
‘The Elementals have arrived.’
NINETY SEVEN
Dozens of the flaming shards struck the battlefield dissolving the dark veil entirely. The void spawn were no match for the Elementals in their true form. The towering beings of burning flame devastated the oily black creatures. Striding across the battlefield, the Elementals quickly turned the tide of the battle as the remaining human soldiers pushed forward. Soon, they were fighting inside the New Babylon star port.
The Valiant Crusader landed near the eastern entrance. Vorn led Te’Anne and the little girl down the ramp. Izikiel, Jonas and Xavier, along with the two true believers, joined them.
‘Are those…?’ Vorn asked, deliberately avoiding looking at Cassandra.
‘Yes,’ Izikiel said. ‘The Elementals have honoured the alliance forged by Lady Serafine.’
‘What finally convinced them?’
Now it was Izikiel’s turn to avoid looking at the human-form Elemental standing next to him. Instead, he said, ‘They acknowledged that it was time to end the stalemate that had persisted for nine hundred years. They will fight alongside us until this is over, one way or another.’
‘I’m just glad that they’re here, without them we would have -’
A void spawn sprang up before them without warning. Lashing out with its razor sharp claws, it sliced Vorn across the chest half a dozen times.
'No!' Cassandra cried out.
Vorn clutched at the fatal wound. He tried to say something but managed only to cough. Then he collapsed to the ground. Xavier and Jonas unleashed a volley of dense plasma at the void spawn forcing it back.
Dropping to her knees, Cassandra cradled Vorn’s head in her hands.
‘Cassandra, I…’ Vorn struggled to speak.
‘It’s ok. I know and I do too,’ the human-form Elemental whispered as she caressed his face. A smile slowly spread across Vorn’s face. Then his entire body stiffened and he was still. Cassandra closed his eyes.
‘Is he...?’ Izikiel asked as he knelt beside Cassandra.
‘There is nothing you can do, disciple,’ the human-form Elemental replied. ‘He is with the Flame now.’
‘Are you alright?’
‘No, no I'm not. This is the risk we face when we take human-form,’ Cassandra said. ‘But I am not human. I am an Elemental.’
Standing up, she turned to face the void spawn.
‘Hold your fire,’ she ordered.
Xavier and Jonas hesitated but seeing the look of determination on her face, lowered their weapons. Seeing its chance, the void spawn rushed at her. Just when Izikiel contemplated calling forth the power of the Eternal Flame, Cassandra reacted.
Shedding her human guise, her figure flowed upwards and outwards. Where before had stood a slender human female now stood a towering twelve foot tall being of pure flame. Lashing out with her flaming arms, Cassandra cut the void spawn in two. Grabbing the two flailing parts, she set them on fire. Only when the void spawn finally ceased twitching did she release her hold. As the two charred pieces landed in the sand, Cassandra’s voice spoke directly into their minds.
(‘Follow me.’)
The towering Elemental ducked through the eastern entrance, its flaming body flowing like liquid yet burning with the intensity of a distant star. Izikiel absently noted that the sand crystalized wherever Cassandra stepped and the sides of the star port walls melted where she brushed against them. He was also aware of a faint crackling sound. It reminded him of a fire burning on a cold winter night.
‘The remaining human forces have advanced through the northern and southern entrances. It looks like the void spawn are falling back towards the space platform,’ Xavier said. The tattoos on his face glowed brightly as he interfaced with his suits communication channel.
‘Why are they guarding the space platform? It’s not like they have any ships. This makes no sense,’ Jonas said.
‘I agree,’ Izikiel said. A sudden thought struck him. ‘Xavier, can you establish a link with the ships in orbit?’
‘Yes. Hang on.’ The silver tattoos flickered and dimmed. Finally, they glowed with a steady ambience. ‘Interface established.’
‘Ask them to scan for any sign of the citadels that landed inside New Babylon.’
‘Alright, give me a moment.’
Three void spawn came bounding across the rooftops towards them. Before Izikiel could react, Cassandra had lashed out. Once. Twice. Three times and three severed bodies landed in the sand. Izikiel was glad once more that the Elementals fought with them, although a part of him was taken aback by the sheer savagery displayed by the powerful being. It was as if her hum
anity had been stripped away with her disguise. She was now a truly alien being.
‘The ships have completed their scan. There is no sign of any of the citadels anywhere near New Babylon,’ Xavier said. ‘One of the ships in high orbit has detected something which could be the anti-matter quantum signature of a dark citadel at the northern polar cap.’
‘It’s them. They’ve moved to the site of the Great City,’ Izikiel said, convinced of his deduction. Turning towards Cassandra, he said, ‘We’ll need the Valiant Crusader.’
The towering figure of flame strode towards him. Izikiel could feel the intense heat as she approached. The others fell back several steps. Then the heat dissipated as Cassandra resumed her human-form. The transformation back was even more remarkable as the figure contracted and the flames disappeared.
‘Let’s go,’ she said.
NINETY EIGHT
The Valiant Crusader accelerated upwards. Its gleaming metallic hull glistened in the reflected light of the twin suns as it rotated and aligned on the northern polar cap. Three plumes of superheated plasma stabbed out propelling the ship through the atmosphere. All around them the remaining ships of the human fleet changed course and converged on their destination.
‘The void spawn at New Babylon are in full retreat. The Elementals are hunting down each and every one of them,’ Xavier reported. ‘All of our ships are heading for the northern polar cap. Once there, they will hold position in low orbit to prevent any of the dark citadels from lifting off.’
‘When we get there you drop me, Cassandra and Jenevieve off. The rest of you take off and re-join the fleet in orbit,’ Izikiel said.
‘Excuse me?’ Te’Anne asked in disbelief. ‘You expect us to fly around while the three of you risk your lives to confront the Void Lords?’
Izikiel looked at her for a long moment before replying.
‘This is the final confrontation that I’ve been dreading since the moment Da’Amo told me that I was a disciple and that my destiny was to challenge the Void Lords. Everything that we’ve been through, everything that we’ve suffered and lost has led us to this moment. This is the final part of my journey to becoming one with the Eternal Flame. I have to do this but I cannot bear the thought of losing any more of my friends.’