The Empire

by John Dizon

  At once they could see images arriving on the scene behind the blazing fireball that was the pirate cruiser. Their eyes widened as they realized it was an Imperial cruiser flanked by four warships and sixteen fighter ships.

  "Waste ahoy!" Triton whooped. "They went for it! Stinking waste, they went for it! I can't believe they're coming across the border in force like this."

  "Necromicon's crew managed to send them signals and images indicating they were in contact with the Invictus," Mick said, his heart racing with anticipation. "They wouldn't have dared disregard it."

  "I'm picking up another power surge," Daisy said breathlessly. "The Invictus is preparing to fire again."

  "This is Rhymes," Mick spoke into the microphone. "Once the starship fires, we move to Stage Two immediately."

  "Roger that," he heard multiple voices respond over the speakers.

  At once the guns of the Invictus let loose another barrage, its torpedoes smashing into the Imperial cruiser. The massive ship was ripped asunder, its stem blown in half which set off secondary explosions destroying the vessel entire. Its escort ships barely managed to pull back as the mother ship began to disintegrate into flaming shards.

  "Now!" Mick barked into the microphone.

  At once the warships parted, making way for ten spaceships sailing into the fray. They were antique vessels from the Old System, ranging from freighters to civilian transports fitted with xaser cannons borrowed from their respective colonies. They had been exhorted by Petrus on Miro 3 to join Mick Rhymes in this counteroffensive against the Empire. Most of the ships' crews were victims of the Revolutionary Guards' campaign of genocide. They were more than willing to risk their lives in an effort to avenge their lost loved ones.

  The mercenaries' warships on the starboard side made an identical maneuver, allowing a fleet of ten antique ships to cruise in on the Invictus. They began to open fire on the starship, causing it to put up its shields on all sides in a defensive move. It took all of the Invictus' resources to absorb the pounding as the Imperial vessels and the mercenary ships joined in on the attack.

  "All right, Necro, let's do it to it," Mick called into the microphone, At once the warships on either side turned straight upward, soaring at a ninety-degree angle far above the Invictus' position. They hovered long enough until the starship lowered its shields, firing a volley of xaser cannon fire at the Imperial warships. They blew one to smithereens and seriously crippled a second one.

  "Now!" Mick yelled. Both the Hellfire and Necro One nosedived directly towards the Invictus, firing everything they had at the starship's starboard nacelle. It was as if the voices of a hundred men cried in jubilation through the speakers as the Invictus was dealt a crippling blow. The generator housing began imploding, flaming sparks lighting the interior of the cavernous structure.

  "This is where it gets wasted," Mick muttered as the wings of the starship began to spread. "They're going to pull out all the stops to finish us off."

  Just as predicted, the Invictus released over two hundred Minnies from either side of the ship. The Minnies were explosive-packed drones that carried the equivalent of a dozen sticks of dynamite. Although it was the equivalent of a small asteroid hit that most ships could absorb, a strike against an engine could be a crippling blow. The settlers' spaceships were particularly vulnerable though the squadrons of fighter ships were just as vulnerable.

  Mick's stomach tightened in knots as he watched the Minnies propel themselves directly into the spaceships, blowing some of them into flaming wrecks. Many of the fighters retreated to avoid contact with multiple Minnies. Making the situation worse was the introduction of two warships and eight fighters emerging from beneath either wing of the Invictus. They launched a counterattack that appeared to catch the Imperial squadron and the mercenary ships entirely unprepared.

  "This is it, guys," Mick snapped into the microphone. "It's now or never. We need to hit those loading docks now."

  Both the Hellfire and Necro One did barrel rolls, spinning back into action as they regenerated their cannon fire and let loose on the starship's loading docks beneath its protective wings. Fortuitously, the shields on either side had been lowered to allow the egress of the Minnies. The warships' cannons managed to rip through the loading docks, causing a telltale internal fire indicating the mighty Invictus was ripe for the picking.

  ~+~

  It was Condition Red on the Invictus, with its entire crew scrambling as they prepared for a boarding attempt by their enemies. The support teams were dividing into skeleton units as they split in half in order to physically defend the exposed nacelle area. Two of the vessel's four decks were exposed and susceptible to heavy-arms fire as well as physical invasion by enemy commandos.

  "Aries, I'm giving you the console," Drachna announced as he hammered a panel along a far corner on the bridge. "I'm entrusting you with my ship. I don't think I have to tell you what's at risk here."

  "Grav–-Captain–-don't do this," Andi's voice grew hoarse. "We've got capable spec ops troops aboard. We need you right here."

  "She's right," Sardonicus insisted as Grav began donning his armor and strapping his broadsword around his waist. "Dammit, man, you're too valuable. If anything happens to you, we won't be able to get out of this mess."

  "I was supposed to be drugged and unconscious in the brig on our way to Alpha, remember?" Drachna smirked. "Don't waste our time."

  "Grav," Styrena rushed to him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Don't do this. We can surrender. They wouldn't dare sink this ship. They know my mother would declare war if I was killed. At least let us try and negotiate. Please."

  "So you think all my pomp and circumstance was just a show?"

  "Grav, I love you," she broke into tears.

  "Aries," he called as Andi came over to embrace Styrena. He could not help but notice tears streaming down Andi's cheeks.

  "Dammit, Grav, she's right. We can talk our way out of this," Sardonicus insisted.

  "Keep the radio channels open. They'll be trying to talk their way out of this shortly," Drachna said, donning his helmet before exiting the bridge.

  "Andi, you need to police your waste," Mazola was exasperated. "We are in some deep, deep waste. He's right, forget him, he wouldn't have been here anyway. We need to keep these garbage trawls from sinking this ship."

  "Damn you both, give me a second," Andi gently pulled the distraught Styrena to her feet. "Listen, baby, you have to help me here. Do you have any encrypted signals we can send to your Mom? I know she can send a starship out here to get us out of this. We can hold out long enough for a rescue mission to get here."

  "I–-I don't have any access to any military protocols," Styrena regained her feet, wiping her eyes. "I think you should start sending out a general SOS and put my name on it. There's a good chance a military Betan patrol will intercept it."

  "She's right," Andi called out to the communications officer. "Send out an SOS, tell them we have Styrena. Send an intermittent announcing a Scorpion attack. One way or the other we should get a response."

  "Hopefully before it's too late," Sardonicus muttered, the impact of cannon and torpedo fire rocking the foundations of the mighty ship.

  "Dammit, Ken," Andi rushed over, brushing tears away as she took a seat alongside Mazola. "You play the game like a left-handed mutant. Haven't you been watching Grav all these years?"

  "There's a big difference between playing computer games and fighting for your life," Ken said as the sweat glistened on his forehead. "I managed to knock out a couple of those fighters. They're trying to open the holes on the nacelle and the loading docks. Every time I lower a shield to fire back they're spraying us. We're in some deep waste, Andi. I can't believe he went off to play his hero card with all our lives at stake."

  "He's Grav Drachna, damn you," Andi hissed as she began punching keys on the console, eyes as lasers on the targets on the screens. "He wouldn't have gone down there if it wasn't our only hope. Let's just hope he's far more of
a man than you'll ever be."

  "Screw you, Andi."

  "Maybe I'll give you a joystick ride when this is all over," she murmured.

  "I'm gonna hold you to that," he managed a chuckle.

  ~+~

  Captain Neptune and his men boarded the lower dock on the starboard side of the Invictus. They anchored their warship to its hull before extending the lifelock chute to the smoking aperture. The robotic components quickly sealed the gaps between the chute and the hull, pumping oxygen into the tunnel before giving the invaders the green light. Neptune led the way as they became the first enemy troops in history to set foot on the Invictus.

  "Okay, guys," Neptune was nearly salivating. "They probably have a light guard on this level. We take them out, then move along the corridor and send a readout back to our ride. It'll give us a map and we'll finish this thing."

  "You got it, boss," his top enforcer, Biggs, grunted. "Let's just get done here and get off this son of a mutant before those guys sink this waste bucket."

  The ten men crept toward the doorway to the interior of the ship, glancing about furtively as they progressed. Only the red-lit dimness made it difficult to hasten their step. They were confident they were about to breach the inner corridor when a grating voice startled them.

  "Going somewhere?"

  The mercenaries bristled, breaking into defensive positions as they looked about for the source. They were quickly answered as a dark massive figure erupted in their midst, a shining metallic object as a propeller in their midst. Arms and heads flew in a shower of blood as the broadsword spun about, hacking and shearing everything in its path. Neptune stared aghast as one of his men staggered towards him with the top of his skull chopped off at the eyebrows. He raised his bayonet to defend himself but had his hand hacked off at the wrist.

  "Drachna," he gasped. "Grav Drachna. I can pay. You don't have to do this."

  "Look what you fools have done to my ship," Drachna snarled, blood spilling from a huge tear in his left shoulder. "Not to mention the fact that Styrena Stone is on this ship. Do you know what Styrena Stone is worth?"

  "Five hundred million credits," Neptune held his hands out in supplication. "Please, brother, all is negotiable. I can send word to those outside. We can end this."

  "Do you dare to suggest that the love of my life is only worth five hundred million credits?" Drachna chortled, wielding the great broadsword.

  "No, please. NO-O-OO!!!"

  Drachna ended the conversation with one mighty swoop of his broadsword.

  ~+~

  Cygnus Beryllium and his men anchored their warship to the middle dock along the portside of the Invictus. He was confident that Neptune and his men had penetrated the defenses of the lower dock and were making their way towards the bridge. He knew that Neptune was a stupid bastard who would be overconfident in dispersing the cursory defense contrived by the enemy. Most likely they would get wasted, but it would provide a diversion for Beryllium's crew.

  "We're in, Captain," Beryllium's mate called as they made their way to the sliding door leading to the interior corridor. "We blow this door and the Scorps are in deep waste."

  "Let's get it on, gentlemen," Beryllium grinned. "Everything comes to he who dares."

  The crewman set an explosive onto the doorlock, blowing the contraption asunder. They chuckled amongst themselves, joking about how they would share the wonders of the beautiful Styrena Stone before they returned her to the Alphans. Only when the first mate stepped through the portal, his head seemed to be replaced by a fountain of gore.

  "It's Drachna!" another sailor fell back, fumbling for his bayonet. "He's here!"

  Beryllium watched in astonishment as Drachna burst into the room, his broadsword appearing as a silver whirlwind. The sailors hacked and slashed at him, some blows appearing to have impacted though to no avail. Beryllium was shocked by the sight of his men staggering backwards with body parts missing and stumps spurting fountains of blood.

  "You can't win, Drachna," Beryllium cried. "This ship is surrounded! You don't stand a chance!"

  "I think you've got it the other way around," Drachna grinned wolfishly, whirling as his sword ripped from Beryllium's neck to his abdomen. The captain staggered back, staring in disbelief as his entrails spilled from his body.

  "You'll die along with us," Beryllium gasped as he watched the blood spill from a slash in Drachna's right arm. "We've got a deal. Let's go out together."

  "I'd prefer to go on alone," Drachna smiled wryly before slicing the head off Beryllium's shoulders.

  ~+~

  "Madame President," Pluribus came into the inner sanctum as she had grown more accustomed to spending the evenings in study. "We've received a transmission from the Betan frontier that has us on high observance. We believe it may be an authentic relay pertaining to the occurrence."

  Marcella Stone rushed from her boudoir, galvanizing the detachment positioned outside her room as her communications team leapt into action. Within seconds they had all the details of the faded transmission from the Betan frontier indicating Styrena Stone had been located.

  "I want a starship with comprehensive backup deployed immediately to the location where the transmission emanated," Marcella ordered. "I want a four-cruiser escort along with eight warships and sixteen fighter ships."

  "Do you think it's Styrena?" Pluribus said softly.

  "I know it is," she decided. "I just know it. It has to be her. Summon a hovercraft, I'll be boarding the starship shortly."

  "Marcella, you can't," Pluribus insisted. "We can't stand to lose you if something were to go wrong."

  "Notify Vice President Aintry," Marcella replied curtly. "If anything happens to me, my cousin'll do fine."

  "Marcella, you can't do this!" he was fervent.

  "Are you disobeying my orders in a time of war?"

  "I–-I can't believe…" he stared helplessly.

  "You want to come along, I'll meet you at the flight deck," she said as she walked out the door as it slid open in her path.

  "Just great," he grunted. "I'll be sure and bring some sick bags."

  ~+~

  The warship anchored itself to the starboard side of the starship alongside its loading dock. The crew managed to cut through the hull with xasers before running a lifelock that allowed them access to the gargantuan vessel. Captain Molybden led the way, the black-haired giant peering into the shadowy chamber as one of his men hurled an illuminator onto the deck.

  "Just as I thought," Molybden grunted. "The crew must be stretched to the max trying to repel the invaders. It should be an easy move down the corridor to the elevators to the bridge."

  "I'm always amazed at how these stupid pirates think invading a starship is going to be such a simple task," they heard a deep baritone call out from behind a stack of containers. "You never realize your lives are at stake until it's far too late."

  "Who is that?" Molybden snarled. "Spread out, men. Move slowly along each wall. When they come out we'll beat them to pulp."

  "There are over a dozen men lying in pieces along the upper decks who would disagree with you," the voice taunted them.

  "One man?" Molybden chortled. "One stupid little man? I believe we'll bring his head with us to the bridge as fair warning."

  The men were armed with axes, maces and swords, well aware that their xasers would be useless at close quarters. They had boarded dozens of ships in their brutal careers, and had hacked scores of men apart wherever they encountered resistance. They were skilled martial artists who were absolutely fearless when they attacked in force as they were now.

  Only they were never expecting someone as massive as their opponent to attack with such speed or ferocity. Drachna was as a whirling dervish, his blade spinning like a propeller as he tore into the six men to his right. They raised their weapons defensively, only to have the force of his strokes drive them backwards into the paths of one another. They were forced to break rank, allowing Drachna to hack at their heads and should
ers with demonic fury. One man's neck was nearly hewn in two while a second man's face was nearly sheared from his skull. Two men stumbled backwards into their comrades, unable to block Drachna's slashes as he chopped through their wrists and forearms.

  "Shoot the bastard!" a man to his left roared.

  "We'll hit our own men!" a second man yelled. "Let's charge him and take him down as one!"

  The five men charged as a contact sports unit, roaring as they bulled their way into the fray. Only Drachna grabbed two of the mortally wounded and hurled them into the path of the others, causing them to stumble and wince at the blood spattering their faces. It gave Drachna the chance to resume his hacking and slashing, his broadsword carving their skulls as gourds. Molybden watched in shock and awe as his entire squad lay dead before him in minutes.

  "So," Drachna smiled, the blood dripping from his uniform covering the leaks coming from his own wounds. "Finally I get to fight someone my own size."

  "I'm taller, bigger and stronger than you, Grav Drachna," Molybden grunted, drawing his own broadsword which featured a double-edged serrated blade. "We meet at last. I've heard of you, and your skills are impressive. I don't want to leave you here, to drown in your own blood. You have no idea what's going on outside. This ship is doomed. I realize you won't betray your crew, but there is no use in going down alongside them. Come with me, let us call a truce and we'll retreat to my fortress nearby. We'll raise a fresh crew and control this entire frontier."

  "This ship is unsinkable," Drachna sneered. "We'll swat these pesky attackers like cattle swats vermin. Surrender your arms and I'll release you on an outpost once the battle is over and we set sail for Alpha."

  "You fool!" Molybden scoffed. "Your starboard nacelle is about to fall off the side of this garbage scow. This piece of waste isn't going anywhere, it'll sink into hyperspace within the hour. Drop your sword or I'll waste you like a rabid mutant."

  "If there is a piece of waste about to sink into hyperspace hereabouts,' Drachna tilted his broadsword toward the giant, "it is you."

  "As you wish," Molybden snarled.