Back in the psychic plane, Carla and the true Queen battle the Meli trying to contain it, as Ronin tells Carla Abe’s reply, “Mistress, they cannot detonate the bomb. Not as long as you are in here.”
Carla tells Ronin, “Ronin, my only chance of escape is for them to detonate the bomb. Now tell them to do it and tell Abe if he ever trusted in me. It has to be now.”
Back on Ronin, the final Dreadnought closes after its last attack Sanchez reports, “Forward shields are holding at sixty-eight percent, locking all weapons and FIRE!” The darkness of space lights up as Ronin moves forward at flank speed, just behind its volley of plasma charges and torpedoes. The Dreadnought explodes in a tremendous blast as Ronin drives through the debris field, and powers on through a hundred Cruisers.
Ronin announces to the Bridge crew, “Mistress Carla says you must detonate the bomb now. She says if you don’t do it now she cannot escape. She has asked me to relay a personal message to Abe.” Ronin projects the message in Carla’s voice. The message says, “If you ever have faith in me, believe in me now.” Ronin says, “She believes Master Abraham that she will survive, but you must detonate the bomb now.”
Abe looks over to Ismail, as he bites his bottom lip and shakes his head in agreement, saying, “If she is hurt or killed. We will all die Ismail, but I believe she knows what she is doing, so I say we do it.”
Ismail looks to his father who is standing beside him who smiles and says, “My son, you must believe in something, or someone to guide you in this decision.”
Ismail looks to Abe, and says, “Do it.”
Abe activates the bomb as it begins to build up energy. Abe states, “We have one minute.”
Sanchez curious, asks, “Will any of us be affected when it detonates?”
Abe, whose thoughts are elsewhere answers, “It will only affect the psychic plane. It is the equivalent of an anti-matter nuclear device, and it will vaporize everything in the psychic plane for this entire sector and perhaps well beyond.”
Mohammed concerned asks, “How does Carla expect to survive such an attack?”
Abe attempts to smile as he says, “She knows what she can do, sir, and I believe in her.”
Back in the psychic plane, Ronin tells Carla, as she battles the Meli, “Mistress, you have less than a minute.”
Carla increases her power, strengthening her shields. As the Meli and the true Queen, continue fighting.
The Meli, noticing Carla has increased her shields and stopped her attacks takes advantage. Once more, it entraps the true T-Challa Queen, saying, “You have made a grave mistake Hybrid.”
Carla smiles and says, “Not really.”
With that, the psychic bomb explodes. The detonation affects every T-Challa as it stuns most every psychic creature in the quadrant, and destroys every T-Challa warrior in the psychic plane. The Meli sensing the blast increases its own psychic shields, but it fails. The power of the psychic bomb is just too much, as it appears to destroy it. Then only Carla is left as she is exposed within the heart of the blast. Her own shields now must try to withstand the devastating psychic shock wave. Carla holds tight as the blast envelopes her. She feels the unbelievable power of the blast, as it finally begins to tear through her shields. She calls out to Ronin, “How much more can I take?”
Ronin replies, “You will need to pull all your power from the ship Mistress, and you must do it now.”
Carla, struggling says, “If I do that I will leave them in the Yorktown, against the T-Challa armada.”
Ronin responds, “If you don’t they will die anyways.”
Carla, realizing she has no choice pulls all her power from the Yorktown, as she defends against the psychic shock wave.
Back in the real world, Sanchez shocked yells, “We are losing power… We are converting back.”
Abe panicked drops to his knees upset. He yells, “No! We failed! She’s dead.”
Mohammed goes to Abe, as Ismail asks, “What is our status?”
Sanchez, shocked at what he sees replies, “We are still moving ahead, but whatever happened seems to have given us a break. The T-Challa ships seemed to be out of control. They are moving in all directions, and no one is firing at us.”
Abe upset, says, “The psychic shockwave will have temporarily stunned them. We only have a few moments before they can recover.”
Mohammed looks at Abe and asks, “Abe, do you have anything that can help us?”
Abe turns to his console sullen and says, “I was able to find the current gateway access codes from that Super Dreadnought we captured. So long as they haven’t changed the codes, I may be able to activate their gateway allowing us a way to escape.”
Ismail absorbed in the battle yells, “Do it!”
Abe locks into the T-Challa gateway systems, and activates the coordinates to one of the outer system's gateway, which he estimates is close by the Earth and Paladonian forces.
Sanchez, surprised, says, “We have green lights all the way.”
Ismail turns sullen, looks to his father and says, “Mister Sanchez take us home.”
Just as the Yorktown is closing in on the gateway, Carla reappears on the Bridge. She is unconscious.
Ismail smiles as he says, “Looks like our Little Flower has found her way back home.”
Abe, realizing what he must do yells out, “Get her to the device room now! She may be under the control of the Meli.”
Mohammed scopes her up, and rushes to the lift, but Ismail jumps over, grabbing her from his father. He yells, “This is faster!” With that, he and Carla shift to Carla’s training room where the device waits. Ismail places Carla’s hand on the device, which activates it. The image of Caleb appears, asking, “Hello Ismail what has happened?”
Ismail replies, “The Queen may be dead, and the Meli may have taken over Carla.”
The image asks, “Where is Abe?”
Abe enters with Mohammed close behind, answering, he states, “I’m here, and everything is as you requested.”
The device states, “Then everyone must leave at once. If Carla has any chance of survival it must be of her own ability.”
Just then the ship is rocked by multiple blasts as Sanchez yells out over the holocom, “We are taking heavy damage.”
Ismail looks to Abe and says, “She’ll be ok.” He shifts back to the Bridge as Sanchez reports, “We have lost shields on the stern and port side, and taken moderate damage.”
Ismail now worried, asks, “How close are we to the gateway?”
Sanchez looks down and says, “We won’t make it sir. We have too many ships in the way.”
Ismail takes a deep breath, as he looks down and makes a small prayer aloud, “To whatever God exist out there. I may not believe in you, but many of my crew do, if ever you cared for them, I ask that you help us.”
Sanchez, smiling says, “Amen, sir.”
Another volley rocks the Yorktown as Sanchez announces, “We are losing power, sir. I’m afraid this is it.”
Just then at the T-Challa gateway a familiar voice comes over the holocom announcing, “Ok, what loudmouth doubted that I’d be back in time?”
With that, Celesta, and over a thousand Paladonian and Earth ships flood through the gateway, blasting everything in sight.
Down in Carla’s training room Mohammed asks, “Abe, what is going to happen?”
Abe replies, as they leave the room, “Caleb is a man that looks at every possibility and prepares for it. That device has many surprises within it, including a plan to trap the Meli.”
Mohammed confused asks, “Why must we leave the room?”
Abe rushes as he locks the room, saying, “I have to kill her in order to save her.”
Carla begins to wake and sees where she is, but before she can react, she is instantly pulled into the device where she is confronted by a holorecording of her father that says, “Hello Little Flower. If this program has activated, then this may be the last time you will ever talk to me again. This recordin
g was made in case the Queen is killed, and the Meli is freed from her. You may not know it, but the Meli is now inside you, building up its power. It is preparing to imprison you within your own mind, but what it doesn’t know that this device was built with a containment system, which will keep you and the Meli held within it, or until you are separated or until you die.”
The holorecording disappears, as the interactive program powers up and says, “Carla the Meli is inside you, and if you want to live you’ll have to find a way to separate yourself from it. You will not be able to escape this device. Not until you separate yourself from it.”
Carla, exhausted, battered, and bruised, gets up, closes her eyes, and focuses her power in on herself, and there she is confronted by the Meli, which speaks, “Well isn’t this cozy, I think I like it in here child.”
Carla says nothing, as she stares at the bulbous ball of black psychic energy smiling. The Meli slightly confused, says, “You can say and do whatever you want child. You can’t rid yourself of me, and I will eventually gain control of you.”
Carla, still smiling says nothing, as the Meli now more confused asks, “What is it you find so amusing child?”
Carla waits for a few minutes, as she begins to become dizzy and confused. She drops to one knee, finally, saying, “The oxygen in the room has run out. I will soon be dead, and you will be trapped in here forever.”
The Meli panicked now yells, “You lie. You would not kill yourself.”
Carla, dying says, as she collapses, “I know the future with you in control of my powers, and with that future as my only other option. I would much rather choose death.”
Carla collapses as the Meli realizes that Carla has died. It sees the light that follows death and it frightens the Meli. The Meli flees Carla’s body, but is shocked to see it cannot escape from the device left by Caleb. Then the image of Caleb appears, saying, “Hello Meli, I know you’re wondering just what has happened. Well, let me help you out here. You see Carla’s psychic body, which contained you was in here with me while her real body was left outside. I had Abe expunged all oxygen from the room, killing her body. You, of course, exited the body, thinking you are free to search for a new host, but you are not free. You see, you are trapped in here with me, and I promise that I have made this prison to be one of ultimate torture for you.”
The Meli becomes confused, asking, “You sacrificed your daughter to imprison me?”
The image of Caleb laughs and says, “No fool, she is being revived by the ship’s Doctor, but you get to spend the rest of eternity with me in here.”
The Meli, realizing it is trapped screams in frustration, while back in the training room Doctor Cabral with Abe performs C.P.R. on Carla. Cabral panicked, says, “Keep air in her lungs Abe.” Cabral is pumping blood through her heart, as Abe continues mouth to mouth.
Mohammed stands holding a plasma rifle pointed at Carla’s head as he asks, “Abe, are you sure you can tell if the Meli is in control or not?”
Abe quickly looks up between breaths, and says, “Yes.”
Cabral yells out, “We are not getting anything. I’m going to shoot her with adrenaline!”
Cabral reaches into her bag, pulling out a hypo-injector and shoots it directly into her heart as she continues C.P.R.
Finally, after a very long minute, Carla coughs, and begins to convulse, as Mohammed focuses his weapon directly at her head.
Abe quickly jumps over to the device left by Caleb. He opens the device, pulls out the crystal, and says, “It’s trapped inside the crystal. She’s herself.”
Mohammed pulls back his plasma rifle, as Carla dazed and exhausted asks, “Is it over?”
Abe replies, “Yes and no Carla.” Abe sighs, as he continues, “The Meli is trapped inside the crystal for now, but the T-Challa Queen is free of the Meli, and if it somehow survived as you did. It will now be in control of its own body, so part of the, “it” is over.”
Cabral confused, asks, “Well, it was this Meli that was the real bad guy right?”
Abe answers, saying, “The Meli twisted the Queen psyche, making her evil. So the cause may be gone, but the corruption of the Queens mind and her minion still exists.”
The ship is rocked hard as inertial dampers go offline and everyone is thrown across the room.
Abe yells out to Carla, “We need Ronin now!”
Within the blink of an eye, Carla places her hands on the deck and releases Ronin. The ship is badly damaged as hundreds of ships lay siege on it. Ronin once again covers the ship in a massive blue field, as the transformation occurs. While on the Bridge, Sanchez looks over at Ismail and says, “It would appear that Abe’s plan worked, or we’re in a lot of trouble.”
Ismail smiles and says, “Abe doesn’t make mistakes when it comes to Carla. He has too much of his father in him.”
The ship appears from the blue field, as the T-Challa and human fleets fight on.
Benton comes over the holocom, asking, “What is the status of Ronin?”
Sanchez looks over and says, “We are at full power and at one hundred percent.”
Ismail proudly yells out, “Let’s clear some space Miguel! Fire all guns!”
Ronin fires all weapons, and obliterates dozens of ships in a single volley. Carla appears as her psychic avatar on the Bridge and says, “Ismail, I’m picking up more T-Challa closing in on this area. We need to pull back out while we still can.”
Sanchez looks at the tactical holoscreen, saying, “We have at least a few hours before their next fleet gets into firing range.”
Carla says, “Trust me, I can sense them. They are nearby thousands of them.”
Benton, who is still on the active com says, “We may never get a better chance than this to finish this now.”
Carla says, “Uncle, we need to retreat back through the gateway now, before they regain control of it.”
Benton sighs and says, “Ok kid, I’ll call for a full retreat.”
Ismail says, “We’ll hold the gateway till everyone clears through it.”
Ronin takes up position as hundreds and hundreds of Earth and Paladonian ships rush back through the gateway.
Suddenly a massive ship appears from behind a cloak. It is almost six thousand meters across. Its decks are strewn in weaponry. It fires hundreds of torpedoes and plasma charges at the retreating fleet. Dozens of ships are hit some heavily damaged as they flee through the gateway. Ronin takes multiple strikes, but the shields hold as Sanchez announces, “We have no classification on that ship, but its power levels are off the scale.”
Benton yells out, “Don’t waste your time analyzing it! Shoot the damn thing!”
Both Ronin and Celesta fire a full barrage at the mysterious T-Challa ship. Ronin announces, “We have weakened its shields by twenty-one percent, but they are increasing back to full charge rapidly.”
Carla says, “I’ll try and slow them down from within.”
The T-Challa ship fires once again, penetrating Ronin shields and doing significant damage, which is transferred onto Carla.
Carla in pain asks Ronin telepathically, “Ronnie are you ok, because that hurt like hell?”
Ronin replies, “Mistress, we took a great deal of damage, we cannot survive a full out confrontation with this ship for long.”
Carla slips back into the psychic plane where she is confronted by the T-Challa Queen, who says, “Hold your attack Hybrid, and I will spare your people. I owe you a debt of gratitude. You have freed me, so I will allow your people to leave.”
Carla, realizing what this ship, replies, “You are on this ship that is firing on me?”
The Queen answers, “This is my flagship the W-Lostaff, and it can destroy you. However, Hybrid, I will allow a truce between our people, but you must give me your word that you and your people will leave our system.”
Carla smiles, as she can see the Queen is tremendously weakened, possibly dying from the battle with the Meli, and the effects of the psychic bomb. Carla answers,
“Queenie, you may be in control for now, but I can sense you’re very weak, and I could easily destroy you too. So don’t think for a moment that you are in complete control. I will tell my people of your wish for a truce, and I will let them decide on how it will proceed, but for now. I will not fire on you, and we will leave your space.”
Carla leaves the psychic plane and reappears on the Bridge of Ronin, saying, “Hold your fire and they will let us leave.”
Benton untrusting asks, “Are you sure we can believe them?”
Carla confidently replies, “That is the Queen’s flagship, and it can destroy us both, but I can kill the Queen. Therefore, we are at an impasse Uncle. We can leave now, and let the diplomats figure out the rest.”
The Earth and Paladonian fleets leave, as Ronin backs up slowly to the gateway. The looming W-Lostaff hovers meaninglessly as the last of the Earth ships escape.
Abe shifts up to the Bridge and says, “Ismail you need to get to the med bay now! Your father was hurt in the last attack.”
Ismail turns to Sanchez, saying, “The Bridge is yours.” Ismail shifts to med bay, where he sees Cabral working desperately to stabilize his father Mohammed.
Ismail panicked asks, “What happened?”
Cabral, still rushing to save Mohammed says, “He did what he always does. He saved us.” Cabral continues to work at a feverish pace continues, “When the power conduit we were walking next to exploded, he shielded us with his body. He has massive injuries, and I’m trying everything I can do to save his life. So if you would please step out of the operating room.”
A nurse grabs Ismail, who is frozen in shock at seeing his father dying before him.
On the Bridge, Ronin is now the last ship that reaches the gateway and finally passes through it. Ronin appears back with the fleet, back at the T-Challa gateway, near Paladonian space. The gateway closes, as Benton relieved, says, “Hot damn that was a good fight.”
Abe says to Benton, “General Benton, Commander Mohammed has been critically wounded.”
Benton face goes straight as he says, “I’m shifting over, lower your shields.” A moment passes as Ronin lowers its shields, and Gabriel shifts over, saying, “Give me the helm please. Carla do whatever you can, but give me full speed.”
The Ocoda Chronicles Book 3 Ronin Page 27