by Will Crudge
The sixth ship was dangerously close to the flagship, and although it was noticeably smaller, it had nearly the same hull shape and structure. A dual strike of SK’s hit it, and Marbles realized it was by design. The sixth ship was further along in the process of trying to snap its shielding into a full array. With only a few meters difference in range between the two SK’s, the first one sacrificed itself to weaken the shielding enough for the anti-shielding tech of the second SK to be successful.
The sixth ship effectively super-nova’d like its sister's vessels did seconds before. But the flagship was less than ten kilometers away when it vaporized. The resulting spherical plume of released energy enveloped the flagship at the same time the eighth and final SK struck it’s already weakened superstructure.
The cascading event sealed its fate, and the flagship disappeared into a spectacular orb of ruined atoms. The vacuum of space made the explosion appear as a perfect sphere that grew to an immense proportion. But as it grew, it also began to dim.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Marbles shouted. He realized he was so captivated by the display of primordial physics, that his tiny space donkey was being bombarded by dangerously high levels of radiation. That part bothered him less than the accompanied EMP pulse.
His instrument panel shut down. The donkey went into a flat spin. His internal HUD flashed with hundreds of system failures.
He knew no more.
SEARCH AND RESCUE
The elation of total victory would have to wait. I pace around the display and begin to grind my teeth. Despite a full crew of CIC peeps, I still feel alone in my responsibilities. I suppose that’s the burden of command that I’ve always heard about.
The three GBE cruisers are now in full search and rescue mode, but it isn’t enough. There are likely thousands of survivors within the hundreds of ruined hulls out there. Even the announcement of new friendly contacts doesn’t lift my spirits by much.
“New contacts!” Silvia shouts. “Looks like the advanced party of the Ghost Fleet have jumped into normal space about five thousand clicks off our port side!”
I look at the myriad of blue blips begin to populate on screen, and I allow myself to release a nervous breath. The overwhelming grief of thousands of dead is dominating my conscious, so any tinge of comfort is well received.
“Fleet Admiral Zeff is hailing us, Ma’am!” Anders speaks up. “He doesn’t seem pleased that his hail was acknowledged by a Crimson Officer, by the way.”
I just give him a blank stare and nod.
“Thermopylae, this is Fleet Admiral Zeff… Who has FLEETCON?” A grumbly voice comes across. I get the notion that this Zeff character might have something hanging out of his mouth or something. My curiosity gets the better of me.
“On screen, Major Anders,” I say as I look up at the main holographic display. The image of a rough looking UAHC Soldier comes into view. I was right. This fucker is chomping on a soggy cigar.
“I am Katherine, Admiral. I’ve been granted FLEETCON by order of Fleet Marshal Darius.” I say politely… Not my strong suit, of course.
I see the man’s grey bushy eyebrows furrow, and he pauses a moment to let the apparent shock subside. Then he crinkles his brows, narrows his eyes, and seems to be consciously fighting the urge to say something offensive.
“Katherine, is it?” Zeff asks. “Please forgive my confusion, madam!” He says with a tone of forced sincerity. I can tell he’s struggling to be diplomatic, so I decide to give him a pass.
“Indeed, Admiral. As you can see, this is no longer an active combat zone. We need as many search and rescue assets as possible. However, a significant portion of enemy ships made an FTL transition during the battle, so we’ll need to have shipped with heavy weapons form a tight perimeter as a precaution.” I say. For once I made a conscious tactical decision without the aid of some mystical universal force. Sometimes common sense is all humanity needs, I suppose.
Zeff seemed to ponder my words for a few moments, and then he offered a curt nod. “I will dispatch twenty light to medium cruisers for cleanup, as requested. I will augment your security perimeter with my battlecruisers… eight in all.”
“Thank you, Admiral,” I say with a forced smile.
“No need for thanks, madam.” He says as he shakes his head and raises and outward palm. “You’re in command, and I am merely complying as expected. Please send rescue and perimeter security assignments to my XO, and we’ll have assets underway as soon as possible.”
I can’t help but smile with some level of authenticity now. I half expected this dude to balk my delicate position of authority, but he didn’t. I can tell he’s a well-seasoned UAHC Soldier, and he carries himself with absolute confidence. I envy him for that.
“Very well, Admiral.” I nod curtly.
“May I ask as to the whereabouts and disposition of our Fleet Admiral?” Zeff asks. I can tell from the look in his eyes that he is authentically concerned. I don’t blame him.
“He is safe. Due to the apparent loss of the Foehammer, he was not in…” I pause to select my words carefully. I no longer can enjoy the relative anonymity of a skeleton crew in my CIC. I don’t want to raise any undue concerns by telling the full story. “Well, let’s just say that he’s elected to delegate his command to achieve the optimum outcome possible.”
Zeff’s eyes went wide for a moment, and he turned his head at a slight angle before leaning forward a bit. I get the impression that he understands the sensitivity of my present situation. “Understood… I hope to meet you in person when the dust settles. Zeff, out!”
And just like that, the feed was cut. I breathed a sigh of relief for once.
Meanwhile, aboard the space donkey…
Faint blips of algorithms danced in Marbles’ head. Then his inertial detection gyros began to detect erratic movement.
“Wake up, fucker!” A raspy semi-artificial voice boomed out. It took a moment for Marbles to realize that Grinder was shaking him. He mentally willed his standard optics to snap into an array, but his vision was slow to focus. He knew that his optics were only partly initialized, so he was relegated to basic levels of vision that humans are stuck with.
He looks over to see a set of fangs dangling mere centimeters from his face. He was grateful that his olfactory sensors were not yet initialized.
“What happened?” Marbles asked.
“You got - EMP’d - is what happened! So did this coffin, you call a ‘space donkey’!” Grinder snarled.
“Wait! Are we still spinning?” Marbles shouted as he lurched up to a fully seated position. But there was no need for the Zodiac to answer. The displays were all online, and the attitude indicator was displaying a steady azimuth.
“Let’s just say that the steering yoke tasted awful in my mouth!” Grinder chuckled.
“How long was I out?”
“About twenty-six minutes.” Grinder replied. Marbles wasn’t surprised. He was due for his twenty six minute maintenance cycle before the battle started. The EMP must have triggered his emergency shutdown procedures, and the rest cycle immediately took over from there.
“Where the fuck are we? And how in the hell did you fasten your voice module without any help?” Marbles asked incredulously. The module seemed to be strapped properly across the front of the Grinders K-9 chest and wrapped around the base of his massive neck. But it was difficult to tell how well it was fastened, due to the Zodiacs cramped body position.
“It ki
nd of flopped over on my hindquarters when we went into that spin. When I repositioned, it ended up close enough for me to pull it close enough to get it to function. It needs to be fastened still.” Grinder explained.
“I’ve got you, big guy!” Marbles said as he reached over to finish what Grinder started.
“So, tell me… Why are you not a dildo?” grinder asked as he scrunched his massive K-9 brows.
“What?” Marbles asked with a head tilt.
“Apparently, you talk in your sleep.”
Marbles would have spit in shock if it were anatomically possible for a robot to do so. “What in the fuck was I saying?”
“Something along the lines of, ‘Stop! I’m not a fucking dildo, you pervert!’” Grinder said with a hearty laugh. Marbles covered his metallic face with his right hand and shook his head.
“Let’s just say that thirty years of being marooned on a desolate moon wasn’t all that – fun – for Katherine… She had to… Make due, if you catch my drift?” Marbles said delicately.
Grinder kicked out his massive legs as if going into a series of laughter induced spasms.
“She’s going to fucking kill me, now!” Marbles declared.
AS I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH…
“I almost lost you, metal-head!” I sneer as I slap Marbles on the back of his metal dome. It doesn’t affect him, but it makes me feel better.
“I slipped out to the command dock while you were doing your ‘command stuff.’ I felt useless in there, so I decided to go see if Throat needed anything.” He replies defensively. I give him an eye roll as we continue walking towards our destination.
“Let me guess… He needed help loading SK’s into his weapons cradles?” I say it sarcastically to prove some kind of the obscure point.
“No. They had just dusted off, but Grinder was a little – agitated – that he got left behind. I had never been in a space battle before, so I talked him into a donkey ride.” He says it as if it was supposed to make me calm down.
“That’s a weak-ass reason to get yourself killed!” I chastise. “The donkey has no weapons, dumbass!”
“Well, if you count the standard safety beam cannons, it does!” Marbles says. He’s back-pedaling, as usual.
“Those are meant to knockout space debris that could collide with that thin-ass racing hull! It wouldn’t even register against Mwargoth energy shield, dick!”
“So, hostile!” He fires back. I stop dead in my tracks, look at the deck plating below, and then turn to hug him tightly. Tears run down my face. I haven’t slept in two days, and I just commanded a full-scale space battle… I am at my emotional limits, to be sure.
“Promise me that you’ll never do something so stupid again!” I plead as I grip him tighter. He wraps his cold arms around me and strokes the hair on the back of my head.
“I promise.” He says empathetically.
“Now, let’s do this. I need to see what Darius wants, and then I need to sleep… for a week!” I say. I release my grasp, and he lets me go. I dry my tears on the sleeve of my UAHC sub armor suit and begin to step out down the corridor.
We walk silently until we arrive at Darius’ quarters. Two heavily armed UAHC Soldiers are on guard at either side of the door. They turn to recognize us, and one of them offers a quick bow as if he were expecting me to be there.
“Wait here, will you? I’m not sure if my invite is extended to a ‘plus one’ kind of thing.” I ask Marbles.
“Sure. Besides, I want to ask these guys about the newer multifunction rifle specs while I wait.” He replies.
“Thanks, buddy!” I say, as I lightly pat his metal cheek with my right hand. I turn to enter the room, and one of the guards taps the access code into the control panel. The door glides open, and I step inside.
I barely notice the door close behind me, as I take in the ambiance of the room. It’s much simpler than I had imagined it would be. The furnishings were minimalistic in function, but it gave off a subtle sense of elegance all at the same time. The single bed was made neatly, and there was a polished wooden table in the corner.
Two chairs were on either side of the table, and Darius was seated at one of them. He was wearing simple grey athletic trousers and a black tank top. His muscles rippled in the soft lighting, and his short dark hair seemed to taper down to his pronounced jawline. I hold back any naughty thoughts out of respect… not to mention the fact that he can likely read my thoughts. #Awkward
“Please have a seat, Katherine.” He says as he politely rises to a standing position. I feel flattered by the gesture, and smile as I comply. Fully seated, I pull the chair in slightly, and I see Darius doing the same.
“I know you’re tired, so I’ll make this quick.” He says. I can’t help but feel our minds meld intuitively. It happens often among our kind, but it normally requires time for bonds to develop. His presence is far more inviting than any I have ever felt. It’s as if I’ve known him for decades, but yet I’ve only met him recently.
“How can I serve you, sir?” I ask.
“No, ‘sirs’ for you.” He waves me off.
“I’m sorry! I’m just a candidate, still. It’s ingrained in me.” I say sheepishly.
“You should know by now that titles are only that… ‘Titles.’ They don’t define us. When we choose to identify ourselves by the superficial honors that are bestowed upon us, then we begin to forget who we truly are. Some people get emboldened beyond their capacity, and others fail to see their true self-worth. Never loom in the shadow of a title that was given to you from an external source. It will hinder you from your true potential.” He says eloquently. I’m paralyzed by his profound wisdom. It’s like a veil instantly lifted from over my eyes, and I begin to see the world anew.
“Thank you for that, Darius!” I say with great humility.
“And thank you, for bringing us our first full-scale victory against an enigmatic foe! We even have Mwargoth prisoners… That’s never happened before. It was your capacity to tap into your deepest agony that made you uniquely qualified to lead us.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. ‘Capacity’? ‘Agony’? I do not see the connection, but I sense his intentions. He’s about to explain it… I just pray I can understand it.
“When you came here… to this ship… You felt broken inside. The pain you endured was self-inflicted, to be sure, but it was meant to be. I sensed it the moment I felt your presence. You’ve been forced to reach down inside yourself deeper than most of our kind has ever had to. As a result, you’ve fortified yourself to be able to tap into my own gifts.” He says.
“Your ‘own gifts’?”
He nods. “Precisely! That’s why Shadow and Sheba were with you in the CIC. I sent them to bolster you. They’re already deeply tuned-in to my ability to reach beyond space-time and extract cosmic knowledge. They may not have the same potential, but their intuitive experience allowed you to approximate the same, to an extent.”
“So, I am not as capable as you are?” I ask.
“Yes. And no.” He shrugs. “My gift allows me to tap into cosmic consciousness at all times. You, on the other hand, needed a boost from the other side.”
“Primal Rage!” I spout. He smiles.
“Yes. I knew you would come to fight the boarders. So, that’s why I chose to hold them off on my own. I knew you would be drawn to help, and by melding with my own Rage, yours would be fully ignited. That became the missing piece of the puzzle. You were already trying to tap into it, but I needed to give you a nudge.”
“I had no idea,” I say under my breath.
“But I think you did.” He said with a wink. “You knew all along, but you had your human insecurities at work to try and suppress it. In the end, your spiritual nature answered the call just the same. It was no accident.”
He was right. Why did I not see it so clearly before? Everything he did was a part of a greater plan. Now I feel more humble than ever. I feel a sense of sublime clar
ity… a purpose.
The door opens, and Darius looks up. My back is facing the door, so I rotate to my left and look for myself. Val, Jep, Jimma, my father, and another female War Master I’ve yet to meet enters the room. Grinder, Shadow, Sheba, a large wolf, and a massive tiger enter behind them.
I slowly rise to stand at attention, but Val waves me off.
“Stand at ease, child!” Val says with insistence. Then I notice something in Jep’s arms. It was a tightly wrapped bundle.
Jep hands the bundle to Darius and turns to nod at Val. I am so fucking confused right now.
Val reaches behind his own shoulder, and I notice the handle of a War Master’s blade. He grasps it and draws it free. The sword was the most beautiful one I’d ever seen. Its handle was braided with garnet colored strands, and the blade was highly polished.
I never heard of Val ever carrying a sword… or any weapon, for that matter. He’s too powerful to need one. But here it is, none the less.
“War Masters, take heed!” Val sounds off. I scan the room to see every blade pointed at me. Each one was held with the flat side facing the deck. Each War Master stepped into a curious formation. Val stood at the center and lit three candles that I never noticed when I came in. There was some kind of small ornate altar of sorts, and on it was an ancient manuscript. I’m guessing it was an ancient copy of Val’s teachings. The work is known as, The Universal Forge, or Forge Theory for short.
The candles were arranged with two one side of it, and one on the other. The sticks were blue in color. I noticed the Zodiacs were dragging chairs to the cardinal points of the room. This is some kind of crazy-ass cult ceremony! I think to myself.