Heart Of The Machine (Soulmates Book 2)

by Don DeBon

  Leon chewed the inside of his cheek as he muttered, "Oh."

  The Celloids saw the two ships appear and reached forth with tendrils that began to glow. A micro second later several large energy bolts slammed into the shields of both ships rocking them back and forth. "My shields can't take much more of this, even with the upgrades," Minerva said. "Not at point-blank range."

  On Deven's screen Aleshia smiled. "Now hold still you overgrown weeds. That is the last you are ever going to do." The glow from the tendrils dimmed, and disappeared a second later as did the energy blasts. "Okay, who's got the weedkiller?"

  It was Deven's turn to smile. "Gregory, you heard the lady, toast those weeds. Minerva you do the same."

  "You got it," Gregory said from the nearby intercom.

  Minerva nodded as all her cannons let loose a barrage of energy the slammed into the Celloids. At first they weren't sure enough damage was being done, then the outer skin began to turn brown as flames erupted from the top. One Celloid ship burned while another exploded and continued to incarcerate as it fell towards the Earth. They were confident the atmosphere would take care of any small remnants.

  "Whooo hooo, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. Wish all my targets were this easy," Gregory said from the intercom.

  Deven watched his screen as he saw several drops of sweat run down Aleshia's face. "Aleshia are you all right?"

  Her eyes remained shut as her eyebrows met. "It is more of a … drain than I thought it would be since we are so close. But I … will be okay."

  Another Celloid ship came apart as it exploded from inside and continued to burn as it fell. Miles' camera focused on Deven. "At the current rate of destruction, the Celloids will no longer be a problem in five minutes."

  "Good," Deven said. "Aleshia can't keep this up."

  "Deven!" Aleshia shrieked as she gripped both sides of her chair, but her eyes remained closed. "Get Halburn! Half of them aren't here. The other half are trying to land on the night side."

  Deven looked at Aleshia's face on the screen. "Are you sure? Karthish said they never attack on the night side of a planet."

  "I don't care what they never do, they are doing it now. I … can see them. I am holding them … but I can't do it for long … not at this distance. We could never get there … before they get loose. Halburn is our … only hope."

  Deven tapped a few keys and Halburn's face appeared. His left eyebrow twitched. "I know this isn't a social call. I take these plants are heading my way?"

  Deven nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so. We can't get to them in time. Aleshia has them held in place for now, but she can't hold them for long."

  "Wow, from the other side of the world? Remind me not to play mind games with that girl. Where are they? I will get the fleet there double-time."

  The screen split as Minerva's face appeared on the other side. "Aleshia has given me the coordinates and I have transmitted them to your navigator."

  "Wait a minute here. The Nexus is telling me where to—"

  "Odell, we don't have time for this! If you don't trust her, trust me."

  "I do, so I will. We'll take care of it. Halburn out." The screen went black.

  Halburn slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. "Rechert? Why are we still here? You heard, we need to be at those coordinates, yesterday. And Naud, is the rest of the fleet ready?"

  "Fleet is ready," Naud said. "Most of them are en route now."

  "Sorry, I was having problems locking in the location for some reason. Ready now sir. Overdrive is online."

  "Then get us there!"

  The Valiant's engines began to glow brighter and brighter, with a blinding flash they leapt into overdrive. Naud tapped several keys on his console as he checked several indicators. "We should rendezvous in six minutes. Most of the fleet will be there ahead of us."

  "Dang, I always hate being late to a party," Halburn said. "Tell them to fire at will, don't wait for us."

  The Valiant dropped out of overdrive to find the battle in progress. Mechand carriers darted in and out between each Celloid ship raking them over and over again with energy blasts, but the bioships continued to hold together. "Get us in there, open fire with all cannons."

  "Yes sir, all cannons responding." The Valiant lashed out again and again adding their weapons to the onslaught but their targets continued to show little damage.

  "Deven is calling," Naud said as he put the transmission through.

  Deven's face appeared on the large screen. "How are you doing? Aleshia can't hold them much longer."

  "We are hitting them with all we've got, but are not causing enough damage … wait … can you get the Nexus?"

  Deven blinked with wide eyes. "Yes, one sec." He tapped a few keys and Minerva's face appeared next to his.

  "Nexus, can you still control these ships, or are we out of range?"

  She nodded. "Yes of course I can, providing their relay systems are intact."

  Halburn turned to his right. "Naud, tell the fleet to re-enable those relays."

  Naud's jaw dropped and hung motionless for a full three seconds. "You can't be serious?"

  "I am. Do it and as soon as it is done, abandon the ships."

  Naud blinked, his eyes getting wider each time. "What!?"

  "Do as I say. Nexus, when they are online I want you to take control of those ships."

  Minerva cocked her head. "And do what? I do not see the logic in this."

  "It isn't logic, it is desperation. When the crews are off, I want you to take each ship and plow it directly into a Celloid. When your weapons don't work, you become the weapon."

  "That does have a possibility of success based on what we have seen. These Celloids shouldn't be able to withstand one of my carriers exploding."

  Halburn smiled. "My thoughts exactly."

  "The fleet has signaled they have enabled the relays," Naud said.

  "Nexus? Do you have them?"

  "I do."

  "Naud, tell the fleet to abandon their ships and get us clear as well. This is going to be messy."

  Halburn watched as small points of light raced away from each ship. "Sir, the crews are away," Naud said

  "Nexus, you know what to do."

  Minerva nodded as several carrier's engines increased in brightness as they lunged towards their targets. The Celloids began to move away.

  "Dang it, they must be slipping from Aleshia's grasp," Halburn said.

  "But they won't get away from me," Minerva said as all the Mechand carriers increased their speed to full. They slammed into the Celloids ripping a large hole in the middle of each several-stories-tall ship. The carriers continued down into the center of the biomass. Flames licked out from the hole and spread throughout the Celloids burning them from the inside out, until at last, each ship exploded leaving nothing but ash to rain down below.

  Halburn sighed. "I no longer have a fleet, but we no longer have a problem."

  Chapter 20

  With all the Celloids destroyed, the atmosphere aboard the Phoenix was laid back. The ship had sustained damage, but very minor and the Mechands could handle it leaving Leon and Otis time to discuss the different aspects of Lytherian technology. "I still don't think their computers are any more advanced than ours."

  Leon blinked. "Are you kidding? Look what they can do with nanos and weapons, not to mention their ships. How can you think their computers are backward?"

  Minerva's eyes narrowed. "I resent that remark. I am hardly backward."

  "Nor am I," Miles' voice came through a nearby speaker.

  Leon inclined his head. "Present party excluded of course."

  Aleshia was about to retract the headband and get out of the chair when something new came into her minds eye. Something big was headed their way.

  "Umm, guys. We have a problem!"

  Leon turned. "What is it?"

  "The biggest Celloid ship I have ever seen is approaching. It has to be their Mothership. We took out the kids and now Mother looks mad."


  Deven's face flashed on a nearby screen. "Where is it? Can you freeze this ship like the others?"

  "It is still in orbit but coming down fast. And I might able to hold it, if it has the same vulnerability. But this thing is huge. I will try." Her eyebrows met and she grit her teeth. "I have it. But … I don't know … how long I can hold it. This one is … harder than the others."

  "She has sent me the coordinates. I have passed them to Galina," Minerva said.

  "I have them. Hold on to your socks. We are jumping," Galina's voice came from off to the right side of Deven.

  The Defiant and Phoenix leapt into overdrive and few seconds later, emerged below the Celloid Mothership. "Open fire with everything we've got!" Deven said.

  All cannons erupted scouring the Celloid Mothership with energy blasts. Aleshia managed to keep its shields down but twice the Celloid started to move. She grabbed it tighter with her mind, but the strain was getting to her. Battling all the other ships and now this largest of them all was proving too much. Twice tentacles started to glow with energy before her metal grip forced the power back. "I can't hold it much longer."

  "Leon, is there anyway we can boost our firepower? This thing is so huge, we aren't doing enough damage," Deven said on the screen.

  Leon shook his head. "No. Well, maybe. The Lytherians gave us one incredible boost with their nanotech, but I would have to study the new cannons more to be sure if we can enhance them further."

  "We don't have that kind of time."

  "I have a solution to our current dilemma," Miles' voice came through the speaker. "I have analyzed the weapon enhancements, and if we activate our gravity plating, point our engines towards the Earth, all the beams could combine into a much larger and more powerful one."

  Leon shook his head. "Nice idea Miles, but I still doubt it would be enough."

  "It will be if the Defiant and Phoenix tilt towards each other by 20 degrees during the firing process."

  Leon blinked. "What for?"

  "To combine our beams into one. If we are equal distances apart and elevation the given angle will combine the output of both ships."

  Minerva cocked her head. "The calculations would have to be very precise and difficult to do. Any variation and neither ship would survive."

  Aleshia gripped the chair with white knuckles. "Guys, whatever you are going to do … hurry!"

  "Trust me, I can do this," Miles said.

  Deven sighed. "We don't have a choice. The only other option is we let them take over and kill everyone and everything."

  Minerva sighed. "Very well. Send me your calculations and positions."

  "Sent. And Galina I will assume control in this case. The positioning must be exact."

  Off to the side Galina could be heard. "Are you telling me I can't—"

  "Galina, let him do it," Deven said.

  "Controls switched," Galina grumbled. "And I think this is nuts."

  "I have control. Maneuvering the Defiant into position," Miles said as the Defiant activated its gravity plating and aimed its nose towards the stars. The ship rotated 180 aiming the top towards the Phoenix. Minerva matched the motions then both ships tilted their bows 20 degrees towards each other.

  Aleshia, the last of her energy spent, slumped to the side of the chair, out cold. The Celloid began to move again and several tendrils glowed white as they pointed towards the two ships.

  "I am in position. All cannons ready," Minerva said.

  "Activate … now," Miles said. A beam thrust out of each cannon and headed up coalescing into a much larger one that rammed forward. The focused beam from each ship crashed into each other at the designated point. The energy merged, grew in size, and a micro second later erupted towards the Celloid Mothership. It hit hard, pushing the massive ship back before slicing through and passing out the other side. The ship wiggled as a fish speared through the heart, trying to get away. Fires erupted inside and spread throughout the biomass as it still tried to get free. "Minerva, channel power from the main conduits into weapons when I say."

  "But that will—"

  "It is the only way to ensure destruction."

  Minerva sighed. "Ready."

  "Now." At his words all lights aboard both ships went out as energy was rerouted. The beams enlarged ten times and the hole grew to take up half of the Celloid. Even in the vacuum of space, fires burst outward as precious oxygen vented. Cracks began to radiate out from the center and glowed brighter and brighter. When they met, the whole ship exploded into burnt dust. The beams shut down but the glow from the engines had faded and both ships began to slip from their positions, causing them to lose altitude … fast."

  "Miles! What are you doing?" Deven said as he gripped his chair.

  "I regret to inform you all available power was utilized to destroy the Celloid. That included engines. I am attempting to restart them, but there is insufficient energy in the power core at the moment."

  "Miles, if I live through this, I'm going to kill you!" Galina shrieked.

  Leon held on to Aleshia, still unconscious, with one hand and his chair with the other. "And I will help!"

  "Impact in fifty seconds," Minerva said. "Power core still has insufficient charge to restart the engines."

  The Phoenix shook as it plunged towards the Earth. Leon's eyes lit up like beacons. "Minerva! Do you have enough to power the gravity plating? Dakarth told me it was very efficient."

  She nodded. "I do. More than enough."

  "What? We need less gravity not more!" Otis grit his teeth as he hung on to the console in front of him.

  "Yes we need less gravity. If you reverse the plating, it should direct those forces down and repelling at the same time."

  "Impact in twenty seconds," Miles voice came through the speaker.

  "I am not sure that is possible, even if—" Minerva started to say.

  "It is if you reverse the first and third connections, while leaving the other two. Look, if I am wrong we're dead, if we don't do anything we're dead. Just do it!"

  "Modifications made … powering the gravity plating," Miles and Minerva said in unison.

  The Phoenix and Defiant shuddered as repelling gravity waves radiated out of the base of the hulls. "We are slowing but not enough, " Minerva said as several screens flashed on showing their decent. "I estimate we will impact in one minute."

  Galina checked one of the displays aboard the Defiant. "Listen up you bots, aim for the ocean. Sea level is lower. It will give us a little more time to stop."

  Miles' camera turned. "Galina, how do you propose we do this? Engines are offline."

  "You fool bot! You are directing gravity waves and you need me to tell you to do a little less on the bow for a few seconds to pitch the ship down towards the ocean? Aerodynamics will do the rest. Sheesh!" Galina spat.

  "Miles! No arguments, do it," Deven said.

  "I wasn't about to. The modification has been made and if you check the monitor, we are now on course towards the coastline."

  Aboard the Phoenix Minerva's eyes narrowed. "I have done the same, but by my estimates, we will impact with the ground three seconds before a full stop can be achieved."

  "I will take those odds," Leon said.

  "Impact in thirty-five seconds."

  Aleshia started to stir and her eyes fluttered open. "What … what happened." She looked up to see Leon holding on to her. "Leon?"

  "Oh nothing much, we are about to make a big splash into the sea, that's all," Otis said.

  Leon nodded. "The last shot took all our power. We managed to slow down with the gravity plating, but it isn't quite enough."

  "Help me to the chair."

  Leon shot her a look, but Aleshia shot one right back. He knew better than to argue. He helped her to the chair. Not easy with the ship shaking and pitched down. Aleshia sat in it. "Minerva, power it up. Give me all you've got."

  On one of the screens Deven frowned. "Aleshia, you're too weak."

  Aleshia sucked in a breath. "
We don't have a choice."

  "But if I do as you suggest, we will fall faster," Minerva said.

  "And if you don't we are going to make a big splash and sink. We might survive, but you won't."

  "Good point. All remaining power diverted."

  Aleshia gave one last look towards Deven's image. "I love you." Power flowed through the chair and into her mind where she blasted it back out as telekinetic waves. She screamed trying to pull the two ships back from the brink. The Phoenix, pitched down further and increased its speed. It edged out in front passing the Defiant as it continued to accelerate.