“You deal with the strays; I’ll keep incinerating them below,” shouted Argos.
Chris flashed Argos a thumbs up before engaging those flying towards their position, high in the sky over Tokyo.
Chris severed the first battle bot with a powerful slashing kick, sent a second one plummeting inside the nearest skyscraper with a powerful telekinetic push, and incinerated a third at close range with a powerful discharge of blue energy.
Everything happened quickly. This wasn’t training anymore. This was combat, with multiple foes intent on killing them. Chris quickly forgot he was inside a mental simulation. Everything felt all too real, like the first hit which one of the incoming battle droids managed to get past Chris’ defense, sending him flying to the side for a few yards. Chris recovered his balance almost instantly.
Going to have to stay more focused.
In a handful of seconds, Chris dealt with about fifty droids, dodging their energy-based attacks as well as their close-quarter strikes. The enemy battle bots were thrown into buildings, exploded in the sky or were incinerated by Chris’ powerful energy-based attacks and fireballs.
“They keep coming in greater numbers,” shouted Chris.
“I know! Keep doing what you’re doing,” said Argos through gritted teeth as he unleashed more and more fireballs to finish the army of battle bots still on the ground.
Sarah was biting her nails, sitting in the captain’s chair while she watched the beautiful blue and purple streaks of hyperspace travel on the viewport.
She wanted to check on Chase in medbay two, but now was not the time. She actively monitored his vitals on the built-in holo-display of the chair. He had been in the regen tank long enough that his life was no longer in danger. In fact, his readings indicated that his fast healing cycle would be over soon.
She was still worried about brain damage, though. But if his brain had recovered from the brunt of his experience inside Gaia 2’s matrix, she was confident he could heal himself the rest of the way. All he needed was a temporary boost and that’s what he was getting.
Sarah opened a link to the fighter launching bays.
“Daniel, report.”
“I’m in my StarFury with the rest of our wings. Ready to deploy the moment we arrive at Earth.”
“Very good. We’re only a few moments away. Don’t wait for my order. The moment you see stars, launch the fighters and open fire on Gaia 2’s ships. Focus on one enemy vessel at a time. We need to overload Gaia 2’s advanced shields.”
“Let’s hope Yanis’ weapon mods will pay off; last time her ships went into battle with the Fury super-destroyer, her ships’ shields seemed invulnerable.”
“There’s no such thing as invulnerable. I’m confident you’ll make an impact. Yanis always delivers on the upgrades. Just focus on hitting your targets with as many lasers and torpedoes as you can, and let our big guns finish the job. We’ll also provide cover for your wings from other capital ships, sure to try to swat your wings with long-range fire.”
“We don’t even know if she has fighters of her own on board these ships.”
“I know, but we’ll know soon enough how she plans to deal with our starfighter wings.”
“What do we do if the admiral gives our wings direct orders and targeting priorities?”
“Do as he says. While I have the final say on you and your wings, he’s the commanding officer of the fleet and we must trust in his ability to lead us into victory. I’ll only countermand his order if I absolutely have to. Now is not the time to make yet another potential enemy. We need his ships beyond today, even if they’re technologically inferior to ours. We need the larger numbers he brings to the table. After this battle we can upgrade them; that should take a lot less time than building new ones.”
“Very well, Cap. See you on the other side.”
“Be careful, Daniel.”
“Always.”
Kvasir had written the last line of code to his cascading functions to unleash towards Gaia 2. And not a minute too soon. The fleet was about to exit hyperspace.
He used the last few seconds to locate Gaia inside the matrix. He didn’t like that she hadn’t reported in a long while. Something must have gone wrong.
Now that he could use Cedric’s body as a way to bypass many of Gaia 2’s firewalls and tap directly into her code, he launched a search algorithm to locate Gaia.
And locate her he did. But it was not good news. Gaia had located her backup copy in a demilitarized network zone inside Gaia 2’s matrix. It looked as though Gaia 2 had lured her there, and the moment Gaia tried to recover the data, she’d been locked in with a heavy encryption code.
That’s not good. Gaia’s trapped.
Kvasir had to make a decision. He should either focus on finishing his hack or divert his efforts to releasing Gaia from her digital prison. They needed all the help they could get. Kvasir was the foremost expert in artificial intelligence back on Asgard, and yet Gaia 2 was tougher to crack than he’d first thought.
Had he and Chase underestimated their foe? It would seem so. One thing was certain. If Gaia could be released she would be a powerful ally, and with Chase out of the matrix, perhaps that’s what they needed.
Kvasir interlocked his fingers and cracked them. His facial tattoos flashed with no discernable patterns as he entered commands on his holo-console at an impressive speed.
Powerful encryption algorithm, meet Kvasir of Asgard.
Aboard his flagship destroyer Victory, First Admiral Zenakis rose from his chair.
“Open a channel, fleet-wide,” said Zenakis.
“Channel opened.”
“This is First Admiral Zenakis. We’re moments away from jumping into the most difficult battle any of us have ever faced. This time we’re not fighting another race, but an artificial intelligence. We don’t yet know what this will mean but, in my experience, when you battle for survival you’re the most fierce and the most dangerous.
“Surely Gaia 2 will do everything she can to survive and, unlike us, her ships have no living souls on board. We don’t know exactly what we’re up against, nor what strategies she will use. We know from her previous engagement with the Fury super-destroyer that Gaia 2 has no problem sacrificing her ships to take down her enemy. Fortunately, she doesn’t have superior numbers this time, so she can’t just kamikaze her entire fleet. She’ll have to use strategy to bring us down, and we’ll do the same.
“But make no mistake, this battle will claim lives. It’s my hope that we can limit these losses. There is yet another powerful enemy that needs to be brought down: the Furies. So we can’t just sacrifice this fleet. That’s why I will employ a guerilla warfare strategy today, to be as efficient as possible and win this battle with as little loss as possible on our side.
“Our main priority is to take as many of Gaia 2’s ships out of the picture in the first minutes of engagement as we can. That will show that we mean business, but also reduce her computing resources. We’ll maneuver to avoid direct retaliation.
“As soon as we exit hyperspace, you’ll all receive your targets. The Olympian fleet has the strongest shields, so they will be creating a perimeter around us, so they can deflect as much incoming fire from the enemy as possible. The Earth Alliance has the biggest firing range and the most powerful weapon: the Damocles plasma guns. These guns need sixty seconds to recharge in sustained beam-firing mode. Despite this it’s the most advanced weapon in the fleet. When you get your targets, each ship is to fire a full salvo of torpedoes, to lower the enemy’s shield, so that the Earth Alliance vessels can finish them off with their main guns. I’ve calculated we can only take on three ships at a time since Gaia 2’s shielding technology is superior.
“Athena’s battlegroup will receive their own targeting priorities. Their powerful anti-matter torpedoes pack a serious punch but have a large blast radius. Do not, I repeat, do not be anywhere near one of the Olympian battlegroup targets when she fires these or you won’t live to tell the
tale.
“I don’t have to tell you that we can’t lose this battle, and I know you will all perform above and beyond my expectation during this battle. Trust in the chain of command, trust in your shipmates, and I promise we’ll get through this day.
“Set condition red throughout the fleet and be ready to engage. First Admiral Zenakis out.”
Aboard the StarFury, Daniel’s hands were trembling slightly. Something he was not used to. Like everyone else in the fleet he was waiting for the hyperspace jump to end so he could deploy his wing of fighters. But what troubled him most was that they didn’t know how Gaia 2 would react.
Her ships had superior shielding and heavy firepower. Since there was no crew aboard, Gaia 2 could sacrifice any of them at any moment, as one would sacrifice a pawn in a game of chess. That’s what made Daniel so tense: fighting an unpredictable enemy who could dispose of her assets without any real consequences. Not to mention that they didn’t have enough data or battle experience to base a strong strategy on.
Yet defeat wasn’t an option. They could not let Earth fall.
Daniel swallowed hard.
Then there was Chase, back on board the Hope in yet another regen tank. Daniel wished Chase was on the bridge of his ship and leading this battle. While the first admiral had the experience and was one of the most decorated Star Alliance heroes, he was just as unprepared as they all where.
But worse than that, his ego seemed to be overinflated and that made Daniel worry. At no point in his address to the fleet did Admiral Zenakis mention protecting Earth if Gaia 2 turned her guns towards it. Sarah would do everything she could to convince him or, if needed, disobey his orders to avoid massive loss of life on the surface of the blue planet.
He didn’t envy her position. At least he was in familiar territory inside his starfighter, ready to lead his wings as he had done so many times before.
The blue and purple streaks of hyperspace quickly compressed and were replaced by the twinkling of stars in Daniel’s viewport. He opened a channel to his wings.
“Alpha to Epsilon wings, activate launching sequence.”
15
Chase felt queasy as he blinked his eyes open. He was in the familiar green liquid of a regen tank. He expanded his thoughts and felt the presence of Sarah, Daniel, Argos and Chris nearby. He was back on board the Hope.
Something must have gone terribly wrong. His head was pounding. He felt a mix of confusion and darkness within his mind, as though part of his memory was missing or out of reach.
Had he suffered the brain damage Kvasir had warned about?
Then images of a salt-and-pepper-bearded man with long gray hair flashed into his mind. The man looked familiar. A large scar split his left cheek from nose to ear, and a second ran from the center of his forehead to the right side of his jaw, passing across his right eye. His eyes were gray and his gaze invoked wisdom and experience, while the rest of his face screamed of a warrior who had defied death on many occasions.
Chase heard him speak.
“Argos, how many times have I told you not to pick on your brother!”
Was this a memory of his biological father? Never before had he recalled any of this. Did the damage to his brain remove a part of the block Argos had put there?
Chase then saw Argos shaking him by the shoulders.
“We’re on our own now! Now that Father is gone, I’m in charge, okay?”
It troubled Chase that Argos seemed so much younger inside that memory. He also had no scars. Had they spent another lifetime together? As brothers, before Argos wiped his memory?
Chase’s heart pounded in his chest. These flashes of memory destabilized him. Was he really who he thought he was? He had decided earlier that he didn’t want the memories back, that he liked who he had become and that the memories he had were enough to define who he was and wanted to be.
Chase saw yet another flash of Argos. Older this time, but he still had the same black hair as Chase. Argos was enraged, teeth clenched and tears flowing heavily down his face. His scar was there, fresh and bleeding.
“You killed her! How could you do that? You killed her, you monster!”
Chase felt the sincerity of Argos’ pain and anger. What the hell had happened between them? Had Chase killed someone Argos held dear? And if so, why?
Chase saw them fighting. A terrible fight to the death. They fought for hours. Eventually Argos won the battle and stood above Chase, ready to kill him. His fist trembled and another wave of tears burned his eyes.
Argos grabbed Chase’s forehead.
“You are dead to me. I don’t ever want to see you again.” Argos’ voice trembled as the memory faded to black.
Chase was missing context from these memories. They didn’t register as part of his life, but he knew deep down that what he had just seen had happened.
But taken out of context all these memories did was trouble Chase’s already confused mind. Why was he in the regen tank? He remembered being attacked by Gaia 2, and Chris and Argos coming to his rescue. But what had happened, and why was he back on board the Hope?
Chase saw a golden light at the periphery of his vision. Ares was here.
Chase’s heart pumped hard and, without realizing or controlling it, Chase unleashed a shockwave that blew the door off the regen tank, shattered its glass and spilled the green liquid all over the medbay’s floor. Chase spat the breathing liquid onto the floor as he stepped out of the tank, his head still pounding.
His first breath of air burned his lungs, but soon his body adapted to breathing the ship’s atmosphere.
“Chase! What the hell are you doing?” exclaimed Ares.
“Who’s inside the matrix now?”
“Chris and Argos.”
“I have to get back.”
“You’re not well enough to go back, Chase. Why did you break the tank?”
“Kinda lost control there for a second. Where are we?”
The ship shook and Chase almost lost his footing.
“Where are we, Ares? What’s happening?”
“We’ve just arrived at Earth. I’d say the battle with Gaia 2’s armada has just begun.”
Gaia 2’s CPU spiked up to one hundred percent. A quick check on the sensor data Cedric had managed to hack showed a large fleet of ships engaging Gaia 2’s armada.
“Kvasir, now is the time to unleash your code.”
There was no answer.
“Kvasir, do you read me?” insisted Cedric.
“Roger. I’m sorry. I’m almost through Gaia 2’s encryption. She has Gaia trapped in a demilitarized network. I have to get her out. Any chance you can take over my hack for just a couple of minutes?”
Cedric wanted to argue that now was not the time to multitask, but that’s what he was doing as well. They needed all the help they could get, and freeing Gaia sounded like a good idea.
“Very well. Cedric to the rescue for a change. I’m launching your malware. I’ll arrive at my destination soon. Make sure you’re done by then. I won’t be able to deploy the nanites properly if I still have to assist you with your tasks.”
“You won’t have to. I’ll have freed Gaia by then. Thank you, Cedric.”
Considering that Kvasir had managed to help him recover his body, Cedric should be the one thanking him.
“Anytime, buddy.”
Cedric was sifting through Kvasir’s code and saw his opportunity. It was risky but, if it worked, he could deal a serious blow to Gaia 2’s forces.
The army of dark battle bots stopped their attacks and fell back towards the cold, nearly destroyed tarmac of whatever was left of Tokyo’s streets below.
“What the hell?” exclaimed Chris.
“I think whatever our friends are doing—most likely attacking her ships—is overloading Gaia 2.”
“Well, that’s good news.”
“I wouldn’t celebrate just yet. This may be a short-lived breather while Gaia adapts her priorities and redistributes CPU time accordingly.
But between you and me, it’s a welcome respite. I was slowly but surely getting overwhelmed here.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I’ll take whatever pause we can get as well. But couldn’t we just blow stuff up around here? Be proactive instead of being reactive for once.”
“Since the projection is still here, just not the bots, I take it that it still takes CPU power to keep it running, even if it’s not a huge amount. So, yes, we might as well keep her busy. And the sooner I don’t see this city in front of my eyes, the better.”
Chris smiled. “Okay then, let’s blow stuff up.”
“Report!” shouted Admiral Zanakis.
“The fleet has launched their torpedoes towards their targets, but the enemy reply has been near instantaneous. She’s targeting every ship in the fleet and firing with all laser batteries.”
Multiple, long-range laser shots illuminated the shields in front of the Victory’s viewport, casting blue tones over the bridge and rocking the ship.
“I can see that. Aren’t the Olympians taking the aggro?”
“They are, Admiral, but Gaia is already repositioning her fleet to make sure she can target us as well.”
“Damn!” Zanakis voiced his frustration.
He wasn’t surprised a super-advanced artificial intelligence would swiftly adapt to whatever tactics they threw at it. And this was just the beginning of what would be a very long, hard day.
“ETA on the torpedoes?”
“They’ll hit the Gaian ships in about twenty seconds.”
“Have the Hope ready to fire her main guns. Don’t wait for my order. Two seconds before impact, just tell them to open fire.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
A few seconds later the plasma beams from the Earth Alliance’s newer and more advanced destroyers shot their targets. All three exploded in quick succession and lit the darkness of space.
The crew cheered.
“We have our first kills, Admiral!”
It had begun, and the fleet had executed its first order of business. They had delivered a blow to the Gaian Defense Force (GDF) armada.
Armageddon Unleashed (Universe in Flames Book 7) Page 17