Sacrifice:The Shenkar War

by Libby, Seth

  “I will be honest with you. I don’t believe this to be as easy as it seems. In all actuality, I believe this to be an ambush to kill more of our pilots, but on the chance this isn’t an ambush, it is too great an opportunity to pass up. Furthermore, I don’t believe the Shenkar think we will bring the Sacrifice into direct battle, so I think that will be our edge. But in the event this goes sour, I need something from you. In the event that Captain Caqel and I are killed, then I need you to take command of these pilots and lead them the best you can.”

  “But what about Commander Dunklin--he would be next in command?” asked Evan.

  “Commander Dunklin is a good man, but he is not a pilot nor does he truly understand your men and women’s mission. You will need to lead the men and women to the asteroid base. I am not going to order you to throw your lives away . . . that is a choice. I never agreed with the mission you were given that was to lead to all your deaths. I believe you will do what you need to do in the end, but don’t be foolish about it.”

  “Yes, Admiral. I will try to not let you down.”

  “I know you will do your best, and that’s all I ask,” said Admiral Kelvin. He then bowed his head slightly and then walked from the room.

  Sighing, Evan dropped his notes back onto the table and then turned to an overhead map of the system. Over and over, he began to study possible routes of escape on the map that detailed the upcoming mission. Evan wasn’t a religious man; he had no use for religion, as he felt it was a tool for the weak-minded. But still he silently prayed that they would get through this and put an end to this madness.

  November 11, 2012, 10:39 a.m. ESTShenkar Battlecruiser Tryliene

  He woke at the sound of the door sliding open. Craning his head around, he spotted the one named Scyren entering the room. Scyren ignored him and walked over to where an array of small containers rested upon a shelf, the contents unknown to him.

  Turning his head back, he closed his eyes again and concentrated on what he did know. He knew he was being held captive by a race known as the Shenkar. He had been a pilot who had been fighting these Shenkar and, from the sounds of it, doing rather well. He still couldn’t remember his name or who he was, but images and names flashed into his memory. He mostly saw a tall man and a short beautiful woman. He was pretty sure the man’s name was Evan, but when it came to the woman, he was unsure. She truly was beautiful and had startling green eyes. Other images flashed across his mind as he tried to regain something of his memories.

  A sharp piercing pain in his arm shook him from his thoughts. Opening his eyes, he spotted Scyren standing next to him; he hadn’t even heard the humanoid approach. It held a long thin, sharp instrument in its hand that it was currently pushing into his arm. Seeing him awake, Scyren removed the instrument and set it upon a tray that was positioned next to the examination table.

  “I see you are awake. Shall we begin again? What is the current force size here in this system? What is the strength of your planetary defenses?”

  He didn’t answer but just studied Scyren. It was the same routine they had been going through each time. The same questions were asked, and when he couldn’t answer, he was then tortured until he passed out. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to answer but that he couldn’t answer because he just didn’t remember--although deep down inside he knew that even if he did remember, he wouldn’t tell this humanoid.

  “I know you understand me, human. Perhaps I wasn’t persuasive enough.”

  Turning around, Scyren reached for a cylindrical object that rested upon the counter. The object was roughly seven inches in length. A small metal loop hung off the end of one side, and the other end had a hole at its center and was surrounded by what looked to be several tiny crystals. The object seemed to have been scorched by fire recently.

  After retrieving the object, Scyren held it out in front of him. Scyren depressed a small button on the cylinder, yet nothing seemed to happen. Scyren frowned down at the object and then raised it to study it more closely. After a moment, Scyren smiled and then pressed the button to his shackled hand. A red shimmering blade sprang to life at the touch of a human.

  Holding the blade aloft for a moment, Scyren then lowered the blade and slowly pressed it against the pink flesh. His armed sizzled as it burned. He gritted his teeth but he did not scream out; instead, he just continued to stare at Scyren. Removing the blade, Scyren set it down upon the counter and then turned back once again.

  “Well, it seems you humans are tougher than most races we have encountered. If you are not prepared to speak, then you leave me no choice.”

  And with that, Scyren turned and walked to another counter and began to pull small jar-like containers down from a shelf. Carefully, the humanoid mixed several of the contents together into one container. Once done, it picked up a large syringe and used it to withdraw some of the black liquid. Once the syringe was completely full, Scyren then returned to the examination table.

  “This is one of the most corrosive chemicals known to me. This chemical agent will burn through your body. I can assure you, it will be painful, and it will be slow. You will feel like every cell in your body is on fire and exploding. So do you wish to talk now?”

  The Shenkar scientist stared at him for a moment, almost expecting an answer. Then, with a shrug, the Shenkar, after some struggle with an invisible force field, inserted the needle into his left arm.

  It felt like hot liquid fire surging into his veins. Slowly, he felt the burning hot feeling spread throughout his body, the pain building with intensity. It felt as if every cell in his body was exploding. The pain spread throughout his entire body until it reached his brain. He had thought he had felt pain before, but he found new meaning to the word, and he screamed like he had never screamed before.

  November 11, 2012, 10:45 a.m. ESTShenkar Battlecruiser Tryliene

  Scyren watched the human writhe in pain, his body contorting as much as it could under the restraints. Veins swell as the blood pumped through. The human’s face was racked with pain; his mouth opened, and he screamed.

  After a few moments of listening to the human scream in pain, Scyren then turned and exited the room. His assistant met him just as the door closed behind him.

  “I administered chemical compound 345 into the human’s bloodstream. The screaming you heard before the door closed is evidence that the compound is succeeding in purging the nanites from the human’s body. I have some work to do, so I wish for you to monitor the subject until I return. Do nothing except monitor him until I return--is that clear?”

  “Yes, Master Scyren.”

  Scyren turned and walked toward his quarters to write his report to the Supreme Overlord.

  November 11, 2012, 10:47 a.m. ESTShenkar Battlecruiser Tryliene

  Scyren’s assistant entered the examination room to the sound of screaming from the human as he thrashed against his restraints. The assistant stood there until the door closed, then walked to the counter to retrieve a monitoring device. Abruptly, the screaming stopped and the room was silent.

  Turning around, the assistant looked at the still human form. Walking over to the examination table, the assistant raised the device to the body and scanned the human. Vitals were low but the human seemed to still be alive. Tough beings, these humans are, the humanoid thought to himself. Examining the body more closely, the assistant noticed a peculiarity. The skin had seemed to go pale with a bluish tint to it.

  Suddenly, the human’s eyes flicked open and looked straight at the Shenkar. Pure hatred burned in those eyes--eyes dead except for hate. Suddenly, the subject began to pull against his restraints.

  “You will not be able to break those restraints, human. Our strongest warriors cannot break those--”

  However, the Shenkar never finished what he was going to say. The assistant was cut off as the restraint holding the human’s left arm down suddenly ripped free off the examination table. The human’s mouth twisted into an evil and vicious smile as he lifted his free hand
toward the Shenkar. Stepping back quickly out of reach, the Shenkar looked about for a weapon. Seizing a wicked-looking blade from a nearby table, the assistant turned and prepared to ram it through the skull of the human.

  A blue nimbus began to form at the edges of the fingers of the human’s free hand. Staring in wonder at the blue light proved a mistake as it erupted from the human’s hand and slammed into the Shenkar’s chest. The assistant was knocked back through the air, slammed into the wall, and slid down to the floor unconscious.

  November 11, 2012, 11:03 a.m. ESTShenkar Battlecruiser Tryliene

  Scyren’s assistant slowly regained consciousness within a dim room. Lights flickered on and off as sparks erupted every so often from a nearby terminal. Moving slowly, pain wracked the assistant’s chest. Looking down, the Shenkar saw several scorch marks. Grunting with pain, the Shenkar struggled to his feet and made his way cautiously to the examination table. There the assistant saw only the broken restraints that had once held the human down. Peering about, the Shenkar searched the dim room for any movement as he slowly backed toward the exit.

  When he was almost to the door, the Shenkar stumbled and had to catch himself from falling. Turning around, he looked down at what had caused him to stumble. Both of the Shenkar warriors who had been stationed outside the door lay very much dead at his feet.

  “Now it is your turn to feel pain, Shenkar,” came a low dry voice from behind him.

  Wheeling about, the assistant came face to face with a demon. Blue light surrounded the human. In one hand, he held the plasma sword; the free hand was empty. Quicker than the eye could follow, the human’s free hand locked upon the Shenkar’s throat and lifted him off the floor. Struggling to break the viselike grip, the Shenkar became aware of a wailing noise. It took several seconds before he realized the noise was a scream and that it was his own.

  November 11, 2012, 11:26 a.m. ESTShenkar Battlecruiser Tryliene

  Scyren walked through the passageway, thinking of how he would dissect the human. Coming up to the door to the examination room, Scyren stopped suddenly. Looking up the corridor, he wondered where the two Shenkar warriors who were supposed to be stationed outside the room were. Perhaps, with the subject dead, his assistant felt they were no longer needed. Well, if that was the case, then his assistant would discover how long he could hold his breath in the vacuum of space.

  Still, something didn’t seem right to Scyren. Before entering, he stepped to the internal communication unit that was located opposite the examination room door. After punching in the code for ship security, a male voice answered.

  “This is Chief Scientist Scyren. I would like a detachment of shock troops to report to Examination Room 344 immediately.”

  Without waiting for a response, he closed the channel and turned to the door. He was pretty sure the shock troops were not necessary, especially for one human, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. As Scyren reached for the security panel, the doors slid open. Looking through the doorway, he saw a demon surrounded in a faint blue light holding a red glowing sword. As he opened his mouth to scream, the demon quickly thrust the tip of the glowing sword forward. Just as a scream began to rise in Scyren’s throat, the tip of the blade passed through his mouth and out the back of head. His last thought as the blade penetrated was that perhaps he had underestimated this human.

  November 11, 2012, 11:30 a.m. ESTShenkar Battlecruiser Tryliene

  Jerking the blade sideways, it burned through the side of the Shenkar’s head. The sound of flesh sizzled as the blade cut, and the aroma of burnt flesh permeated the air. The body crumpled to the floor with a loud thud. He looked first up the passageway, then down. Standing there, he thought of who he was. He saw himself as death, and he was going to share this knowledge with anyone who would stand in his way. Whatever the chemical that Scyren had injected into his body, it didn’t do what the Shenkar scientist had expected. He had felt the chemical attacking his body through his nanites. His body had been a battleground, and his nanites had won that battle. Even so, his body and mind had changed somehow.

  The pain had stopped, and he had just lain there, thinking he had finally died. As the pain faded, he had become aware of the entire room. It wasn’t just a simple awareness, however; it was more that he was aware of everything. Everything had its own electrical field that surrounded it, and he could feel these fields all around him, including the electrical current that flowed throughout his body. He had also become aware of the entirety of his own body. He could see every part of his body just by simply concentrating on the area.

  As he moved his body about, he became aware of the Shenkar assistant standing close by. His eyes flashing open, he focused on the Shenkar standing next to him, holding a small device. Anger and hatred flowed deep within him at how he had been tortured. Focusing on his left arm, he pulled against his restraint. Concentrating on the nanites within his body, he began to manipulate his adrenaline levels, enhancing his own strength. As the Shenkar spoke, the restraint broke and he pulled his arm free.

  The Shenkar quickly stepped back and looked about--for a weapon, he assumed. Again, he focused on the electrical current that flowed throughout his body. He began to focus the flow at the edges of his free hand, a blue nimbus surrounding it. The Shenkar turned back, wielding a wicked-looking blade. With a sudden focused push, bolts of electricity forked out from his hand and struck the Shenkar fully in the chest.

  After that, it had been easy to break the remaining restraints. Once free of the examination table, he retrieved the plasma sword. The guards had been easy enough to dispatch. He had simply opened the door, and when no one exited, the guards had become suspicious and entered the dim room. Sending forth the electrical bolts had come much easier this time. Both warriors were dead before they had known what had hit them.

  As he stood in the hallway, he contemplated his situation. His identity was still a mystery to him, but he had regained several memories--one of which was the memory of the Earth Defense Force, the Sacrifice, and its current mission. He also remembered names: Evan, Crystal, Tim, April, and several others. He believed some of them were part of a squadron he had belonged to. Some of the names he felt a deep fondness for, whereas others he just seemed to know.

  Sudden pain shot through his head, causing him to stagger sideways into the wall. The pain intensified, and he fell to his knees, hands clutching at his skull. The pounding of many footsteps sounded from down the passageway. With extreme difficulty he turned his head and saw about ten Shenkar shock troopers come within view and halt. Instantly, they all raised rifles, pointing them directly at him.

  “Commander, do we terminate the human? It appears to be dying already,” said a trooper to the largest Shenkar present.

  The Shenkar Commander looked down at the body of Scyren and back up before he spoke.

  “The human has killed Master Scyren . . . OPEN FIRE!” the Shenkar shouted.

  He raised the plasma sword instinctively and his hand seemed to move the sword on its own, deflecting bolts of energy harmlessly away. A few shots impacted upon his body, but none did any serious harm. The pain still continued to burn through his skull, but now he used this pain to fuel his anger. Anger like he knew he had never felt before filled him as he regained his feet and walked toward the Shenkar troopers. As he walked, he began to deflect the energy back into the ranks of the troopers. Soon the troopers lay dead all about the passageway as an alarm blared throughout the ship. The anger continued to flow through him even with the death of the troopers. He was here to deliver judgment and pain upon these souls. He stalked through the passageways; he was death, and hell followed with him.

  November 12, 2012, 2:30 a.m. ESTEDF Sacrifice

  Admiral Kelvin watched the holographic display of the edge of the system. Captain Caqel’s voice spoke from behind him.

  “Sir, all pilots are ready to launch, and all stations have checked in and are battle ready. Also, Lieutenant Commander Maxis has reported in, and his and t
he eleven other squadrons are in place around N-6.”

  “Very good, Captain. According to intel, the convoy should be arriving within the next ten minutes. Ready the fold engines for the jump,” said Admiral Kelvin.

  The Admiral continued studying the holographic display when a thought occurred to him. Turning, he looked about the bridge, then called the Captain over to him.

  “Have all nonessential personnel shuttled to the asteroid base. We should also keep only a minimal crew. If this goes bad, I would prefer we keep the loss of life to a minimum.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Caqel without hesitation.

  Within a few minutes, Omega shuttles began to emerge from the Sacrifice and headed off to the hidden asteroid base. As the last shuttle disembarked, the holographic display sounded an alert. The display showed the beginnings of a Shenkar convoy entering the system. Two Shizrec cruisers and two Kelgen-class destroyers were the first to enter. Close behind were five armored Drelai gunships, flying a diamond formation. Admiral Kelvin guessed the council member to be in one of those ships. Positioned above, below, and to either side of the gunships were four more Kelgen-class destroyers. The last to enter the system were three more Shizrec cruisers. The computer showed the fighter count, flying cover throughout the convoy, to number close to four hundred.

  As Admiral Kelvin continued to watch the slow convoy progression, Captain Caqel returned and studied the map before he finally spoke. “All nonessential personnel have been relocated to the base. So it seems once again that intel has let us down. One cruiser and two destroyers more than we expected.”

  “Yep, but at least the fighter cover shows to be one hundred less than predicted. So when do we go?”