The Pride hadn’t forgotten how to fight and they were nigh unstoppable so long as their master kept feeding them, even though he was a thousand light years away already. Sometimes Oliver would warn, but Nova was in charge of fighting.
“Bezlin Chanak, by order of Archiver Xindrill I am commanded to commandeer this Mothership under emergency code Rassho. We head for Jaffalibn.” Netul said as Oliver successfully jumped the two of them to a military staging area for the Creelin one thousand three hundred and fourteen light years from where the battle was taking place. They arrived in space and were near instantly teleported to the massive bridge of the ship in which they now stood on.
The area seemed to be made of gold and glass, but beyond it Oliver noticed they were in an interstellar city fully loaded with weapons capable of unfathomable destruction if used in the wrong way.
Bezlin Chanak stood from his command chair saying “I received word three minutes ago and am appraised of the dire situation your colony faces, Beyleez Netul. My ship will finish teleporting a full battalion as well as sixty battle cruisers in approximately forty five seconds and link their energies to this ship for additional support.”
“Oliver…” Netul turned, but Oliver had already ripped out a panel for a power relay station and interfaced his vambrace to the Mothership’s vast reservoir of energy. The orange oval on the inside began rapidly filling so fast the eye could watch. He knew he could not absorb it into himself as Creelin and Solarian power didn’t mix in the body. It did for technology though as the black covering in the forearm attuned to it automatically for additional supply. It also measured how to incorporate the silicone life-force that made the ship and all it touched give a positive reading it was alive enough to be transferable.
With the vambrace siphoning copious amounts of energy through a large tendril he tapped the shoulder of a nearby warrior staring unblinking at his instruments. “Pull up a star chart in the direction of the colony right now.”
“Mantiv?” the Bezlin asked in confusion.
“Not anymore. Shut up and let me think.” He glared to the one who interrupted him. “My Pride and Match are fighting so I hope you’ll excuse me for being an asshole. I need to get back as soon as possible.”
Netul grabbed the other ancient warrior and shook his head.
It took three minutes to near fully charge his vambrace and another three to do all the calculation. The Creelin not speaking with a mouth was never so much a blessing. They were quiet and could talk without interrupting or distracting him.
“I’m ready. How about you?”
Netul, in the command seat said “We merely await your signal.”
“Then we go in five. Ready the weapons to fight while their asses are turned in our direction.” Netul nodded curtly. “Five. Four. Three. Two. One!”
While counting down the translucent bubble was already expanding to encompass the semi-living ships that could go so long as everything touched. The output requirement was near mindboggling.
In an instant the stars were completely different. Above, in what was the equivalent of a Mothership’s roof Oliver clearly spotted five gigantic crustaceans that looked like an armored crab with a distended pregnant belly squeezing out millions upon millions of Drop-pods and flying-type creatures. Great pincers were crossed over its face as lesser Creelin fighters zipped around trying to kill and harass them. Each Goliath creature was easily thirty to forty kilometers long and twice as wide. To make thing harder is each and every one is covered by a protective Psionic barrier.
The arrow shaped battle cruiser that met Oliver that moment he and Renee initially dropped out of FTL was broken to pieces alongside others from overwhelming Keptl firepower, but flying escape pods pinpointed life signs spread throughout the space-wide battlefield loaded with debris. The moon defenses were likewise destroyed utterly.
The Mothership detached the dozen spare battle cruisers while simultaneously letting loose great beams of concentrated energy, ripping the first Goliath to pieces. The extra ships that tagged along shot around to the planet’s other side to engage the other enemies the Mothership couldn’t target straight away. If satellites were still viable the great ship could have used them to reflect the immense energies like a weaponized mirror to take care of threats without being in the line of fire.
Oliver though was looking at the near empty and thin orange oval on his right forearm to feel out that what was left in reserves was unusable so he purged the excess to result making burp of blue energy and immediately began to fuel the empty reservoir with his own power.
Meanwhile he established a mental link to his woman to hear her say “Welcome back, Idiot. Get that fine ass down here and get involved with this big ass turkey shoot! It’s fucking great!”
He laughed at her euphoric excitement and adrenaline rush to fight.
But Nova was in a serious pinch and when there was enough in the vambrace to teleport he left the Mothership’s bridge without saying anything just as it was ripping through a third giant creature as it turned to engage. Other Goliaths were alerted to its appearance and were moving to defend against it before it did any more carnage to them.
Using Nova’s link Oliver appeared nearby, surrounded in liquid fire which didn’t make his armor remotely warm. The Pride of nine stopped trying to flee as he arrived, beheading a Dragoon as he fell. The group was surrounded by Trackers, blood spitting Defilers and other Keptl making a seriously dense barrier the Pride couldn’t pass with the amount Oliver gave them that was near diminished.
Nova roared defiantly with the others after being again infused with their master’s great quantity of power and formed a circle. Oliver lifted his hand to conjure a three meter wide ball along with the nine outward facing felines. At the same time, ten concentrated shots exploded the surrounding area and even with hundreds of ravenous creatures walling them off they were nothing to a simultaneous attack from every direction.
The barrier buckled and the surrounding Keptl couldn’t withstand the shockwave, even with their near impenetrable reddish-brown exoskeletons.
Two square kilometers was vaporized in a flash except for ten spike armored ground fighters safe in the center of the blast radius.
Above, a huge Goliath in space cast a shadow over them and in moments it was ripped apart by the Mothership, removing the gloom over the ground and it put a smirk on Oliver’s face.
No words were needed as more Drop-pods were falling all the time and was too many to keep out. Together they ran hard for the next dense engagement. Fighting and blood flew as wildly as the raging fires already scorching half the planet already. Time didn’t matter as the ten of them fought together distracting, pouncing and eviscerating any in their path. Saving many Zeelin along the way and gaining reinforcements in the process. Fighting alongside a Solarian and his Pride made their own survival rate increase dramatically.
What felt long hours was mere minutes of fierce war. Armor did well keeping injuries to a minimum till there was an abnormal shift in the thick of battle. The Keptl began falling back, almost running from the ten of them as well as several Creelin who were fighting nearby and joined ranks behind them. Sensing victory the unsuspecting warriors didn’t completely avoid a sudden spike of power that blew in the thick of those running after. It was so fast Oliver hardly threw up a barrier out of trained instinct before the concussion threw him away. Three quarters out of hundreds spread out over a battlefield died in that instant. Just those lucky, fast and at his back escaped harm.
Standing small between two giant Behemoths that looked like armored triceratops with sickle-like curved arms and stood on four legs over eight stories tall was a comparatively small Keptl Queen that radiated the power that had been unleashed. Power few could contend with what had been absorbing and storing energies from her entire brood for a very long time.
She had red glowing eyes locked solely on Oliver. Then her vicious mouth opened to let out a haunting roar he’ll never forget. It was primal and ins
atiable.
After the explosion that killed few of her numbers after ordering the retreat earlier, she turned them around and converged heavily on him. Even sending the mighty Behemoths. Apparently she had considered him the greater risk to her plans of conquest.
Nova gave the command after staring down the wave of incoming enemies and eight split up to run through the host swarming. Nova though tore after the biggest threats and used his insane speed, weight and lethal armor to jump through the thick Behemoth skull which killed it right away moments before clawing his way back out the giant. Its enormity shook the very ground and crushed hundreds of smaller siblings due to sheer size. The carapace of a Behemoth was thicker and heavier than all but Goliaths in all the swarm. It made for an effective wall to slam down on those too close and underfoot.
Not even the second Behemoth got near Oliver after Nova tore his way out and did it all over again.
Especially since Oliver flew over the swarm to go after the Queen, leaving his Pride to do what they were enjoying wholeheartedly on the ground forces.
Seeing him, the shiny black shell of a Keptl Queen raised her clawed arms while spreading eight legs attached to a spiderlike abdomen. Preparing a fortifying stance. Millions of tightly packed minions did the same. Her torso seemed to ripple as she focused her impressive power to him and to the thousands of her assorted brood opened maws wide to hit him simultaneously with her own blast. To leave no way for escape. The air shook as multiple, great Kinetic Stream beams seemed to vaporize him.
What she never saw coming was Oliver had been recharging his vambrace and teleporting alone was a simple matter.
The moment the beam was launched he used it as a smokescreen and reappeared directly on her back. The beam vanished a moment later and she seemed triumphant. Before she could register his sudden weight he removed her vicious head with a single sword swipe and followed it up with a minor explosion that made sure her thoughts would not continue those spare seconds it took for the brain to die. Thick black blood shot up from the neck like a morbid fountain from the loss of a head.
The effect of her exploding skull was instant as the brood lost their guiding mind to fall back on their feral nature.
Nature being cannibalism.
Keptl left and right began fighting and killing each other. Losing intelligence the Queen supplied and went in a mindless feeding frenzy. Going feral. Before he could lose such a rare opportunity Oliver flew himself and the twitching Queen carcass out of range of the ravenous horde. Letting them kill each other made it easier to not be surrounded or overwhelmed.
Without the Queen it was all too easy to slay the swarm for the warriors at leisure not get caught by guided and relentless numbers.
And so he fought with his Pride, hunting and tracking down the invaders.
How long he fought registered when dusk arrived as thousands of Creelin foot soldier reinforcements and aerial fighters arrived in a bright flash.
Noticing things aside from battle had Oliver looked around as large chunks of land the size of mountain ranges were rising off the planet surface as the chemical fires were risen and rendered inert out in space to stop the relentless spread of fire from consuming the rest of the planet and make it uninhabitable for years to come.
A nearby flash had Oliver turn to find Netul and the Archivers standing. Oliver said “I take it you stopped the jamming the Goliaths create for teleporting.”
“The Golden Armada’s arrival was most fortuitous, My friend. Two additional Motherships in addition to the one you brought made all the difference. We vanquished forty two before the remainder left through FTL fled to lick their wounds. Those fifteen minutes you gave us made all the difference.
“That was hours ago, but the other side of our planet was hit much harder and our forces were needed. I’m sorry it took so long. You seemed to have the area under well enough control so I made the choice to let you continue while I led other forces.”
Oliver looked over himself and how he was completely covered in filth. “Then you wouldn’t have arrived with reinforcements if the battle wasn’t under control over there. Got it.” Seeing his abilities no longer needed he dropped six kilos of debris and gore from his person to be clean once again. Tired, thirsty and hungry he put his weapons away to say “I need to rest.” As the panting Pride came walking over still covered in armor and things better left to the imagination.
“You went up and above what we expected. Your Match too.” A male Archiver said. “Without your and her assistance this world would be in bad shape and many more would have died. Your honor in the glory of battle has allowed you to be permitted teleportation to the planet itself from this day forth. Just merely inform someone of your arrival and you may come and go at your leisure. Your Match too had integrated the access into her armor.”
He shrugged. “Are there any Beasts that survived the bombing? We all worked up an appetite.” Nova and the eight others rumbled, seconding his words.
“Two zones came out somewhat unscathed. We will send someone to procure sustenance. You have earned your rest.”
“We’ll take you up on it. By the way, how long till all the Keptl are found?”
Netul said “Without the Goliaths jamming our sensors further, they are all accounted for and will be dealt with in approximately four to five days. We are currently engaging another Queen who is burrowing deep, but we will end her like all the dishonorable filth. All Keptl will be purged from our system… as I see you too eliminated a Queen.”
“It was tricky. I’m glad my gamble paid off. You mind teleporting all of us back to our ships? I don’t want to use any more if I don’t have to. Renee has been itching to dissect the Queen for awhile. Humans have yet to see one and know how they tick.”
“An simple allowance. Close your eyes, Oliver.” Another Archiver said. He and also his Ligers closed their lids.
The barest pinch was all the sensation there was as they appeared between the Flare and River Skipper. The Archivers though didn’t follow, having other pressing affairs to settle.
Waiting was Renee, Isabella, Callier, the newborn son, Rose, Sparky and the remaining three Ligers and all their cubs.
It was so good to see his woman and child Oliver moved right over and embraced them. Relief swept through him and she was also calmed. But she eventually pushed him back. “Sex later. I’m still excited from the turkey shoot, but I need to dissect that Queen before she degrades further. Here, drink. I know you are thirsty.” She pushed a water bottle in his hand and stepped around after also passing Isabella into her father’s care too.
“What about the rest?” he asked.
Callier answered. “I will draw water in my bathing tub for the Pride. Have them follow.” The Ligers followed her retreating form.
Oliver moved to sit on the yellow wing of the Flare, holding his adorable slumbering daughter in a hand and rehydrated with the other. As he did he watched Renee hold out a hand to lift the black corpse like a puppeteer. The puppet being well over a ton in weight. She moved to the River Skipper and pulled out a hose from the inside and washed all the black blood and filth off quickly. Glancing to the side had him look at Netul who was touching a holographic screen displayed from the armament of his left arm and moments later came a dozen or so small flying robots that cleaned the dirty deck as well as the carcass, which Renee gave him a great smile. Netul nodded as he removed the gold Cultio to let his waist length thick hair down.
Cleaned, Renee put the hose back and lifted her left hand to activate built in scanners for deep penetration though the carapace of the eight legged, two armed and headless Queen. Without the more accurate orb of her med bay scanner, she scanned much longer to make sure it was all documented before letting it fall back to the ground. Renee then disappeared into her shuttle again to come out minutes later with hundreds of vials and specimen dishes.
She had her armor covering her whole body so the blood didn’t infest her before she lifted a finger and made the tip look
similar to a cutting torch and she opened up the Queen’s hard outer shell to take all the organ samples and biopsies she could get hold of. All the while she talked about her new discoveries that would in the future become common knowledge throughout the human Empire.
“Netul,” the Creelin turned and walked over. “how in the stars can a Goliath negate your technology to teleport?”
The man sat beside him on the win too. “They evolved the ability in roughly ten years.”
“Ten years? How?”
“Keptl are not stupid. Their ability to evolve and adapt is second to none. What take hundreds of millennia to evolve merely takes them decades at most. While we excel in advanced technology. They evolved to be deadlier of body. They select traits that let them be more successful hunters. It has worked for them for hundreds of millions of years. Somehow they can feel the vibrations our form of teleportation takes. They in turn evolved the Goliaths, whom have the largest” As Netul spoke a great shadow passed overhead and the silhouette was of a huge chunk of a Goliath pincer and a quarter of still attached torso. “extra sensory perception to grow a sack no larger than a tall person like us that counters the vibration key to entering hyperspace. And the sac covers a wide range of frequencies as well as distance. So modifying the exact frequency is not a solution we can employ. Our Golden Armada teleported to the edge of the Goliath’s great range and were flying at sublight moments after the Keptl signatures were detected in our space.”
“Then why did my technology not get effected?”
“You are a carbon based life form.” Netul touched his breastplate. “We are silicone. Our anatomy and technology cannot do the same things.”
“That makes no sense.” Oliver admitted honestly. “I brought you along and even teleported an entire Mothership.”
“You did. There is no denying that fact. The issue you do not understand is my people, with all our superior technology, cannot duplicate Solarian due to our silicone anatomy. Being a carbon life form allows for greater flexibility. This can” he tapped Oliver’s forearm with a fingernail shaped into a black claw. “only bring a limited amount of inorganic matter through hyperspace. It is why our Mothership could come. Had ours been made of living matter like Jake Dorgen’s Dorgenox, you would find it much simpler to jump… if it was the same size as our greatest mobile defensive weapon. It cannot be changed. And as it is, we cannot recreate your armament for our own purposes.”
Void's Psionics Page 48