by Eden Blue
Venna closed her eyes and shook her head slightly, “No, I don’t know where he is.”
Evan stared at the Captain as she glared back at him for a long moment. Emotions swirled and the Shri-Ka’s rage boiled away. Venna’s shoulders deflated and calm flowed over her features.
“Your brother spoke with me a week before the Azure Station meeting. He asked me to stay with you when the meeting started and to watch over you. I didn’t understand why and he said he couldn’t tell me. He…asked me to trust him and I did. I didn’t know he was going to have the guild massacred. Once we left, he left me encrypted messages that would take time to decode, leaving a trail to find him. I knew the final piece was here on Rekkus Spire. Now that we have it, we must leave.”
Evan’s fingers curled into tight fists, “I’m sure you have your reasons for helping my brother, but we are not leaving, not yet.”
Venna leaned forward, “There is no way to take a category 4 titan with the current ship and crew we have. We need an army and a fleet to take one down and we have neither. The Krekken will manage, but we are taking off.”
Evan’s mind worked. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing and guilt slid into his heart with each passing moment. A monster was making its way to destroy everything and their actions started this whole mess. Lydia looked to him with wide unknowing eyes. Doctor Vickers’ face was covered in grim shadows. Pris stood at attention, ready to follow Evan to the end. Nyn turned around, her skin an array of oranges, pinks, reds, and slivers of black.
The Engineer took a deep breath and stretched out his fingers. Remembering the Engineer Code, he ran through the steps in his head. The words Obstacle, Design, and Implement flowed over his mind’s eye over and over, trying to come up with a means to defeat monsters that were near impossible to kill.
Venna looked past Evan to the Lyress pilot, “Nyn, take us off world.”
“No,” Evan commanded. “If we are leaving then you’re not taking me with you. I’ll get into Bruiser and you can explain to Ryan why I left.”
Venna’s gaze softened, “Evan, we can’t stay. It’s noble of you to want to protect people, but we are out matched in almost every way.”
“What if I can come up with a way? What if we find a way to stop the titan?”
The Captain’s eyes took on a sad edge, “Many have tried to come up with better ways to kill those monsters. The only way to stop them is with brute force.”
Evan’s mind continued to work as the seconds ticked by. Warmth surged into him as an idea bloomed. The keys were all in front of him the entire time.
“I have an idea… I have an idea!” Evan said with contained excitement.
The Engineer looked to the android, “Pris, how long before Ravager reaches Rekkus Spire?”
“At its current speed; just under two hours.”
Evan looked to Venna, “I think I have a way that might work. We have to try it. If we can’t pull it off, then we leave.”
Venna eyed the Engineer, “Evan we…”
“Venna please, we have to try!”
The Shri-Ka could see the wide-eyed willingness to do something great. She kept her gaze connected to his for a long moment. A warm memory of Ryan swirled and the Captain nodded her reluctant approval.
Evan smiled, “Let’s get to work!”
Twelve
Evan made his way to the exo-suit bay with Lydia, Pris, and Doctor Vickers following. The engineer pulled up a 2D screen and ran through schematics with a swipe of his finger. Lydia and Vickers followed, eyes looking to each other and shoulders shrugging.
“Pris, please tell me you ransacked the base’s data banks,” Evan asked.
The android nodded, “I have downloaded several petabytes of information. Is there something in particular you need?”
“Schematics of the Neural Disruptors if you will,” Evan smiled as he reached behind to his E-pack and pulled the neural disruptor he had taken before.
A schematic of the Neural Disrupter appeared and Evan studied it as they walked. The Engineer nodded as he looked it over and called up his skill list. Activating engineering, electronic and metalworking skills, percentages came up. Evan moved his finger across the 2D screen, changing parts and scaling it up. He added power sources and remade the design.
Vickers looked over, raising an eyebrow, “It has been tried. Neural weaponry has no effect on titans.”
“How come?” Evan asked without looking up as they walked.
“Titans do have a nervous system, but their bodies are so big and tough, a neural disruptor beam will never get through.”
“What about hitting an exposed nerve?” Evan asked as they walked into the exo-suit bay.
“By the time there is enough damage to a titan where a nerve is exposed, the monster is mostly dying. Their regenerative abilities and hide thickness protect them. You would need to drill…” Vickers went silent.
Evan smiled as he moved to a wall and a workbench slid out. The Engineer looked around for a moment before placing the disruptor on the workbench and pulling equipment from racks. Turning to Lydia, his smile grew wider.
“Can a neural charge be channeled and boosted?”
Vickers rubbed his jaw, “I suppose it can, in the same way Bruiser’s armor can reflect glancing plasma bolts.”
Lydia gave her cousin a confused look, “I’m lost.”
“Evan, are you betting on channeling a neural beam into a titan’s nervous system?” the doctor asked with restrained astonishment.
The player pulled out a long square-ish tube and opened it. He then grabbed smaller modules and began placing them inside, connecting them up. Looking to his new schematics, he used it as a reference as he connected parts, cables, and wires. Pris moved to the work bench and began disassembling the smaller disrupter.
“Still lost,” Lydia said a little harsher.
Evan talked as he worked, “I’m building a larger neural disruptor, one I can hold over my shoulder. With the extra power, I should be able to go long range and hit the titan from a few miles away. I will however need help with the next part.”
“I knew there would be a next part,” Vickers smiled.
“After I build the Neural Emitter, I am going to construct a few missiles with drilling capabilities. I don’t know everything on nano-drone capabilities, but from what I have seen, they are very versatile.”
Vickers nodded, “Are they for the drill? I see where you’re going.”
“The drill will take damage as it punctures the titan’s thick hide. Nano-drones will be able to repair or strengthen as the drill makes its way and connects to a nerve stem. Once it connects, I fire the emitter and send a beam directly to a titan’s nervous system, hopefully shutting it down.”
“That sounds like a lot of moving parts,” Lydia said as she watched her cousin work.
Evan nodded, “It does, but I’m hoping the drills do most of the work. We just need to get close enough to fire and then pull back. Once the drill starts to burrow, I have to move into position to fire the emitter.”
“Won’t an emitter use up a lot of power?” Lydia asked.
Evan nodded, “Pris, can you pull the Tempest Crystal from Bruiser and break off a shard?”
Pris turned and moved to Bruiser. The exo-suit lifted a big hand as the canister ejected from its back. Bruiser caught it and brought it around, handing it to Pris. The android picked it up and walked over, placing the canister on the bay floor. Opening an end, she reached in and slid the blue and red crystal out. Fingers moved to a small crystal shard and broke it off. Standing up, the android moved to Evan’s side and held the shard out before him.
Evan picked it up, connected it to the power module and closed the small casing. The player continued to work, building slots and connecting a targeting module. Pris moved to the canister and slid the Tempest Crystal back in, and proceeded to store it in the ship’s vault.
Lydia crossed her arms, “You keep sounding like you’re the one who’s going t
o do it. I have advanced targeting and could hit it easily. You don’t need to put yourself in danger.”
“Then who will be watching my back? I need to take the shot while you and Pris keep the enemy off of me. The battlefield is going to have Krekken fighter ships and ground soldiers. If they see us as a threat, they are going to take pot shots at me. Besides, that is why I plugged in a targeting module to keep it as easy as possible.”
Evan stopped working and turned to the small group, “I won’t lie, even with the Tempest Shard and everything working like a charm, this is a big risk. Anything could go wrong. We have no idea of the exact physiology the titan is made up of. If the emitter fails, then we have to retreat. This is our only shot at stopping this thing from annihilating a population and I know we need to take it.”
Lydia closed her eyes, “Fine but the moment you’re in danger, I’m pulling you out.”
“We will pull you out,” Pris said with a strange smile.
Evan smiled, “Okay. Doctor, I will need your skills as I put these missiles together.”
Vickers stepped closer, “Let’s get this harpoon ready to kill a white whale!”
***
Evan exhaled as he closed his eyes for a moment. He had been working non-stop for an hour and his eyes were tired. Bruiser’s inner screens glowed as the player refocused. As much as he felt positive with the plan, negative tendrils crawled along his nerves. There was a lot at stake, but the player could feel the sense of duty taking hold. The whole thing scared him, but knew it wouldn’t stop him.
Hera moved to the side with metal wings flexing. Inside, Lydia was ready to go. The exo-suit bay doors slowly began to open as the Shield Maiden kept course, slightly behind and to the far left of the titan as the monster sped forward on tentacle legs. Vickers watched as Bruiser opened a large hand and Pris stepped on with a plasma rifle locked to her back. The android wore heavy black body armor, and helmet visor closed down over her pristine face.
Bruiser turned to the open bay doors, wind whipping in. Vickers backed up to the inner bay doors with a wave and a smile. Bruiser and Hera raised an armored hand to wave goodbye to the good doctor. Two steps later, they were airborne.
The night air was filled with the sounds and booms of plasma fire. Bruiser and Hera’s thrusters kicked in and the exo-suits changed direction. Lydia’s face was blank as she drank in the large titan taking plasma fire from Krekken fighter ships. The crab-like monster barreled forward indifferently as hot plasma struck its hard shell and fizzled. Missiles streaked through the air, exploding with puffs of smoke, but the titan continued its rapid pace directly toward Rekkus Spire.
Evan saw a light come on and his com activated. Venna’s smooth face looked to him from a screen, concern in her dark eyes.
“Keep your distance and don’t do anything foolish. The Shield Maiden will be your backup, but our scans are indicating nothing is getting past the titan shell. We are setting up a Battle Net to ensure we are all seeing everything at the same time.”
Evan nodded grimly.
Venna gave him a smoothing smirk, “I… we believe in you.”
Evan nodded, “I believe in all of us. I won’t let you down, Captain.”
Venna nodded and the screen switched back to the digital representation of the battle field. The player watched as a side screen switched on and a Battle Net was scanned across the area. Information flowed like water onto the screen and holographic numbers appeared. The Battle Net was often used with soldiers and robot personnel on large scale operations. Battle Nets pull in the surrounding information and digests it into working numbers. It was the best way to keep an eye on your forces and direct them at a moment’s notice. Most battle nets incorporate all forces on the field or in the air, but since they had no control of the Rekkus Spire’s forces, only their numbers would be shown. With Bruiser, Hera, Pris, and the Shield Maiden linked up, they would efficiently see and know what was happening around them with alerts, defenses, and commands. It was the best way to handle large scale battles and every commander used one. Numbers blinked on screen and across the digital map. Evan drank in the information as Bruiser and Hera powered along with a massive titan to their right.
Krekken Forces
Dumon Troops: 20,000
Dumon Fighter Ships: 100
Rekkus Spire Shield: 100%
Rekkus Spire Auto Cannons: 40
Evan's Team
Shield Maiden: 100%
Hera: 100%
Pris: 100%
Evan sized up the numbers as he glanced to the edge of the city. Dumon shock troops stood in triangular formations along the eastern part of the city, their armored bodies shining in the city’s floodlights. Auto cannons rose up from the tops of buildings and aimed outward beyond the eastern front. A city shield flickered to life, casting a transparent field around the metropolis. The engineer thought for sure they would be evacuating, but no ships left the confines of the shield. It was either confidence or stupidity that kept them in place, ready to take on the threat.
Evan turned his attention to the titan as it crashed along. Dumon fighter ships rained down plasma and missiles to little effect. Scans from the Shield Maiden displayed before the Engineer indicated the shell was dense on a molecular level with unknown protection in its genetic structure. The scans themselves couldn’t get past the dense exo-shell of the titan. Checking the time, the monster was still forty minutes away from the edge of the city.
Bruiser flew along the side of the titan at a safe distance. Tentacle legs moved with quick whipping actions, not only keeping the titan upright, but allowing it to move at an accelerated rate. The edge of the shell moved over exposed areas, preventing attacks from above and to the sides. Several fighters descended, hovering a hundred feet off the ground and shooting at the tentacle legs, but the plasma bolts did little damage. The speed at which the legs moved made targeting difficult.
Thrusters flaring, Bruiser moved ahead with Hera to his left. The large power suit’s heads turned to analyze scans and visual information. Evan stared as he saw the titan’s giant, red eyes blink and thin, jagged mouth flex. The large eyes held a mad intelligence as it focused purely on the city and nothing else. The thick pincer arms just by each side of the titan’s face flexed and moved. Judging from the way they were positioned, Evan saw they could fold under the shell and protect the face of the titan.
Hera flew lower, turning her body sideways and looking to the underside as Dumon fighter ships continued their assault.
“The underside is armored. Plates run along the trunks of the tentacles too,” Lydia reported.
“The only soft spot I see is the titan’s face. Those claws may fold in to protect it, so if we have a chance at this, the titan needs to be fully engaged,” Evan said.
“With the Dumon and city forces out, I don’t think that will be a problem,” Lydia smiled.
“Let’s advance ahead and find a spot to...” Evan was cut off by a bright light.
Several plasma streams poured down from the black sky above the planet, lighting the area up. A moment later, they struck the hard shell of the titan and exploded. Evan turned from his main screen to a side screen before the light adjusted back to normal. The Engineer turned and watched in horror as chaos ripped across the sky.
The titan made a strange screeching sound as thick pillars of plasma came down, hitting the shell and reflecting off in several directions. Krekken fighters used evasive maneuvers, but the sudden shift of plasma streams was much too swift. Thick beams shattered fighter ships and damaged others. Shields failed as wings were blown away. Some fighters were completely engulfed as plasma disintegrated them to ashes. The carnage spun as the streams hit the Krekken fighters.
Bruiser and Hera rolled and zig zagged through the sky, avoiding incoming fire. The ground shook with explosions from plasma streams and falling fighter crafts. The streams from space ceased and the chaotic plasma beams stopped their rampage. Bruiser turned on his side, holding Pris close. The su
it and android took in the information and relayed it across the battle net.
Krekken Forces
Dumon Troops: 20,000
Dumon Fighter Ships: 72/100
Rekkus Spire Shield: 100%
Rekkus Spire Auto Cannons: 40
Evan's Team
Shield Maiden: 100%
Hera: 100%
Pris: 100%
Titan (Ravager): 99%
“We are intercepting commands from the remaining fleet above world,” Venna came in over coms. “They are ceasing orbital bombardment.”
“They only did 1% damage to it,” Evan said with a soft and bewildered tone.
“Stay focused. The shell is what protected the titan. Your plan is still viable,” Venna commanded.
Evan nodded his head. The two power suits pushed on, gaining speed to overcome the titan. The titan pressed on, making strange screeches as it went. Along the underside and edges of the massive shell, crawling movement caught Pris’s electronic eyes. She stared, focusing in and scanning the strange movement under the giant titan.
Evan watched as his screens lit up with incoming information. Bruiser and Hera turned their attention to the movement. Venna watched on the main screen as Nyn kept the Shield Maiden at a safe distance. A collective gasp filled the coms as they watched the titan.
White oval shapes fell from the underside of the monster as it moved undeterred. The oval shells hit the ground with popping thuds and scattered along in a trail behind the titan. A long second ticked by before each white oval shuddered. Long segmented legs unfurled and righted each of the oval pods. A front section uncurled to reveal a humanoid upper body connected to an oval bottom. Four insect-like legs protruded upwards and then downwards as the long arms stretched out with wicked claws. Odd pale heads turned forward and screeches filled the night. Almost at once, they began marching forward at a blinding pace.
“Parasites,” Evan hissed over coms, “thousands of them.”
“At their current speed, they will outpace the titan and engage the Krekken forces in fifteen minutes,” Pris estimated.