Nova Sky- Titan Rising
Page 19
Battleship Kreec: 100%
Dumon Fighters: 3,000
Dumon Drop Ships: ???
Dumon Exo-suits: ???
Ryan’s Forces
Black Dagger: 100%
Ryan’s Raptor Fleet: 12
Exo-Suit Forces: 40
Arc Light Shields: 100%
Arc Light Hull: 96%
Arc Light Defenses: 100%
Arc Light Drones: 1,000
Shield Maiden: 100%
Hera: 100%
Bruiser: 100%
Pris: 88%
Dumon fighter ships swarmed out, each one a pointed dart with a single Dumon pilot. Their size allowed maneuverability and decent fire power. It was the headcount of their armies that drove their victories. Ryan figured they used so many fighters to help keep their immense population down.
“Okay, let’s start with some Krekken population control!” Ryan shouted over the Battle Net.
The defense drones fell into evasive procedures just as they moved into fighter range. Ryan gave the command and the sky lit up in plasma fire. Plasma cannons roared to life, filling space with flashes of digital death. The Dumon fighters slammed into the incoming drones, hard shelled fingers pressing against triggers and not letting go. Drones and fighters curved, twisted and scattered. Plasma blasted against metal hulls and a cascade of explosions lit the way.
Despite the number of drones and their smaller size, they were quickly overwhelmed. Ryan gave a command to his small fleet and they opened plasma streams into the Dumon swarm. Twelve ships fired and turned, blazing a line across the Dumon fighter fleet. Quad cannons whirled to life as the 12 Raptor Class ships fired into the chaotic swarm.
Krekken Forces
Battleship Volor: 100%
Battleship Kreec: 100%
Dumon Fighters: 2,890/3,000
Dumon Drop Ships: ???
Dumon Exo-suits: ???
Ryan’s Forces
Black Dagger: 100%
Ryan’s Raptor Fleet: 12
Exo-Suit Forces: 40
Arc Light Shields: 100%
Arc Light Hull: 96%
Arc Light Defenses: 100%
Arc Light Drones: 680/1,000
Shield Maiden: 100%
Hera: 100%
Bruiser: 100%
Pris: 88%
The Dumon fighters pressed on, crashing into or blasting drones out of the black sky. They had become an unrelenting wave as they flew with almost depraved indifference. Ryan’s fleet fired plasma streams until they began to overheat.
“Cycle through your plasma stream cannons, fire one and then the other to prevent overheating,” Ryan commanded.
Commanders acknowledged his command as one stream cycled down and another kept firing. The Dumon quickly closed the distance between themselves and Ryan’s forces. Defense drones exploded again and again as plasma fire from the swarm gave little room to dodge. In mere moments, the drones were nearly obliterated as Dumon fighters targeted Ryan’s ships.
Krekken Forces
Battleship Volor: 100%
Battleship Kreec: 100%
Dumon Fighters: 2,611/3,000
Dumon Drop Ships: ???
Dumon Exo-suits: ???
Ryan’s Forces
Black Dagger: 100%
Ryan’s Raptor Fleet: 12
Exo-Suit Forces: 40
Arc Light Shields: 100%
Arc Light Hull: 96%
Arc Light Defenses: 100%
Arc Light Drones: 189/1,000
Shield Maiden: 100%
Hera: 100%
Bruiser: 100%
Pris: 88%
Ryan watched with a steely gaze as the Dumon horde raced toward his tiny fleet. Checking the Battle Net feed, he clenched his jaw as Dumon drop ships exited the two battleships. He knew instantly they would try to capture the Arc Light. Ryan took in a deep breath.
“Dumon drop ships are entering the battle. Keep the fighters at bay, but if you get a shot at a drop ship, take it! We can’t let any of them board the Arc Light,” Ryan commanded before his screen filled with incoming fighters.
***
Evan and fellow crew mates raced along an immense corridor. Lydia and Pris were behind him with Doctor Vickers, Bruiser, and Hera bringing up the rear. The Engineer used his control implant to connect to the Battle Net and the Arc Light. Diagrams of the ship appeared in his vision while a live battle feed lined up to the right. The player’s heart sank as he watched their drone fleet destroyed. Video feed of the battle appeared in the corner of his eye, showing Ryan’s fleet engaged with the enemy. It was turning into a slaughter as the Black Dagger and the Shield Maiden twisted and turned in the space dog fight.
“Isn’t there a lift we can use to get to the rear of the ship?” Vickers shouted.
Evan skidded to a halt and the rest of the crew did the same.
The Engineer turned to the group, “I’m getting a feed on the Arc Light. Crews are moving to areas damaged during the power surge, but there aren’t enough people to repair all the damaged areas. From what I see, there are two areas we need to tackle to get power flowing. Doctor, can your nano-drones repair a length of cable in section 12?”
“If it is a simple patch job, then yea, they can do it,” Vickers smiled.
Evan nodded, “The Drive room took some damage and the Arc Light’s AI core is partially damaged. I will need to repair the AI core and replace the burnt-out modules and cables.”
The Engineer focused past the information in his visual display to the group, “Lydia, pilot Hera and take the Doctor here to Section 12. I will board Bruiser and take Pris with me to Section 8 where the AI core is. After we're done with repairs, everyone meets up at the Drive room. From what I see, the Arc Light is going to be boarded and soon. We need those two areas working. Once we are in the Drive room, I will need everyone defending it until I can help get the Tempest Drive working.”
The group nodded. Hera and Bruiser’s backs bloomed open as they knelt down. Lydia climbed up and into Hera while Evan climbed into Bruiser. A moment later, the two exo-suits stood up and their backs closed tight. Bruiser reached out and picked up Pris while Hera picked up Vickers. Time running out, thrusters fired. Lydia looked to her screens as she hovered in the air. Her heart beat steady in her mechanical chest. She watched as Bruiser hovered up. Thrusters surged and the power suit was already moving.
“I won’t let you down,” Lydia whispered to herself as Hera’s thrusters surged and they too blasted down another corridor.
***
Nyn threw her shoulders into the controls. The Shield Maiden took glancing plasma fire, but it was still draining the shields. Venna manned weapon’s controls, targeting and retargeting ships. The Shri-Ka Captain had been in dog fights before. Anywhere she fired, she was hitting something. The screens were filled with Dumon Fighters as the Captain kept her cool.
The Shield Maiden’s shields flared again and again as cannons roared into battle. The Dumon fighter’s shields weren’t as powerful as a Raptor Class ship, but their sheer numbers made up for the difference. The Maiden rocked from incoming plasma fire and Venna’s hand moved in a blur, trying to keep up.
“We need some room. Releasing entire missile payload,” Venna said and tapped at the small controls.
The Shield Maiden’s missile racks extended from under the wings and along the sides of the ship. Missiles flared forth, streaking outwards and speeding toward targets. Dumon fighters fired on as missiles punctured their hulls and exploded. A bloom of explosions gave the Maiden some breathing room to retarget and unleash a storm of plasma bolts.
Krekken Forces
Battleship Volor: 100%
Battleship Kreec: 100%
Dumon Fighters: 2,354/3,000
Dumon Drop Ships: 50
Dumon Exo-suits: ???
Ryan’s Forces
Black Dagger: 82%
Ryan’s Raptor Fleet: 10/12
Exo-Suit Forces: 40
Arc Light Shields: 10
0%
Arc Light Hull: 96%
Arc Light Defenses: 100%
Arc Light Drones: 88/1,000
Shield Maiden: 72%
Hera: 100%
Bruiser: 100%
Pris: 88%
“Deploy Exo-suits and fall back to Arc Light’s defensive perimeter,” Ryan commanded over the Battle Net.
Venna kept at it, firing into the swarm of fighters as Dumon Drop ships blazed through the battlefield. Fifty drop ships were excessive, but that was normal for the Krekken. Judging from the battle, the numbers were against them so the Shri-Ka contemplated a different strategy.
“Nyn, keep us close to the rear of the Arc Light. Be ready to land in the bays on my command.”
“Are we abandoning the fight?” Nyn asked without looking back.
Venna let out a sigh, “The battle is already lost. Our priority is to get our crew out of here.”
Nyn nodded, “Understood, Captain.”
The Lyress spun the ship, quad cannons blazing, taking down fighter after fighter. The Shield Maiden turned and engines flared. Exo-suits ejected into space and thrusters fired. Heavy plasma guns turned on the chaotic swarm and fired in all directions. Venna eyed the battle as the power suits moved through, blasting anything that got too close. The drop ships blasted through the ranks, the reinforced noses of the ships barreling toward the Arc Light.
Venna watched as alerts sprang up along the Battle Net. On screen, she watched as new forces joined the battle, coming from behind the Krekken Ships. Directing scanner bursts, information scrolled onto the Battle Net and the Shri-Ka Captain hissed her displeasure.
“Krekken and renegade forces, this is Nika Peterson of the Crimson Blades. Stand down. We lay claim to the Gwyndolin System by right of might,” Nika said over the Battle Net.
Venna watched as data flowed. A hundred red Raptor Class ships loomed into view behind the Krekken battleships.
“This is Commander Spirro. The Gwyndolin System is under Krekken protection. We will not stand down. Pull back your forces,” the commander said over the Battle Net.
“Your forces have been stretched thin. Crimson Blade battleships are en route to this system. We will no longer be under Krekken rule. Prepare to be annihilated,” Nika responded back.
Venna and Nyn watched on screen as Dumon fighters turned mid-flight and shot toward the incoming Crimson Blade fleet. The red ships opened their bay doors and exo-suits fell out into space. Thrusters flaring, they aimed their weapons at the incoming fighters. Ships and power suits opened fire as the Dumon fighters closed the distance. Dumon Drop ships continued on their path toward the Arc Light. The Arc Light’s weapons blazed to life, firing into the incoming ships.
Flashes of light and explosions peppered space as forces engaged. Plasma streams cut through the darkness, striking ships and burning through shields. The two Krekken battleships engaged the incoming Crimson Blade ships, defense cannons firing into their forces. Exo-suits blazed ahead, firing into the Krekken swarms with extreme prejudice.
Krekken Forces
Battleship Volor: 91%
Battleship Kreec: 86%
Dumon Fighters: 1,944/3,000
Dumon Drop Ships: 46/50
Dumon Exo-suits: ???
Crimson Blades
Crimson Blade Ships: 97/100
Crimson Blade Exo-suits: 391/400
Ryan’s Forces
Black Dagger: 61%
Ryan’s Raptor Fleet: 7/12
Exo-Suit Forces: 27/40
Arc Light Shields: 86%
Arc Light Hull: 96%
Arc Light Defenses: 100%
Arc Light Drones: 0/1,000
Shield Maiden: 48%
Hera: 100%
Bruiser: 100%
Pris: 88%
Venna watched as Dumon drop ships reached the Arc Light. Shields flared as their reinforced noses struck the shields and slowly penetrated them. Plasma cannons fired into the incoming drop ships, but their shields and armor resisted the incoming barrage. The Arc Light’s shield’s failed and the remaining drop ships slammed into the giant ship. Thrusters powering on, the ships dug into the side of the hull like maggots on meat.
The Shield Maiden fired on the drop ships, but Venna knew the Arc Light was already being boarded.
***
Bruiser landed just as the entire ship shuddered and rocked. The player checked the Battle Net scans, his heart beating like a drum in his chest. The Crimson Blades had entered the fray and the Krekken changed their tactics to fight on two fronts. Alerts popped up along the Battle Net grid. Damage lit up the diagram of the Arc Light and a heavy weight filled the Engineer.
Evan connected to Ryan, “The Arc Light is too heavily damaged. Even if I do some kind of repairs, it won’t hold together.”
Ryan connected back, “I’m starting to see that. I’m pulling our forces to the landing bays. We need to evacuate the crew and get out of here. Dumon forces are already in the ship. Try to make it to a bay and I will have Venna pick you up.”
Evan nodded to himself as new alerts appeared on screen. Live video feed took up his screen as Ryan’s command crew displayed the incoming Titan crystal. The long edge of the crystal began to crack and shards of crystal flew into space. It continued its path toward the Arc Light, but the cracks grew longer with each passing second.
“Are you seeing this,” Evan asked Ryan.
“I am. Grab your team and get ready for extraction. The battle is lost,” Ryan said.
Evan watched the feed as areas of the immense crystal continued to crack and shatter. Something moved just below the surface and it writhed against its floating prison. Images floated back to the player of what happened in Rekkus Spire. So many players lost their lives due to their actions and now it was happening again. A swirl filled the engineer’s stomach. A titan was going to break free and destroy everything. If the fleets couldn’t stop it, it would turn for the Rekkus Spire next.
Purpose welled up and filled every cell of the engineer. Calling up the Arc Light’s diagrams once again, he pin-pointed the systems connected with the main cannon. Checking damage reports, he saw that the cannon was partially functional. Looking for damaged systems, the player could see there was one major cable that needed repair, and he would need to connect to the ship’s AI.
“Ryan, I’m going to repair the main cannon,” Evan said and terminated the connection.
The player opened a connection to his crew, “Lydia, move to Section 18. I’m heading to the AI core to see if I can get it working properly. Venna, we will all be close to Landing Bay 4. Wait for us there. Once the main cannon fires, we will need to evacuate pretty fast.”
Venna spoke first, “Ryan is telling me to tell you not to go through with this.”
Evan was silent for a moment, “I need to do this. We need to do this. When that Titan breaks free, this whole system will be wiped out. We stopped two titans on the ground, we can do it up here.”
“I’m with you!” Lydia spoke up.
“This is crazy, I’m in,” Vickers added.
Venna spoke as if choosing her words carefully, “Evan, I expect you back on my ship in one piece.”
The Engineer grinned, “Yes Captain. We’ll all make it back.”
Hearts full, the crew followed their new directives. Hera barreled down a corridor, thrusters blazing. The Doctor clutched to the Exo-suit’s chest. After a few turns, they reached a long, wide corridor. Along the walls ran thick cables. Hera blazed on until she hovered to a halt. Placing the Doctor down, she stood up and turned to the corridor.
Vickers looked up to see a 3-foot-long burnt out cable. It was as thick as a man and black with wisps of smoke rising up.
“Team Vickers is at the damaged cable. I’ll attempt to repair it,” the Doctor said and stepped closer.
Lydia raised an eyebrow in her power suit, “Team Vickers? Why not Team Ward?”
The Doctor laughed as he put a meaty hand on each burnt end, “Because I said it first,
now watch my back as I perform some magic.”
Hera pulled her plasma rifle from her thigh and flexed her metallic wings. Lifting the butt of the oversized rifle to her shoulder, she heard the ping of her motion sensors going off. Aiming, she watched as the ping grew louder and louder.
Vickers sent out a mental command and nano-drones by the hundreds of thousands surged along his arms. The Doctor could see and feel them, moving with purpose to the cable, repairing the damage one atom at a time. The nano drones replicated as they went, turning hundreds of thousands into millions and soon billions. They moved like a gray ooze, repairing as they went, the black cable turning silver one inch at a time.
Lydia held her stance until further down the corridor, armored bodies moved into view. Plasma rifles aimed as the bulky Dumon Exo-suits surged into the corridor and opened fire. Hera knelt down to one knee and returned fire, a wing out and shielding the Doctor as he worked. Vickers’s eyes turned to see Hera’s shields flare with incoming plasma bolts. The corridor was filled with plasma as Hera kept her position, firing into the incoming horde.
***
Bruiser landed and his back opened up. Evan crawled out as Pris swept the area with her rifle in one hand. The engineer moved to the double doors of the AI containment room. The doors opened and the player saw wide eyes look in his direction. The crew was continuing to work to repair the core.
“Get to your transports! We’re evacuating!” Evan shouted.
Four people looked at him for a second before scrambling out the door.
Evan turned to Bruiser, “Defend our position.”
Bruiser nodded.
Evan reached into his E-pack and two thick rods ejected into both of his hands. Tossing them into the corridor, tripods unfolded and lifted the rods up. Metal shifted and changed at one end, forming into plasma cannons. Two cannons rotated from side to side scanning the area while Bruiser took up the space between them.
Evan turned to Pris, “You are locked and loaded.”
The blonde android nodded, “I am connected. Auto cannons are under my control.”
Evan stormed into the AI room, pulling out a cable from his E-pack and connecting it to a terminal. Pris stepped in and leaned her rifle against the terminal. The android lifted a hand and connected it to another terminal, cables slipping from her fingers and interfacing with the equipment.