Nova Sky- Titan Rising

by Eden Blue

  The crew of the Shield Maiden watched as Hera struggled against the side of the cannon, thrusters flaring. Lydia bit her lip for a moment before her brow formed a hard V. The cyborg’s body connected with the exo-suit, cables and circuits joining to make them one. With a blinking command before her, she mentally pushed it with the force of a hammer.

  “Boost initiated!” Lydia shouted.

  Hera’s systems glowed as the power suit vibrated. Lydia roared defiantly as Hera pushed at the giant ship. For a moment, nothing happened. A second later, the Arc Light moved. The crew of the Maiden watched in astonishment. Lydia was doing it. Hera pushed on, metal joints straining and thrusters blazing as bright as the sun. Lydia watched as her systems turned red with alerts and warnings. She ignored them as she screamed from the bottom of her spirit.

  The titan loomed over the Arc Light, mouth opened wide and ready to bite down.

  Pris watched as the cannon aimed into the yawning mouth, “Firing main cannon. Be well.”

  Evan heard Pris’s last words over the comm as the main cannon surged and fired. The plasma stream burst into the titan’s mouth, burning away at its insides. The rows of eyes widened as the monster gave a silent roar with molten plasma burning it away from the inside out. A long second passed before the beast’s eyes slowly closed and the beam burst from its midsection. The beam died and the titan’s enormous body floated into the Arc Light, smashing the ship as it barreled in.

  Nyn brought the ship around, bay door opening. Hera floated on in space, unresponsive. The pilot brought the Maiden in close and scooped the exo-suit up. Bay doors closing, a warp tunnel appeared. The Shield Maiden blasted toward it. When it entered the tunnel, the edge collapsed just as the Arc Light surged and exploded, ripping the dead titan to pieces and filling the black sky with brilliant light.

  Sixteen

  Lydia’s eyes fluttered open. Blinking away the bright lights of the Med bay, she turned her eyes to the Doctor as he stood to her side. With his hand on her, nano-drones worked their magic, repairing burnt out systems and assisting Lydia’s own nano-repair drones. Turning her head to the other side, Evan beamed a smile.

  “We won,” the Engineer grinned.

  Lydia gave a nod and lifted up an arm, making a fist before lowering it back down. The Engineer kept his smile as the cyborg attempted to move.

  “Almost there,” Vickers said with half closed eyes.

  “Take it easy,” Evan said. “Your system suffered a massive overload. Once the Doctor is done, we are having a meeting on the Bridge. Take your time.”

  Lydia gave a slight nod as she stared into Evan’s kind eyes, “I never thought it would get this exciting…and terrifying.”

  “You seemed to handle it well.”

  Lydia looked off to the side, “I was scared the whole time. I don’t have the levels or experience to keep fighting like that.”

  Evan nodded, “Nova Sky may be a game, but it can get pretty intense. I think you rose above and beyond and we are all thankful for it.”

  Evan looked down, Lydia’s eyes connecting with his.

  Lydia sighed, “I’m sorry I made everything worse. If I hadn’t shot at that titan…”

  “You have to let that go. I’m not proud I hesitated. If you didn’t think on your feet, we would have been captured or even killed. We did the right thing to help stop the titans before they destroyed Rekkus Spire. You’re my hero,” Evan said with a wide smile.

  Lydia returned the smile, “And you’re mine. I’m proud we’re family.”

  Vickers rolled his eyes, “It’s disgustingly sweet in here. Let me get a barf bucket.”

  Evan and Lydia turned their smiles to the Doctor.

  “I know the start of this little adventure was rough, but I’m glad we all made it out relatively unscathed. How about our next adventure, we find a nice sunny planet and have some drinks?” Vickers smirked.

  The Engineer and Cyborg nodded.

  Evan turned his attention back to Lydia, “I have to go, but when you’re better, meet us on the Bridge. Venna wants us to have a meeting before we move on.”

  Lydia nodded before laying her head back on the table.

  Evan smiled at the Doctor, turned and left the Med Bay. Strolling down the corridor, he walked to the stairs and made his way down to the crew quarters. Stepping along, he stopped in front of a door and knocked. The door slid open, darkness and starlight greeting him. Evan stepped in and the door closed behind him. A shadow stood by the window, stars filling the celestial sky.

  “Why are you in the dark?” Evan asked.

  “I can see the stars better in the dark,” Ryan replied.

  Evan walked across the room and stood to his brother’s side.

  “Can you forgive me?” Ryan asked with a touch of sadness.

  “You killed our guild family. I think you have to try and forgive yourself, with some time.”

  Ryan gave a slight nod, “In a day or two, the guild members who died will be back in the game and they will want blood…my blood.”

  “Do you think it was all worth it?”

  Ryan was silent for a moment before he spoke, “It was. If I had to do it over again, I would. The titan factory would have shifted the balance of power. I wasn’t ready to let that happen.”

  “Then it was meant to be,” Evan said softly.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Ryan sighed.

  It was Evan’s turn to be silent for a moment, “I don’t know, maybe. Dad and Mom always taught us the importance of family. I do feel like I wasn’t that important to your plan. Not enough for you to tell me everything.”

  Ryan turned to his brother, “You are one of the most important people in my life. It tore me up to keep you in the dark and witness what had to happen. I wasn’t afraid that you would go against me. I was afraid you would follow me blindly. I didn’t want the guild’s blood on your hands. I knew I had to take the risk and finish this before it was too late.”

  Evan stared out at the cosmos, “I have the guild’s blood on my hands too, brother. We are family and I have to shoulder your burdens just like you shoulder mine. The guild will be coming after both of us and I doubt they are going to listen to reason.”

  Ryan turned to the stars, eyes closing, “Venna is mad at me. She threatened to shove me out of an airlock.”

  Evan nodded, “Yeah, that sounds right. I doubt she will do it though. She loves you.”

  Ryan opened his eyes and smiled, “Yea. I have been plotting for so long she had to take a back seat. I think she is going to use this on me for a long time.”

  “Better you than me,” Evan grinned.

  Ryan nodded and looked to his brother again. The shine of the dog tag chain glimmered in the starlight around Evan’s neck, “I’m surprised you kept those. I thought for sure you would have tossed them.”

  Evan reached up and pulled at the chain. The dog tags slid out the neck of his shirt and he held them in one hand.

  “I could never toss these. You made them for us. I may not be proud of what you did, but I’m still proud you’re my brother. I will always be proud.”

  A gleam filled Ryan’s eyes, “I’m proud of you too.”

  A long span of silence filled the room as the brothers looked out to the stars.

  “Venna is going to wait until you’re happy and then shove you out the airlock,” Evan said plainly.

  Ryan nodded, “Yeah, I know.”

  The two brothers laughed as the universe spun on.

  ***

  Evan and Ryan stepped onto the Bridge. Venna sat in her commander's chair. Nyn turned from the pilot station, skin turning a dim red when she saw Evan walk in. Lydia and Vickers stood side by side, stopping their conversation to smile at the brothers. Evan and Ryan stepped off to the side as all eyes turned to Venna.

  The Captain sat with her chin perched on clasped hands, elbows on the armrests. Eyes looked off to the side as her mind worked. The crew waited patiently as she gathered her thoughts. Af
ter a few seconds, the Shri-Ka sat back, laying her arms on the rests.

  “We managed to receive some reports from the Gwyndolin system. The Krekken are in full retreat as the Crimson Blades have taken over. I doubt it will stay like this, but that is the current events as of now. Reports are hitting all the news feeds of what happened and there is video of the factory falling to Sunarr’s gravity. There is also video of the Arc Light exploding and the titan carcass falling into the gas giant as well. So far, names are not being mentioned in connection with the incident, but I’m sure behind closed doors, our names are being circulated as we speak.

  Venna flexed her fingers on the arm rest before she continued, “We still have bounties on our heads. They have doubled and tripled in the last few hours especially in Krekken networks. It would seem we have become the poster children for what happened.”

  The Captain’s tail trembled for a moment before it began sliding side to side, “Despite the negative press, I have to say, what we did was the right thing even if it was done in the wrong way. All sides lost a lot of players and they will not soon forget it.”

  Venna gave Ryan a quick glance before continuing, “We all took part in this endeavor, some of us knowingly and most of us not knowing. I admit to my mistakes as I’m sure others will as well. We can discuss that at another time, but for now, we have a question that we all must answer right now, where do we go from here?”

  The Bridge was silent, all eyes looking to the floor.

  Ryan stood at attention and spoke up, “As fugitives, we have free reign to go wherever we wish. I recommend we continue with the mission, finding titan factories and disabling them before others can get their hands on them.”

  Vickers crossed his arms, “That is a dangerous mission with such a small crew.”

  Ryan nodded, “Normally it would be, but with Evan’s new Titan Disruptor, our job will be a lot easier.”

  The Bridge grew silent again.

  Nyn lifted her head and looked to the crew before centering on the Engineer, “I think Evan should decide. He has kept our best interests at heart and should be the deciding factor on what we do next.”

  Vickers nodded, “I would have to agree. Right now, all I want to do is survive long enough to clear my…our names.”

  Venna nodded. “I would also have to agree. At the moment, I’m fighting certain impulses that may impede my decisions,” The Shri-Ka shot a playful glare to Ryan.

  “I fourth it,” Lydia winked at Evan.

  The Engineer’s eyes widened a little before settling down. Taking a step forward, he looked to the crew of the Shield Maiden, heart beating wildly in his chest.

  “I’m not sure what to say. If we go our separate ways, we will be hunted down one by one.”

  Evan looked to his brother before turning back to the crew, “I think Ryan is right that the titan factories may be a big problem. We don’t have anyone backing us, but ourselves. If we try to go back, it just means us getting killed over and over until players feel like their revenge is served. I don’t know about everyone here, but that doesn’t sound like a fun time at all.”

  Evan stepped toward the middle of the Bridge, “For better or for worse, I think Ryan has the right of it. The titan factories are too dangerous. We should find them, but instead of destroying them, explore and monitor them so we can see if there is a solution we can all agree on. Who knows, we may be able to clear our names if we bring back something important all the empires can use.”

  Venna nodded, “All those who think we should take an exploratory mission searching for titan factories and try to clear our names, raise your hands.”

  Nyn raised her hand, skin turning bright red. Ryan raised his hand and gave Evan a head nod. Lydia raised her hand with a grin. Vickers hesitated before barely raising his hand and then letting it fall back, crossing his arms once again. Venna eyed the Engineer with an approving nod and a kind smile.

  “It is agreed upon. We will explore the Rim to find another titan factory and bring back useful data that will sort this entire thing out,” Venna said with authority.

  Smiles filled the Bridge as the new mission directive settled in their minds and hearts.

  Venna cleared her throat before she spoke again, “For now, everyone clear the Bridge and rest up. Ryan, you will stay so we can discuss your place on my crew.”

  Vickers grinned as he rushed off the Bridge, Lydia close behind. Nyn stood up with a blank expression, walking past and beyond the Bridge doors. Evan made for the doors, but looked back to see Ryan’s eyes pleading with him to stay behind. The Engineer reached the doors, stepped through and smiled at his brother. Venna lifted herself up from her chair and slithered over to the soldier as he stood. Ryan gave another pleading glance to Evan.

  The Engineer shrugged with a smile, the Bridge doors closing shut.

  ***

  Evan kneeled before Bruiser, working on his leg. The exo-suit had taken a lot of damage and Evan knew it would take a day or two to fix him completely. Lost to his work, he tooled with modules, calibrating them and inserting them back into the suit’s leg before moving on to severed circuits.

  The Engineer worked as whispers of recent events floated in his mind. The player stopped what he was doing and looked up for a moment.

  “Pris, when I’m done here, I’ll build you a new body next,” Evan said out loud.

  “I would like that very much,” Pris said over the loudspeakers of the exo-suit bay.

  Evan was about to get back to work when he hesitated, “Pris, thank you for watching over me.”

  The bay was silent for a few seconds before Pris’s voice filled it, “It is my duty to watch over you. You are my creator and I exist to serve and protect.”

  Evan shook his head, “No, it’s not. When I build your new body, I’m going to add some new sub routines to your core. I think it’s time for an upgrade. I gained enough levels to increase my AI programming skills. When you’re ready, you will have the choice to do whatever you want. You’re not just a protector. You’re my friend.”

  “I look forward to any upgrades you have in store for me. Thank you, Evan,” Pris said with the volume of her voice raising a few octaves.

  Evan was going to question it, wondering if that was her version of excitement when the bay entrance doors opened and Nyn walked in. The Lyress stepped across the bay, eyes wide and centered on the Engineer as he stood. Her exposed skin shifted from pink to a deep red.

  “Nyn, I was going to see you…” the player never had a chance to finish.

  Nyn stepped to him and pressed her lips to his. The heat between them flared as the bay became a faraway place. Evan didn’t fight as the Lyress took hold of him and held his body to hers. The Engineer brought his arms around, holding her tightly, the universe’s problems melting away with each kiss.

  The moment passed and they broke their embrace, but the heat was still there, floating on warm skin.

  “I take it… this is us now…” Evan said with warm eyes.

  Nyn nodded, her skin swirling with colors, “It is.”

  “Even though we are being hunted to the edge of the galaxy for crimes we didn’t commit.”

  Nyn nodded, her face blank, but her skin turning red again, “Especially so.”

  “Things will get worse before they get better,” Evan said with a small smile.

  “At least we will have each other,” Nyn said with a glow in her eyes.

  The Engineer and Pilot held each other once again, two souls connecting in the cold vast universe, lost to each other’s embrace.

  The Shield Maiden floated on in deep space. Engines activated and the Tempest Drive powered on. A warp tunnel appeared, purple light spilling out into the hard vacuum of space. Engines surged as it propelled the ship toward the warp tunnel. Passing through the event horizon, the ship flashed forward, time and space bending as the tunnel collapsed, the crew ready to take on their next mission with full hearts and dreams of freedom.

  ~Fin~

>   Dedications

  A special thank you to those who helped make this book possible and a big thank you to everyone who supported me! You all hold a special place in my heart!

  Eric Newman

  Jay Smith

  Adam Friedman

  Acknowledgements and Friends

  Below is a list of incredible authors who I have had the pleasure to know and wish to share them with you. Please explore their magnificent works. Tell them Eden sent ya.

  Daniel Schinhofen

  Dawn Chapman

  Scottie Futch

  Blaise Corvin

  Harmon Cooper

  James Hunter

  Randi Darren

  Stuart Grosse

  Prax Venter

  Angel Ramon

  Michael Chatfield

  Cebelius

  Jamie Hawke

  Hondo Jinx

  Zachariah Dracoulis

  Dave Willmarth

  Apollos Throne

  Charles Dean

  George Fisher

  Paul Bellow

  A royal thanks to my ARC Knights. May your armor never dent and your swords remain as sharp as your minds and sturdy as your hearts.

  A Note from Eden Blue

  I wanted to take this moment to thank you for reading!

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