The Great Gate

by J R Dahl

  One after another they were moved into position at the bottom of the tube and then magnetically pulled through to the top. As they neared the outer end of the tube they picked up speed until they were fired from the surface of the mountain.

  From outside hundreds of fighters could be seen as they launched in many different directions. Each squadron then regrouped and flew in defensive formations far above the mountain as they raced out to meet the oncoming Nemaron air attack.

  In the control room of the main command ship Maginon jumped to his feet, amazed to see the Helion fighters as they flew from the mountain and turned toward his ships.

  “Sir, it appears that the catalyst missiles had no effect,” sheepishly reported one of his soldiers.

  “I see that, you idiot! They must use some alternative power system. Fire all missiles!” cried Maginon.

  The Nemaron carriers launched another batch. These were not catalysts but very destructive air-to-surface missiles. They raced through the air toward the base. The Helion fighters broke formation and made space as they passed by in the opposite direction.

  The Helion squadron leader called back to the base, “Missiles on the way.”

  “Roger that, we see them,” the command center responded.

  “Launch countermeasure missiles,” commanded Kilgron. Seconds later hidden rocket launchers appeared from under the ground all across the surface of the mountain. Each of them fired numerous missiles, which immediately began to track and seek out the incoming Nemaron ammunition. Once the Helion countermeasures had found their target, they split open and attached themselves to the shaft of the Nemaron missiles. They transformed into what looked like a collar, which then projected a spherical force field around itself and the Nemaron ammunition to which it was attached.

  With the outer sphere in place, the Helion counter measures then detonated, causing the Nemaron missile to also explode. As they did the entire explosion was contained within the spherical shield, which then fell to the ground and gradually rolled to a stop. The spheres steamed as the chemical reaction from the catalyst neutralized and absorbed all the energy from the explosion. Everything inside the sphere then condensed into stable elements.

  Maginon jumped to his feet again as he watched his missiles neutralized. “What was that?” he yelled, and his soldiers cringed.

  No one answered.

  “Launch all fighters and ground assault transports, now!” His nostrils flared, and his eyes began to burn with a red haze.

  Massive hangar doors slid back on the tops of the Nemaron carriers. Seconds later hundreds of Nemaron fighters took off from these hangars, as did large, heavily armed transport ships. The transports turned and flew toward the planet while the fighters headed toward the Helion spacecraft that had nearly reached them.

  The Helion fighter squad leader called out to his other fighters. “Second and third squads target the guns on the carriers. Fourth and fifth squads, you’ve got the fighters. Everyone else follow me. We’ve got to stop those transports before they get to the planet. Remember, we’re using disabling missiles. The goal is to leave them floating in space, not dead.”

  “That’s ridiculous. They’re trying to kill us,” answered one of the fighter pilots as several Nemaron rounds bounced off his forward shields.

  “Don’t argue. You heard the briefing. The more killing that happens just gives these freaks more power. So stick to the mission,” ordered the squad leader.

  More Helion fighters launched from the base and turned to join the huge space dog fight that was happening all around the Nemaron carriers. Guns mounted on the side of the ships unleashed wave after wave of rounds and destroyed many of the Helion fighters. Nearly half the Helion force split off and hunted down the transports heading toward the planet. They fired their specialized missiles, which hit the transports shields. When they did electrical current danced across the shield but did not penetrate or shut them down.

  “Sir, we can’t get through their shields,” reported one of the Helion pilots as he pulled away from just attacking the transport nearest the planet.

  “I see that. Let’s hit them with multiple missiles at the same time. That should overload their shields and shut them down,” answered the squad leader.

  Three Helion fighters converged on one of the Nemaron transports. As they approached they fought their way through enemy fighters that were covering the Nemaron ships. They each fired three missiles and hit the target at nearly the same time. That sent a massive amount of power surging over the shields and down into the ship.

  Seconds later the shields dissolved as the current dissipated.

  “Shields are down, hit it!” shouted the squad leader. They each fired another missile, which all passed directly through and hit the hull of the Nemaron transport. The current penetrated all areas of the ship until the engines flickered and finally shut down.

  Inside, the Leviathan crew scrambled to try to get the engines back on. While they did, current passed all over the control panel and inside hull of the spacecraft.

  Back inside the Helion hangar the doors were still shut; soldiers scrambled to finish loading ammunition and weapons into the AUVs and Stingers. Averine and Cloin watched the air battle going on from monitors in the AUVs and could see some of the transport ships getting passed the Helion fighters.

  “They need to take out more of those transports or else we’ll have a too many Leviathan soldiers on our hands,” said Cloin.

  “Don’t worry. They’ll shut more down,” replied Averine. As she turned to walk away, she struggled to convince herself.

  On a distant desert planet in galaxy 55x8 Armon landed his shuttle in an open, sand-covered valley. The planet was small and barren. Its two suns made its climate extremely hot during the day and not much cooler during the night, which only lasted three hours. This was the home base of the Seberians who were given the responsibility to take care of this galaxy.

  As Armon stepped off his shuttle he walked toward the base of a rock-covered ridge. Buried deep between two enormous boulders was a small cave. As Armon walked toward it the wind picked up and set sand flying in all directions. The wind and sand was so heavy that he couldn’t see anything. He stopped walking and just covered his face. After a few seconds the sand storm died down and he was able to open his eyes.

  When he did, he found three men standing directly in front of him. They were dressed in light-tan battle uniforms with military-grade armor. Their faces and eyes where completely covered with not only helmets and goggles but also air filtration masks. They were each armed with pistols on their thighs as well as swords attached to their backs.

  “It’s been a lot time, my friend,” said the man standing in middle as he stepped forward. He paused for a moment then grabbed Armon and hugged him with bear-like force.

  “Yes, it has.” Armon struggled to regain his breath.

  The man released him and said, “Come inside and get out of the sand and sun. I wouldn’t want you to melt. Our planet is far different than the ice cube you call a home.”

  “Yes, please,” said Armon; he smiled and followed the three men back to the cave. They walked through several meters of dark rock cave until they came to a metal door. They entered through it and then wound their way down a long staircase.

  After a few more minutes of winding through the entrance to their base Armon found himself deep underground, sitting in the command center of a fellow group of Seberians. Their leader was an old friend of Armon and had been one of the first Seberians he had come to know.

  His name was Eliune. He was a very large and muscular man. He stood well over two meters tall and could easily intimidate most people he met, whether he wanted to or not. His stature was intimidating, but his face was not. He had bright energetic eyes that always looked cheerful. His smile put everyone at ease, which was good because his size did not.

  Armon filled him in on everything that was happening.

  “I’m sorry that I don’t have more tim
e to catch up, but the enemy is on the way and time is short,” said Armon.

  “Think nothing of it,” answered Eliune. “We’re ready when you are. We’re thirty Seberians strong and growing, and we would be honored to fight alongside you.”

  “Thank you, my friend. I’ll be waiting in my shuttle.”

  “We’ll meet you in the air,” said Eliune with a wide smile.

  Just moments later Armon lifted his shuttle up off the ground and prepared to take off from the planet. As he finalized launch preparations, he looked thought the cockpit canopy to find the desert floor opening. Seconds later Eliunes shuttle lifted up out of a hidden hangar underneath the desert floor. Once the shuttle cleared the opening the hangar hatch immediately closed again and sand rolled across it to conceal its location.

  “Lead the way, Armon,” radioed Eliune from the cockpit of his shuttle.

  Armon fired his main engines, as did Elinue’s pilot, and both Seberian shuttles raced toward space on their way back to the planet Helion.

  Chapter 9

  Meanwhile, Lonan piloted his shuttle as they neared their destination. Through the glass of the cock-pit a small planet could be seen coming into view. Beside him sat a co-pilot and behind him Telgrin worked at a computer station.

  Lonan turned to him. “Begin scanning the building and find the main control room.”

  “I’m already on it,” answered Telgrin.

  “Here, take the controls,” said Lonan to his co-pilot.

  “Yes, sir,” he replied.

  Lonan got out of his seat and stood behind Telgrin and watched over his shoulder. On the workstation panel was a 3-D image of the compound. They could see through the building as the computer analyzed every detail. Just then one of the Seberians entered the cockpit.

  “I’ve found the command center,” said Telgrin. He zoomed in and through the holographic image of the Nemaron building. “But the computer is showing almost five thousand people being held in the racks.”

  “What?” responded Lonan.

  “We can’t carry that many,” said Telgrin.

  “We’ll have to improvise. Send word to the base. Maybe they can get another transport on the way,” ordered Lonan.

  The Seberian interjected, “With that many people there’s no doubt that this is where he’s gathering a large amount his power.”

  “That just makes this mission that much more important. Let’s go.” Lonan walked out of the cockpit.

  In the cargo bay ten Helion soldiers and two Seberians had just finished putting on jumpsuits and packing their gear as Lonan walked in. The men circled around for a quick briefing as Lonan stepped into the middle. Just as he started to speak Telgrin also walked in to put on his jumpsuit.

  “We just found out that this camp is bigger than we thought. There are five thousand slaves being tortured in that building. This is where the enemy is getting most of his power. We must free those people. Remember, ‘Save the slaves, save our planet.’ Everyone back home is depending on us.” Lonan scanned their faces and could see the apprehension. Except for the Seberians. They smiled and nodded.

  “Ok, let’s move out.”

  The back door of the shuttle opened while the entire team put on their helmets and finished checking each other’s gear. The wind raced by and nearly pulled them out through the open door. Once everyone was ready and in position Lonan gave the thumbs-up sign and they all ran toward the door and jumped out into the night sky.

  Elsewhere at the slave compound on the planet Trilon, one of the Seberians looked out across the main chamber of the compound. Down below he could see Helion soldiers helping people down from the slave racks and Leviathan soldiers lying on the floor shaking and convulsing.

  “Base, come in. Mission’s complete for team number four. We’re on our way home,” reported the Seberian soldier as he pulled a charge from his pack and set it on the control panel.

  In another star system Helion team five had also just successfully completed their mission. Outside the Nemaron slave compound hundreds of slaves were being loaded into the Helion ship, the soldiers helping the last of them into the cargo bay. The engines fired as the crew prepared to takeoff.

  “Team five loaded and we’re on our way,” reported the Helion pilot from the cockpit.

  As the last few slaves loaded into the ship, one of the Helion soldiers was gunned down from several blasts within the building. That sent the rescued slaves running into the ship as Helion soldiers returned fire. An automated gun popped out of the top of the wing of the ship and took out seven Leviathan soldiers who had crept up from the other side of the building.

  The last of the Helion soldiers jumped on board, and their spacecraft took off into the air. As they did, Leviathan soldiers ran from the building and fired up into the air and hit the hull of the shuttle. The Helion escort fighter hovered down into position and took out the Leviathan with Lonan’s specialized electric rounds. The Helion shuttle and fighter both accelerated into the sky.

  Moments later the compound exploded in an enormous blast as the Helion charges detonated.

  The angels and demons were fully engaged in combat at the portal to heaven. Tekel fought in the front lines and was holding off three demons all at the same time. He was far stronger than any of them and more gifted in the use of the sword. The Leviathan soldiers continued to attack the angels who tried to ignore and throw them aside but when they got in their way the angels were forced to kill.

  Suddenly, what appeared to be a shockwave entered the atmosphere and passed over the entire battlefield. As it reached the angels their eyes lit up simultaneously. They all took in a deep, refreshing breath. Even the stone angels seemed to be recharged by it.

  As it passed over the demons and human Leviathan, they slowed. The red mist around their bodies dissipated and grew very faint. They all winced as if in pain and pulled back a few steps from the angels they were engaging.

  Still sitting on his horse in the center of his side of the battlefield, Satan also felt the pain and cried out in frustration. “Those useless humans have lost more of my slaves. Abodile, come to me.”

  The demon left the ranks and flew to Satan’s side.

  “Take one of our soldiers with you and go to the Crule compound and make sure that it is not lost to the humans. We need that power.”

  “Yes, my lord,” the demon replied, his head slightly bowed.

  Satan looked across his army to see that their power had been diminished. The red mist was still present but had lost its intensity. They were not attacking with the same speed as before, and that troubled him.

  “But before you go, I need you to finish something here. I’m afraid that these humans have outlived their usefulness. They’re now taking and wasting precious power that our soldiers need. Destroy them and get our power back,” ordered Satan as a grin grew on his face.

  The demon turned and flew back toward the front lines of the battle field. He gave out a beastlike roar mixed with an ancient demon tongue. All the demons turned and looked at him and then turned and looked at the humans. Evil grins grew on their faces as they turned on the men that they had been fighting alongside. They attacked the Leviathan with no remorse or hesitation.

  The humans tried to fight back, but they were no match for the demons’ supernatural power and speed.

  The angels stepped back and watched in disgust. One of them turned to Tekel and asked, “Sir, should we help the humans?”

  “No. Leave them to their fate. We warned them,” answered Tekel, sorrow gripping his heart.

  The angels collected themselves, reformed their defensive lines, and watched in deep disappointment as the last of the humans were killed by Satan’s army. The red mist covered the battle field as it poured from the dead bodies of the fallen Leviathan. This caused the demons to regain much of their strength. They breathed in the mist and the death and destruction; their eyes blazed as they turned their attention back to the angels.

  “Attack!” screamed Sa
tan, and his army of demons re-engaged their heavenly enemies.

  In another star system Helion team six worked desperately to escape their failed rescue mission.

  “Retreat!” yelled a Helion soldier as he ran from a squadron of Leviathan who were chasing him down. A shot in the back took him down.

  The rest of his unit’s escape was cut off by ten other Leviathan. The men stood helpless with nowhere to go as they were executed. This happened at the same moment that the slave racks all around them dropped. The slaves screamed. The red mist completely filled the air and the collection chamber pulsated with intense red light.

  The angels and demons continued in their battle at the great gate. The speed of the sword fighting was incredibly fast as the demons were still filled with power from the death boost. The angels focused intensity just to keep up with their speed. Suddenly, the demons received another boost as the execution at another camp was successful. Their muscles flared and their eyes lit up with a bright-red light.

  “Another failed mission,” thought Tekel as he fought four demons at the same time.

  This boost in power didn’t phase the angels. They didn’t shrink back in fear but rather focused more intently on each and every blade thrust.

  Satan watched at a safe distance from the front lines. His eyes burned with rage as he saw the power and focus of his enemy. Despite the advantage that his army had from feeding on the pain and suffering of mankind, they were still far from reaching the portal. He began to fear that his battle would be lost. His mind drifted back to the war in heaven when he and his army lost and were expelled forever.

  Filled with rage and fear, he jumped from his horse and flew toward Tekel in the front lines. Satan roared as he neared the battle line. Tekel heard him and jumped into flight to meet him in mid-air. They clashed directly above the river. They each pulled their swords and engaged in sword fighting that was faster and more intense than any other on the battle field. Shreds of fire and bolts of lightning flew across the battlefield as their blades collided.