by Luigi Robles
“Approach the enemy,” Fain said as he began to accelerate Sodenia with its main rear thrusters. “Radio One, you stay put. You’ll have plenty of range from there.”
“Radio One staying put,” Elenon said as his name appeared on the digital screen on Fain’s command console.
“Did the Vieron Vasteos make it back in one piece?” Fain asked rapidly.
“We have received all positive indications that it has,” Elenon said.
“Keep it on standby,” Fain said.
“Understood,” Elenon said.
“Eora,” Fain said. “As soon as they come within range of the Fate cannons, let me know.”
The highlighted squares on the main viewing screen began to multiply and move, spreading out and turning the thin green line of squares into more of a rectangular shape.
“What’s happening, Kya?” Fain asked as he accelerated the ship, putting it far ahead of Earth’s fleet. Now the speed on his console read 350 thousand miles per hour and climbing. That was Sodenia’s top speed with its main rear engines without pushing it.
“It appears that the enemy has deployed some sort of smaller ships. At this range, they are barely trackable with our sensors. We cannot know for sure.”
“Meaning that the Armada is a lot larger than we originally thought?”
“We don’t know for sure at this point,” Kya said. “Our sensors haven’t been able to pick up the entirety of the Armada. They are attempting to use a defense mechanism.”
“Radio One, have all the drones’ weapons hot, shields up,” Fain said. “Fire as soon as you are within range. Aim for the ships at the center of their Armada.”
“Understood,” Elenon said.
Fain began to push Sodenia faster and faster through space, eating up the space between Sodenia and the Acram Armada. At this rate, Sodenia was far ahead of Earth’s fleet. And as the ship neared the enemy, the green rectangle composed of thousands of smaller rectangles moving about began to get larger.
Dammit! Fain thought. I’m not going to let them intimidate us. If either of us should be scared, it’s them. Because they’ve never faced someone like us. Fear works both ways.
“One hundred and twenty thousand miles and closing,” Eora said. “The Fate cannons are within range.”
“Shields up, fire at full power,” Fain said as he continued accelerating the ship towards the Acram fleet. “Get them ready.”
“Understood. Firing Sodenia’s Fate cannons at full power,” Eora said.
Fain felt a shrill of power passing through him, and a few seconds later, the Fate cannons erupted, their light obliterating his view, turning everything around him into light. Sodenia had just unleashed the full power of a star.
“Direct hit to the enemy fleet,” Kya said as the light began to dissipate. “A large number of enemy ships have been destroyed.”
Then, once the screen around him returned to normal and the green highlighted square reappeared, he saw exactly what he had hoped to see: a dark spot in the green square. This meant that Sodenia’s Fate cannons had punched a gap through the enemy’s fleet.
“Detecting enemy fire,” Eora said. “Although, they are not locked on to us.”
“We are just going to have to outrun it,” Fain said. “Buckle up.”
Fain accelerated Sodenia with everything it had, and the ship roared to life, pushing through space with the power of a star. He halved the distance between the Armada and Sodenia in a matter of seconds. The force of the brutal acceleration pushed Fain back into his seat.
Fain closed his eyes to try to clear his mind and think his next move through. Up until now, he had only imagined it as a possibility. Now, it was time to do it.
Point five the speed of light, Fain thought. That’s 93,000 and change miles a second. We are at 60,000 miles and closing. That will put me 30,000 miles away and on the other side of the enemy fleet. That’s well within range of the rest of Sodenia’s cannons. A second is all I need.
“Here we go,” Fain said as he opened his eyes and aimed the ship towards the gap the Fate cannons had created.
Fain stopped all engines and reached over to the Alcubierre lever. He waited to feel what the ship was doing, and then he slid the lever up to 0.5. He waited for the space in front of and behind the ship to distort. For a moment, he thought he saw himself flying through the Armada, ending additional ships as he passed, leaving a trail of destruction behind. When he saw the distortion happen, he moved the lever back. The space around him instantly returned to normal, and the highlighted green squares were no longer in front of him.
Sodenia was still moving further away from the enemy armada, as inertia kept the ship moving at a tremendous speed, even after Fain had disengaged the FTL drive. He immediately turned on the main and side engines and began to turn the ship around aggressively towards the enemy Armada. As the ship turned, he felt himself being pushed against the left side of the pilot’s seat.
He knew that he had overshot, but at first, he didn’t know by just how much. Turning the ship around was his priority. As the ship finished turning, he looked at the screen and saw the distance between them and the Armada: it was 56,000 miles.
Damn, only the larger cannons can reach the Armada at this distance, he thought. We need to get back within range, and we need to get back there fast, before the enemy gets a chance to turn around.
Sodenia now pointed towards the enemy fleet once again. Fain let the ship’s engines erupt back to life with maximum power. The ship blasted its way towards the Armada, pushing Fain back into his pilot seat and taking them within range for all Sodenia’s weapons in a matter of seconds.
“Eora, let them have it,” Fain said as he continued to close the gap. “Fire all weaponry within range, deploy all drones, and keep them away from our bow. Leave the large cannons on standby. Wait for my signal.”
“At once,” Eora said.
Most of Sodenia’s weapons, except for the short-range Gatling turrets, lit up and began to fire at the enemy ships. Soon, a wall of fire blazed as the enemy’s shields were breached under Sodenia’s heavy fire. The wall of explosions that the cannons were creating wasn’t all that he was able to see. Behind it, he saw a much larger wall of ships, ranging from all shapes and sizes. He saw the true form of the enemy—a behemoth of destruction.
Fain angled the ship and began to move back alongside the Acram’s fleet as half of it scrambled to turn around. Fain could see the confusion between them.
For a race that pride themselves on their language and their ability to communicate, this is pretty pathetic, Fain thought as the Acram struggled to break formation so that some of the ships could turn towards Sodenia. No, I shouldn’t think this way. There’s going to be more. Never underestimate your enemy.
Then a swarm of smaller ships began heading towards Sodenia. They were making their way back through the many thousands of ships, breaking formation from the much larger Armada ships.
“We have engaged the enemy,” Elenon said.
“Give it your best,” Fain said.
“Kya, how are you holding up?” Fain asked, knowing that Kya was doing a lot of the drone operation heavy lifting.
“We’ve just started,” Kya said. “But so has the enemy. We have yet to lose a drone. It appears as if their pilots are relying on their ship’s brute strength. Outmaneuvering is achievable.”
Things are about to get wild around these parts of space. I need to look for their biggest ship and blow it into a million pieces, Fain thought as he began looking for the largest Acram ship. That must be where their leader is. Maybe then we’ll have a chance.
Fain angled the ship even more, facing a mere twenty degrees away from the Armada’s formation.
“Eora,” Fain said. “Fire the Fate cannons.”
The Fate cannons fired once again, and the screens all around him flooded the command room with light. Fain felt the ship get pushed further back due to the power of the main cannons. When the view returned to the com
mand room, Fain was elated by what he saw. The cannons had made a clear-cut line through the enemy’s fleet, destroying hundreds upon hundreds in one go. The Fate cannons had also left the shields of the nearby ships weakened, making it possible for Sodenia’s larger cannons to inflict serious damage. The swarm of small enemy ships was also gone. Chaos was beginning to ensue within the enemy’s fleet as ships began crashing into each other. But the battle was far from over. That much he knew, that much was certain, as another swarm of ships headed his way.
“Keep the Fate cannons charged,” Fain said as he began to stop the ship’s backward movement.
“Keeping them charged, Captain,” Eora said.
“We have a chance,” Fain murmured as he fired up the rear engines, starting to accelerate forward once again. “We have a real chance, and I’m taking that chance.”
Fain had thought that the enemy ships would be invincible, somehow stronger than anything they had ever faced before. But now there was hope, hope in the form of a powerful alien ship piloted by humans. Now there was Sodenia.
Saavan gazed out of the main viewer of the Iveria in the top row of the Golden Armada. He was rather impressed with the display of power he was seeing from the enemy. This time the enemy had grit, and this time the enemy had real power. He knew if they had been evenly matched, he would already have lost the fight. They were not looking to simply survive, to save themselves; they were fighting to rid themselves of a plague. But little did they know that they could not stand in the way of a true monster.
Although they are brave, Saavan thought, their failure is inevitable. All will fail in the end.
“Sir,” Dorania, an Acram commanding an arms station, yelled out loud.
“What is it?”
“Some of the Nobles are going against your orders and taking their ships to engage with the marked flagship of the enemy fleet.”
“Let them,” Saavan said dismissively, waving a hand behind him. “It’s their existence on the line. If by any chance they survive, which I doubt, I will deal with them personally.”
Saavan first wanted to decimate the puny welcome fleet this space sector had put together, a rather insignificant task once the bulk of the Acram Armada got within range of their main weapons. And he wanted to leave their flagship—the ship from the Soden, the Herrion race’s champion; the ship that the elders had scoured space for, the ship he had heard so much about—for last.
“Sir,” Dorania said. “There is something else.”
“What is it?” Saavan asked. “Is it more treachery?”
“It’s Noble Maeera, sir,” Dorania said. “It appears her ship has broken formation and is heading this way.”
“Advise her to stay in formation,” Saavan said, “or deal with the consequences.”
“Yes, sir, at once.”
As Saavan gazed out into the battle zone and saw the enemy fleet engage with his own, he was enthralled with what he saw. Other than the Herrion, never before had they faced a foe that could hold a candle to the might of the Armada. And yet here was a relatively new race putting up a grand fight. It was as if they were born for war, shaped by it. A fine addition to the Acram subspecies, no doubt. But—
“Sir,” Dorania said, interrupting Saavan’s thoughts.
“What is it now?” Saavan said as he half-turned towards Dorania.
“Sir, we have attempted all forms of communication with Noble Maeera’s ship, but they are not responding. It appears the Noble’s ship was severely damaged by the enemy’s flagship in their last high-power blast.”
“One of thousands,” Saavan said nonchalantly. He worried little about the Acram that weren’t a direct part of his own section of the fleet.
“Sir, but now Noble Maeera’s ship is on a collision course with the Iveria. Should we change course?”
If she wants to come on board so badly, so be it, Saavan thought.
“No, deploy a full repair and docking team. Do your best to dock the ship securely, and if Maeera asks for me, let her through.”
“Yes, sir.”
The truth was that the fleet was lacking its usual discipline because of what the elders had inculcated in Maeera. She had made sure to spread distrust and fear amongst the Acram Armada and Nobles. After her first few attempts, Saavan had learned of her treachery when high-ranking Nobles came to his side and told him what Maeera was up to. But instead of cutting the sickness at it source, Saavan encouraged it and let it run rampant within the Armada. He wanted to see just how many Nobles and Acram would actually turn on him.
As the list of doubtful Acram grew, the formation of the Golden Armada changed. He placed all those Nobles and their armies at the center of the formation, the most likely part for the enemy to attack.
“Sir, we are suffering heavy losses at the vanguard and rear. Many of our ships are being destroyed by their flagship. The center ships are asking for reinforcements.”
“But are we advancing?” Saavan asked.
“Yes, sir, but it is a high cost.”
“A cost that we can still afford to pay. Send out a message. Reinforcements will come in due time. Tell them to keep up the good fight. For the good of the Acram, for the cause.”
Saavan wasn’t planning to send any help. Those that were engaged with the enemy fleet were all Nobles that had conspired or were thinking of conspiring against him. There was no room for elder loyalists in Saavan’s plans.
He was well aware that if he wanted to, he could end the fight between the two fleets in mere moments just by using the full force of the Golden Armada.
“Sir, Noble Maeera is requesting entrance to the bridge. She has three guards by her side.”
“I’ve already instructed you once on what to do if she requested entrance.”
“You have, sir, but what of her guards?”
“It’s all the same. Leave us,” Saavan said without looking away from the battle.
Dorania and the nine other Acram manning their posts scurried out of the large room without hesitation, and in came Maeera and her two guards. Saavan didn’t turn to look at them; he just knew that they were there.
“Saavan,” Maeera screamed moments after she entered. “You did this to my ship. You did this to my warriors. You are a disgrace to the Acram cause.”
“You’ve come all this way just to yell at me?” Saavan asked without looking away from the battle.
“No, no, no,” Maeera said. “I’ve come to take the Golden Armada from you and give it back to the elders, the real saviors of our world.”
“So, you’ve come here to kill me?” Saavan asked, uninterested. “Your time would be better spent following my orders. At least it wouldn’t be a wasted effort.”
“How dare you? How dare you not look at me? Look at what you’ve done. Look at me,” she yelled. “Noble Saavan, look at me.”
“How dare I?” Saavan asked as he finally turned. Maeera was wounded, and her armor was broken on her right side. She bled as she stood a few body lengths away from Saavan. Her bodyguards were not wounded, however, and they were just about the largest Acram he had ever seen. “How dare I what? How dare I dedicate my entire life to this irrational cause? How dare I take whole worlds away from civilizations? How dare I destroy everything I touch on behalf of the greater wisdom of the elders? Since you took the elders’ side in hopes of gaining power, you clearly understand little about what’s really going on. Abandon your undertaking to the elders, and I will spare your life and show you the true vision for the Acram.”
“The elders warned me about you,” Maeera said with contempt. “They warned me that you would try to brainwash me, that I would feel confused in your presence. They were right.”
“That is the only attempt I will make to save your life,” Saavan said as he turned back to the main viewer. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I will begin to end this battle.”
“Saavan,” Maeera screamed, her voice rising to a shriek. “Slay the traitor.”
The guards launched towards S
aavan, attempting to use the Acro language against him. But he was quick and easily got out of the way of the small waveforms.
Out of everything Maeera had said to Saavan, the word “traitor” had hurt the most. If anything, Saavan thought of himself as the real savior of his race, the one who would liberate the Acram from the chains of war and a lifetime of suffering. He had sacrificed his whole life to never tire, never be weak, never waver from his belief.
“Scatter,” Saavan yelled in the ancient language as he turned to face the incoming guards.
The guards yelled in pain as they fell limp to the floor. Mere moments later, pools of blood formed all around them, marking the end of their lives. Scatter was one of the most painful ways an Acram could kill another using the ancient language. It made the receiving body break and tear into a million pieces from the inside while leaving the brain for last.
Saavan had said that he wouldn’t make another effort to save Maeera’s life, but he also wouldn’t deliberately move a muscle to slay her. He would leave it entirely up to Maeera herself. For all Saavan cared, she could just walk away. He wouldn’t pursue her, nor would he treat her any differently. This was her chance.
But it looked as if she had already made up her mind. She wasn’t backing down.
“Let’s see how you do against a Noble,” Maeera said as she launched towards Saavan. Her mouth was already making clicking noises, priming itself to use the ancient language. “Your bones will break—”
“Sleeping death,” Saavan said in Acro with all his might, before Maeera was able to finish her command.
Saavan ran towards Maeera, catching her body before she hit the floor, and then slowly laying her upon it. He had given her the kindest death any Acram could ask for, the same kind of death he would have given to a treasured one. Her body would slowly and painlessly begin losing its life as the organs went numb.
“I am sorry, Maeera,” Saavan whispered.
Another immense beam of light shot across the main viewer of the ship and quickly disappeared into space. A shockwave of explosions followed, and the Iveria tumbled out of formation. The ship shook, and its heavy construction groaned underneath the stress. As the ship tumbled in space, Saavan grabbed hold of Maeera’s body so that nothing would happen to it. Moments later, the ship slowed, and it began to make its way towards the formation.