by Luigi Robles
“That won’t be a problem.”
“Great,” Truman said as his orb got a bit closer to Fain. “We’ll leave you to it, Fain.”
“Before you leave, General Truman, I do have one request.”
“And what is that?”
“Recall all non-essential ESAF personnel on board the fleet, including Sodenia.”
“Are you sure?” Truman said. “That will basically eliminate your twenty-four-hour shift. You might end up overworking the crew.”
“I’ll have Larissa go over the logistics with you,” Fain said. “We’ll be keeping full crews in the receiving areas of the ships until our goals are met. Once we’re ready to depart, they too will be recalled.”
Fain purposely made the request to Truman on the bridge; that way he could keep the questions to a minimum. Fain figured he could evade Truman’s questions for a few days, or at least until he came up with a good excuse not to have a full crew on board.
“Alright,” Truman said with a sigh. “We’ll start that process right away. But I do expect a full briefing on the matter.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t mention it,” Truman said as his orb turned off.
“Fain,” Green said as his orb also neared. “I want to remind you that we’re one hundred percent behind you. With that said, we’re only here to guide you as best we can and nothing more. There’s going to come a time when you’ll be the only one to make the right decision. Keep that in mind. For everything else, just let us know. Keep us up to date.”
Fain nodded, and Green’s orb also turned off.
“Larissa?”
“Yes, Captain?”
“Come up with a plan to make the space elevator as efficient as possible so we can get as many ESAF officers off the fleet’s ships as we can at one time. We need the devices in and supplies in and more than half of the officers out. Get August to help you.”
August nodded.
“The rest of the captains in the fleet aren’t going to like this.”
“That’s OK,” Fain said with a smile. “Let them know that the order comes from me directly. Once you get it all figured out, coordinate with the fleet’s captains and ship GMs and let Truman know.”
“I’ll do my best.” Larissa turned and began walking towards her station; August followed.
“Alright, let’s get to it,” Fain said as he moved towards the center console and pulled up the map that Saavan had given him. He was already sick of the map, but he had to push through. “We don’t know how long we have, but whatever time we do have, let’s make sure to use all of it.”
Alexander Green leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh, trying to detach himself from what he had seen on Sodenia’s bridge. He knew that Truman would come knocking on his door any minute. Alex no longer shared an office with Truman. Thanks to the building technology left behind by the Ochilenes, along with government and private funding, ESAF was able to have proper buildings constructed in record time.
Unlike Truman’s office, Alex preferred a more modern looked. He adopted the minimalism aesthetic and often had nothing on top of his desk but what he needed for the task at hand. The minimalism made his office look larger than Truman’s, although they were the same size.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Alex said, knowing that it could only be Truman.
Truman walked in, took off his hat and pulled out a chair for himself in front of Alex’s desk.
“Yeah, please take a seat,” Alex said with a mocking tone. “Why not?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Truman said as he placed his hat on top of Alex’s desk. “Well, what do you think?”
“Where to even start? The things we thought we knew about humans have suddenly disappeared. And just when I thought we were getting close to understanding our place in the galaxy.”
“Yeah, the bar got raised pretty high this time around. But let’s not beat around the bush. As remarkable as the history of humanity now is, talking about it won’t help us at all in the coming battle. It looks like your boy made up his mind. He’s going.”
“I get the feeling that his mind has been made up for a while now. We are just learning about it because it’s our turn to act.”
“You do realize that getting rid of more than half of the people on board the fleet is going to put them at a severe disadvantage if they end up facing an enemy in the space landing zone.”
“I fear that if we faced the enemy in the space landing zone,” Alex said, scratching his beard, “it would be disastrous for all the fleet’s ships. This way, there will be a lot fewer lives at risk. Fain is being smart about this; he’s making space in the ships so that all personnel can fit easily in one ship if need be. There’s no guarantee of coming back from where they’re going.”
“That’s true. Though one thing does worry me.”
“And what’s that?”
“That your theory comes to fruition and he wants to go alone. He’ll be able to do it if the ships are more than half empty.”
“I know Fain, and the only thing that’s for sure is that young man won’t be wanting to lose. He will fight, and he will fight with everything that’s inside of him in order to win. He will weigh his chances, his advantages and disadvantages, and in the end he will do whatever gives humanity the best chance of surviving this whole thing. We are lucky to have him.”
“I hope you’re right on this. It’s a huge gamble you’re taking on him, and it’s the only chance we have. You’re the mastermind behind this operation.”
“Sodenia might be the Herrion champion, but Fain and his crew are our champions. We should have faith in them. We must believe that they’ll be able to pull this off.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right on that. Each one of them is the best we’ve got. Do you have anything to drink?”
Alex got up from his desk and went to his mini fridge, where he kept a bucket of ice and chilled drinks; next to the fridge there were several room-temperature drinks. He took the bucket out of the fridge and placed it on the credenza.
“What will you be having?” Alex asked as he half-turned towards Truman.
“Let me have some of that good stuff. Whiskey never fails.”
13
Unbreachable
Saavan was standing where he spent most of his time while on board the Iveria: in front of the main viewer. But this time there was no empty space to stare at. The majority of his view was walled by ships belonging to the Acram and their subspecies. Close to twenty-nine loyal subspecies had gone to aid the Acram in their efforts to hold the enemy back. He was proud of the unity they were ultimately able to achieve, but in his gut, he knew that it still wouldn’t be enough.
He had felt them coming from a vast distance away; the news of the Immortals appearing on the ship’s instruments only served to confirm just that. Though he had suspected they would come, he did not budge. There were no last-minute adjustments to make with the countless ships. He wanted to face the enemy head-on.
For a brief moment, he thought about contacting Captain Fain Jegga, to ask him what fate he had chosen, since in a few moments they would lose all communication. But then he thought better of it. He would leave their path their own, though he hoped that whatever path that may be would lead to the end of the Immortals.
He knew within himself that it was time to learn whether his life had prepared him for this moment. Whatever he was meant to be, he would be; whatever waited for him, he would find. It was time.
“Noble Saavan,” Galeah said as she opened yet another screen next to the seven she had opened earlier. “We’re now picking the enemy up on our instruments. I can confirm with certainty that it’s them. Awaiting orders, sir.”
“It’s time to find out our real place in the galaxy,” Saavan said without looking away from the main view screen. “Send one hundred of our fastest ships to greet them, weapons ready, and instruct them to block all incoming communication. Have them r
eport on their findings, and if they can make it back without engaging the enemy, tell them to do so.”
Moments later, Saavan saw a group of ships disengaging from the formation and accelerating into the darkness.
“Have everyone else ready for battle,” Saavan said. “Shields at maximum, weapons ready. As soon as we hear from the scouts, engage the signal scrambles.”
The Acram answer to the Immortals’ ability to control other machines was to deploy signal scramblers. There were scramblers all around the battlefield, a couple of units attached to every single ship in the massive fleet. The Acram engineers believed that without a clear incoming signal, taking control of another machine would be challenging, if not impossible. When the contingency plan was first proposed, many loopholes were found, and in order for the signal scramblers to really work, extra steps would need to be taken. The signal scramblers would scramble all forms of incoming signals, including those between ships, and each one of the scramblers would have to be turned on manually.
In addition to the high-capacity scramblers, all ships had to be physically tethered to each other for communication. It was the only way they stood a fighting chance against the Immortals’ superior control of machines.
“Begin tethering the ships,” Saavan said.
Spools of fibers unfurled and stretched from ship to ship, interlocking all the ships in the fleet in one giant web.
Saavan knew that tethering the ships to one another would severely limit the fleet’s maneuverability, but it was a necessary sacrifice. Other war tactics would have to compensate for this handicap.
“The scouts have made contact with the enemy,” Galeah said, “and are now engaged in battle. There appear to be thousands of them. I have yet to get a clear number.”
“Instruct the scouts to get back into formation if possible,” Saavan said. “Don’t wait for the exact number.”
“Engaging signal scramblers now,” Galeah said as her hands glided across the many battle screens.
Small shuttles all over the soon-to-be battlefield were heading towards the signal scramblers. Dozens and hundreds of scramblers began to light up with red lights.
“Scramblers fully engaged,” Galeah said as she closed two windows. “We’ve lost all detection instruments. The enemy is not in sight.”
“They will be here soon, and they will come at us with everything they’ve got. Have the rest of the Nobles and High Acram switch to manual instruments, and advise our subspecies to do the same. Engage at will, detether at will. Do not hold back. Ready the Iveria’s weapons as well.”
Saavan couldn’t remember the last time the Iveria had fired a single shot during a conflict.
“All ships have confirmed switching to manual,” Galeah said as her hands slowed down while working the different screens. “There’s still no sign of the enemy or of our scout ships.”
Then, in the distance, Saavan saw a handful of scout ships flying over and under the fleet’s formation. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. If this was any other enemy, he would be looking out in every direction, but this wasn’t any other enemy. They would come, and when they did so, they would do it head-on. Saavan knew that much, for the Immortals feared nothing.
“A scout ship has managed to tether itself to the fleet,” Galeah said. “They are reporting tens of thousands of Immortals.”
Saavan said nothing.
“Noble?”
“It changes nothing, regardless of the number. We stay put. They will not pass.”
“Understood.”
In silence, they waited until a faint gray glow appeared in the distance. Their calm and casual formation sent chills through Saavan. There was no strategy to their formation; they were wide open, almost as if they wanted to be attacked.
The many thousands of dreadnoughts in the fleet, the ships with the longest weapons range, began to fire their weapons, lighting up the space before them. Soon their accumulative fire formed a type of sphere around the enemy.
Slowly, all the ships that were in range of the incoming enemy began to join in; even the Iveria had the chance to join. The torrent of firepower increased exponentially, but the enemy kept coming. Then Saavan saw what was happening. It wasn’t a shield holding back the firepower; they were warping the space immediately around them, sending the hot plasma beams and lasers around and behind them with ease.
“Cease fire,” Saavan said, in the hopes of further understanding what was going on.
It was too late. In the blink of an eye, the machines were already among them, causing carnage amongst the fleet left and right. The fleet’s energy shields turned out to be no match for the sentient beings. After a few moments in front of a ship’s shield, a machine would simply glide in and begin attacking the ship, destroying it within seconds. Some of the machines went straight for the scramblers, and although they were heavily protected, they were quickly destroyed.
It was as if the enemy knew exactly what to do to counter the fleet. Saavan had expected as much; after all, they had been around as sentient beings since the first time life had formed in the galaxy.
“Noble, the enemy is hitting us hard,” Galeah said as she began to breathe harder. “Our fleet is being destroyed at an outstanding rate. What are your orders?”
“Do you see any big ships? Any massive weapon?”
“I do not.”
“Then there is nothing immediate to worry about,” Saavan said, unmoving from his position. “Unless a superior weapon shows up, the battle is just getting started. Keep your composure.”
“I understand. My trust is in you, Noble Saavan.”
“Your trust should be in yourself, but enough of this. Let’s show them that we too can fight back. Engage at will.”
Words of consolation, Saavan half-believed. He knew that without a true understanding of the enemy, the chances of coming out of this alive were nil.
“At once,” Galeah said, sounding surer of herself.
“Magnify view screen; focus on the nearest set of machines.”
Moments later, the main view screen zoomed in on a small group of machines heavily engaged with destroyer-class ships.
Ever observant, Saavan saw something different this time around. The machines were no longer warping space as a means of evading the fire. Now they were using their smaller size and greater speed to their advantage. The fire the fleet directed at them was vast, but the machines didn’t seem afraid to take some of the hits head-on. The direct hits turned their wing-like satellites red hot, and parts of their pointy bodies were also searing hot. That could only mean one thing: the space warping could only be done with the combined effort of many Immortals together. How many? Saavan didn’t know.
“Instruct the fleet to keep them separated by any means possible.”
“At once.”
Separated or not, it almost didn’t seem to matter, as the machines were not taking any visible damage, while the ships around the Immortals were going up in flames.
In what had to be a move of desperation from one of the higher ranking Acram, Saavan saw an entire destroyer detether and crash into a group of machines, crushing them against a carrier-class ship. Luckily for the carrier-class ship, its shields were able to hold back the destroyer. The situation wasn’t as fortunate for the destroyer, as its front was severely damaged. Moments later, the damaged destroyer began to open fire, unleashing powerful attacks against the fleet. Luckily for most of the fleet, those attacks were stopped in their tracks by the ships’ shields.
“Point the Iveria’s weapon at that rogue ship and destroy it.”
“Sir, it appears not to be able to penetrate the other ships’ shields, sir.”
Galeah’s heart was her greatest weakness, as well as her greatest strength. She would make a great leader if not a great tactician. Saavan understood her reasoning in giving him additional information about the rogue destroyer. It was kindhearted of her to try to prolong the lives of one or two Acram on board that ship. But Saavan’s li
felong and firsthand experience on the battlefield told him better. He suspected that the few Acram that were still alive aboard the rogue destroyer would die long and painful deaths at the hands of the machines or the vacuum of space.
“The way to end that sentence correctly is by using the word ‘yet,’” Saavan said calmly. “The ship isn’t able to penetrate any of the other ships’ shields yet.”
“There could be Acram still alive on that ship.”
“Galeah, there’s no telling what exactly the Immortals can do with one of our ships. It’s too much of a risk to take.”
“Is there no other way?” Galeah pleaded. “Please just tell me that, otherwise I won’t be able to live with myself.”
War wasn’t pretty; war wasn’t nice. War was a mechanism of pure destruction for all parties involved. The only difference between winning and losing was how many would get to live, but both sides had to pay a terrible cost. It was time to show Galeah both sides of war.
“Fine,” Saavan said as he half-turned towards Galeah for the first time since the machines were spotted. “Communications are down for all untethered ships. You can send out a scout ship and try to search for any survivors. But whose lives do you value more—those you want to rescue or those who you’re sending on what could be a one-way mission?” He turned back to face the battle, arms crossed. “Furthermore, what will happen if more of the scramblers are destroyed and the machines are able to communicate freely? And let’s say they perform that little trick they do and open our ships’ shields. How many shots do you think it would take from the rogue destroyer’s main cannons to destroy one of our ships? Not very many. We’ll soon have a perfectly synchronized extermination on our hands.”
“Ordering the destruction of the rogue ship, Noble,” Galeah barely managed to say. She looked saddened and shocked by the whole thing.
But that wasn’t enough to make Saavan waver in the true greatness and potential he saw in her. She would be the end of all Acram wars.
