Those of the Pandora fleet who were broadside to broadside with the Jukal unleashed needles and spell formations from the portals that were above and below their ships, as well as fire from their cannons.
The Pandora fleet let out several barrages. The Jukal were sent into chaos before the Pandora fleet surged with power and teleported away. The bastion was the last to do so, covering their retreat.
They hadn’t been able to do it before, for fear that one of their ships would be left behind. Now that the bastion was there, it could withstand being hammered and cover the Pandora fleet as they shot off into the distance.
Penetrator spell formations shone with Mana as they punched holes into the Jukal fleet. Barriers, gravity missiles, two-stage missiles, needles, and more tore at the Jukal. Teleport point missiles activated their grand working.
The bastion activated its portals, becoming a bridge between the teleport points and Gunboat Isle.
The teleport points around the Jukal fleet and inside it was spewing fountains of fire and spell formations, the Jukal fighting against what emerged while the Pandora fleet was well out of range.
Two hours later, the Pandora fleet did it again, transitioning in again and unleashing hell before teleporting away. Teleportation point grand workings were hidden in the snake-like grouping of missiles, allowing the bastion to once again act as a bridge.
This wasn’t a battle; it was an extermination as they ground down the Jukal as if they were nothing but simple mobs.
As crews got tired, they switched out with fresh crews in the asteroid base. Emerilia didn’t have many ships, but they had plenty of trained people who stepped up.
With every attack, the overseer mages talked on every channel, giving the Jukal terms for surrender.
With each attack, more of the Pandora ships would be cleared for action and join in, while more of the Jukal ships were destroyed.
The Pandora fleet evolved a strategy that allowed them to only teleport in for a few seconds, dropping off a salvo of missiles before disappearing once again.
After three attacks, there were more broken ships than there were functional. The remaining ships didn’t have the room for all of the Jukal. That was when they started to surrender. After the fourth attack, the Emerilians held position; destroyers moved in toward the Jukal that were surrendering. Teleportation spells pulled them into the destroyers, where Devastator-armored ground forces secured them with sealing magic and sent them through a portal back to Emerilia.
With the events of Myths and Legends and the portals opening on Emerilia, the planet had been thrown into disarray. However, with the Jukal, they now gained new helpers. But the Jukal weren’t used to hard labor and they hadn’t undergone nanite enhancement like the people of Emerilia and the players. They were about the same strength as the children after Bob raised everyone to be his champions.
The Pandora fleet paused their efforts, recovering their lost strength with satisfaction and not a little relief.
Dave looked over the fleet, and felt the auras of those within the command center with him. They were like a pack of wolves, licking their wounds and looking at their wounded prey as it limped away, the last of their strength fading.
“It might be cheap as hell, but I’m here to abuse the system,” Dave muttered to himself. As if hearing his words, notifications started to appear.
Quest: Friend of the Grey God Level 8
Free Emerilia
Rewards: Unlock Level 9 Quest
+10 to stats (stacks with previous class levels)
+800,000 EXP
Class: Friend of the Grey God
Status:
Level 9
Effects:
+90 to all stats
Access to hidden quests.
Access to the Imperial Carrier Datskun
Quest: Friend of the Grey God Level 9
Defeat the Jukal Empire
Rewards: Unlock Level 10 Quest
Increase to stats
Quest Completed: Bleeder Level 7
Free Emerilia
Rewards: Unlock Level 8 Quest
+10 increase to stats (stacks with previous class levels)
+700,000 EXP
Class: Bleeder
Status:
Level 7
Effects:
+70 to all stats
Ability to use Jukal Link
Quest: Bleeder Level 8
Defeat the Jukal Empire
Rewards: Unlock Level 9 Quest
Increase to stats
***
The Jukal emperor was raging around his room. He had accidentally killed three of his concubines; the others cowered away from him. The first person to enter the room he’d simply gestured to—their body exploded into gore that covered the floors and doors.
It had taken five subsequent attacks from the Emerilians, over the space of two days, to sap the fighting spirit of the Jukal invasion fleet.
The Jukal officers had been only using the fleet as a way to give rise to their position within the empire. Seeing so many of their fellows die and being hounded by the Emerilians, not knowing when they would die, they’d surrendered.
The destroyers had moved in under the cover of the entire fleet as they moved ship by ship, having the Jukal exit the ships and then teleport them away, never to be seen again.
Once the ships were cleared of Jukal, the ground fighting forces of the Pandora Initiative got to work, being dropped onto the ships by the destroyers they moved through, making sure that there was no one left and then taking command of the ships. A ship-sized portal was pulled out from a battleship and was under construction when the feeds to the Jukal ships were cut by the Devastator ground forces in the ships.
The emperor, for the first time in a long time, was actually on his feet. His body contained power that was many times greater than the members of the Pantheon.
With his power and AI, he was unstoppable.
“Nephew,” the emperor’s uncle said softly.
The emperor let out another roar and punched out at a wall. The force of his fist moving through air turned into a tempest that tore through the wall. The emperor looked to his uncle, his eyes red as his upper chest/neck pulsed in and out and his tongue moved wildly in anger.
The room had been cleared of everyone else, his uncle dismissing them and the door being closed behind him.
“How did this happen! I ordered them to win!” the emperor barked.
“Now is not the time to focus on the battles that have been had, but the ones that are to come,” the emperor’s uncle said.
“We’ve lost dozens of systems.” The emperor waved his hand casually. A screen appeared in the air, showing videos of the Terra Alliance’s and Pandora Initiative’s ground forces crushing the defenses and the fighting forces that were in their path as Deq’ual ships controlled the orbitals and the arks rested in the air, dropping off more and more ground forces. “Why won’t they just stop! It’s so annoying!”
The emperor went on to wreck other priceless heirlooms that were thousands of years old.
“The next battle will be within the Jukal system,” the emperor’s uncle said.
“When?” the emperor demanded.
“I don’t know. We need to do something to force their hand so that they will attack faster rather than later. Do something that will make them have to come fight us here. If they come here, then we have all of our defenses and your army to defeat them,” the emperor’s uncle said.
The light in the emperor’s eyes dimmed slightly as he seemed to consider his uncle’s words.
“Ahh!” The emperor let out another bellow. A pillar of light shot out from him, shooting through the ceiling. The light passed through several floors of the emperor’s ancestral mansion, to be seen from orbit and by those on the planet, turning the night of the Jukal home world into day.
His uncle’s face didn’t even flicker at the destruction or power that the emperor had unleashed, as if it was all to be e
xpected.
“Uncle! We shall bring them to the Jukal home system and we will destroy them!” the emperor bellowed.
“Very well, Nephew. In the meantime, do you wish to look over your army?” the emperor’s uncle said.
The emperor let out a harrumph but the power surging through his body dimmed and a bit of excitement showed on his face.
“If the Emerilians make it here, then I will be able to watch my army defeat them! Maybe it won’t be so bad! We should make sure that we capture it all. I don’t want to miss it!” The emperor now had a beaming smile on his face as he happily followed his uncle.
Chapter 12: Take That, Jukal
Josh looked out over Terra. People could be heard cheering; bars were open and people were dancing in the streets as bards and bands tried to outdo one another in spreading cheer.
The tension that had been sitting over Terra and Emerilia for the last couple of weeks had been broken. People finally left behind that fear as information came in about the Pandora fleet’s victory over the Jukal invasion fleet. Now there was only the fleet that was hiding in the Jukal home system that could threaten Emerilia. All across Emerilia, similar celebrations were rocking the cities and nations of the world.
There was a pop inside the command center as someone pulled out a bottle of champagne, the cork flying off as someone else produced glasses.
Cassie moved toward Josh, receiving some champagne on the way as Josh pulled out a beer from his bag, specially brewed by Dave.
“Cheers.” She reached out her glass toward him.
“Cheers.” Josh tapped his bottle against her glass as they turned to look over Terra.
The people in the command center who had been wound up tight since the beginning of the Myths and Legends event now finally let their inhibitions go as they drank and celebrated.
“So, we’ve defeated the Jukal Empire,” Cassie said, her words carrying a note of disbelief.
“We haven’t beaten them yet. We’ve just gained time for us to prepare for the last battle. We won’t be the only ones. The Jukal know most of our tricks now and they’re going to be ready for us,” Josh said.
“But for the moment, there’s no invasion fleet coming our way; we have removed any Jukal influence from thirty-seven star systems. The people there are starting to come to support us. With the videos of our victory, more of them will cast off the Jukal Empire.” Cassie sipped from her champagne.
Josh took a long draw from his beer and leaned on the balcony’s railing, taking in the moment and looking at a free Emerilia. “We did it—five hundred years and we did it,” Josh said softly.
Cassie didn’t have any words for him and chose to rest her head on his shoulder.
He smiled at her, putting his arm around her waist. Josh knew that this wasn’t the end, but for today, he wanted to celebrate being free.
***
The Pandora fleets continued to capture more Jukal, shipping them to Emerilia. Ships covered in battle damage passed through the ship portals and entered the asteroid base, where they were escorted to empty slips to be evaluated or repaired.
Frank looked over the asteroid base. There were more ships under construction than ever before. Ships that had been badly damaged were in parts, with automatons and techs working to get them back into fighting condition. Well, the automatons were—the techs and shipbuilders were all celebrating, waving wildly at the returning ships.
Frank looked at them and realized they were waving at the BloodHawk, at the people inside, at him. It was an odd thing to see and realize, but unknowingly his body relaxed as he sank back into his seat slightly.
Navigation guided them into a slip; soul gem umbilicals reached out to secure them. Techs cast spells on the ship, getting a better idea of the damage as the teleport pads inside the ship linked up to the asteroid base.
“All right, keep an eye out for upcoming orders. We’ll be operating in quarter-strength shifts. See your chain of command for leave,” Captain Xiao said.
Frank got a message, telling him that he was off for the next three days, with him needing to report to the BloodHawk afterward. He quickly passed his station off to those who were staying aboard the ship, then used the teleport pad to exit the BloodHawk. As he did so, he and the other members of the BloodHawk were greeted by cheers.
The people of the asteroid base were out in full force, cheering and congratulating all of those who returned from the fighting.
Frank couldn’t stop a smile from covering his face as he laughed. A bottle of something was passed to him. He took a deep swig, letting out a gasp as he passed the fiery dwarven whiskey to whoever was behind him and continued onward.
All of the bases for both Emerilia and the Deq’ual system were celebrating.
***
Party Zero’s celebrating was a little lower keyed—well, except for Gurren, Lox, and Steve, who were using the hell out of the Stone Raiders’ free teleport pad pass to get to every party they could find across all of the linked systems and bases.
They were in Dave and Deia’s home in Cliff-Hill, gathered together, eating food, having a few drinks, and falling into conversations with one another.
Dave and Bob sat along the side of what was now Dave’s shed, sitting on its porch and looking out over Cliff-Hill.
“Seems so long ago when you appeared on this porch in your recliner.” Dave smiled as he looked to Bob.
“Ah, you were nothing but a new player making a house and trying to get away from it all. Seems you’re still doing that.” Bob tilted his glass to Dave in salute.
Dave just laughed and continued to sit there, looking at Emerilia.
“People are already starting to come back from Ice Planet and the asteroid base,” Bob said. “Without the threat of the Jukal invasion, they want to come home. Some are sticking around.”
“If the Jukal do come for Emerilia again, we’ll have plenty of warning to move people to the bases,” Dave said.
They lapsed into silence again, thinking about the war, thinking about the path that they had both taken to get here.
“I still can’t believe it,” Dave said.
“Believe what?” Bob turned to Dave.
“Believe that we were actually able to go up against the Jukal Empire and pull off a win that was so big that they’re the ones stuck in their own system,” Dave said.
“I have a feeling that we won’t ever get used to the idea.” Bob paused. “What are you going to do now?”
“You make it sound as if this is all over.” Dave chuckled, but there was no humor in his laugh as he took a hefty drink from his bottle. “Spend some time with Deia, Koi, and everyone, look over my ongoing projects. I want to build a second bastion, but it’s going to be one hell of an undertaking. They’ve proved their use and we’re going to need them if we go charging into the Jukal system. The flying citadels are being prepared. I want to check them over and make sure everything is going smooth. The people of Ice City and the asteroid base don’t need me to be over their shoulders. They know what they’re doing and if they need me, they’ll tell me.”
“Wouldn’t mind the Jukal leaving us alone for years and then suing for peace.” Bob leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, and let out a deep breath.
“Why do I think you feel that isn’t going to happen?” Dave asked.
“The Jukal, well, they’ve ruled the empire for hundreds of years. They think of themselves as the best race out of all others. Their fleet is the most powerful. Nothing that anyone else does could ever shake their foundation. Even with everything that we’ve done, their arrogance has reached a point that they’re blind to their losses. They aren’t turning their economy over to start building more ships and prepare for our arrival. They think of us as nothing but a minor annoyance. As such, they’re bound to do something in order to fight back. They’re not going to be cautious about it, either. We’re going to have to scramble and bring everything to bear and crush whatever they do. If we don’t, then
they’re going to keep on doing it again and again. Just as we wore down the Jukal invasion fleet, they’ll wear us down. They might be arrogant bigots, but they have the firepower and fighting ability to make us have to take every action they do seriously.”
They lapsed into silence, hearing the noises coming from the main house as people talked and laughed.
“Are you two coming for dinner?” Deia yelled over to them from the main house. On her hip, she held the growing Koi, who was happily chewing on some toy of hers.
“Coming.” Dave stood and Bob joined him. They put smiles on their faces and moved to the main house. There, Draculs, members of Party Zero, and their friends were all gathered. Even with the war only paused, the house was filled with laughter and joy as they all moved around a massive table on the house’s back porch.
Desmond, Fire and Mal’s son and Deia’s brother, and Koi, as well as Quindar and Fornau’s children, were all pooled together at one table, with the parents doing shifts to look after them as well as people from the adult table.
Dave held Deia’s hand. His finger rubbed over the engagement ring he had given her and he looked into her eyes.
A true smile spread across his face as Deia squeezed his hand.
“All right, pass some of that boar down here, Malsour. You could eat like a dragon!” Dave yelled.
People around the table chuckled as food was passed around.
“I told you we should have left earlier! There’s going to be no food left!” Steve’s voice could be heard, as could his thumping footsteps.
“You can’t even eat or drink!” Lox sounded as though he were in pain.
“You’re a peer-pressuring drinking bully,” Gurren said.
The trio came around the corner of the house, Gurren pointing at Steve in accusation.
“What? It’s funny seeing you guys trying to drink a barrel of beer all by yourself.” Steve shrugged as if it were perfectly normal.
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