X-Calibur: The Descent

by Jackson-Lawrence, R.

  *****

  Gwen finished attending to the two Mori. They had been severely injured, but nothing permanent. With the aid of the medical scanner and the nanobots collected from the various ships, she had healed their damaged chitin layers and stopped the internal bleeding.

  The Mori didn’t have an internal skeleton, as the humans and Dorgans did. Their chitin layers instead formed a tough exoskeleton, protecting their internal organs and tissues. During her time in the infirmary, Gwen was slowly learning a lot about the species she cared for, how different they were, but also how similar.

  Each of the species had organs for the digestion and absorbing of food, eliminating waste, and blood vessels to carry oxygen around the body powered by a muscular heart. The Dorgans had four lungs, unlike the two for the humans and one for the Mori, but they all worked in much the same way. Every time the medical scanner showed the internal workings of the people she treated, she discovered a new marvel and learnt more about how their bodies worked.

  Gwen was just leaving the infirmary, planning to attend the last minutes of the council meeting, when she was suddenly accosted by two humans, a man and a woman.

  “She just won’t stop being sick,” the man said, supporting the pale looking woman.

  Gwen looked towards the Tor before smiling to herself and escorting them into the infirmary. “How long has she been like this?” she asked as she helped the woman onto one of the medical examination stations.

  “On and off for weeks,” the man replied, “but not like this.”

  “And you?” Gwen continued. “Have you been sick?”

  “No,” the man insisted. “And we’ve only eaten from the dispensers.”

  Gwen moved the scanner and selected various icons on the screen. The green light appeared over the woman’s midsection, moving up and down and back and forth as it scanned her. Once the results were ready, Gwen sat back in her chair, shocked by the report.

  “Please, what does it say,” the pale woman asked, terrified. “Am I going to die?”

  “No,” Gwen said with a smile. “It says you’re pregnant.”

  “What does that mean?” the man demanded.

  “Oh, it means you’re going to have a child,” Gwen clarified.

  The woman sat up and smiled back at her. “Really?” she asked. “Me?”

  “But how?” the man asked.

  Gwen blushed at the question. She had been reading about human biology from the records in the Ark, including the reproductive system. Relations between slaves had always been forbidden on the hive, a primary component of their programming, but more and more of the people had started relationships since landing on Earth.

  “I think we’ll need to discuss that with a lot of people,” she said. “For now, though, everything looks fine, perfect even. The scanner says the sickness will gradually settle.”

  “Does it say if it’s an Adam or an, I mean, a boy or a girl?” the woman asked.

  Gwen focussed the scanner on the slowly growing foetus. Numbers began appearing beside it; limb lengths, gestation, but they meant nothing to her. She did find a line reporting the child’s sex however.

  “A girl,” Gwen said with a smile. She was just turning the screen around to show them when the first plasma blasts hit and the room was plunged into darkness.

  *****

  The nine scout ships entered the Earth’s atmosphere in a V formation, plasma weapons locked onto the settlement they had detected from orbit. They descended rapidly, opening fire as soon as they were in range. They continued in a straight line, flying directly over Camelot, laying waste to everything in their path.

  Arthur heard the explosions and ran from the hangar, desperate to see what had happened. He was just about able to make out the small black shapes in the sky above him. “Merlin!” he screamed. “Get every flight capable ship in the air!”

  Arthur ran back towards his scout ship, Lance at his heels. They barely made it inside before the ships returned on their second attack run, the line of fire and death heading directly for them. Arthur managed to raise the energy shield before they were obliterated, the plasma blasts making the ship shake with each impact.

  “Strap in,” Arthur yelled, securing himself into the pilot’s seat and lifting off, the gangway closing as they lifted into the air.

  “Nine ships,” Lance reported as he tapped icons on the tactical display. “All scouts like this one.”

  “Where’d they come from?” Arthur asked. “We took every jump capable ship on the hive.”

  “If we don’t die in the next five seconds,” Lance replied sarcastically, “maybe I’ll ask them.”

  Arthur swung the ship around, firing the plasma cannons at the closest ship. The blasts were absorbed by the energy shield, but it was enough to divert the nine ships away from another attack run. They broke the V formation, splitting into three groups of three and turning to engage Arthur’s ships in the air.

  While most of Arthur’s fleet had been dismantled to build the settlement, he was still able to call on twenty ships to join him in the fight, fourteen scout ships and six cruisers. The cruisers had superior plasma weapons, depleting the enemy shields more quickly and tearing through their hulls. Arthur cheered as the first enemy vessel was blown out of the sky, quickly followed by a second.

  The ships dodged and weaved, an acrobatic display in the skies above Camelot. Arthur watched with dismay as one of his scout ships was destroyed, spiralling towards the city, the subsequent explosion doing as much damage as the enemy plasma blasts had.

  The anger he felt made him redouble his efforts, banking sharply and engaging an enemy ship head on. He rolled and dodged as they exchanged fire, not wanting to be the first to pull away from the inevitable collision. His nerve was rewarded as the enemy ship banked first before climbing rapidly. Arthur swung his ship around, firing upon the enemy ship’s gravity engine, a look of steely determination upon his face. The weakened shield quickly collapsed, followed by a colossal explosion as the gravity drive exploded, leaving only two enemy scout ships to deal with.

  “Don’t let them get away,” Arthur barked into the communicator. “We can’t let them send for reinforcements.”

  Arthur’s remaining fleet turned and pursued the fleeing scout ships as they attempted to escape the atmosphere. They wouldn’t be able to engage their jump drives so close to the Earth, but once in the vastness of space they wouldn’t have a problem. Arthur engaged the thrusters and pushed the ship as hard as he could.

  They cut through the cloud layer, climbing rapidly, the g-force pushing them back into their seats. He hadn’t engaged the dampening field and was starting to regret it as he struggled to lift his head. He needed every bit of speed from the engines though, and activating the dampening field now would only use some of that much needed energy.

  Arthur fired the plasma cannons, watching as the blasts were absorbed by the energy shield or flying harmlessly into space. He continued to fire though, blast after blast, hoping to drain the enemy shield just enough to strike against the hull.

  The ship on the left suddenly changed course, turning quickly and heading directly towards Arthur’s ship. Arthur barely had time to dodge it, banking hard to the right and rolling around the oncoming vessel. “Take it out,” he yelled into the communicator. “I’ll stay on the other one.”

  Lance watched the display as the cruisers behind them slowed and converged their fire, destroying the enemy scout ship but losing speed in the process. Now the other vessels were too far behind the fleeing vessel, with Arthur’s ship the only one close enough to have any hope of destroying it before it jumped away.

  “Lance?” Arthur asked.

  “Its shield’s almost collapsed,” Lance replied. “Just keep firing.”

  Arthur did as he was told, firing the plasma cannons at the escaping ship. The enemy pilot was skilled, and was able to dodge many of them, but his desire to get far enough away to jump was ultimately his undoing. Though he dodged and we
aved, banked and rolled, his ultimate trajectory was still in a straight line. Arthur just kept firing, blast after blast in the direction of the fleeing ship, each flash against the energy shield one step closer to victory.

  “Five more seconds and they’ll be able to jump!” Lance shouted. “Arthur!”

  Arthur focussed, concentrating on nothing but the ship in front of him. Pulling gently on the control stick, he lined up the weapons and fired, holding his breath as he watched the blasts strike against the enemy ship’s shield.

  “Three,” Lance shouted. “Two.”

  The enemy shield collapsed, the plasma blasts hitting the rear hull and the gravity engine. There was a small cone of flame near the right wing before the entire vessel exploded in a shower of flames and debris which bounced harmlessly off the energy shield surrounding Arthur’s ship.

  Arthur slowed the ship, turning the nose back towards the Earth. He hadn’t realised how high they’d climbed, the blue-green planet now far below them, the outline of the British Isles clearly visible through the patchy cloud. The rest of his ships were rapidly approaching.

  “You get it?” Celeste, one of the Dorgan pilots asked.

  “We did,” Arthur replied. “Celeste, I want you to stay here in orbit, monitor for any ships that come within range. You see anything, anything at all, you let us know.”

  “Of course, Arthur,” Celeste replied.

  “Everyone else, back to the surface,” Arthur continued. “We need to find out how bad the damage is.”

  *****

  Gwen crawled from beneath the examination couch, her legs like jelly, refusing to follow the simplest of commands. She was terrified, her heart beating so hard and so fast it felt like it was stuck in her throat. She needed to get out, to get away, convinced the rest of the ceiling would crash down on top of her.

  The surrounding room was in darkness, apart from the occasional flash of light as the remains on the medical scanner sparked. Everything was in disarray, vials and equipment littering the floor. A sudden movement to her right caught her off guard, making her scream.

  “Please don’t leave,” a nervous voice pleaded.

  Gwen felt around to her right, finding the woman’s hand and squeezing tightly. “It’s okay,” Gwen promised. “Everything is going to be okay, we’re going to get out of here.”

  “Promise?” the woman asked, her voice wavering.

  “I promise,” Gwen replied. “I just realised, I didn’t even ask you your name?”

  “Eve 433,” the woman replied. “But I was thinking, I mean, I like the sound of Veronica.”

  Merlin had made available records of names from the Ark, allowing people to find one they liked for themselves. Some of them had found something immediately, while others tried several until they found one they liked. Many of the Dorgan males had stuck to name’s beginning with O, resulting in a plethora of Oscars, Owens and Olafs.

  “Veronica,” Gwen replied, trying to make her voice sound relaxed. “I like it.”

  “You do?” Veronica asked anxiously.

  “I do,” Gwen continued. “So, Veronica, we need to get out of here. You need to follow me, okay?”

  “I need to follow you,” Veronica repeated.

  “That’s right,” Gwen said. “Don’t let go of my hand.”

  Gwen edged forward, feeling her way with her left hand, the occasional flash of light her only guide. She could see that the ceiling had come down, and the path to the door was blocked.

  “Sam! Sam! Where’s Sam!” Veronica said suddenly, snapping her hand away. Gwen turned quickly, reaching out for her.

  “Veronica,” she said. “You need to stay with me, remember?”

  “I can’t go without Sam,” Veronica insisted. “Where is he?”

  “I don’t know,” Gwen replied, though she remembered him being on the far side of the examination couch when she had pulled Veronica beneath it. That was where the ceiling now lay.

  “I can’t go without him,” Veronica said quietly, her voice full of sadness as the tears began to flow.

  “Once you’re safe,” Gwen continued, “I’ll come back for him, I promise. You need to think about yourself though now, and your child. Do you remember your child?”

  “I’m going to have one of my own, aren’t I?” Veronica remarked.

  “And what would Sam want you to do?” Gwen persisted. “Stay here or get to safety? For the sake of your child?”

  “He’d want me somewhere safe,” Veronica replied.

  “That’s right,” Gwen said. “Now take my hand, and I promise you I’ll come back for Sam when you’re safe.”

  Gwen heard Veronica scrambling along the floor beside her. Gwen reached down and found the other woman’s hand, intertwining their fingers before pulling her forwards. “Just stay close to me,” Gwen said, crawling upon he hands and knees.

  The rear of the room had another door, leading to the main cargo bay of the derelict cruiser, where lines of cots were laid out for people too sick to return home. It was almost empty at present, with only the two Mori staying there, but during the winter it had been full to overflowing. The humans had developed a variety of breathing problems, coughs and sneezes, which the medical scanner could offer little treatment for. Everyone had eventually recovered, but fear and anxiety had been rampant throughout the city at the time.

  Gwen held her tongue as her knee caught the sharp edge of something on the floor, wincing as she continued to crawl around it. “You’re doing great,” she said to the woman behind her. “We’re nearly there.”

  “Do you think Sam’s okay?” Veronica asked.

  “Try not to think about that now,” Gwen replied. “Just focus on the door.”

  Gwen’s hand found the wall, which she felt her way along, feeling for the edge of the door. She found it and reached up to the panel, pressing it repeatedly but without success. Without power, the door wouldn’t open automatically, and she had no idea how to get it open otherwise. In desperation, she struck it hard with her fist, over and over.

  “We’re in here!” Gwen yelled, striking the door again.

  “We’re trapped!” Veronica wailed. “Help us, please!”

  Gwen pressed her hand against Veronica’s mouth as she pressed her ear to the door, listening as hard as she could. She thought she’d heard something, a movement, scuffling, but now it was quiet again. She struck the door once more in frustration.

  As her fist connected, the door began to move away from her, the sudden influx of light blinding. Both women covered their eyes, squinting up at the Mori slowly pulling the door open. It was one of the two patients who had managed to drag himself from his bed.

  “Come quick,” Eri-Dul said to them. “I think it’s all going to come down.”

  Gwen accepted his hand, grateful for the help as she pulled Veronica through the door with her. Once outside of the examination room, she could see the extent of the damage. The cargo bay was buried beneath twisted metal, a section to her right open to the outside world. It was through there Eri-Dul directed them, as the remains of the ceiling above them continued to creak and groan.

  “Wait, what about Sam?” Veronica asked.

  “Get her out of here,” Gwen said to Eri-Dul. “I’ll see if I can find him.”

  Eri-Dul had to drag Veronica to safety as Gwen went back to the open doorway, the light from outside giving her a good view of the room. She didn’t have to look far to find Sam, or at least what was left of him. Behind the examination couch, closest to the door, she was able to make out an arm, sticking out from beneath a section of the ceiling. She moved quickly to it, checking for a pulse but finding none.

  A loud groan from beyond the door startled her, and she was on her feet and running before she realised, diving through the open section as the remains of the cargo bay collapsed behind her. As she met Veronica’s eyes, the look on her face told Veronica all she needed to know.

  *****

  Arthur struggled to land in the same spot
he had taken off from. People were everywhere, some still running wildly while others ambled around in a daze. Smoke and flames could be seen all around, the remains of homes and communal areas ablaze.

  Arthur manoeuvred as best he could and touched down close to the Tor, where numerous people had gathered around the closed doorway. They were angry and scared, demanding answers and assurances, fearful of further attacks. Arthur managed to get halfway down the gangway before he was mobbed.

  “Who attacked us?” they asked.

  “How did they find us?” they wondered.

  “Will they be back?” they cried.

  “You have to do something,” they demanded.

  Arthur raised his arms and tried to push through. “I don’t have all the answers,” he shouted. “Not yet. All the attacking ships have been destroyed, and there are no more out there that we can find. I need you all to be calm, help those who need it and get them to the infirmary.”

  “The infirmary was hit,” someone shouted. “It’s gone.”

  The news hit him like a blow to the chest, his legs going weak as he reached out for something to hold onto. “Go,” Lance said, suddenly behind him. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Arthur fought his way through the crowd, pushing people aside without a second thought. He didn’t believe it, couldn’t believe it. He’d seen her only that morning, she couldn’t be gone.

  He ran for all he was worth, pushing himself harder than ever before. Buildings went by in a haze, blurs in his peripheral vision, his only focus the remains of the cruiser which was still smoking ahead of him. As he turned the last corner and came face to face with the destruction, he collapsed to his knees, lungs burning as he fought for breath, eyes stinging as he tried to hold back tears.

  “Arthur,” a voice said to his right. “Arthur?”

  He looked up and their eyes met. Before he realised it, he was already on his feet and rushing towards her, picking her up in his arms. “I thought,” he said, choking on the words as the lump grew in his throat.