“Maybe we should name our ship The Insignificant?” Arthur suggested. Like the others, he was in awe of the bridge; the sleek lines merging perfectly form and function.
“She is a thing of beauty,” Caran Doc said proudly, resting his hands against the rail before him. “For a long time, the Ardent Dawn was the largest ship in the fleet.”
“How long have you been Principal?” Gwen asked.
“Me? Almost twenty years,” Caran Doc replied. “Though the Ardent Dawn has been protecting Teela for over two thousand.”
“Two thousand years?” Lance exclaimed.
“And she has performed admirably for every one of them,” Caran Doc continued.
“Why wouldn’t you build newer ships?” Lance asked.
“Why?” Caran Doc replied. “The Ardent Dawn has served her purpose perfectly; there was no need until the Assembly ordered the construction of the evacuation vessels.”
“What about exploring the galaxy?” Arthur asked.
Caran Doc looked confused by the question until Triltan explained. “We Teleri had never been interested by other worlds,” she said. “Our scientists were always looking to make our technology smaller, to merge with it and improve our species as a whole. It was only when the Mori attacked that we used that technology to defend ourselves and began to look beyond our own world.
“Probes were dispatched to the surrounding systems, mapping the stars and planets, and we built small ships to visit those with life. That was how we found the human home world, observing you in case you one day posed a threat.”
“So you never explored other worlds just, because?” Arthur asked.
“Teela gave us everything we ever needed,” Caran Doc said sombrely.
“The scout ship has records on thousands of planets capable of supporting life,” Gwen said. “We’ll help you find a new home.”
“And Earth will always welcome you,” Arthur added.
“Thank you,” Caran Doc replied. “I hope we have a future where we can accept your offer.”
*****
As they entered the planet’s orbit, Gwen was able to make out a small cluster of ships ahead of them. The largest was one of the evacuation ships, she noticed, though there was only one of them. The others were similar in design to the Ardent Dawn and Silan Daltas’ ship, all of various sizes. There were perhaps thirty in all, floating above the barren rock of the planet’s surface.
Caran Doc stood on the end of the central walkway and addressed the Principals of the other ships. “Thank you for meeting with me,” he began. “The radiation from the red dwarf should offer us some protection from Elder Joleen’s search.”
“At least for the time being,” Principal Aject replied. “Is it true she’s taken control of the Lambent Twilight?”
“So it would appear,” Caran Doc agreed.
“How many more will stand with us?” Principal Neel asked. “How many more ships are we expecting.”
“This is it,” Caran Doc informed them. “Every other vessel is now controlled by the Followers or has been lost in the fighting. Only yesterday, I was forced to destroy the Horizon Star.”
“I’m sorry,” Principal Aject replied. “I knew many on her crew.”
“I’ve served with men and women on almost every ship in the fleet,” Caran Doc continued. “Every loss is painful and unnecessary.”
“How did Elder Joleen gather so much support so quickly?” Principal Karn asked. “We should be working together to secure our future, not fighting amongst ourselves.”
“I believe this has been planned for some time,” Caran Doc informed them.
“Do you have any evidence to support that?” Principal Neel asked. “If we could present it-”
“Any evidence that may have existed will have been lost with the destruction of Teela,” Caran Doc replied. “I have no proof, only the long list of coincidences that have led to our present situation.”
“So what would you have us do?” Principal Aject asked. “I refuse to surrender to these fanatics, yet I’m reluctant to fight my own people. My crew has lost so much already.”
“As have we all,” Caran Doc agreed. “Perhaps if Elder Joleen was out of the picture, the remaining Followers might be more amenable to dialogue.”
“Or they might rally behind her as a martyr,” Principals Karn suggested.
“Perhaps,” Caran Doc replied.
“We need to try to speak to the Followers,” Principal Karn continued. “There has to be a peaceful solution to this situation.”
“That’s what we all want,” Caran Doc said. “Elder Joleen’s forces were massing near Teela’s second moon. If we could send an emissary, open a dialogue, perhaps we can end this without further bloodshed.”
As the Principals continued to debate amongst themselves, Gwen looked over at the holographic displays. As she watched, one of the smaller ships in the group began to drift away from the others, gaining speed. “Where’s that ship going,” she asked one of the bridge officers.
“Principal,” the bridge officer replied, attracting Caran Doc’s attention. “The Exalted Sea is breaking orbit.”
“Principal of the Exalted Sea,” Caran Doc demanded. “Return to the fleet.”
The image of the Principal of the Exalted Sea appeared on the screen, his large black almond eyes full of anger. “You dare threaten the safety of Elder Joleen?” he hissed. “In Ajoch’s name!”
“Caran Doc,” Gwen said hurriedly. “Look!”
The officer who Gwen had been observing relayed the image to the large screen. Before them, the map of the solar system showed the small cluster of ships in orbit of the small planet, and a much larger fleet of ships appearing on the edge of the system. They were already advancing quickly towards the planet.
“Is that-” Caran Doc began, though he was interrupted by the appearance of Elder Joleen on the screens of every ship in his fleet.
“Unbelievers,” she began. “I speak to you from the bridge of the Lambent Twilight, whose crew have wholeheartedly embraced the teaching of Ajoch. I give you one last chance; abandon your ways, take the words of Ajoch into your heart, and join me in beginning life anew, a life without the destructive influences of technological advancement.
“Ajoch teaches us that a simple life is the most rewarding. Free yourself from your addiction and dependence. Relearn what your own hands are capable of. Embrace the future of the Teleri people, a unified future following Ajoch!”
“Get her off my bridge!” Caran Doc barked. “Raise shields and ready all gun batteries. I’m not going down without a fight.”
“Principal,” the officer continued. “The Lambent Twilight, it’s surrounded by evacuation craft. We’ll never be able to target it without risking those too.”
“On screen,” Caran Doc ordered.
The image on the screen zoomed in on the cluster of ships rapidly approaching the planet. The officer had been correct, the Lambent Twilight was surrounded on all sides by eight of the surviving evacuation craft. The remaining vessels of Elder Joleen’s fleet were spread out to either side, thirty to a side and all heavily armed according to the display.
“Caran Doc,” Principal Aject asked over the intercom. “What are your orders?”
“To all ships,” Caran Doc replied. “Raise shields and ready weapons, but do not fire without my order. Repeat, do not fire without my orders.”
“Understood, Principal,” Principal Aject replied.
“If we attack the Lambent Twilight, we risk endangering the thousands of civilians on the evacuation ships,” Caran Doc continued. “Which is exactly why she’s hidden herself behind them, forcing us to surrender or risk slaughtering our own people.”
“That’s awful,” Arthur said.
“Cowardly and depraved,” Caran Doc corrected.
“What’s the plan?” Gwen asked. “How can we help?”
“I’m open to suggestions,” Caran Doc replied. “In a fair fight we might have a chance, but we ca
n’t risk the civilian ships.”
“Do you think she’ll negotiate?” Gwen asked.
“She’s got us right where she wants us,” Caran Doc spat. “We surrender or we fight.”
“Unless we could take her out,” Arthur said. “Do you still think the others would be open to discussion without her leadership?”
“They can’t all be so desperate to slaughter each other,” Caran Doc replied. “Elder Joleen was always the most vocal in the Assembly.”
“You sound like you’ve got a plan?” Lance asked.
“More of an idea,” Arthur replied. “If we could get close enough to the Lambent Twilight, they’d be just as reluctant to fire as we are, wouldn’t they?”
“I’d hope so,” Caran Doc said, “but seeing how they’ve behaved so far, I wouldn’t count on it.”
“If only we were on that other ship,” Lance said. “The Exalted Sea. They’ll be able to join Elder Joleen’s fleet without difficulty.”
“Wait,” Gwen said, scrutinising the display. “The screen, it shows that ship as the Exalted Sea. How does it know?” Next to the image of the Exalted Sea was its name, as well as cycling readouts of its crew numbers, weapons and shield capabilities.
“Officer?” Caran Doc asked.
“Every ship in the TDF has a unique identifier,” the officer replied. “A code it transmits to surrounding vessels, to avoid collisions and the like.”
“Can you duplicate it?” Gwen asked. “Make one ship transmit another ship’s code?”
“It’s possible,” the officer continued, “but a simple scan would show the codes and the readouts don’t match.”
“Then we’ll need to make sure the other ships are too busy to scan us,” Gwen replied with a smile.
*****
Caran Doc reluctantly agreed to the plan, and arranged for forty of his most highly trained soldiers to join them on the hangar deck. He had been less happy about allowing Triltan to pilot Silan Daltas’ ship, insisting that there were several other pilots more than capable of taking her place. Triltan however insisted that she was joining Arthur, Gwen and Lance whether he liked it or not, and he was powerless to stop her without placing her in the brig.
Accepting the need for urgency, Caran Doc finally agreed and the four of them set of from the bridge and rode the train as fast as it would take them to the hangar deck. There, the soldiers were already waiting to board Silan Daltas’ vessel.
“We’ll need our armour and weapons,” Arthur said, running up the gangway with Gwen and Lance behind him. The armour was still in the bags they’d used on the ice planet, making it easier to move.
“Arthur?” Merlin asked. “Are you really going to attempt this?”
“We are,” Arthur replied. “You coming?”
“Your plans,” Merlin replied. “Why must they always straddle the line between genius and insanity? Of course I’m coming, I’ll see you on the Teleri vessel.”
“Hey,” Arthur corrected, shouting to a now empty ship. “This is Gwen’s mad idea! You can’t blame me for this one!”
They carried their armour into the Teleri craft and closed the airlock, the soldiers taking up positions in the cargo bay as the others hurried to the small bridge. There, Triltan was already sat in the pilot’s chair, readying the craft for take-off.
“Remember, everything on minimal power,” Gwen reminded her.
“Already on it,” Triltan replied. “Strap yourselves in, this is likely to be bumpy.”
“Wait,” Gwen said. “What about the fighters? We need them?”
“They’re right there,” Triltan announced, pointing towards the viewscreen.
As they watched, the silvery floor that had surprised Gwen when they had landed began to flow, forming perfect diamond shapes that floated in the air before them. The white light from beneath the ships highlighted their every line and curve, each one perfect and uniform.
“I want one of those!” Lance exclaimed.
“There’s no one aboard,” Triltan corrected. “The pilots control them from the safety of the Ardent Dawn.”
“I still want one,” Lance continued, straining forwards in his chair.
“Maybe Caran Doc will give you one, if we get out of this alive,” Arthur suggested.
As the diamond shaped ships began to move, they surrounded the small craft and moved it out of the hanger and into the emptiness of space. Gwen hoped that by covering it completely with the smaller craft, they’d be able to hide it from any scans performed by Elder Joleen’s ships.
As they drifted further from the Ardent Dawn, more and more of the small silvery craft joined them, an enormous swarm made up of thousands of identical ships. Gwen and the others watched the display as it depicted the swarm, carrying them rapidly towards the Exalted Sea.
“Any scans as yet?” Gwen asked.
“Several,” Triltan replied, “but the formation should keep them from spotting us, for a little while at -”
Their conversation was cut short as Elder Joleen’s voice was suddenly broadcast across the system. “I see you have made our decision,” she said. “An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. Recall your ships from the Exalted Sea immediately.”
The screen continued to show their approach towards the Exalted Sea. As they watched, the Exalted Sea came about and readied its weapons, firing upon the swarm. The ships at the front took the brunt of it, round after round from the rail guns tearing through their silver hulls and blasting them apart. It was all too late though, as the swarm engulfed the Exalted Sea, flowing around it in an endless tide.
“Have the pilots disable their engines,” Gwen ordered, “but try not to destroy them.”
Triltan relayed the order to the Ardent Dawn, where the pilots controlling the fighters followed her orders to the letter. The weapon batteries alongside the Exalted Sea were disabled, and a focussed ion blast to the gravity engine shut it down permanently.
The screen displayed thousands of smaller ships departing Elder Joleen’s fleet, diamond shaped fighters identical to those from the Ardent Dawn. “Perfect,” Arthur announced. “It’ll make sense now for Caran Doc to recall his ships and have them defend the Ardent Dawn. Triltan, make sure we’re transmitting the Exalted Sea’s identity code and move slowly towards the Lambent Twilight. Let them think we’ve been damaged in the fight.”
“And if they request communication?” Triltan asked.
“Leave that to me,” Merlin replied. “I’ve had some experience in that area.”
Caran Doc gave the order to recall his fighters, the swarm of ships carrying the disabled Exalted Sea back towards the Ardent Dawn, where it was rapidly deposited in the hangar bay. The swarm then advance upon Elder Joleen’s fighters, thousands of tiny craft dodging and weaving as each side tried to gain the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Caran Doc turned the Ardent Dawn until its starboard side faced the enemy fleet, the rail guns and ion cannons shredding Elder Joleen’s fighters as they advanced. The remains of Caran Doc’s fleet moved to float behind the Ardent Dawn, relying on its superior shields for protection. They each had orders to jump away if the battle appeared to turn against them, to make directly for Earth. The fighters had little chance of damaging the Ardent Dawn, but if the larger ships entered the battle directly, their singularity cannons could cause significant damage.
“We’re on course,” Triltan said, as they approached the nearest of the evacuation ships. It was enormous, over five times larger than the Ardent Dawn and composed of level after level of living quarters for the citizens of Teela. Twenty seven ships had been constructed, but only nine had survived Teela’s destruction.
“Gwen, Lance,” Arthur said, “time to suit up. Once we dock with the Lambent Twilight, things are going to happen quickly. We move with Caran Doc’s soldiers, make directly for the bridge. One way or another, we make Elder Joleen stop this fight.”
Gwen and Lance followed his instructions, helping each other secure their armour and checking the
ir weapons. They each had their swords on their backs and pistols on their hips, their hands restless and agitated once they were ready. This was the worst part, Arthur had realised, the waiting. Once the battle had begun his programming took over, and his mind became clear as he fought against his enemy. There was no time to think, to question, to wonder. It was fight or die, and he had a will to survive.
It was the moments before the fight where his mind went wild, questioning his motives, his reasons and beliefs. Why was the enemy his enemy? What had they done to him? Did they have friends, family, people who would miss them? If he’d been in their shoes, would he agree with why they were fighting? Over and over it went, one question after another until it felt like his head might burst.
“We’re approaching the Lambent Twilight,” Triltan informed them. “We’ve been given clearance to land.”
“So this is the part where we hope no one looks out of a window,” Lance muttered. “Great plan, Gwen.”
“Great plan,” Gwen agreed as they drifted slowly alongside the Lambent Twilight and into the hangar bay.
Chapter 11
Assault
Earth Year 6239
As soon as they touched down, Triltan jumped from her seat and joined them on the small lift down to the cargo hold. As they descended, they were able to make out Caran Doc’s soldiers who had formed four tight lines. They held their weapons ready and looked as though they were well versed in using them. No one spoke and they held themselves taught, barely breathing as they waited for the order to advance.
“As soon as the doors open,” Arthur told them, “push forward as a team. Suppress any resistance and make straight for the central train.”
The Lambent Twilight was of a similar design to the Ardent Dawn, though smaller. It had a central train to speed personnel and equipment fore and aft, with a large forward bridge. The plan was to take the train as close to the bridge as possible before disabling it to slow reinforcements from the rear.
X-Calibur: The Descent Page 14
