Realm I

by H. G Ahedi

  She looked surprised. She stood straight, confusion in her eyes.

  The shield buzzed and came back online. “Power transfer complete. Two hundred percent power restored,” it announced.

  Anastasia raised her eyebrows. “Well, isn’t that ironic? Fire!”

  The beam hit the queen, and she turned to dust.

  Anastasia stood breathless and sweating. She looked behind her; one guard was down, but the Orias were dead. The remaining guards joined her.

  “We can take her,” one guard said.

  Titan shook again.

  The computer announced, “All personnel return to your posts. Titan is ready for separation.”

  The smoke gathered again and turned into the vicious woman once more.

  Anastasia moistened her lips. She wanted to kill this thing, but she also wanted her people out of harm’s way. Her eyes flickered to Argon. Enough blood had been spilled today.

  Powerful turbulence hit Titan. Anastasia lost her balance and fell to the floor. She quickly got up.

  The alien queen stood straight. The shock wave didn’t seem to bother her. “Where is she headed?” asked the queen.

  Anastasia just glared at her.

  “Where is she going?”

  She knew she wanted to know Emmeline’s whereabouts. “Go to hell!” Anastasia spat.

  “I will kill every one of you until you bring her to me.”

  Anastasia was about to respond when Adrian’s voice crackled over the communicator. “Commander Waters, come in. Commander Waters, respond.”

  Without taking her eyes off the queen, Anastasia reached for the switch. “Yes, Lieutenant Olson.”

  “Commander, a small part of the perimeter has been breached. The Orias are entering our space. All our fighters are dead! Freedom and two other ships are hardly keeping up. They need us. They need us now!”

  A wide smile appeared on the queen’s face. “All of you will die today.” The queen turned back into smoke, which shot through the hall and left Titan.

  For the last time, Anastasia looked at Argon. Then she turned and ran.

  Titan, Deck 1, Bridge

  Anastasia threw the sword and her shield on the floor of the bridge. “What’s our status?”

  “Believe it or not, we’re ready. Although not all civilians are accounted for,” said Adrian.

  “What about the Earth ships?”

  “Freedom and two other ships are still blocking the Orias from entering our system.”

  “Commander, I’m detecting another ship!” shouted Lieutenant Hawk.

  Anastasia frowned.

  “It’s Prometheus.”

  “Looks like they finally heard our hails!” said Evan.

  “Open a channel,” Anastasia ordered.

  Mykel’s face appeared on the viewscreen. “Sorry. It appears I’m always late.”

  “Where have you been?”

  “Thirty minutes ago, all transmission from Titan stopped and our attempts to contact you failed. It could only mean one thing. So, we turned around, just to make sure.”

  Anastasia nodded.

  “I’ve warned the Imperial Command. More ships should be here,” Mykel said.

  “Understood.”

  The viewscreen showed Prometheus joining the battle.

  “Start separation process. Lieutenant Olson, take control over the helm. Lieutenant Weeds, initiate remote bridge protocol,” Anastasia said.

  “Yes, Commander. Otis is ready.”

  The image on the screen changed. A robot stood at attention. “Commander.”

  “Otis. Are the citizens of Titan secured?”

  “Not all citizens are accounted for, but ninety-nine percent of citizens are secured.”

  Anastasia nodded. It would have to do. “Await further instructions.” The screen went blank. “Initiate separation sequence.”

  A loud whoosh rushed through the space station. Outside, a cloud of smoke erupted, spreading in all directions. If someone didn’t know better, they would have thought Titan was on fire. All the corridors that connected the outer and the inner section began to retract.

  “Commander, the retraction process has commenced,” Adrian said.

  “When it’s done, ease us out slowly,”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Lieutenant Weeds, take over the outer section.”

  Soon, the gas disappeared. The inner section slowly moved downward. The outer section began to stand erect. The large passageways that had retracted once more began moving toward the center.

  “We’re clear of the outer rim,” announced Evan.

  “Is it stable and ready?”

  “Not yet, Commander.”

  “Ma’am, Titan is ready for initialization,” said Adrian.

  “Bring all thrusters online and initiate flight mode.”

  They all felt a tremor. Outside, the lights above Titan came to life. The word “TITAN” glowed underneath them.

  “Engines,” ordered Anastasia.

  “Firing engines.”

  Again, they felt a tremor. A single red rim of light appeared at the back of Titan. Then another. Then another. Over a dozen rims of red light now fiercely glowed in space.

  “Commander, the perimeter is becoming unstable. It can’t take it anymore,” said Adrian.

  “Just a few more moments,” she told him. “What about the outer section?”

  The viewscreen split in two. The circular outer rim of Titan stood erect. The passageways looked like spokes that had come together. It looked like a giant wheel.

  “Ready when you are, Lieutenant Weeds,” Anastasia said.

  “Initiating outer section thrusters and firing up engines.” All eyes turned to the screen. The four engines at the four corners of the wheel came to life. “Engines online,” announced Evan. The enormous wheel slowly moved forward. “Destination?” he asked.

  “How much time to Earth?”

  “At this speed, four days.”

  Anastasia shook her head. “Not good enough. Full power to thrusters.”

  Evan turned. “They’ll run out of fuel.”

  “We have to get them out of here,” said Adrian.

  Anastasia became thoughtful, then turned toward the panel on her left. “Lieutenant Weeds, I’m sending you a set of coordinates. It will take them to the lower orbit of Saturn. Its gases will protect it from any scans, and it should remain hidden and secure until the Imperial Command gets here.”

  “But what if, after finishing us, they begin looking for the colonists?”

  “Trust me. They’re looking for someone else.”

  Everyone looked at each other.

  “You have your orders, Lieutenant,” Anastasia said firmly.

  Evan hesitated for a moment, but then turned. “Full power.”

  “Contact Otis.”

  The robot reappeared on the screen.

  “You are headed for Saturn,” Anastasia told it.

  “Yes, Commander.”

  “Four days past today, you will survey the situation. If it is safe, contact the Imperial Command and head toward Vesta, the nearest colony.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  Anastasia got on her feet. “Remember, Titan’s colonists are your first and only priority. Protect them at any cost. Use whatever means necessary to conceal yourself, regardless of what happens to the perimeter, the fleet, or Titan. Do you understand?”

  “Understood, Commander.”

  The bridge crew watched as the wheel rocketed away from the battle. Another shock wave hit Titan. The viewscreen changed, and they saw a large ball of fire. Everyone became silent.

  “They have destroyed two more Earth ships! Now it’s just Titan, Prometheus, and Freedom.”

  Anastasia closed her eyes and held her head. But she didn’t have the time to mourn.

  “Three Orias ships just slipped into our space. They’re heading toward the outer section,” Adrian announced.

  “You know what to do.”

  “Ye
s, ma’am!”

  Titan swung and picked up speed, and the gap between it and the Orias ships vanished in seconds.

  “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” muttered Adrian.

  “Fire!” shouted Anastasia.

  Torpedoes launched with incredible speed. Within seconds, the Orias ships were crushed.

  “Yes!” Adrian cheered.

  But Anastasia didn’t feel like celebrating just yet. “Bring us about.”

  Titan turned around and fired, neutralizing the four ships that had just slipped into their space. Their upgrades to the torpedoes were working well. A beam hit Titan, and it shook. Sparks flew, and the lights went out for a second. Titan’s computer located the three Orias ships and fired again. A blast blinded the crew momentarily. From the corner of her eye, Anastasia saw Freedom return to her realm, chasing two Orias ships. “Status of the colonists?” she asked.

  “At this speed, they should be out of range within five minutes.”

  “Keep them busy. Do not let any Orias ships get past us. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  “Lieutenant Hawk, show me the perimeter.”

  Everyone’s hearts sank. Their job was to protect the perimeter, and right now, they were watching as the Orias destroyed it.

  Titan shuddered and dipped. Anastasia grabbed her chair. A loud beep sounded.

  “Commander, the perimeter is overloading. It can’t take it anymore. The shield is at twenty percent,” Adrian reported.

  A loud blast occurred close to Titan. A shock wave hit them, throwing everyone off their chairs. The lights on the roof blew to pieces, and debris fell to the floor.

  “What the hell was that?” Anastasia shouted above the screaming alarm.

  “Freedom!” Adrian replied. “It blew and breached our shields!”

  Everyone fell silent and looked at the screen. A huge part of the ship floated in space, lifeless.

  “Prometheus?” Anastasia asked, her heart jumping to her throat.

  The view on the screen changed. Two Orias ships were attacking the ship. Prometheus fired and blew one of the ships to pieces.

  “Looks like it’s good,” Evan remarked.

  “Engineering, what’s our status?” Anastasia shouted, getting back in her chair.

  “I’m trying to keep the perimeter from blowing up. I’ve been reinforcing it by transferring power to the receptors and rerouting power from other generators,” Cyr replied. “I’m sorry. I can’t do anything else.”

  Anastasia sat up straight. “Maybe we can. Adrian, what’s the distance between the last Orias ship and the perimeter?”

  Adrian examined the panel. “Less than two hundred kilometers.”

  “Show me their formation.”

  A diagram appeared on the screen. The Orias had no particular formation and were scattered haphazardly on the other side.

  “Cyr. Give me a vantage point,” said Anastasia. “Imagine if I want to light a fire. Where would I do it?”

  “Working on it.” The viewscreen changed to show another diagram. A section was highlighted. “I don’t know why, but seventy percent of their ships are at this point,” Cyr said.

  Slowly, Anastasia got off her chair. “Six weeks ago, you told me we had 120 percent power.”

  “Yes. So?”

  “Transfer thirty percent to the perimeter generators in that section.”

  “That’s too much,” Cyr argued. “It will overload and blow up.”

  “How big?”

  “W-What?”

  “How big of an explosion?”

  “Substantial.”

  Every eye turned to Anastasia.

  “Location of Prometheus?” she asked as Titan jolted once more. The screen showed that Prometheus was chasing two ships that were heading toward one of Saturn’s moons. “This is our chance. Do it.”

  “Ready. I suggest we move back,” Cyr said.

  “No,” said Anastasia. “Execute.”

  Three blasts left the space station, heading for the perimeter. Titan vibrated. At first, just a bit. Then the vibration grew stronger. Anastasia grabbed the arms of her chair. Alarms blared. The perimeter, studded like glowing stars, changed. At first, it turned slightly red. Then it turned into a red web.

  Before the Orias knew what was happening, a section of the perimeter blew and turned into a huge fireball. The blast spread in all directions, destroying everything in its wake.

  Anastasia smiled as she saw the Orias ships being wiped out. But soon, the fire approached Titan. “Brace for impact!” she screamed.

  Titan shook, tossing everyone from their seats. Fire flooded the outer hull. Its special shielding deflected the fire into space. Titan was designed to soak up energy. When the fire hit the convertors, they quickly began turning it into fuel.

  When she looked up, Anastasia saw that the screen was tilted. A moment later, she realized it was Titan. The bridge crew got to their feet and took their stations.

  “Let’s see what happened,” Anastasia said, getting back in her chair.

  They looked at broken perimeter. It had served them well for years, and now it was no more. It wasn’t totally gone, but there was a gap almost ten kilometers wide.

  “Status of the Orias fleet?” Anastasia asked.

  Evan checked his panel. “We destroyed most of their ships.”

  Anastasia wondered if that was enough.

  “Commander, our communications are back online. I have contact with the Imperial Command. And we have an incoming message from Prometheus,” said Lieutenant Hawk.

  Anastasia nodded.

  The message came in. “What was that? Are you okay?” asked Mykel.

  “We are good, thanks. We overloaded the perimeter.”

  “What?”

  “The blast took out most of their ships.”

  “Good move, Commander.”

  But at what cost? Anastasia thought.

  “Commander, we just received a message from the Imperial Command,” said Lieutenant Hawk. “A new fleet led by Lady Vermont should be here in ten minutes.”

  Anastasia nodded; a bit surprised. A tribunal leading the fleet was unusual. She turned to Mykel. “Captain, we . . .” But the transmission was interrupted, and the screen went blank. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know!” Evan replied.

  “That was a mistake,” said a deep voice.

  Darkness engulfed the bridge. A face appeared on the black screen, and as it brightened, Anastasia and her crew could see the queen herself.

  “That was a mistake.”

  Anastasia felt her pulse rise. She’d never thought she would see her again, especially not so soon. “Was it?” she said, getting to her feet.

  “You will perish. You are no match for us. I am superior in every way. My power extends across the seven realms, and I will take what is mine.”

  Anastasia stayed silent.

  “You are menial, insignificant beings! And I will crush you.”

  Her words were met with silence. A coldness spread across the bridge.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think we were being insulted,” said Evan to Adrian.

  “I know he was nuts, but at this moment, I like the admiral more. At least he didn’t call us menial,” replied Adrian.

  Anastasia tried not to smile. The women continued to glare at each other. A mix of fear and surprise filled her.

  “You are powerless! Insignificant!” she spat, “You will surrender and serve under me. If you resist, I will destroy you and assimilate your species! This is my realm; I will be your queen. You will either serve me or die!”

  A sense of shock hit Titan’s bridge crew, and they turned to their commander. Anastasia stood flabbergasted, trying to understand what was happening. Should she retaliate? Should she surrender? Or play the game. She smirked and returned to her chair. She thought about all the lives that had been lost and all the ships that had been destroyed. And for what? Power. Beings hungry for p
ower.

  “Commander, Prometheus is hailing us,” said Lieutenant Hawk.

  She nodded. The viewscreen divided into two. Mykel was about to speak, but Anastasia signaled for him to wait. She looked at the panel and made a note of the coordinates from where the queen’s signal originated. “You have no idea who we are, have you?” she said to the queen, punching buttons. “You never reached out, talked to us. If you would have asked us… let’s say, nicely I would have considered your request.”

  “I do not make requests… I…”

  “I am not finished yet,” she said firmly, “You will not set foot in this sector of space. This is no one’s realm. It belongs to every living creature in this sector. You have no authority here.”

  Silence struck the bridge.

  The two women glowered, neither looking away.

  “I shall kill you myself, and I’ll enjoy it,” said the queen.

  “And I shall give you no such pleasure,” replied Anastasia. “Titan, initiate attack pattern twenty-five,” she ordered.

  The computer took control, and sixteen long-range, high-yield torpedoes flew toward queen’s ship. Anastasia had used her time well; she had created defensive automated programs that were executed on voice commands. The torpedoes hit the Orias fleet in an instant, and Anastasia enjoyed the momentary surprise on the queen’s face. The screen went blank.

  “Five torpedoes hit the main ship,” Evan confirmed, “It has sustained heavy damage.”

  A ball of fire erupted.

  “Six Orias ships just exploded.”

  “Nice work!” muttered Evan.

  “Commander… the Prometheus is in trouble.” reported Lieutenant Hawk.

  Five Orias ships surrounded Prometheus, and it was struggling. A blast from the Orias ships punctured a hole in its hull.

  “Adrian!” Anastasia shouted.

  Titan tilted, aimed, and fired, destroying two ships. Then, slowly, it hovered over Prometheus. Its vast shadow fell over the Orias ships. It didn’t fire. It just hovered there, waiting.

  “Commander?” asked Adrian.

  “Wait for it.”

  The Orias ships stopped dead in space, and their taillights dimmed. Then they suddenly withdrew.

  “Fire!”

  Titan wiped out the three ships in an instant.

  Mykel’s face appeared on the screen.