by John Walker
They broke free, all but Niersa and Vali who remained with Deva. Each of them led with their weapons firing in an attempt to keep their opponent’s heads down. As they rushed forward, pulse blasts cut into the ground around them. Yuris took a shot to the side and was tossed through the air, landing hard behind them. He remained still, not even wallowing in pain.
Lhar fired a shot at the top of one of the enemy’s heads, the only part peeking out from behind stone cover. One of his three blasts connected, searing off the armor and melting through the top of his skull. Flopping backwards, his weapon went flying and skid on the ground, sliding toward a flight of stairs.
Each of the kielans made it to another set of rocks for cover just as Bleise opened up on the enemy’s flank. Screams filled the air as he took down at least a couple of them. Lhar called into his com to back off, to take cover again but Bleise seemed determined to finish them off on his own. Lhar stood and fired as well, ordering the others to cover him.
It didn’t work. One of the aliens caught Bleise in the chest just below his neck, dropping him to the ground. A strangled cry rang out and he went still, quite dead. “No!” Lhar shot the one who killed his soldier, finishing him off before aiming at the next. He noted the bodies on the ground and counted them.
Eleven. What? There were only six!
“Deva! What’s going on? Where are they coming from?”
“I don’t know!” Deva shouted back. “They just…appear on the scans!”
“New tech?” Vali offered. “It must be. Some kind of ability to bend light and keep themselves invisible, right?”
“No way,” Deva said. “Not in the short time we’ve been gone. We would’ve seen prototypes. They would’ve used during the fight at the research facility. This is something else. I guarantee it!”
Lhar checked his scanner and noted there were still four enemies out there. Fifteen? That’s more like what I would’ve expected…
Another one went down and the other three made a break for it, running for the stairs.
Wait, they’re running? Lhar felt incredibly confused. “Shoot!”
His men fired, taking down the rest of them as they went. Each body collapsed on the stairs, sliding down to the base. Lhar approached the nearest corpse and nudged it with his foot. It’s real enough. He motioned for the others to approach. “Deva, get over here and scan this. What am I looking at?”
The tech officer hurried over, crouching the entire way. When she arrived, she dropped down to a knee and looked all around, especially checking the rocks above them. Lhar rolled his eyes but he knew she had good cause to be nervous. There could be more out there somewhere. The fact they hadn’t attacked while their friends died though made it unlikely.
“Um…this armor is strange.” Deva sighed. “I don’t know what this is! It doesn’t appear to be one of the enemies we’ve ever fought before.”
“What are you talking about?” Lhar asked. “That’s impossible. It must be.”
“It’s…wait!” Deva stood up suddenly as the body seemed to dissolve into thin air. “It’s gone! Oh my…it’s…it’s pure energy! This thing was a construct of energy!”
“That doesn’t even make sense,” Niersa said. “How could that be possible?”
Deva shrugged. “I have no idea! I…I should check the others.”
Lhar stopped her. “Vali can handle the medical stuff. You focus on what we need. We didn’t come down here and potentially lose two people for you to waste time. Find the energy and figure out a way for us to tap it so we can get out of here as soon as possible. Understood?”
Deva nodded. “Yes, sir. I’m on it.”
“Good.” Lhar turned to the others. “Form a perimeter. I’m going to report back to the ship on what we just discovered. Fates know they’re going to love this. It’s definitely not what anyone expected…and now we know there’s no way to anticipate what we might encounter next. Stay on your guard. It might get uglier.”
***
Chapter 6
Clea sat in her room working on a computer, trying to piece together where they should go next. The same garbled message greeted them at every location they visited, proving the caches of these buoys rarely got purged. After half an hour, she felt no more confident about saving their friends than she had when they started.
A knock on her door made her sigh. She didn’t feel like distractions at the moment but called out for the person to come in. Durant entered and immediately sat down, looking smug. Her mood must’ve showed because his expression melted and he sat up straight, clearing his throat before speaking.
“I’ve analyzed the schematics for that weapon those terrorists used on us. It’s pretty ingenious. I have to give props to Novalat.”
“I’m sure they’ll be thrilled,” Clea replied. “Have you countered it then?”
“Well, it’s harder to do that than you think,” Durant said. “The shields already have to be down for it to work. That means we need to do something with our armor if we want to reflect it. I’ve got the computer going through the different options on how that might work but I have to be honest, retrofitting armor is a lot harder than reprogramming shields.”
“Meaning it won’t be as easy to prepare for this one.”
“Correct.” Durant leaned forward. “What’re you working on?”
“Trying to figure out where the Crystal Font is still.” Clea shrugged. “I’ve been at it for hours too but we’re just plunging deeper into space. I want some more certainty, Durant. I want to know where they could’ve possibly gone. Already, we’re seventeen systems away from the research facility. I really doubt they planned this far of a jump.”
“They probably jumped again as soon as they appeared.”
“Not if they jumped so close to their trap,” Clea pointed out.
“Perhaps…but we can’t know how much damage they experienced. It might’ve been minimal. And it has been a long time…relatively speaking.”
“Yes, but…” Clea looked at her screen and paused. She’d been searching for buoys that might have the message but considering they didn’t get the entire communication, an idea hit her. “What if they are somewhere with a malfunctioning buoy?”
“Because we don’t have the complete message?”
Clea nodded. “Maybe something’s wrong with it. I mean, they clearly tried to send more.”
“Why would it send only part of it?”
“It might’ve shorted out half way through and been done. Holding on by a thread.” Clea tapped on her tablet for several moments. “I’m searching for any buoys that are reporting erratically or infrequently. This might get us closer.”
“You could be right. But that might lead us into an ambush. Pirates like to pull that kind of nonsense.”
“They do it so someone can’t call for help,” Clea pointed out. “The one we’re looking for is actually broken. Besides, no one thinks to check the buoy before they go to their next location. And many civilians don’t have scanners capable of such long range activity.” One buoy began to blink nearly seven systems away. A massive jump.
If The Crystal Font made it all the way to such a remote location, they really went all out. Durant may have been right about a second jump too. However, going so far seemed like a really bad idea unless they were directly pursued. Furthermore, if they really did jump twice, why go deeper into empty space?
Maybe it was all an accident. “I have to tell the captain,” Clea said. “We need to investigate that location.”
“You know, we might want to slow down a moment,” Durant replied. “Why is the buoy damaged?”
“Age, perhaps. Who gets out there to maintain it?”
“Or environmental problems?” Durant shook his head. “The place might be flat out dangerous.”
“We’ll hop into the edge of space there,” Clea said. “And perform our sensor sweep. If we find them, great but if not, we can fix that buoy while we figure out our next move. Believe me, someone would th
ank us in the future. If you got stranded out there without the ability to communicate, you’d be done.”
“I hope you’re right about this.” Durant rose and moved to the door. “I’m going to finish my simulations with this new weapon. Let me know if you need anything from engineering.”
“Will do.” Clea grabbed her tablet and joined him. “With any luck, we’ll be collecting our charge soon and heading back home. Maybe we can get away without having to fire the weapons again this mission but something tells me that would be too much to hope for, huh?”
“With this ship?” Durant laughed. “Yes, it would be far too much. See you soon.”
***
Kale listened in on the tactical channel as both the ground force and air support coordinated together. The hot moment when those soldiers set down they were beset upon by enemy troops. The question of where they came from danced around in his mind and he knew Zanthari Varez was desperately seeking an answer.
Having replaced Deva on the bridge, the young man seemed a little nervous. Until that moment, he’d been working out of the tech labs. Sitting on the bridge for the alliance military could be intimidating, especially in the midst of a crisis. Listening to the fight over the speakers probably didn’t help much either.
Thaina was running the action and Kale kept his mouth shut to let her. “What’s happening now?” She asked, watching the cameras from the different soldiers. There was a slight delay in what she was seeing and what was actually happening. “Is everyone alright?”
“No,” Lhar replied. “Bleise is dead. Yuris took a shot to the side but he’ll survive. We’ve scanned one of these bodies and…well…”
“What is it, Vinthari?” Thaina insisted. Kale doubted the soldier needed pushing often. Whatever he saw must’ve really shook him up. “Report!”
“The enemy body disappeared. Deva believes it was made of pure energy.”
“Contact!” Alma’s voice exploded over the speakers. She led the air support that flew over the site. “Fighters incoming!”
“Fighters now again?” Kale shook his head. “They must have a base to be resourcing these things! Varez, have you found anything yet?”
Varez looked back at him helplessly. “I’m so sorry, sir. I just…there’s nothing! No familiar energy readings, no hulls, no organics that match the enemy…They have to have some kind of new technology blocking them!” He yelped. “Sir! I think I know where they’re coming from!”
“What?” Kale stood from his seat. “Show me.”
Varez put an enemy capital ship up on the screen, coming from around the planet. It was one of their smaller warships, something that usually traveled in twos. Kale scowled as he took it in but didn’t hesitate long. “Thaina, raise our shields and fire when ready. Full alert. Athan, get us moving. I want bombers out there right away.”
As the bridge crew sprung into action, Kale couldn’t help but think about the report suggesting the body might’ve been pure energy. Perhaps the enemy figured out a way to create lethal projections. It sounded far fetched but technology could do wondrous things. And these bastards were nothing if not industrious.
“They’re closing to attack range,” Athan said. “Thaina, that’s all you.”
“I’m on it.” Thaina worked her console for several moments and their cannons began to fire, splashing into the enemy shields. “Direct hits. No appreciable damage. Their shields dropped to…eight percent and they’re back on the rise.”
Kale’s com began to buzz and he slapped it as he sat back down. “What’s going on up there?” Meira’s voice sounded strained and exhausted. “Please tell me we’re not in combat!”
“I’m afraid we’ve been attacked,” Kale replied. “Enemy warship came from behind the planet. We finally know where the troops and fighters have come from. They’ve got some kind of base down there…perhaps even a colony.”
“While that info is likely very important, I have some bad news. Extended fighting is not advisable. Not with our crystal in its current state.”
“Suggestions,” Kale replied firmly.
“Er…perhaps we can flee?”
“Without a power source to spark our new crystal, we’ll be fleeing to nowhere. And they can chase us. Unless I’m very much mistaken, they seem fully functional.” The ship shook from an enemy attack. Kale scowled and turned to Thaina. “Shield strength?”
“We’re at ninety-percent. They…don’t have the accuracy I’m used to. But we’re not recharging as fast as I’d like.”
“What can you do about that, Meira?” Kale asked.
Meira scoffed. “Pray? We’re not in a condition to do much, Anthar!”
“Understood. Do what little you can to keep us alive and we’ll do the same. Kale out.” He clicked off his com and checked the damage reports. No one reported anything yet. He felt some anxiety slip away but not much. Meira was right. They didn’t have a lot of fight in them, not with all the problems they were currently facing.
Thaina fired again, this time smacking the enemy right in the bow. Oddly enough, their attackers were still advancing on them. Kale got a bad feeling about proximity. He gestured to Athan, ordering him to put them in full reverse. “Give us some distance. They can’t get too close. Where are our bombers?”
“They’re launching now,” Thaina said. “They were ready but the hangar’s having some power issues. Apparently, our crystal fracture is causing more trouble than I would’ve guessed.”
“We’re at eighty-five percent energy output,” Varez said. “So…I can see why we’d be having trouble.”
“Just get them out there.” Kale sighed. “And keep firing!”
“I’m on it!” Thaina fired again, this time a blast that wasn’t quite at full power. She called out that the enemy’s shields dropped to sixty-percent but they didn’t even slow down. They counterattacked and their weapons were all direct hits. The lights flickered overhead but the shields held.
Probably just barely, Kale thought. We have to finish this fight quickly and hope there aren’t more of them. Where’s your partner ship? You never go out alone.
He wanted to ask Varez to keep scanning but knew it would be pointless. Perhaps their sensor equipment had been impacted in a way they didn’t realize by the jump disaster or the crystal fracture. There were so few explanations for why they couldn’t detect the people they were fighting. He wanted answers but first, they had to survive.
Fight first, investigation later.
***
Alma’s wing engaged another squadron of enemy fighters, just moments after the ground crew claimed they secured the area. The ships came rocketing from around the back of the structure, their engines making a high pitched whine as they accelerated into action. Though six total enemies entered the fray, this time the Crystal Font pilots were not outnumbered.
The odds were even but they had to be conscious of where debris might land. If they fought directly over the operational zone below, they could jeopardize the soldiers trying to secure the power needed to get home. Alma ordered her people to draw the fighters away, even if they were only a kilometer off, it would make the whole situation safer.
Drawing back put them in a compromising position and they had to evade a wild amount of enemy cannon fire. Alma took a shot to the rear, her shields held and she climbed, entering into full dogfight mode. The others did the same, trying to spread the enemy thin as they worked into a steady combat rhythm.
Alma spun, her inertial dampeners screaming from the sudden motion. They didn’t quite alleviate all the G force, especially in atmosphere and she strained against the urge to pass out. When the maneuver finished, she took several deep breaths, zeroing in on the target before her. Taking to the enemy’s rear, her targeting computer got tone and she opened up.
Blasting the enemy with a full barrage, the ship didn’t even try to evade. It took the attack, its shields burst and the fuselage ignited. A massive explosion resounded and fiery pieces plummeted to the ground below.
Another boom caught Alma’s attention to the left and she pulled up to rejoin the action.
Four enemies remained and they started to fly more as expected, climbing and dodging as the alliance pilots had seen through every battle in the past. This time, it proved much more difficult to get a firing solution and Alma cleanly missed the first couple shots. Another alliance ship screamed by, dropping a missile which chased its enemy into a canyon.
The ordinance caught the tail of the enemy just as he tried to pull away. The nudge sent him into a wall and his shields did nothing for the dramatic impact. As his core ignited, a huge chunk of the rock wall crumbled and fell, causing a massive dust plume to rise nearly two hundred feet into the air.
Two alliance ships teamed up on an enemy but it reversed its thrust, dropping behind them and firing. Alma tried to intercept but wasn’t in time as a full spread struck one of her people, knocking their engines out. The pilot ejected just as the entire ship went up, more debris crashing into the ground.
Thank the Fates I moved us or the soldiers would be cursing our names right now.
Alma fired and though she missed, the enemies broke their formation and left the remaining alliance ship alone. Another pair of ally vessels joined her and let a spread of missiles go, chasing their targets down and blowing them out of the sky. Alma checked the scanner and saw only one left. He broke, heading back toward the structure.
They must have a base back there!
“Get him before he’s over our companions,” Alma said. “Everyone, chase him down.” She opened her channel. “Search and rescue, we’ve got a pilot down. He ejected over the following coordinates.” She fed them back to The Crystal Font as they rocketed after the final enemy, each of them taking shots, trying to lead him away from his destination.
All the ordinance proved too much for him to avoid and he began to spin as his shields went up. His burning vessel flew past the structure and a column of fire erupted from behind it, lasting for almost twenty seconds before black smoke replaced it. Alma flew to the wreckage, convinced she’d find an enemy base located below.
