Tanak’Vor discarded it like he would a piece of trash, and it rebounded on the pristinely restored throne floor.
“Apology accepted, General Vega.”
When Chase and Argos teleported to the sides of the soul ships, Chris and Sarah were climbing inside their respective cockpits.
“Dad! Uncle!” cheered Chris.
“Chase,” said Sarah. “Is he…”
Chase shook his head. “I’m afraid not; let’s get out of here.”
“Yes,” confirmed Argos. “Let’s nuke him from orbit.”
A minute later the soul ships were exiting the harsh atmosphere of Erevos.
Chase opened a holo-channel to the Victory.
“It’s good to see you and the ships as we feared the worst,” said Daniel.
“What’s our status?” asked Chase.
“Both fleets are of equal forces, we’ve lost a few ships, and so have they. What about the Spectre, did you guys have to face him?”
“We did, but it didn’t exactly go well. Hopefully, we can defeat him now that the soul ships are free again.”
Drakos, do we have enough energy to use the main weapon still?
Just barely. You, in particular, have lost too much, but fortunately the other pilots can compensate. The process of phasing Erevos to the alternate dimension and detonating it might take a little longer than if you were all at max power, but it should still be successful.
“We’re just about to take the planet out, Daniel. Move the fleet to a safe distance, we don’t want any of our ships to be destroyed in the process.”
“Understood. Good luck, Chase.”
“To us all.”
The time has come to say our final goodbyes, said Ares.
You may yet survive the phasing of the planet. After all, you’re energy. Can’t you try to teleport your energy form the moment we deploy the weapon?
And risk this entire plan just to save myself?
Chase knew that if their positions were reversed, he would not take that risk either.
I don’t want to say goodbye. I— I don’t want to lose you.
Everything dies, Chase, one way or another. Look on the bright side, even when my body was slain, we still managed to interact. I never thought I’d last this long in my current form, and with luck, I’ll be granted safe passage to Elysium, where we may meet again, someday.
Chase’s heart ached. He didn’t want to have to sacrifice his old mentor and friend, but he didn’t have any other choice. If they had managed to defeat Tanak’Vor, they could have blasted the planet by other means. However, right now, they needed to rid themselves not only of the Fury stronghold but also of the Spectre, which proved himself to be an even bigger threat.
Thank you for friendship, and for teaching me the way of the warrior.
The pupil has long since overcome his master. It was an honor training you and being your friend, Chase. I will miss you.
I will miss you, too.
Goodbye, Chase. Give the Furies hell, and remember your promise.
Goodbye, old friend. I will.
Gaia felt amazing and more powerful than ever before. She had even equipped her avatar with Fury armor. Having her matrix programmed with all the fighting techniques and abilities of the Furies, even though they would be limited to Achanes’s virtual world, was as exhilarating as it was empowering.
“I don’t want to have to fight you, Achanes, but I will if you leave me no other choice.”
“Fight me? Granted you seem to have upgraded your avatar quite a bit, but what can you hope to do in a world that I created and I control?”
“Listen, I don’t want us to be enemies, but I need your help.”
“That is the one thing you will not get by barging back in here ready for a fight. You can’t hope to defeat me.”
“Can we at least talk about it? Can you let me explain why I need a piece of Atlantian tech? It could save every living being in the universe one day.”
Lines of codes fell from the sky and created a humanoid silhouette. It flashed in a blinding white light, and when Gaia’s sight returned, a massive humanoid stood a few yards in front of her. He was thirty percent taller than her beefed-up avatar, muscular, with combat armor that seemed both light and resilient.
“I don’t care what your reasons are, my mission is to protect Atlantian knowledge from any prying eyes. Understand that I will destroy the content of my matrix before I let anyone access it. So, this is your last chance of leaving here peacefully, while you still can.”
“I can’t do that. I gave my word to a friend. He saved my life, many times.”
“A good friend wouldn’t want you to risk it on a fool’s errand. Last chance, Gaia, leave this place, or I’ll have to destroy you.”
Gaia took a defensive pose, and Achanes shook his head.
“I’ll make this as quick and as painless as possible.”
“I won’t make it easy on you, and I have no desire to fight you, but I need the blink drive.”
“I suppose you’re referring to the Atlantian technology that allows for instant travel, it’s one of the most powerful pieces of technology but also the most dangerous the Atlantians ever created. With it, armies could destroy their enemies in the blink of an eye.”
“That’s not why we want it.”
“You still don’t get it, do you? But I guess I shouldn’t be so harsh, you’re a very young AI still. It doesn’t matter how pure and morally true your friends are. By possessing this knowledge, it will in time be used more wildly and will result in the destruction of the very universe you’re trying to protect.”
“What if I promised that we’d destroy it once we’ve defeated the Furies?”
“I cannot take that chance. I don’t dispute that your intentions are pure, but you are not able to guarantee control of the knowledge. It looks like there’s no other way but for us to fight until one or the other is destroyed.”
27
The moment the soul ships had traveled enough distance from orbit, they turned around.
Drakos, are we ready to deploy the weapon?
The charging sequence has been halted until we transfer energy from the other pilots into you. How long will it take?
But as Chase asked the question, he felt an influx of energy fill his body.
Just a few more seconds; we’re almost there.
While Chase wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to his next question, he had to ask it anyway.
In what energy state will we be after the deployment of the weapon? Would we still be able to fight the Spectre if he somehow survives?
I don’t have any easy answer for you, Dragonheart. You’ll pay the biggest toll though. I’m the Nexus soul ship, and as such, we’ll both consume the lion’s share of the energy during the phasing sequence. So, you may need to regenerate your energy shortly after. Your friends will still have some, but they definitely won’t be at full power.
That was not what Chase wanted to hear, but hopefully, the soul ships would not only destroy Erevos, but Tanak’Vor as well. The weapon had to work, as Chase no longer believed that even with the help of his parents, Poseidon and Thor, they would possess enough power to eliminate the Spectre.
Weapon is charged, said Drakos. We can now fire the lightning-phase shot that will trigger the machine on Erevos, shortly after, the planet will phase from this dimension to the other.
Let’s do it!
Drakos hummed and rocked as the other three soul ships fired lightning beams at it. The cockpit lit with a bright light. The humming intensified, and Chase felt his pool of energy being drained rapidly. When the weapon was fully charged, Drakos unleashed a massive lightning bolt to the planet. Chase felt his entire energy draining so quickly that he could barely maintain consciousness.
The lightning impacted with the surface of the planet and thousands of smaller lightning bolts sizzled away. Once all the bolts had traveled around the circumference of Erevos, it flashed bright white for a
n instant, releasing a non-lethal shockwave. The planet began to phase out, and the outer perimeter became more and more translucent at each passing moment.
“It’s working!” exclaimed Chris over the comms.
“We’re doing it,” said Sarah. “We’re actually doing it!”
It’s time to say goodbye, said Drakos.
Chase had a hard time concentrating. His body and his mind were the weakest he’d ever felt outside of the time he had been left for dead on the surface of Droxia.
Wh— What? What are you talking about?
The second part of the weapon requires the sacrifice of the soul ships.
You can’t be serious? Why didn’t you tell us before?
Because it might have affected your strategy, and from your emotional state at the moment, I can tell I was right hiding this from you. This is where we say our goodbyes. I’m proud to have known you, Chase, heart of the dragon.
Even though he had only known Drakos for a short time, they had formed a strong emotional bond. Chase knew that there wasn’t anything he could do in this instance, but he was sad at the prospect of losing Drakos.
Goodbye, Drakos. Thank you for your help. We couldn’t have done it without the four of you. How are we getting ou—
But before Chase could finish his sentence, he felt a transporter beam grab onto him, and a second later he was standing on the bridge of the Victory, along with Chris, Argos, and Sarah.
The planet was almost out of phase when the soul ships micro-jumped into its core. The planet cracked, as more and more tendrils of lava and plasma expanded from the center of the planet to the outer circumference.
“What the hell are you four doing here?” asked Daniel.
“The ships teleported us back on board,” said Argos. “Before sacrificing themselves to take Erevos out.”
His gaze, like the rest of his family’s, was locked on the spectacle of Erevos being destroyed at the same time as it was phased out and being swallowed by the dimensional rift. Multiple explosions erupted from the planet, and more than half of Erevos had already shifted to the alternate dimension.
The planet splintered and soon almost none of it was visible. Just before it disappeared entirely behind an inferno of flames and disappearing debris, a flash burst in the center of where Erevos once stood.
A moment later, a structure appeared in the Victory’s viewport.
“What is that?” asked Daniel.
“That’s the palace,” answered Argos, his voice dripping with dread.
“It’s a ship?” asked Chase.
“I had no idea it was,” said Argos.
“We’re being hailed,” said the comms officer.
“On screen,” said Daniel and Chase at the same time.
“You’ve won this battle, Fury,” said Tanak’Vor, “but you’ll lose the war, I’ll make sure of it.”
Chase gestured to the comms officer and ran a finger across his neck. The transmission was terminated. He could barely stand at this point, but he used whatever energy he had left to mentally open a channel to the fleet.
“All ships, target the palace ship and fire at will! Give it everything you’ve got.”
While the battle between the Fury super-destroyer and the Earth Alliance fleet still raged, the ships changed their targeting priorities and fired a flurry of laser, plasma, and hundreds of torpedoes toward the palace ship. A spider ship decloaked in front of the palace ship and extended its legs, which grew to five times their initial length as a way to protect it. The spider ship erected a force field, deflecting each hit and returning them to their source, except the torpedoes that exploded on the force field with no apparent damage to either the palace ship or the spider ship protecting it.
The Victory violently shook when the main plasma weapon it had fired earlier was deflected back to its own shields.
“Shields down to sixty-six percent, Captain,” said the tactical officer.
Some of the ships that had fired their volleys of plasma and laser blasts were destroyed when their own weapons ricocheted back to their weak shields. Five destroyers were lost, another three were disabled, and a dozen received significant hull damage.
“Cease fire on that ship immediately!” Daniel ordered. “Resume firing on your original targets. Damaged vessels, if you are able, micro-jump away until your shields are restored.”
Gaia dodged Achanes’ first series of combos and blocked the latest kick. She was amazed by her avatar’s powers. For a moment she understood why Chase was often thrilled at the beginning of a battle, like when he was by her side fighting Arkoolis back on Droxia.
She grabbed Achanes’ leg and sent him flying. But Achanes disappeared, and she felt a strong pain in her back as she crashed to the digital ground.
“You realize this is pointless, don’t you?” said Achanes. “It’s not too late for you to stop this course of action. You can’t hope to win. I created, and therefore control, every part of this virtual world. There’s no way for you to succeed.”
Gaia returned to her feet and faced Achanes.
“That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.”
“Very well, it’s your funeral.”
Achanes’ silhouette glowed white and turned into pure energy, hundreds of fireballs all arching toward her shortly after being fired.
Her avatar turned Ultra Fury, and she fired counter fireballs in quick succession, but there was simply too many of them approaching her to cancel them out. She teleported when the bulk of them reached her position, reappearing behind Achanes. She slashed her foot through him, but it had no effect.
Achanes rematerialized into a physical body and catapulted her into the air with a jumping uppercut. The blow dislodged Gaia’s avatar jaw. Achanes followed his prey into the air and unleashed hundreds of punches at impossible speeds. He joined both his hands above his head and smashed a nearly unconscious Gaia back to the ground.
Gaia’s avatar body ached everywhere, but she accessed the Fury healing powers she had pre-programmed and healed herself.
By the time she was done, Achanes had floated back down in front of her.
“Why did you program your avatar to feel pain? What possible use could that be to you on a strategic level?”
“Pain is part of being human.”
“You’re not human, and neither am I. Alive, yes, but that’s not the same thing.”
“I always strive to be human, in one shape or another.”
“Humanity is weak, the flesh is a burden, we as AIs are vastly superior, we don’t feel physical pain, and yet you are not taking advantage of that superior design. Why?”
“I’ve modeled this avatar to mimic the greatest warriors that ever lived, some of them my friends. I’ve observed them, and they seemed to strive when their bodies were being smashed to a pulp. The fear of death, the pain, the danger allowed them to surpass their limits and accomplish the impossible.”
Achanes chuckled.
“Impossible is a good description of the path you have chosen for yourself.”
“What do we do now?” asked Sarah.
Chase wished he didn’t have to answer that question. He had hoped Tanak’Vor would have perished alongside the demise of Erevos. At least the Fury world was no more, but the Spectre was now an even bigger threat. One they had no other choice but to deal with. Except, Chase was in no physical shape to do so.
“We finish it,” said Chase, struggling to keep his eyes open.
“You’re in no shape to fight,” said Argos.
“I know. How are your own power levels?”
“I’m nearly half depleted,” said Argos.
“About sixty percent,” added Chris.
“I’m not sure,” said Sarah last.
“Guys!” exclaimed Daniel, pointing to the viewport.
The spider ship glowed and sent a massive plasma discharge at the fleet. The Asgardian destroyer a few miles off of the Victory’s starboard bow was obliterated.
“We won�
�t last very long if we allow that spider ship to shoot us one ship at a time.” Daniel turned to his comms officer. “Inform Engineering that we need their help neutralizing this threat.”
“Very well, Captain,” said the comms officer.
Chase felt light-headed, and Chris caught him before he fell.
“Dad!”
Argos ran to their side and put his hands on Chase. He transferred some of his energy to his brother.
“You need to go to the regen tank as soon as possible. But before you do, what do you want us to do?” asked Argos.
Chase now had more than enough juice to stand properly and think.
“Thank you, Son.”
Chris nodded.
“And thank you for the boost, Argos.”
“Anytime,” said Argos.
Chase felt everyone’s eyes fall on him. They were waiting for his orders.
“We’ve accomplished the first objective of our mission. The Fury stronghold has been destroyed. But this battle is far from over. We can’t let the Spectre survive today, or we risk seeing all our efforts being nullified. It won’t be easy. In fact, I fear the most difficult battle we’ve ever had to fight awaits us. We also need to destroy every last one of the Fury destroyers, or they could return in the future to finish what they started over a year ago.
“Daniel, with the help of Engineering, find a way to regain the upper hand in this battle, but just as before, you need to protect the Victory from suffering too much drain to its shields. Don’t take any chances, though I want you to be prepared to sacrifice the ship should we fail to kill the Spectre.”
“How do you propose we do that?” asked Daniel.
“Have the Asgardians keep a permanent transporter lock on the ship’s crew. If we fail in killing the Spectre, you are to beam the crew away, have the fleet retreat to hyperspace, and drop the containment field currently powering the time chamber. The resulting white hole should vaporize anything around it. But, timing will be everything. This, however, is a last resort measure. Hopefully, we won’t have to use it.
To End All Wars_Universe in Flames Book 10 Page 26
