by Ivan Kal
Vorash glanced at the room, seeing only scared faces. It had been nearly a month since they had started losing contact with the colonies on the far edge of their territory. No word, no distress beacons, nothing. Just silence.
People were terrified–no one knew what was happening, and speculation had only served to make their fear greater.
Vorash met his brother’s equally terrified eyes and grimaced.
“I’m afraid not, brother,” Vorash said softly so that no one could hear. Not that there was any point, as soon all would know regardless. “A ship from the fleet has returned. A sole survivor.” Vorash took a deep breath. “The Union is under attack.”
“Creators aid us,” Garash whispered, crossing his upper arms over his face in a prayer. “What do we know?”
“Near to nothing,” Vorash said. “Black ships, that are seemingly far more technologically advanced than ours. The fleet was slaughtered easily without inflicting any damage to the hostiles.”
“And the colonies? Do we at least know what happened to the people?”
Vorash looked away, fighting to keep his face from crumbling. Then he turned back. “They are dead. All dead. The hostiles killed everyone, we… There is nothing living on any of our worlds.”
“We need to mobilize the fleets. Every race must contribute,” Garash said, his eyes gazing into the distance with horror. Finally, he turned to Vorash. “Thank you, Vor. Go–I’ll find you later. I need to figure out how to break it to the Senate.”
Vorash nodded, hoping that his brother figured out a way to save their peoples. But with everything that Vorash had seen in the records…he did not think that it was possible.
Chapter Five
Several months later – Alliance staging point – Erasi occupied system
Adrian watched through a view-screen on board the Herald of War as a task-force commanded by Ryaana left the system through hyperspace. In the end he had decided to give the command of the task-force to Ryaana. She had acted as part of a ground forward element up until now, dropping down to planets and establishing a foothold or assaulting important targets. But she was a Sentinel, and as such was trained in fleet command as well. And before she had even become a Sentinel, Ryaana had been a Dai Sha and had commanded Shara Daim Legions. She was a very capable commander.
They had ultimately decided to send twenty fleets, a significant chunk of their invasion force, with her. But the size of the force was necessary, he knew. The core of the Erasi was well defended, and operating so behind the current war lines meant that they would be on their own for a while.
The task-force’s mission was to strike at Erasi military targets and do as much damage as possible, then move on to another system before the Erasi had a chance to trap them. Adrian and his team had come up with a list of systems, but it would be up to Ryaana and her team to decide which ones they wanted to hit.
“You don’t need to worry about her, Adrian,” Iris told him through his imp, voicing his silent doubts. “Ryaana is capable enough to execute your orders. She is your daughter, after all.”
“It is not her competence that worries me,” Adrian answered. “It is her company.”
Adrian did not have any worry that his daughter was not up to task; the thing that did worry him was the Enlightened at her side. He had debated not sending her at first because of that, but it had become apparent that she was a perfect choice–not sending her might’ve aroused suspicion. He could not tip his hand, the same way he suspected that the Enlightened couldn’t tip his or her own.
“She’ll be fine,” Iris told him.
“Yes…” Adrian said.
As the last ship disappeared from his view, Adrian turned around and walked over to his desk. He still had a lot on his plate, and worrying would not gain him anything. He opened files on his server and started reading reports. Anessa had successfully taken a mining system that will help them immensely once they secured it and got the mining process working again. Several processing and fabricating ships were already on their way there, as well as a force that would set up the system’s defenses.
The other invasion points had been going well, and they had already taken thirty-two systems in a bit over a year since the invasion began. It was a drop in the bucket compared to the size of the Erasi, but it was something. The invasion had focused on the hub systems, the ones that had multiple trans-lane connections to other systems. But all the forces that they had faced up until now had been from the outer Erasi systems. Lower members, not their core. Adrian knew that the true battle was ahead of them. But, with Krashinar help, they had a better chance on punching through the core’s outer systems.
It would have been better had the Krashinar forces on the Erasi rimward border been able to continue with their invasion, but the Erasi retaliation into the Krashinar’s own territory had forced them to retreat and defend their own systems as the Erasi employed hit-and-run techniques–not unlike what Ryaana’s task-force was about to begin in the Erasi core. Regardless, one of the Krashinar Great Packs still remained attached to the invasion force, led by Old Scar, a Krashinar with whom Adrian had shared a telepathic connection and exchanged memories. In a way, they had lived each other’s lives. Although most of the memories had faded by now, there were still flashes, moments that stood out.
The Krashinar were a very different species relative to any Adrian had ever encountered. They were unique in a galaxy of races that were guided by the People: they were the only known race that the People had never uplifted, and they were similarly the only known race whose genetic code the People had not tampered with.
Finishing with the reports, he turned and went to bed. Tomorrow he would move out with most of his forces, rendezvous with Anessa and move to siege the Jerthath system, a hub that held trans-lanes directly to the Erasi core. The system also had an access point, one that the Empire had been unable to activate, as the Erasi were aware of it as well. They had done a very good job finding the access points, once they knew that they existed, and barricading them. Even if the alliance managed to activate one, any force that came through would be met with overwhelmingly powerful defenses, including mines. There was no way for them to attack through those access points without crippling their fleets.
Which was a shame, Adrian mused, as one access point stood in the heart of the Erasi, in their capital system. A strike there might’ve been enough to bring the Erasi Empire to its knees. Sadly, that plan of attack was most certainly suicide.
Slowly, he drifted off to sleep, and dreams of an even greater war he was certain was coming came to him.
Chapter Six
Jerthath system
A massive fleet dropped out of hyperspace at the hyper-boundary of the system, and almost immediately came under fire from the advance defense Erasi force. Skim missiles and particle beams slammed into the alliance’s ships, and soon enough the invading force answered.
Anessa watched as the combined force of the Empire, Shara Daim, and Krashinar returned fire. Her battle map updated as their FTL sensors got a clearer picture of the system from the stealth drones placed around the system. The Erasi had placed several smaller fleets along the most probable invasion points in the system. Enough to bloody the alliance’s forces, but not enough to survive for long. She gave the order and her ships dispatched the Erasi force at hand quickly and efficiently.
Almost immediately the rest of the Erasi forces around the system started maneuvering and moving behind the defenses of the three inner planets, virtually abandoning the rest of the system. It was a change of tactics; the Erasi usually fought fiercely to protect every piece of territory they had. Now it seemed like the Erasi had realized that there would be no point. Soon enough more data started coming in, and Anessa accessed the command system, a prompt letting her know that Adrian had joined from the Herald of War as well, and they looked over the details of the Erasi defenses.
“There are more ships than we thought there would be…” Adrian said.
&nb
sp; Anessa nodded to herself. There was somewhere around eighty Erasi fleets arranged in defensive positions. The force they had brought here was equal to about one hundred and fifty fleets, including the Krashinar force. They still had the advantage, but the defenders would benefit from the battlefield more than the alliance forces would.
The alliance would need to first take care of the fixed defenses, and with the Erasi skim-canceling fields, that meant getting into the range of those same defenses. They could potentially take much more fire than they planned, and all the while their fleets would be adding their own fire to those of the defenses.
“It doesn’t matter. We still have the advantage,” Anessa said.
“I’ll contact the Krashinar. We should start the siege immediately.”
“Yes, I’ll take the Song of Retribution close and soften up their defenses.”
“Very well,” Adrian said and disconnected from the system. The Krashinar could not interact with the same system as they used telepathy for all of their systems. Adrian would need to relay their plans separately–which was why Krashinar usually acted on their own, close enough that they could support each other, but independent. The battle map updated with suggestions from Adrian as to which points their fleets should attack, and Anessa glanced at them for a moment before approving them and sending the orders to her sub-commanders to delegate a few task-forces to move around the system and protect the few incoming trans-lanes that the Erasi had abandoned. After, she sent the orders for the rest of the fleets to move.
The combined force entered skim and moved deeper into the system to the third planet, dropping out at the outer range of their weapons. Almost immediately both sides opened fire. Skim-missile launches from the enemy were the first announcers of the battle, followed up by the particle beams and kinetic shells from her forces.
Quickly the space between them turned into a maelstrom of fire. She ordered her heavier ships forward to protect the smaller ones, and they started soaking in the fire. The priority in the sieges of the Erasi systems were always their battle stations and platforms as those held the generators for the fields that interfered with skim fields. On her order, the Song of Retribution moved forward and started targeting the Erasi stations and platforms. Anti-matter beams sliced out of the Sovereign and started decimating the Erasi defenses. The effect on the Erasi was evident almost immediately–their ships moved forward from the cover of the defenses to engage her flagship. They couldn’t afford to let the Sovereign take free shots at their defenses.
Hundreds of Erasi warships turned their combined firepower on the Song of Retribution and Anessa’s flagship returned fire in kind. She sent out orders, and her super-battleships took advantage of the Erasi’s focus, sending volleys of s-missiles at them–for, in order for the Erasi warships to protect the fixed defenses, they had to move forward enough that the stations skim field nullifiers no longer protected them. Combined with the fire from beam weapons, the s-missiles started taking down the Erasi warships’ shields. Her Sovereign’s MD turrets swiveled and disintegrated any Erasi ship that lost its shields.
In minutes, the Erasi realized that they would lose their entire force if they continued in this fashion, and their force started retreating back behind their defenses–but not before Anessa’s force bloodied them further.
The battle returned to the previous rhythm, with both sides slugging it out. Even with the Erasi tech that prevented her from using s-missiles, the outcome of the battle was never in doubt. The alliance’s combined power was greater, and slowly, as more and more of the Erasi’s fixed defenses blew up, the tide of the battle turned.
Then the Erasi forces surged forward, surprising Anessa. She adjusted her forces’ line of battle to best suffer through the initial attack, and to take advantage of this Erasi foolishness. An alert drew her attention, and she glanced to the side. Sensors were picking up skim signatures coming from the far reaches of the system. Anessa frowned; the sensors couldn’t pick out who they were, exactly, nor their numbers. But whatever force was now approaching her back line was substantial.
It took her only a moment to figure it out, and before she had a chance to call, Adrian rejoined the command system. They pushed the interface to its limit, and in matter of moments communicated an entire conversation.
“They intend to surround us,” Adrian said.
“There weren’t supposed to be this much Erasi forces here. The first Erasi core fleet was supposed to arrive a month from now,” Anessa said.
“Our intel must’ve been faulty; that, or they simply slipped something past our informants. It doesn’t matter either way, as this new force can only be made out of their core fleets.”
“I’ll pull back the Song to meet them–you take care of the front. Contact the Krashinar and let them know that I might need the help of his Great Pack depending on the size of this new force,” Anessa told him, while simultaneously queuing and sending out orders to the fleets.
“I will. We should also prepare a plan to disengage in the case that we are outmatched,” Adrian said, and Anessa grimaced.
She did not care for retreat, especially with the momentum their invasion had established up until now. They needed this system in order to get to the Erasi core. But she understood being prepared.
“Fine,” Anessa agreed.
A few moments after, a large Erasi force dropped out of the skim at the back line sooner than Anessa would have liked. As the sensors swiped across the Erasi ships, she finally saw the numbers. Another eighty fleets: more than three hundred thousand Erasi core warships, and among their number she counted twelve Devastator-class warships, each an elongated saucer, and each about half the size of a Sovereign. They represented the pinnacle of Erasi engineering and war technology. Anessa grimaced. The alliance was now outnumbered by the Erasi–although by a smaller margin–but they were now stuck between the planet and its defenses and the new force at their back.
Her forces were still in the process of changing formations and, as the Erasi opened fire, they ravaged her back line. The twelve Devastators worked in tandems of three, supported by the Erasi super-battleships to strike at any target close enough as they pushed forward. It was immediately apparent that the crew in command of the Erasi core fleets were far better trained than the ones they had faced up until now. Her light ships faltered under the onslaught without the protection of her larger vessels, and she felt a stab of anger rise in her. With quick adjustments of her orders she sent out all of her forces’ drones to meet them, using them to shield her other shields, effectively sacrificing the drones in order to protect her crews.
The Devastators fired with their own MD beams and high-powered particle beams as well as an onslaught of s-missiles, wrecking the drones in swaths. Her drones could barely even scratch at the Erasi warships, and she didn’t even bother having them target the Devastators; instead, she had them focus their fire on the super-battleships and other lighter ships.
* * *
Old Scar watched through Araxi’s eyes as the Betrayers of Oaths new force surged forward, intent on attacking the Great Pack and its allies. A surge of panic passed through Old Scar. Tapping into the beasts’ network, it sent out new orders, making sure that all Hunt-masters knew to reinforce their allies force. As soon as it sent out the orders, Old Scar realized the foreign emotion, the panic, that had assaulted it. Another remnant of it sharing its life with Adrian. Old Scar had lived through his life, it had known the love Adrian held for his mate. It panicked for fear of her life. It was a foolish reaction. Adrian himself wouldn’t have reacted in that way, as he knew his mate would be able to care for herself.
But Old Scar was not Adrian, and its reactions were not Adrian’s. It made sure to track down the remnant emotion and put it aside. The life and experience it had tasted from Adrian were a thing to be cherished and kept; the few small side effects were nothing compared to the gift of a new life lived.
Araxi’s feelings drew Old Scar’s attention, bringing it b
ack fully to the battle. Gazing through the senses of the great beast, Old Scar quickly realized that a portion of the Betrayers of Oaths’ force was going to be attacking the Great Pack. With the deft control that only an experienced Hunt-master had, Old Scar adjusted its orders. Araxi surged through the void, readying itself. As its energy sacks filled and threatened to burst, Old Scar took the reins from Araxi’s other handlers. Unlike the cold and unfeeling metal beasts of other races, the Krashinar beasts were not as bound by unchanging numbers–their capabilities were not limited by the materials they had been constructed with.
A Krashinar beast guided by a deft handler, one with a deep connection with its beast, could perform well above the expected measures.
Old Scar waited until Araxi let him know that it was ready, and then, using its far-seeing eyes, Old Scar guided its sight toward a large Betrayer vessel. With an audible groan, Araxi emptied its sacks, the energy compressed and pushed through the emitter of its main weapon. Its muscles tensed and the weapon fired. A beam of energy burst from Araxi, far outside the range the Betrayers and even their allies could fire from. It struck the Betrayer vessel, which took the attack on its shields. Almost the same instant that the beam struck, it punched through the shields, and then through the massive vessel. Its mass worked against it as the beam ate through it, sending ripples and cracks through the rest of the ship, breaking it apart.
Tiredly, Araxi almost slumped in the void, recovering from the effort. Old Scar made its pride known to its beast through their link and felt it bask in it.
Returning the control back to the rest of the handlers, Old Scar turned its attention back to the larger scale of battle. Senses from every beast in the Great Pack flooding through it, Old Scar filtered to only those it needed to see. Formulating new orders, it started sending them to the beasts, who then passed them to their own handlers.
