“I don’t know. But it might be a Tre-Tian.”
The presence coalesced into an alien face beyond Marda’s ability to understand. It flowed and folded in upon itself constantly. What might have been eyes changed into something that looked like ears, and then changed again into mouths and then various other organs she didn’t recognize. The overall shape didn’t even stay constant, fluxing into the anatomies from a thousand different species continuously. Sense organs and features she could only guess the function of morphed with each passing cent. It was almost like this creature had been without a body for so long it could no longer remember what it had once looked like. From mouths that disappeared and reappeared with each syllable it spoke to those present. “We apologize for needing to use your son in this way. He was needed to grant us access to the other telepaths,” the being began. Screens all across the medical bay lit up with the psicomm logo. “You need not worry. Your child is safe and eager to meet you face to face.”
Marda wasn’t going to tolerate any being endangering her son like this. “If you harm him, at all, there will be no place on any plane where you’ll find safe harbor!”
“I will release him to you in a moment.” The face appeared on the screens, simulcast to the whole fleet. “We represent the last of the Tre-Tian who stayed as overseers while the rest moved beyond. We created the Gorvians with a single purpose. They were to extend our will and protect that which was ours in case we should decide to return to the physical. For centuries, we have watched; witnessed you defeat the Gorvians. Ultimately, we realized that their creation was a mistake. Ever since their defeat they have grown corrupt. The emergence of Gondral has perverted and threatened to destroy our legacy. We have failed in our purpose and must now take steps to rectify that mistake. Move the rest of your forces away from the gas giant.”
The image disappeared and left Marda staring at the strange visage for an interminably long pulse more before it dissipated. She stood there, shocked. Her baby began to stir again. An overwhelming sense of fear washed over her from within. “It’s okay baby. They’re gone. You’ll be okay.”
The baby jumped in response and a painful muscle spasm wracked Marda’s abdomen. “No, no, not now. You’re a decle early.”
Marda felt the tiny hands and feet of her son kick and jab at her insides before another contraction tore at her. The pain was intense, more than she’d expected. Her knees went weak. Her nurse hustled over to support her. She eased Marda back towards a nearby chair only to hear and feel a loud pop from between her legs followed by a rush of wet warmth. “Get Blazer. The baby’s here!”
Monstero Nach 003
Blazer broke hard to the left as another of the Mini-Gorvian fighters made a suicidal plunge towards him. This one’s guns were maybe a micropulse away from shattering his already weakened shields. The fighting this cycle had been intense, the Mercy the focus of numerous assaults. The escorts were doing their best to keep the attackers at bay. The distraction of the strange communication from something claiming to be a Tre-Tian had done little to help matters. It had distracted the fleeing Confederation forces when they’d needed their attention focused.
Another Gorvian bomber raced towards the Mercy. Blazer angled towards it, the fighter that had attacked him a memory as he focused on keeping his mothership safe. “Four, Six. On me. We’ve got bombers incoming.”
“Tied up with these fighters that want to gang bang you,” Gavit replied.
“We’re already on the leader,” Gokhead replied next.
Fealgud punctuated that point by rocketing ahead of Blazer and Arion’s fighter. She dropped a pair of missiles into the lead Gorvian bomber. The shields of the bomber buckled but not before it got off a pair of torpedoes.
Eyes narrowed, Blazer targeted the torpedoes and followed Arion’s vector towards the quickest intercept point. The G-forces poured on as Blazer chased after the massive weapons. He lined up his sights on the lead torpedo, let the reticle drift down its length before he squeezed the trigger. Plasma rounds poured from the portside plaser; tore into the side of the rocket. Fire poured out the breached engine. The first torpedo spun out of control, into the second’s path.
The two weapons collided. The damaged rocket burst, engulfing both in a brief fireball. The second torpedo exploded an instant later. The warheads launched away from the ensuing, short lived, inferno.
Blazer breathed a momentary sigh of relief at the sight before his alert screen lit up. More bombers were inbound, launching their weapons at extreme range. Blazer spun his fighter about and assessed the situation. Arion highlighted an intercept course that would allow him the maximum number of weapons engagements. Fealgud rocketed after the bombers themselves. The rest of the squadron remained engaged, chasing the weapons and craft launching them. That’s when the message came in.
“Monstero Nach Zero Three, Mercy Medical. Priority communication.”
Medical? Blazer pressed ahead towards the nearest torpedo on Arion’s route. What could they want?
Arion answered the hail. “Mercy Medical, Nach Zero Three. We are engaged in heavy torpedo interdiction.”
“Understood Nach Three. Inform officer Vaughnt that his wife has gone into full labor.”
Blazer’s hand slipped off his stick for a moment, allowing a torpedo to race past. He shook it off, spun his fighter about to engage the massive warhead. His momentum kept him on his previous course as he fired. He could just picture the torpedo racing towards Marda instead of the ship; he poured his determination into the shots. The weapon exploded under the onslaught before the overheat alarm from his plaser lit up his screen. “Croy! Arion?”
“Cooling system is damaged. I can’t shunt the heat away from the Plaser. It’s gone into shutdown.”
Should have known. For two cycles now they’d engaged in almost constant battle; awake only because of the stims choking their blood. That plaser cannon was the last weapon he had available too. Arion nursed it along. The bio cannons were long past empty, the mass driver on his right wing dry for their last two launches. Even their Narfic cannons had fried their circuits, one damaged beyond repair.
“Lead, Nach Three. We are weapon’s negative,” Blazer reported as the proximity warning for the next torpedo sounded. He checked his course and vectored towards the high-speed weapon. “Hold on Arion.”
“I hate it when you do this,” Arion replied.
Blazer edged in close to the torpedo, and matched its speed. His hearts racing, and his nerves on edge, he rolled hard to the left. It was a maneuver he hadn’t even attempted outside of a simulator. The shields took the brunt of the impact, the ion screen crashing into the side of the torpedo and frying many of its electronics. It rebounded away, flipping and spinning out of control. The fighter spun back from the impact, the shields depleted. Blazer let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
“Nach Three, Lead. Rearming craft are too far from our position. Land immediately.”
“Copy that,” Blazer replied. “We’ll rejoin the fight as soon as we can. Four, Six. Continue mission.”
“Six copies Three. We have a blue and green board. Get to the ship.”
“Four has your back Three. See to your wife.”
Blazer twisted their fighter about to confirm that his two wingmen had engaged the thinned-out bombers and torpedoes. Then he raced towards the Mercy. “Arion. Get us clearance for emergency landing.”
“Already done. They’re opening the shields in sector three. Make it quick.”
A holographic marker revealed the edges of the shield opening. It was far larger than it needed to be, enough to admit a Gorvian bomber. Blazer ignored that and normal approach protocols, and raced ahead. Maintenance teams swarmed the hull as he approached, repairing the burnt-out point defense emplacements, and rearming the missile batteries. Without those, the fighters provided their only defense beyond the shields.
“Thermal source. At our rear!
” Arion called.
Blazer looked back; saw nothing. He spun the fighter about anyway to let it slide backwards through the breach. There was still nothing there. He continued to look, saw it. Four spots of pure darkness, thermal plumes forming coronas behind them. “Shreg. Boarding pods.”
“Looks that way.”
“Give me something Arion!” Blazer ordered and lined up his reticle on one of the stygian shapes. His eyes wanted to slide right off. A yellow light lit up on his plaser cannon and Blazer took the cue. He squeezed the trigger. The cannon unleashed its last gasp, a dozen plaser rounds. The plasma bursts dug into the vantablack hull of the forward pod exposing its interior to space. The venting atmosphere kicked the pod aside. The breach tore open, ejecting the Mini-Gorvians within.
Their fighter cleared the holographic marker of the shield breach a cent later and Arion called out. “Mercy, Nach Three is in. Close the shields.
It was too late. Blazer felt his stomach collapse in on itself as two of the breaching pods vectored through the shields towards the hull before the shields sliced the fourth in half. A new determination setting in, Blazer spun his fighter about and angled towards the extended docking claw. “Control, Nach Three. You have two boarding pods inbound. Unknown number of hostiles aboard. Prepare to repel boarders.” Blazer switched channels over to the frequency used by internal security. “Chief, Blade Force Lead. Request armament upon landing.”
The docking claw reached out and took hold as Blazer fired his thrusters to come to a relative halt beside the fleeing frigate. Blazer ran through the shutdown checklist as fast he dared while the claw retracted, then he pulled out his sidearm. There was no way that he’d allow those Mini-Gorvian monstrosities to harm Marda or his soon to be born son.
Before the claw could come to a rest, Blazer popped the canopy and removed his harness. His crew chief looked positively decrepit as he helped Blazer out of the fighter. His exoskeleton had begun to separate, delaminating like old plywood in the elements. The stress of the battle would surely kill the old Shinekian.
There was nothing Blazer could do about that; the old chief’s fate had been sealed, but he could save his family. He kicked off towards the door into the cross corridor, security personnel waiting there. Blazer grabbed hold of the door frame and pulled himself through. The Shinekian security chief held out a compact plaser rifle for him.
Blazer accepted the unfamiliar weapon and gave it a skeptical look. It was no ordinary plaser rifle. Those normally featured just a plasma cell in the stock or, in this case, also buried in the foregrip. This single-barrel weapon also featured a magazine for a mass driver sandwiched between the main grip and a thermal radiator. He looked at the security guards.
They carried the standard issue Confed PMD-952-E assault rifle, the one he’d trained with since he joined up. That weapon featured two barrels. The upper barrel tied the plasma laser buried down its length to the plasma cell in the stock. The lower mass driver barrel fed rounds by the forward magazine. He flicked on the power switch; the holographic reflex camera sight activated. “What is this?”
“New issue Special Operations PMD-1004, dual nature assault rifle,” the security chief replied. “The selector switch works the same as on a 952. But it switches over the internals to utilize the same electromagnetic barrel for the plasma laser and the mass driver.”
Blazer didn’t have time to question and pulled the rifle in close. It shouldered well and the design felt comfortable. He turned to the security force. “Where did they ingress?”
“Main hull. Just forward of main engineering, but they’re moving quickly, heading this way.”
Blazer nodded and indicated the corridor to the bank of lift tubes that ran the length of the ship around the central core. “Let’s move. We need to secure the medical bays. Seal all internal bulkheads.”
The security chief stepped up. “It’s not my first party. We have emplacements setup. Hold on,” he said, turning away. His massive head spikes almost stabbed Blazer. “The creatures were heading this way, but they’ve diverted.”
“Show me,” Blazer ordered and the chief indicated a panel on the wall. A map of the ship appeared showing the Mini-Gorvian’s progress. They’d done as the Chief had stated, starting first towards this secondary hull, where he’d spent most of his time. They moved about like blood wolves, sniffing out their prey. Now they’d split. Four of them were still heading towards the hangar. The other four headed towards… Blazer couldn’t accept it. Medical Bay 3, Marda. “The baby,” he hissed. “They smell the baby and Gondral’s got them going after him.”
Blazer took off at a run towards the lifts. He had to reach the medical bay before them.
Blazer could almost feel the pain of the labor through the micomm link as Marda replied.
Reports poured in from around the ship as the two parties of Mini-Gorvians cut a swathe through the security forces. The creatures were relentless, but the security forces managed to hold them back long enough for Blazer to reach the same level as Medical Bay 3 ahead of them. A half dozen Shinekian security personnel awaited him in a defensive perimeter around the sealed doors to the facility.
He rushed towards them. Before he could reach the group an access panel in the floor exploded open and two Mini-Gorvians leapt through. Blazer brought up his gun and fired on reflex. Plasma rounds tore through the first mini-Gorvian, taking off its left arm. It twisted around to reveal a plaser rifle grafted to the stump of its right arm. The Mini-Gorvian cut loose on the guards, then stopped to sniff the air. Both turned towards him like a pair of creaking old droids with rusted joints. Eyes on him, ignoring the guards.
Ancient paintings and accounts of the Dead Army from the Vedek Wars sprang to mind as Blazer looked upon the Mini-Gorvian’s countenances. Their grey-green flesh had begun to putrefy and fall away in chunks, revealing the rotten muscle and modified bone beneath. These beings weren’t much longer for the universe, and left him wondering if anything of the original person had survived. It turned his stomach.
He recognized the snarling rage in what remained of the converted Anulian and Drashig faces. Gondral looked upon him through those eyes. Blazer snatched his rifle back up and the passageway exploded in a torrent of plaser fire. The remaining guards’ shots were accurate for their usual methods. They practiced against boarders and aimed for key bodily organs. These Mini-Gorvian, like their larger creators, shrugged off such injuries, their organs protected. Blazer had fought real Gorvian. He knew where to shoot, no matter how the Gorvians had modified them. He fired a burst into the head of the nearest Mini-Gorvian, shearing away the brain tail. The walking abomination collapsed; its fellow rushed towards him.
Shifting targets, Blazer fired again. The first burst tore away the side of the Drashig Mini-Gorvian’s head, missing the brain tail. It faltered for a step before a security forces shot sheared the leg away collapsing it to the deck. That didn’t stop it. It continued its relentless crawl towards him until Blazer fired a second burst. High energy plasma sheared the brain tail free. Like any other Gorvian, it collapsed to the deck in a heap. There was no respite. The ceiling above Blazer dropped away and two more Mini-Gorvians leapt onto him.
The sudden intrusion caught Blazer unawares. The first Mini-Gorvian slapped his rifle away, reached for him. Blazer fought back the best he could. The horror clawed at his flight suit, but he hadn’t engaged in hand to hand combat since the academy. Even then he’d had on his strength enhancing ACHES. The ferocity of the modified man before him seemed to double his strength allowing it to force Blazer against the wall.
A feeling of extreme pressure came over him, as if he was being crushed. The monsters before him had no such grip. Everyone a
round seemed to feel it, wincing, and drawing back. Then pain, extreme crushing pain, and finally cold. It was like being naked in a blast of winter wind cold, and it shocked him out of the pain. He suppressed the urge to scream and cry out. He wanted nothing more than to crawl back into a nice warm... womb.
The wail of a newborn child punctuated the air, drew Blazer’s gaze towards the hatch into the medical bay. The Mini-Gorvian noticed it as well. While one continued to attack him, the other ran towards the weakened guards.
“NO!!!!” Blazer discharged. He discharged harder than he had since their fight against the Electrolites. Electricity surged from his hands into the Mini-Gorvian, burning away its flesh and frying its nervous system. The abomination stumbled back and Blazer grabbed hold of its brain tail. He locked eyes with it. For just a moment he spied what might have been a pitying look from the original host before the snarl returned. He discharged again. The brain tail exploded in his hands. Hands burning, reserves all but exhausted, he turned towards the Mini-Gorvian tearing its way into the guards.
His arms feeling like they were weighed down by a six-G maneuver, he pulled his sidearm and tried to fire. The weapon remained inert, but his hand tingled. He had reflexively drawn from the pistol’s power cell, draining it to recharge himself. Cursing, he thumbed the power cell release and reached for a spare magazine.
“What have I told you about firing that thing inside a ship!?”
Arion hefted the weapon up to vertical and smiled. It was the first genuine smile Blazer had seen on his face in far too long. “Not to miss. Or fire at things that go boom.”
Armageddon's Pall: Spiral War Book 4 Page 36
