by Jacob Holo
“Gah!” Tevyr’s barrier shimmered around him. He pulled himself free of the rocks.
Jack charged in. Tevyr stood up and reignited his daggers.
“Yonu, get out of here!”
“We can take him together,” Yonu said, her voice shaky with pain.
“Stay back!”
Jack thrust with the tip of his blade. Tevyr flew back, gliding up the mountain’s craggy slopes. Jack followed.
“I’m ordering you to get out of here!”
Yonu charged Jack from the side.
The black seraph chose this moment to attack. In an eye blink it flew out of the northcity and crossed half the habitat cylinder. He’d never seen a seraph move so fast! Yonu blocked at the last moment. Their blades met, Yonu’s shattered into a thousand snaps of energy, and the black seraph’s blade sliced up through her torso.
Its attack exited at the neck, severing an arm, wing cluster, and the head from the rest of the body. Lambent blue fluid poured from the seraph’s wounds, and Yonu’s scream chilled Tevyr to the bone. Her blue seraph fell and crashed limply against the rocks below, remaining shunts sputtering weakly.
Jack flew down for the deathblow.
“YONU!” Tevyr charged in wildly.
Jack spun around and met Tevyr’s charge head on. Their blades clashed and ground against each other, sparks scintillating. Tevyr managed to redirect the attack and get inside his opponent’s defenses. With his second dagger, he thrust for the white seraph’s cockpit.
Only it never reached his opponent. Jack raised his weaponless right arm. In that fraction of a second before Tevyr’s dagger struck, blue energy crackled to life and coalesced into a blue kite shield.
Tevyr’s attack rebounded off the shield, unbalancing him. Jack slashed up with the point of his shield, cutting through Tevyr’s shoulder.
“Ahhh!”
Tevyr’s arm fell away. Green, chaos-imbued fluid geysered from the wound. His mnemonic skin expanded over the amputation, sealing the breach.
Scorching pain shot through him. Medical reports for his true body spiked red at the shoulder, his flesh cooked from the inside out. Nano-cilia extended from his i-suit and dug into the wounded shoulder.
Tevyr pulled away, tasting burnt meat and blood in his true mouth. He fought through the pain, raised his remaining arm, and readied his dagger.
Jack slashed across and slammed into Tevyr’s defenses. His dagger wavered against his opponent’s seemingly infinite power. Finally, the dagger shattered into a million green shards, and Jack’s blade cut in.
Tevyr screamed as his other arm fell from his torso. His shunts gave out, and he fell, crashing into the mountain. He struggled to his feet and forced the flows of chaos energy to reestablish. His barrier reconstituted. His wings spread out and activated.
But he was too slow.
Jack rushed him, massive chaos blade held above his head.
Strangely, calmly, Tevyr’s last thought was that it couldn’t possibly end like this.
***
Seth decapitated the last archangels guarding the axial gap and flew into the habitat cylinder. He and Quennin had cut a vicious path through the archangel squadrons in the factory zone. At last, they reached the northcity.
But they were too late.
Seth watched in helpless horror as Jack cut his son down.
Tevyr’s barrier flickered and died. Jack cleaved Tevyr’s head in half and pulled the blade through his entire body. Armor melted and vaporized. Twin halves fell to each side, their shunts fading from green to black.
“CURSE YOU!”
Seth energized his wings and swooped in, all his thoughts running dark with the need for vengeance.
“Seth, I can’t keep up!” Quennin shouted.
“Get Yonu!” Seth shouted. “I’ll handle this!”
Behind him, Quennin dove after Yonu’s stricken seraph.
Seth shot straight in and met Jack head on. He slashed down and jarred against Jack’s sword as if it was a stone wall. Seth thrust his free dagger in, only to clash with Jack’s shield.
Their two seraphs turned slowly above the schism’s mountain range. Sparks of chaos energy showered out from their grinding, locked weapons. They stared at each other, weapons unable to strike. Seth pushed with all his might and willed his weapons to burn brighter. His daggers blazed with renewed fury.
But Jack was no ordinary opponent, and he countered Seth with equal resolve. Neither pilot’s blades moved.
“I have Yonu!” Quennin said. “We need to get out of here!”
In a flash of motion, Jack pulled his blade free. Seth dodged back hard and the blade sliced up through empty air. Seth fell away, placing his seraph between Quennin and Jack. But Jack held his position near the mountain peak where Tevyr had died.
Seth’s mind boiled with thoughts of vengeance, but he refused to succumb to rage and grief. Even if somehow he could defeat such an opponent, there were countless archangels and the other mysterious seraph to contend with. He knew he was outmatched and outnumbered.
“Pilot Daykin, report your status,” Seth said.
“We’re holding on, sir,” Jared said, his voice strained and distracted. “The fleet almost has that Grendeni negator beat.”
“Move the fleet to the south space dock and blast an escape route for us. We’ll exit there.”
“Confirmed, sir. We’ll clear the way for you.”
Quennin retreated along the lit axial tube with Yonu’s broken seraph over her shoulder. Seth backed away from the mountain range and joined her. He watched Jack for any sign of movement.
The black seraph hovered slowly into position next to Jack. Then in a startling blur of speed, it dashed towards him. Seth pulled hastily to the side and let it by. Even at close range, he couldn’t see any details on the seraph. The axial tube glowed like a noon sun, but the seraph showed no features besides a thin blurry aura around its black, shadowed body.
The seraph activated a black dagger and lunged with startling speed. Seth barely had time to raise his daggers. The attack hit with such incredible force that the endoskeletal supports in his arm fractured in two places.
“Gnh!” Seth grunted. But despite this opponent’s fantastic speed, its technique was not without flaws. He spotted an opening and stabbed in.
His dagger ricocheted off the black seraph’s barrier. Impossible! No one could generate a barrier that strong! Seth dodged upward, barely evading the enemy’s counterstroke.
“Come on!” Quennin shouted. “We’re almost out!”
Seth couldn’t let Jack and the black seraph overwhelm him. He fled back to the southcity and joined Quennin. Both enemies could easily have overtaken them, but they did not give chase.
Seth and Quennin flew into the southcity axial gap and across the southern factory zone. Vast armored shutters impeded their exit to the southern space dock.
Those shutters suddenly glowed red, bulged, whitened, then finally exploded. Seven EN seraphs standing in a loose gun-line had breached the door with their beam cannons. Another six Aktenai seraphs hovered watchfully over the southern exterior.
These thirteen seraphs, along with Seth, Quennin, and Yonu, were the only survivors.
Seth sped through the congested debris of the space dock and into open space. All Alliance seraphs followed.
“Commander, the fleet just finished off that negator,” Jared said. “Requesting permission to get the heck out of here!”
“All forces, withdraw!” Seth said.
He turned his seraph around, watching for a moment as the other seraphs folded space and escaped. The Grendeni schism, now a tomb for his son, stood out against the raging fleet battle. Archangel squadrons, like swarms of copper insects, swirled around the Grendeni colony ship.
With one last look, Seth Elexen engaged his fold engine and disappeared in a brief flash of light.
Chapter 9
Until One Falls
Jack exited the schism’s southern space dock and landed
on the illuminated outer ring. He gazed up at the Alliance seraphs and watched them vanish with tense satisfaction. Seth and Quennin had survived, despite his betrayal.
He thought back to his years spent with those two. The merger with the seraph had left him scarred, haunted by constant nightmares and phantom voices. The only two people who had truly been there for him, to whom he confided the whole story, were Seth and Quennin.
And now I return their kindness with betrayal and murder, he thought. What a pathetic wretch I’ve become.
The corpses of blasted warships, broken archangels, and hewn seraphs choked space around the schism Dauntless Purpose. Wreckage from the negator, dozens of frigates, and three dreadnoughts floated serenely in space.
Vierj flew out of the southern space dock. She glided down and landed gracefully next to him. The lifeless black of her barrier painted a shadow against the stars.
“You held back,” Vierj said.
“Those two,” Jack said. “They were the comrades I spoke of.”
“Ah. I see,” Vierj said. “We will probably face them again. If it bothers you, I can be the one to eliminate them.”
“No. They were my friends. They’re mine to deal with.”
“As you wish. I won’t interfere if you feel that strongly.”
“Thank you, Vierj.”
“Though I will kill them if they become too great a threat.”
“Of course.”
Jack glanced at Vierj’s silhouette. Once again, he wondered if all this killing was worth it. Did he really have the right to condemn so many people to death?
If I fail, this will all be for nothing, he thought, looking away.
A message came in from the Valiant Artisan. Jack accepted.
“Hello, Dominic.”
“Jack, that was incredible! We slaughtered them!”
“A slaughter, huh?” Jack said. “We must be talking about two different battles.”
“It’s true our fleet took more losses than I would have liked. But, Jack, we have ten confirmed seraph kills. Ten of them! We’ve never killed that many at once. Not ever!”
“How many archangels did you lose?”
“Only seventy-nine,” Dominic said.
“Only?” Jack asked.
“Excluding your two kills, that gives the archangels a ten-to-one loss ratio.”
“That doesn’t seem very good to me.”
“You have to understand the economics of the situation. Our raw materials may be substandard, but they’re far more plentiful. We can afford to throw archangels into a seraph meat grinder. Even if we lose all of them and only kill a few seraphs, we will because we’re keeping those accursed things away from our fleet. Losses of twelve to one and above are acceptable in the big picture.”
“You had surprise and numbers on your side. You won’t always have that.”
“What are you getting at, Jack?”
“I’m just not very impressed with your new toys.”
Jack sent a hypercast command to the now poorly named Scion of Aktenzek. The seraph carrier folded space and came into position two thousand kilometers beyond the Dauntless Purpose. Jack and Vierj lifted off to meet it.
“I have to disagree,” Dominic said pointedly.
Jack smirked. “Sounds like someone has a case of wounded pride.”
“This is nothing of the sort. The archangels performed well beyond my expectations. We’ve clearly proven the theory behind our archangel tactics and now know how effective they can be, even against seraph elites. The Executives needed proof before they would commit archangels to larger fleet engagements, and now they have it.”
“I need those archangels as a distraction. It’s either that or fight every seraph in the legion.”
“Now, don’t be hasty,” Dominic said. “We haven’t committed to moving against Aktenzek.”
“Then you’d better make up your minds. Vierj and I aren’t going to wait forever.”
“Hold on a second, Jack.”
“I’ve gone out of my way to prove we’re not some Aktenai plot. Now it’s time for you to step up. Either you help us get inside Aktenzek or we try it on our own. Together we both get what we want. Alone, whether Vierj and I succeed or fail, the Grendeni get nothing. Are you hearing this?”
“All right, Jack. You’ve made your point.”
“Hell, you have a good chance of ending this war outright if you seize the Gate. You should be begging me to help you.”
“Look, Gurgella and I have a meeting with the Executives in an hour. We’ll bring up your assault plans again. Will that make you happy?”
“It’ll make me happy when they say yes. Other than that, your words don’t really matter.”
“Damn it, Jack. There’s only so much I can do.”
“Then you and your Executives should be ready for disappointment. Are we free to fold yet?”
“Yeah,” Dominic said. “The fleet’s finished clearing the area for stealth exodrones. You can fold to Valiant Artisan whenever you’re ready. Look, how about we try this? I’ll meet up with you after our meeting and fill you in over a drink or two. Hell, I might even bring good news. The stuff these Grendeni get sloshed with is pretty good, though it’ll never beat a cold refreshing beer.”
Jack grinned despite himself.
“Just like old times, huh?” he asked.
“Well, except neither of us have our EN dress blues anymore. Besides, I don’t think the ladies here would be impressed in the least.”
Jack chuckled. “Sounds interesting, Dom. All right. I’ll join you for a drink, but you had better work those Executives over hard.”
“Thanks. I’ll be sure to press them in our meeting and stress your needs.”
Dominic closed the link.
Jack slowed along his final approach to the carrier and pulled up through one of several catapults along the Scion’s underside. Catapult mechanisms locked onto his wings and raised him into the seraph bays.
Jack ascended into the brightly lit interior. Clamps latched onto his shoulders and secured his position. Insectoid arms deployed from the ceiling and pulled his conformal weapon pods off.
Jack weakened the bond with the seraph and became aware of his true body once again. The cockpit chamber widened and opened. Light filtered in, banishing the gloom. He crossed the gangplank and headed for the adjacent seraph bay.
Catapult rails lifted Vierj’s seraph into the adjacent bay. She let her barrier dissipate, revealing the seraph beneath. She had ordered the Scion of Aktenzek to create a black design with long silver ovals across the arms, legs, and wings. A diagonal cross-hatch of vent-like shunts provided energy exhaust on the limbs and sides of the chest.
Vierj stepped out of the seraph once it came to a halt. She walked across the gangplank, looking young, beautiful, and dangerously alert. She appraised him with her unique, silver eyes.
“Well spoken, Jack Donolon,” she said.
“You were listening in?”
“I find your negotiations with these peasants fascinating.”
“We just need to remind them who’s in charge.”
“There are other options available to us,” Vierj said carefully. She tilted her head to the side. “If you think they need more persuading.”
“Oh, God, I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
The last thing we need is you splitting schisms open, Jack thought. Or worse.
“Well, it is an option if your more cautious methods fail.”
Vierj walked up to him. She traced her fingers down his chest.
“You are a very talented pilot,” she said with a sly grin.
“You’ve seen me fight in the past.”
“I’ve never seen you battle our kind’s lesser forms before. You were quite magnificent.”
Jack gave her a sad smile. “You think I enjoy facing my old comrades?”
“I think they are no longer your comrades. Do you disagree?”
“No.” Jack shook his head. “You’re
right, of course.”
“Do we really need this Grendeni rabble?”
“It’s too risky for us to attack Aktenzek alone.”
“I believe I am up to the challenge.”
“Well, too risky for me at least. Come on. We’re about to fold.”
The two pilots entered the bay’s lift and took it to the ship’s main concourse. The lift opened to a long hallway lined with empty quarters. They entered the first room on the right.
Jack’s quarters had changed little in the past two years. He’d placed his Litany d-scroll, a gift from Seth and Quennin, in storage. Vierj found the words quite comical, though she had never asked him to change the Litany on his seraph.
Jack linked a command to the display covering the far wall. Local tactical data, Grendeni fleet deployments, known and suspected Aktenai fleet positions, and their own current location compressed into the upper left quarter. A live visual feed took up the remaining space.
A few seconds passed, and the Scion of Aktenzek folded space to the Valiant Artisan. A black sunless void wavered as if submerged beneath turbulent water, then cleared.
Thick curtains of sky-blue nebula stretched to infinity in every direction. Small wisps of lighter and darker colors swirled about them. But here, in the center, was the eye of the storm. Far beneath them shone a white dwarf star roughly the size of Earth.
Stretching up from the star was a million-kilometer-long conduit of rings, each ring one kilometer in diameter and protected by powerful gravitic field generators. The rings pulled at the star, coaxing and goading it into a hot channel of stellar matter that rode up within the ring conduit.
At the top of the ring conduit, the hot matter split into hundreds of thin strands, each flying off at forty-five degree angles through thinner conduits. It looked like the fiery edges of a conical hundred-faced diamond.
Most of the strands passed through a ring of factories, where they were further manipulated for power, material, and various manufacturing processes. The strands thinned noticeably wherever they passed through a Grendeni structure.
The Scion of Aktenzek approached the hundreds of structures that made up the factory ring. The nearest one produced archangels and stored them on a large plate protruding from its boxy center. Others fabricated frigates or dreadnoughts or even whole schisms.
