Heaven Saga 3: Sojourn Into Despair

by Marcus Johnson

  “Likely by the looks of it,” Zae said. “If the Greys were paying attention they’d have seen the construction of pulse cannons all over the surface of Braiden Prime.” She pressed the button to alert the ship. “This is Lieutenant Commander Zae speaking. As of right now our long range sensors are detecting a fleet of carrier class ships assembling at the fourth planet. All crew are to report to battle stations. Senior officers report to the bridge.” Zae ended communication before looking to Baed. “Earlier you asked what all of us were working on.”

  “Yes.”

  “To tell you the truth we’ve been working on a strategy to defend this planet from destruction,” Zae said. She looked down with frustration in her voice. “We still haven’t found a scenario that gives us a chance.”

  * * *

  Brian sat up and fought the lethargy plaguing his every movement. Celi finished putting her uniform on before going to him.

  “Are you up to this?” she asked.

  “I’ll make it,” he said. “They need me to lead.” He walked into the exoskeleton armor. “At this point we’re down to thirty Raknas and the Mjolnir. Every fighting craft we have at our disposal is needed.”

  Celi injected him in the neck. “That should help you focus,” she said. “I’d like for you to not push yourself too far but I know that isn’t possible.”

  “No,” he said. “We’ve gone over every situation we could think of and victory still eludes us. But desperation and the desire to live are strong. We can find a way out of this.”

  “Let’s get to the bridge,” Celi said.

  “Sure.”

  * * *

  The senior officers assembled in the meeting room. Displayed on the side monitors were Grigon on the Vomada as well as Lumiar and her top military officials. On the center table was a three dimensional copy of both the third and fourth planets of the Braiden system. The fleet of Grey carriers was currently stationed in orbit of the fourth planet. All of them looked in horror at the numbers.

  “Considering there are twenty carriers capable of holding fifty smaller ships, we have to assume they’re numbers are near a thousand attack ships,” Brian said.

  “We can barely hold off one or two of those carriers with our present numbers,” Meldi said. “How in Kali’s name are we expected to fight that?”

  Jesela patted Meldi on the shoulder. “We don’t have to fight all of them alone, just a few at a time,” she said as she pointed to Braiden Prime. “They’ve had a month to build pulse cannons on the surface in large numbers. I’m not sure how many Lumiar and her people have crafted, but I’m guessing a few?”

  Lumiar turned to her general and nodded. “As of today we’ve built four hundred and twenty eight pulse cannons. We also have several hundred nuclear missiles in reserve. We can take care of the smaller ships and possibly some of the carriers.”

  “Our mission is to locate and destroy their planet killing device should they have one,” Brian said. “We’ll engage any ships flying within our zone of the battle space.”

  “So about this planet killer, where is it?” Meldi asked.

  “We’re not sure,” Zae said. “But given what we saw a few months ago, it’s bound to appear. The Greys weren’t expecting much of a fight and the technology we’ve given to the Braiden has increased their defense greatly.”

  “According to the data we gathered in the last few months, it would require an immense amount of power to fire a beam with enough energy to fry a planet,” Grigon added. “Something like that would need an incredible amount of energy and is likely to be massive. We should be able to tell it apart from the other ships with ease.”

  “I know this battle will be fierce and the odds are not in our favor,” Brian said. “But our backs are to the wall and we have no retreat. If one can’t go back then they must move forward. We’ll push through their fleet until we’re behind them.”

  “What formation were you thinking for us?” Meldi asked.

  “Grigon, how many Talons do you have working?” Brian asked.

  “Forty as of now,” the old Malcovin answered.

  “Good,” Brian said. “We’ll take a defensive formation around the two ships using our mobile suits. With the surface batteries aiding us the Greys won’t be able to encircle us. Meldi, you and Myli will take a squadron of ten each. I’ll lead the other ten.”

  “Alright,” Meldi said.

  “The key to this operation’s success will be communication and coordination between our forces,” Brian said before turning to Lumiar and Grigon. “At all times leave the channels open.”

  “Of course,” Grigon said.

  “As you wish,” Lumiar said.

  * * *

  “What are those?” Myli asked as the engineers loaded a few missiles onto the back of their mobile suits.

  Brian poked his head out from the inside of the Mjolnir. “Those are nuclear warheads the Braiden have provided us,” he explained. “Given our enemy’s numbers and strength of their shields it’s the best thing to use against them.”

  Meldi looked at Myli as she nodded in agreement. “We’d rather not use such weapons, but if you believe they’re necessary we’ll do it,” she said.

  “Use them only on carriers or the planet killer,” Brian said. “And don’t worry about them going off because your suit takes damage. I’ve had Jesela work them over so they’ll only have a reaction when they hit their programmed targets.”

  The engineers finished loading the missiles.

  “Everything’s good!” Jesela shouted.

  “Let’s roll out,” Brian said before closing the cockpit. Outside, Meldi, Myli, and the other twenty eight pilots did likewise. “All mobile suits activate stealth cloaks. We want to keep the enemy from seeing us until we‘re right on top of them.

  “Yes commander,” each of the pilots answered.

  The Mjolnir and thirty Phase Raknas launched with their stealth cloaks activated. Once they were outside the cloaked Avoni, Grigon contacted Brian.

  “I’ve sent thirty Talons to start the battle,” Grigon said before cawing. “I want to keep ten in reserve in case we need to use that special trick once more.”

  “Good idea,” Brian said. “I have a feeling we’re going to need them very soon. Did everyone get that?”

  “Yes,” Zae said.

  “We read you,” Meldi said.

  “We’re ready,” Lumiar said.

  “Alright,” Brian said. “Our mission is to save as many lives as possible. Remember that.”

  After Brian finished speaking a number of ships began appearing on their radars. Surrounding the planet were twenty carriers. Each launched fifty smaller ships. The Greys approached the planet in a spread formation all around the near side of the planet. As they crept closer to Braiden Prime a massive number of pulse blasts cleared the atmosphere and pounded their ships mightily. A number of them exploded. The Greys aimed their weapons towards the surface cannons and returned fire.

  “Let the battle commence!” Brian shouted as the cloaked ships headed straight into the thick of the Grey formation.

  Chapter 35 - The Battle of Braiden Prime

  On the surface of Braiden Prime the people watched in awe and fear as their skies were lit up with pulses of energy flying towards space. At the same time numerous missile silos opened up and delivered their payload at the enemy out of sight. A feed from satellites in orbit began running across every video screen in every household and place of business. A strange feeling came over the masses of people on Braiden, with many of them running outside to see what was happening. A few seconds later the broadcast changed over to a government emergency message. The image of their High Priestess appeared on the video screen and her voice echoed across every radio wave.

  “To all the people who call this planet home, the crisis I warned of a month ago is occurring,” Lumiar said. “The Strangers, who up until this point have showed little interest in our world, are now in orbit with a fleet of attack vessels. In this
time of crisis brave aliens have come to our aid and are fighting as we speak. They gave to us the ability to defend ourselves, which are the pulse blasts you see leaving orbit from the surface. Presently the Strangers have sent over a thousand attack ships and now approach with deadly intent. At this time we’re using everything at our disposal to fend off this threat to our existence. Even so, our numbers are not ideal for this situation and although our defense is strong we can’t avoid taking massive losses during this battle. Our chances of surviving are not good, that I must be honest about. I ask those of you who’re not combat personnel to retreat to your designated shelters. Our warriors, along with those who have come to our aid are doing everything in their power to save us from this terrible tragedy. Know that I and your leaders are doing everything possible to help, but sadly, now all we can do is pray. Please stop to give a prayer to all those fighting today. Pray to the gods of this land we can survive my people.”

  * * *

  “It doesn’t matter what direction I fire I’m going to hit something,” Meldi said over the com.

  Brian and the thirty Raknas created a defensive shell around the Avoni. All around their small fleet pulse blasts from the surface tore into the Grey ships. They exploded one after another. But for each one damaged or destroyed it seemed two took its place.

  “Keep your cool Meldi,” Brian said. “I know how much you’d love to do that. But we have to stick to the plan. Otherwise we’ll be swallowed up by their numbers.”

  “I second that!” Myli said. “Anyways, it looks like the Braiden are holding them off on their own.”

  “They’ve downed over a hundred smaller ships and two carriers so far,” Zae reported. “The pulse blasts can kill the smaller ships. But it’s obvious the larger ships can only be taken out by something more powerful.”

  “I’m betting the use of those weapons will get our enemy’s attention,” Brian said. He looked at the monitor and saw the two missiles attached to the Mjolnir.

  It will be another minute or so until we reach the back of their formation. The Mjolnir wrote. I’m ready at any moment to do what is asked of me.

  Brian patted the screen. “That’s right old friend,” he said.

  “Who’re you talking to?” Meldi asked.

  “The Mjolnir had something to say, that’s all,” Brian answered. The Avoni and the Vomada arrived at the rear position of the Greys. In turn, each ship and mobile suit flipped direction while arming their weapons and shields to full. “This is Lieutenant Commander Peterson calling all allied crafts. We’ll commence the attack now. Remember not to stray from the designated zone of space we’re in. The Braiden are under orders to shoot anything flying outside the safe zone. You have permission to use the weapons we’ve added to our mobile suits and ships as you wish. We need to destroy as many enemy ships as possible. May the goddess watch over us and deliver victory to our side.”

  “Yes commander!” all of his subordinates answered.

  One by one each Rakna and Talon deactivated their cloaking shield and fired into the Grey ships with their pulse cannons. They downed a number with each barrage. When the Grey ships began turning about to fly at them each Rakna and Talon fired a nuclear missile into their formation. The first wave destroyed over two hundred smaller ships and three carriers. Most of the Grey fleet continued towards the planet. The Avoni’s forces tightened their formation around the ship and attacked any Grey ship flying too close. The carriers stayed out of range while flying towards the planet. The pulse blasts and missile strikes from the surface devastated to the Grey fleet as it came close enough to return fire.

  “It looks like they’re ignoring us completely,” Brian said. “All ships approach in our present formation.”

  The Avoni and Vomada, along with all the mobile suits slowly approached the planet. Once they reached the back of the Grey fleet, a number of the smaller ships diverted to attack them. Because of the tight formation they held none of the Grey ships got close enough to deal damage. From orbit the Grey ships bombarded the surface of Braiden Prime. They targeted the pulse cannons and missile silos. Brian and the others watched as the two sides exchanged fire while still blasting away at the hundreds of enemy ships flying around them.

  “This is the largest space battle I’ve ever seen,” Grigon said. “I hope those on the surface are holding up.”

  “We still have three hundred and twenty two pulse cannons functioning,” Lumiar reported. “Our casualties are heavy but not unexpected.”

  “Keep it up on your end Lumiar,” Brian said. “I have a feeling the main actor has yet to enter the stage.”

  The Avoni and Vomada attacked with their pulse cannons. After an hour of constant fighting the Grey fleet was reduced to less than half its original number. The price on the surface was great, with over half the pulse cannons destroyed. Numerous locations on the surface of the planet had received heavy orbital bombardment and were covered in a mix of smoke from the fires and dust kicked up by the amount of energy behind the energy blasts. Much of the population on the planet was hiding underground in the emergency shelters, while a few brave and foolish stayed on the surface to observe the battle. Calm came as the Grey fleet, now reduced to eight carriers and a little over three hundred smaller ships, and backed off for a brief moment.

  “The first phase of the battle has ended,” Brian said. “I don’t know what to expect next but I believe the second phase will be their attempt to finish this. Everyone is to remain on standby, but take a breather while we have it.” He sighed and took a deep breath before pulling out an injector from a compartment in the Mjolnir. He put it at his neck and injected the liquid. Celi hailed him over a private channel.

  “Is everything alright?” she asked.

  “I used the cocktail you prescribed,” Brian said before stretching. “I feel like crap. But I’ll survive.”

  “If you need more I put a number of them in the back of the mobile suit,” Celi said. “I wasn’t sure how long this battle will last.”

  “Thanks Celi, I appreciate your concern.”

  “Contact me if anything strange occurs, alright?”

  “Sure,” he said before her image disappeared.

  Brian reactivated his com system. “Zae, what are our casualty figures?” he asked.

  “There’s a lot of damage on the surface of the planet,” Zae said. “They have two hundred and six working pulse cannons. In space we’ve suffered few casualties. A few of the Raknas suffered minor damage and a few of Grigon’s Talons are having similar issues. Lighter than we anticipated.”

  “That’s good; we’re going to need every ship we’ve got to win this battle,” Brian said.

  * * *

  On the bridge of the Avoni Baed and Zae worked tirelessly to keep the ship moving according to the plan. A half an hour had passed since the first phase had ended and gave everyone a chance to rest. Jesela ran into the room and activated her console. She began working on something in haste.

  “What is it Jesela?” Zae asked.

  “A moment ago the sensors detected a massive gravity jump nearby,” Jesela answered before putting an image on the main monitor. She sent it to all their allies and to the Braiden on the surface. “This appeared a moment ago outside the orbit of the moon of this planet.”

  On the screen appeared a colossal, sphere shaped spaceship with a diameter of five hundred ketres. At the center of six evenly spaced points were metallic towers standing over a depression below. From the surface a swarm of smaller ships numbering around a hundred moved into defensive positions around the sphere. The defensive shield of the sphere was so powerful it was emitting red and purple particles.

  “In Kali’s name,” Baed said.

  “That’s certainly an intimidating thing to see,” Zae said.

  “How is that thing able to even move, let alone gravity jump?” Baed asked.

  “I can’t decipher how,” Jesela said.

  “It’s simple really,” Grigon said. “They’re able to
power it by using a massive gravity drive we haven’t developed.”

  “How far can that thing jump then?” Brian asked.

  “Given the amount of power it’s radiating, it’s at least a thousand times more powerful than a heavy class drive,” Jesela reported. “It’s possible we’re seeing the first ship that could jump to another galaxy.”

  “How much damage do we need to inflict to penetrate its shields?” Meldi asked.

  “Given our current strength there’s a zero percent chance of penetrating its shields,” Grigon said.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Brian said. “All ships are to head for the sphere and open fire. We’ll sink it or die trying.”

  Chapter 36 - Path of Destruction

  From the surface of Braiden Prime the pulse cannons continued firing at enemy ships it orbit. The Greys returned fire and destroyed one pulse cannon after another. The Avoni and Vomada, along with their mobile suits, headed straight for the moon sized Grey ship. The mobile suits continued in their tight formation around the two vessels. Once the small fleet closed in the two ships and mobile suits began exchanging fire with the ships guarding the planet killer. Each of the Talons fired their last nuclear missile into the thick of the Grey ships and destroyed all but a few of them. The remaining ships were destroyed as the Raknas closed in. Pelting it with a few shots from the Avoni and Vomada, the shield of the sphere seemed impregnable.

  “We can’t let it get any closer,” Brian said to everyone.

  “Our weapons can’t affect its shields,” Meldi said.

  “Should we use the last of our missiles?” Myli asked.

  “Myli, have your squad fire them,” Brian ordered.

  “Yes commander,” Myli said.

  She and the nine Raknas under her command fired their missiles. It looked like they were going to reach the sphere when a series of powerful pulse beams blasted each missile one by one. The moon sized ship suffered little damage.