Magnitude: A Space Opera Adventure (Blackstar Command Book 2)

by A. C. Hadfield

  Cenoc and Kai locked eyes, but the old man said nothing.

  Kai, however, saw his fate in his mind. He knew that at some point his form would ascend and join the others in their crystal tombs.

  But not today.

  Today, he had to rally his team and fight to save Capsis Prime.

  “And me?” Marella said. “I’d still like to understand what my role in this is. I get that you left me behind to help Kai, but you’ll have to excuse me if it seems wrong that I think I’ve just been used as a throwaway tool.”

  Kendal got out of his chair and placed his hand on her shoulder. He shook his head. “You were never just a tool. I didn’t know it at the time, but my fate had already been sealed. I was also supposed to save you. I was always supposed to take you with me. And yes, as cold as it seems, it was the right thing to leave you behind. If I had brought you with me, you would have surely died. Your life is what it is because of what the queen told me. You see, Marella, I knew I would see you again, that you would arrive here with my family and Senaya.”

  Marella’s face took on a confused expression as she looked from Kendal to Cenoc. “I don’t understand.”

  Cenoc reached out a hand toward her from the head of the table. “Marella, my dear, isn’t it obvious by now? You are to be the new overseer when my time is up. You’re home. You’re at the end of your journey and will now start your studies in earnest. You will have everything you have ever wanted: the answers to the universe. You will take my seat when the time comes, and will be the custodian of the Navigators.”

  “Holy crap,” Senaya said, exclaiming loudly and clapping her hands. “I’m sorry, but that’s fraking cool.”

  Marella burst into tears and hugged Kendal before approaching Cenoc. She was shaking from head to toe and looked back at Kai, Brenna, Bandar, Senaya and Kendal in wide-eyed shock. “Is this really happening?” she said between sobs.

  “It is, my dear,” Cenoc intoned with nothing but sincerity. “We’ve been waiting for you all your life. Periodically, I’ve been watching you go down your fated path. It was always meant to be. But now your path ends, and you’re free to start your own journey—if you wish.”

  She nodded enthusiastically and took Cenoc’s hand even as tears fell from her face. “It is,” she said. “There’s nothing more in the world I want. Thank you…” She turned back to Kendal and tried to speak, but she choked up. Kendal wiped a tear away from his eye too.

  “But this is where we say goodbye again,” he added. “We have to go back across the Veil. And your place is here now.”

  Marella let go of Cenoc’s hand and hugged Kendal again. They stayed like that for a while. No one spoke, not wanting to break this heartfelt goodbye.

  For the next fifteen minutes, Cenoc provided them with the remaining information they had on the Koldax, which didn’t amount to much more than they had already discovered themselves. He did, however, give them the coordinates to get home, to Capsis Prime, and provided them with much-needed food and water, along with many medicines.

  Before they left, Kai took one last look at the crystal coffins and tried not to think about what his new form would take. Or what it would feel like. He tried not to dwell on it too much, even as the information in his head began to unspool.

  Thousands of years of information lay before him. Mostly of empires rising and falling, myriad species building worlds, all the protective auspices of the Navigators. And then there were the elven presences that lurked in the shadows. They weren’t a negative force, rather the opposite, but he felt them there, watching, waiting, expecting.

  After they had packed for their journey home, Kai spent some more time with his father. They didn’t really talk much. Kai had understood from Cenoc’s story earlier what and why his father had to do what he did. He could see it now: he was special, he was a Navigator, and he couldn’t have been allowed to have been exposed.

  His father had risked everything to help protect the Navigators while also giving Kai the tools to make the journey and ascend to his new position.

  Kai forgave him and knew that his father had suffered terribly for his burden.

  But each of them had a burden to carry now.

  They had to fly home and save the galaxy.

  Before they left, Cenoc gave Kai the communication crystal in case he needed to warn the overseer of anything—or vice versa. Marella had agreed to stay and start her training. The group were happy that her story had finally come to its end and also its new beginning. Kai was pleased that his mother had found the truth and no longer suspected any threat to her marriage.

  If they survived, she was now free to live her years out with Kendal.

  With everything said and done and plans made, he ascended the steps into the Blackstar once more. Before the ramp closed, he waved goodbye to Cenoc the overseer and prepared for war.

  Chapter 28

  GENERAL HOMINOS WELCOMED Reyes Kamala to the Coalition war room situated off from the main presidential suite, where the twin presidents, Gatskil and Lattis, were busy coordinating the other governors and senators of the Coalition worlds.

  A large round table situated in the middle of the room served as the center of operations.

  Kamala took a seat immediately to his left.

  It was still early in the morning, approaching six a.m., and although most of the government and the people in its employ had enjoyed a national day of rest ahead of the war effort after having completed their orders, Hominos had instead used that time to read through Kamala’s intel and work with the science and technology division to fine-tune their experimental defense system.

  Sitting at the operations table with Hominos and now Kamala were Officer Ukjao, Mathieson and Gaila. Those three had quickly established themselves as Hominos’s most reliable people. They got things done when they said they would and brooked no hesitancy.

  It was through them that over the last couple of days Hominos and his people were able to rapidly put into place their defensive array.

  Hooked into the war room’s communications were channels to every captain of every ship in the combined fleets, along with officers and captains of ground troops on the surrounding systems in case the Koldax or shrain decided to attempt a ground offensive.

  Although that was highly unlikely given their ultimate goal of destroying Capsis Prime and punching a hole through the Veil, Hominos didn’t want to take any chances.

  Now that Kamala had joined them, Hominos approached the topic of the Koldax and shrain’s motivation. Although he had read Kamala’s report, he wanted to discuss it here with the others so that he could then forward it to everyone within the communication network.

  He believed it was better for everyone to know what they were up against so that they could raise their game and fight for their lives. If they just thought they were fighting against a few advanced robots and a new class of destroyer, they wouldn’t truly grasp what was at stake. He turned to Kamala after checking the comm channels were open and began his questioning.

  “Empress Kamala, first of all, I’d like to thank you for reaching out to the Coalition and presenting us with the opportunity to achieve peace between our two nations. I’d also like to thank you for the intel on our new, imminent enemy. For the purposes of all those listening to us, could you please tell us what you know about their motivations and what they ultimately wish to achieve with this incoming assault.”

  Kamala composed herself, took a few breaths and said, “The enemy is led by a hybrid organic and machine calling himself Lord Farah Hett. He’s the leader of a faction called the Koldax—primarily a machine species. We don’t know too much about them beyond the video packages we have delivered, but what we do know is that they’re highly adaptable, deadly and difficult to kill.”

  “Please, go on,” Hominos prompted once Kamala had time to take a sip of water and compose herself once more. Before this point, the two of them had briefly covered what she would say, but she still needed a few moments to
decide how best to explain.

  After a few moments, she continued.

  “We believe that when the Blackstar was first sent across the Veil a decade or so ago, it left a small rift in its wake. It was through that rift that Farah Hett and a squad of his Koldax fighting machines came across. During the following years, Hett oversaw the rapid expansion of the shrain. I’m sad to say it was on our watch on a number of Host worlds that this was happening.”

  “We’re beyond blame, Empress. We’re just focused on what we need to do. What can you tell us about the Dominion, this new kind of ship that threatens us?”

  “It’s entirely of Koldax design,” she said. “Presumably Hett brought plans with him. As far as we are aware, the ship was completed just a few months ago; we’ve no intelligence of it before then, so we’re assuming that it’s taken him and his machines nearly a decade to complete. It powers its great batteries by destroying star systems. We don’t fully understand it, but like the Navigators, it appears to utilize gravity-based technology that is far beyond our levels of tech.”

  “But you think there’s a way we can fight against it?”

  “Indeed, General Hominos. Many of our scientists, both Coalition and Host, have been working around the clock over the last few days, putting together a network array of superconducting magnets and various sources of energy. We believe that this will prevent the Dominion from targeting its powerful gravity weapon on Capsis Prime and buy us the time required for our combined fleets to destroy it.”

  Kamala looked at Hominos with raised eyebrows as if to ask if there was anything else.

  Hominos briefly considered going into more detail, but he didn’t want to overwhelm the population with the technicalities, especially as he didn’t fully understand them himself. He could get Gaila Frey to explain, but that would take time they didn’t have.

  “Thank you, Empress Kamala,” Hominos said, addressing his audience. “Further details of our defense strategy will be found in the most recent comms package sent out early this morning. Our scouts have told us that the shrain fleet and accompanying Koldax fighters will be in the system within hours, although given that it appears the Koldax are using a different kind of technology to subspace travel, we can’t be entirely sure of their exact time of arrival. Therefore, I’m officially stating that we are on a war footing. Orders will be beamed out to relevant captains in the coming minutes and hours. This is our time, my friends. This is our time to stand up to those who wish to eliminate us. The quadrant has been our home for many millennia, and that will not end today, or tomorrow, or any other day. Fight hard, fight brave, and we will prevail.”

  Hominos took a breath and waited for Gaila Frey to his right to give him the nod that the broadcast channels had closed and that they were free to speak.

  Officer Ukjao wiped the back of her arm across her eyes. “That was a moving speech, General,” she said, trying to pull herself together. Even Mathieson seemed a little moved.

  “Thank you,” Hominos said, “but we’re only at the beginning. Let’s keep it together for a while longer. Gaila, please bring up the display and let’s see how we’re doing with the defense network and getting our fleets into position.”

  “Of course, General,” the old scientist said. He made a few gestures across his wrist terminal, and the large holographic display flickered to life above the table, which gave them a complete overview of the Capsis system.

  In columns to the side were the details of the Coalition and Host fleets. In another were the numbers that they currently knew the shrain and Koldax had, but they couldn’t update that until the fighting started in earnest.

  Given that the Koldax had amassed an army and built a new superweapon in secret, there was no telling what they would bring to the party until they arrived.

  “It looks impressive,” Kamala said, nodding to the 3D image of the array displayed on the holographic battle map. “Our fleets look strong together. And your people have done wonders to get the new defensive shield up so quickly.”

  Gaila hid a smile of satisfaction from her compliment, but Hominos noted it before he had time to hide it. “Thank you,” Gaila said with just a hint of pride. “It was all down to your intel. As for the speed, we had the superconductors already earmarked for a new space station to replace our damaged moon from our last conflict.”

  “I’m sorry about that, truly,” Kamala said. “My former leader was responsible for that attack. Many of my governors and I opposed the action, but she overruled us. I know it’s impossible to make amends for such a loss of life, but trust me, when and if this is all over, the Host nation will do its best to make amends under the new treaty.”

  Mathieson scoffed. “There’s little you can do unless you can bring back the dead. That moon was the HQ for the GTU. Nearly all of my friends and colleagues were killed.”

  Hominos held up his hand and silenced the room before it got out of hand. “What’s done is done. The Coalition has its fair share of blood on its hands from both of the wars, so let’s not sit here and pretend one side is holier than the other. War is terrible, and deaths are inevitable. Let’s just focus on staying alive for the next few days. If we are lucky enough to survive, then we can argue all we like, but for right now, we need each other, and we need to focus.”

  “I hear you, General,” Mathieson said, nodding curtly at him while giving Kamala a brief look of disdain before she composed herself once more.

  “So,” Gaila said, pointing to the defense network, “using your information, we’ve managed to create the gravity shield. Its ability to withstand the levels of gravity distortion of which the Dominion is capable of remains a theoretical proposition, but if the science tells us anything, we’ve given ourselves at least a chance. How big that chance is… We’ll have to wait until it’s tested.”

  “So we’re guessing it works?” Ukjao said. She held a hand over her mouth as she stifled a yawn. Like Hominos, she’d been awake for the past couple of days, eagerly carrying out his orders. Unlike him, however, on account of her upbringing, she had refused the alert-tightening drugs that he was eating like sweets.

  “It’s more than a guess,” Gaila replied. “We’ve run simulations on the supercomputers. But until we’re exposed to attack, we don’t know how well the energy dispersal system will work. And there’s the danger of repeated large-scale attacks. Gravity distortion uses huge amounts of energy, and that has to go somewhere. The supercooled conductors can only take so much before they heat up and lose their properties, thus weakening the shield. We’ll only have a relatively small window to defeat the Dominion even if the shield holds for the initial attacks.”

  “It’s better than nothing,” Hominos added. “And I’m proud that you and your skilled team have organized it so quickly.”

  “It helps that we have a master red-tape cutter.” Gaila smiled at Hominos, referring to the general’s many hours of bellowing at people and using the protocol powers to get things done in minutes that would normally take weeks.

  Hominos turned his attention back to the display and assessed the formation of ships. He wanted them in such a way that he had as many firing arcs situated on the Dominion as possible.

  From the observations he and the Host agents had made on the Dominion’s attack patterns from destroying star systems—presumably charging its banks of batteries—they knew the ship had to be within a certain distance of its target. This had created a firing zone that he and Kamala had used to position their combined fleet.

  There were still more ships to arrive, but almost seventy percent of their forces were in position, awaiting the arrival of their opposition.

  On the holographic display, Capsis Prime was located centrally, the sun somewhere off in the distance. The view zoomed in to focus on what would be the immediate area of defense: an array of eight superconducting magnets, a kilometer in diameter each, were held together around Capsis Prime and its moons with a meshed network of optical projectors and receivers mounted on
a fleet of thirty-three reservist ships called up and altered for this one purpose.

  Aside from those ships, the Coalition fleet consisted of two Flea swarms, each one containing one hundred and twenty drone fighters; seven Decimator-class frigates; twenty-three civilian reservist assault ships; ten reservist missile cruisers; thirty-two CDF missile cruisers; and fifteen GTU strike ships. A further thirty-nine ships were just three hours away and en route.

  The Host fleet added to this formidable force, half of which were in place already, the other half approximately a day away and due to arrive hours before the Dominion based on its last known location. The Host fleet comprised one hundred and ten Arrow-class fighters in five squadrons; ten Epsilon carriers for said Arrows; eleven Kane-class destroyers, and sixteen Vanquish-class battlecruisers.

  Between them, the two fleets had enough fire power to glass a planet in minutes. Whether this would be enough to defeat the Koldax and shrain, however, was another thing altogether. As far as the shrain forces were concerned, Host intel had last counted they had stolen upwards of fifty-five destroyers and eighteen torpedo ships.

  Even if they brought that full complement into the system, Hominos was confident the Allied fleet would have too much firepower for them, but this was excluding the Dominion and the Koldax themselves.

  Still, despite that, Hominos had a steely determination running through him. It might be misplaced, but he didn’t care. He and his people had worked around the clock during the last few days and worked miracles.

  The force looked strong, and it appeared everyone was ready to fight.

  “Our joint fleets make an impressive armada,” Kamala said to Hominos.

  “Yes, yes, they do. Let’s hope it’s enough.”

  The current formation was set out in three concentric semicircles, each overlapping the other, creating a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree arc of defense. It meant that no matter where the Dominion arrived, the fleet could easily and quickly orientate themselves for maximum firepower and, more importantly, defense of the network array.