by J. N. Chaney
The beam struck Titan’s shield, directly at the Moon’s center, sending ripples in every direction. “Athena!” I barked. “Report!”
“Titan can only withstand such an attack for a short time, Captain. The energy output is exceptional,” she explained.
“I guess that means our ships won’t stand a chance if they get hit,” I said.
“I’m afraid that’s correct,” she answered. “Titan’s shield will not last for long. You must end this quickly.”
“Got any advice?” I asked.
“My scan of the unprotected section has reinforced what we already believed. It is indeed the weakest point in terms of its structure,” Athena explained. “However, the cannons remain a more pressing concern. I suggest focusing your attention on those.”
“So, we should hit the cannons first?” asked Abigail.
“Indeed,” said the Cognitive. “Each weapon uses its own power source, which must recharge after each use. Even if you destroy the main section of the ship, the cannons are far enough apart that they should remain intact and will likely continue to fire. Disabling them first will neutralize the weapon’s offensive capabilities, leaving it open for a final attack.”
“Guess that means there’s no quick and easy way to take this thing down,” I said.
“At least we have targets,” said Abigail.
I nodded. “Hear that, Alphonse?”
“Loud and clear, sir,” he answered. “We’ll move on your mark.”
The entity raised its other arm, charging its cannon exactly as it had the first.
I looked at Abigail. “Get ready.”
She nodded. “Same goes for you.”
The beam exploded from the entity’s arm, filling the holo with pure light.
“Now!” I shouted, throwing the control stick forward.
Titan returned fire, releasing five solid beams of destructive force on the enemy, while also dropping its shield for a brief moment. The entity let out another of its own, this time from its left arm, hitting the shield again.
We dived forward, heading below Titan and toward the bottom of the drone wall. The rest of the fleet broke away along with us, heading in their own directions, none of the squads staying near each other.
Our target was the same as the sixth squadron’s—the most recently used arm cannon. I cloaked us, just in case, and continued our acceleration.
The drone wall reacted to the oncoming strike ships as we neared, facing toward us.
Alphonse’s squad was the first to get within firing distance of its target—the cannon on the torso. The lead ship fired, only to have the drones pull back and change position, bending the wall to block the shot. Several drones disappeared in a flash, only to be quickly replaced by their neighbors.
So that was it, I quickly realized. The wall was only there to defend the larger one from us. “Alphonse, listen up!” I called. “We’ll have to break through those drones before we can touch the big guy. You’ll have to adjust your plan.”
“I’m working on it,” he answered.
“Those drones are limited,” I said. “If we focus our attacks on a single area, they’ll have to spread themselves to fill the gap. It’ll leave the other sections with less coverage.”
“That could take too much time,” said Alphonse.
“Do you have a better plan?”
“Possibly,” he said. “When I attacked, the drones gathered to block the shot, pulling themselves from other parts of the wall, like a kind of moving shield. If we focus our firepower on one side—”
“The other half won’t be protected,” I finished.
“Precisely,” said Alphonse. “All squadrons, except number six, focus your attacks on the following location. Squadron six, keep your distance and standby.”
“Six is standing by,” said Bolin.
“Looks like we’re waiting, too,” said Abigail.
The other teams moved to the opposite side of the wall, right as Titan fired its beams again. The entity did the same, sending multiple shots from different cannons.
I wondered how long the shields would hold under this kind of pressure. The damage had to be severe. We’d have to make this count, even if it meant losing some of our own in the process.
Each squadron formed up near Alphonse’s position, still keeping enough distance from each other to avoid an all-encompassing attack, should the enemy turn its gaze away from Titan and onto the fleet. If I hadn’t known any better, I might’ve believed we knew what we were doing.
Alphonse fired into the wall, along with the rest of his squad. Beside them, the second group followed, releasing multiple beams into the fog of drones, which moved together to block the attack. In seconds, every available ship, not including the sixth squadron, had joined in the fight. The light of their shared beams filled the space around the entity.
The drones did what they could, moving to counter the attack. Dozens were destroyed instantly, quickly replaced by more to fill in the new gaps.
“Again!” shouted Alphonse to the rest of the fleet.
Another attack followed, doing roughly the same amount of damage as before, and more drones filled the gaps.
“Again!” the Constable shouted, a newfound rage building in his voice. “Fire everything and don’t let up!”
The drones continued to reform the gaps, moving from one end of the wall to the other. Titan fired another blast as well, causing the drones to counter, but each time there were fewer of them to meet the beams, and each time Alphonse yelled, “Again.”
At last, our side was getting clearer, nearly all the drones having moved to the other side. “Now’s our chance, Bolin!” I told him. “Get your people in there.”
“Squad Six, move out!” barked Bolin. “Focus on your target and avoid the drones!”
I pushed forward, following Bolin’s crew as they made their way toward the opening at the base of the entity. There were still a handful of drones, but between the squad’s shared firepower, they were easily taken care of.
I was in the rear of the pack, being slower than the strike ships. By the time I made it to where the wall had been, Bolin was already at the cannon.
He fired, along with two of his teammates, hitting the target directly and holding the beam. The cannon quickly broke apart from the attack, splitting into pieces as it floated gently away.
It was a minor victory, but progress all the same.
“Squad Six, move to target number five,” ordered Alphonse. “We’ll hold them here until—”
The drones scattered at once, heading to where Bolin’s team had flown. They converged on them, retaliating with short range attacks. One of Bolin’s ships took several blasts of energy, and it disappeared in seconds, completely destroyed. Two others followed, wiped away in seconds.
Only Bolin and a few others remained, retreating in time to avoid the swarm. The drones refused to chase them, once they reached a certain distance, but it was clear Squad Six was done.
Alphonse and the other squads remained where they were during the chaos, still firing on the entity and the drones. A handful of their blasts had made it through, even managing to take out another cannon, but nothing more than that.
“Captain,” interjected Athena. “I’m afraid shields will not hold much longer. I can strengthen them temporarily by rerouting power, but Titan will lose its offensive capabilities.”
“Godsdammit,” I said. “Do what you have to do, Athena. Just don’t let those shields fall.”
“Understood,” she answered.
We’d need another solution, and quickly, if we hoped to take the enemy out.
My heart raced as I tried to think of something, anything, to help us get out of this insane situation. There had to be a solution here. The fleet could keep bombarding the drones, but how long would that take?
I checked the holo, just to see what progress we’d made. The swarm had started with 2200 drones. Estimates showed we’d reduced that to 1700. Solid progress,
sure, but it was too slow. We needed something faster, more precise.
Hold on, I thought, still examining the radar and our position on the field. The drones had reformed the wall after Bolin’s attack, but they’d stopped reacting to the squadron when the ships were far enough away. But according to the holo, The Renegade Star was still inside that area.
“Holy shit,” I finally said.
“It’s okay, Jace. We can recover from this,” assured Abigail. “Alphonse can send another group.”
I shook my head. “It’s not that,” I told her, pointing to the holo. “Look. We’re inside where the wall used to be, and this is how far the drones chased Bolin’s team. You know what that means?”
Abigail’s eyes widened as she quickly pieced it together. “They don’t see us.”
“Right,” I said. “We can get the drop on this thing.”
“Once we do, won’t the drones come after us?” she asked.
I paused and considered that for a second. “Wait,” I said, running my finger along the dash. “The cloak only drops if we use the guns.”
She nodded. “What’s your point?”
“Simple,” I said, tabbing the display and bringing up an image of the weapon in question. It was one of the mines Athena had generously given me, newly restocked. “We drop a few of these, instead.”
* * *
We barely slowed down long enough to drop the mines before continuing to the next cannon along the hull of the giant humanoid ship. There wasn’t much time to waste, meaning every second counted as the enemy machine put pressure on Titan’s shield.
I let Siggy handle the mines, while Abby kept her eyes on the targeting holo for any potential drones that might not like what we were doing. He released them with exact precision, gliding them into place near the remaining three cannons and the giant’s central torso. Since two of the cannons were along that area, I was hopeful we’d be done in a few more minutes.
Meanwhile, Alphonse and the fleet kept their distance, firing blasts into the swarm of drones, dwindling their numbers a little at a time. They had them down to 1450, which was still enough to form the wall and stop them from making any real progress.
Another white blast struck Titan’s shield as we dispensed one of the mines, and we took off to the next location right away. “Captain,” said Athena, her voice breaking my concentration. I was almost done with this, so why couldn’t she wait just a few more minutes?
“What is it, Athena? We’ve almost got this handled,” I told her.
“I apologize, but Titan can only take one additional hit from the enemy. After that, our shields and weapons will need to recharge.”
I cursed. Why did this have to happen right now? We were so close! “Are you absolutely sure?” I asked. “We’ve almost got this locked down.”
“I’m afraid so,” she said.
“Why don’t we stop here?” asked Abby. “We’ve placed enough mines so far. That’s four, isn’t it?”
I wondered if she was right. We’d covered two cannons and two key spots on the torso. It might be enough. Maybe.
“Siggy, how about it? If we stopped now, would the mines do the job?” I asked.
“Negative, sir. While the mines would certainly disable two cannons, one other would remain, and without the additional mines along the vessel, it would remain intact.”
So, I could either take a chance and wait, finishing this job, or I could call it a day and hope for the best. Both were serious risks and I only had a few seconds to decide which was worth taking.
I clenched my jaw. “We’ll keep going until the shield is down. We can get at least one more mine out before things get hairy.”
We raced to the next location, keeping an eye on the drone swarm as it continued to receive attack after attack from Alphonse and the fleet. If they moved toward us, showing any sign of detection, we’d blow these mines and get the hell out of there without a second thought.
The holo showed the entity priming another of its cannons, ready to hit Titan once again, and for the final time. As white light formed, Siggy released one of the mines, sending it directly behind the giant gun.
The beam from the cannon exploded out, hitting Titan’s shield and shattering it like blue glass.
The holo flashed an indicator, signaling that we were out of time.
“Captain,” began Athena, breaking through the comm.
“I already know!” I snapped. “Siggy, get ready to blow this thing apart!”
“Standing by for orders, sir,” the A.I. acknowledged.
I brought us some distance from the torso, but still not out of firing range. “This ought to do,” I finally said. I looked at Abigail. “Here goes nothing. Do it, Siggy!”
“Activating mines.”
Five devastating explosions ignited across the 5-kilometer long entity’s hull, breaking apart all but a single cannon. Flakes of debris that were twice the size of my ship tore themselves from the machine, set adrift like floating leaves.
The swarm reacted instantly, chaos in their movements as they attempted to process what was happening.
“Jace!” snapped Abigail, interrupting my temporary relief.
The holo lit up, indicating another accumulation of energy. It was the final cannon at the peak of the torso, beginning its charge.
I cursed when I realized what this would mean. Titan couldn’t take another blow without severe damage to the hull. We had to act, and quickly, before things went too far.
I accelerated toward the cannon. “Fire everything!” I barked to Abby.
Without hesitation, she shot a string of blasts on the target, forcing us to drop our cloak and, in turn, signaling the swarm to our position.
The drones retracted from the fleet, moving to stop us.
I didn’t quit, and instead continued forward, matching the speed of our blasts as they traveled to collide with the cannon. As the first of them landed, the white light of the cannon had reached its firing point, filling with energy.
The other shots bombarded the entity’s hull, engulfing the cannon and its light.
The cannon tore apart in seconds, right as we flew above it. Pieces of debris launched away from the body, coming far too close for comfort as we continued our escape.
The swarm, meanwhile, was nipping at our heels. “Incoming beams!” I said, seconds before something struck the hull. The vibration jerked the entire ship, knocking me around in my seat.
“Deploying flak!” said Abigail.
We were nearly out of the proximity of where the wall had been. If we could just—
Another hit to our rear. “Detecting hull breach,” informed Sigmond.
“Godsdammit!” I snapped. “Seal the leak!”
We finally reached the escape point where the swarm would no longer follow, but I refused to stop just yet. The drones were still pursuing us, apparently willing to leap beyond the established limits of their wall.
Was that because we’d disabled their main weapon?
“They’re not letting up!” said Abigail. “Deploying flak again.”
“Of course they’re not letting up,” I returned. “There’s no reason for them to guard that pile of trash, not after what we just did to it.”
“I suppose that means we’re winning,” she said.
“I’m not sure I’d call this winning,” I said. “We might be out of—”
A sudden explosion struck the tip of the swarm, decimating several dozen enemy indicators on the holo.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!” said Bolin on the comm. His ship, along with what remained of his squad, flew between us and the swarm as they released their beams.
“Bolin!” I shouted back, surprised at the last minute save.
“He’s not alone,” said Abigail, pointing to the radar.
The entire fleet was in pursuit, quickly approaching the swarm, both from the rear and above.
Together, the unleashed a wide spread of blue energy, engulfing the swarm and disru
pting their collective flow. The drones scattered, dispersing in what looked like utter chaos.
The battlefield transformed in seconds as the swarm set its sights on each of the individual ships, leading to both fleets engaging across the space between Titan and the humanoid ship.
“I’m not sure if this is progress, but it’s something,” I muttered, looking at the holo.
“Sir, please be advised. Movement detected,” informed Sigmond.
“No shit,” I said, motioning at the battlefield. “There’s movement everywhere.”
“I am referring to the initial target, sir. It appears to be altering course.”
“Initial target?” asked Abigail. “Does he mean the giant humanoid thing?”
I zoomed in the entity, only to see its thrusters igniting. “What the hell is it doing?”
“Running away, maybe?” asked Abigail. “No, wait. Look! It’s heading closer to Titan.”
My eyes widened as I realized what this meant. “Athena! Move Titan away! Back up!”
“Igniting thrusters,” said Athena.
The entity was already halfway to Titan by the time she said the words. It raised one of its arms, and I saw something change. The end of it cracked open, and out slid another piece resembling a blade. The ship bent forward, aiming the tip of its arm at Titan, firing off another set of thrusters on its feet.
I gripped the controls and pressed them forward, launching us directly at the enemy. “We need to take it!”
Titan moved away, but its acceleration was slow. It wouldn’t have enough time to safely outpace the other ship. We had to hustle, before things got messy.
“Prep the mines, Siggy!” I barked.
“Ready to launch, sir,” he answered.
Just then, several enemy drones came flying at us, firing shots across our hull. The entire ship trembled from the direct hit. I spun us around, instinctively, and Abigail returned their attack with a healthy dose of quad cannon.
Right as the drones shattered, I heard another alarm on the holo. “Impact imminent,” announced Sigmond.
I could only watch as the blade, which was five times the size of my own ship, rammed itself into Titan’s hull. With no shield to protect her, Athena could do nothing but absorb the attack.
