by Barlow,M
Violet saw the first ghost ship. It resembled the locomotive unit in the Bullet Train between Sydney and Melbourne. As she activated her shield, Violet jumped inside the red circle in the middle of her ship. Four of her men joined her.
Her entire life, Violet studied and prepared before making a move. She hated failure. Hated the unknown. That’s why she studied every angle, considered every possibility, and carried on missions on her own terms. A year and half of infiltration training gave her the skills and confidence to jump into uncharted territories. Whether it was filled with courteous sales ladies or leviathans, she’d survive.
“I have line of sight. Ready when you are,” the pilot said.
“Ready,” Violet said.
A thick cylinder of bright green energy appeared on the red circle. It surrounded them. Glowed. Then it disappeared. Violet and her team were inside the enemy’s ghost ship. She stared at the first Manakaris who weren’t trapped in a cage.
One quick look. She absorbed her surroundings. To her right, there were two pilots, secured in their seats. To her left, five soldiers in silver armor and tubular weapons spread around the small ship. Straight ahead, stood their officer—a seven-foot giant, covered in blue armor. His torso bulged and protruded with a developed exoskeletal bone armor.
She can do this.
Their arrival startled the Manakaris. Before they recovered, Violet leaped forward. She pushed the officer to the wall with enough force to turn a human being into pudding.
The officer bounced off the wall and punched her in her head as if nothing happened. Her body flew in the air for three meters. She hit the wall with a bang before she fell to the floor against the cold, hard metal.
He didn’t give her a chance to gasp. The officer sprinted to her location, bent over, and with all his might, he punched her. Violet activated her Space Random Jumping device. She warped away from under him. Sprung to her feet. Planted her knee in his face.
The officer stood up and reached for his face to examine it. Violet raised both her hands in front of her, gathered her mental strength, and pushed him again. This time, she targeted his head. The energy knocked him back. He dropped to the floor. Motionless.
As soon as the officer’s body hit the ground, the ship took off in a collision course with the British battleship, she saw earlier. Violet pulled her weapon and fired two shots, killing the pilots.
Her team had neutralized the five soldiers in the back of the ship. Violet walked to the same spot where she first landed. Once they’re inside, she threw a small button forward and pushed her earpiece.
“We’re done here.”
Moments later, the same green energy cylinder engulfed them. When it disappeared, Violet was in her ship. She rushed to the front shield.
The ghost ship exploded. Not a spectacle. A small, contained blast that rendered the ship useless.
Violet threw her body on the nearest chair while the pilot navigated between the large ships to find more ghost ships.
“Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah,” Dan said, “I can’t believe that worked.”
“I know, the captain hit like a truck,” Violet said, bending and stretching her knee to make sure it was okay.
He smiled. “I took on two.”
Violet chuckled. “All right, go Dan!”
Dan bowed in a theatrical manner. “It’s what I do. I wake up in the morning, have my cereal, and kill two Manakaris.”
Everyone laughed.
She let her imagination run wild. The Manakaris were tough but not invincible. Yes. Her team could do this. She could do this.
“Got another one,” the pilot said.
Violet and her team assembled in the teleportation circle. She was ready storm another ship. Now that she knew what to expect, the fight might be easier.
*****
Alissara checked the statistics. Another hundred battleships down. How much more could her army take? The Manakaris’ battleships pounded them, and the ghost ships infiltrated their formation. Her battleships struggled to land any attacks. The defensive shield absorbed their firepower.
Violet’s image popped on a hologram. “It’s done.”
Alissara’s eyes smoldered. “Good job!”
When Violet took off her helmet, Alissara noticed the scowl on her forehead.
“How bad?”
“Over a hundred soldiers.”
Alissara closed her eyes. She couldn’t find the words. She became numb as she’d lost tens of thousands of soldiers. With a bitter taste in her mouth, Alissara wondered when would this battle end?
Dara’s hand patted her back.
Her commanders had it worse. It took all their willpower not to burst into tears. Their battleships exploded with hundreds of soldiers onboard, and infiltration teams rescued ten, maybe twenty.
Alissara’s eyes lit up as she hovered forward to the communication device to speak to David Harris, her second in command. Time to do something crazy.
“David, I need you to take over.”
“Why?”
“As long as their shield is up, we can’t touch them. We must take out the vessels sustaining it. I’ll take the antimatter-equipped battleships and storm the shield. But we can use some cover.”
David lowered his gaze for a moment before he looked at the hologram. “Whatever you need.”
Within minutes, Alissara led two hundred battleships straight to the Manakaris shield. Her battleships spread out. They put up their shields.
Missiles targeted her small force, but the battleships dodged the attack and fired their antimatter launchers at the shield. By the time Alissara’s battleship reached the large barrier, her force punched large holes in it. The defensive vessels in the Manakaris’ army became exposed.
Alissara planted her feet on the floor of the battleship and stared at the enemy’s vessels. “Fire everything.”
Green waves of death destroyed multiple defensive vessels on the spot. Atomic bombs—courtesy of the US army—evaporated tens of large battleships that rushed to rescue the defensive vessels.
As the enemy’s missiles took out many of her ships, huge portions of the shield vanished. A missile hit her battleship and knocked it to the side. The pilots sealed the damaged area. It wouldn’t survive another hit. Hundreds of battleships separated from the Manakaris army and blazed toward Alissara.
She leaned forward to instruct her battleships. “We’ve done enough damage. Pull back.”
Her ships warped outside the shield and again to the area between the two armies. David had targeted the Manakaris force that chased her with heavy firepower. Her pilots maneuvered out of harm’s way and warped one more time to join the rest of her army.
Two hundred ships left. A little over a hundred returned. Her Korran battleship sustained heavy damage, but it wasn’t fatal.
The only consolation was, although outnumbered, her force now had the upper hand. Parts of the shield disappeared to expose the majority of the Manakaris ships. The irony was the Manakaris supplied the energy her ships used. Their brutal attacks ensured her chargers stayed above 80% throughout the battle.
“Activate general communication,” Alissara said. “It’s time to finish this.”
A minute later Alissara faced the communication device. Her picture appeared in every ship, not just the commanders’ battleships.
“Soldiers, pilots, officers, and commanders,” Alissara said. “It’s been my privilege to lead you for the past few days. This is our endgame. If we squeeze them to the point of no return, they’ll blow us up the way they blew up my planet. The numbers are even, and their shield is shattered. I say we recharge, shield up, and rush them. Try to destroy a battleship or two, then warp to safety. Infiltration units can finish them off the rest.”
Alissara ended the message and took a deep breath. Her plan was a twist on the endgame, but it was the right move. She knew it.
“Go,” Alissara said and motioned the pilots. The sound of the engine was deafenin
g. The giant ship charged forward toward the Manakaris’ first line of defense like an unstoppable boulder fired down from a cannon atop a steep mountain.
Alissara put her hand on Dara’s shoulder and looked at her. If she was meant to die here, at least she’d die with a friend.
The dark waves of doom traveled ahead of the ship, destroying a handful of ships. Missile after missile the size of her small, silver ship blazed through space until it exploded against enemy’s battleships.
“Enough, take us out of here,” Alissara said.
As the ship turned around, Alissara stared at the wave after wave of the enemy’s ships and wave after wave of her own. They stalked the enemy and surrounded them. Ready to put an end to it all.
*****
Gabriel Wu, the Australian forces commander, followed Alissara’s lead. Once his battleship destroyed a handful of the enemy’s ships, he ordered his pilots to retreat. Before the battleship warped, a large ray of antimatter hit the rear and punched a hole in it. The vessel shook uncontrollably.
“We’ve taken too much damage. We can’t warp, General,” the pilot said.
The piranhas would soon swarm his damaged vessel. Gabriel straightened his posture, locked his hands behind his back, and turned to the pilot.
“Activate the nukes,” Gabriel said, with a determined look in his eyes. “We’ll take out as many ships as we can.”
In two minutes, the ship was a powder keg waiting to blow any second. It plummeted through space toward a cluster of Manakaris battleships. A minute or two, and it would be over.
Gabriel walked to the front shield. He stood between the pilots’ seats and watched the battlefield. Earth’s shielded battleships broke formation. They traversed through space with incredible speeds, pursued the Manakari ships, and destroyed them. Then the battleships warped and headed the other way.
Within minutes, the entire Manakari army would be wiped out. He’d die a happy man in twenty, nineteen, eighteen…
He activated the ship’s internal system. “It’s been an honor—”
“Hold on tight, General.” Violet’s voice came from behind him.
A powerful force pulled his body back to a clear area in the middle of the ship. Her hands grabbed him tight.
Gabriel craned his neck. Violet and her soldiers flooded his battleship and grabbed his men. “Where did you… you need to leave. the ship is—”
Light surrounded her soldiers and his before they teleported. When it was his turn, a cylinder of light engulfed the two of them along with others. Gabriel shielded his eyes from the bright light.
“You’re safe, General,” Violet said.
He was in her small airship. The crowded ship warped away. From a window, he watched his battleship explode and take out dozens of Manakari’s ships. Gabriel took a deep breath and headed to a chair.
Violet chuckled. “Watch it, General, you’re sucking all the air.”
Gabriel smiled in relief before he remembered the rest of his men. “Did you rescue everyone?”
“We’re doing a head count.”
After a few minutes, one of her officers reported to her.
“We’ve lost five of mine,” Violet said, “and one of your pilots who stayed behind and detonate the ship.”
Gabriel fell silent for a while. They lost people they cared for, and if there was any justice, the Manakaris would burn for eternity. “Take me to one of the command ships.”
She ordered her pilot to seek the nearest command ship.
The pilot examined the navigation system for a while. “The American command ship is nearby.”
Gabriel frowned. “Keep looking.”
Everyone on the ship laughed with relief as the pilot traveled to the ship’s location and teleported him and his men to the large US battleship.
*****
Ten minutes later, Alissara spoke to everyone from the Command Battleship. “Well done, recharge your drives, and rest before we head back.”
Alissara ended the message, threw her body on the nearest chair, and closed her eyes. She’d commanded the force and annihilated the Manakaris. She’d avenged her people and saved Earth.
“You know we still have to deal with the force that warped behind us, don’t you?”
Alissara opened her eyes to see Dara standing before her. Alissara’s eyes narrowed and dimmed. Between commanding the battle and worrying about her soldiers’ lives, she’d forgotten the second part of the Manakaris army.
“We’ll charge and hunt them down before they reach Earth.”
Emily’s worried face appeared on the hologram. “Congrats, Mara. I’m afraid I have bad news. The second invasion force teleported again.”
“Impossible!”
“I know,” Emily said, “but somehow they recharged in a few hours. I don’t know how because it’s faster than our drives. If they keep up this pace, you’ll never intercept them.”
Alissara leaned forward in her chair and buried her head in her hands. She thought she could finish this battle and catch up with the small force, but she underestimated the Manakaris. Her mother and her sisters were on Earth—undermanned and outgunned.
“Cheer up, kid,” Dara said and patted her shoulder. “We won this battle. We’ll win the next one. Have faith in your sisters.”
The old advisor’s words didn’t comfort her. The Manakaris traveled to Earth, and the only army that could defeat them wouldn’t arrive in time.
“Change of plans. Put on the commanders, Dara.”
*****
Porje
Days to Earth destruction: 1
Mara found desert nights in Nevada fascinating. The occasional snow and the chilling winds of clean air that hadn’t been polluted like air in the cities. Most nights were calm and uneventful—except for sands blowing in her face, tiny scorpions running around, rattle snakes, weird-looking sheep, and one black bear.
She hovered higher, trying to see into the distance. Not much was going on tonight. One thought occupied her mind. The elite Manakari force—over a thousand battleships led by the Imperial Ship. The small army arrived to the Milky Way and was hours away from Earth. That was their fallback in case Alissara defeated their main force. Now, her small force on the base had to stop them and defend the planet.
“Are you looking for the bear?” Shara’s voice came from behind her, followed by a loud laugh.
Mara landed on the cool sand and ambled toward her sister. “I’m telling you. I saw it the other night.”
“You need to take a break the first chance you get,” Shara said. “Besides, the bear you described lives in the western part of the state near Lake Tahoe, and we’re in the middle of the desert.”
Mara smiled. “That’s why she looked tired.”
Shara sat down on the sand, stretched her legs, and leaned back. She planted her hands in the sand behind her to support her upper body weight.
“That feels good,” Shara said, and closed her eyes. “Can we go to the hot springs again after the battle?”
“Yes,” Mara said and sat down next to her younger sister. “If the Manakaris don’t eat us for lunch tomorrow.”
Shara smiled and stared at the moon. “I can’t remember the last time we sat down like this on Korr.”
“Our last visit to the forest with mother.”
Shara’s bright eyes dimmed. She sat straight, bent her knees, and pulled them against her chest. “When do you think she’ll recover?”
Mara shrugged and glanced at the base in the distance. “I don’t know, but we can give her the time she needs. We need to make sure this planet survives tomorrow. But just in case, she is on her ship now. The pilots will take her away if we can’t stop the Manakaris.”
Shara nodded. “I have good news on that front. The army sent their bombs. We should have enough energy for the battle.”
Mara’s eyes glowed. “Is it weird that I’m looking forward to fighting? Because I’m ready to get up close and personal.”
“Yes, it’
s weird. You’re weird. I wish they’d go away and leave us alone.”
“You know why I love to fight?”
Shara giggled. “You’re sadistic?”
“I do enjoy it,” Mara said, “but I fight every chance I get because it’s the only time I can be myself. Awful, but true. There’s been no one but us and nowhere but Korr. We had to behave, and we never had conflicts. Before our final battle we only fought when we competed in the army and against each other.”
“How come Alissara and I are different?” Shara asked.
“Mother told me something the last time we visited Earth. She told me the longer we stayed on this planet, the more we became like humans.”
“You believe it?”
Mara lowered her gaze and stroked the sand with her first finger. “Remember what I told you about the Egyptian King?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it’s true. I admired him, but not for his looks. Well, not just for his looks,” Mara said and gazed into the distance, her eyes dim. “He sat me down next to the Pyramids one night, held my little hand, and told me his story. He said his favorite part was when he would venture into the North in disguise to buy weapons or spy on the enemy. No longer a king. Just an adventurer.”
Mara got to her feet, hovered in the air, and her eyes lit up with sheer excitement. “Here he was. A man with little knowledge, miniature lifespan, and no technology, yet he’d lived far more than any of us had. He won, lost, helped, fought, loved, hated, rebelled, grieved. He lit a fire in me I never quite put off. I wanted to grow up, board a ship, and travel through the universe. If he achieved so much in decades, imagine what I could do in millennia.”
She landed on her feet and turned around to Shara. “Then we returned to Korr, and I lived the life of an heir. A life without adventure or excitement. Mother always said ‘you have a responsibility to your people’. When I fight, for a moment, I feel like I’m living the life I desired.”
“It’s not too late,” Shara said. “This world can give you that. We’ll only be responsible for ourselves, and humans are anything but dull.”
