Francescan War Chronicles 1: Space Knight Denxeiter

by C. K. Pershing

  All five Hyper Battle Machines throttled up to full power to escape the crushing pull of the dark energy. Feln was worried it was too late and they would all be sucked in, but they slowly started gaining ground, even as nearby insects and other alien ships got sucked past them into the black storm. The group of Francescans finally pulled free of the energy just as it finished swallowing up the enemy flagship and many other nearby enemy ships. The black hole effect slammed closed as before with an even louder bang and a subsequent shockwave that knocked the already fleeing Hyper Battle Machines and any other ships in the vicinity far away from where the colossal ship had been moments before.

  The Francescan fleet was still firing at the other alien ships, and any that were capable of jumping out, did so, leaving their damaged and wounded compatriots behind to be destroyed. The Francescan ships were happy to oblige.

  As Feln recovered from the violent tumbling Denxeiter had just been subjected to from the shockwave, he looked around warily. The other Hyper Battle Machines also assumed a guarded stance around Denxeiter as they surveyed the situation. There were no more enemy ships shooting, only Francescan ships systematically destroying any remaining enemies.

  After a few minutes, Kriemhilde appeared on his screen. “You know these things better than any of us. Is it over?”

  Feln looked around some more and then stared down at the chunk of the alien flagship in Denxeiter’s hand. There were still life signs but in a much higher state of stress. “I don’t know much about bug queen physiology, but I’d say these things are pretty damn scared. So yeah, I think it’s over.”

  “Then we won? Well then that’s pretty fantastic, isn’t it?” Kriemhilde started to laugh happily just as Siegfried’s image came on fleet wide communications.

  “Attention noble warriors of Francesca. Our telepathic corps as well as sorcerer corps both tell me that they’ve intercepted psionic transmissions from the things calling themselves queens. They’ve given the signal to their fellow monsters to retreat. This battle is over and once again the Francescan Star Empire is triumphant. My thanks to all of you. Further instructions to follow, but until then, congratulate yourselves and your fellow warriors for today you have made history.” With that, Siegfried gave a salute and his image disappeared.

  Feln turned to Aaltskog and smiled. Through exhausted eyes she smiled back and leaned forward. They kissed gently and lovingly as behind him he heard Kriemhilde say, “Is there somebody else in there with you?”

  Aaltskog got a look of sheer terror on her face as Feln turned back to Kriemhilde. “Yes, somebody else who would like to be your friend.”

  Aaltskog shyly peered out from behind Feln and said in a terrified whisper, “M’lady.”

  “I can’t see you,” Kriemhilde remarked. “Let me see you.”

  “Yes, m’lady!” Aaltskog yelped as she turned on the camera mounted in her own console.

  Kriemhilde’s eyes narrowed as they studied Aaltskog. She smiled again as she looked back at Feln, “She’s adorable. I just want to eat her alive.” She looked back at Aaltskog, “I bet you taste like springtime. Or maybe peaches. Whatever. I’ll find out soon enough.”

  Unsure of what to make of that, Aaltskog only squeaked, “Yes, m’lady.”

  “Feln says you’ll also be my friend and I think he’s right. So no more of this ‘m’lady’ nonsense. I’m Kriemhilde Francesca II. Pleased to meet you.” Now that the battle was over, Feln could see something in her aspect change with every passing minute. The look of raw hunger left her eyes as she assumed a more gentle tone of voice and earnestness.

  Aaltskog nervously glanced at Feln, who had also gone through Kriemhilde’s introduction. He nodded encouragingly. She then seemed to remember all that they’d been through and how brave she had been in the face of such adversity, because she straightened and gave a sharp salute. “Companion Aaltskog…Koenig. The pleasure is mine.”

  “Perfect,” Kriemhilde said with a smile just before her attention was diverted to an incoming private message. “Ah, it’s my cousin. He’s probably less than happy with me for coming here. I’ll see you later.” Es Wird Finster’s arm moved to indicate all of the Hyper Battle Machines present before it shot off in the direction of the Weiß Speer.

  Aaltskog seemed to deflate as soon as Kriemhilde left. “Hey, I’m proud of you. If you could put those alien bastards in their place, you can talk to someone who genuinely needs friends.” Feln said. “She seemed to really like you.”

  “Yeah, she wants to taste me,” Aaltskog said. “What is it with you people? You keep talking about eating my eyes and now I’ve got another organic talking about me like I’m some kind of dessert.”

  Feln laughed, “You should be flattered. And I’m actually pretty turned on thinking about some of the different ways she can taste you…” He traced a finger down her stomach and between her legs.

  Aaltskog sighed, “Well, all things considered, she is pretty hot in a murderous psychopath kind of way.”

  “There, see? Now you’re looking at the bright side.”

  “Yeah, as long as she wants to taste me the way you’re describing and not as part of some kind of weird cannibalistic feast. Right now I peg those odds at 20/80 so…”

  Tugs had appeared from the royal ships to retrieve the piece of the Union flagship in Denxeiter’s hand. Feln gave it over to them and they towed it away. He was glad to be rid of the thing. There were moments where he just wanted to rip it open and watch the queens inside die in the vacuum of space. But the Emperor was right to want them alive.

  Under interrogation they could provide valuable intelligence to fill in the gaps missing from what was recovered at the base. The Crown Prince’s orders to kill all of the enemy felt good on a visceral level, but his father was wiser for looking at the long-term.

  Feln started to fly Denxeiter away from the other Hyper Battle Machines and toward the Tannhauser. “Well, you know, it’s not technically cannibalism since you’re not technically human.”

  “That makes me feel much better.”

  Feln noticed the other Hyper Battle Machines flying close by. Lt. Clorinde from Olok flashed on to Feln’s screen. “Congratulations Captain. It was an honor to share the battlefield with you.” With that, the pilots of the other two Hyper Battle Machines also appeared on his screen. Maksinder’s pilot was a Bkilo named Chirik and Xxixxixx’s pilot was a crystalline creature from a race Feln had never seen before. Like its Hyper Battle Machine, it seemed to be made of limbs that were disconnected but held together by an unseen force. Its screen identified its name as Facet 558.

  “I am an ardent follower of your exploits fighting the Aldonis Federation,” Chirik said.

  “As am I,” Facet 558 said in a high-pitched voice surrounded by the sound of tinkling glass.

  “So now you’re talking to me?” Feln said.

  Clorinde blinked. “I thought I explained that our instructor taught us to—“

  “Leave any ‘extraneous’ talk for after that battle,” Feln said. “Yeah, I remember.” He shook his head and started over. “Listen, I don’t know who your instructor was…”

  “Doctor Mroco,” the three chorused.

  “Whatever, the name doesn’t ring a bell. Anyway, I was always taught that it was a good idea to foster good relationships not only with fellow Space Knights, but with people in general. Especially those who are fighting at your side.”

  “Isn’t that what we’re doing now?” Clorinde asked.

  “Strictly speaking, yes. But…” Feln saw the confused look on Clorinde’s face deepen. The others didn’t have features he could read, but he assumed they felt the same as their comrade. “Never mind,” Feln said. He looked back at Aaltskog who gave him an expression that said, Don’t ask me. The others waited expectantly until he finally asked, “Is this your first battle?”

  A look of relief spread across Clorinde’s face and he said, “This is our fifth battle this month. The Commandant has found our performance to his lik
ing and when we asked to be included in this rescue mission, he thankfully agreed to our request.”

  “So you’ve only ever fought together?”

  “Yes sir. Dr. Mroco believes that splitting us up or trying to add another to our group would ruin our flow of teamwork.”

  Feln shrugged, “Well, based on what I’ve seen today, I guess I can’t argue with that.”

  “You have never been part of a team unit of Hyper Battle Machines?” Facet 558 asked.

  Feln thought about Katashka. “Only once. And it was for too short a time.”

  “I am sorry to hear that.”

  “Well, generally I am part of a team. Myself, my Companion, and my Machine. Outside of that, my team consists of my shipmates on the Tannhauser.”

  “Working with people who aren’t Blessed…that only results in a degradation of performance,” said Chirik.

  Feln smiled. “And yet I managed to survive all this time before you arrived. Despite the degraded performance, I think I did alright.”

  “But did it?” Clorinde asked. “When we arrived, all we found was your Machine, your carrier, a destroyer, a gunship, an Alden, and a few supply ships. Do you consider your performance adequate with such a high number of casualt—”

  Feln angrily cut off the comms. The images of the three other Space Knights disappeared. “What the Hell does that kid know about any of this?” he yelled. “He’s acting like because I wasn’t in some kind of special little team like his, all those people died. First, it’s not like I didn’t have a team because I wanted to work alone! This was supposed to be a mission with some rest and relaxation. And even when I did have another Space Knight to work with, things still got bad. That power Katashka had to synch up with me was probably damn sure better than whatever special bond those idiots think they have. And she still got killed.”

  Aaltskog was soothing. “I know. They’re just kids. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

  Feln barely heard her. “And you know they didn't have to deal with all of the interference, lousy comms, and bad visibility. By the time they got here, all that was already taken care of. By us and a bunch of people without the Blessing. I’d like to see those jerks be such amazing pilots if they had to deal with all the shit that happened to us. ‘Degraded performance’, screw them.”

  “No doubt. But like I said, they’re kids.”

  “Oh I don’t care. I was never that cocky at their age.”

  Aaltskog laughed. “No you were worse.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “You always took the missions that only needed one Space Knight.”

  “Yeah, because it’s a big Empire and there’s not much of us to go around. In case you’ve forgotten, nearly all Space Knight missions are solitary to provide some backup to the regular military.”

  “Right, nearly all. And when anyone ever suggested you work with somebody else, you’d bolt for the nearest door.”

  “So I like to work alone. But like I told them, I’m never completely alone.”

  “No, but maybe you like being the only Space Knight around. You like the perks and the cache of being one of the best of the best.”

  “I was happy having Katashka around.”

  “Please, you were happy having a crazy sex fling. Don’t get me wrong, I think you liked her and was probably glad to have some backup when this mission turned into a surprisingly brutal life and death struggle. But deep down, you can’t tell me that if this was more of a standard mission, you wouldn’t have started to resent having her around.”

  “I don’t know,” Feln said.

  “I’m not saying you’re bad or wrong for doing things the way you do. Hell, I’m pretty happy with the way we do things. Still, it’s something to consider.”

  They were getting closer to the Tannhauser. Feln was about to contact the ship and request clearance for landing when he noticed Clorinde was trying to hail him on an emergency signal. He answered the call and Clorinde’s face reappeared on his screen. “What?” Feln demanded.

  “Pardon me, Captain, but I was told that you received orders to return to the Academy with us on the Hephaestus. I can’t help but notice that you’re preparing to return to the Tannhauser’s hangar.”

  “Yes, I am. I just want to make sure everything is okay with the crew I’ve experienced so much with before departing. Besides, I need to get my stuff.”

  “I’m sorry sir, but the Commandant’s orders were clear. You are to return with us. Your Companion is already with you. We’ll send for your belongings.”

  “This is the second time someone’s told me about the Commandant’s orders being clear. Me and Raila might not have always seen eye to eye, but he can wait a little—“

  Clorinde’s expression was confused. “Raila?” After a moment, the confusion cleared from his face as he said, “Ah, I see. It happened while you were stranded here with no communication. I’m sorry to report that Commandant Raila is dead.”

  Aaltskog gasped and Feln felt his limbs go numb.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t know, sir. He died during a pirate attack while he was inspecting a colony.”

  “What? Why was he inspecting a colony? And pirates? How was the Commandant of the Space Knight Academy in a position to be killed by pirates?”

  “I don’t know all the details, but the rumor is that the pirates were aided by the Aldonis. Sir, I’d be happy to share the details with you later, but please, you have to come with us.” As Clorinde spoke, the Tannhauser’s hangar doors opened in a welcoming embrace. Right now, they were the most inviting sight Feln could think of. Home.

  “I don’t have to go anywhere,” Feln said. “I don’t even know who the Commandant is.”

  “Dr. Behlen.” As Clorinde spoke, Kesh’s image appeared on screen.

  “I don’t know who that is,” Feln said. “But please give him my apologies. I’ll be with you sometime tomorrow. Let’s say…noonish. Okay? Thanks!” Once again, he cut Clorinde off. The three Hyper Battle Machines drifted motionlessly around him as he began to lower Denxeiter inside of the Tannhauser. He expected to see Clorinde try to get through again, but nothing happened.

  Kesh had waited patiently during the exchange between the two Space Knights. Feln was embarrassed. “I’m sorry about that sir. Apparently, the new Space Knight Academy Commandant is demanding my presence.”

  “It’s no trouble,” Kesh said before stopping. “Did you say there’s a new Commandant?”

  “Yes sir, apparently Dr. Raila was killed in a pirate attack.”

  “A pirate attack? That seems highly unusual,” Kesh said carefully.

  As he spoke, Denxeiter locked into place in the hangar and the doors began to close. As they did, Feln looked back to see the other Hyper Battle Machines still there watching him. Disconcertingly, they continued to do so all the way up until the doors closed completely and Feln couldn’t see them anymore.

  Trying not to think about the other Space Knights still lurking outside, Feln said, “I agree, sir. But let’s try not to think about that now when we should be celebrating.”

  “Indeed,” Kesh replied. “We owe our very survival to you and your Companion. I don’t know what you did in those moments before the rescue fleet arrived, but it worked. Seeing those enemy battleships suddenly explode was one of the most welcome things I’ve ever experienced. Only to be equaled when the rescue fleet arrived soon after.”

  “There was so much sacrifice from so many others,” Feln said. “Anything that I did was done on the shoulders of true heroes.” As Kesh nodded solemnly, Feln said, “And sir, thank you for always being there. As we were getting near the Tannhauser to dock, all I kept thinking was how this is my home. Because it really is home. Thanks in no small part to you and the crew. You’re all my family.”

  “Our family,” Aaltskog put in.

  “Yes, and it will always be so,” Kesh said.

  Chapter Ten

  As the Francescans spent the next few days repairin
g the destroyed jump coils in the surviving ships affected by the array, a massive rescue effort was also underway. They made sure to go about with electric cannons and fry the innards of any derelict enemy ships, lest a possession occur to the unwary. Although most of those rescued had been from ships involved in the recent battle, there was a happy surprise when a disabled support ship was found that was damaged in the very first attack.

  The crew had managed to keep their life support systems operational during the following months and since the ship was carrying food for farming, they didn’t starve. That the enemy had never found them was miraculous and their safe return gave a sliver of light to the sad fact that an appalling amount of people had been killed.

  The alien queens had all been sent to an undisclosed location for interrogation and study. While Feln did not believe in torture, and the Francescan Star Empire condemned such behavior, Feln hoped that the queens’ jailers had the occasional chance to at least handle them roughly. Considering the horrors the aliens had put the Francescans through it would be some small solace.

  Feln was still staying on the Tannhauser and helping with the rescue efforts as best he could. He had stayed long past when he had promised to return to the Academy on the Hephaestus. He didn’t know for certain, but it seemed that Kesh had somehow managed to convince the Crown Prince to order Feln to stay with the Tannhauser. The ultimate authority to command Space Knights still lay with the Imperial Household, so Feln was off the hook for the time being.

  Kriemhilde had already been called back to the Imperial palace to answer for something she’d done wrong. Apparently, her story of getting “Uncle Sieg’s” approval to join the battle wasn’t exactly true and she was only supposed to observe the other Hyper Battle Machines in action. When she decided to get involved and threatened to blast open the doors of the Carthage if they didn’t launch her own Hyper Battle Machine, the crew’s hands were tied as nobody was about to test her resolve to follow through on her threat.