by Chris Harris
Trexor broke into the Xaosian ranks, wielding his sword. He slashed blindly at the Xaosians, whilst taking aiming carefully with the gun in his other hand. The sword's micro vibrations carved through the armour, it's impact-resistant material almost useless against it. Bullets pierced his armour when they hit. Trexor felt another bullet hit his thigh, penetrating the armour. He grunted as it hit, the armour only slowing it slightly. Pain beyond agony. He stumbled, but he steeled himself, grit his teeth and continued; he'd suffered worse.
The others had joined him now, using their standard-issue vibro-blades to carve their way through. But the element of surprise had worn off by now, and the Xaosians were drawing their own blades. Out of the corner of his eye, Trexor saw Reinf take a knife to the stomach, blood and gore spilling out. Trexor shot the Xaosian in the foot, before cleaving off his head. A bullet smashed against Trexor's helmet, cracking the reinforced glass. But it was only a glancing shot, and another man returned fire, catching the Xaosian in the throat. The Xaosian clutched at its throat, dropping its weapons before collapsing to its knees.
“Retreat!” Trexor heard someone yell; a Xaosian. They began to back away from Trexor's group, still firing as they did so. Trexor's men still fired upon them until the Xaosians were off the bridge. Trexor fumbled with his com, his hands shaking, before he yelled. “Now, Tya!”
Fire rained down from the sky as she activated the Orbital Cannons.
Chapter 3
Strom 2
Strom watched as the Xaosians fled from the Bridge. They seemed to stop at the edge of it; presumably to regroup, before trying to take it again. The Crusher near him began to move over there and had just reached the other when the sky glowed orange.
An orange beam, wider than even the Military-base struck the ground where the Xaosian's rested. It took Strom a moment to figure out what it was; an Orbital Cannon strike. Strom had never seen one before, but he had read about the test firing of the long-destroyed Adjeti World-Burner, weapon that did exactly what it said; it destroyed worlds. Harnessing the power of a star, it could focus that power until it scorched away everything on the surface of the targeted world, leaving nothing but a husk behind. The test firings did nothing like that, merely checking it's functionality. The beam decimated the Xaosians and Strom could hear brief screams, before a static crackle signalling the end of the cannon's fire. Only blackened charcoal statues remained.
The Bridge was clear now.
Strom seized his chance, edging carefully around his cover, and sprinted towards the nearest building, hugging the wall when he reached it. He checked around the corner and saw no Xaosians. He did, however, hear a banging and clattering from inside the building. He looked up at a sign above him; Hub Electricals. Cocking the U-7, Strom ventured into the store.
“You wan' a new Screen? Fifty-Six inches?” came one voice.
“How are we gonna get that back home without anyone seeing?” said another, this one female and familiar.
There were only two of them that Strom could see in this small store. Screens had been toppled over, some were cracked and broken; whether this was caused by the two looters or the Xaosians, Strom knew not. “Oi!” Strom called.
The male turned to face Strom, dropping a box to the floor. Something broke inside the box, judging the sound it made. “Wha'?” he asked with misplaced bravado.
Strom nodded towards the female. “You're looting. If I hand you in, you will be reconditioned. Both of you.”
The female stood up and walked towards him. Strom recognised her now; she was the woman he had told to stay inside, the one with the newborn babe, the one who ignored him. “You again.” she said.
“The feeling's mutual.” Strom said, as monotonously as she had. “You should've listened to me.”
The man chuckled. “Wha', and miss ou' on all this?” he gestured around the store. “Who are you, anyway, to tell us wha' to do?” He spat at Strom's feet.
Strom sighed. “You can ex' now and miss ou' on reconditioning. Or you can stay, be stunned and dragged to a reconditioning chamber. Your choice.”
The female pulled on the man's arm. “Come on, let's get ex' of here.”
“No.” He shook her off. “We need these things for our son. We can no' afford these things. It's the government’s fault!”
“I'm sorry,” Strom said, silently agreeing; the government’s harsh taxes sent many a family into a life of crime. “But I'm tasked with upholding the law.” After a pause of silence, he said, “I guess I can let you take the broken ones; you can sell them for parts, I'm sure.”
The man looked at Strom in the eyes. “Thank you.” He sounded sincere; it was better than nothing, perhaps even better in the long term than just one working screen.
“Don' mention i'.” Strom smiled. “Seriously, though, don', cause I'm no' sure if this'll hold up in a trial.”
Strom looked outside and saw Titans moving in the sky, possibly towards the bridge. The fighting was still happening in the air, but it was quiet on the ground for the moment. Taking advantage of this Strom headed over to the bridge.
The roads were unrecognisable. Half of a Stinger had uprooted Hub Path, and parts of both road and fighter were strewn around the area. As Strom jogged past it, he could see the pilot's corpse impaled upon the flight-control joystick. Buildings had toppled either side of the road and the destruction seemed to be akin to that of a natural disaster, rather than a warzone. Crying children and shrieking adults grieved over the loss of family, friends or home. But there was no-one n the streets; people camped in the stores, or in the back alleys, and they stared at Strom as he passed.
Strom soon reached the remains of the Xaosians that tried to take the Bridge. Some stood still, mummified by the heat and ashes. Most were none existent, their remains covering the floor. There was no blood, no gore, just a clean death. Strom touched one of the mummified soldiers and where he touched, the soldier began to crumble until there was nothing left but dust.
The edge of the Bridge was also blackened from the OC blast. Strom began to run across the bridge, but slowed to a walk as he came closer to the base. Corpses littered the Bridge, both Xaosian and Raanian. Some had bullet wounds, some were split open or decapitated. The remains of a Crusher stood at one side of the bridge, its top turret obliterated and the rest of it buckled. Something splashed beneath his boots and droplets of blood leapt at his leg. He looked; he was wading through puddles of thick red blood.
Behind the corpses were a group of Raanian soldiers, all in grey armour; before the battle, Strom was sure they were white. One soldier had a blue stripe on their arm; a General. The General turned as he heard footsteps and, upon seeing Strom, reached forwards and grabbed Strom by the throat, lifting him up. “State your business.” The General hissed.
“I'm Strom,” Strom said, struggling for breath, “I'm a pilo' here.”
The General released Strom and said, “General Trexor, Strom. Now get inside and find Admiral Fairns. We'll be right behind, were just getting the wounded inside.”
“Was i' you?” Strom asked. “Was i' you who fired the OC?”
“I did, yes.” Trexor said bluntly.
“It was a good call...” Strom said.
“What's wrong?” Trexor asked.
“Before today, I never even though' abou' death, no' on this scale. I never though' I'd kill someone, bu' I did. For the good of Raan. Bu' this is huge. You killed so many people with tha' thing and...I don' think I could've done i'.” Strom's hands shook as he spoke.
Trexor put a hand on Strom's shoulder. “Strom...killing is never something you should enjoy, or aspire to do. You must never want to kill. You killed for Raan. I killed for Raan. I decimated the Xaosian forces today, and I'm proud. Not because I like killing, nor because I don't have a conscience, but because I helped protect our world.”
Strom and Trexor walked inside the base together. Trexor bent down so he was eye-level with Strom and said, “Now go to Fairns; he'll tell y
ou what to do. Trust him; I've got him doing what I want for now.”
“Bu' isn' he your boss?”
“Run along now,” Trexor said, a nasty grin on his face.
Strom walked away, turning back to see Trexor heading over to the ODS computer bay.
“Strom!” came a voice from nearby.
He turned to see a lanky young man waving to him. “Olaf!” Strom said, a grin splitting his face.
Olaf got down from a Stinger's wing and walked towards Strom, holding out his hand. Strom shook it; a gesture Strom was unfamiliar with, being from the North; handshakes were a Southern custom. “I'm glad you're OK, bro.” Olaf said, “I was really worried when you hadn't turned up; I thought you were dead ext there.”
Strom chuckled. “You don'' have to call me bro, bro. Your accen' doesn'' sui' i'.”
Olaf acknowledge this with a slight nod of the head. “Noted.” He lowered his voice, “Ilisa's around here somewhere; she wouldn't go into the air without making sure you were OK.”
Strom felt his cheeks redden. “Ah. Righ'. Should probably do something abou' tha'.”
“You bastard!”
Olaf chuckled under his breath, while Strom's smile slipped away. “Ilisa, calm down!” he called.
Something struck the back of his head and he turned to see an attractive, dark-haired woman; Ilisa. “Ow!” he said mockingly.
“I thought you were dead, why didn't you call?” Ilisa asked, her finger pointing at Strom. “And you,” she yelled as Olaf opened his mouth, “keep your mouth shut!”
Olaf put his hands up in surrender. “Sorry sister.” he said, winking. She gave him a reproachful look.
“I'm sorry, but calling wasn' my firs' though'; trying to stay alive was.” Strom said in a soothing voice, trying to keep Ilisa calm.
“Well...” she struggled for words. “You had me worried, Strom. I was keeping a lookout and, well the North's been devastated. I thought you'd...” She trailed off.
“Well, I'm mostly fine.” Strom said. This was mostly true; the pain in his ribs was wearing off now, so obviously they weren't broken, just bruised. “Now, come here.” She walked over to him, and he held her close to him. Ilisa rested her head on Strom's should, and he kissed her on the top of her head. “I love you, y'know?”
“I know.” Her voice was strained as she cried into Strom's shoulder.
“You three!” Yelled an unfamiliar voice. “Ge' to your Stingers, we're moving ex'!”
Strom let Ilisa go. “See you on the other side.” he said with a smile.
“You better.” she said back.
“And I'll hope to see you both.” Olaf said. “Or have you forgotten me?” He chuckled after saying this, before clambering up a ladder to get into the Stinger's cockpit.
Strom left Ilisa at her's, while he looked up at his Stinger. A thrill stirred up inside of him; it was time to fly.
Chapter 4
Cinradahs 1
Cinradahs's office had three screens, linked up to one computer, to make for easier multitasking. Cinradahs himself sat in a Hauti-Skin chair which was on a rail that ran along the edge of the desk that filled half of his office. Unlike usual rail-desks, this one was motorised, requiring less effort on Cinradahs's part. There was a cuboid structure next to the desk, with various holo-cards and memory-chambers stored in it; a filing cabinet.
One of the screens flickered into life. “New Orbus, come in New Orbus.” The image was of static, but Cinradahs could see a vaguely human shape behind it. He adjusted a setting on the computer, and Admiral Fairns came into view.
“New Orbus here. Minister Cinradahs, of Defence, here. State your business,” Cinradahs noticed the star on Fairns's armour, “Admiral.”
“We are under attack sir,” Fairns said hurriedly. “We have beaten them off for now, but we fear they'll be back.”
“Who?” Cinradahs asked, “Who is attacking you? Is it another Northern riot?”
“No,” Fairns shook his head, as if it was obvious, “It's the Xaosians, sir. We're at war!”
“The Xaosians?” asked Cinradahs, “Are you certain? Not just a terrorist group?”
“No!” Fairns yelled. “The Dominion is in orbit!”
Cinradahs touched the screen and slid his finger along it, transferring Fairns to the one on the left. On the central screen, he opened the ship-log; a software tool for tracking ship serial codes. He typed in The Dominion, before selecting the correct code; the top one. The results came up on screen. “The Dominion is indeed above Raan.” Cinradahs observed. “I need to speak to Xaos.” The ruler of the planet Xaos was always named after the planet during their reign.
“Why?” Fairns asked. “I've told you what's happening here! He's destroying my city!”
“Where is Yuki?” Cinradahs asked about Raan's ruler.
“She's on New Orbus at the moment; she has a meeting with Lord Tahkshi later.”
“Good, she's safe here.” Cinradahs said, nodding. “And I need to speak with Xaos now.”
Cutting off Admiral Fairns, Cinradahs sent a broadcast signal out to The Dominion. A silver face came up on the screen: Xaos.
“Minister Cinradahs, of Defence.” Cinradahs announced himself. “I am talking to Xaos, ruler of Xaos?”
“Yes,” Xaos hissed as the camera pulled back, revealing his surrounding. The room was a dull grey, but what Xaos sat upon was a throne carved in gold, with the twin parabola )( engraved into it. “But not just ruler of Xaos. Soon, Raan too will be mine.”
“So you are at war Raan?” Cinradahs asked.
“No.” Xaos replied, another Xaosian taking his place beside his throne. Behind both of them was a white figure that Cinradahs couldn't quite place the species of. “Not Raan. The rest of The Twelve will be ours.”
“Why?” Cinradahs asked.
“Because we can!” roared Xaos. “We have the greatest military might of the Empire. We have Raan in our hands. We could take their military-base easily now that we know their tactics. Or, we could use the Earth-Scorcher on the Sea of Oil, shattering at least a quarter of the planet.” Raan had only one continent which separated two masses of liquid; one of water and one of oil. The Sea of Oil was a huge danger for the planet itself, especially if bombarded with a laser from orbit.
“You wouldn't dare. The interplanetary backlash would destroy you like it did the Adjeti.” Cinradahs threatened.
“I don't know,” Xaos said, “Fear can be one hell of a weapon. They may surrender when they see me decimate Raan.”
“You won't decimate Raan.” growled Cinradahs.
Xaos laughed. “You threaten me.” He grinned. “But I won't decimate Raan if they surrender. You tell Yuki that.” Xaos cut the connection and a black screen stared back at Cinradahs.
“Admiral!” Cinradahs yelled, turning the Admiral's screen back on.
“What?” asked Fairns quickly.
“You need to surrender. Stop your attack now!”
“Why?” Fairns asked desperately.
“He will use The Dominion's laser to ignite the Sea of Oil.”
“But...that would shatter Raan,” Fairns exclaimed, “at least a quarter of it would be annihilated, and the rest of Raan may follow.”
“I'm sorry then,” Cinradahs spoke mournfully, “but you must surrender.”
“Not my decision.” Fairns said. “Yuki's the only one who can call the order.”
“I override her. Do it now.” Cinradahs growled, before turning the screen off.
After Cinradahs pushed a button on his desk, a drawer in the front of the desk slid open. Inside was a black cuboid, with a dozen bright red buttons. He pressed two of the buttons and said, “Saiun, find Yuki for me. Now!” before putting the com on the desk and closing the drawer.
He sat still for a moment, before looking down at his hand; it was shaking. He wasn't used to this and he didn't want this; the closest things he'd ever got to this were riots. No interplanetary conflict; the idea that there could be was an alie
n idea to him.
A voice came back from the com: Saiun. “She's in Presidential Suite 8, sir. Shall I send for her?”
“Yes.” Cinradahs said, as if it was obvious.
Saiun was Cinradahs's deputy-in-training; in case anything happened to Cinradahs, he would be able to take over. Cinradahs saw him as a bright lad, but he was too nervous or shy to make his own decisions. Cinradahs would have to sort that out, especially with war on the way, and the possibility of New Orbus getting attacked.
New Orbus itself was the political centre of the Empire of Twelve, and the capital planet. The Empire, founded by the now-dead Adjeti race hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago, it reverted to human control after the Adjeti's war crimes. Using the World-Burner, the Adjeti destroyed everything on the surface of Orbus, including the entire Orban race. A war against the Adjeti followed, ending with the human Ardican using the World-Burner to destroy the Adjeti homeworld of Oblivion. The floating continent that was New Orbus was established on Orbus, now a barren rock, as a constant memorial to the lost Orban race.
And now Xaos wanted to rule it, using similar tactics to the Adjeti. Except the Adjeti established the Empire, giving all eleven planets the technology of space travel, while ruling from Oblivion. It seemed bliss, until the Orbans questioned their authority and suffered for it.
A knock on the door interrupted Cinradahs's thoughts. “Enter.” he called.
The door opened and a woman, dressed in a red and gold robe, entered: Yuki, the Raanian President. “What do you want to see me about? Your servant said it was urgent.”
Cinradahs felt a pang of annoyance at the description of Saiun a a `servant`. But he put that aside and spoke softly, “You are at war.”
The look of fear and shock on her face expressed his emotions exactly.
Chapter 5
Devilclash 1
The Hive was unsettled, Devilclash noted. As a Pyrkagias, she was essentially just a Hive-Stone; an insect that controls a hive mind. The Hive made up the rest of her body, controlled by the Hive-Stone. But today, the Hive seemed restless, and the individual bugs would not stay in one place.”Stop it!” she broadcast telepathically from the Hive-Stone; the bugs that formed her mouth were down by her left hand. She had not lost her eyes, though; she could look through any of the bugs that made up her body, or even all at once. But even without them, the Hive-Stone had a sonar-like detection sense. “Stop!” she broadcast again. This time, the bugs actually listened and formed a humanoid shape again. “Thank you.” she said to herself, testing her mouth again. Her voice was more hoarse than usual, but she felt satisfied that all was working as it should.
