“The Halo warning has gone, sir,” said Eastwood. “Either we’ve interrupted the charge-up, or the weapon has failed.”
“We’ve lost the decay pulse, sir,” said Aston. She pushed buttons. “There are red lights on the monitoring tools.”
“I think it blew out when we activated it,” said Recker. He looked at the Gorgadar’s battery gauge, which was reading five percent. “That one shot used up most of our juice anyway.”
The chaos of the moment was fading and, amongst the ruins of an entire fleet, Recker didn’t know what he should do. One part of his mind insisted he should activate another mode 3 to put some distance between his warship and this carnage. Another part – that dark part within him that hated the Lavorix for what they had done – wanted to watch the unfolding spectacle.
One-by-one, the red target markers on the tactical vanished, while Recker kept a careful eye on the Ruklior. Burner and Larson hunted with the Gorgadar’s remaining sensor arrays, and everywhere they focused, the story was the same. Dust, debris, and death.
“One of the Daklan sensor satellites was taken out by the decay pulse, sir,” said Larson. “It was 238,000 kilometres from the Gorgadar.”
“Oh crap,” said Eastwood quietly. “What cage have we opened?”
Recker’s order to fire the decay pulse had resulted in this atrocity, yet he felt no guilt, nor accepted any failing in his humanity. The Lavorix deserved no hold over him and he wouldn’t allow them one. Not after everything they’d done.
He turned once more to the Ruklior. It made no detectable attempt to charge the Halo weapon and it had commenced a laboured acceleration that caused pieces of semi-decayed ternium to break free and fall into its wake. Here and there, Daklan long-range surface-launched missiles detonated against the vessel, though it wouldn’t be long until it was out of range of the conventional ground batteries.
“They’re sensor and comms blind, sir,” said Larson. “The decay pulse has stripped away all their hull-mounted arrays and antennae.”
“They’re a sitting duck,” said Burner.
Recker knew what he had to do. The Lavorix fleet was gone, though some of the larger vessels had been reduced to non-functioning cores of decayed ternium and technology, which, even now, the Daklan bombarded with missiles.
“The decay pulse drained our batteries to five percent,” said Recker. “Commander Aston, target the Ruklior and fire the Extractor. Let’s see if there’s anyone left alive. The Lavorix started this and we’re going to show them what it feels like to lose.”
“I don’t think the last Extractor shot worked against them, sir,” said Aston. “I think one of those other warships I hit was filled with troops.”
“Whatever defence the Ruklior used against us, I’m sure it’s not available any longer, Commander. And if it is, we’ll turn them to ash with our missiles.”
“Extractor targeted,” said Aston. She looked at Recker, her eyes wide.
“Kill them,” said Recker, without remorse.
“Extractor fired.”
The Lavorix must have been crammed into the Ruklior, Recker decided, having seen the effect their deaths had on the Gorgadar’s battery levels.
“Back up to thirty-five percent,” he said. His mind went to the future. The Ancidium was still out there. “And no decay pulse left to fire.”
“I don’t know how much we’ll need in the batteries to fire the destabiliser,” said Aston. “More than thirty-five percent.”
“What are we doing about the Ruklior?” asked Eastwood. “I’m sure everyone’s dead, but it’s likely the battle computer has fallback orders.”
“They aren’t going anywhere, but let’s finish that warship off,” said Recker. “Lieutenant Burner, coordinate with the Daklan ground forces and tell them what happened.”
Conscious of the Gorgadar’s accumulated damage, Recker didn’t give the warship anything like full acceleration. With the conflict over, other problems sprang into his mind, gleefully reminding him he had plenty to do.
“Command Aston, for the avoidance of doubt, fire at will against the Ruklior,” he said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Lieutenant Eastwood, our propulsion is in superstress. Do we need to worry about it?”
“Anything unknown is a worry, sir. I haven’t yet attempted to return our engine modules to a stable state.”
“What are the downsides of failure?”
“Some of the stabilisers already went into superstress, which means it’s possible some of the others might do the same. The Gorgadar is already packing tech that’s way beyond my expertise, so I’m not confident I can offer you a meaningful conclusion about any of this, sir.”
Recker didn’t take his eyes off the feeds. Owing to the loss of many forward arrays, he was piloting the Gorgadar at an angle which allowed some of the portside arrays to compensate. The Ruklior wasn’t far ahead and its course was straight and predictable.
“Missiles launched,” said Aston. “Seventy clusters in total. 840 missiles heading for the target.”
“What’s the damage report from the loss of the decay pulse, Lieutenant Eastwood?” asked Recker. Hundreds of orange dots appeared on the feed and then accelerated out of sight.
“No breach into the interior, sir. The exact cause of the failure is unknown. We suffered a lot of damage from those enemy battleships while they had us shut down. I’m sure that was a major factor.”
Recker had caught glimpses of that damage, though the arrays which would have granted the clearest view were out of action. Whatever the extent, he was sure the Gorgadar would no longer resemble the sleek warship he and his crew had stolen not many days before.
“Impact,” said Aston.
All 840 missiles struck the Ruklior. Under normal circumstances, the result would have been dramatic but not fatal to a vessel of such colossal size and mass. Having been weakened by the decay pulse, the Ruklior’s rear twenty thousand metres were obliterated, turning first into flaming pieces before fragmenting into a trillion tiny stars which dwindled and were extinguished by the dispassionate void.
“Waiting on reload,” said Aston.
Recker would have preferred to hold onto the ammunition, but the Gorgadar’s magazines had been full at the time of its capture and it was designed to carry enough warheads for an extended campaign. He said nothing and let Aston fire a second salvo of 840 missiles after the first.
“The death of another major enemy warship,” said Eastwood, after the detonations.
When the second star-bright explosion faded, nothing much remained of the Ruklior and the burning flecks of its destruction vanished into darkness, lost forever.
“We’re done here,” said Recker. “But the game’s not over.”
“The Ancidium,” said Aston. “We have to face it.”
“Just when you think you’re at the top of the mountain, there’s another peak behind it, twice the height and twice as steep,” said Eastwood.
“The Ancidium is the last of those peaks, Lieutenant.”
“We’d better hit the trail then, sir.”
Recker nodded and smiled without humour. It was easy to tell himself that all roads led to this point – a confrontation with the Ancidium - yet many had been dead ends. Those were the roads down which failure would have taken him and his crew. They’d given everything to journey so far and now they deserved a shot at a real, lasting victory.
It was going to be tough, and whatever it took, Recker planned to come out on top.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The question came, like it always did.
“What’s the plan, sir?” asked Burner.
Recker aimed the Gorgadar for Terrani and accelerated. The warship had lost part of its ternium drive, but with the balance between stable and superstressed modules broken, it seemed like it had infinite wells from which to draw.
“We’re going to Evia, Lieutenant.” Recker shouted over the din. The velocity gauge raced past seven thousand kilometr
es per second and then, unbelievably, it surged again, hitting eight thousand without apparent effort. The noise increased commensurately, yet the solidity of the Gorgadar’s construction meant Recker heard no indication of distress from the straining alloys, despite the punishment the exterior had suffered.
“We should stay away from Terrani, sir!” said Eastwood. “I don’t want to think what might happen if one of the superstressed modules goes critical.”
“Have you detected any change that indicates such an outcome is imminent, Lieutenant?”
“Probably not imminent, sir, but I just don’t know.”
“We can’t face the Ancidium alone,” said Recker. “The Ixidar has to come with us, else we’ll lose our protection against the next shutdown code the enemy sends our way.”
“If we add it to our battle network again, we can bring it with us on remote-pilot,” said Aston.
“The Ancidium is carrying fleets of warships within its bays, Commander,” said Recker.
Aston narrowed her eyes in his direction. “You’ve made up your mind, so tell us what you going to do.”
“There’s nobody amongst the Daklan ready to fly the Ixidar, so I’ll do it,” said Recker. “I will also request that Admiral Ildir-Ta-Rok brings his fleet with us to Evia through the Gateway we’ll create.”
“You should inform the Daklan if you intend bringing the Gorgadar any closer to their planet, sir,” said Aston firmly.
“I will. First, I need to speak with Fleet Admiral Telar.”
“I sent him a top-priority message when we were chasing the Ruklior, sir, so he has an idea of what’s happened,” said Burner. “I’m requesting a link.”
Telar entered the channel immediately. His first words were chilling. “Captain Recker, a Lavorix representative arrived in Earth orbit to give us their terms.”
“What terms?” asked Recker. “What kind of representative?”
“They sent a battleship – nothing our local fleet and ground launchers can’t handle. Their terms are what you have likely guessed already. We are to surrender immediately or face extinction.”
“They won’t kill us, sir, they’re lying!” said Recker. “They’ve figured out how to do a partial life energy drain that fills their batteries the in same way as an outright kill. It’s in their interests to keep us alive for as long as possible. Our subjugation will allow them to resume their war against the Kilvar.”
“It is a shame we have lacked the time for a catch-up discussion, Carl,” said Telar. “Regardless, we have not yet provided an answer to our enemy. I am playing for time in the hope you can pull something out of the bag. The Gorgadar and the Ixidar are the only weapons capable of winning this fight, assuming the fight can be won at all.”
“I will take the Laws of Ancidium to the Evia system, sir. I planned to speak with the local Daklan commander – his fleet’s lightspeed missiles might turn the tide.”
“I made those arrangements shortly before this conversation,” said Telar. “Admiral Ildir-Ta-Rok will follow you through your Gateway.”
“Do we have any other support?” asked Recker.
“Additional warships – both HPA and Daklan - are on route to Evia. Given the reactive nature of our response, the resources I gathered previously are not within easy range of that solar system.”
“Those warships might be nothing other than cannon fodder, sir, but their sacrifice may be necessary.”
“I understand this too,” said Telar, his voice dropping so that it was hard to hear his words above the propulsion. “I will not keep you any longer, Captain Recker. Make sure I am informed of developments.”
“Yes, sir.”
Telar closed out of the channel.
“Admiral Ildir-Ta-Rok, next, sir?” asked Burner.
“Please.”
“Requesting a channel.”
Ildir-Ta-Rok’s voice emerged through the bridge speakers moments later. “I have spoken to your Fleet Admiral and my own superiors, Captain Recker. The Terrani local fleet is committed to the fight against the Ancidium. Should the Lavorix mothership remain operational, we will never be free of our enemies.”
“I must transfer to the Ixidar, Admiral,” said Recker. “However, the Gorgadar’s propulsion is potentially unstable. If it fails, the consequences for your planet will be grave.”
“Do what you must,” said Ildir-Ta-Rok without hesitation. “But do it quickly.”
“Thank you.”
“There is no need for thanks, human. The existence of our two species is at a crossroads. Without commitment, we will perish like the Meklon.”
“We’ll activate a short-range lightspeed transit towards your planet, Admiral. If you could issue an evacuation order for the personnel on the Ixidar I would appreciate it.”
“I cannot issue that order,” said Ildir-Ta-Rok. “Not while there is a possibility of Lavorix troops remaining onboard.”
“What about the technicians?”
“I will ask them to leave.”
The Daklan left the channel, leaving Recker in awe at how extreme circumstances could make the impossible happen so quickly and turn the hardest of decisions into the easiest. The single remaining forward sensor array was focused on Terrani – a home to billions – and the coming hours would determine whether those people lived in freedom or suffered a lifetime of agony at the hands of a species most of them had never seen first-hand.
“Time to get this done,” said Recker. He selected the Gorgadar’s destination. “Activating mode 3.”
Recker felt nothing from the transitions and upon the warship’s re-entry to local space, he sprang from his seat. “Commander Aston, this is your time. The Gorgadar is yours.”
“What about me, sir?” asked Eastwood. “Am I coming with you?”
“You’re needed here, Lieutenant. The Ixidar is a killing machine and nothing else. Here on the Gorgadar is where your expertise will benefit us most.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Which leaves you and Corporal Montero to handle everything,” said Aston.
“The two of us will be more effective than if we remote operate the Ixidar from here, Commander. It will be enough.”
Aston didn’t even try to smile. “It’ll have to be.”
“The sensors are up,” said Larson. “We’re right over the Hakarul base at a half-million klicks.”
“Time to leave,” said Recker. “Good luck to us all.”
Alone, he sprinted from the bridge. His destination was the same shuttle he’d used before and he ran with his rifle clutched tightly. For a short time, the Gorgadar’s propulsion rose in volume and, away from the bridge, it was raw and deep enough to be felt in his bones. The journey to Hakarul wasn’t long and the engine sound fell away long before Recker had arrived at the shuttle’s airlock.
He entered the vessel and dashed over the storage bay and up the steps to the cockpit. Laying his gauss rifle at his feet, Recker dropped into the centre seat and connected to the Gorgadar’s bridge.
“I’m ready for launch,” he said on the comms.
“You’ve got a green light, sir,” said Burner.
“A blue light,” said Recker.
“The Lavorix might use blue lights in place of our green lights, but to me, they’ll always be green.”
“A green light it is.”
Ahead of the shuttle, the doors to the launch tunnel opened and Recker accelerated along the passage. The next doors opened and then the next, and the shuttle emerged into the planet’s atmosphere at an altitude of a hundred kilometres.
He adjusted the sensors and focused them on the Ixidar, now alone on the Hakarul yard and making everything else seem tiny. The damage to the huge warship was more apparent from this distance, with its armour buckled and one of the particle beam holes partially visible. It had lost two of its destroyer cannons and Recker hoped that wouldn’t reduce its effectiveness too much.
He accelerated away from the Gorgadar and banked the shuttle towards his target.
At the same time, Recker’s suit comms automatically linked to the Ixidar’s external antennae, which allowed him to reconnect with the squad channel.
“Corporal Montero, have you heard the good news?”
“Yes, sir. Lieutenant Burner let me know.”
“You’re ready for the showdown?”
“Yes, sir.”
Recker was pleased at the response and even more pleased that Montero didn’t add a hopefully or a I’ll do my best at the end of it.
“You’re going far, Corporal. I have to stop myself calling you lieutenant as it is.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The shuttle plunged though the now-patchy clouds above Hakarul. Rain was falling and a strong wind had picked up as the morning advanced. For a short time, Recker imagined himself away from here, somewhere beautiful and exposed to the purity of the same clean, cutting wind and stinging rain as he saw here on Terrani.
It wasn’t to be and he piloted the shuttle lower, while his eyes searched for the docking bay. The ground crews hadn’t gone anywhere, though their part in this was over.
There’s the bay.
The blue light to indicate he was permitted to dock appeared and he rotated the shuttle to enter rear-first. Moments later, Recker felt the shuttle connect with the airlock coupling and another blue light appeared. He ran for the exit.
It was only a short journey to the Ixidar’s bridge – now Recker had learned the quickest route – and he dashed for the internal car. The same Daklan squad he’d encountered earlier hadn’t gone anywhere. They made no effort to delay him or engage in conversation.
During the shuttle car journey, Recker confronted the uncomfortable thoughts he’d been ignoring in the hope they would settle and no longer trouble him. Unfortunately, those thoughts had become more turbulent rather than less and they wondered if, having come so far with his crew, he was doing the right thing by insisting they split so close to the end.
We aren’t splitting. We’ll fight side-by-side and against the same opponent.
He exited the shuttle car and hurried along the corridor to the bridge. The queasiness in his stomach, which had started the moment he left the Gorgadar, turned up a notch and yet more adrenaline rushed into his bloodstream.
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