The TALE of the TESSERACT
14: Next in Line
"We theorize that the center of the galaxy may contain vital clues to the origin of the Grox." –Stones of Life
"Draxus, report!"
"Another Grox class 16b flagship just exited hyperspace above Phrychous. Its armed with a crew of at least six thousand raider vessels."
"Then prepare the weapons. I'm taking us up there."
"Sir, are you insane? We'll get blown apart in seconds!"
"There's a fine line between insane and brave, cadet. Like I said, prepare the weapons."
"Of course… activating rear kronon propulsion… siphoning all pulse cannons… mega-bomb modules primed for release… on your mark captain."
"Then let the fun begin."
Captain Arcadia pressed forward on the main ignition lever. The Comet Wasp spaceship rocketed upwards, speeding into Phrychous's upper atmosphere. The artificial gravity came on line, allowing the crew to focus on the task at hand. They were entering one of the most chaotic battles in the history of the galaxy.
Every last bit of defense that the Chimera could muster was throwing all of its strength at the invaders, but the battle was inevitable. The Grox flagship remained untouched, with its shield of unbreakable archon energy providing constant protection. From the belly of this massive spacecraft, countless raider vessels were spewing out, almost as if the flagship itself had sprung a leak, and the incredibly powerful Grox raider vessels were what were pouring outwards.
The Chimera held their ground. They were not going to lose their home planet, and would do anything to protect it. Chimera warships were flying up from the surface of the planet, firing megabombs, anti-matter missiles, auto-turrets, and pretty much anything they could, in hopes of inflicting damage on the Grox. Unfortunately for them, none of those weapons had managed to make even the slightest dent in the number of advancing vessels. While victory seemed out of the question, the Chimera were managing to hold off the Grox. But for how much longer…. that remained unknown…
The battle taking place above Phrychous was bloody, in a metaphorical sense. The shrapnel of destroyed spaceships were drifting in the vacuum of space, causing other ships to crash into them, adding even more debris to the floating field of destruction. The pilots of the Chimera spaceships had no real objective. They wanted their world to survive, so they simply fired upon any vessel that didn't register as an ally…
Which was a lot of them.
Arcadia was forced to view this horrid scene through the ships front window. He cringed at the sight of the Grox. He was Captian Arcadia, and by no means would he stand by and watch his world perish. He would do something.
His ship was dubbed the "Comet Wasp." For obvious reasons, its shape was in the form of a common wasp, but the coloring was darker and shaded. Where the eyes and head should have been, the main deck and piloting area were present. This was where the 4 crewmembers currently were, desperately trying to maneuver the entire vessel through the disarray outside.
Directly below the flight deck, in the lower section of the head, was the crew quarters. While it wasn't much of a dream suite, it did give the ships inhabitants a place to rest. Where the thorax is on a regular wasp, the cargo hold was installed. All of the tools that Arcadia uses throughout his missions (Terraforming Devices, Weapons, and few Static Cling charges) were stored within this section, along with quite a bit of spice for bargaining with stubborn empires.
The walls of the Comet Wasp's interior were a khaki and tan-ish color, with support columns of a grayish color visible all throughout the ship. Most of the doorways were of the metal-iris configuration, that spun and opened counterclockwise when they detected motion near them.
While the vessel did look quite a bit like the insect, it contained a few things that made it incredibly distinct. For example, the wings themselves held the engines and propulsion drives necessary for space travel. The shield generator was divided into several nodes that glow on different places around the exterior of the spacecraft. Some weapons where present on the exterior as well. The mega-laser, for example, was installed directly into the wasp's jaws, and the missile and auto-turrets were poking out of the hull on the top. The entire vessel was of standard size, about the size of a house, 50 to 60 ft. in length. It wasn't quite flagship class, but it was much larger than one-manned raider vessels.
Some people asked why Arcadia chose such an absurd, distinctly strange, and obvious shape for his ship. For why on earth would anyone want a spacecraft shaped like a wasp?
Arcadia's responds was simple: Everyone will know who I am. If you fear me, you will know immediately; And if you're my ally, you will never forget me.
A bold move on his part, but his statement was true. When anyone in the galaxy saw the Comet Wasp zipping through space, they knew that it was Captain Arcadia and his crew.
But as of now, it didn't matter. The Comet wasp was lost in the sea of Grox and Chimera ships alike, whizzing about in the space above Phrychous.
The crew on the Comet Wasp consisted of five members: Arcadia, the captain and pilot, Draxus, the weapons manager, Gire, the communications expert and engineer, and Tisep, the medic and Biotechnician. The three subordinates (Draxus, Gire, and Tisep) were situated on the lower level of the flight deck. Gire had a large set of computer panels and holographic screens that were built in a semicircle. He was constantly adjusting different levers and buttons. As the engineer, he made sure all of the ships systems were functioning, and if a problem presented itself, he was the first to know. Gire also managed communication with the many races they attempted diplomacy with. Tisep had a similar panel that she sat in. However, the problems she overcame were more in the actual fixing of problems as they arose. She maintained all of terraforming and weapons systems, making sure they always operate at full capacity. And in times of crisis, she also acted as the ships medic, and to date has never failed to save anyone in need.
Draxus had a separate portion of the bottom level of the flight deck. He had direct sight out of the front window, and for good reason. He controlled the firing and use of all of the ships weapons. Everything from mini-lazers to anti-matter bombs were at his disposal. He always enjoyed blasting an enemy ship out of the sky with an anti-matter missile, watching as the shrapnel was disintegrated and vaporized into nothingness.
Captain Arcadia, the leader of the group, was in his piloting chair on a command deck raised at least seven feet above his comrades. A short staircase lead up to his platform, but other than that… he was isolated. From here, he controlled every movement of the ship as it fought its way through the battle outside. A look of determination and focus was almost always blazing in his eyes, as he piloted the Comet Wasp through the Aeron Galaxy. He controlled the one ship that no one could possibly forget.
"Captain!" Gire exclaimed, "I'm getting a pre-emptive radiation signature from another hyperspace tunnel!"
"What?" Arcadia shouted back, not taking his eyes on where he was flying, "Why would the grox possibly need any more reinforcements?"
"No sir, It's not a Grox ship. That's not what the scanner is picking up," Gire explained.
"It's true," Tisep jumped in, "It has a completely different form of hyperspace tunneling engines. It's as if the entire vessel is ripping through hyperspace with a controlled blast of Dark Energy. At least, that's what the computer has been able to pick up."
"Not to mention the fact that the ship is tiny," Gire continued, "Not much larger than a Grox raiding vessel. How on earth could such a powerful hyperspace drive be fitted into such a small space?"
"We're about to find out," Arcadia said. The crew of the comet wasp all directed their attention out of the front window. In the distance, beyond the Grox flagship, a hyperspace tunnel was opening. Moments later, the form of a spaceship came rocketing out from within its depths, closing the tunnel shortly after. Gire was right, the ship was small, probably not even a fourth the size of the Comet Wasp. But it was sleek, and pitch black on every surface, with two large dark energy engines mounted to either side. Arcadia had seen that design before. It was one he couldn't possibly forget.
"It's Roku… Roku of the New Tharians," Arcadia said.
"New Tharians? We're saved!" Draxus exclaimed.
"Quickly, Gire, open communications with that ship!" Arcadia commanded.
"Got it," Gire shouted back, not wasting any time as he began punching seemingly random buttons across the control panel. A large rectangle of hologram energy appeared across the front window. Static was displayed for a few moments, but the signal predictably connected, and the video communication began.
On the screen was Roku; The lead captain of the New Tharians. He had the structure of a human, but with an orange-ish skin, and clearly defined feathers down the arms and legs. Not to mention the wings… and the talons.
"This is Captain Roku Azero of the New Tharian Empire. Please Identify," Roku stated through the video connection.
"Indeed, I am Captian Arcadia of the Chimera Empire, and am wondering… 'why in the world could you possibly have decided to come here, Tharian?' And at such a time of chaos."
"I suspected as much. I had the impression that the Grox Empire was targeting and eliminating the strongest empires in the galaxy. By all means… the Chimera Empire was next in line."
"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or a warning," Arcadia joked.
"I suggest taking it as both, captain. Never underestimate any circumstance," Roku said, looking directly at Arcadia.
"Yes, yes. I went through captain training too ya' know!" Arcadia retaliated, with a slight smile.
"Of course."
And in that instant, a beam of light shot up from the surface of Phrychous. Neither Roku nor Arcadia had time to react to its sudden appearance. The beam was translucent and white, and was heading directly for Roku's Tharak. Seconds later, the light collided with the surface of the small spacecraft, engulfing it from all sides.
"What the… what's going on?" Roku exclaimed, "I've lost complete control of the entire ship."
"Okay… so I'm the one who didn't go to captain training," Arcadia said, with the tone of a smart alec.
"You think your funny, don't you?" Roku said, looking back up at Arcadia.
"First of all," Arcadia said, "I am funny. And second of all: Your ship is stuck in a tractor beam. Your being pulled toward the planet as we speak."
"Why on earth would the Chimera be using a tractor beam on me?" Roku asked.
"It's not the Chimera. I'd bet you anything that it's coming from the Grox base down on the planet. Not to long ago they took over our mission headquarters… they would have accesses to tractor beams from there," Arcadia explained.
"So they're pulling me down into an ambush…" Roku realized.
"Yes… but if you had paid attention in Captain training…" Arcadia began.
"Oh, shut up! Just do something!" Roku interrupted.
"Ok"
Arcadia closed the video connection, turning back to face his crew.
"Draxus, I'm gonna need a fully operational short-range teleport beam. You don't have much longer before the Tharak enters Phrychous's atmosphere," Arcadia instructed.
"Of course, captain," Draxus responded, promptly beginning to type away furiously on his interface panel.
"Only 20 seconds till' the Tharak passes into the thermosphere…" Gire shouted, "Hurry, Draxus!"
"Calm down! I'm almost done…"
"15 seconds!"
"Shut up!"
"10 seconds!"
"How am I supposed to work with you guys shouting at me!"
There was silence for a moment.
"5 seconds."
"Fine! Got it!" Draxus exclaimed.
A beam of yellow kronon energy shot from the belly of the Comet Wasp. It flew through the battlefield, aiming directly at the Tharak. The moment it contacted the surface the surface, the beam vanished. Moments later, Roku materialized on the flight deck of the Comet Wasp, gasping as he fell to the floor.
He stood himself up, and looked around.
"What did you?"
"I teleported you out," Draxus explained, pointing to the panel he was sitting at.
"No… but wait… NO, you don't understand!" Roku shouted.
"I think we understand perfectly well," Arcadia said, "We just saved you!"
Roku turned to face the captain. He was quite angry at him, and the fact that Arcadia was sitting smugly in his captains chair didn't help. Furious, Roku began to walk slowly towards the balcony that Arcadia was on.
"No!" Roku retaliated, "I wasn't the only one in the Tharak! Do you get it now? There are still people trapped in there!"
"Sorry," Gire said, turning to look at the new captain, "But your ship is well past teleport range now."
"Then we're going to go get them right now!" Roku shouted, looking strait at Arcadia.
"You're not quite the captain of this ship… are you?" Arcadia responded.
There was a tense silence.
"You have no idea what I've been through," Roku said, in a dark tone, "I have reason to believe that both of my comrades are key to the survival of this galaxy, and you as well. You know who I am - as I know that your biotechnician has been running a scan on me this entire time to confirm my identity - so why don't you help me? After all, I don't quite see the survival of this planet to be a likely outcome… so why don't you do one last act of kindness?"
"Very well," Arcadia said, "Gire, Draxus, and Tisep, prepare. We're going down – down into the homeworld. I'm going to lock us on to coordinates 27-98-6, that should put us near, but not next to, the Grox base where the Tharak will arrive. We'll be in the same city, but we'll have to go the rest of the way on foot, as to not risk showing up on their radar."
The three cadets began to quickly work away at their respective jobs, preparing the ship for landing, and preparing themselves for a ground mission.
"Thank you," Roku said, much calmer now.
"What in the world?"
"Roku just vanished!"
Chase and Maruck sat dumbstruck inside the Tharak, now without a pilot. Just moments ago, Roku had been talking with some 'Captain Arcadia,' but all of the sudden… he vanished. Completely without any explanation.
"Do you know how to pilot this thing?" Chase said, looking at Maruck expectantly.
"There's no harm in trying," Maruck responded, getting out of his seat, and moving to the captain's chair.
Maruck began fiddling with the levers and buttons, hoping for a pleasant outcome. It would be horrible if he set the ship to self-destruct, or something equally bad. Neither of the latter happened. In fact, nothing happened.
"Um… Maruck? Aren't you supposed to do something?" Chase asked.
"Yes, that is what normally happens. But I don't have control of the ship anymore. We're being moved by some external force!" Maruck said, looking wildly around the panel for some explanation.
"But what could possibly?..." Chase began, but he stopped, taking notice of the translucent white light that surrounded the Tharak. "Maruck… that light… it's not from a teleport… what is it?"
"Oh no… this is not good."
"Huh?"
"I could recognize that light anywhere. It's from a tractor beam. A field of energized particles that specialize in grabbing spaceships. The pilot of the ship loses control… and the vessel is pulled involuntarily to the source of the beam."
"And the source would be…" Chase said, looking out of the window.
"I have no idea," Maruck admitted.
The Tharak was being drawn closer and closer the Chimera homeworld, with no sign of slowing down; If anything, it was speeding up. They were passing through the lower atmosphere now, and a distinct field of fire was forming along the edges of the Tharak's shield.
"Wow… it's just like in those Sci-Fi movies. I'm not sure if I should be in awe or completely afraid," Chase said, looking around at what he could see of the space ships exterior.
"Both," Maruck said, "Never underestimate any circumstance. One of the first things I learned in captain training."
"Oh come on. Anyone who uses that phrase in an attempt to make themselves look better is ridiculous," Chase stated.
Maruck opened his mouth to retaliate, but closed it when the Tharak burst through a thick layer of clouds above Phrychous. The outline of a city was clearly was visible, and the source of the tractor beam could be seen at last.
It was some sort of facility, not unlike the one on Barx. The exception was the basic shape of the two buildings; the case being that the facility on Phrychous had a large cylinder missing from the center. It looked like a docking bay of some sort, due to the obvious fact that a large "DB" was printed in yellow paint across the metallic surface at the bottom of the missing cylinder. Multiple levels and decks lined the sides of the opening, and figures of creatures could be seen walking around through the sides of the facility.
"This is… this is the Chimera's mission headquarters… its where the captain lands their ship… refuels if necessary… and receives their mission," Maruck explained.
"And what's that giant missing portion?" Chase asked.
"That's where the ship actually lands."
The tractor beam was emanating directly from the bottom of the landing site. The Tharak descended past the roof, entering the mysterious depths of the building. The vessel touched down on the large docking bay at the bottom of the landing site, pushing up a small cloud of dust, and letting out a short drone as the engines turned off.
In that instant, utter horror filled Chase and Maruck.
It wasn't Chimera outside. Looking around at the different decks, balconys, and pathways that lined the walls of the landing site, they didn't see any Chimera.
They saw Grox.
And lots of them. We'll… mostly Dronox and Insectrox to be precise, but the point remained…
They were stuck, with no way of getting out of the Tharak without doing whatever it was that the Grox wanted them to do, which could very easily be die.
"They… they took over this base… and… and they used the tractor beam to pull us down into a trap. What the heck are we supposed to do?" Maruck said, staring at the advancing group of Dronox warriors.
Suddenly, another, normal Grox in stature, forced his way through the wall of Dronox soliders. Despite being short and pathetic looking, he had many more cybernetic implants than the average Grox, giving him a look that all instincts screamed "EVIL."
The Grox opened his mouth and began to speak, "I am Commander Civet of the mighty Grox Empire. You shall stand down. You are surrounded. There is no escape for you."
Both Maruck and Chase could not believe what was happening. Dumbstruck, they didn't respond, and simply waited for Civet to say something again.
"Clever though, that you found out where we were attacking next," Civet said, still staring straight into the Tharak's front window, which was luckily tinted form the outside, "But you'll see that there is nothing you can do now. Simply exit your vessel, and we can negotiate peacefully."
Yeah right, Maruck thought.
"I said: exit your vessel! You should not deny the Grox! The Master of the Tesseract commands it! Exit the Tharak immediately!"