Chapter Four
All the usual stuph right here. Changed the title from what I had originally in mind. Posted this one fast, 'cuz I post 'em as I write them, and I hate cliffhangers and much as you do! ^_^
Keep comin' with the reviews, I'm loving it! (I can't believe it, this one story got more reviews than my six Star Wars postings combined! YAH!)
"Look to the Sky"
Space screamed wide open.
Hundreds of Rylaxian ships emerged from Beyond, green lances of energy lanced from their bows. But they weren't weapons. Visible tracking beams for gravitonic arrays, designed to tear the sleek Itexian ships apart.
Tractor beams, the bane of a metal that absorbs energy.
Shields snapped up, deflecting the tracking beams, preventing the tractor beams from locking on. Energy surged out of batteries, the Itexian tractor beams grabbing onto nearby asteroids and flinging them at the oncoming ships.
Thirty Itexian vessels, over a hundred Rylaxian ships.
Skimmer always did like a challenge.
She soared through the melee, Donnye keeping track of the other ships' positions. He regulated her power stores as she fought. Power low, flash to warp speed, then through the nearest star. Come back hauling a lethal payload of plasma.
Three Rylax vessels became one with the Four Winds of Beyond, brilliant blasts of pure energy as the hulls released their pent up power. Neighboring ships absorbed the blast, shuddering and flashing into nonexistence as their power converters overloaded. One succumbed fifty kilometers (not quite 25 miles) to her left. Too close for her comfort.
What the Itex lacked in numbers, they made up for in communication. They knew where every Itexian ship was at any time. Teams of MI flanked ranks of Rylax, powering them into dust with bursts of tractor beams and plasma.
Skimmer shuddered as she glanced off a gravity well, then calculated how she could use it to her advantage. Three Rylax vessels followed her to their doom, smashing into the surface of some long-forgotten rock.
The Sol system was one minute away.
Ce'it sat next to Professor Xavier, eyes closed. He muttered from time to time. "They are getting close, three Rylax vessels destroyed. One Itexian. They are outnumbered."
Kitty couldn't help her pacing, alternately wringing her hands or running them through her hair. They were as ready as they would ever be, the Black Bird soared over the Institute, Kurt acting as a go-between.
He bamfed in with a rush of sulfur. "Xavier, ve have the Rylax ships on the new scanners."
Xavier nodded, his senses reaching out and feeling the rough edge of the battle. Something supporting to say flickered on the edges of his mind. "Tell the others that this is the most important battle we will ever fight. Tell everyone I have faith in them."
Kurt nodded. "Ja, I vill tell them that."
Kitty placed a hand on his arm and a quick kiss on his lips. "Come back to me, elf."
Surprise was soon replaced by resolve. He ran his hand down her cheek. "I vill, Keety. I vill."
Skimmer screamed her defiance to the Winds. She swung between two Rylaxian ships, their tractor beams taking each other out. She called out to Novasong, warning him of the trio hiding behind a sun.
Novasong howled as they converged on him, casting his energy to the Four Winds. She growled, and Donnye was hard pressed to control her as she soared around the sun, drinking in its power."
"The converter is full!" he screamed.
She didn't care, Novasong was her friend! They had talked for many years on having a child together, and the Rylax had taken that from her. She could feel the heat of her anger in her converter.
The Rylax never knew what hit them.
Skimmer emptied the converter into the closest ship, overpowering its already taxed converter. It shuddered, glowing brightly before exploding in a shower of sparks. The energy wake crashed into the remaining pair, exploding one and flinging the other into the sun. An arc of superheated plasma danced from where the ship impacted, bits of blue sparks dancing along its length,
Sol system was thirty seconds away, the sun a dull star in the distance.
Kurt bamfed onto the Black Bird, relaying Xavier's message. Scott nodded grimly, a thin black band around his forehead. Jean sat in the co-pilot's chair, a similar band around her brow. The controls were covered in glossy black, displaying flight information in hovering holographic displays. Text, in English and Itexian, flitted across the screen as fast as thought.
A heads-up display filled the front of the cockpit, a counter running along the bottom. Kurt frowned. Thirty Seconds.
Scott furrowed his brow. "Here they come."
Little blips of red and green, fifty red and twenty green, flashed into view. Kurt looked out the window, meteors of color streaming across the heavens.
Magneto looked up at Mystique. She looked down at her feet, hands clasped in front of her.
"This Mr. O'Shanna isn't Human?"
"Yes, he is something else…"
"And you believed him?" His ranting was cut short as he stared out the window. "What on Earth?" He walked over to the window, Mystique forgotten.
The stars fell from the sky. He looked back at her, "You knew of this?"
Shocked silence was her response. "The invasion," she whispered.
Scott yelled as the Black Bird flew faster than it ever had. It soared in that region of too thin air just before leaving the atmosphere. Percussion weapons, missiles and bombs, hung under the sleek wings.
With a thought, a pair of missiles detached themselves from their moorings, soaring at the enemy ships. A pair of Rylaxian vessels shattered into nothing, burning up as they entered the atmosphere.
Kurt shuddered, strapping himself in even tighter. A ship flown by thought.
A sleek black ship creamed by them, one wing mangled and twisting out of control. It managed to pull up, shuddering as it entered orbit. The Black Bird responded to Scott's unspoken command and swung around for another pass.
A piece of debris from a Rylaxian ship scored Skimmer's wing, sending her into a wild fall past the modified X-Men craft. She fought the pain, pushing it to the far corner of her mind. "Donnye?"
No answer.
She scanned the interior, he was laying over the console, rubbing his head. She sighed, as close as a being can sigh without lungs. Skimmer had no idea what she would do without him. With a roar of triumph, she regained control and soared into space.
Ce'it paced in the Xavier mansion. Storm was outside, testing the winds for the Itexian vessels. One had already breached the atmosphere, then turned and went screaming into space. Kitty was a bundle of nerves next to him. Logan prowled the complex, eyes on the sky and ears on the Professor. Rouge chewed on her bottom lip, her powers next to useless in this combat.
Kurt bamfed next to them, panting. "Zey are here."
Twelve Itexian ships squared off with twenty Rylaxian vessels.
Skimmer shuddered, her aim off due to her mangled wing. Donnye was conscious, and he directed her as best he could, rerouting energy pathways so she could concentrate on keeping them alive. Starscream flew around her, dragging a ball of plasma from the Sol sun.
Skimmer waved her a greeting.
Eighteen Rylaxian ships.
A ship bore down on her, tractor beam engaged. A sleek blue ship lanced between them, firing off a rocket.
Seventeen Rylaxian ships.
Galaxyquest spun on his axis, bringing and undamaged wing to the fore. His side sparked from uncontrolled energy. His power converter was visible, a madly sparking bundle of machine. He angled himself towards an equally battered Rylaxian vessel.
Sixteen Rylaxian ship, eleven Itexian.
An asteroid flew out of nowhere, and Starblast darted out of its way, disengaging it from its tractor beam. The ship it was aiming for dodged, but not the one behind it.
Fifteen Rylaxian ships.
Skimmer inquired about the asteroid, and was soon informed of a most useful feature that they had all overflown.
Between two gas giants was an asteroid belt that the Rylax didn't know about.
Skimmer kicked in her propulsion, heading for the asteroids.
Scott's knuckles turned white as the grabbed onto the joystick. He groaned as the ship fought him for control. Kurt covered his eyes, they were too high up! There was no more air to power the jet engines, and they were stalling. Scott let loose a missile. If they were going to die up here, he was going to take a few of them with him.
Fourteen Rylaxian ships.
Ce'it gasped. "What's wrong?" Xavier looked over at him.
"The engines stalled."
The room was silent for the beating of Kitty's heart.
Magneto hovered above the building, eyes on the sky. One ship was different. He lowered his binoculars, scowling. He hated to do it, but this was his world, his home. And it was very unlikely that he would be able to find another.
He reached with his power.
Scott grimaced, then fell over the console, unconscious. Jean was prepared for this, and her mind took over the controls in half a heartbeat. The ship shuddered once, then responded to her urgings. A quick mental nudge released a missile.
Thirteen Rylaxian ships.
A pair of Itexian ships flew back them, a load of asteroids behind them.
Ten Rylaxian ships.
A sleek Itexian ship sparked, blue light dancing across its hull.
Ten Itexian ships.
The engines died, sputtering and leaving the ship in eerie silence. She yelled, slamming her fist on the console. Kurt made as if to unstrap himself, to teleport them both to safety. "Too far," she panted.
The ship shuddered violently, banking hard to the right. A hose exploded, releasing a stream of steam into the cabin. Kurt could feel a breeze ruffle his hair. "Ve're losing air!"
Skimmer grabbed the asteroid with her tractor beam, swinging it around. It slammed into the underside of a Rylaxian vessel, knocking it off course. A quick lance with her beam at the ship fell into the sun.
Nine Rylaxian ships.
Magneto gasped as his powers came in contact with the alien vessels. He quickly pulled away from them, focusing on the X-Men ship. He wrapped his mind around it, holding it together. The ship responded faster than it should have, losing a pair of missiles at an oncoming ship.
Eight Rylaxian ships.
Ce'it's eyes opened wide. "Professor, one will break through and fall to us. We need to destroy it!"
"How?"
"Storm," Ce'it's eyes were distant, the Force urging him to action. "Have her use lighting to blast it out of the sky."
You hear that, Storm?
Yes, Xavier. Was her soft reply. She gathered the elemental power of the storm, feeling it surge through her veins. She had to overload its power supply.
Too little, and she would revitalize the enemy, too much and she would die.
The ship came as promised, wobbling a bit. She grimaced, calling down lightning.
Seven Rylaxian ships.
Skimmer tore the wing off of one ship, flinging it at another. The other ship dodged, right into the asteroid Sunflyer had paced earlier.
Six Rylaxian ships.
Sunflyer emerged from behind the asteroid, a stream of power following him. With a sad farewell, he rushed the nearest Rylax.
Five Rylaxian ships, eight Itexian.
Kurt looked around, they were no longer falling and the leak had stopped. He stared at Jean.
Her brows were furrowed deeply, her hands clenching the controls. A quick look over her should displayed what he feared the most.
They were out of missiles.
Jean steered the ship into the atmosphere.
It shuddered as the thicker air slammed into the hull, tearing the wings off. Teleport. The voice was distant, echoing. And not Xavier's.
He unstrapped himself, using his ability to stick to just about anything to make his way to Jean and Scott. A knowing look to Jean confirmed what he was thinking. The Black Bird was doomed.
Kurt placed a hand on her and Scott's shoulder, gathering his energy around him. He hoped Logan would be ready. BAMF
The ship swung aside, bouncing off the atmosphere and back into space.
Four Rylaxian ships.
Logan heard Xavier's command, and ran next to the pool. He arrived just as Kurt teleported into existence, Scott in one hand and Jean in the other. They fell into the pool.
Logan dove after them, pulling Scott's limp form from the water. Jean swam unsteadily to the far edge, pulling an unconscious Kurt after her. She eased herself out of the pool, yanking him our after her, too tired to use her power.
Scott moaned softly, Logan was satisfied that he would live.
Jean leaned over Kurt, then sat bolt upright, yelling across the pool, "He's not breathing!"
Ce'it sprung from his seat, grabbing Kitty's arm. Without prompting, she let him drag her as she phased them through the walls. They emerged at the pool, Logan bent over the very still form of Kurt, breathing into his mouth and them pumping on his chest. She stopped, Ce'it clearing the pool in one leap and landing next to Kurt.
He reached with the Force, one hand on Kurt's forehead.
It rose to him, beckoning. This was not Kurt's time to die. It urged his battered body to heal.
Ce'it gasped as it suddenly surged through him. Kurt coughed once, shuddering as his body breathed on its own. The Jedi sat back on his haunches, not quiet aware of what was going on.
Kitty kneeled next to Kurt's head, brushing the hair out of his face. "He'll be alright," Logan's voice was gruff. He locked eyes with Ce'it and the Jedi saw what he though he never would.
Respect.
Two of the remaining Rylaxian ships cut their losses and bolted for Beyond. Skimmer let them go, ignoring the yellow blast as they entered the Gateway.
Two were left.
In a matter of seconds, only one remained. It screamed towards Earth, nothing between it and the planet.
A distortion of space and the ship changed course, careening into an asteroid.
Skimmer sighed heavily. "Let's go home."
Everything hurt. Kurt cracked open one eye, then closed it. It hurt to blink. Every nerve was filled with a dull, distant ache. His ribs ached, his head throbbed in time to his heatbeat.
But he was alive.
Something warm was wrapped around one of his hands. He forced his eye open, looking up at Kitty. She was fast asleep, her chin resting on her chest.
"Shh," a soft southern voice spoke from next to him. He turned his head very slowly and blinked up at Rouge. She smiled, speaking softly, "Ah imagine you have quite the headache." He blinked in response. Kurt didn't even want to speak.
Somehow, she knew what he wanted to ask. "We'll alive, thanks to Ce'it. He's in tha next bed ova."
Kurt turned his head more. Ce'it lay on his back, eyes tightly shut. "Ah dun know what's wrong with 'im." She crossed her arms in front of her chest as if she was cold. "But ah think he might wake up soon, he started talkin' in his sleep."
He had to smile, even if it did make the fur on his face ache.
Kitty stirred awake, joy filling her eyes as she looked at him. He slowly turned his head to look at her. She squeezed his hand softly, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes dry from too much crying. Kitty leaned her face close to his ear, whispering, "I never want to lose you again." She sniffled, sitting back up her eyes bright.
"I came too close to losing what's most important," she placed a gentle fingertip on his lips to keep him from speaking. Kurt doubted that he would be able to speak as it was. "I love you, Kurt Wangner, and don't you forget it."
Rouge placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, Sugah, let's get you somethin' to eat."
The mood at Traddess was quiet. Forty-two Itexian ships and their pilots had given their lives defending Earth. And now that the Rylax knew that the Itex held claim over it, they would leave it alone. Once stirred into combat, the Itex were not a race to be treated lightly.
K'Payr slowly read off each of the names in front of the assembled Itexians, X-Men, Jedi, and one Shapechanger. Each name was spoken in Itexian and English.
"Shorra'Rei'N'Saora, Farstar, partner Strip Clan Plainsrunner variant M'Fao, Child's claw."
"K'Doeis, Discover, Partner Gray Rock Tribe Mintakken variant Yara'Arran, Cold Cloud."
She read the solemn list, name after name, partner after partner. Kitty placed her hand in Kurt's, the youth's chest swathed with bandages. Logan was not gentle trying to save is life, and Kurt didn't blame him.
Ce'it stood next to them, head bowed. When she was done, he relayed a message from his Council. "Look to the stars," he looked up then back to the crowd, his dark eyes meeting with every other eye around him. "For there you will always find your allies."
Magneto turned away from the quiet gathering, the words of warning and now hope echoing through his head. "Look to the stars, indeed." Once it had saved his life, and the life of those on the doomed Black Bird.
And it might once again.
Wow….am I done? It's up to you guys to decide! ^_^