1 "Judicium Dies Diei" [Part Two]
What Will Be, Will Be.
But Sometimes,
Time Tells a Different Tale.
1.1.1 Last Vedran Empress- Sucharitkull XII
C.Y. 9783
The massive shape of the An-Tallith stood behind them all now. They all stood on the balcony. It overlooked the huge town square where countless Than stood. Watching. Falling Fire at Dusk and an Emerald Than stood at the front of the stage. Than guards lined the arena and Dylan, Rommie, Beka, Tyr, Harper, Rev and Trance stood behind them.
The Than that was speaking at the moment, was known, as Dark Thunder of Night. He was the leader of the Hegemon's Guard. The Than fleet. He was speaking to the people. Andromeda and her crew would give the occasional, worried glance back at Harper. But he was OK, for the moment.
He looked out across the city and remembered it well. He had stood out there, in the crowd and watched as the Nova Bombs had impacted on the ground. Worry welled up inside him, but there was nothing he could do.
"And now, I give you our Overdiamond," Harper heard Dark Thunder of Night announcing, "Falling Fire at Dusk."
Dark Thunder of Night, the Emerald Than signalled back to the Diamond Than and let him take the stage. Harper paid no attention to what he had to say. His mind was occupied on other things.
An official document sat on the stand in front of the Overdiamond. It was the Commonwealth Charter. It remained unsigned. As it always would.
It seemed that the Than had finished his speech. He was about to sign the charter on behalf of all Than. But then, the heavens fell. From the skies, thousands of Than warships fell. Weapons blazing. Targeted at the An- Tallith.
It seemed as though everything was going in slow motion. The Overdiamond dived to the floor for cover. Dark Thunder of Night raced towards the troop barracks. They were ready to fight. Dylan and the Andromeda's crew got their weapons ready. As if it would do any good.
One of the warships shot overhead. The roaring sounds of its engines thudded in Harper's ears, while constant drone of its weapons was becoming just another background noise. One of the main towers of the An-Tallith erupted into flames. It toppled. It fell.
"We have to get to the Andromeda," Harper heard Dylan shout. "We can defend ourselves."
"Harper," it was Dusk's voice. The Overdiamond. "Please," he said as he got to his feet. He ducked away from fire. It was useless. If he was going to be hit, he was going be hit. "Please Harper," he repeated, "find the nursery. Find my children. Save them."
"I will," Harper cried as he ran from the balcony. He was closely followed by Rev Bem and Trance. They headed towards the nursery.
Beka, Tyr, Rommie and Dylan remained on the balcony. Enemy Than ground troops were pouring into the city and shooting everywhere. When they could, Tyr and Dylan would fire a shot into the crowd. More often than not, it did no good.
"Why the hell is this happening," Rommie cried out. Nobody answered.
"Let's get the Maru," Beka cried. "Hurry." They did. Rommie and Dylan helped the Overdiamond and they headed towards the Maru. The Andromeda was the only safe place.
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The doors to the nursery were already open. They sat there, not closing, doing nothing. A fountain of fiery sparks flew from the archway. A sickening feeling developed in the back of Harper's throat. He dodged the flames and stepped inside.
A Than he recognised came rushing to him instantly. She did not know him. Yet. "Starlight Empathy," he greeted her. Surprise tore across her Amber face. But she had no time now. Harper remembered her as an elderly Than, but here, she was young. She was a nurse.
Harper held her shoulders as he remembered her. "Thankyou so much," was all he could say. She had saved him, at his greatest hour of need. Without her, he would truly now be dead.
"We have to save these children." Trance told the Amber Than. "Where can we take them?"
"There is a transport pod in the docking bay, only a few metres away," Starlight Empathy told her. "We should be able to make it there."
Harper was not interested in what they had to say. He was searching through the crowds of children. He was looking. Then he found what he wanted. He recognised him instantly. A young, Than boy. Emerald Than. He looked up at Harper, his small infant eyes showing no recognition. But Harper recognised him. It was Ashes of Lightning. The one that had shown him the truth. In the future.
"You won't understand what I have to say to you today," Harper said to the boy, "but please. I want to thankyou. Hopefully you'll never have to know what I'm talking about." Harper looked at the boy for some time. Contemplating.
Then, a weapon hit close and the entire room shook. Children around him screamed, and Harper realised how urgent their mission had become.
"Who would be doing this?" Rev Bem asked Starlight Empathy.
"I haven't got a clue," she answered as they began to guide children away from the nursery. "I thought that every Than from here to the lost world of Tarn Vedra supported the Commonwealth. Obviously, I was wrong."
Within hardly any time at all, they found themselves in the docking bay. Starlight, Harper, Trance and Rev loaded the children on to the pod. They were ready to go. Fire erupted from a nearby wall to convey the urgency again. The enemy Than were persistent in their attack.
"You are coming aren't you?" Starlight Empathy said to Harper.
"We can't," Harper said. "You have to get to safety, we have to get to the Andromeda."
Suddenly, a massive warship smashed through the docking bay doors, shattering the bulkheads into endless streams of fire and metal. The warship burst into flame as it collided with the opposing wall. Harper had no choice but to slam the shuttle door shut on the Than children and their nurse.
The ship slowly shot away. It was opposed by Than warships. They all watched as a streaking glow of red fire shot from the shuttle. But Harper hoped they were all OK. He didn't know but he hoped.
"We have to find the Maru now!" Rev announced. "Lets just hope they have waited for us."
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"Dylan, I'm not detecting anything from the Andromeda." It was Rommie's voice. Luckily, the Maru had waited for them. Now she fled through the fiery skies of Syn-Avan-Dar towards the Andromeda. Dylan, Beka, Tyr, Rev, Trance, Harper, Rommie and the Overdiamond were eager to get to the ship. To safety. A rain of fire fell from the skies.
The Maru's inept weapons tried desperately to fight of, the Than resistance that they met. But it was no good. The Than ships continued to attack. They continued to be successful. But now, the Maru was entering the Andromeda's docking bay. They would be safe.
"What does that mean?" Falling Fire at Dusk, questioned.
"I don't know," Rommie responded. "It could just be that my connection is shot," Rommie told him. "But it could be more."
When the Eureka Maru finally crashed violently against the Andromeda's deck, the Overdiamond made the mistake of being the first to step out. He thought that he was stepping out into safety. He was wrong.
The Andromeda's crew ran out just in time to see Falling Fire at Dusk fall to the deck. He was dead. A gaping wound showed on his chest. He had been shot with a Than rifle.
Harper looked up to see Than soldiers ready to greet them. The lead Than, was a Ruby Than. A Than he recognised. A Than he despised with such utter contempt that he was ready to kill him without a moments thought. He already had done once. The Ruby Than, called himself Obsidian Rain.
A shoot out ensued. The blue energy bolts of the Than weapons. The red energy bolts of the High Guard force lances. They all shot across the deck. Several of Obsidian Rain's soldiers were hit. They went down. Rev Bem was hit. Beka was hit. They both went down. Harper grabbed Rev and pulled him out of they way. Trance got Beka in the same way. They headed for the Medical deck. They had to stop the Than.
The shoot out continued. Soon however, all of Obsidian's soldiers were dead. He had more throughout the ship, but they had not made it in time. Rommie and Dylan headed from the Command Deck, while Tyr engaged in a hand to hand combat. He had his fighting pole, which came from the force lance. Obsidian had nothing.
Tyr swept his arms around and the force lance smacked the Than in the head. He went down. "That's for taking our ship," Tyr cried at him. He lashed out again and smacked him in the back. He fell flat against the floor below. "That's for the Commonwealth." He kicked him one last time. "That's for making me care what happens," as he thrust the force lance into the Than's back. He then retreated. Left the Than in the docking bay.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Flashes of memory, images of Obsidian Rain raced through Harper's mind. Beka and Rev lay unconscious in the beds as Trance saw to their wounds. Harper pounded the consoles as visions of the torture he endured in Obsidian's hands came to him. The torture. So much pain.
He also wondered what was going on. Had it always happened like this? There had been no Than attack in the recording. Why were things changing now?
Harper had no more time to think however. The doors glided open and a Ruby Than stormed in. Rifle in his hand he shot a round throughout the room. Trance feigned that she was hit and played dead on the floor.
Harper pulled his force lance out. He aimed it at the Than. "This is it." Harper announced. "My revenge."
Obsidian Rain was confused. "What are you talking about?"
"You have no clue? Never mind."
Harper went to shoot the Than but only saw Obsidian's rifle as it struck him in the face. Then he went down to the ground. Things paled into darkness. He heard Than weapons pound the ship. He heard Than hand weapons in the corridors. But he saw none of it. He could do nothing about any of it. He only heard. It was too late.
TO BE CONTINUED…
What Will Be, Will Be.
But Sometimes,
Time Tells a Different Tale.
1.1.1 Last Vedran Empress- Sucharitkull XII
C.Y. 9783
The massive shape of the An-Tallith stood behind them all now. They all stood on the balcony. It overlooked the huge town square where countless Than stood. Watching. Falling Fire at Dusk and an Emerald Than stood at the front of the stage. Than guards lined the arena and Dylan, Rommie, Beka, Tyr, Harper, Rev and Trance stood behind them.
The Than that was speaking at the moment, was known, as Dark Thunder of Night. He was the leader of the Hegemon's Guard. The Than fleet. He was speaking to the people. Andromeda and her crew would give the occasional, worried glance back at Harper. But he was OK, for the moment.
He looked out across the city and remembered it well. He had stood out there, in the crowd and watched as the Nova Bombs had impacted on the ground. Worry welled up inside him, but there was nothing he could do.
"And now, I give you our Overdiamond," Harper heard Dark Thunder of Night announcing, "Falling Fire at Dusk."
Dark Thunder of Night, the Emerald Than signalled back to the Diamond Than and let him take the stage. Harper paid no attention to what he had to say. His mind was occupied on other things.
An official document sat on the stand in front of the Overdiamond. It was the Commonwealth Charter. It remained unsigned. As it always would.
It seemed that the Than had finished his speech. He was about to sign the charter on behalf of all Than. But then, the heavens fell. From the skies, thousands of Than warships fell. Weapons blazing. Targeted at the An- Tallith.
It seemed as though everything was going in slow motion. The Overdiamond dived to the floor for cover. Dark Thunder of Night raced towards the troop barracks. They were ready to fight. Dylan and the Andromeda's crew got their weapons ready. As if it would do any good.
One of the warships shot overhead. The roaring sounds of its engines thudded in Harper's ears, while constant drone of its weapons was becoming just another background noise. One of the main towers of the An-Tallith erupted into flames. It toppled. It fell.
"We have to get to the Andromeda," Harper heard Dylan shout. "We can defend ourselves."
"Harper," it was Dusk's voice. The Overdiamond. "Please," he said as he got to his feet. He ducked away from fire. It was useless. If he was going to be hit, he was going be hit. "Please Harper," he repeated, "find the nursery. Find my children. Save them."
"I will," Harper cried as he ran from the balcony. He was closely followed by Rev Bem and Trance. They headed towards the nursery.
Beka, Tyr, Rommie and Dylan remained on the balcony. Enemy Than ground troops were pouring into the city and shooting everywhere. When they could, Tyr and Dylan would fire a shot into the crowd. More often than not, it did no good.
"Why the hell is this happening," Rommie cried out. Nobody answered.
"Let's get the Maru," Beka cried. "Hurry." They did. Rommie and Dylan helped the Overdiamond and they headed towards the Maru. The Andromeda was the only safe place.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The doors to the nursery were already open. They sat there, not closing, doing nothing. A fountain of fiery sparks flew from the archway. A sickening feeling developed in the back of Harper's throat. He dodged the flames and stepped inside.
A Than he recognised came rushing to him instantly. She did not know him. Yet. "Starlight Empathy," he greeted her. Surprise tore across her Amber face. But she had no time now. Harper remembered her as an elderly Than, but here, she was young. She was a nurse.
Harper held her shoulders as he remembered her. "Thankyou so much," was all he could say. She had saved him, at his greatest hour of need. Without her, he would truly now be dead.
"We have to save these children." Trance told the Amber Than. "Where can we take them?"
"There is a transport pod in the docking bay, only a few metres away," Starlight Empathy told her. "We should be able to make it there."
Harper was not interested in what they had to say. He was searching through the crowds of children. He was looking. Then he found what he wanted. He recognised him instantly. A young, Than boy. Emerald Than. He looked up at Harper, his small infant eyes showing no recognition. But Harper recognised him. It was Ashes of Lightning. The one that had shown him the truth. In the future.
"You won't understand what I have to say to you today," Harper said to the boy, "but please. I want to thankyou. Hopefully you'll never have to know what I'm talking about." Harper looked at the boy for some time. Contemplating.
Then, a weapon hit close and the entire room shook. Children around him screamed, and Harper realised how urgent their mission had become.
"Who would be doing this?" Rev Bem asked Starlight Empathy.
"I haven't got a clue," she answered as they began to guide children away from the nursery. "I thought that every Than from here to the lost world of Tarn Vedra supported the Commonwealth. Obviously, I was wrong."
Within hardly any time at all, they found themselves in the docking bay. Starlight, Harper, Trance and Rev loaded the children on to the pod. They were ready to go. Fire erupted from a nearby wall to convey the urgency again. The enemy Than were persistent in their attack.
"You are coming aren't you?" Starlight Empathy said to Harper.
"We can't," Harper said. "You have to get to safety, we have to get to the Andromeda."
Suddenly, a massive warship smashed through the docking bay doors, shattering the bulkheads into endless streams of fire and metal. The warship burst into flame as it collided with the opposing wall. Harper had no choice but to slam the shuttle door shut on the Than children and their nurse.
The ship slowly shot away. It was opposed by Than warships. They all watched as a streaking glow of red fire shot from the shuttle. But Harper hoped they were all OK. He didn't know but he hoped.
"We have to find the Maru now!" Rev announced. "Lets just hope they have waited for us."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Dylan, I'm not detecting anything from the Andromeda." It was Rommie's voice. Luckily, the Maru had waited for them. Now she fled through the fiery skies of Syn-Avan-Dar towards the Andromeda. Dylan, Beka, Tyr, Rev, Trance, Harper, Rommie and the Overdiamond were eager to get to the ship. To safety. A rain of fire fell from the skies.
The Maru's inept weapons tried desperately to fight of, the Than resistance that they met. But it was no good. The Than ships continued to attack. They continued to be successful. But now, the Maru was entering the Andromeda's docking bay. They would be safe.
"What does that mean?" Falling Fire at Dusk, questioned.
"I don't know," Rommie responded. "It could just be that my connection is shot," Rommie told him. "But it could be more."
When the Eureka Maru finally crashed violently against the Andromeda's deck, the Overdiamond made the mistake of being the first to step out. He thought that he was stepping out into safety. He was wrong.
The Andromeda's crew ran out just in time to see Falling Fire at Dusk fall to the deck. He was dead. A gaping wound showed on his chest. He had been shot with a Than rifle.
Harper looked up to see Than soldiers ready to greet them. The lead Than, was a Ruby Than. A Than he recognised. A Than he despised with such utter contempt that he was ready to kill him without a moments thought. He already had done once. The Ruby Than, called himself Obsidian Rain.
A shoot out ensued. The blue energy bolts of the Than weapons. The red energy bolts of the High Guard force lances. They all shot across the deck. Several of Obsidian Rain's soldiers were hit. They went down. Rev Bem was hit. Beka was hit. They both went down. Harper grabbed Rev and pulled him out of they way. Trance got Beka in the same way. They headed for the Medical deck. They had to stop the Than.
The shoot out continued. Soon however, all of Obsidian's soldiers were dead. He had more throughout the ship, but they had not made it in time. Rommie and Dylan headed from the Command Deck, while Tyr engaged in a hand to hand combat. He had his fighting pole, which came from the force lance. Obsidian had nothing.
Tyr swept his arms around and the force lance smacked the Than in the head. He went down. "That's for taking our ship," Tyr cried at him. He lashed out again and smacked him in the back. He fell flat against the floor below. "That's for the Commonwealth." He kicked him one last time. "That's for making me care what happens," as he thrust the force lance into the Than's back. He then retreated. Left the Than in the docking bay.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Flashes of memory, images of Obsidian Rain raced through Harper's mind. Beka and Rev lay unconscious in the beds as Trance saw to their wounds. Harper pounded the consoles as visions of the torture he endured in Obsidian's hands came to him. The torture. So much pain.
He also wondered what was going on. Had it always happened like this? There had been no Than attack in the recording. Why were things changing now?
Harper had no more time to think however. The doors glided open and a Ruby Than stormed in. Rifle in his hand he shot a round throughout the room. Trance feigned that she was hit and played dead on the floor.
Harper pulled his force lance out. He aimed it at the Than. "This is it." Harper announced. "My revenge."
Obsidian Rain was confused. "What are you talking about?"
"You have no clue? Never mind."
Harper went to shoot the Than but only saw Obsidian's rifle as it struck him in the face. Then he went down to the ground. Things paled into darkness. He heard Than weapons pound the ship. He heard Than hand weapons in the corridors. But he saw none of it. He could do nothing about any of it. He only heard. It was too late.
TO BE CONTINUED…