Chapter 69: Deployed!
Omegamon, Imperialdramon, and Gallantmon could tell from the looks on their faces that they all felt like something weird was going on, as though they were combining their energies into one attack…they began moving their swords in circles, both to reflect the attacks, and because some kind of instinct was driving their moves…
Kamnadramon's rate of firing attacks and the speed at which its projectiles were moving slowed unbelievably. The fighters outside didn't understand what was going on at all at first, but it dawned on them one-by-one that this was because Omegamon, Imperialdramon, and Gallantmon were somehow slowing down time for Kamnadramon.
WarMermon closed in on Kamnadramon. Its eyes slowly moved towards her.
"Mer Poleax!" she shouted (not that anyone could hear it). She hacked away at Kamnadramon's arm before it could react, and its sword went flying out of its hand. WarMermon smacked Kamnadramon's cannon with her axe again, and then grabbed the sword and flew away.
It seemed like everyone knew to combine their attacks to get Kamnadramon, and that's just what they did:
"Retina Beam!"
"Laser Javelin!"
"Mega Flame Cannons!"
"Lightning Joust!"
"Lightning Spear!"
"Hyper Beam!"
"Rock Throw!"
"Vocal Blaster!"
Kamnadramon looked the worse for wear, but it was still alive. That had to be changed: WarMermon looked at the sword she had just swiped from Kamnadramon and grinned. She motioned to Megagargomon to take it and run Kamnadramon through, since she wouldn't be as dexterous with a sword ten times her size.
Megagargomon flew in for the kill and stuck Kamnadramon. Kamnadramon was instantly dead. Omegamon, Imperialdramon, and Gallantmon stopped their attacks and looked at the sword, who was transforming back into Omicronmon. Omegamon motioned for the station and flew at Omicronmon, and immediately was locked in a draw with it.
WarMermon got the idea that Omegamon wanted someone to see how the fight was going inside and figured she was small enough to get inside the station. She tapped Oyarsa and Firabbit on the shoulder and motioned for them to enter the station.
They found their human friends intently watching Joey try to hack the Linonians' computers. "What's the situation?" WarMermon asked.
"You're back?" Tina asked back.
"Kamnadramon is history, and Omegamon and the others are taking care of Omicronmon."
"With Omicronmon against all the rest of us, there's not much he can do," Firabbit pointed out.
"That's good, but we just found out what this station is for!" Kari said.
"They're trying to move the asteroid belt to another solar system in the middle of their territory!" Brock added.
"…The purpose being?"
"These rocks are like a gold mine to them," Ghenki answered.
"It looks like our solar system has a whole bunch of elements that are really rare in the rest of the universe," Ken added.
"…So these aliens' budget expands like Suezo at an all-you-can-eat buffet if we don't stop this thing?" Firabbit asked.
"Exactly. We're trying to hack into their computers and stop it right now."
"How's that going?"
Joey cut in, "Joey try stop the thing from throwing, it no work. Joey try make things it throw stick so no can throw, it not work. Joey try blow up this place, it no work. Joey try somethin' else…"
"Whatever it is, work fast!" Brock cut in. "I might have this system of numbers all wrong, but I think we have less than three minutes before launch!"
******
"Have this communiqué sent to the homeworld's orbital station," the sub-major grinned as his subordinates began working the communications consoles. It was clear from the looks on their faces that they were doing something big: the sub-major had been stressed, lately, ever since they received their first communication from headquarters, but now, he seemed quite pleased with himself.
He cleared his throat. "This is Sub-major Jelna to headquarters. You will find that Earth is still where it should be and intact, despite the atrio-tor-ritap that you sent to Earth. I had the missile destroyed because you were misinformed so as to the downfall of the homeworld. Those brown, six-legged creatures that multiplied and devoured us out of house and home only made it to the homeworld because of the incompetence of the security staff of the cargo vessels that brought back the first samples.
"I, on the other hand, am perfectly competent and effective in carrying out the Empire's wishes, and I can prove it. The safest system in our space is the L'toreh system, and that is the target for our next operation. We intend to move the crown of this system to the L'toreh system, thus giving the Empire enough budget to make thirty times the number of ships we have now and break the stalemate we have with the Rendilians.
"You will receive the asteroids shortly after you receive this transmission."
He turned to his staff. "How soon before they receive it?"
"The temporal tunneling system appears to be working well, sir. We are getting a channel back, now."
"Quicker than I had anticipated, but I suppose that this is a good surprise. Put them through."
The colonel's face appeared on screen. "Sub-major, are you denying that the loss of the homeworld was your liability?"
"I am."
"This is an audacious move for you, sub-major. If your results are not exactly as you say, then I will order your own staff to eliminate you, right here."
"You will not be disappointed, Colonel. I promise you that."
"When exactly will we be receiving the crown?"
"Operations?" the sub-major asked his subordinate at the console.
"Fifty seconds, sir."
******
Joey let out a loud whistle and said, "Joey no can do any more!" as he hopped into Tina's pocket.
"You can't just give up!" Ghenki shouted, but he realized why Joey had said that: the rockets suddenly launched. "That definitely isn't good!"
"Let's get after those rockets and destroy them, before they make it any further!" WarMermon shouted. She and the others flew after it with all speed, followed closely by Imperialdramon in his Dragon mode. They were closing in on the rockets fast… "Vocal Blaster!" The shot flew at one of the rockets, but it was absorbed into a shield. Great, she thought, These things are shielded, too!
"Ultra Cannon!"
"Mega Flame Cannons!"
The two attacks combined didn't do any better against the shield.
"Hyper Beam!" Oyarsa tried. It didn't work any better than before. If only Eldil were here! Oyarsa sighed.
The four fighters kept at it, but weren't having any success. WarMermon got an idea, but she couldn't relate it to the others, since there was no sound in space. She went into a lyceron jerk back towards the station and grabbed another of the cannons that Kamnadramon had been using. She switched on the sniper-scope and zeroed in on the rockets. She fired, and the beam smacked the shields…and didn't quite penetrate. She fired again and again, but there was no effect: the rockets weren't even changing course…she realized with horror that the station would also be beamed through the rocket's portable portal if they didn't get out. She flew into the station and shouted, "You guys need to get out of here right now!"
"There's no point in destroying the station if---"
"NOW!!" WarMermon insisted, opening the hatch to the escape pod. "I'll explain later! Just get away from the station! Now!"
Tina let Joey out, and he steered the pod away from the station. The four rockets flew past the station and swallowed it up in their portal, and Imperialdramon, Oyarsa, and Firabbit were still chasing the rockets, firing like there was no tomorrow. The rockets went on for a little ways, then their fuel sputtered out, and died. The rockets exploded from the inside, having had a self-destruct feature hard-coded into them.
Ken sighed. "I wonder how much they got out of this…"
******
"This is boring."
"What?"
"I said this is boring. I cannot even think for five minutes without thinking about how depressingly boring this job is."
"How do you mean?"
"There are others of our race risking their lives on the front lines of battle, but we are stuck with this job at a listening post. What are we listening for?"
"Anything and everything."
He snorted. "There is nothing! There is nothing to listen to! Look at these sensor readings! What do you see? Is there a blip on the radar screen?"
"No…"
"Is there a single subspace interference on the pattern reader?"
"I don't see one---"
"Well, then, how about let's look out the window! What could there possibly be to see out the window?"
His colleague didn't answer: he was staring out the window with a very difficult-to-read expression.
"Answer me! What is there to see out the window!?"
"The iron!"
He let out an inquisitive squeak and looked. There were huge, brown and grey chunks of iron and silicates floating a few hundred thousand kilometers from their listening post.
"Well…remember what I was saying about depressingly boring?"
"Yes, you made what you said very clear and memorable."
"I don't remember any of it."
"You have good reason not to…"