HOMEWORLD2: WRATH OF THE GODS
CHAPTER 8: INTENSIFY
Created in the most desperate moments of the Rebels' struggle to overthrow the Elders, the World Crusher is the perfect example of using technology for evil. When it was first unveiled in high orbit over the Progenitor homeworld, the Elders watched in horror as the atrocity unleashed a cataclysm, snuffing out an entire world in seconds.
The Progenitors themselves had never thought of hyperspace being used as a weapon. It was only from the experiments in the quest for Infinite Range that the rebel elements realised the true power of quantum wave energy. The destruction of an entire sector by a failed Core test led the Rebels to undertake research into focusing the destructive power of quantum wave disruption for their own means.
With the Quantum Pulse Cannon at their disposal, the Elders' forces suffered terribly in the battles to come. Entire fleets were wiped out in a single blast by the World Crusher's cannon. It was only at the Battle of Karos that the Elders hit upon a countermeasure – the power of the Three.
Sure enough, the Rebels turned up at Karos with their trump card. Convinced that the Three were within their grasp, they fired the cannon on the Elders' flagship. What they didn't expect was the Sajuuk using her advanced quantum waveform manipulation to deflect the blast back to the Rebel fleet. While the World Crusher escaped destruction, much of the Rebel fleet did not.
The World Crusher's repairs were never truly completed, as the damage wrought by the reflected shockwave proved too extensive. Though now a shadow of its former self, there is not a doubt that the Quantum Pulse Cannon remains a formidable threat to the Galaxy's civilisations.
Onboard the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk, Kadesh nebula:
Captain Soban returned to the bridge, refreshed after a good few hours' sleep. Things were looking good for them now – short range communications had been restored and the hyperspace module had been successfully repaired. The Dreadnaught was now almost as good as new, save for her long range communications and some structural stress damage.
The sensors were still getting scrambled by the nebula, and the calibration crews were utterly exhausted. Every attempt at eliminating interference had failed despite using sensor algorithms from the Mothership's epic homecoming voyage. Soban went up to the sensor crews and told them to take a break. Perhaps they were in a more energetic region of the nebula, he reasoned.
With that, Captain Soban took over the job of overseeing the sensors while the crews took a much-needed rest. The sensors managed was a mess – "enemy ships" and hyperspace signatures were popping up everywhere and disappearing as quickly as they came. Soban knew that normal checking by mortal eyes would be impossible, so he set the computers to check for consistent signals instead while he attended to other matters.
"Engineering, how long do you need before we can get long range communications up again?"
"Sorry cap, the damage is much worse than initially expected. We'd say not anytime within the hundred hours in the worst case scenario."
"Never mind then. Take your time, I'm sure you all need rest. Soban out."
The captain sat down in his chair to admire the Kadesh nebula. There were few sights in the Galaxy that could compare with the awesome and mysterious beauty of the place. As he looked at the crimson-yellow tendrils of gas drifting around the Dreadnaught, he recalled his days back on his trusty marine frigate Fortune.
His most memorable days with his trusty frigate were definitely during the Vaygr Wars. He recalled assisting the Pride of Hiigara with his very own frigate squadron before jumping off to some of the most dangerous regions a Hiigaran could venture into. Boarding Vaygr command stations by stealth then sneaking out before their set bombs detonated was difficult, but well worth the risk. Soban remembered moving his ship up close to Makaan's flagship in an assassination attempt, but it had gone awry and ended in the deaths of his comrades aboard the other escorting frigates.
The worst moments were those spent in Thaddis Sabbah. Eager to squeeze valuable intelligence out of him, they had sent him through the worst physical and psychological trauma he had ever experienced. He remained alive only by virtue of his excellent fitness, though even now his right arm still trembles occasionally from the residual effects of electrical torture.
A loud beeping noise from the sensors console brought him back to reality. The computer had picked up a consistent ship signal that was slowly but steadily approaching them. Soban reconfigured the sensors quickly for a focused scan of the target, but there was too much interference. He went to the intercom and reluctantly called the exhausted sensor crews back to man their stations.
Minutes later, all the officers were at their posts doing their jobs, the sensor crews not showing the slightest hint of fatigue. Soban admired their endurance.
"So, what could that thing be?"
"We still can't get anything on the target due to interference, but it should be coming into visual range anytime now…"
The bridge stared expectantly at the viewscreens, which were still displaying the cloudy and misty nebula gases. Slowly, a silhouette of a large mothership-class vessel came into view. There was no doubt about it. It was a Kadeshi Needleship! Captain Soban opened his mouth to give the order to attack, but he stopped it in his throat when he saw the ambassador swarmer approaching the Gatekeeper slowly.
"This is the Garden of Kadesh. We, the Protectors of Kadesh, welcome you."
"Huh?" Captain Soban didn't know what to make of this.
"Kadesh, the Great Maker, you have returned as mentioned in the prophecies and texts. We, as your servants, are now at your service."
Soban still didn't get it, but he thought it best not to respond to their hails. Instead, he gave a quiet signal for the Dreadnaught to approach the Needleship at cruise speed. Swarmers had now launched from the massive vessel as they moved into formation to guide the Gatekeeper to a docking pad under the Needleship. As soon as the Dreadnaught was secured to the Needleship, they entered hyperspace.
Where could they be taking us, Soban wondered. Why do the Kadeshi regard us with such warmth?
The jump was a short one, and soon they were back in normal space. The sight before them would have sent any Kadeshi-fearing Hiigaran into hysteria. Twenty Needleships were arranged in two rows to present a path to a massive structure at the end. As their Needleship moved slowly down the path, clouds of advanced swarmers and standard swarmers flitted back and forth, patrolling the pathway and guarding the fleet.
When the structure came into full view, the crew of the Gatekeeper stared in awe. A tremendous sphere whose diameter was twice the height of the Legacy of Kharak beckoned before them. Squinting his eyes, Captain Soban could see tremendous activity going on below its skin. This was probably something along the lines of a Kadeshi city.
The place was heavily guarded by advanced swarmers and the dreaded Kadeshi multibeam frigates. Even today, Hiigaran scientists could not figure out how the Kadeshi managed to squeeze four full power ion cannons into a single frigate chassis, and power it all to create a killing design.
It was then that Soban noticed something derelict above the Sphere City – the ruined chassis of a Progenitor Keeper. Everything fell into place now. The Kadeshi had probably found the Keeper and reverse-engineered its technologies, allowing them to build their powerful hyperspace inhibitor fields. Perhaps this Keeper also revealed to them the secrets of their multibeam frigate design. This would also explain why the Kadeshi were treating them like a God, since the Dreadnaught was definitely an easily-recognisable Progenitor ship design.
The Needleship came to a stop and its docking pad released the Gatekeeper. Soban wondered what would happen next.
"We now humbly ask for Kadesh to reveal to us the Divine Path."
"Divine Path! What do we do now?" Soban looked to the rest of his crew for advice. Everyone shrugged their shoulders.
"The prophecy states that Kadesh's arrival heralds the start of our journey along the Divine Path. Please open the Divine Path and enlighten us all."
The Gatekeeper remained silent, and so did the Kadeshi. After what seemed to be millennia of waiting, the Kadeshi broke the silence.
"… You are not Kadesh! How dare you defile this holy place by passing off as our God! You will now face the consequences!"
"Not again…" Captain Soban bowed his head down in despair. "Everyone, battlestations! Stand by for emergency hyperspace jump before they get their fields up…"
"All the Needleships have powered up their inhibitors, I'm afraid. Furthermore, a stronger field is being emitted from the Sphere City. We can only jump if we destroy all of them, or…"
The Gatekeeper lurched violently as the Kadeshi started firing on them. The energy shields sprang up almost immediately, sparing the hull from more damage.
"That was a hard hit. Anything serious?"
"This is Engineering, armor was barely scratched. The shields are holding, but since everything's firing on us we've only got ten minutes to consider our options."
"Is there any way for us to activate the Grand Core?"
"As things stand now, we still haven't traced the system that activated it back in Coruc-Tel."
"We'll have to do it the way we did it last time then. Helm, set course for the nearest Hiigaran outpost and engage hyperdrives!"
Nothing happened, only this time the Grand Core didn't power up to whisk the Dreadnaught to safety. The Kadeshi ships continued to pour their ion beams into the Gatekeeper's shields.
"Kharak forgive us. This is Captain Soban of the Hiigaran Dreadnaught Gatekeeper of Sajuuk to all Kadeshi ships in range. We mean you no conflict. Please allow us to withdraw, or we will be forced to defend ourselves!"
"There is no withdrawal from the Garden."
"Alright, we warned them and they paid no heed. Weapons control, charge the Phased Cannon Array! Take out one of their Needleships!"
"Phased Cannon Array charging now!"
The Dreadnaught turned around slowly to face an attacking Needleship. Like the other Kadeshi ships, it was firing on the Gatekeeper mercilessly, which was now shining like a bright star in the nebula from all the explosions and ionic assaults. Then the star shone more brightly and dazzled as the Phased Cannon Array discharged. The beam of pure energy slammed into the front of the Needleship, tearing its frontal disc in half and ripping the needle structure behind to shreds.
"One Needleship down, Captain!"
"Good, we keep taking them down one by one until they surrender or we perish!"
Now the Gatekeeper began turning to target another Needleship while blasting nearby frigates to pieces with its plasma turret and nanite cannons. Still the Kadeshi kept coming, defiant despite the losses they were taking. Another Needleship fell victim to the Dreadnaught's sword of light, exploding and taking nearby frigates and swarmers with it.
"Captain, we've got another five more minutes of shield power remaining! Once they go down, even with the armor on our ship we'll be hard-pressed to stay alive for more than a minute!"
"Looks like we're left with no choice. Target the city with the Phased Cannon Array! It pains me to kill so many Kadeshi, but they're beyond reason now!"
The Dreadnaught moved to face the Sphere City. Soban could see the activity in the City now – people fleeing in panic before the Dreadnaught's charging cannon. The Gatekeeper fired, impaling the massive space structure with the powerful energy assault. The Sphere caved in on that point and exploded on the other end as the beam pierced all the way through its superstructure. Now the surface of the Sphere began to vibrate as shockwaves rushed through it. A chain reaction of some sort was coursing through the dying ship. Soban and his crew shut their eyes as they saw people getting vented out to space.
"You… you… MONSTERS! YOU DARE TO COMMIT SUCH AN ATROCITY! SUCH A CRIME CANNOT BE FORGIVEN – PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED!"
"Merciful Hiigara…" Captain Soban broke down in tears as a series of explosions gripped the Sphere City, detonating in a blinding flash of light.
The death of the Sphere City took with it seven more Needleships and a large bulk of the Kadeshi frigates and fighters. The force of the explosion flung the Dreadnaught backwards, causing the Gatekeeper to spin perilously through space, colliding with and destroying any unfortunate Kadeshi ship in its path.
"Captain! The shields are being pushed to their limits here! We've got one more minute!"
"Stabilise the ship! In the meantime, we have to take advantage of our current spin. Fire the cannon again!"
When the Gatekeeper fired again, it now spat its destructive firepower in all directions like a flaming wheel, slicing four more Needleships to pieces and vaporising the last remaining Kadeshi frigates. The surviving eight Needleships now charged towards the spinning Dreadnaught, their ion cannons blazing. At that moment, the Grand Core responded with a divine hum, and the Gatekeeper plunged into hyperspace, leaving the dreadful massacre of the Kadeshi well behind it.
Onboard the Exile, the Great Beyond:
The carrier fleet was now a huddled mass of ships in the protected centre of the Bentusi fleet. It didn't take long for the Bentusi to realise how badly outmatched the Exile was, and so they had pledged to protect them with whatever means possible. In exchange, Commander Hyll was transmitting to the Bentusi all known information of the Progenitor ships' weaknesses.
Kiir Sjet was comforted by the sight of two races banding together in this time of need. Yet, he still felt uneasy. The Progenitors were an advanced race, and if the Bentusi could barely stand up to them, what difference did the presence of their pitiful carrier fleet make?
"Commander Hyll, with all due respect sir, I very much doubt if we can withstand an attack by the Progenitors or the infection entity even with our combined forces."
"You're right, Kiir. This alliance is but a brave front. We'll just have to find a way to stay alive as long as possible. Remember, everyone on this ship wants to get home too."
"…Yes, but the odds of that are…"
"Very small. To tell the truth, Kiir, I don't think we're going to make it out of this whole thing alive. We'll just have to take things as they come now. No loved ones on Hiigara, I hope?"
"No, my parents died when I was a child."
"Good for you. I've got a family back there on Hiigara. A wife, three children, that doesn't include my kiith's blood relations…"
"That's enough, Hyll. I know how you feel."
Suddenly, a brainwave hit Kiir. He quickly excused himself and dashed back to his quarters, locking the door and sitting down at the table again. He took out his papers and began scribbling again. If this works, he thought, then maybe they might stand a ghost of a chance against the Progenitors' viral weapon.
Onboard the Legacy of Kharak, outskirts of Tanis ruins:
"All hostile vessels have been eliminated. Sajuuk is safe. Victory is ours!" Yuno exclaimed in reief.
"Thank goodness. What's the status on the Sajuuk?" Eefrit enquired.
"It appears that they have successfully repelled all Raider boarders. Karan's now on the road to recovery."
"That's good to hear. Qwaar, you alright there?"
"We're fine here. Somtaaw don't go down that easily my friend."
"Yeah. I trust you can handle the Sajuuk now? Or do we need to cover you a little longer?"
"Continued coverage would be good, since we're in the midst of rebuilding and repairs."
"… Sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid that won't be possible."
"Huh? What's wrong, Yuno?"
"I just received an emergency transmission from the Shipyard Naabal. The Turanic Raiders have proven quick to take advantage of the Sajuuk's status – Their main fleet just hyperspaced into the Sarum System!"
"Sarum! That means they're only several light years away from Hiigara!"
"You must go then. Hiigara's safety is of utmost priority, let us Somtaaw take care of things here." Qwaar replied urgently.
"Then we'll leave immediately. Yuno, inform all dispatched carrier fleets of the other kiithid to abort missions and return to Hiigara. Meanwhile, we should plot a course to Sarum to stop the Raiders while we still can!"
"Have you no idea what we're facing, Eefrit? That strike force outnumbers this fleet at least seven to one! This is not a battle we can fight alone!"
"Then what do we do? Wait till the Raiders reach Hiigaran orbit? It'll be too late by then!"
"… Very well then. All power shunted to hyperspace module, coordinates for Sarum locked in!"
Shimmering blue windows opened before the Legacy of Kharak and her fleet. Suddenly, the windows flickered and died silently.
"Hyperspace jump failed! Sensors are picking up a massive Keeper inhibitor field… Alert! I am picking up multiple hyperspace signatures, confirming targets…"
Eefrit paid no heed to what Yuno said thereafter since his eyes were now transfixed on the viewscreens, as did the rest of the fleet. Even General Qwaar watched in stunned silence. A substantial fleet of Bentusi and Progenitor ships had just emerged from hyperspace to surround them. Again, a loud voice began to boom across their comm frequencies.
"… Hiigarans, we thank you for your efforts in locating the Three Cores and reactivating Sajuuk. Now, we have come to claim both the ship and the Three Cores for our Divine Leader. If you will turn them over to us immediately, your fleets will be spared."
"NEVER!" Karan had just regained consciousness once more, and the sight of the Progenitors had somehow galvanised her back into action, and the Trinity was restored by her sheer willpower. She had led her people across the Galaxy to find their Homeworld, Hiigara. She had led her people through the dark times of the Vaygr Wars, uniting the Three Cores and ensuring Hiigara's safety with the Sajuuk. She wasn't going to let some ancient race come and destroy everything they had struggled for!
"Attention all Hiigaran ships in range! This is Karan Sjet, and I say that we cannot surrender this ship and the Cores to the Progenitors! We have fought so hard to restore galactic peace with these artefacts, and we can't afford to let that peace go now!" Karan spoke loudly to the Hiigaran fleets.
"Karan! This is Yuno! You have yet to recover from your encounter, if you pilot the Sajuuk now…"
"I know, and I thank you for your concern, Yuno Manaan. However, I think I am still able to at least put up a front against these enemies of Hiigara."
"A brave attempt, Hiigaran. Unfortunately, you must still be suffering from that last encounter. Does it not agonise you, Karan Sjet?"
Karan reeled from the mental assault, her mind screaming in agony. However, she pulled herself together and focused on blocking all transmissions from the Progenitor fleet. She concentrated on the matter at hand – Keeping the Three Cores safe from the Progenitors.
"… I am perfectly alright. All ships, open fire!"
With that, the combined fleets of the Paaura and Legacy of Kharak began firing on the surrounding Progenitor and Bentusi ships. There was a lot to shoot down – seven Keepers, four Progenitor cruisers, six tradeships and many Super Acolytes and Drones. Yuno immediately began her task of locking on to the nearest cruiser and scanning it for vulnerabilities to exploit. General Qwaar yelled an order and his command ship turned to face an infected tradeship that was scorching the Paaura relentlessly with its ion cannons.
"Fire in the hole!"
The Paaura's Siege Cannon discharged its globe of plasma at the offending Bentusi ship. The blast crippled the tradeship and dispatched many Super Acolytes and Drones with its lethal shockwave. Now the Somtaaw Acolytes and the Mothership's Acolyte IIs swung into action to support the pulsar gunship squadrons, intercepting the incoming Progenitor and Bentusi strike craft. Screams of agony sliced through the fleet as a Keeper's infection beam grasped a fighter squadron, which scuttled immediately to save themselves from a terrible fate.
By now, the Sajuuk had been brought to bear against a Progenitor cruiser that was being kept busy by two battlecruisers. The grand cannon of the ship fired, bathing the battlefield in yellow light as the cruiser and a tradeship behind it were annihilated by the blast. Now a Keeper approached the Sajuuk from the rear and fired its infection beam. Karan sensed the danger and powered up the ship's energy shields almost instantly, and the shot was absorbed harmlessly. The nanite cannons took over, decimating the Keeper in a matter of moments.
The Progenitors seemed to sense the trouble they were facing, and ordered a change of tactics. Now all their remaining six Keepers powered up the energy shields and charged into the heart of the Hiigaran Fleet in a bid to infect the Legacy and Paaura.
"Oh no! Yuno, full evasive manoeuvres! The Keepers are moving in to fire on us!"
"Shunting power to drives… energy spike detected, a Keeper is firing the infection beam! Stand by for Naar Directive…"
The crimson beam leapt through the vacuum of space and looked poised to hit the Legacy. Suddenly, it deflected off an invisible barrier and went harmlessly off in a different direction. Eefrit stared in amazement, and Karan's voice kicked in.
"Close one. I managed to put up a quantum wave disruption in time to stop that beam."
"Thanks for the help, Karan. I don't know what I would have done if…"
"Yeah. Alright, all ships concentrate fire on the Keepers! Do not let them near the Paaura!"
"Too late, Hangar Module's been hit! We're jettisoning the module now, all ships stay clear!"
As Qwaar finished his sentence, the Paaura dropped its infected Hangar Module and brought all its pulse cannons to bear on the now-crimson structure. The module exploded and the screams of the crew onboard were cut off suddenly. Qwaar was relieved that they did not need to suffer the twisted immortality of the virus.
"We're pulling back from the main battle, Hangar Module's loss hit us badly."
"Roger that! Eefrit to all fighters, cover the Paaura's retreat!"
Onboard an Acolyte II fighter:
Luca weaved his fighter in and out of the chaotic battle. He had lost half his squadron to an infection beam that narrowly missed his ship. He was breathing heavily now, as the Keepers intensified their infection assaults. Red beams were now zipping back and forth in the centre of the battle, catching many Hiigaran fighters and frigates that chose destruction over assimilation.
Suddenly, he spotted the looming crimson of an infection beam from the corner of his eye. He yelled a battle cry and activated his repulsor. The force knocked a nearby Super Acolyte into the path of the beam, scattering its dangerous effects from his comrades. Unfortunately, part of the energy grazed his ship, causing biohazard warnings to wail loudly. Luca growled and ejected the infected right pulse cannon. His fighter had had enough, and he steered it in to dock with the nearest carrier.
A Keeper watched Luca's Acolyte II with interest. Seconds later, it reconfigured its infection beam and fired again.
This time, he took a direct hit from the beam. Alarms wailed as the ship's logic systems got subverted. Luca swore and ejected the cockpit from the doomed fighter. As the infected chassis spiralled away below him, the cockpit's manoeuvring thrusters took hold and brought him into the safety of the carrier.
The little pod screeched to a halt onto the metallic floor of the carrier's docking bays, and repair crews rushed forth to extinguish the flames. Luca leapt out of the cockpit, coughing and sliding down its side. As he did so, his left leg brushed against a blackened and wet portion of the cockpit's outer hull. His pants smeared black, Luca swore again and wiped it off with some tissues. Eager to get back into the fray, he ran towards another fighter waiting in the bay. Suddenly, the world around him began to spin.
"Oh great…" he muttered before blacking out on the docking bay floors.
Onboard the Keeper Nova:
The robed commander watched the battle with displeasure. His fleet was surely losing, but that would not matter much to him. They were, after all, a recon fleet. All they had to do was inflict as many casualties on the Hiigarans as possible, softening them up for the climactic battle in future.
An officer strode up to him and gave him a brief report – the experimental test had been successfully executed. The commander nodded, and signalled for the fleet to retreat to hyperspace.
The remaining Progenitor and Bentusi ships warped back into hyperspace, and the victors cheered. The cheering did not last long, as Yuno was already hustling all strike craft to get docked for the emergency jump to Sarum. Karan opted to stay behind, fully aware that she had definitely over exerted herself when she was not supposed to. A throbbing headache now gripped her across the temples.
As the Legacy and her fleet initiated the jump to Sarum, the Sajuuk stayed alongside the Paaura and the Somtaaw fleet. Karan whispered a silent prayer for Hiigara's safety, then plunged into a deep rest.