HOMEWORLD2: WRATH OF THE GODS
CHAPTER 11: HIIGARA
"The Galactic Council recognized our claim to this world.
The sacrifice of thousands has left a trail of destruction behind us, like a path across the galaxy... to Hiigara, our homeworld.
So much destruction, so many lives lost, for this place... a place of wonder to those who knew only the sands of Kharak.
Our colonists were released from their long sleep.
All symbols of the old empire were destroyed, but the conflict will never be forgotten.
A celebration marked the beginning of a new time.
No longer Fleet Command, Karan Sjet survived extraction from the Mothership's core.
She insisted that she be the last person to disembark and set foot on the Homeworld."
- History of the Hiigaran Landfall
Onboard the Second Scaffold, high orbit over Hiigara:
Admiral Eefrit walked slowly towards the shuttle docks of the massive structure. The Legacy of Kharak had docked with the Second Scaffold for extensive repairs to her shattered left side. Yuno was overseeing the entire operation and had suggested for the weary admiral to take a short break.
Anyway, Karan Sjet had on her return granted permission for the crews onboard the Mothership fleet to enjoy a few days of planet leave. They certainly had been through quite a bit on their maiden voyage, and she knew that this was probably the only time they had left to do so before the next crisis came.
He boarded his private shuttle and sat down in the pilot's seat. Pressing a few buttons on the console, the airlock of the little ship closed shut and the fusion drive roared into life. He grasped the steering controls and took the little ship out into space. The corvette-class vessel slid through the criss-crossing beams of the Second Scaffold's outer structure, bringing Hiigara into full view.
Partially obscuring the beautiful sight of Hiigara from a distance were Sajuuk and the Six Great Fleets of the various Kiithid, having arrived too late to repel the Vaygr attack. There were a total of thirty carriers, five each for the fleets of Sjet, Manaan, Soban, Naabal, Paktu and LirrHra. The number had been larger in the past, but Hiigara had yet to recover from the daunting encounters with the Vaygr.
Behind the Six Fleets lay the ships of the mighty Somtaaw. The colossal Explorer III-class command ship Paaura stood guard over the low orbits around Hiigara. General Qwaar had worked quickly to rebuild his fleet after the battle at Tanis. Now the impressive ship was in formation with six Gospel-class heavy dreadnoughts and thirty Dervish II multibeam frigates. As Eefrit manoeuvred his shuttle around the Somtaaw fleet and readied to fire the ship's boosters for the flight to low orbit, his sensors indicated incoming hyperspace signatures. He lifted his finger from the booster key and turned to catch his first glimpse of the new Somtaaw ships.
The Kuun Lan and Faal Corum exited hyperspace with their mining fleets. Just a few months back both command ships had docked with the Second Scaffold for an overhaul and upgrade to the Explorer III-class design. For both ships that was the second overhaul they had experienced, and though each upgrade left them good as new, the fact remained that they are grand old dames at least eighty years of age. While their primary purpose remains that of the miners, the siege cannons equipped on both ships served as warnings to those who wished to doubt their war capabilities.
Eefrit's shuttle blasted forward with its boosters, dashing into low Hiigaran orbit. It would take him around two hours to reach the atmosphere itself. Whatever Karan was preparing for, it seemed serious enough to warrant a recall of all Hiigaran fleets back to the Homeworld.
Onboard the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk, docked with the Second Scaffold:
The Gatekeeper was also docked with the Second Scaffold, and now scientists were swarming all over the ship. All of them were enthralled by the power and existence of the Grand Core, and were seeking to unlock its secrets as requested by Karan Sjet.
Soban hated this. He hated it whenever scientists got onboard and started poking their noses into literally anything in sight. Of course, it was thanks to them that they could use the shield systems of the Dreadnaught. He was grateful for that, but nothing else. Now they were getting into everyone's way.
He left the ship in the care of his loyal crew, hoping the scientists wouldn't screw anything up. A quick walk took him to the dock point of the Gatekeeper. Soban took a deep breath and crossed over to the Second Scaffold.
Onboard the Legacy of Kharak, docked with the Second Scaffold:
Yuno was busy coordinating repair efforts between the crews of the Mothership and the Second Scaffold. There was much to be done, especially since Karan wanted the Legacy at operational readiness within the next hundred hours. Her tone had been urgent when she gave the order, as time was not something they had in excess.
Countless engineers had lost their lives when the capital ship production bay was deprived of the Mothership Door's protection. The Vaygr had been merciless in their assaults, targeting any Hiigaran they could see and vaporising them with the corvette's laser bolts. With the engineers dead, they had then gone on to shoot every production mechanism in sight to deprive the Mothership of capital ship production.
The Vaygr did a splendid job. New engineers from the Second Scaffold could only stare at the damage and sigh. There was no way to restore full production within the hundred hour timeslot. They told Yuno that she would have to make do without that capability until at least a week later, which was the fastest estimated time for repair completion. Yuno reported the matter to Karan, who then decided that they needed another Mothership to compensate for the loss of Legacy's capital ship production.
"Karan, you know there is no way we can build another Mothership with the Second Scaffold in time to meet the Progenitor, or even the Vaygr invasion."
"I know, Yuno. That is why I am considering a jump into Balcora."
"Balcora? Karan, even with the combined power of the Three Cores the Sajuuk barely made it out of there with the rest of the fleet! The gravity well effect there is much too powerful."
"But you see, we need the production capabilities of the Pride of Hiigara if we are to survive this. The Somtaaw and the other kiithid cannot spare any resources, as they are engaged in the restoration of their own fleets and the Hiigaran Defence Fleet. You must also remember that out of the six shipyards we possess, one is down. And this comes at a time when we've suffered heavy losses in the capital ship classes."
"I understand that the Pride of Hiigara, unlike Legacy, is not equipped to build battlecruisers, Karan."
"True, but she can still produce destroyers and carriers. This will free up resources for other pressing needs such as battlecruiser production. We learned the hard way that the Vaygr still possess formidable might in the super capital ship class."
"But that is not reason enough to risk the Sajuuk! Why, the only reason Hiigara was spared from the Vaygr was that you came in time to defend the Homeworld with Sajuuk!"
"Which brings me to the point that we have become too dependent on this Progenitor ship for our security. Yuno, if we do not recover the Pride I fear that not even Sajuuk will save us from the coming darkness."
"… Very well. But you shouldn't go alone!"
"I have to. If I bring a fleet along with me there will be inadequate power left to jump the Pride of Hiigara back here. The only way to accomplish this, as I have calculated, is if I go without support."
"Nothing I say now will change your mind, will it?"
"I'm afraid not, Yuno Manaan. I understand your concern, though."
"If so, then may the Gods of Kharak watch over you, Karan."
"And you too, Yuno."
Yuno watched with her mechanical sensors as the Sajuuk disappeared from view.
Onboard the Exile, deep space:
"Commander, looks like we've got company. Multiple Vaygr hyperspace signatures detected!"
"What are we looking at here?"
"Typical Vaygr carrier fleet - twenty-one heavy missile frigates and three destroyers. They appear to be from the Vermillion Crusade."
"Then we have to defeat them quickly and escape to hyperspace. This fleet's probably here to delay us before the main fleet arrives. How long before we can jump to hyperspace?"
"Ten more minutes, Commander."
"Then we'll do it in ten. Launch all strike craft to provide fighter cover. All frigates, stand by to attack!"
The Exile spewed forth her complement of interceptors and pulsar gunships to meet the equivalents launched from the Vaygr carrier. Meanwhile the thirty ion frigates moved into formation to receive the attacks from the Vaygr frigates. Thankfully, they had built a couple of defence field frigates to support the fleet against the destroyers. As the Vaygr let loose their first salvo of fusion missiles, the defence fields sprung up in two blue glowing spheres encapsulating the Hiigaran fleet.
"It looks like we could use some help. Comm officer, get a transmission through to the nearest Hiigaran outpost."
"Got it, calling the inhibitor station in the Aiowa System."
All this time, Kiir Sjet watched the battle unfold before him. They could have used their hyperdrives to generate quantum distortions for assistance, but they needed all the energy they could get for their hyperspace escape. Suddenly, a series of images flashed into his mind, causing him to stagger. He collapsed into a nearby chair and clutched his forehead, groaning in pain. Hyll noticed this and rushed over to Kiir's side.
"Kiir! What's wrong!"
"… Images… in my… head…"
"Just keep calm! Get a medic here on the double!"
"… No… I'm okay… it's just… we won't be getting any help here…"
"Why? Why so!"
"I don't know… it's just that… there's no one out there to help us…"
With that, Kiir lost consciousness.
Onboard the Sajuuk, hyperspace transit:
Karan Sjet sensed a psychic outburst. It was desperate. She focused quickly and instantaneously acquired the source of the signal. What lay at the source surprised her – it was a Hiigaran! So psychics did exist among Hiigarans, despite all the theories and scientific work done to disprove the notion.
Another instant thought and the Three Cores lent some power from the Sajuuk's far jump. They hummed loudly and sent a discharge of quantum energy to the source of the signal. She would look into the discovery soon enough, but for now the Pride of Hiigara remained on her top priority list.
Onboard the Exile, deep space:
Kiir Sjet was being rushed to the infirmary by a duo of medics. Commander Hyll would have accompanied him, but there was a battle to see to. It was then that the sensors began beeping crazily, as though a million ships were coming out of hyperspace around them.
"Sir! We're picking up a massive quantum waveform fluctuation! It's engulfing our fleet!"
"What do you mean? How will it affect us?"
"If this keeps up… emergency alert, we are being pulled into hyperspace!"
Commander Hyll was relieved when he heard the news. As far as he knew, only one ship in the Galaxy had the power to pull fleets into hyperspace regardless of their location. Luckily for them, that ship was in Hiigaran hands.
"I guess we don't have to worry then," beamed Hyll, "It looks like we'll be reaching home ahead of schedule!"
Onboard the Cosmos, high orbit over Hiigara:
Luca Paktu awoke abruptly in agony. He pressed the emergency call button beside his bunk and clutched his left leg, moaning in pain. It felt like something was whacking him with a sledgehammer inside his calf, and the throbbing felt worse than any pain he had encountered in his military career thus far.
The doctor entered the room promptly, and was alarmed at the sight of Luca holding his leg in great agony. He quickly rushed forth and rolled up the left side of his trousers. Nothing in Dr Ersa's training could have prepared him for this. Luca's left calf was swollen in a grotesque, misshapen shape. The veins were clearly visible as little ridges on the skin, and the entire muscle seemed to be throbbing slowly like it had a life of its own.
Dr Ersa called for help immediately. This was clearly a case for emergency surgery. A pair of medics entered and heaved Luca onto a stretcher, carrying him to the operating theatre in the infirmary. Dr Ersa followed closely behind, bracing himself for the challenging task ahead.
As soon as the medics placed Luca Paktu on the operating table, the worried doctor whipped out a surgical knife and ordered for immediate sedation. Seconds later, Luca slipped into deep sleep. Dr Ersa made the first incision carefully down the side of the swollen muscle, followed by a few quick cuts so that he could see what was going on inside. As he carefully shifted the flaps of skin open, he stared in horror at the sight inside.
"Merciful Hiigara…"
Those were the last words of Dr Ersa before a crimson tendril shot out and impaled him through the heart. The medics gasped and tried to flee, but it was too late. The tendril extended through the deceased doctor's back split in two and pierced through their legs. Both men collapsed to the floor, screaming in terror and agony as the tendril went in deep, branching out into more tendrils, progressing up the leg and into the abdomen where the vital organs lay. The screams died as quickly as they had started.
The tendrils worked quickly, releasing enzymes to dissolve the flesh and reprogram their DNA. Blood splattered as the three corpses were torn apart, their ruined flesh getting drawn back into Luca's leg. Only now, the swelling was spreading quickly up the leg and throughout his body. Luca felt nothing thanks to the sedation, but the entity was making some fundamental changes to his biological and physical structure. Their job done, the tendrils retracted, and the leg wound closed behind them.
Onboard the Legacy of Kharak, docked with the Second Scaffold:
Yuno's attention was diverted from the repair operations the moment she received word of a gruesome incident happening in one of the Mothership fleet's carriers. She quickly opened communications with the bridge of the carrier.
"This is Yuno of the Mothership Legacy of Kharak. What's going on there, Cosmos?"
"This is Captain Leo of the Cosmos, we're not too sure about what exactly happened. It seemed like the doctor and the medics were attacked by something."
"Any idea as to what it could be?"
"We're not sure. No one else was in the theatre but them. The camera systems failed temporarily for an unknown reason some fifteen minutes ago. The system's back online, and it seems to have been caused by an electrical surge from the infirmary call system. Engineers are investigating the exact cause of the surge as we speak."
"Very well. Please get to the bottom of this horrific crime as quickly as possible. The last thing we need on our hands in the coming war is a predator running amok on one of our carriers. Yuno out."
Yuno returned to overseeing the Mothership repairs, but she still couldn't take her mind off the images that were beamed to her.
Assaam Kiith'sid, Hiigaran Capital City:
Admiral Eefrit walked away from the busy spaceport, reveling in the hustle and bustle taking place in the capital city of Hiigara. This city was the centre of all Hiigara and her territories throughout space. Eefrit entered a shuttle station and waited among the crowd of Hiigarans for the next shuttle to arrive.
As expected, the hovership arrived on schedule and he boarded it along with a few other Hiigarans. There were few people on board the shuttle as its final destination was the outskirts of the Assaam Kiith'sid, a rural area where traditional farming was practiced. With a soft hum, the hovership lifted off and soared into the air. Eefrit picked up a book from the rack next to his seat and started reading to keep himself occupied. Entitled "The End Times – A short history of the Vaygr Wars," the book was fairly amusing to read. It depicted Karan Sjet as some divine demi-goddess who had led the fleet to victory against impossible odds.
Eefrit was chuckling as he turned to the page about Tanis Base. At that, he fell silent. He had lost many good friends who were part of the Pride of Hiigara project when the Vaygr launched their surprise attack. He was one of the lucky few commanders who happened to be onboard the Mothership when the first wave of bombers came to assault Chimera base. He still remembered clearly the painful moment when Karan Sjet decided to initiate the emergency jump to Hiigara, leaving all else behind to the Vaygr.
Eefrit quickly put the book back as all the sad memories came flooding back. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to maintain his composure. When he opened his eyes again, the shuttle was landing at another station. The doors slid open and passengers got off and on. When the hovership took off again, Eefrit and the pilot were the only ones left on board. Eefrit looked out the viewport and saw the shining skyline of the city fading into the distance.
Onboard the Exile, hyperspace transit:
"How is Kiir?"
"We're not entirely sure either, but from what we're seeing it appears that he was experiencing some anomalous increase in neural activity. It's died down to normal now, but it is intriguing…"
"What else did you find out?"
"Well, the spike in his neural activity records appears to coincide perfectly with a strange signal picked up by the communications systems."
"What was the signal's range?"
"Unknown, but judging from the frequency it was sent out on, it is likely to go pretty far out, possibly as far as the Core regions. Unfortunately, the signal was sent out in all directions. We can expect at least a third of the Galaxy to have received the signal."
"I don't suppose that would matter, would it? I mean, we're moving into Hiigaran space…"
The communications officer came into the infirmary where Hyll and the doctor were talking beside Kiir's bed.
"Commander, I tried transmitting to the inhibitor station in the Aiowa System."
"I see. What did they say?"
"… Nothing, sir. I only received an automated repeating message. It turns out that the station has been set on automatic, and all its crews and ships recalled to Hiigara."
"Huh? Hiigaran Fleet Command wouldn't authorize such a move. This will definitely compromise the sovereignty of all controlled territories beyond the zone of influence. Unless…"
Commander Hyll pondered the matter for a while, then shook his head gravely and turned back to the sleeping Kiir.
"This could be worse than we expected. We can only hope that the Progenitors have yet to reach Hiigara."
Landfall Memorial, outskirts of Assaam Kiith'sid:
Eefrit followed the path winding through the forest. As he walked on, the sounds of a gushing waterfall got louder and louder. He brushed aside a bunch of low lying branches and was greeted by the fine mist of the waterfall. It was a wonder to behold, crystal clear water gushing off the edge of a cliff at least a hundred metres high. The waters roared as they impacted the pool below.
In front of the waterfall was a black metallic structure in the shape of the Mothership. This monument was erected in commemoration of the end of the Homecoming, and the historic Hiigaran Landfall. Regrettably, the people of Hiigara had soon forgotten about this significant event, being too busily wrapped up in their own lives on this world of wonder. Rarely visited now, this symbol was one of the closest and last links the Hiigarans had with their old world of Kharak.
Kharak was now a planet lost in myth and tale. The Kharak System had disappeared into an interstellar dust cloud, and no Hiigaran expedition had been able to find the lost world. This was disappointing, as many still hoped that some people would have survived the Kharakian Genocide carried out by the Taiidan Empire. For this reason, the Faal Corum's astronavigation teams continued their research into possible locations of Kharak. Unfortunately, their efforts were complicated by the fact that a nearby star had gone nova, causing a miniscule disruption to the orbit of the Kharak System around the galactic core.
Eefrit felt the cold surface of the metallic statue, running his fingers along the contours of the small Mothership. They had done a great disparagement to the people of Hiigara by allowing the Vaygr to molest the Mothership and even cripple it. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to overhaul the old Mothership into the new Legacy of Kharak. After all, the Legacy was still the original Mothership, no matter what changes they made to her structure and design. The Mothership remained one of the most important symbols to the Hiigaran people.
"I thought you'd be here." came a familiar voice. Eefrit turned around, and to his surprise, saw Captain Soban standing solemnly at the edge of the forest.
"Soban! I didn't expect you to come down to the Homeworld too."
"Well, I couldn't stand those pesky people running all around the ship. I thought of dropping by my old frigate, but it was out patrolling the Hiigaran Control Zone."
Captain Soban walked to a nearby boulder and sat down, enjoying the misty ambience of the waterfall. Hiigara was a beautiful place, and so perfect. It was now so easy to see why Hiigara was the centre of so many conflicts since the First Time. Eefrit remained at the tip of the cliff, immersing himself in the roar of the waterfall.
"Eefrit, you need to wind down a bit. You seem too engrossed with fleet matters for your own good."
"Yes, I know. But this is a beautiful place, isn't it?"
"Truly. Though, I wonder what Kharak would have looked like."
"Well, ever since I saw the Planet Killers raining missiles down onto Hiigara, I vowed to do everything I could to stop such a thing from happening again."
"One of the missiles made it through, didn't it?"
"It was horrific. Seventy-five million people wiped out by the initial blast and the resulting loss of atmospheric oxygen. It took a full year for Hiigara's oxygen levels to return to normal. Until then, many people became incapacitated due to the lack of oxygen."
Eefrit walked over to Captain Soban and sat down beside him. Friends since childhood, their busy duties meant that they now hardly had time for this sort of private conversation.
The ambience of the Memorial was suddenly shattered as wailing sirens pierced the air. Both Soban and Eefrit got up in alarm. The type of siren they were hearing heralded only one message: an immediate evacuation from urban areas into the mountains. The last time this siren blared was during the Siege of the Planet Killers.
They glanced back at the distant city, which was now shifting into a state of emergency.
"Looks like it's time to head back."
"I'll bet the frigate flights to the Second Scaffold would have been suspended. Why don't you hop onto my shuttle?"
"Sure thing then. Thanks Eefrit."
The two friends started running towards the waiting hovership.
Onboard the Sajuuk, hyperspace transit:
Karan could feel the incredible power of the black holes already, tugging at her ship, trying to wrench them back into normal space. But the Three Cores stood their ground and continued to push the Sajuuk through hyperspace, though they were slowly being strained towards their limits. Karan focused harder, assisting the might of the Three with her willpower. She could feel the presence of the Pride of Hiigara, still perfectly intact and left exactly the way they had left it two years ago.
The presence kept growing like a figure in the distance, once far but drawing increasingly nearer. Now the great ship was almost within her grasp. She sent a thought to the Sajuuk's central control systems, and the massive vessel returned to normal space.
And there it was.
The Pride of Hiigara.