HOMEWORLD2: WRATH OF THE GODS
CHAPTER 32: LETHAL STRIKE
"To approach unhidden is to be destroyed."
Somtaaw historical archives
Onboard the Pride of Hiigara, Northern Outer Rim:
Not since the days of the End Time had the Pride of Hiigara's hangar bays bustled with such activity. Shuttles and transport corvettes streamed in and out, offloading teams upon teams of engineers, officers and pilots.
Yuno watched everything from the Pride's internal cameras, sighing at the slow process that seemed to take forever.
"I can't imagine how I tolerated the slowness of moving about physically back then," Yuno commented to Kiir, who was sitting next to her, "I zapped over here in less than a second, now if only the crews had the same speed…"
"Things are totally different, you know," Kiir replied, "That's the real world, and reality usually works more slowly. Anyway, they're working pretty fast as it is."
"Of course, I don't deny their efficiency, it's just that…"
Yuno fell silent, at a loss as to what to say next. When she had been doomed to death, her own radical discovery had saved her life, or rather, her consciousness. It had been thrilling and incredible at first, for the virtual world allowed her to do things she was incapable of as her real self. But after having spent so much time in here, she had become a changed person.
The instantaneous nature of electronic signals meant that her sense of time was greatly changed. In the past, she felt that years took too long to pass. Now, waiting a few seconds could easily become intolerable in a realm where things could be done so quickly.
"Yuno, I always think that our sciences will catch up eventually," Kiir reassured, "I mean, they kept a DNA sample of you for that reason, didn't they?"
"Yes, it was intended to be stored until scientists could figure out a way to safely clone a copy of my original body, then re-download my consciousness back into that body. It's what I've always been dreaming of, the ability to feel, taste, smell…"
A notice sprang up beside Yuno, reminding her of the loads of work yet to be done. Yuno sighed.
"Well Kiir, it's about time you got back to the Koshiir Ra. I'm sure the Core transfer would be complete by now."
"Yeah, I'll be going," Kiir said as he stood up, "And don't worry, there will come a day when you will be set free."
"I hope so," Yuno responded, laughing at the thoughts surfacing in her mind, "Ironic that I should now be a prisoner of my own invention. See you later."
"I'm off then," Kiir waved as he warped back to the Koshiir Ra's computers.
Yuno watched Kiir's digital trace fade away, and then got back to work.
Yuno to fleet, transfer of command algorithms has been completed. Begin rerouting all command functions through the Pride of Hiigara.
Within moments, the Pride's computers began registering dozens upon dozens of connections as the fleet began updating its command registries.
The Pride of Hiigara was now flagship once again.
Onboard the Merciless, Northern Outer Rim:
Admiral Ecron was busy as well, making preparations for the coming fleet jump. According to Yuno, they would be making the jump once the Grand Core was transferred successfully to the Koshiir Ra and deemed to be functioning optimally.
"So much to do, so little time," Ecron muttered as he filtered through the multitude of information reports displayed before him, "Where's that fleet status update?"
"I'm working on it Admiral," an officer yelled from the other side of the bridge, "I'll send it over to your console in five minutes!"
"Very well. Engineering, how's repairs coming along?"
"Merciless can't be more ready, sir. All systems are operating at 100 percentefficiency."
"Make sure you're right, we'll be going against a weapon the equal of Sajuuk, so this ship had better not buckle in on me halfway through!"
"No problem, we'll check the systems one more time."
Ecron closed the intercom and sank into his chair, closing his eyes for a short break. So many things had happened in so short a time – Hiigara's destruction, the Neo-Beast invasion, the burning of New Taiidan, the Mythra attack…
"I seriously need a vacation somewhere exotic once this is all over," Ecron uttered under his breath, returning to inspecting the reports before him.
Onboard the Shipyard Naabal, Northern Outer Rim:
"From the damage we see, Gatekeeper'll be out of action for at least a week," Captain Elohim reported grimly, "I'm sorry, Soban."
"Isn't there anything you can do to get it ready by the next battle?" Soban asked, "From what I've been briefed, we may be needing all the firepower we can get."
"I'm afraid not, the ship's got so many system shorts I'm amazed it didn't blow up when you fired the Phased Cannon Array a second time. The best we can do is get the plasma turret up, but even that will take at least two days."
"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped then," Soban sighed sadly, "Just do your best with the Gatekeeper, alright?"
"We'll do what we can, rest assured."
Soban thanked Elohim and walked off to see his ship. Looking through a viewport, he saw the massive Dreadnaught and the injuries it had sustained.
The ship was covered in ugly black splotches where the energy bolts had penetrated the shields and scorched through the hull armor. Gashes were clearly evident as well on various sections of the ship, the result of the shields collapsing under the stress of enemy fire. The Dreadnaught's right wing had nearly been sheared off and now hung on by a few thin stretches of blackened metal.
Not even during the Vaygr War had the Dreadnaught taken such heavy damage.
Soban turned to look at the massive Koshiir Ra hanging in the distance. The resource collectors were still hovering around the ship, connecting circuitry and making the final adjustments to the Grand Core's new housing compartment.
Onboard the Sajuuk, Northern Outer Rim:
"Karan."
Karan was taken aback by the sudden voice. Just a moment ago, she had been monitoring the Sajuuk's internal circuitry for feedback damage. Now, the voice had spoken into her mind like a bolt from the blue.
"Chosen of Sajuuk."
"Koshiir Ra?"
"We meet again."
"This was most unexpected," Karan began as she composed herself, "I have many questions for you."
"I will try to answer as best as possible in what little time we have."
"Thank you. Now, why is it that you speak to me instead of Kiir, who pilots your ship?"
"Simply because it is not possible to."
"It's not possible? I don't understand…"
"The ship never speaks to the pilot. Doing so only compromises the pilot's ability to control the ship."
"What do you mean?"
"When you became the living controller of the Sajuuk, Sajuuk's AI was no longer required. Your extensive experience with mind-machine interfacing was key to that outcome. Sajuuk simply disappeared."
"Then how is it that you are still able to converse with me?"
"Kiir is young and has yet to master the intricacies of mind-controlling a ship. However, he is learning fast, and when the time comes…"
"But why can you not speak with him?"
"Because the pilot's ultimate goal is to become One with the Ship. In your terms, Unbound. If the pilot becomes aware of another presence in the ship, the effects on his psyche would slow down the integration process. You must remember that becoming 'Unbound' takes more than simply linking the mind to a ship's computers."
"What then, is the meaning of being Unbound?"
"That, I cannot tell you. However, all I can say is that you are well on the way. You may not know it, but you are already capable of some things that a standard controller cannot achieve. The answer varies from culture to culture, pilot to pilot, but eventually you will realise what it really means to be Unbound."
"I see," noted Karan, pondering the new insights Koshiir Ra had provided.
"Kiir is learning fast, and when he reaches your level of mastery, I too will disappear. So you see, your time for questions is limited."
"I'll get straight to the point then. Can you help us win this war?"
"The war? Against the Mythra, or the entity you call the Neo-Beast?"
"Against both. Why, this Galaxy's being ripped asunder because of those two, and so many innocents have lost their lives…"
"Your concerns are justified, but I cannot assist you."
"Why? You are Koshiir Ra, you are the Guardian, your duty is to protect all existence!"
"That is so, but the Guardian was never built to win a war."
"Koshiir Ra, I beg you," Karan pleaded, "We have lost so much, and you are our last hope. Will you help us defeat the Qwaar Jet and the Mythra?"
"I cannot go beyond my means. All I can say is that the means to salvation is in your possession."
"What do you mean?"
"The Three Gods were not made equal. This is all I have to offer. Farewell."
Karan thought of telling Koshiir Ra to stay, but knew that she'd just be wasting her breath. The connection with her mind had faded away, and she was alone with the Sajuuk once more.
"Sajuuk, if only you were still here, if only you could answer my questions…"
The ship remained silent, and Karan's questions unanswered.
Onboard the Ascension, the Shining Hinterlands:
"Hyperspace module disengaged, jump successful, we have arrived at the Shining Hinterlands," reported the NAV officer.
"Is the Progenitor fleet in pursuit?" General Tora asked, worried that his fleet may suffer the same fate.
"Sensors are not picking up anything, we're clear," the sensors officer declared.
"That's good to hear. What information do we have on this sector?"
"According to intelligence captured from the Turanic Raiders, this is a barren region of space with few resources. However, it is a strategically-important location in the Galaxy, being on the southern outskirts of the Hiigaran Control Zone," the NAV officer explained.
"Hiigaran space?" Tora muttered, "So the Hiigarans are a dominant power in the Galaxy now?"
"Going by the same reports, the status quo has changed. If the Raider intelligence is to be trusted, the Galaxy came under massive attack by a techno-organic organism recently, and Hiigara itself was destroyed."
"Hiigara was destroyed?" Tora was stunned, "The entire planet?"
"According to these reports, yes, the entire planet was completely obliterated."
"Then the Hiigarans we met back in Southern space were the survivors…" noted the general, "What options do we have now?"
"We can only move ahead or towards the east. The west is obstructed by the Galactic Core, so hyperspace transit in that direction is impossible. Either we advance towards the centre of Hiigaran space, or we head east towards the Vaygr Reaches."
General Tora considered the choices that lay before him. Moving towards Hiigara could take them towards that deadly virus, which was probably responsible for the strange behaviour of the Keeper at Elor. Heading east could very well pit the fleet against the might of the Vaygr, which according to the Raiders, was not to be trifled with. They would have their revenge in the end, however, but the fleet wasn't ready just yet.
"General? Your orders?"
"Take us west," Tora replied, his gaze unmoving.
"West? Sir…"
"I know we can't jump through, but we have to stay low, and what better way to do so by hiding ourselves in the Galactic Core emissions?"
"I understand, but the Raider starcharts on the Core regions are very sketchy. Even if we plotted a conservative course, there's no telling if we'd get ensnared by a gravwell…"
"It's a risk we'll have to take," Tora stated flatly, "There's no way we'd stand up to that thing, especially with its infection capability. Assemble the fleet for hyperspace."
Onboard the Koshiir Ra, Northern Outer Rim:
Kiir watched expectantly as the last support beam was bolted down in place. Several engineers looked over the entire structure worriedly, wondering if they had forgotten anything. Only after several minutes' inspection were the engineers satisfied with their work.
The Grand Core was massive and took up every bit of space there was in the Koshiir Ra Core Containment Section. In fact, it fitted so snugly the engineers could have sworn the Core was built with the Koshiir Ra in mind.
Kiir walked up to the Grand Core, seduced by the beauty of its design. A perfectly symmetrical radial structure with several concentric circles etched on its metallic surface, shrinking down to the quantum focus at the centre, held securely by the bulky borders of the containment unit. It was hard to imagine how it possessed power exceeding the Three combined.
"I should challenge Karan to a race when this is all over," Kiir chuckled softly to himself, "I could win myself a few bets at the same time."
Kiir raised his hand to use his wrist communicator. It was time for the test.
"Admiral Eefrit, the Grand Core is secure. You may begin the test at any time."
"Got it, thanks Kiir. You might want to leave now, I'm initiating power-up sequence."
Kiir was already stepping out of the containment section, the thick bulkhead doors closing shut behind him. Even through the soundproof doors, he could hear the soft hum of pure energy building up behind him.
"How's it, Eefrit?" Kiir asked worriedly, knowing it would not be a good idea to blow up the Koshiir Ra with a Core that was not properly installed.
"… All systems green, Kiir. The Grand Core is safely linked to the ship's power grid, everything's stable."
The scientist let loose a whoop of joy at Eefrit's report. Now they would be able to amplify the power of Koshiir Ra's shields using the Grand Core. The possibilities were endless…
… Unless the shield amplification was not enough. Doubts began creeping into Kiir's mind as he recalled the sensor readings he had seen at Nalthora. An artificial singularity with so much potential energy that Koshiir Ra's sensors could barely measure it. The Grand Core's quantum tappers indeed produced a tremendous amount of energy, but it was ultimately a finite source. Versus the infinite energy of a black hole…
"Kiir? You alright there?" Eefrit asked, taken aback by Kiir's silence.
"I'm fine," Kiir reassured, "I'll be heading back right now to link up. Thanks for your help, Eefrit."
"No problem. Guess I'd better get back to the Pride in preparation for the jump."
"Indeed. I'll be seeing you around!"
The wrist communicator cut out as Kiir made his way back to the bridge slowly.
Onboard the Merciless, Northern Outer Rim:
"That's strange, the communications array shouldn't be using so much power," Admiral Ecron muttered to himself as he re-checked the readings once more, "Ecron to Engineering, can you confirm my readings on the communications array?"
"Engineering here, communications array is operating at 85 percentpower, it corresponds with your data sir."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the array supposed to be using around 30 percentinstead?" Ecron asked, puzzled by what the screens were telling him, "Unless expanding the network to include Hiigaran communications is causing the thing to spike…"
"Not possible, Admiral. Even if we were to expand the network further, the energy increase would not exceed 10. We should still be operating in the range of 40 percent. It's probably a circuit fault of some sort, we'll look into it ASAP."
"Please do. We can't have the array shorting out on us during battle."
"Roger that, Admiral. Engineering out."
Ecron looked back at the energy readings, which stayed stubbornly above 80 percent. He pondered the matter for a moment before turning to consult the communications officer.
"Is there anyone transmitting long range right now?" Ecron asked, "That could be the reason for the spike, couldn't it?"
"Sir, no one's using long range transmissions at this moment in time," came the reply, "Even if there were, the array would not go beyond 60 percent. It's probably a technical glitch."
"I see, thanks," Ecron responded as he turned back to face his screen. He scowled at the figures that continued to elude his understanding.
Onboard the Pride of Hiigara, Northern Outer Rim:
The bridge doors slid open and Eefrit strolled in, marvelling at the extensive overhaul the engineers had completed in such a short time. The Pride had, in a matter of hours, been transformed from auxiliary shipyard to full-fledged flagship.
"Incredible work, it's heartening to see we've got such an excellent team of engineers working for us," Eefrit commented, observing sensor readings being displayed on a viewscreen.
"Indeed, I was doubtful at first as to whether we could jump by today," Yuno replied, shimmering into view on her projector, "I too, didn't expect them to finish everything so quickly."
"Well now, let's go over the plan again," Eefrit said, bringing up a tactical screen of the Galaxy, "So we jump to the outskirts of the Fields of Plaz to harvest resources and refit the fleet?"
"To be exact, I have identified a nebula within striking range of the station," Yuno mentioned, "We can jump in under the nebula's cover, and mount a surprise offensive while we're retrofitting the fleet. Since we can maintain supply lines to the frontline from the nebula, we'd have a much higher chance at capturing the War Moon."
"What about the Gravity Core I was told about?"
"Ecron's report says that keeping the Core operational consumes a tremendous amount of energy, so it's likely for the Core to be powered down. Since it's a surprise attack, they'll have to power up the Core and then charge it before they can use it against us. The power up sequence takes about five minutes, and the charging another five, giving us 10 minutes to neutralise the stationed fleet."
"10 minutes? That's cutting it a little close, isn't it?" Eefrit commented.
"It should be more than adequate," Yuno reassured, "In the worst-case scenario, if they do get to use the Gravity Core, we have another five minutes before they can use it again. Besides, Koshiir Ra's distortion field ought to protect us from harm."
"Well, I hope you're right about Koshiir Ra," Eefrit muttered worriedly, "Is Kiir ready?"
"I've told the fleet that we'll be jumping in a few minutes. Kiir ought to be coming in anytime now…"
As if on cue, the communications channel buzzed into life.
"Kiir here, coordinates have been transmitted to the Grand Core, we may jump at any time."
"Good, stand by for jump anytime now. The Core is operating fine, right?"
"I've done whatever checks I could from here, the rest we'll only know once we enter hyperspace. Don't worry, Karan will monitor the quantum waveform from the Sajuuk. Should the Grand Core malfunction, she'll immediately sustain the jump with the Three Cores."
"Excellent. Eefrit?"
"Pride crews reporting in, we're ready."
"Alright then. Yuno to fleet, stand by for hyperspace transition to the Fields of Plaz."
The Koshiir Ra glowed dimly as it brimmed with quantum energy, a loud hum resonating through the fleet as the quantum wavefronts prepared to open before every ship there was.
"Yuno to T-MAT fleet, you won't be following?"
"We will go our separate ways, but we shall return when the time is right."
"Very well, good luck to you."
"And you too, Custodians."
The resonating hum peaked as the hyperspace windows sprang open, consuming the entire fleet as the paper-thin wavefronts swept through the ships.
Onboard the Merciless, hyperspace transit:
"Admiral, we are travelling through hyperspace at 35 000 000 c, we will arrive at the Fields in approximately 3 minutes' time."
"That's definitely not the Grand Core's maximum capacity," noted Ecron, "They're being very cautious it seems?"
"Naturally so, they've only just installed the Core on the Koshiir Ra."
"I see," Ecron acknowledged as he checked the Merciless' system reports once more. Unexpectedly, he saw that the communications array was still not fixed.
"Great," Ecron muttered as he opened a channel to Engineering, "Engineering, I thought you've fixed the communications array?"
"Sir, we ran a series of checks on the array and its circuitry. We found nothing, no electrical leaks, no malfunctions, nothing."
"Nothing? Then why is the array still operating beyond 80 percentwhen no one's doing any sort of communication around here…"
A horrifying thought hit Ecron. He recalled his technical training about innate ship systems, that communications systems sucked up a lot of power when transmitting long range phased telemetric signals. Such signals could not be picked up even with advanced proximity sensors if they were configured in a new method discovered by Imperial scientists, and Merciless was specifically built to use the new phased telemetric system.
Tapping a few buttons, Ecron accessed the Merciless' communications system. Sure enough, the computer told him no one was using phased telemetry at the moment. Unless…
He attempted to shut down the array temporarily, but the message that came next confirmed his worst fears.
"Unable to comply. Proper authorisation required."
"Damn it!" Ecron yelled in frustration, "People, we've been compromised! There's an insider beaming critical information to the War Moon fleet! Communications, get a message to the Hiigarans right now! Security, scour every computer access point for the hacker!"
The response was quick and efficient. Within moments, klaxons were wailing as the Merciless went into emergency lockdown mode. Security teams flooded the corridors, searching for the traitorous officer.
"Sir," the communications officer exclaimed frantically, "We've been locked out of the communications systems! We can't get a message through to the Pride!"
"I don't care if we've been locked out," Ecron spat back, "We need to stop this jump right now!"
"Admiral, sensors indicate we will be exiting hyperspace in 30 seconds," reported the NAV officer.
"Sajuuk damn it!" Ecron cried as he brought his fists down angrily, smashing his console to bits, "They're going to be prepared for us right now…"
"Admiral, this is security team Epsilon, we have apprehended the hacker, attempting to restore communications…"
"I want communications back NOW! Helm, how much time?"
"15 seconds."
"Epsilon team!"
"We're working on it sir, we need more time…"
"That is something we do not have at the moment," Ecron blasted back, gazing nervously at the countdown timer. The seconds were ticking by furiously…
"… We've got it, communications restored!"
"Thank the Maker," Ecron uttered, "Admiral Ecron to Kiir Sjet, do you read?"
"Sir, we're exiting hyperspace!"
"DAMN IT!" Ecron yelled as he watched the viewscreens flicker at the transition to realspace. Moments later, the inky black void of normal space was before them. A massive shudder gripped the Merciless almost instantly.
"Admiral, we are under attack by the War Moon fleet!"
"Ecron to all ships, fire at will!" Ecron yelled urgently. His fleet responded immediately, returning fire. Seconds later, the Hiigaran fleet opened fire as well to cover the rest of the fleet which was still emerging from hyperspace.
"Emergency alert! Admiral, sensors are picking up an energy spike from the War Moon!" cried the sensors officer.
"What? Get us a lock on that…"
The bridge dropped a few metres as the Merciless was hit by a mighty shockwave. Consoles sparked and several officers were thrown against the bulkheads. Ecron was barely able to maintain his footing, gripping a chair tightly.
"Damage report!"
"Some internal feedback damage, we weren't hit…" came the reply.
"Then who was?"
The officer tapped away at his console furiously, then stared agape at what he saw. A glare from Ecron told him to transfer the image to every viewscreen there was on the bridge.
Ecron stared as the viewscreens flickered into focus, and was horrified by the sight before him.
The proud Hiigaran command ship Faal Corum was now a mangled, burning wreck in space.