Fallen Kings

by Trail of Spores

The last Ketch belonging to the House of Kings has been overrun. Overtaken by SIVA and its abominations. With their Kell dead, the last Baron aboard gathers what survivors he can and makes a desperate bid to destroy the Ketch, depriving SIVA of their prize.. He never could have imagined what the result of doing so would be.

Chapter I

Abhorrent

The Eliksni, or as most other races in the galaxy knew them, the Fallen. A bipedal race of Alien creatures that carried weaponry capable of cleaving through most things without much fuss, be it their terrible Shrapnel Launchers that would riddle their foes, to the shock blades that their officers carried. Capable of slicing through shields and armor, cleaving through whatever they were protecting. As cunning as they were deadly, they were not to be trifled with. And although their presence in the system had diminished in comparison to other factions, they were still a concern... The Battle of the Twilight Gap being one of the greatest examples and warnings of what could happen should the scattered houses ever unify. The Eliksni were a dangerous race, without many scruples nor reservations... It almost seemed fitting that the Fallen aboard a certain Ketch would face a foe that had neither of those things to begin with.

Even on the exterior of the large spacefaring craft, there were visible signs that certain things were not as they should be. For instance, multiple tendrils of some unknown metallic red material scoured the outside of the ship. A sight that, at this point in time, was well known and was cause for great concern and action. And on the interior of the ship, the situation was not a bit prettier. The SIVA tends to do that to anything it can get its corruptive tendrils around, and this Fallen Ketch was no exception. The inside of the ship was nearly crawling with how infested it was, and with multiple Fallen bodies littering the floor, it did not take a scholar to figure out how bad the situation had gotten for the Fallen aboard the ship. What few of them remained alive, at least... SIVA and it's pawns had completely and utterly overrun the forces aboard the Ketch. Even the Kell, the leader of all those aboard, had been killed... Although he was one of the first to be swarmed, and had managed to post a masterful final stand in the bridge of the Ship alongside what brave and zealous Fallen stood at his side. The ship was lost, that much was clear to see. But.. That did not mean that there were no survivors still aboard. And of course, being the conniving and vengeful race that they were, the last remaining Baron aboard the Ketch had no intention of allowing SIVA to escape with their Bounty. And judging from the sounds of electrified steel cleaving through flesh and metal, he was very feverish in his desire to reach his destination.. The Warp Drive. The singular remaining Baron on the Ketch, Baron Drolvis, showed signs of wear. His armor was singed and damaged in places, and his breathing was ragged as he cut through the SIVA Dregs in his path. His Arc shields had gone down long ago, and had not been given a chance to recharge. But he was slowly approaching his Goal, which he was sure that SIVA was jealously guarding... But he did not falter in spite of this fact. After slaying an opposing SIVA Captain via quite literal 'Disarming', he took heaving breaths before continuing his march ahead. Near slamming his Shock Broadsword into it's scabbard. It was not unheard of for higher ranking Fallen to carry Shock Swords, but his own had a bit of a shorter blade, but was much wider and armed with two edges. He found the usage of one sword to be much more rewarding and fluid, but did not deny the efficacy of using twin Shock Blades in spite of that. Reaching over his back to grip his Shrapnel Launcher, he made his way forward with flames occasionally spitting from the four barrels of his weapon. And on his cape, he bore the insignia of the House of Kings... The last Ketch of their House was about to be destroyed by his own hand. Drolvis kept moving forward towards the Warp Drive, having long lost communication with the crew of his Skiff. He had assumed them to be either Dead or simply lacking methods to respond to him. So he was quite pleased to see that, after opening a door, he was greeted with the sight of his most trusted Captain skewering a SIVA Vandal on both of his blades. Captain Yirlin, the second in command of Drolvis and someone that the Baron held a modicum of respect for. Ensuring that there were no more of the SIVA abominations coming upon them, Drolvis approached his Captain and addressed them in the native language of their race.

"Yirlin.. Its fortunate that you still live. I had assumed the worst when I had heard no response from both you and the others of our Skiff." He spoke authoritatively, his voice carrying a sort of presence that couldn't be matched by many other Fallen. Yirlin had always proven to be more reliable than other Captains he had assumed command of, and this was likely due to his Yirlin carried monumental respect for his Baron, as opposed to fear or jealousy. After all, the position he was in was coveted greatly by the Captaincy.

"As did I, Baron. When the communications began to fail, I was forced to assume control of what remaining lives we had in our unit. Unfortunately, I witnessed the majority of our number meet their end. And those I didn't see die, I can only imagine that they have met the same fate elsewhere or will in the near future. I doubt greatly any others of our own Skiff still live, but there is a chance those from other Skiffs have managed to survive.. As long as they haven't gone to the Bridge, may the Kell and all those who guarded him rest in peace." Yirlin reported with purpose and strength, despite the situation they had found themselves in. Drolvis let out a heavy sigh.. The Kell had suffered an unfortunate fate, but they were not going to die in his trail. What had transpired at the Bridge would not be forgotten by Drolvis for some time, but now was not the time to ponder on such things. He walked past Yirlin, who moved to follow his right flank as they walked through the red halls of the Ketch.

"I'm sure you know my intentions, Yirlin." He spoke without looking his way, and he received a nod from his Captain that he did not see. Nevertheless, he continued on. "Our Skiff still remains in the Hangar, and Earth still remains below us. I find it possible that we could escape with our lives, however I would not count on it.. After all, nothing is certain in trials such as these." Once again, his Captain let out an understanding nod. This was one of the things that Drolvis appreciated most about his Captain: He didn't object. Whether that be out of the Captain feeling as though the Baron was correct in his statements or plans, or if it was out of some sort of loyalty, or even some other reason. He did it, and it pleased the Fallen Baron.

"Of course, I understand what we are doing. I only hope that they find no way of escaping their fate.. Doubly so those abhorrent beings that dispatched our Kell, wherever they may be." Yirlin spoke with a dangerous chatter to his voice, and Drolvis shared his resentment. He wasn't certain how their Kell had died, if it was through swarming or if an enemy of strength too great had appeared. But he hoped that, at the very least, they died in this explosion.

But of course, there couldn't just be a simple walk to the Warp Drive ahead of them. They soon encountered another section of SIVA's creations, who curtly screamed in unnatural tongues at the sight of both the Baron and his Captain. Chattering lowly in response to their cries, the pair drew their weapons. Drolvis his Shrapnel Launcher, and Yirlin his Shock Rifle.. The attack came. Suspiciously, the section of SIVA soldiers had divided their forces, with a Captain of some deviation charging down an adjacent corridor alongside some Dregs to face a foe not known to the Pair. All the while the remaining Vandals and Dregs charged forth towards the Baron and Captain, intent on rending their bodies limb from limb.. Well, they would find no purchase in this endeavor. Their projectiles met the shields of the pair, and the projectiles fired by the pair of Fallen tore through their unshielded enemies. Shock bolts pounded SIVA metal into slag and charred flesh, while bits of unforgiving shrapnel turned the bodies of their enemies into shreds of flesh and scraps of disfigured metal. Their foes had fallen quickly in the corridor that they ran down. In spite of that, however, the sounds of combat continued on in the hallway that the SIVA Captain had charged down. The sounds of close combat struggles as well as the occasional blast from what sounded like a Shock Pistol suggested that there was a very much close range fight occurring. And upon rushing down the hall and turning the corner, they could see that it was the case. A pair of Vandals and a single Dreg were locked in fierce combat with the Captain and his one remaining Dreg. The other two that had gone down the hall with him were lying dead, one with a smoldering hole punched clean through his torso and the other riddled with smaller arc blasts. The former must have been the work of a Wire Rifle, and the latter the same Shock Pistol they had heard earlier. As it stood, the two Vandals were engaging the Captain in close combat, while the Fallen and SIVA Dregs were locked in animalistic CQC, the Fallen Dreg recieveing a pummeling from his SIVA infected foe before his shock dagger found a bounty in the shoulder of the enemy. The Vandals seemed to be gaining the upper hand as well, one firing a Shock Pistol into the enemy, as the Wire Rifle he held in his off hand served null purpose at such close range. His ranged assault was complimented by the other Vandal, who was wielding his own pair of Shock Blades and engaging the SIVA Captain in a clash of steel. On his body seemed to be functioning cloaking gear, suggesting he was of higher skill than his partner. Both the Vandals and the Dreg seemed to be in horrid condition, armor worn and burned. The Vandal wielding the Shock Pistol seemed to have a heavy laceration on one of his under arms, but it had not been completely cut from his body. The other two seemed to be in poor condition, but with no injuries that could inhibit their fighting ability. At least from what he could see...

Drolvis did not want this to end poorly. They were spread unbelievably thin across the ship as it was, and even having these three alive before him was a lucky break. As such, he stowed his Shrapnel Launched and drew his Broadsword, not wanting to hit them with the stray fire that his chosen weapon was so commonly associated with. His Captain remained with his rifle at arms, and took aim at the Captain before firing onto his back. The bolts melted through the cloak of the Captain and slagged the metallic back of the creature, causing it to let out a piercing cry as the Baron approached it.. But it seems that he would not need to, not any longer. The Vandals, taking advantage of the state of their enemy, coordinated an attack to end their foe. Shock bolts from the pistol found a home in the torso of the Captain, before the second Vandal drew his blades high and swung downward, rending metal and bone as he cleaved through the Captain. Dropping his now split body with the simultaneous attack. With the SIVA Captain dead, Drolvis turned to the Dreg to find that he had also won his bout. His shock dagger sticking out from the SIVA Dreg's forehead like a mast, before he pulled it free and stood. The Baron was surprised to see that the Dreg hadn't managed to let himself get killed, a sentiment shared by his Captain as he flanked him and came to his right side. With a short time of respite taken by the trio, one of the Vandals came to approach the Baron. The one with the Cloaking Gear, to be precise.

"Baron Drolvis... It eases me to see that you still live, at least." He spoke with a heavy voice, spoken with heavy breaths underneath his mask. The Baron nodded his head at the words spoken to him, and delivered a response after taking a short look around to ensure their temporary safety. He knew well they couldn't rest long.

"It is fortunate that some have survived the SIVA assault, indeed. I intend to misfire the Warp Drive on this Ketch, and take every SIVA abomination aboard with it. You three will follow me, state your name and prepare to move. I will not wait long for you should you decide to slow down, even in spite of your fatigue." The Baron may have been pleased that there were survivors, but they were Vandals and a Dreg. They would need to earn his honest respect for him to start treating them as more than simple rank and file... Something that, after the display earlier, seemed within the realm of possibility. But only within the realm of possibility. After saying this, each of the Three stood and made themselves known to the Baron and Captain by name. Firstly was the Vandal with the Cloaking Gear. At a glance, the Baron could tell he carried Shock Blades and twin Shock Pistols.

"I am Grotkis, trained in stealth operations and espionage." The Vandal before him started, recieving a nod from the Baron. Having someone with this sort of gear and expertise was most useful, to be certain. Next, he made his way over to the Injured Vandal. He held a Wire Rifle in his arms, his Shock Pistol now placed at his side. He also kept a lengthy Shock Dagger on his hip in a small sheath. He could take a guess that this one was a Marksman.

"..Eposkos. I specialize in Overwatch and general Sniping." Nothing that the Baron wasn't expecting. Having a skilled Sniper was a major benefit to any squad that was being watched by them, and he was sure that his skill would not go unused... Providing that they could even make it off here. Lastly, he went to the Dreg.. He grunted at the sight of the skittish thing, but in a situation like this, he wasn't about to be picky.

"Abiskas, Baron.. I've nothing to specialize in, as is the expected standard." It sounded careful with it's words as it spoke to the Baron, as if it knew both it's place and who it was talking to. Making it much smarter than other Dregs he had the misfortune of interacting with, and in some cases the pleasure of eradicating. He glared down at the being for a moment, before turning to his Captain. If the Dreg had managed to survive this invasion, then he probably had something about him that was worth more than a few drops of Ether. However, he would have to wait and see about that before coming to a hard conclusion. He didn't exchange words with Captain Yirlin for the moment, only nodding at him and walking past. Yirlin nodded in return, before turning to the three warriors and letting out a sort of Bark. They quickly fell into line, and walked at the flanks of the Baron.

Five Fallen... Five remained, and their foe of unknown number and strength. It was by sheer luck that they had managed to survive until now, and the Baron could only hope that the Kell and his Contingent had decimated a majority of the enemy in the Battle for the Bridge. But he had no way of knowing.. So he just needed to get to the Warp Drive. The destination that would end this battle. And it would not take long for them to find it...

The crew had finally come upon it. The door that led to the warp room, where they could enact their plan. The Baron took point and opened the Door.. And found that the Bridge was not the only point where a last stand was made. He and his compatriots stepped inside, stepping over the corpses of Fallen and SIVA as he made his way to the Console, a large Fallen body sprawled over it. His chest riddled with black marks from SIVA weaponry, as well as having an excessive number of bladed weapons protruding from his chest. Drolvis stopped at the sight of this, ordering the Vandals to guard the Door, before ordering his Captain and Dreg to sweep the room. They followed his orders without question, and they quickly took up their given roles. Grotkis and Eposkos taking a knee in front of the door while holding out what ranged weaponry they had, while Abiskas and Yirlin sweeped the room to check for survivors or anything that they otherwise did not see.

Drolvis himself.. Looked down at the corpse of the Fallen on the console. It was Baron Volgun, the only other Baron that was present on the ship during the invasion. His eyes had lost their Eliksni glow, and he had very much gone down in a blaze of glory. The bits of SIVA tech and bodies with stab wounds at his feet were evidence alone of this fact. He grabbed the body with both of his large arms, and set it down beside the console. He hadn't time to do much else with him. He then began the process of destabilizing the Warp Drive... This would take some time... The faint sound of the Warp Drive whirring alongside the skittering and mechanical chattering of nearby SIVA forces did not help to soothe the nerves of the Fallen, but they held position. If they could not do this.. Then they would die for nothing.

-Five Minutes Later-

"There... It is done."

The minutes of work were insufferable for the Fallen, but the Baron had finally finished.. The Warp Drive was unstable, and had been set for a firing. The Warp Drive on this Ketch had gone without maintenance for quite a long time, and required some coaxing before it would fire. He estimated they would have six or so minutes to run to the Hangar and board a Skiff. But could they escape the rift in time aboard such a craft? Said Rift was the result of a misfired Warp Drive, at least one of this size. It would implode brilliantly and expand outward for a radius, before sucking back in on itself. Leaving nothing behind. In all likelihood, anything inside would be disintegrated. But nobody had survived one to tell of the results, and nobody would conduct tests due to most Kells being sane. Regardless, he turned to the other Fallen.

"I will be firing the Warp Drive now. I suggest you all stack on the door so as to get out quicker, we will only have six minutes to reach the Hangar by my best estimate." He said loudly, and the Fallen quickly made their way to the Door. However, it seemed Grotkis would have words for him.

"Baron.. Will six minutes be enough to escape?"

Drolvis looked back at the console, and gave his honest answer.

"There is just as much chance that we will be swallowed up in a rift as there is the chance that we will escape. I trust that you will accept this as fact."

He spoke with finality, before he balked his fist and brought it down on the console.. The firing sequence had begun.

The four at the Door scrambled and broke into a run as soon as they could get it open, with the Baron sprinting behind them as they ran as swiftly as their legs could carry them. They would not engage any SIVA forces at this point - it would only drain them of precious seconds, a commodity that was rapidly being drained. Around a corner, they ran. Through a corridor, they stomped over SIVA corpses, the Baron finally having caught up with them as he ran behind them. Yirlin leading their desperate charge for life throughout the Ketch, the next door the opened held a surprise for them.. One that Yirlin ran face first into. A large, floating sphere. Black in coloration and surrounded by a purple aura, it sported a single eye at the front. A Servitor.

"A Servitor managed to survive?... It must have been alerted to the incorrect activation of the Warp Drive and activated.." theorized Eposkos as he walked up to the floating Device, which had now recovered from the collision with Yirlin. Yirlin had also gotten to his feet, and the Baron walked forward before looking down at the Servitor.

"Follow us. The Ketch is doomed." Was all he said, before starting to speed up his walk and return to his sprint. Going past the Servitor and the Fallen, whi quickly sped to join him. The Servitor teleporting over to them as they ran, before slowly gaining speed behind them. Drolvis hadn't been keeping track, but they probably had four or so minutes before the detonation. That only made him speed up, making it difficult for the Vandals and especially the Dreg to keep up with him, although Yirlin was keeping pace fairly well. However, they never lost sight of the Baron, and they eventually did manage their way and made it upon the Hangar.. Where two undamaged Skiffs remained.

"Board the right Skiff, Go!" The Baron shouted. They must have had about three minutes now, and with the breakneck dash that the crew made towards the Skiff, he was starting to believe they would make it. Both Himself, Yirlin and the Servitor teleported up into the Skiff, stretching the range limits of their teleportation just slightly. But they needed every second, and the Servitor quickly got to the helmet and began to begin preflight checks. And once the other three had clamored their way inside through the deployment holes, it sealed those up and started up the oxygen generator. They couldn't have had long now, but the Servitor seemed just as aware of this fact as everyone else did. Because as soon as the oxygen field was up, it gunned the thrusters and rocketed the Skiff out from the hangar. The sudden boost in speed stumbled the unprepared Fallen, but they were not about to complain that they were being brought away from the Ketch...

'We did it.. We managed to get out. Now we just have to hope that it doesnt detonate soon, and that we can escape to Earth.' Drolvis thought, looking quite relieved. An expression and sentiment that was shared by all those aboard the ship.. But of course, the watchful eye of Death was not so kind as to let people cheat him. There was an ear-shattering.. Sound. It wasn't a boom, or a crash. It more sounded like something reverberating off of walls.. And it was loud. A bright flash enveloped the Skiff in a near instant, and the Fallen felt as though they were being torn apart by the molecule.. For a scarce second.

After a bit of time, it looked as though nothing was ever there. The Ketch, the Debris, the singular fleeing Skiff.. Gone, all of it.

...But not dead. Most certainly not dead.

Location: Unknown

Time: Unknown.

Abiskas was the first to wake.. His gaze was blurry, but he slowly gathered himself. He looked at one of his hands to find himself uninjured, at least from... From what had just happened. Didn't they just get swallowed up by a Rift? Shouldn't he and all of the others be dead?.. He looked around the Skiff to make sure that the others were indeed still alive, and despite their unmoving state, he could see their chests moving up and down despite his blurry vision. Indication that they were alive. He slowly pushed himself off his rear, and placed a hand against the floor of the Skiff while another went to his forehead. He stood, and shook his head before looking at the Helm.. the Servitor seemed fine as well, and was still fully active. Although it wasn't flying them anywhere, for some unknown reason.. If they managed to survive, wouldn't the Servitor still be flying them down to the surface of the Planet?

And that's when he noticed.. Looking out the wide canopy of the Skiff, he could see a cloudy blue sky, and upon further inspection, discovered they were in hover above an ocean... So they had already made planetfall? Then why did the Servitor stop? He looked over at the thing to find it staring blankly at the console in front of it, as if the thing was confused somehow. And by taking a look at what it was looking at, Abiskas could understand why.

"This is.. Very confusing.." He said to himself as he looked at a planetary map... Well, what was supposed to be a planetary map. Instead it only had a small section filled in, suggesting this was an unknown planetary body. As well as that, the Moon.. The Moon was in a terrible state. Had the Hive done this? It looked like it had been blown to hell, with chunks of it hanging in what must have been a barely contained gravitational pull. The rest of the moon seemed fine, aside from that..

"..Is this really Earth?"

Nearby

White Fang Bullhead

"Where... What the hell?"

"Is something up?" Argent Steel asked as he pushed his way up to the front of their Bullhead, having heard the shocked voice of their pilot.

"Yeah.. Unknown craft just appeared out of nowhere, like it poofed into existence on the radar.." The Pilot said as he looked at aforementioned Radar, a single blip on the radar screen.

"Huh.. Bring us over to it, maybe Atlas is playing with a new toy." Steel responded, earning a nod from the Pilot. He hummed a bit as he walked back to the holding area of the bullhead. Had Atlas found a way to avoid radar detection? If so, that was a big problem. He'd be all too glad to destroy their shiny new toy before they could work on it..

--

That'll be it for this introductory chapter. I haven't written a fanfic in about a year or so, maybe longer than that. So if I'm rough around the edges I'll probably iron things out eventually.

I was reading back through old material, and I found this idea that I never really fully realized. It seemed like a fun idea, so I wanted to give it a shot to see if anyone liked it. I hope it's not too terrible, but I'm not about to hype the shit out of this. Despite that, I hope you enjoyed reading. Next chapter will probably be out before the end of the year.