Yay here is my next chapter. Thankyou to so much to Camilax for the review I love you!
Though also thankyou to anyone else who read it as well.
You'll find this chapter is where the story starts to get interesting so I hope you like it :D
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from the original series.... I do own my own additions to the story as seen in this chapter though. Woot!!!!
ALL THINGS NEW
Chapter 4: Light and Shadow
Fire fleet commander Flash, of red squadron led his squadron towards the largest of the three fire planets now discovered in this system. This planet was nearly two thirds of the way around past the sun and the furthest planet from where the alliance worlds had entered the system.
The twin worlds of fire and the barren mud world had all been reached by the alliance fleets and secured for exploration and inhabitation but this one being furthest away was yet to be reached so a scouting party had been sent ahead.
From the corner of his eye a glint of reflected sunlight caught his attention, but that didn't make sense, unless… Just then, illuminated in the dying light of a solar flare a stark, vicious outline of a ship flickered in his vision.
"Hostile alert! Scramble everyone!" He called into his comm. system but it was too late for some. Out of the fifteen ships in his squadron six simply vanished in individual fiery blazes as flickers of purple energy arced across space and plucked them out of the darkness.
Glinting in the light of the explosions, three fighters became clear in their attack. It took only seconds for the fire ships to activate their external lighting and targeting computers and begin fighting back. One of the enemy fighters dropped almost immediately but the other two veered away, preparing themselves for open conflict now they had lost their element of surprise.
In the ensuing fire-fight another five of the remaining nine squad ships were destroyed before the two enemy fighters were taken down.
Bringing the tattered remnants of his squad together Flash activated the comm. system to send a message back to the fleet. As he activated it though another ship came into view, larger and more sinister than the fighters it dropped onto them from out of the darkness.
Back on the fire command ship Smoke the only message received was "This is… omg god we're under attack, scramble, scramble everyone! *explosion* I'm hit, I'm hit. *crackle* oh god they're all dead *crackle*…"
*****
Back on planet Ice the council chambers were abuzz with confused conversation and worried looks. Kryos, Graveheart, Tekla, Femur and all the others were there but Pyrus and Lavas were still absent and it had been Pyrus that had called the meeting.
Finally the doors opened and nine pairs of eyes turned to look as Pyrus and Lavas entered. An expectant hush fell as everyone waited to find out why this urgent meeting had been called. Pyrus did not disappoint.
"We have been attacked."
"What?!?!" the response came simultaneously from five different mouths around the room. Raising a hand Kryos stepped forward to address Pyrus personally.
"Are you sure about this? There is no doubt?" Pyrus put his hands on his hips and looked Kryos full in the face, "I think I can tell when my own fleet gets attacked. Tekla can you point the long range sensors towards the sun and project the results here in the council room?"
Tekla nodded and walked over to the control panel where she began to tap quickly. While she was doing this Graveheart came over and asked, "What are you going to show us?" Pyrus looked up before saying, "Just wait and see, you'll understand much quicker that way."
After a moment the room darkened and a holographic image of the system came into being across one side of the council room. From their perspective they could see about half the fleet as well as Bone, Ice and the twin Fires. As they watched they could see the Fire fleet forming up into battle formations around the front edge of the alliance fleet.
"Look over at the sun, that's what's important." As they watched the image focused in towards the sun and small black specks became visible passing around the edge of sun and glinting in the orange light. But then the grand entrance occurred. Appearing slowly from behind the sun, further out than the third Fire planet a great glittering ball of light and shadow, a planet that had previously been hidden behind the sun far out in the system, emerged in all its glory.
"My God" whispered Kryos.
"Our scouting squad sent to check out the last fire planet was destroyed by them, so it seems we are under attack" said Pyrus. Looking around at the council he then asked, "So what are we going to do?"
There was an awkward silence while everyone sort of looked around. Finally Graveheart spoke up, "I think we should try to contact them, try and talk. After all they are just one planet, they can't really want a war with us."
It was at that moment that an alarm went off, on the projection in front of them several red points representing enemy fighters appeared and assaulted a wing of Fire vessels. As it zoomed in it became apparent that a wing of almost forty Fire vessels were being kept busy by just twelve enemy ships. Purple and orange energy blasts flickering across space to cause sudden and brief flashes of light, far outshining the dull red sun behind them.
Just behind this conflict another ship appeared, a vast web like structure stretched out around what was a very small vessel and began to pulsate. Moments later a wash of purple energy spread from the web quicker than the eye could follow and swept through the alliance fleet.
From a single point on ice a faint echo went back to it.
"What in the four worlds was that?" exclaimed Femur.
Before anyone could reply though Tekla's console beeped and she turned to address the rest of them. "It seems we will not need to contact them, they have contacted us."
The battle on the projection in front of them vanished and in its place appeared the face of a very stern person of indeterminate gender, their skin was a pale grey colour and they had black crystalline formations growing from their forehead back.
After regarding them for a moment they spoke, "By the authority of the supreme council of Glass you are accused of trespassing in private space, theft of life and value, exploitation of untended resources and the kidnapping of an imperial person. For these crimes the penalty is death and it shall be delivered to you all by conquest unless you should choose to surrender. If you have not surrendered before the completion of one solar rotation may whatever deity you worship have mercy on your souls."
The face vanished and the projection display returned to a scene of the battle. Of the original twelve enemy ships seven remained and of the forty Fire vessels only thirty one were still flying. As they watched though the enemy fighters formed up around the 'web ship' and they slipped off into the darkness again.
Within the council chambers even Femur was left speechless.
Hmm, personally I didn't much like this chapter... Well I liked the story bit but I don't think I wrote it very well. :(
Ah well there's always next time, it'll get better I swear.
Pyrus: "No it wont, you're making the bad guys attack my people, seriously didn't we have enough problems in the original series?!?!?"
Me: "But, but, it's not my fault. You were the greedy one who went for 3 planets."
Pyrus: "Yeah that you gave us. You knew I wanted a home for my people again."
Lavas: "You know you don't have to beat up on the author, it is only chapter four."
Pyrus: *sigh* "I know." *turns to me* "You'd better be nice though"
Me: ....
Ahem, anyway random discussions with myself aside I hope you liked it and please, please, please review :D