ISSUE 19: INTERDICTION
The prisoners have escaped. The arrival of the Eternal Empire was staged.—Agent Nines
I made sure our dear Ren had extra supplies. It's amazing what one can hide in that old corpse. The Arcane Order, what have you been up to dear Ta’mathon?—J’anu Urraden
Through a dark mirror, I see the world as it crumbles. My hands are not my own.—Hephestus
My arm was still tingling with the onslaught of White’s attack. Yet that wasn’t what I had to protect that day. To set things right, I had to make sure the fleet survived. Even as the reflection of my mother….—Sleeping in Starlight, a memoir of the 23rd century (vol 5)
The Jupiter Rising
Main Deck
T-minus 10 Days
J’ino jerked the Jupiter into evasive action.
The Eternal Empire. It was insanity. They were lean. Two Dagger wings on the fighters with the main cockpit in the rear of the ship. The capital vessels rotated. Their energy rings propelled them forward with a diamond-shaped middle section. A voice rang out, ringing over the coms, no encryption.
“Ahh. So delicious. A place where Ayeer let lives. How Quaint.”
J’ino’s blood boiled. Her twin from her son’s nightmare.
J’ino banked sharply.
>>Get Ready<<
Her mental command swept throughout the secondary fleet. Eddie’s voice rang out over the coms, <
Black’s energy sent a rippled through space.
*****
It was hideous. A pulsating brain flew as the control chip for those fighters. Cloned from Urraden material. Doc pointed, <
It yowled. >>AYEEER!<<
Followed by black speech spilling from its mouth.
A burst of black energy speared the ship. Sending it careening into an asteroid.
Dexter said, >>Let White loose. Without the corruption within the wound to hinder her…<<
Doc gasped. White’s outline pulsated around me. A mirror to my brother’s form.
Black shouted, “Engage!”
Her essence flowed through me. Many aboard those ships weren’t real. They had no soul. A few oily shapes prickled at the edge of my senses. Ta’rammon and his mate. I dove towards the enemy. Their ballistics and lasers bounced off harmlessly. I would not let them hurt my friends or my family. The Elder ones were finally revealing themselves on purpose.
Tarkanan had not resided within Eden but between Universes.
Doc said, <
White and Black wanted the enemy to know they lived. But why now?
*****
Doc watched updates from the Bailey. She had access to a fair amount of the Arcane network. At least temporarily. One message flashed. Her belt provided her with precision defense. It was familiar with Eternal Empire tech already. Her future. His past. She dared not mutter his true name here so his code name would be Osprey.
Osprey noted, <
Doc caught up to Star as she smashed through the main line of Empire forces.
Bits of metal flowed around her like a second shield.
Her union circlet was hidden by the crown of black antlers.
Eliza aimed one powerful kick at the boarding section of the ship. Barreling through its defenses like paper. Black and White were on a timer. They had immense power but it was regulated by Dexter and Eliza’s stamina. Osprey said, <
Doc scrambled to keep up. Eliza didn’t have time.
*****
Every part of my body tingled. Energized beyond anything I had ever felt.
I burrowed deeper into the capital Enteral battleship. White lashed out at the spinning disks in the main engine room. Knocking three of them off base. Alerts sounded throughout the compartment. I clutched my head and everything came back into stark clarity. My defender armor was gone. In its place was my regular Banner uniform.
A woman sauntered into the room, “Interesting. You do have limits!”
Her face was mom's. The eyes a piercing crimson color.
I remained near the opening I had torn in the ship. It had interrupted the Black Scrawl protective wards. She clapped. A slow mocking sound. “That will make things a bit harder but you were never the goal my dear.” She winked.
I hissed as a small golden orb about the size of my thumb pierced my neck.
I should have been able to grab it. Or hear it.
Then a force propelled me out into space. My eyes widened.
I couldn’t breathe.
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I barely managed to paw at my throat as the oxygen was pulled from my lungs.
My only regret wasn’t telling everyone that…..
*****
Eliza’s terror hit Doc like a sledgehammer. Lanis opened her Union connection. Then catapulted forward out towards a collection of wreaked Artock Pirate hulls. Her yellow energy encased her captain.
Eliza stared off into the void. Unresponsive.
Doc set them down on a piece of metal. Using her hands to phase through the Banner Unifrom. Messaging life back into Murphy’s heart. This was a far too familiar occurrence but Lorain kept at it. Moments went by then a hacking wheeze erupted from Eliza as she gulped in some air.
>>Guess we were too eager huh? Thanks for the save Doc.<<
Doc replied, //Not quite. We had to be sure the rest of the Unity corruption was gone from the wound.//
Using a secure channel through their Union pieces.
Eliza smiled weakly, >>Cleaner bill of health then?<<
Doc surprised them both by hauling Eliza up into a sitting position and resoundingly kissing her. Then the human pulled them both towards the Alliance barrier. Using debris as cover.
This day would not be for the White Defender.
*****
Dexter channeled Black’s energies. Letting them flow in tiny bursts. Too much and he’d burn out like Eliza just did. But there hadn’t been a viable way to stop them. Black needed White to burn off the remaining energy. It was the only way to be sure the last bit of the Knife had left her system. Ripples of obsidian flowed around him like a second skin.
He opened all com channels, <>
He threw his white trident at the main vessel.
The one with Ta’rammon’s putrid essence emanating from it.
<
He had to buy more time.
The information Ren had stolen had been seeded.
The counter-virus must run its course through the Eternal network.
*****
Ta’rammon brought the ship around. The shields held. Even in the portions that White Defender had demolished. The counter reached zero and that familiar leather-bound face appeared. Inside the personal suite ring of the ship. Alongside a blonde woman of ample proportions. Ren did love her playthings.
The sorceress bowed and marched the other woman before her.
He frowned when 4 golden X icons lit up his main HUD.
He linked in with J’anu, //That Mother of All pest managed to down the Hyper Rings. Estimate?//
Her voice curled around his mind like a vise, >>Nearly fixed. Matter manipulation has its uses. <<
She sent a jolt of pleasure through their Union bands.
>>Buy me 3 more minutes. Then we shall be gone.<<
Ta’rammon set the timer of the glider forces. Living Stone could be made to serve. Unlike Flesh, it wasn’t required for sacred rites.
He considered the vast array of ships glittering in the dark.
“You are wise to hold your fleet back but that won’t save you.”
UEF Battle Sphere 2-99
Outer Rings of the Bailey
Andrew McQuire cursed. “Oh just leave it up to me. I’m Agent Nines. The elite of the Arcane Order. Fucking shite.” His accent became more pronounced as he dashed to the linking module between the sphere and the Bailey. Jennifer Murphy grunted. “All my daughter would say is we need to extract that stone within the sword.”
The dark-haired man pitched forward, his bright blue-gray eyes rolling to the back of his head as he accessed more Weave impressions. Murphy reached out to steady him. He came out of his dazed state and shouted, “We got Living Stone!” He aimed and fired. The ballistics from his hand device streaking outward. Rays of light rippled across the immobile faces of the stone beings.
Their horns dropped to the deck with tiny clicks.
The electrical field emitted by Murphy fried another 4 of the monstrosities.
Over the coms, Eliza Odessen’s light tenor said, <
Jennifer replied, <
Her husband confirmed it via their Union rings, >>Indeed. Bel is now a host for a shard of Unity.<<
There were days when she thought the Weave and by extension the Highest was insane.
This could backfire. In the worse possible way. Ta’mathon’s virus would track the Eternal Empire to its home Universe. Finally giving the Arcane Order a way to find the tablets stolen so long ago. Tablets that were vital to activating the Arc of the Covenant. From Noah himself. Murphy kept re-reading the Bible to find more truth within. The Ark had been the Dreaming Ship. Connecting all the Arcways within the Multiverse. Planting the seeds that the Highest required.
She moved towards the containment room. Flecks of Black Scrawl on the edges of the walls confirmed her worst fears. The magic here was weakened. She growled into her HUD, <
The doorway was pulsed with unholy light. She breathed a sigh of relief when Argus Paxton and O’rioh appeared from the opposing hallway. Their weapons raised.
Paxton said, “First class boom incoming.”
*****
Ren vomited as the ship’s grav links went offline.
Bel hooked her feet into the anchors along the walls. The thing within Bel smiled coldy. Unity danced along the nerves of the woman’s spine. She no longer required this body. He would find the boy. Warp it into a proper host. Rivaling the power that the Highest had granted its pawns. They would prove useful. Bel hadn’t even realized the extent of her demi power.
Pheromones.
Unity could make anyone like it with this body. Not just base physical reactions. It could lull the enemy into revealing secrets. By just exerting the right scent. It was quite delicious. Even now it soaked Renenutet with a high dose of friendship. Not the kind of friendship that led to weakness. No, it reinforced the paranoia surrounding the shriveled corpse.
Trust only me.
I will serve you.
Always.
Unity handed its pawn a cloth, “Let’s make ourselves presentable shall we?”
Flesh filled the skeletal form of Ren. Her hair darkened to a blue-black sheen. Her copper eyes flashed on Bel’s lips. “Good. You know your place!”
Unity bowed. “Indeed. Mistress.”
It had waited so long to find someone from Eden.
The demi bodies of that universe were so delicious.
Anything else would be mere ash to its palate.
Now to find out what jewels Set had hidden.
He was being far too careful even under compulsion.
*****
Ren shivered. Bel’s deep blue-green eyes pulled at every part of the Sorceress.
Hypnotic. It would be so easy to tear her open and study. Her hand clenched on her golden knife hilt as the blonde moved in. Trailing a finger down Ren’s chin.
“Not yet.” The words held a dark promise. The mummy replied, “Later then.”
Bel exited. Leaving a heavy-lidded Ren behind.
Pain rolled through her hips. Reminding her of her withered womb.
Ren howled.
*****
J’anu shivered. That thing wore a woman’s skin.
Yet it controlled them all. She raced along the corridors. Not giving Ta’rammon time to breath. She shoved him into the transporter rings. Breaking away from the leading ship as a rat flees a skinning vessel. She hissed, “Unity walks among us.” Ta’rammon paled. Even through his coppery skin. He replied, “Convergence. We must warn your father.”
She reached out and gripped his hand with her left. Bringing it to her lips.
They would survive. Let Eden burn. The small golden orb hovered.
Drinking in the DNA of the White Bearer.
It stated, “Match found. Tablets of Noah.”
J’anu groaned. “We must make for Eden. I hear Chronos will make a party of it soon.”
Ta’rammon frowned. His golden rings clinking as he stroked his beard.
The Tablets had mentioned the Bearer. He sent a marker off into the void. It would find its way to Lord Urraden. A great wave of energy blipped on the radar. He smiled coldly.
“I do hope that inconvenienced Unity.”
Set’s information had been accurate after all. It would consume them all.
After it had its way with Eden. The prized jewel of the Highest.