Star People

Chapter 55

Return of the Planet Ravager

July 3^rd, 15 AE

Vados Continent, one minute before the destruction of the Naran Royal Palace…

The Missouri’s bridge…

“Captain! I’m detecting high levels of positron energy with the exact signature of a Planet Ravager!” Ensign Taichen cried out.

“What?! Where is the signature coming from?!” Mark immediately bolted up from his chair. His Second and Third-In-Command did likewise.

“The signal is coming from Deriaton One!”

“How certain are you?” Harken asked anxiously.

“One hundred percent, Sir! There’s no possibility we could mistake a signature like that!”

“Damn it all, the Council was right!” Mark growled. “RED ALERT! SHIELDS UP, ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS!”

The sirens began blaring all over the ship, causing everyone to drop whatever they were doing and go to battle station positions.

“Send a signal to all Free Land vessels and to the Batarra! Alert all Atlans and allied vessels as well!” Reelan addressed the communications officer. “We are on full red alert! The Planet Ravager is active!”

“Aye Commander!” Lieutenant Visera replied as she began sending out messages.

“Captain! Deriaton One is turning its guns towards the coastline!” Gatsbu cried out.

“What?!”

“I’m reading a massive buildup of psion energy equivalent to one of our secondary pulsar guns! Captain, they’ve opened fire!”

The entire bridge crew watched in horror as twin beams of magical death streaked through the air and hit the Royal Palace of Naran. There was a massive explosion, followed by a mushroom cloud and an earthquake as the buildings near the palace were leveled. In that one moment in time, thousands of people had been either killed or gravely wounded.

It was a scene that was very similar to what they had witnessed three years ago, when the Planet Ravager obliterated the capital city of Euracon.

“Lieutenant Visera! Open all channels and try to contact government of Naran!” Mark commanded.

“Yes Sir!” The Kyteeri officer turned back towards her station, and then picked up something on her earpiece. “Captain, I’m receiving several distress calls! They’re coming from… Deriaton One!”

“What? We’re actually getting distress calls from that makeshift Planet Ravager?”

“Yes Sir! I’m receiving several hundred signals from personal emergency transmitters. Oh… goddess! They’re saying that the ship is transforming and is killing the crew!”

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One minute after the ship had destroyed the Royal Palace…

The bridge of Deriaton One was deathly silent after witnessing the destruction of the Royal Palace and the devastation of the capital city. There had been several attempts to contact the Emperor but their efforts were in vain as they received only static. There was only one conclusion they could draw from the lack of response.

Emperor Shenshirine was dead.

And things got worse.

“Captain, I’m receiving reports from all over the ship! The ship… is transforming!”

“What?!”

“The crewmembers are saying that various parts of the ship have begun changing shape! What’s worse, the ship is rejecting all commands and is now attacking the crew!”

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Deep within the insides of Deriaton One, the halls echoed with the screams of the desperate and dying. On the floor were several corpses, nearly all with large puncture wounds and dismembered body parts. They would eventually be absorbed into the vessel and used as raw materials.

No sooner had the ship turned against its masters and fired on the Naran Royal Palace, that the Cryterian circuits began the gruesome task of ridding their new host body of the inferior organics.  The interior of the ship began to shift and change shape as control panels disappeared and more Cryterian circuitry etched themselves into the walls. Crew members who tried to stop the process were immediately killed as crystal spikes emerged and impaled them. Sharp, bladed protrusions also appeared to slice anyone who tried to flee. And much to the horror of the crew, using magic simply made the renegade Deriaton One even stronger.

In less than two minutes, nearly half of the entire compliment of officers and enlisted people had been slaughtered. Only a scant few had managed to escape through the exit hatches and jumped into the water, using levitation spells to slow their descent as they splashed down. The rest fought hard to try to get the ship back under control, but they soon saw that it was a lost cause. Those who didn't make it to the escape hatches crowded into the escape pods.

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Deriaton One’s bridge…

At this point, the captain received had enough reports and realized that it was futile. As much as it pained her to lose the ship after its refit, she had to save what remained of those under her command. She then gave the final order over the PA system.

“All hands, abandon ship! I repeat, all hands abandon ship!”

No sooner had she sent out the order, the bridge began to change color and transform. The helmsman screamed as a crystal spike came out from the console and impaled her through the chest. Having no time to mourn for the sudden loss of one of her bridge crewmembers, Retora signaled to the rest to abandon their stations and head for the nearest escape routes.

There was another scream as her communications officer was ripped apart by several bladed protrusions that came out from the wall behind her. Two more junior officers died as tentacles emerged and crushed them to death. With only her navigator, First Officer and three ensigns still alive, Retora closed the hatch behind her and activated the bridge’s escape pod. Fortunately, the pod had not yet been affected by the Cryterian transformation and separated itself from the main body of the ship.

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On the Missouri…

“Captain, I’ve just detected several escape pods ejecting from the bridge and main body of Deriaton One!” Gatsbu announced. “And I’m also reading several dozens of crewmembers who jumped into the water!”

“Begin rescue and recovery operations immediately!” Mark commanded. “Are there any survivors still aboard that ship?”

There was a momentary stretch of silence as the Velor checked the sensor readouts. Finally, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Captain. I’m afraid that all organic life aboard Deriaton One has been… terminated.”

“Damn it!”

“We can’t fire on that monster! It’s too close to the survivors that are still in the water. Not to mention our allies and the other nations’ fleets as well!” Harken stated. At this point, the outside of Deriaton One began to shift as well. All unnecessary surfaces and structures were pulled back, making the overall shape streamlined and efficient.

“We can’t fire on it, but we can shield the survivors from that abomination!” Reelan declared.

“Good thinking, Commander!” Mark agreed. “Helmsman! Prepare to move the Missouri as close to Deriaton One as possible and use the tractor beam to shove that thing back! Once we’re close enough, extend the defense barrier to protect the survivors!”

“Aye, Captain!”

“Captain, the Johnston and several other destroyers have been informed of the situation and are going to assist in pushing the Planet Ravager back! They’ve also informed the other nations’ ships to clear the area.” Visera announced a few seconds afterwards.

“Good old Vikes. Tell him and the other destroyer captains that we appreciate the assistance!”

“Admiral Tarhesse has just scrambled 50 Star Hawks, and 10 Search and Rescue Units to aid in picking up the survivors! The Starfighters will provide covering fire! Their ETA will be 30 seconds.”

“Excellent!” The ship’s captain turned to his First Officer. “Deploy all six of our Search and Rescue Units as well!”

“Acknowledged!” Reelan returned to her seat and gave the orders through her seat’s console.

Mark then turned to his third-in-command. “Begin coordinating with the Johnston and the other destroyers! When we start using our tractor beams, I want them all to be synchronized with the Missouri!”

“Aye, Captain!” Harken also returned to his seat and worked the controls at this console.

“Ensign Gatsbu, get ready to move out!”

“Aye, Captain!”

As the ship prepared to move towards the former Naran vessel, Lieutenant Visera got another message.

“Captain, the Batarra is hailing us! They wish to assist us in the rescue efforts!”

Mark thought for moment before nodded. “All right then. They can coordinate with our Search and Rescue units. However, I don’t want them anywhere near that monstrosity that used to be Deriaton One!”

The Kyteeri nodded as she relayed the captain’s words to the Dwarf Nations’ ship. A few seconds later, she nodded and said, “The Batarra’s captain understands and will comply.”

“All right then! Ensign Gatsbu! Move us out!”

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As the Missouri began to move forward, near the stern, a large hatch opened up on the upper deck. This allowed the Search and Rescue Units to deploy.

Each unit was a like a flying ambulance, and was about half the size of the standard shuttlecraft. Sometimes called a Medic Shuttle, its main propulsion came from twin ion thrusters in the rear and a G-Force nullifier system for hovering. At the front were two grappler arms that various devices and sensor arrays built into them. Their main purpose was to probe and move rubble out of the way during disaster or battlefield scenarios. They had limited combat ability and were mostly for self-defense.

The rear of the Medic Shuttle was a scaled-down sick-bay and could treat up to six people at a time, as well as carry up to fifteen people. For those who were seriously or mortally wounded, they could be placed within a stasis chamber and put under suspended animation until they could be treated later. At the front were the pilot and medic/copilot. The entire vehicle was protected with a layer of hyper-durlenium alloy as well as a defensive barrier. It was also equipped with a hyperdrive and could travel through deep space.

Aboard the unit marked as SR-SBX-01A, Ensign Harry Hendril steered towards the nearest escape pod that was floating on the surface. High above, the mutated Deriaton One began charging up the point-defense weapons on its underbelly, and started taking potshots at him, his fellow S&R units, as well as the surviving Naran crewmembers. Fortunately for Harry and the other Medic Shuttles, they were soon aided from above.

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“Star Hawk Prime to all Star Hawk wings!” Captain Wittens called out as he led 49 other fighters and 10 Search and Rescue Units toward their objective. “We’ve got to draw the Ravager’s fire off the Missouri’s Search and Rescue Units, as well as give our own a chance to get those Naran survivors out! Squadrons Blue, Scarlet and Indigo will come with me and attack the starboard side! The rest will go for the port side while the Search and Rescue Units will join the others in picking up the survivors! All right, all units break and attack!”

The Starfighters split off into two groups and started to attack the Planet Ravager from above. Seeing that it was being assaulted on two fronts, the Ravager had no choice but to cease shooting at its targets below, and concentrate on defending itself from above. This gave the Search and Rescue Units an opportunity to go into harm’s way and pick up the remnants of Deriaton One’s crew.

Inside her escape pod, Captain Retora felt both relief and humiliation as two Search and Rescue Units grabbed hold of her pod and lifted it out of the water. Several more Units landed in the water and began fishing out those who were still bobbing about. To add even more humiliation, the Dwarf Nation ship Batarra surfaced nearby and started to pick up a few of those who weren’t close to an S & R Unit. For the next minute or so, the operation to recover all survivors seemed to go well. However, the Ravager still followed its primary programming and wasn’t about to let them go so easily.

Deciding that the Star Hawks weren’t enough of a threat to stop its primary purpose of killing all organics, the monstrosity once known as Deriaton One resumed firing below at the remaining Naran survivors and their rescuers. Before the scene could turn into a bloodbath again, another force intervened.

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On the Missouri’s bridge…

“Captain, all ships are now in position!” Gatsbu announced.

Mark nodded as he gave the order. “All ships lock onto the Ravager and activate tractor beams on reverse polarity! PUSH THAT BASTARD OUT TO SEA!”

At the bow of the Missouri, panels opened up and revealed the tractor beam emitters. They began firing high-intensity gravity fields on the Planet Ravager. The Johnston and several other destroyers also fired off their tractor beams. The combined effort of the Free Land vessels caused the Ravager to again stop its attacks against the Naran survivors. It began to put up a magical barrier, but that was only giving the tractor beams an added surface to push against. The Star Hawks pulled away out the line of fire and allowed the operation to continue.

Slowly, but surely, the Planet Ravager was forced towards the open water. As soon as it was no longer directly over the Naran survivors and the Rescue Units, the Missouri extended its defensive barrier over them. And then came some more good news.

“Captain! I’ve finished the analysis on the Planet Ravager’s hull and overall structure!” Taichen stated. “Even though I am detecting a large amount of Cryterian circuitry and energy emissions, the ship’s structural integrity does not equal that of a genuine Planet Ravager’s.”

“So the Council was right.” Harken said with smirk. “It’s nothing but a knockoff of the real thing.”

“Knockoff or not, it’s still considered a dangerous threat to this world and must be eliminated at once!” Reelan stated as she turned to her husband. “And since its structural integrity isn’t the same as a real Ravager’s, then that means… ”

“We can damage it with our weapons directly.” Mark said as he glanced at the tactical display on the main holo-viewer. “Lieutenant Visera. Send a message to all of our forces! Once we’ve pushed the Planet Ravager far enough away from the Vados continent, we are to open fire with anti-proton beams! Also send a message to all Starfighters to prepare for a full-scale assault if necessary!”

“Yes, Captain!”

“We won’t be using the Neo-Proton Wave Gun?” His First Officer asked.

“It’s far too excessive in atmosphere.” Harken stated. “Even at low power, the Missouri’s Wave Gun could annihilate a continent.”

“Exactly my thoughts.” Mark affirmed as he watched the Planet Ravager being pushed out of Naran territorial waters. At this point, there was no need to continue protecting the Search & Rescue Units as the Ravager was focusing all of its energy to resist being forced out of the area. As a result, Ensign Hendril and the others were able to save all the surviving Deriaton One’s crews. In fact, Hendril’s unit was the first to return to the Missouri with five passengers, which included Captain Retora.

For the former commander of Deriaton One, it had been quite humiliating to be forced to abandon ship, and then be rescued by her rival. She still held quite a grudge against the Missouri after the Zedan war. After boarding the ship, she demanded to be taken to the bridge, but due to currently fighting her former vessel now turned into a Planet Ravager, this demand was ignored.

On the bridge, Mark nodded as the Ravager had been successfully pushed far enough away from the Vados continent that the Free Land forces could go on the offensive.

“All ships, prepare to shut down tractor beams and open fire with anti-proton guns on my signal… five… four… three… two… one… drop beams and… OPEN FIRE!”

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The Missouri and the other Free Land ships swiveled their main guns towards the Planet Ravager and opened up with a salvo of blue-white beams of destruction. Though not as powerful as the Missouri, the Johnston and the other Vanguard-class destroyers were still able to lay down enough firepower to devastate a large country.

In response, the Planet Ravager put up its mystical barrier and was just barely able to withstand the initial barrage. The Cryterian menace then suffered some damage as the Missouri let loose with a follow-up salvo. The mystical barrier failed as the second shots were at a higher intensity and plowed into the port side of Deriaton One, tearing into the hull and causing a series of explosions.

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“NO! YOU CAN’T DESTROY DERIATON ONE!” Retora shouted as she and the other Naran survivors watched from the Main Observation Deck.

“Please calm down, Captain Retora.” Ensign Nehat said in a soothing tone. He had been assigned to explain things to the former Naran vessel’s crew. “I’m afraid there is no other option. What you are seeing is not Deriaton One, but a Planet Ravager. Your ship no longer exists. In its place is a killer of worlds and it must be destroyed!”

“But that is one of the Ancient Relics of the First Ones! It’s the pride of Naran!”

“Not anymore. It has been permanently corrupted by the Cryterian circuits that your engineers put into it. And in accordance to General Order Seventy-Five, all Cryterian technology is to be destroyed without question. If the anti-proton guns don’t do the job, then the air strike will.”

“AIR STRIKE?!”

“I’ve just received word that the fifty Star Hawks have been joined by an equal number Byattas from the 251^st Heavy Fighter Wing. They’re en route and will begin firing their missiles at that Planet Ravager in 30 seconds.”

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On the bridge, Mark growled as the Planet Ravager managed to withstand a third barrage from the Missouri’s Pulsar Guns and those of the destroyers. Despite not being a genuine Planet Ravager, the former ship known as Deriaton One was a tough bird to kill. He was considering firing the guns at full power, when he received the message that the Starfighter strike force was preparing to launch their anti-ship missiles.

“All ships cease fire and pull back!”

At that moment, the Planet Ravager let off a surge of energy and a high-frequency sound that momentarily scrambled all sensor arrays and communication lines. Everyone on the bridge screamed in pain as the sound was akin to scraping nails across a chalkboard.

After recovering from the sudden screech of noise, Mark stood up. “What that Hell was that?!”

“Captain!” Visera called out. “That was some kind of distress signal coming from the Planet Ravager!”

“A distress signal?! What the Hell was that thing calling out for help to?!”

A few moments later, the communications officer received another series of messages from the Vados continent.

“Captain! I’m now receiving reports of two more Planet Ravagers emerging from Naran!”

“SAY WHAT?!”

To be continued…