“This is Staff Sergeant Aderson, Charlie Company. Our position has completely been overrun. I repeat the second defensive line has been breached. our position has completely been overrun. We are unable to reseal the gap, and it is pinned within our bunker complex. Requesting reinforcements.”
“Negative. To all Commands, all reserved have been deployed. The Command Post has been attacked and is currently repelling hostiles. To all commands, hold your positions and repel all enemy hostiles.” – 5th Ranger Actual
“They are coming out of the goddamn ground and surrounding us! Rifle fire is ineffective! Whatever these monsters are, our weapons are ineffective. Use the rocket!” – Staff Sergeant Taylor
March, 5th, 2048 (Military Calendar)
Temple of Indolass, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie
Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore
*****
Hearing the carnage outside the medical tent, the Templar, Natilite, turned and saw a wounded soldier being brought into the tent.
She saw one American soldier lying on the ground. While she couldn't understand what he was saying, from her experience, it was that he was begging for his mother. Within his chest was a flechette sticking out. Many of its armor plates were scared, absorbing the enemy projectiles; however, it seemed it finally gave out.
A female healer, whom these people call a medic, pulled out the shroud. In contrast, another medic injected the same fluid that was injected into her at Salva. The medic, Sergeant Marcos Gonzales from the Comanche team, is called Bio-Sponge, injecting micro-sponges to fill the gap within a puncture, stopping internal bleeding.
The soldier let out a howling scream as the Bio-Sponge was injected into the wound, sealing it. Natilite understood the feeling as she recalled it earlier that day. The nerves of her body are still aching from her injection.
Seeing the soldier, Natilite stood and then kneeled by the soldier's side, grabbing his face, and forcing him to face her. "Shh..., focus on my voice. It is okay. In a moment, everything will be calm once again."
The Ranger slowly stopped struggling and calmed himself, staring at the Valkryie woman. While she knew the man had no idea what she was saying, her smooth voice had the desirable effect. This allowed the two medics to finish patching him up. The soldier mumbled something about an angel and a light; however, she did not understand the terms.
The female medical officer said something; however, the Valkyrie couldn't understand. Based on the tone, though, the woman seemed appreciated. However, the tone shifted, and the woman became annoyed, pointing toward an empty bed.
Based on her conversation with the Comanche medic and the early treatment when they had a translation amulet, she already knew what the medical officer was saying. She complained that she was not lying in bed because of her wounds. It became apparent that these Altaerrie needed to understand a Templar's abilities, genetically modified to be the great warriors of these lands.
To stop the nagging, Natilite raised her hand to warn the woman to stop and headed toward the exit.
Natilite could tell that the medic was going to try to stop her. However, three more wounded entered the already overcapacity tent. Either the medic gave up stopping the Templar or was too overwhelmed to try. Either way, the Templar exited unopposed.
She did not have to go far to see the carnage. Standing by the mountain's base, she looked out at the battleground. While it was dark from the magical cloud cover, the surrounding area was light from the weapons of both sides.
To her right, there was a small mortar pod that was on fire with red flame – with a dead soldier on the side and pulling out one of his comrades. To the left, though, three additional soldiers continued to fire their mortars, ignoring the enemy snipers and artillery that was focused on them.
Within the camp, soldiers were resisting the Verliance Aristocracy swarming them. The American frontline seemed to have crumbled, and the enemy was exploiting it. She wondered if this was what it was like when Centurion Fionntan Henness and his Palatini of Orias—were hopelessly defending against such a superior force.
Placing her hand on her wound, Natilite looked up into the sky, seeking wisdom. Unable to see Tekali or her children because of the dark clouds, she wondered for a moment what this would be.
To the Templars' anger, her people had finally found a way to turn the tide—contacting people from another world—one with the power and might to change everything. And yet, before the seed could fruition, all their sacrifices were being undone before her eyes.
"No," Natilite boldly stated as she grabbed her fist. "I am not going to let it end this way. Not when we are this close."
She headed into the mountainside chamber and saw the remaining militia. While still numbering in the hundreds, far fewer than what was extracted from Salva. She knew some were right fighting or fled after reaching here, but the number still shocked her. While she did not know why, they had chosen not to fight. "What are you people doing?"
A Kitsune male stepped forward. "I apologize, Templar, but we did not sign up for this. If we continue to fight, they will not be merciful."
A Lat then approached. "If we stay back and surrender, they might allow us to live."
"Live?" Natilite said. "What lives? Your women and children will be spared, forced to follow the Katra in whatever filth they are placed in. All of you will be publicly executed for having the heart of wanting free determination. This is what you told me when I first arrived in your city. Why did you want to fight? What happened to that passion?"
"After suffering the brutality for following you," the moon elf said.
"The passion evaporated when we all saw the Altaerrie easily defeated in Salva," a Lat said. "They barely put up a fight."
"And now we know that the Bridge was sabotaged," the moon elf stated. "There is no hope for victory. We bleed enough."
"If we beg Kallem, he might forgive us like he had with others," the Kitsune said.
"No," Natilite said. "Not this time. You know the Katra. Execute all the men who draw the sword against them and punish the women. You rose against them; there will be no mercy, especially for cowards like you."
"Cowards?"
The Nagal grabbed the Templar and lifted her from the ground. She then grabbed his arm and twisted it enough to cause enough pain, forcing the human to release her. Once freed, she grabbed the man and rammed him into the wall.
Once the man was no longer a threat, she grabbed him and dragged him to the exit. Once there, she showed him the carnage that was unfolding outside.
Parts of the American base were on fire, with weapon fire spraying everywhere. The ground trembled from the enemy artillery while their ranged fighters sniped from the ridgeline. The enemy infantry poured through holes in the defensive. Destroyed bunkers as soldiers fired desperately against the incoming enemy.
"Do you see that?" Natilite said. "Are you going to stand by and let this massacre happen?"
Dropping the Nagal, Natilite turned to what remained of the Salva militia. "You are right to feel how you feel. Things have not unfolded as promised, but you knew that in advance. Remember what that man said after freeing you. He asked us to cooperate and work together. He took responsibility. In the final moments of our lives, of the fate of Alagore, will you?"
For some reason, her mind went toward the part where Mathew Ryder talked about sacrificing. While she did not understand every aspect of what he said, she clearly understood the emotional message that he was sending. His people have offered.
"We have sacrificed to get to this moment, but they have also sacrificed," Natilite said. "Help me now and join forces under that banner, or stay here and die like cowards. The fate is yours as Tekali is watching you."
She then walked away, seeing no reason to linger in the debate. After exiting the chamber, she witnessed an enemy artillery shell landing next to the motor pod; everyone was confused that there was no explosion. However, as if an alg-base monster had rapidly grown from the ground, a bright brown glow started attacking the nearby soldiers.
The Rangers turned to the new target and fired their weapons. As Natilite expected, they were not affected by dirt body. The Americans had never faced summoning magic before and were not adequately equipped to deal with these threats.
The Templar unsheathed her sword and charged forward. She pressed a clear crystal button on the handle of her long sword, and it turned black as it hardened. The key to defeating these beasts is not to shoot them like you would against a living opponent but to hack them until they are no threat.
Using her superior agility, she passed the alg-base monster, slicing her blade through one of its legs before stopping in front of a Ranger. She then turned and cut her hand before jumping up.
While Natilite's wings were still damaged, she stabilized herself and controlled her landing on the monster's back. The beast danced around before becoming unstable and falling backward. Then, she jumped again as the monster hit the ground. She then landed on it and rammed her sword into its neck, slicing the monster's head off and finally killing it.
Seeing the Rangers' disbelief, she nodded from their gratitude. She then turned toward the battle. The Verliance Aristocracy melee forces were everywhere and attacking the Command Post.
She charged forward, passing many Altaerrie warriors. She saw a group of Vampires entering the command post. Seeing what remained of a ruined wall, she jumped over the ledge, leaped over the tall fence that the Altaerrie built, and entered the command post's heat.
Immediately, Natilite was forced to block an attack from a sword attack. She usually would have overpowered such an opponent. However, she was still weak from her wounds and was pushed against the wall.
The Vampire was about to thrust his sword into the Valkyrie, but one of the Minutemen intervened. The man grabbed the hostile by the arm, stopping the Vampire's momentum, and swung it into the wall before jabbing his knife into the Vampire's neck.
The American moved far quicker than he should have with the type of heavy armor they wore, which made her believe it only boosted their ability and endurance.
Another Vampire appeared and was about to attack the Minutemen warrior; she used her agility. She flew past the soldier, ramming her blade into the Vampire. Seeing that the imminent attackers were neutralized, Natilite looked toward the entrance and saw more Aristocracy soldiers appearing.
Before the Aristocracy soldiers could storm the command post, they turned toward the mountainside before being suddenly attacked by a mob. It was the Salva Militia intervening and pushing the enemy attackers away.
Feeling relieved, Natilie approached the militia and saw the same, Nagal. "Thank you."
"We still need weapons to fight," the Nagal said.
Natilite looked around, grabbed one of the enemy circiletum, and tossed it to the man. "There are plenty of weapons on the ground. Use your hands for those who cannot find a weapon."
Seeing the Salva Militia assisting in securing the interior of the American defense, Natilite knew she needed to reach Comanche to help ensure the exterior of the lines, assuming they were still alive.
The Valkyrie Templar turned to the battleground and started running down the path.
*****
Staring at the open panels at the base of the Bridge, Fraeye Holiadon rested her hands on her head as she struggled to determine what was wrong with the ancient device.
Everything on the device was lifeless, and she and the few remaining scientists looked dumbfounded, as they had no idea what to do. Tensions were high as everyone heard the outside guards fighting the enemy.
Dropping her journal, she stood and said, "I do not know. I said it. I am sorry, but I do not know."
"You were the people who figured all this out," Stone said.
"That was my father!" Fraeya yelled. "He dedicated decades of his life of research to get to this point and even he had a limited knowledge of this. I am not my father; I only have a few months to study everything."
"So," A Guardian said. "We are dead. Whatever they did, the royalty nailed us to the wall."
Fraeya felt the chamber shake momentarily, enough to get everyone's attention. Whatever was happening outside, it didn't sound charming. For her, it brought flashbacks from the last time she heard and witnessed her comrades being slaughtered by the same enemy the Americans were facing.
"We need to inform Colonel Hackett that we failed," The Guardian said.
"No!" Stone boldly said. "That damn officer will then march in here and hand us a gun. I am not going out there to die, so we figured this out. Now, let's back up and figure this out step by step. What is the core problem?"
"The Bridge is lifeless," Fraeya said.
"Correct," Stone said. He stood there carefully, analyzing the device. "Fraeya, we have seen internal components with the device and some of your weapons. Is that common with Magitech, or is it all pixy and fairy dust?"
"I have no idea what you mean by fairy dust," Fraeya replied. She carefully reflected on the question as she ensured the meaning of the strange example.
Fraeya understood that thaumaturgy was absent on Earth, so they had no references to magic or magical-related technologies. To them, magic was fantasy, meaning it had no logic behind it. That was when she realized that she had to speak within their terms. "To answer your question, yes. All Magitech has internal components like your equipment. We use magic to enhance their abilities while manufacturing the tool."
Stone walked over to an open panel and pointed to the internal components. "These look like wires, and they are connected to this box with a crystal in it. That means it channels power and information from one location of the device to another."
"We know that already," another NASA scientist asked.
"My point is that even if they have a different process than we do, there is still a logic chain behind it," Stone said. "What we need to understand is that chain to troubleshoot the problem. If there are wires, then this has to be some conduit. Something has to create or channel all this energy."
As the scientist spoke, Fraeya was reminded of the light switch when she was on Earth. These people were able to summon light without a complex process. "Just like a light switch?"
Stone snapped his figures and looked at the elf girl with a confident smirk. "That is it. That is the problem."
"No way," the Guardian said. "It cannot be that simple? We must plug it back in?"
"It fits," Stone said. "The Bridge looks dead, and the hardware also acts dead. Something like this has to power it. Even the Earth Bridge—we had to attach two SMRs to bring it back to life."
"And it makes sense from the military point of view," the Guardian said. "The enemy was here only a few hours ago, and they would know less about how this works than we do if I assume correctly. That means they would have to work fast. Deactivating the power is the quickest option, especially if they want to claim it for later."
The other NASA scientist approached. "One problem. Do you see an outlet on the wall? I don't."
"This thing has to be drawing power from somewhere," Stone said. "Maybe there is another hidden chamber where the generator is?"
"That is possible, but we would never find out in time." Fraeya then looked around, studying the chamber. "I do have a different idea, though."
"Don't leave us in suspense," Stone said.
Fraeya walked toward the smooth marble-like walls and placed her hand on them. "I agree with you that the Bridge lost power. When we first opened this chamber, everything came alive. Torches sparked, and the Bridge glowed. There is a connection to this place as it draws power from everything around it."
The elf girl then turned toward the Americans. "You said you needed to attach two SMRs, whatever they are. Based on your details, I assume they are a powerful energy source."
"What is your point," Stone asked.
"Everything here came to life," Fraeya stated. It must have some internal energy source. That is a key function of all magitech—some type of battery to draw power from."
"Then why didn't we do that on Earth?" a Guardian asked.
"Because we didn't know about it," Stone replied. "I hate to say it, Fraeya is correct. We developed structures in our world to rely on external energy sources. They might do the opposite here?"
"How the hell would a battery power this thing to that scale?" the Guardian asked. "That is a lot of power for a D-battery."
"Could be similar to a diamond battery," Stone said. "We did travel between worlds, something high tech would need to be used. In theory."
"Diamonds can be batteries?" Fraeya asked, shocked by the revelation.
"That proves that technology isn't known here," Stone said.
"There is a lot of assuming here," another scientist said.
"Agreed," Stone said. "Fraeya, do you recall seeing something that could be a power supply? Something relating to that?"
"We already investigated that," a scientist said before being told to shut up by Stone.
Not being an engineer, Fraeya understood what Stone was asking. The many open journals that covered the ground hosted her father's life work on the Bridge and Altaerrie. She grabbed her journal, which had hand-written and drawn a detailed breakdown of the bridge. "We have been here for months waiting on your people. That gave us plenty of time to map everything out. I am not saying I understand any of it, but it could help."
She turned multiple pages to where they theorized where the power was drawn.
Fraeya stepped on the Bridge foundation and looked around. "When we installed the Orb, this crystal in the center of the platform was the first to activate. We believed that this was the source."
"We already checked that," the Guardian said.
"Then we take it apart," Stone said.
"Are you fucking kidding?" A scientist said. "If we start taking things apart and get it wrong, we are dead."
"Shut up," Stone said. "I am in charge here, and we do what I say. If we don't, we are dead. So, to the hell with it and take it apart. The device has to draw energy from somewhere, so it has to be deeper."
Fraeya got closer to the central crystal, studying it carefully. She requested a knife from one of the military personnel, but they refused. "Really? Now?"
"Just give it to her," Stone said.
One of the Guardians pulled out his knife and handed it to Fraeya. She then used it to cut the edge of the crystal until it snapped out. Then, the elf girl slowly lifted the crystal out of the platform. It was shaped like a giant black box with golden rods pointing out. There were clear crystals on top. In addition, there was a ring-like conduit on the bottom tip.
When the giant battery was moved away from its chamber, one of the other NASA Engineers reached down, taking apart additional compartments. Having the best view, Fraeya looked down and noticed wiring like spider silk, but it was thicker, lying around and disconnected from the black box. "Is this something important?"
"Yes," Stone said. "I think that is it."
The scientists and engineers kneeled around the hole, looking for where the wires led. Within the device was a sizeable octagon-sized box. Each side had a purple crystal with a clear one on top. They commented on the cables, debating whether they were similar to fiber or something new entirely.
"There," Stone said. "See this? It is disconnected from this box."
"Is this a power source?" a Guardian asked.
"It is the biggest component here," Stone replied. "Connect them together."
"How do we know what we are connecting?" an engineer said. "We use different wires for different things. Whoever built this Pandora box would be smart enough to design the proper cables for the proper job."
As the group debated, the chamber shook from a giant explosion from outside. They all stared at the ceiling before each other. Stone was the first to speak, pointing toward the conduit. "Don't care. Connect them. Start with those to that."
The NASA and USSF personnel carefully started connecting the fiber wires to the golden connections, first starting with the octagon-sized box and then to the device Fraeya was holding. Once the cables were reconnected to the supposed diamond battery, Fraeya carefully placed the black box back into its panel.
Closing the panel, Fraeya stared at the panel. It sat there, lifeless. The thought that she was wrong in her theory has doomed everyone here.
"Okay," one of the scientists said. "Now what?"
"How do we know if it works?" the Guardian asked.
Fraeya raised her hand like she was in a classroom, waiting to be called upon. Stone scolded her for not speaking out, but when she knew that everyone had her attention, she said, "I have an idea. We need to flip the switch on."
"And how the hell do we do that?" Stone asked.
Fraeya smirked as her hand glowed bright green. "I have the answer to that."
Hoping all she had to do was provide a quick jolt of mana to get the activation process going, the elf girl placed her hand on the crystal. Feeling the mana throughout her body, she channeled as much as possible toward her hand. Her body began to warm from all the raw power building through her veins. Sweat started dripping onto the platform, and she needed to breathe through her mouth for air.
Feeling that she had channeled most of her mana within her palm, she thrust it into the crystal. The Bridge crystal glowed green from her mama pool before fading dark again.
Falling onto her knees, she took deep breaths as she regained her strength. She stared at the crystal as she sat on the ground, waiting for that familiar orange blow to reappear, but nothing.
Once it became clear nothing was happening, a fight broke out among the scientists as many started to believe that they were going to be killed or worse.
Fraeya teared up, mumbling, "I am sorry, Father. I tried and...."
Feeling defeated, her eye noticed a tiny orange light deep within the main crystal. It faded as quickly as it appeared, making her wonder if it was her eyes playing tricks. But then, a slight beat of orange peaked before disappearing. Then again, it encompassed half of the crystal.
She stood up, still staring at orange crystal. "It is alive!"
The arguments stopped as everyone stared at the device with renewed hope in their posture.
"Fraeya," Stone said. "Can you contact Earth?"
The elf girl jumped off the platform and stood before the Bridge. She saw the Orb that her father installed the first time, the tool that allowed her to control the Bridge.
Fraeya grabbed her father's journal regarding the Orb and skimmed through it until she found the coordinates her father had written. She then placed her hand on it, which glowed bright blue, matching the Orb.
Suddenly, everything went black. The surrounding area was ghostly. That was when a thin but bright light surfaced from the ghostly clouds and stretched out into infinity. It was a bright, rainbow-colored line.
Fraeya could not see the end, stretching out into the Cosmos Sea; however, the starting point glowed, showing a vibrating beat. It was the line that connected to Earth.
Slowly moving her hand through the emptiness, she pressed the line between both worlds. Then everything went bright white before her vision went fuzzy.
Hearing voices from the Americans, she gazed toward the Bridge as her vision returned.
The two half-ring pillars glowed brightly as they broke apart as before. The pieces moved away until they formed a giant circle. Another bright yellow light appeared from the central crystal as a multilevel color mirror formed between the pillars.
Fraeya Holiadon stepped back as the Bridge finished forming. At the center of the large ring, it glowed yellow, expanding its crystal-like mirror. She had a powerful smile on her face, realizing that she had done it—that she had reactivated the Bridge.
