Mayer Station, Sun-Venus L4, August 16. 1000 Solar Era.
“Does Mayer Station have any defenses?” Enine asked his communicator crew member.
“Mars communicated that they should not have any defenses.”
This made sense. The only threat to these stations for centuries were the pirates. The pirates mainly resided in the belt. Not here, close the burning Sun and Venus.
Enine nearly lost his balance as the ship suddenly rolled to the side as a huge hundred meter metallic structure drifted past the window screen of the bridge.
“By the stars, what is with this place?!” Enine could see on the radar screen many different objects that were, no doubt, space debris.
“Grand Elder.” Qeleven had ensured to study the many hazards around the Solar System-- it was why he was selected as the navigational leader. “All this debris is from when the E-cube corp wasted many resources with their attempts at building their e-cube production line closer to the sun.”
“There’s so much of it… much of it orbits like a belt around the sun and often drifts in and out of the saddle lagrange points between the Sun and Venus, Sun and Mercury.”
Enine nodded his head in acknowledgement.
Xeight was once again standing to his side. The Grand Elder had felt ecstatic the past two weeks on having his previously despondent son so focused. At the same time, he also struggled to peer into his son’s mind. Why does he wish to be in the unit retrieval team to Earth?
“Father. James’ unit is no longer behind us. We both know they did not abandon their chase midway. They must have already identified our target destination and set up a trap.” Xeight fully maintained a cool and calm demeanor these days. He leaned down and whispered into Enine’s right ear.
Enine’s eyes widened at the words transmitted to his mind, then he chortled. “Hah! Very well. As you say.”
“All battle units at the ready! Prepare the mega-particle beam cannon! Full charge! Queue the warp drive for a zero-point-one second jump!” He ordered the T3ST crew.
“Grand Elder…” Qeleven’s heart palpitated in fret. “A zero-point-one second jump is quite costly… much of the energy is the start of the jump.”
“Qeleven. Lay down your concerns.”
“Yes, Grand Elder,” Qeleven begrudgingly acknowledged the order.
Xeight turned and clutched onto a rail handle that twisted its way to the hangar. He arrived to find his older brother already waiting for action.
“So,” Bone glared at his younger brother, his eyes still red from sorrow. “You’ve finally decided to act, hmmm?”
Xeight pulled the nexarm boarding handle, activating the wire to drag him up to nexarm chimera’s torso. He climbed into the unit. There was no need for him to sync himself to the nexarm. For reasons unknown to him, nexarm chimera would automatically prepare itself whenever he intended to jump in its cockpit over the last two weeks. It was as if the unit could read his mind from a distance.
He had used the nexarm to assist in the repair efforts of the frontal hull last week, and also mined an opportune tiny asteroid along the way.
Nexarm chimera’s maroon red, tinged with brass and metallic silver frame, whirled into action with a release of electrostatic noise that accompanied the release of the underlying artificial muscle fibers.
“Younger brother,” Bone impassively intoned. “No orders have been given yet. Our nexarm unit has yet to receive any instructions.”
Xeight couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Bone within his cockpit.
“Big bro.” He adopted an exaggerated praising tone. “You are absolutely the epitome of following instructions.”
Nexarm chimera had opened the platform with the launch rail for sending the nexarm unit out into space. Yet, he did not use the launch rail and instead floated his way carefully towards the exit with minor activation to the nexarm’s many thrusters.
Bone was absolutely befuddled yet intrigued. He also entered nexarm skull and unconsciously followed after his younger brother.
“Yfour and Asix isn’t here yet.”
“Perfect.” A curt reply from Xeight.
That single utterance filled Bone’s heart with an indescribable bursting excitement. He knew who Xeight was. Early on during their upbringing, he had come to understand this brother of his. Stubborn to a fault. But when he took action…
The two units quietly drifted out the launch tunnel.
“Shh.” Right before they escaped the tunnel, Xeight clung onto the sides and held Bone back. The neuro weapon and sensory devices attached to nexarm chimera’s mainframe peered into the surroundings for a few seconds.
“Now.” Nexarm chimera gently activated its thrusters and Bone followed, and they silently climbed onto a rather large piece of passing debris that was heading in a similar direction as Starship Oneiroi.
This large piece of passing debris was some sort of pyramidal structure, and the two units hid under its cover. Nexarm chimera activated his four laser arms and locked a combined six hands onto a few of the metallic bars supporting its internal structure. His thrusters released small controlled bursts and the pyramidal structure began shifting its direction.
“Hah.” If one took off Bone’s helmet, they would see his face filled with a wide, maniacal grin. “Now, brother. This! This is what I’m talking about!”
Soon, Starship Oneiro entered the primary debris field surrounding the Mayer Station in Lagrange Point 4 of the Sun-Venus system. The T3ST unit was instantly besieged by a number of weapon devices that had been pre-positioned behind debris in the area.
-
EFSF
“Why do they have their particle cannon primed at full charge? They cannot even see our ship and they need the e-cube energy stores inside Mayer Station!” Vargas was naturally confused. The EFNSF had hidden their A-class Starship Atlas in the dark, and even pre-aimed at a specific spot for their own particle beam use.
Already, the weapon devices operated by the seven EFNSF-- the three damaged units had been fully repaired-- functioned like a pack of shepherd dogs. However, there is only one sheep-- the enemy ship, Starship Oneiroi.
The EFNSF would mass weapon devices with a concentrated fire from directions that they did not want the enemy starship to head towards, and Starship Oneiroi was very much directed on a specific path, towards a slightly open zone that would guarantee a strike from Starship Atlas without debris blockage.
It was then that it fell apart.
-
T3ST unit
“Fire the mega-particle beam cannon! Immediately execute zero-point-one second jump in the path of the particle beam immediately after!” ordered Enine.
“Sir…Our frontal plates may overheat and sustain damage!” Qeleven did not know where his Grand Elder’s crazy idea came from. Wait, no… it must be from Xeight!
“Do it, Qeleven. Do not hesitate!” Enine’s firm tone settled Qeleven’s determination. They were under-fire after all!
The energy of the mega-particle beam cannon was released, and in an instant, thoroughly melted a line of debris, clearing the path before Starship Oneiroi. All observers were also blinded by the powerful energy release.
Ten, nine…. Two, one. Point-one-second jump activating.
Starship Oneiroi zipped out of the ambush and the warp field dissipated before Qeleven’s eyes could even twitch at the waste of the ship’s e-cube stores.
“Hundred-eighty degrees turn.”
Although Qeleven turned the ship around, his heart nearly jumped out of his throat when a crew member on the bridge announced, “Frontal plates at twelve percent.” That was the result of the starship warping through the energy residue from the particle beam they themselves fired.
“Grand Elder! It is unsafe to do battle with--”
“Qeleven. To win a battle, we must take risks.” Enine glared at the man that had been behaving rather timidly ever since his father’s passing. “Asix and Yfour. Set up your sniping and swarm devices, but ensure you bring detachable laser devices and spread them across the field. Draw the enemy’s attention.”
“Grand Elder! Bone and Xeight’s unit isn’t here!” Yfour had arrived at the hangar later to find nexarm skull and chimera already gone.
“I know, daughter. Head out and lay out your devices to assist camouflaging the starship’s position. We will be entering stealth mode.” He notified the crew.
“Yes, Grand Elder.” Asix had no questions. After spending time with Enine on the bridge, he had developed a trust with his grand elder’s judgment.
The others also followed Ennie’s command, and soon, the ship coasted forward slowly, releasing little-to-no energy.
-
EFNSF
“Sir. With our ambush advantage gone, I will be returning to switch a few devices to swarms.” Levy was the one who spoke of this pivot. He had seen the strength of the swarms in defense well, especially in coordination with the starship’s weapons.
“Sir, should we not all do that? It seems--”
“No,” James’ words were slow and methodical as he considered the path forward. “Clio and David. The two of you will switch most of your devices to swarms, and the two of you will handle the defense. The rest of us will begin setting up our weapon devices.”
“Yes,” Vargas agreed. “It was a zero-point-one jump. They must have intended to turn and engage us in combat!”
“Change your positions! They will likely be coming from the direction of their jump!”
“Yes, Sir!” Many voices answered.
David Levy directed his nexarm unit towards their Starship Atlas that was in the dark. Soon, he could see the starship with his naked eyes. Lovely. He very much preferred controlling the swarm systems.
“David. You back yet? The engineers are already switching my devices.” Clio had a much closer hiding position and as such, had returned to the ship quicker than Levy.
“Huh?” Levy suddenly noticed a pyramidal debris that floated towards him. He shrugged and dismissed it. His mind had been anxious over their impending combat and must have failed to notice this pyramidal debris beforehand.
“Yes. I’m just a bit behind you. I will be back for the switch very soon,” Levy informed Clio.
He slightly shifted his nexarm unit to avoid the pyramidal debris.
Out of the blue, he found himself unable to use his two arms and his cockpit flashed neon red in warning!
-
T3ST Unit.
The two brothers had no need for communication. The very moment they passed by the EFNSF unit, they bounced out, one targeting the enemy’s left, the other, the right.
The unit could not react in time as they stretched out the enemy’s arms with one hand, and stabbed through a gap in the x-alloy plates with a vibrating dagger using the other! At the same time, Bone and Xeight then synced their four laser arms, and a total of eight intense lasers melted the plate covering the back of the enemy nexarm.
The two then simultaneously stabbed into the unit’s cockpit. The man inside was in such a state of stupefaction that he only managed to release an “Argh!” when a vibrating dagger pierced his body.
This sequence only took less than five seconds!
Unlucky as the terran pilot was, the vibrating blade had struck his skull, and his brain was cleanly split in two, his flesh, pieces of his skull shattering into bits and chunks by the oversized dagger’s shaking blade.
Bone raised his vibrating dagger again, wishing to dismember and completely destroy this nexarm unit, but he was silently stopped by Xeight’s arm.
Nexarm chimera performed a shush motion. This only served to further excite Bone.
Nexarm chimera’s many compartments opened up, and his mining devices began ‘excavating’ the terran nexarm unit before them. Very soon, the e-cube compartment of the terran nexarm was revealed.
A few automatons detached themselves from nexarm chimera’s mainframe. Xeight had only brought a few members of a large swarm, as he had needed to remain hidden and undetected.
These automatons hopped onto the terran nexarm’s body and a few specifically drilled into the terran nexarm’s e-cube compartment.
The terran nexarm unit began accelerating towards the open hangar of Starship Atlas in the distance.
-
EFNSF
“David?” Clio received no response. She had heard the sudden yell through her comms. Or was it a scream?
She directed her sensory devices out the hangar and saw the form of David’s nexarm returning, and was very much relieved. The damn guy was probably just trying to scare her. Honestly, she had slowly begun to notice how some of the members on the NSF had the worst kinds of humor. Especially Igor.
A projectile combat had begun. James MacLeod controlled his sniper devices in coordination with the other current four NSF members. Their mainframes were hidden among the many debris, but so too were the enemy’s.
James came to find that the enemy’s projectile density was much lower than he expected. How many units are currently on the other side? He certainly felt like the enemy’s number of rounds paled in comparison to their previous battle beside the asteroid ‘AR-gamah’.
No matter. “Lieutenant Levy and Saad,” James beckoned. “Quickly. It seems we may have damaged the enemy’s nexarm bull much more thoroughly than imagined. With your swarms defending us, we are guaranteed to deal a finishing blow.”
“Sir. David took a bit longer than expected. David! Speed your ass up!”
-
T3ST Unit
“We have received the position of the enemy’s starship. Charge the mega-particle beam cannon.”
“Yes, Grand Elder.”
“Yfour and Asix. Ready your detached laser devices. I will give an order of when to activate those lasers. There is a risk of our beam cannon being sensed the very moment before its firing.
Mega-particle beam firing in ten, nine, eight…
-
EFNSF
“David?” It was now that the unit had gotten closer that Clio sensed something was off. David Levy’s unit’s limbs were limply floating in space!
“Close the hangar!” The engineers in the hangar only looked around, confused as to why that was needed.
Clio did not bother convincing the crew. She immediately activated her nexarm unit that had been half-refitted, accelerated her thrusters and sped towards the emergency hangar operating handle, with no disregard of causing injuries to the engineers with her thrust.
The hangar began closing slowly and Clio, in desperation, activated her swarms towards the exit. Yet, before the swarms had even traveled a few meters, Levy’s nexarm unit had already entered the hangar as previously unseen automatons attached to the nexarm began glowing neon blue!
“Sir! I’m--”
In the bridge, Vargas suddenly felt a shuddering in the starship as the warning system sounded.
Starship breached. Lockdown initiated.
The many compartment doors immediately slid shut and locked to prevent any further breach and spread of explosive forces.
“Vargas. Report! I have no words from Saad or Levy!”
“Sir!” Vargas examined the status of the starship. “A fifth of the starship has been damaged. Degree of damage unknown! Functionality unknown! Some form of explosive! The ship’s protection mechanism successfully limited the spread! I will--” She stuttered and turned silent for a few seconds as she suddenly sensed a number of blinding flashes out of visual range from the ship’s other sensors. “I will--”
Warning! High intensity heat de--
The starship began shuddering again, ever more as the senses of all aboard the ship became blinded by a flood of heavenly light.
