“Something is different,” he answered her hidden question.
She nodded in agreement before speaking, “We call ourselves the Maya. There are few beings in the universe that are as benevolent as we are.”
“As with any extreme, there is always a response. In our case, we have discovered a race of beings that are neither benevolent nor well tempered.” The hologram in the center of the light flickered and changed to the image of a new being. It had a serpentine head, a long thin body, and thick, simple limbs ending in three claws. “They call themselves the Ko-Rash. They search the universe in search of technology, extorting races and planets for their science, and destroying any that resist.” Gunthix imagined this way of life and considered it short. He did a mental check of the short amount of technology that he had already seen and considered what the Empire would do to gain it. “Their entire fleet is surrounding our only planet and threatening to kill everyone upon it.”
Gunthix nodded, “What will you have me do? Must I kill them all?” He wasn't sure if he asked out of pure curiosity or blood lust. Withering Rings shook her head slowly. Gunthix looked over his shoulder, searching for Dark Moon, and discovered that he had left the room. “They are guided religiously,” she answered him, “they follow their High Priest without question. If you persuade him to leave us in peace, they will follow.” He understood the concept easily.
XVII
Empress Kerrigan stared at the staff member as she prepared for a response to his outrageous claim. “That is impossible,” she had decided, “explain to me again how we lack enough force to begin our expansion.” He stuttered for a moment as he attempted to find the right way to tell her what he had just said.
“My empress,” he was terrified, “we lost twelve capital ships, three dozen frigates, and over a thousand fighters in the Battle of Gunthix.” She had already heard this a multitude of times. “If we intend to keep even a tenth of our forces at home to maintain our defense and another quarter to continuing harassing the Grigor, that will only leave us fifty capital ships to engage the Galactic Federation.” She glared at him as she silently contemplated this knowledge. Fifty capital ships is a very large armada, but it still lacks the firepower to take on a collection of nations that has well over five thousand capital ships. Her attack would require a constant and blanketing approach.
She motioned for him to leave with a wave of her hand. A tall woman wearing the insignia of the Science Corps approached her. “My Empress,” she spoke as she knelt, “I believe we may have a solution for our problem in terms of firepower.” The empress leaned in to discover the woman was smiling.
***
“I am ready,” spoke Gunthix softly. Blue Star and Dark Moon nodded in unison at his words. They were in another detail-less room as he prepared for his upcoming battle. He still didn't have his future tools of war. Gunthix suddenly felt his body become tense as he lost control. His body gravitated up out of his meditative position into a spread eagle position on his back. As he floated hopelessly, he felt the presence of more Mayans surround him. He stared directly into the light above him.
For the first time in a long time, he felt the sensation of cold fill his body. A sudden sensation surrounded his feet and then his arms. He closed his eyes and imagined himself as Death. His chest and abdomen responded with fear as they were covered without his eyes seeing it. He calmed himself and remembered every life he had ended in service for the Empire. His breathing suddenly slowed automatically as he felt the helmet surrounding his head. He could no longer hear the tiny noises of his armorers and became aware of a sudden tingling that ran throughout his body. The sensation was ended as a voice was heard.
Gunthix opened his eyes and saw through his clear visor. He was again staring at the light. His body began to rotate on its axis and set him gently standing on the floor. He regained use of his limbs and studied his arms carefully. The black gauntlet shimmered faintly as it reflected the light above him. He thought to himself on how he would activate a weapon system. The word 'gun' entered his mind and the small bulge on his arm shimmered and morphed into the powerful weapon system he desired. The suit responded simply to his wanting.
Blue Star touched his arm and spoke, “You are ready.” Gunthix nodded in agreement. Dark Moon flicked his eyes, giving the signal for everyone to enter the darkness surrounding them. “It is painful to understand that death is a necessary step for protection, but I am glad we found you,” Blue Star said calmly. The weapon on Gunthix's arm melted away as he prepared himself. He walked forward into the darkness, expecting to enter another room that would contain his exit out to space and discovered he was suddenly weightless and in space.
Gunthix steadied himself from drifting with the jets in his legs as he studied the image in front of him. A magnificent blue planet floated carelessly in front of him. The blue of its atmosphere was spotted with the black of ships that surrounded it. His H.U.D. outlined each ship with a thin orange line and illuminated a massive, ugly ship in red. It was obviously his target.
He surged forward, impressed at the ease that he could command his suit to respond. As he raced toward his target, he began studying the impressive ship. It was large, long, and had the appearance that it was built on continuously with different technologies. The initial design appeared to be simple, with straight, flat sides. The top and bottom were curved, containing eight large barrel turrets, four on the bottom and five on top. Other ships contained the same concept.
Gunthix guided himself into a position above the massive ship and waited. Several ships flew in close to investigate him as several of the ship's cannons aimed at him. “Blue Star,” he was unsure if anyone would hear him, “I'm waiting for a signal if there is any.”
He morphed both Gatling-guns from his gauntlets and waited with his arms at his side. A sudden urge inside him told him to dive downward. He responded to the instinct and dodged a volley of fire from the cannons.
He landed on the ship and contemplated his options. The whine of the turret sounded as it began to lower. Gunthix spread his feet, interlaced his fingers, began firing his Gatling-guns. They spun ferociously as they roared and began cutting a hole in the top of the ship. Atmosphere vented rapidly out of the ship as sparks and pieces of the ship floated off. He listened to the faint sound of an alarm inside the ship sound. After a few awesome moments, Gunthix could see space on the opposing side of the ship.
Gunthix continued his destruction as he released his grasp and slowly continued his rampage outwards from his initial wound on the giant ship. He suddenly became aware that he was being fired upon. He looked to his side and watched a small frigate with light cannons firing relentlessly at him. The laser fire was being absorbed by a shield that Gunthix was unaware he possessed. The frigate continued to fire regardless of the knowledge that its attempts were futile.
He stopped firing for a moment, switched a Gatling-gun to a rocket, and fired. He had never seen the actual rocket yet and was surprised that it was almost the entire length of his arm as it blasted out of his gauntlet. The rocket quickly met its target and connected. The frigate exploded violently, sending shrapnel and wreckage flinging in all directions. Gunthix looked below him and studied the damage he had delivered. The ship was almost completely cut in two. His other gauntlet morphed into a rocket as he dashed into the area above the ship.
The area surrounding Gunthix lit up with vast amounts of laser fire as he slowed himself above his target. He pointed his arms toward the hole and thought of how he wanted the rockets to hit the inside of the hole toward the outside. His visor responded by displaying two faint lines. The rockets flared forward and followed the lines with perfect precision and connected, creating dual massive explosions that rocked the ship, splitting it in two and sent the pieces floating in opposite directions. Each piece began exploding and small sections began floating off.
Gunthix became aware that he was no longer being fired upon. He turned himself and floated as he watche
d the surrounding crafts as they silently watched him. None of them gave a threatening appearance. A sense of being called ran up Gunthix's spine and he understood it as a message for him to return. He searched in the direction he had come and could see no ship. His instinct told him to simply jet in the direction he felt was home. He twisted and aligned himself, flared his jets, and flew in a direction into nothingness.
After a few emotionless moments of flying, he stopped. Unsure of where to go or if he was even correct in leaving, he closed his eyes in an attempt to remember where he had come and opened them to discover he was back inside the Mayan ship. Gravity took hold and he floated to the ground. His helmet began collapsing back and left his head exposed to the atmosphere of the ship. A sense of calm covered him as more Mayans than he had ever seen before surrounded him.
Among the crowd of diminutives that surrounded him, he saw two Great Elders that approached him. He recognized the first as Withering Rings, but was unfamiliar with the second. The newcomer spoke first, “Comet Rider, it is of our great fortune that you have finally come.”
*****
XVIII
“Someone explain to me what we are doing on this moon,” demanded a trooper as he climbed out of a crater.
“We are providing protection for the commander,” responded another trooper, “Do you remember anything about the briefing?”
He was waved off by the first trooper as he approached Charon. She was laying prone with a large rifle aimed at the horizon, apparently focusing on the planet . “Aren't you aiming a little high?” he asked her as he sat down next to her. She ignored him and continued to focus on her scope. “That is a pretty big rifle,” he commented as he traced her outline in the regolith, “Do you wanna see a bigger gun?”
A voice ran through the helmets of the small group, “Target is in position. Over.” Charon tensed her muscles and fingered the trigger on the impressive weapon. “There you are,” whispered Charon to herself. A powerful shock wave blasted out in the vacuum of airless moon as everyone watched a gray line race off of the horizon and into space toward the purple planet. “You missed?” asked the trooper. Charon stood up and began packing her rifle away, obviously ignoring him. Another voice sounded through the helmets, “Good shot, Charon. Target is down. Out.”
***
Gunthix thought she was speaking to someone else as he was unfamiliar with that name. He gave her a puzzled look.
“What is wrong,” she asked.
Dark Moon broke free of the crowd and approached the trio. “Great Elder Scarlet Skies, we have not told him of the prophecy yet. He knows his name as Gunthix of Guntheria.”
The tall being looked at Dark Moon with a bewildered look. “Did you not find him riding a comet through the night?” asked Scarlet Skies.
Dark Moon and Withering Rings both nodded as a response, but Gunthix spoke first, “What is this prophecy?”
Gunthix became aware that everyone had left the room except for the group in the center. A calming sensation overpowered his curiosity. “There is an ancient prophecy,” spoke Withering Rings slowly, “that one day our benevolent people would one day be attacked by a giant monster. This monster survived be eating the life from a planet and using it to continue its conquest through the galaxy.” Gunthix understood his recent enemy as the obvious monster. “Our people would be killed regardless of any weapon we would raise in our defense. It was told that a great eight armed warrior would arrive riding a comet to cut off the head of the monster.” He began understanding how fate, chance, and technology had meshed together to cast him in this role. More importantly, his method of ending the siege of the Mayans couldn't have been more perfect to fit into this story. “You have done everything in exact detail according to a prophecy recorded thousands of generations ago. Or am I mistaken?”
Her words were powerful. The cogs of fate had turned perfectly, placing him into a destined position that he had no knowledge before and without a decent excuse to contradict her. “We ask of nothing more from you, Comet Rider,” continued Scarlet Skies, “you have conquered our mightiest enemy and we will gladly give you whatever you desire in return.” Dark Moon's eyes flicked and the expression on Scarlet Skies' face changed to one of urgency. “What is it that you want?” Gunthix shook his head, desiring nothing.
A sudden change raced through his mind. “I only ask to understand how is it that I am able to simply walk through one area into another,” spoke Gunthix slowly, “I have been aboard this craft for so long and I still haven't seen a wall or a door.” Withering Rings smiled as she looked at Dark Moon.
“Very well,” spoke Scarlet Skies happily, “You shall know and will understand.” She nodded slightly and turned around, disappearing into the darkness.
Blue Star replaced her as she faded into the black. Withering Rings placed her hand on Gunthix's shoulder and spoke again, “The technology that was wanted so intently is the technology you are seeking to understand.” He nodded as he understand the possibility of whatever science it was. “We know almost nothing of your species,” spoke Blue Star, “but we assume that your people have reached the stars and gained the ability to move between the planets.” Gunthix nodded in response. Guntherians have been a space faring races for thousands of generations. The moons Guntheria and Belthonia weren't even their first homes, they evolved on the planet Guntha. “What technology and propulsion do your ships use to travel?” asked Blue Star.
“For primary propulsion, our ships use a form of ion acceleration,” Gunthix answered carefully. Ion thrusters were the most common form of space travel, but each race has their own variation. “Warp gates are being developed to create and sustain a worm hole, but the technology requires immense amounts of power.” He remained silent about the technology that powered their star ships and the mysterious space station Prophecy. He wasn't even sure if it used their conventional fusion-star cores. The ability to independently warp to a selected destination was astounding and he began to suspect it was identical to what the Mayans use.
“Close your eyes, Comet Rider,” whispered Blue Star, “It will make it the easier if you imagine everything in your mind.” Gunthix complied and immediately entered into a meditative state. “Imagine this room,” the voice continued, “Imagine every detail.” Gunthix imagined a white ball inside a much larger dark ball. The rays of white spilled into the black like a drop of ink inside a glass of water. “Now imagine your exact position, taking note of every connection that you have to it.” He imagined himself at the center of the healthy light. “Now imagine a separate location within the room,” continued the voice, “and imagine that you are at that location.” Gunthix continued to imagine as he was directed. “Imagine that you are no longer in the center of the room, but where you placed yourself. Your armor will do the rest.” His mental imagine at the center of the warm ball faded and disappeared, leaving only an image of himself on the periphery of the ball. “Now open your eyes, Comet Rider.”
Gunthix opened his eyes to darkness. He turned and saw Withering Rings in the center of the room where he was standing. The defiance of physics astounded him. He was unsure if he had unknowingly walked to the location or if by some strange activation of a tiny worm hole he had walked through to his new position. He walked back to the light and spoke, “What did you do?”
Blue Star and Dark Moon stared at him with emotionless eyes as Withering Rings answered, “We have given you the technology that will enable you to fold space.” Gunthix closed his eyes for a moment and imagined what it was that he had just done. He decided to attempt it once more without their help as an assurance that he was correct in its procedure and opened his eyes to another area of the room.
Withering Rings bowed her head slightly as Gunthix walked back to the center. “We have given you the ability to be anywhere that you want to be,” spoke Withering Rings slowly, “now where do you want to go?” Gunthix sighed.
XIX
Bishop stared intently at the moni
tor above the bartender as the broadcast continued replaying the speech of a planetary governor as he was assassinated. “You reckon it was the Breakers?” asked a man next to her. She continued to ignore him and his rough speech that only comes from Terran worlds.
The bartender filled his drink again before responding, “I don't believe it was. That shot came straight down from above and Shaddox is a long way from Breaker space.” The image played again as the body of the governor exploded. Bishop wasn't disgusted by the image, but she was tired of watching the image.
King sat down next to her silently. She waved off the bartender as she studied the broadcast. “Another one?” she whispered silently to Bishop.
“That's the third one this long-cycle.”
“You think the Empire is behind it?”
“There is no question if the Empire is behind it. The question is whether the they are really ready or not.”
King pulled out a compact data display and placed it on the bar. Bishop picked it up and pressed several buttons as the display lit up. She shook her head, “We need something with more firepower. An outlaw cruiser isn't meant for the kind of combat we are looking for.” King nodded in agreement. “This the only kind of ships we can buy in this sector or any sector near here,” responded King. Bishop leaned back as she handled the display. “We still need something bigger,” she spoke as she set it down.
“I know where ya can get big ships,” spoke the Terran down the bar. He stood up and approached the duo slowly. King looked at him with piercing eyes, trying to piece together what he knew and what he didn't.