Grey War Saga 1: Twilight of Innocence (16 page)

The command
center of the Columbia base filled quickly when the captains, Myden, Grigon,
Baeron, and Siata joined Veda and Reban. On the monitor were the leaders of the
other seven bases. Valis quickly used the holographic table to display their
current forces, along with the surviving fleets from the Reiki, Viken, and
Shandi militaries. She added the Confederation forces a moment later. She
touched a com to connect her with all the ships in the fleet.

“Our meeting
today deals with the chain of command,” Valis said. “Three homeworlds have
fallen and their surviving military forces have agreed to join Heaven’s Light
until the war is over. As such it’s prudent we set up our fleets.” She put the
Siberia and Hong Kong bases to the side on the hologram. She positioned the
surviving Shandi fleet with them. “Because two of our base commanders are
Shandi, I feel the Shandi fleet be more comfortable taking orders from them.
Shiken Ka and Miv Daek will lead this fleet. From here on we will simply refer
to it as the Second fleet.”

“Is our chain of
command the same in all other regards?” Miv Daek asked.

“Yes,” Valis
answered. She then separated the Nevada and Death Valley bases and added the
Viken fleet to their numbers. “Captain Lena and Captain Melana will take the
Viken in as their own. You will be referred to as the Third fleet.”

“Thanks for the
reinforcements,” Lena said.

“Agreed,” Melana
added.

Valis then
separated the Sicily and Sahara bases and added the Reiki forces to their
numbers. “Admiral Vikrit and Captain Sheris will take the Reiki in as their
forces. You will now be referred to as the Fourth fleet.”

“It’s long
overdue we do something like this,” Vikrit cawed.

“Agreed,” Sheris
said.

“And finally,
the Columbia and Alaska bases will align with the Confederation forces,” Valis
said. She positioned a pair of fleets around the two asteroid bases. “We will
be referred to as the First fleet. By doing this I’m simplifying our battle
plans for the future.” She looked at Siata and Baeron. “The two of you will
stay in command of the remaining Confederation forces and ships of the Third
Mylor fleet.”

“As you wish,”
Siata said.

“I have a
question,” Esra said as she looked over Valis’s plan.

“Go ahead,”
Valis said.

“What do we know
of the other races’ movements?” Esra asked. “And what about the Confederation
forces spread throughout our territories?”

“Communications
have been disrupted heavily because of the Greys,” Valis answered. “We’ve seen
their main fleets, but hundreds of smaller forces are spread out like a net.
The Confederation forces are trying to establish contact with all the
homeworlds right now, but it’s difficult.”

“Then the pieces
on the board are all we have to play, right?” Veda asked.

“That sums it
up,” Valis said. “Given that we don’t know where the enemy is right now I want
two of our fleets to scout while the rest remain here for defense.” She looked
at Shiken Ka and Miv Daek. “The second fleet will scout the areas destroyed by
the Greys. The first fleet will scout the areas near Kalaidian space.”

“How long do we
have to organize our fleets?” Shiken asked.

“A day at the
most,” Valis answered.

“We’ll be ready
in twelve hours then,” Shiken said.

* *
*

Seles and Kyli
were in the simulator room on the Columbia base. They and dozens of other
pilots were taking some time to work on their piloting. The two stepped inside
a pair of simulators next to each other and accessed the virtual battlefields.
Both appeared to be piloting a standard Phase Rakna with Grey ships in mobile
suit form surrounding them.

“It’s getting
trickier as they get smarter,” Kyli said.

“That’s why we
have to train like this,” Seles said. “Now, how’s your berserking coming
along?”

“I’m still
hesitant to use it in battle,” Kyli admitted. “But the singing thing works.”

“In our upcoming
battles we’re going to need to upgrade our abilities,” Seles said.

“Then why don’t
you use the Artemis in here?” Kyli asked. “I’ve been asking to access the
simulated version for months now.”

“Valis doesn’t
want the pilots of the normal mobile suits using them yet,” Seles said. “But I
have heard a rumor that back on the homeworld the Kalaidian military is working
to mass produce mobile suits similar to the Aegis and Artemis.”

“I’m surprised
we haven’t done that yet,” Kyli said.

“It’s always
money when it comes to things like this,” Seles said. “Veda would outfit the
whole organization if she could. But to get back to our simulation, I’ll switch
over to the Artemis.”

A ring came over
their simulators com. Meldi and Myli appeared from machines next to theirs.

“Would you like
to spar?” Meldi asked.

“She’s
determined to take you on Seles,” Myli said.

“What are our
parameters?” Seles asked.

“I’ll fight in a
simulated Mjolnir, you can use the Artemis, and our friends their Phase
Raknas,” Meldi said. “How does that sound to you?”

“It’s a deal,”
Seles said. “Our battlefield will be a shattered moon. By the way Meldi, why
are you spoiling for a fight?”

“It’s practical
Seles,” Meldi said. “If the Greys can copy our standard mobile suits there’s a
chance they’ll be able to do the same with our special models. In that event
it’s important we know how to fight them effectively.”

“She’s ahead of
the game,” Kyli said.

“I keep telling
her that but she doesn’t listen,” Myli said.

“I listen well
enough,” Meldi said. “Let’s begin the battle in five minutes. That should give
each side a chance to come up with a plan.”

“Five minutes is
more than enough,” Seles said.

* *
*

Confederation
headquarters was still in orbit of Dega Jul. The numbers of ships coming and
going were increasing by the hour as they took in refugees. From his private
chambers Lord Kris watched the unfolding events. After watching the video of
the Reiki, Viken, and Shandi homeworlds he turned the monitor off. A moment
later Myden stepped out of the shadows.

“It’s been a
long time General Myden,” Kris said.

“Two thousand
and thirty one years ago last month to be exact,” Myden said.

Kris laughed.
“We should know because we signed the peace treaty.”

“It was a good
run between wars,” Myden said. “Unfortunately this time I have little influence
negotiating a peace.”

“Your intentions
are enigmatic anyways,” Kris said. “Tell me, do we have a chance?”

“There’s always
a chance,” Myden answered. “Without even knowing it Veda Kein discovered the
path to victory. The final step is their awakening in mass.”

“That’s a
dangerous gamble,” Kris said. “But we have little choice but to try it at this
juncture.”

“Things must be
bad on the other side of the galaxy if you’re talking like this,” Myden said.

“My people pride
themselves on their prowess in battle,” Kris said. “But the line is being
pushed back on all fronts by the day. We have to find a way to put the pressure
back on the Naerendi forces. Are you sure you can’t contact any of your people
who’re free?”

“The last
contact I had with anyone of my own species was over fifteen hundred years
ago,” Myden said. “That colony ship used the last of its energy to make the
leap to Kelden.”

“The Avar were
forced from Kelden because of your people shortly before that,” Kris said.
“Will Alden’s fate the same? Will we be clinging to our lives as we flee the
onslaught?”

“The Teacher’s
plan is still going,” Myden said.

“That human was
a foolish idealist,” Kris said. “Much like Captain Peterson is. The difference
is one survived the change and the other didn’t.”

“Better he be a
foolish idealist than a jaded realist,” Myden said. “I know because I’ve lived
too long.”

“True,” Kris
said. “Our fate is in that young Terran’s hands. But enough of this, I want to
catch up while we have the chance.”

“It has been a
long time,” Myden said.

* *
*

Hours had passed
since the four pilots began their simulated battle in the remains of a
shattered moon. Both Kyli and Myli were long finished and sitting outside the
simulators. The other pilots were curious about what was going on when Myli put
the battle on the monitors. Both the simulated Mjolnir and Artemis had suffered
a great amount of damage while Meldi and Seles traded pulse fire with their
rifles.

Kyli shook her
head. “I’ve never seen anyone give Seles this kind of run.”

“I take pride in
my skill as a pilot but those two are a cut above me,” Myli said. “And I’m not
going use the excuse that their mobile suits are better. You’ve got to fight
with what you have after all.”

“We did last a
few hours,” Kyli said. “It was the reflector plates that did me in.”

“The arrow
system got me,” Myli said.

The simulated
battle on the screen was near its end. The Mjolnir had nothing left to do but
circle around and charge one last time with its blade drawn. The Artemis turned
and readied to fire an arrow shot. At the distance the Mjolnir was at it
wouldn’t be able to dodge in time. The arrow fired straight into the Mjolnir.
As the green and white mobile suit was destroyed it threw its sword into the
Artemis’s chest. Both mobile suits were finished when the simulated battle
ended. Both Seles and Meldi emerged a moment later looking quite tired and
surprised at the crowd cheering.

“You got me,”
Meldi said.

“I didn’t escape
either,” Seles said.

“You two looked
great in there,” Kyli said.

“It was an
interesting match,” Myli added.

“So why did you
charge me anyway?” Seles asked. “You could’ve continued using the rifle.”

“One of your
arrows damaged the power systems,” Meldi said. “At half power there was no way
I could trade pulse fire with the Artemis. My best option at that point was to
get into melee.” She smiled at Seles. “Next time have your sword ready.”

“I’ll remember
that,” Seles said. “Now I’m going to find one of the cafeterias here on the
base.”

“We’ll join
you,” Myli said.

“I’m starving,”
Kyli said.

Kyli and Myli
headed out first while the crowd in the simulator room dispersed. Meldi noticed
something about how Seles looked that alerted her.

“What’s wrong?”
she asked.

“I talked to
Baeron a few days ago,” Seles said.

“I understand,”
Meldi said. “The future is something to look forward and the present is all we
have. Baeron saved me Seles, in more ways than one. But now that you know my
secret you have to tell me one of yours.”

Seles smiled.
“I’ll get back to you on that. By the way, you’re one hell of a pilot.”

“Thank you,”
Meldi said. “I’m just trying to fill in for Brian as best I can.” The two
headed for the cafeteria behind Myli and Kyli. “Did he ever tell you why he
chose me to pilot the Mjolnir?”

“No,” Seles
said. “He did say something about dreaming about it and that you were the
pilot.”

“That’s all?”
she asked.

“That’s all,”
Seles answered.

“I guess I’ll
have to leave it at that,” Meldi said.

The Siberia and
Hong Kong bases gravity jumped into the Reiki home system with over a thousand
Shandi ships around them. Shiken Ka and Commander Serin were hard at work when the
image appeared on the monitor. Hovering over the now dead homeworld of the
octopi people were three planet killers and over ten thousand carriers. Swarms
of smaller attack ships went in and out of the scorched atmosphere of the
planet. When Serin zoomed in the image they saw flashes of light below the
atmosphere.

“What do you
think they’re doing?” Serin asked.

“If I was to
guess they’re finishing off the Reiki on the surface,” Shiken said.

“Such savagery,”
Serin said.

“Yes, and they
won’t stop here,” Shiken said. “They’ll move on to the next homeworld to do the
same soon enough.”

The scanners
went crazy when another object appeared near the other three planet killers. It
was a sphere like them but twice the diameter with a red hue on its hull. Miv
Daek appeared on the screen from the other base.

“We should scan
that thing as much as possible,” she suggested.

“Agreed,” Shiken
said.

“I’m on it,”
Serin said.

“Are they
ignoring us?” Miv asked.

“Our current
force is not a threat,” Shiken said.

“Admiral, I’m
getting some very odd readings from the red planet killer,” Serin said. “Its
power output is eight times more when compared the others.”

“Did you say eight
times?” Miv scoffed. “How are we supposed to fight it?”

The red planet
killer gravity jumped away a moment later.

“Seems we won’t
have right now,” Shiken said. “If it’s a command base then they won’t send it
into battle until it’s necessary. For now we should plan for the force right in
front of us.”

The Grey ships
turned and headed for the bases and fleet.

“Looks like
we’ve been spotted,” Miv said.

“Yes we have,”
Shiken said.

Serin put
another set of images on the monitor. It showed the Greys salvaging the
destroyed planet killer and numerous other vessels.

“So that’s their
game,” Shiken said. “Destroy, take, and rebuild.” He sighed heavily. “I don’t
want to see this with our home.”

“Then let’s get
back to Valis with our report,” Miv said.

“That’s an
excellent idea,” Shiken said.

* *
*

Queen Celestia
stood in front of her throne while hundreds of military officers moved about
the palace. The entire homeworld of the Kalaidian people was currently on high
alert. Panic seized them after Celestia showed the destruction of the Reiki,
Viken, and Shandi homeworlds. The pictures of the now scarred Dega Jul were
also coming in. The prime minister of the House of Commons, Jabril Hopart,
entered and quickly made her way to the queen.

“The assembly
has come to the decision to declare martial law,” Jabril said.

“I see,” Celestia
said. “How will that effect our upcoming elections?”

“We’ll still
hold them,” Jabril said. “But my desire to retire after two terms has been
postponed.”

“We need steady
leadership in times of crisis,” Celestia said. “The Kalaidian people haven’t
been under conditions like this since the plague killed our male population.”

“Celestia, I’m
scared,” Jabril admitted. “The Shandi were as strong as we are and fell prey to
the Greys.”

“He will save
us,” Celestia said. “Brian is our Herald and his voice will call us together.”

“It’s good to
see someone still has faith,” Jabril said.

“As the queen I
am also the high priestess of our people,” Celestia said. “Although my
political power is gone I still carry the faith of Kali for us all.”

“I’m glad you
stayed with us,” Jabril said.

“I am as well,”
Celestia said. “When the time comes I will fight. The gift Brian sent to me is
ready when it’s needed.”

“I’d like to see
it,” Jabril said.

“I’ll show it to
you a few minutes,” Celestia said.

* *
*

Valis and Myden
were in the Avoni’s planning room with the holographic table on. The image of
the three planet killers, the red hued planet killer, and the events happening
on Reiki Prime caused both of them to look uneasy. Valis sighed and shifted
back to a three dimensional view of Dega Jul and the forces around it.

“Rarely in my
life have I seen little hope in winning a battle,” Valis said. “But this one is
too much.”

“I see it that
as well,” Myden admitted. “Sunadin has us cornered and knows it.”

“What was he
like?” Valis asked.

“Sunadin was one
of my best knights,” Myden said. “His ability with telepathy was excellent, but
his skill as a battle planner was better known. It was his victory that ended
the last war between my people and the Mylor. The sad truth is in a way it was
what led us down this road.”

“It isn’t easy
to fight your old friends, is it?” she asked.

“Many of those
in charge of the planet killers were my comrades,” he said. “But to answer your
question, yes, it is. I hear their screams as they die. Many curse my name as
they go, but a similar number thank me one last time.” He looked at Valis.
“They say the same for Brian.”

“I can tell by
the worn look in his eyes,” Valis said.

“He will find
his way soon enough,” Myden said. “Even I need him to rise up once more.”

“I remember when
he was a young and foolish officer,” Valis said. “Sometimes I feel like I was
the one who drained the life from him.”

“You aren’t the
one,” Myden said. “The burden I gave him is too much for a mortal man.”

“He’s strong,”
Valis said. “And although he carries darkness in his eyes I see the light of
hope behind them.”

“That sounds
like the man I know,” Myden said. “But to get back to this, what’s your plan?”

“The four fleets
will fight as one,” Valis said. “Playing it safe won’t work again. This time we
should berserk and fly straight for the first planet killer. The Mylor and
Confederation forces will deal with the second planet killer.”

“What about the
third one?” Myden asked.

“Grigon and my
mother have a little surprise that’s finally ready,” Valis said. “They should
be able to fend off the third until we can turn about to intercept it.”

“So they’re
ready?” Myden laughed. “It took her long enough.”

“It’ll be
interesting to see,” Valis said.

* *
*

Brian woke up in
his quarters alone. He felt something aching in his head.

“Go away!” he
shouted.

The echoing
thoughts from the machine god faded away before the words could take form. He
knelt down and banged his fist on the floor. Tears slowly welled in Brian’s
eyes as he thought of those who died.

“I couldn’t save
them,” he said. “I couldn’t even lift a finger to save any of them. All I could
do was watch as they died.” He grabbed his
rakna
blade and stared at it
for a while. “Am I worthy of holding this anymore?”

“Now stop that,”
a familiar voice said to Brian. The human turned and saw the ghostly image of
Gaelic Kein standing next to him. “Remember who you are lad and never give up
hope. The Warrior is to lead them onto the path. It’s time you found it and
carried them forward. If you’re going to die then do so with a song on your
lips and love in your heart. It’s a better fate then wallowing in misery and
doubt.”

Brian smiled.
“Thanks.”

“Remember to
keep an eye on that daughter of mine,” Gaelic said before vanishing.

Brian looked
around and found his old
rakna
blades he used for making music. After
tuning them to the sound of an electric guitar he started practicing a number
of songs.
For a long time I forgot what beauty was.
Brian thought as he
played.
I love the sound of music. It’s the sound of life.

Outside the door
to Brian’s quarters an exhausted Mira took her a white glove off of her hand.
As she listened to him practice a smile came to her face.
You are our
Herald, our Rakna Maigar.
She thought to herself.
Even if I have to lie
and cheat I’ll keep you moving my dear knight.
She walked away quietly with
an extra jump in her step.

* *
*

Celestia and
Jabril descended under the palace until they reached a storage area. Celestia
led the way as they came into a maintenance bay hidden deep underground. After
switching the lights on the two stared at a mobile suit resembling the Artemis
in every way, except for its gold and silver coloring.

“This is…,”
Jabril paused.

“Brian’s gift to
our people was this craft,” Celestia explained. “He told me it was identical to
the one Seles pilots. The only difference is the appearance and name.”

“What’s its
name?” Jabril asked.

“Apollo,”
Celestia said.

“Does it have an
A.I. system installed?” Jabril asked.

“Of course,”
Celestia said. “The personality feels like Brian’s.”

“Who will fly
it?” Jabril asked.

Celestia
revealed the mark on her breast. “As one of the Maidens I will. It’s my duty to
see our people live through this.”

“I won’t
object,” Jabril said. “Just make sure there’s a Phase Rakna ready for me. I’ll
be at your side when the time comes.”

“I was hoping
you’d say that,” Celestia said. “All of the former royal guards have contacted
me about joining me when the battle comes. You will accept my orders one more
time, won’t you?”

“Of course my
queen, I will,” Jabril said.