Grey War Saga 1: Twilight of Innocence (18 page)

Dreka was far
away from the others while they berserked but still felt it in his mind. As the
chorus of Kalaidians echoed inside him his eyes started glowing blue. The red
feathered birdman felt time slow down as he cut through his enemies with ease
in his tinkered with Talon. As he did so the drive began spinning faster while
the Talon was enveloped in light. Knowing his special system had been activated
he turned about and aimed at the center of a formation of Grey carriers. The
large ships were resonating and blocked the automated Talons from moving
forward. The oversized pike started glowing with particles surrounding it.
Dreka threw the pike as if flared with energy and sound. It cut through several
Grey attack ships and destroyed them before reaching the carrier line. After it
slammed into the carriers it sent out several pulses of energy and keyed in on
their systems. Like the Siren’s song system, the pike disrupted and then
disabled the enemy ships. Once it was finished Dreka swooped in and grabbed the
pike for another toss. While doing so a hole in the enemy line opened up. The
automated Talons charged in. The first wave inverted their gravity drives and
exploded, destroying thousands of smaller Grey ships and hundreds of carriers. Dreka
then switched the pike to the off hand and activated the enlarged claw. As it
lit up with energy the claws began spinning to gather energy from the drive.
When it reached the point where the mobile suit was swirling with a diabolic
amount of power he let it loose and fired by punching. A beam the a hundred
ketres
long and a third as wide smashed into the Grey ships and destroyed them. Dreka
checked his drive system and saw he had another nine shots with the claw left before
he would have to recharge. The birdman cawed as he let loose and fired the
massive beams one after another. When the Greys retreated he tossed the pike
and disabled their ships. Behind him the automated Talons, the Vomada, and the
fleet of volunteer ships followed.

* *
*

Grigon watched
his grandson fighting with excellence and cawed with pride. The old Malcovin
then programmed another set of Talons to self-detonate and clear the path to
the planet killer. When the hole opened up the old bird let the berserk come
over him and activated the Hades system on the Vomada. The cube shaped ship
began glowing with energy before a cannon barrel emerged from the center of the
forward section. Pushing the system to its limit Grigon fired massive beams
into the planet killer’s shields. With the application of a few more Talons
self-detonating the shield went down. After a barrage from Dreka’s Talon and
the Vomada’s Hades cannon the massive ship was filled with explosions. Before
they could deal the finishing blow the planet killer gravity jumped away. While
the automated Talons and older ships cleaned up the remaining Grey ships and
carriers the Vomada and Dreka’s Talon returned to normal. Grigon opened the com
to their allies.

“This is
Commander Grigon speaking,” the old birdman said. “The auxiliary forces have
defeated the first planet killer. We’re now performing clean up before
rejoining the fleets of Heaven’s Light.”

He sat back to
relax when Dreka appeared on the screen.

“Looks like both
our tests were successful,” Dreka said.

“Your Talon is a
synthesis of the Artemis and Siren,” Grigon said. “It’s quite impressive.”

“It’s not as
impressive as updating a forty year old ship and making it near the equal of
the Freedom,” Dreka said.

“The Vomada is
my home,” Grigon said. “It’s only fitting I change it to make it better once in
a while.”

“I feel the same
with this Talon,” Dreka said.

“Is it the one
you fought Brian in?” Grigon asked.

“Yes, and it’s
the one that saved my life,” Dreka said. “What are supposed to do now?”

“Our orders are
to destroy any surviving Grey ships before joining our friends,” Grigon said.
“I have a feeling we got the easy target because of our android disrupters.”

“Were they still
onboard when the planet killer fled?” Dreka asked.

“They’re programmed
to self-detonate their Q-Drives in the event of that,” Grigon cawed. “In other
words, that ship is dead no matter where it went. But let’s get back to what we
were doing and finish the job.”

“Of course,”
Dreka cawed. “I’ll lead the way.”

* *
*

Seles’s vision
started blurring as a buzzing sound filled her head. She tried shaking it off
but found it was incredibly difficult. After a moment she felt something
familiar block whatever it was that was distracting her.

“I’ve set up a
mental block for you,”
Myden said telepathically.

“Thanks,”
she said in
return.
“How did you do it?”

“A part of Brian
lives inside you, I just drew it forward,”
Myden answered.
“I can’t
explain the details for now; let’s wait until after we survive this.”

“Alright,”
Seles said.

“What’s wrong?”
Valis asked over the monitor. “You weren’t fighting like yourself for a moment
there.”

“I’ll tell you
after the battle,” Seles said.

“It probably
would be better,” Valis said. She looked at the planet killer. “Everyone, this
is Captain Valis. The enemy has managed to suppress enough of our androids to
fire. The main cannon will attack at any moment.”

The eight bases
of Heaven’s Light clustered together and shifted their Hades systems to shield
mode. All of the ships that could move went behind the defensive barrier. The
Maidens and front line ships scattered while the planet killer charged up to
fire. The beam slammed into the center of the formation of Heaven’s Light and
heavily drained the shields of the bases. A number of the Confederation ships and
mobile suits unable to make it behind the shields were either vaporized or
severely damaged. The Maidens and the five ships moved back together and flew
straight for the planet killer.

* *
*

Brian looked at
Myden as the battle went on and noticed something in the old Grey’s eyes.

“What’s going
on?” Brian asked.

“I’ve been
disrupting our enemy as I can,” Myden answered.

“Are you doing
it telepathically?” Jesela asked.

“Yes,” Myden
said. “By the way, you can sing pretty well.”

“Whenever my mother
brought me to the temple I’d chant along,” Jesela said. “But music doesn’t move
me like figuring out how a pulse rifle or mobile suit works does.”

Brian laughed.
“We all have our hobbies.”

“I meditate a
lot,” Myden said. “But to explain, something was bothering Seles and some of
the others, likely the machine god. The other thing was Sunadin when he made an
appearance.”

“But that Red
Star thing isn’t anywhere on the scanners,” Jesela pointed out.

“He projected
himself,” Brian said. “Myden can do the same thing if he wants to.”

“I used my power
to knock him out of the battle for the time being,” Myden said. “We don’t want
them having a chance to change their orders.”

“What’s our
status?” Brian asked.

“Everything’s
green,” Jesela said. “According to the readings we have ten minutes of Hades
mode left.”

“Our weapons are
the same,” Myden said. “But we should finish this quickly before they can
recharge.”

Brian watched
the Maidens flying about in the front of the battle and destroying or disabling
swarm after swarm of Grey ships. He turned to the other two after grabbing his
helmet.

“Are you going
outside again?” Jesela asked.

“Of course,”
Brian said as he put the helmet on and locked it into place. “Take care of
things while I’m gone.”

“We will,” Myden
said.

* *
*

General Sunadin
resumed his meditation but found every time he tried to return to the battle he
was unable to. He stood up and paced frantically with the machine god echoing
in his mind. Frustrated, he turned his monitor on and watched the footage from
the previous battles. Each time he closely watched the five ships and the bases
of Heaven’s Light and their special systems. He then focused on the Maidens’
crafts and the Mjolnir. After watching Brian use the Artemis to fly inside one
of the planet killers to destroy it he sat down again.

“My lord, what
power did I see?”
Sunadin asked.

“It is the
Terran’s dimensional blade,”
the machine god answered.
“With it
he can surpass the three dimensions we call reality.”

“If he can use
that power is there any way we can defeat him?”
Sunadin asked.

“He’s young and
knows little about controlling it,”
the machine god answered.
“In
addition, he’s fearful of using it on others or anything larger than a mobile
weapon. This is the key to his weakness Sunadin.”

“I see,”
Sunadin said.
“If
I isolate the Freedom and cut him off from his allies his power will be
nullified.”

“But beware of
the traitor Myden,”
the machine god said.
“He has found a way to shield his allies from us. How
I can’t say, but I am being blocked from speaking to the others. I have tried
to sway the heart of the one closest to Brian, but she is proving difficult. I
may have to move on to more forceful measures.”

“Should I take
the Red Star into battle now?”
Sunadin asked.

“Continue as
planned,”
the machine god answered.
“Focus on the Kalaidian territories. Their turning
to the Confederation side was an unfortunate setback for our plan but not one
we should be concerned with. And while you’re there make sure the Braiden are
wiped out for good. We can’t allow any more survivors to threaten us in the
future.”

“I understand my
lord,”
Sunadin said.

Brian stepped
inside the Artemis and joined Seles in the cockpit.

“Are we doing
the same thing as last time?” she asked.

“Pretty much,”
Brian answered. “Fly until we reach the center. Then unload everything you’ve
got.”

“Alright,” she
said.

He concentrated
his power and enveloped the Artemis in an aura of green light. The two halves
of the Gemini charged forward and slashed a path to the planet killer for them.
Before flying in Valis appeared on the monitor.

“They’re going
to try trapping you two inside,” Valis said.

“How are they
going to do that?” Seles asked.

“Their best bet
is to invert the planet killer’s drive,” Brian said. “I’ll do what I can Valis.
Have everyone else get out of here.”

“Alright,” Valis
said.

The other
Maidens turned around and retreated. The ships and bases followed suit when
everyone nearby moved as far away from the planet killer as possible. The energy
field around the planet killer began inverting while the vessel shook.

“Are we really
flying into that?” Seles asked.

“If we don’t
stop it the ship will explode,” Brian said. “Our friends may live, but half of
Dega Jul will be destroyed in an instant.” He looked at her. “If you don’t want
to I can fly the Artemis in myself.”

“If I’m going to
die it’ll be by your side,” Seles said.

He smiled under
his helmet. “I love you.”

“And I love
you,” she answered. “Now let’s do this.”

“Fly in there
with the speed of the goddess,” Brian said.

“Of course,”
Seles said as she piloted the Artemis through the outer levels of the sphere.

“This is Captain
Peterson to all androids,” he said. “Prepare to self-detonate simultaneously to
disrupt the planet killer’s self-detonation.”

“Yes sir,” the
androids responded.

“Will that be
enough to stop it?” Seles asked as they approached the center.

“No,” Brian
answered. “I’m going to try something extremely stupid. The only issue is I’ll
need to touch the main control system of this planet killer.”

“That is
stupid,” Seles said.

“Mortals alone
can’t stand against a being such like me,”
the machine god lashed into
Brian and Seles’s minds.
“Even if you succeed here I will return and destroy
everything you love.”

Brian started
laughing. “Words can’t change the world, only actions can.” He looked at Seles
again. “Drive the being from your mind! Don’t let him take you over!”

She closed her
eyes and did as he asked. When they came to the center she landed the Artemis
in front of the miniature version of the machine god. The entire planet killer
was beginning to implode as its drive inverted. The Keinien androids each blew
up at the same time to counter the inversion, but it only held it in place for
a moment. Brian flashed and appeared outside. With all of his concentration the
Artemis remained incorporeal while hundreds of Greys ran about the chamber.
Their pulse fire flew right through his body like he was a ghost as he
approached the machine. The mental attacks from its master staggered but didn’t
stop him. When he touched the column he felt like his body was tearing apart
while covering the machine with glowing green energy. He stumbled but held his
ground as he pumped all of his power into the planet killer. The aura from
Brian began extending outward as the entire vessel was set ablaze. He let out a
primal scream before pushing the vessel into another dimension. Seeing his
situation, Seles used the Artemis to grab him and fly away. As they fled he and
the Artemis stopped glowing while the planet killer disappeared from view and
exploded. Seles’s mind touched his as they flew away and she felt him fading
away. She quickly got his body inside the cockpit. As her berserk ended she
tore off her helmet and ran to Brian. His body was motionless when she removed
his helmet and saw the life leaving his eyes. He tried to say something but the
words wouldn’t leave his mouth. She grabbed her med kit and injected him with a
shot but found it didn’t help. When tears fell from her eyes Seles felt a strange
power come over her. She held Brian as her body was covered in light and kissed
him. The light from her flowed into him and she felt his heart beating again.
After the light left from the cockpit Seles pulled back and saw life returning
to his eyes. As she cried she felt his hand reach up and take hers.

“Thank you,” he
said weakly before falling unconscious.

She held him and
cried for a moment. “Kali, thank you for giving me the strength,” she wiped
away the tears before touching the com, “Mira, would be so kind as to take him
home?”

Mira appeared on
the screen. “Is he alright?”

“Not really,”
Seles said. “I was able to stabilize him for the moment though.”

“Let’s land on
the Freedom right now,” Mira said.

“Alright,” Seles
said.

The two
separated from the other Maidens and landed inside the Freedom’s launching bay.
Seles quickly used the elevator cord to get Brian to the ground. At the same
time, Mira called in a pair of medical officers and had him placed on a
stretcher. She quickly scanned him and found his life signs were weak.

“He did
something really foolish,” Mira said. “How did you save him?”

“I don’t know,”
Seles said. She looked at him and grasped his hand again before running to get
back on the Artemis. “Take care of him Mira.”

“I will,” Mira
said.

* *
*

Myden cracked a
smile as he worked in front of the captain’s chair. The Hades system went off
so the ship could start recharging.

“What was that
light?” Myden asked. “I know you’ve seen it once before.”

Jesela looked
up. “When Brian left on the Mjolnir during the sojourn all of us saw that
light. Celi saved him then, I hope Seles did the same.”

“She did,” he
said. “His mind hasn’t left this world yet.”

“You seem happy
about this,” Jesela said. “Can I ask why?”

“The Warrior is
a catalyst to awaken the Maidens,” Myden answered. “Both Seles and Celi have
done so, even if it was only for a brief moment.”

“What does that
mean?” she asked.

The Grey turned
to Jesela. “For years you’ve toiled on the special models and not once have any
of their black box systems been activated. If the Maidens awaken all of that
work will come to fruition. If you’ve been amazed by his power then you’ll be
even more so by the Maidens.”

The two watched
the Artemis take off again and head to the front. The fleet of Heaven’s Light
had moved to attack the flank of the last remaining planet killer. The Mylor
and Confederation forces had suffered great losses while blocking the planet
killer’s main cannon.

“What did he
do?” Jesela asked.

“He threw the
beast into another plane of existence,” he said. “Now let’s get back to the
battle at hand.”

“I’d rather do
that than think about the things you’re talking about,” Jesela said.

“Indeed,” Myden
said.

* *
*

After Seles
rejoined the other Maidens they appeared on her screen.

“Is he alright?”
Valis asked.

“Mira’s taking
care of him right now,” Seles said.

“He’ll be okay
then,” Celi said.

“Seles, what was
that strange light?” Kivi asked.

“I’ll explain
later,” Seles said.

“What’s the plan
now?” Celi asked.

“Our special
systems have been pushed to their limits,” Valis said. “Given the situation we
should approach in formation A-3.” She noticed Veda and the others were
continuing their chant. “It may not let us berserk anymore, but at least it’ll
keep our spirits up.”

The Artemis and
Gemini took the front with their cannons in long range mode. The two mobile
suits destroyed as many smaller attack ships as they could on the approach. The
Aegis remained in the center with its shields going while the Minerva remained
in the rear. The mobile suits from the ships remained on the hulls to add their
shields together. On the other side of the planet killer the Mylor and
Confederation forces were holding their own against the majority of the
carriers. The planet killer flared up and fired its main cannon. A dozen Mylor
ships flew into its path and used their power to deflect the blast. After they
exploded there was massive hole in the Confederation forces leading to the
planet.

* *
*

Siata stood on
the bridge of her ship while her subordinates worked at a furious pace. Blast
after blast from the planet killer was thinning the Third Mylor fleet down to
nothing. With less than an hundred ships left she glanced at Baeron on the
monitor.

“Commander, if
we’re destroyed then follow Heaven’s Light,” Siata said.

“What are you
saying?” Baeron asked.

“If we don’t act
soon it will hit Dega Jul,” Siata said. “If this is my time I accept it. Take
care Baeron.”

“And to you as
well Siata,” Baeron said as he saluted her.

“This is Captain
Siata speaking,” she started. “Our allies have fought well and sacrificed much.
Now we must do the same. All remaining Mylor ships will gather together and
charge the planet killer head on. No matter what, we must prevent it from
directly hitting the planet.”

“Yes captain,”
all of other others said.

“So this is it?”
Commander Uta asked.

“Victory is paid
for with blood and fire,” Siata said.