Grey War Saga 1: Twilight of Innocence (3 page)

The Maidens’
mobile suits closed in on the planet killer. Pulse blasts from the vessel’s
surface pushed them back before Celi adjusted the shield system on the Aegis.
As particles flew outwards all incoming attacks reflected back on the planet
killer. Unfortunately the vessel’s powerful shields absorbed them easily. The
other four stayed within the Aegis’s shield while they continued berserking.
The Minerva and Siren stayed in back and picked off any attack vessel coming
towards their position. The Artemis and Gemini focused their pulse cannons on a
single point in the shield of the planet killer. Behind them their allies moved
into position. With them appeared Siata’s ship.

“That’s your
queue Seles,” Valis said.

“Then I’ll open
a path for everyone,” Seles said.

She flew the
Artemis as close as she could to the planet killer’s shield before firing six
arrow shots. After the massive beams slammed into the shield repeatedly the arrays
nearby failed and a hole opened up. At that moment the commanding officers on
the Avoni, Daevoni, Reinkar, and Raulno all berserked and used the Hades system
on their ships. The Columbia base did likewise as Veda joined in. The Mylor
battleship started glowing when all the crew focused their telekinetic powers
into the shape of a spear. After the Artemis fired its last arrow into the hole
all the ships behind it fired. Beams of powerful energy hundreds of
ketres
in length slammed into the vulnerable planet killer. As the other hull buckled
the Mylor battleship fired the massive telekinetic spear inside, shattering the
way to the interior of the craft. After another round of beam attacks the
planet killer’s shields went down. A moment later the lights inside went off as
all of its systems failed. Before it was completely destroyed the planet killer
activated an emergency gravity jump and disappeared.

* *
*

The Alaska base
appeared in a star system two gravity jumps away from Dega Jul. While they
prepared to jump again Loc put something on the monitor.

“What’s this?”
Javrin asked.

“I think it’s
our quarry,” Loc said.

In the space
near them the damaged planet killer appeared. The scanners showed it was
functioning at minimal power.

“What should we
do?” Loc asked.

“We should finish
it off,” Javrin said before hitting the com. “All ships and mobile forces are
to launch immediately. We’ve spotted the other planet killer and it appears to
be severely damaged. We’ll approach with caution and destroy it with our
remaining nuclear warheads.”

“Yes captain,”
the others said.

As the Alaska
base approached with its ships and mobile weapons launched the planet killer
floated ominously towards a gas giant.

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

Loc looked up
from her readings. “We should back away right now.”

The power levels
inside the planet killer spiked after its gravity drive system went critical.

“Are there any
colonies in this system?” Javrin asked.

“Yes, in the
asteroid belt between the second and third planets,” Loc answered.

“Send them a
warning immediately,” Javrin ordered.

“Done,” Loc
said. “Something’s happening.”

The planet
killer began glowing brightly as it dove into the gas giant. A few moments
later the moon sized ship exploded and ignited the core the planet. As the atmosphere
lit up it began compressing. A short while later the energy levels spiked again
and when the planet exploded. A shockwave flew out in all directions.

“How long will
it take to reach us?” Javrin asked.

“Two minutes,”
Loc answered.

“Record everything
you can and get us out of here before then,” Javrin ordered. “The others need
to see this.”

After the Alaska
base gravity jumped away the shockwave continued onward, destroying everything
in its path.

* *
*

After the planet
killer left the remaining Grey carriers quickly collected their attack ships
and faded from view. All of the captains and the Maidens ended their berserks
as everyone went into damage assessment mode. Brian held his hand over his left
eye after it stopped glowing.

“Are you sure
you don’t need a shot?” Jesela asked.

“I’m alright,”
Brian said. “How’s she holding up?”

“We should be
back to normal in a day or two,” Grigon said as he returned.

“Make it quicker
if you can,” Brian said.

“I’ll help him
out then,” Jesela said.

“No, you focus on
our special models,” Grigon said. “If they’re not taken care of our ship is
finished.”

“Alright,”
Jesela said before heading to the launching bay.

Brian hit the
com. “Everyone can return to the ship.”

“Yes captain,”
the pilots responded.

Brian turned to
Myden. “Tell me, did you sense anything coming from them?”

“The drive for
war fills their minds,” Myden said.

“You’ll have to
explain to me how a machine can control so many against their will,” Grigon
said.

Myden pulled out
his telepathic staff. “This device was the gateway for the creation of the
machine god. It turns a telepath’s mental powers into energy, thus giving us
the ability to change the world around us with our will alone.”

“It sounds like
magic,” Grigon said.

“Technology is
magic to the ignorant,” Myden said. “In a few thousand years the younger races
will understand.”

The com flashed
when the Alaska base appeared nearby. Captain Javrin appeared on the monitor a
moment later.

“It’s good to
see you could join us,” Brian said.

“We lost half our
forces on the way home,” Javrin said. “Captain Peterson, we need to talk. There
are a number of things that need to be seen.”

“From the tone
of your voice I know we need to do this soon,” Brian said. He hit the com.
“Veda, set up a meeting for the commanders in an hour.”

“As you wish,”
Veda said.

* *
*

Seles and Mira
got out of their mobile suits to help Jesela with the maintenance work.

“You guys are
getting pretty good at this,” Jesela said while working at the main console.

“The additions
work great,” Seles said.

“Siren’s
definitely better for it,” Mira added.

“It’s thanks to
Seles and her bank account,” Jesela said.

“I only used it
because we needed it,” Seles said. “Looks like everything’s good with Artemis.”

“Siren feels the
same,” Mira said. She looked at Seles. “So what’s wrong? You’ve had that
puzzled look on your face all day.”

“Have you
noticed the distant look in Brian’s eyes these days?” Seles asked.

“I have,” Mira
said. “He often doesn’t sleep at night and I see him staring into the mirror.”

“That is
strange,” Jesela said.

“I can tell he’s
listening to something the rest of us can’t hear,” Seles said. “Something lurks
deep within his soul and it’s taking a toll on him.”

“It’s probably
that machine god thing,” Mira said. “I don’t know how, but it has the ability
to haunt those open to its power.”

“True,” Seles
said.

“What about you
two?” Jesela asked.

“I touched Brian’s
mind when he changed and I felt the machine god’s voice,” Seles said. “It was
the darkest thing I’d ever felt, even worse than the
Kai
he experienced.
But since that day I haven’t heard a thing.”

“By my nature I
can’t feel its presence,” Mira said.

“But you can
feel the thoughts of others when berserking,” Jesela said.

“I think my
father built a barrier inside me to protect me from telepathy,” Mira said.

“It makes
sense,” Seles said. “If the machine god grabs a hold of us it may take us over.
You can’t be turned and that’s a good thing.”

“What I’m
wondering about is what’s going to happen next,” Mira said.

“A lot of people
will die,” Seles said. “Our only hope is to save enough to still call ourselves
the Confederation.”

* *
*

In the Kailion
system the Confederation headquarters was at high alert with thousands of
mobile weapons and ships deployed for its defense. The colossal station
remained in orbit of a gas giant when numerous colonies and ships appeared
nearby. All of the delegations from the twenty seven worlds of the
Confederation met in the Great Hall. As the images of the Greys’ attacks came
in the delegates grew more and more panicked. When the videos of the Reiki
homeworld’s destruction came in silence filled the room. After waiting a few
moments Lord Kris, the head of the Mylor delegation, banged the gavel.

“My friends, the
worst situation has occurred,” Kris said. “With this act of barbarism we have
no choice but to declare war against the Naerendi Empire. But before I ask for
a vote I will tell you a few things. The Naerendi, also called the Greys, have
launched a full scale attack on the Mylor Republic, the Federation of Daemos,
and the Avar Collective.”

The video
changed and showed the Mylor fleets, along with the Daemos and Avar forces,
engaging thousands of Grey carriers and a dozen planet killers. The others
watched in shock at the scale of the battles.

“As all of you
know, the older races, what you call the Original Five, are normally secretive
about their territories,” Kris said. “But today we can’t maintain such
luxuries. On the far side of the Mylor Republic, we are being held in siege by
the Naerendi Empire. As such, all but two of our fleets are currently engaged.
Because of this it’s important we come up with a viable strategy on this side
of the galaxy. If we can’t the Confederation as we know it will come to an end.
And with it Alden will turn to ash as each of us is destroyed like the Reiki,
the Braiden, and the Mardok. I ask you, shall we stand together and fight?”

The votes were
cast in an instant and were unanimous.

“Then we go to
war,” Kris said. “Let it be said we fought to the bitter end if that is our
fate. If we are to die than it will be in fire. But before hope is lost we
fight. All Confederation members will allow their militaries to be led by
either the special task forces or Heaven’s Light. Long live the Confederation!
Long live Alden!”

“Long live the
Confederation! Long live Alden!” the others echoed.

Veda, Reban,
Valis, Esra, El Kar, Kivi, Grigon, Dreka, Brian, Myden, Siata, and Baeron all
met in the command center of the Columbia base. Javrin, Lena, Miv Daek, and
Vikrit were all on the monitors from their respective bases.

“Now that we’re
all here it’s time we discuss the current situation,” Veda said. “Captain
Javrin, please show the video.”

“Of course,”
Javrin said.

The leaders of
Heaven’s Light watched the first footage of the planet killers moving in that the
Alaska base witnessed. The next segment showed the struggle over Reiki Prime
before and after its atmosphere was super-heated. The final part showed the
damaged planet killer exploding, causing the gas giant it went inside of to do
the same. After the screen went black everyone had their head down.

“I didn’t know they
could do that,” Myden said.

“Why did they
blow up a planet in a resource system?” Veda asked.

“Their objective
is to drive fear into us,” Valis said. “They knew the attack on Dega Jul would
fail unless they brought more forces.”

“If so then why
bother?” Esra asked.

“They want us to
panic,” El Kar said. “In times of war the first thing to leave people is their
sense of reason. The waves have already begun as the gravity drive enabled
colonies move back.”

“And my people
can’t take them in at the moment,” Siata added.

“The other
question is where the other two planet killers went,” Brian said.

“Beyond the
first sighting we have no clues,” Javrin admitted. “Unfortunately we didn’t see
the Siberia base anywhere along the way here.”

“Do you think
they were destroyed?” Dreka asked.

Brian shook his
head. “No, we put Shiken Ka in charge of that base. I’m sure they’re alive.” He
looked at Siata. “What about the Sahara and Death Valley bases?”

“They were given
orders to return to Dega Jul,” Siata said.

“It will take
them a few weeks to get here,” Valis said. “From what I see our issue is
information. We need to know where the Greys are going and their numbers. I
have no doubt they’ve sent more than the Alaska base saw. My guess is the Saeki
intercepted some on this side of the galaxy and are keeping them occupied. If
that’s true then I think they’ll move from the Reiki to either the Viken or
Shandi territories next.”

“What makes you
say that?” Veda asked.

“If you plot out
the territories on the star map you’ll see something,” Valis said. “Their
objective is to circle around the Kalaidian territories and then attack Dega
Jul again. Once Kalaidia is isolated they’ll strike. From there the
Confederation has a gaping hole in its defense.”

“Not even the
Malcov or Ick-Tckt would have enough strength to stop them,” Baeron said. “What
do you propose we do?”

Valis called up
the star map on the holographic table. “Our first objective is to see if my
guesses are just that. The Columbia base will move out and check our foes’
movements. The rest of you should stay here and defend Dega Jul.”

After Valis
started into the specifics Siata floated over to a very quiet Myden. She opened
her mind to his.

“I rarely talk
like this anymore,”
Myden said telepathically.

“You’ve grown
fond of others,”
Siata said.
“You weren’t like that in the past.”

“Keeping others
at an arm’s length wasn’t working anymore,”
he said.

“You think of
him as your own son, don’t you?”
she asked.

Myden stared at
Brian.
“Yes.”

“But you know
what must be done,”
Siata said.

He closed his
eyes and sighed.
“Yes.”
He opened them again and watched Brian add a few
things to Valis’s plan.
“Not long ago, I swore I’d change this world even if
my name were cursed for eternity. I’m beginning to regret those words.”

“How so?”
she asked.

“He deserves a
better future than that,”
Myden said.

“I feel the
same,”
Siata said.

He looked at the
Mylor woman.
“I will do what must be done. But I’ll curse fate the entire
time.”

“You’ve changed
Myden,”
Siata said.

“The only
constant I’ve seen in my long life has been that nothing lasts forever,”
Myden said.
“Well,
I’ll be on my way now.”

After the Grey
faded away Siata turned back to the meeting. She looked at Brian through the
eyes of her exoskeleton.
It’s hard to believe one man could change the
hearts of so many.

* *
*

Seles dried
herself off after a quick shower in in her quarters. After throwing on a robe
she went into the main room. On the walls she kept a number of pictures
spanning her life. She stopped and stared at one while humming a tune. After a
few minutes she went to her computer and began putting in the tune she hummed
until it formed a song. As she worked on the lyrics Myden appeared from the
shadows.

“It’s been
awhile since we talked,” she remarked before turning to face him.

Myden stopped to
look at her pictures. “So many things get in the way of simple conversation.”
He looked at the song she was working on. “You’ve gotten much better with
music.”

“It’s funny,
until a few years ago I was afraid to try my hand at it,” Seles said. “But
friends will set you straight when you lose yourself.”

“I see,” Myden
said. “You’re no longer the little girl I knew.”

“She’s more
mature now,” Seles said. “I still love flying, that hasn’t changed. But the
desire to try my hand at new things fills me.” She stood up and yawned. “I was
so busy living his life I forgot my own.”

“I can tell you
he’s happy about that,” Myden said. “But you already know.”

“The issue isn’t
me anymore, it’s him,” Seles said. “Brian needs a hobby to keep him occupied.”

“Last time I was
in his quarters he was working on something,” Myden said. “I think he was
translating the saga of Raulno into English.”

“If that’s true
them I’m glad to be wrong,” Seles said. “But that’s enough of dancing around
the issue. What brings you to me? I can tell you need to talk about something.”

“I need to know that
if the worst happens you’ll be able to keep going,” he said. “This war will be
long and bloody; many of those you care about may die.”

“I can say I am,”
Seles said. “But to be honest I don’t know. All I can do is fight and keep
living. Beyond that I can’t say for sure.” She noticed something behind his
eyes. “Are you talking about Brian?”

“I am,” Myden said.
“Chance brought him to us but fate may have something terrible in store for
him.”

“It’s that thing
in his head, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Yes,” Myden
said. “I can sense it without trying and it’s draining away at him.”

“Isn’t there
anything you can do to help him?” Seles asked.

“If I try
there’s a good possibility it will take me over,” Myden said. “I can’t let that
happen.”

“Then what can
we do?” she asked.

“Keep him
grounded,” Myden said. “Brian needs someone to hold him in the real world.
That’s all I can say for now.”

“You think he’s
going to die, don’t you?” Seles asked.

Myden turned
away and moved towards the shadows. As he faded from view he looked her in the
eye. “I hope I’m wrong.”

* *
*

After the
meeting in the command center Brian stood in the docking area and looked out.
Hundreds of engineers and soldiers from Heaven’s Light and the Confederation
milled about while doing their work on the base. The inner door to the dock
opened and allowed in four heavy class ships from the special task forces.
Valis walked up next to him.

“Looks like
Baeron is coming with us,” Brian said.

“He wouldn’t let
me say no,” Valis said. “Anyways, having a fleet of their ships guarding the
base will allow the rest of us to scout about.” She noticed the look in his
eyes. “You don’t care, do you?”

“No, I’m glad
he’s willing to help,” he said.

“What’s
bothering you?” Valis asked.

“I’m restless,”
Brian said. He looked at her. “When I was on Earth I had no intention of
serving in the military. My life was focused on the mind, creativity, and
stories. Sometimes I feel I just don’t fit in here.”

“Do you want
Mjolnir back?” she asked.

 He smiled. “No,
he’s better off with Meldi than following me around.”

“I’m glad you
turned me down,” Valis said. “Meldi and Mjolnir have become quite the team.”

“That’s what I
wanted,” he said. “My issue is downtime. And now that the Greys are here
there’s no time for it anymore.”

“You’re the type
who needs long bouts of solitude to recharge,” Valis said. “I know because I’m
that way as well.”

He smiled at
her. “Thanks.”

“Are you free
tonight?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said.