The Cycles of Revelation Series

Artifact of the Dawn: Standoff (A Queer Sci-Fi Adventure)

Episode 65: The Maara’dahl arrive and the Aria’naa fleet engage them in an intense battle above Med’nor.

As expected, they only had a few hours to prepare for the Maara’dahl fleet, the operatives barely getting any chance to send a warning. On Vestos, they had gathered as many people as possible within the relative safety of either the Pah’ora, the Rahn’naa, or the surrounding encampment.

Andreesen sent a message to Ateria, giving them a final warning to get people into the bunkers. They all hoped that the Maara’dahl would concentrate their attack on Vestos, and specifically on the Rahn’naa, sparing the unprotected populations. Keryth wasn’t hopeful considering the tactics the Maara’dahl used against the other Athla’naa colonies in the past.

Jevan ran to meet with those who were transporting up to Keryth’s ship. Mathias requested Jevan to stand witness and represent the Medellans from Vestos. Andreesen joined them as a representative from Ateria, and Taeglyn went to represent his people. They were there to be a voice for their people, and to witness firsthand what was happening far above their world.

Ardyn was to remain behind, instead observing everything in the control center of the Rahn’naa, while his father remained in the encampment to watch over their people. Despite their stupid argument, Jevan was reluctant to leave Ardyn’s side, but he made a promise to Mathias, who felt his place was to be with his people.

Jevan sprinted along the corridor toward the agreed meeting place, his heart hammering in his chest. So much had the potential to go wrong, despite all their preparations. He feared that Med’nor would be doomed if the battalion didn’t stop the Maara’dahl fleet. As he made his way through the crowded corridor, his mind flashed back to the last moments he’d just spent with Ardyn.

Around them, people scrambled after they made the shipwide announcement. The stations in the observation tower were all fully occupied by crewmembers, and they immediately sprang into action.

“Ardyn, I’m sorry,” Jevan tried to apologize, realizing how Ardyn might have seen his attempts at being friendly with Aramys as flirtatious.

“Now isn’t the time,” Ardyn said, stepping back and heading toward the elevator. “We both have our assignments. Go. We can talk after this is all over.”

Nodding, Jevan agreed, following Ardyn. There were a few moments of awkward silence as they rode the elevator down into the bowels of the ship. When it stopped, Jevan moved to leave before turning in the doorway. “Stay safe, Ardyn.”

“You too. See you later.”

“There you are!” Taeglyn said with a note of relief as Jevan approached them. “We were worried that you wouldn’t make it.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m here now,” Jevan said. “Is Keryth ready to bring us onboard?”

Andreesen activated his communicator. “Commander Keryth, Jevan is here. We’re ready.”

A moment later, a bright flash of light enveloped Jevan and between one blink and the next he stood on the transmat platform of the Wah’kah’ria. A crew member was waiting for them and escorted them to the control center. As they entered, the room was abuzz with activity.

Keryth turned to greet them. “You three can take a position in that corner and strap yourselves in,” he pointed. “Please stay out of the way and let us do our jobs. I’ll do my best to get us through this.”

“How much time until they arrive?” Taeglyn asked as they made their way to the designated corner that had a bench with three seats and safety harnesses. The bench and harnesses looked like someone recently modified them to accommodate larger Medellan frames and didn’t quite match the pristine aesthetic of the rest of the control center.

“They could arrive at any moment,” Keryth said. “Our operative couldn’t sneak away and send a warning until the fleet was well underway and we fear they were caught. The message cut off before it completed.”

“How do you know?” Andreesen asked, as they were strapping themselves into the safety harnesses.

“All our operatives have a specific call sign and a designated sign-off phrase,” Keryth said. “The operative used their call sign, but the signal cut off before they used their sign-off phrase.”

“Do you think the operative is okay?” Jevan asked.

Keryth’s ears lowered. “No. If they were caught, they’re most likely dead. The Maara’dahl do not hold prisoners for long, but they probably tried to extract information from the operative before killing them.”

“They risked their lives just to help us?” Andreesen asked.

“In part, but we’ve been trying to insert operatives into the Maara’dahl organization for years,” Keryth explained. “By attacking you, Denyra finally gave us an opportunity to infiltrate their ranks. Our operatives all knew the risks.”

“If we make it through this, I’ll recommend we hold a tribute in your people’s honor for their sacrifice,” Andreesen said. “I’m not sure my people would have done the same.”

Before Jevan could say something, Keryth swung his chair around as he tapped the communicator in his ear, and then tapped a few commands into the console before him. A moment later, Commander Aramys appeared on the viewscreen.

“Our subspace sensors have detected the Maara’dahl fleet,” she said. “They should drop out of warp momentarily.”

“Shields up,” Keryth ordered. “Everyone buckle in, things are about to get bumpy. Someone check to make sure the Pah’ora has also been alerted.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Jevan glanced over at Andreesen and Taeglyn. They both looked as terrified as he felt. Looking at the forward view screen, Jevan gasped when the dark backdrop of space filled with ships emerging from warp. Almost immediately, the ships were on the attack, concentrating their fire on the lead ships of the battalion.

“Close in and provide cover fire,” Keryth ordered, and the Wah’kah’ria moved toward the attacking fleet. “Make a detailed scan of every ship we get close to. I want to get a better idea of where the Maara’dahl are getting their ships from.”

As the Wah’kah’ria entered the fray, some of the Maara’dahl turned their weapons on them. Every blast rocked the ship, and Jevan gripped the straps of the harness to keep from being shaken like a rag doll.

A tech turned toward Keryth. “Those are definitely our decommissioned ships, Commander. Several are Mark One Star Cruisers.”

The Wah’kah’ria strafed a line of fire along the hull of one ship before changing course. Then they spotted an even larger ship through the fray. “Aramys, are you seeing this? That’s the Ora’laa!”

“You’re right,” Jevan could hear the voice of Aramys coming through the internal speakers in the control center. “That confirms it. They’ve been looting ships from the old, decommissioned shipyard.”

“That is a security breech that needs to be fixed as soon as this mess is over with,” Keryth said. “Hail that lead ship and then give the Rahn’naa an update.”

After a moment, the communications tech spun his chair toward Keryth. “The Ora’laa is ignoring all hails, Commander.”

What Jevan saw next made his heart stutter in his chest. The enormous ship began firing its weapons, but instead of aiming at the battalion, the energy beams flew past and directly at the planet below.

“They are firing all weapons on Med’nor!” a security tech cried out. “The Ora’laa is concentrating its fire on the Rahn’naa.”

Ardyn!

The other Maara’dahl ships increased their attacks against the battalion, trying to prevent them from retaliating against the Ora’laa. “Divert more power to the shields. Evasive maneuvers!” Keryth cried out.

The Wah’kah’ria flew down and around the ships, firing on her, only taking a few hits, before coming around and firing all weapons. “Try to disable as many of them as possible. Aim for their weapons and propulsion systems.”

When the first barrage of weapons fire pierced through the shields of a Maara’dahl ship and their energy weapons exploded, the entire control center erupted in cheers. They took out the other two that had been attacking them, but then Jevan’s mind turned to what was happening down on Med’nor.

As if reading his mind, Keryth ordered. “Check on the Rahn’naa. Did they get their shields up in time?”

“Yes, Commander!” came the reply.

Jevan breathed a small sigh of relief, and then a powerful blast shook the Wah’kah’ria forcefully. “Shields are down to ten percent!” someone called out. “What did they just hit us with?”

Before anyone else could respond, they hit the Wah’kah’ria again, causing the ship to shudder violently, while consoles all around the command center sprayed sparks everywhere and the space filled with smoke. The shaking snapped Jevan’s head up and he noticed the bulkhead above Keryth give way.

Immediately, he sprang into action, unbuckling his harness and running toward Keryth, pushing him off his chair. Keryth cried out at being violently shoved, but Jevan had no time to apologize as the bulkhead came crashing down on him. Intense pain wracked his body before his entire world went black.