Titan Deck 1, Bridge
“What?” Anastasia asked, returning Adrian’s stare.
“You asked us not to piss him off,” he replied in a low voice.
Jacob’s eyes moved to her side. “Are you just going to stand there?”
At that moment, Anastasia realized that Dr. Kent was standing next to her.
“She’s right, Jacob. Winning isn’t important at this time,” replied Dr. Kent.
Jacob’s face turned red. “I do not see your authority to relieve me! Eugene, open the gates. I will return and see what I can do about you, Commander!”
“If you return,” Anastasia replied coldly.
The screen turned black.
“He’s mad!” declared Dr. Kent.
“Lieutenant Weeds, open a channel to the fleet,” Anastasia ordered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Imperial Fleet, this is Commander Waters. Admiral Donavan is no longer in command. Do not leave the system.”
“Commander, the gates are opening!” yelled Adrian.
“Close them.”
“I can’t!”
“Lieutenant Weeds?”
“Commander, Freedom is jamming our signals!” reported Evan.
This was unbelievable. “Get the message through, Lieutenant!”
“Maybe I should yell!” said Evan.
“Lieutenant Weeds, I’ve isolated a frequency. Use it and relay the message quickly!” yelled Lieutenant Hawk from the tactical station.
Everyone waited in tense silence, watching half of the fleet leave the system.
“Damn!” cried Anastasia.
“No one’s responding!” Evan told her. “They’re getting the message, but they’re not listening.”
Anastasia gritted her teeth in anger. On the viewscreen, she saw the squadron ships stopping on the other side of the gates.
Evan faced her. “It’s the Titan squadron.”
“Tell them to get back here.” At least she could save someone. She returned to her chair. The small ships turned around. “Keep the gates open.”
“Commander,” said Dr. Kent loudly. “I’m getting a reading I don’t understand!”
Before she could respond, the view screen zoomed in on an area near the gates. Anastasia noticed the stars vanish in one of the sections. The darkness was close to the squadron ships. The darkness moved fast, and before the small ships could escape, it swallowed them alive. The squadron vanished in seconds.
Shock hit Titan’s bridge crew. Anastasia sat with her eyes wide open. Byron, Clio, and Micah were gone. Just like that. A small group of Orias ships raced toward the gates, but everyone was in such a state of shock that they couldn’t respond.
“Close the gates! Close the gates!” shouted Dr. Kent, rushing toward Evan, who immediately did as he was told.
No one spoke, each mourning in their own way. Anastasia had thought she was saving them, but there was no saving anybody. Not anymore.
Evan broke the silence. “Ma’am, I’ve been trying, but I can’t raise Prometheus or the Imperial Command.”
“Keep trying,” she said numbly. “What about the fleet?”
Evan turned. “They’re not responding. They have engaged the enemy.”
She shut her eyes.
“This is getting out of hand. What should we do?” asked Adrian.
Another shock wave hit the station.
“We can’t just sit here!” said Evan.
The admiral might have chosen his own death and the death of every ship under his command, but Anastasia was not him, and Titan was home to over twenty thousand souls. If she died saving them, she could rest in peace. Building up her courage, she said, “Prepare for separation.”
Every eye in the command center turned toward her.
“Commander?” asked both Evan and Adrian.
“We have no other choice.”
“But the colonists?” asked Lieutenant Hawk.
“I have a plan. Prepare for separation. Lieutenant Weeds, make the announcement,” Anastasia insisted.
“Yes, ma’am,” Evan replied. “Attention all colonists. Attention all colonists. Titan’s separation will commence in ten minutes. All non-military personnel should move to the outer section and enter the pods. I repeat: all non-military personnel should move to the outer section. This is not a drill. This is not a drill. All non-military personnel should evacuate the inner section.” The message repeated.
Anastasia opened a channel to the engineering section. “Cyr, tell me we have power and weapons ready.”
“We’re ready down here.”
“Good. Any ideas on how we can stop the Orias from boarding Titan?”
“We could try changing shield modulations,” Cyr suggested.
“Do it,” Anastasia told her. “Adrian, what about the perimeter shields?”
“They’re holding. Now at seventy percent and stable.”
“Let’s keep them that way. Cyr send a bust of power to the perimeter.”
“Affirmative.”
They watched as a ball of white light left Titan and headed towards the perimeter. It smashed against one receptor. They felt a jolt.
“Perimeter shields restored to seventy-five percent,” Adrian reported.
“Again.” Ordered Anastasia.
Titan, Deck 1, Bridge
Minutes passed painfully, and Anastasia sat on the edge of her seat. She watched helplessly as the handful of ships tried to keep the Orias away from the perimeter. She wished the admiral had listened to her. They were failing miserably. She gasped when she saw Marion burst into a ball of flame. “Oh no,” she muttered, getting to her feet.
She felt her heart skip, but there was nothing she could do about it. She slowly sat back down. Freedom and the other five ships were hardly keeping up. Five of the squadron ships were fighting, and the others had disappeared. “How long until Titan is ready?”
“Ma’am, seventy percent of the civilians are in the pods,” said Evan. “We have to wait. Otherwise . . .”
“Can’t you do anything to speed up the process?”
“No,” replied Evans.
Anastasia banged her fist on the chair’s handle.
Titan, Deck 10, Docking Bay
“This feels wrong!” Emmeline said, looking outside.
Argon was busy preparing Raven for launch. “Don’t worry.”
“I can’t leave. We should join the fight!”
“No!” Argon placed his hands on her shoulders. “You have to go.”
“Argon, the situation has changed. I won’t leave . . .”
“Emmeline, go! I can’t let the Imperial Command get hold of you!” Argon insisted. “Prepare for launch.”
She reluctantly nodded and ran inside the ship.
Argon turned to the console and put the ship on autopilot. He punched in the coordinates. He’d already told his mother and Selina to join the other civilians. Titan wasn’t safe anymore.
The engines started. Emmeline began launch procedures. The clamps were released. The ship made a whooshing noise. The hangar door began to open.
“Okay, let’s move,” Argon said, turning around. Then he froze. He watched in terror as it moved through the air.
A black demonly smoke hovered over the ships in the docking bay. It took a form. In front of him stood a beautiful woman. “You have it,” she said.
He glanced at the disruptor on the console.
“Give it to me,” she demanded.
Argon grabbed the disruptor. He screamed. A black metallic spear had pierced through his leg. Blood dripped on the floor. Screaming in pain, he looked at the creature in front of him. He grabbed his leg and fell on the console. He heard a whooshing noise. Above him, hanging in the air, was another spear.
“Tell me where it is,” the woman demanded.
Argon could no longer feel his leg. He groaned in pain and looked at her with pure rage. “Go to hell!” he shouted. Then he cried out. His head! He felt as if something had grabbed it and was drilling through his skull. It pounded with increasing agony. His temples felt like they were going to explode. “Ah!” he cried. Suddenly, the pain stopped.
“Emmeline,” said the creature. “Where is she?”
Panting, Argon’s eyes shifted between the spear over his head and the creature in front of him. Before he could decide what to do, he heard footsteps.
The creature looked past Argon and smirked.
“No! Argon!” Emmeline screamed from inside the ship.
“Go to hell!” he muttered and pushed a button.
The doors of Raven closed. He pressed another button, and the hangar decompressed immediately. Raven was thrown out of the docking bay. Once in space, the autopilot kicked in. The AI stabilized the ship, and it surged away from the battlefield. Argon smiled, watching her leave, and said his goodbyes. He turned to look at the creature, knowing his fate was sealed. Its eyes burned red, and he screamed as the spear tore through his heart.
Titan, Deck 1, Bridge
Anastasia tried to maintain her balance, but it was proving difficult. She watched helplessly as people died protecting the perimeter. The perimeter was becoming unstable. Shockwave after shock wave hit Titan.
“Commander! Commander!” shouted Aceline on the commlink.
“Doctor, you should leave with the other colonist.”
“I can’t get hold of Argon. I feel like something has happened to him. Something’s wrong. He’s not answering. I’m not leaving without him!”
Anastasia didn’t have time for this. “Aceline, this is no time to argue. Take Selina and leave. Now! I’ll try to find him. Go!”
Aceline didn’t reply. She closed the channel.
The computer announced, “Eighty percent of separation process complete.”
Anastasia wished it would hurry. The quicker she could remove the civilians, the sooner she could join the battle.
“Commander,” called out Cyr. “We have a problem.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” she muttered.
“The generator on Deck 10, Section 17, has stopped working.”
Anastasia raised her eyebrows. “So, fix it!”
“I can’t! It would have to be done manually.”
“Call security.”
“They have their hands full. Half of the engineering staff are fighting to keep the Orias out. Can I ask Lieutenant Weeds?”
“No!” Anastasia interrupted her. “I’ll go.”
“Commander!” Adrian protested.
Anastasia glared at him. “Lieutenant Olson, you are in command. Continue the separation process.”
“Commander…” said Adrian getting on his feet. His face full of concern.
Anastasia felt proud. “Adrian, I’ll be back. Take care of Titan until then…” The truth was, she wanted to do something until the separation process was complete. It was driving her nuts, and she had to locate Argon.
Titan, Deck 10, Docking Bay
The elevator opened on the south side of the docking bay. When they stepped out, Anastasia and five of the security guards were met with smoke and darkness. She coughed, turned to the nearest panel, and vented the gas out. The emergency lights came to life. The corridor was silent, barren. Her heart beat so fast that she feared it would stop. She glanced at the guards, and two of them moved ahead. They hurried through the long corridor and soon found the generator. She punched in the codes, and the door slid open. She saw the problem immediately. There was a coolant leak. “We need to replace this.”
While the guards kept a watch, Anastasia put down her repair kit and opened it. The first thing she had to do was disconnect the corrupted coolant pack from the generator. As she began working, she realized it was hard to concentrate with the constant announcements and alarms beeping. Once it was disconnected, she replaced the coolant pack with the fresh bag and began integrating it into the system. She felt like she was in a sauna. Sweat dripped down her face and neck. Once she had secured the pack, she punched a few buttons, and the doors closed. Reaching out for the nearest panel, she called engineering. “Cyr. Try now.”
The generator came online immediately.
“Awesome!” Cyr said.
The computer announced, “Ninety-five percent separation process complete.”
“Adrian, tell me all the civilians are ready and secure,” said Anastasia.
“We’re almost there,” he replied.
“What about the perimeter?”
“Believe it or not, it’s still holding. The shields in one section are weakening, though.”
“Cyr, can we transfer more power?”
“I don’t think it will help now…”
“How many Earth ships remaining?”
“Three.”
Anastasia shut her eyes. “Okay.”
The floor beneath her shook vigorously, and the corridor turned dark. She grabbed the wall to maintain her balance. The lights flickered. Another alarm blared loudly. A conduit blew in front of her, and fire raged.
“Commander!” the guard pulled her behind him.
Within minutes, the corridor was full of smoke.
“It’s better if we go the other way,” said the guard.
Anastasia nodded.
They rushed in the other direction, and she traced Argon’s communicator to the docking bay. She came to a sudden halt when she thought she saw something. The alarms, the screams, the blasts, and the jolts all vanished. Taking sharp breaths, she took a few steps forward. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Argon lay on the floor in a pool of blood, a spear thrust through his chest.
“No. No. Not like this,” she mumbled.
The hangar doors shut with a loud thud.
“Commander!” someone shouted.
Laser blasts brought her back to her senses. She looked up and saw the guards firing at a black smoke hovering over the hangar deck. The lasers were bouncing off it. A group of Orias materialized.
“The Orias are here!” a guard screamed. The guards opened fire.
But Anastasia’s eyes remained fixed on the black smoke. She hastened toward the weapons locker and grabbed a shield. The smoke floated over her and then materialized into a woman.
“Who the hell are you, and what are you doing on Titan?” Anastasia demanded.
“Are you their leader?” asked the creature.
Anastasia stood up straighter. “Yes. I am.”
“Interesting.” The woman looked at her from top to bottom.
“What the hell do you want from us?”
“I want the device, and I want you to die!”
A spear appeared out of nowhere and surged toward Anastasia. She put the shield up, and knocked it over. She fired her disruptor. The laser went through the creature.
“You cannot kill me. I am the queen.”
Anastasia raised her eyebrows.
Another spear appeared. Anastasia moved swiftly, missing it by inches. The spear hit the floor and pierced through it, creating a small hole. She grabbed and pulled it out with all her strength and threw it at the queen who grabbed it in mid-air and smiled.
Anastasia pulled the spear out of Argon’s body. The queen turned back into smoke, which rushed through the deck and appeared inches in front of Anastasia. The smoke became the queen once more, and she swung the spear.
Anastasia ducked. She took her chance and kicked the creature. She felt better. There was some space between them.
Their eyes met, and the queen smirked.
A whooshing noise distracted Anastasia. Then she realized the spear had turned into a sword. It’s all a game for her, she realized.
The swords clashed, and the queen threw her weight with her weapon. Anastasia grunted and blocked it with the shield. She swung her sword, missing her opponent by mere inches. The queen swirled, and her next attack was more powerful. Anastasia blocked the sword inches from her face and kicked her. Both women stopped, breathless, and stared at each other with hatred.
“Give up. You are no match for me!” the queen shouted.
Anastasia kept the shield close to her chest.
The queen laughed. “What do you think you can do with that?”
Anastasia smiled as something dawned on her. “Shield fire!”
The outer rims of the shield became bright. It vibrated in her hand, and a flash of light hit the queen. She was thrown back and landed on the floor.
“That’s what it can do!”
“Fifty percent power remaining,” the shield said.
Anastasia moved back when the queen turned into a ball of whirling smoke and headed straight for her. Suddenly, she reappeared. Swords clashed in the air again. Anastasia felt the queen’s strength. She freed her sword and attacked again. “Get off Titan!” she yelled in anger.
Titan shook, and Anastasia lost her balance and fell to the floor. The shield slipped out of her hand. She looked up; the alien queen rushed toward her. Anastasia rolled and got to her feet. She grabbed the shield and stood up.
The queen smiled, and her eyes glittered. She was creating a ball of white light between her hands. “Get ready to die!” she shouted and threw it at Anastasia.
Anastasia raised the shield. The white beam hit it with full force. “Ah!” she screamed as she felt herself being pushed backward. She could feel her hands weakening. The shield vibrated vigorously. She heard a cracking noise. “No!” she yelled, trying to stay on her feet. Suddenly, the pressure was off. Breathless, Anastasia peered out to look at the queen.
She looked surprised. She stood straight, confusion in her eyes.
The shield buzzed and came back online. “Power transfer complete. Two hundred percent power restored,” it announced.
Anastasia raised her eyebrows. “Well, isn’t that ironic? Fire!”
The beam hit the queen, and she turned to dust.
Anastasia stood breathless and sweating. She looked behind her; one guard was down, but the Orias were dead. The remaining guards joined her.
“We can take her,” one guard said.
Titan shook again.
The computer announced, “All personnel return to your posts. Titan is ready for separation.”
The smoke gathered again and turned into the vicious woman once more.
Anastasia moistened her lips. She wanted to kill this thing, but she also wanted her people out of harm’s way. Her eyes flickered to Argon. Enough blood had been spilled today.
Powerful turbulence hit Titan. Anastasia lost her balance and fell to the floor. She quickly got up.
The alien queen stood straight. The shock wave didn’t seem to bother her. “Where is she headed?” asked the queen.
Anastasia just glared at her.
“Where is she going?”
She knew she wanted to know Emmeline’s whereabouts. “Go to hell!” Anastasia spat.
“I will kill every one of you until you bring her to me.”
Anastasia was about to respond when Adrian’s voice crackled over the communicator. “Commander Waters, come in. Commander Waters, respond.”
Without taking her eyes off the queen, Anastasia reached for the switch. “Yes, Lieutenant Olson.”
“Commander, a small part of the perimeter has been breached. The Orias are entering our space. All our fighters are dead! Freedom and two other ships are hardly keeping up. They need us. They need us now!”
A wide smile appeared on the queen’s face. “All of you will die today.” The queen turned back into smoke, which shot through the hall and left Titan.
For the last time, Anastasia looked at Argon. Then she turned and ran.
Titan, Deck 1, Bridge
Anastasia threw the sword and her shield on the floor of the bridge. “What’s our status?”
“Believe it or not, we’re ready. Although not all civilians are accounted for,” said Adrian.
“What about the Earth ships?”
“Freedom and two other ships are still blocking the Orias from entering our system.”
“Commander, I’m detecting another ship!” shouted Lieutenant Hawk.
Anastasia frowned.
“It’s Prometheus.”
“Looks like they finally heard our hails!” said Evan.
“Open a channel,” Anastasia ordered.
Mykel’s face appeared on the viewscreen. “Sorry. It appears I’m always late.”
“Where have you been?”
“Thirty minutes ago, all transmission from Titan stopped and our attempts to contact you failed. It could only mean one thing. So, we turned around, just to make sure.”
Anastasia nodded.
“I’ve warned the Imperial Command. More ships should be here,” Mykel said.
“Understood.”
The viewscreen showed Prometheus joining the battle.
“Start separation process. Lieutenant Olson, take control over the helm. Lieutenant Weeds, initiate remote bridge protocol,” Anastasia said.
“Yes, Commander. Otis is ready.”
The image on the screen changed. A robot stood at attention. “Commander.”
“Otis. Are the citizens of Titan secured?”
“Not all citizens are accounted for, but ninety-nine percent of citizens are secured.”
Anastasia nodded. It would have to do. “Await further instructions.” The screen went blank. “Initiate separation sequence.”
A loud whoosh rushed through the space station. Outside, a cloud of smoke erupted, spreading in all directions. If someone didn’t know better, they would have thought Titan was on fire. All the corridors that connected the outer and the inner section began to retract.
“Commander, the retraction process has commenced,” Adrian said.
“When it’s done, ease us out slowly,”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Lieutenant Weeds, take over the outer section.”
Soon, the gas disappeared. The inner section slowly moved downward. The outer section began to stand erect. The large passageways that had retracted once more began moving toward the center.
“We’re clear of the outer rim,” announced Evan.
“Is it stable and ready?”
“Not yet, Commander.”
“Ma’am, Titan is ready for initialization,” said Adrian.
“Bring all thrusters online and initiate flight mode.”
They all felt a tremor. Outside, the lights above Titan came to life. The word “TITAN” glowed underneath them.
“Engines,” ordered Anastasia.
“Firing engines.”
Again, they felt a tremor. A single red rim of light appeared at the back of Titan. Then another. Then another. Over a dozen rims of red light now fiercely glowed in space.
“Commander, the perimeter is becoming unstable. It can’t take it anymore,” said Adrian.
“Just a few more moments,” she told him. “What about the outer section?”
The viewscreen split in two. The circular outer rim of Titan stood erect. The passageways looked like spokes that had come together. It looked like a giant wheel.
“Ready when you are, Lieutenant Weeds,” Anastasia said.
“Initiating outer section thrusters and firing up engines.” All eyes turned to the screen. The four engines at the four corners of the wheel came to life. “Engines online,” announced Evan. The enormous wheel slowly moved forward. “Destination?” he asked.
“How much time to Earth?”
“At this speed, four days.”
Anastasia shook her head. “Not good enough. Full power to thrusters.”
Evan turned. “They’ll run out of fuel.”
“We have to get them out of here,” said Adrian.
Anastasia became thoughtful, then turned toward the panel on her left. “Lieutenant Weeds, I’m sending you a set of coordinates. It will take them to the lower orbit of Saturn. Its gases will protect it from any scans, and it should remain hidden and secure until the Imperial Command gets here.”
“But what if, after finishing us, they begin looking for the colonists?”
“Trust me. They’re looking for someone else.”
Everyone looked at each other.
“You have your orders, Lieutenant,” Anastasia said firmly.
Evan hesitated for a moment, but then turned. “Full power.”
“Contact Otis.”
The robot reappeared on the screen.
“You are headed for Saturn,” Anastasia told it.
“Yes, Commander.”
“Four days past today, you will survey the situation. If it is safe, contact the Imperial Command and head toward Vesta, the nearest colony.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Anastasia got on her feet. “Remember, Titan’s colonists are your first and only priority. Protect them at any cost. Use whatever means necessary to conceal yourself, regardless of what happens to the perimeter, the fleet, or Titan. Do you understand?”
“Understood, Commander.”
The bridge crew watched as the wheel rocketed away from the battle. Another shock wave hit Titan. The viewscreen changed, and they saw a large ball of fire. Everyone became silent.
“They have destroyed two more Earth ships! Now it’s just Titan, Prometheus, and Freedom.”
Anastasia closed her eyes and held her head. But she didn’t have the time to mourn.
“Three Orias ships just slipped into our space. They’re heading toward the outer section,” Adrian announced.
“You know what to do.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Titan swung and picked up speed, and the gap between it and the Orias ships vanished in seconds.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” muttered Adrian.
“Fire!” shouted Anastasia.
Torpedoes launched with incredible speed. Within seconds, the Orias ships were crushed.
“Yes!” Adrian cheered.
But Anastasia didn’t feel like celebrating just yet. “Bring us about.”
Titan turned around and fired, neutralizing the four ships that had just slipped into their space. Their upgrades to the torpedoes were working well. A beam hit Titan, and it shook. Sparks flew, and the lights went out for a second. Titan’s computer located the three Orias ships and fired again. A blast blinded the crew momentarily. From the corner of her eye, Anastasia saw Freedom return to her realm, chasing two Orias ships. “Status of the colonists?” she asked.
“At this speed, they should be out of range within five minutes.”
“Keep them busy. Do not let any Orias ships get past us. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Lieutenant Hawk, show me the perimeter.”
Everyone’s hearts sank. Their job was to protect the perimeter, and right now, they were watching as the Orias destroyed it.
Titan shuddered and dipped. Anastasia grabbed her chair. A loud beep sounded.
“Commander, the perimeter is overloading. It can’t take it anymore. The shield is at twenty percent,” Adrian reported.
A loud blast occurred close to Titan. A shock wave hit them, throwing everyone off their chairs. The lights on the roof blew to pieces, and debris fell to the floor.
“What the hell was that?” Anastasia shouted above the screaming alarm.
“Freedom!” Adrian replied. “It blew and breached our shields!”
Everyone fell silent and looked at the screen. A huge part of the ship floated in space, lifeless.
“Prometheus?” Anastasia asked, her heart jumping to her throat.
The view on the screen changed. Two Orias ships were attacking the ship. Prometheus fired and blew one of the ships to pieces.
“Looks like it’s good,” Evan remarked.
“Engineering, what’s our status?” Anastasia shouted, getting back in her chair.
“I’m trying to keep the perimeter from blowing up. I’ve been reinforcing it by transferring power to the receptors and rerouting power from other generators,” Cyr replied. “I’m sorry. I can’t do anything else.”
Anastasia sat up straight. “Maybe we can. Adrian, what’s the distance between the last Orias ship and the perimeter?”
Adrian examined the panel. “Less than two hundred kilometers.”
“Show me their formation.”
A diagram appeared on the screen. The Orias had no particular formation and were scattered haphazardly on the other side.
“Cyr. Give me a vantage point,” said Anastasia. “Imagine if I want to light a fire. Where would I do it?”
“Working on it.” The viewscreen changed to show another diagram. A section was highlighted. “I don’t know why, but seventy percent of their ships are at this point,” Cyr said.
Slowly, Anastasia got off her chair. “Six weeks ago, you told me we had 120 percent power.”
“Yes. So?”
“Transfer thirty percent to the perimeter generators in that section.”
“That’s too much,” Cyr argued. “It will overload and blow up.”
“How big?”
“W-What?”
“How big of an explosion?”
“Substantial.”
Every eye turned to Anastasia.
“Location of Prometheus?” she asked as Titan jolted once more. The screen showed that Prometheus was chasing two ships that were heading toward one of Saturn’s moons. “This is our chance. Do it.”
“Ready. I suggest we move back,” Cyr said.
“No,” said Anastasia. “Execute.”
Three blasts left the space station, heading for the perimeter. Titan vibrated. At first, just a bit. Then the vibration grew stronger. Anastasia grabbed the arms of her chair. Alarms blared. The perimeter, studded like glowing stars, changed. At first, it turned slightly red. Then it turned into a red web.
Before the Orias knew what was happening, a section of the perimeter blew and turned into a huge fireball. The blast spread in all directions, destroying everything in its wake.
Anastasia smiled as she saw the Orias ships being wiped out. But soon, the fire approached Titan. “Brace for impact!” she screamed.
Titan shook, tossing everyone from their seats. Fire flooded the outer hull. Its special shielding deflected the fire into space. Titan was designed to soak up energy. When the fire hit the convertors, they quickly began turning it into fuel.
When she looked up, Anastasia saw that the screen was tilted. A moment later, she realized it was Titan. The bridge crew got to their feet and took their stations.
“Let’s see what happened,” Anastasia said, getting back in her chair.
They looked at broken perimeter. It had served them well for years, and now it was no more. It wasn’t totally gone, but there was a gap almost ten kilometers wide.
“Status of the Orias fleet?” Anastasia asked.
Evan checked his panel. “We destroyed most of their ships.”
Anastasia wondered if that was enough.
“Commander, our communications are back online. I have contact with the Imperial Command. And we have an incoming message from Prometheus,” said Lieutenant Hawk.
Anastasia nodded.
The message came in. “What was that? Are you okay?” asked Mykel.
“We are good, thanks. We overloaded the perimeter.”
“What?”
“The blast took out most of their ships.”
“Good move, Commander.”
But at what cost? Anastasia thought.
“Commander, we just received a message from the Imperial Command,” said Lieutenant Hawk. “A new fleet led by Lady Vermont should be here in ten minutes.”
Anastasia nodded; a bit surprised. A tribunal leading the fleet was unusual. She turned to Mykel. “Captain, we . . .” But the transmission was interrupted, and the screen went blank. “What happened?”
“I don’t know!” Evan replied.
“That was a mistake,” said a deep voice.
Darkness engulfed the bridge. A face appeared on the black screen, and as it brightened, Anastasia and her crew could see the queen herself.
“That was a mistake.”
Anastasia felt her pulse rise. She’d never thought she would see her again, especially not so soon. “Was it?” she said, getting to her feet.
“You will perish. You are no match for us. I am superior in every way. My power extends across the seven realms, and I will take what is mine.”
Anastasia stayed silent.
“You are menial, insignificant beings! And I will crush you.”
Her words were met with silence. A coldness spread across the bridge.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think we were being insulted,” said Evan to Adrian.
“I know he was nuts, but at this moment, I like the admiral more. At least he didn’t call us menial,” replied Adrian.
Anastasia tried not to smile. The women continued to glare at each other. A mix of fear and surprise filled her.
“You are powerless! Insignificant!” she spat, “You will surrender and serve under me. If you resist, I will destroy you and assimilate your species! This is my realm; I will be your queen. You will either serve me or die!”
A sense of shock hit Titan’s bridge crew, and they turned to their commander. Anastasia stood flabbergasted, trying to understand what was happening. Should she retaliate? Should she surrender? Or play the game. She smirked and returned to her chair. She thought about all the lives that had been lost and all the ships that had been destroyed. And for what? Power. Beings hungry for power.
“Commander, Prometheus is hailing us,” said Lieutenant Hawk.
She nodded. The viewscreen divided into two. Mykel was about to speak, but Anastasia signaled for him to wait. She looked at the panel and made a note of the coordinates from where the queen’s signal originated. “You have no idea who we are, have you?” she said to the queen, punching buttons. “You never reached out, talked to us. If you would have asked us… let’s say, nicely I would have considered your request.”
“I do not make requests… I…”
“I am not finished yet,” she said firmly, “You will not set foot in this sector of space. This is no one’s realm. It belongs to every living creature in this sector. You have no authority here.”
Silence struck the bridge.
The two women glowered, neither looking away.
“I shall kill you myself, and I’ll enjoy it,” said the queen.
“And I shall give you no such pleasure,” replied Anastasia. “Titan, initiate attack pattern twenty-five,” she ordered.
The computer took control, and sixteen long-range, high-yield torpedoes flew toward queen’s ship. Anastasia had used her time well; she had created defensive automated programs that were executed on voice commands. The torpedoes hit the Orias fleet in an instant, and Anastasia enjoyed the momentary surprise on the queen’s face. The screen went blank.
“Five torpedoes hit the main ship,” Evan confirmed, “It has sustained heavy damage.”
A ball of fire erupted.
“Six Orias ships just exploded.”
“Nice work!” muttered Evan.
“Commander… the Prometheus is in trouble.” reported Lieutenant Hawk.
Five Orias ships surrounded Prometheus, and it was struggling. A blast from the Orias ships punctured a hole in its hull.
“Adrian!” Anastasia shouted.
Titan tilted, aimed, and fired, destroying two ships. Then, slowly, it hovered over Prometheus. Its vast shadow fell over the Orias ships. It didn’t fire. It just hovered there, waiting.
“Commander?” asked Adrian.
“Wait for it.”
The Orias ships stopped dead in space, and their taillights dimmed. Then they suddenly withdrew.
“Fire!”
Titan wiped out the three ships in an instant.
Mykel’s face appeared on the screen.
“How are you holding up?”
“We are fine. I don’t know how long we can keep this up.”
She nodded, “Status of the Orias.”
“Over twenty ships are standing on other side of the broken perimeter. They are just standing there, doing nothing.”
“Interesting.”
The two Earth ships waited.
“Status of the colonists?” asked Anastasia.
“Gone,” Adrian reported. “Beyond sensor range.”
“And no Orias ships followed them?”
“None.”
“Tactical, status of our weapons?” asked Anastasia.
“We have a full complement of over 2,000 torpedoes. We haven’t even begun to use the phasers. Let’s not forget the attack drones,” said Lieutenant Hawk.
“That could be enough,” replied Anastasia.
“We don’t know,” Lieutenant Hawk told her.
“Well, we never got the chance to shoot down a comet, but we can shoot down the Orias,” commented Adrian.
“We can hold them off. The fleet will be here soon,” Evan said to Anastasia.
But she got to her feet and came to stand near the viewscreen. Her eyes settled on the main ship. “They’ll never stop coming until she . . . it is dead.” She returned to her chair.
The large group of alien ships began moving toward Titan and Prometheus. Anastasia’s commlink buzzed.
“Ready when you are,” said Mykel.
“Let’s take them down.”
Aurora
“Sir, we’re at the coordinates,” said the pilot of Aurora.
Aurora was a bit smaller than Prometheus. Today, it was leading the small fleet into battle under the banner of Lady Vermont.
“All stop,” ordered Captain Allan. The fleet slowly came to a complete stop. Captain Allan, a stout man with an expressive face and green eyes, rose from his chair and walked toward the screen.
Lady Vermont came and stood with him. She felt his eyes and everyone else’s on her. No one expected tribunals to leave Earth. She was curious, and Anastasia’s words had affected her. She had hoped the commander had been mistaken.
Three hours ago, Earth lost all contact with Titan. That was very unusual indeed. It was as if it had disappeared from their sensors.
Then they’d received a hail from Prometheus, and they’d suspected an Orias attack. A fleet was assembled and sent to the perimeter. They had heard from Titan and Prometheus about half an hour ago. Then nothing. Complete silence.
A huge section of the perimeter was damaged. Sensors showed it was no longer operational. Debris floated everywhere. A few disabled Orias ships drifted in space. A large piece of hull coasted in front of the screen. Four letters sparked everyone’s attention: “FREE.”
“Where is our fleet?” asked Lady Vermont.
“Gone, ma’am. Destroyed,” reported the pilot.
“Where are the Orias?” asked the captain.
“I don’t know, sir. They’ve vanished as well. But I’m detecting some sort of energy signature. It’s weak.”
“What kind of signature?”
“Nothing I’ve seen before.”
“Where is Titan?” demanded Lady Vermont.
“Ma’am, we lost contact with Titan and Prometheus. I can’t find them on my sensors.”
Lady Vermont’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? A space station that big doesn’t just vanish into thin air. Look for them!”
The crew began working. The operations officer checked for signs of Titan. The tactical section looked for weapons signatures. Those at the helm looked through the debris.
“Well?” Lady Vermont demanded after a few moments had passed.
The pilot looked terrified.
“What?”
He said shakily. “There’s a lot of debris. But none of it belongs to Titan or Prometheus.”
Lady Vermont’s face turned stony. “What do you mean?”
“They’re gone! They’ve vanished!”
To be continued
End of book I