Warhawk's Sacrifice - Ch. 11 - The Power of the Nakai - Alpha (Patreon)

Seb maintained his connection to Iris, no matter how difficult it was. The emotion and power were overwhelming, like he was standing with his soul in front of a ship’s afterburner. He wanted to pull away to close their bond, but he knew he couldn’t. Now more than ever she needed him, and he was the only one who could speak to her.

“Syn, can you track Iris’s signature?” Seb groaned.

“Of course, Captain. Iris reads like a small star moving at incredible speeds. She’s very easy to detect.”

“Project the sector map in the center of the room. Mark Iris in blue, FLS in green, and any sectorum ships in red.”

“Acknowledged, Captain.”

A hologram of the surrounding moon and planet filled most of the center of the room, allowing everyone to see. The number of red diamonds on the map increased by the second, covering the surrounding area like a growing plague. From the green circles, thin red lines shot from the largest crafts in the FLS fleet.

The battle had begun.

“Captain, the FLS has begun their bombardment of the incoming sectorum forces. They’ve launched apex-class torpedoes.”

“We should get some of those,” Eni said.

“We wouldn’t need them if our main weapon was defunct,” Seb said.

“Apex class?” Sister Mischa asked. “And Iris is flying right toward them?”

Seb tilted his head up as watched the movement speed of Iris versus the torpedoes. For every square the torpedoes cleared, she cleared three. He knew the answer before he asked, but he needed to be sure.

“Syn, with Iris’s current speed, will she reach the fleet before the torpedoes?”

“Yes, Captain. Approximately nine seconds before.”

“She’ll be pulverized!” Mischa shouted.

Seb closed his eyes and concentrated on the HIM device. “Iris, you have to pull back. The FLS just launched nuclear tipped torpedoes. You cannot be there when it goes off.”

Seb waited for a response. He expected at least an answer or acknowledgement, but received nothing. He only felt an increased sense of determination from her.

“She’s going faster!” Mischa cried. “Seb do something!”

“I tried! She’s not responsive.”

“All of you need to calm down,” Eni said, jumping from her station and walking into the middle of the group. “I don’t know how you don’t understand this already, but that thing out there is not Iris. It’s the Divine Equalizer. While there may be parts of them intertwined, it’s better to treat them as separate entities.”

“What do you have to prove such a theory?” Mischa asked.

“I’ve seen similar behavior from people in the holonet. There are individuals that spend so much time there that they develop split personalities. They have the meat-suit outside of the net that keeps them alive. Then they have the virtual construct that manipulates the net like a god. Iris has the same thing. You all said it yourselves after what happened at Timura. When she shifts into the Divine Equalizer, it’s like she’s a completely different person.”

Everyone looked around the room as Eni’s words sunk in. To Seb, it made sense. She wasn’t the soft and sweet spoken woman who first confessed her love to him during their first meeting. The Divine Equalizer was aggressive, obnoxious, and deadly.

Seb’s muscles tightened as a wave of rage washed over him. He glanced back up at the map before his virtual intelligence confirmed what he’d felt.

“Iris has made contact with the Allmother’s fleet,” Syn said.

The blue icon bounced from red diamond to red diamond. It circled each one briefly before the icons flashed and disappeared. With every passing second, a new ship fell. There was no telling the size of the ship without highlighting and confirming with Syn, but it was a good sign.

“She’s doing it,” Seb groaned.

“See, I told you,” Eni said with a smug smile. “She’s got this.”

“Destroying two ships that were likely stunned by a Lightspeed Immobilization System is hardly a reason to celebrate,” Sister Mischa spat. “The torpedoes still approach.”

Seb quickly sighted the dozens of approaching torpedoes on the map before Syn spoke with concern. “Captain, I’d advise we shut the blast doors over the front viewport windows. The light dampening system will be unable to compensate for the combination of such blasts and will temporarily or permanently blind the crew.”

“I’m shutting them now,” Vi said before turning in her chair and tapping a button on the center console. The solid metal shields rose to the ceiling, clicking in place. Two additional automatic ceiling lights kicked on, illuminating the bridge. Several exterior camera views floated next to the projected galactic map.

Everyone held their breath as they watched the torpedoes edge closer and closer. Iris seemed to pay the threat no mind as she chipped away at the hindered sectorum fleet. But once they reached their intended destination, Seb fell to his knees and screamed.

The overwhelming power lit every atom of Seb’s body aflame. Every muscle twitched and spasmed. His body contorted violently, causing his joints to pop. There was nothing he could do except weather the pain.

Nalla rushed to Seb’s side and began examining him.

“What’s happening to him?” Vi asked.

“I don’t know,” Nalla said. “Mischa, help me hold him.” The horned nun fell to her knees and wrapped Seb in her arms while Nalla continued her inquiry. “Seb, what’s the matter?”

Seb continued to shout. The pain was unfathomable. He didn’t know how much he was going to be able to take. His insides twisted into knots. He felt himself growing weak and the surrounding noise faded.

When Seb didn’t stop yelling, Eni jumped up and down, pointing down at his hand. “It’s the glove! It’s his connection to Iris. Remove it!”

Mischa and Nalla both grabbed Seb’s arm as his body fought against them. Once they tapped the release button, the key retracted from around Seb’s hand into its hexagonal form. He collapsed in Mischa’s arms, panting.

The relief was immediate. With the connection severed, he felt no more pain, only physical and mental exhaustion. He struggled to lift his arms, but managed to push himself up into Mischa’s armored chest.

“Thanks,” Seb said, smiling, before coughing. “Anyone got any water?”

Nalla stood from his side and retrieved a white pouch from one of the many drawers in the hallway. Once she returned, she handed the emergency water ration to Seb. He tapped the side of his helmet, allowing it to retract into his suit. He gulped the water down, allowing it to moisten his dry throat. After finishing it, he tossed it to the side, looked up at Nalla, and smiled.

“Thanks, Doc,” Seb said.

She smiled back at him, placing her hand on his chest. “Are you feeling okay? Is there any lingering pain?”

Seb rotated his arms and shoulders before pushing himself up to his feet. “No, everything seemed to be in order. Head feels a bit funny.”

“Doesn’t it always feel that way, though?” Eni jested.

“Ha, you’re hilarious.”

“I know I am. But I’m glad you’re feeling okay.”

“Good thinking on your part. I knew the HIM device provided feedback, but that was something else.” Seb gasped at the sudden realization of his companion. “Iris!”

Everyone turned and looked up at the map. The torpedoes had done their job. The hundreds of red diamonds that filled the screen were down to just a few dozen scattered on the projection. But the most important piece, the lone blue icon, was no longer displayed.

“Syn, where is Iris?” Seb asked.

“I’m sorry, Captain, I’m having trouble detecting her signature. The particles released in the explosions are causing interference with my systems.”

The room stood silent as the crew’s minds raced with whether their companion was still alive. Seb frantically scoured the surrounding room, looking for the HIM device. When he spotted it under his chair, he snatched it off the ground and put it back on.

Once it secured itself around his hand, he shouted. “Iris! It’s Seb. Can you hear me?”

When there was no response, he turned toward the viewport and raised his hand. He closed his eyes, reaching out for any sign of her. There was nothing. No endless rage. No fear. Just silence.

Seb slowly turned around and shook his head. “She’s not responding.”

Nalla gasped. Vi and Eni lowered their heads, and Mischa dropped to her knees to pray. Doubt filled Seb’s mind as he questioned his decision.

I should have never talked her into this, he thought. Mischa was right. We were supposed to be her protectors, even if that meant protecting her from herself. I should have found a way to stop her.

A subtle beeping alerted Eni to her station. She jumped up in the chair and tapped on her keyboard. “Seb, we’re getting hailed by Varinadae’s Spirit.”

Seb wiped the sweat from his brow and sat in his chair. “Put it through.”

Cheers and shouts of celebration filled the intercom as Sanaad’s smiling hologram replaced the battle map in the center of the room.

“Captain Warhawk, I hope you had a good seat to bear witness of the might of the FLS naval fleet.”

“We did, Sanaad,” Seb said unenthusiastically. “Congrats on your victory.”

“It seems the intelligence reports were wrong. The Allmother’s fleet was half the size we expected. Our firepower did its job. Now all that’s left are a few stragglers my boys are cleaning up as we speak. It looks like we didn’t need your super weapon after all.”

“She was there.”

Sanaad’s smile faded. “Can you repeat that last message? I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

“Iris was in the middle of the field when your torpedoes hit the Allmother’s fleet. She destroyed a few ships on the left flank right before the torpedoes hit.”

Sanaad cleared his throat and looked down at Seb with a stern expression. “Then I am sorry for your loss.”

“She could still be out there, but we’re not detecting anything on our scanners. Is your crew?”

“I’m sorry, Captain. We launched fifty-two apex-class torpedoes at that fleet. There’s nothing that could have survived such devastation. That’s enough to wipe out an entire planet, let alone a single entity. If she was there when they detonated, then she is no more.”

“Just check. Please.”

Sanaad huffed before looking off into the distance. “Whelp Rekar. Do a scan of the wreckage. I want to know if you detect any lifesigns notwithstanding the existing Allmother ships.” After nearly a full minute, Sanaad nodded and turned to the camera. “I’m sorry, Captain. My crew is not picking up anything except for concentrated pockets of radiation and crystal fragments from the Allmother’s ships.”

Seb slowly nodded and lowered his head. “Thanks Sanaad.”

An alarm rang through the intercom and flashed on the hologram before Syn spoke.

“Captain, I’m detecting another fleet appearing dropping from FTL. Only this one is coming from the other direction of the star lane on the opposite side of the system.”

Sanaad’s celebration turned into frantic shouting. “Pull back the right flank. Turn us around and load another volley of torpedoes. Have squads two and four form a ring around Varinadae’s Spirit.” The fleet commander’s eyes widened. “They have how many ships? Count them again. That can’t be right.”

Seb jumped from his chair, walked over to Eni’s station, and turned off the transmission.

“Hey, what did you do that for?” Eni asked.

“We don’t need to listen to that anymore. Syn, pull up the area map.”

The virtual intelligence projected the hologram of the surrounding area once more. As she’d stated, more of the Allmother’s ships had dropped out of FTL away from the original target. The red diamonds filled the screen until there was nearly a space of blue in between them. Seb assumed this was the original fleet, but he wasn’t sure how they were attacking from within FLS territory.

Seb snapped his finger. Maybe this is how the Allmother continues to win, he thought. Being a fallen Oracle, perhaps she knows starlanes that are outside the common navigational charts. If so, she could appear from any direction.

Just as the thought appeared in Seb’s mind, so too did additional ships drop from FTL. More and more red filled the screen until it looked like they’d brought a small moon. The crew watched as Sanaad’s fleet attempted to turn to engage the second group, only to have more ships drop out of FTL along the original path.

Mischa stood from her knees and pointed up at the screen. “He’s getting himself pinched. He’ll be surrounded in minutes.”

“Syn, power up all of our systems and plot a course out of here,” Seb said.

“So we’re just going to leave?” Eni asked.

“There’s no reason to stay. Our role in this battle is done.”

“What about Iris?”

“What do you want me to do? Find her body? You heard Sanaad. That place is a wasteland.”

“We shouldn’t give up hope,” Nalla said, sniffling.

Seb sighed before looking at each of his crew. “I know. I don’t want to go either. But I have the rest of you to think about, too. If we linger in an active war zone, it’s only a matter of time before one of the Allmother’s ships detects and engages us. The Amnesty is injured. We have reduced shields and no primary weapon. I just… I can’t risk it. I’m sorry.”

Tears fell down Nalla’s cheeks. She quickly wiped them away and nodded. “I understand.”

“She didn’t deserve to go out like that,” Vi said with tear-filled eyes.

“She died doing what she thought was right,” Mischa said. “That’s what we can all hope for when we perish. May Nimora renew her soul again.”

Seb tapped the side of his helmet, allowing it to seal over his face. It was the only thing he could do to conceal his pain. After throwing himself back into his chair, he moved the map back in between him and Vi. He tapped the middle of his glove and set the key on the ledge of his central console before sitting into his seat.

Iris, I hope you forgive me, he told himself.

Seb slung his head back as he waited for the jump. His eyes were glued to the system map, watching the battle unfold. The wave of red was proving too much for the FLS fleet. He watched the red strands of torpedoes disappear before their intended targets, most likely because of the interception systems that were part of the Allmother’s fleet.

As seconds passed, the green dots slowly whittled away on the screen. The combat between the two parties proved no contest, especially once the Allmother’s fleet closed the distance. There were just too many enemy ships swarming the FLS. Without their savior, this was, as they’d expected, a suicide mission.

“Coordinates are locked in place, Captain,” Syn said. “We’re ready to jump.”

Just before Seb gave the order, an entire line of red disappeared from the map, like an eraser scrubbing away a mistake. Seb knew it was either a programming mistake or her.

“Wait!” the captain shouted, pointing up at the map.. “Did any of you see that?”

When everyone else didn’t respond, Syn spoke up. “I did, Captain. There was a large buildup of energy before the entire left section of the Allmother’s fleet was destroyed.”

Hope filled Seb once more. “That’s got to be Iris! Syn, can you isolate that signature?”

“Unfortunately, I’m having a really hard time doing so, Captain. There is too much radioactive fallout in the surrounding area. It’s like trying to find a single raindrop in a thunderstorm.”

“Remind me later for that upgrade.”

“Should I hold to jump?” Vi asked.

“Yeah,” Seb said, the smile evident in his voice. “Just watch the map for now.”

Unlike before where the ship’s disappeared one at a time, this was an artist painting a canvas. Swaths of red were wiped away.. It was clear the sectorum forces did not know what was happening. Their ships attempted to redeploy their missing flank. Only to disappear moments later. The remaining fleet scattered, putting distance between each of the ships.

The FLS fleet took advantage. They punched out of their surrounded position and repositioned an assault. Together, Iris and the FLS slowly chipped away at the sectorum forces until there was only one flight group left. The battle was won when the final red diamond was cleared from the screen.

“She did it!” Seb shouted. The crew roared with cheers and laughter. Once everyone calmed down, Seb issued his orders. “Syn, keep scanning for Iris’s signature. Eni, Vi, coordinate with Sanaad’s forces. Once they give the all clear, take us into the wreckage.”

His crew acknowledged his commands as Seb reached for the HIM device. He slapped his hand on top of it and waited for it to form over his glove. When it illuminated, he reached out once more in an effort to feel Iris’s pull. However, he still felt nothing. But unlike the first time, he was undeterred.

“Hold on, Iris,” Seb said. “We’re coming.”

***

Hours ticked away as the Amnesty flew through the battlefield, searching for their savior. Seb watched out of the side airlock window. His suit was strapped to a Space Maneuvering Kit, allowing him to thrust in Zero-G. If anyone was going to rescue her, it was going to be him.

They floated through a mechanical graveyard. Frost covered the broken metal and crystal-like surfaces of the desecrated ships. Corpses of behemoths lingered in space, charred and lifeless. Electrical wire sprawled through the void like spiderwebs, clinging onto anyone who passed by. Anything flying too fast, triggered the ship’s shields, surrounding it with a temporary blue light.

“How’s our shields looking?” Seb asked.

“We’re hitting wreckage, but they are stable,” Vi said.

“Good. Just keep it nice and—”

“There she is!” Nalla shouted over the comm.

“Seb, we see her!” Vi yelled. “I’m bringing the ship around to your side.”

“She looks unresponsive,” Nalla said hurriedly. “I’m headed to the crew's quarters to prepare a room. Bring her to me as soon as you retrieve her.”

“I will,” Seb said.

As the ship turned, the exterior tracking lights illuminated a still figure floating in the between the debris. Patches of black covered her pink body. Her tendrils bloomed and pointed in the direction of the system’s sun.

When the ship stopped, Seb tapped the open button on the airlock door’s controls. It flashed a red In Progress message. A loud hiss echoed in the chamber as the room depressurized. His oxygen counter kicked on his HUD when it detected no atmosphere and gravity. Once the In Progress message changed to Complete, Seb hit the button once more.

The door shunted open and Seb used the control in his hand to soar into space. The maneuvering kit shot pressurized air out, allowing him to float toward his target. When he reached Iris, he pulled her into his chest. Her eyes slowly opened, and she smiled.

“Seb?” she whispered weakly into his mind.

“Hey Iris,” he said, pulling her in tight.

“Did I do it? Did we win?”

“You did great. Now it’s my turn to keep you safe.”

As Seb flew back to the Amnesty, a dreadnought flew above them, casting him and his ship in bright searchlights.

Eni’s voice rang over his comm. “Seb, it’s Sanaad. He’s demanding we dock with Varinadae’s Spirit, and the way he’s saying it makes it sound like we don’t have a choice.”

Seb gritted his teeth. After everything Iris has done… They better not stab us in the back.