Space debris streams swept past Galactic Freedom, the commanding battle cruiser rapidly gaining speed as the last few drop ships fell away from the open holds on either side, the reinforced dispersal doors slowly rising as maintenance crews slapped each other’s shoulders in relief as they stared through the shimmering green protection shield, their completed initial work rewarded with a small respite before many of the transport vessels would return for supplies and the reserve marine waves.
Behind in dark space, the last few small vessels jettisoned from the ships holds, the dispersal bay doors rising and falling as commanders tensed on their bridges, instructing fleet ensigns to increase velocity, frantic engineers and their crews on the decks below ensuring weapons were armed and any issues were immediately addressed.
The older portly admiral glanced round, one of the bridge ensigns shouting with excitement, ‘Commander! The Fahimians have requested permission to deploy the first mirror image…we are approaching ‘Empire Transition’…’ The ensign swallowed hard, immediately realising the military term for ‘point of no return’ on a large fleet and joint operations attack had not been openly declared for nearly two decades, three other shocked operators immediately rising to their feet abruptly and saluting, their uniformed frames trembling with excited energy as they realised the significance of the moment.
Then the rest of the stunned operators slowly rose upwards, collective pride swelling their frames as the admiral also pushed himself from his turned seat in rising awe, his eyes glistening as the disgruntled lead ensign smiled in defeat, rising abruptly and saluting, boots slamming together as the operators grinned. The admiral nodded, stiffening his frame as a fist rose to his chest slowly in pride, his voice strained, ‘Now we are beyond any point when we can return…this begins the last battle, we fight for humankind and defeat the enemy!’ He stiffened further, ‘Give permission to our new Fahimian friends…the fleet increases to maximum velocity. Convey the attack codes once the enemy fires on the Fahimian mirror image…’ The admiral grinned with rising excitement as his heart pounded, ‘We have new allies that have now suffered enough. Let’s attack this scum and drive them from earth’s space!’
The fighters of Viper squadron surged forward, the vast warship ahead beginning to fill their forward screens as stars sparkled to either side and above, the pilots completing last minute checks and occasionally glancing outwards in rising uneasy excitement. Instrument displays scrolled information, the red lettering informing the flyers of latest updates to software and the diminishing countdown to action, the pilots’ breathing becoming shallower with adrenalin as several looked across the screens nervously, the clicking counter becoming beeps as the timers neared zero.
The Morgon commander turned in alarm from the tutted conversation with an engineer on the command chair intercom, red emergency lights surging across the warship bridge as numerous power surges were detected, his alarmed shrieks invoking feverish activity from the ensigns around the deck. All were attempting to establish details as the armoured helmet of the engineer on numerous decks below shook in frustration, his uncomfortable report that too many reserves had been deployed towards the planet below being initially rejected by the overall commander.
Virtual panic ensued, the bridge operators staring at flickering screens as Fahimian distortion techniques began to sweep through sensory equipment, one deck officer shrieking in alarm as the white armoured commander rose to his feet in utter disgust at the distraught behaviour. His scaled face strained beneath the helmet as the tracing report was disseminated, the ensign’s helmet staring towards the commander, the images filling with one collective relished recognition word, ‘Fahimian’.
The Morgon commander licked his scaled lips, the eyes on the white embossed helmet glowing red in rising excitement at the possibility of destroying the last Fahimian vessel, the accolades and prestige that would invariably follow...along with numerous prized decapitated skull trophies…he would be a hero.
The tall muscular commander’s white armour glistened as he shrieked, ‘(Translation) Find the vessel…target all weapons, disable it! All remaining troops ready for boarding…we finally destroy this puny race now! This last interrupting flame of a failed defeated people is to be extinguished here…along with the bountiful harvest of food on the planet below! We will eat well this day!’
The power surges increased, contorted images flickering across the Morgon displays as differing known vessels from the Fahimian Republic were deciphered and compared, then dismissed by the warship network, the emerging vessel signatures not meeting anything that had been experienced before. Eventually, the differing scans all produced the same result, a large unknown vessel of Fahimian origin was uncloaking, the commander’s eyes sparkling deep crimson as the warning continued, the opposing vessel was preparing to open fire.
Slowly a wavering image formed across the main forward screen, static charges around the vast ship surging and crackling as the vessel began to materialise in the deep space behind the orbiting warship, shrieks of alarm and excited relief filling the Morgon bridge as the darkness flickered and seemed to glow, the outer edges of the ship surging in intensity.
The white armoured commander stared up at the large image, shrieking for the distortion to be targeted, an arm rising in readiness as the ensigns flicked their hands across sensitive controls, high powered lasers arming as the vast ship slowed, beginning to gradually turn on its axis towards the Fahimian vessel.
The space distortion continued to flicker, the image slowly becoming sharper as the enormous power surges continued, the commander holding his breath in rising excitement, almost sensing the personal glory and victory as the warship turned further, static crackling along the large emerging side guns,
