Ryann could feel the chain of explosions rip into them, sending the Defiance into a sudden spiral. He stared hypnotised at the sight of the dreadnought as it tore itself free from the swirling vortex. There was something truly awe-inspiring about the vessel. Its hull was a towering fortress that looked as though it had been encased in polished gold. Ryann thought he could discern decorative shapes carved into its surface — symbols and ornamentation, with great friezes of figures entwined in and around the gun batteries. The ship reflected back the shimmering plasma, shining out in the darkness of space.
From the Defiance’s position they had a perfect view as the golden vessel engaged the Luminal battleship in a ferocious display of firepower. The dreadnought’s slender lines were in stark opposition to the squat shape of the Luminal directly in its path.
With a terrible inevitability, the two vessels came closer and closer, locked upon a collision course.
As Ryann looked on in disbelief, the gigantic ship-like prow of the golden vessel crashed into the Luminal warship, cutting through its dark hull like a sword. Explosions erupted all about as both ships fired upon each other at point-blank range.
“Get us out of here!” he heard Grayell scream, but Ryann couldn’t tear himself away from the image of the two great warships locked together.
Slowly, the scene began to recede as the Defiance picked up speed, running desperately for the cover of the broken moon.
The golden ship was out of its dark vortex now, ploughing on through the Luminal craft, cutting a great gouge through its hull. The Luminal was trying to turn, falling away still under a constant, blinding barrage of fire. Hundreds of gun batteries seared the dark ship, now almost torn in two by the collision.
As the Defiance fled, they saw the Luminal vessel attempt to follow them, a trail of smoke and debris streaming in its wake.
And then, as the two vessels receded from view, Ryann made out a scene unfolding all around that he would carry with him until the end of his days.
As far as the eye could see, hundreds more golden warships were breaking through from the void in a dazzling display that split the very heavens. The entire system was lit up as arcs of plasma thousands of kilometres in length tore across space in shimmering colours of every hue.
Everywhere he looked, it seemed as though another dreadnought was dragging its bulk into being, and the blackness lit up with a million streaks of laser-fire. It was as though space itself boiled with energy, as a thousand Luminal ships engaged the unknown attackers.
And then, from each Luminal, swarms of drone ships poured forth, and the heavens shook.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE HEAVENS ALIGHT
Ryann looked on in awe as the first golden warship came under fire from two Luminal vessels closing in on it fast. It turned ponderously to meet its attackers, a hail of laser-fire issuing from its turrets.
“How long until we make it to the broken moon!” he heard Grayell call, his voice hoarse.
“Coming up on the debris field now,” replied Mellarnne, and Ryann tore his gaze from the view-screen, glancing back over to the scanner projections.
“Get us some cover ‘Larnne!” yelled Grayell, still staring up at the scene above them in disbelief, as across the entire system the heavens boiled.
Everywhere they looked, some titanic battle was underway. Flashes lit up the darkness, and already some of the nearest vessels from both sides were in flames.
“Put us down in the shadow of the broken moon,” ordered Grayell as they passed through the debris field, slipping between great chunks of rock larger than the Defiance herself. As they neared the remains of the moon, Ryann could see that almost a third of it had been sheared away by some ancient planetary collision. An orange glow burned within the heart of the fissure as molten rock spewed out smoke in a plume that rose hundreds of kilometres into space, before falling back to the planetoid in a slow-motion cascade.
“There, get us as close in to that smoke cloud as you can.”
The Defiance shuddered as the helmsman took the great ship into the weak gravity of the broken moon. The dull glow of the lava fields shone through the rising smoke, filling their view-screen, until eventually they came to a halt, resting barely a hundred metres above the cratered surface.
Ryann stared up at the screen as the battle raged on. The Defiance was shielded from view by the asteroids and now all that he could see were the distant flashes illuminating the clouds.
But then, through the vapours, he made out a dark shape emerging, the silhouette of a Luminal ship approaching fast.
“That’s the Luminal that first spotted us — she’s followed us in,” called Mellarnne. “She’s going to give away our positions!”
Sure enough, as the view-screen zoomed in, Ryann could make out the familiar markings of the ship that had destroyed his homeworld. Only now the vessel barely held together. The great rent where the golden warship had rammed into it belched smoke and flames into the void and much of its hull had been torn away under the constant barrage of fire.
The swirling smoke cleared momentarily, and in the distance beyond, Ryann could just make out the golden craft that had first engaged them. It had completely destroyed another Luminal ship, and the burned-out hulk spun slowly into the darkness. It was turning away, heading off into the heart of the battle.
But, in a last parting shot, as the golden dreadnought headed off in pursuit, Ryann saw a cluster of twenty bright lights detach themselves from its underside. The missiles swung around in a lazy arc, leaving faint blue trails in their wake.
As the damaged Luminal craft limped closer and closer towards the broken moon the missiles converged upon it.
There was a blinding flash of light that momentarily filled the view-screen.
When the light dimmed Ryann gasped to see that the
