Alex made a split-second decision. “Flash, Sophia, Gres, Kate Mordor, Ancient, Anna, stay with me. Everyone else is free. Sofia, what is the distance to the clash?”
“About four and a half miles.”
Alex pointed to the Ultra, the former AI of the Star Jumper. “Ancient, keep stalling! We need about half an hour.”
“It shall be done!” the Ultra buzzed.
“Ladies,” Alex faced his clan members. “Use shields and stay calm. Flash and I will fight the undead. I will return periodically to negotiate with the Guardians, while Flash will remain on the front lines.”
The giant ermine extended his claws and roared. Let’s go, bro! Flash’s voice thundered in Alex’s head.
The women exchanged glances, shrugging their shoulders.
Alex continued, “We will negotiate, fight, and hunt the Leach simultaneously. The most important thing is to impress the Guardians. They have great influence on the Commonwealth frontier. To the ship!” As he ran, he added, “Sofia, I need the coordinates of the battle.”
The people ran into the ship. Alex sat down in the captain’s chair. “Fly to the given coordinates! Quickly!”
The ship’s engines howled deafeningly. Moments later, an alert resounded through the ship. “All services, prepare for an emergency landing.”
What? Emergency landing? We just took off!
The force field triggered, enveloping those aboard in a transparent gel that would protect them against impact. Some felt as if they were inside a snow globe.
With a roar, the ship slammed into the undead hordes. The blow struck the very vanguard of the attackers, led by Leach Nekri and his flaming skull.
The surface shook. Tons of soil flew into the air, scattering the undead in all directions. The ship stood amidst this fierce battle. Moments earlier, the zombies advancing in a wedge, intending to break through the front line. Now they were in retreat.
The ship’s force field deactivated. The crew hadn’t suffered from the emergency landing, though they heard the noise of the battle.
“Forward!” Alex rushed through the door, leading his people away. Flash lingered for several moments, patting the wall with his huge paw. You are as hotheaded as our commander. We will have fun with you, brother. He growled and darted outside.
The humans and their ermine colleague stood at the bottom of a giant crater. Several people peered over the edge at them. “They’re Ice Vigors! Alex Phoenix, Flash and our Valkyries!” they shouted.
“Wow! Alex himself!” someone yelled in the distance.
“The undeads are retreating along the entire front.” Many laughed, relieving tension.
The crew were in the process of extricating themselves from the hole when someone said, “The undeads are on the attack again.”
“Fighters, take your positions!” Alex ordered.
Neon yellow magic shields flashed into existence up and down the front lines.
A black wave surged forward, ready to crash into the shields.
***
Frontier, border of the Tatabu Aena and the Kete Ek Kile deserts, unnamed asteroid field
Spacecraft rarely came near this deserted and dangerous asteroid, which resembled a dump with its piles of industrial waste and garbage. It was a place where someone could lose themselves forever. Only one Guardian station, Distant Burrow, operated there. Hundreds of spaceships occupied the docks.
The Guardians saw themselves as warriors, free mercenaries, and pirates. They appreciated fearlessness, strength, and the ability to extract the Admins’ fortune.
Inside, the station bustled with activity. The Guardians held a meeting to discuss sensational Commonwealth news. A hefty man, the Homo-9 representative, stood in the center of the room in full combat gear. A news hologram displayed images of captured ships in the distant Solar system.
.
Attention! Everyone! Everyone! Everyone!
Global Event has occurred!
Location – Forty-seventh sector, Milky Way galaxy, Orion Arm, Solar system, planet Earth.
The head of the Ice Vigor clan, player Phoenix, single-handedly captured the ancient scout cruiser ‘Star Jumper’
Killed:
General diplomat, Homo-3, Ebrik Veli Vao
General diplomat, Homo-4, Tio Eb
General diplomat, Crets-4, Akte Kao Brown
High Council Member, Homo-6, Tekot Smul the Many-Faced
Supreme Network administrator,
Jokeiro the Shining
.
Then they saw the personal appeal of the head of the Ice Vigor clan to the Commonwealth.
“I am Phoenix, the head of the Ice Vigor clan. And these bastards…” the head of the legendary clan pointed his shining blade at the corpses surrounding him, “... flew into our system to hunt me.”
This ghostly black man laughed. “I came to them. You pampered pigs think you’re gods! The time will come when we’ll reduce your worlds to ashes. You will not have long to wait. We’re already sharpening our knives!”
One of the Guardians said, “Brothers, The time has come to re-establish the balance that the Guardians have sought to strike. Our gifts were not in vain. Praise the creator, they are in good hands. Much is still unclear, but the Ice Vigor clan is amazing. There are more and more calls for open confrontation in the Commonwealth. I, Kaos Lapto the Cunning, call for caution and prudence. We have no reason to take risks. Our brothers, the former prisoners of Onuga Haz, have been released and may suffer along with our leader, Tonas Var the Interpreter. We cannot allow this to happen.”
“We must free the Interpreter!” someone shouted.
Kaos Lapto paled. “Our two most advanced long-range reconnaissance ships, Tonas One and Tonas Two, were hidden on the border with Onuga Haz. The Admins found them. One ship was able to leave, but the second was destroyed. None of the team survived, including my eldest son. Peaceful space to all of them!”
“Peaceful space!” a chorus of voices echoed.
“What’s your impression of player Phoenix? When did you decide to contact the Homo-54s?” one Guardian asked.
“The Guardians’ Council unanimously recognized Phoenix, the head of the Ice Vigor clan, as the foretold messiah.”
The assembled Guardians shouted with joy, broke into battle songs. Some spat curses upon the central worlds, calling for revenge.
Kaos
