Crux Magi Page 4

  She didn’t trust the Crux, and neither did her brothers and sisters. They seemed to be on the same side, and have similar goals, but still, she didn’t fully trust them.

  Lilitu sighed and looked back at the black hole. She wondered what was to come, and what the plans of the Arcadians were. She’d seen Crystal at Bastion—the Jailer in Chief for the last few centuries of her imprisonment in Tartarus. What was she doing out here in Crux Space? Was Crystal hunting her and her fellow Archons down? Did she think she could somehow bring them back to Earth?

  “Or is this about you?” Lilitu asked the black hole. Neither it nor the Demiurge within it, answered her. But she never expected them to. Was Crystal on a mission to free the Demiurge?

  This would require some thought.

  Knights of the Void

  Molay, Templar Knights Space, 1109 Light-years from Sol

  “This is it, people. This is the last stand. We need to hold the line here, or we’re finished.” Jennix looked across the faces of her squad who stood on the bridge of the Void Jammer as it raced through space, back to Molay.

  They all knew what they were fighting for today. They knew what was at stake, and it was not in any way trivial. This was a fight for survival and everyone who could make it was returning.

  This was the line. The point of no return and her squad knew it. Even Alren refrained from his usual glib responses, his face serious as he considered the situation.

  “Do you think we can win this?” Megn asked, a look of worry on her face.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. You know how the fighting has been going so far, what do you think?”

  Megn nodded but didn’t answer. She knew the answer to that question as well as any of them did.

  “Then, we end this today,” Kase stated.

  Everyone agreed.

  “We’re approaching Molay,” Deus said, the ship’s AI sounding throughout the bridge.

  “Very well, here we go,” Jennix replied and turned to face the viewscreen. It was filled with streaks of blue against a dark background that zipped past the ship as it boosted towards the system using its Flux Drive.

  Suddenly, the streaks of light slowed and reverted to points of light as the ship dropped out of Flux, close to Molay. Ahead of them, hanging in the void on the viewscreen, was their lush, verdant homeworld. The centre of Templar Knight society, and home to the leaders of the order.

  It looked serene and peaceful, but the space around it was anything but.

  Hundreds of ships of all shapes and sizes filled the space before them. Fighters shot past them, while capital ships moved at a more sedate pace, their batteries of cannons blasting out into space. The holo in front of Jennix began tagging ships, marking them as the vicious war raged.

  “Fray me, that’s a lot,” Megn commented.

  Jennix could only nod as she took in the scene before her. There were more Accord ships than there were Templar ships, and yet Jennix knew that this was close to the entire fleet of the Order. There was nothing more to throw at the Accord, there was nothing left.

  Nothing of significance, anyway.

  So this really might be the end, she thought. This could be it. She wondered where their leaders were. What were they doing? Were they fighting with everyone else?

  “So, what’s the plan, boss?” Kase asked.

  Jennix turned to her squad and looked at them in turn. “I wouldn’t hold it against you if you didn’t want to…”

  “Fray that,” Alren cut in.

  “I hoped you’d say that.”

  “Was there any doubt?” Megn asked.

  “No, there wasn’t. Alright then, we fight. Let’s see how many we can take down. Deus, you have the ship. Knights, let’s see what we can do.”

  “Now you’re talking,” Alen stated as the helmet of his armour snapped up and around his head. The other two followed suit, and Jennix triggered her helmet with a quick thought directed to the armour as she scanned the holo.

  Ahead, an Accord battle group was advancing towards Molay with little resistance. It would do little in the grand scheme of things, even if they did manage to take them out. But at least they could take a few with them, and there was something to be said for that.

  ~I’m tagging a battle group, up ahead. Deus, swing by and drop us off, we’re heading in.~

  ~As you wish, Jennix. I will stay on-station and provide back-up.~

  ~Thank you,~ Jennix replied as the ship boosted towards the battle group. As they neared, Jennix activated her War Armour’s Porting effect, focusing on the area just outside the ship. She snapped into existence outside the hull, followed by her squad. In the next instant, Pulse Wings expanded from her back and fired up, boosting her towards their target.

  The squad formed up around her, their weapons at the ready as they swooped towards the Accord ships ahead. As she approached, fighters in the battle group noticed their approach and moved to intercept.

  ~Break up, let’s show them what the Knights can do,~ she ordered, and dove towards several fighters, bringing her rifle to bear. She fired, strafing the nearest fighter before she banked left as the ship exploded behind her.

  Another fighter turned in, its rail guns spitting death as it approached. The slugs hammered against her Aegis, bouncing off into the darkness of the void. Jennix pulled out her blade and angled her Pulse Wings to take her right past the side of the fighter. She hit the ship with her Essentia blade, cutting through the cockpit and along the housing of an engine.

  Spinning, she watched the ship explode several hundred metres behind her. Satisfied, she turned to the nearest cruiser and boosted for it, noting the position of her squad.

  Megn had already boarded another cruiser with Kase, while Alren remained outside, taking pot-shots at the fighters.

  Jennix landed on the hull of the cruiser, her gravity soles sticking her to the plating as she plunged her blade into the ship and cut a hole in it.

  Atmosphere vented into space, along with a couple of crew. With the hole cut, she climbed inside and landed on the deck. Taking on the fighters had been one thing, but she needed to be careful in here. There was likely to be at least one Magus aboard the cruiser, maybe more, and they wouldn’t be as easy to deal with, even with her Aetheric War Armour.

  The ship wasn’t big though, and she’d spotted what she’d suspected to be the bridge while outside. Judging from where she’d cut into the hull, she was either on the same deck as the bridge, or one deck off. Either way, she needed to turn right and moved towards the front of the craft.

  Wanting to make this quick, she sprinted up the corridor, activating her stealth field. She disappeared as her Aegis bent the light around her body. As she turned the next corner, she came up against a bulkhead that had slammed into place to stop the ship from venting entirely. She could see the corridor on the other side through a viewport and focused on a spot beyond the door. Her Armour Ported her through, and she snapped into place where she wanted to be.

  Turning, she cut down the two unprepared guards that stood on this side of the bulkhead. They didn’t know what killed them.

  A shout sounded further up the corridor. Jennix turned to see a man in a crew uniform looking at the bisected bodies in horror. He turned and ran, ducking around another corner. Jennix charged after him to find him shouting at a pair of guards who stood before another door.

  “Someone just killed two guards up there,” he yelled, fumbling with his own sidearm as the guards reacted, raising their rifles.

  “Where?” one of them asked as Jennix charged towards the trio.

  She reached the closest of the two and sliced him across the chest with her blade. As he fell, his companion opened fire, shooting wildly into the air trying to hit the invisible killer.

  Rounds hit her Aegis and bounced off, revealing her position to the vigilant guard who adjusted his aim. With a slash, his gun fell in half, taking his left forearm with it. With another swift movement, she impaled him, and he dropped to the floor.

  The far door opened suddenly, revealing the bridge beyond. The crewman ducked through as someone else stepped out.

  In her HUD the figure glowed with Essentia.

  A Magus!

  Jennix charged as weapon systems in her Armour activated. Micro missiles flew and beams sliced through the air as the Magus frowned. Her attacks slammed into his Aegis as lightning snapped out from the man and smashed into her defences.

  With her Pulse Wings partially extended, she boosted up the corridor and hit the Magus like a speeding car. The pair fell back through the door into the bridge. She rolled on top of him and unleashed an onslaught of rapid-fire swings with her Essentia-laced blade. Her particle beams fired again, the Essentia within them carving up the Magi’s Aegis. He screamed under the endless attacks as his Aegis faltered, and then collapsed in a burst of energy.

  With a final swing, she severed his head as the crew all around her opened fire.

  Jennix jumped back and released a full spread of missiles. The tiny explosive projectiles zipped across the room, hitting people, consoles, and decking, blossoming into devastating explosions. Turning, she noticed the damage she’d done had started to cascade, creating a chain of detonations through the ship. Satisfied that her work here was done, she looked at the nearby viewscreen and Ported outside.

  The ship cracked apart as fire engulfed it. Around her, more of the ships in the battle group were suffering similar fates as her squad and ship did what they do best.

  But it wasn’t enough. This was one battle group out of countless more. As she watched, the Accord forces bombarded her homeworld.

  Nuclear fire was everywhere. Nothing could survive that.

  She knew she was watching the end of the Templar Knights. Their homeworld was gone. It w
as nothing now but an uninhabitable ruin. She couldn’t help the tears that stung her eyes as she watched everything she knew get destroyed.

  Moments later, the general retreat order came through, with coded instructions about where to regroup.

  ~We’re done here,~ she said over the Link to her squad. ~Get back to the ship, we’re leaving.~

  ~Copy that,~ they replied, and moved to rendezvous with the Void Jammer.

  Jennix did likewise and wondered what the future might hold for her and her fellow Knights.

  War Stories

  Union Spire, Axia, 4.2 Light-years from Sol

  “Welcome back, Amanda,” Elden greeted her, shaking her hand. “Was the trip productive?”

  “It was very informative, and worrying,” Amanda replied, and noticed his smile start to fade. She decided to end on a high note. “But I still have faith in the Nexus.”

  Elden smiled again. “Good to know.”

  Around the large meeting room, the members of the Terran Foundation Senate began to take their seats. Amanda moved to hers, and Crystal sat beside her.

  “Ready for this?” Amanda asked.

  Crystal gave her a fleeting smile. “I suppose.”

  Elden called the meeting to order and the room fell silent. “As you know, our esteemed friends and fellow Senators, Amanda and Trevelyan, went with Ambassador Lusha of the Septhian Dynasty to investigate an attack on a distant Septhian colony, beyond the outer edges of Nexus space. So, Amanda, you’re back. Please, tell us what you found.”

  Amanda nodded and stood. “Thank you, Elden. It’s good to be back. But I’m afraid it’s not good news. So, to start at the beginning, we went to Varmer Colony, which is well beyond the official borders of Septhian space and one of their furthest outlying colonies. We arrived to find the colony silent, and a ship adrift in orbit. On further investigation, we found the colony itself in ruins. Everyone was dead and the place was burnt to the ground. Our investigations on the planet revealed little until a ship dropped out of Flux nearby. We boarded the ship to find Crystal,” Amanda gestured towards the woman sitting on her right. “She was injured after having fought two Nomads who’d boarded her ship. Not long after we found Crystal, two Void Riders on Dragons appeared. They’d followed Crystal back.”

  “Void Riders?” Tira of the secretive Silent Order asked. “Are you sure?”

  “Quite sure. We fought and beat them, but this was just a token force.”

  “You think there’s more coming?” Elden asked.

  “Lots more.”

  “Crystal, can you confirm this?” Elden asked her.

  “I can, sir,” Crystal answered. “The Crux has amassed a vast army, and they are headed this way.”

  “How can you be sure?” Elden pressed.

  “What happened to you out there?” Rane added.

  Amanda sat back down as Crystal sat forward, her hands on the table as she took a breath in preparation of telling her story. Amanda had heard some of it, but she was interested in listening to the full thing.

  “Valerya and I left the Nexus in an attempt to find the Demiurge,” Crystal began. “I knew the Crux was coming, and all of this talking just seemed to be making things worse. I needed to do something to try and help. I thought that as the Demiurge imprisoned the Archons once before, if we can found him, he might help us fight them again.”

  “And did you find him?” Elden asked.

  “I know where he is.”

  “Then, please, enlighten us.”

  “Valerya had a contact close to Crux Space, a ship captain called Kora. We met up with her, only for their base to be attacked by the Crux—more Void Riders and their Dragons. We barely escaped with our lives, and that was only because of Anka.”

  Crystal paused as she took another breath, but she already had them in the palm of her hand, and the assembled senators waited patiently for her to continue.

  “Anka had been monitoring the Crux advance, and when she saw them attack Kora’s base, she stepped in to help. Anka is an ancient Magus and a former friend of the Demiurge. She’s powerful, and with her help we held off the Void Riders and escaped to her base, Bastion, only to be attacked there by the Crux, as well. This time though, they had the Archons with them. I escaped with Anka’s help in order to bring news of the Crux to you, the Nexus.”

  “And you agree with Amanda’s assessment that the Crux is advancing on the Nexus?”

  “I do. In fact, I believe she’s being conservative. They are coming, and in vast numbers. We need to prepare.”

  “I second that,” Lusha, the Septhian ambassador agreed. “After what I saw at the colony, I believe this is a much bigger threat to us all, and we need to unify. This war between the Accord and the Nexus will be the end of us if the Crux gets here and attacks us while we’re divided.”

  “Unfortunately, I think you’re right,” Elden admitted. “But we’re too far gone now. It’s going to take something huge to unite us again.”

  “Something like the Crux unleashing an all-out war on us?” Amanda asked.

  “That might do it. So, you said you know where the Demiurge is now?” Elden asked Crystal.

  “I do,” Crystal replied. “The Crux is holding the Demiurge prisoner at the centre of the galaxy, within the supermassive black hole in Sagittarius A*.”

  “Within the black hole?” Elden asked, somewhat incredulously.

  “That is what I was told.”

  “Is that even possible?” Elden addressed his question to the other Magi in attendance.

  “Possibly,” Tira answered.

  “I don’t see why not,” Amanda added. “We’re talking about incredibly powerfully creatures here.”

  Elden nodded. “I understand that, but within a black hole? Okay, I mean, I guess so.”

  “How do we get him out?” Rane asked.

  “From what I know,” Crystal continued. “It takes several Crux or Archons to hold the Demiurge captive within the black hole. I guess if we were able to take one or more of them out…”

  Several Magi around the table scoffed at her comment.

  “Take out an Archon or a Crux?” Dasha asked. “Have you heard yourself? And how are we going to do that? You’re talking about walking into the heart of Crux space and attacking the most powerful creatures in existence.”

  “I know what I’m talking about,” Crystal answered. “I used to be a Sentinel. I used to guard the Archons every day in Tartarus and deal with their shit. They are not to be trifled with, but they’re also not invincible.”

  Amanda nodded along with her, convinced she was right. “Besides, we don’t need to kill them, just distract them,” Amanda said.

  “You’re volunteering, are you?” Dasha challenged.

  “I’ll go,” Amanda answered, her voice level and confident.

  Dasha screwed his face up. Apparently, he didn’t like that answer.

  “Good. We need to go,” Crystal agreed. “As soon as possible.”

  Amanda nodded.

  “Before we start gallivanting off around the galaxy,” Elden cut in, “is there anything else you wish to report?”

  Amanda felt sure she knew what he was referring to. “There is. While I was reporting back to the Septhian Queen, it came to my attention that they had recently taken someone into protective custody, someone I knew. She’s a grav bike racer by the name of Kaydence Valk. I brought her back here and put her into a suite in the Union Spire.”

  “A Valk?” Dasha asked, somewhat shocked. “What are you doing bringing a Valk family member here and putting them in a luxury apartment?”

  “She’s not working for the Valk,” Amanda reassured him. She’d been careful to read some of Kaydence’s thoughts as they’d spoken, and knew she’d been telling the truth. Or at least, she believed she was.”

  “You don’t know that!” Dasha snapped. “This is outrageous.”

  “Did you say, Kaydence Valk?” Elden asked.

  “That’s right,” Amanda answered, ignoring Dasha’s rant.

  Elden looked over at Tira, the head of the Foundation spy organisation, the Silent Order. Tira nodded. “If I’m right, she’s not just any family member, she’s the daughter of Emperor Altex Valk. The leader of the Valk Dynasty.”