⫸ [ TIME: 21:05 AETHELGARD STANDARD TIME ]
⫸ [ LOCATION: U.S.S. VANGUARD – COMMAND BRIDGE ]
⫸ [ STATUS: HULL BREACH ]
The glass did not shatter. It screamed.
The reinforced transparent aluminum of the viewports was designed to withstand orbital bombardment. It was not designed to withstand the point-blank sonic screech of a Class-III Titan.
The Iron-Wyvern clung to the outer hull. Its talons were made of high-density ferrous carbide. They dug into the armor plating like hot knives through wax. It beat its wings against the thin atmosphere. The displacement hammered against the bridge windows.
CRACK.
A spiderweb fracture appeared in the center of the main pane. It rapidly spread toward the edges.
Elian racked the charging handle of The Arbiter. The mechanical clack-clack was a pathetic sound in the cavernous bridge filled with groaning metal.
[ Commander. Structural integrity of the viewport is at 12%. ]
[ Impact imminent. ]
[ Recommended Action: Evacuate via the maintenance shaft. ]
"Too slow," Elian yelled over the noise. "If that thing gets inside it will tear the shaft apart in seconds. I need open space."
He looked at the fracture. He looked at the beast outside. Its eyes were furnaces of hate burning through the gloom.
The Wyvern reared back. Its metallic throat glowed with a blinding white light. It was charging a breath weapon.
◤ THREAT ANALYSIS ◢
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
⬢ Weapon: Ionized Plasma Stream
⬢ Temperature: 3,000°C (Estimated)
⬢ Range: 200 Meters
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"It's a flying blowtorch," Elian muttered.
He didn't run for the door. He ran for the window.
"A.R.C.," he shouted. "Divert all auxiliary power to the Thermal-Lattice. Maximize heat dissipation."
[ Warning. You are running toward the plasma thermal event. ]
"I'm running toward the exit."
The Wyvern unleashed its breath. A column of white-hot ionized gas slammed into the bridge window.
The glass vaporized instantly.
The pressure wave hit Elian. It threw him backward off his feet. The air in the bridge turned into a blast furnace. His armor screamed as the external temperature spiked.
But he did not burn.
His Thermal-Lattice Epidermis flared cherry-red instantly. The hexagonal scales absorbed the thermal shock and shunted it away from his vital organs. It felt like being punched by a wall of hot iron but his skin held.
The window was gone. There was only a gaping hole looking out onto the black sky and the white desert two kilometers below.
Elian scrambled to his feet. He ignored the temperature alarms screaming in his helmet. He sprinted toward the ragged edge of the hull.
The Wyvern was hovering just outside. It looked surprised. It expected ash. It saw a grey demon charging through the lingering fire.
Elian didn't stop. He leaped into the void.
He jumped out of the bridge of the U.S.S. Vanguard.
He was two kilometers in the air.
⬡ ─── ⬡ ─── ⬡
⫸ [ STATUS: FREEFALL ]
⫸ [ GRAVITY: 8.5 G ]
The gravity of Sector Zero grabbed him. It yanked him down with terrifying force.
He didn't fall straight down. The ship was crashed at a steep angle. The dorsal hull of the Dreadnought acted like a massive steel mountain slope.
Elian hit the hull plating.
CLANG.
The impact would have shattered human legs. His carbon-lattice bones absorbed the shock. He didn't tumble. He engaged the magnetic locks in his boots.
The magnets clamped onto the ferrous hull. Friction took over.
He wasn't falling anymore. He was skiing.
He slid down the spine of the giant ship. The wind roared in his ears. The friction heat built up instantly under his boots. The metal of the hull shrieked as he carved a glowing groove through five thousand years of rust.
[ Velocity: 120 kph and rising. ]
[ Warning. Boot soles are ablating rapidly. Thermal failure in 45 seconds. ]
"Cool the feet!" Elian screamed. He felt the heat rising through his soles.
He looked back over his shoulder.
The Wyvern dived. It folded its massive metallic wings and dropped like a stone. It was streamlined. It was faster than him. It opened its jaws to snap him off the hull.
◤ PROXIMITY ALERT ◢
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
⬢ Threat: Iron-Wyvern
⬢ Distance: 100 meters
⬢ Action: Closing for intercept
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Elian couldn't turn. If he tried to carve a turn at this speed under 8.5G the lateral force would snap his spine.
He unslung The Arbiter. He held the heavy weapon one-handed pointing backward over his shoulder.
"Newton's Third Law," Elian gritted out. "For every action..."
He pulled the trigger.
BOOM.
The sonic railgun fired. The massive recoil kicked Elian forward. It acted like a booster rocket increasing his downward speed.
The explosive round hit the Wyvern in the chest.
A cloud of fire and shrapnel blossomed. The beast flew right through it. It shook off the metal fragments. Its scales were too thick for a single round. It roared and closed the distance.
"It's tanking the shots," Elian realized.
He looked ahead. The hull was not smooth. It was covered in sensor towers and ruined gun turrets.
A massive Point-Defense Cannon emplacement loomed ahead. It was the size of a small house jutting out from the hull.
Elian had an idea. It was a terrible idea.
"A.R.C., calculate the angle. I want to bank off the turret base."
[ Maneuver is extreme risk. Joint dislocation probable. Structural failure of boots probable. ]
"Do it!"
Elian hit the curved base of the turret housing. He didn't crash. He leaned hard into the curve. The magnetic boots screamed as they fought to hold onto the vertical surface.
He slingshotted around the metal structure.
The Wyvern was right behind him. It couldn't turn that fast. Its mass was too great.
It tried to pull up. It flared its wings.
It failed.
CRASH.
The Wyvern slammed face-first into the turret at full speed.
The impact shook the entire ship beneath Elian's feet. Metal sheared with the sound of a dying world. The beast crumpled against the steel emplacement.
Elian shot out the other side of the curve. He was moving faster now. The friction was heating his legs to the boiling point.
[ Commander. The desert floor is approaching. ]
[ Impact in 10 seconds. ]
[ Velocity: 220 kph. ]
[ If you hit the ceramic at this speed you will cease to exist. ]
Elian looked down. The white ceramic desert was rushing up to meet him like a solid wall.
"Braking thrusters!" Elian shouted.
[ The suit is salvaged. No thrusters. ]
"Then we make our own."
Elian pointed The Arbiter down at the hull directly in front of his sliding path.
He switched the fire selector to Full Auto.
"Dump the mag!"
He squeezed the trigger and held it down.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.
The railgun hammered the hull. The recoil punched into Elian's shoulder socket. It acted like a retro-rocket pushing against his descent.
He slowed down rapidly. The G-force crushed him into the hull.
180 kph... 140 kph... 100 kph...
The gun clicked dry. The magazine was empty.
He hit the edge of the ship. He flew off the hull into open air.
He hit the sand.
He didn't stick the landing. He tumbled.
He hit the white ceramic dust at sixty kilometers an hour. He rolled for fifty meters. The bone dust exploded around him in great white clouds. He bounced like a stone skipping on water.
He came to a stop half buried in the chalky powder.
He lay on his back. He stared up at the violet sky and the towering black silhouette of the Vanguard.
Steam rose from his armor. His boots were fused masses of slag and ruined magnets.
[ Biometric Scan. ]
[ Multiple micro-fractures detected in ribs and tibia. ]
[ Thermal skin capacity at 99%. ]
[ You are alive. ]
Elian laughed. It was a wheezing painful sound that tasted of blood.
"I am alive," he whispered.
A shadow fell over him blocking out the stars.
Elian froze. He reached for his spear. His gun was useless.
He looked up.
It was Grom.
The Giant stood over him. He was covered in white dust from head to toe. He looked like a ghost of the Bone Sea.
Behind him the ten other warriors emerged from the dunes. Their pikes were leveled.
Grom looked up at the massive ship towering above them. He looked at the smoke trailing down the hull where Elian had slid.
"Iron-Star fell from sky," Grom said. His voice held a new level of reverence. "Again."
Elian groaned. He accepted Grom's hand. The Giant pulled him out of the crater.
"Did you see the bird?" Elian asked.
Grom pointed at the ship.
High up on the hull near the ruined turret the Iron-Wyvern was peeling itself off the metal. It shook its broken wings. One hung uselessly at its side. It shrieked in anger. It was injured but it was not dead.
It looked down with burning eyes. It saw them.
"Run," Elian said.
⬡ ─── ⬡ ─── ⬡
⫸ [ TIME: 22:00 AETHELGARD STANDARD TIME ]
⫸ [ LOCATION: THE BONE SEA – SECTOR 2 ]
⫸ [ STATUS: RETREAT ]
They ran.
They moved through the white dunes as fast as the Giants could march. The Wyvern circled high above them. It was wary. It had been hurt by the metal mountain. It tracked them but it did not dive.
Elian limped. His legs were burnt. His energy reserves were critically low. He leaned on Grom for support.
"We need cover," Elian gasped. "The jungle. The trees will block its dive path."
They reached the jagged treeline just as the Wyvern made its decision.
It folded its good wing. It entered a shallow dive bomb.
"Into the green!" Grom shouted.
The Giants crashed into the dense iron-bark forest. Elian stumbled in after them.
WHOOSH.
The Wyvern pulled up at the last second. The wind of its passing stripped leaves from the canopy. It was too big to maneuver its injured body in the dense trees. It screamed a sound of pure frustration. It circled once and then turned back toward the ship. It claimed the wreck as its nest.
Elian collapsed against a massive tree root. He was safe. The canopy blocked the sky.
He checked his datapad. The screen was cracked but functional.
The download was complete.
He had the logs. He had the codes.
And he had the blueprint.
◤ SCHEMATIC ACQUIRED ◢
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
⬢ Project: The God-Killer (Planetary Siege Cannon)
⬢ Primary Requirement: Titan Heart (Power Source)
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"We have the gun design," Elian whispered. His throat was raw. "Now we just need the bullet."
[ Commander. Further analysis of the schematic indicates a secondary material requirement. ]
[ To build a barrel capable of withstanding the energy output of a Titan Heart... we need refined Void-Steel. ]
[ The only source of Void-Steel on the planetary scan is Sector 4. ]
[ The Iron Forge. ]
Elian nodded slowly. "The Dwarves."
He looked up at Grom. The Giant was watching him, waiting for orders.
"We are going home," Elian said. "We need to fix the armor. We need to reload The Arbiter."
"And then?" Grom asked.
Elian looked through the canopy at the faint glow of the floating islands far above in the night sky.
"Then we start a revolution."
[END OF CHAPTER 18]