Echoes of Harmony

Ethan could do nothing but wait. There were no transports that could take him away from the front lines. Even if there were, why would they? If the investigation cleared him, he would likely have been returned anyway. It would have been a waste of time and resources.

The waiting, though, was the hardest part. He wanted to be out there, fighting the Druthagar and making Elina proud of him. Sitting in his quarters as the battle raged outside felt demeaning. Admiral Hayes’ message didn’t make matters any better. Not to mention being so deep inside made it hard to know much of anything that was going on other than the rumbles running through the ship whenever it was hit by something.

Out of nothing but habit, he attempted to bring up the tactical overlay tied to the ship’s sensors. He was pleasantly surprised to discover it didn’t block him. That surprise, however, was replaced by panic when he saw the sheer number of red dots representing the Druthagar fighters. It was like a tsunami washing over the blue icons.

He quickly located Alpha Squadron and was happy to see Ava’s dot still present. A pit of worry opened in his stomach as he saw it, among the other blue indicators, amid a sea of red that threatened to swallow them whole. One by one, the blue dots were blinking out while only the occasional red one disappeared.

She would survive. He knew she would. She always did. No matter what happened, the pair of them, they always came out on the other side, alive and together. First above Stariek, and now here. This would be no different.

The Celestial Phoenix shook violently, an occurrence that was becoming too familiar for Ethan’s liking. A look at the tactical overlay showed several Druthagar warships closing in with just a pair of Hyperion ones supporting the Phoenix. Icons representing the different Hyperion and Stariekian vessels slowly ticked out one by one, like a hand crushing them. After all the battles he was part of, this one felt different. There was a foreboding that seemed to linger in the air. His breathing started to increase as the panic and helplessness closed in like a vice on his stomach and heart.

Before it overwhelmed him, he turned his attention elsewhere, searching again for Alpha Squadron. When he found it, it was scattered and broken. Only two remained, labeled One and Two. As he watched, however, Two disappeared. So, too, did Ethan’s restraint.

<Ava, please, get out of there.> He didn’t know what prompted him to send a message to her. All he knew was he had to do something. He stood and paced his quarters, roughly running his hands through his hair. <It’s a killing field, you have to get back here. It’s safer here. I need you, you’re my best friend.>

There was no response for so long, Ethan thought she might have been blown up. He turned back to the overlay and saw her dot still dodging and weaving among a sea of red.

<I’ve got a job to do, Ethan.> Her voice was ragged, and there was an odd serenity that seemed to ooze over the link. <The more of them I kill, the better chance you have of getting back to your sister. After all, you promised to get back to her, right? Besides, I can’t just abandon the others.>

<Not like this, Ava.> He continued pacing, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself. <Please. I need you by my side. Who cares what Finley thinks of you abandoning the battle? Better to live and fight another day then lose your life for no reason.>

<Maybe you’re right.> She sighed, and Ethan could just see her folding her arms across her chest. <What are we even doing here? I’m heading—>

The transmission cut short. Ethan instinctively looked to the tactical overlay, his eyes scanning for her dot despite his every effort to close it and look away. But where she once was, there was nothing but empty space.

Tears stung his eyes. He collapsed against the nearest wall, sliding down it until he hit the ground. His head fell between his knees. Sobs wracked his body. The rumbles of the Celestial Phoenix faded away as nothing seemed to matter anymore.

#

HMV Oberlander

Nen Dural System

General Kindler gripped the edges of her command chair, a fierce grin crossing her lips. The Oberlander swooped between two Druthagar warships. Their harpoon launchers flashed as the spears erupted from the hulls. With a burst of light, they exploded before impact, turning into nothing more than debris. The Oberlander’s magnetic cannons swiveled to either direction. A dull roar ran through the ship as they unleashed a devastating salvo. Bits of metal tore free from the Druthagar ships as the hull was slowly eaten away by the five hundred millimeter rounds. After several seconds of the attack, their munitions storage bays were hit. Both erupted with brief fireballs, sending debris in all directions.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“Very good, Lieutenant Fleischmann,” she said, nodding towards the tactical station despite his inability to see her from where she sat. “How many does that make for us now?”

“Fifteen confirmed kills, seven assists, sir,” he replied without missing a beat. “Shields are holding at seventy percent.”

Kindler glanced at the tactical board. The mass of red seemed to be growing despite their best efforts. No matter how much more advanced the Hyperion vessels were, they were slowly being whittled away. Nearly twenty percent of their ships were lost already. That number was drastically higher when considering just the Stariek ships. She was happier that it was them rather than her own forces, though.

“We need to reach the station.” Kindler pressed a series of buttons on the arm of her chair, bringing up a smaller version of the tactical board for her and Colonel Reinhardt to review. With a swoop, she marked a course through the wall of red between them and the station in orbit. “If we follow this path, we can hide our true course, take out some of them on our way, then deliver our payload to the station. Once we fire the missiles, we can continue on our way and get out of the thick of it before they even realize what hit them.”

“That path seems to be the one of least resistance, sir.” Reinhardt lowered his voice so only Kindler could hear him. “I do not intend to second guess you, General. It would not be my place in our society to do so. I just want to make sure you still believe this is the best option.”

“I appreciate your concern, but it is the only option. Regardless of whether it’s the best one or not.”

“Very well. I will ensure the missiles are ready for firing.”

“Navigation, sending you a course to follow.” Kindler swiped the plan she had above her right arm to send it to Lieutenant Arima Mitsuyo. They confirmed the order, and the ship turned to follow it. “Tactical, fire at will. Choose your targets as you see fit.”

“Yes, sir.” Fleischmann sounded almost giddy as his hands flew over his console like a concert pianist.

Kindler watched through the viewscreen as the Druthagar planet, as well as the hundreds of warships, grew larger. Their defenses formed a pair of parallel lines. In the center was a gap approximately a hundred thousand kilometers wide. It reminded her of the trenches she helped her father dig back home.

The Oberlander’s cannons swiveled to face forward. They rumbled as the five hundred millimeter shells launched forward, tearing through the closest warship. Neutron beams lashed out and pierced out the other side of a pair of Druthagar ships to the left and right of the first target. A series of Stalker missiles launched from the bays, slamming into each target. All three erupted in a burst of fire and debris. They sailed through the newly formed hole with ease. As it did so, it turned to fly parallel to the two lines forming the edges of the trench. Several Hyperion frigates and cruisers followed suit behind, their weapons taking down as many of the Druthagar warships as they could.

“At least the others see what we’re doing and are trying to help,” Kindler muttered to Reinhardt.

“It is their societal duty.”

“Shields at sixty-five percent, sir,” Fleischmann called out.

“Steady as she goes,” Kindler mumbled. She forced herself to relax, flexing each of her fingers and releasing the arms of her chair. Just as she did so, the Oberlander shook like a leaf in a windstorm. All around the bridge, people were thrown against their restraints, barely kept from being tossed to the ground or into their consoles. Her own hip slammed into the side of her chair and brought a grimace to her face. “What the hell was that?”

“A starboard rear deflector overloaded and needs to be recharged.” Fleischmann never took his eyes off his console. “We briefly lost cohesion to the shields and took some hull damage. Engine four is overheating and needs to be turned off. Adjusting nearby shield generators to make up for the starboard rear until it fully recharges.”

“Get it together, Lieutenant,” Kindler hissed through gritted teeth. “We are not going to die here because of your incompetence.”

“Yes, sir.”

Another Druthagar warship drifted in their direction, its harpoon launcher lashing out at the Oberlander. With expert precision, the projectile was blown out of space. The warship quickly followed suit. Large chunks of debris slammed against the side of the Oberlander, their shields unable to adequately protect against such sizes.

“Sir, a communication just went out from the Celestial Phoenix,” called out Lieutenant Wentz. “General distress call.”

Kindler rolled her eyes. Of course they were in distress. Their ship was a hundred years old compared to one such as the Oberlander. Just being in space was distressing. They were good for nothing more than being a distraction. She glanced at the tactical board and noticed one of the Hyperion ships already moving into position.

“It looks the Wagener has it well in hand. Ignore them for now unless it becomes a bigger issue.”

“Yes, sir,” Wentz replied.

“Tactical, Victor One Two Two and One Three Five are getting awfully close to us.” Kindler looked at the viewscreen where the two Druthagar ships were displayed. One bore a sharp bow like an axe that curved above the top of the rest of the vessel like a cresting wave. The other was nearly flat, either side angled in at the front to form a sort of shallow arrowhead. “Destroy them.”

Without a word, Lieutenant Fleischmann followed the order. She watched as the magnetic cannons singled them out, turning them into fields of debris. They continued plowing ahead, the station growing ever closer.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!