Ambrosia Software Web Board: Chapter Four: Reign of the Talos - Ambrosia Software Web Board

Meddling fools Leela glowered.

* * * * *

A surge of Vylae warships was the only warning something unusually big was happenning. The front ranks of the combined Polaris Armada were being faced with a resistance they hadn't witnessed since the Alduran Wars. Massive bloodshed was exerted on both sides of battle. Whole battlegroups of the finest and strongest were singled out and reduced to a fog of quarks as antimatter-weaponry was brought to bear on the Polaris invaders.

Yet, as human as they were, the Polaris fought with a ferocity and rage that sent shivers down the spines of their Argosian Bretheren. This was the true totality of battle that each and every Confederate had yearned for.

* * * * *

Riding in on the quasispacial wave, the Chimaera and her two sistership dreadnoughts washed into the scene, cannons blazing, diving into the heart of the Vylae fleet itself.

* * * * *

"Sir we're recieving a distress-call from the Argosian dreadnought Chimaera." A young communications officer yelped accross the the scrambled battle-bridge.

Admiral Aleck Yakovf looked back from his battle-console. "What?"

"Sir, Our quasispacial wave washed them back into the battle. If we don't intervene the Vylae will tear them asunder."

The Confederate Admiral clenched his jaw. The situation was dire enough on the front lines without having to worry about those goddamned Argosians. 'let 'em burn' he wanted to say, but something kept him from doing so. In the back of his mind, something scratched his pride. This was the ultimatum. Us vs. them. 'Argosians' and 'Polaris' were merely different names for one thing. Long live humanity. a voice tinkled in perfect timing.

"Send all available forces to assist the Argosians."

"Sir, our fleet is in heavy engagement. The vylae are jamming our transmissions to Admiral Ulovich and Rear Admiral Trebetauski."

Damnit. In his entire ranking career, a Polaris Admiral had never participated in actual combat. It was a strict tradition that he was above the common (expendable) sailor. Tradition had to be broken. He had to take a risk to save the Argosians.

"Very well." Aleck said coldly. "Set a course the intercept. Let's go save those dreadnoughts."

* * * * *

General Kijou ducked as helms exploded from the EMP-backwash as the three chimaera-class dreadnoughts, the strongest and fastest ships argos had ever built, were fighting to keep themselves alive. Usually each EMP-battery was fired every ninety-seconds to prevent them from overheating. Cornered and surrounded, the Argosians were forced to fire them every two seconds, resulting in massive power faliures all over the ship.

Then, the argosian shields that could easily withstand a supernova, collapsed. The Vylae warships tore into the Chimaera's sistership, the Newton, like boulders into tin-foil. A massive explosion rocked the night sky as antimatter met paper-thin hull.

As the flames subsided, only two of the Three dreadnoughts were left.

Kijou had given up. The EMP-power grid had long-since burned out. Shields were contracting, weapons were gone, half the crew was dead. Soon the armored Argosian giant would be dead.

And indeed it would have been, had the incoming Vylae gunships not been hit by the Admiral's own Carrier. A single nexus torpedo was all it took to draw Vylae attention to the Confederate Command Ship.

"Run!" Was all Aleck could shout out before the communications array was destroyed by the concentrated fire of the Vylae fleet.

The wounded and bleeding chimaeras had just fled the scene as another explosion rocked the sky.

* * * * *

Aboard the Command Ship Colossus, Admiral Ulovich bowed sorrowfully as he watched the Carrier ripped apart. Aleck Yakovf was dead.

* * * * *

Aboard the Command Ship Bear, Natasha Trebetauski let a tear form in the corner of her eye as she saw the act of sacrafice take place. Whatever hate she had felt before for the Phylydions, the Argosians, had disappeared.

------------------
Time is the best teacher, yet it kills all of it's students.

Natasha was stunned. Just as as Aleck came to reinforce her, he was gone just as quickly. For good.

Time to finish the Vylae.

All of a sudden, time seemed to stop for her. The only things on the bridge moving were her, and a strange-looking fellow walking to her from the doors, wearing a uniform she did not recognise.

"Greetings, Natasha. It is good to see the return of feeling to humanity. It has long been awaited. The Jjaro could give you power, but control is the one gift beyond even them. We must give it to each other."

"Greetings, ummm, stranger."

"Stranger is a fine name for me, as I have no other. Now go out there and show the Vylae exactly what humanity can do! We're coal now, but one day we'll be diamonds again."

With that, the man vanished, and time restarted, but not the same as it had before.
Natasha was seeing afterimages, it seemed. Blurry trails of ships No, something different...
Without a word Natasha walked over to the weapon control station, and took hold of the Nexus torpedo arrays. She fired one at seemingly nothing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aboard the Herald of Leela

"Sir, we've gotten word from Dock 1053 - the new Negotiator there under construction is READY. We've put it in a condiut and are bringing it here."

Darkk smiled. A nice, big help it would be - he'd blast that miserably mockery the Anderson and that stupid Polaris Dreadnought out of the sky.

Any second now...

The new Negotiator appeared. But just as it did, it intersected the Nexus torpedo, and was caught with its shields down.

Darkk was stunned. Backtrace indicated the shot was fired BEFORE the ship arrived. How'd they know where to aim?

Leela twictched in her meditation. Darkk wondered what was troubling her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aboar the Bear, all the crewers were looking at Natasha. How had she known where to fire? It seemed unbelievable.

The answer came to them immediatly. She's the admiral. She's just better somehow.

And they fell to fighting.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkk couldn't understand it. First the bombarder. Now all his moves seemed to be anticipated. It was as though the enemy could see his mind, see the future, see SOMETHING.

It was driving him crazy. He couldn't make a massive sweep over the enemy without Leela's help or risking the superwarpships, but she disintigrated the last person who tried to wake her, and he wasn't about to risk the stones or whatever just yet. If worst came to worst, he knew Leela would wake if a serious threat appeared.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Natasha gulped. She couldn't avoid this one - wait, what was that?

A wing of Vylae destroyers dived toward her, arming their missles, which would dimple the shield just enough to let their antimatter through, if they fired with good enough timing - and she knew they would.

Suddenly, a massive shape appeared, blowing a hole in the destroyer formation with lances of red fire.

She opened a channel.

"I thank you greatly." was all she could say to the Orion commander.
"We forgave you for what you did earlier. We must at all costs avenge what Leela did to our people."
"What did she do?"
"Something too horrible to discuss. We are all that's left."
"Then I am truely sorry for our actions towards you."
"Something makes me believe you, and accept your appology. Thank you."

Natasha watched as the transmission ended and the Orion ship entered into her battle registry as "friendly".

She smiled. All of humanity and beyond was coming together to fight the darkness. Would it be enough? She lost a touch of happyness at that thought, but not very much at all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bob stared into the darkness. Something's here... Exactly what, is a job for robots.

He took out another hover-cam, and sent it towards the rumbling. It hadn't gotten 60 meters when his night vision recorded a giant tentactle shoot out and EAT it.

Bob rolled left just as a tentacle with a mouth on the end shot through the space where he had been.

A hail of gunfire stretched from Bob to the tentacle. It had no effect, except to make something where the tentacle had came from angry. Suddenly, a wolf-like monster burst from the gloom into range of his night-vision.

It had both fur and scales, and the tentacles were part of it and came from its back. It was hideous to behold, and frightening. It stood over 25 meters tall, and was over 60 meters long. Bob didn't know anything carbon-based that could get so massive. He switched his scanner over to "active radar".

That was even more worrying. By the way it reflected, the thing must be solid metal. And it wouldn't be reluctant to eat Bob for long. No sooner had he reached that conclusion (and for his wave motion cannon) than it sturck, sending a tentacle at Bob. He blased it, but all it did was singe it a little. The beast continued to strike, tentacle after tentacle at a maddening pace. Bob started to run while firing. It did likewise.

Bob needed a plan...

------------------
Seen on a Claymore anitpersonell mine: "Do not eat"

[This message has been edited by Fleet Admiral Darkk (edited 12-16-2001).]

They were breaking through. Wave upon wave of Vylae warships pummeled the ranks of the First Polaris fleet under the comamnd of Admiral Ulovich. Yuri was helpless but to watch the slaughter.

Fate had dealt him a cruel hand, or did fate merely have a sense of upkeep? He could remember his career. At the age of nineteen, an eager Captain Ulovich had commanded the Destroyer Achilles back when the ancient design was still new. Back when the galactic commnity was still young. At the age of thirty he was a commodore at the historic battle of Rigel, where the Orion Axis had first made itself known. Funny. He had attended virtually every major battle mankind had waged in space. He was there at Aldura during the overthrow of the Alduran Conbine. He had been there at the Battle for North Star when the Polaris Empire was uprooted and the confederacy planted in place. Every one of those battles he had one, where he had played the lead role.

Yet here he was, seventy-two terran years of age, losing the battle for the universe. No matter the countless years of experience he had behing his back, no matter the war-hardened legendary Polaris Navy at his command. Losing.

The forward ranks of the Polaris Fleet had by now completely collapsed into utter chaos. Vylae and Confederates fought continuously, battling desperately across the system. The support sirens blared as several direct-hits were scored against the Colossus. The call to abandon ship was given.

The rest of the crew began to scramble as the steady rumble of antimatter shook the ship. Yuri did not move. He was worn out. It was utterly hopeless now. But, the historical implications from Yuri's fifty-seven-year-long career had all stemmed directly from the battles he had fough and defended in. This time, it was not the battle, but rather what was going on many lightyears away that mattered.

The bridge was completely devoid of life now, save one Admiral. Yuri was spent. His fleet decimated. His comrades killed.

But he had fought, and that was all that mattered. It mattered not that he had lost, but that he had fought and gone down with his ship and fleet. That he had showed the universe the fury and incandescence of his human heritage. That he had stayed a patriot 'till the very end.

As the bridge erupted the split-second before the Vylae Antimatter bolts annihilated the ship, a rhaspy voice escaped from his lips, unfearfull and unafraid. I die for the confederacy. Engulfed in flames, Fleet Admiral Yuri Ulovich gave one last salute.

* * * * *

Two of the three Polaris fleets had been decimated. Ranks were beginning to break on Natasha's front lines. She didn't care that she was going to lose; all she cared was that she fought.

The rest of the Confederate fleet knew that, and made it clear as several massive suicide attacks left the Vylae momentarily gasping for air.

She regrouped the remnants of the Polaris Armada into a tightly-packed battlegroup, surrounding the Orion Dreadnought.

One last step for mankind. she growled through clenched-teeth, readying for the last assault.

------------------
Time is the best teacher, yet it kills all of it's students.

The main bulk of the Union fleet had expended its missiles at the first blow, and had dove in to close quarters to use their plasma vents. Unfortunately, the Union ships were sorely outmatched, and at close range they were torn to shreds in minutes. Dulles, rather than lose his best captains in futile attempts, pulled his smaller vessels back, and ordered them to retrieve survivors from wrecks while the Battlecruisers and destroyers continued their long range nuclear missile barrages. Once every missile was away, the capital ships dove in with the other fleets, more for show than for anything else, as the slow, heavy, battlecruisers were easily ravaged by the much more advanced Vylae ships.

The only card that the Union could play was the USS Anderson. A four mile long dreadnought, equipped with a stolen Vylae Energy Shell Cannon. It had the power to shatter planets, and while it had been ineffective against Leela's personal ships, it was able to shred the Vylae Dreadnoughts. Standing off at great distance, covered by destroyers and corvettes, it lanced out once every minute and twenty seconds, destroying a large group of ships, then waiting for the barrel to move back up to its initial position from the recoil and fire again.

Dulles, on the otherhand, had taken command of the Xerxes, and was leading the small force that was picking up the escape pods and bailed out crewmen of the ships that were deep in the Vylae fleet. He shielded the corvettes with the Xerxes hull while they picked up wounded, then used the Xerxes manouverability (unparred next to other ships of its class) to actually infilct some damage on the Vylae ships before ducking away to the next beleaguered Polaris, Phylidion, or Argosian ship.

But now there was noone left to rescue. The fleets pulled back to fallback positions, and reformed for the final stand against the Vylae Armada. Ahead, the Vylae appeared to pause and consider their options, licking their cuts and scrapes and surveying the gushing wounds that they had inflicted on their foes. Together, the Union, Argosian, Polaris and Phylidion fleets steeled themselves for the final assault, charging their weapons and patching leaking hulls. As the Vylae ships started to form up, Dulles signalled the Anderson, one of the few undamaged ships left.

"Mr. Pharris, you may fire at will. Try to slow them down while the fleet rearms and repairs."

"Aye aye, sir."

And so as the tugs raced back and forth with missiles and wounded, the USS Anderson tore into the advancing Vylae fleet while the four fleets watched and anxiously prepared.

------------------
NEW NAME FOR THE DREADNOUGHT
The Hard-Boiled Egg
Why?
Because she cant be beaten!

Natasha tried to hold back her grief. She had to focus. She had to be calm.
Why? In your emotions lie strength - the kind of strength that made our servents rate you as worthy to us.

She remebered this voice as that of the strange "woman" in her quarters. Suddenly, she had a feeling. Once again, she dashed to the weapons console, and fired a Nexus torpedo at something that wasn't there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All throughout the human fleet, her impulse was transmitted to many. At one point in space, directly in front of the oncoming armada, a thermokinetic beam from the Orion ship, an energy shell from the Anderson, an EMP lance from a Chimaera, and Natasha's Nexus torpedo met a Vylae pseaudomatter pulse.

No-one had before considered what would happen if all these different shots impacted one another simultaniously. What did happen was astonishing. A white light so bright that it flooded through ship's hulls appeared. When it faded, the Vylae ships (except the superwarpships) had been riven of their shields. All but the Vylae took delight in what had happened.

Natasha gave the order to attack. Unexpectedly, the human and Phylydion charge was not hopeless. The Vylae had little in the way of heavy metals, and their armor was almost as bad as that of the Argosians. The Vylae were being slaughterd, and were seemingly too horrified to fight back.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkk was stunned. The odds against that were insane. He couldn't believe it was possible. He couldn't believe that what had happened was what should have happened if all those shots intersected.

In any case, it was not something he had been unprepaired for. In building the ship, Leela had used all the dark knowledge of the stones, knowledge of all weapons built in this universe and others. Although some of them were too unwieldy or expensive to be built at the moment, Leela had incorporated many.

Such as this one. Darkk ordered the support craft teleported out, until the two superwarpships stood alone in the midst of the enemy fleet. Then he personally inserted his key and slid back the glass cover. And pushed the button down.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Natasha could feel it coming. She knew there was no way to stop it in time. She only hoped she could face death as bravely as the others.

Then new knowledge came to her. And she smiled a little as the Vylae superwarpships vanished in a hail of lances of gray light, and she gave orders to scatter.

The first set of beams fired by the warpships struck home. The ships they hit vanished in flares of gray, and from those flares emerged two beams each, which continued striking.

Then the flares vanished, and the ships sat there, drifting. The recursive EMP beam had disabled 85% of the ships. The remainder were too terrified to move.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Our status, please?" Natasha knew the answer to her question before she asked it, but only because she knew she asked it. There were a few problems with suddenly becoming a 4D being, but she thought she could get used to it.

"Life support and comm system came on pretty quick, but weapons and drives will take about 15 hours."

"Well, get repairing them, we might get a chance to use one or the other."

Suddenly, the Orion captain called her, in a sort of confrence call with Dulles, Benden, Kijou, and Miyu.

"You have a great power I have never seen before." began the Orion captain. "I hope you live, so that you may share it with others."

"Well, you finally found out about it." was what came out, although she had been tempted to deny it.

"I'd like to say that it's been a pleasure to fight alongside you, and I am glad we were able to do so. I hope we avoid fighting against each other from now on, it would feel so hollow."

They all agreed. And thus was born the Great Peace. But for now, all depended upon Bob.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leela's superwarpships rumbled forth, repulsor beams brushing aside ships in their way.

Soon, they were over Rodrom.

Darkk turned and bowed to Leela, who had now opened her eyes.

"My lady, we have arrived."

[Well, this RPG is winding down. From here on out, it's pretty much Bob and Leela. You all can write for them if you want to and feel you understand enough, but please leave the ending in the hands the RPG's founder left it in - mine and Pharris's. Thank you, thank you all. I love you. [none of the preceeding was sarcasm] Otherwise, we should get ready for the shiny new RPG Joviea is making, except Slug, who said he wouldn't join it, and will hopefully put the time he gains to use on Starlance. I'll make a nice movie for the ending, which I'll post after break. You've all been wonderful.]

------------------
Seen on a Claymore anitpersonell mine: "Do not eat"

*Darkk has singlehandedly managed to kill off an entire RPG topic*

------------------
Time is the best teacher, yet it kills all of it's students.

[no such thing as killing a topic, Slug, all it takes is a post in the right direction to bring it back]

Bob was still running. It didn't bother him that none of his weapons had so much as slowed down the three creatures that were chasing him, what bothered him was that he was going to be late. So far, he had been running for hours, and was only marginally closer to the objective. Moreover, two tremendous, imposing bulks had risen over the horizon with the sun, and before they had dissapeared above the debris cloud pouring from the top of the mountain, he had had just enough time to recognize them for what they were- Vylae Superwarships. Leela was ahead of him, and was without doubt closing in on the last piece. He cursed, as he continued to weave to avoid the shooting tentacles and snapping jaws.

Just then, something unexpected crackled into his earpiece.

"Master Chief, the cavalry is on the way. Someone upstairs woke us up for a special occaision. Hold tight, we're on our way down now."

His sensor display ponged and a dozen new contacts appeared in a rough circle around him. Bob knew what was good for him, he sprinted to the top of a nearby sand dune and rolled down the back just in time to see Durandal's contingent of shock troops unleash fury on the pursuing beasts.



------------------
NEW NAME FOR THE DREADNOUGHT
The Hard-Boiled Egg
Why?
Because she cant be beaten!