The first two attempts failed dismally, causing the losses of a further eighteen warriors. So, while the warriors on the planet below fell back and struggled to stay alive, the royal Commanders in the skies above plotted a new course.
Their charts suggested there was an inhabited world in a star system a few systems over, called Earth, which looked promising and made the astrologers drool in anticipation. The small, blue, M-class planet was apparently populated by billions of creatures that were a close match to the Crulla, biologically speaking. They were a post-industrial species, but had not yet learned how to navigate the stars and thus join the League of Eight.
The royal prince, Dram Tass Cuullar, commanding the Crulla fleet, withdrew to his chambers aboard his royal barge, the Dram I’ito and consulted the oldest of his collection of ledgers and tomes; diaries written by one of his family ancestors.
When the astrological and navigation systems had highlighted ‘Earth’ as a destination, something deep down in his memory had stirred. He went almost directly to the scouting reports of his great, great, great, grandfather; the renowned but eventually disgraced Dram Drack Cuullar. As he read the start of the first recon Drack had made of the planet, he realised they had happened upon the world his forefather had never identified, for fear that the dominant indigenous populous, known as humans, would destroy those that followed in his wake.
Humans were reported as an aggressive, warlike species. Indeed, the further Tass read, the more he realised how Drack had been hounded and persecuted, eventually managing to fake his own destruction so he could get away.
Tass considered the current Earth data and grimaced slightly. Drack’s information was several centuries out of date. At this distance it was impossible to tell what real technological advances had been made by the humans, but Tass expected they would be far more advanced than his scientists were reporting. Not having conquered the complex boundaries of interstellar space-flight, did not mean they were still living in the dark ages.
The only positive piece of data they had offered was that Earth was not a member of The League of Eight. This suited the Crulla just fine, as it meant that the planet was not under the League’s long arm of protection. The League’s emissaries in this galaxy were already proving to be an unanticipated and annoying distraction. Their constant hails, and ever-increasing demands were becoming almost impossible to ignore, and many of the ship’s Commanders urged their superiors to wind up the FTL drives, so the fleet could jump into the Sollus system, thus avoiding the League’s injunctions to stand down.
Acknowledging, finally, that Ontarray was a wasted effort, the Prince ordered his royal Commanders to start up their auxiliary engines and begin counting down for a jump into the next star system. The small scouting ships burned fuel bringing their depleted crews back through the planet’s thin atmosphere, and the giant worms continued to excavate their tunnels, as the Crulla prepared for an invasion into a new star system and the planet known as Earth.
All was peaceful within the command centre of the Crulla’s lead warship, known as Blood Hunt. The flight officers scurried about their duties, and the navigational teams were making last-minute calculations and adjustments to the FTL drive’s point of entry, when a sudden warning tone invaded the crew’s ear buds and rang through the corridors. Looking up in alarm, the Fleet Commander saw at least a hundred battle ships blink into existence within and around the Crulla fleet’s battle formation.
There were huge, cumbersome, Corvettes from the League itself, and the heavy, bulbous fighter Rams of the Sasquereen... lithe fighter jets from the Andromeda system and strange star-shaped craft that zipped here and there in shimmering cloaks, their many legs bristling with heavy armaments, and in the centre of the enemy fleet, a huge leviathan that was a League Command Ship.
The Commander studied the force in front of his ship and swore under his breath. All of the fleet’s cloaking shields were down in readiness for the next jump. The Crulla ships had nowhere to go since the proximity detectors announced that they were surrounded. There were only eight ships that remained in hiding behind Ontarray’s moon; the royal barges that, as always, remained safely behind any conflict in order to protect the ruling families and their precious bloodlines; and the vessels assigned to their protection.
He quickly secured an encrypted comm channel for text only, and typing madly, the Commander communicated with the royals. He asked for orders, but knew that the first prerogative was for the fleet to protect the royal families, which meant that they would need to fight while the royal barges crept away from harm.
Almost immediately the response came. Defend our retreat.
The Commander swore again as he gauged the strength of the enemy fleet.
The Crulla fleet were all large, capitol ships, all heavily armoured and with multiple gun-placements. Even so they appeared to be outnumbered almost two-to-one and the enemy fleet was well spread for tactical engagement. Already there was firing to his port side, as the light cruiser Carparus engaged the League vessels closing in on its position.
“Create a perimeter.” The Commander ordered, “Order all ships to fall into line and defend the moon.”
The order was distributed instantly, even the Carparus engaging reverse thrusters while it continued to fight.
“Incoming ships, Commander,” an officer reported from his right.
“Open fire. If we can cripple anything, perhaps we can harvest the crews later. For now, nothing survives.”
*
The sleek lines of the Blood Hunt filled the view screens as Onio’s Ram moved in. Around them, one of the Corvettes and several wings of Sasq and Andromedan fighter jets were already engaging the huge vessel and taking return fire from multiple gun positions all along the broad side of the ship. Just behind them, a squadron of Stealth Tanks moved silently into position around the forward quarter of the massive Crulla ship.
“Find us a boarding point.” Onio growled at the pilot as she spun around in incoming volley of fire.
“There are many, sire, but it will be a difficult approach,” the pilot replied.
“Aren’t they all?” Onio observed with a rough chuckle. “Get us on board that ship. I have leaders to find.”
Alongside the Ram, an Andromedan fighter was torn apart by laser fire. A loud, metallic clunk sounded through the Ram as part of the debris thudded into their rear hull section. Several warriors exchanged nervous glances.
“Be strong, my warriors!” Onio crowed, “Soon we will have the blood of the Crulla upon our blades! Prepare!”
As one, the warriors rose and met the grin of their young King.
5.
“Commander, they are concentrating their firepower on our gun batteries. We have already lost almost thirty percent of our weapons.”
The Crulla Commander studied the readouts and glowered at the view screens. The Carparus had all-but destroyed a much larger Corvette that had been bearing down on it, but at a terrible cost. The whole port side of the Carparus was aflame. Breaches in the inner hull were feeding the flames on the outer surface, burning the air from within the ship.
As the Commander watched, a second Corvette moved into position and pulverised the Carparus with a barrage of missiles and laser fire. Several of his most experienced officers called out in disbelief as the ship suddenly contracted and folded inwards, just to the rear of the centre of the hull. With the thrusters still engaged, the ship went into a slow spin.
“They are still alive!” the communications officer called over his shoulder, “They are transmitting! Asking for assistance!”
“They are beyond our help,” the Commander said quietly, a rumble of menace in his voice.
He kept his focus on the screen, nodding appreciatively as the remaining gun placements on the Carparus continued to fire on the enemy ships in its vicinity. He was about to open communications to the Commander of the ship when a huge barrage of fire tore through the pressurised inner hull and the entire ship was consumed
in a rolling ball of white-hot flame.
“They died with honour,” he growled, “We shall remember them.”
“Commander! There are three enemy ships closing on our starboard hull.” The urgency of the voice dragged him from his thoughts.
“Explain!”
“It looks like they are going to ram us!”
“Are they drones? Are they carrying explosives?”
“No, Commander! They are carrying…” he scoured his screens, then turned to face the Commander, “Troops! They are going to breach on deck four section nine, deck three section seven and deck five section five.”
“Open fire on those ships with anything available! And get warriors to those locations. QUICKLY!” The ship suddenly lurched violently. “What was that!?”
“Commander, it… it makes no sense!” the tactical officer replied, “Heavy ordnance fired from close range… very close range… but there is nothing on the scope.”
“Estimate source position and open fire, wide range spray.”
“Yes sir!”
From what appeared to be dozens of places above the bridge section of the Crulla vessel, white spears of light surrounded by spirals of red and gold, struck like luminous arrows into the space around it. The Stealth Tanks saw the onslaught too late, only a few of them able to move out of harm’s way as their sister-ships were torn apart under the attack.
*
The rounded forward section below the cockpit deck of the Ram split into four quarters and withdrew back into the side hulls of the ship, revealing a tubular spike with a spiral screw-like structure built into the outer surface. As the Ram approached the side of the Blood Hunt, a rotating matrix of lasers fired up and the outer tube section began to spin.
The lasers heated the section of hull in readiness for the impact of the Ram.
Onio and his warriors stood behind the reinforced bulkhead at the rear of the boarding ramp. Via the camera mounted below the cockpit, the small screen above the access door showed the glowing section of the hull of the Crulla ship as they closed in.
He wrung his hands against the shaft of the dual-bladed staff he carried and absently patted the bow slung over his shoulder. Beside him, the female warrior, Emerald Moon fidgeted with the pulse weapon in her hands.
“Be steady, my warrior,” Onio smiled, “Your hunt shall begin all in good time.”
She nodded stiffly in response.
Onio glanced back up to the screen and saw they were now almost upon their target zone. “Make ready!” he called behind him, “Brace for contact!”
As one, the Sasq warriors dropped to a crouch and bowed their heads.
*
The Crulla warriors stormed along deck three, passing through section five at a run. The vessel shuddered as the enemy fire impacted all over the hull, the inertial dampers struggling to cope as the battle raged.
The fifty huge Crulla warriors opened up into a full sprint as they closed on section seven, where the breach was expected. They slowed and spread out, raising long-bladed swords and laser bows and pointing them towards the outer bulkhead. For a moment, there was nothing but the distant rumble of ordnance impacts, and then a whole fifteen-foot long section of the hull imploded into the wide corridor, crushing the nearest warrior beneath it.
As one they converged on the conical tip of the Ram, reaching it just as it fanned out into an opening. A blood-curdling howl erupted from within the ship causing the Crulla to stutter in their advance. They exchanged quick glances but just as they were turning back toward the opening, the Sasq warriors emerged.
*
The Crulla Battleship Nostra cut across the space between the Blood Hunt and the League fleet, opening fire with all eighty of its port-side gun placements.
Tatularian battle-drones swarmed into the combat zone, firing their beams of concentrated lasers as their star-like ships spun and dodged the incoming blasts from the Crulla vessel.
Behind them a League Command Ship manoeuvred into position and released a barrage of missiles at the Nostra. The Crulla ship responded almost instantly with a whole raft of counter-measures, detonating almost every missile in a curtain of flaming fragments.
Two of the Tatularian ships imploded as their hulls were shredded by the multiple impacts. The League Command Ship instantly filled the void between the ships with laser fire. As the Nostra nudged around slightly under the impact of the remaining missiles, the laser fire battered into the side and top of the Battleship. Explosions covered the ship; meanwhile the Tatularian ships rounded the vessel and opened fire on the bridge and forward decks. As the front of the ship burst open, the remains of the hull began to drift silently away, several gun placements still trying to fire as the Nostra died around them.
*
The Commander slammed a fist into the side of the command console and howled with anger as the Nostra fell silent.
He quickly surveyed the readouts. The barges and their escort ships were well clear, having engaged their FTL drives and retreated out of the system. Already the Crulla battle fleet had lost fourteen ships and sustained damage to almost every other vessel. It was time to run.
“What is our hull integrity?” he asked.
“We have 28% damage across the outer and secondary hulls. Both inner hulls are mostly intact, Commander… except where the troop vessels have breached.”
“Can we safely go to light-speed?”
The officer activated a new screen and quickly surveyed the data. “The systems say yes, but we may suffer decompression across five percent of the port side.”
“Issue the order. Prepare to withdraw. If our guests are still aboard when we leave, at least we will not go hungry.”
6.
Onio swept his blade through the throat of the advancing Crulla warrior. They had fought their way several hundred yards into the ship and were still meeting a lot of resistance as more and more Crulla appeared in each new corridor they entered. Bodies littered the path, more Crulla than Sasq, but the close-quarters battle was taking its toll. The Crulla warriors were immensely strong, though not as practised in the art of combat as the Sasq. As a result, the Sasq warriors were now beginning to tire and it seemed there was no end to the opposition.
Ahead of him, a young male Sasq had fallen beneath four of the Crulla defenders. Not content with slashing his life away with their long swords, they had defiled his body in a frenzy of tearing and drinking.
Onio drove his bladed staff into the prone body of the Crulla he had just slain and pulled the bow from his shoulder. He selected one of the half-inch thick; jet-black shafts from the quiver attached to his leg and notched it onto the string of the bow.
Around him the fight continued, but he steadied his aim, drew quickly and loosed the arrow. On release, the laser tip activated, spinning at fifty revolutions per second as it tore through the heads of the nearest Crulla still feasting on his fallen warrior. The arrow passed through them like a molten spear passing through the thinnest silk, both creatures crumpling to the ground as they died.
A Crulla flew at him, sword flashing angrily as he spun and twirled through the melee and toward Onio. The Sasq king dropped his bow, grasped the shaft of his staff and swung it around as the distance closed.
He parried the sword easily and swiped a powerful arm into the face of the creature as it dropped to the ground beside him. The Crulla warrior reeled from the strike and fell to his knees. Onio instantly twisted toward him, swinging the bladed staff down toward the head of his enemy. The Crulla responded with lightning reflexes, recovering his composure and blocking Onio’s attack with his sword. He rotated the hilt, over-balancing Onio’s staff and thrusting forward.
The blade cut into Onio’s shoulder and he swore through the pain. Almost instantly, the Crulla was swinging the blade around the opposite way, striking hard and fast towards his neck. Onio pushed himself back, just avoiding the blade, and brought his staff back into play, thrusting it forward and up and catching the Crulla by surprise.
The blade passed through the top of the throat of the creature and up into its brain. Onio stepped back, withdrew the blade and instantly spun, using the blade at the other end of his staff to remove the head of the Crulla before he even began to fall.
Static suddenly filled his ear, “Sire!” the voice of the pilot, Two Horses, said urgently, “The Crulla ship is pulling away from the battle. They mean to run. We must withdraw!”
“We came for their Commanders!” Onio growled in response.
“If we do not leave, we will be trapped aboard.”
Onio howled angrily. “They must pay for what they did!”
“Yes sire, but not today.”
Onio thrust his blade into another advancing Crulla and howled the withdrawal. Around him, blood stained Sasq warriors blinked in confusion. “We must leave!” Onio said, “Get back to the Ram.”
*
“Our warriors report the boarding troops are withdrawing,” the Crulla officer reported.
“Are we able to capture any of them alive?” the Commander asked.
“Our security teams and warriors are trying to cut off their escape routes. Once we accelerate to light-speed they will be unable to disengage their transports.”
“Then hurry. Let’s do our best to keep them aboard.”
*
With only a few Crulla attempting pursuit, Onio’s warriors headed back toward the Ram, dispatching the Crulla who they happened upon on the way; many of them feeding on the fallen Sasq. Onio ordered his warriors to recover the bodies and built a protective curtain of warriors around them as they made their way quickly back to their ship.
The turned into the final section of corridor and stopped. Ahead of them stood around 40 armed Crulla, all growling and salivating at the 70 Sasq who faced them. Beyond the Crulla, the closed, conical end of the Ram was just visible.
Onio nodded to his warriors and charged.
*
The League Command Ship powered up its engines once again, pushing around the still battling fleets as it sought to cut off the withdrawal of the central Crulla vessel where more than 300 Sasq warriors were engaged in their mission to recover any members of the Crulla command. If the Crulla ship were to escape to light-speed, the chances of survival for those warriors would be minimal at best.