RMA

  Red Moon Advocate

  Chapter 6

  Reinforced Conviction

  The low hum of ventilation shafts and electronic noise filled the background, while Admiral Clay sat at his desk. His back was turned toward a large window overlooking a hangar, a framed picture resting in his hand. “I can’t believe how dumb we were back then.” Clay muttered with a scoff as he studied a picture of two men holding drinks in celebration.

  “This was the night the military scientific branch celebrated with General Altone.“

  He his gritted his teeth. The sound of straining glass surfaced as his grip tightened. The photo of both Altone and Clay warped behind the glass containment, forcing back a memory that lingered like a curse.

  The clink of glasses echoed through the starboard as scientists and military personnel cheered and drank in celebration. A young Clay and General Altone shook hands, then Altone lifted his glass to the air to grab everyone’s attention.

  “Congratulations to the scientist team. You all are some of the brightest men and women I’ve had the honor of serving with.”

  His drunken words were slightly slurred but still audible. His demeanor had now become quite serious.

  “After tonight we have the capabilities of ending this war. After two hundred long years, the sacrifices of all the abducted...and all the fallen...will finally mean something.”

  Clay stepped next to him raising his glass in the air, his bottom lip trembling, fighting back the tears. Altone looked over to him.

  “Our wives will actually be able to birth our children into a different future.”

  Suddenly alarms began blaring. Flashes of red flickered violently, the creaking of the ships starboard hull groaned from vibrations.

  “General Altone we have multiple pings on the radar sir.”

  A voice crackled through the inter comms. Sounds of glass shattering occupied the air as everyone began running. Clay and General Altone made their way to the deck. Clay hurried ahead of him and stopped beside the door, snapping into a salute.

  “General approaching bridge!”

  Everyone stood up saluting Altone.

  “At ease! I need a status report now.”

  Clay rushed to his seat as Captain of the ship and General Altone stood atop an observation platform overlooking the cockpit and large holomap showing red dots directly in front of them.

  “Back for another damn fight huh? Don’t let shit past us. Nothing enters Earth’s orbit.”

  Beads of sweat fell onto the railing under the general as he watched the red dots increase in numbers and speed. Just outside the command bridge window hundreds of small fighter ships came speeding.

  “Give me a direct link to the rest of the formation.”

  General Altone commanded, no panic in his voice.

  “Horseshoe formation! Only let them in one way. The destroyer class ships should destroy most if not all. Delta deploy fighters.”

  Operations were moving smoothly. The horeshoe formation funneled them in one way and was quickly met with laser fire from Altone’s fleet. Delta’s fighters began cleaning up the rest with only small casualties.

  “Sir we have more incoming”

  Clay shouted from the captain’s seat as he began mashing fingers on different buttons. The red dots were much larger now.

  “They’re bringing in their own destroyer class ships. Keep formation we’ll funnel them in”

  Altone said as he shook his head but was interrupted when comms from Alpha came in.

  “They have bombers! Charlie is gone!

  The windows rumbled as fighters and bombers roared past. Streaks of red lasers streamed across the darkness of space. Debris and fire filled the darkness around. Explosions echoed from the right, and then the left. Clay stared back at the general.

  “We’ve lost Bravo. Dammit Echo has sustained heavy casualties they are requesting immediate retreat.”

  General Altone’s fists began to bleed from the intensity of his clench.

  “Permission granted!”

  Suddenly the radar showed an odd shaped.”

  “What the hell is that?”

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  Clay leaned forward trying to make out the objects shape. General Altone’s voice forcibly broke it’s way through his focus.

  “Shit! Prepare to be boarded! As soon as it breaches seal the bulkheads immediately.”

  Not even a seconds delay and the object slammed into the hull, puncturing through directly into command bridge area. Clay fell out of his chair ears ringing. The rest of the crew was unconscious and General Altone fell over the railing onto the holomap. The exposed objects door slid open and out came many insect like creatures.

  “We got incoming!”

  Clay yelled as he rolled toward Altone who was dusting himself off. They both dove behind cover and began picking them off one by one, some at point blank range because they got too close. Their breathing was ragged; blood slid down their cheeks from scratches. Clay sat back resting his back against a wall trying to slow his breath. Altone grabbed his shoulders.

  “The battle’s not over yet. Their destroyer has just entered our formation.”

  Clay rushed back to his seat and took back control of the ship.

  “We’ll use what little we have of the formation. All units Opal formation! Surround them.”

  Whatever was left of the fleet circled and encased the enemy ship them opened fire from all angles completely destroying it.

  “Sir airspace is clear.”

  Clay said as he sat back in his chair releasing a sigh of relief. Altone stood straight with his hands behind his back.

  “Well fought Captain. Remind me to promote you when we return to earth.”

  Clay’s eyes widened as he looked at Altone as if he was unsure he heard him correctly.

  “Sir?”

  Immediately interrupting the moment an SOS came in.

  “This is Aureli-9 requesting reinforcments. I repeat Aureli-9 requesting reinforcements. Large strike force entering atmosphere.”

  Clay nearly jumped out of his chair in panic.

  “Sir that’s-”

  Altone interrupted him.

  “That’s where the military science branch is located. This attack was a decoy to keep us distracted from their real target.”

  Altone slammed his fist on the railing

  “Transmit FTL coordinates to the rest of fleet. Send us now Clay.”

  The stars around warped into impossible shapes, and the forces of a forward motion washed through their equilibrium as the FTL drives engaged, seemingly instantly transporting them to Aureli-9's orbit. A large armed force was present. Frigate and destroyer class ships circled Aureli-9's orbit.

  “Sir there’s no way we can fight through a fleet of this size with what we have.”

  Clay said with a trembling voice.

  “Patch me in to Aureli-9's command tower.”

  “Ground side this is General Altone. Prime Sun Setter for immediate fire.”

  Clay’s eyes widened.

  “You can’t be serious!”

  Ground control then responded.

  “Sir the weapon has not fully finished it’s testing phase. We only just made it operational yesterday.”

  Altone responded flatly

  “That is a direct order.”

  Silence fell then ground control responded

  “Sun Setter is primed and ready. Charge is sitting steady at ninety eight percent.”

  “Fire at these coordinates. Zero-two-five.”

  Only a moment passed and a large black mass erupted on the largest there. Light was absent for a moment and ships began stretching and spaghettifying, swirling to the center of the black mass being ripped from this reality itself. The black mass collapsed on itself closing as if a television was shut off in a dark room. It was silent, no debris was left and the enemy fleet was left with a large hole in its formation. Clay’s utter disbelief was completely overwritten by uncontrollable celebration.

  “That....that was it....it worked haha it worked.”

  “Save the celebrations for after we fight them off the planet. Take us planet side, this is now a ground war.”

  The ship passed through clouds and rain before entering a clearing that was filled with FOBs and ground units from the insect like aliens. Clay landed the ship in a clearing behind the science facility and signaled the other ships to do the same. Altone wasted no time evacuating the ships, assigning all armed soldiers to the front. He entered the control room and began taking note of the Sun Setter’s parameters.

  “Prime it for another shot.”

  “B-but sir we were lucky enough the first shot didn’t backfire.”

  Altone interrupted the scientist.

  “Fire....the...fucking shot.”

  He pointed towards the enemy. Yet again the weapon fired silently arriving nearly instantaneously at it’s target. Light was momentarily erased from the area, the scenery was nothing but black and white.

  Color slowly trickled its way back in and the humans sat with a long sigh of relief.

  “Their regrouping sir.”

  Said Clay before his eyes were adverted to the skies. Entering the planet's atmosphere was a massive, decorated ship bigger than anything the humans or the alien species could ever create. It bore an odd insignia that the humans did not recognize but the insect like aliens seemed all too familiar with it. They began franticly running back to their ships. Altone signaled for ground control to fire at the fleeing ships and a singularity erupted in the middle wiping them out completely, leaving just a few ground troops scrambling for their ships.

  The massive ship finally came to a clearing landing. Inside the cockpit sat an alien resembling an amphibian, wearing a full tech suit. His skin was blue and his eyes large, black, and bulging. Standing at the hatch door was a tall slender woman with a short blonde bob cut, silver eyes, and ears like an elf. Her armor was highly sophisticated, bearings insignia’s and markings.

  “Lady Cassandra the suit will allow you within fifteen hundred meters of the singularity, but only just that range. The gravity fields will collapse any distance closer. I know you’re strong but blackholes are the most violent forces of nature that no one has fully understood yet.”

  She never bothered to look back at him. She simply continued to suit up then spoke, her tone held a strong commanding presence.

  “Very well Teyren. Open the hatch.”

  A small compartment opened within the front hull of the ship and down came a ramp; the sound of metal unclicking followed until it hit the ground below. The wind blew gently across a frozen battlefield. The insect creatures covered their faces with shaky arms and legs. The humans didn’t know what to make of it. Cassandra made her way down to the grassy surface, her silver eyes glancing uncaringly at the battlefield. Each step crackled with power as her feet touched human soil. While fearful, the insect aliens were completely awe struck by her presence.

  “I don’t think she’s with them sir. Look at them, they’re frozen with fear.”

  Clay whispered to Altone. Never breaking line of sight off her he responded.

  “They act like she’s some sort of deity. Prime the Sun Setter.”

  The low whir of energy building up broke the silence of the battlefield. Altone pointed directly at Cassandra. Just as the orb of light entered her fifteen-hundred-meter radius, she spoke softly and calmly.

  “Dissipate.”

  It began to sizzle and vibrate before fully folding into itself, disappearing completely. Clay dropped his rifle in pure shock and Altone nearly lost grip of his small arm.

  “How?”

  The words were forced through an over blaring fight or flight response.

  “Ceasefire.”

  She spoke calmly and deliberately. The words echoed across the battlefield, reverberating and repeating over and over in the minds of each living being. All soldiers instinctively released their weapons dropping them to the ground against their wills. She stepped forward now each step echoing with divine grace.

  “Kneel.”

  The voice now burned and vibrated in their brains like a command being forced upon them. The insects all kneeled, General Altone’s knees buckled and cracked from the involuntary movement.

  “M-my body is acting independently.”

  Altone looked over to see that Clay was already kneeling, his body shaking uncontrollably. His mouth was wide open and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

  “Humans, I am Cassandra Gills, Right hand of the Galactic Emperor and leader of the Advocates. By royal decree and, voice of the Empire I hereby announce this war over.”

  Clay was finally able to generate complete thoughts.

  “Advocates? Empire?”

  Cassandra glanced over the kneeling humans.

  “You humans are far too young of a species to meddle in technology you have no understanding of.”

  Her gaze now glaring at the insects.

  “Leave the humans and never return.”

  Without even a second thought, ships were in orbit and leaving the atmosphere. Her attention was now back on the humans

  “You lack understanding of galactic order. You meddle with forces you do not understand, and it will be your undoing. All operations are to cease immediately.”

  She looked to the Sun Setter and with a calm face spoke

  “Shatter.”

  The weapon fell to unsalvageable pieces. The scientists gasp. Clay bit down on his lip so hard that it started to bleed and General Altone was in a complete trance.

  “This was our greatest invention and it’s gone...”

  Clay’s voice was completely shaken.

  “Do not attempt to rebuild this weapon again, or you will be seeing me again.

  Not being able to hold it in anymore he yelled.

  “Why?!”

  Cassandra uncaringly turned her back and began walking up the ramp to her ship.

  “Our greatest invention, destroyed by one person. An Advocate?”

  Blood was still rolling down Clay’s chin from his lips. His muscles spasmed against their will, and his eyes were blank. He kept replaying that same moment of powerlessness in his mind.

  The sound of a mechnical door followed by an operatives voice shook him back to reality.

  “Admiral sir, we’ve captured Lloyd.”

  Clay tightened his grip on the picture until it turned to mush, then dissolved into a vapor. Clay never broke eye contact with his hand as he spoke.

  “Bring him to me. Phase 2 begins.”