CRISIS! The once peaceful and isolated people of the UNIVERSAL UNION OF TARPHYCIAN REPUBLICS suddenly finds itself under threat from a fleet belonging to the rapacious AURICORE MINING CORPORATION, intent on turning the fledgling civilization into a brutal mining colony.
All that now stands between Auricore's terrifying might and total subjugation are the brave members of the EMERGENCY CORPS, the best spaceship pilots the Unions has to offer. All hope now hinges on these pilots as they fly into combat with vessels never meant to be used for war, fighting an enigmatic enemy commanding legions of brutal machines that give no quarter.
Into the fray steps MYO CUVORIN, ace pilot and fresh recruit of the Emergency Corps ready to fight to defend their home. But though none know it yet, Myo and their friends might become more important to the war than they would have ever imagined…
This story is about a lot of things, most of them not very fun. It's about having friends, not having any friends at all and being unsure what really qualifies as a "friend". It's about desperately aspiring for something knowing you'll probably hate it, at least a little bit. About thinking about death a little too much for your own good, doing and thinking awful things to yourself, not knowing who "yourself" even is, working on yourself mentally until you hate working on yourself mentally, burnout, trauma, sex, gender, neurodivergence and that somehow, amidst all of this, you're supposed to be able to feel love for yourself and others.
It's also a little bit about being an alien space pilot trying to save your entire civilization from destruction.
This story, and this chapter in particular, has been my white whale for something like the last year or so. In an appropriately whale-like manner it has sat in the way of my other attempts at creative writing, demanding that I finish it and finally break out of my period of unproductivity.
In my infinite wisdom I decided to make my first foray back into creative writing a character-driven sci-fi story, both genres of writing in which I am a complete novice. Even now I feel like I could tinker with this first chapter for another year to finally reach my standards, but I also just want the damn thing to get out into the world. I can make no promises regarding follow up chapters: they'll come, and hopefully with my steady supply of antidepressants it won't take another full year, but that's about all I can say.
Special thanks to @Krall , @ScottishMongol and a secret, third friend for beta reading the chapter and thanks to everyone who has encouraged me to keep writing this damn thing along the way.
Chapter 1: The "Seawall"
"Attention! This is a message for any and all sentient life inhabiting the system CMS-324. You are residing on the legal property of the Auricore Mining Corporation. Please vacate the premises within seven standard galactic cycles. All attempts to interfere with the operations of Auricore personnel will be met with measures up to and including deadly force. Thank you for your cooperation." -First ever extraterrestrial signal received by the Universal Union of Tarphycian Republics, one month before First Contact.
The Union Space Vessel Bulwark rumbled as the trion-beam found its target. Hundreds of magnetized boots thundered against the metal floor, accompanied by the shrill blares of innumerable alarms. A swarm of pilots clad in blue spacesuit coveralls carrying big, white helmets rushed down the corridor towards the ship's hangar. Countless combat ships were scattered across the wide floor of the hangar like steridybene models on a shelf, each coming to life with a cacophony of sounds as ground crews rushed to and fro with equipment. Pilot Myo Cuvorin could identify each of them down to their role, make and model courtesy of a lifelong obsession — an obsession that had pushed them all the way from a provincial swamp-farm to the Universal Union's first line of defense.
Myo Cuvorin was by all accounts just one of many pilots in the teeming mass: same sticky blue skin, same blue-ringed black eyes, same eight tentacles hanging down in a neat circle around their head. If they stood out, it was only in the details of their uniform. As a former top-marked graduate of the Emergency Corp Flight Academy, it wouldn't do to have anything but the most spotless and well-maintained spacesuits in the fleet. At this moment, it was already meticulously sealed with their helmet firmly tucked underneath their arm. There was one thing wrong: the button on the left pocket of their flight suit was slightly discolored, which bothered Myo to no end.
As they emerged into the hangar, Myo ran towards a nearby transport cart, which took off and zoomed along the hangar floor just as the ship was rocked by another hit. The blast set off a new wave of alarms and flashing lights all across the room, making Myo's skin crawl with impatience. Their eyes lit up as they finally spotted their ship in the row ahead, leaping off the cart with the unusual sort of grace only stress could provide and hit the ground running.
The UF-3 Spearfish was originally designed for emergency rescue and frontier exploration operations requiring fast and careful maneuver, one of the fastest and most cutting-edge craft in the Union's possession. In one of those moments of poetic design the Union was so fond of its creators had given the Spearfish a shape befitting its namesake: A pointed nose sporting twin beam guns on either side, elliptical wings stretching out diagonally on either side like four pairs of fins and a powerful ion engine in the back, steaming as its systems vented and humming with latent power.
The hull itself was all boxes and angles, gray metal covered with stripes and patches of the union's signature deep blue color. Like other Union pilots, Myo had decorated the nose of their Spearfish. But where most had taken their inspiration from animals, heraldry or simple tokens of luck Myo had chosen a rainbow-coloured star, the logo of their favorite volushow Lily With Cutie Lily Magic! The only thing that stood out were the missiles bolted to the ship's undercarriage, sporting an unmistakable dull white that could only come from a nanofabricator. That they had not even had the time to be painted was a testament to the recency of their manufacture. Myo tried very hard not to think of the fact they were going to battle in a repurposed rescue craft with bombs hastily strapped on as they closed the distance to the fighter.
Standing next to the open cockpit was a tall and imposing black robot, their broad-shouldered frame as boxy as the ship beside them. The only exception was their rounded head, sporting two white glowing eye rings that peered menacingly at Myo as they approached. On any other day, Myo would have afforded their friend Twelve Golden Spiral more of a friendly greeting. Amidst the shaking and the blaring alarms the two only exchanged a barely perceptible nod as Myo rushed forwards. Twelve, in turn, sank down to one knee. With a practiced movement, they threw the pilot, landing them in their seat with a thud.Myo strapped themselves in the following instant.
Myo tucked the tentacles that covered their head into their helmet as the ship buzzed to life. A menagerie of colors filling their vision as buttons and lights and dials turned on to accompany the tactical heads-up display filling the helmet's visor.
As they reached back and plugged the combat drug dispensers into the suit's neck ports, there was a slight sting as the needles pierced their skin. It was quickly followed by a pleasant buzz as the compound began to trickle into their system, aided by the countless nanobots in their blood. Composed primarily of tetrophetamine and artificial norsynephrine, it was a top of the line concoction designed with the unique physiology of the spirulidian brain in mind. Unlike the brains of other animals, it featured eight vestigial brains all fused around a central "core brain," all capable of limited autonomous operation.
The compound functioned by making all of these vestigial brains hyper-aware, allowing the pilot to process the ship's constant stream of data while retaining their focus. This consumed truly astounding amounts of energy, which is why the ship also delivered a fast-acting glucose solution straight into the pilot's veins. Using the particular poetic wisdom only a group of thrill-junkies trapped in the emptiness of space for months on end could produce, the corps pilots had all agreed to call it "Plug Juice."
The helmet's built-in ansible crackled to life and Myo was quickly inundated with a flood of noise. Status reports, tactical analytics and military orders jostled for attention in Myo's ear as they groped for the ansible controls. Finally tuning over to the combat channel, Myo found that the gruff voice of squad leader Azure One was already barking orders.
"Azure squadron, headcount!"
"Azure Four, sounding off!."
"Azure Six, sounding off!"
"Azure Two, sounding off!"
The headcount was briefly drowned out by the loud clunk of the ship's canopy slamming into place. As the fighter rotated into place for launch, Myo watched as a small, gray planet came into view. Kanalo was barely more than a research outpost, populated by a few thousand scientists and explorers. These inhabitants were all presently cramming themselves into whatever spaceworthy vessel they could find, heading for the safety of the starcruiser. Big glowing letters reading "ALL SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL" suddenly obscured the view and made Myo's stomach tense up as they spoke into the ansible.
"Azure Eight, sounding off!"
Myo watched as the signalman in front of them gave the go-ahead with their glowing red sticks and pushed down the throttle. The great roaring of the waking ion engine drowned out every other noise until the ship suddenly darted forward. Myo's body was squeezed hard against the seat as the ship took off, feeling each of their three hearts beat out of their chest as the ship slipped the bonds of the cruiser's gravity well.
Their ship moved in an elegant arc to join their squadmates, who were already circling the cruiser. The rest of Azure Squadron formed up, moving along the stream of fighters that continued to emerge from the hangar in seemingly endless numbers. As they watched the metal bodies glistening against the distant sunlight, Myo was reminded of nothing so much as a school of fish surrounding a great whale.
Now circling the ship, Myo could finally get a good look at the enemy. Three imposing craft were slinging bolts of deadly t-beam fire towards the Bulwark. They didn't look like any sort of spaceship Myo had ever seen before, all of them so sleek and black they almost vanished into the darkness of the space between the stars. Two of them reminded Myo of old arrowheads they'd once seen during a school field trip, made of sharpened, black volcanic glass which looked strangely smooth for a prehistoric tool. Perched in the middle, the final ship looked almost like a bulbous black beetle, its shiny surface black covered in deep grooves. Three giant prongs converged in front of it, resembling an unsettling black maw that looked like it could dig a mighty chunk out of the little planet behind them at a moment's notice.
The ships had all been given designations by star-command: the two flanking ships were known as "Cusk" and "Cobia" respectively, but there was only one name that fit the bill for their final opponent. The name had spread across the ship almost the instant they'd arrived and by the nature of the emergency corps had soon filtered over to command, who promptly designated it "Jaws".
The ansible once more sprung to life, this time with an older unfamiliar voice filling Myo's ears. It was smoother than that of their squad leader, but it carried an air of charisma and gravity that only came with experience, still an all-too-precious resource among the many members of the Union navy.
"Attention all units, this is Star-Commander Caron. Our current priority is to protect the ongoing evacuation efforts of Starcruiser USV Bulwark while awaiting backup from the USV Seawall. Squadrons Azure, Ruby and Jade will perform a probing attack while the rest will defend the Bulwark. I expect you will all do your utmost in the coming battle. Good luck.".
The Star-Commander's voice was replaced by that of Azure One as the squadron completed another turn around the ship and sallied forward, with Myo spotting the ships of Ruby and Jade squadrons forming up underneath them.
"Azure Squadron, wedge formation! We're on the lookout for ambushes from above, so keep eyes and sensors peeled!"
Despite themself, Myo felt a nervous tingle run down their spine. As the fighters moved towards the enemy ships in the distance they dodged the errant t-beams flying through the void which were on a path to slam into the shields of the Bulwark behind them. Their eyes glanced over the ammunition counter built into the control stick, greeted by a simple glowing 425 and the stylized icons of four ship-to-ship missiles and one neutron torpedo, a large and volatile thing currently strapped into the ship's converted cargo bay.
As the craft sped on toward their target a small red square popped onto Myo's heads-up display to indicate the presence of an enemy fighter. A moment later the HUD was a burst of red color as the squares became uncountable. The helpful little beep accompanying each dot turned into a shrill wail, a prelude to celebrate the coming slaughter that set Myo's nerves on edge. As if on cue, Ruby One's voice popped into Myo's ear, their tone of cold military profession undercut by the faint tremble of chemically induced bloodlust.
"Hostiles detected! Drones by the looks of it. All units set wings to attack positions."
The quick flick of a switch split the spearfish's four wings into eight. At the tip of each wing sat a microthruster, creating eight small lights orbiting the great blue blaze of the central ion engine. They could practically feel the resolute silence of their comrades across the void of space as the little boxes in the distance moved ever closer, swarms of voracious predators swooping in on their target. Made of shiny dark material like their motherships, the core of these drones consisted of an eye-like ball with a glowing green ring. Two teardrop-shaped wings surrounded it on either side, much like the pearl of a clam surrounded by its shell.
The battle began the instant both sides finally came into range, the calm of the void boiling over with the flash of explosions and glittering blue t-beams. Underneath them, Ruby Squadron were first into the fray, cutting a swathe through the incoming swarm with their guns and missiles. A moment later it washed over Azure Squadron, heralded by Azure One's bark of "Contact! Stay in formation!"
In an instant, the ship locked onto an enemy. Myo squeezed the trigger, streaks of blue leaping from the cannons with a zap zap zap and vaporizing the target. Their grip on the trigger remained tight as the ship's computer leapt from target to target, sending two of their missiles into the heart of the swarm to accompany the singing of their beam-guns. All around them their comrades did likewise, weaving and spinning as the drones zoomed past and the true chaos of the dogfight began.
Across the star-studded battlefield Union fighters tore through the enemy, dancing through the rain of enemy fire with a finesse that belied their improvised nature and putting the drones' firepower to shame with their weapons. Just half a minute into the engagement Myo's counter was reading 319 with an impressive kill count to match, with no sign of their rampage stopping.
A well-placed missile shot added to the count, reducing three more drones in front of them to scrap. Myo could feel the dread and fear give way to a rush of euphoric excitement as their body's fighting instincts took hold. A manic, razor-sharp grin spread onto their face from ear to ear. This was it, the real deal, the manic dance of burning thrusters and targeting software where a single misstep would mean death and destruction. It was just like in the simulations, and Myo was loving every second of it. In the midst of their revelry, Myo's ansible lit up with a distressed voice.
"This is Azure five, I've got three phantoms on my back that I can't shake!"
"I'm on it!" Myo replied into their helmet, their voice carrying an edge of enthusiasm not quite befitting the situation at hand.
Myo's Spearfish whirled into position behind their imperiled comrade, who weaved to the left just enough to give them a clear shot. With another squeeze on the trigger the t-beams found their targets, striking the two drones right in the sphere-shaped center and splitting them apart into clouds of debris.
"Phantoms down!"
"Thanks, Eight, nice shooting!"
Another few weaves and whirls got them back into formation and the fight was taken back to the enemy, but as Myo watched the counter slowly tick down without the fighting abating in the slightest they quickly fought down a strange feeling deep in the back of their brain. A new batch of p-juice entered their system courtesy of the ship, hitting their nervous system like a bolt of lightning. It coursed through their body, burning away the mental and physical strain of the prolonged engagement.
The elated tone of the combat chatter over the ansible had slowly been wearing down across the entire line, replaced by barks and shouts of cold professionalism and dogged determination. Then, something broke through the noise of calm and professional orders, sending an ice-cold ripple of fear right up Myo's spine.
"I'm hit! This is Jade Five, two wings damaged-"
Just a millisecond of Jade Five's death-scream made it through before contact was lost and Union fleet suffered its first casualty. The voices on the ansible lit up with the buzzing of an angry bug's nest, Jade's squadron commander quickly barking orders to reassert control. Myo once again glanced down at the counter on their pilot stick. 257.
"All forward units be advised, second wave of phantoms incoming."
The way their outlines crowded the monitor, Myo could tell the wave still easily outnumbered them despite their countless losses. For the first time, the little thought in the back of their head was allowed to come to the fore as Myo wondered just how long they would survive. Whatever breathing room the Union fighters had secured themselves vanished as the second wave joined them with all the coordinated fury of the first, their t-beams creating an ever deadlier spider's web of enemy fire for the Union fighters to navigate.
The grin returned to Myo's face as a well-placed burst of beam-fire sent a drone spinning out of control. It careened into the unit right beside it, smashing it into a million pieces and creating a cascade of crashing drones. Watching the display, Myo felt any lingering thoughts of death or defeat vanish. They barely noticed as Ruby Seven vanished in a fireball, or when Jade Three spun out of control and itself smashed right into a drone. But a distress call from Azure Six? That got their attention.
"Engine's hit, I need to evacuate!"
"Azure Eight here, I'll cover your retreat!"
Blasting their way through the maze of drones and Union fighters, Myo quickly located Azure Six, the fire of their ion engine visibly flickering on and off as they tried desperately to escape the harrying drones.
Myo grit their teeth and gripped the steering stick hard. The Spearfish went soaring through the swarm of drones, executing a barrel roll attack from below. It was impeccable, like it came straight out of the Emergency Corps academy textbook. The strain made them cough and Myo suddenly felt the soothing copper taste of blood fill their mouth, courtesy of the battle battering their body both inside and out.
"Thanks, Eight. Mapping out a path back to the Bulwark now." Azure Six's voice came over the ansible as the ship wiggled its body from side to side in acknowledgement, grateful but clearly just as strained as Myo from the relentless fighting.
As it vanished from view among the fighting, Myo kept a nervous eye on the little dot that represented Azure Six's ship and was granted a brief spark of relief as it cleared the combat zone. It was just enough to keep their mind off the sound of three more Union fighters going up in flames. By this time every voice of the ansible spoke with clear fatigue and desperation, every pilot coming to the same demoralizing conclusion: if this kept up, there would soon be none of them left.
It began with a single glinting point of light flashing into being, no larger or brighter than any of the other stars spread across the darkness of space. But microseconds later a blurry form emerged from the darkness and grew larger and larger with astonishing speed until in a flash there was suddenly a vast bulk of gleaming hexacorite, its body bristling with beam-guns and plowing through the void towards the enemy with a clear intent to kill.
The soft voice of the Seawall's star-commander filled the ansible. "All units, this is Star-Commander Tondro of the USV Seawall, be prepared for reinforcements." Cheers went up among the exhausted pilots, soon crowded out by the voices of countless more Union fighters taking off from the Seawall to join the fray. The weapons of the Seawall opened up in a mighty salvo as t-beams and missiles sailed through the void and smashed into the enemy ships, quickly drawing fire away from the battered Bulwark as the enemy ships turned to adjust their fire.
As Myo watched the enemy ships in the distance, they noticed something strange. Jaws' proverbial maw was suddenly aglow with a sickly green light, pulsing along the grooves spread across its black bulk like blood filling veins.
"Squads Azure and Onyx, this is commander Tondro. I am invoking the right of captaincy and assuming temporary command of your squad. Your priority target is now Jaws. Whatever it's doing, you need to intercept it before it happens." The new orders from Tondro and the Seawall were punctuated by the ship itself focusing its fire on the Jaws, by now enveloped in a menacing green glow. "Squads Amethyst and Copper will open a way through, now go!"
Myo watched as a spearhead of more than a dozen Union fighters carved a trail straight ahead through the mess of the battle. Ruby and Azure squadrons quickly converged behind them, getting back into formation and keeping their eyes straight ahead as they approached the other side of the battlefield. Myo purred as another dose of plug juice flowed into their veins, making their trigger-finger positively itch.
As the ships of Azure and Onyx squadron sped through the opening in the battlefield created by their comrades, Myo watched the Cusk, Jaws and Cobia come back into view through the glass of the canopy. Up close like this their own ships seemed rather puny in comparison, like tiny needlefish taking on an immense and deadly shark.
The Jaws' main beam-guns were still trained and firing away at the Bulwark and Seawall, but this close Myo could see the countless defensive turrets that had thus far remained inert suddenly spring into action. A forest of gun barrels rose to greet them as they closed in on the ship, tracking them with the eagerness of an animal catching the scent of blood until the precise moment they were in range.
"Use your missiles to clear an entry zone. We'll have to fly close to the surface until we hit the target to stay in their blind spot!" Azure One called out and the two squads promptly erupted in a barrage of missiles, Myo watching as a cluster of fiery orange flashes erupted against the surface of the ship dead ahead. Just moments later they were finally in range, back to dodging and rolling and weaving on the way down as they tried to avoid the sudden flurry of enemy fire. Ruby Six and Seven didn't make it. Last in the pack, the enemy beam-guns got a good enough bead on them that Ruby Seven was sliced completely in half before erupting in another explosion and Ruby Six took a hit right in the cockpit.
Ice filled Myo's heart as the surface of the ship grew closer and closer, resisting the temptation to yank the pilot stick back and pull the ship away until the last possible moment. They were third in the lead as first Azure One and then Azure Seven executed a sharp turn meters from the Jaws' surface, speeding forward while straddling the delicate line of staying just between the beam-guns' line of fire while not smashing their craft against the ship itself.
Far ahead they could all see the maw of the enemy ship slowly grow brighter and brighter as the shining green glow spread through every line and crevice of the ships' armor. Through the space between the protruding curved pillars of the maw they could all now see the mouth of a great circular hole in the center, the light gathering like fire inside the throat of a dragon and confirming their collective but unspoken fear. It was the Jaws' main gun, and it was firing.
The barrel of the gun, thrumming and visibly sparking with immense amounts of barely contained energy, also made for a perfect target.
"Forward squads, this is Tondro. Our scanners are detecting energy levels in that gun that are absolutely off the scale. If our readings are right, that thing is packing enough electrovolts to destroy an entire city. We cannot under any circumstances allow it to fire."
Myo tried to process the information for a moment. The surrounding battle suddenly seemed like a side-show compared to the task before them.
"You heard the commander! All units, we need to hit the center of that gun before it fires. According to the scans, targeting the gun's energy source with our neutron torpedoes might just be enough to disable it."
Azure One was the one to give the order, but every member of the strikeforce had reached the same conclusion before the words were even uttered. They had to do this, come hell or high water.
Myo checked the counter on the pilot stick a final time as the fighters sped along one of the neon-lit grooves of the ship towards their target. The missiles were all spent, but the vital neutron torpedo was still intact and the ammo counter now read a slightly worrying 130. Disquieting thoughts about the precarity of their situation were drowned out as Myo manually activated the system to dispense more plug juice and felt them course through their body one final time.
A quick call of "Incoming!" from Ruby Three was the only warning as more phantoms arrived, the enemy finally scrambling their forces to respond. This time however they came not in a swarm, but in a few paltry squadrons who were soon thrown into disarray as the strikeforce spent their last of their missiles and quickly halved their enemies' numbers. The rest were dispatched with a clever maneuver coordinated between Azure Three and Ruby Two, both launching themselves just into the firing range of the enemy beam-guns to deliver a final salvo of t-beams to destroy the survivors before diving back to safety.
"Good shooting Azure Three, we're closing in on the main gun in just a-"
Azure One's praise was cut short as their ship erupt in a ball of fire.The whole squadron quickly wove out of the way of the wreckage, shouts of confusion filling the ansible.
"Azure One is down! Anyone got eyes on the phantom-"
This time both Ruby One and Azure Six were struck by the unknown enemy. Ruby One met the same fate as Azure One, while Azure Six tumbled out of control and crashed against the surface of the enemy ship.
Myo desperately scanned the void above them for any sign of the enemy and gasped as they suddenly caught sight of a group of unknown fighters whizzing past overhead. At first Myo had no idea what to make of them: they looked nothing like any of the Union's spacecraft, but their vibrant colors and dazzling array of different designs also didn't look anything like what they'd previously seen from the enemy.
They barely had time to shout "They're right above us!" before the strange ships dove back down and raked them with another volley of fire, this time reducing Ruby Four to a glowing inferno as a beam struck their ion engine. As the others finally caught sight of the ships and their targeting mechanisms got a lock on the enemy, confusion gave way to anger and determination as Azure Two assumed command.
"Ruby Squad, keep these phantoms off our backs while we strike the gun!" Azure Two cried, sending the battered remains of their comrades' squadron rising upwards to counter the enemy. The Jaws' beam-guns went still in the presence of these new foes, leaving Ruby Squad with a clear battlefield.
The fighters of Ruby squad quickly formed into a pack, managing to catch the trail of the enemy ships as they dashed past and attempting to give chase. Moments later Myo looked up to see the void above them transformed into a running battle, the enemy ships continuing to pursue Azure squadron even as they turned to return fire like a miniature version of the swarming battle unfolding some distance away. But despite their valiant efforts, Myo could hear Ruby Squad's growing desperation over the ansible as their rearguard action was quickly rendered futile.
"I'm hit! Ruby Five, going do-"
"This is Ruby Two, they've hit the engine-"
"Our fire has no effect! The beam-guns won't lock-"
"Ruby Eight down, I'll try for a missile-"
Myo was still swimming deep in the sea of combat stimulants, but Ruby squadron's final message still sent a tingling feeling down their back that sang unmistakably of raw animal fear.
"This is Ruby Two. I'm sorry."
Myo couldn't watch the massacre as it unfolded, but the string of explosions above and behind them told the whole story for them. Now it was just Azure squad, their colorful pursuers and the short distance between them and the gun getting ready to fire. Myo's hand on the throttle urged the little fighter ever-onward despite every dial and counter telling them it was already moving at its maximum speed. The enemy was quickly upon them and pelting them with fire, catching the straggling Azure Three in one of their wings and sending them to join so many of their comrades as they crashed into the surface of the ship and erupted in an infernal blaze.
They were coming up on the final stretch now, close enough to let the targeting computers lock on to the giant target and priming their neutron torpedoes for launch. The enemy swept down in front of them with all guns blazing and for the first time Myo got an enemy fighter clear in their sights. It was a bone-white vessel with sharp features and large curved wings like a great predatory bird, sweeping down to fire at them like a head-on attack was the most natural thing in the world. The HUD beeped enthusiastically and boxed the ship into its glowing red crosshairs as it got a lock and Myo greedily pulled the trigger to finally deliver some much-overdue revenge.
To their dismay, they found that their fire had no more effect than that of Ruby squadron's, each beam missing its intended target with a margin just wide enough to be utterly infuriating. Instead, Myo had to listen to the screams of Azure Four and Seven as they too were struck down by the enemy, leaving just Myo and Azure Two as they finally reached the opening where they had a clear shot down the firing mechanism of the gun. By this time the green light was almost blinding, making it clear they had only moments left until it would fire.
"Myo, fire on my command!"
By the time Azure Two belted out the order it was clear every trace of military formality and cool-headedness had been eroded, replaced by survival instinct and ingrained reflex.
"We need to get just the right angle or there's every chance our torpedoes will-"
By now Myo felt like they should by all rights be numb to it, but the instant realization that they were now completely alone added a grim finality to the sound of Azure Two's ansible cutting out. I'm going to die here. The thought was as clear as day to Myo once it popped into their head. They pressed the trigger and watched the neutron torpedo sail towards their target with a whoosh and a great big grin once more spread across Myo's face. And then the gun fired.
Myo barely had time to swerve out of the way as the gun erupted in a great roaring pillar of bright green light, the sheer energy momentarily knocking out the systems of nearby ships and vaporizing the torpedo in its path with all the ease and contempt of a great beast smashing an insect. It arced slightly through the battlefield, leaving a great yawning hole in its wake as it burned friend and foe alike and finally struck its target: the USV Seawall. Myo's heart sank as they watched the beam shatter the Seawall's energy shields in a bright flash, boring through the side of the ship until it was practically split in two. The world felt like it was perfectly silent and still for a long moment as every friend and foe turned their attention to the shattered Seawall, waiting with bated breath for what would happen next.
They got their answer as the voice of the Seawall's star-commander rang out across the void into every single Union ansible.
"This is the USV Seawall. We have sustained critical damage and most of our weapons are out of commission. All units stationed on the Seawall must rendezvous with the Bulwark at the earliest opportunity. It was an honor fighting with all of you"
At this point the commander turned away, but the ansible managed to pick up their final order as it echoed across the command deck.
"Engage ramming speed!"
As Myo continued to watch, the Seawall started to turn and move from its position across the battlefield towards the enemy fleet. Despite its near-disintegrated state it pushed forward through the void of space heedless of anything that got in its way and was soon wading right through the middle of battle, parting the swarm of fighters around it like one of the great ironclads of the wars of old steaming through a calm sea with a great swell of waves on its tail. With a sudden start, Myo realized it was heading right for them.
The brief moment of reverie that had engulfed the battlefield was now definitively broken as Myo took off and the great infernal machine in front of them once again began to fill with green light. Myo briefly contemplated ramming their ship into the gun, but concluded that the impact simply wouldn't be great enough to disrupt its firing. At this point, all they could do was to try and escape the clutches of the enemy. Said enemy quickly reminded Myo of their presence as a t-beam grazed the wing of their fighter, having evidently picked up their electronic scent after the firing of the main gun.
Yanking the pilot stick back and once more pushing the throttle to its limit Myo sent the fighter into a needle-point turn careening away from the gun and the approaching Seawall, but not a moment later they watched another enemy t-beam miss the wing of their ship by a hairs' width. A glance at the map told them the great battlecruiser was already halfway across the battlefield, all of the enemy's beam-guns now desperately tearing it to pieces as it thundered unrelentingly forward.
With their own pursuers not content letting go of their prey, Myo dove down until their fighter was almost scraping against the black metal surface of the Jaws and unleashed their beam-guns, turning one of the turrets blasting away at the Seawall into a cloud of scrap. If they were going to die either way, they might as well make sure the Seawall hit its target. It was close now, emerging from the cloud of debris and fighters onto Myo's side of the battlefield, the damaged hull criss-crossed by the bright orange light of glowing metal.
Myo had just enough time to take out two more turrets while dodging enemy fire before every other sensation was suddenly drowned out by the overwhelming cacophony of the Seawall slamming nose first into the Jaws dead on target, hitting the main gun and smashing it to pieces. The sensation was like being trapped in the middle of a thunderstorm, the fighter suddenly feeling light and fragile like a paperboard box as it shook from the reverberations of the impact.
Looking back for just a moment, Myo took in the sight of the mechanical carnage. The Seawall had lodged itself deep into the enemy ship, its armor stripped and torn to expose beams and powerlines like the bone and guts of a great beast. The enemy ship was itself dark and silent, the last few glowing green streaks of power flickering off in front of Myo's eyes. For a moment it seemed like the entire battle had come to a stop.
The noise of the ansible made Myo physically jolt in their seat, shattering the fleeting moment of tranquility.
"All units, this is the Bulwark. The civilians have been secured and we are issuing a general retreat. All units regroup on our position before we evacuate."
Suddenly the thought of a final blaze of glory seemed much less appealing.
Check the map. Plot a path through the chaos. Check the ammunition. 20. Thrusters to full power. Old routines buried deep within Myo's nerves executed themselves as they turned the fighter back towards the safety of the Bulwark, time suddenly of the essence. The Spearfish barely had time to take off before Myo spotted three hostile signatures right on their tail, spearheaded by a white ship Myo recognized in the back of their brain as the first to attack their squadron during the bombing run.
Every engine blazed as Myo gunned it, redirecting every ounce of the ship's power to try and escape their pursuers to little avail, nipping relentlessly at Myo's heels. Desperate to lose them, Myo dove straight into the center of the battlefield, pulling every trick and maneuver in the book as they navigated through debris and pockets of active fighting. Still, the enemy would not relent.
But they were also no longer flying in straight formation, each charting their own path through the chaos to avoid debris and the errant t-beam and suddenly Myo was given the chance to fight back. As they swerved upwards to dodge what looked like a pile of drones that had been violently smashed together, Myo found that one of the pursuing ships had sped ahead and was now right beneath them, putting them in the perfect spot for a diving ambush.
Every instinct in Myo's brain screamed at them to go for it. The ship was right there, the targeting computer already locked-on in an assured killshot. Yet something felt terribly, terribly wrong about it. Myo's only goal was fleeing and with the way the enemy moved and effortlessly dispatched their comrades, the thought of fighting back seemed like a pipe dream. Still, they dove.
Myo watched as the bright green ship in their targeting reticule was reduced to a pile of debris with a zap zap zap of the Spearfish's guns and barely had time to maneuver out of the way before the ruse was revealed. The familiar white spaceship had sped even further ahead and was now coming straight at Myo once more, diving away as a missile released from its wing with a trajectory headed straight for Myo's cockpit. There was nothing Myo could do.
Time slowed to a crawl in front of them and Myo realized they had been outplayed. Actually hitting the ship had likely been a fluke, but in hindsight the setup was evident. Myo set their eyes firmly on the gleaming missile barrelling toward them through the void and screamed their angry defiance ,Myo's blood boiling as they braced for the final and fatal impact.
And then, a miracle occurred.
Myo watched, astonished as mere moments from the cockpit the missile twisted straight upwards as if by the hand of some unknown cosmic god, flying away and exploding harmlessly among the debris. Whatever had happened was evidently enough to finally dissuade Myo's pursuers, sending them scurrying back towards the remaining enemy ships in the distance. The pursuit had taken them halfway across the battlefield already and so it was a simple matter to speed on towards the Bulwark, joining the very last of the shattered Union forces as they trickled into the ship.
As the hangar entrance came into view Myo all of a sudden felt the last of an energy they did not even know they had vanish, every muscle in their body starting to ache and every coherent thought slipping away as the accumulated stress of all that had unfolded settled on them like an unbearable weight in their chest. The voices of their dead comrades echoed in their brain over and over. Every muscle felt like a leaden weight as Myo pulled the ship in for a final landing.
Myo's head swam. A strong urge to vomit welled up in their stomach as the Spearfish's canopy rose and the plugs slipped out of their neck. Myo finally rose from their seat and tore their helmet free of their face, their legs barely able to keep them upright. Shadows danced at the edge of their vision, accompanied by flashes of light branching out in elaborate patterns before their eyes.
As their trembling legs tried to carry them forward, Myo stumbled and almost fell out of the Spearfish's cockpit. They were caught by a pair of cold and strong metal arms, cradling them like a worried mother. The air was filled with loud cheering and Myo's head throbbed as they looked up at their savior, seeing the familiar face of Twelve Golden Spiral. They could barely make out the words over the overwhelming noise, but the robot's words did nothing to lift their spirits.
"Myo! You're a hero!"
The darkness swallowed her before she could answer.
