That Base.
That orbital base.
If I destroy that…
Will this all be over?
Then will I go back to being regular George McCullen?
The… me… I was before the power…
Red lights blared. It was so overpowering that the shine in my eyes slammed them shut. An alien voice yelled through the speaker, and once again, I couldn't understand a word. The aliens froze. Once the voice stopped, they looked at each other for a second. The first one moved, and instantly, the entire bridge erupted into frenzy. As their occupiers flew off them, the seats wheeled. Seconds later, there was silence.
I stepped forward. The pat of my foot against the glass-paned floor echoed across the empty chamber. To my right, there was a wall lined by empty desks. Monitors hummed. Consoles beeped endlessly. At the end of the wall, it appeared as though the chamber opened up into the main bridge section.
As I turned the corner–
ZIP!
I rotated my whole body.
A beam of light shot past me—some kind of energy blast.
It came from an alien in front of me. From a pistol it wielded with two trembling hands. Tears welled up in its eyes as it grit its teeth. Seeing that… It suddenly felt as though a boulder had been jammed into my throat.
"Hey, wait–"
ZIP!
It fired off another—I dodged. Damn. It looked like a kid, maybe even the same age as me in their years. How much do these guys want me dead?
The youth began to yell at me in its language, the only word I could understand was 'vessel'. I felt like I'd heard that word before. Maybe God had mentioned it before. Which most likely meant that I was probably the 'vessel' in question.
The alien wasn't alone. Beside it was another alien sitting in a large chair. Its skin was a much more muted shade of blue than that of the youth beside it, suggesting it was most likely older. The elder didn't move a muscle—even its breathing appeared shallow. Its eyes were closed shut. It sat upright in a relaxed manner as though its mind wasn't even aware of the danger that it was in, like it wasn't even in the room with us.
On its head was a strange device; it looked like a metal helmet, coated in a carbon fibre-like sheen. Lumps and bumps protruded beneath the exterior, like a mechanical brain. Half a dozen tubes connected the helmet to the ceiling. Behind a glass cover, white-blue currents flowed beneath the cables; shells down to the wall behind, where they all converged into a central unit: a holding cell for a glowing blue core, squeezed into the shape of a sphere that pulsed like a neuron star.
"That the captain?" I said gently, pointing at the elder. What kind of operating system is that?
The youth's eyes narrowed. It rushed over to a console beside the glass wall, flicking switches at a hurried pace. The hum of the machine faded into silence. Only the oscillating waves of the core could be heard now.
The captain took the largest gasp I'd ever heard, like it had been lost in the depths of an ocean for years. Then it yelled at the youth, pointing its wrinkly finger at them.
The young one didn't say a word in response; it just pointed at me with its trembling finger.
The captain turned. Almost falling over the seat, it jumped up, nearly shooting through the roof.
In an instant, the youth snatched the helmet off the captain's head and threw it to the ground. The captain didn't even take its fiery eyes off me as the young one stomped its boot into the helmet until it was a pile of scrap on the floor.
Puffing and panting, the young one looked up, giving me one last death stare through furrowed brows before it dashed past me. The captain followed quickly behind.
As the door hissed shut behind them, I was suddenly left alone with my thoughts. Only the hums of monitors and the core could be heard. I want to go home. I meandered my way over to the large window at the front of the bridge.
The alien homeworld truly was a beautiful sight. The orange sun painted the violet planet in a glistening golden sheen. What lies below its clouds? Are there people down below? Do they have their very own George McCullen?
Their own…
Krista Hopkins?
Everything I've seen since this whole war started has made me wonder if these are the same evil villains I had in mind when they attacked Okopo. When they attacked Neppon.
But they did enslave those monsters. They used them to attack Earth. How many mangled bodies did I see on that day in Neppon? The bodies that were their doing. And yet… seeing their faces… the fear… the tears in their eyes… the way they hesitated and trembled.
Should I really do this?
Shuttles shot out of the sides of the ship. Must be escape pods. To escape me.
What if I turned back now?
Destroyers up ahead closed in. Cruisers and other large ships began to line up, forming a defensive screen in front of the orbital base.
Shells began to fire on the ship. The bridge rumbled.
They'll just come back.
Again
And again
And again.
So long as I'm here. They'll hunt me down.
No.
I can't let them do that. I came this far; if I turn around, it would all have been for nothing. I have to suck it up and be their devil in order to be humanity's saviour.
As the shells rained down onto the ship's hull, I moved. Striding over to the core, I threw the captain's seat across the room.
The glass wall stood in front of me—the enclosed core behind it.
I need to make sure this never happens again.
I slammed my fist through the glass—through the core's metallic casing.
It burned, hotter than anything I'd felt before. As I grabbed it, boiling hot currents flowed up my arm. It felt like molten glass was streaming up my veins. No one was ever supposed to do this. But I'm the only one who can.
I'll bear all the responsibility.
I'll bear the curse.
They can call me their devil all they want…
I don't care—I'll do anything.
Just to see them live in peace.
I ground my teeth so much that I felt them crack and repair endlessly. The core's hue began to shift into a deep violet. That violet flowed down the pipes. As I gripped the core tighter, I began to feel new sensations I'd never felt before.
I felt the way the jets breathed.
The heat of the reactor.
The stomping of the aliens as they rushed to the escape shuttles—every trip sent a tingle up my arm.
I turned around, arm still plunged into the core.
The ship's hull was now wrapped up in a shield of purple energy, like a blanket. I released all the weapons systems. Up and down the ship's hull, turrets began to blast shells at the ships around me.
Through the right side windows of the bridge, I saw a large gun, its barrel stretching across half the length of the entire ship. I don't know exactly what I did, but I felt the heat of the core as the railgun woke up.
It felt like the energy was coursing from my heart down to my palm.
The railgun screamed as it whirled up, the shifting higher and higher.
The end of the barrel lit up with a purple glow as energy swirled at the tip.
Let rip. A blinding purple beam sliced through the vacuum of space. The ships tried to weave out of the way.
But it was too late.
The beam sliced through one ship on the left, then another.
Seconds later, they erupted.
Space was lit up by the flames of the blasts. The other ships' hulls glistened against them. They kept the fire going, not letting the fall of their comrades dissuade them. Targeting the railgun, their shells blasted down around it.
I fired the railgun again, this time on the right.
Then again, on anyone who dared get in my way.
Back on Earth, in Vinteroholm, Nordland, the battle raged.
Fighters cut through the clouds—human and alien—lighting up the night sky like fireworks. Destroyers littered the skyline around them. A cruiser loomed over the river, laying down artillery on the streets around it. The asphalt blossomed as it was peppered by rounds. Cars and bodies flipped, buried under mounds of rubble.
Its vibrant red bricks glowed under the moonlight, lit by the spotlights below; the Vinterholm City Hall stood as a shining beacon. It served as a shining light of hope, cutting through the chaos.
Every time he felt his determination waver, Felix looked at the City Hall to remind him of exactly what he was fighting for.
The Nordic warriors who lost their lives for the streets he called his home.
The women and children who needed a guiding light through the tunnel of darkness.
And his squad: Splinter, Rico, Magma, Lodi, and Frost, all willing to sacrifice their lives for one another. As well as all the other squads who fought alongside them.
The bridge ahead stretched; the Ulsses bridge was not a long one. But the aliens had fortified up ahead. But that's nothing compared to what they've had to fight through already. They've already made great efforts to plunge them out; if they could just get through—get to City Hall—that just might send the aliens a message.
The people of Nordland will not fall against anyone who deems themselves too powerful.
Felix gripped his rifle tighter.
Bullets flew past.
Both sides opened fire.
Soldiers stormed forward.
Fighters shot past overhead.
The road lit up as artillery rounds slammed down.
Cars detonated amongst the chaos.
The aliens weaved in and out of cars as they closed in. Now they were taking the battle to them. But the Nords weren't so defenceless. They took the remaining shields, creating their own mobile fortifications.
"The drones above have marked their coordinates already, Captain—on your signal," Rico announced.
Felix looked past her to the small four-wheeled artillery drones lined up behind her. An operator stood a few meters behind it, his eyes fixed on the tablet in his hands, ready to fire.
Felix nodded, "OPEN FIRE!"
The soldiers covered their ears. The operator slammed his finger down on the tablet, then dropped to his knees, throwing his hands over his ears.
The rounds shot upwards, then drifted down to the bridge.
THUD, THUD, THUD.
A mechanical wind-like sound swirled as the alien soldiers began to levitate. They scrambled desperately like a fish out of water. But there was nothing they could do against the zero gravity grenades. The Nordic soldiers opened fire on the helpless alien soldiers. Their blood blossomed in deep blue bubbles that floated in the air. An effect of the zero gravity.
Felix snorted, "Rico, your gadgets never stop surprising me."
She didn't say a word in response, just smiled gently.
"Right, let's advance."
The soldiers moved, folding the shields down.
They stayed low, weaving between the abandoned cars.
Rounds sliced through the air. Bodies fell around them, screaming in agony before the light faded from their eyes.
"STAY LOW!" A soldier yelled from behind.
Felix gritted his teeth.
They can grieve later.
Suddenly, Felix heard footsteps up ahead.
He lifted himself up on one knee, raised his rifle and fired.
BANG
One down.
BANG, BANG
Two more.
The rest crouched down behind cars.
On the far lanes of the bridge, Nordic soldiers pushed on.
Felix chuckled. He can't let them get all the glory, can he?
He pulled out a grenade. A standard issue frag grenade—no funny Aethesium business.
He pulled the pin, chucked it over his shoulder.
As the grenade pinged against the floor, he heard them move.
Felix rose again and opened fire.
They tried to escape the grenade, only to fall into Felix's trap.
Shields in hand, soldiers pushed ahead beside him.
"We're halfway there, Cap'," Lodi said with a smirk as he advanced.
Felix grinned, "Yeah, just a little more to–"
The cruiser let out a deep mechanical howl.
The firing stopped.
"Whoa, hey, look up."
As Felix looked to the skies above, his eyes shot wide.
The destroyers were ascending into the clouds.
The bridge rumbled—Felix stumbled down.
"What the hell's going on?!"
The cruiser moved. Its giant carcass slowly levitated.
"Are they leaving?!"
Felix's radio crackled.
"All squads, hold position. They may be planning something."
All soldiers stayed low behind the cars.
But it didn't look like they were planning an attack. Ships flew out of the side of the cruiser, different to the fighters that had been giving them grief the whole time. They were slightly bigger. They were like giant shipping containers with two engines on either side. They must be transport ships.
More of them rose from the city line.
It wasn't just the bridge.
Whatever it was, it was full-scale.
"Hahahaa! Couldn't handle the might of the Nords, eh?" Lodi gloated.
Felix remained quiet. He felt a pit in his stomach.
The alien soldiers began pulling back in groups; those staying behind provided covering fire.
So they were retreating.
"Everyone, hold your position and stay behind cover!" Felix yelled.
The Nords on the far lane didn't feel the same way; they advanced, chasing the fleeing aliens.
"Those glory-hungry maniacs," Frost mumbled under his breath.
"Hold on, they've caught some!" Lodi pointed.
"Lodi, stay low, for god's sakes. This is a war." Felix tugged him down.
The transport ships piled into the cruiser as it ascended.
Eventually, the cruiser reached the clouds. A bright blue ring formed in front of the cruiser's bow, slowly passing over the whole body of the ship, which began to illuminate.
"EVERYONE, BRACE YOURSELVES!"
Unable to take his eyes off the majestic sight, the order skipped past Felix. He wasn't the only one; other soldiers stood, unable to look away.
Then, with a flash, the cruiser, along with all the other alien ships in the sky, shot off into the night sky.
And a second later, the shockwave hit.
Felix was slammed down to the floor.
"Captain, you okay?" Rico and Lodi rushed to him.
"Y'yeah, I'm fine." Felix groaned, "What happened? Where are they going?"
"Beats me," Rico said, "but it looks like it might be over."
"I wonder…" Lodi began to ponder, "If it was that purple guy."
"What?" Rico scoffed, "You believe that?"
"Of course! You've seen the videos, right?"
"Yeah, but they're just fake…"
The thought stumbled into Felix's mind. He never believed in ghosts, the occult or the purple entity. But then again, he also never believed in aliens. So… maybe… just maybe… humanity did have a purple saviour.
Across the globe, Tom watched in shock as the last remaining destroyers and cruisers lifted into the clouds.
One by one, they began warping away. Fighters zipped past Tom, completely ignoring his existence.
"They're… ignoring me."
A grin slowly curled on Tom's face.
"Shit. No way, you actually did it!"
"YES! MORE! MORE! KEEP COMING!"
I couldn't contain the smile on my face. Hundreds of ships warped in around me. I continued firing the rail gun, surrounded by a sea of debris.
The hundred ships fired down on me. The shield had been waning for some time now. The ship was completely enveloped in flames. Panels barely hung on to the ceiling. The lights had completely shut off; now the bridge was illuminated only by the flames that roared through it. A ratchet symphony of numerous alarms filled the chamber. The monitors lit red, with dozens of warning signs popping up.
The entire ship was in disarray.
It shouldn't have even been running.
But I was keeping it alive.
Through sheer powers and will.
The orbital base was basically right in front of me now. I whirled up the railgun once more. Energy swirled into the barrel.
One more.
One more round and I'll–
The rail gun burst.
A giant wave of blue blasted in all directions.
"SHIT! NO! FUCK, I WAS SO CLOSE!"
Chunks of the railgun drifted away into the void. Now all that remains is a smouldering wreck.
"I CAN'T STOP! CAN'T STOP!"
The ship's energy was coursing through me, even up into my brain. I was feeling lightheaded. It was like I'd been huffing paint fumes. But part of me was still sane—the part that was pushing me through.
I don't need a railgun to destroy this thing.
I concentrated all my energy into the thrusters. The ship began speeding forward even more quickly now. Towards the orbital shipyard.
Explosions began erupting across the ship. But these weren't shells anymore. These were ships.
They were sacrificing their lives to stop me.
No.
I need to keep going.
The insane side of me laughed hysterically, "YOU CAN'T STOP ME! I'M GONNA DESTROY YOU ALL!"
But the kamikazes didn't end with the fighters.
The entire ship rocked.
To my right, a cruiser had slammed straight into me, straying me off course.
"NO! I WON'T LEJYOU!"
I screamed in fury. With all my power, I pushed it back. Trumpets roared in my mind as I pushed and pushed.
The top ring of the orbital shipyard was closing in.
No stopping me now.
"YES, COME TO PA–"
CRASH!
I flew forward, my arm now free from the core.
The ship pierced the ring, continuing with its unstoppable momentum.
It slammed through the ships lining the ring.
They exploded upon impact, one by one, like dominoes. Even the orbital base was lighting up.
The capital ship was a wreck. The bow was mangled beyond recognition.
But it still couldn't be stopped.
I slowly rose to my feet using the wall.
Through the front window, I see some kind of giant control room closing in.
The control room for the entire orbital shipyard.
Like a mangled spear, the ship pierced through the command centre, straight through to the other side.
I could see the far side of the ring. Now engulfed in flames.
The supports keeping afloat snapped. The ring now fell towards the planet. Another domino of explosions unfolded as the top ring slammed into the one below, and the ring below that.
Now clear of the shipyard, the only thing in view of the bridge's front window was the planet's glistening surface.
"It's beau–"
SMASH
A chunk of debris slammed through the window.
I was sent flying out.
My body spiralled. The cold chill of space seeped into my bones. This form seemed to have kept me warm enough to survive, however.
As I stabilised, the capital ship flew past me, falling into the planet.
The ship lit up as it entered the atmosphere. Chunks of debris snapped off it, burning up into nothing.
I turned around.
The orbital shipyard was shattering. Explosions still erupted across it. The rings were now in pieces. Ships were collapsing.
The planet was orbited by debris and burning ships, falling to the surface below.
With their shipyard gone, that means no repairs, no refuel and no more ships. War over.
Right?
What's that?
Something small came flying towards me at impossible speeds.
Oh shit.
It's–
Everything went black.
Debris slammed into my face before I could react.
When I next opened my eyes, I was assaulted by light. Ash fell off my arm as I lifted it to cover my eyes.
The light began to dim. To the point where I couldn't tell if it was day or night. It was a strange in-between where it was too dark to be day, but also too warm and bright to be night.
Eventually, my eyes adjusted.
The sky glowed a muted lavender overhead, deepening to rich violet near the horizon. Through the haze hung a dull orange sun, its light filtered through layers of atmospheric dust until it resembled a smouldering ember.
This isn't Earth.
My eyes wandered down to the surface.
Holy shit.
The world around me was dry; the soil beneath me had been reduced to grains of brown dust, completely drained of moisture. I heard thudding in the distance. I squinted. Through the mist, tall black towers littered the open plain, pounding into the ground. Black pipes stretched across the Horizon. It was like the world had been drained of every bit of life. In the distant horizon, lights poked through the mist. City lights.
I'm in…
Another world.