Mantrin Imperial Guard - 003 The Infinite Depths of Space

Chapter 6: The Signal

What happened after that first shot was fired would be etched into the history scrolls of countless cultures forever. The destruction of the Hytharian scout. The aggressive response of the two superpowers whose experiment invited the energy-based beings and their ships into this universe. The Ophelion system descended into chaos.

Ships that did not have crew onboard the station at the time activated their FTL drives and fled, but many couldn't for that exact reason. The station had raised its shields, thereby protecting docked ships. This was still made possible because the energy link with the solar collector continued to be stable.

Meanwhile, the Hytharians and Xhi'tha had their hands full taking on their newfound adversaries. The Ophelion system had turned into a dangerous place. The number of stray shots was high. The power output of the individual shots was overwhelming due to the stark difference in technology between the highly advanced races and the majority who acted as bystanders. Those who reacted hostile to this form of collateral damage soon found themselves to be a target.

"Do not return fire! We're not an active target!" Raeth ordered as the Myr'shala shook violently and lost a sizable portion of its shield strength after being hit by a stray beam.

Without touching his console, Jirro acknowledged. The difference was too great. They would not survive a direct attack, Raeth was certain of it. Ships had scattered around the station as the engaging parties continued to hammer each other. Even though the Hytharians seemed to try and draw the hostiles away from the static installations, the ships did not appear to stray too far from the portal.

"They used it as their way to get in," Baika thought out loud. "Could also be their only way out."

"Any changes in the portal's energy signature?" Raeth asked.

Baika shook her head.

"Nothing so far. Still no contact with the other side."

"Let me know as soon as anything changes. If they can control it somehow, they might even be able to bring in reinforcements."

"You're thinking about shutting it down?" Jirro asked.

The way he said it held the middle between a question and a statement. As Raeth looked into Jirro's eyes, he secretly liked how his First Officer was able to read his thoughts on occasion. If Jirro had finally made up his mind about being an integral part of this crew, it was a quality he would come to appreciate even more in the future.

"With the amount of ships and personnel on the other side, I hope that won't be necessary."

"I've tried everything in terms of trying to communicate with them," Baika said with a sigh. "They've not responded in any way that signals they're capable of understanding us. These beings might communicate on a whole different level. Something beyond our understanding or capabilities. No one seems to have had more luck than us so far."

"Brace!" Le'tan warned, as he continued the evasive maneuvers while the beams flashed in front of the panoramic window.

"No damage," Jirro reported. "But our shield frequencies are continuing to fluctuate. This has been going on since the fight started."

"Majih, how are those modifications holding up?" Raeth asked.

"I've been monitoring since I made the changes, but they shouldn't be the cause of these fluctuations. I'm on it."

"The station's shields appear to be holding," Baika said. "They are taking hits, but as long as that power coupling holds, they should be fine. The shuttle is holding position inside their bubble."

Raeth knew that if the station's shields would fail, the amount of stray weapons fire could cause catastrophic damage in little time. The hub was not designed as a military installation, so it possessed very little in the way of weaponry or hull armor.