The Astralaceaes

Chapter 8: Predator and Prey

Haledon froze, and the world went silent. He could feel the thumping of his heart pulsing through his body. Curiosity began to creep into his mind where fear should have been.

He admired the sharp, geometric edges that seemed to cut through the fabric of reality before him. The ship radiated a horrifying beauty that chilled Haledon to his core. And beneath the emotions, beyond the fear and awe, he felt drawn to it. As though a string attached to his chest was pulling him forward—beckoning him to get closer and touch it.

"Witch-Hazel?" Sparrow asked with a snap and began making patterns with her hands.

"Closest gravitational source is the Scout," Witch-Hazel replied. "We'd have to limp close enough for a boost, though..."

A silvery-white light washed over the Mecharrion ship like a ripple extending over a pond. Lights began to appear across the matte black sections of the vessel; these little stars slowly shifted from a cool blue to a warm red.

Two crooked dorsal fins extended out from the top of the mountain—their jagged hooks radiating a blue-white glow. Haledon watched as a single pectoral fin slid from the bottom of the vessel and locked into place. A similar, ominous light pulsated from the protrusion.

Haledon admired as the ship evolved before him. Lights had appeared, and sections expanded before his eyes. He felt his heart only beating faster with each passing second, excited for what would happen next.

"Witch-Hazel!" Sparrow yelled.

"I know!" It responded.

As they yelled, two condensed spheres of white-hot plasma formed at the front of the Mecharrion ship. Ionized gasses discharged from the stars as they jettisoned outward, ripping through space towards the Gravodonata.

Alarms began to chirp as the viewscreen shifted from displaying the plasma to the gravitational force at its core.

"Micro-black holes," Sparrow pointed at the quickly approaching orbs. "Center of the stars."

"On it." Witch-Hazel took hold of nearby branches. Its limbs began to extend and interface with the vessel.

"Hold the forswyn on."Witch-Hazel groaned as it tugged at the controls.

The ship chirped excitedly in protest. Haledon could feel the Gravodonata lurching sideways against the will of Witch-Hazel as it tried to escape the path of the black holes.

The vortex of gravity filled the screen before the Arbornaut forced the ship into a dive. Haledon could feel the force against him, the chitinous frame rattling as it skimmed the edge of the first event horizon.

Pulling past the quickly diminishing ball of plasma, tracing the shape of a lemniscate, they began to loop into the second.

Haledon could feel his bones rattling within his suit as the air squeezed out of his lungs with a shrill scream. He tried to move his hands, only to find them adhered to his legs.

They pulled past the second black hole and began the push for their final turn. The ship pulled at an angle and ejected away from the path of the Mecharrion weapon. For a brief few moments, they could see the fleet as they flew out of view.

"Astra fleet, you have approaching singularities—" Sparrow exclaimed, her hand on her neck.

The stars dissipated moments before reaching the sickened Astralaceae. A brief, calm pause passed before a blinding light lit the abyss of space. The black holes collided with each other at the center of the ship, unleashing its energy on the fleet.

"No!" Haledon yelled and tried to stand.

The wave of energy hit the ship, forcing it forward and out of view. A sickening sensation churned in Haledon's stomach as the Gravodonata harnessed the wave and surfed it away from the fight.