Starship Vengeance

Chapter 38

yrn'Na'Teck watched the Xroex with envy. The Nyth'La'Kell had dedicated their whole species to the holy war against the Zrynt. Though she was envious that her people were there to draw first blood in this battle, she found reason to be content with their role. The Nyth had the glorious calling of delivering death to the Zrynt Lord. After what seemed like an eternity, the Xroex signaled that the rest of the fleet could proceed. Ayrn waited anxiously for Admiral Ryan to give the order to commence the attack. When the order did come, her screen came alive with jump coordinates and approach vectors for her fleet.

"Command all ships to proceed," Ayrn stated proudly. The mighty host that was the Allied Fleet jumped towards the waiting Zrynt.

The crew burst into action the moment the gut wrenching jump was completed. The small Zrynt ships that had been zealously working on the ring abandoned the work and came to the Zrynt Lord's aid. Hordes of fighters poured out of multiple openings, obscuring the Zrynt Lord from view. The fighters didn't engage the oncoming fleet. Instead, they stayed close to the Zrynt Lord, providing a screen for the deadly Zrynt ship. Ayrn patiently waited while the Terrans and Tuleeriri began engaging the smaller ships. The Nyth held an almost complete monopoly on Galactum Cannons, so they weren't being risked this early in the fight. The only other cannon available currently resided inside the Vengeance. The Vengeance was going to join with Ayrn's fleet for the main strike. Ayrn thought the additional firepower was unnecessary, but was willing to concede that no chances be taken. Displays dimmed as they compensated for the blinding flashes than began appearing in the cloud of fighters. The Terrans were launching a prodigious number of their crude bombs at the Zrynt swarm. What they lacked in quality, they made for in quantity.

For every fighter eliminated, countless more surged forward to take its place. Ayrn watched as Admiral Vaehil's flagship broke formation and accelerated towards the Zrynt. Several large pods detached from the ship's hull and the ship reversed course. As the ship pulled back, a powerful beam of energy lanced out and briefly occupied the area of space recently vacated by Admiral Vaehil's ship. One of the freshly launched pods was caught in the crossfire and several small explosions sent it careening off course. As the remaining pods lumbered closer to the Zrynt, groups of fighters broke formation in an attempt to intercept them. Instead of damaging the pods, the energy discharge from their weapons was absorbed and transferred to sublight engines, giving the pods a brief boost.

The pods plunged into the Zrynt lines and vanished. Details on the pods hadn't been shared with Ayrn. She waited in anticipation for the dazzling explosions that would rip through the Zrynt ranks. The explosions failed to materialize. If anything, the cloud of Zrynt fighters seemed to grow denser.

Time seemed to stop as both sides waited for the other to make a fatal move. The Allied Fleet was well outside the effective range of the Zrynt Lord's main cannon, and the Zrynt didn't seem inclined to close the gap. Without warning, Zrynt fighters began scattering, leaving behind trails of what appeared to be dust. Scores of fighters seemed to dissolve in their desperate attempt to flee. The Zrynt fighters were soon no more, and a round of bombs from the Unity was used to disperse the debris, leaving an exposed Zrynt Lord.

This was the moment Ayrn had been waiting for. With a feral grin born of years of indoctrination against their sworn enemy, she gave the order to attack. A faint hum could be felt more than heard as the ship's Galactum Cannon came online. The Terrans and Tuleeriri joined the Xroex in patrolling the outskirts of the battlefield. With the exception of the Vengeance, this moment belonged to the Nyth'La'Kell. Ayrn's stomach was subjected to the familiar lurch as her ship jumped within striking distance of the Zrynt. She slammed her hand down and the humming peaked that abruptly ceased. The Zrynt Lord reacted as soon as the Nyth had arrived as well, unleashing the incredible power of its main weapon at an unsuspecting Nyth heavy destroyer.