The Other Side

Chapter 7: Across the Galaxy

The stars twinkled in the sky. The man stood in front of the viewport, his gray and gold uniform reflecting off the window. Across from him, he could see the form of the Prairie's Light slowly crawl across space. The corvette was small in comparison to the ship the man was on, but it was an impressive ship to see none the less. He stepped away from the window and headed towards the nearest lift. The corridors of the Cestis' Pride was sparsely filled with navy personnel. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of rushing footsteps behind him.

"Admiral! Wait!"

The man sighed and turned to see a young woman sprint towards him. She held a datapad in her arms, as she pushed the people in her way. She stopped in front of him, panting.

"Was it really necessary for you to sprint ensign?"

"I thought it, necessary sir," she said. She held the datapad up to him, and he gingerly took it. "It's the latest reports from the Lingary Sector."

The Admiral continued walking, and the ensign groaned, keeping pace with the navy officer. He scrolled through the information reviewing the information that was given to him. "Two whole planetary rotations and all I get is nothing but minor pirate raids and astronomical findings."

"I can't bet that bad sir," she said. The pair stepped into the lift, and the door closed in front of them.

"Inisa, you've heard the rumors already. It's not too late for you to return home. Mother has been waiting to see you for a while now."

"I joined the navy for a reason brother. I'm not leaving now. And besides, the rumors could be nothing. It could just be a running joke."

The lift came to a lurching a halt, and the doors opened to reveal a large command deck. In the middle, a large table with a holographic image of a fleet was surrounded by several consoles. Past the table was a set of stairs that led to the lower command deck. There were several consoles that ranged from weapons control to power distribution. At the front were large angular windows that encompassed the front of the bridge and over, ending at gray metal. The Admiral walked and stood in front of the table and held his arms behind his back. He could see small shuttles make their rounds and small groups of fighter patrol around the fleet. He could see the Titan class frigates flank the Cestis' Pride.

"We all saw the light Inisa. You know damn well what that means. They're coming. And they're coming soon."

"We'll be ready for them brother."

"I hope so."

As the pair continued talking, one of the officers shouted, "Admiral! I'm picking up a large energy signature exiting from the jump tunnel."

The Admiral stared out at the open space and asked, "Are we expecting anyone Officer?"

"No, sir."

Then, three large black shapes emerged from a purple portal. The hull was so dark that the Admiral could barely see the silhouettes of the ships. They looked like curved blades, similar to that of a scythe. Alarms blared across the bridge as flashes of red flew past the bridge of the Cestis' Pride. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the corvettes explode, the flames quickly snuffed out a minute later.

"Shield's up! Order the fleet to move away from those ships!" The Admiral shouted. He could hear the panic in his voice, but that didn't matter. He saw the stars shift as the vessel rotated away from the attacking vessels. He could hear the projectiles impact the shields. He could hear the engines strain as the ship agonizingly turned.

Inisa was sitting at one of the consoles with a headset. She listened as she heard the captains coordinate with each other. The ensign could hear them scream over the comms as they were reduced to nothing but atoms.