D.S. Brown - THE HAVARIAN GENOCIDE - CHAPTER 4

The avatar was quiet during this exchange.  The Emperor stood still, appeared to be engaged, but much of his mind was now occupied with events on the dataplane.  He wanted to experience everything firsthand.  To this end, he directed much of his mind to the Khallad’s powerful sensors.  He would see events unfold as the shipmind would see them, in different wavelengths ranging from the visible to the infrared, and beyond. 

The Emperor watched God’s Previss follow the Khallad’s course into the system, flying through the remains of planet Harfi.  It was a small vessel, no larger than the Emperor’s own Imperial Shuttle.  It was shaped like a crab, with two wide masts in the front, and four extending from the rear.  Shielded weapons ports dotted its surface.  God’s Previss was made to kill.  However, its most deadly weapon reclined in a command chair inside its shell.

The tiny ship increased speed, flying past the Khallad and the Fleet, moving further in system.  Kdifoc watched with baited breath as an access port in the belly of the ship opened, and Krakoth emerged.  The new god drifted for a moment in the openness of space, moving with the velocity afforded him by his ship.  Then, he began to glow, and with a burst of energy shot forward at several times his ship’s velocity.

Kdifoc watched with amazement as his brother streaked across space under his own power, wearing only the armor the sorcerers provided.  He was a bright blue and gold streak, a shining harbinger of doom, the bringer of death.

The Emperor adjusted his sensor feed, increasing visual magnitude.  He had to keep adjusting to keep up with his brother.  The Prince continued to accelerate, faster, and faster, impossibly fast.  Kdifoc engaged the hyperlight visual sensors.

“Incredible,” said the avatar on the ship’s bridge. “The Prince has just violated normality.”

“The Prince is moving at faster-than-light velocities, warping speeds,” said the senseman. 

Kdifoc took a moment to observe the sentients on his bridge.  He could see their amazement, and feel their fear.  Yes, it was all true.  Prince Krakoth was no longer the elite Zradgen warrior.  He had crossed the boundary between sentient and space god.  They were watching a true space god.  How often did a sentient see such a thing?  Not often, if at all.

“Mark this moment my subjects,” said Kdifoc.  “For you are the first to witness the power of our fierce young god.  He will bring a new era to the Majestic, assuring our supremacy, realizing our destiny.”

The sentients heard the Emperor’s words, and acknowledged them, yet it was cursory.  It was next to impossible to concentrate on the Emperor’s words while the god streaked across the Daaneen system.  They were warriors to a sentient, used to the heat of combat, leaping into the maw of battle with Alliance ships, risking everything on who was the fastest, the smartest, the most ruthless.  Now, they were all quiet, watching, waiting.  The tactical plot on the main screen was augmented by real-time visuals. 

Krakoth closed with the Harvarian ships. 

The ships appeared powerful, and were slightly reminiscent of Alliance ships, which to the Emperor was simply more proof of Harvarian treachery.  Sensors detected heavy shielding, which prohibited the fleet from getting an accurate assessment of the new ships abilities.  The warriors of the Khallad watched them, and yearned for battle.  To them, it would have been glorious.  They could feel the Narellan influence in the Harvarian ships, and knew that ship for ship, they were either equals, or outclassed.

Vradakos closed his fists, and his heart’s desire.  They were not equals, they were not outclassed.  They had a god on their side.  The Harvarian were doomed.   

“Energy dispersal from the Prince,” said the senseman.  “Off the scale.”

In the dataplane, the Emperor watched Krakoth engage the Harvarian.  The Prince released bolts of energy from his hands that tore into the enemy cruisers, an astounding feat that the Khallad itself would have been hard pressed to accomplish. 

They Harvarian launched fighters.  They focused their weapons on his position.  The Prince moved too fast.  They compensated, and found their target, to no affect.  Krakoth shrugged off the enemy fire, and destroyed fighter, after fighter, after fighter.  He dodged, and destroyed, shrugged off more enemy fire, and counterattacked.  He reengaged the heavy cruisers, blowing holes in vessels large enough to blot out the sky.  

“Comm traffic,” said the senseman.  “They’re issuing a mayday.” 

Kdifoc laughed.  “And who will come to their aid?”