Epilogue. Part 1. The Last Minutes
The Imperial flagship, accompanied by thirty Imperial and a dozen Jericho dreadnoughts, was fighting off the never-ending hordes of Aliens at the most intense sector of the battle. The shield generators of each of the ships have given out multiple times already, and there were numerous holes left on each United Fleet ship’s hull by the enemy fire. The smaller stations set up in space were seemingly less affected. The Aliens considered them much less of a threat. The flagship’s bridge was filled with officers, and the Emperor and Bartle were personally overseeing the rebuilding of the constantly crumbling blockade of the Nith system as the two most experienced admirals in the galaxy. The task was not made easier by the ongoing barrage of urgent messages.
“Your Highness, the third squadron needs support, we can’t hold on much longer.”
“The AD-∑-14 formation will now follow the ‘Eternity’ protocol. It was an honor to serve the Jericho.”
“The ‘Typhon’ squad retreats to regroup.”
“Do not retreat, hold positions, sending out reinforcements in one minute.”
The entire power of the fleets of two of the three strongest states in the galaxy, as well as a third of the fleet of the third state, could not cope with the attacks of the Aliens. The Defilers, Destroyers, Hunters, and Predators were restricted by heavy warp stream destabilizers and could not get close to the Inverter, but even a well-prepared defense was no match for their sheer numbers and firepower. Space was filled with the wreckage of human and Alien ships, becoming a mass grave for millions of people and Precursor drones.
Many did not understand why the right to battle the Precursor flagship had been given to the Ellydium dreadnought and the mercenaries, rather than to the Ark or the Emperor’s ship, which had greater firepower. The answer to this question would soon become clear. Amidst the battle, almost no one noticed a small Imperial communications ship emerging from warp. However, the one who has lived more than a thousand years old was feeling impatient today, and noticed it a few seconds later and demanded to open a communications channel before the arriving ship’s systems had adjusted to the sector.
“Legate Cortés, I demand immediate report,” said the Emperor.
“We are following the plan, Your Highness,” responded Natasha Cortés, delicately remaining silent about the fact that she was no longer formally a legate of the Imperial Security. “The Ellydium dreadnought partially damaged the target systems. Your ‘gift’ has been delivered to its destination. It seems that our enemies have not noticed it yet.”
“Perfect,” said the Emperor. “All ships, prepare to jump to rendezvous point ‘Psi-14’ on my command. I authorize the retreat of damaged units. Proceed with the rescue of personnel from immobilized ships. Communication group commanders, relay my order to other sectors of the blockade. Report when ready to jump. In case of risk of ship damage, I authorize you to leave the battlefield without further orders.”
Bartle only had a few words for his Families and Raid: “Carry out his order.” Many were surprised by the unexpected order, but there were no crazy daredevils who wanted to continue fighting the Aliens. All of those had perished by that time. The Emperor knew that not all the people from the damaged and destroyed ships could be saved, so after half an hour, he gave the order to retreat to the entire fleet, except for the flagship.
“Kathleen, your time has come,” he said to the one known only to a handful of people in the galaxy. “Activate the device.”
“Your Highness, I know what I must do,” the girl responded. “Will you be able to leave the system in time if something goes wrong?”
“Don’t worry,” said the Emperor to the Sleeper. “Turn on the Precursors’ gizmo, it’s time to use their weapon against them.”
When Lady Kathleen uttered the first words of the Precursor language, the voice activation protocols revived the ancient device, and the Signal intensified, initiating what people had called the Cataclysm ten years ago, and which had been completely forgotten amid the war with the Aliens and other horrors: the cleansing protocol that destroyed all life in Sector 1337, the Precursor sector, every few days. Iridium began to glow, the color of the surrounding space changed, and if anyone had tried to describe what was happening, they would have realized that the very fabric of space at that moment was fluctuating as much as it would near two merging black holes.