Survivors of a forgotten empire
A Massive fleet of warships, all covered in dark metal plates rested in orbit over a small burning planet. The planet have been a world of unimaginable beauty a few hours before the dark fleet had arrived and obliterated the small world’s defenses and burned its surface to ash. Once in a while a piece of the crushed defensive fleet would be caught in the planets gravity field and crash down upon the planet, adding yet another scar on the burning surface. Only dark and twisted ruins remained of the once proud and beautiful cities remained. In the streets of these ruined cities were nothing but burned out personal transports and what were left of the skeletons of the cities inhabitants.
Back in orbit in the middle of the massive fleet of darkness was the command ship. With its 37.5 km length it far outmatched the other ships in terms of size. This kind of ship usually carried the role as a super carrier so it was quite unusual that it was made a flagship. Other high ranking officers would have chosen far different types of capitals ships as their flagship, but not this one. The Admiral of this fleet was, and had always been, different than the others.
Right now the Admiral was sitting in the command chair with a mug of coffee in her hands as she watched the world burn in seemingly unending firestorms. However as her graced over the planet she spotted a tiny spot of green untouched land. The small smile on her face collapsed into a snarl.
“Could someone please inform the Burning Approach that they missed a spot!” The Admiral shouted to the crew on the bridge. One them turned and saluted before delivering the order. And only after a few minutes a large beam of concentrated energy shot out from one of the ships with a giant canon at its front. The small spot of untouched land turned into a large explosion that would make a nuclear bomb look like a hand grenade in comparison.
The smile returned once again and she took a small sip of the hot coffee. Coffee had become a very rare resource during the war as their enemy had burned the only planet where the plant could grow… well except for their original homeworld. But that planet had been long lost during the thousands of years her race had been a spacefaring race and the so called Dark Age had defiantly not helped on the issue.
She was torn out of her thoughts when she heard a bit of mumbling to her left. She shifted a bit in her chair to get a better look at the six figures on the floor. The figures were each on their knees and tied up in handcuffs with their hands on their back. Their once beautiful and yet intimidating armors were covered in scratches and burn marks. Their Ancillas long dead of course. Behind them stood two soldiers clad in dark armor, armed with energy rifles, watching over them. These six had been the heads of the local administration on the planet and were now some of the only survivors. Other survivors had been captured by ground forces before the orbital bombardment had begun.
“Did you say something forerunner?” She asked the forerunner who had mumbled something only the other members of his race had heard. Her words came out bored and with a slight hint of irritation for being interrupted in her thoughts and watching the great firestorms raging through the ruined cities. The forerunner had been the highest ranked Promethean and the commander in chief of the planets defenses. A job he apparently really sucked at.
“Nothing really, just that I find it amusing that your fleet soon will praise from this realm of existence by the might of the Forerunner military and I will be laughing at you from whatever comes after this life.” The Forerunner gave cruel smile at the female human admiral. The human officer didn’t seem to be affected by the old prometheans words and simply returned her graze back on the planet before she took yet another sip of her coffee and gave her reply.
“Did you know that we human don’t think that the Forerunners are our worst threat, that there is something far worse out there that we are fighting?” The admiral didn’t look at the forerunners when she asked her question although she already knew the answer.
“What could be more threatening than the wrath of the Forerunners? We’re the most powerful and advanced race in the galaxy. We’re the ones who carry the mantle of responsibility, we’re-“
“Giant idiots. To think your kind to be so far above all other races in the galaxy. You have become blinded by your own power and lust for control! You think you’re winning an easy fight against us just because we hardly can defend ourselves from you? You’re fighting less than 10 % of our military might!” The admiral shouted from her chair. Her glare, full rage and disgust, send shivers down the six forerunners backs.
“Less than 10 %?” A female forerunner asked. She appeared to have been an important lifeworker. Her beautiful armor was torn apart around her chest, possibly from the effects of a high energy pulse grenade, exposing her breast for everyone to see. Much to the captured forerunners surprise the humans appeared to have more respect for the lifeworker-class than any of the others. This lifeworker had been given a piece of cloth to cover herself up before she was dragged up to the bridge. “What in the world could of such a great threat that you would only face us with 10 % of your military!?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. Your kind won’t listen to us and it would be wasted recourses in the end.” The admiral rose from her chair and slowly made her way around the large circular holo-projector in front of the command chair.
“Who do you think you are, you filthy lesser lifeform?” A third Forerunner asked. This forerunner being part of the builder-class.
“I am Admiral Torres Talma also known as the last human offensive.” The six forerunners looked with shock at the female human. They had heard rumors of this admiral but never believed them. According to the rumors she should have singlehanded defeated some of the most feared and respected generals of the forerunner military.
“Take them back to their cells.” She ordered the two soldiers behind the forerunners. The troops complied and guided the six forerunners out of the large room.
Torres had only been standing in front of the blast windows for a few minutes before an alarm went off.
“Hostile fleet detected to our right!” Shouted a sensor officer. And indeed a large Forerunner fleet came out of slipspace to the right. It fielded quite a large number of Fortress-class vessels and a ship of a new type of ship that Torres or any other humans had ever seen before in the center of the hostile fleet. This new ship was a 200 km long cylinder formed warship and looked like it was packed with hundreds if not thousands of energy canons. The Admiral came to one conclusion: Tactical retreat and fast.
“Sound the retreat to all ships we are getting out of here and fast!” She shouted to the crew. The bridge became a chaos of activity as the many officers delivered the orders to the rest of the human fleet. However the admiral was not done delivering her orders.
“Someone contact the Dawnstar and tell them to initiate maneuver martyr! Tell them to aim of that big ugly thing I the center” A few look up at their commander from their work for a small amount of time before one of them came with some protest.
“But my lord, that maneuver is still in testing phase and drilling devise is only a prototype. This might not even work.” Others nodded their agreement this was a very risky move.
“We just have to pray that it works then.” Torres answered as she gave the officer a glare that made it clear that she wasn’t in the mood for discussion right now.
The human fleet tried in vain to put some distance between them and the massive advancing forerunner fleet a small vessel exited one of the carriers many hanger bays before speeding of towards the new giant warship in the center of fleet. It went seemingly unnoticed by the forerunner due to the rains of energy fire exchanged between the two fleets. The small human vessel reached its targets shields. Right before it collided with the shields a powerful crimson red drill shaped glow appeared right in front of the small vessel. The small human ship literally drilled its way through its targets shields and hull, moving further into the massive forerunner ship. A few seconds after it first cut the hull the crew activated the ship’s cargo, a small antimatter bomb.
Back on the human carrier the crew members cheered as the large ships started to explode. The admiral saluted as a final honor for those who had sacrificed their lives.
“Let us all give these brave men and women our last thanks for their sacrifice.” The all present on the bridge went silent and looked at the exploding starship before giving a stick salute. “I Admiral Torres Talma will forever remember their sacrifice and personally hand over the medals of Honor to their families.”
No sooner had the Admiral, now known as Torres Talma, finished her speech before the Forerunner ship came to life one last time and fired an unknown energy blast towards the human carrier. Everyone on the ship was taken aback at the sudden threat that they didn’t have time to react at all before the energy blast smashed into the carrier’s shields and detonated. The giant carrier was swallowed hole in the blast of white light. The light disappeared and so were the Torres and her ship.
Both the Forerunners and the Human Empire would simply have thought that Torres and her crew met their end at that battle but that was not the case. No far from actually. They were indeed very much alive after that blast. The only things that had change were their location and that they were speeding towards a planet at a speed that almost tore the ship apart while it spun around itself.
“Fires reported at Deck 23, 27, 45 and 55!”
“The hull is being torn apart!”
“We’re losing air in sector A to D at Deck 30! Casualties numbering over 100!”
The bridge was a complete chaos. New reports were coming in at the second. The entire ship was in a state of panic and shock.
Torres could do nothing to sort it out. She could only watch the planet in front of the ship growing larger by the minute.
“We’re entering the planets thermosphere in 3 minutes!”
What is this? Who are approaching my world?
“1 Minute!”
Ah I see. It’s you.
“We have stopped spinning around but we’re still falling without control!”
Why are you not slowing down?
“Entering Mesosphere in 3 2 1!”
You’re in danger… I can’t allow that!
A faint glow surrounded the now burning ship, killing the flames and slowing its descent, guiding it through the air towards mountains covered in thick snow. The Massive carrier smashed hard into the snow covered ground and left a giant trail of fire, melted ice and destruction in its wake. Meanwhile the crew was thrown around like ragdolls until the ship finally came to a stop.
Torres placed a hand on her head where she had gotten a nasty cut as she slowly and shakily got back on her legs again.
“Ugh my head feels like it was hit by a train at supersonic speed” She looked around the bridge. A few crew members were still unconscious, even more had broken something, but most appeared only to have a few small cuts and bruise here and there.
“Status report! Now!” She shouted. She immediately regretted it as an almost overwhelming pain shot through her head. “How did we survive that fall?” She asked a bit lower as she slowly made her way to her command chair and took a seat. An officer came up to her.
“We have no idea my lord. But something slowed us down enough for us not be splashed out all over the place.”
“Any idea of where we are?” She asked the officer. He just shook his head “No. Most of our equipment is in a bad shape and needs extensive repairs” Torres asked how long it would take. “Don’t know a few years if we are lucky.” The officer replied in a sad tone.
“Hmm looks like Eva have a lot of work in front of while we take a nap until the ship is almost fixed. Right Eva?” A short moment went by before a female voice was heard over the com-link.
“Of course Admiral, everything you desire but I would a workforce to command while you sleep.” Torres thought for a moment and got an idea.
“Eva, how many of our prisoners survived the crash?”
“139 out of 313 survived the crash. What is your plan if I may ask?”
“You can use them as your workforce and security while we sleep” Torres suggested. “You can modify them with cybernetics if you want.”
“The plan sounds reasonable. We’ll do it.” The AI agreed. “I’ll make preparation right away.”
“Good but be quick and gentle with the lifeworkers. As far as we know they never asked for this war.” Torres then turned to Officer. “Inform the rest of the crew that we’re all going into a time lock rest within the next 3 hours” The officer gave a quick salute of turning around on his heels and marched off to deliver his orders. Moments later the entire ship was full of busy people and screams of terrible pain could be heard from the many medical bays as the AI created her new toys.
Welcome to Equis young ones. I can’t wait to see you again once more… My masters... My creators.
