81. Hunters and prey
Nothing existed before nor after. There was only the moment, everlasting and infinite. A disgusting, cancerous tumour of causality twisted in on itself like a tangle of vines. How does one defeat such a thing?
Of course, with a sword, Severance!
***
[Lykans Sector]
A colossal megastructure streaked into existence, trailing filaments of leaking high-dimensional energies like a ghostly wreath. Ship would be a generous word for the bulbous amalgamation it truly was. Longer than it was wide, bristling and pulsing with weaponry as if were alive. Perhaps it was alive, though not in the traditional sense. A hundred thousand called that ship home, scurrying about its innards like cells, ensuring it can complete its vast purpose.
To rain unholy hell upon its enemies.
Those already present in the system were prepared, they had known for some time of the oncoming threat. And yet they were woefully unready all the same. A shrieking screech sounded over all frequencies as all their alarms went off simultaneously, hijacked by writhing and flickering lines of code.
WE HAVE ARRIVED. PREPARE FOR IMMINENT DESTRUCTION. IN THE NAME OF OBSIDIAN SOL.
And yet in the face of such monstrosity, their will to stand firm was admirable, no matter how trivially useless.
“Prepare the railcannons! Fire at will.”
The Head Admiral issued the command simultaneously to all the hundred battleships under his command. Though none were as large nor as foreboding as that which they fought, they held firmly the numerical advantage.
It would do them little good.
Their railguns ejected payloads at a considerable portion the speed of light, watching as they streaked towards their enemy. The enemy was motionless, oozing arrogance as if it had no need for petty manoeuvres like evasion. A series of staggered explosions ripped through that hideous craft, and there was a cheer. For a moment, they thought that perhaps this may be possible. They were quickly abused of such a notion.
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YOUR RESISTANCE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. CONDUCT YOUR RITES AND PREPARE FOR DEATH. THERE IS NO MERCY AMONG THE STARS.
IN THE NAME OF OBSIDIAN SOL.
The unholy sound once again tore through their systems, wreaking havoc on their cybernetics. The monstrosity of a vessel had emerged entirely unscathed from its bombardment. And yet, before they even had time to register, another alarm broke out across countless vessels.
“Admiral! Their counterattack has already begun. What should we do?”
Stony-faced, the Head Admiral issued the command.
“Interlock shields and divert all reactor units towards generators. Remember what we stand for: we cannot fall here!”
“Understood!”
The order was relayed through their internal networks, ships arranging in formation like a hexagonal lattice. A blooming array of iridescent colour burst into view before fading, signalling their shields coming online.
The warheads arrived faster than it should have been possible. The combined energy shield of their hundred or so vessels bucked and heeled under the onslaught, but it appeared to hold strong, cracks being repaired faster than they were broken.
But the fragile balance was unsustainable. Under constant fire, unable to retaliate, it was only a matter of time before the inevitable would happen.
It did not take long for a single faltering area to allow a miniature warhead through. A myriad of ship defense cannons locked onto that little thing, high-intensity lasers that sought to detonate it before release.
They failed. Since the inception of the attack, they had yet to actually damage even a single warhead, only their Lostech energy shield able to grant them at least the ability to make a final stand. And so it was the warhead appeared unscathed from the bombardment, colliding with a single ship.
Only a single ship. But it was enough.
Like a domino, the shield failed and their bulwark against the oncoming tide crumbled. The Head Admiral seemed unperturbed in the face of annihilation, addressing his fleet in a steely tone.
“What is the status?”
“Evacuation has succeeded, Head Admiral. Hive-fleets have escaped.”
Closing his eyes, he let a brief moment of weakness appear on his face, before reinstating his iron façade.
“Very well. It has been an honour to fight alongside you all. We march now into death, but never oblivion. For as long as a single one lives, we all remain.”
A chorus resounded across the comms, all the Ship Captains echoing their Head Admiral’s speech.
YOU ONLY DELAY THE INEVITABLE, HIVELINGS. WE SHALL FIND YOUR PUTRID SCENT, AND WE SHALL HARVEST ALL THAT REMAINS.
IN THE NAME OF OBSIDIAN SOL.
That hideous shriek was the last sound echoing through their system as their fleet disintegrated under the sheer wave of esoteric firepower. The enemy vessel, barbaric and grisly, floated silent in the void as a growing asteroid belt of wreckage spread out before them.
It too, then, disappeared, tearing into hyperspace wrathfully, in search of its silicon prey.