An Untitled Novel

“So, are we ready?” Basil asked, suddenly feeling as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. ACE spoke over the salvaged craft’s intercom. “Momentarily, the Lizard King is still taking contingencies in the event he does not return.” Basil looked surprised, asking “He’s coming himself?” although upon asking he realized that of course the Lizard King would be coming - in fact he would most likely be leading the charge. “He’s requested to join you on the craft if that is okay,” ACE relayed. “Of course.”

Basil paced in circles until the Lizard King made his way on board. “We truly know nothing of the place we intend to attack?” ACE responded to the Lizard King’s question. “Unfortunately, no. Only the coordinates and that whatever group of old Elthrice attacked us are using it for some purpose – likely their base of operation.” Basil stopped pacing and stood by the modified wormhole device. “Well?” Basil asked, an open-ended question seeking the state of readiness. “Everybody is ready for you to leave, and will continue preparations during your travel” ACE answered, Basil replying “Well then, ACE, Grey, Nerva, if this is it it’s been an honor.”

Everyone remained silent as the craft’s doors closed. ACE gave them a play-by-play as they left the atmosphere, but they felt movement this trip as they were all thrown to the ground. “What happened!?” Basil shouted, ACE asking the same question over the intercom. “Planetary defenses” Grey replied in a near whisper. Basil scrambled to his feet, but looked on at the generator that had been thrown into the spare batteries. The scattered generator pieces were covered in battery acid, making it evident that they could not draw power from their backup sources.

“Backup power is down, what’s the craft looking like?” Basil asked, suddenly worried he’d die before anybody could even join the fight. “Auxilary power is offline, although the console is currently powered. I’m routing all power to it now; the console’s power port will be fried alongside the console, you need to wire it directly to the internals.” The Lizard King began to step out the door, but quickly ducked his head back in. “There’s already a few outside, and looks like there’s more on the way!” Basil ran over to the console in a panic, setting down his rifle and pulling out his knife, shouting “Hold them off!”

The deafening crack of automatic fire echoed through the cabin, and it soon became apparent that they were also being fired upon as projectiles ricocheted throughout inside. Basil tried to bend a panel on the dashboard with his knife. The panel wouldn’t budge at first, but Basil mustered all his strength and weight into the leverage and it began to bend. Just as it was partially open, however, Basil felt himself flying face first into the console as the blade of his knife snapped. tang

He realized he had hit the ground a second or two after he had done so. It felt as if he had broken his nose, and he could feel warm blood running down from both his nose and forehead. He looked behind just in time to see a red mist erupt from the Lizard King’s shoulder, the Lizard King falling to the ground before scrambling back to his feet and returning fire. Grey immediately ran towards the pile of things nearby, grabbing the modified wormhole device and setting it beside Basil so quickly that at first he thought she threw it.

Though he expected her to help him open the panel, she instead said something in Elthrice and took on a somber looking face, before saying “Hurry” and picking up Basil’s rifle. Basil returned to trying to open the panel, an intense fear suddenly washing over him that she would turn the rifle on herself, but with the second set of automatic bursts that filled the cabin, he knew that was not the case.

He reached his arm past the bent panel, scraping it on the sharp metal as he shoved past it. Feeling around he found the broken blade, and resisting pain of grabbing the blade he held it tightly. Next, feeling around for the wires while the cutting implement dug deeper into his hands, he cut and grabbed the wires before pulling them and the knife blade from inside the console.

Basil froze for just a second, staring at the dark red blood oozing out of his hand and arm, but quickly resumed his work. Attatching the cut wires to the wormhole device, he hoped against all odds that ACE could route enough power to get the device started. Nothing happened for several seconds, but just as Basil began to think all hope was lost, an incalculable number of drones began to materialize in front of him. Grey and the Lizard King jumped out of the way, and the drones flew out of the door of their now wrecked Elthrice craft.

The Lizard King immediately grabbed his shoulder in pain now that they were momentarily out of the fight. Taking the moment afforded as ACE dumped their entire inventory of drones on their foes, Basil picked up the wormhole device now running off power from the facility. He bolted outside and set it on the ground, claiming a small foothold on the alien planet before any of the old Elthrice could return to retake it. A gush of wind blew as the wormhole changed from the pressurized room to one nearby the Lizard King’s army; Domum sucking Elthrice air as thousands of the Lizard King’s soldiers rushed out to enter the fight.

Many Elthrice were already making their way back to the battlegrounds, both afoot and in landing crafts, and Basil stood unmoving in place as a brutal and one sided battle began to take shape. The Lizard King’s soldiers were cut down where they stood, taking out some Elthrice but losing scores of troops per kill. They continued to pour out of the wormhole, however, even as they had to climb over the piles of bodies of their fellow soldiers to reach the front. Basil’s immobility was broken, however, as one ran through and thrust a wormhole device into Basil’s hands before running off to join the others.

Basil ran forward in the direction of a ruined city where the Elthrice seemed to be emerging from. The Lizard King’s soldiers appeared to be gaining a small amount of ground, and Basil approached the front line. The already red dirt was stained with blood, and only the combination of painkillers and amphetamines coursing through his blood gave him the strength to climb over the bodies that lay in front of him. Making it as close as he could to the front lines without getting gunned down, he laid the wormhole device down next to a dead Elthrice clutching one of the eerily human like weapons. Before he could process anything, though, many soldiers began to pour out from the wormhole device - one handing Basil another.

Basil made his way towards the next portion of the front lines that ACE directed him to, and yet another wormhole was opened. Many Redcap and some Arkepello soldiers began to pour out alongside each other. The battle raged on, and Basil began to return to the crashed craft to receive treatment for his wounds. More Elthrice ships continued to land; a majority of the soldiers on Domum and many civilian volunteers making their way to meet them on the battlefield.