Chương 60: Dimensional Entanglements
Third Person PoV:
Location: Deviant Skrull Imperial Star fleet, Near Shiraori's Current Position: The Moon Sized Body or 'Space Debris', Wide Expanse of Space
A small fleet of 12 warships sliced through the void. The ships moved with a synchronized elegance, their dark hulls adorned with intricate, alien glyphs. The Imperial Star fleets comprised of many such small fleets.
At the forefront of the formation was a single commanding Dreadnought. It was rather small compared to how big these ships usually were.
Its presence casting an imposing shadow across the star-lit canvas of space. The Birds of Prey, nimble and lethal, flanked the Dreadnought in all directions.
All of which have two wings, a bridge, and a neck connecting the bridge to the main body. They were equipped with advanced cloaking technology, rendering them nearly invisible. The energy fields nearly surrounding them shimmered with a protective glow.
Some of them were malfunctioning as if they had been damaged during battle. Scanners and sensors embedded in the hulls hummed with activity, constantly probing for any anomalies. The warp drives were on cooldown after a long slingshot through the vast, empty stretches of space.
Each ship boasted a formidable array of firepower, capable of unleashing devastating barrages upon their adversaries. The concentrated beams, when unleashed, could raze entire cities and reshape landscapes, leaving destruction in their wake.
Of course, this was just a small fleet that lacked firepower which could not erase solar systems, but it was formidable In its own right.
In the heart of this interstellar armada, a bald skrull with pointed ears, furrowed chin and green skin like any other deviant skrull, was pacing with scars visible through his armour.
This was the Grand Commander of this small fleet Vorkene 'th who was currently in a state of panic. He was a veteran who had won quite a few battles but this time, his fleet had been lured into a trap. But in truth his victories were in a large part due to luck and manipulation.
This time, he had found a small fleet of what he assumed to be a small fleet of those pests. The Kree, who were also their mortal enemies amongst all others in existence. It could be said that their civilization was entwined with the Kree for a long, long time.
It was back when the Skrulls were a pathetic, largely peaceful race. About a million years ago, the reptilian Skrulls, encountered prehistoric planet Hala, inhabited by the Kree and Cotati races.
The peaceful Skrulls sought to integrate the natives into their empire. To determine the worthier race, they transported representatives of the Kree and Cotati to the Blue Area of the Earth's Moon, instructing them to create something of value.
The Kree built the impressive Blue City, while the Cotati cultivated a beautiful garden. When the Skrulls returned for judgment, they deemed the Cotati's creation superior.
In a fit of rage, the Kree slaughtered the Skrulls and Cotati, seizing their star ship. Using the technology, the Kree expanded their empire across the galaxy, sparking the Kree-Skrull War in subsequent encounters with the Skrulls.
The Kree-Skrull War seemed unending for it still continued to this day. Even if it was no longer those peace lovers who had died out and left behind this archenemy as their legacy. It was them, the deviants of the Skrulls, who ruled now. They had wiped out all the unworthies.
Perhaps, they could simply be called Skrulls now. A ferocious warrior race of humanoid shapeshifters.
Anyway, hunting down lone Kree ships was Vorkene 'th's hobby. He loved watching them pathetically curse on the throes of death. And he thought this time would be no different only for them to be ambushed, not by the Kree, but a swarm of the Brood.
The Brood were eerie insect-like beings with both exoskeletons and endoskeletons. They weren't your typical bugs; their jaws were more like fangs, and their heads were flat with unique marks between their large eyes.
Their two front legs were like tentacles, able to grab and manipulate things. There were different types - the smaller, flying ones, the bigger Queens, and the super-sized Empress. The little flyers had see-through wings, and the Queens could stick Brood embryos into other creatures, turning them into more Brood.
What made them extra scary was their parasitic nature. They didn't make their own bodies; instead, they hijacked other creatures, even intelligent ones. The infected host might not even have known they were under the Brood's control.
These insects were a cosmic threat to all races, infecting and transforming all sorts of species across the universe. It was like a silent invasion, spreading fear and uncertainty wherever they went as they devoured everything in sight.
They were like a swarm with a hivemind. Any information from a brood host would be passed on to the queens, who would then transmit it to other broodings. Newly converted members of the brood could retain abilities of their hosts and could morph into them.
While Vorkene 'th was able to temporarily escape the swarm, he had lost 8 warships in the process. Again, this escape was momentary thanks to a last minute successful warp. But it was only a matter of time before the brood caught up. And speak of the devil:
"Commander Vorkene 'th," the voice crackled over the communication channel, "Brood warships sighted, approaching coordinates nine-five-two mark seven. The warp drives and shields are down. How should we proceed?"
Vorkene 'th cursed before commanding: "How much longer until the warp drives are running again? Try and draw out the battle for as long as possible before making another space jump." His reluctance to engage in a losing battle was palpable.
Amongst, the warrior like Skrulls who lived to wage war, Vorkene 'th was an oddity. He lived to exploit those much weaker than him and enjoy the fruits of others battle achievements through treachery.
"Approximately 4.5 hours at the very least for a short range space jump. There is also some space debris that is blocking our path. Furthermore, the engines are damaged so we can't change course.
Our only choice is to try and destroy it, but that would require the little remaining energy source of the entire fleet." Needless to say, their encounter with the Brood had nearly wrung them dry.
Moreover, it was unlikely that they could destroy the debris entirely with their limited reserves even after all of this. Still, this was their only option as even if the debris was not shattered in its entirety, it might give them enough room to manoeuvre. If not, the only other option that remaining was fighting to death.
"Then draw out the brood warships and destroy all of them together." He would happily sacrifice all his glory as the commander along with his fleet if he could escape and start over. Seizing an escape vessel during the chaos and running away was his plan.
Of course, his subordinates happily followed this suicidal order. Unlike him, the rest of them longed for battle and to wage war. Fighting to the death was an ideal scenario for them so no one complained.
So, the plan was put in action and with the expert manoeuvring of the ships by the capable captains under his command, the mix of organic and inorganic ships belonging to the Brood were visible.
They were closely approaching the projected trajectory of the energy beams that would destroy the debris. This fleet of the Brood were not using the infected Acanti as star ships.
Acanti were gargantuan creatures, ranging in size from a few miles in length to hundreds of miles long. The Brood had infected them due to observing their potential for faster than light travel. If the Brood were using them, they might have already caught up with his small fleet.
"Initiate the energy beams. Obliterate everything!" He commanded in a haste born out of desperation. The Brood fleet had not even been properly aligned with the expected trajectory.
Even if the plan was successful, at most only a few of the Brood warships would be destroyed.
Regardless, as Vorkene 'th's command reverberated through the ship, streams of luminous energy erupted from every surviving star ship in the fleet.
These concentrated energy beams streaked across space, converging towards the menacing Brood warships and the space debris. The brilliance of the energy beams illuminated the
darkness.
As Vorkene 'th awaited the impending impact while looking for his chance to escape, a portal materialized unexpectedly, swallowing the energy beams into its mysterious depths. Bewilderment etched across his face as the anticipated destruction did not unfold as planned.
'What? Is it a new enemy?' Before he could process the unexpected turn of events, another portal emerged, redirecting the energy beams towards few of the flanking warships with ruthless precision.
The once formidable vessels, whether Skrull or Brood, succumbed instantly to the devastating power leaving behind the remaining few star ships.
The portal then expanded and engulfed all the warships in sight, whether they belonged to the brood or the Skrulls before closing again. It seemed that they were locked away in a small sized pocket dimension of sorts.
It was not an uncommon tactic in space warfare to trap singular enemies or fleets in different spaces during battles to prevent outside interference or communication.
Vorkene 'th didn't know who this enemy was but they were clearly hostile to them. He had to bring the situation under control quickly.
"Quick! Pr…" His words were cut off as what seemed like tangled threads wrapped around the Dreadnought,ensnaring it with a vice-like grip. They held the ship tightly with no sign of being ripped apart, as if to mock to star ship that had survived through many battles.
The sound of snapping cables then echoed through the silent expanse, cutting through the materials that made up the Dreadnaought. In an instant, the once-proud Dreadnought succumbed to the relentless force, shattered into cosmic debris.
*Boom!*
Amidst the chaos, Vorkene 'th's desperate attempts to issue commands were stifled by the threads. A chilling silence replaced the once-bustling communication channels as the remaining star ships watched the spectacle unfolding before them.
Of course, neither the Skrull nor the Brood were scared of this unknown powerful enemy. Especially in the case of the Brood. After all, power enemies meant potential powerful hosts.
Besides, they had to deal with this enemy to leave the pocket dimension. So they, moved towards the debris that was the possible current location of the enemy with anticipation.
***
Hey! I finally got around to writing a chapter for this story after quite a long time. And for those who don't know, the Brood are basically like Xenomorphs; somewhat Zerg like creatures. As usual, can't make promises for more chapters. Hope you enjoyed reading!
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