November 30, 2152
"Come on!" Emory taunted, "You all can do better than that." To her sides, Innes, Nephenee, Shepherd, and Tana stood bent over huffing and panting. Gatrie, Gwen, Sam, and Tethys raised their hands in unison and fired a volley of ten thousand bolts. Emory flicked her hand and conjured an equal number of bolts to intercept those coming towards her. The bolts collided and showered the area in prismatic sparks, causing concussive blasts that tore up the ground beneath their feet. As the explosions went off, Shepherd and Tana charged in with their swords, swinging down hard. With each hand, Emory caught the blades when Innes appeared from the shadow of Shepherd and struck her hard in the chest. Her feet dug into the ground to stop her from sliding backwards. Then with a single fluid motion, she kicked Innes in the chest, sending him flying back into the second row of allies. Gatrie and Gwen caught him safely but still skidded back five feet. Meanwhile, Emory shoved back against the swords, causing both of their wielders to slide back. Just after the swords left her hands, she hopped into the air to avoid a sweep of Nephenee's spear. Nephenee redirected the momentum of her polearm, slid her hands up the shaft, and smacked Emory perfectly in the chin with the butt of her weapon. The move caught Emory off guard and rocketed her ten feet into the air. As she sailed upwards, Innes leaped into the air to drive her back down with a double hammer fist strike. He landed the blow perfectly, but Emory, who had recovered already, also connected with a foot jabbed into his ribs. Her body cratered into the ground while he flew towards the cliff's edge. In a last-minute save, Gatrie harnessed a whip made of magik and wrapped around Innes's wrist, catching him just before he careened over the edge. Sweat rolled off all their bodies as Emory pulled herself out of the three-foot indent. A smile broke across Emory's face as she raised her hands in the air. Sighs of relief echoed across the plateau followed by the thuds of bodies falling to the ground in exhaustion.
Emory smirked, "You all are getting pretty good. I'm barely holding back my magik anymore."
"No kidding," Innes laughed as he rubbed his side, "If Gatrie hadn't caught me, I would have tumbled all the way down the cliff."
"I feel like we've grown a lot in these short two weeks. Heck, I feel strong enough to take on that Laxtros by myself," Gwen grinned as she flexed her muscles.
"Good," Emory praised them, "Those probes should be arriving anytime now. Then we'll move on to the next phase of this war. Let's head back to the outpost and see if Jask has any information yet."
After a couple more minutes, they brushed the dirt off and faded into particles of light. Moments later, they reappeared on the teleportation pad of Yuzuno's outpost. Anticipation hung in the air as they all walked calmly towards the Command Center. When they were about a hundred feet away, Greg came running through the doors. He was so ecstatic that he almost ran into them headfirst.
"The probes have made it to the Trappist-1 system! Initial reports are streaming in as we speak!" he squeaked.
"Perfect timing," Shepherd clenched his fist, "Let's go review them right away."
With a little more pep in their step, they rushed to the conference room and began loading the information onto screens. Once the reports and pictures had loaded, the group sat down around a hologram of one of the planets. However, the image was not what they expected.
Emory commanded, "Jask, which planet are we looking at? Give us the details."
"This is registered as Trappist-1 F, home of the Mantoan," Jask responded, "As you can see from the display, the planet's surface has been transformed significantly into a breeding ground for them. While the planet still has a breathable atmosphere, only artificial life can live on the surface. There are no native flora or fauna remaining on the planet, except perhaps the Mantoan themselves if they were ever native inhabitants."
"Are those power cables of some sort? And why is the surface dark like that?" Shepherd asked.
"As far as I can tell, those are the power cables that support the cloning facility based here," Jask answered, "Given the size of the cables, I can only infer that the power necessary to run this facility comes directly from the core of the planet itself. Based on my analysis, this structure is capable of creating upwards of a million Mantoan a day. To answer the question about the surface, I can only guess one of two options. Either the surface's true color was always this ebony color, or the power for the facility is passively sapping energy from the rest of the planet as well."
Innes questioned, "Is this Facility One or Two?"
"I cannot say for sure which facility is one or two, but I can say the other facility is located on a different planet," Jask replied as the screen flashed to the picture of a much different planet, "This is Trappist-1 D, home of the Uthid. As you can see, there are both significant differences and similarities between the two worlds. First and foremost, this planet is covered in large deserts which support the native population of Uthid. Unlike F, there seems to be other lifeforms that still survive in these large deserts and in the jungles that border large bodies of water. However, as you can see, most of the silica on the surface is also a black or burned color, indicating that their power usage may place a big part of the damage done to the planet. Interestingly, there seem to be several massive stone fortifications in the deserts near large populations of Uthid. Unfortunately, my scans are unable to penetrate the structures, indicating a greater level of technology or incredibly thick structures."
"So, that means the Laxtros planet is Trappist-1 E," Emory concluded, "Show us that one please."
Jack loaded the last planet, but the only thing they could see was a black shadow. "Unfortunately, I have encountered significant issues scanning the planet in question. I can tell you basic things such as the planet has breathable air and solid ground. But there are multiple layers of detection deterrence devices, blocking my scans entirely. The only information I can gleam about these defenses is that they come from both technological and magik sources. The interference pattern matches scans from Proxima Centauri B just before it was destroyed. We should proceed with extreme caution when moving to this planet," Jask advised.
"Well, at least we know now which of the groups had the technology to overwhelm Proxima Centauri B," Shepherd shook his head, "And we got good data on the two planets with the cloning facilities. Which one will you strike first, Emory?"
Emory rubbed her chin, "I think we'll attack F first. In my mind, there's a better chance the primary guards are Mantoan, and we'll make quick work of them. Before we go there though, I want to deliver our troops to the front line and secure that battlefield."
"That's a solid plan," Shepherd agreed, "Those troops are all on Temia, awaiting orders."
"Perfect. Tomorrow morning, we'll swing by there, pick them up, and head to the field. Everyone, be ready to move out before dawn tomorrow," Emory ordered the rest of her friends who nodded solemnly.
The group stood up and went their separate ways. They had the rest of the day off to recover and prepare, but Emory was intent on devising a perfect plan for their attack. She made her way to her cabin and cleared off the screens.
She commanded, "Jask, can you please bring up all the information we have on the main battlefield between the Elandrian and the Apleem?" Screens flashed as documents, maps, and other reports filled the windows.
"The main battlefield is on a planet designated LHS 1140 B named Krav by the Elandrian, roughly ten light-years away from the Trappist-1 system," Jask explained, "Much of the land is an artificial construction by the Apleem before the war. Based on what our allies know, this was the enemy's first major attempt at making another world more habitable. According to the latest reports, Elandrian forces occupy about one third of the area with that amount dwindling over the last few weeks."
"If it falls, the Apleem will have a clear path forward," Emory frowned as she looked at the star map.
"That's correct, Miss Reiss," Jask chimed, "Though there are smaller ringworlds further out, those advances are currently blocked from receiving reinforcements due to the Elandrian presence. This is the key choke point of the war. Though taking it may still be a difficult battle. Based on the records received from our allies, this battlefield has been an active war zone for five hundred, seventy-three years. Little progress has been made by either side until quite recently."
Emory smirked, "We'll change that. Can you pull up the most recent scans of the planet and overlay current troop positions?"
"Elandrian forces are surrounded on all sides by the Apleem, with the most ground being lost in the north," Jask highlighted specific areas on the map, "At least a thousand Laxtros are part of the Apleem force with most of them pushing from the north. Reports from last week indicate Soren is leading the defense, but his forces are weary and limited. Finally, the report denotes that teleportation has been largely blocked on the planet by an unknown Apleem device. Getting rid of the device will significantly improve the situation for the Elandrian."
"So, what would you recommend for the attack plan tomorrow?" Emory asked.
"Based on the troop strength that we are bringing plus the power of your elite team, I suggest the best course of action is to split your forces into three teams," Jask advised, "The first group should consist of the Collective forces which will directly support the main Elandrian force. With the extra manpower, they should be freed up to work on the more difficult enemies we are not equipped to deal with. The second group should be just your elite team, and they will focus on taking out the disruption device. Finally, the third group is just you. I recommend you head to the front and ease the tension off Soren's group."
Emory chuckled, "You must think I'm strong enough to tip the scales all by myself."
"As you know, all of you are equipped with a chip that sends me data about your power level and magik ability," Jask elaborated, "I have had to rewrite the program over the last two weeks to compensate for your growth. Your control or sphere level is nearing the peak of my data, which is impressive considering your age. However, your mana pool is beyond my ability to predict; in other words, I can no longer quantify the depth of your magik reserves. Moreover, your stamina is trending in the same direction. Based on the data I have, I can only imagine that your body has begun to transmute your mana into stamina directly. Given the right opportunity, such as this one, I estimate that your body will refine the process to its peak, meaning you will have an unlimited amount of stamina."
"Incredible. I guess I'm quite lucky to have the gift I do. Let's go with your plan. Now, let's look at Trappist-1 F," Emory smiled as the screens changed again. She and Jask continued going over different strategies for the Apleem home world for several hours. Finally, as the night started, Emory got hungry. As she ate, she reviewed the plan for tomorrow over and over again in her head. When she finally got back to her room, she felt confident about the days ahead. Now at peace, she curled up in her bed and fell asleep. Tomorrow, the course of the war would change unlike anyone expected.
A red light flashed ominously in a dark throne room of sorts. Three knocks on a steel door preceded the groan of the massive door as it opened, and a cloaked Laxtros scurried into the chamber. At the end of the room on a massive throne, Petrine tapped her fingers furiously on the arm of the chair. When the messenger got close enough, she knelt on the ground in front of the throne and bowed her head.
Petrine stopped tapping and spoke clearly, "Speak."
"Mistress, we have detected several small probes entering the system," the messenger quivered, "They appear to be surveillance satellites from the humans. What should we do?"
"Hmm. From the humans, you say? They must be quite rudimentary. Where are they headed to?" Petrine mused.
"Two are in the outer orbit of the Uthid, two are in the outer orbit of the Mantoan, and two are in orbit around us," the messenger answered quickly, "Based on our scans, they are able to scan the surface but are unable to penetrate our detection deterrents. They may have already transmitted data back to their home location."
Petrine grinned, "I see. She seems to be in a rush if these were built with cloaking technology, though that could also be too advanced for the humans. Still, this is good news."
"Good news, Mistress?" the messenger questioned anxiously, "If the enemy knows our location, isn't that bad news?"
"Not at all. This means she intends to come here herself. It saves me the trouble of going to find her myself. Leave the probes alone; let her believe we are unaware of them," Petrine coyly directed the messenger.
"Yes, ma'am," the messenger nodded, "Your will be done. I will take my leave." The messenger bowed again before getting up and turning away towards the door.
Petrine called wryly, "Tell all home planets to begin gathering their forces, though I'm not sure how effective they will be at slowing her down. If she's gotten strong enough to take out Selena, I doubt they'll be able to give her much of a challenge."
"Yes, mistress, I'll alert the other planets," the messenger replied as she opened the door. Once the door closed again, Petrine reached over and grabbed a large tome. Unlike normal leather-bound books, the outer covering seemed to be thinner, more fleshy and pale. She flipped to a particular page and ran her finger over the writing until she reached a specific part.
"If she has the crown, I have to make sure to remove it before I finish her," Petrine mumbled, "With that in my possession, I can finally move forward with the last phase of my plan. Then this galaxy, no, this universe will bend to my will. But if she has it, the battle could be a little tricky. I must make sure that my backup plan is ready to go. At least she's coming to me."