The explosions finally stopped rocking the Highest’s lab. Deep underground in a safe room, the Highest hardly noticed them. The vibrations weren’t what stole its attention. Rather, it was focused on several screens floating in front of it, assessing the damage done by the bombs.
It hissed in displeasure as the screens confird that both hatcheries were destroyed in the attack. While there were many other hatcheries scattered throughout their planet to birth its kind, the ruined ones were those the Highest truly cared about. They were where the equipnt needed to create the new, modified gru’ul were located. The loss would put the Mandate back months, if not years due to how highly specialized the birthing pods were.
A staccato of clicks loosed from the Highest’s throat as its minds sought alternative experintal locations to continue the Mandate. Unfortunately for it, there were no suitable locations apart from its personal research facility. It would have to rebuild what had been lost.
After confirming that the intruders had definitively left the star cluster its ho planet was in, the Highest exited its secure location and went about assessing the damage with its own eyes. It knew full-well that the screens wouldn’t capture everything.
The Highest missed the screens silently glitch and fritz out of existence as the wall reford behind it.
Room by room, the Highest toured the research facility, noting what had been damaged. Noting the distinct lack of life in the lab that it had abandoned the human in, it was forced to conclude that the despicable a’vaare had stolen its property right from under its nose. The idea that it had been tricked by its lessers and lost such a valuable experint irritated the Highest imnsely.
It was of no matter, however.
The Highest had done enough research that it could continue its experints on other gru’ul without the human. It made its way to the restricted room reserved solely for it and approached the wall with the engraving. It lted away with a bubbling, hissing sound and the Highest stepped through.
Without pausing its stride, the Highest made its way towards the terminal in the center of the room. It took its ornate badge off of its chest in inserted it into the depression on the terminal. A glitching screen appeared above the terminal and the Highest imdiately knew that sothing was wrong.
It attempted to input commands, but even the spectral keyboard wouldn’t work properly. Unable to do anything, it instead spoke an ergency protocol out loud in its glorious language and the data terminal opened up. The Highest looked inside.
And saw that it was empty, bereft of the data crystal that should have been housed there.
The Highest was overco with an imnse anger and shrieked it out. The a’vaare had stolen the most sensitive data it had in its research facility! Not only that, but they had sabotaged the master terminal.
The Highest yanked its badge off of the terminal and placed it back upon its chest before storming out of the room. It moved swiftly and with purpose towards the lab the human had been taken from. It stepped around the bodies of its fallen brethren when it arrived and made imdiately for the terminal in the room.
Upon activation, the Highest learned that it was corrupted as well.
Dread word through the Highest. Using its badge, it summoned worker drones to the lab and ordered them to test various other terminal spread around the facility. Ti slowed to a crawl as the Highest waited impatiently for them to return with an update.
One by one, the drones returned, and they all reported the sa news: every terminal they ca across did not function properly. The Highest screeched and used its badge to contact the motherships stationed in the a’vaare ho system.
“Glass the planet,” the Highest ordered coldly. “Ensure that nothing remains of those pitiful experints. They have transgressed their bounds and must now be eliminated at all costs.”
The Highest was already on its way to another location before an affirmative response ca back. It would personally direct the attack and bear witness to the a’vaares’ destruction. Anticipation welled in its chest as it envisioned the fiery hell it would put the a’vaare through before they all perished.
It could hardly wait.
***
Nessah was snapped out of her work when she received an ergency missive from the team monitoring the gru’ul motherships. She imdiately answered the call with the team’s leader. A holoscreen appeared before her displaying a haggard woman.
“War General,” the woman saluted, “we’ve detected increasing energy signatures from the motherships in orbit. We have reason to believe that they will attempt to attack us again.”
“How long do we have?” Nessah urged, already typing on her data slate to warn the other Elders of the devolving situation. She needed Maraz to ensure that the planetary shields were operating at full capacity if they were to survive the attack.
“Minutes,” the soldier replied.
“Thank you for the tily report,” Nessah said distractedly, already coordinating with Maraz. “Forward your results to Elder Maraz. You’re dismissed.” She ended the call so fast that her soldiers didn’t have the ti to respond. Nessah jumped out of her seat and ran towards the special room used for Tribunal etings. After closing and locking the door behind her, she sat down, and the other Elders appeared instantly.
“Maraz,” Nessah said, ignoring the usual formalities, “please tell the shields can withstand the attacks.”
Maraz wasted no ti in answering. “They should be able to,” he responded. His eyes scanned the various real-ti reports coming from Nessah’s analysts. “The energy signatures coming from the ships are growing at a staggering pace and will soon eclipse our threshold for safely neutralizing the attack.”
“Will we survive?” Nessah prompted.
“It’ll be a coin toss,” Maraz replied, fear lacing his voice as the energy signatures climbed further. “If the attack grows any stronger it will destroy our shields entirely,” he fretted. “We won’t have anything left to repel the gru’ul with. They’ll be able to freely descend onto Verilia in full force.”
Nessah was about to respond when a deep, rumbling sound shook her very bones. Every Elder knew, in that mont, that the gru’ul had just attacked again. Nessah imdiately drew up a feed from outside and set it on display for everyone to see.
It showed a supernova impacting a brilliant, blue barrier of shimring light in the sky. It was so blindingly bright that she was forced to shield her eyes, even through the video feed. An eternity of seconds passed as a wave of force pressed down on her, suffocating and unrelenting. A sharp, resounding crack reminiscent of shattering glass broke the mont.
And then, silence.
The light from the holoscreen died down, and the Elders saw the planetary shields crumble and break in the sky. Maraz confird that the shields were damaged beyond repair. Their last line of defense against the gru’ul’s terrible might had fallen.
They could no longer stop the swarm.
***
Loud sirens blared, jerking Reya and Miarre out of their stupor. They were gathered at the Odd Lot for a drink. The stares from the other custors were unbearable, but that was the least of their problems. Everybody in the shop knew that the gru’ul had launched yet another mighty attack against the planet and the imnse display of power left all the patrons speechless.
The sirens indicated an air raid, and all civilians were to take cover. The security detail guarding Reya imdiately sprang into action and escorted her through the throng of panicking people safely, with Miarre following close behind. They were both shoved into the armored vehicle that had driven them off base for the rare afternoon outing and sped back towards the base, ignoring traffic safety rules in their haste to protect them.
Reya looked out the window and saw countless black dots appear on the horizon, steadily growing closer. There were so many of them that she couldn’t count them all. There was a flash of blue from several of them. Several monts passed until the building right behind the car was hit by a brilliant bolt of energy and vaporized. The resulting impact when it hit the ground sent an explosion of debris into the street.
A large chunk of stone flew into the side of the car and sent it careening onto a sidewalk and towards the nearest building. The thumps and sickening crunches that resounded inside the car told Reya everything she needed to know about the pedestrians that had been the way right before they crashed into a wall and everything went dark.
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