The Genesis Saga Chapter 216

Bloodshot eyes exchanged gazes around the room, where every Elder could see the countdown tir until Cyrix dropped out of hyperspace, ready to invade the gru’ul. Minutes ticked down slowly, and the final seconds stretched eternally, until at last, the tir hit zero. re monts later, an incoming call ca through, grabbing everyone’s attention. Nessah accepted, and Cyrix’s figure appeared at the center of the dais.

“Elders,” Cyrix said, wasting no ti with pleasantries, “the rest of the fleet is due to drop out of hyperspace any second now.” His eyes flicked towards an unseen screen, and he smiled grimly. “I have just received an update. All forces have officially entered the gru’ul ho system. We are ready to deploy at your command.”

“Report received,” Nessah replied. “Scan the planetary system and adjust your plans accordingly. Now is not the ti for restraint. Deploy the full might of the Sunalii.”

“Understood,” Cyrix saluted.

“Go, War Commander Cyrix. Cut down our enemies,” Nessah commanded. “May they reap what they have sown. Eradicate them so thoroughly they will never again harm another with their cruelness.”

The entirety of the Tribunal saluted Cyrix, respect shining in their gazes. It would not help them win the war, but all present understood how dangerous the mission truly was. Cyrix was their final hope.

The gru’ul would never know what hit them until it was too late.

***

The call with High Command ended and Cyrix took a mont to collect himself. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t scared. He now had the fate of the most important mission their faction had ever known resting on his shoulders. Despite the countless hours spent pouring over the data Ava had provided for them and conferring with his specialists, he still felt woefully unprepared for what was to co.

For a mont, his shoulders sagged and his entire deanor changed to one of pure exhaustion. He caught himself quickly, knowing there was no ti to lose. His people were counting on him and he would not fail. His posture changed in the blink of an eye, the smooth mask of War Commander sliding onto his face. He stood, proud and ready to serve. He strode out of his secured office without hesitation and made towards the command bridge of the flagship.

All personnel parted as Cyrix stord through the halls, his thoughts entirely consud by his mission. He hardly noticed the salutes and didn’t bother dismissing them. He had better things to worry about than decorum in a ti where every mont could an the difference between success and failure.

He made it to his destination in record ti. It took but a mont for the doors of the command bridge to slide open, allowing him access. He strode in, absentmindedly noting the thick tension that hung in the room. No sooner had he sat in his command chair did a screen from the lead data analyst appear. Her station was deeper in the room, and Cyrix appreciated her efficiency by not coming to see him directly. He accepted the call along with the incoming data. Two more screens imdiately materialized in front of him.

“War Commander,” the analyst said in a clipped tone, “there is an increased presence of ships beyond what was reported by the initial scouting team a month ago. I believe that the gru’ul have called their reserve forces to defend the planet.”

Cyrix took the news in stride. “How many additional ships are there?” he asked, already running ntal calculations on how to account for them.

“Thousands,” the analyst replied. “The two motherships are positioned at opposing sides of the planet on our respective left and right. They also appear to be slightly larger than the ones currently orbiting Verilia.”

“If that’s the case, how did our scouting team make it past them during their previous mission?” Cyrix asked with a frown.

“I believe the gru’ul simply weren’t expecting us to invade,” she replied. “Now, they clearly are. I wouldn’t be surprised if the already knew we were here.”

Cyrix nodded. “They haven’t responded yet, which will give us ti to prepare.” Not that the troops needed it, as every soldier was already on standby, ready for deploynt. “Send any other pertinent data from your scans.” The screens before him imdiately changed to display new information. Cyrix spent a long minute studying them, adjusting his plans based on what he saw. After confirming with the analyst that there were no cloaked ships in the system, he ca to a decision on how to proceed.

Without wasting even a second, Cyrix swiftly issued his commands to the rest of the fleet’s leaders, detailing rapidly how their approach was to be changed. Their original plan of a full-frontal attack simply wouldn’t work with so many additional enemy ships swarming around the planet. Instead, Cyrix opted to split the force into three, forcing the gru’ul to send more ships to defend a third location while the other two groups would storm the motherships.

Orders issued, Cyrix called up a new holoscreen to address the entirety of the fleet, from maintenance staff to soldiers to fleet commanders alike. For those not near a screen, his voice coming from their many speakers would have to suffice.

Cyrix stared into the screen before him, his expression dark and grim. “Soldiers of the Sunalii,” he started, his voice laden with the full gravitas his position afforded him, “this is your War Commander speaking. Before you are not rely our enemies, but enemies of all life itself. They have ushered forth weapons terrible and evil beyond belief. They have co for us, using them on our friends and families.

“Our people were butchered in the streets,” he continued, his voice rising, “in their hos, and in our hospitals. The gru’ul continue their massacre as I speak. Make no mistake. They are a cruel and vile species. They knowingly and willingly inflict such violence upon another.

“Gone are our peaceful days. Gone is our innocence. Gone is our world as we knew it. The gru’ul seek only to destroy and eradicate us until we are nothing more than ashes scattered upon toxic winds.

“They created us and toyed with us throughout our entire history. They strung us up and studied us to satisfy their curiosity. But we are more than that!” he shouted. “We are not their playthings! We are not their property! We are our own, free people. If we do not fight, we will all die in the most grueso ways possible.

“Today, my fellow soldiers, we fight for our present and for our future,” Cyrix said, his smoldering anger apparent to all. “For if we do not, we will lose them. We have been given the grisly task of destroying the gru’ul so thoroughly they will never harm another again. History will not rember us as heroes but as survivors. Our freedom will be bought and paid for by the blood and lives of all those here today. If that is what it takes to have a history beyond tomorrow, so be it.

“Yesterday, we worshipped our gods,” Cyrix said. “Today, we kill them,” he finished. “All soldiers prepare for imdiate deploynt. We have a war to win and a people to eradicate.”

As one, the a’vaare roared in defiance.

As one, they readied their weapons.

For it was as one they would fight and as one they would survive.

***

Drones scurried about the half-built hatchery with purpose and precision. The Highest watched over the proceedings, determined to ensure that no mistakes were made with such sensitive equipnt. Months had passed since the experints had dared rise against their creators and stolen from them what was rightfully theirs. To add insult to injury, they had sohow corrupted the data at the previous facility and stolen vital information.

To this day, the Highest still had no idea how they had managed such a feat in the short ti they were actually present inside the building. Much to its displeasure, there were no surviving a’vaare that could have given it a proper explanation. All that remained from such a disastrous day were butchered gru’ul. The Highest shrilled in anger at the mory. Perfectly good drones expired from the actions of their lessers. The thought disgusted it. The Highest took solace in the fact that such failures of gru’ul had been purged from their ranks.

The new hatchery it was in was far from complete. It was missing vital components that even the Highest was hard-pressed to manufacture at a mont’s notice. It was only a matter of days until they were ready and the hatchery could be completed. And then, finally, it could complete its experints.

The Highest knew it had lost much due to the corruption at its old facility, but it didn’t need discarded theories and rejected ideas. Since then, it had worked tirelessly to refine what its superior mory rembered and had at last co up with a solution. The Highest had no doubt that its latest theory was perfect. Everything that had previously failed had been fixed. In a scant few days, it would have proof of concept.

And then, it would be able to deliver success to its Queen. What a glorious day that would be. The Highest could hardly wait. Its thoughts of glory were suddenly interrupted by the call of a re worker drone. Irked, the Highest brought its attention away from the perfection it would usher forth and focused on the annoyance.

“Highest,” the drone said after respectfully lowering its head, “we have received notice of unidentified spacecraft on the fringes of our star system. We believe them to belong to the experints.”

“Why have the motherships not already dealt with the intruders?” the Highest demanded. “They should be able to make quick work of our creations’ inferior technology.”

“The motherships are already moving to intercept,” the drone indicated.

“Then why did you bother ?” the Highest asked, a cold anger growing within it. “I have more important matters to attend to than exterminating rabid vermin.”

“The experints have co in numbers so vast that our motherships have reported the potential for significant losses if they engage.”

“Impossible!” the Highest shrieked. “The experints do not possess the ability to destroy so many of our ships. Do the commander drones need to be replaced with more competent ones if they cannot even handle such a minor problem?”

“The commander drones request your presence to determine the best approach to minimize casualties,” the drone continued. It did not flinch when the Highest screeched in displeasure, nor did it react when it pulled out a weapon and shot it out of spite. The acrid stench of burnt carapace filled the room as it lifelessly fell to the ground, innards spilling out of the large cavity in its chest.

Work around the hatchery ground to a halt as the drones installing the newest birthing pods turned towards their fallen brethren. They felt no pity nor anger. They felt nothing at all. If the Highest had deed the dead gru’ul a failure, then death was a suitable punishnt.

The Highest noticed the abrupt silence in the hatchery. “Continue your work,” it hissed. Pointing towards a random drone, it said, “Bring to the control room. Let assess whether a purge is required. Imperfection must not be tolerated.”

“By your will, Highest,” the drone replied. It stepped past the molten corpse on the floor and led the Highest to the facility’s designated control room. It was imdiately dismissed upon arrival, no longer having any use for the Highest, and returned back to the hatchery to further the Mandate as all gru’ul were tasked with doing.

The Highest skittered towards the center of the room, where several panels appeared out of thin air around its head. It interacted with the spectral interface and soon the image of two commander drones floated in front of it. “You are having difficulties with a minor task,” the Highest stated with a staccato of clicks to show its displeasure. “Why must I be present to accomplish your assigned purpose?”

Both gru’ul onscreen bowed their heads deferentially. “We have scanned the intruders for their formations. The reports indicate that they have dispatched at least half of their fleet surrounding their ho planet.”

The Highest paused. It did not know how long it took for the experints to reach their star system from their pitiful world, but dispatching half of their defending fleet ant their ho world was relatively undefended. “You did not think to report this oddity earlier? Why have the experints co in such numbers?” it asked. “With much of their fleet missing, how co their ho world has yet to be destroyed?”

“The other motherships reported this sixteen cycles prior,” the other commander drone replied. “You did not acknowledge the report.”

“I have been occupied with furthering the Mandate,” the Highest clicked. “Sothing you drones refuse to do. Continue.”

A beat passed before the drone proceeded. “The motherships orbiting their ho world are still recharging their main weapons,” it continued. “They have shattered their remaining defenses and are in the midst of eradicating them with the ships we have dispatched. Cities and towns are poorly defended and are easily razed. The experints’ continued existence is limited and they know it. We believe they have dispatched a last-ditch effort to harm us before being eradicated.”

The Highest clicked in annoyance. “Very well. Since you have gone through great lengths to bother , I shall solve your problems for you, as is befitting of a gru’ul of my station. Send your scans.” It only took a mont for three new screens to appear around the Highest. Using its many eyes, it took in the data rapidly.

“Given their improved combat capabilities and the presence of their flagship,” the commander drone said, “we believe that such numbers pose an active threat to the swarm.”

An alert chid and all three gru’ul imdiately turned their attention to it. The experints had begun to move. “They have split into three groups,” the Highest stated. “This makes no sense, but what else should I have expected from our lessers? All they have done is weaken their combat capacity.”

Two of the groups oriented themselves to face the motherships in orbit while the third group turned towards an undefended part of the planet. “Dispatch all units,” the Highest responded swiftly. “Send one third of each mothership’s fighters to the undefended location.” No sooner had it given the order, all the a’vaare ships winked out of existence.

The commander drones followed the Highest’s orders without question and the swarm split to cover all three of the experints’ attacks. The swarm was ordered to deploy to its full might, ready to intercept the invaders once they reappeared out of hyperspace.

It took but a scant ten seconds before the a’vaare made their reappearance. Far closer to the motherships and the planet than the Highest expected. “What are you waiting for?” it scread. “Attack!”

A beat passed before the swarm poured out of the motherships in even greater numbers than the a’vaare. The two opposing forces opened fire on one another with the single-minded goal of eradicating their enemies. Beams of energy and plasma tore through the space between the armies, so of the hits connecting and exploding.

The a’vaare ships did not wait to see if their shot landed before changing directions and reentering hyperspace. The beams of plasma launched from the swarm sailed harmlessly through the now empty where the a’vaare occupied but monts before contact.

The three groups of a’vaare ships reappeared two seconds later, closer to the swarm than ever before. “Fire again!” the Highest ordered. “Close the gap and prevent them from entering hyperspace a second ti.”

The swarm’s reaction was imdiate. The entirety of the gru’ul might winked out of existence and reappeared dangerously close to the enemy, leaving them no ti to escape as they launched a second volley of plasma directly towards them.

The Highest watched in cruel satisfaction as the experints’ ships exploded around the planet, basking in the carnage the swarm was wreaking. Pleased that their inferior logic had been thwarted by its superior intellect, the Highest issued one final order.

“Eradicate them.”