THE HOLY WAR AGAINST THE DEAD RACE

Planet Vodnipahnny, their destination, wasn’t far away now. It was named after a traditional Slavic goddess, like the sun of this system, and, according to belief, lived in water on pagan Earth long ago. The world’s fire-brick coloured surface glowed in the darkness of space. One year on Vodnipahnny was about five hundred and sixty-four Earth days. That’s a long wait between birthdays! The world had several oceans and a few continents. But everything would turn to ash if the plan worked.

The priest-captain, Yanko Aungen, wanted things to go well. He hoped for no resistance from their target. The explorers they sought had landed, taking shelter in old ruins on the surface. The small, ill-armed group posed no threat, simplifying the mission.

No one could say a mission was done until everything was over and the dust had settled on their enemies’ bodies. Aungen knew this very well.

But he didn’t know everything and could never have imagined what was going to occur.
 


Nothing is created and nothing is destroyed. Everything is transformed. This was an adage that science and physics had long relied on.

A long-gone alien species had possessed a technology that could transform the quantum fabric of space into pure energy. This technology was now lost. The change happened beyond the Planck scale, where theories of gravity showed features called ‘quantum foam’. This foam showed how space-time fluctuated, effects that were once undetectable. Using this, they built engines, machines, and weapons, which helped them colonise the outer worlds. Their civilisation had built a huge empire across the vastness of the galaxy, but only scattered ruins of that species’ creations now remained.

However, it wasn’t this alone that had started the Holy War in space. Their technology had discovered something controversial: the way their science generated energy. They could transform the quantum substance of all space into energy, but it didn’t destroy the matter of the quantum particles. Instead, it changed that matter. Their machines transformed space into something else, completely different, and useless.

That technology made large areas of quantum space hazardous. It was as if there were big holes in space, like air pockets in the sky. They had been left behind when that species conquered other worlds and star systems. Space journeys came with great dangers. Starships from Earth might fall into ‘dark points of nothing.’ These holes created an invisible gap in space-time that could harm the ships’ engines and structure. Many disasters had already occurred, and a few vessels had been lost, never to be seen again.

Space travel had become a sort of gamble, and no one could ever predict how it would end. More so than under usual conditions…

The space-time used by the Dead Race had become a dangerous field that could kill many people in an instant. Earth and its spreading Empire had brought these dangers to light. The Iron Church from Earth, determined to face such disasters and attacks on its rule, had declared its Holy War. It was a war against anything created by that Dead Race—ruined sites, bases and wrecks of their starships.

It was also a war against the Khrafstra. These deadly monsters received their names from famous evil demons in the ancient Middle East. They could take many forms, and were left all over the galaxy. Some in cryogenic chambers, others were hidden in hangars. The Dead Race had probably used these Khrafstra as bioweapons in their wars, helping them strengthen their rule long ago. Some of them were still asleep on several worlds, buried and nearly forgotten. A few had already been discovered. The Iron Church had ordered that no one should wake these creatures or break its laws about them. They feared what could be unearthed. Some chose to go and see, ignoring those orders. The reawakened monsters created disasters until high-fusion bombs wiped them out. Sadly, this made the ruined planets even more desolate than before humans arrived.

So the powerful Iron Church began the Holy War. It was also a fight against those wanting the technology from the alien species. The searchers said they wanted to recreate it for their benefit, to boost their wealth and riches. The Earth Empire couldn’t accept this. The Iron Church wanted to keep everyone away from the remains of the Dead Race, even the monsters. The Church thought it was right to stop anyone reaching the ancient ruins of that lost civilization.

But some humans didn’t listen. Some never would. They wanted the lost technology for themselves. They knew they had to search for those remains, to collect everything to rebuild the great engines and enhance their power. By doing this, they could endanger the lives of the explorers. They also risked reawakening lethal monsters. They wanted to study or control these creatures and use their strength. This could help them fight battles and defeat enemies when needed. Their enemies included the Iron Church.

Those grasping groups lived in the present moment and didn’t worry much about the future. What if they could rebuild those space engines and make them work again? Why should they worry about the damage to space-time itself? The galaxy seemed endless. A real disaster might only occur in the next few centuries. The owners of such an economic interest group would be dead by then, so why should they even worry about it?

And what if one of those long-buried creatures was freed without any way to control it? What would happen if it caused massive damage before it could be stopped?

These considerations and concerns had made the Holy War erupt. On one side were great companies, industries with almost endless wealth and controlling vast areas of asteroids, which were their main resources because of their mines. These economic interest groups had a strong military, which allowed them to oppose the Iron Church like a real kingdom. On the other end was the Earth Empire. They had armies, controlled many planets, and would stop at nothing due to their beliefs. These armies thought the Dead Race had damaged space-time and the Deity who they believed ruled over everything and everyone.

The Holy War sparked many wars and battles, making systems bloody and dangerous. None of the factions would stop fighting soon. They wouldn’t quit until they were openly defeated or ran out of resources.
 


Erosion and weathering had transformed the surface. The tall man remained quiet as he considered the environment around him. He wore a short desert robe over a long-sleeved shirt and also had on comfortable, durable pants with several utility pockets. His metallic goggles and flashy neckcloth hinted at a hot, sandy world. Weathering and erosion here caused materials to break down at different degrees. The soft rocks, such as sandstone, had worn away faster than the denser rocks. Many spectacular rock formations in that area had most likely formed because different minerals in the rocks eroded at different rates. The result of that process was these landforms with rough surfaces and unusual shapes. The planet Vodnipahnny used to have rivers and lakes. However, it had stopped being a pleasant place long before the Dead Race arrived.

Ilgerd Heswo brushed the dust from his field clothes and shook his greying hair. Even though he was about sixty seven, he didn’t look as old as his age implied. ‘True understanding lies beyond the desert…’ he quoted, then moved on. He came from Takhar, a colonized world. Men first arrived there two hundred years ago. Since his early days as an academic, he had been celebrated for studying ancient ritual stone sites in the area, ruins that partly resembled the megaliths once visible on old Earth. They existed in many places on that planet. Its makers had long vanished due to an illness that spread over eight hundred years on the only mainland where those ancient beings lived. They had often buried several people together beneath those old artworks. Sometimes, he thought that objects from Takhar, often seen as ancient tools, probably weren’t made by aliens. Instead, they could have been shaped by water over thousands of years.

He had improved his knowledge of computerized systems for research at most Xeno-archaeological sites and the science of excavation, but those studies didn’t pay well. So, he shifted to more profitable work in research, offering his skills as a Xeno-archaeologist to a powerful space corporation searching for the remains of the ancient Dead Race.

The Iron Church and the Earth Empire opposed research on the remains of the vanished alien species. And they also kept an eye on the areas of space where ruins from their ancient bases and forgotten cities might be found. The man of science was well aware of this. The Dead Race’s members had dwelt in many places for a long time, but it was hard to control all sectors of space. Some of those ruins might still be there. The galaxy is huge, making it impractical to explore it fully. There are countless stars, planets, and moons. many of which could hold useful and interesting remnants of old technology only waiting to be found.

Imedont Conglomerated had hired Ilgerd Heswo, who had begun travelling space to reach the distant places chosen by the scientists of this large economic group. They searched for where this dead civilization hid their weapons or ancient technology. The Earth Empire saw this as forbidden.

Until today, Ilgerd had worked for Imedont Conglomerated on two main tasks. These jobs, on two different moons, found only pieces of mechanisms and other useless items. On this planet, things were very different. They had found something new and promising, more so than anything seen before, if the early surveys were correct. This was his second flight on the fast Songbird-class vessel, Ickings. which came with a full crew of nine. Their team of six Xenoarchaeologists included Eath, Sonton, Grivnall, and Vesey, who was just a year older than himself. There was also the youngest and most promising member, Owers.

Ilgerd was skilled with modern tools for big robotic excavations that helped people uncover the ruins. He knew how to find the best way to detect and navigate the old structures buried by aliens long ago. The hidden passages were easier to explore with the help of archaeo-bots, which were commonly used in these missions. Some of these devices were designed and improved by him. They gathered information, took photos and videos, and recorded measurements. Overall, they worked well, though there were a few risks to manage.

But this desert-like place was reported to contain dark and dangerous tunnels of old.

Unlike the first alien planet he had been assigned to after his studies, this world still retained most of its atmospheric layers intact. This was due to the small local sun, which hadn’t stripped them away over millions of years. Now, the surface of Vodnipahnny was mostly dry. It looked a lot like Mars did in the early solar system. This planet had most likely experienced numerous eras of humid or snowy weather. Some of these conditions might have helped life thrive better.

Now there was only a boundless surface and strange rocks with small shrubs growing on them, some with branches and disc-shaped parts that helped them attach themselves securely to the rocks. They resembled the tiny, billion-year-old fossil algae found on Earth which are seen as the ancestors of all land plants. The vegetation had adapted to the thin air. However, the humans in the group sometimes had to rely on portable oxygen equipment. Anyone visiting this world wouldn’t need to stay in a space-suit or shelter. This was a good thing, as it allowed for more freedom.

The ruins on planet Vodnipahnny were very important. The Xeno-archaeologists had discovered them when they first arrived. Surprisingly, energy transfer devices were still working beneath the surface. They dated back at least a thousand years, which meant they were among the last left by the Dead Race before they disappeared. This made the humans think they would find something new and more innovative than anything found before.

Imedont Conglomerated had many resources and many workers. The researchers doubted the Iron Church knew about this place. Still, they believed that their spies would eventually find out about the planet. Then, one of their powerful starships would come to secure or destroy the ruined site.

The Xeno-archaeologists working for Ilgerd had little time and needed to be careful and quick. It was unclear how long they could stay to retrieve machines from below ground before it was too late. They knew they might have to move away quickly in order to escape a direct confrontation. Imedont Conglomerated wanted anything useful brought to their labs, but they avoided full battles unless the find was worth it. This economic interest group acted much like the skuas of old Earth. Skuas were predatory seabirds known as ‘avian pirates.’ They were known for their sneaky plundering tactics. Instead of fighting, skuas take what they want from other animals’ nests and swiftly depart. They didn’t need to face many opponents, as they were satisfied with just a single prize.

Weren’t the tooth-billed catbirds on Earth known for their males collecting bright objects? They used these items to show off their skills.

‘All your jewels are mine to plunder…’ he quoted, thinking of what might lie ahead.

Ilgerd’s group was now exploring a ruined site. It seemed more like an ancient underground base than a busy city that had once held hundreds of thousands of people. If that was true, and they were near the long-lost military headquarters of the Dead Race, the new finds could prove far more valuable than the dilapidated devices found on other planets.

The place looked as if it had been heavily bombed, as if unknown attackers had wanted to destroy it before the owners could act or escape with their new weapons. And this made it all the more interesting. When Owers, the youngest Xeno-archaeologist, entered the lower levels that morning, he had found several containment cells underground. Things got very busy, and Ilgerd was called to check it out right away. A tiring walk through narrow hallways ended with a wait in a big hall before a large open gate. He, his colleague Grivnall, and Owers, had all seen the long, dark metal pods in a hangar beyond the entrance. They realised what was most likely before their surprised eyes.

‘Well, well... look at what we have here!’ Ilgerd exclaimed, gloating. This certainly was beyond expectations. And nothing like it had ever been discovered by humans before…
 


On the main deck of the starship, priest-captain Aungen regarded his tall, dark-haired Second-in-Command, Orunmila Kyime, who stood beside him, reaching seven feet in height, just past the railing by the command table. She wore a standard blue-belted military uniform that was nearly grey. The dark-haired woman was just forty, yet she and the other were alike. Both had devoted their lives to fulfilling orders from the Iron Church for the Earth Empire. However, they were quite different in other ways. The captain was impetuous, while his deputy was more meditative. This difference seemed linked to their unique personal histories.

Everyone had a story. What truly mattered was that they chose this duty path to meet their needs. In the interest of their Iron Church.

The Phoenix Bird 57 was well-equipped, and could withstand attacks from space, fire heavy artillery, and carry troops and small air vehicles in its cargo bay. Still, the priest-captain knew that no one could predict how a space battle would end. In this case, the weakness and small number of their opponents, along with a lack of good weapons, made him think the battle would be easy and quick. This was based on the reports they had received before leaving for the assault.

But there was an unexpected twist. They didn’t know if those explorers had found anything important belonging to the Dead Race. The crew couldn’t predict what dangerous machines they might have found there. The Iron Church always expected unpredictability when ancient ruins from the lost alien Empire were found. Forgotten objects or weapons might be uncovered.

Aungen turned his mind to the crewmembers. He twisted his seat to face two of them, whose roles were especially important aboard. The grey helmets worn by the Tactical Officer and the Navigating Officer were smart systems. They could be the difference between life and death for the whole crew of the military starship.

These helmets were advanced, allowing wearers to ‘see’ through the hull. Users could zoom in to focus on data about planets, moons, and stars. It also linked them to the spacecraft’s main computer systems. This gave the officers a clearer view for making decisions in battle, planning manoeuvres, and choosing the best course to take. The two officers used their helmets to track targets by glancing over their shoulders. They could then prioritise these targets using voice commands. After that, they engaged the ship’s guns or missiles from the weapons bay. They could use the retrorocket engines, main thrusters, or hyperspace drive to travel faster than light. However, the captain had to approve their suggestions first.

Whenever the two crewmembers looked around, the device’s instruments and weapons moved with them. There was no delay, and this made it all even more striking! The clear imagery at all angles let the crewmen make quick decisions. They never had to take their eyes off the target.

With their heads hidden in their helmets, they seemed distinct from the rest of the crew, disconnected from what happened on the flying bridge, and from the fellow crewmembers nearby. But that wasn’t the case. They kept track of everything around them, served the captain and his female deputy, and noted each important event outside the ship, especially those related to electronics. They shared a sort of common consciousness that the others simply couldn’t adopt.

The Phoenix Bird 57 and all the Iron Church starships had a unique mix of complexity and a cool mindset, which helped them work more effectively thanks to their diversity.
 


An armed man from Imedont Conglomerated announced, ‘The Iron Church has entered this system.’ He was using the radio to contact the group of researchers, who had landed their ship at Vodnipahnny. ‘It’s a Phoenix Bird class ship. We don’t have much time left. The pilot said that you should get back here now... Leave everything behind you and immediately get back to the Ickings.’

Those words reached Ilgerd’s ears like some bothersome noises. ‘Damn!’ he exclaimed, looking at his fellow Xeno-archaeologists. ‘Just as we almost had all this in our hands.’

‘What can we do?’ Owers asked him.

‘Not much…’ the other replied. ‘Unfortunately, not much, my dear... but I have something in mind. Maybe we should make use of what we found here. And let that ancient weapon do what it was built for. Maybe the Dead Race never had the chance, but now, here we are, and we should try it. And see what is next…’

‘Are you saying that…?’

‘Yes, exactly. I think we must use it. But we can’t know what the consequences of our move will be. What other choice do we have?’

The other Xeno-archaeologist’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe what he had heard. And a worried look appeared on Owers’ face…

 

‘Something has been launched from the surface. It seems to be a pod, a long pod of some sort. It’s coming in fast based on the data,’ reported an officer at the communication station.

‘We’re under attack, Captain!’ the Tactical Officer in the grey helmet warned the crew.

‘What?’ Aungen exclaimed. His first thought was that this was a trick of some sort, but everything smelled bad, in his mind. And he was almost certain there was something else going on… ‘They’re not supposed to have launch pods down there on the planet... They’re simply researchers with a small spacecraft, some armed guards, and their gear.

‘They shouldn’t have weapons—not based on the info we received,’ said Orunmila Kyime, the Second-in-Command. ‘But our intelligencers might have made mistakes…’

‘Ready to change course and activate the side burners for an offensive move.’ The Navigating Officer looked at the priest-captain, waiting for the next order.

‘Visualize on all screens!’ Aungen cried out at the top of his anxious voice.

Soon, the walls around the main deck, made of strong acrylic composites, began to change. One by one, they turned into semi-transparent panels. An electric current ran through them, revealing wide views of outside space surrounding the starship. So they were given images of the thing approaching from several angles at the same moment.

And they saw it clearly.

The long dark metal pod drew closer to their ship. Soon, it split into two parts and released a large, dark shape.

‘That’s no missile,’ reported one of the other officers in the main deck. ‘And it’s too fast for our guns to track and effectually hit. Also, it’s not a weaponized pod.’

The figure outside drifted away from the two sections of the pod. It seemed to come alive. its sides widening and the lower parts elongating. Soon, it was clear that it was a tall body, like a robot. But it was no robot, it resembled a fierce creature, an unusual monster no one had ever seen.

How was it able to survive in space? This was the question all the crewmembers on the main deck had in their minds, though no one said it.

The Tactical Officer said, ‘We have no data on the unknown object and nothing in our records…’

‘But that’s not a robot, priest-captain…’

‘What kind of damn’ creature have those researchers discovered down there? What have they found in those ruins?’ demanded Aungen angrily.

The Second-in-Command hurriedly searched through the device on her wrist. It was linked to all the systems aboard and immediately it revealed: ‘This is not like any other Khrafstra we know of... A different appearance, and much bigger than any previously spotted, or catalogued. It could be one of the monsters built by the members of the Dead Race... A different bioweapon, I think, and we should expect something unprecedented, priest-captain!’

‘The Iron Church should never have allowed those people to land there... Our spies could have handled them long before they left their base. There are ways to get rid of such people. But they did nothing to stop them and look at where we are now!’ Aungen burst out fiercely. ‘Open fire with all we have!’

‘Yes, Sir! But our weapons can’t keep up with its changing path. Its evasive moves are just too quick...

‘It’s coming at us from different directions, and our computers can’t track or predict it.’ The Navigating Officer looked down sadly. Despair filled his mind, though his helmet hid any visible features.

In space, as the screens kept showing them, the Khrafstra-that-was-not-really-a-Khrafstra didn’t stop. Its wide armoured head was bulky and it had a thick neck. It had angles that Aungen and his female deputy had never seen before. The long chin added to its monstrous shape. It was even more striking because of the rows of giant, pointed teeth and a large, mobile lower lip. The unusual Khrafstra had curved lines and rounded shapes. It measured up to twenty two feet tall or long. This design allowed it to move quickly and twist in surprising ways. The long, pointed tail resembled a mechanical extension. It could break hulls, pierce bulwarks, or destroy any protective layer.

‘I’ve spent most of my life on a military starship of the Iron Church, and I’ve never seen or felt anything like that, Captain,’ said the Second-in-Command.

‘Neither have I…’ the uneasy Aungen replied, saying nothing more.

The creature outside had aggressive features and a hard surface. Its body was designed for speed, which clearly showed it was made for one thing: battle! A battle was about to start—or rather, it had already begun outside. The crew hadn’t even had time to come up with a plan to fight or figure out how to handle that monster. It showed a cruel and cold touch from that terrible thing. It looked worse than anything they had seen in their long careers. This was a new Khrafstra, if it could even be called that. It seemed much stronger, faster, and more unusual than anything reported before from the ancient sites left by the Dead Race.

The battle that began was unprecedented. Nothing like it had ever happened in human history. A huge, alien creature was openly assaulting a powerful military starship as long as 6,570 feet long! And, of course, no vessel from the Iron Church had ever been designed, or equipped, to deal with such a powerful creature at short-range.

Then, another surprise. The alien monster’s hands and nasal opening began to release a noxious substance. It stuck to the hull outside wherever it made contact, seeping through the outer bulkheads, making their surface look like low-grade metal by liquefying it. It continued as its round pupils stared wildly at everything below. The alien seemed to be studying how to better destroy the starship that was its prey.

Aungen didn’t know what he could do.

An overwhelming nosedive assault from the new Khrafstra commenced. Approaching faster and faster, the monster came near then dropped itself onto the surface of the outside hull and delved into it. It broke through the metal hull as if it were cardboard. It ran from the ship’s bow, moved through the midsection, and exited through a hole on the left side. Meanwhile, air was sucked into space.

An unbelievable move!

As soon as the crewmembers and the officers who were looking at the main screen figured it out, bewilderment was visible on all their faces. ‘Serious depressurization has been reported on many levels of the starship...’ and ‘Repairs have started, but they will take time...’ were some of the words heard on the main deck.

‘Captain Aungen, it’s a fact that we’re not prepared to fight this monster in space’ the Second-in-Command said in a low tone. ‘Our battle-stations aren’t built for close combat. They can’t handle attacks from a creature that runs along our surface and pierces our hull randomly. This is very different from space-fighters or other assault spacecraft. We can’t keep track of it, and we can’t even react to this type of aggression. It’s too fast….’

The priest-captain gave the other female a mad look. ‘I’ve seen what that monster is capable of. Anyway, unprecedented type of assaults, or not, there’s no way we can’t oppose such a thing. We must try anything we can to destroy that creature. The Phoenix Bird 57 isn’t going to be damaged further by that monster. We are the Iron Church, and the Iron Church can’t be stopped, it must do its duty.’

‘Yes, Sir, of course…’ The Second-in-Command nodded.

‘Tactical Officer, get ready for a full barrage at the spot where the creature shows up most often, each time it moves away from our ship.’ Then, set the missiles for continuous launching, on my mark! Program them to detonate as soon as they reach that area, even if they don’t hit anything. We’ll keep up this strategy until we run out of missiles if necessary!’

‘As ordered, captain!’ the other man replied, and did as he had been told. But in his heart, he didn’t believe this would be enough to kill the monster, given the present course of attack of the creature outside.

‘Navigating Officer, bring us nearer and nearer the area of space we are firing at, and increase our speed at once!’ Aungen added.

‘Full speed ahead!’ shouted the Second-in-command. Her orders were clear.

The man in the grey helmet silently obeyed, bringing the ship closer to the target area in space. Meanwhile, missile explosions turned the area into an abandoned playground, a display of brilliant fireworks, exploding continuously and without end.

The entire ship trembled and a high, singing vibration filled the main deck. It looked like a fierce attack. The mind seemed to lose control of the body, which acted without reason or a plan to handle the source of that anger. Or so it appeared... But the captain had something in mind. His plan had to work, or it would mean their destruction…

Aungen’s plans quickly became futile. The alien creature rolled over in space and moved out of the targeting area of their cannons in just a blink. It then sped up even more to launch its body towards the rear of the Phoenix Bird class star ship, attacking with its arms and fearsome mouth. As it reached the main engines of the Iron Church vessel, distressing sounds echoed like a thousand troubling alarms across the main deck. They realised just how serious the Khrafstra’s last attack had been.

Metal creaked somewhere in the damaged vessel. Some lights, both real and virtual, flickered off briefly before coming back on. But the displays clearly showed that some levels of the starship had no power. The Second-in-Command understood that it was bad enough to threaten their lives and the ship as well.

Now they were like a wounded predator, a crippled runner or a fish thrown out of water. On the other hand, the alien monster kept moving, attacking, and tearing new portions of their hull apart…
 


As the group of Xeno-archaeologists ran toward their blue Ickings—the Songbird-class spacecraft of the Imedont Conglomerated—a thoughtful Ilgerd reflected on the amazing finds and alien objects they were leaving behind. He felt like a sad father leaving his children. Or maybe like a pirate saying goodbye to his treasured chest, buried somewhere, unsure if he would come back.

The hold door of the main tailgate on the small vessel was open. Everyone had entered, but the old Xeno-archaeologist paused. He looked back one last time and felt a deep sorrow in his heart. Owers stopped walking and stared at him for a while before getting aboard. That man had wanted him to be part of the group and had brought him and all the others here. They had discovered something exceptional. Under normal circumstances, it would have gained great renown. But their field of research was forbidden. Yet these were not common or usual junctures, and the Iron Church was on their tails. The Earth Empire had banned such studies. It was unhappy that people ignored their orders and laws to pursue them anyway.

Owers felt disappointed, as well, about what was going on now. He was curious to see if the surprise Ilgerd had prepared and what he started before leaving that old alien hangar had been profitable. The young man wasn’t certain about the wisdom of their famous academician, and thought that he might have been too hasty. After all, they didn’t know what might occur because of what they had released, or re-awakened in that place.

Ilgerd might have believed they had no other options. He thought his action could be their best chance to escape the military starship that had tracked them down and was close to their world. Probably, they would discover it soon. He thought about that as he entered the spacecraft. He dropped his bag of instruments on the metallic floor and sat down. He could hear the engines roar to life, ready for lift-off.

Just then, as Owers sat ready for take-off, he saw smoke from the object being launched in the distance through the porthole. The rocket shot up from the ancient site they had just left, quickly climbed through the upper atmosphere and left the planet, heading towards its destination in space.

‘What the hell was that?’ cried the pilot of the small vessel as he saw the launch on the screen.

‘A surprise for our friends out there…’ Ilgerd revealed, in a far-fetched sneer. Then, the roar of the engine’s increasing power and the outcry of the crew aboard covered everything else in their shambles.
 


‘Main engines hit, serious damage reported. Speed dropping…’ the Navigational Officer said in a low tone. The last blow the creature had given their starship had proven to be disastrous.

‘We don’t have a lot of options left…’ the Second-in-Command admitted. ‘We can’t leave this system at light-speed, so we can’t leave that monster behind us, our secondary engines won’t allow us to outrun it.’

The captain’s face showed resentment. It was clear he couldn’t accept this. He also didn’t want to openly acknowledge their powerlessness against the new Khrafstra, but he silently thought of something, and his vivid eyes displayed his forwardness and his attachment to the duty. Then he let out his words in a stentorian voice.

‘Tactical Officer—prepare to launch our Gravitational Missiles. Main Target: the area of Vodnipahnny from which the creature’s pod was launched. Secondary Targets: the entire mainland where it came from,’ the priest-captain Aungen ordered. ‘We came here to do a job, and that job will be done. Even if we can’t defeat that alien monster, we can still remove the ancient site. We need to remove the ruins and anything else that might be hidden underground. Maybe we’re not going to survive, but this must be done!’

The officer in the grey helmet stood silent. He thought that with everything happening and their starship about to be destroyed, they should focus on other things. But he had been trained to follow the instructions of his superiors under any circumstance, so he did as he was ordered. Virtual data pathways opened in his mind and he activated the instruments he relied on to start the blast-offs.

The captain seemed to perceive the first doubts of his Tactical Officer so he made his thinking even clearer. ‘Certainly, we must do our duty, our superiors have spoken, and we must destroy that archaic base of the Dead Race and its forbidden technology. Look at the damage that just one of those unknown Khrafstra has caused. Imagine what disasters a group of those monsters might create if they were also released from that planet. So, we must stop this before it’s too late, even at the cost of our own life! And I’m talking to all of you, proud officers and stout-hearted crewmen of the Phoenix Bird 57. The Iron Church and the Earth Empire know that they can count on you to do what must be done.’

The others on the main deck of the military starship stopped what they were doing for a moment and stared at the elated Aungen.

‘You heard the orders of our priest-captain! This is what the Iron Church and the Earth Empire demand of us,’ Orunmila Kyime cried out.

Then the Navigational Officer broke the silence of the crewmembers on the main deck. ‘A spacecraft has taken off the surface of Vodnipahnny. It is leaving the lower atmospheric layers of the planet…’

‘It’s the vessel of those damn’ researchers! It wasn’t destroyed during our bombardment of the surface…’ Aungen swore. ‘And now let’s take care of them, too. Open fire on that target immediately, Tactical Officer! Set our long-range double cannons and bow chasers to auto-fire. Let’s tear that spacecraft to bits before it can reach orbit and escape to the other side of the planet!’

‘Yes, captain!’

The robot turrets outside and the weapons controlled by the Tactical Officer—at least the working ones—started firing. And it only took a few moments for them to reach their target in the distance.

‘Further damage to the lower side of our hull. The creature continues its assaults…’ another crewmember added a moment later. But almost nobody took notice of what he said. They knew they were doomed. The only thing left was to see if their next attack could destroy the spacecraft of the Xeno-archaeologists. Their actions had led to their deaths. They hoped their efforts were going to have completely wiped out those ruins on the planet below.
 


An alarm rang on the sleek Songbird-class Ickings of the Imedont Conglomerated. Their ship was being targeted by the weapons of an Iron Church starship. A cry of surprise resonated in the cockpit. ‘They tracked us... And we can’t escape their long-range fire!’ said the slim second pilot who also acted as Second Officer.

‘You wasted too much time on the surface. You should have left as soon as possible, as I told you all!’ said Ungton, the tall pilot, angrily. ‘But you had to stay, you wanted to study that pod... And now look where we are!’

‘Xeno-archaeologists! There’s great danger in being with you, especially now, and we’re not paid enough…’ the second pilot added.

Owers, the youngest of the Xeno-archaeologists, turned his eyes to Ilgerd as if he was waiting for a gesture from that man, or waiting to hear what he had to say. But the other stood silent, staring into dark space beyond the porthole beside him.

‘So we are doomed…’

‘It was worth a try…’ Ilgerd said mostly to himself. ‘We had to keep them busy, one way or another. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough... But what a find we discovered here!— a creature built by the Dead Race that we brought again to light…’

This was his last comment. Ungton made one, then two evasive moves. The righting couple system tried to steady the vessel. But distant shots hit the hull and wings, causing everything to explode. Now, many burnt bits of metal and equipment filled the sky. They were meant to hit the surface of a world below that was already on fire. The ground had turned into a sort of liquid fire, a primary melt of volcanic terrain. Just a few minutes ago, the Iron Church’s starship had targeted the ground and made it more viscous than water.

The spacecraft of the Xeno-archaeologists, the ancient ruins, and the military starship that had just destroyed them were all gone. Everyone had been taken from reality on the same day. Only the Khrafstra remained. It had won its battle and was free to travel through space.

Now it had only to choose its next target, somewhere, in the time to come. And nobody would ever expect what was coming. Or imagine what had been re-awakened from a long-gone past…

Because, as it had once been written, Hell is a truth seen too late.