Maty, Aer-ki Jyr [top 20 books to read .txt] 📗

the targeting range of a fleet such as this, and he could already see their weaponsfire mounting as it rained out towards the V’kit’no’sat in such a density that no living being in the universe could survive it.

But the analytical part of Mak’to’ran’s mind disagreed with the obvious, knowing the strength of his fleet and the temporary window they had to sustain such an energy rainstorm…and at the speed they were moving, they wouldn’t be out in the clear for very long. And once inside the Hadarak formations, they’d have to more carefully focus their shots or risk hitting their own units. Out here in the clear they had no such limitations, and Mak’to’ran was glad he could not see the shield strength on his ships start to decline. All he had was the magnificent view beyond him, and a sense of the Essence building in the rest of the primary firing chamber.

He also got a warning indicating the ship was going to fire, though he didn’t need it. He could feel the pressure building and the glowing Essence contorting into unnatural forms that could not persist long. But a weapon didn’t need to persist long, only long enough to get to the target, and the screeching of the Essence being wound up ever so tightly prickled down Mak’to’ran’s back, but he grit his teeth and prepared for it, for it was going to hurt his own Essence as it passed through and fight for dominance.

His had to be the stronger in order to make the alteration, which was why most Essence users could not operate this weapon. Only the most advanced could even attempt it. And only he had truly mastered the ability to fire it with regularity, and today was no exception.

The coiled Essence spun forward, contorting more with each ring it passed through, then it spun into the final one and Mak’to’ran felt it hit him even though his body was not contacted. It was as if he was in the ring as much as he was in the chamber, and when his focus had to go there he lost nearly all contact with his body…but the armatures kept him standing upright and in connection to the conduits, otherwise he would have stumbled and broke physical contact without realizing it.

The amount of Essence passing through the ring felt like a controlled flood, and he had to push hard to make it bend to his will. He could not stop it though. That was impossible, for he didn’t have the strength. He had to divert it along its path in such a way that it made slight alterations, constrictions, weaves, and so forth. It could not be accurately explained in words, only in feel, which was why he had to teach the other Hakja through memories and their own battlemeld psionic that superseded the natural telepathy of the V’kit’no’sat by leaps and bounds.

But Mak’to’ran was not connected to the others now. It would have been deleterious for him. He was locked inside the De’shor’nak where none could reach him physically, and it was also shielded telepathically so he could not be sabotaged during this critical moment.

It took a great deal of effort, but the Essence passing through the final ring gave way and predictably altered under his pressure, enhancing the effect by a personal best 10.2x effect as the continual surge passed through his invisible grasp and headed out to the thousands of emitters covering the front half of his knife-like ship, and from there the visibly orange/pink energy bathed the front of the ship in a sheath that obscured all view through it, including sensors, which was why there were several protrusions above the sloped hull to give the ship view ahead from the rear half.

Arcs of errant energy escaping the capsulation leapt up and circled back around, reminiscent of prominences seen in stars. The Nova Incineration Matrix filled the entire front half of the ship, with Mak’to’ran having to continue supplying it with energy as it bled off heavily in to the vacuum of space, but the pool contained over the ship moved with it into the dense Hadark swarms and disappeared inside a moment later, along with the other ships in the lead column following along the edges of the expanding fireworks that rippled out in a cone many times the length of the DinoThunder.

For upon coming into contract with the pent up NIM energy, every Mainline ship and minion that got within range acted as a conduit for it, with the orange/pink energy leaping out to the mass, incinerating it, and then leaping out to the next and next so long as there were enough objects in range for it to pass through.

And in this densely packed enemy swarm, there was no limit to the possible jumps…meaning the full power of the weapon was able to discharge, and that was something that Mak’to’ran nor anyone else had ever witnessed before…

6

July 21, 154959

Gordara Buen System (Hesphatus Region)

Attachiak

“Are you sure this is accurate?” Rajamal asked, holding up the message cube that the Zen’zat courier had just brought him.

“I confirmed it before I brought it,” Theodral said firmly. “I ran it by my contacts in Star Force. Zen’zat that I know would not lie to me. They confirmed the content as accurate.”

The rebel Zen’zat looked down at the cube in his hand, weighing the significance of this moment.

“How can we be this lucky?” he demanded.

“Perhaps it is not for us to dictate the future, only to fight in the present, and this is our reward.”

“Those are not your words,” Rajamal noted.

“They are those of Hamob, an Era’tran I once served.”

“Is he still alive?”

“I do not know. He was a reclusive power behind the Yaern’ek, and if he managed to survive the war he most likely would have returned to that