We Need a Deathworlder!

The streets of the Cali royal Capital become utter chaos. Before a single shuttle lands the streets erupt in crossing weapons fire. The scattered anti-air encampments either fall silent, resume their upward bombardment, or ignite in flashes of exploding pyres.

“What have I done…?” Chak whispers to herself after the comm officer continues his reports.

Her twin hearts feel as though they are both burdened with an incredible weight. Like she sees herself as a liar, a traitor to her own people in her own right.

The last thing she wanted was to pit her people against each other for a damn power-grab. Even if it was for the good of everyone left standing, she knows that the ground being stood upon will be tainted all the more.

Yet, as morbid as this is, it’s nearly the best case scenario for her odds of success. Perhaps this is exactly what she should have hoped for after her pleading speech. What did she expect? For her people sympathetic to her lay down their arms and walk away? As if they’d even be allowed to be her father’s regime?

No, this is war. She must accept that fairytale dreams of saving almost everyone from this royal conflict aren't in the cards and perhaps never really were.

The Queen’s eyes glance back over to Simone. The red-furred Terran now fully adorned in her very knightly power armor is looking right back at her through an orange-hued visor.

Actually… There is one fairytale dream that proved not only true, but present, even in this time of great turmoil and she’s married to her.

Chak still has that, and as long as she does there won’t be anything she can’t face.

The shuttle shakes as its shielding deflects an incoming shot, reminding the Cali Queen that they are still nearing their destination.

Hurrying back to her Terran, she passes by Cali soldiers with renewed looks of respect and loyalty. Their eyes all say they are convinced that they are living a rhyme of their people’s greatest piece of history and that a new Queen of legend is in the making.

She feels incredibly unworthy of such admiration, but she’ll do everything she can to prove herself in more than just a rousing speech.

Did the first Queen that united her people feel the same? Was her near-mythological confident words and actions simply an act? Not only to convince those around her, but herself? Did she only operate on hope and faith?

She was just a person like Chak, right? No magical long life, no incredible physical feats, and no glorious enormous monuments to her name until long after her death. She must have felt fear, terror and self doubt while many of her tragic mistakes were probably forgotten and overshadowed by her great achievements.

Chak chooses to believe that. She is a woman descended from that greatness, but stripping away the legendary aspects… Perhaps someone like her can achieve her own greatness too.

“What you just did was amazing, but it’s still going to be rough. Remember to stick by us, we’ll get him.” Simone says softly as Chak reassumes her place.

“We will.” the Queen agrees as she unhooks her trusty pulse rifle so that it fully rests in her grip.

“Did you name her yet?” Simone asks.

Chak tilts her head.

“Huh?” she replies confused.

The Terran smirks.

“You know how ships are named things outside their official designation? Well, Terrans sometimes do that for other things too. Especially things we rely on.

Chak’s eyes go wide.

“Is that why you sometimes call the caffeine dispenser ‘Kathy’ when you thank it under your breath? I thought you were just being a dork!” Chak manages to giggle despite the pressing scenario.

“Well, to be fair, I am. But yeah.” Simone chuckles before patting the plasma colt at her hip.

“For several reasons, I recently renamed this ol’ girl. The name was actually inspired by you. Viviane.” she reveals.

“Oh… like the lady of the lake?” Chak asks.

“Yep. Since the obvious names are already taken, I went with the person who gave King Arther the magic-weapon. Since you know, this plasma colt was given to me by someone before I started my own adventure. It kinda makes sense.” Simone explains as she shrugs.

“I like it.” Chak agrees before looking down at her own weapon.

It’s the same pulse rifle she has surprisingly grown attached to, even getting repaired on several occasions instead of simply getting a new one.

Her mind flashes to a particular moment that was not unlike the current situation she is in. When she descended upon the Gratt homeworld and just barely managed to save Simone from a crazy cult leader.

“I’ll call her… Kre’nae. The Cali term for ‘arrival of justice’.” she decides.

“Sounds perfect. Be sure to thank her when this is over.” Simone says with a gentle press of her hand on her wife’s back.

Chak gives a single nod in response just before the comm officer addresses all the occupants in the shuttle.

“One minute till deployment on palace grounds!” he calls out.

Everyone who isn’t already holding on, reaches back and firmly grasps on to their securing bars.

“What about the defensive cannon emplacements along the palace ground’s walls!? Won’t they just turn in on us along with the defenders?” An older Cali soldier who appeared just a bit past retirement age asks.

“It’s our most holiest and historic place of our people… they wouldn’t…” a nervous younger soldier contends, to which the older man shakes his head slowly at the poor juvenile’s naivety.

“The ones we will be concerned about will be engaged by a tasked detachment and remaining air support. If they succeed, we won’t be immediately blown back into stardust.” the comm officer responds, “Still, run to your directive and fight like Klat’s at your back to dig deeper in the palace. Just in case.”

Checking their armor systems one more time, Chak and Simone give each other one last side-embrace before fully committing to what’s coming next.

“Thirty seconds!”

Meekie and Nodrin unweave their tails and ready up with Troy.

“Ten seconds!”

Around them the occupants can already pick up the sounds of lesser weapons fire colliding with the shuttle.

“May the stars be with you all!”

The floor suddenly lowers with accompanying protective walls like a box. The comm officer salutes the soldiers and his Queen as they descend under him and out of his line of sight.

The incoming weapons fire and heated environment outside becomes all the more clearer, ringing the thinner walls like a demented lunch bell.

Thankfully much of it dies down by the time the floor rumbles from finally making contact with the ground. The walls unlatch and activate with a hissing pop before separating on anti-grav outputs, becoming mobile cover as the soldiers are engulfed with the temperate night air of Sind’Montas.

The taste is bitter and slightly miasmic from recent conflict, but Chak cannot deny that she welcomes it back into her system happily.

Everyone hurries to the positions as the walls rearrange and adapt to the other nearby deployed shuttle walls around and above them, building up very temporary frontline fortifications.

However ‘temporary’ is proven true as a heavy plasma mortar crashes into a deployed wall, melting through it like it was made of ice.

“Let’s move it!” Simone shouts as she hurries the local forces forward. Having the palace mini-city mapped out in her visor display she navigates the group away from the initial fortifications and into where more cover from established ancient structures can be attained.

As they run, Meekie and Nodrin spot other Gratt in new standardized combat armors and weapons deploying from other descending shuttles alongside Cali and Z’ah’tuck comrades.

There’s a mix of sadness in their swelling prides for their people, especially seeing stray shots already make gruesome contact with them.

But just like when the stars fell upon their world, they are all ready for the fight without question. What’s reassuring is that they are truly not fighting alone this time, and they have much more adequate guns.

-

“Majority of ground forces successfully deployed in the palace grounds, Admiral.” a bridge officer reports.

“Excellent.” Sreiak nods as she continues to watch the constant bombardment of the enemy flagship, genuinely perturbed at how well it was taking hits despite being effectively imobile.

Whatever that gold and pearl colored plating is that covers the main body of the Cali flagship, it’s a step above standard issue for warships.

“Your shell may be thick and perhaps you’re hoping this predator will see you as too much of a bother for the effort…” the Vice Admiral utters in thought, “But I’m afraid you will be our prey, you are far too much of a delicacy to simply pass up…”

“How poetic! Now that’s an Admiral’s spirit! Bwhahaha!” an old jovial voice booms from behind her as he slithers into the bridge.

“High Admiral Chucknuq, congratulations on Brom’s reinstatement of your career. I was quite surprised you’d be so willing to come out of your retire-caw!” Sreiak said before feeling a Tromple hand slap the back of her shoulder.

Obviously it didn’t hurt, but surprising from someone so esteemed nonetheless.

“Hahahaha! Well there’s no better time to do so when the galaxy’s on bloody fire! It seems that the glory days may all not be behind me just yet!” Chucknuq replies in his old Admiral’s uniform that was only slightly out of date and adorned with a gimmicky interior-holographic cape.

“Indeed…” Sreiak grumbles as she recollects herself, “I suppose you’re here to request yourself to assume command?” she addresses what she feels is the obvious..

“Kind of you to offer lass, but you appear to be performing exemplary! Just how you don’t prevent a foe from making a mistake, you allow your allies to continue doing right! Hahaha! As you were, I will be here as an advisory role at most. I dare not undermine your earned authority, Vice Admiral.” Chucknuq answers as he crosses his arms behind his back.

Sreiak’s mane of feathers fluff out slightly from surprise. In her experience non-deathwolders had issues with a Z’ah’tuck in particular leading an attacking force, even when they were on the same side. Before her is one of the most respected Admirals in Central’s recent history and yet he took no interest in taking the lead?

Slightly suspicious for certain, but his reputation did also involve a more… open minded nature to it. Embracing the junk tabloid sex ‘scandals’ about himself being one of them.

“Really? Oh, well, alright then. You and your wisdom are most welcome here, High Admiral.” she settles with a respectful nod of her head.

“Very good. Seems you have encountered an unforeseen hiccup in your plan?” the old man inquires nonjudgmentally.

“The flagship is holding itself together remarkably well. We thankfully managed to destroy its engines swifty so we have it crippled. I was just about to execute the riskiest part of the plan and draw most of my ships from their current engagements to hammer it with everything we got. However… it appears it may just last long enough for the enemy forces to fully take advantage of our repositioning. At best we’ll lose more ships than expected, possibly too many to be of much aid over the Malchite homeworld I’m afraid.” she explains in troubled chagrin.

“Hmmm… I see. Quite the conundrum indeed.” Chucknuq agrees as his scales shift to an orange color, “The obvious alternative is to hammer it out as the battlefield stands and not only hope our ground forces succeed in good time, but also that the Cali ships out here will be persuaded to surrender at that alone.”

“It appears that way. Have any tactical advice from your esteemed history, High Admiral?” Sreiak inquires openly.

Chucknuq nods.

“You are a master hunter, Admiral Sreiak. There stands your prey and your pack is depending on your leadership to take it down and feed their bellies. Listen inward to what makes you the gloriously fearsome people that you are. There’s always more options than the obvious, Admiral. Sometimes, you must make your own by doing what you do best with what you know best.” he answers in a serious tone.

Initially annoyed by the vague riddle-adjacent advice, Sreiak looked out to her stubborn prey once more. In a moment of humoring the proven leader next to her, she imagines the enemy ship to be an especially thick-shelled doro, a spiky turtle-like mammal from her home colony world.

Its rear legs are caught in a trap, yet no matter how many hunting bolts are shot at it, the shell remains persistently intact.

Her pack is busy vending off concerning dangerous scavengers wanting this meal as well.

Only she is able to freely act, yet she sits back shooting ineffective bolts from a distance like a damn clueless juvenile.

This is not how a pack leader acts.

No, a pack leader leads by example!

“The legs…” she whispers to herself.

Seeing the all too familiar look in the Vice Admiral’s eyes, Chucknuq’s smile broadened as he hummed out amused laughter.

“Divert power to rear and side thrusters to their max capacity and give me their full manual control!” she commands.

The uncertain but loyal crew does as ordered without hesitation.

From the floor a console of controls arises. It’s usually meant for emergencies, but not today in this field of battle. Today, it’s a tool of the hunt.

The safety systems would not normally allow what is about to happen and although her piloting crew is competent, she had a very specific plan in mind.

“It’s so simple, I feel foolish.” Sreiak says to the Tromple in a half-amused half-annoyed bark.

“I understand that feeling well.” Chucknuq replies as he watches the Vice Admiral take manual control of the thrusting and maneuvering of her flagship.

“Give them one last broadcast to surrender.”Sreiak orders as she stands with graspers tightly locking on on the controls.

She waits a few moments for a response.

“They’ve declined, Admiral.” an officer reports.

“Then their fate to the hunt is sealed.” she says before everyone aboard her vessel feels a jolting as the artificial gravity struggles momentarily with the immense forward momentum.

The Z’ah’tuck flagship moves ahead directly towards its prey in an insane charge. Comms from her fleet come in a flurry to the officers questioning why she just broke formation. However there’s no clear answer to give outside of “The Admiral is acting independently, await for further orders.”

Fighters from both sides scramble away in confusion over the sudden apparent ramming maneuver.

Chucknuq erupts in laughter at the fear in the eyes of the crew around him. Everyone knows this flagship would crumple far more than their opponents if they are to physically clash. Even if it defeats the enemy ship, they will surely perish as well.

The crew understands this.

Chucknuq understands this.

Their enemy no doubt understands this.

But Chucknuq also knows something else as he watches the Vice Admiral from behind, and that is she very much understands that as well.

Blustering ahead like a massive vengeful projectile, Sreiak narrowed her eyes in a zen-like focus.

“Forward guns at the ready! Unleash them for our prey to traverse the third path on my order!” she roars just before harshly pulling at the controls and hammering a grasper towards specific thrusters.

Alarms ring out at the artificial gravity does everything it can to keep from failing and sending the inhabitants from becoming flattened smears along a wall.

In a twirling maneuver the rocketing ship narrowly misses the Cali vessel, turning end over end in an integrity-testing flip. Thrusters blaze past their safety levels to halt the established momentum and aim the front of the ship at the damaged rear end of its prey.

In the wreckage of destroyed engines and thrusters, there’s no gold… no pearl… just lethal vulnerability.

“Open up!” Sreiak barks in near-feral fervor.

In the silence of this battlefield in space, the armaments of the Z’ah’tuck flagship unleash right into the glaring patch.

It’s not instantaneous, but with a persistent focused barrage explosions begin to erupt in appearing leaking points throughout the Cali flag ship's hull. Formidable shell or not, it only contains the internal explosions for so long until there’s no integrity left in the structure within.

-

Across the expanse of place grounds, the majority of shuttles swiftly deploy the liberating forces as close as possible to the central palace proper. Then the soldiers press hard and fast towards the staunchly defended home of the royal family.

Among them is the returning Queen with her hunting party and as word spreads of her actual presence the fighting spirit of many Cali defenders takes a decisive hit. She proved that she was not bluffing or exaggerating her role in this unprecedented offense.

Catching a visual of the main entrance from far away, Chak rests back against a wall with some assurance that good progress is being made. At least for her and her party.

“The fighting has not been heavy…” Meekie notes, though from the sounds cracking at the air the others implies she is referring specifically to their group.

“Yeah like, it’s kinda crazy how far we’re pulling ahead of everyone else.”

Simone bites her cheek in thought, indeed they’ve met very little resistance to what most of the other forces are contending with. And those they have fought against have either pulled back or outright dispersed.

Simone’s emerald eyes land on Chak as the obvious comes to mind.

“It’s possible no one wants to be the one to shoot the Queen.” she supposes.

“Perhaps…” Chak grants a bit skeptically, “But my father would have his most loyal forces defending the palace. Surely at least one would want to take a real shot at me.” she points out.

Simone nods and takes a cautious peek at the distant front doors.

“The courtyard has rushed barricades, but no visible soldiers securing it?” she questions before pulling back in realization, “We’re purposely being separated from the main force. They've probably been cutting us off from behind too…” she says.

“A trap?” Nodrin proposes.

“Yeah… we’d be open targets in that courtyard and in front of those doors. They’re likely lying in wait for us to walk right up in the rush we’ve been in.” Simone explains.

“Well, can we really not go back?” Troy asks, “If we’re not totally cut off yet maybe we can join up with another group?”

“That seems to be the only play we have right now… But it gives the King in there more time to make a getaway or something.” Simone says as she bites on her cheek again.

“What if we entered another way?” Chak offers with a sudden bounce.

“Depends on the ‘way’, but I’m listening.” Simone replies.

“If they haven’t fully sealed it up yet…” Chak trails off as she considers her idea more thoroughly, “There’s a defunct servant access way that was sealed off some time ago. But as children me and my siblings ended up finding it in our play. The outside door is sealed over, but if we break through it, we can possibly enter the palace through the kitchens.”

“And you remember where it is?” Simone questions firmly.

“I believe so, it’s been many years since I’ve inspected it, but yes.” Chak answers with another bounce.

Simone takes a moment to consider, but to be fair they’ve done far stupider gambles in the past.

“Alright hun, lead the way.”