Empyrean Iris Story Collection

Thunderhawk

Irus, home planet to the Rundi (the oldest race known to the universe, pinnacle of the law, and seat to the Galactic Assembly. It had survived billions of years in the light of a distant star sibling to 11 other planets revolving about its singularity. In those years of its existence, and the comparably short time in which the Rundi had ruled their solar system, they had set up hundreds and thousands of defense outposts manned by a constantly rotating batch of mechanics and engineers tasked with maintaining the vast defense nexus that kept their planet safe. If it weren't for the Rundi, their planet would have been obliterated thousands of years ago as their solar system was in a slow binary rotation with another galactic anomaly constantly spitting rocks towards them at odd thousand year intervals.

Some of the nexus stations had been due for repairs for hundreds of years, kept at a constant state of near disrepair on behalf of the Rundi's legendary and infuriating bureaucracy. Sure, you could blame the council for its foresight, or the engineers, but who could really blame them. Peaceful times made the watchers lax in their duties.

Someone was not manning their post that day. Sure, no one had needed to man that post in the last thousand years, but it didn't matter. It was never determined who exactly it was that had shirked their duty that day and it was a freak coincidence that at this time, and at this place it was to happen.... Where that entire splinter of the nexus was obliterated in a single explosion unheralded by the proximity alerts that should have been put into place, and unhindered by the rail guns that should have ended the problem before it began.

When they were to know, they knew to late noticed only by armature star gazers, who, unlike their more professional counterparts, had their eyes turned to things close at hand. Even then, by the time the news reached the Assembly, it was far too late. They would have detached another splinter of the nexus and brought it to cross paths with the object, but as it was, a detachment would not have arrive in time. Perhaps they should have kept splinters of the nexus closer at hand for just such emergencies, but again, hindsight is 20/20.

As the center of galactic law, there were many visiting delegations from other planets, cargo ships, and auxiliary soldiers, but none of them were willing to stay long. As soon as they were alerted all delegations, representatives and friends of the council fled to their ships returning to the stars with all due haste. For a long moment the atmosphere was crowded with their panic as "Friends of the council" Fled leaving them to their inevitable fate on the face of the doomed planet. The airfields were silent and deserted.

Mass panic, overtook cities as thousands of civilians thronged their way towards any available civilian transport off planet. Crowds thronged ships, backed up onramps stuffed themselves inside until the ship was grounded due to sheer weight, and an inability to fly without the possibility of mass casualties. Rundi bureaucracy broke down as panic took over. And due to that panic thousands more were slated to die.

***

A team of soldiers quickly escorted the UN representative from the building. Captain Kelly was forced to shout over the roar of the engines, "Don't worry Madam. President, we will have you out and into warp back to Earth long before the asteroid hits, though I daresay you have remained here far longer than I would have liked."

The chairwoman of the Galactic assembly followed behind them at a dejected pace staring with a pained expression up into the sky as the last of the ships began takeoff. The humans were the last of the alien delegations to remain on planet, but the enterprise was already fueled and ready for takeoff. From where it sat on the staging ground, engines roaring, it rose above the sound of mass panic happening on all sides, but despite this, the human ship remained otherwise uncrowded as soldiers nervously patrolled its perimeter.