ONE: Epilogue of Hermesh

5. The Final Message

A mild turbulence reverberated throughout the ship, making the seat underneath Reemon Erra creak. The Amarthian moved slightly, his eyes peeled to the spiraling tunnel created by twisting the very fabric of the cosmos, which gave the impression of a raging inferno. As he sat in silence, Erra could sense the shock and terror amongst his crew, emanating from every corner of the bridge. He knew from experience, what he felt at that moment was one of the rarest forms of fear that digs so deep inside the psyche that simply being afraid is no longer enough. The shock of the experience compels the mind to start questioning the very reality in which it exists.

Reemon Erra had seen this kind of fear only once before, amongst the survivors of Nin'atrine. During the Xacreth War, when Tooran finally broke through the enemy defenses to reach the ruins of the besieged Helmeshi lunar colony, only seven out of a total population of 8 million were found alive.

Yet, beyond the mental trauma suffered by the crew who survived that first carnage, as Tooran gave one more violent jolt, the old Amarthian sensed another imminent threat coming their way. Although his expression remained unchanged, he realised that with every sound, vibration, turbulence and jolt, his beloved Tooran was trying to tell him that this was perhaps her last journey.

Sitting up, Erra looked around. The rectangular bridge situated at the very center of the ship was much wider and longer than the bridges of any other Amarthian battleship currently in service. Tooran was the last of the Keishaal Class battleships still active in the Zaarnan Imperial Fleet.

Once, a very long time ago, on Druhiin, the planet which cradled the Amarthian race, there lived a gigantic species of reptilian predatory birds called Keishaal. These creatures, who shared a common evolutionary ancestry with the Amarthians, had elongated snake-like bodies and wings that, when spread out, resembled the dark side of a half moon. Long after they had gone extinct and the Amarthians had left Druhiin, the fear of these formidable beasts that once ruled the skies of their ancestral world remained alive in the Amarthian myths and legends.

So when the first Class Five Zaarnan Imperial battleships were being conceived, they took inspiration from these birds and the Keishaal Class ships were built. Much like those birds that inspired their design, these battleships were brutal war machines built to instill fear in the hearts of the enemy. What they lacked in speed and maneuverability, the Keishaals more than made up for by having the heaviest armours and the most powerful weapons amongst all the Amarthian battleships.

Commissioned during the Helmeshi War, under the command of Erra, Tooran fought in some of the most decisive battles of the conflict. More significantly, she was one of the handful of Amarthian battleships that survived the Xacreth Wars that followed.

On this day, even as most of the other more advanced ships were being ripped apart, only a few of the heavier ships of the Gulash Armada, led by Tooran were able to survive the initial onslaught before moving to try and shield the other ships from enemy fire.

Swiftly scanning the officers around him, Reemon Erra's eyes finally rested on the ship's commanding officer who was standing at the centre of the bridge. She was Commander Tekkar, his protégé. According to Erra, she was, without doubt, the best young officer currently serving in the Zaarnan Imperial Force. But as he gazed at Tekkar, Erra noticed the dark green skin pigmentation of her skin rippling to a sickly yellowish green shade. It was evident Commander Tekkar, like the rest of the crew, was incredibly tense. The Commodore watched her walking briskly towards him with her eyes now blood red.

"What's all that noise?" Erra asked, picking up on her agitation.

"Not quite sure, Commodore," Tekkar answered, "We're looking into it."

"Tekkar, have I ever told you that you are too conscientious and honest to be a good liar?" Erra asked with a smile.

"Yes, you have, Commodore." she replied, averting her gaze.