Altiris Knights:The Fall

Chapter 10:Interception

An Alliance battle group consisting of two cruisers, three corvettes, a frigate, an interdictor ship, and 100 fighters hovered in the shadow of Akalos, waiting patiently. Loeras and Kirtan gazed into the vacuum of black and white, ready to move at any moment.

"Activate the gravity field", Loeras ordered, as he detected an uriak presence.

Finally, several uriak vessels emerged from lightspeed, and formed in a circle, their larger vessels pointing their guns at the space around them. The Alliance ships streamed forward, surrounding their enemy. For once, the uriaks were outnumbered, if only barely. Their orb-like fighters launched toward the interdictor ship. The corvettes, frigate and 60 fighters formed a protective ring around it, taking down any orbs that got too close for comfort.

Kirtan and Loeras, along with several Alliance and Republic Commandos, boarded a shuttle, and escorted by 20 fighters, flew to the uriak flagship. They arrived just as a smaller vessel was about to depart. Their shuttle rammed the vessel, pushing it back into the hangar. The Knights and the Commandos poured out, and opened fire on the uriak soldiers around them. Kirtan conjured walls of earth and metal, creating a small barrier around the smaller vessel. Loeras cut down the uriaks around the ship, and pushed the two Reapers aside. He was focused on a specific uriak alone, the spy that had attempted to escape when they boarded the enemy capital ship.

The Republic Knight located the creature with his mind, and put it to sleep with a gentle mental press. Kirtan and the Commandos kept the uriaks and the Reapers occupied, while Loeras took the creature to their shuttle. Immediately, most of the uriaks turned their attention on the Alliance ship.

"Everyone get on board now! We are leaving!" Loeras said, as he released waves of mental energy against the uriaks, killing many of them. Kirtan retreated from the Reapers, who kept pressing the Knight, not giving him any time to recover. With all his power, Kirtan would not be able to fight the creatures off for much longer. Loeras rushed to his aid, and pulled him back, before blasting the Reapers back with mental energy. The distraction gave him, Kirtan and the Commandos enough time to return to the shuttle safely.

As they left the uriak capital ship, with the spy still unconscious, the surviving enemy ships turned on them. Fortunately, the rest of the battle group came to reinforce them just in time. Even then, it was not enough. Outnumbered though they were, the uriaks were swiftly closing in on them. They had almost cut them off. Their goal was clear:destroy the spy at all cost.

Loeras focused power into a mental wave, penetrating their mental defenses, disorienting the closest, causing just enough confusion for the battle group to escape into lightspeed. Only one corvette, the frigate, one cruiser, and 55 star fighters survived the battle.

...

"What do you know about our conditions?" Loeras said, as he explored the uriak's mind with his power, searching for information. "I shall tell you nothing, human filth", the uriak hissed, and spat. Kirtan blocked the green substance with a metal shield, preventing it from coming into contact with Loeras's skin.

"Where is your main fleet?" said Loeras, pressing against the uriak's mind. The creature struggled against its restraints, but Loeras stilled it with a snap of his fingers. "We shall have to do this the hard way, then," he said, and poured energy into his mental probe. He checked everything, gleaning anything he could as his probe wormed its way through every part of the uriak's alien mind. At last, when he saw nothing more of value, he withdrew.

"5 elite Reapers are en route to Laxis. We are the only ones close enough to come to their aid at this moment. We need to move quickly", he said. "We shall need reinforcements", Kirtan said. "We will send a broadcast, and then we have to go to Laxis. Otherwise, all could be lost."

"This is Loeras. I, Kirtan and a squad of Commandos intercepted an uriak battle group escorting a spy. During our interrogation, we learned that 5 Reapers from Overlord Xoer's elite squadron are en route to Laxis. We lost around a half of our battle group, and even with the fleet at Laxis, we are outmatched. We shall meet them in battle, but we can not win alone. Whoever can get to Laxis, please do. Otherwise, all may be lost."

They sent out the broadcast, and the ships jumped to lightspeed, into a battle they knew they might lose everything.