The Distant Echo

The Conquest

High energy concentrations of hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur caused the nebula to pulsate with random cadence. An enormous, dark mass moved within the nebula, yellow fire burning as the vessel cut through into space.

The delta-shaped ship was a megastructure — both terrifying and beautiful, every line graceful and flowing. The hull was a seamless metal-stone material, its color a swirled fusion of deep gray and oily black hues. From the arrow point of the bow, sweeping wings ran nearly the length of the hull, both port, and starboard. The ship's topside slanted and curved upward, until sloping back down, splitting into separate nacelles that extended aft of the main body. Reciprocally, the keel gently expanded downward before streamlining to the rear quarter of the ship, ending at the stern.

The engineering brilliance to construct such a thing was art exemplified, matched only by the fearsome beauty of the structure itself.

The ship's length spanned 12,800 meters, its width just less than half. Matching its physical dominance, enormous power generation and warriors numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the Reptilians imposed overwhelming force throughout the quadrant, dominating all that opposed their kingdom.

Two centuries passed since the Reptilians won control of the Milky Way galaxy's outer arm territory, the most distal point in relation to the galactic core. Lasting victory was sired by their megastructure, the primary platform from which they ruled the stars, and they called their ship the Conquest because of it.

Banking starboard, the Conquest gained momentum, stars littering the field ahead. The nacelles pulsed, blazing brilliantly from antimatter propulsion.

Closing fast at the Conquest's starboard quarter, four destroyers converged in a route attack formation. Narrow at the front with twin fork blades protruding forward, these heavy battlecruisers were flat, sleek, isosceles-shaped vessels. Each destroyer, a fraction of the size of the Conquest, activated weapon systems, railgun rounds firing in rapid succession, and nuclear warheads streaking through space.

The magnetic shield surrounding the Conquest flashed as weapon impacts dispersed. Evasive maneuvers brought the Conquest back to its port side, heading into an obvious flanking ambush. The smoothness in which the Conquest glided forward on its altered course suggested a disregard for the possibility.

An energy wave traveled along the Conquest from stern to bow, and multiple energy bursts of jacketed antiprotons were unleashed upon the destroyers. The initial volley landed true, dismantling their shields. A subsequent volley obliterated the cruisers.

Emerging from the nebula, five additional destroyers presented a straight-line attack. Another formation of six destroyers approached starboard, both formations coordinated in their attack on the Conquest.

Railgun cannons fired at will, pelting the Conquest's front and starboard sides. The magnetic shield swelled and withstood, the Conquest firing energy bursts to the dead-ahead cruisers. Explosions littered space, broken hulls disintegrating into pulverized pieces.

With the forward vessels defeated, the Conquest turned hard to starboard but did not fire weapons. Instead, possibly to flaunt arrogance, the Conquest barreled through, crashing into the ships, it's magnetic shield pulsing with explosions and rolling fire while it crushed them.

The collective detonations of the enemy ships had no effect on the Conquest. It was a predator, consumed with the scent of wounded prey. With smoldering hulls in its wake, the Conquest came about and increased speed — giving chase to a pair of destroyers fleeing at maximum velocity. One destroyer plagued with severe damage fell behind the lead ship. The Conquest overtook it but did not act. Instead, it made up distance on the lead ship.

Halfway between the lead destroyer and its damagedcounterpart, power welled across the Conquest's hull, and dual beams drilledthrough space. The trailing destroyer was struck first and obliterated. Thelead vessel was destroyed soon after, its fire-consumed shell exploding as theConquest continued past.