Calan - The Immortality Paradox

Chapter Twenty: Assault of the Kray Authority, Part Three

Missiles appeared before spaceships.

One pierced the atmosphere with supersonic velocity, taking an accurate trajectory towards the Citadel. It was barely perceptible in the cheerless sky; a silver dart with a trapped core of fire. Wanderer watched it descend, unhindered, as the gathered sentries looked on in anticipation. One or two gripped their primitive spears a little tighter. The missile scored the sky in two and hit its intended target. A reverberation travelled the earth beneath their feet as a reinforced stone wall to the south absorbed the impact. A sphere of flame contorted momentarily in the air nearby before extinguishing. Wanderer smiled to herself.

'Kilgarrah's breath!' the Forgemaster exclaimed, gripping the ramparts of the castle for support as his majestic, red cloak billowed in the aftershock. Soldiers around him acknowledged his declaration with accompanying cheers.

Zhě chuckled. 'No, my friend. Simply the power of technology. Call it the protection of Annwn if you wish, but only science will save you today.'

Whether Waterman agreed or not, he was positively enthralled.

As she sighted more missiles at the edge of the planet, Wanderer simultaneously analysed the defences. Her billions of nano-bugs were taking advantage of their first course of energy; recycling its power for their own purpose. Energy at twenty-four percent. Another few like that and I'll have an arsenal of my own.

'Get ready for a flurry, Forgemaster!' she shouted across the castle walls such that the entire line of sentries could hear.

A scattering of fresh projectiles invaded the atmosphere, and in a cacophany of explosions, clattered against the invisible shields of Zhě's nanotechnology marvels. The Citadel rumbled in response. A couple of the soldiers took nervous steps away from the ramparts as their whole world shook.

'These are warning shots, you say?' Waterman inquired loudly as the earthquakes subsided. 'Fire arrows to rout the populace?'

'Testing the defences.' Wanderer replied impassively. 'They will hope for a quick capitulation. Bombard your city until you are but a pile of bones, ashes and stone. And then slaughter the rest while you mourn your dead.' Wanderer looked up defiantly from her chair, fixing the Forgemaster with all the stoicism she could muster. 'But we won't let them get that far!'

Soldiers raised a phlegmatic fist in unison.

'For Camelot!' They clamoured. More voices cried out from across the castle, echoing the sentiment. Wanderer couldn't help seeing the absurdeness of their rebuttal. One of the next consignments of missiles struck a fortress turret, but its dark cloud of resultant flames did nothing to weaken the passion of the defenders. 'For Camelot! For Camelot!'

Under the noise, Wanderer nodded to the Forgemaster once more. 'Signal the outposts. Their fleet are coming - the enemy is on your doorstep!'

Taking an escort of four sentries with him, the Forgemaster marched the path up to the nearby beacon tower. Zhě watched as the friendly flames burst into the heavens and a ring of candle-sized sources of light messaged their reply along the perimeter of the Queendom.

Ten percent of castle defences charged to capacity. Located in North East corner of the Citadel. Preparing retaliation mechanisms.

Wanderer scanned the sky. The ominous shadows of a few hundred ships were haunting the exosphere of New Avalon, and soon to enter its thermosphere. The opaque sky, in complete contrast, was eerily silent. Awaiting the beast to emerge from the clouds.

A final burst of missiles rained down on the Citadel. More useful energy was absorbed upon impact as the many facades Zhě had treated throughout the city fulfilled their coded tasks. However, one stray explosive followed a different trajectory. It twisted in the sky almost of its own volition; Wanderer suspected manual control. Now facing away from the main city, it careened directly into the face of one of the Citadel's surrounding peaks. Chunks of rock tumbled to the valley below, painting the landscape in a dark brown downpour of debris - some plummetted into the river bed, forming a new bridge.