GENESIS - THE BEGINNING. Book 1

CHAPTER 12 ... Checkmate

The first casualties of Ragnarök were three Annular scout ships who joyously volunteered for a suicide mission.

The Annular required only one more piece of information; how long would it take for the Rainbow Bridge to lower its protection fields and destroy an enemy approaching from three differing angles and at varying speeds.

The god Heimdall conveniently answered that question with a swift and deadly grace that left the echoes of silent destruction to blind eager staring eyes.

"First fleet standby. Second fleet; on arrival, guard Rainbow Bridge gateway. Divide and conquer. Teams of two with one as decoy. Destroy any who wish to pass through or offer resistance. On my instructions retreat as planned maintaining decoy teams. We want them in the open where they are weaker. Standby for further instructions.

First fleet; Engage on my instruction.

Mother ships, first phase of support fire on my orders. Second phase commences as soon as Einherjar attack. You have received your instructions. Vengeance has arrived.

First fleet...

...Attack!"

Fifteen Mother ships disgorged their young as one.

Annular fighters grouped together in their hundreds and attacked an unseen foe. A foe mighty in stature and heart that stood his ground and blew on his horn to notify the Aesir worlds that Ragnarök had commenced.

A foe whose only mistake was to retaliate where non-aggression would have left the Annular kicking its heels in frustration as the Rainbow Bridge remained closed.

This was not to be, for the direct assault was tantamount to waving a red flag before an angry bull.

Heimdall released the protection of the Rainbow Bridge as magical lightning enveloped his long sword and like an angry Viper, it lashed out to destroy any Annular fighter ships that got too close. Silent multi-colored conflagrations rained down like hellfire on the heads of the defending multitude. The Rainbow Bridge was being crossed in-mass.

Elves, Dwarfs, Valkyrie and Vanir died in their numbers.

Shafts of blue light flashed upwards from the Elves and Dwarfs as they released one arrow after another at the attacking enemy. Arrows that did little more than blind eyesight. Vision became impaired and mistakes compounded. Fighter ships flew blindly across the attacking fields of their brethren and suffered the consequences or flew into the ground and disintegrated in plumes of fire, smoke and debris.

Shrapnel from the exploding craft cut swath after swath through the ranks of the defenders. Laser beams scythed Valkyrie and Pegasus alike from the air in such abundance that droplets of blood and bodies fell like rain on those below, crushing some and maiming others that were too slow in avoiding them. The Annular mother ships added to the inferno and pumped round after round of explosive solid shot 100 meters into the air that exploded and rained shrapnel in all directions. Shrapnel that cared little for friend or foe. Shrapnel that was indiscriminate in its destruction.

For the Valkyrie, this sudden and total destruction came as an unwanted surprise. Never before had they fought a foe that cared little or nothing for themselves. Never before had they met a foe whose plan of attack was just that; attack.

Attack.

Attack.

No subtlety. No right or wrong. No finesse. No tact. The defense crumbled as fighter ship after fighter ship swarmed through the open gates of the Rainbow Bridge.