He was Almost Absorbed by the System

Chapter Ninety Three - Destruction

The Sabine did not wander too far from the flight path of the megalith, which seemed to be on course for the home world of the Imperial Family, Cherok, so were able to witness the one sided battle first hand. Jezmi had coaxed twelve ships in all to help her with her scheme and now three ships were utterly destroyed before they could even understand what they were facing. Other ships blasted it with lasers and missiles, trying to cause great damage before it reformed, but their efforts came to nought.

Finally one of the science officers aboard a sister ship noticed that the megalith, the debris ring and its projectiles all appeared to be made up of the same materials, something that could apparently reform at will. The first assumption was some kind of liquid metal, but with the sacrifice of the fifth ship, who managed to send a brief message just seconds before they were destroyed. The thing was made up of what looked like small metal beetle like things. "Nanochips?" Suggested one officer.

"Isn't that science fiction?" Another claimed.

"I don't care what it is!" Yelled their superior. "Someone get this to head quarters, I can't see us getting out of here in one piece!"

As their weapons failed to stop or even slow it, it was Jezmi who suggested they try a last resort. Kamikaze.

"You are fucking crazy, woman!" The Captain of a sister ship replied.

"Crazy or not, got a better idea?" Came the commander of a ship, whose bridge had been taken out, losing their Captain in the process. In an engine room that was failing, the man sent his crew to the escape pods while he set a short count down. But the ship was in dire straights and would be destroyed before it got to zero, so the man made the decision to blow it there and then, knowing there would be few who escaped.

The blast range was not close to the mass, but did some damage to what it reached. The chips seemed to float dormant, unable to return to the main mass. Jezmi began to order her people to the escape pods as did a couple of other captains while the few remaining ships desperately continued to attack it futilely, still hoping they could get out of this mostly unscathed. The three suicide ships set coordinates and similar countdowns. Jezmi was the last to leave the bridge.

One by one the ships were destroyed; eaten by the nanochips until only non-metallic matter remained, floating dead in space. Escape pods jettisoned, though they held little hope of being rescued. The three ships were set upon by the nanochips. As they reached the mass, one was destroyed before the counter reached zero, the other two were absorbed into it, the chips eating through shielding and walls. The explosion of the two ships embedded in it was not small. The mass was stopped, the chips spread out in the explosion or disintegrated. Some of the lifepods were caught in the blast and destroyed.

In the end, it took all twelve warships to stop the mass from across the border. In total, nearly forty ships had been destroyed, including the border ships and a couple of merchant ships that just happened to be in the way.

The Sabine was a Pirate, not one to stick their necks out, but not to bothered about robbing the graveyard either. They carefully entered the flotsam remaining from battle. There was not a lot left, certainly nothing worth pillaging.

The bridge crew were slightly pale, they'd been in battles before, but nothing so destructive. "C-Captain," Song eventually spoke as she helped her hubby pilot the ship around. "Should we pick up the survivors?"

This, they wouldn't normally bother with either, though they might if they thought they could get a ransom. And the military would be here soon so...

"Yeah, let's see if she lived," he said, finally and they moved to where the S.O.S signals could be heard over the comms.

"Wait!" Luck said suddenly, looking suddenly distressed. Law quickly picked up on his feelings and began to heave, his stomach churning.