Mantrin Imperial Guard - Pilot Episode - 001 Darkening Sky

Chapter 10: To Defend Our Home

"...going in the direction of Solbrecht."

Raeth felt how his hearts skipped a beat when the last part of Baika's statement seemed to echo in his ears. His worst fear was about to become a reality. Any populated world meant that the lives of innocent citizens were at stake. But Solbrecht was a different matter. It was their world. Several members of the crew had family there, himself included. Although the Empire had little influence on civilian matters, military-wise they were authorized to defend the lives of their own citizens.

"Houn, plot a course and get ready to pursue. We cannot let them reach any inhabited worlds."

"Yes Ginjha."

"Can we reach Solbrecht before they do?"

The young Goureg flattened one ear and relayed the inquiry to the computer with a few quick taps.

"They're using a different propulsion method than we do. Based on their current course and speed, at our maximum QV factor we might be able to beat them by ten maybe fifteen millicycles if we leave now. A quantum jump might give us an edge though."

Raeth's mind worked at top speed. He had to decide now as they lost precious time with each millicycle of delay. It could work, but the quantum singularity required time to regenerate back to full power afterwards.

"What if we slow down halfway and jump the last part? Can we make that?"

Houn smiled, entering the new parameters into his calculation. Raeth caught himself thinking for a tick that he was talking to a boy, and a very smart one at that. His voice, which wasn't as deep as some of the other members of his race, strengthened that image. But above that, he was also an officer of the Imperial Guard and it showed.

"That would give us a little over half a cycle."

"Good enough. Get ready. Baika, the fleet?"

"Worynn is hailing us, sir."

"Put her through."

The Canai'yu's bridge was in a state of disarray. Last time they had contact, her Ginjha didn't seem like the type of person known for her large supply of patience and she had wasted every drop of it. The way she drew breath was like an odd mixture of panting and growling. With her face twisted into a scowl, she barked a final order in the direction of her subordinates before addressing Raeth.

"They got us good. Quantum drive is offline." She cursed. "They're heading for Solbrecht. My navigator told me. You better go after 'em. The Solbrechtian Navy isn't equipped to fight a battle like this. If they catch them off guard, they don't stand a chance."

"We're ready to go. But we need reinforcements. They won't be able to hold them off for long."

"Just go, Raeth! We'll come after you as soon as we can. I'll get command to send any ships in range to assist you. Nas ohvi Kirliya deh unar. Worynn out!"

"Le'tan?"

"Aye." The quantum drive spooled up. As the blast shutters undeployed, the stars turned into a stream and mere ticks later they traveled through a quantum tunnel. "QV factor fourteen, sir. We can't go any faster."

"Baika, ship-wide please."

"You're on, sir."

"Raeth to all crew. Our enemies are heading for Solbrecht, but we're gonna beat them to it. Make repairs. Switch places. Get rest. It's not over yet. I'm counting on all of you."

***

Itan yawned as he made his way from the cargo hold and the supply of spare parts back to the elevator platforms. He had been up for quite a while, but the situation required everyone to remain alert and the ship needed repairs. Auto-repair systems and their nanites had their limits and sometimes parts required manual replacement.