Transcript of memory geist, Star Captain Rashlar Swiftcurrent after the Battle at Grace of Meria colony, colloquially called “Battle at Binary Star.”
The fourth fleet jumped into the system and straight into chaos. We’d been diverted from the war front with the Humans to intercept a new threat far worse than the despicable Humans and their heretical cybernetic implantation.
A new race had arrived from Dark Space, a collective consciousness of machines. Soul-less and hostile they had already eradicated three of our outer colonies before they found one of our jewels. A Gaia world, to use a Human term. The enemy already had three fleet elements in the system, and our local citadel was starting to feel the strain when we managed to pull their attention to us.
I remember the fleet admiral’s call, Jaw’hant formation, we were going to use our psionic navigators to rip a hole into the Etherium and dump these monsters into the realm where normal physics don’t apply… at least that was the plan.
Another fleet of their abominable ships stabbed out of FTL right on top of us and broke our formation before we could react. The Admiral’s ship took the brunt of it, lasers and plasma fire rending his ship apart… its psionic shielding flickering out under the stress before its reactor went up.
That’s when my sensor officer called out more new contacts… from the same way we’d just come. Had they already surrounded us? Why hadn’t the Magistrate contacted us?
“Aldari Fleet, this is Vanguard Squadron; we’re here to lend a hand. Transmitting IFF trackers now.” A human voice… we were at war with them why would they come to help us?
“Human, leave our territory or be destroyed. We don’t need help from a race we are at war with!” I replied.
“Bullshit, your formation just got wrecked by those clankers. We’re here now, and our leaders are already talking to your Magistrate about a ceasefire. Fall back and regroup; we’ll keep them off you.”
I couldn’t believe it, but he was right. I ordered all remaining ships to form on my cruiser and disengage to the system’s edge. What I saw then was… magnificent.
Twelve battleship-size crafts emerged from FTL in a reality-shaking thump of physics recoiling. You can’t hear sound in space, but you can always hear the emergence of a ship from FTL. These ships disgorged hundreds of void fighters. Their comms were alive with the chatter of carrier operations.
“Mobius to all wings, we’re here to give the dolphins time to regroup. Report to your wing leaders. Let’s light these bastards up.”
“Talisman, engaging.”
“Blaze, Engaging.”
Their ships were as diverse as their cultures. Boxy, sleek, jagged and round, large and small.
What most struck me, however, was their willingness to fight and die for those who had only weeks before, been their enemies. That is why, Magistrates, I suggest that we as a people embrace the Humans, despite their heresy. To do otherwise would be folly.
End of transcript.
Additional Note: The human fleet that arrived at Grace of Meria was destroyed entirely. However, they bought sufficient time for Aldarian reinforcements to arrive and turn the tide of battle. A memorial has been erected on Grace of Meria’s primary colony, with the names of all the pilots and ships crews etched into it, in honour of their sacrifice for the Aldari people, along with a phrase that passed between the pilots. “Let us go dance with the angels.”
Republished with permission from the author, Reddit user u/Pale-Ad6264. Follow the author on Facebook here: Michael Carabott. Image created using Stable Diffusion 2.1.