“My need for control has led me

  me to realize how ill equipped I am

  to control anything.”

  - Calconastic,

  The great Bepu conqueror

  Chapter 29: The Coming of the Tide

  Returning to Paradign and the Present...

  A transmission came over Magnus’ H.I.C., which he put on speaker.

  “Is that who I think it is?” Maria asked, flying overhead.

  “In the flesh!” Magnus replied, excited to share the news.

  “Huh. Maybe this battle isn’t over after all,” she remarked. “Welcome back, Koga.”

  A swarm of enemy fighters flew nearby. They swooped down, firing down onto Magnus and those with him. The blonde girl somehow created a shield around them, protecting them from the enemy blasts. Koga raised his hand, as though he was about to do something to the enemy fighters. Before he could, they were blown from the sky.

  Once again, another transmission came in on the same frequency. This time, from an unlikely ship, and an unlikely voice. The Horizon roared overhead, responsible for their salvation.

  “Save the party for later, swillsuckers. We gotta job to do,” Red reprimanded, her tone hiding a wisp of hope.

  “Again with the insults…” Pickett remarked.

  “So what’s the situation?” the one Koga referred to as Luminous asked, looking to Magnus.

  “We’re in dire straights here. Triumvirate forces are overwhelming both our armies. At this rate, both armies are done for,” Magnus informed.

  “We can help with that,” Luminous replied.

  “Do you know where their portal device is?” the vermillion skinned man asked.

  “What weapon?” Lima inquired.

  “We believe our enemies have a weapon that will bring back J?gumangr,” Luminous explained.

  “J?gumangr?” Pickett asked.

  “The mythical world serpent?” Magnus asked, clarifying.

  “Yes, the big bad snaky! Without the... you know, mythical part,” the vermillion skinned man responded.

  “So what’s the plan then?” Lima asked. Their time was running short.

  “Corvid, teleport around and see if you can find out where Tulius is keeping this device. Magnus, you and everyone else here keep holding the line. Luminous, you’re with me,” Koga ordered.

  “And what will we be doing, Koga?” Luminous inquired.

  “Turning the tide of this battle.”

  *

  “Sir, there’s a new threat on the battlefield. It’s taken out the asset,” a Bridge Officer yelled, informing Tulius.

  “What?” Tulius remarked, surprised. “Who is it?”

  “It’s… well, uh… I don’t know sir,” the officer replied.

  “Pull it up on the main screen then, blast it!” Tulius ordered.

  “Yes my lord.”

  Koga Kane was back. Using lightning, he struck down multiple foes with one fell swoop. The menace had reared his ugly head once again, and now had a far greater power at his disposal. Accompanying him was a young, blonde woman. She did just as much damage to the Triumvirate, using some other power Tulius was not familiar with. Try as they might, his forces were no match for the warriors.

  “Blast… he’s back. And with help, too.” Tulius cursed. “Our troops aren’t even making it to the enemy front lines!”

  “Should we retreat sir? He’s demolishing our forces by the hundreds!” the officer inquired.

  “The Triumvirate NEVER retreat, Captain! Don’t ever let me hear you say that word again!” Tulius roared, losing his patience.

  The Captain remained silent, as Tulius stewed on what they should do. This was to be his day of triumph, yet once again, Koga Kane was standing in the way of that. With his troops being defeated by such an overwhelming force, and the enemy armies being emboldened by their new ally, Tulius had little choice.

  “Commit the rest of our forces. Send in five Hercules units to combat the Blight and his new friends. Focus our efforts on the two warriors taking our forces out.”

  “But sir-”

  “Just do it, Captain! And don’t you dare question me again!”

  *

  Luminous started out feeling alright. Fighting was just like the combat simulator grandpa had let her practice on. As the conflict continued, however, something began to happen to her. Something she could not explain.

  She grew afraid.

  The sounds of battle. The cries of the dying. The smell of blood in the air. It affected her in ways she could not understand. She began to doubt her own ability. Anxiety gripped her, as fear drained her will to fight.

  She began to hyperventilate. All these people, her mind soon came to realize, were not simulations. They were real people. People trying to take her life. For the first time in her life, she was in real danger. Not only that, but in order to defend herself, she would have to take life. Koga, continuing to fight, noticed Luminous begin to break down.

  “Luminous!” Koga began, kneeling beside her as he launched a blast of lightning at some oncoming opponents. “What’s wrong?”

  “I… I can’t… the noise… I… I can’t…” she began, not able to explain what was happening to her as her breath had seemingly left her.

  “You’re having a panic attack. I’m taking you back behind the lines,” Koga remarked, picking her up in his capable arms. Luminous did not contest this, as fear continued to grip her.

  Leaping away from the conflict, using his electricity to enhance his jump, Koga sped away back behind the lines. Finding Naf, he explained the situation to the small droid. Covering her in a blanket, Naf promised to care for her. She could barely comprehend what was going on around her.

  “I need to get back out there. Take care of her for me, Naf.”

  “Naf much take care. So comfort. Keep safe.”

  In a bolt of lightning, Koga sped away, as both Kenzanites and Paradignians cheered for their unknown savior. Naf put a blanket around her, as he patted her head. Sadly, Luminous could not be comforted.

  “Much okay… Naf take care of you. You much safe, light girl.”

  “Th-thanks. I’m… sorry,” she replied, ashamed.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “But, much why? Because much scared?” Naf asked. “Much not be.”

  “I… should be helping. I’ve trained for this,” she replied, shaking.

  Naf shook his little, diamond shaped head.

  “Training help, but not prepare you fully. Koga much not ready first time,” Naf continued.

  “R-really?”

  “Much yes. First time master in battle? Him much pee pants!” Naf chuckled. “You no pee pants, right light girl?”

  “No,” Luminous replied, giving him a small smile.

  “Master was much young. Not ready for battle,” Naf admitted.

  “I don’t think anyone ever is,” Luminous corrected.

  *

  Magnus had held the line a lot easier since Koga had arrived. After Koga had left, he went to try and retrieve his brother, but Craspus was nowhere to be found. He had seemingly disappeared with no trace as to where he had gone.

  With Koga pushing back the Triumvirate forces, it allowed him and his people to recuperate and tend to the wounded. The Triumvirate had nearly overrun them, but now, it seemed as though the battle might shortly be theirs. That was, if Tulius did not use this new device of his. If he began to lose, Magnus knew he undoubtedly would. How such a beast existed was beyond comprehension.

  “Magnus, come in!”

  “What is it, Maria?”

  “They’re diverting their forces at Koga. Even their air units are being drawn back to deal with him.”

  “That’s not good,” Magnus noted. “He could be in serious trouble.

  “But it’s given us an opening. If we’re lucky, I can get us a boarding party on The Desecrator. We get Tulius, and all of this is over. How fast can you get to a transport ship?”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Magnus smiled. It was time for some payback. He did not think he would even get to see Tulius in this battle, let alone get the chance to personally thank him for his hospitality at Deathlock.

  “Pragnus!” Magnus called out.

  “Yes, my King,” Pragnus responded, jumping off a phanter tank to greet him.

  “I’m going after Tulius. Can you hold the line until I return?” Magnus inquired.

  “I will hold it with my life,” Pragnus assured him, bowing slightly.

  “Thank you,” Magnus finished, before turning to his other compatriots. “You all want to join me?”

  Checotah beat his chest viciously, stepping forward.

  “That means yes. I’m coming, too,” Pickett confirmed. “Time to make the monocle man pay.”

  “I’m coming,” Lima confirmed.

  “As am I. I’ll summon us a transport and an escort crew,” Gar replied, deactivating his shield to send commands on his H.I.C.

  “Maria, I’m going to need a hole in that destroyer,” Magnus hailed over the comm.

  “Sit back, and watch a master at work,” Maria replied.

  *

  Corvid had been able to pinpoint and interrogate a few potentially knowledgeable Triumvirate troops, but none had talked. They all were insistent upon the fact they either would not talk, or knew no information regarding the device he was seeking. Still, it did not stop him from pushing them to the brink of insanity.

  Before grabbing another officer to horrifically terrify, he came across a sight that saddened him to the core. It was Luminous, sitting behind enemy lines with the little droid from earlier. She seemed to be injured, or something of that nature. He quickly teleported over to check on her.

  “What’s wrong?” Corvid asked, teleporting in front of the building they were sitting in.

  “Wh-what? Naf no understand… you… you ghost! You ghost! Ahh! Run, light lady! Run!”

  “I’m not a ghost, diamond head. Now what’s wrong with her?” Corvid asked, seeing that Luminous was hyperventilating too much to respond.

  “Light lady much panic… much anxiety…” Naf said, trying to explain, as the sounds of battle carried on in the distance.

  Corvid kneeled down, and looked her in the eyes. He sympathized with her, and understood her problem. He had it as well. What sane soul would not in the chaos of war?

  “You and I are more alike than I thought, kid. Turns out, I have just the thing to help you. Everyone needs a little boost every once in a while.”

  Corvid reached inside his pocket to retrieve just the thing, as the little droid, Naf, stopped him. The little tyke was quite forceful for one so tiny. It seemed, like him, he was quite protective of Luminous.

  “You no give light lady drugs, red ghost man!” Naf protested.

  “They’re not drugs, cyclops!” Corvid said, both annoyed and amused at the droid’s dramatic behavior.

  Pulling out an MP3 player, he scrolled through some songs. Deciding on a classic 80’s Earth hit, he pulled some headphones out and placed them in her ears. He then played the song “We’ve Got The Beat,” by the Go-Go’s, and slowly turned up the volume.

  “Block out all the noise. Just focus on the music,” Corvid instructed, knowing it had worked for him in the past.

  Luminous closed her eyes as she began to focus on the beat. It appeared to soothe her, although the effect was far from immediate. It gradually calmed her. Then, it was as though it excited her. Corvid could see her tense body loosen up, as the music seemed to grip her very soul. It was as though all the noise and anxiety just melted away. Now, there was only the beat. Just what he hoped would happen.

  Standing to her feet, she opened her eyes as she began to bounce on her feet. Naf looked at her with slight concern and curiosity, as Corvid dawned a grin of approval. Corvid encouraged her as she grew more amped up, with Naf soon joining in.

  “You much look better! Much getting amped!” Naf began.

  “I feel… better… I got this,” Luminous affirmed, shaking her head.

  “You do!”

  “I’m fast,” Luminous affirmed, closing her eyes.

  “Fastest there is!” Corvid continued.

  “I got this!” Luminous said.

  “You do! You’re a winner,” he said, seeing that the music was working its magic. “Now, go get ‘em!”

  In a flash of light, Luminous gave Corvid and Naf a high five, then dashed off into the battlefield. Using her immense power, she began pummeling foes left and right. None could stand in her way while the music played. It was though she was an angel of light, as she shone across the battlefield for all to see. She had conquered her anxiety for the moment, and now, she would go on to win a much easier battle. Triumvirate forces fled in terror, as Luminous cut, threw, and all but bulldozed them over.

  Her light constructs were vast and powerful. With assurance in her abilities, she could now rule the battlefield. Although Corvid was sure a little fear was still present, it was overcome by her courage. She reminded him of his daughter.

  Naf looked to Luminous in shock, then back to Corvid. Then back to Luminous, then back to Corvid. He then put his hand on his hip in a sassy fashion.

  “Red ghost man?”

  “Yeah, cyclops?”

  “Much sure no give drugs?”

  “Yes,” Corvid replied. “Much sure.”

  *

  Maria and the crew had been working cohesively. Studley, who once was not so affectionately named Stutter, had been a good copilot. Marrianne had given them no issues, and so far had been a good gunner. Despite not finding the one she had been looking for at Deathlock, she had continued to be an asset to the team.

  Zenny and Penny, who had actually managed to keep their bickering to a minimum, had also stationed themselves as gunners in the ship. Besides nearly committing some friendly fire, for which they had been harshly scolded, they had done a good job, and had stuck to their training. The Night Witch and her crew were succeeding beyond Maria’s expectations.

  “All right ladies… and Studley. We need to make an entrance for Magnus and his boys to enter The Desecrator.”

  “I th-th-think our best bet would be to bl-bl-blow a hole under the cargo bay,” Studley suggested.

  “Not the docking bay?” Maria asked.

  “Old master Krieger said in-in-infiltration was best done through the bottom of destroyers. It takes too long to blast through the docking bay sh-sh-shields,” Studley countered.

  “He’s right,” Marrianne concurred. “If we’re going to bust in there, we need to blow a hole under the cargo bay. Most destroyer class vessels have a weak belly.”

  “Good job, Studley,” Maria replied, reaching over to give the droid a high five. “That’s what we’re going to do.”

  “I-I-I thank you. I’ve n-n-n-never been commended before,” Studley swooned.

  “Red, you back there?” Maria asked, reaching out to her over the comms as they looped back around.

  “Shaking off some enemies. Give me a sec,” she replied, hearing the blaster fire in the background. After about a minute, she responded. “So we’re infiltrating The Desecrator?”

  “Yes. You got my six? Sending you my signature now,” Maria replied.

  “Got it. Make your play and I’ll back you up.”

  Maria turned her ship up towards the target. Roughly five kilometers out, she hit the thrusters and buckled herself in. She warned the others to do the same.

  “Gunners, keep your eyes open. Keep your fire heavy when we reach a klick’s distance out from The Desecrator.”

  The Desecrator was swarming with fighters. Tulius must have brought them back once the tide of the battle had shifted. The destroyer was heavily gunned, and looked to be twice the size of a normal sized one. The fact that he had brought so many back from the active battlefield meant he was vulnerable. Although this was a good sign, it was going to make it harder to get on board that ship.

  “Incoming, C-C-Captain!” Studley warned.

  Triumvirate fighters were closing in. Branching out from the ship under their care, they closed in using a U formation. They intended on closing them off from the ship.

  “We’re on your 6, Commander,” hailed the squad leader from the Kenzanite division. “Let us know how you want to play this.”

  “Z formation, Captain. I’ll lead the first line. On my mark, slip into two L’s, and circle around their formation,” Maria commanded.

  “Roger that, ma’am,” he responded.

  Maria and her ships formed up for the attack. If they were to succeed, they would need to not only carve a path for her and her fighters, but for Magnus and his transports. If she could take out enough fighters, Tulius would have to keep the others out of her path for safety’s sake. It would be better for him to deal with boarders then loads of fighters directing their attention to shooting down the ship entirely.

  Maria opened the main guns at 2 kilometers, then everyone else joined in at one. The enemy fighters were swift, and outfitted with state of the art laser cannons. Such would not be a problem if it was not for the fact they were so accurate.

  “We’re taking too m-m-much damage!” Studley warned.

  He was right. Shield integrity had lowered to 60% within thirty seconds of engaging the enemy. Unfortunately, it was too early to break formation.

  “Captain, hail your men! Prepare to diverge using the up-down method,” Maria ordered.

  “Ma’am, are you sure?” the Kenzanite Captain inquired.

  “Captain, trust me… go!” she ordered, now right where they needed to be.

  “45%!” Studley yelled, referring to the shielding levels.

  Maria threw the ship down, leading an L formation behind her. The Captain led his fighters upward, swooping back to where the flight path they were once on. Maria, Red, and four of the Kenzanite fighters kept descending down towards the earth.

  Most of the enemy fighters tailed the Captain, but a few were still tracking Maria and her formation. They continued firing upon them, and The Night Witch’s shields had no time to recover. She was now down to 25%.

  “Blast, these guys are good,” Maria admitted. Hitting the side thrusters, she moved off to the side. Using a move James taught her back in the day, she slowed her ship immensely, allowing the enemy fighters to pass her.

  “Not good enough, though. Fire!” Maria ordered.

  Simultaneously, all The Night Witch’s guns opened fire on the Triumvirate who slipped past them. Using the main cannons, Maria used the turret mode to shoot three of them down, aiming towards their enemy thrusters. Her gunners finished off two of them, while the rest of them fled for their lives. For the time being, they were in the clear.

  “How are we doing, Captain?” Maria asked.

  “All good here, ma’am,” he replied promptly. “We lost them after a few dive and sweep maneuvers.”

  “Then let’s open this can up, shall we?” she retorted, zooming up towards the destroyer’s belly. “Focus on the cargo bay!”

  Targeting the area she wanted destroyed, her crew and the others focused their fire on the destroyer’s belly. They would need to create an opening large enough for multiple ships to enter in. Although she would not be taking The Night Witch in, she intended to accompany Magnus using the Witch’s mini transport.

  “As soon as she’s blown, Studley will take the ship out of harm’s way. Anyone wanting to join me, get ready,” Maria informed her crew.

  “We’ll come with you,” Penny spoke up.

  “Actually I’ll stay behind with the ship,” Zenny replied.

  “Marrianne, you’re coming with me then,” Maria stated.

  “Roger that, Captain,” Marrianne confirmed.

  After repeated fire, the shields finally dropped. Using a few more shots, a hole opened up precisely where Maria wanted it to be. She gave Magnus the all clear, as more fighters came in to escort him.