Dawnbreaker Episode II: Shattered Worlds/Part 11

CHAPTER 31

At that moment, Ty294 and an Imperial Officer rush into the room.

"Stop this madness! It will do no good to kill Kane! Everyone stop and listen!"

"You aren't in control here Kane, you never were. You're a puppet to distract us from the bigger picture! Tell them your discovery Major."

"I'm Major Jammerson, Admiral Grage's chief physicist. After the battle I began to analyze the mix of interdementional energy in the sector. Long story short, the Gatekeeper and Darkon's battle earlier released an untold energy that is changing the entire fabric of the universe! If my caculations are correct, all the dementions of the universe are consolidating into one!"

Ty steps foward again.

"When we were trying to escape here the first time I recieved a message in my mind from some strange source. I can't discribe it. But this much I know."

Points at Kane.

"You're aren't in command here! IT is! IT is trying to remake or destroy the universe and it has us fighting shadows while it's plans are being carried out!!!"

The Assailant nods at the Mercenary. He turns back to the duelists.

"This planet is a trap!" he yelled. "They knew you'd come back here, and you have! Now they are here to finish the job!" He looks back up at the Gatekeeper. "Not even you can control your own power now. These things are not of this universe."

As Rattler flies overhead, a rift forms above the enemy base. The Black Knights break off to avoid contact. Switching his radio to an open channel, he alerts allied forces.

"Knight 1 to allied forces, Some sort of rift has formed above the enemy base. I repeat, a rift has formed above the enemy base. Black Knight Squadron will maintain position outside its range."

On another channel, various transmissions are picked up, with sources calling themselves GDI, Colonial, Star League, and even Federation and Terran Empire. Rattler glares at the rift, thinking that the final battle is about to begin.

Ty294 turn toward Patten and his men.

"If you value your life and your men's lives you'll get out of here now!"

Turns toward Deathstrike, Darkon, Gatekeeper and Kane.

"You're greed and arrogance has blinded you all! If you would acknowledge there are other intelligent beings in this universe besides yourself we may not be in this mess!"

"Screw this." The Assailant turns and runs out of the room. "Come on Ty, we've got a Universe to save."

Ty294 gives one last glance at the four pairs of angry but confused eyes in the room then turnes and, along with Major Jammerson, dashes after the assailant.

Deathstrike rushes back to Lord Darkon, a commlink in her hand.

"My lord, I don't understand... listen to this..."

The commlink crackles with transmissions from many previous battles, all intermingled, chaotic, unfathomable... the voices of Lord Darkon, The Gatekeeper, Admiral Grage, Grand Admiral Patten, Fleet Admiral Rajko, and even Deathstrike herself, all overlapping... along with sounds of battle and mayhem.

Lord Darkon's face is carved from stone, as he realizes the horrible truth.

"The universe is beginning to collapse in on itself! THAT is what the Assailant meant..."

"No time, my apprentice" - Lord Darkon says as he smashes the commlink - "We must go!"

Together, with the Gatekeeper and Kane, they run to catch up with the Assailant.

The six climb into the Assailant's ship and fly it out of the atmosphere towards the battle.

"How exactly can this disaster be reversed?!" Darkon asked, "How can the universe be saved? Answer me!"

The Assailant through his hands up in the air, "Hell, I don't know!"

CHAPTER 32

The Gatekeeper responds,"Typical Gatekeeper answer, but I suggest we find the guy in charge and take 'em out. That usually works, doesn't it? If not... I hate to say this, but we could fly to my dimention, which is permanently sealed, by the way, so it is not being altered, and I could go to my lab and destroy the galaxies, rebuild them, and pray that this 'Thing' was destroyed with them..."

The Assailant looks at the Gatekeeper. "You still don't get it, do you? YOU HAVE NO POWER! You are mortal, just like the rest of us! If you die, your dead. We can't go to your dimension, even if it does exist, because YOU HAVE NO POWER!"

Ty294 turns and grabs a stunned Gatekeeper by the throat.

"Have you not been listening at all my friend? The ENTIRE universe is collapsing! Your demention is no safer then any other!"

The Assailant looked up, surprised. "What the... The Uberweapon is moving..." He realizes what is happening. "Oh Shi...!" The Assailant swerves the ship and narrowly evades a shot from the Uberweapon. "They have taken over the Uberweapon!"

"Rattler, this is Admiral Alexander Grage, we have not been formally introduced but that doesn't matter now! All your forces are in grave danger! Fall back to my command ship. I'll send you the coordinates! Move quick!"

"Copy that Admiral. Knights, form up on me!"

The Black Knight Squadron heads back out from the planet's atmosphere, and sees the Expeditionary Fleet already near Admiral Grage's task force.

Rattler watches in horror as the Uberweapon turns on them, and fires on the closest forces, A TEC battle group. Rattler starts swearing profusely over the open channel.

The Gatekeeper argues, "My other powers are gone, but I still have the Force! No matter how many times it leaves me, my body regenerates it! GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!"

Deathstrike turns to her Master. "Or... could all this be, this universe, this reality... IN OUR MINDS?!" She turns to the Gatekeeper - "Oh, SHUT UP!"

She ignites her lightsaber and stabs herself, but instead of collapsing to the deck, she.... vanishes.

Lord Darkon stares for a long, long moment at the space she had just occupied, before smiling tightly to himself. "Hmm... perhaps I have taught her... too well! So be it."

He ignites his own blade, and throws himself upon it. He is... gone.

Suddenly, Darkon and Deathstrike rematerialize on the ship. Ty294 is instantly in Darkon's face.

"You pathetic moran! All the dimensions are compressing into each other! The spiritual is joining the physical! Stop your insanity!"

The Gatekeeper, not even noticing Darkon and Deathstrikes stupidity, continues arguing with the Assailant.

"Want an example? Fine!"

Just as the Gatekeeper is about to Crush the Uberweapon, he feels his powers leave him.

"What?! This is insane! That's impossible! How am I supposed to torture people to death without my powers?! ARGH! Aaargh!!! "

The Gatekeeper suddenly collapses to the floor, holding his head. "Sithspit!" The Assailant cried, "They're invading his mind!" He fires several shots at the huge ship emerging from the rift. The Gatekeeper gets up. "What a minute... that's just a normal ship... it's huge, but there is nothing supernatural about it..." He thought for a moment, dodging a couple shots from the Uberweapon "They control the Uberweapon; an unimaginably powerful and indestructible ship which we can't control, and...." He looked at the others with an insane expression on his face "I've got an idea."

CHAPTER 33

Squadrons from both the TCS Excalibur and TCS Kyushu start harassing the Uberweapon, targeting the massive vessel's weapons in hopes of at least disabling them. The TCS Kyushu comes about, and prepares to fire her Phase Transit Cannon if necessary.

"Ok, does ANYONE have an idea how to stop this?" Rattler asked, exasperated. "If whoever is behind this mayhem continues to find ways to make us fight each other, we're not gonna get anywhere!" He exclaims over the open channel as he dodges anti fighter turret fire from the Uberweapon.

"I have a plan." Explained the Assailant. "Ty, you and me are going to the Uberweapon, I believe that the creatures will come to the Uberweapon to destroy us." He turns and looks at Darkon and the Gatekeeper. "You two are going to... I can't believe I'm saying this... You are going to take control of my ship, and land on the 'Mothership' AFTER the creatures are on the Uberweapon. Me and Ty will stall them as long as possible, you and the Gatekeeper must fly the 'mothership' into the Uberweapon, destroying both ships, and, hopefully, these 'aliens'."

Darkon made a noise on floor, everyone looked at him. "Now who is the only intelligent individual here...." he said, while cackling madly.

"Appearantly not you." Ty replied.

The Assailant docks the ship on the Uberweapon. "You with me Ty?" He asked.

"To the ends of the universe, assailant! Such an ironic phrase right now."

Just before Ty leaves, he looks at Darkon, who is laying on the floor, muttering incoherently. Ty stomps him in the stomach. "See ya Sithy!" Ty ran down the loading ramp.

"Uh, Assailant?" The Gatekeeper said, "We've got a problem. Darkon's monkey-ass has bailed. I have no idea where he went, but I have another idea: What if I go to the Uberweapon? I have stronger armor, I know where everything is AND I created the ship. You and Ty can go to the Mothership. How's that sound?"

"We are not going to control the Uberweapon," The Assailant replied, "We are going to distract the creatures. If there is just one person, they will just invade his mind, with two, they can't do that. You need to go the mothership."

The Assailant lays his hand on his ship one last time.

"Keep her safe for me."

The Assailant and Ty procede into the Uberweapon.

Nobody is on board the Uberweapon.

"Strange..."

The Assailant and the Mercenary made their way to the bridge, but no-one was there either. The Assailant looked at Ty.

"We gotta let those core-slimes know we're hear."

They raised there guns and started firing at the walls and controls of the Uberweapon.

"I just hope the Gatekeeper gets to the mothership without getting killed..."

They both stop shooting. The room felt strange, it felt oddly.. cold. The Mercenary and the Assailant turn around slowly, to see to beings standing on the bridge. They looked almost human, other than for their pale skin, claws, pitch black eyes and razor sharp teeth, they were almost normal.

The Assailant looked at Ty. "You ready for this?"

The Mercenary gave him a look.

The Assailant turned back to the aliens. "Me neither." They both raised their weapons.