Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ XeroTekk - The Advent Saga ❯ Prelude to War ( Prologue )

Written by
R. J. Hall

Prologue

12M-31-3AX

First Admiral Rhatro Sruvida was a brave and courageous man. He had stared death in the face numerous times against incredible odds throughout his career in the Royal Navy. His entire thirty five-year career as a Royal Admiral had been decorated with numerous medals and commands all across the galaxy from Lithurmia to Daedoralis and Gaedoron to Kuwot.
Over those thirty five-years, he had endured many hardships including the destruction of three alliance cruisers, and battlecruiser, all in which nearly the entire crew had perished. Never had a day gone by that he hadn’t thought he could’ve done something to save those crewmembers.
No matter how much Rhatro debated and argued with himself, he knew they all paled in comparison to what he faced now. Possibly nothing in his future career-if there was one- would ever amount to this.
After the discovery of the all-powerful energy force known as Xero, the had begun the immediate adoption of this energy force into its technology, creating the most powerful weapons in existence. This technology came to be known as XeroTekk and completely revolutionized the in terms of military and technological power, both of which had been dominated by the Saedron Imperium before XeroTekk.
Admiral Rhatro stood on the command bridge of the Alliance Tekk ship, the Midnight Dove, calm and confident as he looked at the forward viewscreen. It displayed the face of the Saedron Admiral Sarrin Xorris, a well-known admiral throughout both the Imperium and AllianceSince Rhatro’s and his last meeting, Sarrin had acquired a distinguishing scar that ran from above his left eyebrow down across the bridge of his nose, past the corner of his mouth and across his cheek to his jaw line. Where he had gotten it was a complete mystery to Rhatro.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you yet again, Sarrin. How are things with the 31st?” asked Rhatro.
“Fine, my friend. How have things been over on your end?”
“You know, same old,” Rhatro said in a bored tone. Of course, Rhatro’s fleet had done close to nothing the three months they had seen each other last and it had been a rather boring, but relaxing time for him.
“May I ask your purpose for being in space, my friend? That’s an act of war if you didn’t already know.”
Sarrin chuckled. “Of course I do. I’m not the most decorated admiral in the Imperium for nothing.”
Rhatro was growing more nervous by the second. What was Sarrin doing in Alliancespace? Was he here to start another war? The and Imperium had been at war once before, but those days were over.
Weren’t they?
“I am here to discuss negotiations with the ” said Sarrin after a few moments of silence.
Rhatro’s heart skipped a beat. When Saedrons spoke of negotiations, they almost always meant surrender. But the Midnight Dove was one of the first five Tekk ships in the galaxy, virtually invincible by any ships less advanced than they were. If they had come here to order the surrender of the why didn’t Sarrin field a more advanced ship?
Rhatro crossed his arms, appearing to look interested. “What ‘negotiations’ do you speak of?”
Sarrin grinned. “You believe I am here to start a war, Rhatro. Don’t you?”
“Depends,” he replied.
“Well, put your fears to rest. Our last war showed us what we are both capable of and we do not wish to relive those days. They were just as bad for us as they were for you.”
This was the absolute truth. Well, at least the war, as far as Rhatro knew.
“Besides. Do you believe I would be foolish enough to engage an Alliance Tekk ship without posessing one myself? Please, Admiral. I have been in service far longer than you have and possess a larger amount of knowledge and experience.”
Rhatro was growing impatient. “You’re stalling, Sarrin. What are your negotiations?”
There was a faint ping from Sarrin’s side of the line.
“Patience, my good friend. In due time, we shall talk about negotiations. Right now, I just ask that you sit tight. I have an visitor that I must see to right away.”
Rhatro was growing very nervous. What was Sarrin planning to do?
“I shall make contact with you again in fifteen minutes.”
Rhatro decided to draw the line right then and there. “That’s enough, Sarrin! You have stalled me long enough. Now, I shall ask you one more time. Why are you here?”
Sarrin’s expression grew very cold and serious to the point where it made Rhatro wince. “Not much of a talker now, are we Rhatro?” Sarrin turned away from Rhatro suddenly and conversed with a crewman off-screen for a couple of minutes before he turned back around.
“Sorry about that interruption. Where were we? Oh, yes! Our negotiations!” He finished with a bright smile. “About those. I believe there will be none, except for the destruction of your ship.”
Rhatro’s eyes went wide as he opened his mouth to say something, but the blaring of alarms on the bridge cut him off. He snapped around to face the ship’s sensor commander and demanded, “What's happening?!”
The officer replied, “The Saedron ship has armed its weaponry and raised its shields. It’s entering battle mode!”
Rhatro whirled around to face the rest of the bridge, “Everyone to battle stations! Arm all weapons, activate the shields and I want all countermeasures up and active!” He cursed himself for being so damn stupid then turned back to the screen where Sarrin sat, grinning as widely as he could.
“Sarrin, you have just committed an act of war, you fool! Now you and your ship shall see destruction!”
The Saedron admiral let out a long, rolling laugh. “You are more of a fool than I thought, Rhatro!”
The sensor officer shouted to Rhatro, “Sir! The enemy ship has fired two torpedoes of unknown model and power! Range is 10 kilometers and closing!”
Rhatro glared as hard as he could at Sarrin, hating him with every fiber of his being. “You stupid, stupid fool. Even if you do somehow manage to destroy us, that does not help the fact that you have fired upon an ship in active duty! You have made the biggest mistake of your career!"
Before Rhatro was able to say anything further, the entire ship began to vibrate from the torpedoes' energy casings. Without a second thought, Rhatro grabbed the nearest hand hold which managed to be the railing which separated the upper deck from the lower and ordered, "Brace for impact!"
But the order was almost completely useless.
The ensuing explosion was so violent it tossed Rhatro fifteen feet into the air, making him slam into the ceiling then fly forward into the main viewport full-force and fall in a crumpled heap onto the bridge's floor. It was an absolute miracle the viewport hadn't shattered despite the fact he had hit it at nearly fifty miles per hour.
As he layed there on the floor of the bridge to regain his composure, he had no idea that nearly an entire quarter of the ship had been obliterated and was now drifting freely in space. Neither did he have any idea that the second torpedo was aimed directly at the ship's bridge. Then, he didn't know anything.

*****

Sarrin grinned madly as he witnessed the last torpedo strike the bridge of the Tekk ship, exploding with such tremendous force that cracks began to creep along the ship's hull from the bridge to what used to be the engines began to form and glow red, until the entire structure simply collapsed under the extreme instability caused by the ship's main reactor. The entire ship was vaporized in a tremendous explosion so bright it forced the Saedron admiral to shield his eyes.
When the blinding flash disappeared, Sarrin let out a chuckle which then grew into a deep laugh, then a tremendous burst of hysterics which seemed to make the bridge of the Deep Impact rumble.
When Sarrin finished, he turned to his sensor officer and spoke, "Did anyone make it off alive?"
"No, sir. Sensors detected no vessels leaving the Midnight Dove. We must've caught them completely by surprise."
Sarrin turned back around to face the viewport and crossed his arms. "Then get us out of here. We have completed our mission."
He was disappointed it had been so easy, but a mission was a mission.
As the ship turned to leave the system, alarms on the bridge blared, bathing the chamber in a deep red glow. Sarrin quickly turned to his sensor officer. "Report!"
The officer turned to his screen and replied, "We have three inbound Mupio-class destroyers and a single Nmasgnki-class Alliance Skirmish cruiser exiting Netherspace three hundred-kilometers out, sir!"
Sarrin simply smiled. "No need to worry. They are absolutely no chance for us, no matter what weaponry they are carrying."
Just as he was about to give the order to leave, an idea came to mind. "Hold that order. I think we should show these scum just who they are dealing with." Sarrin turned back to the viewport. "Engage hostile ships on my mark! Activate all weaponry and full power to all shields and countermeasures!”
Sarrin knew for a fact that the only possible way these ships could defeat the Deep Impact was if they were carrying Tekk weaponry. If they weren’t, they were doomed and nothing could prevent their destruction.
War had returned to the galaxy, and a very pleased Sarrin knew he had been the one to do it.
More than pleased with himself, Sarrin sat back in his commander’s chair with confidence and shouted, “Engage!”
The galaxy would never be the same again.