Barbarians

Do you remember me?

Lost for so long

Will you be on the other side?

Will you forget me?

I'm dying

Praying

Bleeding

Screaming

Am I too lost to be saved?

Am I too lost?

Evanescence - “Tourniquet”

“General? Traffic from the planet surface. Sectors 17, 24, and 36 have all gone dark.”

Nassat froze in place. “Are you saying this is a power outage or a communications failure?”

Commander Xeemvois shook his head. “I am not positive, Sir. There appear to be problems with both in all three Sectors.”

A cold sinking feeling filled his chest. “What do we have available to fly reconnaissance over those areas?”

The Naval officer checked his board. “I have a pair of Comet fighters I could dispatch,” he answered.

“Then do so,” Nassat ordered. “Inform them they are to refuse all communications from the surface in those Sectors until they hear otherwise from me. They are also to maintain a safe distance above the ground.”

“Yes sir,” Xeemvois nodded, speaking quickly as he passed the orders. “Sir? What do you think is happening?”

“I do not yet know, but if it is what I fear…” the Saurotaur began, before trailing off into silence

The Ophipteran stared in confusion. “General, how could it be the infected Ronin? We destroyed Triton. You witnessed it yourself.”

“Sergeant Lin always warned me my sense of paranoia was insufficiently developed,” he grimaced. “I dismissed his concerns as the ravings of a mad human...with humor, of course,” he said with a brief smile. “But now I am wondering if what I thought to be mere hysteria, was in fact wisdom.”

Xeemvois was about to respond when the reports began coming in. “The Comets have overflown Sector 24,” he announced. “They are uploading their surveillance footage to us now.” The pair turned to the main display, as the images from the old fighter craft appeared on the screen.

It was a nightmare.

Packs of Ronin ran down those trying to flee, while others tore and smashed their way into the various structures to get at those hiding inside. When one of the pursued was tackled and overpowered, within mere seconds they joined the ever-growing mob to seek those still uninfected. The mobs were spreading in every direction as they watched the madness in growing horror.

“...what...what shall we do, General?” the Ophipteran whispered.

Nassat feared he already knew the answer to that question, and that Xeemvois would not find it to his liking. “We must limit the damage as best we can,” he informed him, as he pulled up a map of the infected Sectors. “Notify the planetary government and order them to quarantine the entire Region.” He zoomed in on the map, his brow furrowed in concentration as he studied the terrain features, before marking one location after another.

“Pass this on to the Prime Minister and Field Marshal,” he continued, “while you gather the rest of the Comet fighters. They are to converge on this area...and begin tactical airstrikes.”

Commander Xeemvois blanched. “Sir...you cannot be serious,” he stammered. “Those are Tetrarchy citizens you are preparing to massacre!”

“I am attempting to prevent a massacre,” he fired back. “If we can keep this contained, we may still have a chance.” He began highlighting key locations. “Order the pilots to start here,” Nassat commanded, “while you maneuver Chiron into an overwatch position.”

The Ophipteran was growing physically ill at what Nassat was proposing. “...to what end, General?” he asked, growing more disconsolate by the minute.

Nassat closed his eyes. “In case they fail, Commander,” he said with a heavy heart.

The aging Comet fighters were antiques, leftovers from the first Khonhim War, thirty years prior. But in the right hands, they still packed one hell of a punch.

The human and Ophipteran pilots were no more sanguine about what they were being ordered to do than Xeemvois or Nassat himself, but they too had seen the footage and understood what was at stake. If they could arrive on station fast enough, in time to cauterize the wound…

The Flight Leader brought up her display as she locked the designated targets in. “This is Harrier Two-Six to all craft, am sending targeting data to you now. Whatever you’re thinking...don’t. Just don’t. Let's get this done people...and pray we don’t have to do it again.” A chorus of acknowledgments came flooding back as the individual craft broke off to their assigned targets. It was simple, with everything programmed into the system.

All they had to do was give the order.

None of them wanted to do this, but they could all do the math. If Harrier Flight could keep the madness from spreading, it might spare the rest of the planet. All they had to do was get there in time...and not miss.

Lt. Marie-Claude Sasaki whispered a fervent prayer...and took Harrier Flight in.

Bridges were the first structures targeted, severing key lines of travel. They’d dialed down their munitions to the absolute minimum...but it doesn’t take a great deal of antimatter to leave utter devastation in your wake. Whole swaths of the topography disappeared under the explosions, the white-hot balls of fire giving rise to the familiar mushroom clouds of war.

New targets appeared on their displays as they bored in again, this time firing their cannons at the open plains, ripping great gouges from the soil as they swept in for a second run. It turned the manicured fields into a hellscape, giving even the adaptable Ronin machines pause as they attempted to navigate the churned up topography.

Lt. Sasaki held the third pass, as the battlecruiser Chiron surveyed the damage, hoping beyond hope they had done enough damage to this once peaceful world.

Ground-Penetrating radar cut through the smoke and haze, as they assessed the effects of Harrier Flight.

“Do you think we stopped it in time?” Xeemvois asked, his voice filled with yearning.

Nassat peered closer at the torn landscape...as new and frantic calls came in.

“General, Sectors 19, 20, 22, 37, 40, and 43 have now gone dark,” the Comm officer reported. “We’re intercepting calls for help throughout the Region...and it’s spreading.”

The old Saurotaur bowed his head and murmured a silent invocation.

“...no...we did not,” he said at last. “Order Harrier Flight to pull back...and engage Chiron’s main batteries.” He took a long weary breath as he lifted his head and looked his counterpart in the eyes.

“Our battle now is to keep the infection contained to the planet,” he clarified. “Nothing else matters.”

“But what of Θ18’s citizens?” Xeemvois said. “Most are still uninfected!”

“...not for long,” Nassat said grimly.