Into the Black

(Flag Bridge, BSN Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, Kolriolia System, Ihm Space)

I nodded at the announcement of Hellspace rifts forming. The timing was a little soon, but with us being so close to the Ihmana System, that wasn’t entirely out of the question. Of course, there were also psy powers that gave the user a bit of precognition, so it was entirely possible that someone ‘saw’ our attack, or the possibility of it, before it happened.

“How far?”

“Two light hours out. Outside of Starbolt range. Enemy ships are turning, making for the rifts.”

I considered the options for a moment. Stay and fight? Or cut and run? Both had pros and cons, but with the strength of the enemy unknown, and us being in their home space? No, getting overextended was too great a risk.

“Break off pursuit. Recall all fighters. We’ve accomplished our primary objectives. No need to get greedy.”

We couldn’t leave until the carriers recovered their fighters. At current speeds, it would take almost thirty minutes before we could escape. Considering where the rifts were opening, it would be another two hours before the ships could be upon us. No worries. Not ideal, but no worries.

Then the ships came through the rift. It was a full battle group of the Ihm Armada, likely what remained of their home fleet. The computer counted four hundred ships, ranging from corvettes to superdreadnoughts in size. And these were not the ragtag castoffs and hand-me-downs like the local defense force that we’d just scattered. They were top of the line warships, made to the latest standards. And I could already see the signs of their warp shields going up.

That was not something that we could fight, in a straight-up brawl. We had the edge on speed and maneuverability, especially when they were putting so much energy into those warp shields that blocked Starbolts, but without the FTL weapons, they had a massive advantage in mass and firepower. Could we do it? Maybe, if no reinforcements showed up. But it would be a long, drawn-out battle, and our fleet would be ravaged by the end of it.

No, it was better to cut and run. We scored a victory, but defeat was still a very real possibility if we stayed. So, getting out was the answer.

“Admiral, I’m detecting anomalous readings on the surface of Kolriolia Prime! Massive psychic disturbance!”

That didn’t sound good. Not at all. “On my screen! And tell the fighter pilots to redline their drives if they have to, but I want them aboard, yesterday!”

“Aye, Admiral!”

Looking through the data, I couldn’t help but curse. It was the same data that had come through from Sedara, before the ritual that the Ihm had been conducting ripped open a Hellspace rift there, allowing demons to pour out and start destroying everything. If the same thing was happening here…

“Raise Hellspace shields to full! All ships, total protection. Marines prepare to repel borders!”

There was a scream behind me, as a rift tore itself open on the flag bridge. From the rift came a score of screaming hellspawn, their greyish skin giving way to green scales and clawed hands, with Ihm-like heads and feathered wings sprouting from their backs. Each was armed with a weapon, whether it be a sword, axe, club, or halberd.

None of them were welcome on my ship.

“YOU DARE INVADE MY SHIPS, HELLSPAWN?”

My bellow caught the attention of everyone on the bridge, mortal or demon alike. For the first time in ages, I had both my blades in hand again, and a foe in front of me that was worth using them on. Silver light surrounded me like armor as I strode forth, allowing my powers to run free for the first time since the shockwave.

In a flash, I was on them. The demons were without number, every one of them a reflection of the prideful thoughts of a species renowned for its pride, going back generations upon generations. But I was no prancing fool or boardroom tyrant who relied on others to do my dirty work for me.

My blades, one physical and one made solely of energy, slashed through the air, and the roars of demons on the hunt became the howls of demons in disarray. They focused on me because I was the only real threat here. But they couldn’t stop me, not with my powers amplifying my abilities.

I couldn’t hold this form long, of course, but I shouldn’t have to. Twenty demons became ten, then five, then none. The last of those twenty found themselves impaled upon my blade, just as the Hellspace shielding snapped into place. The rift shuddered, and then closed with a crash of thunder. The entire thing took barely two minutes.

Silence reigned on the flag bridge, as I allowed the psychic aura to fade. Everyone was staring. Some were in shock at seeing demons for the first time. Others were rattled by how I dispatched them. But all of them had a newfound appreciation for my abilities.

It was Raven that broke the silence. “Psychic shields established across the fleet, Admiral. Rifts have been closed. There are reports of boarding actions, but the Marines are eliminating the intruders as we speak. Casualties minor.”

I nodded, and slowly sheathed my blades. “How long until we can recover the fighters?”

“Twenty minutes. Fifteen if we turn and burn towards them. But the rifts have destabilized the Anchor Drives. Capacitors are dry across the fleet.”

“Recharge! I think they know we’re here, by now.”

Raven shook her head. “They’re trying, Admiral, but the drives won’t take a charge. I believe something about the surrounding space is draining them.”

I winced. “Like trying to use a warp drive in a tarpit. They’ve found a way to block Anchor drives!”

The android nodded. “That is the likely assumption. The Ihm have had samples of X’thari technology for some time, now. If they’ve been able to design countermeasures for the Transition drive, they may well have developed a way to block Anchor drives from functioning.”

I took a breath. “Options, people?”

Raven shook her head. “We either fight, with the odds heavily against us, or we run, and hope we can get out of range of whatever they’re using to block the Anchor drives. Unfortunately, given where the placement of the Ihm armada, if we chart a course back towards Imperial space, they’ll be able to intercept. The only course where we can still outrun them takes us into the Eye of Despair.”

Those weren’t great options. One was a fight that we were sure to lose, or at least bleed so heavily that we would be a decade rebuilding, at least. That wasn’t something I’d typically risk, not unless there was no other choice.

However, going into the Eye of Despair, and entering Hellspace, was not something to be considered lightly. If it was anything like the source material (and my interactions with the Chaos Brigade suggested it very much was), then Hellspace was a realm of torment and anguish, filled with demons wanting to rip and tear at your very soul. That wasn’t exactly on my list of top ten vacation destinations. That sounded more like holidays with the family.

On the other hand, if there was any fleet in the galaxy that could handle it, that would be the Black Star Navy. I may not have installed the ability to open and close Hellspace rifts on my ships, but I damn sure made certain that the shields to block the denizens of Hellspace from slaughtering my crews was installed. So, it wasn’t like we would be going in just trusting to fate and luck.

I spent the next fifteen minutes considering my options, as the fighters rushed to get back aboard their carriers. Opening my interface, I typed a couple quick messages, sending them to other nomads. Then, time was up. I couldn’t delay any longer, or the choice would be made for me.

“Put me through to the fleet.”

(Flag Bridge, INS Bastogne, Raliv System)

Admiral Huang Cheng snarled as he looked at the system map. They had expected resistance as they entered the system. Even on ballistic courses off the normal axis of entry, his fleet wasn’t exactly stealthy. So, he didn’t even try.

An Ihm Armada naval base was present in the system, in addition to the research lab and stockpile they were here to destroy. In space, there were two hundred ships of the Ihm Armada, easily enough to cause an invading force serious trouble. They were newer ships, as well, showing how much stock the Imperium put in this system.

It would not be enough. They may have had plenty of ships, but the ships were not all in one place. They were divided, patrolling the system, on the watch for stealth attacks, like the Black Stars would do. They weren’t prepared for a full assault.

Driving forward like a spear, Third Fleet pierced through the Ihm lines before their ships could fully gather. Concentrated firepower made quick work of any ships that got too close, and coordinated point defense swatted missiles from the sky before they ever came close to endangering his ships. Twenty ships were lost or put out of the battle already, compared to minor damage to his ships, and no losses.

“Admiral! The enemy is regrouping. They’re trying to catch us in a pincer maneuver!”

Huang nodded. It was the predictable play. He had pierced through their lines, so the Ihm commander intended to gather his fleet in two forces, to catch him between them. It was a predictable strategy, because it was the best available to the commander. If it worked, then they could split Third Fleet’s point defense, increasing the chance that their attacks would get through.

The problem was that being predictable meant that your enemy could plan on your responses, and have countermeasures ready. In this case, well, a pincer attack only worked if the target was still between the two forces when the attack came. If they just so happened to be elsewhere, perhaps further in, then the pincer wasn’t effective at splitting their defenses.

“All ships increase to flank.”

The simple solution? Speed up. He could already see the Ihm fleet starting to turn, and try and change vectors, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it.

It was all a matter of physics. Specifically, delta v, the change in velocity. Accelerating his fleet straight forward took less energy than trying to change the track of the enemy fleets, trying to keep their speed while turning, trying to angle for a new intercept. It was impossible for most ships, especially the big ones. They just couldn’t change the direction of that much mass so quickly.

It was a simple tactic, but one that worked, based on the geometries and forces at play. Of course, the commander he was facing off against most likely was drilled very well, but had little to no actual combat experience. It had been a while since the Ihm had participated in a real war, and their tacticians hadn’t adjusted to the new realities just yet.

“Enemy base coming into range.”

Admiral Huang nodded, once. “Fire at will. Destroy everything we can, and prepare the corebreaker torpedo for deployment.”

Raliv was a Venus-type planet, completely uninhabitable under normal circumstances. In fact, the only inhabitants of the planet, even now, were the researchers at the R&D station, and the warriors who guarded over the Imperium’s supply of Exterminatus weapons. But those bunkers were buried too deeply to be affected by a simple orbital bombardment. Even the typical atmospheric incinerator torpedoes would not guarantee the site’s destruction.

But if someone shattered the planet’s core… Well, that would just suck for them. There was no bunker in existence that could withstand a corebreaker shattering the planet beneath them.

“We’re in range, Admiral.”

“Fire. And make best speed for the Heliopause.”

Suddenly, the door to the flag bridge slid opened, and in rushed that Ensign, Corswain. He obviously looked worried. “Admiral, Black Star got jumped by ships lying in wait at Kolriolia. Black Star Prime believes that they may have engaged a Seer to predict the fleet’s movements. The Ihm have displayed another new weapon system, capable of interfering with Anchor drives. The Black Star forces are withdrawing, but their only line of escape leads into the Eye of Despair!”

Admiral Huang took a deep breath, and bowed his head for a moment. They hadn’t seen any clue that these Ihm had been expecting them, but they hadn’t exactly looked. It could be that the Seer, if there was one, saw multiple futures, and the leaders of the Ihm forces didn’t see anything but the most reliable one. Not that it did any good to the Black Stars, of course. “Inform Black Star that we’ll be waiting for their story once they return.”

Then, he turned back to the screen. “All ships, full speed. Use the planet as a gravity assist for a slingshot. We need to get to the heliopause, and we’ll be out of here. This world must burn!”