XIX

Byem POV

The Terran military had scrambled several hundred fighters into upper orbit, which fanned out in a defensive alignment. Our communications began to malfunction while we were ascending through the atmosphere, which explained the silence of the initial squadron. There would be no patching into the ground headquarters; it was only us and them.

I finally knew what it was like to be on the other side of our invasions. It only took one look at the enemy forces to recognize our craft, the same ones I had piloted for years. They seemed to be swarming the planet from all sides, like insects descending on a fresh carcass. Something had clearly changed since our last encounter. The Terran fleet were spewing missiles with relentless fury, but our opponents swatted them away with ease. The once-omnipotent nanite weapons were disabled with pulses, while anti-matter and plasma weapons bounced harmlessly off their shields.

We were caged in, outnumbered, and our only option was to claw our way out. The odds did not seem in our favor.

If that wasn’t enough reason for concern, a massive destroyer lurked at the back of the enemy formation. I knew it was brimming with weapons designed to render a planet uninhabitable, through radiation and atmospheric poisoning. The only positive I could find in the situation was the AI didn’t seem to have replicated the worst human weaponry, but it didn’t need to. It could neutralize the onslaught of projectiles, and simply weather the storm. The humans would run out explosives eventually.

“What’s the plan?” I flicked through the holographic firing display, trying to stop my hands from shaking. “We do have a plan, right?”

Carl glanced over his shoulder. “We improvise. Just like last time, remember?”

“Last time we almost died,” I snapped.

“Almost is the key word.” The human offered a reassuring smile, but something told me he was convincing himself as much as me. “Look, the shields clearly got an upgrade. But the thing about shields is they aren’t great at stopping smaller projectiles. I say we try mini explosives.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Your missiles aren’t working, so you just want to shoot it with smaller missiles.”

“We can shoot it with bullets too. You know, kinetics?”

“You really think any of that will work?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. But it’s worth a shot.” Carl ran a hand through his frosty hair. “If they want to take this planet, they’ll have to get through us. Their next target could be Earth.”

On the bright side, it couldn’t work any less than what the humans had already tried. Carl wasn’t wrong that smaller weaponry could penetrate shields, but it would require multiple hits. As soon as we moved in though, I had no doubt we would sustain heavy fire; the enemy was likely banking on aggressive action. We’d have to chip away at their armor, striking at the ships’ most vulnerable compartments. I knew exactly where to aim for, but whether I could hit those targets in a split-second, in the heat of battle, was another question.

I switched over to the miniature missiles; they were typically used as interceptors, according to the computer, but could be used for offensive purposes if necessary. We accelerated toward the enemy fleet, and our allies fell in behind us, inspired by our advance. Five AI ships closed around us, ready to pick us off. I targeted the nearest craft and offered up a silent prayer to the universe, that our desperate, suicidal play would work.

A salvo of explosives, tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand, sailed through the inky blackness. They homed in on the vessel’s right flank, slipping through the shields. The armor repelled the attack, with only a dent and a few burn marks to show. But I had found the sweet spot, right by the propulsion systems. The ship began to veer off course, as it lost its steerability.

Carl weaved off to the right, dodging a string of plasma rounds fired by the damaged vessel’s partners. I was ready to turn my attention to a different ship, but the human wanted to go for the kill. He swerved back toward the crippled craft, narrowly avoiding a collision with it. He positioned us right above it, giving me a clean look at the target.

“Same spot, Byem, fire now!” he shouted.

I launched another volley without hesitation. This time, the ship lost all semblance of control, plunging into a dizzying tailspin. The planet’s gravity well only encouraged its forward trajectory, drawing it toward the surface. The Terran ships parted around the doomed craft, then forged ahead with renewed spirit. They emulated our tactics, hurling tiny missiles at the opposing fleet. Who would have thought to attack a fortress with pebbles, but the humans?

The enemy vessels concentrated all of their firepower on our advance. They had been caught off guard at first, but they would compensate quickly. A few of our allies met an untimely end, as potent plasma rounds found their mark. These human ships weren’t designed to take a beating. We had to rely on their quick, nimble frames to evade incoming projectiles, because a single shot spelled death for us.

Carl dipped down to avoid the stream of fire, taking advantage of our three-dimensional battlefield. “Switch over to bullets. We’re gonna hit the beast’s soft underbelly.”

Clever tactics. Typically, in space warfare, the “high ground” (relative to your opponent, of course) was considered advantageous, which was why our ships confronted each other on the same plane. It was also why they wouldn’t expect us to carry out an assault from below, especially while they were preoccupied with the charging ships above.

While kinetics were fairly weak, I found them much easier to aim than their more powerful successors. Also, it was possible to fire dozens of rounds in rapid succession, without so much as a pause. I unleashed a spray of bullets at the ships’ underside, hoping to bombard them into submission. The sight of atmosphere venting indicated that we had indeed poked a few holes in their armor.

Unfortunately, none of the ships seemed incapacitated. We were more of a nuisance than a threat. A warning flashed on the weapons screen, indicating a heat-seeking missile locked onto us. I suddenly wished that we hadn’t drawn their attention.

I cleared my throat. “Carl? There’s…”

“I see it. Try not to lose your lunch, okay?” he replied.

“I don’t waste food, but how...” I stopped as our ship switched directions in an instant, beginning an upward climb at full speed. Acid gurgled in my throat, and I tried to swallow it down. “Oh. That means puke, doesn’t it? You’re not going to outrun a missile, you know.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

The missile was mere seconds from catching us as Carl righted the fighter, once again on the same heading as the enemy. The human steered us straight toward a rival ship, showing no signs of slowing down. As we barreled toward a collision, I couldn’t help but wonder if his plan was suicide. Surely, he was going to turn away, and enact some defensive measures?

We brushed just over the enemy’s hull, so close that I swore our metal skeletons grazed each other. Our craft snaked around theirs, ducking down on the other side. The missile, which was meant for us, instead plowed into them, and their ship absorbed the worst of the anti-matter punch. Its shields held, but barely. The flicker of electricity around its shell hinted they were faltering.

I didn’t need instruction from Carl to seize this opportunity. If its defenses truly were down, we only had a brief window before it recovered. I switched to our plasma rounds, hoping they would work at last. The shots scorched through its vulnerable flesh, turning it to a withered husk in seconds. I knew its occupants were dead when the ship did not deviate from its aimless drift. If there were any survivors, they would’ve fired back.

Our skirmisher twisted through the enemy formation, zigzagging to avoid a slew of plasma fire. Our little ship was becoming quite a thorn in their side, and they were no doubt keen to take us out. For a moment, I felt like we were dancing through the night sky. There was an effortless grace in Carl's evasive maneuvers, and the thought crossed my mind that nothing could touch us.

I must have jinxed it, because that was when a round clipped our left wing.

The fighter’s frame rattled beneath me, and I wondered if the craft would break apart. By some miracle, we hobbled to their rear flank, still in one piece. Our ship’s condition was worrisome: she was slowed, tilting to one side, and running dangerously low on ammo.

I wasn’t sure how much fight she had left in her, but we had to press on. If this was our last stand, so be it.

I took a glance around at the battlefield, trying to think of our next move. A sea of shrapnel and wounded ships had spawned amongst the living, perhaps best described as a graveyard. The enemy appeared to have suffered more losses than the Terrans, but it didn’t matter. As one of their ships fell, another popped up in its place. The humans fought with blinding intensity, but our forces were dwindling too quickly. We couldn’t hold the line much longer.

The planet-killing destroyer was creeping ever closer as well. If it was allowed within firing range, it would decimate the lifeforms below, and that would be the end of the refugee program. Our last-ditch efforts needed to be focused on stopping it. Some of the humans seemed to have come to the same conclusion. A few dozen Terran ships were encircling the beast, hitting it with every type of ammunition, from every angle. Nothing seemed to harm it, or even slow it down.

I wished I could suggest a weakness to target, but to my knowledge, it didn’t have any.

“Carl, you see the destroyer?” I asked.

He frowned, squinting through the viewport. “That big, ugly trapezoid?”

“Yes. If we’re going to lose…we need to take that ship out at all costs.”

“I understand.” The human fell quiet. I expected him to argue that we weren’t going to lose, but he only sighed. “Byem, it’s been an honor.”

“Likewise.”

The ship's engines accelerated for perhaps the final time, and we sailed toward certain death.

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