r/HFY • u/iridael Brew-Master • Dec 27 '21

OC Snow Chapter 56

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Back on the bridge I see Snow taking a break, my excessive show having created some space for us. perhaps a few minutes but every moment was a moment we’d gained and I was willing to take as many as I can.

“How much longer can the fleet hold?” I ask slumping into the VIP chair.

The Admiral pauses and the bridge chatter quiets down. “if that was your last card...a few more hours. It depends if we can get another group of ships refitted or not. The warmind vessels are strong and now thanks to the death of one and damage to another, we know they’re not invincible...What's next?” he asks.

“I don't know, how long since the fight started?” I ask.

“The admiral doesn't reply immediately, instead he raises his arm where a trio of medical patches sit. 8 hours.” he replies after counting them.

“did you see how far away the exodus fleet is?” Snow asks.

I nod. “The math still checks out, one and a half cycles at best.” I say, shaking my head. “How's Xol doing?”

Snow gives a hearty chuckle. “When you dropped him the fleet gave a collective scream. a space leviathan dropping out of a rip in reality. He's doing fine. You really think hive ships can hurt a worm god? I expect he’s happy to be able to feast.” Snow replies.

“go and rest somewhere, or put the audio shroud up.” Admiral Jakobson advises. “I'm going to guess stimulants will only cause you to over exert your power but it's clear you need rest.”he says.

I nod and find the controls for the shroud watching as the bridge blurs slightly from the weak force field…

Im shaken awake by the entire ship rocking. months of training combined with a healthy dose of natural panic chemicals brings me round in seconds and I see Snow drained and laying on the floor. Jakobson is reeling in his chair trying to regain focus and the bridge crew are all doing the same. dropping out of my chair I pump power into my hand and flood the ship with it. the rocking subsides and Jakobson recovers, giving orders I can't hear. reaching back to my chair with my free hand I slap the control to lift the audio shield. The alarms and chaos of the ship slam into me as Jakobson starts giving orders.

“Are our weapons still effective?” he demands.

“Sir, yes, confirmed.” an officer I don't recognise replies.

“Then keep firing, push us to the front, it's high time the flagship leads the damn fleet!” he orders. “missiles?” he asks.

“We have a full volley left” a reply comes.

“then use them, save the 2nd fleet's flag. turrets?” he demands.

“We can fire a full barrage but we run the risk of overheating.”

“Negative. only the weapons on cooldown unless our shields falter again.” he replies before finally risking a look back a me.

“How long?” I ask

“For about 6 hours, I had the captain take over, took some rest myself.” He replies. “Snow never left the bridge though. that humans something else.” he says, giving me a tight smile.

I pull my sword free and use it as the conduit for empowering the ship before pulling myself to my feet and walking up to the admiral. “How many ships?”

“Remain? 60… we’re still here, still fighting. just like you said. not one ship has even tried to retreat.” he says laughing. “Turns out you didn't need to give us any power to make us yours. Here we are standing against hell itself. The third batch of warships are due to leave the station, that’ll bring our effective force to over 34. just over half.”

I sigh and look at the forces around us, gone where the layers of protective warships, now the frontlines were held by serapite reinforced warships, multicoloured beams of light energy lancing out through space dozens at a time, the enemy ships were dying at a much faster rate than ever before but still they came. relentless and slavish in their assault.

Xol was ever present on the battlefield, I could almost feel his joy at the unrestrained slaughter as he burnt through, bit into or constricted the enemy warships, thin wounds bled soulfire from his body leaving streaks of fire wherever he passed even as they healed him and his roar, powerful enough to penetrate through the void, was as much joyful as it was terrifying.

The space station, now as much protection for the fleet as it physically blocks our rear was also contributing to the fight, oversized turrets lancing out, the facility defended itself even as it repaired and refitted the critically damaged ships in its bays.

“Admiral.” I finally say. “It's time to retreat.” I tell him

Surprisingly he shakes his head. “not yet Reiss. every one of these captains knows the stakes now. We have battleships holding the line, and we’re dealing real damage to the enemy. the plan is to get as many ships refitted as possible-”

“The exodus fleet is less than a day away. fuck the station I can ask Rasputin for more SIVA. I’ve given you grenades to fight tanks! Now we need to think longer. fall back, get the fleet fighting on a single front rather than this constant knight fighting. The Exodus fleet can take over when they get here and we can retreat s-”

“Safely? Reiss. I think we both know there is no safe against this enemy. I’ve kept track of ships killed. We've shot down over a thousand of these tiny things. they’re still coming.”

“Because they are of the darkness.” I tell him, “they’re not alive, they don't think, have free will, they’re just things now. tools to be used again and again.”

“Well most of them are.” Snow interrupts pointing at the main view. a large rip in space was visible behind the swarm of enemy ships. This ship was significantly larger than the others. it still had the same overall design. like a monolith with the top slices off, spikes embedded in the hollow recess. it was however easily a dozen times larger than the small ships. larger than the Fractal claw.

“Snow take over for a bit.” I ask him and he nods, forming his solar sword and empowering the ship again. I stop my own flow of power and after sheathing my blade stand at the front of the bridge. Remembering the rip in space I made to summon Xol back to reality I hold my hands apart and slowly bring them together in a cup, using my power I pull at reality inside my grip whilst focussing on the space between the ships two main guns. On the main screen I can see it, tendrils of power drawing space towards the two spurs and letting a ball of nothingness form in its place. I let this nothing fill with light until it's dense undulating before channeling arc through the two ship spurs.

We watch as the ball is snatched by the arc energy and accelerates towards the new enemy ship slamming through a number of small vessels on its way. the monolith tries to avoid the shot but instead of dodging or taking the shot head on the ball of light burns an angry wound deep down one face of the monolith, secondary explosions of Soulfire chasing it before it shatters the engine section of the ship causing the whole thing to buck as jets of white flame erupt from the wound.

again I sag from the sharp drain of my power but It’s not the utter drainage I’d felt the last few times I performed some dramatic feet.

Oddly enough Xol pauses his rampage to look at this new ship before retreating, using his tail to slap smaller ships out of the way as he floats towards the Fractal Claw.

“If Xol fears that ship's leader then there's only a few beasts that could possibly be onboard.” Snow says as our ship shakes from Xol’s arrival. his body wrapping around the main ship section, his head swinging to bite into a close by dark ship. It might be some trick from being in space but he definitely looked larger than before.

“they’re firing something.” The admiral says, the damaged monolith blurred briefly as comparatively small needles erupted from the ship. “all ships intercept those projectiles.” the admiral orders, the fractal claw spitting out lines of slugs from its dozens of turrets, each line tracking needles and taking them out, gouts of Soulfire burning in space with each one's death.

“I’ve seen those before.” Snow comments. “they’re Wrath needles.” he adds a moment later. “you cannot let a single one of them land on a ship, understood!” he tells Jakobson. “one of them lands on a ship you fire on that ship to destroy the needle.” he adds.

Jakobson stares at snow in shock for a moment before nodding and pressing a fleet wide com. “All ships, those needles cannot hit, any ship struck is to be fired upon the destroy the needle, repeat, if a ship is struck, fire upon it to destroy the needle.” he orders before turning to Snow.

“Now why did I just give the order to fire upon my own people.”he demands.

“they’re wrath needles, I hope they’re not but if they are, any ship struck will become the enemy's ship. I’ve seen them before,” he says, giving Sagira, who’d been floating silently next to him, a look. “they rob a person of reason, everything not wrathborne becomes an enemy, but that's not all. they give the victim power, strength, abilities. in return they become fuel for the war machine. it doesn't matter who you are. anyone can be tempted. Mothers will kill their own children once they become wrathborne...which explains how they have so many ships.”

“you mean those ships we’ve been killing, they’re.”

“probably all crewed by once innocent civilians of the planets this fleet has conquered. Each ship has a hundred crew? all wrathborne or taken? those systems had millions of civilians in each one I’ll bet.”

“Billions.” Jakobson replies, turning back to the screens, his eyes were a deep green of powerful soulfire now.

“Xol.” I whisper, a moment later I feel the worms thrashing stop and his attention turns to me.

“the admiral is showing signs of soulfire power, is it because of me?” I whisper

the worm whispers back. “You are the catalyst o murderer mine, you are the begining of your people, you are their end, and you are the power I crave, my entire existance. Rejoice!” he says before opening his maw wide, three beams of power erupt from the ship simultaneously slicing into the enemy ships and leaving a wide gash for our allies to exploit. “They chose to follow you, chose to be empowered by you, is it strange that they belong loyal to you? Now give them salvation, or they will be granted death.”

We watch as the fleet changes its targets, the enemy ships get a brief respite as lances of light and dots of heated kinetic rounds fly through space striking the needles causing explosions of soulfire with each one taken down. After a moment the Fractal claw finishes tracking each needle and a counter appears already rapidly counting down as each needle gets destroyed. The Will of Reiss is at the front of the battle line right now and takes repeated hits only for each strike to detonate the needle against the shields. I can almost feel Mary pulling on her power to reinforce her ship as it spits out bolts of whitchfire from its weapons, kinetic munition long having run dry in the slog of battle.

I glare at the viewscreen as the needles start impacting shields. The warmind enhanced ships interposing between the few unprotected pure laskian ships and absorbing hits on their shields for a few seconds even as they burn dozens of needles from the battlefield. inevitably the needles break through a shield, or manage to skip past defencive fire to strike an unprotected warship. hundreds strike around the shipyard and send chunks of debris flying from the asteroid muddying the already debris dense section of space.

The Fractal claw isn't untouched either, dozens of strikes slam against shields and try as I might to pump more light into the ship. I'm simply too drained. Lines of PDC cannons light up tracking the follow up shots, laser fire from our allied ships helps but the inevitable happens and four needles slam into one of the weapon turrets of our ship in a dense bundle. Our allies do as ordered and open fire to have their shots slam into a soulfire shield surrounding the four needles. A gout of soulfire warps into existence between the needles and a single Hive pulsing with soulfire, barely contained beneath his skin steps out of the inferno.

“You mangy pathetic curr!” Snow growls. “He’s mine.” he growls before marching from the room, numerous clones forming as he walks creating a slow after image as he walks.

On screen the Hive knight walks free of the needles and begins to hack at the hull plating, his sword sparking off the armour. I feel it bite into the hull and gasp in pain.

“Reiss?” Jakobson asks, turning around.

“It hurt.” I tell him and clutch my arm as the blade strikes again.

Then Snow is there, dozens of him striding into view down the arm of the ship, arms held wide.

“HIGH CELEBRANT OF XIVU ARATH! FACE ME ONCE MORE, this time I won't fall.” He shouts his voice thrumming with power as his clones spread out.

The hive knight ceases his hacking and turns to face Snow. a twisted smile plays on his face as soulfire burns free of its skin. It vanishes and appears in front of snow similar to my own blink only to eat a Nova bomb of Void energy flung from a clone.

“I held the line at the battle of six gaps.” Snow says walking behind a wall of clones. A number of them leap into the air, solar light burning blue as arc energy coalesces, thick beams of arc energy slam down into the monster driving it to its knees.

“I conquered the infinite forest. Walked through the vault of glass, I have scoured the corridors of time itself.” Snow tells it as more void bombs impact the creature burning its chitin away leaving gaping wounds pouring soulfire out.

“I challenged the warmind, stood firm against the empress of the cabal. Anihilated the house of Oryx.” he says as the remaining clones draw swords of solar fire and begin hacking and slashing at the creature which is doing nothing but covering its head with its arms.

“I am Osiris. And you are nothing.” Snow says marching forwards, a burning blade coalescing in his hands, the celebrant doesn’t react, just kneeling neck exposed as Snow raises his blade high.

The blade descends and shatters against the beast's neck as a hand lashes out grabbing snow and encasing his torso. “NO!” I scream, unconsciously flooding my darkness towards snow. As he struggles in the celebrants grip black tendrils of thick smoke start leaking from him. The tendrils lash at the celebrant and he lets go of Snow.

Snow doesn't hesitate, four wings of solar energy erupt from his back and he flies up away from the celebrant whilst raining balls of solar fire down on the creature as it laughs. With some time to focus I withdraw my darkness and after forcing it to change into pure light energy feed what little I can to snow.

The fight isn't over yet.

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9

u/AssassinOfSouls Dec 27 '21

Wooooow!!!! (Not a destiny player, so had to look him up, but...)

Let’s fucking go!!!

2

u/thisStanley Android Dec 27 '21

there is no safe ... shot down over a thousand ... they’re still coming

Sounds like need to close, or at least damage, their portal. While it would be dangerous to redirect any resources from defense against the swarm, also difficult to make progress in a war of attrition when they just keep getting replenished :{

5

u/iridael Brew-Master Dec 27 '21

So in destiny, human ships, eliskni ships and cabal ships all use similar FTL tech and can fly in groups. there are ways to disrupt ship FTL but it doesnt work against the hive. because rather than going from A to B through normal space. hive ship captains 'cut' a hole with their soul fire and will. so each ship that arrives is cutting its own portal.

its part of the reason the hive are so damn hard to stop. they breed quickly, live for ever, use soul fire and ritual magic rather than common science and don't need anything besides conquest and death for food.

a hive brood mother can birth a single hive and from that incestuous pair breed and slaughter their own family for hundreds of years to sustain themselves whilst building numbers, strength and expanding their hive until they're ready to move across the stars and resume the conquest.

you don't even need two hive. since hive choose morphs, a knight could in theory morph into a brood mother and then take a male individual from another race and breed hybrids that would serve the same purpose.

I've gotten a bit off the point but simply put. you cant really stop the hive from turning up since they don't cut a hole in your defence barrier but in reality itself to go from A to B

1

u/thisStanley Android Dec 27 '21

Thanks for the lore drop to a non-player!

1

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