"Warning! Warning! Enemy vessels detected. Prepare for potential conflict. Countdown to engagement: 15 seconds! "
As the spaceship's inbuilt system blared the warning, people ran helter-skelter across the Draconi IV, one of the many vessels employed by the humans to fight against the other races. A middle-aged woman wearing a military cap stood in the middle of the ensuing chaos, sporting a badge featuring an intricate engraving of an eagle on a cerulean background, contrasting with the badge's silver outline. She wore it on her combat uniform which with the exception of the rank insignia on her collar, was the same as any other Luminary on board. Hands on her hips, she barked orders to the others:
"All Luminaries to your cockpits! Prepare for ejection!"
"Yes Ma'am!"
Complying with her commands, everyone quickly headed towards their cockpits. This was supposed to be the last of the aliens' army, then they would be done with this interstellar war. A voice came through her earpiece.
"Commander Jones, you are needed at the bridge immediately."
"Copy. I'm on my way."
Jones walked briskly to the bridge, verified her identity and went in. The bridge was the central operating unit of the Draconi IV. It had three different consoles, arranged in a triangle. One monitored the Luminaries' vitals, another monitored those of the ship and the main one was responsible for the ships attack and defense system. At each console sat four operators, all of them mashing away at various keys on the console. On seeing their commander, they immediately rose to salute her.
"At ease."
Jones took her place in the center of the consoles.
"What is the situation?"
One of the operators picked up a tablet and showed it to her.
"Engine capacity is down to 45%. The standby generator is also out of energy and the active one is down to 10%. We already sent the mechanics there but they still cannot find the problem."
"How is that even possible?! Didn't we have 82% capacity before the warning came in?!
The frown on her face displayed pure disbelief and a haze of confusion. She thought to herself:
"Could they have infiltrated the ship already? No, that's not possible. The ship's security system is not easy to break through."
Suddenly, a siren began to wail. An operator tapped on the holographic screen, zooming in on the location that had suffered a break-in.
"Sector 2-E has been breached! The aliens are going directly for the core!"
Commander Jones whirled round on her seat and found what she was looking for. A very conspicuous red button sitting under a glass case. She struck the case with her fist and pushed the button. Immediately, four giant walls surrounded the ship's core and engine blocking any possible route to them loud piercing noise rang out through the whole space vessel, alerting every passenger about the intrusion.
"Luminaries, prepare for ejection in 5....4....3...2...1. Eject!"
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Pods were sent flying out of the ship toward Tsalketr, where the last battle was to take place. The Luminary Army took their positions, strategically placing physically enhanced individuals on the frontlines. They were to act as shields whilst the rear guard bombarded the enemy with spells, bullets and whatnot.
The aliens they were up against, the Adlis, were known for their overwhelming physical abilities. Their skin was apparently as hard as
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Back on the ship, the commander along with a group of Luminaries that served in the Defense sector headed for the engine room, the location of the core and the trespassers.
"Opening-Sector 2-E", informed one of the operators.
The hatch opened, revealing the ship's core, protected by the ship's defense system.
"At least the core's still intact", Jones thought to herself.
Standing in the middle of the room were the Adlis who had broken into the engine room. Jones gave them a piercing stare.
"I would sincerely like for you all to freeze where you are."
As she said this, the ground beneath her feet began to glimmer with frost; her bright blue eyes, reminiscent of the coldest and clearest glaciers, began to shimmer. She took of her cap, revealing long, flowing silver hair that trailed behind her like a gentle snowfall. Her hands crackled with icy energy. Jones aimed her hands towards the Adlis, and an overwhelming blast of cold air emerged, freezing anything it touched. In the blink of an eye, the Adlis had been frozen, trapped in ice crystals of various sizes.
Commander Jones turned to her squad who were very much dumbfounded. Of course, they were aware of her immense power. She had already earned the title of Frost Empress but witnessing it was a whole unique and terrifying experience.
"You three, deal with these frozen Adlis, the rest of you are coming with me; straight to the battlefield."
"Understood Commander!"
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The battle raged on; the humans seemed to be winning as their strategy was working. The Adlis continued to run mindlessly into the fight, giving the humans easy kills. That was when a dazzling orange-red light shone on the battlefield, so intense it looked like a fireball, grabbing everyone's attention. From above, something or someone was descending, and at breakneck speed too. Friction ignited the air around it, creating a sonic boom. It moved so rapidly that it left a trail of distorted air behind it. There was no time to react. With the force of a meteor, the object struck Tsalketr creating a sudden burst of light that outshined every star. An explosive sound reverberated through space, echoing the sheer force of the impact. The aftershock knocked both the humans and Adlis off their feet. At the center of where the explosion occurred was a crater so big and deep it could take the whole Red Sea and still have space left over.
As the dust cleared, one could make out the silhouette of a person; not human but alien. At an unusual height of 9 feet, this guy towered above everyone on the battlefield; even a fully grown Adlis grew to at most 6 feet. He was exceptionally muscular, with long powerful arms that could pummel anyone in a matter of seconds. His skin was metallic gray and it covered him like armor. He let out a thunderous roar that seemed to echo for miles and miles into space, establishing a commanding air about him. He turned to the humans and in a deafening tone, spoke:
"My name Jurgo! I come kill weak humans!"
With that he lunged at the humans with incredible speed, tearing through their ranks like a bulldozer, his powerful limbs propelling him on. He wasted no time in dodging any attacks; he just moved forward with ruthlessness, annihilating everyone in his line of sight. Chaos erupted all around as cries and shouts echoed in the air around him as he pressed on. Fear began to spread among the army like wildfire. No one dared stand in his way, everyone was scrambling to safety. By the time he had stopped his rampage, the army was nearly wiped out. Those who survived were severely injured to the point of immobility; they had practically given up on any chance to be saved.
Just then an icicle the size of a saloon car zoomed past headed straight for Jurgo. Sensing the danger, he dodged away, the icicle just grazing his right shoulder. He turned in the direction of the attack and there stood the Frost Empress herself, visibly enraged. She commanded her subordinates to take care of the injured while she went forward to face Jurgo.
"Y-You! Jurgo have orders to kill you, Frost Empress!"
"Is that so? Unfortunately, you won't be completing that mission."
Jones raised her hands causing ice to erupt from the ground like spears, spiraling toward Jurgo. Swiftly, he jumped out of the way, prepping himself to counter. He charged forward, the ground trembling under his feet as he closed the distance between them. Jurgo clenched his fist, ready to unleash a flurry of punches on Jones.
The clash was deafening. Jurgo swung his physically enhanced fists at Jones. Shards of ice flew in all directions as he struck the ice barrier Jones conjured. Icy vines stretched from her feet, attempting to ensnare Jurgo who quickly executed a graceful leap to avoid them.
"Ha, too slow."
He charged forward again fists at the ready.
"You've already tried that!", said Jones. "Snowstorm!"
A whirling tempest of snow and ice was summoned, blurring Jurgo's vision. Then she stretched her hands out, creating hundreds of icicles, tips as sharp as daggers.
"Icicle Barrage: One Thousand Knives"
The icicles headed straight for Jurgo who was just recovering from his impaired vision. The icicles hit their mark, the first few at least. Jurgo, realizing that dodging was not ideal, let out a roar that blew away the icicles.
"You make Jurgo very angry!"
Jurgo, with incredible speed appeared in front of Jones, delivering an uppercut that landed right on her chin. The force sent her flying backwards headfirst to the ground.
"Now I kill you!"
He rushed towards her, ready to finish her off. Then she smiled; that was when the skill activated. The ground under him shone icy blue; the temperature around him immediately dropped. He tried to jump away but the ice had already frozen his feet to the ground and was spreading upwards across his body quickly. He couldn't budge, all he could do was stay there still, until the ice was done with him.
"You cheater!"
She just smiled at him, an icy cold one at that. One that said, 'Never seeing this guy again.' She looked around at the battlefield. The Adlis were nowhere to be found.
"They probably left after their own general lost." She started to feel dizzy, the world spiraling slowly around her. Then she blacked out.
This war will go on to become known as the 'Last Transmission' as it was the last time the humans fought with the aliens for their survival.