Nexus Shard (The Aternien Wars Book 8) by G J Ogden

Author:G J Ogden [Ogden, G J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ogden Media Ltd
Published: 2024-08-25T00:00:00+00:00

FOURTEEN

CHAOS RISING

The Star Cannons all stopped firing at the same time, and then squadrons of the mobile gun platforms maneuvered to create a shield barrier around the Solar Barque Mesek-tet. Under the intense starlight of Alnilam, the blue supergiant at the heart of the New Aternus system, the Mesek-tet looked even more majestic and terrifying. Its battle-axe-shaped body took on a blueish tint from the star, while its golden armor had become iridescent, shimmering with a rainbow of color.

“What are they waiting for?” Nadia whispered, wondering, like Carina, why the God-King’s guns had fallen silent.

“I don’t know,” Carina answered, and the admission frightened her.

Carina concentrated on the Mesek-tet, trying to fathom the God-King’s strategy, but understanding Apophis was like trying to comprehend the ramblings of a madman. She was suddenly drawn to the emblem of Apophis, which was emblazoned on the ship’s hull. It was a colossal snake that coiled around the vessel, culminating in a serpent’s head on the broadhead point of the ship, its jaws open to reveal glistening fangs.

The last time Carina had seen the Mesek-tet, the snake’s burning red eyes had held her attention, but not this time. Something even more arresting was clamped between the snake’s fangs, embedded into the bow of the mighty warship. The object was dazzling, even relative to the intensity of the blue supergiant. It was like staring into a torch beam in the dead of night.

Then Carina realized what it was, and despite her augmentations and her training, her stomach twisted in knots, like her guts were being wrung out. It was an Aternien Amber, a Nexus Shard, but this crystal was larger by an order of magnitude than any Carina had seen before.

“Silus, run a scan,” Carina said. “I want to know why there’s a Nexus Shard in the bow of that ship.”

“ATTIA and I have already begun an analysis, but the results are inconclusive,” Silus replied. The Master Operator’s hair was no longer on fire, but while his burns were healing, the officer’s face and neck were still blotchy and mottled. “It is fifty times larger than an Amber of Amentet, the crystals we’ve seen embedded into the Overseer’s staffs. And its shape is uniquely different. The crystal has been cut like a diamond to create a uniform shape, perhaps one with unique lensing properties.”

“Keep working, Silus, I need to know what…” An alert from Carina’s comp-slate interrupted her mid-sentence. An equivalent alert had sounded from the Master Operator’s half-moon console.

“The Mesek-tet is hailing us,” Silus reported. “The ship is broadcasting to the entire fleet.” The officer paused and took a breath. “It is Apophis, ma’am.”

Carina got to her feet and stood before the panoramic viewscreen. Whatever the God-King reborn was about to say, she wasn’t going to take it sitting down, figuratively or literally.

“On screen,” Carina said, pressing her hands to the small of her back.

The screen went blank, and Carina wondered if there had been a malfunction until she saw a pair of red eyes burrowing out of the darkness.

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