Dril cleared his throat before answering. “The closest ship, is an Ixul battlecruiser, it is at least a couple of rotations away.There are several other Protectorate vessels headed this way. However, they will take longer to reach us.”
Flutz. There were more females being held then I expected to find. The sheer amount of Voletti on the surface took me by surprise too.
The reality of the situation posed a problem. To successfully eliminate the enemy and liberate the females, we required additional ships.
We were outnumbered.
Usually, we would have launched a devastating attack on the base from above before going down to face the enemy. But the presence of females made the situation too dangerous for us to fire upon the base.
Gods only knew what the humans were undergoing down there. We had no idea what kind of shape we would find them in. Or if they were even all alive.
We needed to get to them as fast as possible.
The thought that Riley could have been one of those females made my fists and jaw clench. It was a relief to have her with me and out of harm’s way.
“Try to pinpoint the humans’ exact locations.” I looked to Ezan for his opinion. With a deep frown, he replied. ‘Are we going to wait until reinforcements arrive?’
Frustrated, I growled at the situation we were now facing.‘Logic tells me it is foolish to go in blind. However I do not want to wait. The longer we leave the females down there, the greater the likelihood of casualties.’I scratched my head, speaking aloud. “When we are close enough—” I began.
“Captain,” Dril broke in, “There is something headed our way at high speed.”
I stood. My body geared up for battle. The earlier sense of dread growing inside me. “Who is it? The Voletti?”
The holo-screen revealed a mysterious black vessel that seemed to materialize from thin air, its faint outline barely distinguishable from the surrounding space.
It stopped a short distance from us, blending so seamlessly with the environment that it was almost invisible. The sheer magnitude of the ship indicated that it was not a mere patrol vessel.
This was a vast interstellar craft unlike any I had ever seen before with its unusual shape and size.
“I am unable to identify who the ship belongs to—” Dril started.
Suddenly, a Voletti ship materialized, facing the newly arrived, significantly bigger vessel.
The sight of the enemy on the viewscreen made my stomach drop. I ran my hand across my hair. “They must have been monitoring us the entire time.” My lips pursed in anger. “Pull back,” I ordered.
“Yes, sir.” The helmsman began to make adjustments on the control panel.
Riley’s voice filled the air. “The new ship is experiencing a power buildup...” She was cut off when a bright flash of blue light shot from the new vessel.
My hands fisted, witnessing the blue beam hit and annihilate the Voletti ship into a million pieces.
The air was filled with the sound of warriors cheering, their voices blending together in a unified chorus.
Feeling a wave of relief, I nodded at Riley.
A beat or two passed, then the Chetok suddenly tilted to one side.
My relief quickly disappeared, replaced by a wave of unease.
Dril’s voice reverberated with a serious tone of concern. “The enemy ship was too close. We have been hit by a portion of the destroyed vessel.”
We were struck again by something larger, causing the Chetok to rock violently back and forth this time. The scream of tortured metal being ripped from the ship was unmistakable this time.
“We must get to the shuttle bay or the escape pods,” I called out.
The ship’s interior lighting suddenly started flickering. The emergency lighting activated a moment later.
Dril shouted, “I no longer have control over navigation.”
