There were no heroes to defend the station. Only a few weapon platforms were currently buzzing with energy, waiting for the command to fire. The platforms appeared like gnats ready to strike an elephant.
On the command level of the ship was a throne room right out of a horror story. Dark and foreboding ancient alien technology flickered with power and was ready for use. An eerie green glow bathed the room, emitted by a series of tanks, each holding the naked body of the same person, tethered by cords and tubes that processed the body's needs.
One such tank drained of the fluid inside and the person within weakly moved for a moment before one of the attached tubes sent a bolt of energy that seemed to cause intense pain, but then he gained the strength to reach up and tear out the cords and tubes. The front of the tank opened, and he stepped out. A beam of light hit him, and a strange uniform made of fibers and metals covered his body.
“Computer, is the program online?” He asked.
The computer answered, “Artificial intelligence program fully uploaded and integrated. Waiting for your command, Lord Drocha.”
He smiled with his greenish-yellow lips, elated by the deference from the computer. This was his ship, his throne from which he would rule the universe. All will call him Lord or suffer annihilation.
“Computer, prepare to activate all spheres.”
“Yes, Lord Drocha.”
He walked up to the command console and pressed a button. A massive window opened that spread across the room, revealing a spectacular view of Earth, with the BADGE station and Arena floating right before him. However, it wasn’t the station or the planet that caused a frown on his alien face.
“Computer. Explain!”
“Please elaborate.”
Drocha held out his hand. “Why are the spheres up here? Send them back and THEN open them.”
The computer did not immediately respond, and nothing happened.
“COMPUTER!”
“Spheres not...zzzzzzzzz” The sound buzzed and then came music faintly in the distance.
“COMPUTER, RESPOND!” Drocha’s hands flew over the controls, but nothing seemed to get the computer to answer him. He then saw that the comm channel was open, waiting for him to respond. “Nova.” He spat out the name. “What game are you playing at now?” His hand slammed the control.
“You’re strangely calm for the end of the world.” Quark stated as he and Nova stood in the Operations center of the BADGE station.
Nova casually looked up at the monitors that were all focused on various views of the spheres and Drocha’s command ship. “The end hasn’t come yet; there is still a chance.”
Quark snapped his fingers, and a tall mixed drink appeared in them with a frilly umbrella straw. “Do you think Drocha will just leave and give us time to prepare for a response?”
“No. I think he will flee soon enough.”
“You’re either horribly optimistic or delusional,” Quark quipped.
“I am certain.” Nova stated and then smiled when he heard a beeping sound from the comm station. “And so we begin this game.”
The screen activated without his request, no doubt under Drocha’s hacked connection. Drocha glared at him from inside his command room, the clone tubes behind him.
Quark covered his eyes. “Ew, naked Drochas... not what I wanted to see.”
Drocha's eyes seethed with confident fury. “It is over, Nova.”
“I expected as much. I will accept your surrender. BADGE will allow you a full trial in accordance with international agreement 548 section...”
“I AM NOT SURRENDERING! I WILL SUNDER THIS WORLD AND MAKE IT MY FOOTSTOOL!” Drocha’s face darkened as he screamed.
Nova said, “It is over, and you don’t even realize it.”
The music in the room grew with voices singing.
Drocha had an irritated look in his eyes as he said, “What plans you have to distract me, to fool around, will not work.”
“I’m doing nothing.”
Drocha pointed at the screen. “When the time comes, I will have every one of my creations tear you apart. The mighty Nova might be powerful, but even you will not survive that.... TURN THAT MUSIC OFF!” He looked around.
Nova smiled, “That is not from my system.”
“Don’t be immature, Nova. This is not up to your tactics. Now turn that racket off!”
Nova calmly said, “It isn’t racket, it is Tempus est iocundum, and I am not playing it. It is coming from your system.”
“Impossible! This system responds to my commands, my whims and wishes. I didn’t ask for music, therefore it isn’t from me.” He grew increasingly irritated by the volume of the music. “TURN IT OFF!”
Nova got closer to the screen, a confidence in his posture. “Listen, Drocha. Listen closely. That music is not playing because I wanted it to. Do you not know who you took? Do you realize you made a foolish mistake that will be your undoing?”
“I MAKE NO MISTAKES!”
“Perhaps the real Drocha could claim that, but you are just an imitation. Drocha’s plan was brilliant. You captured morphon-infused humans and aliens and tainted them with powerful doses of corrupted morphons aligned with their affinity. But you made a fatal mistake when you chose one of your people. She is not human, she is not a morphon user; her strength came from something else, something stronger than you can possibly believe.”
“STOP IT!” Drocha pounded at his controls to stop the music.
Nova said, “You not only took her, but you took her husband, and you forced them to abandon their child. I fear what she is about to do to you.”
“WHO, DAMMIT, WHO!?”
Nova looked up just as the finale of O Fortuna exploded in the music. “DEA EX MACHINA, The goddess in your machine!”
A sphere nearest Drocha’s ship exploded in a massive purple eruption of power. The impact destroyed several spheres near it. A bright purple light remained in the center of the explosion. From it expanded two massive fairy wings that spread out for miles. They were like stained glass, with incredible colors and energy flowing from them.
In the middle of the wings, an enormous fairy woman appeared, Krystal Fae in her pure fairy form. Opening up her arms, she sent a massive wave of energy out that split more spheres, destroying them in a single, unmitigated strike of pure magic and rage. The ship rolled to the side as its shields flickered and buzzed, barely keeping it safe from her attack. The station and Arena were completely unaffected by the energy that passed right by them.
Krystal Fae held out her arms, her body a bright light that was casting a glow across half the planet below. From her emitted another wave of energy. As it moved through the cloud of spheres, several more exploded. Then another wave came from her, destroying more spheres.
“NO! Computer, respond! Weapons! I need weapons!” Drocha screamed as he fought his controls. The computer was flickering on and off, and the Carmina Burana’s grand finale continued to ring around him.
There was a surge of power, and one of the clone tanks exploded, spilling the liquid across the ground. The figure inside screeched, and surging power ripped apart its body. Then another tank broke, and another. The horrid biomatter that would have been a cloned Drocha lay on the ground, dead.
“Stop! Computer, someone! HELP!” Drocha beat the controls with his fists.
A holographic face appeared in the middle of the room, using the same projector he once used to give commands. Alex Fae Murphy looked at him. “You lose, Drocha.”
“You! This is not possible! The program ended and deleted you, turning you to digital ash! HOW!”
Alex laughed, “How it pleases me to see the mighty tactician flummoxed.”
Drocha slammed both fists onto the console in a fit of rage. “I will destroy you. I will punish…”
Alex’s face grew as he yelled over the fuming Drocha. “I will punish you! You took my wife, you threatened my daughter! I will make you pay in ways even Legion never imagined. We will make you pay!”
Drocha looked up at the windows, seeing the enormous face of Krystal staring at him as she used all her incredible strength to bring down what the entirety of Legion could break a thousand years ago.
“I won’t go down like this! You don’t have the power. This ship is mine! It only thinks for me, for my goals. I will... stop you... damn it!” He fought the controls.
Alex smiled. With each syllable, thousands of voices echoed, doubling, tripling, and multiplying his voice as he spoke. “You crafted this AI out of the minds of billions. You tried to extract their thoughts from their feelings. We are human. We are compassion, love, mercy, and unity. We are the HUMAN RACE.” The computers flickered off, and several screens exploded. A light blinked as a siren screamed, warning that the shields outside were failing. “Your army is defeated, your ship is naked, you will succumb to death once and for all, Drocha. You will suffer for what you did to us.”
Drocha staggered and stumbled as he ran back toward the throne in the middle of the room. “No one will destroy me at the brink of my ultimate victory!”
Alex laughed, “Your throne won’t save you.”
Drocha grabbed the armrest and ripped it open, revealing a control station. “In fact, it will. I am Drocha... I always have a plan.” He pressed a command into the throne and the computers all went dark, including the hologram of Alex.
A different computer voice announced, “Retreat engaged.”
Nova watched the screen with absolute glee as Krystal battered the ship with all her power. Then, in a flash of light, the ship sped backwards and entered a warp rift, vanishing from sight.
Quark asked, “What just happened?”
Nova said, “My guess is a tactical retreat. I never thought I’d see the day Drocha would run with his tail tucked.”
“Is it over?”
“I think it is.” Nova said as his comm buzzed, he clicked it on. “Nova here.”
Dr. Henderson’s voice came through. “Sir, you will not believe this.”
