Mission: Destructor: The Transcended, #7

By Anthony James

The time has come.

The Creator is the most powerful entity in the known universe. Protected by the walls of its dark sphere, it constructs vast machines designed to wipe out entire species.

So far, it has not encountered significant resistance.

Times change. Captain Becky Keller and Commander Joe Nation are given their most dangerous mission yet. Sent into the depths of the dark sphere, they must do whatever it takes to wipe out this deadly alien entity.

It's never easy and the stakes have never been higher. Luckily, Keller and Nation have been given a few tools to help them out. A warship fitted with a quad-barrelled experimental cannon and a spy craft carrying a bomb should be enough to guarantee success. Surely.

In the Creator's realm there are no guarantees. What lies ahead will be the hardest road Keller and Nation have ever travelled.

Mission: Destructor is a high-action science fiction adventure involving massive space battles, overwhelming odds and exciting technology. It concludes the Transcended series of books, picking up straight after book 6: Monolith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anthony James
• Release date: Feb 2, 2025
• ISBN: 9798230196624

Book preview

MISSION: DESTRUCTOR

The time has come.

The Creator is the most powerful entity in the known universe. Protected by the walls of its dark sphere, it constructs vast machines designed to wipe out entire species.

So far, it has not encountered significant resistance.

Times change. Captain Becky Keller and Commander Joe Nation are given their most dangerous mission yet. Sent into the depths of the dark sphere, they must do whatever it takes to wipe out this deadly alien entity.

It’s never easy and the stakes have never been higher. Luckily, Keller and Nation have been given a few tools to help them out. A warship fitted with a quad-barrelled experimental cannon and a spy craft carrying a bomb should be enough to guarantee success. Surely.

In the Creator’s realm there are no guarantees. What lies ahead will be the hardest road Keller and Nation have ever travelled.

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ATICAN SHIPYARD, PIONEER

It was midday, but the Atican shipyard was lit from a hundred thousand artificial sources. It was the kind of blue-white light which the military’s wellbeing experts were sure improved morale and efficiency amongst the workers, whilst the workers themselves would have much preferred the yellow of natural sunlight.

Without the artificial light, the shipyard would have been in total darkness and nobody could fail to see why. The colossal entropy factory, Estrinel, was in stationary orbit directly over this area of Pioneer, bringing shade to an entire continent.

Captain Becky Keller and Commander Joe Nation sat inside the open door of a passenger shuttle which hovered several thousand metres up, and dangled their legs into empty air. From this height, they were granted a perfect view of the shipyard activity. Without harnesses, it was dangerous for the pair of them to be here, but the wind was strangely muted and the shuttle’s autopilot kept the transport perfectly level.

It’s impressive, said Nation, staring at a half-finished spaceship on the ground and unable to hide his sense of wonder.

Keller leaned forward and breathed in the muggy air. It was as if the presence of the entropy factory somehow kept the planet warmer even though it blocked out the sun.

Almost as big as an interstellar and with a thousand times the firepower.

Assuming all of this new tech works like it’s meant to.

With her eyes narrowed, Keller swept her gaze along the length of the incomplete warship. The craft was so huge, its furthest extremes were hard to make out, even from a height of four thousand metres. Its centre and rear sections were unusually-shaped – taller and broader than usual - and designed to house the counterbalance and the new propulsion amplifier.

Part of a cylindrical cog was exposed through a gap in the armour plating, where the lifter shuttles had yet to install the backup engine modules. Intertwined patterns of red glowed faintly, promising hidden meanings yet without offering more than a glimpse of the deadly potential contained within the device.

Nobody has a damned clue if any of this is going to work, and even less of an idea how to apply it in a combat situation, she said.

Nation looked at her. I’m the cynical one.

She grinned. You’re not cynical. You only say you are.

He pretended he hadn’t heard. The first barrel is due in any time now.

The Estrinel never runs late.

Let’s have a look for it.

Nation stood and leaned out of the shuttle door, keeping one hand on the frame. He’d fought on three of the Creator’s entropy factories, but that wasn’t the same as seeing a three-thousand-kilometre pyramid in a stationary orbit above one of the Confederation’s home worlds. It was as though the sky itself had turned to alloy, confining the planet’s inhabitants to a lifetime in a prison constructed by a malevolent alien entity.

Tiny shapes drifted in the space between the ground and the Estrinel, like predatory metal fish, hunting in the biggest of oceans.

I count five Oblivions and six Cadaverons up there, along with the vessels from our fleet.

Better to be safe than sorry.

A dot appeared, another insignificant speck against the underside of the Estrinel. Nation zoomed his sensor to get a better look.

Here’s the heavy lifter.

Keller stood as well, in order to get a better look. She didn’t have augmented sight like Nation and it took a few moments for her to spot the approaching spaceship.

A Ghast lifter, she said.

The alien spaceship was little more than a long, armoured box with an engine. The Ghast warships exuded menace, but the aliens didn’t put in the same effort when it came to their support craft. This particular model was ten thousand metres in length and its main bay doors took up nine thousand metres of that.

The heavy lifter came in at high speed, only decelerating at the last possible moment. It levelled out at five thousand metres and hung there for a moment. Then, the bay doors retracted into the vessel’s double-hull. The lifter’s crew didn’t delay and within a few moments, the cargo came into sight. It was a cylinder, though very different in appearance to the counterbalance. This was part of the spaceship’s main armament – a huge cannon, which glowed at one end with a blue light fierce enough to illuminate the lifter’s entire cargo bay.

The barrel dropped lower, suspended by invisible gravity chains. On the ground below, a thousand pairs of eyes watched its progress. Once the heavy lifter had delivered its cargo, the master cannon would be manoeuvred into position by a fleet of shipyard lifter shuttles.

When’s the next one due in? asked Nation.

Hours.

A thousand of these and we could take on anything.

They’re talking about surface mounting some, if we ever get the chance. Also, defensive orbitals built for the single purpose of carrying a master cannon.

I like it.

Keller’s expression became quizzical, like she was listening to a distant voice. I just got a call.

Me too.

We’d best get going.

The two of them retreated from the doorway and returned to the cockpit. Keller piloted the vessel towards one of the landing platforms a few kilometres away, in the centre of the military base.

Work on the Damocles continued without pause.

CHAPTER ONE

Fleet Admiral Scott Cody never changed, nor did his office. In some ways it was comforting and, when Keller entered the room, she expected to be greeted by a sense of the familiar.

Today, something was different. Cody was not alone in the room. Sitting only a few feet away from the Space Corps’ most senior officer was the figure of a Ghast, in a seat which was fractionally too small for the alien’s broad frame.

Sit, said Cody gruffly, wearing his usual stern expression. His desk was covered in neatly-stacked, identical brown folders, with his communicator protruding from the centre like a technological bastion against the encroaching paper.

Keller and Nation sat, neither of them saying a word. Cody didn’t leave them waiting for long.

This is Subjos Nil-Stran, my opposite number in the Ghast navy.

It was the first time Keller had seen the alien in the flesh. His lined face and calm expression gave him an air of gravitas, consistent with his conduct during the recent engagement with the entropy factories in Bael-6.

BK> The Ghasts sent their top officer against the Estrinel. I’m impressed.

JN> It shows commitment.

Captain Keller, Commander Nation, said the Ghast, speaking the Confederation tongue perfectly, though with an unidentifiable accent.

Subjos Nil-Stran, said Keller with a nod.

Cody wasn’t a man who enjoyed extended greetings and he moved things along quickly.

Our time is running out, he said, beginning with the obvious.

Yes, sir.

In four weeks’ time, we expect the signal from the Hyranus to reach the Creator. After that, we can assume all hell will break loose.

I thought the analysts had projected a ten-day worst case from the signal reaching the Creator, to it being able to exert any sort of influence over our part of the universe.

Cody steepled his hands briefly and then placed them flat on his desk. I don’t like sitting and waiting to see what my enemy decides. I prefer to control events.

You have a plan.

That’s why you’re here. Cody gave the first hint of a smile, which vanished so quickly that Keller wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it.

BK> Now for thirty minutes of procrastination before he tells us what he’d like us to shoot.

JN> Nil-Stran doesn’t look as if he has the patience for it.

BK> Maybe.

You told me a few weeks ago that you would like someone to fly out to the Creator, said Keller. Has the time come?

Yes, Captain, the time has come. It would have come much sooner, except I didn’t have the necessary tools to equip you with until now.

"The Damocles?"

Yes and no.

I don’t understand, sir.

"I’ll get to that shortly. This mission is to be in two parts, one of which will include the Damocles."

We just came from the shipyard, sir, said Nation. "The Damocles isn’t finished."

In two weeks, the final tie-ins will be completed.

The Creator is a long way out, said Nation. I hear we haven’t got a lightspeed catapult with sufficient grunt to work on such a large spaceship.

"That’s quite true, Commander. The Damocles will fly at a similar speed to one of the Ghast Oblivions, since its propulsion system is extraordinarily close in terms of the underlying tech."

"And it’s three weeks from here to the Creator at the highest known speed of a Ghast battleship," said Keller, looking sideways at Nil-Stran.

We have no more secrets, said the Ghast. The Confederation knows the extent of our capabilities.

Three weeks travel time, Keller repeated. Plus two weeks for the tie-ins and another seven days for basic testing. That’s cutting it more than fine.

Which is why we’re intending to accomplish both tasks concurrently, said Cody.

His words could only mean one thing.

"You’re intending to complete the Damocles in the Estrinel’s main bay, while it flies out towards the Creator?"

Close. In fact, the last of the work will be finished on the Axtril, which is currently on its way to Pioneer.

Isn’t the Axtril crawling with Necros? asked Nation, leaning forward. Or did we finally manage to teleport the last one out into space?

Cody looked pained. I’m sure you’re aware that the Necros inflicted severe damage on the internal monitoring systems, thereby ensuring that we have no way to track their movements. We have seventy-five thousand soldiers trying to flush those bastards out.

Nation raised an eyebrow. I thought we were down to the mopping up.

We believe the threat is contained. Of course, on a spaceship as large as the Axtril, there’s always likely to be ongoing pockets of resistance. We’ll get them in the end.

"And this is the place we’re intending to put the Damocles together?"

We have little choice, Commander, said Cody, losing patience. I won’t risk the Estrinel on this mission, since it’s the only intact entropy factory out of the numerous ones we have faced. Once I’m confident we can control its output, I intend to use it for the purposes of rebuilding. He turned towards Nil-Stran. With the blessing of our friends.

The Ghast nodded. These factories are the spoils of war. With the Estrinel, we can build upon our alliance, using shared technology. We will never again find ourselves in the position where our futures can be dictated by hostile forces.

I’m all in favour of that, said Nation. When does the Axtril arrive?

In ten hours.

"Since the Damocles isn’t ready to fly, I assume we’re going to teleport everything into one of the Axtril’s shipyards?" asked Keller.

"Not quite. We’ve run the numbers and the Damocles exceeds the maximum size which the teleport network on either the Axtril or the Estrinel is able to transport. We can bring in all of the components, but not the hull itself."

BK> Uh-oh. Here it comes.

JN> Yup.

"The Damocles will fly, Captain, said Nil-Stran. You have been chosen to pilot it into the Axtril’s central bay."

Keller felt obliged to point out the flaw in the plan. If the teleporters are unable to lift the spaceship, that means it’ll have to stay in the main bay once it gets there.

Yes, said Cody flatly.

The main bay which is full of massive holes from the master cannon.

Yes.

And probably vulnerable to Necro attack.

It will be very well-guarded.

The life support modules won’t be able to maintain a breathable atmosphere, given the breaches in the Axtril’s hull.

The workers we bring up will be required to work in spacesuits. We’ll manage.

In three weeks, the Axtril will reach its destination, said Nil-Stran. "By that time, the Damocles will be close to one hundred percent operational. You will penetrate the Creator’s protective sphere and see what lies inside."

"The Damocles doesn’t have a void blade."

It does not, which is why two of our Oblivions will accompany you in the bay of the Axtril. They will cut open the sphere and accompany you inside.

Three spaceships to face the Creator, with no idea of what we’re facing.

"We will know what we’re facing, Commander."

How come?

Cody smiled and his underlying eagerness was obvious. "Have either of you two heard of the Eidolon?"

That’s a spaceship, is it?

"I’ll take that as a no."

I don’t poke around in the files anymore, sir, said Keller with a note of reprimand in her voice.

With the grin of a man carrying secrets, Cody continued. You’ve probably been asking yourselves why I’ve waited for so long before ordering any action against the Creator. We’ve known its location for months, so we could have launched an attack at any time, using any of our spaceships which are equipped with a lightspeed catapult.

The thought had occurred.

One reason is a reluctance to poke a stick into the viper’s nest. If the Creator hasn’t yet received the comms message from the Hyranus, then it makes sense that we don’t draw attention to ourselves.

That’s not the entire reason, prompted Keller.

No. Cody gestured towards the side wall. Watch this.

A square of darkness appeared on the wall screen, with no visible features. Keller and Nation watched and gradually, the image resolved into a faint, blurred circle, grey-green in colour.

What’s that? asked Nation.

An image captured by Monitoring Station Tau, focused on one specific area of the Creator’s outer sphere.

I thought Tau couldn’t detect anything other than nothingness, sir?

It couldn’t and nor could the Ghast deep space monitoring platforms. Sometimes, the presence of nothingness is all you need.

But not in this case.

Nil-Stran spoke. Once again, the value of collaboration has allowed us to unearth secrets which would have otherwise remained hidden.

The Ghast sensors are able to detect objects even when a spaceship is travelling at lightspeed, however they are limited in other ways, said Cody. Once we combined their sensor tech with our own, we were able to find this which you see here.

What is it?

A gateway through the dark sphere.

How do you know?

I don’t. Cody stared intently. The probability charts are unclear. However, in this I am certain.

It was surprising to find Cody suddenly so convinced by one of his hunches and Keller wondered how desperate he was becoming.

If it’s a gateway, how do we get through it?

That is what you are going to find out, Captain Keller, said Nil-Stran. And we will give you the tools to do so.

This was one of those times when relative calm was swept aside without notice and replaced with uncertainty and a high risk of death.

Keller took it all in her stride. When do I leave?

CHAPTER TWO

Not so fast, said Cody, unphased by Keller’s eagerness. There’s a lot more to discuss before you can fly off into the unknown.

"I’m sure there is, sir, and I’m equally sure it involves the Eidolon."

"It does. The Eidolon is a new prototype spaceship, designed and built in collaboration with our Ghast allies in a shipyard on Vempor. That prototype is now finished and it’s already docked inside the Axtril."

From out of nowhere, Keller experienced a chill of excitement. Something told her this was going to be big.

What does it do? she asked.

It has new stealth modules and a miniaturised void blade, said Cody.

I thought work on the new stealth tech stalled a few years ago, said Nation.

The only reason it stalled was because we lacked a power source with sufficient potency to keep the modules running for a significant amount of time.

This is the same reason why our void blades are only fitted to a small number of our Oblivions, added Nil-Stran. The draw is too great for a smaller warship’s power supply to cope.

"The Eidolon utilises a version of the propulsion system we are fitting on the Damocles. The same propulsion tech we pulled from the Estrinel’s databanks."

"This sounds promising, sir. Why the mention of this gateway into the Creator, though? If the Eidolon is fitted with a void blade, wouldn’t it be preferable to make an opening elsewhere in the dark sphere?"

I agree with your logic, Captain. However, the fact that this gateway exists makes me believe it is there for a reason. If possible, I would like to know what that reason is. Once you embark on this mission, you are free to take whatever steps you require in order to complete it.

Keller nodded. As long as my hands aren’t tied.

They won’t be. Cody gave a look which suggested he was weighing up whether or not to mention something. There are other considerations.

Such as?

Commander Nation’s journey through the Estrinel was guided by something. The situations he described in his report are definitely not the work of chance. We have audited his onboard systems extensively and have not discovered any sign of a covert influence. With a sudden show of anger, Cody banged his fist onto the top of his desk. I do not like mysteries! We are not the only species with an interest in this game and my experiences with the Estral have taught me much about treachery.

There’s definitely something out there, agreed Nation. I’m certain it’s a foe of the Creator, though that doesn’t mean it’s a friend of ours.

Exactly, said Cody. Someone gave a name to this entity. They called it the Watcher and it seems appropriate, since it used our soldiers as agents without revealing itself directly to us.

It is imperative we discover more about this entity, said Nil-Stran. This is a secondary goal of the mission. If it truly desires friendship, we must know about it.

Equally, if its motives are ultimately hostile to our survival then we must take steps to prepare for a confrontation.

What if it feels like it’s done enough? asked Nation. It has set us on a course that might see the destruction of the Creator. We may not encounter it again.

Even if our future paths never cross, this Watcher will still exist, Commander. Its presence will not go away.

Cody always looked to the future, even when the current battle was far from won.

If the Watcher doesn’t make contact, there’s nothing I can do to force the issue, sir, said Keller. However, if the chance comes, I will learn what I can.

That’s what I ask.

Keller looked at Cody and Nil-Stran, trying to read their expressions. Cody was waiting for her to say something further and she got the impression the Ghast was still sizing her up. Keller stood.

"To summarise - I am to fly the incomplete Damocles to the Axtril. From there, I will take the Eidolon by lightspeed catapult on a scouting mission inside the dark sphere. During that time, the Axtril flies towards a rendezvous point while the shipyard workers and technicians do everything they can to complete work on the Damocles."

Correct.

"Once the Damocles is finished, I fly it into the dark sphere, accompanied by the Oblivions."

And blow the crap out of the Creator. No matter what it takes, finished Cody.

What happens if we fail, sir? asked Nation. "I use the word we in the assumption that I’ll be along for the ride."

"I said we were going prepared for everything and that means taking ground forces, in case we are required to make a deployment. Believe it or not, Commander Nation, I don’t invite you to these meetings just to chew the fat. You will also be present on the scouting mission on the basis that you are more robust than