Chapter 190: Eclipse

Meanwhile, far from Earth, on one of humanity's recently established outposts in the Verron System, the battle against extinction continued. Planet Exorath—a mineral-rich world with twin suns and vast, rocky plains—represented humanity's desperate push to secure resources for the war effort. Though barely terraformed enough for human habitation, Exorath's potential value couldn't be ignored, especially after orbital scans detected energy signatures matching the rare and infinitely powerful void stones. In the many years since the Harbingers had first appeared, humanity had managed to secure only two void stones. Each had revealed different properties, different energy signatures—but both had proven invaluable in developing weapons capable of effectively combating the alien threat. Finding a third void stone could tip the balance of a war that humanity was currently losing. Lieutenant Commander Maya Davids stepped out of the prefabricated command center, squinting against the harsh light of Exorath's twin suns. The military outpost—less than six days old—sprawled before her in a hasty arrangement of temporary structures, defensive barricades, and excavation equipment. They had established their position at the edge of a massive ravine where the energy readings were strongest. "Permission to speak freely, Commander?" Captain Donovan fell into step beside her as they made their inspection rounds. Davids nodded, her eyes scanning the perimeter where soldiers had mounted automated defense turrets. "The scientists are becoming... difficult," Donovan continued, lowering his voice. "Dr. Everett in particular. He's demanding his team be allowed direct access to whatever we find down there." Davids sighed. Scientists with powers always thought their specialized abilities made them indispensable. Unlike the combat powers her soldiers possessed, scientific powers were rare, highly specialized manifestations that enhanced a person's natural talents in their field. Dr. Everett's Molecular Analysis powers allowed him to understand complex material structures with a touch—useful, certainly, but not worth risking a civilian life in a potential combat zone. "Remind Dr. Everett that this is a military operation," Davids said as they approached the main excavation site. "His team can study whatever we find after it's been secured and transported back to the Arc." The excavation site buzzed with activity. Massive drilling machines bore into the rocky face of the ravine, guided by readings from various sensors. Nearby, a squad of Aries-class battle mechs stood guard, their twelve-foot frames casting long shadows across the rocky terrain. The bipedal machines represented some of humanity's best combat technology, combining heavy firepower with the enhanced reflexes and strength of their powers-gifted pilots. "Status report," Davids demanded, approaching Dr. Kapoor, who was studying a holographic display of the subterranean scans. "We're getting closer," the geologist replied, her powers-enhanced senses clearly excited by what they detected. "The energy readings are off the charts—similar to the first Void stone discovered but with some anomalies in the wavelength patterns." "Anomalies?" Davids frowned. "Could it be something else?" "Unlikely," Kapoor shook her head. "The void stones we've found so far have each had unique signatures. This variation falls within expected parameters." Davids nodded, though something in her gut told her to be cautious. Her years of fighting the Harbingers had taught her that assumptions got people killed. "How long until we reach it?" "At current rates, another two hours. Three at most." "Speed it up," Davids ordered. "I want that stone secured and ready for transport within the hour." "Commander," Donovan's voice cut through their conversation, tension evident in his tone. "Orbital sensors just picked up something entering the system." Davids's blood ran cold. "Harbingers?" He nodded grimly. "Two drop ships. ETA twenty minutes." "Sound general quarters," Davids snapped, already moving toward the command center. "All civilians to evacuation points. All combat personnel to defensive positions." She glanced back at the excavation site. "And tell those drill operators to work faster. We may not have much time." --- Private and second gen, Elijah Torres felt the familiar surge of power as his powers activated, neural pathways connecting to his Aries-class battle mech. The reactive armor plates shifted under his control, the massive machine responding to his thoughts as naturally as his own limbs. His Combat Enhancement powers made him one of the most valuable mech pilots in the Earth Defense Force—his reflexes accelerated, strength amplified, and tactical awareness expanded beyond normal human limits. "Vanguard Squad, check in," he called over the comm channel. Four confirmations came in rapid succession as his squad powered up around him. They formed a protective semicircle around the excavation site where massive drilling machines continued to bore into the rocky face of the ravine with increased urgency. "This is our first contact with Harbingers on Exorath," Lieutenant Park's voice crackled through the comm. "Remember your training. One-horns go down with concentrated fire. Two-horns require heavy weapons or plasma lances. If you spot a three-horn, do not engage without backup." Torres checked his weapons systems—rotary cannons, shoulder-mounted missile pods, and the arm-mounted plasma lance that had proven most effective against Harbinger armor. The Harbinger's main goal was unknown but they were systematically eliminating human outposts across the solar system and beyond. "Drop ships entering atmosphere," announced the tactical officer over the general channel. "Estimate forty-plus Harbinger signatures. Multiple one-horns, mostly two-horns, and..." a pause, "confirmation on two three-horn signatures." Torres felt a chill despite the climate controls in his cockpit. A three-horn could level entire city blocks with their sheer strenght. Two of them would make this already bad situation catastrophic. "Hold the line," Park ordered. "We need to buy the excavation team time to secure that void stone. It could be the key to stopping these bastards for good." Torres watched the drop ships descend, their hulls opening like massive jaws as they approached the ground. They didn't land so much as hover, disgorging their cargo of Harbingers from twenty feet up. The aliens hit the ground running—massive, rhinoceros-like creatures with reptilian skin that gleamed like polished armor in the sunlight. The smaller one-horns led the charge, their single protrusions jutting from their foreheads like spears. Behind them came the two-horns, bulkier and more heavily muscled, their dual horns curved and deadly. And in the rear, moving with terrifying purpose, Torres spotted the three-horns—nearly ten feet tall at the shoulder, their triple-pronged horns evidently present. "Here they come," he muttered, bringing his mech's weapon systems online. "Weapons free!" The air filled with the sound of heavy rotary cannons as the Aries mechs opened fire. The first wave of one-horns stumbled under the barrage, several falling, their thick hides penetrated by armor-piercing rounds. But the others kept coming, absorbing fire that would have shredded human troops. Torres switched to his mech's shoulder-mounted missile launchers, targeting the approaching two-horns. "Fox three!" A series of micro-missiles streaked from his mech, impacting the leading two-horn in a series of explosions that briefly obscured it in smoke and debris. When the smoke cleared, the creature was still charging, its hide blackened but intact. "Switch to plasma lances!" Park ordered. "Conventional weapons aren't cutting it! We may need to burn through our cores before we X these bastards!!" Torres deployed his mech's right-arm plasma lance, the weapon glowing blue-white as it charged. The nearest two-horn was less than fifty yards away now, its massive head lowered for a charge that could tear through tank armor. "Eat this," Torres growled, discharging the lance. A searing bolt of energy struck the charging Harbinger dead center. For a moment, it continued forward through sheer momentum, then collapsed, a smoking hole burned through its chest cavity. But there were more coming. Many more. --- Dr. Mira Kapoor pressed her palm against the rock face, her Geological powers ability allowing her to sense the structure beneath. Energy flowed from her fingertips into the stone, mapping fractures, density, composition—and most importantly, the strange energy source that had drawn them to this desolate planet. "It's close," she murmured, eyes closed in concentration. "Very close. But something's not right." Her research assistant, Julian, glanced nervously at the battle raging a few hundred yards away. "What do you mean?" "The energy signature... it's fluctuating. Void stones don't do that. They emit a constant radiation pattern." She frowned. "And there's something else. It feels... alive." Julian's eyes widened. "A Category beast? Out here?" The classification system for non-Harbinger alien threats had been established after the first encounters with indigenous life forms on Earth. Category 1 through 3 represented manageable threats. Category 4 required heavy military response. Category 5—the rarest designation—indicated a world threat level. At most the weak ones could easily destroy a country. A nearby explosion shook the ground, sending loose rocks skittering down the excavation slope. One of the drilling machines sparked and whined as its operator fought to keep it steady. "We need to report this," Kapoor said, reaching for her comm unit. "Commander Davids needs to know—" The wall of rock in front of them suddenly burst outward as one of the drills finally punched through. Instead of revealing a chamber or a void stone, the opening unleashed a deafening roar that reverberated through the ravine. Glowing eyes peered from the darkness within—not one pair, but dozens, arranged in a circular pattern around what appeared to be a massive, pulsating central mass. "Oh god," Julian whispered. "That's not a void stone." "Category 5 Beast!" Kapoor shouted into her comm. "I repeat, Category 5 Beast detected! Evacuate immediately!" --- The battle at the perimeter was going badly. Torres had abandoned his damaged mech after a two-horn had rammed it, tearing through the lower actuators. He now fought alongside the ground troops, his Combat powers giving him enhanced strength and reflexes as he wielded a level 4 Ravager rifle which didn't do much but in his hands and with experience, he knew how to slow the aliens down. "Fall back to secondary positions!" someone shouted over the din. Torres glanced over his shoulder to see why—and froze. One of the three-horns was advancing on their position, shrugging off concentrated fire from three remaining mechs. Each of its thunderous footsteps left small craters in the rocky soil. Its three horns, each as thick as a human torso. "Heavy weapons!" Lieutenant Park ordered. "Target that three-horn before it reaches the excavation site!" A soldier beside Torres deployed a shoulder-mounted HAMMER launcher, the anti-armor weapon whining as it powered up. "Firing!" The projectile struck the three-horn directly between its central and right horn. The explosion momentarily engulfed its head in fire—but when the flames cleared, the creature appeared only dazed, not significantly damaged. "Nothing's stopping this thing," Torres muttered. His comm unit crackled. "All personnel, emergency evacuation order! Repeat, emergency evacuation! Category 5 Beast detected at excavation site! All units disengage and retreat to evacuation points!" Torres blinked in disbelief. A Category 5? Here? Combined with the Harbinger assault, that was a death sentence for anyone who couldn't get off-planet fast enough. "You heard the order!" Park shouted. "Fall back! Provide covering fire for the excavation team!" As Torres turned to retreat, the ground beneath them gave a violent shudder. From the direction of the excavation site came a blinding flash of light, followed by a roar that seemed to shake the very air. The three-horn attacking them actually paused, turning its massive head toward the disturbance. Through the dust and chaos, Torres saw something emerging from the newly opened cavern—a massive, amorphous shape that pulsed with internal light, tendrils of energy whipping around it. The Category 5 was awake, and it was angry. What happened next defied explanation. The three-horn Harbinger charged not at the human forces, but at the emerging beast. The two titans collided in an explosion of energy that knocked Torres off his feet. "Move! Now!" Park was dragging him up. "While they're fighting each other!" The retreat became a rout as human forces abandoned positions and equipment, racing for the evacuation ships. Behind them, the Category 5 Beast and the three-horn Harbinger tore into each other, their battle reshaping the landscape with each devastating blow. --- Commander Davids was the last to board the command shuttle, pausing at the ramp to survey the devastation below. The outpost was in ruins, burning structures collapsed into twisted metal. At the center of the destruction, the Category 5 Beast had apparently subdued the three-horn and was now engaging the second one, their battle sending shockwaves across the valley. "All ships report, status," she ordered as the ramp closed behind her. "All evacuation vessels accounted for, Commander," Donovan reported. "Eighty-seven percent of personnel safely evacuated. We've lost twenty-three confirmed, with eighteen more unaccounted for." Davids closed her eyes briefly. "And the void stone?" Dr. Kapoor approached, exhaustion evident in her slumped shoulders. "There was no void stone, Commander. The energy signature was the Category 5 all along. Its biological processes generate radiation patterns similar to void stone emissions—at least from a distance. Up close, the differences became apparent." "You're telling me we lost twenty-three people and an entire outpost chasing a false reading?" "Not false," Kapoor corrected. "Just... misinterpreted. This is valuable data, Commander. We now know that Category 5 Beasts can mimic void stone energy patterns. That's critical intelligence." Davids wanted to argue, but she knew the scientist was right. Every scrap of information about void stones was precious. With only two in human possession, understanding their properties—and what might be confused with them—was essential to Earth's defense strategy. "Get us out of here," she ordered the pilot. "Maximum burn. Let's not stick around to see which one of those monsters wins." --- Two days later, the fleet of evacuation ships entered the orbit of the massive vessel known as the Arc—humanity's mobile command center in the ongoing war against the Harbingers. As personnel disembarked, scientists in lab coats clustered around two figures walking purposefully through the docking bay. The man had silver-gray hair despite his relatively young face, while the woman's brown hair was pulled back in a severe bun. "Casualties?" the woman asked as a junior officer approached with a tablet. "Twenty-seven confirmed dead, Director Linda. Fourteen more injured, three critically." "Equipment losses?" the silver-haired man inquired, his voice surprisingly soft. "Eight Aries-class mechs destroyed, three salvageable. Total material loss estimated at sixty-two million credits, Director Asha," Director Asha nodded, taking the tablet and scanning through the report. "And we've lost another potential colony world. The Harbingers are getting bolder, striking farther from their known territories." "Or more desperate," Director Linda suggested. "They know we're making progress with the void stones we have. They can't allow us to find more." The junior officer cleared his throat. "Dr. Kapoor's report indicates the Category 5 Beast on Exorath was actually dormant until our excavation disturbed it. The Harbingers may have been drawn by the same energy signature we detected." "Fascinating," Asha murmured. "A convergence of threats. Perhaps not coincidental." They reached a massive door at the end of the corridor. Above it, the word "DR. ECLIPSE" was emblazoned.