PHALANX - The series

Episode five : An ending signifies a new beginning.

 

The Ketari fighters screamed around the command center, firing their deadly load at the fighter-depraved construction.

"There's just too many of them. We have lost our fighter force, and our shields are weakening. They are at 65%," Daphnix reported.

"Fire at will. Jennifer, keep searching for weaknesses. O’Connor, continue evasive maneuvers," Frederic said, sitting in his command chair.

"The battleships are moving in. On screen," Daphnix said. The 10 massive Ketari battleships were screaming towards them.

Hunters to the kill, Frederic thought. "Transfer all emergency power to the shields. Use the auxiliary fusion reactors," he ordered.

"Shields at 75% and holding. Battleships within firing range."

The command center rocked under the barrage. The lights went out, and emergency lights took over. Acrid smoke filled the bridge as a panel erupted in flames.

"Medical team to the bridge. O'Connor's hurt. Daphnix, keep firing. Maximum blast. We have to keep them off," Frederic's voice remained calm, as always during a battle.

Daphnix looked at his friend in the command chair. Cold, calculating, depraved of emotion. The guy's a machine.

The Ketari fighters moved in, alongside the battleships, and fired at the command center. More panels erupted, systems failed faster than the crew could repair them and the main fusion reactors started behaving erratically. To top off the problems, the torpedo launchers failed.

"We've lost 5 phaser banks as well. We're as good as dead," Daphnix said, concluding the damage report.

"Wait! I'm picking up a ship. Moving at 15000 lightspeeds. It's racing towards us, from OUR space, sir," Jennifer reported.

"That can only mean one thing."

A massive ship dropped out of Quantum displacement in front of the command center. 5000 fighters launched from it, disposing rapidly of the 750 Ketari fighters.

"We're being hailed," Jennifer said.

"On screen."

"This is Admiral Decker of the brand-new Enterprise class battlecarrier Ortega. I hope you don't resent us interfering with your fun?" the man said.

"By all means, go ahead admiral. We're a little preoccupied right now," Frederic said.

"Thank you, sir," Decker said with a little nod of his head. The connection severed. The Ortega turned towards the battleships. The 5 kilometer-long battlecarrier launched over 1000 torpedoes, 50 of its front phaser banks, and the 5000 fighters towards the ten ships. None of the Ketari ships made it past the first volley.

"It's even better than we imagined. We could take out their entire empire with ten of those," Daphnix said.

A few hours later, Frederic, Daphnix, Jennifer, Decker and 10 more of the most senior officers were in the Ortega's conference room. The circular room still smelled of wet paint, so fast had they drawn her out of spacedock, fitted her with fighters and weaponry, and sent her into battle.

Frederic walked towards a screen, and punched in his access code. The schematics of the Ortega appeared on the screen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't have to introduce her further. She just saved my crew's hides: the PSS Ortega. An Enterprise class battlecarrier, carrying 5000 fighters and their crew, a standard complement of 250 people to operate the ship itself, and armed to the teeth with 250 phaser cannons spread all over the ship and 100 torpedo tubes with 15000 torpedo reserves. She has a second-generation quantum displacement drive, capable of going 15000 times the speed of light." Frederic said, pointing to the chart on the display. The gathered people clapped at the introduction of the latest addition to the Phalanx fleet.

"Thanks to Starfleet technology, we now have antimatter reactors to power the ship, replicators to produce spare parts, food and drink for the crew, and transporters to get us through the hull of the ship without having to use a portal plant. The transporter is able to transport anything from anywhere to anywhere, as long as the object remains within its range." Frederic said, pulling up displays of the various new systems.

"Don't forget the holodecks. Those come in handy for training purposes." Daphnix said.

The system in question appeared on the screen. "The holo-recreational facility, or holodeck for short, is the top of the Federations recreational and training simulation technology. It is able to recreate anything and anybody, like our Virtual Reality, but much easier to use, since no special suits are required." Frederic said.

"Admiral Smith will now give a tactical report." Frederic motioned Daphnix to come over, and he sat down himself as soon as his friend had taken over.

The briefing went on for hours. When Daphnix had delivered his full tactical report, and they were about to leave, Decker requested a private meeting with Frederic and his friends.

"Ok, admiral. What's the problem?" Frederic asked, as soon as everyone had left the room.

"We are afraid the Earth may soon find out about our existence," Decker said, his voice betraying the inner turmoil he felt.

"That is bad news indeed. What do you suggest?" Frederic said, after a moment of thoughtful consideration.

"Relocate our entire force to a new base, on the moon or on Mars perhaps? We have the technology and the ships to move the people."

"Yes, but building a base on such an unknown territory will take a long time," Daphnix said.

"We have found this…" Decker punched in a command, and some sort of gun appeared, "piece of equipment in the database you brought back. It's a tractor beam. We have modified it to be able to pull our central command out of the Earth's gravitational pull. All we have to do is reprogram the Ortega's phasers, and then we have the required power."

"Tractor the central command building up from the earth, through space and drop it on the moon? What about foundations and the room they require? We can't just drop the building there, and hope the foundations will hold," Frederic interjected.

"We have come up with something. We'll dig a hole, a little bigger than the foundations, and fill the bottom with this special glue." A molecular diagram replaced the tractor beam. "We'll drop the central command on it. Then we'll fill the edges around the foundations with it. The glue adheres to anything, and after two hours, it's almost impossible to break."

"And you are confident that we'll be able to drop the building so precise? And how will we get the foundations out of the ground on the first place?" Frederic asked.

"We'll dig out the foundations first. And yes, we'll be able to drop it so precise. It is recommended that none of the personnel remain inside it, as the strain on the tractor beam will be extreme."

"What is the projected damage, and an estimate on the repairs?" Jennifer asked.

"We estimate that we'll regain central command in 3 weeks after the drop. Full functions are estimated within 5 weeks," Decker said.

"Ok, since it seems we have no other choice: go ahead with it. Move spacedock to the moon site as soon as possible, and begin construction of mining equipment as well. We'll use the moon's natural resources. My team and me will begin exploring for a future site on Mars. We have to be ready."

"I agree. Good luck, sirs," Decker said, standing up.

Frederic and his friends stood up as well. "Good luck to you and your people as well, admiral," Frederic said, shaking the man's hand.

 

Since the Daedalus II was destroyed in the battle, Frederic and his crew borrowed a fighter from the Ortega, and set course for Mars.

"I am going to miss her. She was a fine ship," Frederic said when they were five minutes under way.

"Yeah, me too. Although they all look the same, we did have an emotional bond with her, did we?" Daphnix said.

"We sure had our share of adventures in her. Crashing into the lightspeed barrier, being thrown over to another dimension, meeting the Enterprise…," Jennifer murmured. Her two friends just nodded, agreeing in silence. The rest of the trip, they spent in their own thoughts.

"Mars, the red planet, and always seen as a symbol of war," Frederic announced when they entered orbit.

"We should check out the Polar Regions first," Daphnix offered.

"Agreed," Frederic said, easing the fighter out of its orbit.

After decreasing speed, the fighter flew low over the Martian surface. Frederic piloted her himself, if for nothing else, then just for fun. Suddenly, the fighter banked hard to the right.

"What was that?" Daphnix asked, but he saw both Frederic and Jennifer concentrating on their controls. He decided to say nothing, but after a few seconds, he changed his mind, as they did not resume their course of the Polar Regions.

"Why don't you correct…" he stopped when they did not seem to hear, or care, about his comment. Frederic just piloted the ship, completely impassive, and Jennifer just concentrated on her science console.

"Fred? What's wrong?" Daphnix shook his friend's shoulder, to no avail. Now he really began to panic.

"Linda, transfer controls to my station," he ordered.

ACCESS DENIED. SHIP IS UNDER PHALANXIAL CONTROL.

Instead of Linda, it was Borlan's voice that boomed over the ship. Daphnix realized that he had no other choice but to ride along. After 2 minutes, Daphnix felt the ship lowering speed, and beginning to descent to the surface.

The moment they touched down, Frederic and Jennifer ran to a nearby closet, took out two environmental suits, jumped in them and ran outside. Daphnix had no other choice but to follow them.

Frederic and Jennifer ran towards a rock, with Daphnix in hot pursuit. What in hell is happening here? They don't talk; they don't listen, they just run.

Arriving at the rock, Frederic pulled his sword out of a compartment in his suit. The razor-sharp weapon cut it neatly in half.

Frederic's hand immediately went inside the leftover rock, and pulled out a necklace. Completely crafted in gold, with gems in all the colors of the rainbow craftily etched in it. He removed his spacesuit, and without any problems with cold or non-breathable air, pulled the necklace over his head. Its gems gave a bright green flash for a moment, and then settled down. Both he and Jennifer gasped at the green flash, then calmed down, and walked back to the ship, Frederic leaving his spacesuit behind.

"Now, would you mind telling me what is going on?" Daphnix burst when the door closed.

"This is the Necklace of the Oech-anya. They left it here when their civilization disappeared from the face of Mars." Frederic explained. "Its powers are comparable to the Sword of the Phalanx."

"Ok," Daphnix said, his voice betraying 'who the hell are the Oech-anya?'. "Come on, tell me the complete story."

"The Oech-anya lived here, over 250 million years ago, before Mars became the desert barren planet you see now. They had a Phalanx, like any sentient race, and the sign for him or her was this necklace. It has been reactivated by my presence, and called me. Us. Jennifer was in its spell as well, since she is so intimately linked to me. Now that I have claimed it, its knowledge and abilities transferred into us. We now have the ability to live here, and have the complete knowledge of the Oech-anya."

After sharing his newfound knowledge and abilities with Daphnix, they continued exploring for a possible outpost site. After a few hours, they found a perfect spot near the North Pole of Mars. Because of the water ice located there, it was perfect to install an outpost.

 

Frederic and Jennifer were sitting cross-legged, their hand folded, sunk in deep meditation. Their surroundings were completely black, as the computer had been instructed. Daphnix quietly opened the door to the holodeck, and gently whispered "Linda, 15% lights, please."

As always, the AI complied without question, sensing the sensibility of the situation. If Frederic and Jennifer were in a very deep meditation, there was no way to know what would happen if Daphnix disturbed them.

Slowly, Frederic opened his eyes. Jennifer's followed closely after.

"We need to talk," Daphnix said.

"I though as much. About this, I presume?" Frederic said, holding out the necklace. Daphnix just nodded.

"What are its effects? I know the technical stuff, but in practice, what exactly are its effects on you? Both of you? In the last few days you spent almost all of your time in here, locked in meditation. I finally want to know what is happening."

Frederic nodded, and slowly got up. He stretched his muscles, which were protesting against getting back to action after 4 hours of meditation. "You deserve an explanation my friend. Linda, full lights. Change setting to comfortable living room, one two-person couch and one single person couch. Dialog positions."

The couches appeared, facing each other. A table, lamps, and a general comfy living room appeared.

"Grab a seat," Frederic said, pointing to the single-person couch. He and Jennifer sat down in the two-person couch.

"We still don't know it's full effects, but one thing is sure: it packs a serious punch when activated," Frederic began after they had all sat down.

Daphnix shook his head. "How serious?"

"Let me show you," Frederic said, standing up. Daphnix and Jennifer followed his example. "Linda, load training program Phalanx level 2. Difficulty: insane. Keep Jennifer and Daphnix in observer mode."

The setting changed to a rocky plateau. It was dark as hell, and everywhere sounds that could only come from Hell itself were heard. Screams, snarls, growls, the works. Daphnix shivered as the sounds sent sparks running over his spine.

"Ready?" He asked Daphnix, who nodded. Frederic stripped out of his clothes, and clad only in his boxers and the necklace, with his sword in his right hand, he said:

"Linda, activate in 5 seconds. Countdown."

Program initiates in 5…4…3…2…1…ACTIVATE!

Immediately, three vicious beasts, even worse than Daphnix had imagined them, leaped from their covered positions at Frederic. Three swings of his sword quickly dispatched of them. Daphnix noticed a green glow in Frederic's eyes the moment Linda started counting. Now he understood why: the necklace only worked when called upon. This was the indicator it was active. Meanwhile, Frederic continued killing leaping beasts, rattling skeletons and rotten corpses, which looked to have come from depths beyond hell.

Program ended.

"That was a program I created before the necklace. I never managed to end it at insane level. Now, watch this. Linda, Execute overdrive mode. Make them as lethal as you can."

Safety protocols do not allow for this.

"Override. I want them as lethal as you can make them. Use every trick in the book, but make sure there is at least one possibility of killing them."

Safety protocols overridden. Program ready. Initiating in 5…4…3…2…1…initiating.

The beasts reappeared, and now when Frederic cut them in half, two new beasts grew from the parts.

"Cool! This is fun!" Frederic shouted, the green glow now outshone every feature of his eyes. It was as if Frederic had even green eyes, without any other features. His sword clashed with swords that appeared out of nowhere, he dodged bullets coming from cloaked guns, and he kicked and hit duplicating beasts at an increasing rate. Then, he found the monsters weak spot: severing the beast's head from its body. He had trouble disposing of the beasts, since they kept adapting, and no two beasts had the same weakness. It took him over an hour before he finally emerged victorious. His body was covered in cuts and bruises, and he had a nasty gunshot wound in his right leg. The wounds healed in a matter of seconds the moment the program ended.

"Linda, store this as training program Phalanx 3. Difficulty level 1."

Program saved.

The green glow slowly ebbed away from Frederic's eyes. "That was incredible!" Daphnix shouted.

"It was … fun," Frederic panted. "The good part is, Jennifer can call upon this as well. The necklace even has enough power to grant us both complete Phalanx warrior armor! Too bad it requires a marriage to be able to share the power." Frederic caught up with his breath.

"Yeah. I wouldn't mind some of that power as well."

"Sorry, I can't give you more. The necklace's power only works when called upon. It's not permanent, like the sword's," Frederic explained.

"I understand. Now, what exactly are its effects, once activated?" Daphnix said, trying to hide his disappointment.

"It doubles agility, senses, strength, power, dexterity, endurance, whatever you can name. It gives you an increased awareness, allowing you to successfully see in the dark."

"I can see in the dark as well, and I don't need a necklace to do so," Daphnix said.

"Not like this. It's like night-vision, infrared, ultraviolet and the rest of the spectrum at once. I can select one, or I can chose to see them all. That comes in handy when looking for radiation leaks," Frederic said. Daphnix definitely was impressed.

Frederic and his friends walked towards the bridge, while talking about the dramatic increase in performance by the necklace.

"It's only too bad that I can't activate the necklace for ever. I wouldn't mind having that enhanced vision," Frederic said.

"Why can't you keep it active?" Daphnix asked.

"When it's active, I'm in 'combat mode', so to speak. No sleep, no food or drink, and a shorter temper are a result of this." Frederic explained.

"Is that your way of saying: 'stay the heck away when I've got green eyes' ? " Daphnix joked.

"Precisely. The next thing Jennifer and me are going to work on is the parallel combat. After that, who knows?" Frederic said.

"Parallel combat?"

"We both use the armor at the same time."

By now, they had reached the bridge, and they all took their stations. Neither one of them was able to completely focus on their task. The revelations of the necklace had left too many unanswered questions.

 

Daphnix looked on as his friends sparred. Both were completely engulfed in Phalanx warrior armor. Jennifer's had obvious feminine treats, as Frederic's had pronounced masculine ones. All of them were ecstatic when this fact was revealed, sine it indicated that Jennifer's powers had mimicked Frederic's, adapting where needed, instead of just plainly copying them.

Frederic and Jennifer's mock fight went on and on. Even though Daphnix's capabilities were beyond normal human's, he had trouble following the extremely high rhythm his two friends kept up. The Swords changed from right to left hand, and from left to right hand in a blur. They alternated blows and kicks, reacting to each other’s movements.

Suddenly, Frederic fainted to the left, in a blur his sword changed hands, and it cut alongside Jennifer's underbelly. She fell forward, clutching the spot, and Frederic's sword, changing hands again, tapped her neck.

"You're dead," Frederic stated, matter-of-factly. Jennifer got up, the wound closed and the armor resealed.

"You have been working out, have you? Your abilities have increased dramatically. You're good!" Frederic added, grabbing his wife in a side-hug.

"Thanks. But I'm still not good enough. I should have seen that one coming," Jennifer said.

"I had to improvise, your defense was almost impregnable. Like I said, you are good!" Frederic said. His armor vanished, alongside Jennifer's.

Defcon 5. WAR! WAR! WAR! All hands, battle stations! Defcon 5. WAR! WAR! WAR! The music started.

A shudder went through the Ortega. Frederic and his friends rushed to the bridge.

"2500 fighters, 10 carriers, and 5 battleships," Decker reported when Frederic sat down in the command chair.

"Status?"

"All fighters ready. Phasers, torpedoes and Quantum pellets ready," Daphnix said, taking over his station.

"Launch fighters. Target phasers at enemy fighters. Use torpedoes on carriers, and quantum pellets at the battleships. Let's see what the latest gadget does," Frederic stated.

The screen displayed the Ortega's 5000 fighters engage the enemy's 2500. The Ortega's phasers taking out about 100 before the Ortega's fighters engaged. The red blimps that were the antimatter torpedoes plowed in quick succession in the shields of the enemy carriers. The quantum pellets were blue blobs of energy, surrounded by two circles of small, green circles of energy, twirling and twisting around the larger blue blobs. They quickly disposed of the enemy battleships.

"Damn! What is in those things?" Decker muttered when he saw the battleships blow apart after the first volley.

"Retarget the quantum pellets. Destroy the carriers. Recall the fighters. The remaining fighters have fled into the carriers," Frederic ordered. The quantum pellets ripped through the torpedo-weakened shields of the carriers, and disposed of them in quick succession.

Quantum breach. Evacuate deck 5, section alpha. Quantum breach. Evacuate deck 5, section alpha.

"The quantum storage facility has overheated due to the heightened stress of the quantum pellet launcher. Containment systems have failed, and section alpha of deck 5 has been sealed."

"How many people were in there?" Frederic asked, his face as gray as ashes.

"No life-signs in the specified section. It seems we got away with a scare," Daphnix said.

"Thank god! Return to Moonbase for retrofitting of the damaged section. And tell the labs to start working on better quantum storage facilities. I do not want another breach each time I use the toughest gun we ever built," Frederic ordered.

A few days later, the Ortega tested the improved quantum storage facilities. They behaved admirably. The quantum pellet gun was tested again and again. Its destructive power surpassed everything the scientists had ever hoped for. Who could have known it would do its theoretical damage each time it was fired, no matter under which circumstances?

"How is the command center coming along?" Frederic asked Decker.

"It will take a few more weeks. The Ketari banged her up pretty good," The elder man replied.

"What is the status on the Yamato and the Endeavor?" Frederic referred to the two new battlecarriers.

"The Yamato is scheduled to be released this week, the Endeavor is doing test runs as we speak," Decker answered proudly.

"Good. Stock them up with fighters as soon as possible. We're going to take the bastards out," Frederic said, turning around and leaving the bridge. He walked straight towards the primary holodeck.

"Linda, program Phalanx 3. Increase difficulty to impossible."

Program ready. Enter when ready.

The doors opened, and Frederic strode inside. His eyes turned green, he raised his word and activated the armor. "Ready."

Program initiates in 5…4…3…2…1…NOW.

Frederic's emotions sank as he pummeled beast after beast, monster after monster into submission. He didn't hear the AI noting the ever-increasing difficulty, nor did he hear the beasts' howls. He just fought and kept fighting.

"Linda, pause program. Time?"

Program paused. Time is sixteen hundred hours, forty-six minutes and thirty-two seconds. Thirty-four.

"Thank you. Resume program." Two hours, and I don't feel tired. Hell, I haven't even worked up a sweat! Frederic thought.

Once again, many brave holo-images plunged to their death mere seconds after they came into existence. After another half an hour, Jennifer joined him, and together they slaughtered image after image. Linda kept noting increasing difficulty, but together, they were unbeatable. They danced through the fight. Sometimes back-to-back, other times one of them holding the other in a lethal tornado turn; they killed a tremendous amount of beasts.

"Linda, end program. So, do you think we're ready for the big fight?" Frederic asked his wife.

"What big fight?" Jennifer was genuinely perplexed.

"In two weeks, when the Yamato is finished as well, we're going to destroy the Ketari for now and for ever. We'll blow up their ships, burn their planets and kill every last one of the savages!"

Jennifer yelled "Hell, yeah! Death to the savages!" she pounded her fist into thin air to punctuate her words.

"That's my girl!" Frederic said, taking her into a warm embrace.

 

"…so, ladies and gentlemen, we have decided that it is time to teach the savage race called Ketari a lesson they'll never forget! The Ortega will lead the main assault on Ketaria, supported by the Yamato and Endeavor. The command center, supported by 25000 fighters, will fly drag, taking out anything that has escaped the main assault force. Any questions?" Frederic yelled over the large terrain where the entire w ESMF was amassed. Those that were not present, to keep minimal occupation on all stations, followed the speech on their screens.

"No! Death to the Ketari! NO MORE SENSELESS SLAUGHTER!" the amassed troops yelled.

"Good. Now prepare for the main onslaught on our enemies! Bring swift death to the enemies of Terra!" Frederic yelled, his fist rose into the air.

"Death to Ketari! Kill them all! May not one of them survive justice!" the troops yelled back.

"They will finally know what it is like, to be the one that is destroyed, instead of the one that destroys. They have destroyed countless civilizations, and now theirs is at the brink of the same thing. This is justice, people!" Frederic shouted.

"JUSTICE! JUSTICE! JUSTICE FOR ALL THE CULTURES THEY HAVE DESTROYED!" his troops chanted. Frederic couldn't get a word through. He gave a hand motion to Jennifer, who typed:

"GOOD LUCK TO ALL! MAY WE BRING SWIFT JUSTICE TO THOSE WHO STAND AGAINST THE RIGHTEOUS!" appeared on the big screen overlooking the terrain.

The troops chanted. Frederic, Jennifer, Daphnix and Decker retreated back into the Ortega. Everyone prepared in his or her own way.

 

Jennifer, Frederic and Daphnix walked up to the Phalanxial temple at Stonehenge. All three knelt down in the middle.

"O, Great Gods of the Universe, I have a request to make," Frederic said into thin air, his arms extended towards the skies.

For the fourth time in his life, the Gods appeared. Again, it was the elder God who spoke:

"Young Phalanx, I hope this is not going to become a habit. Now, what can we do for you?"

"I would like your permission to open the sacred vaults of Avalon, to arm myself and my two companions for the coming fight. Since the mystical island of Avalon is outside the mortal plane, I have no jurisdiction there."

"I see. Tell me, young Phalanx, what would you require from the sacred vaults?"

"Two Swords of destiny, the six daggers of Sharnatra, holy armor for the three of us, and what else that can be of use," Frederic said.

The God was silent for a moment, deep in thought. He then turned to his fellow Gods, and Frederic could clearly make out that they were discussing his unusual request. Finally, they turned back to Frederic.

"We grant you all the weapons, armor and supplies you think you and your two friends will need from the sacred vaults of Avalon. Only you and your two friends will be granted access to the vaults, the items it contains, and the island of Avalon. On one condition."

Frederic's jaw fell open, his eyes bulged out, and he needed at least ten seconds to regain his composure.

"Anything. Anything. Just tell me what it is, and I'll do it," Frederic said, the joy protruding into his voice.

"The Ketari are under the rule of the one they call 'Ureeat Gretor', the great leader. He's nothing more than a phalanx unable to defeat his nemesis. We want his death, and we want you to kill him. You are the only one in existence who has the abilities to take him on."

"You want me to take out a Phalanx, and in exchange for his demise, I get whatever I want from the sacred vaults of Avalon?"

"That, and complete access to the vaults, whenever you need it."

<<They're desperate, or this is a trick.>>

The God seemed to have read his mind: "This is not a trick, young Phalanx. The Ureeat Gretor is responsible for the demise of countless civilizations. He needs to be taught a lesson, and you are the only one able to do it."

"I will take care of it. The bastard's as good as dead." Frederic said, standing up, and knocking his fist across his chest. The God, recognizing the ancient way of agreeing to a holy bond of the word, nodded his head and said:

"We, the Gods of the Universe, grant you, Frederic Fromthefield, Phalanx of the human race, unlimited and unconditional access to the island of Avalon and the recourses and the sacred vaults located on it."

Frederic nodded. "The Evil One that is Ureeat Gretor is dead within the next 96 hours, my liege."

The God nodded, and, much to Frederic's surprise, so did the other Gods, who normally remain on the background. They disappear shortly after.

"What was that all about?" Daphnix asked, standing up along with Jennifer.

"They just granted me full access to the sacred vaults of Avalon, for now into eternity, and all the weapons and recourses located in them, or on the island. All I have to do in return is kill a rogue phalanx, one that was unsuccessful in defeating the Dark One," Frederic muttered, his voice gaining strength during his statement.

"And what is so special about this island?" Daphnix asked. "You said it was important, dragged us here, forced us to kneel to the Gods, but you still haven't told us what this is all about."

"The island of Avalon is a sacred island. King Arthur is buried there, until he's needed again. Since they got another Phalanx, that is unlikely to be in the next 100 years. The island also has mines full of the special material that transfers mental power. But, the main prize are the sacred vaults."

"What's so special about these vaults? Except that they're sacred?" Daphnix's face began to light up.

"They contain the fountain of youth, and all the sacred weapons ever created. You see, once they're created, they serve the master they were created for. Once the master dies, the items return to the sacred vaults, on Avalon."

"And, what type of weaponry…?" Daphnix started to ask, but Frederic silenced him with a hand signal.

"I'll show you," Frederic raised his arms and yelled to the skies in an unknown language. Suddenly, he pointed to himself, Daphnix and Jennifer. In a burst of fire and lightning, their bodies disappeared from the mortal plane.

Frederic slowly became aware of his surroundings. So did Daphnix and Jennifer.

Frederic looked around. The beautiful hills, the green grass and the pure air compelled him to ponder the thought of staying here. He quickly dismissed it as he remembered why he was here.

"What happened?" Daphnix muttered.

"We were transported beyond the material plane, beyond the worldly and mortal existence. This is the gate of heaven. Here magic exists next to science. Here the ancient alchemists would be able to turn scrap iron into pure gold. Everything is possible here. That is the reason why the sacred vaults are located here."

"This is so beautiful. I wouldn't mind staying here for the rest of my life," Jennifer said. Daphnix confirmed this.

"I wouldn't mind either. But, our troops on Earth depend on us. Remember, we have to destroy the Ketari Phalanx, or we shall forever burn in hell, for breaking our word bond."

"Great. Let's go explore the island then," Jennifer said. Her two companions nodded. Together, they walked towards the hills. After about an hour of walking, they were deep in the hills. Frederic stopped them in front of a giant door.

"Sacred vault of Avalon, I am Phalanx Fromthefield of the human race. I have been granted complete access for the rest of my life!" Frederic yelled at the door.

So be it, phalanx. Your access will last for your lifetime. After that, the items you have borrowed shall return here.

"I am aware of that."

Very well. Access granted.

Both Daphnix and Jennifer were looking around, searching for a source of the voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

"Don't try to find it. It's the voice of the island Avalon," Frederic said, smiling softly at the look on his friend's faces when they found nothing. The large, circular door turned a quart stroke, so the horizontal dividing line became vertical. Then, the circle parted, revealing its insides.

All three of them gasped at the beauty of the inside. The complete vault was made of gold, with special illuminating gems worked beautifully in the ceiling and the wall, above the different closed alcoves, which were engraved with inscriptions, the likes of which were unseen on Earth. Solemnly, they stepped inside. The vault door closed behind them, turned back a quart stroke, and sealed itself.

"Here we are, the sacred vaults of Avalon," Frederic said, his voice a strange quiet in respect for this sacred place.

"So, what do we need?" Jennifer asked.

"Follow me. First, we'll need protection," Frederic walked up to an alcove, pressed a special spot next to it, and it slid open. Frederic took out six rings.

"These are 6 of the many rings of protection created over the centuries. They are the strongest ones. Each take two." Frederic said. His friends nodded, took two rings, and slid one on each hand. Frederic did the same, after his friends were done. The rings fit perfectly, although they each had different measurements.

"Magic is wonderful, isn't it?" Frederic commented on Daphnix's remark of this fact. "Follow me. We'll need some weapons as well," He led his two companions to a different alcove. The same ritual repeated. His friends noticed that the first alcove had resealed itself as soon as Frederic had walked away.

Frederic reached inside the alcove, and took out two swords, sheathed, and presented them to his friends.

"These are two of the nine swords of destiny. Their powers are beyond the mortal plane, and have the ability to kill anything that sides with evil. They are as unbreakable as they are sharp, so be careful who you cut with these babies. Each of his two friends took a sword, and unsheathed it. The blade gave of a mystical blue gleam. Frederic unsheathed his sword as well, its green glow contrasting beautifully with the blue of the others.

"The swords' appearance is identical to mine. Only the blue gleams of your swords are able to distinguish it from mine. And the powers it wields, Of course." Frederic said, sheathing his sword. His companions followed suit.

"Now that we have the necessities, take a look around, take what you think will come in handy, but don't misuse the God's benevolence, please. I don't want to leave an empty vault behind," Frederic joked. His friends nodded, and dispersed. Frederic smiled as he saw his friends open different alcoves. They had caught on quickly.

Frederic walked to the back, and opened an alcove, carefully hidden from view, and took out a cup.

"My god! It's even more beautiful than I have ever imagined!" Frederic muttered. "The cup that was used at the Last Supper, the same one that later held the blood of Christ." He voice betrayed the raw emotions coursing through his body. Jennifer, picking up these through the link, motioned Daphnix to follow her. Silently, they walked to where Frederic was admiring the Holy Grail.

"What in Hell is that?" Daphnix asked.

"The Holy Grail," Frederic answered simply. Solemnly, he carried his precious load to a nearby basin. He knelt down, muttered something his friends couldn't make out, and submerged the Grail in the clear fluid in it. A Blue-green glow rippled across the surface as soon as the Grail touched it. Frederic stood back up, the Grail half-filled with liquid.

"Drink, my friends, from the Fountain of Youth, its water contained in the Holy Grail. Kneel, and take the immortality that is your destiny," Frederic stood before them, both hands holding the Grail.

Daphnix and Jennifer looked at each other, shrugged, and knelt down. Frederic placed the Grail at Jennifer's lips, who opened them, and took a sip from the holiest of holy. She immediately felt the effects. She felt more energetic, stronger, faster. It was an emotion she couldn't describe. She had felt similar when she had first received her powers, and later, when her powers had merged with Frederic's, but none of those was as strong as now.

Daphnix looked at her, and saw the statement on her face. He nodded to Frederic, who did the same to his friend as he had done with his wife. Daphnix too, took a long good sip from the Grail. He too, felt the pure light flowing through his body, purifying him, cleansing him, making him immortal, stronger and faster. He felt the energy lifting his body's dependencies on food, water and air.

Frederic presented the Grail to Jennifer, who took it. She repeated the words Frederic had said earlier. He knelt down, she held the Grail to his lips, and he too, took a drink from the cup of Christ. The effects changed him. He felt confident, his powers more energetic, his muscles increased strength and speed. He solemnly rose to his feet, took the cup and emptied the remaining water of life in the basin. He then put the Grail back in its alcove, which resealed.

"My friends, we are now immortal. There is but one way of killing us: the beheading. Beware of this when fighting unknown foes. Now, find yourself some equipment," Frederic warned, walking to one of the alcoves. He friends nodded their acknowledgement of the fact and they too, continued their look for more equipment.

Half an hour later, Frederic asked his friends if they were ready. They were. Both stepped up to Frederic.

"So, Jen. Tell me, what have you borrowed from the vaults?" Frederic asked.

"These two arm bracers, with the power of protection and increased strength. Shin armor, with the increased protection from magical attacks, and this necklace of protection from evil. For special equipment, I have the sword of invisibility, given to Attila the Hun." She said, pointing out the various objects.

"Daphnix?"

"The never-missing golden bow, complete with quiver and 25 golden arrows, with the magic of destruction of evil on them. They are instantly fatal to all evil. I also have a pair of arm bracers and shin armor like Jennifer's, although mine are protection from evil instead of from magic. I also have this," He said, pointing to a black suit of body armor.

"A body armor of strength, stamina, dexterity, agility and complete with protection from evil and magic."

"What have you got, Fred?" Jennifer asked.

"The six daggers of Sharnatra. The arm bracers of Hercules. An enchanted pair of combat boots, giving the ability of silent running over all surfaces, and with the ability to walk up the wall and up the ceiling if necessary."

"Daggers of Sharnatra? Arm bracers of Hercules? What is it that's so special about them?" Daphnix asked.

"Sharnatra was a mercenary, an assassin. He sold his soul for these babies. They never miss, and make mortal wounds that can only be undone by the magic of the Fountain of Youth, or by the powers of the Phalanx. Without one of those, the subject dies in a matter of hours. The targets are incapacitated the moment they're hit, so don't worry about them. Hit them, retrieve the dagger, and leave them to die."

"The arm bracers of Hercules were forged by Hephaestos, and give increased protection, strength and agility," Frederic finished his tirade. He pulled four of the six daggers of his belt.

"Each take two. See them as smart bombs. Think of your target, throw the knife, and retrieve it when you have some time," Frederic said, holding out the daggers, two in each hand. His friends both nodded their thanks, and clipped the sheathed daggers on their belts.

"Wouldn't you both better take some increased protection, like an amulet, necklace or a bracelet?" Jennifer asked.

"That's not such a bad idea," Frederic said, walking over to one of the alcoves, and taking out a necklace and two amulets. The blue glow surrounded him for a few seconds, after which it died out.

"A necklace of protection from magic and evil, and one amulet for each of those," Frederic explained. Daphnix took out identical things for himself.

"It's a good thing that these things are plentiful, and not unique like the weaponry," Frederic said. His two companions nodded.

"We have one more stop to make before we head back to the mortal plane," Frederic said, leaving the vault, which opened upon his arrival.

They walked for five minutes, during which time they each tested out their special equipment. Daphnix his a lone tree at 500m distance, Frederic walked up on a vertical cliff without falling off, and Jennifer became completely invisible in a thick, dark mist, generated by the sword of invisibility.

After those five minutes, and after Daphnix had retrieved his arrow, Frederic walked up to a mine.

"These are mines that have the ore that enables us to share powers," Frederic said, pointing to the mine. "I'm going to get some to make you something like that as well. On the mortal plane, it's almost impossible to find, but here it's plentiful," he said, and walked inside. After ten minutes, he came out with a shining chunk of ore in his hand.

"What would you like? A ring, bracelet, amulet , a necklace? " Frederic asked.

"Integrate it in this necklace of protection, if that's possible," Daphnix said, holding out the item in question.

Frederic took it, looked at the desired item and nodded. He focused on the mentalium, as he called the ore, and ordered it to shape itself like one of the gems that were present on the necklace. The ore sputtered as it was called into action. Slowly, it formed the desired form. Frederic then ordered it to integrate itself into the necklace. Again, the ore sputtered as it did what was asked of it. Frederic then ordered the connection to the ore in his sword to be made. As soon as this was completed, he gave the necklace back to Daphnix, who put it on.

"Call out to it, and order it to serve only you," Frederic urged his friend. Daphnix nodded.

"Necklace, I am your bearer. You will only serve me," He muttered. Daphnix lost consciousness as the link set it. Frederic just gasped. Daphnix looked up into the concerned face of his friends.

"I'm fine," he said, sitting up. "Now, what's the status?" he asked.

"You should be able to use part of my power now. It won't be a complete access, like Jennifer's, but it should be sufficient to use the warrior armor," Frederic said.

"I do feel more powerful."

"Good. Now, let's try to see if this link works as good as it's supposed to." Frederic said. He pulled out his sword, and held it in front of him, his arms stretched out. Jennifer grabbed hold of the handle on the other side, and Daphnix, taking the point, stood at an exact 90° angle from both of them.

"Sword of the Phalanx, grant us the power!" they yelled, all three perfectly on cue, their links making sure they stayed synchronized.

Lightning struck down from the skies, and struck down towards the sword. Upon touching the tip of the blade, it separated into three beams, and engulfed all three of them. Then… nothing.

"Damn. It didn't work," Frederic muttered. He pulled out the necklace of the Oech-anya, and held it next to the sword. Jennifer grabbed the two objects from the other side, and Daphnix stood a little closer this time, holding the sword with his outstretched arm, and the necklace with the other arm.

"Sword of the Phalanx, grant us the power!" again, all three were perfectly in synch. This time, the lighting engulfed them completely, and they transformed in phalanx warriors.

"Sweet mother of God! What a rush!" Daphnix shouted as the transformation sank in. "Where is the armor, the arm bracers, the shin armor?" Daphnix finally asked, after he took a good look at his now armored body.

"The armor is kept under your phalanx armor. It's phased, so you don't feel it's there. For your clothes, the same thing applies. As for your power, you're a level 5, like I was before the necklace. Both Fred and me are above level 6, and rising," Jennifer explained.

After they each tested their strength, to make sure that no side effects were present for Frederic or Jennifer, they sparred for some time.

"I think it's time to get back to our world. We have a Phalanx to kill," Frederic said after their sparring match.

They transported back to the site near Stonehenge, the same spot they were when they left for Avalon.

"What the…? How come its still night here?" Daphnix said, astounded.

"Time in Avalon is at a standstill. When we're there, time on this plane doesn't move from our perspective. From the perspective of everyone else, we were gone less than a second," Frederic said, and then he called for transport. They disappeared, and reformed in the Ortega transporter room.

"What's the status on the Yamato and the Endeavor?" Frederic asked while striding up the bridge.

"Yamato and Endeavor are ready and holding position to our left and right. The command center is right behind us. The fighters of the moon base are ready for lift-off. The space fleet fighters are ready as well," Decker reported.

"Good. Sound Defcon 4 on the entire fleet, and tell them we'll leave in one hour," Frederic said, sitting down in his command chair.

"Fleet reports Defcon 4, sir. We're ready to go in 58 minutes," Decker said. Frederic nodded.

"Give the command center the order to follow us with a 15-minute time span between us. Lay in a course to the nearest Ketari outpost," he ordered. His orders were implemented immediately.

"As soon as we leave, Admiral Smith will take over. He will lead the entire operation. I will personally fly with the fighter crew. Admiral Simmons and Commander Harris will be my 2nd and third. Now, give a countdown over the entire fleet," Frederic said, standing up. Jennifer followed him to the fighter bay, where the Daedalus III was waiting for them. Commander Harris was just transporting in. He joined them.

All crews: 10 minutes to operation 'Death from above'. 10 minutes. Prepare yourselves.

Borlan's heavy voice boomed over the gigantic fighter bay. Frederic, Jennifer and Harris were completing the checklist on the Daedalus III. The other fighter crews were doing the same on their fighters.

Finally, it was time. All crews: this is Admiral Smith. I have assumed total control over the operation. We are leaving now. The command center will follow in 15 minutes, with 25000 fighters as backup. Prepare for quantum displacement. Defcon 5. Be ready to be called into action.

The shudder of the massive ship entering quantum displacement was felt.

"This is it, people. The Ketari have messed with the wrong race," Frederic said to his two-person crew.

After maybe 5 minutes, another shudder was felt.

No resistance has been encountered. We are transporting ground troops to first Ketari outpost.

"Good. I've ordered Daphnix to transport us down as well," Frederic said to Jennifer. His words weren't cold yet, or they found themselves amidst 15000 ground forces, standing by to raid the scientific installation found on the barren piece of rock the Ketari called 'outpost'. Of those 15,000 people, 500 were elite warriors, called the Black Cats. The role of those soldiers is similar to the SEALs, or the Marines in the U.S. Military: they were the most heavily trained troops available, the best in combat, tactics, surveillance, and so on.

"Ok, people. Battle order. Follow me," Frederic ordered, leading his troops inside.

"This place is deserted," one man commented.

"It seems so. Wait! I hear something," Frederic said, motioning his soldiers to take covering positions, as he gently opened a door. "Oh, my God!" Frederic muttered. The scene came right out of hell. Human bodies were chained to a wall, carved up on tables, or visibly tortured.

Frederic gently walked inside, scanning for survivors. There must be, because this is where the gentle moaning came from. He finally found a man, chained to an examination table, still opened up, with flies and maggots feeding of the man's insides.

"Thank…you," The man muttered. "For coming. Have mercy."  It was all he managed as his head fell sideways.

"I will, good man. I apologize for not being able to come sooner," Frederic raised his hands, but soon found out that the man could not be helped. Frederic raised his Sword, and planted it right in the man's beating heart. A smile came on the man's lips as he finally felt the pain ebb away.

"May they all rot in HELL!" Frederic shouted. He turned around, and saw the same murderous look in his men's eyes. "If you see a Ketari, kill it. No mercy is to be given," Frederic thundered over his army.

"Sir, I think I speak for everyone here if I say that those things don't deserve mercy. We will kill them all, to the death if necessary." A young man who had stepped forward had said this. Frederic heard the approving grunts of his other soldiers. A grin appeared on Frederic's lips. It was a grin of murder, one that even impressed the most seasoned soldiers that had been recruited into the mental forces. Even the Black Cats, trained to be lethal, were impressed.

"Daphnix, get us out of here. Set course for the next outpost you can find," Frederic's voice croaked as he called for transport. He looked one last time to the bodies. They'd be back later to give them a decent burial.

Daphnix, hearing the weariness in Frederic's voice, asked: "What happened?"

"We found no Ketari. They did leave about 50 human beings, 49 of them were tortured to death, and the last man was beyond help. I gave him mercy with my Sword. It was horrible. Those things will die!" Frederic said, while his crews were being transported back towards the ship.

Frederic downloaded his memories of the torture chamber into the main computer. It displayed to the rest of the crews and ships in the fleet. Every one of the men and women in the 'Death from above' operation saw the horrible things that had been done there. In everyone, these images created the same emotion: pure hate. Every one of the soldiers and crew of the fleet only saw one option: kill them all, without exception. The Ketari had known no mercy, now they wouldn't show the Ketari mercy. All the humans sank to one knee as they each made their own vows, and swore their own oaths.

"Set the most effective course alongside all the outpost locations we've uncovered from the Ketari fighters, and from the computer systems of the slaughterhouse we've just left behind," Frederic commanded, his emotional block sinking in place automatically.

"Yes, sir. Course calculated and set. We're ready to kill some butchers," Jennifer said from her station.

"Engage. 15000 lightspeeds. Order the command center to follow as close as possible. Their FTL drive won't be able to go beyond 10000, so they'll take up drag positions automatically," Frederic ordered. The massive vessels blasted into quantum displacement.

The next three outposts only indicated Ketari life-signs. Frederic, Jennifer, and the same 15000 elite troops as before raided them with ease. No Ketari survived. They encountered absolutely no resistance of ships whatsoever. Raiding the outposts was like taking candy from a baby. No one in the fleet gave a damn. The Ketari would die, every last one of them.

Then, they encountered their first resistance. 25 carriers, 30 battleships, and a few dozen in-between ships attacked the main assault force.

"Leave now, and we will spare you," The Ketari of the lead ship promised the ESMF assault fleet. None of them cared for the option, so Frederic told them to get lost.

"The 25 carriers are launching 250 fighters. Each. There is a total of 6250 enemy fighters closing in fast," Daphnix reported. The 15000 fighters of the main assault force outnumbered the defenders more than 2 to one, and tore into them with a never before seen bravado. The three battlecarriers engaged the battleships and the 'cruisers' as Frederic had named the unidentified smaller defensive forces.

The Ortega engaged the smaller vessels by itself, firing phasers, torpedoes and quantum pellets in all directions. Ship after ship blew up, doing not much more than denting the shields of the massive battlecarrier. The battlecarriers, strong as they were in mark I, were positively lethal now that the quantum pellet guns had been implemented on the Mark II.

The Yamato and the Endeavor had brotherly split the Ketari battleships between themselves. Each would take 15. The Ketari carriers were unarmed, as usual, and remained at the side.

Both the Yamato and the Endeavor took care of the battleships in less than 20 minutes. The Ortega, having finished early, helped the fighters taking care of the enemy. The command center, having joined the fun with her 25000 support fighters and her weaponry, took care of the carriers. The Ketari suffered a total defeat at the hands of the superior numbered, trained and motivated humans. The fleet resumed its course for the next outpost. Again, only minimal resistance was given, and the ESMF quickly disposed of the Ketari.

After destroying 2 more outposts, they reached Ketaria, a planet about the size of earth, but lit by two suns, one yellow like ours, and one deep crimson red, giving the spectacle a ghostly image.

"All hands, this is Phalanx Fromthefield. We are at Ketaria. We will beam down the complete assault army, since we have detected more than one million heavily armed Ketari warriors on the surface. Good luck and good hunting," Frederic's voice thundered over the fleet. Everywhere, cheers went up.

Frederic looked at his amassed commanders. 750,000 men was no piece of cake to control, so Frederic had created 75 commanders, who commanded more men on their turn, and so on. He gave them one order:

"If it is green, looks like a lizard, walks on two legs and lives, kill it. Good luck men and women!" Frederic shouted. He and Jennifer activated the Phalanx warrior armor, and Jennifer made herself invisible with her sword of invisibility. Frederic felt the strength of the amulets and charms protecting him, as it teamed up with the warrior armor, carrying a small truckload of protection itself. They started cutting down Ketari who now began their assault on the ESMF.

Frederic saw his companions fall due to Ketari 'tanks' and 'airplanes'. He quickly pressed his communicator.

"Daphnix, code black! Get the complete fighter force down here. Draft them all! The bastards use tanks and planes against us! They have mental resistant hulls, making it impossible for us to use our weapons! We need technology!" he called up.

Daphnix rose from the command chair. muttering 'damn!' under his breath. The bridge crew on the Ortega looked at him, to see what he was going to do.

"All fighter crews! Code black! We need to give air cover to our friends below! Everyone to your fighters! I will personally lead you," he said, running to the lift, disappearing into the bowels of the battlecarrier.

As Daphnix left the fighter bay, he saw the rest of the fighters waiting for him. Cheers come over the comm-link as he took leading positions.

"Ok, people! Let's give our guys some cover!" Daphnix shouted over the cheers, opening the throttle all the way up. The massive fighter force raced at near-light speed towards the planet of Ketaria.

Frederic and his man had dug themselves in, covering from the never-ending attack of the tanks and aircraft. They began noticing the constant bombarding became less intensive, and they also noticed that the fire was being directed someplace else.

Frederic looked up, and he saw the skies being clouded with fighters.

"We've gotten help! NOW's the time! CHARGE!" he yelled. The ESMF army uttered a piercing war cry and charged forward, directly behind Frederic and the ever-invisible Jennifer.

The Ketari were in utter panic as they were attacked from above and from the ground, their airplanes and tanks were no match for the superior space-fighter technology of the ESMF.

Being led by Daphnix, who was looking on from his high vantage point, the ESMF drove back the now regrouped Ketari. Frederic noted to his satisfaction that the humans repaired the damage to their bodies faster than the Ketari could inflict damage to them. Ketari after Ketari fell to the superior fighting skills of the humans. After three-quarters of the Ketari forces were decimated, Frederic looked around. He was here to kill a certain person, and he wouldn't leave until he had.

<<There he is. Ureeat Gretor. The 'great leader'.>> Frederic transmitted across the battlefield. He had found the bastard, hiding away in the castle that was his headquarters. The ESMF, immediately taking on what their leader meant, began fighting even more ferociously, clearing a path towards the castle.

After five minutes, Frederic approached the castle.

"Ureeat Gretor! I am Phalanx Fromthefield of the human race! Your forces have lost, your fleets destroyed and your colonies burnt to the ground. Come here and fight, or I'll come in and destroy your sorry ass before you even realize it!" Frederic shouted.

The large doors opened, and there he strode out: the Ureeat Gretor, the one the Ketari called the great leader. Frederic approached him. He cut the link to Jennifer, after saying: 'it's him or me. It'll be him.'

Frederic noticed that the fighting had stopped. Everyone, human and Ketari alike, looked on as Frederic and Ureeat Gretor pulled their swords, getting ready to fight.

"Sword of the Phalanx, grant me the power! Grant me the strength of the mighty phoenix and the wisdom of the dragon!" Frederic transformed into the white armor, which immediately turned bright red, with two flame wings on his back. For the second time in his life, he felt his knowledge and intelligence deepen as the dragon wisdom entered him.

The Ureeat Gretor uttered some words in the Ketari native language, and he too, transformed into bright white phalanx armor. The second level transformation didn't come.

Frederic charged, his feet lifting off the ground as his wings propelled him forward. Ureeat blocked, and tried to strike back, but Frederic had already changed positions, and was now charging from behind. Again, Ureeat managed to block, but for the second time he was too slow to return the attack.

Ureeat then launched a fireball at Frederic, who easily danced out of the way. The fireball, tracking him, followed. The flames engulfed Frederic, who came out of the inferno unharmed. He crossed his arms.

"Alright Ureeat! You want war? You'll get war." Frederic started shouting, in a language only Jennifer and Daphnix understood: ancient Oech-anya!

"Oh no! That guy's toast!" Daphnix muttered in his fighter. On Jennifer's lips, a smile appeared. Combat transformation of the Oech-anya, she thought. That guy doesn't stand a chance. He pissed of the wrong guy.

Frederic's hand traveled to his chest as he continued chanting. The Ureeat Gretor looked less and less sure of himself as the mysterious chant continued. During the chanting, it became dark. Everyone looked up. What happened to those two…'. They never got further. The twin suns eclipsed at the same time. The battlefield was clouded in an eerie darkness as Frederic's hand reached the middle of his chest. The Oech-anya necklace appeared in it. It was bright red. The moment his hand closed around it, everyone could see Frederic's eyes burning in the same ghostly red light through the black patches of eye-armor. The Ureeat Gretor made a face of pure fear, and he quietly walked backwards during the final phase of the invocation.

Frederic voice took seemed to take substance as it rolled over the amassed human and Ketari forces. "You have disgraced the name Phalanx. You have destroyed countless civilizations, and slaughtered billions of sentient beings. The punishment is death." Ureeat Gretor tried in vain to escape.

Frederic raised his arms. A massive discharge of burning red energy leaped from the space between his outstretched arms and engulfed the dark Phalanx, who cried out in pure agony.

He slowly got up, carefully steadying himself. He threw ball after ball of fire at the enemy before him. None of the projectiles exploded. Frederic literally absorbed the power before the dark Phalanx could detonate them. Energy leapt from Frederic's fingers, and stripped the dark phalanx of his armor.

"Now you die, dark one. Your time of terror has ended," Frederic said, his voice rolling over the battlefield. His arms stretched out towards the heavens, and the clouds of thunder covered the double eclipse. The skies split open, and only Frederic, Jennifer and Daphnix knew what this was:

"Second level powers," both Jennifer and Daphnix muttered at the same time. "Damn! Phalanx first and second level transformation, Oech-anya combat transformation, and now second level God power?"

A bright white beam of energy slashed down, and hit Frederic, who outstretched his arms, and blew the evil phalanx to smithereens. He let out a cry, dark as hell, at the moment of his demise. Immediately, the remaining Ketari forces made a run for it. Frederic lifted the transformations.

"Linda, get us home," he ordered the computer, while Daphnix and his fighter force went into pursuit of the Ketari.

It took ten minutes to beam up the entire army. Frederic sunk down in his command chair. "Daphnix, break off pursuit. Let them go," he ordered in the communication link.

"No way! I'm having too much fun!" he said back.

"Get back here! We're going to fry to planet from orbit. Linda has detected that about 1500 humans were on the surface, but the bastards killed them the moment the dark phalanx was defeated. We're going to teach those bastards the final lesson of their pitiful lives!"

"Yes, sir!" Daphnix snapped. Not more than 5 minutes later, all the fighters returned to the fleet.

"Jen, fry the bastards," Frederic ordered. The quantum pellet guns of the three battlecarriers and the command center were brought into life, and a few dozen beams of quantum pellets plunged into the planet, drilled through to the core, destabilizing it.

"Core has been destabilized. Planetary destruction in 5 seconds. 3…2…1…" she counted. The planet spat apart, like a balloon being stabbed by a needle.

"Life signs?"

"None. Good god, it's over. We've won," she said.

"Yes," he pressed a button, and transmitted over the general FTL radio: "This is Phalanx Fromthefield of the human race. We have destroyed the Ketari forces. The evil phalanx is dead, and not one Ketari has survived," the crews burst out in cheers and arrangements were being made for parties.

Frederic cut the link. The bridge crew was ecstatic. He looked at his two friends, and saw that they felt just like he did.

We've defeated our nemesis. We're no longer needed. What shall we do now?