//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Creature of the Deep // Story: The New Lunar Republic: Leviathan // by RedWinter //------------------------------// Creature of the Deep The Imperial ensign approached the golden command throne and the pegasus, clad in polished sapphire blue armor that sat upon it. The colt’s eyes fearfully darted to the lightning bolt symbol emblazoned across the shoulders and the mantle of rich, golden cloth. “Sir, our remote sensors report that the Republic Assault Cruiser we were pursuing has departed towards the galactic east. Towards the…” He gulped. “Signal the Righteous Blade.” The Wonderbolt rumbled. “Sir, are you sure? So soon…” Whatever else the ensign might have said perished as the armored visor turned in his direction. “Aye sir, at once.” *** “Sensors clean, no hostiles detected near jump point. Slight interference on gravimetric, resolving now. Accurate resolution limited to fifteen AU.” “Stay sharp, we’re here to find something and I’d rather us find it before it finds us.” Ordered Winter Reverie as his ship once more transitioned back into normal space. ‘You don’t think it could be dangerous?’ Signed Crystal. “This whole system makes me nervous. I’d rather be safe than sorry.” The other sailors aboard the Vengeful Omen were nervous as well, and the tension was almost palpable on the bridge. There was a reason the XK4-7 stellar system was uninhabited. It played host to a class five cataclysmic variable. It was a unique, naturally occurring relationship between two component stars which were so close to each other that the gravity of the one distorted the other, forming an accretion disk of hydrogen. Huge outbursts of radiation and solar wind occurred when a portion of the disk material fell onto the inner star, igniting nuclear fusion reactions which rapidly converted the layer of hydrogen to helium. The light output of the stars rose and fell as they went in and out of active states caused by the gravity ballet. The Vengeful Omen’s Void shields were more than enough protection, but sailors tended to be superstitious about anything that wasn’t a normal star. As if that wasn’t enough, the system was within only a few light years from a cluster of pulsar stars in the process of coming together into a black hole, throwing off massive electromagnetic interference in waves. There were only three planets, little more than barren hunks of rock, stripped of anything resembling an atmosphere by the cataclysmic variable. What XK4-7 lacked in colonizing allure, it made up for in incredibly rare minerals formed from its unique environment. It would be quite a while though before pony space expanded enough to make mining lucrative. Several decades at least. As it stood the system was much too far from any trade route. It simply wasn’t cost effective to range this far from settled space. “Uh, Commander, I’ve got an incoming message from an unknown source.” “Where in Luna’s name is it coming from? We’re the only ones here aren’t we?” Now Winter Reverie felt his hide crawling a bit. “Unknown sir, it reads at range five thousand to our starward, seven thousand above us, and eighteen thousand about ten degrees down.” With a gut full of trepidation, Winter accepted the link. Instead of some ghoulish half message or static, he was greeted with the visage of a plum colored unicorn mare with glasses and a white coat. “Ah, Commander Reverie, right on time. I’m glad you made it here safely. My name is Abacus. Welcome to XK4-7.” Well, this was definitely the scientist Princess Luna had sent Winter to meet with. “Yes, thank you. Why are we here? And where are you transmitting from?” His tone was a little edgy, but he felt justified in this situation. Abacus only smiled wryly behind her glasses. “Princess Luna has chosen you of course. And here, I’ll disable my ship’s cloaking field.” “Sir! Ship signature detected ranging thirty-two degrees to port. Confirm stealth frigate.” “By the living stars.” He had heard stories about the secret ships piloted by the clandestine operations units of the Shadowbolts, but had never seen one for himself. They were sleek, dart-like craft, every meter of them crammed with state of the art covert systems. “Please follow the course plotting I’m sending you. You’ll see why you’re here.” Winter Reverie nodded to Crystal Flourish to execute the path set through the system. It took them on a slightly curved but fairly direct route to the second planet. In the intervening time, his ship gliding on its plasma tail, Winter contemplated the words of his princess. She had told him to take his ship to this strange, isolated star system and await a pony scientist by the name of Abacus. He had done so without question, knowing that surely she had her reasons. The intervening time had allowed doubt to creep into his thoughts. He watched his ship’s progress on a system map as it coasted deeper into the cataclysmic variable’s gravity well. “What is that?” Asked Winter Reverie to no pony in particular. He called up Abacus. “In Luna’s name, what in the hells am I looking at?” “That, Commander, is what we call The Cradle.” Nestled in orbit around the second planet, hidden away from normal sensors by the various forces colliding in the star system, was a superstructure of titanic proportions. It was a framework, a great metal scaffolding similar to the shipyards of the Republic, but infinitely larger. Winter Reverie tried to understand the monumental amount of labor that went into constructing something so large it was nearly visible to the naked eye even at their current distance. His awe at The Cradle lasted until he saw the thing to which it was attached. “And that is the Leviathan.” “It must be over twelve kilometers at least!” Winter gasped. It was shaped in the method of all Republic ships, long and sleek, their streamlined hulls giving them the impression of deadly oceanic creatures. The Leviathan was aptly named. “Fourteen point five two to be precise,” said Abacus. Republic dreadnoughts were only three and a half kilometers. “Please dock with The Cradle. We’ll talk more face to face.” Reverie could only nod. The rest of his crew was in equal shock. Not only had such a ship been constructed, it had been done in utter secrecy. The only one who seemed to have known about it was Princess Luna herself. His thoughts tried to wrap around the scale of the vessel, and failed. *** Winter Reverie stood on the observation deck above the main control room for The Cradle, gazing out at the many construction arms that were even now busily scurrying across the shimmering violet surface of the Leviathan. He had been surprised to find only the barest handful of crew aboard directing the efforts of the construction drones. The Cradle was nearly entirely automated, its thousands of scarab-like robotic units working tirelessly and long industrial arms that trailed off like a sea anemone, constantly flowing. The soldier, clad in his power armor, turned at the sound of hoofsteps. With her soft blue mane tucked back, Abacus walked to stand beside Winter in gazing out at the Leviathan. He noticed the half dozen or so tiny metal spiders scurrying about her hooves. One even jumped out of her coat pockets to hurry off to some task or another. The mare paid them no mind. “Magnificent, isn’t it. Twenty years of work have gone into this ship, Commander. You have no idea how many new technologies had to be found before we could even begin construction. Princess Luna had it built after the first attack was stalled.” The purple unicorn had to look up, Winter being considerably taller. “I’m sure you have questions, Commander. I’m the lead on this project and am happy to help you in any way I can.” “Why am I here?” He demanded. “You and your crew have been selected to help pilot the Leviathan and guide it to where the rest of its personal are waiting in the Var system. From there we shall launch an attack that will end the war. That is what this ship has been built for.” Winter felt his head starting to pulse from taking in so much at once. “Okay, how is it supposed to do that? No disrespect doctor, it is a fine… looking ship, but fusion drives can’t possibly output enough energy to move that thing faster than a crawl. It’s unfeasible in the extreme.” “I’m glad you’re so familiar with physics, Commander, many in your position only know enough to get by. Although, I should expect no less from one who has the expertise to wear power armor.” She gazed at him curiously, like he was a specimen under a microscope. Winter suppressed the urge to fidget under her unblinking gaze and almost jumped back in surprise when one of Abacus’s mechanical spiders popped out of her mane and skittered up onto her horn to also look at him with its own tiny eyes. “Oh my, is that a mark twelve you’re wearing?” She grabbed the tiny bug-bot in her telekinesis and placed it on Winter’s back. He canted nervously around. “Oh don’t fuss, he won’t hurt you.” Somehow the Commander wasn’t at all reassured as the mechanical thing scurried around his torso and down his front leg, narrowly avoiding his vengeful hoof stomp. It scuttled over to its fellows and spoke in a tiny chitter of machine code. Together they projected a holographic display for Abacus’s perusal. She let out a little squeal of delight. “It is, it is! However did you come by such a marvelous piece of technology? I’ve only read about the mark twelve series! It was said to enhance and channel magical energy, but then after only a few dozen runs, the blueprint went missing and the creator followed shortly after. Standard artificial fiber bundle muscles, assisted servo actuators in the joints, slightly thicker plating around the chest, back, and legs for slightly decreased mobility. Extensive plating around head and horn area for added protection and of course, the sub-layering of liquid conductive crystal, a magically sensitive material that is thought to help channel and direct energy. Woven of course into nano-fibers that forms the mesh around the whole body.” “Excuse me, back to my earlier question…” “And extensive…” She looked up at him. “Reconstructive surgery of the right lung, multiple ribs, the entire right leg and most of the left.” The scientist had a look of pity in her eyes, and Winter Reverie would not be pitied, nor one whose privacy was to be invaded. “Miss. Will that damn thing even fly?” His voice carried a frosty note that chilled to the bone. “Right… propulsion… the Leviathan does not use a fusion core.” “Then what does it use?” “Anti-matter, of course. Locked in continuous creation-destruction cycle we harness the output energy from the anti-matter’s…” “Interaction with regular matter. Yes, I know how anti-matter works too. What a shock, a grunt that can think.” “I meant no disrespect, Commander.” Winter Reverie’s patience was at its limit. “If I do not understand something I will ask for it to be explained. Am I clear Miss Abacus?” The mare lowered her sight and nodded, even her spiders cowering behind her hooves. “So you use anti-matter instead of fusion. What’s its mass to thrust ratio?” “The Leviathan’s tonnage is around two billion kilograms. With engines at full output she can comfortably match speeds with any dreadnought in the fleet. In theory, more power can be coaxed from them based on what field testing we’ve managed to do.” Her voice slowly perked up again as she talked of things dear to her. “Before you go any further, tell me how you paid for all this. How much good could all this funding have done the fleet? You could have built six dreadnoughts with the resources you’ve poured into this little project. Whose coffers did you extort this from?” He accused scornfully. “What? No! Nothing of the sort. Princess Luna herself has provided every bit. After a thousand years exiled you’d have quite a lot of money put away too.” That stopped Winter’s rant for a moment, but it did not quell his anger. “Summarize the modifications you’ve made then please. Is this ship anything other than an overstuffed dreadnought?” Abacus shot him a dirty look but subsided with a sigh. “It’s not just a big dreadnought. It’s a revolution from the ground up, so to speak. Everything about this ship is like nothing you’ve ever seen. Like I said, we’ve had to find new technologies just to start building the Leviathan. Do you know how inadequate mining techniques were before I found a new way of processing the ore? Or before I created the Republic’s latest mining barge? But even that wasn’t enough because I had to construct this ship in secret. “This system was chosen because of its remoteness and rich asteroid belts. Nearly everything about this place is autonomous, requiring minimal pony direction. My building techniques increased every Republic shipyard’s output by eighty-fiver percent! Hmph. “Did you know the ancient griffin war smiths developed a metal that actually healed? A living metal as it were? I found the secret and have blended the living metal composite with magnoceramics, kinetic resonators, and adamantite! To a limited degree, the Leviathan will regenerate its wounds.” Abacus grew more passionate as she spoke. The mare had clearly been lacking in intellectual stimulation in her isolation. “The entire hull has an ablative coating. A percentage of all energy from magically directed weapons will reflect harmlessly from the coating. It also has stealth paneling like my frigate, impairing enemy systems from getting a solid lock. “The anti-matter doesn’t just have propulsion applications, but weapon applications too. We’ve improved upon the Hell Lance design by adding in meson particles. Increased range and of course destructive reaction with regular matter. You’ll find they recharge faster too. Her shields are backed by massive sinks of quantum capacitors, effectively doubling her Void capability on top of the huge number of circuit slots available.” It had long been the dream of many Republic sailors to harness the power of such destructive forces towards the annihilation of the Imperial fleets, but the fusion cores simply didn’t generate enough magical current to power them. “Scanners, sensor suites, the entire fire control system has been revised from the core programming up. A fighter bay with full production capacity. It has mining capability of its own to manufacture and replenish expendable munitions. Torpedoes can easily be fitted with anti-matter warheads, again increasing their effective range and explosive payload. Its defensive grid of point turrets is powerful enough that no biological life form can pilot through it. “And don’t get me started on the new invasion gunboats! Those are masterpieces of planetary conquest, each capable of delivering and supporting two hundred and fifty infantry plus vehicles. The battle rider technology that allows Hunter-Killers their effectiveness? Well, I’ve increased that. There are six completed battleship sized ships that act like super-sized HuKs, increasing their power almost ten-fold with anti-matter cores of their own.” Winter Reverie looked out at the ship shaped barnacles attached to the underbelly of the Leviathan with new understanding. “You will find no better ship has ever sailed these stars.” Abacus proclaimed vehemently. “All that pales in comparison to the ship’s real secret. The one makes this the war winner it is. The Leviathan has a normal jump drive, oh yes, but it also has another drive. It has what I call, a Leyline drive.” “Leylines, as in the invisible threads of energy that bind the universe together?” Winter said skeptically. “It functions in similar principle to a normal jump drive, allowing a ship to breach the barrier of realspace and sail along the pathways that form between the gravity wells of stars. I’m talking about something much larger than that, something that spans gaps many stars wide. The Diamond Dogs have their Rip drives that create artificial pathways, or the griffins with their Flock drives. This is the fastest interstellar drive to date. “I discovered it myself.” She waggled her flank, smugly displaying the supernova cutie mark she had, representing energies of the stars. “The Leviathan is going to be the first warship to ever use a Leyline drive.” “Is it safe?” He queried, the thought of sailing along strange energy fields not too appealing. “Of course it’s safe. It just takes special isotopes that are rather hard to come by for fuel. We’re going to jump straight from here to Var. Then from there, to the Equestrian star system. This ship will conquer the defenses there and take Empress Celestia hostage before any reinforcements can come. The war will be over.” Whatever fickle powers ruled the greater part of the universe could not let such words go unanswered and the klaxons aboard The Cradle began to wail. “Wh-what’s going on?!” Abacus cried. “Crystal, status?” The Commander demanded across his comm link. Only three words answered him: ‘They are here.’ “Abacus, the Solar Empire is here, is the Leviathan ready to go? Will she sail?” The bespectacled mare stuttered and mumbled incoherently. Winter shook her shoulders vigorously. “Yes! Yes, but, it’ll take time to get it uncoupled from The Cradle, and your crew hasn’t been fully trained on how to pilot it. There’s the engine firing, the weapons diagnostics, loading the supplies we have, and the Leyline drive can’t be activated so close to a major gravity well.” "It’s either now or never. At this moment it’s floating scrap metal unless we get it unmoored and away from here.” “No, there’s still so much to do! It’ll take hours to get everything ready for departure!” “Do what you have to, Abacus.” The mare nodded and hurriedly departed. The Commander followed after her slowly, tapping into his communication channels. “Rosethorn, give me facts. I need details. How much time do we have, and what kind of forces are we looking at?” The voice of his second had a twinge of worry. That alone was enough to hint that their circumstances were dire. “Sensors only picked them up recently due to the variable. Damn radiation interference. They’re really coming at us full tilt. They’ll be on us in less than an hour if their engines don’t explode first. Which I somehow doubt. We’re looking at two Imperial dreadnoughts, eighteen battleships, twenty battle cruisers, thirty cruisers, and fifty destroyers. They clearly knew what they were coming to destroy. How’s the behemoth thing coming along? Will we be able to save it?” “Unknown as of yet. We were sent here to be a skeleton crew and use a new kind of interstellar drive to go straight to the Var system. The Leviathan is currently docked with the giant framework called The Cradle. So far there appears to be no real military personnel or serious defenses around. They’ve been relying on utter secrecy to keep them safe. There is no victory against a force of this size with nothing but a dry-docked hunk of metal and one Assault Cruiser.” “It is a damn big ship. You sure we can’t use it?” “Right now, it’s a nice idea, but the idea of food never filled anypony’s belly. Get over to the Leviathan, get it sorted. As much as I hate to say it, we were sent here to make sure that ship flies, and I’ll be damned if I see it destroyed before it brings the fight to the Imperials. Make sure all the civies are aboard and then use the battlerider clamps to attach the Omen.” “Aye sir. There’re about a thousand of them, and they need to get moving now.” “I’ll see what I can do about lighting a fire under their hooves.” Winter Reverie trotted down to the command level of The Cradle where the scene was absolute chaos. Ponies were running to and fro in panic. Some were hastily retrieving and deleting data files while others were scrambling to enact the emergency decoupling protocols of the Leviathan. Others still were simply going about in blind uncertainty. Abacus was in the center of all of it, desperately trying to direct the efforts of the many scientists and engineers towards preservation of their work. Winter Reverie upped the volume of his external speakers and his voice broke through the mad swirl of activity. “Fillies and gentlecolts if I may have your attention.” Everypony halted to stare at the power armored figure. They all stood, frozen in whatever activity they had been in the middle of. “As some or all of you may be aware, there is an Imperial flotilla of great size and strength bearing down on us even now. This position is untenable and we must evacuate immediately. Please, take only what is essential and make your way to the Leviathan. Make ready the ship for undocking. We have to leave now, or we will all perish. “I ask you this now in the name of Luna. Be swift in your duties.” A few of the more senior members of the Leviathan construction crew began shepherding their fellows towards the doors and the docking tubes to the massive ship. Winter helped in the effort until only he and Abacus remained, the latter furiously tacking away at a computer console, the reflection of twenty years’ worth of accumulated data reflected in her glasses. Her spiders were likewise occupied with data ports. “Miss Abacus-“ “Doctor Abacus, thank you.” She corrected him sharply. “Doctor Abacus, it’s time to go.” “This work may mean nothing to you other than a pretty new toy of war, Commander Reverie, but to me and my ponies it represents more than half a lifetime of work. Something not so easily thrown away, even in the face of death. Even if we managed to get the Leviathan away from The Cradle in time, I’ve been working on a way to get the Leyline drive to function regardless of the gravity well of the planet and the stars we’re orbiting.” “What data you can’t retrieve must be deleted.” She didn’t even bother with a disdainful glance. “Of course, I know that. There are shaped electromagnetic charges set in all of our server stacks set to detonate in about fifteen minutes.” Although he would not admit it, Winter was quietly impressed. Though as a soldier, he could only look down upon her courage, he could not fault her devotion to the task set to her. The first ranging torpedoes impacted The Cradle’s superstructure. Shuddering vibrations and sound travelled along the skeletal metal struts. “Then we’d best away.” Abacus tapped a few final keys and stepped away from the console with a sigh, her mechanical arachnids obediently attending their mistress. More explosions rocked The Cradle as the Imperial ships drew closer, the tide of their hate threatening to wash them away like a flood. Winter urged the mare into a gallop as they raced across the boarding tube that suddenly seemed a little too long. As they ran, quickly catching up to the last of the evacuating noncombatants as they all tried to funnel through the narrow opening, a torpedo struck the tube. The explosion severed the umbilical between The Cradle and the Leviathan as a doctor would for a newborn. Winter Reverie saw the air begin to rush out of the ragged end even as the artificial gravity failed. It was the dread of all sailors, of sudden decompression. As a veteran of void war, the Commander was well familiar with its horrors. While he was protected by his armor, the knot of civilians trapped in the passage as the emergency hatch slammed shut, were open to the vacuum. Winter had less than a second to take in all the horrified faces of the ponies before him. Abacus was closest, and his reflexes were honed enough that even before all the remaining air was sucked out, he latched onto her with his front hooves and teleported past the sealed bulkhead. In a flash of magic he disappeared… …and reappeared just inside the Leviathan. Abacus gasped for breath, fearfully holding her hooves to her throat as her mind tried to reconcile the change from life to death and back to life again. Her lungs burned at the force being unwillingly emptied by the depressurization. The mechanical spiders clung to her mane like broaches, narrowly avoiding the vacuum themselves. The soldier gently set her against the bulkhead door and checked the traumatized mare for any other injury. The purple filly rose shakily to her hooves and beat them against the door that had sealed the fate of many. “By the living stars, all those ponies. I knew them. I knew them all, knew their families. What am I going to tell them all?” She sank to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Tears gushed from her eyes as her ducts worked overdrive. “That they’re sacrifice was not in vain. I can’t get the rest to safety without your help Abacus. I need to use that new drive if we’re to get out of here.” She nodded, not trusting her ragged throat at the moment and tried to stand. Her legs were jelly, and refused to work properly. Winter wasted no time and simply slung the other unicorn over his back. With the boosted strength of his armor, she was as light as a feather. By the time they made it to the bridge of the Leviathan, the Imperials had closed in further, their assault increasing. The small elements, the destroyers and the cruisers were already in Hell Lance range, lashing out with impunity. His own bridge crew and power armor team were already at the unfamiliar consoles of the grand Republic ship. Crystal Flourish was there, trying to configure some of the defensive grids of the ship. A large central display showed the Leviathan and its surroundings. However huge it was, an unmoving target in space was one that could be struck by the mightiest of blows. Even in the midst of the unfamiliar environment, one of his watch-standers called out like they were still aboard the Vengeful Omen, now attached to one of the Leviathan’s many unused battle rider clamps. “Commander, incoming transmission from the leading Imperial ship.” Reverie gave Abacus to Viola and seated himself in the command throne. The bridge of the Leviathan was proportionately larger than his Assault Cruiser and only a fraction of the consoles were filled. Before he accepted the transmission he gave out orders to his team. “Rosethorn, weapons, Acrylic, help her. Viola, try to get our good doctor back on her hooves.” Viola was in fact, a trained medic. Some pony on their squad had to be. “Circuit, I want Voids ten minutes ago. Nightingale, get our engines running. Whatever it takes.” He seamlessly shifted into a relaxed pose and accepted the link. The leader of the Imperial fleet was a much older green unicorn stallion with numerous epaulets and accolades adorning his white and gold naval uniform. He wore the hat of an admiral. “This is Admiral Cavalcade aboard the Righteous Blade. By order of Her Majesty, Empress Celestia, I order all Republic soldiers in this system to disarm and surrender. That ship is now property of the Imperial Navy and shall be destroyed for the abomination it is.” “Greetings Admiral, I am Commander Winter Reverie, aboard this ‘abomination’ and have no intention of disarming or surrendering. Rethink your course of action Admiral Cavalcade, and perhaps some of your ponies will be spared.” Winter knew his bluff had no real chance of succeeding, but maybe it would buy them some time. Cavalcade’s face contorted in rage. “You have no idea the-“ Winter muted him mid tirade. He was sure that whatever the Admiral had to say was very offensive and meant to inflame him, but he had more important things to deal with. “Nightingale, how are we doing on the engine front?” “Reactors are hot, Commander, and the engines are slowly getting up to speed but we’re too attached to that big dry dock thing. There are huge support struts that’re still connected. We need them decoupled somehow. As it stands we’re just dragging the whole damn thing through space.” “Roger that, coax as much power out of them as you can.” He switched to a different channel. More impacts rocked the Leviathan as the cruisers got into Hell Lance range. It wouldn’t be long before the battlecruisers and battleships found solid targets among the interference of the system. Then it would be down to the dreadnoughts and it would be too late to get away. “Rosethorn, Acrylic, a little firepower on our side would be much appreciated.” “We’ve got some working. There’s just so many. Only energy weapons though. None of the hard slugs are loaded and I have no idea how to get the ammo bunkers moving.” Said Rosethorn. “That would be if the ammo bunkers had anything in them,” added Acrylic. “We need everything firing at the connections still coupling the Leviathan to The Cradle. It’s holding us back from escaping and the Imperials’ big guns are closing in quick.” “Aye Commander.” They said in chorus. The pair were quick in their duty and soon a smattering of the Leviathan’s weapons were shooting at the connections still binding the mighty ship to the superstructure. The Cradle blocked the majority of the assault against the Leviathan, guarding the creation it had birthed. As the battleships approached within proper broadside range, the huge vessel finally started pulling away from the zero gravity dock. “Commander,” Circuit board called. “I’ve got Voids online. There’s more power in these things than you would believe! There are enough conduits here to shame a Republic battle station. Active magic routing enhances the power of the shields at the point of impact, virtually eliminating spot failures.” “Good news, Circuit. Keep on it.” Nearby, Abacus was being attended to by the last of Winter’s power armor team. She watched the valiant efforts of the ponies around her. They fought for her ship, not because they believed in the salvation it offered, but because it was their duty. Winter Reverie unmuted the Admiral. “-Or face the wrath of the Empress!” “Yes, yes, that’s all well and good. Unfortunately I will be unable to oblige your request today.” “Insolence! You dare defy the edict of the Empress? Her will is absolute and you will tremble before the power of her navies!” Winter expected more poise from an Imperial so obviously seasoned and stated as much to the fuming Admiral. “Fuck your Empress.” New forces of destructive energy lashed against the Leviathan as the battleships and dreadnoughts began their broadsides. The Commander was about to continue when Abacus reached over and ended the link. “I think I’ve come up with a solution to the drive problem. It’ll use up all our isotope fuel and I’m not entirely sure if we’ll end up where we want too…” “Right now, anything is better than here.” “Collision warning! Dreadnought identified as the Righteous Blade is on a collision course! Impact in thirty seconds!” Cried a pony at a console. Sirens began to wail. Abacus hurried over to another terminal and rapidly put in course correction adjustments and equation variables. The mass of a dreadnought was enough to break through their voids and shatter the spine of the Leviathan. “Ten seconds!” Data flashed in Abacus’s spectacles. “Five!” At the two second mark, Abacus activated the ship’s special drive system. The energy wake from the Leviathan breaching the Leyline annihilated many of the smaller ships that had strayed too close and tore the Righteous Blade in half. >Error! > >Energy flux detected! > >Purging… > >Purging… > >Purging Failed. > >Initiating emergency core dump, brace for immediate subspace exit… > >Energy dump successful. > >Auxiliary output at 7%... > >Reboot… > >Reboot… > >Rebooting failed. > >Beginning at /stage five/ reset… > >Reboot… > >Reboot… > >Calamitous vortex core system destabilization detected… > >Beginning at /stage four/ reset… > >Error! > >Core control command system data corrupted. > >Beginning at /stage three/ reset… > >Compiling system engineering data… > >Error! > >Data unrecoverable. > >Beginning at /stage two/ reset… > >Base level memory control systems diagnostics… > >Error! > >Manual recompilation is required. > >A certified technician had been notified. > >Beginning at /stage one/ reset… > >Core functions impaired, detecting corruption in 95% of data protocols. > >Recompiling source… > >Recompiling control systems… > >Recompiling data protocols and subroutines… > >Beginning memory recovery and corruption resolution… > >Beginning /stage two/ reset upon stage one completion… > >Estimated recovery time until /stage one/ reset is complete: 42 hours… > >41 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds… > >41 hours, 59 minutes, 58 seconds… > >41 hours, 59 minutes, 57 seconds… > >41 hours, 59 minutes, 56 seconds… > >41 hours, 59 minutes, 55 seconds…