Starset #vessels Novels & Stories

War Above Saturn POV: Aidan The star map expands across the chamber like a living thing. Lines of motion redraw themselves again and again as the Custodian recalculates trajectories. The coalition vessel is no longer drifting peacefully toward Earth. It is accelerating. Its enormous organic body curves gracefully through the darkness beyond Jupiter, angling toward Saturn’s orbit. And the second scout is rushing directly to meet it. Matteo stares at the projection. “So they are fighting.” The Custodian answers calmly.

Every word cut deep. Celine leaned back against the couch with her eyes closed, saying nothing. Zane's smartwatch buzzed. His face lit up as he scooped up an armful of supplies and dumped them in front of Celine. "The teacher assigned this craft project. You finish gluing it. I'm going to find Dad!" he barked out the order and took off running. Celine opened her eyes and looked down at the mess. A bead mosaic kit. The project itself wasn't particularly large, but the beads were microscopic.

The departure from the Silver Heart was not the triumphant parade the bards would later describe. It was a somber, calculated exodus. Three massive vessels, their hulls reinforced with the shimmering, black-and-gold Eclipse-Glass, sat low in the water of the bay. They didn't look like ships of wood and iron; they looked like shards of the night sky fashioned into weapons. I stood on the prow of the flagship, the Obsidian Wing. Behind me, the city I had built was a silhouette of silver and green against the morning mist. I felt a pang of grief, wondering if I would ever see the gardens of the Ravine again.

Nevan said. "What are you thinking?" I asked. "The Syndicate ships... they all have 'Distortion-Drives,' right?" Nevan asked, looking at Vala, who was currently appearing on the holographic comms from her own carrier. "Yes," Vala replied. "Standard-issue for hiding in the nebulas. But they won't hold up against a Harvester’s sensor array for more than a few seconds."

Three immense Star Siege Barges — flying monoliths forged from celestial metal and glowing basalt, each over five hundred yards long — drifted silently through the low clouds, casting cones of violet light down upon the imperial capital’s walls. At the flagship’s prow, a female figure draped in veils of pure silver and crowned with meteorite held a staff of prismatic light aimed straight at the royal tower — while a cosmic war horn, whose echo froze water in the moats, announced the final siege of the Alpha’s nest.

The sight of the "Great Hunger’s" main fleet was not a collection of ships, but a literal darkening of the stars. They moved in a jagged, crystalline formation, their hulls composed of the same light-eating obsidian that had plagued the Moon. Against the backdrop of the deep void, they looked like shards of a broken mirror reflecting a world that no longer existed.

He knew in an instant that it was Travis's ship. A three mass ship with dark sails. It was the complete opposite of The Morning Star. It was dark. Even the wood the ship was made out of was darker. It's dark sails had a white crescent moon with a small silver star that dangled off the end of the moon. It looked haunting as it sailed towards the open ocean. Ghostly against the dark sky. Gavin's throat felt like it was closing as he watched it.

PRIMARY VESSEL: KAEL DRAVEN. My heart stopped. And beneath it, in letters that seemed to bleed across the stone, appeared the final sentence: REUNIFICATION WILL BEGIN IN THREE MINUTES.

Tristan and Saoirse entered. The conversation stopped. Tristan walked to the head of the table. He wore a new coat—black leather reinforced with Aether-resistant lining, designed by Helena to dampen his emissions. He looked like a general. A very dangerous, very unstable general. "Report," Tristan said. "The fleet is fueled," Thorne said. "We have fifty ships combat-ready. Another twenty support vessels." "The Sovereign’s main cannon is online," Vane added. "Though we only have enough charge for three shots. After that, we’re throwing rocks."

A wicked laugh follows her declaration. A deep growl rumbles from Kaelan’s throat as he listens. His eyes glow even brighter, and acidic saliva begins to drip from his mouth. His aura expands, and he assumes an attack stance. He lunges at her once more, but Eisheth manages to open the locket. As she scatters a small amount of celestial breath around her, she confuses the beast—but not before a significant portion of Kaelan’s saliva burns through her forearm, down to the bone.