Starbreaker: The Movie
Chapter 1
The stars twinkled silently as a small ship traveled through the blackness of space. The ship wasn't particularly impressive, as it was only large enough to accommodate three people. The cockpit had three seats: one for the pilot, one for the navigator, and one for the mission specialist. Behind them were three cramped sleeping compartments, a tiny galley, a storage bay, and all the equipment necessary for landing on an unfamiliar world and retrieving a single prize.
A Dawn Energy cell.
At the center seat sat Ren, an anthro feline with dark charcoal fur and pale markings around his muzzle. His ears constantly twitched toward whatever caught his attention, even when he wasn't consciously listening for it. He was lean rather than muscular, with the sort of build that suggested he had spent more time climbing into engine compartments than working out.
He was also the pilot.
Unfortunately, Ren had developed the deeply unfortunate habit of treating a spaceship like a personal amusement park.
Ren: "Three minutes until the course correction."
From the seat beside him, Darius, an anthro wolf with thick gray fur, looked up from his navigation display.
Darius: "You said that three minutes ago."
Ren: "No, I'm pretty sure I remember something like that."
Darius: "Oh, but you did."
Ren glanced at the clock.
Ren: "Hm."
Darius stared at him. Ren stared back, then grinned.
Ren: "I was testing you."
Darius: "How did you not notice?"
Ren: "No, no. I was testing whether you'd notice."
Darius: "Useless."
Darius laughed, and both men shook their heads with smiles on their faces.
Mira: "Having a good time without inviting me?"
Their third crewmate walked in and leaned between the seats, resting her arms across the backs of them.
Mira was an anthro calico cat, her fur covered in patches of orange, black, and white that gave her face a naturally mischievous expression. Her hair was short and slightly unruly, with a few strands perpetually falling between her ears. Like Ren, she was of average height with a lean build.
Mira: "A pilot who forgets to set the course properly and a navigator berating the only man who knows how to fly this thing. Perhaps you are both useless?"
Ren's ears flattened.
Ren: "Hey, you're supposed to tell him that I didn't forget the path."
Mira: "Oh, right. Darius, our Ren did not forget to set the course three minutes ago."
Darius shrugged.
Darius: "Well, if it's you who's saying it, then it must be right."
Ren: "See? We are all good here."
Mira reached forward and gently flicked one of Ren's ears.
Ren: "I'm wounded."
Mira: "You'll live."
The three continued their antics for another minute before a warning light flickered.
Everyone went stiff before Darius spoke up.
Darius: "Wow, we're early."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Ren reached for the controls, Mira sat down, and for a moment, the three of them fell quiet.
They were moving closer to a large black orb in the middle of space. Nearby, a space platform seemed to watch over the area. Mira was in contact with them, and their last message had been, "You're early, Seeker One. Good luck on your mission."
Mira smiled, and Ren took that as the okay.
The ship continued to putter toward the black orb until they got close enough to be sucked inside as if it were a black hole.
For a moment, the ship was in an even darker void, a darkness that was more gray than black. Every speck of light was almost completely muted to nothing.
Then, they were spat out at another black orb.
A planet was now in sight, but instead of a space station nearby, there were only the remains of one, its debris floating around the planet.
The three inside the ship paid it little mind, showing that they were already aware of its demise. It took a few more minutes before the planet was fully in view, its surface almost completely obscured by enormous swaths of cloud.
Darius zoomed the image in.
Darius: "There she is."
Ren looked over at Mira.
Ren: "Anything?"
Mira shook her head.
Mira: "No. As expected, Dawn Labs isn't responding, but we knew this."
Ren: "I mean survivors or something. Who knows?"
Ren's fingers rested against the controls.
Ren: "Well, I suppose I should start entering the atmosphere."
Darius: "Honestly, we should have asked for more money. A Dawn Energy cell is probably worth a month's worth of star electricity."
Ren: "And it also represents a technological breakthrough."
Mira shrugged.
Mira: "They'd probably have sent someone else, then. Besides, Dawn technology... this technology is reward enough."
Ren: "Foolish Darius, our Mira isn't here for money. The Dusklight family has spent their fortune on Dawn Energy."
Darius: "I know. Mira won't stop gushing over her rifle."
Over in a small armory tucked beside the landing door, the equipment was sparse, containing little more than emergency supplies and a handful of weapons. One rifle, however, stood apart from the rest. It was unusually long and clearly much older than the other equipment.
Darius: "Why'd you even bring that thing? We have no Dawn Energy cells on board, such as the one and only one that exists, which is on this planet."
Mira: "Heh. It's a lucky charm given to me by my father."
Mira looked up at the planet as it grew closer.
Mira: "Planet Everglow, Dawn Labs, and my family's validation..."
The ship jerked.
Ren: "Buckle up. It's all freestyle from here."
The ship was slowly being dragged in by Everglow's gravity.
-
Chapter 2
Ren focused on landing the ship, his ears twitching at every mechanical groan coming from the hull. One paw remained firmly on the controls while the other moved across the landing interface, making small adjustments as the ship descended.
Mira gripped the arms of her seat, her claws occasionally scraping against the material whenever the ship jolted. Her tail was stiff behind her, betraying the anxiety she was trying not to show.
Darius, meanwhile, had a bored look on his face. The gray wolf barely seemed bothered by the violent shaking, though his ears flattened whenever the ship gave a particularly hard lurch.
The ship shook throughout the descent. Metal creaked, warning lights flickered across the cockpit, and the engines roared as Ren fought to keep their small vessel steady.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the descent stabilized.
Ren carefully lifted the ship away from the last stretch of uneven terrain and brought it toward the landing zone.
Outside the windows, the wilderness of Everglow came into view.
Thick trees stretched toward the sky, their enormous trunks surrounded by tangled roots and dense jungle-like vegetation. Vines hung from branches high above the forest floor, and strange plants crowded together wherever sunlight managed to reach the ground.
Mira released a breath she had been holding and looked down at her map. Several dots were highlighted across the display.
Her ears perked as she studied them before glancing toward Ren.
Ren reached over and swiped a paw across the computer screen beside him.
Ren: "The closest one?"
Mira: "Let's land in ring one."
Ren: "Understood."
Darius was looking at maps similar to Mira's on his own screen. His eyes moved lazily between the various points of interest.
Darius: "As long as we aren't walking far, it's all fine."
Something resembling a paved area came into view beneath them. Various markings were painted across its surface, indicating directions and designated landing positions.
Ren guided the ship downward.
The landing gear touched the pavement with a heavy thump.
The ship settled into an outline that fit its dimensions almost perfectly.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Then Ren's ears relaxed.
Ren: "Now for the hard part."
Mira turned toward him, one eyebrow raised.
Mira: "Because landing and takeoff from planets aren't the hard part?"
Ren: "It was fine. You stress over these too much."
Mira's whiskers twitched as she frowned.
Mira: "Ninety percent success rates. One out of every ten landings ends in a crash."
Ren: "And most of those crashes are just really rough landings."
Mira stared at him.
Her tail gave an irritated flick.
Ren simply looked forward.
After a few minutes, everyone had their gear.
All three wore suits of metal made from scales, though the material behaved more like flexible clothing than conventional armor. The overlapping plates shifted slightly whenever they moved, producing a soft metallic rustle.
Mira checked her equipment one final time before sitting back in her chair.
Darius adjusted the straps of his gear and rolled his shoulders.
Darius: "What are the odds this will be an in-and-out mission?"
Mira glanced toward him.
Mira: "And you jinxed us."
Darius's ears perked.
Darius: "As if something bad wasn't going to happen?"
Ren checked one of the displays on his equipment.
Ren: "I'd give it a fifty percent chance whatever happened here moved on."
Darius looked toward him.
Darius: "Stoneblocker terrorists?"
Ren: "Reports say they all fled. Automated defenses and security guards were too much for the reactionaries who hate technology."
Darius's ears lowered slightly.
Darius: "And yet, everything went dark right after."
Ren shrugged.
Ren: "Critical mass? Bombs left by the terrorists? There are too many things that could shut down the ability to communicate with the laboratory."
Mira: "They also abandoned their main ship, which was suspiciously missing from orbit."
Mira finished preparing first, mostly because her equipment was minimal. She was staying on the ship, and aside from her standard equipment, a pistol was her only weapon.
Ren and Darius carried considerably more.
Both men had an additional metal plate covering their torsos. Darius wore additional armor over his limbs, while Ren carried a belt filled with various pockets, tools, and small gadgets.
Ren checked each pocket by touch, making sure everything was where it belonged.
Darius lifted his rifle and inspected the weapon before slinging it over his shoulder.
Ren and Darius finally stepped off the ship.
The moment they entered the wilderness of Everglow, the air changed.
Warm, damp air rolled over their fur. The smell of wet soil, leaves, moss, and unfamiliar vegetation filled their noses. Ren's ears immediately turned toward the surrounding forest as he tried to separate the many sounds competing for his attention.
The roots were everywhere.
Trees rose high above them, most with trunks wide enough to rival houses. Their branches formed a thick canopy overhead, leaving only scattered patches of sunlight to reach the ground.
Large insects crawled along the roots and leaves. Some were little more than oversized versions of familiar creatures, while others were unlike anything either man had encountered before.
A sudden flutter of wings caught Ren's attention.
Several monochrome birds burst from a nearby tree, scattering through the canopy with frantic cries.
Darius instinctively raised his rifle halfway before realizing what had happened.
His ears rotated toward the birds until they disappeared into the distance.
Ren lowered his weapon.
Neither man spoke for a moment.
The forest was alive.
They could hear things moving through the undergrowth, though neither could see them. Somewhere far away, a predator howled. Leaves rustled beneath something heavy. Strange insects buzzed overhead.
Even the plants seemed to make noise as branches creaked and leaves shifted in the humid breeze.
Ren's nose twitched.
Ren: "As per standard protocol, if I don't make it back, I have a backtrack program ready for use. It will at least get you off the planet. Whether you want to try to travel through Unmade Night would be up to you."
Mira's voice came through their communicators.
Mira: "I'd rather try launching rescue beacons. Anyway, good luck, you two."
Ren looked back toward the ship.
Through the open hatch, Mira was already sitting in her chair, her attention fixed on the various satellite images appearing across her displays.
The screens reflected in her eyes as new information streamed in.
Ren adjusted the rifle resting against his shoulder. Extra energy cells hung from his belt, and various lights hummed to life across his suit as its equipment activated.
Darius carried a backpack with a large battery inside. He hefted his smaller rifle and checked its charge.
Then he stepped away from the ship.
A few tiny drones detached from his equipment.
They hovered around him for a moment before emitting tiny arcs of electricity. The arcs connected with one another, forming a lattice of solid-looking lightning.
Hexagonal tiles appeared between the arcs.
The pieces locked together one after another until an energy shield surrounded Darius.
He turned his arm and watched the shield respond to the movement.
Satisfied, he deactivated it.
The glowing hexagons vanished, and the drones returned to their positions.
Darius smiled.
Darius: "White Shield, zero errors."
Ren looked at the shield system, then at Darius.
His ears perked.
The two men nodded to each other.
Then they started walking.
A worn path stretched ahead of them, disappearing between the enormous trees. Their boots pressed into damp soil as they followed it deeper into the wilderness.
Behind them, the ship remained on the landing pad.
Mira watched their figures disappear into the vegetation through the ship's cameras.
Mira: "Good luck to you two, and Godspeed."
-
Chapter 3
Mira had multiple screens open in front of her, using her hands to swipe between them and rearrange the displays. Satellite imagery, maps, and older photographs of the laboratory occupied most of her attention.
Mira: "You should be seeing a guard tower by now."
Deep in the jungle, Ren and Darius looked around.
The little sunlight that managed to filter through the thick canopy reflected faintly from their eyes. Ren's ears constantly shifted toward the sounds around them, picking up rustling leaves and distant calls that were almost impossible to distinguish with their eyes.
Ren: "Nope. There isn't anything here."
Mira: "You're right on top of it."
Darius looked around.
His ears perked forward.
Darius: "No?"
He kicked aside some of the vegetation with his boot.
Nothing.
He kicked another cluster of plants away, revealing only dark soil underneath.
Ren crouched down and examined the ground. Plants grew here, but they were noticeably smaller than the surrounding vegetation. Perhaps they were younger, or perhaps something had prevented them from growing properly.
He brushed some of the soil aside with his fingers. The ground underneath was blackened, with patches of ash still remaining. Ren rubbed some of the residue between his fingers before bringing them closer to his face.
His nose twitched.
Even after all this time, there was still a faint smell of something burned. He stood up, his ears turning toward Darius as he continued speaking with Mira over the radio.
Ren: "Hey, I think a fire raged out here."
Mira: "Really? How about the trees? Are they scorched?"
Ren looked around.
Most of the trees already had black bark, making it difficult to tell what was natural and what had been damaged. He moved toward one of the enormous roots and crouched beside it.
The bark was darker here, not by much, but enough. Ren ran a hand over the surface. It was rough and warm from the sunlight that reached it, but beneath his fingers he could feel patches where the texture had changed.
Ren: "A lot of the trees look funky, but these roots do look darker than the ones back at the ship."
Darius glanced around.
Darius: "Still, a fire in the jungle?"
Mira: "Well, you'll get a better look in a minute. The lab is just up ahead."
Darius's ears tilted forward.
Darius: "How far?"
Mira: "Less than a kilometer."
Darius sighed.
Darius: "That's farther than I'd like."
Ren's tail gave a small flick as he started walking again.
Ren: "Keep moving."
The pair continued along the overgrown path while Mira continued examining her maps.
The farther they went, the more signs they found that something had happened here.
Broken branches littered the ground. Some trees had been knocked sideways, their enormous roots exposed to the air. Leaves crunched beneath their boots, while insects scattered whenever the two men disturbed the vegetation.
Then the forest suddenly opened. The laboratory stood before them.
Or, at least, what remained of it.
The structure had been torn apart.
Only fragments of walls remained standing, with sections of the roof scattered across the area. Large pieces of solid stone lay among broken electronics and twisted metal, some of the equipment still embedded inside the stone.
The whole place looked more at home in a fantasy world than in their own universe.
Darius slowly turned his head as he surveyed the destruction.
His ears flattened.
Darius: "What the hell happened here?"
Beyond the wreckage, Darius noticed a modern-looking room that had somehow remained standing. It overlooked an open field where the destruction had cleared away even the surrounding trees.
He pointed toward it.
Darius: "Found Ring Zero."
Ren followed his gaze.
Ren: "The ground is all torn up, like, everywhere. I'm not sure landing here would have been possible."
Darius stepped forward, examining the ground.
Large sections of earth had been displaced. Stones and chunks of soil were scattered across the field, while debris from the laboratory had been thrown far beyond where the building had once stood. The biggest mystery was how much fire damage there was.
Darius nudged a piece of metal with his boot.
Darius: "Yeah, a lot of debris isn't even from the laboratory, but the ground looks as if it was all upheaved and everything is burned."
Mira: "You are almost at the Dawn Room. The Dawn Energy cell will be in an underground vault."
Ren and Darius stopped.
Before them was a collection of stone, broken laboratory equipment, and tree limbs piled together as well as a giant footprint near it.
Ren stared at it.
His ears slowly lowered.
Ren: "It's... not underground anymore."
Mira: "What do you mean?"
Ren stepped closer.
Ren: "Like someone pulled up the room and then dropped it."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Darius walked toward the debris and began looking around it.
He crouched and pushed aside a piece of broken stone.
His ears suddenly perked.
Darius: "Found the vault."
Ren quickly walked over.
Darius was on one knee beside a small metal box that appeared to have fallen out of the underground vault. The box was partially buried beneath debris, but its exterior remained surprisingly intact.
Darius pulled it free.
The hinges creaked as he opened it.
Inside was a cylindrical device surrounded by various electrical components. The equipment still functioned, giving off a faint electrical hum. A white-yellow light glowed from within the cylinder.
Ren's eyes widened.
Ren: "And still charged! Nice."
Darius gave him a grin.
Darius: "Told you this wouldn't take long."
Mira was only half listening as she examined the satellite maps.
Every few seconds, the images updated.
She compared the live pictures with the older satellite images, moving back and forth between them.
Something wasn't right.
Trees were missing from areas where they should have been standing.
Debris had appeared in places where there had previously been nothing.
And something else was moving.
Mira leaned closer to the screen.
Her ears slowly rose.
Mira: "Hey, heads up! Something is moving in your direction."
Ren and Darius looked at each other. Then both turned toward the earthen pile. At first, Ren heard nothing.
Then his ears snapped forward. A distant rumble rolled through the jungle. Darius's ears followed the sound. The rumble grew louder.
Something was coming toward them.
Ren tightened his grip around his rifle.
Darius stood up, the Dawn Energy cell still in his hand.
Then the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
Ren and Darius stared toward the trees.
A stampede was coming their way.
-
Chapter 4
Darius handed Ren the Dawn Energy cell so he could pocket it inside one of his pouches.
Ren barely had time to secure it before creatures poured over the dirt.
Sleek, panther-bodied insects came rushing out from behind the earthen debris.
They looked almost exactly like panthers, except their bodies were covered in smooth purple chitin. Thin insect wings were folded tightly against their backs, barely visible until they moved.
Insect panthers.
There were dozens of them.
Most were adults, their bodies moving with startling speed as they scrambled across the broken ground.
Ren's ears snapped forward.
Ren: "Savior, there are so many!"
Both men opened fire.
Bright beams erupted from their rifles.
The projectiles punched through the insect panthers, leaving glowing holes in their chitin before tearing through the flesh beneath. Several creatures collapsed immediately, while others continued charging despite their injuries.
The jungle filled with the sound of gunfire, screeching insects, and snapping branches.
Mira watched from inside the ship, rapidly switching between camera feeds as she scanned the battlefield.
Mira: "They're swarming to your right!"
Ren's ears immediately turned toward the indicated direction.
He fired several shots into the approaching mass before moving backward toward the overturned building and mound of dirt.
Darius retreated as well, firing continuously.
The insect panthers were closing in.
One leaped.
Darius fired upward, blowing it apart in midair.
Another rushed from his left.
He spun and fired again.
Then Darius stopped.
He tapped his arm console.
Darius: "White Shield."
The tiny drones detached from his equipment.
They immediately began forming around him as arcs of electricity connected between them.
A lattice of energy appeared.
Hexagonal plates formed across the barrier just as the insect panthers reached him.
The creatures slammed into the shield.
Some were thrown backward.
Others pushed against it, their claws scraping against the glowing barrier.
The insects that managed to force themselves through were immediately engulfed in intense heat.
Their chitin blackened.
Their bodies collapsed before they could reach Darius.
Darius gritted his teeth as more creatures slammed into the shield.
Darius: "Come on..."
He backed away, drawing closer to Ren.
Ren was still firing into the horde.
Right. Pow.
Left. Pow.
Center.
He held the trigger down and fired a line of energy through several insect panthers rushing toward him.
The final adult leaped onto a fallen wall directly in front of him.
Ren raised his rifle.
Pow.
The creature dropped.
His rifle suddenly began glowing red.
Steam hissed from the barrel.
Ren looked down.
Ren: "Oh, come on."
The rifle released its overheated energy in a bright red burst, venting heat into the surrounding air.
Ren immediately pulled a fresh energy cell from his belt and slammed it into the weapon.
The red lights shut off.
Ren turned toward Darius.
A handful of young insect panthers had managed to get around the shield.
They rushed him.
Ren barely had time to react before several of them slammed into his legs making him loose his footing.
Ren hit the ground hard.
His rifle nearly slipped from his grasp.
His ears flattened against his head as several younglings crawled over his armor.
Ren fired upward.
One creature was thrown off him.
Another tried to bite his arm.
Its jaws clamped against the metal plating with a sharp crack.
Ren shoved it away with his rifle.
He reached for his knife.
His claws closed around the handle.
Ren drove the blade into the final youngling before throwing the body aside.
He pushed himself back onto his feet.
His tail lashed behind him as another insect panther lunged.
Ren brought his rifle up.
Pow.
The creature dropped.
He turned toward Darius and fired at the remaining younglings attacking the shield.
One after another, they fell.
Finally, the horde was dealt with and the forest became quiet. Bodies covered the ruined laboratory grounds. Ren retrieved his knife and wiped the blade against a patch of damaged vegetation before returning it to its sheath.
Darius deactivated his shield. The glowing hexagons disappeared, and the drones returned to their positions. Darius looked over the battlefield.
Darius: "Insect panthers. The greatest invasive species in the galaxy."
Ren breathed heavily. His ears were still twitching as he listened for more movement.
Ren: "You say that like it's a joke."
Darius: "It isn't."
Mira's voice suddenly came over the comms.
Mira: "You have to get out of there!"
Ren looked toward the ship.
Ren: "What, more insect panthers?"
Mira: "No. It's bigger!"
Ren's ears immediately perked.
Darius's ears followed.
Both men looked at each other. Then the ground shook as the entire battlefield lurched beneath their feet.
Ren staggered.
Darius spread his legs to keep his balance.
Something was moving underneath them.
The earth began tearing apart.
Cracks raced through the ground as chunks of dirt and stone were thrown into the air.
Ren's tail stiffened.
Ren: "What the hell?"
The ground gave way.
A hulking metal structure rose from beneath the ruins.
It looked like a bizarre combination of a six-legged construction roamer and a massive spaceship.
Its enormous legs dug into the earth as the machine hauled itself upward.
Ren stared.
Ren: "What?"
The machine's bulkhead opened.
It resembled a massive metallic maw.
A strange chemical odor suddenly filled the air.
Ren's nose wrinkled.
Ren: "Something's coming."
The air around the machine distorted.
Then it fired.
A stream of liquid blasted from the open bulkhead.
The substance struck the air and immediately ignited.
Liquid flames erupted across the battlefield.
Ren and Darius immediately jumped behind the remains of the room and dirt pile.
A wall of fire swept over their previous position.
The heat washed across their armor.
Ren's fur prickled beneath his suit.
His ears flattened against his head as the flames roared overhead.
The machine continued firing, coating the ruined laboratory with burning liquid.
Darius peered over their cover.
His gray fur was illuminated by the orange glow.
Darius: "Found the Stoneblocker's ship."
Ren: "They left, though!"
Darius: "Apparently not."
Mira: "I can't see a way out. You will all burn to death unless we do something."
Darius ducked back behind cover as another stream of flames washed across the area.
Darius: "Hold on. We still haven't figured out what that thing is."
Mira: "It's a ship that transforms into a land walker, probably powered by an AI."
Ren blinked.
Ren: "Ah. AI. No way those terrorists would use that. They think all AI are demons or something."
Mira: "Focus."
Ren tightened his grip around his rifle.
Ren: "We are. Mira, can you fly the ship over?"
Mira: "I'm not skilled enough to maneuver in all that!"
Darius looked toward the towering machine. The mechanical legs shifted through the burning ruins.
Darius: "Then we destroy it the old-fashioned way."
Ren's ears perked and then he grinned.
Ren: "Let's roll!"
The two men stepped out from behind cover with the flames roaring around them.
-
Chapter 5
Ren and Darius opened fire on the machine. Their projectiles punched into its metal body, leaving several smoking holes behind.
Mira's voice came through the comms.
Mira: "I opened the last Stoneblocker incident report. They left on their transport ships and abandoned their main ship. So, I suppose this thing crashed and landed, and their real plan was to have it autonomously destroy the lab."
The machine swung around.
Both men immediately dove back behind cover as another arc of burning liquid swept across the battlefield.
The machine's enormous limb slammed into their cover and the stone cracked.
Ren's ears flattened.
Ren: "Well, that's nice. Now, how about some weaknesses?"
Mira: "It was made to survive crashing into a planet from orbit. You need more firepower!"
Darius kept his rifle trained on the machine.
Darius: "Given enough time, we will do enough structural damage."
Ren was about to respond when he noticed something.
The cover behind them was changing.
He slowly backed away.
Darius turned.
The stone was melting.
It glowed white before beginning to sag into liquid.
Darius's ears flattened against his head.
Darius: "For the love of the Savior, we are out of time."
Ren looked around.
Ren: "Mira! Can you do anything from your side?"
Darius: "It's going to blow!"
Mira heard an explosion through the comms.
Then static.
The visual feeds from Ren and Darius disappeared.
Mira stared at the empty displays.
Mira: "Ren! Darius!"
Only static answered.
She frantically checked the satellite images, searching for any sign of them.
Nothing.
Her hands tightened around the edge of the console.
For a moment, despair settled over her.
Then she blinked.
Her expression hardened.
Mira: "Screw this!"
She jumped from her chair and ran down the ship's hallway. Her claws struck the floor with rapid taps as she sprinted toward the armory. She reached inside and pulled out her father's enormous rifle.
The weapon was almost comically large compared to her. Mira held it against her body and stared at it for a moment.
Her ears lowered.
Mira: "Starbreaker."
She whispered the name.
Then she turned and ran.
Once outside, Mira sprinted down the path toward Dawn Labs.
Her legs carried her as fast as they could.
Behind her, the jungle blurred into streaks of green. Her lungs burned, her paws hurt, but she kept running.
At Dawn Labs, Darius had his White Shield active.
The hexagonal barrier absorbed the flames pouring over them, its surface flashing brighter with every impact.
Ren stood behind him, backing away while continuing to fire at the machine.
His shots punched through its outer armor.
Ren: "How long can you keep that up?"
Darius grunted as another blast struck the shield.
Darius: "Minutes? Can you flee?"
Ren's rifle ejected an empty energy cell.
He immediately pulled another from his belt and slammed it into the weapon.
Ren: "It will just turn its head."
Darius sighed.
His arms were beginning to shake.
He kept both hands raised, maintaining the White Shield as his drones struggled to keep the barrier together.
Ren gritted his teeth and continued firing.
Far away, Mira ran. She could see smoke rising above the trees. Her eyes watered. She couldn't tell whether it was from the smoke or something else.
Darius looked around for more cover.
There was nowhere left.
Whatever remained of Dawn Labs had been reduced to glowing pools of molten rock.
Ren's rifle continued firing.
One energy cell after another disappeared.
He checked his remaining supply. He had gone through half of his cells already.
Mira was still running.
Darius's ears twitched.
For a moment, he thought he heard something beneath the roar of the machine.
Nothing.
Then he heard footsteps.
Far away.
Darius looked toward the jungle.
The ground around him began to glow. The heat was becoming unbearable. His drones started failing.
One dropped from the air.
Then another.
The White Shield flickered.
Darius: "Ah, crap. I hope Mira has a plan!"
Ren continued firing.
Ren: "Maybe we could make it for the trees?"
Darius looked toward the jungle.
The trees were still there, but the distance might as well have been a mile.
Darius: "Maybe."
The battle had lasted too long.
The White Shield flickered again.
Flames began punching through the barrier.
Darius grunted.
Darius: "Arg!"
Ren: "Hold on!"
Ren reached for another energy cell.
His paw closed around empty air.
He looked down.
Nothing.
Ren: "I'm out."
A voice suddenly came from behind them.
Mira: "Ren!"
Ren's ears snapped toward her.
He turned.
Mira stood on the path.
She was breathing heavily, her fur damp with sweat, her tail hanging low from exhaustion.
The Starbreaker was clutched in both hands.
Mira: "The Dawn Energy cell! Throw it!"
Ren looked at her.
Then at the flames between them.
The ground was nearly magma.
Ren: "Savior, protect us."
He pulled the Dawn Energy cell from his pouch.
He took a breath.
Then he threw it.
The cell sailed over the burning ground.
Mira reached out and caught it. Her claws closed around it tightly. Without wasting a second, she slammed the Dawn Energy cell into the Starbreaker.
The weapon came alive.
White-yellow energy surged through its frame.
Mira's fur stood up from the static.
Her ears flattened from the sudden electrical hum.
Ren stared at the weapon.
Ren: "Are we sure that thing can hold that much energy?"
A sharp crack answered him.
Ren turned.
The White Shield shattered.
The hexagonal barrier broke apart into fragments of light.
The remaining drones fell from the air.
The flames tore through Darius.
Darius disappeared behind the wall of fire.
Ren barely had time to react before the flames came toward him.
Ren: "Darius!"
The roar of the fire swallowed everything.
Then Mira raised the Starbreaker.
She aimed at the machine's main body.
Mira: "Die."
She pulled the trigger.
The Starbreaker fired.
A thin projectile left the barrel at impossible speed.
The shot produced a deafening crack.
It struck the center of the machine.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the entire torso caved inward.
Metal folded around the impact point.
The machine's internal structure collapsed.
A second later, half of its upper body exploded outward.
The enormous machine staggered. Its legs buckled.
Then it crashed into the ruined laboratory.
Silence followed. The flames slowly died.
Ren pushed himself upright. Smoke drifted from his armor.
His fur was singed in several places, and he struggled to breathe.
He looked toward Mira.
She was standing several feet away.
Tears were running down her face.
Ren's ears lowered.
Ren: "Mira..."
She didn't answer.
Ren looked around.
His eyes searched through the smoke.
He looked toward where Darius had been standing.
Nothing.
Ren's expression changed.
His ears drooped.
He understood.
Mira covered her mouth with one hand.
Ren stood there silently.
Then his eyes began to water.
Mira started crying.
Ren did too.
The jungle around them continued to burn.
-
