Morrigan practically skipped down the corridor with Nora, who laughed pleasantly at the child-like excitement that exuded from her girlfriend.

  “That excited to see this planet? I mean, it’s just a planet,” Nora commented casually which halted Morrigan in her tracks, causing her to nearly trip mid-skip.

  Morrigan turned in morbid disbelief, “Have you never seen pics of Gelia?! The gigantic trees of purple and blue? The kaleidoscopic flowers and unique wildlife that roam the forests? Seriously?”

  Nora smirked playfully, telling Morrigan that she had been purposefully teasing her even though she still shook her head, “No, I can’t say I have but it does sound pretty though.”

  Morrigan blushed and grinned bashfully, “You’re such a brat,” she stated as Skoll ran into her, pushing his way down the corridor and letting Morrigan run her hand down his entire length of soft, dense fur. “Plus, Mom and everyone are there,” she added.

  Nora’s eyes shined brightly with mischief as she grinned and leaned against the wall, “Yeah? You mean that pretty little Eskarii girl is there,” she stated with a palpable amount of sass.

  Morrigan narrowed her eyes as her face turned beet red as her embarrassment betrayed her, just as the ship shuddered with the telltale feeling that meant the ship dropped out of FTL transition. What followed the shudder, set Morrigan’s nerves on fire.

  A moment after the Archangel dropped into the dark space that surrounded Gelia, the alarms began blaring across the entire Inquisition Light Cruiser, the distinctive alarm for everyone aboard to prepare for combat.

  “No…” Morrigan breathed out with wide eyes before she and Nora both turned and began sprinting down the corridor. “Skoll, plow the road!” she commanded without a second thought to her faithful canine.

  Skoll let out an ear-splitting howl that resonated down many of the connected halls as he charged forth, electricity crackling across his body as he snarled at any bystanders that rushed through the corridor. Subconsciously, Morrigan felt guilty as Skoll barreled into anyone unable to press themselves against the walls or dive for cover, shoving them out of the way with enough force to cause recognizable injury. At the same time, the panic that rose within her pushed her to ignore that guilt and focus on worrying about the implication of the alarm.

  Making it to the end of the corridor and taking the only turn available, Morrigan rushed to the elevator and smashed the call button with enough force that caused her to worry if whether or not she had just broken the button. However, over the pulsing alarm that rang in her ears, she could still pick out the hydraulic whine of the elevator moving which gave her the slightest bit of relief before turning to Skoll.

  “Go find Sigurd, boy,” she commanded as she pointed back down the corridor they came from, only for Skoll to sit and whine obstinately. Morrigan groaned, forgetting Skoll’s refusal to leave her alone and stomped her foot sending a violent vibration through the floor that made Skoll jump and back away slightly. “You know you’re not allowed up here, so go!” she growled as her frustration began to reach the height of her anxiety.

  Watching the interaction between her lover and their sweet pet, Nora grabbed Skoll’s face and struggled to force him to look at her, “Listen sweetie, I will be with her the entire time, you need to go find Sigurd, hun,” she said kindly as she gently stroked her hand across Skoll’s cheek.

  Skoll eyed Morrigan before looking back at Nora, visibly huffing and shifting his ears back before slowly walking away in rejection. Seeing Skoll upset hurt Nora’s heart as she turned back with a frown to see Morrigan standing there growling in agitation. However, Nora just kept her mouth shut for the mean time as the elevator door opened and Morrigan stepped heavily inside and slammed the button for the bridge repeatedly.

  “Babe, try and relax. We don't even know what's going on out there. For all we know the Eskarii are just being overly defensive like the Marmars-I mean they are kinda stuffy, and they weren't expecting us…” Nora stated attempting to throw logic at her panicking lover under the veil of light humor.

  “Marmars?” Morrigan questioned incredulously, pausing her assault on the button having picked out the only oddity in what Nora said as the door finally closed.

  Nora cracked a smile as the elevator door closed and began to rise. “Well yeah, you expect me to say that annoyingly complicated name? At least what I came up with is cute!” she stated firmly with a shrug before giggling at her own demeanor.

  Nora’s light heartedness broke through Morrigan’s anxiety as she snorted. “You’re ridiculous… thank you…” Morrigan said as she took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. “I just… you might be right but I keep thinking the worst…”

  Nora shrugged once again, “I could also be completely wrong and we’re about to open a whole ass can of whoop ass on some Federation cock mongers- pew, pew!” Nora punctuated her jovial nature by childishly pretending to shoot guns with her fingers before grinning.

  Unable to keep her demeanor intact, Morrigan busted out laughing, stumbling forward and wrapping her arms around the nutty blonde, “Thank you, I needed that,” she said softly burying her face into Nora’s neck.

  Nora giggled to herself as she hugged her back, “Any time, baby cakes- pew.”

  Morrigan looked up to see Nora’s finger pointed right at her and Nora sticking half of her tongue out childishly which only fueled Morrigan’s amusement. Instead of laughing though, Morrigan attempted to bite her finger.

  “Hey! Save that for later missy!” Nora chastised just as the elevator opened.

  Morrigan cracked up in embarrassment realizing everyone had probably heard that however, as she turned to look; her heart broke at the sight she beheld.

  “No, no, no…” Morrigan stammered out, her voice filled with dread as she stepped onto the bridge as all eyes fell on her.

  Bright lances of light flashed from Eskarii military starships as Federation cannons and lance batteries returned fire in every direction.

  Morrigan slowly took in the battlefield in disbelief as she watched the elegant, long Eskarii ships keep just over two dozen Federation ships of varying sizes at bay, energy shields flashing as energy and solid munitions battered ships on each side's battle worn hulls as the Eskarii were locked in stale mate with the Federation.

  Beyond the blockade was the most heartbreaking sight; Hundreds of tiny ships and dozens of larger transport ships fleeing the surface as Gelia began to burn; smoke and flames choking the lush jungle world of vibrancy as it slowly consumed everything.

  All of the beauty, the wildlife, the flora… her family; Morrigan’s mind assaulted her with the worst images possible as sheer panic blended with her unbridled rage.

  What the fuck is going on?! Apollyon shouted in her head as if unable to understand what it was she had been seeing, it sounds like 100 chainsaws running in…here… oh.

  Morrigan clutched her head as the panic made Apollyon’s voice distant, her gaze dropping to her crew who looked at her in hesitation, all of them expecting the worst to come and yet, Morrigan found herself stunned, unable to blink and her movement sluggishly inaccurate as she fell into her console.

  “My… my mom… Gelia?” Morrigan muttered aloud. The pain in her voice could be heard by all as her crimson energy crackled closely across her body in short, sporadic bursts.

  Before anyone could utter a sound, Nora rushed around the console and grabbed Morrigan by the face holding held her head up, “Baby? Baby, look at me-look at me!”

  Morrigan’s eyes couldn’t focus on Nora, seeing the feint outline of the woman she knew better than anyone but unable to clear her vision as a high-pitched whine rang in her ears.

  To kill them all; that was all she wanted deep down inside. To kill everyone who take everything from her; they took her father and she took their lives but now they tried to take her mother, her aunt and unborn niece or nephew… the sweetest Mo’Emori and her stalwart brother, Torvil, all taken from her…

  Morrigan’s thoughts spiraled out of control until her vision flashed white. A moment later, her senses began to refocus as she felt a sharp sting across her cheek, the skin of her cheeks both warm and sticky as she realized she no longer looked towards the burning world but at the base of Shepard’s console to her left. Two voices breaking through the shock.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Mori!

  The sound of Apollyon and Nora both screaming her name pulled her back to reality as she flinched, looking forward to see the worried look on Nora’s face as she placed her hands on both of her cheeks again, Nora’s palms stained with blood, blood that was her own as Morrigan then realized she had been crying.

  “Baby, listen! It’s going to be okay; do you really think Mo’Emori and Torvil would let anything happen? I would bet anything they were the first ones off the planet! We need you to focus, love!” Nora’s words rang in her mind, realizing that Nora had no way to know as her brain processed the logical conclusion.

  Morrigan’s gaze saw just beyond Nora’s shoulder to see a stray missile impact the surface of Gelia, adding just a bit more fire and destruction across the beautiful purple, yellow, green and blue world before Apollyon interjected its words into her mind.

  She’s right, little goddess, they seek destruction but you are destruction, she-born of the end! Get your shit together and show them you are one not to tread upon!

  “That’s right… I am…” the single thought echoed in her mind as if trying to fit a piece of a puzzle she could not see, to make sense of what she had thought despite there being no cohesive idea, her eyes looking into Nora’s seeing the bewildered panic and uncertainty.

  “Thank you,” Morrigan let out no louder than a whisper as she felt her emotions begin to snap back into place, her words drown out by the blaring alarm. Standing tall once more as she felt her anger boil over every other emotion she felt, her head snapped to Shepard. “We’re going to help them,” she stated coldly, her words holding the weight of a command rather than a statement as she turned her gaze to the combat ahead of them.

  “Mori, I understand you want to help them but it’s been clear that the Federation wants this ship- wants you. Our stealth runner engine is the only thing keeping us from being spotted already, we should retreat while we still…”

  Morrigan growled loud enough to cut Shepard off. She had no intention of breaking her promise to Shepard about keeping everyone aboard the ship safe however, she couldn’t just stand by idly and let the Eskarii fend for themselves.

  This is actually a good idea. Just think, if you get their attention then cut and run, you can lead them away and pick them off at your leisure; the ripe lives to harvest… Apollyon whispered into her mind like a dark secret made only for her as the deity’s words dripped with euphoric expectation.

  Morrigan’s eyes shone in recognition of Apollyon’s plan; the death of her enemies all the while giving the Eskarii the chance to escape. After all, the more Federation ships on her tail would mean less Federation ships causing harm throughout the galaxy.

  “Fine,” she huffed before side eyeing the old woman as Nora skirted around to stand behind Morrigan, “Divert all available power to our shields excluding our engines, FTL drive, and warp drive. I, will handle the enemy.” Crimson energy crackled brightly around her as she gave her order, setting the tone of her certainty as her transparent skeletal wings slowly apparated behind her, the translucent red membrane beginning to siphon the destructive energy from the cosmos around them in a faint red mist.

  “Last time you did that, you nearly crippled the ship!” Shepard barked in disbelief to see Morrigan gearing up to repeat the Mars incident.

  Morrigan paid no mind to her admiral. “Then, I wasn’t strong enough,” she stated coldly as she looked down at the crimson claw that enveloped her right hand as energy crackled between her fingers. “I am now.”

  Her words held the full force of her determination as they seemed to echo around the bridge from every direction, giving no disillusion that she may back down the coming conflict.

  Shepard hissed through her teeth as she looked at the rest of the pale bridge crew before reaching into her coat and slammed the loaded handgun she kept hidden onto her console, “Fine, but the moment you put this ship at risk… I won't hesitate.”

  Morrigan side eyed the weapon with a confident smirk before softly nodding as she accepted Shepard’s promise then she turned to the bridge crew, “Order the gun crews to fire at will, divert power to the shields and get us close to the enemy via skip… today we stand with the Eskarii!”

  The crew did not hesitate or argue as the shield around the Archangel flared brightly with extra power until it stabilized into invisibility once again, Avery coordinating with Gene and Sarilla as they picked her first target.

  In truth, Morrigan had deep seeded concerns about what she intended to do however, what happened last time was a misuse of power that nearly killed her because she couldn't control it. She was stronger now and had every intention in controlling her energy output, deciding that smaller, more controlled attacks would be easier on her body and psyche with enough power to damage the enemy to the point of turning the tide of battle.

  Oh, you got this, little goddess, Apollyon encouraged sadistically in her head.

  She nodded to herself as she focused on the intake of ambient energy her roiling rage called for, the dense feeling of overwhelming power screaming for release as she stepped around her console to the open center of the bridge.

  Morrigan waited and waited for the Archangel to make the first move as she felt her body begin to tremble with the amount of power she held within. The moment the ship skipped within firing range of the portside batteries though, Morrigan unleashed a savage swing as her eyes locked onto a Federation Cruiser. Everyone watched as a massive spectral claw apparated beyond the Archangel’s shield and smash into the enemy’s, the claws piercing through with enough force to cause a small explosion towards the rear of the ship before the shield faded and the titanic claws, though smaller scale than what was seen at Mars, ripped through the starboard length of the ship; cutting through the hull and guns of the Cruiser like sheet metal before they faded from existence.

  Morrigan stumbled as her left knee threatened to give out, surprised at how much physical and mental energy it took to orchestrate such a precise attack on such a large scale. “To the next one!” she called out as she righted herself catching her breath.

  The next ship to receive Morrigan’s wrath was a Destroyer that was nearly cut in half with a vicious uppercut through the hull expanded the entire length of her claws that assailed it. Morrigan assaulted eight more of the total 26 Federation ships within ten minutes before Sister announced, “Attention; Mori, you have been recognized by the enemy as well as the Archangel, we currently have 15 Federation ships of varying classes targeting the Archangel. Evasion is advised.”

  Morrigan could barely stand on her own two feet as Nora helped hold her upright, sweat pouring off of her as she tried to push herself to the limit. However, her knees gave out once again as her body went limp the moment her crimson wings faded and she ceased to absorb the ambient energy.

  “Get us the fuck out of here!” Morrigan ordered hoarsely between her ragged breaths moments before she fell to the deck of the bridge, blood spewing from her mouth as she coughed.

  No one said anything through the entire assault, some too dissuaded to raise their concern and others too stunned to reacted as they watched the most powerful person they’ve ever met tear themselves apart to turn the tide of war. At the call of retreat though, Shepard took over command, “Avery, prep FTL and skip us out of the conflict zone right now!”

  Don’t worry kid, just some minor rupturing that’s already in the process of healing, Apollyon announced in her head aloofly. Morrigan nodded along ignoring the casual demeanor of the deity in her head as she wiped her mouth and leaned back enough to rest against her console, Nora kneeling before her wiping away the blood she missed and kissing her forehead.

  Through the entire ordeal, Morrigan expected to have overwhelming power that would not only cripple ships for the Eskarii to destroy, but take out some on her own. Yet, she did not expect how difficult it would be to cut through the hull of a ship despite wielding the purest form of destruction, and how hard it would be to control like she did so long ago. It made sense now why she had almost died.

  “Sister, can we skip into FTL?” Avery asked aloud as Sarilla announced that a Federation Battleship and two Light Cruisers homed in on the Archangel all the while the Archangel’s gun crews fired as fast as they could.

  The situation had begun to turn dire for the Archangel, Morrigan realized as the pain in her body slowly subsided. She began to wonder if her stunt was too much of a gamble, her need to protect and kill causing the entirety of her crew to be put to the sword by an enemy she swore to destroy; that maybe Solomon was wrong in choosing her to lead.

  “The calculated success rate of a simultaneous transition into Faster Than Light and a quantum position shift is 79.683%” Sister responded immediately.

  “Fuck it, here goes nothing!” Avery called out.

  “All crew, brace!” Shepard shouted across the ship wide communication system as Morrigan watched reality stretch into a bright light around them, nearly too bright to comprehend as everyone shielded their eyes until the rush of light cascaded into the familiar kaleidoscope of streaking lights once again.

  “Simultaneous transition successful. Congratulations Avery, you are the first pilot to ever attempt and succeed this type of maneuver.”

  Everyone groaned as they picked themselves up throughout various points of the bridge having been tossed by the violent movement, Morrigan being the only one who did not seem to have moved with Nora clutching tightly around her.

  “Not…never again,” Avery stated as if nauseated, righting himself in his chair.

  Nora looked up to find a faint smirk across Morrigan’s face as she leaned back with her eyes closed, “You did it baby!” Nora stated excitedly.

  Morrigan's smirk broke into a grin as she chuckled tiredly, looking down to see the pair of beautiful icy blue eyes looking up at her.

  “Yeah, that was… I appreciate you not causing a repeat of last time,” Shepard interjected as she adjusted her admiral’s jacket.

  Morrigan held up an “okay” sign as she chuckled in exhausted gallows humor, “Any time, Shep. The rest is up to you now-I’m tapped out.”

  Nora took that as a sign to get up and begin helping Morrigan to her feet as Shepard inspected her in morose curiosity after looking at the splatter of blood across the floor, “Where is our next destination, and are you alright?”

  Morrigan hung off Nora’s should and began making her way across the bridge towards the elevator. She stopped and looked over her shoulder, “Anywhere. They’re going to follow and we’re going to take them out…” Morrigan said in exhaustion as she limped along with Nora’s support towards the elevator. “Get me reports from the entire ship and make sure our troops are ready for more raiding and the gun crews are ready for their fill of combat because this just became a long game of cat and mouse… hopefully getting their attention was worth it,” she stated as she ignored the second question.

  “Um, Mori? Gene is on the line and… he is furious about the amount of stress that was put on the warp drive…” Luisa chimed as she held out her comm bead with a dramatic wince. Morrigan was thankful she left hers in her quarters, which meant she could ignore the ravings of a cranky engineer.

  “Not my fault, that’s on you Avery, buddy,” Morrigan mused through her exhaustion as she stepped into the elevator.

  “Yeah, yeah… got it boss,” Avery said with reluctant accountability.

  Morrigan snorted at that as she turned to face the bridge to push the down button, “Just send Yekku and Taylor, they’ll take care of it. See you in a few hours,” she stated as the elevator door closed and the descent to her bed commenced.