DB Multiverse

The Ultras were now ready for battle at the head of the large ship that had brought them to the Dardanite sky. Silent, each looked upon the battle raging on ground across their respective monitors. Quick glances allowed them to consult the signs on numbers that appeared on their strange visors.

Further behind them, the rest of the troops were waiting in religious silent, eyes fixated ten readied warriors ahead of them. They knew full well that their survival depended in large part to their strength, ability, and bravery. After their assault, only the weakest of enemy units should remain, those that even they, mere Heloïte foot soldiers, could have an advantage over.

On the grounds, other soldiers turned their eyes, now full of hope, to the ship fraying its way through the sky. It then took stationary flight. They'd been relentlessly fighting for day to contain the sea of brown that threatened their planet; they'd ceased to count their fallen comrades and were almost at their limit. If the Heloïtes hadn't decided to take action, nothing would have been left of the courageous Dardanite army.

The poor Dardanites, normally always so serene. Amicable folk living in laughter, arts and craft. Their army solely existed out of necessity, and war was a concept foreign to their people. The sheer magnitude of the Kollok offensive and continuously put dents in their ranks at an alarming rate! An entire generation of men being decimated one by one in an attempt to save their land, their women, their children… their way of life.

Facing them were but heartless barbarians, foul monsters, and cruel beasts for whom thrashing, breaking, raping, and pillaging made their lifestyle. They lived only doing that, only for that! The pillaging of planets within their reach was their primary means of obtaining resources. They would only leave just enough survivors to led them rebuild their homes, only to lie in wait until the planet is prosperous enough for another raid. A fate ironically fortunate, as those who are simply annexed would endure less than favorable living conditions for the remainder of their lives.

Some would even claim that the Kolloks wouldn't shy away from human flesh, and that they would gladly indulge in their cannibalistic hunger within their colonies.

These veritable predators had always been led by kings driven by bloodlust and ambition, but the the accursed Galasir was without a doubt the worst of the lot.

Without the constant threat, the Dardanites likely could have done without both their army and the weaponry that grows harder to maintain with each day.

The distance between Dardan and Kollok made it so that they would only be exposed to the plunderers' wrath episodically… that is, until now. Since the advent of Galasir, their planet seemed to be the interplanetary beats' prime target.

The passive Dardanites owed the success of their defense only to the unconditional support of their powerful Heloïte allies. A races in which the people had maintained an impressive sense of battle in spite of their remarkable evolution… always on top in both military technology and training. A real army of well-trained, battle-honed professionals, additionally having at their disposal a unit of elites of incomparable strength.

Not to mention, they are support needed now more than ever! The Kolloks, sticking to their usual tactic which consists of spreading their forces across several strategic points for speedy raids, had opted for a large-scale offensive. A brutal and gigantic steamroller, crushing everything that stood in its way, that turned out even more destructive when faced with an army composed of of usually pacifist race, against whom the employment of guerrilla tactics would actually be more effective.

Galasir had clearly concocted this audacious assault a long time ago, and his shift in strategies proved to be dramatically effective.

And this is why it was with eyes shining with hope that the entire army gazed upon the sky, expecting combined wrath of the soldiers to crash upon the invaders.

Suddenly, clamor could be heard roaring from even the lowest depths of the planet covered in orange and red… the colors of the burning carcasses and the blood of its multiple children sacrificed in its defense.

The sound of the collective battle cry saluted the meteoric descent of a dozen silhouettes cutting through the sky. Behind them was the elegant and ephemeral outline of parabolic array lighting up, its range expanding to completely cover the battered army.

It was a cry of glee, of freedom, of hope that made its way to these unknown soldiers who had just risked their lives to save these hopeless souls.

Time seemed like it had come to halt for a short moment on the battlefield, before several could be seen turning their heads in a simultaneous movement, following the shining trail forming in the sky above. For a short moment only… because the silence would soon be broken by the sound of ten missiles digging deep furrows of light and death in their direction.

Up above… under the immense and reassuring shadow of the large warship, the young soldier watched as the Ultras entered battle in obvious admiration. He could now see why their training program was so harsh. You really had to gifted in both strength and cunning to have the audacity to throw wholeheartedly throw yourself into such a mess of deadly violence. From his standpoint, he could barely make out the figures shrouded above the many… the unleashing of hellfire they were clearly the targets of, however, was blatantly visible and it was hard to imagine anyone could survive the destructive onslaught focusing on each of them!

On the battlefield, each of the Ultras were indeed making good display of skill and combativeness in order to push back, deviate, and avoid the barrage of lasers the converged towards them all at once… and to decimate, annihilate, and break down the belligerent swarm agitating itself like an angry hive trying to destroy them.

Young Fuller, placed between Feyn and Wigner, took a step back, grimacing at the might of the impressive energy rays the Kollok tanks were capable of producing. The deadly shot shattered against his shield, which he thankfully had the reflex to brandish in time to form a globe that shielded him entirely.

Heavy sweat beads could be seen coating the cheeks of the surrounded young man, whose face twisted under the effort. The thick beam crackled as it split against the curious energy screen, the front half of which was practically covered under the enemy fire.

What an idiot! He had let himself be trapped so easily. Fuller could consider his first battle a success!

Suddenly, Fuller looked up astonished. Three Kolloks were hovering above him, letting their combined weight drop on the Heloïte's shield, only to go back up, then down again in order to put as much force into the impact as possible. The young Ultra was enraged… now, he not only had to shield himself from the tank's fire, but he also had to endure the three airborne fighters or he'd end up right in the middle of the barbaric mob that covered miles on end.

His fists, at the end of his arms he was only keeping mildly stretched to maintain his protection, were convulsing… resisting against such pressure required intense effort, even with the help of his anti-gravity systems; furthermore, the position he needed to maintain in order for his shield to persist prevented him from counterattacking in any way… things really weren't looking good!

He looked to his right. Feyn wasn't in any position to come to his aid immediately. All that could be seen of her were the unfortunate Kolloks flying in every direction from her position, either from blows or energy blasts.

To the left… Wigner's situation was hardly any better! Further ahead, above the enormous burning carcass of the tank he had just split in half, there was still much to do for him to gain some altitude as two groups of enemy soldiers took advantage of his descent to place themselves above him and take him in a pincer formation.

The masterful way the leader of the Ultras handled them was nothing short of amazing! Blocking with his left arm the blasts aimed for him that liquefied upon contact with his particle shield, he moved with such ease while firing at both of the groups with cruel precision.

As he rotating, Wigner finally saw the delicate position his cadet had put himself.

He then extended both his arms, summoning a second shield from his wrist, then, bringing them against him, he began to spin as several green laser shots came crashing against the screens protecting him.

The Kollok's fire, now free from the menace that was the Heloïte warrior's retorts, intensified.

Fuller, observing the scene, had almost forgotten about his own struggle and had to continue to endure the pressure of the Kolloks' onslaught. He shuddered at the sight of all fire ceasing to make way for an unruly mob who was about to strike at the isolated soldier.

But just before they could reach him, Wigner suddenly retracted his shields to finally shoot straight up, hitting all the fools wanting to get in his way. Having reached a certain altitude, he turned around to fire a large shot that was released from the three openings on his right hand.

In doing so, he activated the same powerful ray Dirac had used before the assault. In the blink of an eye, the cluster of brutes was wiped down to ash before the beam decimated another tank. In a matter of seconds, the surge of pure energy at high frequency literally melted the huge contraption.

Wigner didn't take a second to breath before coming to the rescue of his pinned down comrade. He did stop briefly to deviate the position of the tank that had the young Ultra on the ropes after avoid the blasts aimed at him by troops below.

The following instant, a large perimeter of ash and puddles of melted steel was all that was left of the area surrounded the war machine.

The warrior blocked in extremis the counterattack that almost took him by surprise by hurriedly turning around, summoning again two medium-sized shields. It is with a daring roar that he charged the soldiers separating him and Fuller. In spite of their imposing stature, they were all violently thrown in every direction by the the Ultra's ardent assault, hitting them each where it hurt the most! He didn't slow down even one bit to fire a precise shot at those hindering his balance.

A few blasts later, Fuller, taxed by his long resistance, could finally retract his spherical shields. He then went to higher altitude with Wigner, who had signed him to do so.

Away from the Kolloks' range, the two men consulted each other. Wigner interrogated the embarrassed young recruit… Fuller knew that if his leader had pulled him out of battle like this, it probably wasn't to congratulate him.

— How much have you got left?

Fuller lowered his head, clearly dazed and confused.

— 86%...

Wigner growled:

— Good going!… Your lack of attention really is high maintenance! You know that our full-protection shields are far too taxing to maintain indefinitely… and I had to deplete my reserves to get rid of these dimwits and get your ass out of there!

He pointed to compact sea of brown clashing with troops in blue of the Heloïte garrison.

I don't know if you can't tell that this is far from over… in a battle of this caliber, you have to know how to manage your energy reserves wisely. Full-coverage shields and ultra-waves are exactly what you should avoid using!

For Pete's sake, Fully, I know this is your first battle, but we taught you all this!

It's not just our lives that are at stake, etch that into your think skull! he finished, with aggressiveness on his part that the young man wasn't familiar with.

— I know, but even Dirac did-… began to stammer Fuller.

Wigner interrupted him by letting his voice exploded in anger:

— Dirac has only used his ultra-waves for a split-second… he's an renown Ultra who doesn't need my babysitting while our men are getting slaughtered out there!

Before the dismayed face of the young fighter, Wigner regained his composure and tapped the cadet's arm

— Ah well… everyone makes a mistake every now and then…

Fuller suddenly swept Wigner away from him with a circular kick… while it did take the man by surprise, he kept his cool and let himself be pushed away by this unexpected assault.

A series of green lasers could be seen passing through the spot where he was an instant ago from below. The young Heloïte was already aiming his clenched fist back at the source of the fire to flood the assailants flying straight towards them in a deadly rain that left no room for chance.

Wigner smiled. The kid still had pretty good reflexes to make up for his inexperience. He's sure to pay more attention to what he's doing, now.

Leave a dazzling trail behind them, the two warriors went back into the fray with determination.