THE RED HORIZON - GRAND FINALE
AN EPIC ESCAPE VELOCITY ADVENTURE
CREATED BY THE DIVINE ROOSTER
MODERATED BY THUNDER AND CAPTAIN CARNOTAUR
FINALE WRITTEN BY THUNDER, EDITED BY CAPTAIN CARNOTAUR
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Note: This is the ending to the Red Horizon trilogy. Comments are welcome (and encouraged), but please do not post any continuation posts. The story is over. Thanks to everyone who participated! 
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The Azdaras on patrol in the Dirach system watched as 5 Azdgari Warships and
3 Kayan aradas dissolved out of hyperspace and moved slowly across the
system. The Kayans, with their enhanced sensor arrays, had agreed to help
the Azdgari track down their lost fleet, which disappeared while exploring
beyond the crescent rim. Cautiously the Kayan aradas approached the entry
point to the hyperspace link, and then initiated a sensor sweep.
Aboard the lead Azdgari warship, the captain was getting impatient. The
Kayans had come to help find the lost fleet, not to sit around running
endless scans. "Well," he radioed the lead arada, "if you're just about
finished over there, are we ever going to go in?"
"I don't think that will be necessary." was the reply.
"What do you mean 'not necessary?'"
"There's a fleet of ships in the hyperspace link, coming this way. They'll
arrive in system within 20 minutes."
"How many ships?"
"Our scans show at least 50."
"50?!?" the captain of the Azdgari Warship gasped. "But we only sent 30
ships through!"
-------------
Within minutes the defense fleet at Dirach was launched, waiting tensely for
the fleet to arrive in system. Right on cue, five dozen ships emerged from
hyperspace and held position in front of the Azdgari. The ships were about
twice the size of crescent warships, organic looking, with bluish blotches
on the hull. There were two types, whose transponders identified them as
Battlecruisers and Destroyers, as well as fighters. Immediately they hailed
the Azdgari and Kayans in the system. "Alien vessels, vacate this area of
space immediately."
(Captain Carnotaur has posted images of the Edien ships at these links,
in case you want to see them: (url="http://"http://www.carnotaurhq.com/graphics/edien_cruiser.gif")http://www.carnotaur...ien_cruiser.gif(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.carnotaurhq.com/graphics/edien_fighter.gif")http://www.carnotaur...ien_fighter.gif(/url) )
"This is our space!" The lead defender snapped back. "We aren't going to
leave! Who are you anyway? We've never encountered your race before."
"We are the Edien Grand Imperial Order, we serve the one and only Edien
Emperor, and no others," was the terse, malevolent reply.
"Why have you come to our space? What do you want from us?"
"We want your space. Your land. Your resources. We claim this system as
our own. Now, vacate this region of space, or be destroyed."
"We're not leaving," the Azdgari answered. "This is our space, and we
won't give it to you without a fight."
"Then you leave us no choice..."
With that the Ediens cut off the comm channel and accelerated toward the
gathered Azdgari forces. Bay doors opened on the Edien ships, and dozens of
smaller fighters, similar in shape to the larger warships, but more
streamlined and maneuverable, emerged, four from each warship. The Azdgari
responded in kind, launching their Azdaras to counter the threat. The
Ediens were outnumbered three to one.
The two fleets sped toward one another, and then clashed in a blinding
barrage of weapons fire. The captain of the lead Azdgari warship watched in
horror as two Azdgari aradas disintegrated as they were blasted by a
powerful blue beam from one of the Edien warships. The Edien fighters
swarmed the larger, less maneuverable Azdgari warships, pelting them with
blazing, blue bolts of pure energy. The Azdgari defense force quickly found
themselves hopelessly outgunned, and were forced to retreat before
destroying more than a single Edien Battlecruiser and a handful of fighters.
The Dirach system was left to the Ediens.
-------------------
Arada Pilot glanced around the room. He was pleased with the turnout, all
the major governments had answered the call to this emergency conference.
The Azdgari, the Voinians, the Kayans, the Miranu, the Captains of S-570;
all were represented.
It had been five days since the Ediens had first appeared in Dirach. In the
time since then, they had moved swiftly and mercilessly. They had cut a
swath of destruction through Azdgari space, and were approaching the North
Tip Renegade and Miranu borders. Already they occupied 7 systems. The
Azdgari were no match for the Ediens alone, but perhaps with help...
Taking the stage, Arada Pilot directed the attention of the assembly to a
galactic map on the far wall. To the casual observer there was nothing
remarkable about it, except for the addition of a single hyperlink to the
east of Dirach and seven systems around it colored in red. To the assembled
audience, though, these additions were not just remarkable, but disturbing.
"The Edien Order, as these new aliens call themselves," Arada Pilot began,
"have already occupied seven systems in just 5 days." He motioned to the 7
red systems on the galactic map. "There is no negotiating with them. Their
sole desire is to occupy our space and own our resources, and what happens
to us is irrelevant to them. With the help of the Kayans and their enhanced
sensors, we have been able to scan their ships to see what we're up against,
and it doesn't look good. Their ships are heavily shielded, their fighters
highly maneuverable, and their weaponry more powerful than anything any of
us has come up against."
"It seems to me this is merely an Azdgari problem." interrupted one North
Tip Renegade. "Why should we help you?"
"This isn't simply an Azdgari problem. The Ediens don't care who they
destroy. They don't discriminate. They didn't hesitate to destroy a dozen
Kayan aradas near the Azdgari border, and they have also destroyed a Zachit
patrol. If we don't all work together to stop them, soon all of our galaxy
will fall to the Edien Order. What I'm calling for won't be easy, but it's
the only way. We have to put our own struggles and interests aside and face
this threat together. We need to form a galaxy-wide alliance, to drive
these Ediens out of our space once and for all. If we don't stand together,
we'll all be destroyed in turn."
------------------
It was a quite a sight to see the assembled battlefleet in the Feviry
system. Voinians, Kayans, Azdgari, all together in the same system, with
the same objective. All the major governments had heeded Arada Pilot's
warning, and agreed to set aside their disagreements and join forces to push
back the Edien Order.
It had been a week since the emergency conference, and the Ediens hadn't
wasted any time in making their presence known and felt. First they swept
northward, occupying systems as far west as Nadej, over 20 systems in all.
Now they were pressing south, and the Kayan system of Feviry looked to be
the next target.
"All ships stand ready..." Thunder radioed to the fleet, "I've got 30 Edien
warships on my sensors. They're about to come out of hyperspace."
Fighters launched, the allied forces waited for the Ediens to enter the
system. As the first Edien ships came out of hyperspace they were greeted
by a barrage of rockets, missiles, SAD modules, and cannon fire. Aradas
strafed the larger Edien warships. Voinian cruisers and Azdgari warships
unloaded the full force of their weaponry on the enemy. Kayan aradas and
laziras bombed the warships with defense pods. Zachit fighters and Azdaras
hunted down the Edien fighters that were launched into battle. It was a
brilliantly executed attack, and it left the Ediens reeling. Regrouping,
the Ediens struck back with their ion beams and quantum pulse weaponry,
decimating the first lines of the allied attack. Enraged, Azdgari and Kayan
aradas surged forward, to counter the Edien attack. The battle surged back
and forth for nearly half an hour before it became clear the Ediens were
losing ground. Their few remaining warships fled into hyperspace, leaving
Feviry still in the hands of the defenders. Though they had suffered
catastrophic losses, they had won the battle.
"We did it!" Rima shouted over the comm.
"For now." Thunder said. "But I'm picking up an even larger fleet in
hyperspace, on it's way here. Over 100 Edien ships. Looks like they're
bringing in some serious reinforcements."
A flurry of expletives in several different languages could be heard over
the comm channels as the survivors realized that their battle had been in
vain. Their fleet already battered, the defenders decided to get out while
they still could. Feviry was left abandoned, and yet one more system fell
as the Ediens continued their onslaught...
-----------------
Aboard South Tip Station, Thunder and the other Kayan militia leaders tried
as best they could to come up with some plan to counter attack the Edien
Order. It had been two weeks since Feviry had fallen to the Ediens, and
already the Kayans had been pushed back almost all the way to the blockade
perimeter. Much of Miranu space had been ravaged, and only Zachit, Mirava,
Kirrim, Kitrak, and a handful of other systems remained. Many Miranu had
evacuated to Voinian or Azdgari territory, or to within the blockade in Kayan
space. The Azdgari border was holding, for now, but for how long was unclear.
What was clear was that the Ediens were winning this conflict. At this rate the
entire galaxy would fall to the Ediens within two months.
Suddenly, a Kayan scientist rushed into the Militia briefing room and pulled
Thunder aside.
"I need to talk to you. In private. Now."
Thunder followed the scientist down the corridor to his laboratory. Once
they were inside, the scientist checked to make sure they were alone before
locking the door.
"I hope this is urgent," Thunder says, "I was right in the middle of a
Militia briefing."
"Sorry to interrupt, but this is important indeed," the scientist replied.
"We don't need to die at the hands of the Ediens. You have everything we
need to escape."
"What do you mean?"
"You have the Spacial Flux Enhancer and the most advanced Kayan sensor array
on your ship, the Storm. The Spatial Flux Enhancer works on the principle
of enhancing the natural fluctuations in space. We at the Scientific
Research Institute on Kayia have run scans and simulations that confirm that
there will be a convergence in those fluctuations here in the Akrayhek
system in just over two weeks. If you target it with the Spacial Flux
Enhancer and aim a coherent, high-frequency energy beam at the same point,
it will open a gateway to a region of space more than 37,000 light years
from here, more than a quarter of the way across the galaxy."
"You're sure we can do this? I mean, is that even possible?" asked Thunder,
incredulously.
"I assure you, it's possible."
"What about the region of space we'd be entering? How big is it? What's it
like?"
"21 systems, 9 inhabitable, with at least 17 or 18 separate worlds capable
of sustaining life, possibly more. Our long range scans indicate that the
region is currently uninhabited."
"I'll inform the Kayan Senate immediately," Thunder said, turning to leave,
"and I'll send a message out to the other races, offering them a chance to
come along."
"Wait!" the scientist yelled. Thunder stopped and turned back around.
"There's more you need to know! First, the convergence is a natural
occurrence, not anything we're creating. It will occur in precisely 15
days, 23 hours, and will only last for at most 2 hours. If we're not ready to
open the gateway then, we won't get a second chance. And second, since this
convergence is a completely random natural occurrence, once the gateway is
closed, we will probably never get a chance to reopen it. Chances are that
a similar convergence won't occur again for more than a million years. In
other words, what goes through stays through. Forever."
------------------
In the Mark system, Arada Pilot, leading the Azdgari and Voinian forces in
the region, prepared for a raid on the Edien controlled Gadzair system. His
fleet was just about ready to enter hyperspace when the Ediens decided to
bring the battle to them. Fifty Edien battlecruisers and destroyers and a
horde of escort fighters jumped into the system and immediately began
assaulting Arada Pilot and his assembled forces.
"Okay, guys," Arada Pilot called to his fleet, "let's take 'em out!"
Under Arada Pilot's leadership, the Azdgari and Voinian forces fought
bravely, and even seemed to gain the upper hand before the Ediens brought in
reinforcements. Slowly the Azdgari were losing the battle, their ships
falling to the ion beams, photon bolts, and quantum pulses of the mighty
Edien ships.
With more than half his forces gone, his shields failing, and the Ediens
cutting off every escape route, Arada Pilot ordered his forces to follow his
lead on one last headlong charge through the Edien battle lines, in hopes of
escape. He had to save his forces, even if it meant putting himself between
them and the enemy. Half a dozen Edien warships were destroyed as the
Azdgari and Voinian survivors aimed all their fury on a single point in the
Edien battle lines, trying to blast a way out. It was to no avail, though.
The rest of the Edien ships converged on the crippled Azdgari and Voinian
fleet, destroying those few vessels that were left. Four Azdaras were the
only ships to escape into hyperspace. On his bridge, Arada Pilot
stumbled to his feet after the Edien attack. He heard screams and klaxons;
his ship was about to disintegrate. He made his way across the bridge to
the far wall. Maybe if he could reach an escape pod in time, and set a
course for Kayan or Voinian space...
-------------------
Thunder had delivered the message about the gateway to all the races
fighting the Ediens. The Miranu and Zacha, fearing the complete
annihilation of their race if they stayed, decided to join the Kayans in
their escape. All the other races declined, saying that they would stay and
fight to protect their homes, even if it cost them their lives. Even the newly
renamed Federation Alliance (formerly known as the Captains of S-570) decided
to stay, having just recently begun to produce massive amounts of silver plated
Azdaras, Azdgari Warships, laziras, aradas, and Igazras after getting a
massive credit loan from several of the major governments, as well as tons
upon tons of extra supplies and materials the Kayans and Miranu were
leaving behind. Now, the Federation Alliance was growing rapidly, and already
they were beginning to occupy systems the Kayans, Miranu, and Igadzra had
abandoned.
At that moment, Thunder was in the Groned system, helping with the
evacuation there, when a huge fleet of several hundred Azdgari ships, mostly
large transport vessels, jumped into the system.
"Azdgari fleet to Kayans... we're coming with you."
"What?" Thunder replied, "I thought you were going to stay and fight the
Ediens with the Voinians and the Federation Alliance!"
"The Ediens have started a massive offensive in Azdgari space. 5 systems
have fallen within the last day alone! There's no time to bring in
reinforcements from the Voinians or Federation Alliance. Our only hope for
survival is to join you in your journey through the gateway."
"We welcome your decision to join us." Thunder said. "Alter your shields
to the frequency I'm transmitting to you now; it'll allow you to pass
through the blockade perimeter. We leave Akrayhek in 6 days."
"Acknowledged. Azdgari fleet out."
-----------------
The fleet gathered in orbit of Kayia was truly massive. With Azdgari,
Miranu, and Kayan vessels, the fleet easily numbered in the thousands,
perhaps even the tens of thousands. All were awaiting the time when the
convergence would allow them to open a gateway to a distant region of space,
and there peace and safety. Those few Kayans, Miranu, and Azdgari who had
decided not to evacuate had already left and set a course to the Galactic
Northwest, toward friendly territory. But the vast majority, over 98% of
them, were present in orbit of Kayia.
The last few days on Kayia had been frenzied to say the least. Refugees
everywhere, people looking to pick up supplies before the journey, and one
last major construction project. Thunder's ship had been outfitted with a
powerful energy capacitor, which would be needed to project the coherent
energy beam to open the gateway. The amount of energy required to charge
the capacitor was massive; it had taken the combined power grids of Bakoom
and Unobot nearly 36 hours to produce the required amount.
Rima sat on the bridge of her Miranu Gunship, looking out at the gathered
fleet. It was less than two minutes until they'd be able to open the
gateway. Just a couple months ago everything had been just fine, and now
the only hope for survival was to abandon known space, quite possibly
forever. Still, Rima couldn't help wondering if she'd ever see Mira again,
and if those they were leaving behind would be able to fight off the Edien
Order. Then she noticed a piece of paper in her pocket, which she pulled out
and read. It said, "Good luck on your journey. May we both see each other
again. Signed, Carnotaur." There was also a picture of Carnotaur, Captain
LoneIgadzra, Captain Specter, Captain Subterfuge, Nova6, Lonevoinian, as
well as many other admirals and officers of the Federation Alliance and the
Voinian Empire. Rima hoped this would help her remember the many friends
she, and Thunder, would leave behind.
Aboard the Storm, Thunder's science officer turned and spoke. "The
convergence is forming. Coordinates are identical to those predicted.
We'll be able to open the gateway in 5 seconds. 5... 4... 3... 2...
1... okay, you can start anytime now." Thunder reached over to his control
panel and flipped the switch that activated the Spacial Flux Enhancer.
Several hundred kilometers in front of the assembled fleet, space began to
waver, in what almost resembled a haze over a hot road. Then a powerful
white beam shot out from the Storm, impacting into the convergence. The
energy rippled outward, and the intensity of the light grew ever stronger,
until finally the collected energy exploded in a single blinding flash,
revealing a shimmering, rippling, bluish gateway.
"What do we do now?" asked Rima's first officer.
"Open a channel to the fleet," she replied. Once the channel was open,
Rima stood and spoke.
"Well," she said, "I have to tell you, I was a bit skeptical that we could
even open this gateway at all, but there it is. A gateway to a distant
region of the galaxy. We'll all be leaving our homes, but we'll be escaping
with what's most important: our lives and our families. Though the Edien
Order may destroy our planets, and the places we used to live, we will go
on. We will bravely step through the gateway and together we will build a
new civilization on the other side, a civilization of peace. Don't be
afraid, everyone. We've made it this far together, and together we can
survive anything." There was applause heard over the comm channels as
Rima's pep talk was received by the gathered ships.
"Rima's right." Thunder said, over the same fleet wide comm channel. "If
we hadn't worked together this long, we wouldn't be here right now. Now,
once we go through the gateway, we'll probably never be able to come back.
We'll be going to a region of space over 37,000 light years from here,
completing in five days a journey that would usually take nearly seven
hundred thousand years. The Edien Order may overtake our space here, but
they'll never overtake us. Don't worry, we aren't leaving everything
behind. We'll have our ships, our wits, our hope, and each other; and
that's more than we'll need to survive and flourish. And we'll have one
other thing, too."
On cue, 500 Kayan ships wheeled around and flew toward South Tip Station.
They gathered several kilometers in front of the station, and turned to face
the gateway. As the whole fleet looked on, they all fired magnetic tow
lines in the direction of the station, and hit their afterburners. Slowly,
the station, under the tremendous thrust of the hundreds of ships, began to
move. Thunder, Rima, and everyone else watched as the ships and South Tip
Station accelerated together into the gateway, disappearing into the
shimmering blue energy.
"They'll lead us through," Thunder said, continuing his speech. "Now it's
our turn. I'll see you all safe and sound on the other side. Let's go!"
In unison, the gathered fleet began to move forward, and began to flow in,
ship after ship being engulfed by the gateway. Within 30 minutes the system
was clear. Thunder was the last one left, still keeping the gateway open with his
Spacial Flux Enhancer. He'd had his sensors count the ships as they went
through; there were more than 23,000 ships (and one space station) that had gone
through. Now he turned to go. Leaving Kayia behind, he accelerated forward, until
his ship too was engulfed in the gateway.
Thunder watched on his viewscreen as Kayia fell away, followed by the rest
of known space. All the places he'd ever known or been in his entire life
were fading into the distance as his ship and the rest of the fleet
continued to speed down the gateway corridor, on their way to a new home and
new lives. Thunder knew there was just one thing left for him to do.
Turning away from the viewport he walked over to the main control panel, and
flipped the switch shutting off the Spacial Flux Enhancer.
In the now silent Akrayhek system, the gateway began to fluctuate, sending
off waves of energy into the surrounding space as it destabilized. The
gateway seemed to wave and bend, like some giant, shimmering, bluish flag
flapping in the breeze. Finally it collapsed into a pinpoint of light, which
bathed the entire system in it's glow before it faded, leaving the system
completely deserted.
----------------
Captain Carnotaur was planning a defensive strategy along with some of his
troops on Freeport, when one of the officers informed him that a message
beacon had just entered the system, one addressed to him. Five minutes
later, the beacon had been hauled into the station's cargo bay and hooked up
to the holo-projection system. On the viewscreen, an image of Thunder
appeared.
"Well, Carnotaur, if you're listening this right now, then it means you'll
probably never see me or any of the Kayans, Miranu, or Azdgari again. We've
made it safely into the gateway, and we wish you and those of you who chose
to remain behind the best of luck in your fight for freedom. Though we're
gone now, we wanted to help you guys out. Check out the information stored
on this beacon. You'll find some of the technological secrets of the
Azdgari, Kayans, and Miranu, and a couple of other surprises as well.
Thunder out."
"What's on the beacon?" Carnotaur asked. One of his scientists stepped
forward and accessed the beacon's data files, decrypting them one by one.
"It's got plans for the Zachit ships, defense pods, the Kayan Sensor
Upgrade, hmmm... this seems to be a map of the F-25 colony. Apparently
there's still some Kayan and Igadzra refugees who chose not to leave, and
they're hiding there. Plus there's the plans to Azdgari ships and Kayan
variant aradas! And the research the Kayans had conducted on
reverse-engineering the space mine! This stuff might be enough to turn the
tide of the war!"
"What's that one?" Carnotaur inquired, pointing to a highly encrypted file
in the database display.
"I'm accessing it now," the scientist replied. "It's a shield frequency...
and not just any shield frequency. It's the operating frequency of the
Kayan blockade perimeter!"
Hearing this, Carnotaur immediately set off for his ship. Before he left
the room, he called to his first officer, "Get the crew ready for departure,
we're heading to Kayia."
-----------------
The Akrayhek system had slept in complete silence for over a week, with
nothing but the movement of the asteroids to disturb the almost perfect
sense of stasis. Suddenly the silence was shattered as Carnotaur and his
fleet dropped out of hyperspace. Carnotaur marveled at what he saw.
Strangely, South Tip Station was gone without a trace. Scanning the surface
of Kayia, he quickly located something out of the ordinary; a spire nearly a
half kilometer tall standing on the hill overlooking the capital city.
Carnotaur plotted a descent course and landed his ship, the silver plated
Voinian cruiser the Red October, in the now deserted spaceport. The
silence of the abandoned city was eerie. Traffic controls, buildings, even
the viewscreens in the main square were still working perfectly. All that
was missing were the inhabitants. The only movement in the entire city was
as a flock of birds flew overhead. On the hill, Carnotaur could see the
spire standing tall against the aquamarine sky, and set off toward it.
Fifteen minutes later he and his crew had reached the base of the spire. It
was an impressive sight, the spire carved out of pure black and white
granite, polished to sparkle in the late afternoon sun. Then something
caught Carnotaur's eye; along one side of the spire there was something
engraved in the stone. It was a list of the names of people who'd fought
and died in the wars; Rooster, Daedalus, Samuari, Redchigh, and Titan,
among others. Below that there was a brief inscription. Intrigued, Carnotaur
started reading:
"In memory of Kayia, the Kayans, the Azdgari, the Zidagar, the Miranu, the Zachit,
And all those who died in the great wars, when so many didn't have to.
May peace someday return to the galaxy,
Shining light and new hope over the red horizon..."
-------------
------------------
Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe, and he'll believe you.
Tell him a bench has wet paint on it, and he'll have to touch to be sure.
(This message has been edited by Thunder (edited 02-12-2001).)
By the way, Carnotaur, are the images you used for the Edien ships the allien ships in Escape Velcoity converted to blue scale? It just seems like I remember fighting those ships in EV, only they were red, and pretty tough to destroy.
