Chapter 18

They turned to leave when Gabriel jumped from behind the rubble with his sword out and yelled as he stabbed Ryok from behind through the chest, Michael, “NO!”, and he pulled his sword out and she started to fall but Michael grabbed her and held her in his arms knowing there is nothing he can do as he scanned her and saw the extent of her damage and was given a 99% fatality but refused to believe it, Michael, “Ryok stay with me! Crow will help you once I have them beam you aboard.”, Ryok (weakly), “No. It is too late. I know it because I can see it on your face.”, tears then ran down Michael’s face and Ryok weakly whipped them, Ryok, “Don’t cry brother. I am going to a better place where there’s peace. Just do a favor for me.”, Michael leaned closer to Ryok and she whispered to him before she gave her last breath. Michael lowered her to the floor and turned her communicator on and was beamed up, all the while Michael fought back tears. Once she dematerialized he remained on his knees and grew with rage as he looked up with angry bloodshot eyes at Gabriel, Michael, “GABRIEL!”, and he grabbed his sword and attacked Gabriel swinging his sword with wild but controlled anger that even Gabriel had a hard time stopping his swings as his sword kept getting knocked away, Michael, “You son of a bitch! Why did you kill her?!”, Gabriel, “She killed our mother! She deserves to die! And now I am going to kill you because of our father!”, and he swung hard and Michael blocked his attack and they kept swinging at each other with furious rage as the planet fell apart around them leaving slabs of rock that they are just able to step on as they both moved back and forth swinging at each other till Gabriel knocked the sword out of Michael’s hands and it fell into the depths of the planet and as Gabriel was about to swing at him Michael charged after him with outstretched arms before he was dematerialized making Gabriel stumble as he missed.

Michael rematerialized on the transporter pad mid motion on the Challenger and as he saw what happened he screamed in anger, Michael (as he turned to the transporter chief), “WHY DID YOU...”, transporter chief, “Sir I have orders from Commander Gross to report to the bridge immediately cause the planet is collapsing!”, Michael rushed towards the bridge. When he stepped onto the bridge he saw people running about, helm, “Ma’m warp core is offline!”, the ship jerked back and more alarms went off, navigation, “Ma’m we’re being sucked into the planet by some sort of gravity well!”, Gross, “ARSENAL GIVE US WARP DRIVE NOW!”, silence, Gross, “Arsenal?!”, voice, “Captain?”, Michael immediately retreated to the turbo lift and it closed just as the commander saw him. Michael ran down the corridors when the turbo lift opened and sometimes stopped himself from slamming into the walls as the ship jerked around or shook. When he reached engineering he looked down the railing and saw Arsenal holding the containment door up as wounded crewmen were being dragged out by Crow and other engineering crews and medical personnel and he slid down the ladder and was about to approach Arsenal till he saw the main warp control closed with a radiation sign flashing. He made a quick scan and found out that is where the problem is and was about to enter till Malon grabbed his shoulder to stop him, Malon, “Sir you can’t go in there!”, he jabbed her in the chest making her lose her breath and he went in and locked the door. Crow saw him in the room and he ran to the walls and pounded on it, Crow (over the alarm noises), “Michael! Michael, get out of there!”, and Michael started pressing buttons on one of the control panels and looking at another as Crow and Malon called out to him. When he is in there the ship started to burn up in the aft section as it was entering what’s left of the atmosphere. Like in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Michael went up to the warp core control standing in the middle of the room, Malon, “CAPTAIN!”, Crow, “MICHAEL!”, Chloe ran up and pounded on the glass door, Chloe, “DON’T DO IT DUMB ASS!”, but Michael pulled the top off and multiple blue lights appeared and Michael struggled to put it down. He then reached inside the circular tube lined with lighted blue vertical rods as blue smoke and mist (like in Star Trek II) blew past him and found one of the vertical rods not lighted and started working on it trying to tighten it back up to the rest of the rods as his skin started to wrinkle and he cringed in pain as he used all his strength to tighten it up till it finally lighted and Michael yanked his hands out from the electrical/radiation shock revealing his contorted and light blue face from the radiation as he sagged down to the floor almost falling. He then grabbed and struggled to pull up the top and was just able to sat it on the circular tube and locked it on as he rested on it.

On the computer display on the science station it reads nominal on the warp core display, science officer, “Warp core online!”, Gross, “HELM GET US OUT OF HERE!”, and the Challenger (already in middle of reentry) went into warp and not a second later the planet exploded in a large ball of fire. The Challenger then came out of warp and appeared surrounded by other allied starships that have been damaged during the battle, Gross, “Status?”, helm, “VerKa is still secured in the hanger bay, warp...”, comms, “Ma’m it’s Captain Valkyrie!”, Gross, “What is it?”, Crow (voice), “Tell Chloe to get down here.”, Gross, “Docter?”, Crow (voice), “Tell her to hurry.”, Chloe ran down the passageways till she reached engineering and slid down the ladder well till she saw Michael leaning on a computer console in the sealed room and she was about to run and open it till Crow and Arsenal held her back. Crow, “NO! You will flood the whole compartment!”, Chloe, “He’ll die!”, Arsenal, “It’s too late.”, Chloe stopped struggling and looked sadly at Crow, Crow, “I’m sorry Chloe.”, Chloe walked over to the glass door with her whole body shaking and pressed the call button, Chloe, “Michael? Honey?”, Michael rose up trying to keep himself from shaking violently as he straightened his uniform and as he turned to look at her she gasped and covered her mouth as she silently cried as she saw the right side of his face is stretched and a light blue color with his hair shock white. He limped towards the door till he ran into it and stumbled back before sliding down against it with his radiated face pressed against the glass. Michael (harsh raspy voice), “Ship....out...of....danger?”, Chloe collapsed against the glass with her right hand pressed against it and Crow and Arsenal almost ran up till they noticed she was alright. Chloe (sadly), “Yes.”, Michael, “I’m sorry I haven’t been a good husband and father.”, Chloe, “You are the best husband and father anyone can have.”, she started to cry but tried to fight back tears as Michael put a wrinkled hand to the glass. Michael, “Don’t...cry. Have...to be...strong...for....Abby.”, Chloe, “But I can’t live without you!”, Michael, “Yes...you...can.”, Chloe kept trying to fight back tears as she clawed on the glass as if to reach Michael, Chloe, “But I am not as strong as you.”, Michael, “You....will.”, Chloe kissed the glass where Michael is rested his head as he tried to smile before he slumped with his eyes open, Chloe, “Michael? MICHAEL!”, and Chloe broke down crying.

The rest of the ship was notified of Michael’s death and before the Challenger the rest of the remaining invading armada retreated back into deep space and away from Federation territory with the Saiyan ships giving chase, helm, “Ma’m should we pursue?”, Gross, “No. Let the saiyans do as they wish. Lets go home. Notify whoever is in charge of the fleet that we wish to stay but under the circumstances we are going to Zhargosia to return Michael Valkyrie home.”, Tu relayed the message and as the remaining ships in the fleet assembled in large groups the Challenger flew away at full impulse till it was separated from the group and went into warp. In the meantime two guards stood outside of the shared quarters of Ender and Petra as they sat together on the side of the bed silently holding each other’s hands as Chloe laid on the bed curled up over the covers in the dark. In the ship’s morgue it was all silently till there was a low banging noise and then grew louder as one of the lockers started bending outwards as something was kicking it. In Crow’s office Crow was sitting in front of his computer looking through some lab results and he pulled up a file for Michael’s blood and as Crow watched he suddenly looked shocked, voice, “Dr. Crow someone or something is trying to break out of one of the lockers!”, Crow, “Ohhh shit.”, and Crow stood up quickly and ran out of the office.