Seeing the fleet of Ethisian and YYrejite ships flocking into the planet they were on, Grania and Skyler remembered something that they should have informed the others immediately.
Caught up by Ely’s pursuits, the Granian had forgotten about the Ethisians and their ships that achieved hyperspace on their own.
The Granian fleets relied on external mechanisms to boost their ships. The Ethisian and YYrejite fleets, on the other hand, did not. Because of this, they had the chance to get the drop on the Granians...just like they did at that moment.
"We have to evacuate..." Grania mumbled while his fleet and the Cyclitharans watched the skies continue to darken with enemy ships approaching them speedily. "We have to evacuate. EVERYONE, GET IN YOUR SHIPS, NOW!!!"
Grania barked the command as he ran for Ace, Cherry, and Skyler. Seeing the Ethisian ship he and Skyler were in earlier, the Granian Lord darted toward it, creating a chain reaction where the other soldiers picked themselves up and ran to the ships closest to them.
In a panicked state, soldiers trampled on their weaker, injured colleagues, leaving them to fend for themselves. As soon as the first Granian/Cyclitharan ships took to the skies, the enemy ships opened fire, killing them by the dozens.
Thankfully, Lords Grania and Gravax left the planet first with a few of their strongest fighters. ships following shortly. Behind them was a bloody massacre where their enemies killed and imprisoned their soldiers.
In awe, surprise, and disgust, Lord Grania watched the scene unfold before his ship vanished into the vacuum of space. He and those who followed witnessed Ethisian and YYrejite ships storming the planet in large numbers, reclaiming what they had once lost to the Granians.
But how? How did the Ethisians get so many of their ships to the planet that quickly? They were far from Edenia, the hotbed for Ethisian activity, and they, the Granians, thought that they were the only race with technology that could achieve hyperspace. So how did the Ethisians get there?
"There must be a mole in our ranks."
That was the first conclusion many Granians and Cyclitharans came up with. How else could the Ethisians possess technology only the Granians had?
"I saw it for myself." Lord Grania, currently stationed at the back of the ship he was one, communicated with Lord Gravax, who was onboard another ship. Disturbed by how the Ethisians got to them so quickly, the two discussed amongst each other what the reason could be.
"The human Skyler and I were onboard an Ethisian ship, the one the High Grade Elyssara piloted to the planet we just escaped. We snuck onto the Ethisian planet Edenia and managed to get on her personal ship.
"They, like us, have achieved hyperspace. But..."
He paused, taking a moment of silence whilst looking away, leaving Gravax to soak in suspense. Newest update provıded by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱
"But?" Gravax asked, wondering what the Granian Lord was thinking about. "But what, Lord Grania?"
"Unlike us, they do not need an outside influence to send their ships into hyperspeed. The mechanism is within their ships. They managed to shrink theirs and insert it into their ships. That’s how they got here so quickly."
Gravax remained silent, his eyes wide open in shock, disbelief, and worst of all, terror. There was a disadvantage to their mechanism, compared to the Ethisians’. Once Granian ships were cast into hyperspeed, they could not achieve it again until they passed through another giant mechanism. That meant that they would have to traditionally cover long distances that hyperspeed could cut short, unless they built and passed through another mechanism.
"This worsens things for us," Gravax exclaimed, already taking in the possibilities of failure that this revelation would bring with it. "With that technology, the Ethisians can move about as they please, and we won’t be able to keep up with them.
"They could rally all their troops and attack home base before reinforcements arrive. They could even attack our colonies that lack proper manpower. "
Wearing the same confident smile the Granian Lord regularly wore, Grania reassured Gravax, saying, "No need to fret, Gravax. The ship I am on is the Ethisian ship Elyssara used. As soon as we retreat to our bastions, I’m assigning you to put that big brain of yours into breaking down how this mechanism works and how we can use it on our ships. And you have a few days to understand how the Blood Mutants and YYrejites achieved cloning. We’re already stretching ourselves too thin as it is.
"In the meantime, I’ll need to redesign how we’re going to defend ourselves until then. I fear the Ethisians are going to use this to their advantage for as long as they can."
"And the human?" Gravax asked, addressing a more pressing issue, "You saw what he did today. Shouldn’t we discuss how we’re going to deta..."
Quickly, the Granian Lord cut the call off. Since he was in a confined ship, he lacked privacy to discuss such matters, especially since three of the five humans were present with him, one staring at him intently while the other tended to the unconscious Blood Mutant.
"So...that display of power from your brother...wasn’t that impressive?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood. Skyler remained silent, instead choosing to gaze at Lord Grania. Cherry, on the other hand, stroked her brother’s hair as she’d occasionally pass ugly stares at the Granian.
"Can you hope to do the same as him?" he asked. "Even if we were to give you a system of your own?"
"That’s possible?" they both asked, already aware of Ace’s Blood Mutant System.
"In theory, yes. But can you hope to achieve his type of..."
"No," Cherry answered quickly, recalling everything Ace did and went through to get to where he was, starting from the gruesome training sessions, to the painful evolutions, and finally the abrupt shift in his energy and behavior, "it’s not something I want."
"Odd." Grania commented and then stared back at Skyler. "And what about you? When will you become a Blood Mutant? Or will you stick to your human powers..."
"I’m fine with eating normal food and not having to ingest alien blood..." Skyler answered in a disgusted tone but then quickly turned to Cherry and continued in an apologetic tone, saying, "...no offence to you."
"None taken." She sighed while staring at her brother’s body. "None taken at all."