Golden Dawn

Chapter 1: Prologue

It cannot be said that the Alesians did not have a good system. Their empire was strong and their system was most efficient. But it was also ruthless, and came at the subjugation of everyone else in the galaxy. This is why the Alesian dreams of conquest and expansion had to be brought to heel, for the good of the galaxy.

-Beliskner Log, Supreme Commander Thor, Earth Date circa 7000 BC

7000 BC, Alesian Empire Space

"Is the device ready?"

"Almost, I require a few more seconds." The Asgard next to Tyr said. The Asgard ship Yggdrasil had been escorted by a flotilla of other ships, undertaking a mission directed by the High Council itself. Tyr watched the battle that was going on his holographic display. Suddenly, one of the blue shapes representing an Asgard ship blinked out. More reports were coming in from the rest of the small fleet.

"The Jörmungandr has been destroyed."

"Alesian fighters on attack vectors. Aesir and Mjölnir are requesting orders."

"Four more Alesian ships dropping out of hyperspace. They have an Angelan." Tyr blinked in response. Angelan-class warships were the heavy hitters of the Alesian Empire. It was not uncommon for entire fleets of lesser ships to be obliterated underneath an Angelan's guns. This wouldn't faze Tyr however, since he was an elite officer of the Asgard Fleet. He had earned the title of Aesir as recognition of his efforts, and was handpicked to lead this mission against the Alesians to bring the war to a quick conclusion.

"Concentrate all fire on the Alesian dreadnought. It is the greatest threat to our mission." Tyr said, his grey skin reflecting the light of the command console. "One that may see the war won. I don't need to remind you of the Alesian threat to the galaxy."

The rest of the Asgard bridge crew nodded. They understood that the chances of them escaping were zero, but their sacrifice would remove a threat for good. Tyr turned to the scientist next to him.

"Will this device really work?" The scientist nodded.

"It should. Once activated, the Alesians would be trapped." After hearing the reply, Tyr turned to the weapons officer.

"Boost powers to the weapons. We are outgunned. More time is required."

"Yes, Aesir." The weapons officer said, typing in commands as he worked feverishly. The console in front of Tyr chirped.

"Alesian dreadnought identified. It's the Shadow of Retribution." Tyr watched as the mammoth warship fired three yellow beams in quick succession at the Mjölnir, impacting the shields with a brilliant flare of light.

"Mjölnir is taking heavy damage. She can't survive for long."

"We can't fail. We are the Aesir, the elite of the Asgard fleet." Tyr said, hoping to spur his crew on. He shielded his eyes as another flare of light burned through the viewport. A second blue light on the display went out. The ship began to shake as the dreadnought turned toward the Yggdrasil, streams of blue pulses flying from its numerous ion cannons. The ship began to shake heavily from the impacts of the Alesian weapons.

"Mjölnir destroyed. Shields are at 80% and falling." Tyr narrowed his eyes at the console.

"Reroute power from secondary systems to shields." He said after a moment, pivoting on his feet to face the scientist again. "Time to activation?"

"Nearly there. The device is ready. Charging."

"When it is charged, fire the device." Tyr glanced out the viewport again. The Aesir was trading fire with an Alesian battleship and a cruiser. He knew it was only a holding action to distract the Alesians from their true purpose. It was the last escorting ship that was left. Ragnarokhad died first, the fleet fighting off the initial patrol of two Alesian cruisers and a battleship. It blew apart one of the cruisers and heavily damaged the other cruiser before it fell victim to the battleship, cleaved apart by the beam weapons.

Jörmungandr had been next after having fought for nearly fifteen minutes, damaging the Alesian light battleship Nova. The battle began to go against the Asgard when the Alesian battleship Vengeance showed up. The weakened Jörmungandr stood no chance before Vengeance's neutron beam batteries, taking a hit to the reactor core that caused it to go critical and explode. The Alesian patrol had been heavily outnumbered and outgunned before the Shadow of Retribution and its escorts showed up. Now the Aesir's shields were flickering, soon to be the next to fall.

"The device is charged." The scientist replied hurriedly. Tyr felt the ship shudder underneath his feet at the Yggdrasil lost his shields, Alesian fire pounding the hull relentlessly.

"Engines and hyperdrive are offline. We must engage the device." The scientist said as the ship shook violently.

"Do it." Tyr ordered as the scientist tapped the console, the time dilation device lighting up.

"For Valhalla." Tyr whispered as the device activated, the bubble shooting out in all directions.

Onboard the Beliskner, Thor watched the display with tired eyes. He turned toward the other members of the Asgard Council, who were represented as holograms. It was Odin that first spoke.

"It is done?" He asked, running a hand nervously over his bald head.

"Yes. The Alesians are now trapped in time stasis." Thor said, his voice calm as he spoke.

"The entire Alesian Empire? All of their worlds?"

"With the exception of a few remote outposts, the Alesians are all trapped. The last few worlds are minor, with little to no defense present. They will be dealt with." Thor said, nodding his assent. Odin seemed satisfied with the answer.

"Good, now we can focus on other matters." Odin leaned back, his expression unreadable. Freyr frowned.

"We cannot expect the Alesians to remain in stasis forever. They are an advanced race, and we must expect them to figure what happened to them." He said evenly, his tone one of concern. "Time doesn't stop, it is just very slow inside the bubble. They'll get out eventually."

"Yes, but we'll have the technology and numbers to match them." Odin said confidently.

"Let's hope so." Freyr turned to Thor, blinking his large black eyes. "Commander Thor, when can we expect the Alesians to overcome the effects of the device?" Thor thought for a moment, frowning in concentration.

"Calculations estimate them to figure it out within a day inside the bubble, which is several thousand years in our time." He said after a moment. The rest of the council nodded in satisfaction.

"If there is no more business to discuss, this meeting is adjourned." Odin said as his hologram flickered and shut off. The rest of the council followed suit, leaving Thor alone with only his thoughts to keep him company. He looked outside the viewport of his private quarters. The Asgard hoped that the Alesians could be dealt with in the far future, for he feared for the future of the Asgard race if the Alesians were let loose once more.