Ayjax cracked his neck. They'd been on the chase for days now. Reports continued to flood in about the gearborn. However, their fleet had yet to catch sight of the blasted robots. Ayjax could tell the others were growing impatient. He was, too. They had expected the gearborn to face them head-on and not run like a bunch of cowards. That didn't sound like the old gearborn he was used to.
"There is a message from Captain Finn, Ayjax."
"Go on," He nodded.
"He says the Cormac has nearly reached the warp point, and there has still been no sign."
Ayjax cursed. He had feared this. It was likely that the robots had already retreated from Valencia. The Cormac had gone ahead to scout for the gearborn. They were one of the fastest vessels in their fleet, and yet, they had not managed to find anything.
"We continue."
"I will send that message to the Captain, but I suspect that was always his intention."
He let the wheel go for a moment and gave control to Torrent. There were many ships in their fleet. A few of them, like his own, were privately owned vessles. They came in many different sizes, but none as large as his own. They were all here for the same reason, though. The gearborn had returned.
The remainder of the fleet was the Valencian navy. Ayjax had been part of the navy once. Now he was his own man, free to make his own choices. He really wanted to strangle some metal creatures.
The Valencian fleet was far more impressive than the odd collection of ships that he was a part of. There were three battleships that were near his ship's size. However, their firepower far surpassed his own.
A collection of smaller, faster vessels ringed the central three. These were used to board enemy vessels, and many of the soldiers on board had powers related to wind or water. When properly utilized, they could advance on a ship in seconds. These were the same style as the Cormac.
The last ship was the true powerhouse of the Valencian navy. It was nearly double the size of his own ship. If not for the massive central battery that connected directly to the sea heart, the cruiser wouldn't even be able to float. This ship contained the most powerful weapons of the Valencian navy. Cannons that were capable of destroying ships with one shot. The power was enough to fry even the gearborn's shielding systems.
However, the true purpose of the massive vessel was to house the troops. Most of the other ships had several hundred. However, this ship had upwards of a thousand soldiers on board. In total, there were nearly five thousand men headed to this battle against the robots. Even his own ship was filled with soldiers. Currently, those soldiers paced the lower deck or were in the many cabins, sleeping.
Ayjax was glad he had prevented Red from accompanying them. The battle that would take place would be the biggest the seven seas had experienced since the war. Men would die, there was no doubt about that. Ships would likely sink. However, the Gearborn would be defeated.
Based on all of their information, the Gearborn fleet only consisted of 12 ships. That didn't mean the robots wouldn't stand a chance. Each Gearborn ship was more heavily defended than their own. That wasn't even mentioning the passengers aboard those ships.
Ayjax doubted there were any more Heralds. However, the one he had fought was still alive. His power was a ghastly one and would leave the weaker men crippled. That monster could wreak havoc across their fleet all on his own. Then again, Ayjax could do the same right back, and he wasn't the only one.
Despite the massive fleet arrayed around him that showed the importance of the mission, it wasn't the fleet itself that truly mattered. It was those aboard the fleet. There was him. A powerhouse if he did say so himself. He could likely sink an entire Gearborn ship on his own if he went all out. However, he wasn't the only one here, nor was he the most dangerous.
That went to Finn Crest.
Finn Crest hadn't shown his face since the war. Few alive had witnessed his true strength in battle. Ayjax had. Finn had been the central figure from the Valencian army during the war. He had been by far the strongest and deadliest threat to the gearborn. They had thrown everything they had against him, and all the man had lost was a hand.
Ayjax hadn't been that strong during the war. He was a threat, yes, but so were many others. It wasn't until the deaths of Red's parents that he truly began pushing himself. He had obtained another heart layer and reached the same strength as the Captain of Valencia.
Well, the same heart level at least.
However, even after obtaining another layer, he knew Finn was stronger. There were levels even among those of the same rank. Finn was at the highest peaks. If there was anyone in their fleet who could eliminate the Herald, it would be Finn.
Ayjax wasn't one to normally doubt himself. However, the previous encounter had left him uneasy. The Herald had not been going all out, and yet he had expended his most powerful attack just to escape.
He also hadn't felt the full power of the Herald's truly ghastly abilities. It was likely that even with his formidable mental defenses, the sheer onslaught of the robot's power would break through.
Despite this, Ayjax wanted to be the one to put the Herald beneath the waves. The chances of that happening in this battle were slim. It was likely that Finn would be the one to face the Gearborn's leader. Still, he was happy enough to tear the other metal creatures to shreds.
"Ayjax, we have an urgent message from the Cormac."
He straightened and tightened his grip on the wheel. "Did they find them?"
"Yes."
"Connect me to the fleet communication network."
"Already working on it."
Ayjax felt a buzz in his mind before his consciousness overlapped with the radio channels. He knew little about how the machines worked, only that they were a combination of core engineering and human power. As his mind linked into the military connection, he heard the words that he had been waiting to hear ever since they departed.
"Contact."
Finn's familiar voice resounded, "Status?"
"They are approaching the warp point, but they're still far out. There is still time for interception."
"Everyone, double quick, we must prevent their retreat. All ships prepare for combat."
Ayjax grimaced. They were going to be forced to leave the slower ships behind if they wanted to intercept the gearborn. The massive cruiser was too slow to keep up. That meant all the men on board would be left behind, along with all of their advanced firepower. It was a shame, but their only chance.
He gave Torrent the command, and the ship groaned. A moment later, the wind began to pick up as they turned on their built-in traveling mechanisms. They had been fully utilized during the initial escape from the Herald and were still heavily overused. Still, this was likely his only chance of keeping up with the rest of the fleet.
With the ship in gear, Ayjax connected himself to the ship's announcement system. All across the deck and the cabins below, the soldiers turned from what they were doing. Everyone stopped as his voice echoed across the deck.
"Ready yourself for battle. There has been contact with the enemy."