We dropped out of the sub-ether fairly close to our destination: planet Gahjin/Ishkar. It was an ugly, oceanless world, dry and reddish looking much like what the Earth is becoming under Gahjin bombardment.

I started shaking looking down on the planet from the ship’s bridge. This was zero hour. The fate of all humanity was resting on my shoulders. And believe me, I felt every ounce.

Admiral Yamato walked up to me. “Are you alright, ensign?”

I smiled weakly at him. Blake stepped up to put his arm around my shoulders. “I’m just really nervous, admiral. Everyone is looking at me. Expecting me to do something. Admiral, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do! I don’t understand why I’m here!”

Blake pulled me close to him. “You’re the oracle. Through you, the princess will tell us how to rid ourselves of our Gahjin problem.”

I continued to shake. “What if she’s lying to us? What if she’s worse than the Gahjin? They’re on the same planet after all. What if I become the most evil thing in the galaxy?”

Blake kissed my forehead. “Tyler, there’s not an evil bone in your body.”

Captain Jennings said, “Sir. Their ground defenses are powering up their weapon systems.”

At that moment, it seemed almost fifty fighters, the most they’ve ever thrown at us at one time, dropped out of sub-ether with about half at the stern and half at the bow. They immediately launched their salvo of missiles.

Grim-faced, Admiral Yamato said, “Let the auto defenses, what’s left of them engage the small attack vessels. Rotate the ship so the main turrets can point to the surface. Use short bursts s so there’s no re-charge delay and start taking them out.”

Blake returned to the control console. He announced, “First targets are locked. Commence firing.”

Energy blasts from the turrets started hitting the surface creating a peppering of explosions.

The ship rocked from hits from the smaller missiles. A few missiles from the ground defenses made their way up and smashed into the ship. Multiple hits shredded turret one. The Texas rocked from the Flex cannon in the turret exploding.

Captain Jennings shouted, “Evacuate bow levels four through six. We have a bulkhead breach! Evacuate!”

Turrets two and four began hitting their targets on the surface. Massive explosions rose into the sky along with dirt and smoke.

A damaged Gahjin ship smashed into the side of the bridge pushing all of us against our restraints. Cracks started forming in the forward view window.

Blake shouted, “Closing emergency shutters!” A half second before the shutter sealed, one of the glass panes shattered explosively out into space. Alarm klaxons were sounding all over the ship.

Looking at the RADAR on my comm. panel, I shouted, “Oh shit! Admiral! The ship we’ve been worrying about just dropped out of sub-ether. Battlecruiser class. twelve guns, all energy weapons, no large missiles detected!”

Admiral Yamato shouted, “Pilot! Set main guns to auto tracking. Take evasive action. Do not let that ship target lock us!”

Captain Jennings announced, “Fighters launched to engage surface defenses.”

More calmly than I expected, Blake said as he punched buttons. “Aye, sir. Guns on computer targeting.” The remaining turrets spun to face the large Gahjin ship. “Flex guns charged to one hundred ninety percent.”

Looking grim, Admiral Yamato set his jaw and said, “Set Flex Cannons to fire at two hundred and eighty percent. Full thrust on the Flex engine. We never stop moving.”

Suddenly alarmed, I shouted, “That charge is now only spread across four guns! The overload will blow the ship apart!”

He didn’t even glance at me. “Noted, ensign,”

Blake said, “Switching jump coil to short jump fast charging.”

Captain Jennings said calmly, “Firing of the Gahjin ship detected in twenty seconds.”

The Gahjin battlecruiser fired, but we were no longer at that location. We jumped to a location twenty nautical miles behind our previous position. We were now rocketing our way directly at the Gahjin battlecruiser.

Wiping sweat from his eyes, Blake announced, “Flex cannons at two hundred thirty-five percent.” The ship rocked as the Gahin fighters followed us and launched another salvo.

Captain Jennings looked at her monitor screen. “Sheilds failing. At twenty-five percent. Energy is being drained by the Flex cannon.

Through gritted teeth, I growled, “Hold together you piece of shit!”

Blake glanced over at me just as he punched another short jump just seconds before the Gahjin battlecruiser fired. “Is that the princess talking?” An energy beam from the battlecruiser struck a glancing blow amidships.

Shaking from stress, I muttered, “No. That was me.”

Maybe it wasn’t stress. The whole ship was shuddering. Panels started falling apart and lights were winking out. A high pitched whine came from deep within the bowels of the ship.

Blake shouted, “Flex cannons at two hundred eighty percent!”

The admiral shouted, “Bring the ship about so both turrets have a clear shot!”

Blake nodded, “Aye, sir. Ten seconds before firing.”

Captain Jennings shook her head. “Gahjin ship eight seconds from firing. Turrets two and four going critical.”

I banged my first on the comm. panel and shouted, “Hold together!”

I could see the light from the Gahjin ship as it fired moments before the Texas fired. And then the damnest thing happened. Almost every panel on the bridge blew out, the ship rolled back and the barrels of the big guns vaporized. We lost all control of the Texas. I watched in awe as our over-charged beams of energy braided with the incoming beams and grew in strength. The energy from the Gahjin guns were reversed and fed back into the battlecruiser. The ship disintegrated in a blinding explosion.

After a few moments, the ship’s power starting coming back on-line. This time we hadn’t used a sudden switch of power from the Flex engine, so that power remained intact.

We all just sat there a moment trying to catch our breath. The only sound on the bridge was the whistle of air escaping from a small breach in the forward view window, even with the shutters closed.

Admiral Yamato pointed towards the front font of the bridge. “Lieutenant. Fix that.”

Blake climbed up to the small breach and applied some silica gel goo and it stopped.

Admiral Yamato blinked a few times and looked about the bridge. “Status.”

Captain Jennings smiled when she announced, “Surface defenses are shutting down, admiral.”

Admiral Yamato scratched is chin. “I hope it’s not just a ploy for us to get closer. The moment a defense site starts powering back up, light it up. Have remaining fighters secure the LZ.”

Admiral Yamato pointed at Blake and me. “Time for you to report to the hanger deck.” He looked at me. “I know you won’t let humanity down. Everyone on Earth is depending on you.” No pressure! He shook both our hands. “God speed.”

As we walked towards the hanger deck, with Blake holding my hand, the 1MC announced, “Landing party report to the hanger deck.”

I was so nervous the closer we got to the hanger deck. I wanted to throw up. I stopped and collapsed to my knees.

“I can’t do this, Blake. Don’t make me go down there.” I started to cry.

Blake knelt next to me. “You have to go. All of humanity is counting on you.”

I glared at him. “Do you really think that fucking helps?”

Blake squeezed my hand. “I can’t tell you what the princess was thinking, but I’m sure she wouldn’t have selected you to be her oracle if you weren’t up for the task.”

I frowned. “What if I was the only candidate for being an oracle? I’m guessing oracles don’t exactly grow on trees.”

Blake stood up and reached his hand down to me. “If you don’t go, all this will have been for nothing. If you don’t get on that transport, you’ll regret it. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.”

I scowled at Blake for a moment, then reached up and caught his hand. He pulled me to my feet.

Blake grinned. “Let’s go kick some Gahjin butt.”

The transport had set down softly at the designated coordinates. In front of us stood what was obviously a temple of some kind, but not resembling any earth cultures. The door to the temple was open. All of us were wearing environment suits as the atmosphere on the planet was heavy with methane.

Blake, me and twenty soldiers, including the one fighter pilot who lost a leg, slowly entered the building, weapons ready. Light spilled in through the open doorway and through openings along the ceiling. The path inside the temple led to a wide doorway, with steps leading down to a dark interior.

Blake took a deep breath. “Tyler, get in the center of the group. I’ll take point.”

I dutifully moved to the center of the soldiers. The one legged man joined Blake at point as we all slowly descended the wide stone staircase. A few hundred steps later, we were back on a flat surface. After almost twenty minutes of walking, we could see a bluish glow in front of us.

We passed through a small choke hole of an entrance that would be perfect for an ambush, into a gigantic cavern covered in blue and green glowing crystals. In the center of the cavern was a single, large blue crystal pulsating with an internal light. It was mounted on a raised dais. As we approached the crystal, I felt a calmness come over me.

The man with one leg got up next to the crystal and examined it, looking for obvious booby traps. Finally he said, “Let the girl come up to the crystal.”

Under my breath I muttered, “I have a name, you know.” I stepped up on the dais and touched the crystal. “She is here. The princess is here.”

“They have entered the Hall of Crystals, my emperor.”

One Gahjin pointed and shouted, “There’s the girl! Standing next to the princess crystal. Kill her!” No sooner had he said the words than he was taken down by a human.

As we entered the large chamber, a strange notion entered my head. I reached up and unlatched my helmet and removed it.

Looking horrified, Blake shouted, “Tyler! What the hell are you doing! Put that helmet back on!”

I set my helmet down on the floor and shook my head. “The princess has made the air breathable for us. It’s safe to remove our helmets.”

The others looked to Blake, unsure if I was crazy and trying to get them all killed or I was correct. Blake looked at me. I was showing no signs of distress. He frowned, and unsnapped his helmet and held it. He took a few sniffs

He looked around at all the others and nodded. “It’s okay. The air’s okay.” The others in our group slowly removed their helmets as well.

I turned to Blake. “She’ll speak through me and help us, but we must first free her…”

There were shouts, both from us and from the Gahjins pouring into the chamber. They pointed at me and shouted. Blasts from their energy pistols, zinged all around me and ricocheting off the princess’ crystal and others nearby.

Blake shouted, “Protect the girl!” The men started to form a circle around me. Reports from our weapons discharging and the zings of energy weapons filled the air.

I watched in horror as a group of Gahjins pushed their way through our ranks. One was the Gahjin who had caged me in the steel box. The Gahjins in front of him shoved the men out of the way and he raised his pistol at my head. Blake ran up and decked the Gahjin just as he fired. Instead of my head, his weapon discharged at close range into my gut. I screamed and fell next to the crystal.

My voice breathy, I cried out in pain, “Blake! Help me.” There was a big, ugly throbbing hole in my gut. There was no way to stop the bleeding.

In a matter of moments, most of the Gahjins lay dead. The rest were disarmed and held at bay. The Gahjin emperor stood almost over me and laughed. What a ghastly sound that was.

Torn between killing the Gahjin emperor and helping me, Blake knelt beside me and bent down so he could hear me.

In a breathy whisper, I gasped, “Shoot the crystal. Free the princess. Shoot the crystal.” I was starting to black out. I didn’t want to die. In my head was a soothing female voice that repeated the order to shoot the crystal.

Blake looked around confused. “Shoot the crystal? With what? I saw dozens of shots from the Gahjin weapons hit the crystal and nothing happened.” He was on the verge of tears himself as he frantically thought in frustration how to save me.

With my last strength I touched Blake’s hand that still held his own pistol. “Shoot the crystal.”

Blake looked down at his hand where I touched him. He looked at the gun he was holding. He suddenly jumped up. “The Gahjins shot the crystal with energy weapons! We have projectile weapons! Men, shoot the fucking crystal!”

Several shots rang out before the crystal exploded in a blinding blue-white light, pushing everyone down to the cavern floor.

In my mind, I heard the voice say, “Thank you.”

I was suddenly lifted from the floor and floated. My clothes dissolved from my skin. My hair whipped around like bright blue flame. I felt a power pulse through me. I felt I could do anything. I was drawing power from all the crystals surrounding me. I laughed. The power was intoxicating. I felt…I felt…like a goddess!

I shouted, “At last I’m free!” The Gahjin emperor dropped to his knees before me. My eyes flashed with anger as I looked at him. “You, my brother, must pay for your despicable crimes. You have stolen almost five hundred billion lives and for what?”

In my mind, I said quietly, “Your brother? You’re one of them?

She just smiled at me. “No Tyler. You are a beautiful woman. I am using your form to present myself.”

“Princess! I beg you!” cried the Gahjin emperor. I could understand him. “Please have mercy! We are family after all.”

My nostrils flaring and eyes flashing, I stepped up to the Gahjin Emperor who had now fallen prone in front of me. “Mercy? You slaughtered all that opposed your nightmarish scheme of galactic conquest and locked me in that crystal! You murdered the populations of dozens of worlds, most of which didn’t have any means to defend themselves. Only on earth did I find an oracle and a planet with the capability to wage war against you, my brother. No. No mercy for you. You and those that followed you to commit such a heinous crime against all these planets, have forfeited your right to exist.”

My eyes blazed with fury as my body glowed in an intense blue-white light. The Gahjin emperor screamed as he and the remaining warriors also glowed brightly and then faded into oblivion. I don't know what she did, but we never saw another living Gahjin.

“And now it is time for me to go as well. Thank you Tyler for freeing me and letting me use your body to exact punishment for this horrible wrong.” The glow from the princess started to fade.

She stepped up to me and kissed my forehead. “I have given you a gift. And now I must join the others. Thanks again, sweet Tyler.” She faded before my eyes.

I felt like I was at the bottom of a deep well. A spot of light began to form in front of me. I became aware I was lying down and I heard muffled voices around me.

“The girl is coming around, lieutenant.”

Sighing, I muttered under my breath, “I have a name, dammit.”

“Tyler.” I heard Blake’s voice, far away. “Tyler. Can you hear me?”

I tried to open my eyes and saw a big blurry face staring at me. “It’s me baby,” said the blurry face. I felt him take my hand. “Thank God you’re alive.”

A voice next to me said, “Her wound is gone.”

Blake asked, “Can you sit up?”

I tried. I couldn’t make any muscle move. I breathed, “No.”

I heard Blake shout, “We need a gurney over here for the girl that just fuckin’ saved the whole goddamned human race. And can we get something to cover her?”

Shocked, I whispered to Blake, “I’m naked aren’t I? I remember my clothes coming off. What do we do? Everyone knows now.”

Blake grinned. “Yes. Everyone knows.” I gave him a confused look. He bent down and whispered in my ear, “I love you.” He then kissed me.