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** CHAPTER 63** The Third Offense Part IX

"How could you do this to me!?" the young white Retcan yelled with tears in his eyes. He scuffled with an older Retcan at the bridge of R105 as the situation got worse than before.

Moments ago the machine army had thrown their last reserves against Canis Major and R105. In space, Zonda's team was near the limit of their resistance and a bigger horde of machines already started to breach Canis Major and R105 once again.

"Let me go! I have to save Silver from getting herself killed!" The young Retcan was pinned down on the floor by the older Retcan. He had lost all composure and was violently trying to escape the grip of the stronger Retcan.

"Bo, please calm down!" Shadow made his best to calm Silver's son. "You will not gain anything by risking your life out there! I trust Silver; she's strong and will stop the machines!"

"It's my job to protect her! Let me go!" Bo yelled as he instinctively snapped his jaws against Shadow, who easily evaded the bite attempts. Bo hadn't recovered completely after Shadow stunned him. His confusion, plus the situation made him react violently without him really meaning to hurt his Retcan brother.

"And it's my job to keep you safe, Bo!" Shadow yelled back. The powerful voice of Shadow seemed to calm Bo who now lied still on the floor with curled lips and his tear flooded eyes glaring right at Shadow's. "Silver ordered me to protect you, Bo. She's the Captain of this ship and you have to respect that, is that clear?!" Shadow felt how Bo's strength suddenly diminished.

"I don't want her to die..." Bo said calmly; his body now completely limp.

"Bo... Storm is there with her. You know how much that little fellow means to me; he's like my son, Bo." Shadow said. His voice had now lost strength. Many knew how this was true. Shadow and Storm had formed a very strong bond during their journey in R105. Shadow felt very protective over the Storm and seeing him part away with Silver into an uncertain fate was devastating from him. "He's no warrior, Bo. But I trust Silver and I know he and the rest will be safe with her by their side. They are doing this to save R105 and Canis Major, Bo. You have to understand that it's the only choice if thousands are to be saved today."

Shadow's words had some effect on Bo. It could've been that Bo had no strength left on him; who knows. Bo slowly sat up and held to Shadow. The older Retcan hugged him gently as he shared his worries with him, but also his hope.

"I can't promise anything, Bo. But one thing I can tell you is that Canis Major and R105 will come out alive today."

The young white furred Retcan was now drowned in tears. He wouldn't fight back anymore, and Shadow knew it. The older Retcan gently took Bo to where the captain seat was and placed him were his mother always sat when she proudly lead R105. But there was no time to try and comfort Bo after a distress call came in.

"Shadow! It's the General!" Cobalt alerted the elder Retcan. She didn't wait for a response and immediately allowed the connection.

"Captain! Are you okay?!" Zonda's voice echoed through R105's bridge. His image wasn't visible and the static was very heavy.

"Zonda! It's me, Shadow!" The elder Retcan responded to the call.

"Shadow? What's going on? We saw how that thing shot at R105. I need status on the damage!"

"Do not worry about it, Zonda. The enemy underestimated the structural integrity of R105. You need to keep fighting! Is that clear?"

"I need to know if Titan found a solution on how to disrupt the machine's shields. R105 will not withstand another attack like that one so I need to get to those canons and destroy them once and for all!" Zonda yelled behind the uproar of the battlefield.

"You have to resist, Zonda! Silver and Titan took matters on their own hands. They are in the machine's ship as we speak." Shadow explained the situation that Zonda completely ignored.

"What are you talking about?" Zonda responded irritated. "We are getting destroyed here! The machines are throwing everything they got to us! We need a solution now!"

"You will have to be strong and hold on just a little longer, Zonda. We have to trust Silver and Titan." For the first time, the powerful and knowledgeable Shadow didn't have an answer for Zonda. This worried Zonda like never before. The surrounding noise of the war zone soon faded away as Zonda lost all hope... But things were yet to get worse.

Reflecting through Zonda's yellow eyes was a sight that he wished he wouldn't be seeing.

"Alert Canis Major!" Zonda thought he heard in the distance. His brothers yelled worried about the Evocanis. What reflected in his eyes confirmed these cries of desperation in behalf of his Retcan brothers.

The second canon ship that pointed at Canis Major was now glowing intensely. A beam brighter than a sun was shot a Canis Major, blinding everyone in the battlefield.

"NO!" Zonda yelled, failing to hear his own cries.

The machines had once again dared to violate the pureness and sanctity of the Evocanis' home. As the brutal glare faded away it revealed the extent of the damage. That weapon was probably not even one thousandth the size of Canis Major, but had stung the massive ship as a deadly poisonous insect stings a beast...

After all the efforts; could this mean the end for Canis Major and R105?

...Deep within the Machine's mother ship two brave Retcan warriors made their way through the unknown dangers of that ship. They were physically hurt, but nowhere near as hurt as their hearts were. The male Retcan stopped to help his sister regain her balance as she fell constantly over the agony of their loss.

Titan and Silver were close on making it to their objective, but great sacrifices had been taken so they would reach their goal. As broken as they were, they had to make sure their warrior spirit never left them. They knew they had a mission to fulfill; later would be the time to cry for their fallen brothers.

"Captain. I am done with the full scan. There is indeed oxygen in every corner of this ship, but I found no signs of organic life forms." Storm's soft voice spoke through Silver's earpiece. "Captain?" Storm repeated after no response was given. "Silver... what's going on?" Now worried for his Retcan sister after hearing her sobbing, the young Retcan forgot ranks.

"We lost Gold and Hatchi..." Silver responded completely broken. Like scorching red hot knives these words pierced through Storm's heart. The black furred Retcan refused to believe the words he had just heard.

"No..." Storm broke in tears. He probably never spoke with these two brave Retcans that had given their lives for the fulfillment of their mission. But Retcans are one; what one suffers the other feels. It is the ultimate sign of pure and untainted love, friendship and absolute empathy for one's own race.

"Standby, Storm. The orders are still in effect. Is that clear, my brother?" Silver said. Her cold tone was now full of pain, but the strength in her words never diminished.

"...Yes, Silver..." Was heard. Nothing else being said.

Never looking back, Titan and Silver continued their path. The ship's main computer had to be very close.

"Twenty meters ahead of us, Silver." With voice broken, but still determined, Titan informed as he kept checking his heads up display.

As they got closer, another message from Storm came in. Something in Storm's voice made it clear that things were getting worst by the minute.

"Canis Major got hit, Captain..." The words of the young black furred Retcan were like the coupe de grace to the already severely distraught Silver. She stopped on her tracks and fell on her knees once again. But this time there was something different. There was no emotional response from R105's brave Captain Silver.

"Silver!" Titan yelled through the ear piece. But the pain that invaded Silver had nullified all her senses.

Everything went by in slow motion. Could that be a dream? It had to be. Yes; it had to be the worst nightmare she had ever had. It was not possible that her ship was severely wounded; two of her Retcan brothers dead, and now Canis Major was in the verge of agony once again.

"Silver!" And even stronger yell echoed inside her helmet. After being heavily shaken by her brother, Silver finally managed to free herself from her stupor. It took her a few seconds to realize what surrounded them at that moment.

"Silver! You have to be strong, sister! This is still not over; we have to fight!" Shaking off the daze, Silver saw how her brother readied his Lantracit blade and prepared for battle. Around them, five of those assassins were heading towards them with the only intention of killing them.

"Enough..." Silver whispered as she slowly stood up. "I SAID ENOUGH!" A powerful growl came from inside Silver's helmet. The delicate white furred Retcan with silvery blue eyes was taken beyond her limits now. Something had awakened in Silver. The fury of all her Retcan brothers and her Evocanis friends; the cries for justice of what was done that day engulfed her body with strength beyond her physical limits. She instantly unsheathed her dual Lantracit blades as every muscle in her body sprung her furiously towards their enemy.

One machine assassin didn't wait for a counter attack or to position itself for a good offensive stance and just threw itself against Silver with the only intention of killing the small and delicate alien. It was a futile attempt of hurting the now furious creature.

"You hurt my ship! What has been my home and the home of thousands of my brothers for many decades!" Silver yelled as she dodged an attack from the machine. A fraction of a second is what it took for her to penetrate the deadly reach of the machine and slice it in half with her blades.

"You once again threaten the peace of my friends the Evocanis and desecrate the purity of their home!" She didn't even finish speaking when the tips of her blades were already flying directly to the head of another two machine assassins, impaling them against a wall. The Lantracit blades soon melt the systems inside the machine's heads rendering them completely useless.

Against all common sense, a furious Silver disposed of her helmet and her gauntlets. Slowly turning to face the last two machines she clenched her jaw, showing her pearly fangs. Her delicate silver eyes were bloodshot and full of tears; tears of pain and fury.

"And you dared to take..." as Silver spoke, her fur spike up. Tiny jolts of electricity could be seen running across her now naked hand-paws. "...You monsters dared to take..." She now growled as she charged towards the machines bare paw-handed. "You took the lives of my brothers Gold and Hatchi!" A deafening war cry claimed vengeance for her fallen comrades as Silver landed in front of the two machines, placing her hand-paws, one on each machine's chests. A powerful electrical discharge was produced by the small alien, frying the circuitry of the machines. The discharge that under normal circumstances would last less than a fraction of a second kept on going for a full seven seconds.

"Stop Silver! You're going to kill yourself!" A worried Titan yelled as he witnessed how the fury of his sister was taking her to limits unknown to even the most well trained Retcan warrior.

The desperate cries of Titan seemed to bring back Silver from her sudden burst of rage. The two machines fell to the ground smoking but completely dead. Silver fell on her knees gasping for air, while she clenched her chest.

"Silver!" Titan ran to aid her sister, taking off his own helmet too. He kneeled by her side and helped her regain her senses once again. "Silver, you almost had a full rupture! You need to breathe and calm down, sister." Titan held Silver in a hug, trying to calm her down. He knew the severity of what had just happened to her. A very rare condition known within the Retcan race as Sensory Rupture was the death of many of them back on the Great War for Lusceonis. When the sensitive creatures were taken to the very limits of their emotions, their own bio-electric defense mechanism could turn against them. The impulse discharged by their Electrocyte Organ could render their muscles useless, paralyzing them, including their heart and diaphragm.

The sight of Silver clenching her chest and gasping for air was a sign that she was very close of crossing the limits. Titan immediately took out an oxygen nozzle and gently placed it in Silver's muzzle.

"Take deep breaths, Silver. You're going to be okay." Titan aided Silver. He held her gently, taking care of her as he always did since they were pups.

Titan could feel how Silver's breathing soon came back to normal, but watching closely over her, he noticed how the eyes of his sister were suddenly fixed into something. Titan though for a second that she was in pain, but it wasn't the case. Her silverish blue eyes were definitely following something... And it was getting closer.

Silver got free of Titan's embrace and she spat the oxygen nozzle.

"What's wrong, Silver?" Titan asked frightened. He had enough and he feared staring at whatever Silver was staring at.

"Get up, Titan." Silver whispered to him as she got back on her hind paws.

Titan couldn't ignore it anymore. He stood up and turned his sight to whatever Silver was looking at.

What Titan's sky-blue eyes saw was confusing. A strange figure walked towards them amongst the dark corridor. It was a black silhouette that as it got close it was impossible to distinguish. It didn't look like those assassin machines, but the metallic clanging that it made as its legs hit the metallic floor was evidence that it was one of those monsters.

Soon, the machine was close enough to be illuminated by the lights of the corridors.

"A human!" Titan gasped; his ears completely backwards, his neck fur spiked and his fangs glistening pearl white.

"That's not a human... It's a... machine?" Silver doubted.

In front of them a machine like no other that they've seen before stood. Its body wasn't skeletal-like when compared to those vicious assassins, but it was covered in panels that made it look as if it had skin. No blades replaced its limbs and instead it showed arms and legs like one of those dreadful humans would have. Its face was as terrifying as the assassins, but it almost showed... emotion. Was it smiling at them? It was so strange. Why did that machine looked just like a female of those humans? What happened next chilled the two Retcans to the bone.

"Organic life is irrelevant..." From that horrible machine words came out; its voice distorted but clear enough to understand that it spoke in Nine-Zero-Five-One. The same message was repeated in the Retcan's own language too which made it even more terrifying. The machine extended its arm towards the two Retcans as if calling them.

"Are you behind all this?" Silver dared to ask the machine. No response was given, and instead, the wire harness that seemed like hair in that horrible monster spiked up vibrating, while the machine emitted a screeching squeal.

Silver and Titan knew there was no choice but to fight once again. But they knew this was no ordinary Assassin-Type. This could very well be the last stand of the machines to defend that ship. Could it be that they knew of the Retcans intentions?

"We have no time for this, Titan..." Silver said as Titan got in a fighting stance. She placed her hand-paw on his brother's shoulder and stared at his eyes. "You have to continue..."

"What? Are you serious!?" Titan wouldn't accept his little sister fighting that monster by herself. And even worse were Silver's eyes; they were sad and showed signs that she may be resigning to her own life.

"Canis Major and R105 will perish if we don't hurry, Titan. We underestimated these monsters and you know it..." Silver said. And she was right; Titan knew it. "Now go. I will hold this monster back."

"No! I won't let you fight this monster alone, Silver!" Titan yelled now with his eyes full of tears. "You take the device. I'll fight against it!"

"You are the only one talented enough to make this work, Titan. I wouldn't trust the fate of Canis Major and R105 to anyone else." Silver confessed as she stared again at the monster. "Now go... Don't make me repeat myself. This is an order, Commander." Those were Silver's last words. She never raised her voice at Titan. Her eyes were full of tears as well as she knew that could be the last time they would see each other.

Titan never discussed the order; maybe because he didn't want to fall victim of his feelings. He knew deep inside that if he hesitated, not only would that moment would be the most painful moment of his life, but also because he knew that the lives of thousands lied within his hand-paws.

Titan closed his eyes, shedding the last tears and ran away from the scene. He never looked back. He only felt the warmth of his little sister staying behind, and probably being lost forever...

"Please take care of Bo..." Silver whispered to herself as she had a glance of her beloved brother. Fighting with her mind so those beautiful memories of her life next to her brother and her son didn't weaken her body, she once against faced the machine.

The machine didn't like the fact that Titan ran away and tried to run after him, but the brave Captain Silver stood on the path of the bizarre machine.

"I am your opponent..." Silver spoke to the machine. Her eyes were once again full of fury, as she stood firm in front of the monster. "It ends now..."

"Futile..." Distorted words came from the machine in the Retcan language.

"Don't dare to soil the tongue of my brothers again!" Silver yelled furious as she took the initiative to finally start the fight.

Silver was bare hand-pawed, but she didn't need any weapons. The fury of all her race now ran through her veins, giving her the strength to defeat any obstacle that was placed between her and her loved ones.

Silver threw the first punch, which was easily evaded by the human-like machine. After a swift side step, the machine had a perfect opening for countering the furious attack of the furred alien. In less then a second after Silver's attack, the metallic knee of the machine was driven against Silver's gut. The force of the hit was felt in every inch of Silver's body, despite she wore armor.

Not giving a second for Silver to recover, the machine grappled Silver and threw her against a wall like if Silver was completely weightless. The impact of Silver hitting the wall left a massive dent on it.

Silver was disoriented after the brutal impact had taken all the air out of her lungs. She fell on the floor gasping for air as she noticed how the machine walked slowly towards her.

"So fragile..." The distorted voice of the machine once again spoke.

"I said..." Silver tried to stand up, fueled by her anger. "I forbid you from speaking my language!"

Silver once again threw herself against the machine, who easily avoided every swift attack of the Retcan. Eventually, the machine found another opening and punched Silver on her chest with brutal strength, making the small alien fall on her knees from the pain. Cracks on her armor now were evidence of the abnormal strength of the machine. Before Silver could recover, a knee to her muzzle filled the air with crimson mist... Silver's eyes were now blank as she fell limp on the ground almost lifeless.

The machine grabbed hold of Silver's arm and lifted the limp alien by it. Silver was immobile while she was held in mid air and brought close to the machine's face.

"Brittle..." The machine once again spoke as it pressed Silver's arm so hard that the sound of her shattering bones was heard across the room. The cries of the small alien soon filled the room as well.

But there was still strength in Silver. The horrible pain of her arm now being severely broken gave her a spike of adrenaline that made her react violently after she was apparently defeated. Silver swiftly placed her other arm in the machines face and gave it a powerful discharge. This stunned the machine for a second and that was enough for Silver to wrap her legs against the machines head. Using the machine's weight on her advantage, Silver managed to bring down the machine in an elegant leg grab. The machine's head hit hard on the ground and Silver managed to get free from its deadly grip.

That certainly wouldn't hurt the machine at all, but it gave Silver enough time to gain distance. She spotted her gauntlets and quickly retrieved them. With massive pain from the compound fracture, she managed to put one of the gauntlets on so it would protect her broken arm from moving.

She barely managed to secure it when she saw the machine rampaging towards her. Silver jumped out of the way and dodged what could've been a fatal blow. The fight was not over yet, but Silver was in clear disadvantage.

Both Silver and the machine stood face to face once again. The machine seemed as if furious after that unexpected attack from Silver. That's if the machine could even have feelings.

Silver's muzzle was completely covered in blood, which dripped at a constant rate. She kept coughing blood droplets as she tried to keep her airways clear of it.

"Why do you do this to us?" Silver dared to ask as she spat more blood that kept accumulating inside her muzzle, flooding it when it mixed with her saliva.

There was no response from the machine, as this instead charged at Silver. But something happened this time. Instead of gaining a defensive stance, Silver stood firm and closed her eyes, as if waiting for the inevitable.

Silver knew she was no opponent for this strange humanoid machine. She had resigned and just hoped that Titan would be able to end the threat for Canis Major.

"Your resignation is the efficient way..." The machine said as it charged at Silver with the only intention to smash the small alien to her death. It was over. The fragile body of the female Retcan was no defense against the brutal strength of the machine. Silver hoped her ending was as painless and quick as possible as she stood waiting for it.

But as the machine was inches from delivering a fatal blow, Silver opened her eyes and side-stepped. Behind Silver lied two of the machines she just defeated minutes ago. As she side-stepped to evade the machine's attack, she took hold of one of her Lantracit blades that were impaled in one of the fallen machines. A small flash of light shined in the place in a fraction of a second...

The machine and the Retcan stood motionless for a second. Silver's blade was sizzling with molten metal as she furiously glared at the machine. A red slash suddenly appeared in the arm of the machine that was driven to kill the small furred alien.

"I will never give up protecting the ones I love... It doesn't matter how strong you come at me. As long as I'm breathing, I will make sure you fall in defeat." Were the words of Captain Silver. A gush of green fluid spewed from the machine's arm as the severed limb fell on the ground twitching.

A horrible squeal came from the machine as it turned towards Silver. If indeed the machines had feelings, it was sure that it was now furious. But Silver never showed fear and immediately gained a fighting stance, now with one of her Lanthracit short blades in her good hand-paw.

Before the machine charged at Silver, the arm that it still had intact transformed into a blade, twice as long as Silver's. This machine was now armed as well and it was obvious that it will now go at Silver with the only intention of ending the fight as quickly as possible.

Something was again different in Silver. It seemed that she had miraculously gained control of the fight, even after the serious injuries that she had sustained. The small electric discharge she gave the machine had seemed to affect it much more than expected and its movements were now less coordinate, making it easy for the Retcan to anticipate them and fight on par with the horrible monster. But Silver was completely drained, and even if the performance of the machine had diminished considerably, one blow of that blade could prove fatal for her.

Silver was being careful, taking her body and mind to the extremes, remembering every second of her warrior training. And it was giving positive results. Silver could evade every attack from the machine and also counter attack. But the machine wasn't giving up so easily and still proved a formidable opponent.

Sparks flew and a white light flashed through the corridor as both blades hit each other. This strange machine wielded a blade that was an almost exact copy of the Retcan's. It repelled the attack of Silver's Lantracit blade in a shower of sparks as both semi energy-based blades hit each other.

Despite both seemed equal, Silver was always in disadvantage. Not only because of her inferior physical strength, but because she was starting to reach her limits. The machine's energy was seemingly unlimited.

"You talk about being efficient, yet you could have used that blade against me at the beginning of our fight and kill me as quick as possible." Silver panted heavily, still spitting blood. But she dared to mock the machine as both took a second to analyze each other. "What do you want from us? What do you want from the Evocanis?"

The machine almost seemed rational for moments, but then it just appeared to be nothing more than a soulless automaton. It didn't not respond to Silver's words and again charged at the alien. The fight had gone for too long already. Silver didn't cared anymore about what would happen to her and had only one objective that was finishing off that monster.

Both the machine and the alien charged at each other. If this was to be the last scuffle, then one would fall at that moment.

"Gold, Hatchi... I will avenge your deaths!" Remembering her Retcan brothers that she had just met that day, Silver had the last burst of strength that she needed. The pain went away, and strength filled her body as every step got her closer to the machine.

The machine just let out that nerve wrecking squeal as it also charged at Silver.

This was it... Machine against organic life form... Cold metal against a warm pure soul... Blade against blade...

In a flash, both the Retcan and the machine had met against each other in what was certainly their last move. The ends of both blades were now visible through each other's backs as both stood watching each other to their eyes... It wasn't clear who had struck who, but this was indeed the end for one of them.

"It doesn't matter what you try... My brothers will never rest until you are destroyed." Silver whispered to the machine. Her voice had lost all strength after that fatal blow. "Mark my words, machine; Retcans and Evocanis will hunt you down trough every corner of space if necessary, we will rescue the ones you took from us and we will make sure you cease to exist. That promise, I give you..."

The blade of the machine slowly slid from Silver's torso. Blood immediately started gushing out a hole in Silver's armor. She had been hit...

Disturbing as it was, the machine started emitting an eerie sound that sounded like laughter, as green fluid spewed form what it seemed to be its mouth. The machine started falling back to the ground, not before Silver's made one last move. Silver had managed to impale the machine's chest and in one last move she completely dissected the machine in two.

Legs fell on one side, torso in other. The machine twitched and spewed hot green fluid all over until it finally stopped moving. It was dead.

Silver fell on her knees once again. She might've won, but the machine did hit her. Letting out a painful cry, Silver noticed the injury that the machine had made. Her armor was still red hot where the machine's blade had pierced, burning her flesh, but that somehow helped cauterize the wound. Miraculously, Silver managed to get back on her hind paws and still had strength to continue her way. She knew that this wasn't over yet.

Almost crawling her way through the ship's main deck, she could hear Titan fighting. This made the adrenaline once again fill her veins and she upped her pace until she reached the end of the corridor. It was a huge room that seemed to be the bridge of that ship. At the end, she could see Titan slicing what was the last of the Assassin machines that had ambushed him. Once that machine fell, he noticed Silver crawling at the entrance of the bridge.

"Silver!" Titan yelled as he painfully tried to run to her sister. He was hurt as well.

"Don't worry about me. Keep up with the plan!" Silver yelled at him.

Titan didn't obey and finally reached to her.

"Silver! What did that thing do to you?!" Titan cried when he saw his little sister so hurt. He took off his gauntlet and tried to wipe the blood on Silver's muzzle as he cradled her gently.

"There is no time. We can still do this..." Silver said. Her voice had lost all strength.

Titan was an emotional wreck. Seeing his sister in that conditioning was affecting him more than any injury that those machines could possibly inflict on him.

"Titan!" Silver tried to yell. "Listen to me. We have to continue with our mission."

Titan licked Silver's muzzle gently to clean the blood, but he finally understood that they were there to save Canis Major and R105. There was no time to loose. He gently picked Silver up, and took her with him until they reached the main panel of the ship.

"Is this it?" Silver whispered. She could barely keep her eyes open now and her head balanced.

Titan just nodded.

"Do it then..." Silver said. She was gently placed on the floor by her brother.

"I hope this works... this is our only opportunity." Titan whispered to himself. He was also hurt after fighting all those machines. Silver counted almost a dozen Assassins dead around them. Titan's shattered armor was evidence of the difficult fight he just had. He could barely stand as well.

"This is... Silver." She panted as she communicated with Storm. "We will need some help..."

"Captain!" Storm replied immediately. The fear on the young Retcan's voice made Silver's heart almost stop. "We are being attacked!"

"Storm!"

There was no response from the young Retcan. Silver's worst fears had now become a reality. Her small team at the hangar had been ambushed. She immediately cut communications.

Titan could hear the commotion and looked back at Silver with fearful eyes.

"Keep going, Titan!" Silver ordered his brother. Her eyes were full of tears again. She dreaded the idea that something would happen to her friends at the hangar, but trusted that they had a good defensive position since they had the ships to protect themselves. What she feared the most is that Titan and her probably wouldn't make it out of that ship... These fears were soon to become a reality when a horrible squeal filled the room...

"Keep going, Titan!" Silver said. She was now crying out of desperation. She had no strength to fight anymore. She knew what that squeal was, and soon, whatever made it made itself visible.

From the entrance of the bridge, that machine that looked like a human woman walked apparently furious at them. It was intact. No signs of the damage that Silver had done to it were visible.

The horrible monster let out the terrible squeal again as it turned one of its arms once again in a blade and charged at them. The machine was about to impale Titan when Silver gathered her last strengths and pushed her brother out of the way. The machine's blade buried almost half way into the floor of the bridge, showing the fury of the attack.

Immediately, the machine looked at Silver and after getting back on its feet it kicked the female Retcan so hard that she flew a few meters away from the control panel. But this time, Silver didn't seem to be the objective of the machine. It turned immediately at who was already furiously charging at the machine after it had attacked his sister in such a brutal way.

Titan was also exhausted and weak. He had no opportunity against the humanoid machine. The machine evaded Titan's attack and counter attacked with an elbow right at the back of Titan's neck. This made Titan loose consciousness immediately and fell on the ground motionless. The machine took the hacking device from Titan's hand-paw and crushed it with its hands. The only hope they had was now destroyed...

The machine took hold of an unconscious Titan, lifting him in mid air, and threw him right next to Silver who fought with not loosing consciousness herself.

"Obstinate organism..." The machine said with its distorted voice. The machine then did something in the panel. It seemed to have connected to it trying to fix whatever damage Titan had already done to the systems. All of their efforts and sacrifices had been in vain...

The machine now turned to Titan and Silver, wielding its blade at them once again. Silver knew it was over for them.

"Storm... please retreat immediately." Silver said with her last strength.

"Captain! No! We are beating the machines. If you need extraction, the team and I will go get you!"

"It's an order, warrior!" Silver yelled. Blood came gushing from her muzzle as she did.

"Silver, no!" Storm refused to obey.

"It's over Storm! The device has been destroyed. The machines have won! Retreat now!" Silver confessed. There was no response from Storm.

"I trust you brothers... I trust that you will do whatever is in your power to at least manage to flee from the battle. You have to make Canis Major and R105 survive... there is no time."

Silver could hear sobbing from the other side of the Com System.

"Be brave, Storm... and I love you, my Retcan brother. Take care." Were Silver's last words to Storm, who had no choice but to comply.

With her last strength, Silver pulled Titan close to her. She reached something in Titan's armor compartment and activated a small device.

"Plan B, brother..." Silver said as she remembered Titan packing that small explosive device before they left R105. The device was small, but it would be powerful enough to blow up the entire bridge and the section of that ship. Blowing up the computer might give her brother's a chance to win the battle, or at least escape with Canis Major to a safe place. As for them, Silver knew they had reached the end of their lives. She tenderly cradled Titan who was already unconscious and licked him in the head.

"Don't worry Titan. You won't feel anything. Just keep sleeping, baby brother..." Silver said as the machine was ready to attack both of them. She had no other option but to activate the device.

"Don't you dare lay one of your dirty hands on my brothers!"

A powerful shot was fired from the distance, hitting right on its target. The blade exploded in shards of metal.

Before the machine could turn to face his attacker, a burst round was fired, hitting the machine in the chest twice, and a last shot shattering its head. The machine fell on the ground twitching until it stopped moving. With its defense lowered, there was no chance the machine could defend against that attack.

Silver couldn't see who had just saved their lives, but could hear someone approaching them at a slow and laborious pace. Silver instinctively held onto the explosive device, finger ready on the trigger. It didn't take long, until who had saved their lives was now in front of them.

A brownish furred Retcan with brown eyes stood in front of them panting. His armor shattered completely. He wasn't in better condition than them, but could at least move around better. Held next to him, a severely injured light yellow furred Retcan barely managed to stand, but was alive as well. Her armor also shattered to pieces.

"Hatchi... Gold..." Silver said. She didn't know what to believe anymore. Had she made it to the afterlife?

"I wouldn't activate that just yet. We need to get out of here first." The male Retcan said. "Storm; this is Hatchi. Forget about Silver's order. Titan, Silver, Gold and I are heading out now."

It took a few seconds for Silver to realize that her Retcan brothers were still alive. She immediately confirmed the order to Storm. It was almost like a miracle, but they still have to get out of that place.

"How?" Silver asked when Hatchi helped her get back on her hind paws. Titan started regaining consciousness too.

"We were not going to be defeated by those monsters..." Hatchi said very sure of himself. "But we still need to get out of here. Gold is badly wounded. If we don't make it back to R105... she won't..."

"We will get out of here..." Silver reassured. Seeing her brothers alive gave Silver new strengths. She managed to walk to the panel and set the explosive device.

05:59.999 was seen in the small screen of the device, which quickly started counting down.

"Six minutes is not that much..." Hatchi said.

"It's enough. Now let's get out of here, brother." Silver responded.

Silver helped Titan, while Hatchi helped Gold. Their ordeal wasn't over yet, but in six minutes, the war would hopefully shift on their favor.