Never Enough
The crystalline spires of Thal'vorr gleamed under the twin suns of the Rigel system, a sprawling alien metropolis built by the peaceful Vorrans, tall, ethereal beings with bioluminescent skin and a deep affinity for harmonic technology. Their city sang with gentle energy fields, bridges of light spanning floating districts, markets alive with traders from a dozen worlds. It was a beacon of civilization in the galactic fringe. It was visited by races of all kinds, a bustling center of activity.
Then the Brood came.
A brood ship appeared in the sky, from it poured a living storm of chitin and malice. Hundreds of Brood warriors, their armored carapaces glistening black and iridescent green, six-limbed horrors with razor mandibles, translucent wings buzzing like chainsaws, and twin venomous stingers whipping behind them. Queens in the rear directed the swarm with psychic commands, while drones and warriors descended in waves, implanting parasitic eggs into screaming Vorrans. Hosts convulsed as their bodies twisted, flesh reforming into more Brood.
Alarms wailed across the city. Energy barriers flickered and failed under the onslaught.
In orbit, Richard Rider, detected the incursion. The Xandarian Worldmind flooded his mind with tactical data.
"Brood infestation confirmed. Planetary assimilation in progress. Host population: 4.2 million. Projected survival: 12% without intervention."
"Like hell," Nova growled, the Nova helmet gleaming with golden accents over his blue-and-gold uniform. The full power of the Nova Force surged through him, gravimetric energy crackling around his fists. He rocketed downward, a blazing comet trailing stellar fire.
His first gravimetric pulse blasted outward in a rippling sphere. Dozens of Brood warriors disintegrated mid-air, their armored bodies shattering into chitinous shrapnel. Nova twisted through the chaos, superhuman speed making him a blur. He grabbed a lunging Brood by its forelimbs, using its momentum to swing it into three others, then unleashed a point-blank energy blast that vaporized the cluster.
"Get off this world!" he roared, voice amplified by the helmet. Below, Vorrans fled into shelters as Brood poured through the streets, slashing and stinging. One massive warrior, larger than the rest, perhaps a Brood Prime, smashed through a crystal tower, grabbing a glowing Vorran elder and preparing to implant an egg.
Nova dove. He slammed into the creature at near-light speed, the impact cratering the street and sending shockwaves that toppled nearby spires. The Brood Prime roared, its tail stingers lashing out. Venom hissed against Nova's energy shield, but he barely felt it. With a surge of strength, he tore one of the creature's arms free and drove his fist through its chest, Nova Force erupting in a golden explosion that reduced the beast to ash.
Hordes closed in. Hundreds now, swarming him from all directions. Claws raked his suit. Stingers stabbed. He absorbed their kinetic fury, redirecting it outward in a spinning barrage of force beams from his eyes and hands. Brood exploded in mid-leap, raining debris on the fleeing civilians.
"Worldmind, stargate protocol. Evac corridor, now!"
"Affirmative. Opening micro-stargate. Duration: limited by Brood interference."
A shimmering portal bloomed near the central plaza. Nova herded Vorrans toward it, blasting a path while the Brood queen's psychic shrieks rallied the horde for a final push. She descended herself, a colossal, bloated monstrosity with multiple egg sacs and psychic tendrils lashing out.
Nova met her charge head on. Her claws slashed across his chest, drawing blood even through the Nova Force. Pain flared, but he channeled it into power. "You picked the wrong planet, bug." He unleashed everything, a concentrated gravimetric nova blast that warped space around her, crushing her armored bulk inward before detonating in a blinding eruption. The queen's scream echoed across the city as her body disintegrated, the psychic backlash causing the lesser Brood to falter and frenzy.
With their leadership shattered, the swarm broke. Nova mopped up the remnants, flying at blinding speeds, energy blasts carving through the air. He saved what he could, thousands of Vorrans through the stargate to safety, while the city burned and cracked around him.
As the last Brood warrior fell, Nova hovered above the ruined skyline, breathing hard. The Worldmind spoke softly in his mind: "Threat neutralized. Casualties: heavy. You performed admirably, Nove Prime."
Richard Rider looked out over the devastated alien city, the survivors gazing up at their golden savior. "Admirably isn't enough. Not today."