The Short End: Broken Galaxy Book Four

by Phil Huddleston

  He was only two hundred klicks from the Merkkessa when he saw the gamma lance strike through her, blowing debris out the other side.

  The Merkkessa immediately stopped firing. Spinning slowly, she was a sitting duck for Zukra.

  “Dammit! They got the bridge!”

  He slammed the throttle home, boosting back up to 300g true for eight seconds. Then he slammed into a hard decel. Eight seconds later, he was directly in front of the ship. Spinning the Merlin around, he faced the Revenge.

  He had no missiles left.

  But he wasn’t going anywhere.

  Dekanna System

  Merlin Fighter “Dunkirk One”

  Winnie assessed the situation quickly. She had been hovering a thousand klicks over the Merkkessa with her command flight, watching the battle unfold in front of them, directing fighters as needed, ensuring that the fleet’s Merlins were used effectively.

  She was the closest flight to the Merkkessa, and her flagship was in danger.

  “On me!” she yelled in her comm and slammed the throttle home.

  Her flight darted through space directly toward the Merkkessa.

  Dekanna System

  Battlecruiser Tornado

  The Revenge stood just four thousand klicks in front of him now. They were finally in range and closing fast.

  Orma took a few seconds to consider.

  They will call me traitor for ten thousand years. For as long as records are kept.

  But for my nation…for my species. We cannot let the dishonor of Zukra’s madness continue.

  “Tornado. Target the Revenge. Fire at will.”

 

  Dekanna System

  Battlecruiser Revenge

  Damra knew they were dead.

  The cruiser cube that was supposed to be protecting their rear had turned on them, just like the battlecruiser cube that was coming up behind it. One by one, like a stack of dominoes falling, the cruisers had stopped firing at the enemy, turned, and started firing on Zukra’s battlecruiser cube.

  Damra had finally figured it out. It was the only explanation. The enemy was attacking their AI systems.

  “Admiral…” he tried once more.

  “Shut up, Damra!” yelled Zukra. “We’re almost there! All we have to do is punch through the Merkkessa and we’re home free! Show some guts!”

  “Admiral, our cruiser screen…”

  Zukra, enraged, pulled his pistol out of his holster, and aimed it at Damra. With a scream of rage, he pulled the trigger. Blood exploded everywhere as Damra fell dead on the floor beside Zukra’s command chair.

  “Now!” yelled Zukra at his awestruck bridge crew. “Does anyone else want to retreat?”

  Dekanna System

  Battlecruiser Tornado

  Orma felt a strange sense of calm.

  He knew he would be reviled, hated; probably executed for treason. And that only if he survived the battle.

  But he had never been more sure of anything in his life.

  I’ve done the right thing. I can die in peace. My sacrifice will restore the honor of my people. It is good.

  “Keep firing, keep firing!” he yelled at his terrified crew.

  Tika had completed her takeover of the entire cruiser cube that had been protecting Zukra’s rear. There were now sixteen formerly Ashkelon warships firing at Zukra’s battlecruiser cube.

  But Orma fired only at the Revenge.

  That’s the poison of our nation. Right there.

  Dekanna System

  Destroyer Dragon

  Luke had made it to the position he wanted. He was directly between the Merkkessa and the Revenge. The two remaining destroyers of his squadron, the Amazon and the Namikaze, tucked in just beside and behind him, trying to provide some protection for their wounded flagship.

  Out in front, Jim Carter slotted into position, weaving in a desperate pattern, trying to draw the fire of the oncoming missiles. Then suddenly a flight of four fighters came up from behind and joined in the weave. Luke realized it was Winnie Winston and her command flight.

  Strangely, the enemy cruiser cube off to their right had stopped firing at them and was now firing at Zukra’s battlecruisers instead. And that fire had already knocked out one battlecruiser on the back edge.

  Stranger and stranger, thought Luke. But I’ll take it.

  But the remaining seven battlecruisers of Zukra’s cube were still potent. The flood of missiles coming in was overwhelming. The strikes of gamma lances crisscrossing the holo looked like some deranged laser light show.

  Until suddenly one of the remaining battlecruisers in Zukra’s rear edge also stopped firing. It began to pivot, turning slowly to direct its gamma lance at the Revenge in front of it.

  Luke watched in amazement as the enemy battlecruiser fired, striking the Revenge right in the left lower engine nacelle. A tremendous gout of flame and debris came exploding out of the engine. The Revenge stumbled, then corrected and kept coming.

  Then another enemy battlecruiser stopped firing. Again, it turned, re-targeted, and fired at the Revenge.

  And then suddenly, as if by command, all the remaining battlecruisers in Zukra’s cube stopped firing and began to decelerate, slowing their advance. Only the Revenge kept coming, firing, trying to kill the Merkkessa.

  Behind the Revenge came the Tornado, now closing the range quickly, firing missile volleys at the Revenge as fast as she could reload. As she approached Zukra’s flagship, her gamma lance fired over and over.

  The Revenge stopped firing at the Merkkessa. Turning, she faced the Tornado.

  With a shock, Luke realized there were only two ships still shooting at each other. The Tornado and the Revenge were locked in a duel of their own making. All the other ships in the entire battle zone had stopped firing, caught up in the drama playing out before them.

  The Revenge went to decel to meet the Tornado. Both ships fired their gamma lance simultaneously.

  And in a blinding flash of fire that filled Luke’s screens, both battlecruisers disappeared from the Universe.

  Dekanna System

  Battlecruiser Merkkessa

  Jim sat in the cockpit of the Merlin, parked on the shuttle deck of the Merkkessa. Smoke curled from the damaged engine, the acrid odor mixing with the smell of burning insulation to create a choking cloud.

  The battle was over.

  He was still alive.

  He was too weary to get out of the cockpit. But he knew he should. The Merlin could burst into flames at any moment.

  “Angel, open canopy,” he called.

  There was no response. The AI was down, damaged or destroyed. He reached for the emergency canopy release and pulled hard to break the safety wire.

  With a loud clunk, the canopy released and slid half-way back on its tracks. Jim released the five-point harness. Slapping the main power switch, he turned everything off. Gathering his strength - mental and physical - he managed to push the canopy farther back to give him clearance. He hoisted himself up out of the cockpit, stepped out the side of the fighter, and slid down the stub wing to the deck with a thump.

  Gathering himself, he looked at the chaos around him.

  Firefighting crews were spraying foam on smoldering fighters. Piles of debris littered the area. Stretcher-bearers carried the broken bodies of pilots out the hatch. Alert lights were still flashing red - no one had yet thought to stand the ship down from Battle Stations.

  “Merkkessa. Is the bridge intact?”

  There was no answer. Jim realized the AI of the ship was down also.

  That was bad. Jim trotted over to the shuttle bay exit hatch and went through to the passageway outside.

  It was a madhouse. People ran to and fro, on their various errands of rescue or repair. A damage control team was on a ladder with their hands up in the ceiling, electrical wiring spewing out of the hole like spaghetti. A fire hose ran down the passageway to some unknown destination. The smell of smo
ke permeated the ship.

  Jim trotted to the nearest ladder and started climbing up toward the bridge. At each intersection, he had to pass through an internal airlock, all of which were dogged down during battle stations. At the next level, the tell-tale on the hatch showed there was no pressure on the other side.

  He pulled his helmet faceshield down, locked it, checked suit integrity, and passed through the pressure door. He advanced another five meters; but at the next intersection a smash of debris completely blocked his path forward.

  Turning to a cross-corridor, he went across to the other side of the ship and found a ladder that took him up to the next deck. Trotting down the corridor, his path was blocked again. A section of the ceiling had come down, closing off the passageway.

  Pulling and shoving ceiling panels aside, he managed to clear a small path that he could squeeze through. He was able to advance a half-dozen yards before his way was again blocked by fallen debris.

  But just before the blockage was the hatch to Bonnie’s Flag Cabin. And from the Flag Cabin there was Bonnie’s private circular stairwell to the bridge level - if it was not also smashed.

  Entering the hatch, Jim went through the Admiral’s briefing room to the Flag Cabin. It appeared to be intact. He wasted no time running to the circular stairs and climbing up to the bridge level.

  He came out in Bonnie’s Day Cabin, which was just off the bridge. Crossing the cabin quickly, he opened the hatch to a scene of destruction.

  The main lights were out, and only the red battle lamps were working. All the consoles were dark. Most were completely destroyed. The large screen at the front of the bridge was lying on the deck in two pieces. The holo was gone.

  Bodies in pressure suits lay everywhere. Bonnie was nowhere to be seen.

  With a sinking feeling, Jim began to check the bodies. The first one he came to was Dallitta, Bonnie’s Flag Aide. There was no hope for her; both her legs were missing.

  He moved to the next one. That was Chief Graham, the quartermaster. He did not appear to have any visible injuries; but he was also dead.

  Beside Graham was Rachel Gibson. She was breathing, Jim could see. Alive but unconscious. He checked her suit and confirmed she had oxygen and pressurization.

  “Over here, Jim,” called a voice over his comm.

  Bonnie.

  He looked up. Behind the smashed XO console he could just pick out the top of her helmet, turned red by the emergency lighting. Jim rushed over. She was kneeling beside another body, half-cradling it in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Bekerose.

  The Nidarian captain had taken a large piece of shrapnel precisely in the center of his chest.

  Jim put a hand on Bonnie’s shoulder, squeezing it.

  “He never felt a thing, Bonnie,” he said. “He died instantly.”

  “I know,” Bonnie said, trying not to cry. “But…of all people. Of all people, Jim…why did it have to be him?”

  Jim rubbed her back. “It comes to all of us, Bonnie. It was his time.”

  He reached forward, took Bekerose in his arms, lifted him from Bonnie. He managed to get to his feet and looked down at her.

  “He did what he wanted to do, Bonnie. He died on the bridge of his ship, fighting his enemies.”

  Bonnie wiped at her faceplate, an instinctive and futile attempt to wipe away the tears inside. She stood beside Jim, looked at him.

  “I don’t want to leave him here in this mess. Let’s take him to his cabin.”

  Nodding, Jim began walking back the way he had come, carrying the Nidarian in his arms. Bonnie followed close behind, one hand on Jim’s shoulder. Together they went through Bonnie’s day cabin, down the stairs, out the Flag Cabin and across the way to Bekerose’ cabin.

  Laying Bekerose in his bunk, Jim stood back. Bonnie moved forward and kneeled beside the Nidarian captain. She pulled the blanket up over him and bowed her head briefly. Then she stood and turned to Jim. She moved into Jim for a moment, hugging him to her. Then she backed away and stared at him.

  “You did a great job, Jim. You saved the fleet.”

  “Not me,” said Jim. “Tika. She saved the fleet.”

  “But you got her there. Without you, she wouldn’t have made it to the Tornado.”

  “Don’t forget Paco,” Jim added with some bitterness in his voice.

  “We won’t. We’ll never forget him. He’ll get the Medal of Honor for what he did.”

  “He’d better,” said Jim. “If anybody saved this fleet, it was him.”

  Bonnie nodded. “Yes. You’re right.”

  The two of them stared at the blanket covering their friend one last time. Then, by mutual consent, they both turned to go. Jim held the hatch open for Bonnie, and they moved down the passageway back to the Flag Cabin. They entered and Bonnie went to her desk.

  “Merkkessa. Are you there?”

  There was no response. Bonnie looked at Jim. “Will you go check on the AI center for me, please? We need Merkkessa up before we can start to get this mess cleaned up. I’ll go get Rachel and bring her to sick bay.”

  “Aye, milady,” Jim responded. It felt good to say it. It felt like moving back to some kind of normalcy. Even if ‘normal’ was a long way to go, it was a beginning.

  He braced up, saluted, and turned smartly on his heel. Going to the hatch, he paused for just a second and turned back to Bonnie.

  “By the way, Admiral. You just saved the Earth.”

  And with that, he went through the hatch to his duty.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Dekanna System

  Battlecruiser Merkkessa

  Forty-eight Hours Later

  “Status of the ship?” called Bonnie.

  Rachel leaned over her tablet, reading.

  “All fires are out. All holed compartments have been sealed. Life support is stable. System engines are functional, but the tDrive will require another few days. The ship’s AI has been restored. The bridge has been cleared of debris and will be fully functional by the end of the day.”

  “Thank you, Rachel. How about the rest of the fleet?”

  “All ships that are salvageable are stable, holding air and with functional life support. Ships beyond repair have been evacuated and are being towed to stable stellar orbits for the moment. There are a few ships that we’re not sure about, those have been evacuated as a precaution and we’re towing them to stable orbits around Dekanna.”

  “Does that include the Allied ships?”

  “Yes, milady. We’re taking a unified approach to everything.”

  “How about the enemy ships?”

  “Those too, milady. Captain Asagi is the ranking Ashkelon officer among their survivors. He’s provided us with engineering crews to assist in evacuating their ships and moving the wrecks to stable orbits. And we have multiple crews clearing debris fields as well.”

  “Thank you, Commander. Stephanie, how are things in Medical?”

  “All beds are full; all the cabins on E, F and G decks are full. We’ve got wounded lying in every available corridor. We’re evacuating the severely wounded to Dekanna as soon as they’re stable enough for movement. I think we’ve saved as many as we’re going to save.”

  Bonnie looked a bit grim. “How about the bodies of the dead?”

  “We’ve pulled an empty supply barge alongside and we’re offloading the bodies to it. I’ve started a fleet-wide task force to ensure proper identification and to begin the process of notifying next of kin.”

  “Very good, thank you, Stephanie. Winnie, how SAR going?”

  Winnie Winston leaned forward in her turn. “We’ve rescued 576 pilots alive. I think we’ve found all the live ones we’re going to find. We’ve still got SAR patrols out, but we’re only finding bodies now. We’ll keep looking, of course. But it looks like it’s all recovery from now on. And by the way, the corvette Armidale arrived in the middle of the battle and started rescuing survivors under fire. She rescued the largest number of sur
vivors of any ship - and also shot down six enemy fighters in the process. I’d like to recommend her Captain for recognition.”

  “So noted, Winnie. What are you doing about the Ashkelon or Nidarians that you find?”

  “We treat them no differently than our own, Admiral. We rescue them and take them to Captain Asagi. Asagi has his own patrols out collecting bodies, so we mark any of theirs we find and notify him.”

  “Excellent, thank you, Commander. Norali, what’s the story on Admiral Elliott?”

  “We sent him to Dekanna. Sobong parked him in a nice suite at Dariama Fleet Headquarters. She’s got her junior aides talking with him about how to improve relations between the Dariama and Humans. He’s happy as a clam - he thinks he’s doing something. And Sobong knows not to take anything he says seriously.”

  Bonnie smiled. “Good. Just make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.”

  “Are we taking him back to Earth when we depart?”

  “Not a chance,” grinned Bonnie. “He can stay here and spin his wheels with Sobong for a few months. When Sobong gets so tired of him she can’t take it anymore, we’ll bring him home. By that time, I hope we can have the whole U.N. situation fixed back at Earth.”

  Bonnie let her gaze sweep around the table. “An exemplary job by everyone concerned. I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of our spacers. They’ve risen to the task magnificently. Please pass that message on to everyone.”

  Nods went around the table.

  “And of course, that includes everyone around this table. You are a magnificent staff. I am blessed to have you.”

  Bonnie paused, then continued. “Now…to some necessary business…”

  “We took a tremendous number of casualties. I’m afraid we’re going to have to fill in as best we can until we can get back to Earth.

  “Captain Powell. In view of the fact that Dragon is shot to hell and will take months to repair, you are at loose ends. You are therefore temporarily assigned as commander of the Merkkessa. Please take charge of getting our flagship back to her old self.”

  “Aye, milady,” answered Luke.