A New Beginning

by Alexander W Meurant

  "So be it. If they attack, then that leaves us the ability to thrust through their line" Saska stated and nodded again as she turned her attention to her staff and gave them orders. Danzig looked down at his flight officer and saw the man looking expectantly at him.

  "Transmit the double arrow formation to my captains. My ship will take the point of the arrow" Danzig stated and watched his officer set about doing that. Before long the ship started moving and Danzig looked up to a screen above the video monitor, one that displayed the current position of all ships in the fleet. He saw Saska's fleet head west slightly, and take up the arrow formation, Saska's battleship taking point just like his own. Danzig guessed there was about a kilometre gap between the two formations. That was good. Sighing, Danzig turned away from the monitor and moved back to his seat, falling into it with a huff and closing his eyes for a moment. He was tired, so very tired.

  "Sir! The enemy fleet is moving! They are angling towards Commander Saska! And another fleet has appeared on the horizon to the north east!" came a rather panicked exclamation from another crew member and Danzig's eyes shot open even as he stood back up from his seat, his eyes going to the video monitor connected to Saska. He saw her looking worriedly at something he couldn't see and surmised it to be one of her own monitors. Looking out of his bridge again he surveyed the Federation ships, seeing them indeed angling towards Saska, completely exposing their left flank to his formation.

  Danzig whipped his gaze to the north east then and felt a stab of panic in his heart. There was a smudge on the horizon and it was a long one. He could not quite count the number of ships, but there seemed to be a lot. Danzig suddenly felt cold. He moved his attention back to Saska.

  "Saska! Take your formation straight through them and then loop east. I'll join up with you. We need to get back to Pagua where the air defences can help us" Danzig called out, getting Saska's attention. The other commander looked sharply at him and then nodded before going back to issue commands. Danzig turned his attention to his crew as well.

  "Scramble our fighters to assist Saska. Once the fleet is through, have them return to dock. Issue a full-frontal charge forward. I want a spear line formation and we will angle to the west before looping back east, and have each ship issue a broadside against the flank of the enemy. Then we make for Pagua" Danzig barked and sat back down in his seat as his crew scrambled into action, issuing orders to the other Captains.

  Danizg rested his left elbow on the armrest of his chair and then curled his fist, placing his chin on it as he stared at the horizon, seeing that smudge of enemy ships closing the distance fast. Now this was a race against time, to see if they could break away from the engagement before this new fleet arrived and joined the battle.

  As his ships moved forward, Danzig looked up at Saska on the monitor just as she gave the order to fire. Zaps of energy blasts and laser weapons started to streak across the sky and Danzig looked at the enemy fleet, seeing them return fire as well. He just locked his eyes on the closest ship as it quickly came into range of his own approaching battleship.

  "When in range open fire!" Danzig called out and heard the order relayed back to the crew manning the batteries along the port side of his ship. Gripping the armrest of his seat now, Danzig flicked his gaze up to the monitor showing the ship positions and saw not only his fleet and Saska’s, but also the federation fleet to the west and the massive one to the north east. He blinked in shock as he saw the myriad of triangles appear on the screen, the information being sent to it by the radar crew. There was no way that fleet could have traversed the distance between them so quickly. They were practically upon Danzig.

  Feeling the ship shudder somewhat Danzig turned his gaze back to the fleet attacking Saska and saw lasers and energy blasts smash into the flank of the ship closest to his battleship as it sped past. The blasts achieved little, but as the rest of his ships went past, more damage would be done. He turned away and started flicking his eyes around the various monitors, trying to think of a way out of this situation and predicament.

  "Sir, we are being hailed from the approaching fleet. Should I patch them through?" a query came from a communications officer and Danzig scowled. Whoever was contacting him probably wanted to take his focus from the battle. He shook his head.

  "No, not yet. Patch me through to Captains Rudol and Kames" Danzig replied and looked to the monitor Saska was on. She was white faced, and her eyes were darting every which way, and she occasionally said something to a crew member of hers. Danzig just swallowed and made a decision.

  "Saska. I have a plan" Danzig stated and looked back to the encroaching fleet, seeing that there were no large ships amongst it. Instead they were all small airships, manoeuvrable and fast. They were all either Corvette, Frigate or Destroyer class ships and there looked to be a few dozen of them. Even if they were small ships, they could still surround and outmanoeuvre Saska and him. Escape was the only option, and it was seeming harder with every passing second.

  "What is it Danzig, we are in a pickle. I will be through this fleet shortly, they are scattering" Saska stated and Danzig looked back to her, seeing her ship shake somewhat under fire.

  "Saska, don't head east yet. Once you break through head west and loop back south to Karak Island. Our navy base there is housing the east Naval Armada. There will be much more protection there then Pagua. I will fight a delaying action here with my three Battleships and have my small ships follow after you" Danzig stated and gripped his armrests hard. Saska just stared at him a moment, wide eyed.

  "This fleet will harass me all the way there. I'll contact the Naval base and ask for them to sortie out then" Saska stated and Danzig nodded grimly.

  "It was a pleasure serving with you Saska" Danzig stated and stood up, offering the woman a salute. The other commander replied in kind and Danzig nodded before motioning to his communications officer. The man cut off the connection and replaced it with that of Rudol and Kames, both of them sporting grim expressions.

  "Gents, you must know what I am thinking. once you complete your broadside run, head towards the approaching fleet and rake a broadside position against them. I will take the middle, you two flank me. We will give these bastards hell" Danzig stated, and the two men nodded and saluted. They knew what was to come now. He flicked his eyes down to the communications officer again and rolled his jaw.

  "Send orders to the captains of my cruisers and destroyers. Have them head west behind the small enemy fleet after their broadside action and link up with Saska. And patch through the enemy hailing us" Danzig stated and then sat back down in his chair for what seemed like the tenth time.

  As the link to Rudol and Kames was cut, a new one appeared, and Danzig felt like he had been punched in the gut as he recognised the man who was sporting a rather self-satisfied smirk. The man was in his early sixties and sported completely grey, short hair swept back against his skull. He wore a close-cut beard and moustache, and his green eyes were surrounded by a mass of crinkles and even a small scar that split his right eyebrow.

  "General Commander Thomas Brach. To think you had come to this battlefield. I hope it is to your satisfaction?" Danzig asked and a heard a few gasps from his crew members.

  "Captain Danzig, or is it Commander now? Not that it matters. It has been a while, since the siege of Ligaud some years ago I believe" the man stated in the Gestonian language, nothing other than confidence being displayed by him now. Danzig scowled somewhat and then sighed.

  "What do you want Brach. If it is just to sling insults, it will achieve nothing" Danzig stated and slouched in his chair, refusing to rise to the man’s verbal jabs. He knew Brach excelled at unsettling his opponents and causing them to make often rash and emotional actions instead of logical ones.

  "Hardly Commander. I am here to ask for your surrender. You are clearly outmatched here and to fight me would be nothing but sheer folly and wasteful of lives" Brach stated and then frowned as someone from his crew spoke to him. His eyes flicked to s
omething off screen and then back to Danzig.

  "I see you answer already Danzig. Is this truly your desire then?" the man asked, a brow raised.

  "It is. I would not dishonour the name of Princess Phidel by surrendering to you or anyone else in your little Federation. Long live Gestonia" Danzig snapped and made a cutting motion. The screen was turned off and he looked out of his bridge, seeing only a portion of the enemy fleet now. His ship was completely side on to the approaching fleet now and firing range was close to being reached.

  "Bring up the cameras on the port side of the ship" Danzig ordered even as he saw a ship appear in front of him from the south. That would be Kames battleship and Rudol would soon be behind Danzig’s own. As a camera view came on the monitor used for video calling Danzig clenched his jaw briefly. The view displayed the entire encroaching fleet and Danzig did a quick count, counting forty small ships.

  "Open fire. Use everything we have and reroute all unnecessary power to the portside shields" Danzig growled, and he watched as lasers and energy blasts ripped from the side of the ship and sailed through the air to slam into the approaching fleet, which had remained in a long single layered line. He saw blasts and lasers from his other two battleships and smiled grimly before flicking his gaze to the monitor displaying the ship positions.

  Seeing Saska had broken through her own foe and was now circling to the west even as the small Federation fleet scrambled, trying to follow her. Danzig's own small ships had looped around and were now following her, a large number of fighter craft swirling around them. Danzig felt his heart leap as he realised, he had forgotten about the fighters he had scrambled.

  "Send orders to my fighter craft not to return to these battleships. Have them land in Saska's and if there is no room, head to Karak. I want you to start an evacuation of all non-essential personnel as well. Load them into the drop ships. As many as you can and have them flee to Pagua. Send word to the city garrison as well. They may need to be prepared for this" Danzig stated and heard numerous crew members start to relay out the order.

  Danzig's attention came back to the battle though as his ship shuddered and shook, Brach's fleet now returning fire as they entered their own weapons range. There were many of them and their weapons fire streaked through the air slamming into his battleship and that of his other two Captains. He smiled bitterly as he watched a blast from his own ship slam into an enemy corvette and blow it clean out of the air, the destroyed vessel falling to the ocean below and disappearing in a cascade of water. Another corvette blew down the line and Danzig swallowed hard. At least he would be able to do some damage. He saw the fleet start to spread out further and loop around to the east and west, no doubt intending to out flank and envelop the three battleships, not that it mattered. Danzig simply wanted to damage Brach as much as possible.

  Another enemy ship took a hard hit as three laser beams smashed into the front of it and an explosion lit up the sky, a thick plume of smoke rising from it even as it stayed airborne and Danzig chuckled. But his chuckle was cut off as is ship shook violently and then tilted slightly.

  "Sir, the crystals powering the shields have run dry" a voice called out and Danzig grit his teeth. It was too soon. Way too soon.

  "Divert the power from the energy and lasers. Switch battery fire to kinetic and rockets. Use the flak and point defence as well. I know we don't have much ammunition, but we aren't planning on fighting another battle" Danzig ordered just as an energy blast exploded into the exposed side of the ship. The lighting on the bridge changed to flashing red and the ship tilted backwards slightly. More energy blasts ripped into the ship, but this time collided with the shield as power was diverted to it.

  "Sir, the flight crystal powering the levitation array at the stern has ruptured. The array is damaged as well. We won't be able to stay in the air more than a few more minutes" came another voice and Danzig scoffed.

  "I don't think we have that long" Danzig stated as he saw Kames ship in front get blasted with a dozen lasers all at the same time and rip through the ships shield. Even more blasts raked down the side of the ship, blowing out chucks of metal and debris. The side of the ship exploded outwards and then rolled in the air before crashing straight to the ocean and sending up a spray of water. Danzig gulped and turned his attention back to the monitor displaying the port side of the ship and enemy fleet.

  Danzig watched as even more blasts sailed from the fleet and smashed into the side of his ship, shaking it violently. The camera view cut off completely as the shield collapsed under the concentrated fire and Danzig simply stood up and lifted his hand to salute those around him.

  "It was an honour my brethren. All hail Gestonia" Danzig stated as he looked around at his crew, each standing up and turning to face him and return the salute with grim expressions, right before the entire bridge exploded in a mess of flame and shrapnel.

  Chapter 33

  * * *

  "Wakey wakey smelly lady" a voice sounded out right before ice cold water slapped all over Mehrasa, soaking through the hessian sack over her head. She coughed and spluttered, shaking as the ice-cold water ran down her body. She struggled somewhat, her arms tied behind her back and around the chair she was sitting on, whilst her legs were tied to the chair’s legs.

  "Really man, is that the best you could come up with?" another voice sounded out and Mehrasa realised these men were speaking in a Cassar dialect. Hearing footsteps she turned her head sharply, straining her hearing, her vision still blocked by the sack over her head. Quite suddenly she felt hands on her head and then the sack was pulled off her and she found herself staring at two men, their skin dark brown. Staring at them wide eyed Mehrasa blinked, her eyes gradually adjusting as the two men walked to her side and threw two more buckets of water at two other people tied to chairs in a similar fashion as to how she was.

  The two people spluttered and shook as well, waking up from whatever had kept them knocked out. As sacks were pulled from their heads Mehrasa felt her heart leap into her chest as she recognised Merhbad and Garka, the two she had found tied up on the ship. But if they were here, where was Sojun. She whipped her head around painfully looking for other tied up people, a stab of dizziness running through her as she gave herself whiplash.

  As the pain hit her she groaned and clamped her eyes shut, trying to stop the sense of dizziness even as she shivered uncontrollably from the cold water. Then a memory hit her, and she whimpered softly, watching that moment on the ship play out. She had just told Sojun to shoot the blonde man like Garka had ordered and then she had seized up as electricity rushed through her. She had fallen onto Mehrbad's limp body and watched horrifed as Sojun had been cut clean in half by a figure brimming in electrical energy. She had stared horrified even as she had fallen into an unconscious state.

  Hearing more footsteps Mehrasa opened her eyes, willing the memory away. She felt sick because of it. She had like Sojun a little, even though she had barely known him, and hoped he had not suffered long before death took him. No one could survive being ripped into pieces. Looking up Mehrasa watched as three people joined the other two and she finally took in her surroundings.

  They were all in a large poorly lit room with crates stacked against the walls and a faint sound of whistling wind could be heard. The floor was slightly sloped and the whole place reminded her of a hold one might find in a large fishing vessel, used for storage of goods. As the newcomers greeted the two people already there, they exchanged words between them in another language and Mehrasa turned her gaze to Mehrbad and Garka, both of whom were blinking as well now, trying to adjust to their surroundings.

  "Mehrbad! Garka! Hey! You both alright?" Mehrasa whispered to them her voice shaking badly as she tried to lean in their direction somewhat. Both of them looked dishevelled, their turbans sitting askew and partially unwound. She could feel her own scarf sitting loose around her own head and she surmised she too looked fairly dishevelled.

  "Now now lass, don't be speaking without permissi
on" one of the newcomers stated and Mehrasa turned on him as Mehrbad and Garka seemed to come to their senses. The newcomer approached Mehrasa and crouched before her, an impassive look on his face.

  "My name is Keu, what is your name miss?" the man asked and Mehrasa stared at him. He was not of the same skin colour as the other men. They were all dark brown or black whilst he was white, although quite tanned like he had spent time in the sun. Mehrasa gulped and worked some spit around in her mouth, trying to get ready to speak, but the words wouldn't come as she stared at the man, his own face now inches from hers.

  "Don't fucking answer him girl. Don't give him a damn fucking thing" Garka spat out, his voice full of hate. Keu clenched his jaw and Mehrasa saw what she thought to be annoyance cross his face. Keu stood up and walked straight towards Garka, his right hand going down to his hip and pulling a pistol from a holster. Mehrasa watched as she felt a pit form in her stomach. Keu flicked off the safety and lifted the pistol, holding it against Garka's forehead.