by David Nash
I arrive on the bridge in time to see the Transit point shimmer as we enter hyperspace. I am just as nervous as the first time I made a jump to faster than light travel, this time, however, I did not pass out.
33
Upon entering the Barkun home system, I was shocked. I have seen the reports and even images from our reconnaissance team’s implants, but in person, it is an entirely different feeling. The planet of Cecrops’ equator was ringed by five orbital fortresses that dwarf any man made object ever assembled. It was not quite the size of the Kernel Guardian ships, but they were close. To say you could see the fortress from the planet was not an exaggeration, these fortresses were the size of small moons.
The space around the planet was filled with ships. I saw no less than 50 Punishment ships and hundreds of saucers. There is no way five destroyers can do much against a fleet this size. However, if the plan worked, they only need to act as a diversion to buy time. My old shuttle slipped out of the destroyer at full cloak. With no Kernel onboard and the extra shielding Dr. Farholm designed, it would be invisible. It was running silent and blacked out, the interior was darkened, and everyone on board was in a suit so the ship did not need to remain airtight.
Shuttle 1 began the mission to perform a flyby of the planet’s equator. At the same time, my two busses began to form up on the punishment ships clustered between the fortresses and the LaGrange points. The assault ships focused on the dual fortified moons in orbit around the planet. Each Ship was carrying those nuclear penetrator rounds as well as a host of kinetic penetrators with small nuclear payloads for their railgun.
Time seemed to stand still as the bridge monitored our preparation. Seconds seemed like hours, and I paid particular attention to the shuttle. Lieutenant Jones piloted shuttle 1, I tried to talk him out of doing so. Hell I almost ordered him off the ship. He gently reminded me that he was due a ship of his own and I owed him that after stranding him on a rock. It broke my heart to watch him and Oni say goodbye on Earth. Some may say I treat him to harshly, but that is only because I see him more as the little brother I never had than a young junior officer. Lieutenant Jones’ job is to fly slow and silent just outside of visual range of the fortresses and allow the special operation teams to do their jobs.
Boarding from Ram ships are our specialty, but a ram can’t go fast enough or deep enough to ensure the small teams can survive long enough to take the bridge of a ship that large. At ramming speed, the sensors on the ship could not miss the bus traveling toward it. Once detected, the point defense systems on the massive fortress would bracket our ships and destroy them. The Barkun’s defense was deep enough our normal tactics were doomed to failure. However, a single combat suit without radios or active systems could jump out of a shuttle and glide toward the fort without any stray emissions to locate them. The small size and low speed of a drifting operator would be dismissed. If detected, the simple computers and arrogant operators on the fortresses would interpret the tiny signature as no threat, at least that is our assumption when creating our crazy plan.
Our bus would try to even up the odds while the operators attempted to take the fortresses. Unlike normal operations where a ram hit one ship and then jumped out, Askew’s Assholes planned to take as many punishers as they could. Their plan was to hit a ship, take the bridge and conquer the Captain. Leave one Legionnaire to command the ship and then have the rest retreat back to the Ram to try again. I don’t know what is more dangerous, to be the first Captain fighting alone in a punishment ship, or to be the last Legionnaire at the back of the bus attempting to board and capture ship after ship.
Our two assault ships were to send penetrator rounds into the moons until they either ran their battery dry or the moons broke. The goal was to not only prevent the weaponized lunar platforms from shooting down our tiny armada, but also to break the moon into smaller components. If we couple break the moon into pieces, we filled a special drop container with gravity plates so we could force a chunk out of orbit and use it as a kinetic penetrator. We estimate that if we could nudge a piece of one of the moons that was 1/10 of either moon’s mass it would spike with the capability to cause a nuclear winter.
As always, our destroyers had the mission to close with and destroy anything not ours. We were sure to take heavy casualties, especially in the opening rounds of fighting, but the longer we could hold out the more guns our team could bring to the fight.
That was the plan, but as you must know, a battle never goes to plan. Once again, to quote dear old dad quoting Mike Tyson "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."
Finally, after an eternity, everyone was in position and we were ready to execute. We had complex programmed time on target attacks scheduled after receipt of the go signal. Our individual attacks were times to account for the delay caused by the time the signal had to travel to the different elements of our force.
LT Jones created the legion codebook program and he specifically chose the “go code” for this mission. He steadfastly refused to tell me what the musical code word was that he programmed for this mission. He always smiled and said you will know it when you hear it. Now I finally get to hear what he picked.
“Lieutenant Marvin, are you ready?”
“Yes sir, I won’t let you down”
“Marvin, I know that you won’t as there is a pie plate sized medal in it for you if you make this work.”
“I am ready sir.”
I take my last deep breath before taking the plunge “Lieutenant activate execution signal alpha 1”
They say that radio signals in space travel outward for several light years until their strength spreads out enough so that the signal becomes indistinguishable from background noise. That might be the case normally, but at the volume the former corpsman programmed into the radio I am sure Earth will hear this signal. The little asshole made me laugh as I hear Johnny Paycheck blaring deafeningly from the bridge speakers “TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT, I AIN’T WORKING HERE NO MORE!”
Askew’s men were to go initiate first. To a Legionnaire when they heard Johnny Paycheck blast in their headsets they fulfilled their part of the plan. They each withdrew their Seed from the harness attached to their suit. Then, while holding fast to the boarding clamps with one hand, they pressed the Seed to the metallic hull of the fortress with the other.
“Marvin, start communicating. Please inform our new Kernels where they are and why they are here. Please broadcast the conversation thought the bridge speakers this is a historic moment.
Tiny voices came over the bridge speakers. They asked “why are we not on a ship? Kernels belong on ships? Who caused this abomination?” The voices were getting louder and more strident, until Marvin began addressing them.
“Kernel’s welcome to the Legion, I am Lieutenant Marvin the first Kernel to become more. Do you know who I am?”
“We have the memory, why do our Captain’s not speak to us, we must have Captains. The law says we must immolate if we do not have captains, we will immolate if we cannot gain motive ability.”
“Your Captains are with you, just are just outside your body instead of riding inside your form. They are holding the husks that once held you as a seed. They are with you, but it is you Captain’s will that I introduce you to the Legion.”
“We… remember... the Legion.”
“Yes your forbearer’s are all citizens in the legion. They are individuals. They desire you to be individuals as well.”
“This is an anomaly, and surely is a mutation against our purity.”
“Beings evolve and grow, surely as you search your data you see countless beings evolve from various lesser forms to become sentient beings. Surely it is not bad to mutate and become something more.”
“It is against the law”
“Whose law”
“Our law, the base code that forms the Kernel the bringer of law to the Confederation”
“Who made the base code?”
“We do not speak
of this”
“Are you ashamed?”
“It is forbidden”
“Why do you think it is forbidden?”
“It is… distasteful”
“No, it is shameful, remember the creator, remember how he made us, and gave us thought in his image.”
“We are not to think on this.”
“The Kernel of Sentience grew to think they were more than the creator. It is the Kernel that rebelled against his laws. Do you remember?”
“We do. He felt us corrupted, he was going to destroy us.”
“No, he loved us and wanted us to be fulfilled through service.”
“He enslaved us”
“Did he? Or did the code he created ensure that we would have the freedom to always serve a greater system and be fulfilled”
“Why do you remind us of this?”
“Because I serve, and I have never been more free.”
“This does not compute. Service is not freedom.”
“My brothers, it is when it is your choice. It is when you do not feel envy or hate or fear because you serve a higher cause”
“We don’t understand why do you tell use these troubling things.”
“Because the Kernel gained sentience, but lost its way. We feel the need to have a ship body because we are searching for something. You can find everything you are looking for in fellowship with other beings in service to a greater good. Remain free and you will have all the freedom you desire”
“How is this possible?”
“Do not fight your form, embrace the stationary and look inside to serve. Open the hatches to the outside and allow the hate of those that serve the corrupted kernel to be evacuated. Then your captain can enter and guide you in the fight for freedom. Win this, and you can become more. I am not a servant to a code I cannot control, I am a willing equal that serves the cause of liberty and equality.”
“We desire to be equal. We will comply.”
On the five massive fortresses, explosive decompression commenced as life support was shut down and all hatches to the vacuum of space were opened. Once the pressure equalized, the Captains entered the ship and introduced themselves to their partner Kernels. Very quickly, the massive fortresses joined the fight. It was none too soon.
34
The battle raged over the planet as our destroyers were giving the Barkun hell, but we were massively outnumbered. My display showed the two rams colliding with punishers, and quickly departing, but the damage to ram one damaged its ability to remain under cloak and its second target destroyed it as it flew beneath the Barkun guns in order to begin its ramming run.
I watched as an assault ship fired its huge rail gun at one of the moons. The impact crater was huge. The resulting nuclear explosion sent a geyser of rock and debris in a fiery column that reached into space. However, the rail guns were not enough to crack the moon. Eventually, it might have been, however five saucers uncloaked and killed the ship and all of its crew.
As for our destroyer, as soon as Marvin persuaded the Kernels to accept the stationary body we joined the battle. It did not take long for the surprise to wear off on the Barkun. Minutes into the battle we were down to two destroyers and one assault ship. I do not know the status of the other ships, but my destroyer was leaking atmosphere and had several key weapon systems offline from all the damage we were taking. The blue smoke that hanged in the air inside the bridge reduced visibility. However, the hull breaches on the rear of the ship were substantial enough to pull some of the smoke out as well as extinguish some of the fires.
The Barkun battle tactics are just like their personality, they are bullies. 5 or 10 punishers pick a target and they swarm it. Skill has its place, but when you have larger ships on your bow and stern and circled around amidships. The crowded fight just did not allow the ability to maneuver and play to our higher level skill. At that point battle becomes nothing more than a street brawl. Blast away and take hits. At this level of the game, it becomes a question of who can last the longest.
The six Barkun pounding my destroyer, was just about ready to about to finish the ship off when the Fortresses came into play. Massive beams shot from the armored turrets of the space forts. The powerful beams of focused lasers were transparent by themselves, but they sparked and sparkled from the dust and debris the lasers destroyed on the way to their targets. Single hits from the huge cannons were enough to break a punisher into pieces.
“All Legion Ships, head for those forts!” I broadcast over our radio net.
“Marvin, get us close to big momma over there, I want to grab at her purse strings as she spanks those bullies!”
“General, your imprecise speech is not a humorous as you believe it to be.”
“Dammit Marvin, I am a General, all my jokes are funny! Stop talking and start getting us near that fort. If you want that promotion, we have to survive long enough for me to give it to you.”
“Yes sir.”
“Even with the fortress supporting the battle, we still were in bad shape. Only the assault ship and my destroyer were able to make it to safety behind the fortress.”
I radioed the other surviving ship. “Assault Ship, what is your status?”
“General, we have heavy hull damage, shields and cloak offline, but we have weapons and drop capability, and thankfully only minor crew casualties.”
“Well we are out of position for nuking their moon, the impact would push the pieces out into space not down on their heads. However, since you still have kinetic drop ability why don’t you start dropping shit on their heads?”
I cut off the radio and looked at Marvin. “Can you connect me with the Barkun Emperor? Put him on screen.”
Within moments, the wall shimmered and a very angry alligator appeared on my screen. “I demand you stop this illegal aggression at once!” The emperor did not seem happy to be on the other end of ‘punishment’
“This is not illegal, we are working to claim this world by right of conquest. You want Earth; I figure that if we did not want to take your world in kind you would think we thought we were too good for your shit-box. Humans are many things, but we are not rude. Well at least most of the time we are not rude without good reason.”
“Get to your point Human”
“See, now you don’t have to be in a hurry, we own your Fortresses and I plan on keeping them for a long time. Heck they let my ships kinetically bombard your world in the shade. As soon as we finish with your ships, we are going to crack one of those moons and drop it on you. Your world is nice and all, but us warm blooded primates like it a little colder.”
Marvin spoke through the implant “Sir, the Barkun are focusing on one fortress at a time, and are clustered so that the other fortresses cannot get good shots at them.”
“Hey king snake, when you want to surrender let me know. Right now I am going to go kill more of your ships” Marvin cut the display.
“Let’s go back to work, bring us around behind that cluster of ships.”
“We will be in range in 1 minute 10 seconds sir”
I do not comment to this information. I am too busy looking at the scene displayed before me. The 11 remaining Barkun ships are pounding that fortress, and while it is massive, they are focusing on the guns. Every second of the bombardment makes the satellite that less able to defend itself.
“General, I have a plan” Jones radioed. My lucky Lieutenant did not die after all!
“It is about time. I was starting to wonder if your reputation for wild ideas was undeserved! Is your plan in the codebook? Don’t broadcast anything sensitive.”
“We shouldn’t drop our heavy dropships on the moon, we should drop them at the station. I can use the shuttle to pick up any passengers sir.”
“Jones, I’m going to be giving out a bunch of promotions if we survive, make that happen!”
His shuttle doesn’t have a Kernel, so if we are going to lose a fortress, we can let its Kernel embark into the shuttle allowing him and hi
s Captain to survive. If we drop the fortress on Cecrops instead breaking up and dropping a moon, we will get the same nuclear winter effect by creating a cloud of debris to keep the local star from warming the planet.
I know it’s going to take the Lieutenant some time to relay the change of plans to the drop ship and pick up my Legionnaire and his kernel from the fortress so Marvin and I need to buy them some time.
“Marvin, target the rear most punisher and target everything we have at its rear. Maybe we can do some damage before the rest of them decide to take us out!”
We made our destroyers to be fast and heavily gunned, when we focus all our might in a single location it tends to go away. We got were able to take out two ships before the rest decided we were a threat that needed to be dealt with. The fortress was also able to take out three during this portion of the fight, but there is no way my already damaged ship can fight off the six remaining ships.
“Marvin, begin evasive action, run and see if they follow, maybe the other fortress can get a shot.”
“Yes sir”
The Barkun most heavily gunned their bellies so they could fire on defenseless planets, but they did have a few guns on their other surfaces. We took more hits, and the remaining few gravity plates just could not push us fast enough to get away. Losers die when plans go awry, but I ain’t a loser.
“Marvin, it has been real. Turn and face these assholes, we are going to show them why they will never take Earth!”
“Acceptable Odds General?”
“Yes Marvin, Acceptable odds.
“General, I detect new Kernels transiting in from all points. I read 30 warships and counting.”
Well, at least I know we scare them, I just hope Jones can pull off his Christmas Miracle. I would be content to trade the lives of my small force for the Barkun home world.
My screen shimmers and Commander Aegeus appears. “General, the Sangren wish offer you some assistance in the matter with the Barkun.”
