"Admiral, I need more time. If we don't take evasive action soon, we'll be cut to pieces."
Ryan slowly turned to his long time friend. "Charlie....retreat to the asteroid belt and....launch all Squadrons.... The asteroids will provide cover....while our fighters pick off the rest of the fleet."
"Are you all right?"
"Just do....as I say." He shouted. "Take the conn. I....have some personal....business to attend too." He staggered to the exit and fell through the opening door.
Katie looked over at Charlie and from the expression of concern that inflicted Charlie's face, she knew exactly what to do. "I'll go after him."
"Thank you." Charlie responded as Katie left the helm. Ryan meant a great deal to him and he wanted nothing more than to go after Ryan to help, but the custody of one hundred thousand people and the planet Earth had just been dumped in his lap and that was a responsibility that he could not abandon. He sat in the helm and looked over at the First Officer who was still in a state of disarray. "You Heard the Admiral, change course to the asteroid belt at maximum impulse drive."
"General, what were those lights coming from the Admiral’s arms?" Stanton asked with a sense of urgency.
Charlie gazed about and saw the look on the faces of the crew then realised they all wanted an answer. He wished he could explain what was happening, but he had to honour Ryan's wishes and keep the Bracelets a secret. Besides, telling them about the Rings of Karn won't aid them against the Warrians, so he did what he thought was best and took control. "That is none of your concern Officer Stanton. Now back to your stations all of you, and that's an order!"
*******************
Zardon clutched his throbbing head with two large three fingered hands as he shouted to the unseen tormentor. "Get out of my head....you little....bastard."
Zen when to his master's aid but was quickly pushed aside. "Don't touch me. Ahhhrrrrr."
"What is happening my Lord? Who assails you?"
"That damn human."
A shiver travelled down Zen's spin. "Through what devil’s magic does he do this?"
The Emperor's piercing stare fell upon the Warlord. "Don't waste my time with futile questions...." He gripped his gargoyle like head as another piercing migraine inflicted his mind. "Are you a Warlord or a pathetic counsellor?....Follow that ship and blast them out of my sight!"
"Yes my Lord." Zen was confused and frustrated with this invisible assault upon his Emperor. If it were something he could cut with his keen blade or smash with his hard fist, then he could deal with it; but this was different. This was a battle with weapons of vast magic, weapons he did not understand and war he could not comprehend. However; Starships, guns and battle tactics were his element and if he couldn't combat his lord's tormentor with magic, then he could with insurmountable fire power.
*******************
Charlie watched the vast asteroid belt approach rapidly as the Endeavour travelled at maximum sub-warp speed. He glanced over at the First Officer while barking an order. "Shield level?"
"Fifteen percent and falling, General....Wait!" Stanton said in surprise. "Shield energy level increasing to twenty percent Sir, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, sixty five....sixty five and holding General."
The intercom came to life as Carl's voice sounded in Charlie's ear. "Your shields as you requested General." He announced in a proud voice.
"And not a moment too soon, Chief." Charlie replied. "Mac, how good is your navigation program?"
"I can track and negotiate two million obstacles simultaneously." Said the phantom voice.
"That will have to do. Plot a flight trajectory through the asteroid belt until there is a wall of rock between them and us."
"Yes General." Mac answered.
"Officer Stanton." Charlie called. "Switch to autopilot."
Gracefully the Endeavour entered the mass of moving asteroids and under the competent guidance of Mac, it negotiated the deadly maze without incident. The fiery death from the Warrian Fleet impacted with the countless obstacles and shortly the rain of the guns ceased as their true target was lost amongst its new found ally.
"All engines stop." Commanded Charlie. "Thank you Mac."
"Glad to be of service." The invisible presence answered.
Charlie turned back to the First Officer. "We will hold position here. Launch all fighter squadrons Officer Stanton and if any asteroid heads on a collision course with the Endeavour that's too big for our shields to repel, then atomise it." Charlie took a deep breath as the excitement of battle made his heart pump blood rapidly through his body. The countless hours on the Battle Tactics program were finally paying off, but despite the surmountable experience it gave him, there was one thing that he had no answer for - the Rings of Venal. Beads of perspiration ran down his bald forehead and his palms were as moist as if they were in a bowl of water. Charlie knew that whatever Ryan was doing to stop Zardon from blasting the entire solar system to atoms was working and while that devil was snookered, he had a chance to deal the final blow to the Warrian fleet. In the back of his mind, a thought ran over and over, "Hang on Ryan, hang on!"
********************
Zardon shouted to his Chief Officer. "Why have we stopped?"
"My Lord, our navigation computer is unable to negotiate such a complex maze of asteroids."
"They must not escape. Stop them my Liege!" Advised Hellion in Zardon’s head.
"Then we will blast a path to them."
"My Lord, it would be impossible. The asteroids are continually moving and any path that we create will be filled by other asteroids."
Zardon slammed his fist upon the helm's control panel in anger. His calculating mind struggled to find a solution with the continual mental torment from his adversary. Eventually, he managed to negotiate the trauma and decipher the dilemma. "What is the estimation of this ship's fighter squadron capacity?"
"Not more than twenty thousand my lord."
"Then we still outnumber them three to one. Launch all squadrons and flush them out. If that mass of asteroids doesn't rip them apart, then our bombers will." Zen bowed and carried out his Emperor's orders while Zardon sent a mental message to his antagonist. "How long do you think you can keep this up little man? I can fight you like this for days and while you play games, my squadrons are going to wipe out your pathetic army and whittle away your Battleship to an insignificant mass of molten scrap metal. You cannot win Williams and when only your measly carcass remains, I will have the supreme pleasure of decapitating it!" Under the pressure of Ryan's assault, Zardon finished the message with the mockery of his deep laughter.
*******************
Ryan staggered to the nearest transporter and fell into the unit. He grasped the unit wall to aid himself to his feet and continued to lean upon it as he voiced his destination. "Launch bay twelve."
The moment the words passed through his lips, Katie jumped into the transporter unit with him. "I'm coming with you!" The two disappeared in a flash of light.
They energised into a busy launch bay that produced a clamour so loud that Ryan had to shout to be heard. "You can't come with me."
"Why? You’re not in a state to go anywhere. In fact, I have the mind to drag you to the sick bay."
Ryan focused his mind on his destination and proceeded to walk as straight as possible to a hangar at the rear of the launch bay. "There is nothing wrong with me, I'll be fine."
Katie refused to give up and continued to hound him. "Then can you explain to me what happened on the bridge and what are those glowing things on your arms?" Ryan fell to the ground with his hands on his head and cried out in pain. "Ryan, what is happening to you? I can't help you unless you tell me." Katie was deeply concerned for Ryan. The expression of anguish upon his face as he cringed in agony made her own stomach twist in anxiety. She was desperate to help him but she was at wits end. Whatever assailed him was beyond her comprehension and from the reaction of the Bridge staff, it was beyond theirs as well. Katie he
lped him to his feet again.
The pain momentarily passed and he managed to speak without a struggle. "You cannot help me, no one can."
"Then what are you doing down here? If we can't help you then help yourself. Let me get you to the infirmary."
"No." Ryan looked into her eyes and witnessed her distress. "Katie I am fighting Zardon at this very moment,....with my mind. As long as I maintain a hold on him, he can't do any more killing. I can't keep it up forever and every moment I delay, more lives are being lost. I wish there was more time to explain but you have to trust me. I'm going to confront Zardon face to face."
"You can't, you'll be killed."
"I have to, if I don't deal with him now we will all die."
"Does Charlie know what you’re up to?"
"No, please don't tell him where I've gone. He will only try and stop me."
"I can't let you go, I don't want to lose you again."
"Truth will prevail. Be of strong spirit. Let your courage guide you."
"I have to Katie, it's the only way." He left her supporting arms and walked sternly to the hanger door. He placed his hand upon a security pad beside it and slowly the door rose from the floor. As the door disappeared into the roof, a set of undercarriage was revealed, then a smooth, aquiline nose and two large swept back wings possessing an engine pod each. Finally an erect tail fin was revealed to complete the spectacular, aerodynamic ensemble. The sleek spaceship was larger than the numerous fighters that were paraded before it and upon its hull was marked two words, "Starfighter One."
Ryan turned back to her and Katie could see the determination in his eyes. He was going to confront Zardon no matter what got in his way and there was nothing she could do to stop him. If she couldn't stop him, then the least she could do was support his decision. She held back the tears and threw her arms around him and kissed him. "Good luck."
He pulled away and gazed into her deep blue eyes again. "I love you Katie."
"I love you too. Now go out there and kick some arse."
Ryan stepped back and pressed the activation sequence for the A.A.E.E.V. suit on his watch. In a flash, the suit had generated about his body and it immediately compensated for the whirling of his senses. The urge induced by his brain to fall to the ground dissipated and finally he could stand up without the aid of a wall. Despite the advanced technology of the suit, it could do little for the mental strain and the continual cerebral trauma his brain was subjected too. He examined his forearms and witnessed the light from the Bracelets pass clean through the suit as if it were made of glass. He dismissed the phenomenon as another one of the bazaar abilities of the bracelets, then turned around and went to the side of the unusual ship, placing his right hand on its hull. In response, the canopy swiftly opened while omitting a sharp hiss, then he boarded the Starfighter One.
Ryan's hands dashed over the controls of the most advanced fighter in Intersect as he initiated the launch sequence. The canopy closed over his head sealing him within the tight confines of the ship's cockpit. The Starfighter One was totally unique in the sense that it had no manual steering system. Instead, the ship was piloted totally from the brain's electrical impulses. Highly sophisticated sensors were built into Ryan's helmet that would isolate and computerise the mental commands from his brain and send them directly to the fighter's controls. This way he had several milliseconds advantage over the conventional ships and that could mean the difference between life and death.
This system was recently discovered amongst the scientific records from Carillia and was installed only a couple weeks ago. Like anything that had to do with flying, Ryan took to it like a duck to water. He had intended to install the system into other crafts, but only one other pilot was capable of using the system. The rest lacked the concentration to filter out other thoughts and the sensors would become confused with the overload of commands. The other pilot that was capable of such a level of thought was Captain Adam Moore, who promptly asked for it to be installed into his Starfighter. Adam was very disappointed to hear that too much time had been wasted in testing the other pilots and there wasn't enough time left to refit his ship.
Quickly, the powerful engines came alive and omitted a deep roar that raised in pitch until they attained flight readiness. His eyes scanned the numerous instruments and fight data to check if all systems were functioning correctly. When he was satisfied that all systems were go, he placed his arms in two specifically moulded recesses where vital controls were at his finger tips.
A synthesised voice of a women sounded in his helmet. "Thought control system on line Admiral and ready for the first directive."
The voice was of the ship's onboard computer who Ryan had given a pet name. "Thanks Becky." He commanded the ship to be docked with the launch tube and immediately it moved forward. Slowly, the platform supporting the Starfighter crept out from the hanger and moved across the launch bay floor to a sealed hatch directly ahead. Ryan briefly took a last look at Katie who stood quietly amongst the bedlam about her. He knew exactly what she was thinking; this could be the last time they ever see each other again. The concept carved deep into his heart and soul and he wished he could say something that would ease her mind. Even if she could hear him, no words could ever suffice.
The bite of Zardon's retaliation brought his attention back to the sealed hatch before him and another command from his mind opened the hatch. On either side of him were countless Starfighters loading into their own launch tubes, ready to be hurled into the fray of battle. The platform stopped inside the tube just clear of the hatch that automatically it closing behind it sealing the ship within a five hundred metre long tube. Ryan hailed the Mission Control room for launch clearence. "Endeavour, Starfighter One ready for take off."
"Launch window is clear, Starfighter One. Good luck Admiral." Said the feminine voice in his helmet.
The readouts before his eyes informed him that the Starfighter One was ready for take off and with the thought command of full forward thrust, a mighty burst of fire and heat exploded from the back of the ship hurling it down the narrow tube. Three seconds later, the Starfighter left the protective confines of the Endeavour and changed course for the Flagship Kron.
CHAPTER TEN - INTERSECT
DATE - APRIL 13TH 1995 TIME - 1.05 AM
LOCATION - 150,000,000 KILOMETRES FROM EARTH
Colonel Adam Moore negotiated the two kilometre wide asteroid with ten other Starfighters hot on his tail and in a snake formation. His pack of elite fly-boys were called Blue Squadron, and were a part of the front line attack of Intersect's Spaceforce. Behind his squadron was the rest of the Spaceforce numbering eighteen thousand fighters and bombers in all. Projected onto the visor of Adam's helmet was the navigation computer's three dimensional line of negotiation through the maze of asteroids that Adam followed flawlessly. The tailing fighters matched Adam's negotiation path as the squardon snaked through the rocky domain. The slightest deviation from this line would mean a lethal encounter with a million tonne hunk of rock, and not only for Adam but for the rest of Blue Squadron. The countless asteroids thinned out and grew smaller in size as the squadron neared the outer limits of the belt and the negotiation line straightened in response. They emerged from the rocky cluster and the negotiation line disappeared. Adam commanded the auto pilot to plot a course for his first target. "Betty, redirect trajectory for the Battle Cruiser Rancour."
"Yes, Colonel." Said a feminine voice in his helmet.
"Blue squadron, increase attack speed to maximum. We're going to hit them so fast their anti-spacecraft guns will spin off their mounts."
The continual high pitched whistle that was under toned by a booming growl, changed tempo as the powerful propulsion system boosted to maximum thrust. A loud continuous beep startled Adam as the intricate flight console before him came alive with complex data. Betty's voice complemented the commotion within the small cockpit. "Multiple targets dead ahead and are arming photon guns."
"On screen." Adam co
mmanded.
The centre monitor displayed the Warrian Battle Fleet at a distance and steadily increased the magnification. An enormous black cloud appeared between them and the Fleet, which upon greater magnification revealed its consistency.
Adam's heart pumped his blood faster in reaction to the spectacle. "How many targets?" He asked cautiously.
"Sixty five thousand, one hundred and thirty four."
"Shit! Blue squadron, where turning back to the asteroid belt." With a flick of the controls, his Starfighter looped up and back towards the wall of moving rock. In a perfect imitation of his manoeuvre, the tailing fighters followed.
********************
First Officer Stanton studied the data upon his console then immediately reported it to his Commander-in-Chief. "General Clark, the Warrian fleet has launched their squadrons in retaliation to our raid."
"How many have they launched?"
"It appears to be their entire Spaceforce, some sixty five thousand in total."
"They will cut our force to pieces! Notify all squadron leaders of the counter-strike. Mission Control Room staff to their stations. Stanton, you have the conn." Charlie rose from the Helm and left the Bridge with a number of personnel following behind him. Directly opposite the access to the Helm was a sealed door between two transporter units. Charlie placed his hand on a sensor pad beside the door and in reaction, it split in two revealing a large chamber behind it. He entered the Chamber as the overhead lighting came to life and illuminated the hexagonal shaped room. Centring the room was a seven metre diameter, three dimensional imager that was surrounded by a complex control panel. Charlie sat at the command chair that overlooked the imager, while a number of staff went to their posts at the imager's control panel and applied their headsets. The imager abruptly came to life displaying a detailed miniature of the space between the Endeavour and the Warrian Fleet. Towards Charlie's left was a mass of blobs indicating the asteroid belt and within it was a cluster of blue dots that indicated the Intersect Fleet. To the right were several large structures that indicated the Warrian fleet and in between it and the asteroid belt was a large black mass that was the Warrian Spaceforce approaching the asteroids at a rapid rate.
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