First Admiral 01 First Admiral

by William J. Benning

  “Sir,” came the response from the darkness.

  Meanwhile, on the split View Screen, the Bardomil M-Cruisers were being hotly pursued by the Alliance Explorers. Having had a few seconds head start, the Bardomil vessels were maintaining a healthy distance from their pursuers. On the move, the Explorers were firing wildly with their high- and medium-yield pulsar-cannons; which were having very little effect. The M-Cruisers, travelling at full speed were being given those extra precious seconds that allowed them to accurately predict the course of any of the high-yield bolts being thrown at them. As they hurtled towards the Fighter Carriers, the M-Cruisers were able to comfortably negotiate the gauntlet of high-yield pulsar-bolts.

  Their headlong flight, however, was about to be rapidly curtailed by the arrival of the fifty Eagles from Aries.

  “Eagles engaging M-Cruisers now,” the WATO announced.

  The Eagles in their arrowhead formations were eager to come to grips with the M-Cruisers. The Aries Eagles had so far not been involved in any ship against ship combat. They had stung at the Fighter Carriers, but now they were really going into battle.

  “M-Cruisers opening fire, sir,” the WATO reported

  At extreme range and full speed, the M-Cruisers opened fire with their high-powered laser weapons. The nine laser blasts streaked downrange, and a heartbeat later smashed four of the fifty Alliance Eagles to oblivion.

  “Firing again sir,” the WATO added.

  Having the advantage of superior weapons range for just a few more seconds, the M-Cruisers opened fire once again, and claimed three more Eagles. As the three Eagles disappeared in cataclysmic explosions, their comrades came within pulsar-cannon range.

  “Eagles returning fire, sir,” the WATO continued.

  The Eagle fighters opened up with rapid-fire pulsar-bolts at the fast approaching M-Cruisers. In that first salvo, which became the only salvo thanks to the high speed at which both forces approached each other, every M-Cruiser was hit. Most of the M-Cruisers were struck by no more than two or three of the wildly fired pulsar-bolts. However, two of the Bardomil ships were struck by more than eight or nine bolts.

  On the split View Screen, Billy Caudwell saw the two M-Cruisers disintegrate as they flew at top speed into the hail of pulsar-bolts. Receiving one hit after another, the pulsar-bolts rapidly stripped away the hull and structure of the M-Cruisers as they sped forwards until the damage was so great that the ship exploded. The M-Cruisers that sustained less damage absorbed the pulsar-bolt strikes and cast debris out into space. Then, like boxers hit by a stinging punch, they lurched for a few moments before carrying on with their dash to the Fighter Carriers. However, the turning circle of the Alliance Eagle, which was a vessel designed for battle, was far shorter and sharper than that of the Explorer. Climbing rapidly, the agile Eagle fighters gained altitude and turned to begin their diving attack runs on the M-Cruisers.

  “Engaging M-Cruisers again, sir,” the WATO called out.

  The M-Cruiser commander, aware of what was about to happen, ordered his crews to scatter and make their way to the Fighter Carriers as best they could in the circumstances. It had been a brave and gallant action by the M-Cruisers, but, now it was over and their commander ordered every crewmember for themselves.

  “M-Cruisers breaking formation, sir,” the Scanner Officer called out.

  “They’re running for it!” the WATO added his comment.

  “Eagles opening fire on M-Cruisers again,” the Scanner Officer called.

  The Alliance Eagles, far nimbler and considerably superior in speed, swept down from their positions above the M-Cruisers and began to strafe the scattering formation of Bardomil ships. Now, the Eagles would hunt the M-Cruisers down to surrender or extinction.

  “Good, go get them WATO,” Billy ordered, knowing that the M-Cruisers, their formation broken, were no longer a threat to his operations and the battle was about to enter its final stages.

  “Order the Explorers to fly through the M-Cruisers and form a containment cordon around the Fighter Carriers,” Billy Caudwell began, turning away from the Main Tactical View Screen towards the WATO, “Send all the Aquarius Eagles in to soften them up some more, and bring both Aquarius and Aries in to point blank range for the high-yield pulsar-cannons,”

  “Aye, sir,” the Senior WATO responded with a wry smile, now very well aware that they were on the verge of a major victory against their hated enemy the Bardomil.

  Never had he seen Bardomil Imperial Fighter Carriers up close, and never had he ever dreamt that one day he would see a fleet of nine Carriers humbled and destroyed in battle.

  Soften them up with the fighters, wipe out their defences, and then send in the heavy bombers, Billy thought to himself. The old adage was as effective as it was true.

  The surviving Eagles, waiting on station around the Aquarius, were let loose to join their comrades from Aries in the attacks and were falling onto the Bardomil M-Cruisers like hungry lions chasing down their prey. The pilots aboard the M-Cruisers were trying their very best, but there were just too many of the nimble and speedy Alliance fighters for the pilots to contend with. With pulsar-cannon blazing the Eagles swept into their attacks. From above and behind their Bardomil adversaries, they swooped down and raked their prey with their pulsar-bolt talons. With seven M-Cruisers facing over forty Eagles, the battle was short and swift.

  “Sir, Eagles engaging M-Cruisers,” the WATO reported as Billy watched the individual battles continue.

  Attacked from above, and behind, the M-Cruiser had no response to the attacks of the Alliance Eagles. The violent evasive actions that had served the M-Cruisers so well previously only delayed the inevitable. Each M-Cruiser, trying to make a dash for the Fighter Carriers, became locked in its own private battle for survival with the rampaging Alliance Eagles. Three of the surviving M-Cruisers fell almost immediately.

  The doomed M-Cruisers, trying desperately to escape, were struck repeatedly by white-hot pulsar-bolts, and disappeared in the fiery red and orange death blooms that had claimed so many of their comrades that day.

  “Offer them to the chance to surrender, WATO” Billy ordered.

  “Yes, sir,” the WATO replied “Comms, break into their military frequency and give them the chance to capitulate.”

  However, like their Harpoon and Flying Devil comrades, the surviving M-Cruisers were in no mood to surrender. Many of the M-Cruisers were just simply out-flown by the agile Alliance fighters. With numerical superiority, the Eagles could allocate five six or seven fighters to destroy each M-Cruiser. The final M-Cruiser fell to a strafing run from below, when an Alliance Eagle, on a climbing attack, sent a stream of pulsar-bolts down either side of the doomed M-Cruiser’s fuselage. The left wing of the M-Cruiser crumpled in the carnage causing the doomed M-Cruiser to veer wildly to the right, and explode.

  To the cheering and applause of the Eagle pilots on the scene, the last hope of any Bardomil resistance had been snuffed out.

  Chapter 55

  The Aquarius Eagles, their pilots rested and vessels restored, wasted no time in joining in with the destruction of the Bardomil Imperial Fighter Carriers. They quickly added their pulsar-cannons fire to the ongoing destruction of the Bardomil fleet. Having drawn back the six Explorers to a containment perimeter, Billy Caudwell was slowly strangling the Bardomil Fighter Carriers. Their fighter protection was gone, the M-Cruiser escorts had made one final heroic, but ultimately futile last stand, their self defence batteries had been wiped out and all of their flight decks were now in shambles. The Alliance Eagles were rampaging at will around the crippled and trapped Fighter Carriers.

  From the War Room aboard Aquarius, First Admiral Billy Caudwell watched his Eagle fighters swarm around the Bardomil Carriers, slamming their low-yield pulsar-bolts into the defenceless and stricken Carriers. The Eagle pulsar-bolts were little more than insect bites against the huge Fighter Carriers, however, Billy Caudwell knew that thousands of such stings had weakened the Bardomil Carriers to
the point of destruction. Now, with the Bardomil defences stripped away, he would send in the Aries and Aquarius to deliver the coup de grace.

  Four of the six Explorer vessels, Endeavour, Endurance, Endymion and Europa were stationed around the surviving Fighter Carriers in a containment perimeter with orders to strike the propulsion systems of the Bardomil vessels, should they decide to make an escape run. The Explorers would cripple their adversaries and then be able to direct the Star-Cruisers to pick them off at leisure. With superior manoeuvrability, scanner instrumentation, speed and Trion Drives, the Explorers would run rings around the defenceless Bardomil vessels.

  “WATO, pull out all of the Eagles, and order our gunners, and those on the Aries, to open fire on the Fighter Carriers, and request fire support from Excalibur and Excellent,” Billy Caudwell ordered.

  “Aye, sir,” came the confident response from the delighted WATO.

  The War Room aboard Aquarius was deathly silent, save for the quiet buzz of communications traffic. Most of the Thexxian officers and technicians had served with the old Thexxian military for many years. Not once had they seen an entire Bardomil fleet reduced to little more than ruined and burning hulks. It was a day that would live in their memories until they died.

  “Fire support confirmed from Excalibur and Excellent,” the WATO intoned happily.

  The two Explorers would add their single, high-yield pulsar-cannons to what was about to become a shooting gallery. They would then be able to support the high-yield pulsar- bolts from Aquarius and Aries with their own medium-yield cannons.

  “Very good WATO, start moving Aquarius, Aries and the two Explorers around the Bardomil position, open fire when the Eagles are clear, and make sure that our vessels stay out of each other’s lines of fire,” Billy ordered.

  “Very good, sir,” the WATO responded, “opening fire now.”

  The high-yield pulsar-cannons on the Aires immediately began to open fire. Flying at ninety degrees to Aquarius, to avoid hitting the Alliance’s Flagship, Aries sent the first salvo of ten high-yield pulsar-bolts scorching downrange to smash into the undefended hulls of the Bardomil Fighter Carriers. All ten bolts scored direct hits; causing damage to four of the eight Fighter Carriers. One Fighter Carrier already badly weakened by the attentions of the Alliance Eagles exploded almost instantly in a huge burst of explosion and flash of bright yellow light.

  The Thexxians in the War Room were completely overawed by the sight of a Fighter Carrier exploding. The indiscipline that had been endemic less than half an hour previously had been replaced with disbelief and silence.

  “Keep them firing, WATO,” Billy ordered calmly.

  As the Fighter Carrier exploded, Aquarius sent her first salvo into the trapped and defenceless Bardomil ships. Once more, all ten pulsar-bolts struck home. The great Bardomil Carriers that were hit lurched and shuddered like wounded animals, but stood their ground defiantly. The Explorers fired last, their single high-yield pulsar-bolts hammering into an already mortally damaged Fighter Carrier which had been set on fire. Great clouds of smoke vapour were gathering around four of the Fighter Carriers. In the depths of space, smoke from a fire that escaped from a vessel had a habit of freezing into a fine vapour and clinging around the superstructure of a large ship.

  Taking fifteen full seconds to cool down the high-yield pulsar-cannon barrels allowed time for the Alliance warships to change position and take aim at different targets. Aquarius and Aries fired almost simultaneously, sending twenty pulsar-bolts seething downrange into the defenceless Bardomil ships. Again the remaining five Fighter Carriers lurched and shuddered under the massive impacts of the Alliance guns. Meanwhile, the two Star-Cruisers and the remaining Explorers; Excellent and Excalibur, prowled like caged beasts around the Fighter Carriers’ position, in case any of the remaining vessels made a surprise dash for freedom.

  To Billy it looked like the death throes of some large helpless wounded beasts; jolting and shuddering from the killer’s bullets. Too injured to move or fight back, all that they could do was accept the blows and hope that the end was mercifully swift and painless, as two more of the huge vessels exploded. Billy Caudwell had no intention of dealing a swift killing stroke to these large vessels, unless circumstances left him with absolutely no other choice. If necessary, Billy had a contingency plan of teleporting the Bardomil crews into empty hangars and then administering knock-out gas.

  It has to end soon, Billy thought to himself. They can’t possibly take much more punishment, he added, glancing over to another Tactical View Screen where the light blue icons were busy buzzing around the remaining red icons.

  “Comms, make contact with the enemy and offer them the chance to surrender,” Billy ordered.

  “Aye, sir,” came the muted response from the Senior Communications Officer.

  The surrender offer further stunned the silent War Room.

  “Sir,” the Senior Communications Officer interrupted the silence, “the enemy Fighter Carriers are requesting permission to surrender from the enemy Flagship.”

  “WATO, cease fire on the pulsar-cannons, stand us off from the enemy vessels,” Billy ordered, “and re-group the Eagles.”

  “Aye, sir,” the ashen-faced WATO responded.

  He had never seen a Bardomil fleet humbled, and his mind simply could not cope with the realisation that this young human had driven the pride of the Bardomil Empire to its knees. This was entirely new territory for every Thexxian. On the View Screen the Explorers were withdrawing from the area around the Bardomil Fighter Carriers. The Bardomil commander was being given the time and room to consider his response.

  In the tense silence of the War Room, the Communications Officers and Technicians listened intently to the quiet whisper of communications traffic on the Bardomil battle frequencies. For what seemed like an eternity they waited. On the Tactical View Screen, Billy could see that the Bardomil Fighter Carriers were in total shambles; three were burning fiercely and the remaining two were badly damaged.

  “The enemy are still requesting the permission to surrender from their Flagship, sir,” the Senior Communications Officer reported.

  “Very good,” Billy responded politely, trying to maintain an outwardly calm appearance whilst inside he was a nervous wreck of excitement and anticipation.

  This would be his first major fleet on fleet victory. They have to surrender, Billy thought to himself. Unless they are going to stand and fight to the last, they had to capitulate. If his first victory was to end in a massacre, then that was what he would have to do. However, to Billy, a beaten enemy was far more satisfying than a dead enemy.

  “Sir, Bardomil Flagship responds, permission granted!” the Senior Communications Officer shouted the last part of the message.

  The Bardomil Commander acceded to the surrender requests from the Fighter Carrier captains. There had been enough deaths for this day. Despite the warning that any breach of discipline would be met with a courts martial, the War Room erupted into gasps of astonishment and muted cheers of sheer relief. There would be time for celebrations later when it dawned on the Alliance crews just exactly what they had achieved.

  The battle was over, however, there was still one final chapter of this drama to play out.

  Chapter 56

  One by one the stricken and defeated Imperial Fighter Carrier crews signalled their capitulation to the Universal Alliance.

  “Congratulations everyone,” Billy announced closing down the images on the View Screens and War Table.

  Already his eyes were hurting from the harsh light of the View Screens, and he could feel the tell-tale sign of pain behind his eyes of an impending headache.

  “WATO, get me the casualty lists as soon as possible, and bring the Bardomil Commander to the Conference Room,” Billy added and departed from the War Room to the tattoo of clicking heels.

  In his Private Quarters, Billy kept the lights dimmed to try to relieve the tension in his mind, and minimise the effects of the War Room li
ghts. Lying down on his very comfortable bed, his one concession to luxury in his sparse private space, Billy was beginning to release the tension in his body and the pain behind his eyes.

  “Sir, we have a situation with the Bardomil Commander,” the voice from the small silver Communications cube on his small bedside table announced.

  Rolling over, tiredly, Billy struck the small cube to respond.

  “What kind of situation?” Billy questioned.

  “The Bardomil Commander is refusing to surrender and Scanners report that the self-destruct sequence on the Flagship has been initiated,” the voice replied nervously.

  “What?” Billy asked still not quite sure he had understood the message; “He’s refusing to surrender and is going to blow up the Flagship with himself still on board?”

  “Yes, sir,” the silver cube voice responded.

  “Very well,” Billy sighed, rising wearily to his feet, “I’m returning to the War Room,”

  “Acknowledged,” the silver cube voice responded.

  Rubbing his eyes, Billy walked through the opaque force shielding of the door and back into the noise and bustle of the fully illuminated War Room. The myriad Officers and Technicians who made the War Rom function were at their duties with a very high degree of urgency.

  “WATO, report,” Billy asked the tall Thexxian who stood close to the War Table.

  “Sir, we have casualties of ninety-eight dead and one hundred and thirty-two injured,” the WATO began, “enemy losses are close to one hundred thousand.”

  “Okay,” Billy acknowledged what had been a stunning victory with very light losses, “but, what’s the story with this Bardomil Commander?”

  “Sir,” the WATO continued, “he has barricaded himself into the Main Bridge of the Flagship, and Scanners tell us that the self-destruct countdown is running.”

  “Have we tried to contact him?” Billy asked, a horrible realisation forming in his mind, “Give me View Screens.”