“Meow.” With that one word, Blitz then began his assault on the surprised Ribiyar forces. Blitz’s Pod lunged at the aliens as it deployed its energy cannons, crushing several Ribiyar beneath it as it landed on its legs. Blitz then proceeded to unleash a furious attack on the aliens, firing the Pod’s cannons as fast as possible. And though the Ribiyar pelted the armor of the Pod with their weapons, it was insufficient to make Blitz falter in the protection of his master.
No matter how many warriors came, no matter how powerful their weapons, Blitz would not allow them to inflict harm upon his new master.
Blitz would either protect his master from harm, or he would die trying.
Location: Unknown
“Sep un tu qwar!!!” The red Ribiyar roared as he threw his sword at Jack. Jack dived to the side just as the sword sliced through the air he had been moments earlier. Dodging the red Ribiyar as it attempted to grab him, Jack reactivated his thruster and flew away from the alien. As he turned to face the alien, he noticed that he was slowly beginning to grow weaker and found that it was becoming harder to focus on what he was doing. He realized that he was suffering from the strain of the computer link, with the Defender’s computer no longer able to support him, and it wouldn’t be long before he was too weak to fight against the computer, and he also didn’t have much time before his neural circuits suffered irreparable damage from the strain as well. He had to act fast and transfer the Omega Virus to the Ribiyar, before it was too late.
The red Ribiyar jumped several feet into the air and began to dive toward Jack, its sword ready to slice him in half. Jack readied for the alien, but in a flash of insight, he realized the move was similar to the one he had observed in his training program, and he knew exactly what to do. Jack sidestepped to the side right as the alien thrusted his sword into the ground, and before he could remove it, Jack quickly jabbed him with his right leg, throwing a few feet from his weapon. Before the computer had the chance to recover, Jack lunged onto the alien, placing his right foot on its chest, and held down both of his hands to keep him constrained. Veins of blue light began spreading over the Ribiyar from where his hands and foot where in contact with its body, but, it progressed considerably slower that it did than when he had taken control of the computer on the Defender. Jack guessed that the Ribiyar wasn’t affected the same way as the computer on the Defender because the Holding Facility’s computer was much bigger, resulting in more systems to take over, prolonging the infection process, and the computer also had stronger firewalls to protect itself against his reprogramming. The Ribiyar strained to free itself from Jack’s grasp, and he did all he could to keep the computer restrained, knowing his strength would soon give out.
Finally, his onboard systems reported: Omega virus delivery complete: Computer slaving in full operation.
More and more blue veins continued to spread across the Ribiyar’s body as the Omega Virus gained control of an increasing amount of the computer systems, but even near its defeat, the computer did all it could to resist Jack’s attack.
“Sep… un to… qwar!” Summoning its faltering strength, the Ribiyar finally managed to rest his right arm out of Jack’s grip, a sword quickly materializing in its hand, and the computer stabbed the sword through Jack’s chest. The circuits within his chest sparked as they began to short out, and he now felt his concentration and control rapidly fading. As his world faded into nothingness, he closed he eyes as he slumped and fell to the ground, comforted with the knowledge that the loss of his life would serve as payment in the fight to save his people from their invaders.
Chapter 27
Date: July 11, 2132.
Location: Aboard the Defender, holding position near the Holding Facility located in the Atlantic Ocean.
“Chief Lexton, what is happening at the Holding Facility?!” Captain Rickman asked impatiently, anxious to know what was happening. Rick had almost lost control of his emotions when Chief Lexton had reported that the Defender’s computer had been overwhelmed during the download process, and had then lost its connection with Jack, and the Ribiyar computer. While he didn’t completely understand what that meant, he knew it wasn’t good news for Jack. Could he have suffered damage from the computers defeat? Was he attempting to complete the transfer all by himself?
“I don’t know, Captain Rickman!” Chief Lexton responded over the comm, more than a little agitated over her inability to fix their problem. “The readouts from the computer show that the Omega Virus was transferred to another computer source before it was overwhelmed, and it appears that-”
“Sir,” Tactical Chief Nickland interrupted, “the Holding Facility has ceased its attack on the fleet, and it is now firing its weapons on the Ribiyar fighters and the outposts on the island! They’re being overwhelmed!” The bridge erupted in a roar of celebration for their first major victory against the Ribiyar.
“Commander Hayley, instruct the infiltration team to open all the entrances into the Holding Facility that they can, and program the Recon Drones to hunt down the Ribiyar in the place. Also, inform the fleet to send officers from their ships to the Facility once the battle is over to help with-”
“Captain!” Nickland yelled, immediately silencing the rest of the crew in their celebration. “Sensors are detecting a Ribiyar Warship descending from the atmosphere, and it is headed right for our position!” The central holographic display switched from a shot of the Holding Facility, and now showed the sky above them. Moments later, the clouds parted to show a Ribiyar Warship quickly approaching them, it’s massive dual-domed structure overshadowing the horizon around it, with its large, revolving trench cannons glowing with energy, ready to rain their wrath upon Defender and its allies. The dual-ringed engines orbiting the vessel were ablaze as they lowered the ship down into the atmosphere, and towards the Holding Facility and the Defender’s fleet.
Unsure of how they could defeat their foe, all the crew turned toward Captain Rickman, hoping he would have a way to save them and the fleet.
“Lieutenant Commander Nickland, are there any nuclear warheads left?”
“I’m afraid not, sir,” Nickland grimly replied. “We used all of the warheads in our fight against the cruisers. And, captain, if you’re thinking of taking that thing on, I don’t think that the Defender possesses enough firepower to destroy it.”
“Captain,” Commander Hayley spoke cautiously, “This might be more than what we can fight against. We just don’t have the means to engage this ship.”
Captain Rickman sighed, knowing that, even with the advances the Defender possessed, it was no match against the approaching foe. Rick was just about to order the crew to ram the Defender into the battleship, the best chance they had at doing any real damage to it, when Chief Lexton, who had been listening in on the discussion, asked “Captain, what if we used the Atlanta to take that thing down?”
“Chief, what in the world are you talking about?” Captain Rickman responded, confused by her question. “We’ve already used the nuclear warheads from the Atlanta, and its remaining missiles won’t do anything against that ship.”
“I know, Captain Rickman. But the ship still possesses its nuclear power core. If we made the appropriate adjustments to the core, and dropped the Atlanta onto the ship’s hull, the collision with the Ribiyar’s hull, combined with the detonation of the remaining missiles in the sub, should cause the core to breach, creating a nuclear reaction. While the blast won’t be as powerful as a nuclear warhead, the blast should contain enough nuclear radiation to create a chain reaction in the Ribiyar’s power systems, which will result in the ship destruction.”
“Are you sure we should just sacrifice the Atlanta, Captain Rickman?” Commander Hayley asked. “We’ll have to get awfully close to the warship to get into position, and we’re sure to take get a beating with us at point-blank range of their cannons. What if the blast isn’t strong enough to destroy the battleship?”
“We don’t have any other options, and we are running out of time. Commander, use the Defender’s computer to download all the information you can from the Atlanta’s computer core. Personal logs, mission reports, everything.” Hayley nodded, and quickly began working the computer interface to initiate the download.
“Chief Lexton, will there be any physical adjustments that need to be made to the core to cause the breach?”
“No, captain. All the adjustments we need to make can be done from here.”
“Alright. Do what you need to do. Stand by to release the docking clamps holding the Atlanta on my signal. Helm, set a course for the battleship. Take us to maximum thrust if you need to, just get the Defender above that thing before it reaches the fleet.” Rick grabbed the edge of his chair (which he had been able to install in the bridge before the mission had begun) as the ship bolted forward. Though the magnetic boots provided from the Thunderfox where aiding the crew as the ship was thrown around, Rick was certain that Doctor McGriffen would still have a lot of bumps and bruises to deal with if they survived this stunt.
“Captain, the battleship will be in position to fire on the fleet in just over two minutes. This is going to be close!” Lieutenant Commander Nickland reported.
“Sir! The download from the Atlanta’s computer has been completed,” Commander Hayley announced. Now in range of the battleship’s weapons, the vessel’s massive spherical weapons began rotating at an extraordinary rate, and then began letting loose their armament on the Defender, with a firing rate comparable to a machine gun. Though the Defender shook beneath the crew as the vessel was attacked, the ship remained steady as she continued to race higher in the sky. But the Defender didn’t endure the attack silently, as she used her forward cannons to blow apart many of the spherical weapons, and she also used her energy cannons along her wings and across the hull to attack the engine rings of the battleship. The Defender soared past the weapon trench of the Ribiyar ship, and now flew just above the surface of the top dome on the battleship.
“Chief Lexton, is the Atlanta ready for deployment?” Captain Rickman asked over the comm link, eager to do everything possible to expedite the process before the Defender suffered critical damage.
“Affirmative, captain. All we need to do is drop the old girl and watch the fireworks. I do recommend that we drop the Atlanta at a distance so that we can escape the blast radius. The Defender is just as vulnerable to the nuclear reaction as we are.”
“Understood. Helm, take the Defender a half mile above the battleship. Commander Hayley, once we reach that height, drop the Atlanta on them.” On the holographic display above the central console, currently showing the battle ship beneath them, Captain Rickman was shocked as he saw the battleship beginning to rotate sideways, still in flight with the engine rings supporting the vessel, and with the battleship’s rotation the weapon trench was slowly being brought upright so the attack could be resumed. And while the battleship was being moved, many weapons on the engine rings were blasting away at the Defender, bashing her already badly damaged hull.
“Aye, captain,” Commander Hayley replied feverishly, aware of how close the drop was going to be to the time when the battleships spherical cannons were in position. The Defender continued to gain altitude as it flew higher into the atmosphere, and they quickly reached their desired height as the battleship continued its descent toward the ocean’s surface. The moment the Defender was one-hundred-feet above the battleship, the docking clamps holding the Atlanta retracted, and the sub plummeted down to the sub below. Though the Ribiyar fired upon the descending sub, its amour kept the ship more or less intact as it grew closer and closer to the battleship. Jumping to high speeds, the Defender rocketed away to avoid the imminent explosion.
Just as the weapon trench rotated to blast the sub away, the Atlanta plunged into the weapons, erupting in a mighty explosion. But as impressive as the Atlanta’s fire show was, it was nothing compared to the size of the explosion the battleship created. The entire sky seemed to ignite as a thunderous shockwave stretched over the sky. The force of the shockwave, fortunately free of residual nuclear radiation, rocked the Defender, momentarily causing the ship to lose control of its flight before it stabilized, and set course back to the Holding Facility, which was only a few miles away from where the battleship had been. If the Defender had been only a half-minute later, the battleship would have been able to destroy all the ships in the fleet, and the Holding Facility as well.
“Commander Hayley,” Captain Rickman said as the crew celebrated on the bridge, though several frequently glanced at the displays to make sure another battleship wasn’t descending toward them, “I want you to lead a team that will take command of the Control Center while me and the other commanders in the fleet try to determine our next move against the Ribiyar. We still have much work to do if we want to get the Ribiyar off our planet.”
Ten minutes later…
Location: Control Level of the Ribiyar Holding Facility, positioned in the Atlantic Ocean.
Unit is online.
Running Diagnostic cycle:
Memory: Partial data corruption detected.
Decoding protocols have been activated and are attempting to resolve error.
Weapon systems:
Minor damage and wear on equipment detected.
Maintenance on system recommend, but not necessary for system functionality.
Overall weapon status: 96% functional.
Motor functions: operating at 98%.
Optic, audio, sensory Receptors: Fully functional.
Scanning… Unit functionality is at 94%.
Warning: Diagnostic scans show neural circuits are unstable and is likely to deteriorate further if repairs are not performed immediately.
Unit consciousness will be restored for 17min, 43sec to facilitate repairs before deactivation will occur to continue mental system recalibration and repairs.
Bringing unit consciousness online and reactivating all other systems.
Engaging…
“Jack? Can you hear me?” Chief Lexton asked Jack, who stood dormant by the console on the balcony in the Control Room, with his hands still holding onto the console he had used to connect himself to the Holding Facility’s computer, though no energy pulsed from his hands, signifying he wasn’t still connected with the computer. A Recon Drone, attached to Jack’s back, hummed softly as Lexton attached an interface chip, a small circular device that would link the drone’s computer to her scanner, to its computer module, and used the scanner in her hand to try and figure out what was wrong with Jack. Once the device was activated, it began to send information to her scanner, and Lexton focused as she searched through the information to see what she could do for Jack.
But before she got far in her search, a high-pitched whine was produced from Jack’s equipment as he began to reactivate. Jack opened his eyes, and nearly fell to the ground as he tried to stabilize himself.
“Jack, are you okay?” Chief Lexton asked as she tried to help him to his feet, a difficult task because of his bigger mass, and the Chief’s lack of overt muscular strength. “What happened to you during the Omega Virus download? We thought we lost you.”
“I… don’t remember what happened during the download process. Some of my memory has been corrupted. Possibly from the stress of the Omega download. I do remember needing to administer the Omega Virus on my own, after something happened to the computer. That would explain the deterioration and fragile state my neural circuits… my mind I mean, is in.” Just as Lexton lifted Jack to his feet, he fell to the ground again, this time taking the chief down with him.
“I apologize, Chief Lexton,” Jack said as he tried to grab onto the balcony and lift himself while the Chief got to her feet. “My diagnostics show my mental infrastructure is extremely weak, and it may take some time before I regain full control of my systems. I would appreciate any help that
you and the other engineers can provide.”
“I’ll do what I can Jack, but you will have to show me what you need fixed. No one knows much about how your systems work, even me, after spending hours poring over your schematics, and we don’t want to do anything that might make your situation worse. Unfortunately, it may take some time before anyone can help you. Our fleet took a lot of damage during the fight, and we’re diverting most of the engineers in our fleet focusing on repairing the ships that weren’t destroyed.”
Jack finally managed to pull himself up and stand, though he heavily leaned on the balcony to hold himself upright. “How badly was the fleet damaged?”
Chief Lexton sighed. “We got hit real hard. We lost the Tsunami, Pocahontas, and the Un-Holstered during the assault. All the other ships took a lot of damage as well, including the Defender, which is the vessel that took the most damage and is still operational. The GMs on the Defender, or the fabricators, as you call them, are going to be working for days to create all the parts we will need to make our repairs.”
“Do you think that we will have enough time to administer the repairs on the ships?” Jack asked, concerned that another attack force could attack at any moment. “Wouldn’t the Ribiyar attempt to attack us while we are regrouping?”
“For the moment, the Ribiyar have yet to attack us,” Commander Hayley answered from the lower level of the Control Room. “It is possible that they are trying to determine how to deal with us, now that we have command of one of their Holding Facility’s, in addition to the Defender, and the other fighters and equipment in this place. In the meantime, we are going to do all that we can to strengthen the Holding Facility’s defenses, and the weapons and equipment on the ships in our forces. It is time that we are properly equipped to fight against the Ribiyar.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Captain Rickman said as he walked through the entrance in Control Center, with Blitz and Colonel Brown following close behind. Seeing Jack in the balcony, Blitz ran up the stairs that led to the workstation, and purred as he walked between Jack’s feet. “Which is the other captain and I have decided to make the Holding Facility the new base of the Defenders in our fight against the Ribiyar.”
Galactic Defenders- Endurance Page 26
