by John Walker
“ETA to visible target,” Redding said, “two minutes.”
“The whole situation might be resolved in less than five,” Gray said. “Did our pilots all get back safely?”
“Search and rescue had to be deployed. We lost five fighters for sure out there and I don’t know how many pilots yet. The enemy had some kind of trap setup to prevent us from charging the shuttle. They created a lane of some kind of magnetic substance capable of eating through a hull. Still, they had to fly pretty strictly to avoid it themselves.”
“That’s the kind of thing that keeps them alive,” Gray said. “Especially without a government entity to support them. Durant’s deploying the satellite. We’ll get some reinforcements here but they won’t be in time. The best we can hope for is their defense of the colony after we leave.”
Adam nodded and turned back to his station, monitoring the other actions going on aboard the ship. Agatha relayed a message to the alliance a moment later, just as they were rounding the moon. When she finished, she indicated a positive send and began hailing the enemy, reaching out to them in a stern but calm voice.
She’s good at keeping her cool, even when we’re about to go into battle. Great job.
“I’m reading an increase in power on the enemy ship,” Olly said. “They’ve…wow, they basically kick started the reactor.”
“What’s that mean?” Redding asked. “Are you saying they didn’t give themselves ample time to restore energy to the ship?”
Olly nodded. “Essentially, they risk a melt down by fast tracking it to full power.” He shrugged. “Maybe their gear is designed to take that kind of abuse. It’s more than possible. Still, it seems pretty unsafe. Regardless, they now have shields and are moving to intercept. If they weren’t able to receive our message before, they sure can now.”
“I’m receiving a message from the enemy vessel,” Agatha announced. “They are requesting visual communication.”
“Go ahead,” Gray said, standing up. “Let’s see who we’re dealing with.”
A face appeared on their screen, one that did not look monstrous as Gray hoped but rather, like any other kielan. Black hair hung to his shoulders and jade green eyes peered out from a severe brow but other than a stiff expression, he was just a man, albeit one capable of incredible cruelty.
His lips curved into a subtle smirk.
“So, a human commander,” he said. “I had wondered who managed to catch up to us. I expected one of my own people but then, maybe they knew who they were dealing with.”
“Maybe,” Gray said. “I’m Captain Gray Atwell of the Behemoth. What’s your name?”
“Lord Krilan Ar’Vax of the Final Star. Formerly an Anthar for the alliance though I’m sure you’re already looking that up.”
“Gave yourself a promotion, I guess,” Gray said. “As I’m sure you’re aware, I can’t allow your unprovoked attacks of these colonies to go on. You wouldn’t want to surrender by any chance?”
Krilan shook his head. “Doesn’t really work for me, no. I’m afraid we have places to be, Captain. I’m sure you understand. Also, mission parameters do not extend to brawling with a massive Earth warship. You could always let me go and provide relief efforts for those people I’ve harmed.”
“We’re on that already,” Gray said. “We don’t have to do this. Whatever you’re after, it’s not worth all the lives you’ve taken.”
“How do you know that without understanding my goal?” Krilan shrugged. “You can’t and I’m sure there are some things out there that you’d kill to get. Lives mean less than you’d think when you compare them to the course of history itself. We are out here trying to change the entire galaxy for the better. Yes, a few people will be harmed in our wake.”
“Justifying murder doesn’t make it less horrific. Please, we don’t want to do this.”
“Then don’t. I’m not planning on stopping so if we’re going to fight, you can feel free to start something. I’m afraid you’re outmatched though. This ship has tricks you’ve never even imagined.”
Ah, you’re first mistake. Arrogantly tell me about your advantages. “Maybe so.” Gray nodded. “But we have to try. Just as you did when you were fighting for the alliance all those years ago. How can you turn your back on the people you swore to protect?”
“They threw me in prison, Captain. Our…arrangement was voided when they decided to cast me aside.” Krilan stiffened. “This conversation is over. You don’t have long to put me down. I suggest you get to it.” The line went dead and Gray turned to Redding.
“Do we have a firing solution?”
“Yes, sir. All batteries are ready and Durant’s given us an advantage when it comes to recharging. I’m ready to go on your mark.”
Gray glanced at Adam who nodded once. “Okay then, let’s make this count. Redding, you may fire at will.”
Chapter 8
Krilan killed the connection and stormed to his chair, sitting down heavily. The human captain grated on him, speaking as if he knew what it was like to be cast out by one’s own government. Smug wretch didn’t understand true ambition, or what one must sacrifice to change the galaxy. If he did, he’d stand down and save himself.
Now we have to destroy those fools.
“We’re plotting the course now,” Brilin said. “But sir…”
“Not now,” Krilan cut him off. “I don’t want to hear any excuses or complaints. How long before we can jump?”
“The star chart’s a bit complicated,” Brilin said. “We’re going to have to deal with these humans for at least five minutes if you insist on jumping straight to the site.”
“We don’t have time for a delay in some other sector…and they might be able to trace us depending on the skill of their tech officer.” Krilan rubbed his eyes. “I can hold them off. Give me a full read out of their ship. I need weaknesses…capabilities. Anything you can give me.”
“On your terminal already,” Brilin said.
Krilan looked it over, frowning at the data. The ship was massive, easily larger than any of the alliance capital ships. He thought at first they might have bloated the thing but upon inspection, they seemed rather formidable. They carried an impressive amount of firepower and their defenses might be able to fend off their most powerful weapons, at least for a while.
They already saw their fighters were outclassed but their soldiers were willing to throw themselves away for an objective. Even after nearly being destroyed, one of them sacrificed their vessel to take out the remaining Orion’s Light fighters, and with their own defense matrix to boot. The humans proved far more crafty than he would’ve given them credit for.
I guess they deserved to be saved after all. Krilan sighed, rubbing his eyes. What exactly am I going to do against this thing? If I had the rest of our fleet here, that would be one thing but just the Final Star…powerful as we are, this might not go well for us.
“Sir,” a message came through his speaker. “We’ve brought one of the human escape pods aboard. What would you like us to do with the prisoner.”
Krilan smiled and stood. The fight was about to change. “Bring them to the bridge immediately.”
“They’re firing!” Brilin shouted. “With everything they’ve got!”
“Brace for impact,” Krilan said. “And return fire…buy us some time before we can have a little chat.”
***
Gray squinted at the screen as the first volley of their turret batteries splashed against the enemy shields. Their first fight with the Orion’s Light ship when they encountered Durant gave him pause for this fight but when Krilan mentioned brawling with a massive Earth ship, Gray sensed some worry in the man’s tone.
Clearly, he understood the Behemoth could be a threat to him, one substantial enough to want to break away from the fight. Krilan couldn’t just take off and jump away. Their reactor may have been fast started but charging a jump drive took time. Even so, the fact their defenses held so stalwartly against their initial assaul
t surprised him.
Considering the circumstances, Gray swore they’d have a quick advantage, one that should’ve chewed through their enemy quickly.
He glanced at Olly who shook his head. “Their shields are tough, sir. It’s going to take a while to batter them down.”
“Keep up the pressure, Redding.” Gray paged Durant. “Their defenses are a lot better than we imagined. What’ve you got?”
“I’ll modulate the weapons so they have a better chance to punch through,” Durant said. “Sometimes, if we randomize the frequencies, we can dramatically reduce the effectiveness of an energy field. As I look at these readings, it’s clear they rely heavily on protection but I’m picking up some more of those relay cannons too. This won’t be easy but we’ve got it.”
“I like your optimism,” Gray replied. “Go ahead. We’re going to continue firing. Hey, can anyone here stop them from jumping?”
Clea spoke up, “such technology exists but it’s costly, huge and I’m afraid we’re not carrying it. You find it on high end space stations most of the time. We might be able to jam up their navigation computers, making it much harder to get out of here in a hurry. If it works, it would buy us some time…but that’s about it.”
“Do what you can.” Gray turned to Leonard. “Can you track them if they get away?”
Leonard hummed. “Sort of. We can rule out where they didn’t go easier than know precisely where they went. The satellite Durant just dropped and our software upgrade will definitely help. Using those arrays, we can find out if they get scanned when they show up at whatever system, providing it’s fairly close.”
“Get ready for it just in case.” Gray sat back down. “Everyone’s got a task. Get to it.”
***
Clea crouched beside Olly with her tablet on her knees. Trying to get into the Final Star’s computer system required they break through tremendous interference then pierce the enemy security protocols. The chances were slim but the tech officers didn’t have anything else to do at that moment.
What surprised her most was the fact the enemy hadn’t fired yet.
What are they waiting for?
Maybe they wanted to conserve power and direct it all to the recharge of their jump drive. It made sense and it didn’t. Taking everything offline was a pretty dramatic risk, especially when they didn’t know who might show up to stop them. They knew someone would or they wouldn’t have set up their lane of magnetic corrosives.
Clea’s eyes narrowed. I’m asking the wrong questions. Where does this star chart they’re after lead? When and if we get through to their computers, I’ll grab everything they’ve got stored on them. Maybe we can see where they’ve been…and where they hide out. Could they have a base of operations?
Krilan struck her as the kind of man who would have some kind of facility hidden in a cubby in the vast galaxy. Maybe an asteroid or a decommissioned space station. Something where they might repair damage, count their spoils or even develop their weapons. That information would go a long way toward dismantling the Orion’s Light for good.
The ship shook from an impact and Clea looked at the screen sharply. Ah, they’ve decided to shoot back. “Olly, how are their shields doing?”
“Durant’s plan is kind of working,” Olly replied. “The modulation has knocked them down to seventy-percent shields. But they’ve just hit us with one of those relay cannons…”
“Did our update help?” Clea asked.
“Yes, actually. Instead of chewing through us…” Olly shook his head. “Wow, the shields are actually drawing power from the relay! It’s causing impact damage but then our shields repair themselves just as quickly as they’re damaged! Way to go, Durant!”
“He certainly is a genius,” Clea muttered, shaking her head. “I have to admit, I’m shocked it worked.”
“Me too,” Gray added. “But thankful at the same time. We need to take this to the next level. How will bombs do against those shields?”
Olly shrugged. “I can’t say. They’re different than the other ships we’ve faced. They might work…I mean, they’ll probably overload them. I’d hope. Seriously, they put so much into those things, I don’t know how they’ll react. They might shrug them off.”
“You guys almost into their computer yet?” Adam asked.
Clea sighed. “I’m afraid the interference of our shields, the relay cannon and their defenses is making it nearly impossible. We can’t slip through all that and extract any usable data…or implant any for that matter. Each of us is working on it from a different angle but I wouldn’t count on this keeping them here.”
“Understood,” Gray said. “Redding, get closer. Apply some serious pressure. Turn to Port then launch our bombers away from them. As those ships deploy, they can use our larger signature to avoid detection then slip in and deploy their payloads.”
“I’m on it.” Redding increased acceleration.
Adam turned to the com and relayed the orders to Revente to get the bombers out there. The Group Commander immediately brought them up on a three way com line.
“Gentlemen,” Revente started. “I just wanted to point out that bombers require escorts and if you didn’t notice, our pilots just got their asses kicked. Search and rescue still hasn’t recovered all the escape pods yet.”
“They’ll be right on top of us,” Gray said. “We’ll defend them with the turrets.”
“With all due respect, sir, I’m not sure that’s a good idea either. I’ve checked the readings and hitting those shields with the bombs has a couple of possibilities. The worst of the scenarios involves those things going off and causing us damage instead. The last thing you guys want is to be hammered with a full deployment of ordinance.”
“Their defenses are too strong to get through with our current weapons,” Gray said. “We’re making a dent but we need to escalate. They’re on the verge of jumping out of here. What do you propose, Revente? We’re in the business of taking risks and right now, this conversation is causing the risk to build up.”
“Yes, sir.” Revente replied. “Deployment on your mark.”
“Thank you.” Gray killed the connection and turned to Olly. “How’re we doing? Do you have any reading on their jump capabilities?”
“I’m detecting a power build up…but I’m not sure.” Olly sighed. “All their readings seemed to be obfuscated…made to look like other events. This one could just as easily be them firing up another relay cannon!”
“Captain,” Agatha called out over the rumble of combat. “The enemy is hailing us. They say we’ll want to talk.”
“You think they’re surrendering?” Adam asked.
Gray scowled. “I doubt it. Their behavior on the planet suggests they’d rather die.”
“They’ve stopped firing,” Redding replied. “Maybe when we advanced we intimidated them.”
“Cease fire,” Gray said. “Let’s hear what they have to say. Put them on screen, Agatha.”
Krilan appeared again from the waist up, head bowed slightly so he could easily glare at them. Their bridge flashed red from some kind of alert. Clea hoped that it was because of some catastrophic damage they experienced and this conversation was meant to end the hostilities. As the man spoke, she realized they weren’t done yet.
“Thank you for speaking with me, Captain. I thought you might want to have a brief talk before continuing these…” Krilan smirked. “Senseless exchanges of violence.”
“What do you want?” Gray demanded. “You have a few seconds to speak up. If you’re hoping to surrender, I’m happy to listen to terms.”
Krilan shook his head. “Not…quite what I had in mind.” He snapped his fingers and a soldier dragged someone in front of the camera, one of their pilots. Clea recognized her from her files. Lieutenant Leslie Eddings. She was part of Panther Wing. Her face was bruised but otherwise, she seemed no worse the wear for what she’d gone through. “We found this drifting near the moon after she valiantly led some of my men to their
deaths.”
Clea looked back at Gray and saw him stiffen.
“Prisoners?” Gray shook his head. “Are you planning on trying to leverage her for your freedom?”
“The thought crossed my mind,” Krilan replied. “Do you think it’ll work?”
Leslie struggled, lifting her head to the camera. “Send these bastards to hell, sir! Take them out! Don’t worry about me!”
Krilan struck her hard on the side of the head, silencing her. “She’s got quite the mouth. Annoying how women never seem to know when to shut up.”
Clea felt the rage build in the room. Every human there wanted a piece of Krilan in that moment. She understood. Seeing one of their own in the hands of that scum was hard. What could they do though? As Leslie said, they should be firing. Saving one life for all those who Krilan might take out…her sacrifice would save countless lives.
“Are we good?” Krilan asked someone off camera and he smiled. “Captain, I appreciate your time and the fact you listened to me. I’m afraid we’ll be on our way now.”
“Clea!” Gray grunted. “Stop them!”
“We can’t, sir!” Clea frantically typed at her terminal, trying a last ditch effort. “The interference is still too strong!”
“Listen, we’ll probably meet again,” Krilan said. “But I’d like to leave you something memorable. So witness this.” He drew a blade from one of his soldier’s belts, grabbed Leslie by the hair and nonchalantly dragged it across her throat. She didn’t even have a moment to struggle before the edge bit deep.
The pilot’s eyes widened and she struggled against her captors as the blood flowed freely. Her motions lessened…her body went slack and they let her fall to the floor. Clea felt the heat go up in the room as the people around her fell silent. Each one stared at the screen with the most amount of hatred she’d ever felt in their presence.
