Resolute Uprising (The War for Terra)

by James Prosser

  “It should just be a few more minutes, Minister Rao.” Chang said. “The carrier is retrieving some of the damaged fighters and has cleared a landing bay for us.”

  “There should not have been any damaged fighters. The military always shoots first and then recovers the waste later.” Rao replied, looking back at the projection. “I thought the plan was to recover these ships without damage.”

  “It was, Minister, but the scavengers were very determined not to let us have their property.” Chang said.

  “It was always our property.” Rao said. “The scavengers stole our ships after the invasion. They should have known it would be a matter of time before humanity reclaimed its lost ships.”

  “First Minister, with all due respect,” Chang said, rubbing the space between his eyes. “Humanity did not even know it would return to reclaim its property. If it hadn’t been for Jakes finding…”

  “Why do you trust that man?” Rao said, rounding on the commodore. “He is a traitor to our race and a pirate. He should have been cast out of the Alliance as soon as we formed it.”

  “Minister Rao, I have told you before. Connor Jakes is an operative of this military and a valued member of my command structure.” Chang was angry now and rose from his seat to confront the politician. “I will not have you speak about one of my officers in that manner, Minister or not.”

  Rao stepped to the other man. He tried to use his larger size to intimidate the commodore but the smaller man did not back down. For a long moment, neither military nor civilian leader blinked. It was Rao who finally looked away.

  “Commodore Chang,” he said. “I remind you that you operate under the civilian government that I represent. I suggest you take that under consideration before you issue another order to me.”

  “I have served under a civilian government my entire life, Minister.” Chang said. “I will respect the authority of the government over policy matters however I will not allow you to show disrespect the military I serve.”

  “Jakes is not military!” Rao shouted back. “He operates outside of the chain of command and is a threat to my government.”

  “Funny,” Chang said quietly. “I thought it was all of our government.”

  Rao looked back to the smaller man in anger. Chang walked past him and stared at the projection wall. The sides of a landing bay had appeared on the wall. They had begun the landing sequence for Zeus. The minister stared at the commodore’s back as the ship settled to the landing deck.

  “It’s time we disembark, Minister.” Chang said. “I hope our little disagreement will stay in this room for now. I would hate to show anything but a united front to the troops.”

  Chang turned on his heel and walked from the room. Rao took a deep breath and followed. He was seething in anger but was experienced in politics enough to hide it. He plastered a smile on his face and stepped up beside the military man.

  “Commodore,” Rao said quietly. “We will finish our little talk later.”

  The two men walked in silence through the interior of the ship. As they approached the exit ramp, Chang straightened his uniform. He did not expect a formal reception, but he felt showing a martial presence would be good for the crew of the carrier. Rao walked straighter as they stepped down the ramp. He was still trying to appear taller than Chang but instead he seemed more like a child wearing his father’s shoes. Together they emerged into the bright lights of the Zeus’ landing bay.

  There were four officers waiting to receive them. Chang recognized Captain Dalton and his first officer, Commander Diana Bach. Chang recognized the uniform of a yeoman and the communications officer, Pennyman. Dalton smiled and extended a hand to Chang as they approached. After exchanging greetings, Dalton requested they all move to a nearby briefing room to speak. The hangar deck was becoming crowded as the transport ship unloaded crews for the new ships.

  The group walked to an airlock door and exited the noisy room. Chang had assumed a position to Dalton’s left and Rao followed with the yeoman beside. As they entered the pilot briefing room, Chang was handed a data pad by Bach and began to scroll through information.

  “So you were able to disable most of the scavenger’s ships without destroying them?” Chang asked. “What about the debris outside?”

  “We think most of that was released from a scavenger ship to fool our scanners.” Dalton replied. “Most of it is junk left over from other salvage operations. We managed to save most of the ships. It’s a nice haul, Commodore.”

  “Captain,” Rao interrupted. “I hope you have a list of new assets for the Alliance government?”

  Chang paused as he looked over the information on the pad. He exchanged a brief look with Dalton and then handed over the list to the minister. Banu began to scroll through the list. He appeared to be looking for something. Dalton looked at the commodore with a quizzical expression. Chang shrugged and rolled his eyes in response.

  “Captain, I need to discuss the details of your continuing mission.” Chang said. “I will need to pull Zeus back to Perigee for a little while. Your group will not be joining you, though. I have already sent most of those ships off on other missions.”

  “Are we discussing the operation in progress?” Dalton replied, not wanting to discuss the subject in front of Rao.

  “Yes,” Chang replied. “Once we get underway, The Elves will stay behind with Mars for protection. I need to get Jakes from you as well. Captain Browning can handle scavenger patrols and with the new communications system up, she can call for help if she needs it. Can you show me a tactical readout of the local area?”

  “Of course,” Dalton said, motioning to Pennyman to activate the holographic display. “We have been able to identify the ships that are still space worthy. Some have been damaged beyond our ability to crew.”

  “I don’t need to put a crew in them, Captain. I need them to be able to fly through M-Space and fire guns.” Chang said, looking up at the projected images of ships. “We can slave the computers to one of the logistics ships and run them by remote.”

  The two men stared at the holographic projections of the local system. Ships appeared as bright red dots orbiting the planet. Some of the dots were blinking as the power systems were reactivated. Others glowed a steady crimson indicating their status as dead ships. Chang recognized some of the projected names and classes as ships he had idolized as a child.

  “Why did the confederation need to convert the entire fleet?” Dalton said. “I mean, these old designs were tougher than our current ships and faster in sub light battles. Don’t get me wrong, I would rather have a monster like Genghis Khan at my back than one of the old Fox class cruisers any day. It just seems like such a waste to mothball these ships. If some of them had been in orbit of Earth during the invasion …”

  “I know, Franklin,” Chang replied. “It was the invention of the energy shield that convinced the money people in the Confederacy that building hulls thinner and larger was better.”

  “Excuse me, commodore.” Banu Rao interrupted. “I have found what I was looking for and would like to ask you to fulfill your commitment to the Alliance.”

  Chang turned to the politician to see him holding a data pad out. He took the pad and looked to the screen. An Independence class battleship was being displayed. Chang’s mind locked in on what the minister was asking for and tried to find an objection. He had planned the next step very carefully and did not want the minister disrupting them.

  “First Minister Rao,” Chang started. “I made a commitment to you for the Resolute. These ships were not part of the bargain. I understand you have some project that you think is very important but I…”

  “Commodore, our agreement was for the delivery of an Independence class battleship for the exclusive use of the Alliance science division.” Rao said. “You are overdue on your delivery and I intend to take one of these ships in lieu of Resolute. I wish to take this ship before you allow another captain to steal one.”

  “Banu, you
know that’s not what happened.” Chang said, erupting in rage. “Captain Pearce was able to escape because the other ships in the fleet were either under repair of disabled.”

  “Be that as it may, that ship is gone and these are here and not being used.” Rao replied calmly. “Please inform the yard that I will need one of these ships towed back to Perigee as soon as possible.”

  Dalton placed his hand on Chang’s shoulder. He could feel the tension through the thick dress uniform fabric. Chang inhaled deeply as he stared into the defiant face of Banu Rao. If Dalton had not been holding his shoulder, Chang felt as if he would attack the politician. Instead, he looked back to the data pad and thumbed a signature space. He practically threw the pad back to the minister. The man passed the device to the yeoman who held it tight.

  “Thank you, Commodore.” Rao said. “Now, I am tired from the journey and require a meal. Could I borrow the yeoman to show me to my quarters?”

  The captain nodded to his yeoman and she nodded back. Rao turned on his heel and exited the briefing room with the young woman in tow. Dalton removed his hand from his commander’s shoulder. Chang was still tensed to attack but seemed to be releasing his anger with each breath.

  “That man will be the undoing of this alliance.” Chang said quietly. “He seems hell-bent on challenging my command at every turn. He worries me.”

  “I can keep an eye on him if you want, Ron.” Dalton replied. “Once we get back to Perigee, I can assign that yeoman to him permanently.”

  “It’s not necessary, Captain,” Chang said. “I’ve already got a man inside his organization. I know exactly what he’s doing. For the moment, his project is no threat to my plans. As long as it keeps him busy and out of my way, he can have what he needs. I just did not want him getting my Resolute.”

  “I understand.” Dalton replied. “So what’s the next move?”

  “Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao,” Chang replied. “We need to find the chink in the enemy armor and attack there. Show the galaxy that the Ch’Tauk can be hurt.”

  “I always hated that class.” Dalton replied with a smile. “Too much philosophy, not enough shooting things.”

  “My friend,” Chang said. “Sometimes shooting things is the best philosophy. This time, though, we need to sneak around.”

  “Gotcha, boss,” Dalton replied. “So anyway, what ship did you give Rao?”

  “Oh,” Chang said, snapping out of his plans. “I signed over one of the battleships. Something about the Independence class ships makes them good test-bed vehicles for new tech.”

  “I get that. Isn’t that why Resolute was assigned to the invasion fleet in the first place?” Dalton asked.

  “Right. In the past two years, no other ship has been modified as much as that one.” Chang said. “I gave Rao one of the more damaged ships. It should take him longer to get it running than the rest.”

  “So which one was it?” Dalton replied.

  “Victory.”

  19

  Terran Colony Six

  The battle cruiser Genghis Khan moved from M-space in the normal halo of energy. Following close behind were two destroyers, Kabul and Austerlitz. The three ships set up a delta formation as their fiery corona bled off into space. They were facing a small moon that orbited a gas giant. The moon was the last of the Terran confederation’s human colony locations established before the invasion.

  The moon kept the three ships from being noticed by the enemy warships in orbit over the colony. Austerlitz pulled away from the formation, heading over the eastern horizon line. Kabul headed west. The battle cruiser pulled up, heading for the northern pole of the world. The sun would be rising over the gas giant in less than a minute, giving the Alliance ships some distraction as they closed around the enemy.

  The Ch’Tauk invasion fleet had left behind two battleships to defend the ruined colony. After most of the humans had been either enslaved or killed, the resistance to Ch’Tauk control had been minimal. The two ships floated peacefully directly above the colony dome. The copper colored hull plating had turned a sickly green in response to the atmosphere of the gas giant. Had it not been for the crystalline minerals that were formed in the middle regions of the host planet, the colony would not have been worth occupying. The humans were now kept running the cracking station and loading cargo for their alien masters.

  Although the battle cruiser was a match for either of the two Ch’Tauk ships in a pitched battle, the destroyers had been sent to escort the larger ship. Their mission was not to destroy the alien vessels, but to disable and alert the Ch’Tauk of their presence. Chang’s plan was to get the enemy chasing them where they weren’t so they would not see them attack where they were. For that to work, raids like this had to be done quickly and in the open.

  Genghis Khan accelerated over the pole and aimed its bow straight at one of the destroyers. As the ship closed, gun ports opened and readied for the attack. The cruiser was not broadcasting any jamming signal. If there was anyone watching, they would be waking up to an advancing enemy.

  Khan began to spit fire from the plasma cannons under its nose. Explosions of red-orange energy cascaded over the armored hull. The green coating began to fall away as the ship was pounded from above. The battle cruiser continued firing as the companion ship powered up its weapons systems. Before the massive ship could collide with its prey, the nose of the Alliance vessel edged up. The two ships passed within meters of each other. Khan’s blue shield energy played along the hull of the Ch’Tauk destroyer.

  The second vessel sped away from the spitting energy wave. It turned hard towards the battle cruiser, opening its own cannons and pouring energy into space. Khan pulled away to the right, avoiding most of the first barrage. The destroyer fired again, anticipating the evasive move to the left and impacted the cruiser’s shields. A flash of energy rippled across the hull of the Alliance vessel as the enhanced shielding absorbed and redirected the plasma around the ship. The cruiser pulled up sharply and veered again tot eh left.

  The first destroyer had managed to activate its engines and was now circling around to attack Khan. The bigger ship spiraled back and forth as the two Ch’Tauk vessels closed in tight. Genghis Khan pivoted on its center axis, reversing its angle of fire and flying backwards through space. The forward cannons blazed in the dark of space. Ch’Tauk hull plating began to peel form one of the pursuers and the plasma melted atomic bonds that held it on.

  The Ch’Tauk destroyers separated to give a wider target tot eh human vessel. Khan concentrated fire on the already damaged ship. The undamaged companion vessel turned towards the cruiser and resumed fire. More hits began leaving a debris trail behind the damaged destroyer. Khan began to rotate back around to face away from both ships. Plasma fire bounced around the shielding as the alien ships pounded the ship.

  A flash of light erupted from the right as one of Kabul’s battle platforms shot plasma bolts at the passing alien ships. There was an explosion as atmosphere vented from one of the Ch’Tauk vessels. Austerlitz swept in, cutting across the paths of the two destroyers. As it passed, it dropped two more platforms that quickly acquired new targets. The small cannons began to impact on the forward plating of the alien vessels. Both ships turned away hard, avoiding the majority of the plasma but taking hits along their undersides.

  Each side in the conflict regrouped. The Ch’Tauk ships pulled back closer to the colony moon, trying to use its magnetic field to confuse the human sensors. The Alliance vessels dropped closer to the gaseous atmosphere below. Crackling energy surrounded the ships as particulate matter impacted the shields. The smaller human ships moved further away from the battle cruiser as it aligned itself towards the enemy ships.

  A frontal assault seemed to be in the works and the Ch’Tauk ships turned their larger canons towards the incoming cruiser.AS Khan came within range, the enemy ships moved away quickly. Expecting an attack, the cruiser faltered as it sped towards the planet. A pulse of energy flared up from the moon. Khan nearly
slid sideways as it tried to avoid the impact. Momentum carried the end of the ship directly into the beam. The shields flared bright green as they were overloaded with power. The ship rocked as the impact whipped the stern around.

  Genghis Khan tried firing at the attacking beam but seemed unable to track the target on the ground. Plasma rained down to the surface of the colony moon. The destroyers moved in for a closer kill as the battle cruiser limped in evasive movement. Ch’Tauk plasma bolts slammed into the unprotected hull of Khan, melting away hull plating and blowing out bulkheads. For almost a minute, the battle cruiser looked like a dying animal being stalked by smaller predators.

  Kabul raced between the enemy ships and her larger ally. As the Terran destroyer flew past, it released two battle platforms in its wake. Immediately, return fire blasted at the enemy ships. Armor plate that had already been damaged by earlier hits began to glow with heat energy. Austerlitz dropped two more platforms behind the other destroyers, creating a kill zone in between. The Ch’Tauk ships stopped firing on Genghis Khan to defend themselves from the small plasma cannons.

  Khan’s shields flickered back into place. The big ship was crippled but still had fight left in her. The Ch’Tauk destroyers separated and began to fly through the hail of plasma fire. More debris sprayed from the open wound in the side of one and new holes spread in the other. The least damaged Ch’Tauk ship fired its flank cannons at the platforms. One of the little cannons flared and then disappeared. The resulting opening in the field of fire allowed the ship space to maneuver. The other ship seemed too damaged to fire back at the platforms.

  Kabul suddenly listed hard as another bolt from the moon’s surface impacted its shields. The energy released by the ground cannon was nearly as strong as the ship mounted cannons on the Ch’Tauk dreadnoughts. The weapon had been created by the human scientist Erik Heyerdahl before the invasion and given to the enemy. The effect was devastating to the small Alliance ships as Austerlitz began to tumble in space. Kabul circled around the injured Khan to get between the surface and its sister ship.