Star Crusades

by Michael G. Thomas

  “Take it,” said Alexis, “That was one hell of a win.”

  Valentine heard the words, but she could hear the sadness in her friend’s voice. They’d been ordered to kill prisoners, and now they learned that most of those they’d been fighting were not Ski’ligs, but slaves or forced labour. It left a bad taste in her mouth, but looking to the others, she felt a moment of relief. They were her family now, and seeing them alive and all around her cheered her beyond measure. It didn’t matter to her who was attacking them right now. That was a problem well beyond her control.

  “Alexis. We’re just soldiers. We fight for each other, and we let the generals work out the rest.”

  Alexis nodded, and then did it again as though trying to persuade herself.

  “You’re right, Val. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to gun down soldiers surrendering.”

  “Nor should you.” She moved closer to her friend and reached forward. They grasped each other’s forearms, “Command runs the war, and we’re responsible for what happens on the ground.”

  “You’re right. I need to get my ass into gear. We’ve got a job to do, and nobody is gonna do it for us.”

  The ground shook, and for a moment it felt like the entire complex was about to rip itself apart.

  “Look,” said Hawkins.

  They turned and watched as the bloodied General Gun moved closer, with regular marines at his flank.

  “That was some good soldiering,” said the General, “Now we push on and link up with Captain Olik.”

  “And then?” Alexis asked.

  “Then we loop back and hit the Skils from behind. General Rivers has landed half of his forces now, and more are coming down by the minute. If this goes to plan, this war will be over in days, not months.”

  The ground shook again, and Valentine had to grab onto Alexis to stop from falling.

  “What is that?”

  “Orbital bombardment to cover the landings,” said General Gun, “The battle has turned.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Morato Class Frigate ‘Nautilus’, Ekati Alpha, The Ski’lig Territories

  24 hours later.

  Captain Regina leaned back in her captain’s chair and took a sip from her cup. She’d left it too long, and the coffee had turned lukewarm, making her nostrils flare in disgust. In her left hand was an old style Secpad showing the latest reports and casualty figures from the planet below. She placed the cup back down and looked to the view ahead. Far of into the distance were the hulks of the Ski’lig battleships. All of them had been torn apart in a long, brutal battle that had taken almost twenty hours.

  “Our fleet has been mauled, and what part did we play?”

  Her XO shrugged as they watched gigantic sections of the ships continued to drift through space. Even now, Alliance engineers were pulling the vessels apart to take whatever materials and secrets they could find inside the hulls.

  “The naval engagement is just part of the campaign,” said First Lieutenant Meredith, “We’re here to…”

  “To what? Babysit the transports? Against what exactly? Any threat left in this system is far away and skirmishing with the few ships the Admiral left to keep them busy. The only other action is down there, inside that godforsaken world.”

  First Lieutenant Meredith opened her mouth to speak and then thought the better of it. She wanted to try and justify what was happening, but the reality was quite simple. Skirmishing between a handful of ships continued to rage, leaving the rest to protect the transports over the planet to assist with the bombardment below, while others protected the critical Spacebridge back home.

  “Who’d ever have thought a battle could be so dull?”

  First Lieutenant Meredith smiled politely.

  “Quite. I don’t think the Admiral is keen to share victory with the IAB.”

  “We’re not the IAB,” she retorted.

  “True.”

  Most of the fleet was with them now, all apart from four Crusader Class cruisers, plus a handful of smaller Dragoon Class frigates. Fighters launched every few minutes, many descending to the planet to assist in the ground battle. The IAB ships remained together and spread out in a single large formation to provide logistical support to the battle.

  “Just look at them. I never once thought I’d see the grand old ladies of the old Confederate Army in use again,” said Captain Regina, “They’re monsters from another age.”

  Both looked at the line of ships as they carried out their work with factory like efficiency. They were as big as battleships, and their large crews and automated systems allowed them to handle the planet assault with incredible efficiency. An entire armada of landing craft and smaller landing ships headed towards the surface, carrying battalions of marines, robot support units, and armoured vehicles. A stream of similar craft continued to work their way back as they supplied an almost endless number of soldiers to the battle.

  “This is what true industrial warfare looks like,” said Captain Regina, “A production line of ships and soldiers.”

  “Captain,” said the communications officer, “Contact from carrier Izumo to all ships in orbit.”

  “And?”

  “Sir, It’s a Priority One transmission.”

  “Put them on. Fingers crossed that something interesting has happened.”

  The imagery of the aged Alliance General Rivers appeared, and any sense of boredom quickly vanished onboard the ship.

  “Men and women of the Alliance. The invasion is proceeding faster than expected. IAB and Nova assault units have shattered the enemy defences. Eighty percent of our first strike ground forces are now on the surface, and as I speak are encircling and defeating the enemy in detail. It is now imperative that each of you…”

  He stopped, and for a second it appeared that his transmission had been lost, or perhaps partially missing.

  “Get him back,” said First Lieutenant Meredith.

  “There’s no problem with the transmission. It’s still live.”

  All attention turned back to the General who still looked as stunned as before. He spoke to officers nearby, and then pulled on his jacket to straighten it. At the same time, an image of the Admiral appeared. She looked exactly as before, smart, stern, and in complete command. She had the look of a woman who never once doubted her ability.

  “Our long-range sensors have detected something coming this way at high speed. It matches the mass of the ship that escaped Epsilon Eridani.”

  The Captain quickly turned to her tactical officer.

  “Maybe this fight isn’t all over after all. Scanners to maximum, I want no surprises.”

  She then looked to her XO.

  “Take us to action stations.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  Captain Regina focused ahead once more as her eyes ran over the various ships in formation. At the same time, the bridge of the frigate transformed in a matter of seconds, as the men and women of Nautilus prepared for what was to come.

  “I don’t like this,” she said suspiciously, “Why return now?”

  “We’ve fallen back to lick our wounds,” said the XO, “And our soldiers are in the middle of landing on the surface.”

  “Nearly all of our ships are here, clustered around their world.”

  Both senior officers moved to the front of the viewing area and looked out to the assembled ships. Seventy percent in the system were now near the planet, with the majority in high orbit. ANS Harbinger II, the newer of the two heavy warships waited alongside the cruisers, as numerous drones moved about them conducting repairs. ANS Triumph was further away, its engines burning away as it moved away from the planet. Four other ships joined the ship, while the ships of the Interstellar Assault Brigade remained relatively close to the transports. More ships continued to break formation, though there was no obvious reason why some moved and others did not.

  “Where is the Admiral going?”

  She looked to her XO.

  “Is it me, or is pa
rt of the fleet pulling back?”

  “Both battleships and one of the battlecruisers are moving away.”

  She rubbed her chin as the long streak of light extended out from behind the ships.

  “The newest ships only. Everything else is staying with us.”

  Captain Regina snorted and moved back to the tactical station where Lieutenant Zimmer was still working.

  “Talk to me, Lieutenant. What is coming, and where is it going?”

  He lifted up his hands and shrugged.

  “Captain. Our scanners simply aren’t powerful enough. I need input from the heavy destroyers. They have the best arrays in…No…wait. Data is coming in from ANS Triumph. The command network is buzzing with data.”

  He looked to Captain Regina and swallowed awkwardly before continuing.

  “They have the best scanners in the…”

  “I’m well aware, Lieutenant. Now…report.”

  “No way. The target is coming in fast. ETA, nine minutes.”

  Captain Regina’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

  “Where is it going?”

  “The data here is too vague to pin it down. Give me a second. I’m coordinating with our other frigates. Together we can create a virtual array with a capacity close to…”

  He stopped and then smiled.

  “That’s it. I have one point of approach data, two more. It looks like…Uh…It is coming right here.”

  A grid appeared on the primary forward projection that hovered in front of the bulbous observation bubble. It showed coloured icons over the friendly ships, as well as smaller indicators for landing craft, fighters, and other craft. The grid was much too wide, but then shrunk down until it encompassed all of the area occupied by the ships in orbit over the planet.

  “Wait,” said First Lieutenant Meredith, “You’re saying the approaching vessel is coming here. Right on top of us?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Captain Regina snorted and reached for the intercom.

  “I want the Admiral!”

  She lifted a hand as she spoke.

  “Do not take no for an answer.”

  It took a moment, and the gaunt face of the Naval officer reappeared.

  “Captain?”

  “Admiral. We are detecting a massive object entering this system.”

  “Yes, I know. I am moving heavy assets ready to deal with it. We wiped out their primary fleet, and the same fate awaits the approaching vessels.”

  “Vessels? We need to fall back, and fast.”

  “My orders stand. IAB will remain over the planet with the infantry and transports. I have left you with escorts and a few capital ships to protect you.”

  She then feigned a smile of concern, and that, perhaps more than anything angered Captain Regina greatly.

  “But you’re withdrawing your…”

  “You have your orders, Captain. It is critical our military operation continues unhindered. Thousands of lives on Ekati Alpha depend on us, on all of us.”

  The image cut, leaving Captain Regina shaking her head.

  “Tactical, check and confirm the destination data.”

  “I already have, Sir. It’s coming right here.”

  “It’s more than one ship,” she said angrily, “I don’t know about you, but something stinks.”

  She looked to her officer, and then to the ships pulling back.

  “Well…Screw that. I want to speak with the rest of the captains. Put me on with any ships still in position over this damned rock.”

  “You’re through,” said the communications officer, “But you don’t have long. They will arrive in four minutes.”

  She took the intercom and spoke calmly and clearly.

  “This is Captain Regina of the Nautilus. Enemy vessels of significant mass are approaching our position. I suggest we fall back to a safer distance. It is…”

  She was cut off by the sound of a familiar voice. It was the General.

  “Captain. My information from the Admiral is that enemy vessels are approaching a waypoint more than a hundred thousand kilometres from here. You’re saying otherwise?”

  Captain Regina knew she was about to consign her career to the trashcan of history, but as she looked into the eyes of her officers, she knew she had to speak.

  “The Admiral is keeping something from us. I cannot in all honesty allow this to…”

  “Captain. Send me your data, and standby.”

  She waited in silence, and those seconds turned to almost a minute. Then to her surprise the General agreed.

  “Your assessment is correct. Get out of here now. I will speak with the Admiral.”

  Her throat felt dry, and she could barely speak as she gave a signal to her XO. She passed on the orders immediately, and right away the ship began to move away. Other ships did the same, with even the transports activating their main engines to try and pull away.

  The General’s voice returned.

  “Enemy forces are moving on our position at high speed. All ships withdraw to the following designated zones.

  “That bitch!” Captain Regina snapped, “There’s something else going on out here, and this time it’s not the Ski’ligs screwing us over. She’s left us out to dry.”

  She looked to her officers and gave the nod.

  “Take us out of here, and fast.”

  The ship shuddered as her engines continued to increase in output, and soon they were moving away from the planet. Other ships were doing the same, though most were still closer to the transporters. Fighters were able to accelerate much more quickly, and two cruisers used their IS drives to jump away from the planet. The carefully positioned fleet broke apart as it became every man for himself. Ships moved away in all directions.

  “Are we too late?”

  Her XO shook her head.

  “No…maybe.”

  “Our IS drive.”

  “Too late,” said Chief Engineer Linus, “It will be here before the drive capacitors are charged. All I can do is dump everything, including life support to the main drive.”

  Captain Regina felt sick as she gave the nod.

  “Do it.”

  She reached for the intercom.

  “This is the Captain. Artificial gravity will be disabled for a short while. Brace yourselves, this is going to get rough.”

  She then reached for the grab handles positioned liberally through the bridge. The others did the same as the lights dimmed, and several of the panels shut down on the bridge. Then the artificial gravity system shut, leaving them with the undampened feeling of acceleration from the conventional drive.

  “This is not pleasant,” said Captain Regina as her hands started to shake.

  A panel split away from the wall and flew back, hitting the rear of the bridge and then partially split apart. One of the officers cried out, and Captain Regina spotted several containers striking an ensign who was out in the open. Blood ran from a cut to her face, yet still she held on.

  “Help her.”

  Another shape whooshed past as a pair of Bullnose gunships passed with the burners on full. It was a full-scale panic, with any sense of order now utterly lost.

  “We’re going to make it,” said First Lieutenant Meredith.

  Captain Regina looked to the view ahead and the very distant line of capital ships. The dreadnought and many of the other new cruisers were there, waiting in a stationary line.

  “Yes, but not everybody. Show me the rear view.”

  The projection shifted and then showed the broken fleet, with the transports still in the middle.

  “This is Admiral Ani Hurik. Our communications have been jammed. All ships withdraw to the outer marker immediately. I am launching a fighter screen to cover the evacuation. I repeat, all ships withdraw from the planet immediately!”

  That was the exact moment she spotted a blurred shape to the right. The ship’s tracking system combined data with five other ships.

  “Here it comes.”

  Th
e great coloured mass grew from the size of a football to a craft as big as a battleship, and still it grew in size. It was nothing more than a blur in space, but it completely obliterated anything behind it, masking off stars, planets, and even the strange swirling colours of this star system.

  “Everything you have…get us away from here!” Captain Regina demanded.

  She kept her eye on the approaching shape. It was massive, and then as quickly as it had arrived the thing coalesced into form. It materialised in the middle of two of the Alliance troop transports, causing both to split apart instantly. All three vessels were engulfed in fire and destruction, but as the wreckage cleared, the alien ship appeared unscathed and dwarfed the crippled Alliance vessels. What remained of them drifted back towards the planet, while scores of lifeboats and pods burst away from them.

  “Gods…” said Lieutenant Zimmer, “It’s more then twenty kilometres in length. That thing is like a space station.”

  Before the alien ship could turn to engage the scattered Alliance ships it was fired upon. One after another the Alliance ships turned their fire on its thick hide.

  “It checks out. It’s the same ship that engaged ANS Izumo and the vanguard over Epsilon Eridani,” said Lieutenant Zimmer, “The ship we ran into that was ripping up our fleet.”

  Captain Regina nodded, pulling on her harness that held her securely in her Captain’s chair.

  “Revert power to combat levels. I want our hull polarised and weapons brought online. Coordinate with the frigate squadrons. Let’s introduce ourselves to our new guests.”

  The interior lighting increased in brightness, and the ship turned around, lining up on the flank of the ship.

  “Captain,” said the communications officer, “Contact from Admiral Hurik. She is sending tactical disposition and threat markers for the fleet.”

  “Very good.” She looked at the new data, “We’re to screen the heavies from any Ski’lig attack ships.”

  The ship changed course and moved into position alongside three other identical frigates. They moved quickly, and as they lined up in a loose crescent, a squadron of fighters settled in around them.