by Ryk Brown
“Distance from target?” Nathan asked.
“Ten light minutes,” Mister Bickle replied, embarrassed that he had jumped so far out to escape.
“Dispatch a recon drone for target damage assessment,” Nathan ordered.
“Aye, sir,” Lieutenant Commander Kono replied.
“Sorry, Captain,” Jessica said, feeling guilty for doubting her friend.
“No need,” Nathan replied. “Another spread of missiles, Jess. Hit them before they have a chance to recover and get their shielded side toward us.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Helm, come about and prepare for another attack run,” Nathan instructed. “The more they have to worry about us, the less attention they will have for the Teyentah.”
“Coming about, aye,” the lieutenant replied.
“Logic dictates that they ignore us and try to take out the Teyentah,” Jessica said, offering her opinion.
“I’m betting they still think they can keep the Teyentah, and take us down,” Nathan replied as he rotated around to look at Jessica. “But I am willing to change my mind, if evidence warrants,” he added with a wry smile.
“Yes, sir.”
Lord Dusahn leaned on one elbow, his hand supporting his chin, as he listened to the damage reports coming in.
“Multiple hull breaches on our starboard side. Detonations in our starboard number three and four propellant tanks. Hangar bays and fighter launch tubes on the starboard side are out of commission…”
“The Teyentah is headed for open space, my lord,” the commander warned. “She will have jump capability any moment.”
“…All targeting systems, point-defenses, and gun emplacements on our starboard forward quarter are down, along with all shields on our starboard side, from our bow to section one one four, just aft of midship…”
“We must target the Teyentah,” the commander begged. “At least, take out her jump drive or main power… Anything to keep her from jumping away.”
“…Eighty-seven dead, one hundred twenty injured, and fifty-nine missing. Two reactors are offline, and power is at thirty percent of capacity…”
“We shall attack.” Lord Dusahn decided. “Target the Teyentah, but only to rob her of her ability to jump.”
“My lord, our shields are down, our main power is at minimum operable levels, and a third of our crew is inoperable. Furthermore, our targeting systems are damaged, and their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. I recommend we use our still functional port launch tubes to dispatch our fighters to disable the Teyentah.”
“And rob us of our glory?” Lord Dusahn questioned, finding the idea unfathomable.
“My lord, in our current state, we can barely defend ourselves. If the Aurora manages to strike our starboard side again…”
“I think you underestimate this ship’s abilities, Commander, as well as the significance her victory this day might hold.”
“I cannot see matters of the empire as you can, my lord,” the commander stated apologetically. “I can only offer my expertise in regards to this vessel. I willingly leave the future of our empire to you.”
“As you should,” Lord Dusahn agreed, shifting in his command chair. After a moment’s thought, he sighed. “Very well, Commander. You may send our fighters after the Teyentah. But make quite certain they understand their mission.”
“Of course, my lord,” the commander agreed, bowing respectfully. “And what are your orders for this vessel?”
“Maintain a pursuit course,” Lord Dusahn ordered. “Stay behind the Teyentah and to her starboard side. That will keep our shielded side toward them. The empire will not see their flagship retreating.”
Six Dusahn octo-fighters jumped in less than a kilometer from the Glendanon, immediately launching a barrage of missiles. The massive cargo vessel, its shields already active, absorbed the energy of the missile detonations, but before she could retaliate, the enemy fighters disappeared behind sudden blue-white flashes of light.
“What was that?” Cameron wondered as the command center deep inside the Glendanon gently shook.
“Dusahn octo-fighters!” the comms officer reported. “Bridge reports six of them just jumped in, launched missiles, and jumped out. Captain Gullen is jumping the ship to a new position.”
“Make sure he tells that last boxcar where to find us,” Cameron told the comms officer. “There’s no way that many people can survive in that thing all the way back to the rally point.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And tell Captain Gullen he needs to be quicker on the jump next time,” she added. “The shields on this ship aren’t meant to withstand direct attack, just small rocks and dust.”
“That’s it!” Corporal Mitchell declared. “That’s the last of them! Close it up!”
The massive cargo ramp on the boxcar’s under-hung cargo pod began to rise in preparation for liftoff.
“Delta Leader to all Ghatazhak,” Master Sergeant Anwar called over comms. “Fall back to the evac point!”
“You heard him, boys!” Sergeant Elias yelled. “Let’s move!”
The sergeant and his men moved quickly away from the boxcar as its door finished closing, and its engines began spinning up for liftoff.
“Ghatazhak! Seiiki! The battleship is launching weapons!”
“Ghatazhak! Double-time!” the sergeant barked, breaking into a dead run toward the cargo pod at the center of the protected area, where the shield generator was housed.
“Reapers are inbound for evac!” one of the Reaper pilots reported.
“Buster is inbound for evac,” the pilot of the cargo shuttle also announced.
“Boxcar Four is inbound! Get as many people as you can into the shield pod! I can have you off the ground in less than a minute after shield shutdown!”
Four large missiles streaked toward the planet on fiery trails, closing the distance from orbit to the surface in less than a minute. As they approached the surface, they split apart into six projectiles each, every one of them with their own deadly warheads.
Blinding flashes of light filled the sky, nearly overpowering the filters in the Ghatazhak’s combat visors. A second later, a thunderous roar filled the air, and the ground began to shake. The shield protecting them collapsed, and then the ground they ran across suddenly shot upward, sending more than a hundred Ghatazhak flying. Seconds later, before they could fall back to the surface, they were incinerated by the blast.
“Oh, my God,” Loki exclaimed.
Josh looked at the sensor display on the center console. “Oh, fuck,” he gasped. He leaned forward, looking out his window at the planet below, his eyes widening in shock and horror at the glowing mushroom cloud that was rising from the surface.
“Please tell me that wasn’t the evac site,” Marcus begged over comms.
“It was, Pops,” Josh replied solemnly.
The sensors beeped in warning, causing Loki to look again. “Multiple octos inbound,” he said. He looked at Josh, who was still staring out the window at the horror below. “Josh, we’ve got to get out of here.”
“Yeah, right,” Josh replied, settling back into his chair. “I’ll jump us to the Glendanon’s last position.”
“Good idea,” Loki agreed. “They need to know.”
“Jump drive is coming online,” General Telles reported.
“Eight octo-fighters just jumped in close on our starboard side,” the technician manning the sensors reported.
“Punching them in now,” Corporal Vasya announced. “Automated defenses are tracking. Anti-fighter turrets are firing.”
“Get us out of here, General,” Suvan urged.
“Activating emergency escape jump,” the general announced. “Jumping in three…”
“Fighters are launch
ing missiles,” Corporal Vasya reported.
“…Two…”
“Point defenses are firing.”
“…One…”
The ship rocked as the missiles struck the Teyentah’s starboard side, nearly knocking General Telles and Captain Navarro out of their seats.
Corporal Vasya held onto his console tightly, bracing himself to avoid falling as the ship rocked yet again. “Multiple hits!” he barked. “At least six of them!”
“Did we jump?” Suvan wondered.
“Negative,” the general replied, scanning his console. “The jump drive is offline.”
The lights went out, and the emergency lighting immediately kicked in.
“Main power is offline!” another technician shouted.
“What about the zero-point reactors?” Suvan demanded.
“I have no idea,” the technician admitted. “My console is completely dead.”
“So is mine,” Corporal Vasya reported.
Suvan glanced at his and the general’s console. “Helm and navigation are both functioning,” he announced. “I still have maneuvering, but main propulsion is not responding. Whatever speed we’ve got is all we’re going to get for a while. What about your jump drive?”
“I’m showing damage to multiple emitter arrays,” the general replied. He looked at Suvan. “I believe it’s time to cut our losses, Captain.”
“They took seven missiles in the starboard side,” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported. “Their unshielded side.”
“Are they still under attack?” Nathan asked.
“No, sir. Not yet, anyway.”
“They want that ship intact,” Nathan surmised. “What about her jump drive? Can they get it working?”
“Not anytime soon,” the lieutenant commander replied. “Their field generators are fine, but at least a third of their emitters are damaged. If they tried to jump now, they’d probably leave half the ship behind.”
“What’s that battleship doing?”
“The big one is still shadowing the Teyentah, keeping their good shields toward them,” the Lieutenant Commander replied.
“And the other one?”
“They’re jumping all over the place, Captain. Never in any one spot for more than thirty seconds.”
“They’re jumping around to launch missiles at us from all directions,” Jessica surmised. “I’m surprised they haven’t launched a full-blown time-on-target attack on us yet.”
“They will,” Nathan said. “They will.”
* * *
Suvan Navarro studied his console and then looked at the main view screen. Before them was outer space; escape. But as far as he had come, those stars were still beyond reach. He realized now, they always would be.
He thought about his wife, hiding out on a resort world that, to date, was still outside the Dusahn Empire. He wondered how long it would remain so and what might happen if her true identity was ever discovered. He thought about his children, still stuck on Corinair, living under assumed identities, worrying that, at any moment, they too would be discovered. It pained him greatly that he would likely never see any of them again. It pained him even more that he could do nothing more to ensure their safety.
Except for one thing.
Suvan breathed in deeply, summoning all his courage. “General Telles,” he began. “Please get everyone to your ships.”
“Our ships are not usable,” the general told him. “This was a one-way trip.”
Suvan looked at the general, surprised. “The escape pods then.”
“Captain, what are you planning?”
“I will turn the ship around and ram the orbital shipyard.”
“A bold idea, to be sure, but if you miss the core, you will not destroy it. Not completely.”
“If the zero-point reactors are still online, it will all be destroyed. The shipyard and any ship within twenty kilometers, I expect.”
General Telles also took a deep breath, examining the older captain. “And I cannot convince you to come with us, I suppose.”
“Someone must remain, to ensure impact,” Suvan said, stating the obvious.
General Telles nodded, knowing the brave captain was correct.
Suvan looked at the general. “Find them, tell them. Tell them that I died to protect them. And promise me that you will protect them.”
“I will protect them, by protecting all of us. Takara, Corinair, the entire cluster,” General Telles promised. “I will protect them by preventing the spread of those who would inflict their will on others by use of force. On this, you have my word, Captain.”
“Thank you.” Captain Navarro took another breath, sighing. “I really thought we could do this.”
“A victory that comes in an unexpected form, is still a victory,” the general told him.
Suvan nodded in begrudging agreement. After a moment, he looked back at the general. “What are you waiting for, General?”
“I am waiting for my commanding officer to give the order.”
Suvan smiled, then pressed a button on the intercom control on his console. “This is Captain Suvan Navarro, commander of the Teyentah. Abandon ship. All hands report to the nearest escape pods, and abandon ship.”
General Telles rose, placing his hand on Suvan’s shoulder. “Good luck, my friend.”
“Continue the fight, General,” Suvan replied.
“I am Ghatazhak,” the general replied. “I know no other way.”
Suvan Navarro nodded one last time at the general, who then led the others to the exit, leaving the captain to complete his mission, alone.
“Message from Command and Control,” the Aurora’s communications officer announced. “The Corinari evacuation is complete. All forces have left the Darvano system.” The ensigns’ voice suddenly became somber. “But there were heavy casualties, sir.”
Nathan sighed. He would have to worry about the casualties later.
“The Teyentah is turning,” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported, surprised.
“She still has maneuvering?” Nathan asked.
“Yes, sir. It’s a slow turn, but she is turning.”
“Turning to where?” Jessica wondered from behind the tactical console.
Nathan, again, ran multiple scenarios and outcomes in his head, and in a split second, came to the only logical conclusion. “He’s turning around.”
“The Teyentah is coming about!” the sensor officer reported. “She is turning back toward the shipyard.”
“I thought she had no propulsion?” Lord Dusahn said, casting a cross eye at the commander. “How is it she is coming about?”
“They are burning their maneuvering thrusters at maximum,” the sensor officer reported, overhearing his leader’s question.
“An inefficient method but effective, nonetheless,” Lord Dusahn commented. He sighed, surrendering to the inevitable. “All ships are to target the Teyentah, and destroy her.”
“As you command, my lord,” the commander replied.
“And add whatever functioning weapons we still have to the mix, Commander. So this ship doesn’t appear completely ineffective.”
“Yes, my lord.”
General Telles and his team quickly found the nearest escape pods, four of which were located at the back of the command deck on the starboard side, not far from the bridge. He pressed the key on the control panel on the bulkhead, and the inner door opened, followed by the pod door itself. He peeked inside, noting that it was designed to accommodate eight people. “Willem, Telles. Have you located an escape pod?”
“Are you kidding?” the master sergeant replied. “This ship is loaded with them.”
“Good, get in, and wait for Captain Suvan to launch them,” the general instructed.
“If something goes wrong and you feel you cannot wait, go manual, and launch the pod yourself, but only if you have no choice.”
“Understood.”
“Once clear, jump to rally point echo, find a place to hide, and await rescue.”
“No problem. Good luck, General.”
“To you, as well,” the general replied. “Rezhik, Telles. Did you copy?”
“Affirmative,” Lieutenant Rezhik replied. “Request permission to delay abandoning my post for a few minutes.”
“Reason?”
“I believe I can bypass the safeties that prevent the jump field generators from working when too many emitter arrays are damaged. It may provide Captain Navarro with a tactical advantage.”
“Make it quick,” the general ordered before he followed his men into their escape pod.
“Micro-jump! Two clicks! Execute!” Nathan ordered as the Aurora rocked with the missile impacts against their weakening shields.
“Two clicks! Jumping!” Mister Bickle replied as the jump flash filled the bridge.
“Reacquiring primary target,” Jessica announced.
“Starboard shields are down to thirty percent,” the systems officer warned.
“Roll us over, and show them our port side for a while,” Nathan ordered. “Adjust your gun selections as we roll, Jess.”
“Rolling to port.”
“I’m with you,” Jessica assured him.
“Teyentah is finishing her turn,” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported. “You were right, sir. She’s burning everything she’s got and making a run for the shipyard.”
“Comms, raise the Teyentah,” Nathan ordered. “I want to speak to Navarro.”
Four explosions suddenly rocked the Aurora, nearly knocking Jessica off her feet. “Damn it!” she cursed, hanging on. “We just took four jump missiles in our number four shield.”
