Alpha One: The Kronan

by Chris Burton

“No. Spread the fleet out. Get me Commander Little on the ship to ship.”

  Hoskins waited patiently, as the comms request was made. He needed quick responses from his executive officers.

  “Little here. Is that Kryl plasma we are following?”

  “Yes, it would seem so. Commander, I want you to take the Clipper ahead of us by say, ten thousand kilometers and then run a discrete barium scan. I gather that the Mauritius commander located the Kryl vessel, using the same technique.”

  “Won’t that leave us rather vulnerable, Sir?”

  “Potentially, yes, but if she is directly in front of us and she is venting plasma, now may be a good time to drawer her out.”

  * * * *

  Twenty minutes passed before Little came back to Hoskins.

  “The barium scan has completed. The plasma was vented in the last two to three hours, so she is not too far ahead. Of course we do not know how fast she is travelling.”

  “Take your ship to one hundred thousand kilometers ahead and run the scan again. We will monitor your progress and if there is any sign of her, we will be right with you.”

  Commander Shen Knui joined Hoskins in his ready room.

  “I have been theorizing as to why she might be venting plasma. Her main hyper drive is not her only power source. If they are aware she is venting, they would power down the drive and use a different one. I think this is a trap.”

  “I think you may be right. Nevertheless, we cannot take any action until we are certain. Putting the Clipper in her current position is risky but may encourage a response.”

  * * * *

  Three hours passed before Hoskins patience ran out. She must know we are looking for her.

  “Number One, issue the order to fleet to spread and launch Rapiers. We need to show intent and at the same time broaden our search. Let’s carry out intensive barium sweeps covering the entire sector. That way, if, she is still here, we will find her.”

  The five-ship mini-fleet spread out and launched a squadron of Rapiers, each casting their own net, in the form of a barium sweep. Two hours later, the lead Rapier ran straight into a barrage of plasma fire. The Kryl ship had de-cloaked, turned about and was stationery, waiting for the Alpha fleet to engage.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Depleted Shields

  Roslyn sat at his desk and stared at his view screen. The figures were appalling. Half of the shield grid was running below fifty percent effectiveness and the rest was severely weakened. How had his defense department allowed this to happen?

  He was alarmed by Koenig’s assertion that the shields were not working correctly. On returning from his ‘summit’ in Lugano, he had called for the latest set of shield figures and reassurance from his secretary of defense. The figures came back, much as they had in the years that Roslyn held office. The shields were running at near normal optimal efficiency. Roslyn had learned to be cynical and asked his defense supremo to carry out a review of the report’s findings. That report was in front of him.

  The Defense Secretary, Charles de Voort, sat on the armchair facing the operational plasma screen. A copy of the report was displayed and he could barely bring himself to look at it.

  “Haven’t we carried out audits of the operational figures? How could our reports be so wrong?”

  “I am investigating the issue. It does appear there was a cover up at the Area Command level. I am told the individual Station Chiefs were asked to disconnect the warning parameters so that faltering shields would not trigger alarms. It sounds incredible, I know, but fundamentally, this looks like a cascading maintenance issue which has gone out of control. Years of neglect resulted in almost complete failure. It is a disaster.”

  “You are quite right, Charles. It is a monumental cock-up! We need to have these shields brought back to where they should be immediately.”

  “That is going to be problematic.”

  “Why?”

  “Because the whole grid needs an overhaul. Each section will need to be shut down, serviced, re-networked and restarted. There are hundreds of sections and the downtime for each would be two to three days at least. This could take weeks, or even months!”

  “How many sections could we carry out in one go?”

  “Two maybe, three, on opposing sides of the planet, so as not to affect the grid integrity. This is also a resource problem. We do not have sufficient technicians to run a multi-centered repair.”

  “Don’t the section grid managers have the capability?”

  “Barely. Over the years, they seem to have become more of an administrative function, rather than hands on. I hate to say it, but only Alpha have that kind of widespread expertise. The only way we are going to fix this quickly, is by asking for their help!”

  “Not acceptable. I am not handing over control of the shields to Alpha.”

  “I don’t see what choice we have. If invasion looks likely, the shields will not hold. Beyond the fleet and SED, we have no effective defense against invasion...and you know my opinions on SED, they remain an enigma themselves.”

  Roslyn was angry now. “Charles, I will not entertain the thought of handing over the control of SED to Alpha. As for the shields...we need them operational now. I presume you have had some discrete conversations with Alpha?”

  “Yes, I have. According to their shield guru, Commander Westwood, they had similar problems on Mars, a few years back. The overhaul was completed within a matter of weeks. This is a greater problem, but they have the resources. We would have to give them complete control of course.”

  Roslyn, held his head in his hands. This was all going in the wrong direction.

  “Complete your investigation Charles and come back to me by the end of tomorrow at the latest. Do not let on to Alpha what we are considering and find me a head or heads to role!”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Morvalt Offensive

  Morvalt stood in quiet contemplation in his Sanctuary. He knew this latest challenge should be a tough one. Alpha would send their finest ships to do battle and in a straight fight, his vessel could be defeated. He was not looking to play fair. His power gave him the overwhelming advantage. He would squeeze the life out of each and every human; but not yet.

  He would let them come to him, let them see him, and let them think that they were winning. Then he would strike. He would even let them communicate his position to their fleet commanders. He was not at risk any more. They were close to the wormhole and then his fleet would soon give him overwhelming advantage.

  * * * *

  The small Alpha flotilla was now visible but Morvalt waited. He left his Sanctuary and stood at the center of his vessels command deck. He had complete control, over his ship, its crew, and very soon, the powerless humans who would succumb to crushing and deadly defeat.

  “Fire, main artillery cannons and target each Alpha vessel individually. We will sustain the attack until we have weakened their shields and then deploy plasma warheads.”

  Without comment or acknowledgement, the Kryl drones carried out the Kronan’s commands. The result was immediate, with all five Alpha vessels peppered with powerful plasma bursts from the Kryl ships main weaponry systems. Alpha responded immediately with their own plasma weaponry banks. They launched two squadrons of Jump Ships which immediately sought to surround the Kryl vessels, intent on rendering the enemy vessel powerless, by targeting the Kryl weaponry arrays.

  The battle scene was reminiscent of many of his favorite encounters with enemy vessels and Morvalt’s expressionless face, lifted as he smiled. He had called his human advisor, Samos to his side, to witness the destruction of the Alpha vessels. This would be a lesson to his captive and one from which they would both benefit in time.

  “As you can see, they are trying to surround us. They think they have the advantage, but we will not deploy full shields and make them think that they have us beaten. They will then move in for the kill and then I will destroy them. Does this distress you Samos?”

  �
�Of course it does. These are my people. Do not be too sure you will win this Morvalt. They do have numerical advantage. Their ships are powerful and they will be tactically astute. These are front line ships, with skilled commanders. They will not be easy to defeat.”

  “They will, when I take control of their ship’s systems.”

  “How?”

  “You have yet to witness the full extent of my powers, Samos. As you will see the Alpha vessels will be soon be under my control.”

  Morvalt closed his eyes. At first nothing happened, but then the nearest Alpha ship lurched to port and turned to face the nearest of the four other vessels. The Alpha ship then opened fire.

  Morvalt moved to target the second Alpha vessel. This time, it was clear what he had done. He had coerced the Alpha commanders into powering down their shield systems. The first ship targeted the second ships weaponry banks and their command center. It did not take long before the second ship was all but destroyed.

  Morvalt targeted the next ship. He had allowed the Alpha ships to get closer still, giving him greater and greater control. Only the lead vessel, held back. Somehow, their commander was wise enough to keep his distance. A second Alpha ship was destroyed, powerless without its shields and the last of the four Alpha cruisers, began to take fire from the weaponry of the Kryl controlled Alpha vessel.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Hoskins Retreats

  Hoskins stood in disbelief as the Clipper destroyed first one, then a second and a third cruiser. It was Commander Shen Knui who broke the silence that had descended onto the floor of the Halo 7 bridge.

  “The Kryl ship must have taken control over the Clipper and somehow knocked the shields out for the other cruisers. We need to stop them from attacking us.”

  Hoskins was shaken back to reality, as it dawned on him, that his first officer was right.

  “We need to keep our distance Number One. If we get too close...can we knock out the Clippers weaponry arrays?”

  “Difficult from here. We would need to get closer. We could launch more Jump Ships.”

  “No. That would be futile and would just mean more loss of life. We need to communicate with the Clipper and try to get them to stand down or to pull away from the Kryl ship. Send a ship to ship comm. link.”

  “Commander. We need to draw the Clipper away from the Kryl ship so they release the hold they have over her. We could cause a particle shock wave between them. That should force the two ships apart.”

  Hoskins was impressed. Commander Shen Knui had already proven herself a quick thinker, but this idea was definitely out of the unusual box. A shock wave could be created by detonating the mix of positive and negatively charged ions emitted from an ion drive. To be successful, The Halo 7 would need to engage her ion drive and then project the resultant exhaust into the gap between the Kryl ship and the Clipper. Not an easy task, but it could work.

  “Agreed. Engage the ion drive and take us about Mister Peterson. Number One, calculate the parameters required.”

  “Already done. We need to apply reverse thrust to these coordinates.”

  “Won’t that take us too close to the Kryl Ship? We could enhance the ion drive ratios. That way we would not need to get so close.”

  “A good point, Mister Peterson.” His Bridge officer was right on the mark, as usual. “Number One, recalculate with enhanced ratios. It seems the Kryl Commander is waiting for us to act, rather than take the Clipper out or pursue us. Let’s mix it up a bit. Target the Kryl ship with a burst of Teutonic missiles, before we engage reverse thrust. That should keep them busy.”

  “Number One. Can you arrange for our Jump Ships to return and prepare the SD drive to re-engage for a fast exit? Plot the parameters in manually. That way if we get to close, the Kryl will have no time to coerce us into moving closer.”

  * * * *

  “Teutonic tubes loaded and all Jump Ships in the hanger, Sir.”

  “Fire at will. Target and disperse ion dive exhaust and ignite.”

  The Teutonic missiles hit their target, but had little effect against the apparently strengthening Kryl shields. They did though briefly detract from the Halo 7’s new tactical position. The ion drive discharge ignited and the Kryl ship and the Clipper began to separate.

  The Kryl commanders obviously ran out of patience and the advantage gained was never enough. Instead of responding directly against the Halo 7, they opened up a barrage of plasma fire against the Clipper, whose shields had been deactivated. The Clipper was paralyzed moments later.

  “Get us out of here Mister Peterson. Engage SD now!”

  The Halo 7’s powerful SD drive engaged immediately and she pulled away from the dying Clipper and the Kryl vessel but the advantage was short-lived.

  “Sir, she is in pursuit. She is gaining on us.”

  “Increase to SD6. Let’s see how fast this Kryl cruiser can go.”

  The new stellar drive smoothly pushed the Halo 7, faster. At first, the Kryl ship matched her but pulled back once it became evident that the chase was futile.

  “She is backing off and turning about. Looks like she is back on course to the Tri-star System.”

  * * * *

  Hoskins was in his ready room and Commander Shen Knui had just joined him. They started their post battle analysis and Shen Knui was summarizing.

  “Our conventional weapons were ineffective and we could not get close enough to charge up the PBA. Her shields were actually getting stronger and not weaker. How are we going to destroy them, if we can’t get close enough to them?”

  “I think we already know that this Kryl ship is unusual. The Kryl cruisers we engaged in the original Tri-star Battle had good protective shields, but not as strong as these. The ability to assume control of our ships is also a new thing. It all tends to suggest that they have another Winterburn aboard.”

  “A Kronan?”

  “Possibly. In which case, this ship may well be the single most important target we have. If we can destroy her, then we may be able to stop the other Kryl by more conventional means.”

  “That depends on how many there may be and if they send any more ships.”

  “Let’s leave that for Admiral Koenig. Now that I have sent my report, they will be able to disseminate and reflect further. In the mean time, we need to reset our course for the Tri-star System and see if we can seek out the Kryl ship again. Thank you Number One. We can discuss this again later.”

  The little Cartholodite Commander left the ready room and Hoskins reflected on a bad mornings work. His first fleet was obliterated and the loss of life under his command just reached the thousand mark. He would have to start the process of reporting their loss. He would need a crew manifest for each ship, so that he could at least make some brief but positive reflections about each lost crew member. This would be a long and difficult task and right now, he needed Lieutenant Obeya Temsouri.

  The comm. link reply was prompt and to the point. He had asked his mistress to join him in his quarters.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jake’s Recovery

  Jake was awoken by the noise of a huge ore freighter departing from the South Downs Space Port. The roar from the gargantuan ion drive, sent a series of rhythmic shudders through the air, each seemingly creating a mini earthquake as they travelled away from the ship and into the distance. Not that this was unusual. Freighters and other large vessels lifted off from the spaceport many times a day. However, today Jake could not see them through his apartment window. He remained confined to his stasis chamber with a medical droid for his companion.

  “How are you today, Mister Carter?”

  “Just fine...at least I will be when I am released from this contraption. Will a medic be visiting today?”

  “Yes, a visit is scheduled. You have made good progress and it is likely you will be released from the chamber. I would recommend that you do try to keep as still as possible though, your sporadic movements will not assist the healing process.”

  T
he two and a half-meter long open-top chamber stood on a platform in the center of Jake bedroom—where his bed usually stood. Jake lay on curved body foam, immersed to his neck and surrounded by a clear viscous gel, with contact pressure pads attached to his abdomen and to each limb. Every movement he made altered the shape of the body foam to which he lay and although movement was restrictive, it was possible and to a degree necessary to prevent muscular decay. Fidgeting or rapid body movements were discouraged, as the body foam needed time to adapt to the change in shapes formed by the body. The gel was the healer. Its chemical properties, constantly adapting via a plethora of tubes connecting to a control center on the outside of the chamber, as the patients healing process continued. The stasis chamber was now the method to facilitate fast healing of multiple injury, meaning that even the most paralyzing of injuries, including back and head trauma could be dealt with quickly and effectively, with the patient, usually making a full recovery.

  Jake sighed. “Okay. Can you open a comm. link...to Carla?”

  The droid became Jake’s constant companion, since his return from Titus 3, five days ago. He received visitors, of course, but the droid only allowed twenty minutes per visit. Jake was uncomfortable, bored and desperate for some real human company.

  * * * *

  “Hi, Jake. How are you this morning sweetheart?”

  Carla’s perfect features beamed at him from his comm. link panel.

  “I just want to get out of here!”

  “Your medic told me yesterday, that you should be released today. You should be back to normal after a few hours of adaptive muscle therapy.”

  “And get on with my revision. This has really put me behind.”

  “Jake, you are lucky to be alive. Your crash was serious. The academy will not make you sit your finals, if you are not ready and anyway you still have two weeks.”

  “Is that Steve, I can see in the background? What the hell is he doing in your apartment so early in the morning?”