Fury to the Stars (Universe in Flames Book 2)

by Christian Kallias

  She had to give it to Chase’s instinct: he’d felt something was wrong right away. He couldn’t have been more right! But at present it still almost seemed like the situation was under control; the ships being assembled were attempting to power up, but they weren’t firing at the fleet or the starfighter wings at all. Perhaps their weapons systems weren’t fully ready yet?

  “Alpha Wing, you heard the captain. Attack these sentries; follow instructions on your targeting systems.”

  It took less than a split second to paint targets and assign ships with the neuronal interface. She was delighted that she could actually do all that, while additionally giving vocal commands with her mind, silently aboard the bridge.

  She then acquired the nearest sentry, the one which had almost scored a direct hit on her ship a few moments earlier. She performed a dance of speedy evasive maneuvers as its fire intensified upon approach. Mentally on autopilot, she sent out her drones to fire and lower the shields. Overenthusiastic with risks, though, she took a few hits on her own shields which were lowered to forty-seven percent. With an internal promise to be more careful, she added the firepower of her lasers, and finally degraded opponents’ shields enough for her to terminate the sentry with a couple of missiles.

  * * *

  On the bridge Chase got up from his chair, looked at Sarah who was clearly highly focused on piloting the remote F-147. He shot a look at the emperor.

  “I thought you said that the codes you provided would disable this shipyard’s automated defense systems.”

  The emperor grunted. “It did. They were deactivated. Someone has reactivated them. I can only surmise your spy is to blame. Argos should not have been aware of our presence in the first place. We should not stay here.”

  This last statement made sense. Chase couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew without doubt something was wrong. He could feel it in every fiber of his being.

  “For once we agree, Emperor,” said Chase. Turning to his communications officer, he added quietly, “Open a channel to the Destiny.”

  “Yes, Chase, what is it?”

  “This is clearly a trap. As much as I hate to say this, I think we should retreat for the time being.”

  “I agree. Sending the retreat order to the fleet.”

  The Droxian and Obsidian ships turned about first, as most of their starfighter wings had already re-boarded, victorious. The Alliance ships also adhered to the retreat request, and recalled their starfighter regiment back to their ship as well. But the Hope Alpha and Beta Squadron, as well as the Destiny’s Alpha Squadron, were finishing off the defense sentries that had seriously started damaging the Destiny as well as other Alliance destroyers.

  Suddenly the entire shipyard got illuminated bright red, as a major explosion shook a Droxian ship departing the nebula. The resulting shockwave damaged the nearest Obsidian battleship, disabling it in the process.

  On board the Destiny, Commodore Saroudis shouted altered orders to the fleet.

  “Reverse position! Do not, I repeat DO NOT try to exit the nebula. The shipyards shields are back up. Stay away from them!”

  On the Hope’s bridge, Chase clenched both fists and teeth. How could they have been so stupid? The fact that Argos’ forces engaged them earlier at the rendezvous point should have been warning enough to scrap this mission. He cursed himself for insisting they destroy the shipyard.

  He turned to the emperor.

  “Where’s the shield’s generator?”

  The emperor approached Chase’s chair and projected a 3D map of the shipyard on his holo-display.

  The emperor somberly pointed to a heavily shielded node, situated behind the structure currently assembling the behemoth Zarlack ship which had sent all the fighter waves their way. “Here, but you’ll need a lot of firepower.”

  “You saw what this ship can do first hand.”

  “Let’s hope it will be enough. The power requirement for these shields is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. You may need to have every ship add their firepower to yours, if you aim to take it out.”

  “Very well.” He turned to his communications officer and had him relay the targeting coordinates to the rest of the fleet.

  “Captain,” said his science officer, “I’m detecting an energy build up in every Zarlack ship. This doesn’t look good.”

  “What do you make of it?”

  “I’ve never seen such energy signatures. I think they’re intentionally overloading their engines.”

  That was the end game here, of course! Argos would have them trapped by their own greed. He could then blow everything up, destroying most, if not all, of the task force dreaming to destroy his shipyard. Even if that meant sacrificing it in the process, he saw a clear win.

  “Dammit! Time to firing solution on that shield generator?”

  “Twenty seconds, Captain. I estimate we have less than five minutes before the engines of the ships go critical.”

  Chase did not like these odds. Even if they destroyed the shields within a few minutes, they might not have enough time to get out of here, without inflicting catastrophic damage to the fleet.

  “Can we jump as soon as the shields are down?”

  “The composition of this nebula is highly unstable, Captain. We could blow up upon opening a jump corridor. I... I can’t recommend it.”

  Chase felt rage fill his soul. His mind raced, trying to think of a way out of this. He tapped Sarah on her shoulder. She hummed as she opened her eyes, and made an automatic happy gesture. “Yes, I’ve just dispatched the last defensive sentry. The rest of the starfighters are already on their way back to the ship.”

  “Reroute them to the Destiny.”

  “What?! Why?”

  “No time to explain, just do it!”

  She relayed the order with her mind, and informed Commodore Saroudis.

  “Done. Should I bring in the StarFury as well?”

  “No, I will need you to pilot it towards that shielded installation.”

  “What’s the plan here?”

  “Honestly, it’s the biggest gamble ever. If we had time I would send you over to the Destiny, but I don’t think we have any other choice.”

  * * *

  On board his capital ship, Argos looked at his tactical holo-display and snickered. The Alliance was trapped. He could end them all right here and right now, but first he had to make sure the EAD Hope would survive. He opened a channel to his tactical officer on the bridge.

  “Are you absolutely certain that the added explosions in that kill box will not take out the shipped that I tagged?”

  “Pretty sure it should survive.”

  “Pretty sure? I need absolute certainty!”

  “Technically, I cannot guarantee it. It will depend on the state of their shields and proximity to the Black Death.”

  “Which happens to be exactly where the EAD Hope is heading right now.”

  “I see that, so there’s no way to be sure.”

  “Get me the Black Death’s captain right now!”

  “Communication’s established.”

  * * *

  Chase called Commodore Saroudis and explained his plan.

  “This is insane, even by your standards, Chase. But under the circumstances, I don’t see that we have a choice. You do understand that this is a suicide mission for the EAD Hope?”

  “I do, but what other minuchoices do we have? If we don’t try this we all get vaporized anyway.”

  “Actually it’s entirely possible that not all the ships would get destroyed if we stay at the outskirts of the shield’s limits. Your ship has the stronger shields. If you use the maximum power of your main guns, you’ll be entirely disabled for one full minute, and that’s the real risk. Your shields won’t have time to recharge enough to protect you from the multiple explosions.”

  “It will give the battle group time to escape the nebula. If things get too hot, I’ll try to jump.”

  “My science officer tells me that coul
d go either way, because of the highly volatile composition of this particular nebula.”

  “I’ve got the same report here, Commodore. But we really don’t have a choice.”

  “Very well. In case this doesn’t go well…” He paused. “It’s been an honor serving with you, Chase.”

  “The honor was mine. Athanatos out.”

  Sarah locked her beautiful green eyes on Chase, shining, but full of fear.

  “Well, so much for protecting you by ordering you to stay put.”

  Sarah didn’t know how to answer, what to say. She just raised her shoulders in response.

  Chase commed Yanis.

  “Listening, Cap.”

  “I need the main weapon at full charge. Extract any ounce of juice you can siphon off of anything else too, any other systems, including life support if you have to.”

  “Chase, we’ve discussed this. It will disable us for at least a minute, perhaps more. If I tax the systems that much we’ll be sitting ducks, and it could even disable the ship for good.”

  “Right. But if we don’t do it, everyone in the fleet will die.”

  Yanis didn’t immediately answer, but was audibly breathing heavier. “I can give you a hundred and twenty percent power. You’ll have it in one minute.”

  “Make it twenty seconds.”

  “You’re impossible… and it was nice knowing you.”

  “Likewise,” Chase replied with a grave tone.

  For the next fifteen seconds, the entire bridge was pervaded by a deadly calm. Everyone abruptly understood the emerging reality; that this could very well be the last minute of their lives. Chase checked the holo-display. The rest of the fleet had assembled at the outskirts of the shield boundary, ready to enter full, sub-light power the moment the shields should fall. If.

  “I’m ready, Chase. You may fire anytime.”

  Chase took the neuronal devices from Sarah’s temple, kissing her passionately as he did so. He wished he could make that kiss last forever. It was powerful, but all too short. A tear ran down her cheek.

  “I thought you wanted me to fly the StarFury?”

  “No. I’ll do it... I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  He put the neuronal link to his temple and accessed the Hope’s main weapons. He selected full-firing mode and fired at his target with everything he had.

  Every light in the bridge started to flicker. Systems dimmed fast.

  The EAD Hope fired a gigantic, pulsating ray of light towards its target. It impacted with shields and started draining them, slowly but surely. Simultaneously, Chase vectored the StarFury near the stream. He flew only a few feet away from it, accelerating to maximum velocity. He redistributed all the power he could to the ship’s engine, and when it was about to collide with the generator’s shields, he made his StarFury jump. The ship exploded feet away from its target, overloading its dual quadrinium chambers. The surge took out the rest of the shields, just in time for the remaining main weapon blasts, already lessening in intensity, to tear through the shield generator like paper. It exploded, just as every system on the EAD Hope shut down cold. No more life support, no shields, nothing.

  They were dead in the water now. Sitting ducks.

  * * *

  The explosion shook every ship in the fleet. The shields protecting the shipyards blinked for a couple of seconds before dissipating. The commodore gave the order to the fleet to exit the nebula at maximum thrust.

  He examined his telemetry. The Hope had only fifty seconds before all the Zarlack ships’ engines would go critical, and take down the shipyard. With the shields disabled, an explosion this size would probably ignite the nebula itself, potentially vaporizing everything within as it did so.

  There was a deep, dark pit in Saroudis’ stomach. He’d long thought of Chase as a hotheaded, borderline-insubordinate officer, but also admired his courage and tactics under pressure. Tears started forming around the commodore’s eyes. He wiped them and addressed the fleet.

  “The second you are out of the nebula, jump to these coordinates.”

  All ships confirmed the order. In twenty seconds they would be out of the nebula. The Hope would inevitably be vaporized soon after.

  “Goodbye, Chase,” whispered Saroudis at the screen.

  * * *

  Chase got up from the captain’s chair and took Sarah by the hand. He walked towards the glass for one last moment together, life flashing before his eyes. Suddenly his dreams were interrupted: he noticed that the emperor was no longer on the bridge. He’d normally have been deeply upset by this casual betrayal, but under the circumstances he couldn’t blame him for trying to save his own hide. There was nowhere to hide, anyway.

  “We could have tried making a run for it with my F-147. It’s still in the launching bays.”

  “We could have... but I doubt its shields would survive this whole nebula imploding.”

  “I guess not... How long now?”

  “It’s a matter of seconds, Sarah. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m glad to be next to you at least,” she said, and took him in her arms.

  Chase closed his eyes. He found himself wondering why Aphroditis hadn’t tried giving him any sort of warning or advice, but then remembered how much interference this nebula generated… It probably affected Olympian technology just as much as theirs. So this is it, he thought.

  Oh no it’s not! He heard a familiar voice from within his mind. A voice that sent a cold shiver down his spine.

  It was Argos’ voice! No doubts about it.

  Open your eyes, fool! And hang on to something!

  Chase opened his eyes to witness a succession of massive detonations. The ships were blowing, one by one. Surrounding parts of the nebula were already igniting, a wash of colors. The spectacle, while utterly terrifying, was almost beautiful in its utterly chaotic rendering.

  From the corner of his eye, over Sarah’s shoulder, Chase noted that the behemoth Zarlack destroyer had broken through its construction structure and was heading towards them at maximum speed. A red beam impacted with the Hope. As it passed by, the Hope was tractored away with an enormous lurch. Everyone on the bridge but Chase flew off their chairs; some of them crashed into the walls. He’d held onto Sarah with everything he had, and she was fine, if stunned a bit. And surrounded in an apocalyptic thunder of explosions and raining fire, the Zarlack ship jumped, with the Hope in tow.

  * * *

  On board the Kollassi, Argos witnessed the Black Death manage to capture the Hope in a tractor-beam, pulling her prey out of the nebula just in the nick of time.

  He inhaled in a clipped breath, hands clenched at the railing. He opened a channel to his science officer. Before he could say anything, however, Argos eyes blinked red. The officer exploded on the spot, sending body parts, blood and flesh all over the bridge.

  “May that be a reminder to all of you of what happens when you do not perform as expected!”

  He snapped off the channel.

  Chase was safe, meanwhile, and for the time being that was all that mattered. But he had given his brother a piece of information which he would never have wanted him to have. He couldn’t kill him! Not yet.

  Argos lashed out at a table nearby and broke it like it was made of dust. His fists were clenched so hard, nails cut through his own skin. A small, red river formed from his forgotten blood, snaking lazily across the floor. The red in his eyes shined brighter still.

  C H A P T E R

  XXVI

  Tar’Lock arrived at the power plant, but almost crashed the shuttle in a very rough landing. He jumped out of it and summarily surveyed the damage, embarrassed. No time! Within seconds, he’d broken into the facility, and was peering down the long corridors. He consulted Cedric’s smartphone and memorized the best path with which to reach the third underground floor, where a red dot was blinking. He couldn’t help but notice that on the top right corner of the screen, a timer display indicated only twenty minutes remai
ning. Suffice to say, he moved quickly. It took him one minute to reach the blip, but when he arrived he found a reinforced door, controlled by an access pad with numbers on its digital screen.

  He commed Cedric.

  “I have a problem.”

  “Join the club!”

  “No really, I can’t enter the room where the device is located. There’s a keypad lock!”

  “Crap! Hold your phone next to the door’s lock, please.”

  “Done.”

  “It should be noted I really don’t have time for this,” said Cedric with a clear tone of annoyance in his voice.

  Tar’Lock sighed deeply.

  But before he could say anything, Cedric began to swear noisily.

  “For the love of...”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s got military-grade encryption! Give me a few seconds while I access the fleet’s computing power. And... that should do it.”

  “Nothing happened.”

  “Enter the following code. 7117947057. Then press enter.”

  Tar’Lock entered the combination in a split second, and the panel turned green. He opened the door and spent some time searching before he located the device hidden behind a series of pipes.

  He looked at his phone. The interface had changed like Cedric said it would, with a predominant green scan button in the middle of the interface. Tar’Lock quickly pressed it.

  A bar started filling on the interface.

  “I’ve initiated scanning.”

  “I see that. Thank you, Tar’Lock.”

  “How are we looking?”

  “I’ve managed to reprogram my teleportation subroutine and optimized it to drain just the right amount of power so that the Earth’s power grid doesn’t collapse completely during our transfer. So hopefully it should work.”