by Tobias Roote
Here, where he was watching his fleet battle it out, there was more of an even match and Fedillo decided to change tactics.
Leaving the WP to defend the centre ground he directed all ships to the outer fringe of the battle-zone between the planet and the enemy. They had practised this manoeuvre, but it would be difficult this late in the battle to get everything together. He broadcast the line-up and within minutes all Frenon vessels that could, had broken off their individual battles and aligned with his ship, both left and right of him as well as above and below. As he pulled his ship backwards the line stretched between him and the others until they formed a recessed cone shape within the square.
“Align shields,” he ordered.
“Slave bow lasers, to my control.”
“Independent fire on all missiles as targets present themselves.” He wanted to set down a continuous barrage that would keep the enemy ships from mounting an attack until he was ready.
The enemy had turned and were now heading directly for the cone shape. Their own limited knowledge of battle tactics left them with no means of interpreting in advance the mayhem that was to ensue. So, as the last of the ships gave up their lasers to Fedillo’s weapons operator, the barrage of missiles from the Frenon vessels formed a cloud in space aiming directly at the incoming enemy fleet.
Believing that the missiles would explode harmlessly on their shields, the Nubl continue to approach. They lay down a dense layer of defensive AMM’s, anti-missile missiles, that were delivering an expanding defence as the warheads split to cover the incoming spread of destruction.
More and more missiles were fired by the Frenon ships, now in such numbers, that they would soon overrun the Nubl defence systems leaving them totally dependent on their shields. Still the Nubl came on.
Fedillo waited until the first barrage of missiles had reached the Nubl, then ordered the laser blanket to open fire.
Instantly over one thousand beams of light equidistant from each other raced across to their targets.
As the missiles connected with the Shadowships’ defences, pressuring them to their absolute limits, a new wave of destructive laser beams hit as well, combining their destructive power to obliterate the enemy shields collapsing them around the target ships. Great blooms of explosive destruction occurred wherever the concentrated power of the one thousand beams touched, leaving holes of empty space where there was once an enemy fleet.
The Nubl had never come across such formidable opponents before. Their attack began to falter as additional missiles made contact with damaged shields and hulls directly following the laser strike. Within moments the attacking Nubl ships were either vaporised or in retreat, the Frenon pushing them at first singly, then in groups, until the remains of the Nubl fleets jumped away from the fight.
Fedillo who had remained at the edge of the battle directing his ships now examined the threat board on the holodeck. A few Nubl ships too damaged to retreat, still unprepared to give up, were being taken out by small groups of Frenon ships who, like the Nubl had no qualms about destroying clones, which they saw as limited copies of the original, and therefore of no value. For many it was a moment of justice after being hunted by the Nubl for sport.
Otherwise the space around Frenon was soon clear of danger. The victorious Frenon ships converted to clean-up crew and dragged all of the defeated ships into a single area of space ready for transport to the nearest raw material converter. Nothing would be wasted.
Fedillo instructed his ship to relocate near the platform. The nanites continued to repair its damaged hull which had held back the major force of the Nubl attack. It appeared to Fedillo to be a safe haven so he advised Queen Pelendar to transfer while he ordered the remaining ships reformed into one single fleet. The holodeck pulled his attention, the WP was updating and he could see a new green arrow coming towards his position. Ship sent the message across the fleet. ‘Reinforcements’ as they were joined by a further two thousand ships that had been constructed out of system, but had arrived too late to help in the battle.
***
The Queen joined them on the WP and whilst impressed with the holotank, remained sceptical over the platform’s ability to mount an offensive attack. Ship remained still, while Zirkos actually agreed with her. As her guards transferred her throne to the vessel Zirkos realised she had decided it would be her flagship.
The Queen looked at him enquiringly, as if questioning her right to be there. She had taken the initiative and caught Zirkos unaware. He was uncomfortable as the Rugal of Frenon and he wondered if her being here was to contest his right and undermine him.
Thinking it through he realised it made sense. The defences and the holotank as well as the size of the vessel gave them confidence over its ability to survive a battle. He was also head of the navy, not a title he felt he had earned, but they had survived a Nubl attack of twenty thousand ships. He was satisfied - for now.
“Assemble the fleet,” the Queen instructed him, now confident of her authority. She had decided that no longer was she going to be a gentle queen who preferred peace and accommodation. Her earlier traits that had been suppressed had surfaced. She was now a warrior queen and her ‘Ta was the g’Nal of the surviving fleet. He would do well to command the whole fleet.
“We need to hide and make repairs. We also need to finish these two thousand ships and prepare them for battle,” she added.
Zirkos was impressed. He had expected to have to make the decisions, but here she was taking her rightful place at the head of the hive. He felt greatly reassured that he would have no long-term commitment to the Frenon. He smiled to acknowledge his approval of her being there and turned to carry out her orders.
‘Fedillo? Make the fleet ready. We jump as soon as preparations are complete. The coordinates will be on your screen momentarily,’ he advised.
An hour later Fedillo was standing opposite him and the Queen was mulling over their position. For Ship it was an easy process. He had no destination, ego or desire to be anywhere, so he was happy to be wherever Zirkos wanted to be. He waited patiently at the controls, monitoring the space around them.
“This is a war council,” she explained to open the discussion. “We won this round because they were ill-prepared and they sent inexperienced warriors. They won’t make that mistake again.”
“I agree, we need to keep moving, rebuilding as we go,” Zirkos responded, nodding to acknowledge the wisdom of her assessment as well as her right to make the decisions.
“They will follow us and send out hunting parties to wear us down while they prepare a full attack force,” Fedillo advised. His previously buried experience was coming to the surface now they were actively fighting again.
They remained silent, each deep in their own thoughts on the way forward.
Finally the Queen decided. “Then we must ensure they do not find us until we are safe from them, and for that we need allies,” she said, looking to Zirkos.
He understood her perfectly. She was suggesting allegiance with the human planet, Earth.
- 24 -
So It Begins
Lang was the first to pick up the signals coming through on the QCR’s, the Quantum Communication Relays, put in place by Arty before his virtual lobotomy. He fed them through to the threat monitors whereupon the screens lit up, showing the newly announced incursion at the edge of space as a red spearhead that, even as he watched, approached on a course that would bring them directly to Earth.
The attack klaxons had sounded immediately the threat board had painted red icons on the screen. The mad rush of personnel grew as more and more weapon and defence controllers reached their seats. The monitors indicating the corridors full of personnel racing to get to their posts in the weapons arrays in preparation to defend Beta Station.
Pennington walked onto the bridge at a calm, but brisk pace, taking his place at the rear of the command centre. He had forsaken his Space Island theatre of operations room for the one here because, as he put it,
”If they get past us here, there will be little to stop them from reaching Earth - and our objective is to keep the battle away from our home.” Privately, he didn’t want to live to see Earth fall.
“ETA, Miss Eriksson, when you’re ready,” he asked the new intern quietly, ensuring the centre’s crew all heard the calmness in his voice and the authority behind it. Taking charge wasn’t just about telling people what to do. It meant creating the confidence to give up their personal concerns and slip into acceptance mode. He needed them unflustered and receptive to his commands, there would be tension and excitement soon enough. Although, he noted there was still considerable time before the enemy arrived.
“They appear to be holding at the extreme edge of our system, sir. I’m currently unable to provide an ETA,” Jasmin Eriksson replied nervously after a few seconds.
“Very good. Keep me advised as soon as anything changes - don’t wait for me to ask.” He kept his voice even and calm.
As they watched, the QCRs lit up across the whole border, indicating more forces jumping into Earth space. Each time the hologram’s display refreshed, it showed a growing mass of red. Several of the personnel swore, but Pennington chose to ignore the outbursts.
“Keep it calm, let’s just do it by the numbers, people - just like we’ve practised thousands of times over the last few months,” he called out to them. He knew he had to keep their edge, but with anything from two to four hours of travelling time for the enemy to reach them, he had many options to play and wanted everyone ready.
“Deploy the Ogres,” Pennington ordered after an hour of zero activity, seeing an opportunity to take first blood. A large deployment of red dots had begun a long route around the system to present themselves eventually on the other side of Earth’s orbit. The Ogres were a ‘launch and forget’ attack force. With completely automated weapons and autonomy to select their own targets, the Ogres would work singly or in teams to rout the enemy. Their speed and agility with only AI manning them would make them a hard target to hit.
“Ogres deploying, sir,” came the response. The hologram blinked as it added thousands of green dots to the display and three formations evolved. One, as large as the incoming force that was skirting their defences, moved to intercept. The other two took a different path, their intentions were to run interference on the main fleet as it came towards Earth.
The red mass of the enemy fleet began to move as one, heading directly towards Earth. The QCRs, as fast as they were, couldn’t keep up with the number of ships, more coming in to fill the space vacated moments earlier by the oncoming fleet. It was truly massive, Pennington noted, upwards of a half a million ships already.
“ETA two hours, forty five minutes, sir,” Erickson prompted.
“Very good, Jasmin. Keep me benchmarked at quarterly intervals, if you please,” Pennington coaxed.
“Activate the remote laser batteries, but keep them cloaked,” he ordered. Pennington knew they would have to whittle the numbers down before the mass of ships arrived. He had installed hundreds of laser-bases along the projected route, in the same way that the AI, Pod had set up drones with the killer nanites. The batteries were unmanned and like the Ogres heading out along the routes designated, would form a guerilla war front on either side.
“Deploy the Bears along the enemy flanks, make sure they harry the enemy sufficiently to break them into smaller groups. The Ogres need to be concentrated in the centre where their speed and size can work to their advantage,” he ordered.The Bears each carried a crew of fourteen and were heavily armoured with multiple lasers, hanging off massive arms that did nothing but wield death.
“Alpha Station, jump your Reavers into position at the rear of that first wave. I want them nipping the enemies heels and taking their attention off the Bears coming in on either side.” He watched as four thousand small pilot/AI manned ships began to form a green cloud at the rear of the enemy fleet as Arty jumped the small ships in batches of fifty every few seconds, the extreme range and power allowance severely curtailing his ability to respond adequately to Pennington’s orders.
As they watched the hologram, two thousand Bears moved upward along the cloud of creeping red. Being so closely packed, and so numerous, the computer could only show the enemy in large blocks, merging them together within the 3D space. The green appeared as a thin streak in comparison.
The silence in the command centre was palpable as the tension mounted toward the moment that the ships would engage.
“ETA Beta Station, two hours, zero zero, sir,” came the prompt.
“Bears and Reavers attack all targets, fire at will - no heroics, keep to the plan and good luck everyone.” Pennington broadcast the order to engage then watched as the Reavers, always first, fast and furious with their human/AI partnerships, flew directly into the red cloud. The Bears, slower but more effective at long range, began their attack and the computer readout in the CC clocked up the kills as the ships on-board systems reported them.
“Sentry laser batteries - commence firing.” Pennington had waited until the red wave was fully committed and compressed inward from the fire at the rear and either side before engaging them. They had a short range, but their stubby cores ensured that a wide beam would take out multiple targets in each salvo. They wouldn’t last long, but would give a good accounting of themselves.
The operators monitoring the transmissions from the ships were fully engaged in communicating coordinates for SAR response teams. Alpha Station would jump them back to base, equip those that were capable with new ships and form a new defence line with them nearer Earth. The wounded would be treated and evacuated as necessary. The whole operation was running smoothly, except for one thing, Pennington noted.
The red cloud was now two red clouds and the Reavers were sandwiched between them. Both clouds were now progressing directly towards Earth via Beta Station.
“Speed of enemy has increased, sir. ETA one hour fifteen minutes,” Eriksson croaked, the tension causing her throat to dry up. She quickly grabbed a beaker from the side of the console and gulped its contents.
“Lang, are your people ready with their toys yet?” Pennington called across to the Science Station.
“Deploying now, Commander,” Lang responded. His tone was severe, he was watching the red cloud as was everyone in the room. He also knew, that this was a formidable enemy and the massing of a third wave at the system edge indicated they were vastly outnumbered even with the box of tricks he had to play with.
As they watched, a train of barges, large open-hulled, engine-less hulks appeared, evenly spaced across the approach to Beta Station. As they materialised they were already turned to face the incoming tide of red and immediately expelled their cargo. Seconds later the barges winked out of existence as they were jumped away leaving ‘not quite empty’ space, as the contents were dispersed.
***
The bridge crew on Alpha Station watched as the defences controlled from Beta Station began to have an impact on the encroaching tide of red. They stood ready to engage their own weapons systems, but as yet the enemy were still two hours away. They were all silent, knowing full well that if the enemy broke through the defence line, Beta Station would be over-run and the next line to hold would be theirs. The tactics of Pennington were keenly watched to see how they performed.
Zeke also watched, although he was preoccupied with the sensation of being there, and yet here at the same time was unnerving. Since the arrival of the enemy fleet, he had felt increasingly odd, as if the world around him wasn’t real - like a dream. He decided that the Alacite in him was causing it. Although, he preferred not thinking about the possibility he might also be somewhere else, possibly on a Nubl warship.
He confided in Kelly who immediately ran tests on him. The blood tests and subsequent scans showed that the mutation had spread further and little of his original DNA now remained. The fact he both looked and felt human was amazing from both his and her perspectives. The DNA had altered so much they b
oth felt there should be some physical differentiation, but no tail or horns had erupted and he still looked the same as he had when the plate was in his skull.
As a genetic scientist, Kelly took a professional interest in his transformation. As a friend she worried for him and advised him to not exert himself unduly lest he tip the balance and fall headlong into a coma from which he might die, or at the very least never recover.
She chewed the side of her lip, her concern evident. “The cells are mutating at such a fast pace it is increasingly difficult to imagine what will happen when your body is completely absorbed. It’s obvious that the acceleration is due to your fighting and extreme exertion. If you have one more fight, just one, it could spell the end for you,” she advised him. Her medical opinion merging with her personal fears.
As Zeke sat in his chair watching the battle, he wondered whether he, or any of them for that matter, would still be around to worry about such a poor prognosis. He shrugged, flinching at the pain that followed up his back and across his neck. He had seen Ferris’ medical records recovered from the Fortress and guessed he probably didn’t have that long.
Zeke: Arty, how are you doing, buddy? he asked using his implant. It was easier now than talking, but he still only had a few people to talk to like Jimmi Patterson and his friends, when they were on the station. Jimmi, he knew, was out fighting the rear of the invasion fleet and probably wouldn’t survive the day. He felt saddened. The relationship between Jimmi and his AI was nothing short of incredible. He hoped that somehow he would escape the outcome that was almost pre-ordained. He should have been ordered to join his father on the ARK’s, but there was no doubt that his contribution to the defence of Earth had proven invaluable, mostly thanks to his early embracing of the same implant tech that Zeke had in his head.
Arty: I’m doing well, Zeke. But I believe you might incapable of saying the same.
