by John Walker
Far off, she saw the larger ships still battering at each other. The Behemoth leveraged a lot of punishment on their enemies but they got as good as they gave. Their larger weapons required some recharge time so it wasn’t constant but every blast made the entire sector light up like a star passed by. How much punishment could either side take before folding?
“Let’s get back in there, Mick. I sure hope they’ve got a plan on the Behemoth because I sure don’t see a good path forward.”
“I’m sure they know what they’re doing.” Mick took the lead. “Now, follow my six this time. I’ll get us home.”
Meagan grinned. “Lead on, my friend. Lead on.”
Chapter 13
“Chief Engineer Higgins is on the line,” Agatha shouted over the noise on the bridge. “He states damage crews are circulating through the ship, prioritizing damage.”
They pressed forward, moving out of the firing arc of the enemy but it was only a temporary saving grace. Auxiliary fired at the enemy, turrets meant to fend off fighters or harass a larger vessel. The enemy returned the shots and even those less powerful weapons caused superficial damage to the Behemoth.
Gray slapped his tablet and brought engineering online. “Higgins, get our shields back up! We can’t survive this engagement for long.”
“We’re working on it, sir!” Higgins voice crackled on the line. “They really did a number on us with that initial foray!”
Gray stood and paced over to Redding’s station, peering at her screen. “Can you get us out of here?”
“They have my engines at sixty percent.” Redding shrugged. “I can go to maximum speed but it won’t be enough to escape.”
“Better to be chased than dead. Get us going.”
“I can’t push it too far or the pulse drive might not take it.”
Gray nodded. “Do what you can.” He turned to Paul. “Put the Silver Star online. They need to understand the gravity of the situation.”
“Report from the fighters,” Everly said. “They state the enemy squadron is down to twenty percent effectiveness. They’re mopping up now.”
“Finally, some good news.” Gray rubbed his eyes. “Tell them to wrap it up and be ready for another attack. God knows if they’ve got more waiting in the rafters.”
“Some of them have to come in for repairs,” Everly replied. “They’re requesting landing clearance.”
“Not right now. They’re safer out there.” Gray checked his tablet as another blast shook the ship. “Redding!”
“I’m on it, sir!”
Agatha cleared her throat. “I’ve got Lieutenant Darnell on the line.”
“Olly,” Gray called out. “I hope you’ve got some good news for us. We’re reaching the eleventh hour.”
The lights flickered as another blast grazed their shields. Gray clenched his fist and waited for the briefing of the tech crew. At least Redding dodged that one. How many more before they’ve put us down? You’d better have something, Olly. For all our sakes.
***
Prior to the Battle
Olly answered his com, linking up with Lisa. “I’m here. Are you on the bridge?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve made it and let me tell you, this is a technological paradise.” Lisa patched her camera to his tablet and gave him a look. Like the rest of the ship, the walls, floor and ceiling were comprised of the same shimmering, silver metal. A massive black screen dominated one surface across from some chairs with consoles bulging out of the smooth terrain.
“True to the form of the ship at least,” Olly replied. “Do you have power up there?”
“I do. I’ve coordinated with Maria. The good news is all connections are online up here but they can’t all link to their services. Those are what she’s going to have to establish down in engineering.”
“How long?”
“Our diagnostic test is almost done. We’ve identified the weapon station and we think they might just be off. AI is running a test too.”
“Sounds good. Keep the line open.”
Olly worked with Cathleen to get the database working. The reboot gave them access to another node but it was merely a junction, a launching point for other information centers throughout the network. She identified a link which they could use to bring someone out of the suspended animation process, resuscitating one of the crew.
Together, they ran a scan to identify the various personnel in an attempt to locate someone suited to computer systems. If they followed any best practices concerning security, only a few people would have the necessary access codes to get Protocol Seven. Whoever they revived first needed to help immediately or it may be pointless to wake anyone else.
Maria spoke up on the com, “Engineering wasn’t as prepared as the bridge but I’ve got all the consoles running. The universal code helped my tablet gain access and is translating all the protocols. Weapon systems are definitely offline but I’m rerouting power and am replacing some burned out parts.”
“ETA?” Olly asked.
“A couple minutes,” she replied, “however, I don’t know how long they’ll last under a prolonged engagement. Hell, I don’t even know what their weapons will do. Are they going to be powerful enough to get through the enemy’s shields? No clue.”
“Speaking of defenses,” Olly added, “can we power them up?”
“You said weapons were priority number one,” Maria said. “I can look at them when I’m done…”
“Multitask,” Olly answered. “We have to be efficient.”
Maria sighed. “Yes, sir. I’ll do what I can.”
“Lieutenant Darnell,” Sid piped in, “the Behemoth is under attack.”
“What?” Olly tapped into the Silver Star cameras to see what was going on. The enemy ships bombarded the Behemoth, bringing down a lot of firepower on them. “Holy crap! Guys, we really need to hurry! Our people are being hit hard!”
“What?” Maria shouted. “What do you mean?”
“The enemy’s all over them!” Olly paused. “Fighters are engaged…wait…the enemy ships were on their way to us! AI, why would they attack this ship?”
“This vessel has been pursued by the enemy for some time,” Sid replied. “Protocol Seven has required their full attention to take us down at all costs.”
Olly groaned. “Why didn’t you say so before?”
“No one directed such a query to me before.”
“Thanks for nothing.” Olly shook his head. “Lisa, Maria, they’re after us! The Behemoth is just in the way. You’re working toward self preservation with our offensive/defensive capabilities.”
Agatha pinged him and he brought the bridge online. “Darnell here.”
“Olly, it’s Captain Atwell. We’re in a serious way here and need some help. Tell me you got those weapons online.”
“We’re working on it, sir. Maria’s almost got them.”
Gray sighed. “I don’t have to tell you this isn’t a request. You guys need to be able to hit them or we’re all dead.”
“I know, sir…there’s only so fast we can go with repairs though.”
“Sir!” Maria interrupted. “I got the primary power conduit restored and shoved a new fuse into the console. A compensator went out but they’re modular so I replaced it like a battery. The rest of the machine—”
“Are they up or not?” Olly interrupted.
“We’re good! Weapons are charging now! Holy wow, it’s fast! We’ll be ready in ten seconds!”
“Did you hear that, Captain? We’re weapons hot!”
“Thank God,” Gray replied. “You have someone ready to fire?”
“Lisa, please tell me you know how to pull the trigger.”
“Sid showed me,” Lisa said. “We’re good.”
“On your command, sir! I’m tapping your com into Lisa’s. We’re ready when you are.”
***
Gray let out a deep breath and stood from his seat. “Okay, Lieutenant Oxton, lock your weapons on the nearest enemy. Redding
, link up with her and coordinate your fire. I want you guys to give them everything we’ve got. Don’t hold back. This literally is a matter of life and death.”
“Understood.” Redding acknowledge, tapping her controls. “I’m linked up with you, Oxton. On my mark, we’ll turn and fire. Ready?”
“Ready!” Lisa replied, her voice taught with nerves. Gray hadn’t heard someone so scared in a long time. Most of his bridge crew were cold as ice. The technicians weren’t as akin to combat or so prepared for that matter. They weren’t in this for the fight, they wanted to keep things running.
We all stretch when the need arises.
The Behemoth ponderously turned, straining the sluggish engines. Gray clenched his fist tightly, willing the vessel to move faster. Every fiber of his being tingled with adrenaline. If this worked, if their coordinated effort drove the enemy off, then they certainly took the upper hand. They could win the fight.
Otherwise…
He didn’t allow himself to consider the alternative. This had to work. Too many lives were at stake for it not to.
“Enemy fired again!” Everly leaned forward, reading his tablet. The ship jostled. “Direct hit! Lower decks!”
“Redding!” Gray spoke her name through clenched teeth.
“We’re in position now, sir.” Redding looked up at the screen then squinted at her console. “Okay, Oxton…on my mark. Three…”
Gray stood up, watching the screen through squinting eyes. The enemy floated out there, maintaining their distance and formation. They only moved to aim, spinning in place and not pulling away from their position. This gave the Behemoth a slight advantage in distance and the ability to make minor adjustments to avoid extra damage. Sadly, it didn’t seem to be working.
“Two…”
Gray noticed the enemy weapons were charging again, the barrels of their pulse cannons glowing in anticipation. Their entire engagement would be decided in the next few seconds. How did the enemy recharge so quickly? Their fusion cores must be huge, and possibly not as contained. Safety conditions on their vessels may not be a concern.
“One…”
The enemy would fire any second! Gray looked at his tablet to see why they delayed at all and understood at once. Redding used the extra few seconds to better line up their shot, to get a solid lock. As he said before, he wanted certainty of a direct hit. Her last few seconds were well spent but they’d be for nothing if they didn’t fire first.
“Fire!” Redding shouted, jabbing her console several times.
The Silver Star’s edge lit up, not one but hundreds of tiny barrels all launching pulse energy in a massive, concentrated blast. Combined with the Behemoth’s attack, all of space turned white for a brief moment. The shielded enemy ship took the brunt of the attack, canceling their own attack and causing massive damage. The other caught some secondary blasts and careened away, moving off from its companion.
“Direct hits!” Redding shouted.
“Damage readings coming in now,” Paul said. “Wow, they really took a pounding! I’m reading fires on their decks but a hull breach will have them out shortly. At least two weapon systems are offline or at least, I’m not reading any power from those stations.”
“Are they going to stick around?” Everly said. “Or do they want to keep going toe to toe?”
Redding spoke up, “Oxton reports she’ll be able to fire again in a few moments.”
“Get ready for another volley,” Gray said.
“They seem to be pulling away!” Tim announced. “They’re moving out of range!”
Gray sat in his chair, allowing himself to relax for a moment. His reprieve was short lived and he leaned forward to assess the situation. They sustained some pretty serious damage and it impaired combat effectiveness, at least for the moment. The battle moved them toward a real stalemate. Neither side could afford another exchange so they each retreated, licking their wounds while hunting for another advantage.
“Olly, get your shields back up as soon as possible,” Gray said, then clicked over to Chief Engineer Higgins. “You’ve got limited time. What can you do with it?”
“What’s limited?” Higgins asked. “Because an hour is a lot different than fifteen minutes.”
“I can’t say for sure. Let’s go in half hour increments.”
“In a half hour, I can contain the worst of our damage and get auxiliary power to the engines. Weapons are mostly stable…I’ll put someone on ensuring consistent energy flow.” Higgins sighed. “I’ll do what I can. Let me know if I have more time.”
“Do what you can.” Gray turned to Everly. “I want the current fighters onboard and launch the others to replace them. Keep us battle ready. Can the hangars handle the traffic?”
“Yes, sir. Control’s ready to go and will bring them in and out as necessary.”
“Keep a steady escort until further notice.” Gray took a moment to consider the situation. The Silver Star came through for them and they survived the assault but the next step involved getting Protocol Seven. He hoped it didn’t turn out to be a wild goose chase, some fringe theory of a dead culture. They put a lot of faith in these visitors to provide a solution.
He reviewed the battle on his tablet and something interesting caught his eye. The enemy fighters did not attack the Behemoth. They went after the Silver Star. Made a straight line for it in fact. Why? The ship’s weapons were down and posed no threat. Maybe they didn’t come to Earth for an attack on humanity. Maybe they wanted to take down the Silver Star…
This gave some credence to the voracity of this Protocol Seven, sure. The enemy clearly worried about it. Now we need it more than ever. Gray leaned back and considered their positions, just out of weapons range. Were his opponents worrying about what his people would discover enough to push them into a mistake? He sure hoped so. If Protocol Seven proved to be as valuable as it seemed, it might well turn the tide of the war.
I can’t get ahead of myself. One battle at a time. The overall conflict, the Alliance’s multi front war zone, couldn’t be his concern at the moment. All his focus remained on staying alive and defeating this incursion. When they wrapped them up, they might have plenty of time to worry about galactic affairs. Right now, Earth required all their attention.
Remember, we’re the shield…not the arrow. Not yet at least.
They had two dangerous adversaries repairing as much damage as they could before another assault. Gray devoted all his attention to them and what they represented. Events already played out differently than the previous visit by these bastards. The Behemoth stood prepared for a real engagement and didn’t fold at the first sign of trouble.
That alone provided the Captain with confidence. They could hurt their opponents and more importantly, had the ability to win. Their tactics proved sound. If the Behemoth carried them the final mile, they’d very well make history and if they didn’t…well, history might not matter to anyone anymore.
It’s all a matter of perspective. As Redding said, no pressure….
Chapter 14
Tech crews worked feverishly on the Silver Star. Olly focused on the suspended animation chambers. Reliable power was restored but the program to revive the occupants would not successfully execute without errors. This meant Olly had to work with Sid to debug the code and recompile it. They’d already made three goes at it with a fourth underway.
Cathleen continued to tinker with the database but struggled with minor corruption. She isolated bad entries and used the universal code to clean it up. Every step required painstaking focus. One mistake set her back to the beginning and she made incremental backups to ensure her work wasn’t lost.
The engineering bay proved to be in much better condition than anticipated. After rebooting systems, Maria was able to support the efforts of the other technicians. She routed power, provided access to computing power and established solid connections with the bridge. When she finished her work, the Silver Star would be ready for manual operation again.
“I’ve analyzed the enemy tactic,” Cathleen announced, making Olly jump. “Sorry, sir. I’ve found a cache of scans from when they attacked these people. It’s brief, but they didn’t detect them until they started firing.”
“What did they learn?” Olly asked.
“It’s some kind of sensor blindness,” Cathleen replied. “A low level radiation blast that confuses scans. That’s why our people thought they disappeared.”
“Why’d they suddenly reappear? How’d our scans pick them back up?”
“It’s not a constant pulse,” Cathleen continued. “From what these people discovered, they’ve got roughly a minute of stealth.”
“Send it over to me,” Olly squinted. “Maybe I can come up with a counter.”
“Aye sir.”
Olly frowned as the information filled his screen. The radiation had to be low enough to not be noticed but a specific potency to impede sensor equipment. Compensating for it, now that they knew, wouldn’t be too difficult. A quick recalibration would do the trick and if they had the process queued up, they’d be back in business in seconds.
Plenty of time to counter an attack.
He wrote up the program and sent it over to Paul with a note on how it worked. Lisa received it next with a request to plug it into the consoles on the bridge. Glad to take your little advantage away. What’ve you got next, you bunch of bastards? Believe me, we’ll counter that too.
Olly returned to his attention to the suspended animation pods. These guys liked to posture and show their muscles but they were learning humanity wouldn’t just roll over for them and die. It was a lesson Olly hoped would be particularly painful.
