The Ocoda Chronicles Book 3 Ronin

by Daniel OConnell

  Carla smiles as she says, “Captain Frasier, I know your people fear me, but I can assure you after this battle, it will be the T-Challa that will know fear.”

  Abe finally says, “Ok, I’ve recalculated the power distribution and maximum yields, and I’ve rechecked them three times. I just don’t see where we are going to get another ten percent increase in power and as of right now, we are operating at almost one hundred and seventy percent from our previous battles. This should be your limit.”

  Carla smiles and says, “Kitanna, I will show you where the T-Challa ships are as soon as we are ready to strike, and for you my annoying little friend, I’ll show you the extra power when we get back on the Bridge.”

  Ismail curious at Carla’s newfound confidence says, “Well, let’s not wait any longer, we are running out of time. We will need to launch the fighters and we need to get the Celesta out and in position.”

  The command crew breaks, heading back down to the Bridge. Kitanna turns and motions for Carla to stay behind. After everyone leaves Kitanna cautiously asks, “Carla, you seem more assured of yourself. However, I need to know just what is it that you are going to do that has Abe so confused. Just how are you going to make this increased power? And to be honest Little Flower, I just don’t see what ten percent more power will really matter, or why Abe is so confused by it.”

  Carla smiles and says, “I have a far better understanding of my powers Kitanna. Most notably and unlike my father, I can truly bond with my symbiot.” Carla pauses, “The additional power is from me directly. I will truly become one with the ship, and when I do, this power will increase shields, weapons and overall power distribution by a minimum of ten percent. I however expect it to be much more, even with the current increases you see now, this will be very substantial.”

  Kitanna confused asks, “Carla what do you mean the power is from you, just how you will become one with the ship? Are you saying you are going to bind yourself to this ship like your father did with Paladin?”

  Carla smiles, saying, “No Kitanna, I can pull myself out of the Yorktown at any time. You will just have to trust me just like you trusted in my father. I know a lot more of what I can do now, but I still have a lot more to learn.”

  Kitanna sighs, saying, “Carla, this is a very risky operation we are undertaking, I just want you to be very careful please.”

  Carla smiles, saying, “Trust me Kitanna.”

  Forty minutes later, the crew is at battle stations. As Benton comes over the com, saying, “Ok, we are in position, Ronin we will hit them from behind in five minutes, but we’re gonna need targeting solutions.”

  Sanchez looks up to Carla and Kitanna and asks, “Captain, are we ready?”

  Kitanna looks to Carla, who turns and smiles back. Carla then turns to Abe, who is at the Bridge’s engineering station. She smiles, saying, “Ok, here we go.” Carla says telepathically to Ronin, “Ok Ronnie we are really one, I’m giving myself to you completely.”

  Ronin replies in kind, “We are truly one Mistress.”

  Carla places her arms out, as she begins to float above the Bridge crew. The blue energy ripples around her as the light becomes brighter and brighter. Abe suddenly notices power levels increasing. He quickly turns back to see Carla smiling at him. She says, “I’m now in your hands Abe, take good care of me.”

  Carla vanishes, as Abe panics yelling, “Carla where are you?”

  Ronin answers, “Abe, please give a few minutes for the merger to be completed.”

  Abe confused asks, “Merger?”

  Just at that moment, from the deck floor an armored avatar of Carla appears, rippling with energy. She turns with glowing blue eyes and says, “Hi Abe, did I scare you.” Carla smiles and continues, “This is my psychic avatar, I am now completely one with the ship in every sense of the word, I will now use my power to locate each T-Challa ship, and show you their exact locations. They will not be aware that they have been discovered, but after some time they may notice me. You will need to act quickly.”

  Carla illuminates the tactical holoscreen showing the locations of every T-Challa ship. Their shields are down, as they remain cloaked, this in turn makes them vulnerable to attack.

  Sanchez, very surprised announces, “I’m showing they will be in our weapons range in just a few minutes, but that’s almost double our previous range.”

  Abe says, “Our power levels are off the scale, Carla has increased overall power an additional eighteen percent. With the initial increase since our last battle we are at one hundred and eighty-eight percent above our previous power levels.”

  Benton, who’s been listening in says, “Yeah, blah, blah, blah. Can we attack yet?”

  Kitanna confidently says, “Ok, you big bad ass marine. Go kick some ass.”

  Frasier and over two hundred fighters strike from above, and below, just as Benton shifts directly into the heart of the T-Challa fleet. Celesta fires a massive volley of over sixty torpedoes and multiple plasma strikes into numerous Cruisers, immediately shifting out. At that exact moment, over hundred torpedoes launched from the cloaked fighters striking even more ships.

  Abe back on the Bridge says, “We’ll have hyperdrive back up in just fifteen minutes.”

  Ismail remains focused on the battle, asking, “Are we in range yet?”

  Sanchez says, “One minute more.”

  Carla, who in her avatar form is just hovering above the Bridge says, “I can give us range now.” She concentrates, focusing everything she has onto the weapons, as Sanchez is suddenly surprised, reporting, “She did it, we have multiple locks.”

  Kitanna smiles, yelling, “FIRE!”

  The blast is beyond proper description. Over forty Heavy plasma charges streak across the battlefield, directly into the heart of the T-Challa fleet, decimating multiple ships in a single volley.

  Sanchez looks over the data and says in complete surprise, “My god those charges ripped through every ship and continued into others.”

  Abe is dumbfounded, reporting, “In a single stroke we destroyed over thirty-eight ships by ourselves. While our fighters and the Celesta destroyed or crippled twenty.”

  Kitanna joyfully yells, “Bring us about, and take us in! Charge all torpedoes to maximum yield, and prepare to fire at will!”

  Sanchez, surprised, says, “Captain, we’re already fully charged for another volley.”

  Kitanna, a little surprised makes a face towards Sanchez, saying, “Commander, don’t wait for my order, fire!”

  The massive guns of the powerful Ronin Super Carrier fire repeatedly. Abe, noticing the power building each time reports, “Captain, she has the recharge at less than four seconds. However, I see power fluctuations in the dual core, she’s pushing herself.”

  Kitanna, concerned for Carla asks, “Carla are you able to maintain this level, should we prepare to evac out?”

  Carla focused answers, “Kitanna I’m good. Keep going, I promise you I can handle it.”

  Sanchez continues to fire relentlessly at the T-Challa fleet as Ronin charges headlong into the battle.”

  Abe watches the power fluctuations as he hears Carla in his head, saying, “I know you’re watching out for me Abe, but please trust me, I can do this. I have to do this.”

  Abe replies telepathically, “Girl, I see the stress you’re under. This is pushing you to your limits. Maybe in time you can handle this, but not yet.”

  Carla says, “Please Abe, I know how you feel for me. I have always known, but you have to let me do this, please. If you ever believed in me, you have to let me do this for me, for us, for everyone.”

  Kitanna still concerned asks, “Abe, we will be in their weapons range in just a few moments. Can we handle it?”

  Abe bites his lip and answers, “It’ll be close Captain, but she should be able to handle it

  Carla says telepathically to Abe, “Thank you Abe.”

  Sanchez alarmed, says, “We have the Medium Cruisers making hyperjumps from the aft, and I
'm now detecting two Super Dreadnoughts coming in from behind this main fleet with over a hundred fighters closing fast.”

  Benton comes over the holocom, “This is getting hairy I think we should look at bugging out.”

  Kitanna says, “If we do that Gabe, we will have little to no chance of pulling their outlying ships back in from the fringes of our borders.”

  Carla focused and very confident says, “We will continue on, I am fine.”

  Then the remaining T-Challa Heavy Cruisers finally close the distance with Ronin and fire.”

  Over a hundred plasma and torpedoes streak headlong into Ronin. Virtually all of their torpedoes are destroyed by Ronin’s Light plasma guns. The helmsman quickly maneuvers below many of the plasma strikes, but the returning fire is significant as multiple strikes connect.

  Sanchez, impressed, states, “Shields are down to forty-two percent, and they’re recharging rapidly.”

  Kitanna, seeing their advantage slip away yells, “Finish this fleet off now!”

  Frasier and Benton shift in, as Sanchez opens up with all torpedoes and multiple plasma charges. Where once almost four hundred Heavy cruisers stood, now lies a massive debris field.

  Carla takes a sigh of relief, as Frasier comes over the holocom, saying, “I’m splitting my fighter wings, I'm taking half and going after the Medium Cruisers that are approaching from behind. The rest will go with the General in support of the Celesta against those fighters and the two Super Dreadnoughts.”

  Carla says, “You need to leave at least one ship. We need them to know we are coming to kill their Queen.”

  Frasier alarmed asks Kitanna, “Captain, is that your order?”

  Kitanna looks at Carla and says, “Do it Captain.”

  Abe, alarmed states, “These two Super Dreadnoughts are running close to overload, their power levels are far above anything we have encountered before.”

  Benton ignorantly says, “Well, let’s see if we can make them blow a fuse.”

  Sanchez is so involved with the battle, yelling, “We have incoming fighters!”

  The T-Challa fighters charge headlong into the new Heavy support fighters and Celesta, which lay waste to vast majority of the T-Challa fighters. However, four successfully make suicide runs, striking the Celesta.

  Ronin reports, “The Celesta has taken significant damage to its starboard side.”

  Kitanna alarmed asks, “Gabriel, what’s your status?”

  Benton answers, “We took a good hit there. These ships were loaded with torpedoes. My shift drive is out, and I’m losing power in my secondaries, but we still have weapons.”

  Sanchez alarmed, says, “Those Super Dreadnoughts are closing down on him fast.”

  Kitanna panicked asks, “Can we get there in time?”

  Sanchez quickly calculates the distance answering, “With no hyperdrive. Not likely.”

  Abe says, “I can get his shift drive up.”

  Kitanna realizing just how far she must go reluctantly says, “Be careful Abe, please.” Abe shifts to the Celesta.

  Ronin says, “Both of the T-Challa Super Dreadnoughts are closing at ever-increasing velocity. Our fighters are having very little effect on their approach.”

  Kitanna looks to Carla and asks, “Carla is there anything we can do?”

  Carla focuses her power on the hyperdrive trying what she can to accelerate the recharge of the engines.

  Ronin announces, “We have twenty-six seconds until hyperdrive is engaged, regrettably, the T-Challa ships will be in firing range in twenty seconds.”

  The seconds count down, as Ronin pushes its sub light engines to full power, trying desperately to close the distance, finally, both Super Dreadnoughts fire on the Celesta.

  Ronin announces, “Hyperdrive is operational.”

  Sanchez is totally focused more now than ever before, he yells, “Punch it!” Ronin makes a small jump directly in-between the incoming T-Challa volley and the Celesta. Ronin takes the full brunt of the assault.

  Ronin immediately announces, “We lost shields on starboard side and have taken slight damage to the hull.”

  Carla grabs her side flinching. She concentrates as the shields quickly recharge.

  Sanchez locks all weapons on the first Super Dreadnought. He focuses everything on its engines. Ronin releases a massive volley of plasma, which utterly destroys the Super Dreadnought in just a single blast. The last Super Dreadnought focuses everything on a single motion as it prepares to ram into Ronin.

  Carla, sensing the T-Challa Commander’s desperate plan says to Kitanna, “They’re going to try and ram us.” Carla thinks to herself. I have to stop them. I have to show everyone I can do this.

  Carla suddenly vanishes from the Bridge. She refocuses her avatar to appear on board the Bridge of the Super Dreadnought. There, she surprises the T-Challa Bridge crew as she quickly releases a massive burst of psychic energy, discharging it from her entire body. The psychic energy ripples through the entire ship, killing virtually every T-Challa, or turning them into a vegetable state. However, the effect on Carla is also damaging. She is immediately returned to Ronin as it is instantly transformed back to its original form the Yorktown. Carla lies unconscious on the Bridge as the Super Carrier rapidly shrinks back to its original size.

  Sanchez sees the Super Dreadnought is still on a collision course with both ships, and reacts with all due haste. He yells, “Launch all boarding cables into the Celesta! Then activate the hyperdrive!”

  The boarding cables all thirty of them strike into the Celesta’s hull. The Yorktown jumps into hyperspace dragging the Celesta with it. Carry the wounded vessel safely out of the way of the path of the charging Super Dreadnought.

  Carla begins to regain consciousness and immediately senses the loss of connection to the ship. She places her hand back on the deck, and once again, the Yorktown is transformed, as the ship is enveloped in a massive ball of energy completely converting back into Ronin in just a few minutes.

  Kitanna overwhelmed asks, “What the hell did you do Carla?”

  Carla exhausted, rolls over on her back replying, “I’m not sure exactly, but I could sense they were planning to ram us. Somehow, I was able to project myself onto their ship and just as I did in the psychic realm, I could feel every nerve in my body alive with energy rippling within me. I released an attack directly onto all of them within their ship. Unfortunately, the drain of so much power from the ship, and from my attack, I guess it was too much for me to handle.”

  Sanchez reports, “Well, that Super Dreadnought is still moving at full velocity, and I’m not sensing too many life forms. Whatever you did looks to have worked.”

  Benton comes over the holocom yelling, “Just what the hell happened?”

  Carla smiles innocently, answering, “We won.”

  Frasier comes in on the holocom, saying, “We have destroyed all but one Medium Cruiser per our orders. It’s crippled, but still intact.”

  Kitanna now focuses on the Super Dreadnought says, “I want that Super Dreadnought. We can gain invaluable intel and hopefully some supplies.”

  Ismail says, “If we can get its shields down. I can take the ship.”

  Sanchez orders aloud, “Release the boarding cables and take us about.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  GAMBLE

  Twenty-two hours later, the crews of Ronin, and Celesta, have scavenged all they can from the Super Dreadnought.

  Abe has deciphered thousands upon thousands of data crystals on the current T-Challa ship’s technology, along with all pertinent information on the intelligence they gathered on the Earth. For the average human it would take months to understand all the information, but for Abe, it takes only a few hours. He quickly skims through the mountain of information, determining what importance it has.

  The Celesta has mostly been repaired with exception to many secondary systems, which will take time for those systems to self-repair and the automated systems, which has confounded Abe since the st
art. Even though he has been told, the systems were designed in the alternate future by him; Abe has yet been able to comprehend the technology.

  As for Carla, her actions against the T-Challa were beyond impressive, and to some, frightening beyond description. Currently, Ronin has been restored to his full capacity.

  Carla sits in Kitanna’s ready room, along with Captain Frasier, Ismail, Sanchez, Cabral, Mohammed, Raphael, Benton, and Kitanna.

  Frasier, annoyed at what occurred asks, “Just what the hell happened? Why didn’t this reversal of Ronin back into the Yorktown affect the support fighters?”

  Ronin answers, “Just as my creator Paladin transformed the support fighters on your old war ship the USS Massachusetts. I too have transformed our fighters into their updated version you now pilot. They will not transform back, even should I be destroyed, they will survive.”

  Carla apologetic says, “I was pushing myself too much, and too fast. In the future, I will have better control, and better understanding of my limitations. I’m sorry that I placed you all in jeopardy. I had no idea that using my power in the physical realm as I do in the psychic realm would work, let alone draw so much power from this ship.”

  Ismail very concerned says, “Little Flower, there were over two thousand T-Challa onboard that ship, and every one of them was dead or dying when we entered. We couldn’t find any physical damage on them.”

  Benton sighs, as he looks over at Mohammed, who in turn asks, “Brother, I take it you have seen her do this before?”

  Benton looks up and says, “Not exactly like that, and no way on such a massive scale but yeah. I’ve seen what her powers can do.”

  Ismail, now incensed by the comparison interrupts, saying, “You didn’t see her General. You saw the creature that had only limited access to her power. Carla was no longer alive in that timeline, and let me remind you and everyone here that the future timeline you saw is no more, and will never be.”

  Frasier says, “Regardless if it will happen or not, and no offense to you Miss Ocoda, but you are extremely dangerous. More so than I think anyone would have ever believed.”