Conflict: Rise Of Mankind Book 4

by John Walker

Rudy saw one of the other wings go up, their ship blown to pieces. No way someone bailed from that ship. He cursed again, leading his people to the back of the line. The other bombers prepared themselves with five fighters flying around them like gnats. They screened enemy vessels, engaging in wild dog fights not even a hundred kilometers away.

  This is insane! They’re too close for us to just sit here!

  “Sir?” Bear Three spoke up, Flight Lieutenant Luke Broussard. “I’m fairly certain I can get out there and bring Four back. But also…shouldn’t we be moving? Evasively at the very least?”

  “Stand fast,” Rudy said. “We have to trust in our comrades. They’ve got our backs and won’t let us down. Just…have some faith. For Four too.”

  One of the enemy fighters buzzed so close to Rudy’s ship, he swore it nicked him. If they’d been in atmosphere, the sound of its passage would’ve been deafening. His heart pounded as he waited his wing’s turn for another attack. Moving around would only cause more targets, a distraction. Staying put gave their fighters a chance to fight without avoiding a bunch of slow moving obstacles.

  A series of explosions all around them lit up Rudy’s cockpit, making him wince even with the tinted guard of his helmet. He checked his scanner and watched Bear Four’s blip. Harlon spoke to them all, “I’m bailing out now!” His ship was barely a few hundred kilometers from its target when he let them know.

  You maniac! Rudy thought. There’s no way you’ll get out of the way of that explosion!

  But it made sense. He avoided their countermeasures to get in close, to ensure his ship hit them. Harlon practically sacrificed himself. Bailing out was a token effort, placating desperate hope and luck than any real chance. Rudy scowled, hardening his heart to the reality of the situation. What he just saw, what he was about to witness…valorous as the young man proved to be, hurt the wing commander’s heart.

  The bomber closed in on its target, dropping below a thousand kilometers. Even if the enemy took the ship out, the explosion would still cause catastrophic damage. Blasts from their turrets turned from the Behemoth to try and save themselves. They even started moving backward in a vain attempt to avoid it.

  When the craft smacked into the side, the explosion involved a tremendous blue-purple orb that filled Rudy’s entire view ahead of him. When it winked out, he realized any fighters in the vicinity, including Bear Four, would be obliterated. His own scans were knocked offline as a result and as things began to clear, he heard a single static filled message over his radio from Revente.

  “Stand down! Wait further orders!”

  Damn it! We don’t have time to stand down. We need search and rescue! Still, without scanners, they wouldn’t find much out there. He had to practice the patience he was so strict about with his pilots. At least for the next few moments, he was forced to take several deep breaths and find some Zen. We’ll come for you soon, Harlon. I promise.

  ***

  Gray checked the reports after another series of turret blasts struck their shields. They rattled from the blow but didn’t seem particularly phased by the attacks. Messages from various parts of the ship corroborated his feeling. A few shorts from hasty repairs earlier but otherwise, all systems showed green.

  Incredible luck.

  Olly stood, staring at the screen then looking quickly down at his terminal. The suddenness of it would’ve been comical if the situation weren’t so dire. Gray opened his mouth to ask what happened but Redding beat him to it. She was closer and his motion made her jump she was so intent on coordinating the attack.

  “What the hell, Darnel? What’s wrong with you?”

  “Ma’am, one of the bombers is on a collision course with the enemy ship,” Olly replied. “It’s moving fast!”

  “Did it get hit?” Gray asked.

  “No, sir. I don’t detect that…but every ordinance on board is hot and the reactor is set to overload!”

  Gray tapped his communicator. “Revente, come in.”

  “Yes, sir?” The voice sounded distant in the speaker.

  “Are you seeing this bomber careening toward the enemy?”

  “That would be Bear Four, sir. Apparently, the linkage holding his bombs froze and his weapons were already armed. His manual override didn’t work.”

  “Meaning it would’ve blown anyway.”

  “Yes, sir. Bear Four decided to ram his ship down their throat.” Revente sighed. “I authorized the maneuver. He’ll be bailing out shortly but…”

  “But what?”

  “We’re not optimistic of his chances to escape.”

  Gray rubbed his forehead, staring down at the floor. The pilot knew what it meant to be caught in an explosion like what he was about to initiate. Once he hit those shields with all those bombs armed, it would annihilate any unshielded object within ten thousand kilometers…possibly more.

  “Understood.” Gray turned to Redding. “Let’s make that sacrifice mean something. When that thing is close, you hit them hard. Agatha, tell our new friends to get ready to hammer this ship with everything they’ve got. If this doesn’t give us the chance to take them down, nothing will.”

  “Aye, sir…but…” Agatha hesitated. “It’s just, they’re pretty busy with the other ship. It’s been dishing out some pretty brutal hits.”

  “I get it but we’ll need them to put in whatever they can spare. Revente, when we’re done have all available fighters and bombers hit the enemy ship. Together, we should be able to take it down. You got it?”

  “Aye, sir. Relaying orders now.”

  Here we go. This should be it, Gray thought. Time to finish it off for good.

  Chapter 10

  The Behemoth fired their turrets at the same time as all other crafts in the area opened up as well. When Bear Four crashed into the shield, the damage sent a shockwave through the entire enemy vessel, killing generators along the way and lowering the shields. Pulse cannons struck the hull, slipping past anything but the armor.

  A few moments passed and the damage done was catastrophic. Bits of the enemy ship flew off as pressure from within separated the broken parts. Bombs hit it from all sides and the fighters strafed it and flew off, avoiding the fighters desperate to stop the constant attack. As the action continued to mount, Raeka watched in awe at the sheer destructive power he faced.

  “Open fire on that ship,” he ordered softly. “Give it whatever we’ve got left.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Send to Darm as well. We need to help as much as we can.”

  They were engaged with the other vessel but could spare a few ships to throw in some blows. Their own conventional weapons were far less effective against the massive vessel but tiny dots of fire appeared where their mass drivers struck. He considered unleashing a laser blast but it seemed too risky, especially with another enemy right there.

  A large crack formed in the middle of their target, a black line quickly filled in with orange-red fire. Light erupted from the engines. Earth fighters and bombers flew away, putting some distance between them and what was sure to be quite the wake. Raeka began wondering if they were too close and ordered the few ships who were able to engage to fall back.

  A moment passed when he believed they may not have done enough damage. The enemy even fired a few more wild shots from their turrets but they missed any targets. Finally, the hull began to shimmer and a moment later, the brightest light Raeka had ever seen beside a sun filled their monitor.

  Light suppression kicked in, preserving their vision but he was still dazzled for several moments. When he blinked away the stars in his vision, he turned to the view port and felt a wave of relief. The enemy vessel was gone. Nothing but massive chunks of debris drifted about where they’d been a moment before.

  The other enemy suddenly broke off their attack, reversing thrusters and heading off from the fleet.

  “They’re retreating!” Gahlir shouted. “They’ve turned tail to run!”

  “I think not,” Tarkin said. “They may
be pulling away from us, but they’re not done with their attack. Check their course. Unless I’m very much mistaken, I believe they’re on their way toward the Founder home world.”

  Gahlir checked his terminal and cursed under his breath. “You’re right…but surely they don’t think they can do any damage there. Not if we give chase.”

  “We won’t be,” Raeka said. “I’ve got an idea. Put the Behemoth on the line.”

  “You’re live, sir.”

  “Captain Atwell, this Raeka. I believe that target is yours. They may be heading for one of our planets. If you’d like to give chase, we can perform search and rescue out here. I think we’ve all got some people drifting we’d like to find.”

  “Support our shuttles,” Atwell said. “They’ll help.”

  “Acknowledged. Good hunting, Captain.”

  “Appreciate it. Behemoth out.”

  Raeka gave the order to his people and got Darm on the line. He hoped the man wouldn’t need too much convincing to stay put and perform some support. Knowing the Founder commander, it would be some kind of miracle if the conversation went simply. As they looked at each other on the screen, Raeka drew a deep breath and prepared to sell his case.

  “We intercepted your transmission,” Darm said. “I concur with the Behemoth commander’s assessment. We must tend to our ships rather than attempt to chase that thing down.”

  Raeka tried hard to hide his surprise. “Very well. We’ll coordinate with your people to perform search and rescue.”

  “Indeed. Considering the speed of our adversary, I do not believe we could keep up anyway. Speak to you soon, Raeka.”

  That’s Captain Raeka. The thought crossed his mind but a petty squabble about titles seemed pointless. He merely acknowledged and killed the transmission. His own people already worked with the other captains to get their shuttles moving to help the Earth ships find any escape pods which might need help.

  Their part of the battle ended, even as the next part began. Raeka felt confident the Behemoth could handle the last one on her own Their captain seemed particularly shrewd. Now to let them do their work. They clearly knew war and their equipment alone spoke of their ability to bring devastation down on their opponents.

  I’m quite glad they proved to be on our side. That’s a fight I had no interest in losing.

  ***

  “Looks like Bear Four’s sacrifice paid off,” Olly spoke the words solemnly. “The remaining enemy is moving off. Their fighters are disengaging and returning to join the ship.”

  “Revente’s people are requesting permission to pursue the fighters,” Agatha said. “What should I tell them, sir?”

  “Disengage,” Gray said. “Those are small victories, even if we manage to get a few of them, our people would just be in the way. Get them back aboard as we pursue. Redding, don’t let them get away. We cannot afford for them to leave this system alive. Are we still jamming their coms?”

  Olly nodded. “Yes, sir. A variation on Protocol Seven and a little we learned from the fight at the research facility. They can’t get through, especially if they have to diver their attention to fighting us off.”

  “Good. Pressure them. Pursuit isn’t exactly the best position to be in. Keep scans hot and if anything comes up, anything gets in our way, we need to know right away. I’m not in the mood to get surprised by mines or some other booby trap they come up with.”

  “We’re on it.”

  The Behemoth raced after them, leaving the two fleets behind. Most of the fighters reported in that they made it aboard before full throttle. The others would have to wait with their new allies. Providing they remained hospitable, there was nothing to worry about. Of course, considering the situation, Gray didn’t trust them entirely.

  Not much choice yet. We’ll come back soon enough. Right now, I’ve got an enemy to eliminate.

  ***

  Marshall insisted Adam leave the arrest up to his people. The commander wanted to be there but the Lieutenant Colonel knew when not to think a situation was simple. He worried their two suspects might not come quietly so he didn’t need one of the highest ranking officers aboard to be in harm’s way.

  Normally, Marshall would call on a couple of regular security personnel to get the job done but he felt this task might require someone a bit tougher. He called upon Captain William Hoffner, who typically only performed away missions. If anyone could bring in the two suspects regardless of their level of resistance, it would be him.

  He had Tim moved back to the brig and placed under guard and took up occupancy in the brig’s office. While he waited, he checked the location of the two people they were after. Conway was in her quarters and Roper seemed to be on duty in one of the tech labs. At least they weren’t off causing mischief.

  Marshall had dealt with some pretty rough situations in his career, but traitors never ceased to be the worst. Most of his job involved facing the worst parts of the military, from crimes to ops deep inside enemy lines. If ever something came up that he considered worse, he figured he’d have to retire.

  Captain Hoffner showed up and stood at attention as he entered the room, holding his head high. “Reporting as ordered, sir.”

  “At ease, Captain. I’ve got an assignment for you, something simple I hope.”

  “I doubt you think that if you’ve got me here,” Hoffner said. “What’s up?”

  “We have some saboteurs aboard. One of them identified the other two. We need to arrest them.”

  “You must think these folks are pretty bad if you’re not using MPs.” Hoffner scratched his chin. “You anticipate violence?”

  “I can’t say for sure but I’d like to err on the side of caution.”

  “Okay, I’ll take a couple guys…but we might want to get them at the same time. If they have some friends working in their department, it might spread really fast.”

  “Do whatever you have to. Just make it as quiet as possible.”

  “Understood, sir. I’ll take care of it right now.” Hoffner turned to go. “Um…I probably don’t really want to know but what’s going on?”

  “They’re the ones who messed up the jump module.”

  Hoffner stiffened.

  Marshall held his hand up. “Just take it easy on them. They’re going to have a bad enough day without your guys working them over.”

  “That’s not what I was thinking about…but it’s not a bad idea.”

  “Just bring them in, unharmed if possible. I don’t want to hear about some hold out weapon if they don’t shoot either.”

  “Fair enough.” Hoffner opened the door. His demeanor suggested Marshall picked the right man. He’d definitely take the proper precautions and ensure they got them both under control quickly. As if to mirror Marshall’s thoughts, his parting words solidified his confidence. “We’ll be back with them shortly, sir.”

  ***

  Rudy received the order to land ASAP but struggled with the order. Search and rescue teams already launched and began their mission. Part of him wanted to join them. He felt responsible for Harlon and didn’t want to leave the man behind. They might not find him for hours and if he was injured, it would be far too late.

  Of course, Rudy wouldn’t be able to do much with him either. He could at least tell the medic ship where to rendezvous. And his ship would at least be capable of attaching to the life pod. The decision was whether or not he wanted to linger and miss the opportunity to land in order to find his missing pilot.

  Considering what else is going on, I doubt they’ll really notice. I just have to be smart about it. Damn it, Rudy. This is a little crazy.

  The Behemoth seemed like it came out on top from the last engagement. They beat the tar out of that first ship, mostly because they went one on one with it. This next one shouldn’t prove to be that much harder but there were no advantages this time. No pilot to sacrifice himself.

  “Bear One, do you copy? This is hangar control. We’re waiting on you, Rudy.”

  �
�I’m too far out,” Rudy replied. “You’re already accelerating. Just remember to come back for me.”

  “Understood, Bear One. Hangar Control out.”

  Rudy watched the Behemoth pick up speed, moving rapidly after their fleeing enemy. He didn’t waste time considering their departure and instead focused on finding Bear Four. His scanner swept the area, looking for an Earth beacon to lock on to. Sadly, there were several from other wings, bombers and fighters alike.

  We didn’t exactly get creamed but we lost enough ships! Wow…

  He counted fifteen in all but compared to the foreign debris, they definitely came out on top. Experience fighting these guys helped every department. Engineering kept the shields going because they knew what to expect with the energy surges after being attacked. Weapons crews figured out how to cycle the generators to reduce recharge time and the pilots understood the tactics of their chaotic foes.

  Rudy began marking the location of their people, broadcasting them on the emergency frequency monitored by search and rescue. They’d have a much easier time finding their folks that way. The two fleets they helped, the new culture that attacked them at first, also seemed to be milling about the area, looking for their own people no doubt.

  Someone pinged him from one of the medical shuttles, letting him know they were already collecting life pods. Their ships were equipped with a method to get people aboard making immediate medical attention possible. Rudy continued his search for Bear Four, trying to hone his scanners to only their signature.

  It didn’t come up. Harlon’s chances of surviving that attack were infinitesimal. Miracles happened once in a while but in this case, Rudy had a hard time believing in them, even if they were possible. He clutched his flight stick and moved off toward the mainstay debris of the enemy cruiser where Harlon’s pod might’ve been.

  Maybe I can find the debris of it…and at least bring his body back. If he wasn’t vaporized. God, what a way to go. He was a real hero. He could’ve bailed out sooner but he wanted the sacrifice of his ship to be useful. Crazy bastard. Talk about putting the mission before himself. This pretty much embodies that.