COLOSSUS_Departure [Book 2]

by Terry Frost

  “We still have many targets in front of us, Admiral, coming from the other side of this planet. I count twenty more nests,” Burseq Maalik announced.

  “I’m about to have my hands full over here, Burseq. Tage Doni, can you assist the Zurguts?”

  “Affirmative, Admiral.”

  But before the Aborian Tage could get to the Daakie position, Caid Tikit moved his ship out from the protection of Maalik’s Zurgut and began engaging the nests again with his crippled Zurgut.

  “Caid, get that ship behind me. It won’t take many more hits.”

  “It's been an honor to serve with you, Burseq. Do tell, King Gorvik, I served him proudly,” Caid said. Right after his last message the Zurgut exploded.

  The Tage and one more Predator moved into position to help the Daakie and just before cloaking, Tage asked Burseq Maalik if he could have one of his ships fire their gamma-ray weapon at the cluster coming their way. She said one of her Predators would protect the Zurgut that fired the weapon until it could power back up.

  Quite shaken up by the loss of his Caid and his Daakie crew members, it took Maalik a few seconds to respond.

  Meanwhile, the remaining Predators commanded by High Mage Cina moved into position in front of Colossus to ready for the fight heading their way from the second planet.

  A few minutes later, forty more Hive nests were speeding towards the invaders and they were coming at them in a large circle shaped pattern. The Hive nests were all the Colossus, Striker, Perseus, and Predators could see in space in front of their ships.

  ****

  Burseq Maalik ordered the Zurgut commanded by Burseq Amiik to fire the gamma-ray weapon. Soon the Zurgut belched out a long blue flame and within five seconds the weapon exploded in the middle of the approaching nests.

  The gamma-ray weapon destroyed half a dozen nests that were in close proximity to each other and five more were venting gases into space and jumped out of the area. Seeing the power of the weapon first hand, pleased but shocked, Tage Doni. She immediately thought we must present this wonderful technology to our beloved Empress. Then she requested two more Predators be sent to her and the Daakie’s location.

  The remaining nests began to scatter which was the wrong tactical move to make by the Hive. The Zurgut’s and Predators could easily target one nest at a time making the Hive’s numbers not as daunting. The Predator protecting Burseq Ammik fought in front of his Zurgut until it managed to gain full power again.

  But taking so many hits from several dozen released alien fighter craft took its toll on the Predator and with the Zurgut only a kilometer away exploded, causing a shockwave to broadside Amiik’s Zurgut. Some of the Zurguts’s crew were jostled about but the ship continued to fight back.

  The second the Predator exploded, both High Mage Cina, Tage Doni, and their crews screamed a mournful battle cry for their lost sisters. For some strange reason, Colonel Hammer, who was firing the ion cannons on the Striker felt a strange sadness come over him even though he had not witnessed the death of the Aborian Predator.

  Then Hammer heard over the main comlink that the Aborians had lost a Predator and that made him think how is it I felt the loss of the Predator and its crew?I wonder if Empress Katin and my union have anything to do with it. I better be careful around her until I learn more about her secretive powers.

  The main Armada group moved away from the first planet so they could better view anything more coming up from the second planet’s surface. So far nothing but the forty nests, and as soon as they were in range they stopped spinning, dropped their shields and several hundred Hive fighters began firing at the only ship they had on their view screens, which was the two Battlecruisers and Colossus.

  High Mage Cina decloaked along with her remaining Predators and began blasting large groups of the attacking fighters. She quickly hailed the Colossus: “Admiral, I need to take our fight to the nests. Will you and your Battlecruisers be able to defend yourselves for a bit? We must destroy as many nests as we can to eliminate so many fighters from leaving them.”

  “Affirmative, High Mage. Give it to them damn insects.”

  Hearing the Admiral’s response, Cina gave the order to bypass the fighters and focus their proton torpedoes on the ring of nests. Meanwhile, Allen ordered Colossus’s shields to be lowered, and when lowered, the massive ship’s rail guns began blowing the fighters away.

  Colonel Hammer, Captain Slain, and the Striker were also attacking the fighters and were holding their own but there were too many fighters shooting back and the Striker was taking a lot of hits.

  Captian Sokolov in the Perseus let go one disruptor bomb while flying through the middle of a mass of Hive fighters. As soon as he made it clear, the bomb went off and over fifty fighters lost all power and floated like dead targets.

  Captain Slain saw how much effect the disruptor had on the fighters and made the same move with one of his own. All the dead fighters floating without power created a targeting problem for their fighters still in power, and many began slamming into the dead fighters and exploding on impact.

  Admiral Allen was looking forward and up and saw several Hive nests explode. But then he saw another Predator explode as well, then another. Then he saw six more nests explode, but there were still too many of them and he ordered Cina to cloak and get away from the remaining nests.

  She did as ordered by Allen and when cleared, he also ordered the Battlecruisers to vector away from the approaching horde. Allen fired three nuclear missiles into the Hive nests, quickly ordered shields up then reversed course as the missiles headed to their targets.

  Three massive explosions consumed the remaining Hive nests but the shock wave slammed hard into the Human ships causing components on their ships to send sparks flying and shut down a few stations.

  High Mage Cina saw the Hive nests get vaporized and quickly ordered the remaining Predators to engage the nests battling the Daakie Zurguts and Tage Doni and her one remaining Predator. By the time Cina’s Predators reached the fray there were only five nests left and just as they were beginning to take up a firing position, the nests jumped and left the area of the two dark planets.

  With all the Hive nests jumping to some other location, all that was left were a hundred or so Hive fighters that were left to defend themselves. Colossus’s rail guns took out nearly a third of them and the rest went by the way of the remaining ships of the Armada Alliance.

  When the battle tally was complete, the Armada Alliance had successfully destroyed a few shy of a hundred Hive nests and four to five hundred Hive fighters along with the destruction of something big on the first dark planet.

  Admiral Allen ordered his two Battlecruisers with the help of Burseq Maalik’s Zurgut, to perform a sensor sweep and scan of the second planet for signs of any activity. The Armada losses were considered to be heavy as the Aborians lost three of their prized Predators and the Daakie lost a Zurgut commanded by their Military Commander, Caid Tikit.

  “Admiral, there are hundreds of transport size ships leaving the planet and as soon as they’re clear, they are jumping. What are your orders, sir?”

  “Burseq Maalik, fire your gamma-ray weapon, now,” Allen ordered.

  Ten seconds after receiving the order, the Zurgut belched and the gamma-ray weapon shot through the stratosphere and hit the surface. Lighting up the dark cloud cover, turning it into a bright red. After the weapon exploded, there were no more signs of ships leaving the planet.

  Allen thought about performing a total sensor workup of the two planets but thought better of it. His thinking was the Hive might return and bring a sizable force with them, and the Armada needed time to lick their wounds and hopefully figure out where they might get some more help, somewhere down the line.

  Chapter 44

  The remaining Armada gathered around Colossus as it was the only ship big enough for everyone to attend a memorial honoring those that died during the first battle of the Elimination Hive mission. After the memorial concluded, Ad
miral Allen asked the remaining commanders to join him in Room Forward. He knew as well as the others, they had only scratched the surface when it came to dealing with the Hive. But losing Caid Tikit was a really hard blow.

  “Though we had success in eliminating a fair number of Hive, we all know the battlefield was not their homeworld. Over three hundred Hive nests attacked Planet Daak, killing King Gaakin, and enslaving the entire Daakie population.” Admiral Allen opened the meeting with.

  “I am of the opinion that the Hive will begin in earnest to hunt members of our Armada down now that they have been attacked by such a powerful Alliance. What do the Aborians think we should do next? I realize it may seem selfish of me to suggest this, but I would aspire to travel back to my homeworld and free my people,” King Gorvik said.

  Nods of agreement came from the Daakie commanders but they did not speak their minds. Instead, High Mage Cina spoke: “I understand fully the reason for your plight, King Gorvik, and that mission will take place.

  “And I believe what you say about the Hive pursuing the members of our Alliance. And it is for that reason we must do our best to keep the Alliance together. But for the short term, Planet Daak will have to wait.”

  The mumbling started to become loud when, Vice Admiral Petrov said, “Let the High Mage finish her thoughts.”

  Cina bowed her head slightly in appreciation for Petrov’s interjection. “Just as any loyal commander is forbidden to do they cannot deviate from commands given them by their superiors.

  Our beloved, Empress Katin, gave me her command to assist our friends in what you call Elimination Hive, but part of that command was to return home after any sizable engagement with information of the mission’s successes or failures. Then and only then shall I receive further instructions prior to a continuation of the mission.”

  “High Mage Cina, is correct. As I have given most of my life to the military as a means of protection of our people I know full well the importance of obeying my superiors. But outside of that, we need to replenish our ships and I agree the Alliance must stay together,” Admiral Allen said.

  “Come to Abor with us. The Aborian Navy has hundreds of Predators. But we will not leave our world unprotected while we are gone on Elimination Hive. But with that said, I feel sure my beloved empress will give us several more to join our cause. Burseq Maalik, it will be my argument to have Planet Daak be the second phase of Elimination Hive but we will need more ships to engage those high numbers you said first attacked your world.”

  Bowing his head, Maalik said, “Thank you, High Mage.”

  “So is it agreed we will travel to Abor to try and gain favorable consideration from my beloved empress,” said High Mage Cina.

  All commanders agreed, then Allen said, “Go ready your ships. I have many souls on this ship and I will need time to inform them that we will be taking a long ride to Planet Abor. I will inform you when the Colossus is ready”

  ****

  Travel to Planet Abor would take seven days, and it was none too soon for all Colossians on board. They needed a respite from doing nothing but being anxious about battles with aliens and long hyperspace travel.

  During the second day in hyperspace, Admiral Allen thought it was time to pay some needed attention to his lover, Chief Medical Officer Victoria Stavens. The couple shared dinner in Allen’s quarters. After the meal, they went straight to bed for some much-needed stress relief.

  Allen couldn’t help but notice Victoria wasn’t in the mood for a simple romp. After their first session, it was only a few minutes before she rolled him onto his back and climbed aboard for a second round.

  After a much longer session, Victoria finally collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily, as was he. After a few tender moments of lying still, she slowly rolled off and laid on her back. Arvin turned on his side facing her and with the fingers of his right hand swept the hair out of her eyes.

  “I’m sorry I haven't been as attentive to you as you want me to be. Hopefully, we will have more time together in the next few days. How does that sound?”

  “Seeing that I’m almost too weak to speak right now, let me just say, anything you desire, sir”

  Arvin snickered then leaned over and kissed her again, then said, “You want to shower with me?”

  “No way, buster. You know what that will lead to and I need to rest.”

  Arvin laughed and said, “You just rest, Vicky. I need to get cleaned up so I can make my rounds.”

  “I love it when you call me Vicky. I think it’s endearing.”

  ****

  Onboard High Mage Cina’s Predator, a rare evening was taking place. An evening of kinship in the High Mage’s private quarters. Attending was Tage Doni, and three of the five remaining Predator Commanders.

  All were dressed in what the Aborians call casual clothing. If seen by a Human male, they would have looked like Gypsies of the Sahara while dressed in sheer bottoms and tops and laying on plush rugs made of animal hair from Planet Abor.

  Sitting in the center of the rugs was a crystal mister of some kind that was ejecting an intoxicating mist into the room every few minutes. The group was drinking a special wine made on Abor and were laughing and seemed to be enjoying some rare downtime with their High Mage.

  What made this such a rare event was the fact the women invited were able to speak their minds without worry of reprimand from their superior. Nothing spoken in the gathering would ever be talked about again and nothing was considered out of bounds. Their ranks were not addressed, as they were allowed to drop the rank and use only their names.

  “So tell us, Lucinda, (Cina’s first name), what do you think about the very virile Admiral Allen?” Asked Commander Arie. Lucinda smiled as she thought about her response.

  “Yes, his pheromone was powerfully seductive. I smelled him after our meeting with the Armada commanders. As I pressed myself against him and took his flavor I felt my vagina pulsate and I wanted him right then and there.”

  The women broke out into laughter and each held a naughty look in their gleaming eyes. The gleam in their eyes was an after effect of smelling the intoxicating mist spraying ever so often.

  Commander Pelar asked, “Did you want to imprint on him?”

  “I so desperately wanted to, but I sensed another female on him and thought I would have to challenge whoever she is for his affection. Which I might add, would be no challenge at all.”

  “Agreed. I would not want to be the one that tried to challenge you, Lucinda. None of us here would dare do that,” Tage Doni said.

  “I wonder if Empress Katina will allow us to take a mate among the Humans whether they wanted to mate or not. Though I have only seen the Admiral, Colonel Hammer, and Captain Slain, I’m impressed with the males of the Human Race. They are handsome creatures and would give all our sisters strong female young,” said Commander Rasna.

  “I agree, Rasna, but we all know the Colonel Hammer has been imprinted by our beloved empress, and no one should ever think about him in that way. You know it would mean certain death if found guilty by the Chosen,” Cina said.

  The Chosen were like those selected to be jurors in matters of Humanitarian Law. Any Aborian warrior finding herself being tried for serious misconduct would be judged by other warriors randomly selected to sit as one of the Chosen, and there would be five that made up the panel.

  “Let us not talk about such matters. Drink up, my warriors, we need to celebrate our victory tonight. Once you leave here, you can spend the rest of the evening dreaming of a handsome Human male pleasing you in your home on Abor.”

  Chapter 45

  Admiral Allen had left Dr. Stavens quarters and headed for the civilian areas around Colossus. The first area he had gone to visit was the all-important agriculture dome to talk to agronomist Kuda Black. He visited with Kuda for about fifteen minutes and with everything looking good he did something he rarely did, and that was to go to a social bar. Not to drink, as he would be back on duty within the next co
uple of hours, but to just answer questions that few average Colossian might have.

  Otis Murphy’s bar was unusually crowded at an early time of day. Most of his customers come to his bar at the end of the day but this was 9:00 am. When Allen walked through the entry to the bar, a hush fell over the room.

  Allen took note of the bar quickly becoming quiet when he walked in and said, “Please, carry on. I’m here just like everyone else and wanted to visit some of you today.” He walked over to where Otis was standing and stood behind a man sitting at the bar.

  “Give up your stool, George,” Otis said.

  The man quickly got up and since the stool was empty, Allen took a seat. Slowly the people continued to chat with one another, and that made Allen feel less uneasy.

  “Good morning, Admiral. What will it be?” Otis asked.

  “Good morning to you, Otis. I won’t be having a drink this morning as I have to be back on duty in a short while. I wanted to come down to talk to the citizens on board. I know many of you have questions about what has been going on over the past year or so and thought I’d take this opportunity to answer some of those questions.”

  There was a man sitting next to the admiral and he said, “Well, Admiral, you have come to the right place. Many of us have questions and about several things.”

  Everyone became quiet again so, Allen turned around on his stool to face the crowd and began by saying, “Okay everyone. I’ve been told you have a few questions you would like to have answered and there is no one more able to answer those than me. So let’s get to it shall we?”

  A lady seated at a table in the middle of the bar asked, “We have all been wanting to know what the Hive is all about?”

  “Unfortunately, there is nothing good about the Hive. They are a race of insectoids who's agenda out here seems to be to feed on anything with flesh. All they do is attack homeworlds, enslave the population and eventually feed upon their captives.