Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles)

by James Jackson

  Regent Voknor stares at his tactical view, then shares his thoughts, “The carriers are baiting us to attack. But if we don’t, those craft will succumb to their fighters.”

  Skylow and Frazik briefly discuss the situation, then Skylow offers, “We should go all out against the fighters, then pick off the carriers.”

  “Attack the fighters!” Voknor orders, then adds, “And get those vessels out of there.”

  Voknor’s forces face off against over seven hundred fighters, but with half being used to maintain the blockade, and the remainder spread out, none of Voknor’s fleet is overwhelmed. However, each time Voknor’s forces rally to a sizable force, the fighters converge and perform a strafing run at one craft.

  Each Atlan attack costs them around fifty fighters, but does so in exchange for severely damaging one of Voknor’s fleet. Even the cruisers are unable to shrug off the sheer number of attackers, and soon they too are venting atmosphere into space.

  Machkno notices a momentary lapse in the Atlan defenses and hurriedly states, “One of the carriers is vulnerable. We could take it out, and be back with the main fleet before the bulk of the fighters return.”

  “Destroy it!” Voknor orders without hesitation.

  The flagship surges forward, quickly closing the distance to the carrier. Machkno begins firing all weapons at extreme range, and continues firing as they get closer. The carrier turns to move away, while a swarm of fighters breaks from their attack run on another vessel, to defend their carrier. By the time the fighters return, the carrier is a floating pile of wreckage, and the flagship is retreating to the main fleet.

  In the confusion, the Gamin craft that were contained escape, to also rejoin the fleet.

  Frazik frowns as he reviews his console, then reports, “Two more Atlan carriers, the smaller variety, are on approach to the Kord station.”

  Machkno is cursing under his breath, then states, “They are playing with us!”

  Four hundred fighters converge on two of Voknor’s fleet, and to everyone’s horror, destroy both vessels in a single pass. The Atlan victory comes at a price, however; over one hundred and twenty fighters are eliminated, with the ensuing gap allowing both Cruisers to pounce on a carrier, and destroy it.

  Voknor stares at the chaotic battle, and says, “We must retreat. Order all forces to rally away from the Kord station.”

  Skylow cringes as he reviews the status of the fleet, and reports, “Four craft don’t have functioning main drives.”

  “Get them moving at sub-light!” Voknor orders, then adds, “We must find a way to get the upper hand!”

  Skylow suggests, “Remember when we used the main drive, and surprised some carriers?”

  Voknor stares at the chaos, then states, “I recall that battle; what are you thinking?”

  “Well, I doubt those new arrivals have had a chance to launch their complete compliment.”

  Voknor pauses, the orders, “I want the Cruisers to make a run for one of the closer carriers, and then once they have drawn the fighters, to break away and make for the fleet. We will cross the gap with our main drive, and attack the other carriers.”

  The four crippled vessels do their best to get to the main fleet, while the cruisers make for a carrier. As predicated, the fighters move to intercept, allowing a clear path to the newly arrived carriers.

  Voknor sneers, “Get those Atlans!”

  The screen changes colors momentarily, to display a multi-spectrum of light, then in an instant, changes back to display the battle.

  “Fire all weapons!” Voknor orders unnecessarily.

  Machkno peppers both carriers with volley after volley of energy beams and pounders, then grins as both explode spectacularly.

  “Get us back to the fleet!” Voknor orders.

  The battle continues to rage chaotically, for some time as neither side commits a large attack, allowing both sides a brief respite, and an opportunity to regroup. The Kord station is peppered with holes, many of which are venting atmosphere.

  “Warmongers!” Screeches Frazik as a pair of carriers arrives, and immediately disgorges hundreds upon hundreds of fighters.

  Voknor’s shoulders sag. He will have to abandon those who are unable to activate their main drives.

  Frazik stares at his console, then reports, “The Earth ship, Terran, has arrived, and is engaging one of the Warmongers!”

  “Fools!” States Voknor, then orders, “All vessels rally to our position.”

  “We just lost another vessel!” Skylow reports forlornly, then tilts his head as he adds, “I think the Earth ship fired weapons at one of the Warmongers.”

  “You think?” Voknor queries.

  “Hmm,” Skylow expresses as he reviews the impact data, then states, “Well, they fired two sub-light projectiles, which when combined, had less effect than us firing a probe.”

  Frazik points at the main viewer and exclaims, “That ship is being eaten up!”

  The Terran is losing armor as it rolls and turns, and yet instead of retreating, heads toward one of the carriers.

  “What are they doing?” Voknor exclaims, then orders, “Attempt to draw the fighters away from them.”

  They watch in disbelief as the Terran’s main engines flare. A split second later, the ship accelerates to many times the speed of light, and collides with one of the Warmongers. The nose of the Terran caves in on the Warmonger’s shields, its velocity carrying it inside. The Terran’s engines flicker, then fail; leaving the Earth ship wedged deep inside the carrier.

  Machkno is too busy to watch; he is firing weapons as fast as they can cycle, eliminating a never ender stream of fighters. The flagship’s hull is pitted and scored, with more hull breaches than he can count.

  Inexplicably, a bright flare fills the screen as the Warmonger explodes. Out from the debris limps the Terran; its hull is severely compromised; its nose section a ruined mess. but it has survived.

  Skylow cheers, “The Atlans are retreating.”

  Voknor curses instead of celebrates, “If that were not a Warmonger, and we not so few in number, we would attack!” With a sigh, he orders, “Disengage, and get repairs under way. They will be back.”

  Skylow growls, “They must know that Jukalore and Hemlax are about to arrive.”

  They watch as the Warmonger streaks away, having taken almost all of the surviving fighters with them.

  Regent Voknor contacts the Terran, “That other carrier turned and ran the second they saw your crazy stunt. You humans never cease to amaze me.”

  Cindy grins as she replies, “I’m glad we were able to help. How’s your fleet?”

  John interrupters them, shouting in alarm, “We have multiple contacts inbound!” He stares at his controls, so different from the space shuttle he used to command, and takes a deep breath as he prepares himself.

  Voknor grins widely, and states, “These are clans who are allied to me.”

  Hemlax and Jukalore’s fleets arrive moments later, and immediately set up a protective screen around Voknor’s forces. As soon as the area is deemed safe, Jukalore begins transferring resources to Voknor’s flagship, while Hemlax’s fleet patrols further out.

  Voknor’s informs Cindy, “My clan has suffered significant losses, but we yet prevail, thanks to you.”

  “We help our friends.” Cindy replies proudly.

  “Your craft is heavily damaged.” Voknor observes.

  Cindy grins as she confidently replies, “We’ll fix her.”

  With an understanding nod, Voknor replies, “I must attend to my clan. Contact me if you require assistance.”

  Voknor’s bridge crew stares at the carnage. Floating debris fields are all that remain of three of his clan, with another eight similar fields belonging to the remnants of the Atlan carriers, the largest being from the Warmonger. The Kord space station is heavily damaged; numerous deep impacts, and smudge marks, cover the station. Gas vents from hundreds of locations. Shuttles are evacuating the crew to the planet below
.

  A Kord contacts Voknor, his furry features reminiscent of others of his kind. He states authoritatively, “I am Golward of the Kord. I thank you for your assistance, and offer my repair facilities for your use.”

  Voknor replies, “I am Regent Voknor or the Gamin. I have had positive dealings with your kind in the past, and will accept your offer to repair my fleet.”

  “Positive dealings?” Golward enquires.

  “It was many of your generations ago.” Voknor states, then continues as he asks, “Do you have any idea why the Atlans attacked you?”

  Golward replies despondently, “No. The Atlans broke our treaty, and have destroyed three of our facilities. My leaders are working on a diplomatic solution, but in the meantime, we are the ones suffering.”

  With a sigh Voknor replies, “Those Atlans think they can rule the galaxy!”

  “They pretty much are!” Golward states emphatically, then says, “Please, get your damaged vessels into the working docks we have, so that we may repair them.”

  Voknor nods in appreciation, “I will inform my fleet.”

  Golward’s image fades off the screen, to be replaced by the devastated Kord facility. The fact that it is still capable of repairing any vessel is testimony to its construction.

  Frazik hesitantly stands, then solemnly states, “Our losses of this day are my fault, Regent.”

  The bridge crew are stunned by Frazik’s comment, and remain quiet.

  Regent Voknor frowns, then demands, “How do you figure? I ordered us into that trap!”

  Frazik lowers his head as he confesses, “The Kord sent their message on an unencrypted channel. I replied on the same channel.”

  Skylow’s mouth hangs open, in shock over Frazik making a mistake like that.

  Regent Voknor takes a deep breath as he recalls the battle. He stands, then states, “I believe the Atlans were preparing a trap for us. I find it unlikely that such a large Atlan force simply happened to be in the area.” He pauses, then continues, “Consider this though; we still won, and though our losses are horrific, theirs are worse.”

  Skylow nods in agreement as he relays the battle assessment, “We lost three craft, with eight others in need of major repairs, in exchange, the Atlans lost eight carriers, including a Warmonger! In addition to the two thousand plus fighters they lost this day.”

  Voknor nods as he shares his thoughts, “We have dealt the Atlans a blow to their ego too. They set up a trap, and we smashed it!”

  Frazik motions to the main viewer and reminds them all, “If it were not for that Earth ship, and their suicidal run at one of the Warmongers, we would have lost all this day.”

  “One unarmed ship saved our fleet!” Voknor states, truly impressed.

  Skylow chuckles, “The Earth ship did have weapons!”

  Frazik stares at Skylow and states, “I don’t consider what they used, as weapons!”

  Lilpax chimes in, and changes the subject, “Our damaged clanships are moving into the Kord repair facilities, as is the Earth ship. They named it Terran?”

  Skylow frowns as he receives a message, then says, “Speaking of the Earth ship, their commander wants to talk to you.”

  Still reeling from the losses to his clan, Voknor opens a channel, and snaps, “What is it?” He stares at her and waits, his patience running low as he waits to hear casualty reports from the fleet.

  Cindy glances to someone out of sight, then states, “There is another matter we need to discuss.”

  “What could be so important that it cannot wait?” The Regent states.

  Cindy motions to one side, and as a Gamin steps into view, says, “We found survivors of Regent Gordok’s clan, and wish to reunite them.”

  Regent Voknor pauses, then as he shakes his head replies, “I do not know a Regent Gordok.”

  The Gamin steps in front of Cindy, and states proudly, “I am Waazh. If Regent Gordok is no more, then we are all that remains of his clan.”

  Regent Voknor taps on his chair’s armrest console, reviewing the Gamin’s claim, then replies, “Your clan is listed as lost, with no record of survivors.”

  “We were relentlessly attacked by Atlan forces, and no matter how much we pleaded, no one came to our rescue.” Waazh spits out in disgust.

  “Many clans were like that, some still are. But I can tell you that the three clans before you stand united against the Atlans.” Voknor explains.

  “I would join you on your vessel, with my surviving clansmen and women.” Waazh requests.

  “How many survived?” Voknor asks, wondering how many they will need to accommodate.

  Waazh proudly replies, “We number almost two hundred, and have forty-seven eggs. We were trapped in an underwater cave, until the humans found us.”

  “The eggs are on the Earth ship?” Voknor questions in disbelief.

  “Yes, and the humans prepared an area of the ship to meet our needs.”

  “They have gone to a lot of trouble to help you. Most others would have left you.” Voknor states, surprised by the way events have turned out. Had he destroyed the Earth ship, Terran, two clans would be lost, his and Waazh’s.

  Skylow hesitantly interrupts, “Our engineers estimate that we require sixteen duty cycles to repair; none of the intact Kord docks are large enough for us.”

  Regent Voknor considers his flagship’s condition, then realizing that the Kord are repairing the Terran, informs Waazh, “Your clan is safer on the Terran, for now. I would have you remain there, until we are repaired.”

  “As you wish!” Waazh replies, a little disappointed, but having witnessed the battle, he understands.

  Voknor closes the channel, then contacts his Primes, starting with those inside the Kord station. The damage reports and casualty lists are extensive.

  Lilpax has been monitoring communications, and with a solemn tone reports, “The space station’s power core is damaged, and will overload. Many of the Kord are boarding the Earth ship, others are fleeing to the planet.”

  “And yet they persist in repairing our damaged vessels,” Voknor states, then adds, “a noble race!”

  Cindy’s features dominate the main view; she is frantic, “Regent, we have tracked three ships heading toward Earth, and are going to pursue them.”

  “One ship!” Voknor replies in disbelief. He immediately adds, “We will assist.” He contacts Hemlax and Jukalore and states, “Those Atlans are heading to the human’s home world. They would never expect us to pursue, which is what I plan to do.”

  Hemlax replies immediately, “My fleet is ready; send the coordinates.”

  “I will recover my shuttles and follow!” Jukalore states.

  Voknor contacts Cindy and, with a toothy grin, states, “Regent Hemlax’s force will beat the Atlans, but not by much. We will do what we can to protect your world.” He cuts the channel, then contacts his Primes, ordering them to follow at their best possible speed.

  Madness

  Hemlax’s fleet of thirty-seven craft pushes their engines hard and, surprisingly, beat the Atlans to Earth. He briefly reviews the planetary data, and shakes his head in disbelief.

  Hemlax contacts the largest orbital space facility, and states, “I am Regent Hemlax of the Gamin, and have been sent to assist in your rescue.”

  A moment later, one of the locals responds, “Rescue! Ah, from what?”

  “The Atlans are coming. You will evacuate your facility, and tell me where my ships are to land.” Hemlax replies bluntly.

  Gustav takes charge, and replies, “Any of the major cities.” He gazes around at his surroundings, and mumbles to himself, “Not again!”

  Hemlax is becoming exasperated, and responds, “Human, inform your people they must evacuate, and quickly.”

  One of Hemlax’s bridge officers turns and states in disbelieve, “This technological backwater destroyed a Warmonger? I don’t believe it! Look at their pathetic infrastructure.”

  Another chimes in, “They are barely a tech five world
, and have the gall to call that puny thing a space station.”

  Hemlax nods in agreement, then with a sigh, replies, “Regent Voknor has had dealings with this species, and if he feels they are worth defending, then we defend them.”

  The bridge crew listens in disbelief as the human contacts them, and states, “My superiors don’t believe you. They want to speak with Regent Voknor.”

  Hemlax stares at the speaker, dumfounded, then asks his bridge crew, “Any sign of the Atlans?”

  “I have tapped into the moon’s long range scanners,” replies one of his officers, then reports, “and can detect nothing.”

  Hemlax shakes his head as he contacts Regent Voknor; “Your human friends won’t evacuate!”

  “I will send a message that they will understand,” Voknor replies, then nods to Skylow.

  “Incoming!” Shouts one of Hemlax’s officers loudly, then adds, “They just showed up on the sensors!”

  Voknor hears the report, and says, “Hemlax my friend, do not risk all, just do what you can!”

  “Whose forces, and how long?” Demands Hemlax.

  The officer lowers his head in shame as he mumbles, “Its Regent Jukalore’s fleet.”

  Hemlax’s adrenaline is running high; he grins and says, “Way to keep us alert!”

  The other officers chuckle; with Jukalore’s forces arriving, and Voknor’s close behind, the Atlans will be in for a surprise.

  Hemlax contacts the orbiting space station, “I have requested that Regent Voknor send a message. Now, you must evacuate your facility, or you will all perish.”

  With the channel still open to the Gamin, Gustav orders, “Everyone to the shuttles.”

  Hemlax’s craft are landing all over the planet when every communications channel on Earth switches to display Voknor’s image while audio frequencies begin playing the usual drum beats. Regent Voknor’s voice resounds, “A powerful enemy approaches your world. Retreat to safety.” The recording repeats itself over and over.

  Most of the people are terrified of the Gamin craft, with many fearing they are being abducted. Instead of rushing toward the craft, many flee, causing even more chaos, and hindering the progress of the few who do believe they are to be rescued.