Center Worlds - Spark

by Tim Morrison

  Chapter 2.1

  Collateral Damage - Clanworld Camelin -28 BA

  "Commander, incoming transmission. High band priority. Planetary distress signal. It's Clanworld Desinlo, they report an attack by Clan Kerilac?"

  Ryo woke with a start as the comm buzzed in his ear. He was out of his bed in an instant, pulling on some clothes as he strode to the intercom. "How long until we can get underway, Kalen?"

  "We already are, I just broke orbit. Four minutes to Vortex."

  "Kalen, we can't use Vortex into Oxymax. We don't have a mapped corridor." Ryo said as he pulled on a tunic and then walked out of his quarters and began to stride towards the main bridge.

  "You still have a lot to learn about these ships, Commander. We took some very detailed readings after Michelab had been using Vortex to drop the Cobalt Projectiles. We have mapped new potential Vortex pathways, and now is the time to use them. If that planet is under attack, Neospace will get us there in enough time to see the radiation plume. With Vortex, we can prevent the attack, or at least defend the world."

  Ryo walked onto the bridge as he finished buttoning his tunic. "Let's finish preparations for a Vortex jump then. Tactical, bring everything online. We will be coming out of Vortex hot, and I want everything in that system painted and ready for identification. We may only have seconds to act, so we have to be ready. Sync with the main computer, I think we'll need to use AC for rapid targeting, if they have already deployed missiles."

  The TGX-2 pulled itself out of orbit and it's engines flared as it accelerated up to Vortex insertion. A glowing disk of chromatic energy flared around it as it shifted into a chaotic miasma of hyperspatial energy. Seconds later, an explosion of Chromatic energy slightly above high orbit of Desinlo signalled the emergence of the battlecruiser.

  "Targets acquired, six corsairs, four cruisers, two missile frigates. All within striking range. Missiles detected, both fusion and antimatter warheads armed. Missiles are already on final trajectories!" Tactical reported as targets swum into view on the main displays.

  "AC, Weapons control to you. Target and destroy all warheads, now." Ryo ordered.

  The TGX-2's primary computer took over weapons control and within the span of three seconds, laser lances all over the ship fired and turned to slag over a hundred warheads and missiles that were mostly already in the atmosphere of the Clanworld below.

  "Tactical, fire a Mainframe across the bow of the lead ship. Then open a channel."

  A weapon port on the bow of the TGX flared, and a burst of energy lanced forward, across the bow of the lead missile frigate. The bow partially melted from the close pass of the massive energy wave, and discharges flowed over the hull of the ship, sending lightning flashes all over it as it began to slowly tumble.

  "This is TGX-2, Commander Camelin on board. Who is attacking a planet under Clan Camelin's protection?"

  "Leave this space, TGX-2. This is a non-aligned world and we are taking retributive action under the Articles of Confederacy Section 16, sub-section 3."

  Ryo narrowed his eyes. "You have five standards to rotate your ships and begin departure of this system. This system is within the border of Clan Camelin and is under my protection. If you disagree, take it up with Tara Command. Now, get out of this system."

  "You have no jurisdiction here, Camelin. This system is non-aligned. We will continue to clean up refuse, you will stand off and can enjoy the fireworks."

  "Commander, the missile frigates are arming another wave of fusion missiles. They are approaching medium orbital range of the planet. Sensors indicate there have been some weapon strikes on the planet already. Unable to determine targets, but the city shield is not functional." Kalen reported.

  "Kalen, there are Confederacy citizens on board those ships. What do I do?" Ryo asked. It was one thing to destroy unmanned missiles, but to fire on Confederacy ships filled with crews from other Clans?

  Kalen was shocked. This was the first time since he had taken command that Ryo Camelin ever seemed unsure of himself.

  "Sir, we pledged to protect this world. We have evacuated most of the population, but there are still crews down there running Nano clouds to clean up the Cobalt poisoning. Antimatter or fusion warheads will destroy billions of our Nanos, and put back or totally defeat our efforts. Those may be Confederacy ships, but they are not from our Clan. Commander, they have crossed our territory with hostile intent. This is one of our worlds, and it is in dire need of defence. To Helva's heart with the Confederacy, this is one of our Clanworlds and it needs our help." Kalen stated as he watched the readouts of the ships still on an approach vector.

  Ryo nodded. "Agreed. Put me through to the lead ship, on Actual."

  "Captain Kerilac on Actual, sir." came the response.

  "Captain, this is Commander Camelin. I will only say this once, withdraw or I will open fire. There has been bloodshed already, I do not wish more. However, I will defend a Clanworld against aggression, from any source."

  "Commander, this is the Desinlo world, they have been banished. Surely you are not serious. They are not part of the Confederacy." He heard the earnest tones in Kerilac's voice. The main believed what he was doing was justified.

  "Captain, I understand your thoughts and feelings. However, these are my people. Stand down, or I will stand you down by force." He signalled, and the channel was terminated.

  "Continue to target the ships, if they make any hostile moves towards the planet, disable all their engines, otherwise, do not fire."

  The attacking fleet slowed, then began a slow banking turn and began to climb back to high orbit.

  "Commander Camelin, I will be filing a formal protest with Tara Command about your actions on this day. We will meet again, Sir." The fleet shifted into neospace and was soon in the miasma surrounding the system.

  “Check our crews, Kalen. See what damage has been done.” Ryo asked as reports began to flow in from the damaged world, now more damaged by missile attacks upon it. Hours later, they were finishing the reports, ensuring no real damage was done. Three airbursts had destroyed a number of nano pods, but the nanos were already rebuilding themselves. None of the crews were injured, they had all gone to a shelter below the main city when the sensors detected the ships. The TGX-2 had destroyed any weapons capable of actually hurting the crews. Planetary reconstruction had been set back by six months, but was still able to be completed. Ryo was talking with Kalen about how to best assist the crew when they heard a shrill beep from Cato's comm station.

  “Commander, I'm getting a priority from home. That Michelab fleet just dropped out of neospace right in high orbit. Defences are firing, but they have launched a full missile volley!” Cato reported, eyes suddenly shining with tears.

  “Launch a wing of Superiority fighters to support Desinlo. Let's get back home as fast as we can.” Kalen ordered. Then walked over and stabbed controls in front of stunned officers. “Our world is under attack, people. This ship can protect it. Let's do our job and protect. We are jumping, now!”

  The TGX launched a full spread of fighters to land and help the crews on the planet below, then shifted into Vortex drive and sped back towards Clanworld Camelin. Arriving in time to witness the small warfleet jump back into neospace and see mushroom clouds and shockwaves rippling through the atmosphere.

  “Do we pursue, Commander?” Kalen asked.

  “No.” Ryo said. “We help our people. Then we'll get the bastards who did this.”

  The TGX pulled into medium orbit and hard docked to the Skyhook, which had not sustained damage, mostly due to it's weapon mounts that had killed four of the attacking ships and shot down over sixty missiles as they approached.

  “Commander, there was an Airburst. Over the capitol. We have a lot of casualties.” Kalen reported.

  “Get us down there, Kalen. We have to help our people, all of them.” Ryo said as the ship completed docking procedures.

  Lya was found in a pile of rubble that used to be a mall. She had been help
ing get families to safety at the base of the skyhook tower when the Airburst had detonated. She had fallen on top of and was wrapped around a young boy by the name of Lyo. Both his parents had been killed by the attack and she had been guiding him into the shelter when the building had collapsed. Her body had taken the brunt of the impact, so he was unharmed. Her back had been broken in several places, the spinal cord shattered and nerves torn apart. This type of injury was beyond any known medical science to repair. She was paralysed.

  Little Gya was safe, she had been with the house Lari'Sota when the attacks began and had been rushed to a shelter deep below the surface, where not even a ground detonation would reach them.

  ...

  "Kalen?"

  "Yes, Commander?"

  Ryo sat at the edge of the bed, Lya was finally sleeping, the worst of her injuries healed, the constant nerve pain from her shattered spinal cord numbed enough to allow her some rest. Ryo felt haggard, Lya was alive, but so many people had been killed, and he needed to know why.

  "What is the final count?"

  "We have finished our assessments, along with the city teams, we've got more than sixty-five thousand dead, mostly in the Capitol. Over a thousand buildings collapsed or so badly damaged they will have to be demolished and rebuilt. I'd estimate damages at well over a million Regals."

  Ryo breathed softly. Fifty Thousand Regals would buy a small city, a million was enough to buy half a continent on some worlds. "Do we have a positive ID on the attacking ships?"

  "Yes, Commander. They are confirmed to be the fleet that tried to hit Desinlo. Definitely from Clan Michelab. However, specific profiles on the crews indicate they are actually remnants of Clans Kerilac and Jasinlo. Those Clans were absorbed into Michelab a hundred cycles past."

  "Clan Michelab's territory ends two hundred lengths beyond our borders. Clan Faniruf is in between us and them. You mean to tell me that fleet flew through two Clan regions, no flight plans filed, to drop this attack?" Ryo asked.

  "That is what it appears, Commander. We've already contacted Clan Faniruf, no flight or travel plans had been filed in this direction for any ships in the past ten turns. This is looking like a rogue act." Kalen said.

  "Send a message to Tara Command. We're coming in, let them know I want a meeting with Commander Myo, of Clan Michelab."

  "Understood, Sir. I'll get the ship readied for flight." Kalen replied.

  "Make my quarters ready for two, I'm bringing Lya with us. It's time we brought Desinlo back into the fold, and I'll be damned to Helva if I let her suffer any longer in silence."

  Ryo closed the comm and noticed movement. He looked up to see young Lyo standing in the doorway.

  “What do you need, lad?” He asked quietly.

  “I'm unable to sleep, Sir. I have fears about what happened. Will your, will the Lady be all right?” the young six-cycle old asked, stepping into the chamber tentatively.

  Ryo held out his arm and the boy came to him, and Ryo sat him on the bed so they could both see Lya sleeping.

  “She will never walk again. However, she saved you, so that tells me you must be somebody special.” Ryo said.

  “I'm not special. My mother is from, was from Clan Desinlo. My father was a Trader Captain from this world.” He said, eyes downcast.

  “Ryo?” He looked up and saw Lya had rolled over and was watching them both.

  “How do you feel, my Lady?” Ryo asked.

  “I am sore, but the pain is beginning to subside. Is that Lyo?” She replied, then held out her arm and the young boy crawled over the bed to her. Lya pulled him into a tight embrace.

  She looked over his head to Ryo. “He has nobody else, my Lord. I will raise him alongside Gya.”

  Ryo nodded. “What you wish becomes my command, my Lady.”

  Late the next day, Lya had completed all of the medical treatments they could do, the bones had healed, as many of the nerves had been repaired as possible, and the pain had finally been consumed into a persistent dull ache that was the reminder, along with lost function to her legs, that she would never properly walk again.

  She could walk, with two people assisting her, her legs did work, but the linkage that allowed for her to coordinate balance was severed. So her legs were unable to adjust muscles and shift to hold her upright without assistance. She was not actually crippled, but in all aspects, she may as well have been. Lya began to get used to living in a Travel Chair.

  She came with Ryo on board the orbiting battlecruiser, and was made comfortable in his quarters as the ship prepared to break orbit. The TGX-2 pulled out of orbit, and once they were fully clear on the Clanworld, jumped into Vortex for the transit to Tara, the central world of the Confederacy. Lya lay sedated as the ship transited Vortex, so she did not feel the adverse effects of it, and woke soon after they emerged, so that she was fully alert by the time the ship slid into a stable orbit around the homeworld.

  The TGX-2 dropped out of Vortex flight on the outskirts of the Tara system, and moved inwards using realspace drives. Armed mainframe platforms tracked the ship's movement, and multiple missile batteries scanned and targeted it as it drew closer to the homeworld of the Confederacy.

  Ryo looked up as the primary console trilled, indicating they were within Actual range of the planet. He picked up the Comm unit. "Put me through to the Palace, please."

  At the comm officer's acknowledgement, Ryo spoke into the unit.

  "This is TGX-2, requesting low orbit insertion and landing rights for an immediate meeting with the Grand Council on a matter of Clan Territory violation. Clan Leader Ryo Camelin will be attending."

  A few seconds pause, then "Grand Council acknowledges. Orbit approved. We will assemble in one turn, Welcome to Tara, TGX-2."