Ryonna's Wrath: Universe in Flames 1.5 - A Novella

by Christian Kallias

  “Ah fuck this! Can’t we enjoy a simple drink?” Chase grinned.

  Daniel shook his head with a smile. “You know you’re excited. Nothing beats the thrill of a dogfight, eh? Anyway, maybe you can demonstrate some of those reckless moves.”

  “With pleasure, Wing Commander. Plus, it looks like I’m gonna advance my lead on the kill board today, bro!”

  “I’m not even gratifying that with an answer. Bro!”

  “Oh no?” Chase taunted. “Why not? Cat got your tongue? Or maybe you can’t run and talk at the same time? Maybe you’re out of shape, buddy.”

  “I’m not your buddy,” Daniel said with a smile that clearly proved otherwise.

  “Okay, okay, enough teasing then. But last one to the cockpit buys the next round.”

  “Deal!”

  They picked up their pace, tearing past everyone else on the way to the fighter bay. Pretty soon, all the pilots were in their ships, ready to be shot into space.

  “Looks like you owe me a drink, bro!” Daniel gloated. “You should know that the more you talk while you run, the more energy you spend.”

  Chase grinned. “I let you win. Besides, I didn’t want to burn out all my stamina on running; I need my cunning reflexes out there. Goes with my mad flying attitude.”

  “I’m sure it does. See you in space in five.”

  Daniel’s fighter was then loaded into catapult launcher number five with Chase’s right behind him. Before Chase could blink his eyes, the door opened and Daniel had vanished into space.

  The catapult’s particular design allowed fighters to enter combat space with sufficient velocity to immediately engage enemies if needed. A scenario particularly helpful when a starship was under a surprise attack. Also, it allowed full squadrons to be launched together, optimizing their battle readiness in war conditions.

  It took less than a minute to reload the launch tubes with a new squadron. Chase could feel his blood pumping through his entire body and he emptied his mind of all the thoughts that were lingering there from a moment ago. Now was not the time for an existential crisis. Seconds passed by and his adrenaline level rose as the machinery secured his craft into the tube.

  “Enemy ships in approach,” said Daniel through the comm system. “Deploying sensors to max range.”

  “Alpha Leader, this is Alpha Two. I count three enemy squadrons. Wait…four. Five. More keep appearing.”

  “Alpha Leader this is the SAD Destiny. Be advised, our long range sensors show at least nine squadrons and five battleships, maybe more in approach.”

  Chase’s blood froze as he listened in on the comm. The Destiny Battlegroup was only composed of three destroyer-class battleships, each with three battle ready squadrons of Manticore Mark IV fighters, and a trio of Omega-2 class bombers. That meant the enemy forces had a clear advantage in numbers.

  “This doesn’t look good,” he said to himself while performing his final pre-launch check. Then Daniel’s voice came through once again, this time directed towards him.

  “Beta Leader, this is Alpha Leader. We’ve engaged the enemy but we need assistance ASAP.”

  “Launching now,” replied Chase. “Hang in tight, Alpha Leader. We’ll be securing your six before you know it.”

  “Hurry up, Chase; we already lost Alpha Six,” Daniel said with a heavy heart.

  Damn! Less than thirty seconds of combat and already one of their teammates had been killed. But now was not the time to mourn fallen comrades, especially since this didn’t look like a walk in the park. In fact, it was probably the most difficult engagement this battlegroup had faced in months. But there was no denying it, the Star Alliance had been losing more fights than they’d been winning lately. The Obsidian Empire was getting stronger by the day, and some rumors even said that the days of the war were numbered.

  Chase’s train of thought was interrupted by a sudden acceleration boost as the catapult launched his fighter through tube one at maximum velocity. The tunnel his fighter traveled through was lined with bright green lighting, and it illuminated his cockpit with flashes of light as his ship soared through.

  “Alpha Leader, this is Beta Leader. We’re airborne; will rejoin in approximately twenty seconds.”

  There was no answer on the comm. Radar was showing a handful of blue dots being swarmed by red ones. Daniel had dispatched three bogies, while his squadron picked off another three, but that still left way too many to deal with on their own. And that was probably just the first wave.

  “I’m hit!” shouted Alpha Three. “Ejecting!”

  Chase’s squadron was only a handful of seconds away from the engagement now, and he activated his comm system.

  “Alright people, stay alert. This is just the beginning of what might very well be a very long, hard day. We are to render assistance to Alpha Team, clear their six, and obliterate this first wave before the next one arrives. So make every shot count.”

  Multiple comm clicks acknowledged that order. A couple of seconds later, red laser shots started to pass between the fighters as they entered the combat zone. Two lasers made a direct hit to Chase’s forward shield, bringing their efficiency down to ninety percent. Chase frantically painted targets through his target acquisition panel, and ordered a voice command to the navicomputer AI.

  “Execute offensive pattern Xi-niner.”

  “Confirmed,” replied the male, synthesized vocal processor.

  Chase shook his head, missing the sultry tones of his simulator. “Where’s that sexy little minx when I need her?” he muttered under his breath.

  The ship started firing low energy but high frequency laser bursts at all the painted targets. Each blow would only weaken an enemy’s shields by a few percent at the time, but that was exactly what Chase wanted. He switched his main manual firing weapon to heat-seeking missiles while the computer continued the automated firing. Then, one by one, he started to lock onto the enemy ships, all four of them. Once the last lock was confirmed, he pressed the trigger and all four missiles fired simultaneously. The enemy craft started evasive maneuvers, but there was no escaping Chase’s lock. The missiles arrived roughly at the same time. The first explosion sent an enemy craft into a wild spin, venting parts and oxygen into space, as the three remaining missiles hit with a surprisingly synchronized detonation that blew up all three enemy craft into bits of fiery space junk.

  Chase then went after the first target, which had managed to stabilize its spin but was obviously having trouble with its thrusters, probably because the missile blew up one of its oxygen tanks. It was little to no challenge to finish up such a badly wounded enemy, but this was not a simulation, and challenge was no longer the name of the game. Time was of the essence, and Chase blew the fighter out of the sky without hesitation.

  “Thanks, Beta Leader,” Daniel called. “Hope you won’t need those missiles later on though.”

  It was a fair point. Chase had effectively depleted half his missile complement in the first minute of the engagement but, under the circumstances, it made more sense to blow up the enemies quickly to avoid being caught in multiple crossfire.

  “Copy that, Alpha Leader, nothing to worry about.”

  Chase vectored toward the nearest enemy craft and locked lasers. He switched them to full power and pulled the trigger the second he had a firing solution. The first shots caused heavy damage to the enemy vessel, which quickly reacted with evasive actions. Obviously panicked, the craft rammed into its wingman, sending it into a spin that turned into a fireball as it was caught in some friendly crossfire. The second craft had lost its aft shields upon impact. Chase had no intention of letting this advantage fade away by giving the pilot time to transfer power to compensate. He hit his afterburner and rained down deadly laser fire. The ship exploded, and Chase flew through what was left of it, acquiring his next target as soon as he was through.

  He quickly checked his radar. Five more ships had been dispatched by the rest of the squadron, putting them at a numerical advantage. The
scanners also showed that Alpha Team had engaged another squadron as soon as the numbers had evened up. Chase dispatched one of the last ships with agile laser fire and watched while the remaining enemies were successfully destroyed, one by one.

  “This is the SAD Destiny. The first wave of attack seems to be contained, but we’re getting unusual neutron radiation on the sensors; we don’t know what to make of it. It seems to be coming from everywhere.”

  The last remaining enemy fighters retreated back towards the battleships, staying outside the firing range of the first assault. But just as they made it back, the sky all around them erupted into what looked like a million, blinding lights.

  3

  ELS: CHAPTER 3

  Standing proudly on the bridge of the Obsidian battleship, the Iron Claw, Admiral Zan was looking at the heart of the battle with a grim smile on his face. His bright emerald eyes glowed in the dark as he turned to face the command center and his crew.

  “Report!”

  “Everything is proceeding exactly as planned,” said the tactical officer. “The first wave has been repelled as anticipated and the remaining ships have been recalled. Should we send the second one, Admiral?”

  “That won’t be necessary, Lieutenant Major. We’ll proceed directly to phase B. But first, let’s make sure these rebels won’t try to quit the scene before it starts to get interesting. Deploy the anti-gravity engine on the starship Titanium now. As soon as its engine is deployed, call in the secondary fleet and engage.”

  “Titanium erecting the anti-gravity field, Admiral.”

  “Very well. Ask the Second Fleet to enter the theater.”

  “Message sent, Admiral. Ships jumping now.”

  The usually dark space flashed with sudden light. Then, just as everyone’s eyes were adjusting, several gaping holes of darkness began emerging from the bright, blurry veil. The next moment, it was clear that the spots were actually battleships, lots of them, circling all around the Alliance’s battlegroup and escorts. In a matter of seconds, the new ships were everywhere, spewing their squadrons one after another like locusts.

  On the bridge of the Star Alliance Destroyer Destiny, Captain Saroudis had only partially regained his eyesight when he emptied his lungs, shouting.

  “Full reverse! Get us the hell out of here, now!”

  There was a metal grinding sound, and strong vibrations suddenly shook the whole ship. Crewmen who were not seated ended up flattened on the ground or crashed up against the walls. The captain’s eyes flashed with terror.

  “What’s going on?! Why aren’t we moving?!”

  The tactical officer tapped into his console. “We seem to be restrained in some sort of magnetic field. It’s paralyzed our engines, and the more we try to maneuver, the more we’re effectively weakening the structural integrity of the ship, Captain.”

  “Stop the engines at once!” shouted the captain.

  There was a temporary calm but, the next minute, hundreds of lasers began firing against the shields. Usually, starfighter firepower wasn’t strong enough to cause much damage to a battleship-shielded vessel but, when there were multiple squadrons firing at the same time, it might very well make all the difference in the world.

  “Lieutenant Brents, divert all power except life support to the shields.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain ! Diverting power now.”

  The rapidly fading shield gauge on the control screen was suddenly boosted back into the green and seemed to lower only in small increments.

  “That won’t keep those battleships from blasting us out of space like bugs,” said the captain, mind racing as he tried to think of a solution to the impossible situation. Then suddenly he turned to the tactical officer with illumination. “Use the sensors to find out which ship is generating the magnetic disturbance.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  The captain then turned to the communications officer. “Sergeant, give me a comm line to the entire battlegroup.”

  “Ready, sir.”

  “This is Captain Saroudis. We are currently being held by a powerful magnetic field; if we want to survive, we need to send every available squadron to destroy the vessel holding us. As soon as the target is destroyed return to your ships. We need to make a long jump out of here. Probably by the borders of uncharted space, to make sure we have a chance to regroup and repair.”

  The captain then turned towards his communications officer.

  “Try contacting headquarters to inform them of the situation. This could be a huge military maneuver that will shake the balance of power in the galaxy. We only have a few minutes before they overcome us by sheer firepower, especially when these new battleships start entering firing range. And give me status on the anti-gravity ship.”

  “We can’t seem to reach the Alliance headquarters, Captain. Communication logs show multiple distress calls similar to ours all over this part of the galaxy.”

  “Geez, could this be an all-out attack?” asked the captain, not expecting any answer.

  “It looks like it, Captain. We have identified the ship responsible for the anti-gravity field. Transmitting coordinates to all fighters.”

  The captain re-addressed the rest of the fleet.

  “This is the SAD Destiny. Fighter squadrons, we are sending you a target via your navicomputer systems. This is a high priority target and it must be destroyed immediately.”

  The rest of the ships regained offensive formations and started vectoring towards the coordinates they were just provided. It didn’t take long to realize that the target was within a group of enemy battleships. It was an unusual looking vessel, positioned defensively, well protected by the other ships around it. But before anyone could do a thing, half of the enemy craft firing at the Destiny Battlegroup suddenly stopped and went on a pursuit course of the Alliance squadrons.

  Laser fire filled the blackness of empty space in a matter of seconds. From a distance, it must have looked like a beautiful light show, except that any of these lights could blow a ship out of the sky. Heavy photon fire from the battleships started to make it more and more difficult for the squadrons to approach their target.

  “Alpha Leader, this is Beta Leader.”

  “Go on, Chase?”

  “We won’t make it this way; we’ll be in pieces faster than it takes to say ‘oops.’”

  “I’m listening, but make it quick.”

  “We split into two groups; your group harasses the photon cannons and tries to take one of those battleships out of the equation, while we go for the jackpot and blow this sucker out of the picture.”

  “Good thinking, but we’ll reverse the positions if you don’t mind. We’ll go after the target; I have more ordnance anyway.”

  “Right…” Chase said with some reserve, then he added, “Good luck, Daniel.”

  “You too; we’re both gonna need it. Alpha Leader out,” Daniel said, and he clicked another button on the comm controls. “Listen up everyone, the only chance we have to live another day is to destroy this target. Make no mistake, we must do absolutely anything necessary to destroy it, or die trying. I’m counting on all of you. Keep in formation and prepare to engage.”

  The sudden change of tactic seemed to have thrown the enemy off guard, and the distraction might just have given them a chance for Daniel’s squadron to approach the target from a good vector. Chase wasted no time ordering a shower of laser fire upon the battleship that was the nearest to the target. It rained blue laser light just as, simultaneously, all the fighters unloaded their complement of torpedoes into the battleship’s nose. The first few were deflected by the battleship’s strong shields, but the continuous fire made it weaker in many spots, allowing some of the following torpedoes to go through and explode directly on the plating of the vessel. Before the last torpedo reached its target, the battleship started exploding in a bright fireball. The resulting shock wave took out a few of the fighters that were near the explosion, including some from Beta Squadron, which was now reduced to
four ships.

  “Chase, are you nuts?! You’re supposed to lay cover fire, not blow us up to hell!”

  “This will buy you the time you need to remove the target from the board, Daniel, and you know it!”

  “What about the crew members you just lost?”

  “What difference does it make if they would have died in the next few seconds had we failed? And for what cause would it have been, Daniel?”

  “You can’t just—” Daniel’s voice cut out momentarily. “I’m entering tactical firing range. Hang on.” Then the radio went silent.

  Fighters from Alpha Squadron were diverting fire so Daniel could reach an optimal firing range. Some of them were instantly destroyed by photon cannons, while others fell to enemy fighters in one-on-one combat.

  Daniel wished he could wipe the sweat from his forehead, but instead he lowered the temperature of his suit. “Approaching optimal firing range in ten… nine…”

  Suddenly, a shock jolted his entire fighter, and sent the stars and ships spinning in the windshield. Daniel was hit. He tried to stabilize the ship as well as he could, but it was one hell of spin to recover from. His inertial dampeners started to go critical, and already he could feel terrible G-forces taking hold on his body. He had to act fast...

  “Code Red! This is Alpha Leader. I’m in a spin I can’t get out of. Inertial dampeners failing.”

  Chase’s voice crackled on the comm. “Hang on, Daniel! That’s an order.” He quickly changed trajectory and acquired Daniel’s craft on his sensors. A plan began swirling behind his eyes, and he hit the comm once more. “Daniel, there’s a chance what I’m gonna do is gonna get you killed.”

  “Why am I not surprised? But hurry—I don’t think I can take it much longer anyway.”

  Chase entered a series of coordinates manually. Then he switched to his missiles.

  Daniel heard the warning from the navicomputer. Ally craft had locked onto the ship.

  “I thought you depleted the rest of your ordnance on at the battleship. You didn’t have so many left in the first place.” Daniel strained to speak. A deep ache had started radiating out from his bones from the force of the spin. If things kept up, it would crush every bone in his body; the little ones first, then the bigger ones.