The Ocoda Chronicles Book 1 Paladin

by Daniel OConnell

Cooley, alert replies, "Copy Commander."

  Anders doesn’t wait, he fires at the furthest Dreadnought with all Paladins plasma cannons, and another full spread of torpedoes. It counters, firing a full volley at the same time.

  Anders is able to shoot down all thirty torpedoes as Klaus maneuvers Paladin hard to starboard, but still is hit with seven plasma charges.

  Paladin announces, "Shields down to six percent, we cannot take another hit."

  Anders volley hit’s the Dreadnought with devastating results. The Dreadnoughts shields drop and it takes severe damage and internal explosions cripple the Dreadnought.

  White locks Templar onto a ramming course with the boarding pod. He launches it at the last second, and pulls up. He quickly looks to use his nukes on a cluster of T-Challa ships nearby.

  The boarding pod strikes the Dreadnought below the Bridge, where Onatof and Bach figured to be the weapons platform. Benton and two other Marines have cloaking fields, infiltrating the Dreadnought and securing their access point with explosive charges all around their entry point.

  Benton comes over the com, "We have boarded the last Dreadnought, and we are heading to the weapons control room."

  Benton then adds, "And Anders, don’t blow it up while I’m on it you trigger happy redneck!" Benton says under his breath, "That guy scares the hell out of me. He talks to no one, just wants to kill. Man needs to have a beer and relax."

  Kitanna says, "We have several Heavy cruisers moving in on our flanks."

  Anders swings the cannons to port, locking onto four more Heavy cruisers, and fires.

  The Heavies swing wide trying to avoid the charges, but three are destroyed instantly while the fourth takes only shield damage.

  Anders doesn’t wait, he immediately fires twelve more torpedoes at the fourth Heavy, and it explodes.

  Klaus pulls the ship hard to stern to avoid the approaching ships.

  Bach tells the Bridge crew, "Benton and his Marines have taken the weapons control room on the damaged Dreadnought. They are attempting to gain control of their targeting systems."

  Klaus quickly pulls the ship back, heading at flank speed to the Dreadnought.

  Jackson yells, "Klaus, don’t get too close just in case they try and self-destruct that big ship! Kitanna, keep an eye on it so Benton and his Marines know when to get out!" We’re running on empty on the luck department. We can’t take another hit, and Cale is definitely not helping. He is acting as if he isn’t even here.

  Anders locks onto four Medium cruisers, and fires his aft plasma cannons. He hits two, destroying them easily.

  White, who is still cloaked, arms one of his nuclear torpedoes and aims for a group of ten cruisers, six Heavies and four Mediums. He waits until the Nuke has reached critical mass and fires, jumping out into hyperspace.

  The nuke detonates, easily destroying the ten ships. Paladin and several other ships are also rocked hard by the shock wave.

  Jackson yells as Paladin is knocked around, "Cooley! Get White on the com now! Tell him to warn us when he is going to do that!"

  Benton calls out on the com, "We have gained control of weapons systems, but we don’t have control of the engines, so targeting is gonna be a bitch.” Benton says to his men, "Damn this is awesome, those frigging big ugly suckers are just charging headlong with no regards for their own worthless lives. We’re taking them down like target practice."

  Caleb finally speaks, asking Benton, "What are the T-Challa doing to retake the weapons room?"

  Benton replies, "They're charging our position from several different levels, but with these personnel cloaking devices we are easily taking the advantage. Suckers haven’t got a clue."

  Kitanna says, "We have incoming ships exiting hyperspace aft."

  The ten Heavies have returned, coordinated, and set in an organized attack plan.

  They exit right into firing range and fire immediately. Klaus hits hyperdrive trying to escape the attack, as he had seen the T-Challa do in the past.

  He jumps Paladin only a few kilometers before their plasma charges strike, knocking Paladin out of hyperspace.

  The aft Heavy cannon is utterly destroyed, and several decks are ripped wide open.

  Paladin announces, "Heavy aft damage. Overall, thirty-three percent shipwide damage, we have multiple internal explosions on several decks with multiple fires. Over one hundred reported casualties."

  Caleb clenches over in pain. He holds the railing of the C.I.C area of the Bridge. No, God, no! I have to find a way to save my crew. Take me God. Don’t let my crew die.

  Jackson looks over to Caleb and rushes over to help him stand. "You ok Caleb?" Jackson asks. This looks really bad.

  Caleb grits his teeth and says, "Looks like you were right.” Sorry Jackson, I should’ve just taken us home, instead I got us all killed.

  Val yells over the com, "We have heavy damage to the engines. I don’t know how long I can maintain power."

  Benton then calls out over the com, "We have locks on those ships were firing."

  Benton takes the Heavies by complete surprise. He opens up with all guns, and torpedoes. He easily destroys seven of the ten, and cripples the other three.

  Several T-Challa ships race to close in on the damaged Paladin Battleship. Anders locks weapons and fires wildly at everything he can, hitting several ships. Benton using the Dreadnoughts weapons adds its firepower as well.

  Kitanna calls out, "We have only twenty-two operational ships as threat possibilities, most are headed to the Dreadnought."

  Benton calls out over the holocom, "We’re setting the ship to fire automatically. We’re heading back to the pod. This place is definitely not a sociable neighborhood anymore."

  White calls out, "I have a nuclear lock on six cruisers. I’m firing."

  Jackson immediately calls out, "Brace for impact!" White damn it, you’re still too close.

  White launches his last nuke, and once again hits hyperspace.

  Six cruisers, and several crippled ones are destroyed. The shock wave once again hits, sending Paladin reeling over on its side briefly, as Klaus is able to right the ship once again.

  Eight Heavies close in on the Dreadnought, and start blasting wildly at the ship ripping it wide open. The Dreadnoughts guns wildly return fire, having been set on automatic, but they lack the ability to target properly. Benton and his Marine’s blast free of the doomed Dreadnought in their pod. The Dreadnoughts guns hit several T-Challa ships, but destroy none. Finally, the last Dreadnought explodes, at the hands of her own fleet.

  The boarding pod clears the blast zone. However, it makes for a nice target, as a Medium cruiser lines it up in her gun sites. Fortunately, for Benton four torpedoes appear from directly above the boarding pod, hitting the unsuspecting cruiser, and destroying it.

  "You should really try and play hard to get Benton.” White says over the com. To himself he says, "Damn, I jumped back right in time, Benton and his teams were just about to buy the farm."

  Benton determined, replies, "Set us up for another run on one of those Heavies. Paladin is in rough shape, we gotta do what we can. We can’t let Paladin down."

  Back on Paladin, "We have incoming torpedoes!" Kitanna yells.

  Klaus tries his best to maneuver the ship as Anders shoots down several torpedoes, but three hit aft, and port side.

  Paladin calls out, "We are at forty-eight percent damage, our engines are offline, and we have more multiple internal explosions. We have lost a considerable amount of human lives."

  Caleb screams out in agony, "Jackson! Abandon the ship! Get everyone off!” The pain is unbearable. I feel like this is it. I’m sorry everyone, you trusted in me and I let you down.

  Jackson yells, "No, we will not.” Like hell we're abandoning this ship.

  Jackson grabs the com, "All crew assist in damage control. We must save the ship at all cost." This ship is my home, and these sailors are our family. We will save our home.

  Caleb finally passes out from the pain
, as Paladin announces, "When we hit sixty-six percent damage, the ship will revert to its original form. You should listen to Caleb, Colonel. You and the crew have a chance. Leave us."

  Jackson yells to Val over the com, "Like hell we will Paladin. Val, what’s the status of the engines."

  Val, coughing replies, "They're gone sir. We took a lot of damage down here. I lost a lot of good people, I’m trying to reroute emergency power to the torpedo loaders. You should have power in just a moment.” Val says to himself, "Cale must be in agony. I gotta do something to keep this ship alive."

  Anders screams, "I have twelve loaded and ready, locking onto the remaining Heavies firing."

  Anders sets the loaders to keep firing. He locks and fires, incessantly. The Heavies are able to shoot down several torpedoes, but many get through as Anders pummels the remaining T-Challa cruisers. The last T-Challa cruisers take serious damage. Benton and his Marines take control of a Heavy cruiser weapons room, and begin to fire on the remaining ships. Six more torpedoes come in starboard as Anders locks on with the ships Light cannons. Destroying five, but one hits hard, rocking the ship over on its side.

  Paladin says, "I’m sorry, the damage is at critical levels. Goodbye Colonel, it was an honor."

  Jackson frustrated yells, "We ain’t done yet!"

  Paladin no longer responds.

  The battle rages on for another thirty minutes, as Paladins crew does everything it can to contain the damage, and keep Paladin form hitting sixty-six percent numbers. With only four Heavies and two Medium cruisers left White comes in, launching his last three torpedoes hitting two Heavies.

  Templar’s computer calls out, "All enemy combatants are seriously damaged, and possess no significant threat."

  Finally, Kitanna calls out, "The remaining ships are too heavily damaged, and they’re pulling out."

  Anders sits back in his seat and says, "Good, because we only have two torpedoes left."

  White calls out over the com, "Paladin, report status. What can we do to assist?"

  Cooley replies, "We have lost main power, and we’re on emergency backup. We have most of the internal fires under control, but we don’t know our status, Paladin isn’t responding Reggie. I think he’s gone, Reggie."

  Jackson turns, thinking. Gone, I hope not, Cale’s still got a pulse, so we have to have a chance. "We’ll be fine, Lieutenant.” I hope.

  White takes a fly-by of Paladin, and says, "It looks pretty bad. Most of the aft section is destroyed. I can see ruptures in the hull. Port, and starboard and oh damn. God help them, no."

  Cooley, frightened, asks, "What Reggie? What did you see?"

  White somberly says, "Bodies, I see some of our crew, they are floating out here in space. This is just horrific."

  Val interrupts over the com, "We have only a few hours of power left. I have several crew members trapped in damaged sections of the ship, I need help now." Val thinks to himself. I can’t let Cale die. I need to do this.

  Bach then levitates onto the Bridge, saying, "My people are lowering the shield. It will take many hours until they can bring it down. I will do what I can to assist Val and Onatof in restoring power."

  Jackson calls out to White, "Reg, take Benton and his Marines and launch the boarding pod in the aft section of the ship. See what the Marines can do to save Val’s crew."

  White replies, "Copy Colonel, I’m scanning the area now, and will launch in a safe zone."

  Qui Shi arrives on the Bridge. She is covered in blood. "Caleb?" She reluctantly asks.

  Jackson and Shi Reies are next to him as Jackson says, "He’s here.” But I don’t know for how long?

  She hurries over and checks his vitals, "He has massive internal damage, and he appears to be comatose.” Qui Shi reports to Jackson. "He’s dying with the ship. We have to stabilize him somehow."

  Thirty hours later Klaus says, "We have minimal power to some of the thrusters. I can maneuver the ship slightly.

  "White says, "The shield is starting to drop on the planet. I can see some of the surface."

  Bach states, "All the remaining T-Challa ships are too badly damaged, and have retreated from the area. They will not return for some time. My people are sending help."

  Nine more hours pass, as a massive glowing blue field rises from the planet surface and envelops Paladin.

  Shi Reies surprised says, "Amazing, what is this? It looks like a giant hand reaching out to grab us."

  Bach replies, "This is a planetary tractor pulse. They are going to pull Paladin to the surface, to a safe location where we can help repair Paladin."

  Jackson concerned asks, "Will the ship revert back to the USS Massachusetts?"

  Bach answers, "No, we will prevent that while on the planet surface. However, should Caleb die or Paladin is not recoverable it will be a moot point, for the Paladin ship will never be able to leave the surface of our world."

  The ship is then pulled down through the toxic atmosphere, and then lowered into a blue energy field. There the crippled Paladin Battleship hovers suspended in midair. Hundreds of X’ena’s enter Paladin, as they immediately begin assisting injured crewmembers on board the ship.

  Four days later, ship repairs have begun. Jackson, Shi Reies, and Carla sit in med-bay, with Bach, Qui Shi, and Val, watching two X’ena’s study Caleb.

  Bach says, "Caleb will survive, it appears Paladin has retreated within him, and the result is causing the coma. Once the ship has been repaired, he should be able to restore Paladin."

  Jackson concerned, asks, "How long are we looking for that to happen?" We only have a limited time until the Earth will be under siege. I hope they got some of those ships built.

  Val upsets, says, "I don’t know Colonel. We lost the engines, and I am pretty sure we don’t have a spare."

  Bach says, "My people will rebuild your ship Colonel Jackson. We will make it stronger and better than it was. We will however not help you with your weapons systems. However, we will supply your people with the resources to repair them yourselves. I am very sorry Colonel Jackson, but with the amount of repairs and upgrades needed this task will take many months to complete."

  Jackson, surprised, asks, "MONTHS! It only took you a few days to transform the USS Massachusetts into Paladin?" All this technology and they can’t fix us up any faster than that.

  Bach replies, "Yes Colonel, that was a much simpler process than what we need to accomplish here. Here we will need to build the parts as you would say from scratch, and that unfortunately takes a longer time in comparison to transforming."

  Jackson takes a deep breath and asks, "How long until those T-Challa fleets reach Earth?" We don’t have much time, and Caleb gave them designs for inferior ships.

  Bach replies, "You will have enough time Colonel. The new engines my people will give you will be far more powerful than what you had before. Your shields, your engine speed, and even your weapons will be far more powerful than what they were before. You will easily make it to your world in less than three months, once we have completed repairs. The T-Challa have at least a year and a half to get to your world at their best speed, but you must also consider that it will take six to seven months for Paladin to be completed. This should still give you all the time you need Colonel to reach and defend the Earth."

  Jackson thinking asks, "Bach, I will need to contact our government, can you help me with that?" Damn, that’s cutting it close, even if it’s still a few months, that’s a huge armada, and no one knows what that first thing is that Benton saw on their screens is. Whatever it is, it’s moving real fast towards Earth.

  Bach replies, "Colonel, you can send them a message, but you will not be able to hear their response. They do not have the technology to carry on a two-way conversation."

  Jackson states, asking, "I need to warn them nevertheless, can you make it happen?" What do I say to them? Should I tell them about the second-rate design Caleb incorporated into their ships?

  Bach says, "Say your message Colonel, and I
will transmit it from here to your world. It will, however, take your world several days to receive it."

  Jackson focuses on his thoughts, saying, "This is Colonel Jackson, of the U.S.. . The Earth ship Paladin. We have successfully saved the X’ena’s, but have suffered serious damage, and have lost over four hundred crewmembers. We have, however, destroyed over half of the T-Challa galactic fleet in the process.

  Currently, there are two T-Challa fleets headed to Earth, one is just less than eighteen months away, and the other is more than twenty-six months away. We will be returning as soon as we can, we should make it with a few months to spare. Please be aware, we were able to do tremendous damage the T-Challa Empire, but we did so by using everything we had. Expect the T-Challa to be fully prepared for anything."

  Bach says, "Your message is being transmitted now Colonel,"

  Qui Shi concerned asks, "What should we do with Caleb during the repairs to Paladin? His condition is severe and I have no idea what to do with him, even with all the knowledge they gave me, all I can think is to put him in a stasis chamber."

  Bach says to everyone in the room, "We agree with the good Doctor, and will place him in stasis just as he was in my lab."

  Jackson, curious, asks, "So I guess he will stay here then, on board?"

  Bach answers, "Yes Colonel, as long as he remains on the ship, it cannot revert.” Bach then adds, "Colonel, please be aware that this field that is protecting you and your crew, should any of your crew attempt to leave its protective cover, they would most certainly die, and die very painfully. The atmosphere of X’enablanca is extremely deadly to humans."

  Jackson asks, "And your people live in it?" Well, looks like we’ll stay in the bubble.

  Bach replies, "Yes Colonel, we are not as frail as your race.” Bach then leaves.

  Five months pass quickly, during which time the X’ena’s have restored their planetary shield in case the T-Challa return.

  Paladin is not just repaired it is improved in every way imaginable during the first month. The X’ena’s deliver and help install the new engine and reactor core system as promised. This new combination has the capability to increase Paladins overall speed and power output by almost ninety percent.