Battleship Avenger (Conquest of Stars Book 2)

by Sid Kar

  “Returning to the main battle or whatever remains thereof,” Horyett replied.

  “Let’s hope Gen. Bakus has made the most of the opportunity we provided him,” Barryett said.

  “At great risk to ourselves, they should reward us after we removed a total of six Mercurian battleships from combat for them,” Tollvyk said.

  “Commodore,” Horyett said with a jubilant tenor in his voice and a wide grin on his face, “The remaining Mercurian ships are high tailing out of the star system at two hundred light speed and climbing rapidly.”

  There were claps and cheers in the command room and Raptor and Barryett looked at each other with a smile of satisfaction and contentment. Tollvyk stood up and saluted Raptor and he laughed in response.

  “Flyptar, let’s take us back to Nestor and park us in its orbit for rest and repairs,” Raptor said.

  “With pleasure, Commodore,” Flyptar replied happily.

  General Bakus and his battle fleet had finally pulled through. Before the Conquistador had shown up and broken off two of the Mercurian ships, they were locked in a very close, neck to neck struggle for survival. When Mercurian fleet was deprived of its two crucial battleships, Bakus had sensed an opening and gone on a major offensive and his battleships had unloaded lasers and rockets at will. The final straw was the return of Conquistador unharmed from the star. It was just then the news had reached that this Starfirian spaceship had destroyed four Mercurian spaceships all by itself. It did not take long after that for the Admiral of their fleet to order a hasty retreat and concede the battle.

  Chapter 6: Aftermath

  The battle was over and the greatly relieved yet considerably anxious leaders of Nestorian Republic had assembled in the Chancellor’s suite in the Senate building. The construction crews had begun work outside furiously clearing away the rubble and repairing and salvaging what could be. Medical personnel were working equally fast to examine and treat the large number of civilians who had fallen victim to the attack. Starfirian soldiers who had died or were wounded had been evacuated to their starship for treatment and the remaining strike soldiers maintained order in the city. The Republican Guard that had participated in the coup was still held in detention pending future investigation.

  Commodore Raptor Warwyk and Vice-Commodore Barryett Wuft had been invited by Chancellor Solus to the meeting. They were on their way and Commander Krotus was waiting outside the door to escort them in. Meanwhile, Chancellor Solus, Vice-Chancellor Remus, General Bakus, Foreign Minister Hickus, War Minister Horus and Interior Minister Lemon Bree had already assembled and wore grave faces as they reflected on the recent events.

  “Solus, why have you invited Starfirians to this meeting?” Remus asked. He was not going to refer to him as a Chancellor. Starfirian commander may have appointed him by fiat, but Remus had not accepted the legitimacy of that decision.

  “They saved us out there,” Solus replied, “I think they are owed our confidence.”

  “You were totally opposed to even their presence,” Lemon said, “But now that they have hoisted you directly to the top of the state, they are your new found friends.”

  “Yes, they did appoint me the Chancellor,” Solus said, “and no I don’t like the process through which they did it. There is no doubt as the champion of peoples I would have won the election for this office…”

  Remus coughed and rest of the room scoffed except for Bakus who was not a Senator and could not show displeasure.

  “…and I will win the election which is just six months away,” Solus said, “And since the rest of you quietly acquiesced to their decision, you realize too the power Starfirians hold. They can veto any decision we take here. We will be wasting our time if we don’t consult them first.”

  “We did not protest because we were under attack,” Remus said, “Some of us value our republic more than our personal ambitions.”

  “And some of us value the actual peoples that inhabit the republic,” Solus replied.

  “Question now is…” the tedious war minister Horus began to speak when their door opened.

  “Chancellor, Senators,” Krotus said walking in and escorting two Starfirian Army officers dressed in red and black uniform, “Our guests are here.”

  “Come in Commodore and you too VC,” Solus walked over to them and extended his hand, “The whole of Nestorian Republic is grateful for your help in our battle.”

  Krotus closed the door behind but stayed in the room.

  “Chancellor, what was the hurry for calling this high level meeting,” Raptor asked. Remus grinned at Solus while taking small satisfaction in the commodore’s expression of his displeasure at the rush. “We have not even begun to properly analyze the battle as we are placing higher priority on treating our wounded.”

  “We are in worse straits because we have to tend to significant repairs…” Bakus began to speak when Solus cut him off by waving his hand.

  “Forget the battle details, general Bakus,” Solus said. He could not be dismissive of Commodore Raptor, but Bakus was now under his command and had to bear it. “What is more important is the political impact going forward.”

  Bakus was furious but he held his anger and displayed a calm demeanor but Remus did not have to.

  “Political Impact?” Remus said, “We lost hundreds of thousands out there, soldiers and civilians alike, peoples as you call them, as you pretend to care for them and you are thinking politics?”

  “VC Remus,” Solus said, “If it hasn’t occurred to you, the enemy has merely retreated but the threat is not finished.”

  “I doubt they are coming back anytime soon,” Raptor said, “Besides, I have sent the signals relaying the battle to our regional and national capital. It will be just a matter of time before the Sixth Frontier Fleet arrives in full force.”

  “I appreciate that commodore,” Solus said, “But we must have a hand in avenging our people.”

  “I have no argument with that,” Raptor replied.

  “Good,” Solus took a quick, deep breath. The one worry he had, that of Com. Raptor torpedoing his plan, was now laid to rest. “General Bakus, I believe our spy has identified the location of the first inhabited planet of the Mercurian Empire. I want you to strike back in retaliation.”

  “That is crazy,” Remus said, “We have no strength for that.”

  “I believe our newest and biggest Battleship Avenger is ready for duty,” Solus said, “And since general’s Battleship Republic took enough damage to be out of action for necessary repairs for weeks if not months, I am giving him the command of Avenger.”

  “Why don’t we wait to build up our strength again?” Remus said.

  “What? And give up an opportunity to strike the enemy when he is in chaos?” Solus looked at Bakus and smiled.

  “Chancellor is right,” Bakus said, “If there is a time to strike back, it is now.”

  “You support him?” Remus asked. He was surprised to see General Bakus ever agreeing with Solus on anything.

  “I do, VC Remus,” Bakus said, “The Mercurians will never be as weak or as disorganized, not to mention as demoralized, as now. They sent fifteen battleships, only five of them are returning…”

  “They destroyed fourteen of ours, damaged all the rest to varying extents,” Remus said, “If you leave out the four Mercurians taken out by the Starfirians, we got less than half as many they did of ours. Their technology is far more advanced than ours.”

  “All the more reason to hit them now,” Bakus said, “They don’t fully know it yet. If we hit them, we will put them on the defensive, give us time, give Starfire Empire time to send more starships, give them pause before they launch another attack. If we attack them right back, then they will think we are stronger than we actually are.”

  “That still leaves five battleships against just your Avenger,” Remus said.

  “My dear Remus, I may be no military tactician but I am not a complete dullard when it comes to military matters either,” Solus
said, “I don’t expect him to conquer and hold their planet. Just hit and run and that battleship can run fast.”

  “That’s what I was thinking too,” Bakus said, “besides, their battleships will return to their base or repair yard which may be on another planet.”

  Remus sighed. He could see quite clearly what Solus had done. He had played to Bakus’ mindset. General Bakus was thinking military strategy and he liked to strike back in war, he was a tough fellow, not one to play pure defense. But Remus was thinking politically. He knew Solus was worried about Bakus because he was one man who could remove Solus from chancellorship by force if he wanted. General Vegus was apolitical, other generals were not powerful or popular, but Bakus had now taken command of majority of battleships. Bakus was too loyal and professional to stage a coup against a legitimate leader but Solus’ appointment was due to a foreign commander’s edict.

  By sending him away on a mission, Solus would be rid of the biggest threat to his rule and also deprive Remus of his endorsement and support during the election campaign that was soon to begin. Solus could take advantage of the fraying of Nestorian battlefleet’s command structure and reorder it to his liking in Bakus’ absence, put his supporters in command of the battleships.

  “Commodore Raptor,” Remus turned to the Starfirian, “Will you accompany General Bakus on this mission?”

  “I am afraid we cannot,” VC Barryett chimed in, “We have no orders to go on the offensive and strike enemy territory. Our protection to you extends to your space alone. If we launch an attack, we will be starting a war on behalf of Starfire Empire against Mercurian Empire.”

  “Haven’t you already by participating in this battle?” Remus asked surprised and exasperated simultaneously at this wordplay.

  “No,” Raptor said, “We have defended our protectorate. These Mercurians must see reason that we were simply extending protection. Now that they know we are in your corner, it is very likely our representatives can negotiate ceasefire with their leaders. But if we actually take our starship into their space and start shooting then that may be an irreversible act of war.”

  “Besides, ours is the only starship that is relatively unharmed,” VC Barryett said, “We are needed here to guard Nestor and other planets of your republic.”

  “I agree, absolutely right,” Solus said, “Commodore Raptor, your presence here will be of great help.”

  Remus’s jaw dropped to the floor. Solus was not only cunning but also ruthless. He was sending General Bakus and the entire Battleship Avenger to a mission with higher probability of death than of return. And he wasn’t even trying to provide them with support they needed to stay alive. Only Starship Conquistador was powerful enough to shield Avenger if matters went south. But Solus had maneuvered both Gen. Bakus and Starfirians, who had been more favorably inclined towards Remus, right against him.

  Remus walked over to a large, cushion seat and slumped into it. He had been outfoxed and he would have to compose himself again and make his moves. Presently he could do nothing but watch.

  “There is one unpleasant matter,” Bakus turned to Raptor, “I believe you have detained one of our pilots.” Bakus did not want to bring up the topic initially because he had hoped that the Starfirians would accompany him to return favor to Mercurians. But now that they were going to just lounge back, he cared not if he offended them. Savior or not, this man Raptor could not just seize a Nestorian army officer.

  “Yes we have,” Raptor said.

  “We want him back,” Bakus said.

  “Stripped of his uniform, kicked out of the battlefleet,” Raptor said, “on those terms you can have him.”

  “Excuse me, Commodore,” Bakus said, “You had no right to arrest him.”

  “General,” VC Barryett said, “It was regretful we had to do it, but he destroyed the enemy battleship that we had deliberately merely disabled so we could reverse engineer it and learn from it.”

  “Would have benefited you Nestorians too,” Raptor said, “Shame you let donkeys fly spacefighters.”

  “You do not treat us as a conquered territory,” Bakus said with his voice rising with his anger, “I can file a formal complaint to your superior.”

  Raptor and Barryett looked at each other for a moment. Raptor knew for certain that a starship’s commanding officer could detain a lower ranked officer from another spaceship if he was proving detrimental to the battle, but whether he could keep holding him indefinitely, he didn’t know for sure. Barryett might have known but Raptor could not ask him and display his ignorance and weaken his position. Raptor wanted to call Bakus’ bluff but he did not relish the thought of giving Regional Star Commander Carvyk Botlar, his direct superior, an opportunity to take a shot at him. Raptor stood stone faced but his mind was deliberating when Solus came to his rescue.

  “Starfirians, there is no need for this petty squabble,” Solus said, “this Capitan Agnosis Wornus, right…” he looked at Bakus who nodded his head in affirmative, “this capitan is a known wild cat and even his commanding officer, General Vegus of Battleship Defender did not like him much.”

  Bakus was furious that Solus would berate one of their own in front of outsiders and he turned his neck to look at Remus who just shrugged and sighed. Remus had given up on Solus and believed there was nothing he wouldn’t do to butter his bread.

  “I would gladly fire him with disgrace on his record,” Solus said, “But our peoples; they would cheer him as a hero for fighting an entire battleship.”

  “Like hell he did,” Raptor said.

  “I know that it was your starship that did all of the fighting,” Solus said, “But once out of the fleet, Agnosis can run his mouth freely. If he stays in, we can seal his lips under military law.”

  “So what are you proposing?” Barryett asked. Barryett realized that if Agnosis was fired due to Starfirian pressure and talked in public, a lot of the cheers would turn into jeers.

  “An exchange,” Solus said, “One of our spies was caught, interrogated and experimented upon by Mercurians but he managed to escape. I will let you talk to him and examine him.”

  Raptor and Barryett were startled by this revelation while Bakus clenched his fist in anger and Remus violently shook his head in opprobrium. Giving up their most important spy to Starfirians would risk exposure of state secrets.

  “He was escorting the spy back to Senate,” Solus continued and slightly chuckled, “your starship almost blew them out of the sky, like you did those Mercurian airships.”

  “Oh…” Raptor said, “We thought they were deserters.”

  “That’s a point in his favor then, Commodore,” said VC Barryett as he turned to Raptor. Barryett was sold on the exchange and wanted to push that through.

  “Sure is,” Raptor said, “Starfirians will certainly look much more favorably upon a reckless fighter than we will on a runaway coward. Alright, let’s do the exchange.”

  “Commander Krotus, can you make preparations for Roofus Bolfus to be transferred to Starfirians,” Solus said, “Meanwhile, you two can be our state guests.”

  “Not now Chancellor,” Raptor said, “I have a combat debriefing scheduled with my officers. He can tag along with us.”

  “I am afraid, that’s not safe,” Krotus chimed in, “Mercurians performed chemical experiments on him and he may have caught alien biologicals abroad their ship.”

  “You mean to say you haven’t properly decontaminated him?” Barryett asked.

  Krotus felt slightly embarrassed and looked at Solus who took over, “I am afraid the Mercurian science is far advanced of ours. We were hoping that you could sanitize him.”

  Raptor was miffed upon hearing this. Solus had played his cards well, only too well. Nestorians would have requested for Starfirians to examine this spy sooner or later anyhow, they weren’t going to take risk of some strange alien microbe from Mercurian ship spreading on their home planet itself. And for that, they would have had to provide Starfirians with unimpeded access to him. Bu
t Solus had managed to turn it into a favorable exchange. Raptor didn’t like it but he had given his word and an army man and a man of honor did not break his word.

  “Ship him abroad,” Raptor said, “We will thoroughly clean him up.”

  Raptor and Barryett formally saluted Solus as was his due as the head of state and turned around to walk out when Krotus cleared his throat.

  “Umm…Commodore, there is the matter of the Republican Guard,” Krotus said.

  “I am keeping ten thousand Strike Soldiers on the ground who will keep holding them prisoners,” Raptor said, “I will not have another coup attempt and I don’t want to have to put it down again.”

  “But after Commander Nolfus’ death, we can expect the rest to…” Krotus began.

  “Don’t you have any other infantry?” Raptor asked.

  “We do,” Bakus replied, “on other planets.”

  “Bring them over,” Raptor said.

  “Commodore is right,” Solus said, “Let them hold the disloyal guardsmen, I will sign a special order to bring in other infantry.”

  Raptor and Barryett walked out of the door and Krotus closed it behind them.

  “Can you believe their nerve to issue us diktats,” Bakus said.

  “Diplomacy, my dear general, be a little diplomatic,” Solus said, “Win me a big victory and scare away these Mercurians from our space and I will send these elitists packing.”

  Bakus saluted Solus and smiled a little bit. He did not like the new chancellor, but on the military strategy, they saw eye to eye and Bakus was itching to take control of Avenger and make it true to its name.

  Chapter 7: Doubles

  Ex-Commodore Antrar Wyft’s spaceship started ringing an alarm bell when it neared the orbital space of Planet Bravo. Antrar woke up and yawned with both of his hands thrown up behind his shoulders and then rubbed his eyes. He must have slept for a long time. Once his spaceship had passed into Starfire space he did not have to worry about being chased by Jiggermaster or followed by Silencer. Neither would escape the scanners of army starships and hence would not dare take the risk. He had decided to take a nap which had turned into a long sleep.