The Battle for the Ringed Planet

by Richard Edmond Johnson

  Valkrie: “Sorry, she’s sluggish!”

  Skydemon: “Valkrie … taking hits … engine …” then there was only static.

  Valkrie: “Skydemon, Torian!”

  In the treatment room Siiri bolted up and turned to Agent Tass crying out, “Torian!”

  “I’ll see if I can zero in on him …”

  “No!” she screamed and tears began to stream down her cheeks and she stood up leaning against the transteel wall pounding it with her fists, “No! Oh please no!”

  “I can’t see the fighter … or any of our fighters … they’ve broken through!”

  “Torian!” she began to wail.

  --

  Staring at the main floating screen from the holo at the front of the bridge, Admiral Martin Bennion addressed the form of Captain William Chen from the C.S.S. Titan, “Are you sure your tunnel drive is ready?”

  “It’s the best we can do, Admiral. We had to machine our own parts, but my Chief Engineer guarantees that it will work.”

  “All right, Bill, move her out and prep your drive.”

  “Aye, Admiral.”

  Turning away he stepped over to the consul of Specialist First Class Rhonda Birk, “Put it up there.” She complied and they all viewed the Titan as she moved off away from the Europa, the only two remaining battle cruisers.

  “Fighters incoming, friendly, sir,” Sergeant Thomas Mal glanced at the Admiral.

  “How many?”

  The slightly grey haired technician manipulated some screens for a count, “Maybe 20 to 25, with over a hundred Solvairs following.”

  “And the Immortal Fleet?”

  “Battle cruisers are moving in, still out of range for another few minutes. However, we’ll be in range sooner.”

  “Order the gunners on the lead cruiser. All defensive guns prep for fighters.”

  The XO studied the holo, “The Titan is about to tunnel.”

  “Ensure all those fighters get in. Traffic …” he glanced over to a black female sergeant who was responsible for coordinating the fighters and other vessels in and out of the cruiser, “… landings don’t have to be pretty, just get them inside.”

  On the main holo, the Titan began to form a wormhole, a giant ring surrounding the large starship, and everything seemed to be going normal until giant bolts of static danced across the hull. As the vessel began to enter the tunnel, the ring began to collapse while the cruiser was only half way in. All eyes on the bridge glued to the holo.

  “The tunnel drive is failing!” Lars shouted.

  Then the bridge was bathed in bright light as the C.S.S. Titan was cut in half when the wormhole collapsed, trapping the fore section inside, lost forever. The aft end of the stricken vessel then began to break apart in a series of explosions. All the bridge personnel shielded their eyes as more flashes and explosions continued until there was only debris.

  “Damn …” Thomas grimaced.

  Chapter 30: Siiri’s Fury

  She had only known him a few days, yet he was the world to her. In fact, she should have been dead, but he saved her, and then she had experienced a love she never knew could be. Sinking to her knees Siiri cried openly and tears poured down her face.

  Tacitly, Agent Tass switched the shield back on. There was speculation in some reports that a high emotional state might bring out dormant abilities, and despite what the admiral ordered, he was going to be prepared. When he got back, the military leader was going to be reprimanded for his actions ignoring the advice he, a trained intelligence operative, had given.

  Sobbing uncontrollably, she choked exhaling and glanced up wiping away some tears, then frantically she called out to the only hope she had, “Kayla!”

  Stepping up to the transparent wall Tass frowned, “Who is Kayla?”

  She continued to cry out, “Kayla! Torian is dead! Kayla!”

  The instruments that Tass had set up to monitor the girl suddenly began to spike and he jumped up examining the readings, “What’s going on?” He stared at Siiri then back at the floating screens streaming columns of numbers. She began to stand, and when Tass turned back, his jaw dropped in disbelief; Siiri’s eyes glowed bright gold. The SIS agent staggered back in shock.

  “Siiri …” Kayla whispered in her mind, “… do not be sad, Torian is not dead. The human man exited the fragile craft before it was destroyed. He is floating and in danger. Perhaps I … we can help …”

  Smiling and laughing, still wiping away tears she hopped up and leaned against the transteel wall and whispered to herself, “He’s alive!”

  --

  His combat utility suit, designed for situations like this, ejected from the burning Starhawk, protected Torian floated in emptiness except for the odd piece of debris from other destroyed vessels.

  “How much oxygen do you have left?” a floating blue half-naked Tristan folded his arms behind his head.

  “You’re wearing swimming trunks out here?”

  “Got to catch the solar surf …”

  “Six hours, but I don’t plan on dying by asphyxiation, too much of a coward for that.” He drew his pistol and it automatically clamped in place in his right hand glove, linking to his helmet for targeting.

  “They all left you, even the Immortal Fleet.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be back, once the Europa tunnels out. But they’re not going to take me alive.”

  “I hear they’re all eunuchs.”

  “So where do the stories of rape and other sexual torture come from?”

  “Maybe it’s just the pilots, then.”

  “No wonder they’re so suicidal. If they made me like that I’d be happy to ram a cruiser,” Torian checked his limited scanning range checking the debris.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Wreckage, there’s a Solvair nose section ahead. An oxygen synthesizer would be nice.”

  “Those are in the aft section. And I don’t think the Solvair one is compatible.”

  “Thanks for shot in the arm ... hmm …”

  “What?”

  “Two other pilots ahead, floating, looks like they’re fighting. I’m heading there.”

  “Good luck, Torian.” Tristan disappeared as two floating individuals locked in grappling combat came into view a football field away. Torian flicked on his maneuvering thrusters, tiny rockets in the back and front of his suit, and slowly accelerated.

  Hastening to the scene, he noted that one of the individuals wore black utility suit and the other was a pilot from the fleet. They were twisting and spinning in space when suddenly the enemy shoved the other away, forcing the fleet pilot to flip head to heels. Aiming a pistol the enemy was about to fire when Torian targeted the other’s helmet and shot a plasma bolt punching a hole into the thick armored back part, instantly immobilizing the Rebel pilot and oozing red bubbles out the hole. The person in the black combat utility suit drifted away lifelessly.

  “Hey, thanks!” came a familiar voice over his Comm.

  “Who is this?”

  “Claymore.”

  “Skydemon.”

  “You’re that guy that just got his wings, McCallum, right?”

  “Yeah, and you’re a Hawkeye pilot, too, Johnston?”

  “Small universe.”

  “How much Oh-Two?”

  “Four, I took some damage, my right suit arm collapsed, but my arm still reads Ok, even though I can’t feel it.”

  “Well, I’m scouting for wreckage, maybe even a flyable ship.”

  “That would be nice, where would you go?”

  “Hide somewhere on the dark side of a moon, mountains hopefully, until our boys come back.”

  “Do you think they’ll spare cruisers from earth to send out here? We’re sort of out gunned.”

  “Maybe. But there’s some good intel here.” He did not want to share what he knew about the aliens in the rings and the planet, and was hoping that Siiri had bargained for her citizenship already.

  “Well, all I see is bits and pie
ces, hmm, maybe an engine.”

  “Let’s keep looking.”

  --

  “Fighters on us!” Lars nodded to the admiral, “Defensive guns firing back, all of our fighters are onboard, in one piece or another.” Explosions on the hull armor and shields caused vibrations inside the large cruiser.

  “Shields still holding,” Sergeant Thomas Mal glanced at the admiral, and all eyes were upon him. The holo in the front showed dozen of fighters circling the battle cruiser.

  “Shall we engage their cruisers while we are in range and they are not?” Lars asked.

  “Negative, let’s punch out. Initiate the tunnel drive.”

  “Aye, sir.” Thomas smiled with relief.

  --

  Kayla whispered gently inside Siiri’s mind, “You know, I have always loved you.”

  “But how? Can you feel love like we do?”

  “Yes, we can. Sarloth is my often rebellious son, the only one I would ever let near you.”

  “I didn’t know you were a mother.” Siiri watched Agent Tass fussing over the reading on his screen and glance back at her with a puzzled expression.

  “I watched you since you were born, and knew you had the ability. I don’t know why, but with you it was different. I always wanted a daughter, so I fought to keep the others away from you. And when Jarlan refused to save you I was so angry.”

  “You told me to run to Torian … you knew?”

  “Sometimes we can see flashes into possible futures. Siiri, this military vessel is going to leave Torian behind and the others will kill him.”

  “No!” she cried aloud.

  “What?” Tass stepped up to the transteel wall.

  She ignored him and spoke out again, “We have to save him!”

  In her mind Kayla replied, “There is one way. We are more powerful closer to the rings. I have studied this vessel’s engines and perhaps I can stop it from leaving.”

  “But the enemies will attack!”

  “Siiri, I can help. But it will require your trust.”

  “How?”

  “I have to possess you.”

  Siiri swallowed, she knew the temptation for Kayla, and remembered the poor possessed humans in the alien city, “I thought I wasn’t fully developed?”

  “Only if you are willing, it can be done. It must be quick, Siiri, the vessel is starting to create a wormhole.”

  “This will save Torian?”

  “I promise, and we will share, I will not dominate like the others.”

  “And you will leave after?”

  “Yes. Siiri, I want you to be happy, let me help.”

  “All right, Kayla. Does it hurt?”

  Then Siiri felt the presence of another entity in her mind, and the feeling was warm and almost peaceful.

  “We are now one. We must hurry.” Siiri saw images of the ship’s corridors as they travelled in her mind to the engine rooms and into the complicated components of the tunnel drive.

  --

  Everything on the screen was green for go as Sergeant Thomas Mal checked the reading and power distribution levels of the tunnel drive. On another holo, he saw the enemy fighters darting in and out hitting the shields, a few ignited from defensive guns. The enemy cruisers would be in range for the final blow in minutes. Suddenly all the fighters began to withdraw.

  “Enemy fighters are pulling back, Admiral. They’re being recalled into the cruisers.”

  Lars commented dryly, “The glory of the kill won’t be for the fighters.”

  “I’ll be happy to disappoint them. Tunnel status, Thomas?” Martin paced impatiently before the sergeant.

  “All green, worm hole … wait a minute … Admiral, its collapsing!”

  “What?”

  “The tunnel drive is indicating red! It’s shutting down!”

  With eyes on the bridge racing, Lars joined the admiral peering over Sergeant Mal’s shoulders as he yelled, “Get it back!”

  “It is not responding!”

  “Dammit! Get me engineering!” Martin strode to his command chair and brought up a screen with the face of a bearded officer, “Loran! What’s going on?”

  “I can’t get it to start, all diagnostics check out, but it won’t power up, Admiral!”

  “You get that drive operational! Understand! Or we’re dead!” Then he turned back to Thomas, “Range of those cruisers?”

  “We are in range now, and in less than 5 minutes they will be.”

  “Open up on the closest enemy battle cruiser.”

  “Aye, admiral.”

  --

  Standing next to the transteel door Siiri commanded Tass; “Open this door.”

  “Nothing doin, you’re staying here. And what’s with those eyes?”

  Then she lifted her hand and the door blew open, splitting in two pieces falling aside as Tass jumped back and fell over his chair, “I knew it! I knew you had it all along! Wait … the shield didn’t work …”

  “Agent Tass, take me to the bridge.”

  Lieutenant Dolce Paula peered in as the agent stood up and straightened out his tie, and then he drew a pistol from a holster on his belt, “I’m not taking you anywhere. Now get back in there and don’t try anything stupid, there are dozens of marines on this cruiser.”

  Angrily Siiri raised her hand again and the pistol went flying from his hand, “I don’t have time for this, so if you don’t take me now I will fry that thing between your legs!”

  Agent Kavan Tass swallowed, “Right this way.”

  --

  “Nothing, it’s all burned up …” Torian turned his body towards Lieutenant (j.g.) Nathan Johnston after examining a wing attached to the rear fuselage of a Starhawk.

  “My thrusters are almost empty; they weren’t designed for this amount of travel.”

  “I know.”

  “Hey, got something a little bigger, see?”

  “Yeah, looks like an intact Starhawk, drifting.”

  “That’s a real prize, let’s go.”

  “I’ll take your hand so you can conserve.”

  “Thanks, Torian.”

  While Nathan floated across space, they passed a body of a fleet pilot from another squadron but had no time to check who it was. As they got closer to the drifting Starhawk, suddenly it lit up and started its maneuvering thrusters turning towards the pair.

  “Damn, I hope that’s friendly pilot!” Nathan gasped.

  A very familiar female voice came over their Comms, “Identify yourselves or eat plasma!”

  “Valkrie! I mean Monica!” Torian shouted.

  “Torian! I was hoping you were out here somewhere. Who is your buddy?”

  “Johnston, he’s low on Oh-two, can he hook up?”

  “Sure, you both can, I’ve been keeping a low profile. There were a couple of Solvairs by earlier.”

  “Playing dead?”

  “I’m still here, aren’t I?”

  “Good idea.” They both reached the smooth exterior of the vessel and headed for a small port near the rear to connect an oxygen hose. Then Torian magnetically clamped his gloved hands to the surface of the Starhawk so he would not drift away.

  “Hi Monica,” Nathan called over.

  “Hey, did you get your gong?”

  “I shot down exactly five!”

  “I got mine, too, well, that’s if we get out of here alive,” she then paused, “Torian?”

  “Aye?”

  “I still have the Europa on my scans, she hasn’t left yet.”

  “That’s cutting it awfully close.” He was now becoming worried about Siiri, “What about the enemy ships?”

  “They are almost in range. In fact the Europa is pounding one of them.”

  Nathan added, “Maybe they took a hit in their tunnel drive?”

  “I hope not.”

  “Anyway, Monica, we should head to the dark side of that moon, and pick up anyone else in case they send out more Solvairs.” Torian cautioned.

  “I got you.”

&
nbsp; --

  Shaking his head, Thomas peered sadly at the Admiral, “No response, the tunnel drive is dead.”

  Sighing slowly, Martin glanced at Lars, who nodded, “Well then, gentlemen and ladies, I guess that’s it then. I will not allow us to be boarded. Thomas, start setting the detonation sequence.”

  “That won’t work,” a female voice came from the rear of the bridge as Agent Tass opened the double doors and Siiri strode in. The sole marine guard raised his rifle and then it was flung from his hands. Her eyes glowed yellow and Martin stood motionless by his command chair.

  Then he commanded, “What business do you have on this bridge? Tass, what’s going on?”

  “I told you! But no, you wouldn’t listen.”

  “Admiral, I don’t have the time to figure out how to steer this starship, so you have to do it. Bring her into the rings.”

  “I don’t take orders from … what ever you are. Was it you that sabotaged my ship?”

  “You are all going to die in less than two minutes. Do as I say and you will live.”

  The Admiral turned to Lars, hesitating.

  “Admiral!” Siiri was shouting now, “What do you have to lose? If I were going to destroy this starship, I would have done it! Please do as I say and you will be saved!”

  Glancing at the helmsman, who was breathing a little heavily, he nodded, “Do it!” Then he walked closer to Siiri, “Who or what are you?”

  “That will all be explained in a few minutes, tell your helmsman to move fast.”

  “He has to take it slow to avoid the ice and crystal rocks in the ring.”

  “They will move out of the way.”

  The Admiral, Lars, and the others stared unbelievingly at Siiri, “I don’t … bring it up on the main holo!” he ordered Thomas who complied. Sure enough, as the big cruiser began to slip into the rings, bright yellow, blue, and reddish colored crystals began to give way, making room for the military starship. Once they were completely inside the field of crystals and ice, Siiri nodded to the Admiral who ordered the helmsman for all stop. There was dead silence from everyone on the bridge, most of who were in awe of what just happened.

  “Admiral,” Siiri sounded with a commanding voice, “We’ll be taking over the starship.”

  Walking slowly up to the girl, Martin folded his arms, “Who exactly?”