by Libby, Seth
November 12, 2012, 2:45 a.m. ESTSystem 238, Planet N-6
Evan studied the convoy as it entered the system, thinking once again that the intelligence was wrong . . . big surprise. A chime from his comm unit broke his thoughts. Looking at who it was, he then answered. “What is it, Steve?”
“Um . . . I know I should know this, but what’s to stop the council member’s ship from simply folding away?”
“Unlike our fold system, the Shenkar fold system cannot function in close proximity of a planet’s gravity well,” said Evan simply.
“Ah, thanks . . . so do you think we will get him?” asked Steve.
“Steve, we need to keep radio silence, so please cut the chatter.”
“Oh . . . yeah . . . sorry about that.”
And with that, Evan closed the connection. After a few more minutes, the all clear came through. Keying his comm unit, he spoke to the entire fighter group under his command. “This is Necro leader to all squadrons--we have the go. You know your assignments; gunships are priority. All fighters, full burn!”
Evan pulled on the throttle and was slammed back into his seat as his fighter shot forward and 120 fighters raced forward toward their intended target. The Shenkar responded immediately, breaking their protective cover and moving to intercept Evan and the rest of the fighter group. The rest of the convoy continued on its route that was taking it deeper into the system toward the Shenkar command base.
Keying the group frequency, Evan spoke. “Remember, everyone, we are not engaging. We can hit them as they pass, but we are to continue on to make it appear we are after the gunships.”
The seconds passed as the two fighter groups closed on each other. As they came within range, Evan lined up his targeting reticule and squeezed the trigger. All around him, the rest of his fighter group mimicked his move. Ahead of him, explosions of fire erupted as their shots hit home, destroying or disabling several dozen Shenkar fighters.
Evan was just able to squeeze off another burst before the two groups met. Shenkar fighters raced past his fighter. Engaging his afterburners, his fighter sped away from the Shenkar fighter group, heading to the Shenkar convoy, knowing his Scorpion fighter could easily outrun the standard Shenkar fighter. Checking once quickly to make sure the rest of his fighter group followed, he then focused on the distant gunship. With the surprise move of not engaging the Shenkar fighters, the convoy in the distance began to make evasive maneuvers to a more defensible position. As the distant warships closed in around each other, Evan smiled and thought to himself that the trap had been sprung.
To the rear of the convoy, the EDF Sacrifice suddenly folded into place. The Sacrifice wasted no time: blue beams of energy began to lance out and pummel the shields of one of the rear guard cruisers. Shields failed under salvo after salvo, and soon armor began to rip away in large chunks. Finally, the cruiser exploded under the pummeling it had just taken. At the same time, two torpedoes flew toward the other rear guard cruiser. Both torpedoes slammed into the side of the cruiser as it turned to bring its guns to bear on the Sacrifice and two massive explosions tore the cruiser to pieces. Scorpion and Chimera fighters began to spill out of the Sacrifice as it began to move forward to engage the remaining Shenkar forces.
By now, the six destroyers and two of the cruisers had successfully turned, and soon beams of blue energy impacted upon the Sacrifice’s shields in brilliant flashes. As the Sacrifice and the Shenkar warships traded shots, the Sacrifice’s fighter squadrons swarmed over the nearest destroyer. The combined attacks of 190 heavy and light fighters tore the destroyer to pieces. The other two cruisers began to move toward Evan and his fighter group.
Evan was shocked that they would still split their forces like that. Two cruisers would not hold off his fighter group. Just six of the twelve squadrons would be sufficient to destroy the two cruisers with the anti-ship torpedoes each of the fighters carried, so what was the Shenkar thinking?
Evan’s answer to that question came when they had closed with and engaged the two cruisers. Shenkar warships began to fold in all around the EDF forces. A Shenkar battlecruiser materialized directly behind the Sacrifice, and fighters began to launch from within as the battlecruiser began to pummel the Sacrifice’s rear energy shields. Eight more Shizrec cruisers materialized directly above the battlecruiser. The forwardmost cruiser, however, exploded for no apparent reason.
“What the hell hit that one?” came Steve’s voice over the comm.
“They folded too close to the planet’s gravity well. It overloaded their fold engines, causing the ship to explode,” answered Tim.
Behind the cruisers, twelve more Kelgen-class destroyers materialized.
“Enough chatter, people. This was an ambush. The Sacrifice is in trouble. All fighters, move to engage. Let’s see if we can break her free,” said Evan.
“Sir, we have new Shenkar fighters incoming, numbering one hundred. They match nothing on record,” reported Darren.
Looking at the newcomers, Evan saw blood-red crescent-shaped fighters streaking toward the Sacrifice’s own fighter support. They moved faster than any of the Shenkar fighters on record. As Evan and the rest of his fighter group moved toward the Sacrifice, he watched as the new Shenkar fighters engaged the Sacrifice’s fighters and was shocked to see three Scorpion fighters explode in succession. Clearly, these new fighters were a match for the Scorpion fighters. Hundreds of Creeza fighters spilled forth from the cruisers and entered the engagement.
Soon the combination of overwhelming numbers and the new Shenkar fighters began to take its toll. The comm channel was full of calls for assistance as one by one the Shenkar forces destroyed Evan’s fellow pilots. Spotting one of the crescent fighters pursuing one of his pilots, Evan pulled his fighter into a corkscrew that brought him in behind the fighter. His first shots went wide as the crescent fighter anticipated his move and spun his fighter away. Doggedly, he pursued his prey, firing continuously. Finally, he targeted the fighter and fired a burst that struck home, only to suffer disappointment as shields dissipated the energy. Keying his comm unit, he spoke to the rest of his fighter group. “Heads-up, everyone, the new fighters have shields.”
Aiming for his target once again, he fired staggered bursts into the engine section, finally overwhelming the shields. With satisfaction, he watched the crescent fighter explode. Off he went in pursuit of another target, killing and moving on, wondering if they were going to get out of this alive.
November 12, 2012, 2:55 a.m. ESTEDF Sacrifice
The Sacrifice shook with impacts under the constant salvos from the Shenkar attacks. Almost losing his footing, Admiral Kelvin grabbed the hand railing and set himself upright.
“Status report, Captain Caqel!” Kelvin commanded.
“Shields down to 30 percent. We have multiple coolant leaks, and we lost hangar bays three and four to fires. Fire teams are currently attempting to bring them under control. We have--”
“Sir, incoming torpedoes to the stern!” shouted the radar officer.
“Evasive maneuvers, fire the emergency port thrusters!” returned Admiral Kelvin.
Everyone on the bridge had to grab on to something to keep from falling as the Sacrifice suddenly shifted to starboard.
“Sir, successful evasion!” shouted the radar officer.
“Bring us about and take us straight at that big bastard tailing us. Maybe we can punch our way free,” commanded Kelvin.
Admiral Kelvin monitored the holographic display, watching the Shenkar warships trying to bottle them up. So far they had succeeded in destroying four cruisers and five destroyers, but they weren’t going to win this battle. Still heavily outnumbered, the Shenkar were quickly wearing down the shields of the Sacrifice. Latest reports showed that the Knights wouldn’t be able to help as they had their hands full with Shenkar fighters. He cursed himself for falling for such an obvious trap. Now it was just a battle to see who could escape with their lives.
November 12, 2012, 2:56 a.m. ESTShenkar C
ommand Base
Krailsha monitored the holographic display of the battle with satisfaction. Soon his forces would destroy the last of this human force, and then he could destroy their home world.
“So, Supreme Overlord, it seems you have finally caught your prey,” came a voice from behind him.
Turning, he saw Skizta standing there. Instead of saying anything, he simply turned back to the holographic display. After a moment, he finally spoke.
“What is it, Skizta? Don’t you have an air lock you can go play in?”
“I see your humor is as strong as ever, Supreme Overlord. What I wish is another command. I have been stuck on this station since you took command here. I am a Shenkar warrior; I thirst for battle,” said Shizta, not bothering to hide the anger barely contained in his voice.
“You are not worthy of command, Shizta. I may not be able to prove it, but I believe you are to blame for the loss of the Krazzeen. All evidence leads me to believe there never was an enemy strike force. I believe there was only this one battlecruiser, and you fell into an ambush. The Shelecore will hear of your blunder, I promise you that. Now get out of my sight before I remove your head from your shoulders,” Krailsha said with a sneer.
Shizta shook with anger as he stared at his Supreme Commander. His hand drifted toward his plasma sword, thinking of how he would love to drive the blade through his commanding officer’s heart.
“Do not try it, Shizta; you are not fast enough,” Krailsha said in a calm, even tone.
Shizta looked as if he was still going to try, but then whirled about and stalked from the bridge. Gazing after his former second-in-command, Krailsha then turned back to the holographic display. The enemy battlecruiser was almost encircled by now as it now faced off against the Shiefi, the last battlecruiser currently under his command. With eight cruisers and eight destroyers closing in from all sides, the human fighters still fought, but without their battlecruiser, they could easily be hunted down and eliminated. Today, the humans would fall!
November 12, 2012, 3:04 a.m. ESTEDF Sacrifice
The deck rolled under Kelvin’s feet as he surveyed the battle scene.
“Shield’s failing, sir!” yelled Captain Caqel over the roar of explosions that rumbled through the hull.
Looking about the bridge, he surveyed damage. Sparks shot from damaged panels all around. Not one of his bridge crew wasn’t bleeding from cuts they had sustained. Making his decision, he turned to his young Captain.
“Order the evacuation: all remaining personnel to the remaining Omega shuttles. Make your way back to the base if you can. Perhaps once this is all over, someone from Earth can send out a recovery team if they survive. You’re in command now, Captain Caqel.”
“Excuse me, sir? Won’t you be coming with us?” asked the Captain.
“No, I am going to buy you some time to escape. All fighters are to provide escort to you and the crew. Slave all controls to my console. I will handle the ship from here.”
Captain Caqel stared for a second, then hurriedly punched up all controls and slaved them to the Admiral’s console. He then turned and saluted the Admiral. Returning the salute, the Admiral returned his attention to the console. Suddenly, a sharp pain knifed through the Admiral’s skull and then everything went black.
November 12, 2012, 3:09 a.m. ESTEDF Sacrifice
Captain Caqel crouched to check the Admiral to make sure he hadn’t killed him when he had struck him across the back of the head.
“What did you do, Captain?” yelled Sukita.
Turning, he saw the young communications officer standing over him.
“I will not let him just throw his life away like this. He is a brilliant man and a great military leader. I knew he wouldn’t leave the ship any other way, so I took measures.”
Turning, he spotted a young man standing a few feet away, watching with a stunned look upon his face. Pointing at the young man, Captain Caqel spoke. “You--get over here and help Lieutenant Sukita get the Admiral to his shuttle.”
Captain Caqel watched the young officers pull the Admiral to his feet, draping an arm across each of their shoulders. As they started to move toward the door, Caqel reached out and grabbed Sukita’s arm.
“Tell him I am sorry for what I did. Tell him he was the finest officer I ever served under.”
Sukita just looked at him for a moment, gave a slight nod, then moved through the door and exited the bridge.
November 12, 2012, 3:16 a.m. ESTBattlefield near Planet N-6
Evan swerved his fighter again as he narrowly avoided colliding with a Shenkar fighter. Pulling the trigger, he was satisfied to see the Shenkar fighter erupt in flame.
“Zombie, we have Omega shuttles exiting the Sacrifice,” came the voice of Vampire.
Turning his head, he saw Omega shuttles launching from the heavily damaged Sacrifice. Weaving in and out of battle, they were attempting to escape to open space. They were easy targets for the Shenkar fighters. The first shuttle didn’t make it more than five hundred yards before Shenkar fighters swarmed the shuttle and it exploded.
“All fighters, protect those shuttles. This is a general retreat. I repeat, all fighters retreat with the shuttles. You all know where to go, but make sure you lose any pursuit first.”
Another shuttle exploded before any fighters could rush to their aid. But soon, the remaining shuttles were surrounded by the remaining EDF fighters as they attempted to break free to open space. Evan and the rest of Necro Squadron surrounded the last shuttle to exit. Energy flashed all around him as they attempted to move through the battle. Ahead, a Shizrec cruiser loomed in their path.
“Anyone have any torpedoes left?” Evan asked his squadron.
April and Darren were the only two who still had any.
“Wraith, Banshee, launch your torpedoes at the bridge of that bastard. Maybe with their shields gone, they will move off,” Evan commanded.
April and Darren’s Scorpion fighters moved forward and began their run on the cruiser. Two torpedoes flew toward the enemy cruiser as enemy fire began to intensify. Two great explosions rocked the cruiser as the first then the second torpedo slammed into the shields over the bridge. The cruiser, however, didn’t move off as they continued their approach.
Damn, Evan thought to himself. Getting past this cruiser will be difficult while trying to protect this shuttle. His comm unit cracked to life as Steve’s voice came over.
“April, what are you doing!” he yelled.
Looking at his readout, he saw that April had not pulled off her torpedo run and was heading straight at the bridge of the cruiser.
“Banshee, return to formation. That is an order!” Evan commanded.
“Sorry, sir, but these bastards have to pay. They killed Michael.”
April’s forward shields crackled with energy as she sped straight at the bridge. But for as much energy as was being thrown at her, she made it through. April’s fighter slammed nose first into the bridge of the cruiser. A great gout of flame exploded outward, and the cruiser suddenly began to shift down seemingly out of control. The opening was enough, and Evan and the rest of Necro Squadron escorted the shuttle free.
November 12, 2012, 3:18 a.m. ESTEDF Sacrifice
Turning to the Admiral’s console, Caqel surveyed the damage indicator and saw he wouldn’t have much time. All energy cannons were now on auto fire and were laying down continuous suppressive fire to give the escaping shuttles some time to get away. Punching up a targeting solution on the nearest cruiser, he fired all available cannons at it. Salvo after salvo tore into the cruiser, leaving a dead husk in space. A massive explosion rocked the Sacrifice as something deep inside the ship exploded. Checking his controls, he saw that the primary fire control reactor had overloaded and exploded. The resulting explosion left the Sacrifice defenseless as all energy cannons went quiet.
Activating the propulsion, he was relieved to see that it was still functioning. Pushing the reactors to full power, the engines rumbled under the str
ain; but the Sacrifice moved forward, gaining speed as she went. Looking at the display, he smiled as he saw the Shenkar battlecruiser directly in his path. It wasn’t until he was almost on top of the other battlecruiser did they realize what the Captain had planned.
“Okay, you bastards, let’s see if you like the taste of this battlecruiser ’cause you are about to have her rammed down your throat!”
The ship rocked hard, and the Captain was slammed forward against the console. A great rumbling sounded as the Sacrifice crashed headlong into the enemy battlecruiser. Great chunks of metal tore free as the two battlecruisers met. Then the Sacrifice’s main reactor overloaded and exploded. The final thing Captain Caqel saw was the fire all around him and the final thought that went through his head was, “Ha, guess they never played chicken.”
And with that, the two battlecruisers exploded.
November 12, 2012, 3:22 a.m. ESTShenkar Command Base
Krailsha watched stunned as the two battlecruisers slammed headlong into each other. He had to admit a certain respect for these humans. Even in the face of certain death, they would go down as warriors. He felt that it was too bad these humans couldn’t have been made an ally. He also worried that if these humans were equipped with more than just this one battlecruiser, it could prove fatal for him and his Dread Fleet--especially now that he had just lost his last battlecruiser. He would have to remedy this somehow.
“All remaining forces, pursue and destroy any remaining humans forces. None are to escape,” he commanded.
Turning to his new second-in-command, he spoke again. “I will be in my quarters. I need to send a message.”
November 12, 2012, 3:22 a.m. ESTBattlefield near Planet N-6
