by Ernest Filak
“What are the damages?”
“Apart from the bridge they have also hit the second artillery tower.”
“Casualties?”
“We’re still counting,” the deputy didn’t want to reveal the numbers.
“Jim?”
“Twelve people killed and twice as many wounded,” Kato was still hiding something back.
“Are you finally going to tell me…?”
“They didn’t hit the bridge directly, but deeper – the captain’s private quarters.”
Tony Cassino didn’t live there. The place was used by the former commander whom they had arrested, the man nominated by Admiral Black and a supporter of the separatists.
“Is he?”
“We still haven’t found the body.”
The effects of the fighting so far were miserable. Given the circumstances, were they supposed to flee? This would mean leaving tens of thousands of people to their own devices while facing an unknown enemy.
“What state is King Edward in?”
“They were more lucky. They got hit in the cargo sectors. Their Logistics Officer and the Main Warehouseman are tearing their hair out. They didn’t suffer more damage.”
Jim had a reputation for his dark sense of humor.
“Is the data being transmitted to the buoys?”
“Yes, Skipper.”
“The largest of the Alien ships has stopped,” Cassino stated the fact rather than asked this time.
“Yes. Everything seems to suggest that this vessel is an equivalent of our carrier. And the other three units are shields,” Kato risked making his first assumptions.
“Skipper, enemy fighters are getting back to their mother ship,” the tactical officer reported.
“Full speed ahead,” Cassino knew when the right moment came. He didn’t hesitate. This was their only chance to do something. “Send an order to Kuznietsov to follow in our tracks.”
“King Edward acknowledged,” the communications officer confirmed.
Both massive ships set out to face the enemy.
“What are you planning to do?” the deputy asked.
“Pass by once. We need to know what these three ships have at their disposal. So far they have been using implosive weaponry.” Cassino projected a zoomed-in image of the revolutionary armored ship HES Victory. “It’s a newly built vessel that now looks like a colander.”
HES Independence, floating next to it in space, wasn’t in much better shape. The commanders of both ships let the enemy fighters get close, trusting the firepower of their guns. This mistake turned out to cost them dearly. Their protection fields were able to withstand only a dozen hits, even though they had been set to maximum power. Every new explosion brought destruction.
“You’re risking a lot,” Kato warned. “We managed to survive this attack only thanks to the fact that they didn’t know our weapons and we were never their primary target. They expected more of the orbital objects and this is where they concentrated their forces.”
“Exactly. That’s why we have to attack right now,” the commander was convinced that his arguments were right. “We need to get more information at all cost. Otherwise, our sacrifice will go to waste. Every byte of information will save a liter of blood in the future. This data will be sent to Earth. The Fleet needs to be ready when the time comes.”
Cassino knew that the bridge crew were soaking up his every word. That was a good thing. They needed to be aware of the important role they were to play, in case the worst came to the worst.
“We’re going at full speed, Skipper.”
“Strengthen the protection field on the bow,” Cassino was getting his ship ready for battle.
“Kuznietsov here,” the Commander of King Edward was displayed on Jim’s panel. “What’s the plan?”
Kato put him through to Cassino.
“We’re flying parallel to the Alien fighters returning to their mother ship.” Kuznietsov listened intently. He didn’t comment on his interlocutor’s wretched look. He accepted the orders. “We’re over the ecliptic. I’m planning to draw the bar over the letter T. This way we’ll limit contact time with the enemy to the bare minimum.”
“It’s a good plan,” the Commander of King Edward admitted.
“Both Alien units are gathering speed,” the tactical officer observed.
“They want to re-arm before we get there,” Kuznietsov figured out. “I suggest we take off safeguards and enhance our nominal power to one hundred and ten percent.”
“I consent.” Cassino watched as their increased speed relatively slowed down the fighters. Both formations reached almost the same speed and looked as if they we hanging immobile, with space speeding around them.
“How ugly they are,” Edward’s Captain allowed himself to let out a comment as he was watching the high resolution image.
“I suppose they think exactly the same thing about us,” Cassino said.
“What configuration of weapons have you chosen?” Kuznietsov went back to the point.
“Have you got any suggestions, Captain?”
“I believe they have an advantage over us that we won’t be able to counter balance in any way.” Kuznietsov was handed a mug. He tried the steaming contents, nodded his thank you, and went back to the analysis. “Direct contact is out of the question. There’s no point in selective choice of targets. We must count on our luck here. The main aim is to gather information about their procedures. That’s why I suggest we set the main artillery at every 90 degrees.”
Cassino pondered for a while. Both his battleship and the cruiser had four artillery towers each. Each of them was installed on a rotating ring, which made it possible to fire within the full 360 degrees range around the ship. Kuznietsov’s suggestion meant setting the rings in such a way that every sector could be under barrage, obviously at the cost of the intensity of fire.
“If we could send both ships into rotating motion….” Cassino was introducing his own touch to Kuznietsov’s plan, “we could lower the risk of our force shields getting broken. They do get damaged by a few hits into the same sector.”
“Well, looks like we have quite a decent plan,” Kuznietsov looked satisfied. Was he acting to boost the morale or did he really believe they had a chance?
“I want our combat computers to set out complementing fields of fire for our ships. After we adjust the course, we’ll reduce speed to one hundred percent, which will let us fire…” – Cassino used a calculator – “twice. We won’t be able to fire three times. Tough luck. Feed all launchers with short range ship-to-ship missiles. We stand a sixty percent chance that one of them hits the target. It’s not their maneuverability that matters here, but the firepower.”
“The fighters are gathering up speed,” an observer reported.
It was a fact that the small units began to get further away.
“The green creatures already know what we are capable of,” Kuznietsov put his mug away. “Question is: will they find the time to get ready?”
“Not properly,” the commander said. “A few squadrons might, but we’re getting closer too fast. The second wave should already be taking off and the radars don’t show anything.”
“Keep saying that, Captain Cassino. It’s honey for my aching heart.”
“Two minutes to course change,” the navigator spoke up.
“Copy that. I confirm the attack plan,” Cassino quickly made a decision. From that moment on the whole responsibility was his.
There was nothing else to add. Kuznietsov disconnected. The Alien ships kept growing on the screen panels. The first small units began docking inside the carrier. Now every second of having an advantage was very precious.
“Adjust the course,” Cassino ordered personally.
The atmosphere in the command center was getting heavier. The stars outside moved to new positions. Both ships were whizzing to meet their fate. They were falling perpendicular to the ecliptic, straight at the unmoving Aliens.
�
��Slow down to one hundred percent, shift the force field to the stern. Rotating motion to the starboard and King Edward the other way. Now!”
The first squadron of enemy fighters shot out ahead of them. Right after that there was another one, and one more soon after. The earthly ships were too close. Everything remained in the hands of the computers.
“Switch!” the helmsman shouted instinctively.
Suddenly, reports started coming from all directions.
“Sectors D12, 13 and 17 are damaged. There is a fire in the main storage room. The hull is depressurized in many places. We lost contact with tower number 3.”
Despite all the necessary precautions, the Aliens managed to hit the ship.
“Disengage from the enemy! To the machine room, one hundred and ten percent power!”
“Tony,” Jim Kato turned to the Commander. Cassino had never heard such tension in his voice. “King Edward is slowing down.”
“Show me Edward on the main screen.”
The crew of the command center watched the accompanying ship with dread. The cruiser was in bad shape. It got hit on the bow and the hull was torn all along one side. One of the nozzles on the stern was ripped off, and the vessel was unable to reach enough speed to escape. Also the communications tower had disappeared and the antennae were being bent in all the possible directions.
“This is Kuznietsov on Edward,” the image was blurred and fuzzy and kept breaking down. Only the voice was audible enough. In the background there was a lot of screaming and crying for help. “At length is the fox brought to the furrier. That’s it! We’re out of the game, my friend.”
“Captain, what can we do to help you?” Cassino found it hard to manage his voice, but his words didn’t really reach the bridge of the cruiser.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Commander. Stick to your course and speed. And drink good vodka to our souls,” the transmission was abruptly cut short.
The cruiser began to turn away. As it did they could see its stern.
“Fucking hell!” Kato swore.
The proud ship lost the main artillery towers at the rear together with both their rings. Through the holes, air and technical gases were hissing out. The force field covered only the bow part of the vessel. Alien fighters could now kill the victim off with impunity. Still, the crew of the doomed ship remained on their positions until the end. In front of their eyes, a missile launched from Edward shot out towards Alien ships. The first machine managed to duck, but the other didn’t. A small ball of fire flashed.
“They’re hitting back,” a young midshipman spoke up. Cassino didn’t see fit to tell the boy off.
King Edward attracted the assault force and increased their chances of surviving. With grim satisfaction they realized that their attack caused damage to the Aliens. One of their shield vessels was missing and the number of fighters visibly decreased.
The cruiser turned around and took the carrier as its main target. The force field was barely able to withstand the all round barrage. All sections of the hull were falling off at the stern. The remaining three nozzles flashed with extra fire, which meant that the pile would overheat within the next few minutes.
Enemy fighters were tearing the victim into pieces. But they didn’t manage to stifle it. Kuznietsov saw his last attack through. Before the crash a single canon from the front battery sounded. HES King Edward rammed into the carrier. Cassino found it incredibly hard to stand and watch the death of so many brave people. No gravity compensators were able to keep the crew alive. He knew that this moment would come back haunting him in his dreams. He issued the most difficult order in his career.
“Hold the speed. Set the course to get us out of the system.”
Chapter VIII
The Second Planet.
“Higher, higher!” Theodore was getting angry. “What is it? You’re not strong
enough?”
I strained every muscle and we managed to toss the battery onto the back of the Mech. There were already four others there that we had hauled before.
“Thank God this is the last one,” I moaned.
“Enough?”
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“Take a break then.” Theodore turned to face Sunshine, who was busy sliding bullets into an ammo belt for one of the cannons.
“I can’t get this cover closed,” she complained, sending a beautiful smile towards Theodore.
Of course he didn’t fail to rush to her with his help. Only somehow his hands kept dangerously closer to her butt than the Mech cover. It was a real pleasure to look at them. I quickly forgot about the delirium I fell into right after the battle. I didn’t mind them making out. They should use the last moments of quiet – not much time was left until sunrise. I should probably get myself lost and wander somewhere further into the woods.
The stars over my head were extraordinarily bright. It was the first time I saw any danger in them. Captain Nemov’s revelations were still drumming in my head. So Aliens do exist. In normal circumstances I would treat his words like a joke. But he had an irrefutable argument. The argument was now lying in the grass and stinking more and more. And it weighed about thirty tons. It was hard to walk by something like that and ignore it. Especially that the thing defied all the common rules, with evolution at the head. Had anyone ever heard about an organism combining a living body with a machine? And one where it’s impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins? I confess I felt truly terrified at the thought. For the first time since arriving on Hades I felt homesick. Was I getting old? Yes, apparently.
“How are you feeling, comrade?” the young revolutionary came up to me from where officers of the Star Troopers were gathered.
“Thank you, Commandant, I’m very well” I took my food ration from him.
“And where are the others?” he asked. Couldn’t he really hear the rustling grasses from behind the Mech and Sunshine’s more and more audible moans? That must have been courtesy of the grenade that had exploded close to his head. Things like that happened.
“They went looking for the connecting rod – we can’t move on without it,” I said the first thing that popped into my head.
The young revolutionary came from a farming planet and his technical education left a lot to be desired. Just like I thought, he made a knowing face pretending to understand everything. I felt sorry for him but I didn’t want to interrupt my friends on their way to the final they were getting close to. I grunted to break the awkward silence. He really should be able to hear them. In this respect Sunshine wasn’t exactly a quiet woman. What was I saying? Ah, yes….
“Have you been long in combat?” I asked, taking the portions for my friends from his hands. I was sure they would develop post-coital hunger soon. We had managed to hide a dozen such portions in the nooks and crannies of the Mech, but I didn’t see why these ones should go to waste.
“Well,” he began counting in his mind, “I made my vows half a year ago. Then I spent two months hibernated, then three weeks of training here.”
From what he was saying I could assume that he had been through his baptism of fire no longer than two nights ago.
“You’ll go far, Commandant. I’m sure they’ll make you a general one day.”
“You think?”
“Sure thing,” I nodded, cursing Theodore’s idea in my mind. He suggested making the greenhorn into a commander of the red squadron and it all went to the boy’s head.
This was all a result of the newest strategic reshuffling. Rumor had it that in the last report the Uroboros command announced a ceasefire with the revolutionary forces, acknowledging their claims. They were even supposed to have entered into some sort of unofficial cooperation, thanks to which our mini squad could be formed. This way we had been freed from slavery one more time. I hoped it was the last time. Besides, Star Troopers themselves were shocked to discover they no longer served the concern, but the Kingdom of Uroboros. That was hilarious. In other words, a total mess. And we all owed
it to the green creatures and their unannounced arrival.
We didn’t know most of the details but people were being fucked all the way through.
“What’s the Captain planning?” I asked our commander.
“Marching to the evacuation point.”
That was quite a good idea. But who would take us away from that godforsaken place? And what if the Star Troopers change their mind and get rid of us at the last minute? There were question marks everywhere, and not many straightforward answers.
“And you were not assigned an after battle assembly point?” I asked hopefully. If I were to choose the lesser evil, I would go with the revolutionaries. I had been in contact with them before and this could prove useful now.
“No. We had been commanded to take the base of Star Troopers at all cost. And not take a step back. That was the order.”
In terms of reaching their goals the revolutionaries were bloody stubborn and determined. Sometimes they were supported in this by special units that would eliminate those who had had the courage to express doubt. Our conversation was interrupted by the lovebirds. Theodore was swiping dust off his pants and Sunshine adjusting her blouse. Smiling charmingly, she came up to the young revolutionary, extending her hand.
“I’m Sunshine.”
He hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to behave. At least theoretically, he was our supervisor, but in the end he shook her hand.
“Alexy Pierunov.”
Theodore motioned me towards the Mech.
“We’ll only fill the tanks with oil and we’re ready to go,” he explained for the commandant.
“Ah, yes, yes. Go,” the young man tried in vain to take his eyes off Sunshine’s nipples that were almost visible though the material. “The Captain wants us to set out as soon as possible.”
“No problem, we’ll only need a minute,” I said leaving.
We went to the other side of the Mech.
“Everything ok?” Theodore asked.
“Sure. I feel sorry for the kid. I don’t think the red command will like his cooperation with the royals,” I said the last words scornfully.
