Kelly Blake 3: Where the Stars Are Few and Far Between

by Rodney Smith

  She lined up her ships and had them attack the target one at a time, slowly chiseling away at the gray rock covering the control center, in a deadly methodical manner. At what felt like a glacially slow pace, ship after ship lined up and contributed to the growing crater.

  * * * * *

  G’Motta knew his command was doomed. The explosions were coming with a slow inexorable rhythm, chipping away at his protective cover. Pictures of stylized space battles on his walls, holdovers from his predecessor, bounced off their hangers and fell to the floor. A pitcher of water vibrated slowly off his desk and smashed on the floor. Although his center was being badly shaken, he watched the screens as the one operational gun on the small moon was coming around the planet and within minutes of being able to fire on his attackers. If he could hold out until then he might have a chance of swatting at these insects on his roof. Nonetheless, he sent nonessential personnel to the escape pods, but withheld launch authorization.

  * * * * *

  Tammy’s last two ships were lining up to fire their 48 missiles into the deepening crater. The first ship lined up and launched its missiles two seconds apart and the antimatter warheads threw out large chunks of rock and debris, much larger than before. She told her last ship to fire two missiles at a time two seconds apart, in attempt to speed up the process. It lined up, settled into the run to let the missiles’ gyros stabilize, and fired the first two missiles. A massive chunk of rock blew out of the hole and spun through space. The pilot concentrated on his target and fired his remaining 22 missiles two at a time.

  * * * * *

  G’Motta had done all he could. Systems were being knocked offline by the massive explosions. It was only a matter of time before the roof came down. He ordered all personnel to the escape pods and authorized launch. He put the system on automatic, meaning it would fire on any target in range of a gun, and walked to the nearest escape pod. He checked to ensure all personnel had evacuated and entered the pod. Several came to attention, but he waved them back down into their seats. There would be a time for formalities later, but for now it was time to leave. He sealed the hatch behind him and started the launch countdown. He took a seat and strapped himself in. The rockets kicked in and launched them into the space above G’Durin. Their automatic guidance would drop them down near the Imperial Guards Barracks.

  * * * * *

  Tammy orbited above her last ship firing into the crater. Ever larger boulders and shards of rock were ejected from the hole. The pilot was doing a good job of timing his missile firing to avoid detonating his missiles on the debris. It was obvious he was close to punching through and he wanted to be the one to do it for the two ships killed on the initial run.

  His last two missiles left the external rails and flew into the dust cloud above the hole. That explosion threw out chunks larger, followed by a burst of atmosphere that blew all the dust from the hole and left a clear view into the facility.

  Tammy recommended one more ship from the next squadron fire into the hole to finish the command and control facility for good, then ordered her ships to stand off while she got permission to return to base. The wing commander took her advice and fired two of his missiles down into the hole. He ordered the rest of the wing to fire their missiles at the nine gun emplacements, to ensure they could never be brought on line again. He congratulated Tammy on her victory as he ordered them all home. Her sense of triumph was muted by the cost of two ships and crews spent in its attainment.

  * * * * *

  Shadow Leader G’Motta saw the destruction of his command through the viewport in the hatch, realizing what the burst of atmosphere meant. He wondered how many warriors he lost. He supposed there would be time for that once they assembled on the ground. He had commanded for less than a day and a half, destroyed only 26 ships and damaged an equal number more. He knew it would not be enough.

  He sat back in his seat while the pod burned its way into G’Durin’s atmosphere. As he looked around at the other faces, he saw fear. He hoped they did not see the same fear in his.

  * * * * *

  With the destruction of the lunar defense complex, Admiral Chang transported to K’Rang space through the 1st Combined Fleet’s ring ship and positioned his command ship near the center of the 1st Combined Fleet’s formation. He ordered the Marines to assault and occupy the city. Six Assault Landing Groups moved into orbit over G’Durin.

  In under an hour, six divisions had been landed throughout the city. Isolated pockets of resistance formed where groups of armed K’Rang barricaded themselves in buildings overlooking key chokepoints. The disruptor rifles’ ability to make cover disappear brought much of that to an end, as snipers found themselves unexpectedly exposed to accurate counter-fire. An uneasy calm, sprinkled with infrequent bursts of gunfire, settled over the K’Rang capital. The Marines moved in and locked down the city.

  The senior Marine commander, LTG David Taylor, paid a visit to the Imperial Palace. He confidently marched up to the entrance, guarded by a platoon of crimson-cloaked Imperial Guardsmen, under a flag of truce and had his interpreter ask for an audience with the heads of the K’Rang Empire. The fact that he was backed up by a heavy company from 1st of the 22nd Marines with their combat carriers and fire support vehicles helped to hurry his request along. The Elders’ plan to retire to their cavern emergency command post had been short-circuited by a delayed departure and a Marine division landing on their escape route. They chose to return to the Imperial Palace and brazen it out. The general, his interpreter, and his aide were escorted to the Elders’ audience hall and presented to the Elders.

  He spoke slowly so his interpreter could keep up. “Gentlemen, I am Lieutenant General David Taylor of the Galactic Republic Marine Corps. I am in command of six divisions of Marines currently occupying your city. We plan to be here for the foreseeable future. You can save your population a great deal of discomfort if they put down their arms and submit to our occupation. Any resistance will result in the death of those taking up arms against us. We will make every effort to spare innocent civilians lives, but cannot guarantee their safety if they are hit by fire directed at those firing at us.”

  “I have here a proclamation listing the restrictions we will impose on the population. They are the minimum we feel necessary to maintain order and reduce the chance of misunderstandings between our peoples.”

  Elder J’Gon answered for the K’Rang, “Lieutenant General Taylor, we are a warrior race. Do you expect us to just roll over on our backs and surrender to a mere six divisions? We could have four times that number here in a week. We will not submit. You will not be able to guarantee the safety of your warriors with this act of bravado.”

  LTG Daniels calmly pulled out his pistol, set it on broad beam, and made the front of their bench disappear. Unsupported by its front wall, the bench fell over forward, exposing the three Elders in their seats.

  He said, “Your bravado does not interest me, either. Here are the facts. You are a conquered people. I would not put too much hope on your rescue. Your 24 divisions will never arrive. Your Grand Armada due in two days will be destroyed. Any attacks on my Marines will be met with overwhelming force. Any deaths or injuries to your population as a result of our response are on your heads, not mine. Anyone on the streets after dark will be incarcerated for the duration of our stay on your charming planet.”

  On that last note, he and his interpreter did an about face and marched out of the audience chamber. He went immediately to a conference of his six division commanders and his staff to tell them not to expect a compliant populace. He instructed them to barricade themselves in and expect low-level attacks from individuals to squad size.

  * * * * *

  Admiral Chang received a request from Jotil Lenkva to attach a battalion of Marines to the units occupying the K’Rang capital. He politely turned it down because the K’Rang did not know of their alliance and her presence. He intended to keep the Angaerry presence a surprise until he sprang them on the K’Ra
ng Grand Armada.

  Jotil Lenkva liked that. She wanted to be the surprise to ruin the K’Rang commander’s day. She felt the need to avenge two decades of K’Rang dominance over her people. She would enjoy springing the trap.

  She already enjoyed working with the battle fleet commanders. She found their patience with her questions to be very tactful and their answers to be quite helpful, if not a trifle too diplomatic at times. She took no offense and realized they were becoming accustomed to her as she was with them.

  She took a shuttle to Admiral Thomas’ carrier to see carrier operations at first hand. She was given the opportunity to sit in an A-76 and an F-53. She found them quite roomy, until she stood next to the pilot of one of them, and felt so small. She wondered how he fit in the cockpit. She watched the launch of a squadron of F-53's from the Space Boss’ office and was impressed with how quickly they were able to depart the ship.

  She liked these fighters, and would recommend the Angaerry look into building fighters, attack ships, and carriers. She was beginning to see how useful and flexible they were and how they carried the fight to the enemy and saved one’s own ships.

  Her next visit was to flight operations, where she saw the scheduling and deconfliction necessary for carrier flight operations. She next stopped at the CIC. Here, she saw how flight was integrated into the total capabilities of the fleet. The sensor and weapon range of every ship, fighter and attack ship was plotted in the large holographic viewer occupying the center of the room. She walked around the various positions and saw sensors, offensive missile control, defensive missile control, gunnery, flight ops, and close in defensive system control. She was even more impressed. Admiral Thomas led her up to her Flag spaces and introduced Jotil Lenkva to her staff, which did everything she saw below, but for the fleet.

  When she left to return to her flagship, she was incredibly impressed with how these Humans were organized and the ways she could improve her fleet. She vowed to implement these improvements when she returned to Angaerry space. The eve of a battle was no time to try and implement a new tactic or doctrine. Integrating these useful carriers was as avant garde as she planned to get.

  * * * * *

  The next day, the Elders prepared for action. The Armada from the Eridanus sector would arrive sometime that day. Elder J’Kol, the former commander, had a mental calculation of when they would arrive. At the appointed time, he waited to hear news of his old command. The day came and went and nothing was heard from the Armada. Elder J’Kol began to worry, then dismissed it. Either K’Rel had decided to drop out of FTL far from the system, to avoid defeat at the hands of the superior Human fleets, or he was waiting for the Grand Armada to arrive. Either way, it was another day before they would know.

  J’Gon was still smarting from the arrogance of the Human general the day before. He wanted to see the Human defeated and demoralized for the way he had addressed them. He had insulted them and that could not be let to stand.

  “Damn these Humans for destroying their FTL communications hubs! Even after we defeat them, it will be years before we can reestablish contact with all the worlds.”

  G’Tol and J’Kol kept their thoughts to themselves, but they knew the Humans would not be so easy to defeat. It would be best to have an alternate plan in case plan A was not successful.

  * * * * *

  Working as he was for the Angaerry, Kelly was able to scout where he wished, within tactical limits. He decided to track along the expected path of the K’Rang fleet. He sped up to FTL power 7 and had his sensor section report all FTL power indications. He tried to see if he could locate the incoming fleet from its FTL signature. After several hours at max speed, he turned toward G’Durin and raced back. It was just an experiment and all of them don’t work.

  He made a wide circle around G’Durin, searching for the Armada from the Eridanus sector. They were expected today and had yet to make an appearance. The scouts trailing the Eridanus Armada had entered an area of space where the combined FTL bubbles of over 500 ships effectively jammed long-range FTL communications; the news of their joining up with the Grand Armada would not reach Admiral Chang before battle was joined.

  Without this knowledge, Kelly suspected they had dropped out of FTL far from the K’Rang home system, but he was unable to locate them. He was especially careful to search outward from the Angaerry fleet, to make sure they were not surprised. He drew a blank again. Today just wasn’t Kelly’s day.

  * * * * *

  Mary Chen walked the perimeter of her brigade’s area of responsibility. Occasional sniper rounds had made Colonel Maxwell pull back the perimeter from right on the avenue circling the government center to behind the elaborate hedges. They put portable barriers and towers in place, rather than using engineer support to build berms. Colonel Maxwell did not wish to be accused of unnecessary damage to a cultural site after the war was over and the lawyers jumped in. Mary bounded from cover to cover, inspecting the fighting positions and strong points.

  The sniping had been bad at first, but a concerted effort to assault sniper positions and do maximum damage to the house involved made the homeowners reluctant to patriotically offer their homes up as battlegrounds. The K’Rang were a race of warriors, but some were less warlike than others. The sight of two-meter diameter disruptor fire holes in the sides of houses – not to mention similar damage inside – was enough to discourage all but the most virulently hostile from offering their homes as sniper nests.

  Mary worked her way from company position to company position, checking to see if more could be done to keep the Marines safe. She was pretty impressed with what had been accomplished in so short a time.

  She returned to the brigade command post as Maxwell was working on a patrol schedule for the heavy battalion. He wanted to expand their area of influence by sending platoon-sized motorized patrols through the surrounding neighborhoods. Mary’s deputy was already working up a patrol plan when she arrived. She looked over his shoulder, liked what she saw, and worked on items she observed during her perimeter walk. When finished, her deputy brought it over for her approval before taking it to the commander. Mary made some minor modifications and sent him to brief Maxwell. She hoped all days here on G’Durin would be this easy. She could handle anything the K’Rang could throw at them here on the ground; she just hoped the fleet could handle anything they threw at them in space.

  * * * * *

  Shadow Force Commander (Baron) G’Rof prepared his commanders for the upcoming battle. He named the succession of command in case he or others in the list were killed. He had subordinate commanders do likewise. As large as the Grand Armada was, a breakdown in command would be fatal. He announced his standing order for every ship to fire their entire offensive missile load on command, reload quickly, and be prepared to fire again. G’Rof chose a position on the far side of the home system, beyond the expected location of the Taurus Fleet. He would quickly kill them and turn to attack the Pisces Fleet. He thought the time they spent practicing rapid reload would serve them well in this situation. He reinforced to each commander to open up the formation as they came out of FTL, to provide clear paths for the missiles of the inner ships.

  His orders reinforced, he closed communications and waited as the final hours, minutes, and seconds counted down. In his hands was the future of the K’Rang Empire. His actions today would lead to triumph or destruction for the Empire. Long live the Empire!

  * * * * *

  Humans, K’Rang and Angaerry all over K’Rang space sweated out the next few hours. No one had ever seen this much combat power concentrated in one place before. Two fleets – one allied, one K’Rang – would meet to decide the future of this segment of this arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. Would it be the K’Rang tyranny or the mostly benevolent rule of the Galactic Republic and the Angaerry that would triumph? All would be decided in the 17 hours between the coming dawn on G’Durin and sunset. Wills were updated. Messages to loved ones were composed and sent off. Prayers were said.
Creatures of three species prepared themselves for battle as best they knew how.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Admiral Levi had put his fleet on battle stations an hour before and still the K’Rang Fleet had yet to arrive. He was wondering if he did it out of caution or the jitters. He had half his A-76's flying along with his fighter CAP to provide an early punch if the K’Rang dropped right on top of them.

  Admiral Levi had a gut feeling that the Grand Armada was going to drop out of FTL on his side of the home system. It was what he would do. As a result, he calculated from their start point to G’Durin, and moved his combined fleet another 10 million km to give him a little more reaction time. He damned himself for thinking it, but he wished the K’Rang would hurry up.

  * * * * *

  The lead navigator on the K’Rang flagship gave Baron G’Rof the 30-second warning and sent the brake time message to all ships. Baron G’Rof brought all ships to full combat readiness and waited as the clock ticked down. The time ticked over and the K’Rang Grand Armada exploded into space near the home system. The released energy as over 500 FTL engines came offline threw out a crown of red, orange, and yellow lightning bolts and plasma around the fleet, lighting up the darkness. This had always been theorized, but the number of FTL ships necessary to achieve the plasma discharge had never been assembled in one spot before.