by Saxon Andrew
Jixie looked at Sam, “Find us some pilots, Sam. We can help our fleet if we can get moving.”
Sam raised his wrist unit and started speaking.
• • •
Russ’ wrist unit buzzed and he saw Sam on the display, “Your Majesty, what do I owe this call to?”
“I need you to fly one more mission. Are you up to it?”
What’s going on?”
“Your son’s unit is going to attack another Carnivore invasion and I want to assist the fleet. Are you in?”
“Send me the coordinates.”
• • •
Russ looked at Gabriella and said, “If you say no, I won’t go.”
Gabby looked at Russ and smiled, “I’m the one that made the mistake of leaving you. I won’t make it again. I know who you are. Now go and save our son.”
Russ pulled her close and kissed her deeply, “I love you so much.” Russ hit his unit and disappeared. Gabby sighed and called Ana, “He’s being sent in again.”
Ana’s expression showed her fear and Gabby said, “You can live with this. I’ve been weak in the past but you’re stronger than I am. I lost all those years of love because of my fears. You can do this.”
Ana took a deep breath and nodded.
• • •
The alarms went off and the First Regiment teleported in to their assembly rooms. Pixie arrived right behind Russell, “Where are we going?”
“I’ve just sent you the planet’s coordinates.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“Make sure you send Clarke what you see.” Pixie nodded and disappeared. “Clarke, our Scout has just left to determine what we’re up against. She’ll be sending you a live feed as soon as she arrives.”
“I’m on it.”
Col. Paz-din came on Russell’s display and said, “I’m going to depend on your unit to take on the core of their forces. The other two battalions are not near your level of readiness.”
“I notice we have the right flank and the second brigade is taking the left.”
“That is how this is shaping up, Major.”
Russell looked at the Sycian and saw his skin color was changing color rapidly. It was a survival trait of his species and he knew the Colonel could not control it. It wasn’t good that the Warriors under him could see his nervousness. “Sir, then I humbly request that I be allowed to assign the targets to the other battalions and the First Brigade.”
“Fleet normally makes those assignments.”
“They won’t be able to do it as effectively or as quickly as I can, Sir. I ask that you trust me on this.”
Paz-din stared at Russell. He knew Russell’s history fighting the Carnivores and he wondered if the Major was really able to do what he was asking. He fought his fears and said, “Send the assignments.”
Russell punched his com and said, “Clarke, we are going in on the enemy’s right flank. I need you to assign the targets to the other two battalions in our Brigade and also assign the targets to the First Brigade before we drop in.”
Clarke tilted his head and said, “I’ve never tried that many, Sir.”
“Do the best you can. Would you prefer Fleet to do it?”
Clarke shook his head and turned his display to the feed coming from Pixie.
• • •
Pixie teleported in to the planet in high orbit just below the Carnivore ships holding station above the planet. She focused on the surface and started sending the view to Clarke. “They have at least a division on the surface.”
Pixie nodded, “Most of the heavy stuff is moving down the main highway. It looks like they’re making good time.”
“How long before they arrive at the city?”
“It looks like they’ll get there in another hour and thirty minutes.”
Clarke looked at the formation and said, “I’ve been asked to assign targets to the entire Regiment but everything I see will lead to high casualties.”
“What can be done to improve our chances?”
“The Carnivore’s main point of attack is on the road. If we could knock out the leading Heavy Armor in the front of their formations and explode a trench on each side of the road that would cause the others to back up. We could then hit them on the flanks and avoid the Heavy Armor in the Center until the last possible moment. Unfortunately, we are going in with the fleet and they will not be available to make that happen.”
“What else?”
“There are fifty armored blasters moving overland on each flank of their formation. If we could reduce their number, I see a way to get at them.”
“How many need to be removed?”
“At least half.”
“I’m going to hit the center of their forces and then go after the armor on the left. I’ll take the right after I finish the left. Delay the Brigade attacking the left for twenty seconds.”
Clarke looked at Pixie on his display and said, “That’s a rather ambitious load you’re taking on, Captain.”
Pixie smiled, “It’ll be fun. Make the assignments like we’ve discussed. I have a ship’s main beam in my armor and I should be able to do the trenches we need. I’ll continue sending you the feed and you can adjust accordingly.”
“Captain, I don’t want to see you hurt. You’re extremely important to this unit.”
“Just do it.”
Clarke disappeared from her display and Pixie sighed. All of this could be fraught with danger if Fleet didn’t remove the ships in low orbit. They could hit the Warriors from space. She looked at the giant warships around her and hoped Fleet knew what it was doing.
• • •
Sprigly looked at Sam and was turning dark brown, “Sir, this ship is quite different from the one these pilots once flew.”
Jixie said, “Where is the tutorial?”
Sprigly handed her the disc and Jixie looked at it. She absorbed the contents and turned to the pilots and inserted it into their minds. She turned to Sprigly and said, “Power them up.”
Sprigly watched the ten pilots lift the canopies on the ships and start activating the systems. “How did you do that?”
“I’m a good teacher.”
She ran to a ship next to Sam’s and began powering the systems. Sam looked at the display and saw the tactical being sent to Fleet. He punched the communication panel and said, “Admiral Dennis.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“We are going to join your attack on the Carnivore fleet. My unit is going to remove the ships just above the planet.”
“How many ships are you bringing?”
“Twelve.”
“Your Highness, that is a suicide mission.”
“It will also be a suicide mission for our Warriors if they aren’t taken out when they drop to the surface. I’ve got the ships above the planet; you handle the rest. I’m using my authority and making this a Crimson Command.”
Admiral Dennis knew he would never be able to get to the King to overrule that command before the attack. He looked at Sam and said, “I will follow your orders, Your Highness, but I do it with high reservation.”
“I’d do the same thing, Admiral. You won’t be disciplined for this.”
Dennis changed his attack plan and thought, “Easy for you to say. Who is going to defend me when you’re dead?”
Sam looked at his display, “Call it Jixie.”
“We are going to come in at the ships above the planet in a line with half mile spacing between our ships. We will all fire at each of the ships as we pass and continue until we clear their formations. We will then turn and come back and attack any ships that move toward the planet. Get into orbit and wait for my mark. We’ll all teleport together.”
Sprigly watched the twelve ships lift and roar into the atmosphere. In several seconds they were gone. Sprigly wondered just how they were going to avoid being hit.
They arrived in orbit and Jixie said, “I am going to jump us to our point of attack. Stay close to me.”
/> Sam said, “Jixie, isn’t using your ability to jump a violation?”
“The Senior has set a precedent. If he allows me to use one of Pixie’s talents then I can use any that she possesses. She can also jump so I think I’ll be ok. The Senior knows that I would use his ruling to use her other talents. He’s a lot smarter than you know. By not bringing up the others he can say that he understands the confusion and not take any action. Once I use them it will be a moot point.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sam, even you could defend this one.”
Sam shook his head, “Are you saying I’m dumb?”
“Not at all, but you don’t know all the nuances of our laws.”
“Just checking.”
“I’d never marry any one that’s not brilliant, my love.”
Sam heard Admiral Dennis say, “Our attack will begin in twenty seconds. Keep teleporting and don’t give them a target.”
Jixie said, “We will come in two seconds ahead of the fleet. Get ready.”
• • •
Pixie listened to the countdown and jumped three hundred yards in front of the oncoming Carnivore forces. She maintained her invisibility field and saw the massive number of armor vehicles moving at her and she smiled. The countdown reached plus two seconds and she fired a main beam out of her armor and hit the massed armor dead center. She then jumped to the right of the formation and fired the massive beam into the ground, burning a ten foot deep ravine all the way to the paved road. She jumped to the other side and burned another ravine on the other side and began taking out the armored units on the right flank of the oncoming Division. The Carnivores began firing at the source of the beams but Pixie was gone before they could target her. She knocked out the final heavy blaster just as the first brigade of Life Warriors arrived slamming into the stalled Carnivore formations. She jumped to the other side and began taking out the other heavy weapons but the Second Brigade arrived early and began taking casualties.
“Clarke, I told you to delay the arrival on the left flank.”
“I issued the orders but the Lt. Colonel disregarded them and teleported in early. We’re holding our own; you should help them as best you can, Captain.”
“I have to hit the road again first.”
“I see that. We’ll try to get through and take some pressure off them but they are going to stall shortly.”
Pixie shook her head and jumped back to the road and fired the main beam again into the units moving forward. They had pushed the destroyed armor in front into the ravine. She laughed and burned a ravine into the road and stopped the Carnivore advance. She immediately jumped as a beam from orbit hit the spot she had just occupied. She moved back to the left flank and began taking out Carnivore Warriors. She couldn’t use the main beam because Life Warriors were now in the Carnivore formations. She glanced up at the sky and worried about that beam that had hit. If the Carnivore ships weren’t taken out, this could end up with massive Realm Casualties.
• • •
The Carnivore Fleet Commander saw the Life Warriors arrive on the planet and yelled for the ships in orbit to start targeting them. As he watched he saw the hundred ships close to the planet start blowing up on the left end and the explosions moved across the formation like a string of firecrackers. Only one ship on the right end of the formation was able to get off a shot before it exploded and he ordered more ships into close orbit above the planet. At that point the Realm Fleet arrived and he had more than he could handle. He forgot about the forces on the ground and fought to save his ships. The ships that turned and moved toward the planet never arrived close enough to offer support. Sam and Jixie’s squadron ripped through them like a Kodiak Grizzly opening a camper’s tent. The squadron turned and moved into the Carnivore Fleet and began hitting enemy ships as they flew through the center of the huge formation. Fifty seconds into the fleet action they destroyed the Carnivore Commander’s Ship and the others began jumping away. Admiral Dennis was stunned by how quickly the battle ended. More than nine hundred enemy warships had been destroyed and the fleet had only lost eighty ships. He knew that the Duke’s ships had made the difference. It’s hard to fight when you can’t see what’s killing you. He ordered the fleet into defensive formation above the planet and ejected a jump suppression unit. He hoped the Carnivores wouldn’t send a response to the attack. The Fleet arrived above the planet and the Life Warriors were ordered to teleport away. They disappeared from the ranks of the surviving Carnivores who starting looking around, wondering what was happening. They didn’t have to wonder long as the warships in orbit blasted them from space and destroyed everything on the surface.
• • •
Russ sat in his ship and shook his head. What space warfare lacked in duration was more than made up for in high stress levels and intensity. He felt completely alive and was shaking off the near death experience when one of the Carnivore Ships fired blindly at the squadron and narrowly missed hitting his ship. The pilot next to him was not so lucky; He was hit and died in a huge blast. The rest of the engagement was a blur. He loved it and he hated it in equal measure. This was going to be his last battle. He owed it to Gabby to not make her endure her fears. At that moment, Russ found peace and no longer felt diminished by no longer being a Warrior. That’s when a hundred thousand Carnivore ships appeared at the jump limit and he knew the battle was far from over.
The Carnivore Admiral looked at the twenty thousand ships surrounding the planet and said, “Why have we stopped?”
“There is some kind of field that is preventing our star drives from operating.”
The Admiral looked at the ships and knew that if he went in after those ships he would not be able to jump away. “Show me the last time we faced these ships.” He looked at his display and saw more than fifty thousand enemy ships had destroyed a much larger fleet. It wondered just how many ships this enemy had.
Dennis looked at the Carnivore Fleet and sent an emergency message to Fleet Control. Jason saw the massive fleet and began sending orders to other fleets to power up and be prepared to teleport into the coming battle.
• • •
“Sam, do we need to jump out there and show them the error they would make coming in here?”
Sam looked at his display and saw the number of fleets being mobilized. He thought about it and said, “No; I think Fleet wants them to come inside the jump limit. We have eight sub-fleets being mobilized to trap them here.”
“Sam, if that happens the Carnivores may send all their assets and I don’t know if we have enough ships to match them. You know how many of our fleets are engaged in other actions and they won’t be able to arrive any time soon.”
Sam thought a moment and said, “Jixie, if they do that, we’ll probably lose this battle but we would so weaken them that we could win this war. It could save thousands of ships in the long run.”
Jixie said, “Then get the Warriors on their transports and get them out of here.”
Sam nodded and contacted Admiral Dennis.
• • •
The Carnivore Admiral saw the giant transports appear above the planet and after thirty minutes disappear. The enemy had a means of defeating the field that prevented his ships from using their star drives. That meant that if he moved in system, they could bring ships in against his fleet. He contacted his Superior and told him what he had learned and what he was going to do. The Superior stared at him, “We could bring in all our ships.”
“Do we have any idea how many ships this enemy has to use against us?” The Superior stared at the Admiral on his display and heard what made him decide. “Do you want to find out when all our ships are trapped inside a planetary system and unable to withdraw? Is this small planetary population worth taking that risk?”
• • •
Russ stared at the giant Carnivore Fleet and suddenly watched it disappear. He thought he had jinxed himself by saying that this was his last battle. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked forw
ard to seeing Gabby. Sam appeared on his display, “Great job, Russ. You still have it.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty but I’m never using it again. I’m done.”
“You don’t miss it?”
“I did but I discovered something. I miss my wife more. Whatever time I have remaining, I’m spending it with her. I’ve lost so much time in the past and I’m not going to make that mistake again.”
Sam smiled, “I understand, Russ.”
Jixie listened to the dialogue and smiled. She copied it and sent it to Gabby. Russ’ welcome home was memorable. It was much later that he found out why. She played it at the ceremony a year later when they renewed their vows and Russ saw Gabby’s love in her eyes. Russ had thought that the best part of his life was behind him. Gabby taught him he was wrong.
Chapter Sixteen
Russell sat in Admiral Mirabal’s office and wondered why he had been summoned to Fleet Headquarters. He knew the battle had been successful and except for the high losses in the First Brigade, the objective was accomplished. The city was saved and the Carnivores had not returned. Jason entered the Office and Russell came to attention, “At ease Major. Take a seat.”
Russell sat down and Jason pulled out a file, “I’ve looked at the details of the battle you just fought in and I’m bothered by some details. I understand that you made the attack assignments for the entire Regiment instead of using Fleet’s recommendations.”
“Yes Sir.”
“Tell me why you did that?”
“I have a Captain that is a genius at seeing patterns in enemy formations and developing an effective strategy of attacking them.”
Jason looked at the file and said, “It does appear your assignments were done ten minutes before Fleet had theirs ready.”
“Yes Sir. Does my Battalion making the assignments bother you, Sir?”
Jason tilted his head quickly to the left and straightened it as he said, “Not at all. I can see the assignments were actually more effective than those sent by Fleet computers. What bothers me is that they weren’t carried out as they were directed. First Brigade attacked early and lost large numbers of Warriors due to their early arrival.”
