Resolute Omnibus (The War for Terra)

by James Prosser

“Pearce.”

  24

  Battleship Resolute

  “So that’s how that feels” Pearce said as his ship arrived in the middle of battle. “I’ve always wondered what the other guy felt as they rescued us.”

  The octopod manning the weapons console made a gurgling sound that resembled laughter as the ship shed its corona and entered real space. It had been Farthing’s suggestion to broadcast the human opera instead of a transponder signal. The hope was to confuse the Ch’Tauk as they tried to decipher what the strange noise was. In Lee’s opinion, the music would also serve to boost the morale of the Terran warriors who were obviously outnumbered.

  “Analysis, Mister Farthing,” Lee said, bringing up the holographic displays around his chair. “Where can we help the most?”

  “Captain, the battle platforms are beginning to show signs of meltdown,” the felinoid said. “I think we need to assist the destroyers first. Austerlitz is doing well, but Culloden is taking heavy damage. Her shields don’t regenerate like ours and I think the enemy knows this.”

  “Alright,” Lee responded. “Full speed to Culloden and have the Demons launch.”

  “Aye, sir,” Farthing responded, tapping keys on his communications board.

  Resolute picked up speed as they approached the enemy lines. They had exited M-space behind the main Ch’Tauk force which had surprised the enemy forces, but he would not retain that advantage for long. He needed to drive a wedge between the main force surrounding the dreadnought and the smaller waves of fighters that were swarming the Alliance fleet.

  “Captain Pearce,” the voice of Commodore Chang came over the bridge speakers, echoing slightly in the small space. “Glad you could make it. We’ll need you to cover the Culloden while she gets to safety.”

  “Already on it, sir,” replied Lee. “I’ll try to clear a path on my way.”

  “Acknowledged, Chang out,” replied the commodore, cutting the channel.

  The aging battleship came within firing range of the nearest Ch’Tauk cruiser and began to glow a faint blue as the shields absorbed plasma fire. His engineers had reported that the shield strength had been doubled by the Elves during the trip to Karisia, but Lee did not want to take any chances. He had faith in the little creatures to work miracles, but divine intervention only went so far in a pitched battle.

  As the Resolute closed on the enemy ships, Lee saw the release of five new dots on his heads-up display. The Demon squadron had launched and was taking up positions on either side of the battleship as escorts. He sought out the label that indicated Alice as the ships formed up and began firing at the incoming Ch’Tauk ships. She had not yet responded to his proposal, but she had accepted the ring when he had finally presented it. He wanted to protect her from this battle, but he knew that his place was here on the bridge.

  “Farthing, tell the Demons to drop thirty five degrees on the vertical,” Lee ordered. “Warm up the cannons and fire when ready.”

  The octopod officer waved two of its tentacles towards Lee in acknowledgement. The creature was female and held the rank of lieutenant, but Lee was not able to pronounce her name. She had gotten used to humans over the years and did not take it personally. She was a professional and enjoyed using her unique talents to defend her ship. She moved her sharp nailed feet over the console, activating the weapons systems and targeting multiple points on the cruiser.

  As Resolute began to pass the big Ch’Tauk ship, her broadside cannons opened fire. Red-orange plasma bolts slammed into the alien vessel and began to scorch and melt the armor. While many ships relied on large, powerful canons to pound their targets, Resolute peppered the alien targets with hundreds of smaller rounds of fire, weakening the armor slowly and causing much more widespread damage. The banded hull plating on the Ch’Tauk cruiser began to warp where the battleship continued to fire. Small pieces of metal were melting away into space as Resolute passed.

  Lee watched as the Demons swept up behind the battleship and started pounding at the warped bands of metal. Larger holes were being created under the combined pressure from the powerful fighters and the old battleship. Lee could see what looked like atmosphere and bodies venting into the vacuum of space. Despite himself, he grinned at the success of their initial engagement, but he cautioned himself against the little celebration, knowing all about pride and the fall.

  The ship busked under Lee’s feet as the cruiser fired a single, massive sortie of plasma bolts directly into the flank of his ship. Damage indicators flashed briefly yellow as the port thrusters showed signs of overload. Power was being routed quickly from other areas to keep the ship flying straight and it appeared that the shields were holding up under the barrage.

  The Demons separated now, forming up in two groups with Jackal and Princess veering off to go after the fighters that were now heading their way, and the three men circling around to keep up fire on the cruiser. Lee wanted to run down and slip into his own fighter to assist Alice, but he was needed more on the bridge of his ship than out in space. He felt his knuckles crack as he gripped the armrests of his command chair to restrain himself from leaping up.

  The two destroyers were centered on the screen now as Resolute raced past the cruiser and towards the damaged Terran ships. Austerlitz was holding station between the Ch’Tauk vessels and the foundering Culloden. Lee’s pilot angled the ship so that they would be dividing the enemy ships as they approached. To suppress his desire to head to the hangar deck, Lee stood and approached the paired navigation console.

  “Goldstein,” Lee said to his lead pilot. “I want to try something, move over.”

  The young man slid aside as his captain moved into position at the pilot’s console. He watched as Pearce tapped keys in a pattern that he had never seen before on a capital ship. The scene on the big view screen began to rotate as the battleship spun along its central axis in space. As Resolute entered firing range of the Ch’Tauk harassing the destroyers, the octopod opened fire, throwing plasma bolts in all directions. Smaller fighters were blasted and sent spiraling off into space while the larger ships were caught off guard by the unpredictable attack.

  “Captain,” the voice of Roy Booth came over the intercom. “What in the blue bloody hell are you doin’ up there? Are ye tryin’ to tear this old girl apart?”

  “We’re just drilling a hole, Roy,” replied Lee, signaling to Farthing to cut off the intercom channel. “Level us out and get us in position to defend Culloden, Goldstein.”

  “Aye, Captain,” replied the young man, a new respect for his captain blooming in his mind.

  Lee returned to his command seat, pulling up the holographic displays to see the status of his fighters. He noticed that the cruiser that had been following them previously was now drifting off and away from the battle. The three men, Aztec, Merlin and Baron were forming up and returning to aid Jackal and Princess with the smaller fighters. All five ships seemed fairly undamaged although Jackal’s engine power seemed too low.

  “Farthing,” Lee ordered. “Get the Demons back here for cover. We need to give Culloden space to get out of the way.”

  Lee watched as his fighter squadron moved back into escort formation around the Resolute. Once again he found his eye drifting back to the dot labeled Princess. Alice had become an outstanding fighter pilot and could take care of herself in space, but Lee couldn’t help himself. He loved her too much, he realized, and it was compromising his command objectivity.

  Resolute moved into position between the Terran destroyer and the enemy ships. Her flanking cannons were firing constantly, but with precision. Fires were erupting along the enemy lines as Austerlitz and Resolute each unleashed their weapons at the Ch’Tauk warships. Lee watched as the Demons spun and flipped through the enemy lines, avoiding friendly as well as enemy fire with practiced acrobatics. The battle stood on the edge of turning in the favor of the humans for the first time as Lee saw the squadrons from Baal and Zeus start taking their toll on the Ch’Tauk fleet. Even the support vessel
s, primarily supply and refueling ships, were engaged in fighting the invading ships with their own limited weapons.

  The ship bucked heavily and began to pitch to starboard. Lee clutched his armrests to remain seated as he searched the displays for the cause. As he counted the Alliance ships, he saw that Culloden was now gone from the battle. There had been no transmission or evacuation by escape pods, just the total and instantaneous destruction of thousands of human lives. Lee scanned the area for the cause until he saw the trail left by a massive pulse weapon. The Ch’Tauk dreadnought had turned and locked on to the damaged human ship. Using their central weapon, they had disintegrated Culloden with a single shot.

  “Get us some cover, Goldstein!” Lee yelled. “Contact the fighters and have them scatter. We need to present a wide target.”

  “Aye,” came a chorus of voices, all carrying out their captain’s commands.

  Once again, he had become so focused on the local area, he had ignored the massive alien warship and it had cost the fleet dearly. The Alliance ships were trying to spread out, now and make themselves harder to hit by the mega-cannon. Lee saw the Demons scatter, but one ship turned and headed for the dreadnought.

  “Princess,” Lee called, snapping his communications button. “Fall back and form up with the squadron. You can’t take that thing alone.”

  “Didn’t you just see what happened, Lee,” Alice replied over the speaker. “That thing just killed Culloden.”

  “I know, Alice,” Lee replied. “But it’s too big for your fighter. Wait for the fleet to regroup.”

  “Negative, Big Mama,” Alice said, “Demon Two going in.”

  Lee watched as Alice’s fighter spun and twisted through hordes of enemy fighters, spraying them with plasma bolts as she passed. The closer she got to the dreadnought, the harder Lee’s heart ponded in his chest. The other Demons began to form up and chase after their wing mate, but she had too great a led on them. She angled her ship to face the massive cannon head on.

  “Goldstein, full throttle,” Lee ordered. “Get her some cover.”

  Resolute surged forward; fire bursting from her cannons as she cleaved through the enemy fighters towards the dreadnought. Lee saw Alice begin a strafing run along the top of the forward cannon, hardly damaging the outer armor of the device. Return fire from the dreadnought missed as Alice brought her engines up to full. The remaining Demons spread out and attacked the dreadnought from multiple directions, keeping the gunners busy trying to target a single one of them. As the battleship got closer, hope surged in Lee’s chest that they would make it to the big ship in time and keep Alice safe.

  “Princess,” Lee called. “Pull back, we are coming in.”

  “I’ll meet you here, Big Momma.”

  The battleship turned her flank towards the dreadnought and opened fire. The line of cannons began to scorch the hull of the alien ship as the octopod tapped keys in random and steady progression. The dreadnought’s gunners retargeted away from the fighters and towards Resolute. Lee could hear the steady drumming of plasma hits through the deck plates as they took the hits and kept going. The modified Peregrine fighters, meanwhile, began to circle and weave around the hull of the massive Ch’Tauk ship. Lee knew that they could not defeat the armored ship, but they may be able to keep it busy while the fleet regrouped.

  The battleship continued moving along the long flank of the dreadnought, firing bolts as often as the octopod could hit the keys. The fighters surrounding the Ch’Tauk ship continued to try to damage the battleship, but the advanced shielding did not allow them the pleasure. Aztec had returned to the side of Resolute and was providing fighter coverage for her exposed side. The remainder of the little fighters were attacking the dreadnought’s smaller cannons and disabling some with their more powerful cannons.

  Lee saw the power levels for the dreadnought waver and realized that they had stopped moving. It had either been the cannons from the battleship or the constant barrage from the Peregrines, but someone had had managed to score a hit on the dreadnought’s propulsion system. Scanning the holographic displays with his eyes, he saw an open space to the rear of the enemy ship.

  “Farthing,” Lee ordered the feline first officer. “Relay coordinates one five by negative three hundred to the fighters and have them meet up there.”

  The communications master spoke into his microphone and sent the fighters to the destination. Lee saw the Peregrines form up near the relative northern edge of the dreadnought, still avoiding fire from the alien ship’s cannons. Resolute accelerated past the rear of the big ship and down to his requested coordinates. Goldstein kept the ship angled slightly as they flew to keep the flanking cannons aimed towards the Ch’Tauk ship.

  The cessation of direct fire from the dreadnought gave Lee a chance to survey the battle. The two carriers had managed to evade major damage from the Ch’Tauk invasion force, but the loss of the Culloden had reduced their own ability to keep up the fight. Genghis Khan was trailing debris from a lucky hit by two Ch’Tauk frigates near her stern, but was still battling the enemy with passion. The remainder of the fleet was struggling just to keep up with the waves of attacking fighters.

  “Big Momma,” said Alice from the intercom. “What’s the plan?”

  “Demon Two, close in and be ready to move. We need to give this dreadnought some space so that the carriers can come in.”

  “Acknowledged, Momma,” replied Alice. “Although, we are having a blast out here playing with the mosquitoes, Jackal is having intermittent power problems in her power distribution relays, but she says it’s nothing. Otherwise we are doing fine.”

  “Tell her to keep close and we’ll try to cover her, Two,” replied Lee, searching the view screen for a good place to take cover. “Let’s move to two-forty by positive thirty two and camp. Try not to get too involved, Princess, you still owe me an answer.”

  There was silence on the bridge as Lee waited for Alice’s response. The bridge crew, who probably knew too much about their captain, seemed to lean forward to hear the response. There was a crackle of static as one of the Ch’Tauk fighters scored a hit along Resolute’s primary antenna. Lee checked to see that the device was still intact and continued waiting for the acknowledgement.

  “That response would be affirmative, Big Momma,” replied Alice. “I already installed the hardware.”

  There was an audible gasp before the bridge erupted into a cheer. Farthing looked confused as the bridge crew lost their composure regarding the announcement. Lee grinned to himself as his crew settled back down. He looked to his first officer, who seemed insulted to not understand what had just occurred.

  “She put the ring on, Farthing,” Lee explained. “We’re going to get married.”

  “Ah,” replied the felinoid. “Pair bonding! excellent, Captain. When are you expecting offspring?”

  Lee almost choked at the question as he surveyed the view screens. He had forgotten the lessons about Vadne family relationships and their method of relationship bonding. He could hear Goldstein stifle a small laugh as he moved the ship away from the dreadnought.

  “Not until after this battle at least, Commander,” Lee replied, wiping the tears away from his eyes. The coughing fit had caused him to tear up. “And maybe not for a while after that.”

  “That is good, Captain,” replied the felinoid, turning back to his station. “Resolute is not equipped with a nursery anyway.”

  Lee scanned the holographic displays to see the Demons forming a wedge shape just below the battleship. Jackal had moved to the port side of Princess for safety and the others seemed to be protecting her from the enemy fighters. Lee noted a large wave of incoming insectoid ships heading straight for them. Just behind them was a Ch’Tauk destroyer.

  “Evasive, Goldstein,” Lee ordered. “Let’s show them our side.”

  “Aye, Captain,” replied the pilot, tapping keys. “Turning broadside.”

  The Peregrines started moving ahead of Resolute, trying to intercept t
he oncoming Ch’Tauk fighters. The octopod hesitated to fire in case she hit one of Resolute’s own escorts. Once the opposing fighters met between the capital ships, though, the female creature opened fire on the destroyer.

  The Ch’Tauk ship stayed on course straight for Resolute. Lee wondered if the other captain intended to play an old fashioned game of chicken with the smaller battleship, but was gratified when the destroyer began to turn downwards. Lee plotted the ship’s course and saw Goldstein rotate the battleship to keep the destroyer in sight. He saw the fighters, though, and saw a problem.

  “Demons, evasive maneuvers,” Lee ordered. “That beetle is heading straight for your position.”

  There was no acknowledgement of the order as the fighters’ adjusted course. Lee saw Alice’s Peregrine twist across space as she executed a clumsy evasive pattern. She had four Ch’Tauk ships on her tail and could not maneuver as well as she would like. There was a spike in energy as she was hit hard on her stern. He saw her ship began to flip uncontrollably as it headed for the Ch’Tauk destroyer.

  “Princess!” Lee yelled, standing up from his seat to stare at the big view screen. “Alice, Pull out!”

  He watched helplessly as the modified fighter tumbled behind the Ch’Tauk destroyer. He sat back down to try to track her progress. The small dot that was her ship continued to tumble across the display. The ship seemed to halt for a moment as it passed to the far side of the destroyer.

  “Lee!” the straining voice of Alice echoed over the speaker. “Lee, I can’t…”

  There was a crack of static as the channel broke off. Lee stared at his display as the dot faded from view. He felt numb. The bridge was quiet despite the approaching destroyer. The octopod continued to tap keys, firing at the approaching enemy ship. Lee was unable to move, unable to act as the wave of sadness swept up his soul.

  “Captain,” said Farthing, breaking the silence. “Jackal is requesting orders.”

  Lee looked up at his first officer, both cursing the man and thanking him for breaking the moment. He gathered his thoughts, trying to push aside the anguish that gripped his heart. He looked back at the holographic displays around his chair.