Theogony 3: Terra Stands Alone

by Chris Kennedy

  Lancer 01, Solar System, March 03, 2021

  “Mother fucker!” exclaimed Colonel Khalili. She stared at the screen as if she hoped it would change.

  “What is it?” asked Colonel Larson.

  “We just lost Lancer 16. The Drakuls must have decided that we were legitimate targets after we launched on them,” Khalili replied. “The counter-missile batteries that don’t have incoming missiles to defend against are mopping up the bombers.” She switched to the squadron frequency. “All Lancers, evasive maneuvers!”

  “How are they going to find their way home if we get separated?” asked Colonel Larson. “We’re the only Lancer with a tactical system. They’ll never find their way back.”

  “If we win,” Colonel Khalili replied, “each bomber has a locator beacon, and hopefully there’ll be a shuttle left that can run around and collect everyone. If we lose...” she let the thought trail off.

  “If we lose, it might be a lot more comfortable just running out of oxygen here among the stars than it would be succumbing to the ‘tender mercies’ of the Drakuls.”

  “Yeah,” Khalili replied, “that’s pretty much what I thought—” The rest of her sentence was lost as a 5.25 meter laser struck Lancer 01’s cockpit, vaporizing both members of its crew.

  Intruder 502, Solar System, March 03, 2021

  “All Intruders, take evasive action!” their lead, Intruder 501 commed. It immediately went through several sharp turns and was lost amid the backdrop of the stars.

  “What the fuck was that?” asked Lindy. “Take evasive action, and then they bolt out of here? I lost 501. We’re never going to find it again, either. How the hell are we going to find our way home?”

  “Beats the hell out of me,” replied Salty. “They never said—”

  The crew never saw the counter-missile missile that destroyed the aircraft formerly known as Bureau Number 152591. Developed to intercept missiles that could fly at a sizable portion of the speed of light and employ a number of countermeasures, the Terran aircraft wasn’t a challenge to the missile’s targeting system; it impacted the cockpit canopy and detonated, killing both men instantly.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Forty-One

  Bridge, TSS Terra, Solar System, March 03, 2021

  “The bomber flight was a success,” said the OSO. “It looks like we destroyed eight of their 10 battleships, most of their battlecruisers and almost all of their cruisers. All of the group leaders have been destroyed, though, and the remaining aircraft are scattered throughout local space. It’s unlikely we’ll ever find them all...assuming we survive to look for them.”

  “Did we get the dreadnought?” asked Captain Griffin.

  “I don’t think so, ma’am,” replied the OSO. He glanced at his system display. “No ma’am, we didn’t. There was a battleship in between the dreadnought and one of the attacking groups, and it intercepted the majority of the missiles. There isn’t much left of the battleship, but only a few missiles got by it to hit the dreadnought. The dreadnought’s shields are down, and it’s wounded, but it is still in the fight.”

  “Damn,” said Captain Griffin softly. “I really hoped I wouldn’t have to do this.” Growing up, Captain Griffin had watched a movie where one of the characters had to make a painful decision, based on the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few. She had never wanted to be in that position, but she knew the power of the dreadnought. She couldn’t hope to match it with the Terra or anything else that Terra had remaining in its arsenal, which is why she had made her suggestion at the meeting.

  Kamikazes.

  People under her command that would sacrifice themselves at her word for the good of the race. Just like the Japanese at the end of World War II, it was their last card, played in desperation, and their only remaining hope to even the odds.

  In a previous battle with the Ssselipsssiss, she had seen the effectiveness of kamikazes against ships that had turned off their drives. A stealth fighter pilot could attack from behind and drive his or her fighter into the engines of the enemy ship. While fatal to the pilot, if it was done correctly, it would also be fatal to the ship, as it would take out all of the power to its offensive and defensive weapons systems.

  “Holy shit!” cried the DSO, watching the ball of expanding plasma. “The dreadnought just hit the Septar with a broadside of missiles and lasers, ma’am. The Septar’s gone.”

  If the dreadnought wasn’t neutralized immediately, all hope was lost. Hell, all hope was probably lost, anyway, with the dreadnought and smaller ships that were still in play. The converted bombers had closed the odds but hadn’t been enough to even them. You play the cards you’re dealt, she thought with a mental shrug, and she still had this card to play. Sending people to certain death broke her heart, but it was the only weapon she had left.

  “Kamikaze flight, go, go, go!” she commed. “Get the biggest ships you can!” A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn’t think that she would ever be the same again.

  Kamikaze 01, Vicinity of Stargate #1, Solar System, March 03, 2021

  Damn, thought Lieutenant Sally Watts, I’m really going to have to do this. She didn’t want to die; in fact, she wanted nothing more than to watch her two-year old son Stevie grow up. She had everything to live for. In a world that’s free, though, not in a world ruled by Drakuls. When the call had gone out for volunteers, the intent of this mission had been very clear. Fly a stealth ship into the engines of a major combatant and blow it up.

  Chance of survival: 0%.

  Her mother had tried to talk her out of it, a little bit, but her mother understood the meaning of sacrifice. Her father had left when Sally was just a little girl, and her mother had spent most of her life sacrificing for Sally. Sally’s life was a circle; she had been left with a baby boy herself when her latest bad choice walked out on her.

  This was where she broke the circle and made it better.

  She had volunteered to lead the five stealth fighters. Her task force was a small group, but that was all the ships they’d been able to make and get stealth modules for. Although there weren’t many of the fighters, it was hoped that their sacrifice would have a much bigger effect on the outcome of the battle. She looked over at her WSO, Lieutenant Jon ‘Angel’ Aniello, who was assigning targets to the other four members of the group. He pushed the button that transmitted the instructions and turned to look at her.

  “Time to go save the world,” he said. He gave her a half smile; like Sally, he was a single parent trying to make a better world for his child. “The dreadnought’s ours, let’s make it count.”

  Sally tried to smile back, but couldn’t. She thought about her son one last time. Yes, it would be hard on Stevie growing up with only a grandmother and no parents, but Sally’s mom would make it work. She always did. Knowing that all of his needs, including college, would be paid for helped. Was it enough? Sally didn’t know, but she hoped so. It was the best she could do to ensure his survival and future success.

  “Kamikaze 01, copies,” she commed. Steeling herself, she looked at Angel and gave him a half smile. It was all she could do. “We’re on our way.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Bridge, TSS Terra, Solar System, March 03, 2021

  “Ma’am, the Pacific’s engines just blew up!” called the DSO. “The lead Drakul battleship wasn’t out of the fight, they were just playing dead. They opened up on the Pacific from in close and shredded it. The ship is unpowered and venting.”

  Captain Griffin looked at the system display. “Bastards!” The battleship was trying to sneak around for them next and hit them when they engaged the dreadnought. “Helm, full power,” she ordered. “Aim to cut in front of the battleship!”

  With a final broadside at the dreadnought still trying to extricate itself from the minefield, the Terra began turning toward the battleship. “We’re going to finish off that bastard if it’s the last thing we do.” With the dreadnought almost out of the minef
ield, it probably would be, she added to herself.

  Bridge, Drakul Ship Spurting Blood, Solar System, March 03, 2021

  Admiral Bullig watched in satisfaction as the Terran battlecruiser detonated under the hammering of his weapons. As he hoped, the Terrans had shifted their fire to the bigger threat when he stopped firing at them. When he fired again, it had been from minimum range, with all of his lasers and missiles targeted on the engines and engineering section. Most of the last 1/3 of the ship was now reduced to scrap metal, and the ship was dead in space. There would be food stock to pick up from it later, once the last couple of Terran ships were destroyed. That was how you killed an enemy ship.

  “Sir, the enemy battleship has broken off attacking the Destruction of Olympos and is moving toward us,” the defender said.

  “Shift fire to the battleship,” he ordered. “All lasers and missile systems.”

  “Shifting fire,” the attacker said. “Missile tubes at 30%.”

  “Noted,” Admiral Bullig acknowledged. If he could just kill the battleship or hold it off until the Destruction of Olympos was clear of the minefield, the battle would be won. He wasn’t worried about the other battlecruiser.

  Bridge, TSS Terra, Solar System, March 03, 2021

  “There goes the IO!” called the DSO. The crew of the Terran battlecruiser Indian Ocean had exceeded expectations. Commissioned just two days prior, its crew was inexperienced but had lasted far longer than he would have thought possible. They managed to fire plenty of their missiles into the Drakul armada and had done incredibly well, in fact...until the dreadnought freed itself from the minefield. Able to turn whichever way it needed to take the Earth’s defenders under fire, it made short work of the battlecruiser. One volley from the chase armament in the dreadnought’s nose knocked down the Indian Ocean’s shields; the first broadside the Terran ship received destroyed it beyond salvage.

  The DSO winced as the dreadnought began turning to present its broadside to the Terra. With the ship’s shields already down, and one of its engines out, he knew it wouldn’t take more than one or two volleys before the Terra was out of the battle...and they were dead. There would be nothing left to stop the Drakuls’ advance on Earth.

  “Firing counter-missiles,” the DSO said. “Tubes at 20%.” Hopefully they’d last long enough to take out the battleship that had destroyed the Pacific. That would at least give them bragging rights in hell.

  “Missiles launching at the battleship,” said the OSO as the Drakul warship came into view of the Terra’s broadside. “All weapons firing.” The battleship had already been hit a number of times and its shields were still down. The Terra’s weapons ravaged the aft section of the Drakul vessel, destroying its engineering spaces.

  The DSO glanced at the dreadnought. It had reached a firing position on the Terra, and the first of its lasers fired.

  “Laser strike in the galley,” reported the duty engineer. “It’s open to space, and we’re venting atmosphere. Several crewmembers went overboard. Damage control crews are responding.” The ship shook violently and went dark. After a few seconds, the emergency lighting came on. “Missile strike near engineering. All motors are out. We’re operating on emergency power.”

  The OSO pushed the button that, if powered, would have launched the last barrage of missiles needed to destroy the Drakul battleship. He pushed it again, but it remained unpowered. “Damn,” he sighed, “I really wanted to kill that bastard.”

  “What’s the dreadnought waiting for?” asked Captain Griffin. “Why doesn’t it finish us off?”

  “Ma’am!” shouted the communications officer. “Skywatch just called. Kamikaze 01 took out the dreadnought’s motors, and two of the other kamikazes were successful in hitting the battleships. Skywatch isn’t sure how long the dreadnought will be unpowered...if we can get our motors back online, we’ve got a chance to destroy her!”

  “Engineering, Captain Griffin,” the CO commed, “can you give me an ETA on getting a motor back online? The dreadnought is dead in space, and we could destroy it if we could get some weapons operational.”

  “Ma’am, it’s going to be a while,” the assistant engineer replied. “The chief engineer is dead, along with half of the crew that was in Engine Room #2. That space is open to vacuum and Engine Room #1 isn’t much better. #3 and #4 are a little better, but not much.”

  “Just give me a graser, as soon as you can,” pleaded Captain Griffin.

  “It’s going to be at least 10 minutes,” replied the assistant engineer.

  “Try and make it eight,” said Captain Griffin.

  Bridge, Drakul Ship Spurting Blood, Solar System, March 03, 2021

  “Get me power!” screamed Admiral Bullig. “Their battleship is defenseless. This battle is won if we can kill that ship. Give me some missiles or some lasers; I don’t care what, just give me something!”

  “It’s going to be at least 10 minutes,” replied the engineer.

  “Make it sooner,” ordered Admiral Bullig, “or I’ll come back there and kill you myself!”

  Bridge, TSS Terra, Solar System, March 03, 2021

  “Power coming up,” said the assistant engineer. “We’ve got enough for three grasers. If you try to use more, you’re going to overload the grid, and we’ll go dark again.”

  “Understood,” said Captain Griffin. “Nice work.” She turned to look at the OSO. “You’ve got three grasers. Using anything else will cause the power to fail. Within those constraints, destroy that dreadnought!”

  “Yes, ma’am,” replied the OSO. “Grasers firing!”

  “I’ve got gate activation,” called the DSO. “It’s a big ship...not one of ours...holy shit, super dreadnought incoming!”

  I’m sorry Earth, Captain Griffin thought. We were so close, but we’ve failed you.

  “Lasers firing from the super dreadnought,” announced the DSO. “They’re eliminating the rest of the mines.” He gazed at his tactical display, hoping it would change. It didn’t. “Won’t be long now,” he muttered as an afterthought. The last few mines in the vicinity of the stargate were destroyed. As if those would have mattered much against a ship that large.

  “Wait a minute,” said the OSO, as the super dreadnought fired again, “the new dreadnought just shot one of the Drakul battlecruisers that was near the gate. What the...?”

  “Attention all Terran forces,” commed the newcomer, “This is the Archon super dreadnought Holy Word. We are here to help ye in thy fight against the Drakuls. Please deactivate the rest of thy mines around the stargate at this time. More forces are incoming.”

  “Ye? Thy?” asked the OSO. “Who the hell talks like that?”

  “Anyone that wants to come kill Drakuls can call me ‘ye’ all day long if he keeps pounding on the Drakuls like that,” replied the DSO. He switched to his radio. “This is the battleship Terra. The minefield has been deactivated. You are free to maneuver at will.”

  “We thank thee very much,” replied the Holy Word, turning to take the Drakul dreadnought under fire, while destroying the remaining battlecruisers with its chase armament. Although the Drakul dreadnought was still without power, the Archons didn’t know when the Drakuls might get it back again, and they were taking no chances. Missiles the size of frigates began pouring from the Holy Word like water, washing away the defenseless dreadnought.

  “I’ve got another gate activation,” said the DSO as the first round of missiles detonated on the dreadnought. “It’s a much smaller ship...it’s the Vella Gulf! The Gulf’s back!”

  Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Solar System, March 03, 2021

  The Vella Gulf transited into the system just behind the Holy Word. Missiles were already arcing out from both sides of the Holy Word. With the enhancements provided by the view screen, the Terrans could see the power of the super dreadnought in action. Lasers and grasers reached out to starboard to envelope the closest battlecruiser, whose screens had already been flattened by its initial missile launch. Counter-missile lasers w
ere still focusing their attention closer in, scouring the area close by the ship of mines...just in case.

  “Launch all fighters!” ordered Captain Sheppard. “Weapons free! Blast the bastards!”

  “Weapons free, aye,” replied the Gulf’s OSO. “Opening fire! Helm, bring the ship 50 degrees to the right!”

  “Coming right 50 degrees,” said the helmsman.

  “Chase mounts firing!” said the OSO. The missile launchers at the front of the Gulf launched their first volley at the cruiser to their left. As the ship turned further right and the main batteries on the port side unmasked, the first volley leapt out to follow the missiles from the chase mounts.

  “Mines close aboard to starboard,” called the DSO. “Counter-missile lasers firing!” The mines wouldn’t know the difference between the Terran ship and the Drakuls; once armed you didn’t go through them. No sense taking chances.

  “Sir, the Terra is calling,” said the communications officer. “They are asking if we’d finish off the Drakul battleship that is alongside them.”

  “Tell the Terra it would be our pleasure,” replied Captain Sheppard. He turned to the OSO. “You heard the lady,” he said. “Kill the bastards.”

  “Yes sir,” the OSO replied. “I’m on it.” Nine missiles roared downrange, accompanied by the 10 grasers in the Vella Gulf’s broadside. The weapons hit home on the Spurting Blood before its crew could get their ship’s shields back up. Its magazine breached, the Drakul ship exploded, killing all aboard.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Forty-Three