by DJ Morand
EFNF Destroyer: TP-D Justice
2973 ESD - Monday, June 7th 13:07 hours
Over the next couple of hours Echo and Ahab had a lengthy discussion. Where they had been and what they had done after her father's insane plan seemed to be the recurring theme. Most of the story seemed unreal. The First Fleet - Ahab and his men - had decided to go against Admiral Shade's order to self-destruct above Quintar V.
When the other orbital stations exploded they temporarily lost power on their station. The crew of orbital station nineteen worked quickly and managed to restore emergency backup power before the station was dragged to the planet's surface.
“It took a while to get things in order,” Ahab said. “After the EXOs started a mass exodus we had to regroup and try to keep the station hidden. About a year ago the EXO Prime returned and we were forced to abandon the station.”
Echo listened intently to the Fleet Commander. The ordeal that her father had caused his squadron as well as the many souls aboard the orbital station made her feel responsible. She wanted to turn back the clock and convince her father not to take this foolish path, but she knew she could not.
“What of the station engineers?” Echo asked. Ahab's face was all she needed to know, but he told her anyway.
“The EXO Prime invaded personally. There were just too many of them. The crew and I didn't want them to take the RAVENs so we abandoned ship.” Ahab hung his head as he spoke.
“You left them to die …” Echo trailed off, horror reaching her eyes and causing them to tear up. “Like that? By his hand? Why Commander? Why would you leave them?””
“The chances of survival were already none, Captain. We had to keep the technology out of their hands.” Ahab said.
“They already have it. The EXO Prime captured my RAVEN-F last year, likely before he went back to Quintar V,” Echo said.
“How did you survive?”
“I almost didn't, but I had found Abel Cain hours before. He came to my rescue,” Echo said.
“By the god! Abel Cain? Is he … is he on Quintar IV?” Ahab looked genuinely shocked.
“He is,” Echo said crossing her arms beneath her bosom. The stance said she was not pleased with the Fleet Commander's question.
“If you're thinking he is the only way to finish this, think again. Abel Cain is little use to anyone right now. This ship is fully combat-capable and shielded against EXO intrusion,” Echo said.
She unfolded her arms and put her hands on her hips.
“We're going to finish the EXO Prime, but first we're going to eliminate the other threat. Speaking of, did you get any readings on an URSA class gunship while you were meshing into the system?”
Ahab looked confused. “I thought you just said Abel Cain was on Quintar IV. He is the only one with an URSA class ship,” He said.
“Not anymore Fleet Commander. I know for a fact Abel is planet side, but I also know than an URSA class ship that was not the Kodiak attacked EFNF forces on the planet less than a month ago. Did you get any scans or signs of that ship?””
“We assumed it was the Kodiak and did not want to get embroiled in complications with Abel Cain, we did not track the URSA ship's exit vector,” Ahab said.
“Very well Commander. Gather your men and take rest aboard our ship. We only have room for eight of your RAVENs, ten if they're all RAVEN-S models.” Echo said.
“We have fifteen in total, seven RAVEN-S and eight RAVEN-F. We were able to refuel on Quintar VIII, there is an old EFNF supply depot there. It is mostly abandoned, but the plasma cores in our RAVENs were underground. The EXOs didn't know they were there. So we should only need to house the RAVEN-Fs. We'll start a rotation to get all the men rested,”” Ahab said. “Thank you Captain,” he added.
“Very good Commander, dismissed.”
As the Fleet Commander left the deck, Echo sighed. She found the entire situation coincidental and that made her nervous. She had known Ahab before; he was one of the few men her father trusted. It concerned her that while Ahab had openly supported her father's decision he led a mutiny to undermine it. Then he left the scientists and engineers aboard the orbital station to the EXO Prime and whatever horrors that being would inflict.
He had aided the enemy in harming our people, Echo thought. Whose people? Aren't you half-human?
Her thought caught her off guard. It wasn't often she let her thoughts get the better of her.
Pull yourself together E, you can use this.
Echo knew that the Fleet Commander's squadron would be extremely beneficial when she faced the URSA gunship and possibly the Infinity - the EXO Prime's flagship. She sat in the office adjacent to her quarters. The office was plain and decidedly military. It was the larger part of her suite aboard the Justice. Echo reached out and activated the communications node by waving her hand over the top.
“Master Chief,” Echo said.
“This is Master Chief Petty Officer Remington. Ma'am.” Six replied.
“Please make arrangements for the Fleet Commander to have access to the flight deck. Lock down vital systems and assign someone to oversee their refueling and rest accommodations,” Echo said.
“Yes. Ma'am.” Six replied and ended the transmission.
* * * *
EFNF Destroyer: TP-D Justice
2973 ESD - Monday, June 7th 19:59 hours
After five hours of maneuvering, the TP-D Justice and First Fleet fell into a groove. Seven of the eight RAVEN-F ships were docked with the Justice and regular landing and departures of the RAVEN-S ships were scheduled every two hours. Echo had decided to rest in her quarters for the remainder of the exercises. She was still not feeling completely herself. The ordeal on Quintar IV had taken her strength. She still saw the EXOs and their disfigurement every time she closed her eyes.
The seventh rotation of the First Fleet was about to start when klaxons began to blare across the Justice. Echo sat up right and rushed to the communications node. She activated it and Six's voice came in.
“Captain, we need you on the bridge. Single contact with magnetic signatures on an intercept vector,” he said.
“Understood. Ensign Kay have an exit vector at the ready, if this goes south we need to get out of here. Master Chief power up shields and coordinate with First Fleet, I want them at the ready. Do not engage unless fired upon. Boulson, get weapons at the ready. This is not a drill ladies and gentlemen,” Echo said.
She knew her crew didn't need a play by play, but being Captain sometimes involved stating the obvious. It was too easy to panic in combat scenarios. She activated the comms again and searched for the new contacts she added when First Fleet came onboard.
“Fleet Commander, this is the Captain,” Echo said.
“Captain, go ahead.” Ahab replied.
“We've got an incoming hostile, have your men at the ready, but do not launch. I want you to coordinate with MCPO Remington.”
“With all due respect Captain-” Ahab started to say before Echo cut him off.
“No, with all respect to you Fleet Commander, you are onboard my ship, you will follow my orders. Is that understood?” Echo said.
“Loud and clear ma'am. I will coordinate with MCPO Remington.”
“Thank you, Commander,” Echo said.
She cut off the comms and ran to the bridge. The first impacts nearly took her off her feet. The TP-D absorbed the impact, but not before the shockwaves caused it to shake violently. Echo considered the fire power the Kodiak had and decided it was safe to assume that the URSA ship would have the same accompaniments. The second impact was more jarring than the first.
Echo tapped the Writcom, “Master Chief, what the flak is happening up there!?”
“Anti-matter cannon Captain, they're firing directly on our anti-grav stabilizers. I think they're planning to cause a gravitational shift that will disrupt First Fleet,” Six replied.
The small holographic image of the Master Chief flickered just above her wrist.
“The Kodiak used to have a ha
rd time aiming that beast. Have Fleet Commander Doyle run strafing attacks with the RAVEN-S models. I want him to target the shield emitters and the magnetic strips along the port and starboard sides.”
Echo knew that the magnetic strips were the only thing holding the quantum plating in place. She had seen this URSA use them in a manner different from Abel’s design, but they were still a formidable bit of defense.
“Aye. Captain,” Six said.
The Writcom disconnected. Echo decided she was going to have to talk to Six about prematurely ending conversations. She was the captain of the ship, if he didn't respect her there would be problems in the future. She began to worry about being undermined, when the ship bucked again. Echo stepped onto the bridge as the klaxons began to blare louder and several stations showed alerts. The destroyer tilted to her right. She grasped a hold of the command console and sat in her seat.
“Stabilizers are damaged, they managed to get another shot from the anti-matter cannon, but it’s not showing any signs of recharging,” Six updated Echo.
“Alright, Chief Petty Officer Martinez! There is not much for you to do at the moment, get on the comms with engineering and have a team look into boosting the effectiveness of the port gravity stabilizer. We need to level ourselves out and fight back. Where are my weapons Lieutenant?” Echo barked at Lieutenant Andrew Boulson.
“Ready and willing ma'am, awaiting your order,” he replied.
“Waiting!? Damnit man, fire at will. That ship is the reason we're out here!” Echo yelled.
Andrew Boulson flinched and nodded, “All weapons free, fire at will.”
The laser turrets on the underside of the Justice flared to life. The pulsating fire could be heard throughout the ship. The WHAHM WHAHM of the pulse turrets was followed by the higher pitched sound of the forward battery of lasers.
The lasers penetrated the ship's defenses and caused scoring on the hull. Echo knew that the damage was superficial at best, but the URSA pivoted away from the firing destroyer anyway. The smaller gunship engaged its engines and moved away from the Justice quickly. Echo worried they would lose the ship and ordered pursuit.
“All ahead full, keep the battery up. When we lose charge on the lasers Lieutenant, I want you to switch to kinetic weaponry. We're not letting them get away!” Echo ordered. “Chief Petty Officer, how is the engineering team doing?”
“We have twenty-five percent power in the starboard stabilizer. They're rerouting power through the secondary coupling,” Martinez replied.
“Very good. Master Chief, give me a status on that URSA's weapon capabilities. They're doing a hit and run for a reason,” Echo said.
She tapped her Writcom and connected with Fleet Commander Doyle, “Commander, I need you to slave the remaining RAVEN-S vessels out there to your ship and then slave yours to mine. We may have to use the Warp-T drive and I'd rather not leave you all stranded here.”
“Understood Captain,” Commander Doyle said. His voice was strained and Echo could hear the PEW PEW PEW of the Commander's fighter.
“Martinez, start charting their flight path, I want to know what we're walking into. When you get a moment start working on prepping the Warp-T drive in the event they run,” Echo ordered.
“Yes ma'am.”
Come on, come on, Echo urged her ship forward. They were not gaining on the URSA class ship, but they were not losing ground either. The laser turrets kept up and Echo was sure she could see more than superficial damages now.
“Ma'am,” Martinez said. “The lasers are eating the power, at this rate we'll not be able to use the warp drive.”
“How much longer until we're too depleted to use warp Chief Petty Officer?”
“Worst case, two minutes. Best case, five.” Martinez responded.
“Alright. Lieutenant, switch to kinetics. Keep the missiles on standby.”
“Captain, I am reading a magnetic build up. It could be an attack or they are preparing to jump to warp.” the Master Chief said.
“Which is it Six?” Echo asked.
“Best guess is they're jumping,” Six said.
“Martinez do we have a path mapped?” Echo said. Her face was beginning to show her stress as she wiped sweat from her brow.
“I'll have it in three … two … one. They're heading in system ma'am.” Martinez said.
“Prepare to deploy the warp nacelles,” Echo lifted her Writcom again, “Commander have you done as I've asked?”
“Yes. Ma'am,” the reply came back.
“Very good. Prepare for warp, move your ships in as close to the Justice as you can. Make sure your men withdraw from the target,” Echo ordered.
“First Fleet is forming up on us Captain,” Six said.
The URSA class gunship blurred for a moment then leapt forward into space. The vessel was completely out of site and only the light vapor trail of its departure was left behind. Seconds afterward the Justice lurched forward. The stars that shone in the distance became beams of light stretching forward and away from the destroyer.
The Justice was in hot pursuit.
21: SPACE FLIGHT
EXO URSA Class Gunship: Mirage
2973 ESD - Monday, June 7th 20:01 hours
Commander Breaker Jones stood in front of the Transteel viewer and grinned. He had focused all fire on the starboard gravity stabilizer. He did not want to cripple the destroyer, but instead draw it in. He had half a mind to steal it for his own. The EXO Prime wouldn't approve, though. Breaker had been sent to draw out the EFNF and Abel.
So far as Breaker could tell he had failed to draw Abel. Breaker harrumphed, “He’s probably not even on the planet.”
The EXO Prime had devised the plan, but Breaker liked the idea. It had been Breaker's decision to attack Quintar IV, the EXO Prime wouldn’t have approved. As Breaker had hoped, the attack garnered a response. This new destroyer was not led by Abel. Breaker hoped that if he managed to capture, or crash, this vessel it may draw Abel out of hiding.
“EXOs shut down our shields,” Breaker said. “Not all the way. Just low enough to make them want to follow us.”
The EXOs were bound by programming to follow Breaker's every directive. They shut down the shields, reducing them to a fraction of a percent.
“Shields at point zero one two five percent power,” one of the EXOs droned.
“Very good,” Breaker said.
Breaker did not like having the EXOs aboard. They were a constant reminder of what he had become, but he was glad they were efficient in following orders. However, he tried not to think of himself as an EXO, even though he could feel the virus crawling through his body. He could feel them in his blood, too. The nanotechnology swarmed through him like an uncatchable entity. The itching beneath his skin and the life enhancing power that flooded into his mind and body was both blessing and curse. Breaker feared what would happen if his body decided to start rejecting the virus.
Will I become like these mindless drones? He speculated.
The feeling of the EXO virus was like none he had ever felt before. The feeling was one he wished he did not have to feel again. However, it would never stop. Breaker watched as the destroyer unleashed a barrage of laser fire at his ship.
“Make damn sure those lasers do not hit any of our vital parts, Joop,” Breaker loomed over his defensive coordinator.
Marcus Joop Jupiter put all his effort into controlling the quantum plates, angling them at the right positions to deflect the majority of the laser fire, but they were not nearly as sophisticated as they looked. Despite Joop's best efforts, the Mirage was still rocked by the concussive fire from the destroyer. The quantum plating could not block every angle and the drain on the shields was starting to show.
“Boss, if we keep this farce up with the shields and we're going to lose the plating.” Joop said.
“Flak it. Alright, EXOs bring up the shields. Tymon!” Breaker called to his navigation specialist.
Tymon Porter turned and looked at Breaker. The wiry m
an squinted as another flash from the destroyer lit up the command deck, “Commander?”
“Get us the flak out of here, back to Quintar V,” Breaker ordered.
“On it commander,” he replied.
The Mirage pivoted on its central axis and flipped over. Tymon hit the acceleration before they had completed rotating. It took him an extra couple of seconds to right the Mirage. Several more flashes from the Destroyer’s laser turrets flared across the shields. Everyone onboard, with the exception of Breaker and the EXOs felt the shift in their equilibrium as the Mirage dropped out of a roll. Baxter Cat Perez nearly vomited and Joop swooned.
Breaker noted the reaction of his grew and he gave Tymon a menacing glare. Tymon gulped and nodded his head. The ship throttled back and leveled out. As Breaker had anticipated the destroyer leapt in pursuit.
“They’re eager now,” Breaker commented quietly. “Half speed, let them catch up, then make a jump for Quintar V.”
“Aye. Commander,” Tymon said subdued.
The shields absorbed most of the laser fire, but Breaker could see the view screen and the alert lights indicating the quantum plates were taking significant damage. Breaker knew that most EFNF weapons would run out of power if sustained too long, which meant that the destroyer would switch to kinetic or missile weapons next. He planned to be gone before they started firing projectiles.
The laser fire stopped and Breaker looked to Tymon, “Get us the flak out of here immediately!”
The Mirage leapt into warp almost instantly. The stars stretched and the engines flared to life. Breaker knew the destroyer would have tracked their course. He hoped that Tymon had not made it too obvious. The damage to the Mirage was superficial at best. He was not worried about that. He only cared if that destroyer took the bait.
* * * *
Near Quintar V - EFNF Destroyer: TP-D Justice
2973 ESD - Monday, June 7th 21:01 hours
“I want a full system scan the moment we mesh out,” Echo barked. “I am not keen on waltzing into a trap.”
