Hours later, Lt Gayles called out, “General, planet Drotz will be within range in five minutes.”
“Breck, notify the fleet. Gayles, bring us to just outside of range and hold there.”
Angel stepped to the side of the viewport as the crew began the invasion. Nik joined her, standing shoulder to shoulder to offer what comfort he could.
The ship slowed and they watched as wave after wave of ships in Joel’s armada passed the flagship en route to attack the Drotz homeworld. As Angel watched, the Drotz ships began attacking the armada. Soon the viewport was filled with ships from both friend and enemy.
Angel watched in horror as ships exploded under weapons fire, small flashes of colored light indicating the type of atmosphere inside the ship as the gases ignited under compression or exposure to heat. Many were sliced and damaged, trailing the cloud of color behind them. Soon debris floated everywhere and Angel remembered the surreal scene from her dream. Only now it was real. She turned from the viewport to bury her face in Nik’s shoulder, but the scene was still there, burned into her mind. War, and the horrors of watching brave soldiers die, was not for her. Minutes passed until she finally lifted her face again.
“Danku,” she whispered to Nik.
He simply nodded and she turned from him to watch the bridge crew, unwilling to show her feelings further in front of a room of strangers. Eventually she returned to the battle map, settling for the less personal feel of the computer generated battle status, watching as the lighted blips changed colors to signify damage, or disappeared altogether.
Joel chaffed at staying out of the battle. He, like his formidable grandfather, had made a name for himself in battle. Yet he knew the President trusted him with the safety of the diplomats that he escorted.
Looking away from the battle map, Angel noticed his frustration and crossed to his side. “Is something amiss?”
“Sorry I’m not a better host. I don’t have much patience. This is the big battle for this war and here I sit, a highly decorated officer with an eager crew on a fully armed warship, as babysitter for a bunch of spoiled diplomats, most of who have never seen a battle and are cowering in the banquet hall in the safest part of the ship.”
Angel laughed. “That’s the difference between men of action and men of talk. Men of action lead the battle. Men of talk make pompous statements as to the glory or pain of war.”
“Count me on the side of action. Though I’ve seen some men of action, as you put it, who don’t fight their own battles either.”
“You mean bullies. True leaders are on the first wave of the assault. Bullies hide in the rear and give orders.” Angel looked back at the battle map. “Bullies hide,” she repeated quietly. Suddenly she crossed to the map console and scrolled the map pointer up to a cluster of ships on the fringe of the battle, near the Drotz home planet.
Nik crossed to her side. “What tis?”
“They're just bullies that hide,” she whispered more to herself than to answer Nik. She scanned all the ships in the cluster on the map, finally pointing to one. “That's their command ship.”
Joel looked at her surprised. “How can you be sure?” He joined her at the console.
“They're bullies, hiding behind that ring of Drotz fighter escorts while their hired mercenaries and allies fight their fight. Take that ship and you get their general.” She moved the pointer over the ship and pointed out the warheads and designator insignia, and then over the escort ships and their obvious weapons and designator insignias. All belonged to the Drotz. As she moved over various ships engaged in the battle, the designators showed their mercenary or ally designation.
Joel surveyed the battle map. What she said made sense. Every one of the battleships in his fleet capable of taking the ship Angel pointed to was already engaged in combat. Except his. Joel looked at her. “Are you willing to risk your life on that?”
Angel looked up and knew in that instant that he was ready to take this warship she stood on into that cluster. “Aiy,” she said quietly.
Joel removed his dress jacket as he began giving orders. “Lt Break, contact General Kang with what we suspect and tell him that we are going after that ship. Lt Gayles, contact the leader of the shield ships and tell them to remain here. They will only slow us down. Lt Pearson, escort the Cerato and her body guard to the banquet hall.”
“General, I’d prefer to remain here, if you don’t mind.” Angel’s quiet conviction caught Joel by surprise.
“The banquet hall is much safer.”
“I’m sure tis. I’ll remain here.”
Joel looked at her with new respect. “As you wish. Lt Gayles, find seats for our distinguished guests.” He turned his attention back to the battle map.
“General Kang wishes you luck.”
“Shield ships have disabled the shield over us.”
“Shields at maximum. Forward battery at the ready. Plot a course to that ship and blast any enemy who gets between us and them, targeting engines only. I want that ship disabled, not destroyed.”
Lt Gayles urged Angel into her seat, allowing Nik to stand just behind her. For the next few minutes, Angel alternately cowered back in her chair and leaned forward eagerly to watch their progress across the battlefield. The cluster, as if sensing the imminent attack, started forward and closed ranks, protecting the ship at the back. Joel’s warship dodged between other ships, weaving a path across the end of the battlefield in a straight frontal assault on the defensive line.
Angel ignored the death and destruction, swallowing back several screams as she felt the impact of munitions on the great warship. She tuned out the activity and calls on the bridge as she concentrated on that one ship through the viewport so that she would not lose sight of the target, the source of all the troubles of the past several months, and the single reason for her current position.
Then suddenly the blasts stopped and she looked around. Joel’s triumphant grin had her glancing at the battle map. The escorts were gone or crippled and only the target warship remained.
“Lt Break, hail the captain of that ship.”
“No response sir.”
“Fine. Broadcast channel.” Joel waited for the Lt to acknowledge that the channel was open. “Warship Druchet stand down your attack. Your engines have been disabled and your weapon systems are offline. Stand down or you will be destroyed.”
The Drotz General appeared on screen. Laughing heartily, he declared, “We do not take orders from insignificant fools.” The screen went dark.
“Sir, their core is overloading. It’s going to explode.”
“Shields at maximum. Transfer all power if you have to. Helm, back us out of range. Raise the blast doors.”
Mere seconds later, the target ship exploded. The wave from the explosion rocked their Earth warship and continued across the battlefield. Those enemy and ally ships still capable of movement suddenly turned and ran. The remaining ships surrendered.
Joel swore under his breath. “Now why did he have to self-destruct his ship?” He turned to his crew. “Damage reports for this ship as well as those of the fleet. Contact General Kang and let him know our status and what happened.”
He turned to Angel. Her ashen face indicated her emotional state. “Cerato,” he called to get her attention. “Are you alright?”
“Aiy, though a bit shaken. So is it over now?”
Joel grimaced. “Not exactly. Since he didn’t surrender and as there are no Drotz left in the area to surrender for their fleet, there is no clear end to the battle.”
“So what happens now?”
“Now diplomacy starts again. We will need to contact the diplomats on the planet and see if they will surrender.”
Diplomatic stalling was the last thing Angel wanted. She thought back to the multiple weeks of endless diplomatic discussions and heartily disliked that possibility. General Rochaerd’s battle tactics from her visit to the Gods flitted through her mind. The last few minutes had been the scariest of her life an
d though she was loath to repeat them, with some minor changes, his battle tactics just might end this war. “General, if only the diplomats are left, why not encourage them to surrender.” She rose and crossed to Joel’s side, prepared to explain her sudden inspiration.
“How so?”
“Locate them on the planet and shake them up a bit. You can target non-essential systems, thereby eliminating casualties, can you not? A few well-placed blasts should scare them into surrender. They are diplomats after all, probably cowering in the safest bunker.”
“To get the level of accuracy that you desire, we would have to be inside their atmosphere. This ship isn’t setup for atmospheric insertion. And in her current state of damage, she might not survive.”
“Perhaps not, but the shield ships are. They can form a shield again, dropping their shield in a given area to allow you to attack. I know their capabilities.”
Joel suddenly understood her full idea. “That just might work.” He turned to his staff again. “Lt Breck, hail the leader of the shield ships.”
“Sir, what should I do with the diplomats in the banquet room? They are complaining loudly.”
Joel grinned impishly. “Tell them that since they enjoyed the main course so well, we are about to serve up dessert.” He turned to a crewmember. “Lt Gayles, find me the building where the Drotz leaders are hiding.”
“How sir?”
“Life signs, energy signatures, be creative.”
A few minutes later, Lt Gayles spoke up. “That one sir.”
“Put it and the surrounding area on the battle map.”
Angel watched as the dots for ships disappeared and an aerial map of the city below appeared on the battle map. The diplomats’ underground chamber was highlighted on the map, showing life signs inside as well as posted outside as sentries.
“Excellent. Now find a target close enough to shake that area, but not so close as to cause any casualties. The Cerato has asked for no casualties and I intend to do just that.” The map scanned across and centered on a group of small buildings. “A fuel depot. Excellent sport. That should cause sufficient aftershocks.”
General Kang and Steven Caldare appeared on the viewport. Joel briefly relayed the plan.
“How many ships do you want?” Steven asked.
“As many as possible, considering the cargo on this warship.”
Steven nodded and signed off.
“Good luck, Peterson. I’ll notify the President.” General Kang signed off.
Angel watched as several of the shield ships withdrew, being the non-atmospheric style. The remaining shield ships synched up and formed their combined shield over the damaged warship, with Steven as the main driver. The shield ships matched speeds with the warship, and the entire party began dropping out of orbit into the planet’s atmosphere. Lt Gayles coordinated with Steven to create holes in the shield for the weapons to pass through.
Several harrowing minutes later, they slowed and Joel hailed the Drotz homeworld diplomats. “This is the flagship Endeavor to the Drotz. Surrender now. If you do not, we are prepared to use deadly force.”
A volley of munitions impacted the shields.
“I’ll take that as a No. Gayles, target that fuel depot and fire, then find me another target.” The shock of the initial blast was little when compared to the multiple blasts that followed as fuel tanks and storage buildings exploded.
“I repeat. Surrender now.”
A second volley impacted their shields, weakening them. “Where’s my second target?”
“Here sir, an unguarded munitions station.”
“Target it and fire, then find me another target.”
Again, multiple blasts shook the area. Angel watched the screen that indicated the life signs of the remaining people. So far so good, though the depicted lifeforms appeared to be moving.
A third volley impacted their aft shields. “Lt, I need that next target.”
“Here sir.” The battle map moved again to center on another, closer target. “An energy plant, rudimentary and old. No life signs nearby.”
“Target it and fire, then find me another target.” He turned to Angel. “I hope they surrender before I run out of bluffs.”
Angel agreed, otherwise this no-casualty plan could cost them everything.
The plant exploded, triggering a series of smaller explosions that traveled down an old pipeline network through the city. Still the life signs showed strong, though they appeared to be moving rapidly now.
“Conditions of surrender? Conditions of surrender?” came the call over the monitoring channel.
“There will be no conditions at this time. Stand down and surrender before I fire again.”
No volley answered and the channel remained silent. Joel waited impatiently. “I grow weary of the wait. Surrender now or I open fire again.”
“We surrender.”
While the crew began cheering, Joel asked for General Kang again. “General, they have agreed to an unconditional surrender. I’ll leave the remainder of this up to you.”
“Well done General Peterson. The news is already on its way to the President.”
“Oh great. Guess I’ll have some explaining to do about shaking up the diplomats in the banquet hall.” He grinned unrepentantly.
Several hours later, exhausted and euphoric at the outcome of the battle, Joel vidphoned the quarters of the Cerato to offer his thanks one more time. He had spent the past several hours apologizing to the diplomats, regaling them with the retelling of the battle, and generally trying to smooth things over. Angel had refused to attend, stating that she did not want to be the center of attention.
As the vidphone displayed the room, he noticed Nik suddenly take two steps backward away from Angel. By the flushed expression on Angel’s face, Joel had some idea of what he had just interrupted. “Cerato, I wanted to convey the thanks from the Parrhesians.”
“You told them it was my plan? But I didn’t want anyone to know.”
“I only told them. As the sister planet to Llanelyn, I felt they deserved the truth. They promised not to tell anyone else. The rest of the diplomats believe one of my young staff had the ingenious idea.” He grinned for an instant, then sobered again. “Honestly, you deserve the credit, but I understand how you might feel. I was there once before,” he said, remembering Gillian’s speech as if it were yesterday. “Well, it is late and I had better say good night.”
“Goesh nicht.”
Concerned for the young girl who reminded him of his own daughter, Joel placed a call to Jason. After recounting the battle again, he asked Jason what he knew of the relationship between Angel and Nik. After a few well aimed questions, Jason told him that they were destined to marry. Joel laughed and passed on what he suspected. Jason merely grinned and volunteered to relay to Gillian.
Chapter 22
Innocence Lost
Jason vidphoned Gillian at home early in the morning her time. “Sorry, hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Knowing what Angel’s itinerary was for the past few days has not let me sleep well,” Gillian said with a yawn.
“Is Mischka there?”
Gillian stepped sideways to allow Mischka in front of the vidphone. “Aiy. Why would I not be?”
Jason relayed the story of the battle as told by Joel.
“Unconditional surrender. Just like his grandfather.”
“When will they be headed home?”
“Joel didn’t say.”
“I’m sure he has more important things to worry about right now, but if you talk to him again, would you ask him? And whatever day that is, you and Morgan need to be here as well.” Gillian briefly relayed the plan that she and Mary had discussed.
Jason laughed. “I sure hope Angel likes surprises.”
“Tis more like poor Nik,” Mischka said teasingly.
“What about Nik’s family? I heard once that they do not approve of his career choice.”
“I plan to talk to his mother aga
in today. I was waiting until we knew the outcome. She’s already noticed their feelings,” Gillian said.
Still laughing, Jason agreed to have Morgan there, then signed off.
Four days later, Angel and Nik boarded Joel’s warship again. After the battle, Joel had returned to Earth with the diplomats. All had been asked to remain and witness the signing of the Peace Accord. A formal treaty would be worked out in the coming weeks.
This cruise was to take the ship to Llanelyn, assess the planetary defense shields for necessary repairs and upgrades. General Kang had told the President of Angel’s battle tactics and both Miranda and Phil had agreed to Joel’s plan for the planetary defense shields without further questions. The Parrhesian’s defense shield was already under construction.
Joel joined them for dinner one evening. “We found the leak in the diplomatic staff.”
“Who was it?” Nik asked.
“One of the aides to the Sec Def’s assistant. Seems the Drotz had kidnapped his wife and two children and was threatening to kill them if he did not help them.”
“How did you find out?”
“He sent two newly hired Horband to my ship for the battle by assigning them to the cleaning detail. They made the mistake of trying to bring on board my ship a trillium bomb and a detonator. We scanned all incoming people for anything contraband and held anyone that brought anything dangerous.” Joel smiled at Nik knowingly. “When the bomb and detonator were detected, they were . . . dealt with accordingly.”
Angel paled at Joel’s hesitation. Lowering her voice she asked, “What did you do to them?”
“Relax. We didn’t kill them. They are alive and will stand trial.” Joel grinned as Angel visibly relaxed. “The transporter operator sent them into space, separated them from the bomb and detonator, and then transported them directly into a cell. Then he transported the bomb and detonator into a separate cell. A team of my security staff secured the bomb and detonator onboard one of the shield ships which immediately returned to earth.” Joel was glad his staff had removed the bomb from the battle area. “The bombers’ goal was to get the trillium into the chamber with the delegates and detonate it there.”
War of the Innocents Page 38
