by Robert Boren
“The New Jersey? Months.”
“How about the other two ships?” JJ asked.
“Days,” Nolan said, “but it’s not as bad as it sounds. We could pull them into the New Jersey with the tractor beam and jump away before the Overlords could do anything about it.”
My PA buzzed. I looked at it. “The Zephyrus retrofit is complete. She’s ready to go.”
“Are we gonna send that message?” JJ asked.
“Dictate it into your PA and send it to me,” Vermillion said. “Throw in something not public that they know about, so they’re sure it’s really you.”
“I’ve got just the thing. The Assault on Thesis, which almost lost me my command fifteen years ago. That debacle was never made public. There are some events I could describe.”
“What kind of events?” JJ asked.
“Maybe I’d better not discuss it here,” I said.
Vermillion chuckled. “I know a lot about that operation. It was bloodthirsty enough to give them pause, if we can convince them the response came from you.”
“You guys are making me nervous,” JJ said.
Sondra made eye contact with me. “Pick an event that shows you to be ruthless, because that’s what we need. If we threaten the capitol, they’ll get very serious very fast.”
“I almost lost my command because I was ruthless.”
“Oh, go ahead and tell us,” Nolan said. “I’m interested.”
I glanced at Vermillion, who shook his head in approval.
“Thesis is an asteroid, which was being used by a band of pirates as a base. They got caught smuggling Boron, and we had them surrounded. They grabbed a cruise liner called the Veronia Sun with forty-thousand tourists aboard, and threatened to blow it up if we didn’t back away.”
“Oh, God, I remember that,” Sondra said. “The ship blew up, killing everybody aboard. I didn’t know it was blown up by pirates. The media said it was an accident.”
“You blew up Thesis, didn’t you?” Nolan asked.
“Yes. They gave us an ultimatum. Leave within twenty-four hours or they’d blow the tourist ship.”
“You chose not to back off?” JJ asked.
“We were negotiating with the leadership, trying to work out a deal, but as we approached the deadline, our sensors showed us that they had several hundred ships ready to launch from Thesis.”
“They were gonna make a quick getaway, huh?” Nolan asked.
I nodded. “The pirates were. They were planning to leave their families and non-combatants on Thesis, thinking we’d leave it alone and chase them. We would’ve, too, but they pushed it too hard.”
“Uh oh,” Skip said.
“What’d they do?” Sondra asked.
“They blew the Veronia Sun, attacked my battle cruiser, and tried to launch all their ships from Thesis in the same instance, thinking we’d have our hands too full to stop their escape.”
“You had the rock targeted,” Nolan said, his face grim. “Killed them all, didn’t you?”
“I hit them with several thousand torpedoes. Totally destroyed Thesis, killing more than three million people.”
“Oh, no,” JJ muttered.
“That was the right call,” Vermillion said.
“It’s not one of my proudest moments,” I said, feeling the emotion coming to the surface again after so many years.
“If you wouldn’t have done that, the tactic would have been repeated,” Nolan said. “I don’t look down on you for that decision. Not one bit.”
“What’s done is done,” Vermillion said. “Compose something about it in the message, and send it to my PA. I’ll send it out. They won’t be able to trace it.”
“Maybe we should look at the other reports I downloaded before we finish this,” Nolan said.
“Thanks for bringing us back into focus,” I told Nolan. “How many more?”
“Just two. The official news report and a report from Hamilton Zenos.”
“You mind, Chairman?” I asked.
“No, I’m interested too. Put them up.”
“Here’s the official release,” Nolan said, putting it on screen. We read.
The struggle between the outlawed Samson Corporation and the Central Authority ramped up yesterday, with an illegal attack on a number of Centurion ships and a space dock run by the Overlords.
Due to the superior technology of the Overlords fleet, none of the ships attacked were destroyed. Several were damaged. The space dock was out of commission briefly due to a power overload, caused by the massive repair and rescue operations being run from that facility. Full power has now been restored, and repairs to the affected vessels is proceeding at a fast pace.
Simone, leader of the Overlords, released the following statement: “Chairman Vermillion and his band of outlaws has attacked the Overlords, after we exposed their attempts to collude with the Clan to take over the Republic of the Central Authority Zone. This will not stand. We are bringing our most modern ships into the fight. There is nowhere for the Samson Corporation criminals to hide. We will pursue them across the Universe, outside of our own zone if necessary.”
Nolan chuckled. “She sounds a little upset.”
“They just outright lied in that report,” JJ said.
Vermillion nodded. “They sure did.”
“Simone will regret publishing that story,” I said.
“Why?” JJ asked.
I smiled, looking over at Nolan. “Do we have a recording of our conversation with Simone?”
Nolan laughed. “Of course. That would be an interesting companion piece to this story.”
“It would out her lying, that’s for sure,” Vermillion said. “That said, maybe we’d better hold off on it for now.”
“Probably right, but it would be fun,” I said. “Nolan, put the last article up.”
Nolan nodded, turning to his console for a moment. The next article displayed on the screen.
Hello folks, your old buddy Hamilton Zenos here. My, but we’ve had some interesting developments over the last forty-eight hours.
First, let’s talk about the attack on the Mars space dock and the Overlord battle ships protecting it. As I’m sure you’ve seen in the official press, a Samson Corporation ship was responsible for the attack. Simone is claiming that the attacks were repelled by superior technology.
Pardon me for a moment while I laugh… okay, I’m back.
Simone, answer us this. Why were each and every one of these “innocent” ships targeted in exactly the same place, in a way that insured there would be minimal loss of life? Yep, that’s right folks, each of these ships received pinpoint hits to their engines, which set them adrift. The power systems of the space dock were also attacked, in a way that minimized loss of life.
We know that the next-generation battle ship New Jersey made the attacks. This is the most advanced craft in the Samson Corporation arsenal. Rumor has it that this ship has plasma weapons and shields which are far more capable than those on Centurion Class ships. The New Jersey could have easily destroyed all the Centurion ships and the space dock in an instant, had that been the intent of Captain Trey Clarke.
This story gets worse (or better, depending on your point of view) when we look at an incident I mentioned earlier, which is currently being covered up by the mainstream press. An entire city block of Manhattan was targeted shortly before the Mars attack, using the stun capability of our precious PA devices. Unfortunately for the victims, the stun was so harsh that all the targets died. The official line from the Overlords was initially that somebody else committed that atrocity. They’ve since revised their story, saying they haven’t been able to verify that the attack actually happened. For those of you who doubt it, follow the link on our page to a list of the victims. Try to contact them. We’ve included links to the local neighborhood social media outlet, where the details are spelled out. There were obituaries published on some of the victims already too. If you’re interested in seeing these, I wouldn’t w
ait around. They’ll be erased soon. Oh, and one final titbit of information. Chairman Vermillion, head of the Samson Corporation, lost his sister in the stun attack. Coincidence? You be the judge.
Let’s get down to brass tacks. The Overlords are attempting to take control of the Central Authority Zone. The Congress is sticking to its usual partisan bickering over the situation so far, acting as if this is just another business-as-usual event that will blow over quickly. Meanwhile there are Overlord Centurion Class battle ships orbiting Earth, along with a massive new ship nobody has seen before. Glad I’m not on Earth. Good luck to those that are. Samson Corporation, it might be time for you to do more than target a few engines.
Hamilton Zenos
“Whoa,” Skip said. “Really?”
“He can get a little overheated at times, remember,” Sondra said.
I shook my head. “He nailed this. We know what he’s saying here is the truth. Maybe we should publish the video of our conversation with Simone.”
“Not yet,” Vermillion said. “Let’s get through this action, although I do want to send a reply to Simone through the back channel, so get on that message.”
“I’ll do it right now, Mr. Chairman.”
{ 22 }
Projectiles
I t took me just a few minutes to craft the message for Vermillion to send through the back channel to Simone. He chuckled after reading it.
“Perfect. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Will we get a reply before we come out of the wormhole?” Sondra asked.
Vermillion turned before he got through the door. “If they respond to the server that I’m sending this from, yes.” He left.
JJ moved closer to me. “You know, this might piss Simone off enough to actually attack Earth, and then we’re in trouble.”
“She’s going to do it anyway, unless we surrender, and we’re not doing that. If she hits Earth with an attack, then I will target Devonia Axxiom. I didn’t intend that message as an idle threat.”
“That’s the Captain Trey Clarke I remember,” Sondra said. JJ shot her a worried glance, but kept her mouth shut.
“Should I plot a course to Devonia Axxiom and have it on our list of alternate locations, Captain?” Nolan asked.
“Yes, do that, and figure out escape routes just in case. We still don’t know anything about that new ship. It might be more than a match for this one.”
“We know they can’t track us, at least,” Tim said. “They would have by now.”
“Or they could see us and thought it would be easier to threaten Earth than to pursue us,” Skip said. “Can the smaller ships take on those Centurion class ships?”
“Several at a time,” Nolan said. “And since we’ll all be cloaked, the Overlords won’t know we’re nearby until their ships are turned into floating debris.”
I sat in the captain’s chair and accessed the ship’s AI, feeding as much data into it as I could, including Nolan’s data on placement of the ships and targeting info. Vermillion came back onto the bridge after half an hour.
“The message has been sent, and I’m monitoring the system for a reply.”
I nodded, looking up from my PA screen for a moment, then getting back to it as the minutes ticked off. Tension on the bridge was rising.
“We’re getting close,” Nolan said. “Better get the crews on the Tristar and Zephyrus.”
“I’m ready,” Tim said, getting up, Izzy and Andrea joining him. They left the bridge.
“Do you know where Cyrus is?” I asked Nolan.
“He’s already aboard the Tristar, checking systems. The crew of both ships are returning there as we speak.”
My PA beeped. It was Deacon. “What’s up?” I asked. “You back on the Zephyrus?”
“Yeah, Cappy. We’re still a little short of crew. Can I take some from the New Jersey? I made a list.”
“They aren’t key New Jersey crew members, right?”
“No, they’re not, but I’ve worked with all of them before.”
“Okay, send me the list and I’ll approve it.”
“Will do, Cappy. Thanks.”
“Be careful, Deacon.”
“You too.”
I went back to working with the AI for the next twenty minutes.
“We’ll be coming out of the jump in a moment, Captain,” Nolan said.
“Good.” I leaned back in the chair, my back complaining. JJ noticed my expression as I stretched, and came over, rubbing my shoulders and back.
“You’re pretty tense,” she whispered.
“Comes with the territory.” The static hit us as the ship dropped out of the wormhole. “Here we go.”
Nolan glanced at me. “We’re cloaked. I’m running a scan now and downloading any new info.”
“How long will it take us to get to Earth from here?”
“Hours if we use impulse power. I suggest we jump in.”
“Good, Nolan, same idea I had.”
“Sir, the Zephyrus and Tristar are both ready to leave the bay,” Sondra said, looking at her PA. “Should I give the okay?”
“Yes,” I said, my heart dropping to my stomach as the words left my lips.
Vermillion chuckled. “Well, that didn’t take long.”
“What?”
“Simone’s response to our back-channel message.”
“What’d she say?” Skip asked.
“How dare you.”
“She’s going crazy right about now,” Nolan said. “I finished the scan of Earth. No attacks thus far, but there are more ships in orbit. The original ships are still in geosynchronous orbit. The other ships are in lower orbit.”
“Tactical,” Sondra said. “I’m seeing them. Another six.”
“So, they’ve got eighteen Centurion ships total, then?” I asked.
Nolan snickered. “No, the last group aren’t Centurion class battle cruisers. They’re troop transport ships.”
“Simone would dare try an invasion?” Skip asked.
“Why would that surprise any of you?” Nolan asked. “She’s nuts.”
“She’s crazy like a fox,” Vermillion said. “Never underestimate her.”
I thought about the situation for a moment, thinking through all the possibilities. “Did those new ships arrive before or after Simone got our back-channel reply?”
“I’ll have to access some Earth sensors to figure that out,” Nolan said. “Already working it.”
“Well do it fast, and then let’s jump into their midst. Sondra, notify the Zephyrus and Tristar to get ready for jumps. I sent you the coordinates. I’ve also sent you a jump sequence for the attacks. They are to take out all the Centurion ships within range of their first arrival point. Then they are to jump out and come back to the next location.”
“We won’t get all of them,” Nolan said.
I nodded. “That’s likely. Once some of them are destroyed, we’ll see those ships jumping away fast.”
“Trace them when they do,” Vermillion said. “Use the New Jersey AI.”
I nodded. “That’s what I programmed in, Mr. Chairman.”
“We’re going to hit them here and then go after their bases?” JJ asked. “Sure we can handle it? What about that big ship?”
“We’ll see what kind of shields that monster has,” I said.
“That’s pretty bold.”
I glanced at JJ. “Of course it is. We’re at war. We’ve been threatened with death, and our home planet is being held hostage. We either fight back with everything we’ve got, or surrender.”
Sondra got my attention. “Captain, I sent the data to Cyrus and Andrea. They want to chat. They’re already out of the bay, and the door is secure.”
“Put them on screen.”
Sondra spoke into her PA and their faces came up on the center screen.
“We have a question, Captain,” Andrea said.
“Go ahead.”
“Should we hit the Centurion ships or the troop transports first?�
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“Centurion ships,” I said.
Cyrus smiled. “Told you.”
“They’ll still threaten Earth if we leave them alone,” Andrea said.
“We’ve got a heavily armed planet. Those troops would have a hard time if they go there. I expect them to jump away as we begin destroying their Centurion ships.”
“We’re shooting to kill this time, correct?” Cyrus asked. “For the record?”
“Yes, destroy the Centurion ships. Avoid the big one. The New Jersey will take that on. If we’re forced to jump away, follow us. Understood?”
“Where should we go?” Andrea asked.
“Come back to this position and stay cloaked.”
“Yes sir,” Cyrus said.
“Aye, sir,” Andrea said. “We’re ready to make the jump to Earth orbit.”
“Nolan, are we ready?”
“We are, Captain.”
“Let’s go.”
The center screen shut down, and we felt the dizziness as the ship made the jump, coming out of it in less than ten seconds. Nolan turned on the cameras. The monster ship sat before us, several groups of sleek silver fighters patrolling around her.
“Everybody in place?” I asked. Andrea responded affirmative, Cyrus a split second later.
“Battle pilots standing by, Captain,” Skip said.
“Monitor the shields, Nolan.”
“Of course, Captain.”
“Fire.”
The massive enemy ship lit up as our plasma blasts hit their shields, consuming the fighters who were nearby in a micro-second. The ship’s shields appeared to be holding, but they were changing color quickly. Blasts came out of all their guns, along with torpedoes, but they weren’t targeted to our ship.
“They can’t see us,” Sondra said.
“Keep on them. Fire torpedoes.”
“How many?” Skip asked.
“Fifty ought to be a good start,” I said.
We saw flashes heading towards the enemy ship, which noticed them right away since they weren’t cloaked, hitting most of them, a few blowing up as they touched their shields, causing their ship to wobble slightly. Then they hit us with their plasma weapons, the blast blinding the cameras for a few seconds.
“Shields?” I asked.
