“Can they make it through?” Major Brace shouted.
But just as Selby was about to answer the major, the masterships came bursting through the plasma fire. It billowed aside as they came through. They fired again, their blue crackle fire rippling over the second salvo, destroying it as easily as the first.
The holostage reported damage to the Skarak masterships. Selby looked at the data hoping for good news. The damage was superficial, moderate at best.
The third smaller salvo moved in before the masterships could fire their crackle beams. The drones slammed into the massive ships and collapsed their warhead containment on impact.
Huge detonations from the combat drones boiled away sections of the masterships they struck. Half a dozen masterships were smashed, blue crackle fire rippling over their dark hulls as they slowed. But behind them came a second wave of masterships, still outnumbering the fleet carriers. The damaged masterships pressed on ahead of the second wave.
“They are just going to take the fire so the second wave can get in close enough to use their primary weapons.” Selby looked at the holostage. The wall of plasma fire was cooling and expanding showing the third wave of Skarak, the warships and fighters.
“Tighten up formation,” Selby said. He highlighted a mastership. “All weapons, target this mastership and open fire.”
The fleet erupted with weapons fire. High powered lasers on the extreme of their effective range lanced out. Spitz guns from every ship raked the mastership with thousands of energy pulses a second.
The mastership glowed white hot under the assault and then erupted. Selby had already selected the next target.
“Fire.” He clenched his fist and he yelled the order.
Again the fleet erupted with fire and it tore the second mastership apart.
The Skarak advanced, bringing their blue crackle fire into range.
Selby gave the order to fire on a third mastership. And then the Skarak opened fire.
All Skarak ships blasted the fleet with their crackle fire weapons. The blue fire slammed into the Eminence and flickered from one ship to the next. Selby watched the holostage. It flickered and then it finally went blank. The lights across the command center dimmed and then went out. Selby reached out to the holostage for support as he stood in total darkness. Then a dull blue glow lit the command deck and he saw the faint blue lines of crackle energy flickering over the walls, ceiling and deck of the command center.
Selby heard the first yelp of pain as the blue crackle fire touched his foot. He was consumed momentarily by pain before all went black.
Thresh tapped a few commands into the holo-display under the panel and then closed it again. She dashed to the drive room door, limping slightly.
“Better move, Will. We only have three minutes.”
Thresh sealed the drive room hatch behind them and fused the controls. She melted the composite with her pulse pistol electron blade, welding the door shut. Boyd opened a nearby secondary maintenance access hatch. He waited for Thresh to catch up before he dropped through the hatch and down to the tower ground surface below.
Outside the Silence, Boyd could see through the haze that the walls of the tower were crawling with Skarak soldiers. They began to move in.
“Let’s go up.” Boyd grabbed hold of Thresh, clipping a safety line from his equipment belt to hers. “The tower is thinner at the top and we might find it easier to cut our way out. And I won’t have to watch you try and run.” He grinned at her as he activated his grav field and pushed them away from the ground, her legs wrapped firmly around his waist.
Thresh set her grav field too, and the pair flew upward even faster. Skarak soldiers were leaping off the walls of the tower toward them. Boyd and Thresh held each other close and fired over each others’ shoulders, dropping the Skarak soldiers that leapt toward them.
Racing upward, they moved past the Skarak queen. She snapped at them as they flew, her huge mandibles missing their feet by a fraction of a centimeter as they raced upward.
The top of the tower became narrow. Boyd aimed upward and fired at the black Skarak material that tapered to a point above them. The pulse rounds struck the dark tip of the tower. Thresh fired at the same point, but the material absorbed the pulse rounds, holding on to its utter blackness.
“Just power through,” Boyd said. He fired his thrusters and accelerated toward the black tip of the tower.
Boyd struck the tip hard and he sank into it. Pushing forward with Thresh in his arms, he burst out of the top of the tower just as the ground far below began to rumble. Fire and debris erupted all around the tower base as the Silence core exploded.
The tower dropped away from them, slowly at first and then more rapidly, disappearing into a crater on the planet surface, hot lava spilling up from the planet depth, consuming the tower as it fell.
Boyd felt his upward momentum fail. With the tower falling away, there was nothing for his grav field generator to push against. His thrusters kept him climbing, but he was moving slowly. He looked up at empty space only a kilometer away.
“How are we going to get away?” Thresh said.
A bright flash in the sky over head caught his eye. His holostage lit up.
“It’s the Zero,” Boyd said.
The Phantom Zero swept, and Boyd felt himself caught up in a grapple field and then pulled away. He clung on to Thresh, taking her hand in his and they were drawn up into the belly of the Zero.
A wave of Skarak fighter craft came in at speed from high above the Zero. Boyd pulled his pistol, for all the good it would do. Then he saw that the Skarak fighters were falling out of the sky, falling down to the ground.
“We did it, Will,” Thresh said. “Look, the Skarak are falling everywhere.”
Boyd looked down, zooming in with his visor. The hordes of mindless humans that were milling about aimlessly on the surface appeared to be waking up, looking around, wondering where they were. The Skarak soldiers on the planet were falling lifeless to the ground and Skarak fighters were falling from the sky.
Selby woke up to a flickering emergency light. Groans were sounding across the command center. Agent Crippin was at the holostage. Selby climbed uncomfortably to his feet, his head throbbing like he’d been rammed by a carrier.
“Holostage systems coming online,” Crippin said.
Selby gripped the side of the holostage, his legs weak. His fingers tingled. The holoimage was flickering badly as the colors were out of alignment, giving a multi layered image. The system was almost completely fried. But the image that was being displayed showed the Skarak armada adrift. Thousands of ships, large and small, drifting and tumbling aimlessly in space. Some had collided with others, and they were all falling toward the Union fleet.
Then the command center lights came up fully. The holostage image flickered and refreshed to show a clear image.
“Systems report,” Selby said.
The command center was coming back alive, concussed operators manning their stations, commanders calling out status. All systems were coming back online, and the Eminence’s sensors showed the Skarak were unpowered and adrift.
“Put me through to the fleet,” he said. Then, when he was connected with all ships, he gave the order. “Break formation, move in and take the bastards out. Move fast before they wake up again.”
Selby staggered over to the command chair and dropped into it. The holostage showed him the entire fleet advancing on the Skarak armada. Fighter blades were the first to the fight, and their forward mounted lasers struck into unpowered Skarak warships. The laser blasts punching clear through the Skarak hulls from one side to the other, Skarak soldiers and grey ooze spilling out into space.
Then the frigates and cruisers joined in, lasers and spitz guns flickering, tearing the Skarak ships apart.
Dozens of Skarak ships were burning wrecks when the carriers Eminence and Goliath moved in. Their mass beam crushed Skarak ships one after another, moving freely through the tumbling Skarak shi
ps leaving a trail of destruction.
“They are finished, Admiral,” Agent Crippin said. “Well done, sir.”
Selby looked at the holostage. The Skarak had been more than a match for his fleet. He did not fully understand how or why, but somehow the fleet had survived.
“Don’t thank me, Agent Crippin,” Selby said. “Someone has managed to bring them down just in time. Contact Fleet Intelligence for me. I want to know who we have to thank.” Selby turned and staggered off the command center. “If you need me, I will be in my office.”
Boyd and Thresh collapsed onto the deck of the cargo bay of the Phantom Zero. They pulled off their helmets and heaved for breath, sucking in the stale air of the Faction raider. Boyd turned his head to look at Thresh lying next to him. Her hair was sticking to her face. She turned and smiled at him.
“Nothing like nearly getting blown to bits to make you feel alive,” Boyd said, wiping her hair from her face.
Thresh grinned her wide, joyful smile. Then her smile dropped.
“I love you, Will,” she said. She was almost pleading.
Boyd steadied his breathing.
“I love you too.”
They sat up together, drawing close, closer than they had ever been.
The cargo bay inner door slid open with a screech of badly maintained composite. A rush of air blew in as the pressure equalized suddenly.
“I thought you deserved a rescue.”
“My team,” Boyd said, looking up at Kessler.
Kessler shook his head.
“I haven’t been able to locate them. The blades swept in to give them cover, but they were hopelessly outgunned. They held off a fierce assault, gave you the time you needed. Brave chaps those Blue Stars.”
Boyd dropped his head.
“You have no idea how brave. What is the status of the Skarak?”
“All ships in the system are unpowered. Floating in the void.”
“And where is Kitzov?” Boyd asked.
“Right alongside us. He has taken control of the Resolute. He’s asking for you to be taken aboard.” Kessler pulled his pulse pistol. “I have to insist you come with me.”
Boyd and Thresh were hauled to their feet by a group of Faction troopers and marched across the ship to the docking bay. The Phantom Zero was attached to the Resolute by a soft seal tunnel.
Boyd recognized the marine deck of the Resolute. Standing there was Kitzov and a squad of Faction troopers.
Boyd moved forward with the help of a gentle nudge from Kessler. He stepped onto the marine deck of the Resolute. So familiar to him. It felt as much like home as anywhere ever had.
“How do you like the look of my new ship, Will?” Kitzov said with a grin. Then his smile dropped. “Kneel.” Kitzov pointed at Boyd and then down to the floor. “On your knees, Union scum.”
“You backstabbing, selfish, traitor!” Boyd spat the words out. “You are not fit to lead. I challenge you for the captaincy of the Resolute. Under Faction law I can claim leadership of this ship from a weak and incapable leader. I call knucks.”
Kitzov laughed. “Shoot this scum.”
“He calls knucks,” Kessler said. “It is the pirate way.”
“Put him down on the deck, Kessler,” Kitzov said.
Boyd waited to feel the butt of a pulse pistol on the back of his neck any moment. It didn’t come.
“He can’t call knucks.” Kitzov looked at Boyd. “You can’t call knucks. You are Union, not Faction.”
“He looks Faction to me,” Kessler said. “After what he just did down there, he is welcome in the Faction as far as I am concerned.” Kessler looked over at the troopers. “You know Faction when you see it. Does Will Boyd get to call Knucks?”
The troopers lowered their rifles.
Kitzov pulled a pulse pistol from the back of his waistband and brought it up swiftly, taking aim at Boyd.
The blast of a pulse pistol near Boyd’s ear caused him to flinch. He turned to see Thresh, a pistol in her quaking hand.
Kitzov looked down at the pulse wound in his chest. The pistol dropped from his hand. He crumpled to the deck in a pool of traitor’s blood.
Boyd placed his hand over the top of Thresh’s pulse pistol and eased it from her grip.
“It’s ok,” Boyd said, soothing.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and she was holding back tears. “He made me do it, Will. He made me do it. I didn’t want to kill your brother. He made me kill lots of people. Can you forgive me? I didn’t want to do it.”
Boyd pulled her close.
Kessler waved the Faction trooper back along the boarding tunnel over to the Phantom Zero.
“Do you want to keep that?” Kessler pointed at Kitzov’s body.
Boyd shook his head.
Kessler called for assistance from a pair of Faction troopers who carried the dead body of the former Faction leader away.
“The Resolute is yours, Will Boyd. If you need any crew, just ask and I’ll see who I can spare.”
Boyd nodded. “Thank you, captain,” he said. “I think I can handle her alone.” Boyd straightened up and gave Kessler a smart salute.
Kessler grinned and returned a casual salute before he walked over to the Phantom Zero.
Boyd took Thresh’s face in his hands. He wiped away her tears with his thumb. “It’s ok, we will heal together.”
Thresh nodded and buried her head in his chest. The hardest part of healing is granting forgiveness to the one who hurt you. Boyd had done that, they had both done that. They were going to be okay.
Boyd kissed her. He never wanted to let her go again.
16
The inner system was littered with Skarak vessels. All were unpowered, tumbling lazily about the planet of Terra. Union mining vessels had joined with the fleet and were cutting into the hulls of the ships, breaking them apart piece by piece. The shattered remains of the massive Skarak armada were being thrown toward the giant blue star where they were destined to burn up in her fierce fire.
The Resolute moved out of the Sphere and entered the Scorpio system. The ship linked to the Union relay station on Lastone. Within a matter of minutes a Union frigate was racing in on an intercept course.
The Commander appeared, bold and confident, on Boyd’s holostage.
“Clearance codes. The inner system is under lockdown to all approaching craft. Identify yourself or I will engage you.”
"This is Lieutenant Will Boyd in command of the Resolute, returning from the Skarak system. It looks like we knocked them out.”
“Lieutenant Boyd. Welcome back. The entire fleet knows about your actions. You have been hailed a hero, but we were not expecting you back.”
“The Skarak are finished?” Thresh asked, standing next to Boyd.
“Yes. They had launched their final attack and then they just stopped. It was the craziest thing. They just lost all power. They had us, we were finished, and then they just stopped.”
The Phantom Zero moved out of the Sphere and came up behind the Resolute.
“Alert, Resolute. Faction ship on your six. Fall back to the inner system, I’ll handle these pirates.”
“Stand down, commander,” Boyd said, a smile on the edge of his lips. “These are not pirates, this is Kessler. If it wasn’t for Captain Kessler and his people, we would not have defeated the Skarak.”
A pair of Union fleet cruisers were moving in at high speed.
“The Union have all defensive and weapons systems active,” Thresh warned.
Kessler appeared on the holostage next to the commander.
“I was never convinced the Union would welcome us back, Boyd. Stand by for action. It’s about time you picked a side.”
“Pick a side?” Boyd said rolling his eyes. “When is anyone going to choose to be on my side?” Boyd could feel himself become furious.
The cruisers moved in.
“Task Force Featherstone One. This is Captain Krief of Union cruiser Sheppard. Welcome back. I have orders to escort
you to Terra. And I have a blanket pardon for all Faction personnel that acted with you. Is Kitzov with you?”
“Kitzov,” Boyd looked at Thresh, “he didn’t make it. Kessler is leader of the Faction. He can speak for them.”
Kessler appeared on the holostage.
Captain Krief saluted Kessler. “It is an honor, sir. Thank you for your part in this battle. If you follow me, sir, I will lead you to Terra.”
Kessler looked a bit taken aback. He returned the salute. “You are welcome, Captain. Can I expect a gallows welcome back on Terra?”
Kreif laughed. “No sir. Not a bit of it. All Faction personnel involved with Task Force Featherstone One have been reprieved. You are to be welcomed into the Union with full pardons for any criminal activity you may have been involved in.”
“But we are not Union,” Kessler said. “We are Faction.”
Kreif sighed. “I guess we have some negotiating left to do, but can I assume we are not enemies, Captain Kessler?”
Kessler smiled. “Friends it is then. My daddy would beat me blue if he knew I was making friends with the Union.”
Boyd turned off the holostage and turned to Thresh. “So what are a Union boy and Faction girl going to do in this new world of friendship and cooperation?”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Thresh joked.
Boyd jumped up into the command chair.
“Pick a star, any star.”
Thresh raised an eyebrow. “Really, Will Boyd?”
He smiled. “Why not? You up for another adventure?”
Thresh laughed and checked the stellar records picked up on route to the Skarak system. She selected a red giant star with a large blue planet orbiting in the habitable zone. It had standard gravity and atmosphere.
“There might be people living there already,” Thresh said, “but that forest moon could be a good place to set down for a rest.”
“A little camping trip on a forest moon,” Boyd said. He turned the Resolute around and powered up the drive.
“Lieutenant Boyd,” Captain Krief appeared on the holostage, “you are requested to attend a formal officer commissioning ceremony at Forge Farm. Set your course for Terra, Lieutenant.”
Blue Star Marine Boxed Set Page 72
