by Ira Tabankin
“No, I’ve entered my override into the ship’s AI. We’ll fire, but at only at a 5% rate.”
They watched the ship’s sensors lock onto and fire at a series of increasingly more complex targets, all were easily destroyed. Captain Stykes felt really good about his ship’s performance and was about to congratulate the crew when the AI announced, “Alert, alert! Alien ship overtaking us at 0.88c from our stern. Alert, alert.”
Captain Stykes asked the AI, “Identity of the alien ship?”
“It is Kalteck’s ship. He has issued a challenge to you. I will quote him, “Tag me if you can.” Shall I respond?”
“Yes, tell him, game on.”
“Yes, sir. He responded, in five, four, three, two, one, game on.”
“Crew of the Enterprise, battle stations, battle stations. This is a drill, repeat this is a drill. Lock on and tag Kalteck’s ship.”
Kalteck’s ship danced around the Enterprise, tagging her with light hits from her laser turrets. Stykes shook his head, “Come on people, it’s one ship. It’s a tenth of our size. Lock on and tag him.”
The Enterprise’s weapon’s officer replied, “Sir, he’s so small and quick, permission to launch the Piranhas.”
“Not yet, we have to show we can hit him.”
“Yes, sir. We’re trying.”
“No trying just do. He’s making us look foolish.”
Kalteck had fun jamming the Enterprise’s AI and weapons generators when the Enterprise’s weapon’s officer went manual and locked three lasers together and fired a spread of the beams. He caught Kalteck’s ship as it was about to fire. “Sir, we got him!”
“Finally! What was the score?”
The weapon’s officer lowered his voice, “Sir, he hit us thirty-four times before we nailed him.”
“Thirty-four to one?”
“But sir, our one got him. We would have destroyed him.”
They were interrupted by the ship’s AI, “Captain, Kalteck is requesting permission to land and meet with you and the Fleet Admiral.”
“Yes, give him permission to land on our main dock.”
An hour later Kalteck exited his ship which was locked down on the Enterprise’s main dock. He smiled as he noted the line of Piranhas armed and ready for action. He was met by Captain Stykes. “Welcome aboard the Enterprise. It is a great honor to host you.”
“Captain, thank you. I want to tell you, your people and ship performed very well.”
“Thirty-four to one isn’t so good. We have a lot more work to do before we’re ready for a real battle.”
“Which is why I’m here. I asked permission to join you so I can run through some exercises with your weapons crew, of course, with your permission. I know how the enemy ships will respond, we can program that into your targeting systems which will give you a higher probability of a first time hit on them.”
“Please. I welcome all the help we can get.”
“Good. I would first like to see my old friend the Fleet Admiral, or is he too high and mighty to meet with me?”
“I’m here.” Rhett tossed a bottle of beer to Kalteck who caught it in midair, popped the cap off and finished it in one swallow. “Ahh, that was good. For that, I accept your delay in meeting me.”
Rhett smiled, “I couldn’t meet you without your beer, could I? I watched your little performance. Nothing like making the weapon’s crew look like children.”
“Are you upset with me?”
“Not at all. It’s better they learn their mistakes from you then the enemy.”
Kalteck smiled and nodded. “What did you think of the game?”
“I think the ship’s AI needs an upgrade. If we can’t tag your ship, we’re going to have a lot of problems hitting their small craft. Did you bring an upgrade?”
“I brought something better than an upgrade. I brought a chip of the latest battles I received from home.”
“I like it.”
“ALERT, ALERT. THIS IS THE SHIP’S AI, SET BATTLE STATIONS NO DRILL, REPEAT, THIS IS THE SHIP’S AI, SET BATTLE STATIONS, NO DRILL. COUNT DOWN, TWENTY, NINETEEN…”
Rhett’s implant provided him with the information of the situation. He looked at Kalteck who had done the same thing. Captain Stykes looked at Rhett, “Sir?”
“Captain let’s go to the battle bridge, the AI has discovered two massive ships entering our system. They match the types of ship Kalteck and I fought before. They are called the Neanderthals. It looks like our little shakedown cruise is over.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Crew of the Enterprise, this is the captain. Set battle stations. We are going into action. This is NOT a drill, I repeat this is NOT a drill. Seal the bridge and switch all operations to the battle bridge.” The battle bridge was buried inside the ship’s hull. It was surrounded by the thickest armor the Earth and Kalteck could produce. The battle bridge was a built as a circle, the bridge’s walls were made up of huge monitors, twenty officers sat in a circle under the Captain’s and Fleet Admiral’s chairs.
Rhett asked Kalteck, “Are you going to stay or fight in your ship?”
“I am going to stay here and see how I can help you fight them.”
“Then join us in the battle bridge.”
Captain Stykes led the way to the battle bridge while the ship’s crew ran through the ship manning their battle bridge and damage control stations. The AI continued to count down to zero, “Thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten, nine…two, one. Battle Stations set.”
Chapter 14
The Enterprise’s AI gave an update, “Two of the double saucer shaped ships Kalteck had identified as Neanderthal ships have entered our system. They are traveling at a slow speed of 0.05c and are a course that will take them to the dark side of the moon. They have not yet seen us as their sensors must be recycling from their wormhole exit. Instructions?”
Captain Stykes looked at Rhett and Kalteck, Rhett answered the unasked question, “Captain, fight your ship. The AI has the data on the weak spots of this class of ships, use that data well, it may save our lives.”
Smiling he nodded, “Yes, sir.”
“Engage the stealth mode, lock on all weapons to the position where the lower saucer connects with the tunnel section. It is where Kalteck said they have a weakness and are vulnerable. Arm the main rail gun, all point defense and our energy weapons and prepare the Piranhas for launch in case they manage to launch their fighters.”
The Enterprise came alive for the mission she was built for, battle. She was Earth’s first Monitor class, larger than one of Kalteck’s battleships, and stuffed with everything Earth and Kalteck could build into the ship in the time they had to build it.”
The ship’s stealth mode took the enemy’s sensors and returned them as if the ship didn’t exist. The ship also used cameras which turned the skin of the ship into a massive monitor which reflected the images as if the ship wasn’t there. The ship’s hull had tubes which carried liquid nitrogen to cool it, so an enemy’s ship’s thermal sensors didn’t see it. The only real problem the massive ship had was masking its ion exhaust, so the AI sprayed inert frozen gas into the exhaust of the sublight drives.
Stykes ordered, “Bring us around so we approach between the two ships. I want to hit both at the same time. Target the ship on the left with the plasma weapon and the one on the right with the main particle beams. Make sure the shields are on full and set the AI to change their frequency every five nanoseconds, so we keep their systems guessing. I don’t want to go to toe to toe with those monsters so let’s make sure we take them out with our first pass. Weps, time to fire?”
“We’ll be in optimum range in thirty hours, they entered our system at the outer edge and we’re over the Titan base.”
“Too long, the risk is too high they can break our stealth. We don’t know how sensitive their sensors are. I want to hit them as quick as possible. Are the nuclear reactors online?”
“Yes, sir. We can pump their energy into the weapons.”
> “Where is the reactors’ energy being funneled now?”
“To the shields and stealth.”
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do…”
“Rhett smiled, “You’re going to risk a jump in system?”
“I don’t see any other option. If we wait and attempt a stealth approach and they break our stealth, we’ll be facing the weapons and fighters on both ships. They don’t see us yet. I think the risk is worth it. I plan to exit the jump right in in front both ships so I can bring our main weapon to bear and we’ll be firing as soon as we clear the wormhole. I’m hoping the wormhole distortion will confuse their sensors long enough for us to get the first shot in, then I plan to jump the hell away from here.”
Rhett looked at Kalteck. “A risky, but excellent plan.”
Rhett nodded, “Captain, you have my agreement to carry out your plan. Go ahead.”
Stykes smiled, “Nav, I assume you’ve laid in the course?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Weps, be ready to fire as soon as we exit the wormhole.”
“Sir, we’ll be ready.”
“Execute.”
The Enterprise opened a wormhole and disappeared through it. The wormhole got the attention of the two Neanderthal ships and they increased the scan radius of their sensors. A wormhole opened where Stykes wanted it to be, however the Neanderthal ships had moved. The Enterprise arrived in front of one of the double saucer ships, she opened fire with her main plasma weapon which struck the point where the lower saucer connected with the tunnel section. The plasma weapon burned through the Neanderthal ship causing a massive explosion when the plasma entered the weapons and fuel loaded lower saucer. The massive ship exploded in a massive flash which blinded the Enterprise’s sensors.
The blinded sensors missed the second Neanderthal ship which was able to open fire on the Enterprise. The Neanderthal’s main weapon struck the Enterprise’s shields. “Sir the shields are holding. Thank God we have the additional power from the reactors.”
Stykes asked, “Shield status?”
“Dropping quickly.”
“Target that ship with everything we have and open fire, move the ship to new course as marked.”
The Enterprise shuddered as one of the Neanderthal beams connected with the ship’s hull and burned through. Alarms screamed and alert messages flashed on the large monitors in the battle bridge. Stykes said, “Damage control, seal the breaches in the hull.”
“Sir, we’re losing power to the shields, the breach cut one of our power lines, the fiber is split.”
“Can we shift power?”
“Not yet. DC (Damage Control) is working on it.”
“Damage to their ship?”
“Their shields are stronger than we thought. So far, we haven’t been able to burn through them. Their weapons have burned through ours.”
“Hit them with the main Plasma weapon followed by slugs with the antimatter warheads. Continue targeting the same spot, let’s see if we can break through their shields.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Neanderthal weapon struck the Enterprise again, their weapon burned through the aft shields and caused damaged in one of the reactor rooms. The damage control officer called the captain, “Captain, we’ve got to take reactor one offline…”
“I need it, if we lose it, we may lose the damn ship.”
“We’re trying to patch it…”
The ship rang again as the Neanderthal weapon struck it again, this time their weapon struck the arrowhead which had the strongest shields. Stykes turned to the weapons officer, “FIRE!”
“Firing now.”
They watched the Neanderthal shields flash as the plasma weapon and laser beams struck the same spot. Stykes said, “Hit them with three of the slugs.”
“Firing.”
They watched the shields hold off the first slug which exploded in a blinding flash as the antimatter exploded, the second slug broke through the shields and exploded inside the massive ship, as did the third. The two exploding antimatter released a massive amount of energy which engulfed the entire Neanderthal ship. When the Enterprise’s monitors cleared there was nothing but a large and spreading debris field where the Neanderthal ship had been.
Stykes shook his head, “My God will you look at that. The entire ship is gone. That ship was larger than ours…”
Kalteck nodded, “That’s what happens when antimatter explodes in an area filled with stored antimatter. Your slugs broke the magnetic containment for their antimatter warheads, the combined antimatter completely destroyed their ship. Congratulations, you destroyed two of them.”
“We did, but we also sustained major damage. XO, what’s the butcher’s cost?”
“Sir, we’ve lost nine hundred and have eighty-five missing and at least three hundred wounded. One problem is we lost the doc and the ship’s main medical lab.”
“Shit, okay, let’s go home.”
“Sir, to Earth?”
“No, take us to the base on Titan, they have a hospital and can help us repair the damage. We just learned we need to strengthen our shields and see how to protect the fiber power cables and increase the armor around our reactors.”
Rhett added, “Captain, I suggest we look at adding a backup medical and additional doctors.”
“I agree. Kalteck, do you have any thoughts?”
“I know you took damage but, I also believe you did an excellent job for your first battle. I know you’re feeling you let your ship and crew down by getting hit by the Neanderthals. Neither of us knew the truth strength of their weapons. The Enterprise did an excellent job. I think it’s better to have learned our ship’s weaknesses now before we had to fight the enemy. The Lincoln and Patrick Henry can have the modifications added to them before they’re completed.”
“Thank you. I’ll send a report to Earth and let them know what happened. I may have had the shortest command in history.”
Rhett shook his head, “Captain, I have full confidence in you. You fought your ship very well. None of us had ever been in a space battle before. Let’s get the Enterprise patched up and upgraded as soon as possible.”
The captain ordered a double ration of beer or whiskey to the crew as the ship jumped towards the base on Titan and he breathed a sigh of relief they’d survived their first battle. Captain Stykes toured the makeshift medical facilities, where he stopped to chat with each of the wounded, most of whom suffered from blast or burns. Some suffered from rapid decompression when the Enterprise’s hull was breached.
Captain Stykes looked at the lines of body bags and swore to himself. He felt he’d let the crew down. He felt a presence near him. He turned and saw Rhett standing behind him. “Fleet Admiral?”
“Captain, I started with the wounded, you started with the dead. I thought I’d find you here. How are you holding up? How are the ship’s repairs going?”
“I’m holding up okay, the nanites are working like the crazy little f-ers they are. They’ll create patches but we need more help than them, and we need better shields. Those ships dwarfed us, and I thought the Enterprise was massive. I never thought we’d be cut apart like we were. Their beams cut through us like a hot knife through butter. I thought we had that nailed. Boy was I wrong.”
Rhett looked at the line of covered bodies, “You weren’t wrong. We designed the shields around Kalteck’s weapons, we had no way to know, but we should have expected there were others out here much more powerful than his small ship. We still have no idea why the Neanderthals were here or why they keep returned. I hope they’re not part of some advance raid working with the enemy. If they are and the enemy’s ships are larger and more powerful than the Neanderthals, we’re in a lot of trouble. A lot more than any of us thought.”
“You’re the expert in aliens, what do you think we can do?”
“I’m working on it.”
Chapter 15
The staff at the Titan base was shocked at the condition of the Enterprise.
They’d believed like most humans the Monitor class ships were the most powerful ships in the universe. They couldn’t believe their years of work could be so easily sliced up from one ship in a single short battle.
Rhett joined by Kalteck and Rhett’s staff met and conferenced with the engineers on Earth. Together they decided to increase the hull mounted armor and to increase the shield generators. One of the concerns was where to take the additional power the new shield generators required.
Kalteck suggested a series of small matter/antimatter reactors dedicated to powering the shields. He asked his AI to design the generators and alter the blueprints of the ship so they could be installed close to the main generators. These small reactors were the size of a small portable window air conditioner, each weighed less than eighty pounds.
