by C H Gideon
He would take the fight to Bethany Anne and assure his godhood for the entire universe to see.
Chapter Ten
The crew of the SD Reynolds spent the entire day on Grindlevik 3, enjoying the sights of the new society and feasting among the locals.
The experience was so completely different than Jiya had expected that she couldn’t stop smiling, even as the crew made ready to depart the planet and return to the Reynolds.
L’Willow and L’Sofee saw them to the shuttle, offering them warm hugs and the best of luck for the trials ahead. They knew some of what the crew faced, having spoken about it while they visited, and wished them good fortune in their endeavors before returning to the vehicle to await Gorad.
“It’s too bad you must leave so soon, Reynolds,” Gorad told the other AI. “This was hardly a visit worth counting.”
Reynolds nodded. “I’ve no wish to bring Phraim-’Eh and his minions down upon you and your people after all the hard work you’ve put into bettering your world. This is our fight, and it’s best if we head off before trouble follows us.”
Reynolds held up the computer Jiya had taken off Jora’nal.
“Besides, we have a set of possible targets to look into, thanks to your help,” the AI went on, the three of them having hacked the coding and revealed what Jora’nal had been hiding. “I’m looking to take the fight to Phraim-’Eh and finish it. Now, we have a chance to do just that.”
“Then I wish you luck, and hope to see you return soon,” Gorad said. “You’re welcome anytime.”
“Thank you for that,” Reynolds told him. “That you abide by your word means much to me, Gorad. It will not be forgotten.”
“Nor will it be by me,” the other AI assured him. “Be safe, Reynolds.” He turned to the crew and said his farewells.
Reynolds grinned once they were done and Gorad had returned to his vehicle, departing seconds after.
“Guess our vacation is officially finished,” Ka’nak muttered.
“We need to kill this would-be god so we can take a real vacation,” Maddox stated as he started up the ramp of the shuttle. “This place will be fantastic once they get that Gate built. I can see it becoming a must-see destination within a few years, tops. I’d love to come back and see how the planet evolves after that.”
“Once we take care of Phraim-’Eh, we can,” Reynolds said.
“Then let’s get to it.” Ka’nak laughed. “We haven’t even left, and I already want to come back.”
The crew boarded the shuttle to greetings by Fulla Hirvin and Vor Gerfur, the two pilots glad to see them again.
It was an interesting change from the last time they’d been there, when the Grindlovians had been polite but hardly friendly or outgoing. Now, they were practically bubbling with the same energy and optimism as the Telluride.
It made Reynolds proud to have had a hand in the new Grindlevik.
The AI watched the planet as they rose into the air and returned to the SD Reynolds. The mood of the crew was somber yet determined when they said goodbye to the two Grindlovians and returned to the bridge.
The visit had been a nice distraction, but there was work to be done.
They had a god to kill.
“How’d it go?” XO asked as they returned.
“Looks like Jora’nal was sloppy regarding security protocol,” Reynolds answered, grinning. “Once we got past the firewall system, we were able to suss out several possible locations where we might find Phraim-’Eh.”
“Not a specific target, though?” Tactical wondered.
“Unfortunately, no,” the AI came back. “There is a reference to a home base, Phraim-’Eh’s base of operations, but Jora’nal wasn’t high enough in the hierarchy to get an invite. He doesn’t know where the planet is, or even what system it’s in, from the looks of it.”
“The other three locations,” Geroux took over, “are apparently places Phraim-’Eh frequented recently on something Jora’nal referred to as his pilgrimage. Sounds like it’s supposed to be some sort of holy journey to shore up and motivate his cultist base, and maybe to recruit more disciples.”
“So, he’s running around drafting people for his army?” Tactical asked.
“I think that’s exactly it,” Reynolds agreed. “People apparently come from all over to visit some of these locations and catch a glimpse of their god.”
“Goes to show you there are radical extremists everywhere you go,” Tactical stated. “Fucking nutjob meatbags.”
“Where are we going to first?” XO asked.
“The closest of the three systems is called ‘Rolant,’ so we might as well visit these fuckers in order,” Reynolds replied. “I’m uploading coordinates into the system, so once we’re at stations and ready, we can head out and see what we find.”
Ria clambered into her seat and settled in, signaling to the AI that she was ready when he was, and he fed the coordinates in.
Asya and Jiya flanked the captain’s chair as Reynolds took his seat. Maddox dropped into Tactical’s position, earning a grunt from the AI personality, and Ka’nak, Geroux, Takal, San Roche, and L’Eliana left the bridge to go about their duties.
Reynolds gave them time to reach their stations before he addressed the bridge.
“There’s no telling what we’re walking into, but it’s guaranteed to be hostile territory, so I want everyone on their toes and ready. This is the home turf of the cult, and even if Phraim-’Eh isn’t there, he’s likely to have numerous assets in place.”
“No details on that?” XO wondered.
Reynolds shook his head. “Jora’nal was consumed by his duties aboard the Pillar. He was a good servant who knew very little, and Phraim-’Eh clearly liked him that way. For obvious reasons, given the coordinates we were able to pick up from scraping his hard drive. All he knew was in basic terms, vague references. If he had deleted his communication logs, there wouldn’t have been shit to go on. But he didn’t, so…”
“We have his boss,” XO finished.
“Well, we have another lead,” Reynolds corrected. “There’s nothing definitive, since it appears Phraim-’Eh is a hell of a lot smarter than Jora’nal.”
“Speaking of the little shit, what are we going to do with him?” Tactical asked. “He’s pretty damn useless, especially now that you hacked his computer. Can I strap him to a Pod and use him as target practice?”
Reynolds chuckled. “Not yet. He doesn’t know we’ve broken his system, so he’s likely stewing in his thoughts, wondering what the hell he’s going to do. So, for now, we let his ass rot in the cell.”
“You’re no fun,” Tactical grumbled.
Reynolds motioned to Ria. “Ensign Alcott, open a Gate and take us to the Rolant System. Sound General Quarters and be ready for anything.”
“Yes, Captain,” Ria replied, getting to work.
A moment later, a Gate opened before them, and the SD Reynolds slipped through it into the unknown system. There was a flash, and the ship arrived in the Rolant System, the Gate closing behind them.
“Sweep the system and tell me what we’re looking at,” Reynolds ordered.
“Those coordinates you uploaded brought us in close to a planet, Captain,” Maddox reported. “It’s inhabited and modern. Getting lots of Kurtherian energy signatures pinging off the tech there.”
“We’ve got three destroyers peeling out of orbit and heading our way,” XO called.
“We’re being targeted by planetary weapons systems,” Jiya added. “Doesn’t look like these folks want us here.”
The lights on the bridge dimmed, bathing the crew in red as Asya hit the alert. She thankfully silenced the siren before it could rattle their ears.
“We’ve been identified already,” Maddox said. “No hails. These guys know who we are and why we’re here.”
“Any sign of Phraim-’Eh?” Reynolds asked.
“Negative,” Jiya answered. “These look like grunts. He might be on the planet, but I’m not getting t
he sense that we walked into his hidey-hole. More like a military base of some kind.”
Weapons fire hit the gravitic shields as the planetary defense systems engaged, missiles exploding uselessly before reaching the hull.
“Returning fire,” Tactical announced.
He launched missiles in return, the screen showing them streaking down through the atmosphere to answer the hostility from below. Sensors picked up flares of anti-aircraft fire looking to counter, and bright flashes of light exploded in missiles’ wakes.
“They’ve got substantial defense weaponry down there,” Tactical reported. “We landed a couple of hits, but most of the missiles were shot down.”
“Then we’ll have to fire more,” Reynolds advised.
Tactical laughed. “Now you’re talking my language.”
“Destroyers are on us, Captain,” Ria announced.
The SD Reynolds shuddered as if on cue.
The destroyers spread out and came at the superdreadnought from different angles, each trying to flank it and avoid coming at the ship head-on.
Reynolds chuckled. “They know about the ESD,” he commented. “They’re looking to dance around us.”
“You blame them?” Jiya asked, grinning.
“No, but it makes them look like chickenshits,” Reynolds countered. “Warm up the ESD a little, just enough to make sure they realize we’re arming it, Tactical.”
“I hope these captains are wearing their brown uniforms today.” Tactical would have smirked if he could have. “The ESD is cooking.”
“We’ve got a cruiser rising from the back side of the planet,” Asya advised.
“Then let’s get these destroyers out of here so we’re not playing tag with all of them at once,” Reynolds commanded.
The ship trembled as more fire pounded the shields. Ria maneuvered the SD Reynolds about to bring the ESD into play…at least as far as the enemy believed.
Reynolds had no intention of firing the weapon and wasting it on the destroyers, but their fear of it offered a perfect tactical diversion. As long as they thought it would be deployed, the captains would be cautious. Reynolds could use that to his advantage.
“You’re right,” Tactical said a moment later. “The destroyers are turning with us, angling to stay on our flanks and away from our nose.”
“Target their likely locations based on our positional shifts, then,” Reynolds called. “Let’s see if we can’t walk them into something.”
Reynolds activated the ship’s comm and reached out to the inventor. “Takal, I want cloaked mines pumped out to the coordinates I provide.”
“On it,” Takal came back.
Railgun fire and cannon bursts streaked from the SD Reynolds as they turned, and the first of the destroyers moved directly into the deadly hail.
Its shields flared and flickered as Tactical poured it on, backing the onslaught up with missile fire. The enemy seemed to freeze in place, surprised at how easily Tactical had pinpointed their direction of motion, only allowing the assault to cause more damage.
In one aft section, the destroyer’s shields buckled and burned out. Railgun fire peppered the hull, spewing debris in a line across the armor. Then the missiles hit.
Explosions ripped across the destroyer’s hull, and the sudden volcano of atmosphere spewing from the ship was a clear sign of success.
“Direct hit,” Tactical called.
The AI personality targeted the downed shields and hammered the hull. A ripple of energy ran along the armor, splitting the ship in two as the accumulation of damage proved too much for the ship to handle.
A moment later, the destroyer was listing, the remainder of its shields fluttering as they died.
The bridge rumbled as the other destroyers closed, and the planetary weapon systems continued to engage the SD Reynolds.
Alarms sounded as the gravitic shields were penetrated in several locations. Sensors showed explosions battering the hull.
“Took a couple of good hits on the starboard flank, but the armor’s holding,” Jiya reported. “Increasing power to the shields there to compensate.”
“Bring us about, Ensign,” Reynolds ordered. “Turn that section away from the planet so they can’t concentrate on it.”
“Aye aye, sir,” Ria replied, bringing the SD Reynolds about to give the starboard shields time to recover.
Dozens of explosions rippled down the length of one of the remaining destroyers as the SD Reynolds repositioned.
“It’s like the Fourth of July out there.” Reynolds laughed, seeing the explosions come one after another.
The enemy ship veered at the unexpected attack, but the captain’s resulting panic walked them into even more danger.
The cloaked mines Takal had spit into space had been more effective than Reynolds could have hoped.
The ship plowed right into the makeshift minefield as it tried to flee the invisible enemy. Explosions rang out all across its nose, the brilliance of them obscuring the front of the destroyer for several seconds.
Tactical unleashed on the ship then, raining railgun fire, missiles, and blaster fire to take advantage of the weakened shields at the nose of the craft.
A wave of explosions followed, and the destroyer was engulfed, section by section, blowing up and flinging debris everywhere as its final act.
“We’re still being pounded by those damn guns on the planet,” Maddox reported. “Our return fire is largely being negated by the AA.”
“Shifting to targeting the defense outposts,” Tactical announced. “We worried about collateral damage?”
“Not here,” Reynolds replied. “This is a cult haven and a military outpost, not some compound in the middle of an innocent population. Take these fuckers out.”
Tactical chortled. “Carpet-bombing it is.”
Although the AI personality had been holding back to avoid wholesale ruin of the planet, he no longer had to worry about it.
A barrage of fire and missiles rained down on the planet in response to the constant fire pounding them from below. Explosions were marked on the viewscreen as Tactical poured it on, overwhelming the AA systems and shredding the planet as if tilling a field.
Zoomed in, the screen showed thousands of explosions moving across the surface of the planet like a tsunami. And one by one, the AA went silent as they were scorched, the tracers in the air slowing from a raging storm to a light drizzle in just seconds.
“Burn, motherfucker, burn!” Tactical laughed as he continued pounding the planet.
“Where’s that cruiser?” Reynolds asked, pulling his eyes from the screen and returning his focus to the battle in space.
“Closing on us, but they’re still out of range,” Asya replied.
“Then let’s deal with this destroyer before it gets here,” Reynolds suggested.
More explosions erupted outside as the last of the destroyers came across more of the cloaked mines Takal had laid down for them.
“Excellent work, Takal,” Reynolds said over the comm.
“It’s easy when they’re willing to run right into them,” the inventor came back.
“They’re giving us their belly.” Jiya laughed, motioning to the screen.
Sure enough, the destroyer had rolled, perhaps predicting where the next mines would be laid, in an effort to avoid ripping up their shields against a weapon they couldn’t detect.
Tactical, however, knew exactly where the mines were.
“That was kind of smart, in a fucking stupid way,” Tactical said, chuckling.
The enemy ship had actually moved in the right direction to avoid running into more of the mines. However, the captain’s decision provided the SD Reynolds with a better target, and it was the last mistake he would ever make.
Tactical concentrated fire on the field of mines that floated en masse alongside the destroyer’s belly. Railgun fire triggered the mines, setting them off and starting a chain reaction of explosions that sliced through the destroyer’s shields and r
ained fire across its armored hull.
The follow-up barrage of fire, with no shields remaining to deflect it, smashed into the destroyer, to great effect.
The warship shuddered as its belly was peeled open. Eviscerated, the ship spewed atmosphere, crew, and debris into space as though its intestines were spilling out.
The hull, unable to maintain integrity, split, tearing the ship in two, almost as if it were a peeled banana. It tore apart lengthwise, pieces of armor and hull behaving like toppling stones, bouncing off the rest of the ship as momentum carried it forward.
So close to orbit, with no engines to redirect it, the planet started pulling it in, and the destroyer began its final flight. Flames flickered, and the ship glowed a brilliant orangish-red as it returned home for the last time.
“Ashes to ashes, and fuck that fuck.” Tactical intoned as the enemy ship was devoured by the atmosphere.
“We’ve got one more to worry about,” Reynolds reminded them.
The cruiser moved into range then and began to unleash on the SD Reynolds, shaking up the ship and the crew as its fire pounded the gravitic shields.
“Sitrep!” Reynolds ordered as the cruiser engaged.
“Scanners show there are no more ships headed our way anywhere in the system,” Jiya replied. “The planetary guns in the eastern hemisphere are still active, but Tactical is steadily blowing the shit out of things in that direction.”
“Damn right, I am,” Tactical said. “The threat from the planet is negligible at this point, but they’re still popping off shots.”
“Tactical’s efforts have also reduced the local population drastically,” Jiya went on. “Their numbers were concentrated around the guns, and there aren’t many of those left now.”
“That means we’ll likely find little intelligence down on the planet,” XO advised.
Reynolds shrugged. “The grunts aren’t going to have much to tell us anyway, so no loss there,” he answered, then pointed at the incoming cruiser. “Those are the bastards we want to get our hands on. Keep bombing the planet and take their base out completely, then ready a boarding team.”