Betrayal

by E. Wayne Stucki

  Drillyn waved his antennae acknowledging the report. “I want to know of any missiles coming in from unexpected vectors,” he ordered. “Or don’t appear to’ve been launched from a ship. If there are any, backtrack and locate those ships.” He looked over at the screen showing his Second. “We have to find those stealth ships,” the Swarm Master explained.

  “Perhaps we left them behind,” suggested Moninco and gestured with his antennae. “They shot themselves dry which means if they’re going to attack they’ll have to close. And that’d be suicide. Those ships can’t be very big or we’d’ve found them when they attacked. There has to be a size limit to that stealth.”

  The Swarm Master nodded, his antennae waved as he thought. “Possibly,” he said. “But we don’t know how many of those ships they have,” he said staring back down at the screen showing his Second. “The ships that attacked us earlier must’ve been ferried into the outer system when the Kthpok ran their exercise in the asteroids. More of them could be out there right now, picked up from Main Hive and carried by the Swarm we can see. That stealth’s so good we wouldn’t know if they were there. So we…” A tone sounded and he broke off the conversation to turn his attention back to his plot.

  The missile swarms were interpenetrating. Most of the weapons passed through but several collided and vanished in brilliant nuclear fireballs. The explosions killed still more weapons.

  His conversation with his Second forgotten, the Swarm Master watched as the missiles targeting his Swarm reached the first defensive zone. Anti-Missile Missiles began launching and the electronics officers in the Swarm worked their equipment to confuse the incoming weapons. Decoys were ejected and activated to further confuse the Kthpok missiles. A fourth of the weapons aimed at the Swarm lost lock and wandered off but that left over two hundred weapons racing down on the Iidx formation. Nuclear fireballs appeared in open space then moved towards the ships as the AMM’s reached and took out their targets. But the explosions were too few. The Swarm Master knew a large number of missiles would break through to the next defensive zone.

  A tone sounded throughout the Swarm ship warning of imminent impact. Drillyn quickly donned his helmet and sealed his suit in anticipation of the command deck losing atmosphere. He tightened his saddle restraints even further in anticipation of the beating his ship was going to take. Iidx throughout the Swarm were doing likewise. A moment later the defensive laser mounts opened fire. More explosions in space signified success but it wasn’t enough. At least eighty missiles in a staggered wave broke through the intense defensive fire. And there were more coming from follow up launches.

  Drillyn was thrown back and forth against his restraints as the Kthpok missiles struck and the carnage began. The thunder of explosions against the armored hull made conversation almost impossible. The Acting Swarm Master worked to listen to the damage and battle reports over his head set while watching the Plot. He spoke into his boom mike giving instructions for formation changes and targeting while he struggled to remain on his saddle.

  The Swarm Master wasn’t the only Iidx having difficulty in remaining at his post. Swarm Second Moninco could be seen swinging in and out of the Auxiliary Controls’ monitor. Lieutenant Litaninel had neglected to secure his restraints and was thrown from his saddle. He slammed against the navigation console. The force of the impact cracked his thorax and his abdomen was torn from his body. Litaninel’s high chitter of pain quickly faded.

  Off to the Swarm Master’s right a communications console exploded spraying metal in all directions. The Iidx who was stationed at the equipment didn’t have time to cry out in surprise or pain. Metal sheared into his abdomen and thorax. One sliced his head off. Another explosion brought a support beam crashing down from the ceiling just missing Captain Altain. Several of the Command Swarm were crushed, their consoles destroyed.

  The Iidx Battle Cruiser, Aric, was targeted by Kthpok missiles that had lost lock on the Iidx command ship. The BC’s EW officer worked his controls feverishly to confuse the weapons targeting. AMM’s spat from launch tubes and lasers fired. Most of the incoming missiles were destroyed. Then the first missile broke through the intense defensive fire, struck the Aric’s armor and detonated.

  The huge explosion from a weapon designed to damage a dreadnaught slammed the Aric’s nose down. A large ragged hole was blasted in its armor as power surges raced through the electronics of the vessel. Defensive fire slackened for just an instant as systems worked to reset from the shock allowing two more missiles to race in. Both smashed through the armor on opposite sides of the hull amidships to drive deep into the vessel. The resulting explosion vaporized the majority of the cruiser. Just the nose and the drive chamber remained to spin off into the coldness of space.

  Drillyn noted the destruction of the Aris but didn’t have time to grieve or send the SAR. If anyone survived the shock of the explosion they’d be dead from radiation or crushed into paste from failed compensators.

  The Kthpok fleet didn’t escape damage. Their dreadnaughts, like the Iidx counterparts, were targeted by a majority of missiles. Even with their experience in fighting the humans the Kthpok weren’t as proficient as the Iidx in point defense. A sizeable portion of the weapons were able to break through the Kthpok defenses. Explosions surrounded the Kthpok capital ships as pulses killed missiles but almost half got through to explode against armor and begin to carve holes in the hulls.

  One dreadnaught in particular, the Vengeance, seemed to’ve been specifically targeted by the bulk of the Iidx ships. Missiles blasted away launch tubes, pulser mounts and laser defense clusters. Atmosphere and debris streamed from various breaches in the rent hull. Damage Control parties raced to repair damage and rescue wounded or trapped crew. Medical personnel fought their own battles to save lives.

  With the dreadnaught’s increased vulnerability two Battle Cruisers and three destroyers were ordered to interpose their hulls and defenses between the endangered ship and the incoming Iidx weapons. EW officers in the screening vessels worked their equipment, talons racing over the keys, in an attempt to confuse the incoming missiles. Point defense blew missiles into brilliant fireballs but weapons still got through. Explosions spalled on the armor of the protecting ships and hull of the dreadnaught.

  At first it looked like the efforts of the Kthpok would be able to save the dreadnaught. The number of hits on the Vengeance was reduced drastically. Then one of the destroyers took a hit that scrambled its electronics. An instant later another missile blew the ship into vaporized metal.

  The loss of a single destroyer wouldn’t be considered a major loss under normal circumstances. But this wasn’t normal circumstances. Before the remaining cruisers and destroyers could shift to cover the hole in the defenses caused by the loss more Iidx missiles raced in to strike the Vengeance. The hardened nose cones of the weapons allowed them to smash through the dreadnaughts weakened armor and slice deep into the hull before detonating. The explosions destroyed control runs and vital equipment for the power center. Laser clusters and missile tubes were wiped away. Then another missile drove through the armor and burrowed to reach a magazine before detonating. The shock wave from the Vengeance being vaporized destroyed the two battle cruisers and a destroyer that’d been shielding the dreadnaught.

  Fleet Admiral P’Mar glared at his tactical plot and the story it told. His eyes smarted and watered and his breathing was harsh and ragged. Acrid smoke from equipment short circuits and electrical fires which caused his difficulties was just starting to be cleared by the ventilation system. Wounded Kthpok were being cared for by the medical teams and the dead were moved out of the way. As the deck continued to shudder and buck from hits of Iidx missiles a tone sounded in his ear piece. P’Mar flicked the accept button. “What?” he said more harshly than he intended.

  The Kthpok who was calling noted his commander’s voice and kept his tone very respectful. “The Iidx fleet is continuing to close, Fleet Admiral,” announced Commander T’Xada. “That could i
ndicate they wish to engage with pulsers. Sir, our losses and damage make an energy fight very risky. I recommend we maneuver so we can continue the missile duel.” He paused then suggested. “We could pull back and break contact.”

  A hiss of disgust escaped the Admiral’s lips. “Break off Commander?” he asked. “You mean flee?

  “That is not an option,” growled P’Mar, shaking his head although the battle officer couldn’t see him. “We are tasked with destroying the Iidx fleet. That must be accomplished or we won’t be able to complete our conquest of this system.”

  “We have to think of the continued existence of our people, Fleet Admiral,” replied the Commander. “The Iidx point defense is much better than we anticipated and that’s the reason our losses are exceeding projections. We can’t risk the fleet being destroyed. Other than the Colony Ships this fleet’s all we have.”

  “Nor can we break off and flee the system,” replied the Admiral. “The Colony Ships you mentioned might be able to but we can’t. To provide power for the new, more powerful weapons and automation all suspension chambers have been removed from our warships. Of course, if the Run Point elects to flee with the Colony ships there’s no guarantee the Iidx won’t be able to intercept them.” The Admiral gave a smirk as another explosion jolted the ship. “After killing their Queens and blasting their facilities on Main Hive I don’t think the Iidx will be willing to let us declare a truce or run to fight another day. This is a win-or-die situation Commander. If they are seeking an energy engagement we accept their challenge.” Then a feral grin crossed his lips. “The Iidx may have started out with a better point defense but we’re improving. And we still have a surprise in store. We only have to wait for the opportune time to spring it.

  “Now! Contact the fleet and have them prepare for energy combat.”

  “Yes, Fleet Admiral!” said the Commander. Despite his reservations he recognized an order when he heard it. “I’ll have the fleet adjust course for optimum firing solutions.”

  As the Battle Officer worked to carry out his orders Admiral P’Mar contacted communications. “I want a general broadcast on high band frequency,” he announced. “One burst under encryption. The message is ‘Fire Storm’”.

  After the Lieutenant repeated the message accurately P’Mar cut the link and settled back on his perch to watch the rest of the battle. It was too bad S’Cinf wasn’t here, he thought. The Run Point would’ve enjoyed being in this battle. A fang filled grin appeared on P’Mar’s face. Since he couldn’t be here that particular Kthpok would just have to be satisfied with reading Battle Reports from his Fleet Admiral.

  “Swarm Master, it appears the Kthpok are actually going to accept an energy engagement,” announced Captain Altain.

  A missile impacted against the Zet’s armored hull and exploded throwing Drillyn hard against his restraints. More consoles short circuited sending sparks and smoke into the hazy air. An electrical fire began in a nearby console but was quickly extinguished.

  “Armor’s holding,” called Lieutenant Remander from damage control, “although it won’t survive bombardment like this for much longer.”

  “Concentrate our defensive fire on the Kthpok vector,” ordered Commander Peltorat, “it’ll increase the mounts available for defense.”

  Another missile struck the Swarm ship sending a sharp jolt throughout the immense ship. “If the Kthpok are willing to engage with lasers should we continue to close?” asked the Second over the Command Link. “We could stand off and blast them with missiles.”

  The Swarm Master glanced at his plot and winced as another of his BC’s disappeared. His Swarm was losing ships faster than anticipated but he couldn’t stop the fight now. “Standing off won’t help,” Drillyn said to his Second. “The Kthpok have weapons every bit as powerful as ours and their defenses are improving. Our missile inventories are being depleted and we still have the Kthpok ships in orbit over Main Hive. We’ll need missiles to deal with them. And since we don’t have any colliers we’re carrying all the missiles we’re going to have until we reclaim our Hives.”

  “You think they’re armed?”

  “Without a doubt,” replied Drillyn. “So we have to close and engage this force with pulsers to conserve our missiles. Now, while we have an advantage.”

  “But why are they willing to close?” asked the Swarm Second. “Surely they know we have the edge.”

  “They can count,” he said. “They know we have the advantage for now. But they also know that whoever wins this battle wins Main Hive.”

  Missiles continued to erupt from launch tubes as fast as weapons could be loaded and targets acquired. Space was illuminated by an almost continuous stream of explosions. Armor flashed and vaporized. Ships trailed atmosphere and debris as damage control parties struggled to save their vessels. Medical personnel in both forces fought to save the injured. Kthpok treated burns, broken or amputated limbs and coolant poisoning. In the Iidx Swarm medical teams worked to repair shells, splint limbs, and console the dying.

  “Adjust to volley formation,” ordered the Iidx Swarm Master. “All ships prepare for energy combat.”

  “Bring our course to intersecting parallel,” said the Kthpok Fleet Admiral.

  The Kthpok fleet was the first to shift course bringing their pulser broadsides to bear. A moment later the Iidx Swarm shifted likewise. With their broadsides presented both forces were on a slowly converging intercept course.

  As the formations shifted missiles continued to be launched. Explosions dotted the area between the two forces and over the armor of the targets. Then energy range was reached.

  Pulses of brilliant red and green light sped across the gulf separating the two forces. A relative few took out missiles creating thermonuclear fireballs that illuminated both fleets. Point defense tried to intercept the new threat but the pulses were too swift. The targeted vessels went through evasive maneuvers to avoid the weapons and some pulses missed. But most did not. Polished armor reflected pulses off into the void where they lost coherence. Other pulses struck areas already blasted or blackened by missile impacts. Explosions sent shock waves and power surges throughout the stricken vessels.

  A Kthpok battle cruiser, in its efforts to escape destruction, blundered into a destroyer. The Indomitable struck the smaller ship amidships and drove through, breaking it in half. Bulkheads in the front of the cruiser ruptured. Its nose crumpled, armor rent, allowing atmosphere to geyser into space. Armor, equipment and bodies were pulled out of the ships by the escaping air. The reactors located in the stern of the destroyer went into overload. Seconds after the collision, both ships disappeared in a brilliant miniature sun.

  Bracing himself against the continuing shocks as pulses and missiles slammed into the flagships armor Commander T’Xada craned his neck around and away from his console so he could look at the Fleet Admiral. “The Iidx have won, Fleet Admiral,” he announced over a private link. “We’ve lost almost half our escorts and a dreadnaught. The remaining two dreadnaughts, including the flagship, are heavily damaged. We have to withdraw, Admiral, to save what’s left of the fleet. If we pull back now to combine with the colony ships we can win.”

  “We stay and fight!” ordered P’Mar in stern tones.

  “But Fleet Admiral, we’ll..,” began the Battle Officer then stopped as his console beeped. The Kthpok officer turned back to see what new information was being presented. After a moment he looked over at the Fleet Admiral. “We just lost the Garan, sir,” he announced. “That leaves us with one dreadnaught, obviously us, ten cruisers and six destroyers to face the Iidx. We’ve cut their numbers down significantly but it isn’t enough. We must withdraw or this’ll be a repeat of the Human War.”

  P’Mar snorted which was unheard in the din of alarms, wails of pain, chatter and explosions. Smoke from fires and equipment shorting out continued to drift along the ceiling. “It will be like the Human War,” the Admiral growled into his microphone. A grunt punctuated his words as a sharp jolt thre
w him against his restraints. “But this time the Kthpok win,” A feral grin spread across his lips. “And it’s the Iidx who will die. Continue the engagement!”

  Drillyn readjusted his restraints then turned to watch as Lieutenant Funtel, his communications officer, was carried off the Command Deck by medical personnel. That last missile had punched through the Swarm ships armor before detonation. Its explosion reached the command deck deep inside the hull sending metal flying through the Command Deck. That was when communications had been hit. One shard decapitated Captain Altain.

  Ignoring the chaos the Swarm Master glanced at his plot then waved his antennae in approval. The enemy had just lost another dreadnaught leaving them with only one.

  He stopped for a moment, antennae quivering, as he continued to look at the Plot. “Why aren’t the Kthpok withdrawing?” he wondered aloud to himself. With only one damaged dreadnaught remaining the enemy had no chance of surviving let alone winning the engagement now. But the Kthpok fought on. And they hadn’t used any of the drone assault ships deployed in the asteroid belt exercise. That bothered him. In their place he’d’ve made sure to have enough of those vessels available for both the earlier ambush and the climactic battle. He shook his head. The Kthpok had to be at least as smart as he was so where were they?

  “We just lost the Staren,” announced Lieutenant Remander.

  The Swarm Master jerked upright. “What was a destroyer doing in an energy battle with capital ships?” he asked. “Weren’t the destroyers detailed as screens?”

  “They were,” replied the officer. “All our destroyers were confirmed in position as rear screens before we moved into energy range.”

  The Swarm Master thought for a moment then spoke. “Highlight the Staren’s last known position on my plot.”

  Drillyn watched as his tactical screen flickered and the last position of the destroyed vessel appeared as a strobing blue dot. It was further out than the rest of the screen. He couldn’t understand why the Staren was so far out of position. A quick glance at the formation confirmed the rest of the destroyers were deployed to watch for a surprise attack. The Swarm Master looked closer at the angles and distances then shook his antennae in confusion. The Staren couldn’t have been hit by a stray pulse or missile. It wasn’t in position for that to occur.