by Ricky Sides
“Captain, you have weapons!” shouted Max as he slid out of the control console for the second time in the past few minutes.
The engineer was about to try to close the panel, but Joe brushed past him. “Later, Max,” he muttered. He trained the weapons of the Valiant on the ships whose gunners had just targeted Lina’s aircraft. Despite earlier warnings, the gunner opened fire broadside with every forward gun the Valiant possessed.
“Cease fire, Joe,” Jim said after a full minute had passed. “Helm, take us out over the river. We need to see if there are any pilot survivors,” the captain said, and though he spoke of all the missing pilots, his eyes were glued to the rapidly disappearing fuselage of Lina’s fighter.
As the Valiant headed out over the river, the Arizona went streaking past. Namid had the ship operating in surface vessel mode, and the gunner was firing at every ship at the rear of the enemy fleet in an effort to rush them past the spot where the fighters had gone into the water.
For a few moments, their search was futile, and then they saw a head break the surface of the water. Jim ordered Teresa to alert the strike team to prepare for a rescue, only to find that she had already discretely done so. He nodded his thanks to her as the team deployed and brought the survivor aboard. Five nerve-wracking minutes later, the strike team reported that they had Lieutenant Sullivan aboard and were ready to resume the search.
For another five minutes, Jim had the Valiant search for survivors. Then, knowing that the current would sweep a swimmer down the river, he had the pilot head toward the Chesapeake Bay. They searched the river, seeing no sign of the missing pilots. Along the river, they saw sinking vessels of the pirate fleet, but when they reached the mouth of the bay, they had still seen no sign of survivors.
“Abort the search. Head for the base,” Jim said in a voice devoid of emotion. Then he contacted the Arizona and asked for an update. He was informed that they had managed to sink several more vessels, but were beginning to run low on ammunition. He ordered the Arizona to break off the attack and take a safe course for the D.C. base, where the survivors would be regrouping and planning their strategy in the wake of this disaster.
Turning to Max, Jim said, “I know it’s not going to be easy, but we need at least some of the drone stations operational for the next phase of the war. See what you can learn. Maybe the make-shift shielding you installed saved some of them.”
“Yes, Captain,” said Max in a subdued manner. He had learned from Teresa that Lina’s fighter was the last one to fall during the battle.
“I’ll be in our cabin if you need me. I need to speak to Pete. Get him on the radio for me,” said Jim.
“Captain, I’m sorry…” Teresa began.
“I know, Teresa,” Jim’s voice broke, and he turned and left the room.
When he had left, Max said, “He’s going to have to tell Evan he’s just lost another mother. Lina had been so happy about the progress she was making in her relationship with him.”
***
“Jim, where the hell are these guys getting the EMP weapons?” asked Pete angrily.
Jim sat at his desk in his cabin. He heard Pete’s voice, but the words weren’t registering on his awareness.
“I think Lina took out the weapon that knocked our fighters out of the sky.” Jim cleared his throat, then took a deep breath before adding, “I saw her hitting the target with her minigun, and drop a bomb just before they shot her down.”
A brief interval of silence followed, and then Pete asked, “Did you manage to recover her?”
“They shot her plane to pieces Pete. It was upside down on the river sinking at the time. I searched the river all the way to the bay, but I’m afraid she was still strapped in when they shot up the bottom of her fighter. It went down in less than a minute.”
There was another interval of silence, and then Pete said, “She was a warrior, Jim, and a damned fine one at that. I’m sorry for your loss. If it will help you, I can break the news to Evan.”
“It would, but I can’t let you do that, Pete. It’s my responsibility. He should hear it from his father, but Pete, how the hell am I going to tell him he lost another mother? The two of them were just beginning to bond.”
“There’s no right way to do something like that, Jim, nor is there an easy way. Just do it with love and compassion,” responded Pete.
Jim choked back a sob. He struggled with his emotions. Finally, he said, “Send him to the Valiant when we land beside your ship. It might be a good idea to let Lisa come with him. He’ll need her.”
“Jim, if you need some time, Bill, Jack, and I can see to the defensive strategy,” Pete suggested.
“I appreciate the offer, but I need to stay busy right now.”
“Alright, I’ll make arrangements for us all to meet in the Constitution. Bill’s engineer is working on repairing damaged systems. It looks as if most of the damage can be repaired with what we have aboard ship. Whether or not that can be accomplished before the pirates arrive is another matter,” stated Pete.
“We should be at the landing site any moment,” Jim responded. “I’ll see you aboard the Constitution, after I see Evan.”
***
Evan and Lisa walked the three hundred feet from the Constitution to the Valiant. As they walked, Evan noted the absence of the fighters and drones that were always patrolling near the big ships. “My god, Lisa,” Evan remarked. “I think we lost most of the fighters and drones.”
“Maybe the pilots made it out of the river,” Lisa said speculatively. Then she asked, “Do you know why we are being summoned to the Valiant?”
Shaking his head, Evan responded, “I asked Pete, but he just said that you and I were supposed to report to Dad aboard the Valiant without delay.”
“Everyone’s trying to get ready for the arrival of the pirates, so naturally they’d tell us to get there fast. They’re probably worried that an advance unit may already be in the city with a sniper team,” Lisa stated.
Grinning at Lisa, Evan said, “I can tell you were raised by Pete. You think a lot like him.”
“I think that’s a good thing, don’t you?” asked Lisa.
“Oh yeah, it’s great. With you by my side, it’s almost as good as consulting with Pete about problems,” he observed.
“Dad has spent a lot of time talking to me. He wanted me to learn as much as I could, so that I can avoid ever being taken captive again,” Lisa admitted. She stopped walking and Evan stopped a few steps in front of her when he realized she had stopped.
Looking at her inquisitively, Evan asked, “Why are we stopping? We’re supposed to get to the Valiant as quickly as we can.”
“I know, but I wanted to share something private with you. But first, you have to promise never to mention it to anyone,” Lisa explained.
Shrugging, Evan replied, “Alright, Lisa, you have my promise.”
“You know how a lot of peacekeepers have bad dreams about the things they’ve seen and done?” she asked.
“Lisa, what does that have to do with anything?” Evan asked impatiently. When he saw the disappointed look in her eyes, he added, “I’m sorry, Lisa. Yes, I know what you mean.”
“Well, Dad doesn’t. Mom says that’s because he accepts the fact that he can’t stop all of the atrocities, but when he kills men and women to prevent further atrocities, he does so with a clear conscience.”
“Yes, he has explained his philosophy to me in great detail,” Evan remarked.
“That’s because he wants you to be ready, should the need to act ever confront you,” Lisa explained. Then she added, “Dad has experienced one nightmare. He once dreamed that I was taken captive. I heard him cry out in his sleep, and mom later explained what had happened. That’s the reason dad began to work with me so intensely. He is determined to teach me everything he knows about survival.”
Now Evan understood why this subject was so important to Lisa. He mentally kicked himself for his earlier impatience, and then he said, “I�
�ll do my best to see to it that you are never again taken captive, Lisa. That’s why I’m learning to fight. Dad says I show promise.”
“Thank you, Evan,” Lisa said. She kissed him on the cheek and took his hand in hers. “But we’d better get to the Valiant. Your dad might become impatient and send a strike team to escort us. But just so you know, my dad says you show promise too, and he’s seen you in a real fight.”
Evan knew she was referring to the fight in the citadel. Smiling, he squeezed her hand to let her know he appreciated the comment, and then they hurried on to the Valiant.
Inside the Valiant, a security man told them that they were to report to Jim’s cabin the moment that they came aboard the ship.
Evan grew pale the moment he walked inside the cabin. Jim had been crying. He had seen that look on Jim’s face when his mother, Lacey, had died. “Dad, what’s wrong?” he asked alarmed.
“Son, there’s no easy way to tell you this. I’m afraid that Lina’s fighter was shot down,” Jim explained.
“Her fighter? Dad, why was she flying a plane? She’s supposed to be the pilot of the Valiant,” Evan stated.
Jim explained the set of circumstances that had led to Lina being a fighter pilot during the battle. Then he explained that she had warned the fleet about the presence of another EMP weapon just moments before it discharged. He speculated that she had seen her fighter was the only peacekeeper aircraft unaffected, and had proceeded to attack the weapon. He spared Evan the details, thinking that the young man didn’t need to know that her fighter had taken two missile hits and gone down, upside down. He was certain Evan didn’t need to know about the riddling of her fighter when she would have been strapped inside.
“It’s not fair, Dad. Lina was a good woman. Why her?!! Why did she have to die?!!”
With a sigh, Jim said, “Son, sometimes bad things happen to good people. When that happens, there’s nothing fair about it.”
Wiping his eyes, Jim sought to control his own emotions. Then he surprised Evan as he said, “I want to thank you for the time Lina and I had together, Son. If you hadn’t come to me to talk about her, I would have waited until it was too late to have a relationship with Lina.”
Evan hugged Jim at that point. “We’ll make them pay, Dad. I swear it,” Evan stated fiercely.
“Yes, we will. Now, I need you two to get back to the Constitution. We’ll need drone operators to handle the next phase of the war. And, Evan, you only have one shot with the drone. Make it count, Son. Make it count for Lina,” Jim said, and his voice broke as he said her name.
“You can count on me. I won’t let you down,” Evan said. He turned to leave the cabin.
Lisa rushed over to Jim and hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry, Jim,” she said, and then she turned and joined Evan at the door. She took his hand in hers. Together, they left to return to the Constitution.
***
Captain Bran Lynch was watching the skyline as the armada proceeded up the river toward Washington. He was anticipating the tallest buildings coming into view within a few moments. As he watched, he thought he saw a bird rise above a stand of trees lining the west bank, but then he saw another, and another. Wondering what was happening; he grabbed a pair of binoculars and focused on the flying objects. As he did so, more of the first generation drones rose above the stand of woods. These were the same style drones as those present in the video of Washington D.C. that he had seen in the past.
He was ordering the firepower of the armada to concentrate their fire on the drones when they began to fly toward his fleet. He was still giving orders when the first drone slammed into the wheelhouse of the lead ship in the convoy. There was a huge explosion, and a great deal of smoke as anything combustible in the area of the strike began to burn furiously.
The armada managed to blast two drones out of the sky, but the remaining thirty-seven each found a wheelhouse of its own. In some cases, the ships thus stricken collided with other ships, but for the most part, the ships proceeded upriver until they reached a sharp bend. Some of the ships ran aground in that bend. Their crews who frantically shut down the engines successfully brought some of the damaged ships to a stop. Some of the out of control vessels rammed two of those ships.
Tim’s explosives recipe had proven itself during the course of the mission, but to a man like Bran Lynch the losses were acceptable. As he maneuvered his ship wide around the stricken vessels, Bran had a hunch he had just sailed past the last of the peacekeepers formidable defenses. They would still have to deal with the three ships that had beleaguered them for days, but he had some plans for dealing with that threat.
Bran sighed in regret. If he possessed another of the experimental EMP guns, he suspected he could easily win this war. However, he had only acquired two such weapons in all his years as a pirate. The first had come from a Russian battleship. The second was the invention of a French scientist he had captured during a raiding expedition. The man had ransomed his freedom and that of his daughter by leading Lynch to the secret location in which the weapon was stored. Of course, once they had the weapon they needed the scientist to teach them how to operate it. Lynch had kept the two hostages safe while his people learned to utilize the weapon. Once the Frenchman had demonstrated that the weapon worked, Lynch had the prisoners released on a beach in France. His men had been surprised that he had released the prisoners, but they hadn’t dared question the captain. They suspected that he had fallen in love with the scientist’s daughter, whom he always treated deferentially, despite her obvious disdain for him. They were right, but Bran never spoke of her. He had also forbidden his men to speak of her in his presence.
Chapter 18
“It’s settled then,” Jim said in a decisive manner. “We’ll do what we can with the Constitution and the Valiant while the Arizona carries out her mission to attack the enemy flank.”
“Under the circumstances, I’m afraid that’s the best we can hope to accomplish with the ships,” Pete agreed.
“We’ll do our best to make certain the enemy doesn’t have a comfortable moment,” Jack stated grimly. “We’re low on conventional ammunition, but there’s nothing wrong with our lasers. We’ll be limited in what we can do by the available power reserves, but my people will shut down all nonessential power drains.”
“You do understand that we don’t expect you to defeat the enemy with the Arizona, don’t you Jack?” asked Jim. “Just force them to commit a large number of personnel to the defense of their fleet.”
“Yes, Admiral, I understand. We’ll do our best to force them to maintain a large presence aboard the ships,” Jack responded.
“Good. Then I’ll wish you luck and let you return to your ship. If you want to maintain the element of surprise, then you’ll need to leave before the enemy arrives,” Jim stated.
“Good luck to you all,” Jack responded as he stood to leave. “Remember, if it comes down to evacuating the city, call on me if you need a hand. Otherwise, I’ll be out there chewing up the enemy flank.”
“Jim, Namid and I want you to know how saddened we are by Lina’s death. If we can do anything for you, please let us know,” said Jack just before he left.
Jim nodded his understanding, and then he said, “Say hello to Namid for me, and thank her. Lina thought the world of Namid. She helped bring her back from the despondency after her rescue from captivity in Kansas.”
“Then you aren’t upset with Namid?” asked Jack.
Perplexed by the question, Jim asked, “Why would I be upset with Namid?”
“It was her suggestion for Lina to consider applying for fighter pilot training,” Jack clarified.
“Yes and that frankly added years to her life and helped to make her happy again. She told me herself that flying made her want to live again. No, Jack. I’m not the least bit upset with Namid, but I am pissed at the pirate scum who killed her. You tell Namid I said to fly well and help me exact some revenge,” stated Jim.
“You’ve got it, Jim,
” Jack said. He shook hands with Jim, Pete, and Bill, and then he left Bill’s ship to board his own and begin the mission.
After Jack left, the three remaining men took their seats and discussed the coming land battle. With the Arizona harassing the enemy rear, thus tying up a great deal of manpower needed to defend the ships. Jim estimated they would still be facing overwhelming odds in the battle for the city. He said, “As I see it, the main danger will be in the enemy flanking us. If they can get behind us in sufficient numbers, and then launch a push from the front, they could overrun us in a matter of minutes.”
“And we were counting on the air support of our fighters and drones to keep them channeled toward our defensive positions,” agreed Pete with a nod.
“There’s nothing we can do but alter our battle plan,” Jim said with a shrug.
“What have you got in mind, Admiral?” asked Captain Young.
Pointing to the map of the area on the table, Jim said, “As you know, we were planning to place the ten APCs in the air along our fortified wall. Their firepower would have helped to hold the enemy at bay. We’ll still place four along the length of the wall, but the other six will join the Constitution and the Valiant on the left and right sides of the containment zone. The air element must contain the enemy. Bill, use that shotgun weapon if they try a massed flanking maneuver. I’d save that weapon for just such an eventuality.”
“You’re sure they’ll try that?” asked Bill.
“They’d be fools not to attempt to flank us, Bill,” answered Pete.
“We’ll do our best to stop them, but that shotgun weapon is a massive energy drain. I’ll get three shots with it and then have to recharge the battery. Fortunately, Pol had the good sense to give that weapon its own battery, so we’ll still have other energy weapons. But if they are determined to flank us, we may not be able to stop them.”