The Curanian Dominance: The Linda Eccles Series - Volume Three

by Robert Woodard

  “This is a much better way of life, Muni,” Nock said.

  “I agree, but can we expect the same to happen at home if the Supreme is removed?” Mini responded.

  “I can’t say. It’s possible that a Control may step forward to make a new Supreme.”

  “Maybe, but a Control is not evil like Supreme Kold. They have not been trained by other Supremes either. It could be a good thing.”

  Nock seemed to think that over for a moment. He finally replied, “It’s possible any Control trying to take over would be rejected. The Curanian way is to name and train a Supreme. They may rebel if a Control tries to step in without being able to prove they are the right person to lead.”

  “The Admiral said it would create chaos. I think I now understand what he means. No one will know what to do or how to act under such a dramatic change to our way of life. But the Admiral said that the Humans would be willing to help us rebuild our leadership, so everyone has a say. It could be like here where we all work together now.”

  “It does seem that each Supreme is worse than the last. Kold is by far the worst. Can you believe she threw families out of their homes and tore them down just so she wouldn’t have to look at their roofs from her square? Those who complained simply disappeared. How can a Supreme do that to her own people?”

  Muni agreed with Nock’s perspective. Kold didn’t care about anyone or anything, other than Kold. The Curanians clearly would be better off without her. “I say we offer this solution to the crew and see what they think. I know two of my crew joined the fleet after being tossed out of their homes. If the crew agrees, I am willing to work with the Admiral.”

  Nock slammed him on the back, and said, “The will of the people, Muni. Isn’t that what the Supreme always says whenever she puts out a new directive?”

  Together Muni and Nock posted the question to the rest of their group. After clearly stating the issue as they understood it, they waited for feedback. For a while, no one seemed to want to say anything. Muni could understand their stunned silence, but eventually, one by one they agreed that getting rid of Kold was a necessary evil.

  “Then by the will of the people, I will let the Admiral know tomorrow that we will help them get rid of the evil Kold. May the Curanians know true freedom when that day comes!” Muni said. A cheer arose from the others.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  “All ships are cleared to open fire as targets present themselves,” Admiral Litton ordered. He then cut the comm connection using the control arm on his chair.

  “Open fire!” Roger yelled out to his bridge crew.

  The order reverberated throughout the bridge as it was relayed to the multiple gun captains responsible for the twenty-four-gun emplacements the Conviction carried atop her hull. Even with the nearby sun lighting the space around them, the bright white plasma bolts could be clearly seen outside the bridge portals that lined the starboard side bulkhead.

  The Conviction was sideways to the ships that just dropped into the system, as was the Poniard, and the combination of the two ships’ forty-eight, four-barrel plasma cannons littered the area between them and the invading fleet with nearly two hundred plasma bolts.

  “They are stern on just as you had planned for, Admiral,” Roger said.

  Philip nodded as he watched the first set of bolts begin to strike against the aft shielding of the eight Curanian ships. His plan relied on creating devastating damage on each set of ships as they arrived. He was relying on the Curanians using a similar arrival pattern as they used when they first appeared over Kracks. So far, they were following the same attack pattern. It wasn’t that much different than what Philip would have done.

  Bring in the screening ships first to set up a picket line, and then follow that up with ever larger ships. While the larger ships engaged the enemy, the pickets would be free to push forward to create a foothold over the enemy’s domain. Philip intended to make them pay dearly to earn that foothold, and then punish the pickets when they tried to expand outward. The gunships were the key to driving them back. His only hope was to make the attack so costly for the Curanians that they would retreat rather than take the losses. So far, his plan was working.

  “Two ships have lost rear shielding, Admiral, but they seem to be taking our plasma bolts much better than I recall from the last battle,” Roger said.

  Philip noticed that, too. His guess was that the Curanians had made modifications to their shielding. Fortunately, the sheer number of plasma bolts coming at them was offsetting their ability to fend them off.

  The second wave of bolts began finding unshielded sections of the sterns to blast holes into the ships. Another ship lost its shielding and began taking damage, too. He could see all the ships were trying to swing sideways while also moving out of the drop zone before the next wave of ships arrived.”

  The Conviction rocked back and forth as the plasma cannons pushed the ship one way and the computer-controlled jets brought the ship back level. It gave the entire ship a feel of rocking upon the gentle waves of the sea. Philip always found it interesting how these types of thoughts seemed to sneak into his mind during battle. He wondered if it was an internal defense mechanism to help him cope with all the deaths that would be on his shoulder when this was all over.

  The left outer Curanian ship exploded. The force redirected the ship next to it sideway to nearly collide with the one on its right. Shortly afterward, the right outer ship also exploded, creating a similar effect. The remaining Curanian ships finally turned enough to bring their own guns to bear on the Conviction, but the next set of arriving ships cut off their field of fire.

  “Shift fire onto the incoming ships,” Roger ordered, and again his orders were relayed.

  The next wave of ships landed smack into the middle of the field of fire of the plasma bolts. They seemed to begin taking hits before they even finish materializing into normal space. The cruisers on each side did a good job of adjusting their fire, which prevented Philip from having to intervene. The cruisers furthest away from the conviction kept up their fire on the first wave of ships while those closer to the drop area shifted to punishing the shielding of the new arrivals.

  Larger ships, the second wave took the punishment much better. Their shielding held, and they were still absorbing the punishment when they got sideways and began hammering away at the Conviction and the Poniard. It became a battle over whose shielding would give out first.

  The huge damage control board mounted forward of the bridge began to show shielding under duress. The massive shield generators far below decks worked overtime to keep the emitters protecting the ship. Philip needed those very shields in place in case this fleet had one of those behemoth Curanian ships that created so much damage to his fleet in the last encounter.

  One of the Curanian ships appeared to lose all shielding as bolt after bolt blew holes in its massive sides. The ship finally rolled to expose its shielded underbelly to stop the carnage it was taking. The maneuver took its guns out of action, and that suited Philip just fine. Although he couldn’t see it with the second wave blocking his view, the tactical screen showed the first wave trying to move forward.

  Activating the comm, he selected the Dauntless, and ordered, “Admiral Litton to Dauntless, respond with your status.”

  After a short delay, the reply came back, “This is the Dauntless. First wave is attempting to move forward. All gunships have opened fire to drive them back. One Curanian ship badly damaged, and another has lost its shielding. The destroyers have opened fire in support. We’re holding our own, Admiral.”

  Philip recognized Lois’ voice. He responded, “Good job, Commander. Keep at them, Admiral out.” Philip cut the comm.

  “So far your plan is working as designed, Admiral,” Roger said.

  Philip could see Roger’s head moving back and forth as he alternated between tactical and damage control. Regardless of the conversation, his focus was clearly managing command of his ship.

  The la
rge Curanian ship they had faced at Kracks, and the one Philip feared the most, dropped in with the third wave. Like the second wave, it landed in the middle of the field of fire and stared taking hits upon arrival, even from its own ships before they ceased fire.

  Philip activated his comm unit, but had to wait as Roger yelled out, “Shift all fire onto center target.”

  Selecting all ships, Philip ordered, “All Cruisers to shift fire to third wave with priority on the big bastard in the center.”

  The third wave was too tightly bunch for the large ship to swing sideways, and the Conviction and Poniard pounded her stern with wave after wave of plasma bolts as the Curanian ships tried to stagger their elevation to get turning room.

  “It’s clear to me they expected to drive forward upon arrival,” Roger said.

  “Too bad I messed up their plans,” Philip replied. “We have them caught inside a firing circle. Let’s hope we can keep them from breaking out.”

  The added firepower of the third wave was slowly turning the tide for the Curanians. The Cruisers now had to fend off three waves of ships, and their shields slowly began to fail. The damage reports began to filter into the Conviction as their battle efficiency diminished.

  “It’s only a matter of attrition now, but we will keep at them until it becomes imperative we retreat,” Philip said.

  “You’ll get everything out of each ship for as long as a single turret continues to lock onto a Curanian ship. You know that, Admiral,” Roger said.

  The third wave finally managed to get turned and began to pound heavily onto the sides of the Conviction and Poniard. Philip could see by the damage control board that the already laboring shield generators were now showing yellow as they became overworked. He knew it was only a matter of time before they turned red and failed altogether. Then the damage absorbing protective inner layer of the hull would get its chance to keep the mighty ships in action. Before they went out of action, though, Philip suspected the Curanian ships would get their share of damage, too.

  As the minutes passed and the ships exchanged heavy fire, Philip kept expecting more ships to arrive, but so far none had. Uneasiness began to creep in. Looking at Roger, he said, “I can’t believe they didn’t bring more ships based on what happened at Kracks. This force looks too small to be all they have to bring to the fight.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. Do you think they are holding the others back until the lead ships soften us up?”

  “When we faced them at Kracks, that big bastard trailed the fleet as they moved through the minefield. This formation looks very similar. Unless they split their forces, it doesn’t make any sense to have smaller ships coming in behind their larger ones. No, I think there is something else going on here.”

  Roger gave him a frown, and asked, “A flanking move?”

  Philip nodded his head slowly, and answered, “That would be my guess. I have a nasty feeling they are holding our attention here while something else is going on elsewhere.”

  “Perhaps we should pull back now and reform into a more defensive position.”

  Studying tactical for a moment, Philip considered Roger’s recommendation. While it did seem like a good idea, he hated the thought of giving up their current position where they were dishing out punishment.

  “Generator failure forward. Hull strikes have been detected in compartments PF4, PF16, PF17 and turret eleven is out of action.”

  Philip turned his attention back on the damage control board after hearing the specialist’s report. Better than half of the shield generators were now red, with the rest blinking red. He could also see the red indication where the computer noted the damaged hull sections. The sheer bulk of the Conviction would keep her in action, but the Curanians would now be able to target and eliminate the plasma cannons.

  “We’ll hold position until our battle efficiency drops to 50%. Once that happens, we’ll reposition the conviction on one side of the station and the Poniard on the other. The gunship will be directed to retreat behind the station to transfer their crews to the waiting shuttles, so we can take them aboard. At that point I will call for the bug out,” Philip said.

  “It’ll have to be a quick extraction, Admiral. Once they realize what we are doing, they will really pour in on to try to stop us.”

  “Since each gunship carries a crew of forty, we only need two shuttles for each ship to get them ferried across. We should be able to do that in one quick sweep,” Philip responded. His thoughts returned to the limited number of Curanian ships that faced his fleet. “I think we would be wise to get some extra eyes out there in case they are preparing to hit us from another direction.”

  “You want to send out some probes to take a look around, Admiral?”

  “Yes. Pay special attention to hidden areas like the other side of the station and around the back of the planet. If they are forming up somewhere, I want to know it before they can bring them into action.”

  Roger got up while saying, “I’m on it, Admiral.”

  As Roger disappeared behind the command chairs, Philip stared out at the large Curanian ship that was playing havoc with his ship. He could see that they had shield failures in various sections of their ship, and that the plasma bolts were punching holes into their hull. Like his own ship, they could take those kinds of hits all day and keep firing back. Roger’s efficient gun captains, and those on the Poniard, were doing a good job of targeting their gun emplacements, too. Their firepower seemed to have slackened over so slightly, but that ship was so big, they could probably lose half their guns and still have the Conviction outmatched.

  Narrowing his eyes at the ship, he sent out unheard words to the fleet commander. What are you up to my friend? You couldn’t have been stupid enough to come against us with only these few ships. Did you place all your bets that your large bastard ship would win the day, or do you have a nasty surprise awaiting me? Well, if you do, I’ll find it, you sneaky prick.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Plon grimaced as another of his screeners reported failure to punch through the defensive line. He was so impressed with the strategy of his opponent that he would have loved to stop the fight to meet this person face-to-face before it was too late.

  Even though the end result of the battle was already decided, and it would not end well for these creatures, they had set up a perfect defensive position to keep him bottled up. If it wasn’t for his second fleet amassing behind the planet, Plon would have been concerned. He had faced many stubborn creatures fighting for survival, but never one as creative as these creatures. They definitely have a good understanding of tactics and how best to use it.

  Plon hated the thought of destroying such proud creatures that could put up a fight like none other. If it wasn’t for their lack of numbers in this fight, he wasn’t all that sure he could have defeated them. Another dozen ships or so and they would be kicking Plon right back out of this system. No wonder Nage took such a beating from these creatures.

  A warning tone tuned him into the loss of section six and its four-gun emplacement. The Ciat was taking a pounding, but Nage had built her well. She could continue to lose many more compartments and still put the hurt on his opponent’s ships. The Ciat was not going to win this battle easily, though. She would spend a good amount of time in repair, yet again, after this battle.

  The idea of stopping the fight and getting a message back to Supreme Kold struck him. If they could convince these creatures to partner with the Curanians to share technology, what a great merging that would be for both species. Shaking his head, he knew that Kold would never go for it. She couldn’t see beyond taking what she wanted. Plon had only known two Supremes, with Kold being one of them, and they always had an attitude of defeat first, take what you want later.

  “No, Kold, you would never agree to actually partnering with a culture as long as you have the resources to take what you want,” Plon mumbled.

  As he watched the status of each ship on the many monitors
that littered his console, he wondered where the thought to partner had come from within him. He had never cared about another species before, so why now? Was it the valiant fight they were giving him, or was it something else? Plon wasn’t sure he knew the answer.

  “Control, this is the Girk. I am relaying the secondary fleet’s readiness for action. They await your word to proceed.”

  Plon instinctively shifted his eyes to the screen feeding in the Girk’s rebounder data. He had placed the Girk at a strategic location to act as a signal relay so Plon could keep in communication with the second fleet, even after they became blocked by the planet in this system. The fast attack was acting well in its primitive role.

  Opening the link back to the Girk, he responded, “This is Control. Relay the response to proceed according to plan.”

  Ignoring the confirmation that came over the speakers, Plon focused on the overall tactical view. When the second fleet came sweeping around the planet, his adversary was going to be caught between two heavy forces. They would quickly bust through the smaller ships blocking his ability to move forward, and once that happened, he would then sweep both fleets around their flanks to drive the enemy ships into a bottleneck.

  Shifting his thoughts to the ten fast attacks assigned to him, five per fleet, he now had eight of them performing a wide sweep around the system to make sure his opponent wasn’t hiding another group of ships with plans to spring a surprise of their own. So far, all eight had reported in that they hadn’t detected anything. With the Kero out of action, he was down to only the Girk to play runner between both fleets. If no other opponent ships were found to be hiding out in space somewhere awaiting word to strike, this battle was all but over now.

  “Plon, we are detecting a large number of small objects being sent out from the larger enemy ships.” Jime’s voice coming over the speakers brought him back to the ongoing battle.