by Dean Sault
The Heptari Royal ship rolled to one side, attempting to swing the targeting field of her main cannons onto the renegade attacker.
“Captain Kob, we’re going too fast. Can’t get a weapons lock.” The electronics warfare officer on Kob’s ship didn’t know their real mission.
“Fire blind. Manual targeting. Maintain maximum rate of fire. We don’t have to kill her. We just have to look like we can!” Kob was busy handling the old style controls without a copilot, a task made doubly difficult by the thick bandages on the hand with the missing finger.
The Heptari command ship altered course several times, unsuccessfully trying to target the frequently maneuvering Tanarac vessel. The big enemy warship finally headed back out toward open space to escape the persistent threat, leaving smaller ships to deal with Kob’s attack.
The Tenacious Kyome commander out maneuvered screening Rahls and followed the Codae command ship, firing continuously into the big command ship’s shields and engine nacelles.
At one point, the royal ship fired an energy blast at the bridge of Kob’s wildly rolling Kyome but the particle beam glanced off his enhanced forward shield and destroyed one of their own nearby medium ships.
The enemy ship fired as fast as all six of her cannons would recharge, but Kob flew the old starship like a fighter, weaving, abrupt course changes, and varying speeds. With each dramatic change of direction, the Kyome’s tired frame groaned, and Heptari gunners missed.
Kob’s weapon officer sustained fire as best he could without targeting resolutions. A few of his scattered shots found shield weaknesses and impacted non-vital surfaces. While they did not significantly damage the Heptari ship, their mission to create a perception of risk was achieved.
The Heptari Royal ship was now moving away from its primary targets on Tanarac, forced to defend their central command structure.
“Fire on recharge!” General Tragge ordered the ground batteries to continue firing at the two damaged Royal vessels while he personally handled targeting directly from his command center.
Ludic kept the general apprised of his shield status.
“General, the third command ship took out Shield One, but that Kyome’s got her turned back out to space all by itself.”
Ground batteries continued pouring salvos into the other two command ships, occasionally taking out smaller Heptari ships that attempted to screen for the royals.
Most of the Heptari fleet moved to insert themselves in the line of fire, but not all came to the aid of their command vessels. Half a dozen enemy ships remained behind to take advantage of the lowered shields. They attacked the ground cannon batteries and shield stations with the Tanarac fleet challenging them at every turn.
“Sir, Ground Battery Three lost primary charging banks. I’m routing them into the planetary power grid. That’s only good for a couple more shots.”
“Ludic, prepare to raise shields. Both ground batteries fire on my mark.” The general targeted both cannons on the command ship that was moving away from Shield Two.
“Fire!”
Simultaneous beams of energy rose from the planetary cannons to impact on the center of the targeted command ship. The big ship’s main engines glowed as it attempted to increase distance from the planet. Random explosions began appearing in its exhaust wake.
“She’s gonna blow, sir! Antimatter leaks . . . main injectors.”
“Shields up, Ludic!”
The crippled Royal ship exploded in a brilliant matter-antimatter cascade. Several Heptari combat ships vanished inside the blast radius. As each additional enemy ship vaporized, their secondary antimatter explosions expanded the initial ball of destruction.
An intense electromagnetic surge hit Tanarac’s shields and spread sparks across the sky like an umbrella covering the entire planet. Shields held, and the energy quickly dissipated.
“Sir, the Heps just knocked out Ground Battery One.”
General Tragge frowned at the bad news. He lost his last fully functional ground cannon.
Ludic continued his report. “I’ve still got two shields up, full strength and compounded, general. Ground Battery Three has one charge left. After that, their energy banks are exhausted.”
“Get me Admiral Raccos.” General Tragge responded to Ludic’s report.
Across the War Room, a strange voice responded to the general’s request.
“Sir, the admiral’s flagship was destroyed. We lost four heavies, and we’ve got one Kyome outside the shields. I’m Commander Wik, ranking field officer. I assumed fleet command.”
“How many enemy heavies are still below our shields?”
“Seven, sir. We’re engaging them now.”
Across the War Room, Ludic called out. “Sir! One of their heavies just took out Shield Three. We’re down to one shield.”
“Commander, send all your heavies to defend Shield Two. Comm, recall that decoy ship.”
“Sir, there’s no response from Captain Kob. Comm towers must have been hit. They’re still engaged with that command ship. It’s on Monitor eleven.”
A high orbit sentinel satellite showed the Tanarac ship maneuvering well beyond its design limits. Every time the Heptari command ship rolled to get a clean shot, the Kyome would pull enormous maneuvering loads to stay clear. At one point, Kob even even bounced his ship off the larger ship’s shields to enhance his rate of turn. All the while, his old warship continued to fire at the enemy vessel.
The number of Heptari heavies trailing the old Kyome doubled, but they still could not match her speed and course changes.
“Where’s that second Royal?”
General Tragge maintained focus on the total battle while his staff watched Kob’s dramatic attack on monitor eleven.
“Screen twenty, General. She’s moving back over Shield Two right now. Ground batteries took out most of her heavy cannons but she’s still got two fully operational banks.”
Several Tanarac deep space warships held position below the Heptari command ship. They poured energy beams through the planetary shield into her belly with little effect.
Commander Wik’s voice came over the comm again.
“Sir, we just destroyed the last of the Hep heavies under the shield. Those Kyomes can sure take a beating. Captain Kob’s still out there. Should I send him some help?”
“Negative. He and his crew knew they would be alone when they volunteered for this decoy mission. We’re trying to recall him, now.”
General Tragge took a brief glance at the monitor of Kob’s battle with the far more powerful command ship. A growing armada of Heptari support vessels finally closed down his maneuvering options.
“Sir, the command ship’s breaking off with Captain Kob. She’s coming around toward us again.”
The general watched the royal Heptari ship set course directly for his remaining ground-based cannon. Captain Kob did his job of distracting her but now this fully armed mega-ship was headed back to Tanarac while a line of Rahls pinned Kob’s ship deeper in space where he could no longer threaten the big command ship.
“Sir, we’re getting partial transmissions from Captain Kob.”
“Midsection structural collapse.”
Chapter 70
General Tragge listened to the broken transmission.
“Keep trying to reach Kob. Tell him to disengage, if he can.”
The general turned his full attention to his last planetary shield generator.
“Sir, the Heps landed three troop carriers for ground assaults. General Krit says he’s got plenty of troops to deal with them.”
“General, we’ve got a second wave of cruisers coming through the shields over the Central Jungle. We’ve only got one heavy left in that area.”
General Tragge could feel the battle slipping away. He had too few assets and there were simply too many targets.
“Sir, Ground Battery Three has one shot left.”
The general did not hesitate.
; “I’m targeting the command ship over Shield Two. Ludic, on my command, drop the shield, I’ll fire and then raise shields immediately.”
Ludic and the Ground Battery acknowledged.
On command, he dropped the shield and the ground battery fired.
The impact hit a structural point where antimatter reactor couplings feed the engines. The big ship suffered a massive internal explosion, breaking into three sections with each showing secondary internal explosions. An instant later, the Heptari royal vessel vanished inside a brilliant flash as core containment failed.
“Ludic, get that shield back up.”
The shield did not reappear.
“Trying, sir. Projector matrix lost its polarity during the EMF surge from the antimatter explosion. I’m re-installing now.”
Ludic worked feverishly at his console.
“Send the entire fleet to attack that last command ship. Atmospheric fighters will have to protect the shield facility. We need to buy time.”
General Tragge stood up as he watched a graph above Ludic. Ten percent. Twenty percent. Forty percent. It never seemed to take so long to format a shield matrix. This was agony.
“Sir, the last command ship changed course. She’s heading for the capitol.”
Again, General Tragge looked at the shield status monitor. Eighty percent. Ninety percent.
“Sir! They fired all cannons into the capitol. Massive damage to buildings and secondary fires.”
“Shield up,” Ludic shouted his success.
Another officer immediately gave the bad news. “Hep command ship is below the shield.”
“She’s changing course, heading for the shield generator.”
“Ludic, drop that shield to a lower altitude.”
“Already doing it, sir.” Ludic’s fingers flew on his keyboard.
“Notify General Krit. We may have to win this war on the ground. Prepare to evacuate the War Room. Nonessential staff leave now.”
Massive sheets of sparks surrounded the command ship as the remaining planetary shield transitioned across her to its new position closer to the planet. The Heptari royal ship continued toward the last shield transmitter.
Remaining Tanarac heavies closed on the giant vessel while Heptari Rahls accompanying the royal flagship ship countered. The giant Heptari vessel established position directly above the shield generator. It began firing one of its big cannons at the shield below, while its other cannons engaged attacking Tanarac ships.
As the threat to the Royal Command Ship diminished, a second cannon joined the first in firing down at the last shield generator. A dazzling umbrella of deflected energy grew in size, but the shield held. Before long, all of its cannons joined in the attack on the generator facility.
“Sir, I’m dropping the altitude of the shield,” Ludic said. “The closer it is to the generator the thicker it gets.”
“We need a little more time. I’ve got two more heavies on the way.”
Just as the general made his comment, the shield failed. Cannon fire from the Royal warship pierced the energy veil, reaching the ground in a millisecond. The shield station below vaporized in a large blast cloud.
An approaching Kyome accelerated toward the enemy ship on a collision course. Its enhanced forwards shields held just long enough to glance off the stern quarter of the Heptari vessel. Despite the impact, destroying the Tanarac warship, the command vessel did not appear badly damaged as it began rising to a higher orbit.
With no shields and no ground-based cannons, General Tragge gave the order every commander dreads.
“Destroy command and control codes. Prepare the self-destruct sequence for this War Room. All personnel meet at the underground central command bunker.”
“Sir, the Heptari commander is hailing you.”
“Open channel.” General Tragge waited for the light to indicate a completed communication link. “This is General Tragge. I’m listening.”
A statue of the Codae Coat of Arms appeared above the hologram pad where there would usually be a three dimensional image of his counterpart.
“The Codae of Heptari demands your unconditional surrender.”
“I don’t talk to pictures, and Tanaracs do not surrender. If you wish to negotiate with me, let me see your image.”
“You are not privileged class. You may not view the Codae. We grant the picture before you to inferiors. You will bow before it when we capture your planet. There are no terms, only unconditional surrender. Agree, or forfeit your head.”
General Tragge held little hope that he could soften Heptari terms.
“You may control some of our space, but you will never occupy this planet. Our extended fleet remains operational. When they arrive, you will be defeated.”
“Your fleet at Wallow Minor has been crushed. Those ships that survive are incapable of coming to your assistance. The war you started is over. Defeat is complete.”
“We will fight you to the death, and you will not have a planet to occupy. ”
“Occupation is not our intention. You will agree to serve our Codae, or your planet will be incinerated, just as we did Earth. If you pledge obedience, you may become a possession of Heptari, and your people will serve us. It is your choice, death or service to the Codae. We will begin the destruction of your planet while you consider our generous offer.”
The holo-pad went blank.
“Sir, we still have a few ships engaged with the Heps but the rest of their fleet has started firing on our major cities. Sir? Sir?”
General Tragge stared at a monitor showing the closest Tanarac sun. He was squinting as he examined the image.
“Ludic, what is that?” He pointed.
“I don’t know, sir. I’ve never seen anything that fast in near-space.”
Chapter 71
A small silver streak raced from the direction of the larger Tanarac sun. It approached with astonishing speed.
“Sir, we aren’t getting any telemetry from it. Scans aren’t reading anything.”
“It’s the humans,” General Tragge guessed. “That’s the only ship with no scan signature. What are they doing?”
“They’re headed straight for the Heptari fleet, sir.”
Heptaris noticed the odd craft, too. Enemy starships changed course to intercept the approaching craft. As it closed, the bright silver ball easily skirted past the Heptari warships. Enemy ships fired weapons but were not even close to hitting the human vessel.
The small craft continued toward the main body of the enemy fleet. Heptari ships stopped their bombardment of the planet and began rising into space to deal with the strange intruder. On screen eleven, Captain Kob’s heavily damaged Kyome could no longer outrun the Heptaris. Two Rahls moved in for the kill. The first ship pulled alongside the Kyome and fired into its engineering section. Engines severed from the Tanarac ship and tumbled slowly in space.
Despite losing main propulsion, Kob’s crew continued firing their weapons. The second Rahl overlapped the first as enemy ships took position to finish off the Tanarac vessel that had caused so much trouble for their command ship.
The tip of the main cannon on the nearest Heptari warship glowed brightly as it charged to fire. A blue bolt of concentrated energy jumped from the weapon toward the floundering Kyome. It never hit.
The human ship came to an abrupt stop directly in the line of fire between the attackers and the damaged Tanarac ship. Force from the cannon blast simply swirled around the surface of the human ship, before vanishing into its glowing shroud. A volley from the second Rahl met the same fate.
Simon’s ship moved slowly away from Kob’s vessel with two angry Heptari commanders in hot pursuit, leaving the heavily damaged Kyome floating alone in space.
Ludic approached General Tragge.
“Sir, we need to leave while we can. You said the humans don’t have any weapons. They can’t help us.”
“You go. I want to see this. I’ll initiate the self-destruct sequence on my way out. I’
m not quite sure what they’re up to.”
The general could not pry himself away from the compelling scene in space above. Nor could most of his staff.
The human spacecraft remained just ahead of the Heptari warships, yet General Tragge knew it could easily outrun them. At first, it headed outward toward the asteroid belt, but then it made a big arc until it was headed directly back at the rest of the Heptari fleet, rising from the planet.
“Sir, Heptaris are sending more ships. I’m counting five more heavies.”
The human ship continued slowly toward the planet on a collision course with the rising fleet and followed closely by the two frustrated Rahls.
Just as the rising warships reached optimal firing range, the human ship accelerated perpendicular to its line of travel in a maneuver that seemed outside the realm of conventional physics.
Simultaneous cannon fire from five enemy ships passed through the space where, only an instant before, the human ship had occupied. Lethal blasts slammed into their own chasing Rahls, destroying both ships as their shields were no match for their own primary weapons.
The general smiled at the skillful maneuvering.
“Impressive,” the general spoke in the air, as if he was directly talking with the humans. “But, can you defeat an entire Heptari fleet with such tricks?”
The human ship continued past layers of Heptari warships until it approached the remaining royal command ship. By now, the entire Heptari fleet was in disarray, attempting to intercept and destroy the antagonistic humans.
General Tragge thought he figured out Simon’s plan and seized on a glimmer of hope.
“Instruct our remaining ships to rendezvous above the first polar quadrant. Tell them to wait for my command. I think our human friends are giving us a chance to consolidate our fleet.”
The human ship avoided collisions with several Heptari heavies that attempted to ram it. With a sudden burst of acceleration, it came alongside the big Codae ship.
Simon flew erratically down the command ship’s side at point blank range for her cannons. Heptari gunners fired all their weapons, but not a single volley hit the target, even at such close range. Nearby enemy space ships maneuvered violently to avoid blasts from their own royal ship. One Cosh failed to get clear and lost its engines to a volley.