“No,” John agreed, “especially not for those of us closest to you little lady,” he answered. “I thought we had this talk before.”
“Well, I rather thought since we are in a new system, and I told you that before when I was the Queen, not an Empress. So, I had new rules.”
John squeezed her shoulders, “That is about the lamest ass, spunk bubble busting excuse I’ve heard from you in ...” he paused a moment, thinking. “Ever.”
Bethany Anne chuckled, “Yeah, it is pretty bad.” She agreed, “Thanks for being creative. Not exactly a place for cursing, but at least you get an A for effort.”
John reached over and stroked Ashur’s head. “It’s a real shame we aren’t in Earth space right now.”
Bethany Anne straightened up, leaning a little away from John, “Why?”
John smiled as he watched her eyes heal again from her crying, “Because going out and kicking Islamic terrorist ass always cheered you up.”
Bethany Anne pressed her lips together, but John saw the glint in her eyes. Moments later, she chuckled and slapped a hand over her mouth…
“Oh, c’mon!” John grinned, “You know you would love to just jump down to Earth every once in awhile and go rid yourself of some rangy-assed motherfuckers who sincerely needed to meet Allah.”
“Yeah,” she nodded her head, “That time in Hawija was a good time,” she sighed, her shoulder muscles loosening.
John’s eyes narrowed, “What time in Hawija?” he questioned.
Bethany Anne’s eyes flew open. “Did I say Hawija?”
“Yes,” John replied, his eyes squinting at his liege.
“Maybe I meant ...” she started before John interrupted.
“Meredith, can you please review all news reports for strange occurrences against significant numbers of terrorist deaths before we left Earth?”
The EI replied quickly, “On two different nights, over fifty terrorists were killed each night by unknown teams of special forces.”
She turned to look at John, “See, special forces,” Bethany Anne interjected before John put up a hand.
“Meredith, what were the type of wounds on the dead?”
“Predominantly sword cuts and stabs,” the EI responded.
“Now, swords are often used in those countries,” Bethany Anne tried to argue before Meredith interrupted.
“Many of the dead had their heads cut off.”
“Well, that might be rare,” Bethany Anne temporized.
“Many had their arms ripped off, and one had his penis shoved up his anus,” the EI finished.
“He pissed me off!” Bethany Anne’s eyes flashed red, thinking back.
John chuckled.
Bethany Anne flipped her hand up, “Ok, fine. I went to Hawija to blow off some steam a couple of times.”
“What music were you listening to?” John asked, wondering if she was trying to reduce her anger at the time.
“Uh,” she thought back.
>>Hellyeah. DMF was the song playing when you decided to ‘fuck up someone who really needed it.’<<
“ADAM says I was listening to Hellyeah,” she shrugged, leaving off the rest of ADAM’s information. “Not exactly Enya, I’ll admit.”
“Not exactly ENYA?” John retorted, surprised. “That’s like saying Scott’s arms aren’t exactly skinny like yours.”
“Hey!” She turned to him, “Size isn’t everything!” she leaned back a little farther and struck a pose, arms flexing her muscles. “I got guns!”
“You know, us guys say that all the time and you ladies keep giving us shit about it.”
“I don’t say anything about your guns…Oh!” She smirked, “I guess I did admit that size.” She made a face, “Wow, walked right into that one.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly. She stood up and reached down to give John a hand, “Thank you.”
He reached up and allowed Bethany Anne to pull him up. Scott might have the biggest arms, but even he couldn’t take Bethany Anne in a strength test.
“Ok, you lazy oaf,” she commented when John finally stood up. She stepped forward, and hugged him, “Thank you again.”
“No problem, boss.” He looked down at her and squeezed one final time, then released. “I’d say your makeup is running, but you don’t wear any.”
Bethany Anne kneeled down and ruffled Ashur’s head and patted Matrix on his side, “It’s all on me, big dog. I guess I’m not superwoman after all.”
Ashur chuffed and nuzzled her. She stood up and started for the door. “Let’s get back to Operations, maybe there is something I can do from there.”
The four of them left the suite. John called Scott to let him know the unscheduled test was finished.
Then, Bethany Anne grabbed his arm, and they disappeared.
Yollin Super-Dreadnought Cossik
“FIRE AT THOSE KRELLIN!” Captain Shile screamed as the second pounding hit the Cossik.
He could feel massive amounts of metal flying off of the outside of his beloved ship. The alien ship’s armor looked weak, but the shield around it was too damned strong by half.
He slammed his hand against the arm chair, “AND HIT THEM TOO!”
“Sir,” his second looked over his shoulder to speak to the Captain, “They have some sort of small defensive rocks catching some of our missiles, blowing them up before they hit the ship. We are losing over a quarter of our on-target missiles that way. We’ve seen some expulsion of material, so we are getting through their shields.”
“Well,” the Captain replied, “they are getting through ours as well. Make sure we up our effort, I’m not having the Bridged-ael come and help us out.” He turned to review the latest damage reports, “It would be thrice embarrassing.”
Both fleets, while they were racing towards each other, were mesmerized by the sheer amount of destructive bombardment hammering the two ships, neither one giving an inch as they slugged it out.
Many of those on the human’s side made the sign of the cross over their chest. They, by and large, weren’t religious, but when you watch such a spectacle, one realizes what those who were on the ArchAngel must be going through as missile after missile slammed into their ship.
Constant and never ending efforts to catch the enemy’s weapons before they impacted their own ship while sending their missiles across the way.
Hell in space.
QBS ArchAngel
Bethany Anne was watching the battle from the Meredith Reynolds. Leaving the fighting to those in the Straiphus system until she realized a way to help.
“COME IN BEHIND THEM!” Bethany Anne sent across the distance, their communications not hampered as much as her effort to transfer their bodies through the Etheric.
ArchAngel accepted Bethany Anne’s input and listed the chance of modified success and sent it back to Bethany Anne.
It didn’t show a superior option to the battle she was instituting at the moment.
Bethany Anne sent back, “They have a problem with attacks from the rear, ArchAngel. The Captains of the ships have problems handling it. Just fucking do it!”
A suggestion is not a command, but a command from her liege would be obeyed in trust.
The ArchAngel kicked in more power, throwing a few attacks off due to the sudden acceleration as well as the challenge of firing on a ship when it is suddenly turning on all axis.
There was no time for regret, only massive effort. The ArchAngel flipped, turning her tail over as her front dodged under the Cossik’s rear. The two huge ships danced in space.
“FIRE EVERYTHING!” Bethany Anne sent.
The ArchAngel released everything in her forward armament into the rear of the ship. The Cossik tried to twist itself, wanting to get the Human ship back under her broadside weapons.
The effort, valiant as it was, still allowed twenty-two percent of the ArchAngel’s missiles to make it through the Cossik’s defenses and slam home into the Dreadnought.
But, twenty-two percent in this e
ffort was more than the designers had ever expected to reach that location, all in one moment of time, from such a close ship. Who would ever expect a ship of their size to be able to maneuver like a much smaller ship?
The Yollin Super-Dreadnought Cossik cracked.
The ArchAngel kicked in her engines, damage reducing them to only eighty percent power, to move the mighty Leviathan Battleship out of the vicinity. Explosions ripped through the Yollin ship as it started to disintegrate.
The Cossik exploded as the ArchAngel turned, aiming herself at the next Dreadnought, which had changed its previous track and turned in the ArchAngel’s direction.
It was time for ArchAngel and her crew to find out just how good she was.
Yollin Super-Dreadnought Bridged-ael
Admiral Thlock-den stayed silent as the information from the Cossik ceased. The information on the video monitors showed she was gone and now that damned enemy ship was heading in their direction.
He watched as the first of the Yollin ships started exchanging fire with the usurpers of the Yollin crown. While he noticed a couple of early victories, it was obvious that the aliens hadn’t won due to surprise in the battle for Yollin’s home system. They really were that good.
Even with superior knowledge of the enemy, his people were getting ravaged.
He hoped the Empires Broken was successful and he was thankful that the Human’s main ship was in this system.
They would be victorious, but the cost was going to be very high. He sighed, rubbing his mandible in frustration.
They might win back the world, only to lose it to another alien group who would want to attack them while they were weak.
Yollin Super-Dreadnought Empires Broken
Captain Drak-ehl confirmed the tricky aliens couldn’t bring the Annex Gate back up. He looked around at his team and smiled, “When we open the gate, allow our ships to transfer, then let us move forward. Remember, keep ourselves at a dependable speed to protect our ships and we are going to hit the aliens hard. Do not fire on any Yollin ships unless they attack.”
He received confirmations from those on his bridge and the other ships over the communications link.
He turned to his second and spoke, “Transfer.”
Yollin System
The little probe detached itself from the large super freighter that went through the commercial gate into the Yollin system. It wouldn’t be noticed in the bulk of the massive ship. It went silent and checked the information that was supplied by the Bounty Hunter.
The King’s armada was trailing behind the little probe by five solar turns. The job of the probe was to confirm the information and bring back anything that was outside of normal parameters.
It moved into the system, looking for the alien military ships that were supposed to be here.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
QBBS Meredith Reynolds Military Operations Room
“Well, damn.” General Lance Reynolds said, his voice calm. “We found the third Yollin Super-Dreadnought.”
Bethany Anne looked over at the screen her father was reading and frowned, “That’s here, right?”
He nodded, “Yup. Seems that our information on the Super-Dreadnoughts might have been a little light.”
“Something I need to speak to E’Kolorn about,” Bethany Anne commented.
“Sir,” The communications specialist turned in her chair, “we have communications going from the Planet to the new ships.”
“Put it on the speakers, Erika,” Lance told her.
“…And I’m telling you, Captain Drak-ehl, this IS Defense Minister E’kolorn! Your ears must be full of Bistik shit. You need to realize the challenge here was legitimate. The world IS run by the aliens, and it was according to…”
There was static for a second when another voice interrupted, “You must also be under the alien’s sway, former Defense Minister. Unfortunately, as the highest commanding officer, I will have to remove you from office.”
Bethany Anne looked at her father, who shrugged.
“Remove me? My ass! You are an idiot,” E’kolorn spit back, “If you keep this up, you are going to lose too many Yollins in your fight with the humans. If you think that pitiful excuse of an armada is going to do much, you are truly the most inept Dreadnought Captain Yoll has!”
“Even if I am the most inept, I still rank above your alien-kissing ass, E’kolorn.” Captain Drak-ehl replied, “Expect us to be down there soon, you have much explaining to do.”
The communications ceased.
“Well,” Lance said, “he is either a good liar or really believes in us.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’s smarter than this Captain Drak-ehl thinks he is.” Bethany Anne admitted, “MEREDITH!”
“Yes, my Empress?”
“Command all ships that are not presently connected to us to stand off at least one hundred kilometers, immediately, or risk losing their ships.” She winked at the comm’s specialist who was still watching the two work. “Reynolds?”
“Yes, Empress?” the EI responded.
“Tell those in the Arti-sun group it’s time they earned their pay. Let’s hope all of the work that they, you, ADAM and TOM have done pays off, big guy.”
“Are you going to use the weapon?” Reynolds asked.
“Yes, the ESD is going to be fired. We don’t have any other ships to attack that Super-Dreadnought without substantial losses. You’ve confirmed we are within tolerance on that bad boy so get this fucking rock turning in the right direction post haste.”
All through the Meredith Reynolds, commands were being issued. Those inside were told to move to their designated ‘under attack’ locations, those on the outside docks were provided large, protected rooms further inside.
Those who were outside of the large asteroid base were provided instructions on what a safe distance would be, and where the danger was coming from. Although, if they couldn’t figure that out, Bethany Anne wasn’t sure they were bright enough to be operating a spaceship in the first place.
Commercial Gate 221 - Yollin Space - Outer Third Ring
It had taken several turns for the Ixtalis to learn to trust the human named Dan Bosse. It took just as long for Dan Bosse to trust the Ixtalis enough about their own devices to allow them to confirm the medical information he had provided.
Ixtelina was annoyed. Their people had placed devices in their bodies that could be used to kill them. From a very practical standpoint, she could understand her superiors desire to be able to remove a threat to the larger group. From a very personal standpoint, she was pissed off.
She had moved Ixgurl from the ship over to the humans medical to confirm he had the same medical anomaly and he did. It seemed that the upper management in their group considered all personnel expendable.
The three of them were rather silent, waiting for the queue at the Commercial Gate to clear up when the alarms in their ship started ringing.
Ixtelina waited for the official report, but she had a good idea from looking over Ixgurl’s shoulder.
“A gate has been created, and multiple Yollin military ships have gated into the system, Leader,” Ixgurl said.
“Pull us out of the queue,” she told him, “But don’t go too far, I want to see what happens.” She pulled up a screen next to her, “Also, make sure you document the information about the Yollins having a temporal gate, I don’t ever remember them having that.”
“No,” Ixgalan said over his shoulder, “We don’t have any information on that.”
“Well,” Ixtelina said, “that is a new bit of information we know. Plus, if the Yollins have it, assuming the humans don’t disappear in the next few days, they will have it as well.”
“Shit,” Ixgalan said, a small smile on his face, “There goes the neighborhood.”
“Yeah, but whose neighborhood,” Ixtelina said, “I guess we will find out shortly.”
QBBS Meredith Reynolds
Marcus was the first to yank open the door into the Ar
ti-sun operations room, breathing hard, “I’ve got,” pant, pant, “to get back,” pant, pant, “into shape!”
William, coming in behind him a moment later laughed as he put a hand on Marcus's shoulder, “Dude, you were probably never in shape. I think the term physically-fit rocket scientist is an oxymoron.”
Bobcat yanked the door open and raced in himself, “Shit, I would have bet I beat Marcus here for damn sure,” he pointed at the scientist, “See! He’s wheezing horribly right now.”
Never Surrender (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 16) Page 23