by Chris Burton
“Admiral, these new ships are devastating. They are targeting the flagships.”
“Yes and we can’t afford to lose either of them, not if we are to keep this fleet together. I suggest you bring in a thousand Jump Ships and flood this area. If we cannot destroy these new ships, we can make it impossible for them to get at us.”
* * * *
Elsewhere, Jonathan Hoskins was continuing the clear up exercise, by targeting the remaining hundred Kryl cruisers that were sent in response to the initial sub space charges.
“Commander Jacques. Do we have the coordinates for the next SS deployment?”
“Yes, I have relayed them to the CAG already. Eight ships launching now.”
“Mister Carter. Make sure, all Alpha vessels are clear, before confirming, good to go.
“Mister Carter, did you hear me?”
Hoskins saw that Jake Carter was pre-occupied. Mister Carter, can you hear me?”
He stood right next to the Comms Officer now and Jake just stared vacantly.
“Number One, get me Lieutenant Pascoe up here and Carter to the medical center. Helm, assume Comms traffic.”
* * * *
Jake was in a trance. He was looking at Morvalt who was beckoning him to leave the ship. I have to get to the launch bay. He stood up and left his station, heading towards the bridge exit.
He heard Commander Hoskins call after him, but he ignored him. I have to get to the launch bay.
The Security Chief arrived at the bridge corridor as Jake was just leaving it. The chief’s instructions were simple: sedate Lieutenant Carter and take him to the medical center. He set his blaster to stun and fired, hitting Jake in the middle of his back. A perfect stun shot but he kept on walking.
“How in the hell?” The Chief fired again. Another perfect shot but still Jake continued. Backup was just round the corner and with two further blasts, Jake fell to the floor.
* * * *
“Sir, only fifteen of the target ships remain. They are pulling out.”
“Excellent. Number One. Let’s pick out the next target.”
“Nothing at present. It looks like there is something going on with the Illustrious...and the Viceroy.”
“Specifically?”
“A large number of Kryl fighters are surrounding them. It looks like they are trying to take out the flag ships!”
Hoskins was not surprised. If Alpha wanted the Kryl mother ship destroyed, more than anything else, it was safe to assume that the Kryl wanted to take out Alpha’s flagships too.
“Get me Shenke on ship to ship!”
“No response, Sir.”
“Keep trying.”
* * * *
Jake was now awake but restrained. The Chief Medical Officer smiled at him.
“I am sorry about the restraints . You were not yourself. How do you feel now?”
“Much better thanks,” he lied.
“Good. We will keep you here under observation for the next hour and then I think you can return to light duties.”
“Can you release these?”
The medic shrugged his shoulders and released the restraint bar. Jake thanked him and waited for the medic to move on. Thirty seconds later, he was out of bed and on route to the Jump Ship deck. He had to get to the launch bay.
He reached the hangar bay and entered. From here, he knew he could access the Rapier’s at the rear of the deck without passing the CAG desk. He continued around the back wall of the hanger to the first of three Rapier 6’s. They were unattended, but carried green wheel chocks, indicating that they were good to go.
The next stage was the difficult one. He had to access the launch codes to release the shoot exit door which defaulted to the closed position unless the launch bay had full open status. Right now, the bay had only partial launch clearance. Jake accessed the launch computer and entered his security id. Accepted. So far so good.
* * * *
Lieutenant Obeya Temsouri was monitoring Jake’s unauthorized Jump Ship launch in the knowledge that it would certainly fail. She had contacted the bridge when Jake first accessed the launch bay as Jonathan had warned her it was likely Jake would be heading her way. Hoskins told her, Jake should not be allowed to launch under any circumstances and she had immediately placed a security bar against Jake’s id. He would be able to access the launch computer, but that is as far as he would get.
* * * *
When the security team arrived, Jake was still sat in the Jump Ship with his head in his hands. He looked up, realized that his attempt had been in vain, and stepped down from the ship into the clutches of the security guards who restrained him. He was taken directly to a containment cell. It would be very difficult to get off the ship now.
* * * *
The Viceroy and the Illustrious were adjacent and protected by thirty ships of the line, as the battle between the Malchian Arrows and Alpha’s Jump Ships continued unabated. This skirmish was the cornerstone of the entire battle, with several thousand Kryl fighters having joined the horde.
Shenke and Rodriguez were in conference once again.
“This is ridiculous. We have all this fire power and we cannot use it!”
“If you are referring to the sub-space charges, Admiral Rodriguez, then I am sure you know why.
“Yes ,of course I do but we can defeat them if we could use the high powered SS charges. Maybe soon we will have no choice but to use them.”
“That is not our brief. We don’t know what impact a huge SS explosion would have in this system and the galaxy as a whole.”
“Nothing catastrophic! The environmentalists would have us believe the whole galaxy would fold in on itself, whereas scientists feel the worst result would cut off large parts of this system. It is hardly a critical system, is it?”
“No it’s not critical, but we still cannot be sure, how bad it would be. Anyway, things have not come to that. Hoskins is doing a good job, as are the Sentinels. I accept that these new ships and their new weapons are doing us harm, but we are here to stay.”
“To what end? Are you prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice?”
Shenke was getting agitated now.
“I am not scared to die, if that is what you mean!”
“Fighting to the last man. Is there a point, when the use of a large SS charge becomes attractive? I agree we are not there now, but we could be soon. I would not waste the remaining lives in this fleet, when the result would be the same. To defend the Earth, I would be prepared to use the maximum yield weapons.”
Shenke smiled. “I knew you were getting at something. Let’s just wait and see what happens. This battle is not yet over and let’s not forget, every Kryl we take now, will be one less for the SED to have to deal with.”
Hoskins entered the cell, three hours after Jake was first confined. He was sitting up on the bed, staring at the ceiling, but looked directly at Hoskins when he entered.
“Hi Jake. I take it you know exactly where Morvalt is?”
“What makes you say that?
“This is off the record. You were detained in these secure conditions because I do not want you to leave this ship. But I do want to know which ship Morvalt is on. Are you going to tell me?”
“He is on the Queen’s ship. Where else would you think he was?”
Hoskins ignored Jake’s blunt response. Clearly, he was heavily under Morvalt’s influence.
“Thanks Jake. I presume the mother ship is known as the Queen’s ship. I am afraid you will remain in this cell for the time being and only my authority will grant you release. I apologize for this rather draconian treatment, but I feel it is better for you and us that you remain here. I will come back and see you when I can.”
* * * *
The main battle continued relentlessly, but Alpha was losing Jump Ships fast. The new bigger more powerful Kryl ships were everywhere and their pilots utterly ruthless. Once targeted, a Jump Ship pilot stood little chance. The front line of cruisers continued to pummel the
Kryl’s core but the firepower returning took its toll on every Alpha ship of the line. The Queen’s ship continued her unremitting attack with her Cathode Barium Laser Cannons, for which the weakened shield capacity of Alpha’s vessels cruisers showed little resistance. Losses were building up.
The only shining light was the joint sub-space and nuclear deployment by the Halo 7, her mini fleet, and the Sentinels. They destroyed over five hundred Kryl cruisers with relatively few losses. Their success was largely due to their location and the Kryl had reduced the size of the flanks to bolster the main section of the fleet. It was unlikely that Hoskins would have much more success in this area.
Shenke saw an end to this now. Virtually all the fleets available Jump Ships were involved in the main battle and it would surely only be hours before their fight was over. Was defeat inevitable? He found himself thinking back to his earlier conversation with Rodriguez. Could he actually contemplate a mass sub space attack in the Alpha Centauri corridor? It was beginning to look a more likely proposition.
Chapter Fifty-Six
The Dying Kryl
The chamber was dark, with a solitary light shining over the bed, where the dying Kryl lay. He had been ill for a long time but only now did the real symptoms show themselves. There was no cure, only relief and relief was short lived and limited in supply.
Every accommodation block, in every Kryl ship had a dying chamber. This was part of everyday life for the Kryl. They were dying and today it was the turn of Morvalt’s nephew.
Morvalt had visited several times today already. He was close to his family and deeply saddened by his brother’s son’s imminent loss.
“He has deteriorated further Morvalt. I don’t think it will be long.”
“I know my brother. You know I would help if I could. The relief which will come soon, I regret will be too late for him.”
“I know you are doing everything you can. I need to know, do you think we should freeze him?”
“What does the healer say?”
“That it must be done now if my son is to stand a chance. However, there are no guarantees—even with an abundant food source. He will still die eventually unless we can find a cure.”
“So will we all.”
Morvalt had witnessed the deaths of many of his friends and family over the years. There was acceptance within the community that the disease would get them in the end. However, the end was coming sooner for many now that there was no more relief.
Freezing a body before it died was commonplace but the decision to freeze came with the caveat that while the body slept, the sole was still awake. No living Kryl knew how great the torment of perpetual sleep might be for those who were frozen.
“It is a grave decision to have to make. What did your son say?”
“He wanted to be given every chance and he accepted that he may exist in torment forever.”
“Then the decision is made. You should freeze him now.”
“And he will join my wife, her sister and their father.”
Morvalt said nothing as his brother approached the healer. Within moments it was done, the chemical agent spreading across the body instantly.
Morvalt allowed his brother to attend to his now cryogenically frozen son. The bed having become a sealed chamber, in which their son’s body would stay, until the day that the cryogenic technicians awoke him. He paid his own respects, thanked his brother for allowing him to witness their sons passing, and then left quietly.
He returned to his Sanctuary and wept.
* * * *
Much later, he awoke having slept for a long time. It was not long, before the events of last night came back to him and he wept again.
For his brother the wait was all over now, but for thousands of others throughout the fleet, the nightmare was just beginning. How many of his people had to die before they had a cure? But it did not have to be that way, not if there was a bountiful supply of food to provide relief to his people, to stem the onset of the final stage of the disease. This is why they had come to this galaxy and this is why Alpha had to be defeated.
Now his resolve was strong again and he was ready to resume command.
ChapterFifty-Seven
Alpha Retreat
Hoskins was frustrated. There were no fresh targets for either the SS charges or the battlefield nukes for over twelve hours. He could also see that the main fleet was in trouble but there was little he could do from the outside—especially since both the Viceroy and the Illustrious ship-to-ship, comms were down. It was time to take the initiative.
“Number One, would you join me in my ready room? Thanks.”
His first officer joined him straight away.
“We need to do something, perhaps in conjunction with the Sentinels to see if we can wrestle back some advantage. Any ideas?”
Commander Jacques paused before replying.
“I guess the main target will always be the Queen’s ship, with or without Morvalt onboard. We need to target their Laser Cannons, together with these new larger fighters.”
“I can’t see us making much of an impact with the latter. If we use one off cruisers in a linear pass across the top of the mother ships position, this would get us as close as we can get.”
“Fire with what? Even at relatively low velocity, all we could use are the plasma canons and they simply do not have the power.”
“No, but we could drop a shed load of Teutonic’s down on top of them. One pass by the Halo 7, for example, could release eighty missiles in one hit. That is pretty significant fire power!”
“Not sure how many would make it through their defenses. It is a good idea though, but we would need to protect the cruiser going in and coming out and we would only get two or maybe three runs before they reinforced the area. The question is who would you get to do it?”
“The Halo 7 of course.”
“It is kind of suicidal, or are you assuming that our good fortune will continue?”
“We are the fastest most powerful ship in this section of the fleet. Even if they do decide to target us, they will not make much impact in just one run.”
Hoskins could see Jacques was warming to the idea.
“We could follow up with two or three other ships. Before they know it, they could have two to three hundred missiles to deal with! Okay, it sounds like a plan and it will certainly reengage us in the battle.”
“Contact the skipper of the Bauhaus and Mercury 4. They can both dispense Teutonic’s quickly and have the speed and agility to get through it. I suggest we try two runs each, that way we can get close to your three hundred figure.”
“And after that?”
“The Kryl will be forced to adapt and target us, probably pulling a volume of ships away from the main fleet for the Sentinels to deal with us. I have spoken to the Sentinel Commander and he is awaiting our instructions. This has to work; we are running out of options.”
The Halo 7 would make the first run, quickly followed by the Bauhaus and the Mercury 4. Each would approach the Kryl fleet high, swoop down to within five hundred meters at speed to deliver their payload. The biggest risk to the Alpha cruisers would be immediately before and after the missiles were dispensed and their commanders were briefed to deliver and get out at maximum thrust. Like all battle plans, there were plenty of areas where it could go wrong, but finite planning was no longer practicable. They needed to act now.
“All Missiles tubed ready for deployment, Sir.”
“Helm, take us out to one hundred thousand meters and assume attack positioning.”
“Number One. Please ensure that the Bauhaus and the Mercury are ready to deliver as soon as we are clear.”
“In position now, Sir.”
“Commence attack.”
The Alpha Battle Cruiser gathered speed quickly as it commenced its bomb run. Hoskins held his breathe as the helm pilot adjusted the course and speed to bring the Halo 7 down toward the Kryl fleet. Timing was critical.”
“Sh
ields to maximum. Standby!”
She came out of her downward turn just five hundred meters above the Kryl fleet with a mass of plasma cannons pummeling her shielding as she straightened and made ready. All eighty Teutonic missiles were delivered together from ten missile tubes aimed downward from either side of the Halo 7. The payload delivered, the helm pilot took the ship into a steeping upward curve at maximum thrust.
By the time, the missiles reached the first line of Kryl defense, over sixty were destroyed and Hoskins witnessed the last few absorbed in a cacophony of plasma fire. The Halo 7 was safe, but the attack failed miserably. Complete abject failure.
“Abort Bauhaus run, now!”
“It’s too late. She has committed and is releasing her payload.”
The two executive officers watched helplessly as each of the missiles disintegrated and the Bauhaus came under a barrage of fire from the defending Kryl Cruisers who surrounded her. She did not last long.
Admiral Shenke had witnessed Hoskins’ failed assault on the mother ship from his stateroom. Alpha was nearing defeat and it was time to make some difficult decisions. He summoned his Chief Advisor, Chris Willis to join him.
“Hi Chris, It’s decision time. Do we blow the whole thing to oblivion and knock out this galaxy into the next or do we sound the retreat?”
“I think you already know my opinion. The charge option could create a chain reaction, which may have major implications to our solar system. The fight may be over here, but SED and...”
“Enough. Rodriguez has not convinced me that I have to go down this route. We will start the retreat. Get coded messages to Rodriguez and Hoskins. The fleet will depart with dignity. We have fought well today.”
“Yes, we have and you will have another day, Sir.”
“Not me my friend. I still have a job to do here.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“This is my ship and my fleet and if necessary, I will be the last man standing.”
“But there is still so much that can be done. We have reduced the Kryl numbers to less than four thousand for God’s sake and we have a contingency fleet sitting out there waiting to be called.”