Captain Doran stood on his bridge looking out the view ports at the great battle his ship was now engulfed in. Commander Kelley was coordinating the attack. They could hear the screams of pilots as their ships exploded, and the sorrow and rage filled cries of their friends. Kelley scanned through the latest reports and went over to Doran. He was in a daze of deep thought as he contemplated the battle.
“Captain,” said Kelley. “Sir at the rate we are losing ships I don’t think we can keep this up. We have opened up as clear a path as we’re ever going to. If we’re going to send in the last battle group it’s now or never.”
Doran thought a moment more then said “Do it.” He then turned again to watch the chaos of the battle.
At Saratoga’s signal, the battleship Constitution followed by the destroyers Ripper and Viper and the cruisers Arizona and Washington flew into the thick of the fighting and headed straight for the Krusha. Jack saw the massive battleship fly past him. When the Constitution and her support ships were in range they fired everything they had at the Krusha. A massive stream of plasma poured out of the five Earth ships and exploded against the hull of the Krusha.
On the Krusha, the bridge around Akdon riffled with explosions.
“Are our shields up at all?” screamed Akdon.
Kaydan remained calm. “Yes, but they are only blocking 20% of the fire power thrown at us. The interference of their sun has increased!”
“How is that possible, Kaydan!”
“I don’t know, Commander.”
Jack, Red, and Trey were all involved in the dog fights of their lives with the alien fighters. They had seen so many Star Swords destroyed, they did not even know if each other was alive. Jack hit his radio.
“Trey are you still out there?” The radio crackled.
“Alive and well, Jack.”
“How are we doing?”
“I don’t know.” replied Trey. “There’s no way of telling how many ships we’ve lost or what the big pictures looking like.”
Jack decided he’d try to contact Red.
“Red come in.” The radio was silent. “Red please....come in!” There was no response. Just then, a Zidian fighter fell in behind him.
Jack began a series of evasive maneuvers, but the Zidian was no rookie pilot. Jack could see laser bolts flying past him. No matter how hard he tried, he could not evade his pursuer. Jack knew he was finished, and that Red was already gone. Suddenly, a burst of plasma slammed into the pursuing Zidian ship causing him to lose Jack. The weapons fire had come from another Star Sword.
“You all right, Jack?” asked the voice of Red Styler.
“Red, you’re alive!”
“Well of course. No little green man can take out the greatest pilot in the known universe.”
“I owe you another one old buddy.”
“Save your thanks for later, that guy’s on my tail now.”
Jack brought his Star Sword about. Through his cockpit, he saw the wreckage of many ships. He came around, and fell behind the Zidian fighter and opened fire. The enemy fighter exploded into a large fire ball.
From a distance the battle raging above Neptune must have looked like a giant lightning storm or light show. On the Krusha, Akdon stood ready to exact a heavy toll on the Humans.
“Commander, the enemy ships are now at optimum range for our cruisers to use their primary beam weapons.” The ship jerked violently with another impact.
“It’s about time! Let’s cut them to pieces! Address the cruisers. All craft open fire!”
All at once, the Zidian cruisers, including the Krusha, came alive. Huge energy beams burst out of them. Many of them were directed at the Constitution. After being hit by no less than a dozen of these enormous white rays, the Constitution exploded violently. Her escort ships took evasive action but the Zidian ships were relentless in their attack. Three were destroyed but one—the cruiser Arizona, despite enormous amounts of damage, held together somehow.
Jack, Red, and Trey had been unprepared for the attack. However, they were fortunate that their Star Swords were too small to be targeted by the main energy beams of the larger Zidian ships. The smaller Zidian fighters, however, were showing no mercy. Jack, Trey, and Red found themselves out numbered and on the run from the enemy interceptors. The battle had definitely taken a turn for the worst. The Zidians were unleashing a terrible fury.
On the bridge of the Saratoga, Doran was horrified by what he saw. His fleet was being blown away.
“Captain, we must withdraw!” said Commander Kelley.
“No! The objective of this mission was to destroy the enemy command ship and I aim to do that!” He signaled the remnants of the fleet. “All ships! take out that command ship!”
The remaining Earth ships threw themselves at the Krusha through a ferocious barrage of enemy fire. Three more human destroyers exploded as Zidian cruisers cut into them with their beam cannons. Only then did Doran finally accept that the battle was lost and that they could not combat such firepower.
“This is Captain Doran...all ships break off! Retreat back to Saturn!”
The Earth ships turned to run, but there was a problem. They were now surrounded. Akdon’s plan had worked well. By letting the entire human fleet intertwine with his own, he had been able to launch a close range attack of annihilation and simultaneously hinder any attempt at retreat.
Jack, Red, and Trey were still alive. Despite the large number of Star Swords that had been destroyed, they had survived. Jack had a fighter chasing him. He skillfully outmaneuvered the Zidian and blew him away. He turned just in time to find another one on Trey’s tail. Jack fell in behind and eliminated that one too.
Red was in pursuit of a Zidian fighter that he had been stalking for several minutes. He was hot on the Zidians tail when Doran’s order to retreat came over the radio.
Jack and Trey started to fly away at full speed, but Red refused to give up his target.
“Red, come on we’ve got to get out of here!”
Red swore. “Not until I get this one!” yelled Red.
“Lieutenant Styler, break off immediately that is a direct order!” said Trey.
Red ignored him. There was no way he was letting that last target get away. The Zidian ship flew right past a highly damaged Earth destroyer. Red was close behind.
“Red get back here!”
The destroyer exploded in an enormous fireball that consumed both the Zidian fighter and Red’s Star Sword.
“Red!!!” screamed Jack.
As the explosion died down, all there was to be seen was an enormous field of debris. Jack was stunned and in shock at the sudden loss of his best friend.
“Jack!...Jack!...snap out of it! We’ve got to get out of here!”
Jack pulled himself together and resumed his flight out of the battle. The remnants of the Earth fleet had to fight their way tooth and claw out of the Zidian armada. It cost them another two destroyers.
When Akdon saw that they were breaking out he yelled, “Target the enemy carriers!” The Zidian cruisers divided all there firepower between the three retreating human carriers. Yorktown took hit after hit but just as in 2117 she held together. The Lexington, on the other hand, couldn’t take anymore and she exploded—taking a Zidian cruiser with her. Saratoga took a few hits, but nothing serious. She escaped in fair condition.
“Prepare to go after them!” yelled Akdon. “We aren’t going anywhere for several hours,” said Kaydan. “Our reactor has suffered some damage, we must make repairs. Shall I send the rest of the fleet ahead?”
Akdon surveyed the status of his fleet. “No, let us stay here and tend our own wounds. We’ve done enough damage for now.” And they had. Of all the human ships there had been at the beginning of the battle, all that was left were the Saratoga, the Yorktown, a destroyer, a cruiser, and less than fifty Star Swords.
When the surviving Earth ships reached Saturn, they found the rest of Space Force there waiting on them. The battle of Neptune had been the
Space Force’s bloodiest day. It had cost the Space Force ships and men. All it cost Jack Thunder, was his best friend.
Back on Earth, the President was pacing back and forth in front of his desk waiting for some news of the battle. All the officials in the room were silent. Then the President’s aid walked in and handed him a report. The President quickly read it. The look on his face told the others it was not good news.
“The mission was a failure! Most of the attacking force was destroyed! The Constitution, Lexington, Washington, Guardian, Chariot, Hawk, Ripper, Viper, and over one-hundred Star Swords....all destroyed—over 3000 people dead!”
The President collapsed into his chair. He handed the report to Admiral Shirley who read over it.
“According to this the Saratoga, Yorktown, Apache, and Arizona survived, however, the Yorktown and Arizona are so badly damaged they’re no longer capable of fighting. They are en-route back to Earth. As for Saratoga and Apache, they’ve made adequate repairs and have joined the rest of the Space Force around Saturn.”
“The poor families of the dead,” said the President as he stared into space. “There’s no more keeping a lid on this. Call an emergency meeting of the U.N. We’ll inform the governments of the world first, then the people. Start evacuating Mars, the Moon, Titan, and the orbital habitats as quickly as possible. I know there’s no way we can get all of them, but let’s save as many as we can.”
He turned to Admiral Shirley. “Eric, I want you and Colonel Travis to get to Mars with the tactical nukes, and provide cover and support for the Martian Defense Force while we evacuate as many people as possible.”
Shirley nodded and left.
“If there’s nothing else, gentlemen, I’d really like to be alone right now.” The officials filed out. He looked at the report again. “3,000 people....dead.”
Chapter Eight
Back on the Saratoga things were chaotic. The hanger was filled with Star Swords many of which were damaged. Repair crews were everywhere. Incredibly, the Saratoga was still carrying nearly a full complement of Star Swords. The surviving fighters of the Lexington had come aboard as had those of the Yorktown since she was unable to fight anymore.
On the bridge, Captain Doran was conferring with Captains Hudson and Slobadik. Hudson commanded the Carrier Essex and Slobadik commanded the carrier Exeter. All three Carriers were in orbit around Titan, along with seven destroyers and two cruisers. Doran was filling them in on the tactics the aliens had used and they were discussing plans for a retreat from Titan.
Doran was very edgy. The idea of an impending alien attack was ever most on his mind. He’d seen the destructive carnage the enemy could wreak.
“April, what is the enemy up to?”
“They’re still holding position in orbit around Neptune,” replied April.
“We must have dealt them a harder blow than I thought,” said Doran. “Their energy shielding certainly was not effective.”
“But why, Captain?”
“I don’t know.”
“Captain, we’re receiving a transmission from the surface of Titan,” said the comm officer. “It’s the governor of the Titan Colony, sir.”
“Put it through here.”
Moments later, the image of a woman appeared on the screen.
“Captain, I’m Governor Isabel Hawk of Titan Colony.”
“Madam Governor,” said Doran respectfully.
“Captain, we need your help. We have many civilians down here. You must help us evacuate!”
“We’ll do what we can, but we’re all overcrowded here as it is.”
“Please, you must at least take our children!”
Doran sighed. “I’ll start sending shuttles to ferry as many of your people up here as we can carry, starting with families with children. We’ll do this as long as we can, but the enemy could attack at any time.”
“Thank you, Captain. We’ll prepare for the arrival of your shuttles. Hawk out.”
Doran activated his wrist comlink. “Mr. Grayson, you and the other shuttle pilots start ferrying civilians up here from the colony.”
“Yes, sir!”
“I’ll inform Exeter and Essex to do the same.”
Just then Commander April Kelley’s com-link beeped.
“This is Kelley.”
“Commander...” said the voice of Trey
“I need you to come down here to the crew deck.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Jack...” said Trey.
“I’m on my way.”
April then left the bridge and made her way down to the area of the ship which housed the crew quarters. Trey was waiting for her outside the door of Jack’s cabin. The door was closed.
“How’s he doing?”
“Not too well, I’m afraid,” said Trey. “Doc says its battle shock but I don’t think so. He was to calm during the battle, he really kept his cool and his onboard computer reads that he killed more enemy fighters than any of us. He went in guns blazing. It wasn’t until Red got killed that Jack...fell into his current state.”
Commander Kelley became frustrated and angry at the mention of Red’s name.
“It’s Styler’s own fault! That insubordinate, reckless, stubborn fool!” April was sorry Red was gone, but she was still very angry about the circumstances of his death.
“Red was a character,” said Trey. “If it hadn’t been for that ego and attitude of his he would have been a great combat pilot. What a waste.”
“People like that don’t belong in the Space Force. I don’t know how he made it. And as for Jack, we all lost shipmates out there.”
“Red was more than Jack’s shipmate.”
“So, they were friends at the space academy.”
“No Commander, they’ve been best friends all their lives. They’re both orphans that grew up together in the same orphanage. Red may have been immature and pig headed at times but to Jack, he was like a brother. He was the closest thing to family that Jack had.”
April was stunned.
He’s an orphan? She knew that in the Space Force, you inevitably lost comrades, especially during times of war. But this was a much deeper loss. She now spoke in a calmer softer voice. “So how long has he been in there?”
“Hours,” said Trey. “Jack Thunder is the best pilot I’ve got, I need him out there with us at one-hundred percent. He’s got to pull through this.”
“Let me talk to him,” said April.
She turned to hit the door buzzer, but decided just to knock slightly and slowly slide open the door. Jack was free floating close to the ceiling.
“It’s me, Jack” said April as she slipped into the room. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine” said Jack in a distant, sorrowful voice. She reached up and put her hand on the side of his face. It was wet from where he had been weeping.
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I know losing Red is very hard for you, things like this always are.”
“I know you all saw him as overbearing, egotistical and irresponsible... and I know he could be, but... at heart he was a good guy. When we were kids I was always the little guy getting picked on and Red was always the guy who stuck his neck out to help me.”
“Red, had his flaws,” said April. “But he died a hero. He died to defend our planet and our entire species. That is honorable. His sacrifice will be remembered, and if we are to honor his memory, you must carry on the fight.”
He looked at her with tear filled eyes.
“I’m truly alone, now…”
She again put her hand on his face.
“You’re not alone, Jack,” she said. Then she kissed him tenderly on his forehead, gave him a smile, and slipped out.
“Do you think he should go back out there?” she asked Trey.
“If at all possible, yes.”
“Just...” her com-link beeped. “Kelley here.”
“Commander, your needed in the CIC.” said the voice.
�
��On my way.” She gave Trey a parting glance and said, “Take care of him.”
After April left, Jack just continued to stare at the wall. His whole body hurt. He felt it coming and he knew there was no stopping it. Whereas before a few tears had forced their way out of his eyes, now the flood gates opened. He buried his head in his arms while floating and cried openly. His sobs could be heard throughout the nearby corridors. He sniffled and tried to wipe his eyes dry and in doing so sent some of his tears floating off in the cabin.
He tried to remember the good times. He thought of when they were kids. He thought of when he and Red flew had flown their trainers in orbit above Earth and pretended to be fighter pilots. He remembered the summer trip when he, Jennifer, Red and one of Red’s girl friends went to the Moon. He and Red had roamed the surface for hours outside the habitat in rented space suits. Red had taken Jack to his first Moon ball game on that very trip. Moon ball was Red’s favorite sport and once Jack had seen one game of it, it was his favorite too. He also remembered a lot of the pranks Red had pulled on people back at the academy. He hadn’t thought they were funny then. But now that Red was gone, Jack was finding it easier to overlook all of his faults.
If only he’d retreated with us! If it wasn’t for those aliens...those things!”
A great anger came over Jack. He clenched his fists. They would pay dearly for robbing him of his friend, of his brother. He filled his mind with pictures of exploding enemy craft. Jack quickly calmed himself. It wouldn’t do to let hate consume him.
“Revenge is not the answer.” Absently, he reached up and felt the spot on his forehead that April had kissed. The memory warmed him, and gave him one small sliver of light in the darkness and gloom that had overshadowed his soul. He took two deep breaths dried his eyes and made his way towards his boots which were still attached to the floor.
Trey was about to head back to his cabin when Jack came out of his.
“Hey Trey. How about a drink?” Trey smiled.
Starstorm (Starstorm Saga) Page 8