Chapter 2 Battlestations
Aboard The Heavy Destroyer Holfeas
“Still, there is too much going on here and I do not like what any of this could mean,” Me’aras Vespren replies to first officer Abijean Eldad.
“Commander,” Eldad concludes, “this may just be a continuing phase of the previous operation.”
“Abijean, there were no more phases to Operation Solar storm. This is something far more serious. We—”
“Commander to the bridge! Repeat, Commander to the bridge!”
Vespren taps a key on his communication console. “Geriah, report!”
“Commander, The Flagship Shaphias has just entered the system. Fleet Commander Gaddeas Azron wants to speak to you immediately.”
“I am on my way,” Vespren replies as he motions Eldad to follow him. As Vespren and Eldad emerge from the lift onto the command bridge, they notice a solemn-faced Azron on the main visual. “Fleet Commander Azron! Awaiting your orders!”
“Commander Vespren,” Azron begins, “I was delayed by someone who had to be removed from office.”
“Removed Commander?”
“Yes. Now, what I am about to have you do will appear to violate standing military operating procedure. However, the present situation calls for extreme measures. I will personally absolve you of all responsibility.”
“Yes Commander,” Vespren replies surprised.
“Vespren, I am sending your communications officer an encrypted file. Ready your ship for immediate departure. I am sending you to a planet called Earth.”
Aboard The Starship Phesavius
“Commander!” Mobren shouts, “There is another vessel coming from behind this planet’s moon.”
“Identify!” Ularik orders. He and other members of the bridge crew had just finished watching the transmissions from the surface. Mobren does a sensor sweep of the craft along with a transponder ID scan.
“Commander!” Mobren continues. “It is the Astrakis, a Tavus-Alverand exploration vessel.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Ularik responds.
Neoma interrupts. “The Astrakis commander is hailing us.”
“On visual,” Ularik orders. “I already know her identity.”
Neoma, though surprised, concedes to Ularik’s order. With contempt, Ularik looks at the commander of the Astrakis. “Vemaick! I had earnestly hoped that we had seen the last of each other. Are those your people below that I am having captured and arrested?”
“Samien Ularik, how wonderful of you to remember me,” she responds. “You were such an incompetent and pathetic excuse for a junior officer!”
Helm officer Braax begins seething. He would allow no one to talk disrespectfully of his commander. Regardless of his unauthorized and brash comments at times, Braax has a high degree of respect for Ularik.
“You would be wise not to interfere with us, Samien,” Hoth continues. “Recall your security forces immediately!”
“And just what are we interfering with?” Ularik replies angrily.
Hoth has a barely perceptible smile on her face. “We know your people have found the other extraspatial otivicon.”
“Yes, we have! Your spy changed his mind and revealed everything.”
“No matter. Give my people the extraspatial otivicon and allow them to leave. That should be a simple task, even for someone the likes of you.” Hoth now has the meanest frown on her face. Ularik feels only hatred for her. His stint under her command was the most frustratingly difficult venture of his military career.
At times, Hoth would deliberately humiliate Ularik in front of her senior staff and laugh while doing it.
“Assuming that I care to give a dar’nahk,” Ularik curses, “why would I? How many more people will perish because of that infernal device, Vemaick? Six hundred? A few thousand maybe? Tavus-Alverand officials should know of the insidious lethality of that device.”
“You are not a physicist, just an inept commander,” Hoth counters with scorn. “Besides, there are better safeguards to prevent another accident.”
“Accident?” Ularik objects. “Did Slovas Larian accidentally mastermind that scheme to have Daljik Ra’as and his pilot murdered? Was the deliberate sabotage of the Illasius, by the same people whom you are working for, just an accident?” Ularik hopes for additional incriminating evidence. His hope becomes troubling reality when another person walks into view and stands alongside Hoth.
“No,” Roban Kavos answers with mild laughter. “It was, however regrettable, a necessary decision.”
“Necessary?” Ularik angrily exclaims. “Why was it necessary for you to murder two innocent people, Roban?”
Communications Officer Sivvs taps a key and opens a communication channel.
“Samien,” Roban continues with a callously mild laugh, “we gave Daljik every opportunity to become part of one of the most revolutionary projects in scientific history!”
“Revolutionary?” Ularik fires back.
“Yes!” Roban boasts aloud. “We gave him an entire research building outfitted with the latest and best equipment. He was head over a hundred people. Along with fabulous wealth, he dined with powerful government and military officials who granted him government funding. Everything that a top engineering physicist could ever want…was his.”
“How…generous of you,” Ularik counters. “Of course, all he had to do in return was to allow you to change his creation into an insidious weapon for the deliberate slaughter of numerous planetary civilizations.”
“A fair exchange,” Kavos admits. “Would you not agree?”
“Daljik created the extraspatial otivicon for peaceful astronomical research, not for you to build the ultimate galactic weapon!”
“Ah yes, another Genari religious fanatic,” Kavos remarks. “Samien, you are free to believe whatever you wish. Science and technology, not some worthless religious dogma, are the critical elements that will guide and enrich our great civilization. Thus, the extraspatial otivicon will open new doors to phenomenal discoveries. Unfortunately, you and your crew are standing in our way.”
“Had it not been for the Genari, our civilization would have been extinct,” Ularik counters, “and the only doors that you and that psychopathic and murdering rach’na sitting beside you will open will be to prison cells on Prath moon.”
Kavos laughs again before walking away.
“Samien! I am giving a final chance,” Hoth threatens. “Recall your security team and release my people, that is, if you value the lives of your crew!” Hoth signals her weapons officer to power up weapons.
Samien motions his weapons officer to do likewise. “Vemaick, what makes you think that I would simply hand the extraspatial otivicon over to a murderous traitor such as you?”
Hoth begins screaming. “My patience is running thin! Abrith died in the line of duty protecting his fellow officers from a Rabanian attack!”
“Filthy lying ba’athnuk!” Ularik yells, as he stands out of his chair. Everyone on the bridge turns to look at Ularik as he points a defiant finger at Hoth’s image. “Abrith discovered your covert collaboration with an outlawed Rabanian political faction. You murdered him to prevent him from exposing you to the military authorities! The only reason why you were not sentenced was due to your brother’s lying testimony!”
“Blind fool! Abrith is dead, as will the rest of you. Either give me that device or I will take it…after I blow your worthless ship to oblivion!”
Commanders Hoth and Ularik are looking angrily at each other’s visual image. Ularik clearly remembers that horrific incident of seventy-five years previously.
At the time, he was serving as a junior officer aboard the light cruiser Chamahk. Selothian government officials had spearheaded the effort to open up diplomatic relations with the rabanian government of planet Tibrak. Negotiations with this highly repressive regime began on uneasy terms. Unfortunately, the rabanian/selothian alliance ended tragically. Rabanian military officials had inadvertently unc
overed covert commercial activities between an outlawed rabanian military faction and six selothian military officers. The Ora’an Assembly, Tibrak’s legitimate rabanian military ruling party, charged that certain members of the selothian crew were providing weapons to this outlawed faction.
Rabanian officials took swift and deadly action. Five selothian officers were forced into a fierce firefight with rabanian soldiers. The five selothians, though, were outnumbered. All of them, including Ularik’s long time and closest friend, Abrith Lathios, perished. Samien, a Jantu male, and Abrith, a Hiaven male, had been the best of friends. Initially, circumstantial evidence pointed to then commanding officer Vemaick Hoth and three of her subordinates as the ones responsible for the covert operations. Later, during a military court-martial, testimony from Hoth’s brother, Kahn Rasean, a senior officer serving on the Chamahk, resulted in Hoth and the three officers being absolved of all blame.
With seeming supportive evidence, Kahn had charged that the rabanian warlord, a female by the name of Ashanu Saguto, had secretly orchestrated the entire situation to prevent a selothian/rabanian trade alliance. To add some legitimacy to his charge, Kahn affirmed that many alien planetary societies have no love for selothians. Much to Ularik’s chagrin, all four were simply given a harsh reprimand. Ularik knew that Hoth, a loyal disciple of the notion of Hiaven ethnic superiority, hated the fact that Samien and Abrith were the best of friends. With bravery, Abrith Lathios dared to defend Samien against some of Hoth’s harshest criticisms.
Ularik suspected that Hoth deliberately put Abrith in harm’s way. A single directed energy burst to the head ended Abrith’s life. Ularik was devastated. Rabanian officials staunchly refused to return the bodies of the dead selothians. Military officials rejected Ularik’s resignation request. Instead, Ularik was transferred to another ship before he was given his own command. Ularik never forgave Hoth and has hated her ever since.
“Not on your life, you rancid pile of dog manure!” Helm officer Braax loudly interrupts. Braax has forgotten again and looks back at his angry commander. He catches Ularik’s fierce warning look. Braax’s gross insult angers Hoth as well. Neoma can barely contain herself from breaking out in a loud laugh.
“Helm Officer Braax!”
“Yes Commander!” Braax answers nervously.
“Well said! Consider yourself up for a promotion!”
“Thank you, Commander!” Braax smiles with profuse glee.
Ularik returns his angry focus back to the view screen. “I do not take kindly to anyone who threatens my crew or my ship. We are not on Tibrak and you are no longer my commanding officer. End this, now!”
“Believe me!” Hoth counters, smoldering with anger, “I have every intention of doing just that!”
“Commander!” Raddock shouts. “Weapons lock!”
Hoth’s face on the main visual is replaced by the view of a partial star field and the alien planet below. Immediately, the Astrakis launches two, heavy four-foot diameter metallic spherical objects. Two seconds later, each sphere ignites into extremely hot, energy spheres before accelerating to maximum speed. “Commander! Inbound tuon energy spheres!
“Helm! Move!” Ularik screams. Braax waste no time as he forces the Phesavius into an evasive maneuver. Each energy sphere, guided by an internal and thermally shielded computer, locks onto the fleeing ship. Once a sphere comes within close vicinity of the target vessel, it detonates, thus releasing enough energy to vaporize the impacted area of the vessel.
Depending on the size of the target vessel, the result would be a serious hull rupture or destruction of the target vessel. Either result means death to anyone in the affected area. Ularik, though, is not counting on either result. He orders his weapons officer to target both spheres with two extremely powerful peshon particle beams. Raddock fires. Both spheres erupt in a violent explosion of micro solar proportions before dying out. Ularik knows that it was only a diversionary attack. “Weapons officer!” Ularik shouts, “Return fire!”
“Negative sensor contact, Commander!” Raddock replies. “I believe the Astrakis is behind the alien planet waiting for us to come around.”
“That old trick will not work with me, Vemaick!” Ularik asserts, as he knows that in many battles, enemy ships have used a planet as a sensor shield. Hoth, he reasons, will be waiting for him on the other side with a battery of weapons fire.
“Commander!” Raddock warns, “I must remind you that too great a weapons discharge may strike a populated area of the planet below. We could endanger some of the alien life below if not our own people.”
“I am aware of the risk, Raddock! Continue following my orders!”
“Yes Commander!” Raddock replies, returning his attention to his weapons station.
“Helm! Maximum acceleration. Move back toward the alien planet and circle it from under its south pole. Weapons officer! Program four Harrion hunter missiles to execute a Hetroch maneuver!”
Acknowledging Ularik’s orders, Raddock programs four anti-ship missiles for a highly complex maneuver. A few seconds later, four high-speed Harrion hunter missiles rocket from the Phesavius’ weapons bay. At an altitude of 724.2km (450 miles), all missiles initiate search mode as they race in separate directions around the planet. Each missile, using the AIHC Network, maintains an in-flight communications link with each other.
Missiles one and two race away from each other in opposite directions parallel to the planet’s equator, while missiles three and four race away in opposite directions perpendicular to the planet’s equator. Each missile, traveling at 966km/s (600mps), is closely following the planet’s curvature, while avoiding any orbiting object, until it acquires its preprogrammed target. Just over thirty-two seconds later, missile one, traveling in an eastward direction parallel to the planet’s equator, scans and processes a particular object in the distance. The massive size and shape of the object matches the target’s parameters in the missile’s database. Missile one immediately transmits the object’s exact position to the other three missiles.
Upon receiving missile one’s data, the other three missiles adjust their approach vector to converge on the Astrakis. There is insufficient time for Astrakis’ helm officer to initiate a quantum jump. “Helm! Evasive maneuvers! All weapons open fire! Wide dispersion mode!” Hoth screams to her weapons officer. The Astrakis’ helm officer forces the massive ship into an upward turn relative to the planet’s surface. Several intense peshon beams, firing in rapid pulse, wide dispersion mode, blanket a wide area of space aft and starboard of the Astrakis’ position. Missile one is destroyed, as well as two orbiting communications satellites.
Several peshon beams inadvertently strike several land areas on the planet’s surface. Another directed peshon beam destroys missile two. Missiles three and four continue to close in on the Astrakis. Both missiles close to within a few miles of the Astrakis before being hit with peshon beams. Although both missiles are destroyed, accelerated and violent blast waves from the intense explosions impact the Astrakis sending it into a temporary end over end tumble.
“Helm! Get this ship back under control immediately!” Hoth screams. The Astrakis’ helm officer works feverishly to stabilize the Astrakis. Coming from under the alien planet’s south pole, the Phesavius closes in on the momentarily helpless ship and fires two of its own powerful peshon beams. Both beams hit the Astrakis broadside.
The Phesavius quickly veers off. The maximum-level directed energy beams blast a huge hole in one of the Astrakis’ storage compartments. Three crew members perish as the sudden decompression pulls them out into the airless, near absolute zero space. Damage control crews work feverishly to seal off the damaged compartment. As helm control is regained, the Astrakis’ irate commander orders an immediate turnabout. “I swear,” Hoth screams, “that you will pay for this, Samien! You and your crew will pay with your lives!” Despite her intense hatred for him, she knows that Ularik can still put up a formidable fight. She decides to cut the fight short.
&
nbsp; Hoth orders her weapons officer to fire two energy spheres toward the alien planet below. In shock, Ularik stands out of his seat as his weapons officer determines the target, a small area of land located on the planet’s northern hemisphere.
“Murdering animal!” Ularik yells. “You will kill our own people!”
“Your point?” Hoth answers callously. Realizing that he has no other choice, Ularik orders a 180-degree turn and races his ship back toward the alien planet. The Phesavius’ weapons are brought to bear on the tuon energy spheres. Before the weapons officer can fire, however, two peshon beams impact the Phesavius port side forcing her to veer off.
Hull damage is considerable. Weapons Officer Raddock returns fire with a battery of rapid-pulse peshon beams forcing the Astrakis to veer away. Raddock re-targets the energy spheres just before they enter the upper stratosphere. The peshon beams find their targets. The tuon spheres explode harmlessly at an altitude of approximately 70km (43.5 miles), thus adversely affecting only nearby orbiting satellites. As the Phesavius attempts to move away from the planet, two peshon beams from the Astrakis impact her topside. The peshon beams puncture a storage compartment and ignites two high-explosive weapons. Several crew members are killed.
Crisis Earth Page 2