-
Colonel Long watched stoically as the Morag flagship grew closer and closer. Weapons fire hit it, and parts of it broke off. But it was too close. No matter what they did, it would strike the station. Colonel Long sat down in her command chair and waited for the inevitable.
-
With a massive explosion, the Morag ship crashed into the weakened energy shield, and then the remains of the vessel slammed into the shipyard. Both blew apart in a massive explosion that completely lit up the sky above Golan Four.
-
Major Lisa Conroy watched the explosion through her cockpit window. She saw multiple pieces of glowing debris flying everywhere, much of it heading toward the planet. She quickly contacted Rear Admiral Carrie. “Admiral, the shipyard has been destroyed, and I estimate over half of the debris is falling toward Golan Four. Much of the debris is so large, it will have a good chance of impacting the surface. You may want to warn Fleet Admiral Marloo of what’s coming toward them.”
“Thanks for the information,” replied Carrie. “I’ll send a warning immediately. Now get what’s left of your attack force back to the battlecarriers.”
Major Conroy looked around and checked her sensors. Less than six hundred of the interceptors she had gone into battle with were still with her. Over 3,400 had been destroyed in the attack on the Morag fleet.
-
Morag Fleet Admiral Torrant nodded in satisfaction. The planet’s biggest shipyard had been destroyed, and Admiral Norlan had paid an appropriate price for his past failures. Nearly all of the two thousand Morag reserve warships had been destroyed but so had over five hundred Human ships and thousands more of their interceptors. It was a good trade off. All ships, concentrate more heavily on the Human defense grid, particularly the energy beam satellites. I want to hit the planet with missiles. He was almost ready to call his Conqueror battleships up for the attack on the Human’s homeworld.
-
Derrick was not pleased with what had just happened. He had not planned on losing Golan Four’s biggest shipyard or Rear Admiral Krest.
“An increased amount of the Morag weapons fire is being directed against the defense grid,” reported Colonel Bryant.
“They want to get missiles through,” replied Derrick. On the viewscreens, he saw the Morag concentrating on the energy beam satellites, as they were used to intercept and to destroy Morag missiles. “Rear Admiral Carrie,” he said, as he had her on the comm. “Send five hundred more of your interceptors into the atmosphere to help with missile interdiction. If the Morag continue to degrade the defensive grid, it’s only a matter of time before more missiles get through. With your remaining interceptors, use them for medium-range missile attacks.”
-
In the underground Command Center, General Gantts was redirecting some of her ground weapons fire toward large chunks of debris falling through the atmosphere. Some of the pieces were large enough to cause considerable damage. So far, the ground-based energy beam turrets had taken out everything before it struck the ground.
“It’ll only get worse,” commented Fleet Admiral Marloo.
Marloo was still greatly upset that they had not managed to save the planet’s primary shipyard. Colonel Long had been a fine officer. Fortunately most of the shipyard’s personnel had been evacuated, but still over one thousand people had died when the shipyard was destroyed. Turning his gaze back to the tactical displays, he wasn’t sure what could be done to save the planet. The Morag still possessed a greatly superior fleet, and their fifty giant ships had, as of yet, not engaged. They still hung back, as if waiting for the opportune moment to attack.
Fleet Admiral Marloo grew more concerned with every passing minute that they were fighting a battle they could not win.
-
Derrick pulled all his fleets in closer. If they stayed too far apart, they would all be picked apart, until nothing was left. It did increase the chance of some missiles getting through to Golan Four, but Derrick was hoping to force the Morag to focus more on his fleets rather than the defensive grid and the planet.
-
Morag Admiral Torrant was becoming aggravated. He still had the advantage, but the ODPs and PDCs were taking a heavy toll on his fleet. I want all ships to fire a full wave of missiles at the planet. I want to see if we can get any of them through the Human defenses.
Moments later thousands of fusion and antimatter missiles were launched toward Golan Four.
-
The Human ships and the defensive grid instantly tried to shoot down all the missiles, but there were simply too many of them. The ground PDCs changed their targeting to take out even more, but several thousand still slipped through.
Attack interceptors rose up to engage, and hundreds more of the deadly missiles were destroyed. Missile interceptors rose from the surface, killing even more. The sky above Golan Four was full of small fiery explosions, marking the destruction of incoming missiles. The energy beam turrets protecting the cities began firing, and even more of the deadly Morag missiles died. Even so, twelve of them struck the surface. Two hit in the oceans, vaporizing millions of tons of water, four hit in the countryside, and six more hit cities—two small cities that had no energy shield, and four that did. All four of the cities with protective energy shields survived; the two smaller cities did not. Every building in the two smaller cities was either vaporized or leveled by the heat and the explosive blast. A massive crater appeared in the center of both cities. In less than a minute, all the people who had refused to evacuate were dead.
-
Layla looked on in shock, her hand over her mouth, as she saw the explosions and then the mushroom clouds rising high into the air. “Oh no,” she cried out. She had hoped Golan Four would be spared being struck by Morag missiles. Now it was evident it would not be.
“We’re still okay,” assured Andrew. “All four of the major cities survived. We can clean up what just happened.”
“But what if we get hit again?” asked Layla worriedly. She felt her pulse beating wildly, and she was breathing rapidly. “It could get a whole lot worse.”
Andrew didn’t reply. He knew the High Princess was right.
-
Derrick was doing everything he could to stop the Morag from firing on the planet. “Rear Admiral Carrie, assign another five hundred of your interceptors to missile interdiction. Too many got through in that last attack.”
“I will,” replied Carrie. “However, after I deploy those five hundred, I’ll be down to fewer than two thousand interceptors still combat capable.”
Derrick knew the interceptors had taken some massive losses. But hearing the actual numbers made him realize just how bad those losses had been.
“Admiral, the Morag ships are moving forward again,” reported Major Nower. “I believe they’ll attempt to enter the defensive grid to neutralize part of its firepower, so they can more easily hit the planet.”
Leaning forward in his command chair, Derrick saw that Nower was correct. In less than a minute the Morag ships would be mixed in with the Human fleets and the defensive grid. Looking at the fifty massive Morag ships still in the back of their formation, there was no doubt that, when the fleets were intermixed, those behemoths would make their attack on the planet, and Derrick had no idea how he would stop them.
“Rear Admiral Carrie, after your interceptors make their next attack run, have all of them fall back into the atmosphere to act on missile interdiction. Drop your fleet down as low as possible as well.”
Looking at the viewscreens, the advancing Morag fleet looked ominous. Missile fire was still raking the front ships in the formation, and some Morag ships were dying in fierce blasts of raw energy but not enough.
“Thirty seconds until interpenetration of fleets,” warned Major Nower, as the Destiny shook violently. A console exploded, sending a shower of sparks across the room.
-
In the Royal Bunker beneath the palace, Layla’s focus was on the Destiny. Every
time it took a hit, she cringed. “He won’t make it, will he?” Layla saw no way Derrick would survive this battle. She knew he would never flee.
“The battle’s not over yet,” replied Kala.
“Kala’s right,” Andrew said. “A lot could still happen.”
Layla nodded, but she felt as if her world would come to an end.
“You have to have faith in our military,” said Chancellor Stein in a strained voice. “A lot can still happen yet, and our ground PDCs are still intact.”
-
Morag Fleet Admiral Torrant was satisfied the battle was now under his control. He would use his fleet and Fleet Admiral Colane’s fleet to drive a hole in the Human fleet formation and the planet’s defensive grid. Once he had accomplished that, the fifty Conqueror battleships would be brought forward and destroy the planet.
-
Rear Admiral Banora grew more concerned, as the battle progressed. She had already lost nearly 40 percent of her fleet, and many of her surviving vessels were damaged. “Tighten up the formation,” she ordered. She had been gradually edging the Defiant closer to the Destiny. She didn’t trust Derrick not to try to do something heroic to win the battle, and she wanted to be close by, in case he needed her.
-
In the Command Center of the Destiny, Derrick watched the viewscreens, as the ship’s powerful weapons blew apart a Morag battlecruiser, sending debris flying across space.
“We won’t last much longer,” warned Colonel Bryant. “We’re losing too many ships.”
Derrick knew Colonel Bryant was right. “All we can do is try to take as many of the Morag ships as we can with us. Perhaps the ground defenses will hold back the rest.” Derrick knew this wasn’t true. Even the ground defenses would have a hard time against those fifty large Morag warships.
Suddenly the sensor alarms sounded again. On the tactical display, thousands of new red threat icons appeared. Derrick felt his heart skip a beat. This was the end; he could do nothing now to save Golan Four and Layla. Even as he watched, the red icons mysteriously turned green.
On the viewscreens, the new arrivals fired on the Morag fleet. “Where did those ships come from?” There were dozens of different ship types, as well as what appeared to be Resistance ships.
“It’s the Visth, and they’ve brought some friends,” reported Lieutenant Wolman, smiling.
“Total ships are 5,432,” reported Major Nower breathlessly. “Nearly 1,600 are Resistance ships, and the rest are Visth and other races, plus a few of our ships mixed in.”
“But the Morag will just take over the minds of the Visth and the others and use them against us,” protested Derrick, as he gazed at the various new arrivals on the viewscreens. He was glad they were here, but he feared they were only putting themselves in danger.
Lieutenant Wolman shook her head. “No, the Visth admiral reports that all the command crews are protected by Lormallian nullifiers. The Morag cannot take over their minds.”
Even as Derrick watched, the new arrivals launched a full-scale attack against the rear of the Morag formation, where their fifty large warships were located. Space filled with massive explosions, as a majority of the new arrivals targeted the large Morag warships. An explosion that threatened to break open space itself marked the death of one of the big warships, and then another one died, followed quickly by a third. Even those big ships could not handle hundreds or thousands of missiles all detonating against their energy screens at the same time.
-
Morag Fleet Admiral Torrant stared in shock at the five thousand warships that had just appeared and attacked the rear of his formation. Already seven of his Conqueror class battleships had been destroyed. Push through the defenses, he ordered desperately. We must destroy the Human’s homeworld. He knew if he didn’t, the Confederation could very well lose the war.
-
Space filled with explosions and dying ships. Both sides were now trying to destroy the other as quickly as possible. Ships on both sides were taking chances to give them an advantage. Occasionally the Morag would fire more missiles at the planet, but, so far, the attack interceptors and the ground defenses were destroying them before they could reach the surface.
-
Morag Fleet Admiral Colane suddenly found his flagship surrounded by several dozen Resistance ships. He reached out for their minds but found his mental touch blocked because the ships were operated by Humans. His flagship shook violently, and the lights dimmed and then brightened. He saw first one and then two of the small Resistance support ships blow apart under the weapons fire from his ship. His ship shook again, and this time the lights dimmed and stayed dim.
We have a hole nearly two hundred meters long and forty meters deep in the port side of the ship, reported First Officer Dukal. The secondary power unit has been destroyed, and 30 percent of our weapons are nonfunctional.
The ship shook again, and the shaking continued. On the damage control console, more red lights appeared rapidly.
On the viewscreen, a Resistance battlecruiser blew apart when it was struck by several antimatter missiles.
Colane’s ship shook uncontrollably, and all the lights went out. Before Colane could send a mental message to Fleet Admiral Torrant, his flagship blew apart, sending flaming debris across space.
-
Morag Fleet Admiral Torrant pushed through the Human forces. In another few minutes he would be through the Human ships and their precious defense grid. Once that happened, he would start a full bombardment of the planet. He had pulled up his Conqueror battleships, but now they were all under heavy fire. Evidently the Humans had made them a prime target. All ships, sent Torrant. Begin immediate bombardment of the planet. Torrant grew concerned that, if his losses continued at this rate, he would not have enough ships to hit the planet with.
Suddenly Torrant felt his flagship shake wildly. Alarms sounded, and red warning lights appeared everywhere.
We’re losing primary power, reported First Officer Markel. We’ll only have full power for another minute or two.
On the viewscreen, a Human dreadnought was visible, the largest ship in the Human fleet. No doubt the Human admiral was on board. Torrant knew his ship was dying. Once the power failed, the Humans would make short work of his flagship. Helm, ram that large dreadnought. We’ll take the Human admiral with us. Torrant leaned back in his command chair. He would go out in honor, by taking his enemy with him.
-
The Destiny had been heavily damaged and was barely able to move, only by using its maneuvering thrusters. The chief engineer said, after fifteen minutes, the main drive would be back on.
“Enemy battleship on collision course,” reported Major Nower with concern in his voice. “It will collide with us in less than a minute.”
Derrick looked at the viewscreen and the Morag battleship rapidly growing closer. There was no way they could dodge it. I’m sorry, Layla, he thought. I so wanted to come back home to you.
-
In the Royal Bunker, Layla looked on in horror, when she realized what was about to happen. The Destiny was about to be rammed by the enemy. She knew Derrick, the love of her life, was about to die.
-
Rear Admiral Banora saw the danger heading toward the Destiny. Her own dreadnought was heavily damaged, with most of its weapons nonfunctional. But she could still save Derrick. “Full power to the sublight drive,” she ordered.
“It won’t be much,” cautioned her executive officer.
“It will be enough,” replied Audrey, as she watched the viewscreen. The Human Empire could do without her, but the Empire needed Derrick.
Moments later the Defiant moved, heading directly toward the Morag battleship. It rapidly grew larger on the viewscreen until it filled the entire screen. Then the Defiant slammed into the battleship’s energy screen, knocking it down and then a moment later crashed into the side of the ship. In a massive explosion, both ships blew apart sending huge amounts of debris flying across spac
e.
-
Derrick stood and stared in shock at the main viewscreen. The Defiant had taken out the enemy ship. “Audrey,” he said, as he sat back down in shock. She had been with him from the very beginning. He couldn’t believe she was gone.
-
Layla looked over at Andrew. “Was that the Defiant?”
Andrew nodded. “I believe so. Rear Admiral Banora saved Derrick.”
Layla leaned back and closed her eyes. She couldn’t imagine how Derrick must be feeling. Rear Admiral Banora had been one of Derrick’s closest friends for many years.
-
Some of the Morag fleet now broke through the defense grid and was launching every missile they had at the Human planet below. From behind them came an avenging Rear Admiral Collison, his ships firing every weapon they had to stop the attack on the planet.
Attack interceptors led by Major Lisa Conroy were doing everything they could to stop the incoming missiles. Even so, many were getting through. The ground-based missile interceptors launched. Energy turrets surrounding the cities fired. The sky was full of the explosions of descending Morag missiles. Still, a few made it to the surface.
The energy shield around the city of Dreeson failed first, leaving the city open to a fusion missile that detonated just above it. In moments the city was consumed by the blast and the firestorm that followed. Four other missiles hit in the countryside, doing little damage. Seven more struck the oceans. Then three hit the energy shield protecting the Imperial Palace.
In the Royal Bunker, Layla felt the ground shake. Some dust fell from the ceiling. She knew a warhead must have gone off above the Palace. For a long minute the shaking continued, and then it stopped. Her gaze went to a viewscreen, and, with relief, she saw the Palace and the capital city were still intact.
“We got hit pretty hard,” said Andrew. On the viewscreens, multiple mushroom clouds rose. “But it looks as if the battle is over.”
The Forgotten Empire: War for the Empire Page 33