The Chosen Race (Space Empires Book 2)

by Caleb Selby

  Kesler nodded. “Lets hear the one without.”

  “The plan, assuming we don’t have access to the Clear Skies defense grid, is to close with the Krohn fleet directly in one hour and thirty five minutes,” the communications officer replied. “The plan, as stated, is to engage and destroy all enemy vessels.”

  “That’s it?” remarked Kesler.

  “That’s it,” answered the officer.

  Tarkin nodded approvingly. “I like it. Simple and easy to remember.”

  Kesler shook his head and looked ahead at the array of Krohn ships, wondering if Unmentionable vessels were hiding amongst them.

  The engines cores roared to life propelling the Iovara and her fellow Sixth Fleet warships toward the enemy they could see and possibly one they couldn’t.

  “Here goes nothing,” Kesler said quietly.

  Tarkin nodded, his six arms buzzing over his station, doing his part to liberate a world that was not his own from an evil that did not discriminate between Namuh or Branci.

  “You ok?” Etana asked as she walked up behind her husband who was bent over the tactical display table at the rear of the bridge. Glowing symbols and icons hovered over the surface giving Fedrin a relative picture of his forces and that of the Krohns. “You ok?” Etana asked again when Fedrin did not answer.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Fedrin said looking up at Etana and then back to the table. “The Hornell just started launching fighters and is getting into position. The destroyers have set up the perimeter and the cruisers, Idok and Iovara, are in central formation. I believe we’re as ready as a ragtag fleet can be.”

  “That’s great,” Etana said smiling, “but I didn’t ask how the fleet was. I asked if you were ok?”

  Fedrin smiled. Etana had always had a gift of ignoring a pressing situation and focusing on some small, completely separate thing. “I’m fine,” he answered.

  Gallo walked up to Fedrin and handed him a data pad with several orders that needed his authorization. Fedrin took the pad and began going through it.

  “You know,” Etana said stepping closer. “They will all be gunning for this ship. The Unmentionables know you are their weakness.”

  Fedrin paused from his task and looked up. His usually strong wife was now looking away from him, seemingly lost in troubled thought. “Look at me,” he softly said, guiding her chin toward his face with a gentle touch. Etana’s warm green eyes slowly looked up and locked with his. “Everything will be ok. Yova is with us.”

  “I’m not worried,” Etana said as several tears began to build up in her eyes. “It’s just that I don’t want to lose you again,” she finished and patted her eyes with the back of her sleeves to prevent the inevitable flow.

  Fedrin finished with the data pad and handed it back to Gallo who promptly walked away. Fedrin then looked back at Etana, placing his hand on her shoulder. “What could possibly happen to me when your fighter pilots are providing cover and you’re acting as my executive officer?” he asked and then smiled, prompting a smile from Etana in return. “We’ll be fine.”

  Etana shook her head and then nodded back at the tactical table. “Where do you suppose the Unmentionable fleet is?”

  Fedrin shrugged. “Probably waiting for us to finish off their pawns,” he answered, nodding toward the red glowing icons representing the Krohn warships. “Either that, or they are not too anxious to come out of the shadows and face a Sion fleet that they didn’t even know existed.”

  “The Sion transmitters were an excellent idea,” Etana said.

  “I try to come up with one now and then,” Fedrin said and smiled. “It keeps everyone guessing.”

  Etana returned the smile and then walked back to her station to answer a tele-link call. Fedrin also turned and walked back from the tactical display table and toward his chair.

  “We have successful launches of all Hornell fighters and the Idok fighters are in steady formation ahead of the fleet,” Jonas spoke up after watching the Hornell launch her remaining fighters.

  Three by three, the squadrons left the main hangar on the underside of the massive ship until all were launched and flying in tight formation around their mothership, awaiting combat orders. A few squadrons moved up to join formation with the Idok fighters holding a steady position at the front of the fleet.

  “Any word yet on the missing Sion freighter?” Etana asked Gallo.

  Gallo glanced at a panel and then shook his head. “Not a trace, Commander. But that Asar Freighter we spotted during the jump is just a few marks behind us now.”

  “Odd,” Etana said. “I wonder where the Sions went.”

  Fedrin shrugged. “We really never confirmed plans with them after Voigt. Maybe they headed to their home world to look for survivors?”

  “Maybe they ran away,” Jonas suggested.

  Etana shook her head. “I doubt it. It doesn’t feel like something they’d do. I feel we will see them again.”

  “Lets hope so,” remarked Jonas. “The party is going to start soon!”

  The Sixth Fleet continued to bear down on the Krohn position. They would be in range of the Krohn long-range missiles in less than forty minutes.

  Reesa and Darion peered over the professor’s shoulder as he finished typing in the lines of activating computer code. Once complete, he took the data device, opened the access port and inserted it into his computer terminal.

  “It’ll take about an hour for the program to upload to the Clear Skies mainframe and then download into all the missile hard-drives,” announced Jabel as he stood to his feet.

  “So, what now?” asked Darion, looking to Reesa and then to Jabel.

  “Now we stop Defuria,” answered Jabel as he took up his cane from atop his desk and stood up sharply. “If he finishes converting a ship out of that missile, he could very well end up on the moon and become an uncontrollable threat.”

  “Why not just take an already built ship?” asked Reesa. “The Krohns haven’t destroyed all of them. The fleet hangars are still filled with shuttles and there should be plenty of transports and freighters scattered around. Why go through all this trouble?”

  “It’s because the General wrecked his vessel when he destroyed the Clear Skies Research Center,” a voice sounded out from the chamber entrance.

  Reesa and Darion looked up sharply as Trivis stepped out of the darkened hall and entered into the room. His contorted face from hours earlier was restored to its former comeliness implying he had since fed. Reesa shook her head in disgust, realizing that her inaction in killing the Senator earlier had directly led to yet another death.

  “Defuria must now build a new vessel, one that is too fast to be shot down by conventional weapons,” Trivis added as he walked boldly into the room, smiling all the way as if they were all intimate friends. “Your defense missiles are the only thing fast enough to serve his purpose.”

  “He must be stopped,” Jabel said quietly, himself sickened by the thought of their forced alliance with Trivis.

  “Agreed,” added Trivis as he joined the three gathered around the table. “And we need to act fast.”

  “What do you have in mind?” asked Darion as he glared at the Unmentionable standing across from him, wanting nothing more than to pull out his adapted lydeg and turn him into dust.

  Trivis looked at Darion curiously, amused at his hatred for himself but paying it little heed. “I propose confronting Defuria in the missile silo and attacking him.”

  “Seriously?” Darion exclaimed when Trivis had finished. “That’s your big plan? Attack him? I sure hope you didn’t stay up all night writing that one down!”

  “We could use our adapted lydegs,” suggested Reesa.

  Trivis shook his head. “They won’t work on him.”

  Jabel looked up at Trivis sharply, seemingly taken aback by his answer.

  “He is too p
owerful,” Trivis elaborated further. “Believe me, if pure light alone could kill him, I would have already done it. Trust me, I don’t like asking for your help any more than you do, but I have no choice.”

  Jabel nodded uneasily, reluctantly accepting Trivis’ logic.

  “Then what would you have us do?” Darion reiterated. “If adapted lydegs won’t kill him, what other options do we have? Sticks and stones?”

  Trivis shook his head. “Although resilient to all your weapon’s of war, they do possess a level of discomfort which Defuria won’t be able to ignore, regardless of his power.”

  Reesa and Darion looked at each other skeptically.

  Trivis continued. “While you’re attacking him with your weapons, he’ll momentarily focus his efforts on you and that will give me enough time to inject him with this,” Trivis said revealing a syringe, filled with a murky, glowing substance. “This will kill him instantly.”

  “What is that?” asked Jabel, eyeing the glass tube uneasily.

  “Sion blood,” answered Trivis frankly. “I don’t care how powerful Defuria is, this will kill him a hundred times over!”

  “Where did you get the blood?” Jabel pressed.

  “I don’t have to answer every little question that pops into your head old man!” Trivis suddenly snapped. “I am offering you all an amazing opportunity to rid yourselves of an enemy that dwarfs all others you have faced! You will never get another chance like this one! Never! Now are you with me, or do you want me to kill you all where you stand and fight him alone?”

  “What happens after you stick him, assuming we go through with all of this?” Reesa asked.

  Trivis shook his head impatiently. “I have no assumptions that this cooperation will form any friendships or lasting alliances. But as I’ve explained, at the moment, our goals are momentarily aligned.”

  Darion slowly nodded, already planning how he would kill Trivis. “So once Defuria is dead, all bets are off?”

  Trivis nodded. “Once he’s dead you can turn your attention to me if you are able and I will likewise try to kill each of you. But, I will not touch you until Defuria is dead. You have my word, not that it means much to you, but you have it just the same.”

  “And you have ours,” Jabel spoke up for the entire group, prompting glares from Reesa and Darion who would have rather discussed the matter in private before making any agreements with a demonic creature that had already proven, by the character of his very nature, not to be trustworthy.

  Yet, before objections could be raised, Trivis nodded contentedly and took a step away from the group. “I shall see you soon,” he said, and then walked away briskly, leaving the group of bewildered comrades alone.

  The sleek and narrow B-18 short-range transport darted in and out of thick fighter traffic. Three fighters, piloted by some of the best pilots in the fleet, kept in close formation with it. Twenty other shuttles laden down with marines and non-essential ship personnel capable of fighting hand to hand, followed behind. The counterattack force paled in comparison to what the Krohns had on the ground but Fedrin had no choice. Their forces, such as they were, could mean the difference between life and death for countless refugees in Larep struggling to survive under the weight of the Krohn war machine.

  “This is Captain Carter of B-18-37 to Iovara flight command requesting relay of orders. Over.”

  “Shuttle 18-37, this is Iovara flight command. You are clear to make your approach to the planet once the Krohn fighters have engaged ours. That’ll give your convoy empty skies for the descent. Over.”

  “Copy that,” answered Carter. “Sounds like a whole lot of fun!”

  “Remember Captain, you will have no additional backup once you leave the perimeter of the fleet. The Krohn missiles will not be able to lock onto your craft; but their shorter-range beam weapons can, and likely will, fire at you if given the opportunity. Don’t give them the opportunity!”

  “Copy that flight command,” Carter said with a roll of his eyes. “We’ll save all of our breathtaking heroics for when we are down on the planet. Over”

  “Happy hunting 18-37! Flight Command out!”

  Fedrin watched on one of his many screens as several squadrons of fighters moved up in front of the fleet in preparation for the looming skirmish. The impressive array of heavy fighters and lighter interceptors inspired confidence as one by one their mighty engines roared past the Iovara bridge, their gun ports red hot, their pilots hungry for revenge.

  “Have Idok squadrons three and four drop back two marks,” Fedrin ordered as his ever-searching eyes studied the small but powerful killing machines line up on the expansive battlefield. “They’re getting too condensed. There’s a lot of space out here. Lets use it.”

  “Aye, Sir,” the flight control officer replied.

  “And have the Hornell interceptors tighten up their formations ahead the main fighter body,” added Fedrin with a frustrated shake of his head. “They’re going in first so they should be first in line! Lets get this right folks!”

  A series of beeps started sounding at multiple stations.

  “We have just entered the outer perimeter of the Krohn deep space missiles,” Etana announced, a rare bit of trepidation sounding in her voice.

  “And here they come!” shouted Jonas enthusiastically. “Krohn missiles are inbound! Repeat, missiles are inbound! All stations, standby!”

  “All point defense batteries locked and charged?!” yelled Fedrin up to Jonas.

  “Its not my first day!” replied Jonas. “That was done twenty minutes ago!”

  “Hey, Jonas!” snapped Etana, her eyes flashing up at the boisterous officer.

  Jonas peered over his perch. “Ma’am?”

  “Only I can talk to the Admiral that way. Got it?”

  Jonas smiled. “Anything you say, Ma’am!”

  Etana shook her head.

  “Time to impact?” asked Fedrin as he rose to his feet amid the unending alarms and sirens sounding the approach of the missiles.

  “They’ll reach the outer limits of the fleet in just under one minute,” Etana quickly replied.

  “What ship will they reach first?”

  “The Arbitrator is the foremost destroyer in the perimeter,” replied Etana promptly as she pulled up a tactical grid of the fleet.

  Fedrin nodded and then looked at one of his own tactical screens in horror. “What is Commander Colby doing?” he gasped.

  “He’s gone to...full speed toward them?” Ensign Gallo answered, himself just as confused.

  “Tell him to fire at the missiles with the Sion incinerator beams!” Fedrin barked.

  Gallo shook his head as he steadied his tele-link earpiece. “He’s reporting that he’s trying too but the incinerator beams are not locking onto the targets!”

  Fedrin shook his head. “Then why go to full speed?” he said quietly to himself before a small smile slowly appeared on his lips and he shook his head. “Colby, you old rascal!” he said quietly as he watched the Arbitrator’s green icon on his screen accelerate toward the oncoming red dots.

  “Center the long distance view on the Arbitrator,” Fedrin ordered. The large screen in the front of the room switched from a tactical view to a live picture of the Arbitrator racing toward several fast growing white lights in the distance. “They won’t be able to adjust to his position in time,” Fedrin said, more to himself than to anyone else.

  Just as Fedrin had predicted, the missiles screamed past the Arbitrator, nearly hitting her on all four sides but missing her nonetheless. Still locked onto her heat signature, they then came around for another pass in a lumbering arc maneuver that brought them into proximity of the point defense batteries on the larger ships pulling up the rear. The maneuver slowed them down so dramatically that the point defenses on the Idok and Revenge ripped them to shreds.

  “First miss
ile salvo destroyed!” Jonas announced, much to the liking of everyone on the bridge. Several cheers could be heard on the bridge and scattered clapping. Yet no sooner had he said that when another red light came on at his station. “Next batch of missiles are inbound!”

  The new missiles came up hard and fast. They quickly bypassed the Arbitrator and came straight for the Revenge.

  “Tell Commander Searle to begin evasive maneuvers!” Fedrin shouted.

  “She’s trying, but the Revenge is not as agile as the destroyers!” Etana replied. “She won’t make the turn in time!”

  “Intensify all point defense batteries!” ordered Fedrin. “Have the Idok swing about!”

  “All batteries are firing at maximum revolutions!” Jonas replied. “The missiles are just too fast!”

  Etana shook her head in frustration. “Why aren’t the Sion incinerator beams firing? They should be clearing the skies like they did in Sibid!”

  “We’re trying but these missiles seem to be equipped with some sort of counter measures!” Jonas answered franticly. “We just can’t get a lock on anything!”

  Indeed the point defenses and incinerator beams on all the proximate vessels put up an impressive barrier of firepower but the missiles were too fast to be impeded by them. They slammed into the Revenge’s hull in dramatic succession. The first three wore down the shields but the next four easily pierced through the outer hull armor and lodged themselves deep in the vessel’s super structure causing the mighty ship to literally blow up from the inside out. Pieces of the cruiser were sent flying in every direction with murderous velocity. The speed of the flying debris was indeed so great that it warranted several point defense gunners on nearby ships to open fire on them, just to avoid cataclysmic impact.

  Everyone on the Iovara’s bridge looked at the screen in horror and profound loss.

  “No!” shouted Fedrin as he slammed the arm of his chair. “This shouldn’t have happened!”