by Saxon Andrew
Roy whipped the ship vertically and weaved as giant blaster beams flashed around him. Four of them hit and the force field turned yellow. He turned away from the giant and blew out a breath, “I thought we could handle six of those beams.”
“Sue me. They’re more powerful than I thought. Changing escape profile to three blasters instead of five.”
“Make it four. We can survive that many.”
“That’s true but you just don’t know when number five will hit.”
Roy’s smile evaporated and he nodded, “Have I ever told you how wise and smart you are, Pat. Three it is.”
Joe shook his head and looked at Jill, “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Now stop that! You know Roy is right.”
Jill looked at Joe and rolled her eyes, “It’s just like him. I’m going to join you.”
• • •
Lyla stared at the Mothership turning away and felt the deck shake under her, “What?!”
“Sir, one of the enemy Fighters circles around and came out of the nebula and almost rammed the rear missiles launchers.”
Lyla shook her head, “Move us away from the dust. Damages?”
“The ship was hit before it could hit the hull but the missile that exploded caused large damage to the rear of the ship.”
Lyla looked at Kosmarov, “Jump us out.”
“Sir, our fighters have not started their runs at the enemy.”
“They know their job, jump us out now!”
The Georgia disappeared a moment before ten thousand drones came out of the dust behind its former location. An Attack Fighter recorded the Drones emergence and sent it to the Georgia. Kosmarov received the recording and his eyes widened, those enemy ships would have been too close to stop them all. He sent the recording to Lyla and she smiled; she had learned the lesson: run first, everything else second.
• • •
Commodore Mitchell saw the Georgia disappear and muttered, “It’s about time.” He lifted his communicator and said, “Wing two, start your attacks on the defenses surrounding the landing bay. Half of you will attack the left side and the other half will attack the right side. On my command, all ships will run away from the vessel’s landing bay.”
The crews on the Attack fighters knew the Commodore wanted to draw the defenses away from the landing bay long enough for the other two fleets to launch their main missiles. They flew in and thousands of blaster beams along with waves of anti-ship missiles greeted them. Space was filled with missiles and beams as the Fighters roared in on the giant ship and many were forced to jump away before they could attack their targets. Once their force fields turned yellow, they knew to stay was suicide.
• • •
Commodore Haley had twenty thousand Attack Fighters formed up in a tight formation forty miles wide. She stared at her tactical program on her visor and saw that most of the Second Wing was not getting close to the hull of that monster…but, they did have the full attention of the defenses. She spoke over the Wings frequencies, “You will fire your bow beams at the landing bay doors just prior to launching the main missiles you’re carrying. We’ll be jumping in close and attacking the moment we enter normal space.” She looked at the countdown in the upper left portion of her visor and said, “You all have your coordinates. Jump in thirty seconds. Hit your stardrives the moment the countdown reaches zero.”
The two Wings were located far outside the site of the battle. They would jump in, fire, launch their missiles, and jump away.
• • •
Commodore Mitchell watched the countdown and when it hit three he yelled, “BREAK AWAY!! BREAK AWAY!!” The Attack Fighters broke left and right away from the giant ship and the enemy’s blasters and missile launchers tracked them as they fled.
• • •
Roy heard the order to break away and pressed the stardrive’s button just as five missiles roared in and exploded just outside the force field. The stardrive field was stripped away and the Attack Fighter was blown end over end. The right thruster nozzle was blown away and the left was sheared off. Roy shook his head and all he saw for a few seconds were black dots and brilliant white spaces in his vision. He felt the ship tumbling and he used the side thrusters to stop it. He looked behind him and saw Joe was hanging limply in his chair and Jill was barely moving. “PAT?”
“We’re pretty much out of action, Commander. We’re incapable of moving and the stardrive emitters are damaged.”
“DOES ANYTHING WORK?”
“The force field is still active and we’ve been hit four times by blaster beams since we took the original hits. The Azura haven’t gotten their act together to fire in concert at us. However, I detect numerous blasters on the enemy vessel’s hull swinging toward us.”
Roy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A moment later his ship was enveloped in a brilliant white light and then there was nothing.
• • •
The twenty thousand Attack Fighters emerged into normal space five miles from the giant Black Warship and fired their major bow beams at the hull in front of them. They immediately launched the main missiles they were carrying and then they jumped away before they could be targeted by the Mothership’s defenses. A moment later, the Mothership went up in a blast that rivaled the explosion of a star.
• • •
The three Motherships moving in to support the destroyed Family Vessel saw it go up in a massive explosion and the Senior Controller said, “Form up in triangular defense now!” Tim watched the three giant vessels on the tactical monitor and saw them turn until the bottom of each ship faced into the center of the large triangle they made. Getting at the landing bays on those ships was not going to happen. He kept his eyes on the tactical monitor and yelled, “Sally, analyze that formation.”
“They have their weakest areas defended by crossfires from all three ships. Their effective blaster power is more than tripled by the overlapping of their defenses.”
Tim tilted his head and looked at Commodore Casraes, “Recall the Attack Fighters.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Alexandra appeared on his panel, “Are we going to recall our fighters without a fight?”
“What do you think their chances will be against that formation, Admiral? Would you like to take an Attack Fighter out and see how you’d do?”
Alexandra looked at Tim and he saw the frequency she was on change to a private channel, “Sir, why do you dislike me so much?”
Tim stared at her on his helmet’s small display and finally smiled, “I guess it’s a natural reaction to your personality, Admiral. Don’t your get this reaction from most of those you encounter?”
Alexandra stared at Tim’s image on her visor and exhaled slightly, “I don’t really care about the others, and I want to know why you dislike me.”
“It’s better understood if you realize that your lack of concern for others around you is clearly seen and unappreciated by those serving under you. Admiral Holiday had received thousands of transfer requests from your crew due to your heavy handed manner of dealing with anyone subordinate to you.” Alexandra stared at him in silence and Tim said, “I respect your ability to fight your ship and that’s the only reason why you haven’t been demoted and replaced. You are concerned about only one person and that’s yourself. You need to grow up, Admiral.”
“Do you understand why I want to send our Fighters in?”
“I do, Sir.”
“Humor me, what is my reason?”
“Because you’ve watched the Attack Fighters from the Georgia go into battle and gain battle experience in how to handle an Azura Mothership. You resent Admiral O’Hara having that edge over your pilots.” Alexandra stared at Tim in silence again and Tim shrugged, “What you’re forgetting is that all the experience gained against the Mothership destroyed by Admiral O’Hara’s forces is worthless against those three ships. And the probability is high that you would lose a very high number of your ships attacking them. Perh
aps you’ve forgotten, we’re going to need those pilots to defend Earth.”
Alexandra lowered her gaze and said, “Thank you for your honesty, Admiral.”
“You need to remember the lessons of protecting your ship, Admiral.”
“What is that, Sir?”
“Run first. You shouldn’t be willing to put your warriors in harm’s way unless it can’t be avoided. They are a part of your carrier that deserves the same consideration as the rest of the ship.”
The image disappeared from Alexandra’s visor and she saw her Wing Commander on her panel, “Sir, we’re ready to launch our attack.”
Alexandra saw his gung-ho demeanor and knew it was there due to her. The last Wing Commander was too careful and she had demoted him and replaced him with this one. She saw the members of the bridge crew staring at her and she could read their expressions, they expected her to send her ships in. They knew that high losses would be the end result. “Commodore, recall your wings and have them land and take some time off until our next assignment. I want half of them in defense formation around the Egypt and you can rotate them so all of them have a chance to rest.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Alexandra looked at her ship’s commander, “Commodore, jump the ship away and join the Homosassa. Send the new coordinates to the Fighters and start landing operations.”
The Commodore actually smiled, “Yes, Sir.”
Alexandra sat back in her chair and knew her crew hated the name of their ship, Alexandria. They thought she named it after herself and perceived it as an example of her overblown ego. She had to admit that she was named after the ancient city but she had chosen it because of the city’s history. It was a center of enlightenment during the dark times of human history. She sighed and considered changing the name. She thought about it and decided that the problem was her crew’s feelings toward her, not the ship’s name. Perhaps that should be changed first. She activated the ships speakers and said, “All departments will start shifts to allow half the crew to take a break from battle stations. Stay in your armor and be prepared to go to your stations if a situation calls for it. We’ll continue the rotation until a threat appears.”
She turned off the intra-ship communications and looked at the bridge crew, “That includes you as well. You have performed marvelously and I’m proud of you. Just make sure you can get back quickly. I suggest you use the facilities on this end of the Alexandria so you won’t be forced to face a backup in the tubes.”
The bridge crew looked at each other and Alexandra said, “The group leaders of each department will make the break schedule. Commodore Ameal, you have the ship.”
Alexandra walked off the bridge and headed toward her conference room. Rocky looked around the bridge and smiled, “You heard the Admiral. Get moving.”
Jessica Oliver looked at Rocky, “Who was that person, Commodore?” Rocky lowered his eyes and Jessica stood up, “I know, I know. Just shut up and accept the gift.” Rocky smiled and Jessica turned to her scanning team and began sending half of them to take a break.
Alexandra sat in her conference room and thought about how much she had hated her father. Now, she was just like him. She lowered her head and she felt her tears start. She finally cried as much as she could and sat back in her chair. She had detested her mother as well and now she had to consider that she, like her crew, was trapped in the hands of a tyrant. If she left him, she would have been forced to leave her and her other children behind. They didn’t have the option of requesting a transfer.
Her mother had died in sorrow and despair and she had added to her misery for not standing up for her children. Why couldn’t he have died first? The cretin was still alive and just as miserable a person as she knew growing up. She was what she learned and had not learned the important lesson that we choose who we are. She stood up and went to the lavatory and washed her face. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw her mother’s sad eyes looking back at her. This was going to change! She took a deep breath and walked back to the bridge, “Commodore Ameal, you are relieved. Take a break.”
“Sir, I’m fine to stay on duty.”
Alexandra looked him in the eyes, “Rocky, you won’t be at your best if you’re fatigued. Take a break.” Rocky stared at her and nodded. He walked off the bridge and wondered that it was the first time she addressed him by his first name. Something had changed. Commander Jessica Oliver stared at the Admiral and said, “Sir, why didn’t we send our fighters in?”
Alexandra looked at her Senior Scanning Officer, “Commander, I discussed it with Admiral Hart and he was of the opinion that the price we would have paid in lost Fighters wasn’t worth the risk to our pilots. I agreed with him.”
“Yes, Sir.” Jessica turned back to her panel and wondered when the loss of life bothered the Admiral. She had no problems sending the Fighters into hopeless circumstances during the training maneuvers. She looked at the Weapon’s Commander sitting next to her and he shrugged. Jessica whispered, “Maybe she’s different when the losses are real.”
“I guess.”
Jessica continued to watch the Admiral and the perpetual frown wasn’t there. What was going on?
• • •
Cam saw Lyla appear on his display and he smiled, “Please congratulate your crew on an outstanding job, Admiral.”
“I will, Sir. However, it was a very close thing at the end.”
“Tell me why?”
“I was going to be forced to jump away when the Azura Fighters came at the Georgia in a massive wave of Kamikazes. If the Mothership hadn’t turned away at that moment, I would have been forced to jump the ship away and those Black Fighters would have turned on my Attack Fighters and possibly disrupted their attacks.”
“I think we’ve learned that our Carriers just can’t stand toe-to-toe with those giant ships.”
“Yes, Sir. Are you going to attack another Mothership?”
“No, we’ve learned what we need to know. To push it any further wouldn’t give us any more information that would be worth the price to attain it.”
“When are we going back,” she pressed?
“The Essays are still working on an effective attack profile. We’ll all leave together.”
“Yes, Sir. Do you know our losses?”
“They aren’t terrible but they’re more than I like.” Lyla sighed and shook her head.
• • •
Roy felt a horrible pain in his left shoulder and his eyes flew open to see a white ceiling above him. He groaned and thought that it was absurd to have pain in heaven. A beautiful woman’s face appeared above him and he smiled, “Are you an angel?”
“No, I’m Captain Margaret Hatcher. We’re taking you to the Georgia’s operating room to have that shoulder of yours repaired.”
Roy tilted his head and winced, “I’m alive?”
“When the Mothership blew up, the shockwave pushed your ship with it. Your force field held up and prevented your ship from being incinerated, although it won’t be usable again. The violent shove pretty much messed you up. Your armor is the only reason you survived.”
“What about my crew?”
The nurse’s expression changed and she quickly forced a smile, “You need to worry about getting better, Sir.”
“WHAT ABOUT MY CREW!?!”
The Lieutenant pushing the stretcher said, “Tell him! He won’t rest until you do!”
Margaret looked at him and sighed, “Joe is in surgery for a severe head injury and the prognosis isn’t good.”
“What about Jill?”
“She had both legs broken along with a neck and spinal injury. She’s still unconscious and the doctors are doing a scan to determine if there is any damage to her brain.”
“And my ship’s computer?”
“It’s being installed in a new ship. Now shut-up and lie back. Margaret grabbed an air dispenser and injected him with a clear solution. Margaret looked back at the Lieutenant, “This crew is extremely fort
unate. If Admiral Bell hadn’t dispatched half of her Fighters to search and destroy all of our ships that were damaged beyond repair during the battle, you and your crew would have been left behind to die.”
The Lieutenant quickly said, “They’re not out of it yet. Let’s see if we can make the effort worth it.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ali looked at Gabby with an anxious expression, “Have you seen the reports?”
Gabby nodded, “The message probes arrived several hours ago. It doesn’t look good.”
“No, it doesn’t. The ships can get in and take a shot but it’s like trying to kill a T-Rex with a twenty-two rifle. There’s just not enough power to inflict enough damage.”
“Have the scientists managed to come up with anything?” Ali shook his head in response. Gabby sighed and sat down in her chair and stared out at the weapon’s laboratory.
Ali looked at her, “What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know. Whenever things look their darkest, I just think that struggling to survive is ultimately a wasted effort.”
Ali’s eyes narrowed and he tilted his head as his eyebrows came down, “What in the heck are you talking about?”
“You know the universe is expanding.” Ali nodded. “Dark energy is overwhelming matter and dark matter and forcing all the galaxies to race away from each other. Eventually every galaxy will be isolated and all the others will be too far way to see.”
“So?”
“Well, if dark energy continues to expand in the universe, it will ultimately cause all the atoms that make up matter and dark matter to fly apart and move away from each other at light speed. Then there will be nothing but an ever-expanding universe with nothing in it.”
Ali stared at her and then rolled his eyes, “Gabby, the universe is fourteen billion years old. That’s not going to happen for another hundred billion years.”
“Maybe so, but we all face an ultimate demise and all because of an invisible energy that can’t be seen or detected.”
“We can detect it.”
“Since when?”
“Since fifty years ago. The energy that makes up empty space is composed of particles that appear and disappear. It does appear that more of them are appearing than are disappearing and that is what accounts for the expansion of the universe.”