Earth Fall_To the Stars
Page 5
“All systems are powered up and working at optimum levels,” Lisa reported from her science console, monitoring all the ship’s systems. Lisa whispered to her fellow lieutenants, “I feel both excited and slightly frightened, knowing the ship is about to go into space.”
On the primary screen, the image shifted to show the other ships of the fleet before switching back to the large tunnel opening in front of them.
“All hands, set Condition One,” ordered Lieutenant Commander Barrington. Immediately the alarm klaxons sounded, and red lights flashed.
Mark quickly contacted Lieutenant Brown, ordering him to place his two squads of Marines throughout the ship in case they needed to repel boarders. The Marines would cover the main hatches, Engineering, and the outer hatch to the Command Center.
“Helm, move us down the tunnel and prepare to exit. Upon egress, give full power to the thrusters and take us up,” ordered Captain Erickson.
The tension and excitement in the Command Center was obvious as, for the first time, the Vengeance actually began to move.
-
In the massive construction cavern, the Vengeance rose up on her thrusters and then moved into the tunnel. As soon as the Vengeance entered, the next ship in line rose up and followed closely behind. It didn’t take long for all ten ships to leave the cavern and for the massive door to seal back up.
As soon as the ships were gone, construction crews moved in and began setting up the construction berths for their next projects. The colony ships as well as more battlecruisers would soon be built in the now-empty cavern.
The ten battleships moved through the long tunnel, before turning upward and exiting into bright sunlight. As soon as the ships were aboveground, they accelerated upward, climbing rapidly toward space.
-
On board Battle Commander Alnod’s command ship, warning alarms sounded. Second Officer Chillan looked at the sensor officer for an explanation. “Why are alarms going off?” The alarms didn’t normally go off unless there was a threat to the ship.
“I’m not sure,” the sensor officer replied as he leaned forward, studying his screens for an explanation. “The sensors show spacecraft climbing upward through Earth’s atmosphere, but that can’t be right. The Humans have no spacecraft.”
Chillan turned toward the ship’s main viewscreen. “Put a close-up view of those objects on the screen.” Chillan wondered if the Humans might be attempting to put satellites into orbit around their planet. If they were, they were not as helpless as Battle Commander Alnod thought. A more aggressive approach might be necessary toward the planet and its few surviving Humans.
On the main viewscreen, several large objects appeared. They were cylindrical in form with a curved bow and a flared stern. “Those aren’t missiles!” blurted out Chillan, seeing how rapidly they moved. “How large are they?”
“Three hundred meters,” reported the sensor officer. “I am detecting other launches across the planet.”
“How many?”
“Forty confirmed contacts.”
“A war fleet,” surmised Chillan, when a sudden flash of fear ran over him. If the rumors of Jelnoid technology were true, those ships could be a threat to the fleet. “Contact Battle Commander Alnod and inform him his presence is needed in the Command Center. All ships are to fully activate their energy shields and prepare for combat. This is not a drill.”
Second Officer Chillan was unsure of what he should do. Never had he fought an engagement against other warships. That was nearly unheard of. Only three or four races had ever been encountered by the Trellixians who possessed warships in the past. All of those, except the Jelnoids, had easily been defeated.
“Battle Commander Alnod is not answering his comm,” reported the communications officer.
Chillan sighed. No doubt Alnod was under the influence of the drug being used across the fleet. Kriss, while not addictive, was used too widely for relaxation. In the Command Center, more alarms sounded as the command to go to battlestations was announced throughout the ship. With nervousness, Chillan noticed a few stations in the Command Center were not even manned. It made him realize just how low morale in the fleet had fallen.
“The fleet is to assemble around us and prepare to repel this attack,” he ordered. Glancing toward the main hatch, he still saw no sign of Battle Commander Alnod. A message needed to be sent to the High Command informing them the Humans had developed spacecraft, possibly of Jelnoid design. Unfortunately only the battle commander could send such a message. He turned to the armed guards at the entry hatch. “Go to Battle Commander Alnod’s quarters and bring him here.”
The two guards looked unsure about following the order.
“Now!” growled Chillan, his gaze drilling into the guards.
“Human ships have formed up into a single battle group and set a course toward us,” reported the sensor officer. “They are traveling very fast and will be in combat range in twelve minutes.”
Chillan’s concern grew. At that speed, the Human ships indicated a very high level of technology. “Have our ships form two lines of seven, facing the Humans. We will engage them to see what weapons they possess. If necessary we will withdraw to the outer edge of the system and wait for reinforcements should the battle go against us.”
-
In space, the fourteen Trellixian battlecruisers quickly formed up into two parallel lines of seven, facing the nearing Human ships. Missile hatches slid open, but the battlecruisers only possessed the weaker twenty-kiloton nuclear missiles and not the newer fifty-megaton fusion ones used against the Voltrex.
-
Admiral Daniel Edwards was on board the UK battlecruiser Renown, the acting flagship of the combined fleet. He had served for seven years on board the HMS Prince of Wales, a British aircraft carrier. “Current status of the fleet?”
“Formed up and in battle formation,” reported Captain Nelson. “We will reach the Moon and the Trellixians in nine minutes. All ships are at Condition One and ready for combat.”
“Order the Vengeance and the Constellation to hang back. They’re to embark on their exploration mission as soon as we’ve driven the Trellixians from the system. I don’t want to risk either of those ships.” Admiral Edwards knew how important that mission was. It was essential they find allies for Earth.
“Yes, Admiral,” responded Captain Nelson as he moved to Communications to send the message.
“Tactical, prepare to fire the new Jelnoid missiles. Follow them up with our energy beams.” The Jelnoid missiles were superfast and had a forty-megaton fusion warhead, something he seriously doubted the Trellixians would expect. They also had an effective range of twenty thousand kilometers.
-
“Damn,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington, disappointed. “We’ve been ordered to take up a position slightly behind the fleet and act as a rear guard, along with the Constellation.”
“I’m not surprised,” replied Captain Erickson. “I’m sure Admiral Edwards does not want our ships damaged in the battle as we have an exploration mission ahead of us. Move us to the rear of the formation.” Captain Erickson shifted his gaze to a Trellixian battlecruiser on the main viewscreen in front of Lieutenant Reynolds. The ship looked powerful and ominous.
-
Lisa felt sudden relief at hearing they would not be in the front of the formation. She was intensely nervous about engaging the Trellixians in a space battle. She looked up at the main viewscreen and the large Trellixian battlecruiser displayed there.
“I was hoping we’d get to use our weapons,” said Brett in disappointment. The five of them had their comms set so they could send private messages to one another.
“We’ll get our chance,” said Brenda. “The odds of us encountering Trellixians on our exploration mission are very good.”
“Too good,” added Derek worriedly. “Any habitable world we approach could already have been visited by the Trellixians.”
“We’re getting closer to the enemy
fleet,” warned Kia. “We’ll be in combat range shortly.”
Lisa frowned. Their first time in space and they were going into a space battle. She wondered what that meant for their future.
-
Battle Commander Alnod stumbled into the Command Center with the two guards close behind. The effect of the drug was wearing off, but his mind still felt cloudy and confused. “What’s happening?” he asked in a stilted voice. The Kriss made one’s throat feel very dry. He desperately needed water.
“The Humans have launched a fleet on an intercept course for our warships,” reported Second Officer Chillan.
“How many hours before it gets here?” Alnod knew the Humans possessed very primitive spacecraft. His mind tried to grasp how the Humans had even managed to launch a few ships. His thirst continued to grow. He turned to one of the guards and ordered him to bring water. The guard frowned but left to do as ordered.
“Six minutes until engagement range,” Chillan replied. “The ships are very advanced and may be built around Jelnoid technology.”
Battle Commander Alnod’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How is this possible? All indications have been that the planet’s limited technology was declining.”
This was a disaster! He had been about to send a message to the High Command, suggesting their observation fleet could be reduced to just a few vessels, possibly even scout craft. There was no way the Humans could possess ships capable of reaching their planet’s moon. Something wasn’t right. Something must be wrong with the sensors.
The ship’s medical officer suddenly arrived and injected Alnod with an agent to counteract the Kriss in the battle commander’s bloodstream. He had already injected several other officers only now stumbling into the Command Center to take control of their consoles. The guard returned, carrying a large tankard of water, which Alnod hurriedly downed.
Alnod’s eyes quickly cleared up. “What’s the status of our fleet?”
“In combat formation, ready to engage the Humans,” replied Chillan.
Battle Commander Alnod made it to his command chair on the command pedestal and sat down. He took several long breaths, waiting for his mind to clear. Using the Kriss for relaxation had been a serious error. He would not make that mistake again. He looked at the tactical display of the inbound red threat icons. “Target the lead ships with our energy beams, followed by our missiles.” Alnod wished they had the more powerful missiles, but Earth was not considered to be a serious threat. These Human ships were small, and their weapons were unknown. Surely his much larger battlecruisers would destroy them, even if they possessed Jelnoid technology.
“Enemy ships still closing,” reported the sensor officer. “The Human fleet is in a loose cone formation with the apex facing us. The cone formation has thirty-eight ships in it. Two other ships follow slightly behind the others.”
“Probably the command ships,” suggested Second Officer Chillan. “We should make them a priority target.”
Alnod shook his head. The combination of the Kriss and the antidote the medical officer had given him had led to one large pounding headache. “No, the easier kills will be the forward most ships. Concentrate on them.” Alnod glanced at the sensor officer. “Scan those ships to determine what weapons they’re using. If it is Jelnoid based, we will withdraw immediately.” He wouldn’t risk losing his fleet to superior weaponry.
“Engagement range in two minutes,” reported the sensor officer.
“Weapons are locked on,” added the tactical officer.
“Stand by to fire,” ordered Alnod, leaning forward in his command chair. Like Chillan, he had never engaged in an actual space battle. He had no idea what it would be like or what to expect.
-
“The Trellixians are in range of our Jelnoid missiles,” reported Captain Nelson on board the Renown.
Admiral Edwards grinned. “Then launch them.”
-
Six missiles were launched from each of the thirty-eight battlecruisers in the cone formation. Two hundred and twenty-eight missiles exited the missile tubes and accelerated toward the waiting Trellixian battlecruisers. It only took the missiles a few seconds to reach their targets. The Trellixian battlecruisers’ point defense weapons activated, shooting down thirty-eight of the rapidly moving missiles before the rest impacted the protective energy shields. Massive flashes of light and energy lit up space as each missile unleashed forty-megatons of deadly energy. The Trellixian energy screens wavered, and several went down under the deadly barrage.
As soon as the first missiles detonated, the Human battlecruisers launched a second wave. The deadly blasts from the first set of missiles were just fading when the second wave struck. The two battlecruisers that had lost their energy shields were vaporized as fusion missiles impacted their armored hulls, exploding like blazing suns. Other screens already weakened flickered and then died. More Trellixian ships became molten wrecks. The fusion energy ran rampant over the Trellixian formation, penetrating energy screens and striking the vulnerable armored hulls. The deadly energy showed no mercy.
-
On board Battle Commander Alnod’s flagship, alarms sounded, and red lights flared on the damage control console. The ship shook violently, and several consoles in the Command Center exploded, sending showers of hot sparks across the room. The sounds of tearing and shrieking metal could be heard as compartments were ripped open.
“Report!” ordered Battle Commander Alnod as he looked about the ruins of his Command Center. Several officers were down and not moving. Others were injured and still manning their stations. A number of metal support beams had ripped loose, crashing to the deck. Bare wiring hung from the ceiling, and the smell of smoke was prevalent. Several small fires burned.
“Sublight drive is down. Hyperdrive has been destroyed. We have numerous compartments open to space,” reported a stunned Second Officer Chillan. “A number of decks are unresponsive.”
“Our other ships?”
Chillan glanced at the tactical display, working intermittently. “Only two still survive, and they have been seriously damaged.”
“Communications? We must get a message off to the High Command.” Alnod felt shocked at what had happened to his fleet. The attack was so violent that he hadn’t had time to even order his ships to escape into hyperspace.
Chillan shook his head. “The hyperspace communications array has been destroyed.”
The ship shook again violently, and Alnod could hear several crewmembers scream in pain from somewhere in the ship.
“We have numerous fires burning out of control,” continued Chillan. “A number of secondary explosions occurred near Engineering. We’re losing the ship.”
Battle Commander Alnod leaned back in his command chair. This was a disaster. He had no way to communicate with the High Command to inform them that he was about to lose his fleet. He had no fear of death, only a deep concern for the Empire. If the Human ships destroying his fleet were indeed based on Jelnoid weaponry, the Trellixian Empire could be facing a serious war. Even worse, what if the Humans discovered the Voltrex?
Then, in a sudden flash of light, the Command Center vanished. No pain, no noise, no … nothing. Just the brilliant light from the deadly fusion energy which turned the flagship into molten debris.
-
“Report?” asked Admiral Edwards as the light from the explosions faded away.
“They’re gone!” uttered Captain Nelson in shock. “All we’re picking up is wreckage.”
Admiral Edwards leaned back in his command chair. The Jelnoid missiles had done their work, far better than expected. “Send a message to General Mitchell. Mission accomplished. All Trellixian ships have been eliminated with no damage to the fleet. We will release the Vengeance and the Constellation in an hour to begin their exploration mission.”
-
Major Dolan stared at the tactical display in fascination as the last Trellixian battlecruiser flared up and then vanished. He had known the Jelnoid
missiles were deadly with their speed, special shielding, and explosive force, but no one had expected this.
“Major Dolan, what are your observations from this battle?” asked Captain Erickson.
Mark took a deep breath and then replied. “Our missiles have a greater range than the Trellixian energy beams. Since the Trellixians never fired, I have to assume we were not in range of their weapons. I’m not sure how many missiles it takes to bring down a Trellixian shield, but it’s several.”
“I can answer that,” interrupted Kia. “Four missiles weaken the shield to the point that the fifth will bring down the shield, and the sixth will destroy the ship it protects. I’ll rerun the sensor data, but that’s what the early results indicate.”
Captain Erickson nodded. “Ensign Smith, send that information to Admiral Edwards. He will find it useful.” Ensign Lindsey Smith was the ship’s communications officer as well as a language specialist.
Mark turned toward the main viewscreen in front of Lieutenant Reynolds. A few areas still glowed dimly in space where the molten remains of the Trellixians’ battlecruisers were rapidly cooling. Soon the glow would fade completely. The battle had been deadly but brief. Mark was surprised at how quickly it had ended. He had always pictured a space battle being long and drawn out as the two fleets whittled away at one another.
Now he realized the weapons used in a space battle were so deadly that, once a ship lost its energy shield, full destruction would soon follow. In the background of the destroyed Trellixian fleet was the growing globe of the Moon. Most of the wreckage from the space battle would eventually be captured by the Moon’s gravity, causing it to fall to the surface and adding more craters to its marred landscape.
-
Lisa was glad the battle was over. It had been swift and terrible. She was thankful it had been the Trellixians on the receiving end. During the brief battle she had taken a lot of readings with the ship’s sensors as well as other recording devices. She intended to go over all the data gathered when she had time with Brenda, Brett, Kia, and Derek. Perhaps the info would show other weaknesses that the Trellixian ships might possess.