Jane asked, “What was that all about?”
“That was two of the fanatics from the resistance, the ones who’ve been attacking the community centers. They have some crackpot who calls himself a king. And they���re his subjects. Says they were sent here to assassinate me for collaboration with the Mawga, but he wanted to know for himself what we’ve been up to.
“He also said that if I wasn’t cooperative with the king, I would find myself dead. And I have no doubt he would try if ordered to do so. The rifle his friend was carrying in that sleeve over his shoulder, I’m betting it���s a sniper rifle with a fat scope and a suppressor. Could pick me off this porch from a thousand yards and be long gone before we could get after them.”
Johnny shook his head. “Great, now we have to fight some of our own.”
Tres added. “And they’re crazies.”
David raised a hand. “Do we want to start patrols or do we have a good scope where someone could keep watch, like maybe from up at the house?”
Mace replied, “You can’t protect from that. If they want me dead, and if they can find me, I’m dead.”
The day soon turned to night. David went to town and came back with a high-powered telescope. He was convinced he could use it to spot anyone setting up to shoot at the porch from the mountain woods. It was an effort that occupied his time. No one complained.
The following morning, the Bedford gang was waiting in front of the gift shop. Johnny and Jane had volunteered to drive them over the mountains to their home using the RV. As they began to board, a shuttle landed in the field and Bontu emerged down the ramp, scurrying toward the gift shop.
Mace asked, “What’s the urgency?”
Bontu was frantic. “You must prepare your team. The Kaachi have arrived. Their move at the rift was merely a deception. The admiral is calling for you to man the Lousy. Already the first ship of the line is engaging. Please hurry!”
Mace turned and yelled, “Everyone, listen up! The Kaachi are here! We’re being called back to the ship! If anyone is missing, someone please go get them now!”
Bontu was ringing his hands together. “Please, Mr. Hardy. I implore you to hurry.”
Mace turned back. “And hurry! The fighting has already begun!”
Ten minutes later, a second shuttle arrived. The eighty-nine member, trained Human crew boarded the shuttles and were soon on their way into space.
Johnny shook his head. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to bring the Lousy ship here?”
Bontu replied, “Oh, no. That would not be possible. The rules of engagement state that you must have all your assets available when the hostilities begin.”
Mace sighed. “So the Lousy is in line for the fight?”
Bontu nodded. “Yes, we should be receiving signals from them at any moment.”
A crewman said, “Chancellor! Video and data feeds are coming in!”
Bontu turned, “Push them to the main screen!”
Seconds later, the view of a tiny ship showed in the center of the screen. A bright plasma round entered from the left, obscuring the view and shrinking as it moved away from the camera. It was the admiral’s own ship, the Delisant. The first into battle, as always. As the round continued to shrink and finally to miss, a bright flash appeared to emerge from the target.
Bontu stood nervously. “Oh, please do not make contact. Please…”
A sigh of relief was heard as the orange fireball passed by without yielding damage. Seconds later, another round came onto the screen, this time from the right side.
Johnny shook his head. “This is their fight? What the heck?”
The second round impacted the Kaachi vessel. The Mawga crew stood and cheered. Bontu was giddy with excitement.
Mace laughed. “Kind of a roller coaster for you, Mr. Montak?”
Bontu took a breath and replied, “I’m sorry, Mr. Hardy. I’m a diplomat. This is my first battle. If we win, I look forward to receiving a participation pin.”
Mace shook his head. “You people have some strange drives.”
Bontu raised his hand. “Shhh, data on the hit is coming in!”
A crewman said, “Sir, they’ve sustained moderate damage to their port nozzle. Another hit and they will have to be towed!”
Bontu shook with excitement. “A moderate hit! Gentlemen, we were witness to the first strike of the battle!”
The next round from the Kaachi ship offered only a glancing blow. The reported damage was minimal.
The next ten minutes saw several near misses before a Mawga plasma round struck the center of the Kaachi ship. Instead of a celebration, the Mawga all stood in silence. The Kaachi ship was declared a loss and assistance was moved to help her as she moved away at half speed.
Johnny asked. “You won, didn’t you? They’re moving away.”
Bontu passively nodded. “Yes, it is a victory, a victory that comes with high casualties for the Kaachi crew. May their dead be accepted peacefully into the afterlife.”
Johnny scratched his head in frustration. “I’m just not getting this whole thing.”
Mace replied. “I have to admit, it’s bizarre.”
Bontu held up a hand. “Quiet, a Kaachi ship has engaged.”
Jane asked, “How do you know? They haven’t fired.”
Bontu nodded. “It is customary for the victor to have the first round at the next ship in the line. The same as it is customary that the defender have the first shot of the battle.”
Johnny sat down in a chair. “I don’t think I can watch. This is too suspenseful. Somebody wake me when it’s over.”
The fight continued for sixteen hours, seesawing back and forth as one side scored a decisive hit against the other. After a four-ship lead by the Mawga slipped away, the Lousy and her now Human crew moved closer to the fight. Orders were barked as the twelfth Mawga cruiser withdrew from the fight.
Mace opened a comm to Bontu, who had remained on his shuttle. “Hey, question, are we restricted to staying back at that distance. Or can we move and fire?”
Bontu offered a confused expression. “Move and fire? It is customary for the fight to proceed as we have seen.”
Mace asked again: “Is it against the rules to move while firing or defending?”
Bontu replied, “Why no. But why would you risk such maneuvers? Your accuracy while moving will be much lower than when sitting still.”
Mace shook his head in disbelief. “Yeah, well, the accuracy of the opponent will diminish, too. And in our simulations, we practiced firing while on the move. It’s what we know. And as far as that goes, what other aspects of this fight are customs versus actual rules? Can we engage the next ship in the line as soon as the current one leaves, or do we have to wait for them to engage?”
Bontu looked nervous. “The rules only state one engagement at a time. However, it’s customary to���”
Mace held up his hand as the Mawga cruiser in front of them took a hard hit. “Save it, Bontu.”
Mace closed the comm. “Mr. Hobbs, when it’s our turn, I want you to head straight for the Kaachi ship. The moment they fire at us, veer off. We should have several seconds before the round arrives. They won’t shoot again, so take us right in and we blast them from up close.”
Liam smiled as he looked around at the others on the bridge. “Indeed, I do like our captain!”
An explosion on the Mawga cruiser had the admiral ordering a withdrawal. As the cruiser slowly turned away, Mace looked around the bridge at his ready crew.
Johnny said, “All the marbles?”
Mace nodded. “All the marbles. Mr. Hobbs, take us in.”
~~~~~
Once again, this Human is asking for your help! If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review on the site where it was purchased. And by all means, please tell your friends! Any help with spreading the word is highly appreciated! I have a free science fiction eBook short story, titled “THE SQUAD”, waiting for anyone who joins my email list. Also, find out when the next excit
ing release is available by joining the email list at [email protected]. Visit the author’s website at www.arsenex.com for the rest of the series and other works!
Thank you for reading my work! I hope you have a great day!
Stephen
Books by Stephen Arseneault
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SODIUM-AMP-OMEGA trilogy series
SODIUM - A six-book series that takes Man from his first encounter with aliens all the way to a fight for our all-out survival. Do we have what it takes to rule the galaxy?
AMP - Cast a thousand years into the future beyond SODIUM. This eight-book series chronicles the struggles of Don Grange, a simple package deliveryman, who is thrust into an unimaginable role in the fight against our enemies. Can we win peace and freedom after a thousand years of war?
OMEGA - An eight book series cast a thousand years into the future beyond AMP. The Alliance is crumbling. When corruption and politics threaten to throw the allied galaxies into chaos, Knog Beutcher gets caught in the middle. Follow along as our hero is thrust into roles that he never expected nor sought. Espionage, intrigue, political assassinations, rebellions and full-on revolutions, they are all coming to Knog Beutcher’s world!
HADRON Series
HADRON is an eight book modern day Human survival story. After scientists using the Large Hadron Collider discover dark matter, the world is plunged into chaos. Massive waves of electromagnetic interference take out all grid power and forms of communication the world over. Cities go dark, food and clean-water supplies are quickly used up. Marauders rule the highways. One group of citizens takes a stand. Can they make a difference? And the devastating EM waves, where are they coming from? A benevolent species will arrive in their spaceships to rescue the Human race. Only, are they really so benevolent? Is our little corner of the Milky Way a hostile place? With HADRON we’re about to find out.
ARMS Series
ARMS is an eight book series set in the future. Earth was nearing an apocalyptic event. Two competing colony ships were built, taking five million inhabitants each through a wormhole to a pair of newly discovered planets. The planets were settled and soon after the burgeoning colonies looked to the surrounding star systems for ownership and expansion, an expansion that led to a centuries long war between them. A truce was declared after the aggressor side began to lose ground. The competing worlds are two years into that truce.
Tawnish Freely and Harris Gruberg are genetically engineered Biomarines. They we made and trained for fighting in the Great War. With the war halted and their service commitments ended, they find themselves struggling to live among a population that fears them. Work is found with the delivery of illegal arms to the outer colonies. Things go awry when they discover their illicit and yet lucrative dealings may just be the catalyst that brings back the Great War. They are determined to prevent that outcome from happening.
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HADRON Axiom Page 27