Lee had never seen Ortiz so furious. He realized that the older man was right and that the Princess could not stand up to the kind of punishment that Baal could inflict. His desire to engage in the kind of conflict that had defined his life for years had overtaken his responsibility to the ship and its crew. He stepped back from the captain and returned to look at the viewer.
Resolute had kept itself broadside to the carrier, allowing the cannons that dared its side to pummel Baal’s flank. Lee noticed, however, that the battleship’s shields were beginning to flicker under the return fire from the carrier. Chang began a rapid turn to present a different face to the larger ship, but Baal swept wide to keep attacking the weak shields.
To Lee it was like watching a murder in slow motion. The battleship struggled to put some distance between itself and the immense warship that was harassing it. Hathaway was pouring on speed from the Carrier’s enormous engines and continuing to fire at the smaller ship. He felt helpless just standing on the deck of the cruise ship and watching.
“Captain, at least let me scramble the Demons,” Lee pleaded. “Maybe we can take some of the pressure off of Chang.”
“No, Lee,” replied Ortiz, still focused on the battle. “I need you here in case Hathaway decides to turn to us. You are our only real defense.”
Lee’s stomach churned as he watched the tough battleship take a pounding from the carrier. He had become friends with many of the crew of Resolute over the past few days and it pained him to see the damage that was being inflicted on the noble vessel. His mind raced as he tried to formulate some kind of plan to help his friends.
There was a flash of light and Lee saw one of the engines of Resolute explode on the back of the battleship. The ship began to tumble forward and Baal accelerates towards the injured ship. Lee’s hands clenched on the rail separating him from the bridge crew below and his heart felt like it was going to burst through his chest. He knew it would only be a matter of moments before the carrier opened fire and destroyed the battleship. After that, he knew that Hathaway would turn his attention to the Princess.
Baal’s shields flared as Resolute suddenly fired a cannon barrage. The ship had tumbled upside down, but still aimed at the carrier. Chang had released every weapon in his arsenal at Baal as his ship seemed to drift, powerless. The remaining engine fired on the battleship and Resolute moved away from Baal. There was a blast of fire on the top of the carrier’s port launch bay as some of the fire from the battleship sliced through their adversary’s shields.
Lee felt like cheering as he watched Chang maneuver his ship away from the carrier. The man had shown a cunning skill against the immense ship and he hoped he could keep his ship together.
“Captain,” announced Kama Yu. “I’ve got Mister Moore on the radio. He’s on the security frequency, audio only.”
“Put him on,” said Ortiz, a glimmer of hope in his voice.
A peel of static caused several of the bridge crew to cover their ears. Kama tapped her console and tried to resolve the signal. Finally, the voice of the security chief crackled over the speakers.
“Captain,” said Henry Moore. “Can you hear me?”
“We hear you, Henry,” replied the captain. “What the hell is going on over there?”
“Hathaway has gone insane,” said Henry. “We got the reactor running and he jumped us here. He’s sick, Captain. The shielding on the reactor has been leaking for a long time. The Admiral’s brain is fried. We’ve contained the leak but the damage has already been done.”
“Henry, what is the status of the crew?” Lee asked over the channel. “How many are still left?”
“Lee, these people are like zombies,” said Henry, sounding desperate. “My men and I, we are barricade in what is left of the primary mess hall, but I don’t know for how much longer. They are trying to melt the door.”
“Henry,” the captain said. “What about the civilians?”
There was a crackle of static over the speaker and Lee looked back to the screen. Resolute had moved back closer to the carrier and was trying to fly directly under the big ship’s hull. Chang was making the ship spin as it passed, exposing its cannons and firing as it went. Baal’s shield sparked under the barrage, but held. He thought he saw a small piece of the carrier detach, though, as the battleship continued to fire plasma bolts at her hull.
“Kama, can you get the signal back” Ortiz asked.
The Asian communications officer tapped her terminal but shook her head. The battle was too heated and the woman could not re-establish contact with the security chief. The captain pounded his fist on the arm of his chair in frustration. Every holographic display showed him the extent of the battle and how little time the battleship had. The static ceased as Kama cut the speaker.
“Captain,” announced Kama. “I’m receiving a signal from Baal.”
Lee looked to the captain. If Hathaway thought that he could negotiate surrender than they still had a chance to save the Resolute. If Moore had been right, though, and the admiral had truly lost his grip on reality, then this message could be much more ominous.
“Let’s hear it,” Ortiz said.
The image on the screen popped into life and the face of Omar Hathaway looked back at them. He had looked pale and sick when he had spoken to them earlier, but this time, he looked even worse. His dark skin was gray and seemed to hang off his skull. The sweat that they had noticed earlier had turned into a thick oily sheen that covered his face and matted his short black hair.
“Freddie,” the admiral began, his voice like granite moving across marble. “You are a traitor to the Confederacy and to the human race. Once I am through with this antique, I will be coming for you.”
“Omar,” said Ortiz, standing and looking at his old friend’s face. “You have to stop this. There are no traitors here. You need to stand down and let us help you. You’re sick and we need to get over there and treat you.”
“I am sick, Freddie,” replied the admiral, wiping away the sweat from his eyes. “You sicken me, Freddie. You ally yourself with the alien bastards that destroyed Earth. Then you send your lackeys over here to poison me and my crew.”
“Admiral,” said Lee, hoping to restore some semblance of Hathaway’s former military bearing. “The shielding on your reactor has been leaking. You and your crew are suffering from radiation poisoning. We can treat you if we can get over there, but you have to stand down.”
The admiral paused to consider what Lee had said. He looked as if he was having difficulty concentrating on forming words. He licked his dry lips and twitched his neck muscles as he looked back at the screen. Lee tried to focus on the face of the man, but he was unsure if the man could even see him though the haze of sickness.
“Commander Pearce,” replied the admiral. I know what you are trying to do. You are trying to confuse the issue so you can come over here and take away my ship. Command may have sent you out here to me, but I am going to send you straight to hell!”
The screen clicked off as the admiral cut the signal. Ortiz looked to Lee with an expression of curiosity. Lee shrugged, not knowing what the other man was talking about. He had made a similar claim when they had arrived, but Lee had no idea what the admiral meant.
“He’s really lost it, Captain,” said Lee. “You know I wasn’t sent by anyone. When you guys found me, I was almost dead in space.”
“I know, Lee,” replied Ortiz. “Omar is no longer rational. I’m afraid we may be in for a lot worse.”
The two men looked back at the screen to see Resolute arcing away from Baal. She appeared to be burning in space as a trail of dark debris trailed behind her. Lee could only barely make out the shimmer of the battleship’s shields. The carrier continued to try to fire on the injured warship, but Chang was swerving the ship in a random evasive pattern. Suddenly, the fire from Baal stopped.
A cold fear lanced down Lee’s back as he saw the carrier begin a slow turn towards the Princess. Resolute continued to flee and seeme
d unable to return to help. As Lee watched, Baal turned its nose towards the cruise liner and began to accelerate. A light opened on the starboard launch tube and the fear that had been growing in Lee intensified. As Lee watched, stream of Peregrine fighters began to leap from the launch tube, followed by an assortment of other ships.
“Oh God,” said Lemmon, watching as dozens of ships erupted from the carrier.
“Commander Pearce,” said Ortiz, almost in a whisper. “Scramble the Demons.”
27
Lee settled in to the cockpit of his Silver Eagle. He glanced around the launch bay as the other pilots began their pre-flight rituals. Jackal and Princess had already closed their cockpits and Lee could hear the whine of their engines as they activated their power systems. Baron had arrived in the bay last and was only just pulling his mask on and opening the cockpit of his ship. Aztec and Merlin had closed their ships and Lee began to see the glow of their engines as they turned the fighter craft on.
The decompression siren began just as Baron pulled his cockpit closed and Lee saw the status of his ship’s systems turn green. Although the Elves had been making improvements on his ship, the basic layout of his control panel was the same. His throttle sat to the right of his body, pulled all the way back to indicate the idle that he was at. His other side had the switches for his various weapons systems. There was an extra button; he saw that controlled the rear mounted cannons that he had barely had the chance to try out. He felt his feet press against the pitch and saw controls for the fighter while double-checking his power systems display.
The siren faded down to a whisper and the big doors that protected the hangar bay from the vacuum of space began to open. He felt the rumble of the doors through his seat as they inched wider, showing him stars beyond. Captain Ortiz had turned the Terran Princess away from the onrushing Baal to give the fighters a chance to launch without taking fire. Lee intended to take advantage of the cover for as long as he could.
He pressed the controls for his anti-gravity unit and felt the Eagle raise of the deck. He saw that the other members of the Demon Squadron had also lifted from the landing bay floor and were hovering into position for launch. He looked to his right to see Alice, staring intently at her controls. He hoped that the extra time training with the pilots was going to help her in facing the type of combat that awaited them.
“Demons,” Lee said over the radio. “Launch on my mark.”
He heard the clicks of the other pilots as they acknowledged his signal. He had been worried that the pilots, formerly of the carrier Baal, might balk at the idea of facing their former comrades. When he had entered the hangar bay, he had asked them point blank if the mission was going to be a problem. It had been Jackal, with her large almond eyes, which had been the only pilot to respond.
“I volunteered for this squadron because I didn’t like those guys,” she had said. “We even moved into the launch bay to get away from his meetings. They were nothing but paranoid ravings. I guess that’s why we weren’t affected by the radiation leak. Now let’s get out there and blow those bastards up.”
Lee had requested that they try not to kill the pilots if possible. He knew that most of them were probably following orders from their deranged admiral, but he did not want to engage allied pilots if possible. It all depended on how loyal the other pilots were to Baal and her commander.
“Launch”
Lee pressed his throttle forward and his ship shot out of the hangar bay. The other pilots followed him at high speed, trying to keep up with his modified engine. As soon as they had cleared the hangar bay, Lee turned the squadron hard to port, feeling his restraints bite into his shoulder. The ship was far more maneuverable than it had been and he needed to get used to the increased agility.
“Princess, stay on my wing,” Lee ordered over his radio. “Aztec and Baron, break right and Jackal and Merlin you go left. Try to work together and watch each other’s back.”
“Screw that, Flyboy,” Alice replied. “I’m with Jackal. Its ladies night and I want to party.”
“Princess, stay focused,” Lee said. “This isn’t a game anymore. Merlin, you’re with me, then.”
“Roger,” replied the voice of Merlin.
The squadron separated into teams and turned to face the oncoming enemy fighters. He saw over two dozen Peregrine fighters coming straight at him. To his left and right were more fighters including Crowned Eagles. He hoped that the improved systems on the Demon’s ships could keep up with the overwhelming numbers.
“Baal fighters,” Lee began, keying his radio to an open frequency. “This is Commander Pearce of the Terran Confederacy. Your Admiral is sick and his orders are suspect. Please stand down. I repeat; we do not want to engage, please stand down.”
Streaks of red-orange plasma fire lanced out from the lead enemy fighters causing the Demons to take evasive maneuvers. Lee pulled his ship up fast and saw the bolts pass under his hull. A quick check of his console showed him that the squadron was still intact.
“It was worth a try,” he said, switching back to the combat frequency. “Alright, Demons, you are clear to engage. Disable if possible, but don’t hold back.”
He felt his ship shake as one of the Peregrine fighters from Baal closed in on his tail and opened fire. His shields flashed, but he showed no reduction in the power levels. It seemed that the Elves had drastically improved the shield systems as well. He flipped the switch to turn on the rear cannons. As he squeezed his trigger, he saw fire leap from his tail and tear into the enemy ship. The Peregrine’s shields held for a moment, but were overwhelmed by the increased burst from the Eagle. It erupted in a fireball and fell away behind him.
He pushed the nose of his ship back down, angling the fighter towards a large group of enemy ships that had begun to close on Merlin. As he zeroed in on one of the ships, the group fired a volley of plasma at his wing man. Merlin’s shields glowed blue but absorbed the impacts well. The other pilot flipped his ship over and returned fire. The Peregrine that had been closer seemed to split down the middle as Merlin’s weapon cleaved the ship into two burning pieces. Lee fired his own cannons into the group and saw two other ships explode under the barrage.
“Those ships haven’t got any shields,” he said over his radio. “They are on a suicide mission!”
Lee saw the other Demons on his screen as the signals from the enemy fighters began to diminish. He was horrified at the idea that Hathaway had sent fighters into combat without powered up shields. He had apparently charged the weapons and engines just enough to get the pilots into space, but had ignored the safety of his own men in pursuit of his own inner delusions.
“This isn’t a battle, Demons,” Lee said into his radio. “This is a slaughter. Regroup on Merlin and me.”
A chorus of clicks acknowledged his order. He watched his screen as the squadron circled back to his position. Jackal and Princess had to fight through a heavy blockade of fighters, but rejoined him in a few moments. The pilots formed a diamond pattern and flew with Lee, picking off enemy fighters as they went.
“This is insane,” Lee said to his pilots. “Fire at their engines only, Demons, I don’t think these guys know what they are doing.”
“Did anyone tell them that,” said Aztec. Lee noticed his shields flare as a Crowned Eagle fighter swept down from above, peppering his canopy with plasma.
The pilots broke formation and paired up with their wingmen again. Merlin pulled up even with Lee and swung his ship back and forth, avoiding enemy fire. Lee thought about the maneuver himself, but realized that his shield strength had not dropped an inch since the battle began. The modifications to his ship were almost too good to be true.
He fired his rear cannon at his pursuers, careful to try for the rear engine pod. One of the ships fell away as the lighting from his engine blacked out. The other swerved suddenly and was caught full on in a plasma burst. The Eagle rolled under the hit and exploded in a burst of orange fire. Lee winced as he saw the ship expl
oded and fall away. He shook his head at the waste.
“Lee, look at Baal,” Alice ordered from the radio. “They’re launching Vultures.”
Lee looked over to the massive carrier. It had slowed its advance on the cruise ship, but now was belching out the wide winged bombers that Lee remembered from Zeus. The memory of the lost carrier swept over him as he saw the ungraceful ships form up and head straight for the Princess. For a moment, the face of Captain Blackmon flashed across his mind. Then he remembered what the Vultures carried.
“Demons, take out those Vultures,” he ordered, turning fast for the large bombers. “They are heading for the Princess.”
“And the Princess is heading for them,” replied Alice. “We are coming in weapons hot.”
“Alice back off,” Lee called over the radio. “Those ships are carrying nukes!”
“What?” The other pilots exclaimed. “Are you serious?”
Lee completed his turn and headed straight for the nearest Vulture. He pulled his trigger and watched the plasma bolts streak at the winged ship. He was out of fighter range of the bomber but was counting on the increased power of his ship to follow through on the shot. He stopped firing and pulled away. As the plasma bolt impacted the Vulture, it began a forward tumble towards the cruise ship. Lee watched the remaining shots tear the bomber to pieces. As the last red-orange bolt hit the ship, it blossomed into a massive fireball, instantly destroying three fighters that had strayed too close. The remaining Vultures veered off to avoid the radioactive cloud, but continued towards the Terran Princess.
Lee saw Jackal and Alice pull away from the explosion as well, but quickly realign for a run at the other bombers. Aztec and Baron were firing from a distance in a maneuver that was obviously inspired by Lee’s run. As they pulled away, two more blooms caused ripples in the surrounding space. Lee saw Barons ship swerve as the shockwave from the nuclear inferno swept past him. He pulled himself steady and continued his escape from the Vultures.
The War for Terra 1: Resolute Command Page 21