The moment he finishes Paladin says, "Message sent, activate the jammer now."
Cooley activates the jammer.
Kitanna says, "We have over one hundred, and seventy ships heading towards us, only thirty are holding position with the gateway."
With only minutes until the main fleet reaches the asteroid field, Jackson and White close in fast on a Dreadnought centered in the middle of the fleet. They launch their cloaked boarding pods, and head out to the back of the fleet.
Shi Reies’s pod hit’s the Dreadnoughts shield first, and begins to pulse through its shields, as it tries to match the T-Challa’s shield frequency. Benton’s pod hit’s the shield a second later, as both Shi Reies and Benton’s pods scan the shield frequency together, and within forty-five seconds they are able to pass through the shields undetected. Then they launch their boosters and punch into the ship’s hull, allowing the two boarding parties to enter the Dreadnought side by side.
The Dreadnoughts alarms go off as the boarding pods break through the hull, but with Cooley's jammer, they cannot warn their fleet. The pods open up as the Marines and security forces who are cloaked move out first. They quickly secure the area, setting up position to allow the remaining forces to set up a staging area.
Benton approaches Shi Reies and says, "Follow us to the weapons control room."
Meanwhile, Jackson says, "Reggie, let’s try and give Caleb some breathing room, it looks like these ships are grouped tightly. Let's activate two of our nukes, and try to do some damage to this fleet before we head off to the gateway."
White alarmed states, "Negative Colonel, I think it best that we take out the gateway first, and then come back and hit this fleet. Just in case we need more nukes."
Jackson says, "Yeah, you're right Reggie, I have been hanging around Caleb too much." Wow, did I really just say that.
The two activate their nukes, and move in at top speed towards the gateway.
Templar comes over the com, "We have been scanned with our nuclear payload. I suggest we switch to shields,"
Jackson says, "Reggie, I’ll switch to shields, you stay cloaked, and on my six.” This is going to be very hairy.
Jackson switches on his shields and keeps moving in at flank speed, his shields come up instantly unlike Paladins shields, the switch only takes a few moments for his cloak to switch to shields.
The Heavy cruisers open fire on Templar and Jackson. Jackson easily out maneuvers most of the long distance shots, and closes in on the gateway. However, as he closes in on the gateway, their shots continually get closer, and harder to out maneuver. Finally, Templar is hit by two-plasma burst, knocking Templar out of control and into a wild spin.
Templar reports, "Shields are holding at twenty-one percent, attempting to stabilize."
White yells, "Colonel! Are you ok?"
Jackson yells back, "Reggie, fire your missile and get out of there now, that’s an order!” Ouch, that took the wind out me.
White locks onto the gateway, and fires at virtually point-blank range, and then hits hyperspace, saying aloud, "This is gonna be close."
Jackson hits his hyperspace a moment later, just clearing the blast radius.
Because the gateway was not activated the detonation, although still destructive, is still enough to destroy, or cripple most of the thirty ships.
Jackson calls out to White, "Good job, now let’s go do some damage to the main fleet, I have an idea, let’s do what they did to us on X’enablanca. We'll jump out of hyperspace and fire on them as soon as we exit so not to give them enough time to react."
White replies, "Agreed Colonel, setting in coordinates now."
The two plot their attack jump, and then engage the main fleet.
Both Templar and Cavalier’s shields are up, as they appear from hyperspace, and fire their three remaining nukes, and just as quickly, they jump back out.
Their nukes hit the fleet, giving no time for T-Challa to react. Their torpedoes fire wide spread across the T-Challa fleet. The explosions rocks the T-Challa main assault force hard. Over forty ships are instantly vaporized, and another twenty crippled, while several others take severe damage. Nevertheless, the fleet still charges on towards Caleb and Paladin.
Benton then comes over the com, "Hey you guys, trying to kill us here? Warn us about those nuke attacks next time, god damn fly boys, always dropping their crap on us real warriors."
White, apologetic says, "Sorry Gabriel, it was a spur of the moment thing. What’s your status? Seeing as you’re complaining, I’m gonna guess normal."
Benton replies, "Well, we have control of the weapons room, and we are locking weapons on the nearby ships, but those nukes took our shields down to thirty percent. Not sure how long we can last once we start firing."
Jackson more focused on their safety orders, "Set it for automatic fire control like you did at X’enablanca and get off the ship. We will come and get you."
Benton replies, "We will switch to auto and evac, after we start taking damage. The auto firing solution sucks. It can’t hit the broadside of a barn at ten paces. Anyways, these ships can take a lot of punishment, and we are only two levels away from the pods"
Benton mumbles under his breath, "Just hope Mohammad’s men can keep the escape route clear for us."
Jackson still concerned says, "No unnecessary risk Gabriel."
Shi Reies hearing Jackson orders replies to one of his men, "That’s a waste of breath. He didn’t get all those medals by playing it safe."
Benton laughs responding, "Not in my vocabulary Jacks, time to start this rodeo. Let’s see who gets it first, Eenie, Meenie, Moe. Ahhh hell, let’s shoot em all."
The Dreadnought starts firing at the rest of the fleet, taking most by surprise, as Cooley has jammed T-Challa communications the Dreadnought cannot warn the others ships that their ship has been compromised. Four Heavy and six Medium cruisers explode. They quickly fire a second round, focusing on three Dreadnoughts,
The first Dreadnought shields are heavily damaged, dropping them, while the second Dreadnought takes heavy to severe damage. The third Dreadnought shield’s hold and it quickly turns towards Benton’s Dreadnought.
Twelve other ships, including two more Dreadnoughts, then turn on Benton’s ship, as well and open fire.
Benton quickly realizes his situation says to his men, "Ok, I think it’s time we get out of here. Set the ship's weapons on automatic, and let’s get the hell out of here. Wow, they reacted a lot faster than they did before."
Jackson and White circle in cloaked, and wait for Benton and Shi Reies to evac the doomed Dreadnought.
The Dreadnought is hammered hard by the T-Challa fleet. Decks are ripped open as the Dreadnought guns return fire wildly. Moments later, Benton comes over the com, "We are all on board the pods, and we are using emergency thrusters to clear the ship be ready."
The Dreadnought then explodes seconds after the transmission.
Jackson calls out, "Gabriel! Shi Reies respond!” My god no, that was a massive explosion. I hope those pods hold together.
After a few brief moments that felt like hours, Commander White detects something.
White says, "Cavalier has picked up two pods exiting the blast zone."
Shi Reies reports, "We are ok, a little toasty in here, but were ok. Our shields are damaged, down to eleven percent. We will not be able to do that again."
Jackson and White have recloaked, and locked onto the pods, pulling them in.
Back on Paladin, Kitanna yells out, "They're coming straight at us at flank speed, firing range in five minutes."
Caleb asks, "How many ships."
Kitanna replies, "Four Dreadnoughts, that Super Dreadnought and sixty Heavies, twenty Mediums and a dozen Light cruisers. The remaining ships are disabled, or destroyed."
Caleb then requests, "Cooley, open a Channel to Toth.” Let’s see if I can make him angry enough to make a mistake.
Cooley turns and says, "To do that I would have to stop j
amming their communications."
Caleb asks, "Can you cause the jammer to repeat a phrase in my voice?"
Cooley embarrassed replies, "I usually just play music when jamming their frequency, but I can just repeat a phrase over and over."
Caleb, smiling says, "Ok, record this, and play it over and over, TOTH GANTU’AM!” Yeah, that should do it.
Cooley's eyes open wide and asks, "You really want to upset that big one don’t you luv?"
Caleb continues to smile, "Just play it Rachel."
The minutes pass by quickly, as Anders calls out, "I'll have range in ten seconds, and I have four Medium and six light cruisers targeted."
Caleb focused on the battle states, "Don’t wait for me Anders, fire when ready,"
Anders fires on the easiest targets, which are immediately destroyed by plasma cannons alone. He quickly targets eight Heavies, and one Dreadnought with all weapons, and for the first time the updated faster torpedoes.
The plasma cannons rip through three of the eight Heavies, destroying them. Two others take moderate damage, while the remaining three are able to avoid the plasma charges. However, the Dreadnought takes the brunt of the new torpedoes.
The Dreadnought tries to shoot down the incoming torpedoes and fails to hit a single one. All twenty strike the Dreadnought dead on. The first six takes down its shields, while the remaining fourteen decimate the Dreadnought. The shock wave destroys one of the moderately damaged Heavies.
Kitanna calls out, "That Super is closing fast."
Anders swings his cannons and locks on to two more Dreadnoughts and the Super, as they close into his effective firing range. He fires fourteen torpedoes at the two Dreadnoughts while focusing all plasma cannons on the Super.
Seven hit the first Dreadnought, crippling its shields and doing severe damage to its bow. The second takes only light damage, but loses its shields, and begins to fade behind with the other Dreadnought. The Super keeps charging, as its shields are pummeled by the plasma cannons.
Kitanna calls out, "Their shields are down to twenty-eight percent, and they're still closing. They’re in firing range of us now."
Anders locks onto the Super, firing all Paladins guns, and torpedoes. The Super loses its shields in the first part of the volley, suffering severe damage all across its bow, but it's still charging forward as it returns fire.
Forty plasma charges arc across the battlefield followed by thirty torpedoes, all targeting for Paladin.
Paladin uses the asteroids to block most of the charges and torpedoes, while the Light cannons destroy the rest of the torpedoes, but ten plasma charges hit.
Paladin calls out, "We have shields down to sixty-eight percent on the starboard side."
Val calls out, "It will take me a few minutes to recharge that shield."
Kitanna shocked yells, "That ship is still charging in the asteroid field, at flank speed."
The Super Dreadnought closes fast, as Anders levels yet another volley at it. Klaus then pulls Paladin to port hard, hoping to lessen itself as the target, as the Super Dreadnought although heavily damaged closes the distance at flank speed.
Kitanna yells, "We have several Heavies closing on our stern."
Anders, still focusing on the Super Dreadnought fires again. At the exact same time, the Super Dreadnought, returns fire with only fifteen cannons still operational. Klaus tries to maneuver more to port and is able to avoid three of the charges. The other twelve hit.
Paladin calls out, "Starboard shields are down to ten percent, but are recharging."
Klaus yells, "They're going to ram us!"
Klaus moves the ship forward, as the Super closes. Paladin uses multiple asteroids to hit the Super, knocking it off course, but it is still able to run alongside Paladin. It drops Paladins shields on the starboard side and rips open its hull exposing four decks, launching grappling cables to secure the ships together.
Paladin rocks hard side to side.
Then Paladin announces, "We have damage to the starboard side. Four decks have been exposed to space. Emergency force shields are engaged. We have multiple boarders."
Caleb yells, "Anders the Bridge is yours! Call out the Marines to repel boarders.” That hurts a lot, I feel like I put my body through a cheese grater, but I gotta get down there. I can’t let those things take Paladin.
Caleb jumps, moving down through the decks as he has done so many times before. Speeding through the decks, he moves like the wind to repel the boarders.
Anders yells to Klaus, "Pull us off that ship Klaus! I need to focus on those incoming Heavies."
Klaus rocks the ships hard, trying to pull away from the Super Dreadnought, but fails.
Elsewhere, Jackson and White see Paladin.
Jackson yells, "Paladin has been rammed! They have Heavies coming in aft, and we have two damaged Dreadnoughts closing on her port side!" Come on Caleb get her out of there. You’ve done enough damage.
Benton yells over the holocom, "Jacks throw us into one of the Dreadnoughts, and Shi Reies into the other. We will try and slow up the Heavies."
Jackson and White close ranks with the two Dreadnoughts and launch both pods. They hit their targets penetrating the hulls easily, since both Dreadnoughts had just lost their shields from Paladin's earlier assault. The pods hit near the weapons deck, just as before.
Shi Reies and Benton take their men to their respective ships weapons control rooms. Once again using the PCD’s, they take control of the weapons decks with ease. The T-Challa have no clue of their hidden attackers as they are decimated by the cloaked men.
Back on Paladin, Marines and security guards are battling the T-Challa, as Caleb then jumps over the Marines and between two T-Challa warriors. In less than a moment, he decapitates one, while grabbing the other, ripping its cybernetic weaponized arm off. He then hurls the T-Challa against the wall, knocking it unconscious. Then, without hesitation, Caleb charges towards another four down the corridor.
The T-Challa start firing plasma weapons at Caleb, some hit him, but he heals almost instantly, as he reaches the T-Challa warriors. The Marines charge in right behind Caleb, as he begins pummeling the T-Challa, throwing them around like loose debris. Just then, a large explosion knocks everyone, including Caleb to the ground. Smoke and debris surround the area.
Caleb slowly gets up, his side ripped wide open. He begins healing immediately, as he looks around quickly seeing two of the Marines severely injured. Caleb kneels down and lays hands on both. He begins healing them as he hears the roar of Toth, "Caleb!" Ok, let me guess, Toth.
The smoke-filled deck makes it very hard to see the approaching T-Challa, but his loud deafening growl makes it easy to notice his location, as he approaches the silhouette of a massive monster like creature begins to appear from the smoke.
Caleb finally sees Toth, standing over the four dead T-Challa that he killed.
Caleb smiles, and says, "You’re a lousy shot Toth." Let’s see how this super strength holds up to that big thing.
The Marines grab their wounded, and pull them out of harm’s way, as Caleb covers their escape.
Toth sizes up Caleb, as he approaches Toth.
Toth grins, saying, "I can smell X’ena blood on you Caleb, you’re a hybrid I have killed your kind before."
Caleb smiles and responds, "Well Toth, you just smell." He’s killed hybrids before, I really should’ve asked Bach more about that.
Toth fires both of his cannons at Caleb, who easily dodges them with ease. He then slams into Toth grabbing him from behind, and pulling him down to the deck. The two roll over and over, as Toth slashes and tears at Caleb back and side. Caleb rips one of his cybernetic implants from his head, and then starts to crush his left plasma cannon between his legs.
The Marines open fire on several T-Challa gathering around to watch Toth and Caleb’s fight, blasting them apart.
Their fight goes back and forth. Caleb is thrown to the deck as Toth attempts to crush Caleb. Caleb grabs his leg and tosse
s him back against the wall.
Meanwhile, up on the Bridge. Val calls over the com, "I have shields up on all sides to eighty percent, but I can’t get the shields on the starboard side up. Not while that behemoth is stuck to us."
Anders yells at Klaus, "Can’t you get us off of that ship!"
Klaus replies, "I’m trying, but they have grappling straps holding us."
Cooley says, "I have an idea if I may?"
Anders, frustrated, says, "Go ahead."
Cooley yells over the com, "Reg… err Commander White! Can you please blast the Super Dreadnought’s cables? They have us held together."
White quickly replies, "I am on it."
White brings Cavalier into a strafing run blasting the Super Dreadnoughts cables, as Klaus strains the ship, ripping Paladin free and clear.
Caleb and Toth are knocked wildly around the decks, as both are thrown to the exposed section.
Caleb, seeing the opportunity tells Paladin telepathically, "Drop the force field for a moment."
Paladin does as he is instructed to and the suction blows both outward. Caleb grabs a ripped section of bulkhead holding on for dear life, as he does the force of the suction begins to rip the flesh from his hands. Toth however, is unable to hold on to anything, and is blown out into space.
Paladin instantly reactivates the force fields. Toth, having been launched into space, quickly uses his cannons to propel himself back into the Super Dreadnought. T-Challa can survive in the vacuum of space for short periods of time.
Elsewhere, the two Dreadnoughts are under weapons control of Benton and Shi Reies. They fire at the unsuspecting Heavies.
Caleb calls over the com, "Cooley, recall everyone back to Paladin we’re out of here now.” Ok, we did enough damage. This should slow them down for a long time.
Klaus focuses on his escape route, and starts to pull out of the asteroid field. Jackson and White circle towards the Dreadnoughts, as Benton and Shi Reies set the Dreadnoughts on automatic firing again. They both pull out and join up with the support fighters.
The Ocoda Chronicles Book 1 Paladin Page 30