by Sid Kar
“Horyett is that what the enemy weapons are doing?” Raptor asked.
“Yes sir, varying gravitational intensity a thousand times a second,” Horyett said, “But within a narrow range.”
“Just like our MBH weapons,” Antrar said.
“Com Raptor, Enemy One and Three are pulling away,” Horyett said. Raptor looked up from his computer to the large display screen, “What the hell? Why aren’t they firing rockets? Moving away from our rear will deprive their rockets of the extra boost they could get from the pull of micro-black hole weapons.”
“Enemy two is holding steady on our tail,” Horyett said, “Enemy One is accelerating but heading 45 degrees to our left, Enemy Three is heading 45 degrees to our right.”
“They are accelerating past us as they get away from the weaponized gravity,” Tollvyk said, “There is at least that advantage for them.”
“VC Barryett, what’s the matter,” Raptor said when he saw Barryett staring at Com. Antrar with his jaw wide open.
“Don’t you recognize this battle maneuver, Com Raptor,” Barryett said then motioned towards Antrar with his chin.
“Antrar’s Triangle Entrapment. How is that possible?” Raptor startled as the realization flashed across his mind, “Com Antrar, this is tactic that you used at the Battle of Kalahar!”
“It sure looks like that,” Antrar said.
“This is the next chapter in space warfare textbook for Starfire commanders,” Barryett said, “Com Antrar created it, but it is a state secret. How did they find out?”
“Worry about that later,” Antrar said, “If they are doing what I did many years ago, they will lay a barrage of rockets and a field of laser in your front and the enemy spaceship chasing you from the back will unleash a similar attack of rockets.”
“When?” Raptor asked.
“As soon as the triangle is complete,” Antrar said.
There was no reason to even ask that question, Raptor knew the answer as did everybody in the room. Once the three enemy ships formed a triangle that included their own spaceship, they would begin their attack. This was textbook, had been taught to all of them since Antrar had made it famous at the battle that raised him to a war hero.
“Commodore Raptor, Enemy One and Three have changed their bearings to zero degree straight ahead, now parallel to us, accelerating to overtake us,” Horyett said.
“How long before they overtake,” Raptor asked.
“Ten minutes, give or take,” Antrar chirped in looking at the display screen.
“Ten minutes and 50 seconds,” Horyett said.
“Close enough,” Antrar exclaimed.
“How long after that till they begin the attack?” Raptor asked.
“Anytime really, it’s a tradeoff between launching too early and having the target spaceship escape straight ahead before the rockets reach it and too late if you destroy the MBH weapons and accelerate with full energy.”
“Anytime between 2 to 5 minutes,” VC Barryett said.
“That was my suggestion at the seminars I taught,” Antrar said.
“I was there, sir,” Barryett said.
“Capitan Alvina, how is the laser firing going?” Raptor asked.
“We are trying sir, but we are just not hitting the two targets,” Alvina said with desperation in her voice.
“Com. Antrar, you created this tactic, you must have a counter,” Col. Tollvyk said.
“Unfortunately, I became so involved in teaching and perfecting it that I never deemed to find a counter,” Antrar said, “Never occurred to me that it would leak to an unknown enemy.”
“VC Barryett, we need your battle experience now, recommend a plan of action for us,” Raptor said.
“It’s difficult sir,” Barryett said, “We can go supernova and unload all of our rockets, spacefighters and superweapons, but that just ruins our entire mission ahead. We will need those to help Nestorians against the mysterious alien invaders.”
“That is absolutely the last desperation maneuver,” Raptor said, “Then our mission will have failed before it even began and we will have to return home disgraced.”
“I agree,” Barryett said, “we can attempt to withstand the attack by switching all the energy to the shields when they launch. That is risky, it could damage this starship irreparably, but in all likelihood their weaponry will have been too severely depleted for them to launch a third, big attack.”
“Worse,” Raptor said, “We return home failures and with a Starship damaged on its very first mission.”
Barryett shrugged.
Raptor looked at Antrar who said, “I am sorry.” Antrar himself was vexed at not being able to help. If they survived, his reputation for tactical brilliance would take a hit.
“Enemy One and Three approaching overtake,” Horyett said, “T minus 2 minutes.”
“We needed a warrior like Col. Sthykar,” Tollvyk said shaking his head.
Raptor turned his neck to look at Tollvyk and said, “Col. Sthykar and other ancient heroes. What would they do?”
Raptor looked around at the room. The first fragments of an idea arrived in his mind and started coalescing towards a coherent plan.
“Alright,” Com. Raptor nodded with determination. Him, like every other kid, had read the stories of the ancient heroes. The legends who faced overwhelming odds but pulled out a victory by a caution to winds, jump over cliff, spit on death stunt.
“Alright,” Raptor repeated himself as the entire room including Barryett and Antrar looked at him. The idea in his mind was not yet a coherent whole but it would have to become so in real time battle.
“Offload Falcon,” Raptor said.
“Offloading battle program Falcon,” AI officer Zurryvk said.
“Load Battle Command program Berserker,” Raptor said.
“Loading battle program known as Berserker,” Zurryvk looked up at Raptor while punching in the commands. Berserker was a battle AI for experimental tactics and was not recommended in actual combat.
“Berserker, ready to fight, sir,” the Artificial Intelligence’s voice came over the speaker.
“Berserker, stand by,” Raptor said though he knew the AI was ready at all times at full attention without any need for prodding.
“Enemy One and Three reaching overtake,” Horyett said, “T minus 10 seconds.”
“Capitan Alvina, cut all lasers, but hold at concentrated firing?” Raptor said.
“But sir, we are close, just…” Alvina started to protest.
“Execute the damn order,” Raptor said and there was a pin drop silence in the room.
“Yes sir,” Alvina stuttered and then said, “Lasers stopped, holding on concentrated.”
“Enemy One and Three have overtaken us in our parallels,” Horyett said, “now pulling ahead.”
“Hold steady,” Raptor said.
“Sir, now might be the time to try out this starship’s absolute-max,” Flyptar said, “Switch all energy to the engines and throw a forward jerk using emergency atomic thrusters.”
“Negative, flight officer,” Raptor said, “hold steady.”
“T plus one minute,” Horyett said.
“Hold steady,” Raptor was trying to calm his nerves as much as he was trying to keep his crew calm.
“T plus two minutes,” Horyett said.
“Bastards have launched!” Tollvyk yelled.
“Enemy One and Three have fired 40 rockets each towards the forward intercept…,” Horyett said.
“Cut all power to engines,” Raptor said.
“What?” Flyptar was stunned.
“Cut, damn it, cut,” Raptor shouted.
“Energy cut to the engines,” Flyptar said wiping sweat from his brow.
“Forward interception point, T minus 1 minute,” Horyett said.
Starship Conquistador started losing speed as the engines no longer compensated for the micro black holes pull.
“Switch energy to emergency deceleration,” Raptor said.
> “SIR! SIR!” Flyptar was literally jumping up and down. Barryett was gawking with eyes wide open at Raptor.
“DO IT, DO IT,” Raptor yelled.
“Emergency deceleration engaged,” Flyptar said.
The Starship now literally flew backward as the emergency deceleration system cut engines connection to rear thrusters and reconnected to the forward thrusters for immediate reversal. Not only there was no energy to counteract the gravity weapons pull, the forward momentum itself was being drastically drained.
“Forward interception T minus 1 minute,” Horyett said.
“Re-confirm,” Raptor demanded.
“Re-confirmed,” Horyett said, “We are falling back.”
“Yes!” Tollvyk smacked his table in joy.
“Silent,” Raptor said.
Then the collision warning alarms started flicking off. The micro-black hole weapons were pulling both their Starship from the front and the Starship in pursuit from the rear towards themselves in the middle.
“Collision with Enemy Two in T minus 30 seconds,” Horyett said.
“Hold steady,” Raptor said then looked at the Enemy Two on the display and said, “Come on you bastard, come on, blink, blink.”
“Enemy Two engaging emergency deceleration, pulling a reversal roll,” Horyett said.
“Now we fight!” Raptor said, “Switch all energy to concentrated lasers.”
“All energy to concentrated lasers,” Flyptar said.
Raptor saw Enemy Two performing a reverse roll to escape the gravitational pull of MBH weapons. Its speed had been drastically reduced and Raptor knew the lasers stood a chance of catching it if directed at correct forward intercept.
“Berserker, calculate three most probable forward intercepts at light speed, send coordinates to Laser Officers,”
“Coordinates sent,” Berserker announced next second.
“Alvina, light the coordinates with concentrated lasers,” Raptor said.
“Concentrated lasers off,” Alvina said as she and her officers thumbed down on their laser sticks.
“Enemy One and Three Rockets destroyed by mutual collision,” Horyett said.
“Hold the cheers,” Raptor said. He did not want any officers to get distracted just yet, “Colonel Tollvyk, Target Enemy Two, Launch Repeller Rockets 151 to 300 and Launch Ober Rockets 1 to 25.”
“Why Repeller?” Tollvyk asked.
“Goddamn it, Toll, just launch, launch,” Raptor said.
“Launch, launch,” Antrar and Barryett chimed in yelling. Now they were seeing Raptor’s attack plan more clearly.
“Repellers 151 to 300 launched, Ober Rockets 1 to 25 launched,” Tollvyk said, “blast that bastard, boys,” Tollvyk said then chuckled.
Next moment Starship Conquistador smashed into the two MBH machines shattering them into tiny bits.
“Normal gravity,” Horyett said.
“Switch power back to forward acceleration,” Raptor said.
“Forward acceleration engaged,” Flyptar said.
“Plot a course bypassing Enemy One and Three heading towards the next star system’s outermost planet,” Raptor said.
“Plotting,” Overyk said, “course ready.”
Raptor was watching the display as the rockets were headed towards Enemy Two. He saw that Berserker battle AI had done its job and programmed the rockets so they came at Enemy Two from every which way except the three forward intercept points where their laser was headed.
Enemy Two maneuvered to avoid rockets and reached the region in space where one of the concentrated lasers from the Conquistador intercepted its hull right in the center and pierced the shield and went out through the other side and then sliced an arc open as the spaceship passed the laser in space.
Berserker had loaded its copies in the computers onboard the rockets. The battle AI copies reprogrammed the rockets to head for the opening in Enemy Two’s hull. Enemy Two launched its own counter-rockets but they ended up intercepting most of the first arriving Repeller rockets that served as decoys. Then Enemy Two’s laser defenses tried to engage the Ober Rockets and managed to down 18 but the remaining 7 crashed inside or near the opening created by the concentrated laser and unleashed 10 megaton of force each upon the spaceship. The massive forces blasted the entire section of the hull near the opening out in the space and the shockwaves created by the inner air ripped the spaceship inside out into multiple parts flying away from each other.
“Enemy Two destroyed,” Berserker announced at the same time as Horyett.
There was a loud cheer in the room and Antrar stood up on his broken ankle and put a hand on Raptor’s shoulder, “I could not have done that.”
“Enemy One and Three are reversing course and heading towards Enemy Two,” VC Barryett said.
“They will be picking up the survivors and that should keep them busy for a while,” Antrar said.
“Time for us to put as much distance between them and us as we can,” Raptor said, “Flyptar, accelerate to 7,000 lights.”
“That should show them better than to tangle with a Starfirian Starship,” Tollvyk said.
“Don’t forget how close it was,” Raptor said, “I have a feeling it is not over yet. I just hope our signal has reached Bravo and the Sixth Frontier Fleet has mobilized in full force to reinforce us.”
“Com. Raptor,” Antrar whispered to him while conversations broke out in the room as the tension was cleared, “I want to talk to you, privately,” he spoke the last word so softly that Raptor barely made it out through context.
“VC Barryett, you have the command,” Raptor said, “I will be in my quarters for a few. Alert me if Enemy One and Three resume pursuit. Terminate the battle alert.”
“Yes sir,” VC Barryett replied.
“I will help you to your new quarters,” Raptor said to Antrar and helped him down the stairs and he fetched a hover mobile outside the command room.
Chapter 16: Plot
Nolfus Berrum, the Commander of the Nestorian Republican Guard, was pacing back and forth in the visitor room outside of his office in the command tower located on the capital planet of Nestor. Nolfus was tall and lean of face with intense eyes. There were two large windows on the front wall and occasionally Nolfus looked outside to the flight decks where airships were parked. He was holding his gloves in one of his hands and would smack the other hand with them at times. There was a large sofa for visitors’ right underneath the windows and an older man with a beard and a round face sat on them.
“I did not agree with that decision,” Nolfus said still pacing the room.
“I did not even have a say in it,” the old man replied.
“But it wasn’t right,” Nolfus said, “Jag Manus was a dedicated officer just doing his job. It was not his fault that he was assigned to that traitor Vice Chancellor Remus.”
“What can I say?”
“Aurus, you informed the Cloaked Man about Jag’s visit to your company and his acquiring information that might lead him to suspect you,” Nolfus said.
“I asked him to give me money to help me hide and not in some backwater,” Aurus Janus said, “the Cloaked Man is our leader, if you couldn’t convince him otherwise, how can I? I am just a pawn.”
“Looks like he is here,” Nolfus said looking out of the window. He picked up a radio on a small table nearby and said to the guards outside the building, “I have a guest coming to visit me. If he speaks the password I have told you, let him in without carding his identification and this visit doesn’t go in the records.”
“Yes sir,” the guards replied over the radio.
A few seconds later they heard footsteps come up the stairs and then the door opened.
“Stairs!” their guest said, “when are you going to get an elevator in this place?”
“Just under repair,” Nolfus said.
Their guest was dressed in a cloak from head to toe and had a hood over his head. He took a glance at Aurus and then turned back to Nolfus.
&n
bsp; “You should not have had Jag Manus killed,” Nolfus said, “I could have handled him. I was his direct superior.”
“Do you realize,” the cloaked man said, “how close he was getting to Aurus here,” he pointed to Aurus, “and he has the backing of VC Remus who can override your orders to him.”
“Too bad the assassin you sent after VC Remus couldn’t do likewise,” Nolfus said, “I told you we should have sent a Republican Guard marksman.”
“He was the best assassin in Nestorian Republic,” cloaked man said, “It wasn’t his fault. He was operating in a foreign territory and he didn’t know that Starfirians have some strange protective field that can deflect laser. We all didn’t know.”
“He tried to fire through a glass? That fool!” Nolfus said.
“Glass? Who said glass?” the cloaked figure said, “It was air. The shield was invisible in the air.”
“That’s impossible,” Nolfus said.
“Starfirian have it,” cloaked man said, “I have it through a trusted source. Speaking of the dastardly hordes, they have dispatched a Starship our way.”
“Single one?” Nolfus grinned, “We don’t have much to worry then.”
“Yes we do,” Cloaked man said, “Remus’s plan is working as he planned even if it is not hewing 100% to his devious mind.”
“We should approach the Chancellor,” Aurus Janus said.
“How many times have I told you the Chancellor is old, decrepit and gone senile,” cloaked man said, “I can’t reach him, how will you? He didn’t realize that Remus is bringing Starfirians here to stage a coup. Starfire Empire doesn’t like republics. Once their fleet is parked out here they can install a King and Remus will be their choice. He did not just go there to request help against this fictional enemy but also to conspire with them.”
“Fictional enemy?” Nolfus said, “They are attacking our mining and exploration spaceships in the frontier space.”
“Nolfus, Nolfus, my dear,” Cloaked Man said, “You don’t realize that they are just some frightened aliens whom Remus – Bakus Axis have stirred up and are reacting in fear and anger.”
“You don’t show sympathy for our enemies now,” Nolfus said.