by Saxon Andrew
“It might help if you could fire all of our blasters ahead of us as we approach that ship.”
“I’ll check out the panel now. I might need some practice before the real event.”
“I’ll move the bow so you can practice firing under the filament.”
“How do you want me to set up the firing pattern?”
Sam thought for a moment and said, “See if you can have all of them focused on one spot. We need to weaken the Tronan’s hull if that’s possible.”
Jek smiled, “Alright, let’s do this.”
• • •
“Director, we are approaching the intersection where that vessel must have changed course.”
“Have you determined which filaments it could have made the maneuver?”
“There are two that are possible. I’m launching scanning probes on each of them.”
“Do you know where those filaments go?”
“It appears both of them are headed toward stars that are relatively close by the intersection, Director.”
“I want a message probe launched toward our fleet detailing everything that’s happened. Let them know we’re going to have to attack a civilization that scanned us before we return.”
“Should I delay the launch until we determine which filament the Dojuit took?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll arrive in thirty hours, Director. I recommend we leave the filament until we receive the probe’s information.”
The Director looked at his ship’s Controller, “Do as he suggests.”
“Yes, Director.”
• • •
“Commander, the Tronan will arrive tomorrow. I’m receiving messages from the crew demanding to be brought back on board,” Shelly said from her console.
“Tell them to stay where they are.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Sam keyed his communicator, “Pletal, are your missile launchers ready?”
“They are. When should we open fire?”
“You have the range of the Tronan blasters, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“Launch so they will arrive at the Tronan Warship before it moves into blaster range of your ship. Keep firing and don’t let up.”
“I’m not certain that any will make it through their defenses.”
“The plan is to keep them focused on your ship while we send the two drones at them. Just make sure there is a solid wall of missiles between them and your vessel.”
“Will do. Good-luck, Fleet Commander.”
Sam nodded and ended the transmission. He could feel his fear and fought to keep it under control. It would arrive in less than twenty hours. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
• • •
Sam opened his eyes, woke from a deep sleep, and leaned back in his chair as he rubbed his eyes. His expression was grim and Shelly tilted her head and said from her console, “You never smile; why is that?”
Sam jerked his head around and said, “Of course I smile.”
Shelly shook her head, “No, you don’t. I’ve been watching you closely since our little run in in your conference room and you never smile.” Sam’s eyebrows came together and Shelly said, “Oh, you smile when you’re praising a member of the crew but that’s about it. Don’t you like your job?”
Jek looked at Shelly from the weapon’s console, “The Commander has had a tough life.”
Shelly looked at Jek, “Who among us hasn’t? Fleet Commander Hefin smiled a lot and he brought a sense of life and humor to the bridge. You know what he went through during the Huddes occupation. You’ve demonstrated nothing but seriousness and a strictly nothing but business attitude. Even Jek smiles more than you do.”
Jek started to speak and Sam said, “I can handle this.” Jek closed his mouth and nodded. Sam looked at Shelly and was silent for a moment before saying, “I was born in the forests while my family ran from the Huddes Hunter Units. By the time I was ten years old, my mother had been killed by a Huddes Laser and by fifteen years old my father had lost his right arm. I watched as those around me died attacking the invader as I learned how to kill them. Once they left, I was given the command of a warship and I fully expected the Huddes to return at any moment. All I’ve known my entire life is death and how to dispense it.”
Jek listened and, when Sam stopped speaking, he said, “Don’t forget to add your girlfriend just left you for another man. That also has you bothered.”
Sam looked at Jek and said harshly, “You could have gone all day without saying that, Jek!”
“Is that true?” Shelly asked.
Sam exhaled and nodded, “Yes, she and I just didn’t have enough time together to make it work.”
Shelly tilted her head, “Did you smile around her?”
“Of course I smiled around her!”
“No, you didn’t”
Same jerked his head around toward Jek, “YES, I DID!”
“I agree that you occasionally smiled but it wasn’t very often. You were caught up in the scouting mission to find the Huddes Home Planet, your new position as head of Heaven’s Fleets, and you’ve been consumed worrying about doing a good job.” Jek looked at Shelly, “Sam takes things very seriously.”
Shelly nodded, “I’ve seen that.” She turned to Sam, “You need to lighten up.” Sam’s eyes narrowed as Shelly continued, “You’ve proven yourself to the crew and they trust you now. I hated you with a passion when you first came on board but I now realize that you are a good person with a big heart. Not many officers would have put their lives on the line to save that colony ship and all of us on board know that it was the right thing to do. You don’t have to keep trying to prove yourself. Besides, every sailor in the fleet spends long periods away from those they love. If your girlfriend couldn’t accept that, then she really didn’t deserve you or care enough about you to wait. She sounds pretty selfish to me.”
Jek shrugged, “She was pretty self-absorbed.”
Sam quickly said, “I thought you said we were good together!”
“Both of you are self-absorbed. You were a good match.”
Shelly burst out laughing and Sam looked at her as she said, “You have a new girlfriend to fawn over.”
“And who is that?” Sam asked.
“Her name is Delilah. It’s a shame we’re about to put her in danger but you have a lot more to worry about than some ditzy woman full of herself.”
Sam stared at her and then smiled, “I guess you’re right.”
Shelly smiled, “Now, was that so hard?”
Sam shook his head and looked at Jek, “Do you think I should put Annie behind me?”
“It’s not important what I think, Sam. It’s how you feel about it. She certainly didn’t place much worth in what you’re doing to defend Heaven to wait for you.”
Sam stopped smiling and after a moment nodded, “Perhaps you’re right. I was probably caught up in just how beautiful she is and didn’t really look at her soul.”
Shelly’s eyes narrowed, “You say this Annie is beautiful.”
Sam nodded.
Shelly’s eyes narrowed as she asked, “Is this woman’s name Annie Barber?”
Sam looked at her, “How did you know that?”
Shelly rolled her eyes and shook her head, “She has been dating my older brother off and on for more than two years. She just won’t offer him any form of commitment.”
Sam looked at Jek, “Did you know about this?”
Jek looked at Shelly, “Well now you’ve done it!”
“Did you know?” Sam demanded.
Jek looked at Sam, “You told me to never stick my telepathic mind into your relationships. Of course I knew about it. But you were her first choice so I thought you’d make it with her eventually.”
Sam stared at Jek and asked, “Is this new person she’s seeing Shelly’s brother?”
Jek looked at Shelly and saw her staring intently at him, “Uhhh, I’d rather not say.”
; “Jek…answer me!”
“Oh hell, what the frack. No, it’s not her brother. She’s just stringing him along to keep her entertained when the others she’s seeing aren’t available.”
“That’s why you told me that you weren’t going to share what was going on.”
“It is. You’ve had enough sorrow without adding this to it. She still likes you a lot but likes having a good time more.”
“Well, in the future, I remove my prohibition of telling me what is going on.”
“I’m still not going to tell you anything.”
“WHY NOT!”
“Because it wouldn’t be fair to the one you’re attracted to. Besides, all three of us are probably going to die shortly and it’s a mute issue.”
Shelly lifted her communicator, “Well, I am going to tell my brother about this!”
Jek turned to her, “He won’t believe you.”
Shelly’s eyes narrowed, “And why is that?”
“Because he loves her and will believe you are lying to him to prevent his happiness. You’ve got to allow him to find out for himself. That is when he’ll need your support.”
Sam looked at Jek, “You don’t think I would have believed you if you told me what she was doing?”
“You would have confronted her with it and she would have lied her way out of it. The two of you aren’t engaged and she is free to do as she wants. She’ll tell you that she dates others to help her deal with the long separations but that you are the one she loves and you would believe her. She’ll tell Shelly’s brother the same thing and he’ll hold on to her as well.”
Sam and Shelly sat silently in their chairs and Jek shrugged, “You have to admit she has good taste. She’s chosen two men from very good families. Even the new one is quite striking.”
Shelly stared at Jek and after a long moment said, “It’s Rolf, isn’t it?”
Jek sighed and looked at Shelly in silence. “Who is Rolf?” Sam asked.
Shelly continued to stare at Jek and then turn to Sam as she said, “He’s my boyfriend. He’s been difficult to contact lately and I sense something is going on. He met Annie one night when she was out with my brother. I saw his interest in her but didn’t think about it.” She turned back to Jek, “It’s Rolf, isn’t it?” Jek closed his eyes, exhaled slightly, and nodded.
Shelly looked at Sam with anger all over her face, “If there is any way for us to survive this mission, I want you to make it happen.”
“Why?”
“Because I am going to go back to Heaven and kick Rolf’s butt into next year along with that hussy you called a girlfriend.”
Jek’s head went back slightly and he smiled, “May I be present to see it?”
Sam burst out laughing and said, “I think both of us would like to see that.”
Shelly looked at them with an angry expression and then started smiling. She saw them laugh harder and she joined them.
• • •
“Director, one of the filaments we sent Doggetts on has arrived at a star. There are no planets with civilized life on them circling that star.”
“What about the other filament?”
“The Doggetts have been destroyed before they’ve made it one third of the way to the star it originates from.”
“That has to be the one where the Dojuits fled. Activate our weapons and prepare to move on that filament.” The Director looked at his Communication Director, “Send a message back to the fleet telling them we are moving in to attack a civilization that scanned us in our pursuit of the Dojuit Ship.” The Communicator looked at his panel and pressed a button. The large ship felt a small shake as the large probe ejected from the hull and accelerated away from the intersection. It was going to take a year to arrive at the fleets’ location and this issue should be resolved before it fairly started its long trip. But he was required to notify the Fleet Director before he initiated an attack. He turned to stare at the large wall monitor as the huge warship entered the filament and began boosting toward the distant star.
• • •
“Sir, the Tronan Warship had entered our filament and is boosting toward our location.”
Sam nodded to Shelly and activated his communicator, “Pletal, you need to fire up your boosters in two hours. The Tronan Warship has entered the filament and will be in scanning range of your vessel in an hour.”
“I’m activating the missile tubes now and have them start targeting the Tronan as it moves into range. We’ve taken control of the two drones and will launch once the Tronan comes to a stop.”
Sam nodded, “All ships, enter normal space behind the Dojuit Colony Ship. Hold your position there until otherwise notified.” Sam looked at Shelly and Jek, “The two of you need to start getting your systems organized and ready in the event we’re force to launch.”
Jek stood up from his chair and moved to the weapons Console. Shelly began moving various images on to the wall monitor from ten passive probes scattered along the trajectory of the approaching Tronan Warship. Sam remained in his command chair and waited for the enemy vessel to arrive. The pilot’s Chair didn’t have the monitors to track what was happening. He stared at the wall monitor as the giant warship picked up speed as it moved toward Heaven.
• • •
“Director, I have the Dojuit Vessel on my scanner! There are thousands of warships around it.”
“Target those warships first.”
“The Dojuit Ship is powering up its boosters, Director.”
The Director shook his head and scowled, “Ignore the warships, do not allow that Dojuit to get by us! Target all blasters to hold off attackers and open fire on the Dojuit as soon as it moves into range!” The Director’s eyes narrowed. If his scanners were right, those warships did not represent a real threat. He stared at his various monitors and wondered if he was missing something. He shook his head and watched as the enemy was growing larger on the wall monitor.
“Director, we will have to enter normal space to approach the Dojuit. We will also have to reduce speed to avoid overrunning it and allowing it to escape as we pass it.” The Director looked at his Pilot and nodded. “If I see it activate its stardrive, I’ll activate ours and meet it in Under Space before it can pass us.”
“Do not allow that vessel to get by us!” the Director ordered. The pilot nodded and gripped the engine handles tightly.
Chapter Five
“Director, the hull of the Dojuit Vessel has been changed.”
“In what way?”
“There appears to be more than a thousand holes cut into it.”
“Do you detect any blaster radiation emanating from those holes?”
“No, Director. But they must serve some purpose.”
The Director stared at the giant Dojuit Colony Ship and suddenly, thousands of bright lights shot out of the holes that were cut into its hull. He jumped to his feet, “THOSE ARE MISSILE LAUNCHERS!! FIRE ALL BLASTERS AND KEEP THEM OFF US!!”
The Tronan Pilot stopped the huge vessel to allow the blasters to start firing.
• • •
Sam sat in his command chair and watched the hundreds of blasters on the Tronan Warship form a solid barrier of flame between the incoming missiles and their hull. He heard Shelly say loudly from across the bridge, “Sir, the Tronan has come to a stop. It is barely holding off the missiles.” The view on the wall monitor was amazing. The Dojuit Ship was launching missiles in the thousands and their explosions in front of the giant Tronan Warship were incredible. It was clear that none of the Tronan blaster beams were going to penetrate that giant wall of explosions. For the moment, it was a standoff with neither side achieving any success. However, there was a limit to the numbers of missiles available to fire.
Sam moved to the pilot’s console and continued to stare at the wall monitor. It was time for the two drones to launch. He waited and continued to focus on the monitor and then he saw them erupt out of Under Space and accelerate toward the giant Tronan Warship at their m
aximum speed. The Tronan detected them and the rear blasters on the giant warship turned and opened fire at the two incoming drones. The bows of both ships exploded just before the remains of the two ships slammed into the rear of the giant Tronan vessel. There was a huge explosion but when the blast cleared, the Tronan was still firing at the incoming missiles and holding its place. Sam shouted at Shelly, “Status!?”
“The two drones ripped off the outer hull coating removing all the rear blasters on the warship. They also completely disabled the rear boosters. That ship isn’t going anywhere without massive repairs.”
“Did they breech the hull!?”
Shelly stared at her monitor and closed her eyes, “No, Sir. They’ve scorched it but did not break through. Everything that was above the inner hull is gone but the hull is holding.”
Sam gripped the controls and looked at Shelly and Jek, “We knew it might come to this. Prepare to ram.”
Shelly sent a feed to Sam’s console from a passive probe as Sam shutdown the stardrive and pushed the booster controls fully forward. Delilah’s Sword emerged into normal space and accelerated toward the stricken Tronan Warship. Jek targeted the blasted hull on the wounded Tronan Vessel and fired every blaster at one spot on the damaged hull. The view disappeared from the monitor and Shelly replaced it with images from another passive probe. Sam lined up the bow of the sword and continued to accelerate toward the giant vessel.”
“Director, there’s another large ship accelerating toward our stern.”
“Fire on it!”
“There’s no blasters that survived the first two impacts and our boosters are out. We can’t move to open fire on it.”
The Director lifted his communicator, “BRACE FOR IMPACT!!”
• • •
Jek held the blasters on the target and suddenly saw a bright burst appear on the Tronan’s hull, “Sam, my blasters have broken through the hull!”
Sam saw the atmosphere from inside the hull spilling out into space and exploding into a bright blaze. He pulled back on the booster controls and used the front steering boosters to flip the bow around. Shelly yelled, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
Sam smiled, “Giving you a chance to kick Annie’s butt!”