An image of a yellow-skinned alien slid into view, its cheeks jutting away from his jaw making it look like a squirrel or a chipmunk. Was this one of the Klyptons? Did they hijack the York? And why were they here now?
"This is Admiral Rivers of Gibraltar Station. I was told you requested my presence."
The alien held a black box up to its mouth and spoke. At first, the noise was similar to the grunting he'd heard earlier, but it was replaced by robotic sounding words he understood.
"It is true, Admiral. I was told to deliver a message. You and your people are to power down the station and surrender to the might of the Mythrar. Those that do will have a place at their side. Those that refuse…"
The alien left the sentence unsaid, but his meaning couldn't have been more clear. Join them, or die.
The base rumbled as secondary explosions rocked the station, each from a different area than before. Then two more blasts sent Rivers tumbling out of his chair as he hadn't fastened his restraints. He went to pull himself back to his feet only to notice his hand floating inches off the ground in front of him. It was joined by a few strips of paper and the debris from the earlier explosions. The last blast must have knocked out the gravitic stabilizers. Living without gravity was minor compared to what came next. The full atmospheric decompression of the station.
Rivers stared back at the screen to see the alien staring at him, its face devoid of emotion as he watched the bridge crew panic around him. Some of their panicked voices begged the alien for mercy while the others threatened it with every breath. Rivers remained silent. How could he react to a threat such as this?
How could you react to a threat when you couldn't determine whether a ship was friend or foe until it was too late to respond?
"Admiral, we await your decision. Your station will not last much longer. I fear if you hesitate we will not be able to intervene."
Rivers steeled his jaw. They weren't going to intervene. He knew that without a doubt. The crew that was close enough to overhear the conversation gave him questioning looks. He knew what every last one of them was thinking, even if they didn't have the nerve to voice the question themselves.
Was he going to surrender?
If this is going to be the last thing I do, I'll be damned if I go down silently.
"We'll take our chances." Rivers pressed a button on his console ending the transmission before standing to address the crew. "As you are aware, I have received a transmission from the York. An alien species has asked for our surrender. In return, they claim to offer us our lives. Before you ask, I have no intention of relinquishing control of this, or any station, to an alien species intent on our destruction. Our recent history should be enough proof that surrender isn't possible, only death. So if we're going to die, I ask every one of you to give them hell before we do. Make them pay for this station and any other human assets they wish to get their hands on."
The crew was silent for a long moment after his speech. Long enough for him to question their intentions. Surely they wouldn't turn on him now. Would they?
His XO was the first person to speak up. "Powering up weapon systems as we speak. They should be operational in just under five minutes."
Rivers nodded. Five minutes was the time it took to cycle through the railgun ammunition and load the guns or to warm up the station's laser batteries. With proper preparation, the time spent was nominal. But while under attack, five minutes was an eternity.
As if in answer to his fears, the York fired its thrusters, putting the broad side of the ship towards the station. They held the position for less than twenty seconds before unleashing its available weaponry into the station. Rivers watched in fear as pieces of the base ripped free from the torrent of fire. The York adjusted its lasers, focusing the intense beam on the bridge.
The walls turned red hot as the beam melted both plaster and steel alike. Then without warning the beam penetrated the bridge. Without the walls to hold it in, the atmosphere vented out of the hole in less time than it took the admiral to take one final breath. His last thoughts were of his family. He wondered how they would fare against the threat that had taken out twelve ships and one station in less than five minutes.
Chapter Four
Thesis Sector
Bridge, NECS Endeavor
"Captain, scanners are picking up a ship orbiting Thesis Five. Transponder signals from the ship are from the Artemis, the ship responsible for the attack on two NEC ships at Luden gate." Midshipman Ritter pulled up the most recent scan of the system and sent it over to both Captain Wellard and Commander Bremerton's console.
Wellard studied the scan, looking for clues as to whether the ship was alone or had friends. He also needed to know how the ship was armed, considering new precautions that were put in place regarding jumps. For that ship to have taken out three NEC cruisers in less than five minutes, it had to be armed to the teeth. That or it had been retrofitted with the same technology the Mythrar had used on Earth a century before. Weapons so powerful they destroyed humanity's ships in mere seconds.
Unfortunately, from this distance, he could do little more than speculate about the ship based upon scans that were no less than thirty minutes old, likely older considering the time it took to send then receive the signal. He knew, based upon his actions the last two weeks, that he had minutes to decide a course of action. Eventually, the Artemis would realize they were here and hightail it out of the system to hide wherever the missing ships were hiding.
Thus far, they hadn't found a single trace of a FOB for the alien species intent on hijacking every human ship left in operation. But he knew they had to be operating somewhere close. Likely they were operating from the surface of some planet or moon where finding them would be difficult without extensive resources. Resources already being used to hunt down the rogue ships.
To this point, they hadn't been lucky enough to capture one. Every attempt up to this point had resulted in the loss of dozens of crew members as the aliens had resorted to putting the ships on self-destruct the moment they were in danger. That meant the NEC captains were more likely to destroy the ship and use what scans they could muster to determine the actual threat each ship posed.
Today Wellard hoped to change that streak. He intended to see that ship captured if it was the last thing he did.
"Set course for Thesis Five, full thrust."
"Full thrust," Ensign Price acknowledged. "We will arrive in just under two hours."
Two hours. Just enough time for them to turn tail and run. Wellard hoped they would reach the planet before the Artemis noticed them coming. Otherwise, he'd have to file another report with the admiralty detailing how yet another ship got away. They understood it wasn't his fault, but it didn't make him feel any better. Especially knowing the lengths the aliens were willing to take to acquire more ships.
Midshipman Ritter continued scanning the planet as the Endeavor closed on Thesis Five and updated the captain every single time. Ninety minutes into the trip the Artemis hadn't so much as moved a kilometer from its initial position. Wellard supposed that meant either the ship didn't see them coming or didn't care. In either case, he needed to have the ship on full alert in case things turned nasty, which they always did.
"Commander, change our status to orange. I want all cannons loaded and lasers all primed and ready to fire when we arrive."
"Two steps ahead of you, Captain. I also have extra ammunition staged outside of all weapons installments to speed up any reloading and extra crews at the torpedo bays to help out. If the Artemis wants a fight, the Endeavor will be ready."
"Good man. We'll make a captain of you yet." The truth was, the only thing holding the kid back was a technicality. If it were up to him, Wellard would pass control of the ship over and train the next crew that would need the guidance far more than this one.
To this point, this batch of recruits he oversaw had performed admirably and without hesitation. Even more important was that the crew worked well as a te
am, with each member often anticipating the needs of the next person long before it became necessary. He attributed this level of cohesiveness to the young Commander who had drilled the crew far more diligently than fleet academy would ever consider. If any member of his team so much as hesitated in a crucial situation, he wouldn't hesitate to rerun the simulation until they had everything perfect. That way, once they faced a real threat, they would succeed with flying colors.
Nearly two hours had passed, and the Artemis still hadn't moved. For a fleeting moment, Wellard considered that the ship might have been abandoned. He almost hoped for it. Retrieving a lost ship was something they'd long given up on, outside of the miracle on the Providence months before.
"Open a channel to the Artemis. We need to know what we are working with here." The command was done out of habit as the hijacked ships usually didn't communicate outside of their crews. He figured they did it to hide their true intentions as long as possible, or to hide the truth from anyone brave enough to ask. That the ships were no longer crewed by humans and were instead manned by an alien species sent to weaken humanity for yet another invasion.
"Request denied," Lieutenant McRee said. "Should I try again?"
"Negative," Wellard replied. "Ensign move our ship within weapon range. Maybe the threat of our ship will get them to change their minds." He doubted it, but it was worth a try. If it failed… Well, at least they would be in range for the battle.
Before Price could acknowledge the command, Wellard glanced over at Bremerton who gave him a curt nod. The kid was superb as he had already anticipated the conflict and had his crews at the ready. He wouldn't even have to say the word if the enemy ship so much as flinched."Captain, the Artemis is powering up their weapons," Lieutenant Commander Wilson said from his weapon control terminal.
"Open fire," Bremerton said before the news could settle in.
Chapter Five
Thesis Sector
Bridge, NECS Endeavor
"Commander Thompson, order your fighters to focus on their weapon systems first. I want to neuter the Artemis. Then we'll wing her."
"Roger, Commander. I'm briefing the fighters now. They will be in the sky in the next two minutes. Thompson, out."
"Fighter crews are being briefed as we speak. Should be in the thick of things shortly." Commander Bremerton glanced at his console, focusing his attention on the ever growing damage report scrolling on his screen. They were taking significant damage to their port side. He'd seen reports of nearly a dozen hull breaches, though to this point the electrical patching systems were holding in place, limiting casualties to six injured so far.
After a moment he realized the captain hadn't acknowledged the receipt of his last update and prepared to do it again. Before doing so, he turned to make sure Wellard wasn't busy or otherwise predisposed. Instead, he found the man sitting back in his chair watching the action unfold on the main screen.
"Captain, did you understand or should I repeat the update?"
"I understood, Commander. I was letting things play out." Wellard stood up and took a few steps towards the main viewscreen before stopping. "You've been doing a remarkable job thus far and was letting your orders play out. Continue to fill me in as you see fit, but otherwise I defer control of the ship to you in the meantime."
Bremerton nodded before turning his attention back towards his terminal. If the captain was going to give him a chance to command the ship in combat, he wasn't going to let him down.
His console beeped with the receipt of an incoming transmission from the CAG. He accepted the transmission and an image of Valarie popped up on his screen.
"Fighters are leaving the bay now. They'll engage the Artemis in less than thirty seconds."
"Sounds good, Valarie. I'll leave the minutiae to you. Just fill me in if anything unexpected happens."
Valarie laughed. "The unexpected always happens. But, I'll be in touch."
Bremerton smiled and cut the transmission. He returned his attention to his console he could tell the battle was going well. Nearly a third of the enemy weapons were either damaged or offline. In exchange, they'd lost two laser batteries, six gauss cannons, and almost a dozen fighters. The ship hadn't deployed any fighters which kept the fighter casualties to a minimum. At this rate they would disable the ship in a matter of minutes, saying it didn't have any tricks up its sleeve.
He pressed a button opening a channel with the CAG once again. "Valarie, move your fighters to the thrusters. Let's keep this one from running."
"Fighters switching targets as we speak."
Bremerton terminated the connection and glanced back at Wellard who focused on the action on the main screen. Wellard nodded once he noticed Bremerton looking at him.
"Think this one won't self-destruct like the others?" Wellard asked.
"Worth a shot," he said confidently. "I'll move the fighters away before too long. Just wanting a little help to keep it from getting away."
The ship lurched, sending everyone against their restraints. Bremerton glanced at his console waiting for the damage control monitors to relay the update. When it didn't arrive after a few seconds, he stood. "Damage report?"
"Massive internal damage to two port-side thrusters. Damage control teams are in route to put out the fires and repair the thrusters."
Damn. Just like that the odds had swayed back towards the Artemis, and under his command.
"Bridge to engineering."
"This is Vaughn, what do you need Commander?"
"What is the status of our engines?"
"Other than the two thrusters, we're running at full power. Are you planning on running?"
"Not exactly," Bremerton replied. "Just wanting to make sure we can keep up with them if they do."
"Well the best we can give you is seventy percent thrust until we can repair the damaged thrusters. Fifty if you intend to fly in a straight line."
"Not good enough. Put every able-bodied engineer you have repairing the thrusters. We need to be able to leave at a moment's notice."
"Fine, but know that half my people are repairing your weapons. If they run, you'll have nothing left but to ram them."
"Starboard weapons are fine. We'll have to be creative in how we follow them if they run," Bremerton said, half-jokingly. "Make it happen. Bremerton out."
"Sure that's wise?" Wellard asked, eyes still focused on the screen.
Bremerton stopped for a moment to think about the question. Surely it was the best decision. If the engineering crews continued to concentrate on the weapons, they'd end up being able to fire everything at a target that slowly got away. But if they focused on the thrusters, they could at least keep up, and as long as he kept one side of the ship out of the conflict, then he'd have something to fire.
No. Wellard was trying to throw him off. By making him second guess himself, he was proving he wasn't ready for command. If he was going to make this work and show to the captain that he was ready, he'd have to take ownership of everything he did.
"Best option we have. We can survive with the loss of a few weapons, but without thrusters, we're nothing but a large target." Bremerton said the words as confidently as he could. He wasn't sure what answer Wellard was looking for, but regardless he wanted to sound like he knew what he was doing."Sirs," Midshipman Ritter interrupted. "Picking up a new contact. Appeared out of nowhere."
Bremerton stared at the screen in surprise. Sure enough, another ship had entered the fray. Before he could issue another command, the ship fired.
Chapter Six
Thesis Sector
Bridge, NECS Endeavor
"Commander, I'm taking control of the ship." Wellard stood up and addressed the bridge crew, who stared at him with a look of stunned disbelief. "Change of plans people. We can no longer afford to play a game of cat and mouse. Let's focus on finishing off the Artemis before turning our attention to the new target. And commander, contact Vaughn and have his crews go back to working on the weapons. You made a good
call, but the situation has changed. We can no longer afford to take prisoners, so our priority has to be back on the weapons."
Bremerton nodded and went back to work. Wellard hoped the kid didn't take the lesson personally. He'd been doing everything perfectly up to the point of the second contact. Better than expected, to be honest. Most the commanders he'd trained through the years would have put a priority on weapons in the previous situation believing firepower to be more important than speed. But the kid was too smart for that. He understood not only how important movement was in battle, but that you sometimes needed to adapt on the fly.
"Wilson, I want you to focus on trying to figure how exactly this damned ship blinked out of nowhere. We need to know if they were using stealth or if they'd learned a new way to travel."
"Early signs don't favor stealth, I'm afraid," Wilson said. "Sensors are picking up heavy amounts of tachyon particles in the area."
"Great," Wellard said out loud. "Keep an eye out for other contacts in the system in case they were traveling with friends. We can't afford for the odds to get worse than what they are."
"Picking up secondary explosions on the Artemis. The reactor is stable though many subsystems are failing."
The images onscreen confirmed the report. The concentrated fire from the Endeavor and the fighters were doing a number on the Artemis. Dozens of smaller explosions lit up the Artemis' hull from the fighters weaponry. Occasionally a larger explosion flared where they knocked out one of the ship's weapons. The Endeavor's lasers lanced into the enemy hull anywhere there was a hole while the gauss cannons created more places for the laser crews to target.
In return, the Artemis focused on taking the occasional shot at a nearby fighter when a miss would still send the fire into the Endeavor. But even those shots were coming to an end as the fighters returned the favor.
Infamy (The Mythrar War Book 2) Page 2