“I thought you weren't going to let the Knights Templar turn you?”
“Who said I'm turned?” she scowled. “I'm minding my own business, doing your dirty work, again. Seems like a pattern these days.”
“And your leg?” Chase asked.
“I told you, the Healers know what they are doing.” She moved her leg up and down. “Good as new,” she boasted, although she limped over to Thomas' chair, still feeling some pain from her injury.
“That quickly?”
“Knights Templar technology and a good healer beats your doctors any day.”
“Is Naveya here?” asked Devon hopefully.
“Don't know such a person,” responded Kalista. “OK, let's get this show on the road.” She glanced at the Knights Templar behind her. “Let's back up our Oberums, shall we?”
Chase sighed with relief—a brief respite from the stress of anticipating that he’d be leading a battle and responsible for thousands of crew members on board a starship he'd never seen before.
There you are.
Chase looked left and right.
Yes, I'm talking to you.
Chase paused, then looked under his seat.
Kalista shifted in her chair. “Uh, Chase?” She whispered. “What pray tell are you doing? We have a battle to fight.”
“Did you hear that?” he replied, searching around his seat for some type of microphone.
“Sit down, Chase. And, I mean it.”
Chase nodded. “Right. Sitting.”
Kalista spoke to the crew. “Take the ion drives off idle and full speed ahead. Let's shoot some Drakonis bastards! I never liked those jerks.”
Ascension shot forward and zipped through space toward a flotilla of ships.
Drop low. We attack from beneath.
Chase again glanced around. “Did you hear that?” He looked at Kalista, then at Devon.
“I didn't...” Devon began, but then paused, as if he had just heard something himself. “Oh, Starship Ascension spoke to you. She's letting me know right now.”
You can speak back to me too, either through your own thoughts, which is easier, or orally. Whatever you prefer, Chase.
Ascension's voice was calm and composed.
I'll talk to you through my mind, Chase replied.
I'm fine with either, responded Ascension.
Chase giggled. “This is weird,” he said out loud.
“Target that Nankuani pyramid two clicks to the right,” ordered Kalista.
I concur with Kalista’s command. Her decision feels right to her. Learn from her.
What about going low, like you first suggested? asked Chase.
Her strategy is different, but doesn't mean it's worse or better. Follow her lead.
Ahead they could see the Oberums were pounding the targeted pyramid ship. One after another, explosions blasted outward from the pyramid—hits from the nimble Oberums.
The Oberums were like a relentless swarm picking apart its pray. Chase mused if Ascension even needed to attack that ship at all, since the Oberums were doing fine without Ascension's help.
Kalista raised her arm, then made a throwing motion. “Fire all that we have at that thing!”
Lasers volleyed from Starship Ascension, hitting their mark. Just as the Oberums peeled away from the pyramid it shattered, erupting in a final burst of fire that extinguished quickly in the vacuum of space, leaving space dust and debris everywhere.
We have incoming, warned Ascension.
Before Chase could respond, the ship dipped forward and spun away from enemy fire. In return, Ascension fired more shots, again hitting its mark, creating a fiery mess of several enemy starfighters.
“Did you do that?” asked Kalista, wondering how the starship moved on its own.
Chase shook his head. “Nuh-uh. It has a mind of its own.”
“This ship moves like a starfighter but it's a starship. Starships aren't designed to move like that!” declared Kalista.
The ship suddenly rocked, taking a hit. The vid screen pulled up a display of the starship, indicating impacts to Asension's stern, followed by some internal explosions.
We were fired upon several times and I dodged many streams of lasers, but I need you to pay attention to the vid screen. I can see a lot, but not everything.
Chase nodded and scooted back in his seat, focusing on the battle around them. His eyes widened. Incoming!
I see it, replied Ascension, banking left, then pulling up and out of a myriad of photon cannons and laser impulse weapons.
Ascension dodged capably and before they knew it, they were rounding a ship with a dragon's face. Ascension immediately pelted it with several lasers, then withdrew, then shot again, withdrawing a second time, doing its best to be a nuisance, and not an open target. The dragon ship took the hits on the chin, barely showing a scratch.
“Uh-oh, Drakonis ships,” alerted Kalista. “We don't want to have anything to do with these guys.”
“Ascension, is that right?” asked Chase.
Drakonis ships are not impenetrable.
The Drakonis ship emitted a ripple of energy, and Ascension suddenly tightened, then froze.
“Move away, Ascension!” ordered Chase.
I can’t. They have us locked in a tractor beam.
Kalista let her arms fall to her sides, defeated. “Smooth move Ascension.” She knew full well what was about to happen and gave Chase a farewell nod. “We had a fun ride while it lasted.”
The Drakonis ship lit up red, revving up a weapon, then fired a large, wide energy beam.
Episode 18
Never Say Never
“Thun, get Harak under control,” yelled Crystal, as she tried to concentrate on the battle—a vast starscape of destruction, laser volleys, and massive ships that moved like slugs but withstood shots like a tank.
Tranquil dodged and bucked laser and ion cannon pulse weapons that seemed to come from every direction.
“I'm trying.” Thun physically restrained Harak, who had just witnessed the loss of a good friend in an Oberum just outside the ship's port. Harak’s emotions let loose and he had thrown a hammer at the vid screen, and would have thrown more if Thun hadn't tackled him.
“Let go of me, brother. We shall avenge his death, you lowly sun lover!” barked Harak.
“You can't avenge anyone by throwing things at the screen, Harak. Work with us and we will kill those vile filth soon,” argued Thun.
Harak shoved forward, knocking Thun to the ground, and tried to seize the hammer he had thrown. He had only taken two steps when a smack on his head dropped him unconscious to the ground.
Bilrak glared at his son. “He was berserk. He’ll be okay when he awakens.”
Crystal and Shan looked oddly at Bilrak and the cast iron pan in his hand.
Bilrak patted the pan, then held it up. “Oh, this?” He fastened it to his back, under his long, flowing grayish brown hair, concealing it. “You never know when you'll need one of these.”
Tranquil zipped by an enemy destroyer craft, quickly changing the mood on the bridge and turning everyone’s attention back to the battle. Tranquil zoomed underneath, rattling the destroyer with direct hits, peeling metal off the enemy ship like dandruff from a Dwarf.
A flash of light caught Crystal's eye. “What was that?”
Swift has sent us an emergency beacon. We must act fast, said Tranquil.
Shan pointed to the right side of the vid screen. “It came from that direction.”
“Then that's where we go,” said Crystal. “Patch through to Eden.”
Nothing on that ship is operational, responded Tranquil.
“Get me there as fast as you can, then.”
Swift will heal herself quickly, Crystal. We need to give her cover fire. I'm adjusting our course to Swift's coordinates now.
The ship pitched right and moved to what seemed to be a small dot in the middle of the blackness of space with many larger dots barreling down on it.
Cr
ystal's heart went to her throat. She didn't know Nyx, she vaguely knew Eden, but she wasn't going to let them die on her watch.
“Get there fast! When you're in range, fire every Guild'n thing you have!”
∞
Eden banged back into her seat, feeling the restraints tighten around her. She clenched the armrests with both hands and grimaced.
Swift, are you there?
The craft jostled again, sparks spewing from glitchy and broken HDC's. Nyx looked at the vid screen muttering words in Fae that Eden couldn't understand.
“Nyx!” screeched Eden. “What do we do?”
The vid screen blinked out, no longer working. Now Eden had only her friends on the bridge and her very life to cling to. There was nothing more they could do.
The ship spun, not from want, but from another major hit, yet it still clung to the dragon ship's tractor beam.
Eden, spoke Jantu. Seek faith.
“Seek faith?” Eden turned around and saw that Jantu and the rest of the Fae and Sirians had their heads bowed, murmuring some type of chant or ritual even as they remained at their stations.
I'm coming around, Eden, said Swift weakly. We have to work on our teamwork, no? Confidence will be your strong suit yet!
Eden jolted as another weapon met its mark on Swift's backside; if it weren't for the chair's restraints Eden would have flown out of her seat.
Nyx continued chanting strange words.
If only she would stop and give me some advice, such as, what the Guild do I do next? thought Eden.
The vid screen blipped back on as another foray of direct hits littered Swift up and down.
“Is there any way we can get an estimate of shield strength?” questioned Eden.
Shield strength 9% and falling fast, replied Swift. Engines coming back on line, plasma batteries and ion drives shifting to partial operating status. We're almost ready to go. I'm healing fast.
But will it be fast enough? wondered Eden. She gasped, pointing at the vid screen. “Oh, boy.”
A ship was traveling fast and barreling down on them, either for a head-on collision or to put some finishing touches on Swift.
It wailed lasers, photons, and cannons as it made its course toward Swift, though missing wide on every shot.
“Who is it shooting at?” asked Eden, hoping an answer would come just as fast as that ship.
Nyx stopped chanting and beamed. “They’re not shooting at us, they’re shooting for us! It's Tranquil. Followed by a mess of Oberums.”
A cheer broke out on the bridge as Starship Tranquil flew by, along with dozens of fast moving Oberums, their lasers sweeping across the darkness of space and hitting their marks. Jantu gave Eden a soft nod, then went back to business as the starship revved up and healed more. Swift succeeded in turning the lights back on first, followed by the salvageable HDC's coming back online.
Swift spoke, It's all about teamwork Eden. Let's go and save your race's home.
Got it, nodded Eden. “Let's turn the tide.”
Swift turned 180 degrees, and followed Tranquil and the Oberums on a cleared path of broken ships and dead enemy starfighters that speckled the area as they made their way toward more Drakonis ships in the distance.
“I need an enemy status report,” called Eden.
Look at the vid screen, responded Swift.
The vid screen image split, one side showing their fast approach to Drakonis dragon ships and the other side displaying images of enemy ships, listed in order by colors.
Red means out of commission—dead or incapacitated. Yellow is severely damaged, but operable. Purple is minor damage. Green is fully functional.
The images were of Gray cruisers and destroyers, Nankuani starfighters and pyramid starships, Lizzies’ large cigar-shaped ships—which seemed to carry the most powerful weapons—and the Drakonis dragon ships, the largest of them all.
Two dragon ships were yellow, one purple, and six green. Of the Gray cruisers, the red totaled more than twenty and the rest—seven in all—were yellow or purple. The large cigar-shaped ships totaled nine, four of which were purple and the rest green. The Nankuani fared the worst. Of all the pyramids, only one remained in the purple, the rest—eight in all—were red. Their starfighters had no chance against the Oberums, and out of the hundreds that had been in battle, only a handful were green; the rest were red or yellow.
“Do we have status of our Oberums and starships?” requested Nyx.
The enemy images erased and Tranquil, Ascension, and Swift appeared. Only a few Oberums showed red, almost all showed purple and green. Tranquil was doing fine, all in the green. Swift was yellow, reaching purple rather quickly. The other starship was in the red.
“You're showing me three starships, Swift. We have only two—us, and Tranquil,” said Eden.
Incorrect. We have reinforcements. That starship is a Knights Templar design, named Starship Ascension. And it's red. It needs help ASAP.
“Where are they?” she asked.
Swift responded, We are nearing them. They are caught in a tractor beam by a dragon ship. Percentage of probable survival is very low.
“How low?” Eden questioned.
1%, came Swift's reply.
Eden clenched her jaw. “Advise on the best way to raise that percentage.”
There are eight dragon ships between us and Ascension.
“Bring up Ascension’s coordinates and patch in the same coordinates, though slightly off mark and in a safe jumping zone,” ordered Eden. “Bring Crystal on the screen.”Instantly, Crystal's face was staring back at Eden. Crystal's eye twitched, not expecting Eden to appear in front of her like that. A slight scowl appeared on her face. “Hey...uh...girl—what ya' need? We are about to engage.”
“Swift just patched coordinates to you. There is another Starship out there helping us and it is in dire need. We jump on my mark and light up a certain dragon ship.”
“We engage in two minutes, do we really need to jump?” asked Crystal.
“No way to get to that starship in time. Trust me. Out.” She clicked Crystal off of the screen. “Swift, I hope you patched in safe coordinates.”
Of course. We won't be colliding into Tranquil during the jump,” responded Swift.
Nyx gave Eden a nod, then a half smile. “You're doing good.”
Eden wanted to smile back and thank Nyx for the compliment, but the battle wasn't over yet.
“Swift, patch com link to Crystal's ship,” ordered Eden.
Done.
“All crew on the bridge of Starship Tranquil, we will be jumping on my mark. Three...two...one...jump!”
∞
Starship Ascension trembled. Kalista yelled orders, but the orders weren't heard over the commotion.
Chase looked down at his arms shaking violently, as if the entire craft was pulling apart as weapon fire struck the ship like a metal club pounding a tin pan.
Chase, listen to me, said Asension. I will not break loose from within, though I'm seeking a way to break loose from this tractor beam.
Are the wide energy beams that are hitting us now overloading our systems? Can we survive this?
The energy beams are ripping open our shields and sucking the exterior away like a vacuum. I'm losing my outer shell, but nothing I can't heal from later. Healing isn't our concern. Surviving is, and all indications point to survival probabilities as very low. I have to free us from this tractor beam one way or another or we go through death's open door. I'm working on disabling the communications link between the dragon ship and its tractor beam. The faster, the better.
Understood.
Chase craned his neck to see how Devon was doing. He was sitting at a station, observing the entire bridge and its crew, as if taking a last picture of this life since the afterlife was probably just around the corner.
They met eyes. Chase nodded sympathetically and Devon nodded back.
Devon's eyes returned to the vid screen and his mouth tightened. He attempted to lift h
is arm to point, but Chase caught the gist of his motion and turned.
Sudden bursts of fire erupted from the dragon ship's nose. Chase caught a glimpse of a photon torpedo coming from behind them and striking the heavy armor just under the dragon's chin.
Starship Ascension stopped shaking.
We're loose. Falling back now, said Ascension.
What's going on? asked Chase.
Swift and Tranquil are here.
As Ascension reversed thrusters and slid away from the onslaught, Starship Tranquil and Swift came into view. They were fast, moving out of range from enemy fire even before the enemy could fire back. Swift and Tranquil took turns volleying lasers at the large hull of the dragon ship, and though doing significant damage, they couldn’t penetrate deep enough to shock the dragon ship into fleeing or changing course.
“They are moving in on Gaia still,” observed Kalista. “I need an update on engines, shield vulnerability, and weapons status.”
The screen view split and the engines room appeared on the screen. A very slight, disheveled woman wearing a Knights Templar orange jumpsuit appeared, her leg tapping and her arms across her bosom. She looked far too young to be on the ship, let alone a qualified engineer. “Got it under control, rookies.” She spit on the ground.
“That's not my question,” responded Kalista. “Status, please.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “If you understood the biological anatomy of this ship, then you'd understand status updates, but you don't so you won't understand. Right now, Ascension is unable to pull of status information, so I say you get back to piloting and let us do our job down here. If you want an update, then fine—we are doing swell. You about killed us, but Starship Ascension is healing on all levels, so take your worries elsewhere. Out.”
Starship Ascension angled off behind Tranquil and Swift.
“I don't have time for this,” grumbled Kalista. “What kind of engineer is that?” She shook her head, then gathered herself and barked at Chase. “Can we fire weapons?”
No, but I'll get us online soon, spoke Ascension.
Chase fidgeted. “In a few minutes, I think.”
“You think?” Kalista spat. “I need more than a thought!”
Star Guild Episodes 10 - 18 (Star Guild Saga) Page 32