by Martin Durst
The three Hiver ships suddenly accelerated upwards. It was clear they were leaving atmosphere at maximum velocity. He watched them disappear. ‘Well boys, looks like this fight is over. –Nothing more we can do here. Let’s scan for survivors. I’ll contact Earth Fleet. We’re going to need relief aide. This entire grid is glowing with radiation.’ He watched the other pilots start surveillance runs. The primary goal now was to save lives. Sydney was literally destroyed and all that remained was a massive gaping crater. This battle was costly. If we’re going to survive this war, we’re going to have to notch it up. He chipped his comms. His Father wasn’t going to like the news.
Admiral Cook stood in front of the tactical console looking through the domed plexisteel observation window as the Carthaginian slowly drifted in orbit. The surface of the moon looked close enough to touch. The blast shield was raised exposing the ships scarred and burnt hull. Two of his three primary turrets were beyond repair. His forward and port side silos were damaged and useless, his Attack Pods were depleted, and his shield plating was to the point of collapse. –And that was the good news. The three other surviving Battleships were falling apart and had exhausted their munitions and ordinance. They were sitting ducks.
His eyes wandered to his silent companions in formation beside him. All of them spewed vapor trails of various gases. Sparks of electrical damage lit their battered hulls as if swimming in a sea of bioluminescence. The entire scene painted a grim picture as the Hiver ships approached firing range.
He sighed and locked his hands behind his back. He was tired. –Very tired. It’d been almost twenty four hours since he’d slept. And from the looks of things, he wasn’t going to have to worry about being tired much longer. They’d fought a good fight, but they were out of options. The Hiver shields were a serious problem. Half of his ordinance never hit their hulls as it exploded in the intense radiation field surrounding their ships. The surface-atmosphere cannons wouldn’t be in range for another twenty-two minutes. –Sensors indicated the Hivers would be past the moons curvature in less than half that time. They’d have a clear shot at him by then. However, there was one option. He just didn’t want to make the call. –Not yet. Not while there was still time. There had to be something he could do. He couldn’t accept failure now. His crew was depending on him. ‘Close the blast shield,’ he said returning to his command chair. No sense stalling anymore. –At least we’ll go down in a blaze of glory.
He chipped his ship intercom and patched to the Battleships. ‘Attention all ships, this is Admiral Cook. We all know the condition we’re in and that the Hivers are almost within firing range. All of you have fought bravely. I couldn’t ask for a finer crew. I’m proud to have served with all of you. But we all know how this is going to end, so I’m going to give a final order to all ships. At my signal, we will execute a three-sixty burn and ram those bastards straight to hell!’
‘Sir,’ his tactical officer interrupted. ‘We have incoming from the surface! –Three more Hiver ships!’
Admiral Cook rubbed his forehead in frustration. As if things weren’t bad enough.
‘Correction Sir! Make that seven ships! Four are Shu’kan! –And they’re lighting them up all the way!’
‘Get me a visual on the comm screen!’ He bounded from his chair. ‘I’ll be damned,’ he grinned. ‘Looks like our new friends decided to join the party! XO, send an order for flight deck to launch any Pod that has at least one strike missile and enough fuel for five minutes of flight! Comms, order the remaining Battleships to set auto pilot on a collision course for those ships chasing us then abandon ship in any available Pods! Navigation, turn this tug around! We’re going to get between those incoming Hivers and their buddies. Face our starboard side directly in their path! Let’s hit’em with everything we got left!’He chipped his comms to tactical. It displayed a symphony of ships dancing in every direction. His bridge crew was moving with purpose again. They’d come really close to losing it all. –Now they had their spirits renewed with the will to survive. He was going to take full advantage of it.
‘Sir, we have an incoming message from a Shu’kan ship.’
‘Put it on the comm screen.’
An image sparked to life. He instantly recognized the smile of Leader Bro’na.
‘Admiral Cook, I hope we aren’t too late. We’ve been busy chasing some friends of yours!’
‘So I see,’ he replied. ‘I have to say we are glad to see you. I’m sorry to skip to the business at hand, but we’re running out time. There are three ships coming into orbital view just on the other side of the moon. With any luck, my Battleships will stop them. They’re on a collision course. I’ve positioned myself between them and the ships you’re chasing. I think it’s time we finished this!’ He closed his comm link and chipped to tactical. Settling in his command chair, he prepared for battle.
There had been no choice but to initiate shields. The death of her brood from the radiation was unfortunate, but she’d lost too many ships. The fast moving flyers had destroyed several more. Now only she and two others remained.
The battle high above this planet still lingered and her Harvest ship had been destroyed. She had grossly underestimated this species ability to resist. Anger welled within her. Years of work and patience were destroyed in the matter of hours. She would have her revenge. She’d return to her solitary planet and rebuild. Her armada may be destroyed, but at least the rest of her brood was safe. Yes. –She’d made her decision. But first she’d destroy the rest of their ships. It would at least provide some satisfaction.
Already spiraling upwards, she bristled with anticipation.
With a fireball explosion that looked like a mini nova, the Battleship struck. The two remaining Hiver ships hastily changed course to avoid collision.
‘We were lucky to get one.’ The XO reported. ‘The other two are moving to intercept.’
‘Focus on the incoming ships. The Shu’kan are concentrating all their fire power on one ship, so they’re tracking about their shields. Target the same ship. Some of our ordinance will push through.’
They watched anxiously as they all pounded the lead ship; its dense radiation shield super-heated the barrage of missiles and flak that assaulted it. Most exploded before impact, but the sheer mass of firepower was pushing through. A few minutes later, it exploded into a bright fire ball. Each of them instinctively shifted their fire to the next ship. As before, it was taking massive fire to penetrate the shields.
‘Sir, we’re out of missiles! All we’ve got left is our aft turret!’
‘Make it count! Push every shell we got left!’
Two Shu’kan ships abruptly exploded simultaneously. The two Hiver’s that dodged his Battleships had hit their exposed flanks. ‘Christ!’ he shouted as the comm display brightened painfully. ‘We just lost two!’ It was ironic that this battle should come down to this. The Carthaginian was spent. She was little more than a bag of air waiting to be punctured. The two remaining Shu’kan vessels were no match for three Hiver ships. Even with no shielding the Hiver ships were built for battle and well armed. The smaller Shu’kan cruisers had light defenses and thinner hulls.
Admiral Cook chipped Leader Bro’na. His image appeared on the comm screen. The Carthaginians Bridge was a jumble of wires and debris now. Static rolled across the Leaders image as his ship struggled to compensate.
‘It appears, leader Bro’na, that I am at the end. Stand clear. I’m going back to my original plan. I can at least even the odds for you.’ Leader Bro’na was about to argue otherwise when a massive array of fire suddenly erupted between them. Its sheer destructive power sent waves of heat energy that pushed their ships aside as if they’d crested a towering wave. At its center, two Hiver ships vaporized into indiscernible atoms. Then suddenly, they were gone. Every alarm and bell clanged on the bridge warning of failures.
‘Sir, we just lost decks three through five to decompression! Engineering reports that the emergency bulkheads are in place and
holding!’
‘Jesus! That was the surface-atmosphere cannon!’ he said pulling himself back into his chair. ‘Where’s that last Hiver ship?’
‘Sir, it’s gone. We got a fix on it at the far range of our sensors. –Looks like it’s doing hard acceleration.’
‘It was definitely clear of the blast,’ tactical added. ‘I had it registered on my screen for a moment also.’
‘Power down to life support and engines only,’ Admiral Cook ordered. ‘The old girl is barely holding together. Get engineering on a damage assessment. I also want a full casualty report in twenty minutes. And Leader Bro’na,’ he continued turning back to his comms display to address the dignitary,’ thank you for your assistance. I think I speak for everyone here that we sincerely appreciated your help!’ Admiral Cook was so tired it hurt to smile, but right now, it was worth it.
‘Your home is also our home now, Admiral. It was the least we could do. We’ll match your orbit for a while in case you need further recovery assistance. This is leader Bro’na, out.’
Admiral Cook surveyed his bridge. He’d never seen his bridge crew so haggard. It was a miracle they were still alive. He wished he could say the same for the crew of his other ships. It was going to be a hard next few days. Casualties were high and families needed to be informed. It was the worst part of his job. But there was time for that.
‘XO, start a sleep rotation, four on four off. The crew needs rest, but we still need to watch our six in case we get a surprise visit. The Carthaginian is still vulnerable.’
‘Aye, Sir.’
‘I’ll relieve you on the next shift,’ the Admiral continued as he moved to leave, ‘hail Earth Fleet and provide them a preliminary report with a caveat that I’ll give them a full report once I return.’
Admiral Cook managed to get to his quarters without being delayed. He’d never been so tired in his life, but he silently thanked God for saving humanity again. He pulled his boots off and eased gratefully onto his pillow. Earth may have won this battle, but he knew they’d be back. Each time they’ve attacked, it’s devastated us. This one was the worst. We’ll never survive another one. The thought wasn’t encouraging. The last thing he remembered before the blessed darkness consumed him was a deep sense of hopelessness; and that he under no circumstances would he share his feelings with his crew. They’d lost enough hope already.
Carolina Escobar was a woman of many talents and she had little tolerance for failure. And this was the last time for Wilson. She pulled her knife from the base of his neck and pushed him over with a nudge of her foot. He fell face first with a muffled thud.
‘I understand you’ve had training at the Academy?’ She looked at her Pod driver who was staring aghast at Wilson’s lifeless body. ‘Are you going to answer me or stand there catching flies with your mouth?’
‘Ah, yes. That is, I was cadet.’
‘Your name is Prevost? –Bill Prevost, right?’ she asked as she wiped the blood from her knife into a handful of leaves.
‘Yes,’ he replied still looking at the body. ‘What are we supposed to do with him?’
‘Leave him. We have a long way to catch up with our little alien. –Brianna spoke highly of you. Don’t disappoint me.’
They’d left early this morning after losing their captives. A tracking device was on the Shu’kan female, but they’d unexplainably lost the signal during the night. It was broadcasting clearly now. They couldn’t be more than eight to ten hours behind them. ‘Let’s hope you remember your survival training,’ she said taking the lead. ‘Try to keep up. We have a lot of ground to cover.’
They traveled at a near run as Carolina held her tracking receiver in front of her. It blipped faithfully leading them ever closer to their destination. By mid-day, he was sweating profusely. Their packs weren’t too heavy, but the humidity was oppressive. He was still in decent shape and was keeping up, but he couldn’t help but be impressed. She was definitely in top-notch shape. Even though she was sweating, she was barely breathing hard.
Twice they came to a water obstacle. The first was a small river that flowed rapidly, but with careful negotiation, they crossed successfully. The second proved be more of a challenge. It was at least thirty feet wide and brown with mud from heavy rainfall. There was no question that it was dangerous.
‘Scout up the river bank that way,’ she pointed, ‘and I’ll go this way. They obviously crossed it. Let’s find out how.’
He walked the bank looking for any indication of how to cross. Within five minutes he’d found it: A rope line. Tied between trees on opposite sides of the river, it was heavy enough to support anyone trying to cross without being swept away in the current.
He worked his way back and brought Carolina to the cross site. ‘They probably tied a rock to one end and threw it across. –That’s what I’d done.’
‘Whatever. Let’s go.’
They made their way across one at a time and resumed their pursuit. The terrain was turning marshy. Picking up his legs was getting difficult as the ground sucked at his boots. Carolina stopped and looked at her tracker. ‘We’ve gained on them. –Probably no more than five six hours ahead now.’
She continued on resuming the same pace. For what seemed like forever they walked pulling one foot then the other over and over from the mud and debris. By late afternoon, she finally stopped.
‘We’ll camp here for the night.’
The ground had finally regained some firmness and they’d stopped at a relatively flat area.
‘We’ve got about two hours of daylight left. You set up the shelter and I’ll prepare a meal.’
He was too tired to argue. Already he was sick of being in this jungle. Every part of his body ached and all he wanted to do was sleep. By the time he’d finished the shelter, Carolina was spooning a stew from a portable cook pot. He quickly hung their packs over a tree limb to keep nosy night critters out and sat to eat. He quietly studied her as they ate. She hardly ever spoke unless she needed to. His curiosity got the best of him.
‘How long have you worked for Biotech?’ he asked.
‘Personal details about me are of no concern to you,’ she replied coldly. ‘I suggest you finish eating and get some rest. –I’ll take the first watch. You’re up in four hours.’
This was going to be a long night, he thought miserably.
‘I think we’re being followed,’ Matheus said looking behind them. ‘It just feels wrong.’
‘How can you be sure,’ Stone replied. ‘We’ve been traveling through this jungle all day. There is no way someone could find us. –Not anyone outside of your village, anyway.’
Matheus didn’t answer as he stood quietly looking.
Tr’al gently wrapped her arm through his. ‘Do you really think someone’s back there?’ she said nervously.
‘I’m sure of it.’
‘Either way,’ Stone said removing his pack, ‘we need to set camp. It’ll be dark soon.’
‘You’re right,’ Matheus agreed. ‘Let’s get to work.’
Her turn for watch came all too quickly. It seemed like she’d just fell asleep when Stone woke her. After a quick lesson on how to use the heat pistol, he crawled in the tent and soon snored lightly. The night noises tried to play tricks on her mind. So by the time she woke Matheus, her nerves were thoroughly rattled.
The next morning was humid and cool. Her clothing felt damp as they quickly ate and packed their gear. Matheus carefully concealed their camp site to hide their presence.
‘Looks like we never slept here,’ she observed.
‘Matheus pulled the bow from his back that he’d been carrying. Testing the string, he nodded in approval and tightened strap of his quiver. She noticed that he kept the bow in his hand.
‘Ok. Let’s go,’ Stone said strapping on his pistol belt. ‘We shouldn’t have more than a day’s march, right?’
‘-Bout that,’ Matheus replied. ‘Once we reach the river, we should be able to find a fisherman to take us to
the city.’
By late morning, they stood at the edge of the river. There was no disputing it was the main artery of commerce for the entire region. Its berth was at least four hundred feet wide.
Matheus pointed to a large dock just down the river. Several large cottages were scattered along the river bank. ‘Here is where we can get transportation to the city. It’s no more than half a day’s journey from this trading village.’ They walked along the riverbank and into the village. Matheus greeted several people in his native language. Each of them seemed pleased to see him, but backed in fright when they saw Tr’al. She suddenly felt self-conscious as the entire village stared at her. Matheus hurriedly spoke and waved his hands. It was obvious he was explaining who she was. When he was finished, he walked over to her. ‘I’m sorry. I forgot that these people have never seen other-world people from the settlement. They’d heard rumors of the Shu’kan. –That your kind was carnivorous and drank blood. This man was afraid you’d show your fangs,’ he said with a chuckle.
He grabbed her hand and slowly led her towards the waiting villagers. The crowd was growing by the minute. He stopped in front of an old man who was clearly the village Elder. Speaking his native tongue, he gestured towards her. Switching to English, he introduced her to him. ‘Tr’al, this is Accius, the village leader.’ She extended her hand in a traditional hand shake. For a moment he appeared hesitant. Then, slowly, he shook her hand. As he held her hand, he turned it over rubbing her skin with his other hand. A grin spread across his face. Looking around, he said something to his people causing the crowd to laugh.
‘What’d he say?’ she asked.
Matheus laughed apologetically. ‘He said no surprise that a woman should feel like a snake. –Trust me, he meant it as a compliment.’
‘Then I’ll take it as a compliment,’ she said gritting her teeth while smiling. She bowed slightly in respect for the Elder. He turned shouting and laughing as he walked back to his hut.