Purge of Prometheus

by Jon Messenger

  As Keryn looked back toward the tactical display, she noticed another red triangle emerging from ahead of the Alliance ships. Scrambling, she activated the intercom. “We have a sixth Destroyer coming in from straight ahead,” Keryn yelled into the radio moments before the Ballistae shook from an impact.

  “Believe me,” Alcent yelled back, “I already know!” He left the radio channel on as he called orders to the other ships. “Take evasive maneuvers and return fire on that son of a bitch!”

  Rockets launched from their ports as the three ships separated from one another. Many of the missiles exploded harmlessly in the gap between the three elusive ships and the sixth Destroyer. Still, all three ships rocked from close impacts.

  “Give me defensive fire to the front,” Alcent ordered.

  Keryn continued monitoring the attack. Slugs continued to fly from the three ships, destroying enemy rockets. With every volley, however, the missiles grew a little closer before they were destroyed. Stealing a glance at the distance counter in the top left of the display, Keryn grew alarmed. The numbers were no longer rolling comfortably toward zero. They had slowed drastically.

  “Alcent, why are we slowing down?” Keryn called to the bridge. “We need to keep nearly maximum speed if we expect to reach the sun in time.”

  “And I cannot very well fly at full speed at a heavily armed Terran Destroyer!” Alcent replied angrily.

  “The missiles behind us are closing on our position,” Wyck said, concern creeping into his voice.

  “I thought we had defensive fire covering our rear!” she said, spinning on the young Uligart. Keryn felt sweat roll between her shoulder blades. The plan was falling apart quickly.

  “We still do,” Wyck explained, “but the other two Cruisers have focused all their attention on the new Destroyer.”

  “Stupid!” Keryn exclaimed, slamming her fist down on the console. “We flew right into a trap.” The first five Terran Destroyers hadn’t worried about the distance when they fired their first volley. With so many targets to try to destroy, the Alliance ships didn’t stand a chance of stopping all the rockets.

  “Alcent, we need to get out of…” Her words were cut short as an explosion reverberated throughout the Ballistae. Keryn was tossed from her feet, landing roughly on the hard ground. Above her, the tactical display flickered and threatened to fail. “Alcent, I need a damage report!”

  She climbed back to her feet just as Wyck hurried back to the controls from where he had fallen. “Alcent, what is our status?” Her fingers worked furiously on the tactical display, trying to ensure power didn’t fail to the vital system.

  “Alcent, what is…” She stopped as Wyck placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking crestfallen, he shook his head.

  “The rocket hit the bridge,” Wyck said softly. “Anyone that was up there is dead now.”

  Keryn allowed herself only a moment of sorrow for the loss before her mind started to spin into action. “Can you reroute all the control systems from the bridge to this location?”

  Wyck shrugged. He stared at the console as though seeing it for the first time. Keryn placed hands affectionately on his shoulders. “Wyck, can you reroute the systems?”

  Snapping out his stupor, he shook his head. “Sure, I think I can.” Hurrying back over to the console, Wyck opened the panel underneath its keyboard and began fidgeting with wires.

  “Ballistae, this is Squadron Commander Decker,” Adam called worriedly over the radio.

  “Adam, this is Keryn,” she called as she activated the microphone.

  “Thank Gods!” Adam said with an obvious sigh of relief. “I was worried when I saw the rocket hit.”

  “We’re alive, but we’re still far from safe,” she replied. “Do you think the Squadron can keep some of these rockets off me until I can reroute navigation?”

  “We’re on it,” Adam replied. Switching channels, he called to the other pilots in the Squadron. “Our task force is in trouble and needs help. Do everything you can to keep those rockets off our ships. Remember, if they fail, we all fail.”

  The Alliance fighters dove in formation toward the barrage of rockets hurtling toward the three ships. Opening fire with the front machine guns, Adam felt satisfaction as a line of missiles blossomed into balls of plasma. Diving and twisting into impromptu maneuvers, the fighters intercepted the rockets launched by the front Destroyer with no further damage to the Alliance ships.

  “The rockets are clear in front of you,” Adam called into his radio. “That should buy you some time, Keryn.”

  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you right now,” she called back.

  “We’re going to try to clear that Destroyer out of your path,” Adam said. “Wish us luck.” Switching back to his Squadron channel, Adam continued. “Let’s make a hole for our ships. Be ready for anything. It’s only a matter of time before the Terrans send out their own fighters.”

  As soon as they had regained formation and begun flying toward the Destroyer, one of his pilots called over the radio. “Here they come.”

  From the front of the Destroyer, small fighters spewed from its underbelly, filling the space with swarming ships. The two throngs of fighters hurtled toward one another, crashing together in the open space. Explosions shook Adam’s ship as he barrel rolled in between enemy machine gun fire. Letting his own guns spin, fire leapt from ends of his barrels as bullets tore through a Terran fighter. Dodging rockets and the glowing tracer rounds, Adam found it difficult to locate a friendly ship, much less ascertain how his Squadron was doing in the battle.

  “Tell me you’re almost done,” Adam yelled into his radio as another fighter exploded nearby.

  “Wyck is almost there,” Keryn called back, concern evident in her tone. “Bear with me a little longer and we’ll be moving again.”

  “How are the Defiant and Phalanx handling the delay?” Adam asked as he looped his fighter, coming in behind an enemy.

  “They’re furious,” she replied, “and a little scared. I think they…”

  “I’ve got it!” Wyck exclaimed over the radio. “I’ve got navigation and weapons linked to the control room.”

  “I’ll make you a hole,” Adam replied. “All fighters, this is the Squadron Commander. Our ships are heading this way and need a hole through this cloud of fighters and the Destroyer behind them. Let’s give them a way out of this hell hole!”

  Dipping his fighter into a dive, Adam watched dozens of other ships emerge from the dogfight and fall into formation. Pulling up on the controls, Adam skimmed along the top of the Destroyer’s hull as he waited for the rest of his fighters to get into position. Finally, with tracer rounds striking all around him, Adam activated his radio.

  “Fire all rockets!” he cried into the radio as he pushed the trigger. The four small plasma rockets under his wings shot from their tubes as Adam pulled away from the doomed Terran ship. As he gained altitude, hundreds of small blue and purple explosions blanketed the Destroyer. Smoke poured from the top of the ship as fires roared through the rooms and halls, leaving the ship dead in space.

  “The Destroyer is gone,” he informed Keryn as he reentered the fray. “We’re going to get rid of the fighters now.”

  “We’re heading toward the sun now,” Keryn replied. From his vantage point, Adam watched the engines flare to life on the Alliance ships and they sped toward the dark orb hanging in the distant space. Behind them, however, the five Destroyers closed the distance and began firing more salvos of missiles. Firing from the closer distance, the rockets were more accurate and they exploded around the three ships as they tried to flee.

  “Those Destroyers are too close, Keryn,” he called. “Get yourself out of there. We’ll buy you the time you need.”

  “Not at the cost of your own life,” she replied. “Make sure you come out of this alive.”

  Adam released the transmit button on his radio. He didn’t feel right making a promise to her that he couldn’t keep. Instead, he focused
his attention back on the Terran fighters. With the numbers greatly in their favor, the Alliance managed to keep the Terran fighters occupied as the three ships slipped past the dogfight, blazing toward the sun. The Destroyers, in close pursuit, fired more and more rounds toward the trailing ships. As the Terran vessels drew closer, their hangar bays opened and spilled out their own fighters. Now facing the combined Squadrons of six Destroyers, Adam knew they couldn’t stop them any longer.

  “All Squadron pilots,” he said over the radio, “evacuate the area at once. We’ve done all we can, it’s up to the big ships now.”

  Pulling his own ship away from the chaos, he kept his eye on the three Alliance ships hurtling toward the sun. Nearly three quarters of the distance had already been covered. He knew they wouldn’t have to go much further before they could begin their plan. With the Terrans closing on them, Adam just hoped they made it.

  In angry defiance to the elusive Alliance ships, the Terrans fired another massive volley toward the fleeing trio. The Alliance Cruisers launched countermeasures, which detonated the Terran rockets in between the two groups of ships, obscuring Adam’s view of the Ballistae. Though Adam instantly regretted thinking so, he doubted the trio had destroyed them all. As the plasma cleared, Adam saw the ships still fleeing. Moments later, he watched as an explosion erupted right behind the Ballistae. The engines on the commandeered ship sputtered and died and the damaged Alliance vessel drifted helplessly toward the dark sun. As it floated freely in space, he saw numerous other scars across its hull, evidence of multiple rocket strikes. Luckily, he noted, the other two ships were still flying. They took a path that would slingshot them around the sun, bringing them fully around the dormant star and back in his direction.

  As the two remaining ships disappeared around the sun, with five Destroyers in close pursuit, warning sirens sounded within Adam’s fighter. Unnoticed, a Terran fighter had maneuvered behind him and opened fire with its machine gun. The tracer rounds struck his right wing, shredding its armor and sending his ship spinning uncontrolled. Adam felt the gravitational forces build as his ship continued to spin chaotically, threatening to knock him unconscious. Pulling hard on his controls, Adam felt the ship fight against him as the right wing remained unresponsive. The pressure on his chest, however, began to fade.

  “Any Alliance vessel,” he called weakly into the radio, “this is Squadron Commander Decker. My fighter has been badly damaged and I require immediate docking for repairs.”

  Disoriented from his spin and nauseas from the pressure, Adam barely registered the Terran fighter still chasing his damaged ship. Through muddled thoughts, he tried to find the controls for his weapons, but had trouble as his vision quickly doubled. Fighting the urge to vomit, he slammed his fist against the control panel. In front of him, quickly closing on his position, the Terran brought his machine guns to bear on Adam’s ship. Before he could fire, though, the Terran fighter shattered as though ripped apart from within. Adam stared in wonderment, unsure if he was even responsible for his enemy’s destruction. A click startled him as his radio came to life.

  “Commander Decker,” a familiar voice called over the radio, “this is Captain Xiao of the Revolution. We have eliminated your immediate threat. Sit back and we’ll be there to pick you up shortly.”

  Adam allowed himself a sigh of relief. He had found safe refuge. Everything was going according to plan so far. He only hoped Keryn’s luck continued.

  CHAPTER 40:

  With the majority of systems powered down, the control room was bathed in darkness. Keryn, Wyck, Iana, and Tora sat huddled together on the floor, staving off the cold that permeated the walls. With life support systems running only nominally, the internal heating system had been shut down.

  “Did you have to blow up the missile so close?” Wyck asked, his ears still ringing from the explosion.

  “I had to make it believable,” Keryn replied. “If the Terrans didn’t think we were severely damaged, they would have just blown us up on the spot instead of chasing the other two.”

  Above their heads, a faint glow was cast from the tactical display. The five red triangles were slowly disappearing behind the sun, still in pursuit of the two Alliance Cruisers. Until they were out of radar range, Keryn didn’t dare begin recharging the engines. Should they be detected, they’d be defenseless until the systems all came back online.

  Though they sat mostly in silence, faint radio transmissions continued on the Fleet-wide net. As Keryn leaned her head against the large control console, she heard a familiar voice sending a distress signal.

  “Any Alliance vessel,” Adam called faintly over the radio, “this is Squadron Commander Decker. My fighter has been badly damaged and I require immediate docking for repairs.”

  Keryn scrambled to her feet and began altering the tactical signal to search for the signal from Adam’s fighter. In the distance, far from the dark sun and the Ballistae, a small blue dot appeared on the map. Its movements were random, confirming that his ship was damaged and incapable of defensive maneuvers. While watching the map, a second transmission called over the radio, filling Keryn with dread.

  “Commander Decker, this is Captain Xiao of the Revolution. We have eliminated your immediate threat. Sit back and we will be there to pick you up shortly.”

  Keryn spun, locking eyes with Iana. Her own fear was reflected in the Warrant’s eyes. Still, Iana shook her head disapprovingly.

  “I have to let him know,” Keryn begged. “I can’t let him land on the Revolution.”

  “There’s nothing we can do for him now,” Iana stated, emotion thick in her voice. “I’m sorry, Keryn, but if we warn Adam, we risk the lives of everyone on this ship.”

  “And we risk failing in our mission,” Wyck added sternly. “We’ve worked too hard to jeopardize this mission.”

  “Yen is dangerous,” she pleaded. Her throat felt swollen and she found it hard to swallow. “You’ve all fought beside Adam. We can’t just leave him with that monster!”

  Iana walked to her side and placed her arm around Keryn. “If what you told me about him is true,” Iana said, “Adam seems more than capable of taking care of himself. You have to trust that he’ll be fine. Right now, we have other priorities.”

  “They’ve reached the back side of the sun,” Tora said, pointing toward the tactical display. The five red triangles had disappeared from the map. “They can’t detect us anymore.”

  Wyck moved past the two seated women and began reactivating the major systems onboard the ship. The lights above them flickered back to life and a low rumble shook the ground slightly as the massive engines began their ignition process. Once seemingly out of commission, the Ballistae rose from its own ashes, eager to complete its mission.

  Adam’s fighter slammed into the ground of the hangar bay, breaking free the already damage right wing and sending sparks spraying from behind it as it gouged the thick floor. As it finally slid to a halt, Adam threw open the cabin and climbed out, coughing from the thick smoke that poured from around the ruined ship. Wiping the sweat and soot from his face, he watched fire consumed his fighter.

  Turning toward the exit to the hangar bay, Adam coughed once more and rubbed his chest. Between the smoke and the crash landing, his ribs and lungs now ached every time he tried to breath. As he walked slowly toward the doorway, it slid open and a medical team emerged. They rushed to his side as a second team came in, spraying fire retardant chemicals over the wreckage in the middle of the bay.

  “I’m fine,” Adam said as he waved away the medical personnel who tried to check his vital signs. “I need to see Captain Xiao.”

  “Doesn’t that work out well,” Yen called from the doorway. Leaning against the doorframe, Yen reminded Adam of the young soldier whose life he saved years ago. As Adam got closer, however, he saw that the young psychic soldier was long gone. In his place, an older man stood. Yen’s eyes had sunken from stress and overuse of his powers. His already yellowed skin looked waxy and thick
creases had appeared around his eyes and on his forehead. Even his fine dark hair had grown matted from sweat and unkempt.

  “You look good, Yen,” Adam lied, embracing his old friend.

  “You’re a piss-poor liar,” Yen replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I didn’t even need to be psychic to know that. But it’s a good lie, so I’ll let it slide.”

  Breaking away from his friend, Adam gestured toward his still smoldering fighter. “I’m going to need a new ship. There’s still a lot of fighting to be done.”

  “Later, later,” Yen insisted, dropping the fake smile. “First, join me on the bridge. We can catch up while we walk.”

  “No offense, Yen,” Adam said, “but we can catch up after the war is won.” Something seemed wrong with Yen, but Adam couldn’t place his finger on it. Still, Adam couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, a feeling only reinforced by the shivers running up his spine.

  “It wasn’t a request, Adam,” Yen replied darkly. “I was irritated before, so I didn’t want to hear the details of your miraculous plan. Now I’m being told that the Ballistae was destroyed. I think it’s about time you shared the rest of your plan with me.”

  Adam begrudgingly stepped into the hallway and followed Yen’s lead. Cautiously, he placed a comforting hand on the pistol at his hip. “This is a pretty poor way to treat an old friend,” Adam chided. “After all, I did save you life once.”

  “Ancient history,” Yen replied. “I just saved yours, so you can stop using that excuse to try to get me to be more cooperative. Let’s quit the small talk and get down to business. Tell me about your plan.”

  Yen walked a few more feet before he realized that Adam was no longer following. He turned and stared into the eyes of the angry Pilgrim. “Is there a problem, Adam?” Yen asked dangerously.

  “You’re not the man I met years ago,” Adam said cautiously. He automatically grew defensive as he stared at the husk of his old friend. “There’s a darkness in you now that didn’t exist there before.”