* * *
“I think we’re going to make it, sir,” said the Pilot, glancing back at the Captain. “It’s going to be close.”
Close, as in an object thrown whizzing by an ear, or close, as in a gigaton warhead going off on the other side of a continent, thought the Captain.
“Delta three one is reporting that they have lost two grabber units,” called out the Com Tech, dampening the hopeful mood of the other crewmembers. That was one fourth of the motivating units on a fighter, one eighth of that of the pair. “They are reporting that they are ramping up their other grabber units to compensate.”
“Do the same with ours,” Slaviska ordered the Pilot.
“Sir?”
“Do it.”
The Pilot pushed the grabbers up to two hundred and forty percent of their safe capacity. The damage schematic was showing overheating of the hull near the units to the point where alloy was flowing like water. The hull strain meters were to the point that they had stopped at the far end of the red, beyond being able to register the true force. One of the longitudinal beams crumpled, and warning klaxons went off on the bridge and engineering compartment.
“She’s going to come apart, Captain,” said the Engineer.
“Then she’s going to come apart, or the planet is,” cried the Captain in the high pitched anxious call of his people.
He looked at the Pilot. “Make sure that you have our escape routine programmed into the automatic systems.”
“Aye, sir. And that’s going to be close as well.”
Slaviska nodded. If they hit the atmosphere at their current velocity, they would burn up in a nanosecond. He was willing to risk his and their lives to save this world, one whose people were vital to the war effort of his empire. He was not willing to commit suicide.
* * *
“We’re predicting a glancing blow,” said the Fleet Analyst on the com holo.
“And what will be the effect of that?”
“Enough explosive force to kill everything within three thousand kilometers of the hit, superheating of the atmosphere for most of the hemisphere. Every fault line on the planet will let loose at the same time. At least three billion deaths.”
“That’s half the population of the planet,” exclaimed the General.
“I’m sorry, sir. Impact in one and a half minutes.”
* * *
“Impact in thirty seconds,” called out the Pilot. The fighter was now running on four grabbers of its own, with enough structural damage that it could fall apart at any moment. “Disengaging in twenty-seven seconds.”
“What’s it look like?”
“A very near miss, sir. How close, I couldn’t say.”
“Damn,” cursed Slaviska. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have done our best, and that’s all anyone could ask of us.”
“Another grabber has gone out, sir,” called out the Pilot. “It melted off. Twelve seconds to impact.”
“Power grabbers to three hundred percent,” ordered the Captain, looking at the damage schematic to both his ship and their wingman, which was showing even more breakdowns than they were.
“Powering up. Impact in three seconds.”
Before the Captain could open his beak to speak the lights on the bridge dimmed as the fighter powered down its grabbers, then fed power back on the vector that would get them out of harm. It thrust back at a hundred gravs for one second, clearing the asteroid, and up at a hundred gravs, clearing the top of the rock, then forward at five hundred gravities, the only way out. It barely skimmed the outer edge of the atmosphere, generating enough heat at its overall velocity to melt one side of the fighter and dump significant energy into the bridge. Battle armor closed off all visors while cooling systems came on full bore, in time to keep the heat from killing the wearers without keeping them comfortable.
Slaviska could feel the feathers on his face curling from the heat as he quickly looked at the tactical holo to see what had happened with the asteroid, his beak falling open in surprise.
* * *
General Wittmore’s mouth was also open in shock, watching as the asteroid sheered through the outer atmosphere in a flash of light. He really couldn’t see the small body travelling as it was at a significant fraction of light. Just the flash and it was over. The war room erupted in shouts of triumph, of joy, of surprise at being alive.
Wittmore called up the replay of the approach, slowed down to a thousandth of the real time speed. The asteroid was still a blur, but its swift passage could be seen.
“We’re getting signals from the two fighters under Captain Slaviska,” called out a Com Officer. “They both made it.”
That brought more cheers from throughout the room, and a smile to the General’s face. They had seen so much death through the last week. Almost the entire fleet that had been sent to reinforce them, as well as the ships that Nguyen had left in the system. Add to that all the people they had lost to the robots that had landed on the planet, and it was just one shock after another. And of course there would be casualties from the near miss by the asteroid. Shock waves through the atmosphere, heats blooms from the friction of the passing rock. But nowhere near what would have occurred from even a glancing blow.
Even the survival of ten officers and crew is something to celebrate, especially when their selfless courage saved so many billions, he thought.
“We have another Machine breakout outside of Lrandon,” called out one of the Com Techs, naming a large city on another continent.
“Ok, people,” said Wittmore. “Back to work. We still have a battle to fight.”
Epilogue
KLASSEK SYSTEM, MAY 15th, 1002.
“Sir,” said Wittmore, looking at the older man in the holo. “I have to say that we’re glad see you.”
“I’ve been reading your reports, General,” said Vice Admiral The Count Boris Lysenko, standing on the flag bridge of his flagship, the hyper VI battleship Baron Suzanne Ivanov. “You and Admiral Hasselhoff did a hell of a job with what you had to work with. But I’m hoping we can make this system the springboard to an offensive against the Machines. That’s Admiral Bednarczyk’s directive to me.”
Wittmore nodded as he looked at another holo that showed the newly opened ship gate that the Admiral’s flagship had come through, which was now disgorging another battleship to join the six already in the system. I still don’t know if you’ll have enough to handle another planet killer, thought the General. But two hundred warships certainly gives us more of a chance.
“You have been promoted to Lt. General, Wittmore,” continued the Admiral, “by Imperial Decree. The Emperor thought you had done too good a job to be replaced, and, since your command is about to expand significantly, you need the additional rank.”
“And I appreciate that, sir, though I appreciate being given an entire corps even more.”
The listing of new forces showed two more heavy infantry divisions in the transport queue, along with all of the assets of a heavy corps, including two complete wings of ground support aircraft and another wing of air superiority fighters. And two brigades of portable shore defense artillery.
“You have your fight cut out for you, General, but command expects you to be able to rid this world of the Machines with what we have given you.”
Meaning that I had better get the situation under control, or another general officer will be taking my place, thought Wittmore. That was how it should be. A commander was expected to fight smart and win, or else someone who could would be brought in.
“What are your plans for Rear Admiral Hasselhoff?”
“I have big plans for her. She will lead my scout force, all hyper VII ships. We’re transferring her to Battle Fleet. I’m afraid her days in the Command are over.”
And I’m not sure how much I agree with that, since that young lady is a natural born explorer, thought the General. But the needs of the war come first.
Another battleship came through the gate, to join the other seve
n. Another twenty-three were in the queue. That main force would still of course be based at Bolthole. This was just a wing, meant to secure this area of space.
“And you will be leaving ships in this system, sir?”
“A task force,” said the Admiral with a smile. “We‘ll also be ramping up fast attack craft and fighter production insystem, with some shipments of supermetals and antimatter. Commodore Slaviska will, of course, be in charge of that small ship force.”
Wittmore nodded. That was another promotion he approved of, and one he would have made if he had been Fleet, instead of just a ground pounder.
“We’ll get this system built up, sir. Don’t you worry. As long as you keep any major Machine fleets off our backs.”
“That’s why I’m here, General,” said the Admiral with a wide smile. “And I don’t intend to fail you, or the Emperor.”
* * *
“We’re picking the planet killers, ma’am,” said the Flag Sensor Officer, putting the track up on the tactical holo. “Range, two normal space light years.”
Vice Admiral Mara Montgomery looked at that plot as she thought about all of the implications of that officer’s statement. First off, those vessels were only two point four hours ahead at their current velocity in hyper VII. Second, that was almost three times the distance they could normally track a ship in hyper VI, which had something to say about their mass.
“Do you want me to set up an attack profile for the task group, ma’am?” asked her Flag Tactical Officer, Commander Jason Wooddruft.
“Not yet, Tac. Let‘s see what else we have to deal with. And make damned sure none of our ships get within range of those damned graviton beams.”
“Yes, ma’am. I know I don’t want anything to do with a catastrophic translation.”
Montgomery nodded, her eyes never leaving the plot as they drew closer by the second. The big bastards were clear as day, and the track was getting stronger as they drew nearer.
“Estimating mass in the trillion ton range, ma’am,” said the Flag Sensor Officer, Lt. Commander Ilen Jansen.
“That’s the equivalent of five hundred thousand battleships, ma’am,” said Commander Chin Wa, her intelligence officer. “How in the hell are we supposed to fight that, much less three of them.”
“With intelligence and audacity, Commander Chin,” replied Montgomery. “Hit and run.”
At forty-eight minutes to contact the other vessels in the enemy force started appearing, first the four million ton ships that served the Machines as capital ships. Then the two million ton cruisers, followed by the one million ton scouts.
“Estimating forty of their capital ships, ninety cruisers, and one hundred and sixty scouts,” called out Jansen. “A similar total mass to us.”
“And if that’s all we had to fight, that would mean an easy kill,” said Wooddruft.
“Don’t get too arrogant, Commander,” cautioned Montgomery, who had never worked with any of these officers before. “That’s a sure way to make a bonehead error that will get us wiped out.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said the chastised officer, lowering his eyes.
“Just set up our attack following Hasselhoff’s doctrine, and we should be fine,” said Montgomery with a smile, her eyes moving back to the plot. The smile left her face as she looked at the icons on the planet killers, wondering how she was going to stop them. And how Bednarczyk was going to stop them with only hyper VI ships, if she couldn’t do the job with VIIs.
* * *
“Where are they going?” asked Fleet Leader Goran, watching as the thousand robot ships altered their vectors to move back to the hyper barrier.
“Unknown, Fleet Leader,” said the Subcommander in charge of attack, his left most eye turning in its turret to look at the superior officer while his center and right eyes stayed locked on the plot. “They were going to win here. There was no manner I could come up with to stop them.”
The Fleet Leader flicked his tongue out in a sign of agreement. His people had been fighting the artificial life forms for over ten of their years, winning some battles, losing more, until a third of the Consolidation had been lost. One entire subject species had been wiped off of their home worlds, and the artificial life forms had destroyed two entire inhabited systems, wiped clean of life.
The enemy ships started to jump into other space, starting at the lowest, on their way to the sixth level, the highest that both sides could reach.
“Orders, Fleet Leader?” asked the Ship Driver.
“We follow,” ordered the Fleet Leader. “I don’t know where they’re going, but wherever it is, I am sure it is to do harm to someone.”
“And if it is someone we do not know or care about?” asked another of the officers.
“Those who oppose are enemies are likely to become our friends. So let us see where in the demon haunted wastes these enemies of life are heading.”
The End
About the Author
Doug Dandridge is the author of over twenty-five self-published books on Amazon, including the very successful, Exodus: Empires at War series, the Refuge techno-fantasy series, The Deep Dark Well Trilogy, as well as numerous standalone science fiction and fantasy novels. In a three year period as a self-published author, Doug has sold over one hundred and fifty thousand ebooks, paperbacks and audio books. He has amassed over 2,000 reviews across his books on Amazon, with a 4.6 star average, and over 2,100 on Goodreads with a 4.08 star average. He served in the US Army as an infantryman, as well as several years in the Florida National Guard in the same MOS. Doug, who holds degrees from Florida State University and the University of Alabama, lives with his five cats in Tallahassee Florida. He is a sports enthusiast and a self-proclaimed amateur military historian.
About The Prometheus Saga
The Prometheus Saga is the premier project of the Alvarium Experiment, a consortium of accomplished and award-winning authors. The Saga spans the range of the existence of Homo sapiens. The stories do not need to be read in any particular order; each story is an entry point into the overall story.
The Prometheus Saga stories & authors are:
“The Pisces Affair” by Daco Auffenorde. CIA operative Jordan Jakes meets Prometheus when the Secretary of State becomes the target of a terrorist attack at a head-of-state dinner in Dubai. Visit Daco at www.authordaco.com.
“On Both Sides” by Bria Burton. When a mysterious woman vanishes during the American Revolution, young Robby Freeman searches for answers from a cryptic sharpshooter who deserted Washington’s Continental Army. Visit Bria at www.briaburton.com.
“Ever After” by M.J. Carlson. Two mysterious women convey the same Cinderella story to Giambattista Basile in 1594 and Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in 1811. How different cultures retell this story reveals humanity’s soul to those who listen. Visit M.J. at www.mjcarlson.com.
“The Blurred Man” by Bard Constantine. FBI agent Dylan Plumm’s investigation of a mill explosion puts her on the trail of the Blurred Man, a mysterious individual who may have been on Earth for centuries. The case turns deadlier at every turn, placing Dylan in the crosshairs of shadowy antagonists even as she unravels a centuries-old mystery. Visit Bard at www.barwritesbooks.com
“Crystal Night” by Charles A. Cornell. Berlin, 1938. On the eve of one of history’s darkest moments, a Swedish bartender working in Nazi Germany accidentally uncovers a woman’s hidden past. Can he avoid becoming an accomplice as the Holocaust accelerates? Visit Charles at www.charlesacornell.com.
“Marathon” by Doug Dandridge. Prometheus, posing as a citizen of Athens, participates in the battle of Marathon alongside the playwright Aeschylus. Visit Doug at www.dougdandridge.net.
“The Strange Case of Lord Byron’s Lover” by Parker Francis. Writing in her journal, Mary Shelley recounts a series of perplexing events during her visit with Lord Byron—a visit that resulted in the creation of her famous Frankenstein novel, but also uncovered a remarkable mystery. Visit Parker at www.parkerfrancis.com.
“East of the Sun” by Jade Kerrion. Through a mysterious map depicting far-flung lands, a Chinese sailor in 1424 and a Portuguese cartographer in 1519 share a vision of an Earth far greater than the reality they know. Visit Jade at www.jadekerrion.com.
“Manteo” by Elle Andrews Patt. In 1587, Croatan native Manteo returns from London to Roanoke Island, Virginia. Can he reconcile his strong loyalty to the untamed land and people of his home with his desire for the benefits the colonizing English bring with them before one of them destroys the other? Visit Elle at www.elleandrewspatt.com.
“First World War” by Ken Pelham. 40,000 BC: As the last remaining species of hominid, Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis, fight a desperate battle for ownership of the future, the outcasts of both sides find themselves caught in middle. Visit Ken at www.kenpelham.com.
“Lilith” by Antonio Simon, Jr. In this retelling of the Adam & Eve story, a hermit’s life is turned upside-down by the arrival of a mysterious woman in his camp. As the story of their portentous meeting carries forward through the millennia, only time will tell if Lilith is a heroine, a victim, or a monster. Visit Antonio at www.DarkwaterSyndicate.com.
Exodus: Machine War: Book 2: Bolthole Page 36