by Doug Farren
Ken used his console to establish an open connection and replied, "It's me alright admiral. Don't ask me what the Chroniech were thinking when they replied the way they did. Personally, I think they're nuts. We are still a few minutes away. Hold them off as best as you can. Stricklen out."
Almost simultaneously, both the Chroniech and the planet-based Alliance weapons opened fire. In an instant, one of the valuable space docks was reduced to a floating pile of vaporized metal. In that same instant, one of the planetary assault ships found itself fighting for its existence. Five enormous rods of force had reached up from the surface of Almaranus and were pitting their strength against the incredibly resilient shields of the assault ship.
The passage of those inconceivably powerful force beams through the atmosphere caused the air itself to literally explode. With the force of a thousand bolts of lightning, the beams of energy caused thunderous booms so loud and powerful that unprotected buildings would have been damaged by the shock waves. Weapons of this power had never before been fired within an atmosphere.
The Chroniech responded by returning fire toward the planet. The weapon installations, however, were protected by powerful defense shields of their own. The energy that deflected off the shields caused tremendous damage to the surrounding area.
The defense stations had been built in remote areas of the planet specifically for this reason so no loss of civilian property resulted. Within the first fifteen seconds of the battle, the ground surrounding the defense stations outside the protective defense shield was glowing an angry red.
During this brief time period, Trel'mara had considered the Chroniech response to his first message and had prepared a reply. He opened a channel and said, "Chroniech vessels — our two races have had conflict with each other in the distant past. It is your race, and not ours that desire conquest. We were once peaceful but you taught us war.”
"During our last encounter we destroyed many of your planets along with those of several other races. It has been thousands of years so perhaps you have forgotten. We are not the enemies of the Alliance — we are their friends. We are almost within weapons range of your attacking ships. You will withdraw immediately or we shall take whatever action is required."
The reply was instantaneous and completely unexpected. "Kyrra! After thousands of years the legendary Kyrra finally return. The ancients will be avenged!" All Chroniech ships immediately broke off their attacks against the Alliance and raced toward the incoming Kyrra worldship at maximum acceleration.
"Chroniech warships vectoring in," an operator stated matter-of-factly. "Suggest holding here as this will afford the Alliance with the greatest possible protection."
"All drive systems disengaged," the helm announced.
"Good Lord, what did we say?" Scarboro exclaimed.
"Apparently," Ken said after a moment. "The Chroniech remember the Kyrra for what they did to them thousands of years ago. The story must have been passed down from generation to generation until it became legend. I believe we may have just started a holy war. Trel'mara, what is your defense status?"
Trel'mara consulted a screen and replied, "Defense shield up and stable. Weapon systems are charged and ready, however, I do not think we shall need them. The Chroniech appear to be interested only in us and are no longer engaged in battle with the Alliance. Since this ship cannot be harmed by them there is no need to destroy their ships."
"Are you nuts!" Doug burst out. "You have the ability to wipe those bastards out. Why don't you use it?"
Trel'mara backpedaled a bit in the wake of Doug's overzealous remark. Recovering, he explained, "We will not fire upon any ship unless absolutely required. I agree with your opinion of the Chroniech in that they are an aggressive, repulsive, and easily hated race, but that does not mean we shall seek to destroy them at every opportunity. Such behavior may be common in the Alliance, but it is not the way of the Kyrra."
"Incoming message," an operator announced as he put it on the speakers. "Captain Stricklen — I'm not too sure how you did it, but all Chroniech ships in the area have ceased their attacks on us. You, however, now have a big problem. Our sensors show that all Chroniech ships are now on an intercept with you. If I were you I would get the hell out of there."
Stricklen opened a channel and replied, "The Kyrra assure me that this ship can withstand any conceivable attack by the Chroniech. Their response to one of our messages was unexpected. I thought we were going to have to duke it out with them but something we said really pissed them off. How are things on the surface?"
"The surrounding countryside is in ruins," the Admiral replied. "Maintown reports several buildings damaged from the concussion effects of the weapons. No civilian casualties. We lost one orbital construction platform. Not bad considering."
"Glad to hear it. I'll keep you informed of our situation. Stricklen out." Ken broke the communications link then turned to his console.
The tactical display showed that four Chroniech ships had already opened fire on the worldship and many more were on the way. "What are you going to do now?" he asked Trel'mara.
"This response was unexpected," his friend replied. "I will consult with the council as to our next action concerning the ships that are attacking us. We have taken care of the first problem — the Chroniech are no longer attacking Almaranus. We must now deal with the two remaining problems facing the Alliance. The removal of all hostile Chroniech forces from Alliance space, and establishing a method of preventing their return."
While Trel'mara spoke to the council, the number of attacking Chroniech ships rose. After twenty minutes the worldship was fending off the attacks of over 200 Chroniech ships including the three planetary assault ships.
Trel'mara finished his discussion and came over to talk to Ken. "The council is working on a long-range plan that is currently being voted upon by the population. In the meantime, it has decided that it would be in our best interest to disable all of the Chroniech ships in this area. We are to do so with minimum loss of life. I intend to give them one final warning before we open fire."
Without waiting for a reply, Trel'mara walked over to his console and told the other operators what the council had decided. After opening a channel to the Chroniech, he said, "Attention Chroniech vessels. As you can see, your weapons are useless against us. This is your final warning. Cease your attacks and return to your own space immediately or we shall open fire."
"I am detecting a transdimensional matrix field forming between the three planetary assault ships," a Kyrra operator reported. "All other attacking ships are moving into position to assist in charging the matrix."
"What is a transdimensional matrix field?" Doug asked.
Ken had never heard the term before, Trel'mara explained it to him. "It is a very energy intensive field which, if properly developed, can potentially penetrate our defense screen. I am surprised the Chroniech know of it since it involves a rather detailed knowledge of hyperdimensional physics and requires a tremendous amount of energy to generate.”
"The field will require some time to establish but, once stable, it can be adjusted to form a transdimensional tunnel through which an energy beam can be directed. If the hyperdimensional matrix is setup properly, the energy beam could impact on the surface of the worldship. To my knowledge, there is no defense against this form of attack."
"You mean the Chroniech can shoot through your shields?" Doug exclaimed.
"Figuratively speaking, yes. You will note that it is taking the full power output of three planetary assault ships to generate the field and several other ships to control the matrix field formation. This is one reason why this form of attack is difficult to implement. We will take action to disrupt the formation of the field."
"I wonder why they didn't use a transdimensional tunnel against Almaranus," Doug remarked. "It would have been easier than wasting 200 ships against our defenses."
"A transdimensional tunnel cannot remain stable in the vicinity of a large gravitational field such as
near a planet," Trel'mara explained. "Apparently, the Chroniech have noted that the worldship is gravitationally neutral."
Stricklen watched and listened as the self directed team of Kyrra initiated their first combat action. "Activating analysis beam," the Kyrra at the main weapons console announced. Numbers, symbols, and graphs appeared on one of the screens. "Shield analysis completed. Transferring data to weapon control. Configuring primary weapons for shield penetration … Configuration complete … Targeting … Firing."
Three intensely bright blue spheres of energy traveled from the Kyrra worldship and struck the shields of the planetary assault ships. With barely a flicker of resistance, each sphere passed through a Chroniech shield and impacted on the hull of one of the previously invulnerable assault ships. Instead of creating a massive explosion, as Ken had expected, the blue spheres seemed to pass over each ship.
It was difficult for Ken to see what was happening beyond the Chroniech shield since the shield itself was reflective. What he did see though was that the sphere of bluish energy seemed to be elongated on the other side of the shield, almost as if part of it were sticking to the ship's hull. It then snapped backward and vanished inside the shield.
Unbelievably, no earth shattering explosions occurred to destroy the assault ships. As Ken watched, the shields of the Chroniech ships wavered, became cloudy and then suddenly blinked into oblivion. Ken looked closer and saw that the hull of each ship now crawled with electrical discharges. Enormous, eerie electrical arcs completely covered the surface of each ship.
Several puffs of gas accompanied by minor explosions occurred as external sensors and other devices failed under the intense electrical discharge. Several large areas of the hull glowed red. The electrical discharges continued for many seconds as the blue sphere grew weaker and weaker. Eventually, the blue glow of the weapon dissipated along with the electrical discharges.
When the display was over, Ken looked at his tactical monitor and was surprised to discover that all three assault ships had been rendered inoperable. Power output had dropped to near zero; the defense shield was down; and all weapon systems had been disabled.
Ken was turning to ask Trel'mara a question when the Kyrra said, "Attention Chroniech ships. As you can see, our weapons are far more advanced than your own. Your shields are useless and your ships impotent against this vessel. I will tell you one more time to leave this area immediately or the remainder of your fleet will be rendered harmless. You have two minutes to comply."
After Trel'mara had finished addressing the Chroniech, Ken asked, "What kind of weapon was that? What did it do? How did it penetrate the Chroniech shield?"
"It is a terra-gauss magnetic field," Trel'mara replied. "The Chroniech shield was analyzed for a resonance frequency of proper phase and orientation which would allow the magnetic bubble to pass through. A magnetic bubble was created with this exact pattern, allowing it to pass through the shield with little trouble.”
"The terra-gauss magnetic field then reacted with the hull of the assault ships, resulting in the generation of circulating electric currents. The effect is similar to that used to produce the electric currents in a generator."
Stricklen was familiar with how an electric generator worked. Basically, any conductor that moves within a magnetic field will generate an electric current. The Kyrra must have turned the entire assault ship into a gigantic generator. Ken also knew that most electric generators employed magnetic fields measured in hundreds of thousands of gauss. A terra-gauss field was something unheard of. The damage to the Chroniech ship must have been extensive.
As if reading his thoughts, Trel'mara continued, "The circulating currents generated from the effect of the terra-gauss field burn out control circuits, computers, sensors, and any other electronic components and devices within the ship. The crew are mostly unharmed because the currents tend to stay within the confines of the ship's structure. The weapon renders a ship useless without much risk of causing the crew any harm."
"Incredible," Doug finally said. "Hey! Look!"
Ken turned his attention to the main tactical display and was surprised to see that all of the Chroniech ships were leaving. The three planetary assault ships, of course, were now dead in space and drifting. "I'll be damned!" Scarboro exclaimed. "Show them a little of what you can do and they turn tail and run."
"They'll be back," Stricklen said. "And it won't be with a hundred, two hundred, or even a thousand ships. From what I've seen of the Chroniech and their reaction to the Kyrra I think they'll be back with every ship that they can spare."
"Captain Stricklen!" the voice of Admiral Singth blared over the speaker. "On behalf of the Alliance and especially Almaranus, I want to thank both you and your Kyrra friends. I have received word from the Almaranus civilian government that they want to throw a welcoming party for as many Kyrra as would like to join. I don't think they realize that an entire planetary population might be attending. I would, however, like to invite you and the Kyrra leaders to the surface so they can be officially thanked."
"The thought is appreciated," Stricklen replied. "But, we have some other business to attend to. This battle is not over yet. I would like permission for the Dragon and her crew to remain behind. I think most of my crew would like to contact their families."
"Understood. Permission is granted. Your crew may land at the main starport at any time. Before you go, there is someone in my office who insists on speaking with you."
The Admiral stepped away from the video pickup and Sorbith moved into view. "Congratulations captain! Your mission was far more successful than anticipated. I take it you have returned Falnath in one piece?"
Ken chuckled a bit before answering. "Oh yes. You might have a hard time getting her to leave though. She has been in the Rouldian equivalent of heaven since we encountered the Kyrra. She spends her every waking hour wandering around their research labs or digging through the Kyrra information network. Frankly, I'm surprised they have not thrown her out."
"Glad to hear it. What's this other business you're talking about?"
"We may have chased the Chroniech away from Almaranus, but the rest of the Alliance is still in jeopardy. The Kyrra cannot be bouncing from system to system chasing Chroniech ships away only to have them come back as soon as they leave. Something must be done to send the Chroniech back to their space and keep them there. I intend on going to one of the Chroniech homeworlds and threatening to destroy the entire planet unless they stop their attacks on the Alliance and recall their ships."
"Sounds risky. I can't imagine the Chroniech allowing you to approach any of their capital worlds without a challenge. Just how do the Kyrra expect to keep the Chroniech contained?"
"I have not the foggiest idea," Ken replied shrugging his shoulders. "The Kyrra have been tight-lipped about that. Don't worry about us. This ship is about as close to indestructible as can get. The Chroniech are about to receive a lesson in extreme power. As soon as the Dragon is clear we will be leaving."
While Ken had been talking to the Admiral, Trel'mara had been speaking to the Kyrra council. Both conversations ended at about the same time.
Trel'mara turned to Ken and said, "The council has requested that all Alliance personnel leave the worldship. A general recall of your ship's compliment has been put out."
"That's exactly what I was about to do. I think our best approach to get the Chroniech out of Alliance space is to take the battle to their homeworlds. Threatening to destroy all life on one of their major planets should convince them to recall all of their ships."
"Your idea," Trel'mara replied, "is one that might be expected from any other race. It is not, however, an idea that we Kyrra would entertain nor act upon. The council has determined that there is another solution."
Ken then noticed the look on Trel'mara's face. "You're not telling me I have to leave also, are you?"
The alien placed a hand on Ken's right shoulder and replied, "Yes. I do not know what sort of solution the cou
ncil has come up with but I have been told to ask you to leave. You have been a good friend Ken Stricklen. I will miss you."
Ken was confused. "This is not a final goodbye, Trel'mara. I don't know what the council plans on doing after we leave but I do know that you will be back. Talk to them, ask them to let me stay on the worldship."
"I am sorry, but the council's decision is final. All Alliance personnel, including yourself, must leave immediately. They did, however, ask me to convey a message to you."
"And that is?"
"They have based their plan partially on something you mentioned in the statement you recorded to our people before they voted to come to your aid."
"Me? What did I say?"
"I do not know," Trel'mara replied. "I must ask you to now leave."
Stricklen was about to offer further arguments but after seeing the look in his friend's eyes decided against it. Trel'mara was having a difficult time saying goodbye and he did not want to make it any worse.
Reaching out and placing his right hand on Trel'mara's shoulder, Ken said, "All right. Just promise me that you will look me up when you get back."
"If I am able, I will do so," Trel'mara replied.
Ken took one last look around the control room, instructed Doug to follow, spun around on his heel, and left. A transport was waiting for him outside the control center. Twenty minutes later, he was once again seated in his familiar command chair aboard the Komodo Dragon. As soon as the ship was ready, the immense docking hatch opened and the heavy-cruiser once again found itself floating in its natural element.
"Good Lord, look at the size of that thing!" Doug remarked as the ship accelerated away from the Kyrra worldship.
"Helm," Stricklen ordered. "Set course for Almaranus, maximum speed." He then punched up a tactical display just in time to see the worldship as it engaged its stardrive and blasted toward Chroniech space. A sense of loss swept over Ken as he watched the worldship until it finally disappeared off his screen.
"What do you think they are going to do?" Doug asked.