As the doors to the bay opened, she was immediately struck with the noise and smells of a working carrier launch deck. There were rows of Peregrine and Eagle class fighters lining the bay. Hanging from the ceiling were the larger Vulture bombers that would be performing suborbital runs over the Ch’Tauk cities. During the flight to the rendezvous, they would be loaded with tactical nuclear devices that could destroy just enough of the population to make the other portions surrender. She shivered at the thought of the destruction that her ship was about to inflict on an apparently peace-living people.
She walked into the busy bay and tried to seek out the man she needed. She looked around the enormous space and, unable to spot her quarry, walked to a group of pilots standing around a Crowned Eagle and asked them if they had seen him. They each pointed in the same direction: straight down.
Captain Blackmon walked to a lift positioned on the near side of the deck and stepped onto the open platform. She pressed the button and the lift descended from the busy launch bay down to the repair facility below. The space had the smell of burnt circuitry and spent plasma fuel, but she loved coming down here whenever she could. She had once been a shuttle pilot and had always felt that the repair bay was the real heart of the ship.
“Captain on deck!”
A slew of hands shot up to heads in greasy salutes. Blackmon returned the salute as the lift platform came to a halt at floor level. She stepped off the lift and entered the facility. The mechanics had already dropped their salutes and gone back to work, welding and repairing the few fighters in the bay. She looked around the space and saw a single Crowned Eagle fighter sitting in a far corner that had none of the mechanics near it. As she approached, she heard the sounds of equipment being used on the fighter.
“Commander?” she asked, not seeing anyone operating the tool.
A man’s booted foot kicked out from under the ship, waving at the captain blindly.
“Commander, I would like to talk to more than just a foot when I call,” she said to the boot. “I expect to be treated like a captain.”
The boot paused in its waving. It retracted quickly under the ship. A moment later, two boots exited from under the ship, followed by legs and a body. When the body pulled out far enough to reveal a head, Blackmon knew she had found her man. He stood and saluted the captain as quickly as he could, leaving a black streak of fluid on his forehead.
“Sir,” he said crisply. “I mean, sorry, sir, I didn’t hear you come in.”
Blackmon looked at the man before returning the salute. He was short, like most pilots, and slightly built. His hair was black and cut short, but still appeared tousled where he had gotten the same greasy fluid in it. His features were sharp with close set, piercing eyes that seemed either green or blue depending on the light. His nose was a little longer than really suited his face, but it gave him the slight imperfection that most women found irresistible. Rather than a flight suit, the man wore a single piece green coverall that was also streaked with black fluid. She returned the salute and he dropped his hand to his side.
“At ease, Commander,” she said. “And it’s ma’am if it’s all the same to you.”
“Yes, sir, uh … ma’am,” he replied.
“I assume I have the pleasure of addressing Commander Lee Pearce,” she asked. “You were the former first officer of the Confederate Carrier Set?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the man replied. “Although I was only first officer for about a month after Commander Ulian was killed near Capella.”
“Commander,” Blackmon replied, cutting the young pilot off. “I have been ordered to tell you that you need to report to Fleet Command in Istanbul immediately for reassignment. You need to be off my deck and on Earth in less than thirty minutes, Commander.”
“Aye, ma’am. I can button her up and get moving right away,” the man replied. “It’s really only a tune-up.”
“Commander,” Captain Blackmon replied. “You do realize that I have mechanics that are capable of doing this for you?”
“Yes, Captain,” Lee said, looking back at his ship. “This ship and I have been through a lot and—”
“I understand, Commander,” said the captain. “I once flew an old Sea Hawk for years. By the time she was retired, I actually asked Command if I could keep her myself.”
“Yes, Captain,” Lee replied with a smile. “I just don’t like anyone else touching her if they don’t need to.”
“Commander,” she said, “I would love to stand here and reminisce, but you have orders.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lee replied, throwing another salute at the older woman.
After she returned it, Lee began to strip off the coveralls to reveal his black vacuum suit below. As the green outfit became trapped over his magnetic boots, he fell against the ship, slid down the hull to the deck, and finished removing the jumpsuit on the floor.
Lee watched the captain step onto the platform and start the lift that would take her back to the launch bay. She was a handsome woman and he appreciated that she had been a pilot herself once. She looked back at him appraisingly as he pulled his flight suit on, careful not to trip on his boots again.
When she was about half way up the lift, there was a thunderous roar from above and the entire ship seemed to tremble. Blackmon staggered on the small platform, but grabbed the control panel to steady herself. Sirens blared inside the repair bay and another roar sounded through the ship. Lee tried to understand what had happened but nothing made any sense.
He ran to the nearest command panel and pressed the button. Voices crackled over the radio, screaming and overlapping with panic. Lee tried to get a channel to the bridge but the system seemed unable to process the request. The ship bucked under his feet again and he heard a scream from behind him.
He looked back just in time to see Captain Blackmon hit the deck with a sickening thud. Lee ran to the woman, but it was obvious she was already dead. She had landed head first on a tray of tools that had slid under the lift platform after the explosion. There was blood on the deck, mingling with the greasy black fluid from the broken fighters. Realizing that there was nothing he could do, Lee returned to the communications panel and tried to reach the bridge again.
“Bridge,” he yelled into the panel, “this is Commander Pearce in the launch bay. What’s going on up there?”
There was a peel of static and the ship seemed to turn on its side. Lee activated his boots and stayed standing as the mechanics fell to the walls with their loose tools. One Peregrine fighter broke loose from its moorings and slammed into the wall, killing several men who had fallen there moments earlier. The radio crackled again and the voice of the bridge officer came over the speaker.
“Commander Pearce,” the man’s voice said, panic lacing his words. “Where is the captain?”
“The captain is dead,” Lee replied. “What the hell is going on?”
“We’re under attack,” said the voice. “It looks like the whole of Earth is under attack, sir.”
“By who?”
“We don’t know,” replied the officer, frantic. “They look like bugs. There are thousands of them everywhere.”
Lee’s mind raced. It was inconceivable that the Earth would be under attack by an unknown force. The Confederacy was far too strong to be attacked like this. He knew of no group that would even be capable of an attack like the one the communications officer had described. He tried to think of a strategy to get out of the repair bay and into space where he could fight back.
“Sir,” said the man on the radio. “We can’t find the first officer. What should we do?”
“Where’s Tlaloc,” Lee asked, thinking of the other carrier that he had seen in orbit. “Can you get them on the radio?”
“Tlaloc is gone, sir,” the man replied. “They got hit with something big and the ship just … disappeared.”
Lee thought about what the man had said. He had never heard of a weapon capable of that level of destruction. Whoever planned this a
ttack had obviously been developing tactics that the Confederacy could not contend with. He saw only one plan of action open to the ship.
“Order the ship into M-space,” Lee yelled. “We’ve got to get out of here and regroup for a counter attack.”
Another explosion rocked the ship, this one much closer to the launch bay than before. The ship tilted back and the debris fell to the floor, returned to where it belonged. Lee held on as he was hit with flying tools. There was a hiss and a squeal as the sound of atmosphere leaking out of the repair bay caught Lee’s attention. He sought out the source of the leak, but could find no evidence from where he stood. He knew, though, that he only had a few seconds before the bay depressurized and he would be killed in the vacuum.
Lee demagnetized his boots and began to run for his fighter. There were tools and bodies strewn along his path, but he tried to ignore the death of his colleagues. He reached his ship and activated the canopy release. The metal hood opened and Lee clambered up the wing and into the cockpit. Once he was seated, he closed the canopy and tried to activate the ship.
There was a loud pop and the debris in the bay was blown out into space as the side of the repair bay had been destroyed by enemy fire. Lee could see the ship moving through space and the curve of the Earth falling away. There was a blue haze across the open hull that Lee realized was the ship’s shields. He tried to raise his ship off of the deck, but it would not budge. The locks that held the ship to the floor of the bay were still engaged, holding the fighter strong.
As Lee looked back out the gaping hole in the hull, he saw the edge of a blue-brown vortex moving past the hole. The ship was entering a jump point as he had ordered, but the wounded carrier was struggling as the enemy continued to attack. He had never experienced the transition to M-space without the thick hull of a carrier to protect him. The deck under his ship began to vibrate and the remaining objects took on an eerie glow. He tried to activate his ship’s communication array.
“Bridge,” he called. “Did we get away?”
“Commander,” replied the same voice from the bridge. “We thought we had lost you too. We are in M-space, sir, but we are being pursued.”
“I’m still here,” Lee said, tapping controls on his fighter. “Although I can’t say for how long I’ll be with you. I’m looking through a hole at the ugliest bit of space I have ever seen.”
“Sir, we can get a team down to you as soon as we—”
“No,” Lee said. “You have bigger things to worry about. Can we still open a jump portal?”
“Yes, Commander,” replied the man after a long pause. “But we are still being pursued. If we stop they will overtake us.”
“I don’t want you to stop,” Lee said. “I just want you to let me off.”
“Sir,” the man said. “Is that safe?”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Lee replied. “I’ve never tried it before. By the way, what is your name?”
“Pennyman, sir,” replied the man. “Lieutenant Pennyman.”
“Lieutenant,” said Lee. “You said we were being pursued. Do you read any other ships from Earth?”
“Yes sir,” replied Pennyman. “Our group got away and is with us. I think I saw more jump points as we were leaving.”
Lee thought about what the man had said. If the carrier groups had gotten away, maybe there would be a chance for the Confederacy. He hoped they would find someplace safe and return the fight to the aliens who had started this. His fighter shook as the locks began to release under him.
“Pennyman,” Lee ordered, “have the ship open a jump point off our port bow. It doesn’t have to be very big.”
Lee waited as he looked through the breach in the hull. M-space had always fascinated him, and a view of it without a hull sensor was something he had never thought that he would see. For a strange moment, he wished he had his camera so that he could show it to his friends.
There was a wavering light outside the breach and he saw the swirl of liquid energy that indicated a jump point. He activated his shield and pushed the power to full. Crowned Eagle fighters were not equipped for flying in M-space and he had no idea how long he would last outside the carrier. He activated the radio.
“Pennyman,” Lee said. “I am leaving. I want you to take Zeus as far away as you can get and try to keep her safe. That is an order.”
“Yes, sir,” replied the voice on the radio. “Good luck, Commander Pearce.”
The radio signal cut off and Lee was alone in his fighter. He pushed the throttle up in his ship and felt the fighter shake. After a few moments, he felt a jolt as the restraints that held the ship down snapped off. The ship jumped forward towards the breach. Lee said a fighter pilot’s prayer as he left the ship and entered M-space without protection.
For a moment, nothing felt different. Then, just as he tried to take a breath, a great force pushed him against his seat and shoved the air from his lungs. He felt his ship tumble as it approached the exit portal. The cockpit viewer flickered and shut off, leaving Lee in darkness and fear. The ship screamed as the forces outside tried to tear the ship apart. He felt a searing heat along his back just before he slipped into painful unconsciousness.
His last thought before blacking out was how much he needed a vacation.
26
Now
“Captain Ortiz,” the voice of Chang said over the radio. “Get your ship behind Resolute as quickly as you can. It looks like Hathaway is serious.”
“Acknowledged,” replied Ortiz.
The captain ordered the ship turned away from the enormous carrier that was dominating the view screen. Kama Yu had been unable to establish any further contact with the deranged Admiral Hathaway and was trying to reach any of the civilians they had left behind. The entire bridge crew was frantic with activity as the cruise ship prepared for attack.
“Raise the new shields, Lemmon,” ordered Ortiz.
The security officer manning the console began tapping keys on his terminal. A familiar blue haze enveloped the ship, but with a thicker layer that seemed to make the ship more solid. The engineers on board had been working on improving their systems and the results were impressive. The shield strength had tripled and now was nearly the equal of the Resolute. Other upgrades had made the ship faster and more maneuverable, but they could not change the fact that the ship was still a cruise liner.
Lee Pearce could see the battleship on the screen, speeding to intercept Baal and get in between the carrier and the cruise ship. He knew the old vessel was tough, but the carrier was a monster that had been designed to destroy. If there was to be a battle, he hoped that Captain Chang had at least a few surprises up his sleeve.
“Is there any sign of Mars or Austerlitz?” Lee asked. “I don’t see anything on the screen.”
“No, sir,” replied Lemmon. “No other ships in the vicinity. It’s just the three of us.”
“Captain Ortiz,” said Lee to the older man. “New shields or not, if Baal launches fighters it’s all over. Resolute might be able to go hand to hand with that carrier’s auto cannons, but not against hundreds of those fighter ships.”
“They don’t have hundreds, Lee,” the captain replied, studying the holographic screens surrounding him. “They don’t have the personnel. At most, they may be able to launch a few dozen if they can get them charged. They have been draining power for their life support, remember?”
Lee nodded, remembering how they had managed to salvage the ships that had become the Demon squadron. He tried to estimate what condition the ships might be in now if they had been able to get power back to their systems. More importantly, he tried to imagine the state of the pilots who might be called to fly them. The last he had seen, most of Baal’s crew were near to starving.
There was a flare of light on the screen as the side of Resolute lit up under plasma fire from Baal. It was a nightmarish sight that Lee never thought he would see, two Confederate warships exchanging fire with each, inconceivable in his min
d.
Resolute unleashed its own fire on the larger ship. The orange-red fire of plasma cannons impacting the blue of the ship’s shields was oddly beautiful on the screen and Lee found himself transfixed by the sight. Baal began a slow turn that would bring its forward weapons to bear on the battleship. Resolute pushed forward and tried to swing around to stay on the bigger ship’s weak side. The two ships continued to exchange fiery bolts across the void of space.
“Captain Ortiz,” asked Lee. “Can’t we move in and try to reinforce the shielding on Resolute.”
“Lee, we wouldn’t last long against that ship,” Ortiz replied. “Chang told us to get back and protect ourselves and that is what I am planning on doing.”
“Captain—” started Lee.
“Commander,” Ortiz interrupted, “I have a responsibility to the people on this ship to keep us all alive and that is what I am planning on doing! Now, if you cannot accept that, then get off my bridge!”
Lee had never seen Ortiz so furious. He realized the older man was right. The Princess could not stand up to the kind of punishment that Baal could inflict. His desire to engage in the kind of conflict that had defined his life for years had overtaken his responsibility to the ship and its crew. He stepped back from the captain and returned to looking at the viewer.
Resolute had kept itself broadside to the carrier, allowing the cannons that dared its side to pummel Baal’s flank. Lee noticed, however, that the battleship’s shields were beginning to flicker under the return fire from the carrier. Chang began a rapid turn to present a different face to the larger ship, but Baal swept wide to keep attacking the weak shields.
To Lee it was like watching a murder in slow motion. The battleship struggled to put some distance between itself and the immense warship that was harassing it. Hathaway was pouring on speed from the carrier’s enormous engines and continuing to fire at the smaller ship. He felt helpless just standing on the deck of the cruise ship and watching.
“Captain, at least let me scramble the Demons,” Lee pleaded. “Maybe we can take some of the pressure off of Chang.”
Resolute Omnibus (The War for Terra) Page 20