“He finds women, plays with their emotions, and fills them full of lies.”
“Is that what happened to you?”
“What? Van didn’t tell you about us? I’m not surprised,” said Barbara smugly.
“Listen, Ms. Fuller, I don’t know what your motivations are or what problems you may have had. But I was hired for my skills as a physician and experience in aerospace medicine. If you are implying that I was brought on board for any other reasons, please put them out of your head.”
“I wasn’t talking about you, Rose.”
With those words, Barbara turned and left, leaving Rose standing in the middle of the room totally mystified.
“Chang’e 5, Beijing Control.”
“Beijing Control, send your message,” said Lo.
“Chang’e 5, we show you and 6 still on the Moon’s surface, correct?”
“Beijing Control, Chang’e 5. That is correct.”
“Chang’e 5, due to the unprovoked attack on Jiuquan, Command wishes one of your two craft to be airborne at all times until these issues are resolved.”
“Chang’e 5 is ready and has the most fuel. We are preparing to lift now.” And the pilot, Chau, ended contact and lifted off from Fan Lau.
“Captain, we have more transmissions from the surface of the Moon and movement from two craft,” said the Moor’s sensor officer.
“What kind of movement?” asked Captain Skarr impatiently.
“One just lifting off from the surface of the transmission location and one heading toward the transmission site.”
“Any indications of weapons?”
“No weapons energy from either contact, Captain.”
“Continue on course, Helm. Weapons to standby.”
Both the helm and weapons officers did as they were told.
“Captain, the second aircraft is firing some sort of projectile weapons at the transmission site, and the other craft is circling behind in an apparent attack maneuver.”
“Projectile weapons? You mean rail guns?”
“No, Captain. The projectiles are too slow for rail guns.”
“A secret weapon perhaps, with no energy signature. Most interesting.” Just then the lights flickered on and off the Moor’s bridge, and red lights appeared on the engineering station.
“What just happened?” the captain demanded.
“We just lost our stealth generator, sir. We were having problems with it some time ago, but we cannot fix it ourselves. We need to be in port for that,” said a brown-crested technical representative.
“Helm, turn us to a path to the back side of this Moon. We can hide in its shadow.”
“Yes, Captain. Turning now,” said the helm officer.
“Captain!” said an excited sensor operator.
“What is it now?”
“The two craft, Captain. They just turned and are headed in our direction.”
Meier had just completed a firing run on the Fan Lau site when he realized that one of the Chinese craft was maneuvering behind him. He turned as hard as he could to the right in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Chang’e 5. He thought it was the Chang’e 5, but it really didn’t make any difference if it was the 6.
To his amazement, however, Meier saw the Chang’e 5 break away and head for space.
“Running, are you? I thought the Chinese were made of sterner stuff,” he said with another scary laugh. “No matter. The B2 is faster and I will catch up quickly.”
But the Chang’e 5 was not running. It was heading toward another ship that suddenly appeared nearby. Meier thought it was the Russians returning, and he turned to pursue both ships. He did not see the Chang’e 6 lift off and fall in behind him.
“Captain, there are now three ships headed our way.”
“Three? Where did the third one come from?”
“The same place as the first, Captain. There must be a base there with more craft.”
“Do we have a weapons lock?”
“Yes, Captain,” responded the weapons officer.
“Then fire on them all. Get rid of them!”
“Opening fire now, sir.”
Meier saw the red burst of energy from the new ship and saw the Chang’e 5 disappear in a brief but brilliant ball of fire. Having no other choice, he opened fire on the new ship with the twin 30mm cannons. He never saw the results, however. The B2’s cabin filled with bright light, and Meier felt the shuttle lurch wildly and then saw nothing more.
CHAPTER 36
“Commander!” said Harry urgently.
“What is it, Harry?”
“There is an apparent battle going on above the surface of the Moon.”
“Between who? Meier and the Chinese?” asked Van.
“It seems to have started that way, Commander. But there is another larger ship there, and it just destroyed both Chinese ships and apparently the B2. It is now headed to Fan Lau.”
“Who could possibly have a bigger ship in space at the present? It’s not the Pitchka is it?”
“No, Commander. I have checked my database twice, and the results are the same.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense, Harry. What is it?” Van had a sinking feeling he could only hope was indigestion.
“An Arkon scout ship, Commander.”
All heads turned in disbelief toward Harry.
“An Arkon ship? Here? Now? I thought they wouldn’t be here for a hundred years!” exclaimed Van.
“That was the estimate, Commander. But the ship is here now, and I suggest we get rid of it before it reports home.”
“Right. Astrogation, plot a course to the Moon. Helm, as soon as the course is locked in, kick it in the ass and let’s go after that scout ship. Weapons, how are we on missiles?”
“System is up again, Commander. We still have seventeen M2s and twenty-five M1s. Plus, all systems are in the green,” said Ross.
“Good. Harry, get everyone not on watch to the conference room, including Stan and Danny, in ten minutes,” ordered Van.
“Yes, Commander.”
“Ross, get Jimmy up here to take your place and then come to the conference room.”
“Right away, Commander.”
Ten minutes later, Van stood in the Aurora’s conference room looking at eager and determined faces.
“As most of you already know, there is an Arkon scout ship in the vicinity of the Moon. It already shot down three of Earth’s ships, including, apparently, the B2 with Meier aboard.”
The room buzzed with comments like “Finally!” and “Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy!” and “Where did the Arkon come from?”
“Quiet down. I think we’re all happy to be finally rid of Meier. But the time for celebration will come later. Right now, we must figure out how to get rid of this scout ship as soon as possible. Harry, what can you tell us about the Arkon ship?”
“It is an older generation ship based on the design of traditional Arkon gunboats. It is about half the size of the Aurora with a crew of thirteen. Engines are a little larger than a gunboat to provide FTL capability powered by a ZPE, like the Aurora. Most of the gunboat weapons were replaced with long-range passive and active sensors, but as we have seen, it still has damaging lasers and rail guns. It is also likely that they have at least one plasma cannon like that of the Enterprise and the CS1 and 2. They are fast and usually very stealthy.”
“If they’re stealthy, why can we see them?” asked Danny.
“Uncertain, Mr. Ramos. The probability is that the system has failed. The Arkon do not invent technology as much as they adopt the technology of those they conquer. Culturally, maintenance is not done by the warrior class—Reds, as they are known. Instead, ships depend on spare parts on board as opposed to actual repair. Most repair is done in yards or in port by another cast called the Browns and slaves. If there are no spares on board, then the system will be down until they reach port.”
“That’s dumb,” said Bob Cooper. “If we ran that way, we would still be coasting pas
t Mars.”
“Indeed, Mr. Cooper, you are right,” said Harry. “And that will work to our advantage. It is unlikely that the Arkon ship will regain its stealth capability.”
“But it still has teeth, and it could go to FTL if required,” said Van.
“Yes, Commander.”
“Is our stealth capability good enough to prevent our discovery?” asked Stan.
“Yes, Mr. Walters, it is. That applies to the shuttles as well,” said Harry.
“That’s a relief,” said Danny.
“OK,” Van interjected. “We’re stealthy and have better weapons. Including the CS1 and 2, we have numerical superiority as well. What we don’t have is tactical experience, save what we learned in the simulators. So let’s marry some of our own experience with our newfound technology. Keep in mind, however, our ship is two hundred years old.
“Stan, when we’re done here, you and Danny man CS1. We’ll launch you as soon as you’re ready. Take formation echelon right. We’ll act as a flight of two with the CS1 flying wing and keeping our six clear. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, Stan and Danny will take close formation to our starboard side and slightly aft. They will be in position to protect our aft, or six o’clock, position. We’ll fight as a team. We can see each other, but they can’t see us. Any questions? None? OK, get to your stations and let’s go hunting!”
“Captain, all enemy craft have been destroyed,” said the weapons officer of the Moor.
“So I saw. Now let’s destroy that base before they launch any more craft.”
“Yes, Captain, we are on an attack vector now,” said the helm officer.
“Weapons, fire when you are in range.”
“Yes, Captain, firing now.” And the weapons officer sent orange balls of plasma from the ship’s single cannon rushing to the lunar surface and Fan Lau.
“Target destroyed, Captain!” said a proud red-crested weapons officer.
“Good, now—”
But the captain’s words were interrupted by the sensor officer, who shouted, “Contact! Four missiles inbound!”
“What? That cannot be! Are shields up?”
“Yes, Captain,” said a confused weapons officer. “Point defense set to automatic.”
“Helm, execute evasive plan 5,” said the captain.
“Executing evasive plan 5, sir.”
“Sensors, where is the ship that fired? More important, what kind of ship is it?” said the captain.
“Unknown to both questions, sir. It appears to be in stealth mode,” said the sensor operator. “However, the missiles have been identified as Galactic Host M2s.”
“That is not possible! That race was destroyed two hundred cycles ago!” said the captain to no one in particular.
“One met to impact, Captain,” said the sensor operator.
“Two missiles down. Three missiles down by point defense,” said the weapons officer as the small ship was rocked violently by the fourth missile.
“Damage?” asked the captain.
“Minor damage, Captain, but shield strength is down by twenty percent.”
“Hit!” said Ross Taylor excitedly.
“So I see,” said Van. “Fire another round.”
“Firing,” said Ross, and four more missiles sped toward the Arkon ship.
“She has point defense, Commander,” said Harry. “Damage is likely minor and she continues to maneuver. My sensors suggest her shields are now at eighty percent.”
“And we just launched half of our remaining M2s. We need to get closer. Helm, cut the distance to the Arkon in half,” said Van.
“Increasing speed now, Commander,” said Paul.
“Contact! Four more missiles inbound, Captain Skarr. They are closer now, sir. Impact in two mets, sir,” said the senior officer.
“Closer and behind us,” observed the captain. “Weapons, launch four missiles behind us to explode in two mets.”
“Missiles set and launched, Captain.”
“Two missiles down by point defense, Captain. Two will impact our shields,” said the weapons officer just as two more missiles rocked the scout ship.
“Two hits!” said Ross with apparent glee.
“Yes,” said Harry, “I confirm two hits. Arkon shields now at sixty percent. The Arkon have fired four missiles, Commander.”
“At what? They can’t see us, can they?” asked Van with concern.
“No, Commander, they cannot see us. They may, however, have fired in the hope of hitting something by chance,” said Harry, just as four massive explosions occurred in front of the Aurora, rocking her.
Van was nearly thrown from his chair. Only his safety harness prevented it. Red lights began appearing at the engineering and weapons stations.
“What the hell was that!” shouted Van.
“It appears, Commander, that the Arkon set a timed detonation on their missiles. Two were downed by our rail-gun point defense system. But two detonated before they could be destroyed,” said Harry.
“Damage?” demanded Van.
“No structural damage, Commander. However, it appears that our stealth system has failed due to the shock and vibration,” said Harry calmly.
“You mean they can see us now?”
“Yes, Commander. But the CS1’s stealth system is functioning.”
“Then bring our shields up before they launch again!”
Wish there was a way to have shields and stealth up at the same time, but the shields disrupt the stealth system, Van thought.
CHAPTER 37
“Success, Captain!” the sensor operator said. “The enemy ship’s shields are up, but she has just lost her stealth capability.”
“Put her on visual on all screens,” said Captain Skarr.
“Yes, Captain.”
“What kind of ship is that? I don’t recognize it.”
“Analysis says the enemy ship is an Agora-class corvette belonging to the Galactic Host,” said the weapons officer in disbelief.
“A ship two hundred cycles old?” asked the captain incredulously.
“Yes, Captain, that is what our database says.”
“Contact! Four more missiles inbound. They appear to be of the M1 class. Shorter range, but just as deadly,” said the sensor officer.
“Helm, attack pattern 7. Get behind that ship so we can use all our weapons.”
“Attack pattern 7 entered, Captain. Accelerating now.”
“Missiles still closing, Captain. Impact in one met.”
“One missile down. Two missiles down. Two will impact our shields, Captain.”
And two more explosions rocked the accelerating scout ship.
“Two more hits!” said Ross. “But she is accelerating out of M1 range and maneuvering as if to get behind us.”
“That’s what I would do,” said Van. “What’s their shield strength now, Harry?”
“Forty percent, Commander. But she will be able to focus more weapons on us shortly.”
True, but she doesn’t know the CS1 is there, thought Van as a plan formed in his mind. “Engineering, what’s the status on our stealth system?”
“We’re tracing the fault now, Commander,” said Bob Cooper. “It appears to be another power cable overload. Fortunately, we have a replacement, but it may take a while.”
“How long is ‘a while’?” asked Van.
“Thirty minutes to an hour, providing we’re correct in the reason for the failure,” said Bob. “I know that’s not what you wanted to hear but, as you say, it is what it is.”
“Thanks, Bob. I know you and Elaine are doing your best. Just let me know when it’s up.”
“Will do,” said Bob as he disconnected.
“Ross, what can we hit that ship with besides missiles?” asked Van.
“Well, plasma torpedoes are out since the scout ship is maneuvering to our right—excuse me, starboard. But the ventral and dorsal lasers will work. They may not do much damage, but they’ll play hell with their
shields. If they get closer and steady out their course, we can even turn the rails guns on them.”
“Then by all means, play hell with them!” said Van, and Ross started firing both lasers.
“We are taking laser fire, Captain,” said the weapons officer. “We are now in our own laser range.”
“Open fire with the lasers, then! How long until the enemy is within our missile arc?”
“At this rate of turn, three mets, Captain,” reported the weapons officer.
“Good. Astrogation, after this pass, prepare a departure course to point G in our scout mission route and prepare to go to FTL. We need to report this to home fleet.” They had made a previous report upon entering the system, but it was only to relay a strange and uninterpretable signal coming from somewhere in the system.
“Yes, Captain.”
“Taking laser fire,” said Ross. “Shields are holding.”
“What about the scout’s shields, Harry?”
“They continue to drop, Commander. Now at thirty percent. That is strange, however. They have sufficient power to keep the shields at a higher level, yet they are not.”
“I don’t like the sound of that. What do you think is happening?” asked Van.
“Uncertain, Commander. But they could be rerouting reserve power to the FTL drive.”
“Oh shit. That means they might get away and report about us.” Van got on the communications to the combat shuttle. “CS1, Aurora actual. The Arkon ship may be getting ready to go to FTL after they try one pass at us. We can’t let that happen. Their shields are low, about thirty percent and slowly dropping. We are continuing to hit them with laser fire and were hoping to finish them off with rail guns as they pass. They don’t know you’re there. So break formation and attack as you see fit. We have to stop them, pronto!”
“Roger that, Aurora. Watch and learn. CS1 out.”
“Danny, you ready for this?” asked Stan with a smile.
Immortal Guardian: Hoast Saga Book 2 (Host Saga) Page 25