“How long until they arrive?” asked Ryan.
“Five minutes,” said Rawlings.
“I’ll put the engines at full power and run a check on the shields while we’re en route,” said Paul who had obviously overheard the entire conversation on the bridge.
“Sounds good,” said Ryan.
“Captain,” said Nicole, “we are ready to engage light speed. Just say the word and we’re on our way.”
“Punch it,” said Ryan. He sat back in his chair waiting for the light speed to engage. He could hear the sound of the engines powering up. It would only be a matter of seconds before they were on their way.
The ship catapulted forward as he ran numerous scenarios through his mind. First and foremost they had to deter the Karang ships and give the escape pods an opportunity to make it back safely to the base on Pluto. The best-case scenario would be that they could destroy all three enemy ships, but Ryan knew that that was a long shot. The fact that he didn’t have any information concerning his father’s well-being made the odds even worse.
“Sir,” called Rawlings, “I’m picking up eight Altarran ships on a heading towards Pluto. They are approximately fifteen minutes away.”
Ryan smiled. “Of course they are. I’d expect nothing less.” He wasn’t the least bit surprised that Granthaxe had reversed course and was on his way to help with the survivors. Unfortunately by the time they got there it would most likely be too late.
“We’ll be at our destination in one minute,” said Nicole.
“Understood,” said Ryan. “Mister Rawlings, bring all weapons online and power the shields as soon as we drop out of light speed.”
“Yes, Captain,” said Rawlings. “Weapons are powered up and ready. All torpedo tubes are fully loaded as well.”
“Dropping out of light speed now, Captain,” said Nicole.
“Tanner,” said Ryan, “can you detect the escape pods?”
“Aye, sir,” replied Tanner. “Scanners show both the Lexington and the Kennedy have deployed all of their pods.”
“What about the Constitution?” asked Ryan.
“Scans show that about one-third of their escape craft have been jettisoned,” said Tanner. “But they’re in much worse shape than the other two. Their power levels are almost nonexistent. They’re on emergency power and have numerous hull breeches.”
Ryan tried to maintain control. It wasn’t easy. He prayed that his father was still alive and on one of the escape pods. Then again, he knew his father would make sure everyone was off the ship first. He’d be the very last one to leave.
“Sir,” said Rawlings, “three enemy battle cruisers dropping out of light speed at twelve o’clock.”
“Nikki,” ordered Ryan, “put us between the Constitution and those ships. As we pass the lead ship bring the nose up so all forward weapons can target her underbelly.”
“Aye, sir,” she said. “Adjusting course now. We are coming up underneath her now.”
“Rawlings,” said Ryan, “all forward tubes . . . FIRE!”
Ryan had hoped to catch the Karang off guard and thankfully he had.
“Direct hit,” called out Tanner. “She has hull damage and is listing thirty degrees to starboard.”
“As soon as we pass her fire aft torpedoes,” ordered Ryan.
“Yes, sir,” said Rawlings. “Firing now!”
“Another direct hit,” yelled Tanner.
“We have incoming weapons fire,” said Rawlings.
“Hard to port,” ordered Ryan.
Nicole tried to maneuver the ship out of harm’s way but they took two hits near the aft of the ship. “Damage reports,” ordered Ryan.
“All decks report no injuries,” said Jill.
“Shields at seventy-six percent, Captain,” said Rawlings.
“We’ve got both ships closing on us,” said Tanner. “One dead ahead and one on our six.”
Ryan got a crazy idea. “Full sub-light speed collision course. Target the ship in front with all forward torpedoes and cannons. Target the ship on our tail with all aft torpedoes. Fire at will.”
“Yes, sir,” said Rawlings. “Firing all weapons.”
Alarms started ringing on the bridge. The ship’s computers warned of a head-on collision.
“Ry!” said Tanner. “They’re both firing at us.”
“Nikki,” ordered Ryan. “Full emergency dive. NOW!”
The Churchill rocked as it took multiple hits again. Then the ship went into a steep dive. The G forces slammed Ryan into his seat.
“Shields down to thirty-four percent,” said Tanner.
Ryan watched the monitors as the two enemy ships nearly collided. One took heavy damage. The other was unscathed and went into a dive following the Churchill. “They’re on our six, Captain,” said Nicole.
“Evasive maneuvers. Try and shake them,” said Ryan.
“We have multiple torpedoes bearing down on us,” said Tanner.
“Brace for impact,” ordered Ryan.
The UEDF Churchill rocked violently. Sparks flew from numerous sections on the bridge. “Shields are down,” said Tanner.
“I have damage reports as well as injuries coming from all decks, sir,” said Jill. “Paul said engineering has a hull breach and power is almost gone in the light-speed drive.”
“Two of the Karang ships are dead in space, sir,” said Rawlings. “The other one is turning for another pass. We’ve got to get out of here. If they hit us with our shields down we’re done.”
Ryan knew Rawlings was right but he didn’t want to admit it. “Jill, hard about,” he ordered. “Engage light speed at a ten-second burst.”
“Yes, sir,” said Jill.
“Incoming weapons fire,” said Rawlings.
“Now,” ordered Ryan. “Engage light speed.”
Just as they powered and entered light speed Ryan felt the ship rumble. Then there was an explosion at the weapons station. Rawlings fell to the floor with burns all over his body. Ryan felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder and saw blood running down his arm. He could hear the warning systems blaring as well as the fire alarm.
“Ry,” said Paul, “we’ve got multiple hull breaches. We need to drop out of light speed drive now before the ship falls apart.
“Nicole, full emergency stop,” said Ryan. Nicole didn’t answer. Ryan looked up and saw Jill at the helm. Nicole was lying face down on the floor with a pool of blood streaming down from her right shoulder.
“Emergency thrusters firing now,” said Jill.
The sound of the metal hull groaning was evident. The ship almost sounded as if it were in pain. Ryan wondered if it was going to break into pieces. Suddenly the wounded ship came to an abrupt stop. The fire suppression systems automatically engaged. He tried to stand but felt a searing pain in his right shoulder as well as his right leg. He saw Tanner with an emergency medical kit working on Nicole. A medical team entered the bridge and one of them approached him. “I’m okay,” he said. “Check on the others.”
One of the team ran over to Rawlings while another tended to Ryan’s injuries. The man who checked Rawlings just looked up and shook his head. Ryan was devastated. He had never lost a crewmember and the weight of Rawlings’s death hit him hard. And, he was sure there were others who had not survived throughout the ship.
Ryan looked up and saw Tanner coming towards him. “How’s Nicole?” he asked.
Tanner had obviously noticed Rawlings’s body on the floor. “She’s in shock,” said Tanner. “Her right arm is shattered with burns on the right side of her upper body, but one of the medical team is working on her and she’s stable for now. The ship’s falling apart, Ry. We need to evacuate while we still can.”
Ryan knew Tanner was right. The ship was a mess. But he had one more trick up his sleeve—for him alone to deal with. First things first.
“You’re right,” he said. “Give the order to abandon ship.”
Amanda was well aware of the stakes. They couldn’t be any higher.
The combined forces of Earth and Altarra had made their last stand. Three Earth ships were dead in space and the Fleet Admiral’s was one of them. The remaining ships had retreated and were on their way to the cadet training planet. But on a more positive note, the ancient ship was fully powered and she was running last-minute checks on all the systems.
Her father entered the bridge. He had been called away to take an important message minutes earlier. “How much longer until we are ready for departure?” he asked.
“All systems are online and at one hundred percent, sir,” said Amanda. “I am plotting our course now. Assuming that we travel at light speed, we should be able to intercept the Karang between Jupiter and Saturn in three and a half hours.” She noticed the look of concern on her father’s face. “What was the message you received, sir?”
“Ryan ordered the rest of the cadet fleet to retreat and rendezvous with us,” he said. “I told Captain Sturgeon that as soon as I knew our ETA and location I’d inform him.”
A sick feeling washed over Amanda. She knew immediately that Ryan was planning something extremely dangerous. “Where’s Ryan headed?” she asked. Before her father even answered, she knew what he was going to say.
“He’s returning to assist the damaged ships and help with the rescue recovery,” he answered. “Unfortunately, the Karang also sent three ships back, most likely to destroy the damaged ships.”
Amanda accessed the long-range sensor feeds and saw Ryan’s ship headed back towards Pluto. She also saw three Karang battle cruisers heading to the same coordinates.
“Look,” said Kyron. “Supreme Commander Granthaxe and his remaining ships are also returning to Pluto. It is most obvious that he is following the same course of action as Captain Ryan Thompson.”
Amanda was hopeful until she assessed the data on the long-range sensors. The Altarran ships would not get there in time to help Ryan. “Yes, he is,” she said. “Unfortunately they will not arrive in time. They are fifteen minutes away and Ryan will be there in a minute, which is about the same time the Karang will arrive.”
“Fear not, Amanda Williamson,” said Kyron. “Ryan Thompson is an established warrior and will fight with fortitude and courage.”
Amanda knew that Kyron was being supportive, but she also knew the odds were stacked against Ryan. Sadly, she understood his reasoning. It all stemmed from the incident that had led to his mother’s death. “Unfortunately, Kyron, all the courage in the universe might not be enough,” she said.
Before another word was uttered, all the monitors on the bridge flashed green, which meant that all systems had been checked and were operating at full capacity. Amanda scanned the navigational system and noticed that there were three options to get to their desired coordinates. It took a minute for the translation to sink in, but as soon as it did she thrust her arms in the air and a huge smile appeared on her face.
“What is it?” asked her father.
“You see these three different images on the monitor in front of me?”
“Yes,” he answered. “They appear to be three different options for course and intended destinations.”
“Not just that, Admiral Jonas Williamson,” said Kyron. “The one path is much quicker and at a much greater distance.”
“Exactly,” said Amanda. “What I didn’t know until just now was that the ship has the ability to open an artificial wormhole. With every minute that passes, more information is coming to me. I can’t explain how it’s happening but it’s simply amazing. We can make it to Pluto in less than fifteen minutes. We need to leave now.”
During all the excitement Amanda hadn’t noticed that Defense Minister Legrande and his two security officers, Lieutenants Markem and Ollinger, had entered the bridge.
“Well done, Ms. Williamson,” said Legrande. He directed his next question to the admiral. “Am I to presume we will be leaving shortly?”
“You can bet your last dollar on that, Legrande,” said the admiral. “In fact we are leaving in five minutes. I want all personnel off the ship with the exception of our original team.”
“Let’s not forget that my team stays as well,” said Legrande. “I’m here as a political liaison to attempt to try and reason with our attackers.”
Kyron hissed, “You have a better chance of convincing the devil to join forces with your god.”
“Be that as it may,” said Legrande. “I am here on the orders of the president of the Global Committee. According to the laws and guidelines within our constitution, it is our duty to always attempt a final negotiation before using a weapon of mass destruction.”
Amanda couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “With all due respect, Legrande, there will be no need to negotiate with them,” she said. “I would think even someone with your limited intellect would understand that.”
“Enough,” said her father. “Orders are orders, Amanda. And we’ve got much larger fish to fry. Now let’s prepare for liftoff. I’ll inform all ships to clear the area. We’re leaving in five minutes.”
Legrande smiled at Amanda. It wasn’t a very friendly smile at that. Then he turned and walked away with Markem and Ollinger in tow.
“I don’t trust him, sir,” said Amanda. “Not one bit. Something about him makes me sick to my stomach.”
“Never cared much for him myself,” said the admiral. “Then again, there aren’t many politicians I’ve ever liked.”
“I do not like him, nor do I trust him,” said Kyron. “On Altarra his kind would be put to death or confined to prison for his attitude alone.”
Amanda sat down and put the headset back on. Within seconds all the engines started powering up. She tapped her intercom and called Commodore Laurent in engineering.
“Commodore Laurent, we are being cleared for takeoff. You’re gonna love our method of travel. It seems our ship can open an artificial wormhole.”
“Really?” said Laurent. “That’s amazing. I’m going to monitor and record the systems down here. Hopefully I can figure out how it’s done.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Amanda. “I’ll talk to you after we lift off.”
“Understood,” said Laurent.
“We’re cleared for departure in three minutes,” said her father. All ships are leaving the area now. Unless I hear differently, we go in three.”
“Yes, sir,” said Amanda. “Preparing for liftoff in three minutes.”
Amanda put the headset back on. She sat back in her chair and maintained a watch on the monitors. The ship followed her commands directly via her thoughts. She ordered the ship to engage engines and achieve orbit in one hundred and eighty seconds. For the first time since they had started their journey, she had a sense of hope. Now only if they could get there in time to save Ryan and his father.
Admiral Thompson opened his eyes. Niles was kneeling next to him waving smelling salts under his nose. “Get that nasty stuff out of my face,” said Thompson.
“Welcome back, sir,” said Niles. “And you’re welcome.”
Thompson sat up and surveyed the bridge. Other than himself and Niles, the only other officer on the bridge was Barnes. “The last thing I remember was ordering the crew to abandon ship. Then something slammed into the back of my head.”
“That would have been me,” said Barnes. “The explosion threw me from my post, luckily for me, but not so much for you. In fact had you not stopped me, I would have slammed into that mangled mess behind you and most likely would have been impaled.”
“Well, that makes us even,” said Thompson. “You saved my life and I just saved yours.”
“Thanks,” said Barnes. “I needed a good laugh.”
“How many ships did we lose?” asked Thompson.
“The Edmonton and the Johnson,” answered Niles. “I counted a total of thirteen escape pods from the two ships.”
Thompson did the math. Each pod held a maximum of ten survivors. Considering that each ship had a crew of one hundred, approximately seventy hadn’t made it. Hopefully s
ome of them were still alive and searching their ships for injured crewmembers.
“How many of our crew did we lose?”
“We have twenty-four known fatalities,” said Niles. “Sixty have already left via the escape pods. I have two search crews of five each scouring the ship for survivors and there’s the three of us. That leaves only three other crewmembers MIA at the current time.”
“What’s the status of the ship?” asked Thompson.
“We’re on emergency power. We have two forward laser cannons operational and maneuvering thrusters,” said Niles.
“Obviously communications are out, but our sensors are still operational and rescue shuttles are on their way from Pluto,” said Barnes. “That’s the good news.”
Thompson could read her face and knew there was more that she hadn’t told him. “And the bad news?”
“I’ve just detected that three enemy vessels have reversed course and they’re headed in our direction,” said Barnes.
“Those shuttles won’t stand a chance against those battleships,” said Thompson. “We’ve got to position ourselves between the escape pods and the shuttles and buy them time to get safely back to Pluto.”
“I can man the weapons station,” said Niles.
“I can handle the helm,” said Barnes. “We’ve got five minutes to maneuver ourselves between them and our ships. If we are lucky we may be able to buy them a few more minutes.”
“A few minutes can mean the difference between life and death,” said Thompson. “Hopefully we can make a difference.”
“Without our torpedoes we won’t be able to do much damage,” said Niles. “But we’ll slow them down a bit.”
“I’m detecting one of our ships closing in on our location as well,” said Niles.
Thompson already knew who it was. “Let me guess which ship. I’ll bet my command that it’s the Churchill.”
“And you’d be absolutely correct,” said Niles. “If I may be free to speak my mind, Admiral.”
“You may, Niles.”
“It’s exactly what I’d have expected you to do if the situation were reversed.”
Cadets: 2 The Ship of the Gods Page 20