Tarizon, Conquest Earth, Tarizon Trilogy Vol 3
Page 13
The attack cruiser had begun to accelerate when it was blasted again. Evohn Cystrom held on to a support beam with all his strength. Dust and debris shaken from the ceiling came down on him. The lights blinked off and on once more.
“Damage report!” the Vice Admiral screamed.
A voice came over the ship’s speaker. “Damage to the starboard stabilizers. One scanner antennae array destroyed. One crewman suffered a concussion and was sent to the casualty compartment.”
“All right. Link me to Humanities Hope,” the Vice Admiral ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
Another voice came over the bridge speaker. “Captain Quoral here.”
“Captain, did you see Earth’s Destiny firing on us?”
“Yes, Vice Admiral. How did that happen?”
“We don’t know. Did you see anything from your angle?”
“We observed laser cannons firing from turrets A:24, A:14, and C:16.”
“Can those lasers be fired remotely, Captain?”
“Not to my knowledge. They require a gunner to lock on the target.”
“Did you scan the ship for life-forms?”
“No. They started firing at us as well, so I thought it best not to risk damage to the ship by moving in any closer.”
“That’s okay. We’re going to finish her off with a few of our missiles.”
“Yes, sir. Let us know if we can help.”
“Will do, thanks. Out.”
Vice Admiral Brunns looked out the front portal at Earth’s Destiny, wondering what skutz had managed to board the big attack cruiser and attack the Fleet. He looked at Captain Cystrom. “What’s your take on this, Captain?”
Captain Cystrom shrugged. “More defectors, I’d guess. They didn’t want to go to Earth so they figured they’d hijack an attack cruiser and become heroes to the traitors back on Tarizon.”
“You’re right. That’s probably it. We can’t let them get away with this.”
“No. We can’t,” Captain Cystrom agreed. “We must make them pay for their treachery.”
“Lt. Hanze,” the Vice Admiral said, “ready a half dozen Muscan 7s to finish off Earth’s Destiny.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You should do a head count on all the ships,” Captain Cystrom suggested. “Whoever we find missing will be our traitors.”
“Yes, take care of that for me, would you?”
“Yes, sir,” Captain Cystrom replied.
Lt. Hanze looked at the Vice Admiral. “Muscans ready to launch.”
“Launch missiles,” the Vice Admiral ordered.
There was a series of hissing sounds as the missiles were launched. All eyes watched them streak toward Earth’s Destiny. Just before they reached their target a bright white flash nearly blinded them. The missiles exploded, turning the sky orange with fire. When the fire and smoke cleared, Earth’s Destiny sat defiantly unscathed.
“What happened?” the Vice Admiral demanded. “What was that?”
Captain Cystrom shook his head in dismay. “That was the ionic missile defense shield, sir. It creates a temporary ion field that prematurely triggers any inbound missiles.” He laughed. “That was its first battle test. Works pretty well, don’t you think?”
“You mean, all of Earth’s Destiny’s defenses are up?” the Vice Admiral asked incredulously.
“Apparently so, sir. Didn’t you lock down the computer and secure the ship before you left?” Captain Cystrom asked.
A horrible look came over the Vice Admirals face.
“Why no. I didn’t think that was necessary. I thought everyone on Clarion was dead.”
Captain Cystrom took a deep breath trying to stifle his disgust. “I believe that’s standard protocol, sir.”
“So now what do we do?” the Vice Admiral asked meekly.
Captain Cystrom shrugged. “I think the admiral will have to make that decision.”
Vice Admiral Brunns made a hasty retreat, leaving Captain Cystrom stifling great laughter. He was delighted at the Vice Admiral’s humiliation and started to think how he could capitalize on it in the future. He knew if the Vice Admiral were out of the way, he’d be second in command and only a heartbeat away from full control of the Fleet. It was true there were five other captains of equal rank, but being Videl Lai’s son, he knew he’d have the upper hand. When Vice Admiral Brunns returned, Captain Cystrom put on a somber demeanor. Brunns ignored him.
“Set course for Earth,” Brunns ordered.
“We’re leaving Earth’s Destiny behind for the Loyalists?” Captain Cystrom questioned.
“Yes, trying to recapture it or destroy it is too dangerous. It could jeopardize our entire mission. We have no choice.”
Captain Cystrom watched the image of Earth’s Destiny shrink as the attack cruiser picked up speed. Soon it was gone and Tarizon came into view, only to disappear a moment later when the ship went FTL. Captain Cystrom continued to stare through the portal into the darkness of space, still stunned by their sudden departure. He couldn’t believe they were leaving a fully functional attack cruiser behind. He’d had little respect for the admiral and none at all for the Vice Admiral, but now he knew that their continued leadership could well compromise the entire mission, if it hadn’t already done so. He also knew that he now had no choice but to assume command as quickly as possible.