Now the Kalu fleet was in range of five space elevators.
Power shielding couldn’t hide the weapons powering up on the elevators, or how they shifted on their umbilical’s to face the Kalu.
It definitely couldn’t hide the twelve hundred weapons firing.
***
Orshpa ripped apart the railing in front of him in anger, yet another fleet was being mauled by these armed Free Fleet worlds.
He had seen the pastures of the planet, the obvious signs of farmers.
They should be weak nothing’s, just creatures to be brushed aside! He demanded answers from his universe, but the only thing that he saw was yet another fleet coming apart as they tried to make planet fall.
Cannons had been mounted to what looked like tracked vehicles that were moving across the planet in massive formations. Their guns bellowed, striking more Kalu from the sky as they raced towards the Kalu’s landing zone.
They might be farmers but they were no cowards and they had the same fiendish imagination as the rest of the Free Fleet.
Orshpa looked away from his screens, the command deck quiet as wormholes formed in front of the fleet.
They were going to Sol.
Orshpa looked at the information coming back from the system, wormholes appeared and Star-destroyers started piling into Chaleel system, right behind the Free Fleet who were starting to send shuttles at Chaleel.
A spark of hope lit in Orshpa’s chest.
Looks like not all of my supply train was destroyed.
His sour mood evaporated as he thought of what he might be able to do with those supplies. It could change the entire war!
He dug his claws into the deck, sharpening his claws. They exited the wormhole, looking at a new system.
“Send orders to the fleet, attack everything and anything. We have reached Salchar’s home clan system. We have reached Sol,” Orshpa growled.
The others got into the mood of it, sharpening their claws on the deck beneath as well. Messages were sent and the clans spread.
“We go to Earth,” Orshpa said. “Full acceleration! It is time we had the ground beneath our paws and our teeth bloodied from meeting the enemy,” Orshpa’s growl tickled his throat and ran through his body.
They hadn’t yet seen this Earth, sensors updating as more information came back.
He was done with this space fighting, he would fight the Free Fleet on the ground with his full strength.
It wasn’t long until a planet with growing cities on it and orbital facilities came into view. The entire fleet shifted like Kalu turning on the hunting plains towards their prey.
There were not many cities and while the orbitals were dense it didn’t look right to him.
Other planets started filling in the plot.
A new one appeared, it was covered in life unlike the dusty cold planet he was seeing.
“Change our heading for that planet,” Orshpa said, indicating the new planet.
“Any clan that wishes to write their stories about the dust planet and orbitals will be welcomed at my clan hall to tell their tales,” Orshpa said, giving them assent to fight the dusty planet instead of having to follow him.
Sub-clans broke off headed for the dust planet of the system, two massive orbital facilities were revealed, one a ship yard, the other a station. Other items were in orbit, but none matched the size of the two creations.
They were all armed with thirty or so Free Fleet warships around them.
Earth had no weapons, no batteries. It didn’t look to have anything in their orbitals.
Orshpa felt the lurching acceleration of the bomb’s igniting behind his ship. His fleet of eighty-seven thousand surged towards Earth.
Eleven thousand headed towards Mars. The battle for Sol was about to begin.
Chapter We settle this in the dust
"Commander Kafam has fallen," Werv said from his position as second in command.
"Shit!" Could this week get any worse? She thought, grinding her teeth in anger.
"Numbers?” She asked.
"Looks like close to thirty-one thousand," Werv said, his voice grim.
"Get me a line to Min Hae," she said after a minute. Looking through the reports that were now coming in from the sensor buoys throughout the Kafam system.
"Onur, send a message to the reserve patrol forces, they are to take up our position here, send orders to the fleet, we're going to Quarst. Send an additional message to planetary Governor Elisati to appraise her of the situation," Cheerleader said, getting into the zone. Forgetting what had happened over the last couple of days and focusing on her duty as the commander of her fleet.
"I have Min Hae on the line," Onur said.
"Commander?" Min Hae asked, sounding as if he had just woken up.
"Kafam has fallen, what can you get to me within the time it will take them to get from Kafam to Quarst?" Cheerleader asked, having no sympathy for his tiredness.
"I can get you at least seventy HCD's. If you want I can also ask the Independents for support, I do not know how long they will take however.”
"Do it. Quarst has no defenses, we stripped them to help with other systems as they came under attack," Cheerleader said, her tone biting.
We're supposed to think of this shit, she chastised herself.
"Give me ten minutes and I'll have a better estimate of what I can bring to the battle," Min Hae said.
"Very well, ten minutes," she said, cutting the channel. "How are we looking Onur?"
"The fleet is ready to carry out your orders, the reserve patrols will be here in twenty-seven hours," Onur replied.
"Werv pick five ships to stay behind as support for Oolta, I want us moving within the hour," Cheerleader said, looking through the sensor logs from the Kafam sensor buoys.
"Yes Commander," Werv said.
Min Hae came back a few minutes later.
"Go," Cheerleader said.
"I can have the Seventy Henry-classed Destroyers there in time, I can also bring eight-thousand Independents," Min Hae said.
"Do it, I've been looking at the defense in Quarst, they have less than twenty fighter wings and any cannons they put their credits into were wiped out with Bregend's kinetic strikes," Cheerleader said.
"We will be there," Min Hae assured her.
"I look forward to it," Cheerleader said as she felt Mondal's engines start to fire, her fleet leaving Oolta's atmosphere at maximum thrust. As soon as they were clear of the planet their bomb-pumped acceleration kicked in and the fleet came together into an arrowhead formation.
The sight brought hope and pride to her chest.
"Good hunting, Min Hae out," he closed the channel as Cheerleader’s fleet headed for Quarst.
They wouldn't be taking the normal wormhole routes, they'd be crossing right through the black of space, doing multiple jumps without sight of systems until they got to Quarst.
Five ships spread across Oolta's atmosphere. Their railguns sent fiery rounds through the planet's atmosphere and into the teeth of Kalu formations on the ground.
***
I looked around at the people in the conference room. I trusted all of them with my life.
"Bok Soo, have you talked to Commander Delahil?" I asked, referring to the Chaleel Planetary Commander.
"Yes I have, I was able to get the numbers you were looking for. I think that we should be able to get her them without affecting the numbers we need for Sol," Bok Soo said.
"Good, Rick have you let the ship commanders know who is staying and who will be coming with us to Sol?" I asked, looking to him.
"Yes, they understand their orders," Rick said.
"When will they be ready to depart?" I asked.
"Within a few hours," Rick said, looking to Bok Soo for confirmation. Bok Soo nodded his agreement as I sat back in my chair.
"Will we be going to Earth, or just protecting our assets in the system?" Yasu asked the question that everyone was thinking. All faces looked up from reports towards me. I looke
d at the bulkhead in front of me. My expression blank.
"If Earth asks for aid then we will give it. If they do not, then we will see to protecting the Free Fleet. We are not in the job of asking those that do not know how to ask for help," I said, looking around the room. I could tell that there were a number of people not happy with my decision. Yet it was my decision to make. I would have sent everything I had to Kafam if they had just asked for my help. Yet they did not, so I watched as the Kalu added a planet to their collection.
And I, like everyone else dismissed the system out of hand, I thought not without some silent guilt and anger. The Vahsnu of the planet had killed a good many of the Kalu. Though the Kalu didn't need many to fly their ships, they had started birthing their reinforcements already and had thirty-one thousand ships departing the system, fully armed and heading towards Quarst.
Cheerleader would be there a few days before the Kalu. If Min Hae or the independents could make it was still to be seen.
"How are the HCD's looking?" I asked, breaking the tense silence in the conference room.
"Ready to be hammering Kalu," Rick said.
"Then I think we should release them to do just that," I said, I looked around the table to gauge if anyone had anything to say to the contrary.
"Cut orders to that effect," I said seeing no great challenges.
"Will do," Rick said, typing out a message on his data pad.
"Does anyone else have anything they need to bring up?" I asked, looking around the room. I waited, no one moved to show they did.
"Very well, let us prepare to engage the Kalu in Sol."
***
Falhu looked at the numbers of his fleet, he now had less than seventy-thousand. Those damned pyramids were not giving up either. He wormholed into Daestramus and they had followed like scavengers after a predator’s kill.
We will not make it to Earth with anything like a fleet at this rate, the thought came unbidden to his mind. A Kalu should not be thinking of defeat. Yet even as he tried to push the thought away it had already taken root in his mind.
He looked at the jump limit towards his master. It was too far.
His eyes instead moved to the inhabited planet of the system. It was a cold planet but great cities covered in metal and shaped like upside down funnels projected heat into the atmosphere.
"I have become bored of this travelling between the stars. Take us to the planet. I wish to feel our enemies under my claws and their blood to paint my armor," Falhu said.
The command deck growled with hunger, the simmering anger of the pyramids attacks turned into direction. Now they had a target, now they would close with the enemy, now they wold be free of their ships to fight as true warriors borne of claws and teeth.
Word passed and the fleet turned like a drunkard’s sway. Bomb’s pushed them along, a pyramid appeared but it was off target, out of the line of Kalu, they shifted to bring them under fire. Even as dozens of Kalu ships fell it mattered less now. Falhu could feel life entering his limbs again, hormones raced through his veins. His hunt had just begun. He would dominate this world and return to his master with the prize under his claws.
***
"Falhu has changed directions, he is heading right towards Daestramus," Qurv reported, looking to Bregend.
"Then I guess we will be fighting him in the dust rather than in the black," Bregend said, looking to the information coming out of Daestramus.
"Kyle, get me a channel to the planet's Free Fleet Commander," Bregend said.
"Sir, I have a man by the name of Narvu listed as the contact," Kyle said for the benefit of Bregend.
"Very well," Bregend replied.
"Commander Bregend, I have heard a lot about you. Though that is a conversation for another time. What can I help you with? I am a tad busy organizing my planet for an oncoming Kalu invasion," Narvu said, his voice somehow light with the oncoming fight.
"Commander Narvu I am currently chasing that Fleet coming towards your planet. I will do everything in my power to try and get rid of as many of them as possible, though I know I will not get them all," Bregend said.
"Any help that you can give to me and mine is greatly appreciated, we haven't been sitting on our hands down here," Narvu said, Bregend could hear the amusement in the man's voice. It was refreshing to hear someone that wasn't all doom and gloom in these dark days.
"That's good to hear. I also have about a hundred and Eighty-Thousand Commandos that would be more than happy to assist you and yours," Bregend added.
"They are more than welcome to join our little party here," Narvu smattered with a grin.
"I am looking at your defenses and it looks to me that you have neither cannons nor mines," Bregend said, confusion and fear building in his gut.
"Ahh, well we modified a system that we hope to use to heat our planet. We think it will be pretty effective. We talked to Salchar's engineer about the project," Narvu said.
"Ahh quite, how does it work?" Bregend asked.
"For that it might be best to ask him. I am not a very technical man, and the people that know about it on my planet are rather busy at getting it ready," Narvu said.
"Very well, I will talk to him after this. Is there anything that you could think of that we might be able to assist you with?" Bregend asked.
"Your people have done a good amount for us already, I hope that we can quickly deal with the Kalu here so that you might help other worlds," Narvu said holding his eyes with a solemn look.
"I hope so too, though we will not be leaving Daestramus until we get rid of every damned Kalu threat, if you don't mind me saying so," Bregend said.
"I would expect no less, thank you commander. Your assurances do a lot to put my heart at ease," Narvu flashed a brief smile. There was noise in the background of the pickup.
"Ahh I must go, seems that Murphy loves to show his head at the most inopportune moments," Narvu growled to the noise off-screen.
"I understand commander, good luck." Bregend said, pushing out a small smile.
"And you too commander," Narvu said tilting his head as he cut the line.
"Kyle, get me Salchar, he's about the only person I know that can get Eddie on a comms channel," Bregend said.
"Sir."
"Hey Bregend, I understand that you want to talk to my recaltrient Engineer?" Salchar asked coming around to his command seat on the main screen a handful of minutes later. People were filling out of his conference room, waving and gesturing to Bregend. Bringing a small smile to his lips.
"If at all possible," Bregend said.
"He should be up here in a moment, though I understand I pulled him away from some power plant modifications," Salchar warned.
The armored doors into the bridge opened and an annoyed and irate looking Kuruvian Engineer came in, assisted by two Commandos.
"What is so damned important that I get these two goons pulling me away from my work? Do you know how close these damn things are to blowing themselves up!?" Eddie said, pushing his cowboy hat up on his head and looking to the main screen.
"Well?" He demanded, not at all put off about being in the presence of the Commander of the Free Fleet or one of his primary commanders.
"I was talking to Narvu of Daestramus, he told me that you know something about the planet's defense systems?" Bregend asked.
"Well of course I do, half designed the damned things! All those engineers must be half cockeyed with their angles and measurements as messed up as they were!" He growled, muttering something about rudimentary math and light diffusion.
"What are they?" Bregend asked, understanding some of Salchar's pain with dealing with the engineer.
"They're the damned heating towers! What else do you think is going to get through the planet's atmosphere to hit the wolfie bastards?" Eddie demanded.
"How are the heating towers going to kill any Kalu?" Bregend asked, confused.
"Lord give me patience," Eddie said, looking up at something out of view. He looked t
o Bregend again.
"Daestramus is on the wrong side of being cold for normal life to live on it right?" Eddie said.
"Correct," Bregend said.
"Now there are a few ways to warm that sucker up so that people can leave those towers and the heated underground facilities. The most common, the one which you humans were on your way to doing a lot of, is pump up the carbon dioxide levels and trap the heat in. Now this would take them a long time, because unlike you apes, they don't burn everything they can get their hands on. I swear you lot are a bunch of native arsonists!" He shook his manipulators before continuing.
"Now carbon dioxide helps to retain heat, but you still need light from the systems sun to get things toasty. Thing is, that would take centuries if not millennia’s with Daestramus. So we had a talk about environmental systems. This one stuck me into that conversation as well," Eddie said, pointing to Salchar who was reading something. He merely shrugged, continuing as he was doing.
"Anyway, if you can get at least some carbon dioxide, then all you need is more light to heat the place up. They made lasers to heat up the carbon dioxide inside the cities and let it flow out. I bet if you looked at the planet right now then you would see all of the heat pouring out of those damned places. It will take a few centuries sure, but in a generation or so they'll have a nice warm planet that people can go run around in. Without bits falling off," Eddie said.
"How powerful are these lasers?" Bregend asked.
"In the hundred megawatt range," Eddie said.
"How the heck are megawatt lasers going to hurt the Kalu ships?" Bregend asked, sure that was power levels of a sea-going carrier, but that was nothing like the power in say the Free Fleet's laser cannons. Or the amount of power that they put out on a regular basis.
"Combine them together, focus the beam into one point, say the top of a tower and point. Apart they might be megawatts, together they're touching a few hundred yottawatt range," Eddie said proudly.
Bregend sat back, actually having to look up how much power was in a yottawatt. It was a hundred times more powerful than the Free Fleet's laser cannons. It put them at a stage two civilization on the Kardashev scale and at a third of the strength of Sol's sun.
From Furies Forged (Free Fleet Book 5) Page 33