The leap from the truck pushed his stomach back into his throat. He saw the shuttle shoot forward, adjusting to his angle of descent. As he entered the shuttle door, he felt the artificial gravity take hold and he felt like he was suddenly falling sideways. He slammed into the floor of the shuttle just as the door slammed shut.
“Captain,” Baron’s voice called from the cockpit. “Welcome aboard.”
“Get us out of here and into space,” Lee ordered without looking up. “We’ve got a mission.”
“We can’t just leave,” Alice said as the shuttle rocketed straight up. “These people are dying.”
“More will die if we don’t get moving, and fast,” Lee replied. “Farthing, we’ll get you back to your ship as soon as we can.”
“I don’t know about that, sir,” Baron called from the front. “Kongo was hit in the first volley. I’m not sure what condition she’s in, but we can’t go there right now.”
Farthing sat back on his heels in shock. Lee looked to his friend, seeing his crest rise and fall in exasperation. It was his first command. He had only been in command of the ship for a few months. Lee couldn’t imagine what his friend was feeling. He reached out and put a hand on the felinoid’s shoulder.
“We’ll get ‘em,” Lee said. “As long as we can get to Resolute, they’ve got a chance.”
“Yes,” Farthing said in his smooth baritone. “We should get away as soon as possible. We are all that’s left … now.”
“Status?” Lee cried to the pilot in front. “Is the ship okay?”
“She’s holding her own but waiting for her captain,” Baron replied. “Are we going to stay or fight?”
“Baron,” Lee said, looking back at the pilot. “Tell Resolute to prep for a jump. We’re getting out of here.”
“Aye, sir,” Baron replied, keeping the ship steady as she broke through the atmosphere and into space. “You may want to strap yourselves in. It’s about to get rough.”
Lee leaned back in his seat and fumbled for the safety strap as Alice and Henry did the same. Farthing held tight to the seat nearby, slowly shaking his head while his crest rose and fell. Lee glanced at the monitor showing the battle outside. It seemed the sky was full of fire. Plasma and energy bolts flew past from all direction, masking the battle behind red-orange and gold fire. He struggled to get a feeling for who was winning, but gave up as the sight of his own ship came into view. Resolute glowed with a faint blue energy as her shields took hits from all sides. She was firing at targets from both sides, and as silver flashes danced past the view Lee wondered how they would get through the shields.
“The Demons are back,” Baron called. “They’ll keep the lobsters busy while we dock, don’t you worry.”
That was when the world turned upside down.
15
“I told you to strap in!” Baron whooped from the pilot’s seat. “Anti-gravs are a bit fussy on this one. I’ll get my people on it right away.”
The pilot, his artificial arm struggling to keep hold of the control yoke while performing a wild rollout, grunted back a curse almost immediately after speaking. Lee could see flashes of light from outside the ship as the Gizzeen fighters closed in. He wrapped his hand around Alice’s as she stared out the screen as well. Her expression was not one of worry, though, but of an eagerness to get out of the shuttle and into her own fighter. He felt it too as the bulky transport again spun around a core of fiery plasma. Baron was evading the pursuing ships with unexpected twirls and jukes of the yoke, but Lee could tell it wouldn’t last. The alien invaders were learning his maneuvers as fast as he could make them.
“Just get us back to the ship,” Lee ordered. “Nothing fancy, Baron.”
“You take all the fun out of flying, Captain,” the pilot replied. “Of course, you always did. Hang on, I’m having to circle while Big Momma opens up.”
Lee looked over to his former first officer. The Vadne was still pressed against the wall and door, willing himself not to budge. His crest was still half raised and Lee could see the worry on his whiskered face. They still had no contact with his ship, and the anxiety must have been killing him. Big Momma was the call sign Lee had given his ship while Farthing had been on board. The Vadne had worried over his fighter crew like a mother hen, hence the moniker. Now, he was feeling an even greater loss for the assault cruiser.
“We’re almost there, Captain,” Lee shouted to the Vadne. “You know how that door sticks.”
Farthing refused to answer, but his crest flattened against his skull for a moment. Henry had seemingly passed out in the seat and was rolling back and forth as the ship performed another acrobatic roll. For the first time, Lee realized how bad the group smelled. Between his own vomit-stained uniform, Henry’s body odor, and the sweat of stress coupled with Vadne pheromones, the shuttle had become an unpleasant place to be.
“It’s going to be hours before I can take a shower,” Lee said absently to Alice. “I hate days like this.”
Alice’s reply was stifled as an ear shattering boom slammed into the rear of the shuttle. Baron’s voice was lost as the warning alarms replaced the sound. Lee’s hand tightened around Alice’s as the ship tumbled. Farthing let out a long howl as his grip on the seatback loosened and he was tossed around the cabin. Lee let go of his fiancée and reached for the other captain. Farthing slammed hard into the interior bulkhead and went limp, making him dead weight caroming from each wall. As Farthing’s body arced across the cabin again, Lee grabbed his uniform jacket and held tight. As abruptly as the noise and movement had started, it ended.
Down was restored and Farthing fell against the side bulkhead. Apparently, the shuttle was tilted nearly sideways as it entered the landing bay of Resolute. Baron was still swearing as he seemed to nearly stand on the console, twisting the control yoke beyond normal tolerances and righting the ship. The shuttle lurched back upright and skidded to a halt on the deck. Lee could hear metal scraping through the hull as the ship finally settled. It seemed to take hours until the noise of the landing bay alarms filled the cabin. The sound meant the bay had pressurized and they could now begin to extricate themselves from the damaged ship.
“I’ve got to get out there,” Alice said, unbuckling her own belt and turning to face Lee. “I can’t leave them out there alone. I can skip the flight suit and—”
“Go,” Lee answered, seeing the need in the woman’s face. “Just stay close. I don’t know what’s out there and I don’t want to lose you again.”
“I love you,” Alice responded, leaning in close and kissing the captain on the lips. “I’ll watch your back. Now, go save Kongo and give that writer guy a new book.”
Instead of waiting for a reply, Alice leapt from her seat and to the opening hatch. She nearly vaulted from the door before it had fully opened, frightening the flight deck crew gathering outside. Lee could hear her snapping orders to the crew to get her ship ready. Lee reached over and unbuckled himself and then saw to Henry Moore. Farthing, shaking his head and regaining some semblance of consciousness, rose to stand in the cramped cabin. He stepped towards the door, sniffing the air and twitching his crest.
Henry woke as Lee pulled him from the seat. His first action was to empty his stomach all over the floor. The second was to apologize to Lee for the mess. Lee waved the man off and walked to the door. He smelled the same thing as Farthing, smoke and ionized air. As he stepped from the cabin, he noticed the black charring along the sides of the shuttle. Moving around the ship, he saw the rear quarter had been nearly melted off. The absence of oxygen had kept them from burning, but it was still amazing Baron had brought the ship in at all. By the looks of the damage to the ship’s flanks, the flight controls must have been burned out.
“Any landing you can walk away from…” Baron said, joining Lee in inspecting the ship. “I think you better get to the bridge before your wife blows a hole in the doors. Keep an eye out for mine, too. She’s just as likely to open one up for her.”
The ship�
�s alarm klaxon started again as the cycle to open the airlock began. The flight deck crew had donned their helmets and were waiting for the shuttle occupants to leave before readying the Eagle fighter for launch. Lee saw Farthing and Henry already standing in the airlock, waiting, as Baron took off for the deck office. He quickly moved to the small doorway and stepped in. The doors cycled and opened on the inside. Lee moved from the airlock fast, taking the hallway at a run to the nearest lift. Without waiting for Farthing or Henry, he tapped the control panel to the bridge and left. As the room moved through the ship, Lee took a moment to inspect himself. He was a mess, but a thorough cleaning would have to wait until he could find out their situation. As the door opened, he charged from the lift down the short corridor to the bridge and into chaos.
Sparks were erupting from the engineering console and a medic was lifting one of the crew onto a stretcher. Na’Tora was standing in front of the command chair; his vocoder was buzzing orders incoherently at Josh Goldstein. The pilot was trying in vain to follow every order but the maneuvers were coming too fast and in a strange order. The only semblance of calm was from Kama Yu, who was keeping a running dialogue with someone on another ship.
Report!” Lee barked from the door. “Why is my ship burning?”
“Captain,” the Octopod’s vocoder crackled in attention. “Weapons systems are on-line and it appears functioning well. Shields are holding at forty percent power, but the backup power cells are weakening. The Gizzeen are testing defenses all over the fleet.”
“This invasion is not being done logically,” Na’Tora said, moving away from the command chair to stand to one side. “There is no lead vessel to attack.”
“This isn’t an invasion force,” Lee said, stepping to the chair and looking at the screen. It’s an expeditionary force. You won’t find a lead ship because they each have orders. This isn’t an invasion, it’s a test of Vadne and the Alliance. Kama, put me through to the fleet.”
“Yes sir.”
“To the Alliance fleet, this is Captain Pearce of the Resolute,” Lee began. “Any ship older than ten years needs to protect the civilian ships attempting to make the ground. There are fighters strafing the ground and bombing Alliance headquarters. Anything newer than ten, pair up and target any Gizzeen ship smaller than you. Don’t try to destroy, try to damage. This isn’t the main force and I don’t want them to think this is the best we’ve got. End transmission.”
“Channel cut, but they’re not happy with you,” Kama replied after a moment. “The language is a bit much, even for sailors.”
“Josh, can you give me a read on Kongo?” Lee asked the helmsman, ignoring the communications officer. “We’ve got a mission and I need that ship.”
“She’s taken damage but still dishing out,” Josh called over his shoulder. “She’s at one-seventy-two mark five.”
“Well, turn us around and let’s go give her a hand. I’ve got a passenger on board who won’t let me live it down if we lose her.”
“You got it,” Josh replied, tapping keys as the ship began to turn. “We’ve got a fight between them and us, though.”
“Kama,” Lee ordered, turning to the Japanese woman to his right. “Tell the girls to clear us a path.”
“Demons away, sir.”
Lee watched the tactical display, seeing the green dots representing Alice and Jackal pull ahead of the ship. Aztec and Merlin stayed close to Resolute above and below, guarding her vulnerable sides. As the fighters moved through the sea of energy bolts and plasma discharges, Lee couldn’t help but analyze the enemy. Na’Tora had described them as disorganized, but he could see the pattern right away. It was like watching a probe of lions on the hunt. They would attack the smaller ships and wait for the larger warships to attack. Drawing off the defenders from the herd, the fighter squadrons would rush in and attack the undefended civilian ships. It was not the behavior of an invasion force, but an advance recon patrol. They were thinning the herd and trying to draw the warships away from the planet. If he had been in the battle at the start, he might not have seen it, but his delayed entry had given him a unique perspective.
“Sir,” Goldstein called. “Kongo has lost weapons control. She’s a sitting duck out there.”
“Increase speed to full and pull the Demons back,” Lee said. “In fact, recall the squadron and get them back inside. I’ve got an idea and I don’t want them out there if it goes bad.”
“Sir,” Na’Tora said, stepping closer to the captain. “I don’t believe withdrawing fighters is the best option. We need to attack directly, and your personal relationship to—”
“Finish that sentence and I’ll blow you out the airlock,” Lee said without looking. “Alice can take care of herself. I need to take care of my ship.”
“Lee?” Farthing’s voice intruded on his concentration. “What’s happening?”
“She’s alright, but we’re going in to help,” Lee replied, startled that he hadn’t heard the Vadne enter. “I’ve got an idea.”
“Thank you,” the man replied. “You have pulled the Demons back in, haven’t you?”
Lee flashed a smile at his former first officer and turned back to the screen. The curve of the planet was bringing Kongo around towards the night side of the planet. Resolute was closing fast, but there were nearly a dozen of the floating shapes of Gizzeen warships between them and the assault frigate. Lee watched the shield strength dwindle as the strange ships fired energy bolts across her hull. In the past, the energy had been more powerful. It seemed away from their natural habitat they were less effective. It gave Lee pause. His experience on the surface with the truck gave him an idea.
“Kama, open a channel,” Lee ordered. “To all ships, the Gizzeen shields are vulnerable to projectile weapons. Anyone equipped with Vadne rail guns should open up with them. I don’t think they can stop the rods.”
New blips on the screen began to show as the fleet switched from energy weapons to projectiles. The Alliance had retrofitted plasma cannons to Vadne and Tonal ships during the last few months to make them ready for anything. It was the one weapon Resolute was not equipped to fire, however, and it made his mind race.
“Josh, what’s the status of Kongo’s M-space engines?” Lee asked.
“She’s got some fluctuations but I think she’s good,” the pilot replied. “I think she can still open a vortex.”
“Her M-space engines were refitted just before we launched,” Farthing said. “We pulled in here to integrate some new programming we received.”
Lee stepped closer to the pilot station. His instincts were screaming at him to take the helm, but he trusted Goldstein. The man had proven to be one of the best battleship pilots Lee had ever known. Instead, he tapped a diagnostic panel and slid his finger across the display. Rapid calculations scrolled across the screen as Lee formulated a plan.
“Kama, send these coordinates to Kongo and make her ready to jump,” Lee ordered. “Josh, we’re going to push that ship over the falls and we get to be the barrel. Can you do this?”
“I think so,” Josh replied. “I can stand to be this close to you right now, so I think I can handle anything.”
Lee chuckled at the gallows humor and took the hint, stepping back from the man to let him work. There was another flash of sparks by the weapons console and the Octopod threw his arms up. A sharp squeal came from the creature’s vocoder and Lee moved closer.
“We’ve lost shields, sir,” the weapons officer said through the static. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Lee said, double checking the creature to see he was okay. “Are the cannons still functional?”
“Aye, still at seventy-two percent. Repair crews are working to restore shield strength, but the relays are burnt out on the starboard side.”
“Alright, keep them working.” Lee turned back to the communications console. “Kama, what time is it?”
“Sir?”
“What time is it on Vadne?” Lee clarified. “Alliance Centr
al time?”
“Uh…” Kama stuttered for nearly the first time in her life, caught off guard by the suddenness of the question. “About four-thirty?”
“Good. Signal Kongo we’re about to become her shields and we’ll follow her all the way to the vortex. Farthing, did your people integrate those new programs?”
“I do not believe so,” Farthing replied, confused by the captain’s line of questioning. “My chief did not believe they were safe.”
“They’re not, but that’s okay,” Lee replied. “We’ll get it fixed. Kama, signal our rendezvous at those coordinates in six hours. Tell them we’ll be waiting.”
“Aye.”
A tremendous impact shook the bridge. Lee steadied himself but still did not sit. He noticed the tactical board light up with damage, but the weapons and M-space engines were still on-line. As he watched, the red dots indicating Gizzeen ships began to close in on them. As he had expected, their sudden change of course and tactics had attracted the attention of the alien vessels. As they moved in, Lee leaned forward and pressed his hands to the back of Goldstein’s seat. The man was waiting for the command, steadily keeping their course until they were practically on top of Kongo.
“Now!”
Goldstein began tapping out the program Lee had created. Resolute moved up relative to Kongo and stayed close. As the battleship came parallel, Josh flattened her course so she was directly on top of the other ship. Kongo’s flat sides and multiple weapons ports seemed close enough to touch. Another tap to Josh’s seat and the man began to roll the ship. Resolute began to rotate around the other ship as if she were orbiting a planet, keeping her belly facing toward the frigate at all times. At the same time, Lee signaled the Octopod. The creature had received his orders over the same diagnostic screen. Resolute’s powerful plasma cannons opened up, firing in a deadly ring around Kongo and scattering enemy formations. Fighters were blasted from space as the energy of the battleship overcame their armor and ruptured the living vessels’ hull.
Resolute Strike (The War for Terra Book 7) Page 13