Francescan War Chronicles 1: Space Knight Denxeiter

by C. K. Pershing

  Aaltskog’s face grew so bright and happy that Feln pulled her tightly to him again. “You’re so cute,” he said. “You’re really everything to me. And I promise tonight won’t be the only night.”

  “I’m so happy to hear that,” she said. He could still hear the smile in her voice.

  “Besides,” he continued, “I hope you haven’t gotten rid of all of your outfits once you started wearing your uniform. You’re more than welcome to wear some of them to bed because I hope that after all this, we won’t just be sleeping…”

  She laughed as the mood lightened. “Ah, so now the truth comes out! I knew it!”

  “Well hey, believe it or not, I actually do have a pulse that speeds up from time to time when I see you.”

  “Wow, with pickup lines like that, I can’t believe you aren’t beating the girls away with a stick.”

  “Well, that’s all for the best, isn’t it? You’re the only girl who matters.”

  “Yeah, and don't forget it. Don’t think I didn’t notice how disappointed you were not to have your little nymph sex toy Achren staying here with you.”

  “You do realize that I have yet to meet Achren face to face. I only know her through video monitors during battles.”

  “Yeah and I bet you were really hoping she’d be making a personal visit before the start of the mission to give you a bit of a pep talk and maybe something extra,” Aaltskog said slyly.

  “Amazing how much time you spend dreaming up these various sexual scenarios for me and other partners. The other day it was Valisia, now Achren. Admit, you get off on it and just wanna watch.”

  “You, sir, have besmirched my honor with such a lurid accusation!”

  “Well, if the shoe fits. And what is this ‘honor’ you speak of? Do you actually know what that is?”

  “Of course, it’s what keeps me a reliable Companion, no matter how terribly you treat me.”

  Feln rolled his eyes and Aaltskog went on in a mock sinister voice, “After all, I’d hate for you to have a slight…accident with Denxeiter’s controls in the middle of a battle…”

  “Hey don’t even joke about that,” he said and smacked her bottom.

  “Ooh, so now we’re all about spankings?”

  “I seem to remember you liking them.”

  “You remember correctly then.”

  “Well, I’m telling you, I don’t know how, but we will get out of this. And then you’ll get all the spankings you want… and maybe some you don’t, but deserve.”

  “What do you mean ‘deserve’?”

  “All those times you’ve hit me. I told you that you were flouting the Three Laws of Robotics. Well, the punishment’s gonna be severe.”

  She punched his arm. “Oh yeah?”

  He rubbed his arm melodramatically and affected a pained expression, “See? There you’re doing it again! That’s another one going on the tally for punishment.”

  “Hmm, I can’t wait. Maybe I should do some more just to see what happens.”

  “Do so at your own risk,” he warned with a laugh. She laughed too, but after a few moments, they both grew serious again with the weight of what was coming. Feln said softly, “But honestly for now, I think I would also just like to sleep. I think we both need it. There’ll be time for other stuff later.”

  She smiled gently, “Good. I’m looking forward to it. All of it. The quiet times and the not-so-quiet times. I’m yours forever.”

  “And I’m yours,” he agreed.

  Later, laying in his bunk with Aaltskog’s warm body squeezed in next to his, Feln lay awake thinking about the mission. Aaltskog was fast asleep. She had dozed off almost the instant they lay down together. Occasionally she made little sounds of dismay and her brow furrowed, but Feln would lightly run his hand along her back or through her hair and she would be peaceful again.

  He wondered how many times through the years she had gone through similar bouts alone in her sleep; but without him there to comfort her, how had her nights turned out? Were they full blown nightmares? Or something less worrisome? Or perhaps more? A Companion’s brain had many mysterious aspects and Aaltskog’s “nightmares” were some of them. He felt terrible that for so many years he hadn’t been there to comfort her in her sleep. But now he was, and he always would be. He knew that he really should get some sleep himself, but he just couldn’t. Instead, he spent the night holding his Companion close and comforting her whenever she needed it.

  Chapter Twenty

  The next morning, Feln was inside of Denxeiter and watched as the battle fleet departed.

  “We leave our comrades behind to defend the colony while we go forth in the hopes of finding a way out of this area of space,” Admiral Kesh said in a fleet address. “I hope that good fortune smiles upon us today and that we now turn a page in our struggle. I salute all of you both in the attack fleet and in the defense force, as well as the hardy souls in the colony and the support ships. I wish us all good hunting and to stay safe. Thank you.”

  It seemed to Feln that Kesh had gotten more poetic during his time in this short conflict. While his speeches certainly weren’t the most flowery that Feln had heard, for a Ssalss, they were surprisingly heartfelt. War changed people and this one was certainly no different, even for a longtime veteran like Wrettid Kesh.

  As the attack fleet left visible range, and then communications range, and disappeared into the mists, Feln signaled to those left behind with him. “Okay, it’s just us now. To the crews of the three destroyers, we’re the first line of defense for the colony. To the support ships, although you aren’t as heavily armed, you guys know your stuff about concentrating your shooting in arcs to capture the enemy in a crossfire. But if you can, try to hold your fire to keep the enemy from pegging you as a threat. They should hopefully ignore you.

  “And of course, the home guard fighters will make sure nobody who gets past us makes it to the colony. I’m happy we’re all here to cover each other’s backs and I know we’ll get through this to greet the attack fleet when they return.”

  Feln switched over to a private channel with Aaltskog. She was alone in a communications room deep within the colony. “Well, so now we wait,” he said.

  “Yeah, and don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m kinda bored.”

  He laughed, “It’s been like, ten minutes, and you’re already bored?”

  She sounded sheepish. “I know. I’m horrible.” She brightened. “But I had a wonderful sleep! I’m not exaggerating, the best I’ve had in years.”

  Feln smiled gently. “I’m glad. I really wanted you to be able to relax.”

  “Oh I did. I didn't have any nightmares and I didn't wake up once. It was wonderful.” She frowned then. “But I feel terrible because you didn't get any sleep.”

  “Don’t worry about it, darling. I’m just glad you did.”

  “I will worry about it. We don't know how long this is gonna take and you’re the guy who’s on station for the mission. And well, you’re only human.”

  “Hey, enhanced human!”

  “Yeah, right. But still. We don’t know how long they’ll be gone. Could be days. Could be weeks.”

  “I don’t need as much sleep as normal humans. Besides, I’ve got stimulants in here, you know. Just in case.”

  “Well, I’d rather you don’t have to rely on anything like that,” Aaltskog admonished. “Too many of those things and you’ll start to get loopy.”

  “I’d have to take an awful lot for that to happen, though. Again, enhanced human here.”

  “Here’s hoping…” Aaltskog said doubtfully.

  Changing the subject, Feln said, “Hey I just wanted to let you know what a good job you did with creating an eye patch covering and actual cloak to protect Denxeiter’s open wounds.”

  Aaltskog brightened again. “Oh, you like it?”

  “Yeah, very pirate chic!”

  “Oh, now you’re just making fun.”

  “Actually, no, I’m not. I really do like it.
Denxeiter’s always looked like an old time warrior you don’t want to mess with. Well, now even more so. He really looks like a pretty hardcore ass-kicker now. I like it.”

  “Ah well, in that case, good, I’m glad! Of course, it’s too bad Big Brother had to lose an arm and an eye to complete the effect. Not to mention the thing with the navigation deflector so that every little piece of debris will add to the weather-beaten appearance…”

  “Well, yeah, I feel bad he had to go through all that. But hey, trying to put a positive spin on things here.”

  She giggled. “Well fair enough. I’m sure he appreciates the words of support.”

  “Well, may as well share some good feelings while we’ve got the chance,” Feln offered.

  Two days had passed without any sign of the enemy. Or the attack fleet. Feln had used some of the time chatting with the destroyer captains. But he spent most of his time talking with Aaltskog or singing songs with her. He remembered when they were young, how many hours they spent on a party activity the Ancients had called Empty Orchestra where they would sing popular songs to prerecorded music accompaniment.

  Now they had fallen right back into singing the same duets they had before and changing it up with other songs. Sometimes they even sang songs from Ancient operas. They particularly enjoyed the ones known as “The Strategy Game” and “The Sad Ones”. Aaltskog always had a beautiful voice with plenty of range and Feln was only half joking when he said she could have been a professional in another life. Feln missed those times and was happy he and Aaltskog had rediscovered their love for such activities.

  He also enjoyed catching up on his reading. He kept a window open on his screen almost permanently to display books that he had been collecting through the years to read. He was shocked at just how many books he’d been putting aside to read at a later date, but never seemed to find the time to do so. So far this wasn't such a bad mission.

  “I hope the admiral gets back soon before all this awesome rest and relaxation comes to its inevitable end,” Feln said. Denxeiter’s warning klaxon suddenly sounded. “Well, I guess I just jinxed everything by opening my big mouth."

  “Nah, we knew it was only a matter of time,” Aaltskog said. “I’ll leave you to it. Be careful.”

  “I’ll try.” He winked and signed off. Looking ahead, he saw a small group of insects accompanied by a couple small ships. A scouting party.

  He switched comms over to the destroyer group. “Okay, it looks like we have a small scouting group. Let’s try to take them out as quickly as possible so they can’t inform their main group that the bulk of our fleet is gone." He received affirmatives from the destroyer captains and the three ships and Denxeiter sprung into action.

  Feln fired the Xeiter Beam at close range and although weakened, the beam still scythed through four of the insects and sliced them apart. He hadn’t noticed at first, but there were also two possessed Aldens in the group. They both fired at him at the same time. Feln spun sideways and then upside down to dodge the shots, returning fire with Denxeiter’s forearm guns. The robots shattered under the blasts and exploded.

  Feln turned to watch the destroyers in action. As if underscoring the point that the colonization fleet’s armed escorts were made up of ships due for some rest and relaxation, all three destroyers were different from one another and represented different classes of ships. The Tiger Moth was the oldest at about thirty years, followed by the Branden at twenty, and the Ganley was still fairly new at five years old. Not surprisingly, the Ganley was easily the most powerful of the three ships and poured out enough firepower to make up for two Tiger Moths. The small alien ship on the receiving end of the Ganley’s fire was practically vaporized.

  The other two ships were still quite capable and Feln could tell their crews knew how to do their business. Understanding that their firepower wasn’t as strong as the Ganley’s, the Tiger Moth and Branden concentrated their fire on the remaining alien ship, itself something approximating the size of a destroyer at around 500 feet long. The combined assault overwhelmed the ship’s shields and punched multiple holes in its hull before it too exploded.

  Feln looked around at the debris where there were enemies moments before. “Nicely done,” he said. “We made quick work of them, so with any luck they didn’t get a chance to let any more ships—“

  A massive salvo of red beams came crashing down from above. Denxeiter wasn’t particularly close to the beams, but the heat was still so intense that the space around Feln erupted into flame as the debris from the battle that just ended caught fire. The beams slammed through the Branden with such speed and intensity that she didn't even move from the hits. One moment she was undamaged and the next she was full of large searing holes before exploding into a ball of flame right after that.

  Red beams, Feln thought. That means… He looked up and his fears were confirmed. A possessed Francescan heavy cruiser was bearing down on the group from above, firing as it came. His second thought was, Now I’ll never find out why Captain Jalik volunteered to stay behind with us.

  Feln and the remaining two destroyers scattered, beams from the heavy cruiser’s laser batteries reaching out and chasing them. Feln’s monitor identified the ship as the Terrible. He almost laughed at the irony of the ship’s name and the situation he now found himself in. The Terrible was one of the Gavinder class, a group of heavy cruisers introduced around ten years ago that carried a powerful array of laser cannons and tough shields to match.

  A member of the Uhlinder’s fleet, the Terrible was shown by Denxeiter’s computer as officially being “lost” during a previous battle, and Feln wished she had stayed that way. “How in the world did they actually manage to possess that ship?” Feln wondered aloud. “She’s practically a battleship.”

  “However they did it, they must have poured a lot into taking her,” Aaltskog answered. “I can’t imagine that monster was an easy nut to crack.”

  “Yeah, and now we have to crack it!” Feln said, barely dodging a beam that singed the edge of Denxeiter’s cloak.

  The Ganley and Tiger Moth knew there was no way they could stand up to such a ship in a straight fight and proceeded to soar around it, firing beams in broadside whenever they could, all while avoiding the Terrible’s own beams. Feln flew under the cruiser and shot at the engine nacelles in the rear. This seemed like a fairly safe blind spot to shoot from, but the Terrible launched missiles from her aft tubes. In the interference of the debris, the missiles couldn’t track Denxeiter as well as they otherwise could have, so Feln found himself not having to worry too much about them. He easily dodged them and got back to shooting at the nacelles.

  Unfortunately, the Terrible’s shields were just too strong. Neither his pistol shots nor his mid-arm guns worked. The shield absorbed everything with no sign of weakening. “Really,” he griped, “how the Hell did they take this thing?”

  But then he noticed a scorched mark and open hole on the underside of the ship. Maybe the enemy had somehow managed to punch through the shields and the ship’s hull just long enough to infect the ship. Seeing how effective the enemy was at possessing Francescan forces firsthand, Feln didn’t put anything past the aliens.

  A voice broke him out of his thoughts. “Hang on, sir.” That was Captain Wright of the Ganley. Feln looked over to see the destroyer approaching fast. She spun 90 degrees and slid in sideways behind the Terrible, next to Denxeiter. Feln was amazed to see a ship of that size flying like a fighter plane and wanted to shake the hand of the Ganley’s helmsman.

  “You’d best get to a safe distance,” Wright said and Feln backed off. That same barrage of firepower the Ganley poured into the alien ship before, was now dumped into the Terrible’s nacelle. The Tiger Moth continued to harass the Terrible from the front, managing to fire some well-placed torpedoes into the ship’s bridge. Under that assault, the shields near the bridge burst, but the Terrible kept on fighting as if nothing happened. Feln remembered how the aliens operated as a hive mind, so the idea
of killing a ship’s command center to hurt it was basically pointless.

  Meanwhile, the Ganley’s barrage paid off, and the rear shields of the Terrible popped. The Ganley used the chance to fire her plasma cannon into the opening in the shields and was rewarded with massive explosions at the cruiser’s stern. The Terrible started to list out of control, but continued to fire. Feln and the destroyers did their best to stay out of the way. It was only because there was just one of these ships that they’d scored these hits. Had there been another one to provide covering fire…

  “Feln, watch out!” Aaltskog screamed and he turned just in time to see another possessed Francescan ship burst from a cloud of gas and debris, this one a light cruiser hurtling toward him.

  “Ramming attack!” Feln yelled and the Ganley started to turn toward the new attacker. The destroyer’s laser cannons lit up the approaching enemy, but so too did the enemy’s guns score on the Ganley. Aside from the guns, it was traveling at such a high speed that this was obviously a suicide run. The Ganley powered forward to get out of the way, all the while firing her broadsides, but the enemy’s shields held just long enough before they burst and the ship turned into a flaming wreck screaming down at the hapless destroyer.

  It plowed into the Ganley’s side and exploded with such ferocity that it spun the ship around almost 180 degrees. Shields down, the forward momentum of the attack sent the Ganley plummeting into the line of fire of the Terrible, horribly damaged, but still quite capable of dealing out plenty of carnage. To their credit, the Ganley’s crew immediately switched targets back over to the Terrible and exchanged broadsides with the heavy cruiser, but to no avail. The damage from the other enemy’s suicide run was too extreme and had taken out the Ganley’s main engines and caused extensive internal damage.

  She spiraled slowly out of control as the explosions inside the ship started to rip her apart. While the Terrible was also listing out of control, she had enough firepower that she only had to hit the unshielded Ganley with a quarter of her guns to finish the job.