The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration

by Ralph L. Angelo Jr.

  “Shields are down to forty nine percent, Mark,” Red advised.

  “Keep the shields doubled where they will do the most good, Robinski.”

  Red nodded. “You got it, Mark.”

  Eddie thumbed the fire button once again. This time the solar cannons punched their way through the port side Predator ship’s shields, and were followed by a quickly released star core missile. The resultant explosion filled the sky the instant the Cagliostro passed the attack craft. By the time the crew looked back through the Cagliostro’s rear cameras, the Predator was burning, glowing dust.

  “One left,” Red announced with a hint of danger in his voice.

  “Not for long,” Mark replied, “Eddie destroy that thing.”

  “I’m on it, Mark.”

  Once more the Cagliostro reversed itself, flying to the left quickly. Dan looped the sleek ship around and accelerated powerfully after the now retreating vessel.

  “Concentrate all firepower on its engines.”

  Eddie nodded. “Will do, Mark.”

  The solar cannons screamed repeatedly, firing their deadly blasts across airless space, punishing the smaller ship’s shields again and again.

  Another brace of missiles issued from the Cagliostro’s hull and punched through the failing shields. The predator craft exploded in a bright eruption of gasses, fuel and debris.

  The Cagliostro peeled off and away from the destroyed vessel and its remains.

  “Status?” Mark queried.

  “Shields are at twenty eight percent right now. Minor damage to decks one through four. No casualties. Some minor injuries from the bumping we took. The crew is fine otherwise.”

  Mark nodded. “Very good, now let’s send that message to EPIC.”

  Chapter 27

  Mark Johnson stared at the man displayed on the viewer in his command conference room and his blood pressure began to rise.

  “Admiral Bright, what do you mean you can’t send us everything we need? This is going to be a beachhead against the Earth. How can you not understand the importance of what I’m talking about? This world is a day from Earth at hyper-warp. They could mount a never ending attack from here. If we do not take the battle to them and evict them from this planet we’ll be signing our own death warrants.”

  “Captain Johnson, and I use the word loosely, do not seek to educate me in the ways of warfare. I have been through more battles than you could possibly imagine. Right now our forces are locked in battle in several key sectors of space.”

  Mark’s arms crossed his chest and he furrowed his brow, tilting his head down and forward as he began to reply to the bald headed and heavily bearded Admiral on the view screen. “I’m sorry, Admiral Bright, but you are wrong. Not only are you wrong but your actions will result in Earth’s destruction if this forward base is not taken out of Agalum hands. I have already-”

  “Mind your place, Captain Johnson.” The Admiral stood from his plush desk chair and shouted, pointing a finger at Mark. “I have been placed in command of this war by the President. Your ship operates independently of military channels due to President’s orders, but don’t think you can just come in here and order me around. I still am the ranking officer here, not you. The fleet follows my orders, and right now I’m ordering them to remain right where they are and continue fighting against Agalum forces at those junctures. Not to run across the galaxy haphazardly at your whim.”

  Mark bristled angrily. “Admiral, this is not about egos or half assed plans. This is about our survival. I have the approval of the planet’s denizens themselves on this action.”

  “Yes, yes, a supposed ‘sentient’ planet. Am I actually supposed to believe this poppycock? This is not some comic book adventure, Johnson. This is war. It’s something I’m good at and I know.”

  Mark met the Admiral’s gaze with an unwavering glare. “Perhaps at one time you were. Right now you can’t get past your own hubris.”

  “How dare you!” the Admiral shouted.

  “Oh I dare. I dare because humanity is on the line. This is no joke. If we don’t stop this infestation of Agalum so close to home it will result in a conflagration that will engulf the Earth and burn it and its people to ashes. Why can’t you see that? Are you another Agalum shape shifter? That can be the only explanation I can see at this point.”

  “I’ve had about enough of you, Mister.”

  “Get us a fleet out here, Admiral, or we’re all dead. This is the worst threat since the Agalum surrounded Earth two years ago. Which, may I remind you, I was the reason for victory that day. Myself and my crew. We ensured the Earth’s survival. You may be the leader of EPIC’s Earth-side command, but out here in space, in the trenches we need someone who has gotten their hands dirty and knows how to recognize a threat. You obviously have lost that ability. I’ll deal with things out here, Admiral. Continue to play with your paperclips and other bureaucracies. I’m going to be saving the Earth, again.”

  Mark cut off the communication and sat in the command crew conference room seething.

  ‘That didn’t go too well, did it?’ Ariel’s voice sang through his mind.

  ‘No, not at all,’ he grudgingly replied to her through her telepathic link. ‘That man is a bureaucrat first and foremost. I have no idea why the President appointed him to anything, let alone placing him in command of EPIC.’

  ‘You forget, you refused the honor, remember? The President had to appoint someone, and Bright seemed like the best candidate at the time.’

  Mark snorted lightly. ‘You still think I made a mistake turning down command of EPIC?’

  ‘I think you would have been good at it, honey.’

  ‘I think I did more good out here, and still do than I would have done sitting behind a desk somewhere waiting for the next disaster to overtake us all.’

  Ariel chuckled mentally. ‘It would have been nice to be out of the line of fire for a while instead of being the Agalum’s public enemy number one.’

  ‘That’s a position for a guy like Bright who gets his kicks from going to state functions and cocktail parties where he can push his rather heavy weight around and be impressed by his own stories.’

  ‘That’s true,’ Ariel giggled. ‘We both know how much you love anything you have to wear a suit or God forbid a tux to.’

  Mark grinned. ‘I’ll be right up, and thanks for making me laugh a little. It broke my foul mood up rather nicely.’

  Ariel’s voice rang joyfully through his mind. ‘Glad to have been of help, sailor.’ And then she was gone, the telepathic connection severed.

  Mark stood and continued grinning. He left the command conference room and entered the maglovator. He had a lot to plan and make ready, and he and his crew were going to have to do it alone.

  Chapter 28

  “So what’s the plan?” Dan asked.

  Mark grinned, “A simple one this time, Danny. We camo the ship again and land within walking distance of that base. Chakix has agreed to allow as many of her people as we need as well as the red ape to aid us.”

  Seated around the command crew ready room table were the entire primary command crew.

  “That’s not bad except for one thing,” Red intervened. “It’s still only a handful of us and a bunch of stick wielding savages against a highly trained and fortified army.”

  Mark nodded. “Right, but we do have a hundred foot tall ape to help us.”

  Eddie shrugged. “Yeah, amigo. The only problem is one blast from the Cag’s solar cannon can punch a hole through its chest you could fly the ‘Grazer through.”

  “Well we’re not going to be aiming at it, DiGenovese. We’ll be defending it.”

  “Well ain’t that a kick in the ass?” Eddie grinned.

  “As long as it’s not our asses being kicked, Eddie,” Mark answered.

  Mark turned toward Dan. “Danny, do you have anything to add on the status of the Stargrazer?

  “It’s still under reconstruction, Mark. It was basically destroyed.
I’m not even sure we can rebuild it onboard the Cag. It may have to be dry docked for a few months back home to get it all right.”

  “That’s not the answer I was looking for, Dan. You and your crew should be able to do anything aboard this ship that can be done at any Johnson Aerospace facility. We need that ship back in working condition as insurance.”

  Mark’s comm unit beeped. He immediately touched the cuff of his right sleeve. “Yes, Miss Wallflower?”

  Dan grimaced at the use of her formal name, but said nothing.

  “Captain, I’m getting a signal here you might want to see for yourself.”

  “On my way, Wallflower.”

  Mark looked at his command crew. “Are you joining me?”

  Everyone arose from the table almost simultaneously and headed toward the maglovator.

  “What do you think this is about?” Ari asked Mark as they walked.

  “You’re the telepath, you tell me.” He smiled.

  She squinted her eyes and reached out with her mind. An instant later she opened them wide and said, “C’mon, someone’s trying to contact us.”

  “Well I knew that already, Ari.”

  They all stepped into the maglovator, then Ari turned back and looked at Mark. “You don’t know the half of it. boy scout.”

  The crew stepped onto the command deck and Mark froze staring at the view screen.

  “What the hell?” he whispered.

  Arrayed before them in a semi-circle were a half dozen EPIC vessels of various sizes and fire power. The view screen flashed and the image of the captain of one of the other ships filled the viewer. He was an Asian man, most probably Japanese.

  “Captain Johnson? I am Captain Nagata. We heard you were having an issue trying to get back up out here against the Agalum and we’d like to offer you our services. The Coronado and its crew are at your service as well as the other five vessels in my fleet.”

  Mark smiled. “Thank you, Captain. Please join me along with the captains of each of the other ships in my conference room in one hour. Oh and Captain Nagata, thank you again.”

  ***

  One hour later the command crew conference room was filled with the captains of each ship that were floating out near the Cagliostro.

  Mark entered the room with Dan and Red at his side and smiled warmly. “Gentlemen, first I have to say that I can’t thank you all enough for coming to aid us. I explained what we discovered to Admiral Bright, and I have to assume you all heard either from him or through other channels what is actually out here.”

  Nagata spoke first. “Rumor has it that you discovered a fully functioning Agalum base a day away from Earth. Is that true, Captain Johnson?”

  “First, call me Mark. Secondly, Captain Nagata, yes it is true. They could re-arm their ships as well as maintain them from this world. It is a fully functioning base to stage attacks from.”

  Another captain, a grey haired and balding black man, raised his hand and began to speak. “Captain Carlson, captain of the Revenant, How large a force is on this world?”

  “Captain, we are not certain. There could be hundreds to multiple thousands. I just do not know for certain.”

  “Did you engage them in battle?” a third captain asked, a gray haired white man who looked inordinately trim and fit for his age.

  “We met them in battle at two instances while we were affecting repairs on the Cagliostro. I can tell you all that they have a new type of attack craft, one that actually seems to have shields almost as sturdy as a full sized star cruiser’s. My personal craft, the Stargrazer was almost fully destroyed in pitched battle with one of those small attack crafts. We nicknamed them ‘Predator’, or rather my weapons officer did.

  He was the one who finally shot it down, at almost the cost of his own life I might add.”

  “I understand,” the Captain nodded thoughtfully.

  “What is your name, Sir, and your ship?” Mark inquired.

  “Ah I apologize, I should have introduced myself I am Captain Brennan of the Tempest.”

  “Welcome, Captain. What I can tell you all is that not only is this a fully functional attack and resupply base within a day of Earth, but the planet has a few surprises of its own.”

  “What kind of surprises?” Nagata asked.

  “The planet is alive.”

  “All planets are alive,” answered the fourth captain. “Captain Argento of the Crossbow at your service.”

  “It’s not alive like that, Argento. It’s sentient.”

  “What?” Carlson barked. “What kind of line are you trying to feed us?”

  “It’s no line.” Mark tapped his right sleeve’s cuff. “Bring him in please.”

  A security officer entered the conference room, and with him was Chakix, or rather the bare chested, red skinned alien native that housed Chakix’s mind.

  Captain Nagata narrowed his eyes and asked, “Who is this?”

  Haughtily the red skinned alien looked at him and replied in its strange hollow voice. “I am Chakix. I have allied myself with this man. He is resourceful and I believe trustworthy. He has agreed to cleanse my world of the usurpers who now trod upon my children and use them as slaves. I trust this Captain Johnson. So should you all.”

  “What is this? A carnival side show?” Carlson asked angrily.

  “No, Captain. This is the truth. Chakix is the life force, the mind of that world which we have begun to call Chakix as well.”

  The alien native nodded, crossed his arms over his bare chest and smiled, “I am Chakix.”

  “Foolishness,” spat Carlson contemptuously.

  Chakix’s host slammed his fists down on the table. “The only foolishness is you making light of this. I am Chakix. MarkJohnson has told me you will help my children and I will hold you to it.”

  Carlson stood, sneering as he shook his head. “I’ll be returning to the Revenant now. When you have something serious to discuss I’ll consider it. Until then I’m going back to my ship.”

  “Hold up, Captain.” Mark stood and held his hand out in the universal stop signal. “Look, I’m not going to try to talk you into anything you don’t want to risk your crews’ lives on. But we do need your help. Whether you believe my friend here or not there is a world with a heavily fortified Agalum base on it that is near enough to Earth to be a threat, and we need every ship we can to take that base. But the base is not the only problem. There are ships in orbit of that world now. The Cagliostro can get in and out without a problem because of our camouflage field. But we’re the only ship here that has that camo ability. The rest of you are not going to be able to get to the surface without a protracted battle.”

  “How many ships are you going to need on the surface? How many troops?” Nagata asked.

  “It all depends on how many natives Chakix is willing to send to aid our cause.”

  “Again with this Chakix,” Nagata commented. He looked down at the table top and shook his head,

  “You better understand, gentlemen. Chakix is for real, as are his claims. Every member of my crew here has seen Chakix’s power at work. Chakix even possessed Ariel O’Connor, my comm officer for a short time.”

  “She’s a telepath, isn’t she?” Carlson asked.

  Mark nodded affirmatively. “She is, yes.”

  “And also your girlfriend,” Brennan added.

  “You do your homework, Captain.”

  Brennan smiled. “I have to. I’m a Captain in EPIC, and we are at war, and not with each other.”

  Mark grinned as he sat back down. “You’re right, Captain. We’re not.” Mark turned toward the last two captains who had sat silently throughout the proceedings. “What do you two have to add?”

  The first shrugged noncommittally. He was a dark haired, dark skinned man who stood about six feet tall. “I’m Captain Jepson of the Eagle’s Claw and this is Captain Ryan of the Triumphant. We both hold you in the highest regard, Captain Johnson. Where you lead, we’ll follow.”

  Ryan add
ed, “Without question.” Ryan was sandy haired and fair skinned, six feet two inches tall, “We know what kind of man you are, Captain Johnson. We know that without you Earth would be a smoking rock of a world right now and its inhabitants all but extinct. We’re here at your service, as these other men and their ships should be as well.”

  “Relax, Ryan.” Nagata smiled. “We’re all here for the same reason. We’ll all follow Johnson and his ‘wonder ship’. Though I still want proof on this Chakix thing.”

  The native leaned forward until it was almost nose to nose with Nagata. “You will have your proof, Earthman, when we return to my world.”

  Mark stood. “Gentlemen, I suggest you return to your respective ships. We’ll reconvene by secured signal later to firm up our plans. We have a busy day ahead of us.”

  “What is your plan, Johnson?” Argento asked.

  “The six of you will engage their fleet while the Cag returns to the surface to start the assault on the base itself. Once the assault begins I’ll need a thousand troops brought to the surface to aid in the attack. Our allies will look like Chakix’s host here. The enemy is Agalum in all their various forms which I know you men are up on, especially after two straight years of intergalactic war.”

  Carlson nodded. “You’re right, but what about the actual assault on this base of yours?”

  “We’ll have to make a full frontal assault. This base is underneath a live volcano with only one way in or out.”

  “Underneath a volcano? How is that even possible?” Jepson asked.

  Mark shrugged. “I’m not sure myself, but it is. Somehow they diverted the lava flow and built a base in the core of the mountain itself. But don’t kid yourselves, this base is huge.”