by John Migacz
CHAPTER 22
“Incoming!” yelled someone unnecessarily. The Reliant rocked from the force of the strikes. The crew stumbled as the grav-pods failed to maintain stability.
“Defwarp shield breach in section nine!” shouted the engineering officer.
“Divert power from sections not being targeted,” barked Captain Arslac and tightened the seatbelt on his command chair. Hammer blows shook the Reliant as the last of the behemoth’s missiles found gaps in the defwarp shield system and smashed into the Reliant’s hull.
As suddenly as it began, the bombardment ceased.
“Damage control, how bad is it?”
“Sir, we have a hull breach on aft section tango six. It’s minor and repairs are underway. The worst damage is to the dimgate engines. We took three hits after the defwarp shields went down and it looks bad. I don’t think we’ll be able to form a jump gate.”
The captain checked the computer. The Kraken had not fired the next salvo nor had they tried closing to laser range. Could we have gotten off that easily?
“Nav, what is the heading of the dreadnaught?”
“Speed and heading unchanged, Sir. Still heading for the Cross.”
“Follow it. We’ll give it several more broadsides.”
“Aye, aye, Sir.”
What was so important on that Cross that would make a Kraken dreadnought change its mode of operation? He tried to blink up Commlead Haridep, but couldn’t. “Comm, can you get Commlead Haridep on a tightbeam for me?”
“No, Sir. All communication is being jammed. I can’t raise anyone.”
“Damn!” He pounded the arm of his command chair. “Then put us on an intercept course to the Cross. Let’s see if we can remove our people before the dreadnought arrives. Give us a best possible course that will keep us out of its missile range.”
“Computed, Captain. But we won’t beat it even if we pass right by it. It’s got too big a lead.”
“Set a course outside of their laser range but within Kali cannon range,” he ordered. “We’ll give them another broadside to think about.”
The behemoth Kraken ship sent scanner and communication probes at the Cross. Its course and speed remained unchanged, slowing only as it came into laser range. It took note of the small shuttle maneuvering behind the Cross, then dismissed it as inconsequential.
The dreadnought came to a complete stop above the Cross. It was easily four times as long as the Cross, and half again as wide. A thick, red ray beamed from the bottom of the dreadnought. Starting at the fire control crystal, the beam moved slowly down the length of the Cross.
A hum sounded in Commlead Haridep’s ears and she saw a beam moving like a curtain of red far down the corridor. “Hurry!” she yelled at the marines cutting the doorway. It probably wouldn’t help to go inside, but any action was better than being trapped in a dead end and watching that approaching red curtain.
The Strikedag kicked the man-sized panel and it fell in. Glancing back at the red beam, Commlead Haridep yelled, “Inside! They might not scan the core!” The three of them scurried inward.
They backed away from the opening and watched the deadly red beam march down the hall. In the distance Blade Redrick ran ahead of the moving wall of red, carrying the signal amplifier.
“Blade, drop the amplifier and run!” yelled the Strikedag on the squad frequency. The blade dropped the signal amplifier, glanced behind and started sprinting. He was one hundred yards out and the Commlead saw he wasn’t going to make it.
The Strikedag yelled into his comm. “Don’t look back son, just run! You’re going to make it. You’ve got it beat!” He cut the Blade out of the link. “Poor bastard,” he muttered.
They watched the curtain catch, then flow through the Blade. The face in the helmet disappeared and his spacesuit took one final step before falling to the ground empty.
“Organic beam,” muttered the Strikedag. “Cleaning out the vermin, the whoresons.”
A wordless fear paralyzed the Commlead as she watched the curtain draw nearer. The three humans huddled together and moved back from the opening, trying to gain strength from each others’ presence. The malevolent red wall drew closer until it filled the panel opening, then disappeared.
They stood in silence, then Lancelead Grey raised his fists into the air. “It went over us! We’re OK!” he shouted. Strikedag Tanner collapsed to one knee and let out a ragged whoop.
Relief flooded Commlead Haridep. She staggered a bit before bending forward, holding her stomach from a sudden onslaught of nausea. Her suit hissed a chemical spray into her helmet and her queasiness abated. Why did the ray stop? What was so important in this room? Curiosity replaced her fear. “Strikedag. Give us some lights in here!” The Strikedag popped an anti-grav flare and a cavernous room filled with light.
Commlead Haridep couldn’t believe her eyes.
The Reliant’s bridge crew watched in amazement as the legs of the Cross separated from the core and slowly drifted away. A giant hatch opened in the bottom of the dreadnought and a tractor beam lifted the Cross’s core into the belly of the beast.
Captain Arslac shook his head as the core disappeared and the hatch closed. “Make sure those vids get added to the collection. I’m sure HQ will want to see that.”
“We’ll be in Kali range in thirty seconds, Sir,” said the exec.
“Fire when in range,” he commanded. Time seemed to stop, then the familiar vibrations of the Kali cannons throbbed through the ship. Red patches glowed on the shields of the Kraken ship. The Kali cannons continued their assault and the red patches deepened to burgundy, then black.
“Her shields are collapsing! Aim for the holes!” yelled the Captain into his comm.
Cannon shells exploded on the surface of the Kraken ship. The dreadnought ignored the massive assault and opened fire with a wide laser on the legs of the Cross. Laser light became so intense it appeared as if a small sun went nova under the behemoth. No one saw the destruction of the shuttlecraft.
Kali cannon shells poured into the side of the Kraken hurling pieces of its hull off into space. The giant ship kept to its task. When the destruction of the Cross’s legs was complete, the wide laser disappeared and the ship accelerated. The behemoth ship rolled over to protect its damaged side and turned toward the Reliant.
“Break off the attack and take us out of range, Mr. Embry, flank speed!”
The Reliant sped away from the pursuing monster. All eyes watched their screens as the brute that had enough firepower to vaporize a three mile long Kraken Cross accelerated.
“She’s gaining on us, Sir,” said Mr. Embry.
“I guess the information on the top speed of the Class Thirty-six was incorrect,” said Captain Arslac. “I’m going to send a note to Intelligence demanding an apology.” That got a few smiles. His hands still gripped the arms of the command chair and he forced himself to relax. They couldn’t outrun it, couldn’t outgun it and couldn’t form a jump gate. That realization left him feeling strangely calm. He stood and looked at each face of his bridge crew. They knew it too.
“Load all our data into a communications pod and launch when ready.”
He watched the pod streak outward from the Reliant. The communications pod had a small dimgate engine and could make it home. All it needed was a few minutes to create a gate. “People, a lot of information was taken from the Cross and beamed to HQ, but we never received an acknowledgement. The comm pod holds all our data and will alert Fleet to the Kraken presence. Our job now is to protect the pod until it dimgates.” He turned to the navigator. “Ensign, plot a course to keep us between the Kraken and the pod until it dims.” He faced his crew. “Let’s make it pay for every yard of space.” He looked down for a moment then smiled and faced his men. “You are the best crew a captain could ever ask for. Thank you all for your fine efforts. I am proud to serve with you.” His ra
nge indicator blinked red.
“Fire!”