Galactic Empire Wars 2: Emergence (17 page)

“Captain Williams,
hold your fire!” Wade’s voice came over the command channel. “We’re coming through,
and we have a lot of wounded.”

“Hold your
fire!” Beth ordered over the general com channel. “Our people are coming back.”

Beth saw Wade
come through the hatch first carrying one marine and then the others staggered
through. She felt her stomach tighten; seven marines were missing. She also saw
with concern that Taalon was also among the missing.

“Withdraw back
to the ships,” Wade ordered in a grim voice. “We’re leaving.”

As they began
to pull back, more Kleese conscripts began pouring through the destroyed
hatches, firing on the marines. The firefight intensified as the two sides
blasted away at one another. Both of them were now using explosive rounds and
the bay was full of smoke and fire.

They were
nearly back to the ships when the atmospheric force field holding in the flight
bay’s air vanished. Instantly, several marines were sucked out of the bay along
with numerous conscripts.

“Activate your
boot magnets,” Wade yelled as he felt himself nearly pulled away from the deck.

The Type Three
suits had a strong magnetic field that could be used to anchor them down in weightless
environments. In just a few scant moments, all the air in the bay was gone.
Wade strongly suspected that the Kleese had turned the atmospheric force field
off in an attempt to suck the marines out into space where the waiting Kleese
mother ships could annihilate them with energy beam fire.

Hurriedly
going up the loading ramp of the Distant Star still carrying Sergeant Dawson,
Wade cycled through the airlock and then had to duck down to enter the corridor
beyond where the army rangers waited. Wade quickly got out of his suit and then
worked at getting Dawson out of his. The suit had sealed itself back up as it
attempted to preserve Dawson’s life.

“Who’s hurt?”
Harnett asked worriedly as she came running down the corridor carrying her med
kit.

“It’s Dawson,” Wade replied as he finally pulled the marine free of his suit with the aid of
several of the rangers.

“I’ve got
him,” Harnett spoke as she bent down and began examining the sergeant’s wounds.
She quickly injected him with several medications to help stabilize him and
then looked back up at Wade inquiringly. “Where’s Taalon?”

“He didn’t
make it,” Wade replied with a heavy sigh. Taalon had been one of the original
conspirators who had helped free the Human soldiers being held by the Kleese
and being used as conscripts.

Harnett looked
shocked and then nodded her head in acceptance. “We can mourn our losses
later,” she said in a strained voice. “Right now you’re needed in the Control Room.
We still have to escape the Kleese ships that are waiting outside.”

-

The Kleese
commander looked with anger at the viewscreens. The attack had failed to secure
the three Human ships and hundreds of conscripts had been lost. He had never
expected the Humans to have brought soldiers trained in the use of the Type
Three battle suits with them. The flight bay and adjoining corridors were
severely damaged and would take weeks to repair.

He had ordered
the atmospheric force shield shut down hoping the sudden rush of the departing
air would drag the Humans outside where they could be dealt with by the waiting
mother ships. A few had been caught by surprise, but the rest had made it to
the safety of their ships. Unfortunately, the conscripts fighting the Humans
had not been so well trained and most of them had been sucked out of the bay.

“They will be
trying to exit the bay shortly,” his second in command spoke. “They’ve gone
back into their ships and shut the hatches. We can’t close the bay doors; we
have been locked out from the emergency flight control room.”

“Inform our
ships that I want the assault ships destroyed and the Fold Space Drive on the
other Human ship disabled,” the Kleese commander ordered. “We will take the
Humans and the Kiveans on board that ship captive and interrogate them as to
the defenses of their home system as well as to what they hoped to accomplish
by coming here. The Council of Overlords will be highly interested in that
report.”

“As you
command,” one of the other Kleese replied in a nearly emotionless voice.

The Kleese
commander looked around the Command Center from his position atop the Command
Pedestal. The conscripts currently in the Command Center would have to be
eliminated; they had witnessed too much on the viewscreens. The same would go
for the conscripts in battle suits that had survived the battle with the
Humans. Conscripts were easily replaced and there was no reason to allow rumors
to fly about the station.

Wade was in
the Control Center of the Distant Star nervously watching the main viewscreens.
On one of the screens, a small counter was slowly counting down.

“Five minutes until
the zero mark,” spoke Mase Sutton the sensor operator. He looked expectantly
back at Captain Rios. “Energy shield is at twenty percent.”

“The flight
bay is still quiet,” Anne Norman added from Communications where she was intently
watching several viewscreens focused on the half-wrecked bay. Signs of fighting
were evident everywhere, from the black burn marks of energy weapons fire to
holes in the walls where RG rounds had penetrated.

“There’s not an
atmosphere out there now,” Wade said as he looked over at Captain Rios. “We
destroyed the hatches and heavily damaged the corridor. It will take time to
repair it so they can gain entry.”

“Let’s just
hope those damn mother ships don’t fire into this bay,” Rios replied as he
glanced impatiently at the counter wanting it to reach zero. “We can’t fully
activate our energy shield until we’re out.” He knew that pulse fusion fire
into the bay from the Kleese mother ships could prove devastating to the three nearly
helpless Earth ships.

“The Kiveans
that came on board are situated,” Marken reported as he came in through the
open hatch, which was guarded by two army rangers. “We had to put some in the corridors
and the cargo bays until other arrangements can be made. It’s not comfortable,
but it'll do for now.”

“How are they
doing?” asked Wade, looking over at Marken.

“They’re just
glad to be off the station,” Marken replied in a tired voice. “We’ve already
deactivated the poison devices implanted in them by the Kleese.” Marken and the
rest of his people who had escaped with the Humans had deactivated the same
type of implants years back.

“I’m sorry
about Taalon,” said Wade, wishing the talented Kivean computer specialist
hadn’t been killed. He had been instrumental in their original escape and then
in their return to retrieve the Kleese space station.

“It was a
risk, and he was willing to take it,” Marken said with a look of grief upon his
face. “We all knew there would be grave risks when we first planned our revolt.”

“Coming up on
one minute,” spoke Sutton as the counter began counting down the seconds.

“Standby to
exit the flight bay,” ordered Captain Rios, glancing over at Dash Stahls at the
Helm. The two assault ships would go first in an attempt to give the passenger
liner some covering fire.

“Maneuvering
thrusters and sublight drive are powered up,” Stahls replied his hands hovering
above his controls.

“Ten seconds,”
Sutton said in an uneasy voice.

“Zero!”

“Assault ships
are leaving the bay,” Anne reported breathlessly as they suddenly lifted from
their berths and accelerated out of the flight bay.

“Take us out,”
ordered Rios, looking at the helm officer. “Energy shield to full power as soon
as we’re out of the bay!”

The Distant
Star rose up from her berth and accelerated out of the flight bay, heading for
open space.

“Shields at maximum,”
Sutton reported as the energy shield around the Distant Star sprang to full
power.

The Distant
Star rocked violently and the lights dimmed for a brief moment. It seemed as if
a giant fist had struck the ship.

“Shield is
holding,” Sutton reported as he watched his instruments closely, sweat forming
on his brow. “We’re being hit by energy weapons from one of the mother ships.
The two assault ships are also under fire. No internal damage showing.”

On one of the viewscreens,
Wade could see one of the assault ships; he wasn’t sure which one. His eyes widened
as he saw a dark blue pulse fusion beam from one of the Kleese ships penetrate
its screen, blowing out a large section of the hull.

“It’s the
Furious,” Sutton stated as his hands moved over his controls.

Wade could see
the Furious firing back with its particle beam weapon. The ship’s pulse fusion
beams as well as defensive energy batteries were also firing.

“Our assault
ships are only causing light damage to the Kleese mother ships,” Sutton
reported with anguish on his face. “They just don’t have the firepower to
penetrate the Kleese energy screens and cause major damage.”

The Distant
Star shook violently again and Wade saw several red lights appear on the damage
control board. Numerous other lights were showing amber.

“We just lost
air pressure in several storage compartments and Engineering is reporting that
the fusion reactor is beginning to overheat,” the damage control officer
reported. “Engineering reports they won’t be able to maintain the shield at
this strength for more than another few minutes or we may lose the reactor.”

A brilliant
flash lit up one of the viewscreens, indicating a twenty-megaton antimatter
missile had gone off. Wade turned to look at the Kleese mother ship that had
been hit when several brilliant beams of blue light speared the disk ship,
causing massive damage to its hull and internal structure.

“It’s the
Constellation; they’re here!” screamed Anne with relief flooding her face.

-

“Pour it on,”
Colonel Adamson ordered as he glared at the main viewscreen showing the Distant
Star and the two Human assault ships under heavy attack. Space was aglow with
energy beams and exploding antimatter missiles.

“Sir, the
Furious is reporting major damage,” Major Kelley reported his eyes widening in
worry. “Lieutenant Stern is stating that they’re attempting to evacuate and
will set the ship’s scuttling charges.”

“What about
Major Olson, the ship’s commander?”

“He’s dead,
Sir,” Kelley replied. “Lieutenant Stern said an energy beam penetrate the Command Center, killing the Major and most of the command crew. She's taken control of the
ship as the highest ranking officer still on board.”

“Damn,”
Adamson oathed as the two light cruisers Achilles and Canopus joined in the
attack upon the Kleese mother ship the Constellation was targeting. “Order the
Centurion and the Trafalgar to give them covering fire while they evacuate.”

On the main
viewscreen, two twenty-megaton antimatter missiles flashed through a weakened
section of the Kleese energy screen, striking the Kleese ship. Two brilliant
suns suddenly formed where the hull of the Kleese vessel had been. In moments,
it was reduced to glowing wreckage.

Loud cheering
broke out in the Command Center of the Constellation upon seeing the Kleese
ship’s destruction.

“There are
still five more of them,” Adamson reminded his crew as the Constellation
shuddered from inbound weapons fire. “Tell the Distant Star to get out of here
and we’ll meet them at the rendezvous coordinates. Keep a watch out for those
other three mother ships that are still docked to the station.”

-

Wade watched
the Furious worriedly as they began to accelerate away from the battle. He
could see the other three assault ships surrounding it, trying to draw fire
away from the valiant ship. Even as he watched, he saw several drop ships leave
the vessel. Then the Furious exploded, hurling debris in every direction. Some
of it impacted on the energy shields of the other assault ships.

“Crap!”
Captain Rios uttered in horror, knowing that many of the marines and the ship’s
crew couldn’t have gotten off in time, not in just two drop ships!

“Furious is
down,” Sutton reported in a grim voice.

“Get us into
Fold Space,” ordered Rios, speaking to the helm officer. “Once we’re gone, our
military units can pull out.”

Moments later,
the Distant Star entered Fold Space and accelerated rapidly away from the
battle. On the main viewscreen, the Kleese trading station rapidly shrunk amidst
a scattering of antimatter explosions still going off around it.

-

Beth was
nearly thrown to the floor as the Warspite’s energy shield was struck by a
Kleese antimatter missile. Several consoles went dark and she could hear a
woman officer screaming in pain. Beth was in her normal marine captain’s
uniform, not her battle suit. She was wondering now if that might not have been
a mistake as the suits contained their own oxygen supply and could operate in a
vacuum.

“Drop ships
from the Furious are being picked up by the Centurion,” Ensign Knolls reported
as she watched the data appearing on her sensors. “The Achilles is under heavy
fire and their shield is rapidly weakening.”

“Our own
shield is at forty percent,” Lieutenant Jarvis, the damage control officer, reported
from his console. “We can’t take another antimatter hit to the shields.”

“Colonel
Adamson is ordering us to withdraw,” the communications officer reported. “The
Constellation and the two light cruisers will cover us as we jump into Fold
Space.”

“Make it so,”
Donaldson ordered the helm officer. “Take us into Fold Space immediately.”

The 200-meter
assault ship turned and then accelerated away from the battle. Several blue
pulse fusion beams narrowly missed the ship as the helm officer varied the
Warspite’s course in an attempt to make it a harder target to hit.

“We’re not a
fighter jet,” Major Donaldson reminded the helm officer as the ship made a
tight turn to avoid energy beam fire from a nearby Kleese mother ship.

“Almost
there,” the helm officer replied as the ship began to make the transition from
regular space to Fold Space.

Beth looked
around expectantly. The entire Command Center crew was tense as the ship
continued to accelerate. Each one was afraid that a Kleese sublight antimatter
missile or a pulse fusion beam would strike the ship before they could escape.

“Fold Space Drive activated,” the helm officer reported triumphantly, knowing they were now
safe from enemy fire.

On the sensor screen,
the other two assault ships were doing the same, leaving the Constellation and
two light cruisers far behind. On the viewscreen, they could see the
Constellation’s powerful energy screen covered in antimatter explosions.

“I hope they
get away,” Beth spoke in a quiet voice, fearful that the Constellation might be
destroyed. They were taking on five Kleese mother ships and even with the
Constellation’s improved shields and weapons, the ship couldn’t survive long
against those odds.

-

Colonel
Adamson gripped his command chair as the Constellation shook violently. On the
damage control board, more lights turned red and even more glowed amber.

“Shields at
sixty percent,” Major Kelley reported. “Railgun batteries four and six are
offline. Pulse fusion turrets seven and twelve have been destroyed. We’re
showing vacuum in compartments B fourteen and C eighteen. There’s a fire in
cargo bay three.”

“Keep firing,”
Colonel Adamson said in a calm and determined voice. “Order the Achilles and
the Canopus to withdraw. As soon as they’ve jumped into Fold Space, we’ll make
our exit. Concentrate our fire on the Kleese mother ship closest to the
Achilles.”

The
Constellation fired her two bow particle beam cannons, spearing the indicated
Kleese ship and causing several powerful explosions, causing the large vessel
to stagger. The four main bow railguns fired, sending massive rounds into the
damaged ship, further escalating the damage. Several internal explosions blew
out a large portion of the Kleese ship’s hull.

-

The Kleese
were not to be outdone. All five of the remaining Kleese ships poured their
fire into the Achilles, knocking down the ship’s energy shield even as it
turned to jump into the safety of Fold Space. An antimatter missile detonated
right above the ship’s hull, destroying the Fold Space Drive and crippling the
ship’s sublight engines. The ship faltered and seemed to lurch as Kleese energy
weapons and pulse fusion beams tore open the hull. Then, in a massive explosion,
the Achilles blew apart, sending glowing debris in all directions.

-

“Achilles is
down,” spoke Lieutenant Saur in a strained voice from her sensor console where
the Achilles friendly green icon had just vanished.

“Canopus has made the jump to Fold Space,” reported Major Kelly, feeling shaken by the loss
of the light cruiser.

“Take us into
Fold Space,” Colonel Adamson ordered, tight-lipped. He hadn’t expected to lose
an assault ship, let alone a light cruiser.

The ship shook
again as her screen was hit by pulse fusion beams from the nearest Kleese ship
and then the Constellation jumped into the safety of Fold Space. As soon as the
ship passed the light speed barrier, the firing stopped and the ship seemed to
take on an eerie silence.

“We’re in Fold
Space,” Major Kelly reported with a heavy sigh of relief. “Damage control teams
report the fire in cargo bay three is out.”

“Very well,”
breathed Colonel Adamson, allowing himself to relax. “Let’s start getting the
damage repaired and get to the rendezvous point. We need to see what damage the
other ships received before we continue back toward home.”

Adamson leaned
back in his command chair and thought about the battle. The Achilles and
Furious were gone and numerous others killed. He just hoped that the mission
had been worth it.

-

The Kleese
commander gazed at the viewscreen in the Command Center of the station in
silence. The Humans had escaped and in doing so, destroyed another Kleese
mother ship. True, they had destroyed two Human ships in return, but Kleese
ships were not supposed to be able to be destroyed. He looked around at the conscripts
in the Command Center and then picked up a small black control box laying on a
data console on the Command Pedestal. He quickly entered some commands and then
pressed a small button on the box. Almost instantly, all the conscripts in the Command Center dropped dead at their consoles.