In the Presence of My Enemies (17 page)

   “Our two scout teams are converging on sector fourteen-gamma. Combined data indicates three vessels, sir, all matching the general description of the Meltranian vessel destroyed in orbit above Second Earth. They’re approaching on an extreme Z-axis.”

   “The
y’re coming in from above us,” Ramos said, calmly folding his hands behind his back. “What are their current vectors?”

   “All three are heading for a point on the far side of the planet, sir.”

   “Then we need to get the fleet underway now before they get there.”

   “Correction, sir!”
Samantha shouted. “Two of the vessels are breaking off and are now on an intercept course with us.”

   Ramos’s wors
t fear had just been realized. He’d been hopeful that the Meltranians would stay clustered together, making for a tight battle high above the planet. Now the intruders were dividing their forces, something Ramos knew he couldn’t do with his own fleet with any assuredness that they would be victorious. “What is their estimated time to intercept?”

   Samantha’s fingers played across her computer with the skill of a concert pianist. “The lone vessel will arrive at that planet roughly six minutes before the remaining two vessels are within firing range of our guns, sir. ETA with those vessels will be in T-minus ten minutes.”

   “They’re going to attack the planet while we’re distracted fighting the other two ships,” Ramos said, feeling a fine layer of sweat begin to form under his hat. “Communications officer, contact the battle cruiser
Mikuma
and order them to intercept the planet-bound warship,” the captain said, then reached out to a nearby console and pressed the secure channel button. “Commodore Savath, we have incoming aliens on multiple attack vectors.”

   “We are reading the same, Fleet Captain. What are your orders?”

   “I need you to send two vessels to the far side of the planet to head off one of the intruders. They will be augmented by the heavy cruiser
Mikuma
.”

   “We will stand divided?”

   “I don’t see that we have any other choice now, and I’m afraid we can’t commit any more warships to the planet until we’ve dealt with the two Meltranian vessels heading for us now.”

   “I understand, Captain Ramos,” Savath said almost mournfully. “It will be as you request. Two war cruisers are getting underway now.”

   Out in the void, Ramos watched the impressive fleet cruiser
Mikuma
—the namesake of another mighty cruiser lost in an ancient battle on the seas of Old Earth—disengage from the fleet formation, praying that she wouldn’t share in the same fate as her predecessor. Astern of the quickly advancing cruiser, two boulder-like Kafaran vessels, each nearly seven hundred feet long, sped up quickly to flank the Sector Command warship. Soon the three vessels were over the northern pole of the planet, and it wasn’t a moment too soon. Far in the distance, Ramos could clearly see the Meltranian vessel as it began to slow in its approach to the planet. Knowing that the other two enemy vessels weren’t far behind, he reached for another control on the panel and switched on the ship’s address system. “All hands, this is the captain. This is a Code-One emergency. All hands to battle stations. Repeat: all hands to battle stations. This is not a drill. All damage control parties stand ready. All pilots man your craft.” Lifting his finger from the button, he turned to Lieutenant Commander Weberity at the operations podium. “See that that message is repeated twice more, Commander.”

   “Aye, sir.”

   “Ashlee, move us into an attack posture. I want the fleet to face the enemy head-on when they arrive.”

   “Yes, sir,” she said, her voice wavering slightly.

   Straightening, Ramos placed a steadying hand on both her and Samantha’s shoulders. “I have faith in you both.”

   Subconsciously,
Samantha reached out her hand to place it over the captain’s, who in the last several months had become something of a father figure to her. “Thank you, sir.” Fearing that it was breaking protocol—and knowing that Ashlee would likely rebuke her for the gesture—she turned and was surprised to see Lieutenant Kidd’s hand had also closed around the captain’s, albeit far more tightly. When the two women locked eyes, they shared a soft smile, then released their holds on Ramos in unison and turned to their duties.

   That was when Samantha looked down to her sensor monitor in horror. “Captain, the lead Meltranian vessel has opened fire on the planet!”

   “What!” Ramos shouted in surprise. “What was their target?”

   “They targeted the city of Corvale on the eastern continent. Population two point six million. It’s the middle of the afternoon there, sir. The area is full of
civilians!”

   “Damage report?”

   “Scans coming in now,” she said, correlating the information on the screen and trying to swallow the pit quickly forming in her stomach. “With few exceptions, the entire downtown area has been leveled. Casualty estimates are in the several hundred thousands and rising rapidly.”

   “My God,” Ramos breathed as he looked at the monitor. The numbers were indeed rising, quickly surpassing six hundred thousand before gradually slowing.

   “The
Mikuma
and the Kafaran warships are now in weapons range and attacking the Meltranian vessel,” Ashlee said, watching the secondary navigation sensor screen. Ramos looked down to see the computer-simulated vessels firing their weapons at the target ship.

   “Their weapons are having only superficial effects against the enemy vessel,” Samantha said dejectedly.

   Ramos watched the screen, waiting with anticipation over how the Meltranian vessel would react.

   “Sir,”
the communications officer said from his terminal on the far side of the bridge. “I’ve got the Osa’Mara planetary government on the line. They are requesting immediate assistance, and they don’t care if it comes in the form of Kafarans or not.”

  
There’s a surprise.
“Tell them we are going to do everything in our power to safeguard the lives of the population. In the meantime, evacuate everyone in any major metropolitan area immediately. I fear this is far from the only bombardment the Meltranians have in mind.”

   “Aye, sir!”

   “Captain,” Samantha said. “The two remaining Meltranian vessels are slowing. ETA to our position is two minutes.”

   “Flight Control Officer, are all the pilots away?”

   “Yes, sir.”

   “Have them form a defensive perimeter around the
Duchess
. Now!”

   “Aye.”

   Ramos reached down and opened the channel to Commodore Savath. Not waiting for a response, he began issuing orders. “Commodore, move some of your warships between us and the Meltranians. Hopefully your shielding will buy us enough time to launch an offensive.”

   “Understood,” Savath’s voice replied.

   Less than a minute later, a thick wall of Kafaran vessels stood between the Sector Command fleet and the approaching Meltranian vessels. Without fanfare, both of the invader’s warships opened fire with their immensely powerful isotonic cannons. Two Kafaran cruisers, the targets of those attacks, were bathed in blinding white light as their advanced defensive systems fought with all available power to thwart the battering they were under. A moment later, the light faded, and the Kafaran cruisers remained.

   “All units, move in and attack!” Ramos shouted. “Quickly, while their cannons are recharging!”

   Two Sector Command cruisers, their upper and lower dual-barreled bombardment cannons swinging into action, wasted little time in firing their initial salvos. Globs of blue-white energy reached out across open space, over the Kafaran screen of warships, and impacted squarely with the skeletal-looking Meltranian vessels, severing off chunks of claw-like spires a hundred feet long, but doing little else.

   “Captain, reading another build up from the vessel in orbit,”
Samantha said, trying not to shout this time. “It’s targeted the
Mikuma
!”

   “
Order her to take immediate evasive action!” Ramos shouted in response, though he knew that the
Mikuma
’s captain—an experienced officer and veteran of the Galactic War—would no doubt be doing so anyway. Turning back to the main sensor readout, Ramos watched in astonishment as the alien’s cannon blasted a hellish salvo at point-blank range to the Sector Command cruiser. In seconds, the cruiser vanished from the scope.

   “The
Mikuma
is . . . is just gone, sir.”

   “Gone,” Ramos replied in despair.

   “Completely destroyed, Captain,” Samantha said. “No life signs in the immediate area. The remaining Kafaran ships are continuing to press their attack, but the Meltranian ship is changing course.”

  
Is it too much to ask if they are retreating?
“New heading?”

   Ashle
e Kidd cross-checked her readings. “They’re moving into position above Ericost, also on the eastern continent and in the same time zone as Corvale. Population is estimated at three point three million.”

  
Now what?

   At communications, the three-armed
Polysaurian spoke up. “Captain, Commodore Savath is reporting the two Kafaran cruisers damaged in the attack against our forces are heavily damaged and can no longer hold position. They are moving to the rear of the fleet.”

   Ramos stole a glance beyond the view
port and watched as the two large vessels moved off. For a fleeting moment, he caught sight of one of the two Meltranian vessels beyond. They looked like enormous, desiccated skulls from some galactic-sized dragon. As three Kafaran ships moved in to take the vacated positions, one of the Meltranian vessels fired its cannon. The blinding light was too much for the
Duchess
’s auto-dimming windows to handle, forcing everyone on the bridge to shield their eyes.

   When the intensity faded a few seconds later, Ramos was silently glad to still be alive. Reaching out to place a hand on Ashlee
’s shoulder to steady himself, he straightened his hat. “Is everyone all right? I need a damage report.”   

   “No damage to report,” Commander Weberity reported from his console at flight operations.

   “What was their intended target?” Ramos asked to anyone who could give the information.

   “The destroyer
Teviot
, sir,” Weberity replied somberly. “She was our starboard screen.”

   “Is she…?”

   “She’s adrift, sir,” Ashlee said, first looking to her instruments then out the forward window. 

   “No life
signs on the
Teviot
,” came Samantha’s soft voice from beside her. “They’re all dead, sir.”

  
We’re getting torn to shreds out here.
“What is the status of the Meltranian ship in orbit?”

   “Best estimate would be superficial damage only, Captain,” Samantha replied. “The Kafaran warships are continuing to attack.”

   Another blast rocketed out from the alien vessel ahead of the
Duchess
. With the numerous Kafaran vessels in their direct path, Ramos and the rest of the bridge crew could only see the aura of the energy discharge as it slammed into a Kafaran carrier.

   “Commodore Savath’s carrier has taken a direct hit!” Samantha announced, followed by a report from Lieutenant Commander Weberity at his flight operations console.

   “Five of our squadrons have evaded the blast, and are attacking enemy interceptors in quadrants five, six, seven, and ten. They’re taking heavy casualties.”

   “Sir!”
Samantha cried out loudly. “New signal coming in on the long-range scope.”

   “What is it? More aliens?”

   “I don’t think so, sir.”

   “We’re receiving communications,”
came the status from the communications station.

   “On the overhead, Lieutenant.”

   There was a burst of static, followed by a string of disjointed words. “Clean that up, Lieutenant,” Ramos ordered.

   “Scans confirmed, sir,” Samantha shouted in joy. “It’s the Rugorians!”

   But to fight against us or with us?

  
There was beep from the overhead speaker, and a voice was now coming through with absolute clarity.

   “I repeat, this is Commander Shawn Kestrel, Unified Sector Command on coded channel ninety-eight point seven.
Duchess
of York
, do you copy?”

  
Thank God for miracles.
“Commander, this is Fleet Captain Ramos on the
Duchess
,” Ramos said, failing to mask his delight. “You picked a fine time to join the party, Commander.”

   “Better late than never,” Shawn said with a chuckle. “We had a hell of a time convincing our friends here to join us, but Ambassador McDermott can be a pretty hard man to argue with.”