Resilience (Warner's World Book 6) (18 page)

“And they are?” asked Meelanda.

“The Second Rogan Imperial Fleet no less.”

“Who’s their commander?”

“It used to be Admiral Paga but he was always one foot away from being sacked, so who knows right now.”

“If it is Paga then we may be about to be saved.”

“What do you mean?”

“Angina told me she was going to see him after she left here.”

“I should have known about that” said Felis a little annoyed.

“Agreed. Well you do now. There’s so much happening. Anyway why don’t you just hail him and find out?”

“A little thing called jamming, remember!”

“Sorry. We’ll just have to wait and see I suppose.”

Chapter 27. Batlasan over Cheklin, 1000, 16 September

Puros went from rubbing his hand to gripping the terminal in front of him. “Who are they” he demanded. It took the watch officer a few seconds to confirm it was the 2
^nd
RIF. Unaware of the commitment of the 2
^nd
RIF, Puros was immediately wary.

“Hail them and find out what their intention is” he ordered. He just barely noticed another mauling of his shuttles on their return leg from enemy fighters. At this rate it would take him all day to get his troops down on the surface.

“We will need to isolate the standard ship to ship channels from the jamming” advised his comms officer “that will mean the enemy below will be able to hail them to.”

Puros thought about this for a moment but deemed that he needed to know if they were hostile now for his fleet’s own security and that was more important than anything else. “Just do it.”

“Puros you old warrior” hailed Veego Paga “What’s going on here?”

“Veego, I wasn’t expecting you?” replied Puros.

“Obviously the Grand Admiral thought you could do with a hand.”

Puros smarted at the implied insult. He had never liked Paga. He was too much of a show-off for his liking. He had to admit that it was possible the 2
^nd
RIF had been ordered here. After all he got his orders on the fly. Things politically were hotting up. Add that to the Slidwon revolt and it was obvious that the First Consul was consolidating his power base in the home worlds.

“Yes obviously” responded Puros with just a hint of contempt. “Well I do hope you have come ready to fight.”

“As always Puros, as always. How can we help?”

“How many ground troops have you?”

“Just a brigade.”

“Can you commit them in support of my forces that have just landed at Lewista?”

“Glad to oblige. We’ll be there in a couple of hours. You will leave us some of the objectives?”

“There is no shortage of fighting to do Veego. Hold on and I will send you your objectives” and Puros hung up.

Chapter 28. IRS Eltekin to Cheklin 1005, 16 September

“You see” said Veego with a smile to Angina in his command centre (aboard his flagship the carrier IRS Eltekin) “we’re old friends.”

“Yes I have some of those type of friends” said Angina “but I prefer to keep them at arm’s length. Do you think this will work?”

“It better. With a bit of luck we’ll catch them by surprise and hopefully he’ll have spent a lot of his missiles.”

“But you don’t know that?”

“No, but it’s likely.

“We’re being hailed” said his watch officer LCmd Shento Tusilim “It’s an Admiral Draag” He paused for a moment and then added “I’ve never heard of an Admiral Draag Sir.”

“Admiral Draag is it?” hailed Veego.

“That’s right Admiral Paga” hailed Felis. “I command what you would refer to as the Resistance forces here on Cheklin. What are your intentions?”

“A week ago I would have said to blow you to the heavens but as things have worked out I am here to protect you in the name of the Resistance. I have someone here who I think you know. She would like to talk to you.”

“Felis this is Angina. You asked for proof well here it is. The good Admiral here intends to destroy those imperial ships above you.”

“Well this is a pleasant surprise” said Felis.

“I will put him back on Felis. Hang on.”

“What’s the situation on the ground?” asked Veego.

“Around about a thousand troops have landed at the spaceport and are fighting what remains of the 2
^nd
Ecrustian Bde. I have reinforcements on the way. Can you destroy these ships? We can deal with the ground forces.”

“Sounds a fair arrangement. Belay your batteries till I call again.”

“Will do. The space above is all yours. Oh and by the way there’s a human stealth frigate somewhere out there. It’s on our side.”

“Right…of course. We’ll launch our attack in a little under two hours. I won’t hail you till then. Out.” Veego turned to Angina. “This Draag, was he Soola’s chief of staff?”

“I believe so.”

“Mmm…” muttered Veego. The penny had dropped. He recalled meeting Draag at a Fleet conference years back. ‘Never thought he’d amount to much!’ he said to himself.

Chapter 29. Neeblo 1010, 16 September

“Well, well, well” said Felis.

“And?” asked Kraag.

“Who would have thought prima donna Paga would have actually defected to the Resistance.” Cheers erupted in the ops room.

Felis finally got a word in “OK, OK everyone they will deal with the ships above. We have to clean up down here. Bonitis you were going to get me an ETA for the 3
^rd
Bde.”

“Yes Sir” said an elated Bonitis.

“Kraag, put a weapons hold on all batteries till otherwise advised and ground all fighters.”

“You got it.”

Chapter 30. Batlasan 1205, 16 September

The reports in from Lewista spaceport were encouraging. Puros now had 1600 troops down on the ground and they controlled most of the rubble that masqueraded as the Lewista spaceport.

He gave the go ahead for the next insertion. This time it would be the big transport carrying the final reinforcement battalion. It would be escorted with twenty fighters.

“Incoming” announced the defensive systems officer “we’re under attack from the 2
^nd
.”

“What do you mean” demanded Puros. He glanced to the holo, saw the tally now showing over 1400 missiles heading his way and realised he’d been duped. “Warp away now” he ordered. “Order the fleet to warp away now.”

The comms officer went to comply but realised that they were now being jammed. No orders were going to go out. He looked to Puros and shook his head as the watch officer was announcing that they would be warping in one minute.

Puros knew in that minute that he would get away but he also knew that much of his fleet would not. He had been defeated and it stuck in his craw like a barbed spike.

Chapter 31. Neeblo 1300, 16 September

Felis had ordered Selinta to go to bed. Her stay-awake drug had worn off and she had literally fallen asleep at her terminal.

Kraag was reviewing the battle report from the Eltekin. They had lost one light in the brief exchange with the 1
^st
RIF but claimed four caps, five lights and four transports, including the one fully laden with troops. The rest of the big ships got away. Sixteen imperial fighters were abandoned and surrendered so they could land, along with a dozen light shuttles.

The abandoned ground troops though still held onto the spaceport but negotiations with their leaders were underway. Kraag expected their surrender in the next hour or so. Already, individual warriors were exfiltrating out of their perimeter and surrendering to the 2
^nd
Ecrustian Bde.

Kraag looked across at Felis who was cat napping in his chair. He felt a surge of pride. They had done it. They had stymied an entire fleet and held on long enough for the 2
^nd
RIF to deliver the knockout blow. He had been part of that and Kraag felt good about it.

When Felis had asked him to come on board he had real reservations. He had known Felis for over twelve years, though had lost touch in the last five. He had always liked Felis but now he also respected him. He couldn’t fault his judgement and if there had ever been any doubt about his commitment well it was answered well and truly today.

Evie popped in and saw Felis asleep in his chair. She came over and put a hand on Kraag’s shoulder, surprising him.

“Oh it’s you Evie” said Kraag. “I’m afraid your prince is fast asleep. I’m waiting for him to start snoring.”

“Oh he doesn’t snore that much” said Evie.

“Well I’ll bow to your superior knowledge on that score.”

“You must be happy” said Evie. Kraag nodded. “We should be getting a shuttle coming in from the Eltekin. Admiral Paga and Angina Slirinus will be on it. Please try not to shoot it down.”

“Do I wake him or you?”

“I’ll do that” and she smiled.

Chapter 32. Neeblo 1400, 16 September

The meeting had been going now for almost half an hour when a knock on the door came and one of Meelanda’s staff poked their head in and said she had an urgent message for Angina. Everyone remained silent while Angina read it.

“It’s a request from my head of communication, Milus Olasso. It’s from yesterday. He says they are still holding out in Slidwon but need urgent intervention in force. He also says that volunteers are flocking in to join their militia but they are short on heavy weapons and the enemy fighters are wreaking a terrible toll.” Angina looked to Meelanda. “Istridium could be ours if we support them now.”

“Won’t that mean abandoning the defence here” asked Meelanda.

“The human ships will be here in five days, correct?” Angina asked Julian.

“Well yes” said Julian “but I was going to propose signalling them so they can return to Qwantum. Remember we have prior obligation there.”

“Things change in war Commodore” responded Angina. “We have uprisings on three home worlds now. There is real momentum and a great opportunity. Qwantum was yesterday’s front line. It’s moved on. The flashpoints are now here, Raidom and Istridium. Securing the Mintoslum facility is vital to everyone’s security. We must commit to that but we could win the war on Istridium.”

“I concur” said Veego. “We need to act before the resistance there is crushed.”

“Excuse me” said Julian forthrightly “but have you forgotten just how close we came here to losing. Do you not think they will try again to secure this technology?”

“What do you think Felis” asked Meelanda.

“A vexed issue for sure” said Felis. “Angina and the Admiral make a good point. But much will depend on the other fleets and which side they will support. We have bought some time for sure. How much I don’t know. We can restock our missiles and fighters from our own production here but we lack ships.” Felis then turned to Julian “Given the demonstration we saw earlier with the Phantom I’d be confident we could defeat another single fleet with the assistance of your ships. But without them we should retain the 2nd Fleet here.”

Meelanda turned to Julian “Well Commodore it looks like the prospects for an early victory are in your hands.”

Julian felt the weight of all these rogan eyes upon him. “All right then we will let the arrangements stand. But please bear in mind that Captain Warner will only probably get my original signal later today. They won’t be here for five days.”

“The Venlin group should warp back in tomorrow” said Felis. “We should be able to cope till your ships arrive.”

Julian looked decidedly anxious. It just didn’t feel right. He could see the effects of euphoria on the faces of the recent victors in front of him. They seemed ready to conquer all.  But he was not so sure. He sank back into his chair and thought ‘the die is cast now.’

Part 3
Resurgence

The surge comes in and overwhelms

You’re flung back to the shore

Dazed and dashed you’re on your knees

You’ve never been beat like this before

You’ve been caught off guard and knocked for six

But that doesn’t mean you’re out of tricks

You pick yourself up with steel in your eye

and resolve in your heart

You charge back in for a brand new start

You’re coming back now more powerful than ever

Resurging through to reign forever

Chapter 1. Cornucopia to Polaris 1500, 16 September

Charles had missed his session with Merry. She had had to work back. She had sent him a message begging off. It had ended with ‘will try to see you later.’ When she didn’t show by lunch he knew she must have gone straight from the medbay to her cabin to crash. He was disappointed. He had come to look forward to talking with her each day. In fact he had to admit that she had prised him open. He was more in touch with his feeling now than ever before. And he particularly longed to hold her in his arms.

Part of him though still held back. He anguished over his inability to show his true feelings. ‘What was it May Lin had said?’ he asked himself, referring to a woman he had once courted. ‘Oh yes’ he remembered ‘There’s a trap door over your heart held down by a powerful spring.’

Merry had been awake for a good twenty minutes now. She was tired. It had been a gruelling shift with two emergency procedures. But it wasn’t these that caused her to wake early. No it was her promise to Charles. Missing this morning’s breakfast with him had left her hungry on two counts. The sandwich she had devoured before hitting the sack only satisfied one of those.

She had to admit to herself that she cared for this damaged soul but bitter experience had taught her that caring was not enough when it came to personal relationships. What she had been tossing and turning and churning over these last twenty minutes was whether her feelings for Charles amounted to more than caring.