The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration (23 page)

“Okay
, that aside, what do you think about getting Chakix and the natives to draw the attention of the Agalum commanders and their troops while we sneak in and take the base?”

“It’s a really bad crap shoot, Ariel. I’m really not sure
any of this is such a good idea. That’s why I’m having second thoughts about it.”

“What else are you going to do, Mark? Dump the Chakix alien back on his world and leave the Agalum in charge?
That’s like pointing them at the doorway to Earth and handing them the keys to get in.”

He
sighed heavily and then banged his fist on the table top.“ Put the call through to EPIC now requesting a fleet. I’ll work up an attack plan. Between Chakix’s forces and our own we
might
be able to pull this off, but I’m not counting on it.”

“You’re such a glass half empty kind of guy
.” She smirked.

“No, seriously,
what I am is a realist. I don’t take that many chances, Ari, and usually when I do the odds favor us coming out on top. Right now that’s not the case. We could be in for a heavy loss, and that alone could seal the Earth’s fate. That’s something to think about before we go any further.”

“So you’re willing to just walk away?”

“Now that’s something I never said, did I?”

She shook her head side to side,
her expression remained neutral “No, you didn’t. What are you planning? I already see those gears turning inside your head.”

“You’re the telepath
, Ari. You tell me.”

She laugh
ed weakly. “No, no, no. I’ll let you surprise me.”

Mark grinned like the Cheshire cat
. “Don’t I always?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of
.”

The ship rocked
suddenly. Ariel immediately touched her right sleeve. “Lilly, it’s Ariel. What’s going on?”

“We’re under attack by three fighters approximate
ly the size of the
Stargrazer
. Eddie says it’s the same design as the ones that attacked him the other day when he was aboard the
Stargrazer
alone.”

“I’m on my way topside
,” Mark interjected, rising from the table immediately, quickly followed by Ariel. The ship rocked once again from an explosive attack.

“Battle stations, everyone
!” Mark called into the tech suit’s comm unit on his sleeve. He entered the maglovator with Ariel a step behind him.

He emerged from the maglovator onto the command deck, followed by Ariel.

Matt Marek slid from the command chair. “All yours, Captain.”

Mark nodded
. “Thank you, Mr. Marek. What’s our status?”

Matt answered, “Three of those unknown ships are flying around us
and attacking continually.”

The
Cagliostro
rocked as another barrage from the attacking ships slammed into the
Cagliostro’s
shields.

“That ain’t good
,” Eddie muttered.

“Relax
, half pint,” Red growled. “Shields are holding steady, so far at least.”

Mark nodded slowly.
“Danny, it’s time to raise some hell.”

“An’ I’m just the guy to do it
,” the smiling Jovian replied.

Dan heaved the
Cagliostro
to the right and began to accelerate away. He held his present course for ten seconds and then corkscrewed the
Cagliostro
majestically, rolling it over in space so it was heading back in the direction it had come from.

“Now
, DiGenovese,” Mark ordered.

Eddie nodded.
“With pleasure, Boss man.”

The
Cagliostro
’s guns opened up, spraying their enemies with the forward solar cannons. In mid-attack Eddie thumbed up two star core missiles. Every weapon was aimed at one of the ships attacking them.

“
What the hell?” Eddie exclaimed. “That was three direct hits, and that things still coming. It should’ve been dust by now.”

“Yeah
, but it ain’t so keep shooting’ it,” Dan barked.

“What do you think I’m doing you big ape?”

Eddie continued to fire at the one ship, until its shields glowed a bright red. At the same time the other two ships fired upon the
Cagliostro
repeatedly.

“Dan
, continue on a heading directly toward them, slide between the two ships, splitting them. Eddie, take that damned ship you nicknamed a ‘Predator’ out so we can start on the other two.”

Di Genovese replied,
“I’m workin’ on it Boss.”

Again and again the
Cagliostro
’s mighty solar cannons lit up space like newborn stars erupting from her bow. Each blast careened madly into the shields of the strangely winged ship. The
Cagliostro
slid between the other two attacking ships, Dan turning it almost vertical on its wingtip to do so.

The instant it slid past
, Eddie switched to the three rear mounted solar cannons and locked onto the two ships they had just passed, spraying them with energy beams.

“Those two are turning around again
,” Red grunted.

“Okay, go back to one at a time, Eddie. Lock onto the one with the most damage and let’s cut the odds down with its destruction
.”

“Locked on now, Boss
.”

“That one’s rabbiting, Mark
,” Red announced.

Eddie fired a spread of star core missiles again
at the now fleeing attack craft. The three missiles impacted brightly against its shields, but then the shields flared bright white. If not for the instantly dimming display the command crew would have been momentarily blinded by the sight.

“Gotcha
!” Eddie exclaimed. He fired the solar cannons again and again against the now defenseless attack craft, turning it to free floating atoms in a heartbeat. The resulting explosion lit up the viewer brightly for an instant until the ships systems compensated and dimmed the viewer a heartbeat later.

Mark shouted, “Where are the last two?”

“Turning attack vectors back to us, Mark,” Red replied. “They circled around and are coming from the front at us, from opposite vectors, both aiming directly toward us though.”

The crew stared at the viewer and both remaining ships could be seen coming from opposite angles toward the
Cagliostro
, one seemingly from the left, one from the right, in a V-shaped attack pattern with the
Cagliostro
itself the point of the V, or the convergence point.

“Danny, it’s time for a game of chicken
.”

Da
n looked over his shoulder at his friend and Captain. He squinted his right eye in obvious disbelief. “Yer kiddin’, right?”

“Not at all
, Mister. Take us on a collision course with the starboard enemy ship now. Red, shields double front. Eddie charge up all weaponry. As soon as we get a visual on them begin firing at your leisure. Red, what is our shield status?”

“Sixty percent, Boss
.”

“So their attacks
are
taking a toll.”

“Yes Mark they are. But it’s slow and cumulative
.”

“Okay Red
, let’s burn these bastards to the ground.”

The
Cagliostro
spun about in space once more. Its gleaming hull gave off sparks when it crossed the debris field left by the remains of the predator craft.

“Eddie, target the ‘P
redator’ on the port side with our forward guns and the predator on the starboard side with our aft guns.”

“Ah, okay
. I got it. Boss,” Eddie nodded his head and grinned.

The
Cagliostro
screamed silently through space, laying down solar cannon fire repeatedly. Both remaining predators concentrated their fire on the sleek manta ray shaped ship, hammering at the
Cagliostro
as it passed swiftly below them. Eddie fired the rearward solar cannons, blasting away at the starboard predator.               Once more the three dueling ships switched positions. The
Cagliostro
flipped about like a ballerina dancing in space. The two Agalum ships crossed each other in an ‘X’ pattern and returned to attacking the
Cag
once more, again streaking directly toward the gleaming star cruiser, their guns blazing.

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

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

Red nodde
d. “You got it, Mark.”

Eddie thumb
ed 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.”

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.”