Defending The Earth – Part 2

"Have you managed to get the thing working?" asked Vansen.

"Almost... I do not know enough Phaelon to work the controls right"

"How did you fly your ship then?"

"Either through manual control or by getting Tammy or Max to do it" David hissed in pain as sparks flew from the console in the Transporter room. "I've managed to isolate this from the lockouts, but it is only able to transport things towards the pad"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that we can't get ourselves off the Terrible. On the other hand, maybe we don't need to"

"You need to start making sense" the Marine said as she covered the hatchway with a rifle she'd taken from the wrecked Gunstar.

"The engine room is three decks below" David started to outline his plan, "So if we can get re-enforcements, it should be easy enough to restore partial main power and activate the internal defence system"

"Kill them?"

"Knock them out using anaesthetic substances. Once they are knocked out, I'll go to the Bridge, assume command of the ship and turn the weapons on the rest of the Phaelon ships..."

"I sense an issue with that"

"The problem comes from the fact that the Phaelons might be trying to do the same thing and restore power from the engine room - it may be guarded"

"I thought they wouldn't detect our boarding"

"They shouldn't have done so, but I can't help but think they may have noticed a loss of pressure in the Terrible "

"Good point"

"Wang to Vansen"

"Go ahead"

"Shane, we got an oversized Oompa Lumpa yelling at us and I'm not sure it likes me very much"

"What is it doing?"

"It is just yelling something I don't understand and puling out wires and bits and pieces from all over the hanger"

"This is David here... Pass the radio to her saying 'David wishes to speak to you' and then just follow her lead and do whatever she shows you to do"

"Shane?"

"Do it" Vansen said firmly. "She is your help in getting over here so we can launch an assault on the Bridge. Have we had any news from the Saratoga?"

"No, but she took quite a beating - her comm systems may be offline"

"Copy that. Try to raise her every minute or until you hear news of her and report back when your new friend indicates you are ready to move out"

"I think we're going to be over in a minute" Wang said. "Oompa Lumpa girl is pointing at the teleport pad" and whatever he would have said next was cut off by a loud humming noise and the sudden appearance of Tammy and several annoyed Marines.

"Welcome aboard" David said. "Tammy, I hope those are explosives you are carrying" and she nodded.

"I have brought six charges used to demolish spacecraft" the Phaelon replied.

"Good enough"

"Somebody want to tell me what the hell is going on here?" asked one of the Marines.

"The crew of the Terrible are trying to override the lockouts that Max put into place" David explained. "Whilst they can't power up the weapons again, the ship is itself a weapon"

"Ram the other ships?"

"Ram the Earth" Tammy said, trying hard to say things correctly in English as she was still stressed from battle and worrying about David. "Ship ram planet and kill everyone"

"How do we stop them?" asked Vansen?

"We have two options" David said. "The first is that the remaining vessels can fire on us with the shields down – but I'm guessing the fleet has exhausted its weapons"

"Down to throwing rocks" a Chinese looking Marine said.

"Our only option is to take the ship ourselves I guess. Tammy?"

"Yes?"

"Can it be done?"

"I do not know, David… There are not enough of us for a complete takeover, but it may be possible. I would suggest taking the engineering spaces first before heading up to the Bridge and gaining control"

"What can you do from the engine room?" asked one of the Marines.

"I can attempt to bypass the controls for the engines as well as dump the energy coils for the main weapons. The secondary kinetic weapons still need power to turn their turrets so they will be disabled also…"

"How long until the crew can get past the lockouts?" asked Vansen.

"Assuming they will remove the codes and operate all systems with new ones, I would estimate seven minutes" and a sudden rumbling beneath their feet could be felt. "I may be in error" the young Phaelon added dryly.

"David to Sera"

"Sera here"

"Max, what is the ship doing?"

"The terrible has fired her engines and swung round towards Earth. I believe she may be attempting to enter your planet's atmosphere and detonate herself to cause massive damage and to, perhaps, even eliminate the planet itself"

"Max, this is a direct order from your Navigator and Commanding Officer – fire all your weapons onto this ship. Whatever happens to us, it can not be allowed to carry out its plan…. Destroy this vessel"

"I can not comply"

"Override your commands to enable last orders"

"I wish I could, David, but all primary and secondary weapons have been disabled due to combat damage"

"Do you have power to the engines?"

"No"

"See what you can do to get engines repaired – forget anything else" David said and closed the link. "We're going to have to take the Bridge and the Engine Room at the same time. Tammy, I want you to go with the Marines and take over down there. If things go wrong, I can't take the chance of not blowing up the ship"

"Where are you going?" asked the Phaelon in return.

"I'm going to take the Bridge. What I am hoping is that I can sneak up there on the service lifts and take them by surprise"

"On your own?" asked Vansen sceptically.

"One person might be able to get through where a group would be spotted" David argued and checked the settings on his gun – changing them from kill to stun. "If we manage to take the ship intact, we're going to need a crew to man it. If, of course, they prove to be hostile, take them out…"

"David…" Tammy hesitated and looked down before gazing into David's eyes. "I wish you good luck"

"I thought you scientists didn't believe in luck?"

"Well… high rate of success in random probabilities" Tammy and David hugged each other tightly for a moment before splitting apart and going out into the corridor and heading off in differing directions.

# # # # #

"You speak good English" Vansen said to Tammy.

"David taught me in the months we have been together"

"I'd noticed that" smirked Vansen.

"Noticed what?" asked Tammy as she checked her scanner.

"The pair of you were together"

"Together…? Ah, you mean in an intimate way"

"Yep"

"Not very often" Tammy replied, stowing the scanner back inside a uniform pocket and pointing in one direction. "I was the subject of a very… unpleasant attack and David helped me to perform a ritual of a sexual kind to cleanse my body of a bio-chemical poison that had built up. If he had not, it is unlikely that I would be talking to you"

"So…" Vansen dropped her voice to a whisper, "Is he any good?" and Tammy looked at the Human before nodding gently.

"After my attack and escape from Phaelon, we took the Sera and ended up settling on a planet where we planned to live out our days together in peace and quiet. I had hoped that, one day, I might have younglings with him. However, I do not think I shall be wanting that for some time"

"Why?"

"I'm pregnant"

#

David hurried along passages and corridors he knew from the Sera, dodging what seemed to be random patrols and members of the Terrible's crew going to and from repairs. Finding a hatch with a thicker than normal construction, he slipped through and found himself on a ledge with a console to the left and pipes running up and down a sort of pipe with a gap with a single rail on the inside. Moving to the console, he accessed the controls and ordered the service lift to come to his location. Whilst he waited for the platform to arrive, he unholstered the pistol that Tammy had given him over a year before and checked the charge – a light flashed green which indicated it had a full charge.

"Tammy, are you there?" he called on the secured radio.

"Yes"

"What is your location?"

"We have managed to take the engine room, but most of the controls have been routed to the Bridge. You will need to destroy the helm and navigation stations to restore control to here"

"Understood. Did anyone get hurt?" he asked

"Not on our side"

"And you?"

"I remain fully operational"

"You sound like Max…Be ready for my next message – out" and David closed the radio, stepped onto the newly arrived platform and set the controls to take him to the highest level on the ship. As he reached the top of the lift shaft, he made a final check of his weapons before getting ready. The doors opened and he burst onto the Bridge to find…

Nothing

A layer of thick and acrid smoke filled the Bridge and sparks burst from every console. As David tried to peer through the smoke, he could see that every single console had been locked off and then destroyed. In that instant, he knew that the attack had failed and there was nothing he could do to stop the ship ploughing into the Earth.

"Tammy, we've got a problem"

"What is it?"

"I've managed to secure the Bridge, but the crew is either hiding or abandoned ship"

"I don't see how that is an issue" said Tammy.

"It is one when you find they've blown up the entire bridge – all the computers are smashed to pieces"

"Are the manual controls in place?" and David looked around and walked towards the Captain's chair. Pressing a button below the support, two arms unfolded and came up – one on either side.

"Yeah, the controls are in place, but I think they've been disabled and destroyed" he replied. "She's not answering to the Helm"

"There must be something we can do" Vansen said ion the background.

"Maybe there is… Tammy, apart from a few changes here and there, this ship is a copy of the Sera, right?"

"Yes"

"Then close all blast doors at frame 28 and arm the detonation circuits"

"What does that mean?" Wang's voice could be overheard on top of some gunfire.

"It means that the Sera class of ship was built in such a way that the forward section, where the more powerful weapons are fired from and stored, could be separated and used as a giant missile in its own right" David replied. "If we pull this off, you should be able to use the engines to get out of this dive"

"And you, David?" Tammy asked quietly.

"I'll start spinning the ship to start breaking it up, aim for an ocean or something and then get to a lifepod"

"And if there are none?"

"Bugger… Arm the circuits, Tammy, and be ready to detonate on my command. The ship is too heavy to handle for much longer" and he closed the channel. As he concentrated on keeping the ship as steady as possible until the forward section detached, he suddenly felt a pain in his side and he put a hand to the part that ached. The moment he touched it, however, he felt stickiness and flexed his fingers as he looked at his own blood leaking from a bullet hole. He gazed at it in a mixture of curiosity and disbelief before turning round and looking up to see a Phaelon standing by the main hatchway aiming a weapon at him. Before he could say a word or raise his own weapon, the Phaelon fired twice more – both shots hitting their target. The small and fast moving metal slugs ripped through the exposed flesh between the front and back sections of David's armour – burrowing deep into his body before lodging themselves into his vital organs. With a small sigh, the human teen pitched forward and fell to the deck where he made a few choking noises before going silent. The Phaelon fired a single shot at the prone form before giving a word of command to the computer and leaving at a hurry.

#

"Tammy to David. Tammy to David. Tammy to David, please respond" Tammy tried to call David to let him know that the circuits for the emergency separation system were armed, but she was getting no reply. "Engineering to Bridge" she tried the internal comm system.

"Sera to Tammy" MAX's metallic tones came over the radio. "I have restored partial ma–"

"Forget that… Do you have sensors back online?"

"Yes"

"Then scan the Bridge of the Terrible and tell me what you find"

"Understood. Scanning… Scanning… I am detecting heavy damage to all of the computer systems there, the Bridge is filled with smoke and I detect two lifeforms in that area"

"Two?"

"One Human and one Phaelon"

"Phaelon?"

"Yes, the Phaelon lifeform has left the Bridge, entered an escape pod and left the ship. The Human lifeform is not moving and lifesigns are fading fast. From my scans, I can only conclude that David has been injured in close range weapons fire and is now reaching life termination"

"You mean he's going to die?" Tammy's orange skin paled as she tried to grasp the concept.

"That is correct"

"We'll go and get him" said Vansen.

"There is no time" Tammy said. "Max, have you got control of the transporter?"

"Yes"

"Then beam me directly to the Bridge"

"I have new information" MAX sounded hesitant.

"What is it?" but MAX did not reply. "Tell me now, Max, that is a direct order"

"Compliance, Navigator" and Tammy gasped as she realised the full implications of those two words. "All life on Deck 1 Section 1 has terminated"

"Beam me to that location" Tammy ordered.

"Complian… Navigator, another ship has entered weapons range"

"Earth vessel?"

"No, it is a Phaelon vessel – Destroyer type… Her gun ports are open and she is cleared for action. From her ID beacon, it is the Daring. They have locked on and have started to attack the Terrible. They've launched fighters to engage remaining enemy forces"

"Dispatch a message to the Daring and tell them we're coming aboard and have a number of injured. Beam David and the other humans to their Sickbay – transport me on my next signal"

"Message sent and received – beaming now" and Tammy watched as MAX attempted to use the damaged transport abilities of the Sera to beam two groups to one location. Working quickly, she opened all the hatches around the ship except for the ones leading to the Engine Room and then accessed the outside sensors. Working some calculations around in her head, she worked quickly and Tammy cut power to several engines and thrusters to start the ship spinning in all three axis which she hoped would increase the breakup of the ship.

"Ship, can you hear me?"

"I hear you" the robotic voice.

"I am the senior officer onboard. Activate self destruct – override normal codes on voice command"

"Acknowledged"

"Detonate self destruct in ten seconds"

"Confirmed"

"Tammy to Max – beam me aboard"

"Unable to comply… power reduced"

"Can you transport?"

"Not safely"

"Well that's about to be mute… Beam now"

"Compliance" and Tammy's last sight was of explosions coming from the corridor and the engine as the Terrible exploded into a billion pieces in a huge ball of flame so bright it looked like the heart of a star.

# # # # #

"Welcome aboard, Navigator" MAX said as Tammy walked onto the Bridge of the damaged Sera.

"I am not the Navigator" Tammy replied crossly. "What is the status of the ship?" she demanded.

"The ship is in stable orbit of Earth, automatic repairs are going on with repairs estimated to be completed in seven weeks and all possible craft are engaged in search and rescue operations"

"Open a channel to the Daring"

"Channel open"

"This is the Sera hailing the Daring – do you respond?"

"We hear you"

"Did you receive all the transportees?" she asked.

"Indeed" replied the male voice. The young Phaelon's memory supplied her with the name of the Xae's second officer who had taken over command after Tammy had killed him in defence of David.

"What about the human called David?"

"When we got him, he was dead and had been for several seconds" came the reply. "However, we were able to revive him and he is undergoing an operation by one of his own kind in our medical bay"

"I must ask you, Commander, how you managed to get here"

"We read your course when you left us, so we pushed the engines beyond their maximum output for months"

"Are you alright?"

"We shut down the main drive and are using the secondary power systems, but apart from some damage to the hull from enemy fighters we're working at three quarters our normal output"

"Can you take on a shuttle?"

"Yes"

"Then I'm coming aboard. Out" and she slapped the control on the chair. "Max, ready a shuttle for launch in half an hour"

"I can not do so" the AI replied. "Repairs to the hangers and launch bays are not even half done. Due to the level of damage we took just getting here and the combined attack, we are lucky to be in one piece. I would appreciate it if I could devote my entire runtime to the repairs. As David would say, things are a little broken"

"But you will still keep the ship in orbit?" asked Tammy with a frown.

"Yes. Essentially, I will go back to my original programming until repairs are completed to such a level as I can resume normal functions"

"Like you were ever normal!"

"If you weren't David's mate, I'd vent you to space and make it look like an accident" MAX grumbled bitterly and then shut down his AI persona almost completely along with most of the Bridge except for the Helm and Engineering. The screen also remained on and showed the slowly rotating planet below them and the debris field that encircled it like a planetary ring.

'Too many had to die for this' Tammy thought sadly. She took a last look at the screen before turning around and leaving the Bridge for her quarters and a much needed shower and change of clothes.

#

"How is he doing?" asked Tammy. She was sat in the Daring's medical bay next to David who had more tubes in him then she had ever seen in her young life.

"When he reached us, he was dead for a short period of time. Luckily, brain activity was still on-going and so resuscitation was possible for him" the Chief Medical Officer replied. "Not knowing how to work on humans, we requested a team of his own kind to treat him for the worst of his injuries"

"Will he be alright?"

"I am not sure, this is the first human I have treated, but I have read as much of their medical texts as possible and I believe he will recover. He will need months of rest and recovery, but you can cut some of that down with the use of the regen pods"

"Sera doesn't have any of those" Tammy replied. "When me, David and Max took her all that time ago, she was only just fitted out for basic spaceflight"

"I will see about having one transferred to your ship" the Doctor replied. "I came to tell you that the Commander would like a word with you"

"Is he here?"

"He is on the Bridge. I understand he wishes to know what you intend to do next after this battle"

"Go to my quarters and sleep" Tammy muttered as she forced her arms and legs to work in unison. She walked along corridors looking pale and with all the weight of the universe on her shoulders. She couldn't stop wondering what was going to happen to David and how he would take the news that she was carrying his child within her. MAX already knew, of course, but the young Phaelon had expressly forbidden the AI to talk to David about it. There was also the question of where she would give birth and where they would live as a warship was not a suitable place to raise a child. Perhaps she could take the Sera and the Daring back to Phaelon and force a change for the better. "It might actually work now they are dead" she said.

"Who is dead?" asked Xae's former second officer. Tammy blinked as she realised that she had been caught up so much in her thoughts she'd ended up on the Bridge.

"Just thinking…" Tammy looked around a well kept and ordered Bridge with all of the stations manned, a watch set and the soft murmur of communications from different parts of the ship. Despite their best efforts, David, Tammy and the Phaelon volunteers had been forced to let cleanliness slip in the face of keeping things running. "I believe David would say that his is bigger" she said sadly.

"There is still no change from the Navigator?"

"Not when I left him… I fear the Gods may never return him to me"

"They do work in mysterious ways"

"Well I wish they wouldn't do that as much" the younger Phaelon said moodily. "How are your repairs going?"

"Another week" came the reply. "We're taking the opportunity to replace both drive coils while the engines are offline, we've still got a bit of hull damage from weapons fire and also just taking stock and working out what to do next"

"What do you mean?"

"A good number of my crew have expressed a desire to return to Phaelon and overthrow the Government there. We have most of the main leaders here either as prisoners or dead bodies, so that's them out of the way… Its possible we can take over and put in a new government that is more peaceful"

"And you want the Sera to come with you and help" Tammy said more as a statement of fact rather than a question.

"Sera is a powerful warship… With all the repairs made to her and a limited number of competent crew aboard her, out two ships will be all we need"

"Commander, I may have been exiled from my planet, but I still love it… If there is anything that David has taught me since we have been together, it is that the military has no place in settling arguments or to take over governments"

"I know that, Ma'am, but there comes a point that the military has to intervene for the sake of its people. I am sure you know of the levels of corruption that reaches through our world, what others think of us and what our people did to you…"

"What do you propose to do?" asked Tammy.

"Return to Phaelon, disable any ship that opposes us and help to overthrow the government, form a provisional military council and surrender to the Humans" the Commander said. "Once we have surrender, we will rebuild our world into what it used to be – one of respect, power and friendship"

"It all sounds good until the first person is killed"

"People already have"

"Alright, I agree"

"Good"

"But we shall have to wait until my Navigator and Commanding Officer wake up"

"You consider the Human to be your Commander?" the other Phaelon asked in surprise.

"Yes. Not only that, but he holds my Sacred Oath… I am sure I do not need to tell you what that means"

"No, you do not"

"Medical to the Bridge" and the Commander reached forward and pressed a button his the chair arm.

"Bridge, Commander speaking"

"The Human is showing signs of coming around" and the Commander turned to look at Tammy, but the young Phaelon had already vanished into the lifts and off the deck.

"I believe she is already on her way" the Commander said. "Keep me informed on his progress, Bridge out" and he surveyed his command as he gazed out of the viewing screen at the looming bulk of the heavily damaged Sera with teams of his own crew working to help repair the hijacked vessel. "Communications!"

"Sir?" a middle aged Phaelon swung round in his seat.

"Open communications channels and hail the Indefatigable. Request a private discussion with her Captain in the Commander's Office"

"Aye, Sir"

A/N:

Part 2… Better late and not at all!

As always, please send reviews as I do like to read them – and, unlike most authors, I do actually reply to each one individually

Regards

Pixel And Stephanie Forever