Chapter 10

The dazzling spectacle of warp-space bathed the bridge of the Archangel in a series of cascading colours and highlights, reflecting off the finely polished white floors and bulkheads. Admiral Hendrix never got tired of it.

"Sir, twenty seconds until we reach Macbeth." Said the navigations officer.

"Very well. Commence warp-drive shutdown."

"Leaving warp-space in 12, 11, 10, 9…"

The ship was suddenly jolted out of warp-space prematurely. Ahead, Macbeth was still a tiny speck.

"Navigations, what is the meaning of this?"

The young officer looked dumbfounded. "I don't know sir. Warp engine readings are normal, but we just can't enter warp-space. There's some sort of a field blocking us."

Something at the corner of Hendrix's sight caught his attention. A few tiny flashes illuminated the skies above Macbeth, followed by what was clearly a large explosion. Hendrix swore. The enemy was advancing far faster than anyone had expected.

"We're picking up some jamming coming from the planet. At this distance it's not severe, but we won't be getting any transmissions from Macbeth."

"Sensors detect a fleet of starships around the planet. Another fleet has just arrived, entry vector suggests they came from Titania." That was Warton, the sensor officer. He was a toad, and was actually an old student of Admiral Hendrix's, back when peace was normal and you only joined the CDF academy because it was a way to get free studies.

"Friendlies?" Asked Hendrix.

Warton shook his head.

"Launch all fighters!" Hendrix shouted. "Order the other ships in our fleet to form a defensive sphere around the Archangel. Tell them once we're in the heaviest of that jamming we'll communicate using the ship lights in flash code."

"Enemy fleet approaching, they outnumber us roughly three to one, sir." Said the sensor officer.

"Well we're just going to have to be a lot better than them." Replied the Admiral. "Inform High Command of the situation here, Communications." He strode to the bridge viewports and watched as fighters were elevated to their place on the launch deck. To his left and right, the battleships of his fleet closed in a protective formation, effectively shielding the carrier from enemy fire coming from the front.

The flight control officer pressed three buttons on his console. "Husky squadron, you are cleared for launch."

"Husky two, all systems ready."

"Husky three, all systems go."

"Husky four, all systems go."

Bill tapped his headset. "All flights report."

"Flight two is all go." Said Francine.

"Flight three is ready for action." Added Wally.

"Flight Control, Husky squadron is go for launch."

Bill glanced back at the bridge. A flurry of activity could be seen despite the intervening distance. "Husky Squadron, you are cleared for launch."

The twelve fighters of Husky Squadron pivoted towards the front of the ship, facing the flat, bare deck space that would normally be launching the other squadrons on the carrier. But with Husky Squadron being the only one fueled and ready, the entire deck was clear except for Bill and his fighters.

A small countdown timer appeared on Bill's HUD. He put his paw on the thrust control as it neared zero.

Once it did, he shoved the throttle full forward and applied a boost, which worked hand-in-paw with the accelerators on the deck. The carrier's deck disappeared from beneath him and was quickly receding from view to his rear. In less than a second his fighter had attained terrific speed, jetting towards Macbeth far faster than what was normally the upper limit for non-warp flight. The extra boost from the carrier wouldn't wear off until they got to Macbeth. In the meantime, Bill could formulate a plan.

Scanners were proving faulty at the distance they were at, and coupled with the jamming they could ascertain little about the enemy forces, except for the fact that there were a lot of them. Bill checked his range from the battle at just under 100,000 km, which meant his squadron would enter the heaviest of comm jamming soon.

"Squadron, expect comm blackout in one minute, contact in around two. I want all ships to loop around the planet and use its gravity to accelerate us. I want nova bombs on their communications ships once in range so that we can stop that jamming. I estimate three, maybe four of them so split by flights, One flight will take the nearest once we're around the planet, Two flight will nail the next on from that and three will get the next one. If we can't get'em all in the first pass, disengage cruise mode, switch over to combat mode and engage conventionally. Priority one are the jammer ships, priority two are the fighters. All fighters, understood?"

Affirmatives came across the static-ridden comm. Bill noticed several new sensor readings from the fleet.

"Guys, looks like Fang Squadron has just launched. We want that battle to be safer on them, so knock out as many ships as possible." Bill got the replies again, but this time the static was much worse. We're in it now. Time to see if the new squadron's up to the task.

His sensors were running almost blind- although they were a lot closer to the enemy fleet now, the intense jamming was hampering his dectector system. With the jamming that bad they must have some sort of new technology out there. Better watch out.

As Macbeth loomed before his squadron, Bill pulled up and to the left. This put him in a shallow, elliptical orbit, designed to build speed and allow him to cut straight into the heart of the enemy fleet, hazardous as that was. The rest of the squadron followed, assuming a spearhead formation that would give maximum frontal firepower. Below, on Macbeth, massive explosions that looked like pinpricks of light from space, gave testament to the ferocity of the land battle taking place.

Bill glanced at his scanners again. Now nothing could be detected but the jamming. This did however prove useful in one sense; it allowed him to pinpoint the sources of the jamming. His computer had already locked onto the three jamming ships, now all he needed to do was get within firing range. There were few enough of them to be wiped out in the first pass.

Almost there…

A fleet of ships came into view as Husky squadron finally shot around Macbeth. Beams of energy and missiles were being fired off at some unseen fleet beyond Macbeth's horizon. Bill's squadron streaked in at the enemy fleet from its rear, the three offending scanner ships right in the middle.

One flight goes for the one nearest.

Range closed rapidly, firing solution would come around in twelve seconds. Bill armed hardpoints seven and eight. He expected the other three pilots in his flight to do the same, bringing the total to a formidable eight nova bombs per enemy jammer ship.

Six seconds left. Some laser fire came in towards Husky Squadron, with the enemy belatedly realizing that a threat was coming in from the rear. Bill's group passed the outer picket ships of the enemy fleet.

A consistent ring filled Bill's headset and he launched the two nova bombs. From the all around him, more pairs of nova bombs flew out at their targets, and Bill began veering away from the enemy jammer ships.

Dozens of massive explosions tore into the each of the enemy ships' shields, then broke through, ripping through compartments and bulkheads, incinerating the equipment and beings inside, rampaging through the stricken vessels until they reached the core.

Then one last powerful, all-consuming explosion blasted each jammer ship into oblivion.

Suddenly communications were clear, and shouts of victory managed to get through.

Bill glanced again at his sensor board. Now perfectly functional, he could make out the extent of the enemy fleet.

From what he could tell, it was extensive. His whole board showed red blips, with an occasional region of empty space every here and there. Some of those blips were moving faster than the others- fighters obviously.

And they were all moving towards him.

"Jamming has ceased!" Yelled sensor officer Warton. "More accurate numbers on enemy fleet, they actually outnumber us 5 to one! We're picking up distress signals, looks like they annihilated our defence fleet!"

Hendrix blinked in amazement. "Communications, see if you can contact any Macbeth base, or any friendly starships out there."

"Hold on, sir." Flap, the bat in charge of communications began speaking into his headset. From what Hendrix could hear, he had managed to raise at least one base. He looked back at the admiral.

"Sir, most of the fleet has already pulled back. Only a battleship and two destroyers are left here, and they're being ripped to shreds. They've got seventy-two escape pods out there… wait."

"What?"

"Dammit, the enemy's firing on the escape pods. I wouldn't expect any of them to make it through."

The members of the bridge crew gaped in disbelief.

"They've got fewer than twenty starfighters still operational. On the ground only Macbeth Central surface base still hasn't been overrun. I'm patching them through now."

Hendrix nodded and stared at the viewport. Soon a holoimage of a bulldog appeared over the starfield.

"Brigadier Cheltenham!"

The bulldog looked grim and resigned. Explosions and smallarms fire could be heard in the background.

"Admiral Hendrix, good of you to come, but I'm afraid this battle is lost. They've overrun most of our bases, and our armies are being scattered into tiny guerilla units. As we speak…" Cheltenham glanced at something off-screen. "The enemy is advancing past our final lines of defence. They've taken the hangars and launch facilities, our sensor dome has been hit, and now they are entering this very building. Leave now, before you get wiped out too."

"Cheltenham, who are 'they'?"

The bulldog signaled to someone off-screen. A shattered body suddenly came into the picture, obviously that of an enemy trooper. Under its torn black uniform it had a blood-red exoskeleton, almost insectile except that its head looked like that of a vulpine or canine. Someone behind Hendrix threw up.

"This is 'they', Admiral. They've decimated our ranks and are formidable fighters. There's nothing you can do. Now I implore you, go!"

Hendrix nodded. He looked at his bridge crew. All horrified, yet wearing that look of determination, the silent battle cry.

"Cheltenham, we're coming in for rescues. I know of the back door there. Hold out until our transports get to you, then take the back way out."

The bulldog stared for a moment, his expression blank. "Listen you can't get here in time. Pull out now!"

"Cheltenham, I…"
Then the door behind Cheltenham blew open, propelled by an explosion. The bulldog was knocked off-screen by the blast, but struggled to rise. One enemy trooper burst through the doorway, but was cut down by the Cornerian troops in the room.

Then three more came in, firing automatic weapons. They too were taken down, one by Cheltenham, who had drawn his blaster pistol. But more and more poured through, each taking at least one Cornerian with him.

Finally, Cheltenham was hit in the arm, and the rest of his troops were shot dead. Cheltenham leaned back against his communications console, obscuring Hendrix's view. The hologram showed little else but the bulldog's back and his left arm which was groping for something on the console. The sound of a pistol being charged up came over the transmission.

"You are the leader of this base?" Asked a voice.

"Well, yes, now that you mention it." Replied Cheltenham calmly.

Hendrix was speechless. He and the bridge crew watched the transmission in stunned silence.

"You have been defeated." Said the voice again. "Your forces are vanquished. Now you must come with us."
"I don't think so." Said Cheltenham cheerfully.

The other person was obviously miffed. "You dare refuse us?! You are coming, like it or not. But if you come peacefully, our Lord will not humiliate you in your execution ceremony, nor will your death be painful."

"Well. Why don't you just shoot me now?" Cheltenham seemed so happy it was as if he was playing a simple card game with his adversary.

Cheltenham's arm stopped searching, and it seemed he had closed his hand around something.

"Our blasters are on stun mode. Now you try asking again for us to shoot, eh?"

"Be that as it may, I'm Not Going Anywhere."

Cheltenham's paw was suddenly directly in front of the console, and it occupied most of the hologram. It was giving a thumbs up. It pointed at the screen, then gave an ancient signal, the V for victory. You guys carry on and win this for me, it signaled.

Then Hendrix recognized the device Cheltenham held. It was a remote detonator.

Even though Cheltenham could not see him, Hendrix saluted.

Cheltenham's thumb pressed down on the trigger, then the screen flashed white before the transmission cut off.

Down on the planet, a fireball swept through the huge base, obliterating all the buildings formerly owned by the CDF, along with the occupation forces charging in.