The Right Things
Andrew J. Talon
Disclaimer:I don't own Atomic Betty, nor am I making any profit from this endeavor.
Third (or fifth) chapter of this series. Enjoy!
Paloma couldn't help but smile broadly, lifting her thumb up as she blotted the sensor image of the Milky Way galaxy, slowly receding behind them. Already Messiah was making well over nine thousand lightyears an hour-They would be to the Andromeda Galaxy in a little over two weeks. Already they had gone further than any lifeforms from their galaxy had gone before, not to mention faster. The Alliance of Planets was actually a fairly small percentage of the galaxy, which still remained largely unexplored.
Just goes to show you how big space really is, she mused, before turning to Captain Noah, standing before the holographic plotting table with B-1. She walked to their small conference and listened in as the rest of the bridge crew went about their duties.
"I believe our first stop should be M31A143, here," Noah began, the hologram zooming in to show a small orange star. "Its location is right on the edge of the galaxy. Plus, it allows us to get close to M31C91, here," Noah moved the displayed slightly, showing a small yellow star. "We've detected some faint subspace radio signals from this area."
"Definitely can't be natural, then," B-1 harrumphed. X-5 floated nearby, looking intently at the hologram.
"Indeed. The variances in the signals do not match any known natural occurrences. Within our own galaxy, at least." Noah smiled wryly.
"Even if we don't find life there, it's probably worth a look."
"I'm a bit concerned about our fuel reserves though, Captain," Paloma spoke up at last. "As it stands, we'll only have enough to do a cursory scan before heading back home." Noah frowned.
"What's wrong with our fuel converters?"
"While they should prove sufficient for our mission, Captain, I would advise caution in utilizing them," X-5 stated. "This is only a shake-down cruise, after all. An extremely ambitious one, however."
"First lifeforms to get to the Andromeda galaxy," Noah chuckled. "Probably enough for one mission. Agreed then. We'll leave several probes, however, to continue researching. At least until we can get back."
"I think we should keep them in stealth mode, just to be on the safe side," B-1 put forth. "Wouldn't do to let anyone know we've been about. At least until we can speak for ourselves." Noah nodded.
"Make it so. And keep us under cloak when we leave the galaxy proper. I'd prefer to not-" The communications alert went up, and a holoscreen appeared in front of Noah's eyes. He quickly read through it, before turning to the helm.
"Mrs. Staller, change course to 275, mark 093." He then turned to B-1.
"Mr. B-1, make the ship ready for combat. Full alert status. Paloma, sound general quarters. X-5, begin combat operations." His senior crew staring at him, Noah elaborated with a sigh.
"It seems that the Andromeda trip will have to wait… There's a situation developing near the Prison System…"
Admiral DeGill looked proudly at his small, but powerful taskforce. True, he had commanded larger ones during the recent war, but this fleet was different for a crucial reason.
They were going to liberate their captive comrades from the prison system, then take back what was theirs. The Galactic Guardians, he reflected, were more than the galaxy's protectors-They'd practically run the entire damn thing! Who else made sure that the right leaders ascended to the throne? Who else drove off dangerous villains and tyrants? Who else could keep the peace?
Only they had.
"Admiral, we are approaching the security zone," his executive officer reported. He nodded, blowing a few bubbles from his pipe.
"Excellent. What is the composition of the enemy forces?" The holoscreen before him shifted, revealing the images of an entire Earth carrier battlegroup. His eyes narrowed at the vessels as they patrolled, sneering in disgust.
"Earthlings, hmph! They should have stayed put! But instead, they throw the entire galaxy into chaos!" Degill turned to his XO. "Remind me to make sure they are all imprisoned when we've retaken the galaxy!"
"Sir?" His executive officer, a lemur-like humanoid from the planet Madascara, inquired. DeGill nodded.
"Yes… All of them. Every single last despicable earthling! I want their entire race controlled and contained!" He paused. "And after which, we must take pains to keep greater control over the galaxy. We can't have this happening again! Never again!" Degill took a deep breath, before barking out his orders:
"Prepare to attack! Drop the cloaks!"
Degill's task force was made up of several dozen Starcruisers and Stardestroyers, and hundreds of Starfighters. The Starcruisers were all of the Excelsior-class; larger, faster, and more heavily armed than Atomic Betty's standard dispatch cruiser. The destroyers were simply smaller, more numerous versions of the cruisers, and the fighters were largely advanced combat drones. Degill had spent months scraping together what ships and survivors he could of the Galactic Guardians-Many having surrendered or defected during the war, still more dying or being captured and imprisoned. Degill, however, was thankful that this was not the bulk of his remaining forces.
"Oh no… I have much, much more in store for you all," Degill hissed menacingly at the screen. The GG forces closed with the Earth taskforce, the Earth super-carrier deploying it's alert fighters while it's escort of cruisers, destroyers, and one battleship screened the flagship from harm, just as Degill gave the final order:
"Fire!"
Commodore Ryan Finch had once been part of the Royal Navy on Earth. Commanding the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, he'd helped Great Britain show the flag to other nations for several years. However, once the Martians invaded, his old carrier had been destroyed, and he had been one of the few survivors. He had sworn from that day forward to avenge his lost sailors, and when Earth finally took the war out into space he'd been given command of one of their first space carriers, the AES Kitty Hawk. The same carrier he now commanded, he and his ship were the veterans of a dozen grueling battles, and had been first choice for keeping the prison system isolated and protected.
The last thing the new Alliance of Planets needed was dozens of ex-Galactic Guardians and super villains getting free to wreak havoc once more.
"Have the Akibo and the Dover come about to cover our rear, last thing we need is to be exposed if they break our lines," he ordered. His command was relayed by the communications officer of the Kitty Hawk to the seven other ships that made up the task force.
"What are we looking at?" The tactical officer put up a sensor image on the holographic planning table that Finch now stood over.
"Looks like about twenty-five capital ships, and four times that number of fighters," the tactical officer surmised. Finch nodded.
"Ready main batteries. And prep our strike fighters with tactical weapons. Let's focus on taking out the fighters first, before we engage the capital ships. Last thing we need is a swarm of pesky gnats poking our arses…"
The Allied Earth fleet had been constructed with whatever was readily available. Considering they didn't have an entire spaceship construction industry like their opponents, they'd had to improvise with the technology provided by Beatrix Brown, and the production facilities lying about.
As a result, all their warships used a vertical-missile launching system, much like the ones employed by US and Allied naval vessels. It did not affect their combat potency, but it was a rather unusual sight. And while they had incorporated shielding technology and beam cannons, the Earth ship's main armament was projectile weapony-Rail guns, missiles, and plenty of drones.
The moment Admiral Degill's task force was in range, every ship launched a salvo of modified Sparrow missiles, their originally anti-aircraft warheads now replaced with binary fusion devices. Twenty F/A-49 Viper rocket fighters roared behind them, their own missiles launching as GG fighter drones swarmed against them.
Explosions filled the space before the GG taskforce, their short-range laser cannons destroying most of the incoming missiles. Two cruisers exploded into nuclear fireballs as missiles from the AES Archon slammed into them. The GG starships spread out, keeping the Earth fighters at bay with sustained laser fire. But, as the Earth fighters deployed drones, and the drones from the capital ships caught up, the GG vessels were forced to divide their fire. And it was this that, as in so many battles before, was their undoing.
Five more GG capital ships exploded into nuclear blasts, while three suffered heavy damage courtesy of the Earth fleet's missile and rail gun fire. Degill noted that their fighter screen was beginning to dwindle. The fish-like admiral cursed, seeing that while their forces were more numerous, the Earth fleet's use of long-range weapons and manned, high-performance fighters along with drones once again gave them the decisive advantage.
"All ships, fall back!" He ordered gruffly. However, a smile returned to his face as a green light glowed on his console.
"The fleet is in full retreat, Admiral. The Earth forces are in pursuit," his first officer reported. Admiral Degill nodded, smirking.
"Excellent… Excellent…" The first officer, named Kilrabi, was concerned. The entire assault had been simply a diversion, and yet the admiral had been treating it as their primary objective. His mood swings seemed to be getting worse. Being forced into an actual, full-scale war (not to mention losing it) had shaken Degill up very badly. Even worse was when his girlfriend, Pontifidora, had joined the Alliance of Planets against them. Kilrabi did not believe Degill was going mad, no. That would be quite impossible, according to the Galactic Guardian Psychological Profile of the admiral.
Of course, Kilrabi reflected, those reports were made before the war.
"Kilrabi!" The Madascaran turned, seeing Degill glaring at him.
"Yes sir?"
"What is the latest report on the Frothing Sea project?" Degill asked. Kilrabi pulled the appropriate report from the computer files.
"Manager Infantor says the initial testing phase should be complete within a matter of days. However, he notes that such a system has never been constructed before, and he is not as much of a genius as this project requires."
"Inform him he will keep to the schedule, or his nannies will develop a taste for his flesh," Degill replied coldly. Kilrabi blinked.
"Sir?"
"Do you have a hearing problem?"
"No sir. I'll see it's sent…"
Betty frowned, then turned around. She glared.
"Maximus!" The Lynx grimaced in pain.
"Honestly, Atomic Betty! You humans are so obsessed with privacy!" Betty kept her top firmly pressed against her chest, maintaining her modesty. She had intended to go and clean off the blood in a nearby river, while some local flora was keeping Maximus's wound sealed. She certainly didn't need Maximus, of all people, seeing her topless!
"Well, get used to it," she snarled angrily. Maximus shrugged slightly, wincing at the effort.
"Honestly Betty, on my planet we don't really care about clothing. My robe is simply an expression of my achievements. It's not intended to hide anything. And besides-By my standards, you are about as attractive as a monster-faced lamprey. So really, all this modesty is uncalled for." Betty maintained her deathglare anyway, leading Maximus to sigh and roll his eyes.
"Fine. My eyes are now closed." Betty nodded in approval, before scrambling out of the cave. She then froze, and titled her head. She looked up.
"Maximus! Look!"
"First you tell me not to look, now you want me to? Make up your mind, woman!" Betty ignored him, following the small, black-colored object descending from overhead. She grinned.
"It's a ship, Maximus! We're saved!"
Or are they…?
Dun dun dunnnn!