Fourteen
Battlestar Defiant
Deep Space
2 September 2017
Area 51 was a beehive of activity. The call came in that everything was set for the mission to Etheria, so the alarm was sounded to get both the Ladyhawke and the Eternia launched. While the starships had been in a state of readiness all week, it would still take several hours to accomplish the launch. The primary delay was in waiting for darkness to fall before the underground hangar was opened. The existence of the Eternia was still not widely known to the general populace of the planet, even though all the governments knew about, launch and recovery generally happened at night.
Last minute checks of supplies and ordinance took place at a rapid but thorough pace, lest anything critical be left behind. Nothing could be left to chance, the coming engagement with Hordak would likely be the fiercest yet. This could well be the confrontation that changed Guardian Command's status from mild nuisance to major threat. Only time would tell.
It was after 10 pm on the first of September when General Hammond finally gave the order to launch the starships.
As the Ladyhawke's platform rumbled into position below the closed surface doors, Adrian and the Sorceress looked over their status boards one more time. The wraparound view panel displayed the scenery outside while the general appeared in a small popup window over the pilot's and navigator's stations.
Adrian glanced up at the overhead control console as it lowered to within reach, then addressed the general. "Any last words of wisdom?"
"Only an ancient Egyptian prayer a friend once told me," Hammond replied. "'May God stand between you and harm in all the empty places which you must walk.' God speed, Guardian Force, and good luck."
Since the channel was open between the command center and the two starships, Adrian heard Captain Majourny and Colonel Markson acknowledge the prayer as appropriate.
"To us all," Adrian added.
Ladyhawke emerged into moonless night. This far away from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the southwest, the sky was full of stars. Somewhere out there lay the planet Etheria; the next battleground in the undeclared war against the Horde Empire.
Adrian ordered the engines powered up. Mirriam set the inertia dampers and gravity plating systems to standby until the starship reached orbit. He pushed the throttles forward slightly to bring up the main engines. A glance at the hyperdrive status showed the drive was green.
Hammond addressed his next comment at Adrian and his navigator. "Try to stay out of trouble this time."
The Sorceress looked up from her console. "Now where's the fun in that?"
"She beat me by one second," Adrian added. "Expect us when you see us." He slapped his right hand on the control to close the channel, then curled the fingers of that hand around the control stick on the right-hand panel.
The engines roared when he firewalled the throttles. The starship lurched slightly when the brakes released and rolled down the pitch-black strip that was the runway stretching off into the distance. The ship lifted clear a third of the way down the strip. The cloaking shield engaged, and the starship disappeared into the night.
Adrian flew in a wide ascending corkscrew pattern as the Eternia was raised into position. Ace was just beginning his own corkscrew pattern as the Ladyhawke reached a high orbit. Adrian kept his ship out of the way of the other starship per the prearranged flight paths worked out earlier. Hanging in orbit, waiting for the others to catch up, Adrian fired several reaction control systems – RCS – thrusters to reorient the nose of the ship. Once properly positioned, he leaned back in his seat and an admired the panoramic view of the Earth as the starship passed from the nightside into daylight.
"Taking a moment?" the Sorceress asked in a hushed voice. She could not help but admire the view as well. The comm panel at her station chirped. Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the panoramic view, Sorceress read the text message. "Eternia has broken orbit and is heading out beyond the moon."
Sighing heavily, Adrian activated the RCS thrusters and pointed the ship away from the planet. "Moment's over. Time to go to work."
Once in the shadow of the moon, Adrian deactivated the cloak and warmed up the hyperdrive. The Sorceress confirmed that the course was set to rendezvous with the battlestar Defiant. Taking the lead, Ladyhawke opened a window into hyperspace and jumped. Eternia followed moments later.
The trip to the rendezvous site took only a few hours. It was in deep space outside the normal shipping lanes, where no one would look for a group of starships to gather. An immense warship from the Val-kyrie fleet soared sedately between the stars, a weapon of war unmatched by anything the Horde could field in over two hundred years.
The battlestar Defiant was a Mark XX hull design over twelve hundred meters long and five hundred and ten meters wide. While the basic design had been largely unchanged over the centuries, the Mark XX was equipped with ten primary cannons for capital ship engagements. The change had been added almost two hundred years ago, when the last such warship was lost in battle engaging the Horde fleet in open warfare. Since then, both sides had engaged in covert engagements, but avoided open war knowing both sides would be crippled.
Colonel Shabala turned away from the repeating displays of the long-range scans searching for the starships they were waiting for. "No sign of them, yet, commander. We did arrive earlier than expected, thought."
The dark-skinned woman seated in the command chair nodded absently. "They will be here in due time," Commander Mundu assured her first officer. The crew was still getting over the shock of the civil war that had erupted when Senator Bregata tried to usurp power from Queen Mother Silvara and install herself on the Val-kyrie throne. The plan had been thwarted by their allies from the planet Earth. True to their promise, they had given Silvara a chance to take back her kingdom. And take it back Silvara did. Bregata was dead and all those who sided with her were under arrest pending disposition.
Rumor had it that during the fighting inside the senate hall, one of the males from Earth had even saved the youngest princess from an assassin drone. While many of the Val-kyrie people had been progressively changing their opinions about males as warriors, old prejudices died hard. Ordinarily, Mundu would have normally discounted the report; however, the footage from the senate chamber showing Adrian Cobretti transforming into a creature form and slamming an assassin drone down on one of the senator stations had changed her mind.
Mundu did have one thing going for her, though. While her friend Fontaine got the first honor of having all six Guardians on board her battlestar, Mundu would have the honor of being the first to directly support one of their operations. The mission to the penal planet did not count on the grounds that the original plan had called for simply transporting everyone back to Val-kyre; not engage in battle with several Horde capital ships.
Mundu figured she'd get some mileage rubbing Fontaine's nose in it for a while. She had to be careful, however, as Commander Harana had bragging rights to fighting along side one of the Guardians in battle.
A ringing chime interrupted her ruminations. The people from Earth had arrived.
Two clouds formed off the starboard aft quarter. Eternia and Ladyhawke dropped back into normal space. Within moments, core command was in contact with both ships and guided them in for landing in the port side landing bay.
Adrian watched as the Eternia went in first. Ace made it look so easy. He commented on that.
"It is not as easy as it looks, though the computers do most of the work," Sorceress explained.
"Well, if you can do it, how hard can it be?" Adrian dared, blithely. Sorceress turned in her seat and pegged Adrian with an acid stare. "I'm kidding," he added, hastily.
Sighing, she turned back to her control boards, muttering, "Men."
"What was that?"
"Defiant signals we are cleared for landing."
Adrian followed the computer projected approach vector. Green highlighted the left and right side of the track. If the ship drifted out of the approach vector, that side promptly turned red. The landing bay grew larger and larger as they approached the massive warship. A glance at the sensor display revealed several other vessels in the area with the Ladyhawke. Bladewings on approach to the starboard landing bay. The commander was calling in the CAP – combat air patrol – so that the battlestar could jump into hyperspace as soon as the craft were safely recovered.
The yawning chasm of the landing loomed large as Adrian came in on final approach. In seconds, he crossed the point of no return; he had to commit to the landing. Miriam was doing most of the working keeping the ship on course, but it still took a person at the controls to bring the ship in.
Ladyhawke passed through the atmosphere shield at the end of the bay into the brightly lit artificial world. Adrian executed a perfect four-point landing just beyond the twin lows of the approach lights on the deck. Recovery crews stood by to take custody of the ship once it came to a stop. A crewmember carrying light wands signaled what she wanted Adrian to do and where to park. The Eternia was parked off to the right, currently being pushed back into a parking spot, near the crossover tube that connected the maintenance bay centered under the warship, to the starboard landing bay. Adrian smartly braked to a halt when the crewwoman crossed her wands.
Adrian and the Sorceress shut down all systems, switched over to auxiliary power and climbed out of the pilot and navigator stations. The pair moved aft to the ladder and made their way down to the forward cargo hold. At the touch of a button on a small control panel, the cargo hatch popped inward and separated. The platform upon which they stood slowly lowered to the flight deck below, when it was within fifteen feet of the deck, a ramp at the forward end unfolded and struck the deck with a muted clang.
The pair conversed briefly with the recovery crew, then set off with a Val-kyrie lieutenant across the landing bay, meeting up with Colonel Markson, Captain Majourny, and the other Guardians. The lieutenant led them along the inner bulkhead, past all the activity one would expect around aircraft.
All available craft were being prepped for war. Adrian saw pylons being installed on many fighters. He knew from past conversations that pylons put undue stress on the airframe in an atmosphere, so he figured the craft were being armed for a space battle. Others without pylons would undoubtable be flying escort and may even be dispatched to Etheria to support the Guardian Force.
The group left the landing bay quickly, took a short lift ride up the center flight pod support arm, and exited on deck one. Their escort led them on a winding path through the maze of corridors toward the bridge, situated on the upper part of the sloped front face of the bow section. They passed several crewmembers along the way, many of whom paused to openly stare as the Guardians filed by. While they were not clad in the battlesuits, combat form or battle form, the six-member team was still a topic of interest. Anyone who caught even a glimpse of them had bragging rights over all others.
The journey ended down a stairway and through a short corridor bringing them onto the bridge; the group entering via the starboard hatch. Activity here was the same low-key hustle and bustle found on any warship whether it cruised a terrestrial ocean or among the stars.
The escort led the group across the back of the bridge. They stopped in front of a large rectangular holo-table behind which was an equally large pane of crystal-like glass, capable of displaying whatever map or star chart was required. Opposite from the table was the command dais where the commander's chair and the operations station were located.
Commander Mundu and Colonel Shabala turned from their observation of the operations console. Both were resplendent in the trademark uniform of the Val-kyrie military. Centuries ago, the warrior women had worn rather revealing armor that covered and protected vital areas. Thin form-fitting pieces of metal imbedded in the uniform were a throwback to that era.
"Welcome aboard the Battlestar Defiant," Commander Mundu proclaimed, coming down the steps at the back of the dais. She dismissed the lieutenant and looked over the group with a critical eye. "Well, my good friend Fontaine may be the first to host all of you, but I will definitely be the first to support one of your operations in an active role." Splitting hairs about the role of the Battlestar Logoss during the mission to break He-man and company out of the penal planet was something no one in the present company was going to debate. Mundu introduced her First Officer, Colonel Shabala, Assault Forces Commander, Major Oran, and Squadron Commander, Captain Sithas.
Captain Majourny introduced the members of her party, plus the members who would be sitting in from the conference room aboard the Eternia. Lieutenant McCloud and the other three platoon commanders were linked in so that all could participate in the planning session.
The commander gestured for them to follow her. The people from Earth assumed that the conference would take place around the holo-table with the crystal display map for support. Instead, Mundu walked past the table to the bulkhead hatch left of the crystal pane; the hatch opened into the bridge conference room. Mundu moved to stand at the head of the huge oval table. Her officers took seats to her right while Captain Majourny and Colonel Markson took ones to her immediate left. The Guardians took the remaining chairs. All stations had computer terminals and display screens, so the people in the conference room on the Eternia could see and hear those gathered in the bridge conference chamber.
Colonel Shabala confirmed that the Defiant had entered hyperspace, and that the link to the Eternia conference room was active.
Commander Mundu jumped right in. "Our scout ship is exploring the Etherian system as we speak. The crew had been told not to break radio silence under any circumstances. If they discover something we absolutely need to know, they are to get out of the system before reporting in. There have been rumors about what Hordak has been hiding in the that system, but so far, no one has been able to discover what it is. I mean to change that. You may have noticed on the way up from the landing bay our preparations for receiving a warm reception from Hordak?"
"We did notice a bit of activity in the bay," Colonel Markson said neutrally.
Captain Sithas spoke up. "We have three hundred fighters to bring to the battle we are sure will take place. As many as two dozen fighters can and will be sent to support you on the ground, colonel. The rest will be needed for engaging the Horde fleet in the Etherian system."
Major Oran took it from there. "I have a company of troops for support if required. While we do have a number of armored vehicles at our disposal, we don't have near enough combat power to directly challenge Hordak on his home ground." Her eyes flickered toward the Guardians, and she hastened to add, "Even with all six Guardians to field."
Everyone was aware of the limitations of the extraordinary battlesuits. Falcon had nearly been lost due to a lucky shot in the back that damaged the power distribution system from the suit's capacitor. The problem had been fixed, and the suits upgraded at the Praetoria Research Installation. Even so, there was a limit to what they could take on.
"The goal isn't to engage in all-out war with Hordak," Mundu replied with a wistful smile. "That will come later. Sorceress?"
"The main goal is to recover the Sword of Power and Sword of Protection from Hordak. With these swords, He-man and She-ra can be restored as beacons of hope in the galaxy," she explained.
Mundu frowned. "I thought that's what the Guardians were."
"The Guardians are weapons of war," Adrian spoke up. "Nothing more. Nothing less. They are hope for victory of the Horde. They are not something to look up to as a beacon of hope for peace. The ideals this He-man and She-ra represent are what will maintain the peace the Guardians fight for."
Well put, the Sorceress thought. "There are other mysteries to solve as well. Castle Brightmoon is rumored to be abandoned since Queen Angella and her daughter were shipped off to the penal planet." She looked to her right and made eye contact with Colonel Markson. "This would make a suitable base of operations, I believe."
The possibility had been discussed days earlier. Markson nodded. "There is only one viable approach to the castle. While being cornered like that is a bad idea, it is defensible with the tech we have."
Captain Majourny added, "We will be looking for a suitable landing sight somewhere in between the town of Thaymor and Castle Brightmoon. That will be where the Eternia and Ladyhawke will be parked. Hopefully, it will be something useful. Preferably with roads through the surrounding area."
"All right. Time for assignments," Colonel Markson declared. "I will take Alpha Platoon and secure Castle Brightmoon as a base of operations. Who has the ship duty this rotation?"
Captain Hohiro Takamora spoke up. "That would be Charlie."
"Okay. Charlie Platoon secures the landing site where the ships and crews will sit and wait. Support as necessary if something stronger than a dropship is required." Markson paused before continuing. "Who wants to take a trip to the north pole?"
Lieutenant Thomas Garber spoke up. "Kent and I talked about it. He has arctic experience, so he'll take the job of investigating Castle Chill. That leaves my platoon to investigate Castle Mystacor."
Markson nodded. "Kent, be careful in the Kingdom of Snows. The locals might not be too welcoming despite the Snow People and the Sickies-"
"Selkies," the Sorceress corrected.
"Yeah, them. They are apparently more united now, so be diplomatic," Markson said. "As for Mystacor, go softly. Investigate the situation and report back. Under no circumstances are you to engage the enemy."
Intelligence reports had it that Queen Castaspella was a prisoner in her own dungeons while her identical cousin. Allepsatsac, now sat on the Mystacor throne. Beta Platoon's job would be to confirm the report and gauge the enemy strength before any liberation was attempted. If one was even feasible.
As for Castle Chill, well, there were only rumors. And those were not good. There had been tensions between the Snow People and the rat-like Selkies in the past, but relations had gotten better in the years after She-ra had been exiled to the penal planet Hel. Unconfirmed rumors stated that Frosta was a prisoner in her own kingdom, frozen in a block of substance bearing a remarkable resemblance to ice, though no one was sure on that point.
Gatling Arm and War Wing would provide heavy firepower, if it was needed, at Castle Brightmoon. The Sorceress would be piloting the Ladyhawke, so she could help keep and eye on things there. She would go the Castle Chill once the situation there was known. In the meantime, Jeromy Ironwood was assigned to take Blitzkrieg along with Delta Platoon to the northern region. Hawk had been designed as an infiltration machine, so Sonya drew the short straw for the penetration of Mystacor. That left Brad and Claw the odd ones out to help secure the landing site with Charlie Platoon.
With the initial operation parameters set, it was time to discuss one other detail. A minor one, or so Commander Mundu said.
"One local day after you have completed your initial tasks, we will jump in system to eliminate all Horde warships," Mundu explained. "However, I can not take this ship into Etheria orbit until Hordak's primary weapon is neutralized."
All eyes turned to the holoprojector in the center of the table. It lit up and projected a wire diagram of an impressive piece of technology. Even without anything in the image to give it scale, the planetary cannon was massive.
"You call this a minor problem?" Colonel Markson asked. "I'd hate to see what you call an issue of concern."
"Something like this would usually have a limited firing arc," Jeromy pointed out.
Mundu nodded. "However, going into a geostationary orbit anywhere over Brightmoon or Mystacor puts us in that arc. While battlestars are more formidable than ever with the zero-point energy generator, they are not invincible. We project that the first shot would knock down all defenses and overload enough systems to leave a battlestar stranded in orbit unable to do anything."
Brad nodded. "Leaving you open to the killing shot."
"So how do we kill that?" Colonel Markson asked, gesturing to the image. "We have nothing that can destroy something like that. Infiltration will be next to impossible."
"All true," Mundu confirmed. "Bladewings could do the job with the same torpedoes we use against capital ships."
"However, the airframe can't handle the stress external pylons put on it in an atmosphere," Adrian said. He had a sinking feeling as to where this was going.
"Correct. What is needed is a ship that is fast, nimble, and has the firepower to breach the armored base and send a couple of torpedoes down into the plasma conduits that feed it."
The Sorceress' head snapped up when she realized what ship Mundu had in mind. Adrian beat her to the protest. "No! We're supposed to use the Ladyhawke sparingly until the bounty hunter guise is no longer needed."
"Hey. You two kids have been dying to try out that ship's full potential. Now you have the opportunity and you're bitchin' about it?" Markson retorted. "Sheesh."
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Jo-jo spoke up. "And I know I'm not. The only people who have seen the Ladyhawke thus far are all located in the Wayfarer star system. I doubt anyone there will care even if they manage to connect the dots."
Princess Anyssa spoke up from the Eternia's conference room. "She has a point, Adrian. And the commander is correct in pointing out that the Ladyhawke is of a class of ship specifically designed for missions like this."
Adrian pursed his lips in frustration. As much as he enjoyed having the ship and the freedom to do with it what he will, situations like this was the downside to such agreements. He turned to the Sorceress, who shrugged her shoulders. Her way of saying she would follow his lead.
Finally, he blew out an agitated sigh. "Fine! But I'm changing the transponder to one of the burner IDs just in case."
"Good! Now that that's settled," Mundu declared, beaming, "we can iron out other details."
Once Markson and Majourny were focused back on the commander, they missed the hasty fist bump Adrian and the Sorceress shared. The other Val-kyre officers saw it and struggled to keep straight faces. Mundu had to bite her bottom lip to keep from smiling. Markson's head snapped around to regard the pair, but the moment was over.
The only other issue, a minor one according to Colonel Markson, was to borrow a Val-kyrie spotter from Major Oran. Corporal Frost's spotter came down with an appendicitis several days before leaving Earth, so the corporal needed an experienced person to fill in. The major promised that she had just the person in mind.
With nothing else to cover, Commander Mundu concluded the meeting so that everyone could get back to mission prep.
He-man and She-ra waited in a small, sparsely furnished room. The only furniture was a metal table and two uncomfortable metal chairs; all a gray as the chamber itself. He-man quickly grew impatient and began pacing around like a caged animal while his sister remained seated, elbows planted on the table top and fingers steepled. Both still wore nondescript coveralls as their original costumes – destroyed on the penal planet – had yet to be replaced. The Val-kyrie had said they were working on it, but He-man wondered just how hard they were trying. Queen Angella and her daughter had been provided new clothes to replace their original outfits, which only increased He-man's ire. Now, the group had been whisked away from Val-kyre on the Defiant with no information on where they were going or what would happen when they arrived.
He-man stopped when the hatch rattled and was snapped open. A Val-kyre guard stationed outside stepped aside to allow the Sorceress to step into the chamber. She had traded the black jumpsuit for her costume as the Guardian of Castle Grayskull. Sorceress waited until the hatch was closed before addressing the twins.
"Finally!" an exasperated He-man spat. "I hope you are here with answers."
To her credit, the Sorceress simply raised an amused eyebrow. "Adam. Adora. You both look well."
"As do you," She-ra replied. "For a supposedly dead woman." She glared up at her brother until he finally decided to take the other seat. When he was settled, She-ra continued, "I presume you are not alone?"
"No. I am here with my friends from Earth. We are about to undertake our next mission."
"Which is?" He-man demanded, though without the anger from earlier.
Sorceress looked him in the eye. "Adam, you and your sister have been in these bodies for too long. The power of Grayskull was never meant to be held on to for so long. Adam and Adora must be returned." She looked from one to the other. "You were aware of this, Adora. I saw it in your eyes when we first met on the penal planet."
Reluctantly, She-ra nodded. "Yes. I tried to explain it to my brother numerous times, but he would not listen."
Sorceress nodded. "We are going to change that. Adam and Adora will be returned to Eternia and Etheria."
"How? The only way to do that is with the Sword of Power and Sword of Protection," He-man said.
"And the swords are in the…possession…of…" She-ra trailed off as the realization of what the new mission the Sorceress mentioned was.
He-man caught on, as well. "Hordak will not give them up willingly."
"But he will give them up," Sorceress promised. "One way or another. The Eternia will be departing soon for Etheria. The two of you, plus Queen Angella, Princess Glimmer and Peakablue will be escorted to the starship. After we have secured a base of operations on Etheria, we will evaluate how best to recover your swords and return you to your true forms." Sorceress turned to leave and paused at the hatch. "Adam and Adora must return."
"How?" He-man questioned. "We can't simply show up out the blue. It'll look suspicious."
"How you make your return is for you to figure out," Sorceress advised them. "Recovering the swords so that you have the opportunity is ours."
He-man frowned. "Hordak will fight you. To the bitter end, if need be."
The right corner of the Sorceress' mouth quirked up in a slight smile. "I'd be disappointed if he didn't." She rapped the knuckles of her left hand against the metal. The hatch was promptly opened, and then closed after she had stepped into the corridor.
The twins remained silent for many minutes after the Sorceress had gone. Both were still trying to process what was about to happen. And scarcely believing that it was possible.
It was He-man who finally broke the silence. "Okay. Who was that and what happened to the real Sorceress of Grayskull?"
She-ra could only shrug her shoulders in helpless puzzlement.
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