Chapter Five: Raiders
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Amelia had been in her stateroom nearly all morning. After two hours of dwelling on only her thoughts alone she began to busy herself with anything to keep her mind off of what had revealed of her fiancé. Star charts and map spheres, battle strategies, voyage paperwork; nothing would keep her mind from her thoughts. Only when her first officer, Firth, came to summon her from her quarters did she bring her mind back to reality.
"There have been Gantarin ships spotted to the fleets port end Captain." Firth said, his heavy accent making the report sound a deal graver than it possibly was. "They're this far out, we're not sure whether they are scout ships or raiders. We do know, however, that they are of Gantarin origin."
"Who spotted them?" Amelia said rising from her desk and swiftly pulling on her coat.
"The Nautilus, Captain. There are three Gantarin vessels that we know of and they've not responded to any of our hails."
"Very well. Signal the Titan and Zetsumei. Make point angle defense formations. Have the Phoenix and Nautilus take lead. Don't fire unless fired upon and continue to hail the Gantarin ships. I want to know why they're out this far." Amelia said making to leave her stateroom after securing a plasma rifle from her locker. "Those blasted raiders shouldn't know we're here, and if they did, we should have met them closer to the border."
"You think it will come to close combat with the Gantarin's Captain?" First said as he pulled the door open and followed his captain out onto the deck.
"They aren't called raiders for not apparent reason." She said fitting her captains' hat atop her head.
The crew of the legacy was already manning their stations when Amelia stepped out onto the main bridge. She could see that the same was being done on the other vessels. No one had hoped for a confrontation this early but it seemed inevitable.
Amelia walked over to a crewman manning navigation; He was young, not fresh out of the academy, but clearly not a seasoned member of her majesty's navy. His record was admirable but he'd so only served on small ships, this was clearly his first major fleet mission.
"Still no response to our hails Captain." Firth said coming up the stairs to the bridge, a plasma blaster now holstered at his side. "They've cut us off."
"And they're advancing." She replied collapsing her spyglass. "Signal the other ships to keep upp our defenses. "I want to see what they do before we blast them out of out skies and back into their own filth ridden home world."
"You seem confident Captain." Firth said as he noticed Amelia's lips turn into a slight smirk as she stared out to the ships sailing through the etherium at them.
"Very much so, Lieutenant. Gantarin raider ships are as reckless as they are ruthless. Their norm is to rely on brash and negligent tactics than true strategy."
"Even you've been known to be a bit reckless from time to time Captain."
"There's reckless and then there's innovative."
"Yes ma'am. I guess we'll just have to see how innovative they can be Captain." Firth said boldly, and surprisingly, earning a laugh from the Captain.
As if on cue, the Gantarin ships began to gain speed. As the view beyond the clouds cleared it could be seen that these were no scout chips, they were indeed raiders. Their mission, by reputation, was the same as the battle ships of their own fleet: Destroy.
"Ready cannons." Amelia said her façade turning serious in an instant.
"Aye Captain." He replied. "MAN CANNONS!"
Amelia walked back over to navigation, entered in an encrypted code to ready for battle, and sent it to all ships in the fleet. Only the fleets Captains would have access to pass the encryption.
"If I may ask Captain," asked the ensign at navigation. "Why the encryption?"
"The last time there were dealings with Gantarin's there were security breeches every other day. Mind your station Ensign, as well as your history." Firth said.
"They only fight reckless Ensign." Amelia said.
"Aye Captain." Said the young ensign as he continued to man his console.
All bridge personnel stood awaiting orders. Amelia could see over on the Titan and Zetsumei, which were the closest, were readying for battle as well. As she looked ahead once more the battle cruisers, Nautilus and Phoenix, could be seen taking their positions ahead of the fleet.
"What's happened?" came Delbert's voice from the stairwell. Amelia glanced over to him and then back to her stare into the etherium.
"We've been met by raiders Doctor." She said shortly. "There's no need for an astrophysicists expertise on the deck at the current place. You'd do best to find somewhere out of the way where you wouldn't be a target of stray laser fire.
"I see." The doctor replied. He made to move below deck. With one last look at his captain she would not look at him. Something had hit a nerve with her that much he could tell. Certainly it wasn't something that he had done, or at least he hoped.
Amelia watched as Delbert made his way back into her main line of sight. She hadn't even bothered trying to deny Delbert's past to herself. What good would it do? She also didn't mean to be so cold to him on the bridge only moments ago, but the past was the last thing she needed to deal with at the present. That particular confrontation would have to wait for a later time to pass. She was confused about it to say the least. Why had he never told her about it? And having to hear it from a fellow captain, that just made it all the more worse than it might be.
"INCOMING FIRE!" shouted a crewman from the crows nest. Amelia was immediately brought out of her revere and her attention forced to one of the ships having picked up even more speed and now firing upon the fleet.
The helmsman had time enough to react as the other two raider ships followed suit and let loose a volley of laser cannon fire. The first laser ball had missed the Legacy by only twenty feet or so.
"Return fire!" Amelia shouted. The Phoenix and Nautilus had already begun to fire at the lead of the three enemy ships and had took out one of its main sails. This particular damage however, did not slow down the vessel.
The firefight raged on quickly. Soon the Titan and Zetsumei were engaged as well with all four battleships returning volley after volley of cannon fire back at the Gantarin Raider ships. The Odyssey took heavy fire to its starboard side and the Draconian and Nautilus suffered minor damage to one of their smaller sails, while the Titan succumbed to a plasma fire in their engineering sector, thankfully a minor one, was quickly gained under control and put out. By far the rest of the ships remained relatively unscathed.
A direct hit from the Phoenix sent to the larger of the enemy ships caused a series of explosions on board the vessel and within minutes the vessel itself fell prey to the fleet. The fleet thereafter had ceased fire for the moment, waiting to see what the raiders next course of action would be.
"Captain," called a crewman at navigation. "We're receiving a message from the Zetsumei. Your encryption codes are needed."
Amelia went the view the message, sent one back to Captains Togashi and Granger, agreeing with Captain Togashi's' plan to have the battle cruisers stand by.
"Orders Captain?" Firth asked looking from the other vessels to Amelia.
"The Legacy, Titan and Zetsumei will fire on their port vessel, once it is eradicated the Odyssey will board the final ship."
"Aye Captain… Captain Togashi has very distinct battle tactics." Firth said after signaling the Legacy's gunners to prepare to fire.
"Lieutenant you're quite the historian, I'm a bit surprised you don't know this of your own race."
"Ma'am?"
"In ancient earth Japanese, Zetsumei means death." Amelia said looking to the other ships. "A bold but morbid name, especially to one adversaries. The same goes for that of her Captain."
"Yes Ma'am" her first officer replied amused at the notion of Captain Togashi. Her reputation was less than that of his own Captains, but Captain Akira Togashi was still a force to be reckoned with.
Amelia waited only moments longer for the enemy ships to gain a bit more distance between themselves, then she signaled the Titan and Zetsumei to open powerful cannon fire on the targeted ship.
The raider ship was hit directly by nearly every volley fired upon it and within minutes it followed suit of the other fallen ship and fell to the fleets superior power. The impact of the explosions did have repercussions upon the last vessel; one of its sails caught fire and soon became detached and fell from the ship, drifting into open space and away from the battle.
Immediately after the remaining vessel began to slowly approach the middle of the so-called battlefield. They showed no sign of returning fire; after all standing to fight with one ship versus seven was indeed a suicide mission. What happened next, however, stunned even Amelia as well as the Captains of the rest of the fleet. As the last enemy ship made its crawl to the center of the occupied area of space between the fleet and the debris from the destroyed ships, the white flag of surrender was raised aboard the final Gantarin vessel.
The vessel was hailed once more, and this time they finally answered.
"Please accept out surrender for we were gallantly overcame by the power of your admirable ships." Said the brash voice of the Gantarin Captain from the communications console of the Legacy as well as the rest of the fleets' ships.
It was clearly visible that the final ship was heavily damaged in the battle as well even more by the shockwaves emanated from the blast of the second exploded ship. A message from the Titan stated that from their sensor readings the damage to the ship was too great, they could not flee even if they wanted too.
The Odyssey was then dispatched to boards the vessel and approached the remainder of whatever lives were left on board. They would be taken with the fleet to next port and then handed over to naval authorities.
The enemy ship was to be towed by the Odyssey, but that detail was set by fate never to happen. As a detail from the Odyssey was sent to secure the remainder of the Gantarin crew they had begun to put up a fight, which soon turned into an all out brawl. By what could be seen from the Legacy, rumors of the Gantarin's physique were well founded, and brawlers was indeed a fit name for what could be seen of them.
The Gantarin's were tall, muscular and brutish with rough bluish-gray skin that a simple blade could not penetrate. So brawlers were indeed a correct term to describe them. Nevertheless, however much a Gantarin could withstand a blade, they were like the rest of the galaxy, vulnerable to a good old-fashioned blaster shot. Which, for a few brief moments, came to that battle tactic. The Gantarin's were easily subdued afterward.
The captain of the Odyssey stood at the helm of his ship watching as the detail of his crew took control of the vessel cross planked to his own and bringing aboard the Gantarin prisoners. One of his own crewmen caught his eye as he rushed across the gangplank back over to the Odyssey.
"Report." Demanded Captain Aéden as the crewman stopped short of his commander of the battleship Odyssey.
"Bombs, Captain, dozens of them. Tapered and wired to every other inch of the lower decks of their ship. It's not a timed detonation Sir, but that leads that we've not yet found the detonator yet, or who carries it."
Realization struck in Captain Aéden's eyes as he heard report of the situation.
"Get everyone back on board. Secure the prisoners in the brig and have them searched, once they're clear search that ship down to the last bolt. I'm not taking any chances with them. Once we find the blasted detonator we put some distance between us the fleet and that ship.
"Aye sir." The crewman stated when one of the Gantarin's being escorted to the brig interrupted.
"I appreciate the unyielding, yet superior battle you have awarded myself and my crew gallant commander." The Gantarin said. Captain Aéden faced the man, inwardly disturbed by the Gantarin Captains brash compliment. "I would like to offer you a gift, one befitting of any true Gantarin Raider of Cyran Warrior at this time.
And with remarkable speed that even Aéden had never before seen, the brutish Gantarin disarmed and took out his two guards restraining him, who now lay unconscious on the deck feet from him. Aéden pulled out his own blaster and directed it at the monster before him.
"To the brig." Aéden ordered; he himself would see this brute put away.
"I haven't given you my gift yet Captain." He said as he pulled a small gray box from his jacket and holding his arms up in mock surrender. While doing so, he pressed hard on the only button the box supported. Aéden pulled the trigger, but it was too late. The bombs below decks of the Gantarin ship had already begun to explode and her Captain had a most demented grin plastered across his face.
"It's too late Captain." Said the enemy commander as he looked to the blaster wound in his chest, blood now emanating from it. He looked up with a devious laugh escaping his mouth. "I lead you to inform your gallant Commodore Smollet that we know more than you give us our due credit. None of my crew had expected to live past this and now we have taken the first bite, and your empire will fall to the Gantarin-Cyran Alliance forged because of your own actions."
Aéden pulled the trigger one last time and this time the Gantarin Captain fell to his fate.
The first thing to run through Captain Aéden's mind was to get his crew away from the blast and back to the fleet. The explosions from the Gantarin ship were now starting to take effect on a larger scale. Random fires were quickly breaking out and spreading to the Odyssey with intense speed. Sails went up in blazes and suddenly a large explosion from the other ship took out their engineering sector. Mass chaos would soon break out between both vessels. The Gantarin ship would soon see its end and the Odyssey along with it.
Captain Aéden knew he had only one chance left of anything being successful in these, the last moments of himself, his crew, and the Odyssey itself; a message to the fleet.
As he rushed his way over to the communications console he barely missed being brushed into a mast by an unstable plasma cannon. Finally making his way down to the correct terminal, Aéden keyed in everything that met his ears from the Gantarin captain. He had no clue how the Gantarin's or even the Cyran's, for that matter knew of the fleet or its commander. The only thing he could bring to his mind in this dire moment was the thought of a spy; another vat of traitors in their midst.
Aéden placed all of this into a coded message and sent it out. His last sight as he turned around was the sight of smoke, flames and deteriorating and exploding debris emanating from both ships. Only a few seconds stare is all he glimpsed before he, like his beloved ship and his evermore-faithful crew, were engulfed by the raging destruction.
Captain Aéden died with the hope that the fleet would be led to some conclusion about the attack that had been laid upon them, and about the traitor who rested comfortably still in their midst. But alas, no such truth could be held in reality. Had Captain Aéden turned once more to the communications console, he would have seen that his message could not be sent. An impossible act it would have been, for all communications had been stunted moments earlier when a single explosion below deck had taken out the ships communications, as well as other ships systems.
The fleet was never the wiser of the traitor amongst them. All anyone ever saw were the lightning quick explosions of the Gantarin ship that spread to destroy the Odyssey. They could only watch helplessly as one of the Royal Navy's finest battle ships were so brutally taken into an abyss of flame and death.
The Legacy and Phoenix took most of the effects of the after shock waves from the explosions. Both ships shook vibrantly, although no major damage had been caused. And when the smoke finally cleared and those of the fleet could see clearly, there was almost nothing. All that remained were the small remnants of the debris from the Odyssey and the Gantarin vessel.
AUTHORS NOTE: I apologize with the deepest apology for not having updated this story in so long. I do have more written it is just a matter of typing it out. I had posted this at the worst time for me because I had to leave my computer to go to Missouri to complete my AIT for my job in the Army. But I am getting time to write every now and then so you should see more postings on this story and I will not put it off. Thank you very much to all those who have reviewed my stories in the past and that have stuck by this one.
Blessed Be
FinalKingdom