Twenty-seven
Battlestar Defiant
Orellian Star System
26 September 2017
Report of the ancient Horde destroyer taking off from the base with the leader of the Shadowdemon force reached Commander Mundu shortly after it lifted off. Triton was close enough to head it off if Commander Ketsu pushed her sub-light engines. Most warships smaller than a battleship were capable of outmaneuvering a battlestar; cruisers and especially destroyers could outrun it. If Ketsu could get into position, her crew would have one shot at disabling the fleeing destroyer.
Mundu was about to issue the order for Ketsu to go after the destroyer when an alert tone sounded from the sensor station.
"Hyperspace activity," the officer reported calmly. "Multiple ships coming out of hyperspace."
The massive screen hanging in the air above and in front of the command dais switched to a live image of the area of space the unknown warships were due to arrive in. Overlapping clouds of energy tendrils were forming ahead of emergence. Three massive shapes shot back into normal space carrying the same momentum they had at entry. The war book identified the unknowns moments later.
Three stock Mark V battlestars that had not seen active service in a century quickly powered up to maximum sub-light speed. Senor scans did not record anything heavier than the plasma cannons mounted at the apex corners of the forward slope of the bow. All other secondary weapons for suppression of fighter and missile attacks were standard. The designs between then and now had been updated, but the function remained the same. All weaponry was consistent with a warship a thousand years out of date.
And that set Mundu's teeth on edge. The enemy was full of surprises. Just because the enemy ships did not scan as having advanced weapons did not mean they were not equipped with them. One just had to know what to look for. Scans revealed nothing in the way of modifications to the weapons or power distribution system. The enemy ships were just what they appeared to be.
Two options available. Attempt to go after the destroyer in the hope of disabling it, or let it get away and deal with the trio of warships bearing down on the Val-kyrie fleet.
Mundu had no choice. She had to deal with the enemy in front of her. She had no assets capable of catching that destroyer save the Eternia, and Mundu was not sure it could catch up with the lead the enemy leader already had.
This battle might be a draw at best, but the war was far from over.
Ketsu was not happy about the orders Mundu issued, but she grudgingly obeyed. She was confident she could have caught the fleeing destroyer, but one of the approaching battlestars had angled to intervene, running interference while the commander made good his escape.
Mundu issued additional orders to her fleet. "Our scans confirm these are stock warships from the end of the Great War. Adjust weapon power settings to just enough to take these ships out. Under no circumstances are you to engage your ZPM module," Mundu ordered over the secure channel between her ships.
"Any particular reason why?" Ketsu demanded even as she gestured for her crew to make the appropriate adjustments.
"Fontaine easily took out several battlecruisers without difficulty. These ships are sending telemetry back to their home base by a means we don't yet understand. I suspect those battlestars are bait to get us to reveal how powerful our ships are. I want to deny that knowledge to the enemy. Clear?"
Ketsu nodded curtly and broke the connection.
Mundu sighed in irritation. Ketsu was an able commander, or she would not have been given command of a battlestar. She was headstrong and a little bloodthirsty at times, but she was dependable.
"Horde destroyer just jumped to hyperspace," Colonel Shabala reported.
The arrival of the three battlestars had had the desired effect of forcing the Val-kyrie to pause long enough to decide on a course of action, allowing the faster warship enough time to escape.
The time was past for analyzing what could have been. The enemy ships drew within maximum effective range for their primary plasma cannons and opened fire. Each fired on the Val-kyrie ship facing it. Red beams speared the eternal night, targeting the area of the bow where the main bridge used to be. Red plasma energy splashed against their force walls, inflicting only minimal damage to the barrier shield.
Rather than take on their foes individually, as battlestar commanders were wont to do, Triton and Defiant returned fire on the middle enemy warship. Six bow guns on both battlestars speared their target with amber plasma beams more powerful than anyone could have imagined a thousand years ago. To its credit, the enemy's standard force wall shield held up thirteen seconds longer than anticipated. Inevitably, the shield failed. Spectacular as that was, it was nothing compared to twelve beams burning their way through the length of the hull.
The main hull transformed into a huge fireball that vaporized all combustible materials, leaving little debris. Flight pods tumbled away, breached in dozens of places by the explosion. Hull armor bubbled all over, the result of munitions and fuel detonating inside. The wreckage continued on ballistic trajectories as clouds of shrapnel and twisted metal.
Trition and Cerberus killed a second enemy battlestar in short order. All three Val-kyrie battlestars ganged up on the sole survivor, killing it in under five seconds with a combined barrage of eighteen plasma blasts.
Sensors showed all clear. All battlestars and battlecruisers had been eliminated. The ancient Horde destroyer had escaped. And the battle on the planet's surface was winding down. Nothing left for the Val-kyrie to do but pick up the pieces and tally the cost versus the intelligence gained.
Adrian watched the mop-up operation from the spot where he had taken a last shot at the enemy command machine. Despite the shock absorbers built into Wing's structure, walking the battlesuit around jarred his bruised and battered ribs. Captain Majourny ordered Wing, Gatling Arm, and Falcon to hold position and await pickup.
With one dropship lost with its crew, there was room in the drop bay to use the hoist rib Gabe's team had created to retrieve the battlesuits if they were unable to use their thrusters to enter an open drop bay.
Claw and Blitzkrieg had already been recovered. Although the distance was too great for fine detail, what Adrian could see was not good. Both had been battered and suffered severe damage in a brawl with Shadowdemons they could not avoid. Of Hawk, there was no word other than she had been loaded into a Val-kyrie dropship and flown up to the nearest battlestar, the Defiant.
Eternia slid into position over War Wing. Without waiting for the hoist rig to swing into place, Adrian sucked air through gritted teeth and lit the flight systems. The AI did the work. Waiting for a ride allowed the auto-repair system to repair the thrusters and wings enough for the suit to recover itself. The landing in the bay was much more dignified than the one when Adrian tried to get close to the enemy command machine.
Adrian followed the ground crewmember holding up their light wands. She walked War Wing around to the starboard bulkhead, where the battlesuit stopped in line next to Claw and Blitz. At the signal from the crewmember, Adrian shut down all systems while a tech opened up a recess in the deck behind the battlesuit and pulled up cables. Another tech rolled a maintenance stand up behind Wing, dropped it into place and dragged the cables one by one up the stand to plug them into recessed receptacles in the bottom of the flight pack.
Another maintenance stand was placed in front for Adrian to egress. Due to his bruised and broken ribs, Adrian required help getting out. Below, a med tech and a gurney waited. Wincing in pain, Adrian was eased onto the gurney and lay propped up. The tech worked the foot pedal release and snapped it up to full height. The last Adrian saw of the drop bay was the hoist whining under load to pull Falcon up into the bay.
Adrian faded in and out over the next hour. After getting him on a bio bed, a nurse performed a cursory examination with a med scanner, determined he wasn't critical and passed orders for pain meds and to have his ribs wrapped until the doctor was free to use a bone knitter on the three broken ribs.
Two hours after being brought into sickbay, Adrian awoke sharply. There was no specific reason, just a presence somewhere close. Cracking his eyes open, blurry images of people moving from one bed to another greeted him. Blinking to focus, Adrian saw a familiar shape on his right. Keeping still so as not to aggravate damaged ribs, Adrian shifted his eyes and focused on Colonel Jonathon Markson.
"About time you woke up," Jon commented, cracking a humorless grin.
Taking a risk, Adrian turned his head to the right. The Sorceress lay on the next bed over, covered in a blanket, complexion as white as the sheet, with her breathing shallow. The beeping from the monitor panel on the wall above her bed was slow compared to his.
"What?" the colonel prodded. "No comment about having died and gone to Hell?"
"I would, but you aren't Jake Rockwell," Adrian croaked, throat dry as the Sahara. "This is just awkward."
"Funny," Jon sighed, chuckling. Seeing where his friend was looking, he elaborated. "She was pulled unconscious from Falcon. The AI had no idea what happened other than the Sorceress tried to access that machine you fought using some Secret Squirrel door. According to Falcon, it only lasted several seconds. Sorceress passed out moments later."
"Psychic back door," Adrian supplied. "Don't ask because I don't understand it any better than you despite her explanation. We thought that enemy machine was manned."
"You don't sound too sure of that."
"It was a machine fighting like someone operating it, but the scans were inconclusive. Hopefully, Sonya managed to get a treasure trove of information out of that base."
Jon grimaced. "Yeah, about that…"
Captain Majourny was in a heated debate with Commander Mundu not because Guardian Hawk had been brought to the Defiant because of the damage sustained by the battlesuit, and Sonya's injuries, but because the data held in the suit's memory was being treated as secondary. One of her engineering techs knowledgeable in the power armor combat mode did not think the data stolen by Hawk and her operator could be saved while disassembling the suit in order to treat Sonya's injuries.
"I know you want the information stored in Hawk, but my concern is for her operator," Mundu insisted. "I know this is going to sound conceited coming from me, but we do have very skilled surgeons where Soya's injuries are concerned."
"And infiltrating that base for information was the objective. The mission isn't finished until the data is recovered. Sonya and Hawk would agree," Jo-jo countered.
"I'm sorry, but you don't have the authority to override me on this," Mundu said, firmly.
Jo-jo opened her mouth to protest, but a voice behind her cut her off.
"But I do," Adrian declared. "Under the chain of command set up back during the war, Guardians commanded battlestars and squadrons from time to time. They held the rank of general and led operations more times than could be counted. We have not invoked that because of the need to integrate the experience and memories inherited from our predecessors properly and prepare for the fight ahead. I am now invoking that authority and ordering you for an update on Guardian Hawk and her operator."
"You're supposed to be in sickbay," Jo-jo muttered when Adrian stopped beside her command chair.
"Temporary discharge," Adrian whispered back. He adopted the at ease posture, hands clasped behind his back, projecting the air of authority when all he wanted to do was climb back into bed and give his busted and bruised ribs a rest.
"That is true. You do have said authority," Mundu grudgingly conceded.
Details of the fight outside the base were short and to the point. While trying to return to friendly lines, Hawk, Claw and Blitz walked into the skirmish line thinking it was further away than it actually was. Claw and Blitz converted to battle mode, which lined up with what Adrian saw in the drop bay, but Sonya stayed in combat mode to make herself a harder target to catch. It worked, for a time. Claw and Blitz killed any demon in their line of march, engaging only those that got in their way. Hawk followed close behind.
A demon got behind them and caught Hawk's right arm. Being built for infiltration, Hawk was ill-equipped in combat mode to fight back. Following its prime directive, the demon flung the Guardian about trying to destroy her. Sonya's cry of pain when her shoulder was savagely wrenched out of joint brought her companions running to her aid. Blitz shot the demon in the head while Claw hacked off the demon's right arm at the shoulder with a vibro-scimitar. Hawk, and demon arm, dropped to ground and lay still.
Blitz and Claw fought valiantly but were soon overwhelmed. Lieutenant Feril led the way with several Val-kyrie APCs roaring in and annihilated the attacking Shadowdemons. The enemy machines retreated when more APCs arrived and unleashed their top-mounted Gatling guns, blowing demons apart with impunity. That part of the battle ended soon after.
Claw and Blitz were returned to Eternia while a Val-kyrie medic on site determined that the injuries to Sonya's arm could best be treated by her people.
Unfortunately, Hawk was not having anything to do with shutting down to be disassembled so that the med techs could treat her operator. The AI's actions reminded Adrian of when med techs tried to help him after the mission to recover He-man and She-ra from the penal planet Hel. He had been seriously injured during that mission. When med techs tried to treat him, War Wing refused to allow it.
AIs can be so protective of their operators.
This time felt different. "What does Hawk have to say about her resistance?" Adrian asked.
Mundu's hesitation told Adrian they already knew how Hawk felt but was disregarding it in an effort to do what they thought was right. "Hawk won't allow anyone to touch her operator until the data in her memory is transferred."
"The reason is?"
Mundu deferred to the tech trying to open the battlesuit up for the med techs to go to work. "Um, yes, Hawk is resisting because she wants to transfer the wealth of data stolen from the base computer. The damage to the suit's right arm is extensive. Unfortunately, the data is not in a protected memory slot and there is a danger it could be lost if transferred due to system damage. Also, the AI claims a surge will result once I start work."
Adrian guessed the rest. "And the surge will wipe the data."
"Yes."
"Commander Mundu, that data is top priority. If it's lost, this operation will be for nothing. A waste of lives lost, and material destroyed. Please set up a comm link so Hawk can transfer her data so your med techs can get to work. I sent those three Guardians in there to steal the information. It was my call then, and it's my call now." Seriously, sometimes human welfare has to come second to what can help you win.
Mundu stared Adrian straight in the eye. Everyone on the Eternia's bridge was watching the contest, as the visual display was projected up on the main viewer floating above and in front of con and ops stations. Tension built as the contest of wills continued for a full minute.
Finally, Mundu flicked her eyes to the right and made a gesture.
Lieutenant Callahan snapped her head down to the comm board. Her finger flew over the controls. "Captain, we're receiving a separate comm channel from the Defiant." She paused to analyze the data stream. "Data being transferred."
"Send it to a protected server," Jo-jo ordered.
Mundu's comm officer reported they, too, were receiving Hawk's data. The commander acknowledged the report and ordered her to make a copy to be sent to General Rongar before the next war council meeting.
Returning her gaze to Adrian, she said lightly, "All you had to do was ask."
"Val-kyrie respect strength of will and character."
"Did you enjoy it?"
"If it were anyone other than you, Fontaine or Harana, yes, I believe I would," Adrian admitted.
Mundu cracked a slight smile. "Mind if I give you some advice?"
"I'm always in the market for advice," Adrian responded.
"Don't try that with the Queen Mother."
"You wouldn't mention it unless someone tried."
The commander nodded. "It didn't end well.
"What happened?" Jo-jo asked.
"A battlestar commander once thought she knew better than the Queen Mother in a tactical situation despite all Queen Mothers being required to spend a minimum of ten years learning all aspects of battlestar operations and then commanding one for at least half that time. Turned out the Queen Mother was right, and her tactics sound. The commander in question is now driving a cargo transport for the rest of her life." Sounds like the commander doubled down instead of admitting they were at fault.
"From battlestar commander to captaining a cargo hauler. Quite the fall," Adrian said.
Mundu chuckled. "You don't understand. When I say 'driving' I mean as helmswoman."
Jo-jo made a pained expression. "Ooooo. Harsh." Turning to Adrian, she advised, "Better not get on the Queen Mother's bad side."
Adrain shrugged. "Not worried. I gave her one of my sabers to replace her one that was destroyed. And, no, I won't dream of using that as leverage. I respect her too much to try."
"Transfer complete," the comm tech announced from off screen.
With the crisis resolved, Mundu returned to picking up the pieces on and off the planet while preparing the Horde base for demolition.
When the comm channel closed, Adrian sagged in relief. His chest felt like it was studded with hot needles and the occasional ice pick. When Captain Majourny went to order him back to sickbay, Adrian cooperated of his own accord. But not before the captain thanked him for his help in getting Hawk's data released.
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