Chapter 10: The March Forward Part 2

The battle in space had been a near stalemate. It was endless. Blasts radiated as the columns of Itrean warships were busy fending off the waves of missiles that were flung to each other. It was like watching a person fighting his or her own reflection in a mirror. The only truly significant difference was the fact that one side was green, and the warships from the other side were painted red.

CIWS gunfire and tracer rounds littered the area. Near the second half to the left side of the battle line was one of the many T’rintar clan battleships. The Atra had its share of scars and damage from the ensuing fight. Three main sections had taken direct missile hits. However, it seemed to be still holding strong. Like many of the Itrean vessels, these ships were built to survive as long as possible. The fact that it was an arduous battle was why many ships were lasting the amount of time as it was.

Inside the Atra, Ramírez was busy conveying and serving as XO of the UHN fleet. He had only so much time in observing the overall spectrum. The fact that he had to help relay messages while passing information to Tara’Talar proved tiresome.

Overall, the battle could be better than it usually was. However, Ramírez was still gravely concerned with the status of the UHN warships. While it was essential to stay in the fight, the fact remained that they were little more than a shovel of sand on a beach.

So far, the battle had been going on for two hours. It was getting to the point that Ramírez felt inclined to have a cup of coffee while watching the various explosions in space. However, he couldn’t afford to get too comfortable.

“Ugh...,” Ramírez remarked as he tapped the mute button on his console. “I wish I could have a few seconds to myself.”

“Are you alright?” Tara’Talar asked him.

“Yes, I just need to take a piss sometime, that’s all.”

“Do you need to use the restroom?”

“Yes.”

“We have one not far from the bridge. If you wish to...”

Ramírez shook his head and waved his hand. “No ... I can’t afford to abandon my post ... not in the middle of a fucking battle. I’m just angry at my CO for not thinking this shit through. He just threw me into this whole mess without thinking of the chaos we would all be in.”

“There is going to be a slow down in the next few minutes,” Tara’Talar commented. “We aren’t being targeted by of the Aksren vessels at the moment. Now would be the best time to go if you wish.”

“That isn’t the point. The UHN fleet is barely holding up. Rex has lost 60% of his drones, and many of the battleships have taken damage. At the same time, we keep backing away from Cipra.”

Ramírez looked at the scene of the entire battle. As each minute passed, the allied space fleet was slowly retreating away from Cipra. The Aksren fleet would slowly advance forward. The bald officer was well aware that the enemy fleet was judging how the battle was proceeding.

“We keep giving the Aksren what they want,” Ramírez remarked in a frustrated tone. “No offense to the T’rintar, but they keep this defensive posture up, then we will never reach Cipra. We need to halt their advance.”

“My Fleet Adjunct continues to push this order,” Tara’Talar informed him. “I don’t have control over her commands. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. The T’rintar clan are used to fighting in a certain way. Eventually, you just have to stand your ground. The Aksren clan can’t keep telling us where to go. The marines down there will eventually need us to provide fire support. If we keep retreating at this pace, then it will take hours to conduct our bombardment. It may put our forces at an extreme disadvantage.”

“I would agree with you, Ramírez,” the female Itrean explained. “My Fleet Adjunct fears that to keep this retreat is the only move that she can make. She fears that staying in position will lessen the chances the Aksren will close in to use their railguns. She is also carefully waiting when to call for reinforcements.”

“I know...,” he paused as he thought about it. “Those reinforcements are the last that’s going to show up to Cipra. Once those reinforcements arrive, the Aksren will call their forces. The Aksren clan are waiting on when and where they will send their reinforcements to defeat our reinforcements. Both sides are deliberately biding their time.”

“You know enough of the entire battle plan,” Tara’Talar was impressed with his general knowledge of the battle.

“Damn...,” he tapped his finger on the console. “Sometimes, I wish the New Olympians were a part of this battle.”

“The New Olympians?”

“You remember them? Everything that happened eleven months ago?”

“Yes,” she confided. “I remember the Fleet Admiral that protected our ship when we arrived at Itrea.”

“Yeah ... Fumi Yuki helped us enough to prevent the Atra from being targeted from UHN Earth defenses. The UHN knows enough about the New Olympians.”

“Their ships are enormous ... powerful ... Fumi’s ship was the same size as the Alara’jal battleships. You, humans, have more resources than I realized to construct such worthy vessels. Yet ... you choose not to bring them into this fight.”

“I would say that they were cowards in this entire war, but they still helped us. Then I hear the rumors of what the New Olympians did ... what they did to save the one defector when she arrived in their space.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tara’Talar seemed confused.

Ramírez almost mumbled. “I wouldn’t be surprised. It ... was only a rumor ... something that was kept secret in the UHN ... at least that is what I think. Maybe your Fleet Adjunct knows this story. I don’t know. Supposedly, it happened earlier this year. A Shal’rein that defected from her people came to New Olympia. It was as if she knew that the New Olympians would ‘save her.’ There were stories that the mysterious colony had defeated two Shal’rein invasion fleets, but most of us just laughed and thought it was nonsense. It was impossible that they could have that sort of firepower. According to the reports, the Shal’rein defector’s vessel was saved when a New Olympian warship obliterated a Shal’rein dreadnought in a single shot.”

Tara’Talar was focused on Ramírez with much surprise. “That is very difficult to achieve. I never heard of this story. If the stories were true, then it is a waste that the New Olympians don’t help you. Human and T’rintar lives are at stake. Why do they refuse to fight?”

“I don’t know. It’s as if they are held back by something. If that one story was true, then even a single dreadnought of theirs could turn the tide of this entire battle. Damnit.” He lightly smacked his console in frustration. “If they were only here right now.”

“We were fortunate that the New Olympians helped us reach the promised planet. Without them, the alliance might not have happened.”

“True ... if there were only a way to have them here ... if there were only a way.” He paused as he looked at the screen for a little while. He could see the map as the Aksren, and allied fleets were slowly leaving Cipra. The rear elite fleet was still there. Half of the ships were aimed at the planet. They were waiting for the sandstorm to calm down or any hint of where the marines were located. They were in a perfect position to rain death upon them the moment that they got the indication of where they were.

“Wait...,” Ramírez remarked as he started to fiddle with his mustache. “Maybe ... the New Olympians don’t have to be here at this battle. Maybe ... just maybe.” He connected his comms and called out to Admiral Rex.

“What are you talking about?” Tara’Talar asked, but Ramírez almost cut her off.

“Admiral, sir,” Ramírez addressed him through the console.

“What is it?” Rex asked him.

“I have an idea,” the bald officer explained. “I might have a way to halt the enemy fleet’s advance.”

The bearded admiral seemed preoccupied, but he was listening. “Explain.”

“Sir, I’ve been thinking about the Aksren clan intelligence. They have the general knowledge that reinforcements are coming, but they might not know enough of what those reinforcements will be. What encryption level are we using right now in our comms?”

“Level 3.”

“Tara’Talar,” Ramírez addressed her as his glance went in her direction. “What UHN level encryption has the Aksren clan intelligence broken past in the following months?”

“Level 1 ... maybe 2.”

“It’s level 1,” Rex confirmed. “We always ensured that everything spoken through in comms is Level 3 or higher for the last seven months.”

“I have an idea,” Ramírez continued to explain. “Can you give me a false report of a UHN reinforcement fleet? Can you fabricate UHN reinforcements that would include New Olympian dreadnoughts?”

Rex seemed to think about this. “I can ... what are you planning?”

“Please, sir,” he emphasized. “I want you to send that report in Level 1 encryption. Make it look simple ... maybe ten warships. Have their supposed entry point near the Aksren elite guard fleet near Cipra. Most of them would be our typical warships, but one or two of them would be the New Olympian super dreadnoughts. I’m betting that Loreshren will look at this message. She will see it and decipher the message. If she were smart enough, she might know of the rumor of the Shal’rein clan fleets that disappeared over New Olympia.”

“You heard the story about that?” Rex put his hand to his chin. “Yes, but the New Olympians aren’t reinforcing us.”

“It wouldn’t matter. Loreshren will see that data and act on it.”

“Even if it were,” Tara’Talar stated. “The Aksren Fleet Adjunct may just ignore it. She might see your ... uh ... the word you use? ... Deception? She might know this is a trick.”

“I think that it will work,” Ramírez stated firmly. “We need the Aksren clan fleet to halt or back off. This may be the way that we can do this.”

Rex seemed impressed. “Well thought plan, ol chap. I’m quickly making a roster right now. I’m going to send a lot of irrelevant data through this next comm transmission. Going to make it look like a hiccup in the commlink. Then I’m going to send this... ‘false report’ along in a Level 1 encryption feed.” The admiral’s hand was busy clicking on various buttons. His face was focused on the data on his screen. “The... ‘reinforcements’ will be arriving in thirty minutes. Ha.”

With that, the admiral sent off his message. Ramírez’s console received the data about the ‘upcoming arrival of UHN reinforcements.’ This would include eight UHN battleships and two super dreadnoughts. It was sent in the Level 1 Encryption algorithm before the admiral switched his message stream back to Level 3 mode.

“Transmission sent,” Rex stated. “Let’s hope that the Aksren take the bait.”

“I’ve also sent this message to my Fleet Adjunct,” Tara’Talar added. “I’m going to encourage her to come to a halt with the fleet. It may help.”

“I’ll coordinate our halt with hers,” Rex commented.

With that, Ramírez put his hand to his chin as he watched the screen closely. He was looking for anything that might have been odd or out of place. He knew that the enemy fleet leader was looking upon this false information. Right now, he had to imagine the smug look of Loreshren. She had to know about the threat that the New Olympians posed. One or two of these super dreadnoughts would have the firepower to wipe out the guard fleet that was in place. Maybe it was possible the ships could obliterate the entire Aksren clan fleet over Cipra. It would be a game of outwitting the other. He had relied on the simple fact that the Itreans knew Itreans. They didn’t know about the unpredictable pattern that humanity could pose. Loreshren had to have been the type that looked at things closely. It would be a simple move on her part. Should she act upon this? Should she retreat or halt her advance? Did she know that this was a deception? Should she remain in place?

A second action occurred. Ramírez and Tara’Talar could feel the forward g-forces as the allied fleet was activating its forward thrusters. Every vessel in the allied fleet was slowing down. Loreshren would also be watching this. It would have to be a coordinated maneuver. The enemy leader would be looking at this and understanding that powerful assets were about to be tossed onto her lap. Did she call the bluff or not? Less than a minute had gone by.

“Damn...,” Ramírez remarked as he braced himself on the console. “Either Loreshren is smarter than I thought, or she wasn’t looking...”

He saw it. On the viewscreen of his vision, the Aksren clan fleet’s forward thrusters were activating. They were doing a much harder controlled burn. Every enemy vessel was doing the same.

“They’re slowing!” Tara’Talar remarked with a scent of happiness on her scaly snout. “Aksren clan forces have activated their forward thrusters and coming to a halt.”

“Righto!” Rex happily remarked. “Bloody well done, Ramírez.”

Ramírez could feel a sense of accomplishment. He did it. The g-forces ceased in the Atra. Both sides were still firing on the other, but the enemy fleet had come to a halt. The allied fleet was now in a better position. He had to imagine that Loreshren had to act on this message even if she might have seen that it was a deception. It was a persuasive lie. It was something that they needed to further capitalize on.

“Fleet Adjunct believes that we should start moving forward,” Tara’Talar stated. “Enemy fleet’s forward thrusters are still active. They are slowing retreating back to Cipra.”

“Moving while engaging. Admiral, have you received the message?” Ramírez asked.

“Confirmed,” Rex replied. “UHN taskforce is remaining in formation as we slowly advance back to Cipra.”

“Good, sir,” Ramírez stated. He could feel a small amount of g-forces press upon him as the Atra slowly advanced forward. Then again, he did feel that nature was calling him. He decided that now would be a good time.

“Admiral,” Ramírez remarked. “If you excuse me for five minutes. I need to use the restroom.”

“Go right ahead,” the admiral stated. “I myself need to use the restroom too. I might have you take CO while I’m gone.”

For some reason, that didn’t make Ramírez too comfortable when he heard that. However, he wondered if the admiral was making a joke because the statement would naturally make him apprehensive. He didn’t say anything else as he took his hand off the Itrean control panel. He flexed his hands and stood up. The connection with the alien console ceased, and his vision had returned to normal. It was somewhat disorienting, but it quickly ceased. Tara’Talar was almost applauding the action and idea that he had.

“Good job, Ramírez,” she told him.

“I think I earned a short break from that,” he replied. “Time to ... see how your restrooms work. I wouldn’t mind a coffee or whatever your people serve.”

“Tea,” she corrected him. “It might keep you focused. I’ll make sure that one of my crew brings a can ... can...”

“Canteen,” the Ramírez nodded. “Sounds good.” He tapped her shoulder. “Thanks, Tara.” With that, the officer proceeded to leave the alcove on the bridge.

You might need to wake up, Dean...

Things were dark as his eyes were closed. He started to stir a little bit.

Dean ... you might need to get up ... help is coming...

“Umm...,” Dean was mumbling in his sleep.

Dean ... more weed? Go North.

“Whoa, man!” Dean remarked as he stirred and opened up his eyes. His head was still resting on the Iz’tre’s lap. Her scaly hand was lightly pressed against the man’s forehead. How long was he asleep? He didn’t know, but he felt the need to go somewhere.

Iz’tre was resting as well. Her large breasts actually cushioned Dean’s forehead as he rested upon her. His awakening easily stirred her to wake up as well. Her reptilian eyes opened and began to scan the area quickly. She could feel the man move his head and neck away from her.

He was looking at the cave interior. He seemed much better now. He was much more responsive, and his body was reacting normally under the conditions. The medication had done its part.

“I think ... that we need to like ... go somewhere, man,” Dean remarked in his stoned-like state. He slowly stood up as his head narrowly scraped the ceiling of the cave.

“Better?” Iz’tre asked him. She stood up and reset her shawl and clothing.

“Oh yeah, Izzy,” Dean said. “I don’t know why, but like ... something told me that I should go ... North? Um...”

He put his hand to his forehead. Iz’tre understood half of what he said. She looked confused but at least comprehended the term ‘north.’ She shook her head.

“No, Dean,” she said in her thick accent. “Hot outside.”

“I know, man, but ... uh ... oh yeah! There’s like ... a war going on ... and ... we need to be a part of it.” He had a big smile and tapped his forehead. “See? I’m feeling better already.”

“Humans north,” she said.

“I know, Izzy. The marines will be heading like ... north ... and ... we need to rendezvous or something ... with them. Yeah.” He went and grabbed his helmet from the floor and started to put it on.

“No, Dean!” Iz’tre tried to get ahold of him. “Others ... North ... humans.”

Dean froze as his mind tried to work overtime to comprehend her words. Did she try to say that other humans besides the marines were proceeding near their location? Did the marines launch their task force to the capital and leave them behind already? His mind was processing the information.

“Other people?” Dean remarked. “Whoa ... you mean that there are like ... other people on this planet that are up north?”

“I try ... say,” Iz’tre said with frustration. “You no listen!”

“Oh ... you did try to tell me earlier, man.” He kept the same idiotic grin. “Like ... my bad, Izzy. Ha, ha ... I’m sorry. So like ... that’s gnarly. Other survivors?”

The Itrean woman nodded her head quickly. “Scared. Hot outside. Find humans ... humans ... kill Iz’tre.”

“Like ... I promise to keep you safe, Izzy,” Dean remarked with affirmation. He put his hand to his chest. “I would like...” he paused for a moment and gave a dumbfounded stare. “I would take a bullet for you and stuff. I think we need to go north and find these others.”

Iz’tre closed her eyes as she looked at the cave. She put her hands and clenched them close to her. Her tail stiffened while she seemed to think about it. She had enough trust in the human that she walked towards his pistol that had been discarded on the cave floor. She picked it up and handed it to Dean. He holstered it and looked at the cave entrance.

“Dean no live, hot,” she tried to say. “Go north.” She clasped her hands together. “We go.” She gestured towards her hoverbike. “Dean safe. Iz’tre safe.”

“Yeah, I hear you, Izzy,” he commented. “We go together, man. Buddies for life!” There was much gallantry in his voice. The energy he said quickly transferred to Iz’tre. It seemed to make her happy. A part of her knew that this time was coming. She couldn’t live in this cave forever. Something had to give, and this odd human was the key to it.

She walked over to her hoverbike that was parked near the stone wall. She opened a small compartment and pulled out two small disk-like devices. She slapped one to her chest and the other on her lower back. Upon their activation, the disk devices began to stretch outward on her body. The Itrean wrap armor was unique. It quickly began to cover her entire body in a layer of resilient metal. The bright red and tan reflections could still be seen in the darkness. It took less than ten seconds for the devices to completely cover her body. Her tail, arms, legs, feet, hands, and were protected. Even with having a large chest, the armor tried to cooperate and provide some room for it.

Dean could notice that it didn’t seem all too comfortable for her. This armor plating pressed against her breasts and tried to push it into her body. Simply put, her chest was simply too big to be held down in this form of fashion. But, she had to cope with it. She tapped a few buttons on the side of her wrist. This caused the wrap armor process to halt. Only her brown shawl-covered head, hands, and tail could be seen from the armor that she had on. She looked somewhat intimidating to some. An armored-up reptilian character like herself still seemed to be the sort that could do a lot of damage. The metal skin added to her claws in providing sharp edges that could latch onto most things. The armor was elastic and folded with her long tail. She picked up her rifle and holstered it to her shoulder. The gun even magnetized to her rear side shoulder.

Dean was checking to make sure that he was ready to go. His helmet was adequately secured, and everything was set for him. He quickly lifted up the visor of his helmet and pulled out his metal pipe. He turned on the laser and took a single hit from his weed. The Itrean woman didn’t seem to notice while she was preoccupied with everything else. Dean admired the brief smoke that he exhaled before quickly putting his pipe and visor back down. He briefly smiled, admiring the familiar sensation of what hlen’weed brought. Iz’tre disengaged the safety locks on her hoverbike. She powered it on as it lurched up from the ground. A soft engine hum could be heard as it echoed in the cave. She climbed into the driver’s seat, but it didn’t seem to have that much room. It would be a tight squeeze for the human to climb onto. Her sharp metal feet pressed against the brake system on the bottom. She then gave a hand gesture for Dean to climb aboard.

“Far-out,” he remarked. He stepped and climbed onto the bike. Immediately, the repulsors on the vehicle had to work overtime. The engine hummed deeper as the added weight didn’t help. However, it seemed that the human was light enough. Iz’tre had to inch her butt forward to help give Dean the room to sit down. Her metal tail crunched against Dean’s groin, but he didn’t seem bothered. It was a tight squeeze but something he was aware of trying to handle. At the same time, he wrapped his arms around her to keep a good grip. It didn’t take much for his hands to grab her chest by accident, but she didn’t feel it. It wasn’t his intention to grope her, though. Iz’tre tapped a couple of buttons as the armor began to wrap her head. The metal skinned continued to stretch. It laid over her crested nose and eyes. Her eye slits became a pair of red slanted pieces for her to look through. She was adequately protected against having to drive through the terrible sandstorm.

“So like ... when are we going?” Dean asked her.

Iz’tre held up her hand and gave a countdown with her four fingers. She then lowered each finger before she reached over-activated the forward pedal. The hoverbike began to lurch forward slowly to leave the confines of the cave. It didn’t take long before it went outside.

Even with the thick haze of sand, the brightness outside was still fierce enough that Dean’s eyes had to adjust quickly. He could feel the momentum and the severe heat strike his body at once. There was little change to the environment. It didn’t take long for the hoverbike to drive out and away from the cave entrance. The small vehicle turned slowly and began to move in a northerly direction. The enormous canyon wall served as a natural point of navigation. Dean could feel the acceleration as Iz’tre was slowly gaining speed.

By now, the sandy ground was nothing but an overlap that the hoverbike was driving over. The added weight was something that Iz’tre had to keep an eye on. If she went too fast, there was a risk of the repulsors striking the sand. She was looking for any lips in the dirt or something that could end up grounding her vehicle by accident. Thankfully, Cipra’s environment made this form of driving easier than it should be. It was the thick sandstorm that she had to be worried about.

The bike continued to gain speed as Dean held on tightly. Visibility was low even with the proper equipment. A small console screen could be seen from the handlebars that Iz’tre was holding onto. The Aksren hoverbike was utterly open to the elements. The protective gear of both was the only thing that was protecting their eyes in the fast drive. Even with a basic sensor system, the Itrean hoverbike’s visual screen was limited. Occasionally, a gust of wind would press against the vehicle as it pushed forward.

Dean could see the moving canyon wall to his right. He had enough sight to look upon the display screen. Moving at fast velocities was the only thing that was protecting him as the heat threatened to bore into him again. There was enough cool air to help circulate into him.

Iz’tre seemed to know where she was going. Within a minute, Dean could see that the southern canyon wall was starting to disappear. They had reached the northern tip of the Tazhong pass, a great opening of the Tazhong canyon. This area was nothing but an open space of sand and dust. It was over thirty kilometers long and led into the next area of open area that would ultimately lead to the Lantau canyon. With visibility low, there was the threat of losing one’s way. Iz’tre would have to rely on the vehicle’s compass to help guide her further north. She was steadily increasing speed. She was reaching about 140 kilometers an hour. Dean had no choice but to maintain his hold. To fall off now would mean certain death.

A part of Dean’s mind was trying to comprehend everything that was happening so far. Even if he didn’t know what time it was, the sun was still directly over them. Using this as a guide for time, he might have been out for an hour at most. If the marine task force were heading to New Hong Kong, they would have to traverse this pass. He had to keep his eyes out for anything unusual, but a part of him believed that the marines hadn’t reached this point yet. Even if Cipra was slightly bigger than Mars, they still had some distance to travel. The incredible canyons of the desert world were the only true landmarks. It was a clear obstacle for any ground vehicle. Even the hoverbike would have its limits. The marine vehicles were meant for speed, but even they still had to cover some ground to reach these areas. With the sandstorm and delays, it was highly likely that it would take another hour to finally reach this pass.

“Let’s see...,” Dean said to himself. “Like ... carry on the one and then the two.” He nodded his head. “Yep, we got about ... um ... less than two hours before the marines will pass us. Heh. We got like ... that long to find out if there are any survivors.”

Dean was partially distracted as he saw something metal in the far left of him. It was that of a car that had been mostly covered in dirt and sand. He had to surmise that this was a Cipran vehicle of some sort. Iz’tre altered her course a little bit as she saw another metal object not far to the right. Dean saw another car. This time, it was more open to the elements as the winds and sands blasted the paint off. They quickly passed it and kept going.

“Bummer, man,” Dean remarked in his calm stoned state. “People that like ... left New Hong Kong and tried to drive out into the desert. They like ... had nowhere to go. Sucks, dude.”

Cipra had long claimed many of the past inhabitants. With the fact that the Aksren clan had long invaded the planet, the desperate colonist survivors had fled the city. However, past New Hong Kong was little to nothing. These people most likely starved to death or died of thirst. If the heat didn’t kill them, then being stranded in a hot desert would have most likely done them in. The question was, how many had died? Unfortunately, there was no answer to this question. The desert sands covered up the dead. Even their vehicles were being gobbled up as each day passed.

However, if Iz’tre was right, then there were survivors. Most likely, they would be in a similar predicament as she was. Only the canyons provided shelter to some degree. If they were far enough away from the capital and hid in the canyons, as Iz’tre did, then it might have been possible that they could survive to some form of degree. Most likely, Dean surmised that Iz’tre had encountered these humans by accident sometime in the past, but it was difficult to confirm that. Dean knew that she had to survive with what she taught herself.

The human tablet device was her only guide to the human race. The Itrean language was almost impossible to learn, but it was easy for the Itreans to learn English and Chinese in return. He had to commend her abilities to be able to speak in the current condition that she was. Maybe she hoped to eventually encounter the wayward human or humans to find and accept her for who she was. Perhaps a part of her wanted to simply get away from the Aksren clan. She wasn’t just hiding from humans, but her own kind. For all they knew, she was a traitor and a deserter. The Itreans wouldn’t look too kindly to such actions. To the humans, she was the enemy. He would have to be precautious. Any wrong move on his part and his new friend might be dead. Then again, he also knew that he couldn’t survive in this environment forever. There wasn’t just the threat of the environment, but the possibility of an Aksren clan ground force. A sniper or aircraft could easily gun them down if they weren’t careful. Thankfully, the weather was just as blinding to them as it was to Iz’tre and Dean. Sensor ranges on the hoverbike were limited at best. It was just as likely that their own eyes would spot something artificial rather than the bike’s radar.