Chapter 13: The Battle of Sector 0221

“Status report on those gates!” the vice admiral called out on the bridge. The five growing vortexes were tiny at first, but they were developing more and more.

“Picking up five wormhole gates,” petty officer Simon replied. “Attempting to scan it now.”

The interior of the UHN Drake’s bridge was awash with crew members that were operating behind their consoles. The ship’s inhabitants showed a mild hint of apprehension. Even the CO felt his heart skip a beat. His mustache twitched a little bit as he curled his lip. Meanwhile, the central display screen was focused on the five vortexes.

“I’m unable to identify what sector they are coming from, Sir,” Simon explained. “However, the apertures are all originating from a single location.”

“Admiral Hazer said that he wasn’t summoning reinforcements,” Passos commented. “Set Condition 1 throughout the ship! Contact the Menshe’tat.”

“Aye, Sir,” Simon replied. “Hailing the Menshe’tat.”

An alarm echoed in the interior of the ship. All compartments were notified. Ensign Gertie, a lanky woman of mixed completion, activated the ship’s intercom.

“All hands, set to Condition 1,” Gertie said in her Martian accent. “This is not a drill. Five unknown contacts have entered the system. All hands, man your battle stations.”

The vice admiral felt a wave of emotion pass through his body. Flashbacks were going through his mind. It was as if he was feeling déjà vu. He had to shake himself out of it.

“I got the Captains of the Menshe’tat,” Simon said.

“On screen at my console,” Passos replied.

The console screen on Passos’s console switched to show the two lesser adjuncts that sat next to each other. The lights in the interior bridge of the T’rintar battleship were changing from a dull green to a faint red before switching back. The vice admiral was adamant.

“Youica, Coyaca,” Passos addressed them. “What is the status of your ship?”

“Five gates...,” Youica replied with a mild sense of pride.

“None of ours...,” Coyaca added. Nevertheless, her emotions were similar to her sister.

“The enemy comes.”

“Death will await them.”

Then both spoke. “The Menshe’tat stands ready.”

“Alright...,” the vice admiral knew that he could trust the unending courage of the T’rintar women. “Captain Shira suspected that the Aksren clan would come. She gave me advice on how to fight them.”

“Advice will be barely needed,” Coyaca commented with a few clicks in her voice.

“A traitor’s words ... we will fight, and they will die,” Youica added.

“Hmph,” Passos remarked. “The Drake will hold its ground. All I ask is that you stand guard and help provide cover for us.”

“We know what needs to be done.”

“We are the Kre,” Youica added. “They will regret that they scorn the T’rintar clan.”

The channel immediately closed, an action for they were responsible. Passos was shocked that the two would do that. He wasn’t even able to discuss a simple strategy plan with them. It was two warships having to contend with the five potential enemy vessels. All he could hope for was that the Menshe’tat would at least be able to hold their ground. Unfortunately, the odds were already stacked against them.

“What is the status of the gates?” Passos asked.

“Vice Admiral,” Simon replied. “Gates are at 35% and growing. Enemy forces will be able to enter the system in about four minutes.”

“Range?”

“43,000 kilometers ... coordinates at 19 Mark 29.”

“Out of our weapon’s ranges ... Petty Officer Helena, how is the status of our weapons?”

“All is green, Sir,” the pale blond woman replied. “Minus the two nukes we used at Zalri’eko, we can give’em hell.”

Passos took his hand and gently wiped it across his console. “Well, old girl...” He very quietly said, “Luck has run out on me ... make sure that we give the good fight. No running this time ... not like JJ-78.” He now spoke out loud. “Simons ... we fight. Readjust our heading to the gates. Put us within 5,000 kilometers from the Alaron.”

“Aye, sir,” Simon replied.

“All stations,” Gertie called out on the ship’s intercoms. “Ship is going to be engaged in combat. Expect rapid maneuvering. Everyone is expected to be fastened in. There will be no further warnings.”

A couple of the bridge crew looked at one another. The different personalities showed that they were apprehensive but stable.

“Five ships...,” Passos quietly said to himself. “Let us hope that Captain Shira is right ... it will be our only hope in this.”

The ship began to lurch forward. The rear and vectoring thrusters were turning the UHN battleship toward the direction of the invading enemy forces. On the digital map of Passo’s console, he could note the location of the Alaron and the Menshe’tat. The T’rintar battleship was already putting some distance between the Drake and the Alaron. Its maneuvers were more erratic, but it at least maintained a parallel course with the Drake as it turned to port.

“Wormholes are at 55% stable, sir,” Simon reported.

“Ensign Gertie,” Passos ordered. “Contact the Alaron. Let’s hope the Alara’jal will be able to put up a fight.”

A beep sound erupted inside the Alaron’s engineering room. Fengge and Tonja stood overlooking the digital map of the region. For Fengge, it was the first time he was getting a more up-close presentation of what spaceship combat was going to be like. Tonja seemed more confused as to what was happening, but she at least comprehended and put together that ships were moving and some sort of duel was to commence. Chief Marquise tapped the computer tablet on the table. The vice admiral’s face appeared, projected for Fengge and Tonja to observe.

“Chief Marquise,” Passos addressed him. “What is the status of the Alaron?”

“We managed to turn on the power to the Alaron, but it was only for a moment, sir,” Marquise explained. “The main reactor’s safety protocols activated and averted a ship-wide disaster.”

“Is there any hope in getting the Alaron into combat status? We have enemy forces coming in minutes.”

“We have a little bit of reserve energy stored in the ship’s batteries. We can use it to power up the vessel but in a limited status. Might be able to use it to power up the torpedo tubes or some of the guns, but ... moving the ship and having it engaged in a battle. I’m sorry, sir, but I just don’t see it happening.”

“Passos,” Fengge jumped in. “What about Shira’s suggestions? Remember what we discussed before we jumped here?”

“Yes...,” Passos seemed to think about it. “Hmm ... Marquise, what is the status of the antimatter warheads?”

“The four that are still onboard are in a degraded state, but ... maybe they still work? I’ve never operated with them.”

“Sir!” Simon on the bridge commented. “Gates are at 85%. The Menshe’tat is beginning to break formation with the Drake.”

“Copy that,” the vice admiral remained focused on the Alaron crew. “Doctor Fengge, Captain Shira’s advice might be the only way that we’ll survive. Lady Tonja, we ask that we use the Alaron in combat. We need every asset available.”

“I ... will fight...,” Tonja added. “I will defend my people.”

There was hesitation in her voice. Marquise or Passos didn’t appear to spot it, but Fengge could clearly hear it. She was trying to put up a strong face.

“Lady Tonja,” Passos commented to her. “I hope that you will be able to help us.”

“My people are ready. On the surface ... they are ready.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be good enough. I will need you or your people to arm the antimatter warheads.”

“Sir,” the chief objected with some fear in his voice. “That’ll be extremely dangerous. I’ve only heard of the firepower that these things have. It’s very unstable. If you don’t operate in the right conditions, the Alaron will be obliterated. The shockwave could very well consume you and ... fuck, it could even damage the planet.”

“But ... it will be enough to save the Alaron ... if Shira’s predictions are true. The ship might not be able to fight, but it could distract the enemy fleet.”

“Umm...,” Fengge wondered. “Why not just shoot the enemy with these things if they are so powerful?”

“Antimatter warheads need to be in a large volley to work properly. Otherwise, they will be shot down before they reach their target.”

“I remember now. I didn’t fully understand all of what Shira said. Was that what she meant?”

“Remember, Doctor, that we are looking for those warheads. The Aksren will want them too. They might not destroy the Alaron if they knew that there were warheads on the ship that they could get ahold of. Chief Marquise ... how much energy do you have for the Alaron’s railguns?”

“Uh..., checking...,” Marquise tapped a few buttons and looked at the data. “If the calculations on my computer are correct, we can fire one of the main turrets ... two or three shots at most before the batteries are depleted.”

“It will be all that you need, then. When the enemy forces arrive, arm the antimatter warheads, but don’t launch them. If need be, shut them down. Let them know that you have them on board. Wait for them to reach within range, and then use the railguns to take them out. Is that understood?”

Marquise took a deep breath and nodded his head. “I will, sir. You have my word.”

“We’ll take care of the rest. Maintain radio silence. Out...”

The communication channel ended as Marquise looked up at Tonja and Fengge. He put his hands to his sides as he assessed everything that was going to happen.

“Tonja,” Marquise explained to her. “Don’t worry about getting the drives working again. I will need your people to get to the forward bow launchers as soon as possible. I will inform my people to get the warheads ready. I want your people to assist them if at all possible. This will be extremely dangerous. If we mess up on this ... well ... let’s just say we’ll be lucky they even find a few of our atoms left after the shockwave clears.”

Tonja went and tapped her wrist computer. She called out to Tochasa and Hev’benni, informing them of what they needed to do next. Fengge could only stand there and look at the situation as the chief was also doing the same thing.

“So...,” Fengge clapped his hands together. “We’re just the bait in all this.”

“Assuming the Itreans don’t blow us up to pieces...,” Marquise briefly looked at him. “In that case, it was nice meeting you, Doctor.”

The paleontologist had to admit that after this event, he would have to reconsider his life choices. He knew that this was going to be the final battle. The Alaron was either going to survive or be destroyed, with him, Tonja, and the people he met along the way with it. Everything was at stake. Even Tonja was showing signs of outright fear. Her voice alone hinted at it. There was one thing that Fengge did consider, however. There was something he could do as he always did in the past. He took a deep breath and remained confident. It was not overconfidence in any way but simply remain as he did since the entire mission started. He pushed away any anxiety about what was to come and smiled.

“We’ll make it...,” he said to himself. “We’ll make it...” The little phrase was said perfectly to the point that even the chief briefly acknowledged it. It was a gift that the paleontologist had. He never gave up and kept their morale up. That was the most important factor that he could contribute, perhaps better than any other individual in the sector could ever achieve. For a brief moment, Fengge wondered if that was his true intention. Was this what Shira wanted out of him? Was this the reason why she wanted him to be a part of this mission? It was all up to interpretation.

“Gates are at 100%,” Simon reported.

“The Menshe’tat is firing,” Helena added.

The vice admiral could see the green warship fire a dual salvo of heavy torpedoes from the view screen. The large munitions’ rear engines were activated in space, creating a bright blue behind them as the warheads whisked away from the battleship. Passos already knew that space combat was methodical and sometimes slow. It was done at such vast distances that it could take missiles up to five to ten minutes before hitting a target. Space was so enormous as it was that even the fastest guided munitions still took their time to impact. However, the launch of these warheads was a preemptive measure. They were fire-and-forget weapons designed to act as partial mines in space. For a second, Passos was thinking if he was going to attack, but he wanted to conserve his ammunition. It was best to let the enemy come and adequately assess the situation. The Menshe’tat had a larger supply of weapons at their disposal.

“I have a targeting lock on the five gates, sir,” Helena stated.

“Good ... wait for them to come,” he told her.

“Sir, they are emerging,” Simon commented.

From the view screen, each swirling vortex had a single ship come through. Each vessel was red in color. Passos immediately recognized them to be Aksren clan colors. Three of the warships were small, being a little over 150 meters in length. They had a blocky cylindrical look with a forward-facing missile launcher box mounted near the mid-dorsal section of the ship. Behind it was a single light railgun turret. The mid and rear sections consisted of a centripetal ring and engine/power module assembly. One of the smaller ships had a dual railgun turret and a more extensive missile launcher array network. The last two warships were battleships. They had a somewhat similar appearance to the Menshe’tat, but the red colors helped set the difference. These ships were bigger than the smaller ships being almost twice the length. They had a rounded crested bow section with six heavy torpedo tubes. The front mid-dorsal section consisted of two vertical missile launchers. Heavy CIWS batteries lined the sides, and two medium railgun turrets sat on the dorsal and rear sections.

“Captain William ... if you are out there, watch over the Drake,” Passos quietly commented.

“Count five Aksren warships,” Ensign Gertie noted from her console. “Two Siv Mark 1 Scouts, one Siv Mark 2, and two Italx Mark 3 Battleships.”

“The gates are closing behind them, sir,” Simon said.

“It’s a typical recon fleet,” the vice admiral replied. “Although ... a little more than what we encountered at JJ-78.”

“We’re still out of their missile range,” Helena said.

“Hail the Aksren ships.” Immediately, the vice admiral knew that engaging in such an action was pointless, but he had to try. Gertie adjusted her controls as she tapped the button on her console. She shook her head.

“No response, sir,” she said.

“Again.” There was a momentary pause.

“I’m trying, sir,” the ensign shook her head. “No response.”

“Again! I don’t care if these Itreans have had a war longer than we existed. There’s no need for this!”

“The five ships are turning to us and engaging their engines,” Helena reported. “Their weapons are powering up.”

“It’s just like JJ-78, sir,” Gertie commented. “They’re ignoring us.”

The vice admiral sighed as he played with his mustache. “Then we’re going to see the Drake in action again, everyone. Let’s proceed. Simon put some distance between us and the Alaron. Let’s try to keep up with the Menshe’tat, but ... we have to watch out for ourselves first. Helena, ... the moment that we reach missile range, get a firing solution.”

“With pleasure, sir,” she replied.

“Let’s see what the Aksren are going to do.”

“Sir...,” the ensign remarked. “This might look bad, but we aren’t completely overmatched.”

“You might be right on this, Ensign. The Aksren clan think that they have the upper hand in this fight. They might be right, but ... it will mean that they won’t need to summon their own reinforcements, either. How long before they reach firing range?”

“Approximately two minutes,” Helena explained. “Sir, both Italx battleships are attempting to establish a firing lock on the Menshe’tat. The scout ships are attempting to acquire a lock on us.”

“Hmph ... they think that their escorts can finish us off...”

Passos was having to consider his actions carefully. The Drake was a UHN battleship, but it would have a hard time trying to take on one of these Aksren battleships. They were powerful, and in a one-on-one engagement, it was likely that the enemy ship would win. War had made the Itreans competent in their combative capabilities. The vice admiral had some forlorn knowledge of the Aksren fleets. Their scout ships were often pressed into escort duty, which didn’t exactly help on their end. They were little more than sacrificial missile boats that used numbers to inflict potential damage onto targets. It was true that three of them could destroy the Drake, but he surmised that it might actually be a more even-placed battle than he thought.

“Anything from the Alaron?” Passos asked.

“I have nothing from them, sir,” the Ensign reported. “It ... doesn’t look like they will be able to help us out.”

“We’re on our own, Ensign.” The vice admiral quietly said to himself. “And I had two days until retirement.”

“Sir, the Menshe’tat has reached within weapons range,” Helena commented. “She’s firing.”

The viewscreen showed both the dorsal and ventral launchers of the T’rintar ship launching a salvo of small missiles. They turned in space, activated their engines, and flew towards the vicinity of the incoming Aksren ships. A projected map showed that the Aksren vessels were going to reach missile range of the Drake soon.

“Picking up a salvo launch from one of the Aksren battleships,” Helena continued. “The other one is preparing to fire.”

Decoys were being deployed from the Menshe’tat. They flew deep into space. The hope was to distract some of the enemy warheads and send them away from the T’rintar ship. Passos observed a close-up viewpoint of the Aksren fleet. Six torpedoes flew within a company of several vertically launched smaller missiles. They flew together, heading towards the Menshe’tat. Meanwhile, the scout ships were continuing their slow trek toward the Drake. With Passos, he could only hope for one thing, that something would change soon. The Alaron was dead in space. What was happening on that ship? Could they do something to alter the set of events that were taking place? Regardless, he could only pray that something would happen soon.

“Come on!” Marquise yelled through his comms. “What are the results of the antimatter warheads!?”

“We’re trying to, chief,” a beleaguered male engineer responded. “The T’rintar are on three of them, undoing the arming pins. The Alara’jal are helping them out.”

“There’s five Aksren warships that’s engaged with the Drake and Menshe’tat. They aren’t going to last long if we just sit here.”

“Standby, chief.”

“Ignore the safety protocols. I don’t want us to be vaporized, but if they wipe out our friends, then we’re next!”

Chief Marquise slapped his fist to the base of the table. Fengge looked at Tonja. She was shaking some. Her arm was clasped to her wrist computer. The tension in the room was intense. This was a realization that she was in a battle that she had very little control over.

“You ... were right,” she told Fengge.

“About what?” Fengge asked her.

“Like boats in space ... they fight ... long distances ... war ... fighting. Evil ... so evil.”

“Hey ... I know.”

There was a hint of her crying. He couldn’t see it through her armored helmet, but he could hear it in her voice. She wasn’t in a panic but was scared.

“Listen,” Fengge assured her. “I know the Captain on that ship. He’s been through it before. He knows what he’s doing.”

“I wanted ... to live a life ... of peace...”

“I know...”

“I want ... to be home ... I want to be ... left alone ... left alone with you.”

“You’ll have that wish.”

“I want it to be better ... no violence. I want Alara’jal to live ... live happy.”

“That’s a reasonable wish. I know this isn’t easy for you, but you need to see this. I know your mother wouldn’t want you to lay down and do nothing as the other Itreans commit to ... horrible crimes against life. If there are a people that can survive anything, then it’s you.” He pointed at her and smiled. “You are your mother’s succession. You were meant to be here, just as I am.”

“There is something ... I truly fear,” she confessed. “I’m ... more afraid of it ... than my own death.”

There was a loud clink sound from the comms. It interrupted their conversation as they turned to look at Marquise. The sound then became that of beeping.

“Chief,” the male voice came through the comms. “We have armed one of the antimatter warheads. It’s giving off a lot of energy.”

“Arm the second one,” Marquise ordered. “Hold off on the other two.”

“Aye.”

The beeping sound was loud. The chief’s breathing was hard. From what Fengge could understand, antimatter was one of the most powerful weapons that the Itreans had ever created. The sound of the beeping was a clear indication that the warhead was ready. It was a bomb ready to go off. The visual display showed the raw energy coming from the forward bow of the Alaron. It pinged in all directions, from inside and out, into space. Eventually, the beeping became a constant ping in Fengge’s ears. Antimatter was safely contained, but even then, it was unstable, possibly being just as dangerous to the user in turn. If used correctly, these weapons could decimate enemy fleets or cause catastrophic damage to a planet.

A second beeping sound erupted. They were almost in conjunction with one another. The energy continued to radiate in all directions. Marquise had to monitor everything to ensure that the people were safe and that the energy output was not something that was potentially lethal.

“Well...,” Marquise turned to look at Fengge and Tonja. “Now we wait. Tonja, you want me to power up the railguns?”

“Umm ... wait,” Fengge replied with some hesitation. “I think I remembered Captain Shira telling me that if we power up the railguns ... or was it some other weapon? The enemies will see it? I think she said something to that line.”

“Yeah, the antimatter is doing that right now.”

“No ... uh ... it was something else. Yeah, she said that if we’re going to lure the Aksren to the Alaron, that we play dead. Yes,” he was sure now. “If we power up the railguns now, the...”

“The Aksren forces will see it, and they will destroy us before we fire on them,” Marquise interrupted. “Good thinking, Doctor.”

Phew ... From the paleontologist’s viewpoint, he might have saved the Alaron then and there. But, of course, the impending possible explosion from the antimatter could change that at any moment. He just thought back to the original discussion that he, Passos, and Shira had before they departed. He just knew that if Shira had been there, she would have most likely protested that idea.

His attention went back to Tonja. His gut instinct was telling him that he had a role to perform. The coming moments would circulate around Tonja, but how? She was still upset, but stable. He put his gloved hand on her armored leg. The tiny clunk sound was enough to break some of her worries. She looked down at him, and it helped keep her calm. Her breathing was steady and focused.

However, the battle was still going. From what the paleontologist could observe, tiny green and red dots were moving on a dimensional plane. They appeared to be heading to larger dots that might have been ships.

“One minute till impact,” Helena reported on the bridge. “The ... sir! Scout ships are firing.”

Passos observed from the main screen the three scout ships began to unleash their volley of missiles. Tiny warheads were dumped and deployed from the dorsal launchers. A wave of missiles could be counted as their engines erupted into a ball of blue flame. Proximity alarms activated briefly from the vice admiral’s console.

“Counting 63 Scatter Missiles,” Helena commented. “Estimated time of impact on the Drake is 4 minutes.”

“General-purpose missiles can be more easily taken care of,” Passos replied. “Launch countermeasure decoys.”

“Launching...”

“Sir,” Simon reported. “The Aksren scout ships are maintaining a direct course to us. The two lead scout ships are increasing speed.”

“Typical envelopment maneuver,” Passos replied. “Let them come. Helena, how’s our weapon distance?”

“I have a lock on one of the scout ships,” Helena said. “Coming in range in six ... five ... four ... three ... two ... one ... mark.”

“Fire! Launch 32 AS salvo.”

“Sir? Aye ... Firing.”

Passos noted the slight hesitation from his weapons officer. Space combat was a finicky affair. The Magellan battleships only carried so many missiles. Once it was depleted, the ship could only offer its railguns as an alternative form of firepower. However, the ships were too far away from being hit by the railguns. Hypervelocity shells can be dodged from extreme distances since they only travel straight forward. However, if not enough missiles were used to attack a target, then there was a risk of all of them being destroyed before impact. On the other hand, using too much could risk depleting your supply of munitions. Careful attention had to be made to ensure that space combat was conclusive and beneficial for the attacker.

The eight tubes of the Drake’s bow section opened up. Suddenly, eight torpedoes flew from their apertures and into space. There was a brief auditory sound from the bridge. The guided munitions had a pleasant view before the engine plumes became tiny glowing dots in space. This was followed by another batch within ten seconds ... then another and finally one more.

“Sir, I advise that we conserve our ammo,” Gertie commented.

“Hmm ... no,” the vice admiral objected. “The Sivs are heading straight to us. The ones that are increasing speed are the Mk 1s. They have a very limited amount of warheads. Typical Aksren strategy is having them launch all their missiles and then charge directly into the enemy. They are closing in for railgun range; use their numbers to pummel us to pieces. We need to take each one out before they do, or they can risk knocking us out of the fight.”

“Your right, sir.”

“But you’re also right as well,” Passos twitched his mustache. “If we take out all of the scouts, we won’t be able to fight well with the other battleships with what we have left.”

“Sir, the Menshe’tat,” Simon commented.

One of the Aksren battleship salvos was just about to impact the Menshe’tat. Small intercept missiles were destroying some of the torpedoes. CIWS gunfire littered the warship’s green profile. They were good at taking out such a large amount of weapons, but the goal of the enemy was to use sheer numbers to overwhelm the defenses. Passos noted the advanced warship of the T’rintar Mark 3 Italq. Unlike the Aksren Italx, the T’rintar was constructed more on defense. The advanced CIWS batteries were excellent in technology. Consisting of dual Gatling turrets and mini intercept missiles, they would shred the enemy missiles into dust. However, the salvo was so huge that it was impossible to shoot them all down. Eventually, a single torpedo and two missiles slipped on through.

“Whoa!” Simon remarked.

The Aksren torpedo, most likely a cluster design, split into multiple smaller munitions. They all struck the forward section of the ship. This was usually the worst place to hit as the bridges were located on the direct bow. The other two missiles then swung and struck the port forward thruster and hangar bay section of the Menshe’tat. The explosions were present. However, when the blast illumination cleared, there was only marginal damage. The torpedo should have ripped into the bow section and inflicted heavy damage, but the heavy ablative armor on it easily shrugged it off.

“Wow,” Helena commented. “The Menshe’tat just ... I’m picking up some damage, but that armor ... it just deflected it.”

“I think I really underestimated the Kre,” Passos added. “They focused their weapons on the missiles that would have done the least amount of harm to the overall ship. Then they just let the rest hit them.”

“Uh ... sir!” Gertie looked at her sensors. “I’m picking up an energy source. It’s coming from the Alaron.”

“It’s an antimatter signature,” Helena added.

“They managed to get the warheads armed,” Passos commented. “Good ... Simon, maintain a course away from the Alaron. Keep our distance away from it.”

The console on Passo’s screen continued to show a pinging energy source that was coming from the Alaron’s location. It lit up the sensor spectrum of everything that was nearby, like a beacon in space. Seconds were going by as everyone remained focused on the battle. However, Passos was wondering if anything was going to happen. Finally, it did.

“Sir,” Gertie reported. “One of the Aksren battleship’s engines has activated. They are turning away from the Menshe’tat. It looks like they are going to make a run to the Alaron.”

“It got their attention,” Passos commented with a little bit of a smile. “They can’t ignore it.”