Chapter 10: Tanner Nebula

On board, the Gormarian battlecruiser G.N.S. Berlin, Commodore Martin Velder was pacing nervously. His mission was to intercept a squadron of enemy ships and find out what their mission was. His fleet had quickly found their ion trail, and now all they needed to do was catch up to them.

"Lieutenant Stevens, anything on the long range sensors."

With a quick glance at his tactical scanners, he replied, "No, Sir. Nothing on radar, but sensors still have the faint ion radiations of several ships. I would estimate they are seven to eight hours ahead of us. Sir, if I could make a suggestion. I would recommend you transfer your flag to one of the heavy cruisers. You could then go to maximum acceleration and catch them in three to four hours."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I know the Berlin and her two sisters ships are slowing the fleet down, but we will need their firepower when we catch up to the enemy ships."

"Sir, by the dispersal of the ion radiation, I would say the heaviest ship they have is a cruiser."

Turning in anger on the young officer, he snarled, "Lieutenant, do not argue with me, or I will have you removed from your post and court marshaled! Do you understand me?"

Taking a deep breath, he replied, "Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir." Turning back to his post, and silently cussed him out.

Martin looked at the mans shoulders square up and could see the anger in them, as he said, "Lieutenant Stevens," As the Lieutenant turned to face him. "I owe you an apologize. You where making a statement based on the information that you have on hand. Unfortunately, intelligence has reported that the ships we are following have been modified to carry battlecruiser armaments. That is why we have more ships then usually in the task group."

"I understand, Sir."

"I knew you would Lieutenant." Turning to the communication officer, he said, "Ensign Ferris get me Commander Vicman of the heavy cruiser Archer."

"Right away, Sir." Replied Ensign Ferris, as the Ensign turned, and started hailing the Archer. He soon has contact. "Sir, I have Commander Vicman."

"Put him on the main screen, please."

"Right away, Sir" As he transferred the image to the main screen the Gormarian fleet traveled closer towards the Alderian navel units.

"Commander Vicman here. What may I do for you, Sir?"

"Commander, I have a mission for you. I want you to take the cruiser's Widowmaker, General Patton, Liverpool, and the Kalister. With the destroyers Gregory, Duncan, Vest, Arrowhead, Lightning, Star, and the Minister. You will go to full power and find the enemy ships we are chasing. You will determine if they are the six Alderian heavy cruisers and six destroyers. If so, you will engage them at extreme range. I want you to damage as many of the enemy ships as possible, but do not close to laser range. You will use missiles only. I know I am sacrificing a third of my covering force, but we need the enemy fleet slowed. So the rest of us can catch up and engage them."

"It will be done, Sir."

"Good luck Commander, and good hunting."

"Thank you Sir, Archer out."

The screen went dark and on the main screen several ships start picking up speed. "Then I will pry the secrets from their broken hulls." Even as these words were uttered the twelve ships formed a miniature wall and started red lining their engines. Three hours latter, they dropped out of sensor range.

Steven sat back in his command chair and sipped his coffee. Around him, the crew busied themselves with their duties. 'Father, I hope you are watching over us. How I wish you were here. I could use your wisdom.'

"Sir, Commander Weld wishes to speak to you."

Startled from his thoughts by the midshipmen's voice, he replied, "Put him on the main screen Midshipmen Rickers."

"Right away, Sir."

"Commodore, I wish to inform you that all repairs have been accomplished to the best of our abilities. All main laser weapons are on line on board the Fire Storm and Commander Torais reports that Terrible's hyper generator has been repaired. We are ready to proceed for home Sir. Also, both merchantmen, report they are fully operational."

"Very well Commander, get under way, and good luck. I would advise you to take an alternate route home. I have a bad feeling we are being followed."

"Sir, should we stay and help you?"

"No. Commander the ambassador must get to Alderia, and talk to the King. Besides, with your ships crippled you would be sacrificed for nothing."

"Very well, Sir. We will do as you order, but good luck."

"Thank you, Commander, now get the hell out of here. Swiftshire out." Even as the channel was closed sensors had detected the hyper wave of the Gormarian ships.

"Captain I have a hyper wave closing on us from a heading of 460 Mark 20. Sir, it is a direct heading from home. I would estimate a dozen ships in the wave."

"Are they ours Midshipmen?"

"Sir, they are at four light hours out, so I don't know."

"Get me some readings. Are the merchantmen away?"

Turning and glancing at his scanners "Yes Sir, they just boosted to hyper on a course of 223 Mark 5. I estimate they will be out of range in twenty minutes."

"Okay now it's our turn, heading 446 Mark 19 boost us to hyper and let's get out of here"

"Aye, aye, Sir. Heading 446 Mark 19 boosting to hyper now Sir, I estimate fifteen minutes until we are at full speed."

"Very well inform me when you get an id on the ships closing with us. I will be in my day cabin. Lieutenant Barlow, you have the con. Stand the crews down to yellow alert."

"Yes, Sir, going to yellow alert now."

Just as he is about to walk out the door, he stopped and turned back towards the bridge. "Lieutenant Barlow, I just thought of something, when we enter hyper order the destroyers to dump half their mines. Tell them to use deployment plan Delta."

Turning from his tactical scan, he replied, "Yes Sir."

"Commander, I have detected the Alderian ships they are on a heading of 446 Mark 19, they just re-entered hyper space. I also have four ion trails on a heading of 223 Mark 5. They look like civilian engines."

"Lieutenant Williams, can you tell me what type of ships they are?"

"No, Sir, they are to far away. My sensors have detected heavy gamma radiation. It looks as if there was a battle." Even as he is making this report sensors detected objects dead ahead. As he muttered to himself, "What the hell is that?" Suddenly his sensors got a lock and the image of an Alderian type four mine appeared. "Sir, mines dead ahead!" Even as he shouted his warning he knew he was too late. The three hundred mines detonated and the cruiser Widowmaker, and the destroyers Gregory, and Arrowhead disappeared from the sensors. Even the Archer was not immune, as several lasers punctured the forward missile batteries, compartments and even the bridge took two hits.

Explosions detonated out of the forward compartments, and force fields snapped on. Stopping the leakage of vital air and preventing the suction from pulling the wounded out through the holes, to their deaths. On the bridge the emergency force fields snapped on over near the communications station. Medics rushed onto the bridge and tried to save the life of the young female Ensign. Her broken body lay near her station. Her legs taken off at the hips from a two-foot section of armor that was hurled across the room from where the first beam penetrated. Her communications board was a shattered wreck. The other hit to the bridge was along the roof shorting out several computer terminals and angling up into the Combat Information Center.

"Sir, we have taken four hits to the bow, laser turret one is destroyed and missile turrets one and three are down. Compartments ten through seventeen have been breached Sir, Emergency force fields have deployed. Plus the two hits up. We also have damage to the CIC."

As medical teams rushed to save the wounded, repair crews, hastened to start the repairs.

"Get repair crews onto the missile turrets we will worry about the lasers later."

"Aye, aye, Sir." Lieutenant Williams said as he turned away and started issuing new commands. The fleet continued to close. The medics activated a gravity stretcher and carried the broken remains of the Ensign off the bridge.

Steven was relaxing and enjoying a fresh cup of coffee. He was staring at a sector map. One item had his attention. It was the Tanner Nebula. Named after the explore George Tanner who was lost while exploring it. Suddenly the intercom blared to life.

"Captain we have identified the ships they are Gormarian heavy cruisers and destroyers. They are closing with us, and will be in weapons range, in less then three hours, unless we red line the engines. It looked as if the mines slowed them down."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Geris. Notify all ships that we will start turning towards the Tanner Nebula, and we will try to lose them in there."

"Sir, if we enter the Nebula we will have to slow down and our sensors and shields will not work, and that means no target locks and all missiles will have to be fired dumb."

"Yes I know, Lieutenant, you have your orders, carry them out."

"Aye, aye, Sir."

On board the Cruiser Archer, Commander Vicman was fuming. He had blundered into the minefield, and lost two of his destroyers and the cruiser Widowmaker to them. "Midshipmen Sanders how far behind the Alderian fleet are we?"

"Sir, we are two hours behind them and closing. Sir, they are turning ... they have turned towards the Tanner Nebula. If they go in there, we will lose them."

"Then we will have to stop them. Full speed ahead, red line the engines if you have to."

"Sir, what you are suggestion is dangerous, several ships have already taken damage, anymore and we may lose them to structural damage."

"Lieutenant, shut up. I have orders to stop them, and stop them I will. Even if I have to lose every ship in this squadron, I will do it to slow down the Alderian's so the rest of the fleet can catch them."

With eyes glaring hate at his captain, Lieutenant Williams turned back to his computer and started typing in new commands. "As you command, Sir. Going to full speed, I am red-lining the engines." He soon got a new estimation when the Alderians would be in range to engage them, and he made his report, "Sir we are now closing. We will be in range in one hour thirty-one minutes."

"Ensign Sanders what's the status on missile launchers one and three?"

"Sir, missile launcher one will be fixed in less then twenty minutes, but I am afraid number three is a total write off."

"Thank you, Ensign. Then let's start transferring all missiles from magazine number three to number one and two magazines."

"Right away Sir," As the young Ensign started sending out the orders, she got a report from sick bay. "Sir, Ensign Douglas has just died of her wounds. Should I notify the Minister, her sister is stationed on board her. She is a marine gunnery sergeant."

"Thank you, Ensign Sanders, she was a fine officer. No, I will do that. I will be in my day cabin. Please get me the Minister, I will take it in there." With those words, he walked off the bridge and down the short hallway to his cabin. He stepped in, just as his com unit chimed. He sat down and turned his com unit on. The image of Commander Brown appears. Commander Brown I would like to speak with Sergeant Douglas, it concerns her sister."

"I will get her Commander. It will take a few minutes to get her out of her laser turret."

"Thank you, Commander." At those words, the screen went blank, as he waited, the fleets continued to close. A few minutes later the screen came back to life, and he was looking into the face of Sergeant Douglas.

"Sir, you wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes sergeant, I don't know any other way to tell you this, but directly. Your sister has just died of wounds suffered when we stumbled into the minefield." As the news sank in, the young girl turned away as her shoulders started shuddering. When she turned back, her eyes are puffy and a few tears are still running down her face.

"Thank you, Commander I appreciate you telling me this. Did she suffer?"

"No she didn't, she was killed quickly. Will you be okay Sergeant?"

"Yes, Sir, I will be fine. Is that all, Sir?"

"Yes, that will be all. If you need to be removed from duty, Commander Brown will have you assigned to something else."