Chapter 37: Battle for Karsakini Part 2

Ted staggered to his feet, smoke pouring from several consoles around the bridge, sitting down into his chair he snapped out orders, "Damage report!"

"Sir, we have a fire in landing bay delta, damage to port side weaponry, shields down to forty percent. I'm estimating ten minutes to full recharge, minor damage to secondary engine four. Hull is intact, no breaches. Casualty report coming in now, thirty-nine dead, sixteen wounded."

"Status report on the Crytherian battleship?"

Ensign Tanya MacEwen shook her head as she sat down at her console. Blood ran down the side of her head where she had hit it, but she checked her data feed.

She replied, "Destroyed, Sir. Scanning system ... Oh shit! Enemy battleship. Closing on us, heading is 122.2 she is coming in on our portside. She's firing..."

Explosions detonated out of the side of the ship. The beams ripped open several decks and one hit almost reached main medical, before it stopped, cutting the side open. Still, over a hundred crewmembers died in that first barrage of weapons fire.

The Oregon shuddered under the massive hits, status alarms flashed across several boards, when Ted shouted out his orders.

"Roll us over. Get our undamaged side towards them."

Ensign Edward MacEwen looked over at his wife, at Sensors, and was about to go to her side when Ted's orders snapped through his mind, and he responded, "Aye-aye, Captain rolling us 180 degrees to port, bringing starboard weapons around."

The two-mile ship rolled over and presented her undamaged side to the enemy battleship, as soon as her undamaged side was exposed to the Crytherian attack, her weapons opened fire. Explosions danced along both ship's shields as antimatter warheads, heavy pulse lasers and nuclear weapons smashed into them.

At the system's edges, fold gates opened. More destroyers, and fast attack cruisers dropped out of fold space. The Wolverine and Badger headed for the planet Karsakini while the second pair headed for Tau-Ceti Prime, to begin the invasion there.

Tina led her squadron around. Their main weapons bays were empty. They were using their lasers to intercept any of the heavy missiles heading for the Washington when the assault transports arrived.

"This is One. Let's reload on the Orca, and get back into the game," she said.

Whipping the twenty-five thousand pound fighter around, she headed for the ship to reload. The rest of the squadron followed her, heading for the two-mile long cruiser.

Tina contacted the ship, "This is Lieutenant Wayne of Apocalypse Squadron to USS Orca. We are requesting rearming, as our home seems to be under heavy attack, just now."

"Roger, Apocalypse squadron, I see you. Landing bay Delta can take you, they just completed launching of all their bombers."

"Thank you, Orca, I am requesting weapon change out from Galahad to Typhoon missile packs on all ships. Can do?"

"Can do, Apocalypse. Weapons load-out and re-arm is three minutes after you land."

Tina adjusted her fighter as she brought it into alignment with the landing bay. Her AI watched around her for any enemy ship closing on her and gave her a green light to land. When she slipped into the bay, the big ship's tractor beams slammed her ship from full military power to a dead stop in ten seconds. Shutting down her engines, she hit the jettison control for the empty Galahad packs, and they dropped to the deck. The ship's tractor beams whisked them away. Popping her cockpit, she stood up and stretched, as a mechanic climbed the side of the ship and handed her a bottle of water.

"Thanks, Corporal," she said.

She looked at her wives, who were all receiving water, too.

"How is it out there, Ma'am?" asked Corporal Tim Alexander.

"It's a giant furball. It seems the Crytherian's acted more quickly than expected," finishing the bottle, she continued, "Can you get me another and a sandwich? Also, something for each of my squadron mates."

"Yes, Ma'am, I will be right back," he said while jumping down off the fighter. Tim ran across to the replicator and came to a stop, and said, "Replicator, this is Corporal Tim Alexander. I need four of my special roast beef sandwiches, in carrying boxes, for fighter pilots to take with them. Two bottles of water in each."

"Replicating, order finished."

The four boxes appeared. He picked them up, and checked them. They each contained two bottles of water, a bag of BBQ chips, and his special roast beef sandwich. They were so good, that they would make Subway green with envy. Each sandwich was four inches thick, with layers of tender roast beef, with a layer of cheese between each layer of meat. There was plenty of honey Dijon mustard slathered on the French bread, too. Stopping at each fighter he passed one up to each pilot as they started to close their cockpits. Rushing the last one to Lieutenant Wayne, he scrambled up the fighter side.

"Here you go, Ma'am. It's my special sandwich. Hope you enjoy it."

Taking the box, she opened it and was surprised at the size of the sandwich, opening the first of three six-inch sections; she started wolfing down the food as she dug a bottle of water out.

"This is good, please send me the recipe," she said between bites.

"No problem Ma'am, computer upload my roast beef special to Lieutenant Wayne's computer database."

"Uploaded complete."

"There you go, Ma'am," he said, as the red overhead lights started flashing and the captain's voice came on. "This is the Captain speaking, all fighters and bombers left on board, the Oregon is under heavy attack by two Crytherian cruisers and a battleship, and I'm launching all remaining birds to help her."

Tina stuffed the food back into her box and dropped it in the storage slot, gulping the water down. She passed the empty bottle to Tim, as he started to drop away.

"Thanks Tim."

"Welcome Ma'am."

Activating her com unit Tina listened to the fighters and bombers taking off, "This is Apocalypse Squadron, ready to launch with four chicks."

"Roger Apocalypse, you're clear to launch, God bless and good hunting."

Tina felt the tractor beam lift her fighter up and turn it around, as she armed her eighteen lasers, and her missiles. As soon as all systems were green, she shoved the throttle to full power and the fighter flew through the bay and out through the forcefield that kept the air inside. Behind her, her three best friends, her new wives, followed her back out into space.

Lining up on the Oregon, they could see flames licking through damaged compartments of the ship and as they watch, another explosion detonated out of her side. "Kathy, you take the right cruiser with Shannon, I will take Maria with me."

"Roger, Tina, good luck."

"You, too," replied Tina as she locked on to the second cruiser.

Captain Hakuk of the cruiser Swift Retaliation watched the strange ship tear into the battleship Baliuk.

"Target all weapons on that ship. We will destroy her for what they have done to the Os."

"Firing now, Sir,"

The massive weapons of the heavy cruiser reached out and smashed into the enemy ship. Her shields flared a bright orange as they stopped the first round of lasers, then missiles start slamming into the side of the ship and explosions detonated against the bare hull.

Suddenly, a large explosion shattered the night sky as the cruiser Expedition exploded into a shining star that was snuffed out by the cold void of space.

"What the hell?" Captain Hakuk asked.

"Sir, some type of small shuttle type craft has fired on the Expedition. Whatever they are, they overwhelmed the Expedition's shields. Two more of the same type of small craft are approaching us."

"Destroy them now!"

"I'm switching the laser batteries, now."

Tina watched as the first cruiser exploded, and then with glee, she settled her sights onto the undamaged ship; just as she was about to fire, her shields were slammed by a torrent of laser fire from the second cruiser.

"Okay, Maria, look alive, looked like we have a smart captain here. Targeting Odin's now! Launching in 3, 2, 1, launching." The giant thirty-foot long missiles drop from the fighter then Tina activated her Typhoon packs and started salvoing the missiles in groups of six.

"Launching Odin, switching to Typhoons," Maria cried out and launched the first of her secondary missiles at the target. Twenty seconds later her missile took a direct hit and the explosion flipped her across space as the warhead partially detonated.

Blinded by the sudden destruction of Maria's missile, Tina banked her fighter into a figure eight maneuver, unknowingly bringing her ship closer to the cruiser. Tina's missile was nine seconds ahead of Maria's and smashed into the cruiser's shield to explode, followed by seven more from various other fighters.

The multiple detonation of antimatter caused a chain reaction as the cruiser activated its hyper generator. Jerking her fighter up and into what she hopes was out of the blast radius, Tina's ship shuddered as her front shields took a direct hit from a heavy laser and collapsed, the last of the energy from the hit, shattered the forward compartment, as Tina activated her emergency fold system.

Meant for only small folds, in system, the little generator came on line and snapped the fighter through the gate. Tina screamed as ball lighting flashed over her fighter and pieces of her ship were sheared off. Suddenly an explosion marked where her fighter once was.

"TINA!" Maria shouted into her com unit as she stared at the spot where her wife's fighter once was and watched the expanding ball of explosions.

"Tina, I'm sorry," tears started falling down her cheeks and she turned, aligning up her ship towards the enemy cruiser, she continued, "You bastards are going to pay for that."

Activating every missile in her missile pack, she headed for the Crytherian ship. She did not even notice when Shannon and Kathy pulled up on her flanks and joined with her. Seventy missiles leaped towards the cruiser and started smashing her fighting ability. Shattering weapon mounts, shield generators and compartments as they streak along the deck, she aligned her ship to the bridge and started firing her eighteen medium pulse lasers.

Kathy activated her remaining missiles, and cycled powering up her lasers as Shannon activated her lasers. Sweeping along beside Maria, Kathy launched the last of her thirty missiles and then between the three fighters and fifty plus lasers, started smashing the command deck to ruins. Activating her com unit Kathy looked at her friend in the other cockpit, "Maria, we need to withdraw and rearm."

Maria felt the tears running down her face for the loss of her lover, her friend, her wife, and looked over at Kathy, "Not until these bastards are dead."

"Maria, I know you two were lovers before we got married, but don't throw your life away, live for Tina."

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Suddenly, another voice shattered their conversation, "Apocalypse Squadron, this is Hell Diver, Heavy. Clear the area, and we will take care of her, for your loss."

Shannon looked around and asked, "What the hell is a Hell Diver?"

"I don't know but let's do what the gentleman said. Come on, Maria, form up with me."

Shannon looked around and saw a trio of strange fighters coming in at the Crytherian battleship and cruiser, and said, "I have them, heading 146.7 Azimuth positive 34, looked like they are in a bombing run. Look at the size of them, AI what type of fighters are those."

Shannon's AI came on line and replied, "They are Tigerstar class fighter-bombers, mass is one-hundred and fifteen thousand pounds, six engines, crew one or two, twelve medium lasers, three ion cannons, and sixteen air-to-air missiles in a rotary canister in the belly. There are also two hard points for Odin's, and five for Galahad missile packs. End report."

"Wow! I want one. I can kill more of the bastards with one of them."

"I agree, Shannon, but we will have to wait until this battle is over. Let's fall back to the Washington and rearm," replied Maria as the three fighters turned and headed for home. Behind them the three Tigerstar's unleash their six Odin's and five crash into the battleship while the sixth smashed into the cruiser, the double explosion of two major ships made everyone pause in the midst of the destruction going around the system.

On the planet Velcaria, the ten-year-old slave girl hung from the whipping rack, as her Crytherian master flailed her skin open. Crying out in pain as the tenth whip slashed her young skin, she passed out as the master turned and looked at her daughter.

"This is your fault! This slave takes your punishment because that is the job of a body servant. Remember from this day forward, that anything you do wrong will be bestowed on this thing," she said.

The Crytherian dropped the whip, grabbed her daughter's ear, and pulled her towards the house.

The slave girl's mother ran to her daughter and helped care for her wounds.

"You bastards! One day you will..."

She was cut off as a large explosion lit up the darken sky and thirty year old Sandra O'Rourke looked up to space and watched as two large ships started descending towards the planet, spitting out smaller shuttles as the defense stations around the planet start opening up on them.

"Invasion, but by whom? Is it good or bad for us?" she said aloud.

Major Jimmy O'Neil stood ready in his Ninja assault Mech, ready to attack the nearby military base. With him was the sixty-second armored Calvary division. Three hundred Mechs stood ready in their Mech landers, as they came in over some type of large farm. Activating his com unit he contacted the pilot.

"Major Howard? Drop us in the middle of those fields. We'll deploy from there. Orders to the 2^nd and 3^rd divisions ... land north and east of the base, respectively."

"Aye-aye, Major O'Neil! Good luck and good hunting, I'm sending your orders now. We will have touchdown in ten seconds."

The lander slammed into the tilled ground, flattening several acres of Grazinia (a form of wheat for the Crytherians). The giant bay doors opened, and three huge Mechs and two tanks come out of the ship. Around the first lander, thirty more landers set down and within minutes ninety Mechs were scattering around the improvised landing field. Nine hundred marines formed a perimeter as the troop and cargo transports came in with their vehicles: long-range artillery, and thirty hover tanks built on the Black Talon chassis. Mechanized patrols scattered to the four winds, searching for any sign of life. One patrol was led by a young gunny sergeant from New Mexico.

At the plantation, Gunny-Sergeant Samuel Rodriquez stepped out of his mechanized transport. Looking around as his men scattered to check the buildings, he saw a Crytherian woman come walking down the steps of the huge house, behind her were several males carry some type of slug thrower weapon.