Chapter 42: Battle for Karsakini Part 6 and The Betrayal

Ken jerked his head around to the main tactical screen.

"To all ships! Red alert! All hands man your battlestations!" Ken ordered.

He turned and walked quickly to the main CIC panel. He looked at the hyper wake coming in.

"Estimated time of arrival?"

"Six minutes, Sir," replied the sensor officer.

"Stack us up. I want a full broadside of weapons to bear on the targets. Launch all fighters."

"Yes, Sir! Launching all fighters, stacking the ships."

"Dispatch the rest of Apocalypse squadron as Tina's escorts, their primary job is to get her back on this ship," Kala said as she moved to the door then added, "Ken, I'm going out to bring her in."

"Okay my love, fly safe," Ken said as he watched his ships take formation.

"Bring all shields to full power, spin up all railguns."

"Shields at full, weapons are hot."

"Ships emerging. Sir it's the..."

Admiral Liwakan watched the command screen and looked around at his brethren, "Today we feast well. Its time the Crytherians join the Tralcans as dinner."

The fleet emerged into the Tau Ceti system and they started spreading out. Twelve battleships, eight cruisers, and ten destroyers of the T'Lari first assault fleet turned to engage the nearest Crytherian warships, but their sensors reached out and found something else.

Ken stood there in shock as the sensors identify twelve Golan class transports, eight Wellington cruisers and ten smaller ships of a T'Lari fleet. "What the hell would they bring twelve Golan class transports to a..."

"Ken, those are not Golan's, well they are and they're not. Originally, they were battleships, but they were so old when the war started with us they had converted them to transports," replied Jessica as she went through the sensor logs.

"So we've got ancient shit coming in. Send in the bombers with the Odin's, let's get this over with," Ken said as he moved to his chair.

"Ken, don't be stupid, in my time they were old. But here and now they are not," Jessica said, as the T'Lari ships turned and opened fire on the incoming bombers.

Before Ken could say anything first one, then two then ten and then twenty of the bombers blew up before they could get into range.

"What the hell. Order the rest of the bombers to break off. Launch all ship killers, fire main lasers," Ken shouted as his eyes take in the damage his air wing is taking.

The bombers broke off and head for safety, the heavy laser batteries of the Washington and the four-assault transports opened fire on the lead Golan class battleships. Their lasers smash into the primitive shields of the T'Lari of this time and quickly go down. Then the lasers hit the side of the two-mile long ship and opened it to space, rupturing the hull, and allowing the air to escape. As the laser beams travel down the side, they hit the fusion reactors and they exploded. The resulting explosion took out two of the escorting ships.

"Who are these ships owned by?" Admiral Liwakan asked aloud as he watched the Kalyu explode.

"Admiral, no ID on them, they do not match any ship of the Tralcan, Crytherian or the Slyrn forces," replied the sensor officer.

"So, an unknown. Warrior Kovice send a message to them that they are out numbered. Surrender or be destroyed. Send it in Crytherian."

"Yes sir. Sending your demands now," replied the communications officer.

"Admiral, we are receiving a communication from the T'Lari, in Crytherian, it translates to, 'Surrender or be destroyed'."

Ken raised his eyebrow as he listens to the report. "Reply is 'It will be a cold day in hell.' Oh and make it in Crytherian. There is no sense letting them know who we are."

"Yes, Sir," Stella said as she sent the message.

Jessica giggled beside him, but stopped when Ken looked at her, "Sorry, Admiral."

"Ensign Warren, all weapons are to open fire on the lead battleship on the portside."

Ensign Mark Warren reached over and started targeting the next battleship, the Washington sent out the targeting coordinates to the four assault cruisers and the five ships started firing on the next T'Lari battleship.

Weapons fire crossed through space smashing in to each side's shields. The T'Lari concentrates on the Washington and all eleven remaining battleship main weaponry smash into the shields of the huge ship. Shield generators spin up to full power, pushing massive amounts of energy into the shields trying to keep them up.

Ken staggered as the Washington rocked under the pounding she was receiving, "Bring the compensators on line, keep us steady."

"I'm bringing them online now," Stella reports from her console as her fingers flew across the board.

Deep in the ship, the power compensators came on line, the magnetic fields stretch out of the ship, stabilizing her against the enemy fire that was rocking her. Up along the main deck thousands of tiny thruster jets fire and together they stop the ship from slipping sideways under the bombardment of seven T'Lari battleships.

Down on the main bridge, Amy watched the T'Lari fleet with hatred in her eyes, "Die, spawns of hell," she whispered as she brought an experimental weapon on line she had designed over the years of her loneliness. Down on the main deck, weapon mounts rotate up and down the side as a large dish came up and points at the nearest T'Lari battleship.

Power built up in the weapon, and then Amy screamed out, "Die you spawns of hell!"

The greenish beam shot from the dish, shooting across the three hundred thousand miles and slammed into the nose of the battleship. No explosion happened as the power flickered throughout the ship, and started building up again. The enemy ship continued on, but stopped firing her weapons.

"Yes! It worked," Amy, said gleefully.

"What the hell was that?" Ken shouted as the power continued to flicker.

"No idea Admiral, I'm trying to find out now," Stella shouted over the squeal that was coming from the com system.

"Someone do something about that noise," Ken said as he turned to looked at Jessica and shouted across the deck to her, "Jessica did you fire that weapon. And if so what was it?"

"No, I didn't. Amy did. I'm trying to access her now. She's refusing to answer me."

Reaching down to the arm on his command chair, Ken activated the com system, "Flag Bridge to main bridge. Amy, respond please. That is a direct order."

The view screen came on and Amy appeared, Ken would have staggered back at the hate he saw on her face, had he not been seated.

"They shall die for what they did." The lights flickered, and he saw out the main screen as the weapon fired once more.

"Amy, stop what you're doing. That is a direct order..." the screen went black as Amy cut the feed. "Jessica get..."

"Shields down, Admiral." Ensign Warren shouted out as he continued to upgrade his targeting data for the ships weapons.

The T'Lari fire ripped through the side of the ship, opening the hull to space. A six-foot wide gash started appearing along the starboard flank, ripping missile batteries, railgun mounts, power rooms, and any other rooms apart. Then the shields popped back up as the energy flowed back into the shield generators.

Admiral Liwakan sat in his command tub, giving his orders when the green beam hit the Gskin and she stopped firing.

"Contact the Gskin. Tell them to continue firing on the large ship."

"As you command, Admiral," replied the communications officer.

Liwakan watched as the enemy fires again and then the sensor officer shouted out as the battleship Tal'kin stopped firing and drifted through space.

"Continue firing all ships."

"Firing now sir," replied the weapons officer.

"Sir, their shields are down."

"Sir, no response from the Gskin," replied the communications officer.

"Good, let this be a lesson to them. Rip her hull opened to space. Order the cruiser Hauth to check out the Gskin and find out why they are not responding to orders."

The remaining nine battleships turned and opened fire on the strange fleet. Their lasers hit the newly established shields and were dispersed by them in to space.

Then the large enemy ship opened fire once again with that strange weapon and another battleship went silent.

Captain Kon of the cruiser Hauth watched as the Gskin drifted in front of his command, as the two ships touched, the tractors on the Hauth pulled the airlocks together and then they cycle opened on the cruiser. The first T'Lari walked aboard the ship, all power was off, and so he activated his light and started shining it around. Walking to the interior hatch, he pressed the commands in the datapad and nothing happened.

"Captain, all electrical power is offline; I cannot get the doors to cycle open electronically, I'm trying the manual levers now," warrior Valk reported on his communications gear.

"Very well, proceed with caution. We do not know what they hit the Gskin with, it could still be active."

"As you command, Sir, we are in full quarantine mode," as he sealed the fragile suit.

Valk pulled the lever and the door hissed open. Proceeding into the ship, the warriors stepped into a ship with no gravity, and as they started floating their anti-gravity belts activated to keep them to the deck. Pushing down through the ship, they stopped at one of the weapon bays and go in. As they step in, they saw the crew lying on the deck, their anti-gravity belts keep them on the deck, their bodies arched as in pain. With claws reaching out as in pain, greenish blood running from their mouths, ears and noses. Valk stared at the scenes of death and slowly lifted his com unit to his mouth.

"Sir, I'm in one of the weapon bays, the crew is all dead. I do not know what killed them, but I would suggest the fleet withdraw until we can figure out what it was that killed the people. I'm also returning with several of the dead to be examined by the scientist, however from what I can see they died painfully."

"Very well Valk return to the ship, Kon, out," he said and closed the connection.

Kathleen Wayne, code name Desolation, flew towards her lover, with the rest of the squadron following her. She reached out with her mind to find Tina and all she detected was space, it was as if she was not there and fear raced through her. To her right, flying her wing was Kalaria, the Admiral's wife. Turning on her com, she said, "Kala, I can't feel her. How come I can't feel her?"

"I don't know Kathleen..." Kayla started to say and was interrupted.

"I can't either," Shannon Wayne said after trying.

"Nor I," Maria Wayne said as well.

"I know girls, I will figure out what is wrong once we get her home," Kala said over the squadron frequency, "but we have to do that first."

Captain Kon looked at the massive view screen and thought for a minute, and issued his order, "Get me the flagship."

"Aye, Captain, I'm contacting the Queen Tri'Nack now."

Admiral Liwakan watched as a fifth warship was hit and this time it was the destroyer Nebar. She went dead, and began drifting through space. She traveled along on her course, and plowed into the shields of the battleship Kalrship and exploded. The battleship's shields shrugged off the explosion.

"Admiral, I have Captain Kon waiting to speak with you."

"Put him on."

The main screen came up and a smaller warrior appeared, "Yes Captain."

"Sir, my warriors have started a recon of the Gskin and they report the crew is all dead. My recon commander recommends we withdraw until we know more about this weapon. They are returning right now with several of the bodies to be examined."

"Dead? How?"

"No idea, Sir. That's why I'm recommending we withdraw."