Chapter 5; Mars and Space

Mars and Space

Federation Fleet

Day 5 of conflict

The Federation cruiser USS Atlanta LCAM 2 followed behind her sister ship the San Juan as they curled inward towards the Earth and the space docks. Three destroyers led the column with three destroyers behind them. They were nine million three hundred thousand miles from the captured space docks, and closing.

Captain Joan Whitman sat in her command chair, taking a sip of her coffee. On the view screen, she could make out the landing bay of the San Juan as the fleet moved to take the space docks back from the American military. She looked over at the sensor officer as she set the cup down, and said, "Sonya, anything on sensors?"

Lieutenant Sonya Pill did a quick scan of the area around the fleet, and replied, "Negative, Ma'am, just the four American destroyers still retiring from us."

"Well, keep an eye on them and an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. They have had five days to do anything they have wanted to on those docks."

"I am, Ma'am. I just hope everyone else is. I just don't like how the destroyers keep withdrawing every time we close with them."

"I'm sure Commodore Listen is asking the same questions on the San Juan..." she stopped as she felt a shiver go up her back and she looked over at the weapons officer, and continued, "Ensign Wilson, let's bring our weapons online and start charging our shield generators to full power."

Reaching down to her armrest, Joan flipped the intercom on, and said, "All hands man your battle stations! I say again! All hands man your battle stations!"

Around the ship, twenty-one hundred men and woman stopped what they were doing and rushed to their battle stations

Weapon mounts were sealed as the gunners climbed into them. Pilots raced to man the fifty fighters, the twenty bombers, and the ten SAR craft. Once in their ships they powered up their engines and waited.

American Fleet

Captain Will Vandercamp watched the fleet of traitors approach. His destroyer was lying silent along with three others. Scattered in-between them and the station were five thousand heavy weapons platforms with heavy stealth systems.

"Ensign Hollander, give me a status report?" Will asked as he sat in his chair, a pencil twirling around his fingers as he waited for the report.

"Sir, the traitor fleet consists of two of their Atlanta class anti-missile cruisers, and six destroyers. They are seven hundred thousand miles behind Captain Wallace aboard the destroyer Fletcher and closing. They will be in range of the net in ten minutes."

"Any sign that they have spotted the weapon platforms?" Will asked as he watched the main screen.

"Negative, Sir. All the ships are still acting like if there isn't a minefield out here. The mines should open fire in less than nine minutes," Ensign Mark Hollander said.

Sending another command to the navigational buoys for an update, Mark saw that they had drifted a thousand yards off station. He fired the starboard thrusters and brought them back into position. The thrusters hidden behind baffles allowed the ships to align back up with their nose pointed at the enemy.

"Good, then let's bring us up to full battle stations," Will said as he pressed the red alert button.

Around the ship, sirens started whooping, calling everyone's attention. He pressed another button, and started speaking.

"All hands, man your battle stations. The traitor's fleet is approaching set condition yellow throughout the ship. Minimum power to all systems, but I want to be able to go to full power, when the minefield opens fire. Load antimatter warheads for the railguns. We will open fire when the net does. Good luck and God bless you all, and God Bless America."

Around the ship, the crew rushed to their stations, bringing their stations up to minimum power, shields stood ready to snap within seconds while the rail platforms started loading the first of the antimatter rounds. Laser turrets start tracking the enemy ships by visual sight only, while the computers were ready to lock on with lidar (Light Detection and Ranging), and sensor scanners as soon as they went to full power.

The time slowly disappeared, as they closed. Their sensor scans were getting stronger as they continued to point their bows towards the Federation ships.

"Range!" Will asked.

"Range is six hundred thousand and closing, Sir. I recommend we open fire in thirty seconds. They are entering the defense screen now," replied Ensign Hollander at his station.

"Good," activating the com unit for the ship he said, "All hands prepare to open fire."

Looking at the young woman at the helm he said, "Lieutenant Green, turn us ninety degrees to port. ALL BATTERIES OPEN FIRE."

The sleek four hundred foot destroyer whipped around, unmasking all her weapons and twenty lasers and forty railguns opened fire. Twenty seconds later, the first of the Omega class missiles were launched.

Federation Fleet

Commodore James Listen watched the view screen as the enemy ships opened fire.

Turning his head, he said, "To all ships. Ninety degrees to starboard, shields to full power. All weapons open fire. Launch all fighters and bombers. Activate anti-missile defense."

The one million ton light cruiser heeled to starboard, unmasking all its weapons, and then all three hundred light lasers opened fire on the incoming barrage of missiles. While the railguns started firing on the enemy ships, they moved into the killing zone and the first of five thousand weapons platforms opened fire.

The first barrage smashed into the destroyer Reprisal, and took out the destroyer's bow weapons. Explosions detonated down the flanks of the Federation ship and then a large explosion detonated from the interior of the ship. When the flash faded away, three quarters of the ship was gone. The remains of the ship drifted on ... dead in space ... A few life pods ejected from the remains.

The weapons fire switched to the destroyer Ravish as the Atlanta and the San Juan unleashed all their anti-missile weapons. An explosion detonated from the number one railgun on the Ravish as a laser punched through her charging shields. The resulting explosion killed twenty crewmembers and injured thirty-six as secondary explosions blossomed from the hit. However, the spunky destroyer's shields popped to full power and she added her firepower to the fleet's defense.

The enemy missiles and gun platforms started dying, as they were hit by the return fire.

The San Juan seemed like she had a charmed life as she dodged through the enemy fire. She shattered weapons platforms that dropped into range. Then an explosion detonated in her mid-center weapons platform as a trail of antimatter warheads punched though her shields and wrecked a quarter of her missile defenses.

The explosion blossomed out from the hull as the antimatter rounds in the destroyed railguns detonated and then a cataclysmic explosion ripped down the length of the million-ton cruiser. Nine hundred feet of battle armor, weapons and fourteen hundred Federation men and woman disappeared into oblivion.

Captain Whitman covered her eyes as the explosion blossomed in the main screen less then a mile in front of her, and shouted, "Hard to port speed full. Orders to the destroyers, they are to fall back with us, this battle is lost."

The light cruiser heeled to port in a tight turn. As she went, she fired every weapon she had as the hundreds of weapon platforms that had started moving towards their battered fleet.

Joan watched the enemy weapon platforms start closing with them and she issued her next set of orders, "Another ninety degrees, once the weapon platforms are behind us increase the power to the rear shields with power from the bows."

Before the power could be switch, several rail gun rounds punched through the shields, smashed into the secondary tower and the emergency generator rooms, killing thirty-one sailors, and wounded twenty-nine more. The ship whipped around and the shield power increased to two hundred percent on each shield generator.

Joan staggered under the hit and shouted, "Damage report."

"Getting it now Ma'am."

As the reports came into the bridge, the small fleet ran for its life.

The Revenge dropped back to cover the Ravish and added her weapons to try to save her sister ship. As the two destroyers swung around, three enemy railguns opened up on the Revenge and the antimatter warheads slammed into her rear shields and lightning danced all over the shields and then they went down and the next barrage of warheads slammed into her duel engines and they exploded. The four hundred foot destroyer shuddered and went dead as she lost all power and started drifting.

The Ravish locked on to the Revenge with her tractor beams and started hauling her behind her as the rest of the fleet made a run for it.

Captain Vandercamp aboard the destroyer Gwin watched the enemy fleet being decimated and said in a quiet voice, "Full speed ahead. Orders to the Fletcher and her squadron, they are to join up with us. Open fire on the undamaged destroyer."

"Yes, Sir, sending your orders now."

"Firing now, Sir."

The Gwin and her companion destroyers started firing on the Ravish and the heavy lasers and railgun rounds smashed into her strengthened shields. The Revenge took several more hits and her ten rear heavy lasers exploded as the railgun rounds started walking up her hull.

Captain Lawrence White of the Ravish watched the enemy fleet closing on his destroyer. "Launch fighters and bombers. All non-essential personal to the shuttles, I want everyone who can go, to go to the Atlanta."

The little destroyer bucked under the weapons fire she was taking. Her rear shields were literally glowing white from the continuous antimatter warheads that were slamming into her. Twisting and turning, she tried to get out of the line of enemy fire but with four destroyers firing on her, it did not matter which way she turned.

Around the ship, the crew rushed to obey their orders as cooks, marines, flight deck crew, and anyone else who wasn't needed rushed down into the launch bay and climbed into the shuttles along with the wounded.

"Cut the tow, message to Captain Whitman, 'Sorry Frank, I must cut the tow to save my own command. Good luck and God bless the Federation.' End message. Turn us ten degrees to port, positive azimuth fifteen, and full speed ahead. Let's get some distance from the Revenge so they stop firing on her."

The destroyer heeled to port and started climbing away from the damaged ship.

Below her, twenty shuttles, twelve fighters and eight bombers streaked for the Atlanta carrying nine hundred of her crew. Her shields were bright white and starting to overload the shield generators, when she left her sister ship behind.

As she climbed, she unknowingly climbed up into the outer ring of the defense satellites and forty heavy lasers opened fire on her. The resulting explosion scattered the remnants of the ship through space, as her unprotected bow was sliced open, the beams slammed into the fusion reactors, and they exploded into a miniature star.

When the blast faded away, five hundred more Federation navy personal and the heavy destroyer were gone.

Captain Steven Whitedove, late of the United States Air Force watched as his ship died and his blood boiled for revenge. Turning on his com, he started issuing orders,

"Gamma flight, cover the bombers and the shuttles. All Alpha and Beta flight follow me, prepare for Omega launch. We are taking out those four nearest destroyers. I want volley fire, two per destroyer. One goes in and takes out the shield the other takes the ship. Odds take the shields, evens takes the ship. Got Me?" he said as he brought his Lightning class fighter around and the rest of the squadron followed suit.

A series of 'Rogers' came back and the eight fighters sped through space at full power. Acquiring target on the lead destroyer, Steven pulled the drop lever and the big missile dropped from her hull and sped through space followed by seven more.

Federation Fleet

Captain Vandercamp covered his eyes when the destroyer vanished, and when he looked back at the main screen all it showed was the remaining enemy fleet pulling away, the damaged destroyer and the escapees in the shuttles running for their friends.

"Okay, let's capture that destroyer. All marines prepare for boarding action."

"Sir. Yes, Sir," replied Colonel Judy Anderson as she rushed off the bridge issuing her orders over her com unit to her marines.

"INCOMING MISSILES!" screamed the sensor officer.

"Hard to starboard..."

Before anyone could do anything, the big Odin class ship killers slammed into each of the destroyers. When the explosions dissipated, four United States destroyers were gone, along with five thousand Navy personnel. As the fighters retreated, the remaining four destroyers locked on to the crippled Revenge and started towing her back to the space docks.

Mars

Federation Side

Day Eight

The wind was blowing across the Martian landscape. A storm was building up, a storm that this planet has never seen before. Sand was peppering a small observation dome sitting on the side of one of the mountains. Inside the dome a young man sat and waited.

Private Jeff Cobble sat in the observation dome on the backside of Mars. He was all alone in this post from hell, and all he could do is sit, think and drink.

"Fuck! Why did I ever do this?" he said.

Ever since he enlisted after shooting the Admiral, he had been given the shit duties. First, the training where everyone let him know he had fucked up and killed two marines and shot the admiral. Everyone had ragged him even if the Admiral had told him he understood his reaction.

'How the hell was I supposed to know they were friendly, after my home town was destroyed, ' he thought as he adjusted the deep space scanners and started scanning for any incoming space ships. Not seeing any he sat back in his chair and stared at the book he was reading and threw it away in disgust. He could not get into the new Mack Bolan book and it frustrated him even more.