Annihilation: Book 05 - Searcher (41 page)

“Is our screen up?”

“Yes it is but I have two unscreened ships on the planet.”

There was no way to get the ships off before they would be seen. Destiny hit the bracelet and saw Matt appear on its display, “There are two main ships at the entry point. They will see two of my ships on the ground below. Is there any way you can teleport the crews out and leave the ships empty.”

Matt looked at his com and said, “Sprig, do we have time?”

“Destiny, order your crews outside and have them gather behind one of the transports. Make it fast.”

Eyes began issuing the orders immediately. On the planet the crews began exiting the ships as fast as they could run. “What is your plan?”

“They will see those transports. If we lifted them off the planet they would know that someone is still alive on them even if they were hidden. By leaving them there and moving the crews elsewhere, they will find two abandoned ships and think that everyone was killed. At least that is what I hope. Move the ship away from the planet. I want to watch them come in.” The huge red glowing ship moved out toward the next planet in the system and settled in its shadow.

The Senior Ship’s Male looked at his Sensor Male and asked, “What do you see?”

“I see two ships in a galaxy halfway across this universe but they are too small to be the main ship. They are not moving and appear to be on a planet.

Should we go there now?”

The Ship’s Male thought a moment and then said, “Not before you have scanned this universe for the main ship’s location; that is our main responsibility. Notify the other ship and get their assistance performing the scan.”

Sprig appeared on the planet behind one of the transports and watched as the millions of crew members exited their ship. “Twig, have you found a suitable location?”

“I just have, dearest. You have the coordinates. There is plenty of life to sustain the crew until they can be picked up.”

“I am sending the first group now.” Sprig pointed his device at the huge group of spiders and pressed the key; they all disappeared instantly.

“Destiny, how much longer before they are all outside,” Matt asked.

Destiny looked at Eyes and he said, “Tell him five of his minutes. The two main ships are conducting scans right now. It looks like they are searching for our ship.”

Melanie broke in the conversation and said, “You have five minutes, Sprig. I would suggest that if you can place a screen over the site behind the ships then you should have time.”

Sprig felt stupid, he punched a key on his device and a red screen covered the ground from the transports to where the crews were gathering. “Let me know if they jump to this system.”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

Sprig keyed his com, “Matt, what do you want to do with those main ships?”

Matt thought a moment and then thought, “Melanie, do you have two megaships armed and ready for action?”

“Stand by, Matt.” Melanie looked at Leo and said, “We have two main ships that just entered our universe. Do you have two ships armed to handle their class?”

Leo hit his com, “Sen-Gen, is you ship armed for invader mother ships?”

“We loaded the new penetrators four days ago, Sir.”

Leo looked at Melanie, “My ship and the Rossville are loaded with the right weapon mix.”

“Matt, we have two ships armed and ready.”

“I’m sending you the coordinates of the system I believe they will be headed. Get those ships there and be prepared to launch an attack if the Royal Family approves.”

“We’re on our way.”

“Tag!”

“What is it, Matt?”

“We have two mother ships just enter our universe and Destiny thinks they are here to find his ship. He has two transports on the ground and he left them there to prevent the mother ships from seeing them move. I want to hit these two ships if they come to this system.”

Tag focused on his sense of danger looking at attacking or not and saw no difference. “You have our approval to take whatever action you think appropriate. Keep us informed as to the outcome.”

“I will.” Matt said, “Al, are the crew members all gone now?”

“The last group teleported away two minutes ago; Fleet Command just notified me that the two mother ships have jumped.”

“Melanie, you have a weapons clear order. I want those two ships destroyed.”

Melanie looked at Leo and said, “You are authorized by the Stars Realm to commence action against the two mother ships. You are in command of this action Admiral Kosiev.”

Leo looked at his board and saw the two huge green ships appear at the jump limit of the system. “I am going to hit them before they can launch ships, Admiral.” He hit his com and said, “Sen-Gen, we are going to take out the two ships. I will target the one on the bottom; you will target the one above.”

“Aye-aye, Sir.”

Leo listened to the klaxons blaring, Battle stations, all hands to battle stations.” He pressed a button silencing the klaxon and hit his com, “Weapons, I want a full penetrator targeted on the bottom of the lower ship. We will approach it from that direction. I want a second penetrator ready for launch on my order.”

“Standing by for launch order, Admiral.”

“Sen-Gen, I will fire first. As soon as your sensors detect the launch, launch your penetrator.”

“Standing by, Admiral.’

Melanie stood on the bridge of the Rising Sun and thought about why Admiral Kosiev had chosen it for his flag ship. She had looked up the ship’s history and learned that it was originally commanded by Admiral Mikado who was the original Admiral Kosievs’ best friend. This ship played a major role in the early wars of the Realm. She looked at the display showing the four ships and their positions. Leo planned to hit them as they came inside the jump limit. She took her chair behind him and gripped the rails.

Al thought, “Fly Girl.”

“Yes, Al.”

“You are watching out for Melanie?”

“I have her on my teleport board as we speak. If anything looks like it might endanger her I am pulling her out.”

“Does she know?”

“There are some things you just don’t ask permission; you ask for forgiveness afterward.”

“Atta boy, Girl.

The Ship’s Male looked at his board and saw the two transports on the second planet of the system. His communication board came on and the other Ship’s Male asked, “Should we launch ships?”

“Not this far out; we’re still seven hours from the planet. Keep you scanners active, I’m nervous about two ships that are not moving.”

“As you order.”

“Fleet Command.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

“I want the five thousand megaships armed for the small ships to be ready to teleport into this system. Notify Commodore Hasdf to go to battle stations and stand by for my order to port. Also notify Colonel Brez to notify his warriors to be prepared to repel boarders on those ships.”

“Orders are issued and receipt confirmed, Admiral.”

“Do you think they will launch before we hit them, Admiral,” Melanie asked?

“I don’t think they will but they probably have ships ready to launch and they might be blown out of the mother ships when the energy ball detonates. I don’t want to take any risks. I see some of their launch ports are open.”

Melanie looked closer at the display and saw that he was right. She had missed that; this was a good officer.

Matt appeared on Destiny’s bracelet, “Can you tell if they are in communication with their fleet?”

“They have been communicating but they just stopped a minute ago. I’m sure they were issued instructions to investigate the two ships. What are you planning to do?”

“We are going to hit them with one of those penetrators we told you about in two minutes. If this turns out well you can take the two transports and go pick up your children. The coordinates of where we sent them are on the bottom of your display.”

Destiny looked and saw the coordinates and felt relief at their being safe. “I want to see what happens here first.”

“I can’t say I blame you. It won’t be long.”

Leo watched the two huge ships move just inside the jump limit and just before they passed over head he pressed his com and said, “Fire penetrator.”

The penetrator shot out of its tube and looked like a light beam as it moved almost too fast to track and struck the mother ship.

The Sensor Male said, “Object fired at us,” was all he got out before the huge ship shook violently.

The penetrator penetrated the ten mile hull and went through fifty transports before it stopped and ejected the energy ball. The detonation was instant and the huge blast filled the interior of the mother ship.”

The second mother ship saw the first penetrator hit just as the second penetrator struck them from above.

Leo watched his screen and saw thousands of ships blown out of the mother ship by the blast. He hit his com, “Commodore Hasdf, launch your ships and begin action against the invader’s small ships.”

Five thousand megaships appeared in the system with their red screens glowing and began launching the smaller penetrators. Leo ignored them and continued to watch the mother ship with his finger on the com. The huge ship stopped accelerating as the blast erupted out of the open ports and began to fall off the trajectory it was taking to the planet. He then ordered, “Move us out; let’s give Commodore Hasdf room to operate.” The Rising Sun teleported away from the battle as thousands of penetrators flew into the invaders small ships.

The Ship’s Male was floating in the interior of his ship. Every wall and support had been disintegrated and there was a vast open chamber where ships and warriors were floating around. Then he saw a second small blast in the interior of the ship and small balls began bouncing around. “What are those?”

Destiny watched as the two main ships were hit and then started drifting. He looked at Eyes and said, “Scan the inside of one of the main ships and tell me show me what is happening.” A view appeared on his panel and he watched as thousands of small balls began bouncing around the interior of the ship. As he watched he saw those balls go from moderate speed to moving too fast to follow. Then ships floating in the interior started breaking apart as thousands of the small balls penetrated them and exploded out of them to continue bouncing. Everywhere inside the vast chamber was death. Those balls killed everything they hit and punched through to continue their mission of death. Eyes looked at Destiny and said, “That could have been us.”

“But it wasn’t. Those main ships were coming here to kill us and we should be thankful for our protectors.”

“I am, Destiny. I know at some level I should feel bad for them but I just can’t find it inside me.”

“I know, Eyes. I know.”

Colonel Brez hit his com, “Fire Teams, port to you positions.” On the five thousand megaships teams of three Red Warriors appeared on the surface and set up their guns. Any invader ship that came close was hit by the fire teams with a projectile that penetrated and burned out the interior before releasing fifty iron tree balls. The small ships couldn’t see the megaships but some of them were coming close simply by accident. Some of them actually split in half and the crew was floating in space. The Red Warriors hit them with their hand weapons whenever one was in range killing them with the penetrating iron ball. One megaship had an attack craft hit its surface but the Red Warriors immediately teleported and hit it before it could use its penetrator. For the invaders, there was only death. After ten hours the last invader was killed.

Leo watched the battle from his display and decided that there was nothing else to do. He then ordered, “Teleport teams, go to your assignments.”

Two teams of ten engineers teleported to the surface of the two mother ships and positioned a device over the hole made by the penetrator. Once it was in place, the chief engineer hit the engage button and a teleport screen appeared inside the dead ship and expanded to the far hull thirty thousand miles away. The screen then rotated a hundred and eighty degrees teleporting everything inside the ship not made of the green material into the star at the systems center. It was only then that the iron balls stopped bouncing.

Destiny commed Matt, “It appears that your weapons are very effective. What are you going to do with the ships?”

“I don’t know. We can’t teleport them out of here so it looks like they will have to remain where they are.”

“If it would help, I can push them into a trajectory that will take them to the star in this system.”

Matt smiled and said, “I think that would be a great idea. Will they be able to see them there?”

“No, we’re good but not that good.’

“Then I would greatly appreciate it if you would do exactly that.”

“We’ll also push the smaller craft with them.”