Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 3 - New Shores (25 page)

‘Emeria, I need to speak to the Earth probe again please.’

In moments he was again speaking with the Maveen probe to both thank him for allowing the ships through and to outlay his own plans. Captain Narindestat now appeared on the bridge and gave Steve a bemused look, as both Emeria and the communications officer updated him on the recent events. He looked at Steve as he picked up a data tablet, and decided that the report on the tablet could wait until later.

‘Your plan has merit and it could work, especially as the Barus admiral will see that we are not fighting you but fleeing ourselves.’

Steve gave no reply as he watched the last Maveen ships enter the gateway. In moments the gate way of three ships had reduced to a smaller gateway of two ships and the third gate ship fled earth with an escort of probes. The two remaining Maveen ships closed the gateway, and in minutes the probes had docked to the upper surfaces of the larger ships as they made their way back to the Trader ship. Three probes that could not dock with the gate ships flew ahead and made their way into the main cargo hold, and they were promptly secured to the floor by the Trader deck crew.

Steve watched as the two gate ships slowly approached the upper surface of the main ship and the unoccupied central docking pylons. He watched as first one gate ship carefully docked on the starboard center pylon, before the second gate ship just as carefully docked on the portside center pylon. Garendestat had walked onto the bridge as the second ship was verified as docked and locked down, and he reported on the hold status.

‘Captain the three probes in the hold are secured and the main cargo hold doors are now closed.’

Captain Narindestat wasted no time as he now sat down in his command chair.

‘Prepare the ship for atmospheric flight, and I want status checks on all thrusters and the aero spike engines. Engineering, I want shields at only five percent on the centre upper wing as I am worried about shield clashes with the Maveen gate ships. Bear in mind this has not been done before by any other race let alone us.’

Steve watched as the ship was readied for flight and he decided again that this must be more interesting than going through a gateway. He then looked at the main monitor still showing the docked Maveen ships with concern, as arcs of lightening hit the Maveen ships and reflected back to the main Trader ship. Lieutenant Garendestat looked at the monitor and quickly commented.

‘Those are potentially serious shield clashes and we have to resolve them before we can take off.’

Captain Narindestat now called up a schematic of the ship on his command chair hologram. He gave a series of commands as he orientated the schematic to show the upper centre wing surface of the Trader ship around the two pylons holding the Maveen ships.

‘Drop all upper centre section shields and we will start again shield by shield at five percent strength. Unfortunately this will take a little time to resolve so that we can leave safely.’

Steve and his mission team kept out of the way as the Trader bridge crew completed their remaining checks of the ship status. Captain Narindestat and Lieutenant Garendestat continued to puzzle out the problems with activating shields from two different races on one ship.

                                                            ***

Chapter 12

Probe three quietly checked the status of the cloaking device and the massive suppression shield, and then he resumed the patrol around Queen Angwene’s facility on the bottom of the Southern Ocean. Satisfied that all was working correctly, the Maveen probe continued slowly circling the huge dormant shapes of the ancient queen and her daughters. The ancients slumbered in a protective hibernation to both regenerate and avoid detection by the approaching Barus fleet. The probe knew that even if Maveen orbited this world they could not detect the ancients.

However all bets were off if a vassal race landed a sophisticated probe under the protective cover of the Earth’s oceans, as centuries of mining the sea floor had left very faint and distinctive markers of whom was responsible. Probe three paused and considered the Vorinne light cruiser gun for which so much had been risked recently.

Hopefully the risk would pay off and the ancients would leave this world within a few centuries. Indeed they would have to leave the world as soon as possible despite being much too large to pass through a Maveen gateway on a planet surface. The probe again reviewed the instructions from his superior, promoted to Earth probe, and now leaving with the other probes on the Trader ship for the new human colony.

‘Just keep the ancients alive and safe for two or three hundred Earth years as the daughters are nearly ready to leave. They have been safe here for thousands upon thousands of years. The ones that we originally sought cannot be far away and then the renewal will be beyond our wildest calculations. We though we would eventually find a dead queen and one or two live daughters, however we have found the queen very much alive and six daughters. Keep them safe probe three.’

Probe three thought on whom they had sought originally; the academic and his promising son had been escorted into the galaxy three thousand years ago, before vanishing during their initial search. He again evaluated the last conversations he had made with the now departed Dradfer probe. The logic of the elderly probe had also impressed both the Earth probe and the Sector probe before they had left. The probe resumed his long silent vigil around the dormant shapes asleep in the endless darkness of Earth’s deep ocean plains.

                                                            ***

The Cephrit Station master suppressed a chirr of outrage and grief, but managed to flex his chitin body against the acceleration straps for long enough for the grating of body plates to sound around the bridge of his cruiser. His bridge crew, consisting of males and younger females kept at their stations, and did not acknowledge the repressed fury they could sense from his smell. The massive and fully grown female marines standing in their own straps at the armored door well behind the Station master kept still as statues. Both marines remained absolutely silent as they evaluated their commander.

One of them, a well decorated Marine, was ready to breed and had just been accorded close duty with the well respected Station master in the hope he would select her for a mate. All thought of that was fleeting, as the Station master loudly chirruped a series of precise orders. He continued to watch the massive battle unfolding on the view screen, and quietly viewed with silent approval the course change provided by the quick thinking tactical officer as he gave those orders.

‘Order the cruiser squadrons to cover each other as they immediately withdraw at high speed. The stragglers who cannot leave are to form up in and cover the retreat of ourselves and the main fleet.’

The Station master now knew that the senior officer of the Cephrit Navy was now dead. The Fleet master’s main fleet of four cruiser squadrons had already come under very heavy attack by swarms of Tilmud frigates. The Station master had arrived later in the system with the two cruiser squadrons he now commanded to provide support to the main fleet. The earlier attacks by the Tilmud had been a series of feints that had worked well for them, despite the losses of so many of their frigates. More troubling was the presence of heavy weapons that the Tilmud should not have on larger ships that they should not have either. He had retorted around the bridge at the time about this interesting turn of events.

‘As reported earlier, the Tilmud now have light cruisers and none of the vassal races, including us, suspected this would occur. Now I sense a great plot involving deception over many years and yet where are the Vorinne? And why do the Zronte not restrain their pets?’

The Station master had then watched appalled from a distance, as his friend and mentor’s ship was selectively attacked by several of the new Tilmud ships and eventually destroyed. The cost to the Tilmud was horrendous, by his calculations they had sacrificed entire fleets of frigates, and a score of their new larger ships lay in fragments in the midst of the battle. However the cost to the Cephrit was the cause of his earlier outburst, and he flexed his six legs to attempt to relax as he now chirred again.

‘The main fleet has lost nine cruisers and six more are badly damaged, plus the three crippled cruisers in my two squadrons. If we lose eighteen ships that is nearly an eighth of the entire Cephrit fleet with no more ships being ready for years.’

The Station master’s summary of the battle was broken off as the ring of Tilmud frigates made a futile effort to stop the mauled Cephrit cruisers from escaping. A series of smaller explosions erupted amongst several of the smaller Tilmud ships as they received concentrated fire from the cruisers and were rapidly destroyed. The concentration of force by the Cephrit had a telling effect at close range and the Station master considered this detail further as the cruisers fled towards the exit point with the Tilmud frigates in hot pursuit. The tactical officer, a seasoned lieutenant who had leave to address the Station master directly, gave an update on the fleet status.

‘Station master, many of the Tilmud are breaking off as they are seeking to recharge their shields. We are striking several of their ships at longer ranges and they are falling. Also the three ships from our squadron and three of the least damaged ships in the main fleet have managed to follow through our break out.’

The mood of the Station master changed for the better with the news, and he urged the lieutenant to highlight the outcome on the tactical display. Within moments the junior officer had made his suggestions, and the Station master waited expectantly as the tactical officer spoke again while drawing a fleet course line.

‘Station master if we turn to this course line we will have our best remaining ships covering the exit of the six damaged ships though we will have to slow slightly to do so. The course change is into an area were our firepower had the most effect earlier, so we will encounter damaged frigates.’

The Cephrit leader evaluated the risks for scant seconds before he replied.

‘Lieutenant, key in the course change immediately. If we can save six ships then that is big improvement from before our escape.’

The Cephrit ranks of cruisers made the sharp course change and bore down on the masses of Tilmud frigates at close range. The Cephrit officers creaking in their acceleration straps were the only sign of the sudden course change. Near solid beams of laser fire erupted from the formed line of cruisers and lashed across the enemy frigates, as point defense and mass driver weapons also added their firepower to the carnage against the Tilmud. Faced with such an unexpected and vigorous assault, the mass of surviving Tilmud ships broke off their attacks and attempted to withdraw to recover the strength in their shields.

As the damaged Tilmud ships withdrew from weapons range, another section of the Tilmud fleet attacked the Cephrit fleet from the rear. The six damaged cruisers formed up and passed through at speed a safe corridor that had been left open for them. Satisfied that the badly damaged ships had enough speed up to escape the battle, the tactical officer made another recommended course change on the display. The Station master considered the new course change for mere seconds before he authorized the command. The formed line of cruisers now rapidly swung around to the exit point and accelerated to full power. The maneuver wrong footed the Tilmud frigates previously attacking the rear of the cruisers. Another series of explosions was wrought through the frigates as the concentrated firepower from cruiser broadsides tore the attacking ships to pieces.

The Tilmud frigates reformed and disengaged from the Cephrit cruisers. The Station master watched them go for as he quietly evaluated the outcome of the battle. He also watched stonily as reports came in that the remaining three cruisers that had been crippled earlier were now destroyed. He was truly relieved that the rest of the fleet had escaped and saved six cruisers that star base 31 could return to fighting condition very quickly. The Station master paused for a minute then he addressed the bridge and in particular the tactical officer.

‘We have been bloodied in a historic battle with the Tilmud, who have suffered grievous losses of ships and crew. All their new and larger ships have been destroyed. We risked a bad defeat and heavy losses but for the quick skills of our tactical officer. Lieutenant, you have performed superbly today to earn the promotion to Commander. Now after we reach star base 31 you will transfer to cruiser four in blue squadron as they lost their commander.’

Several soft chirrs of congratulations were called from the crew on the bridge as they applauded the promotion of their fellow officer and friend. The Station master looked around the bridge and then loosened his acceleration straps as he spoke again genially.

‘There will be quiet on my bridge and I want to see damage reports on all ships as we cannot leave a ship behind.’

After several hours the cruisers made the hyper jump for the return to star base 31. The Station master flexed his carapace as he considered again how the discipline of his fleet officers had enabled the Cephrit to recover and escape from a costly defeat. It was time for relaxation he decided, as he stood and placed his command sash on his console to denote he was off duty. He then walked through the armored doors and he favored the new marine with a soft chirr to request she follow him.

The marine glanced at her fellow marine who gave her another soft chirr denoting both her relief from duty and good luck. The Station master was politely waiting for her, as she first hung up her rifle and helmet on the passageway rack to show she was now also off duty. She knew that he could tell her state from the pheromones she was releasing as Cephrit males had a far better sense of smell than females. He gave her soft chirr of appreciation, and he admired both her field decorations and her large full form, as he savored her aroma.