Battleship Furiosa Page 23

  "Billy, hit them with everything we've got."

  "Uh...got it."

  There was a momentary pause and then the two large-calibre bow guns erupted with greats gouts of flame. Holes appeared in the rest of the ship, and one engine exploded before they rolled to the left.

  "Good work. Move under and bring us around to the flank of Furiosa."

  Cassandra showed her skills once more using the same sequence she'd used in a bomber simulation three months earlier. They avoided two more ships, and then popped up behind a fourth to see the huge battleship under heavy bombardment.

  "Now, where was that shuttle that was causing us so much trouble?"

  Billy tagged the part of the ship just behind the torpedo bulge. The image magnified and showed the spacecraft that had crash-landed. It was still there.

  "Any life signs?"

  Captain Sobiex answered him.

  "Looks like they've taken the passageway, and they're fighting their way inside."

  "Damn it," grumbled Nate.

  He looked back to Valdis.

  "Get me on with Krammer."

  She nodded, and to Nate's pleasant surprise the video image of the officer appeared in front of them and on the lower part of the forward view.

  "Ensign?" he said with surprise.

  "Yes, Sir. We are on your flank, aboard your cutter. We show troops moving to the command deck."

  "We know. Get out of here. We've lost lateral engine control. Furiosa is dead in space. It's time to..."

  Nate lifted his hand and cut off the Captain, much to his amazement.

  "Sir, pull your troops back to sector six on the command deck and seal the doors."

  "What? Are you insane? We've only just recaptured them."

  A familiar shape moved alongside the Captain.

  "Ensign? Good work. I think I understand. Can you do it?"

  "Yes, Sir, just get everybody out of there and fast."

  He turned and spoke to Captain Krammer for several seconds. Finally, Krammer relented.

  "Very well, thirty seconds, and be ready."

  The image vanished and was replaced by a squadron of enemy fighters that must have just launched. They rushed along the one side of their ships, each being harried by the turret fire coordinated by Matilda and Fletcher. Billy glanced to Nate for a second.

  "Can you believe this?"

  Nate shook his head.

  "Uh...what do you think?"

  "Time's up," said Captain Sobiex, "We need to hit them, now."

  Nate swallowed and pointed at their side of Furiosa.

  "Okay, only in the designated zones. Fire!"

  All of the forward guns opened up. The heavy mass drivers punched deep holes through the armoured plating, but it took just a short burst to destroy the shuttle. The effect was modest until finally a number of plates pulled away, and dozens of combatants drifted out from the breach hull. Nate blinked uncomfortably and looked away.

  "That's enough. Bring us about."

  They moved away, and as Nate started to relax, he tried to assess the situation. The more he looked, the worse it seemed to get. The ships still fighting were now massively outnumbered, and Furiosa was completely surrounded.

  "Look!" said Billy.

  Nate looked up as a formation of ships disappeared through the Rift.

  "Wow, that was fast."

  "No, I meant that!"

  He pointed ahead to the line of frigates, cruisers, and civilian ships. They were heading for Furiosa and firing continually. What stood out more than any other was the armoured cruiser heading to the battleship's flank.

  "They mean to ram her."

  Before Nate could give another order, the last remaining escort for Furiosa rammed bow first into the flank of the armoured cruiser. Both ships jammed together like some grotesque monster, and then slowly ripped apart by a growing number of terrible explosions.

  "Nate, a message on the open channel. It's their commander, Legate Catecahassa."

  He nodded, and with the flick of a switch, the translated voice of the alien filled the cramped interior of the small cutter.

  "... time for this little engagement to come to an end. Accept this death as a gift, from one general to another."

  Nate pulled back his head in surprise.

  "What? Where are they?"

  Cassandra tagged the ship and pointed to the forward view.

  "There. It is a captured heavy cruiser, and it is coming directly for Furiosa. Their other ships are already at her flanks. It's over, Nate."

  The young pilot rose from his chair and watched as more missiles struck the majestic ship. Few seemed to paying any attention to him and their little ship. He walked back to his seat, sat down, and pointed to Furiosa.

  "Engines full, put us between them."

  Cassandra started to argue, but Nate ignored her and looked over to Valdis.

  "Get me an open channel. I want their entire fleet to hear this."

  "Translated?"

  Nate shook his head.

  "No. If this is it, they can hear my own voice."

  For the first time, Nate felt his voice carried some weight, even if he still sounded like a teenager. The forward view shifted as they dodged so much wreckage before they could form up in front and slightly above Furiosa, just five kilometres away.

  "You're on. Audio and video."

  Nate smiled as confidently as he could manage as they focussed all of their weapons on the approaching armoured cruiser. It was little contest, and made much worse by the dozens of more ships at the cruiser's flanks. Still, Nate licked his lips and then spoke.

  "This is Captain Lewis, of the Alliance Navy. I order you to stand down, or you will face utter annihilation here today. My father fought against the enemies of the Alliance, and I will do the same."

  He stopped, blinked, and glanced to Cassandra who gave him a subtle nod.

  "We fight alongside our allies, the Byotai Empire, and we will not stop fighting until you're ash...or we are..."

  He took in a final breath before ending his transmission.

  "I call on all loyalist warriors of the Empire to fight for Makos, and for your Prince, Kratha!"

  A crackle of audio was the only response, and then a moment later the sound of thickly accented English.

  "Very well, child, if that is your wish."

  The audio cut, and in its place just the bright light of dozens of ships firing. Furiosa joined in, and even the pitiful volley from the cutter added to the battle, but it could never be enough. Something struck the flank of the cutter, and the ship spun around before Cassandra could maintain control.

  "What is it?" Nate asked.

  Captain Sobiex moved his hands about on his engineering controls, doing his best to help.

  "Engine three is gone. We took a big hit from their fighters."

  Cassandra rolled them back into position, and as the view steadied, Nate gulped. The enemy armoured cruiser was a kilometre away now, and he could see every detail without the need for magnification. More flickers of light erupted around her hull, and he tensed up.

  Here it comes.

  The explosions started along her flank, and then a single white light ripped her apart from the centre. As the flash faded away, the eight ships of Makos' divisions broke through, each firing as they came. At their flanks were even more of his fleet, many still burning from the damage they'd sustained.

  "Understood, Captain Lewis. We are with you."

  Nate's eyes narrowed in confusion. He looked to Valdis and Captain Sobiex, both of whom looked elated.

  "Who is that?"

  Valdis spoke first.

  "That is the sound of a hurt, and very angry General Makos."

  She shook her head.

  "They've rallied!"

  When Nate looked back, he found a very different battle. All but a handful of the Byotai ships had turned to join in the battle. And if he was not mistaken, a few of the enemy ships had also turned on their masters. Three enemy sh
ips exploded in quick succession, and in a matter of minutes, the enemy were fleeing, some heading for the Rift, and many more rushing to the Martos III.

  "Did we win?" Cassandra asked.

  Nate shook his head.

  "I...uh...I think we did."

  His expression changed to a wide smile as he watched Furiosa put a broadside into an enemy cruiser. It was so close that several of the projectiles actually burst through the hull on the other flank. Before Furiosa could fire another, the enemy ship's gun ports closed.

  They've surrendered. It really is a victory!

  * * *

  Byotai Imperial Battleship 'Furiosa'

  One Hour Later

  The line of officers from Furiosa waited in silence on the bridge deck of Furiosa. They were jammed in tight, but that didn't bother Nate. He waited there in silence with Billy, Valdis, and the others. Even better was that they'd found Dogg, Svana, and Lilija safely aboard the ship, too, albeit with more than a few cuts and scrapes. Though many of the ship’s officers were there, the human contingent had been given the most prominent position near to Captain Krammer and General Honorius. Even Valentine and the marines were there and standing in silence. Nate caught the attention of Valentine, and she gave him a nod. It was a modest thing, but to Nate it meant the world. It was the respect of one warrior to another, and he was nothing more than a gamer.

  "Here he comes," said Valdis.

  Nate glanced to his right and spotted Makos and his entourage moving past the first of the officers. It didn't take long before he was at his own group, and when he appeared directly ahead, Nate found he was speechless.

  "Captain Lewis, or should I say, Ensign Lewis?"

  Nate was surprised to hear him speak, but even more surprised that his voice had vanished. The General's mouth had widened into an impossibly happy looking smile.

  "You must have used up all your courage in the battle."

  He reached out and grabbed Nate's arm.

  "Thank you. I was incapacitated when you arrived. Nothing would rally my ships, not even the urgings of the grand old General Honorius."

  He nodded behind Nate where the old officer waited in silence, and then leaned in close.

  "You shamed them into action, by showing them that even a young man, barely old enough to serve as an Ensign, could stand his ground."

  He bowed down and actually lowered himself to one knee, even though it clearly pained him to do so. Several of the other Byotai gasped at his action, and then did the same. As they rose, Nate's face blushed red.

  "Thank you, General."

  "Ah," he said in reply, "You have returned to me. What do you have to say now that the battle is over?"

  Nate glanced to Valdis and then to Billy, but both had their eyes locked forward refusing to move even their retinas. He instead turned back to the General and leaned in closer.

  "Well, Sir. What do we do now?"

  General Makos grinned.

  "Human. We have won a victory here, but this system is still contested. We will have to leave this fight for another day."

  One of his officers stepped in to interrupt him, and he snapped back under his breath before continuing to speak to Nate.

  "There are times when one must risk all for the chance of victory. That is why we will leave this place and move to Kratha's aid."

  Nate's eyebrows rose in surprise. The fleet was shattered, and he dreaded to think how many had died. His eyes glanced to the nearby clock, and only then did he realise they were only hours away from the twenty-fifth.

  "Christmas Day."

  He hadn't meant to say it, but the old General heard the words loud and clear.

  "Yes, a special day for your people, is it not?"

  Nate nodded.

  "Well, Admiral Churchill is about to face the combined might of this upstart, Tahkeome, and based on the speed of his ships, he'll be engaged in battle soon."

  The old General chuckled to himself.

  "And I plan on giving him a bloody nose, a very bloody nose. Perhaps this Christmas Day you speak of will have new meaning for all of us, very soon. Assuming we can win a victory from this mess."

  Nate wiped his brow and found a red stain from the blood on his face. Without thinking, he lowered it to his mouth and licked the blood away. From the Byotai side, it looked as though the young teenage pilot was wiping the blood on his face, and that impressed Makos more than anything else.

  "We will rally the fleet. Every ship that can travel must be ready within the hour."

  He then nodded, baring his teeth with pleasure.

  "Because we have an enemy to fight, and I do not intend on letting Kratha or Admiral Churchill enjoy it on their own."

  "What about us?" Nate asked.

  He turned to his friends, old and new. Each of them looked just as battered and exhausted as him. General Makos moved closer and grasped him about the waist. When he released him, he almost fell over.

  "Human. You have a ship now. I suggest you get her ready. You don't want the battle to start without you. Good luck, Captain."

  Had he been Byotai, he might have picked up on the sarcasm given to his position. But it was kindly met, and as he walked past Nate, he gave the young officer a wink with his right eye and then continued on to the senior officers that flanked General Honorius.

  "Are all the officers Kratha has rallied like him?"

  Honorius bared his teeth and did his best to look optimistic. He then indicated towards Commander Higgins who stood on the deck alongside the other officers.

  "Enough of them are."

  "Good," said Makos.

  He then extended a hand to Higgins.

  "Your people have performed outstandingly today, Commander. It reminds me of the last war, when we fought together against the common enemy. I hope we can continue that friendship."

  Commander Higgins took the hand offered to him.

  "Thank you, General. You have a firm ally with the Alliance."

  Makos then struck the older General in the chest. He was rewarded by an uncomfortable grunt. Honorius was clearly not impressed, but did his best not to show it.

  "I'd hate to get there to find Kratha on his knees."

  General Honorius looked almost offended.

  "Don't worry about that, Makos. The Prince will see the Empire burn before he will surrender to Tahkeome."

  Makos' eyes narrowed as he listened.

  That's what I'm afraid of.

  THE END

  STAR MAP