Carinae Sector: 02 - Admiral's Fury - Part 3 - Fleet Action (23 page)

Due to the savage nature of the battle, very few people suffered injuries and survived once their operating area was attacked. She knew that many of her gun crews had been broiled in their space suits and the crew had a candid nickname of ‘flash canned’ for their dead shipmates. Other crew had died after either being sucked through holes in the hull caused by the battle, or simply vaporised when whole sections of their ship had burned after having been struck by missiles.

The view screen chimed again and Mary found herself speaking with the chancellors of the Earth council. She noted both that her husband, Chancellor Mark Reynolds, stood in the front of the group, and that Chancellor Hans Schmidt stood subdued and silent at the back. Mark smiled warmly at her as he spoke.

‘Mary, we will keep this brief as I understand you have a lot to do up there at the moment. We the council congratulate you and the crews of your ships on your courageous victory in defeating the Jerecab armada. We are sending what resources we can into space to aid you and also the colonies on Ceres and Vesta. As per your surrender guidelines the captured Jerecab survivors will be sent back into space shortly, despite the objections of many people who want to try them for mass murder. We have also just seen the conversation you had with the two Barus captains and this reinforces our position.’

Mary crossed her arms, as she thought about the council’s viewpoint now being expressed by her husband. She then clearly stated her thoughts on the best course of action.

‘As I understand it we can petition the other vassal races to trial the Jerecab for war crimes, but I do not think it is worthwhile.  Now we must be seen to be adhering to these galactic edicts as much as possible. Note that the commanding Jerecab admiral is now dead, and his second in charge has proven more reasonable to deal with. Finally I want no chance of further hostilities as we now have precious few ships to defend ourselves.’

Mary knew that Mark could see her logic too well, and she also knew that the German Chancellor must have been over ruled in his argument given the quiet but resolute glare the man gave her. Her husband looked around at the other nodding chancellors as he quickly replied.

‘Well the Jerecab survivors will be sent up in one of the rescue ships shortly as that will prevent any possible vigilante response. You can negotiate with these alien leaders, but keep us advised of the results. I can see your lieutenants hovering around you seeking answers to life and death matters, so we will go now. Mary, I will speak privately with you in several hours time.’

Mark then gave her warm smile of pride and love, and the view screen went dark again as Mary set about managing the repair and rescue tasks. She noted that two of her destroyers were in reasonable condition and she promptly gave them an order.

‘Commanders of the Los Angeles and the Paris please take your ships out to Ceres and Vesta immediately, and you are to coordinate the rescue operations with civilian ships as they arrive.’

Mary looked over the map screen and noted that the Cephrit squadrons would arrive shortly. She placed a call to Gindane and Omerio, as she knew that she would have to shortly deal with the unknown intentions of the Cephrit admiral or fleet master as he was called.

                                                                     ***

Dave Edmonds had logged much of the battle relayed into the cold wreckage of his mining ship, and he was looking forward to later getting to Earth and providing the information to authorities. He was shivering away again, and wondering just when this trip to Earth would happen, when the radio came on again and a Sspol voice spoke.

‘Human pilot prepare yourself; we are extruding your ship into space shortly. I wish you have a long and happy life on your home world.’

Dave had the sense to drop his helmet visor and switch over to minimal suit power as he replied.

‘Noble race of Sspol I thank you once gain for saving my life; my name is Dave Edmonds from the Vesta Mining colony.’

There was silence for a few moments and the Sspol then spoke again after Dave decided he might not answer him.

‘My name is Greppun; junior engineer and cadet, and I modified our hold for your survival. Your race is to be congratulated for their brave victory over a cruel vassal race.’

Dave was hoping for more conversation, but the wreckage of his ship shifted slightly and the radio went dead. Suddenly there was a sense of movement and his wrecked ship exited the Sspol cruiser in a burst of ice crystals. Harsh sunlight glared in through the front of his ship, and both his suit visor and the ship’s cockpit glass automatically darkened. To one side of his location he could a number of ships with the Earth directly behind them.

Greppun had placed the call to the human after getting approval from his captain, and he knew he had yet another interesting story to tell in the future. As he talked the engineer slowly pumped hydrogen gas into the hold, and it had forced the ice in the hold away from the shielded walls of the hold. The Sspol had then quickly pumped more gas just into the end of the hold as Captain Hallime ordered the hold hatch to iris open. The ice and human wreckage began to move, speeding up as it went, and soon the hold was empty.

Dave used the last of the ship’s power to boost his radio output and began to send out distress calls. After five minutes one of the ships came closer, and Dave initially began to panic as he realised that it was not an Earth ship. However he then relaxed after he identified it was not a Jerecab frigate either, for good measure he interrogated the ship’s database and quickly verified that his rescuer was a Barus research ship.

                                                                     ***

Gindane was looking over the relayed message from the research cruiser Skolbane in astonishment. A lone Sspol cruiser had approached and it had discharged a near solid block of ice that was shedding clouds of ice crystals even as she watched. Gindane recognised part of what looked like a human ship inside the block, even as the Skolbane continued to send allied clauses to the Sspol cruiser. Gindane gave an urgent order, as she was worried that the commander was more concerned about the Sspol.

‘Commander Halerio that wreckage may have a surviving human inside it, so please proceed to investigate it carefully.’

Two small shuttles had left the Skolbane and had approached the wreckage, and Gindane turned her attention other pressing matters. She was soon engrossed in the damage reports for her cruisers, as Commander Halerio reported on the wreckage.

‘Captain Gindane, we recovered one alive but cold human, by the name of Dave Edmonds and he has an interesting tale to tell.’

Gindane was relived at the news and ensured that it was translated and sent off to the Exeter. She also knew that Halerio would be most accommodating to the survivor, as he had not yet been in direct contact with a human and he was an alien species biologist.

                                                                     ***

Emma had only waited until the last flight of missiles had staged and the fate of the battle became clear, before she ordered three more rescue trucks out onto the surface of the moon. Already other rescue trucks were being sent out to search the destroyed mobile guns for survivors. Several minutes went by and calls of victory from space were bittersweet, as Emma knew that Robert had probably been killed as the missiles launched. She had watched anxiously as they first located Paul Taylor and the other members of Robert’s team and loaded them inside two of the trucks. Paul had insisted on joining the third truck and they had set off to locate Robert Seville. Several anxious minutes went by as Paul then led two rescuers over to the nearby access cover to look for his fellow Aussie.

Paul banged on the cover and noted that it although it looked scorched it was intact, and he hoped his friend was in the same state. He then went to move the cover and noted that it was wedged down from the inside.

Paul felt relief at this find, as he now knew that Robert would have done this as the missiles were launched. He issued instructions to the rescuers and in moments they all were shaking the cover. The locking mechanism on the pliers came lose, the pliers dropped away inside, and the access cover shot up in their hands as Paul called out.

‘Robert, are you still alive?’

A moment’s silence answered him and Emma feared the worst until Robert croaked out a short reply.

‘I am really glad to see you mate.’

The rescuers then took charge and asked Robert to stay still and inform them about any injuries. Paul pulled a can of aerosol sealant and he carefully sprayed all the joints in Robert’s scorched space suit, as they were all were well aware that Robert could still die if his suit failed during the transfer back to the truck.

After several minutes, the rescuers were half carrying Robert over to the truck and he again mumbled his thanks.

‘I must be getting low on air and I have no water, thanks once again.’

Paul seized upon the relief they all had at Robert being alive and responded warmly.

‘No problem boss and sincere thanks to you from all of us for launching those remaining missiles that took down the armada.’

Robert asked a simple question as he concentrated on staying upright as they reached the truck.

‘The Jerecab have surrendered?’

Paul spoke again as they guided Robert up the rear ramp of the truck.

‘Duck your helmet to clear the hatch. Yes the battle is won, and we can all celebrate before you and Emma get married.’

The rear hatch of the truck shut and Emma heard the relief in Robert’s voice as he replied more strongly this time.

‘Glad to be alive and I did say a lot that I meant during those final moments. So we have at least two reasons to celebrate!’

Robert sank with relief onto a large bench inside the truck as the rescuers quickly got his helmet off. Paul handed him a bottle of water, as the rescuers set about the now difficult task of getting Robert out of his glued up suit. Robert then had a quick radio conversation with Emma and he spoke softly as told her he looked forward to seeing her shortly.

Emma was delighted to hear from him and she remembered a message she had got earlier.

‘Robert the Maveen probe is nearby and walks to talk to you….’

Robert was very surprised to hear from scout probe eleven and now asked the others to give him privacy as he talked with the probe for several minutes. After the conversation ended, he called up a map of the former Dradfer colonies and looked thoughtfully at it for several long moments. The rescue truck was soon heading back to the base, and it passed nearby to the now open hatches of the missile range. Stillness once again returned to the surface near the open and empty hatches littering the barren Luna landscape.

                                                                     ***

Captain Mark Hammond struggled to retain control of the damaged Long Reach as the mining ship raced into the upper atmosphere of the Sanctuary colony at high speed. The extra shielding on the remaining two drones had helped keep the Long Reach together, or so he hoped. Mark had earlier flipped the ship upside down as he sought to protect the unshielded bottom third of the mining ship for the heat of re-entry. The threat of burning up vanished within minutes, and Mark then flipped the ship around to her correct orientation. He was making a fast low powered approach as the Long Reach had lost half her engines.

Mark had selected the outer landing pad beacon as his marker and as the mining ship angled down steeply towards it, he then altered course north instead of south to the colony. He called out an urgent warning to his crew at the Sanctuary glacier loomed in front of him.

‘Everyone ensure they are strapped in as this is going to be bumpy!’

Mark then firmly put the belly of the Long Reach down on the glacier at well over three hundred kilometres per hour. The ship buckled and shook like a wild thing, but it held together and soon came to a rest. He looked anxiously over the status of the ship and noted that not too many additional red lights had appeared. More importantly, the two remaining operational drones were also landed, fully fuelled and operational. He instructed the first one to take off and land next to the blocked entrance to the deep mining tunnel holding the survivors. The second one was also launched and he instructed it to burrow into the glacier not far from the Long Reach. The radio came online with the voice of Joel Everson who was leading his three destroyers as they guarded the colony.

‘Mark, is everything down there okay? The Long Reach looks relatively intact from up here.’

Mark gave a short answer to Joel as he set about getting himself and his crew across to the blocked tunnel above the trapped colonists. No one was talking now about what they would do later if the Earth were destroyed.

‘We are okay and the first drone is awaiting us as the second drives a tunnel we can use in the glacier for temporary accommodation. The other drones I will leave in orbit for the time being, and I will call you later.’

Mark was soon leading his suited up crew as they lumbered over to the blocked tunnel laden with tents and medical supplies. Overhead two pairs of sonic booms announced the arrival of the two sneak ships, which then landed a short distance from the first drone.

After an hour, Mark was carefully driving the mining drone by camera as it began the hazardous excavation down into the tunnel. He knew that a similar drone had originally built the twenty metre wide tunnel years ago, so he was confident his more advanced drone would quickly reach the colonists. The rescuers soon had a pattern worked out were the Barede crew installed supports in the new tunnel every time the drone pulled back to offload fragments of rock and ice.

Joel sent another radio message down asking him how it was going and Mark realised that he had been too busy to call him. He now apologised and gave an overview of what was happening, as he instructed the drone to return and offload elsewhere another load of rock and ice it had excavated.