First Admiral 02 The Burning Sun (31 page)

“Sir,” one of the Fighter Controllers said softly, “we’ve just lost the last of our Eagles.”

Despite the insistent blare of the alarms, the War Room seemed to fall into a deathly silence. Nearly two thousand Eagles, and their pilots, had been lost. Chulling closed his eyes and wanted to cry out with anger and pain, but knew he had to keep a professional bearing in front of his subordinates. Silently, Turthus Chulling cursed himself for his earlier complacency and then he cursed First Admiral William Caudwell for not getting to the Valnarim position in time. On the War Table image, the M-Cruisers were still randomly forming their weapon firing trios as they advanced on Chulling’s position. With the M-Cruisers getting larger and larger on the projected visual, Chulling sat down resignedly on one of the seats attached to the side of the War Table.

It’s all over, he sighed to himself as another stream of laser fire slammed into the Memphis, which sheared away the last of the high-yield pulsar-cannons turrets. Shaken and jolted by the impact, Chulling only just managed to remain in the seat. Switching to a wider view on the War Table image, Chulling saw the surviving Bardomil Harpoons and Flying Devils forming into another Big Wing. The new Bardomil formation reminded him of a Video Entertainment the First Admiral had once brought from Terra about a General called Custer, who had been surrounded by his enemies and killed alongside his entire command. Chulling knew that the M-Cruisers would grind away their force-shielding and then send the fighters in to destroy whatever remained. The Bardomil commander would have his vengeance for the loss of his Imperial Fighter Carriers. Sitting back on the seat, Chulling closed his eyes and hoped that the end for him would be swift.

“Admiral Chulling!” a familiar voice startled Chulling’s eyes open, “I trust we have not missed all of the fun?” the voice of Billy Caudwell boomed out from the War Table image.

“Sir!” an astonished Chulling instinctively sprang to his feet as the head and shoulders image of a very pink and blotchy-faced First Admiral stared at him.

“Trionic Web!” a Scanner Technician had the presence of mind to yell, “Star-Destroyers! Eagles! There are thousands of them, sir!”

In a split second the mood of the War Room went from deathly resignation to unbridled joy and cheering.

“Sorry, we’re a bit late,” Billy said calmly as if he had just turned up for a birthday party, “withdraw your vessels for repair Admiral,” he instructed, “get your people out of here.”

“Yes, sir!” Chulling smiled ready to kiss Billy Caudwell with sheer relief.

“Good job, Chulling,” Billy praised and switched his own War Table image to that of the battle situation.

In the War Room of the massive Star-Destroyer Colossus, Billy turned his attention to the battle situation. Around him, the Officers and Technicians from the Aquarius’ War Room now scampered about their duties integrating their activities with the Colossus’ War Room staff.

“Eagles are launching, sir,” the familiar voice of Marrhus Lokkrien informed the First Admiral.

On the image, Billy could see a stupendous victory taking shape. Before leaving the Terran system with the Titan and the Colossus, Billy had summoned the Fleet Carriers, Leonidas and New Thexxia, to his position. On arrival, the two Fleet Carriers were loaded up with as many Eagles from the three badly damaged Star-Destroyers as they could possibly manage. It had taken precious time to load the Fleet Carriers and the two functioning Star-Destroyers with additional Eagles. But, Billy knew that he would have to hit the Bardomil invading force with every fighter that he could gather. He knew that he would have the element of surprise and that he would have to deliver one massive strike to shatter the invasion force for good. With the fate of the Alliance at stake, Billy planned to deliver a crushing blow and send the Empress a clear message not to dare to challenge him ever again.

With the Eagles loaded up, Billy had brought the Colossus, Titan, New Thexxia and Leonidas to Valnarim. Ignoring current protocol, Billy had ordered the Navigation Officers to get as close to the battle area as they possibly dared. So, rather than appearing from the Trionic web at the safe distance of ten thousand kilometres from the battle area, the rescue flotilla had emerged, amidst the blinding flashes of collapsing Trion Fields, less than one hundred and fifty kilometres from the action.

Aboard the Bardomil flagship, Grattus Darrien had yelled with outrage and astonishment as the huge, two-kilometre wide, Star-Destroyers had emerged from the Trionic Web followed an instant later by the two Fleet Carriers. Whoever had navigated those ships had been a genius, Darrien cursed them. His final victorious tactical swan-song was now destined to be a final disaster as the new Alliance vessels had managed to appear in a flanking position between the surviving Imperial Fighter Carriers and the M-Cruiser and fighter formations. Worse still, the Alliance ships had begun to spew out thousands upon thousands of their single-seat Eagle craft from their Landing Bays. Isolated from his own fighter and M-Cruiser support, General Darrien now realised that it had been a huge mistake to bring forward the convoy protection Fleets to attack Chulling’s position. His supply and troop transports were now completely unprotected from the horde of Alliance ships that had just appeared.

For a moment, Darrien stood in awe of the Alliance commander who would sacrifice the lives of so many of his own people to draw this invasion fleet into such a perfectly executed trap. General Darrien was, however, completely unaware that Billy had been fortunate rather than calculating in his strategy. But, having viewed the Bardomil dispositions, the part of his mind that was Teg Portan had spotted the Bardomil weakness and presented Billy with the ideal opportunity.

On the War Table image, Billy had explained his plan to his senior commanders. The Alliance position consisted of Colossus, New Thexxia, Leonidas and Titan in a skirmish line. With the manipulator, he highlighted the battle area and divided it into three sectors. One, the fighters and M-Cruisers that would be scampering back to the Imperial Fighter Carriers. Two, the surviving Imperial Fighter Carriers; and finally, three, the supply and troop transports that stretched back for hundreds of thousands of kilometres.

Colossus would send eight thousand of her expanded complement of nearly twenty-thousand Eagles to the first sector to protect the departure of Chulling’s badly damaged flotilla and to finally dispatch the last of the M-Cruisers and fighters. New Thexxia would send one thousand of her expanded complement of four thousand Eagles to finally eliminate the last Bardomil Imperial Fighter Carriers. The rest, nearly forty thousand Eagles, were to attack the troop and supply transports with orders that none of them were to escape. Such a mammoth defeat would not only damage Bardomil prestige throughout the Empire, but it might encourage their long-time enemies, the Ganthorans, to cause trouble as well. The damage to Chulling’s vessels and the Star-Destroyers would take quite some time to repair and Billy needed to take the heat off the Alliance’s frontiers.

Splitting the War Table image into three parts, Billy settled down to watch the final end of the Bardomil invasion. To the left of the image, the Bardomil M-Cruisers and fighters had just realised the danger they now faced and were making full speed back to their Imperial Fighter Carrier positions. From the image, Billy knew that they would never make it. The Eagle contingent from Colossus was heading on an intercept course that would cut them off from the temporary safety of their Carriers. On the centre part of the image, the Eagles from the New Thexxia were forming into their squadrons to attack the last of the Imperial Fighter Carriers. To the right of the image, the huge Eagle formations were lining up on the flanks of the supply and troop transport convoy.

“WATO,” Billy asked, “how long until our Eagles intercept their fighters?”

“Four minutes and fifty seconds, sir,” the WATO responded.

“Thank you,” Billy responded and turned to Lokkrien, “you, stay out of sight.”

He indicated for Lokkrien to stand opposite him at the War Table, “Comms, I want to speak to the Bardomil Commander.”

“Sir,” a Communications Officer replied.

“Marrhus, I want to know everything about this person,” Billy instructed nodding to the keypad on the table edge next to Lokkrien.

“Sir, we have established contact with the enemy,” the Communications Officer announced as Lokkrien nodded his understanding and lifted the keypad.

On the War Table, the three-dimensional projected image of General Grattus Darrien loomed over Billy Caudwell.

“I am First Admiral Caudwell of the Universal Alliance Fleet, please identify yourself, sir,” Billy began the conversation.

“I am General Grattus Darrien of the Bardomil Imperial Forces, what do you want?” the figure blustered angrily.

“I am requesting an immediate cease fire and the unconditional surrender of all your forces,” Billy said calmly to the towering image above him.

The text below the image from Lokkrien’s keypad sprang up ‘Darrien, he’s a good Officer, a good soldier’.”

“What is your answer, General?” Billy asked calmly.

“Admiral Caudwell, you already know what my answer is,” the image replied, “a Bardomil can never surrender.”

“General,” Billy continued, “the last of your combat capability is about to be wiped out and when that happens I will then turn my fighters loose on your undefended troop and supply convoy.”

“Then you must do what you must do First Admiral,” Darrien responded crisply.

“Make no mistake, General, your transports will not escape, the only question is will you see over seven million of your people slaughtered for nothing?” Billy pressed home the assault.

“I have already seen my beautiful Fleets annihilated,” Darrien responded, “let them all find their own heroic deaths for the Empire, whether you kill them now or later it matters not, they will still be dead.”

“Bardomil propaganda says we kill prisoners,” Lokkrien’s text appeared below the image.

“General Darrien, despite what your Empress tells you, the Alliance does not kill prisoners,” Billy responded.

“I would like to believe you Admiral Caudwell,” Darrien replied, “but your reputation and that of your Thexxian allies precedes you.”

“General,” Billy continued, “we are both professionals, we kill when we have to and when we are ordered to, that is the code we both live by. I have no reason to kill any more of your people; you are defeated and you cannot escape.”

“Then we must die because it is our duty to do so,” Darrien said matter-of-factly.

“General, enough blood has been shed today,” Billy responded, “your people have fought with courage and honour and any further loss of life would be pointless.”

“And, they have one last final debt of honour to pay to our Empress,” Darrien answered.

“Give me strength,” Billy muttered softly between gritted teeth, “you have done all that is expected of you as soldiers and more, you owe no debt to anyone except yourselves,” he said aloud.

“Sir,” the WATO interrupted, “Eagles are within range of the enemy M-Cruisers.”

“Tell them to hold their fire,” Billy ordered, “and to shadow their withdrawal.”

“Why do you not attack?” a confused Darrien asked.

“Don’t you get it yet, General?” Billy snapped angrily, slamming his fist onto the edge of the War Table, “we don’t kill unless we have to, but if you are unwilling to surrender then that is exactly what we will have to do!”

“A very clever ruse, First Admiral,” Darrien smiled, “and, once we are in your power, how long before your Thexxians butcher us all?”

“Admiral Chulling knows this one,” the text from Lokkrien read below the image.

“Do you know our Admiral Chulling, General?” Billy sighed trying to control his anger.

“Yes, he is a gallant warrior, but he is also a Thexxian,” Darrien replied, “however, I see no point in furthering this conversation…”

“Will you at least listen to his words, General?” Billy sighed in desperation.

For a moment Darrien paused to consider the offer.

“I will hear his words, First Admiral,” Darrien consented.

As Billy made a beckoning gesture to the Communications Officer, the War Table image split into two equal portions. On the left, the three-dimensional image of Turthus Chulling appeared next to Grattus Darrien.

“Well, old friend of many battles, we finally meet,” Chulling introduced himself.

“Admiral Chulling,” Darrien acknowledged his adversary.

“Admiral Chulling, would you please inform General Darrien that we do not harm prisoners of war.”

“The First Admiral speaks the truth…” Chulling began.

“I have no reason to believe that you would not simply kill us when we were unarmed…” Darrien interrupted.

“That’s enough!” Billy barked and stepped away from the War Table, “stupid, pig-headed Bardomil idiot! Kill them all! Slaughter the whole lot of them!” Billy raged waving his hands with dismissive anger.

“Sir, I must protest!” Chulling interjected.

“No, Chulling, kill them all!” Billy ranted, pacing up and down the edge of the War Table.

“Sir, I will not be party to cold-blooded murder!” Chulling protested once more.

“You’ll do as you’re told, Chulling, you mutinous dog!” Billy threatened.

“No, sir,” Chulling snapped, “I will not kill defenceless people!”

“You’ll do what you’re told or it’ll be a court-martial!” Billy snarled.

“Then court-martial me, SIR!” Chulling bridled, angrily shouting out the last honorific.

“WAIT!” Darrien shouted holding his head in his hands with confusion.

In the War Room, the oppressive silence felt like a heavy stifling cloak as the air positively crackled with tension.

“Wait!” the confused Darrien called out once again, “why would you risk your career and your life for an enemy?” he asked Chulling.

“Because we Thexxians also have our honour, and our honour says we do not kill a defenceless enemy, especially those who have shown bravery in battle,” Chulling said.

“But…” Darrien mumbled, still with his hands pressed to his temples, unable to comprehend the situation.