Warrior One - Fleet Action Pt. 05

All was going to plan so far. Then on the edge of his screens, Lonan saw the Saxon Fleet as it plowed through the Gar as they waited two AU's out. Then the Saxon were in the system declaring their presence.

"About damn time," Lonan said under his breath.

"What was that sir?" Poe Steel, the admiral's command android asked, his eyebrows raised in query.

"Nothing."

"Of course sir."

The Saxon weapons were firing at any Gar ship that was close enough. Ships were exploding all across the system. Gar ships were disappearing all across the system. Then the first of the Gar dreadnaughts showed up. All warrior class ships surged forward to meet the large ship. All the battleship class ships were right behind them.

Torpedoes, thousands of them, dipped in and out of hyperspace on their way to the large ship. As the warrior class ships neared the monster, four thick plasma bolts from each lashed out striking the huge Gar ship. Smaller bolts flashed from the Gar ship to the Federation ships bearing down on it. The four plasma bolts from Warrior One were continuous. Four, five terawatt plasma bolts from each Warrior-class ship ripped into the Gar dreadnaught overloading its shields.

Explosions ripped the guts of the large ship. The shields were down. Every ship close enough fired at the defenseless ship, did. Its end was almost anticlimactic as it disappeared within itself the last flashing brightly into the surrounding space. The space around Rigel V was empty of Gar ships. The space around Rigel VI was also empty of Gar ships. The wreckage of Gar ships floated around the battlefield. For a few seconds, the allied forces had a respite from battle. Signals flashed across space between the Federation, Saxon, and K'lar forces. Ships moved, formed up and prepared for further battle.

"Well our Saxon friends have agreed to follow our plan of battle and Ezra and Dana's commands during battle," Lonan Fitzgerald said to the holographic image of Milford Cook. "I have passed the word to both Ezra and Dana."

"Good, good. We now have a fighting chance."

"That we do, my friend. That we do."

"It's been quite a while since that first group showed up...," Admiral Cook was interrupted.

"We have two scout ships shadowing the main body of Gar ships. They report that all ships have halted."

"Probably conferring about their dreadnaught being destroyed so easily."

"That was a surprise," Lonan said, a shocked look on his face.

"It was. Oops...looks like they are back in the fight. Two hundred have just started forward...they have jumped. Gotta go," Milford shouted the last.

Lonan Fitzgerald nodded as he cut the feed he was transmitting. Back to the battle.

Chapter 104

Two hundred Gar ships appeared just outside the system accelerating hard. By the time they met the combined forces of Federation, K'lar, and Saxon, they were moving at a high rate of speed. The combined forces waited for them, all guns ready. The Federation ships fired first, torpedoes left the ships tubes and disappeared into hyperspace. Then all ships were firing their plasma cannon. Yellow, blue and red lines of death flashed across space to lick the skins of the enemy. The dull white beams of the Gar lashed out at the ships before them. The battle had been brought.

Warrior One was being buffeted by Gar plasma bolts hitting its shields. Ezra pulled his seatbelt tighter.

"Weapons are our bolts getting to those ships?" Ezra asked as they were rocked by another round of plasma hits.

"Yes sir," Teague Kinsella answered.

Then the hits slacked off as the enemy blips on the sensors disappeared.

"Well it took them long enough," Ezra said softly.

"What was that sir?" Candle asked, smiling at his commander.

"Nothing. Report, Sensors," Ezra shouted.

"Skies clear. All Gar ships have been destroyed. New group, bearing zero, nine, zero, six bogies. They're small."

"Gar scout ships," Ezra said, changing his main screen to echo the sensors. The blips were there, then they were gone, then they were back. "Shit...rig for collision," Ezra shouted.

Six small ships streaked across space. As they closed on Warrior One, the Airne Mor moved between the six Gar ships and Warrior. The first scout slammed into the shields of Airne Mor and exploded on impact. The next and the next did the same thing. The fourth hit the shields and penetrated into the ship's hull. The fifth and sixth hit the Airne Mor with more energy than any plasma bolt or missile. The explosions inside the grand ship were horrendous. The sixth Gar scout came shooting out the other side of Airne Mor and slammed into Warrior One's shields.

"Suicide run," Ezra whispered placing his face in his hands. "I did not see that coming."

"Not your fault sir," Candle said softly.

"Sensors, any more of those scout ships out there?"

"Sensor, none that I can see, sir."

"Keep an eye out, son," Ezra told Teague.

"Aye, aye sir."

"The what?" Milford shouted.

"The Airne Mor has been destroyed, all hands lost, sir," Donal repeated.

"My god..." Milford heard the curse echoed around the bridge.

"Captain, I suggest you scan for more of those cursed little ships," Milford said.

"You heard the Admiral Scans," Donal shouted.

"Scans aye."

The loss of the ship flashed across the fleets of the Federation. The anger the crews felt went unanswered. The Gar waited once more. The combined forces waited.

"Scans, five hundred Gar frigates and three dreadnaughts on the way."

"Thank you scans, keep a lookout for more scout suicide runs."

"Aye, aye sir."

Scout ship Caster saw what had just happened. A ship lost. She saw the impacts as she left the topside shuttle bay of Warrior One. Her ship was shaken and tossed by the explosions. Then all was quiet. Punching in coordinates she jumped into hyperspace. Twenty light years straight up should do the trick. As her sensors cleared, they began to fill with the ships in-system. Then the five hundred Gar ships were there, on the edge of the system. Warning buzzers blared as three large Gar ships appeared just behind the frigates.

As she watched, hundreds of small ships left the big brutes headed for the combined forces ships. Flashing a message to Warrior One she went live with her sensor feed. Working as fast as she could, she designated each scout the Gar launched. Her comm unit buzzed. Just one word lit the screen. Thanks. It was tagged with Ezra Nichols identifier. She smiled. Her ship was buffeted by plasma fire. A Gar scout was baring down her.

Taking the controls of her ship, she jinked left, then right, then up, then down. Still, the Gar scout pursued her. Then plasma bolts came from above her. The Gar scout was hit over and over. It exploded a scant five hundred meters from her ship.

"Little brother, Destroyer 098-901 at your service. Please continue to broadcast your sensor readings. We have your back."

"Caster aye, and thank you 098-901," Gillian replied, turning back to her sensors.

The feed continued. Gillian watched the battle below as the destroyer hovered over her.

Chapter 105

The Gar ships came. The Gar scouts surged before them. Torpedoes flashed from all the Federation ships. Five for each Gar scout. Hundreds for the Gar dreadnaughts. The space in the Rigel system was now filled with death and destruction.

Bridget Brogan called out orders and watched the battle develop on the big screen up front. She could hear Admiral Fitzgerald talking with his command android and on his comm set. She was down two ships. A battlecruiser and a destroyer. Fleet Services had sent her two destroyers to fill out her TO, but she didn't even know those captains.

"Sensors, five bogies headed our way...fifty seconds."

"All guns on those bogies. What has happened to the torpedoes earmarked for those ships?"

"All guns firing. They are still on their way. Closing fast. It takes time to target from a feed source twenty light years away."

"Sorry. All hands rig for collision!" Bridget shouted.

The first Gar scout hit Warrior Three's shield. The large ship shook with the impact. Another impact almost knocked Bridget from her seat, even though she was belted in. The third ship hit the shroud and went right through and out the other side. Warrior Three was now without shields. The fourth and fifth impact never came.

"Get those shields back up," Bridget screamed.

"Working on it Captain," her chief engineer shouted back.

"Helm, get us out of here, 312 up 5, jump, one AU out."

"Captain we can't jump without shields, course 312 up 5 laid in."

"Max thrust and I mean push it to the firewall," Bridget said calmly. "Weapons, keep all Gar ships away from us if you can."

"Helm, aye."

"Weapons, aye."

Bridget was gripping her belt so hard her knuckles were white. Then a hand was on her shoulder. Turning she looked up at Admiral Fitzgerald.

"Sir?" she croaked.

"Nice and easy, Bridget, nice and easy. No good scaring the crew. Nice and easy," Admiral Fitzgerald told her.

"Yes, sir." Bridget was suddenly calm and at peace with the world around her. They had lived to fight another day.

"Sensors...the Naomh Eoin..."

"What about them Glenn?" Bridget said softly.

"They...are gone...destroyed. Oh my god, they are all gone," Glenn wheezed choking on the last.

"Oh my god," Bridget whispered.

"We knew we would lose some ships, Bridget. We discussed this. Nice and easy," Lonan encouraged her.

"Yes, sir. Nice and easy."

Bridget sat back. Quickly she evaluated the data before her.

"Chief Engineer, where are my shields?"

"Coming online now, sir."

"Helm, reverse course, we're back in the fight. All weapons firing on the turn."

"Helm, aye."

"Weapons aye."

With grace and agility of a ship much smaller than her, Warrior Three rejoined the battle.

The Gar dreadnaughts flashed into hyperspace. They were gone. Sensors showed them back two AU's out. They had offloaded their cargo and had retired from battle. All ships immediately retargeted their torpedoes to ships in the system. It was taking longer and longer to clear the Gar ships from the sky. Each wave extended the battle. The crews of all the ships were near exhaustion. Then the Gar stopped. For the first hour, everyone thought they would be coming in just minutes. After two hours, captains rotated their bridge crews to secondaries. Captains even retired to their ready rooms to catch much-needed sleep.

Ten hours and still the Gar waited out in deep space. Ten hours and the primary bridge crews were refreshed and fed. At the twelfth hour, they came. Four hundred frigates moved from two AU's out to the edge of the system. The battle for Rigel was once more joined.

A buzzing sound blared. Gillian Saraid, pilot and captain of the scout ship Caster groaned. Looking at where the buzzing was coming from she read the ship's clock. Four hours. It had passed quickly.

"Alarm off," she said. The ships AI responded and the ship was once again silent.

"It is time," the ships AI said softly.

"I know, Cass, I know."

"Yes, sir."

Gillian groaned as she stood and stretched. Two steps from her bunk and she was at the food pantry. She grabbed a protein bar and carb soda. Slouching in her seat, she scanned her board. Sensors were still transmitting their data. Fighters were chasing down Gar scouts still in the system. Data scrolled down the side telling Gillian another Federation ship was lost to the little ships.

"Cass, are we close enough to see if there are life signs in those scout ships still in the system?"

"No, sir."

"Hmmm...too far to see life signs yet any closer and we lose the ability to see the little darlings."

"Yes, sir."

"All right Cass, I have the conn."

"Yes, sir."

For the next two days, the Gar frigates came. Wave after wave. Until there were no more. No more scout ship were dumped to wreak havoc on the ships of the combined forces defending Rigel. Only six of the Gar dreadnaught ship remained. The Federation had lost two more ships, the destroyer Ailill and cruiser Aisling, both from Fleet Four. The K'lar had lost six ships. The Saxon three. All lost to the little Gar scout ships suicide attacks. Sensor data showed that all the Gar pilots were dead in their seats.

All ships were now consolidated. Rearm and supply took place around Rigel V. Chicago was there half its pods MedServ, the other half FleetServ repair pods. Donegal was also making repairs to ships as fast as it could.

Then the dreadnaughts were coming.

To be continued...