Warrior One - Fleet Action Pt. 06

"Weapons aye."

Dana felt the torpedoes as they left the tubes. Hundreds of them flashed across space, dropping in and out of hyperspace as they went. Then the buzz of the plasma cannon could be felt through the deck plates.

"Helm, as we pass, turn to port to re-engage."

"Helm, aye."

"Weapons keep firing on the turn."

"Weapons aye."

Commander Áinle Ó Daire, Captain of the Narvla, was in command of the destroyers. Dana watched as they engaged the Gar from behind.

"Weapons, watch your fire, friendlies coming from the rear of the Gar."

"I have them, Captain, Weapons aye."

"Very well."

Dana watched as Gar ships started to disappear. Ship after ship fell out of normal space, leaving behind bits of wreckage floating in their place. Then the Gar were through the system. Two big dreadnaughts floated dead in space. Scans showed there were still life signs aboard.

"All ships, steer clear of the big ships. Never can tell if the Gar will self-destruct," Dana ordered overall comm.

Bridget Brogan sat watching the two Gar dreadnaughts floating in space. They were essentially out of the fight. The only system still working was life support. There were life signs aboard the big ships. Warrior Three had backed away from the huge ship, as had the other FOP ships. Several K'lar ships zipped in close trying to get a rise out of the great ships but stopped when none was forthcoming.

On her screens, Bridget could see the Gar fleet turning to make another run.

"Helm, come about to face the incoming enemy fleet."

"Helm, aye," Lieutenant Murphy replied.

Warrior Three turned to face the coming Gar fleet, putting the Gar dreadnaught on her starboard side.

"Comms, incoming message from scout ship Seeker, seven bogies launched from dreadnaught to our starboard... "

The first Gar scout hit Warrior Three hard. The ship shook violently with the impact. The second hit shook it, even more, the shields held. The third strike holed the shroud. The fourth hit was through the shroud and into the main hull. A glancing blow.

"Full ahead, full ahead," Bridget yelled.

"Helm, aye."

The ship surged ahead. The fifth strike ripped another hole in the shroud and struck the stern of the ship.

"Damage report," Bridget shouted.

The sixth hit holed the shroud again farther aft, it holed the shroud once more as it zipped through, missing the main hull.

"Weapons, kill those ships before they get away."

"Weapons, on it sir."

The plasma cannon were firing as Bridget called out the order.

"Damage report, shroud holed in four places. Shields down, engineering is working on it. Main hull breached in section twenty-five, decks one through ten and section sixty-eight, decks twenty-two through twenty- eight. No casualty count as yet. Crews are working on sealing off the damaged sections."

"Keep me posted. I want to know casualties as soon as they come in."

"Aye, sir."

Then the lights went out. Bridget swore under her breath.

"Engineering, what's going on?"

"Auxiliary power coming online now."

The lights flickered and stayed lit.

"Engines are offline. Shields are still offline. Hyperdrive offline. Life support is offline."

"Great," Bridget said. "Someone open a window, it's about to get stuffy in here."

Several the bridge crew chuckled. Bridget even heard Admiral Fitzgerald chuckle.

"Lieutenant Gowan, how long until we at least have shields and life support?"

"Life support is coming online now. Shields will be up soon."

The air handlers started their hum. It was a hum you didn't notice until it wasn't there anymore.

"That's not soon enough."

"Aye, sir. Chief Mara is working on the shields as we speak."

"I understand, but there may be more Gar scouts out there and I don't want to be a sitting duck."

"Yes, sir,"

Warrior Three shook violently. Again the lights went out and the air handlers sighed to a halt. Pieces of the bridge ceiling fell onto the consoles below. Bridget felt herself get light. The artificial gravity was out. Frantically she grabbed for her seatbelt. It was fastened.

"Damage report!" Bridget shouted.

"All systems are out. No way to tell what is working or not."

"Any injured in here?" she asked, her voice now calm. "Mister Steel?"

"From what I can see, all personnel are alive."

"Thank you. Any further information?"

"I am receiving reports from all decks. Decks one through fifteen are breached at section twenty through twenty-five, just abaft the bridge."

"Thank you, Mister Steel. Admiral, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Captain, I'm fine."

"Very well sir."

The ship shook. The sound of explosions could be heard from somewhere inside Warrior Three. Then the ship was tumbling.

"Helm, do you have any control?"

"Helm, negative sir."

"Shit."

More explosion shook the ship.

"I need information! Mister Steel, any word on how bad it is down below?"

"Damage control parties are working to get... the fires under control."

"I see. Do we have a body count yet?"

"No, not yet. Most of my brothers are busy with damage control."

"Of course. Engineering, any word on the lights, gravity, shields, power?"

"None sir. Sorry, my board is dark."

More explosions rocked the ship. Bridget shook her head and put her face in her hands.

Chapter 110

"Sir, Warrior Three is dead in space and tumbling."

"Thank you, Ensign. Anything else?"

"There are explosions inside the ship sir."

"Very well. Candle?"

"The ship is dark, but the crew is trying to get systems back online. There are many injured and dead. Admiral Fitzgerald is alive as is Captain Brogan, sir."

"Thanks, Candle. Keep me updated on the crew's progress."

"Yes, sir."

"Sensors, how many Gar ships left in the system?"

"Three dreadnaughts and two hundred frigates, sir."

"Thank you, Mister Dwyer."

The attack on the Gar ships continued. For six hours the Federation ships pounded the Gar dreadnaughts. Ezra had moved the rest of the Warrior class ships around Warrior Three to protect her until she could get her shields back up. Three hours after being disabled, Warrior Three's shields deployed once more. Three destroyers moved into position to protect her even further as the rest of the Warrior class ships were drawn away in battle.

Caster sat twelve light years above the star system Rigel, her sensors scanning the space around the battle. She had just barely seen the seven Gar scouts that had pummeled Warrior Three. Gillian Saraid, Captain of Caster stared at the sensor screen. Warrior Three was centered on the screen and she had the magnification dialed all the way up. Then she saw them. Six more Gar scouts headed Warrior Three's way.

She typed furiously, pressing the send key, hoping the message would be received in time.

"Comms, message from Caster, Gar scouts headed your way, break, bearing two-four-one true, up five. Message ends."

"Helm, come about to two-four-one up five."

"Helm, aye."

"Sensors, narrow your scan... "

"Gar scouts on scope... "

"Weapons, fire... "

"Too late... "

The ship shook with the first impact. The shields held.

"Shields at eighty percent... "

The ship shook once more.

"Shields at fifty percent... "

Once again the ship shook with the impact to its shields.

"Shields down, shields down... "

"Helm full thrust to port, get us out... "

The ship was rocked by a massive impact.

"Hull breach forward, section one, deck thirty-five through deck forty-eight."

The bridge was once again bathed in darkness.

"Get me some lights in here," Bridget shouted.

Another massive impact shook the ship. Artificial gravity was once again off and everyone could feel the ship as it tumbled in space, dark, without eyes, without power.

"Warrior Three is dead in space, sir," Lieutenant Dwyer said softly.

"Life signs?" Ezra asked.

"Yes sir, all through the ship. They have lost life support, though. Wait. Lifeboats are launching."

"Comms, tell all ships to start bringing in the lifeboats."

"Comms aye, sir."

"Weapons, clear space of all Gar ships... "

"Weapons aye, sir."

Ezra slumped back into his chair. He watched as ships clustered around the tumbling Warrior Three to collect the lifeboats as they launched. Let the smaller ships handle that. The big ships had a mission.

"Sensors, how many Gar ships left?"

"One dreadnaught, approximately one hundred frigates."

"Warrior ships with me... "

"Comms aye."

Within minutes, four Warrior class ships were facing the last Gar dreadnaught. Sixteen thick, bolts of plasma lanced out to lick the sides of the Gar ship. Its shields glowed brightly. Then, explosions from within the ship tore it apart. The Gar frigates gathered together and concentrated their fire on Warrior One.

"Shields holding."

"Sensors, watch for Gar scouts," Ezra said calmly.

"Sensors, aye."

Then a new type of Gar ship appeared in-system. Suddenly, all the remaining Gar ships stopped firing.

"Cease fire," Ezra called out.

Comms relayed the order to all ships.

"Recall torpedoes!" Ezra shouted.

"Weapons, aye." Teague Kinsella typed furiously on his keyboard. "Torpedoes have been deactivated. There is no way to recall them, sir."

"Very well. Candle?"

"Truth sir. The torpedoes will remain dormant until reactivated."

"Thank you, Candle. Sensors, the new Gar ship... "

"The ship is approximately six hundred meters long, heavily armed and a formidable shield. It has sent a signal to all operational Gar vessels in the system to form up behind it. They are moving now."

"Comms, all ships, hold fire."

"Comms aye, message sent."

"Very well."

"Any word on Admiral Fitzgerald?" Ezra asked the room.

Silenced filled the room.

"Sensors, explosions, in Warrior Three. Lots of explosions. I fear it is her end, sir."

"Me too," Ezra replied.

Four thousand men and women were on that ship. Some were his friends.

"Keep me apprised."

"Aye, aye sir."

"Comms, Admiral Cook on one," Ensign Flannery said.

"Thank you," Ezra replied punching the button on the arm of his chair. "Admiral?"

"Ah, there you are. Any word on Admiral Fitzgerald?"

"Not yet, sir. There are a lot of lifeboats launching," Ezra told him.

"I see that. What about that Gar ship?"

"It's just sitting there, the surviving Gar frigates are forming up behind it."

"I see that too. Okay, if you hear from Lonan, let me know."

"I will sir. Warrior One out."

Chapter 111

Bridget was pulling herself and her first officer along the passageway to the nearest lifeboat station. Admiral Fitzgerald was right behind her. Mister Steel and Admiral Fitzgerald's command android were trailing behind. The ship was shaking constantly from explosions deep within. The abandon ship order had been passed by shouting down every passageway in the ship. The bump, bump, bump of lifeboats launching could be heard over the explosions from deep inside the ship.

"Okay, it's just ahead," Bridget said.

The glowing shape ahead told them the boat was still there. It was the command boat. Trailing out behind the androids were the rest of the bridge crew. They would all fit into the boat. Bridget let go of Mac and pulled the hatch open. She then stuffed the unconscious Mac down the tube to the boat, following in after him.

"Okay get your asses in here," she shouted as she belted Mac into a seat.

The crew crowded into the boat. Lieutenant Murphy was the last in and pulled the hatch shut. Bridget scanned the inside of the boat. Everyone was there. She sat in the pilot's seat, belted in and pressed the launch button. The boat shook violently as it left the tube. The darkness of space surrounded them. Debris from her ship surrounded them. Bridget turned the boat, so she might get a look at Warrior Three.

"How does she look?" Admiral Fitzgerald asked.

"Dead," Bridget said, her voice flat, without emotion.

"Sorry," Lonan said softly from his seat next to her.

"Thank you. She was such a great ship... "

"She was," Lonan said.

Bridget watched as the boat glided away from her ship. She could see the explosions deep inside the ship. She watched as lifeboat after lifeboat launched. Then her beautiful Warrior exploded.

"Brace for impact," she called out.

The lifeboat was struck by the shockwave, the debris was raining against the hull.

"Shit," Bridget yelled working the controls in front of her frantically.

Lonan leaned over to look out the port. His eyes widened at what he saw. The topside thruster were roaring as the little boat started to move down, out of the way, of the large chunk of Warrior Three that hit the port side wing, spinning the little ship.

"Crap," Bridget said.

She was still working the controls as another large chunk of Warrior Three hit the little boat, splitting it open. The air inside whooshed out the hole. Within seconds, the bridge crew of Warrior Three were dead.

"Are you sure?" Admiral Cook asked once more.

"Yes, sir. All of the bridge crew were killed when the ship exploded," Ezra told him. "That puts you in command of the Armada."

"Acknowledged," Milford said softly. "Not a position I would wish on anyone."

"Yes, sir," Ezra replied.

"Captain Kelly, move us in front of the Warrior ships."

Ezra could hear the reply of the Captain of the Mauthe Doog. He watched the ship on his sensors move to the starboard side of Warrior One.

"Now I guess we wait," Milford Cook said.

"That we do," Ezra replied.

All the ships of the armada moved into position behind Warrior One and Mauthe Doog. The FOP ships arrayed themselves in a conical formation with Mauthe Doog and Warrior One at the pinnacle. Saxon ships formed up on the port side, K'lar on the starboard side.

For five hours they waited. In that five hours, shuttles plied from each ship to the Chicago and Donegal loaded with wounded. Other shuttles brought new parts to repair ships. Other ships limped to the Donegal for repair.

"Comms, message from the Gar ship," Ensign Flannery almost shouted.

"What does it say?" Ezra asked impatiently.

"They want to negotiate a ceasefire... "

"What?"

"They want to send over two officers to negotiate a ceasefire."

"Well, I'll be damned," Ezra whispered.

"Comms, Admiral Cook is responding."

"And?"

"He has agreed, one shuttle, two officers, no one else. They are to rendezvous with Mauthe Doog in two hours. Message to you sir, Admiral Cook requests your presence on the Mauthe Doog."

"Thank you Comms," Ezra replied idly.

Chapter 112

The shuttle bumped down on the deck plates in the Mauthe Doog shuttle bay. Ezra grunted as he was pressed into the soft padding of his seat.

"Sorry," the shuttle pilot called out from the cockpit.

"Not a problem, Mick," Ezra said flipping the catch on his seatbelt.

"Yes, sir."

Ezra stood and walked to the hatch just abaft the cockpit. He stood waiting for the pressure to equalize. When it did, he spun the wheel and pulled the hatch toward him. It sighed, then moved to the side and slipped up into the overhead. Ezra smiled and stepped out onto the stairs that extended from the body below the hatch. Shaffer Steel was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs.

"Good to have you aboard, sir," Shaffer said. "Candle."

"Good to be aboard. You didn't have to meet us, I know the way to the conference room."

"Yes, sir. Admiral Cook wanted me to brief you on the way, sir."

"I see. What's up?"

"We have received further information on the two officers who will be coming aboard."

"Go on."

"Apparently, one is equivalent to a Fleet Admiral, while the other would be the same rank as a Senator of the Grand Council."

"I see. Any problems with them only meeting with a couple worn out Admirals?"

"Oh, no sir. It was just information sent by the Gar."

They had arrived at the conference room. Shaffer nodded to Ezra and turned and walked away. Ezra nodded and pushed the door open. At the conference table was Admiral Cook, Captain Kelly, and Major Conlan the ships Marine Commander.

"Wait out here Candle, if you would."

"Of course sir," Candle replied.

Ezra entered the room and stopped.

"Admiral Nichols reporting as ordered sir," Ezra stood ramrod straight, which made Major Conlan smile.

"At ease Admiral, sit, we don't have much time," Milford told him.

Ezra relaxed, nodded and took a seat.

"The Gar have called for a meeting to negotiate a ceasefire. They are sending two officers over here to... talk?"

"You have a question about that?" Ezra asked.

"I do."

"You might want to tell them to leave their armor behind, to start," Ezra said.

"I thought of that and sent that as part of a reply that we received their information transmission. I just don't know... "

"I understand," Ezra replied. "It's now a wait and see, isn't it?"

"It is. Any questions?" Milford asked looking around the table.

"Do we even know their species?" Donal Kelly asked.

"No. Each individual always wore armor and self-destructed soon after death. Teams attempted to recover DNA from pieces of armor to no avail. We don't even know what they look like out of armor. Hell, for all we know they could be human... "

Everyone laughed at that.

"I doubt that they are, but you never know. Look at the Saxons," Milford said, raising an eyebrow.

Everyone nodded. The Saxon were thought to have been an alien race. Even more alien than the K'lar, who were an alien race although almost human in appearance.

"All right, everyone but Ezra will leave. Ezra and I will meet them in the rear shuttle bay."

Everyone rose and left the conference room. Milford and Ezra made their way to the aft shuttle bay.

Chapter 113

In the shuttle bay, six armed Marines stood to the side, waiting. Admiral Cook and Ezra entered the bay and Major Conlan called his Marines to attention.

"At ease," Admiral Cook shouted. "Major you will make yourselves clearly visible to the Gar as they exit their shuttle."

"Yes sir," Conlan replied looking a little unhappy about his orders.

"Shuttle leaving the Gar ship," a voice called over the intercom, the speaker blared loudly in the shuttle bay. "Sorry," the voice said after it had turned down the volume. "Five minutes to arrival."

Ezra waved his hand in the air in acknowledgment.

Five minutes later the shuttle bay door opened. A Gar ship floated in and settled to the deck not ten feet from the group waiting. The ship had no ports. No visible hatch. The group of humans waited. Two minutes after settling to the deck a seam appeared on the side of the Gar shuttle.

"At the ready," Major Conlan said softly to his men.

The five Marines stood at easy, arms at their sides, weapons slung on their shoulders. Admiral Cook stepped forward one step. Ezra joined him. The hatch swung open and up out of the way into the ship. A figure stepped out of the hatch, turned and looked at the group waiting for it. One of the Marines gasped at the sight of the being standing in the hatchway. Ezra almost did the same but caught himself.

Ezra was surprised. He never expected to see such a creature. Reptilian, yet humanoid. The crest on its head ruffled, then was still as the Gar stepped down the now extended ladder. Another being stepped out, quite different from the first. This one was of genus Canis. Its snout was much shortened but its ears and tail were distinctive. It had no difficulty walking down the stairs and joining its partner on the deck of the Mauthe Doog. Both stood facing Milford and Ezra... waiting.

"How should I address you?" the Reptilian Gar asked in K'lar.