IMAGINATION'S PLACE
FICTION
JOURNEY TO THE LIGHT
By; Speaker Gerald Polley
All rights reserved.
Chapter 37
Two days later Carol called her wing commanders in
for a conference. "Question," she began, "if somebody is
attacking us, they're most likely going to have all their scanning
right where we'll be, right? There's not much chance they'd have
scanning out to the side if they think all of us are in one place?"
Marshall Eastwood looked thoughtful and then
replied. "They'd be awful careless, ma'am, but you're probably
right. If they saw all the ships they thought we had they would
probably be locking everything they had on us. Why?"
"Because I want our ten most inexperienced
pilots to pull away from us when we go up. I want five of them to
go way out on our left flank, and five of 'em on our right. Now,
next question. This instantaneous communications thing we use,
it's only good at short range, right?"
"Yes," Earhart answered. "That's why we
only have our ships a day out. That's just about the limit of the
accelerator's range."
"Good!" Carol praised, "Now, next
question. If I was to be sending to the ships on our flanks could
the enemy pick it up?"
"Not a prayer!" Earhart continued. "It's very
tight beam. Only because we'll know where the other ships are
would we be able to lock onto them."
"Good!" Carol giggled. "That's gonna give me a bit
of a surprise for anybody that shows up. I plan to simply go up
and confront them. They'll see forty ships in four
formations. And I'm hoping that will give us just a tiny
edge. I got a feeling somebody's sending carriers. That's
why you people were sent. So that's what I'm going to be prepared
to fight. But my ten little surprises will give me something
extra if there's anything else."
"That's very good thinking ma'am!" Eastwood put
in. "You're probably right. It wouldn't make any sense to
send any other kind of ships. They wouldn't have enough fire
power to do anything! It's almost certain it will be
carriers! But we're probably going to be outnumbered."
"Aren't the heroes always outnumbered and out
gunned?" Carol teased. "Isn't that the way these things always
go?"
Her young companion smiled. "Yes ma'am," he
answered, "but sometimes the heroes get damned tired of it!"
"And how!" everybody around him snapped.
"Let's get busy!" Carol instructed.
"Ma'am!" Rosebud put in, "I was told to advise you
my people have got their little defense systems working. It's
hard to believe but the weapons are still functional. We simply had to
take the covers off them and expose them. Of course in the
reverse order."
"Of course!" Carol managed. "What are their capabilities?"
"Well," Rosebud answered, "anybody attacking us is
gonna wanna stay in a very high orbit, 'cause if they come into a low
one, what is the expression your people have? They're gonna find
out what heck is?"
Carol grinned. "That's hell!" she managed.
"And good! I want them to find out! I don't suppose
your people will let us have a look at those weapons."
The balls looked rather nervous, which Carol thought
was fantastic for someone living in a mechanical machine. But
when they were feeling different emotions their facial features changed
and everybody was getting so they could read them. Finally
Rosebud answered "I don't think that would be appropriate. The
Old Ones would not approve. But it won't be very long before you
have comparable systems, from studying your research we can see that
you're already working on them."
"Wish you hadn't told me that!" Carol sighed. "I think what we already have is quite nasty enough."
"Uh huh!" Everybody muttered.
"Well, let's get busy!" Carol snapped. "Whoever's
coming let's give them a nice, warm welcome and make absolutely sure
they don't wanna stay!"
Everyone departed. Carol tried not
to be nervous. But it was almost impossible. The children
started giving her a wide berth and she apologized to them if she was
irritable. Her youngest looked at her and said "You're going to
have to hurt people and you don't like that. We understand!
We wish you didn't have to."
Carol kissed her on the forehead. The next
morning she woke to somebody touching her hand. She opened her
eyes to see the young messenger from the command deck. "The scout
ships, ma'am!" he announced, "They've picked up four large object
coming towards us four days away at the speed they're making.
Orders, ma'am?"
"Prepare all ships for launch!" Carol ordered.
"We're going up! I wanna meet them two days out. I want
fighting room."
"Understood, ma'am!" the aide snapped. "Good luck, ma'am!"
"We're gonna need it!" Carol replied.
She got up, showered, trying not to look at her
husband as he showered and dressed. She just had no time to be
interested in that right now. She went in, kissed all the
children, and hurried for their landing bay. Her husband hot on
her heels. As they got to their ships she turned to him and
snapped "Take second flight! Follow my lead in all
maneuvers. Don't play hero! Let my people take care of
me. You take care of yours."
"That's gonna be a hard order to obey!" her husband snapped, "But understood commander!"
Carol returned his smile. Her husband started
for his ship, turned back, grabbed her, and gave her a passionate
kiss. "Just in case I don't get to do that again!" he
snapped.
Carol returned his grin. She got in her ship,
squeezed into her space suit. It wasn't quite uncomfortable, but
it was gettin' there! She was glad whoever it was came now. They
got out, taking their time. While they could still use short
range communications Carol asked the scouts what they had seen.
"Couldn't get close enough," their leader answered, "to get real good
readings, but I think two of the ships aren't carriers. I think they
might be space destroyers. They'd have some pretty heavy weapons
for ground action."
"Right!" Carol snapped. She got on the hyper
communications and talked to the commander of both wings. "I want
you to watch," Carol ordered, "we believe two of the contacts are space
destroyers. I want you as soon as I take up a stationary position
to go around and come in and release your missiles exactly so
they'll reach the enemy fifteen minutes later, then run for home to
reload, so you can come back and back up the rest of us while we
reload. Follow those instructions."
After she had transmitted she sat back.
"What if those approaching," the ship asked, "are reasonable and do not
choose to attack?"
"They won't be," Carol answered, "and they
will. They've come all this way in sleeper ships to challenge
us. They will challenge us! There's no question of it."
She settled down. The hardest part of any
battle was the waiting. She had ordered communications silence,
but the ships were close enough that they could flash light signals to
each other, and Carol saw no harm in that. The enemy couldn't
detect them. By the time he did it would be too late.
Finally she ordered acceleration and they moved
towards the oncoming ships and she shot a beam to them.
"Approaching vessels," she snapped, "shut down your drive and come to a
full stop. You are entering protected territory without
authorization. State your purpose here, now!"
"This is Commander Richelieu, United Earth Forces.
Do not hinder our progress. The United Earth Government does not
recognize your authority to protect this planet. This planet
belongs to all of humanity, not just The Republic. We do not
recognize these creatures as intelligent beings. We are seizing
this world for humanity. If they cooperate with us they'll be given
reservations on which to live. But this world will be for
humanity."
"All stop!" Carol snapped, and as one her ships came to a
halt. "I give you ten minutes," Carol replied, "to shut down your
ships, shut down your weapons. If you do so we will resupply you
and permit you to return to Earth. Otherwise than that we will
commence our attack and either disable you, or, destroy you. We
do not recognize The United World Government. It is a non entity.
If you are working under their orders your orders are illegal. Move
away, now! This is your final warning!"
"We outnumber you better than two to one!" the voice
replied. "If you resist you will be destroyed. I order you to
back off, in the name of humanity!"
"Go play with yourself!" Carol snapped.
"I'm not going to talk to you any more! It's a waste of time!
Like he said, there's no sense talking to lunatics. For the last
time, back off!"
She shut down her communications. "Stand by!"
she ordered. "Watch your clocks. When I start moving move
with me. As soon as they deploy their fighters pick a target but
send your missiles to the ships, the carriers. Use your weapons
and only send two missiles to a time. Flight two, after you've
used half your missiles hold the rest. When we've used all of
ours we'll run for reload. You'll keep them busy 'til the reserve
ships arrive and when we get back run for reload. Here we go!"
They moved out. The enemy held his fighters
until the last minute, then they began to rise off his deck.
Suddenly explosion after explosion hit the escorts. He was sure
this commander was screaming insults and probably tearing his hear out.
She hoped her little surprise had taken him completely off guard!
The fighters tried to stop some of the missiles. That was a
mistake! They left themselves open and her people took
advantage. After their first pass they weren't outnumbered
quite so bad.
Carol's husband shot her a signal. "These pilots
aren't very good! They barely seem to be able to handle their
ships. I think they just might be kids that they grabbed from
some training school. I don't think they were really expecting
resistance."
"Well, that's something they're gonna get!" Carol
answered. "Some of them seem capable. Don't get careless.
Warn everyone! As they get desperate they'll get better. Their
equipment seems equal. Some of us are green, too."
"Could've fooled me!" her husband answered.
"Amen!" came another voice.
"Cut the chatter!" Carol snapped. "Let's go
back. Second squadron, those escorts seem to be in trouble.
Give them another flight of missiles. Maybe we can discourage
them."
After that run the escorts started dropping escape
pods and launching ships, not fighters, small shuttles that moved off
into space, away from the battle. And then the ships began to put
on speed.
"They're accelerating!" Eastwood warned.
"They're heading straight for the planet. They'll never go into
orbit at those speeds!"
"They don't intend to!" Carol snapped. "They
plan to hit something that's in orbit!" She switched frequencies.
"Colony ship! Asteroid! You've got two unfriendlies coming at
you. Give them everything you've got! When they get to you
make sure that it's just pieces that bounce off your shields, just
junk!"
"Understood!" two voices replied.
Carol went back to the fight. Two of her ships
had withdrawn damaged. But so far she hadn't lost anybody.
The enemy ships floating off at the edge of the battle were growing in
number. The junk just drifting in space, also. They kept
hammering. The carriers were beginning to have trouble. She
suddenly received a signal. "I need to advise you," the enemy
commander remarked, "we're overloaded! We're carrying women and
children to establish The United Earth's colony. If you continue to
pound us like this you will kill them. Will you kill human women
and children for these creatures that you're protecting?"
"Call back your fighters!" Carol answered. "Shut
down your drive! We'll take your passengers prisoner. They will
be well treated."
"I will deposit my passengers on their new home!"
the voice came back. "Or they will die with us in the
attempt. Their blood will be on your hands!"
"So be it!" Carol answered. "You will not land
on the planet! First wing!" she ordered, "Fire your last barrage
of missiles and withdraw for reload."
She went in, put her last two missiles into the
carrier, and sped away. Out of sensor range modules from the
asteroid waited with more missiles. Her and her ships rushed to
them. They didn't like doing it, leaving their friends to fight
alone, but missiles were more effective against the carriers than their
weapons. So it was necessary. Eastwood's voice came on
line.
"I'm going to have to withdraw, ma'am. I'm wounded."
"How bad?" Carol asked.
"Bad, ma'am!" he answered. "Something got
through the hull. I'm afraid it cut off my right leg. The
suit's automatic tourniquets have stopped the bleeding. But I'm
afraid I can't function, ma'am."
"Let me dock up with you," Carol snapped.
"What?" Eastwood asked.
"Don't ask questions!" Carol instructed. "Let me dock up with you!"
"O.k.!" Eastwood answered, "Affirmative, ma'am!"
The two ships quickly approached each other.
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