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21

About fifteen minutes into their acceleration burn, they started getting the attention of the 5 Suns Alliance fleet, and presumably, Admiral DeVore. She sent her four converted gunships to intercept the Beauregard, essentially outgunning her four to one, in conventional weaponry anyway. Clement ordered no response to the gunships, as they would have to do quite a bit of chasing to catch his ship before she inserted herself into the battlefield at the speed the Beauregard was traveling. Clement had a plan, but he wasn’t willing to share it with his crew just yet.

When it became obvious the chasing 5 Suns Alliance gunships couldn’t complete their intercept of the Beauregard before she reached the battle zone, they received an Identification Friend or Foe ping from the main-fleet battlecruiser, and Admiral DeVore. Clement wondered what she must be thinking about his ship still being operational, let alone entering an active battlefield. No doubt she would have expected his ship to have been destroyed by the Earth Ark forces by now.

“Receiving an IFF ping from the 5 Suns Alliance flagship, sir. How do we respond?” asked Adebayor.

“We wait,” replied Clement, watching on his tactical screen as his ship drew ever closer to both the Earth Ark and the 5 Suns Alliance ships. The bridge stayed tense and quiet for what seemed like an eternity before the flagship repeated her ping.

“Sir?” asked Adebayor.

“I haven’t made up my mind yet, Ensign.”

At this both Ori and Massif turned to him.

“Who’s side are we on?” asked Ori.

“Our own, Mika. Admiral DeVore has betrayed us and gave us up for dead to the Earth forces. The Earth Ark is here to destroy any enemy and enslave the people in this system. I am opposed to both sides of this conflict,” Clement said. “Are the rest of you of the same mind?” He looked around the room.

“We’re behind you, whatever decisions you make, sir,” said Massif.

“Thank you, Ivan.”

Thirty seconds later the third ping came. All eyes were on their captain. Finally, Clement was being forced to make a decision.

“Ignore the ping, Ensign. Admiral DeVore knows damn well who we are. Mika, increase speed to 1.75 g and take us to within three hundred kilometers from the Earth Ark, but keep her between us and the 5 Suns Alliance fleet.”

“Aye, sir,” said Ori, and began her acceleration burn. DeVore’s gunships fell farther behind the Beauregard, and were now essentially out of the fray for the moment. Clement calculated the decisive moment in this battle would come well before the sister 5 Suns gunships could get within firing range of the Beauregard. DeVore seemed to realize this as well, as the gunships abruptly changed course, retreating toward the 5 Suns Alliance fleet while keeping a safe distance from the Earth Ark.

“And now there are three of us on the chessboard,” said Clement.

“But they have no idea we have the MAD weapon, sir. Could the 5 Suns Alliance fleet have developed it as well, or something similar?” asked Ori.

“It’s possible,” admitted Clement, “but not probable. The MAD is a Hassan Nobli special for the moment, and that is our only advantage. How long to our destination, Navigator?”

“I make it seven minutes, including the deceleration,” replied Massif.

Those would be seven very long minutes.


“We’ve arrived at the designated position, Captain,” reported Ori, “three hundred kilometers from the Earth Ark.”

“Indeed we have. Thrusters to full stop,” he said, once more scanning his tactical display. “The question is, now what? Who makes the next move?”

They didn’t have to wait long for the answer.

The fleet com line lit up for the first time in the entire mission.

“Incoming com from the 5 Suns Alliance flagship, sir—voice only,” said Adebayor.

Clement sat forward in his couch. “Bring it up, Ensign.” She did as instructed, and a gravelly male voice came over the bridge com line.

“This is the 5 Suns Alliance Navy battlecruiser Wellington calling unknown ship. Identify yourself and return our IFF ping or you will be considered an enemy combatant and be subject to attack,” it said.

Clement held up his hand to Adebayor, watching the clock tick for a full minute before responding.

“5SN Battlecruiser Wellington, you know damn well who we are,” he said, then gave Adebayor the cut sign. A full two minutes went by before the Wellington responded again with the same message from the same source. This time Clement signaled Adebayor to respond immediately, and she patched him in.

“If you want to know who we are, Wellington, ask your flag officer, Admiral DeVore,” he said. Mika Ori snickered at this response.

It took almost three minutes for the Wellington to respond this time, and when it did, it was a very different voice speaking.

“This is Admiral Elara DeVore of the 5 Suns Alliance Navy battlecruiser Wellington. To whom am I speaking? Is that you, Clement?” she said.

“This is Captain Jared Clement of the . . . ” He trailed off and looked around the room for suggestions as to what navy they represented, but got no help, so he made a name up on the spot. “Trinity Republic Navy gunship Beauregard,” he said.

For a few seconds, well beyond the normal broadcast delay, they heard nothing, then:

“We do not recognize the navy you have identified, or the Trinity Republic. With what authority do you speak for this alleged entity?” came DeVore’s voice.

“You know damn well who we are, Elara. Quit the bullshit,” said Clement. Again there was a long pause before she continued.

“We’re pleased to find you alive and well, Captain Clement,” said DeVore. “We recognize a 5 Suns Alliance Navy ship with the name Beauregard, but not one in the Trinity Navy, or whatever you just called it,” she said. “And how many ships do you have in this ‘navy’ of yours?”

Clement smiled, then spoke into the com. “We are a fleet of one, Admiral.” There was a dramatic pause again when the only sounds were the crack and pop of the com line.

“You appear to be outgunned, Captain,” she finally said, quietly and with determination in her voice.

“That’s what the Earth Ark forces thought too, Admiral,” replied Clement. “But we’re still here, much to your unpleasant surprise, I’m sure.”

Her tone went angry now. “I have no time to dawdle with you, Clement. You’re in violation of the 5 Suns Alliance Navy military code. You have disobeyed orders and declared yourself flying the flag of an unknown enemy. You are a traitor. Surrender your vessel now, and stand aside. Otherwise you, and your crew, will be considered as enemy combatants.”

“I regret I can do neither of those things, Admiral,” said Clement. “In fact, I suggest that you withdraw your fleet from this system, and let us deal with the invading Earth forces.” He knew that would stick in her craw. She came back on the line, with a laugh.

“You have one ship, Clement! A gunship at that, of which I have four left. You have no nukes aboard because I denied them to you. You were a great ship captain in your day, Jared, but that day is long gone. You will all be considered as enemies and your ship will be destroyed,” she said.

“Does that death sentence include your adjutant, Commander Yan?” Clement asked, knowing she would be monitoring communications from her cabin. “She was loyal to you.” Again, there was a pause.

“Yan signed up for the risks. Every naval officer does,” replied DeVore. “Now stand aside, and we will deal with you later.”

“Well, since I don’t fly your flag anymore, you won’t mind if I watch your next move from right here, do you?” Clement said. This time, she didn’t respond, and the com line went silent.

It took a few minutes, but her next move smacked of a bit of desperation as she sent in her two sister battlecruisers toward the Earth Ark. They volleyed missile after missile at her, but the Earth Ark stayed resilient, taking the explosions of conventional weapons as scrapes on her hardened regolith hull. They would have to use nukes to have any chance of penetrating the Ark; but it was clear now that DeVore wanted the Ark intact, to strip her of any valuable tech. Clement intended to deny her that prize.

The battlecruisers accelerated their approach then and started firing Hell Lances at the Ark, dozens of them. These had more impact on the hull, but not enough to be decisive. The Ark fired back with her orange DEW beams, but to little effect. No doubt the battlecruisers had hardened hulls against such weapons, unlike the destroyers, and quite possibly energized defensive fields too. A strong enough energy field could deflect a like type of energy. A gravity-based defensive system could even disperse the incoming wave.

What was now obvious was that DeVore would have to commit most of her fleet to take the Earth vessel. Clement was indecisive about whether he should simply allow her to do that and watch her fleet take severe casualties or get involved himself, and end the battle before it started. DeVore made the final decision for him.

A small flotilla of two heavy cruisers and three destroyers, all superior in firepower to the Beauregard, broke away from the main fleet and began making for his position. It was obvious their orders were to destroy the Beauregard. Clement couldn’t have that. He called down on the com to Nobli.

“Hassan, what’s the current status of the LEAP reactor?”

“She’s warm and ready, sir, but I’d be much happier if we were tuning her up to head home than to use the MAD weapon,” he said honestly. Clement nodded even though Nobli couldn’t see him.

“I understand. You said it would be better for the reactor, increase our chances of it staying stable and not cracking again, if instead of a quick microburst of energy we used the weapon wide open, in a constant flow for a lengthier period of time,” stated Clement.

“I said something to that effect,” said Nobli. “But let’s face it, any use of the weapon will be experimental and highly problematic. It’s a great risk, Captain.”

“Acknowledged. How long?”

“What?” said Nobli.

“How long should I keep the weapon open and firing?” There was a long silence before Nobli answered.

“Uncertain.”

“Can you estimate the weapon’s range of effectiveness?”

“Again, uncertain, sir. It could be anywhere from one kilometer to the end of the universe. We just don’t know.”

“So, what your saying is, I won’t know how well it works until I fire it, and if I do, I should keep it firing for an unknown period of time?”

“Five seconds at a minimum sir. After that, take whatever time you need. I’ll be able to gradually back off the reactor power once you shut down the weapon from your console, sir.”

“Keep this channel open, Engineer, and prepare to fire the MAD weapon,” finished Clement.

“Aye, sir.”

Clement turned to his bridge crew. “How long until DeVore’s flotilla gets within range to destroy us?” he asked.

Massif answered. “They’re two hundred fifty klicks out, sir, and closing fast. I’d say we have two minutes until we’re in range of their nukes, sir.”

Clement turned to Ori. “Options, Lieutenant?”

“I’d say none, sir. From what we saw of the Ark’s DEW range, it’s at least one hundred kilometers. If we go toward her, she’ll fry us. At the speed the 5 Suns Alliance ships are closing, we have little to no chance to escape, even if we did a max engine burn. And even at that, the best odds I can give you on escape is fifty-fifty, maybe less,” Ori said.

“So it appears we only have one option,” stated Clement. “Use the MAD weapon on 5 Suns Alliance Navy ships.” He looked to his two compatriots. Mika Ori had always been his conscience on decisions like this, providing her thoughts and advice during the War of the 5 Suns. She and Elara DeVore had often butted heads on what was legitimate strategy and what wasn’t.

“I don’t see any other viable choice, Captain,” she said. He looked to Massif.

“You know I have no love for the 5 Suns Alliance, sir. I say do what we have to do to stay alive,” he said.

Clement looked up at the ship’s clock, then over to the young Ensign Adebayor. “Ensign?”

“I want to live, sir,” was all she had to say. Clement sighed and sat back in his command chair.

“Nobli, arm the MAD weapon,” he said into the com.

“Armed,” was Nobli’s only reply.

Clement called up the tactical screen on the main display. The 5 Suns flotilla was closing. He only had one minute and twenty seconds before they could fire nukes at him and destroy the Beauregard. He looked down at the MAD weapon icon on his console. It was green and ready to fire. He aimed the weapon as best he could, sighting the lead heavy cruiser in the middle of the 5 Suns Alliance formation. He took in one last, deep, breath.

And fired.

The white energy of the Matter Annihilation Device surged out of the Beauregard’s forward cannon port. It took microseconds to cross the space between his ship and the 5 Suns Alliance flotilla. The lead heavy cruiser simply ceased to exist. The flanking ships on either side were swept up by the beam as Clement moved it back and forth from side to side, manually aiming at the enemy fleet with his fingers on the targeting control. He went past the five-second safety margin and let the beam go on for a ten count before he shut it down. The ships of the 5 Suns Navy flotilla were gone from the universe.

The bridge stayed dead quiet.

“Nobli, report,” Clement demanded.

“Weapon successfully fired, sir. System gradually backed down to within safety limits,” reported Nobli.

“Can I use it again?”

“I would say yes, Captain. The reactor didn’t even flinch at the firing. I think she was glad to expend some energy, finally.”

Clement smiled at that. “Have I ever told you that you need a girlfriend, Nobli?”

“Many times, sir,” he replied.

Clement turned to his navigator. “Ivan, could you track the range of the weapon?”

“I lost it after ten thousand kilometers, sir. It was simply moving too fast,” said Massif.

“Let’s hope it dissipates,” replied Clement. He looked to Ori. “Pilot, take us toward the Earth Ark, thrusters only,” he ordered.

“Aye, sir.”

“We didn’t start this war, but it’s within our power to end it,” he said, then he leaned back in his couch to watch his ship close in on its next target.

The 5 Suns Alliance Navy battlecruisers were engaged in a death dance with the Earth Ark. Though the Ark was mostly stationary, it was using maneuvering thrusters to get different angles for its DEW beam weapons, trained now on the two attacking battlecruisers. The battlecruisers for their part were moving in a sweeping spiral motion, attacking from various angles, then adjusting their courses and making another run. The toll they were inflicting was heavy, but they failed to penetrate the regolith layers protecting the hull of the Ark. It was a constant flow of Directed Energy Weapons, missiles (from the battlecruisers—the Ark didn’t appear to have any), Hell Lances, and smaller kinetic weapons. No nukes. DeVore wanted the Ark intact, but she didn’t know her enemy were fanatics, and they would never let that happen. Clement momentarily mused over the possibility of just sitting back and watching the two forces destroy themselves, but then discarded the idea. He was a man of action.

Ultimately, the 5 Suns Navy barrage was ineffective. Admiral DeVore had to make another move, and Clement knew she knew that. She had undoubtedly seen her flotilla destroyed by the MAD weapon, and she made no more attempts to intercept the Beauregard, who for its part was now within one hundred twenty klicks of the Ark and the battlecruiser group, and perilously close to the Ark’s DEW weapon range.

Clement ordered full stop and watched as DeVore committed another group of her ships, heavy cruisers and destroyers, to the battlefield.

“Those ships are going to get eaten up by the Ark,” said Mika Ori. “They don’t have the gravity shields against enemy weapons that the battlecruisers do.”

“It’s possible that the heavy cruisers have gravity shields,” commented Clement. “They’re big enough to carry the generators.”

“They didn’t have them during the War of the 5 Suns,” said Massif.

“That was fifteen years ago, Ivan. I don’t think Admiral DeVore has been sitting around in regards to military improvements for her fleet,” said Clement. Clement had seen designs for energy shielding during the war, but the Rim Confederation simply didn’t have the resources, or the ships, to carry such a defensive upgrade because of the size of the field generators. It was possible the 5 Suns Alliance Navy had solved that problem.

Clement watched the tactical screen as the second 5 Suns Navy flotilla committed to the battle. DeVore herself hung back on her battlecruiser with a small defensive group of five destroyers, three heavy cruisers, and the four remaining gunships. Everything else was now committed to the battlefield.

He watched as the battlecruisers cut off their attacks and reformed with the approaching 5 Suns Alliance battle group. The Destroyers, the most vulnerable ships, went first, followed by the heavy cruisers and then the battlecruisers. Again, the weakest ships out front, as cannon fodder. It showed ultimately that their commanding officer didn’t care if they lived or died.

The destroyers for their part stayed well out of range of the Ark’s DEW weapons, then lobbed a single missile from each ship.

“Those have to be nukes,” said Mika Ori.

“Confirmed,” said Adebayor from her station. “I’m guessing one-kiloton warheads from their energy signatures.”

“Trying to blow a hole in her sides, but not destroy her. They want her tech,” said Clement. The Ark lit up its DEW defenses and took out some of the missiles as they came in range, but three got through. They impacted on the hull of the Ark, one forward, one near the middle, and another at the Ark’s stern, closest to the Beauregard.

“Looks like they’re trying to take out her DEW defenses,” said Ori.

Clement made no comment. There was a flurry of angry communications between the Wellington and the destroyer commanders. It seemed someone was unhappy they hadn’t gone closer to the Ark to launch their missiles.

They watched as the heavy cruisers moved up and launched another volley of missiles.

“Ensign?” asked Clement of Adebayor.

“These are carrying a heavier load, Captain. Scans say somewhere between three and five kilotons each.”

Clement watched as several of the missiles were taken out by the forward and midships DEW arrays; the rear one near the stern, and closest to the Beauregard, appeared to have been knocked out. Still, one missile got through. It was enough. The missile struck home near the midship DEW array. It blew a sizeable hole in the side of the Ark, more than big enough for a boarding party to invade her. She was helpless now, and it was only a matter of time before her crew was annihilated by 5 Suns Alliance Marines, offloaded from the battlecruisers.

They were closing now—no fear of the Earth Ark’s defenses. They took out the remaining DEW array with a pinpoint nuclear strike from a destroyer, and she was defenseless. In a matter of minutes the boarding would commence, the slaughter would start, and the battle would be over.

“Do we destroy the Ark before DeVore can get her hands on it?” asked Ori.

“The Ark crew is doomed anyway,” said Clement. “If we use the MAD weapon we may be doing them a favor compared to what the 5 Suns Alliance Marines might do to them.”

Clement called down to Nobli to warm the MAD weapon again, and a few seconds later he had the green light on his console.

“How close to boarding are those 5 Suns Alliance ships?” Clement asked.

“Estimate three minutes until the heavy cruisers and destroyers reach the hole in the hull and begin boarding her,” replied Massif. “The battlecruisers are hanging back.”

“In case she chooses to destroy herself,” said Clement. The scene was an ugly one, with no good choices. Clement was resigned to his decision. He would have to destroy the Ark to keep it out of DeVore’s hands.

“Captain!” the warning came from Adebayor. “I have movement from the rest of the attack fleet.”

“Throw it to the screen, Ensign.”

The main tactical display was replaced by a scan of the remaining 5 Suns Alliance ships, the destroyers and heavy cruisers that had hung back with the Wellington. It didn’t take a genius to see what they were doing. The ships had regrouped, and they were making straight for the Beauregard.

“Ivan?”

“Seven Minutes until they are within missile range of us, Captain.”

Clement did not take that well.

“It appears they learned nothing from their first attack,” said Ori.

Clement nodded, thinking of the lives already lost; the lives on board the Earth Ark and the 5 Suns Alliance Navy ships; the lives of the natives back on Bellus; and the fact that Elara DeVore, a woman he once loved, was trying to kill everyone left in his life that he cared about. He made his decision.

“Pilot, turn the ship”—he looked down at his tactical board—“nineteen degrees port.”

“Nineteen degrees port, aye, sir,” Ori replied. He waited until she had completed her maneuver, then threw the tactical screen back up for all to see. He trained the sight for the MAD weapon on the Earth Ark. From the angle he had he could likely envelop most of the Ark in the first few seconds.

“Engineer, is the MAD weapon ready?”

“You have a green light on your board, Captain,” said Nobli in a noncommittal tone.

“Acknowledged. Count me down from five, Pilot,” Clement said.

Ori did, and as she reached one, Clement hesitated, only for a moment, and then fired. The Ark disintegrated first, enveloped by the weapon’s blinding white energy beam. Clement swept the aiming control across his board, from port to starboard, hitting and disintegrating the two attacking 5 Suns battlecruisers next. The final sweep encompassed the attack group heading for the Beauregard, and they were swept from existence, all hands lost in a matter of seconds. The beam carried on into space, and coincidentally took out one of Admiral DeVore’s remaining defensive destroyers, quite by accident.

Clement shut down the weapon, then put his head in his hands, rubbed his face, and gave a deep sigh. “Pilot,” he said in a quiet voice, “thrusters ahead, full max, close on the remaining 5 Suns Alliance fleet.”

“Aye, Captain,” replied Ori quietly. She knew what a heavy burden her captain carried with him now.

“Ensign Adebayor,” said Clement.

“Sir,” she replied.

“Send a text communiqué, to the 5SN Wellington, and Admiral DeVore by name. Tell them we are demanding their immediate surrender. No terms offered; no conditions will be considered. Tell them they have five minutes to reply with their unconditional surrender. Tag it with my name and rank, as Captain of the . . . Trinity Republic Navy ship Beauregard,” he said.

“Aye, sir,” she replied, and began crafting the communiqué.

“Will she surrender?” asked Ori. Clement gave a tired, tight smile.

“I hope so,” he said. “I’ve had enough killing for one day.”


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