“We don’t need marines. We’ve got Lee,” Aaron said. “Lee! Once we’re done, you’re with me. We’re going to blast those ships attacking Phalanx and punch a hole onto that ship. We’ve got to get Quintus. He’s the only one who can expose the Lord Praetor’s treachery.”
“Ensign, flank speed. Lieutenant, target the frigates with havocs. We’ll have a higher hit percentage as we close. Fire at will with everything else on the heavy cruisers.”
Phoenix burned ahead and at two light-seconds volleyed a spread of missiles into the pesky frigates gnawing away at Phalanx. Three frigates were blown to sparklers and another six drifted away as smoldering hulks.
Phoenix dove under Phalanx’s port beam and vectored dorsal along her starboard section, spitting tungsten all the way. It wasn’t an ideal strategy to close point-blank with heavy cruisers, but once in close, the larger anti-capital laser turrets on the Imperial ships wouldn’t be able to track effectively.
“Keep us in tight, Ensign,” Aaron said. “Keep hammering them, Lieutenant. If you see a clear shot for a havoc, take it, don’t wait on my command.”
“Aye, sir!” they both responded.
The heavy cruisers obviously turned their full attention on the new combatant, evidenced by the fact they scored several laser strikes on the ship.
“Ventral armor weakening,” Vee said. “Recommend we don’t take much more hits below.”
Phoenix vectored hard over starboard as a powerful laser strike from Phalanx crippled one of the Imperial heavy cruisers. Phoenix fired havocs at the remaining cruiser, which accelerated away at full speed, not feeling good about the odds of this engagement.
Quintus hailed.
“Commander, you are indeed crazy. That was the last shot we’ll be firing. The bridge is about to be overrun and we’re evacuating through maintenance tubes. I’ve locked out the bridge controls. They won’t have control of the ship and we still control engineering. We will be unable to open any airlocks for you. We’ll fight this battle here. I will hail again when I can. Quintus out.”
Aaron was already moving to the lift and Lee joined him. They said nothing to each other as they waited. Hammerhead was damaged and out of the question but he still had three other support craft to choose from. Flaps told him he’d checked all and each were good to go. Someone must have flown them in the docking bay so at least he knew the engines worked.
On exiting the lift into the hangar, he looked at the markings on each craft in the bay then he stopped.
U.F.S. Reliant. That must be a good omen.
“Lee, we’re taking Reliant.”
They moved to the small patrol craft and Aaron triggered the ramp open with his handheld. Lee boarded and took the tactical station. To his right Aaron operated the helm and completed an emergency systems check. The systems, which the ship needed to maneuver and propel itself, showed green. That’s all he needed.
The overhead boomed. The bay doors opened.
“You’re clear to depart, Aaron. We’re covering you. Lee, bring him home. Understood?”
“Understood, Vee,” Lee said.
Aaron clapped Lee on the shoulder. “Buckle up!”
Reliant lifted off the deck and burst into the black, and onward to great glory.
Chapter 28 – Define Irony
Reliant
Aaron slapped the control to initialize the seal and Reliant’s airlock sleeve extended to Phalanx. Quintus would not appreciate Aaron blasting holes in his ship, but the handheld link to Quintus provided his exact location on Phalanx, and Aaron felt it expedient to get as close to their mission objective as possible.
The pressure indicator flipped green, and atmosphere normalized. Reliant’s airlock rolled back and revealed a caped figure poised with a weapon, standing at the end of the docking sleeve.
“I told you not to come,” Quintus said, lowering his weapon. Two flanking guards relaxed their postures.
Aaron grinned as he stepped through the sleeve and onto the decks of the Imperial dreadnought. “And you believed that would be the end of it? Finally, someone who hasn’t read my file,” he said, looking over the Imperial Lord Commander. “Don’t you Imperial uppers ever take those things off? What’s with you people and capes.”
Quintus ignored him. “Commander, the situation is deteriorating rapidly. My people still control the engine room, but it’s only a matter of time until they are overwhelmed. If you don’t leave now, you might die here.”
Aaron waved his finger. “I don’t think so. I’m not giving up on you. I’m not about to let the last best hope we have for peace die here. We’re getting you off this ship.”
“I will not abandon my ship to these fundamentalists. Either we die or they do.”
“Quintus,” Aaron said. “You have the information and firsthand knowledge about conspirators from both sides. You said yourself the Emperor is a reasonable and honorable man . . . that he will listen to you. You claimed to want what’s best for the Empire—that isn’t your death. A lot of damage was done today but we have a small chance to stop this escalating to interstellar war.”
Quintus swung on his boot heels and moved back to the barricades he and the loyalists erected. “All that information is stored on my personal server in my quarters. Quite a few rampaging centurions stand between us and them,” he said.
“How many people have you got?”
“Twelve of us here and twelve holding the engine room. Some other smaller groups are scattered throughout the ship. Intra-ship communications are down and handhelds are jammed. However, before we lost comms, my men reported they locked down the majority of usurpers between decks six and ten. I’ve locked out the bridge. But if they get the engine room, they can scuttle the ship or bypass the bridge lockout and take us to warp.”
Aaron joined Quintus and peered beyond the barricade, beyond the melted slag of what he assumed was once the access hatch. “Any good news?”
“Only that the armory was locked down. The traitors don’t have access to battle suits,” Quintus said.
Fwump!
Aaron recoiled as several beams of energy struck the barricade and showered sparks in their direction.
“I take it you have energy weapon suppressors throughout the ship?” he asked.
“Yes but that would also render our weapons ineffective. And being at a numerical disadvantage it’s the only way we’ve succeeded in barricading the engineering section and our present location. Their numbers count for nothing in the narrow corridors once we hold position.”
Aaron snickered and whacked the Lord Commander on his shoulder as he moved back towards Lee.
“We’ve brought a little surprise ourselves—projectile weapons,” Aaron said. “From a time in our history some might argue was more civilized.” Lee handed him two pistols. The same ones he and Alvarez used on Rigel.
Quintus stared at him with a blank expression. “You believe blasting holes in people is more civilized?”
“More so than burning them to a crisp with energy weapons sure,” Aaron said. “The weapons are not that powerful, but they will be enough to stop unarmored combatants. Lee will lead the charge. He’ll get us to your quarters, just point the way,”