Authors: Nick S. Thomas
"Not a pretty sight, is it?"
"How much longer until we send the Purge fleet in?" he asked.
"Not long now, but we need to get as many of those escort ships out of the way as possible to give us the best chance of getting the nukes in. I just hope it's enough. Just look at the size of thing."
"Can't we just hit it with nukes from here?"
"We tried that last time around. Their weapon intercept defences took out everything we threw at them. Only way to get close is with something severely armoured."
"Then pray this works."
Taylor stepped forward and opened a channel to Huber.
"This is about the best opportunity I think we're gonna get, Sir."
"Agreed. Have your man activate the signal."
Taylor turned and nodded to Jafar who knew exactly what to do. He lifted a device he had kept close since they left the enemy vessels and punched in a few buttons.
"That it?"
He nodded in acknowledgement. Bailey placed her hand on the ops table and panned over to where the Purge ships had laid in wait beyond the human fleet.
"They're powering up. This is it."
The battle continued to rage all around them, but Bailey and Taylor were fixated on the Purge ships on their viewing screens. They knew it was their best and probably only chance of stopping the Planet Killer.
"Has anyone ever tried to destroy this thing before?"
"Yes, Admiral.They failed," he replied sternly.
"I guess they didn't have inside knowledge like we do."
Jafar remained silent.
"How long until they reach their target?"
"Approximately two minutes, Ma'am."
"The game must be up by now that we have control over them. Direct all fire to supporting their approach, and notify the rest of our battle group to do the same."
"Looks like Huber has already had the main fleet doing that," said Taylor.
They looked out to see a brutal bombardment hitting everything between them and the massive Planet Killer. The seven Purge cruisers soared in between Bailey's battle group and the main fleet with their engines at full. There was no hiding it anymore. Within seconds of them passing, a volley of pulses smashed into the first vessel, ripping it apart. Several of the bridge crew gasped at the brutal salvo that continued onto the second ship but didn't manage to slow it any.
"Come on, come," whispered Taylor.
He could see Bailey wanted to give them more, but the Neptune was already firing with everything she had. Now they could only watch and pray. The distance was closing rapidly between the Purge ships and the K'til. The second ship began to spit sparks until a final burst blew it apart.
"Shit," Taylor murmured.
He doubted for a minute that any would get through,slumping his head down as he leaned against the table.
"It's not over yet," replied Bailey.
He hadn't realised he had spoken so loudly for others to hear. He knew he had a responsibility to maintain confidence in their endeavour. As he lifted his head, a great light grew in size and brightness on the edge of the K'til hull. They all stared in surprise and amazement until they realised what it was. A weapon Taylor had witnessed during their Tau Ceti expedition. It was a devastating ship killer. The light suddenly rushed from the ship towards the Purge fleet and struck one across its prow. The ship shattered into thousands of parts in seconds, and what was left was unidentifiable as anything but space debris.
They're not gonna make it,
Taylor thought.
The weapon powered up once again and obliterated another of the cruisers.
"Come on," said Bailey.
Taylor looked up at the last minute when he knew the monstrous weapon could not fire again before the distance was closed. The entire bridge crew watching silently as the last three Purge cruisers still moving plunged into the K'til. They smashed through the outer hull with little resistance at all. They punctured deep within and continued until they were no longer visible.
Sighs of reliefs came from all the crew, but all was not over. Bailey spun around to look directly into Jafar's eyes.
"Do it!"
He did not hesitate, and Taylor was frozen solid watching the display screen. Ripples ran through the front of the K'til until cracks appeared and the blast burst out of the structure, tearing frigate size pieces from the outer skin. Explosions erupted through the ship, and the massive pulse cannon was ripped apart.
"Yes!" yelled Bailey.
Cheers echoed around the bridge as the crew leapt up from their seats in celebration. She turned to Jafar.
"Thank you, you've done us a damn good turn."
He nodded in agreement in his typically calm character. Bailey turned back to the ops table where Taylor had not moved, and her smile was quickly erased.
"They're still coming at us," he whispered.
"Their defence grid must be down with all that damage. Launch nukes into that breach, now!"
The gunnery officer stood speechless with his mouth open.
"Fire the damn nukes now!"
"Admiral!" Taylor shouted.
She spun around to see a large metallic glowing object soar towards the fleet, but it did not appear to be targeting any ship in particular. Jafar recognised it immediately, but he did not have any time to warn them, not that it would have helped. They all stared as boosters came on to draw it to a standstill, and then it erupted with a shockwave. Just three seconds later the bridge went dark. All lights, power, and displays shut off.
"What the hell just happened?" Bailey cried out.
Taylor felt the weight of his Reitech suit almost drag him to the ground as its power source had also cut out, and he felt three times heavier than a second ago. He reached for the catches to release the suit from his body, and it hit the deck with a loud crash.
"That was an EMP!" he answered.
For a few moments there was complete blackness. Deep in the core of the hull of the Neptune they were a long way from any windows that would bring in any light. Even if they were closer to the outer skin, the blast shields were up. The entire ship was not in blackout; thirty seconds later, lights flickered across the bridge and emergency lighting powered up. It was a muted red ambient lighting, but it was enough to get by.
"That's the reserve power source kicking in. It's shielded against EMPs but will only power basic life support. Enough for us to get working," the Admiral explained.
Taylor turned to Jafar for answers and didn't even have to ask.
"This is an act of desperation. The EMP will have disabled the vessels of both sides. Demiran must have seen the end was close for the Gezgen K'til. He is scared."
"That's all very well, but it leaves us hanging," replied the Admiral.
"How far will this have spread?"
"Only those ships on the very fringe of this fight would have escaped it."
"You're telling me there are hundreds of ships floating in space without power, just like us?" she asked.
"Yes. The EMP cannot be directed. Like you, the Krycenaeans’ vessels have only limited shielding, as it is impractical to have it all encompassing. However, they are better prepared for this."
"You're saying they'll get active before us?"
"Almost certainly."
"Christ, if they can get that monster going before our ships recover, they can fire on Earth without anyone to stop them," she replied.
"Is there no one left to continue the fight?" Taylor asked.
She looked up into his eyes with fear and shook her head.
"We committed everything we had to this, how could we not? The greatest threat the World has ever known?"
"So let me get this straight. Both fleets are floating about without power. You reckon they'll fix the Planet Killer before we can get any ships online, and that'll be the end?" he asked of Jafar.
The alien nodded in agreement.
"Well, fuck that. We didn't get through years of this shit to sit here and watch it all end."
"There's nothing else to do. Our crews will already have started work. We can only hope they get us operational before we’re blasted by their weapons."
"And what would we go home to? No way. I won't accept it."
He lifted up his comms unit.
"Lieutenant Rains to the bridge..."
He realised the comms units were down as well. It would be weeks of repair work until everything was restored.
"How long do we have till the Planet Killer is operational?"
"Two hours, maybe."
"Allright. Maybe we can't get the Neptune up and running in that time, but we can surely get marines into action before then."
"What are you thinking?" asked Bailey.
"I'm thinking we'll hand deliver those nukes gift wrapped, " he replied confidently.
"Anything you need, Colonel. The only thing that matters anymore is destroying that ship. It doesn't matter what it costs. Take any resources you need. Your mission must come before the repair of this ship. Within the emergency shielded core, you will find a reserve of armour and weapons, along with a few other core components. You have the full resources of this crew at your disposal. I don't care how you do it, or at what cost, just get it done!"
Taylor nodded in acceptance of the mission. He knew it was unlikely anyone else in the fleet would have the information, ability, or initiative to act against the K'til. The fate of Earth now lay in his hands. He gestured for Jafar to follow him, grabbing his Reitech rifle from the deck. Without the support of his exo-skeleton, it weighed a tonne. They rushed from the bridge at a quick pace. Taylor felt more vulnerable than ever. He had no armour, no communications, no power, and a rifle he could barely carry.
Two minutes into their run they bumped into Jones and one of his platoons. They’d setup in defensive positions around an air lock. Taylor could see the Captain was anticipating a breach at any moment. They too had stripped off their armour and suits that had become dead weights. Jones arose from cover as he saw them approach. He looked flabbergasted.
"EMP? What the hell's going on?"
"Both fleets are out. I don't have time to get into the details. A breach isn't our concern, right now. We're heading for the docking bays. Join us, and I'll fill you in on the way."
"Doesn't sound good. Follow the Colonel!" he ordered.
"I'd love to say it's the same shit, different day, but this time, it's a whole lot worse."
It took them just a few minutes to reach the bay where they had left Ota's Company. Only she and one platoon now remained.
"Sir, we didn't know what the hell was going on. I have dispatched units to defend the nearest ports."
He acknowledged her as he rushed past without a word to get to Rains. He was sanding on top of a crate with his head and torso up inside the engine bay of his Stallion.
"Eddie, tell me you can get this bird going!"
"Not without the parts, Colonel. The CPU is fried, and a few other components that she won't run without."
"I might be able to get what you need from the emergency stores," he replied.
"That could work. We still have some major issues though. She's gonna need more than a few bits."
He reached forward and grabbed the pilot’s arm, hauling him down.
"I need you flying in the next thirty minutes, or Earth will be destroyed. Is that enough motivation?"
He looked down into Taylor's eyes for a second and saw the seriousness in his face.
"Well, holy shit, you aren't joking."
He jumped down to the deck, and his tone had changed completely.
"Get me to the parts!"
He looked over to his co-pilot and the Engineering Chief who had been helping him, pointing for them to follow him.
"Jones, you and your platoon with me, come on!" yelled Taylor.