The Icarian Legacy Collected Edition: Brave Souls - First Strike (Volume 3) (50 page)

Eight other ships were heavily damaged. And all ships suffered some damages. Of the hundred and sixty vipers, only seventy three survived.

But in the end they won and comparing the results it was a crushing victory both in tonnage and in the number of destroyed ships.

He gave himself five minutes, five minutes that everyone used to bread and relax, to gather their thoughts and then issued his order.

“The battle is won but it’s still not over. We know what is on the other side of the warp point. Our friends need our help. I want all ships that can fight to be ready to move in five.  We still have a fight ahead of us. Let’s not keep the enemy waiting.”

Five minutes later thirty ships ran at full power to the warp point. Three ships were left behind. They were too damaged to risk a journey and another fight. But even as the other ships accelerated towards the warp point they slowly moved towards it as well. Repairs were being conducted on board. The crews were trying to patch the ships up as best they could.

Two hours later the combined Proxima fleet transitioned through the warp point. They didn’t know what was waiting for them on the other side, but they were ready to face it. They depleted half their magazines in the battle. What was left was being prepared, and the damages were being patched up on route.

                                     CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

27 June 2019 14: 10 hours

Sol System

The battle raged for little more than five minutes and already the space around the warp point was filled with drifting hulls. Most of them were Dacarian ships that got caught in the opening inferno of the battle,

Two Orion’s, and twenty seven Los Angeles class were also drifting some like burning hulks the others broken in to million pieces.

From the two hundred and one Dacarian ships that survived the opening volley of the human ships ninety were destroyed just seconds after it when the fired rounds impacted them. The other hundred and eleven ships were grouped in a tight formation using what weapons they had available and where slowly advancing towards the human ships. They had huge damages both from the nuclear missiles and from the MAC rounds and rail gun rounds that impacted them later. But their hull and structure was created with intent of taking such punishment.

Jongar watched as the battle developed. The humans were winning. He had to break out if he wanted to succeed.

“How far are the engine repairs?”

“They will be ready in for a short jump in twenty arns my lord.”

A small smile appeared on his face as he heard that. It gave him a time table to work with.

He opened a link to V’las.

“Jongar.”

“V’las I want you to place a squadron of cruisers and destroyers around my dreadnought and your cruiser. Ours are the only ships that have operational hyperspace engines. We will make a short jump in system in twenty arns.”

V’las looked with surprise at Jongar.

“Why in system?”

“While the surviving elements of our fleet hold them here we will destroy their world. We will show them the price that they will pay for resisting us.”

“It will be my pleasure my Lord.”

V’las shut the link. He knew that it was a suicide plan but it was the only option they had left. The fleet was surrounded, most of the ships had huge damages, they had no fighter screen, and worse of all ninety percent of the remaining ships suffered damages that stranded them in this system. He planned to give the order for them to try to withdraw to the other star system through the warp point, or if not able to do that to try and run for deep space and the ort cloud of the system. The ships could hide in there indefinitely and use the asteroids and comets in the cloud to make repairs.

He doubted that the humans would bother to give chase if their world was bombarded. He gave the order.

Johnson watched as the dacarian fleet regrouped. It was impressive how much amount of damage they could take. Even after their shields went down two of the dreadnoughts had to be hit by half a dozen rounds from the MAC guns.

He watched the numbers. Only a hundred enemy ships remained and they all suffered enormous damages. The Home fleet lost thirty ships so far. The numbers were definitely on their side. He wondered if they will surrender.

“I believe it is time Anaya. Open a link to all ships.”

“Yes admiral.”

He waited a second and then he gave the order.

“All ships move in. Fire as you bear.”

The human ships started moving just seconds later. He turned towards the AI.

“Anaya inform admiral Simonson and the captains of the Essex Battleships and the Orion’s that I want them to group alongside the Argus. We will hit the center of their formation. And launch the fighters.”

It took several minutes for the formation he wanted to be grouped.

The human fleet advanced slowly and before it the surviving seven thousand and four hundred pilots moved firing their stinger missiles and nuclear warheads. The darkness of space was filled with beams and missiles and projectiles that were moving between the two fleets. And as the range got smaller and the ships got closer to each other the damages that each ship suffered increased. It was a merciless battle.

It was total war.

The Argus and the two cruisers led the way as they moved towards the center of the Dacarian formation.

For the first time of the battle, for the first time in twelve thousand cycles the powerful guns on the three ships erupted. And as they did they started their revenge.

Jongar watched with fascination as one of the heavy cruisers that was covering the dreadnought literally broke apart as powerful plasma beams and kinetic projectiles hit it.

He wondered what kind of ship fired them. He didn’t have to wait long for the answer.

“My lord…”

“What?”

“We have at least one Alteran battleship and two Alteran cruisers in that fleet.”

As he heard the words he felt his blood freezing. The Alteran battleships were the most powerful ships that his ancestors met. Each of them was more than capable of fighting and holding an entire fleet of ships.

“Show me…”

Before his eyes an image of a ship appeared. It took just a moment both for him and for the ships sensors to recognize the ship.

“That is a Hyperion D or better known as Ship of the line.”

The Hyperion’s were the most powerful ships the Alterans built. And his fleet was facing one of those ships and its escorts now.

He knew that if his ships stay in this formation they will be sitting targets.

“To all ships disperse and move in.”

After giving the order he turned towards the legionary manning the helm.

“Keep us away from the battleship.”

“Yes my lord.”

The Dacarian ships dispersed immediately. They intermingled with the incoming fighters and human ships. Most of the fighting in space was conducted at long distances ranging in thousands sometimes even hundreds of thousand miles. But as the fleet intermingled they found them self only hundreds, sometimes only several kilometers apart. It was knife fighting distance for ships.

Huge explosions appeared on the hulls of all ships both human and Dacarian as they fired at point blank range.

Human ships exploded. Twenty more Los Angeles class exploded just several minutes after the battle went from fleet to fleet to ship to ship.

Even the Argus and the cruisers reported damages. But at the same time the number of the Dacarian ships was cut for a third. And more and more ships were drifting.

Anaya locked the powerful weapons of the Argus on one of the remaining dreadnoughts. The beams cut deep in to the huge super structure of the powerful ship. Dozens of rail gun rounds impacted after them. The dreadnought held for several more minutes until four MAC rounds found their way to its insides. As they hit the powerful ship ceased to be. The losses were massive on both sides. But no one was retreating.

The Dunkirk, an Essex class ship found itself on the path of two enemy dreadnoughts.

Johnson knew the commander of the ship.

Captain Jonas O’Reilly. The Dunkirk lined up its MAC gun with one of the dreadnoughts. One forty ton tungsten shell erupted at a speed of 260 km/s and tore a huge hole in the inside of the dreadnought and at the same time plasma beams fired from the M-100 plasma cannons followed after it. Every gun on the Dunkirk was firing. Rail gun rounds and nuclear missiles impacted the hull of the other dreadnought. Its shields shimmered for a second and then failed and huge gaps started appearing on its surface as the armor was torn apart. At the same time the plasma beams, kinetic rounds and missiles impacted the shields and as they failed, the hull of the far smaller Earth battleship.  The Dunkirk burned but it never stopped firing.  The three ships drifted slowly apart dead in space. The dreadnought that was hit by the MAC round exploded after a minute. The second lasted several seconds longer until three MAC rounds found it and tore it apart.

In a way it was a fiery salute to the death of the Dunkirk.

Two Los Angeles class ships faced off two dacarian destroyers. All four ships exploded as the weapons they fired impacted them. A little further away one burning Los Angeles class found an enemy heavy cruiser that was locked in a death struggle with the Pretoria an Orion class battle cruiser under the command of Captain Simon De Santos. The Pretoria was a ship that was built by mutual cooperation of the countries of South America.

The ship showed hull breaches on several places.

The Paris crushed in to the cruiser and both ships tumbled away locked in a deadly embrace. Moments later the Pretoria fired MAC rounds that gutted a second heavy cruiser, and as it fired missiles and plasma weapons at a dacarian destroyer a second destroyer fired plasma beams that hit her stern. A second shot hit her side and cut a huge gap through the depleted armor. Air and fire exploded through the huge wound. Bodies followed them blown away by the internal decompression. But even in death nuclear missiles erupted from the remaining launchers and hit the two still functioning destroyers. Huge explosions erupted on both ships and internal explosions gutted both ships. The Pretoria followed them in to oblivion seconds later. Far in the distance seven Los Angeles class ships surrounded an enemy dreadnought. Evan as it fired powerful plasma beams that cut through their hulls they fired MAC rounds. Each Los Angeles ship could fire three consecutive shots launching three ten ton tungsten shells at speeds of 150km/s. Within seconds twenty one rounds hit the enemy dreadnought. Its shields flickered as the first rounds impacted managing to hold the destructive kinetic energy away from the hull. But when the next rounds impacted they were already depleted. Huge gaps opened up all over the large six kilometer long enemy ship and internal explosions erupted through them. The ships armor and hull swelled trying to contain the released energy within and then failed. Plasma erupted outward from the wounds. The dreadnought stumbled away burning lifeless. But there was no time for celebrating as two of the ships the Dakota and Serengeti erupted in flames as plasma beams fired from two cruisers hit their midsection. The other five ships enacted their revenge firing rail gun rounds and broadsides helped by the fighters that joined them. The smaller rounds came in after the nuclear warheads that depleted their shields. As the shields failed the rail gun rounds started tearing the ships apart. Hundreds of missiles impacted after them burning the insides of the two ships. Two missiles fired from the cruisers impacted the hull of the Nagoya. The thermonuclear missiles caused an explosion that cut the ship apart. Moments later the cruisers followed it in to oblivion.

As the battle raged it was at the same time a glorious and a terrifying sight. Each ship that exploded meant the death of countless lives.

The Argus rocked as plasma beams and graviton rounds impacted the ships shields. The dreadnought that fired them followed with thermonuclear missiles and then accelerated at rapid fire. Anaya returned fire.

Four plasma beams and fifty ton tungsten shells hit the dreadnought. At the same time the Apollo and Erich von Manstein fired MAC rounds. The forty ton shells impacted right after the plasma beams and the shells from the Argus. The dreadnoughts shields held for a second and then the rounds tore deep inside its super structure. Just moments later plasma beams from the two Essex class battleships and the Argus impacted again. Internal explosions erupted and the dreadnought drifted away. The Orion class the Lenin finished it firing three more MAC rounds in it. The dreadnought blew apart as the rounds hit it.

The Demetrion fired its weapons at two enemy cruisers. The plasma beams cut their super structures and the following missiles and rail gun rounds finished them. Several hundred fighters literally tore a destroyer apart behind the cruiser.  Not much further away eight corvettes faced off with two dacarian heavy cruisers. The smaller ships circled their prey constantly firing missiles and rail gun rounds and plasma beams at the two cruisers. The constant barrage depleted the shields and the mounted rail guns on the corvettes immediately went to rapid firing. The thousands of rounds tore in to the armor blowing at first small and in second’s huge gaps in their structure. The rounds were followed by stingers and tomahawk missiles. The two cruisers were torn in half.