Wrath of Axia (The Arcadian Jihad) (12 page)

They looked at him in astonishment, but he ignored them.

“The officer in charge of the ground defenses doesn’t know his business, but it won’t take Rad Bose long to take charge and work out how to beat us. When he does, all hell will break loose. If this works, it could save us from a heavy beating.”

He spoke to Tell for half a minute. “Give them that message, exactly like that.”

“Are you sure, Captain Blas?”

“Just do it, Sir. It could be our only hope.”

System Standard 2734.1635 Military Headquarters, Tulum City, Planet Hesperia

Both Bose brothers had rushed to the command center when the unauthorized take-off was reported to them. Rad Bose watched the hesitation of the Defense Commander with disbelief.

“What the fuck are you doing, you fool?”

“Sir, it’s not an easy target to hit. Our systems are designed to protect against heavy attack from space, not a single ship leaving the planet. Don’t worry. I have no doubt the orbital platforms will get them before they get much further.”

He went sprawling to the floor as Rad hit him a stunning blow.

“Those platforms are automated, it’s as well they don’t have a fool like you in control of them.”

“But, Sir, I…”

“Get out, General, you’re dismissed. Who’s your second in command?”

“Er, that’s Colonel Zaria.”

Bose looked around the room. The Colonel hovered in the background.

“Colonel, you’re promoted. You’re the new commander. Shoot that ship out of space. General, get your sorry ass out of here.”

Colonel Eben Zaria moved to the control console and started barking orders at the controllers.

“Sir, we need a simultaneous salvo from all batteries along the track of that ship, a wide burst. Enough of them will score hits to disable her at the very least.”

Bose nodded. “Do it, and make it quick.”

Zaria gave more orders and aligned his laser batteries ready to fire. The loudspeaker in the command center surprised them when it came to life.

“This is the Star of Orphex, departing Tulum Spaceport. I am your President. My name is Xerxes Tell. Do not fire on this ship. Also on board this vessel are Admiral Rusal and Senior Captain Blas. You all know these men as honorable officers. I repeat, do not fire on this ship. There has been a conspiracy against the office of President, and it is my intention to arrest those responsible. You all know me and recognize my voice. Do not fire on this ship, or you will be committing an act of treason.”

“Colonel, fire! For fuck’s sake, blast that ship out of space!” Rad Bose was red with anger, and his fist pounded on the console as he spoke.

“But, Sir, didn’t you hear? The President is on board.”

“He’s just an impostor, you fucking idiot.” Bose drew his weapon and pointed it at Colonel Zaria. “Hit that ship now or I’ll blow your head off.”

Zaria remembered when he’d met Blas, during the Second War of the Systems. He’d been a decent and honorable man; there was no question. He thought of Admiral Rusal, his senior officer, removed from his post for no apparent reason. It was all very odd. He pictured President Tell and thought of his voice. It sure sounded like him. What in space was happening? Something was wrong, very wrong. He had no intention of making matters any worse.

“Yes, Sir.”

He flicked switches and re-aligned his laser batteries, changing the defensive platforms to manual control. “Ready to fire, Sir.”

“Fire, you dolt, fire!”

The beams licked up and out into near-space. They all missed.

“I’m sorry, Sir, they changed course at the last moment. We’ll get them next time.”

Bose pointed is pistol and shot him. The Colonel’s head was blown off. He nodded at his brother Pieter, who drew his own blaster, and they went around the command center. In less than half a minute the technicians who manned the control consoles were all dead. No one crossed the Bose brothers and lived. Five hundred miles above them, the Malbok-Spear Fusion Thrusters on the Star of Orphex started to spool up ready for the jump into hyperspace.

System Standard 2734.1635 Rebel Battlecruiser Nebula, above Planet Cadmus

They made the jump and several hours later the Star of Orphex appeared two thousand miles from the planet Cadmus. It was a huge relief, as none of them had expected to come through the Hesperian defensive fire virtually unscathed. It would have been impossible for the Hesperian defense forces to track them after they’d gone into hyperspace. They had overcome the first obstacle, but it was only one of many. Every man on the ship was aware that the odds were still overwhelming. They’d changed the name and registration of the ship, so she was now the naval light cruiser Nebula on a routine mission from Corazon. It was a flimsy cover, if anyone checked with fleet records they’d find that the Nebula didn’t exist. But it would have to do; it was all they had. They stared out of the screens at the strange surface of Cadmus. It was a neutral gravity planet, but the air was not breathable by humans for anything more than a few minutes. It had a heavy carbon dioxide content with limited oxygen, breathing it for more than a few minutes would result in death, a very agonizing death. Blas called Karn Vansen to the bridge.

“You can take the pressure suit off, but we’ll all need breathing masks. You should find them in the stores next to the engineering bay. Could you bring up enough sets for us all?”

“I’ll get straight down there, Sir.”

“Good man. Karn, do you know how the repair to the hull is holding, have you checked it?”

“I looked at it an hour ago and I don’t think it will be a problem. The compartment pressurized fine and there are no red lights showing on the door. The patch hasn’t moved since I put it on.”

Blas nodded. “A good job, my friend. Eventually we’ll need a more permanent repair, but it’ll do for now.”

The man left the bridge and Blas took the opportunity to recheck the screens. Admiral Rusal was still working the ship’s sensors, checking and rechecking for signs of any threat. He looked across at Blas and chuckled.

“As I thought, there are no defense platforms over Cadmus. It looks like we’re in the clear.”

“Until we land,” Blas said grimly.

“We’ll take that as it comes, Captain.”

Blas turned back to view the screens and his face creased in a frown. “Wait, there’s something happening. By space, it’s a Battlecruiser. The damn thing just appeared from the other side of the planet. The planetary mass was blocking our long-range sensors. Approximately ninety seconds until it reaches us.”

“Battle stations, Helmsman, hard ‘a port, steer new course three ten, engines to flank speed, bring up the fission boosters. Let’s get out of here!”

“You can’t outrun her, Constantine,” Rusal said.

“I know, Admiral. I’m hoping they’re not hunting for us, so if we clear out of their way they can just keep on with their mission, whatever that is.”

“And if they are hunting us?”

He shrugged. “Then at least we’ve gained a bit of distance.”

The Battlecruiser increased speed and easily kept pace with them.

“Shields up,” Blas ordered. “Weapons officer, stand by to fire main batteries. Helmsman, get ready to take evasive maneuvers, and all of you wait for my order.”

Waite Fallon looked up white faced. “What are evasive maneuvers, Sir?”

“Don’t worry,” Blas smiled. “I’ll tell you exactly what to do.”

“It’ll be a bastard if we tangle with her, Constantine. What’s your plan?” Rusal asked.

“To try and stay out of their way and give ourselves enough room to jump back into hyperspace if necessary.”

The Admiral shook his head. “You know very well that they won’t give us time to spool up the fusion thrusters. The standard naval tactic these days is to open fire within ten seconds of an unidentified ship activating their fusion thrusters. The moment they detect us they’ll shoot to prevent us from escaping into hyperspace.”

Blas nodded. “I guess you’re right. We’ll need to try something different. President Tell, are you ready with the comms console?”

“I am, yes. It may not be a good idea to let them know I’m aboard.”

“Understood. Stand by.”

They waited as the two ships ran side by side on a course that was taking them slightly away from Cadmus. They watched the bridge screens as the enemy ship remotely interrogated their ship’s systems. Then the hail came. “This is the Battlecruiser Magellan. Confirm your identity.”

Blas nodded at Tell who started to speak. “This is light cruiser Nebula on a routine mission from Corazon.”

It took almost half a minute before the next hail came in.

“We cannot find your ship in our records. Stand by to be boarded for visual inspection. We’ll send a shuttle across.”

Blas was about to give more instructions when Tell took matters into his own hands.

“Negative, Magellan, do not send a shuttle. This ship is on a diplomatic mission and must not be boarded.”

Another few seconds passed. Then a new voice came over the bridge speaker. “This is Admiral Voss, senior officer onboard Battlecruiser Magellan. Confirm the identity of the diplomat you are carrying.”

“Very well, Admiral,” Tell replied. “Please activate ship to ship visiconn.”

Blas and Rusal looked at each other with astonishment. Xerxes Tell was about to prove to the enemy that he was on board. Before they could stop him, the screen came to life with the craggy, stern face of Admiral Voss.

He looked puzzled and then his face turned to astonishment as he recognized the man whose face appeared on his screen.

“President Tell? What’s going on? We understood you were dead. Is this some kind of a trick?”

He looked puzzled for a few moments, turned to speak with someone, and then faced the screen again. His face was black with rage.

“I don’t know what kind of a stunt you’re pulling, or who you are, but I’ve received a signal from President Bartok’s ship, the Victorious. He ordered me to fire on you if you refuse to surrender immediately.”

“Admiral Voss, I have no doubt the man you know as ‘President’ Bartok is indeed on the Victorious, and that he has ordered you to murder me. He is not your President, I promise you that. The man who purports to be the President cheated and murdered his way to power. He tried to murder me, but he made a mistake, he failed to kill me and I survived. Now I have returned. You are talking to your rightful President. I am Xerxes Tell.”

Whatever reaction he hoped for, it wasn’t the one he got. Admiral Voss’ face darkened.

“Whoever you are, I am loyal to President Bartok and I always will be. He promoted me and personally handed me command of the Magellan. I owe everything to him. I will not betray him for these lies! You’re just an impostor. Surrender your ship or I’ll blast you out of space.”

“In that case, you’ll have committed further treason, Admiral. You weren’t aware of the conspiracy before, but now that you are you still insist on supporting a tyrant. This can only end badly for you, Admiral Voss. A wise man once said that ‘those in possession of absolute power can lie and make their lies come true’. Fabian Bartok has lied to you, Admiral. But his lies will not stand the test of time. I pray that one day you will see what is truth.”

Tell clicked off the transmission. He turned to them. “I’m sorry that it didn’t go as well as I hoped. Even so, the message is starting to go out through space. Others will hear it long after they have destroyed this ship, and they will carry the banner of freedom forward after we are dead.”

Blas looked at him and smiled. “We aren’t dead yet, Mr. President. Hold tight. Weapons officer, give them a full salvo. Helmsman, as soon as we’ve fired, hard a starboard and turn one hundred and twenty degrees, maximum thrust. Go!”

The lights on the ship dimmed as their laser batteries fired on maximum power at the Battlecruiser. Fallon spun the helm and the ship swerved around at full thrust to send it out of the range of the Battlecruiser’s return salvo. Even so, part of the incoming fire caught them amidships, impacting on their shields. The damage control alarms started to wail.

“Karn, we need you again. Get that pressure suit back on and attend to the damage. Helmsman, alter course another forty-five degrees and vector away from Planet Cadmus. Maximum speed. Weapons officer, as soon as the maneuver is complete, fire again.”

The ship turned sharply and flipped over and away from the planet. Lieutenant Largasse fired a second salvo but the impact on the Battlecruiser’s armor did little damage. They may as well have thrown rocks at it.

“Admiral, we’re going into hyperspace, I’m spooling up the fusion drive accelerators. It’s our only chance.”

“They’ll hit us with everything they’ve got when our shields go down. It’s the only way to power up the fusion drive. We’re finished, Constantine, you may as well admit it. We should consider a surrender.”

They looked around as the bridge door opened and Evelyn came through with Max Biermann.

 
“Is there anything I can do, Constantine?” she asked. “Max says he’s feeling better, by the way.”