Noah - 19. Chapter 19

Date: 3rd November 2419
Location: MMV Noah, Unknown

As they had done before when Snr. Crewman Long tried inserting one of the computer modules, it glowed a pale white colour and lights began to flash all over it. After a few seconds, the lights froze and a message appeared on a nearby monitor stating the module’s serial numbers and requesting an authorisation code. Every time I had tried with my code, all three of the modules had immediately shut down, without so much as an error message. After the Admiral inserted hers though, they took on a pale green glow and the lights resumed flashing. Several more times, the Admiral was required to input her authorisation and confirm her identity before, finally, the system accepted the modules and confirmed their installation. We all breathed a sigh of relief when the words ‘Spaceborer Control Software v0.891’ flashed up onto the screen. After a few seconds, the module began to run a series of self-tests, which quickly started to throw up a large number of errors.

“At least the core software is in tact,” Long commented. “The other two modules have consecutive serial numbers with this one. If they are backups, I may be able to cross-check each one against the others and recover a majority of the corrupted files.”

“Do what you need to. I’ll initialise the other modules for you,” the Admiral replied, picking up one of the modules and inserting it into an empty slot.

As she was talking, a buzzing sensation alerted me to someone attempting to contact me over the ‘net. The authorisation code and sender ID showed that it was from the Lieutenant currently running the Bridge.

“Captain, the fighter patrol just sent an urgent transmission. They seem to have found something on the other side of the system; they sent back this picture.” My neural link automatically displayed the image that had been sent back from the fighters on patrol.

It was a little grainy but clearly showed a number of small, poorly constructed ships like the first that had attacked us circling what appeared to be a form of base built on a large asteroid. In the background were two more ships of similar size to the one that nearly destroyed Noah, just before the Horstur appeared, and a silver shape which could easily be the ship sent previously to search for the Lahstey. According to the appendix, the picture was taken about an hour ago. Two of the three fighters were currently sitting at long range, powered down to avoid detection, while the third had returned to the ship at full speed.

“Admiral, do you see this?” I asked, examining the picture. I assumed that she had been given the information too.

“Yes. It appears that the ships bear more than a little resemblance to the ones you encountered before.” She was standing near the computer core, apparently staring into space.

“They attacked and boarded us, ma’am. We can’t let that go unanswered.”

“Agreed. Do you think the ship is up for a fight?”

“We have plenty of Omni available. The pilots can handle themselves in a fight; and we have more than enough weaponry now to handle anything they can throw at us. If you ask me, it’s time for some payback.”

“They attacked you first, Captain. The operation is yours. I’ll stay here and assist Ensign Long. Do whatever you see fit.” She said with a nod.

“Thank you, Admiral.” I quickly left the room, rushing towards the bridge. Along the way, I called the Colonel to meet me there, and informed Flight Chief Jones to rally the remaining pilots and prepare the fighters and bombers for launch.

It didn’t take long to reach the bridge from the computer core, and when I arrived, there was a lot of commotion. The Lieutenant was directing the crewmembers at each station. As I stood there, the engines were coming online, preparing to move the ship for the first time since we had arrived, and the new weapons systems were deploying from their recessed positions in the hull.

A shudder shook through the ship as each of the thirty huge engines came online, superheated plasma streaming into them and creating the thrust required to move the colossal ship. Slowly, Noah was beginning to move from the position it had sat in for the last year.

“Sir, weapons and propulsion systems are coming online now,” the Lieutenant addressed me once he was happy with how the stations were responding. “Awaiting further orders.”

“Lay in a safe course to the pirate base, as fast as we can safely navigate through the asteroids.”

“Aye, sir.” He smartly replied, turning to the HoloTable currently displaying a 3D representation of the asteroid field and our location in it before shouting out a bearing and speed to the helmsman.

There was a slight jolt as the engines kicked in, before the inertial dampening system could compensate. On the HoloTable, the small image of Noah slowly began to move.

“Captain, we are receiving a radio transmission from the Horstur.” A crewman called from a station on the right side of the room. “They are asking why we are deploying weapons and moving away.”

“Tell them we have unfinished business to take care of and that we will return shortly.” I sat in the elevated chair at the back of the room. As soon as I had settled, the stand dropped away and it rose up several feet into a zero gravity bubble. Transparent screens appeared all around me, giving me shots from all around the exterior of the ship, as well as key sections inside. In my mind, the neural link displayed an image identical to that on the HoloTable.

“What is the status of the Spinal Cannons?” I asked, referring to the two massive cannons that ran through the middle of the ship. Each shot took eight minutes to charge and would drain a full 20% of the ship’s Omni reserve on full power, but when both were fired together, the energy released could annihilate an entire planet.

“Alpha cannon is online and ready to charge, Beta cannon is still obstructed.” An anonymous voice replied from in front of me. When the asteroid had hit us, it had severed the barrels. Now, one of them had been cleared by boring a hole through the asteroid and lining it with the same material in the rest of the barrel, but the other was still blocked.

“Run a test on Alpha’s charging and fire control systems. If everything checks out green, begin charging to 30%.” An affirmation came from the same crewman, “Lieutenant, ETA to target.”

“At current speed and course we will arrive at the target in three hundred and fifty minutes.” The Lieutenant at the HoloTable replied before calling out a course correction to the helmsman.

To my right, the door slid open and a figure in Marine uniform stepped up to the chair.

“You requested my presence, Captain?” Colonel Atkinson announced, standing to attention.

“Prepare your men for offensive operations, Colonel. We are going to be attacking a pirate stronghold and it appears they have a Pallner vessel. Use the scans of the Lahstey as a guide and have your men ready to capture it.”

“Yes, sir!” He replied with enthusiasm; Marines lived for the chance to do their jobs. Moving over to a second HoloTable to my right, he pulled up the schematics of the Lahstey and began sending orders to his officers back in the barracks.

Dropping the chair back to the floor, I joined him at the table, taking in his plan. As part of our agreement with the Pallner, we had been given blueprints to the Lahstey, detailing its layout and systems. From the images, the external design of the unknown vessel was nearly identical, albeit on a slightly larger scale, so it was assumed that the internal layout would be similar. We both stood at the table discussing the plan, until I was informed that we were one hour out.

“Lieutenant! Sound combat orders and begin running damage control drills,” I ordered, returning to the command seat. Immediately, the Lieutenant handed over navigation to another officer and quickly walked over to another station. As soon as he arrived, the lighting panels in the bridge and all over the ship dimmed and turned red as sirens rang out. Throughout the ship, bulkheads were sealing and damage control teams were running drills in practice for the coming fight. The air was thick with both tension and excitement at finally getting the ship into action.

I watched over the next hour as weapon controls were tested, damage control teams were running their drills, and several sections of Marines armed up and deployed to strategic positions all over the ship, in case we were boarded. At 12 minutes out, the two fighters that had been holding position near the base powered up and joined the group which was flanking the three operational Wing class bombers above the ship.

“Hostile vessels inbound!” A second officer at the HoloTable to my left called out as several red blips began to move towards the ship. A few seconds later, a large number of much smaller contacts appeared from the base.

“Weapons free!” I commanded, “Point defences target the fighters, all other weapons target at your discretion. Disable the unidentified Pallner ship only, I want boarding parties ready to move out as soon as is safe.”

A number of confirmations came from all over the bridge, and through the screens, I watched as the many cannons lining the hull swung into action, firing antimatter charges towards the incoming vessels.

The poorly maintained and constructed ships were no match for the cannons, with most disintegrating after just one or two shots. With fifteen of the frigate-sized ships destroyed, four larger vessels, similar to the one that was involved in the second attack on Noah, advanced towards us, flanking the Pallner vessel.

Breaking away from the Blades covering them, the three Wing bombers headed on an intercept course. Dodging the vessels’ point defence fire, each one fired its complement of antimatter bombs and missiles at the same ship, on the port side of the Pallner vessel. After the first attack run, the vessel began to fall behind the rest of the group, secondary explosions rippling across its surface as power conduits overloaded and sections decompressed. For one brief moment, the explosions ceased and the ship seemed to hang dead in space, before exploding in a bright flash. A rumble shook the ship as the shockwave struck our hull, eliciting a cheer from several officers. The three bombers safely returned to the fighter bay to refill their now depleted Omni stores, while the heavily outnumbered fighters continued engaging the enemy craft.

“Captain! Alpha cannon checks out and is charged at 30%!” A voice called.

The vessels were heading straight towards us, and it only took a few seconds to orient Noah to face them head-on. It reduced the number of cannons able to fire at them, but lined up the shot for the main gun.

A high pitched squeal filled the room as the cannon was fired, and from my screens I watched as a glowing blue sphere of antimatter glided from the front of the ship towards the four advancing vessels. They attempted to move out of its way, but the round struck the starboard ship solidly. In a single huge flash, the ship simply vanished. The shockwave from the blast caused several systems aboard the ship to explode as it reached Noah, violently shaking us.

“Recharging, eight minutes,” the crewman called following the impact.

“Reorienting to broadside.” The Lieutenant reported, calling out orders to the helmsman. The two remaining pirate capital ships had now closed on us sufficiently to open fire. A number of large missiles streamed towards us, all but one quickly swatted down by the point defences.

An impact shook the ship as the missile detonated on the port forward side of the hull.

“Levels 27 through 29, sections 15 and 16 breached port side. Damage teams responding.” A voice calmly called out. “Five wounded, no casualties.”

A stream of coordinated fire from a large number of guns walked onto the ship that had been on the dorsal side of the Pallner vessel, large sections drifted away from the main hull as their poor connections were severed by the antimatter explosions. As I watched, parts of the hull were bored through by the unrelenting fire until I could see clear through the vessel in several places. After a few more shots, the vessel simply disintegrated into hundreds of small pieces, each of which crumbled harmlessly into space.

“The fourth vessel is trying to run, Captain.” The Lieutenant reported as the last pirate ship tried to turn away. Before it could complete its manoeuvre, the fleeing vessel’s engines were struck, causing it to lose attitude control and drift uncontrollably; its thrusters apparently insufficient to operate without the engines. From the course plotted by the computer, it was clear that the vessel was on a collision course with a sizable asteroid and was unable to prevent its fate. Several small craft, apparently similar to the shuttles that boarded Noah, launched from the craft and headed towards the base.

On the display, I could see the number of small red dots representing enemy fighters rapidly dwindling. We had lost two fighters, but the enemy had lost far more, and the remnants were now trying to retreat to the base too.

The Pallner ship was still closing on us, and before I could issue another order, a beam fired from the nose of the vessel, tearing straight through Noah and causing many systems to overload and explode.

“Maintain fire on the Pallner ship! Target the nose, we have to disable that weapon.”

A large number of small blue projectiles appeared on the screens, flying towards the Pallner vessel at the same time as the refuelled bombers launched and began closing on the ship. As they approached in formation, a smaller beam fired out of the side of the vessel, destroying one of them. An explosion resulted in the clean silver hull at the nose of the vessel falling away, revealing a wound which confirmed the main weapon’s destruction. After the initial flyby, the two remaining bombers approached the vessel from the rear, releasing their munitions at the areas we had since identified as engines from the plans of the Lahstey. In one last emergency action before they overloaded, the engines slowed the vessel to a halt, then flared in a pair of large explosions, leaving the ship stranded and defenceless.

“Colonel?” I enquired, looking over to the table where he was standing. Giving me a thumbs up, I watched as a stream of six Marines were launched from the tubes towards the stricken vessel and three shuttles loaded with troops departed from the Marines’ new bay.

“Hull cutting in progress.” He reported after the six Marines landed on the hull. “ETA of shuttles two minutes.”

The last of the enemy fighters was destroyed on the display as the three shuttles began their approaches, and it was confirmed a moment later by the Lieutenant.

“Lieutenant, order the fighters to engage those craft,” I ordered, referring to the small craft which had departed the last enemy capital ship. Moments later, the formation of blue icons began moving towards the five slow red blips attempting to make it to their base. On the first pass, all were destroyed without a single shot returned.

“Alpha cannon recharged and ready to fire!” the crewman manning its control station reported as the last explosion dissipated.

“Sir, we are receiving a message from the base,” the communications officer called, “They’re transmitting in an unknown language and in Pallner….” He paused while it was translated, “It’s an unconditional surrender! The base’s defences are standing down!”

A cheer went up from all stations with the news, while the officer awaited a response. From the screens displaying the rear of the ship and on the tactical display I saw the Horstur appear, seemingly from nowhere.

“Orient us to the base, Lieutenant. Target Alpha cannon on the most vulnerable position and boost to 40% power,” I ordered without hesitation. Immediately, the Lieutenant barked orders to the helmsman and the crewman at the cannon’s control station confirmed the power increase. As Noah began to bear around, a number of small shuttle-type craft launched from the base, trying to flee in all directions.

“Urgent message from the Horstur, sir!” The communication officer called, “They are reporting that they received the base’s surrender and are asking if we understood it.”

“Politely inform them that this is an M Military matter and we will deal with it as we see fit.” I barked. This was payback for the pirates attacking us and the Pallner had no right to interfere.

As the ship finished lining up, the Horstur began rapidly moving towards the front of Noah, attempting to block our line of fire.

“Fire! Now!” I shouted, watching as the ship approached. The antimatter round missed the hull of the Horstur by metres, continuing straight towards the base. Though the Horstur blocked the view, a massive flash and a corona around the outline of the ship, almost like a total eclipse, indicated the round hit successfully, and the base vanished from the tactical display.

“Have the fighters mop up any shuttles that escaped,” I ordered with a feeling of great satisfaction. “Colonel, how’s it going over on the Pallner ship?”

“The crew is fighting hard; they know there’s no surrender and aren’t going to go lying down. We’re taking the ship one room at a time. It won’t be long,” he replied with pride. His Marines were doing their job superbly and were making excellent progress.

Thirty small red blips on the tactical display were approached one by one by a blue icon representing a Blade; then vanished. Occasionally, I’d see a small explosion in the screens where the shuttle had made it far enough to not be occluded by the Horstur, which was still holding position directly in front of us. Other than the unidentified Pallner ship which had been captured by the pirates, the display was clear of red blips.

“Stand down weapons and combat orders, return to normal operations.” I called to the whole bridge, lowering the chair back to the ground and locking it back onto the stand. Most of the lighting panels returned to their normal white state. Around the ceiling hung a light veil of smoke from the systems that had blown out.

“That beam tore straight through the lower forward section.” The Lieutenant stated from the HoloTable, which was now showing a scaled version of Noah, complete with a hole clear through the ship. “It grazed the Beta cannon and blew out three sections. Medibay 5 was also decompressed; four casualties, all medical personnel. Damage control teams are on site and beginning repairs.”

“Note the deaths in the deceased’s service records and add them to the list for cloning,” I ordered. “How much Omni do we have left in the stores?”

“We have 51%” The Lieutenant replied after checking a couple of displays. “Both of the Pallner generators are at 100% production and reserves are filling.”

“We have captured the Pallner vessel’s engineering section, Captain.” The Colonel reported, “It’s only a matter of time until the bridge is secured.”

“Dispatch the Ants. Tell them to tow the ship towards airlock fifteen.” I ordered the Lieutenant. “Have engineering crews ready to board the ship. With what we know about the systems, they should be able to repair and control at least some of them.”

“Captain, a Pallner shuttle from the Horstur is requesting permission to dock. It’s the ambassador and he doesn’t seem happy.” The communications officer reported from her station.

“Clear them for docking and have the ambassador escorted to the meeting room. Inform him I will join him shortly.”

“Yes, sir.” The officer relayed the orders to the control room, who would in turn relay it to the Marines still stationed in the landing bay.

Sitting back in the chair, I sent a message over the ‘net to the Admiral requesting to inform her of the situation, getting her authorisation to deal with the Ambassador as I saw fit, then handed control of the ship back to the Lieutenant and headed out of the door.

Like the bridge, the corridors were filled with a smoky haze, which didn’t seem to affect the four Marines standing guard at the door in the slightest. Returning their salute, I headed towards the rear of the ship, towards the nearest grav lift.

There was a slight draught around the fluorescent yellow-rimmed archway as I approached. Though I was stepping onto pure air, the gravity manipulation kept me steady while the route was planned towards the meeting room. A moment later, the ‘ground’ beneath my feet fell away and I was pulled to the rear-left corner of the large shaft. If I didn’t know that the systems were online, it would be very close to a sensation of freefall. As I approached the desired level, I was pushed towards the front-left corner of the shaft, slowing down while crewmembers flew behind me at greater speed. Coming to a rest, I stepped out of the tube and onto the solid deck.

A pair of Marines were standing guard outside the meeting room, to where they had escorted the Pallner ambassador from the shuttle bay.

When I entered the meeting room, the ambassador was pacing up and down the length of the room, his aural canals blushing a bright red; a clear display of anger.

“Did you not receive that base’s message? Or even our message? It had surrendered!”

“Our terms of engagement are not your concern, ambassador. Those pirates attacked us first; there is no surrender for those who declare war upon us.” I replied calmly, taking a seat.

“Our scans showed over eight thousand life forms aboard that base. The crew of the Rolstan could have been aboard!”

“Doubtful. Regardless, a rescue would have been impossible with so many enemies aboard.”

The ambassador reluctantly stepped over the stool and dropped onto it, still clearly angered.

“And the Rolstan? You detected our missing ship, attacked and boarded it, without informing us?”

“There is no reason why we should have to inform you; this was an M Military matter. We destroyed the enemy and are claiming our prize.”

“You will return the Rolstan to us?” The ambassador seemed surprised at the possibility we were keeping the vessel ourselves.

“Our people put their lives on the line to secure that ship. It will remain under M Military control.”

“That is unacceptable! The Rolstan is a Pallner vessel!”

“Not any more. Your vessel was captured by the pirates, the crew most likely killed. The ship is now ours and will stay that way. If you have any problem with that, you are free to start your long journey home; just don’t expect us to revive the Lahstey’s crew once you’re gone.”

The ambassador paused for a moment, the telltale signs of frustration and anger flashing across his head.

“We have assisted you, Captain. Protected your ship, given you our generators. This is how you repay us?”

“We will repay you by resurrecting your crewmembers; we will even give you back the Lahstey. The Rolstan will remain under our control. I would suggest that you return to the Horstur, ambassador.” I stressed, in an ordering tone and standing. “We can speak again once you have calmed down.”

Stepping over to the door, I opened it as an invitation. Angrily, the ambassador stormed out, followed by the two Marines.

As I began to make my way back to the bridge, the Colonel reported that his Marines had cleared the Pallner vessel, which we now knew was called the Rolstan, and that it was just a couple of minutes away from docking with Noah.

Deciding to make an inspection of our new prize, I rerouted to airlock fifteen, located on the port side of the ship and to the rear. Two more Marines were standing guard at the airlock, preventing anything that had been missed by the assault teams from making it onto Noah.

The interior of the ship was clearly badly neglected and hadn’t been maintained properly for some time. Only around one in ten of the lights was working, most of those occasionally flickering. Virtually every floor and wall panel was dented, scorched, or missing; and from the amount of wiring and conduits hanging from the ceiling, it was clear that the ship had been gutted. The air was thick with smoke and vile odours, originating from places I daren’t think about.

As expected, the ship’s elevator system was offline, or possibly gone given the looting that had clearly taken place. Using the ladder inside the shaft, something I remembered from the Colonel’s exploration of the Lahstey, I made my way up the ship. Reaching the top deck, I found myself in a corridor outside the ship’s bridge. It was clear that there had been a lot of heavy fighting here.

The walls were scorched and peppered with holes where the Marine’s rifle fire had punched through the thin alloy. Makeshift barricades still stood in the corridors, made of tables, chairs and whatever else could quickly have been dragged out of the nearby rooms. From the many holes clean through them, I guessed that they hadn’t provided much protection, and behind them were piles of several aliens, from appearance the same sort as had previously attacked Noah. The ever-present smoke was much thicker on this deck, many of the bodies still had smoking wounds, and in parts the walls still smouldered around the impact sites.

The bridge itself was a gruesome scene. More makeshift barricades stood surrounding the door, but instead of smouldering holes, these bore deep gouges, splattered with blood and gore. On many panels, a gouge sat prominently surrounded by light scorching, where the defenders had tried in futility to shoot the fast moving spider drones. There wasn’t anywhere on the bridge you could look without seeing a dismembered limb or mutilated corpse.

The bridge had clearly been looted to the same extent as the rest of the ship. Clear gaps in the floor marked where something had been torn out, and it seemed that only the bare minimum systems had remained intact.

It was the same story in the engineering room. Only the generator itself, too large to remove easily, I suspected, and it’s basic control systems still remained. Down here, the Marines had begun to tidy the area. The makeshift barricades had been removed, their parts stowed away in the nearby cabins, and the bodies had been gathered into a pile in one empty corner, awaiting recycling once the engineering teams got aboard.

Even if the ship’s systems could not be easily repaired to their original specification, capturing a sturdy vessel which could be refitted with standard M technology was much preferable to constructing a new one from scratch, and any technology still in tact was a bonus. I could, in one respect, understand why the Pallner wanted the ship turned back over to them. After all, we would want a liberated M vessel returned to us by an ally, but this ship represented the spoils of the fight, and was a worthy trophy. Given a couple of months, the ship would be operating independently of Noah as her escort.