Chapter 12: Setbacks and Recollection

Ramírez watched from his console of the impending situation that was going on in the lower orbit of Cipra. The elite guard fleet of the empress had been turned and focused at a specific region of the planet. They had fired two sets of salvos that were directed into the Tazhong valley. The sandstorm of the world blocked further scans of what they had been shooting out. However, the final torpedo launched was the one that had him the most concerned.

“Scans show that the Aksren fleet had deployed an MGG-354 torpedo,” Tara’Talar stated.

“A bio warhead...,” Ramírez remarked. “This confirms that the Aksren do have a virus after all. Son of a bitch. Running scans on the effect of the blast.” His eyes looked at the telemetry of the data that was presented. “They only deployed one torpedo that exploded over the region. The spread pattern will follow a northern route. Surprised that they didn’t deploy it sooner.”

“What do you mean?”

“If they had this in their possession, why didn’t they drop it sooner? Only one warhead?”

“They may have a limited supply, but that wouldn’t make sense.” There was a couple of clicks in the Itrean voice. “All Itrean clans make sure to have a large supply of various diseases. They would commit to saturation bombing to ensure that the disease could be spread throughout the planet.”

“Well, at this moment, the Aksren elite fleet has disengaged. Their railguns have stopped firing, and there are no further signs that they are continuing their bombardment.” His hands gripped the console hard. “It means that they succeeded in destroying our forces or something else. Damnit, I wish we could see what’s going on down there.”

“Ramírez,” Rex called out from the comms. Ramírez could see the face of the admiral that was still preoccupied with the small UHN fleet that was present in the T’rintar clan fleet. The display showed a man that was becoming more and more exhausted as each minute had passed by.

“Sir,” Ramírez replied.

“We picked up a bio detonation over Cipra’s atmosphere.”

“I know, sir. The guard fleet over the planet fired a single bio torpedo over the Tazhong Valley. It was concentrated where they fired their other weapons. Is it possible that they wiped out our forces?”

“I’m watching their movements,” Rex said. “They are maintaining a low orbit. It looks like they are trying to track where our forces have went. It doesn’t look like they succeeded if they are positioning themselves in such a pattern. Otherwise, they would have repositioned themselves to face us.”

“We have to hope that the vaccines work. Otherwise, it’s over.”

“I wouldn’t give up too soon, ol chap.”

The battle in space had become background noise for Ramírez. He had a small canteen cup of tea that was magnetized to the console. He would take regular sips of it and admire the taste that it brought to him. It seemed to work as it allowed him to remain focused and relaxed. Regardless, the battlefield was a constant and ever possibly changing environment. Both fleets were in a stalemate condition. The Aksren clan had halted their retreat and held in place. Neither side had budged or moved except for minor course changes to avoid possible weapons fire. The exchange of salvos was small, consisting of few volleys of missiles from various warships here and there. The science of Itrean battles seemed to fascinate Ramírez the longer he witnessed it.

The biggest issue in long-term battles was the fact that warships would run out of ammunition. If they fired everything at once, it could cause a lot of damage, but it could immediately put the firing ship out of action. There was also the risk of the defenders having appropriate countermeasures to counter the attackers’ volley. This would place the attackers in the absolute worst conditions right at the onset of a battle. The end result was that both fleets would have to carry out a set of conditions. T’rintar versus Aksren engagements such as these were commonplace. A wall would fight a wall of battleships till the other side would withdraw. The Battle of Cipra had turned into this very concept. Both sides were at an almost equal advantage and simply remained in place. The good news that Ramírez was all too aware of was that the battle had turned into a slog. If it slowed down any further, it would be a battle where both sides simply stared at each other. This could change at any moment, obviously. The good news was that this would allow the marines a chance to reach the capital. Then, of course, there was the bad news.

“I don’t believe that we should remain here,” Ramírez commented. “The Aksren clan still hold a major advantage in this fight. That elite guard fleet is attacking our marine forces from orbit. Knowing the fact that so few made it, the marines are having to fight an uphill battle. This attack requires us to provide support to them.”

“I spoke with Fleet Adjunct Yuio’larin,” Tara’Talar explained. “She won’t press the attack.”

“We can press into them. You have fleet replenishment vessels here to rearm your ships. The Aksren clan have nothing.”

The Itrean woman shook her head. “My ship’s munitions are down to 37%. It takes time to rearm an entire fleet of warships. The Fleet Adjunct isn’t convinced that we should push the Aksren clan at this time.”

“Those elite battleships are pummeling our ground forces. If they aren’t stopped, they will obliterate the last chance that we have in taking Cipra.”

“I know, Ramírez,” Tara’Talar responded calmly. She put her scaly hand on his arm and looked at him. “Our forces are doing their best. Keep in mind that the enemy may alter their tactics at any time. The Fleet Adjunct has to be aware of that.”

“That’s the problem. Your people are used to fighting a def...,”

Ramírez looked at the display screen to see a big flash on one of the camera feeds that showed near the Ark Royal. It was a nuclear explosion in space, followed by another one. It was far from the vicinity of the drone carrier. He could clearly see that this was bad. Almost all of the drones that the Ark Royal had were gone. Even if the volleys of enemy missiles had slowed down dramatically, this put the vessel in a disadvantageous position.

“Admiral,” Ramírez called out to him. “Your down to 10% of your drones. Your defense net is almost completely knocked out.”

Rex was looking at something else at the moment as he was conferring with another ship captain. “Understood,” he replied. “We’ll stay in this fight for as long as it bloody takes!”

“Sir,” Ramírez told him. “I recommend that the Ark Royal pulls back. The drone carrier is completely worthless if it can’t maintain its defense net.”

“It’s not needed, Ramírez. The Ark Royal is the finest of UHN vessels. The enemy has cut down on its barrages. Our facilities are rebuilding those drones as fast as they can spit out missiles at us.”

“Sir...,” Ramírez paused as he thought about it. The situation was dire for Rex, and he was well aware of it. Even if the drone carrier could rebuild drones, the enemy was destroying them quicker than they could be replaced. The onboard facilities were not fast enough. The admiral was being stubborn, and Ramírez caught onto his little lie. A part of him understood his thinking. Some of it was pride. If the Ark Royal retreated, it might appear weak by both Itrean clans, but on the other hand, retreating may prove to be a worse maneuver. The Aksren clan forces might see the lead UHN ship as vulnerable. It was technically possible for a few Aksren vessels to encircle around the battle formation and destroy the Ark Royal while it was alone. Then again, it already was vulnerable. The space field of combat drones was still targeting any incoming enemy warheads, but there were too few now. The thoughts went to the former UHN Shinano. It had a similar fate. No matter how advanced the ship was, the Itreans became a rolling boulder that couldn’t be stopped. The Ark Royal was caught in a rough situation. The Aksren clan had already found the weakness with the drone carrier design in the past year. Retreating in a middle of a battle was a tricky process, even with a significant battle such as this.

Ramírez closed his eyes. He knew that Rex wasn’t going to back off no matter how hard he tried to convince him. Perhaps the other UHN captains might have known it and warned him, but it was pointless. The admiral was simply a dot to the enemy forces. The bald officer remained silent. There was nothing more that he could do. His gut instinct had told him that this might happen, and the fact remained that there were few options to really do anything about it. More or less, he had hoped that it would never happen, and yet it did. He took a deep breath, and it was here that he heard something that he almost didn’t expect.

“We’re ... getting a hail from Loreshren. It’s directed to the T’rintar fleet and the Ark Royal only,” Tara’Talar stated.

“Twice in one day...,” Ramírez remarked. “At least our enemy is making the courtesy. What’s she up to?”

“Fleet Adjunct Yuio’larin is responding to the hail.”

“Admiral Rex is also responding to the hail, audio and visual,” Ramírez stated.

The line feed connected to show the visual display of the T’rintar Fleet Adjunct’s face, Rex, and that of Loreshren. The Aksren Fleet Adjunct was much like it was when she contacted them the first time. She kept her snide attitude and looked away from the optical lens that was broadcasting her. Her gold chain nose crested piece dangled on the side near her nostrils. She sat by her table, but it was here that things were slightly different. On the desk where she sat, there was a square plate of food that she was eating. The plate consisted of some sort of red meat that had been thoroughly cooked. Loreshren’s sharp talons were digging into the meal as she was savoring the bite in her own way. She showed little emotion and would pause as she closed her eyes to let the meal sink on her tongue before she swallowed it. She knew that the commlink was established.

Yuio’larin began to make a series of chirps along with the words of the Itrean language. Ramírez didn’t need a translation to understand what the T’rintar fleet adjunct had been saying to Loreshren. The tone said it all.

“Such ... bravado,” Loreshren replied in English. It was said in the most snobbish way possible. “I had to interrupt my meal just to get in contact with you two.”

“Two communication hails in one battle alone, Loreshren,” Rex replied to her. “You must be getting bored on your ship.”

“Your human pets talk and talk ... How do the T’rintar clan handle such nuisances? Then again, they are otesa’krou.”

Ramírez briefly looked at Tara’Talar that was watching the communication transpire. Loreshren took another bite of her meal as her snout delicately chewed.

“It means ‘lower caste,’” Tara’Talar quietly told him. “It is elite slang spoken by Aksren clan.”

“What is it that you want?” Rex asked her.

“Much better,” Loreshren stated. “Your surrender or your life. Whichever comes first,”

“You’ll have neither. We won’t stop till Cipra is liberated.”

Loreshren was unimpressed. “I’m having my victory meal in celebration of your destruction. Such a shame ... human brains and heart mixed together. I admit that I didn’t care about the taste so much, but now I’m going to miss it. Supply simply ran out.”

Ramírez showed a wave of disgust as he truly realized what the fleet adjunct was eating. It was true. The Itreans delighted in eliminating their enemies. In some customs, they would go as far as devouring their enemies once they were killed. It was their way of showing their hate and desire to wipe out their opponent. It might have been a way to intimidate opponents further as well. There was genuine sincerity in how she conveyed those words. The admiral tried not to let it get to him as he spoke.

“In the name of the UHN and the UWA, we the human race shall never surrender to you, Loreshren,” Rex defiantly said. “Our goal is just. We fight for freedom while your people selfishly take what isn’t yours.”

“It was expected that you humans would make such ... predictable tones,” Loreshren explained while she took a small bite of the meat and swallowed. “Much like the old days when Jalgren ruled, the Yutilians fell to each of his attacks, one by one. I will be the same as him. You humans are just like the T’rintar. You’re weak ... lesser ... like ‘ants’ as you would say. Even now, my great disease will wipe out your pathetic little army on the surface of the planet. My vehicles will scrape the remains of your people off their armor, and perhaps I can savor more meals like this.”

“Is this all that you’re doing?” the admiral asked her. “You’re trying to boast? If so, then I’ll laugh when you finally flee this sector.”

There was a brief moment when Loreshren turned and looked at the screen. Her reptilian eyes glared into the human admiral. A short smirk appeared from her snout before she returned to the snobbish persona. She closed her eyes and took another bite from her meal.

“Tell me, human,” Loreshren asked him. “You think that sending off your little message earlier about the New Olympians coming would cause me to flee in terror? You think that I wouldn’t see through what you were trying to gain?”

“Damn...,” Ramírez quietly said. He knew that she had finally caught onto the little ruse to slow down her advance. The tone had shifted dramatically. Rex did his best to disguise his emotions and not let her see it.

“They are coming, and when they do, their ships will decimate your fleet,” Rex tried to lie. Loreshren didn’t seem impressed or convinced.

“The New Olympians...” Loreshren stated. “A group of humans with powerful technology. You might have fooled me, but I know what you’re trying to do. No ships have arrived. The New Olympians would never leave their home to attack us. An excellent lie, something that worked well for a time. However, your time is up.”

“Then why call us? If they aren’t coming, then stay and wait for your destruction. I can promise that they will give you a good thrashing. We stand with our allies, and they stand with us.”

“We stand ... with friends,” Yiou’laren replied on the comms.

Loreshren took another bite of her meal and swallowed it. Her eyes turned to look at the admiral. “You humans believe that such an alliance between you and the T’rintar would work? Even your so-called ‘New Olympians’ fail to be here. I can promise you, human, that you’re alone. The T’rintar clan are nothing but a failed design. Instead of me prolonging this, how about I prove my point. Let’s play a game, shall we? I’ve grown quite bored, and I prefer to enjoy my meal while watching you die. I know the flagship of the T’rintar fleet, and I know you. I’m going to launch so many warheads between both ships that the T’rintar clan will have no choice but to abandon you. The humans will watch who the T’rintar values the most. You see, you’re nothing but an otesu’krou to them. It will be the last thing that you know before you scream, begging the gods to help you.”

The communications channel closed immediately. Ramírez watched in shock as the super-dreadnought, Loreshren’s flagship, suddenly opened fire. All eight of its heavy bow torpedo tubes shot out a wave of guided munitions. The dorsal and ventral VLS missile bays launched a torrent of guided missiles that spun and began to home towards a distant target. Many of the Aksren fleet increased its fire. Suddenly, the Aksren offense picked up heavily.

“Registering multiple launches,” Tara’Talar explained. “Confirmed. There is an equal number of missiles targeting both ships. Estimated time of impact is four minutes. Over... 2500 warheads divided between both ships.”

“My God,” Ramírez remarked.

Counterfire erupted from the T’rintar clan fleet. A series of intercept missiles and decoys were deployed. The battlefleet formation began to shift in the T’rintar battle line. Fleet adjunct Yuio’laren’s flagship’s forward thrusters activated as it shifted in reverse. Other battleships and dreadnoughts began to use their vectoring thrusters to put themselves in the firing line of the incoming warheads.

“Rex, reverse course now!” Ramírez yelled out to his superior. He watched as the Ark Royal was sitting in the battle line doing nothing.

Tara’Talar quickly communicated to her superior in the process before she turned to Ramírez. “Our fleet is engaging the incoming volley. Fleet Adjunct is promising to move some of her assets to help protect the Ark Royal.”

Ramírez took Tara’Talar’s message and passed the information to Rex. The admiral looked away from the console as the alarms were going off. He seemed to be thinking. His tone was severe, as if someone drew the energy from his body.

“Ramírez,” Rex asked. “If the T’rintar clan devote their resources to protecting me, would it put the life of Yuio’laren in danger?”

Ramírez looked at Tara’Talar and asked her that question. The Atra’s defenses had activated and fired a small volley of intercept missiles. They were heading toward the volley along with the other stream of T’rintar missiles.

“Yes,” Tara’Talar answered. “It would. The enemy volley is large, and it will require all assets to be diverted to stop it.”

“No...,” Ramírez went and told the information to the admiral. He could see that the admiral was thinking. Each second was one that he would never get back.

“Tell Yuio’laren that it was a pleasure to serve with her, but the mission is more important,” Rex explained. “Make sure her fleet protects her at all costs. That’s an order, Ramírez.”

“What are you doing?” he asked. He got his answer as the Ark Royal’s rear thrusters had activated. It began to move forward. Its four forward missile tubes were firing streams of torpedoes at the enemy. It was moving ahead of the entire battle line towards the Aksren fleet.

Ramírez quickly passed the information to Tara’Talar to relay it to the Fleet Adjunct. Within ten seconds, any efforts that the T’rintar clan had in trying to protect the Ark Royal ended. Instead, they began to join up in firing on the volley that was heading towards Yuio’laren.

“Sir ... Rex!” Ramírez pleaded to him. “You can stop this right now! Reverse course and retreat back into the line. We can still try to put up a...”

“I have to ensure that the enemy missiles won’t target the other battleships,” Rex explained. “I need to ensure that they hit me.”

The Ark Royal was increasing speed more and more. The enormous volley altered its course and slowly gained ground towards the UHN command ship. It was a tiny dot heading towards a fence of red death. The Aksren battle line was firm and didn’t budge towards the beleaguered carrier.

Tara’Talar was focused on her work. Ramírez continued to watch as the Ark Royal was going down fighting. It was launching its torpedoes as fast as it could reload. It was a pointless maneuver. The carrier was not a warship, and it was trying to fight thousands of warships. The Aksren fleet was a brick wall that could easily shoot down everything it fired, but that wasn’t the point. The T’rintar fleet continued to adjust its position to protect the greater fleet adjunct. It seemed to be working. A series of nuclear flashes erupted, taking out several Aksren missiles. Intercept missiles were homing in and slashing the countless amount of munitions. It was thousands of weapons having to destroy thousands of enemy weapons at once. It would take minutes to find out if they had all been accounted for.

Ramírez’s heart was pounding as he continued to watch Rex’s face through his console. The admiral was conveying out commands to the other UHN battleships. Some captains were similar to Ramírez, pleading the admiral to return. But, instead, Rex passed along his orders. A minute remained before the volley would hit him.

The Aksren warships that were closest to the Ark Royal were reacting to the charge. Numerous battleships were pointing their railguns in anticipation of the lonely carrier that would fight all of them. The enormous volley of missiles was closing in fast. Ramírez felt the sudden flashbacks of William. Almost a year ago, another that he knew so well charged into his death. The purpose was clear.

“Promise me that we retake Cipra, my friend,” Rex told him. “Make sure that the T’rintar clan complete their job. You have command of the UHN taskforce, Captain.”

Ramírez’s adrenaline was in full swing. He put his hand to his heart. “I give you my word, sir.”

“Give the Aksren a bloody hell time!” The admiral gave a firm salute to him even with the g-forces pressed against him. The bald officer replied in earnest. He kept his salute and held it. Rex then began to recite the motto of the UHN creed. As he spoke, he could hear the crew of the Ark Royal sound out along with the admiral.

“I’m humanity’s first and last line of defense, for this, I vow. I obey the orders of those appointed over me and, if need be, promise to give my life in service of the U...” The signal was interrupted and disappeared.

Suddenly, the first stream of missiles came slamming into the hull of the Ark Royal. The AIO turrets were utterly overwhelmed, having thousands of missiles to shoot down. In less than a split second, ten missiles struck various sections of the hull. Five nuclear warheads completely penetrated the hull and exploded together in a vicious explosion.

The blast wave in space was horrific. It was nothing but a flash of bright orange and blue light. The Ark Royal was torn asunder and atomized instantly. Much of the volley intended for the carrier was taken out in the blast, with the rest flying out into various sections of space. The admiral, the crew, and the Ark Royal were completely obliterated.

“Rex!” Ramírez’s heart sank. He took his hand and slammed it into the console as he gritted his teeth. He remained quiet and closed his eyes. He knew that it was a devastating loss. The UHN command ship was destroyed. One of the finest warships in the UHN was gone. It felt like a pointless death, but one that the admiral calculated well beyond himself and his crew’s demise. It was vital to protect the fleet adjunct.

Ramírez shut things out for less than a minute to make sure that he could properly reset himself. His thoughts had gone to William. Rex’s death was another sacrifice for him and for the benefit of the UWA. Both had done it to save humanity from the crushing defeat of the other Itrean clans. If only Loreshren knew of the genuine sacrifices. He had nothing but hatred for this alien woman. The other clans had nothing but malice and ill content as far as he knew.

He felt the hand of Tara’Talar touch his arm even though she was still focused on her duties and relaying information to the Fleet Adjunct. He extended his hand and gently grasped hers for a short moment. The actions brought him back to reality. The sacrifice would not be in vain. The Atra would have to serve as the new command ship for the UHN task force. Their captains would need a new leader to help lead them to victory. The marine’s lives were on the line. Ramírez set his thoughts to his augmented hand. He processed the information and established a line with the remaining UHN battleships. An open audio and visual link were created.

“This is Captain Ramírez,” he addressed the UHN fleet. “I’m assuming command of Taskforce Bravo. Captain Edith, I elect, will be XO of the taskforce fleet in case I’m killed or incapacitated in battle.”

“This is Captain Edith of the Mawson,” a female voice announced on the comms. “Acknowledged on that order. I stand ready.”

One by one, the other captains that were still alive responded to Ramírez’s authority. He had to succeed in this goal. Lives depended on him, and it wasn’t his goal to let them down.

“Here,” Zalika told Iz’tre. The marine woman tossed the Aksren anti-material rifle to her. “Promise me that you won’t shoot me in the back, will ya?”