Hard Duty By Mark E. Cooper

Copyright©2005 by Mark E. Cooper

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Aboard Naktlon, Shan system

Tei’Varyk glared at the tactical situation on the main viewer as the Murderers advanced. His people were silent, having made peace with the fact they were about to die. The fleet was gone, all except Hekja, Hoth, and his own Naktlon. Fifty orbits of work gone in a single cycle, and only three ships remained to save the Shan.

They had been so close to gaining the stars, but the humans had come too late. One orbit earlier, just one orbit might have made the difference. He sighed into the silence, and watched Hekja and Hoth attempt the impossible. They had all agreed it was the only chance that two damaged heavy fangs had to disable the murderer’s ships, but it was a slim chance only. If it worked, Naktlon would move in with every weapon firing at maximum. If it did not, Naktlon would move in with every weapon firing at maximum.

There were no choices left.

“Hoth and Hekja engage,” Tarjei said into the silence.

“I hear,” Tei’Varyk said. “We will go in with all weapons firing at maximum. Torpedoes, missiles, particle cannon, beamers—everything.”

“I hear,” Kajika whispered.

“Are you sorry you chose to follow me?”

Kajika’s ears flattened. “Never. You are my Tei.”

Tei’Varyk inclined his head, and Kajika bowed in return. He turned back to the screen in time to see Hoth and Hekja forefill their part of the plan.

Two heavily damaged heavy fangs entered the Merki formation at preselected points knowing they would not emerge from the other side. They went in with every weapon reaching out to rend the murderers of their people. Heavy fangs were awesome weapons. Torpedoes spat from every surviving tube as the ships absorbed hit after hit from the Merki ships. The torpedoes were set to lock onto any Merki target, and hundreds did that. Two Merkiaari battleships blew apart as two hundred torpedoes, each having a two megatonne nominal yield, detonated as one. Space went mad as ship after ship was rent and spat out of the nuclear fire smashed beyond recognition. Hoth blew apart from the results of her own fire. Hekja reeled, bent and broken but still under control. He trimmed course and rammed a Merkiaari heavy fang. Both ships disappeared in the flash of ruptured fusion cores. With them went a light fang.

They had failed.

“Three heavy fangs and two lighter units remain,” Tarjei reported.

“Which are the most severely damaged?”

“Both light fangs appear unable to keep pace with the heavies, but all are still combat capable.”

“It doesn’t matter then. We kill the ships with the most Murderers aboard.”

“I hear, Tei,” Kajika said. “Targeting heavy fang… target locked.”

“I hear,” Tei’Varyk said and waited in silence. “Open fire!”

Naktlon erupted in fury. His torpedo launchers went to rapid continuous fire attempting to saturate the defences of his chosen target. As the range closed, his beamers and particle cannons spoke. The Merki heavy cruiser blew apart, but even as she did, missiles infinitely more powerful than any Shan torpedo hammered Naktlon closer to destruction. Closer and closer, but finally the fire ended and he was still there. Though battered and bleeding atmosphere, he continued to pour fire into the remaining Merki ships.

“Magazines destroyed or depleted,” Kajika reported.

“I hear. Continue with all remaining weapons. Kill them all,” Tei’Varyk ordered, as his ship slowly died around him.

Naktlon bucked and reared at the centre of nuclear fury sent by the Merki. He was blinded to starboard, and nearly so on his portside. His great engines propelled him into the heart of the storm to kill his enemies even as he was hammered into uselessness.

“Take out those honourless light fangs,” Tei’Varyk said, as they pecked away at Naktlon’s armoured hide.

Kajika did not respond, but Naktlon’s particle cannons swivelled and targeted first one, and then a second light unit. Both blew apart as energy beams designed to strip the hide from a Merkiaari dreadnaught ripped through them.

“Target the next—” Tei’Varyk began, but that was as far as he got.

Naktlon, broken and barely making way with a single drive, was hit amidships. The beam sliced through deck after deck, killing his crew and severing control runs. His particle cannons locked and fell silent, as power cables were turned to slag. His remaining torpedo launchers, had they ammunition, would have been useless as power runs to the launch rails were cut, but by far the worst damage was to his fusion room. The beam reached the core of his reactor, and Naktlon erupted with super hot plasma eating everything in sight. Blast doors slammed and alarms screamed, but it was all for nothing.

Naktlon broke in two.

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