Second Chances - An Earth & Beyond Emulator Novel, Ch.VIII

[Pakkrat [N7LA]]

Second Chances - An Earth & Beyond Emulator Novel, Ch.VIII
by Pakkrat

VIII. Pakkrateus had ridden his engines their hardest in the flight to Mars sector. If he got clear of this mess, a hull and engine upgrade at the very least was in order. Never before had he drove his ship this hard for such an extended period. Looking out at the Defender in formation beside him, he guessed this was hardly a jog for the sleek Shinwa vessel. But first a dog had to be put to sleep.

Siobhan had taken the helm of the Maze Runner for the first two sectors as Pakkrateus again tended to his graze wound. Pulling on his boot for he intended to die with his boots on, the Privateer then grabbed a new bottle of Pro-Vod vodka from the mini-fridge and went forward to the bridge.

Asteroids of the Gamma Belt flew by like a barrage of massive hail stones as the Maze Runner plowed along. Siobhan was leaning forward at the helm, trying to cut any corners she could in the mad dash for Mars sector. This was rather futile as the gravity wells of nearby Detention Center Onorom stood in direct line from the gate to Saturn sector and the gate to Mars sector. It forced any ships to go around the huge interdiction fields, generally encouraging the use of the line of navs. Still she was intent.

Rounding the last nav before the gate to Mars sector the Warrior changed seats with the Privateer. With a kiss to his wrinkled forehead, the Sabura said "For luck in battle, Pakkrateus." Then she sat down and buckled in to monitor the ship's shields, armor, and reactor capacitors. He smiled at her and then buckled in as well at the helm in time to transmit to the gate the command to open.

The gate to Mars sector opened and the unlikely duo of a Progen Privateer and a Jenquai Defender entered the space over Mars in a flash of unfolding blue light and space-time. In the distance was the Red Planet, like a hungry and hellish stone waiting to pull down anything unworthy. Before it was the capital space station, Arx Magister, home to the Progen Republic's three arms of space operations. Centuriata, Collegia, and the Sabine Order came together here when the Republic was challenged. The Factions would drop their differences and loyally served without question here.

In the distance were two huge asteroids webbed with Progen structures, armor, and various other construction. On each end of Mars sector so as to not interfere with each other's action, the asteroids were named Romulus and Remus. Through the center of each asteroid were the zenith of Progen weaponry. The Romulus and Remus cannons were the singly most massive cannons ever built, powerful enough to be unstoppable once their ordinance was fired. Each weapon's damage output was so tremendous that a line of Pax capital ships could not halt their discharge. They were testament to the readiness of the Progen for any threat, human or otherwise.

Pakkrateus noted their size as Remus came into scopes range first. He had seen the inactive cannons many times in his passage through Mars sector. To most Progen, it was accepted that the asteroid weapons would never see action and might as well be museum pieces for tours. Now as the formation moved further into the sector his scopes detected lights, normally dim, bright and flaring.

Reacher's voice came over the communications console. "Progen, I detect energy build-up in the Remus cannon. The Tormentor means to do this." There was a crackle of static as a incoming transmission overpowered the Jenquai's connection.

It was a male, Martian-accented and powerful voice. He spoke with confidence and with an edge of feral bestiality, "Puny Collegiate! You might stop one of the cannons, but you cannot stop both in time! Ha ha ha! If even one fires the Gate War continues. Fool! Welcome to your doom!"

Pakkrateus swung his scopes around to target the distant Romulus cannon. It too was lighting up. "Vita Theodora."

"He must have given the codes to his Centuriata escort," suggested Siobhan behind him. "They mean to fire both cannons at the same time."

"I may not be able to stop both cannons, Siobhan," declared Pakkrateus who was looking out at his wingman, the Sev Tushnim Shinwa Defender Reacher, "but we can." At that the Defender broke formation and swung around to blur into invisibility as it made for the Remus cannon.

The Maze Runner kept her route to the Romulus cannon.

The computer voice of the Privateer spoke next, "Warning: Romulus cannon energy levels at 55%. Evacuation advised." The sensors knew that if the giant weapons were to fire, at this range any ships, no matter their size would be vaporized from the concussive discharge of the ordinance alone. Pakkrateus furrowed his brow but kept the Maze Runner on track to Romulus.

Ahead, on scopes but just out of scan range, was the singular Centuriata Warrior vessel of Dahaka Khan. Pakkrateus guessed that the Khan must have commandeered one of the ships at Arx Ymir. Would the warlord still be combat capable if engaged so soon from answering the Call Forward? The vessel was remote-interfacing with the huge space cannon. The Khan was setting the commands to acquire a target: Jove's Fury in far off Jupiter. The cannon's discharge would take an unstoppable time to reach the station. But upon connecting with the unsuspecting Jenquai, the station would be obliterated. The Gate War would flame anew. Mankind would end in mere months.

He had no doubt that Reacher had already intercepted the personal guard escort of the Centuriata the Khan had brought with him. There were tiny flashes seen before the Remus cannon. Over the sector broadcast channel came the voice of the Defender. Rather than some Progen battle-cry or Terran hooting, the Jenquai veteran master was calmly counting down his kills in reverse. "Six....," he called over the channel as sounds in the background of his voice were beam blasts, sustained hits on his shields, and the warnings of his vessel's computer.

Pakkrateus smiled at the distant battle then faced his attention forward as his ship fell out of warp speeds. He gunned his impulse engines straight for the Khan. If the Centuriata Warrior was going to defeat the Privateer, the Procurator meant to ram his enemy.

There was no kiting, no cloaking, no psychological tactics or Psi defenses against the Khan. The Centuriata Warrior was already rotating his vessel to face the incoming, bulky Collegia Privateer. This was a standoff of sheer firepower, shields attrition, nerve, and determination to go to the end. The Centuriata Warrior was already locking on it Gravity Link to capture the Privateer in its dance to the death. Pakkrateus felt his ship slam down into a crawling speed. There would be no escape from this battle. For his part, the Privateer thumbed off the safeties of his weapons. Taking the initiative first as his launchers came into range, he fired the first volley. Swarm after swarm of missiles and torpedoes cruised the gap between the two Progen ships. Then the flashing of the Khan's six projectiles started hammering. Ordinance flew by each other. There was no dodging, no dogfighting nor room for second thoughts.

"Five.....," came Reachers' call.

The Maze Runner was thundered by the hail of impact, plasma, chemical, and explosive rounds. The Khan liked variety in his choice of ammunition. The Privateer's fire was already clouding the Warrior with plasma and concussive explosions. The two vessels faced off as Progen fought classic toe-to-toe.

As the two ships came within point blank range, the cloud of ordinance exchange grew volatile and deadlier. Then as if to make things even deadlier, both Progen unleashed their Shield Inverters upon each other. The nearby surface of Romulus was lit up with the energy storm of exchanged bolts of pure energy. The two ships were taking hits and draining their respective shields as weapons against their adversary. The storm could easily be seen from Arx Magister's scopes. Two Shield Inverters were locked in a storm of attrition!

"Four.....," again counted Reacher.

Siobhan heard the Pakkrateus talking to his adversary again, "Fine! Let's play chicken!" She looked at the reactor readings. Already both ships's shields were beginning to buckle as they thundered at each other. Computer warnings called out, "Warning shield matrix critical."

The Pakkrateus hammered his fist on a large button at the helm. The dwindling reactor sang its shunting action to its shields a final time.

"Three....."

*RE-VAMP!* went the shield recharge as the Privateer again stormed the Inverter upon the Khan. The Khan was laughing maniacally over the sector broadcast channel.

Both ships rocked, buckled, and shuddered at the tremendous firepower each was delivering on the other. Sparks flew in the bridge of the Maze Runner. Smoke issued from the aft of the Warrior ship. It was a dance to see who died first. And still both ships did not move or try to dodge. There was nowhere to go but to oblivion.

"Two....."

Then the shields on the Maze Runner failed, the last of their matrix shredded by the Khan's six projectiles' onslaught. Nothing could stand for very long under the punishing and critically targeting weaponry of a Centuriata Warrior. Smoke threatened to choke Pakkrateus and Siobhan in the bridge.

But as the hull of the privateer was rippling with incoming fire, Siobhan turned her console to scan the Khan's vessel. The Warrior was already suffering hull damage. It was the thick armor of both vessels that would determine this conflict.

"Fool!" yelled the warlord, "I am Khan! I cannot be defeated! I am Khaaann!"

"Nice doggie," answered the Pakkrateus, "now play dead."

"One...."

Surprised at the Collegia's calm, Dahaka Khan looked at his ship's readings. As a Blacksun Ogun plasma missile struck the bridge to eat away at the front of the cockpit, Khan reacted.

It was ingrained in the deeply-embedded training of all Centuriata. If a battle was going badly, the protocol was clear: take the enemy down with you. Thus the Khan's training took over the ego of the raging fury of the man. He absently reached for the Self-Destruct console button. He was about to lay his palm over the button when the front of his cockpit breached into molten crystal shards. He snarled once and tried to press the button. He never got the chance to fully depress the Self-Destruct.

An Evoco "Fist of the Merus Milia" torpedo, the last one in the Privateer's arsenal, slid through the front of the cockpit. It caught the warlord and his chair on its front cone before exploding from inside the Centuriata Warrior ship. The explosion set off all the vessel's remaining ammunition and ruptured the central reactor. The resulting miniature nova lit up the night sky and was easily seen from the surface of Mars.

The energy storm went wild and discharged any ammunition from the hull. The repeated fireworks threw the Privateer back several clicks. The Maze Runner floated away slowly from the waves of force. Blasts and explosions continued for some minutes as the Privateer was front row for the pyrotechnics.

Pakkrateus rotated his chair to look at the status of his ship. The Privateer ship was sorely damaged as fire controls spewed flame retardants throughout the cargo hold, wings, engines, and the reactor. He would be lucky if she started her impulse drive after this tussle. Unbuckling his belts he went to Siobhan. She was using the ship's damaged scanners on the wreck of the Centuriata Warrior.

The tractor beam thankfully still worked on the Maze Runner as Siobhan hauled in the almost-forgotten Cenuturiata gene-map cryo-cartidge of the fallen Dog Soldier and warlord-general, Dahaka Khan. The gene-maps' cartridges were designed to survive such dereliction and Siobhan was reeling in his. Pakkrateus went to the retrieval port and with a heavy gauntlet produced the still-hot cartridge.

Outside the Maze Runner, the Romulus cannon had powered up fully, but never received the final command to fire. It was facing the distant planet of Jupiter, ready to unleash its hellish discharge. After the heat exchanger units on the cannon grew too hot, the fail-safes triggered and the cannon powered down slowly by numbers and sections. Without the fail-safe measures, the weapon would have self-destructed by its own ordinance.

In the distance, Remus was already powering down. Reacher had done it. He had taken out six Centuriata Warriors to stop them from firing the Remus cannon at Earth Station.

It was sometime later when Reacher's ship uncloaked before the drifting but still active Privateer. With some ginger and judicious use of the Defender's tractor beam, the Maze Runner's engines came online, the warp drive somewhat repaired yet ready.

"The Tormentor?" asked the Jenquai.

"In hand," answered Pakkrateus.

"To Sirius," said Siobhan after the two men detailed their original plan to banish Dahaka Khan, the "Tormentor of Jove City", from the universe via the Continuum Wrinkle. During the journey she mounted the cryo-cartridge inside a missile. With plenty of backup batteries, the Khan's gene-map would last a very long time outside this reality, banished for what could be an eternity. The Privateer had let her do the duty as she seemed to be the one to properly send kings to their rest, like the romance novels telling tales of ancient Earth.

The missile was fully readied, locked and loaded when the blue and indigo skies of Sirius were seen from the bridge of the Maze Runner.