Sword of Axia (The Arcadian Jihad) (23 page)

“Captain, that was too close, find that damned ship and blast it out of space.”

System Standard 2728.1312 Battlecruiser Sword of Axia above Planet Corazon

Ensign Alex Yalonda checked the passageway either side of the door, it was empty. Periodically the flagship shuddered as it took another hit, at one point she’d thought it was all over when the alarms went off and crewmembers came pouring out of every door, running for the engine room to repair a massive hull breach. The movement of the ship was no longer a smooth, powerful passage through space, instead it vibrated with a constant grating noise that set her teeth on edge. She opened the door, went into the cabin and locked it behind her. The engineer Hans Vartem had shown her how to disable the drug that filled the cabin, the poor young man had left in a totally confused state, not understanding that his mind was telling him one thing, or rather Yalonda’s mind was telling him one thing, and his testosterone was telling him quite another. Evelyn and Nightingale were still unconscious. She sniffed the air, there was no trace of the gas, although there was no way to know for sure if it had dispersed, it was completely odorless. The problem was how to awaken them. She probed into their minds, but they were blank, there was nothing. She’d hoped that their drugged sleep was some kind of a coma, she didn’t know which gas had been used. But clearly it was much more than that, they were completely knocked out. It would need more drastic measures. Physical measures, she’d have to do this the old-fashioned way. She dragged Evelyn into the tiny bathroom, lay her in the base of the shower and turned on the cold water to full force, and hard, icy blast that was almost enough to wake the dead. She started to shake her, slapped her face, shouted at her. “Evelyn, listen to me, wake up, we need you, Orphex needs you.” At the same time, she projected the full force of her powerful mind into the unconscious woman’s brain.

At first there was nothing, then she groaned. Yalonda shook harder, shouted more. “Evelyn, you must wake up.”

Another groan, but it wasn’t enough. She thought hard, what would shock her more?

“Evelyn, there’s a Spican sand snake crawling in your hair, it’s a big snake.”

The unconscious girl shuddered, and then shook violently. “What, a snake, what is this?”

Abruptly her eyes flicked open and she suddenly leapt out of the shower.

“What’s going on, I’m wet, something about a snake, where is it?”

“There’s no snake, relax. Welcome back to the real world. Quickly, there’s no time to explain everything, the Rescom attack has almost failed, they need us desperately.”

Evelyn’s eyes registered puzzlement. “But, what do you mean, you’re an Axian officer?”

Yalonda gave her the secret code word. Half spoken, half transferred from mind to mind, only an Orphexian could communicate in that way.

“You’re one of us?”

“Yes. We need to hurry, help me get Nightingale into the shower, we’ll need her too.”

They dragged the unconscious handmaiden into he shower and she was subjected to the same treatment, several minutes later both women were fully conscious, if very wet.

“Listen, both of you. We have to stop this ship from pressing the attack further on the Rescom Fleet. They’re almost defeated, if we don’t manage it the rebellion will be over and we’ll have many more years of Axian rule.”

Both women were fully awake now.

“You know we’re specifically forbidden from interfering in such a way?” Nightingale said quietly. “It would go against everything we’ve been trained and sent out to do.”

“If we don’t do it, our mission will be ended anyway. You need to choose, we’re almost out of time.” Yalonda gazed at them steadily, desperate for the answer that would decide whether Rescom would still have a fighting chance. Finally, their eyes filled with understanding.

“What do you want us to do?”

System Standard 2728.1312 Battlecruiser Rex Vitas above Planet Corazon

The fighting had lulled unexpectedly after the last exchange of salvos as both Fleets seemed to draw breath before the next bruising encounter. Rusal looked at the screens, the picture was not encouraging. They’d been flanked by the Axians, the enemy were arrayed in front of them in a long line that curved around past each end of the Rescom Fleet. Some of the enemy vessels were already behind them and a complete encirclement before a final assault was not far away. Rusal ran through scores of options in his mind, what could he do? In the end it still came down to surrender and die slowly on the prison planets or continue fighting and die quickly. He had thousands of men on the planet’s surface, unless he made a substantial dent in the Axian forces the Sword of Axia would simply land on the planet with the remainder of the Axian armada and finish them off. No, they had to give Smetana’s force at least something of a fighting chance. Besides, you never knew, maybe one last push would tip the balance. Yes, he did know, that was deceiving himself, there was no fighting chance, they were beaten, all they could do was the best they could for the ground force. His men deserved to know what lay in front of them.

“Mr. Gehlen, I want to broadcast to the Fleet, set it up now, there isn’t much time left.”

The crew looked around at the Admiral. They all suspected the truth, yet until he spelt it out there was at least the faint comfort of hope to keep them fighting. When Rusal finally admitted how hopeless their position was, that hope would be gone.

“Listen to me, men and women of the Rescom Fleet. You have all fought harder than any person could reasonably be expected to fight. I have to tell you what many of you already suspect, the enemy is too strong for us. We could surrender, it would not be dishonorable. But we have a ground force that still needs all the support we can give them. I intend to make a last attempt to destroy the enemy flagship, the Sword of Axia. If we are successful, it may be enough to force them to break off and return to Axis Nova. It is the best we can do to help our comrades. Whatever the result, your names will go down in history as the warriors that gave everything in the fight against the evil of the Axians. That is all.”

The bridge was silent. Rusal had just condemned them all to death. Yet they were condemned anyway, either in battle or afterwards on Nabucco I or another toxic prison planet. The silence seemed endless, Rusal was about to give the order to begin the attack when he heard a faint sound. It was cheering, a swelling chorus of voices that sounded all through the ship, no, through the whole Fleet.

“Rescom, Rescom, Rescom.”

It was enough, more than any commander had a right to expect.

“Mr. Gehlen, signal the surviving ships to form on us again. We’ll make a last run at that Battlecruiser, give it every we’ve got left. It’s already heavily damaged, it could be about to explode or even run, you never know.”

Of course, they did know. Even if they obliterated the Sword of Axia from space there were still more than enough enemy cruisers to finish them off. The only thing that the Axians could not do was finish off their pride, their honor, their knowledge that their cause was right and just. The Fleet was forming into a massive wedge that would make one last try to punch a mortal wound into the enemy armada. The Axians were already completing their encirclement prior to their next attack, it was now or never.

“All ships report closed up and ready for action, Admiral.”

Rusal nodded at Gehlen. “Very well, on my order.”

Was he waiting for a miracle? Why was he hesitating, he had to give the command, perhaps the last one he would ever give.

“Order the Fleet to maximum speed. Attack!”

They hurtled towards the Axian force, like David and Goliath in the fabled old tales that had survived from some strange, ancient cult, long forgotten. He recalled that on that occasion the unarmored David had been equipped with some kind of secret hand weapon against which Goliath had no defense. But it was just a myth, he had no such weapon, all they had was their belief, their basic humanity with which to cloak themselves against the Axian juggernaut and it was not enough, not by a long way.

“Combat center reports enemy in range, all batteries ready to fire.”

“Open fire, let’s make a final attempt to kill their flagship.”

System Standard 2728.1313 Battlecruiser Sword of Axia above Corazon

They walked almost unnoticed through the door that led onto the bridge. Unnoticed except by the trooper who guarded it, but he would afterwards insist that Secretary Kerawan had given permission for the three people, the ship’s officer and two women to be allowed through. They watched the ship’s senior officers issuing streams of orders to their Fleet as the Rescom ships hurtled towards them in a last, desperate and suicidal attack. Kerawan was smiling.

“They’ll save us the trouble of hunting them down one by one, Admiral Kahn. We can finish them all off with a few well placed broadsides.”

“It would have been better if they’d surrendered,” Kahn growled. “It’s true they can’t beat us but they’ll cause a lot of casualties and damage all the same.”

Kerawan grunted, annoyed that the Admiral had contradicted him. But it was a minor annoyance, this idiotic rebellion was almost over, they’d blast these traitors into scrap metal and then deal with the rest of them on the surface. It was as good as over. He could return to Axis Nova, the glorious, golden planet from where they ruled the Nine Systems, all this nonsense could be put behind them. Only one thing pleasured him more than the thought of his luxurious home planet and that was what he would do to the survivors of the Rescom rebellion. Many would be sent to the prison planet of Nabucco I to end their days in slavery, choked to an agonizing death by the toxic environment. Perhaps he would have some of them assigned to his own hydroponic factories here on Corazon, slave workers would make everything much more profitable. Yes, they may as well pay for their treachery, ending their days as slaves would be perfect. There would be a few executions, of course, he felt his blood quicken at the thought of the Rescom leaders swinging on the end of a rope, or perhaps choked to death in an execution chamber. One at a time, yes, they could spread out the executions for his personal entertainment. Kerawan checked himself, remembering that he had another, quite different agenda. How easy it was to throw oneself into a role and forget. He caught sight of the two women on the bridge, one of the ship’s junior officers had brought them in.

“Ensign, what in space are you doing, bringing these women here?”

“The Admiral ordered it, Secretary Kerawan,” Yalonda replied.

“Admiral Kahn, is this true, what did you want with these women? They’re supposed to be locked in their cabin.”

But Yalonda spoke again while the Admiral only stared, glassy eyed. What was wrong with the fool?

“The Admiral is about to order the Fleet to cease fire, it is urgent, he will send the order now.”

To his horror, Kerawan heard Admiral Kahn ordering his ships, his entire Fleet to cease-fire. He felt his heart hammering as Kahn deliberately gave orders to stand down and broadcast news of their surrender to the Rescom ships. It was almost an anti-climax when Kahn gave the final order, to place him under arrest and hold him in the brig.

System Standard 2728.1313 Battlecruiser Rex Vitas above Corazon

“Sir, they’ve ceased fire, they’re broadcasting the surrender.”

Every officer on the bridge looked in astonishment at the comms officer who relayed the message.

“It’s a trick, surely,” Dirk Gehlen said. “Admiral, we need to keep firing, we can finish them now, it’s our chance.”

Rusal shook his head. “No, it’s a surrender, we have to honor it. I haven’t got the least idea why, they were winning and could have beaten us, but they’ve given in. It would be murder if we carried on, order all ships to cease fire.”

Gehlen gave the order and everything on the bridge went quiet, the particle beam and plasma batteries stilled and the rapid maneuvering ended as the Rex Vitas steadied on course.

“Captain, prepare to receive a shuttle from the Axians, the rules of warfare require that we receive them to formally accept their surrender.”

“Sir, it’s a trick, the shuttle could be a bomb.”

“No, it’s no trick, they’ve dropped their shields, they’ve put themselves at our mercy, it’s a genuine surrender. We’ve won. Broadcast the message to all of our ships and you’d better let the ground forces know what’s happening up here.”

As he stopped speaking he knew the word was already spreading around the ship, he could hear cheering, gleeful shouts of victory. They’d won.

“Sir, there’s no response from the ground, our people are not replying.”

The cheering died away. Either it meant that the comms equipment had been destroyed. Or that their surface attack had failed and their troops were captured. Or dead.

So God let them go and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not Ahura himself, who is to be praised forever. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Men did shameful things and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved. When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God's death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.