Chapter 9: So, what is an Earther?

Chapter 9: So, what is an Earther?

On the Defiant, activities had reached a fever pitch. They had just reached ship-maneuverable speed, where the Defiant could now maneuver and fire her weapons, and allow Arvan to launch her fighter craft.

She, as well as the other ships in her fleet fired their braking thrusters and turned to face the coming Federation ships. All twenty-two ships were now at a relative standstill. At Arvan's signal, Defiant and her sister ships launched their single-seat fighters. The small, tubular ships streaked out of the sides of their mother craft, chemical fire and burning hydrogen spewing out of their exhausts, and arranged themselves into ragged formation.

Soon, the nine Federation ships slammed near their area of space. Ship-maneuverability status suddenly cleared up their tracking systems, and the Federation people saw the battleships in their path. Some started reversing fields and firing braking thrusters. Others turned and tried to avoid the wall of ships. But the others were too late in reacting. Though the two fleets were a good thousand klicks away from each other, considering starship velocities, such distances were practically zero. They couldn't reduce their momentum and velocity sufficiently, and slammed into the blockade.

Given the distances, collisions were unlikely, unless it was deliberately intended, and the Empire ships did indeed intend this, otherwise, how do they stop the Federation ships from proceeding. One would think that such a plan was a suicidal one, but Tirosians relish suicidal plans, and Arvan, through Norga, was able to control her crew.

Two of the Elyran battleships couldn't turn fast enough and collided with one of Arvan's tanker-carriers. As large holding tanks ruptured, the volatile hydrogen inside spilled out as snowflakes. Some mixed with the hot gases liberated by the collision and exploded, starting a chain reaction and turning the three ships into a glowing fireball.

The other cruisers were far enough away to avoid major damage, but many of the small Detterex fighters were caught like moths in a fire. The others scattered like angry bees escaping from their hive.

The Dixx cruisers were the first to take action, launching their own fighters, energy weapons flashing their deadly streams of light, but it was very clear that they were outnumbered.

The three remaining Elyran ships veered away and passed the line of cruisers, trying to avoid confrontation as yet: Tasha and her commanders were not expecting this.

The two Arachnian ships responded sluggishly to the command of their pilots, and continued on through the line of Empire ships. Detterex fighters slammed into their hulls, creating momentary glowing balls of fire on their surfaces. Sections of the ships automatically started sealing themselves. Fire control teams inside rushed to trouble spots even as the air that fed the blazes whistled out into space.

Arvan and her people took advantage of the opportunity and launched missiles at the Federation ships. The Dixx ships were able to repulse the deadly rockets but Talon and her retreating ships were hit.

Talon and Blazing Star took hits at their stern, the missiles luckily missing much of their engine sections, but the other Elyran ship took one right through the middle - a warhead of one of the large missiles was hit by a lucky shot from one of the Star's gunners, and had exploded before hitting the other cruiser. What was left of the missile's engine section slammed into her hull. The ship appeared to bend slightly as it reeled from the impact. Its pilot sent the ship rolling to avoid colliding with Talon, and drifted away.

-----

Mia looked at the screen with worried eyes. "Good God," she said.

"Can't we do anything?" the navigator asked as the whole bridge crew looked at the long-range projection on the main screen.

Mia looked on, making up her mind. "Probably," she said. In sudden decision, she punched the line for the shuttle bay. "Air Wing Commander," she called, and Seeker's CAG answered.

"Aye, sir."

"Are your fighters ready for launching?"

"Aye, sir. We've been standing by for a while, now."

"Good. Prepare to launch."

There was a slight pause.

"Sir? Shouldn't we wait for ship-maneuverable?"

"No, Commander, we will not. We'll launch as is. In fact, I'll have to bring up our power to reach them in time. We'll have to launch while under power. Helmsman, push it to fifteen percent. Steady as she goes."

"Aye, sir. Bringing her up to fifteen percent. Will soon exceed point six C."

Mia turned back to CAG. "Leave one of the ships for me, Commander. I'll be joining you. Make sure my ship has a radio transmitter." She turned to O'Connell. "Commander, O'Connell, go to red alert. You have the con." Mia was already walking to the lift as horns started hooting around her and flashing red lights replaced the ship's regular lights.

Mia had already changed into her pressure suit, a rebreather pack on her back. She was wriggling into the battle armor that went over the suit when she heard someone call.

"Turn around, and I'll check you," O'Connell said.

Mia turned around and let OConnell snap the latches on the back.

"That was an order I gave you, Commander," Mia said.

"Want to save it for later and tell me what's this crap about you going out?"

Mia shrugged. "I'm going out. It's that simple."

"The fighters may just explode as soon as they leave Seeker's gravity field, you along with them."

Mia smiled tightly. "I know. That's why I'm going. I will not let my people risk their lives if I wasnt willing to risk mine as well."

O'Connell crossed her arms over her breasts. "I can't let you do that."

Mia whirled on her. "What would you like me to do?" she said tightly. "Those ships are getting a beating out there. If we don't do something, they'll all die."

O'Connell shrugged. "We can wait for ship-maneuverable. Besides, it's not our fight."

"We don't have time for this." Mia replied. She snapped on her flight helmet and started walking over to the Shrike fighter that was assigned to her. "And you're wrong. It is our fight."

O'Connell walked with her. "Listen. This is crazy. These fighters aren't even tested yet, let alone tested above ship-maneuverable. I can't let you."

Mia was getting into the cockpit. "You don't have any choice in the matter. Mind the ship, Number One. That's an order." She snapped down her visor, ending further conversation.

"You're not qualified!" she yelled. Mia closed the cockpit.

The rest of the pilots were ready, and Air Wing Commander Kajima was making the circular gesture to start spinning the deck.

O'Connell shook her head in frustration. The whole deck started to rotate, depressurization warnings echoing in the bay. O'Connell started walking out of the deck.

Seeker's shuttle bay was of an old design from a time when small underpowered ships needed a boost even before firing their rockets. Large counterweighted flywheels spun the whole flight deck at enormous speeds; centrifugal force flinging her ships out into space at speeds that would have taken regular ships a while to attain on their own, though, with Seeker's refurbished fighters, this wasn't needed anymore.

Mia and Seeker's fighter pilots felt their suits tug at the straps that held them down to their seats. They had the sensation of falling away from the ship as the bay spun them around and around.

When the large flywheels under the deck reached optimum speed, their fighter ships were released from their bays one by one. Two lines of the sleek Shrike fighter planes flashed out of Seeker's bays forming a line of fighters streaming out from either side of the ship, just above her two wings.

Mia was slammed back into her seat when her turn came. Just before clearing the shuttle bay tunnel, her ships own internal gravity field automatically kicked on. It had to be that way to avoid her field from nullifying the centrifugal catapult effect, and to avoid being crushed as she left Seeker's protective bubble of gravity. One of the reasons to wait for Ship-maneuverable.

Mia felt the slight difference as her fighter's environmental systems stabilized. She kicked on her engines, and a soft blue glow radiated out of the rear. All of Seeker's Shrike fighters now had miniature versions of her FTL drive which, although the minuscule fields generated could not push them into anything approaching light-speed, made them (or at least were supposed to make them) a hell of a lot faster and maneuverable than other comparable ships.

They werent true FTL drives but were more akin to the ships gravity plates, but their outside manifestation (the blue glow) and the ability to manipulate the force lines were very FTL drive-like.

She heard Air Wing Commander Kajima in her helmet speaker.

"Wing Leader to Strike Leader, Wing Leader to Strike Leader. All planes accounted for, Captain. What's our heading?"

"Straight ahead, Commander same heading as Seeker. Until we hit them. And no firing unless fired upon. Acknowledge."

"Acknowledged, aye. A-team with me. B-team, with the Captain. Go into full power, and let's hope for the best."

Seeker's squadron of fighters leapt as if kicked, and pulled away from their mother ship. The soft blue light of their engines turned into a brighter blue and they flashed towards the fray at better than half the speed of light.

Mia clicked a tongue switch. "Strike leader to Seeker. Commander, are you listening?"

"Aye, sir," O'Connell answered.

"Wait for Hermes and Constellation before you do anything else. Have them launch their fighters as soon as you rendezvous, and follow on ahead. You are ordered to hold your fire, Commander. Do not fire unless fired upon. Got that?"

"Aye, sir. Acknowledged. How are the fighters holding up?"

"They seem to be doing okay. No problems yet. Don't worry. We'll keep our eyes on it."

"Aye, sir."

After a while, Kajima's tracking computer started beeping for attention.

"Seems like we're coming up on them. What now, Captain?"

"Move on to the Elyran ships. They're closer. Have your team tackle the bastards that're on the left ship. We'll take the ones on the right."

The Terran squadron split into two and raced to the stricken cruisers. Each ships blue light changed its hue, and they started to decelerate. They cut their speed to just below six hundred meters per second as they sped toward the alien fleet.

Talon and Blazing Star fired their weapons at the angry gnats that swarmed around them. The third Elyran ship was virtually ignored by the gnats because it seemed to be, for all intents and purposes, dead.

As the Detterex planes circled the two ships, and as sixteen Empire cutters moved in looking for a chink in the Federation ships defensive armor, the Earth planes streaked in and sneaked up on them from behind.

Their unexpected arrival broke up their formation and scattered the small ships. One of them fired on A-team, and one of the Shrike fighters exploded in a gout of yellow fire.

"Shit," one of the pilots exclaimed. "That's Peebo. Goddamn."

"Seeker squadron," Mia shouted. "Fire at will!"

The Terran pilots released their already itchy trigger fingers. The burning Shrike fighter triggered a hail of pulsing fire from the others and annihilated seven of the Empire fighters.

Mia swung her ship to follow the remaining Empire fighters and thumbed a button on her control panel.

"Attention Elyran spacecraft," Mia said over a conventional radio frequency, in fluent Elyran, "attention Elyran spacecraft. This is Captain Steele from the Earth battleship Seeker. We are coming in to help you. Do not fire on our ships. We are friendly craft, repeat - we are friendly ships. Hold your fire."

-----

Before their weapons could be brought to bear on the newcomers, Tasha's communications officer let out a surprised yell.

"Hold your fire," she shouted. "Those are Earth ships! Pilot, they are Earth ships."

Reena whirled and hit a button on her control panel.

"Princess! Did you hear that? They are Earth ships. They've come to help us."

Tasha looked up from her control panel. She, like the other fighter pilots, was trapped in her fighter plane, unable to take off.

"What? Earth... But, where, Pilot. Where did they come from?"

"I do not know, My Lady. Still, the Earthers have drawn away the Empire vermin for the moment. We can launch our fighters now."

"Good. Launch immediately, Pilot."

Tasha and the others braced themselves. Powerful hydraulic rams literally kicked them from behind and hurled them out into space.

Tasha ignited her engines and she could feel the dull thrumming of the rockets. She whipped her ship around, but it took the small craft a few moments to counter its momentum.

A beeping from her panel warned her of an oncoming missile. She craned her head as she looked through the polarizable canopy of her cockpit. There! A missile coming straight for her.

She fired attitude rockets to bring her guns to bear, laboriously pointing the entire ship toward the deadly projectile. She depressed the firing button, and a long finger of green light struck the missile. Her ship was buffeted by flying metal as she looked at a radiation gauge. Good. Non-nuclear.

She switched her screen to long-distance and could see the Earthers pursuing the enemy ships. She longed for one of the enemy ships to drift closer to her, but the battle was moving away. She increased her rocket-power and went after them.

-----

Mia was chasing one of the Empire ships. Their rockets left trailing lights that could easily be picked out. Her ship was fast pulling up near her quarry, and she let a fusillade of pulsing rays pepper the enemy.

The Empire ship violently swerved right and down as its upper left tank ejected its hydrogen in a glowing finger of flame. The pilot's ears bled from the loud explosive crack that resounded through her cockpit. She finally wrested control of her ship and brought it out of its wild tumble, but her eyes widened as she saw Mia's fighter barreling towards her. What was left of her craft exploded in a hail of pulsing red bolts of energy.

Mia passed the still-burning Empire ship by and headed back to the Elyran cruiser. By their silhouettes, these fighters have to be Detterex. Where are the Tirosians? Mia thought.

But the Empire battleships were presently engaged with the other four Federation ships. As the two Arachnian cruisers plowed into them, unable to check their momentum, the Empire ships let loose everything they had.

It was clearly an unequal battle, and the two ships were left battered and lifeless, surrounded by a cloud of radioactive debris, the result of a near-miss.

But the armored survival pod inside one of the ships survived. They had shut off all external sources of power and the Empire ships took her for dead.

"Commander," the Marine lieutenant said as he helped her up, "are you all right?"

"I'm okay, Lieutenant. Just a bit stunned."

The Marines inched on into the ship, weapons ready. They dragged their prisoners with them. The Detterex warriors were larger than their captors, averaging more than a foot higher than O'Connell, but, being stripped of their armor and disarmed, they went along passively. O'Connell, mindful of Mia's lectures, left the prisoners to the female officers.

After a while of walking through the seemingly endless but empty corridors, she stopped at a corridor blocked by torn odds and ends piled high into a barricade, and turned to the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant, I think we're lost."

"Yeah, I think so, too. I think we better give the ship a call."

O'Connell pressed the side of her helmet. "Hello, Seeker," O'Connell said. "I think we're lost. Get a fix on us, will you?"

"Aye, Commander. Getting a fix on you now." Some of the people on the bridge snickered.

"Is something the matter, Lieutenant?" O'Connell said in deadly monotone.

"Uh, nothing, Commander. You're, uh, just a few meters away from what we think is the bridge section. Keep going the way you've been going and you'll be there in a few minutes."

"That's a relief."

Suddenly they heard shouts at the far end of the metal corridor, and the clang of heavy boots made the Marines point their weapons at the source of the sounds. O'Connell raised a hand and pushed the barrel of the nearest soldier's gun down.

"Wait!" she cried. "Thanks, Lieutenant, but I don't think we need help. The Elyrans seem to have found us. Call you later and tell you how things develop. Out."

As they cautiously peered over the rubble, they saw a cluster of aliens at the other side. Some of them seemed to be arguing with each other, and some of the slightly bigger ones nervously pointed their weapons at them.

O'Connell took the opportunity to survey the aliens: Like the Detterex, they looked like humans, but with long hair tied loosely with thick yarn, almost like fur in their extravagant thickness and fineness. Not unattractive at all.

They looked just like their captured Detterex warriors, close enough that they could be mistaken for Detterex, except that they were smaller. Smaller than humans, even. The Detterex averaged about a third of a meter higher than the average human, but these Elyrans were diminutive, even by Earth standards. The lone male in the group looked to be about 1.3 meters in height, and the others were just about one and a half meters.

But more than just the height, she instinctively knew that these were different. They had a different feel about them that made her sure that these were a different set of people and not just another bunch of Detterex. It was almost like the way you would distinguish a fox from a wolf. The novel feeling brought home to her the alienness of these beings. They weren't humans at all. And she felt a slight tickling within her skull, a very faint but pleasant itch that she felt was being caused by the Elyrans.

The Elyrans seemed to have finished their arguments, and the lone Elyran male moved forward.

"T'chahn, Earther," the Elyran male said distinctly. He then followed it with a stream of fluent Elyran.

By its cadence, they could tell it was something ritualistic. Some sort of greeting, perhaps.

O'Connell wished that the Captain was here. She could talk Elyran like a native, though she knew that her voice would probably sound very heavily accented to the native-born. She gestured for Nick, the CETI specialist, to come closer.

"What's that character saying, Nick?"

Nick grinned though he knew she couldn't see him through his visor. "You can use the translator in your suit, Commander. Still, I think I could help you out.

"He says greetings and extends the congratulations of the Federation ambassadors to the valiant Terran warriors. He calls us Earthers. I kinda like that. Nick chuckled. Anyway, he said he would also like to talk to the lady in charge. Commander, I think you'd better move forward, and take off your helmet, too."

O'Connell nodded. She switched on her translator set thereby connecting her to Seeker's computer and translating anything spoken within the range of her suit's mic to Standard English. She took off her helmet, praying that the scientists' predictions about alien germs and pathogens were correct, and shook her hair free. The Elyrans were taken aback. O'Connell turned up the gain of the suit's microphone. "Come on then," she said to Nick.

Nick took his own helmet off and they both moved forward. The Elyrans gasped as they saw their faces. Only the small alien male seemed less surprised.

Nick bowed very low and spoke in halting Elyran (he preferred not using a translator). O'Connells translator, however, echoed his voice in English.

"Greetings, My Lord," O'Connells translator spoke for Nick. "I speak for My Lady, Commander Elizabeth O'Connell of the Earth warship Seeker. Please pardon My Lady. She has yet to master your speech."

"Quite all right, quite all right. Please tell her that I am Prince Ren Tevann-Reshanii of the Great Plains of Elyra, husband to the princess Tasha Liaran-Kerr who leads our expedition. We thank you and bring our greetings to you and your people."

O'Connell smiled. "Nick," she said, "tell our host that they are quite welcome. Ask him if they need anything in the way of supplies or assistance."

Nick relayed the message, and the Elyrans went into a huddle.

"We thank you for your generous offer," O'Connell heard the Elyran say to her through her translator, "but we are as yet not in a position to evaluate damage and losses. Perhaps when all duty stations have reported, we will have a better picture."

"Tell him that we are standing by to help, and that we offer more Marines to help repel other boarders. Ask him if there are other intruders other than the bunch we bumped into."

Nick translated and the Elyran turned to her. "There are some in the forward decks, but they are under control." The Elyran looked at her quizzically. "May I inquire as to how you are able to understand us, yet are unable to speak?"

O'Connell smiled, and Nick explained about their translators.

"All your warriors are furnished with these devices?"

"Yes, My Lord. They are built into all our spacesuits. We are currently upgrading them so that soon, maybe in a day or two, they will also translate our speech to yours."

"Yet, you do not need this device."

"No, My Lord. I am a student of the arts, and my field of study is your language and culture. I am fluent enough that I do not need electronic aids."

Ren's eyebrows went up. "You are a scholar? I am myself also a scholar, though my field is not in the aesthetic arts. Tell me, are you of a royal family?"

Nick coughed self-consciously. "Umm, no, My Lord. I am but one of many soldiers sent to meet with you and your people."

"Then you are mated to your Commander."

"Umm, no My Lord, I am not."

Ren seemed puzzled. "I am at somewhat of a loss to understand: an Earther male, a scholar, and yet not of royal blood. Are all Earthmen as privileged as yourself?"

"In our society, My Lord, all are free to undertake whatever studies they would like, be whatever they would like, whether they be male or female."

The female Elyran soldiers were shocked and a little scandalized.

"You say that there are female scholars in your world?" One of the soldiers said in mild surprise. "What kind of female would do such a thing?"

Nick bowed to the soldier. "In our world, warrior, we take pride in our learned citizens."

"Is it not the exclusive privilege of royalty and clergy to learn and study the arts and sciences?"

"To us, all citizens have a right to aspire to, and become, anything they choose to be."

The Elyran seemed ready to argue the point, but Ren cut her off with a downward gesture of his hand.

"Gently, warrior. These are, after all, not Elyrans. We must make allowances for different customs and practices."

"A good sentiment, My Lord," O'Connell said in halting and heavily accented Elyran. "'Do not grudge to pick out treasures from an earthen pot,'" she quoted.

"What? You can speak!"

"Yes, My Lord. But not very well yet."

"What was that you said?"

"That was an Earther quote, My Lord," Nick said, "from someone in our recent past. The passage goes, 'do not grudge to pick out treasures from an earthen pot. The worst speak something good.'"

Ren nodded slowly. "Perhaps. Very apt, yes." Ren gestured to the forward decks. "May I escort you to our bridge? From there I hope to be able to give you a clearer picture of shipboard status."

O'Connell bowed and followed their host toward the bridge.

-----

Defiant fired her maneuvering rockets, and was fast approaching Seeker and the battered Elyran cruiser. Talon's gunners let loose a brace of explosive missiles, but Arvan's crew was able to intercept them. Defiant barely felt the missiles as they exploded outside of her hull. Seeker kept a constant barrage of pulsed laser fire on the Detterex flagship, the resulting chain of explosions forcing her to veer away.

Lieutenant Commander Tomoguchi surveyed the space surrounding them from Seeker's bridge screen. "That was close. Anything else coming, Lieutenant?"

"Not for the moment, Commander. The others seem to be keeping their distance, and Defiant is retreating at high velocity."

"Good. Get me the Captain."

"Aye, sir. Captain on line."

"Captain, this is Tomoguchi. The Federation ship Talon is secured, and our boarding party has already made contact with the aliens. Any further orders?"

"None, Commander. Good work. Carry on. But be sure to recover all our equipment. Part of the standing orders from the Admiral is not to leave anything behind for the aliens to study. Find out if the Elyrans need further assistance. Lend whatever medical aid or supplies are needed, though I don't think we'll be of much help."

"Aye, sir."

"Where's Commander O'Connell, by the way?"

"I've been left in charge, sir. She went down with one of the boarding parties."

"God damn it! Did she take Nick along, at least?"

"Aye, sir."

"Then, I suppose it's all right. Keep me posted, Lieutenant. The enemy's just about through. We'll be coming in shortly."

"Aye, sir. Seeker out."

-----

Arvan turned to her new pilot-navigator as Norga paced restlessly around the bridge. "Give me a report on our fleet, Pilot."

"My Lady, our forces are scattered on the outermost side of the battle zone. We and some of our other ships are still well within range of the Federation ships."

"How many of our fighters are left?"

"About a fifth are still functional, My Lady. The rest of our fighters are still in the hangars of the cruisers, so we have about a third of our complement intact. We are, however, currently short on warriors to be able to launch all of our remaining fighters."

Arvan shook her head. "Recall our fighters, Pilot. And have our fleet regroup on the far sector. Organize an orderly retreat."

"Retreat!" Norga bellowed, as he stepped down to the main deck. "The pride of the Detterex Space Fleet, retreating?" He all but spit in her face.

Arvan hung her head. "We have no choice, my husband. Either retreat or perish."

Norga swung his arm in a vicious backhanded blow to her face. "No! I will not have us retreat like whipped curs! We must fight!"

The new Pilot-Navigator stood and openly defied him, her loyalty to the princess overcoming any rational thought or any fear. "My Lord, it is the only wise move. Our forces have been decimated, and more than half of our warriors are dead or wounded. We have been surprised by the Earthers, and we need to regroup and rebuild our strength. Even the Tirosians who have not been hurt as badly as we are retreating."

Norga was about to pull out his sword, but he felt Arvan's hand on his sword-arm.

"No, Norga," she whispered. "Please."

Norga sneered but relented. "All right. So be it. Though I think your judgment errs too much on the side of caution, Wife. Would you have it said that you ran from battle to cower in fear from these worthless Earthers?"

"No, but history will say that I saved my people from needless death, so that they may again fight another day."

"And will that day come soon, my love?"

"I will make it soon." She nodded to her Pilot-Navigator. "Do it."

Her new Pilot-Navigator immediately issued commands, and slowly, Defiant rotated on her axis and fired her main engines. She pulled away from Seeker and the Federation flagship, on a rendezvous with her other sister ships. Though many of her warriors openly protested the retreat, it was merely for show as they nevertheless quickly broke off from the Federation and Earther fighters, and headed for their individual mother ships - a pitiful remnant of what they once were.