The Cimalian Princess: Invasion
by AJ Marks
Chapter 24
Jack stood in the middle of the command center. The press conference had gone even better than he’d hoped. Many in the press at first had been skeptical, then when the governor of Hesslius came on in support the press really started asking more serious questions about who and what the military had done. He’d been able to finally tall his story, and how the military had tried to help but was hampered by the government.
The news had spread quickly over the galactic internet causing a sensation across the Alliance. Jack had the feeling that many in the government would be under pressure to explain their actions and staunch disbelief of why there was an attack. He also was waiting for something.
“Admiral, incoming message from Corestar, the President,” Chad said to him.
“The call I’ve expected,” Jack said. “Put it though.”
“Admiral, what’s gotten into you,” Eric said. “The communications grid here is almost down because of you and the press conference.”
“Then people finally know the truth about what’s going on,” Jack said. “Or don’t the citizens of Vernada, Sierra, or Hesslius matter to you?”
“That’s hitting below the belt admiral. Beside you do realize that the Constrict party has all but collapsed now,” Eric told him.
Jack thought about that for a second. If one of the major parties had collapsed then perhaps the truth had finally gotten out.
“Perhaps they couldn’t handle the questions sir,” Jack finally replied.
“You do realize the government could be next,” Eric said.
“Then why don’t you do something, like start listening to what’s going on, instead of party leaders who might actually be Cimalian spies,” Jack said. The thought had been in his mind for a while, but he finally voiced it.
“What do you mean,” Eric asked.
“Are you that blind? Think about it, a political group that wants to dismantle the military, the one institution that can defend the Alliance from an invasion. Then an attack occurs and they blame it on the military. Perhaps they planned this a long time ago. What do we know about some of their backgrounds,” Jack asked.
He watched as the President opened his mouth then closed it in thought. The screen went abruptly blank.
“Well, that’s different,” Jack said. He hoped that he’d finally gotten though to the government leaders.
*****
Meia paced on the bridge as the low rumble of the engines provided background noise on the silent bridge. An atmosphere of uncertainty hung around everyone as the seconds ticked by. She wondered how things were going on board the ships.
“Admiral, a few ships have left,” Yvette’s voice said breaking the silence.
“Huh, I’m not sure if I should be encouraged or discouraged by that,” Randy said.
“It just means the lower classes lost the battle on those ships,” Meia replied. She didn’t see any other reason why the ships would have left. Perhaps those on board who survived would take the word to Cimalius.
“You know, my mother wanted to know when you’re coming back,” Randy said. That threw Meia off guard.
“Huh?” was about all she could muster.
“My mother, she knew that you were a Cimalian, and still wants to know when you’re coming back,” Randy said. “So don’t make me have to tell her that you won’t be coming back.”
Meia wasn’t sure she’d ever understand this Alliance society. They readily accepted others, even the enemy. Her thoughts turned to her own mother feeling that she’d accept Randy as much as Randy’s mother accepted her.
“Reactor critical on an enemy ship,” Yvette said quickly.
Meia glanced down with Randy at the scanner as one of the cruisers indicated a critical reactor. Seconds later it vanished from the screen. More life had been lost all to regain some illusion of power that the Cimal family had at one time over the Alliance.
“We’re getting a message from the nearby battle-cruiser,” Hans said.
“Let’s hear it,” Randy replied.
“This is Hecus to Meia, are you still there?”
Meia glanced around looking for some way to answer. Randy quickly told her to just talk.
“I’m here Hecus,” Meia finally replied.
“Admiral Jezic has command of the bridge, we need some help over here,” Hecus said.
Meia thought about it for a few seconds before finally replying. “I’m coming over then. How’s the hangar?”
“We hold the hangers, land in your normal one, we’ll be waiting,” Hecus said.
Meia turned to head off the bridge when Randy stopped her.
“This is dangerous,” Randy said.
“I have to,” Meia replied. A confrontation with Jezic would be the only way to end this battle.”
“Then I’m going as well,” Randy said surprising her. “Get a detail together quickly and have them meet me at the hangar now.”
*****
Jezic couldn’t believe what had happened so quickly. All fighting the enemy had stopped and his fleet, the greatest ever assembled in Cimalian history sat immobile because of some woman. All his dreams faded away. Even now his own bridge crew seemed to be standing against him. The captain stood next to him where the man should be.
On the deck, four crew members lay slain by Jezic himself. Glancing around he noticing that the others hadn’t moved. He might still be able to win this war if things changed now.
“So you want to mutiny, is that it,” Jezic asked. He glared around at the rest of the group. Many wouldn’t even make eye contact with him. “You’re all weak fools who can’t see what’s really happening.”
“And what is,” a voice said across the bridge. Jezic recognized the voice turning towards the entrance to the bridge. “The traitor returns.”
*****
Meia stood at the entrance to the bridge staring over at Jezic. This battle would be different than the one against the senator, or even Olin. Jezic might have aged a bit but he had always kept himself in shape, and she knew the man had been in the special forces. She heard him accuse her of being a traitor.
“Who’s the traitor, me or someone who’s trying to kill me,” Meia said. She walked onto the bridge keeping an eye on Jezic and the weapon he held.
Behind her Hecus, Randy and others came in.
“I see you need reinforcements to deal with me,” Jezic said.
“No, you are to obey, that all,” Meia said. “Cimalian society demands it, doesn’t it, or are you defending something else?”
Meia noticed Jezic bringing up his weapon. She started moving already when a solid body slammed into hers knocking her usual balance off. She thought she heard two different shot ring out as she saw Jezic’s weapon fire.
Time seemed to slow down as she fell sideways bracing herself for the sting of a weapon’s fire that didn’t come as she hit the deck of the bridge. A heavy weight on top of her indicated that probably Randy had tackled her. Turning her head a bit she noticed a bald head and two brown eyes staring at her.
“Hecus!”
“Couldn’t let you die,” he whispered. She felt him slump again as his eyes closed.
Then people were helping her out from under Hecus as she glanced over at Jezic. He still stood but with a look of shock in his face. He had dropped the weapon but seemed to be staring at someone else. She looked behind her to see Randy standing there with his own weapon.
She and Randy made eye contact and she understood what he’d done. Turning back to Jezic she watched as he fell to his knees. She turned to the captain who appeared stunned. Then before anyone could stop him ran off the bridge.
“You will never win, you are weak,” she heard Jezic’s voice say. Turning back around she noticed where he was. The bridge crew also seemed to notice as one tried to tackle him.
The bridge alarm went off causing them all to freeze.
“I take it that’s not good,” Randy said to her.
“Self-destruct,” Meia replied. “Everyone abandon ship, now!”
Meia stood waiting for everyone to leave but found herself picked up by Randy and out the door before she could protest.
“Randy, what are you doing,” she asked.
“Making sure you get out. They’ll need you more than ever after this,” Randy replied to her.
Meia realized he was right about that as they made their way to the hanger.
“Hey, what’s going on,” John said in the hanger. People were looking around confused.
“Self-destruct,” Randy replied.
Meia watched as John suddenly ordered everyone into the shuttle.
“Do they have escape pods,” Randy asked.
“Only for the upper class,” Meia said. “The rest wouldn’t know what this was.”
“Nice,” Randy replied. “We can’t fit everyone into the shuttle.”
Meia had already understood that. Looking across the deck she noticed something.
*****
“Captain, reactor of the Kitakim going critical,” Yvette said to Kim.
Kim looked onto the screen showing the visual of the ship. On the screen the ship looked normal but she understood that looks could be deceiving.
“Scanners indicate a few escape pods launching,” Yvette relayed to Kim.
Kim glanced down at her own scanner watching the build up in power. “Any word from the admiral or boarding party?”
“Negative captain,” Hans replied.
Kim hoped that Randy knew what was going on. There was little else she could do at the moment. “Pull back.”
“Captain?”
“Pull back, we don’t want to be caught in the explosion,” Kim replied. The Akagi was already damaged from the battle the ship didn’t need any other unnecessary damage.
“Yes sir!”
The engines of the Akagi roared to life pushing the large war weary ship though space away from the doomed ship. Kim looked over at Hans hoping that the admiral had reported in. The slight shake of his head indicated that he hadn’t.
The view screen lit up as the battle-cruiser exploded in a flash of flame and debris. Kim reacted in a bit of shock at what had happened.
“Now what captain,” Yvette said.
“Looks like I’ve been promoted,” Kim said flatly.
“Incoming message,” Hans said. “It’s the shuttle!”
Kim breathed a sigh of relief, and then went over to the communicator. “Admiral Randy, if you ever do that again there’s going to be an entire bridge crew that’ll kill you.”
“Glad to know you care,” Randy’s voice said.
“I’ve got two shuttles on the scanner,” Yvette said.
“That would be Meia piloting the other shuttle,” Randy replied.
“So everyone’s all right,” Kim asked.
There was a slight pause before Randy answered. “Not everyone. A lot of people died in that explosion, I’ll tell you later, but have a guard detail waiting in the hanger.”
Kim wondered what Randy meant by that, but would have to wait.
“Incoming call from HQ,” Hans said.
*****
Randy watched as John landed the very crowded shuttle onto the landing bay of the Akagi. Behind him a silent group of mechanics from the hanger had crowded into the shuttle. Meia being able to pilot the other shuttle had allowed them to take everyone in the hanger, including a couple of pilots.
“All right, everyone out, welcome aboard the Alliance ship Akagi,” Randy said to the group.
It took a few minutes before Randy was able to exit the shuttle. He heard that Meia had landed on the other hanger. He glanced around the hanger noticing the guards uneasy look about the new people.
“For now keep them restricted to a small area on the hanger, I’ll see about finding a place to take them,” Randy said to the head guard.
“Very well admiral, your wanted on the bridge though,” he said to him.
Randy had been expecting a call from HQ lately. Especially after everything that had happened, even he wasn’t too sure about it all. He left John in charge of the hangers then went to the bridge.
*****
Meia glanced around at the group she’d been able to save. Most were lower class citizens, a few higher classes, pilots that she recognized. They refused to look back at her. That suited her just fine. She really didn’t have much to say to them.
“Is it true,” one finally asked.
“Yes,” another person replied. Meia had seen him on the bridge.
“My father was Boris Cimal,” Meia said to them.
“Then your the rightful ruler,” one of the pilots said. “I don’t understand, if you’re his daughter then why were you not told?”
Meia thought about that for a few seconds. It had been one question she wasn’t able to answer. “I don’t know,” she finally replied.
Meia turned and walked off the hanger needing some time alone to think about the new position she found herself in. She walked towards the bridge where she hoped to find Randy.
Walking onto the bridge she saw Randy standing there talking on the communicator. She heard part of the conversation.
“What’s the situation then,” Randy’s dad asked.
“From what we gathered there’s been a power struggle in the Cimalian fleet. They’re just sitting there, a few have exploded and a few have left, but I don’t know,” Randy replied.
“It’s time to open communications then,” Meia said walking over. “Let them know that help available, that I’m here.”
“Well, it might work,” Randy said.
“We need a plan on how to treat them?” Randy’s dad said.
“They’ll obey me, many already know about who I am,” Meia said. “I think many will accept the Alliance society quickly. Any Betas or Alphas you will have problems with.”
“Then we need to find out their classes,” Randy said. “I can have the guards start, separate them by their classes.”
“Yes, any Beta or Alpha won’t want to be in the same cell as a Gamma or Epsilon,” Meia said. She understood their proud nature wouldn’t allow such a perceived insult to their status.
“Incoming message from one of the Cimalian ships,” Hans said interrupting the conversation.
“Gotta go dad, might be new information,” Randy said. Meia watched as the screen went black for the audio only message.
“This is Delta class citizen Lieutenant Gravis,” the voice said.
“Alpha Supreme flight leader Meia,” she replied formal. It sounded strange to her using that designation.
“Ma’am, the captain is dead, we averted the self destruct but our engines are badly damaged. The air processors have stopped working. Many of our maintenance crew are dead or wounded,” Gravis replied.
Meia glanced at Randy as they both understood the situation if the air processors had stopped. A build-up of carbon-dioxide or worse could bring asphyxiation to the entire crew quickly. She watched as Randy flipped a switch.
“Ben, you there,” Randy said.
“Admiral, what’s wrong,” Ben’s voice said.
“Think you and a couple of mechanics can take a trip to one of the Cimalian ships,” Randy said. “Their air processors have failed.”
“We’re not going to get shot,” Ben replied serious.
“No,” Meia said.
“I see the little one is up there, all right I think I can round up a few,” Ben replied.
“Ask a few of the lower classes citizens on the hanger. Some might be able to help even more,” Meia said.
“Will do, anything else admiral,” Ben asked.
“Not at the moment, Lieutenant, is there any supplies you might need?” Randy asked the Cimalian.
“I-I don’t know,” he replied. Meia could hear the uneasiness in the man’s voice.
“Lieutenant, I think you actions have shown you are the captain of the ship, you now are a captain,” Meia said.
“B-b-but, I’m just a d-delta class citizen,” Gravis stammered.
“And I think you can be a captain, now get your ship together,” Meia said.
“We can send shuttles to help evacuate the ship to help with eh air supply until it’s repaired,” Randy said.
“That might help,” Gravis said.
“Then prepare your landing bays. Have those less critical waiting to be picked up,” Randy said.
The conversation ended leaving Meia feeling better about what had happened.
“A few more ships have left admiral,” Yvette said.
“Count,” Randy asked.
“Still here, one battle-cruiser, a cruiser, and six destroyers,” she replied.
Meia almost turned to leave the bridge when another call came in.
“Perhaps you should stay here,” Randy said.
“I guess I should,” Meia replied turning to the communicator for the next call.
End part 24
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