{"id":190,"date":"2015-07-03T12:35:14","date_gmt":"2015-07-03T12:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=190"},"modified":"2015-07-04T12:42:31","modified_gmt":"2015-07-04T12:42:31","slug":"the-cimalian-princess-invasion-ch-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=190","title":{"rendered":"The Cimalian Princess: Invasion – Ch 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cimalian Princess: Invasion<\/span><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 5<\/p>\n

Meia ran a finger over the smooth wooden lid of the music box. Looking around her sparse quarters things seemed a bit empty to her. She had gone over the plan with the other pilots making sure they all understood their assignments. She didn\u2019t need some fool blowing everything because they didn\u2019t know. She also had talked with the flight leader of the battle-cruiser Oi making sure that neither ship\u2019s fighters would be attacking the same target.
\nThe flight leader of the Oi was also a green haired pilot, but a better disposition than Olin. Meia figured that had to do with the class of the pilot. Olin was a Beta while the Oi leader was a Delta. He wanted success over class.
\nOlin however seemed to want her job. She knew that the man bullied the maintenance crew. Poor Hecus had to put up with the man as much as she did. She wondered what the punishment would be if Hecus decided to throw the man out an airlock. The maintenance crew did an important job that Olin still had to learn. If their fighters were not operating then it could mean death in a fight.Glancing over at the clock Meia wondered where the time had gone. The time had come to begin the next operation. Looking down at the music box in her hand she opened the lid allowing the song to wash over her once more.
\nReturning it to the place under her pillow she smoothed out the blanket. Walking out the door she turned heading towards the hanger and her fighter.<\/p>\n

\n

Olin watched from a distance as Meia walked out of her quarters. The time would soon approach where he would be able to take over. A slight smile came to his lips at that thought.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll be the leader soon, then I\u2019ll show everyone how great I am,\u201d Olin said.<\/p>\n

\n

Randy looked up to see the Hood and Bismarck as the two battle-cruisers settled into an orbit around Pacifica. Vice-Admiral Ginger Dredge had taken control of the newly formed fleet.
\nHis dad told him what Senator Agnes said making Randy think about the future. He sure thought that the senator would probably carry out his threat. Everything seemed to be happening at once. Even the report from Admiral Dredge wasn\u2019t good. She had reported to the President who didn\u2019t seem counter what the senator said. In fact she stated that the President had been under constant pressure from the radical Constricts to dismantle the military.
\n\u201cIncoming message from command captain,\u201d Hans said, gaining Randy\u2019s attention.
\nRandy nodded for Hans to put the call though. \u201cAdmiral,\u201d he said to her father. \u201cAny news?\u201d
\n\u201cThe Dragon returned from Dredius. Its worse then we thought,\u201d Jack said to him. \u201cA large group of ships were in orbit around the planet. Same type of ships but more of them. I fear this isn\u2019t some sort of pirate raid.\u201d
\nRandy thought about that for a few seconds. Two large fleets definitely were not pirates. That along with a patrol ship had been caught here did not give Randy a good impression of the situation.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s next then,\u201d Randy asked. He had the feeling his father had made up his mind. He felt better knowing that his father now understood better what had happened.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re the only planet without anything to have happened but have encountered a strange ship. I\u2019ve assumed we\u2019re the next target,\u201d Jack said.
\n\u201cPacifica, doesn\u2019t sound very wise,\u201d Randy replied.
\n\u201cNope, makes perfect sense,\u201d Jack said. \u201cWe\u2019re the headquarters for the central command of the fleet. These invaders have attacked several planets. Hoping for us to scatter our fleet then attack the central command causing chaos in the ranks.\u201d
\n\u201cDad, one problem with that,\u201d Randy said slowly.
\n\u201cI know, it means someone\u2019s on the inside,\u201d Jack said. \u201cOr they\u2019ve been observing us for some time now.\u201d
\n\u201cHopefully it\u2019s the second one,\u201d Randy said.
\n\u201cI know but it\u2019s the reason that I\u2019ve ordered the cruisers Babylon, Fitch and London back here as well,\u201d Jack told his son.
\n\u201cThat gives us three battle-cruisers,, four cruisers and a half-dozen destroyers. We\u2019re going to gain attention,\u201d Randy said.
\n\u201cAlready has, Senator Agnes,\u201d Jack said. \u201cThe man is quickly becoming a pain.\u201d
\nRandy could only imagine what the Senator and his father had argued about now. \u201cI think we\u2019re doing the right thing. Has intelligence found out anything from the wreckage?\u201d
\n\u201cNo, the design isn\u2019t in any database, nor is it like anything we\u2019ve come across,\u201d Jack replied. \u201cWhat has me concerned is the fact the ships are more advanced.\u201d
\n\u201cA dozen years of government slashing research hasn\u2019t helped,\u201d Randy said. \u201cI do know my crew will do their best.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t doubt that,\u201d Jack said. \u201cI should let you go then.\u201d
\n\u201cSay hello to mom for me,\u201d Randy said.
\n\u201cI will.\u201d
\nThe screen went black as the communication ended. He looked over at his bridge crew. The second shift had come on allowing the first shift to rest. The Bismarck had the patrols at the moment allowing his pilots some down time.
\n\u201cKim, let me know if anything happens,\u201d Randy said.
\n\u201cWill do skipper,\u201d she said with a smile.
\n\u201cHa-ha,\u201d Randy replied. He walked off the bridge headed towards his quarters hopefully to rest a bit.<\/p>\n

\n

Meia walked around her fighter once more taking in everything she could. Her inspection had always taken longer than other pilots. Many like Olin didn\u2019t even bother with the inspection. She thought they were foolish with such trust.
\n\u201cEverything looks good Hecus,\u201d she said to him.
\n\u201cGlad to hear it passed inspection,\u201d Hecus replied. \u201cyou be careful out there. I don\u2019t trust our pretty boy pilot over there,\u201d he sad giving a nod over to where Olin had walked in.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry, it\u2019ll take more than him to worry me,\u201d Meia said confidently.
\n\u201cStill, don\u2019t trust him,\u201d Hecus said. \u201cWe should be clearing hyperspace in a few minutes.\u201d
\nHecus hadn\u2019t finished talking when the announcement came over the intercom. \u201cFive minutes until hyperspace clearance. All personal report to your battlestations.\u201d
\nMeia climbed up into her fighter looking around to see if anyone was missing. She didn\u2019t see anyone missing but would wait until the flight controller told her for sure.
\nA minute later she heard that a few pilots wouldn\u2019t be ready on time. She knew if they survived the battle a punishment would be merited out. She realized that most of those not ready were from Olin\u2019s group. Sighing she hoped the man could fly better than he led.
\n\u201cAll fighters, launching in one minute.\u201d
\nThe fighters were to launch as soon as the Kitakim exited hyperspace. That would allow for a short warning time for the enemy.
\n\u201cAll fighters, launch.\u201d
\nMeia felt her fighter rotated down then the clamps released as she engaged her engines. Seconds later she had left the Kitakim as she glanced at her scanner to begin the fight.
\nShe quickly noticed that instead of one large ship there were now three. That meant things would be a bit different. She quickly changed the attack plan of the fighters.
\n\u201cSquad one, we\u2019ve got patrol fighters, take them out. Squad two, your target is the large ship in quadrant six. Remaining squads, attack the smaller ships in quadrant eight. If more enemy fighters appear break off an engage,\u201d Meia ordered. She turned her fighter towards the nearest enemy to engage.<\/p>\n

\n

John sat down with a cup of coffee hoping to gain a few moments of energy to do his reports. A few other pilots were nearby eating. When the klaxons went of he about jumped out of his chair from shock. He noticed a few others had stopped what they were doing frozen by what had happened.
\n\u201cAll right, red alert, let\u2019s go people,\u201d John said quickly standing up. He raced out of the room heading towards the hanger.
\nBen handed him his interface as he zipped up his flight suit. Quickly jumping into his fighter he adjusted everything before hearing what was going on. A large number of ships had appeared nearby. They were attacking the Hood already along with some of the smaller ships. The combat patrol was overwhelmed and was fighting for their life.
\nRandy felt his fighter launch as the clamps released his fighter. He looked at his scanner to see what he would be up against. Things didn\u2019t look good to his eyes. However time for revenge would be his.
\n\u201cNow it\u2019s my turn little bastards,\u201d John grumbled to himself. \u201cAll fighters, engage, protect the battle-cruisers.\u201d
\nJohn picked the closest fighter turning to engage. He pressed the trigger watching as his weapons fired.<\/p>\n

\n

Jack looked up when a flash of light caught his attention in the sky. the night sky seemed to be crystal clear allowing a perfect view of the moon and stars. That wasn\u2019t what had caught his attention.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong,\u201d Mary asked.
\n\u201cI need to go,\u201d Jack said sighing. He hadn\u2019t been home for long and now it seemed he would be going back. He opened his mouth to say more when his communicator went off. \u201cAdmiral White.\u201d
\n\u201cAdmiral, you\u2019re needed back at command now,\u201d Chad\u2019s voice said.
\n\u201cI\u2019m on my way. Until then Admiral Dredge is in command,\u201d Jack told him. The communicator went silent as he turned back towards Mary.
\n\u201cReturn safe,\u201d she said to him.
\n\u201cI will,\u201d he replied. Giving her a hug he quickly ran towards the base. His mind racing with everything that might or could go wrong. He ran up towards the gate not noticing that another person stood there.
\n\u201cAdmiral, is this fa\u00e7ade really necessary,\u201d the man said.
\nJack stopped quickly hearing Senator Agnes\u2019 voice.
\n\u201cSetting such a thing up, you really should be ashamed of yourself.\u201d
\n\u201cSenator, are you that blind,\u201d Jack finally said. He couldn\u2019t believe that the senator would be that blind to what was going on.
\n\u201cI have a situation going on that requires my attention senator,\u201d Jack said as he walked though the gates.
\n\u201cAnd you are making a mistake admiral,\u201d Agnes said following right on his heels.
\nJack didn\u2019t bother replying as he entered the command room. People seemed to running over each other tying to figure out what they were doing.
\n\u201cCalm down everyone,\u201d Jack said to the group. People stopped and looked at him for a second before returning to their duties. This time an air of calm prevailed over the room. \u201cNow, what do we have?\u201d
\nChad quickly filled Jack in on what had happened. Many of the enemy fighters had quickly engaged the Hood along with several of the cruisers including the London. The Akagi had been the furthest away from the fighting. As a result it hadn\u2019t engaged any enemy yet.
\n\u201cPut the tactical map up. And someone get me Admiral Dredge,\u201d Jack ordered. He quickly forgot about the senator as he thought about the battle that now occurred in space above him.<\/p>\n

\n

Meia glanced behind her noticing an Alliance fighter there. The pilot must have thought she would have been easy prey being by herself. She quickly put her fighter in a tight spiral leaving the attacker confused. Exhaling a breath from the g-forces she had stressed her body with she noticed the enemy now in front of her.
\n\u201cTime to die,\u201d she said pressing the trigger. The enemy exploded giving her a third kill for the battle. A second attacker opened fire. She jerked her fighter hard left then right. Cutting her engines she then executed a glide turn where he fighter continued on one path while she turned the fighter. Starting the engines back up again she felt her body slammed against the back of her seat. A breath escaped her lips as she fought to remain conscious. The enemy fighter had executed a similar maneuver.
\n\u201cNot bad, but not good enough,\u201d Meia said to her enemy.
\nShe opened fire watching as the pilot made an extreme turn barely avoiding her fire. She noticed that his maneuver put him into a firing position. She quickly turned as her focus narrowed to the enemy pilot and her.
\nShe took a breath executing another slide maneuver this time she managed a hit on the enemy. The enemy\u2019s fighter wasn\u2019t destroyed but Meia could tell that the pilot now had some trouble controlling it. The enemy quickly turned heading away from the battle.
\n\u201cNo you don\u2019t,\u201d Meia said, having to turn around to give chase. As she closed the range the enemy battle-cruiser opened fire. She had to continually adjust her course to avoid the anti-fighter weapons as she lined up the enemy fighter.<\/p>\n

\n

Olin finished off another enemy fighter as his wing-mate was destroyed. He turned away to engage the enemy in retribution. However he broke off seeing his \u2018leader\u2019 heading towards the enemy fleet.
\nA slight smile came to his lips as he understood what the fates were showing him. His path to being the flight leader of the 3rd CF was for his taking. He accelerated his fighter to full speed hoping to catch up. He had an easier time lining up Meia\u2019s fighter as the battle-cruiser\u2019s weapons seemed to be concentrating on her.
\nWith a sure shot he pushed the trigger. His weapons opened fire catching Meia\u2019s fighter. He pulled away knowing that he had done his job. Turning back to watch he noticed her fighter heading straight towards the enemy battle-cruiser.
\nHis position in the fleet now had been guaranteed.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cCaptain, incoming fighters,\u201d Yvette said.
\nRandy turned to see the scanner. John had been followed by the enemy fighter. Now the enemy seemed to heading straight for his ship.
\n\u201cAll hands brace for impact,\u201d Randy said as calmly as he could. He hoped he sounded calm at least. The Akagi shuddered slightly from the hit. He turned to see what the damage was.
\n\u201cSlight damage to hanger alpha,\u201d Kim said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be all right for now.\u201d
\n\u201cSend a damage control team,\u201d Randy said.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re in range captain,\u201d Yvette said.
\n\u201cOpen fire,\u201d Randy said. It had taken a while for the Akagi to move into firing range. Now that they were in range they could help out the rest of the fleet.<\/p>\n

\n

Vice Admiral Ginger Dredge watched as the battle raged on around the Hood. So far the enemy had concentrated on her flagship. Of course it had also been the closest to where the enemy had appeared. The Bismarck had quickly engaged but it had taken time for the Akagi to do so.
\n\u201cAdmiral, Akagi has opened fire,\u201d the captain said to her.
\n\u201cGood, have all ships concentrate on the large ship in sector F,\u201d Dredge said. Her orders were relayed to the other two battle-cruisers. Another shudder indicated another hit on the battle-cruiser.
\n\u201cIncoming missiles,\u201d the captain said.
\n\u201cPoint defense systems,\u201d Dredge calmly replied.
\n\u201cHaving trouble locking on ma\u2019am,\u201d the reply came back. \u201cSwitching to manual.\u201d
\n\u201cImpact in fifteen seconds,\u201d the captain said.
\n\u201cGet those point defense systems working,\u201d Dredge said.
\nThe crew worked feverishly trying to make the switch to manual then began opening fire of the Hood\u2019s weapons. Ginger rocked on her feet as the first missile hit the Hood. A second took her off her feet as the bridge of the Hood went into chaos as the power went off blanketing the crew in darkness. The occasional flicker of a power relay exploding cause a momentary flash of light illuminating the devastation of what once had been the bridge.<\/p>\n

\n

Randy watched from the Akagi as the Hood took three missiles in rapid succession. They watched as the ship seemed to absorb the blows. While the ship looked fine on the outside everyone knew that massive damage had been done.
\n\u201cContinue firing,\u201d Randy said. \u201cConcentrate on one ship. We need to cover the Hood,\u201d he ordered. A flash of light lit up the bridge. He looked over to see what had happened.
\n\u201cWe just lost the cruiser Fitch captain,\u201d Kim replied.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the report on the enemy battle-cruiser?\u201d
\n\u201cIndicating damage to its weapon systems,\u201d Kim replied to him.
\n\u201cIncoming message from the Hood,\u201d Hans said.
\nRandy watched as a young-looking lieutenant appeared on the screen.
\n\u201cCaptain White, Admiral Dredge and Captain Gail are both dead,\u201d the young man said to Randy.
\nRandy thought about that for a few seconds before making a decision. \u201cAre you the highest ranking officer on the bridge?\u201d The young man nodded. \u201cAll right,\u201d Randy said to him. \u201cI\u2019m placing you in command of the Hood. Retreat from battle. The Bismarck and London will cover your escape.\u201d
\n\u201cYes sir,\u201d the man said.
\nRandy turned thinking that he probably should have told his father, but couldn\u2019t. He had to act quickly. A large explosion caught his attention.
\n\u201cLarge enemy warship destroyed,\u201d Yvette confirmed.
\nRandy felt a bit relieved. One enemy ship had been destroyed but he knew other ships were still there.
\n\u201cEnemy ships retreating captain. Picking up hyperspace engine activity,\u201d Kim said to him. \u201cEnemy fighters are retreating. Orders?\u201d
\n\u201cTell our fighters to return and refuel and rearm. I want a constant patrol going at all times,\u201d Randy said.
\n\u201cYes sir!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOne, two, lift!\u201d
\nBen along with the others lifted up a piece of bent steel that had collapsed during the battle. Straining the group using small steps quickly shuffled away placing the beam several feet away.
\n\u201cClear?\u201d Everyone checked as they lowered the beam careful not to squash their own toes.
\nBen wiped his hands looking around. The damage had actually been minimal to the hanger but the beam had blocked off part of the landing bay.
\n\u201cSweep the bay,\u201d he yelled out to the group. The last thing he needed would be debris fouling up one of the engines which he would then have to repair. Making his way across the deck a strange gray color caught his attention.
\nHeading over to investigate he saw it to be some sort of parachute. Intrigued he walked closer wondering what he\u2019d find. Pulling the clothe up he noticed a human hand.
\n\u201cWhat in Hades,\u201d he said quickly uncovering the rest. A human, actually a woman, but with blue hair was lying on his deck. He then noticed she appeared to have suffered a head wound. He noticed the woman take a breath. She was still alive.
\n\u201cI need a med team here now,\u201d he yelled out to the group across the way. Looking down once more he wondered at who she was.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cCaptain, Doctor Leaver is asking for you,\u201d Kim said to Randy.
\n\u201cAll right,\u201d Randy said. He\u2019d been expecting the call for a while. The Akagi\u2019s losses he hoped would be light. \u201cDoctor?\u201d
\n\u201cCaptain, I suggest that you come down to med lab at once,\u201d he said to Randy. The tone in the doctor\u2019s voice caught Randy\u2019s attention.
\n\u201cCan it wait doc, I\u2019m a bit swamped here,\u201d Randy replied.
\n\u201cI\u2019d make the time captain,\u201d the doc replied. \u201cIt\u2019s worth your time.\u201d
\nRandy glanced around the bridge at his crew. Curiosity caused him to say he would be right there. \u201cCommander, you\u2019ve got the bridge. I\u2019ll be in med lab in case anything happens.\u201d
\n\u201cGot it skipper,\u201d Kim said.
\n\u201cGreat, not you too,\u201d Randy said with a slight grin. \u201cFirst John now you.\u201d
\nKim shrugged but smiled. Randy shook his head then walked off the bridge towards the med lab.
\nEnd chapter 5
\nContinued in Chapter 6<\/a>
\nComment below or send to AJMarks01@aol.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Cimalian Princess: Invasion by AJ Marks Chapter 5 Meia ran a finger over the smooth wooden lid of the music box. Looking around her sparse quarters things seemed a bit empty to her. She had gone over the plan with the other pilots making sure they all understood their assignments. She didn\u2019t need some […]
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