{"id":267,"date":"2015-07-07T12:34:30","date_gmt":"2015-07-07T12:34:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=267"},"modified":"2015-07-07T12:37:27","modified_gmt":"2015-07-07T12:37:27","slug":"the-cimalian-princess-invasion-ch-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=267","title":{"rendered":"The Cimalian Princess: Invasion – Ch 21"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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

Chapter 21<\/span><\/p>\n

Randy walked into the cafeteria holding Meia\u2019s hand. To him if felt natural to have her beside him, but he felt a slight bit of tension in her movements. He had the feeling it had more to do with the fact of what had happened then them being together. The cafeteria wasn\u2019t as crowded as it normally would be as many people were on duty or resting waiting for the word to move out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019ll enjoy this meal,\u201d Randy said looking at the food. \u201cA good ol\u2019 fashion hamburger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, how can se serve you today,\u201d the server behind the counter asked as Randy and Meia came up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have a cheeseburger, double, and I think a single regular hamburger for her,\u201d Randy replied. \u201cI hope you don\u2019t mind,\u201d he said to Meia.\u201d<\/p>\n

He watched as Meia glanced at the food then back at him. \u201cI\u2019ve never had one, so I guess I trust you,\u201d she said. He watched as she smiled a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Randy replied as the food came out. He took the tray as they walked over to an empty table. He watched as she took her first bite to see how\u2019d she react.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good,\u201d Meia said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA simple favorite of a lot of people,\u201d Randy replied. \u201cJust take meat, put it between two slices of bread and presto. You can personalize it as well. I like cheese, others like BBQ sauce, or for a kick buffalo sauce.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBuffalo sauce,\u201d Meia asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cMakes it spicy,\u201d Randy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d Meia said.<\/p>\n

Randy\u2019s communicator chose that moment to interrupt them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral White, this is the bridge,\u201d Randy heard Kim\u2019s voice say.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain,\u201d Randy said. He flashed an apologetic smile towards Meia as he answered it. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just picked up a Cimalian scout ship buzzing the system at high speed,\u201d Kim replied.<\/p>\n

Randy felt himself chilled by those words. If a scout ship went by the system there were few reasons for it. One meant that an enemy fleet was heading their way.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut the fleet on alert,\u201d Randy said. \u201cI\u2019ll be there in a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He glanced down at his burger wondering why it seemed that everything always seemed to interrupt a meal. He almost got up when he noticed Meia looking at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems that the Cimalians are on their way here,\u201d she said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my thought, and it does seem strange that the senator\u2019s visit was to end only a few minutes ago,\u201d Randy said. He thought about that for a few seconds but there wasn\u2019t anything he could do now. \u201cI need for you to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Meia replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cFind John and tell him what\u2019s going on. We need to get ready quickly,\u201d Randy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do that,\u201d Meia said. They got up and walked towards the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d he said then stopped just outside the cafeteria where they\u2019d be going in different directions. \u201cBe careful, and good luck in the enemy attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou too,\u201d she replies then surprised him by quickly giving him a hug and kiss. Randy watched a bit stunned as she walked away.<\/p>\n

\u201cBridge,\u201d he mumbled to himself as he remembered where he had to be going. He really hoped they both survived.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Meia stepped onto the elevator to head to the pilot\u2019s room hoping that John would be there. She thought about her actions, which had surprised her a bit. She hoped that Randy had taken them the right way, if not things might really get complicated. Of course if battle happened she didn\u2019t know what would happen, that\u2019s probably why she had gone though with it.<\/p>\n

The elevator stopped as she walked out still thinking about Randy. She bumped into someone and looked up to see John\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry Meia,\u201d John said. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh, oh, I need to tell you something,\u201d Meia said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you can tell me on the way down to the hangar. Ben notified me that he wanted update me about a fighter,\u201d John said.<\/p>\n

Meia followed him back onto the elevator one more. This time heading to the hanger as the door closed in silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d John asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh right, the bridge reported a Cimalian scout ship in the sector,\u201d Meia stated. She watched as John turned towards her for a second not saying anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat,\u201d John said. \u201cI guess the pilots need to be assembled.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doors opened allowing them access to the hanger.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeia, can you tell Ben to get the fighters ready for combat. I\u2019ll gather up the pilots. Also tell him that whatever it is with the fighter to go ahead and do it unless it takes it out of combat readiness\u201d John asked her.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Meia said. At least the mechanics didn\u2019t look at her strangely as some of the pilots did. She watched as John turned and walked back onto the elevator and the door closed. Now she had to find Ben, tell him the news. Looking around she noticed the mechanics all over the deck working on various fighters. Finding the man in question and walking towards him. She just walked up to him when he turned around and jumped.<\/p>\n

\u201cDang girl, we need to put a bell on you, give me a heart attack,\u201d Ben said smiling. \u201cWhere\u2019d you learn that anyways?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy academy days, I snuck around a lot when I was younger,\u201d Meia replied. \u201cJohn asked me here. A couple of things, one with the fighter, or fighters in question, go on ahead and do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured that, wonder why he didn\u2019t tell me himself,\u201d Ben mused.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, a Cimalian scout ship just went thought the system. John also asked for you to get the fighters ready for combat,\u201d Meia told him.<\/p>\n

She watched as Ben stopped what he\u2019d been doing and looked at her. \u201cA Cimalian scout ship, that\u2019s news,\u201d he said. He turned and gave a whistle that pierced though the air of the hanger. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards them. \u201cListen up, we need to fuel and arm all manned fighters, now!\u201d<\/p>\n

She never could get over the sheer ability of the flight crews as they all switched their tasks. People went quickly to other fighters sitting in the launch bays. Others quickly went over to the fuel supply while others headed to the armory to arm the fighters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy hasn\u2019t the captain informed us yet,\u201d Ben asked turning to Meia.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s headed to the bridge to evaluate the situation and sent me to warn John, who sent me to tell you,\u201d Meia explained.<\/p>\n

Ben laughed a bit at that causing Meia to frown a bit. \u201cOh, well, it\u2019s just we have half a billion credits in communications and we\u2019re sending couriers to get the message out. I\u2019d send you over the other hanger but I think I\u2019ll use the communicator instead, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia had to admit, the idea did seem funny to her as well. She walked back to the elevator to head to the briefing room to find out what the situation was. Part of her felt relieved she didn\u2019t have to worry about being the leader and making the decisions. She walked into the briefing room as most of the pilots were already there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see you\u2019re here,\u201d a male voice said. She looked over to see the same man who had accused her earlier standing there. They had also briefly fought as well as she finally recalled his name, Victor.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trying to help out,\u201d Meia said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore like stab us in the back,\u201d Victor replied walking towards her. \u201cI reviewed how you came on board.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was shot at by one of my own pilots,\u201d Meia said.<\/p>\n

The fact that Meia already knew took Victor back a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was probably Olin, he wanted power, and was probably the second in command of the fighter groups. He made no quiet threat to me either,\u201d Meia replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you\u2019re a traitor, what guarantee do we have you won\u2019t do that to us?\u201d Victor asked.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201dThe same that I don\u2019t fire on you,\u201d John\u2019s voice boomed thought the room. \u201cNow, everyone sit down!\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia glanced around but found a spot further away from Victor. She wondered what had happened to Olin, did he become the squadron leader of the fleet? What fleet was on the way, the 1st, 3rd or some combination of fleets? Was the Kitakim still in one piece?<\/p>\n

John\u2019s voice droned on around her but she barely heard any of it. Her mind instead seemed to rushing with different plans, way to end the war. She was an Alpha Supreme.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Randy glanced over at the battle scanner giving the image in a three-dimensional detail allowing him a better look at the situation. He had heard from John and the pilots were ready. They had full combat patrols going with each patrol going only half the normal time to avoid the patrol funning low on fuel. Next he had to figure out how to meet the enemy, who he figured was headed towards him. One thing he wouldn\u2019t keep his fleet where it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, Bismarck has reported its arrived at its position,\u201d Yvette said.<\/p>\n

Randy silently nodded his head as he still thought about it. He\u2019d sent the Bismarck towards some nearby asteroids. \u201cWhat about the Victorious?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScanner\u2019s indicate it\u2019s reached the second planet in the system and ready to hyperspace back,\u201d the reply came back.<\/p>\n

Randy glanced at the scattering of the fleet. He\u2019d broken up the fleet to make it seem as if there weren\u2019t as many ships when the Cimalians arrived. He could only hope they made it back in time. He\u2019d also placed the Victorious\u2019 fighters on the planet\u2019s surface so the fighters wouldn\u2019t be so outnumbered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, Bismarck reports enemy hyperspace ships entering system. Arrival in five minutes,\u201d Hans said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRed alert,\u201d Randy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncoming message from President Winerich,\u201d Hans said.<\/p>\n

Randy groaned at that comment. He thought it was a bit strange that the President seemed to be calling at this time. \u201cPut it thought Hans,\u201d Randy replied. He glanced down at his screen to see the President\u2019s face appear. \u201cMr. President?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, Senator Agnes hadn\u2019t reported back from his tour of your ship, we need to know where he is,\u201d Eric said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I suggest you contact HQ sir,\u201d Randy said. Part of him felt bad for lying but he didn\u2019t have time for the upcoming argument with the Cimalian fleet approaching within minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will admiral, and I\u2019ll be very interested to hear what the senator has to say,\u201d the President said. The screen went black as Kim announced how time remained.<\/p>\n

\u201cFighters,\u201d Randy asked.<\/p>\n

He watched as Yvette looked down to see before replying. \u201cAll ready sir,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaunch fighters,\u201d Randy ordered. \u201cHave the fighters from the planet\u2019s surface wait until the enemy has arrived before launching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yvette relayed the info down to the waiting pilots on the planet\u2019s surface. Hans was relaying orders to the rest of the fleet as the Cimalian fleet closed in.<\/p>\n

Glancing at the scanner Randy saw the fighters form into formations ready for the upcoming attack. The combat patrol had landed already going though the procedure to refuel. Randy didn\u2019t want any of his pilots at a disadvantage in this battle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there an indication of how many,\u201d Randy asked. He figured that they were now close enough to at least ID some of the ships.<\/p>\n

\u201cApproximately two dozen or so admiral, with at least three battle-cruisers,\u201d Yvette replied.<\/p>\n

Randy knew that the odds didn\u2019t look that good, but he hoped that luck would be on his side in this battle. He somehow had the feeling that this battle would decide everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny estimate of where the enemy ships will drop out of hyperspace,\u201d Randy asked. He still had a couple of minutes as he looked around the bridge. His crew seemed poised with battle looming. There was no panic in any face as they all quietly went about their duties allowing those who needed to talk to be heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll put it on the scanner,\u201d Yvette said.<\/p>\n

Randy watched as the scanner put the information on the screen. He didn\u2019t have much he could do as his ships were already in position. Anything else would require more time, that he didn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnemy missile launchers are the top priority,\u201d Randy ordered. Perhaps it was the most important order he\u2019d given yet. With the elimination of each missile launcher the chance of surviving increased.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne minute,\u201d Kim\u2019s voice said echoing across the bridge and the fleet.<\/p>\n

Randy stood on the bridge having done all he could. The pieces had been moved, and orders given.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelay orders to Victorious and Bismarck.\u201d<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Admiral Jezic glanced at the scanner as the fleet approached the target planet. The scout ship had gone by the system not long ago. The captain had reported a substantial fleet around the planet, which he didn\u2019t see now. The fleet was supposed to have consisted of four battle-cruisers, but he only noticed two. He wondered if whatever plan High Command had didn\u2019t work. The enemy fleet was supposed to have remained there.<\/p>\n

The one thing he was sure of, failure wouldn\u2019t be tolerated this time for anyone. He quickly noticed where the enemy fleet was stationed, not that it mattered to him he\u2019d be able to defeat this fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll ships ready to engage,\u201d Diern reported to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll ships are to open fire the moment we exit hyperspace,\u201d Jezic ordered. \u201cNo enemy ship is to leave. Target engines first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your will admiral,\u201d Diern said relaying the orders thought the rest of the fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThirty seconds until contact,\u201d Jezic heard the countdown.<\/p>\n

Once this battle was over there\u2019d be nothing would stand in the way of the Cimalian Empire conquering the Alliance. He adjusted his eye patch one last time as he looked over the bridge. Everyone knew their place, their duty, and he, he would be known in the Cimalian archives for all history as the admiral who began the invasion and the admiral who ended the Alliance resistance. Another glorious battle would be his.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Meia adjusted the helmet of the Wolf fighter one more time as her fighter swung down for launch. She had been one of the last to launch, aside from the patrol who had just landed. Ben and his crew had worked hard arming her fighter with missiles. The Wolf fighter had a bay for missiles but decreased fuel available for the fighter.<\/p>\n

Meia had insisted with Ben who finally relented and armed her fighter with two missiles. The fuel didn\u2019t concern her but if her plan worked it could help the Alliance more than anything else. She knew doing so would go against orders from a superior but she knew this would be needed.<\/p>\n

\u201c155, launch,\u201d the controller said as the clamps on her fighter released causing a momentary shudder as the engines came to life and her fighter exited the battle-cruiser.<\/p>\n

She quickly formed up with the rest her squadron. They headed towards the assigned position.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right boys and girls, form up, protect your wing-mate and above all come home safely,\u201d John said. \u201cOur target is sector T, one battle-cruiser might appear there, our target, the enemy missile launchers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGot your five,\u201d a pilot named Malak said. Meia watched as he lined up with her allowing her to take the lead. She hadn\u2019t been expecting that, but felt relieved anyways as the ten fighters of the squadron headed to their assigned sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust follow me in,\u201d Meia said to Malak. She only hoped that Malak didn\u2019t get in trouble for what she would do.<\/p>\n

\u201cCimalian warships exiting hyperspace,\u201d John\u2019s voice said as several large warships suddenly seemed to appeared in front of them. One battle-cruiser appeared a bit closer than any of the pilots were expecting. \u201cEngage!\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia turned her fighter a bit as she lined up a different target than had been ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Meia, what\u2019re you doing,\u201d Malak asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust follow,\u201d Meia said as she waited for the computer to indicate a lock. A beeping noise indicated that the computer was attempting to gain the lock.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got incoming fighters,\u201d Malak said. Meia had noticed several fighters already launching from the hanger bay but ignored them.<\/p>\n

A high-pitched buzz indicated a solid lock on her target. Pressing the trigger two missiles streaked away from her fighter. Pulling away from the battle-cruiser she watched as the missiles struck their target on the battle-cruiser. Flame erupted out of the hanger as both missiles detonated inside the battle-cruiser\u2019s hanger. Shrapnel penetrated two Vengeance fighters in the process of launching causing them to spin out of control before exploding.<\/p>\n

Meia knew that the hanger had been disabled and fewer fighters to worry about. The battle-cruiser, like the Alliance equivalents though, had two hangers. She also understood that her attack had killed many lower class citizens who worked in the hanger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree enemy fighters on our tail,\u201d Malak said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGot it,\u201d Meia answered. \u201cTight turns, keep up and we\u2019ll lose them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust try and lose me ma\u2019am,\u201d Malak said.<\/p>\n

A slight grin came to her face at that as she threw her fighter into a hard turn. The flight suit and her training allowed her to keep consciousness though the turn. She noticed Malak had attempted to keep up but managed to remain somewhat in position but wasn\u2019t in any firing position as Meia was.<\/p>\n

Pressing the trigger she watched as one Cimalian fighter exploded. Malak opened fire getting the second enemy fighter leaving the third quickly turning away to find another target.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll commands, missile launch,\u201d the report came in from the Akagi.<\/p>\n

She took a quick look around on her scanner noticing the slight hesitant image of the missiles as the scanners tried to lock on.<\/p>\n

\u201cMalak, cover me, we\u2019re going in,\u201d she said turning her fighter for the missiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you know what you\u2019re doing, \u2019cause I don\u2019t see them,\u201d Malak said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re there,\u201d Meia replied. She pushed her engines beyond the limit hoping to reach the missiles in time.<\/p>\n

End Chapter 21<\/p>\n

Continued in Chapter 22<\/a><\/p>\n

Comment below or send to AJMarks01@aol.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Cimalian Princess: Invasion by AJ Marks Chapter 21 Randy walked into the cafeteria holding Meia\u2019s hand. To him if felt natural to have her beside him, but he felt a slight bit of tension in her movements. He had the feeling it had more to do with the fact of what had happened then […]
Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[3,25,26,28,27,5,12],"class_list":["post-267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-original","tag-aj-marks","tag-cimalian","tag-invasion","tag-original","tag-princess","tag-sci-fi","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=267"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":282,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267\/revisions\/282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}