{"id":271,"date":"2015-07-07T12:38:01","date_gmt":"2015-07-07T12:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=271"},"modified":"2015-07-07T12:39:44","modified_gmt":"2015-07-07T12:39:44","slug":"the-cimalian-princess-invasion-ch-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=271","title":{"rendered":"The Cimalian Princess: Invasion – Ch 23"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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

Chapter 23<\/span><\/p>\n

Randy watched from his scanner as everything seemed to stop except for one battle between two fighters. He knew other battles were going on but he had the feeling that this battle would be won, or lost with the outcome of the battle that Meia was engaged in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bismarck had arrived,\u201d Kim said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts to proceed to target,\u201d Randy said not looking up.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn and Malak are moving to intercept two missiles,\u201d Yvette said.<\/p>\n

Randy acknowledged the report as Meia and the Cimalian pilot, Olin, engaged each other. They seemed to be testing each other as they circled each other. Olin\u2019s voice then crackled though the bridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I kill you I reach the rank of blue. Then everyone will know just how weak you were.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen everyone knows how you got your command, all talk and no follow though,\u201d Meia replied. \u201cYou think you\u2019re so great, but you\u2019re just a Beta.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least I know my place, and I will show you yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Randy was sure that Meia had been taunting Olin. Perhaps getting him distracted, make a mistake. He turned Kim to get a report of the rest of the fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cDestroyer Narvin destroyed, the cruiser Fitch is reporting heaving losses,\u201d Kim replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnemy losses?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing yet,\u201d Kim replied. \u201cAny orders?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, this battle is won and lost here,\u201d he said pointing at the screen where Meia and Olin were fighting.<\/p>\n

Jezic heard the conversation between Olin and Meia as had the rest of the bridge crew. At the moment his confidence in Olin surviving had dwindled rapidly. Meia had one of the highest abilities in the fleet. If it hadn\u2019t been for her low Epsilon class ranking she\u2019d have been flight leader for the entire Cimalian Fleet. Now because of a mistake by the leadership Meia now was fighting them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, we have a problem,\u201d Diern said quietly to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it,\u201d Jezic asked. The last thing he wanted was something else to go wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn private,\u201d Diern said.<\/p>\n

Jezic huffed a bit then walked over to an area where they wouldn\u2019t be overheard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a report that the mechanics in hangar one have rebelled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat! Fine, take a squad and kill them all,\u201d Jezic ordered.<\/p>\n

The captain stood for a second before turning to head off the bridge to quickly carry out the order.<\/p>\n

He wouldn\u2019t lose this battle because a few mechanics rebelled. He would win this battle.<\/p>\n

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

Meia turned her fighter again keeping Olin from getting behind her. The superior maneuverability of the Alliance fighter meant she had an advantage over Olin. She also knew that the battle would be a test of skill and luck.<\/p>\n

\u2018I will live,\u2019 had become her mantra during the battle as the two fighters twisted and turned to gain the upper hand. Olin had taken a few shots as she had. She also understood that a lucky shot could end this battle. And lady luck had no friends.<\/p>\n

She watched as a few rounds flew past her canopy. Her fighter already turned away as it slammed her into her seat as she turned hard. The fighter now seemed to be straining past it limits allowing Meia to take a few shots of her own. Olin spun his fighter as lady luck allowed him to avoid the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour good, but not that good. Now its time to die,\u201d Olin half screamed at her.<\/p>\n

She watched knowing that Olin would be trying another practiced maneuver to get behind her once more. A quick acceleration followed by a high degree one hundred and eight reverse turn. She watched as his fighter began the thrust, or at least as much as the Wolf fighter would allow. Olin began his turn. She waited a heartbeat longer as time slowed down.<\/p>\n

The fighter turned slowly as Meia turned the controls of her own fighter. It began turning towards Olin\u2019s fighter. Ignoring the immense pressure of the forces trying to slam her into her seat she kept a firm grip on her controls. She willed herself to remain conscious blinking away stars focusing in on once point as both fighters faced each other.<\/p>\n

Meia looked right at the cockpit of Olin\u2019s fighter. She could see his green hair, and his blue eyes looking right back at her. The hatred and anger burned into her as the two fighters seemed to hang in space for an eternity.<\/p>\n

Both fighters fired, each pilot wanting the kill. One shot went wide, another hit true as one fighter exploded.<\/p>\n

Meia let out a breath as her fighter went clear of the debris. She calmed herself knowing that only one battle had been won, another would just begin.<\/p>\n

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

Jezic\u2019s fist pounded on the table surface causing everyone to jump. Olin had failed him, not that it had been a surprise but he hoped the universe still held some luck for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell all fighters, target Meia and destroy her at once. The one who does becomes a blue,\u201d Jezic ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt once sir,\u201d the communications officer said.<\/p>\n

Jezic turned watching the rest of the crew. Captain Diern walked back in after taking care of his orders. No other crewmen dared to look at him. That suited him fine, the last thing he wanted to do was explain his orders to lower class citizens. They also didn\u2019t need to know that Meia was telling the truth. He\u2019d take the heat from the Emperor, but had a feeling he wouldn\u2019t mind.<\/p>\n

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

Randy sat back into his chair feeling relieved when he noticed who won the battle. he felt as if a great weight had lifted and he\u2019d been shown the end result.<\/p>\n

\u201cContinue firing,\u201d Kim\u2019s voice said breaking Randy out of his musings. He realized the fight still raged.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, there\u2019s something strange on the scanner,\u201d Yvette said.<\/p>\n

Randy glanced at the scanner in front of him to see for himself. He didn\u2019t have to wait long to see what she had seen. Every fighter in the area seemed to be heading towards Meia.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet me John,\u201d Randy said knowing that Hans was working quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYo, what\u2019s up skipper,\u201d John\u2019s voice said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery Cimalian fighter is heading towards Meia,\u201d Randy replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll let her know, and we better bring in others to help out,\u201d John said. \u201cIt might also be to our advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo what you have to,\u201d Randy ordered. The only thing he really wanted was the fight over and his people to survive, especially Meia.<\/p>\n

Randy glanced at the scanner noticing that the arrival of the Bismarck seemed to have even up the odds some. His fleet still seemed to be at a disadvantage but he could work with this. The missiles from the Cimalian battle-cruisers had trailed off. That meant either they had run out or the launchers had been destroyed.<\/p>\n

\u201cRepair time on the plasma beams,\u201d Randy asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamage control is working on it admiral,\u201d Kim replied to him.<\/p>\n

He tried to will the weapons into working but that didn\u2019t work. The main weapons of the Akagi were offline in the most important battle of the war. He hoped the hard lasers could inflict enough damage to the enemy, but even then almost half had been disabled. The only consolation he could take was the enemy ship seemed to have just as much damage as the Akagi.<\/p>\n

He noticed that the battle around Meia seemed to intensify as more fighters arrived.<\/p>\n

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

Meia turned her fighter into a wild turn as weapons fire streaked by her fighter from what appeared to be all angles. Her luck seemed to hold for a few seconds longer. More fighters from both sides seemed to be approaching. John had given her a warning then ordered in several squadrons into the sector.<\/p>\n

Her first thought had been fight back, but that had been squashed quickly. The other Alliance fighters were being ignored allowing them to destroy the Cimalian fighter with ease.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo easy,\u201d one said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts like shooting fish in a barrel,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n

Meia wasn\u2019t exactly sure what that meant but assumed it to be a good thing. The Alliance fighters dwindled the numbers against her quickly as she continued avoiding the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn old friend calling Meia, come in,\u201d a voice said. The suddenness and recognition shocked Meia.<\/p>\n

\u201cHecus,\u201d Meia asked in shock. She recovered in time to turn her fighter away from another burst of fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne and only, now what\u2019s this about you being an Alpha Supreme,\u201d Hecus asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cLong story,\u201d Meia replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Olin, he\u2019s dead,\u201d Hecus asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrange question to be asking, but yes,\u201d Meia replied. She wondered where Hecus was going with this.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t say I\u2019ll miss the man, not pleasant to work with,\u201d Hecus said. \u201cBut we not have a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlan, what\u2019s that supposed to mean,\u201d Meia asked. Part of her hoped it meant what she thought it meant.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow don\u2019t worry about that little lady, just survive,\u201d Hecus replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour friends give wonder advice,\u201d John said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, mechanics, gotta love \u2018em,\u201d Meia replied. She smiled a bit at that. Turning her fighter once more as another Cimalian fighter exploded.<\/p>\n

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

Hecus turned watching as the sounds of approaching footsteps caught everyone\u2019s attention. He understood what would happen next as several armed guards walked into the hangar.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy order of the admiral you are to be eliminated for your crimes against the Cimalian Empire,\u201d the lead guard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, for questioning our place in society,\u201d Hecus replied. \u201cYou\u2019re probably a Beta, never had to worry about what\u2019s going to happen to you. This military is built on the backs of the Gammas and Epsilons. We\u2019re the ones who\u2019ve strained to keep it running, on track, moving forward and what thanks to we get. We\u2019re considered disposable by the higher ups, we\u2019ll its over. We\u2019ve got a new leader, one who understands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat pilot, an Epsilon. She\u2019s lying to you, forced to do so by the Alliance,\u201d the guard replied raising his weapon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why is the admiral so worried about her. He sent every fighter in the area to kill her. No this war is over cause we say it is,\u201d Hecus said. \u201cDo it!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Kitakim rocked as an explosion ripped though the inside of the ship. The hangar erupted in shouts and gunfire as chaos erupted onboard the ship.<\/p>\n

Jezic managed to remain standing as the battle-cruiser rocked. He turned to the captain waiting for an explanation of what had been hit. He watched as the captain looked at the screen. He readjusted the eye patch while he waited giving it a tap.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt came from the hangar, we\u2019ve lost contact with the guards,\u201d Diern replied.<\/p>\n

Jezic gritted his teeth in frustration as the captain listed what all the explosion had damaged. It had originated in the hangar, but damaged several systems. With a battle going on in space against the largest Alliance fleet, a victory here would allow the Cimalian invasion to proceed without any problem. Now he had what appeared to be a revolt on his own ship.<\/p>\n

\u201cEngine room is no longer reporting, power is dropping off. We can\u2019t maintain weapons fire,\u201d Diern said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHades, we\u2019ve come all this way and tasted victory,\u201d Jezic ground out. His frustration at the situation began boiling over. \u201cI won\u2019t allow a kid to undo my glory. She shouldn\u2019t have learned her history! I want her destroyed NOW!\u201d<\/p>\n

The bridge fell silent for several long heartbeats. The dim sound of the engines was all that could be heard as everyone now looked at him. The admiral\u2019s words had echoed though the bridge and many were educated enough to understand what had been said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, whatever power we have to the weapons use them to destroy her,\u201d Jezic said watching as nothing happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, admiral, if that\u2019s the case then we\u2019re committing an act punishable by death,\u201d one crewmember said. They knew that to strike out at an Alpha Supreme was a death sentence. All their lives they\u2019d been trained, forced to follow the chain of command, starting with the Alpha Supremes. Now that very foundation was being challenged by the one on the ship who\u2019d upheld it with an iron fist.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeia has gone crazy telling lies to anyone who will listen. The Alliance has warped her against the Cimalian Empire. She\u2019s killed several pilots in combat,\u201d Jezic said quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince Olin she\u2019s been the target, and she hasn\u2019t destroyed any other fighter,\u201d one replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, it\u2019s a mutiny then, all right,\u201d Jezic said. a single shot rang out on the deck as Jezic pulled his handgun out. The scanner operator slumped forward then to the ground. \u201cAnyone else have a death wish, then get back to work.<\/p>\n

The captain stood next to the admiral waiting for the crew to return to work. Jezic watched as the captain walked over to a consol.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long has this been on,\u201d he yelled. Jezic looked over to see what the captain was talking about and froze. The internal communicator was lit. His entire conversation had been transmitted though the ship.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems I\u2019m surrounded by traitors,\u201d he said firing another shot. \u201cFine I\u2019ll take care of you all then.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Randy watched his scanner not wanting to miss what might happen next. The fighting around Meia\u2019s fighter had been intense but the enemy seemed to be losing the battle. With so many focused in her it had allowed the Alliance pilots almost easy pickings. It had also allowed Randy to vector off some fighters to help the destroyers now that the enemy fighters were no longer a concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, this is strange,\u201d Yvette said. He glanced up looking at her before she continued. \u201cThe enemy battle-cruiser has stopped firing. Their weapon systems are still functional, and engine power is still good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Randy looked down at his screen then up at the large screen that showed a visual of the battle. The battle-cruiser stood there silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on,\u201d he asked more to himself than anyone else.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther ships are reporting the same thing happening. What should I tell them,\u201d Kim said.<\/p>\n

Randy glanced down then back up before making a decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cTarget just ships that are still firing on us, but keep an eye on the silent ships,\u201d Randy ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstood admiral,\u201d Kim replied turning to Hans who relayed the order to the rest of the fleet.<\/p>\n

A part of Randy wondered if what Meia had said made a difference. Were the ships that we\u2019re not firing part of a ploy to get him to lower his defenses? Would the ships suddenly start attacking again? He made a mental note to watch how close the enemy ships came.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeia is returning to the Akagi to refuel,\u201d Yvette said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood news, what about the other fighters,\u201d Randy asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re starting to refuel squadron 116, but the enemy fighters seemed to have broken off. Only a few are left,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Randy said. That meant at least one part of the battle going in his favor. Then another thought came to him. \u201cHave Meia come to the bridge instead of heading back out again.\u201d<\/p>\n

He watched as Yvette relayed his order to the hangar. He had a gut feeling that he\u2019d need Meia here on the bridge more than in her fighter. He also need information, information that he knew only Meia might be able to answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cRandy, you wanted to speak with me,\u201d Meia said walking onto the bridge a minute later.<\/p>\n

He glanced at her, so different than when he first knew her. She seemed to have a confidence now that radiated from her.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, yeah, any idea what\u2019s going on,\u201d Randy said waving his arm to the screen where the Cimalian battle-cruiser was shown sitting there doing nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might have to do with my conversation with Hecus,\u201d Meia said. \u201cHe\u2019s a mechanic on board the Kitakim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kitakim?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat battle-cruiser,\u201d Meia said pointing to the screen. \u201cThe same battle-cruiser I served aboard for three years. Hecus is the lead mechanic, a Gamma class citizen who oversees the fifty fighters on board the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Randy listened as Meia told him that information. It seemed to flow out easily now, no hesitation at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s changed, yesterday you wouldn\u2019t have told just that much without more questions,\u201d Randy asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat senator,\u201d Meia replied. Randy heard the ice tone in her voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould it help you to know he\u2019s dead,\u201d Randy asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHope it was painful,\u201d Meia replied surprising Randy a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny idea as to what we do now,\u201d Randy asked deciding to switch the subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing, its their battle now,\u201d Meia said.<\/p>\n

Randy watched as she turned towards the screen. He wondered if things were really like that. He thought there had to be something they could do, some way they might be able to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can only help later on, they have to do this on their own,\u201d Meia replied.<\/p>\n

Randy turned as more reports of Cimalian ships falling silent came in. The Warspite even had a report that a Cimalian fighter wished to land on their hangar. This wasn\u2019t how he pictured the battle going. He wondered where the battle would go from here.<\/p>\n

End chapter 23<\/p>\n

Continued in chapter 24<\/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 23 Randy watched from his scanner as everything seemed to stop except for one battle between two fighters. He knew other battles were going on but he had the feeling that this battle would be won, or lost with the outcome of the battle that Meia was […]
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