Chereads / Living Media / Chapter 8 - Chapter 7: Fire Power

Chapter 8 - Chapter 7: Fire Power

Jeffers rushes through the streets of Alicus, trying to reach the Shipyard.

As he is passing through the streets he sees that the PA wasn't exactly trying to keep the approaching armada a secret.

The streets are full of people panicking, filling stores to buy things for the possible apocalypse. Some figured they'd just  abandon the rule of law entirely by flipping cars and setting them ablaze. Cars are abandoned because their drivers decided to get the hell out of dodge. And run for the countryside. The smoke from the rioting makes the air in Alicus hard to breathe as the thick black smoke fills the air and begins blocking out the light from Morza's star and the city descends into complete darkness with only the street lights and headlights from cars being able to penetrate the shade of black that has fallen on Alicus. Luckily for Captain Jeffers he is standing under a light as it comes on.

One taxi driver notices that Jeffers is wearing a PA uniform he says

"Hey! Shouldn't you be getting ready to defend us?"

"Yeah I'm trying to get to my ship but you see this craziness." Jeffers responds

"Well hope on in I'll take you there free of charge" the driver offers

"May Merci bless you" Jeffers says

He then hopes into the taxi and the driver slowly maneuvers around the abandoned cars and tries to avoid the burning ones.

One of the rioters runs up to the taxi and throws some foreign black liquid on it.

"Get on you crazies" says the taxi driver as he hits the accelerator.

"Maybe we should turn on the radio to ease our minds. Out of all the days for these slabs to abandon the rule of law." the driver says

He turns on the radio and the radio says

"Riots have broken out all over the Morzan capital. Local law enforcement has said the situation is dire as many of their officers have abandoned their posts. And fled to the countryside. PA forces say Morzan officials say that order will be restored."

"Ok maybe I was wrong" the taxi driver says

#

Meanwhile on board the Dibits. Heidi, Victoria, and Beta are watching the news on the Holocom.

They see an aerial shot of the city from afar as the thick black smoke rises from the fires below the city is hardly visible.

"Merci, Jeffers is out there somewhere." Heidi says

A message then comes in through the telecomm.

"Dibits are you ready?" asks the voice

"No our Captain is still not here yet." Heidi answers

"Well, what about your first mate?" the voice then asks

"You're speaking to her." she says

"Why can't you just Captain the ship?"the voice then asks.

Heidi nervously looks around hoping she can make up a reason so she can wait to buy time for Jeffers to show up.

Victoria who is sitting in the Captain's seat whispers "Say you would have no first mate."

"Because our third mate was deemed unfit for service. I would have no one to assist me." She says

"Are you serious?" The voice says in an aggressive tone.

"Who even is this" Heidi asks

"This is Captain Yuan of the USS Santurm. And we need every ship we can scramble up on so get in the air" the voice says

"Screw you, you petchilant child. How dare you speak to me that way. I wi-" Heidi is then interrupted by another voice coming over the telecomm saying

"Captain's arrived at the bay"

"Thank you Broderick." She says

She then got back on with Captain Yuan saying

"I'm not done with you sir, you need to learn some respect."

The line then goes dead.

"What an asshole." Heidi says

Captain Jeffers then walks into the room asking

"I'm surprised you waited on me this long. Was anyone trying to rush us?"

Heidi lies and says

"No"

"Alright then let's fly."

The Dibits leviates off of the ground and ascends through the clouds of smoke. Right before it FTLs into space which is visible from the city.

The people below begin cheering, and the taxi driver says 

"Not bad, kid. Not bad"

The Dibits' then blasts past the rings of Morza where they join the rest of the fleet.

"How many do we have?" asks Heidi

"Princess Reya told me 160." Jeffers answers

"Well since we're up against 100. I think we got it." Victoria says

"Lets see how long that cocky attitude lasts." Heidi says

#

Meanwhile on board the USS Royal (Morza's equivalent to Air Force One) Princess Reya is on the Holocom with Admiral Newton.

"We have 160, how many more are coming Admiral?"

"I have good news and bad news" He says Angrily

"Start with the good"

"Good news is we have 120 ships coming for reinforcements. Bad news is that they won't be here in time, fifteen hour delay." He says

"Nice" Reya says sarcastically

#

Back to the Dibits, Jeffers is sitting in the Captain's Chair with Heidi sitting in secondary.

"Usually interstellar travel is fun. Not when you're headed into battle or when it's like traveling in a car." Jeffers says

"I know I hate dealing with traffic" Heidi agreed

The USS Dibits is sandwiched between two other starships, with one starship in front of them traveling too slowly.

"Oh for Merci sake, Beta get them on comm" Jeffers says

"Yes sir" Beta replies

Beta presses the button to get the ship on the line. The ship then comes through the Telecomm

"Dibits to Starrider" The Captain Jeffers says

"Starrider to Dibits" the Captain of Star Riders says

"Starrider, could you please move out of our way?" Jeffers asks

"Sorry, we can't we're sandwiched in between two ships. And we're going at our top speed." The Captain says

"Ok" Jeffers comments

Jeffers puts his fist to his cheek and says

"Merci Starcruisers should go before Battlecruisers since we're faster."

"Yeah" Heidi agreed

They pass a planet and Victoria says

"We just passed Qanar."

"Good." Heidi says

"How come Morza and Sivom have life but planets like Qanar don't?" Victoria asks

"Because Morza and Sivom are in the habitable zone" Jeffers answers

"But Morza and Sivom are separated by three planets, Qanar, Lazas and Shewart all of which have no life." Victoria says

"Yeah it's weird how which planets have life. Out of the 35 planets in our solar system only Morza, Sivom, and Notu have life. And Notu is frozen year round." Jeffers says

"Those poor people on Sivom knowing their planet is about to become a battlezone." Victoria says

"Don't worry the PA has a plan to keep them safe." Jeffers says

Then the Holocomm comes on

"Beta." Jeffers says

"On it." Beta replies

On the Holocom is Princess Reya who says

"Captain."

"Princess." Jeffers says

"Hey, that's not the calling code for two PA ships!" Heidi blurs out

Jeffers just looks at her in an angry expression.

"Sorry." Heidi says

"Anyway, The Admiralty has designed a battle line for the ships to form. We will start at Sivoms 5th moon and end at its 19th and final moon." Reya says

"Thanks" Jeffers says

"You're welcome" she says before she signs off.

"Normally it's an envoy from the fleet commander telling us this. Now you have the Princess telling it to you" Heidi says

"Yeah, I guess I'm lucky." Jeffers responds

Sometime passes and they reach Sivom and the Dibits joins the defensive line. At the Black moon

(Sivoms seventh moon).

Just then the Hondras fleet stops in their tracks to see the PA fleet.

It is then when the fear starts to set into Victoria and some of the other crew members.

"You know I don't think I can do this." Victoria says as she starts to leave the scanner in a panic.

"What you can't leave now. I order you to sit back down."

"I don't know Anton, this seems crazy." Heidi says as she's shaking in her seat.

"Are you serious, you're scared to? Beta help me out here." Jeffers says

Beta is visibly shaken by the thought of war. And says

"Maybe we can pull off Captain."

Beta points out the window to another ship which is pulling off from the defensive line.

"Look at the Solarwind in pulling off" Beta says in a panic.

The USS Solarwind, an exploration ship, pulls off from the line with it's Captain in a panic.

The ship is then hit with a laser blast and explodes into a fireball destroying it  completely. But not from the Hondras from the USS Alpha.

The members of the fleet look in horror as one of their own is destroyed by the Admiralty ship.

On board the ship Admiral Newton stands above an underling who pressed the button to blast the laser.

"Good" he says

Admiral Smithers walks up furiously

"Admiral you destroyed one of our own vessels!" Smithers says

"Cowardice will not be tolerated. This is a war fleet now. So you can either get with it or get out." Newton says

Smithers just walks off disgusted.

#

On board the Royal Reya is just as disgusted as tears run down her face and her brother sits in the Captain's chair and he sits with a blank yet shocked expression and he says "Well that was unnecessary."

#

Onboard the Dibits the crew is now in full panic mode. With even Jeffers now panicking.

"This is crazy." He says

"We need to get out of here." Beta says

"How without being blown to bits, by that psycho Newton." Heidi says

"I don't know." he says

"I know we could have Beta aim the ship at a gap in the Hondras formation and then hit 4× light speed and we're gone." Victoria suggests

"Of course Vicki, that's a good plan." Heidi ecstatic.

"

Just then a message from the Constellation comes through.

"Constellation to Dibits." The Captain says

"Dibits to Constellation." Jeffers responds

"Don't worry I've been in battle before. If you don't want to die just do what I do." Captain Monroe says

"Ok" Jeffers says as he calms down.

"Are you just gonna trust him?" Victoria asks

"Yes I am. Now get back in the scanner chair. Beta get back to your post. And Heidi would you join me in the command seating."

"Yes Captain." the all say simultaneously

Jeffers sits down in his chair and says

"Arm torpedoes and ready the guns. It's time for war."