"Range?", called out captain Maguire.
"Aliens ships dead ahead and closing"reported Lieutenant Tanaka.
"All hands to your battle stations", announced captain Maguire.
Then speaking into his hand held communicator, "This the captain, this is a priority code red alert. We are about to engage in hostile action an enemy of unknown strength. All emergency services and are therefore advised to be on standby",
"Com, anything from the other starships", captain Maguire asked lieutenant Tanaka.
"Nothing as yet", reported lieutenant Tanaka.
As he spoke a fleet of alien starships suddenly came into view on the giant computer monitor as the Sandawana raced forward rapidly closing the distance.
"Shall we wait to hear from them to reply sir", asked lieutenant Tanaka.
"No, we are going ahead to attack", replied captain Maguire.
"Captain we are within firing range, all gun decks", are ready and waiting for you to give the order",reported lieutenant lieutenant Alex Bara.
Gripping the arm rests of his seat tightly with both hands, Captain Maguire felt the thrill of impending battle. It rushed through him like adrenaline pumping wildly through his veins. His attitude was not lost on the crew who knew that over confident, almost reckless expression on his face.Suddenly he was not a starship captain, As he ordered fire!!!
He was teenager once again pressing the firing icon on the video game again and again. Even ough it was actually lieutenant Alex Bara finger on weapons systems control console. As he manouvred the huge starship through lieutenant Tashinga's strict adherence to his every command. It was though they were of one conciousness, as the Sandawana weaved in and out of the tightly packed formations of alien starships. The Sandawana continued to fire relentless a deadly hail of lasers and missiles.
It was movimg so quickly that the alien starships could not get a an accurate fix on the Sandawana.
All around the hurtling starship, alien vessels were bursting into briliant super nova explosions.
The crew was elated, it felt good to be on the winning side.
The alien ships wanted to confront the Sandawana, but could not manouvre as easily
due to the packed formation they were travelling in.
"Navigator, what is the present heading of the alien ships?"
Lieutenant Tanaka turned to the console before him, before answering,"According to the shop's instruments, Earth".
"Just as I suspected, the anomaly stretches all the way to Earth. That is how the aliens managed to bypass the platforms defences orbiting the planet", remarked captain Maguire.
"Set course for Earth", captain Maguire ordered.
"Sir?", lieutenant exclaimed seeking for confirmation.
Follow the formation of alien ships to the head, I pretty confident it is ending up in the attack on earth", captain Maguire explained.Maintain maximum speed".
"Captain, there is something happening with the alien ships formation", reported lieutenant Tanaka.
"On screen", ordered captain Maguire. Images of the alien ships appeared on the giant computer monitor.
"They are breaking formation. They are preparing to counter attack. Pilot alter course to keep us closely wedged between the alien ships", ordered captain Maguire.
"Captain that will take us off course", exclaimed lieutenant Tashinga at the pilot's console.
"I know", confirmed the captain. "The idea is to avoid getting blown out of the sky. Those ships could not fire on us without risking hitting each other.."
"Hence they are breaking formation", reasoned lieutenant Tashinga.
"Exactly agreed captain Maguire, "we must avoid being isolated. Which is what they are attempting". It would make it easy for them to fire on us, and given their superior numbers you guess is as good as mine as to how those odds would stack against us in open fire fight".
"I get the point captain", acknowledged lieutenant Tashinga.
"Good remarked", captain Maguire.
"Com", any word from the other starships?", asked captain Maguire.
"I 'm afraid still nothing captain", confirmed lieutenant Tanaka.
"Altering course to keep us between the four closest ships", reported lieutenant Tashinga.
"Good captain Maguire remarked".
The Sandawana changed course just as the alien ships broke formation manouvreimg four of the ships.
The targeted ships further split up in different directions leaving the Sandawana in the open.
"Raise shields!", ordered captain Maguire in a tone of urgency.
Lieutenant Alex Bara's moved swiftly across the weapons control console.
Several powerful lasers made direct hits just as the electro pulse shield was actived protectively around the Sandawana. The force of the combined blasts caused shudders to grow through the superstructure of the starship.
"Damage report", requested captain Maguire.
"Structural integrity at one hundred percent", confirmed a female computer generated voice".
"Prepare to return fire!", ordered captain Maguire in a tone of urgency.
"Several targets selected", reported lieutenant Alex Bara as more laser blasts hit agains the Sandawana's electro pulse shield. The alien ships had surrounded the starship which was isolated in the middle of a ring of ships.
"On my command, lower shields and fire!?", ordered captain Maguire.
"Now!!", captain Maguire ordered.
The Sandawana's lethal lasers leapt into action spitting a deadly hail of lasers from the gunports strategically positioned around the doughnut shaped hull. Several aliens exploded at the same time as they were caught in the cross hairs of the starship's advanced chamelion's multi targeting system.
"Keep firing!", captain Maguire ordered.
The Sandawana relentlessly kept up the fierce barrage of deadly laser fire smashing into the alien ships.
"Set course for Earth", ordered captain Maguire.
Under the cover of exploding ships all around it, the Sandawana shot forward once again. It's array of powerful lasers firing relentless at the alien starships as it raced towards the other opening of the anomaly on Earth. Leaving behind it burning hulks as it went by.
While firing the Sandawana could not raise its shield. Raising the electro pulse shield would have meant that Sandawana would have to cease firing. It would have also meant that it would not be to blast a path through the alien ships, which still greatly outnumbered it.
It was also inevitable that the Sandawana would get hit by some of the alien ships. As the Sandawana received directed hits it came as no surprise. Warning alarms wailed as sections of the starships superstructure took direct hits from the aliens ships.
Emergency crews were running throughout the ship, putting out fires and evacuating the wounded to sick bay.
"Hull intergrity compromised on decks, 2;4 and 6", reported the female computer generated voice. A hit on the weapons station bodily hurled lieutenant Alex Bara violently crushing to the deck.
Captain Maguire jumped up from his seat and rushed over to the weapons control console.
"Medical, we need assistance on bridge", captain Maguire spoke urgently into his communicator while checking the weapons officer's vitals for a pulse.
"Captain..." started lieutenant Tashinga.
"Keep going!", shouted captain Maguire, taking over the weapons control console. Quickly satisfying himself that the weapons console was still in a functional condition he took over the post. Firing back at the alien ships in fierce exchange of laser fire as the Sandawana blasted its way through.