VoZ Sandawana emerged from the anomaly bristling with gun ports, which were firing a sustained hail storm of deadly lasers at the alien ships. Suddenly appearing as it did out of the anomaly, the starship caught the alien ships completely off guard. Tearing into the invaders with its powerful lasers and blasting them to kingdom come.
A wave of excitement went through the population on the surface who saw the starship arrive.
"Look, it's one of our starships", people exciyrdly called out to each other point out at the sky.
Igniting hope for the first time in the face of the anomaly which had suddenly opened up allowing alien ships from another dimension to attack. That too coming at a time when space commands battle fleet was stretched patroling the further regions of deep space. The anomaly had cut off all communication to and with space commands Deep star fleet.
Leaving Earth being only guarded by the orbiting defence platforms. These were designed to intercept and destroy threats in deep space. They were never designed to attack objects which were on Earth.
Space command attempts at turning the orbiting defence platforms around to target the alien ships where futile. The ships were too fast and their keep close to populated areas increased the risk of inflicting hitting the Earth's sensitive infrastructure and populated areas.
"Yes now that evens the odds!", excitedly exclaimed one admiral Nyasha Gwangwa at space command headquarters. He was looked exhausted, never having left his office from the time the alien ships arrived on Earth. He had worked through the night with his team at space command headquarterd marshalling defences to repel the invaders. It was him who had ordered the orbiting defence platforms to be turned around to target the alien ships. Even though he knew the attempt was close to hopeless, he had hoped to scare the aliens with the platforms lethal fire power and at least buy precious time for he starships in deep space to come to the rescue.
At the same time he had been sending urgent transmissions deep space. It had been an extremely trying 24hours with no evidence that the transmissions had been received, but he had kept up at it, undeterred, desperately hoping that that at least one transmission would get through. He had guessed that the break in communications with the starships had something to do with the sudden appearance of the massive anomaly which opened like a yawning gap in the sky. It seemed to stretch indefinitely opening into a deep murky darkness. It was out of that darkness that the alien ships had emerged. They were firing at everythng in sight making their hostile intentions clear beyond any shadow of doubt.
Admiral Gwangwa knew only too well the impacticaliy of using the orbiting defence platforms. They were designed for total annihilation of objects in space. Trying to use to redeploy against targets on Earth would only do more harm than good.
"But if the fleet could be recalled from deep space..." he had comtemplaed, that was the one hope. Hope was all he had though he never let it show to his surbodinates that their situation was as hopeless as it could ever get.
It was his duty as a senior space command officer to keep hope alive. Even it meant protecting those serving under him from an unpleasant truth.
The arrival of the Sandawana as unexpected and welcome as it had been was like a breath of fresh air. It brought instant relief to admiral Gwangwa, and though he had gone 24hours without sleep, he was fully in charge of his faculties, once again.
His body felt invigorated with a fresh burst of energy. It was time to take the fight to the aliens.
"Open a direct channel to the starship", he ordered the confidence evident in his tone. He touched the transmit icon on th two way communicator built into his desk.
"Yes sir", promptly replied an aide in another office.
A computer monitor on his desk came alive, with the image of the Sandawana's bridge in view. Captain Maguire was sitting in his commander's chair looking the picture of calm and being in control.
"Captain, how far behind you are the other starships ?", asked admiral Gwangwa without pausing to catch his breath. We need to immediately mount a counter offensive, he went on dispensing with formalities and getting straight to the point. There a hint of urgency in his tone of his voice as he spoke
"I 'm afraid there are no others, we are the only starship that has come through the anomaly", reported captain Maguire.
"What!?", exclaimed admiral Gwangwa in shock, the revelation burst his bubble just as soon as it had become airborne. It was like a slap in the face, temporarilly leaving admiral Gwangwa at a loss.
"What can one starship do!?", he thought unhappily to himself. He had been hoping for a response by the entire space command fleet.The arrival of the Sandawana had give rise to hope that had just as suddenly been shattered.
"Admiral", if there is nothing more I have my hands full", said captain Maguire respectfully.
There was something in the manner of the younger man which told admiral Gwangwa that the captain had a plan.
"What is your plan captain", admiral Gwangwa asked.
"Priority is to take out the flagship", replied captain Maguire.
"Cut of the head and without a centre of comand and control the body losses cohesion", reasoned admiral Gwangwa thoughtfully.
"I like the way you think captain. Carry on as per your plan", ordered admiral Gwangwa.
Watching on the computer monitor the starship race towards the largest alien ship lasers blazing, admiral Gwangwa not help feeling guilty. He felt he should have been able to do something to assist with the attack on the alien flagship.
"Keep trying to contact the other starships", he spoke exasperatedly into the communicator on his desk. He could at least try to call upon their other starships still in space on the other side of the anomaly to come through.
"Captain, the other alien ships are coming round to surround the flagship", reported lieutenant Tanaka.
"They are trying to protect it', captain said almost to himself speaking below his breath. "I wonder why?"
"Captain?", asked lieutenant Tanaka.
"Weapons, concerntrate all our fire power on the flagship", captain Maguire, lieutenant Alex Bara at the weapons control station.
"Captain, the alien ships are protecting the mother ship by throwing themselves in the path of our fire", reported lieutenant Tanaka.