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Chapter 8 - Shadow warriors

"Deploy shield", captain Maguire ordered once

the Sandawana was directly above the alien flag. The other alien ships positioning themselves between the two starships shielding the alien flag ship from the Sandawana furocious firepower.

"This is hopeless, hopeless , lieutenant Tanaka remarked. "Those ships are never going to allow us to get a clear shot the flag ship".

"We are going to create the opportunity regardless of how much the other ships try to shield it', said captain Maguire.

The starships gun ports stopped firing and retracted back into the Sandawana's super structure just as the shield deployed. 

"Electro magnetic pulse shield deployed", reported lieutenant Alex Bara.

"How?", asked lieutenant Anesu out of curiosity seating at navigation. 

Watch and learn", said captain Maguire confidently as though amused by a private joke.

"Com, perch me into the public address system", captain Maguire ordered, lieutenant Tanaka at the communications post.

"You're online captain", lieutenant Tanaka announced after making a few adjustments on the console before him.

"Attention all personnel", captain Maguire announced speaking into his hand held. You are advised to brace yourselves for impact.

As the captain was speaking shudders were running through the starship from numerous direct hits on the protective shield. As the Sandawana was no longer firing its own lasers the intensity of the alienships lasers firepower had grown. The alien ships were firing wildly trying to penetrate the tough electro magnetic pulse shield.

"Hold on to something solidly attached, or built into the ship's, bulkwark. Either the console at your workstation of the bunk bed in your compartment', the captain was saying from his commander's chair.

"Lieutenant Tashinga, at my command cut power to engines. We are going to play balling alley with those alien ships below us", he said with a triumphant note in his voice. "We are not giving them a chance to move out of the way.They wanted to protect the flagship, right?, we 'll let them be heroes and go down with it".

"Captain are you sure about this?", asked lieutenant Tashinga.

"Trust me I know what I 'm doing said captain Maguire confidently. As we are losing power and will soon fall out of the sky, we might as well do it in style and take out the alien flag ship. This may stop the aliens attack or at least through the aliens into disarray without a command and control structure".

"I hear you captain", said lieutenant Tashinga.

"We are space command, we live and die with honour in the service of our Earth and our commen humanity".

As captain Maguire spoke all eyes were on him and he felt emboldened by the attention. He could see the approval in the faces of the crew members around him. He was on a role and he was not going to hold back. 

There was an oath they had all taken as recruits when they first joined space command. He was reminding them of it. Of the privilege that went with just wearing the uniform of space command.

It was a promise to advance everything that was for the good of the people of Earth. As it was a call arms to oppose anything that threatened the planet, "so help me...", they had pledge. There could be no greater honour than to die in battle upholding the for which space command had been created.

Looking around at the determined faces around him as he spoke, he knew there were no cowards on his crew. His heart filled with pride as a he made an impassioned cry to stir their hearts and suddenly raising his voice he shouted, "let all extra-terrestrials know that we are dangerous!!". He knew he had evoked the warrior spirit in them when the bridge crew broke out in chorus wildly chanting Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!. 

The chanting being taken up on all the decks on the Sandawana and coming aross through on the bridge's speakers. 

"Now", shouted captain Maguire and the Sandawana slipped into a steep descent on a direct collision course with the alien flag ship below. Apparently taken by surprise by the unexpected manouvre, the alien ships scrambled to get out of the way of the falling starship rapidly descending upon them.

In a flurry of activity some of the alien ships bumped into each other in their haste to get out of the way. Providing amusement to the crew of the Sandawana watching the confusion among the alien ships on the giant computer monitor.

At the moment of impact, there was no fear, no regret. Just a genuine feeling of pride at having done their duty. 

The Sandawana hit the alien flag ship with the electro magnetic pulse causing in electric interference with the ship's electronics. The effect caused repulsion knocking out the Sandawana's electrics among the failing shield. Then the jarring crash of superstructure ramming into another sent a violent shudder though the Sandawana. 

The impact was so powerful it sent both personnel and equipment flying. Tossing crew members across the consoles at their workstations.

The captain quickly recovering picked himself up from the flight deck and returning to his commander's chair, requested, "damage assessment?"

"Captain, starships emerging out of the anomaly", lieutenant Tanaka reported excitedly, who was the first to recover. While the other ship's officers were still struggling to get up and return to their posts. 

"More alien ships?", exclaimed captain Maguire.

"They are our starships, I mean space command".

The Mwenezi had emerged out of the anomaly at the head of a fleet of starships lasers blazing tearing into the alien ships. 

"Pilot restore power and stabilise break our fall", captain Maguire ordered lieutenant Tashinga at the starship flight control console. 

"Captain, power is restored our descent has stabilized but we are still falling out of the sky", reported lieutenant Tashinga.

"Weapons, do we have enough power to fire lasers?", captain Maguire asked lieutenant Alex Bara at the weapons post.

"Captain", I 'm afraid we our power cells are depleting rapidly, we are unable to provide sufficient power to make operationalize the gundecks.

All available power has been diverted to engines", reported lieutenant Tashinga.

"Sir, we have destroyed the alien flag ship, let's the fleet to handle the rest of the fight", respectfully counseled lieutenant Anesu. 

Looking at the faces of his crew, he knew she was right. The starship was badly damaged and his crew had done exceptionally well.