Last Call

Status Update

The squadron bays in the Excalibur were different than on most Earthforce and Alliance ships; the small tactical crafts within were lined and stacked in the hold like aircraft on ocean carriers. The Aurora-Class Starfury was a small one-pilot ship capable of pinpoint maneuvers and direction shifts that made it indispensable in a close range firefight. The Excalibur also had a complement of the two-seater Badger-Class Starfury. They were very similar to their sister ships in that they supported better weapons and armor at a minor cost in agility. Also aboard was the newer development of Earthforce, the tandem Thunderbolt; an atmospheric fighter that could be equipped with missiles for bombing raids. Whether they flew out of the bay or dropped from launching turrets beneath the Excalibur’s basal fins, the space fighters were impressive and gave the Victory-Class destroyer, in combination with its own devastating weapons, more firepower than any other craft in Earthforce or the Interstellar Alliance.

That notion made Matthew Gideon extremely prideful if not a little cocky.

To Matthew, commanding the Excalibur was the fruition of all his life he had put into his career as an Earthforce officer. He had surprised most, including himself, with being able to get that far. More often than not, his adage of not being subtle or pretty had been his downfall, leaving him open for criticism and skepticism. It was still a mystery to Gideon why Interstellar Alliance President John Sheridan had chosen him over some other captain who could play better by the rules, but for once he was proud of the fact that his reputation, however dubious and sketchy, had landed him the job. He wasn’t looking for honor or glory in addition to the cure, just for an opportunity to prove to others he was fit to put on his uniform every day and perform his duties to the best of his abilities like he always thought he had.

The fighter pilots were put on standby since the Captain had deduced the meaning behind the Toledo’s metaphorical message. Seventy-odd pilots, navigators, and radar intercept officers sat before him in rows, quietly talking amongst themselves as they waited for the meeting to begin. All were dressed in similar blue and gray space suits, but with different patches adorning their chests and arms, signifying the separate flying wings. Not only were they pilots, but engineers, Medlab personnel, security officers, maintenance staff—all trained for multiple duties aboard the Excalibur. The staff and crew had been pulled from other Earthforce ships that weren’t caught within the quarantine, including those from Gideon’s previous command, the Phoenix. Some he knew well, others he was happy to have the opportunity to serve with.

“Let’s get started.” Matthew spoke out from his position in the front of the instruction room, addressing the gathered pilots. A few other officers stood with him, consisting primarily the tactical team that had developed the course of action. The room gradually quieted till only the sounds of rustling flight suits could be heard in the section of chairs.

“Thank you for your patience. I know I put you on standby since early this morning without a word as to why. I’ve called this meeting to discuss the mission we are pursuing to rescue the crew of a disabled freighter.

“Normally this would be fairly routine, but I have my suspicions from talking with the pilot that there are Drakh Raiders and Cruisers in the vicinity.” Muffled voices raised their surprise and concern as Gideon moved to the large main viewing console set up at the front of the room. He placed a data crystal into the computer port and opened the dimensional diorama of the target area.

“This is the Ghayn system and has one original, non-EA jump gate. From our last conversation with the pilot approximately thirty minutes ago, it has been confirmed that they left hyperspace at this gate to make repairs to their plasma engines. Something happened to the ship while coming through the gate, which fried the engine relays, leaving her stranded. They have drifted away from the gate and the planet near it.”

As he spoke, the display drew a similar wireframe outline of the EAS Toledo as the one he had seen in the map room. A simulated engine breech pushed it out from the gate, and showed the drift pattern as the craft moved further away. Gradually the viewpoint shifted to the perspective from the cockpit of the Toledo, and additional wireframes began to appear, each outlined in red to signify enemy ships. Two were directly within the line of sight and five more were stationed in the blind spots on either side of the viewing canopy.

“We also have confirmation of two Drakh ships positioned within the pilot’s view. External sensors are down, but visuals have been made using field monoculars.” Gideon smiled to himself, remembering the struggle the pilot had with words in order to relay that piece of information. The conversations had become a study in obfuscation, with pointed questions and answers designed to confuse the Drakh on their true meaning.

“Without knowing numbers, it’s difficult to decide on a course of action. The current idea is to form a jump point above the freighter that will position us between her and the Drakh. From there, we will send out a breech pod to attach to the command deck of the hull. If the Starfury and Thunderbolt squads distract the Raiders, we should be able to accomplish this without major incident since we have the element of surprise on our side. They know we are coming, but do not know that we are aware they are there. Even if there’s a chance it’s only two ships, we’re still going in hot and heavy.”

Gideon paused, allowing the battle compilation to continue playing, showing a wireframe Excalibur exit a self-terminated jump point to halt over the Toledo. Short range fighters swarmed from the bays and launch turrets to surround and engage the enemy while a breech pod was jettisoned, coasting its way till it landed on the Toledo’s hull. The EVA team inside would act to remove the four crew members before sending the pod back on its preprogrammed course to the Excalibur.

“Some of you may feel this is a bit drastic for rescuing four crew members on a decrepit freighter, but this is also a chance to show the Drakh that we will not stand for this kind of terrorism. I’m sure I’m safe in assuming that I’m not the only one that thinks this is a particularly cheap way to get in target practice.”

Mutual nods came from several pilots as they studied the diagrams. Most had battles with the Drakh before and knew the relatively small amount of ships as nothing to get over confident about. A Drakh Raider had weapons comparable to a White Star in range and intensity, their smaller stature making them more maneuverable. The Cruisers were the size of most Earthforce destroyers, if not bigger, and could carry up to forty Raiders within their bays. If the ships were given a chance to prepare for battle, it would slim the odds for a successful rescue attempt.

“I am going to leave it up to the flight commanders as to assigning duties. I will keep them apprised of the latest if these plans change. For now, every one will remain on standby. Thank you for your attention and cooperation.”

Pilots began to rise to their feet, eager to get a better look at the schematics. Gideon left the data crystal outlining the plan; the more the pilots studied the better prepared they would be. Tactical officers remained as well to inform the flight commanders on the fine points the Captain had omitted. Quickly Matthew left, heading for the commissary to brief the EVA team.