Lee Carter banked her craft hard - the Kelvan beam weapon narrowly missed. Although the Banshee Squadron was equipped with the Han'gosian shields, it couldn't hurt to be safe. She flipped up the cover over the firing stud, pressed the contact on her joystick and watched as her last torpedo flashed away toward her opponent. A moment later, a faraway orange explosion declared her victory once again.
Time to reload, Carter thought grimly. This would be the third time. Although the Knight's industrial replicators were still working overtime making the Han'gosian phase torpedoes, they were fighting a losing battle trying to keep up with the demand.
On the other hand, the Han'gosian phase torpedoes had really turned out to be the Kelvan's Achilles Heel. The Kelvans, despite their otherwise overwhelming technology, had absolutely no defense whatsoever against these weapons. One torpedo could destroy a Kelvan fighter craft, or a weapon installation on one of the Kelvan moons.
The trouble was the ratio of torpedoes vs. targets. The Knight had started out with 2000 torpedoes, but there were 200,000 Kelvan fighter ships! In addition, the Kelvans had all their weapon installations on the moons and the Battle Planet itself!
The trick would be for the Knight's support craft: the runabouts, the fighters, the shuttles, the Orion and the Gettysburg and their own support craft, to clear a path around the Kelvan Battle Planet wide enough for the Knight to safely launch the dreaded Genesis Device.
Carter was approaching the Knight's main hangar. The tractor beam grabbed her ship and hauled it into the bay a lot more roughly and quickly than usual. This was war-time - no time for niceties. Just by coincidence, all the rest of Banshee Squad was also being hauled in right now too.
Their ships' landing pads clanked on the deck and the crews came running dragging carts laden with more torpedoes. Ten minutes later, all the Banshees were fully loaded again, and one after the other, they blew out the main hangar doors, looking for their next kills.
The dull orange bulk of Jupiter loomed in the near distance as Lee Carter banked her craft toward the main Kelvan fighter fleet. If her Han'gosian shields held, she would be able to take out another fifty Kelvan fighters, and so would her wingmen, another 250 total.
Suddenly, from the right of Carter's cockpit came a bright flash. She turned her head to look out the port side of her cockpit in time to see the USS Gettysburg bend unnaturally, snap in two and become engulfed in a rapidly expanding fiery blossom.
That's really bad, thought Lee at the back of her mind, but she hardened her resolve and flipped up the protective cover on the torpedo firing stud again. She saw about two hundred fresh Kelvan fighters approaching the battlefield from the nearest of the Kelvan moons.
Since the rest of her teammates were nearby, Carter said, "Form up, gang."
"Aligning, chief," came Max's voice over Lee's helmet speakers.
Carter shoved the throttle all the way open and felt the g-forces press her body back into her acceleration couch. The Griffin flashed forward and, guided by its skillful pilot, began its deadly dance with the energy beams and exploding missiles that were suddenly all around it. The four other Peregrines wheeled and pirouetted in their own complex choreography as the distance between them and their Kelvan counterparts quickly closed.
The Kelvan fighters were still too distant to be made out by the naked eye, but the computer-enhanced display in Carter's helmet visor showed each target clearly. Less than a second passed before the Griffin's neuro-gel combat computer identified them and programmed the weapon systems for optimal effectiveness. A jumble of green crosshairs centered themselves on the Kelvan blips in Carter's visor. In quick succession, they all turned red.
"Fire on my mark!" shouted Lee. When the last crosshair changed color, Lee shouted, "Fire One!"
Ten phase torpedoes shot from the muzzles of each of the Peregrines and flew toward the still-invisible Kelvan ships. The seconds that ticked by seemed like centuries to Carter, but finally the fireworks began! A long line of distant explosions marked where the Federation's weapons made their own kind of 'first contact' with their targets.
"Fire Two!" cried Carter. Once again ten torpedoes from each fighter streaked towards the Kelvans, and once again the Kelvan lines were illuminated by the exploding hulls of their own ships.
"Yes!" said Kim.
"It's too early to celebrate," said Max.
"That's right," said Lee. "Close the distance to the enemy and engage. We have to punch a hole big enough for the Knight to get through and keep it open long enough for them to deploy the Genesis Device. I'm coordinating with Tactical on board the Knight."
"Right!" said Carter's wingmates, as each one banked away and prepared to meet the Kelvans head on.
On the bridge of the Knight, Taylor was shouting, "Commodore! We just lost the Gettysburg!"
"Maintain course to the Battle Planet, Mr. Churok!" said Pike, gritting his teeth.
Taylor was still yelling, "Sir, the fighters have weakened the Kelvan lines in sector 4-7!"
"Alter course, Mr. Churok," ordered Pike.
"There's a Defense Moon directly along that flight plan, Commodore," chimed in Tumock from Ops.
Pike deliberated for a split second. "Mr. Taylor, redirect the shuttles to the Defense Moon. As soon as the fighters have cleared a sufficient path, send them down with orders to storm the power installations and destroy them. That should keep the Moon off our back."
"Aye sir!"
Pike sat tensely watching the battle on the tactical display on the main viewer. With the Gettysburg gone, the Knight's left flank was exposed and vulnerable.
As if reading his mind, Taylor said, "Sir, we should reposition a couple of the Danubes to protect our left flank.
Pike nodded in agreement, and watched as the symbols representing the Congo and the Columbia moved to their new assignments. Almost immediately, they were assaulted by a horde of Kelvan ships.
The Columbia was hit dead center and came apart in a fiery end. Phaser beams and phase torpedoes from the Knight and Orion as well as the remaining runabout answered the attack, and the Kelvan wave was obliterated.
Taylor said, "Thirty-five Kelvan ships destroyed in that wave sir. Congo returning for reload. We're down to 800 phase torpedoes. Phase shields are at 86%, but are beginning to fluctuate. Estimated time 'til failure: twenty minutes!"
We'll never win this fight like this! thought Pike desperately. The odds are just too steep - 100 to 1 against us. Out loud he ordered, "Send the shuttles to the Defense Moon at the earliest possible nanosecond! Have the fighters concentrate on widening the hole they're making in the Kelvan lines. Fully redirect ALL non-essential systems to keeping the phasers charged and to the industrial replicators." He hesitated for a split second, then continued, "Cut life support to 20% and send the power to the replicators."
There was a collective gasp from the bridge crew. Captain Neil said in a low voice, "Sir?"
Pike replied also in a softer voice, "This battle will be over one way or the other long before the lowered life support becomes a problem, Captain."
"True enough...."
Outside, under the oppressive bulk of the planet Jupiter, the battle raged. Explosions were everywhere, and brilliant beams of blue and white energy flashed in criss-crossed patterns. In between all these obstacles zoomed Banshee Squadron, pursued by, and in turn pursuing the sleek Kelvan fighter ships.
Carter had received orders from the Knight requiring they open up the hole they'd been trying to punch in the Kelvan battle line. She had no idea how they would be able manage that. The Kelvans had for all practical purposes an inexhaustible supply of fighter ships, and Banshee Squad was running low on torpedoes again. As soon as she and her mates went in for a reload, the Kelvans would repair their damages lines, and they'd be back at square one. Lee had ordered them to try and spare their torpedoes as much as they could, relying on phasers instead. The trouble was, phasers were much less effective than the phase torpedoes against the Kelvan technology.
For the time being, Lee and Jo, working together, were holding their own against the Kelvan pilots, engaging them one by one, trying to work deeper into the breach in the Kelvan's lines. They would take turns. One would bait a Kelvan ship while the other took him out. Then they'd switch roles, back and forth.
Elsewhere, using her Cyber-enhanced abilities, Sam had worked her way into the six-o'clock position of a large group of Kelvan ships without being detected by their sensors. She methodically targeted their power plants, and efficiently and dispassionately destroyed them all before moving on in search of another group.
Elsewhere again, Max was involved in an intricate aerial ballet with five Kelvans. When a Kelvan would fire, suddenly Max's craft wasn't in the Kelvan's crosshairs anymore. Instead, she was behind him, and the last thing the Kelvan saw was the glare from her phasers in his face or the flash of a phase torpedo about to impact his ship. Max dealt with all the opponents who approached her in this manner. Of all the Banshees, she had the most torpedoes left, because Max's favorite trick was to get two or more enemy craft in a cross-fire where they would destroy each other!
Elsewhere, Kim was watching in grim delight as another target exploded. She had become separated from Sam during the fighting, and was trying to make her way back to her buddy. The smile on her face turned into a grimace however, as an explosion rocked her own ship and slammed her head into the right bulkhead. A trio of Kelvan fighters had managed to slip into her six, and were mercilessly pounding her with energy blasts. She yanked the stick as hard up and to the right as she could, then shoved it left after a calculated amount of time. The wild g-forces of her manic maneuvering pressed on her first this way then that, but nothing she did could shake her pursuers. Another hit slammed her Peregrine down and would have sent her flying out of her seat if she hadn't been strapped down.
In a panic, Kim pounded the comm switch. "Saaaaaam!!!"
"I'm coming, Kimmie!" yelled Sam over the radio. "Just hold on for a few more seconds!"
"I'm trying! But they're all over me!"
Sam turned in the direction of Kim's signal and pushed her throttle all the way into the red. Far ahead, her Cyber-eye could make out four craft: one Peregrine pursued by three Kelvans. The Peregrine was venting gas and wouldn't last much longer. She targeted the Kelvans and thumbed the lid off the firing button. The instant the targeting reticules turned red, Sam pressed the stud.
The computer's voice said, <Torpedo bay empty.>
"No!" hissed Sam. She re-targeted for phasers and illogically tried to will her ship to go faster.
Just then, a brilliant white arc of energy connected the lead Kelvan fighter with Kim's Peregrine. The stricken Federation fighter reeled and spun out of control, then exploded, scattering bits of itself across the sky.
"Nooooooooo!!!" yelled Sam. This can't be happening!!! Kimmie!!!
Tears welled in her eyes as a new sensation flowed into her. The targeting reticules in her visor display flashed ready, but Sam didn't notice. She yanked off her helmet and slammed it into the space behind her g-seat. While her Human eye teared, her Cyber-eye burned crimson red. All her cyber-components interlinked and Samantha Wright became a living killing machine. The three Kelvan craft never stood a chance. They were targeted by cybernetic sensors. The reflexes that fired the weapons against them were enhanced by cybernetic devices -- and a human mourning for her friend.
Lee Carter received the news of Kimberly Tycho's death quietly. Max had delivered the tidings after having arrived at the scene of Kim's destruction a split second too late. For once, her fabled Esper ability had failed her.
After but a brief pause, Lee said, "Spend your remaining torpedoes on targets of opportunity. Then head back to the Knight for FINAL reload."