Beyond Mars Crimson Fleet (6 page)

"Proceed with due haste, Mr. Edwards!" Wakinyan
acknowledged the threat of the volcano. "Mr. Randall, set two space
mines to detonate in three minutes! Your target is the bottom of
the lake!"

The entire bridge crew was astonished at Wakinyan's
command. They all turned to gaze at him with disbelief. However,
Richard's face, however, had become a carving of stone with an
unimaginable hardness.

"Mr. Randall, you heard the order?"

"Aye, Sir! Targeting the bottom of the lake!"
Randall's face grew slightly pale as he set the controls to the
mines.

The battle between the two ships had transformed
into a duel. Their secondary laser and pulse weapons not only
blanketed each other with hits, but blasted chunks of rocks out of
walls and ceilings. This apparently weakened the earthen structure,
for tremors increased in both frequency and degree. By now, both
ships were pelted with everything from pebbles to boulders,
bouncing off and sometimes denting their hulls, then splashing into
the water beneath them. Their resulting geysers soaked and sprayed
both ships with the blood-red water.

"Mines are ready, Sir!" Randall informed his
captain.

"Deploy mines!" Richard commanded.

The two
space mines dropped from the belly of the
Crazy Horse
, and plummeted into the
rippling and frothing sea below. As planned, this did not go
unnoticed by the crew of the
Gladstone
.

"SIR, THE
MARTIAN SHIP HAS JUST DEPLOYED TWO SPACE MINES!" the
Gladstone's
sensor crewman
called to his captain.

Captain Jamel jumped up from his seat astounded.
"WHAT?"

"SIR, THEY'VE JUST DEPLOYED TWO MINES TO THE BOTTOM
OF THE LAKE!"

Jamel was quick to grasp Wakinyan's intentions.
"Those crazy Martians, they’re going to blow the volcano! HELM, GET
US THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

A deadly race then began between the two ships with
time running out. As both destroyers throttled up their engines,
they either had to leave the cavern—or let it become their
tomb.

As the two ships dissolved into the dark confines of
the underground passages, the mines faithfully counted down
second-by-second until reaching the three-minute mark. With an
immense explosion, they announced the completion of their purpose.
The cavern at “point zero” disintegrated, while the rest of the
interior then began to collapse.

Tremendous amounts of pressurized steam saturated
the chamber as boiling lava met temperate water. The lava began
filling every crevice as it rampaged up from the magma chamber
below. Walls began to crumble into dust by both surging force and
searing heat. An eruption was now irreversible as well as
imminent.

After completing the last
of the turns, the two ships had ceased their battle and were now
dashing upward side-by-side down the darkened corridor of the
cavern at maniacal speeds. A speck of light finally loomed on the
horizon, and grew in size with each passing moment.

On board
the
Crazy Horse
,
the navigator announced a very welcomed message, "CAPTAIN, LAVA
HOLE EXIT DEAD AHEAD!"

The good news, however, was
short lived as another giant tremor suddenly collapsed part of the
upper portion of the vent hole in front of them.

"CAPTAIN, THERE'S A BOULDER BLOCKING THE
WAY! TWO SHIPS CAN'T FIT!" the sensor crewman forewarned of the
impending disaster.

Without hesitation, Wakinyan leaped up from his
command chair and dashed for the helm. Pushing the strapped-in
crewman aside, Richard grabbed the control sticks and shoved them
both hard to the left for a mere instant.

The
Crazy Horse
responded by slamming into the
Gladstone
, sending the Earth ship
hurling into part of the wall and the boulder. The
Gladstone
crumpled and
detonated into a massive fireball as the
Crazy Horse
raced
past.

A new problem arose, however; lava was roaring up
from the vent hole. So tremendous was this molten surge that it was
quickly overtaking the Martian ship.

In
desperation, Wakinyan increased the speed of the
Crazy Horse
to well past
the safety limits set for atmospheric conditions. Soon, the bow of
the destroyer glowed in a burning orange from the friction caused
by contact with the atmosphere. But with a final burst of speed,
the
Crazy Horse
lunged ahead and out of the volcano.

As the Martian ship climbed skyward; lava, rocks,
soot, and fumes were blown outwards from the hole at hurricane
force with a deafening explosion, which shook the vessel violently.
The destroyer, however, quickly sped away from the danger.

Wakinyan reduced the ship's speed and relinquished
the helm back to Smitty. As he stood and looked around, he asserted
his rank once more, "Resume your positions! It's not over yet!"

"Lord, what a ride," Randall commented. "DAMAGE
CONTROL, REPORT!"

"All decks reporting in, Sir!" a crewman answered.
"Just a bunch of bumps and bruises, and two minor hull breaches
under repair, Sir!"

"Captain, ship is now on course. Four minutes to
Waypoint Green, Sir," the navigator added his voice.

"Weapons," Wakinyan called, "have you fed in the
target coordinates?"

"Aye, Sir. All coordinates have been fed into both
manual and automatic systems. All weapons are set and fully
functional," the crewman replied.

"How are we going to hit them?" Randall asked.

"It's a good guess they know we're coming,” Wakinyan
replied. “After we take out their outer defenses covering the
approach, we'll have to concentrate on their sensors. Then we'll
rake the base!" Richard altered his strategy.

"And the Earth cruiser?" James wondered.

“We'll have to be ready to deal with them at any
time,” Richard woefully admitted.

Randall rubbed his chin in thought. "I've got an
idea, but it's based on an assumption. We'll have to leave the
base's missile tubes operational though."

Richard was intrigued. "Really? You that sure of
your plan?"

"Well, I wouldn't bet the farm on it," James was
honest," but I think there's a good chance that it will work."

"Outstanding! Let's do it!" Wakinyan agreed heartily
without knowing any of the details.

As the
two officers schemed, the
Crazy
Horse
sped on to her
objective.

* * * * *

Chapter 3: Epson
Planum

The Earth forces' base at Epson Planum was an
intricate part of Mars' defensive network. Spanning over ten miles
in diameter, the base was equipped with some of the most lethal
weapons technology could provide. The majority of the complex was
submerged, however, deep within the Martian soil as to sustain any
massive bombardment from space. A fort meant for unprecedented
defense, it was deemed to be “unconquerable”.

Normally, each day started with the daily routines
postulated by military protocol within standard operational
procedures. With word of the Martian fleet's rebellion, however,
protocol was shoved aside for immediate necessity. Sirens wailed,
blast doors closed, weapons were energized, and non-combatants were
removed to the deepest depths of the base for safety.

To make matters worse, volcanic ash had combined
with an incessant dust storm to impede both visual scanning and
electronic sensing equipment alike. Still, the base readied itself
for a presupposed attack.

General
Walter Cox, Epson Planum's Base Commander, stood in the command and
control center in conversation with the captain of the Earth
cruiser
Louyang
.
Yet, the general's keen eyes and shrewd mind still monitored and
analyzed incoming information supplied on several huge viewers at
the same time.

"From all the reports I'm getting, it's a damn
uprising! Those Martian bastards only gave a few minutes' warning
before launching attacks against all our forces!" the general was
furious. "Hell, we can't even call for help because all of our
communications satellites and links have been destroyed! On top of
that, that damn volcano is shaking us to pieces while a dust storm
is jamming our sensors!"

"You're about to have bigger problems, general,"
Ortega conceded. "A Martian destroyer is going to attempt to level
your base. We think he's approaching you from zero-seven-seven
degrees."

"SENSORS!" Cox instantly called out, "SCAN FOR ANY
APPROACHING SHIPS AROUND ZERO-SEVEN-SEVEN DEGREES!"

The soldier was quick to obey. Not pausing a moment,
the man swiftly worked adjusting his instruments, but to no avail.
"SIR, I CAN'T READ ANYTHING! THERE'S TOO MUCH INTERFERENCE!"

"SIR, OUR OUTER DEFENSES IN SECTOR KILO-FIVE ARE
UNDER ATTACK!" the female voice of the operations officer shouted
out.

Cox quickly changed a monitor to view the distant
sector. Flashes of light with accompanying explosions were made out
through the swirling clouds of dust and ash, becoming brighter with
each passing second. It was quite apparent to all that watched that
the explosions were getting considerably closer.

General Cox responded
hastily. "WEAPONS CONTROL, CONCENTRATE ALL BATTERIES TO FIRE A
BLANKET PATTERN TO THE SOUTHEAST!" he ordered.

"General, we'll be there in about a minute!" Ortega
informed his senior officer.

As the
general gazed at the screen again, the
Crazy Horse
sped out through the dust
firing its weapons. The march of its carnage was swift and
overwhelming.

"WE DON'T HAVE A MINUTE, YOU IDIOT!" Cox realized
the truth about his base's predicament.

* * * * *

At the
last moment, the
Crazy Horse
flew upward over the installation to avoid hitting
a tower. The Martian ship then showered a surgical strike of
missiles, lasers and pulse energy bolts upon the sensor arrays and
weaponry of the base alike, while carefully avoiding all known
civilian sectors. Secondary explosions lit fires that in turn
caused more explosions. The base's defenses staggered under the
onslaught.

Yet,
danger still stalked the Martian ship. It was the sky itself that
held the most risk for the
Crazy
Horse
. Not only was the
Louyang
advancing rapidly, but also
high above the Martian destroyer circled an entire wing of Earth
fighters. The
Crazy Horse
was about to feel the full fury of Epson
Planum.

"Report, Mr. Randall!" Wakinyan summoned his first
officer.

"Captain, the base has sustained heavy damage to
their offensive capabilities!" James accounted.

"And the Earth cruiser?"

Randall quickly looked at the monitor and back
again. "Closing fast!"

Wakinyan again mulled over Randall's plan in dealing
with the Earth cruiser. As good as it was, it still needed a
catalyst: the proverbial match to light the fuse. Without such an
event, the plan was a guaranteed failure. And unless something else
entered the equation, they would have to face the Earth ship
head-to-head. Caution filled Richard's mind since the outcome would
be iffy at best.

"SIR, A LARGE FORMATION OF EARTH FIGHTERS IS ABOVE
US AND PREPARING TO ATTACK!" the sensor crewman warned
anxiously.

Randall changed the main viewer from visual to
sensor scan. His eyes studied the evolving situation. "THEY'RE
GOING TO TRY AND SQUEEZE US, CAPTAIN!" he turned and yelled
out.

"That's what they think!" Wakinyan became enraged.
"HELM!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

In
response to Wakinyan’s impromptu orders, the Martian ship fired-up
its engines in a mighty blast, and charged ahead with deliberate
speed. The
Crazy Horse
then went into a steep climb, twisting and turning as she
did.

Above the
clouds of the dust storm, Major Maklakov hurriedly regrouped his
formation of Epson Planum's fighters. The Earth pilot had many
grave reservations about engaging the
Crazy
Horse
at this time, and
was reluctant to attack.

Recalled
after killing the Martian cruiser
Viking
, his returning flight was
savaged by retaliating Martian fighters nearly all the way back.
The Martians had successfully shot down at least a quarter of his
original strike force and damaged many more. But besides the
dwindling numbers, most of his fighters had expended their missiles
against the Martian fleet in the space above the red planet,
leaving a precious few left to deal with the rampaging Martian
destroyer. With the storm's growing interference, the odds of
locking onto the Martian ship for a quick kill decreased with every
second.

Distortion filled their
screens with false reflections and electronic noise, generated by
the ever-changing magnetic fields of the blowing and shifting iron
oxide dust. This made the tracking of the Martian vessel extremely
difficult. Still, his base was under attack, and he was commanded
to chance the blinding conditions with the risk of high losses
through collision.

By the pressing of a single button, the major
transmitted his improvised attack plan to every fighter under his
command.