First Strike - An Earth@War Novel

ESS London (CSV-7)

226 AMU from Omar

June 7, 2487, 2312 UT

“Flight Quarters! Flight Quarters! All hands man your Flight Quarter stations for the launching of spacecraft,” came the announcement over the ship’s intercom. In the flight bay, men and women moved around, preparing the bay and the spacecraft for launch. This was the moment everyone on the ship had been waiting for since the invasion began. Now, they moved with determination, ready to help those on Omar IV.

Chris Davenport lowered his 5’9” frame into his spacecraft looking over and seeing Donald Franklin strapping himself into his SF-112. The pilots were ready. For the past two days, all they could do was wait. Now, they could finally do something and Chris was pumped. Chris started his LX-15 engines and began to go through his preflight checklist. As he worked his way down the list, checking various systems and configuring the spacecraft for flight, he felt the clamp lock onto his SF-112. The clamp pulled his spacecraft into the line of other craft waiting to be launched.

“Charlie Flight, this is Charlie Leader, report,” Chris ordered over the flight’s comm frequency. All five of the other pilots, four men and a woman reported that they were ready to launch. “Okay then Charlie Flight, let’s go get them.”

An alarm sounded as the Flight Bay’s light turned from green to flashing amber and the bay crew cleared the bay. Minutes later, the SF-112 shook as air was removed from the bay and the flight bay doors were opened. The light turned read and, in pairs, the spacecraft were launched from the carrier.

It took almost ten minutes for all the craft to be launched, but finally the twenty-four SF‑112s and twelve SA-18s turned toward Omar and accelerated to 100 AMU. The pilots settled in for a flight that would take over two hours with nervous anticipation of the upcoming fight.

Transport Vehicle

Twenty Miles Southwest of Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 8, 2487, 0318 Local, 0018 UT

It had taken hours to coordinate the transports from Naval Base Quebec to pick up the survivors from the Third Regiment. At first, only a few transports were available, but no trooper would leave until there were transports for everyone. Colonel Nelson was proud of his troopers for maintaining their unity despite their defeat.

Dave sat beside Karen Baker. Both were muddy and exhausted. However, the more he got to know about her, the more impressed he was. She was a good trooper, an excellent shot, brave and well-disciplined. And, despite the mud and sweat, very attractive. She seemed to be just as impressed by him. For now, however, they sat in silence, minds struggling to deal with all that had happened in the past couple of days. Now that the fight was over, Dave struggled with the fact he had killed so many Batronians. How many? He didn’t even know. He remembered Phil’s body, practically cut in half. The images kept flashing through his mind as he struggled to stay awake.

An explosion snapped everyone back to reality. The transport came to a jerking stop and the troopers began to jump out. Dave, filled with dread, grabbed his L-29 and jumped out of the vehicle. Dave heard and saw the Batronian spacecraft as they attacked the convoy. Will this ever end? Dave asked himself.

Command Center

Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 8, 2487, 0320 Local, 0020 UT

“I’m sorry ma’am, we have only two SF-112s left. Sending them out would be sending the pilots to a meaningless death,” the Commander of the Thirteenth Fighter Wing told Amber. He was right, of course, but that did not make in any easier to her. She looked around the table hoping to hear any suggestions on how to help the nearby troopers, but there was none.

“Okay. Then let’s do this. Load anyone we can find with an SL-21s into a transport and get out there and help our troopers,” Amber ordered.

“Aye, ma’am,” a Lieutenant at the table said. He got up and moved to a comm unit.

Remnant of Third Regiment

Twenty Miles Southwest of Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 8, 2487, 0322 Local, 0022 UT

Dave Roberts felt completely helpless. As far as he was concerned, the battle had been lost and they were withdrawing. Now, the Batronians were bombing again. They seemed to not be content with just beating the troopers, but seemed intent on annihilating them. And there was nothing anyone could do about it. They had no anti-spacecraft missiles or guns. All they could do was wait it out. Several of the transports had been destroyed and no doubt even more troopers had died. Karen was beside Dave in the ditch trying to keep herself as low as possible as bomb after bomb fell.

The sound of a larger spacecraft approaching caused Dave to raise his head and look. The bombing ceased and Dave watched as Batronian soldiers jumped out of the larger spacecraft descending rapidly toward the ground on repelling ropes. He nudged Karen who looked up and watched dozens of Batronians descending.

“Let’s go!” a Sergeant ordered as troopers rose from the ditch and moved to defensive positions along the road. Several of the troopers began firing at the Batronians as they continued to repel from the spacecraft. Dave and Karen took cover behind an undamaged transport and began firing; Karen from a kneeling position and Dave firing from a standing position over her.

The Batronians began to return fire as soon as they hit the ground. They, also, were using abandoned vehicles for cover. The enemy began to spread out, entering the woods to the left and right of the road. Third Regiment countered the move as various Platoon Sergeants ordered part of their forces into the woods determined to keep the Batronians from flanking them.

Karen and Dave were left in their position behind the transport, firing at the enemy. Karen shot two Batronian soldiers as they attempted to move into the woods. Bolts hit off the transport forcing Dave and Karen to duck behind the vehicle.

“Damn, we’re so close to the base,” Karen said changing out a charge pack.

“I know,” Dave replied. He peered around the corner of the vehicle and more bolts hit the transport forcing him to take cover again. Then, he heard the Batronian spacecraft returning and bombs began to fall once more.

Transport Vehicle

Twenty Miles Southwest of Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 8, 2487, 0348 Local, 0048 UT

Naval personnel from Naval Base Quebec jumped out of the transport. Unlike Assault Forces Troopers, regular naval personnel did not use night vision goggles normally, so many moved awkwardly as they set up a dozen SL-21 shoulder launched missiles systems. They launched the missiles as soon as they got tone and within ten minutes, the sky was cleared of Batronian spacecraft.

Remnant of Third Regiment

Twenty Miles Southwest of Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 8, 2487, 0402 Local, 0102 UT

Seeing the Batronian spacecraft being shot down motivated the remaining troopers from the Third Regiment.

“Cover me,” Dave told Karen as he moved from behind the transport and fired at a group of four Batronian soldiers who were using another vehicle as cover. He killed two before return fire forced him back behind the transport with Karen.

“That was stupid,” Karen said as she shot one of the remaining Batronians who stuck his head out too far while firing at Dave. Dave moved back into position firing from a standing position above the kneeling Karen once again.

“Yeah, but it…” Dave began before he felt a punch to his chest. He looked down and saw a wisp of smoke coming from a hole in his chest. He tried to breathe, but found he couldn’t inhale as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He looked at Karen, who was looking at him with a shocked stare. Blackness overcame him and he fell, dropping his weapon as he did.

“Medic!” Karen shouted as she dragged Dave’s limp body behind the transport. Her hand trembled as she covered the wound.

Charlie Flight

Omar System

June 8, 2487, 0132 UT

“Charlie Flight, this is Charlie Leader. Let’s keep the SA-18s safe,” Chris Davenport ordered over the Flight’s comm frequency.

“Roger that, C-Dog,” Donald Franklin replied. “Let’s light them up!”

The fighters streaked toward the enemy. Chris’ sensors detected the enemy fighters launching from their carriers. The SF-112s stuck close to the SA-18s as the enemy fighters quickly closed the distance. Chris selected his AM-2 missiles, set them to thruster only mode and obtained a lock on one of the enemy fighters. He released the missile, then selected his lasers and began firing. Donald stuck with Chris, holding position on his right wing as they dodged enemy fire. Don managed to hit one of the Batronians as they flashed past them. The flight banked hard and came around toward the Batronians again.

A warning tone indicated that one of the enemies had locked onto Chris. He toggled his release, dropping three decoys as the Batronian fired the missile. He waited until the last second, pushed his control down and then broke left allowing the missile to hit one of the decoys.

He pulled into a turn with Don on his right. An enemy fighter dropped in behind him firing 35-mm bolts. Instinctively, he pressed down on his left rudder pedal activating thrusters that spun his spacecraft laterally and cut his throttle to neutral. He found himself facing the enemy, flying backwards under the inertia of his fighter. He toggled an AM-2 and fired it at point blank range, destroying the enemy. He spun the SF-112 back around and advanced his throttle.

“Damn, C-Dog, where did you learn to do that? That was unbelievable!” Don exclaimed.

“I haven’t shown you all of my tricks, Dreamer,” Chris said, his heart pounding. Actually, he had never even thought about doing that before, but there was no way we would admit that to Don. He brought his fighter back around for another pass at the enemy. Several 35-mm bolts hit his spacecraft along the left side, fired from a nearby destroyer. Damn, the thought as he tested his flight controls. Everything seemed to work still, so he continued engaging the enemy.

Remnant of Third Regiment

Twenty Miles Southwest of Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 8, 2487, 0438 Local, 0138 UT

The medic was working Dave while Karen provided cover, firing sporadically at the enemy when she could and glancing down to see what was happening with Dave when she couldn’t. The roar of spacecraft flying above her in the predawn sky drew her attention as she wondered how the remaining troopers could survive another bombing. She was pleasantly surprised when the SSA‑18s from ESS London began bombing the enemy. With air support, the Third Regiment was able to engage and kill the remaining enemy soldiers. After bombing the Batronians, London’s spacecraft banked hard, flying toward Zelerod.

With the Batronians dead, transport vehicles from the Naval Base were able to move up to supplement the remaining transports that the Third Regiment possessed. Dave was loaded into the transport that Karen and he had used for cover. Without hesitation, Karen jumped into the transport with him.

“How is he?” she asked the medic.

“Not good, but he’s alive. His lung has collapsed and he is in shock, but he was lucky that the bolt missed his heart.” Karen bowed her head silently praying.

Charlie Flight

Omar System

June 8, 2487, 0154

Chris continued to dodge enemy fire as he protected the few SA-18s that still had missiles left to fire at the enemy ships. The attack craft had managed to destroy a cruiser and destroyer and several other ships were damaged and on fire.

Don felt his fighter jolt as a bolt struck him on the left side, punching a hole into his fighter and damaging his left engine. Warning lights flashed on his HUD and alarms rang out. He quickly shut down the left LX-15 engine. A fire warning light flashed and then went out.

“C-Dog, I lost an engine,” Don reported.

“Okay, Dreamer. How’s the other one?” Chris asked as he fired a burst of laser fire at a Batronian fighter.

“It’s okay,” Don said, checking his display. His right engine seemed to be running fine. A warning light and alarm warned him that a missile was locked onto him. He banked and dove, launching three decoys as he did. The missile detonated above and behind him, shaking his fighter. He rejoined Chris who had a Batronian on his tail. Don selected an AM-2, fired it and watched the fighter chasing Chris explode.

“Thanks for the help, Dreamer,” Chris said.

“No problem, C-Dog,” Don said confidently.

“Okay Charlie Flight, form up. We’re out of here,” Chris said.

Transport Vehicle

Arriving at Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 8, 2487, 0516 Local, 0216 UT

The transports entered the main gate of Naval Base Quebec just a half an hour before sunrise and headed directly to the Naval Hospital. Most of the 78 survivors from the Third Regiment had wounds that needed battle dressed, including Karen. She reluctantly left Dave’s side, her sense of duty overcoming her desire to remain with him.

First, she had her armed looked at by a nurse. The nurse put a fresh bandage on it after applying an ointment to aid in the healing process and prevent infection. Next, she went out, found the Sergeant and reported for duty.

“I’m sending everyone to chow. Get yourself something to eat and then get some rest. If the sirens go off, report to the Space Center and I’ll assign you to a gun or SL-21.”

“Thanks, Sergeant,” Karen said. She walked over to the chow hall, then headed to the hospital to check on Dave. She found him unconscious in a bed. She sat in a chair beside him and within minutes had dozed off, exhausted physically and mentally.

ESS London (SCV-7)

56 AMU from Omar

June 8, 2487, 0241 UT

Chris was the last in his wing to land on the carrier. After the flight bay was repressurized, Chris was helped out of his fighter. He looked at the scorch marks on the left side where enemy bolts had struck his fighter. It made him nauseous knowing how close he came to being killed. When he saw Don’s fighter he was shocked. A 35-mm bolt had hit the fuel line for the left engine of his friend’s SF-112.

“Can it be fixed?” Don asked desperate to get back into the fight.

“Yeah,” the Second Class Spacecraft Technician said. “We’ll get it ready for you, sir.”

As the pilots moved toward the exit of the flight bay to get food and drink, as well as to be briefed on the next mission, the crew surrounded each craft and began getting them ready for the next mission.

On the Flag Bridge, Rear Admiral Kilgallon looked over the results of the strike. The results were good: two Batronian ships destroyed and several others damaged with minimal loss to the task force. But, the situation on the planet was bad. Omar IV was practically in Batron’s hand and all Kilgallon had was a regiment of troopers. Plus, Batron had reinforcements coming. The Rear Admiral considered his options then reached for the comm unit.

“Get me the Captain of Iwo Jima,” he ordered.

Naval Hospital

Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 8, 2487, 0726 Local, 0426 UT

Karen woke at the sound of the sirens. She looked at Dave who was still unconscious, then grabbed her L-29, exited the hospital and headed for the Space Center at a good run. The sun was out and bright in the sky and the blacktop was drying out from yesterday’s rain. The sirens wailed as she saw others rushing toward their stations. Bombs began to fall from the sky as Batronian spacecraft bombed the Space Center.

The Sergeant handed Karen an SL-21 shoulder launcher and a heavy canvas bag containing ten of the three-foot long missiles. Karen quickly loaded the first missile, turned on the targeting system and raised the SL-21 to her shoulder. The first missile she fired was fooled by a decoy, but the second one found its mark destroying a Batronian attack spacecraft.

One of the fighters that was escorting the attack craft that Karen had destroyed dove at her, firing 35-mm bolts and forcing her to dive to the ground. As it passed her, she rose to her knees and fired a missile which the fighter easily avoided. Spacecraft from the second wave from London joined the fight over the Naval Space Center, helping to disrupt the Batronians and allowing Karen to shoot down two more spacecraft before the Batronians broke off their attack.

ESS Iwo Jima (AS-38)

Near Omar System

June 8, 2487, 0430 UT

“Set condition One Alpha for assault operations. ACU crew man your craft. All personnel not involved, stand clear of the assault bay while the ship conducts assault operations,” the announcement came over the ship’s intercom. Men and women responsible for the ACUs moved to the assault units, conducting final checks and starting the engines. The ship’s crew checked the bay to ensure everything was secure and ready to launch the ACUs.

Max Finley and the rest of second squad from his platoon had been assigned to security on ACU-17. The eight members of the squad boarded the mainly empty assault unit. Minutes later, air was vented from the bay, the doors opened and the assault units backed out of Iwo Jima.

ESS London (SCV-7)

Near Omar System

June 8, 2487, 0435 UT

The spacecraft from London, having been rearmed and refueled, had been launched. Rear Admiral Kilgallon sat on the busy flag bridge coordinating his resources for this final action.

“Sir, the ACUs are away. Fighters are escorting,” a Communications Technician said.

“Very well,” Kilgallon replied as he pictured the plan in his head. He turned to his Operations Officer. “Is the battleship still hanging back at Omar VII?”

“Yes, sir,” the Operations Officer replied.

“And our friends are in position?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good,” Frank said as he continued to picture the operation unfolding, trying to ensure every detail was covered.

Charlie Flight

Near Omar System

June 8, 2487, 0451 UT

Charlie Flight was tasked with escorting the three ACUs from Iwo Jima to Omar IV. They moved toward the Omar system. The ACUs were equipped only with thrusters, so the fighters were on thrusters only as well. It would take almost an hour to reach Omar IV.

Chris watched on his sensor display as the other spacecraft from London attacked the Batronian fleet. He saw the Batronian battleship at Omar VII turn and head for him. With no attack craft with them, Charlie Flight could not take on the giant, well-armed ship.

Naval Space Center

Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 8, 2487, 0752 Local, 0452 UT

Karen Baker scanned the sky looking for any spacecraft, but none appeared. She thought about going to check on Dave now that the attack to be over, but the all clear signal had not been sounded. The morning air was crisp and, other than the smoke from the bombing, the sky was clear.

“Baker, I need you to go to the hospital and assist with the wounded,” the Platoon Sergeant said, seeming to appear out of nowhere.

“Sure, Sergeant,” Karen said. She looked at the Sergeant’s face and realized something was going on. “What’s up?” she asked. He told her and all she could do was stare in shock.

In the Air

Village of Lansing, Omar IV

June 8, 2487, 0754 Local, 0454 UT

The pilot of one of the few remaining SA-18s from the Fifteenth Attack Wing flew just north of the village of Lansing over a cornfield. The corn was high this year, which was an advantage, considering. As she banked, she saw three flashes of light below her. She double checked to make sure she had made the proper selection, then circled around, descending as she did and triggered the release.

The object fell, a parachute opening and slowing its descent. No one noticed the object falling nor the 400-pound farmer, who while tending his field, recovered the package and took it to his home.