An Old Foe

Emperor Manoj stared at the view screen in disbelief. He was being attacked midway to his home. There must have been a traitor in his team if the enemy was able to pinpoint his location which was known only to a select few. He would flush that bastard out and make sure he died the most painful death. He needed to defeat the enemy first and think later.

“Enemy ships within hailing distance, sir!”

“Hail them!” the view screen was split to give a view of the enemy ships coming out of warp and forming up in a strange battle formation.

“Bow and Arrow Formation.” Manoj turned to Admiral Sathish. “Admiral, I am taking charge.”

“Yes, Sire.”

“Horse Shoe Formation, Admiral.”

“Sir, Horse shoe Formation. Aye, Aye, sir.” The battle group accompanying the flag ship entered into a horse shoe formation with the flag ship at the back which was guarded by the squadron of special attack fighter jets.

“Enemy hailing us Sire.”

“Patch them through.” A rough, weather-beaten face full of battle scars appeared on the view screen. “Ah! Nice to meet you again old friend!”

“What are you doing here?”

“Just passing by. Thought to say hello. You seem to be in a hurry.”

“So, back off and let me pass and I shall forget this ever happened.”

“Aha! Still the feisty one, aren’t you? How about you give up your throne and i shall spare your family?”

“Fire! Fire at will.” The emperor frowned when he saw the whole battle-group leave formation and join the enemy including his fighter jets. He simply took the horn. “This is Emperor Manoj speaking to all hands on The Silent Assassin. Those who wish to join the enemy may do so now. You have ten minutes and counting.”

None of the crew moved. Nor did any of the rescue pods and fighters leave The Silent Assassin. Manoj nodded and the enemy transmission was cut. “Attention Crew. This is Emperor Manoj. If I reach home safely, none of you will have to work again besides receiving due honours. I shall fight by your side and die with you if need be but I am not abdicating the throne.”

There was thunderous roar from the crew. “For the glory of the Empire! For Dharma! For Family!”

“Hail Emperor Manoj!”

“Hail the Empire!”

“For Dharma!”

“Admiral, execute plan E!”

“Yes, Sire!” he took the horn. “Nav, plot a course of planet Theta.”

“Course for planet Theta. Aye, sir. Plotting.”

“Aft Missile Battery, Fire!” thousands of missiles rained over the enemy formation like thunderbolts shredding them to pieces. The first ships to be hit were those who had broken ranks and joined the enemy. None of the 500 ships survived. They were a smoking ruin floating in pieces all around. Some of them pieces had hit the enemy formation but had not caused much damage.

“Sire, Enemy missiles approaching.”

“Evasive maneuvers!” millions of shells chugged out of the ship laying such a thick layer of flak that nothing could reach the ship. And they had not even spent one percent of their ammo.

“Detach port!”

“Aye, Aye, Sir. Attention crew! Detach port!” alarms started blaring and the ship was a beehive of activity as the crew on the port side got into their positions. The alarms stopped blaring in 45 seconds.

“Sir, Detaching Port!” The port side of the ship detached itself and moved slowly away from the main part of the ship.

“Detach Aft!”

“Aye, Aye, sir. Detaching Aft.” There were no alarms this time as the Aft side of the ship cut itself off from the main ship.

“Bring emergency generators online.”

“Sir?”

“Follow orders, sergeant.”

“aye, aye, sir. Bringing emergency generators online.” He worked on his console for a few seconds. “Generators online sir.”

“Emergency Shields!”

“Aye, sir. Emergency Shields.” A few taps later. “Emergency shields on sir.”

“Everyone, brace for impact.” The ship rocked violently throwing everyone off their seats. Those who had been ready managed to hold on to their consoles while the others were banged unconscious. Several consoles were a smoking ruin as explosions rocked the ship. The enemy had used fifteen of his battle cruisers as a battering ram and hit what was left of The Silent Killer.

Manoj was the first to get up. “Man your posts!” he barked prompting the crew that was still conscious to scramble to their seats. “Now!” the mangled ship winked out of existence leaving the enemy empty space.

The injured ship came into view near an abandoned planet shrouded in thick clouds. “Admiral, the ship is yours. Inform me when the rest join us. Carry on emergency repairs and keep the men ready for an attack.”

“Aye sire. Are you expecting an attack?”

“Yes. It’s a matter of when, Sathish. It’s a matter of when. We need to move asap and we need every able hand available if we are going to save my family. The palace is under attack admiral. Make haste.” The admiral was shocked but he knew that the emperor had always outthought his enemy which was the reason he was always victorious. He hurried to prepare the crippled ship ready for another voyage. He just hoped the aft and port crew rendezvoused in time. He hated leaving men to their fate.

As Manoj went to his quarters, he was analysing the attack. The enemy moved as if they knew where he was and when he would arrive at that part of space. They must have planned months in advance to make this move. The rebel Leader had talked as if the royal palace was under attack which meant that the Royal Oath had been broken by the Palace Guard.

He knew Chief War General Kishore was a capable soldier and would hold against great odds, but he was too valuable to be sacrificed unnecessarily. Of all the loyal warriors, he had only princess Satyabhama to support him. The rest of the captains were either inexperienced or would defect to the enemy. It was a nightmarish situation for any General.

He closed the door of his chamber and started meditating. He needed a clear mind if he was to defeat the rebels and save his family. He just hoped he was not already late.