The Decimator warship shuddered to a halt, the deep hum of the engines surging through the superstructure as the side motors stabilised the Morgon orbit, the vast ship now facing outwards from the blue ringed planet behind, the side flak turrets beginning to rotate in readiness to protect the ship from the oncoming scattered orbiting debris.
As the ship became distinct and clearer, the arm dropped abruptly, the ensigns looking up at the screen as the side barrels recoiled, intense bright light jettisoning from the muzzles and surging forward towards the angular Fahimian vessel. The white helmet lowered to one side, the majority of the ensigns staring at the fully formed ship before them, the vessel’s guns flashing as it opened fire, torpedoes sweeping out from the upper and lower silos.
Red sparkling eyes followed the laser blasts intently, awaiting the distant explosions and for the smaller Fahimian ship to shudder, the laser barrels retargeting the upper torpedo tubes, high powered energy surging and crackling along the barrels once more. The red alert lights continued to flash, one junior ensign briefly glancing down onto her console before straining in disbelief at the report below, the remainder of the crew still mesmerised by the streaming images above.
The laser blasts swept through the ship ahead, the image shimmering once more as the red lights continued to flash, the white armoured commander staggering backwards in shock as shrieks of anger filled the bridge, the third blasts of laser fire surging outwards. The junior ensign rose slowly, still staring down at the console below in horror, reporting lines streaming upwards as sensors identified hundreds of de-cloaking craft, the armoured helmet shaking in disbelief as further shrieks of alarm rang out, the other controllers suddenly beginning to realise the emerging threat, a fist crashing down on the bridge alarm activator.
The commander glanced round, a low siren beginning to wail across the warship, echoing through the darkened corridors and dispersal bays, startled crew members glancing up as the white armoured officer shrieked for information, demanding several fighter squadrons were urgently recalled and that a message was sent to the other warship. The lead ensign rose abruptly, stiffening to attention as gloved hands on either side ran frantically across screens, the clicking and tutting voice reporting reluctantly…Morgon communications to and from the warship had just been jammed.
The Trevakian admiral rose to his feet, staring up at the large screen as he shouted, ‘Send the signal to all vessels, ‘Freedom abound!’ He drew a sharp breath, ‘All ships…open fire!’ Stepping back, he stared momentarily in hatred at the vast dark hulled warship ahead on the screen, his voice rising in adrenalin fuelled energy, ‘Transmit to earth…numerous channels…your Trevakian allies are here and we will not leave our friends! We join with our comrades in a conflict of annihilation…you humans are no longer alone! This is the beginning of the end for Morgon scum…we will stand and defeat them here together as one force!’
The portly commander lowered himself into his chair, nodding urgently towards the lead ensign, ‘Is the craft away with the schematics for new weapons? Have additional stocks of the new rifles been shipped for the soldiers on earth?’
The ensign rose abruptly, staring ahead as she stiffened, ‘Yes admiral…all is as you instructed. The accompanying unit is unaware of their cargo or destination…only their lead and secondary pilots have been briefed as to where to land…we have just jettisoned a pod for the Trevakian vessel on the planet below…Admiral Karladen should be in possession of the information within forty eight hours!’
Earth surface, West London:
Admiral Karladen grinned as Dryden continued to talk about the successful treatment of wounded and the assistance medical beds had provided for the local community, several patients openly weeping as their illnesses and injuries were cured or quality of life improved dramatically, the commander relaxing further and enthused by the younger Trevakian’s pride and unsupervised achievements.
The small café near Osterley park offered a variety of popular breakfasts, the signature of the reknowned establishment to provide extensive portions, but always to encourage patrons to finish their meal, a variety of printed motivational sayings and comical pictures around the servery, the keen staff trained to recommend or adapt dishes to appeal to each individual customer’s taste.
With the arrival of the vessel from a distant galaxy, the café had never experienced the levels of trade achieved, visitors and sightseers swelling the regular customer numbers as the local council was forced to permit extended opening times, and then finally twenty four hour operations. In addition, the new arrivals were also keen to experience local food, a substantial order soon established every couple of evenings for the Trevakians to share within the confines of the cloaked ship.
With the establishment busy that morning, an extra table had been prepared as the proprietor initially glanced up and down the admiral’s uniform in awe, smiling welcomingly as he beckoned the Trevakian commander and his companion inside, the waiters hastily moving a regular customer from the window with the promise of a free meal to seat the senior officer in full view of any passing pedestrians. Any inquisitive view was immediately enhanced as two burly armed marines adopted positions either side of the main door, four other members of the admiral’s security detail standing across the road opposite, all brandishing assault rifles with lowered black shining visors.
Admiral Karladen sipped from his sweet tea, listening intently as Dryden explained the installation of the first medical bed in a local hospital and the challenges the accompanying engineer had faced to ensure the electrical supply was adequate and sustainable at the levels required. Dryden elaborated, advising that to overcome the initial hospital power concerns, he had deployed energy cells as the engineer worked with local electricity company technicians to increase the supply through additional cabling, declaring proudly that the first patient was treated with Trevakian energy.
