Dynamic Patrol: Gel Squad! Episode II

Chapter 44: The Flight

The station faced moderately light bombardment from a wave of scavengers looking to pick it apart; they probably wanted to avoid causing too much damage, at least, that's what Russell believed, because they had many ships and could've easily destroyed the station. These attacks were a warning, an extended warning. The Eclectus' flight crew occupied their stations; Kai, the pilot, nearly finished preparations for a hasty departure; Russell held tactical, and Kipp was at engineering and operations. They had a full enough complement to make the ship run smoothly, but realistically, it was meant to operate with six personnel on rotation. D1 was their A.I supplemented for the one she and Howie were programming; they couldn't get it online in time, but her systems were already adapted to the ship after some brief disorientation. She could efficiently run the small shuttle.

One might even argue that she was even better than a run-of-the-mill A.I like Tommy's 'Madeline.' She had a personal connection to the crew, which undoubtedly made her more powerful in the heat of battle. She could think like a member of Gel-Squad, which was something no other A.I could do, and she cared about the Omeocoon, even if her feelings were just programmed.

"Launch will commence in T-minus 60 seconds," D1 reported over speakers. That brief announcement made Kipp nervous as he tapped the panels, the audible tones trilling pleasantly as the vessel was nearing launch. "I still haven't solved the issue with the port thruster," Kipp hastily repeated, "It's fine. Leave it. I'm proud of you." Russell reassured with a smile. It was an accomplishment to build an entire ship in less than 25 days, just in time to get attacked by raiders, "Thanks, Dad." Kipp smiled back sincerely... he just hoped they survived this so he could tell his dad that he planned to move back in.

The thruster was more of an issue for Kai than for them. In early simulations, the thruster was prone to frying multiple circuits when tested at full power. D1 would try to augment the power systems to prevent such an occurrence in flight. With relaunch protocols already underway, there was no chance they were launching with that thruster at full power.

"Launch will commence in T-minus 20 seconds," D1 said again; she sealed the docking hatch per safety protocols; the tension in the cockpit was palpable as the countdown continued. Outside, the station shuddered under the assault of the attackers, the sound of distant explosions echoing through the metal corridors. "Give me aft thrusters," Kai ordered; perhaps he was just slightly excited about the flight. "Aft thrusters enabled," D1 said. The droning of the boosters filled the cockpit as D1 made the propulsion systems available.

"Launch will commence in T-minus...5...4...3...2...1. Retracting moorings, releasing docking clamps," D1 mentally launched the ship as her countdown expired. Kai applied the slightest amount of throttle by pushing the control forward, and the vessel vibrated slightly as it pushed its way out of the shuttle bay's rib-shaped docking clamps and into the openness of space. D1 brought the exterior illumination online so Kai could make out the entire station with the spotlights on the nose of the ship.

"Exterior obstacles detected," D1 warned, the speaker trilled, and a large chunk of the station was right in their path, probably something that'd been dislodged due to the attackers... or perhaps it was a part of the power plant explosion... Kai was able to juke it quickly. Being a master at helm control, dodging big pieces of the station was a breeze. Another alert, "What's that?" Kai looked over his shoulder to Russell, who operated the tactical sensors.

Before he could give a report, they were struck by a wave of phaser blasts. "I don't think that was turbulence," Kipp panicked. It wasn't. An alien vessel swept past them, grazing up against their shields without warning; its partner did the same, breezing past them and moving alongside its partner. Kai could not recognize the configuration of the opponent ships, but they were small and a close match for their new shuttle. But they were outnumbered three to one.

"Shields down to 87%. They keep launching those stupid spatial charges." Russell hissed. Kai had evasive maneuvers down, but offensive force would be required to ward off the attackers. "So they want to keep playing dirty..? Russell, why don't you show them some of our ingenuity?" Kai invited, "Acknowledged, loading torpedos." Russell smirked and went to messing with his toys. These ships drew them into a dogfight, and they used the nearby station debris to try to shake each other. But these ships were fast, and whoever was piloting seemed to be just as good as Kai, but Kai was sure he was better. Another blast from their opponents' weapons array and one of the panels in the Eclectus exploded and flickered as the life was rapidly drained away. Kipp and Russell ducked reflexively as the sparks flew without warning. "Secondary systems are offline," Kipp grimaced; he immediately went to fixing the issue with D1's assistance.

"Fire!" Kai signaled Russell, who launched four torpedoes from the aft bays immediately when ordered to do so. The bright teal-colored specks ejected from the rear of the craft. Two struck on target, and two flew into the emptiness of space. The speakers chimed as D1 made an announcement overhead. "Two direct hits. One of the vessels has taken heavy damage. They are no longer pursuing."

"Nice shooting, Rus," Kai commented. Russell granted a nod of gratitude. The remaining two continued to attack without remorse, "Shields have been reduced to 32%, attempting to compensate." D1 communicated. She tried to route more power there, but it was limited. Kai watched the displays on his console; the numbers fluctuated; they were losing power to cells one and two. This would leave them only one functional backup. At least the thruster wasn't bothering them. "Kipp, I need those secondary systems." Kai urged, "They're fried. I can't," Kipp yelled back. The attackers continued to pursue with a vengeance. At least they weren't attacking the station anymore. "I have an idea," Kai said. With the secondary systems offline, there were no pulse-based weapons systems, and they only had a limited complement of torpedoes on board. "Kipp, if I wanted to brush up against the atmosphere of Omeocoon, could the ship handle it?" Kai asked, calculating the course of action in real-time. 

Kipp's fingers stopped dancing on the console. He paused for thought. "Well, shields are down to 32%, so I wouldn't recommend it... but in theory, yes. But with that port thruster, I can't guarantee we'll survive the ascent."

"One thing at a time. I'm setting a course." Kai declared, he turned the ship so violently that the crew had to hang on for dear life as Kai pushed the throttle to maximum velocity. The Eclectus gunned right for Omeocoon, its speed reaching almost 800 KPH as it scurried along. They were touching the planet's atmosphere and feeling the drag of gravity as Kai struggled to keep it level. "What are you doing?" Russell asked, trying to hide the panic in his voice. "Warning, atmospheric entry exceeding recommended parameters. Pull up immediately." D1 chimed in; it seemed like she was panicking, too.

"I'm throwing up a smokescreen. Prepare to fire all torpedoes." Russell looked at his display. They only had four torpedoes left, "Kai... we can't launch all torpedoes that would leave us defenseless."

"Well, with luck, we won't need them anymore. We have to take the chance now while their sensors are blind."

"Okay. I trust you," Russell added. That was cool, but Kai planned to do it anyway, with or without his approval. Kai's plan unfolded precisely as the Eclectus hurtled towards Omeocoon's atmosphere. The ship dipped and weaved through the upper layers of the planet's atmosphere, causing friction that created a thick layer of smoke and debris trailing behind it.

"Torpedoes armed and locked," Russell confirmed, his fingers poised over the firing controls.

Without hesitation, Kai initiated the attack. The Eclectus unleashed a barrage of torpedoes from its rear again, streaking through the smoke-filled skies toward their unsuspecting targets. The enemy ships, caught off guard by the sudden onslaught, scrambled to evade the incoming projectiles.

Explosions lit up the darkness of space as the torpedoes found their marks, disabling one enemy vessel after another. The attackers, now outnumbered and outmaneuvered, retreated hastily, their ranks decimated by the unexpected assault.

"Yes! We did it, they're retreating!" Kipp said; for a second, he firmly believed Kai's plan wouldn't work. "I told you it would work." Kai smiled triumphantly, "Well, I'm sorry I didn't believe you, Kai..." Russell chuckled as he watched the sensor blips vanish from his display as the vessels retreated. "Now... I don't suppose you know how to get us back into space? The last power cell is almost depleted." Russell chuckled nervously. The Eclectus, her mission accomplished, now had a new operation... exit the atmosphere and return to the station.