Chapter 5 - Noian Fights Back!
The demolition fighters surrounded the Yamato.
They quickly
began to launch their destructive missiles. One missile was fired at
the third main
gun turret but it was blown apart by the pulse lasers. Pieces of the
missile pelted
the Yamato causing tiny dents in the hull. A Xylotian fighter flew too
close to the
Yamato and a laser blast from a main gun blew the Xylotian fighter
apart.
Moments later, the Yamato's counter-attack missiles
were
launched at the attackers. They collided with a half dozen enemy
fighters and the six
planes were destroyed. Two more fighters swung around the Yamato
untouched and launched
their missiles. One missile struck the ship near the fighter launch
hatch. Another
embedded itself near the crew's quarters.
"Wildstar, the launch hatch is jammed," reported
Eager. "We
cannot open it to launch our Astro-Fighters!"
The Yamato shook to the starboard side as a missile
struck the
ship.
"Wildstar, main gun number two has been hit,"
reported Dash.
"Venture, get us out of here," ordered Wildstar.
Venture used evasive maneuvers as the Xylotian
demolition
fighters continued to attack. As the Yamato changed direction, a
fighter pilot was
confused by the maneuver and inadvertently slammed into another
fighter. The two ships
exploded in a yellow ball of gas.
Another fighter launched its missiles too late and
they missed
the Yamato completely. Another fighter was the unlucky recipient of the
two wayward
projectiles and it was blown to bits. One pilot, trying not to get
rammed by the Yamato
pulled up too quickly. He missed the ship but failed to avoid a blast
from the Yamato's
main guns.
"Captain, we have destroyed the enemy fighters,"
reported Eager.
"Dash, cease all firing," ordered Wildstar. "Order
all repair
crews to the launch bay. We need to get that hatch open so that
Conroy's planes can
land. Venture, set a course to the Xylotian moon at full auxiliary
power. We
need to pick up Conroy and his squadron before they run out of fuel."
Wildstar assessed the damage. He carefully studied
his computer screen. The outline
of the Yamato appeared in green and damaged areas of the ship were
represented
by flashing red lights. There were far too many red lights to his
liking. There were two missiles embedded in the crew's quarters,
another embedded in deck area around main gun number two and the most
important
one protruded from the bottom of the ship which jammed the launch bay
hatch
shut. Wildstar figured the repair crews would be able to remove the
missiles
but the Xylotians were not finished with the Yamato.
Two more Demolition fighter squadrons instantly
appeared around the Yamato. The ships took aim and simultaneously fired
their missiles at the rear portion of the battleship. Dozens of
missiles
struck the Yamato and the force of the impact threw the entire crew to
the floor. Fire raged throughout the ship as the devastating demolition
missiles severed many fuel lines.
The resulting attack however, dislodged the missile
from the launch hatch giving Conroy's squadron a place to land.
Conroy's
squadron approached the Yamato and saw the opportunity to defend their
ship. They began to engage the enemy by firing their lasers. The
Demolition
Fighters, without their deadly missiles, were no match for Conroy's
fighters.
One by one they were destroyed but the Yamato began to drift helplessly
in space.
On the bridge, the Executive Staff desperately tried
to get control of the situation.
"Wildstar, we are getting no response from the
engines," reported Venture. "Even the auxiliary engines are dead. I
have tried to open
communications with the engine room but I'm getting no response."
Venture
tugged at the controls again. "It looks like we're stuck here."
"Dash, assemble the emergency staff at once,"
ordered
Wildstar. "We need to know what's going on down there!"
"I have a fix on the landing party again,"
interrupted
Homer. "IQ-9 is also sending an encrypted message. It reads: 'We have
found
the Xylotian hangars and warp mechanisms. We are not alone. Stand by
for
further details.' That's all."
"Homer, keep your eye on the landing party," ordered
Wildstar.
"If you lose them again, I need to know as soon as possible."
The emergency staff searched the bowels of the
ship
desperately looking for survivors. Dash, knowing quite well that Orion
may have been seriously injured, led a special rescue team to the
engine room. The team arrived at the engine room entrance only to
find that it has been blocked with debris. The team quickly began to
remove the debris from the door. After a few moments, they exposed a
large suspension beam that was blocking their path.
A member of the team cut through the beam and it
clanged to the floor. Dash opened the engine room door and noticed that
nearly everyone had
been killed. He caught a glimpse of Orion lying on the floor and rushed
over to him. Dash quickly checked Orion's pulse. It was faint and
erratic,
but it was there.
"Let's get this man to Doctor Sane
as soon as possible!"
Dash pulled out his communicator and activated it.
"Captain, there are not many survivors down here.
Fortunately Orion was one of the lucky ones. He's alive but in bad
shape.
He has been taken to Doctor Sane. The emergency fire extinguishers took
care
of the fire but there's a lot of damage to the engines. I'll have the
repair
crews assess the damage and I will report back shortly."
"Let me know what you find," replied Wildstar.
Dash turned off his communicator and looked
helplessly
at damage in the huge room.
Later on the bridge, Wildstar's communicator began
to sound. The Captain pressed the receive button and Dash's voice was
heard
over the speaker. His voice did not sound reassuring.
"Captain Wildstar, I have good news and bad news.
First the bad news. We don't have the spare parts necessary to complete
the repair work to the main engines."
"That's not good enough," yelled Wildstar. "I want
it done! I want every mechanic you have down there at once! I want it
fixed
as soon as possible!"
"It's not that simple Captain," answered Dash. "What
we need is a Takion Absorber. Ours is completely destroyed. Without a
Takion
Absorber, the main engines are useless."
"Can we make one?" asked Wildstar.
"I don't think so Sir," answered Dash. "The experts
on Takion particles are Sandor, Yamazaki and IQ-9. They may be able to
come up with something but they're down on that moon."
"So what's the good news?" asked Wildstar.
"The repair crews report that the auxiliaries will
be repaired in twelve hours," replied Dash.
"See to it Dash," replied Wildstar. "On the double!"
"Wildstar, we have to get out of here," said
Venture.
"If we take another attack like that last one, we might as well kiss
this
mission good-bye."
"I know Venture," replied Wildstar. "We're sitting
ducks until we can get the engines repaired."
At Xylotian headquarters, Commander Noian was
planning
his next attack on the Star Force. He sat staring at a computer screen
which displayed a visual of the motionless Yamato. A large smile formed
across
his face.
"So the Yamato is drifting! Our attack was costly
but it seemed to have been successful. Those fools think they can deal
with
me? Just wait until they see what I have planned for them next.
Lieutenant, get me General Torkan. I want to speak with him at once!
It is time that we end the Yamato's existance."
Moments later General Torkan, Xylotia's greatest
General and the commander
of the Xylotian Armada, appeared on Noian's video screen. Torkan had
conquered
many planets and had killed millions of people during his military
career. He was a ruthless killer
whom Noian adored as a leader.
"Commander Noian, what gives me the pleasure of
speaking with you on this fine day?" asked Torkan.
"General, I want you to return to home base
immediately.
There have been some startling developments. An enemy force from
another
galaxy came through the void! We have their
ship crippled but I would like you to return with the Armada
to finish her off."
Torkan eyes opened wide. "Did I hear you correctly
Commander Noian?"
"Yes General..." answered Noian "...they came
through
the storm and the void. We now have the information that we have been
waiting
for; a passageway into another galaxy!"
"Our operations here are complete Commander,"
answered Torkan. "We
will return at once!"
Noian smiled as the General's face disappeared from
the
screen.
"Lieutenant, prepare every fighter we have to
launch.
The Yamato will die and I will be the one to kill it! After that, we
move
on to the planet Earth!"