Chapter 8 - The Attack
General Torkan's fleet consisted of eight battleships, ten
destroyers, thirty submarines and a flagship. The Xylotian ships began to fire its
missiles and lasers at the Yamato and Omega. But on the bridge of the Omega, Captain
Taylor ordered Jordy to move the ship. The Omega and the Yamato were far too close
together and they made an easy a target for the enemy fleet. The Omega's engines began
to roar and the battleship started to move away from the Yamato.
"Venture, evasive action," ordered Taylor. "Comet, fire all
guns! Get me Captain Wildstar at once!"
Two laser blasts hit the Omega and the ship shook to its
starboard side but the damage was minor. Seconds later, Wildstar appeared on the
Omega's video screen.
"Captain Wildstar, what is the situation aboard the Yamato?"
Taylor asked.
"Damage so far is minimal but I'm concerned about your young
crew," replied Wildstar. "Are they ready for combat?"
"They are more than ready Captain," answered Taylor. "What is
our plan?"
"We count nearly fifty ships," responded Wildstar. "I will
launch the Black Tigers and will have them concentrate their attack on the submarines."
"Okay Captain," agreed Taylor. "But we must hit their ships
fast and hard. I'll have the Omega target their battleships. It will take them by
complete surprise. If we wipe them out right away, that will greatly reduce their
firepower. In the meantime, focus the Yamato's main gun fire at the destroyers."
"Agreed," answered Wildstar.
Taylor terminated the conversation and began to ready his crew
for the attack on the Xylotian battleships.
As the Astro Fighters launched from the Yamato and made their way to
the enemy submarine group, the bridge crew prepared to attack the destroyers. Wildstar
ordered Dash to fire all guns at the fleet of destroyers. The Yamato's guns opened
fire and the laser blasts flew through space. As contact was made, an enemy destroyer
was obliterated and the destroyer fleet broke formation.
"I have a destroyer comin' in real fast," reported Eager.
"Distance, three hundred!"
"Fire torpedoes," ordered Wildstar.
Two torpedoes launched from the Yamato's front torpedo tubes.
One slammed into the starboard side of the incoming destroyer and the other into the
port side. The destroyer exploded.
Wildstar ordered Dash to fire the shock cannons. The shots
exploded from the Yamato's gun turrets and pierced an enemy destroyer. A huge
explosion erupted as its engines were obliterated by the laser blasts. More torpedoes
were fired from the Yamato. Four destroyers were in the path of the lethal weapons
and they exploded on contact. The remaining destroyers, confused by the attack,
regrouped and fired their guns at the Yamato. The Yamato took a direct hit and another
blast slammed into her side.
"Main gun number two has taken a hit," reported Dash. "The port
side just took a hit! A direct hit on the starboard side!"
Wildstar ordered Dash to keep firing the Yamato's shock
cannons. The guns fired again and the destroyers were hit with an incredible barrage
of laser blasts. One destroyer was cut in half and was sent careening into another
ship. They both exploded in amazing flash of light. Another destroyer was
simultaneously hit in the bridge and the engine room. It exploded into a huge fire
ball. The quick work of the Yamato had eliminated the fleet of destroyers.
"Venture, what is the status of our engines?" Wildstar asked.
"I just got a report from the engine room that Orion's down
there working on the problem," answered Venture.
"What's Orion doing out of bed?" Wildstar asked.
"He said he was feeling better," replied Venture.
Wildstar activated his communication unit. "Engine room, what's
going on down there?"
"Captain," replied Orion. "I have an idea that may get us
moving again but it's going to take a while."
"Orion, you're supposed to be in bed! That's Doctor Sane's
orders," replied Wildstar.
"Captain, let me do what I have to do down here," pleaded Orion.
"If we don't get these engines working soon, it won't matter if I stayed in bed or not!"
Wildstar had no choice but to agree with the young engineer.
Without its engines, the Yamato was a sitting duck.
On the bridge of the flagship of the Xylotian Armada, General
Torkan planned the destruction of the Yamato and the Omega. He was a long time veteran
of war and believed he was invincible. Captain Vorien, Torkan's second in command,
raced to his General's side.
"General Torkan, the Yamato was able to eliminate our
destroyers but it is badly damaged," reported Vorien. "The other space ship has moved
away from the Yamato and scanners have picked up a squadron of enemy planes headed
toward our submarines!"
"It won't matter," answered Torkan. "We have enough fire power
in the Armada to destroy two hundred ships! Concentrate the attack on the crippled
vessel and launch missiles at the fighter planes!"
Conroy's Black Tigers began their attack on the enemy's
submarines. Conroy fired two missiles and they destroyed its target. Conroy launched
two more missiles and they hit an enemy submarine head on destroying it instantly.
Conroy failed to notice that the submarines had deck guns. He knew right away that he
had made a fatal mistake. Conroy's ship was locked into the sub's targeting computer
but before it could fire, another Astro Fighter swooped down and destroyed the deck
guns.
After regaining his composure, Conroy regrouped and commenced
Attack Sequence Delta. Conroy launched two more of his missiles. Another Astro Fighter,
who trailed Conroy, also fired two of its missiles. Two more submarines were blown to
bits. A shot flew safely past Conroy but the trailing Astro Fighter was not as lucky.
It exploded into a thousand pieces.
Conroy looked at his radar screen and noticed that a submarine
was heading straight toward the Yamato. Conroy did a one hundred eighty degree loop
and fired his lasers. The shots hit a Xylotian missile just as it was fired and both
the missile and the submarine exploded. The explosion also destroyed a nearby disabled
sub.
The remaining Xylotian submarines fired a wave of their
missiles. Explosions all around the Astro Fighters cut their forces in half. The subs
then aimed their missiles at the Yamato and fired them at the motionless space cruiser.
The old Earth battleship's wounds began to mount as the missiles slammed into the
Yamato.
Conroy spun his fighter around and rejoined his fighter
squadron as they headed for the remaining submarines. The Astro Fighter pilots
launched their remaining missiles and moments later space was filled with multiple
explosions as the Xylotian submarines were reduced to rubble. After reporting their
success, Conroy and his squadron were ordered back to the Yamato to re-fuel.
In order for the two Earth ships to have any chance at
surviving the Xylotian attack, Captain Taylor knew he had to be successful in
destroying the Xylotian battleships. The Omega moved into position for their attack
and the crew prepared to fire at the Xylotian ships. But the enemy battleships had
already readied their guns and the Xylotians fired their weapons. The shots struck the
Omega with brutal force. Those not strapped into their chairs were sent falling to the
floor.
"Captain Taylor, we've taken heavy damage," reported Reemer.
"Venture keep her on course," ordered Taylor.
Three more shots hit the Omega and flames began to spread
throughout the ship. As fire crews struggled to put out the flames, another explosion
erupted as more shots hit the Omega.
"Shock cannons are ready to fire," reported Comet.
"Comet, fire the guns," ordered Reemer.
The mighty shock cannons of the Omega fired but one gun missed
its target. About ten meters in front of a battleship, the other shot came to a halt
and a circle of blue fog surrounded the Xylotian ship. The vessel exploded in a
brilliant blue light show. But the Xylotians fired back and more laser blasts hit the
Omega.
"Captain, we can't take much more of this," said Reemer. "We're
badly damaged."
The Omega's shock cannons fired again. Three more battleships
were obliterated in the blue laser fog. A blast from a Xylotian battleship struck the
Omega's number three shock cannon and another blast took out gun number two. But the
Omega's last shock cannon fired again and another battleship exploded. The remaining
three battleships continued to unload on the Omega. A laser blast slammed into the
bridge and Captain Taylor was thrown to the floor. As the battle continued, Reemer
rushed to help his Captain.
"Captain, are you all right?" Reemer asked his fallen Captain.
Another laser blast hit the bridge and Reemer was sent flying
across the room. He landed hard on the floor.
"Reemer!" Jordy screamed as he ran from his station to help his
injured friend. Jordy checked for life signs, got a pulse and noticed that Reemer was
still breathing.
"Reemer's alive! Akeem, go check on the Captain," ordered
Jordy. "Comet, order the gunners to keep firing!"
Aligie Akeem went over and checked on Captain Taylor.
"Jordy, the Captain's alive but he's badly injured," reported
Akeem. "We need to get him medical attention right away!"
"Order the medics to get up here on the double! Osgood, get me
Captain Wildstar on the screen at once," ordered Jordy.
On the Yamato, the Astro Fighters were being refueled and their
munitions were being reloaded. The repair work could not be started as the battle was
still under way. Only the three battleships and the flagship remained in the Xylotian
fleet but it was more than enough fire power to destroy the Yamato. The ship was badly
damaged its engines were still down.
  On the bridge, Homer's communication equipment received a message
from the Omega and Wildstar ordered it to be placed on the bridge's large video screen.
An image of a battle weary Jordy Venture appeared on the screen. Mark Venture was
surprised by the image of his brother who should have been back on Earth.
"Captain Wildstar, this is Chief Navigator Jordy Venture.
Captain Taylor and Deputy Captain Reemer have been seriously injured and have been
taken to the infirmary. We have destroyed five battleships but we fear that the
remaining three will wipe us out within the hour."
"Jordy, what are you doing there?" Mark Venture asked. "Get
out of there, while you still have a chance!"
"Jordy, I am ordering you to take command of the Omega,"
interrupted Wildstar. "I want you to fire every weapon you have at the Xylotian
battleships! The Yamato will fire at the same time and hopefully it will be enough to
neutralize the Xylotian attack."
"I understand Captain. We'll do our best," said Jordy as he
wiped the blood from a small cut on his chin. Jordy then looked at Mark apologetically.
"It was good to see you big brother." Jordy disappeared from the screen.
"Jordy, Jordy! No!" Mark screamed as tears began to run down
his cheek.
"Jordy's a good navigator," said Wildstar as he tried to
console his friend. "He'll be all right."
"Hey, that's my little brother out there!" Mark yelled as he
failed to listen to reason.
Wildstar yelled back. "But screaming and acting like this
won't help! Get yourself under control or I'll remove you from the bridge! Dash,
target the enemy battleships, fire main guns and fire all missiles!"
The Yamato's guns and missiles fired at the same time as the
Omega's. The remaining Xylotian battleships buckled from the pressure of the attack
and were blasted into oblivion.
On the flagship of the Xylotian Armada, Vorien reluctantly
reported to Torkan that the entire Armada had been wiped out. Torkan was emotionless
but was not defeated. He still had an ace up his sleeve and the Earthlings would pay
for ruining his spotless career.
"Is the Hyper-Rado Cannon ready to fire?" Torkan asked his
second in command.
"Yes General," answered Vorien.
Torkan rose from his chair. "We'll save the helpless Yamato for
later. Until then, target and destroy that other Earth ship!"
The mammoth gun on the Xylotian flagship pointed in the
direction of the Omega. It lit up and the laser blast exploded from the weapon and
went sailing into space.
The shot nailed the Omega. The explosion sent Jordy, Akeem,
Osgood and Comet sprawling to the floor.
"What hit us?" Jordy asked as he was flat on his back.
Comet was the first to get to his feet and back to his chair.
"I'll find out." Comet began to look at his computer. "Whatever it was damaged us
pretty bad. We might not survive another hit like that last one. Port side is
greatly damaged. There are hull breaches throughout the ship!"
Jordy caught his breath, got to his feet and made it back to
his station. "Let's get out of here quick! Akeem, compute an escape route!"
There was no answer. Jordy turned and saw Akeem lying face
down on the floor. A steel pole rested on top of him. Comet and Jordy rushed over to
Akeem and removed the pole but it was too late. The pole had struck the back of the
young man's head. His skull was crushed and his neck had been broken.
Tears began to swell in Jordy's eyes as he walked back to
his station.
Aboard the Xylotian flagship, General Torkan was thrilled with
the might of his Hyper-Rado Cannon. He stood gazing out of his bridge's view port as
smoke bellowed from the Omega.
"General Torkan, we have calculated that it will only take one
more shot from the Hyper-Rado Cannon to destroy that Earth vessel," said Vorien.
"Prepare to fire again..." said Torkan "...and get me the
Yamato at once! I want them to witness their future."
Wildstar's face appeared on the Xylotian video screen.
"Yamato, I am General Torkan, leader of all Xylotian space
forces! You and your other puny space battleship have fought well. But as always, the
mighty Xylotian Empire wins in the end. I want to give you a little demonstration.
Watch carefully as this pathetic and weak space battleship gets blown into the cosmos."
"General Torkan, it was your Empire that started this conflict,"
said Wildstar as he tried to bargain with Torkan. "We are in this galaxy as a result
of an accident. All we want is to return to our own galaxy."
"It is far too late for that Captain," replied Torkan. "We do
not bargain with inferior life forms. We destroy them. Fire the Hyper-Rado Cannon!"
The gigantic gun fired once again. The blast continued through
space toward the Omega. There was a massive explosion and as the smoke cleared, the
Omega was gone.
"No! Jordy! Jordy!" Mark Venture screamed aboard the bridge
of the Yamato. "I will kill you! You son of a bitch!"
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha," laughed Torkan on the Yamato's video
screen. "Now, it is your turn!"
The crew watched helplessly as the Xylotian flagship changed
course and pointed the immense Hyper-Rado Cannon at the Yamato.
"Wildstar," interrupted Homer. "Orion is reporting from the
engine room." Homer pressed a button and Orion's voice echoed throughout the bridge.
"This is Orion. Auxiliaries are operational. Repeat, auxiliary
engines are operational."
"Venture, get us out of here!" Wildstar ordered.
The Hyper-Rado Cannon fired again. The beam approached the
Yamato but barely missed as the ship moved out of the way. Torkan was amused at the
Yamato's willingness to live.
"So Yamato, you fight on! It is useless! My cannon will get you
eventually!"
"Wildstar, you better think of something quick," said Venture
as he continued evasive maneuvers. "We won't be able to escape on auxiliary power!"
Torkan could taste victory. The flagship's bridge was full of
his laughter as the Hyper-Rado Cannon fired again. The blast struck the Yamato causing
extensive damage. But before the gun could be fired again a large explosion rocked the
Xylotian flagship. Moments later, the ship's power went out.
"What is going on?" Torkan asked.
"General, a space battleship has hit our radar blind spot and
has fired its guns into our engines," answered Vorien. "General, we're helpless!"
Moments later, Jordy Venture appeared on the Yamato's video
screen.
"Sorry we had to leave for a while," said Jordy. "We did
a small space warp so that we could repair our main guns. She's all yours Captain
Wildstar!"
"Gunners, your target is the bridge of the Xylotian flagship,"
ordered Wildstar. "Fire!"
The huge guns of the Yamato fired and the laser blasts slammed
into the Xylotian flagship. The bridge of Torkan's vessel was incinerated as the
flagship broke in two. The rear portion exploded as the front of the flagship broke
into a million pieces.
The battle was over.