Chapter Twenty-Two
Captain Jack Burns sat in his command chair on the bridge of the Enterprise. He drummed his fingers on the chair's armrest, taking care not to strike any buttons and accidentally trigger a red alert or something along those lines.
He glanced around the bridge, taking a moment to reflect. The layout was based heavily on that of the bridge sets used in the Star Trek television shows. He sat in a central command seat, navigation stations directly ahead, with a main viewscreen stretching from bulkhead to bulkhead right in front of the navigation stations. His first officer sat to his left, talking with another crew member. Duty stations and consoles encircled the outer perimeter of the bridge, reporting on everything from engineering to weapons to communications. Although there were some differences. For instance, Burns was currently strapped to his chair, a quick-release harness preventing him from being tossed from his chair. The bridge was also inside the hull, buried under several feet of thick armor and force fields.
Burns looked to his left, at his first officer Commander Susanna Peterson. “Colonial credit for your thoughts,” he said, half-smiling.
Susanna glanced at him. “Just thinking, Captain, about what we'll be doing in...” She looked to the main viewscreen, and the timer ticking down in the lower-left corner. “Ten minutes.” She sighed, her normally shining eyes somewhat dulled. “General Plan Twenty-Four... on Earth.”
Burns slowly nodded. “I know, Commander.” He looked to the viewscreen. The blue jewel of Earth hung there on the screen, Starbase One and the San Francisco Shipyards barely visible on the right side of the screen. “Remember, though. We're EDC. We defend humanity from threats within and without.” He motioned to the viewscreen. “And we've got a two-for-one deal on that down there.” He tapped the side of his head. A small chirp sounded out. He looked to his right. “Okay. Communications, contact the Repulse and Yokohama and make sure both their targeting systems are linked to ours.” He then looked over his shoulder at the duty station directly aft of his and Susanna's chairs. “Tactical, how's Vera doing?”
A woman slightly younger than Burns or Susanna looked up from her console. “Primary energon cannon is reading at one-hundred percent,” Lieutenant Commander Melissa Chang, chief tactical officer for the battleship, reported. She tapped her screen. “Sending you targeting data to your implant... now.”
Burns' eyes flashed. He blinked a few times. “Thank you, Commander. Looks like everything's locked and loaded.”
The communications officer spoke up, hand at his headset. “Captain, both Repulse and Yokohama report their targeting sensors are linked with ours. They're set on their end.”
Susanna looked over her shoulder. “Lieutenant Commander Chang?”
Melissa glanced down at her screen, nodding slowly. “Confirmed, Commander. Both of our sister ships will fire exactly when we fire, at exactly what we fire at.”
Burns and Susanna exchanged a look. Burns reached down his shirt and pulled out a small, red key. “Ready?”
Susanna pulled out an identical small key. “No, but I am... prepared, Captain.”
The two stood and walked around their chairs to the aft section of the bridge. Even as they approached, Melissa and two other crew members stood, stepped away from her chair, and sprang to attention. “The station is ready, sir,” Melissa announced.
Burns nodded to her. He and Susanna stood on opposite ends of the wide console, keys in hand. Burns leaned down and typed a code into a keypad in front of him. The console triple-beeped, and two small pedestals rose up, keyholes clearly visible in them.
The two officers looked to each other. “Ready?” Burns asked. At Susanna's nod, he continued. “All right, three, two, one... now!”
Both turned their keys inward. Deep red lights recessed into the upper parts of the bulkheads started flashing. Burns looked up at the main viewscreen. Sure enough, a large targeting reticule had appeared. He looked down. A small transparent hatch was now open, a large, red button now accessible. “Why is it a red button?” he asked, brow furrowing. He looked to Susanna. “I mean, really? Like out of a bad movie or something.”
Susanna slowly looked to him. “Captain, if I may be honest, a solid majority of the people in the Earth Defense Command are big fans of science-fiction, one franchise in particular.” She waved a hand at the bridge. “I would almost be shocked if it wasn't a big red button.”
Burns cracked a smile. “True, Commander, true.” He stared ahead at the main viewscreen. “Helm, I want us hanging perpendicular over the target area like the Sword of Damocles. A straight shot right down on the barrier with minimum atmospheric interference. Communications, tell the Repulse and Yokohama to form up on our flanks, Strike Pattern: Olympus.”
The communications officer, Lieutenant Barack Zane nodded. “Aye, Captain. Strike Pattern: Olympus confirmed.”
On the main viewscreen, Earth shifted from the lower-left corner to the exact center of the screen, the targeting reticule right over North America. The image expanded, until North America took up the entire screen. It zoomed in once more, finally stopping as the barrier appeared in the direct center of the screen. If one squinted and was patient enough, they could see the edges of the barrier creep along, expanding ever so slowly, but steadily.
Susanna rubbed her chin. “I wonder why it's so slow. A foot an hour? Is that even a literal snail's pace?”
Burns shook his head. “I am not complaining about it going so slow, Commander. That fake Celestia wants to be overconfident? Good for us, bad for her.” he held up his right hand, fingers close together. “Behold my tiny violin!”
Zane turned from his station, hand to an earpiece. “Captain, both Repulse and Yokohama affirm Strike Pattern: Olympus and are matching our maneuvers.”
Burns nodded to him. “Thank you, Lieutenant.” He sucked in a breath. “All right, Commander. T-minus five minutes and–”
A sensor technician spoke up. “Captain Burns? We have emerging transwarp apertures.” Lieutenant Hope Rogers looked at her screen, eyes darting back and forth. “Looks like five... no, six!”
Burns and Susanna exchanged a look. “Captain, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't all non-essential traffic to Earth currently suspended?” Susanna asked, eyes wide.
Burns nodded. “You are correct.” He straightened up and marched around the tactical console to the command area. He jabbed a finger to his right. “Lieutenant Zane, open a channel, all frequencies. Rogers, I need ID on those emerging ships and I need it now.” He waited for acknowledgment from his comms officer before speaking. “Unidentified vessels, this is Captain Jack Burns of the ESS Enterprise. This is somewhat a bad time for you to–”
A male voice, husky, with a Russian accent, cut Burns off. “This is Captain Mikhail Popov of the Georgi Zhukov, Burns! Apologies for not arriving sooner, but we and the Conrad Hauser came as soon as we could. Now, if you could please stop monologuing and let us help?”
Hope spoke up. “Confirming, sir. The first two are the Zhukov and Hauser. They're exiting the aperture closest to us.” She tapped her console. “Putting it on-screen, along with the others.”
Whirlpools of emerald energy appeared on the viewscreen around Earth, bright-green grids appearing next to each one. The interior of each grid showed a close-up of the activity around each transwarp aperture–a pair of Enterprise-class battleships emerging from every one.
A smile formed on Burns' face, his eyes lighting up even as a cacophony of voices sounded over the intercom.
“Enterprise, this is the Yi Sun Shin and von Richthofen, here to assist!”
“–Simon Bolivar and Liu Bei, standing by for orders.”
“This is the ESS Marquis de Lafayette and Haida. We are here!”
“This is the Excelsior and Pedron Frontin. That barrier is going down. Enough said!”
“The Grigory Potemkin and Guan Yu are ready, Captain Burns!”
Burns sucked in a breath. “They're all here. They all came to help.” He looked to his right. “Channels open with them all?” At his nod, he turned to face the viewscreen. “Captains, this is Jack Burns of the Enterprise. I am... honored and grateful you've all arrived to assist in the defense of Earth. Please link your tactical systems with ours for Strike Pattern: Olympus. We're gonna all hit that barrier with everything we've got and bring the damned roof down on their heads!”
Confirmations from the battleships were quickly given. With that, Burns walked back to the main tactical console and stood in front of the main trigger. He glanced down at the button, hand close to it, but not yet over it.
In the void of space, the twelve battleships flew along, their thrusters glowing white-hot as they moved around in complex maneuvers, forming a circle around the Enterprise, Repulse, and Yokohama. At the bow of each ship, the emitter for each of their primary energon cannons began glowing a bright-blue. All fifteen hung 'over' Earth, pointed towards the planet every single crew member had sworn to defend with their lives.
Hope spoke once more. “Captain, all fourteen ships are in formation for Strike Pattern: Olympus, and their primary energon cannons all read as green.”
Burns nodded to her. “Thank you.” He sucked in a breath. In the corner of his eye, the timer counting down to the implementation of General Plan Twenty-Four counted down, now at T-Minus ninety seconds and counting. He held his hand out, holding it over the button. “We are now at T-Minus sixty seconds,” he announced, his breathing quickening. “Thirty seconds... twenty seconds... ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one...” He slammed the palm of his hand onto the button. “Executing General Plan Twenty-Four!”
The lights on the bridge dimmed. A high-pitched whine sounded out. The image on the viewscreen zoomed in once more on Earth, once more on the barrier. The targeting reticule appeared once more, flashing a bright-red.
In space, the fifteen ships shuddered slightly. The emitters on their cannons glowed a blindingly-white light before a beam of hellfire shot forth from each simultaneously, crossing the void of space and entering Earth's atmosphere in an instant. The beams converged into a column of energy, striking the top of the dome with all the force of the fist of God. The column strobed over the barrier, energy bolts the thickness of sequoias shooting off.
Everyone on the bridge stared at the viewscreen as small windows popped up around the barrier, detailing information and showing graphs or charts. Burns growled. “Come on, come on. Do something!”
Hope spoke up, excitement creeping into her voice with each word. “Captain, if I'm reading this right...” She suddenly scowled. “Dammit, too much interference from our fire.” She stood up slightly and started tapping her console. “Clearing up and...” She sucked in a breath. “Captain, if I'm reading this right, the barrier's expansion has slowed to almost nothing!”
Gasps and small cheers sounded throughout the bridge. Burns held a hand up and waved them all off. “Stay frosty, everyone. The damned thing's still up!”
A lightly accented voice sounded out over the intercom. “Captain Burns, this is Commander Monty in Main Engineering. Power levels are falling all across the board. We have to power down soon.”
Burns' head shot back to his console. “Negative, Commander! That is not happening! We have to keep firing!”
“Captain, I don't have anywhere else to pull power from! I can't change the laws of physics!”
Burns glanced at the ceiling. “Commander Monty, we are in a starship built using technology given to us by a species that made the laws of physics their own personal bitch before humans walked upright.” He jabbed a finger at the main viewscreen. “If we let up for even one second, that barrier's gonna reinforce itself and this'll be for nothing. I don't care if we all gotta pedal bicycles hooked up to the main reactor. The main cannon has to continue firing!”
There was a pause. Time seemed to stand still on the bridge. Finally, Monty's voice came over again. “Captain, I think I can divert power from life-support and gravity generation. However, I–”
“Do it!” Burns shouted. He ran back to his command chair, sat down, and strapped himself in. He flipped a switch on the armrest and leaned in close to a speaker grille. “All hands, this is Captain Burns. Strap yourselves in and try and hold your breath. Power will soon be cut to life-support and gravity generation.” He looked over his shoulder at the tactical console. “Commander, might wanna join me here. It won't just be your hair rising in a few minutes.”
Susanna grunted as she quickly walked over and sat down next to Burns. She quickly strapped herself in, but paused for a moment. “Captain, I recommend we keep the ventilation system going. That will prevent pockets of carbon dioxide forming.”
Burns nodded. “All right, Commander.” He pressed a button on the armrest. “Engineering, can you keep the fans going while life-support and gravity are turned down?”
“Aye, Captain. Switching power from life-support, gravity generation and other systems... now!”
Background noise on the bridge dimmed. Several stations went dark, and everyone rocked slightly in their chairs, even while strapped in. Burns' arms flopped a bit. “Well, better than zero-G,” he said, scowling.
Monty's voice came over the intercom. “Captain, power levels for the main cannon are holding steady, but I can't promise anything. All available power has been rerouted to it.”
Burns nodded, the gesture more of a bob. “Thanks, Commander. Lieutenant Zane, contact the other ships, get me their status. Lieutenant Rogers, keep an eye on that barrier and give me status updates.”
Both officers acknowledged him before turning back to their duty stations. On the main viewscreen, the barrier wavered. Bluish veins of energy laced their way through it, emanating from where the energon beams were striking it.
Zane turned from his station. “Captain, all ships report they've cut power to their non-essential systems and will keep firing as long as possible.”
Hope spoke up next, somewhat breathless with excitement. “Captain, there's massive fluctuations through the barrier. It's completely stopped growing. If this thing was a solid material it would've shattered by–”
The viewscreen brightened, turning bright-white. Automatic filters activated, stopping the worst of the brightness. On the screen, the barrier fractured along the energy lines, seeming to blow apart at the seams. The pieces quickly evaporated, disappearing into the ether. The beams continued on, though, striking the ground–and blasting right through, carving a hole in the dirt and deepening it through meters of bedrock every second.
Silence descended upon the bridge as everyone stared at the viewscreen. Finally, Jack tapped a button on his armrest. “Main engineering, cut power to the main cannon. Restore gravity and life-support, but be prepared to switch it back at my command.” He waited for acknowledgment before looking to his right. “Zane, contact the other ships and tell them to stand down for now.” he unbuckled his harness and slowly stood up. “Sensors, I need to know my eyes aren't malfunctioning on me. Is the barrier... down?”
The only sounds for the next few seconds were beeps and small mutterings from Hope as she worked her controls. She let out a sigh. “Confirmed, Captain. Barrier has been destroyed!”
Gasps and small cheers went up among the bridge personnel. Burns held up his right hand and waved them off. “Hey, keep it frosty, everyone!” His eyes narrowed. “Wait a second. Zoom in on the upper-left quadrant.” He pointed at the viewscreen. “That gold thing. What is it?”
The image on the viewscreen zoomed in on the smoldering ground, focusing on a shimmering, golden web hanging in midair. A solidified rainbow trailed down from it, ending a couple of feet from the ground. A dozen feet away, a roiling whirlpool of energy swirled about, churning and wavering on its edges.
Hope spoke up. “The golden web, Captain, has to be the Rainbow Bridge connecting us with the real Equestria. That other thing appears to be an inter-dimensional gateway, similar, but very unstable. I'm getting energy fluctuations all across it.”
Burns slowly nodded. “I'll give you all three guesses where that one leads, and the first two don't count.” He turned and walked back to his chair. “Lieutenant Zane, get me the White House.”
President Abernathy, General Hollingsworth, and General Lennox stood in the situation room, a few feet in front of the main monitor. Captain Burns' head and shoulders dominated the screen. “All readings from all ships say the same thing, Mister President. The barrier's down and it's not coming back up.” He paused. “Unfortunately, there's something around the Rainbow Bridge blocking it. And there's a gateway next to it that I'd bet a year's pay leads to Neo-Equestria.”
Lennox nodded, letting out a small breath. “Captain Burns, excellent job,” he finally said, grinning and flashing a thumbs-up.
Clayton clapped his hands together. “Agreed, General. You and every crew member of the entire task force are to be commended for your work. You've saved Earth and potentially every person on this planet. We may not be out of the woods yet, but we're definitely more than halfway there.”
Burns smiled. “Thank you, Mister President. That means a lot.” He glanced to the president’s right. “General Lennox, orders?”
Lennox tapped his chin. “Keep the Enterprise and the other battleships in formation until further notice. We don't know if they'll try again. At least we know we what it'll take to bring the roof down. I'll contact you within twenty-four hours. Until then, stay frosty. Over and out.” The two exchanged salutes before Lennox cut the feed. “That must've been one big boom.”
Clayton allowed himself a small smile. “Almost can't wait to see the footage.” He cleared his throat. “All right, the barrier's down. However, there's still a gateway leading to Neo-Equestria, not to mention we're still blocked from directly interacting with the real version.”
Lennox clenched his right fist and smacked it into the palm of his left hand. “And both managed to survive getting roasted by the combined output of all fifteen of their energon cannons. I don't know of anything else we can throw at them that won't crack the crust.”
Hollingsworth pursed his lips. “It's out of our hands, and in Celestia's hooves.” He placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. “I hate feeling helpless like this.”
Clayton half-smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder. “I think that's a sentiment all three of us share, General.”
Lennox looked up, his gaze unfocused as he stared off past the wall. “I remember during the Last Push of 2007. I was on Pluto, and we came under heavy fire from the 'Cons. Octopunch and Stranglehold were leading a bunch of Genericons against our position. Then one of our starfighters crashes near our position. Pilot's alive, but his fighter's a wreck.” He shook his head and smiled. “And this crazy kid gets the idea to salvage one of the warheads from their torpedoes and insert it into a crack in Octopunch's outer shell.” He slid his hand forward. “So Private Zoe Weidler flies by on her jetpack, manages to sneak around to his side, and shove the warhead into that crack before booking it back like a bat outta hell and blowing that bastard into a million pieces. And all we could do was try and lay down cover fire for her.”
Clayton and Hollingsworth exchanged a look and smile. “I know that young lady quite well, General,” Clayton said. “She had a small army of Joe's as honorary aunts and uncles.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Lennox's mouth. “Including you, Mister President?” he asked, glancing at Clayton out of the corner of his eye.
Clayton jabbed a thumb to his right. “And General Hollingsworth.” He reached over and patted Lennox on his shoulder. “It’s a hard wait, but unavoidable. All we can do is trust in them, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
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Glad to see that the calvary was able to make it in time.
Yay! Humanity got to rock out!
This was... beautiful...
Now it's time for the final showdow, but something tells me that the tyrant sun isn't going to give up easily.
Well, good thing Queen Tyrannlestia is busy right now.
Ooh, the feedback from that must have been hideous. I sure hope Xelestia wasn't doing anything important at the time...
9593712
Oh wait...
'Why is there never a big red button?' - The War Doctor, Day of the Doctor.
Yes what sort of space faring navy would design their ships such that the bridges of their capital ships are not only on the uppermost part of the ship, but also place directly in the middle of the big circle part of the hull, almost eerily invoking a bullseye on dart board? What sort of navy would be that stupidly idealistic and naive?
...They broke the barrier.
Given, it took fifteen of some of the most powerful ships in space practically draining their batteries at once to do it, but still. Wow.
...Xenolestia's gonna have it worse in the Honorverse, given that a single battlecruiser squadron can output enough energy to shatter a small moon in one broadside, but if the entirety of the SLN, as obsolete as it may be, fired on the barrier, it would be gone in an instant, let alone the RMN Eighth Fleet or the Grand Alliance.
Edit: And that's with only energy weapons. Roll two or three patterns of pods, and the Barrier would fail, especially given the standoff range is measured in thousands of kilometers, so TCB!Equestria can't do a thing about them.
Hooray!
Still – though I don't know about how it compares to the technology available there – that barrier must have been pretty strong to withstand the combined full power of 15 battleships for that long.
Very strong, then.
P.S. That barrier was under the direct control of Celestia, right? Well, I'm no magical expert, but I'm pretty sure having an orbital bombardment collapse the gigantic shield you're powering isn't gonna do any wonders for your health. Magical collapse feedback, in other words.
Honestly, been rereading this recently, and one thing that I really like is that you went with names of ships from around the wrold rather than falling into the trap some sci-fi does and just going with names from English and/or American history.
Given that Liu Bei and Guan Yu are shipnames I wonder when the Zhang Fei will be built. I was surprised to see a reference to the Three Kingdoms, though I suspect that it references the story from Ming Dynasty China and not the Total War game based upon it.