The Forgotten Empire: War for the Empire by Raymond Weil (ereader ebook .txt) 📕

every passing minute. Already she had lost three dreadnoughts and seventeen battlecruisers. The Druins had lost double that, but they were still inbound.

“Ground PDCs are firing,” reported the sensor officer.

In only a matter of a few moments, the number of explosions detonating in the Druin fleet intensified. Two battlecruisers and a battleship vanished under a massive onslaught of missiles. All three looked like a supernova had gone off. When the light bursts and the fire died down, only a small amount of twisted glowing wreckage remaining.

“ODP Baker is evacuating,” reported Major Every. “They’re reporting 80 percent of their weapons are off-line, and their energy shield is down to 40 percent and dropping.”

Krest winced. She hated losing the firepower of an ODP, but it couldn’t be helped. “Tell them good luck.”

Moments later on the main viewscreen, several large shuttles left the ODP and headed toward the surface. They headed toward the PDCs, hoping they could find a safe refuge there.

One minute later a massive blast of light filled several of the viewscreens, as the ODP’s energy screen finally collapsed, and several Druin antimatter missiles destroyed the heavily damaged ODP.

Krest felt her flagship shake violently, and one of the consoles exploded in a shower of sparks. The officer in front of the console screamed, as he was burned.

“Medic to the Command Center,” ordered Major Every, as several crew personnel rushed over to help the injured officer. “Get that fire put out.”

The Command Center filled with smoke, as the emergency air filter system was activated to pull it out. The fire was quickly put out, as a technician examined the console to see if it could be repaired.

The ship shook again, keeling over to one side.

“Antimatter missile explosion,” reported Major Every. “Part of the force of the explosion made it through the energy shield.”

“Shield is holding at 62 percent,” reported tactical. “We’re taking a lot of hits to the energy screen.”

Suddenly the ship shook violently, as if being pounded by a giant hammer. The entire hull seemed to ring, and Krest heard the sounds of tearing metal.

“ODP Cora has been destroyed,” reported the sensor officer. “Part of its wreckage hit us.”

“Damage report?” Rear Admiral Krest saw numerous red and amber lights on the damage control console.

“It’s bad,” answered the executive officer. “We’ve lost 32 percent of our weapons, and our shield is down to 22 percent. One of our fusion power plants has been damaged and is only operating at 17 percent capacity. At that rate, our shield will fail in less than ten minutes.”

“What’s the status of the other two ODPs?”

“Both are damaged,” reported Major Every. “They won’t last more than another ten or fifteen minutes. They’re being hit with so many missiles that their screens are covered in light from all the released energy.”

Rear Admiral Krest knew she had to make a decision. “Inform the rest of the fleet we jump out in five minutes. Order the two surviving ODPs to evacuate at that time. Contact Colonel Jenkins, and tell him we’re pulling out. Wish him good luck.” Glenda knew she could do nothing more here. They had bled the enemy and would continue to do so until the ground PDCs were destroyed. That part of the battle her ships would not witness, as they would be long gone.

-

Druin Admiral Falorr grew more agitated with every passing minute. He was losing too many ships in this battle.

“Admiral, the Imperial ships are charging their hyperdrives,” reported First Officer Dagor. “I believe they’re preparing to jump out.”

“The last two ODPs are being evacuated,” reported the sensor officer. “Shuttles have left both and are headed toward the surface.”

“Then concentrate on those ODPs and finish destroying them,” ordered Falorr. Finally things seemed to go his way.

On the main viewscreen, the number of explosions going off around the ODPs intensified. At the same time what was left of the Human fleet vanished, as they made the transition into hyperspace.

It didn’t take long, and the energy screen on one of the ODPs failed. Almost instantly dozens of antimatter missiles detonated, blowing the ODP into a million glowing pieces. The other remaining ODP soon followed, leaving the Druins and the Zynth in total control of the orbital space around Hastings.

-

In the Hastings Defense Command Center, Colonel Jenkins shook his head. “Did the shuttles make it down?”

Major Muskin shook his head. Only two out of four made it. The other two were destroyed before they could land.”

Colonel Jenkins leaned back in his command chair. “Now it’s up to the PDCs, and I fear they won’t last long.”

-

The three PDCs were firing energy beams and missiles nonstop, attempting to destroy as many Druin warships as possible. Interceptor missiles were constantly launching and intercepting incoming missiles. The sky was full of bright explosions where interceptions occurred.

Suddenly a massive blast slammed into one of the energy screens protecting the largest PDC. The screen held, and the PDC continued to attack the orbiting Druin ships.

-

Druin Admiral Falorr grew angrier as his losses continued to mount. He had ordered some of his battlecruisers to hit the areas of the moon not protected by the three PDCs. Mushroom clouds rose, and soon the atmosphere turned dark.

“We could leave those PDCs,” suggested First Officer Dagor. “We have destroyed all the cities on the planet, including the one in the center of those bases. The radiation level is climbing, and soon all light will be cut off from the ash and pollutants in the atmosphere. Those bases no longer pose a threat. They’ll be cut off, with no way to escape.”

Falorr knew that Dagor was correct. No point risking more ships to accomplish something no longer necessary. The defensive grid had been smashed; all four ODPs had been destroyed. The defending fleet had suffered major losses and had been forced