Part VII – Power of corruption
10 August 2020
The commander of a little battle cruiser of “C” class, commander of the Star Fleet John Phillips took a deep breath, watching the parent planet of the mankind from the captain’s deckhouse and told his mate,
“Look, Sam, here it is the cradle of our civilization. Here the mankind was born. I can wait for tomorrow– start of our vacation here. Since childhood I have dreamt to take a breath of Mother-Planet’s air. In her fairy-tales my grandmother told me that when it happens for the first time there is ineffable feeling of bliss as if reunion with something dear and forgotten.”
“Captain Phillips,”answered Sam, getting on permanent mate of his commander, watching the planet with the equal bliss.“We have dedicated the Star Fleet twenty years, we have grey hair coming out here and there. Our team has been enjoying exclusive privilege of the guard of honour of our primiplanet for one week already – ”
The captain and his mate kept admiring from the captain’s deckhouse the opening view of the solar system and discussing in old age manner their services to the Empire, recalling the battle at Watterwar and the siege of Karnide which let them the right to stand symbolic guard on the orbit of the parental planet.
More serious fortification had been set up on each planet of their system preventing the fleets of the potential enemy from approaching the primiplanet. Not only planets but also many asteroids rotating on long orbits were reconstructed into flying fortresses under the local conduct of the artificial intelligence converted into kamikaze fighting mode.
Therefore to be appointed for the guard on the orbit of the Earth was granted as an honorary award for the services in battle to the Empire because there were not any tactical to say nothing of the strategic importance of this guard –.
“Attention! Battle alarm! Captain Phillips, the commander of the battle cruiser “Bivaliy”, confirm receiving the order, fulfillment – immediate.” All compartments of the spaceship were lit up by blinking orange light.
The captain’s face was darkening while reading the content of the order displayed on the holographic screen of his bracelet. The majority of the officers had already taken their places at the operating consoles and were waiting for the commander’s order with iron discipline and hardly held back bewilderment.
“Control module is ready for the battle.”
“Landing party module for the battle is ready.” “Reactive module for the battle is ready.’ “The first plasma crew for the battle is ready –” the messages of the crew’s readiness were duplicated from the captain’s bracelet by the warning system in dry voice all over the cruiser.
“We have got the order. Announce the order to the crew. Make an order,”–captain Phillips gave an order in silent whisper, looking blankly at the planet of his childish dreams and mentally saying good bye to his vacation as well as to the career.
“Captain, here must be some mistake,” there was Cam’s voice, who had read the order on his bracelet. “Did we take the guard of honour just for us to fire a volley to the capital from the main gun?”
“You understand everything, Sam,” answered the captain Phillips in voice to be heard by everybody on the deck. “We can’t but fire even if it is the result of a diversion. In accordance with regulations of the Star Fleet all commanding officers shall be executed for failure of order during the period of fighting routine, to say nothing of the disgrace we heap on our shoulder straps.”
“The coordinates are confirmed. Prepare the reactor for the volley. Accelerate the ionizing plant. Warm the main plasma gun. Calculated time before fire – 40 seconds,” from all sides the reports were being duplicated by the officers to the captain’s bridge.
“And we will not be let serve for the benefit of the Empire either,” continued the Captain Phillips. “In the capital there as minimum four noble asses on each square meter just at the moment when we, very handsome, flew up, fired a volley and made one hundred meter hole, ten kilometers in diameter. No matter who and for what kind of good purpose gave us this operational mission – we will be the scapegoats.”
“The ship is ready for the volley.”
“Fire!” commandeered the captain Phillips and sat down in the armchair, staring blankly somewhere at distant spot. Only now everybody around noticed how heavily the captain had gone off.
