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nuclear missiles exploded against
the ship’s powerful energy shield.
    “No damage,”
Colonel Cowel reported. “Those nuclear missiles don’t have the power to
penetrate our screen.”
    “Those energy
weapons do, if they can hit us with enough,” warned Commander Arnett.
    “Defense
globes are in range,” reported Major Daniels from Tactical. “Ion beams are
engaging.”
    “Our fighters
and bombers are going in,” Commander Arnett informed the admiral. “They’ve
joined up with Admiral Stoddard’s and will be going in together.”
    “Have them
target ships where the ion beams have disrupted Shari energy shields,” Race
ordered. The Anlon bombers were each carrying two twenty-megaton Shrike combat
missiles.
    On the big
viewscreen, one of Admiral Stoddard’s battlecarriers suddenly appeared. The
ship was under heavy attack from a number of Shari battlecruisers. Nuclear explosions
were covering the energy shield and numerous energy beams were seeking a weak spot.
The battlecarrier suddenly took a massive hit to her bow, losing most of her
heavy weapons. She quickly turned broadside and opened up with her remaining
power beams and energy weapons, firing upon the attacking Shari ships, seeking
to destroy her tormenters.
    “That’s the
battlecarrier, Sherman ,” reported Colonel Cowel as he listened to the
battle reports coming in over his minicomm. “She’s suffered heavy damage and
her commander is trying to evacuate as many people as he can in the ship’s
shuttles.” Even as he spoke, a massive white light suddenly flashed across the
viewscreen and when it died down, all that remained of the Sherman were
some glowing wisps of ionized gas and glowing debris.
    “The Sherman is down,” reported Major Daniels in a shaken voice. “None of their shuttles
made it off the ship.”
    “All ships,
ion beams are firing, target any Shari ships with weakened or damaged energy
shields, give our fighter and bombers as much covering fire as possible,” ordered
Race, knowing good people were dying. He wanted this battle over as quickly as
possible.
    -
    Admiral
Stoddard watched in incredulity as the WarHawk and her sister dreadnoughts
charged toward the heaviest concentration of Shari warships. Already the
inbound fire on his fleet was lessening.
    “All ships, continue
on course toward the Dyson Sphere.” Looking at the viewscreen, he couldn’t
believe the size of the battle dreadnought WarHawk . He had heard how big
the Alton built dreadnoughts were, but seeing them in action was another thing
altogether. He winced as he saw another supply ship explode. The Shari had hurt his fleet but now, thanks to Admiral Tolsen, the survivors should be able to
make it to the safety of the incoming Federation Fleet less than twelve minutes
away.
    -
    High Lord
Aktill gripped his command console as the Judgment of Dawn was struck by
intense weapons fire. A number of lights on the damage control console turned
amber and red.
    “Ion beams,”
warned Lower Lord Samarth. “They’re tearing holes in our energy screens.”
    “Target those
globes!” ordered Aktill in a shrill voice as he saw numerous Shari ships on the
tactical screen begin to disappear as they were annihilated by the deadly missiles
and energy beams the monster Human ships were deploying.
    More Human
weapons were penetrating the shield, rattling the ship with each hit. More
lights on the damage control console turned a glaring and threatening red. High
Lord Aktill blinked his eyes and looked around, taking stock of the situation.
He could probably destroy or at least damage most of the attacking Humans ships,
but it would cost him the majority of his fleet.
    “Their small
attack craft are launching missiles,” reported Lower Lord Samarth. “We have
many ships reporting their energy shields have been compromised.”
    The Judgment
of Dawn shook violently and emergency klaxons began blaring.
    “We have
multiple breaches along the forward hull, we’re venting