Battle Damage (Short Story)

Here's another part of the story following Merrick, an old man who paid for passage to a world in a territory of space known as The Outer Worlds.

These worlds are cut off from the main worlds of Free Space and live an existence mostly lawless in nature. There aren't many captains who would take journeys to this patch of space and for good reason.

Here are some links to the previous parts of this story.

Part 1 - Passage To Zun-Kulla

Part 2 - Traveling Through Space

Part 3 - Mesmerizing Daydream

Part 4 - Ambush

Part 5 - Preparations For Battle

Part 6 - The Battle Map

Part 7 - The First Barrage

Source

       Merrick got to his feet and dusted himself off. His ability to see was still interrupted by the clouds of fog spewing out of some dislodged tubing. M'Tbanni still focused on the main battery and launched attacks against the damaged Zun Kullen ship. Through the main window beyond the control desks, Merrick could see that the ship was still in mid-maneuver, positioning its starboard side toward the other ship.
       A flurry of alarms came through dragging attention to the battle map. Another barrage was imminent. As Merrick watched the projectiles coming in, he noticed that the damaged enemy ship disappeared; the blip on the map was no more, and with that, their main focus was the last one.
       Some of the projectiles disappeared from the map. But, there were still many coming. Merrick grabbed the nearest rail he could find before the inevitable onslaught.
       One by one, the ship took the knocks. It was a violent thrashing, and it took every bit of Merrick's strength to hold himself up through the attack. There was an erratic outburst of alarms sounding, but the console was hard to see from his position.
       "We've lost our communications array!" One of the Humans shouted over the noise. "The engines took a hit too. Any more of that, and we'll be stuck in free-float!"

       Zebulon threw a device and it pinged around the bridge, rattling as it did. "M'Tbanni, you're no good up here. I need you to get down and rally our other gunners. I want all turrets and canons to focus on the last target. Just lock onto them, and wait until they ready themselves for their next attack before firing."
       Following the command, the Trisken stood up and briskly made his way passed Merrick and through the doors, which struggled to open immediately, forcing M'Tbanni to squeeze through the steel sideways.
       Taking the opportunity to step closer to the window, Merrick did. Passing through the fog, which by this point was clearing up. He stared out and could see the enemy closing in.
       "Without communications, this is going to be a lot harder," Zebulon said in a deflated voice.
       The enemy ship moved ever closer. From the window, Merrick could see the details of the vessel. It was larger than Zebulon's vehicle, but only just. Its weaponry seemed almost non-existent, concealed beneath plates of armour. It had clearly seen better days, and showcased much damage from previous conflicts, but had been repaired countless times before. Refitted with new equipment that didn't fit uniformly with the rest of the vessel.

       There was respite from fire and the moments of calm threatened an incoming barrage at point-blank range, which would result in serious damage to both vessels. The two ships circled each other, taunting the other to attack. It was an unorthodox tactic, and in a way, it seemed like the Zun Kullen ship was attempting to intimidate them. Mutually assured destruction was the first thing that came to Merrick's mind.
       "Multiple smaller ships are launching from the other one, captain." One of the Humans said, breaking the silence that had built in the room.
       "A ship that size doesn't have the ability to house fighters. They're most likely escape pods," Zebulon responded, brushing off the Human.
       "The ships seem to be coming toward us." The Human continued while focusing on their console.
       "Maybe they're trying to board the other vessel. That would make sense why they're not firing." Zebulon replied.
       "I remember during the Confederation Invasion, the Trisken used a tactic known as drilling. Where they would fly specialised troop transports at an enemy ship and force their way onboard." Merrick said, continuing to look out the window. "Could they have ships of that nature?" He asked as he turned around and stared at Zebulon.

       His face dropped after a few moments, and he looked at one of the screens surrounding his console. "We need to stop them!" He shouted while standing up. "But, could they!? If we fire upon escape pods we'll be committing a war crime. It's a big risk."
       "Do you have the force available to fend off a boarding party?" Merrick asked.
       "It would be a hard fight, but we do have the crew available to do so. We would leave ourselves exposed to the last ship though." He said, looking at the battle map and taking his seat once more.
       Merrick stared at it too. To the right was the enemy vessel, the two ships still circling one another, slowly. On the left side were the incoming escape pods.
       "Merrick, can you go down to the turrets? I want those ships destroyed. I'm not going to risk any boarding party making their way onto this ship."
       With a nod, he left for the gunner positions. Walking past the consoles, the command station, and to the door of the bridge. It crunched under the weight of itself, and remained only half open, forcing him to turn sideways to get through it. Much like M'Tbanni had to.

       "Wait," Zebulon said as he stood up, and Merrick turned to watch him approach the door. "I want sights fixed on them. If they make a collision course, fire, if they are going to pass by us, then let them go."