Battlespace (The Stars Aflame Book 1)

by Richard Tongue

  “Of course it will,” he replied, a smile on his face. “I have complete confidence in the abilities of your people to complete the mission and save mankind. Or I’d be advocating another course of action completely. Probably involving the design of a similar vault to that we found at Boreas.” He paused, then asked, “That’s a whole other research grant, by the way. We’ll have to rebuild Gagarin Station.”

  “I need to take these findings to the Captain,” Novak said, rising from her chair. “Thank you, Professor. I truly mean that. I just hope our results justify the faith you have in us.”

  “I’m quite certain that they will,” he said. “I’m crunching the next figure now. It should be ready by this time tomorrow, as long as I don’t have any interruptions. That’s the last of the short runs, though. It gets a lot longer after that. Weeks instead of days, and I won’t be able to run them in parallel. I suppose I’ll probably end up waiting until we get back to Earth.”

  “Have you uploaded your results to the network?”

  “They’re all there, ready for transmission as soon as we regain contact with Fleet Headquarters.”

  “You realize that if we do win, a large part of that victory will be down to you.”

  He shrugged, and replied, “I don’t know anything about that, Lieutenant. You’re the ones with the uniforms and the weapons. I’m just running the numbers. If you really want to thank someone, I suggest you thank the Folk. They left us a legacy that we will treasure for the next few hundred years. There are hints of amazing technological breakthroughs in the files, most of them nothing to do with warfare. Not to mention that we’re going to get our first look at the philosophy of an alien race. Magnificent.”

  Nodding, she backed into the corridor, and said, “I’ll promise you one thing, Professor. When you write that book of yours, I’ll be first in line to read it.”

  “Why, Lieutenant, I was planning on giving you a signed copy.”

  “I’ll hold you to that,” she replied with a smile.

  Chapter 17

  Scott sat behind his desk, waiting for the channel to clear. Outside, his senior officers were waiting, but he wanted a chance to talk to Admiral Singh first. The alien ship was close to the wormhole, would be leaving this unnamed system soon, and she needed to know what was happening as soon as possible. It had taken almost an hour for the systems to be sufficiently restored to make contact with home, but finally Wilson had managed to rend superspace once again.

  “Leonidas to Fleet Headquarters,” he said.

  “I take it from your tone that this isn’t good news, Mike,” Singh replied.

  “You always could read me like a book,” he said. “We took our best shot, and it wasn’t enough. We lost thirty-three people in the attempt. The bastards didn’t even hit us, we blew out a whole deck from the power overload. We’ve got some new information from the Folk, translated by Professor Belinsky. All of that is coming in a packet with this message, as well as my report from the battle. You can have my resignation if you want it.”

  She forced a smile, and replied, “At this stage, I don’t think there’s an officer in the Navy that would choose to trade places with you. You retain my full confidence.” Leaning forward, she said, “Damn it, Mike, you worked a series of miracles to stall that ship for as long as you did. I couldn’t have asked for more, not given the circumstances. You managed to face it in battle three times without being destroyed, and at the very least, ruled out a lot of tactical options.”

  “Thanks, Kat. That means a lot. What’s your plan now?”

  “There’s not much choice, is there,” she replied. “I’m going to engage them at Kapteyn’s Star. We’ll be moving out in a little over an hour. I’d have liked more time, but I guess we don’t have it. I suspect there’s a good chance that they’ll attack Fleet Headquarters before turning towards Earth, but I can’t guarantee that. Besides, I’m following a Presidential order. For some reason, he’d rather keep that bastard out of Sol if possible.”

  “I can’t blame him for that.”

  “It’s getting bad back there, Mike. The story leaked yesterday. A ship coming in from out-system, past our normal patrols, transmitting before we could stop them. Most of the population’s taken it surprisingly well, but there are riots in every major city, and there’s been nothing out of Jakarta and Seattle for the last few hours. Total civic breakdown. That’s only going to get worse. There are ships fleeing the system, as many as possible, but I don’t know quite where they think they’re running to.”

  “What about the President?”

  “He’s staying in Geneva, along with most of the cabinet. The Minister of Defense managed to get out here. The old bastard wanted to ride with the fleet. As long as he doesn’t get in the way, that’s fine with me. The Minister of Trade’s on his way to Proxima. A last stand, if it comes to it. She had to be forced onto the ship at gunpoint, for whatever it’s worth.”

  “I said that our politicians were incompetent. I never said they were cowards.”

  “Let’s just say that I might have to change my voting intentions at the next election.” She paused, and said, “I’ve managed to get fifteen ships back into the line. Most of them cruisers, I’m afraid. A matter of crews. Two battleships and two battlecruisers, though. I’m flying my flag on Indomitable.” She shrugged, and added, “If you can take your ship back, I can take mine. I’m bringing six ships from the Patrol Fleet along for the ride as well.”

  “Twenty-one ships,” Scott mused. “Do you think it’ll be enough?”

  “I think it’s going to have to be,” she replied. “We’re running light. Skeleton crews or less, but we’ve only got to jump to one system and fight one battle. After that, one way or another, it won’t matter anyway. We did manage to make some modifications. All of our weapons have been modified in accordance with the specifications Commander Garcia sent us before she died, and we’ve had time to boost the conduits better than you did. I even scavenged some old X-ray laser satellites. We’re towing them behind the cruisers, give them even more of a punch.”

  “We had some success with kinetic attacks,” Scott said. “Lieutenant Novak launched a bombing run, and that did some actual damage to the enemy ship. It’s about the only thing that did.”

  “You think it might be worth repeating that tactic?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I do,” he replied. “I’d put every shuttle you have into the air, loaded with as many shaped charges as you can find. They’ll be expecting it, sure, but at least it will give you a fighting chance.” He paused, then added, “I think that’s about all, ma’am.”

  “It’s more than enough,” she replied.

  “By the way,” he said, “you’ve got twenty-two ships, not twenty-one. If Charlie’s going to dance the Foxtrot, I want to be there to watch.”

  She nodded, and said, “It wouldn’t be the same without you, Mike. We’re going to try and engage close to the third planet. Most of the colonists have already been evacuated, aside from a few volunteers staying behind to give the aliens something to look at.”

  “Brave bastards.”

  “They’re fighting for their world. I suppose we all are. I can understand that.” She paused, then said, “I guess I’ll see you there.”

  “I’ll be there. Good luck, ma’am.”

  “To both of us. Indomitable out.” The channel snapped closed, and he rose to his feet, walking quickly into the briefing room beyond, his officers already waiting for him, with one notable gap. Commander Garcia. It was still strange to think that he’d never see her again, that her corpse was lying down in the ship’s morgue.

  One more letter to write. He had to get that done, before they reached Kapteyn’s Star.

  “We’re low on time, people, so let’s get on with this. Lieutenant Santoro, what’s the status of the ship? How soon can we get full power back again?”

  “Twenty minutes, Captain.”

  “How the hell did you manage that?”

  “Do you
want the good news, or the bad news, sir?”

  “By all means, let’s have some good news for a change.”

  She looked down at a tablet, and replied, “There actually wasn’t that much damage to the power grid. I had to complete a full inspection, replace a few relays, but it basically amounted to going over what we did when the engines overloaded back at Ross 248. Most of the systems that were going to fail already did, and the rest was surprisingly robust. We’re completing the last diagnostic checks now, and I’ll be bringing the main reactor back up in,” she looked at her watch, then added, “eighteen minutes, assuming all is as it should be.”

  “That’s amazing. Pass my best to the engineering teams.” Scott paused, then asked, “What’s the bad news?”

  Taking a deep breath, Santoro said, “The only way I was able to do it in the time was to isolate the power grid to the primary weapons array. It’s not going to make any difference, anyway. All of those systems are destroyed. Either damaged beyond repair, melted, burned out, you take your pick. Getting the maser cannons working again would be a job for a shipyard, sir. It’s not something we can do on the run.”

  “Are you telling me that this ship is unarmed, Lieutenant?”

  “I’m afraid it does amount to that, sir.” She looked around the room, and added, “There’s nothing I can do about it. The armor in that section is gone, as well. I’ve put some temporary patches in place, but I can’t even repressurize it, not without risking more damage. That whole area of the ship is going to have to be off-limits until further notice.”

  “There’s nothing you can do?” Ivanov protested.

  “Not a damned thing.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant. I know that you’re doing all you can. Doctor Nguyen, casualty report.”

  Nguyen looked as though he had aged a decade over the last few days, and replied, “Light, sir. Four wounded, mostly impact trauma. All of them will be back on duty in the next couple of hours, two of them at their own insistence.” He looked at Scott, and said, “The damage we took didn’t lend itself to survival, Captain. Anyone who was in an affected area died. I’m afraid it was as simple as that.”

  “I understand, Doctor.” Turning to the rest of the officers, he said, “Admiral Singh is taking the rest of the fleet to engage the enemy at Kapteyn’s Star, at the third world. The alien ship would likely head there anyway. They’ve been working on new weapons systems and tactics, and we have every expectation that they’ll be able to smash the enemy into pieces. That’s what we’ve been working for.” Turning to Novak, he added, “I’ve passed all of the Professor’s data along as well.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Technically, you’re now Weapons Officer,” he said. “I know that’s not much of a job at present, but I’d like you to continue working with the remnants of the department on anything we can muster.” With a smile on his face, he added, “We’re going to be joining the fleet for the battle.”

  “Captain,” Ivanov said, “I appreciate your optimism, but I’m afraid I can’t see any grounds to share it. We threw everything we had at the enemy.” Looking at Rochford, he said, “I know that I spoke against the attack before, but it was a bold, brilliant plan. It failed. They had a counter for everything we did.”

  “Do you have an alternate proposal, Lieutenant?” Scott asked, warily.

  “I do, sir, but you aren’t going to like it.”

  “Go on.”

  Looking nervously around, Ivanov said, “We’ve gained access to a new wormhole network. One that goes further than we can know. Sooner or later, Professor Belinsky is going to work out a map of the whole system, but even before then, we can probably chart it, feel our way through.”

  “I very much doubt that the alien ship will follow us, Lieutenant, and even if it did, we have no way of knowing what might be waiting for us wherever we end up. It’s a nice idea, but…”

  “No, sir, that’s not what I have in mind. There are a lot of scattered outposts on the frontier, a few thousand people. While the aliens are attacking Earth, we can load them into whatever ships we can find and run. We run and we don’t look back, and we hide our trail to make sure the alien can’t follow us.”

  “Traitor,” Rochford spat.

  “Commander, that will be enough,” Scott said.

  “Coward, then.”

  “Commander Rochford, you will remain silent!” Scott replied. “If Lieutenant Ivanov was such a coward, he wouldn’t have had the guts to propose this course of action to the meeting.” He paused, then said, “And if he’s a traitor and a coward, so am I. I seriously considered that possibility.”

  “I just don’t think we can win, sir. All we might be able to do is give mankind a chance to survive, somewhere.”

  “If we had a little more time to play with, Lieutenant, I might go along with you, but I don’t think we can assemble the sort of exodus you’re talking about. Nor do I think the aliens are going to give up, short of completely destroying their ship. If the lesson of the Folk is anything to go by, they’ll push harder and harder until our species is permanently wiped from the map.”

  “About that,” Wilson said. “I ran a strategic assessment. In the event that the fleet fails at Kapteyn’s Star, humanity will effectively be extinct in thirteen days.” Silence filled the room, and he added, “Not totally, of course, but that’s how long it will take them to wipe out every world with significant population on the network. Once they get to the core, we’re concentrated pretty heavily.”

  “Lieutenant…”

  “There will probably be survivors for a month or two, scattered on the frontier as Lieutenant Ivanov said, but we’re talking hundreds of people, scattered across a dozen stars. I suppose that it’s possible the aliens won’t bother finishing us off, in which case we might be able to survive for some years, but there won’t be any realistic way back.”

  “Christ,” Santoro said. “Are we really that close to the edge?”

  “All we have left is the fleet at Kapteyn’s Star,” Rochford said, his voice cold. “I don’t have any confidence in Earth’s orbital defenses. If Admiral Singh can’t do the job, then I guess the party’s over.”

  “We’re not finished yet, people,” Scott replied. “I don’t want this air of defeatism to leave the room. Lieutenant Wilson, I want you to delete all of your strategic projections from the computer. No trace must remain. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” he replied. “I’m sorry, sir.”

  “Don’t be, Lieutenant. You did your job. Now I’m doing mine.” He looked around the room, his eyes focusing on each of his officers for a brief second, and continued, “So far, we’ve shown them a hell of a fight. We’ve lived through three close encounters with the enemy, and caused them some damage. We found a potential weak spot for our people to exploit. That’s what we had to do. Yes, we’ve taken some hits, and yes, our ship is damaged, but we’re just one ship. Twenty-one others are waiting for them at Kapteyn’s Star, crewed by some of the best officers and men in the fleet. And serving under one of the best commanders we’ve got.”

  “Present company excepted,” Santoro said, sotto voce.

  “Thank you for that, Gabi. The check is in the post.” A faint, dutiful laughter echoed from the walls, and he continued, “We can win, we will win, we must win. That’s the end of the story, and that’s all I expect to hear from you outside these walls. Transit time to Kapteyn’s Star is only three hours. We’ll almost certainly be engaging the enemy in four. Lieutenant Santoro, modify our shuttles for bombardment. Work with Lieutenant Novak and Chief Patel. I want a squadron ready to launch as soon as we arrive in-system.”

  “We’ll be ready, sir,” she replied.

  “We’re going to bring down that ship, people. Count on that. Dismissed.” As the officers filed out of the room, Rochford remained, the last to leave, and turned to face him.

  “Do you really believe that, Mike?”

  “I do,” he lied.

  “Th
en that’s enough for me,” Rochford said. He paused, then said, “I’m not as good an actor as you, skipper, but I’ll do my best. I’ll see you on the bridge.”

  “I’ll be up in a minute.” He paused, then added, “Thanks, Clyde.”

  “Any time,” Rochford said with a smile. “Any time.”

  Chapter 18

  Leonidas slid smoothly through otherspace, only a few red warning lights testament to the damage they had already suffered. Novak sat in Commander Garcia’s position, looking at the indicators, throwing on her sensor controls to focus on the battle they would be waging in a few minutes. Oddly, she had almost nothing to do. No weapons to fire, no power network to manage. Her goal would be interpretation, no more. Hours of work had readied half a dozen shuttles for the fight, all manned with volunteer pilots, equipped with the remainder of their charges.

  Scott stepped onto the bridge, taking Rochford’s place in the command chair, flashing her a quick smile. He was different than any other commanding officer she’d known, projecting an air of calm competence, comfortable relying on his senior staff for support. Captain Wallace had been very different, anxious to make his mark on the galaxy, ready to push past any obstacle in his path. Which often included his subordinates.

  Novak had dreamed of one day getting a ship of her own, though that dream had been increasingly distant before the loss of Vanguard. Had she stayed back at Fleet Headquarters, it might have been realized even sooner than she’d thought. Admiral Singh had been throwing brevet promotions around with abandon, and several of her classmates from the Academy were sitting center seat right now, commanding cruisers just like this one.

  That thought scared her more than the battle. She wasn’t ready to take command. One day, perhaps, but not today. It seemed unlikely that her old friends were any more ready than she was. Not that they had any alternative. Today was the greatest battle of their lives, whether they liked it or not. A battle that would decide the very future of humanity, or whether it would have any future at all.