Duchess of Terra (Duchy of Terra Book 2)

by Glynn Stewart

  So did Geneva’s and Tornado’s. The two escorts had missed the first clash, but they had so many fewer missiles to begin with. He wasn’t sure about the Laian ships, but the Terran escorts’ role was rapidly going to become purely defensive.

  Victory or defeat would fall on the super-battleships.

  Andrew inhaled sharply and squared his shoulders as the icons closed on the screen.

  “Enemy in range in thirty seconds,” Maksimov reported.

  “Any new orders from the flag?”

  “No.”

  Andrew wasn’t surprised. There were no new orders to give.

  “Then we fight,” he said simply.

  “Enemy is in range. Opening fire.”

  The space around both fleets lit up with swarms of tiny icons, flecks of red and green that rapidly dissolved into massive clusters of “probability zone” icons as both sides triggered their ECM.

  The Kanzi launched far more missiles. Even battered and reduced to less than half their starting strength, Fleet Keeper Alwa’s forces vastly outgunned Terra’s defenders, and as Andrew had expected, he was clearly going for the full game.

  His ships advanced behind the swarms of missiles as salvo after salvo crashed in on the defenders.

  The Kanzi missiles ran into Buckler and rainshower defender drones, and then Sword and rainshower turrets. Plasma bolts and laser beams cut through space, shattering vast swathes of missiles.

  But the Kanzi had learned now and had spent those two days of waiting far more productively than Andrew had hoped. Missiles dodged, deked and wove through the defensive fire. Electronic warfare suites designed to punch through enemy jamming had been rigged to unleash their own jamming.

  They’d sacrificed accuracy for survivability…and it worked.

  Fire hammered across Terra’s defenders, each ship taking missile hits by the dozen, but they continued on.

  The Kanzi weren’t so lucky. Barely half of the cruisers managed to leave the line of fire in time to keep their shields up. None of the destroyers were so skilled, and sixteen escorts blew apart in balls of flame.

  But their sacrifice served its purpose, and all eleven battleships continued to thunder death at the defending ships.

  Defense Three was the first to die. One moment, the platform was a million tons of weapons and shields spitting defiance in the face of the enemy. The next, it was expanding debris along with three thousand souls.

  “Shields are taking a beating,” Maksimov warned Andrew. “We’re holding, but they’re getting way too many missiles through.”

  “Arendse, add a rotation to your evasive maneuvers,” Andrew ordered. “Let’s spread the hits out. I want to live long enough to watch these bastards die!”

  A battleship came apart under their fourth salvo, then another one as the intricate dance of evasion and confusion they were weaving to confuse the incoming fire failed to be enough.

  Then a Kanzi salvo redirected itself at the last moment, the missiles pulling a ninety-degree turn no reaction drive could have matched to throw themselves on the Buckler and rainshower drones. The drones were shielded, but not enough.

  Dozens of Buckler drones, much less capable of saving themselves than the Laian system they imitated, died. A gap opened in the anti-missile shield, and the next Kanzi salvo charged straight into it.

  Sarah Laurent’s Geneva had compressed-matter armor, shields, and active defenses…but she was still a destroyer. When dozens of missiles crashed down on her at once, there was no way for Andrew to even tell when the shields on his girlfriend’s ship failed.

  Geneva was just there one moment and gone the next—and the tsunami of missiles pouring through the gap in their defenses was heading for Emperor of China.

  “Move us back!” he snapped. “Cut their impact…”

  It was too late.

  The Kanzi might have identified that one of the super-battleships wasn’t shooting down missiles, or they might have got lucky. It didn’t matter. An entire massed salvo from nine surviving battleships punched through the hole in the anti-missile screen torn by Geneva’s death.

  The Laians and Tornado were both trying to fill the gap, but they didn’t have a proper data network. There was no way for them to coordinate, and it cost precious, precious seconds.

  Seconds Andrew Lougheed and Emperor of China did not have.

  He saw the tidal wave of icons bearing down on his ship. He felt the ship tremble as the missiles began to slam into her already-weakened shields—and then felt her lurch as the shields failed.

  He never felt the impacts that vaporized his command.

  #

  Chapter 61

  It felt like the universe should have paused at the death of one of their two capital ships, somehow recognizing the loss of so many friends and so much firepower.

  But the universe didn’t work the way Jean Villeneuve’s occasionally fanciful mind wished it would. Emperor of China didn’t die alone—another Kanzi battleship came apart at the same time—but the battle continued.

  “Move Duchess forward into the line,” he ordered Tanaka. “Get all of our defense drones integrated.”

  The four ships moved into a line abreast. Duchess outmassed the others put together, but the Laian tech in Tornado and the Laian ships meant they were still contributing almost half the missile defense.

  Defense One came apart as the fight continued, and Jean focused hard on the battle. If they survived, there would come a moment for grief. Now, while the fate of his world hung in the balance, was not it.

  He felt the tempo of the battle. The Kanzi had held together better than he would have expected. Over two thirds of their numbers gone, but still the last ten cruisers and eight battleships closed, hammering away at his people.

  The tempo was…slowing wasn’t the right word, but it was close. Weakening. Tornado was out of missiles—her magazine capacity had always been her biggest weakness. The Kanzi had to be running dry. They would have to close to finish the job.

  They could, he had no doubt of that, but they’d bleed for it. They still had the strength to take Earth…but did they, he wondered, have the will?

  “All ships, this is Admiral Villeneuve,” he said sharply. “On my order…advance to beam range. They’re wavering. Push them back!”

  The words were out of his mouth before he’d even considered what he was going to say, but as soon as he said it, he knew he was right. It wasn’t a specific thing. A ship maneuvering late here. A missile cycle time a second too long there.

  The Kanzi were on the edge—and his people, for all their losses, were not.

  No one even blinked at his order. A moment later, four ships moved away from Earth at half of lightspeed, closing with the Kanzi fleet pulling the same speed toward Earth.

  Jean could feel the moment of hesitation as the entire Kanzi formation rippled to a halt. Not a planned thing. Not an ordered thing. Ship after ship stopping as fear overcame discipline.

  And then Memories of Laughter fired her plasma lance. The range was longer than he thought the weapon was effective at, but it sparkled across one of the battleships’ shield nonetheless, collapsing sections of it.

  Nonfatal on its own…except that the missile swarms continued to play back and forth across the space between the fleets, and the tactical officers were watching.

  Two dozen or more missiles flashed home in that moment of weakness, and the battleship blew apart.

  Suddenly, it was too much. The cruisers fled first, turning to run at over half of lightspeed. The battleships followed, another dying under the missile fire as they broke.

  “Keep it on them,” he ordered, then realized Duchess had stopped firing.

  “We’re out of missiles, Admiral,” Tanaka told him. “Do we pursue to engage with proton beams?”

  He looked at the holotank display, then turned to meet Bond’s eyes. He wanted to say no. To tell the battered ships that had already given so much to let it go.

  But those battleships co
uld still win. Could still regroup and smash the defenders to pieces. They had to finish the job.

  “Yes, Captain,” he ordered. “Maintain formation; don’t let any of the cruisers out of your sight, but we chase them down.

  “We can’t let them regroup.”

  “Yes, sir.” Tanaka’s voice was level. He knew she understood.

  So did Bond. But the order was Jean’s to give, and he felt its weight as the remnants of his Militia and their allies charged after the Kanzi, long-range beam shots rippling across the enemy shields with mixed effectiveness.

  The plasma lances fired simultaneously, a perfectly matched strike that tore down the closest battleship’s shields long enough for Tanaka’s ship to punch proton beams through. The ship lurched, staggering…and dropped into normal proton-beam range for a few fatal seconds.

  The Kanzi kept running, and the Laians repeated the attack, weakening a second battleship but not crippling it.

  Then the bright blue of a hyper portal flared into existence in front of the Kanzi warships and Jean knew they’d won.

  “Keep the pressure,” he repeated. “But let them go. We’re not following them into hyperspace.”

  He stood rigidly as they chased the invaders from the system, a sense of victory and…completion filling him.

  He didn’t hear Bond step up to stand beside him until she spoke.

  “You did it,” she said softly. “It’s over.”

  “I did it?” he asked, astonished. “I didn’t build the ships. Didn’t find the allies or make us part of a greater whole. You did it, Your Grace.”

  “Fine. We did it,” she replied. “Earth did it.”

  “Admiral!” Lamb suddenly reported urgently. “We have a new hyper portal forming.”

  “Are they coming back?” Jean whispered.

  “Negative! I have A!Tol Navy IFF codes,” the scanner tech reported. She paused to swallow hard, then looked up at with a massive grin on her face. “Squadron Lord Uan requests our confirmation that the vessels leaving Sol are Kanzi so he can pursue.”

  “Give it to him,” Bond ordered. “I’ll happily let the A!Tol clean up this mess!”

  “Uan confirms,” Lamb replied. “New hyper portal! His battleships are returning to hyperspace.” She paused. “I have communications from Echelon Lord Kal Mak aboard the logistics ship Meteorite.”

  “Put him on.”

  “Duchess Bond. Admiral Villeneuve,” the Indiri officer greeted them. “I have a squadron of cruisers and about forty logistics and refit ships with me. I was expecting you to need more in terms of succor than it looks like you do.”

  The Indiri smiled. Even now, the expression creeped Jean out.

  “I’m impressed.”

  “How did you know?” Bond asked. “Our courier would only have arrived a few days ago.”

  “That’s classified, Duchess Bond,” Kal Mak replied. “But suffice to say a friend of Ki!Tana’s told me.”

  The Mesharom. Ki!Tana had said she figured there was a covert starcom on Darkest Depths reporting everything she saw to the Mesharom Frontier Fleet.

  “As I understand, that friend isn’t supposed to get involved in our affairs.”

  “I can’t say anything about that,” the Intelligence officer replied. “As I said, that answer is classified.”

  #

  Chapter 62

  The shuttle swept down toward Hong Kong as Annette tried to find her equilibrium again. The last few days had been…unpleasant, and now she had to return to the day-to-day grind of ruling Earth, confirming the elected candidates and so forth.

  “Ma’am, we just received a com from your press secretary,” the pilot informed her over the intercom. “Miss Robin is asking us to land at the main spaceport instead of Wuxing Tower.”

  “Did she say why?” Annette asked.

  “Not really, ma’am. Just that we should.”

  Annette exchanged a glance with Villeneuve, then looked at Wellesley where he sat opposite her with his headset on.

  “James, is it safe?”

  The Guard Colonel tapped on his headset, then pulled out a communicator to check a video feed that Annette couldn’t quite see. Then he smiled.

  “It’s safe, Your Grace,” he told her. “And I agree with Jess. You need to land where you can be seen.”

  “Divert us, then,” Annette told the pilot, but she leveled a questioning gaze on her bodyguard.

  “Look out the window,” he replied.

  She did. They were now sweeping down the road toward the spaceport…and the streets were full. Uniformed HKPD were keeping the main road clear, but crowds were swarming toward the spaceport.

  They saw the shuttle and waved banners at her as she flew over. She couldn’t hear them, but she knew they were cheering.

  “My god,” she whispered.

  “You and Jean saved them all,” Wellesley told her. “I don’t think any battle in history has been as carefully relayed by the new networks or as widely watched. All of humanity saw. And now they need to see you.

  “Jess is right. You need to be in public right now.”

  #

  Harriet Tanaka saluted crisply as Kal Mak exited the shuttle into Duchess of Terra’s boat bay. The squat, red-furred, frog-like alien returned the salute and crossed to her.

  “Nice ship, Captain,” he observed. “Though not the one I believe you’re supposed to be commanding.”

  “Hunter’s Horn is in low orbit, awaiting repairs, sir,” Harriet replied. “This ship was deeded over to the Imperial Navy as part of the Duchy of Terra’s contribution, and since I was the senior Navy officer in the system, I took command of her.”

  “Indeed,” Mak responded. “Your office, Captain? It seems we have much to discuss.”

  Something inside Harriet tightened. Surely, she wasn’t going to be in trouble for saving Earth.

  Nonetheless, she nodded and led the way to a nearby office.

  “I don’t actually have an office aboard Duchess,” she admitted as she sealed the door behind them, leaving the pair alone in the austerely furnished room. “I assumed my command would be temporary. She’ll need to be formally brought in to the Navy, after all.”

  “You are correct on that,” Mak replied. “I wouldn’t worry too much about not picking an office, though, Captain. The Navy tries not to make a habit of being tidally foolish, and heroes are rarely common in the Imperium.”

  “Heroes, sir?”

  “The Navy Captain who bravely commanded a strange new ship in the defense of the Imperium’s newest Duchy?” Mak asked. “Even ignoring the advantages of your story on the planet beneath us, Captain, many of the Duchies will see you as a hero now.

  “It won’t hurt us on your world, either,” he continued. “I haven’t seen the full specifications on this ship, but I understand that only the Terrans can do the upgrades, correct?”

  “For now. I presume they intend to expand the operation quickly,” she replied.

  “The upgrades are that effective?”

  “However effective you think they are, you’re probably underestimating them,” Harriet admitted. “This ship went into battle with two Majesties as companions. Neither of them survived. Duchess of Terra did. That was not pure luck.”

  Mak studied the severely plain walls.

  “I will need to review all of your data,” he said finally. “Not least the data on the performance of the two Laian ships. Their presence here was unexpected.”

  “For everyone, as I understand,” Harriet told him. “I don’t think I’d still be here without them.”

  “Likely not,” he agreed. “Their fate is for a discussion with Bond. You, Captain, I suggest take some leave and visit with your family. You’re a hero. Take advantage of it.”

  “And then, sir?”

  “We’ll take care of Hunter’s Horn,” Mak told her. “I’m designating you as passage commander for Duchess of Terra. You’ll take her back to Kimar for full formal commissioning where, unless Tan!Shallegh
has lost his mind in the last few five-cycles, you will take official permanent command of her.”

  “Sir…I do not wish to decline this, but I should note that Duchess is, without question, now the most powerful warship in the Imperial Navy,” she said.

  “Oh I know,” Kal Mak replied cheerfully. “What better way to convince humanity that we mean it when we say they are truly equal members of our Imperium?”

  #

  Fortunately for Jess Robin’s continued employment prospects, Annette’s perfectly turned-out press secretary was waiting for her as she exited the shuttle into the spaceport.

  She wasn’t alone, either. While Annette’s enthusiasm for the press corps was minimal, her main gaze was for the two figures directly next to Robin. One of them, a very small one, took off across the tarmac as soon as she spotted Annette.

  There were hundreds, at least, of cameras focused on the Duchess of Terra as she scooped up Morgan Casimir into a one-armed bear hug, and she did not care.

  Nor did she care about the cameras when Elon himself reached her, sliding into her other arm as he wrapped her and Morgan in his own arms and kissed Annette fiercely.

  “You, my love, are going to age me prematurely,” he told her. “Thank you.”

  “It’s the job, Elon,” she said with a smile. “Both parts of that. Come on.”

  She didn’t let go of her lover or his daughter as she crossed the tarmac herself, meeting a smiling Jess Robin with a stern look.

  “I hate crowds,” she pointed out. “And speeches.”

  “A speech won’t be necessary,” Robin told her. “But you needed to be seen today. The Duchess and the Admiral victorious, the shield of humanity unblemished in the face of the enemy.

  “If they ever doubted that you knelt to the A!Tol because it was the right thing to do, they saw you fight the Kanzi today—because that was also the right thing to do.

  “Let them cheer,” she continued. “They need this as much as you do.”

  “If I have to.”

  “You have to,” Robin told her cheerfully. “And then,” she continued more softly, her smile still broad, “you need to get to Wuxing Tower. Echelon Lord Kal Mak is coming down to meet with you.