Chapter It Always Starts Off Slowly
I read the latest reports from Monk. the Syndicate fleet was still at a crawl, still two days from bringing their weapons into range of Parnmal.
In the room, I had all of my staff. Shrift had even dragged Eddie out of his hiding spot. Which he didn’t looked pleased about as he reclined in his seat with his arms crossed, his cowboy hat tilted forward as he chewed on a piece of something that looked like a toothpick.
Rick, In Sook, Ben, Milra, Walf, and Krat were in the room with me and Ship Commanders, Rick, Bok Soo, and Dreckt were holograms.
“Rick, are we ready?”
“We’re mostly there, Eddie?”
“All asteroids are attached and fighters are in place. Though, the ridiculousness of it is beyond anything I’ve ever seen.” He tried to look glum but I could see his eyes sparkle. He was probably just jealous that I had come up with the idea.
“Alright, are we ready on your side?” I gestured with my head to Ben, Milra, Krat, and Walf
They looked grave before Milra spoke. “We’re ready. We’ll be mostly running off Resilient and without her help, we wouldn’t be able to do the translation so quickly. We’ve been running drills for as long as we’ve been able, too. We can jump in our sleep now. We’re as ready as we’re going to get before people start to tire themselves out,” she said. I noticed that she didn't say anything about our likelihood of survival.
“Good work. If we pull this off, it’ll be in a large part due to our wormhole emergence crews across the fleet,” I said soberly, looking in their eyes as they visibly straightened, pride returning some of the energy they’d lost over the two weeks of drills.
“Commander Heston, are your people ready?”
Heston looked to Xing who nodded, his face sour as his lower lip jutted out in a perpetual pout, his tired eyes doing nothing to make him look like a fighter commander.
“As much as they can be. They know that there’s only a slight possibility that they’ll be used in the battle. They’re annoyed that they’ll be sitting back as we watch the battle.” As their friends die. His eyes told me.
“But if we have an opportunity, we’ll take it and smash the bastards.”
“Good.” I looked to them all as I took a breath.
“Forced rest for eight hours. We’ll begin charging our wormhole generators in five. Two hours before, we’ll go to yellow, red at thirty to jump. Questions?” There were none left; they’d all been answered as we’d prepared.
“Alright, dismissed, I’ll see you in twelve hours.” With that, holograms disappeared as Eddie practically rushed out of the room, giving his two finger salute. The rest gave their salutes and I returned them.
“Make sure you get some sleep, as well as your people, you’re going to need it,” I said, seeing each of them agree before I waved them from the room.
Rick and I reclined in our chairs, doing nothing as we looked to the ceiling.
“The things I’d do for a beer,” I said to the ceiling.
“You don’t even drink,” Rick said with a crooked eyebrow.
“It’s the premise,” I scowled.
“Isn’t if you’ve never done it.” My scowl deepened as he grinned.
“Just trying to kill a man’s hopes, eh?”
“Not at all. If you want, I could get Druv to grab us some,” Rick said with a grin as my scowl became a grimace.
Druv and the gunner’s still was infamous throughout the fleet, due to the fact it tasted like gasoline and got you stinking drunk in record time.
“I think I’ll pass. I thought someone would’ve gotten some good tasting alcohol from Earth at least.”
“Well...”
“Rick?” I drew out his name as if he’d better tell me what was on his mind.
“Ah, it’s nothing. You should get some sleep,” he said, a sparkle in his eye and a grin on his face that made me think it wasn't nothing.
“Alright, I’ll go first then you,” I said, knowing that he wouldn't accept himself sleeping first, plus, I wanted him to have as much time with Marleen in peace as possible. And they say chivalry is dead, I thought as I walked into my empty quarters. I got under the sheets, missing Yasu as I took a detox to remove any Wake Up or anything that could cloud my judgment.
I wonder when the last time was I slept when I didn’t just detox, I thought as darkness took over.
***
Rick was still on the bridge when I came back, wearing my Mecha.
“Git.” I pointed to the door with my thumb as he grinned tiredly.
“Yes, Commander,” he said with a rolling flourish of his hand as if bowing to nobility. I snorted in response as I looked around the bridge and he and Marleen wandered out, hand in hand. The bridge had rotated to the second crew, which was keeping everything running.
I sat in my chair, which came alive with screens and information. My right armrest showed the formation of the Free Fleet and the timer which slowly crawled to wormhole generator start up.
I turned to the minutiae of the fleet, burying myself in the work that the whole damned thing needed.
“Initiating wormhole generator power up,” Helm said, breaking me out of my work. A hum started through the ship as power was fed to the wormhole generators. With the noise and feeling, it was as if Resilient was just waiting to strike.
I checked it on my armrest screen, everything was going accordingly to plan, I could tell, as I went back to my work.
It was a few hours until first watch came back, more than one looking as if they were unable to get any sleep. Second went to go to their other stations. With our manpower issues, they reversed roles, becoming Commandos, engineers and shuttle pilots and were ready to take over from the first shift in an emergency. All of the old Free Fleet personnel were able and doing multiple jobs.
Everyone was wearing their Mechas now as I looked at the timer. There was an hour to go.
“Run your checks and hammer it into everyone that we will have bare minutes when we initiate wormhole to Parnmal.” The bridge rose in volume as everyone communicated to their counterparts and the fleet readied itself.
Reactors went through tests as weapons were extended, checked, and stored again.
Twenty minutes to wormhole creation another alarm went off as the fleet dropped into condition red.
“Applying thrust,” Milra said as the Resilient's engines fired up. I checked my armrest as the rest of the fleet in position began accelerating with the Resilient.
It’s about time we started moving, I thought as dread and excitement filled me. War was a terrifying thing, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but it was a drug. In war you never feel as alive as you are scared. You don’t trust, love, hate as you do when you’re not fighting for your life, and all the small shit just floats away.
Yet the payment for feeling that alive is the pain of regret, of second guessing and questioning why you were alive when others were not. It’s why I would fight from the front, leaders lead and commanders would deal with the shit just as any team member would.
“Vort, Record a message for Commander Monk.”
“You’re on.”
“Monk, show them what happens when they come into our backyard when we’re ready.”
Comms cut it with a look.
“Send it.”
Chapter Then Comes the Bright Lights and Fireworks
The command center of Parnmal was silent as Salchar’s message ended.
Monk was calm, but he felt a fire inside him. They’d been waiting days to be given the go ahead. Monk knew James liked to play it close, but this was last minute.
If James waited till now, then there was a reason, he thought with a smile.
“Overlay of ships and weapons on screen.” The main display changed from a distance plot to overlapping fields of fire. It had been refined further with the Syndicates firing of their ordinance.
“Tactical, are you ready?”
“Yes, Commander.” The
re was a hunger in Wendy’s voice.
“Comms, Get me the gunners.”
On Monk’s armrest he saw he was live.
“The enemy wishes to take this station which they used to sow pain and fear through this area of space. We have made it our home and a place of hope. I ask you to make sure with me that they never be allowed this station to be used to enslave others. We will show them what the people of the Free Fleet can do. Now, get me those first liners, gunners! Give them both barrels.” Monk’s serene face turned into a wolfish grin.
“Tactical, you are free to fire.” Monk sat back in his chair, calm returned as the crew of Parnmal was wrapped up in the heart thumping reality of the moment.
The feed was cut as Tactical’s cold voice cut through the command center.
“Get those first liners.” The tone which would’ve made a normal person shiver raised wolfish grins on the command centers operators.
***
The captains had given up badgering Kelu, but he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. They were now playing cat and mouse it seemed with the weapons stations. A few had powered up and Kelu could swear that they were about to shoot when the captains destroyed them.
They didn’t listen to him as often as they could, but they never crossed over to directly disobeying him—as that would be disobeying the Lady whose feelings on the matter were quite clear. It was better to die than let her catch you disobeying her.
“Contact! Shit!”
Kelu, who was reclined in his chair while he studied a piece of the bridge in tired contemplation, barely moved as Sensors became a hive of activity.
“We have weapons systems powering up!”
“Makes them easier to detect.” Kelu continued to study the wall.
“These aren’t the systems we’ve encountered!”
“Shots fired!” Tactical yelled as stations started coming alive.
“It’s a miss.” Kelu pulled up the information on his armrest lazily before snapping to attention.
“The hell are those?” he asked, the tiredness gone from his voice as weapon systems activated throughout the asteroid belt.
“Modified planetary rail cannons and laser batteries.” Fear was clear in the sensor officer’s voice.
“Update the plot, shoot those damned things down!” Kelu yelled as he saw his disorganized fleet falling apart at the seams. Comms, tell those bastards to get back into formation!”
Kelun looked at his plot as he saw the weapon systems coming online and felt his ridges go cold. We should’ve expected them to do better.
“Tactical, get the rail cannons onto them.” Kelu had to yell over the tactical officer. “Tell all ships to fire rail cannon rounds at the targets.”
“Shields are to eighty-five percent!” Shields added.
“Tell them I will let the Lady know if they do not obey.”
Hopefully, the captain's fear of the Lady would be more than the immediate threat of the weapons systems.
Icons were changing from purple to magenta rapidly.
One changed to white.
“First Liner Daskl has been destroyed,” Sensors reported. “They’re targeting ships of the line.”
“Allow the second line ships to advance.”
He watched as the second line ships raced outward at maximum thrust. At least they know how to chase, Kelu thought grudgingly. Hopefully, it’ll buy me the few minutes I’ll need to get the first liners ready.”
The guns shifted fire almost immediately as the first liners returned to position, firing everything they had at the powerful guns which were throwing dustbin sized projectiles at 0.018c. They took nearly a minute at furthest range to hit the ships, yet there were thousands of projectiles, and they packed one hell of a punch. If it was just those weapons, Kelu would’ve taken a lot of damage, but he would’ve gotten to Parnmal. The heavy hitting rail gun cannons were the least of Kelu’s problems—the laser batteries were.
He didn’t know how Parnmal had come up with it, but the lasers were a full magnitude more powerful than Kelu had seen on the Lady’s fleet Man o’ Wars. Plus, they didn’t have the issue of range. Their shots landed at the speed of light and hit with nearly the power of the rail gun rounds, yet they took longer between each shot.
Add in the fact that these weapon systems had dedicated defense systems, or DS, it made them as hard as a third line ship to take down, but with the hitting power of a single second line ship, and there were fifty of them Kelu was reading.
They were forcing his hand, and he knew it. He growled as another rail gun round hit his shields.
“Shields to seventy-five.”
“Order all ships to attack Parnmal.”
“Captain?”
“You heard me!” Anger at how he’d been played by the Free Fleet was in his voice.
“Tell them the first pirate gets their share and a half.” He saw his own helmsman begin yelling at navigation for the quickest route. Hopefully, the chaos would help.
“Lubts has been destroyed, Aeriph has ejected their reactor.”
Both second liners. “Keep the second liners attacking along the route; those with ten kills will get their share and a quarter.”
The incentives seemed to work as the entire fleet began accelerating and clawing their way towards Parnmal. It would take time to build up velocity, and at maximum thrust and braking it would take six hours to reach Parnmal.
“I have a hole jump confirmation in the outer system, Sdigk’s engines are out, and her shields are going down.”
Shit, first liner. “Tell me only the stuff I need to know. The jump limit is twenty one hours away if we were at full thrust!” I need a new sensor officer.
Kelu watched as a further three second liners went down.
“Inner system jump!” Kelu whipped around to the sensor pit. No one does inner system jumps! It was suicide and the math was too hard for an inorganic to compute! What idiot would throw away their force like that!
“We have unidentified objects four million kilometers away!”
“To my armrest,” Kelu said and the scans were passed to him. The hell are those? Asteroids?
The objects were asteroids, yet they were reading as having power and thrust, and they had just completed a wormhole transition.
“They’re above our acceleration already and gaining speed; they’ll be on us in an hour.”
“What are these asteroid ships weapon capabilities?”
“Seems there are no weapons on their exterior.”
“Re-scan and prepare for missile barrage.” Kelu felt anger as his plot changed once again. Shit.
Chapter Then Come the Surprises
“How is our extra plating holding up?” I asked as I checked the formation and status of every ship. Battle Cruiser Forsut had hit an asteroid when clearing the wormhole horizon, cracking her structural spine. Yet the addition of the asteroid armor was helping the ship to maintain some integrity as she flew out of the line of battle and around to Parnmal. I glanced at the casualty list of fifty dead and twenty-three wounded. With the lack of personnel in the Free Fleet, it meant we lost less people, but it also meant we knew one another a lot better than a larger military.
Though, I didn't have time to worry about that now.
My face was stone as Krat reported.
“All plating fleet-wide is holding,” he reported.
“They’re turning to cross our T,” Walf reported.
“Good.”
“Ben, Vort, have thrust plans and times to everyone in the fleet. Remind them to be around an acceleration couch.”
I waited as the timer went down, the asteroids strapped to my hulls wearing away, yet they were still solid metal and rock and no less than a hundred meters thick.
Twenty minutes to go. I had Vort open a channel to Monk.
“James?” he asked, his voice calming as ever.
“ We're going to put on a show. When we do, you are weapons free.”
“Underst
ood.” Others might have asked what he meant, but Monk and Salchar trusted one another completely.
“Why are they holding their missiles back?” Milra asked through clenched teeth. Piloting the Resilient had improved with the new power plants and the fixes to the old engines, but the added plating mass was a big issue. It also covered most of the positioning thrusters.
“They want to use them to crack Panrmal,” Marleen supplied.
They're firing in barrages,” Walf said as the Syndicate's fire became routine. “Fifteen minutes,” he continued.
I tapped my fingers on my armrest twice before pressing a button on the rest, connecting me to the rest of the fleet. “Everyone to their acceleration couches,” I said. In minutes everyone was ready.
“Release plating, reverse thrust,” I said as Vort communicated this to the other ships. The cabling which had bound the asteroids to Resilient was released, thrusters fired across the ship, pushing the asteroid away. Every other ship was doing the same, turning to apply braking thrust, battle suits across the fleet injected drugs to make our bodies able to handle the stress as we grunted and groaned at the weight. Yet our training did us well. We had all been subjected to gravities of up to two-point-five of Earth's. We were at seven and quickly going down, as our bodies couldn't maintain that for more than a few seconds.
I watched as the plating fell away, still at the speeds that the ships had been going at, which had been a fair speed even with only thirty minutes of acceleration.
Thrusters fired on the plating from our side, missiles embedded in the asteroid accelerated the asteroid's even more.
Missile pods, also hidden underneath the asteroids, released their loads which cleared the asteroid and began accelerating for the Syndicate fleet.
“Fire two barrages of missiles,” I said as Marleen relayed to her gunners, Vort communicating to the other ships. “I want them two minutes behind the asteroids.”
I felt the ship belch as missiles launched.
Coming Home (Free Fleet Book 2) Page 32
