by Chris Burton
“Yes. They got on well as a pair. It’s a travesty.”
“It is. I am used to looking at my human cargo and trying to avoid making a judgment whether a person will live or die—but not this way. This is just wrong. A Marines life expectancy is actually good at the moment. I guess that will change.”
“And a Jump Ship Pilot?” Jake was interested to hear the officers take on survival rates.
“Good question but you probably don’t want to hear the answer.”
“Go on.”
“Forty percent of new Jump Pilots are killed within their first week in battlefront conditions. Did I hear you were signed off?”
“Yes, for the next month or so. I know life expectancy is not good for Jump Ship pilots but we are likely to be playing a very crucial part in this campaign. Most of us, me included, just want to get out there and fly.”
“It’s a crazy way to earn a living.”
Jake agreed and was about to comment further when Hodges was summoned to the flight deck. Jake returned to his compartment, where the banter and revelry had gone as reality had set in. There was nothing like death for bringing people back to the ground with a bump.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The Antibes
The blue tones of the wormhole and the crimson hue of the Kryl vessels under bellies glowed purple and pink against the orange fireballs that cascaded across the theatre as the Jump Ships continued their battle with the Kryl fighters.
Jake Carter sat at the helm of the Rapier as he awaited final checks and clearance for launch from the Viceroy. This was altogether unexpected. The shuttle had docked within the cavernous gulley’s of the main hanger bay, four hours earlier, following a treacherous last few hours of their journey. They had arrived in the system, just as the battle had escalated and with only basic shielding and ineffective weaponry, they were at the mercy of any Kryl vessel that came across them. They were allocated two Hunter Jump Ships, both of which was lost along the way and had resorted to hiding behind one of the larger cruisers until a safer passage had allowed them to cross to the comparative safety of the main fleet and to the protection of the Viceroy. The pilots had done well; they probably should not have made it.
On disembarking the shuttle, Jake was shepherded to the CAG information room, where he was told he could either sit tight or wait for the next terminus shuttle to transport him to the Antibes or pilot a Jump Ship, which was scheduled to join the Antibes small JS group. The terminus shuttle was not a palatable option in the midst of battle and he might have to have wait up to forty-eight hours before he could depart. The Jump Ship option was the obvious solution, albeit that he had to try to avoid combat.
The Rapier 7 was cleared for launch five minutes later and within fifteen seconds, Jake had launched in free space as a qualified pilot for the first time. After three weeks of discomfort, boredom and restrictive movement, he was suddenly back where he wanted to be.
The feeling of freedom did not last long, as three Kryl fighters intercepted his position and locked on. Jake was forced to take evasive action. As he sent the Rapier into vertical spirals, first one way and then the other to shake off the enemy vessels, his knee rubbed against the side of the cockpit. It was already starting to hurt.
He managed to shake free from the first two fighters and was pleased to see the third was engaged in a battle with a Hunter. Jake wanted to engage the other two fighters but his flight clearance status was quite clear: do not engage the enemy unless in a defensive capacity. This though was a rule to be stretched, especially given his current predicament. In the end, the decision was made for him, as the first of the two Kryl fighters achieved missile lock. It’s do or die, he thought, as he took evasive action and swept towards the cover of the nearest cruiser before releasing chaff as he pulled up. The chaff did not divert the missile, but the plasma weaponry bursts from the cruiser did.
Now he could concentrate on the Kryl, he thought, before reminding himself once again of his flight status. He was actually heading back towards the Viceroy, rather than picking out the Antibes.
As he adjusted his heading, the two Kryl fighters returned to Jake’s tail. He had to do something, before they achieved missile lock. The Kryl had the power to outrun him, but he had the edge on maneuverability. Now was the time to prove it.
Jake passed control from his visor to the stick, pulled the ship up, almost vertically, and accelerated briskly, before yoking back and then pulling the sharpest achievable turn to the left at maximum G. The Kryl out accelerated the Rapier as anticipated, but could not follow the sharp turn of the Jump Ship, allowing Jake to pull in behind. That was simple enough. Now for a Steve special. He adjusted the ailerons to a seventy-five degree incline and applied upward pressure. This forced the ship to rise vertically on a horizontal plane. He was above them.
They were operating in a wing man formation which was perfect, as he was about to fly right through the middle of them from top to bottom. He pulled the stick down, exerted downward pressure on the nose, and then allowed the power to come off slowly to create the right angle of descent. He applied his thrusters and fired up his afterburners. Maximum power. Jake forced the Rapier down splitting the two Kryl fighters and hitting the first with his plasma cannons. The vessel disintegrated as it tried to avoid his cannon fire and ploughed straight into the shields of a large cruiser. The second fighter was back on his tail but Jake responded immediately by applying reverse thrust and allowing the Kryl vessel to go shooting by—straight into the path of his plasma cannon. Job done!
The Jump Pilot returned control to his visor and applied the NAVCOM. There was no immediate threat from the Kryl and the Antibes was in sight. What a way to start a tour!
* * * *
Jake was led straight from his Rapier to the debriefing room, where the Assistant CAG had just pulled down an analysis of his flight.
“Pretty impressive for a rookie. I wasn’t expecting our Rapier to come in damaged though.”
“Just a few scratches and some plasma bursts. I tried to avoid trouble, but it’s pretty crazy out there.”
“Need to get that leg checked out. We need you on the active list ASAP.”
“I am non-combat only for the next few weeks.”
“You could have fooled me! No matter, you need to report to the CPO section on deck nine, forward four, for accommodation and duty schedule. Turn left as you exit the hangar bay and follow the signs.”
Jake left the hangar and headed up the main corridor, which gently sloped from the bottom of the aft section to the fore deck and the bridge. The CAG officer’s suggestion to follow the signs worked to a point, but Jake asked several crew members for assistance before he finally arrived at the CPO section.
The section chief was off-shift but his subordinate, Petty Officer Martin invited Jake into the office, offered him refreshments and a chair, while he brought up Jake’s schedule.
“You are allocated accommodation on deck six, amidships; Room 406. That is almost exactly below the skippers room, on the deck above, which is probably the safest part of the ship, so that’s a good start. You need to report to the XO at 18.30 hours and the medical center at 19.00 hours. You need to find time to visit your section manager...Lieutenant Poulter, the ships CAG. He is on duty until 1700 hours, so I would suggest you familiarize yourself with your quarters, freshen up and head down there straight away. You should be able to grab a hot meal after that.”
PO Martin then coded Jake’s comms pin and handed it to him.
“This is your security accommodation pass and ships comm. device. You will need to keep it attached to your lapel at all times. That way we can always determine your whereabouts. You have a level three security clearance which means you can go anywhere, apart from the command bridge, engineering or the weaponry rooms.”
Jake listened intently, but the mass of information, was hard to keep on top of.
“Meals are served in the Mess hall. It’s all automated, so just grab your food, fin
d a seat and eat. No set times. You have access to the Officers Mess and to the Senior Officers Mess, but stay clear of the latter, unless you are invited. That is about it. Let’s take a walk, to your quarters.”
The quarters were spartan, but surprisingly spacious. There was no viewing window, which was a disappointment, but there was certainly enough room to spread yourself out. The bed stood to the left of the room, with a terminal and comm. link dock, a chair, a desk, built in cupboards, a refreshment section and a washroom. Overall, Jake was pleased with his first ship bound accommodation and he was glad to be finally alone to give him some ‘time out’ before reporting to the ships CAG. He spent a few minutes unpacking his uniforms and connecting his comm. link and palm top and then showered, dressed his knee wound and changed, before leaving his quarters and heading back to the launch bay.
“Lieutenant Carter, I presume. Simon Poulter, ships CAG. I understand you had an eventful last leg to your transportation.”
“Yes. You could say that.”
“Two kills, before you start your first tour and you are not even authorized for combat duties. I presume that you tried very hard to avoid them?”
Jake was uncertain whether there was a sarcastic tone to Lieutenant Poulter’s voice. He elected to answer formerly.
“They locked onto to me pretty quickly. I tried to shake them loose, but they persisted and the best defense was attack.”
“Sounds like you enjoyed it. Okay. I have you signed off for four more weeks. We will confirm that this evening with the medics. I believe you have an appointment and you are meeting with the XO as well. Commander Holt is a pleasant enough chap, authoritative, but he likes to present a friendly face to our new officers early on. That will contrast with the old man, who is a bit of a stickler. You will meet him soon. The XO asked me to deputize you as an assistant CAG, which I presume is okay?”
“Yes, of course.” Jake was surprised to be asked.
“Assuming your grounded status remains, then an extra pair of hands in here is good news, albeit that I would prefer to use you as a pilot. This place is a hell-hole. We are losing ships and pilots and it is not actually a nice place to be at the moment. We are turning our ships around inside half an hour and our pilots are on 4-4-4 shift patterns, twenty-four hours a day. That is four hours on four hours off and four hours on again and then the same again. Actual combat time can be anything between ten minutes and two hours, but the pilots are already tired and fatal mistakes are being made. We are making mistakes in here too, mostly because of the pressure of the situation and as soon as we can get you up to speed, you will take some of the stress away from me.”
Lieutenant Poulter’s speech was an impassioned one. He was clearly exhausted and under pressure. This was about as tough as it got.
“I will catch on quickly. My flight status should be showing a combat ban only. I should be cleared for non offensive operations.
“Right now, that amounts to the same thing. You are grounded full stop until the medics or the XO or old man say otherwise! That makes it easier for both of us and I can concentrate on getting you trained up.
“Okay, that’s it. Report to duty at eight o’clock sharp tomorrow morning.”
* * * *
Jake arrived at the XO’s quarters, five minutes ahead of his meeting, having eaten and taken the opportunity to familiarize himself further with the ship. To Jake, the Antibes was huge and like the youngest child in a new school, it would take some time to work out which way was up.
“Good to see that a non-combat Jump Pilot has two kills today already! Well done Mister Carter. We consider ourselves lucky to have a high-rated South Downs rookie, even if you are non-combat.
“I will keep this brief.”
Commander Holt was interrupted as the Antibes shook in the aftermath of a large explosion to port.
“As you can see, we are all rather busy at present. I have requested that you deputize as assistant CAG during your flight ban. We will remain in the thick of it for some time to come as the main fleet re-engages outside of the system. It is going to be tough out there Mister Carter and this will be an unpleasant baptism to your career. Keep your feet planted firmly to the floor and above all listen. The hanger bay is a tough place to be and will be very stressful. You are visiting the medic this evening for an update on your flight status?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good. Okay, that is it for now. The CO will want to see you at some stage in the next week. Best to wait until you are summoned. Commander Deguise is old school and likes things to be done by the book.”
Jake was dismissed and he headed back towards his quarters for a few minutes deliberation, before he attended his last meeting of the day.
* * * *
The medical facility was on the top deck. The ships chief medical officer was clearly agitated, but beckoned Jake to an examination table to commence the review.
“Lieutenant Carter, continued damage to tendons, with wounds in the knee area needing further dressing. Let’s have a look.”
The medic removed the dressing and examined Jake’s leg, before applying a hand scanner to the affected area. Your tendons have still not healed correctly and there is new damage, presumably because of your efforts today. Are you in pain?”
“A little. I came across a couple of Kryl fighters on route.”
“Well, you have set yourself back a couple of weeks. If we do not allow this to heal properly, you could have permanent damage, which is not what you need if you are piloting a Jump Ship. We are going to have to extend your ban to a full four weeks. Then we will review and if sufficient healing has taken place, we will give you two weeks’ notice to release the ban. Six weeks in all unless our commanders decide to push you out there. But that will be against medical advice.”
“Is there any way we can bring this forward?”
“No, Lieutenant Carter. The ban stays and you get to live a bit longer.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Fleet Maneuvers
“The Kryl fleet is moving out, Sir. About four thousand vessels have separated from the main fleet
“Excellent. Although we need there to be more. Admiral Haines. I think it might be time to look at moving the Viceroy and the remainder of the task force.”
“And leave Commander Hoskins with fifty ships against six thousand. No, Admiral Shenke. We may need to bring half the fleet back if they do not shed anymore.”
Shenke was angry. He had no intention of leaving Hoskins with so many Kryl vessels still in the system and Haines knew it. Was Haines trying to take over the tactical command?
Shenke decided to assert his authority.
“Let’s just watch and see Admiral Haines. It looks as if this may be working as we anticipated.”
The Fleets Chief Tactical Officer was keeping a watchful brief over the various Kryl movements and had noted a further movement of ships away from the main fleet. His attention was drawn to the outgoing ships.
“Admiral, there has been a further departure of about two thousand vessels and the first two sections are regrouping into smaller splinter fleets.”
“Okay, we know we have to face four thousand ships. If they leave a thousand behind, we will need to bolster Hoskins’s fleet. Let me have more precise numbers when you have them.”
Shenke was restless. Haines’s presence on the Viceroy was distracting. He needed to get rid of him ASAP.
“If we assume for the moment that the splinter groups will not rejoin the main Kryl fleet, then it follows that they do have different targets. Until we know what those targets are, we cannot put up a meaningful defense. We should stick to the original plan, but bolster Hoskins’s force to seventy-five or a hundred ships.”
“I agree in part, but we still have half the fleet here. Let’s keep the status quo until we know for sure.”
“By which time the main Kryl fleet could be attacking our fleet, which is too small to cope. Our priority is protecting the main fleet not the Tr
i-star System. Look Maurice, if I am in charge of tactical movement, my decision should be final.”
“It is my job to oversee to ensure that the decisions you make do not jeopardize the mission. Okay, I accept that we need to stick to the plan, perhaps if we were to leave fifty extra ships here and then reduce this number as the Kryl fleet diminishes, be it by redeployment or otherwise...Thomas, I can see I am getting in the way here. I suggest I take the remainder of the fleet, less about one hundred ships, and the Viceroy. When you are ready and you have determined finitely, where the Kryl will be sending their forces, then you should join us. I will command the main fleet into battle with the Kryl in your absence and will hand over the reins on my arrival.”
Shenke was relieved. Haines did seem to be allowing Shenke to dictate the pace. He just had to be careful, not make mistakes, or give Haines reason to assume control. He just hoped Haines would not try to change his battle strategies too much.
“Okay, Maurice. I will ask for your shuttle to be prepared. You’ll need a JS escort though.”
Fifteen minutes later, Admiral Haines’s shuttle departed the Viceroy, with three Jump Ships to escort. Three minutes out, a single Kryl fighter commenced its pursuit, obtaining lock and engaging its plasma cannons simultaneously. The shuttles shields were knocked out with the first shot, the shuttle exploded after the second. The Kryl had served their intention to attack.
“Admiral Haines shuttle has just been lost. We are coming under heavy plasma fire.”
“Get a recovery team out to the Admiral’s shuttle ASAP. What’s the status?”
“Reports coming in from all over the fleet. The Kryl have engaged everywhere.”
“Go to Blue alert.
Fleet CAG. Launch one thousand additional Jump Ships and deploy against attacking vessels.”
“What’s the status of the other Kryl fleets?”
