"This site was chosen more than four months ago as the regrouping location for any ships in this sector. And now, for some unexpected reason, there has been a major shift."
Her hands moved quickly, tagging various objects for the crew to assess, while constantly checking the route through the debris. Even she was surprised at the density of the Cluster.
It is certainly ideal as a discreet location for a fleet rendezvous. Assuming anybody else made it.
Captain Galanos looked back at the external feeds and watched a large chunk of matter drift by. None came to within even a hundred kilometres of their ship, but in space that was effectively point blank range. What confused her was why so much had changed since the Alliance survey ships made the same trip. She ran her hands on the approach path and shook her head.
"Wait a minute."
A quick twist of her neck brought her around to face a smaller display. In the middle was a list of known ships in the area, their last recorded location, and the projected routes they would take to reach the Arnos Cluster. Two in particular should have travelled through this exact same location. Even as she looked, a sickening feeling crept up into her stomach.
"You'd think something new and violent occurred out here before we arrived. Like a..."
It became immediately obvious to her, and for a few seconds, she was unable to speak as the magnitude of what might have happened occurred to her.
"I want all sensors on. Give me a full tactical and chemical assessment of the immediate area. What exactly as we moving through?"
The small cadre of officers returned to their systems and began the painstaking task of setting parameters for the myriad of sensors. Using them would announce their presence to any ship in the area but would also find anything hidden, right down to the size of a human-sized object. Object penetrating radar could even provide the detailed shape and makeup of the most damaged and irregular shapes, and then each piece would be crosschecked and analysed by the computer.
"Anything?"
The ship continued on its course, the helmsman making constant corrections as they past the drifting field of debris. Captain Galanos looked at the vertical tactical display in silence. The secondary screens showed objects in all directions, none appeared more than rock or ice. Then Engineer Newman spoke, and everything changed.
* * *
Alliance Armoured Assault Ship 'ANS Relentless'
Fighter Control Suite
Nate sat in silence waiting for orders. His five comrades were in exactly the same position, but there was no talking or idle conversation. Nate was busy running through the checklists for the fifth time in a row. There was a lot to manage with the drone, from power usage and armour settings, through to fuel burns rates and trim controls. The majority could be left on automatic, but the last thirty-six hours had shown even a few minor tweaks could make the difference between adequate performance and victory.
The drones had been in this position for only a few minutes when the klaxon sounded. An image of Captain Galanos popped up in the corner of the video overlay.
"This is the Captain. Brace for immediate deceleration. Our target destination has experienced a change in dispersion pattern. I repeat, brace for immediate deceleration."
The image vanished just as quickly as it had arrived, and once again Nate was on his own. Strapped into the seat, it was almost impossible for there to be any kind of an issue for him, no matter how hard the deceleration was. The inertial system was coupled to the gravitometric generators, and that would take the sting out of the enormous pressures against the ship's hull. Even so, there was still the chance the immense energies could throw the flight cadets about.
Lieutenant Higgins' voice returned, and for a moment, Nate did not even realise the man was speaking, so entranced was he by the amounts of data coming at him from all directions.
Wake up, you fool! Get with it.
"Pilots. As you heard, we are slowing down, and it's happening fast. Make your final checks and wait for my command."
Nate licked his lips with anticipation. They could be just seconds away from a launch now, and as he waited, he imagined the myriad of scenarios that could occur upon leaving the ship. Images of dogfighting with enemy fighters through to capital ship engagements appeared and vanished with equal speed. At the same time, he went through the checklist, just as requested by the Lieutenant. It was all second nature now, but he forced himself to reread every section. Routine bred laziness and could result in mistakes, and they had been reminded time and time again what would happen if they got anything wrong.
Waiting, always waiting!
Nate had heard that was always the worst part, and now that he was ready for combat, he finally understood what they were talking about. Sitting inside the drone, and with no access to the outside world, was becoming frustrating. With his helmet fitted and the computer active, he was completely cut off from the interior of the ship. Unless he thought hard about his situation, it was easy to visualise himself sitting inside the drone, as though he was the pilot of a Lightning fighter.
The wait went on for seconds, and then minutes. The forward display through the virtual cockpit showed nothing outside of the fighter other than dorsal hangar doors leading out onto the flattop launching deck. When fully equipped with a full quota of spacecraft it was useful to have multiple launch and landing points. It would be possible to conduct both launch and resupply operations from the exterior of the ship, on what looked like a conventional flattop. The flank hangar doors could then be sealed against possible attacks.
Four of the Avenger drones waited inside the ship, sitting patiently on their ramps, but not these two. The fighters controlled by Nate and Billy were on the interceptor ramps, just waiting for the signal to launch. Each fighter was fully fuelled, as Lieutenant Higgins had promised, and loaded and armed for combat. Then the face of the Lieutenant popped up once more, and this time his expression had changed. At the same time, the outer doors opened up to reveal the blackness of space. At least that’s what Nate expected to see. Instead it was a collection of shapes rushing past at great speed. It was as though they were hurtling through a dust cloud.
"We're heading through a thick curtain of dust, ice, and debris. I need two of you to guide us through. This is for Crusader Three and Four."
The mapping orb updated to show the objects around the ship. Nate moved his eyes and tagged various objects, quickly orientating himself. He could see the path they were taking and the nearest large objects. It was a much denser field than they were told to expect.
"There's something else," said Lieutenant Higgins.
Nate knew that tone even after the few days he'd spent aboard the ship. The officer rarely showed any form of emotion, but this was one Nate had seen during their final escape from the Byotai starbase, an event that now seemed months or even years ago.
"Scanners show ship plating debris of unknown origin. There appears to have been combat here at some point. It could be a coincidence, or the sign of something much more serious."
"Sir," said Nate, "Is it wise to continue to the destination vector under these circumstances?"
Lieutenant Higgins looked just as pained as he answered the obvious question.
"Son, we have no choice anymore. Relentless is down to twenty percent fuel reserves. We were only half fuelled at the Mognathus 7 Starbase. Expenditure during the escape, as well as leaks from the battle, has left us weakened."
A number of icons flashed up, one large one marking the final destination of the carrier. A dotted line moved back to the ship, along with multiple course corrections required to make it through while avoiding the many objects in the path.
"We need the replenishment ships and pilots. Moreover, if we're to have any chance of reaching the Spacebridge and getting to Alliance space, we will need to obtain every single ounce. Don't forget, the replenishment ships include mobile refineries."
The lights came on one at a time, and each identified how close Nate
was to launching out into space. He might have been locked away securely in the Flight Control Suite, but at that very moment, his mind told him he was in the fighter, and every part of his body believed it.
"I've prepared a series of waypoints. It's a standard zigzag pattern, just like you've practised. Clear the field, and make sure we have a safe route through. I'll be watching your back from here."
"Yes, Sir."
The final red light deactivated and was replaced by a flashing amber one. Nate counted down mentally, and then it turned green. His heart lurched with anticipation. In that brief moment, he knew his life would never be the same again. The final doors slid open quickly, their powerful motors performing the entire action in less than a second. Nate was greeted with the view of the wide flattop deck. The large section was marked out with flashing lights, and it instantly took him back to playing with toy ships as a child.
A real carrier!
A beaming grin appeared on his face, and his eyes raised and looked out into space.
"Launch!"
There was no physical stimulus from the launch into space, but he still shuddered as the drone was blasted off the ramp via the electromagnetic launch rails. There was no sound as the drones exited the ship, and the fighters’ engines didn't even activate until they were a hundred metres from the outer hull. As they moved away, the launch sleds slowly retracted into their waiting state inside the ship. Both sliding outer doors moved back to their closed position and within a few more seconds, the ship secured.
None of this mattered to Nate. He was out of the warship and in space for the first time, and he already knew he loved it. A quick glance to his right showed the shape of Crusader Four, Billy's designation for his Avenger drone. They were barely a hundred metres apart, and already it was proving difficult to make out the features on the other drone's hull. The only illumination came from several nearby stars, as well as the navigation lights on the drones.
"Crusader Three. I am clear of Relentless and on approach to waypoint one."
Billy also reported in as the pair of fighters accelerated out in front of the assault ship. Nate activated his onboard sensors, as well as starting the electronic countermeasures unit. The drone was equipped with a variety of defensive measures, one able to project false magnetic patterns around them, effectively creating ghosts for enemy sensors.
"Reconnaissance mode activated. We're starting our sweep."
Eight bright flashes marked the position of the Anthros movable engine outlets. Each accelerated the drones well away from the ship in a matter of seconds. With no physical crew on board, they could accelerate without fear of impacting on the biology of the pilot. It took only twenty-three seconds for the fighters to make it to the first waypoint, at a position one hundred and fifty kilometres ahead of the ship. As soon as they passed through the virtual marker, the computer beeped and brought up the next two in sequence.
"We're in position. Area looks clear. Deploying recon buoys...now."
Billy formed up a kilometre away and above Nate. In this position, he could keep an eye on his lead fighter, while being far enough away to avoid making them both easy targets. His computer detected the buoy as it exited a flap on the upper side of Nate's fighter. With a small burst of gas, it vanished from view as the device targeted the nearest asteroid. The unit was fully autonomous and would attach using its integral harpoon unit.
"Moving on," said Nate.
A quick tug on the controls, and the Anthros outlets changed direction and spun the craft around. The speed was astounding, made even more impressive by the corkscrew manoeuvre Nate performed. He was accelerating away as the craft settled on a path to travel through a belt of forty plus objects. Billy came in close behind, with both jinking from side to side to avoid collisions. Every object they passed was scanned by the multiple sensors on board and then tagged as safe. It was a laborious process, but as each minute faded, the number of secure targets increased.
"Nate, are you seeing this?"
Both had spotted the object far off to the left of their present course. While ANS Relentless was making her way ahead, a massive cloud of rock blocked off a large area to the right.
"Yeah, let's check it out."
The two drones flipped over and boosted their engines. Streaks pulsed from the outlets as they accelerated past the rocks and towards an odd-shaped asteroid as big as a space station. Large sections extended out in a bizarre series of towers and spikes. They were forced to separate as they moved in closer, like a pair of skimmers moving through a rugged desert canyon.
"Yeah, stay close and watch your corners. This could be...interesting."
As Nate rounded the first tower, he found himself staring at something odd. There were, of course, all manner of strange rock and ice formations in the Deadlands, but there was something about this particular object that caught his eye.
Artificial, it has to be.
He brought his Avenger in closer and skimmed past the surface, running a series of detailed tests. After he passed the section, he no longer needed the computer. Directly in front was the back half of a Byotai cruiser, and it was embedded into a large structure that could only have been a station of some design. For a second he was lost for words, as more of the shape became apparent. Rock and metal had fused together into a sickening collection of destruction. Another large spiked mountain appeared in front, and a quick blip of power spun him around to move into a safer position.
"Crusader Leader, we've found something."
The communications system made a painful squawking sound, followed by the clear voice of Lieutenant Higgins.
"I have your feed here. It looks like the remains of an outpost."
Nate spotted the shape of Billy's Avenger as it used its multiple engine outlets to alter its position. Both were now moving in a fixed position, allowing them to observe the damage at their leisure. With the flick of a single switch, the forward lamps activated and floodlit the immediate area. Billy did the same, and between them they moved along the surface, checking details as they did so.
"Yes, Crusader Leader, I concur."
Nate then tagged multiple sections and waited as the computer ran through its database. It didn't take long.
"Sir, the computer has identified Byotai components. Looks like there was trouble out here, and the Byotai paid the price. I have no idea how long ago this happened."
"Understood. Drop a buoy and move to the next waypoint. We're moving through the final layer and to the rendezvous. Don't hang around. We need you there, and fast. I'm deploying Crusader One and Two to watch our rear. I don't want anybody sneaking up on us."
"Understood, Sir."
Nate waggled his wings and then spun about, performing a one-eighty spin before activating all of the eight engine outlets. Billy followed right behind as they travelled between asteroids, still continually checking for possible signs of danger. It wasn't just wreckage or even ambushing ships; there were also possible mines or defence turrets left behind by other ships. With Relentless so low on resources, they could take no chances.
"Here we go, follow me."
Nate burst out from the dust cloud that found him looking out into a large open space, surprisingly clear of debris. Far off into the distance was a massive asteroid upon which an entire space station had been constructed, and a short distance away several vessels.
"Wait, we've got something."
Nate tagged each of them, but this time Billy's computer finished first.
"Alliance ships, we've found them!"
Nate shook his head with surprise. One by one the computer identified the silhouettes and then the individual parts of the ships. At first the possibility of a match was only marginal, but with each moment passing, the percentage chance increased until finally reaching a hundred percent.
Alliance ships! I never thought we'd find them out here. I really didn't.
"My computer confirms Crusader Four's assessment. It's the fleet. I am detecting a naviga
tion beacon in the area."
Nate looked backwards to see the distant shape of ANS Relentless moving through the final wall of dust and debris. This far away it was like she was pushing through a waterfall, even though little of the dust was anywhere near her. Powerful lamps fitted all around the ship activated. The units switched on and then swivelled about to highlight anything nearby. As he turned back, he spotted Billy wagging his wing.
"We've made it, Crusader Three. I can't believe it."
Nate smiled while still shaking his head. He looked ahead and at the shape of four ships in a holding pattern next to the station.
Yes, we did, Billy. Yes, we did.
A slight movement against background betrayed the position of Rex's fighter. Nate altered his viewing mode. The other two fighters were far off to the right, slightly behind Relentless. He might not have been a great fan of Rex, but knowing he and Jack were also out there gave him a warm glow inside. It was something akin to confidence. He grinned and imagined an enemy fighter trying to come near them.
Let them just try it. We're ready.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Fleet Rendezvous, Arnos Cluster
Flight Control Suite, Two hours later
Lieutenant Higgins watched the holographic model floating above the command pit. Coloured shapes showed the positions of all the different vessels in the area. Though Captain Galanos commanded the ship from the CIC, he’d been forced to take on the role of drone commander as well as CAG. Luckily, the high-speed internal communications system rendered the difference in distance to be unimportant. As he looked over to the occupied pods, he realised he was effectively alone. It was a lonely job, but right now that didn't particularly bother him.
ANS Relentless was now less than a thousand kilometres from the Alliance ships, and he was beginning to feel uncomfortable. There was still no contact from them, and with every second that passed, their escape became more difficult. Fuel supplies were at the limit, and in theory they would be hard pressed to travel for even a few more hours. The last deceleration had burnt much more fuel than intended. This should not have been an issue, but after escaping with limited supplies, they were now at breaking point. He activated the communications unit, and the image of Captain Galanos appeared in the middle of the pit.
Star Crusader: Hero of the Alliance Page 19
