Fallen Empire: Discovery and Flight (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Choi and Watson Book 2)

by Matthew Quinn

The torpedoes continued their dive toward the retreating Imperial cruiser. The waves of defensive fire grew more intense. Geun threw the fighter to the left, catching on his outermost shields an e-cannon burst that would have ended him if it'd been more direct.

  The Sherran Moon was now the rearmost point in a triangle, with Teravia and Kir's Fall forming the other points. The other Alliance squadrons and the Freedom's Fire continued their attack runs. Torpedoes dove for the battlecruiser and the cruiser, only to fall victim just as quickly to waves of flak. The Alliance fighters danced and weaved amid the beams that sought their lives, but one by one they blew up or simply disintegrated. Two of Geun's pilots, Raptor Six and Raptor Seven, were among them. Geun swore. Jack Robeson and Victor Norrell, both from Arkadius like Jackie. He'd played Pits and Perils with them one night when they were all off-duty.Norrell was a cleric like he’d been, with Robeson as a bard. Bodhisattvas, take them as close to nirvana as you can.

  "Raptor and Dragon Squadrons, join the attack on the Teravia!" Geun ordered. He shifted his own fire onto the other Imperial cruiser, the enemy's bow shields catching his blows. Two Raptors who hadn't unleashed their torpedoes did so, three blue-white spears hurtling toward the enemy heavy. The Teravia's defensive batteries sliced two of the three torpedoes into their component atoms before they reached the shields. The third torpedo detonated on the bow shields. When the flash cleared and Geun's protective canopy shroud faded, he saw cracks in the cruiser's hull, but no gas seeping out. He swore.

  Geun signaled Wills. "Raptor and Dragon Squadrons are out of torpedoes." Raptor Eight bit the dust a moment later. That one had been added to his roster so recently Geun had never even met him before they went out that day. "We're taking critical losses." If they all massed their fire on one spot on the Teravia's shields or hull, they might be able to score a breakthrough on something important. But they probably wouldn't be escaping from the flak storm alive.

  Red light flashed in the Striker's cockpit. Geun took the fighter into another spiral. The schematic on his console showed bright red at the end of his left wing. A stolen glance showed the tip neatly sheared off. It was already uncomfortably warm in the cockpit. Heat disperser must be damaged.

  Wills anticipated Geun's request. "Lieutenant Choi, permission to retreat granted. They can afford to lose a cruiser, but we can't afford to lose pilots and planes."

  Assuming we could manage even that." Aye aye sir."

  Geun passed along Wills' orders to the other Raptor and Dragon pilots. Nose rockets flared and the fighters looped away from the enemy heavies. The few remaining torpedoes died or detonated harmlessly against the capital ships' shields as the fighters hurtled away. The temperature began to fall within Geun's cockpit. He looked at his LIDAR. The Alliance fighter force had begun retreating in good order. His heart sank at how few were coming back. Five squadron of ten fighters each had gone out that day, with only the barest minimum left to defend the actual base. It looked like the Imperials had destroyed two complete squadrons' worth. At least the Freedom's Fire was pulling away along with them, bringing up the rear and keeping the fire going on the Imperial heavies.

  "Breathe," Geun whispered. "Breathe." Death was an inevitable part of life, another turn along the wheel toward nirvana. "They have done what is skillful." Despite the Imperial tricks, they'd wiped the floor with the enemy's fighter component and destroyed most of the frigate force. "They have given protection to those in fear." The convoy raiding had reduced the Imperials' ability to repair or replace lost or damaged ships, limited the government's ability to torment its subjects. "They have not done what was evil, savage, or cruel." He hadn't known many of the pilots that well — he still needed to work on that — but the Alliance didn't tolerate petty cruelty in its ranks the way the Empire did. Their karma would speed them on to better worlds, or even unto nirvana itself. One more turn of the wheel.

  Then a LIDAR ping disrupted his concentration. Another and another. Geun looked to his console. The Imperials were pursuing!

  Chapter Six

  Tammy continued accelerating, the engines straining perilously close toward the red lines. If the Alliance fighters couldn't break contact, they were dog meat. E-cannon fire continued pouring from the cruisers. Behind her and to the left, another Alliance Striker disintegrated beneath a storm of killing energies.

  "Wills!" she called out. "A little help here!"

  There was no answer for a long moment. Tammy whispered a prayer to the Suns Trinity. First Heller, then the CAG? They didn't need to be leaderless, not now.

  "Raptor Two, this is Swordfish One," Brad's voice boomed in the cockpit. Tammy felt the weight of a ship-killing torpedo lifting off her shoulders. She'd been too busy to worry most of the fight, but was glad Brad was still alive. "Captain Wills' Striker is disabled. I'm not sure who is in command now, but I've got Swordfish Three and Swordfish Four with me." A smile crept into his voice. "Need a little help?"

  "Oh do we!" Tammy swallowed. Wouldn't Brad and his wingmen be in the same position? "Have you broken contact?"

  "Yes we have." His voice darkened. "But it cost us. We can still get you guys out."

  Ahead of the retreating Raptor and Dragon squadrons, a pair of Strikers and one fleet runner flipped back toward the oncoming Imperials. Their drives flared behind them as they rocketed back toward their fleeing allies. Torpedoes leaped away, streaking toward the remaining trio of oncoming Imperial capital ships like blue-white spears. The storm of red and orange consuming the fleeing Strikers reoriented to devour the incoming ordinance. Torpedoes pirouetted through the electric rage like the system's most skilled ballet dancers, but one by one the torpedoes fell to the Imperial flak. The final torpedo bloomed against the Kir's Fall's shields. Tammy drew a breath. Would that...?

  No it wouldn't. When the blue-white fire dissipated she could just barely make out a spiderweb of cracks all along the battlecruiser's armored prow. No gas leaks. No major dents. No significant damage. Shit.

  Tammy looked to her console. The latest Alliance attack hadn't done much to the enemy, but it had slowed them down. Bit by frustrating bit, the gap between the fleeing Alliance fighters and the oncoming Imperial heavies grew. Whew. If they could break contact, they could rearm with what few torpedoes remained at the asteroid base and then support the remaining bastions against them. Make them pay for every rock in their path and hopefully bleed them into retreating if not destroy them outright.

  The Imperial capital ships continued on. Tammy kept her eyes locked on her LIDAR display. A scowl curdled her face. "They're starting to gain on us," she warned Geun.

  "I know." Frustration had begun to seep through Geun's usual calm. "They must be red-lining their engines. Risking engine failure to catch a few fighters?"

  "They must be really pissed about the Achilles and Sarpedon."

  Wills' voice broke onto the circuit. "All remaining fighters, I want you on this course." A series of coordinates appeared on Tammy's display. "Let them pursue you."

  Tammy looked at the vector the CAG had provided. It would take them through a gap between two asteroids. The gap was big enough that the enemy could pursue them. Maybe the asteroids are mined. That'd give the Imperials quite a shock. "Aye aye sir."

  She brought her Striker onto the prescribed course. All around her, many other Alliance fighters did the same. She winced. Far too few remained of the ones that had gone out a few hours earlier. And behind them, like sharks pursuing minnows, came the Imperial heavies and the damaged frigate.

  "Suns Trinity," she whispered. "Suns Trinity, let whatever the CAG had planned work." The Suns Trinity answered with silence. She wished she still had her Rioters. The Triple Suns spoke to her then, her consciousness expanded so she could hear them. Instead she only had Psilex, so low a dose that she wouldn't have flashbacks at inconvenient times. The gods were silent now. Breathe. Geun’s calming techniques helped. She looked at her LIDAR. The enemy was still coming.

  A LIDAR ping echoed through her silent cockp
it. Another. Then another. Oh gods, the Imperials were onto her. Breathe. She fed more power into her engines, putting more and more distance between herself and the oncoming Imperial fleet. Her Striker shook. "Damn it!"

  "Tammy!" Geun shouted over the channel.

  "I'm fine! I'm alive!" Tammy replied. She looked at her Striker's schematics. Not much green, but a whole lot of yellow. Thank the Suns Trinity not much red either. "A lot of superficial damage, but that's it." Whatever the enemy had thrown at her had punched through her rear shields and lashed her exhaust ports. The engines weren't affected, but the Striker would probably need an examination when it got back to base.

  Tammy threaded her Striker through the gap between the two asteroids, the other Strikers surrounding her in the narrow space. Now would be a good time for the Imperial to toss torpedoes their way.

  Several smaller, faster contacts shot away from the leading Imperial cruiser on her LIDAR. She kicked herself mentally. Suns Trinity, why did I just have to jinx it?

  "The Freedom's Fire's taking care of the torpedoes," Brad said over the network. "And we've got other friends here. Don't worry, keep flying."

  "Thanks Brad."

  It wasn't much longer until the Strikers were through the gap. The frigate soon followed, a little worse for wear thanks to a near-miss from an Imperial torpedo.

  "Flip and fire!" Wills ordered. "Target the Sherran Moon, all of you!"

  Tammy flipped her fighter, putting her damaged rear out of immediate danger. She opened up with her blazers, her beams joining dozens of others from the remaining fighters, the battered Freedom's Fire, and some previously-concealed batteries atop one of the asteroids. They stabbed the Imperial cruiser as it approached the gap. Its shields flickered. At this range they weren't doing much damage, but it might give them Imperial second thoughts about following them.

  Suddenly the cruiser jerked in mid-space. It tilted upward, as though something was pulling it in an unaccustomed direction. Its primary drive and maneuvering rockets flared. The cruiser struggled against something invisible. A grab-beam. She frowned. If only they'd kept some torpedoes in reserve, this would be the perfect opportunity.

  Then blue-white explosions flashed halfway up one of the asteroids. Enormous pieces of rock flew free in all directions. Some tumbled into the gap between the two asteroids, shattering against the far wall and filling the vast space with lethal debris. Most headed in the direction of the Imperial cruiser. The Sherran Moon struggled against the grab-beam as the flying rocks hurtled its way. Whatever was holding the cruiser abruptly released it, just in time for the wave of stone to strike home. Its flaring shields shrouded the enemy from view for long stretches. Tammy held her breath. Would the shields hold? The Achilles and the Sarpedon hadn't taken this much punishment. The Imperials must've learned from their mistakes and supercharged the shield generators somehow. If the enemy battered its way through that, the fighters would have to retreat to the nearest bastions and hope they'd bought the Marines enough time to set up something lethal.

  Then the shields went out. Rocks began slamming into ahridium armor. The cruiser's e-cannon shredded some of the oncoming debris, but more and more tore into its flesh. Rockets flared on the cruiser's nose. It rose and backtracked at the same time, pulling out of the wave of shattered asteroid. Gas vented from a thousand wounds. Slowly the rockets began to wink out. Something was broken inside the cruiser, hopefully something that couldn't be fixed.

  ***

  Alvarez barely restrained her jaw from dropping. What in the name of the singularity hell of the Suns Trinity had just happened? Captain Lewis had reported from the Sherran Moon that they’d just gotten the hull breaches sealed. Why in the hell did he of all people get the idea of being a glory hound?

  “Sherran Moon, this is Admiral Alvarez aboard the Kir’s Fall. Is anybody there?”

  There was no immediate response from the bridge, nor from the backup command center. Alvarez swore again. Thanks to Lewis’s stupidity, the Alliance might well have just destroyed another capital ship. And on her watch too! Although the bulk of the blame would no doubt fall on Lewis, she was in overall command and sometimes the shit did flow uphill.

  Her gaze wandered over to her console. Carver was at one of the gun batteries, where he’d been for some time. Hopefully he was keeping the sailors from panicking at the possibility they’d be the next to get killed because somebody blundered.

  “Hail the Teravia,” she ordered the bridge’s communications officer. “Nobody’s responding on the Sherran Moon and there might be more traps out there.”

  ***

  Cheers erupted all over the squadron's frequency. "They're bugging out!" Brad shouted. "Look at them!"

  Look she did. The battlecruiser, the remaining hale cruiser, and the damaged frigate pulled back, using their combined grab beams to pull the ruined cruiser along with them. Watson grinned. The grab beams could hold a damaged craft together, but it would take extreme coordination among all three ships to pull that off. Hopefully somebody at the controls would make a mistake and the Sherran Moon would disintegrate.

  "We've beaten them and we've been bloodied ourselves," Brad continued. "Let's get the hell out of here before they change their minds."

  Tammy watched as the Imperials continued to pull away. Her finger slid down the joystick to the button that would launch her one remaining torpedo, the one she'd somehow not fired earlier.A feral grin crossed her face. She'd lost another friend today, and she'd make the bastards pay for it.

  ***

  Geun watched as the surviving fighters flipped and began rocketing back toward the base. Only Tammy's fighter continued to float in space, nose pointed toward the retreating Imperial formation like a bloodhound on a scent. He resisted the urge to accelerate toward her. They didn't need to put two fighters at risk outside the formation.

  One of Tammy’s torpedoes hurtled like a javelin toward the enemy. "Tammy!" he nearly shouted. One torpedo was just flak bait. The Alliance didn't have enough torpedoes to start with, and the squadrons based in the Kir redoubt had used up most of their stock fighting off the attack. Tammy was looking at a reprimand if not worse when they returned.

  Then he saw the torpedo shifting course. It hurtled toward the outer edge of one of the two giant asteroids protecting them from the Imperials. The Imperials had shotgunned an asteroid into the oncoming Imperial fighters and the Alliance had done the same not long after. Now it seemed Tammy was getting into the game. He smiled despite himself. Blue-white light flashed as the torpedo detonated. He couldn't quite see the results of her handiwork, but the LIDAR showed the remaining Imperial forces picking up their acceleration. The wrecked cruiser and the damaged frigate jerked. Tammy had just bloodied their nose a little bit. Good. Hopefully Tammy's trick would do more than just superficial damage to the enemy. Every extra hour, every extra day those ships had to be in the yards for repair meant they couldn't hurt any more innocents or hurt the Alliance. And every Imperial sailor or officer killed was one more who couldn't inflict misery on others.

  Geun's smile faded. She was supposed to have launched all the torpedoes during the attack run. He hoped to the Buddha and all the bodhisattvas that this wasn't something drug-induced. It was time to be First Lieutenant — more realistically Acting Captain — Choi, not Tammy's friend Geun. "Lieutenant Watson," he began on a channel only Tammy could hear. "Explain why you still had a torpedo left."

  There was silence on the other end. Geun frowned. That's what I was afraid of. The Alliance could not, would not, become the totalitarian machine the Imperial Navy was, but a fighter squadron without discipline was a flying mob. Orders had to be obeyed, although he wasn't sure one torpedo would have made that much of a difference in the battle.

  Finally Tammy responded. "I...I don't know. Sir. I thought I'd fired them all during the battle. Then I found I had one left and decided to use it on a target of opportunity."

  Geun pondered her words. She didn't sound like she was having a flas
hback or if she'd relapsed. "Let's hope the CAG understands. Now let's go home."

  Geun hoped Wills wouldn't have her drug-tested.

  Chapter Seven

  Tammy’s fighter came to a stop beside another Striker that looked very much the worse for wear. She took one look at it and winced. One wing was shattered and chewed, as though it had just had a hot date with flying rock. There was plenty of that going around. One engine block had vast chunks missing, sliced away with surgical precision. Vast swathes of the fighter’s hull looked to have been simply melted. Blazers. Other fighters down the line looked banged up, but this was the worst of all.

  Her heart pushed into her chest. That couldn’t be Brad’s fighter, since he’d ordered the retreat home. And it couldn’t be Geun’s, since they’d talked on the way back.

  A bunch of other pilots and deck crew rushed to the wounded fighter. Amid the crowd was a tall man with hair the color of coffee with too much milk. Brad! If he was running pell-mell across the hangar along with the deck crew something bad must be happening. She popped her canopy and dropped to the stone floor of the hangar deck, not waiting for the ladder.

  By the time she got close to the battered fighter, two mechanics were already winching the canopy open. Brad stood behind them on the ladder. “Br—Captain Tomich!” she called out. Always remember protocol. He’s only ‘Brad’ when we’re together. “Who’s that?”

  “The CAG!” he called down. “I had to tow him until the repair guys got him in!”

  Tammy’s eyes widened. Wills had commanded the retreat and the crippling of the Sherran Moon in that? The two mechanics pulled the CAG out. His flight jacket was dark with blood and the little skin she could see was scorched red. She winced. Not only was his ship wrecked, but the man himself was a mess.

  “Corpsman!” a woman shouted. “Corpsman, we’ve got a hurt man here!” Tammy’s gaze snapped in the direction of the sound. It was a tall woman with red-brown hair and lieutenant’s bars on her jacket. She pointed toward the damaged fighter. Two men rushed forward carrying a stretcher. They came to a stop at the base of the ladder, where Brad and the two mechanics carried the CAG down. The tall lieutenant trailed after them.