Pursuit: Rise Of Mankind Book 5
Page 6
Dane shrugged. “One never knows what one will find in forgotten sectors. It’s best to be prepared. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?”
“No, I think we’re good. Unless you’d like another round of cultural exchange.”
Dane smiled brightly and nodded. “I would. I’ll start, this time with breakfast rituals…”
***
Clea got the message from Gray stating the kielans committed to helping with the salvage operation. She was sitting with her parents in the house, having breakfast. Her mother took her hand gently and brought her back to reality. She hadn’t even realized she’d been staring off into space.
“What is it?”
Clea smiled. “Just thinking about my first combat mission.”
“That was a bad one,” her father said. “You were in the hospital for a few days. Never wanted to talk about it.”
“Do you want to now?” her mother looked worried.
“No, not really. I guess I just didn’t realize how much it effected me. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.”
“Why?” Her father asked. “Any particular reason?”
“I had a crazy dream…and when I woke up, I remembered a bunch of details. The psychologist told me that might happen but after a few years, I figured he was wrong.”
“They rarely are.” Her father squinted at her. “So what are you going to do?”
“I convinced Captain Atwell to take a trip out to the battle site,” Clea said. “We’re going to see if there’s anything to salvage of my old station.”
Her father nodded. “What do you hope to find?”
“A key to helping fight the enemy,” Clea replied. “A way to drive them back maybe…I don’t know. Something about my past so I can put this behind me maybe? But I don’t think I’m that selfish. I genuinely believe I found something while we were on that mission and I want to be sure I explore the option.”
“Then you’re being thorough,” her mother said, “and that’s a good trait.”
“I hope so.” Clea sighed. “I have to go back to the ship tomorrow morning.”
“And you’ll be off?” Her father asked.
Clea nodded.
“Then today, we’ll stay in and be together,” her mother squeezed her hand. “Who knows the next time we’ll see one another?”
“Who indeed?” Clea muttered. “I like that plan, guys. Thank you.”
“Any time, daughter.” Her father patted her shoulder. “Any time.”
***
Gray received access to a library with accounts of space battles conducted by the kielans throughout the war. These were simulations a commander could watch from any angle and study the tactics to better understand the forces they were up against. Some of the losses were also recorded, pieced together through scans and collection of salvage.
He watched a couple of these early in the morning while having breakfast. The ability to move the camera to any point and witness the fight from different perspectives appealed to his tactical mind. The kielans in particular were cunning with their use of microjumps and focused firepower from multiple vessels.
After going through several of the fights, he brought up the one that destroyed the ship Clea was on with the data they needed. The conflict was old and the computer spent almost a minute updating the graphics to modern thresholds. When it fully loaded, he put in his ear bud and hit play, watching from the perspective of the four alliance battleships.
It seems odd to be watching a fight when someone I knew was there. Incredible.
The battle started out with the four enemy vessels jumping into the area at nearly five hundred thousand kilometers out. The eight alliance ships separated, spacing themselves out distant enough that splash damage would not be a concern. Shields went up and they advanced, preparing for what appeared to be a toe to toe struggle.
The ship on the outer most starboard side suddenly performed a micro jump and hit one of the enemies on the flank. They began to exchange fire while the rest of the alliance ships focused all their attention on the outer most vessel on the opposite side. Concentrated fire pounded the enemy’s shields but this was back when the alliance was technically outmatched.
An energy build up launched a blast into one of the seven alliance ships working together, punching right through its shields. Gray saw what they did. Right when the kielans fired, the enemy hit them while their power dipped from weapon discharge. It caused hull damage and a follow up shot finished them off.
They worked down the shields and caused catastrophic damage to their enemy, destroying their engines first then causing fractures all across the hull. They didn’t have data to support it, but Gray figured he just witnessed the entire ship lose artificial atmosphere, possibly killing everyone board.
If they didn’t matter whether they survived that initial damage or not. Moments later, the entire vessel exploded, leaving behind little more than debris.
Fighters joined the fray, screaming about and engaging hostiles. Some got through and hit another of the kielan vessels, causing shield damage enough for the larger of the enemy ships to fire a blast and knock out its defenses. Gray took a moment to observe that ship. He hadn’t seen such a large one in their fights so far and certainly not one that hung back.
The kielans managed to destroy another enemy with continuous pulse bursts over the upper part of the enemy hull. They performed flybys and microjumped to safety. Their fighters managed to finish one off, obliterating it with bombs before turning to the next. Sadly, those ships were taken out by enemy fighters.
Their exchange of damages was brutal and constant. Each side vied for more catastrophic damage and as another kielan vessel exploded, Gray tensed up. They’d brought down two of the enemy ships and a third was suffering under heavy damage. The Tempered Steel went up next, a shot tearing through its hull and splitting it down the center.
Clea’s vessel. Gray couldn’t believe anyone survived the attack. While the ship itself was not obliterated, several holes appeared throughout the hull. The fact so many people got off the ship was a testament to their safety protocols and quick thinking. Some of it was luck too, because if that had hit a different way, they’d all be gone.
I wonder if Clea has watched this.
The last five ships were able to dispatch the damaged enemy. They went for what they assumed was the bridge, according to the text at the bottom of the screen. Each vessel flanked and went to town, hitting it with everything they had. When it finally drifted off and exploded, the larger ship jumped out of the system and the kielans started search and rescue operations took another six hours to complete.
Holy crap, those people required aid for an entire shift! Amazing.
Gray understood why they might’ve lost the equipment then. By the time they finished their rescue operations, they received a signal of more enemies incoming. They jumped out to report in and lick their wounds. Another engagement in the area took place but between the enemy and a different culture. He didn’t know how it ended.
Why was the enemy so interested in that space?
He checked the area and discovered the sector happened to be adjacent to several others with settlements and resource rich planets. Perhaps they were expanding for that reason but every engagement left both sides off poorly. Eventually, they seemed to stop but not before dozens of ships were destroyed in the area.
It’s the Bermuda Triangle of space.
Gray shut down the computer and went about his day but he couldn’t shake the fight out of his head. Eight against four and they lost three vessels. He fought two enemy vessels with the aid of a ship that wasn’t even fully operational and won, albeit not easily. Of course, the years apart in the conflict made a difference. Technology was a lot better already.
Still, the first days of the war must’ve been terrifying. Such heavy losses couldn’t have been easy to bear. I hope you found something out there, Clea. This has to stop. One way or another, it has to stop.
***
“Looks pretty,” Adam said. “The captain’s message said it’s jump capable.”
“I didn’t even know smaller ships could jump,” Estaban said. “Amazing, huh? I look forward to a tour of the thing.”
“I’m sure they’ll hook you up eventually.” Adam checked his chronometer. “I have to get to the bridge. The captain’s landing in ten minutes and he wants us underway within the hour. You find someone who can maneuver around all that debris?”
“I’ve narrowed it down to Pointer or Hale,” Estaban said. “Whichever of them wants to go.”
“Maybe they should both do it,” Adam pointed out. “They’ll need a copilot, someone good enough to take over if necessary.”
Estaban grinned. “Trying to take my job, Commander?”
Adam chuckled. “Not at all. I’ll leave you to it then.” He headed back to the bridge and took a seat. Olly sat at his station, tapping away. Redding returned before Gray and she was already back on duty, working with Leonard to get them safe passage out of the system. When the captain boarded, they’d be off to their next mission.
“How’re we doing, everyone?”
“We’re ready to depart,” Redding said. “Leonard has plotted a solid jump course.”
`“How close was it to your initial estimates?” Adam asked.
Leonard turned and smiled. “I was off by less than three hundred meters…a very reasonable margin and one which would’ve worked just fine.”
“Congratulations and good job on the great math.” Adam checked his computer for reports. All stations showed green. “Time to get back to action, folks. I hope you’re ready.”
“Not much action to be found in salvage,” Olly said.
“When was the last time something went right?” Redding countered.
Olly blushed. “Good point.” He paused. “Captain’s shuttle is landing now.”
Adam brought Gray up on his com. “You here, sir?”
“I am, Adam. Get us moving.”
“Aye, captain.” Adam turned to the others. “Agatha, do we have clearance to depart?”
“We do, sir. Our window of opportunity is now.”
“Take us out, Redding.”
“Yes, sir.” Redding initiated the thrusters and they began to move, rumbling at first then smoothing out. They pulled away from orbit and headed toward open space. “We will be at the jump point in less than two hours.”
“Sounds good.” Adam turned to Olly. “You might want to hop down and familiarize yourself with the technicians who just came on board. I suspect you’ll be working closely with them throughout this operation.”
“I will, sir. Is Miss An’Tufal going to be there?”
“Yes, she came aboard with the captain. Grab her on the way. You’ve got two hours to get ready for the op. I suggest anyone who has a part to play double check that they’re ready. If this place is as dangerous as the reports suggest, we’re going to need to be on our toes the entire time.”
***
Despite the success of their last jump, Redding still didn’t entirely trust their faster than light travel. It burned them too many times and would definitely have to earn back her faith. She didn’t hesitate to initiate the process but her stomach tightened up seconds before they made the trip.
When they appeared without incident, not even a strange feeling, she sighed and refocused on her job. Two for two so far. They really did seem to fix it.
Olly put the sector up on the main screen, showing a massive field of rock and chunks of ship. There were far more than the two enemies and three alliance vessels. This was a graveyard for starships of all sizes. More than a few battles took place there and they didn’t seem to go very well for most of the participants.
Gray spoke up, directing his attention to Clea. “I read the briefing that this place was dangerous but…what happened here? Why so many battles? Why so much debris?”
“Long ago, a planet became unstable and essentially exploded,” Clea explained. “This made for excellent mining. Before the enemy attacked, many cultures even within the alliance fought over the rights to claim the minerals. Pirates got involved back then as well. Then the enemy attacked and since then, I’m not aware of any further conflict.”
“Did the mining dry up?” Redding asked.
“Not really. Those who risk coming out here don’t fight amongst themselves. They only really have to worry about criminals and if they see some coming, they can just flee. Of course, some fights like that would not be reported to alliance command so…maybe they blast away at each other all the time.”
“I’m picking up a group of ships,” Olly said. “Not far off. They seem to be scouring the wreckage…over there.” He focused the screen on a section off to the left. “Looks like five total.”
Redding leaned forward to look. “Those aren’t alliance.”
“They used to be,” Clea said. “Those, my friends, are pirates.”
Gray replied, “wonderful. Olly, get us a good scan of those vessels. If we have to engage, I’d like to be prepared.”
“Yes, sir.”
A readout of the largest one, essentially the size of a scout, appeared on the screen. Redding estimated it had a crew of thirty with room for maybe four fighters. It was armed with modern weapons so not as helpless as the new culture they encountered. Still, they were so small any hit from the pulse cannons would likely eliminate them.
The others were like large shuttles. Olly posted on the screen that they probably attached themselves to the hull of the larger one when they weren’t performing an operation. Redding waited for the order to approach, feeling particularly ready to throw down with these guys. The pirates at the mining facility left a bad taste in her mouth.
“I’m picking up a communication,” Agatha announced. “They’ve hailed us, asking for our immediate surrender.”
Redding’s eyes widened and she turned to look back at Gray. He wore an equal look of surprise. “They must not have very good scans.”
“They did hit us with one,” Olly said. “Maybe they only got a cursory look at what we’ve got going on.”
“We should finish them off,” Clea said. “Take them down so we don’t have to worry about them stinging us while we perform our search.”
“I agree,” Adam added. “Hitting them hard and fast will get them out of the way before they can fly off and get lost in this mess but we shouldn’t risk fighters out in that. These guys look like they’ve been here a while. They might know the area better…and all the places to maneuver to avoid collisions.”
“Agatha,” Gray began, “no reply. Redding, advance. Weapons hot. Let’s get our shields up.”
“Weapons fully charged and ready,” Redding said. “Maximum range in twenty seconds. Optimal in one minute.”
“Shields are online,” Olly said.
“Sound the alert,” Gray added.
Red lights went on behind Redding and she did her best to ignore them. The targeting computer assisted her with lining up decent shots, grabbing each of the vessels with a different turret. The scout might be able to survive a direct hit or two but the others would go down almost instantly.
“Optimal range achieved,” Redding announced. “Permission to open fire.”
“Granted,” Gray said. “Take them out.”
Redding pulled the trigger, letting the various turrets rip. The scout took a direct hit to the port side, near their engines and another barely ten meters up. One of the shuttles was gone in a globe of red fire while two more took direct hits and began to drift. A fourth managed to dodge the attack and attempted to fly into the wreckage.
Redding redirected a turret and opened fire, scoring a
hit to the engines. Another one exploded, pieces of the ship flying in all directions.
The scout vessel returned fire, a continuous beam that struck the Behemoth’s shields for a good ten seconds. Olly’s hands moved so fast he distracted Redding for a moment and she took a quick glance. He looked frantic, actually worried. Whatever they had might actually be far more dangerous than they anticipated.
“That thing just dropped our shields from one hundred percent to ten percent!”
“In that section?” Gray asked.
“No, sir. All our shields are at ten percent!”
“Impossible!” Adam nearly shouted. “How the hell…what kind of weapon is that?”
“Analyzing it now.”
“At least we know why they demanded our surrender,” Gray said. “Redding, finish that ship off right now.”
“Yes, sir.” She directed all their weapons on the target, opening up with everything. It would require a recharge when they were done but it didn’t seem like keeping available weapons was as important as removing that threat. Every blast scored a direct hit, tearing through the scout’s shields and wreaking havoc over its hull.
A piece of debris collided with it as their weapons forced the thing off course. A crack appeared in the hull and a moment later, the entire thing went up and burst. Once again, pieces were cast off to join the rest of the wreckage, another ship for this boneyard. I understand why they risk this place. It’s a wealth of salvage.
“Captain,” Agatha spoke up. “The final shuttle is transmitting to us again. They wish to surrender, sir. They’ve cut all power to their weapons and are drifting.”
“Olly?”
“Scanning them now.” Olly tapped his console impatiently. “There we go. It looks like they’re telling the truth. They’ve turned their offensive systems off. They’re not on standby.”
“Okay, tell them we need access to their computer systems immediately and we’ll bring them aboard.”
Olly spent the next few minutes disabling their systems before they allowed them to land. Marines were dispatched to take the prisoners to the brig. This allowed them to refocus on the whole purpose of going there. They needed to find this ship that Clea served on but after seeing the mess out there, Redding had no idea how they planned to do so.