Selene let out a whoop. One down, a ton to go.
***
“Hey kid, do you play cards?” John asked. He sat in the empty mess hall across from the boy from a transport vessel caught up in the Krai’kesh attack back on Serpentis.
Ben shook his head.
“None? Not poker or euchre?”
Head shake.
“What about war? Everyone has played war?”
“No.”
John slumped in his seat. “Go fish?”
Ben perked up. “Yeah, I’ve played that!”
“All right, that’s my man! Let me get out some cards.” He reached into his vest and pulled out a deck of cards. “They don’t have fish on them, I’m afraid,” he explained as he shuffled, “but we can pretend.”
“I like to pretend I’m a mage sometimes,” Ben’s sister Clemence chimed in from beside him.
“Oh, being a mage is overrated,” John said with a wink. “I mean, who wants to manipulate matter and energy. Boring, am I right?”
Clemence and Ben laughed. “You’re silly.”
“Gotta laugh to keep from crying,” John said. “That’s what my ma used to say.” He cleared his throat. “Want to cut?” he asked Derek, placing the deck in front of him.
The cards were made of wood, a rarity in space, and sported engravings on the back. He picked up the deck and studied them. “Wooden playing cards?”
John shrugged. “A small gift for something. I forget.”
“He’s being modest,” Ashley interrupted from beside Clemence. She looked over at Ben and Clemence. “Mr. John was once named Protector of the Realm of Tar Ebon. He was knighted and everything. The deck of cards was part of the reward.”
Each of the children adopted surprised expressions. “Wow,” they both said.
“Stop it. You’re making me blush.”
Derek set the cards back down and cut the deck before handing it back to John.
“You in, Ash?”
“Sure, why not?” she asked.
“You too, Derek?”
Derek’s eyes drifted to a silenced alarm siren still flashing red in the corner. Laugh to keep from crying, he thought, and play cards to keep from thinking about what’s to come. “Deal me in.”
***
“We have cleared the central cloud of embattled ships, sir,” Zigana reported. “We have a clear firing solution.”
“Target enemy capital ships. Fire on my command.” Lines stretched out on the screen from each ship equipped with railgun batteries toward the enemy ships, calculating fire trajectories in a vacuum. A strange cluster of small dots showed the front of the enemy capital ships.
“Firing solutions calculated.”
“What are those small dots, Zigana?”
“An unknown anomaly, sir. We are attempting to discern whether it is a sensor malfunction, natural occurrence or something else.”
“My bet’s on something else. But fire.”
Moments later the sensors showed a hail of sixteen railgun projectiles barreling toward the enemy fleet at a fraction of the speed of light. The projectiles closed on the enemy fleet and reached the area marked by tiny dots. The projectiles disappeared one-by-one.
“Zigana, what the hell happened?”
“The projectiles hit a debris field or obstacle, sir. We are picking up concussive waves from the release of potential energy but sensors show no contact with enemy capital ships. Confirming with the observation deck.” He paused. “OD confirms a field of rocks lies between us and the enemy ships.”
Martin blinked. “Rocks. Like what, a miniature asteroid field?”
“Precisely like a miniature asteroid field, sir.”
“Does it go all around the enemy ships?”
“Now that we know what the small dots represent, we see the field is only in a 180-degree arc in front of the enemy vessels.”
“So, a frontal strike is out of the question.”
“So it would seem, sir.”
An incoming projectile warning flashed on the sensor display.
“We are detecting projectiles incoming from the enemy capital ships, sir.”
“Order the ships to brace for impact.”
“Shall we fire again, sir?”
“Yes.”
Another hail of railgun projectiles hurtled toward the enemy capital ships. Again, they slammed into the asteroid field.
“How did their projectiles get through?” Martin asked.
Zigana displayed a playback of moments earlier on the sensor display. Seconds before the projectiles launched, the asteroids spread further apart, opening corridors in the field. When the projectiles passed through, the corridors closed again.
“Impact in five,” Zigana reported.
Martin closed his eyes.
Distant vibrations rocked the bridge. “Damage report.”
“Deck seven and fourteen are hit. Damage control teams with mages are being deployed. Devastator is reporting heavy damage across their port side. They’re ordering evacuation.”
“Across the ship? There were only five projectiles and it’s a big cruiser,” Captain Rigsby said.
“It appears, sir, that the Devastator activated its point defense grid. The coilguns broke apart the two projectiles and…”
“And the projectiles became like scatter shot at close range,” Martin finished.
“I’m afraid so, sir.”
“Damn it! Order the fleet to not fire on any more large projectiles. Launch transports to rescue the evacuees from the Devastator.”
“Of course, sir.”
How could they destroy the enemy if they couldn’t reach them? They didn’t have infinite energy or ammunition. They were inside the planet’s gravity well, a smart move, for it meant the Federation fleet could not strike them from “behind.”
“Are the old planetary defense railgun batteries still intact on Eligar II?”
Zigana was silent as he checked. “They are not visible on the surface, sir.”
“No, no, they were underground. They were on platforms and could rise to fire and retract to avoid counter fire.”
“Oh. I have no record of such batteries on Eligar II, sir.”
Captain Rigsby sighed. “Connect me to the Eligar governor.”
The display shifted from the tactical map to the image of a red-haired middle-age woman. “Hello, Felicity.” Martin tried to muster a reassuring smile for his wife.
“You look like hell, Martin,” Felicity said.
“I’ve seen worse,” he said. That’s a lie, he thought.
His wife nodded, though she likely knew he was lying. “I’m just glad you’re safe, dear.”
“Are you and the children safe?”
Felicity nodded. “The children are safe in the fortress. I’m inside the governor’s mansion. So far we haven’t been hit.”
“You should be at the fortress too,” Martin said.
“Martin,” she scolded him. “I am the governor of this planet. I will not abandon my people and command them from inside a bunker a mile beneath the earth.”
“Better the people have a live governor than a dead one.”
“I’m not made of porcelain, you know.”
Martin sighed. They had made almost the same arguments when she ran for governor of Eligar II a decade earlier. Now, in her third term, his fears were coming true. “I know you’re not,” he conceded. “At least consider getting to safety. I need your help, Felicity. We need to know where the ground-based railgun batteries are. Do you have old maps or records? My tactical commander had no record.”
“That’s because the records were not electronic, dear. One moment.” She disappeared off-screen for several minutes. “Here they are. I’m sending you the coordinates now.” A separate signal from the planet came through. “The bad news is that’s right in the center of the city, beneath Herzig Square.”
A sensor display of the square came up on a side screen. “We have to get them working. Where is the entran
ce to the tunnel that leads to them?”
“At the old military base north of the city. There’s an entrance to the tunnels there.”
The sensor display shifted to the old military base of which she spoke. It was now a housing settlement. Many structures were on fire or already destroyed. “There’s no other way to them?”
“Not unless you want to dig through the ground at the square and then cut through the metal of the doors above the cannons.”
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea, dear. We have someone who can do that.”
“Oh?”
“I’ll fill you in on the details later. I’m sending a detachment of Marines to Herzig Square with our special guests. If you can spare any security forces to assist, please have them meet us there.”
“Herzig Square is our evacuation rendezvous point. I’ll send what we have in the way of security forces to help secure it.
“Have I told you I love you yet today?”
She smiled. “Please make it back alive, Martin.”
“I plan on it.”
The link closed and the view reverted to the tactical sensor display. Another volley of five projectiles closed on his fleet.
“Brace for impact,” Zigana announced. Moments later, “one strike on our hull, one miss, one strike on the Interrogator, two strikes on Vertigo. Damage control procedures are in place.”
Time is running out, Martin thought. Their fleet could only take so much punishment from the enemy projectiles. “Put me through to the Edgertons, Zigana.”
The tactical display faded, replaced with the face of the co-captain of the Dauntless, Ashley Edgerton.
“Captain,” she acknowledged. “What can we do for you?”
“I am in need of your unique talents.” He described the buried railguns and the issue at hand.
“You want me to dig up buried railguns?”
“It is critical, Lady Edgerton.”
“Bleh, don’t call me ‘Lady’ anything. Just ‘Ashley,’ please.”
“Ashley,” Martin said, “if those railguns don’t activate and fire on the enemy ships from behind we will suffer more losses trying to navigate that enemy asteroid field to get a clear shot. We will be cut down.”
“It will take time. I can’t just raise my hands and poof.”
“I understand. We are sending a contingent of Marines. The governor is also sending what security forces she can spare to defend you while you work.”
Ashley looked down for a moment, then back up. “All right, I’ll have the Dauntless ready to go in ten. Make sure your men are ready.”
“Of course, Ashley.”
“That’s better, captain … not as stiff as the first time.” The link closed.
Martin sighed. “Women.”
Chapter 12 - Factor of Seven
Selene fired a burst at an enemy fighter. It exploded in a flurry of chunks. She stopped mid-flight, did a 180 degree turn and sped up, searching for another target. A voice came over the flight group channel. “All fighters be advised: disengage and report to Independence. You are being tasked with escorting the transports to the surface.”
Verbal acknowledgments came across the channel from the squad leaders. “Raptor Squadron acknowledges,” she replied.
Fighters streamed toward the Independence. So many lost pilots. Just over forty fighters formed a ragged formation compared to the majestic twelve squadrons the day before.
Selene’s thoughts drifted to the Clemence and Ben. She hoped they were doing well. And Derek, too. She smiled. He was handsome, in a rugged way. He could be on a transport she was escorting.
The fighters reached the Independence. “Maintain formation around the Independence,” orders came from the CAG. “The transports will exit and cluster, then move as one. You are to provide a screen to protect them from enemy fighters or weapons fire.” The CAG did not wait for confirmation. “CAG out.”
Minutes passed before the first troop transport exited the docking bay. More followed until a cloud of transports milled about. “Transports, you are clear to depart. Good luck and Godspeed.”
The transports formed up, with the larger, more armored, transports on the outside, and smaller, more agile but lighter armored transports in the center. The Federation fighters flew point.
“What do they think will come after these transports?” Raptor Five asked. Selene checked her profile. Nairi Petrosian, a rookie pilot.
“We don’t get paid to ask questions, Raptor Five,” Selene snapped. “Cut the chatter.”
“Yes, ma’am,” she replied.
***
“Transports are away, sir,” Zigana reported.
“Move the fleet closer, but do not waste railgun shells. What is the report from the corvettes and frigates?”
“Two corvettes and a frigate are gone, sir. Another corvette and frigate are damaged but fighting. Point defense coilguns have been effective but the enemy is swarming in large numbers and picking off those ships without coilgun defenses or attacking coilgun batteries.”
“The enemy figured out we can hurt them so they’re eliminating the source of the pain, eh? Smart. What’s the status on the ground? What areas have been hit and are they the same force as Serpentis III?”
“We are showing mass devastation consistent with projectiles launched from space, sir. There are large clouds of dirt and debris floating in the atmosphere, hindering our sensors in some areas. I think we are their target now, though, so there should be no more projectiles launched toward the ground.”
“And their ground forces?”
“We cannot discern, sir. I can ask your, eh … the governor if you wish.”
“No, she’s got enough on her plate.” The cluster of transports with their fighter escorts drew closer to the enemy ships. Red blips moved from the large cluster to the right of the Independence and headed toward the Federation forces. “Zigana, are you seeing this?”
“Yes, sir. It appears to be Krai’kesh fighters. They’re chasing the transports.”
Another alert flashed on the screen. “We are picking up multiple contacts coming from the enemy capital ships.”
“How many?”
“It is difficult to tell, but we estimate over two hundred. Add that to almost one hundred coming from the central engagement zone and our fighters are outnumbered by a factor of seven to one, sir.”
“Bloody hell. And only a handful of the ships have coilguns.”
“Correct.”
“Can they evade the large group?”
“Negative, sir. At current speed the enemy fighters will intercept the transport group in three minutes.”
“Start the clock.”
***
“All fighters be advised: enemy contacts detected on intercept course from the enemy capital ships and from the central area of conflict behind us. Screen the transports as best you can - they are priority.”
“Raptor Squadron acknowledges,” Selene responded along with the others in the air group. She checked her own sensor feed and saw the oncoming enemy fighters as a mass of red icons blurred together into a single cloud. Well, it was fun while it lasted. “Raptors, listen up. Our best chance is to fire before the enemy fighters break formation. Fire your missiles and then hit them with your coilgun when it nears the enemy formation.”
“Ma’am,” Raptor Six began, “what if we set our missiles to detonate after a certain time elapsed?”
Selene thought for a moment. “That won’t work today, Six, but good idea.” She filed it away to mention if she made it out of the coming firefight alive.
“All transports, this is the tactical commander. Prepare to take evasive action. Move with all haste to the planet’s surface. Do not engage the enemy fighters.”
No crap, dummy, she thought. No pilot wants to die out here and take their passengers with them.
The Dauntless broke formation and flew straight toward the oncoming cloud of enemy fighters.
“Dauntless,” Selene said over t
he tactical channel, “what are you doing?”
“We’re taking the fight to them,” John replied. “And buying the transports more time. Can you take on the fighters coming from behind?”
Selene sighed in frustration but realized he made sense. “Yes, Raptor Squadron will take the rear.” She switched over to the squadron channel. “Raptors, on me, follow the Dauntless. Use missile detonation tactics like we discussed.” She suited action to words and accelerated after the Dauntless. Other fighters in the air group followed her.
***
“No disrespect intended, John,” Derek began, “but do you have a death wish?”
“Son, I stopped having death wishes a long time ago. No, what we’re doing today is trying to save an entire cluster of transports from certain doom.”
“How exactly do we do that?”
“Are your Marines in the gun batteries?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
The Dauntless veered toward the debris field.
“What are you doing?” Ashley asked.
“I’m answering your question. We’re going toward the asteroid field.”
“Oh … ohhh,” Ashley said.
“What?” Derek asked.
“It’s a rock asteroid field.”
The Dauntless neared the debris field. The Krai’kesh were nearing the debris field or already within it.
“Going in. Wish me luck,” Ashley said.
“Good luck, babe,” John said.
Ashley reclined her seat and closed her eyes.
Nothing happened at first. The sensor display showed the rocks around them. One rock moved. Then a second rock moved. Then a handful of rocks moved. Soon more and more rocks were moving.
The rocks moved faster. One blip of a Krai’kesh fighter disappeared, then another and another.
The rocks formed what looked like a maelstrom around the Dauntless on the sensor display. Rocks shot out and hit enemy fighters, while the fighters trying to fly through the maelstrom to reach the Dauntless failed in most cases.
Three enemy fighters made it over the maelstrom.
Target alarms blared. Three enemies inbound, Derek said over the Marine squad channel. Can you get a lock?
Trying, sir, Private Goyle said.
Emergence: Book One of the Dark Tide Trilogy Page 10
