Jack hit his comm again. “Captain Clancy, we are about to be hit with a storm of fighters, we must hold dock long enough to save the crews. But do what you must to save the ship.” Tapping the Comm to Flight Command. “We are about to be hit by a lot of fighters as you can see. Keep your fighters attacking in fast sweeps from the cloud streaking from side to side close into the Station. Do not let them start dogfighting. We are too outnumbered with fighters that have no advantages over the enemy. I also need you to launch our boats and send two to each of the DD’s as the tugs take them off the station. Have them dock inside the Boat bays at the stern to provide power and thrust to the DD’s. Throw on some extra emergency generators while you are at it if you can do it by the time the DD’s are off the station. If you can get more boats out of storage in the next few minutes we can grab more DD’s. Just dump them out the hatch cold. Do not waste time preflighting them beyond the time it takes to put on fuel and consumables. Most of them will do just fine. Also try sending the large emergency generators with extra bottles to the DD’s the tugs are pushing to power the ships and their weapons without the need for boats to stay on the DD’s. We are trying to get as many of those DD’s off the station as we can. Turner out.”
Turning to the Comm. “Send a message to 1701 and have them strip all the initiators the DD’s can spare and send them back on one of the Transport Bombers to point Mike. No! Make that two Bombers and split the load to make sure some get through. We need at least 50. A couple hundred would be better.” Jack chuckled. “That is if we survive the next 15 minutes.” Jack did his best to ignore the 30 to 40, 24 inch laser shots that streaked past them every second and the 6, 48 inch beams once a minute. Then Jack noticed with some relief that most of the beams were concentrated a couple thousand feet above the station. Evidentially the Station had drifted since it was built or never properly surveyed. Whatever the reason, it could give them the time they needed to get everyone off the station.
The Red Pepper pulled up to the station at the same time the first of the DD’s was pushed back from the center of the docking arm and the cross tubes. Two boats were waiting for it and immediately nuzzled up into the side by side boat bays in the stern. Jack watched the boat bay screen showing the cargo hatch on the station slowly opening and the mass of crewmen with as many white bots came running across the gangway tube as soon as the hatch was high enough to get under. Glancing out the port Jack noticed the first DD slowly start to accelerate as small thin streams raced back from its boat docking bay. The navigation lights coming on as the first of the emergency generators were plugged in and turned on. Several point defense weapon’s turrets started moving as it slid past the Red Pepper toward the emergency beacon to one side of the original Attack Corridor they had created. The mouth in the cloud already starting to close as designed.
Another DD was already pushed back from the arm as a couple of Boats were approaching its stern. The screen now showed a steady stream of crewmen 4 abreast running in through the gangway tube to the station with lines of silver bots running down the sides of the stations cargo bay keeping the crewmen moving at a run. Jumping in and out to grab anyone that faltered or slipped to keep the mass moving.
Then the mass of point defenses across the station and the ship opened up on the fighters as they rounded the corner into the open area some 10 miles away from the station. The DD’s attached to the Red Pepper holding their fire as the fighters quickly started closing even though several fighters a second were being destroyed. But the DD’s massive numbers of Point defense guns remained silent.
Jack looked over at the screen showing Captain Clancy calmly sitting in her Chair on the Ship’s Bridge watching the closing fighters picking up speed toward the station. Jack was starting to get worried as the fighters reached only 5 miles away when the Captain said. “Fire.”
Every gun on the DD’s attached to the Red Pepper fired as one massive barrage and dozens of the lead fighters disappeared each second. And then after only 5 seconds they stopped firing to Jack’s shock. Jack opened his mouth as his hand reached for the comm and the ships fighters streaked across the formation of enemy fighters from Port to Starboard taking out dozens more in the pass. As the enemy fighters turned to engage the ship’s fighters that were long gone, slowing their plunge toward the Station, the DD’s opened up again on the slow maneuvering fighters and took out dozens more each second for another 5 seconds only to stop again as the ship’s fighters made another pass taking out yet more. A hundred enemy fighters died the first few seconds without any getting closer than the 5 miles and Jack was trying not to dance too much in his seat.
By the end of the first minute the stream of fighters coming around the corner had diminished to a trickle and the Republic fighters moved their swift crossing attacks toward the turn out into the Bay of the Staging Basin.
Jack could feel the celebrations going all through the ship as the Comm’s filled with comments that went on for several minutes. Jack feeling like celebrating with them as he sat back in the Command Chair as streams of crewmen and bots continued to flow across the gang plank tube and into the Red Pepper. With more and more DD’s falling away from the station under some kind of power.
Then the 24 inch beams suddenly started streaking past the station within a few hundred yards. “Shit! The fighters had passed on targeting instructions.”
The large tank/cargo farm hanging out from the Station was hit creating a large explosion and then within a few seconds, most of the beams started hitting the station all along the tank farm with a few narrowly missing the docking pier tube.
Jack looked at the stream of crewmen rushing into the ship willing them to hurry.
The Red Pepper shook as a 24 inch beam penetrated the ship’s midsection and the DD’s there.
And then several beams hit the station a couple hundred yards down the docking tube.
Suddenly the mass of crewmen running into the ship was simply cut off where the line crossed the hanger Bays Air curtain. The long line across the docking tube into the station simply disappeared as the air was sucked out as a whole section of the station’s docking tube was blown out a couple hundred feet down from the ship. Other sections of the station were hit at the same time knocking huge chunks out of the station’s North Command module arm as it broke in half. DD’s started breaking off or were hit vaporizing whole sections of the arrow shaped hulls.
Jack watched the carnage as he heard the Captain ordered full ahead and the Red Pepper streaked up away from the disintegrating station. Tearing away a section of the gangway tube that had been attached to the Station’s lock with the row of DD’s still attached down along it. The ship entered the cloud seconds later leaving the disintegrating station behind as the big 48 inch beams from the Prime Staging Station cut into it.
As the Red Pepper arched around to head for the corridor Jack watched a fusion ball appear amongst the hundreds of streaks below them as the stations power core was hit, obliterating everything that was left. Station, DD’s, life boats that were just starting to appear and everything around it including the enemy fighters surging ahead just in time to reach the station trying to take out the lifeboats and escaping DD’s
“Anyone know how many crewmen we left behind?”
Winslow turned around and frowned. “I estimate roughly several hundred Admiral if we don’t count the Earth crewmen we left tied to the walkway rails. We do not yet know how many DD’s and lifeboats managed to make it far enough away to escape the fireball. Though we still have hundreds of lifeboats from the Sylvester and the Congressional Battleship hulks headed for our lifeboat beacon.”
“What do you mean from the Battleships? The Enemy Battleships? They have their own life boat beacons back at the Staging station.”
“Aaa. The Staging Station beacon is different from the Republic beacon. Most of the life boats are headed for the Republic beacon even though it is twice as far as the Station.” Looking at her screens. We may have to protect the life boats
from the surviving fighters if you don’t want to let them slaughter the boats trying to defect.”
“Shit. How many fighters do we have left? How many got caught in the fireball?”
“We have lost no fighters Admiral. As soon as the ship left they bugged out with us. Though we left them behind. Fighter Command has ordered them to head for the lifeboat beacon and protect the lifeboats in the cloud from the surviving fighters.”
“Ok.” Jack turned to the ship’s Bridge screen tapping his mikes’ mute icon. “Captain. We need to do something to save the lifeboats headed this way from the Battleships we destroyed. What do you suggest?”
The Captain turned and looked at Jack. “That means taking on the damn station and the surviving Battleships and to do that I need to dump these damn worthless DD’s Admiral.”
“Watch the language Captain. These DD’s are going to save all our butts in a few weeks but for now you can drop them at the lifeboat beacon where the fighters can protect them. Oh and find out if those damn Generators I ordered from the Station made it to us or the Achilles and…”
“I put them on Red, Admiral.” The Lieutenant said from her console. “The Achilles had all the repair parts for the DD’s. All the fucking critical repair parts. I thought you would send it strait to New home so I put everything that was needed for repairs and maintenance on it. We have the bots and everything else that was not critical.”
“Ok, Captain. We have the generators. Get at least one and preferably two of the large ones on each of the DD’s before you drop them. Three would give them enough power to use some of the point defense weapons as well as maneuvering. Freeing up the fighters to go hunting.” Jack thought for a few seconds holding up his hand to keep the Captain’s attention. “Fact is we should have a couple dozen multi-megawatt portable emergency generators that will fit into the DD boat bays and give them enough power for limited use of the 8 inch weapons as well as low power on the main engines. Make sure they all get what they need Captain. They may be there for a while. Out.”
Jack looked over at the tactical and a dozen of the Ship’s fighters racing across the mouth of the finger the DD Station used to be in. Taking out more enemy fighters attacking lifeboats headed for the beacon. The enemy fighters not even knowing they were being attacked until they died with fat slow life boats in their sights. Though Jack thought there were a few less lifeboats in the mass headed around the fingers corner even though the enemy fighter section was destroyed. Evidentially the fighters were a little late getting there.
“Admiral, the transport bombers are headed this way. I gave them the corridor map just in case we were still down here when they arrive at Mike.”
“Very good Lieutenant.”
Jack looked at the screen showing the upper Maze and the close knit group of enemy ships just sitting there and not headed up the highway for Delta 7 and the Black Dwarf and it decoy’s. That he did not like but at least the Relief forces he had sent the DD’s up to intercept had gotten the message and were sitting around the bypass he had created waiting for TF-58’s Battleships still hours out. Safe from discovery.
“Admiral we are picking up a long range low band transmission to the Staging Station.”
“Ok put it on.”
The screen lit up with the Rear Admiral at the Station and the 3 Star Fleet Admiral again. “We have just finished taking out the DD Station and both ships. The fuckers destroyed over half my Battleships and badly damaged those that are left and the majority of my fighters. Hell half the station is now a damn wreck and if I had not gone to my quarters I would have been killed with my staff in the Command Bridge. The only thing they missed were the general crew’s quarters, and my guns that I used to kill that ass hole, thank Hillary Lennon.”
“You got your guns working. I thought they were pieces of junk?”
“Yes and it took me killing half the gun crews before they decided to put in some overtime, forget about that union crap and fix them. Didn’t take long at all with the right motivation. I am in the Gun Command Center now surround by my few remaining guards until I get reinforcements and new officers from The Rock to retake the rest of the station from the crew. I am requesting permission to Contact the rock with my demands.”
“You still have Battleships, use them to retake the station.”
“They are out guarding the Station in case there are more enemy ships out there. Most of the surviving crews from my destroyed Battleships are deserting in life boats headed for a damn Republic Lifeboat Beacon past the damn destroyed Station instead of coming back here to the Station. Which means there has to be more enemy ships around.”
“Your crews are deserting from under your nose? What are you doing about it?”
“I sent the fighters to kill them but there are too many and most of my fighters are gone with the hundreds of enemy fighters killing more of them every minute until I ordered them back to the Station. Which confirms there must be more enemy ships around. At least a carrier.”
“Are any battleships shooting at you now Admiral?”
“No sir. But they could show up anytime now.”
“And if they do you will kill them just like you did the first two with your big Station Guns. Now send the damn battleships out and destroy the deserting lifeboats and that damn Republic beacon Admiral and do it fast before anymore escape. That is an order. Then you can retake your Station using the officers from the battleships. I will contact The Rock and get new reinforcements to you. Has anymore Battleships shown up from the maze yet?”
“No Admiral. I don’t believe there will be anymore with the Republic operating in this area.”
“Don’t be a fool. The other Battleships are just hiding in the Maze. After you kill the deserters and take back the station you will send ships up into the Maze and replace any coward Captains you find hiding in the Maze and bring them to me so I can make an example of them.”
“But Admiral, you could hide a fucking fleet in the Maze and not find it in a hundred years. There are literally Billions of miles of dead end corridors in it. It is more likely that they simply got lost and if I send ships in they could get lost too.”
“Very well then. Send your Battleships out to kill the deserters and take back the Station and wait for the remaining Battleships of the fleet to come back out of the Maze. They have to come out sometime or starve to death.” The Admiral shook his head sneering. “Goddamn moronic low class officers and Crews.” Then cut the connection.
Chapter 31; The Death of the Red Pepper and the Republic fleet
The Red Pepper pulled up to the beacon that was already getting crowded with lifeboats and all they could do for them was drop off a couple of emergency habitat containers that had not been used at the other end of the Maze with a few medics and supplies and hope some of the survivors were doctors. Jack hoping that these did not suffer the same fate as the ones at the other end where thousands of prisoners had been killed by their own ships. Especially since these were not likely to be any enemy prisoners. The DD’s with emergency power generators he was leaving made him feel a little better but they would not be any good against battleships. The Red Pepper was going to have to take care of those even though they were outnumbered. At least the damn enemy fleet was now on its way to Delta 7 though the crossing was still not completely safe. He had ordered the DD’s back down to help but they would be a good 45 minutes getting here which was too late except to pick up the pieces.
The enemy battleships were already moving out from the Station, gunning down even the lifeboats that were headed for the Staging Station. Taking their time crossing the Bay toward the Frickyou finger in no hurry to join the hundreds of hulks, civilian transports and Battleships littering the Bay between them and in the finger. Going as slow as they could get away with the Station’s Admiral yelling at them to speed up but not get Ambushed and destroyed leaving his station defenseless.
If he waited for reinforcements, there wouldn’t be any life boats left including the on
es around the beacon unless he stopped them first. He simply did not have time to gather and load them all up to leave even if he could get at the hundreds of life boats the Battleships were already destroying. No. The Captain of the Achilles had given his life trying to free the crews of those ships and he could not simply let them get slaughtered. He had no choice but to take on the remaining 14 battleships and the damn station with only the one Battletransport. At least it was a much improved Battletransport.
Jack walked into the Ships Bridge. “Captain Clancy, Will you please follow me for a minute.”
In the Captain’s ready room or day cabin, with no one around, Jack turned to the Captain. “I know I gave you this ship but I am afraid I am going to have to ask the ship to do something I do not think you are capable of yet. Something I had to learn the hard way that I do not have time to train you to do. We have thousands of life boats being slaughtered by those battleships and we have to stop them now before more die. This is a good ship and I know that with you as my acting First Officer during this battle, Red can do what I need it to do. You may even learn something. Do I have your support?”
“I have been commanding Battleships for 10 years Admiral and I do not see what you could do different than I.”
“That is the problem. You do not see anything here but a Battleship and we need a Destroyer. But it is still a Battleship which is why I need you as First Officer to make sure this Battleship performs at its best while I am using it as a Destroyer. I know this ship inside and out and I will not ask anything from Red that she cannot give. Can I count on your support Number One to help me kick the ass of 14 battleships and a Station?”
The Captain Frowned shaking his head. “I know I can’t take on a whole damn squadron and I have read the reports on your battle against whole squadrons of damn Spider Battleships so if anyone can do it, you can.” Taking a deep breath he smiled. “Very well Captain. We can’t live forever. Let’s go kick some Royal Congressional Democrat Communist ass.”
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 122
