Prelude to War (Athena Lee Chronicles Book 9)

by T S Paul

  “Ma’am that Hong Kong cruiser is closing on our six. They say they can’t fire until fired upon.”

  “Tell Captain Gorshin that he won’t have to worry about not being fired upon!”

  Chapter 19

  Captain Frank Gorshin watched as Admiral Kane’s ships dove in and attacked the Cabal fleet. He learned several lessons, the newer Imperial warships sucked and stayed out of range of the Admiral’s fighters! He watched as one of the newer Cabal fighters disintegrated and smiled. Fighting modern warships is not the same as pirates. Long range seemed to be the trick for killing the new fighters.

  “Captain that woman is insane!”

  Frank looked over his shoulder at his XO, Commander Blomkvist. “Which one?”

  “Both of them!”

  “Possibly.” He nodded his head in agreement. Admiral Kane’s tactics were the in-your-face sort. Very little subtle to her.

  The Admiral’s carrier and her remaining heavy cruiser linked up with the other three capital ships. As they formed a wall-of-battle her lighter ships attacked from the flanks. Only one of the frigates managed to break through to the supply ships. It destroyed two before being chased away by the fighters belonging to the Courageous. The Admiral’s patrol craft fared even worse. They were lighter and poorly armed. They were valorous though. He watched in awe as they fought their smaller craft weaving in and out of the defending destroyers. All but one of them were destroyed, their attacks crippled the last remaining supply ship and forced the Cabal ships to use up a large portion of their consumable munitions.

  He gave orders to bring the ship closer to the rebel fleet and if possible start picking up survivors. Commander Scott Huggins and his Marines took out all the dropships to try to save as many as they could.

  “Lieutenant Baal, track the Marines please. If their ships are fired on, we will respond in kind!”

  ~~~

  Admiral Kane was in the thick of things now. Her small line-of-battle was firing torpedoes as fast as they could load them. The enemy destroyers were trying to break through and were engaging her older, heavier armored ones. Broken and drifting ships were already filling the area of space between the fleets. She noticed that the James Cook’s drop ships were doing SAR for her. Hopefully they didn’t get killed doing that.

  The ship shuddered and shook suddenly. A steady vibration set her teeth on edge. She hit a button on the console contacting Commander Woody down in engineering. “Woody what is up with my ship? We have a steady vibration up here!”

  “That is the best I can give you Admiral!”

  The ship shuddered another time. The screen flickered and faded. “Woody? Still with me?”

  “Yes, Admiral. That last hit was engine four, one more like that and we are dead in space with impulse only!”

  She cut the screen and checked her plot. Her ship's fire was slacking off as ammunition ran low. Soon it would be close and fire!

  “Order the fighters to launch. Tell them to guard our aft section. We can’t afford another hit on the engines!”

  A sudden massive explosion threw her to the deck. She could see Captain Moore as the suction from the hull breach dragged him out into space. He must have had a tear in his suit because he exploded just as he cleared the ship. Wounded crewman grasped desks and each other as the pressure equalized. Only one other unnamed crewman was sucked out the gaping hole in the bridge.

  “Get those electrical fires out! Get engineering up here and patch that hole!” Emily was a spot of calm in the mouth of madness. “Report! What is the ship’s status?”

  “Admiral, engineering says we are at eighty percent and holding. They have a crew on the way to patch the hole. Medical is on the way too.”

  As she watched a flight of enemy ships attacked the SAR teams.

  ~~~

  Jeremiah 117 watched with a huge smile on his face. These new ships had such excellent weapons! So much better than those he used subduing Earth. In his limited experience the battle was going well. He had not been in a ship to ship battle in over a hundred years. ‘Attack always’ was his motto. Little by little his ships were whittling them down. He noticed a few small ships flitting around the battlefield. What are those? He used the magnification feature on his pad and brought them into view.

  “Why are we not firing on those ships?” He waved the picture of the PPL dropship picking up survivors.

  “Sir, the law of war…” He never finished. Jeremiah broke his neck with a quick jerk. The officer lay on the deck gasping out his last breath.

  “Really, you quote war laws at me? Me? Hear this all of you! I make the laws on this ship! Do what I tell you to do or go outside. Understand?”

  “I said, understand?”

  A chorus of Yes, Sir’s echoed around the bridge.

  “Good. Now order our gunners to start shooting those little ships! No enemy left alive means everyone!”

  The orders went out and fire increased from the Cabal ships as they began targeting the Marine rescue craft.

  ~~~

  “Captain!”

  “I see it Lieutenant Baal. Shit just got real.” The captain activated the all ship-wide communicator. “May I have your attention? Cabal ships have just opened fire on our rescue ships ignoring the laws of modern war. We will now join the fight. Check your suits and secure your stations because we go to war!”

  “Commander Blomkvist take us in.” Captain Gorshin looked at the battle plot and pointed to a spot just past the first line of defense. “Right there. That is where we need to hit them. The destroyers here and here are damaged and are only defending. This cruiser is being careful to only expose its starboard side to enemy fire. That means a good hit to port will take it out. The Carrier is the flagship and our target.”

  “Lieutenant Sprong, send this to Admiral Kane. Ask her to keep them off our ass!” He downloaded the quick battle plan and handed it off to the lieutenant. With luck this ship could get through.

  ~~~

  The Vindex was bleeding atmosphere in a dozen places. The ship was still holding. Captain Wimberger was hit worse. The Manxman was an even older ship. It was designed to take more damage, and it had. Too much more. The flight deck was destroyed and half her guns were out. She was still fighting with only one functioning torpedo tube.

  “Captain Wimberger, the Admiral says that the Hong Kong ship is going to attack the enemy carrier. She wants us to provide as much of a distraction as we can.” Amy nodded to her communication officer. He was only an ensign. The older officer was a victim of a hull breach. She glanced at her plot. Only the Lepanto still survived. The Warspite was hit amidships with multiple torpedoes and exploded. Her two surviving destroyers had moved to the rear to try to effect repairs.

  “Tell the Admiral we will do the best we can.” She checked with engineering. The engines were perhaps the only system still functioning properly.

  Amy sighed. That heavy cruiser would not be enough to break through those lines. Her friend and one time lover Admiral Kane needed to survive this battle! She was vital to the cause of freedom and the defeat of the Cabal. There was only one option left.

  “Order the Lepanto and our destroyers to coordinate with Admiral Kane. Navigation make for these coordinates at flank speed!” The bridge crew nodded their heads. It was the only way if anyone was to survive this battle.

  ~~~

  The James Cook finished working its way through the rebel fleet and burst forth at the extreme left of the battle line.

  “Concentrate all fire on this position and pray to the gods you believe in.” The ship’s gunners began firing on the enemy destroyers. Their gunners fired grazer shots at the wounded cruiser.

  Captain Gorshin carefully watched his plot as his ship fired at the enemy line. Kane’s ships continued to fire, but they were rapidly running out of ammunition. The enemy fleet finally noticed his ship and fire was shifting toward them. “Hold onto your hats, here it comes!”

  The James Cook began to rumble and shake as
weapons fire blanketed the ship. The ship had been redesigned multiple times with an emphasis on survival. The armor was four times as thick as a standard Heavy cruiser. What he lost in speed he made up for in survival.

  Hold together! Captain Gorshin said a short prayer to the gods of space. “Captain! Look at the Manxman!”

  He checked the plot just in time to see Captain Wimberger’s ship leave the battle line and charge the enemy. Was she suicidal? The big converted Carrier charged across the to the enemy battle line. Defensive batteries on her ship were now close enough to do damage to the imperial ships. Firing at point blank range her gunners were doing extensive damage to the destroyers and the cruiser. Slowly her ship penetrated the line and attacked the Courageous directly with her lone torpedo tube.

  Praying for her survival, he ordered his gunners to increase their fire. The James Cook, now only taking half as much fire, punched through the destroyer line and began pounding the enemy cruisers.

  ~~~

  Admiral Kane watched in horror as one of her Captain’s and her best friend threw her life away, distracting the enemy. She watched on sensors as Amy’s ship battered its way into the enemy battle line. As a data point she took note of the effectiveness of anti-torpedo defenses on enemy armor. The Manxman was being ripped to shreds as she watched.

  “Ma’am we are receiving a message from the Manxman!”

  “Put it on screen!”

  The vid screen lit up. It was like looking into electronic hell. Bridge consoles were sparking and burning all over the place. Bodies could be seen lying on the deck. The bridge was shuddering and shaking from the battle hits. “I don’t have a lot of time, Emily I just had to do it. You have to survive this! Only you can stop the Cabal.” A huge explosion rocked the ship smoke and bodies could be seen moving across the deck! They now had a massive breach in the hull. “Emily! I love…” The transmission ended as the Manxman broke apart and exploded.

  Admiral Kane turned away from the vid screen and choked back a sob. “Don’t make her sacrifice be in vain! Increase fire on those bastards!”

  “Admiral! The James Cook made it through!” She could see that Captain Gorshin managed to batter his way past the two cruisers and was engaging the Courageous. The Cabal fleet was coming apart at the seams, only one battered cruiser and two destroyers now stood in the way of her fleet.

  “Send to all ships! We are closing with the enemy. It is either them or us now!” Her few remaining ships slowly began closing the distance to the enemy flagship.

  ~~~

  “Sir, Admiral Kane’s flagship is approaching us!”

  “Show me!” Jeremiah 117 looked up from the destruction of the Manxman and looked at his aide.

  The vid changed to a plot of the ships. His ship and fleet were already battling the heavy cruiser that attacked on the starboard flank. Now what was left of Kane’s fleet was finally coming within range. Excellent.

  “Order the remaining fighters to load up with the new ship killer missiles and attack any target of opportunity out there!”

  “Sir, there are only three fighters left! Shouldn’t we wait and… urp…” He never finished talking or even breathing.

  “Send the order!” The bridge crew nodded and practically fell over each other to send the order. No one wanted to be the next to die.

  ~~~

  Captain Gorshin’s command was in tatters as he went toe-to-toe with the larger carrier. The Courageous was not just a carrier. It was the flagship of the Imperial home fleet. It was designed upon a battleship keel. It carried enough armor to outfit half the fleet. It had more guns than most battleships. It was only a Carrier in name. It was really a dreadnought.

  The ship's galley was in operation even though a battle was going on. The main dining area was being used as a makeshift triage. The doctors and med-aides were struggling to keep the injured alive. Chief Gomez, head cook and lord of the dining room was the only staff present. His cooks were all filling in as secondary gunners or medics. He was running around helping the doctors. The ship trembled and shook again as he helped hold a crewman down. Looking into the man's eyes he tried to soothe him as the doctor performed an emergency forequarter amputation. He recognized the man, it was Ensign Tremblay.

  “Just hold on Ensign it will all be better. The docs will fix you right up.” The ship’s doctor looked up at him and shook his head. Damn. Another life gone to this war.

  The ship shuddered, and the lights flickered again in the dining room. A loud whooshing sound could be heard. One of the doctors jumped up and began shouting. “Blast doors! We have to close the blast doors!” Chief Gomez ran to the hatch and fiddled with the controls. The doors were either stuck or had no power! The noise was growing louder, and a breeze was starting to move the through the room. The Chief pulled the panel and began trying to cross wire the system. He was still trying when a large hole opened up in the side of the ship and everyone in the room was sucked out into space.

  Up on the bridge the Captain received the word that the mess area was lost along with over a hundred wounded crewmen. He bowed his head and said a prayer.

  Young Lieutenant Ellery was all that was keeping engineering operating. She received the rank just last week. She earned it. The fusion engines continued to operate at peak proficiency despite the sections being open to space in several areas. She was alone except for one petty officer. After the death of the Chief Engineer she assumed command. Commander Lee had taught her one thing. Her people were important. She sent them to help with emergency repairs, search and rescue.

  ~~~

  Her ship was finally in position to help. She ordered her gunners to begin firing the main grazer turrets. The lights flickered with each shot but they were having some effect on the enemy ships. The grazers were some of the most powerful beam weapons in existence. Few Captains allowed a ship equipped with them to get within range.

  Suddenly her ship rocked to one side violently. The blast threw some of her crew to the deck. “What was that!”

  “Ma’am, that was the Jules Ferry. It was hit by some sort of missile fired by the enemy fighters.”

  “That is not from the Imperial Navy armory! It has to be something new! Order our ships to take out those fighters!”

  “Lieutenant Harper, how is the James Cook doing?” Checking the plot she could see they were getting the snot pounded out of them.

  “We lost communications with them a short while ago. The last report we had they managed to hole the Courageous on the starboard side. We don’t know how much damage they did.”

  “Tell our gunners to ignore that cruiser and fire on the Courageous. Order the destroyers to do what they can against that damaged cruiser.”

  ~~~

  The James Cook was dying. The last enemy fighter launched one of its ship killers at the ship just as point defense took it out. It struck amidships cutting through the armor like butter and vivisecting the ship. How engineering was even still operating amazed the captain.

  “Lieutenant Ellery?” Repeated calls to engineering failed. Security feed showed the entire section in flames.

  All the Captain could think of was what would happen if those fires reached the fusion bottles. He now understood what Captain Wimberger felt. There was only two choices left for his ship. The first choice was completely out of the question.

  “Lieutenant Behm? Are the engines responding at all?”

  “Believe it or not they actually still are. No idea how. Sir.”

  “We have one choice left to us. Unless anyone wishes to surrender?” All of the faces on the bridge looked very grim. No one stood up or asked to leave. “All right then. Ramming speed if you will Lieutenant Behm. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve with all of you. See you on the other side.”

  ~~~

  “Admiral look to the James Cook!” For the second time in a day Emily saw a good friend die in a sacrifice to the gods of battle. The Hong Kong ship, damaged and holed, rammed the Imperial ship Courageous. T
he fusion bottles let go at the moment of impact blowing an immense hole in the side of the dreadnought.

  “Their defenses are down! Destroy that ship, don’t let those lives lost to be in vain.”

  Chapter 20

  The secondary Command Center was not in Dilmun. It wasn’t even in a city at all. It was in a Mountain. Ausonia Montes was not one of Mars tallest mountains, but it was the least volcanic. Many of the taller mountains were either active or inactive volcanoes. Grandmother said they could get a little too hot for building a base in. She was trying to make a joke. I think. Almost getting killed shook all of us up. I snuggled closer to Dar. She really was my protector. I was so afraid for her in the command center. The Dorr house security ship took us straight to the mountain. In my ear Wilson muttered something about the ‘lonely mountain’. Or something like that. When I asked for clarification, he said it was the dragons fault. AI’s, they never explain.