by Ryk Brown
For a brief moment, Nathan thought about just changing course and jumping away. His ship was fully repaired and fully stocked. It would take at least one hundred jumps over a few months, but they would probably make it back to Earth in one piece. That was, after all, his primary mission.
Unfortunately, the time to cut and run was long past. Vladimir had been right about him all along; he always did try to do the right thing, at least Captain Scott tried. The old Ensign Scott, he wasn’t too sure about.
“Jump plotted and locked, Captain,” Loki reported.
“Execute.”
“Jumping in three……two……one……jump.”
The bridge filled with the blue-white jump flash again. When it cleared a moment later, the right side of the screen was filled with the image of the planet Corinair.
“Jump complete,” Loki reported. “Now orbiting Corinair.”
“How long until we peek our nose out far enough to be seen by that frigate?” Nathan asked.
“Twenty-two minutes, Captain,” Ensign Yosef reported.
“How far out is the frigate?”
“We can’t see the frigate right now, sir, but based on its last known course and speed it should be approximately twenty-five light minutes out,” Ensign Yosef answered.
“Comms,” Nathan began, “contact the Corinairans and tell them that if they intend to transmit any type of warning to that frigate, they’d better do it now, because when we come out from behind their planet, we’re coming out shooting.”
“Yes, sir,” Naralena answered.
“Captain,” Abby warned, “even if the Corinairans transmit a message immediately, there will not be enough time to receive a response before we come out from behind Corinair.”
“We’ll be jumping to just in front of them,” Nathan answered. “They can transmit their response then if they so choose.”
“And if they agree to stand down?”
“Seriously?” Jessica asked.
“I’m not really interested in their response,” Nathan stated calmly.
For several moments, the bridge was relatively quiet. “They’d probably just say something pompous anyway,” Jessica mumbled.
“Captain, there will be very little time between your initial contact with the Loranoi, and the arrival of the Wallach,” Tug stated.
“He’s right,” Cameron agreed.
“Jess?” Nathan asked.
“About five or six minutes,” Jessica answered from her post at the tactical station.
“Once the Wallach sees you jump, your element of surprise will be lost on them,” Tug continued. “If they witness your attack on the frigate, they may keep their shields tight, and your opportunity to jump inside them will be lost. If that happens, you may not be able to defeat her.”
“I had considered that,” Nathan stated.
“You must strike quickly and decisively,” Tug insisted. “Cripple her on the first pass.”
“That was my intention,” Nathan added.
“Captain,” Naralena began, “message from Corinair, sir.”
“Go ahead,” Nathan answered.
“Message reads ‘Warning transmitted to Ta’Akar Frigate Loranoi as follows. The Darvano system declares its independence from the Ta’Akar Empire. Your ship is in violation of our sovereign space. You are hereby ordered to withdraw immediately or you will be fired upon. This shall be your only warning.’”
“Damn,” Jessica muttered. “That was straight to the point.”
“It sure was,” Nathan agreed.
“That message was not written by the Prime Minister,” Cameron observed.
“Yeah, it’s too direct,” Nathan added.
“I suspect the Prime Minister of Corinair has handed the situation over to the Corinari at this point,” Tug concluded.
“There is another message as well, sir,” Naralena interrupted. “The second message is being transmitted on a secure channel from Corinari Command. It reads ‘Aurora, attack any and all hostile forces at your discretion. Advise if assistance is needed, the Corinari are standing by. Good luck.’ The message was signed by General Valachin, sir.”
“Typical,” Tug stated. “The politicians satisfied their obligation to the law, then handed the problem over to the military while they run and hide in their bunkers.”
“Commander, shouldn’t you be heading for flight-ops? We’re about to set general quarters.”
“Yes, sir.” Cameron paused for a moment, staring at Nathan. He noticed her pause and turned to face her. “Good luck, Nathan.”
Nathan recognized a vote of confidence from Cameron when he got one, which wasn’t often, as best he could recall. “Thanks, Cam.”
Cameron looked at Jessica and nodded to her as well before she left the bridge.
“I should get to my interceptor as well,” Tug stated.
“Remember, Tug, as soon as we jump in, you get off the deck and jump away,” Nathan said. “You’re only going to have about twenty seconds.”
“Do not concern yourself with me, Captain,” Tug told him. “I can take care of myself. You have more than enough to worry about.”
“Just don’t jump too far; we may need you.”
“I will remain close by,” Tug promised. “Call and I will respond.”
“Good luck,” Nathan wished Tug as he headed for the exit.
“To us all,” Tug bid on his way out.
“How long until we get line of sight on the Loranoi?”
“Five minutes,” Loki answered.
“Very well.” Nathan took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, clearing his mind as best he could. He was about to take the Aurora back into battle. Only this time, she was fully armed and fully crewed.
“Set general quarters, amber deck,” Nathan ordered.
“General quarters, amber deck, aye,” Jessica answered.
Nathan moved to his chair, glancing at his watch and noting the time as he walked. As he took his seat, the warning klaxon sounded, and the lighting on the bridge took on a red tinge.
“General quarters. General quarters. All hands, man your battle stations,” the prerecorded voice announced ship-wide. Nathan knew that, all over the ship, every man and woman was moving into position in quick, orderly fashion. Every member of his crew knew where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to do. They had practiced this many times over the past month, all in preparation for this moment.
“All compartments report general quarters manned and ready, Captain,” Jessica reported. “Amber deck is set, the XO is in flight-ops, and the chief of the boat is in damage control.”
Nathan looked at his watch again in surprise. “Thirty seconds?” he said, rotating his chair around to look at Jessica. “Is that even possible?”
“I suspect everyone was already at their battle stations,” Jessica responded.
“Mister Sheehan, new jump plot. As soon as we get line of sight on the Loranoi, I want to jump to thirty seconds directly in front of her, based on our closure rate.”
“Yes, sir,” Loki answered.
“Tactical, load all forward tubes, nuclear with full yield, rig for snapshot, staggered firing.”
“Loading all forward tubes, full nukes, rig for snapshot, staggered firing, aye,” Jessica answered.
“Deploy all rail guns. We’ll start with the forward guns only.”
“Yes, sir,” Jessica answered.
“Helm, as soon as we fire our torpedoes, pitch down under the target and go to full power. As soon as your course is set below the target and you have a clear jump line, kill your burn and jump us one light minute forward.”
“Yes, sir,” Josh answered.
“Mister Sheehan, you’re only going to have about twenty seconds to get us out of there before the nukes go off,” Nathan warned.
“Understood, Captain,” Loki answered.
“I’ll get us pointed under,” Josh insisted to Loki. “You just be sure you jump us in time.”
“Jess, once those torped
oes are fired, I’ll need a countdown of the last ten seconds of their flight.”
“Understood,” Jessica answered.
“Comms, tell the air boss that Tug should be sitting on the apron ready to launch in…”
“Three minutes, Captain,” Loki answered.
“Three minutes,” Nathan repeated to Naralena. “If he doesn’t get off the deck immediately, he’ll have to ride it out and take his chances with us.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nathan took another breath. “Comms, put me ship-wide.”
“Ship-wide now,” Naralena answered.
“Attention, crew of the Aurora. This is your captain. The Corinairan government has transmitted their declaration of independence from the Ta’Akar Empire. In a few moments, we will be backing those words up with our actions. We will be outnumbered and outgunned, but we will have the element of surprise, the jump drive, and the strength of the Corinari on our side. Perform your duties as you were trained, watch each other’s backs, and we shall prevail. That is all.” Nathan gestured for Naralena to kill the channel.
Nathan rotated around again, noticing Jessica’s expression. “Just thought they should know what they’re getting into.”
Tug backed his interceptor out to the port corner of the Aurora’s flight apron in preparation for launch. He made one final check of his systems and instruments before activating his comms.
“Aurora, Tug. Ready for launch.”
“Tug, Aurora copies. Thirty seconds to jump.”
“Understood.”
“Attention, all hands. Stand by for jump,” Abby announced.
“Twenty seconds to line of sight,” Loki said.
“As soon as you get line of sight, start your jump plot,” Nathan reminded Loki.
“I’ve already got the plot, Captain.”
“That plot was based on an assumption of the target’s position,” Nathan warned. “If we’re going to jump into the path of another vessel, we want to be damned sure of its actual course and speed, Mister Sheehan.”
“Yes, sir, but even with line of sight, her track is still going to be fifteen minutes old.”
“It’s the best we can do,” Nathan stated calmly. It was a risky move, and Nathan knew it. He would have preferred to make the sudden jump from much closer, and even with a greater distance between him and the frigate. But their torpedoes were unguided line of sight weapons, so they needed to jump in close enough to hit them before the frigate had a chance to take evasive action. Still, there was no way to know for sure. All they could do was make a guess based on the target’s current course, speed, and deceleration. Since the target did not yet know they were headed for a trap, there was no reason for them to alter their approach from the standard pattern that the Ta’Akar had always used in the past.
“We have line of sight,” Ensign Yosef announced. “Contact. Transferring plot to tactical.”
“I have the contact,” Jessica reported. “Takaran frigate. It’s the Loranoi.”
“Helm, break orbit and head for that frigate, full speed ahead.”
“Breaking orbit and coming to intercept course, full speed ahead, aye,” Josh answered.
“Start your jump plot, Mister Sheehan.”
“Calculating jump,” Loki answered
“Tactical, check the system for contacts,” Nathan ordered.
“No other contacts, Captain,” Jessica reported. “Other than the Loranoi and us, the system is clear. ETA to the Wallach’s arrival is five minutes.”
“Jump plotted and locked,” Loki reported.
“All right, here we go people,” Nathan announced. “Jump.”
“All hands, jumping in three……two……one……jump.”
The brilliant blue-white flash of the Aurora’s jump filled the cockpit of Tug’s interceptor. A moment later it was gone and Tug fired his ascent thrusters at maximum power. His interceptor leapt off the Aurora’s flight apron, and within a few seconds, he was above her topside line, looking forward. In the distance ahead of them, he could barely make out a small white dot, slightly larger than the background stars and more irregularly shaped. What made it stand out most, however, was that it was rapidly growing larger.
“Nathan you crazy bastard,” Tug exclaimed as he pitched his nose up and fired his main engines, reaching for his jump drive control interface as he did so.
“Flight-ops reports interceptor is away,” Naralena announced. “Incoming message from the Loranoi.”
“Staggered snapshot, all forward tubes. Fire,” Nathan ordered.
“Firing all forward tubes, staggered snapshot,” Jessica reported.
“Hold the message,” Nathan ordered Naralena.
“One fired,” Jessica reported. “Two fired…”
“Interceptor has jumped away,” Ensign Yosef reported.
“Three fired,” Jessica continued. “Four fired. All torpedoes away!”
“Helm, pitch down! Loki next jump, one light minute forward,” Nathan ordered.
“Torpedo impact in fifteen seconds,” Jessica reported.
“Pitching down, aye,” Josh acknowledged as he pitched the Aurora’s nose down a few degrees in order to fly under the frigate that was now coming straight at them.
“Calculating new plot,” Loki announced.
“Torpedo impact in ten seconds,” Jessica announced.
“Sensors, are her shields up?” Nathan asked.
“No, sir,” Ensign Yosef reported, “but they’re charging their emitters now.”
“It will take them a few seconds at least, Captain,” Mister Willard advised from the electronic countermeasures station. “Our torpedoes still might beat their shields!”
At that point, Nathan knew that his rail gun rounds would not be fast enough to catch up to the torpedoes before they struck the Loranoi and detonated. Although some of them would probably be vaporized by the nuclear blast, the rest would strike an already damaged target. It might not make a difference, but Nathan knew he might not get another shot at the frigate, and he wanted to make this one count.
“Open fire, all forward rail guns!” Nathan ordered.
“Rail guns firing!” Jessica announced.
On the outside of the Aurora, on her forward section, the six forward-most rail guns opened fire. Burst of pale blue magnetic energy leapt off the rails as the quad guns spat forth a hail of fist-sized metal-alloy projectiles at a staggering rate.
“Five seconds to impact,” Jessica reported from tactical.
“Jump plotted and locked,” Loki announced from the navigators chair at the helm.
“No Count! Jump now!” Nathan ordered.
“Jumping!” Loki reported, the bridge instantly flooding with blue-white light.
The Aurora disappeared in a flash of blue-white light as the four nuclear-armed torpedoes streaked toward the frigate. With only a few seconds notice, the Loranoi had no time to maneuver out of the way of the oncoming torpedoes and took all four of them right in her forward shields, which had barely come up to fifty percent charge when the first torpedo detonated in a blinding flash. Each of the remaining three torpedoes struck the exact same section of shielding at one second intervals, all detonating with the same brilliant flashes of light. The force of the four nuclear detonations was more than the Loranoi’s forward shields could withstand, and all the shield emitters across her bow shorted and fused, making them inoperable. Only seconds after the last torpedo detonated, a hail of rail gun rounds drilled into the nose of the frigate, ripping her bow open in several places and causing numerous secondary explosions within the forward section of her hull.
“Jump complete,” Loki reported.
“Helm, new course. Come sixty degrees to port,” Nathan ordered.
“Coming hard to port, sixty degrees, aye,” Josh answered.
“Mister Sheehan, as soon as Josh finishes his turn, plot another jump, one light minute out along the new course.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Damage report?”<
br />
“DCC reports no damage, Captain. The frigate never got a shot off.”
“Jess, load all tubes again, fore and aft this time, just in case.”
“Loading all tubes,” Jessica reported.
“How long until you finish your turn?” Nathan asked Josh.
“Fifteen seconds, sir.”
“Comms, play the Loranoi’s last message,” Nathan ordered.
“Yes, sir.” Naralena tapped her console and called up the recorded message. “Your declaration is in direct violation of the terms of your surrender. If you denounce this declaration immediately, we will consider your unconditional surrender to the Ta’Akar Empire and spare your world. Failure to do so will result in the immediate unrestrained bombardment of all military and civilian targets…”
“Turn it off,” Nathan ordered.
“Well, I guess they weren’t planning on withdrawing,” Jessica cracked.
“Turn complete,” Josh announced.
“Plotting next jump,” Loki announced.
“Sensors, keep an eye on the target. I want a damage assessment as soon as possible.”
“Yes, sir,” Ensign Yosef acknowledged.
“How long until the Wallach arrives?” Nathan asked Jessica.
“Four minutes.”
“Anything on sensors yet?” Nathan asked.
“I’m tracking the target now. Her light is old, so I just saw us launch torpedoes on her.”
Nathan looked impatiently at Jessica again.
“Ain’t relativity a bitch?” Jessica quipped.
“I’m seeing four good detonations, Captain,” Ensign Yosef reported.
“Were her shields up?”
“Whoa. If they were, they went down awfully fast. I’m seeing secondary explosions in her bow. Looks like our rail guns tore her up.”
“Outstanding.”
“Jump plotted,” Loki reported.
“Very well, Mister Sheehan. Jump the ship again.”
“Yes, sir. Jumping in three……two……one……jump.”
The bridge filled with the jump flash again.
“Jump complete,” Loki reported.
