by John Walker
A new set of blips brought her back to the moment, making her frown. These were not coming from the pool of fleet vessels but rather starboard. They were attempting to flank them. How did they mobilize that quickly and find a way over there? She ran a system scan and shook her head. If they did a microjump, they figured out how to do it with a low profile.
“Anthar,” Deva said. “We’ve got incoming vessels from the starboard. They are attempting to flank us.”
“Make?” Kale asked.
“Three modified freighters and a military scout vessel.” Deva tapped away. “They are armed with pulse cannons and…something else. Wait! I know this thing! Olly…er… Lieutenant Darnell sent me information about it. Look here.”
She brought the schematics up of the continuous beam weapon The Behemoth had encountered before. Durant came aboard The Crystal Font before they left and modified the shields with a new emission formula. She checked it over quickly and smirked. “It seems we’re already prepared for this.”
Kale nodded. “Yes, I was warned about it.” He turned to Athan. “It remains on your shield until it brings them down. Unfortunately for them, Durant Vi’Puren figured out how to counter it. He made the modifications to our shields however, that doesn’t mean we want to let it happen for long. Especially if they have made any modifications themselves.”
“Yes, sir.” Athan turned to Zanthari Thaina Qi’Calin, the weapon’s officer. “I’m going to use evasion pattern Derma Ka.”
Thaina nodded. “Acknowledged. I’ll be ready.”
“Deva,” Kale spoke, “are there any headed for The Behemoth?”
“Yes, sir. They have a similar spread only their scout is a modified destroyer.”
Kale hummed and Deva had a good guess of what he was thinking. The Behemoth had all the marines on the ship and didn’t need the delay. If The Crystal Font could get all the attention for a few more moments, the next phase of the attack could continue without delay. She started contemplating a method to get the others to attack them when Thaina spoke up.
“Sir, if you’re thinking we need those guys on us, send a bomber wing over to give them a kick to the face. Even if they miss with their payload, it’ll give us a chance to launch our own attack on them.” Thaina shrugged. “Add some harassment by fighters and I’m pretty sure they’ll find us the more attractive target.”
“Good plan,” Kale said. “Let’s make that happen. Wena, connect us to The Behemoth. I’ll fill them in so they can keep trending toward their mission’s destination.”
Deva sighed. I hope this works. We have to get our people on that station as quickly as possible if we’re going to finish this op efficiently. Too much delay will turn it into a slugging match and no one’s got time for that. Not if we’re going to get back in time to join the rest of the fleet for that bigger engagement.
Slow down there, lady. Planning for the next fight is bad luck when you’re in the middle of one. Focus. We’ve got a lot left to do here.
***
Gray leaned forward in his seat, staring at the view screen. He willed them to hurry, to get to their destination where they could launch the shuttles and get their marines into the station. He felt impatient. He wanted to contend with Krilan once and for all. This is the moment we finish our little dance.
“ETA to deployment,” Gray called out.
“Three minutes,” Redding replied. “We’re at full speed and we have incoming vessels.”
“Anthar Ru’Xin is on the line, sir,” Wena said. “He has an update.”
Gray tapped his com. “Go ahead, Kale.”
“We are going to engage the ships that are approaching us and that includes the ones they sent to intercept you. That should buy you enough time to get into position and deploy the marines.”
“Thanks,” Gray said. “You sure you’ve got them?”
Kale audibly smirked. “They didn’t exactly send the best. A small destroyer, a scout vessel and converted freighters. We’ve got this part. You focus on yours.”
“Understood. We’ll get our guys into position ASAP. Good luck.” Gray turned to Olly. “As we close on the position, I need an updated set of numbers. What’re our escorts going to have to deal with? Get me as much data about the area as you possibly can. Also, tell me when and if the station is on alert status.”
Olly nodded. “I can answer the last part right now. They’re on high alert but it only just started less than a minute ago. They were slow to respond…or our tactics worked. I’ll get the other data now, sir.”
Adam leaned close. “Is everything okay?”
“I just can’t wait to give this guy the beating of his life,” Gray said. “Don’t mean to be short. I’m just in hyper-efficiency mode. Make sure Revente and Dupont are ready to deploy the second we get into position. I don’t want any delays. We’re in an operation that can’t afford the small mistakes.”
“Aye, sir.”
Shields flared from an initial attack but The Crystal Font did as they suggested and intercepted, firing their own blasts to get the enemy’s attention. They might’ve had orders to attack The Behemoth but self preservation drew them away. Perhaps they believed they might make short work of a battle ship if they all worked together.
They won’t last long, Gray thought. After helping to outfit Kale’s ship with all the small advantages they’d drummed up, everyone’s confidence had been bolstered. Now, the Font would get to prove it out while The Behemoth rushed headlong into the heart of the mess. Getting there didn’t bother Gray so much as the situation they’d be in after.
With the marines deployed, they would be in a difficult spot, surrounded not only by the defenses of the station itself but a large contingency of ships. One on one, none of them stood a chance but dozens upon dozens might well cause some harm. The risk promised to be worth the reward yet Gray had to worry about being battle ready after the fight.
This is not the type of conflict one holds back in. I don’t really have a choice. If we want to be helpful in the big fight, we have to be conservative here.
“Captain,” Redding called out, “we’re in position.”
“Launch,” Gray ordered. “Get them all out there right away.”
“They’re on it,” Adam replied. “Ships are departing now.”
Gray nodded. “Olly, how many of their ships are coming for us?”
The young man paused and shook his head. “All of them? The computer’s counting now but it’s at least three quarters of their fleet. Many of them aren’t even battle ready! These people are crazy.”
“They might pull some suicide nonsense,” Adam said. “They’re not above it.”
“No,” Gray said, “but our guns can tear through them fast enough. Redding, get us ready for a real fight. Olly, get her some targets—the most dangerous ones first. Let’s work through these guys while the fighters, bombers and marines do their jobs. This is the final confrontation with these scum. Keep it tight so we can all go home.”
***
Chapter 6
Trellan sat with an Orion’s Light officer in a conference room, looking over the various tasks Krilan wanted him to report on. Their most pressing concern involved taking advantage of the absence of a large military fleet in the alliance home system but afterward, Krilan intended to conduct a variety of missions, both diplomatic and violent.
The moment the seat of power fell and Krilan rose to take it, he intended to have ships travel to the most powerful of the ally races and offer them a deal. Those who were not, such as Earth and a couple of the even newer additions, were to be destroyed. The rationale suggested their resources were more valuable than they were so killing them would make it easier to strip mine their worlds.
In the name of progress, Trellan thought. Reading through the plans made him sick. To think someone got so close to such a plot before an alliance official caught up to him was terrifying. Chance favored us but that’s all it was. There’s no other good explanation for my success here.
“What’re your thoughts on numbers needed for these places?” The officer asked him. Trellan didn’t even bother to remember the man’s name. He’d gone from thug to amiable but there was no companionship here. Only duty and obeying orders. It made sense why they lost battles. None of the people cared about one another enough to fight hard to save them.
“Will we have the ships after taking the home world?” Trellan asked. “We’ll need to prioritize these assignments based on available resources.”
“Are you doubting our success?” The ire in the man’s eyes almost made Trellan laugh. This is why Krilan wants sane people to look these over.
“No, but have you actually read the reports about our various conflicts? In some cases, we have overwhelming victories but those aren’t against battle trained ships the alliance will be fielding. Make no mistake, our people are good but they do experience losses and if we don’t factor that in, we’ll be in for a rude awakening after the attack.”
“I see.” The answer didn’t please the man but he couldn’t really argue it. He’d probably report Trellan to someone. In such zealous organizations, there was always some guy in charge of opinion or rhetoric. Luckily, Krilan sided with him or he wouldn’t even be seeing these plans. “In that case, I believe the attacks on the lesser races can come later.”
Trellan nodded. “I agree. The diplomatic missions will need to happen right away or we’ll face another force.” He frowned. “Let me ask you this, have we considered what happens if the alliance wins? What if they don’t lose as many of their ships as we’re thinking? What’re we going to do when they come back?”
“Lord Ar’Vax believes they will bow to his leadership when they return. He will control the home world and can take hostages, if necessary.” The officer smiled and it was not a pleasant expression. “I look forward to finding out what they will do but it would be nice if the military followed the rightful ruler without incident, don’t you think?”
“Of course.” Trellan did his best not to show his disdain for the concept. This man was brainwashed and had no sense about him whatsoever. “Alright, we should get back to—”
An alarm interrupted Trellan and he looked around, confused. The officer bolted to his feet and slammed a com unit on the wall, shouting into it, “report!” It took a few moments before anyone replied and he had to threaten them to get an answer. Another clear indication that this army was not prepared to face real opposition.
“Sir, we’ve got two alliance warships! They’ve come out of nowhere! Destroyed some of our defense and forward observation platforms and are rapidly approaching the station! Some of our ships have engaged one of them and we have confidence they’ll take them down!”
“I’ll inform Lord Ar’Vax!” The officer tapped the screen a couple of times. Trellan moved over to stand beside him, narrowing his eyes in thought. While the connection established, a few things drifted through his mind, ideas on what to do next. This may well be my opportunity…I should certainly take it.
Trellan took a step back and to the left so he was directly behind the officer. Lashing out, he covered the man’s mouth and wrenched his neck to the left so suddenly it snapped in an instant. He lowered the body to the floor and dragged him back behind the table, out of casual sight should someone come through the door.
Krilan connected. “Report. What’s going on?”
“This is Trellan,” he spoke into the com. “We have two alliance warships attacking the station. They’ve already caused some damage. I recommend we get to your flagship and finish them off.”
“Indeed. I’m sending you a ping, Trellan. Meet me there and we’ll go together.”
“Understood.” Trellan waited for the ping, uploaded it to his computer and prepared himself for the final stage of his mission. Krilan would be dead soon. This small act, especially when made public, would send his forces into disarray. All he had to do was get there and finish the job. Finally.
***
Captain William Hoffner was the only man standing on the shuttle as it disembarked from the hangar of The Behemoth. He wore his helmet, watching the updated reports from the fighters as they came in over his view screen. Their sudden attack seemed to be going well and they had caught the enemy off guard.
How do you bastards like it?
Their escorts flanked the shuttles, giving them a good one hundred yard distance on either side. The fighters had four vessels to protect until they landed at the different points of insertion, points where they would each claim a foothold then push toward the control room. When all was said and done, they’d have forty-five men inside.
Hoffner’s entry point was the closest to the control center but according to their intelligence, it may well be the hottest as well. The estimated number of men roaming around in there topped two hundred. However, most of them were conscripts and didn’t have any formalized training to speak of.
They might break and flee but they’re still going to be shooting guns at us. That’s dangerous enough.
Sergeants Jenks and Walsh took up the other shuttle, leading those men. Hoffner insisted on tagging along though Lieutenant Colonel Dupont recommended otherwise. Again. This operation was too important not to see it through on the ground. Hoffner did his best work amongst the men. He began to wonder if he shouldn’t have turned down his promotion to Captain.
Not that it would change much in the grand scheme of things. I have a lot more operational control this way.
The Behemoth lacked a solid base of marine lieutenants at the time. Some died in previous operations and others were wounded. They needed a refresh and some of the men needed a chance to recover. Hoffner wanted them to go home but there hadn’t been a good opportunity to send them.
Supposedly, an Earth ship was set to arrive in the alliance home system soon. It might be then that they could send their wounded back and get a crew refresh. Until then, Hoffner had a solid base of veterans that knew their jobs well. He could rely on them, even if the command structure of each attacking unit didn’t match any military standard.
“Incoming fighters,” the pilot, Lieutenant Kilburn’s bored voice muttered into his ear piece. “Coming in hot.”
Hoffner switched his feed to see the camera outside the ship, noting the heat coronas of the ships barreling toward them. “Do we need to man the turret?”
“Negative,” Klburn replied. “It’s automated now. AI and all that.”
Great, I love having to put my life in the hands of a computer. “Can we set it to manual?”
“In a pinch.”
Hoffner’s eyes narrowed and he looked around at the others. They didn’t seem concerned but then again, each of them wore their helmets with full face masks. If any of them were worried, it would be hard to tell. Maybe I’m just being paranoid but then again, I’ve done this long enough to be right when I worry.
“McGreary,” Hoffner called out. “Get your ass up and on the turret.”
“Sir?” Private McGreary looked up. “What do you mean?”
“Turrets behind me. I want you on it, shooting at the bad guys.”
“But…sir, isn’t it automated?”
“Only until you get your sorry carcass out of your seat and into this one,” Hoffner barked. “I don’t remember asking for an opinion either so get moving!”
McGreary jumped up and offered a crisp salute, shouting, “yes, sir!” He hurried down the aisle and stepped past Hoffner, climbing into the turret control.
“Turn off the AI,” Hoffner said. “McGreary’s got this.”
“Um…sir?” Kilburn finally lost his bored reserve. “This guy can’t be better than the computer.”
“You haven’t seen him in the simulators. Comply with my order, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir…” Kilburn didn’t sound overly pleased. “Transferring control now.”
“Okay, McGreary,” Hoffner said, “shoot like I saw you do the other day during training. These guys aren’t that tough so help those fig
hters tear them down. You get me?”
“I get you, sir!”
Hoffner moved to the cockpit, peering outside. The escorts engaged even as the turrets from the different shuttles began firing. He switched to McGreary’s view in one of his own windows and kept an eye on it. The kid had some skills and reacted quickly. He’d watched him perform in a simulated environment and fixed emplacements worked well for him.
An enemy fighter flew toward them, unloading a barrage of pulse cannon fire. McGreary led them, firing a couple shots to catch his bearings before committing fully. He depressed the triggers and let out a full torrent of blasts, each one connecting with the nose of his target. Double shields didn’t help the craft as the sustained attack burst through and took him out.
And that’s why you’re up there.
“I can’t believe it,” Kilburn said. “Incredible.”
“There you go,” Hoffner said. He shouted back to McGreary, “keep it up! We’ve got an ETA of two minutes!”
More fighters came screaming toward them and Hoffner felt his heart sink a little. He knew they’d experience opposition but he’d hoped they would be too occupied with the capital ships wreaking havoc in their system to bother with them. They must’ve understood what the shuttles represented—a true sense of defeat.
If marines set foot on their base and were able to take it, everything here would be lost. They’d be a fleet without a home. This fight was personal for them and if the defenses were tough in space, then they’d be twice as bad inside. Only there’ll be more of us to shoot back when we get in there.
McGreary engaged another set of ships coming in. A couple stray blasts splashed against the shuttle’s shields. Hoffner took a seat behind Kilburn and strapped in. The final two minutes of approach might well be rough enough that he didn’t want to go tumbling if something happened.
“I’m going to take some evasive maneuvers in the next pass,” Kilburn said. “McGreary, get ready to compensate.”
