It had not been pretty. The Vought had been easily run down and had exploded brilliantly when the hull had been pierced by some type of energy beam. The Leighton had been disabled by the same type of weapon and then grappled up against one of the enemy ships before both vanished from the system. Hovering above it all was what Agent Uba considered to be the gross incompetence of one Senior Captain Celesta Wright, Hero of the Phage War.
She’d led her taskforce into a slaughter, not for a moment thinking that there could be something else in such a notorious region of space other than some prank by the Asianic Union. Then, when the shooting started, the vacuum created by her lack of coherent leadership caused the other commanders to falter and hesitate. He’d been one of those who regarded her as one of the Fleet’s few true warriors, the exact sort of captain you wanted in a situation like what had just happened. Her performance during what he was calling the Fourth Debacle of Xi’an in his head made him question everything he’d ever heard about her.
“We do have some good news out of all this,” the captain said.
“Do tell, Captain Edgwin.” Uba turned and walked over to the sensor display.
“Our weapons seem to be quiet effective,” Edgwin said. “The Icarus fired eight Shrikes and four Hornets prior to their emergency jump. The result is two destroyed enemy ships and one that appears to be badly disabled.”
“What?!” Uba exclaimed. He hadn’t even been aware Wright had fired a shot. “Show me.”
“The Icarus is being pursued by four of the enemy ships here,” the sensor operator pointed to the icons on the display. “You can see they begin to redeploy and stagger their formation, we think in response to the Icarus firing a full spread of Shrikes.”
“I see that,” Uba said.
“Then the trailing two reversed course and disappeared, coming in right behind the Icarus,” the operator continued. “Captain Wright snap-fired four Hornets and then the ship transitioned out of the Xi’an System.”
“Which means Wright had already initiated the emergency jump protocols.” Uba straightened. “Somehow she knew exactly what it meant when two of her pursuers broke off and reversed course.”
“Yes, sir,” Edgwin nodded. “Then the four Shrikes still actively tracking impacted here, and here. One target was obliterated and the other was torn nearly in half. The Shrike is a penetrator missile designed to be used against organic Phage hulls, but it appears to be quite effective against metal alloys as well.”
“So it would appear,” Uba agreed. “And then Wright’s snap-fired Hornets also found their mark?”
“Yes, sir,” the sensor operator said. “They must have launched under an auto-target protocol and all four went after the same target. It was adrift and tumbling along the original course before two other ships grappled onto it and disappeared.”
“So they have tech that’s quite a bit ahead of ours, but their ships can’t take a punch,” Uba said, tapping his upper lip with his index finger. “It seems both sides have learned something from this engagement. What’s left in the system?”
“The wreckage of the two ships the Icarus destroyed, the wreckage of the Vought, and us,” Edgwin said. “What are your orders?”
“Continue to observe for the time being,” Uba said after a moment. “We’ll begin to parse and package the data into one of the new direct-flight com drones and launch it within the hour for New Sierra. After we’re absolutely certain we’re alone we’ll decide if we want to investigate the wreckage of our new friends or get out of here before they return or the ESA gets wind of what’s happening here.”
“I’ll have a drone prepped immediately,” Edgwin said. “Who do you think these guys were?”
“I couldn’t begin to guess,” Uba shook his head. “They warned us about interfering with something, but the fact they dragged the Ares all the way here for a sort of melodramatic display first just creates more questions than it answers.”
“What is it with this star system?” the sensor operator muttered. Uba turned and walked off the bridge without answering, ducking through the low hatchway. So Wright had managed to take out two ships and bust up a third … maybe he’d have to reevaluate his initial impression of her performance. It was true that Uba knew as much about captaining a starship as Wright likely did about being an agent, so perhaps his perspective was completely skewed. It didn’t matter either way as an assessment of the Fleet’s most successful and decorated starship captain was not within his purview. All he was required to do was compile the massive amount of data the Prowler had gathered, attach a synopsis, and forward it to CENTCOM where the analysts would draw their conclusions.
What he did know was that his gut was telling him this was not going to be an isolated occurrence and that humanity was likely about to face off with another enemy they were completely ill-prepared for. Maybe the critics were right. Maybe they had no right to be out this far and the policy of open and constant exploration and expansion may lead to their eventual extinction. They’d already run headlong into the Phage and won not by overwhelming force but by what most would concede was a lucky break. What were the chances they’d get another “lucky break” if this new challenger turned out to be as formidable as they appeared?
Chapter 6
“Position confirmed,” the specialist first class at the nav station said. “We’re on target in the DeLonges System.”
“Normal com traffic is present,” Ellison reported. “Picking up the New Sierra beacon loud and clear, condition normal.”
“Very well,” Commander Barrett said. “OPS, stow the warp drive and inform Engineering we’re ready for main engines. Coms, begin getting the necessary clearances to fly directly to the New Sierra Platform and ask them to give us their preferred course down into the system.”
“Aye, sir,” Ellison said. Barrett had been shocked when he’d called Captain Wright’s comlink to inform her they were about to transition into their destination system and she’d given a curt reply that she thought he could handle it.
She was starting to slip. Barrett could see the cracks in the façade as the reality of losing two starships with full crews began to sink in. During her time fighting the Phage she’d never been put in a position like that, and now Barrett feared she was compromised. The guilt and loss of confidence associated with that sort of defeat wasn’t something all commanders were able to get over. He had watched his former captain, Jackson Wolfe, go through something similar after the Battle of Nuovo Patria. While Captain Wright was handling it with a bit more grace, he couldn’t help but be concerned that she might not snap out of it.
“Priority com traffic coming in now, sir,” Ellison said. “Some addressed specifically to the captain but most is just general alert messages.”
“Go through it and give me a breakdown of what you think I need to know,” Barrett said, not wanting to be distracted while he was about to fly the Icarus down into the heavy traffic of the world many assumed would be the new capital.
“The rest of the taskforce was able to escape,” Ellison reported with obvious relief in his voice. “They’ve launched com drones ahead but they’re not due in for another week. We have confirmation from the Prowler that we destroyed two enemy ships and disabled one … no word in the mix about the Leighton.”
“Anything in there about our approach priority?” Barrett asked.
“No, sir,” Ellison said. “We’re being told to queue in behind normal traffic; they’re sending up target coordinates now. Apparently there’s another group of ships due in soon that has priority over us.”
“That has to be the delegation to the Ushin,” Accari said.
“The who?” Barrett turned to look at the OPS officer.
“Shit,” Accari muttered before raising his voice. “Unofficially, I’ve heard that’s the name of the new species we’ve made contact with. It’s either what we call them or what they call themselves. Anyway, the only group of ships I could imagine that would have a higher priority tha
n us would be the Amsterdam, the John Arden, and their escort.”
“In addition to being very interested where you’re getting your unofficial intel, Ensign, I’m inclined to agree,” Barrett said. “Why don’t you go ahead and verify our intel package and mission logs and send those to Coms so that it can be retransmitted and verified by New Sierra before they have to ask for it.”
“Aye, sir,” Accari said. They’d already transmitted the encrypted intel package at every waypoint on the flight back, including expending one of their next generation com drones that was capable of point-to-point warp flight instead of having to relay a message through each system’s platform via the established warp lanes. The new drones were abhorrently expensive and Fleet wasn’t all that enthusiastic about increasing the drone traffic in most systems, so they were to be used under emergency circumstances only. Captain Wright had felt a second alien invasion into the Xi’an System qualified.
Barrett was happy to learn that all the other ships in the taskforce had been able to escape. The loss of two was still devastating, but it could have been much worse. Just as he was about to send a runner to go and physically knock on the hatch to Captain Wright’s quarters, he looked over when he detected motion at the bridge hatchway. There stood Celesta Wright, sharp-eyed and in an impeccable set of utilities.
“I have the bridge, XO,” she said as she walked around, inspecting each station. “I’m sure I can get turnover from OPS, so why don’t you go and get some rack time. I’ll need you fresh and alert when it comes time to dock.”
“Aye aye, ma’am,” Barrett said crisply, hoping his voice masked the relief he felt. As per his unofficial duty as executive officer, he’d taken it upon himself to deflect and absorb from the crew in order to protect his captain during an understandable moment of weakness. Celesta Wright had earned that sort of loyalty from him during their time serving on the Blue Jacket together and then later when she’d approached CENTCOM and lobbied specifically for him as her new XO with the declared intention of grooming him for command.
He vacated the command seat, grabbing his tile and comlink as he did, and marched off the bridge on his way to his quarters. While the fact Captain Wright had come back on duty looking like she was more than fit for command was a relief, Barrett still had some lingering worries about her. He’d replayed the engagement in his mind over and over and he didn’t see anything that she should have done differently given the information that had been available at the time. He just hoped that eventually she’d see it that way and that at some critical moment in the future she wouldn’t hesitate or doubt herself. Only time would tell.
****
“My word!”
“Look at her!”
“How did they make it all the way back?”
The Icarus had been in a holding orbit for the last four days, slowly flying around New Sierra while waiting for the flight with the higher priority to arrive. It turned out Accari had been correct about which ships would be incoming, but the condition of those ships was a total shock.
The Amsterdam, a true battleship and the Fleet’s mightiest warship, limped by, flying underneath the Icarus on her way to one of the enclosed docks. The hull was scorched and blackened in places and she was streaming atmosphere from no less than twenty gaping rents in the hull. Most noticeably, however, was that one of the two massive outriggers that flanked the main hull and housed the main engines and sensors was missing. The pylons, also streaming atmosphere and sparking occasionally, looked like they were deformed as if melted.
“I wonder who did this,” Celesta said as she stood near the main display and took it all in. “Our new friends, our new enemies, or has the ESA decided now would be a good time to expand their territory.”
“The ESA doesn’t field a ship that can take on a Dreadnought-class battleship,” Barrett said.
“That we know of,” Celesta corrected.
“Captain, Admiral Marcum requests your presence on the New Sierra Platform in … six hours,” Ellison called out, checking the difference between ship’s time and that of New Sierra. “He’d like you to take a shuttle; the Icarus isn’t being given clearance to dock.”
“Confirmed, ma’am,” Accari said. “I’ve just been given a request that we vacate our current orbit after you depart. The Icarus is to join a holding formation over DeLonges.”
“This should be interesting,” Celesta said. “Ensign Accari, have Flight OPS prep a shuttle. After that, get your relief up here and get yourself packed, you’re coming with me. Be quick about it because you’re also going down to CIC to sign out a secure tile with all of our logs and intel packages on it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She turned to her XO. “Commander Barrett, while I would like you there as well I think you realize that you’re going to have to stay in command of the Icarus while I’m gone.”
“Of course, Captain,” Barrett nodded.
****
“While I normally like to work big to small, let me take the opportunity to make an official announcement regarding our elected government.” Admiral Marcum walked in, beginning his comments before he was even through the door. Celesta rose with the others and noted that the admiral looked a little worse for wear and was even sporting a few bandages on his head.
“The com drones will be carrying the news far and wide in a few hours, but I’ve just received word the New Sierra Accords have been agreed upon and ratified by ninety-seven percent of the delegates. We are now operating under a new charter within the Terran Federated Planets, or the Terran Federation. That’s actually the last sticking point they were working out when I got off the com with President-elect Augustus Wellington. We only lost one star system that may, or may not, decide to entreat the Eastern Star Alliance for membership.” A smattering of applause kicked off a full ovation until Marcum irritably waved everyone to silence.
“Shut up and sit down, all of you. The universe has decided to take another heaping shit on us while we’re still digging out from the last one. You may have noticed that I arrived on two-thirds of what was once the Terran Starfleet’s flagship … I am here to tell you it was only by the grace of God and the quick thinking of Captain Everett that we were able to fend off the attack. As it turns out they came light because we weren’t the intended target; our new allies were. Captain Wright, as I understand it you took the brunt of what they intended for us.”
“I’m afraid I’m not able to give an answer to that due to lack of perspective, Admiral,” Celesta said. “But we were hit with a numerically superior force in what appears to be a trap set specifically for us.”
“Yes, I’ve read your mission logs,” Marcum nodded slowly. “At least you made them bleed. We’ll be having a private briefing immediately following this, so for now allow me to disseminate all information as you may not be aware of what’s been classified need-to-know.”
“Of course, Admiral.”
The next two hours were a rehash of portions of the Icarus’s encounter as well as a brief of the attack on the delegation sent to the Ushin, as they were now officially referred to. The battle of two alien ships against a single Terran battleship was heartening. The Amsterdam was ambushed and took most of her damage in that opening salvo, but Captain Everett was fast on his feet and came back out swinging. He destroyed the first target with a single Shrike and then ran down the other, peppering it with laser fire until he hit something critical. As an interesting aside it was the first kill by a Terran starship with a tactical laser in the entire history of the organization. The entire Phage War had been fought with missiles and ferrous shells out of mag cannons.
“So that’s the good news,” Marcum said, setting his water glass down with a bang hard enough that it fell over and spilled. “Goddamn it,” he growled. “My hand is still numb from being flung about on the bridge.
“As I was saying … that’s the good news: Unlike the Phage that waltzed in and shrugged off nearly everything we threw at them, this enemy seems to
be on par with us technologically with a few exceptions. The fact our lasers can burn through their hulls and our missiles can down their ships is heartening.
“The bad news, other than the fact another species has decided to kick us in the teeth, is that they now know everything we do. These opening engagements are learning experiences for both sides. Not only that, but they’ve captured one of our ships and, obsolete or not, the Leighton and her crew will likely be able to give them far more additional intel about us than we’ll be able to gain about them.”
Celesta looked away, feeling her cheeks burning. She was still bitterly angry with herself for the loss of two ships but doubly so for the loss of the Leighton. Not only was the crew likely already dead, but she’d given the enemy a treasure trove of information about them. When she looked back, Admiral Marcum was staring right at her with an unreadable expression. He nodded slowly once to her before continuing.
“There is one more thing we’ll address in this preliminary meeting, possibly the more important as it has implications for what we do going forward,” he continued. “Our new friends, the Ushin, know who this new species is. They call them the Darshik, though I’m probably not saying it right. Communications with the Ushin are still in their infancy and it is very, very difficult to sometimes get even simple concepts across. You’ll all have a series of briefings on them in the coming days, but suffice it to say that even though they communicate audibly with each other that’s where the similarities end. Their vocalization organs can’t even mimic our phonetic sounds and vice versa. All you need to know for now is that they are our allies and the Darshik problem will not be going away on its own. That’s all for now … dismissed. Captain Wright, please remain.”
New Frontiers (Expansion Wars Trilogy, Book 1) Page 7
