Fighting the Silent

by Bruno Martins Soares

  “Yes, sir. As ordered.”

  “Good. Clear the boards, then, please, Mr.Doorbos.”

  “Yes, sir! Clearing the boards.”

  We were too far from the asteroid belts for it to be nothing. It was too rare the occasions that we found a rock stranded in the middle of nowhere. Statistically insignificant occasions. If it wasn’t a glitch, it was something. And every single contact with a Silent started this way. Yet, 10 minutes was a long time. We should have had another contact at this point. Anything.

  “Probes, Mr.Steld?”

  “338 minutes, sir.”

  Probe technology had improved very quickly. Probes lasted longer, nowadays.

  “Good.”

  We waited another 10 minutes. Nothing. The bridge was completely quiet.

  “A glitch, sir?” asked Doorbos.

  “No. She’s out there, lieutenant.”

  I looked around. Dark space all around. Where was she?

  “Enhanced positions, please, Mr.Steld.”

  “Sir.”

  He pushed the button and circles of yellow light appeared on the MID and showed the positions of the other ships in the convoy, on the starboard side, where they were supposed to be. The port side, to the left, was just dark and empty. She could be anywhere. But she was out there. If we did nothing, I knew what would happen. She would be inside the convoy before we knew it. Creating mayhem. We waited 10 more minutes before I decided.

  “Well, this is enough.” I sat back in the chair. “Mr.Valero.”

  Valero was the N-Comm.

  “Sir?”

  “One-degree starboard, if you please, and minus 5% velocity.”

  “Sir?”

  Everyone was looking at me. They couldn’t quite believe the order. I was leaving my position in the convoy. It was badly accepted when a merchant ship did this, but for an escort Navy vessel to leave position… I was doing it again… But my eyes fell over Valero like a rock.

  “You heard me, Mr.Valero. One degree starboard, minus 5% velocity. Now.”

  Valero swallowed hard, opened his eyes wide and immediately jumped to his console.

  “Yes, sir!”

  The Loghi started to move slowly to the right, getting closer to the convoy. A murmur of astonishment ran through the bridge. I wished I had F.O. Orrey there to shut it up. But Doorbos was as surprised and frozen as the rest of them. He looked at me, timid.

  “Is this wise, sir?“ He managed the courage to whisper to me.

  I smiled, trying to show confidence.

  “She was at Level 12, 30 minutes ago. Where do you think she might be now?”

  He thought a little before answering.

  “Probably getting in position, sir. Probably going for the butt.”

  I smiled again. He was clever, after all.

  “Then we need to get in a better position ourselves, don’t we?”

  He thought again.

  “Yes, sir. I guess we do. But, sir… Our orders…”

  “CONTACT! Level 7, 8-and-9, sir!”

  Leveled and back. Those were the Silent I knew. They went back and leveled. The whole bridge looked at me, in expectation. You could hear a pin drop…

  “Mr.Valero.”

  He came out of the trance, almost surprised.

  “Sir?”

  “Cut velocity by 40%.”

  “Sir?”

  I gave him the cold stare again.

  “That’s the last time you question my orders, Mr.Valero. Minus 40 velocity, on the double!”

  “Yes, SIR!”

  “Gentlemen,” I said. “This is it. I’m counting on you. Webbur is counting on you. Let’s do what we’re here to do.”

  There was a bit of whispering again. Doorbos looked at me. There was a new determination in his eyes. A smile of madness also. Something different. Was it me who had that effect on him?

  “Battle stations, Captain?” he asked.

  I smiled back.

  “Battle stations, First Officer.”

  Battle stations were called. Our velocity decreased, we were drifting fast towards the back of the convoy. The bridge was frantic at that point. I looked to see if everyone had their seat belts on, but this was Navy, not a merchant ship, and of course, they had them on.

  “I need Weapons ready, Mr.Kreen!” I groaned.

  “Yes, sir! Almost there!”

  “Now, Mr.Kreen!”

  “Yes, sir! “

  Kreen started pressing all the hulls to get ready. I could see that the frigate, still moving a degree starboard, was dangerously approaching a merchant, and Valero had twisted his chair straight towards the stern and was getting nervous. I knew this had to be right, it was going to be close, but we needed the position. Valero looked at me.

  “Captain…”

  “Steady as she goes, lieutenant, steady as she goes.”

  “SIR!” shouted Steld. “Captain Saltz is hailing, sir. Inquiring about our movements.”

  “Tell him we’re engaging, lieutenant.” I turned my chair towards the back. We were approaching the Slingard, a 700k-ton merchant, very rapidly. I tapped Doorbos violently on the shoulder. “Weapons!“

  “WEAPONS, MR.KREEN!” Shouted Doorbos.

  “Oh, the stars!” Someone said.

  “The Slingard is signaling, sir! COLLISION WARNING!!”

  The Slingard started turning starboard, trying to escape.

  “Oh, BY THE STARS!” Said the same someone.

  “WE’RE GONNA HIT, CAPTAIN!!“ Shouted Valero.

  “NOW, MR.VALERO, CORRECT 2 DEGREES! NOW!”

  Valero obeyed as quickly as only a Webbur Navy specialist could and our bow turned left at the same time we saw the Slingard passing next to us at no more than 500 palms on the starboard side.

  “Gods and angels…” Someone said.

  “MR.KREEN!!” I shouted.

  “WEAPONS READY, SIR!!”

  “CONTACT!! LEVEL 0!! 6-AND-9!!”

  I looked up. At level zero there was no hiding, the mimic display showed the Silent dark boat right behind us!

  “Fuck! She’s on top of us!” Said Doorbos.

  “COLLISION, CAPTAIN!!” Shouted Valero.

  “STEADY!” I ordered.

  “Oh, The Stars!!”

  “TORPEDOES!!!” Shouted Steld.

  We actually saw the black torpedoes coming out of the slick vessel, coming at us with a dark gray tail of smoke behind them.

  “Oh, shit!”

  “Oh, gods!”

  “FUCK!!!”

  But the torpedoes, still unarmed, passed by us, one on each side. I think I even saw the white markings on their flanks! And then the devices fired their engines and sped up towards the Slingard. But we were all looking back, at the Silent boat coming towards us, climbing desperately.

  “COLLISION!!” Shouted Valero.

  “STEADY!” I ordered again.

  And the Silent accelerated upwards, and we cleared it from the bottom. We actually saw the whole dark hull passing over our heads, at arm’s length.

  “Oh, Gods!”

  “Mr.Valero, full speed ahead, 40-degrees port, 10-degrees down and roll!” I ordered. “Give her the flank!”

  And he acted without delay. Knew exactly what to do. The Loghi turned left and leaned. The Silent understood what we were doing and started turning starboard, away from us. But it was too late.

  “Fire at will, Mr.Kreen!”

  “SIR! ALL EVEN READY! FIRE!”

  Our starboard broadside was aiming right at the enemy. We could see the red hot of their burners. We could see the tower and the dark hull. 160 missiles roared from their batteries, and for a moment we saw nothing else but the white smoke from their engines.

  “THE ENEMY IS FIRING, SIR!”

  “Countermeasures.”

  “COUNTERMEASURES, YES SIR!”

  But we were too close. Countermeasures had no hope. We would be hit. But we weren’t a merchant, we were a frigate. And frigates endure.

  “Hold on,”
I said, suddenly feeling calm.

  “OH, GODS!!!”

  And we got hit. Several missiles hit us on the starboard side. It felt like we were in a violent earthquake. Everything shook! Smoke came out of a pipe in a wall, in the middle of the display, until someone closed a valve.

  “The enemy, Mr.Steld!” I asked. “What happened to the enemy!?”

  But in a moment, we all could see it: the Silent was exploding all around. We had hit her hard. She wouldn’t survive. In a close missile fight, she was out of her league.

  “WE GOT HER!” shouted Steld. “WE GOT HER, SIR!”

  And then the Silent exploded whole, and all the crew shouted in joy and laughed out loud. We had her! And there weren’t many ships, so far, that could boast bringing down a Silent. I looked up to my right, for a moment, and could see the intact yellow circle out there, where the Harvy was. I had protected her. She was safe.

  “Mr.Doorbos.”

  “Sir?” Doorbos looked at me with a big smile on his face.

  “Damages, if you please.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Doorbos focused on his console. I looked around confirming everyone was all right.

  “Good work, men. Mr.Valero, back to our position, if you don’t mind.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  They were still laughing and tapping each other’s backs.

  “What of the Slingard, Mr.Steld?”

  “Badly hit, Captain. Two torpedoes. But hanging in.”

  Many people would have died. I thought back, wondering if there was something else I could have done. Then Doorbos got back to me.

  “Sir. We have damages in Hulls 2 and 6, but they’re being handled. No active fires. H4 is the worst, sir. They have major breaches back there.”

  “Red lights?”

  “Several, sir.”

  This was bad. I twisted my nose, uncomfortable.

  “Let’s close it down.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I picked up the internal communicator and called the Captain of Hull 4. I was surprised I remembered his name, and so was he.

  “Captain Sachett, how are things back there?”

  “Not that great, sir.” His voice was composed, but I could hear screaming in the background. Sachett was a good man, 45,and a sailor to the bone. I had the feeling that if there was someone that could handle it, it was him.

  “Casualties?”

  “A few, sir, but still don’t know how many.”

  “Do you have gravity?”

  “Irregular, sir.”

  “O2?”

  “Managing so far. But 30% of the Hull is off the grid, sir.”

  “Any fires?”

  “A couple, sir. It’s going to take a while.”

  “I’m afraid we’re going to have to close you down, Captain.” I felt the bile in my mouth as I was saying it.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “We can give you water, power, and oxygen, but that will be it.”

  “I understand, sir.”

  “Good luck to you all.”

  “Thank you, sir. We’ll do our best.”

  “I know you will.”

  I laid down the mike and looked at Doorbos.

  “Close H4.”

  “Closing H4, yes, sir.”

  “CONTACT!! LEVEL 8, 10-AND-11!!”

  What the fuck?!... What the hell was this? Two Silent Boats in one attack? As far as I knew, that had never happened! The bridge got quiet in an instant. The hesitation was such that Steld decided to repeat the contact info.

  “Sir? Cont…”

  “Put it on the MID, please, Mr.Steld.”

  There it was. Another signature. Only a blip, but we all knew what it was. And a sudden chill came up my back. If the Silent was attacking the convoy directly from the left, as she seemed to be, the fact that the Loghi had forsaken her position had left the enemy’s path wide open.

  “Mr.Valero, full speed ahead, for all she’s worth! We need to get back to our position now!”

  “Yes, sir! Full speed!”

  No one was cheerful anymore. Everyone got focused on their tasks. I looked at the merchant ships ahead. The Acia, the Herret, the Zelden and the Ezue were the most exposed. Had I just sacrificed them? And we were coming up close to the Slingard once more. The merchant was badly hurt on both sides, discharging heavy debris backwards. Towards us. Valero started turning to avoid it.

  “Maintain course, Mr.Valero. Full speed.”

  “But, sir, the debris…”

  “Go through it, lieutenant! We have no time to spare!”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I looked at Doorbos, to see if he had any objections as well, but he was facing the bow smiling madly. Debris started to hit us. Black lumps of metal, just surging from nothing and bumping into the frigate.

  “Gods!” shouted someone.

  “Gods and angels!” said another.

  That was enough.

  “THE NEXT PERSON WHO GETS RELIGIOUS ON THIS BRIDGE WILL GET THE BRIG, FOR MY HONOR!” I shouted.

  They quieted down. In the next second, a big chunk of debris came up from nowhere and bumped violently on top of us. The whole ship shook.

  “Mr.Doorbos?”

  “It’s the tower, Captain. I think we might have lost it.”

  That seemed an exaggerated assessment, but I didn’t get into it at that point. I turned to Quippel, the Tech-Comm.

  “Mr.Quippel, please send somebody up there to confirm it.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Contact, sir! Level 5, 10-and-10.”

  The bitch was doing exactly what I had predicted: she was heading directly to the vulnerable port side of the convoy. Exactly where we should have been to prevent it.

  “Sir!” called Valero. “Should I deviate?”

  We were heading directly towards the Slingard’s thrusters.

  “Slightly, Mr.Valero. Starboard side, please.” If we went through the left, we would miss our trajectory.

  We were still taking bumps from the merchant’s debris, but less and less and smaller and smaller. We passed very close to the Slingard’s starboard side, managing to see the horror going on down there. At least four or even five hulls had been breached on this flank. Many bodies, probably refugees, could still be seen attached to chairs, but there were also holes where others would probably have been. It was a disaster. It was unlikely she would be able to keep up with the convoy until Webbur. But if she made it to the Mirox she would be safe. More or less.

  “Sir, it’s confirmed,” said Quippel at that time. “We lost most of the tower.”

  Dammit! We had lost good people. And probably much of the C-Team’s belongings as well. Because we didn’t deviate from the debris. Because I was impetuous! But it had been worth it. I looked at my watch, confirming the time, and then again at my screen. We passed the Slingard and finally had open space ahead. And if I had predicted the enemy’s route correctly, we might be able to reach her before she could fire her torpedoes. There was a surge of mad elation inside of me. Something crazy, megalomania of some sort. But then…

  “SIR! The Nyban is reporting contact!! Level 6, 4-and-5!”

  What?? Another one? And… I choked. My heart stopped, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. 4-and-5 meant starboard, back and low. Right next to the Harvy.

  “Please confirm, Mr.Steld.”

  “Confirmed, sir. Contact, level 6, 4-and-5.”

  NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN! I brought the flag to my console. The screen showed it. It was true. The Nyban had called it. The Nyban, an old decaying Corvette, run by an adolescent green Captain. The Harvy was in danger! In serious danger!

  “Weapons, Captain?”

  It was Doorbos. He was looking at me.

  “What?”

  “Is everything all right, Captain?” he whispered. I couldn’t take my eyes off my screen, off the image of the Harvy on my screen.

  “I… I can’t…”

  “There’s nothing you
can do, sir.” He said, in a low voice, to keep it from others. “She’s too far away. Let the Nyban have her, sir. We need you here.”

  I looked into his eyes. His determined eyes. I knew he was right. I had to trust fate. Cruel, wretched fate. I had to trust Mira. She would do all there was to be done. I had to do the same for this ship. For the Loghi, my command, my men. I looked up.

  “I… Do we…? Do we have ‘scatter bombs’?”

  I meant MSS1 missiles, which would target a large area. Doorbos nodded.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “The next contact Steld gives you, fire them at that position.”

  “Yes, sir. Do you think?...”

  “No, it won’t get her, but do it anyway.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I could trust Doorbos. I could trust Doorbos, for a minute. I needed to calm down. Calm down! Focus! Focus on the Loghi. Focus on our foe! Do your job!

  Doorbos spoke loud.

  “Mr.Kreen, I need a ‘scatter’ sequence ready, odd side!”

  “Sir, yes, SIR!”

  She would be fine. The Harvy would be fine. Luck would hold. She would hold. Mira… Oh, Mira…

  “Weapons ready, sir!” That was Kreen.

  “Fine, Mr.Kreen. Wait for it!” That was Doorbos.

  “Contact, sir! Level 3, 10-and-9!” That was Steld.

  “Fire, Mr.Kreen!”

  “Hull 1, FIRE! Hull 3, FIRE! Hull 5, FIRE!”

  The missiles flew away in succession. We saw them disappearing rapidly into the void until we didn’t see them anymore. I looked up and noticed the Acia coming up ahead. I almost jumped in my seat.

  “Port, Mr.Valero, port!” I called. “We need to get a better position fast!”

  “Yes, sir!”

  We changed course, to pass the Acia by her larboard side. The ‘scatter bombs’ started blowing up in the dark space, over an incredibly large area, but it was clear that they didn’t hit the enemy.

  “Good!” I said. “The enemy is between the ‘scatter’ explosion and the convoy. That’s not a lot of space. Get me a ‘flash probe’ sequence, Mr.Kreen. From 3-10-9 to 1-12-9, on the double!”

  “Sir, yes, SIR!”

  I meant the PTL30’s, the probes that flashed once, burning immediately, but giving us a clear picture of the area. We felt the smooth sound and vibrations of the probes sliding out of their nests and jumping into space. I looked again to my screen. Oh, no!! OH, NO! OH, NO! OH, NO! The Harvy! The Harvy was being hit! Once and again! The Harvy was being hit! I saw explosions, and more! She was being hit! She was being hit! She was lost!