Desperate Defense: The First Terran Interstellar War book 1 (Founding of the Federation 4)

by Chris Hechtl

  “March to the sound of the guns,” he growled as he entered the bridge. “Don't,” he said as the marine sentry started to announce his presence. “As you were people,” he said as he took the hot seat. “I need a SITREP. What'd I miss?”

  He stared at the plot—eight ships, just eight. From the tentative ID's, Constitution's CIC was sending back, only three were warships, the rest were hanging back and didn't look like warships.

  He realized that the enemy had sent only half their force. He was not sure why they would do that, he wasn't even certain if he should consider it good fortune or not. Briefly he threw out possible ideas—like that the other force might have held the bridge or were off hitting the other colonies. They could even be waiting in hyper as reinforcements or come in on another vector he thought bleakly.

  He couldn't help it though; it was going to take everything they had just to take down the three warships in front of them now. He shook his head. If they lost Sol, they would lose it all; their civilization would collapse and be torn apart.

  “Order to Admiral Kepler. Jan, you've got to hold it together. Engage only at extreme range if able to do so. Don't get cornered, stay alive. Keep them dancing, I want to see some footwork. Wear them down for us. Freedom is shaping a course to meet you in …,” he checked the clock. His navigational officer put up a countdown. “Twenty hours. If we can shorten, that we will. All ships in the vicinity are to rendezvous with Argus.”

  ~~*^*~~

  Admiral Kepler realized they were in the worst situation imaginable. The Confederation forces were broken into four waves. The first wave led by Captain Yuanja on Constitution had half of their destroyers and all of their active frigates. They had been en route to the Altair jump point zone to begin some working-up exercises and as well as standing picket duty.

  She was en route to Argus and the militia reserves that were twenty million kilometers away from the jump point. The Argus battle group had Resolution, Justice, and Courage as her main capital ships … such as they were. The rest of the ships were civilian or Liberty class ships that had been refit as improvised warships. Seeing the enemy ships now, she thought they might as well scuttle the ships and save the enemy the trouble. They would stand a snowball's chance in hell against the enemy warships, even though there seemed to be only the three of them.

  There were several resupply ships moving around space. She had fought the temptation to order the ships clear of the battle space. She might need their supplies badly before the battle was done.

  Admiral Lewis was coming up behind her in Freedom and the other three destroyers. She'd just received his orders. She glanced at them again, then frowned.

  She knew Walter was very worried about defeat in detail. She was too; it was too easy to get picked off. Most of their warships were with Constitution. They needed to get their forces concentrated, but they needed information too. There was no time to drop into stealth either; by now, she knew that the enemy had a lock on all of her ships. The battle was going to be a straight-up head-to-head clash, an ugly one at that.

  She forced herself to acknowledge that they were going to get hurt and most likely badly.

  As she watched the plot, she noted that the enemy formation was shaking down into a classic one, a pincer with the cruisers spread apart and the battleship further back. The cruisers were intended to run anything down or pin it until the battleship could come to finish it off. The five support ships trailed the battleship but remained under its protective umbrella.

  There were no signs of parasite craft so that was a good thing. It was odd that the enemy wasn't using recon probes either.

  “Ma'am, Constitution has sent out the warning,” a communication's tech said quietly. “No response reported.

  “Very well,” she acknowledged. “Remind Constitution to keep it quick. A firing pass, don't get entangled,” she warned.

  “Aye aye, Ma'am,” the tech replied.

  Since she was senior officer in the area, she had reluctantly allowed Constitution's force the option to hit one of the pincers with a swift strike to get the information they needed. If Constitution's task group started to take losses, they had strict orders to get clear.

  ~~*^*~~

  Lieutenant Adrienne Hatfield wished they'd gotten the delivery of the gen three fighters. They had a longer nose and more efficient systems. They would have nearly doubled the fighter range. The fighters and bombers were in a resupply collier on its way to Argus, but they'd run out of time. Besides, if they had gotten them, they would have gone out into space with little or no experience in the untested craft. Perhaps it was best to use what they've got.

  ~~*^*~~

  Admiral Lewis's clarion call hit the naval complex and shipyards in Mars orbit like a second thunderbolt. His orders pulled in everyone, including the naval middies on leave on the planet. Ensign Nelson shot orders out to everyone to strip the bases clean to man the ships in dock. He had strict orders to get every ship in orbit out to help defend the solar system, irregardless of what it was or how complete it was.

  Civilian ship masters protested, but when no-nonsense Marines and naval personnel showed up, they either disembarked or stepped up to help. Everything down to tugs was commandeered for the action to come.

  On the military side, the ships that were partially complete and could be manned were towed out of their slips. Those that were partially functional were hastily loaded with crew, stores, and fuel as much as they could in a short time.

  While they did that, the yard dogs went into overdrive to do what they could to get the other ships together as quickly as they could.

  ~~*^*~~

  Yorrick swore when he got the call. Rick shook his head when he called him. He checked in with Padme. Padme looked worried but blew him a kiss. He smiled and then turned to Rick as Padme cut the connection. “Get everyone we've got, all shifts out in the slips. We need to move heaven and Earth to get the navy those ships and hardware.”

  “Time's run out,” Rick warned.

  “Not yet it hasn't. If we can get just one more ship out, it might make the difference. At the least it'll be around to do what it can to defend the yard if the aliens fire on us.”

  Rick's eyes widened and then he nodded. “I'll start making calls. I know some people have been showing up already though.”

  “Good.”

  ~~*^*~~

  Wendy stared dumbly at the media report and then turned to look out to the blackness of space. Somewhere out there men and women were about to fight and die to protect her, to protect all she knew from an alien race hell bent on destroying them.

  They were going to be fighting and dying in ships her brother had built. She hoped and prayed he'd gotten it right.

  ~~*^*~~

  Midshipmen Roger Daringer and Renee Lewis managed to get up to the shipyard by the simple expedient of borrowing one of the Daringer shuttles. Lieutenant Rogers caught up with them in the yard after they docked. “You two are each going to be on one of the destroyers,” the lieutenant said. “You each have an ensign as a captain so don't screw this up.”

  “Right,” Roger replied tightly as he nodded.

  Renee nodded but her eyes were wide. Nervously she licked her lips. “This isn't a drill, is it?” she asked.

  “No. Now get to your ships,” the lieutenant said as he transmitted to them their orders. They nodded, but as they began to come to attention, he waved a dismissive hand. “No time. Hustle,” he growled.

  When they were gone, he frowned. He wished he could strap a fighter under his ass but he couldn't. Not yet anyway, he thought as Ensign Nelson sent him a list of incoming personnel and their assignments. He took off for the dock to meet them and pass the assignments out.

  Chapter 32

  The Beta bull stared at the incoming enemy warships. They were small, but their engine readings were far more powerful than they should be. Also, his sensor technicians had reported each of the ships were heavily armed and had powerful shields.


  The cruisers had split up in front of the battleship to act as their horns. The first enemy force was offering long-range battle on the port flank. When the enemy ship's courses finalized to the point where they couldn't maneuver easily without running into the arms of the battleship, the Beta bull ordered the second cruiser to close with its sister while his flagship picked up speed.

  “Bring the main guns online. I want firing solutions on the nearest ships as well as the nearest alien platforms. Let us divide them further. Make them protect their herd in different locations instead of concentrating,” he ordered.

  “As you order, Fleet Herd Leader,” his ship's Alpha bull replied.

  ~~*^*~~

  “This just got a lot uglier,” Captain Yuanja said as he saw the enemy ships maneuver to trap his small force. “We need to fall back on Baker Four now.”

  “It's tight, sir. We'll be in the enemy's battle space for at least fourteen minutes,” his TO warned.

  “Can't be helped. We'll have to go through a trial by fire to see if our tech and skills have paid off,” the captain said as the tactical officer finalized the ship's firing solutions. “Fire when ready. Make it count, Guns.”

  “Aye aye, sir.”

  ~~*^*~~

  “Line up on the lead ship. Let's see how quickly they burn,” the cruiser's Alpha bull ordered.

  “We have a firing solution ship, Herd Leader,” the weapons bull reported.

  “Then fire!”

  ~~*^*~~

  “The cruiser is maneuvering …,” CIC reported just as Invincible belayed her name and came apart in a ripple of an explosion.

  “What the hell?” Lieutenant JG Josh Lewis, the ATO demanded as he gaped. “What just happened?”

  “Run that back,” the captain ordered. “Slow it down,” he said. They watched a blur hit the ship's bow near her starboard side and punch out through her port stern.

  “We've been fired on. All ships, ROE One is a go. I repeat, all ships, ROE is engaged. Let's avenge Invincible!” the captain growled just as the cruiser began to maneuver again.

  “Sir, she's lining up on Aegis! The defensive ships can't stop that!” the tactical officer warned. “It's some sort of spinal mount gun.”

  “Com, warn the other ships. Don't let her get her bow on you. All ships independent maneuvering is in effect,” the captain barked.

  ~~*^*~~

  “The larger enemy ship in the rear is sending out more transmissions than the others,” the communication's tech reported.

  “Then that is the leader. Target that ship next,” the ship's Alpha bull ordered as the second ship exploded.

  ~~*^*~~

  “Sir, they are lining up on us!” CIC warned.

  “Helm, jink us. Get us clear of that bow fast!”

  “Blowing hard on Y axis,” the helmsman said, kicking the ship up and rolling her slightly just as the bow of the cruiser glowed briefly. The ship bucked and shivered a bit.

  “We've been hit … shields are down on the starboard side. Whatever did it grazed us, thank god!” the sensor tech said.

  “Pray later. Shoot back now,” Lieutenant Lewis growled.

  ~~*^*~~

  “You missed? How you could you have missed?” the ship's Alpha bull stormed.

  “The ship is maneuvering quickly and erratically, Alpha,” the weapons bull reported.

  “Excuses! Fire on another one. Secondary batteries fire on the ships as you bear!” he growled.

  ~~*^*~~

  “All ships, we've got enough information, get clear. Repeat, get clear of the battle space,” Captain Yuanja ordered. He didn't even flinch when he saw Surprise explode. They didn't stand a chance he thought sickly.

  “They are shooting some sort of energy weapon, sir. Some sort of enhanced X-ray laser,” CIC reported.

  “And kinetic rounds. Big kinetic rounds,” the TO stated just as the Independence, Indus, and Inch Arran lined up their own bows and fired their own kinetic weapons. Archer and Javelin lined up and volley fired half of their missiles in spreads at the enemy cruiser.

  The three rail gun rounds sparked off the enemy's shields. They didn't so much as flicker. A second set from each ship made the cruiser pause and then orient on one of the frigates.

  Their momentary pause to line up and fire a second time doomed Indus. The ship took a round midship, breaking her in half.

  “Damn it!” the captain snarled, fists clenched.

  The missile and standard design frigates didn't have enough point defense or strong enough shields to resist the fire of the cruisers. They exploded like fire crackers it seemed. He wasn't even certain if his destroyer could handle that main gun. He definitely didn't want to find out.

  “Starboard shields recovering,” the engineer reported. “We've moved things around so we've only got half-strength shields until we get some downtime to make exterior repairs,” he warned.

  “Do what you can,” the captain said absently as he watched the plot.

  “Based on observed firing range, the second cruiser will be in range in four minutes,” the CIC tech reported just as the missile spread hammered into the enemy cruiser.

  The missiles had been programmed to spread out in a pattern. The two frigates had synced their fire to land on target at the same time.

  The cruiser's shields buckled under the pounding of forty ten-kiloton-fusion warheads on its dorsal bow. The shields flickered and then fell.

  Unfortunately, none of the ships were in the right position to take advantage of the momentary lapse in the enemy's defenses. By the time the destroyers had traversed their turrets, the cruiser had rolled to expose its port flank and was maneuvering away.

  “Sir! The second cruiser, she's lining up for a shot on Avenger!” CIC warned urgently.

  “Com, all ships jink. Watch out for the second cruiser!” the captain barked.

  It was too late for Avenger however. Before the destroyer could maneuver, she took a hit in her port stern high. The ship came apart, twisting and tearing as her engines continued to spit and sputter before going out.

  ~~*^*~~

  “We're coming to your aide. Hang on,” the second cruiser's ship's Alpha bull stated.

  “We can handle them,” the first cruiser's ship Alpha bull replied tartly. “See?” he demanded as his ship fired.

  The main gun hit the ventral surface of one of the larger enemy ships.

  “You missed,” the second Alpha bull said contemptuously.

  “Did I?” the first asked as the ship rolled and then went dead.

  ~~*^*~~

  “Sir, Epic is out of the fight. No response,” CIC reported.

  “Keep me posted,” the captain replied. He winced as the second cruiser fired another round. The round narrowly missed Valor.

  “We're getting our asses kicked here,” Lieutenant Lewis muttered, loud enough to be heard.

  “As you were,” the captain said just as the ship jinked harder than the inertial dampeners could handle. The crew was thrown around. Lieutenant Lewis's helmet thrashed and something snapped. A medical alarm went off.

  “Who's hurt?” the sentry demanded. He scanned the room and then saw the lieutenant hanging there limp in his harness with his head at an odd angle. “Sir,” he said as he went over and checked for a pulse.

  “He's dead,” the TO said, checking the lieutenant's vital signs through her implants. “He must have snapped his neck.”

  “Damn it!” the sentry snarled.

  “Get the body out of here,” the captain ordered. His momentary inattention from the plot spared him from seeing Archer walk into a volley of rail guns from the first cruiser. The ship's shields fluttered and then went down. The ship listed and then tried to right herself before her drive went down.

  ~~*^*~~

  “Shields are recovering at half strength,” the engineering bull reported just as the enemy ships fired on the cruiser again. There were a few of the small missiles but kinetic rounds that sparked off the shields.

&nbs
p; “Shields down to one quarter,” the engineering bull reported. A trio of hits from one of the larger ship's rail gun turrets made him snort. “Make that down again.” the engineer said as the missiles came closer.

  “Maneuvering, extend the range. Guns, fire into those missiles!” the ship's Alpha bull roared.

  Captain Yuanja grimaced as the missiles abruptly erupted in premature explosions as the enemy targeted them with all of their kinetic turrets. A main gun round from the second cruiser tore through Javelin, tearing her apart.

  “We are six minutes from getting out of their known engagement zone,” CIC reported.

  The captain didn't say anything; he just gripped the armrests of his chair. Six minutes and there were just four surviving ships left.

  ~~*^*~~

  Admiral Lewis saw the carnage well ahead of him and fought not to roar. He wanted to bellow, to order them to get the hell out of there, but he knew it was already too late. He was still too far away to be of any use.

  All they could do was wait, watch, hope, and pray.

  ~~*^*~~

  “They are falling before us like grass,” the battleship's Alpha bull reported. “Their small ships stand no chance against our guns. If this is the best they have, they are lost.”

  “Do not jinx us,” the Beta bull warned.

  “No, Herd Leader,” the ship's Alpha bull replied hastily.

  “Fire as you bear.”

  “Yes, Herd Leader.”

  ~~*^*~~

  The two remaining frigates were picked off easily by the cruisers. They jinked desperately, but the two cruisers had them boxed. Constitution and Valor fared slightly better only because the frigates went down first.

  In a last act of spite, Valor cut her engines and thundered back at her foes with everything she had available. She fired at the second cruiser, the one closest to her, then she kicked her OMS hard down on her Y axis and to her port to get clear of the ship's bow.