by D. J. Holmes
At Vestar and Kulpath he had been able to throw himself against the problems he had encountered head on. When he had seen injustice he had been able to confront it directly. Now, here in Haven, there was nothing he could do. What made it worse, was that he knew that once Endeavour jumped out of the system there probably wouldn’t be any British ships returning for at least a couple of months. Major Johnston, his men and the Havenites would be on their own once again.
There is nothing for it, James said to himself for the fifth time. We need to leave. Suzanna will understand.
Pushing his doubts down, James left his office and strode back into the bridge. “Set us a course for the shift passage to Independence,” he ordered once he sat down in his command chair.
“We’re not going for Johnston?” Mallory asked.
“No, he and his men have decided to stay behind and join the fight against the Indians,” James answered. “You can all read a synopsis of the report later. For now, all you need to know is that Johnston got the information the invasion force is going to need. It’s our job to get it back to the Admiralty. I can promise you this though, we will return to Haven.”
“I didn’t doubt it,” Becket said from the tactical station. “We may be good at sneaking around. But it isn’t our style. I’m sure we’ll be back to show the Indians just what Endeavour can do.”
“Agreed,” James said. “Now get to work all of you.”
For another twenty minutes James watched the bridge crew get Endeavour ready to break out of orbit of the gas giant. Most of what they were doing could have been done as they travelled to the shift passage but James wanted to wait until the Indian frigate was well out of sensor range before he made his move.
As he watched the Indian ship it altered course. “Bring up the recorded patrol patterns of that frigate,” James ordered.
On the main holo display the patrol pattern Sub Lieutenant Malik had recorded for the frigate over the last several days appeared. The Indian warship appeared to be carrying out a patrol of the space between the system’s fifth and eighth planets, the seventh being the gas giant. Each time it got to roughly the point it was at now, it altered course and headed back into the system towards the fifth planet. As the Indian frigate continued to alter its current course Malik overlaid its projected course on the holo display.
“It’s making a much tighter turn that usual,” Malik said.
“Yes,” James said. “It’s new course is going to bring it almost as close to the gas giant as it was less than an hour ago.”
“That can’t be a coincidence,” Mallory said. “They must have detected Johnston’s laser signal.”
“They are trying to keep us trapped,” James said. “Whoever is captaining that frigate knows that we are unlikely to want to take the risk of breaking orbit when their ship is so near. They are passing by just close enough to make us want to stay put. Yet far enough away that it looks like they don’t know we are here.”
“They are waiting for reinforcements,” Mallory said.
“That’s what I would do,” James agreed. “It seems we are going to have to make our getaway a little sooner than we planned. Navigation, slowly move us around to the opposite side of the planet to the Indian frigate. Then bring us up out of orbit.”
“Do you think they will detect the disturbances we will make in the gas giant’s atmosphere when we exit?” Mallory asked.
“It’s likely, but they might not. With the planet’s rotation it will take three hours for our exit point to revolve around into their field of vision. If they don’t detect us right away those three hours should give us plenty of time to make a clean getaway.
Half an hour later Sub Lieutenant Jennings informed James that Endeavour was in position. In that time the Indian frigate had fully reversed its course and was approaching the gas giant again.
“Take us out,” James said, seeing no other option.
Chapter 20 – Full Speed Ahead!
Today the shift drive allows us to go almost anywhere the Sun Gates cannot take us. Yet it was not always so. Before we fully understood shift space, dark matter had a far greater effect on where we could engage the shift drive. It gave rise to many interesting naval tactics.
-Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD
30th April 2467 AD, ISF Rapjut, Haven System.
The stealth recon drone is detecting something Captain,” one of Ganguly’s officers called out excitedly. “I think the British ship is making a move, it’s coming out of the atmosphere on the other side of the planet.”
“They will go into stealth as soon as they break out of orbit,” the First Lieutenant said. “Should we alter course to intercept them?”
Ganguly didn’t answer right away. Instead he looked over the holo display of the Haven system. A number of flashing green icons showed the estimated positions of four Indian warships. They had gone into stealth when they had received his message about a possible contact. Now, they were all cruising towards the gas giant. There was also a flashing blue icon much closer to the planet. It represented the Kolkata, a light cruiser. She had been patrolling the general area in stealth for the last four days. Ganguly wasn’t exactly sure of her location, but the blue icon was his best guess.
They might be able to catch her, Ganguly thought to himself.
“Prepare to take us into stealth mode,” he ordered. “We’re going to fire a broadside of missiles at the British ship and then disappear. The British will have to power up their engines to deal with our missiles. As soon as they do, the rest of our ships will know they are trying to run for it.”
“We’re just going to fire at them and then hide?” the First Lieutenant said, trying to hide his misgivings. “Won’t Admiral Kumar expect us to chase after them and bring them to action.”
“No,” Ganguly replied. “Kumar will expect me to look after her ship. We can stay in stealth and follow the British ship until reinforcements get into range. Don’t you remember what this British ship did to our other ships. If we take it on alone we won’t even slow it down. However, if Kolkata is as close as I believe, then we can join up with her and take down this British ship together.
“We’re ready to fire Sir,” a junior officer announced. “I’m using targeting data from the recon drone so the firing solution is weak, but until they come out from behind the planet this is as good as it will get.”
“It will do,” Ganguly said. “We only need to rattle them. Fire.”
*
“Missile launch,” Malik called out in alarm. “That frigate has fired two missiles at us.”
“Warm up the point defenses,” Mallory ordered. “We can handle two missiles.”
“They detected us,” James said. “They must have had a drone orbiting the gas giant. But why fire so early, they must know they cannot cause us much harm?”
“Everyone in the system will see those two missiles on their gravimetric sensors,” Becket called out. “It could be a signal.”
“Yes,” James said. “And if they really did detect that laser signal then they have had plenty of time to warn nearby ships about our presence. I want full military power now,” he called out to Sub Lieutenant Jennings at the navigation console.
“Aye Sir,” she replied. “Where to?”
“Get us out of here, head for the edge of the system’s mass shadow, the closest point to us.” James answered. “If my guess is right, we’re going to need to jump into shift space as soon as possible. Break out the gaseous sails as well once we get to our top speed.”
“I’m detecting more ships coming online,” Malik called. “Four ships have just lit up their engines. They are coming straight for us.”
“That frigate did get out a warning,” James said. “Will they catch us?”
“It’s going to be close.” Malik answered. “Two of them may get close enough to fire off a single broadside before we reach the shift limit.
“One more has just appeared,” Malik said. “It’s close, and it�
�s big.”
“Put it on the main holo display,” James ordered.
When the newest contact appeared James had to bite back a curse. From the warship’s engine output, Endeavour’s computers estimated that it was a cruiser, and it was already travelling at 0.2c. Its projected course suggested that it would get into missile range twenty minutes before Endeavour could jump out.
“We have a fight on our hands,” he said to his bridge crew. “Becket, start working up a firing solution on that cruiser. Fire when ready.”
“Aye Sir,” Becket acknowledged.
For an hour Endeavour accelerated away from the gas giant. All that time the Indian light cruiser rapidly closed the gap between the two ships.
“Firing,” Becket said when it came into range of Endeavour’s missiles.
Two ship killers burst out of Endeavour’s stern missile ports and ignited their engines as they boosted towards the Indian cruiser. Another two followed six minutes later.
Before the first two reached their target, the Indian cruiser responded with three missiles of its own from its forward tubes.
“That frigate is back Captain,” Malik reported. “It just dropped out of stealth. It is falling into formation with the Indian cruiser.”
“Understood,” James said. There was nothing else he could do. The frigate would be able to add one more missile to the three the cruiser was firing at him. He just had to hope Endeavour could fend them off long enough to jump to safety.
For thirty minutes the three ships exchanged fire. Endeavour’s single flak cannon that could track the incoming Indian missiles ensured that none got through. The coordinated point defenses of the two Indian ships easily dealt with the British missiles.
We’re going to make it, James thought to himself. The gap between the two groups of ships was opening again. Endeavour’s top speed was 0.06c greater than the Indian cruiser. In another fifteen minutes they would be able to jump to safety.
“The Indian ships are turning,” Malik called out.
“They have realized they can’t catch us,” James said, seeing that the Indian Captain had come to the same conclusion he had. “They’re going to try a full broadside.”
Ten missiles erupted from the Indian cruiser and another two joined them from the frigate.
“Increase our speed by 0.02c,” James ordered. “Inform the ship’s doctor that she’s going to have to issue anti-radiation drugs. It’s the only way we will make it out of this.”
Endeavour’s valstronium armor and gaseous shields protected the crew from the cosmic radiation the ship encountered at speeds up to 0.38c. Anything over that and harmful levels of radiation would penetrate the ship. The crew would only have to endure elevated levels of radiation for another fourteen minutes. Hopefully it won’t do any lasting damage, James thought.
Five minutes after he gave his order the ship’s doctor, Gloria Anderson, appeared on the bridge. She went from officer to officer injecting them with anti-radiation drugs. When she got to James she gave him a dirty look. “I’m going to have to write up a report about this you know Captain. This is against regulations.”
“I know Anderson,” James said. “But this is the only way I can guarantee you will get home to submit your report.”
“I hope you are right Captain,” Anderson said as she left the bridge to see to the rest of the crew.
“What do the radiation levels look like?” James asked Second Lieutenant Julius, who was in the auxiliary bridge. He had given her responsibility for handling any problems that arose.
“They are climbing in the nose section,” she replied over the COM channel. “I have already evacuated the forward missile tubes. “Levels are elevated elsewhere but they are not yet life threatening.”
“Alert me if you have to evacuate any more sections,” James said.
“Enemy missiles are increasing their acceleration rate,” Malik reported.
“They won’t have any power left to maneuver once they get into range of our point defenses,” Becket said. “It looks like they are just hoping one of their missiles can get a proximity hit.”
“It’s still not going to be enough,” James said as the figures on the main holo display updated. “Jump us out as soon as we cross the mass shadow Jennings. I don’t want any margin of safety. Just jump us out.”
“Understood Sir,” she replied.
Three minutes later Jennings gave the command to the ship’s shift drive. In the blink of an eye Endeavour vanished from normal space, leaving a burst of gravimetric waves behind it. Seconds later the first Indian missile exploded right where Endeavour had been.
The micro jump lasted less than a second and when Endeavour reverted to real space the bridge crew let out a cheer. “We made it,” Mallory shouted to James, giving him a big smile.
“That we did,” James said. “Jennings, plot us a series of jumps along the edge of the system, we’re going to work our way back to towards the shift passage to Independence. Mallory, get us into stealth immediately.”
“Aye Sir,” Jennings and Mallory said. “The shift drive will be charged for another jump in twenty minutes,” Jennings added.
“Jump us as soon as you are ready,” James ordered. He sat back in his command chair and patiently watched the holo display.
Every solar system created a bubble in the dark matter that was strewn between the stars, some were bigger than others. Haven’s was quite small, the bubble extended about eight light hours beyond Haven’s gravity well. Endeavour’s micro jump had taken her six light hours towards the edge of the bubble. The pursuing Indian ships wouldn’t know exactly how far out she jumped, but, they only had a limited number of options from which to guess.
Just as James expected, twenty minutes after they had exited shift space alarms went off on the bridge.
“I’m detecting two ships jumping out of shift space,” Malik shouted from the sensor station.
“What are they?” James demanded.
Endeavour’s gravimetric sensors could detect ships exiting shift space up to a light hour away, meaning that the Indian ships were close.
“From the size of the emergence signatures I’m estimating contact bravo one is a frigate, and bravo two is a destroyer,” Malik said.
“I have a lock on the destroyer,” Becket said. “Shall I open fire?”
“Fire,” James said.
He had wanted to make another jump as soon as the shift drive’s capacitators were charged and get away from the Indians before they found him. With the two newcomers so close, they would be able to detect his next jump and follow him. They needed to be destroyed, or at least distracted.
The Indian ships had jumped in less than three light minutes from Endeavour. That meant it took Becket’s eight missiles twelve minutes to reach their targets. The Indian ships returned fire but it had taken them a couple of crucial minutes to re-orientate themselves to present their full broadsides at Endeavour.
As soon as James saw his missiles explode among the two Indian ships he gave Jennings the command she had been waiting for. “Go,” he shouted.
Jennings brought Endeavour onto a new heading and engaged the shift drive. Seconds later the ship reverted to real space to find herself alone and free from the pursuing Indian ships once again. As before, the Indian missiles that had been aimed at her had flown harmlessly through the space she had occupied moments ago.
“Plot a course to the Independence shift passage,” James ordered. “We’re going to stay in stealth and cruise all the way there. It will take us a couple of days but I don’t want to run the risk of another Indian ship detecting us exiting shift space. If the Indian Admiral suspects that we are trying to flee to Independence she may guess there is a faster way back to Earth via Independence. We don’t want that.”
“I understand Sir,” Mallory said.
“What about your missiles?” James asked Becket, “Did you hit anything?”
“I’m reviewing the sensor data we received just befor
e we jumped Sir,” Becket responded. “It looks like we got a proximity hit on the destroyer. We didn’t see the final two missiles explode though, so we could have got another one.”
“Good shooting,” James said. “With luck both ships will have been too busy to detect the heading of our micro jump. I’ve had just about enough of this cat and mouse business.”
