Legacy Fleet: Invincible

by David Bruns

  “Standing by, sir.” Michener’s voice was steady.

  “Lieutenant, target the lead ship, full spread of torpedoes. Fire!”

  The Warrior rocked as six torpedoes left the ship.

  “Time to impact thirty seconds, Captain.”

  “XO, reload now!”

  De Santos watched the trails of fire cut across the space between them and the alien vessel. The sound of the Swarm vibrated through the hull, making the skin of his arm tingle against the armrest.

  Two weapons impacted the Swarm ship, sending out a string of secondary explosions.

  “Two hits, sir!” the lieutenant whooped.

  “What about the rest of them?” de Santos called.

  “I’ve lost them, sir . . . wait . . . oh my God, look.” De Santos stared at the main screen. The other four torpedoes had entered one of the scoops that intel had told them were fighter bays. A massive gout of flame and debris erupted out of the scoop, causing the huge ship to heel hard to starboard. Take that, you bastards.

  The XO’s voice cut through the din of the Swarm noise. “All torpedo tubes reloaded, Captain!”

  “Captain, the Swarm fighters are . . . well, swarming, sir.”

  Even though the lead vessel was heavily damaged, the Swarm was scrambling fighters out of the other ships. Clouds of small craft crisscrossed the viewscreen.

  “Let’s take this show on the road, Lieutenant. Full forward shields and put us on a collision course with that lead ship.” De Santos punched the intercom. “Engineering, give me all the power you’ve got.”

  Captain Christian de Santos felt the ship tilt up as they rose toward the alien fleet, masses of enemy fighters nearly obscuring the view of their target. The hull trembled as they began to take a beating from the Swarm forces. He punched the intercom again.

  “XO, fire at will.”

  Chapter 21

  SS Renegade – Bridge

  “Addie, wake up. You’re going to want to see this.”

  Addison started awake at Laz’s voice. She’d curled up in the first officer’s chair, still in her flight suit, determined to watch Laz’s every move. But exhaustion had taken over.

  She rubbed her face. “What?” Her voice was hoarse.

  He sent the image to the main screen. Lagrange Station leapt into view, dwarfed by the five incoming Swarm ships. She saw a flash of light cross between the ships and the station.

  “They’re fighting back? I thought they’d have evacuated the station.”

  Laz increased the magnification and Addison saw a massive explosion engulf the lead alien ship. The vessel heeled over, narrowly missing one of its neighbors. A starship shot out of the space dock, releasing another brace of torpedoes as she rose.

  “That’s Warrior,” Addison said. Clouds of Swarm fighters engulfed the ship. “Those poor brave bastards,” she whispered.

  Laz shook his head when she turned toward him. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said, “and the answer’s no. We need to put as much space between us and the bad guys as possible before we contact UEF Command. Once we uncloak to communicate, we’re exposed. I don’t have the kind of weapons that can stand up to a military vessel. Privateers rely on stealth and speed.”

  Addison almost made a smart-ass comment about pirates, but she bit her tongue. Whatever Laz’s faults—and they were legion—she needed him now. He was her ticket to get back in the fight.

  “How long before it’s safe to communicate with UEF CENTCOM?”

  Laz glanced at his panel. “Give it another hour.”

  Addison stood and stretched. “Alright. Can I clean up somewhere?”

  “Sure.” Laz jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “You can use my cabin. Second door on the right. Mimi can lend you some clean clothes if you want.”

  Addison didn’t respond. Somehow, she didn’t think Mimi would be all that happy about lending out her clothes.

  Laz’s cabin was small, but tastefully furnished with thick rugs covering the deck and real wood furniture. She stripped off her uniform and shivered through a quick shower, noticing the water meter next to the faucet. Life on a massive starship had made her forget about how smaller ships like Renegade needed to husband their basic resources of air and water.

  Dripping wet, she looked around the tiny bathroom. No towel. Cursing her lack of foresight, she yanked open the first drawer she found. Socks, underwear . . . and her picture.

  She and Laz were both in uniform, standing on a balcony overlooking a dance floor. Our Ring Dance, she thought. The highlight of completing your third year at Fleet Academy was getting a class ring. It meant you were almost a senior, or first-class midshipman—your last stop to becoming a commissioned officer. She could remember that night like it was yesterday: the smell of the hall, the way she felt when Laz looked at her.

  She flipped the picture over. Her own image looked back at her. She was smiling and stray strands of hair flew around her face like a crazy halo. She didn’t recognize the place, but the feeling hit like a punch in the stomach. She hadn’t laughed like that in . . .

  Addison slammed the drawer shut, her vision blurred in anger. He left her. That’s how it happened. He cheated, he left. Game over.

  She found a towel in the third drawer and rubbed her body until her skin burned. Then she dressed again in her dirty flight suit and returned to the bridge.

  Laz glanced over his shoulder. “Have a seat at the comms station, Addie. Let’s give this a try.” He punched the intercom. “Topper, Little Dick, man the guns, we’re going to uncloak and see what the comms picture looks like out there.”

  “It’s Addison, dammit,” she muttered.

  “You’ll always be Addie to me,” Laz replied with a smile.

  She threw him a withering gaze. “And you’ll never be anything to me.”

  The grin slid from his features. “What’s eating you? I thought we were friends again.”

  “Twenty years of wishing I was wrong, that’s what’s eating me. And no, we’re not friends.”

  Laz punched his panel. “I’ll keep that in mind. Uncloaking now. You’re on the UEF channel. Feel free to phone home, Commander Halsey.”

  Addison squared her shoulders and faced the screen. She keyed in her ID code and waited for the system to respond.

  “Uh-oh,” she heard Laz say.

  “Everything okay over there?” What was taking the UEF station so long to respond?

  “Looks like we’ve got company. Chinese frigate, coming in fast.” A blast from a pulsed energy weapon flashed blue-green against their shields. “Apparently, they’re still unhappy about how the delivery went down.”

  The UEF security process ground on. “How much time?” she asked.

  Laz spoke through gritted teeth. “Ten seconds.” The shields absorbed another blast of energy, a stronger one than before.

  An operator came onto Addison’s screen. “Commander Halsey, I’m connecting you to Fleet Admiral Kilgore now.”

  “No time,” Addison snapped as another blast rocked the ship. “Tell the admiral that Captain Baltasar has been compromised by the Swarm. She can’t rely on the Invincible.” She broke the connection. “Get us out of here, Laz.”

  One look at his screen and she could tell Laz had held on as long as possible. Maybe too long. The Chinese frigate blazed toward them at full speed, filling the space around them with as much energy as possible.

  “He’s calling in backup,” Laz said, “and trying to light us up with so much energy that the cloak will give us away.” He stabbed the intercom. “Topper, how about some return fire, guys?”

  “What can I do?” Addison asked.

  Laz indicated upwards with his eyes. “We’ve got a turret gun up top. Be my guest.”

  Addison hustled up the ladder and dropped into a gunner’s seat. The grips for the weapons were worn but operated smoothly. She looped one strap over her arm as she spun the chair.

  There. The Chinese frigate looked sleek and deadly with a stylized h
ull design that terminated in a point. She mashed the trigger, feeling the pulse of the weapon run back through her arms. Another trace lanced out from the side of her ship, scoring a hit on the enemy ship.

  “Concentrate on his engines,” Laz called over the intercom.

  Addison felt the ship turn underneath her as Laz executed a barrel roll. She swung the gun to bear on the Chinese frigate and unleashed a steady stream of weapons fire. The frigate heeled over as the starboard nacelle exploded.

  “Cloaking now,” Laz said over the intercom. The view outside Addison’s gun turret blurred as the cloak took effect. She clambered down from the turret to find the other two gunners in Laz’s crew on the bridge.

  “What the hell, guys?” Laz yelled. “If we hadn’t had the commander onboard, we’d be space dust by now.”

  “Sorry, Laz,” Little Dick said. He hung his massive bald head until his chin touched the mat of hair on his chest. “Gun jammed.”

  “Yeah, Laz. Gun problems for me, too.” Topper said. His black face split into a grin. “Nice shootin’, Addison.”

  “You can call her Commander Halsey, Topper,” Laz snapped. “Now both of you get your asses down there and service those weapons. Next time we might not get so lucky.”

  When Topper and Little Dick had gone, Laz turned to her. “You really saved our bacon, Addison. Thanks.” His face was ashen. “The Chinese are looking for us—me. I don’t know what was in that cargo, but they’re not going to stop until they have my hide on a wall.”

  He showed her the tactical screen. Three more Chinese ships were between them and Earth. Addison grimaced. “As soon as we open up a UEF channel, they’re going to be on us like white on rice,” she said. “We need to let the UEF know what they’re dealing with. You got any smuggler tricks left in your bag?”

  Laz’s face softened. “Are you willing to play outside the rules? For once?”

  Addison took in the sly smile, and all she saw was that picture in his drawer. Why had he kept it? He left her, he was the one who walked away from their life together.

  “Well? What do you say, Commander?”

  He hadn’t really changed all that much in twenty years. Still willing to go around the system to get something done. But maybe that’s what she needed now.

  “What did you have in mind, Laz?”

  To Addison’s surprise, her smile felt genuine.

  Chapter 22

  White House, Washington, DC

  What President Quentin Chamberlain really wanted was a drink. What he settled for was a stim tablet and a glass of water.

  “Show him in,” he said to his secretary of state.

  He didn’t like Oleksiy Ivanov, he didn’t trust Oleksiy Ivanov, but the fact remained: he needed Oleksiy Ivanov.

  The Russian president filled the doorway with his squat form, a sly smile on his heavy face. He held a briefcase in his left hand, and his right hand shot out in Chamberlain’s direction. “Mr. President, I’m so glad you called while I was still in town.”

  Chamberlain rose slowly, squashing the politician’s instinct to rush across the room with an enthusiastic greeting. He needed to make Oleksiy come to him. He needed to keep the upper hand in this meeting. Instead, he bowed his head. “Lucky for me,” he said.

  If the Russian noticed or cared, he didn’t show it. He plodded across the room with all the grace of a geriatric Saint Bernard and crushed Chamberlain’s hand in his own. He dropped into the proffered chair, placing the case next to his feet.

  Chamberlain nodded to the secretary of state, who had followed the Russian into the room. “That’ll be all, Kathy. I’ll let you know when I need you.”

  Kathy frowned. Her boss had gone off script already. Chamberlain narrowed his eyes at her and jerked his head toward the door. They could all go to hell as far as he was concerned. He didn’t need a minder.

  Oleksiy folded his hands across the bulge of his belly. The man had huge hands—paws was a better description, Chamberlain thought.

  “Mr. President?” the Russian said in his heavily accented voice.

  “Please, it’s just the two of us now. No need for titles. Call me Quentin.”

  “Quentin, then,” he said. The Q sounded pinched by his accent. “You must call me Oleksiy, then.”

  Chamberlain smiled. “Oleksiy.” He poured a cup of coffee from the tray between them and passed it to the Russian. The man dragged the sugar bowl toward him and scooped in three heaping spoonfuls. His vigorous stirring was the only sound in the room. Chamberlain poured a cup for himself, hoisting it toward Ivanov in salute.

  “Can’t stand sugar myself,” he said. “Black and bitter for me. Just like my outlook on the future.”

  It took a moment for Ivanov to get the joke. He laughed, a loud, booming noise that sounded like a sea lion in heat. “This too shall pass,” he said.

  Chamberlain tried to contain his surprise. “I’m surprised to hear you say that, Oleksiy. For my part, I was disappointed by our meeting with the Chinese and the Caliphate. They seemed to have a different view of the alien threat.”

  Ivanov waved his hand, coffee slopping into the saucer. “The Chinese with pretty ships. Who can tell what they are thinking? And the Caliphate . . .” He shrugged. “No ships to speak of, so no big loss for us, right?”

  Chamberlain focused on his coffee. A superficial assessment, but not incorrect. He sighed. “There’s another issue, Oleksiy.”

  Ivanov stopped stirring his coffee. “Oh?”

  Chamberlain watched the Russian’s eyes as he spoke. “I have reason to believe the aliens have infiltrated our ranks.”

  Ivanov’s gaze froze. He doesn’t know, Chamberlain thought.

  “Oh,” the Russian said again. “How do you mean, Quentin?”

  “I mean they have moles among us. Spies, people who have been turned.”

  “Such as?”

  Chamberlain hesitated. Once he told the Russian, it was all over. They were either in it together or the Russian would use the information to destroy him.

  “One of our starship captains is a spy.”

  Ivanov didn’t even bother to try to hide his shock. His mouth gaped open, revealing a lifetime of poor dental work. “The Invincible?”

  Chamberlain nodded.

  Ivanov shook his head. “A Constitution-class starship captain. Amazing.” He resumed stirring his coffee. “Do you know how it happened?”

  Chamberlain kept his chin up. “Not yet, but we’ll figure it out.”

  Ivanov grunted. The scraping of the man’s spoon was starting to get on Chamberlain’s nerves. He held up the coffee pot. “More coffee, Oleksiy?”

  The Russian set down his cup and saucer with a clatter of china. “We need to make a pact, Quentin.”

  “Pardon?”

  To his surprise, the Russian stood up and began pacing the room. He settled into a racetrack pattern beneath a portrait of George Washington. “This is worse than I thought, Quentin. Your revelation confirms certain . . . information we have been receiving from assets in China. They report the Chinese Premier has been acting strangely, not in keeping with the goals of the Party. Some have suggested he may be compromised.”

  Compromised. That was the same word used to describe Captain Baltasar. He smiled at the Russian. “Continue, Oleksiy.”

  “If this Swarm—as you call them—are capable of compromising a UEF starship captain, why not the Chinese Premier?” He paused in his pacing. “Why not you or I?”

  Why not indeed? Chamberlain thought.

  “We need to combine forces,” Ivanov continued. “A mutual defense pact against the alien threat. If they have access to a starship captain, then they have access to your tactics, battle plans, and so on?” He cocked an eyebrow at Chamberlain, who nodded.

  “Exactly!” Ivanov smacked his fist into an open palm, the sound echoing in the room. “So we must throw them out. Do the unexpected. Do you have any joint battle plans for an alliance between Russia and the UEF?”

  Ch
amberlain shook his head.

  “Neither do we, so no one can compromise us, right?”

  Chamberlain’s head ached with the possibilities, but the Russian’s proposal had the ring of logic to it. He stood. “Right.”

  Ivanov crossed the room and crushed Chamberlain’s hand in his bearlike grip. “Together we will destroy the alien force, then the Chinese.”

  “Together,” Chamberlain repeated.

  Chapter 23

  SS Renegade – Airlock

  Space debris around Lagrange Station

  The ISS Warrior had been cleaved in two. Addison wouldn’t have believed the hull of a Constitution-class starship could be cut in half like that if she hadn’t seen it for herself. It had taken some convincing to get Laz to backtrack to Lagrange Station so she could survey the Swarm ship. Now she was starting to wonder if this was really a good idea after all. This place was a graveyard.

  “Life signs on the Warrior?” she whispered.

  “Negative,” Mimi replied from the sensors station. “Nothing human, anyway. Aliens? Your guess is as good as mine.”

  They watched a Swarm fighter float by, undamaged but seemingly unmanned. Addison stepped behind Laz. “How close can you get me to the Swarm wreckage?”

  Laz pulled a face. “With the cloak engaged I can probably navigate around most of this. It would help if I knew what you were looking for.”

  “I’m not sure.” Addison chewed her lip. “Find the biggest undamaged part of the alien ship. I want to go aboard.”

  The rest of the Renegade crew looked at her. “You want to go aboard?” Laz said. “What if they’re nine-foot-tall lizards with sharp teeth that can live in space?”

  “Then that would be a good thing for CENTCOM to know, wouldn’t it?”

  Laz blew out a breath. “In order for us to get you off the ship, I’ll need to drop the cloak. That’s risky.”

  Addison looked at the screen full of massive chunks of shattered spaceship—human and alien. “I think we can blend in here, don’t you?”

  Laz shrugged.