"We didn’t think so. The most you faced was eighteen."
"Yes sir, but I think your missing something. If it were me, and a big ship tore through my squadrons, I'd stake out the jump point I expected it to return through with everything I had."
They looked at each other. The Admiral nodded. The Captain nodded. They both looked at me.
"You're most likely correct. What do you suggest?" asked the Admiral.
"I'll take Gunbus in and assess things in there. I can let you know what I find. Gunbus is ideally suited to this. She was designed with Point Defense as the primary criteria."
They continued looking at me, without speaking.
"No offense," I went on. "But the Sabre and the Epee, while good fighters, have no Point Defense. They rely exclusively on pilot skill to knock down missiles before they can hit, or to evade them long enough that the missiles run out of fuel. If there is four squadrons of Talons on that jump point, you'd lose most of your fighters to missiles. And they've had time to rearm by now."
They still didn’t say anything.
"I'll take my two Privateers with me, docked inside Gunbus. Once I feel it's safe for your fighters, I'll inform you, and they can jump in to secure the jump point. How many squadrons do you have?"
"Eleven," said the Captain. "Six Sabre, five Epee."
"I'd send four squadrons of each. Load them with IR's."
There were two main types of fighter missiles. FF, was Fire and Forget, a missile that only targeted an enemy generally. Once you fired it, you had no control over it. It picked its own target. If the target was destroyed or stopped being an enemy, it went after another one. IR, or Image Recognition missiles, took the data from your target lock, plus any pre-given instructions, and only went after that specific target. You fired them at a specific ship, or a specific place on the ship. The main use of these was to kill the pilot without unduly damaging the ship itself. The IR was about a third the destructive power of the FF, but much more accurate. Three IR's would take down the shield of a standard fighter, and do some damage, while a single FF could do the same. But it was extremely unlikely two FF's would ever hit in the same place, where the IR's were programmed to. FF's were useful for distractions, especially at the beginning of a battle, as they were dangerous to those who ignored them. IR's were more of a surgical strike weapon, and more use later in a battle when you had time to think before selecting targets.
"If the Talon's come in range," I went on, "they light off two for each Talon, and save their guns for the incoming missiles. We don’t know how many ships they have, so it's likely that even if we take the jump point and clear the way to the other jump point, they'll still throw another force at you at some point. If you divide the force, so half of them respond to a threat, and you have your remaining fighters on standby to relieve them after an engagement so they can rearm, you should maintain enough force to hold the jump point as long as you need it. I assume another diplomatic team is coming?"
"Yes," said the Admiral. "Be here later today."
"Personally, I don’t think the Retros are going to listen to diplomats. But I agree we do need to try."
The Admiral looked at the Captain. He nodded.
"Commander, I can see why you've attained the rank you have, so fast. That was a masterful summing up of the situation. We'll proceed as you've outlined. Let's get down to details."
We talked for an hour.
Four
The pilot briefing room was large, crowded and noisy.
"Admiral on deck!" someone called as we entered.
The room came to silent attention.
The CAG (Commander Air Group), the name unchanged in six hundred years, took the podium, while the Admiral, Captain and I waited to the side.
"Be seated please," said the CAG. The room sat. "Fifteen hours ago, we sent a Cruiser and an Epee squadron into Midgard. They've not been heard from since." The room stirred. "We'll be trying a new approach this time. We believe the jump point has been staked out by a force of at least three squadrons of Talons, possibly more." The room stirred again. "The best ship available to us for this mission is Commander Hunter's Corvette Gunbus, as she is designed around Point Defense. Gunbus will initially go in alone, assess the situation, and either return, or let us know what's there. When we know the situation is tenable, our squadrons will move in to secure the jump point. We'll send a force towards planet Midgard, with the aim of removing any opposition to us sending in a diplomatic mission on one of our Cruisers. In command of the Midgard system will be Commander Hunter. Commander."
The last didn’t seem to be greeted particularly well. The CAG stepped back, and I stepped up to the podium. There was some partially covered hostility from the crowd of pilots, but I ignored it.
"The last known enemy in the Midgard system was the Talon medium short range fighter," I said. "Comparable to the Epee in most respects. The pilots did not seem to have much talent, but they had plenty of missiles. Gunbus is going in first, because she has enough Point Defense to take on three squadrons without difficulty, and enough shielding to take a lot of hits if need be. Sabres and Epees lack the shielding to survive what we expect to be waiting in ambush there."
Mutterings swept across the room. I waited for quiet.
"Tactics for the Talon are as follows. You will be loaded with IR missiles. You will preset your IR's to target the cockpit. Lock up a Talon at longest range, fire two IR missiles, and use your guns to take out the missiles aimed at you. Don’t waste IR missiles on inbound missiles unless you have no choice. Don’t try to dogfight, unless they do. The best tactics are to engage at long range with missiles. If you need help, call for it. Gunbus can protect a number of you if you need it."
"How the hell does a Corvette keep up with us, let alone protect us?" came from the back of the room.
"Good question actually," I replied. "But the real question is, how are you going to keep up with me?" The room went silent again. "Gunbus is faster than both the Sabre and the Epee, and she can fly rings around both of them."
"Bullshit!" came from the back again.
I grinned really broadly, letting them see my predator look.
"That’s Bullshit SIR." I paused. "Hands up those of you with more than thirty kills?" About a dozen hands went up. "Fifty kills?" Six hands remained. "Seventy Five?" One remained.
The remaining hand belonged to a Lieutenant Commander.
"Lieutenant Commander, would you care to check my Mercenary Guild record?"
He glazed over for a moment.
"Fuck!"
"Would you care to expand on that Commander?"
"Fuck sir!"
I cast a glance in the direction of the Admiral and both he and the Captain seemed to be making a huge effort not to laugh.
"More correct, but not particularly informative Commander."
"162 kills." The room went not only silent, but completely still.
"And?"
"Twenty four of them were Sabres, twelve were Epees, all killed in one battle flying a Heavy Privateer." The room erupted in mumbles.
"And?"
"All of them within a six week period." There was less hostility now, and more awe.
"Thank you Commander. And what are you going to do if you get into trouble Commander?"
"Call you sir." The reply came crisp and parade ground style.
I turned to the CAG, who was less successful at controlling his face.
"Commander," I said to him, indicating he had the room again.
I walked over to the Admiral as the CAG started to outline Wing configurations.
"Commander," he said to me quietly. "If I didn’t know better, I'd have thought you'd been a Wing Commander for years. Wherever you learnt to handle people, they did an excellent job." I nodded, but didn’t point out I had no people training at all. In fact, all I knew came from old flat screens.
The briefing continued. I smiled at the part where short straw determined who was stuck with CAP duty. At l
ast, the pilots were dismissed.
Before we could exit the room, the Lieutenant Commander stopped me.
"Sir, a moment if you please?" I nodded to him. "Lieutenant Commander Ron Greer, call sign Starman. I’d like to apologize. Everyone was judging you on your looks, which if you will excuse me saying, you look like a green Ensign. But I judge a man by his record, and yours is impressive. I will fly your wing anytime sir." He saluted, turned and left.
"Greer is a hard man to impress Commander," said the Admiral. "Good job. Winning him over, will at least win his squadron over as well. Perhaps his wing." I nodded, and we parted company.
I headed back to Gunbus. While Jane flew us back towards the station, I opened a channel to Nightshade.
"Annette, can you land on the station and collect George please?"
"Sure boss."
"Dock here. We're heading into Midgard shortly."
"You want me docked for that?" She sounded puzzled.
"Yes. With what we suspect is on the other side of that jump point, Nightshade wouldn’t survive the down jump. You go in docked, but ready to drop at a moment's notice."
"Roger that."
I called George and told him to get to Nightshade as soon as he could.
I turned back to Jane.
"Offload the station's droids please. We may need the Cargo Bay on the other side. Have them standby on the station for rapid deployment. I suspect there is more work waiting on the other side of that jump point than ten salvage droids can handle."
"Confirmed."
Five
Everyone sat down to an early lunch in the common room. We had barely started when Jane interrupted.
"Jon?"
"Yes Jane?"
"There's a channel open for you from a Lieutenant Commander Greer."
"Pipe it down here, thanks Jane."
"Confirmed."
A small coms screen opened up on one wall. I walked over to it as Greer appeared. He seemed to be in his fighter.
"Permission to come aboard sir."
"Commander?"
"The Admiral thought it would be a good idea for you to have a liaison officer for the mission, sir."
"What are you flying Commander?"
"Sabre sir."
"Jane, can we fit a Sabre in the hanger?"
"Only if we offload the shuttle," she replied.
"Oh sir?" went on Greer. "I have an Epee pilot with me as well. The Admiral was most unhappy with him and has sent him over to learn a few things."
I thought for a moment.
"Jane, can we fit them both in the Cargo Bay?"
"Affirmative."
"Commander, if you'll allow your fighters to be brought aboard by my ship's AI, you'll be landed in my Cargo Bay. Wait until you're told before you exit the fighters. I'll have someone meet you."
"Aye sir. Thank you sir." The channel closed.
"Jane, land them in the Cargo Bay, and when aired up, use your avatar to meet them. Bring them here."
"Confirmed."
"Jason?" The butler droid appeared as if by magic, from wherever he had gone after feeding us.
"My Lord?"
"Two more chairs for the table please."
"Yes my Lord."
He bustled out and in two trips, had two more places set up at the table.
A short time later, Jane led two men in.
I introduced everyone to Greer.
"This is Lieutenant Aaron Breckenridge," said Greer.
"Welcome both of you. Take a seat, have some lunch."
"Thank you sir," they both said.
Breckenridge had the 'bullshit' voice. I looked him up. Five kills over three years. An Ace, but only recently. I looked up Greer as well. Eighty seven kills over ten years. Impressive.
Jason had food to them faster than they expected, I could see from their faces.
As everyone was enjoying their coffee, I stood. The room quieted.
"These two gentlemen," I indicated the two American pilots, "will be observing the mission for the American task force Admiral. They have a Sabre and an Epee parked in the cargo hold."
I turned to George. He was still wearing his Liner uniform, with I noticed, the four rings of a senior captain.
"George, it's time to step up to combat pilot." He looked alarmed for a moment, then grinned. "You're taking Excalibur. You and Annette will be ready to drop at a moment's notice, but you're going in docked, as I suspect even Excalibur wouldn’t survive what's on the other side of that jump point." His suit changed to 'slinky red'.
I looked at Greer.
"George is a rookie, as far as combat flying is concerned. He's done a lot of simulator work, but hasn’t flown a combat mission yet. But I'm putting him in the best fighter I have." He nodded. I turned back to George. "George, if you hear either of these men give you an order, you do exactly as they tell you, without question. Your life will probably depend on it."
He swallowed, and nodded.
I looked down the table, taking in everyone.
"Colonel, you're on the Bridge at the XO's station. Abigail, the Coms station." They nodded. "Alison, you'll be at the Helm station, with responsibility for ensuring Angel is ok. Amanda, Aleesha, Aline, Agatha, Alana and BA, gun stations. I'll give you control of turrets once I know what the situation is in there. I suspect the down jump will be too chaotic for anything but AI reaction times. Once things settle down, I'll let you loose." They all nodded.
"Commander, you and the Lieutenant will sit at the rear of the Bridge and observe, until I judge it safe for you to launch."
"What are you expecting on the other side sir?" asked Greer.
"A mixture of a lot of debris, and probably four squadrons of Talons. We'll be going in hot, on the assumption the jump point is staked out."
"What about the Cruiser?" he wondered.
"We've no idea where she was destroyed. With luck, she made it half way to the planet before they took her out."
"And if we're not lucky?" asked BA.
"We down jump right into the hulk of the Cruiser and blow up."
"Sorry I asked," she muttered.
On that note, we dispersed to get ready for the jump.
Fifteen minutes later, I walked onto the Bridge with Angel on my shoulder. Everyone was already seated. I walked over to Alison, seated in the helmsman's position, and moved Angel to her pad on the console.
"You let Alison stay in contact with you Angel, in case something goes wrong. She will keep you safe."
Meow.
She sat on her pad looking out the view screen.
I turned and moved to my chair, noticing that Breckenridge had the look of someone who thought I was mad. I kept my grin in.
I sat, and looked towards Abigail who was waiting for me. I nodded. She touched some keys in front of her. I could have done the same myself without the keys, but that was what crew were for.
"Buckle up everyone. Could be a bumpy ride."
Greer and Breckenridge looked puzzled.
"Combat team coms, gentlemen. From now on, everything you say, even sub-vocally will be heard by everyone. Abagail patched you both in so you can hear everything. Even in your ships, you will still hear us for some distance. Same concept as squadron coms, but more sensitive."
Greer nodded. Breckenridge didn’t look impressed. He wasn’t quite sneering, but only because he had a superior watching.
"Jane, move us towards the jump point please." She was standing behind my chair.
"Confirmed."
Breckenridge had that puzzled look again, as no-one did anything but we started moving. Greer saw it, and smiled to himself.
I opened a channel.
"Gunbus to Yorktown. We're about to jump. If nothing comes back from us in six hours, do not under any circumstances enter this jump point. I recommend you enter the system from Azgard instead."
"Understood Gunbus. Good luck." The channel closed.
I took control myself and eased us up to full speed, aiming at
the jump point.
"Ten seconds to jump," I said.
We jumped.
"Holly shit!" and various other exclamations rang out as I desperately dragged the speed off us and stood Gunbus on its nose and pinweeled her. There was a solid CLANG as the top shield failed and the hull bounced off a large chunk of wrecked Cruiser hull.
"Top shield down. Hull intact," said Jane.
"Duh!" said Aleesha and Amanda together.
The turrets came to life, firing in almost all directions, as I dodged through holes in debris barely big enough to pass through.
"Even shields," I snapped.
Wreckage was bouncing off all our shields, and they were weakening. Added to that, missiles started hitting as well.
The shields evened up all round at forty percent.
"Yee-Har!" came from George down below in Excalibur, obviously watching the feed from up here on his screen and enjoying himself.
I saw what looked like open space and hauled us around violently towards it, narrowly missing a ship hull.
MEOW!
Alison had a firm grip on Angel, but her little head was pointed towards the right side of the screen. I took a second to check what she was looking at. A solid wall of missiles was coming at us.
Back in open space, I hauled us around the other direction from where the missiles were coming and went back to full speed.
"You're running?" said Breckenridge this time with a definite sneer.
"Damned right!" said Greer, pointing at the missile cluster.
"How many missiles Jane?" I asked.
"Two hundred." Breckenridge went pale.
"Can we outrun them?" I asked.
"No, they'll catch us before they run out of fuel or we get out of range."
I checked the nav map. Solid red dots but for one dull red dot. I brought up what it was.
"Five squadrons of Talons, and oh look, they have a cave troll!" I said. The things that pop into your mind, and come out of your mouth, unfiltered under stress. I vaguely recalled where it came from.
Send in the Hero (The Hunter Legacy Book 3) Page 4
