Alliance: Legacy War Book 3

by John Walker

  “Got it,” Zach acknowledged while typing away, presumably programming the attack protocol.

  Cassie leaned over to Salina. “Is it the same static you were getting before?”

  “No, I believe I’m getting through now,” Salina replied. “But they aren’t picking up. The line’s mostly clear. Not even the admins are answering though. I hope they’re all just busy and not … well … dead.”

  Cassie’s terminal began to beep. A message was coming through a private, encrypted channel. She put her earpiece in and spoke softly. “Hello? I’m here.”

  “Cassandra!” Christina’s voice was colored with static. “I don’t know how you all punched through the interference, but good job. We’re in a lot of trouble down here. Our bodyguards are very likely dead and we’re being pursued. Right now, we’re in a maintenance passage heading back toward the hangar.”

  “Is the admiral okay?” Cassie asked. “The Pahxin ambassador?”

  “They’re fine and with me now. The Pahxin shuttle was docked, not at the hangar but attached outside. It’s been destroyed. I don’t know exactly how many enemies we’re dealing with here but they’ve caused some serious havoc throughout the ship. Do you have an accurate count?”

  Cassie frowned. “Negative, we’re unable to scan the station right now, even with the jamming signal down. I do have some good news. We have marines incoming. If you can rendezvous with them, they should be able to get you out of there.”

  “Perfect. We’ll try to coordinate with them upon arrival. How long before they are here and how much more time do we have with this com signal before it’s down?”

  “Oh boy …” Cassie looked over her screen for inspiration but there was no way of knowing for sure. “I can’t say. I’ve got a probe producing interference near the enemy ship that caused our coms to go down. If it runs out of power, gets destroyed or they figure out how to compensate … not long.”

  “Understood. Let’s maintain contact for as long as possible. In fact, can you patch me through to the marines? I can give them a general idea of where we’re at.”

  “I’m on it.” Cassie brought the marine lieutenant on the line. “Lieutenant Fielding, I’ve got Major Dawson on com. Can you coordinate quickly before we lose coms again? You might not have another chance.”

  “We’ll make arrangements,” Fielding replied. “Give us a rundown of where you’re at, Major.”

  The conversation progressed and Cassie turned her attention to the battle raging outside. Nothing shook for the past few moments so they must not have taken a direct hit. Zach fired the weapons, scoring a hit on the side of the destroyer. Something sparked on the enemy hull, a quick flash that faded in an instant.

  “One of their engines has shorted out,” Salina announced. “Their generators are overloading. Shields are likely down but … that isn’t stopping them from moving. They’re advancing on us now. Speed increasing.”

  “Take us up while you fire,” Desmond said. “Make sure they can’t ram us … if that’s what they really intend to do.”

  Their weapons blasted the surface of the ship, plowing into the unshielded bow. Chunks of metal flew clear and electrical pulses danced over the surface. They lost directional control and began to tumble. Zach hit the thrusters and pulled them well away as the enemy ship exploded in a brilliant purple glow that winked out in an instant.

  Desmond slapped his knee. “Excellent job. We need a full damage report. What else is going on out there?”

  “The enemy battleship is moving away,” Salina replied. “The Pahxin have taken out the other destroyer. The scouts are still causing some trouble though and I’m not sure what that tech ship is doing. It remains out of range…but our forces are closing on it.”

  “Fighters have the field under control,” Vincent added. “The enemy fighters are down to less than twenty percent of their starting forces…yet they aren’t giving up either. We’ve got multiple ships damaged but not have been total losses.”

  “Much better than the fight with the Kalrawv Group.” Desmond turned to Salina. “Get Ulian on the line. I want to talk about mopping this up … and figure out what exactly is happening on the station.”

  ***

  Squadron Leader Anna Jager found herself lost in the trance of combat, a state she wondered if she’d ever get to again after being shot down during the last mission. Her lack of fear surprised her and she settled back into the fighter with the same calm she always did. The first fighter that buzzed her made her chest tingle but that was the extent of her concern.

  Since the moment they entered the fray, she and the others dished out considerable damage to the enemy. Her own kill count tallied six but she paid the price for it with some serious shield damage and a generator that would need to be tweaked. All systems were functioning but they were not in an ideal state.

  Anna watched one of the enemy ships acquire a decent firing solution on one of Mustang’s fighters and she rushed to intercept, dodging debris and other vessels along the way. As she prepared to open fire, her ally suddenly spun in place, firing two shots that caught the pursuing target right in the nose.

  The enemy began to spin and collided with a chunk of hull from another downed ship.

  “Thanks for the attempted assist,” Flying Officer Alicia Quinn replied. “I had him though.”

  Anna remembered her from the previous mission. She was one of the pilots who could definitely hold her own but usually at the expense of wild maneuvers bordering on flat out dangerous. They formed up together and redirected their course back toward a larger group of enemies.

  “That was some move,” Anna said. “Did the dampeners even help?”

  “Not really,” Alicia replied. “You have to not mind a little discomfort, that’s all. Whoa!”

  Alicia climbed suddenly as an enemy nearly collided with her. They seemed to be out of control and smoke poured out of one of their engines. Anna fired her weapons at a target directly in front of her, catching them on the side. The shields held but the blow made them dash off, flying away with full afterburners.

  “You okay?” Anna asked. “We seem to be driving them back.”

  “I’m good,” Alicia said. “And their battleship is really hauling ass. Maybe they want to get back to it before they’re left here.”

  Another fighter took a potshot at Anna as it flew by but it felt more like it was simply harassing her than trying to cause real damage. She considered pursuing but a proximity alarm went off, indicating an impending collision to the left.

  Anna banked hard to the right and hit the burners, narrowly avoiding a missile that had been intent to take her down. She climbed, dragging the projectile with her as it continued hot on her tail. The nearest large vessel was one of the enemy scouts but it was a good thirty seconds away at full burn.

  It shouldn’t have significant small fighter defenses. Let’s try this.

  Anna hurdled herself for the new target and Alicia caught up.

  “Um … what’re you doing?” Alicia asked.

  “Taking this missile for a spin.”

  “And people say I’m crazy.” Alicia hummed. “I’ll screen for you. There might be some obstacles … like that one!” Something exploded in front of Anna and the pieces of it sizzled on her shields.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “Small rock. No big deal. But you didn’t want to hit it.”

  “Thanks …” Anna glanced at her scanner, noting the missile was gaining on her. I need to make it compensate to buy some distance. “I need to maneuver a bit to shake this thing loose.”

  “I’ve got a better idea,” Alicia said. “Stay your course.”

  Anna watched as Alicia dropped back and flew directly between her and the missile. The projectile broke off and followed the new target, buying Anna a moment to breathe. “You really are crazy! We’re taking that thing to the scout … Can you get it there or am I going to have to pull that foolishness off too?”

  “Nah, I’ve go
t it,” Alicia said. “Just watch my back. I think there are a couple fighters incoming.”

  Anna looked over her shoulder and caught sight of the incoming enemies. She dropped low and rolled in place, getting her on course to take a shot. As she climbed, coming in below them, her weapons discharged. Beams tore through the shields and guns ripped apart the hull. One of the two ships went up in a ball and was gone.

  The other broke off from Alicia and came after Anna. They performed a dance, a seemingly choreographed dogfight that went on for a good twenty seconds. An explosion to the Anna’s left stole her attention for a brief moment, a flash from near the scout. Anna’s opponent fired a volley at her and she took half the attack on her left side.

  Another alarm went off, this one indicating that the shield generator was struggling to keep the emitters running. The enemy flew past her and she veered hard, coming around behind him. Opening up with every weapon, the lights dimmed in the cockpit but his engines burst a moment later, his ship disintegrated.

  “Good shooting,” Alicia said. “Missiles gone … didn’t do much to the scout but at least it isn’t chasing us anymore. Know who fired it?”

  “I don’t.” Anna frowned at her damage report. “I’m in a little trouble.”

  “Let’s move toward the Gnosis and the others,” Alicia replied. “Maybe the automated repair will get you back up before the next little bout … if there even is one.”

  Various enemy ships winked off the scanner as they were taken out. All through the theater of operation, the Pahxin and Gnosis fighters worked in tandem to finish off the enemy. Their base retreated and it seemed as if they were being driven back. It looked positive, even as Anna kept a nervous eye on her defenses.

  Would be nice if we were done, Anna thought. I wonder if they’ve succeeded at whatever they were trying to do on the station. It would explain their sudden retreat but I really hope we drove them off before they did something nefarious.

  ***

  Dennis plotted a path for the enemy they were pursuing and noted that if it continued on its present course, it would arrive at the station shortly. What would it possibly want to do there? Why wouldn’t it try to make it back to its battleship to get out of here? He checked the com traffic but it was still iffy with all the interference.

  Still, messages were making it around the area and apparently, the marines were on their way to save the VIPs. That would make a good target. Stop the reinforcements from helping out. He tried to get a message to the shuttle but they were too far away. If only the noise levels weren’t so high from all the activity …

  A thought occurred to him. “Dala, can you get a message over to the station?”

  “Negative, I am dealing with considerable interference.” She paused. “And I see why you are concerned with that. Our target is probably going to harass the others. Perhaps even attack the hangar. Let us beat him to that location, shall we?”

  Dala hit her afterburners and tore off, leaving Dennis as if he were standing still. He increased speed, pushing until he started to feel sick. Even then, he was only barely keeping up with her. At least I’m still on her tail … sort of. We really need to collaborate to get some of this technology in our ships.

  They flew for a good two minutes at the breakneck speed before he received a com message. We must be close enough for the Gnosis to get us messages again. Dennis dialed in the signal, working at it until the static dissipated. It sounded like someone was trying to communicate with the various pilots.

  “Enemy is in retreat,” Commander Bowman said. “This is a general recall for all pilots to return to the Gnosis. Repeat, return to base immediately. Over.”

  Dennis tapped to reply, “Commander, this is Arden. I’m afraid I’m still in the thick of something. That ship we’ve been chasing is heading for the station and we’re thinking they plan to harass the shuttle. I’ll return when it’s done.”

  A brief, static pause sounded before Bowman replied. “Affirmative and understood. Do what you have to do then get back here. We might have to leave in a hurry.”

  Dennis lost connection to the Gnosis but he spoke to Dala. “Looks like we’ve got a deadline.”

  “We always did,” Dala replied. “I am closing in but so are they. This will be close. Prepare to fire. Distracting him will be a good idea.”

  Dennis noted they were within what was considered long range. He fired a couple beam shots but they didn’t come close. He still couldn’t get good targeting on the bastard. Dala tried as well but they were both still too far out. The station loomed ahead and the enemy would have a chance to take some shots.

  How close is the marine shuttle? Dennis checked the scanner and noted they were already attached to the station. They’ll be inside in a moment but they’ll still need a way out. Dala fired again, this time making the enemy climb, pushing him out of his attack run so he had to climb. It would take him a moment to return to his attack.

  But instead of making for another angle, he came straight toward Dennis. Oh crap! Dennis hit the top thrusters, dropping down abruptly as a series of energy blasts went over him. Dala screamed by, trying to find a firing solution but the enemy was too swift. He made a quick loop and came at Dennis again, blasting him in the side.

  The shields held but something sparked behind him. Navigation gave him an error but he didn’t mind as much about that. As long as he still had weapons and some defenses, he’d be fine. Performing a barrel roll, he pulled up sharply and came around, avoiding another attack while putting himself in a better position to retaliate.

  They entered a dogfight, veering around one another but it was clear that Dennis couldn’t out maneuver his opponent. He needed to distract him, to give his impromptu wingmate a chance to take a shot.

  “Pull up hard now!” Dala yelled. “Now!”

  Dennis complied immediately, gritting his teeth at the sudden G force. His opponent flew by behind him and Dala swooped in, weapons firing in rapid volleys. As Dennis leveled out, he saw them take the brunt of most of the attacks, tearing through their defenses.

  Fire billowed from the enemy’s engines in great orange blobs but he still managed to spin and take a shot at Dala. She performed an evasive maneuver but still took the brunt of the attack, sheering off a large chunk of her ship on the side. The enemy exploded even as she began to tumble.

  “Dala! Do you have to eject?” She didn’t immediately reply and he tried again. “Can you hear me?”

  “I can hear you, human,” Dala replied through gritted teeth. I am in the middle of getting this thing under control. Do not worry. I should not have to abandon this vessel though it will require considerable repairs.”

  “If you can joke, you must be fine.” Dennis relaxed into his seat as she regained control. “Come on, I’ll escort you back … The smoke coming out of your side there doesn’t look good.”

  “Thank you.” Dala adjusted her course, heading toward the other Pahxin ships.

  Dennis couldn’t help but feel as if the fight they’d just finished might’ve been too easy, too simple. Having finished it, only one ship against two did seem ridiculous but the specialization of the technology, the speed and inability to be targeted made it far more dangerous than the rank and file ships they encountered.

  “I appreciate your help, Dala. I mean it, I couldn’t have done this without you.”

  “Cooperation is what we are meant to do,” Dala replied. “I am simply glad we were able to work together effectively. Perhaps we will see each other again when this is all over with.”

  “Definitely.” Dennis drew a deep breath and continued on in silence. His part of the fight was done, at least for the moment.

  ***

  Christina continued to hold their flank as they made their way through the narrow corridor of the maintenance tunnel. She spoke briefly with the marines and sent her position to them. They committed to meeting them where they might emerge, taking care of any of the Tol’An they came across.

  “Ba
ckup is here,” Christina announced. “Our marines are making their way through the station now and they’re going to meet us ASAP.”

  “Great news,” Reach muttered. “How much longer are we going to be in this space?”

  Aesthetics mattered to the rest of the station but the maintenance area was filthy by comparison. It was also several degrees hotter. Sweat made Christina’s shirt cling to her skin and her hair became a matted mess plastered to her scalp. The others looked just as miserable, especially the Pahxin ambassador.

  His clothes appeared to be heavy and they definitely weren’t doing his mobility any favors.

  “We’re coming up on the panel to get out of here,” Lothan said. “Stay close so I can scout the area. I want to ensure we have a safe path to the hangar.”

  “I’ll hold them here,” Christina said. To the best of my ability. The bodyguards carried heavier weapons than she did but the tunnel was narrow enough that the enemy shouldn’t have been able to field more than two people at a time. She felt confident she could handle them for a while and, if necessary, the admiral was itching for a fight too.

  The Pahxin ambassador won’t be able to assist us. He was a true VIP that needed protection. If Lothan didn’t return, he’d become Christina’s responsibility and she needed to ensure he survived at all costs. Having him die in her custody would have tragic repercussions for their burgeoning alliance.

  Lothan dislodged a panel in the wall and turned to them. “Be silent now … I will return shortly.”

  He slipped outside and moved down the hallway, leaving them alone. Christina began to second guess the plan, wondering if they should’ve simply stayed together. Remaining in the maintenance passage felt foolish. Yes, the tight quarters might nullify the enemy’s numbers but a lack of maneuverability went both ways.

  “We have to go,” Christina said. “We can’t wait for Lothan.”