The Jovian Sweep (Asteroid Scrabble Book 1)

by Martin Bourne

  “Tango Leader – Shut up 9 and keep shooting!”

  Josie listened in awe. This was utterly unlike what she expected a space battle to be like, and it got worse. It became impossible to make sense out of the confused hubbub coming over the comms channels. No one was keeping formation, it was everyone for themselves. Josie periodically checked Snapdragon’s own mediocre sensors. She saw a lot of dots, some red, some blue, some flashing, some burnt out. She figured that the area ahead would be well covered by the recce drones, so she switched her sensor concentration to their flanks, quick sharp looks at little sections here and there.

  She picked up something that looked like a drone, accelerating fast. It was coming in from a top declination, closing on a blue dot.

  "Tango 17,” called Josie. It felt odd. It was her first time speaking on the squadron communications channel. ‘Ware 148-53-93 Tango 3. One coming in on you.”

  Was that right? Had she just made a fool of herself?

  She saw the blue and red dots on her sensor field begin to separate.

  “Tango 3 – confirm that 17, thanks.”

  “Good call Josie.” Vadal again.

  "Tango 9 - I got you covered 4."

  Suddenly the whole Drone shuddered, and a roaring, blinding, impossible white light flashed across Josie’s mind. It lasted an eternity of a split second.

  “Wha…what was that?” she gasped.

  “We’ve been hit,” said Ruwewang dispassionately. “Check the damage.”

  Josie activated a systems check, conscious of the front of her head feeling numb.

  “Piloting controls are not responding,” Josie was amazed at how calm she was. "I'm trying a bypass. We've lost a lot of the thrusters."

  "Tango 17 – we’ve been hit.” Vadal switched onto the internal net. “What the hell was it?"

  “I think it might be this contact here,” said Josie. Firing disrupted a drone’s countermeasures, so she had been looking at the sensors when they had been hit. Snapdragon’s nominal detection capabilities would never have made the enemy otherwise.

  “Good call,” said Ruwewang. “Engaging. Put the contact through the warbook.”

  “Aye, aye ma’am.” Josie mentally assigned the contact into the warbook with part of her mind, while jigging the uncooperative Epee as much as she could. Instantly what little her sensor operations had gleaned about the enemy drone were compared to the known characteristics of enemy war drones. Many matches were quickly rejected, but there were too many left. Taking a chance, Josie diverted as much of her attention as she dared from supervising Snapdragon’s erratic movements and instead concentrated on the Epee’s navigational sensors. Methodically she began to glean more information from the target’s movements, speed of reaction, sensor capabilities – even how effective its countermeasures were.

  And slowly, very slowly, the number of possibilities began to dwindle. The enemy drone suddenly fired – there was no mistaking the thin stream of super-energised particles – and Josie got a really good look at it. She had a valuable breathing space. The enemy drone would need time to recharge its gun. More importantly, the shot had not been directed at Snapdragon. They weren't the highest concern of the enemy crew. Not yet anyway.

  Josie dropped her efforts to jink Snapdragon, and concentrated fully on the sensor readings. With all of her mental strength she worked to eliminate more of the possibilities from the warbook estimations. Then the enemy crew made the mistake of a sharp course change, and more information flowed from her sensors. In a few seconds a match flickered on the hostile icon. Oh my.

  “Positive ID ma’am,” she called. “It’s a ‘Terrible’ class attack drone.”

  She felt Vadal’s mental quiver. The 'Terrible' was the most powerful Triangle League drone in existence, heavily armed, heavily shielded, and always crewed by the best possible link warriors. Way too much for them.

  “Hold your course pilot,” said Ruwewang.

  “Ma’am?”

  “Hold your course! I’m transferring power to main weapon.”

  Slag it! The woman meant it. She was going to go head to head with the ‘Terrible’! She really was mad. The enemy drone heavily out-massed them and had vastly better sensors and countermeasures. It even managed to outgun them, in spite of their very formidable 'Blaynes' laser culverin.

  The drone automatics pinged an alert directly into Josie’s brain. Quickly she checked on the enemy drone. It was turning. She tried to squeeze as much out of Snapdragon’s rudimentary sensors as possible. It wasn’t easy. The ‘Terrible’s’ excellent countermeasures muffled every signal, but she managed to pick up a very faint power surge. Even though it barely registered, Josie realised, with a sickening certainty, the distinctive nature of the pulse. The enemy drone was recharging its laser.

  Ruwewang’s voice came over the comms channel. “How far are we from Belofte Pilot?”

  Josie did a quick check. “102 spatials ma’am.”

  It was a long way. Far enough that time lag on signals was beginning to be noticeable.

  "Stand by Vadal," said Ruwewang. "We're going in. Tallion? Give her everything she’s got."

  Josie ruefully considered the state of Snapdragon’s engines. What she had didn’t amount to much. And they were going directly at a 'Terrible'. It looked like she was about to find out what a sudden violent link break felt like. But she had been given an order. She pushed the throttle to maximum. “Yes ma’am.”

  "Commander! What are you doing?" squawked Vadal.

  “I’m doing my duty Lieutenant. I’m destroying Triangle League drones.”

  “But it’s a 'Terrible'…”

  “I don’t care if it’s an ‘Utterly Appalling’. Ready on the laser.”

  Snapdragon rattled forward. Josie struggled to get a sensor lock while at the same time trying to obscure them from the 'Terrible'. It was a hopeless task.

  "Their sensor pulses are getting stronger Commander. They can see us."

  "Just get me a targeting lock! Vadal? Stand by to fire."

  Josie struggled with the controls for the manoeuvring thrusters, frantically trying to coax the working ones to compensate for those that were stuttering and those that were already dead.

  "Slag it Pilot, keep her steady!"

  The energy output from the enemy drone spiked. Josie threw Snapdragon about, using its now erratic thruster complement to her advantage. Ironically if the drone had been in full working order she wouldn't have stood a chance of avoiding the laser beam. As it was, a last second stutter saw Snapdragon slide away from the deadly discharge.

  The enemy drone had missed, and the massive energy discharge at this range gave away its position, even to the mediocre sensors Josie was controlling. The wobbling red blip went solid, just for an instant, but that split-second was all Josie needed. She whipped the information over to Vadal.

  "I've got target lock!" he yelped.

  "Firing,” said Ruwewang, quietly.

  The fully pumped up laser released its pent up energies in a mind-coursing instant of fury.

  "We've hit him!" said Vadal. "He's hurt!"

  "Again," said Ruwewang, calmly. “How long on the laser?”

  "Thirty seconds to recharge," said Vadal. "That's too long."

  "I'll be the judge of that. Pilot? Steady as we go."

  “I can't hold her steady Commander. Half the controls have been shot away."

  “Then jink about and stop them hitting us again. I’ll keep the gun steady instead.”

  Josie was now juggling the engines, trying to maintain a lock on the target, and struggling to avoid getting target locked herself, and all in a badly damaged drone. She caught another energy spike and instinctively threw the drone to one side. As a result, the energy blast didn’t hit them full frontal. The glancing blow only ripped half the drone apart. There was an instant of numbness as uncontrolled power surged through human neurones. When it cleared, Ruwewang’s presence was gone.

  “Slag! She’s been forced out of link
,” exclaimed Vadal.

  That was not good.

  “We’d better bail before we get zapped too!” continued Vadal.

  “I got a clear lock on the 'Terrible'!" said Josie. "That hit must have damaged its electronics suite. Hold on, I’ll transfer all power to the gun.”

  “Josie, we need to unlink!”

  It was a measure of the man that even now he didn’t try and pull rank. Josie was sure it wasn’t kindness. Vadal simply hadn’t thought of it.

  "If we don't get him now he's going to get us!"

  “Josie, he’s got us already.”

  “No…our gun will recharge before his. We’ll have a few seconds.”

  She sensed him hesitate, then she felt his mind taking over the gunnery controls. She fed the sensor data over to him. His voice rose. “I’ve got the lock! Firing!”

  In the holodramas there would be stirring music, rising to a crescendo as the gunner fired. The reality was a split-second pause that lasted forever, followed by nothing. It took a look at the sensors to confirm what had happened.

  “Its emissions are fading!” She intensified the scan. The 'Terrible' disappeared in a sudden burst of power. “It’s destructed!”

  “Let’s do the same and get out of here.”

  Josie widened the sensor sweep. “I can't see any hostiles within two spatials. I think they’re retreating. Perhaps we don’t need to self-destruct.”

  She could feel Vadal’s indecision. There was no way Snapdragon would survive another hit, and that would forcibly drop their links as well as Ruwewang’s. On the other hand, it was well worth saving the drone. Even obsolete 'Epees' were valuable.

  “I’d like to try and get her back to the Depot ship sir, but there’s no need for you to stay linked in.”

  She sensed his ego wobbling. Her suggestion was sensible, but it had to contend with the implication of cowardice. However she had another card to play.

  “I hope the Commander is ok.”

  She sensed the flash of concern. It warred with Vadal’s pride and indecision. It won out.

  “Alright, but be careful. If you think you are at risk, bail.” There was a faint disturbance in the control circuits, and he unlinked.

  Josie carefully settled in to nurse the wounded drone home, her mind buzzing.

  Chapter 31.

  Light Depot Ship Belofte.

  Josie plugged in a headset, pressed accept on her perscomp, and smiled happily at the sight of her dam. It was only a recording, but at least she had it. A direct link would have been too expensive for either of them.

  “Hello Josie. I hope you are well. I'm fine. Work is hard but I'm enjoying it. I have to share my new apartment, but my roomies are really good folks."

  All that came out far too fast.

  "I've heard nothing from Jasmine since she started working in that bar. Can you try to get in touch with her? She might listen to you."

  Josie doubted that, but she supposed she should try. She was very close to Callisto now after all.

  "Now, about this man you've met."

  Josie inwardly groaned. She had mentioned her interactions with Donal in the last vid and had regretted it almost immediately.

  “I know I've skimped on this part of your education young lady, and it's hardly ideal to catch up now on a recorded vid, but time presses. The trick about courting men is to make them think that it's all their idea. I know that’s silly but then men are silly. They like to think they are in charge, even though we know they aren’t.”

  Josie grinned at that.

  “What you need to do is put yourself into situations where you are with him, alone if possible. You said you do patrols on shifts? I don’t really understand what that means, but it sounds like an opportunity. Get yourself assigned on the shift after his, then go in early and be a nice surprise when he comes off duty. Wear something frilly and impractical if you can. Men like that kind of thing.”

  Josie felt the heat rising in her cheeks. “I don’t have anything like that, Dam,” she muttered.

  “If you haven’t got anything like that,” continued the recording, preternaturally, “and if I know you, you won’t, then wear as little as possible.”

  Josie nearly fainted at that. She had never heard her mother be such a Courager.

  “Don’t come over all drippy and desire – just explain that you are being conscientious and getting an early start and it’s all quite above board. You have to make him do the chasing! It’ll drive him wild. It’s how I hooked your father.”

  Josie nearly choked.

  "And don't get embarrassed. Love is like war, with tactics and everything. Set your objectives and ruthlessly pursue them. Remember all's fair in love and war."

  Two days later Josie was stood at the exit from the hydroponics bays, trying to convince herself that what she was about to do was right and proper. She drew a deep breath. Her mother’s mantra bounced round her head.

  All’s fair in love and war.

  Gathering herself, she stepped out into the laundry swirl that was Belofte’s corridors.

  Jack Courage’s series of sweeping reorganisations had cleared out quite a few of the “non-essential” support personnel from the old Depot ship, but they had also considerably upped its’ war drone complement. The new drones were more modern than the crocks Belofte usually operated. Modern drones were generally larger and certainly more sophisticated, and that meant they needed more link warriors to crew them, and more techies to maintain them. Even before twenty-four extra drones had been crammed into her modest frame Belofte had been deemed to be “volume critical”, a euphemism for “very crowded”. The arrival of the new squadrons made the original cramped conditions look like the height of luxury. It seemed every nook and cranny was occupied.

  It meant that careful manoeuvring was needed when moving around the ship. All the rec rooms had been converted into sleeping quarters. Josie had to twist her way around exhausted crewmembers stumbling through corridors and even gingerly step over some sprawled out on them. She was dog-tired herself. Even her strong, youthful constitution was struggling to meet the sudden heavy demands placed upon it. She marvelled how the older warriors managed to keep so sharp.

  She wondered if Donal’s little retreat had been discovered, co-opted and converted to help meet the extra demands for space. She hoped not. The times there with Donal had been so good - calming, enjoyable and fun. She had learnt a lot there, not least about her own feelings. Something had to be done about that, one way or another.

  All’s fair in love and war.

  Strictly speaking red shift was now a free time period for both of them. Free time periods were mostly used for odd jobs, socialising and - most especially now - catching up on sleep. She knew that Donal, being a Commander and responsible for flight operations, would have to spend most of his so-called ‘free time’ catching up on extra duties. There were regulations about work periods and resting, but their provisions were routinely overlooked. There was simply too much to do.

  The constant rotations of shift patterns had meant this was the first time she and Donal had the same free time period, and was therefore the first good chance to put her dam’s plan into action. It still felt really underhand, but she had to admit to being excited. The flavour of the forbidden was intoxicating. She reconciled her misgivings with her internal mantra of Dam’s clinching argument. She repeated the phrase as a ward. It helped beat down the continually surging demon of her conscience.

  All’s fair in love and war.

  She was now a familiar and therefore unremarkable sight in the tech sheds. A few people smiled at her and one gave a cheery wave, but no-one thought of questioning her presence. She reached the side service entrance to the flight bays and stood with her back to it. This was where it got tricky. She checked left and right. No one was nearby or looking in her direction. As nonchalantly as she could, she pushed backwards, slipped through the door, and quickly closed it behind her.

  She was on the emergency
access stairwell. Equipment was piled all along one side, narrowing the steps so they could just about fit a single person walking up or down them. A tatty sign, partly slipped, warned forlornly about the dangers of blocking access.

  Quickly she skittered up the turreted service stairs, past the sweating walls and flickering lamps. At the top was a very well used door. She stuck her ear to it. Only background noise - all of it some way off. Carefully she eased the door open, wincing at the creaking, and slipped through, closing it behind her.

  All’s fair in love and war.

  She was at the head of the port flight deck. She glanced left, right - no-one in sight. Ahead of her was the long row of link bays, soundproofed to avoid distracting linked-in warriors. She craned her neck to see into the nearest ones. They were full of CM-2506 people, but no sign of Donal. She hefted her carryall and moved to check other bays.

  All’s fair in love and war.

  “Hey! What are you doing here?”

  Josie spun around, startled. A senior medic was emerging from one of the further link bays, a florid faced woman with wispy flyaway hair. Slag!

  The medic strutted towards her, chin thrust forward, eyes narrowed and piercing. She was obviously not going to take any nonsense. Josie put her carryall down and fumbled a salute.

  “Ensign Josie Tallion, CM-1121 squadron.” She felt a sudden swell in her heart. She really was now a member of an actual combat squadron, even if she was still on probation.

  “CM-2506 are the duty squadron," the woman boomed. "Units of CM-1121 don’t take over until blue shift.” She held out a hand imperiously. “Identification?”

  Josie fumbled with her perscomp. “I know ma’am. I’m on the first stick.”

  “You’re very early aren’t you?” The medic inspected her certifications critically, although she must have seen Josie come and go a dozen times or more.

  “Err, yes ma’am. I went over on my last duty shift, so the living quarters were filled by the time I got out and I don’t want to disturb anyone. I thought I would try to do a little pre-launch study here, and then try and get some sleep later.” She raised her carryall in emphasis.