by John Walker
***
Gray looked over the reports concerning their fighters and wished he could shake the bad feeling he had about their upgrades. Durant’s message stated they were ready to go and tested. He brought a team of fifty engineers onboard and they busted out all the ships at the same time. They even managed to replace the ones they lost with some of the alliance variety.
The new inertial dampeners would definitely give them a major advantage but if something went wrong, pilots would die. Horribly. He had to trust Durant but his gut wanted to complain a little longer.
I guess I’ll find out soon enough. Gray turned to Adam. “Are fighters ready?”
“And willing, sir. They state they’ve picked up some signals of enemy fighters out there. We’ve tuned our friend or foe identifiers so we should be good to go.”
“Are the marines ready?”
Adam hesitated. “Yes…” He lowered his voice. “You probably want to tell them about that part. I know it seems to be a secret but I’m sure they need to know.”
Gray nodded. “It’s a dual mission as well. I’m having people visit two of their sites.” He turned to Agatha. “Bring Dubaris back online.”
Dubaris appeared on the screen, peering into the camera. “What is it, Captain?”
“We need to land some marines at multiple locations,” Gray said. “It appears the alliance may have some information about one of the attacks you’ve faced and we’d like to investigate. Can you grant us permission to land these men?”
“Send me the coordinates.”
Gray tapped at his computer, sending out the landing zone on the planet and the space station. He watched Dubaris’s eyes widen. “Captain, we’ve had quite a bit of action in that section of the planet. Rebels have effectively taken over the area, cutting off our food supply. If you’re going to send men down there, I’d ask you to help re-establish access to the resources.”
“We can do that,” Gray replied. “What about the space station?”
“It was recently burglarized but you’re welcome to visit. We do not currently have any men on board. Unfortunately, the thieves murdered our people and we have not had the luxury of taking it back…or at least occupying it.”
“Thank you.” Gray turned to his computer and began inputting a new set of orders for the ground crews. “We’ll be launching a variety of ships soon and the next time we’ll talk will be in coordination of the fight. Talk shortly.”
“These folks sure are desperate for the help,” Adam said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they raise a big stink with high command when this is all said and done.”
“I’m sure many of the cultures working with the alliance will have something to say when the war’s over,” Gray replied. “But one thing at a time. Get our fighters out there and some escorts for our troop transports. We’re ready to start the party.”
***
Wing Commander Meagan Pointer rolled her shoulders, trying to stretch a little in the tight confines of the cockpit. Her mind drifted to the various missions she’d flown since joining the Behemoth, the different people they lost and the violence they’d been part of. Each operation was a little different but despite the variation in enemies, the battles began to blur together.
I can’t even say I’m looking forward to the end of the fighting. Whatever the right answer is concerning conflict, I probably don’t have it. Without a struggle, what would I even do? I can’t imagine ferrying people around. I need this…and that might be a problem in the near future.
The others in the ships around her were quiet as they waited for the order to get into action. Some of them would be on escort duty while others would engage the rebels who were about to attack the legitimate government. Panther Wing was assigned to combat. Their rules of engagement were pretty liberal as well.
They were told not to hold back.
Seems weird in the middle of a civil war but I guess they want to make a point about uprisings.
The situation would be a lot harder if she knew these people but the concept of what they were doing bothered her. She didn’t want to hurt civilians…and that’s what these people felt like to her. However, as she read the briefing, her gut feeling was overwhelmed by the statistics and facts.
Most of the combatants on the rebel side were seasoned soldiers, men and women who had served the novalat military and turned on them alongside the other colonists in the area. They would be a challenge and some of them were highly decorated, having gone against the same enemy as the Behemoth had.
This made the situation a lot more dangerous and certainly volatile. When the information came across her screen that the Orion’s Light might be involved, it didn’t surprise her in the slightest. Those scum had been stirring up trouble wherever they could and this certainly didn’t seem any different.
If we don’t take care of them before finishing the war, they’ll be a thorn in everyone’s side for a long time. Especially if they’re allowed to scatter. We practically need to deal with them first…even if we do risk another attack by the jerks who started all this in the first place.
“Wing Commanders,” Revente’s voice filled her helmet. “You’ll be launching in just a moment and I want to tell you that the battle’s about to get very hot. These guys look like they’ve got some decent tech but with the upgrade to your inertial dampeners and your training, you should be able to outfly them easily.
“Just be careful about pushing the envelope and make sure you’re covered. Watch the friend or foe identifiers as some of these ships look a heck of a lot like our allies. Finally, our secondary objectives are just as important and involve making landfall on the planet and taking that space station. You’ll be in charge of keeping the marines safe along the way.
“Does anyone have any questions before I begin the countdown for launch?”
No one spoke up and Revente took the silence to mean they were good. “Watch your screens. You’ll get the message to go shortly. Good luck and Godspeed.”
Scanners showed the fighting began between the two sides. The Behemoth would be involved any second, probably in every way. The rebel ‘capital’ ships (if they could even be called that) were mostly in the destroyer class with one battleship large enough to be a major concern. Intelligence suggested at least two more large ships out there somewhere.
Bombers could probably take that down but I’ll bet they want to capture them before the fight’s done. Trashing a perfectly good warship on the eve of the greatest battle in history wouldn’t go over very well with anyone.
Meagan got the green light for launch and jammed her throttle forward, hurling out and away from the Behemoth. The rest of her wing followed behind, forming up in a vanguard as they maneuvered toward the action. Large civilian craft outfitted with weapons took pot shots at the military, harassing them as their battleship moved into position.
The smaller craft, stolen fighters primarily, engaged with their military counterparts. They were evenly matched, as was indicated by the distinct lack of success on either side. Meagan felt confident they’d turn the tide, likely in a pretty dramatic way. She checked her friend or foe identifier and it seemed to be working properly.
Marine drop ships tore off away from the main body of Behemoth fighters, heading off on their missions. Meagan didn’t know specifically what they might be looking for or trying to accomplish, but quelling an entire attack force seemed unlikely, especially considering they didn’t even send all the men on the ship.
Maybe they’ll take key positions and turn them back over to the military but I don’t see why the novalat ground forces couldn’t do that themselves.
“Alright, Panther,” Meagan addressed her wing, “you know what to do. Stay together and let’s get rid of these guys. Be careful about pushing your dampeners just in case there’s a problem. You feel resistance you don’t expect, back off. Otherwise, we’re weapons free to engage and take this area back.”
The team reported back, including their newest membe
r, Lieutenant Tara Galloway. She replaced poor Leslie who had been murdered by the Orion’s Light leader in cold blood. Meagan looked forward to another chance against those bastards. She’d love to be the one to fire the shot that took down their capital ship.
Time for that later.
Twenty seconds to contact, she received word from their allies, the commander of one of the wings reaching out to her. He committed his forces to keeping out of their way and staying back near their capital ships. This afforded Panther wing an easier time intercepting the enemies and bringing the fight to them.
Without fear of shooting one of our own. I like it. Good thinking.
They weren’t trained with the ally pilots so the chances of them being of any value to one another in close quarters were slim. However, working in tandem at distance, they should be quite effective. Taking a quick count of the various enemy ships in the area, she tallied them up at twenty-five enemies.
Jesus, they stole an entire flight! This is going to cost the government a lot of money. Sorry about that, guys…in advance I mean.
Ten were already engaged but fifteen were still moving into action. Panther maneuvered to intercept, coming in at two to one odds. She admired their flight patterns as they approached, noting that they followed a similar discipline of pairing up wingmen. They remained in tight formation, despite the fact an enemy force was barreling down on them.
Meagan sent an updated attack plan to the rest of the wing, presenting them with different angles to go after. Twenty seconds from a firing solution the wing broke up into twos, some going low while others heading for a flanking position. Meagan’s second, Squadron Leader Mick Tauran, flew below her and to the left, giving them both space to maneuver.
The enemy ships broke their formation, pulling some serious Gs as they separated. They must’ve pushed the limits of their inertial dampeners to allow them such a dramatic motion. All reports suggested their technology actually fell short of what the Behemoth had on board so they should’ve been outmatched.
And how disciplined can they possibly be after rebelling against their government?
Meagan pulled up, following two of the enemies as they jammed their afterburners. She came in behind them, allowing the computer to start working on a lock. They didn’t seem to have any intention of turning or engaging and as she got tone, she fired a missile. The projectile lurched ahead of her, unconcerned about speed restrictions and dampeners.
As it approached, its target twisted to the left but couldn’t escape. Her attack struck the rear engines, easily penetrating the shields and causing a massive explosion. The pilot bailed out but only barely before the entire ship disintegrated around him. Mick took some shots at the other with pulse cannons but it managed to twist away, spinning in place and coming back at them.
Now we’ve got your attention.
It opened fire and they split, allowing the enemy ship to pass between them. Meagan quickly checked her scanners and noted that her entire wing had been pulled away from the main stay of the forces below. She frowned, pulling around to continue her engagement. What exactly were they being distracted from?
Panther had been sent to deal with these. The other wings were protecting the marines or screening for the Behemoth. There must’ve been something down there the enemy didn’t want them to mess with and it got Meagan curious. If they all disengaged and went back to where they’d found these guys, what would they discover?
“Panther,” Meagan began, “this might be dangerous so be ready. We’re going to break off from these guys and head back down to where we found them. Believe me, they’re going to try to stop us and that’s when we take them out.”
“There’s a lot of debris down there,” Mick said. “I’m sure they were just moving to a place they could safely maneuver.”
“Let’s find out,” Meagan redirected her ship and jammed the throttle forward. As they raced back to their earlier location, sure enough, the enemy vessels engaged aggressively. They led with their cannons opening up as soon as they were within range. None of them even bothered with targeting, they were just trying to warn them off. “Still think they were safety conscious?”
Panther wing broke off in several directions, getting back into the fight. A couple of shots narrowly missed Meagan, skimming the shields over her cockpit. She jostled her controls down and the improved inertial dampeners whined with the suddenness of the action. She’d literally nudged herself a few inches while going full speed forward without the slightest bit of tension.
Good job, Mister Durant!
Two enemies came at her, playing chicken. She let the computer start targeting them and prepared to fire when they beat her to the punch. Meagan didn’t want to lose the firing solution, so she dropped down slightly, still with them in front of her. Panther Four, Flight Lieutenant Shelly Brown, came out of nowhere from the right, incinerating one of the two attackers with a barrage of pulse cannon fire.
The other one broke off, spinning away to chase after Brown. Meagan ignited her afterburners and gave chase, quickly catching up. She fired a couple times, her cockpit instantly heating up until she was sweating. The blasts were clean misses but they gave her some perspective, allowing her to adjust for the next attack.
She came in from slightly above and behind, letting another barrage go. The enemy’s shields flared at the first three blasts then flames erupted from the top. She didn’t stop, continuing to fire until the entire ship turned to dust.
An alarm went off in the cockpit, a warning of proximity. Meagan checked her scanner and cursed as one of the enemies came from below. A couple shots smacked her shields before she could spin away, getting out of their firing solution. “Relax,” Mick said. “I’ve got this one.”
The blip on her radar disappeared just as a flash of light erupted from her left. “Thanks.” Meagan muttered. “I can’t believe they got the drop on me like that.”
The engagement continued, with their wing coming out on top. She checked their opponents and they’d already lost seven of their fifteen ships. Evening up the odds but we’ve got a lot of work left to do. And there’s the matter of whatever they don’t want us to find. Someone has to check that out.
“Giant Control, this is Panther One.” Meagan temporarily pulled away from the fight to give her report. “We’re doing fine against the enemy but they’re really concerned about whatever they were escorting down there. Recommend you send someone to take a look. We’re a bit busy at the moment.”
“Understood,” Revente’s voice filled her helmet. “I’ll send over Tiger to have a look. Any ideas at all?”
“No, but they left the area just as we engaged then came back hard when we tried to see what they were leading us away from. Feels fishy…and potentially dangerous for our allies.”
“Good call. I’m on it. Stay safe.”
Meagan flipped her ship and went back into the action, throwing herself into the fray. These ships might be the only ones in this particular wing but she knew there were more out there, waiting for their chance. The battleship might even carry a few and if it did, they’d be launched soon enough. Then they’d really be in for a fight.
As if this isn’t one. My perspective has been seriously screwed up through this campaign.
Chapter 5
Gray narrowed his eyes at the various reports spilling into his console. The fighters already met the enemy and had downed several. The marines were on their way and the Behemoth was nearly in range to start some trouble for the larger of their opponents. As far as a battle went, things seemed to be going fairly smoothly.
Adam turned to Gray, keeping his voice low. “Sir, Revente just sent me a message about something they’re investigating. Our fighters believe there may be something out there the enemy is trying to hide.”
“Get Olly to scan the area,” Gray replied. “Maybe he’ll figure it out before our other ships get into harm’s way.”
“Yes, sir.” Adam moved off to comply and Gray returned his a
ttention to the other reports. The battleship moved into position, ready to start trouble. He figured some, if not all, the crew initiated a mutiny and joined the rebel forces. He couldn’t imagine what might cause soldiers to turn on their commanders in such a way.
Unless their commanders were part of the plan.
The thought made him nervous. It would mean the Orion’s Light had far more influence than he imagined. Having seen Krilan’s actions with the colony first hand, Gray thought of them as thugs more than provocateurs. They didn’t seem subtle enough for such work, let alone capable of initiating a full on civil war.
“Reading a massive energy reading in the area, sir,” Olly announced. “Our fighters should pull back. It’s unstable…I think they were escorting bombs!”
Gray stood up. “What kind of bombs?”
“Um…” Olly hesitated to reply. “Big ones? I’m trying to figure out exactly how dangerous they are now, sir. I’ll have a full report in twenty seconds.”
“Call off our fighters in the immediate area,” Gray said. “Redding, how close are we to the battleship?”
“Firing solution in less than two minutes.” Redding paused. “I can increase speed and be firing in thirty seconds if you prefer.”
“Do it.” Gray pointed at Clea. “Help Olly figure out what he’s scanning. This is a surprise we don’t want to learn about the hard way.”
Tension increased as their seemingly simple operation possibly turned to something else. The battle between the government and the rebels had been going on for a while, so it stood to reason they wouldn’t be total push overs. However, the impression Gray received from all the reports was that the legitimate military merely needed a boost to get over the finish line.
The fact some of their own rank helped lead the rebels made the situation a lot direr.
Gray checked on the fighters and his heart throbbed in his chest when he saw they’d received no casualties. Yet. The voice in his head cautioned him against early optimism. The tactics employed by the enemy meant they were certainly going to provide quite the level of resistance, more so than anyone was given warning of.
