by Isaac Hooke
“I don’t think so,” Jonathan said. “Watch.” Despite his words, he was beginning to feel a sense of doubt. Perhaps he had offended Valor in some way. He thought of the too few Centurions aboard the vessel and wondered how quickly the robots would be destroyed if the Zarafe turned on them. His party hadn’t been able to secure a tartaan darkness generator since coming aboard, and thus none of his crew knew the frequencies that would allow their laser rifles to penetrate the Raakarr personal shielding.
Finally Barrick spoke: “Captain. We’re departing toward 2-Vega.”
SHORTLY AFTER THE Talon broke away from the rest of the fleet, the escorts fell in beside them. The alien vessel matched their speed. On the tactical display provided by his aReal, there were now four distinct battle units. The first was labeled B1, and was composed of those members of the fleet staying behind at 1-Vega. The Talon and her escorts were labeled B2. B3 was the unit composed of the Builder, harvester, and four warships currently racing from 2-Vega to rejoin B1. And B4 indicated the four destroyers mining 2-Vega.
Jonathan studied the Talon on his tactical display, and the three vessels providing escort. The Stalwart, Fade, and Halberd put themselves at great risk by doing this. Like the admiral said, the enemy could be months away, or days. If the aliens proved close, and the Talon found itself under attack shortly after reaching the Slipstream, the escorts would most likely be lost, due to their inability to match the Talon’s velocity. He hadn’t been kidding when he told Barrick any ships with them would be particle-beam fodder.
The admiral should have probably sent along more vessels to escort them, as Valor had requested, but he knew that Ford likely considered the escorts expendable, and three United Systems ships were probably the most she was willing to put at risk. She certainly wouldn’t have allowed the Talon to go out there alone. The alien ship was too valuable. First and foremost, the fleet needed the Zarafe because only they could negotiate with any encountered Raakarr. Then there was the unshared tech aboard the alien craft, not to mention the alliance itself, both of which would be lost with the ship. Finally, Ford probably distrusted the Zarafe just as much as Jonathan; likely she had given the escorts secret orders to disable the Talon if it gave any outward signs of defecting to the enemy. If Jonathan planned to use the Talon in a bid to deceive any incoming alien ships, perhaps by pretending to side with them, he had to make damn certain the escorts remained informed of his intentions. That could prove tricky, especially if he attempted communications on standard United Systems channels.
A few hours later the four destroyers in B4 finished mining the entrance and retreated. One of the craft towed the diminutive portion of Outreach Gate that had been completed along behind it. To Jonathan, it almost didn’t seem worth the trouble to preserve the Gate. Then again, even the three days the Builder had spent on the construction could prove precious at some point.
A day later, while the Talon and her escorts continued on toward 2-Vega, the four destroyers joined B3, whose vessels were constrained by the slower speeds of the Builder and harvester. B4 matched their velocity, and the tactical display updated their combined label to B3, as there were now only three distinct battle units in the system.
One of the destroyers in B3 fired a nuke toward the main sequence star as it passed within one hundred million kilometers. The target coordinates aligned with the source of the gamma ray communication that had issued from the vicinity of the sun. The target’s orbital position was triangulated based on the size and weight information Valor had provided about their own probes, and the calculations also accounted for the Doppler effect detected in the beam itself. It was possible the nuke might miss if the target maneuvered away, but because the alien probe was estimated to be in a decaying orbit, it was doubtful it had the Delta Vs to move any significant distance from its predicted trajectory. Because the calculated orbit was decaying, it might not have been necessary to waste a nuke. Then again, Valor claimed the Raakarr could have reinforced the heat shielding to last for several months in that inferno, given the current estimated rate of descent.
Several hours later a red dot appeared on the display above the star; though hidden in the thermal wash, the plasma-penetrating X-LIDAR of the nuke had detected the object. The probe appeared almost precisely where the destroyer had predicted. Good thing, too, because the nuke didn’t have much room for maneuverability: at that distance from the star the Delta Vs were just as costly to the smart bomb as the target. The weapon would only just have the necessary propellant to meet the object. If the calculations were off, hopefully the expelled gases produced during the detonation would be enough to seriously degrade the decaying orbit, changing the probe’s lifetime to a few minutes instead of a few months.
As the nuke closed, Barrick made an announcement.
“The Zarafe are detecting a constant stream of gamma ray emissions from the probe,” Barrick said.
“Directed at the nuke?” Jonathan asked. “Defensive measures?”
“Some of them,” Barrick said. “But most of them are aimed at the Slipstream 2-Vega.”
“Calling for help even more fervently,” Jonathan said. “Makes you wonder if it isn’t manned. Though I guess any AIs running the probe would want to prolong their existence for as long as possible, too.”
“Precisely,” Wethersfield said. “AIs are sentient beings, too, regardless of whether or not they are alien. Capable of emotions. Fear. Self-preservation.”
“Assuming the aliens they’re modeled after have those emotions,” Jonathan said. “Barrick?”
“Oh the aliens have them, Captain,” Barrick replied. “Those two you mentioned, at least.”
“Will the nuke’s proximity fuse survive the intense gamma ray attacks directed at it?” Jonathan asked the Artificial.
“Theoretically,” Wethersfield replied. “Other circuits will probably fry, but the armor and heat shielding of the trigger and nuclear core are rated to withstand the EM fields and thermal energy found up to eight hundred thousand kilometers from a standard main sequence star.”
Three minutes later the nuke detonated. The red dot winked out.
“Well I guess that answers the question,” Jonathan said. “Good-bye alien probe.”
“How do you know there aren’t any more of them out there?” Wethersfield asked.
“Good point,” Jonathan replied. “Though if there are, it’s not going to make much difference at this point anyway. Any aliens beyond that Slipstream definitely know we’re here now.”
ALMOST FIVE DAYS later B2 arrived fifteen thousand kilometers out from Slipstream 2-Vega, and ten thousand klicks from the nearest smart mine.
Jonathan had come to the bridge to personally oversee the launch of the probe. Via his tactical display, he uncertainly studied those yellow dots mining the entrance.
“Captain Bane,” Jonathan transmitted. “Are we sure the Talon won’t trigger the proximity fuse of those mines?”
“The destroyers tell me they specifically programmed the mines to ignore the Talon, yes.”
“Just the same, I’d rather not get closer to them than we have to,” Jonathan said. “Barrick, instruct Valor to initiate a full stop. This is good enough. And Captain Bane, tell me those mines aren’t going to detonate when we launch the probe.”
“They won’t,” the captain of the Halbred replied. “They’re too small to trigger the proximity fuses. But as usual, we’ll tag the probe as a friendly anyway, just in case.”
“Good. Barrick, have the Zarafe dispatch the telemetry probe,” Jonathan said.
In moments a red dot appeared on the tactical display, moving away from the Talon toward the Slipstream. It turned blue as the CDC’s aboard the escorting ships tagged it as friendly.
Jonathan held his breath as it passed near two of the nukes. The mines didn’t detonate.
The dot vanished inside 2-Vega a moment later.
Jonathan waited one minute. Two.
“Well?” Jonathan said. “Where the hell is
it? Captain Bane, did anything return yet?”
“No,” Bane replied.
Five minutes passed.
“I don’t think it’s coming back,” Captain Chopra of the Stalwart said.
“Barrick...” Jonathan said.
“The Zarafe believe anti-probe countermeasures must have been present on the other side,” the telepath said. “They’re going to launch another. This one will be programmed to return immediately upon leaving the warped space of the Slipstream, thus allowing it to transmit a snapshot of the space beyond.”
“Isn’t that their last probe?” Jonathan said.
“It is.”
“When you say ‘return immediately,’ what kind of time frame are we talking about?”
Barrick paused. Then: “Microseconds to milliseconds.”
Jonathan sighed. “Well, tell Valor to make sure they don’t lose it.”
Barrick nodded behind his faceplate. “Valor says they won’t.”
The next probe launched. Once again, Jonathan watched as the associated dot neared the Slipstream and passed between the nuclear mines. This time it began firing countering thrust well before approaching the wormhole, and it slowed right down to what seemed a halt. The dot edged forward at a snail’s pace, growing ever closer to the event horizon. It touched the point of no return, but didn’t wink out. Instead, the dot began accelerating back toward the fleet.
“Well,” Jonathan said. “Did they get a snapshot of the other side?”
“Otter says they did.”
“And...?”
“They’re still analyzing it,” Barrick said. A moment later: “They’ve definitely detected countermeasures on the other side. There’s debris consistent with the first probe, floating away from the opening. And...” He glanced at Jonathan urgently. “There are seven incoming Raakarr vessels. A capital ship and six dart ships. We have eight minutes before they arrive.”
twelve
Get that probe docked,” Jonathan commanded.
“Otter says they’re trying,” Barrick responded. “He also tells me that further analysis of the snapshot reveals twenty-four more Raakarr vessels, roughly four days away from the endpoint.”
“Great,” Jonathan said. “Nothing like thirty-one enemy ships to make one feel alive in the morning.”
He glanced at the approaching probe on his tactical display, and began to tap his foot impatiently. He was beginning to regret having halted so far out from the mines.
“Have Valor close the distance,” Jonathan ordered Barrick. “Then once we’ve picked it up, engage full reverse.”
On the tactical display, the Talon accelerated toward the object.
Come on. Come on.
“Bane,” Jonathan said. “Get the rest of B2 out of here.”
“What about you?”
“We’ll be right behind you,” Jonathan replied. “As soon as we collect the probe.”
“Perhaps we should leave it?” Wethersfield said.
“It’s our last probe,” Jonathan said. “We need it.”
The Talon decelerated rapidly as the probe came within range. The vessel had no problem collecting the device, unlike most United Systems vessels, which couldn’t dock drones or Avengers while underway at most speeds. The newer model vessels had specialized hangar bays that could handle high-velocity docking, however, but he wasn’t sure if any of the warships in the battle group had that capability. Not that it was relevant at the moment.
“The probe is docked,” Barrick said.
“Full reverse.” Jonathan watched as the Talon’s dot accelerated from the Slipstream. The remotely-updated display was lagged by a few microseconds, because B2 had ten thousand klicks on them. However the Talon was quickly closing the distance.
“How long will it take us to reach full acceleration?” Jonathan said.
“About sixty seconds,” Barrick replied.
“We can achieve the same speed as the enemy dart ships?”
“Supposedly,” Barrick replied.
“You sound doubtful.”
“Our engines are fully functional,” Barrick explained. “But it’s possible the enemy has modified their engines to give them higher speeds. I’ve seen it in some futures. Though not in this particular circumstance, I admit.”
“You haven’t seen this circumstance at all, have you?” Jonathan said.
“No,” Barrick admitted. “This is all new to me.”
“What about the capital ship? How fast is it?”
“It moves a little more slowly than the darts,” Barrick said.
“And the fighters the capital ship can launch?”
“Slower still.”
“The fighters can overtake the United System warships?” Jonathan asked.
“No. But the capital ship and dart ships can. As can the Talon, of course.”
As he watched the display, Jonathan realized the Talon would overtake the three escort vessels in about forty seconds. He had two choices at the moment: abandon them to stall the enemy—essentially sacrificing the escort ships to save the Talon; or help them fight, risking the Zarafe vessel.
But he already knew what choice he was going to make. The odds were only two to one. He had faced far worse.
“B2, get ready to stand and fight,” Jonathan transmitted.
“You got it,” Bane returned. “I assume you’ll be departing?”
“That’s a negative,” Jonathan said. “We fight with you. At least until the admiral orders us away.”
He had about seventeen minutes before orders from Admiral Ford arrived. That meant he had seventeen minutes to save the four ships under his command.
“I don’t think she would want you to risk the Talon...” Bane said.
“The admiral hasn’t issued any order for us to retreat, yet,” Jonathan said. “And there are no standing orders related to the matter. So until then, we’re staying.”
“Maybe the mines will take care of them,” Chopra transmitted. “There are only seven incoming vessels, after all.”
“Wishful thinking,” Jonathan said. “Trust me when I tell you we can’t rely on the mines. This enemy is known for their ingenuity. We can’t grow complacent. The mines won’t hold them.” Jonathan surveyed the tactical display for several moments. Then he said: “Here’s what we’re going to do.”
The Talon and its three escorts had only just finished moving into position and launching the nukes specified by the plan, when Barrick announced the appearance of a thermal flash near the Slipstream.
“A thermal flash?” Jonathan asked Barrick. “Did one of the mines detonate?”
The plan called for radio silence between the Talon and the rest of B2, so he had remotely deactivated the United System comm nodes aboard the alien vessel, severing his link to the other members of the flotilla. As such, he no longer had a tactical display to confirm or deny the loss of any mines. But there was also a plus side: he wouldn’t be able to receive any messages from the admiral recalling him from the battle.
“Not yet,” Barrick replied. “But more thermal flashes are appearing.”
“What are they?” Jonathan said.
“Otter says the heat signatures match that of their advance fighters,” Barrick replied. “They appear only briefly, and then wink out, leaving only debris. The defensive measures of the new nukes seem to be working, destroying the incoming advance units.”
“So we haven’t lost any mines yet?” Jonathan asked.
“So far, only one incoming fighter has detonated a mine prematurely. The rest remain intact.”
Jonathan waited a few seconds. “What’s going on now?”
“The advance fighters keep coming.” Barrick paused. “We just lost another nuke.”
Jonathan clenched and unclenched his gloves.
“It appears they’ve exhausted their advance scouts,” Barrick finally said. “We lost a total of three mines. The enemy lost twenty fighters.”
A minute ticked past. Two.
“Any sign
of the enemy?” Jonathan asked.
“Not yet,” Barrick replied.
Jonathan glanced at Wethersfield. “How long until the seven enemy ships are projected to reach the Slipstream?”
“Based on their previous velocity,” Wethersfield replied. “They should have arrived a minute and a half ago. It appears our resistant mines have given them pause.”
Another minute passed.
“Anything, Barrick?” Jonathan said.
“No,” the telepath answered.
Jonathan was actually starting to believe the enemy would not come. He resisted the urge to re-initiate communications with B2, though he badly wanted to reactivate his tactical display.
“Otter reports a new thermal signature...” Barrick said. “We just lost a nuke.”
“And the thermal signature?”
“It remains,” Barrick replied.
“Damaged?”
“It...” Barrick paused. “Another nuke went off. The signature has definitely been degraded. Another nuke is seeking it... the signature has vanished.”
“Was it a fighter?”
“No,” Barrick said. “Otter tells me it was an enemy dart ship.”
“Sacrifice a ship to clear a path for the others,” Wethersfield commented. “An aggressive strategy, if not outright wasteful.”
“You think the ship was manned?” Jonathan asked.
“They hardly had time to transfer their crew to a different vessel...” Wethersfield replied.
A cold species.
“Have any other ships appeared?” Jonathan asked Barrick.
The telepath waited a moment before speaking again. “The others are arriving, yes... apparently, they’re activating their particle beams before passing through the Slipstream, so that they emerge with the beams fully active. They’re detonating the nukes with the weapons.”
Jonathan nodded slowly. “Maybe they hadn’t intended to sacrifice that first ship after all, Wethersfield. Maybe they sent it through as a guinea pig, unsure of what awaited on the other side. And it managed to get a transmission back to its friends before its untimely demise. Barrick, how many enemy ships do we have? Did the mines get any of the newcomers?”
