by PJ Strebor
“Sir,” Krause said, “the boat is at alert one.”
Nathan stopped the timer on nine minutes thirty six seconds, stood and approached Ryden.
“Commander?”
Ryden sighed loudly. “It’s better than the thirteen minutes we did five days ago, but it’s still not good enough.” Sensing Nathan’s next question he added, with a shrug, “As I’ve said, we can’t properly run this boat with a crew of thirty-three.”
Nathan nodded. “So it’s your opinion that we settle for nine and a half minutes?”
“Considering the circumstances, I’d be settle for nine.”
“Very well,” Nathan said. “Krause, stand down alert. We’ll try again in two hours.”
“Yes, sir,” the first officer said.
“May I have a word, Commander?” Nathan asked.
They stepped into the briefing room and they took seats.
“It’s been five days, Commander,” Nathan said. “I think it’s time to say what’s on your mind.”
Ryden stared at the bulkhead for a moment. “Very well,” he said. “I assume, from your age, that you’ve not been granted your own command as yet.”
“Correct.”
“I have fifteen years of service on E boats, four of them as Captain,” Ryden said. “So I’m forced to wonder why you think you should command this boat. Respectfully, you don’t have a gram of my experience.”
“No, I don’t and I’m sure Krause is in total agreement with you. Do you think I haven’t noticed his attitude?”
“We worked together for years,” Ryden said. “He’s used to me being in charge.”
“I understand that but when we go into combat I won’t have time to explain my tactics.” Nathan’s wry smile said much. “They are a tad unconventional, to say the least.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The time will come when you’ll need to take a leap of faith,” Nathan said.
“Trust needs to be earned,” Ryden said.
“I’ll tell you what. If, after our first engagement with the enemy, you still don’t get it, I’ll relinquish command to you. Fair enough?”
“Okay, I’m intrigued.”
“When the time comes, you’ll know it,” Nathan said. “That’s when I’ll need you to trust me.”
CHAPTER 61
Date: 1st November, 326 ASC.
Position: E 692 Traversing hyperspace. Northern Quarantine Zone.
With a minimal crew compliment, both Nathan and Ryden had much to cover. Whilst in hyperspace they undertook such jobs as were required to keep the boat maintained. Nathan grabbed snippets of sleep when he could, but his fatigue grew by the day. He would be of no good to anyone if he didn’t put his head down soon.
He caught up with Ryden in engineering.
“Respectfully, Captain,” Ryden said, “you look like shit.”
“Try looking in the mirror, Commander.”
Ryden rubbed at his reddened eyes and nodded.
“We can’t do everything, Ernst, or we’ll burn out. Get yourself four hours sleep and I’ll cover things here.”
“Okay. Call me in four hours and I’ll relieve you.”
“We’re not due for egression for nine hours so that’ll work out well. Off you go.”
He returned to his task. The relay was burned out, his scanner showed that, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Winkler,” Nathan said, “can you spare a minute.”
“Yes, sir,” Winkler said. “How may I help you?”
“I can’t get this relay out of the housing.”
“Ah, yes, they can be tricky little buggers.”
Within seconds Winkler had slid the relay from its housing.
“That’s good, Winkler,” Nathan said, “but it doesn’t teach me anything. Put it back and show me what to do.”
Things are so much easier on a monitor.
***
Nathan groaned as he fell into his rack. Ryden had reported for duty after his four hour down time and although fatigue still remained in his eyes he looked sharper.
Nathan awoke with a start as the alert one alarm sounded. Slipping on a shirt he stepped onto the bridge. The boat shook.
“A hit to starboard,” the T-O yelled.
Nathan grabbed at a console as the boat heeled over. Ryden had the helm.
“Talk to me, Krause,” Nathan said.
“We egressed to charge our buffers and ran into a light carrier,” Krause said. “One of her fighters got our range.”
The boat shook again.
“Buffers?”
“What? Oh, ah, they’re at nineteen percent.”
Nathan took the captain’s chair and tied into the tactical station. While examining the readouts he reached out with his senses. The fighter had come about and was preparing for another attack from astern.
“Helm,” Nathan said, “cut all forward thrust and close the carapace.” Without looking up he added, “This is the time we talked about, Commander.” The engines shut down. “Right, he just lit his burners; he’s making a strafing run at flank speed. Better and better. Commander, on my mark, hit the forward mag plating and thrusters. Full emergency braking, burn them out if you have to but slow the boat. Then drop to z-minus twenty.” Peripherally he saw Ryden nodding.
“Here he comes. That’s right, a little closer.” The boat rocked as the fighter fired his twin pulsars.
“Captain?” Ryden said.
“Not yet.”
The boat shook violently.
“Vogel, we can’t take much more,” Krause shouted. “Buffers at fifteen percent.”
Nathan ignored him. Almost there.
“Commander, mark!”
Nathan felt his harness dig into his shoulders and chest as the boat rapidly decelerated. As he expected the fighter pilot had fallen for the oldest trick in the book. He overshot the E boat.
“Now Ryden, kill the bastard!”
In a classic maneuver dating back five centuries, Ryden raised the boat’s nose while firing both pulsars. The silver blue beams cut the fighter in half. It exploded with a brief gush of fire.
“Helm, ahead dead slow. Ingress the boat on 149 true.”
“149 true, aye.”
The boat slipped smoothly into hyper.
“Ahead, one-quarter,” Nathan said.
“Aye, Captain, one-quarter it is.”
Nathan set his timer and waited a full minute.
“Helm, roll the boat over, cut speed to dead slow and prepare for egression.”
“X-O, buffers?”
“Nine percent.”
The boat egressed.
“Helm, set course 357 by 133 by 59, and ingress.”
As the boat entered hyperspace he said, “X-O, give me a countdown.”
“Seven percent.”
“Helm, ahead one-quarter.”
Nathan did a quick calculation; available power, time, distance.
“Four percent,” Krause shouted.
“Helm, cut engine power, hit the emergency braking and egress,” Nathan said. “X-O, brace for rapid egression.”
“All crew,” Krause said, “brace for rapid egression.”
Egressing at any speed higher than dead slow was frowned upon. But this was a combat emergency. Nathan tightened his harness as the collision alarm blared.
The impact of a fast egression was akin to flying into a wall. The sudden deceleration knocked the wind out of everyone.
“Egression achieved,” Ryden said.
Nathan sat back and wiped sweat from his upper lip.
“X-O, shut down all no- essential systems. Buffers have absolute priority. And get me a damage report. I want all crewmen working on repairs. Understood?”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Krause said.
He turned to the helm station. Ryden sported a broad grin.
“Yeah,” he said, “that’s a tad unconventional, all righ
t.”
CHAPTER 62
Date: 8th November, 326 ASC.
Position: Transport Odenwald, three days from the planet Spinney. Northern Quarantine Zone.
Lieutenant Moe Okuma pushed her plate away from her, with half the meal left untouched.
“What’s up?” Grace asked. “Mine tastes great.”
“All the meals on this ship are great, but I’ve put on four kilos,” Moe said. “I’ve got to hit the gym more regularly.”
“Yeah, two months of this luxury has taken its toll,” Grace said. “I’ve got the COB and her senior NCOs to increase the calisthenics workouts. We don’t want a flabby crew, do we?”
“Or a flabby D-O.”
“It’s not flab,” Grace said. “Just relaxed muscle.”
“Relaxed? It’s practically comatose.”
“All right,” Grace said, pushing her plate aside. “I’ll join you in the gym in ten minutes.”
The alert condition one alarm had them running for the lift.
“Adroit,” Grace said keying her comm. A pause while Tollini responded. “Amos, recall all crew and bring the boat to alert condition one. Make it snappy.”
Moe and Grace stepped onto Odenwald’s bridge.
Captain Pitzen turned from his readouts. “We just detected a vessel’s egression point. They’ve pinged us and are on an intercept course.”
“What is it?” Moe asked.
“Pruessen E boat.”
“Shit,” Grace said.
“We won’t go back,” Pitzen said. “We’ll die first.”
“Very well, then,” Moe said. “We’ll take her on together.”
The Pruessen captain nodded though he could not hide the terror that translated to his eyes.
“Adroit will attack the E boat, you back us up.”
“We want to fight,” Pitzen said.
“You’ll get your chance, but this will have to be a coordinated attack,” Moe said. “Remember, your sensors will identify us as an enemy vessel.”
“Right,” Pitzen said.
Moe and Grace left the freighter, arriving on Adroit’s bridge minutes later.
Grace checked in with her duty NCO before stripping down and squeezing into her V suit. Moe and Grace assisted one another to fit their armor into place.
Grace dropped into her place at the D-O’s station while Moe strapped into her chair and dropped into the Combat Sphere.
“SMC, tie in for combat operations,” Moe said. “Current time image, on all panels. Zero magnification.”
“Yes, Lieutenant Okuma,” the SMC said.
Her comm beeped. “Captain.”
“The boat is at alert condition one,” Grace informed her.
“Very well.” Moe hovered the boat before taking her out. She turned sharply to starboard toward the enemy boat. Odenwald slowly came about on the same heading and followed Adroit toward the enemy.
***
“Adroit is preparing to engage the enemy,” Odenwald’s T-O reported.
“Captain,” the helmsman said, “we should destroy the E boat before she fires on us.”
Captain Pitzen didn’t like the tone of his usually unflappable helmsman.
“You will hold fire, helm, until I give the order,” Pitzen growled. “We are here to support Adroit, not to go off half-cocked.”
“But Captain -”
“That’s enough,” Pitzen said, coldly. “If you can’t carry out my orders I will relieve you of duty. Do you want that, Eric?”
“No sir.”
“Very well,” Pitzen said.
***
“WEO, load all tubes with type fifty pulsar heads,” Moe said.
“Yes, Captain,” Lieutenant Applebee said.
What the hell is an E boat doing out this far?
“SMC, magnify forward hollow panels by fifty percent.”
The E boat sprung into sharp focus.
“Captain, we’ll be in torpedo range in three minutes,” Grace reported.
“Very well,” Moe said. So will they.
“Captain,” Applebee said, “all tubes loaded with type fifty pulsar heads.”
“Very well.”
“Captain,” Willet said, from tactical, “the E boat is slowing. Her shields just dropped and her weapons are inactive. That’s weird.”
You’ve got that right, Rudi. What’s he up to?
“Captain,” Grace said, “we’re getting comm from the E boat.”
Really? “Very well, put it through to me.”
Moe keyed her L-M. “This is Captain Bradman. What can I do for you?”
“Well, for a starter I’d be really happy if you didn’t fire at me,” Nathan said.
For a moment Moe was struck dumb. “Nathan?”
“The very same,” he said. “I borrowed an E boat.”
Moe laughed. “Well, of course you did.”
“Just a thought, but you might want to have Odenwald stand down,” Nathan said.
“Shit yes,” Moe said. “I’ll get back to you.” She double clicked her L-M. “Grace, you’ll never guess who’s on the E boat.”
“Nathan?”
“Yep. Contact Odenwald and –”
“Torpedoes inbound,” Willet screamed. “Two high yield pulsar heads.”
Moe swung Adroit about, bow on to the two torpedoes. Someone on Odenwald had panicked and fired at the E boat. Whoever did it was so filled with dread that he did not consider that Adroit would show up on his scans as an enemy warship.
Moe fired a wide spread of pulsar fire and the incoming torpedoes. In the precious seconds she had available she destroyed one, but the other got through her defenses and exploded. A thin silver blue beam struck out and sliced through Adroit. She healed over to port, as alarms wailed.
Over her comm she heard Grace screaming at Odenwald’s skipper. “Captain Pitzen, stand down. We have friendlys on the E boat. Do not fire again.”
“Oh my God,” Pitzen said. “I’m so sorry. My helmsman panicked. Is everyone all right?”
Moe made certain the comm was off. “Fucking square head dumb bastard, dog fucking son of a harlot bitch,” she yelled. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
For months they’d avoided unwarranted combat, to ensure no damage impeded their escape attempt. Now Odenwald had crippled her boat. She took a deep breath to calm her rage before retrieving to the bridge. Unstrapping from her chair she approached her D-O.
“How bad?” she asked Grace.
“The shot tore through the port stealth engine. It’s a through and through. Ripped through the upper carapace and exited via the lower. It’s out of commission until we effect repairs.”
Moe steeled herself for the next question. “Casualties?”
“None,” Grace said. “I guess that’s something.”
Thank God.
“Has the square head freighter stood down?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“By God they’re lucky there are women and kids on her,” Moe said between set teeth.
“They’re civilians, Captain,” Grace said. “We should have expected something like this.”
Moe sighed and tried to calm her rage. “Yeah.”
Congratulations, Captain. Your first combat engagement and you get hit by friendly fire. Now you’re the Captain of a stealth boat that isn’t stealthy.
CHAPTER 63
Date: 8th November, 326 ASC.
Position: Hyper lag time. Three days from the planet Spinney. Northern Quarantine Zone.
Nathan maneuvered the landing boat till it sat only meters from what remained of Adroit’s upper stealth engine carapace. Through the boat’s forward view plate he examined her damage.
“That’s not good.”
“And the master of understatement strikes again,” Moe said.
“It’s a good thing only one of them hit you or things could have been far worse.”
“Yep.” Moe rubbed her chin
.
Nathan rolled the boat over, taking note of the pulsar’s exit point through the port stealth engine’s lower carapace. The jagged blades clearly showing how much damage had been done.
“It’s a miracle no one was killed,” Nathan said.
“Yeah, we got lucky. The interior damage is fairly superficial but with this mess we’re vulnerable.”
“Are you sure you recovered everything?”
“I had all three LB’s out for a full day,” Moe said. “They found every last piece of the stealth engine. For all the good it’ll do us.”
“We leave nothing for the square heads to find.” Nathan rubbed at the bump above his right eye. “We could try to repair her.”
“We’d need to make planet-fall to do that.”
Nathan nodded.
“Spinney?” Moe asked.
“It’s only a few days away, and is largely uninhabited.”
“Hmm, might work. Then what?”
“With Saxon out of the picture we should be in the clear.”
“Spinney it is,” Moe said.
CHAPTER 64
Date: 8th November, 326 ASC.
Position: Dortmund spaceport, planet Reynolds, Northern Quarantine Zone.
Not for the first time, Orson heard voices, near but impossibly distant. As he had done every day since his consciousness returned, he tried to open his eyes. It felt as if his eyelids were coated in lead but he got one open. A young nurse stood by his bed, taking his pulse. She blinked when she saw his eye was upon her.
“Hello there, sleepy head,” she said, smiling radiantly.
He tried to speak but his voice croaked.
The nurse gave him a small drink of water and leaned down to hear what he said.
“Now, what did you say?”
“Take my hand,” Orson just managed to say.
“Of course I will.”
He clutched her hand with a fierce will born of desperation and began to feed on her life-force. She writhed as the life bled from her and into his broken body, filling him with her life-giving energy. After a time her hand slipped from his as her emaciated husk collapsed to the floor. Time passed and he got both eyes open. She was too young, too weak to fully renew him, but it was a start. Footsteps, followed by a gasp.
