Operation Hellfire

by Michael G. Thomas

  STAR CRUSADER

  OPERATION HELLFIRE

  By Michael G. Thomas

  Part of the STAR CRUSADES universe

  First Edition

  Copyright © 2015 Michael G. Thomas

  Published by Swordworks Books

  The official Star Crusades website:

  www.starcrusader.com

  The official Facebook Page:

  https://www.facebook.com/starcrusader

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  Orion Command is responsible for the protection of all Alliance territories in the Orion Nebula. Three of the Navy's eight war fleets reside in this region of space. Of these three, the Orion Battlegroup is the most famous and best equipped. Operating under the command of the renowned Admiral Churchill, it is the premier fleet in the sector and utilises the latest generation ships, including the Crusader, Liberty, and Dragoon Classes. The Orion Battlegroup also has access to a unique asset, a survivor from the carnage of the Biomech War, ANS Warlord. She is not only the largest warship in service; she is also the only super-battleship to have ever been built.

  Naval Cadet’s Handbook

  Alliance Armoured Assault Ship 'ANS Relentless'

  Orion Battlegroup, 8th Quadrant, Uncharted Space

  20 December 2472

  The pair of heavily armed Bullnose Gunships came in fast as they made their landing approach aboard Relentless. Behind them came a single Marine Corps Mauler. All three spacecraft were ugly craft, crude, and brutish in style, yet bristling with weaponry and armour. Whatever they lacked in aesthetics was more than made up for in their capabilities. The gunships hit their reverse engines as they moved to within a hundred metres of the spacious landing area. They were the last to make it back aboard Relentless, and neither was wasting time getting inside.

  The front of the Alliance warship lay open like the mouth of a basking shark, with a dull yellow glow bathing the interior. Long lines of bright dots marked the internal lights, each currently exposed to the vacuum of space. As the last craft entered the ship, the forward blast doors slid shut. Additional plates moved across until the bow was fully sealed and ready for interstellar travel.

  The computer displays inside Nate's Lightning IIA Fighter-Bomber gave a subtle tint to the flat metal bodywork inside the cramped cockpit. His eyes were focused on the video feed pointing directly ahead from the portside bow extension. It swivelled on its mount and tracked the three craft as they moved inside. Nate watched the combat landing and hoped that this was finally it. They had been on the run for three days now, and his nerves were shot. All of the fighter pilots aboard Relentless had taken it in turns, but there were only so many of them still capable of combat.

  Just start the engines. What's the delay?

  He knew full well that the delays were based on the battered capital ships. It took time to prepare them if they were to make the vast distances with their engines on full burns for days at a time. One mistake could damage or destroy an engine and leave a ship stranded forever. That didn't help how he felt, though, and all he cared about was that they could finally leave this barren and empty sector of space, deep inside the heartland of their new enemy, the so-called, Star Empire. The thrill and excitement of combat had quickly faded, and now he just wanted to know they were somewhere at least defensible. Every single pilot, marine, and crewmember knew they were taking big risks this far from home.

  "New targets detected. They will be in scanning range in...six minutes...standby."

  Nate shook his head in frustration. They had been here for hours as each ship made preparations for the next high-speed leg of their journey. Now the last of the scouts were back on board.

  Come on, it's time to leave. Let's go!

  Nate was not scared of combat, or even of his enemy. What did scare him was being trapped out there, with nowhere to run and only the ships of the battlegroup. One wrong move, and they could be surrounded and destroyed one by one. Rumours had already circulated via the rescued Byotai soldiers about the Star Empire's approach to prisoners. Nate and his friends had already decided that would not be their fate.

  I'll not be a prisoner.

  "Standby. Prepare to launch on my command."

  Nate blinked and then scanned the computer displays in his fighter. He couldn't believe they might actually need to launch. He and Cassandra were on point and best placed to initiate an intercept pattern. The other ships were capable of handling fighters and bombers, but only Relentless was equipped with fast launch decks and the ability to land fighters seconds before leaving an area.

  The navigation orb flickered gently below them, showing the position of Relentless and the two nearest ships; to his right the massive Bay Class landing ship, Cardigan Bay, and to his left the much smaller Dragoon Class frigate, ANS Blackfish. She had been named after the renowned frigate that was lost in the Biomech War. Directly in front were six more ships, and all had activated their main engines.

  This is gonna be a close one.

  First to go were two of the Crusader Class ships, and then Warlord. He watched the four in front as the seconds ticked by until they were little more than fading blue dots in the distance. Another thirty seconds and they would be away and far from the Star Empire patrol. Another destroyer accelerated away, joining them just as the warning indicator lit up on his display. The sound of Commander Higgins’ voice vanished and was replaced by Captain Galanos, the most senior remaining officer.

  "Blackfish, hold your position. Cardigan Bay has another problem with her engines. I repeat, hold your position."

  The frigate was already in the powering up phase, and her engines glowed white hot before quickly powering down. The order had come just seconds before the ship would have blasted off, leaving only Relentless to watch over this piece of contested space, an area containing nothing more than a myriad of uninhabitable planets. This particular one was surrounded by a sparse ring of dust that had proven invaluable in hiding the fleet for the last few hours.

  With the bulk of the fleet gone, Nate suddenly felt a tremor of nerves. The most powerful ships had left, and all that remained were the three of them. He tried to follow the dots as they continued to fade, but they were so small he had to rely on the computer to superimpose icons over their last known positions.

  On our own again.

  Sweat dripped down his brow, and he felt it running to his eyebrows. Admiral Churchill had held back the other ships as
long as possible, but he could not risk the entire fleet. It was a fluke that the auxiliary ship, ANA Cardigan Bay was in the last group. Each ship had accelerated away the moment they could. Thankfully, her engines failed before the other two ships could leave. That would have been a terrible predicament both for the landing ship and for the entire fleet.

  "Maintain the buoy perimeter and activate automated defensive systems. Keep all scanners on passive mode only," said the Captain.

  Nate was aware of the shift in gravitational forces as the flank-mounted engines on the carrier twisted her about so that the port flank now pointed towards the approaching patrol. Though this negated the ship's most powerful weapons, it did allow the entire port arsenal to be used in a defensive capacity. He watched the changing positions of the two ships as the crew presumably struggled to get Cardigan Bay back into action.

  The auxiliary warship had done this twice so far as they made their way through the vastness of the Eighth Quadrant of the former Byotai Empire. This was the long route home, but according to the Admiral, the safest and least expected for them to use. The direct route would have required them to turn back and pass the Spacebridge that led to the Ctenosaura System, the new capital of the Empire. The idea had been to sneak home without running into the enemy, and so far, with the exception of two minor skirmishes with patrols, they had made it unscathed.

  So why do we keep running into Star Empire forces, then?

  The outer plates, airlocks, and blast doors were all sealed shut throughout Relentless, yet he could still see exactly what was happening outside. The audio and video feeds connected fighters, drones, and the ship's command centre all together via the computer core. Through this highly encrypted system, he had access to the direct feed of the external cameras. Although he could see the other two ships, there was still no sign of the enemy, and he began to wonder if the sensor buoys had sent them ghost data.

  Wouldn't be the first time. I'm getting a bit bored chasing them.

  He glanced to his left where Cassandra sat inside her own Lightning IIA Fighter Bomber. Both of their fighters sat on their launch rails, ready to blast off from the shorter of the carrier's launch decks. Though only capable of launching two fighters at a time from the top deck, it was the safest way of getting a pair of interceptors into action without having to open up the vulnerable bow and flank launch decks. Everything looked so calm, yet at any moment he could be sent the command, and without any input from him he would be back in space. In was a humbling experience, and the novelty had worn off weeks ago.

  She always looks so calm.

  Both their armoured canopies were currently unpolarised and gave a clear view of each other's spacecraft. This could be changed in a fraction of a second, but for now both clearly wanted to see what was going on inside and outside the mighty warship.

  "Not much longer," said Nate.

  The internal audio feed was crystal clear as she replied in her calm tones. Nate smiled as he listened to her voice. She didn't even look at him as she answered, "We can only hope."

  Her clipped accent had returned, but Nate knew her well enough to detect a tiny degree of tension in her tone. That was hardly surprising, given their situation. It was only three days since the bloody battle at the Nozu-Kuba Gas Mines, and they were still on the run, outnumbered and outgunned. The intercom clicked, and Nate closed his eyes, hoping to hear the words that they were ready to leave.

  "Knighthawks...remain on standby," said Commander Higgins, "Keep your systems active and your engines ready to ignite. We're not out of this yet."

  Nate let out a long, slow breath as he waited.

  "Affirmative, Commander. We're ready to launch."

  He looked back to his display and in particular a red piece of text. He read it and then grunted in irritation. It was nothing series, just a reminder to the crew to update the software on the gun system. He tapped a button and deactivated the notifications.

  I can do without knowing that in the middle of a firefight.

  He then turned his attention to the second of the two ships changing its position relative to the damaged ANA Cardigan Bay. This vessel was ANS Blackfish, one of the powerful Liberty Class destroyers. At over twenty tonnes and two hundred metres in length, she was a substantial vessel and capable of a variety of different roles. The design had proven its worth in the Biomech War, and was represented in every single Alliance fleet. The ships were based on a civilian design, but upgraded with reinforced armour and better engines. The ship included an oversized nose and tail section, connected via a thick spine. Slung under this connecting section were three pairs of mission bays, each of which could be outfitted with different weapons and equipment.

  ANS Blackfish was an air-defence variant, and all of the mission bays contained a pair of outwards facing quad gun turrets. These, combined with the fore and aft turrets, gave her a formidable level of automated gunfire. A pair of additional missile tubes fitted in the bow added the ability to launch anti-ship torpedoes, as well as fast-loading air-defence interceptor missiles. She put another boost of power into her engines and then rotated about her length so that she and Relentless could protect both sides of the damaged landing ship.

  The Commander had better be right. Two ships is not a lot if they hit us hard. We need to get out of here.

  Nate shook his head with irritation. This was the second time it had happened, and though he knew it was not the crew's fault, he was starting to wish they could just ditch the large support ship and move on. The fighting over the Byotai planet had left many of the ships damaged, but Cardigan Bay managed to escape unscathed until a suicidal fighter pilot rammed her stern. Now her engines were suffering intermittent problems that put the fleet at risk. As the light flashed to warn of a message from the Commander, Nate nearly felt his chest explode with anticipation.

  "News from Cardigan Bay, the damage is not serious. Her engineers estimate ten to fifteen minutes to rectify the damaged pipes. She cannot leave until the work is done."

  Nate let out the breath he'd been holding and allowed his body to relax. There was always the chance the ship had sustained much worse damage than expected, and that could mean one of only two choices. Either they would have to leave her behind, along with the crew and embarked warriors, or the fleet would have to come back and face the enemy forces once more in battle. Neither was an option he liked the sound of, and both would result in a lot of casualties.

  Minutes are a lot better than hours.

  As soon as his mind began to clear, he knew he was wrong. He should have known better because when the Commander's voice returned the tone was stern and all business like.

  Something has happened.

  "Perimeter drones have acquired approaching vessels. They will be passing our position in seven minutes. Cardigan Bay needs time. Buy me some."

  Nate blinked as his eyes began to dry up, and he looked back at his own instruments. His engines and avionics were all reporting back in the green, and his weapons showed no errors or warnings, despite being locked down in safe mode while aboard the ship. There was little to do, but nothing could stop him from checking the external feeds for any signs of their enemy. The wait was agonising, and as each minute ticked by, he tried to ignore the tension building inside him. It felt as if he'd been trapped inside the cockpit for hours, even though it was only a few seconds shorter than sixteen minutes.

  "Launch, launch, launch!"

  Red numbers ticked down as the grav sled pushed him towards the wall. For a moment it looked like he might crash into the first layer of armoured metal, but just before his fighter made impact, the door slid open. He passed through as a sequence of layered doors did the same. The entire process was barely perceivable, and in a fraction of a second he was out of the protected interior of the ship and in the darkness of space. His engines activated automatically, warming up quickly so as to avoid causing immediate damage to the system.

  "I've got them," said Cassandra.

  Nate look
ed to his left. Cassandra performed a barrel roll to form up alongside him. Her skill with the fighter was impressive, and he could have watched her for hours, as he had done when she was using the Star Crusader combat simulation. This was no longer a game, and the constant beeping coming from the threat indictor focused his mind on his one job. Out here it was the real deal, and death was permanent. The face of Jack popped up briefly, and Nate felt an ache in his stomach and chest.

  "Okay, what have we got?"

  Cassandra responded instantly.

  "Byotai Hawkmoth fighters, four of them, and they are moving on search vector coming this way."

  Nate swallowed twice, making sure his throat didn't dry up. It took a sip from the feed tube at his mouth to finally allow him to calm down. The computer had already projected the route the fighters would take. Based on the heat and electronic emissions of the three ships, it would not be long before they were detected. Even with all systems deactivated, it would take hours for a ship to cool sufficiently to make it hard to spot in the cold void. The only thing in their favour was that the dust rings around the uncharted planet hid the three ships from a cursory scan. Radar had a hard time telling debris, rock, and ships apart when surrounded by yet more dust. As they moved closer, the easier this would be.

  "They are scouting. Look at their last course change. They've already crossed through here before, probably in the last few hours. They are following a classic search pattern, and it won't be long before they've spotted the ships."

  Cassandra sighed.

  "And they are too small to be out here on their own. Let's go."

  The suggestion was unnecessary because Commander Higgins had already given them three waypoints to follow before reaching the target. As they reached cruising speed, they were already five kilometres away and still accelerating. Both craft were capable of higher speed, but to do so required either more time or the use of their burners. They had no surplus time, and the burners would make them easy to pinpoint against the coolness of space.