The computers had already flagged the energy signature and immediately cross-referenced it with similar events over Eos, and more recently at Spascia. As expected, the information closely matched the more recent attack. Captain Perry’s face changed from confusion to outright panic.
“They’re not preparing to fire on us. Look at the position of their primary weapon emitters and gun ports. Over eighty percent of their entire arsenal is pointing ahead."
The tactical officer nodded in agreement with his assessment.
"They are about to launch an attack on Helios Prime.”
Captain Perry scratched at his cheek, a nervous affliction he'd picked up over the years, and a mark of clear frustration. He was too far away, and his angle of attack was wrong to be able to cause damage to that part of the comet. His orders had been to pin down the enemy and ensure they were unable to launch ships unmolested. That was why he'd elected to intercept the target from the rear. There was no reason to see the forward guns as a threat to the planet, safe behind its thick atmosphere.
"I don't understand. The bloom effect and the atmosphere will render the direct energy weapons of this...thing, well, redundant."
He twisted about to face his XO and the tactical officer.
"Uh...well, that's assuming they are using a particle beam type weapon."
"That's true," added Commander James Durham.
The man had only recently transferred from the Admiral Jarvis Naval Station, amidst rumors of a near breakdown following the news of his brother's death. Although potentially a problem, his experience went back nearly a decade, and he'd seen action in more the a dozen minor engagements prior to Helios Prime.
"All the data we have suggests this kind of attack would be completely wasted."
The Captain considered what both of them had said. Commander Durham listened carefully before speaking.
"What about more conventional weapons? Atomics are a possibility."
Lieutenant MacTyler nodded in agreement.
"True, but don't forget the Helions have a sophisticated air-defense system across the entire surface of Helios Prime. Missiles, guns, and even satellite based laser weaponry can burn through and disable that kind of technology before it strikes. The Biomechs will already know this."
Even as they considered their next move, the entire fleet moved ever closer. Not a single fighter had been launched; each lay in wait inside the bowels of the larger warships. Pilots sat in their seats, strapped in, and waiting for the word. Even the heavy Maulers waited in multiple hangars with massive mag-clamps holding them in place.
"We're missing something. We must be."
Captain Perry looked at the imagery of C34 for what must have been the twentieth time. With Object Thunar destroyed, the immediate risk of a devastating bombardment had been averted; that was clear. The rest of Admiral Lewis’ forces were moving back to the planet as fast as their engines would take them, even at the expense of sustaining long-term damage during the high-speed redeployment.
He’d already seen the reports from two ships forced to stay back as the strain on their engines had been too much. There was a temptation for him to order a halt to his own forces, but the Admiral’s orders were clear. He just wanted to know what the enemy's plan was, and more than anything else, why had they not launched their ships?
"Sir, those energy blooms have stabilized but still no sign of attack."
Commander Durham pointed at the current position of the comet, as it reached the end of its long journey to Helios Prime and began its first high orbit around the planet.
"Based upon what had happened at Spascia, we can assume this larger Ark will hold an invasion force of substantial size. We're talking hundreds of thousands of warriors, perhaps even millions. What if they are just getting their weapons ready in case we move to interfere with their operation?"
It was a simple assessment, and Captain Perry could hardly deny his thoughts matched the facts.
"You think they consider us to be so insignificant a threat that they won't even bother trying to keep us away?"
The look on his officer’s face answered his question clearly enough.
What if they're not afraid of us for a reason?
It was his job to stop the attack long enough for the rest of the fleet to arrive. Only with all of their ships combined, could they hope to actually bring some kind of conclusion to the inevitable battle for the control of Helios Prime and the area of space around it. Even so, in the last hour, his motley collection of fifty ships, plus the reinforcements from General Makos, had moved ever closer to the target. The cloud of ice and rock made it hard to move near enough to obtain a detailed scan, but his ships were well prepared and had taken on as much information as possible from the fight with Thunar.
How long can we survive against that thing?
The comet looked barely any smaller than the first images he’d seen when it had been detected. The object was already being drawn in by the strong pull of Helios Prime and moving into an orbit of just over twenty thousand kilometers. It wasn’t the size that really made him nervous, though of course that was of concern to him. Unlike the objects at Spascia, or even Thunar, this one seemed different. It was the largest, and as far as his scanner could tell, the most developed.
“Sir, their gun ports are still active. We’ve detected over three hundred along the dorsal section and multiple emitters and turret systems deploying. They’re readying for combat.”
“What about the landing bays, though? Are they close to launching ships or fighters yet?”
His tactical officer looked back over his shoulder.
“No, Sir, just their weapon system. So far there are no target locks on our ships. We’ve only had a cursory look from them so far. It’s almost as if they don’t see us as a threat.”
So why are they opening their gun ports? What exactly are they aiming at?
His thoughts were interrupted.
“Captain Perry, this is Admiral Lewis. Do what you can. Helios Prime must survive. The Biomechs are moving into position around every inhabited world in this system. We have to make sure they can never obtain a foothold here. I will be there soon. Good luck.”
With that he was gone, and the Captain found himself alone in a CIC filled with officers. All of them had a task to do, but all he could do was give the command to send them into battle. He reached for the intercom, and the mood shifted ever so subtly around him.
“This is Captain Perry. Comet C34 is deploying weapons to strike the surface. All ships execute Attack Plan Alpha. Keep their guns busy and get boots on the ground.”
There was no need to issue anything more specific; the entire opening phase to the battle had already been planned in excruciating detail. Now that the comet was in line of sight, the particle emitters fitted to the larger ships rereleased their powerful particle beams. A hundred explosions ripped through the rear of the massive object but did little to reduce its effectiveness. Even the massed projectile bombardment from the railguns did little more than rip chunks of rock, ice, and metal.
“They are launching, Sir.”
The great hangar doors opened in two-dozen places at once. Each was large enough to release an entire warship. Unlike before, the massive object released fighters. This was not a trickle of craft but hundreds upon hundreds of them. As soon as they were free of the debris field, they accelerated toward the approaching Alliance Fleet. Captain Perry watched with growing unease as his ships were forced to divert some of their fire toward the hundreds of rapidly approaching fighters. He contacted Captain Harper and his image opened up on the nearest screen.
“I want our fighters to move in on the lower structure of the comet. It’s up to them to stop the bombardment. Go in low and hit their missiles with turret fire, understood?”
“Yes, Captain, they’re already on the way.”
The CAG waited no time in sending out the revised orders to the accelerating fighter wings. In just two minutes, the two sides me
t in what may have been the largest fighter action in Alliance history. Every model of fighter in service was involved, and the casualties proved equally horrific. Forty-six fighters were lost in the first minute as the no-man’s-land between C34 and the fleet filled with the ruins of fighters. Behind them moved the Liberty destroyers, who saturated the Biomechs with a continuous cloud of deadly shrapnel.
Just look at them, Captain Perry thought.
The space battle was confused, but it was General Makos and his own wing of black monstrous vessels that caught his eye. Every time they fired, the ships released a relatively low velocity mass of energy that rushed out and vaporized whatever it hit. Each of the alien ships unleashed a massive bombardment of pulsed energy, and for a moment at least, Captain Perry though they might have a chance. Then the larger hangars opened up, revealing a monstrous dry dock filled with scores of defensive turrets.
“Captain, scanners are picking up Biomech capital ships beginning to deploy.”
The tactical officer looked over his left shoulder, his brow tight and nervous.
“It’s beginning, Sir. Scanners detect a Cephalon deploying and powering up weapons.”
Yes, and the rest will surely follow.
The man’s face tightened as he watched new data coming in.
“Oh, no, I was wrong. It’s not missiles.”
Both of them looked at the screen giving a massive overview of the fast comet based Ark. It looked like some hellish black monstrosity, surrounded by razor sharp chunks of debris as big as a space station. Fighters swarmed about it like fleas while it opened up scores of channels that ran deep inside the surface.
“What are those things?”
The tactical officer wiped his brow and shook his head just as the first volley began. From where they watched, it was like an Earth ship from the ancient past firing a broadside of cannons. From each of the deep shafts rushed out a solid lump of material harvested from the heart of the comet. They slammed downwards into the atmosphere with a powerful crash. Long streaks of gunfire from the circling fighters did their best to intercept them, but the massive objects easily shrugged off the fire as they dropped down.
“Sir, those are chunks of the core, each one between fifty and a hundred meters. They must be using mass drivers.”
One after one they crashed into the upper atmosphere, with many breaking apart while the fragments fell down leaving great trails behind them.
“Sir, if any of those fragments make it through, they will be able to destroy a small city.”
Captain Perry was already in direct contact with both Admiral Lewis and General Daniels. They all watched as over a hundred objects were thrown down into the atmosphere with tremendous force.
“Captain, do what you can against that Ark. I’m coming as fast as I can.”
The video footage of General Daniels was completely different, however. At first the imagery was clear, but then the interference and distortion began to make it almost unwatchable.
“Sir, I’m reading massive impacts in the one-hundred megatons yield. It’s playing merry hell with our comms.”
“Captain, I’ll be there within the hour. Can you stop this bombardment?”
He looked to imagery coming from the CIC of ANS Conqueror. It was from inside the CIC of the flagship, and it was clear they had been in a tough battle. Half of the lights were out of action, and multiple computer systems were offline.
“I have fighters and escorts moving below the Ark. My boarding parties will arrive in…seven minutes.”
“Good, good.”
Captain Perry checked the status of his advancing squadrons before moving the tactical display to show the position previously occupied by Thunar.
“Is it true, ANS Endurance is gone?”
Admiral Lewis nodded glumly.
“Yes, but their system took a large part of the target with them. Their failure is our benefit; the remaining segments of Thunar being dealt with by the ships unable to keep up. That means another of these mobile Arks is offline and unable to perform a massed bombardment of Helios Prime.”
“So Helios Prime is safe from Thunar?”
“Safe enough. My science team tells me that nothing should hit Helios Prime that is larger than an Alliance landing craft. Any that make it through should break up once they hit the atmosphere. The Helion defense systems can deal with the rest. It’s nothing compared to the close range bombardment from C34.”
“My boys are on it. At least you’ve eliminated the terminal threat.”
“Yes, but at a heavy cost. My fleet has been mauled, and we still have the primary threat to deal with. Your ships are almost in range. It is imperative that you stop the enemy from deploying their ground forces. You don’t need to beat them, Captain, just pin them down until I can arrive. Exchange ships for time until I can reach you.”
“Understood, Sir.”
“Good, as soon as they emerge from behind Helios Prime, I will be able to provide you with a particle beam corridor. Make sure you keep everything out from the attack vector we’ll be using.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
The image flickered and then vanished. Captain Perry looked to Captain Harper, the ship’s CAG who had brought up two displays showing the precise deployment of the fighter wings on the mainscreen. The craft were well out in front of the fleet, and as with Thunar, they were mainly formed up around the heavy Maulers. The capital ships followed their pre-selected paths to engage the comet while keeping clear corridors for boarding parties to land.
“All wings report as ready, Sir.”
“Good.”
Both of them noticed something changing in the middle of the screen. At first nobody seemed sure what it was until the computer identified several moving parts of the target structure.
“It’s opening up, Sir. We have clear access into the superstructure. They are releasing Ravager and Biomanta assault vessels. I think this is the beginning of their assault.”
Captain Perry needed no further encouragement. He tapped the general transmission button to all vessels under his temporary command.
“All vessels, engage the enemy!”
He then indicated to his XO.
“I need to see what’s going on at the surface.”
There was something about the man’s face that stopped him in his tracks. He looked back to the mainscreen and the continually changing shape of the vast comet. In the last minute, a number of large petal type shapes had extended outwards, and the structure seemed even larger than before. With each passing moment, another gantry, tower, or wing deployed to change its shape into something more resembling a super-sized starship. It was unlike anything either of them had seen before.
“Incoming fire!” shouted the tactical officer.
At first there was nothing to see, but the mainscreen attached the direct energy overlay to show the path of the beam. As with the weapon system on the station at Spascia, this one linked its fire together to unleash a single stream that struck the nearest Crusader class ship. It cut the ship in half and then moved directly to the next vessel.
“Evasive action!” roared the XO.
The mighty battle Conqueror class Battlecruiser groaned as it twisted about on its axis. More fire hit the layered armor, but as the ship moved, it pulled the damaged section out of the way and put in the untouched underside of the ship in the way. Two Biomanta ships moved past the stern and raked the Alliance ship with cannon fire. At the same time, ANS Royal Oak hit back with her stern chasers, an ancient concept, but one that meant four heavy railgun batteries had been retained for such occasions.
“More targets, they are deploying en masse, Sir.”
Additional objects appeared on the tactical display. Each one was flagged with a red diamond as soon as the computer system identified the model of vessel. Dozens and dozens of cruiser class ships appeared, but as before, it was the hundreds of fighters that the computer system found almost impossible to monitor.
“Sir, we�
��re now counting three hundred plus fighters, and more are launching. Our fighter cover is on its limits. We need to move the capital ships closer to support them.”
“Or fall back,” he said quietly.
We need marines on that station and fast.
“How long till the Maulers get there?”
“Not long,” replied Commander Durham.
“Get us closer. We need that station occupied to give our people time.”
“Sir, we’re losing ships every minute. The firepower from their Ark is too much. By my calculations, we’ll lose the fleet in less than an hour.”
As if to emphasis the tactical officer’s comments, the ship sustained a dozen heavy impacts from the aft gun mounts on the station. A final impact struck much harder and ripped through multiple decks. Red indicators marked a number of key systems that were now offline from the damage.
“What the hell was that?” Captain Perry demanded.
“Their capital ships. They have more warships moving out. It looks like we’re a threat after all. It’s worse than that though, Sir. Look!”
The tactical officer altered the view to the tail fragments moving near the comet. From a distance, it looked like nothing more than debris, but on closer examination there were multiple ships attached to the rock itself.
“I’m detecting at least six cruiser class vessels on that segment alone.”
“How many more are there?”
“That’s the problem, Sir. There are over six hundred fragments, all of them held into place around the station, and many of them are sheltering ships.”
Six hundred? This is impossible!
“Very well. Keep the guns firing; we’ll buy Admiral Lewis the time he needs.”
Another volley slammed into his ship, and the damage alerts showed that three decks had been penetrated. Captain Perry knew he could put up a good fight, but the numbers in front of him had just confirmed a simple truth.
I don’t have enough ships to protect Helios Prime.
Even that wasn’t the revelation that hurt the most. It was that the battered ships of Admiral Lewis would make little more than a dent when they arrived. He looked at the monstrous Ark warship in front on them. It was like looking at some ever-changing monster, one he seriously doubted they could affect.
Star Crusades Nexus: The Third Trilogy Page 23
