by Wayne Basta
Her biggest problem was what to do next. Was the Confederacy ramping up for a full-out war or had this attack been an isolated incident? She had received intel that the Camari Republic was making noise near the Alliance’s border. That had delayed reinforcements being sent already. If the Confederacy did the same, she would be stuck with the ships she currently had.
The rebels were weak but not impotent. Every time she had engaged them with small forces, they had come out ahead. She was determined not to make that mistake again, and that meant deciding where to focus her remaining ships.
Taking the fleet to Irod and wiping out the rebel leadership would be an effective blow. However, the task force sent to Irod had somehow been completely wiped out. That left her with no information on the strength of the rebel defenses on their capital world.
Mirthod and Dantyne were too small to be worth focusing on. Enro had already been pacified by the MEF. That left Sulas, Kol, and Cardine. So far, Cardine had stayed out of the main fighting. The local garrison commander reported tough resistance but still remained confident he could hold out and repulse the rebels. Bringing the fleet there might flip the balance.
On the other hand, taking out the rebel shipyard on Kol would be a good strategic move. Her last report still had the FX-21 guarding the planet. She felt confident her combined force would be more than a match for even that ship, but would it be worth the cost? If the rest of the planet’s defenses had been upgraded or the rest of the rebel fleet arrived, that one ship might be enough to flip the fight the rebels’ way.
In the end, it all came down to Sulas. That world had been the spark for the rebellion, and it still held most of their army. She had been forced to leave the planet unprotected for a period, but it was time to go back. As long as she kept control of Sulas and Ailleroc, the rebels would eventually fail.
“Commodore,” Katerina said after calling her aide into her office, “have task force and squadron commanders identify which ships are not combat ready. Those vessels will remain at the shipyards here and continue repairs. The rest of the fleet will be departing tomorrow morning at 0700.”
Dolan nodded. “Aye, Admiral. Some reports have already come in. Would you like to see them now?”
Katerina shook her head. “No, wait until we get them all and then assemble a complete fleet-readiness report for me. I need to know how much force we’ll be able to bring against the rebels.”
Dismissing Dolan, Katerina decided that now was the time for another meeting with her prisoners. Unlike before, she had ensured that Maarkean had had no contact with Lahkaba. She suspected that his former cellmate had helped strengthen his resolve. That had been part of the reason she had agreed to Lahkaba’s request to let him go. She could have just moved him to another cell, but the Ronid had had no useful information. His release had been well worth the intel on the Dotran attack.
First, she went to speak with Lahkaba. Sitting in his cell, he looked up at her when she entered. He looked impatient and nervous but said, “I take it from the sounds of battle a few days ago that you found the Dotran?”
She nodded. “We did. They put up a tough fight, but their fleet is no more.”
There was no harm in exaggerating the casualties to the enemy. Keeping her reputation as an undefeated opponent would only help in the continuing fight with the rebels. She continued, “Now, since your word has been proven good, I’m willing to reopen negotiations for the release of General Ocaitchi.”
Lahkaba looked shocked for a moment, or so she thought—it was hard to tell with all that fur. He said after a second, “Very good. We have many other prisoners we’d be willing to exchange, including several ship commanders.”
Katerina shook her head. “A major general is a very valuable prisoner. Especially when he’s also the head of your military. You will release all prisoners captured over Irod.”
Lahkaba frowned at her demand.
She knew it was a horribly unbalanced suggestion, but whether or not he considered it would tell her how valuable Maarkean was to the rebels, and if she got more of her troops released as a consequence, it would be a major victory.
For a long moment, the Kowwok said nothing. He finally shook his head. “I can agree to releasing the officers.”
Katerina had to force herself not to smile or chuckle. He was, indeed, a shrewd negotiator. Releasing all the officers appeared to be a magnanimous concession on his part. However, the enlisted personnel and NCOs were far more valuable, especially with Katerina’s manpower shortage.
But it would do, she decided. “Agreed.”
“I’ll need to be released so that I can make arrangements with my people,” Lahkaba said.
“Very well. Once we return to Sulas, you will be released and given clearance to depart the planet,” Katerina said. “We’ll do the exchange in deep space using transport ships.”
After Lahkaba consented, Katerina left and went to one of the ship’s other brigs. Now, she had to see if her plan would work. In one move, she might end the war.
In contrast to Lahkaba, Maarkean sat in his cell with a look of defeat. His shoulders were slumped, and it took him several minutes to notice her presence. When he finally looked up, his violet eyes looked through her, unfocused. He said nothing.
“I thought you would like to know that we managed to drive the Dotran off, though just barely,” Katerina said, twisting her story far too close to the truth for her liking.
He nodded slowly, and she continued, “But I have no doubt they’ll be back. I need to end this pointless fighting among our own people so that we’re ready to face them again. Are you willing to help me?”
She had tried to lace just a hint of pleading into her voice—a tone she was not used to using—because she knew he needed to feel a sense of urgency to help. That would be critical.
“How can I help?” Maarkean asked.
“You’re the leader of those fighting. You can convince them to stand down. Together, let’s end the bloodshed and then work together to defend all our homes from the Dotran,” Katerina said.
“What about the Union?” Maarkean asked.
“The Union betrayed you and the people of this sector to the Dotran. They’re the real traitors. People like you, who stood up and fought for justice, are still loyal Alliance citizens at heart. Convince them of this truth, and we can put aside the past. Their actions will be forgiven, and we can begin to repair the damage done, both from the fighting and by the Alliance governors who abused their power and started this mess,” Katerina said, throwing Maarkean a few concessions.
He sat there for several minutes, and she thought he had drifted off. Then a sense of energy suddenly returned to him as he said, “So, if I convince the Union to end the fighting, you’ll address our grievances?”
Katerina shook her head slightly. “Not the Union, but the loyal Alliance citizens. Those who still ally themselves with this Union must be brought to justice, but I suspect that’s a small segment of corrupt leaders. Convince the people to stand down, and let’s face the Dotran threat together, as Alliance citizens should.”
Maarkean considered this for another long moment. He no longer looked dejected and defeated but appeared to have been filled with a new energy. Finally, he said, “OK. Let’s end this war.”
Chapter Thirty
When the fleet exited hyperspace, Saracasi felt like her heart skipped a beat. Her worst nightmare had come true. Even though their recon mission a week ago had identified Sulas as clear of Alliance defenders, arrayed before them, blocking her access to the planet, was the combined might of the Alliance fleet.
As sensor telemetry continued to pour in, however, she felt indecision. The Alliance had far fewer ships than she had originally estimated. That meant one of three things: the rest of the fleet was waiting as a trap for her, the other ships were elsewhere in the sector, or the Dotran fleet had engaged them and dealt a serious blow.
While the Alliance still had more ships and more firepower than th
e Union, they had never been closer in strength than they were right now. She now had three captured Alliance frigates, and while only one of those was technically in fighting shape, at this range, Alliance sensors wouldn’t be able to tell that. Had she been able to get the cruiser up and running, it would have looked like a formidable force.
“Commodore?” Jerik whispered beside her, reminding Saracasi that everyone was waiting for her orders.
She nodded and then activated the fleet comm. “All ships, prepare for combat. Launch only alert fighters, stand by on full wings. Hold our current position relative to the Alliance fleet.”
That would give her more time to decide. They were far enough away from Sulas that the gravity well would not prevent entry into hyperspace. Assuming that the Alliance didn’t advance and that an assault force didn’t appear out of hyperspace to pin her in, she had time to consider options.
“Chief,” Saracasi said to Tadashio at Ops, “what can you tell me about the situation on Sulas?”
Tadashio answered through her earpiece, “There are active shields up around many cities and bases. The one in Chuthor is currently being bombarded by ground vehicles. A heavy jamming field is in effect over that area.”
“Any way to tell whether our people are the ones shooting the shield or the ones inside?” she asked.
“No, ma’am. The ground forces are not being fired upon by the orbiting Alliance ships, however, and they do have shields of their own in place,” Tadashio answered.
“Thank you, Chief. Let me know if anything changes planet-side,” Saracasi said and then switched her comm channel over to a direct link to the Black Market. “Fleet Actual requesting to speak to Black Market Actual.”
After a second, she heard, “Black Market Actual, go ahead, Commodore.”
“Dav, there’s a jamming field over an area on the surface currently in the midst of a battle. You think the comm array on that carrier is powerful enough to punch through?” she asked.
“Possibly,” Davidus replied. “We can probably get a message through, but we won’t be able to get a reply back unless they have an equally powerful array, which I doubt.”
“OK, give it a try,” Saracasi said. “Tell them we’re here, and ask for any info on General Dustlighter’s status.”
Davidus agreed, and Saracasi sat back to wait. If Zeric had control of even a single ground defense battery, the tide could be turned against the Alliance. Shields were up all over the planet. All signs suggested that that had occurred before her fleet had even arrived. Whatever was going on down below, it was major.
“Size and strength of the enemy force?” Katerina asked.
“Nineteen ships,” Dolan replied. “Five armed transports, eight cutters, one escort carrier, one corvette, three frigates, and one battle carrier. They’re deploying fighters now.”
Katerina frowned. Where did the rebels get a battle carrier? she wondered. Maybe the rumors about this Black Market were true. Regardless of where it came from, its presence would be problematic.
She faced a difficult choice. Under normal circumstances, she would engage the rebel fleet without question, but she had left many ships at Ailleroc for repairs and the rebels had a stronger-than-expected force, so she was not guaranteed overwhelming force.
Withdrawing the fleet from their present orbit above the ground battle would force the rebels within range of ground batteries if they engaged her, but it would also give the rebels a free line of attack against her ground forces. That would be unacceptable.
“Launch all fighters,” Katerina ordered. “Tell ground bases to deploy their space-capable units to join us here.”
Studying the map, Katerina considered her battle plan. The rebels were stronger than she had anticipated. Defeating them would be costly, but it could be done. Her main goal had to be protecting her forces on the ground until they retook the base.
“Spread the fleet out in a wide dome above the Chuthor base,” Katerina began. “Place our heavy ships on the furthest exterior, over the gap between where the Chuthor guns and other ground batteries converge. Arrange our fighters and corvettes in the center of the dome. We need to keep any fighters from getting to the surface. Signal our ground-based fighters to converge on Chuthor.”
Dolan nodded. “Aye, Admiral. You think the rebels will fall for it?”
Katerina smiled. “I don’t think they’ll have a choice.”
“Attention, General Dustlighter. This is Commander Brieni aboard the Union warship, Black Market. Our fleet has arrived in orbit of Sulas and has encountered a sizable Alliance fleet. Commodore Ocaitchi has requested a status update from your forces and details of how we can assist.”
Zeric listened to the message a second time, having not believed it the first time. When the Alliance fleet had appeared in orbit, he had thought all hope was lost. Their shield was already weakening, and if the fleet joined the bombardment, it wouldn’t last long. If Saracasi and her ships were a threat to them, though, that might give him some time.
“Ymp, any luck breaking through this jamming to get a reply out?” Zeric asked, already knowing the response.
Ymp waved her eyestalks in a negative gesture. “There’s no way. The array just isn’t powerful enough. They know exactly what strength and what frequency of ranges we’re vulnerable to.”
“Of course—it’s their base,” Zeric said, trying to add a sly grin to his words but failing. He paced the small control room for a few seconds. They had repaired some of the base’s guns and started firing on the closest Alliance forces, but the artillery pieces were out of range of their current weapons. None of that would help him contact Saracasi. “How’s work on the planetary defense battery?” Zeric asked.
“One set of guns is now functional, but unlike the local defense guns, they aren’t independently powered. They draw power from the main reactor, just like the shield,” Ymp said. “If we fire the guns, we’ll lose shield containment sooner.”
Zeric thought for a moment and then asked, “If we reduce the size of the shield’s coverage, can we account for that difference? Fire the gun and still maintain a strong shield?”
Ymp shrugged her eyestalks and turned to the man working the control board. After a moment’s thought, he said, “It’s possible. Though that would give the Alliance an opening.”
“Can you keep it small enough that they can’t get anything big inside?” Zeric asked enthusiastically.
He nodded. “People and some vehicles, but not the big artillery cannons.”
Zeric smiled. “All right, Major, prepare your forces to defend the base.”
Ymp gave him a determined nod and left the room.
Zeric moved to stand behind the gun battery controls. “OK, Sergeant, let’s tell Commodore Ocaitchi where we are.”
The sudden barrage of fire from the surface of Sulas took Solyss by surprise. When the barrage impacted the shields of an Alliance corvette, it turned into a very pleasant surprise.
He heard Saracasi’s voice over the fleet-wide comm. “Launch all fighters. I say again, launch all fighters. All ships, maintain position over the Chuthor planetary battery—we have friendlies in control of those guns. We’re moving in to assist. Gunships, Gallant, and fighter squadrons, clear a path through the Alliance fleet for the bombers. Bomber squadrons, designate targets among the Alliance forces laying siege to the base.”
“Helm, engage engines. Take us to the vanguard of the fleet,” Solyss started ordering. “Sax, launch your fighters—we’ll provide cover.”
Gallant began advancing toward Sulas. Sporadic fire started passing through the empty space between them, but at this distance, hits were few and far between. That wouldn’t last much longer.
Solyss held Gallant’s fire while they advanced. No Alliance ship in this sector had yet gotten a look at her upgrades, so from their perspective, she was still just a regular corvette.
“Sir,” Lieutenant Tess said quietly.
He looked at his XO, who had a pointed e
xpression on her face, but she said no more.
Behind him, Asheerah chuckled. “You were drumming your fingers on the controls, old man. It was getting distracting.”
Looking down at his hands, Solyss realized what he had been doing. He hadn’t even noticed. This coming battle wouldn’t be like anything he had ever experienced. He must be more nervous than he thought.
He nodded an apology to Tess and frowned at Asheerah. Her marines were positioned around the ship in case they were boarded. Since that was a very remote possibility, she had taken a position standing behind him on the bridge. He wasn’t sure why.
“Helm,” Solyss said after turning his focus back to the battle, “alter course and bring us within range of targets designated CR-1 and CR-2.”
Two Alliance corvettes had positioned themselves directly between the wave of Union fighters and the planet. They would provide a blistering swath of fire to the craft. Behind them lay the bulk of the Alliance fighter groups. After the devastating barrage from the corvettes, their fighters would then have to engage the Alliance fighters, and it might very well turn into a bloodbath.
As they moved closer, the two corvettes ignored him, firing their weapons toward the fighters behind Gallant. Corvettes weren’t designed to fight other corvettes. Still holding his fire, Solyss smiled at the irony.
When they reached the optimal firing range, he said, his voice as confident as he could manage, “All batteries, fire.”
Heavy blaster bolts started lancing out from Gallant at the two corvettes. From their position between the two Alliance ships, Solyss was able to bring two heavy batteries against each ship, while each only could manage one against him. In balance, it was equal fire, but the attacks that lanced back at Gallant hit separate shield facings—a significant advantage in keeping them up.
As Gallant engaged the corvettes, the fighters behind her accelerated and moved past the fighting capital ships. The two corvettes still lashed out at them but were limited in how they could direct their weapons without giving Gallant an opening. Far more fighters got through than were destroyed or forced back.
