Following the success of the trap, the allied forces had waited for the shockwaves and effects to settle and dissipate before a small fleet had jumped into the area and deployed the Knights to investigate thoroughly. The other vessels held back, only a few minutes away from the affected area by jump, ready to move in should there be trouble. Cloaked, the Knights had been ordered to systematically sweep as many vessels as they could, checking for signs of life and to ascertain the results of the operation more closely. So far, no life had been found, the levels of destruction off the chart. From far away, the wreckage had looked almost impossible to navigate. As he had approached, however, Dodds had discovered that it wasn’t nearly as dense as he had once believed. Still, even the remains of some of the orbital rings hadn’t produced this much.
He kept silent as he moved from ship to ship, examining them up close and extending his radar range to scan for vital signs. The team had agreed to do so as they investigated, in case there should be some craft still active. They would have a tough time fighting against an ATAF in a crippled state, though Estelle had decided not to take any chances. Broadcasts were short and to the point, only being made to let one another know what they had found, how their task was progressing and where they were.
“Sector clear,” said Kelly. “Moving to next.”
“Any sign of Dragon?” Estelle said.
“Negative,” was the general response to the question.
No, that was something that had bothered the allied forces. Of all the vessels that had jumped into Temper, Dragon hadn’t apparently been one of them. Either that, or it had managed to evade destruction. However, none of the video feeds that had tracked the entrance of the Pandoran fleet had shown Dragon emerging from any jump points. The Enemy had probably decided to hold it back. It was, after all, their most powerful weapon. That would mean that the allies would still have to find and tackle it.
The thought did nothing to dent Dodds’ high spirits. If Dragon was one of the few vessels remaining in the Pandoran’s hands, he didn’t foresee the allies having too many problems overcoming it. Sheer strength of numbers would prevail in such a battle. He ploughed on.
Every now and again, he would see bodies. Mostly parts, hardly ever whole. A few were still in what remained of the vessels they had once occupied, likely having succumbed to exposure and the vacuum. Others had been torn apart, hands, arms, legs, and heads floating about. He was used to seeing the occasional limb both during and following a conflict, the result of a starfighter pilot who had attempted to eject before their craft was destroyed, but not quite making it. Bodies were mostly vaporised during such occurrences, though not always.
Soon enough, the other Knights reported in that their sweeps were concluded. No active vessels had been found, everything had been destroyed.
“Griffin, this is de Winter,” Estelle started. “We’ve concluded our sweep. No hostile vessels detected.”
“Excellent work, de Winter,” Parks responded several minutes later. “How many entirely-whole vessels did you find?”
“None. I would estimate that the most complete vessel we found was around seventy-five percent whole. It was inactive and its crew have been spaced.”
“Any sign of Dragon?”
“Unfortunately not. None of us have spotted it during our rounds. I’m leaning towards believing that it never entered the system in the first place.”
“What about Zackaria or Rissard? Are their remains anywhere to be seen? I know it’s a long shot, but it would be good if we were able to determine whether or not they are still alive.”
“Negative. There are barely any whole bodies around. It could prove almost impossible to determine their fate without performing DNA sampling on all the remains.”
“And if anyone does happen to find Rissard’s body, I’m calling dibs,” Enrique’s voice came. “I’ve got a couple of things I need to share with him.”
Dodds was pretty sure Enrique meant his fists. He was also pretty sure that Enrique wouldn’t actually desecrate the man’s corpse, though. Both Estelle and Parks ignored the man.
“Fine. Hold position,” Parks said, before conferring with a number of other allied command. “Thanks for your work, de Winter. Please transmit your collective sweep data and then initiate clean-up. No missiles, rockets or other consumable munitions. Just cannons. We’re moving in to join you, and sending the Iron Wolves to assist. They should arrive before we do.”
Dodds gazed over the wreckage once again. There was one hell of a lot. The clean-up would take hours on their own, even with the ATAFs’ capabilities and judicious use of the plasma accelerators. The twenty-four-strong mixed-class Iron Wolves and the eventual arrival of Griffin, with its starfighter complement and tremendous firepower, would help matters a great deal.
“Okay everyone, disengage cloaks and get to work,” Estelle said.
“Can we end radio silence?” Dodds said.
“Yes,” Estelle said. “Speak freely.”
Around him, Dodds glimpsed veils of cloaks slipping away, the ATAFs’ engines and forms becoming visible, the pilots increasing their speeds. He went about the clean-up task, starting with the closest vessels to him, the mixed remains of starfighters. He targeted one that looked as though it could be stripped for parts or even repaired, and opened fire. It took only seconds to destroy it completely, even shielded targets having a tough time coping against the torrent of plasma fire that the ATAF’s weaponry was able to deliver. With the job done, he turned to another ship, blowing that apart, too.
He repeated the technique across the sectors he had previously been assigned to scout, easily taking down small craft with a few shots and only needing a small concentration of plasma fire on larger ones. Coming to the remains of some warships, he would declare his intentions to use an accelerator charge against it and ensure none of his wingmates were close by, before commencing to chunk the vessel into pieces.
Dodds still hadn’t seen Dragon, and nor had the rest of the team. If it had been here, somehow being missed by the video feeds tracking the Pandorans’ arrival to the Temper system, then it would’ve been clearly visible. Even if it had been ripped into several pieces, he was sure that remnants of the forty-five hundred kilometre vessel would still be readily identifiable. Admiral Zackaria must’ve held it back from advancing so soon. Dodds considered for a fleeting moment if the man might have anticipated a trap, before pushing it aside. The scene all around him suggested otherwise. The Pandorans had met their match. They had lost.
Coming up to part of another large vessel, he once again commenced his wind-up procedure for his accelerator. This ship bore the hallmarks of having been a carrier. He then saw part of the identifier as he started to chunk it – INF Kraken. Ah, one of the more well-known INF carriers. A Cobra-B, it was considered one of Griffin’s direct rivals. He grinned, finished up and headed off.
The brief that he and his wingmates had received had instructed them to scout the graveyard and then begin destroying any vessel that hadn’t been completely obliterated or appeared salvageable. Questions had been raised during the brief as to whether or not some of the craft could be utilized by the allied forces, to aid in the inevitable rebuilding of the galaxy. There was much here that could come in useful. The questions were turned away, the decision having been made that the galaxy should be cleansed of anything that the Pandoran forces had come in to contact with. Including the soldiers themselves. No one knew whether or not those nanites could hibernate or moving into some kind of suspended animation, lying dormant until some unfortunate came into contact with them and kicked off the entire, terrible process all over again. It wasn’t worth risking.
Dodds banked, bringing himself into line with a clutter of near-whole black-clad bodies that he had spotted earlier. He aligned himself with one and squeezed the trigger, seeing it burst in front of him as the plasma struck home. It wasn’t the first time he had ever witnessed such a thing, having gunned down many of the infected Imperials during
planet-side combat. Out here though, in the vacuum of space, the effect was far different, blood balling together, organs tumbling off. It was a little unpleasant to observe, but Dodds reminded himself of how necessary it was.
Just over a couple of hours later, the Knights were joined by the Iron Wolves. Dodds was grateful for the assistance. The job was taking far longer than he had originally anticipated, and it was several more hours before Estelle was satisfied that they had dealt with the majority of the remains. Their part done, the group made their way back to Griffin, leaving the secondary sweep to a UNF delegation to handle.
*
“Congratulations on a job well done,” Tracy Storm said to the group of men and women stood in Griffin’s bar. “You did a first rate job out there and senior command are extremely proud of all of you.”
The backslapping praise was met by cheers and a round of applause.
“Since you guys have been out working and reporting your findings, CSN HQ are satisfied that it’s right to now press on with the second phase of the operation,” Storm continued.
“Immediately?” someone asked.
“No, not immediately,” Storm chuckled. “We’re going to spend the next forty-eight hours organising the main strike force, before we jump to Imperial space. The main goal of this phase, as you know, is to track down the stragglers, as well as any reinforcements that held back from the initial jump, and eliminate them.”
“Why not move in right now?” Tamara Wolfenden, wing leader of the Iron Wolves, said. “Hit ‘em while they’re still trying to pick themselves up.”
“Yeah, it’s cruel to leave the poor hapless bastards limping around out there like that,” another of her squadron added, with a somewhat sadistic chuckle.
“I’m sure ready,” yet another said. “I’d happily bash their skulls in with my bare hands.”
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, Captain,” Storm said, grinning and waving them down, “but Admiral Jenkins wants some time to ensure everything is in place. We don’t doubt that the Enemy will have held some of their numbers back to defend Imperial space, as well as their own reserves and contingency forces. Admirals Jenkins and Lynch, as well as Commodore Parks, are finalizing the tactical plans before we go in. And then, boys and girls,” Storm beamed, “we win!”
More cheers and applause. Dodds was smiling along with everyone else. After four years, the war was finally coming to an end.
“What’ll we do for the next forty-eight hours?” Estelle asked. She sounded as keen as everyone else to get it all over and done with.
“Well, de Winter, senior command figured that after everything we’ve been through and everything that’s happened today, we were all deserving of a little reward …”
Dodds noticed that Storm was eyeing something behind him, and he followed the man’s gaze to see several people approaching, carrying a few boxy containers between them. They looked like coolers. So engrossed had he been in what was happening in the bar that he hadn’t heard the lift doors open.
“Is that beer?” someone asked, sounding almost as though they were salivating at the prospect. Dodds could well appreciate how they felt.
“It is indeed,” Storm smiled, prising the top off one of the containers and displaying the contents to the gathering. “Nice cold, ice cold beer.”
Packed amongst and on top of ice cubes were many bottles of beer and cider, as well as a number of soft drinks. Dodds saw a number of different brands of lager, including two of his favourites. A rare sight this was, and a wonderful treat to round off the day.
“Grab a bottle, people,” the rear admiral said, scooping up a bottle for himself and twisting the cap off, “we’ve earned it.”
The group moved in fast, hands thrusting into the coolers and extracting the bottles, ice cube crunching as they were pushed aside. Caps were twisted off and tossed back into the container, people raising the bottles to their lips.
“Hold on, hold on, hold on!” Estelle suddenly called, catching everyone’s attention. Curious looks followed as she indicated for people not to drink just yet. Storm gave her a somewhat questioning look, wondering why she would interrupt this moment. She then raised her bottle in the air, and it became clear that she wished to make a toast. “To absent friends,” she said.
“To absent friends,” echoed the assembled group, somewhat soberly and after a brief moment of silence.
“And to victory,” Estelle then added, more enthusiastically.
That got a better response. “To victory!” chorused the room, everyone taking a good pull on their bottles. Dodds stole another glance at the containers, seeing several more bottles still present, one or perhaps two more for everyone by his count. Clearly senior command wanted them to celebrate their success, but didn’t want people to get carried away. They still had a job to do.
“We’ve got some canapés coming up, too,” Storm added. “Cocktail sausages, crackers, cheese, salmon … that sort of thing.”
“Fantastic,” Enrique said, “I’m starving.”
“Would’ve been nice to get some proper food,” one of the Iron Wolves muttered. It seemed to reach Storm’s ears, and the pilot looked suddenly quite apprehensive and regretful that he might have deeply offended the admiral.
“Well, actually,” Storm grinned, “it was going to remain another little surprise, but since you’re all dying of hunger up here, I’ll let you know that command will also be sending up thirty fillet steaks, with all the trimmings!”
More cheering. Dodds saw the surprise and appreciation on his wingmates’ faces, Chaz’s still the rarest of them.
“Nice!” Enrique said. “Too bad it ain’t curry, though.”
Dodds put an arm around his shoulder. “Mate, when this is all over I’ll take you to this excellent little Indian restaurant I know, just down from where my parents live.”
“Would this be that place that you never seem to shut up about whenever we have curry?”
“Aye,” Dodds grinned, admitting he did talk about it a lot. “That place. You won’t be disappointed.”
“Oh, I want to come and try this legendary eating experience for myself,” Kelly said. “You used to always talk about it, but we never went.”
“We’ll all go,” Dodds said.
“All of us?” Tamara Wolfenden asked with a grin.
“Sure, Wolfie, why not?” Dodds shrugged.
“You paying?”
Dodds thought about it. “Okay.”
The canapés appeared just as Dodds finished his first bottle of beer. It had gone down quite quickly, as the first one always did. Those bearing the trays of food set them down at tables for people to help themselves. The pilots did so, though, like Dodds himself, most only ate small helpings, clearly saving room for the highly anticipated steaks that were yet to come. They didn’t keep the pilots waiting much longer, the cheerful group setting themselves down at tables and tucking in heartily.
The topics of conversation were incredibly upbeat for a change, all the pilots discussing the victory and their plans for the future. And whenever the conversation did take a turn towards the losses and failures, a positive spin was always somewhere to be found.
“… and Phoenix will be receiving her maiden voyage in a few days time, too,” Storm then said.
“Phoenix?” those gathered around the table gaped.
“I’m sorry,” Storm said, putting down his knife and fork, and wiping his mouth with a napkin, “but I couldn’t hold the news in any longer. You will all be hearing about it tomorrow, anyway,” he added.
“Have you been aboard?” Estelle wanted to know.
“I’ve explored every inch of her,” Storm said. “Everything is modern, up-to-date, and of the highest standard. The hangar is the most efficient and accommodating I have seen since Dragon, and the quarters and messdeck are a step up from what we have here. But the jewel in the crown is the bridge. It’s simply stunning. Fully redesigned, much more compact and with everything just where you need
it. It’s difficult to describe unless you’re a starship captain, but believe you me, I wouldn’t have it any other way. She is, in short, magnificent.”
Dodds couldn’t help but share a grin with some others at the table. Storm sounded like a proud father.
“Will you be undertaking captaincy?” Tamara asked of Storm.
The rear admiral didn’t reply. His expression said it all.
“Hurrah!” came the resounding cheer at the table.
“Is there any call for pilots and crew?” one of the Iron Wolves enquired. “I’d be more than happy to transfer over to her, if only for the single deployment.” There were nods and murmurs of agreement from many others.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Storm said.
The room brightened more, if that were possible, glasses being raised in toast, and the air filling with excited questions, directed at Storm, soliciting further information on Phoenix. Dodds was reminded of the Knights’ triumphant return to Spirit, following Operation Menelaus, and of the praise that had been piled upon them after disembarking from Griffin. Though they weren’t the centre of attention today, he saw that Estelle was still smiling widely. She turned to him and the smile became a little more mischievous. He recognised that look, and decided that after the drinks and food were concluded he’d see where it was leading. He made a note not to eat too much. Or drink. He offered his second beer to someone else, and picked up a bottle of orange juice instead.
*
“What are you grinning for?” Estelle said, raising her head slightly off Dodds’ chest.
Dodds grinned harder, despite himself. “Well, I just realised it’s been a great day, hasn’t it? We’ve assured victory in the war, earned ourselves a few beers, got fed an absolutely great steak dinner …” And it had been very, very good steak! “… and finally, I ended up in bed with you.”
Estelle giggled, patted him gently on the arm and lowered her head once more. Dodds held her for a while, as the two lay contentedly together.
The Battle for the Solar System (Complete Trilogy) Page 110
