The missiles would hit the enemy weapons in three waves, their effectiveness assessed, and more missiles launched. The battle cruisers really wouldn’t be able to add to the second wave after the assessment, so they went ahead and launched again, adding another wave of missiles to their first. It was thought that would be enough, but there were no guarantees, and the destroyers and forts might have to flush all of their missiles to assure no hits on the planet.
* * *
If they had been lucky, the counters they fired would have taken out three quarters of the incoming Imperial weapons. They weren’t that lucky, and thirty-seven of the fast moving weapons came through the cycling waves of counters without damage. There wasn’t enough luck in the Universe for the damaged battle cruiser to handle that many weapons coming in with a closing speed of point nine six light.
They still took out eighteen of the weapons, more than expected. The nineteen that made it through were more than enough to take out the ship. Two missiles detonated close in to the battle cruiser, sending heat and radiation into the hull and scouring it clean of weapons and electromag projectors. A microsecond later the third missile in hit dead center, and the battle cruiser, along with the three thousand Fenri and a thousand slaves, died in that instant. Four more missiles detonated in the plasma field, while the rest avoided the hazard and tried to reacquire. But there were no targets to acquire, and the missiles went into a maximum deceleration phase. Since this was friendly territory, the expensive missiles could be recovered, their crystal matrix batteries recharged, and used again.
Of course, this meant nothing to the Fenri, most of whom hadn’t come through the blasts as more than superheated molecules. If their religion was correct, their spirits would go to their paradise, the reward of the warriors fighting for their people. If the religions of the humans were correct, these beings would burn in hell. No one living would know the answer. All that was known was that this last attack on an inhabited system had failed.
* * *
We’re almost there, thought Lt. Commander Terrance Zhukov. His missiles fired had only accounted for one of the Fenri weapons. His counters had taken out three of the incoming enemy missiles, and the remaining laser rings were cycling through shots at the six that were still closing. Almost might not be good enough. They were still several seconds further from the barrier than the missiles were from them.
A missile detonated, hit directly by a laser blast. The next missed, then another hit took out one more enemy weapon, leaving four still closing. A couple were sure to hit the Angela Collins, and there was nothing he could do about it. But..
“Jump into hyper I, now,” he ordered the ship’s computer over his link. They weren’t yet past the barrier, and there was no guarantee that they would survive the translation. But there was a guarantee that they wouldn’t if they remained in normal space any longer.
The nausea hit, and Zhukov knew they had opened a portal and were sliding through. The ship shook, the stresses of an early entry hammering on the hull. Zhukov waited for his ship to come apart around him, or for a missile to follow them through the hyperdrive portal and strike them before falling out of hyper itself.
The shaking reached a crescendo, and that he was still alive proved to Zhukov that nothing had followed them through. The ship was still boosting toward the barrier, and it only had to hold together for another couple of seconds. The Captain wasn’t sure that would happen, until the shaking started to abate, then died completely.
We made it, thought Zhukov, ordering the ship through the link to cease acceleration. Moments later his tank started to drain, the life saving fluid retreating through the drains in the bottom of the cylinder. When it had fallen to ankle depth the door slid open, and the Captain stepped out of the tank, at the same time that the other crew were coming out onto the bridge.
“We made it,” said Sophie Drake over the com.
“Yes, we did,” agreed Zhukov. He looked over at his Klassekian Com Tech. “What say we get in touch with headquarters, and see where they want us so we can get our medals.”
* * *
We made it, thought Petty Officer First Winston Nagawa, patting his body as if he still didn’t believe he was still there. The talk among the people of his damage control team seemed to prove that he wasn’t the only one to find it miraculous.
The Petty Officer took a seat as he watched his tank retreat back into the floor, disappearing as the hatch slid shut and melded with the material of that deck. In a moment it was if the tank had never existed.
“What the hell are you doing, PO?” yelled a familiar voice, followed by the armored body of Senior Chie Kongbo. “There’s work to do. Machinery to check out. This is no time to take a break.”
“Understood, Senior Chief,” shouted Nagawa, jumping to his feet, then heading for his armor cubby.
“Hold up, PO,” said Kongbo, motioning for Nagawa to come back.
Nagawa was not sure what the Chief was up to, but his tone was not one of anger. “Yes, Senior Chief.”
“I just wanted to tell you how proud I am to have had you serve under me, Nagawa. You’re alright, despite coming up through merchies.”
With that the Chief turned and walked away, yelling at a spacer here or there who he thought might be slacking. Winston watched him walked away with a smile on his face. He never thought it would happen, but he had been accepted by the senior enlisted spacer on the ship, which meant acceptance by everyone. He felt good as he backed into his cubby and let it armor him once again.
I may not be the best petty officer to ever have put on the uniform, he thought as he tested his suit after stepping from the cubby. But I’m good enough, and that’s all I need to be.
Chapter Twenty-one
If the Barbarians are destroyed, who will we then be able to blame for the bad things?
Angela Carter
NATION OF NEW EARTH SPACE, SEPTEMBER 12TH, 1002.
Great Admiral Mgananawan K’lantariana sat on his flag bridge and scowled at the regional plot that showed his area of operations. After routing the Klavarta force, he had returned with a good portion of his fleet back to the system where he had stirred up the hornet’s nest. He thought he could at least destroy that industrial node, since he hadn’t taken out the enemy fleet as thoroughly as he had wanted. He had returned to that system, and found nothing. The Klavarta had moved everything, leaving behind only some abandoned husks of facilities that were of no use to anyone.
“At least we ravaged their fleet, my Lord,” said his Chief of Staff, standing next to the huge holo tank.
“Did we? I know we killed quite a few ships, but how many? And how large a percentage is that of their total force? By the Gods, but I wish these creatures would fight like males, instead of hiding in the shadows and only striking where we are weakest.”
“They are cowards,” suggested the Chief of Staff.
No, they are not, thought the Great Admiral, not wanting to get into an argument with the other male. The Klavarta showed reckless courage, to the point of launching suicide attacks on his ships.
We destroyed what, two hundred thousand or more of their ships. And I lost almost four thousand battleships alone, massing more than all of those two hundred thousand ships put together. We can’t afford this kind of war of attrition.
“We’re receiving a transmission from High Admiral Mrattameara, my Lord,” said one of the Com Officers on the bridge.
“Put it on my side holo,” he told the officer, then waited a moment for the head of the other male, one of several ranking officers just under the Great Admiral, appeared in the air by his side.
“Report,” he ordered, trying to keep from showing too much impatience. This male had been chasing down one of the larger formations to retreat from his ambush of the Klavarta. That could add many more enemy ships to the tally, or not.
“We administered the enemy a crushing defeat, my Lord Great Admiral,” said the male, a nervous smile across his face telling Mganana
wan that this was not the only news.
“How many?”
“We killed at least twenty thousand more of their vessels, as well as destroying a moderate sized shipyard.”
“I meant, how many did you lose?”
“Very few in that battle, my Lord Admiral. The exchange rate, by mass, had to be two to one.”
“And after that battle? Tell me the truth, High Admiral, for I will discover it eventually. What happened after that battle?”
“We went into pursuit of the enemy force, my Lord. We had them on the run, after all.”
“And they scattered?”
“Yes, my Lord Admiral. They scattered like the savage cowards they are, and the units I sent after them split as well, trying to sweep the majority of the enemy into the bag as possible. But the enemy was not running. He was leading us on a trail to where their forces were waiting. The first my commanders knew that the enemy was there was when they jumped into hyper all around them. Some made it back, and we know what happened with them. Some groups disappeared, and we have no idea what was their fate.”
“Of course we do,” said the Great Admiral, glaring at his subordinate. “They stepped into the enemy trap and were overwhelmed.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“And how much of your command did you lose?”
“Almost half, my Lord.”
“Almost half. So, almost a thousand ships.” The Great Admiral grabbed one of his horns and started to stroke the hard bone, a sign of anxiety among his people.
“I am sorry, my Lord.”
And it’s not really your fault, is it? thought the Great Admiral. It was a weakness of his race, an arrogance that would not let them contemplate that an enemy might be better than they were. And this enemy was at least as intelligent as the Ca’cadasans. If he wasn’t worried about the effect it would have had on his command, he would be the first to admit that the humans and the Klavarta were probably more intelligent on average than his people. And unlike most other conquests of his people, these were mighty military powers as well. Maybe not in the same class as the Ca’cadasans, but the combination of intelligence, technology and industrial might made them a daunting opponent.
“Make sure you force is ready to move within the hour,” the Great Admiral ordered his subordinate. “You will cover our spinward flank as we move.”
“Our destination, if I might ask, Great Admiral?”
“We will return to our forward base. I think we have left it uncovered long enough.” He didn’t say that the defense force left behind was strong, but probably not strong enough to withstand an attack in force by the Klavarta fleet. And despite the damage he had already done that fleet, there seemed to be so damned many of them still that he wouldn’t put it past them to strike at his forward base.
“We will make sure that the flank is secured.”
“And High Admiral. You are not to chase them. You will engage them as they come within range, and ignore them as they move out of range. Understood?”
“That, that is not what Ca’cadasan males do when confronted with an enemy,” said the High Admiral in a shrill tone.
“But it is what you will do, unless you want to be relieved of command. Understood?” This time the word was said with much more forcefulness, daring the lower ranking Admiral to disagree.
“Understood.”
“Good. Then my Com Officer will contact you when we are ready to move.”
The Great Admiral waved a hand, and the holo blanked as the Com Officer cut off the transmission. That is one of the problems, he thought, going over the conversation in his mind. Ca’cadasan males don’t refuse action when confronted with an enemy. Because we are so superior to any enemy that might confront us. Now he knew why his people were having so much trouble on both of their fronts. This opponent was not only technologically advanced and audacious in their actions, but they had no quit in them. Showing up on their doorstep with overwhelming force did not cow them. The Ca’cadasans needed to show them that they knew how to use that overwhelming force. And that was not what they were doing.
“My Lord,” called out the Chief of Staff, running from the com station to the commander’s chair. “Our pickets are picking up an enemy force coming in from coreward.”
“Size?”
“Not large enough to destroy us, but considerable,” said the Chief, closing his eyes for a moment to link. “Ten thousand ships at least.”
“Order the fleet to prepare to jump in fifteen minutes,” said the Great Admiral. “I’m tired of this constant sniping at us. As soon as we get back to base, we’ll reorganize and find a target that’s worthy of our attention.”
* * *
“They’re starting to jump, just as you predicted, Admiral,” said Admiral Regis Larista into the laser com.
“We figured they would have had enough of your maddening raider tactics, Admiral,” said Vice Admiral Mashara Ignoa, his small face looking out from the holo. This was only the second of the alien species frequenting the human Empire that the Klavarta pilot had met. The hard beak made the Admiral’s Terranglo difficult to understand. Fortunately the speech was coming through a translation program, and was being converted to her language with good accuracy, if not perfection. The light coating of small feathers on his face made it difficult to read facial expressions, if there actually were any. The crest on the top of the being’s head seemed to fulfill the social function of the nonexistent facial expressions for the Gryphon male. “So, what is your next move?”
Larista thought for a moment. She had really hoped that the Monsters would come out to challenge her, so that she might once again cause them to disperse in chasing her, so her other, hidden units could swarm them in penny packets. But even the Monsters could learn, and they were not taking the bait.
She looked up at the holo of the Imperial Admiral, waiting patiently for the orders she would give. The Admiral’s flagship, another Imperial battle cruiser, hung in space ten thousand kilometers away, resulting in no noticeable delay in the transmission. And, she knew, on the Imperial Admiral’s bridge, was one of the new strange looking aliens who were supposed to have the ability to communicate instantaneously over any distance with their own kind.
Larista had no way of verifying that ability, except that they Imperials seemed to be helping her to coordinate her forces in a way that seemed like magic. The Klassekians were newly arrived at the front, a mere three score of the beings, and had been divvied out to liaison vessels and major command and control bases. Larista would have liked to have had more of them, and aboard her own vessels, so that she needn’t depend so much on the Imperial ships. But the Imperials were very protective of these new aliens, and refused to give any over into the care of the Nation of New Earth.
“You think they are heading back to their forward base?” she asked the Imperial Admiral.
“That seems to be the general heading of their lead elements, ma’am. If I had to bet, that’s where I would head.”
“And we will be on their heels the entire way, picking off any stragglers, swarming their scouts and flanking elements,” she said, clenching a fist. “Send these orders out to the other elements if you please, Admiral. Lay in wait, and hit any enemy elements that you think you can take.”
And then we’ll see their reaction when they get back to their base, and see what is waiting for them.
* * *
“We’ve got another one, Admiral,” said the Commodore over the com.
“What was it this time?” asked Admiral Len Lenkowski over the com, this from one of the task groups he had patrolling the interface between Imperial and Fenri space. And that’s all we seem to be doing, he thought with a scowl on his face. Patrolling the damned border to catch more of their raiders. Patrolling deep inside their Empire to find the remainder of their fleet. And all the while they elude us, striking only where we are weak.
It was standard guerilla tactics, used through the ages by any forces that found themselves on the w
rong side of the strength equation. And it was the kind of war that he hated. There had to be over fifty million stars in Fenri space, and most probably seven or eight thousand inhabited systems. They had occupied half of those systems, which left the other half, and millions of other potential hiding places where the enemy could be waiting. Even if he split his fleet to individual ships, it would take years to search all of those places, and that wasn’t even counting the almost infinite reaches of normal space, or regions outside of either Empire. And all the while the Fenri would simply wait for the Cacas to return, in which case they could count on the larger number of the human fleet to withdraw from their space to face the greater threat.
“It was another battleship, sir,” said the Commodore, smiling. “The bastard thought he had it made, but he sailed right into the middle of my task group’s central formations. We had him ringed with four battleships before they knew what was happening.”
“And your losses?”
“Minor damage to two ships, eleven spacers killed.”
Lenkowski nodded. In the equation of war, it was a bargain. Minor damage to two of the same class of ship, eleven dead, versus the complete loss of such a vessel and thousands of enemy killed. Still, he was hating these kind of equations. Which didn’t mean there wouldn’t be a lot more of them before this campaign was over, since this had turned into a war of attrition. He could almost wish that the Cacas would come back, so that he would be recalled from this front to fight against the huge aliens versus the small.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 10: Search & Destroy Page 33
