The Anvil of Dust and Stars (Dark Seas Series Book 1)

by Damon Alan

  Hold together, old man.

  Lieutenant Corriea called out to her from his station. “Captain, enemy targets on sensors.”

  “On screen,” Sarah ordered.

  Corriea transferred his tactical display to the main screen. A translucent overlay appeared on top of a dimmed image of Hamor, filling the right half of the screen with battle telemetry.

  Seven Hive grapplers raced from behind one of Hamor's moons. They climbed high above the surface of the moon and fired their ordinance. The enemy combatants were hidden as they approached from behind the moon, in the Seventh Fleet's sensor shadow. Sensor buoys in that area were destroyed earlier by EMP, there hadn't been an opportunity to replace them. What intel thought was a stray enemy missile was in fact clearing a way for the enemy to attack Sarah's fleet.

  “Enemy ordinance detected inbound,” the bridge AI said gently as a salvo of missiles bore down on Sarah's ships. The AI labeled enemy targets on the tactical display, and assigned a suggested strike package to nullify the incoming threat.

  Sarah pointed at the viewscreen and her eyes narrowed to slits. “Nuke 'em.”

  Her bridge crew leapt into action, assigning two small tactical nuclear missiles to each of the enemy grapplers as suggested by the AI. Ten seconds after the order to fire, small ports opened on the sides of the Stennis and missiles raced from the ship on plumes of smoke and fire. Sleek needles of destruction accelerated toward their targets.

  A few minutes later as the Stennis's missiles neared the enemy targets and detonated, Sarah watched the tactical overlay report the Hive grapplers destroyed. Inside she celebrated the destruction of the enemy, but it was a small victory on a day of many losses. And the day was not over.

  “Status of incoming?” Sarah asked.

  Lieutenant Harmeen answered. “Missiles are still outside railgun range, Captain. Sensors indicate six separate bogeys, although we don't have them pinned down to an exact location due to enemy counter measures. Area defensive fire in forty five seconds.”

  A gravitational lens flared on the viewscreen. A second lens appeared just kilometers from the fleet and a missile burst from it. The weapon accelerated hard as it selected a target.

  “What the hell was that?” Sarah demanded.

  “FTL nuke,” Harmeen replied. “It's targeting the Samville.”

  The Hive never failed to surprise Sarah at least once during a battle. This was the second surprise today. For glorified computers, the Hive were extremely innovative. Grapplers launching jump capable missiles were previously unknown, a capability the human fleet couldn't match. The missile raced inward as railguns opened fire, but it was too late. A light shuttle carrier, the Samville, ripped apart as thermonuclear fire vaporized its midsection. The explosion hurled two large sections of the ship away from the blast point.

  Lieutenant Corriea spoke again, on edge. “Brace for impact. The forward section of the Samville is going to hit us.”

  Sarah fought an internal battle to remain calm herself. “Maneuver as necessary, Mr. Corriea.”

  “It's no good, Captain,” Corriea replied. “I'm pushing hard to port, the best I can do is shift the impact to the aft third.”

  Sarah felt her muscles tense, the soreness made her flinch. “You can't get us out of the way?” Despite her efforts, her voice now had an edge.

  Corriea shook his head no as he responded. “Not in time sir, the Stennis is too damaged, too many thrusters offline.”

  Sarah checked his figures. He was right. “Damn it. Harmeen, find more power for the thrusters. Seto, order our nested ships to safe range in case the singularity breaches containment. How long until impact?”

  “Forty seconds sir,” Corriea replied.

  “Well, that's the downside of staying close for railgun coverage.” Bitterly, Sarah issued orders to her first officer. “Mr. Gilbert, advise First Fleet that Seventh Fleet will be out of the action. Notify our combat escorts to be ready for assignment to other ships as ordered by the admiralty.”

  Commander Gilbert acknowledged her with a grim expression. “Aye, Captain.”

  Despite an expectation of lives measured in seconds, the crew of the Stennis performed their duties well.

  Throughout the ship airtight bulkheads closed. Critical systems paused in their functions. The Stennis braced for its first real incoming punch of the battle.

  Sarah transferred external video to her station, and zoomed in on the wreckage with a swipe of her fingers across the holoscreen.

  The sight of the Samville took her breath away. Broken girders and deck plates, twisted and torn by the nuclear blast, stood out as testimony to the power of the enemy strike. Air vented into space from ripped bulkheads, fluids scattered from torn pipes, and sparks flew from ripped electrical conduit. The hulk tumbled out of control, revealing undamaged sections as it rotated.

  In slow motion the Samville moved past the midsection and FTL drive of the Stennis. The massive shuttle carrier struck the Stennis just forward of the main fusion engines. The hulk wrapped around the Stennis like a water balloon, flattening before bursting through the outer hull and tearing into the vitals of Sarah's ship. Sarah looked helplessly at her crew, impressed with their composure. She kept her face emotionless.

  Outside we're all iron. Inside we're frightened children.

  Lieutenant Harmeen's quiet voice somehow penetrated the sound of distressed metals, klaxons, and the AI reporting systems offline.

  He was praying, repeating words Sarah couldn't understand over and over.

  Sarah focused her thoughts on the young man to push fear of death from her mind.

  I hope those damned prayers work. If I thought they did, I'd join right in.

  In less than a minute, the collision was over. The Stennis spun lazily from the energy of the impact.

  “Harmeen! Damage report. Now.”

  “Just starting to come in, Captain.”

  Lieutenant Harmeen silenced the alarms on the bridge. “These are preliminary damage reports, ma'am. Emergency crews are reporting to the damaged sections. Atmosphere is being dumped in areas aft to extinguish fires. We have a lot of crew fatalities, although medical has been hit hard and numbers are sketchy. The purged areas...” He paused. “You don't have time for the full list. Most significantly, the starboard defensive railguns are offline. If we take fire from that side, we're dead.”

  Sarah clenched her jaw, but spoke calmly. “Very well, Mr. Harmeen, press the starboard gun crews into damage control.”

  “Aye, Captain,” he replied.

  Lieutenant Corriea, patiently waiting, grabbed a chance to get her attention. “We're spinning, Captain. We've also gained downward trajectory. We'll enter Hamor's ionosphere in five hours.”

  “Let him spin, Mr. Corriea, until we know how broken we are. We're lucky to be here at all.”

  “Aye, sir,” Corriea replied.

  “Mr. Harmeen, status of the FTL drive and fuel tanks?”

  “Fully operational, Captain. Antimatter is fully contained.”

  “Do you think we can handle the stress of a jump?” Sarah asked.

  “I don't know, Captain,” Harmeen replied. “Judging by the number of intact ship services coming back online, the central spar is relatively undamaged. If you want to stabilize the ship I believe he can handle that.”

  “Let's find out. Mr. Corriea, stabilize the ship, bring our port railguns around so we're not defenseless. As soon as that's complete, start spinning up the singularity.”

  “Maneuver complete in sixty seconds, Captain,” Corriea replied.

  “Commander Gilbert, bring our fleet back to the nest, I suspect we're leaving and I plan on taking them with us. The Alliance can't afford to lose this ship.”

  “Right away, Captain. EF2358 reports they've destroyed the last of the incoming missiles.”

  Sarah nodded at Gilbert in acknowledgment, and then pressed on. “Lieutenant Seto, get a direct line to the Admiral for me. Visual.”

  “Yes sir,” Se
to replied.

  Sarah inspected her damage control displays. Her offensive systems were down, as well as life support in the aft third of the ship. Two of the Stennis's three fusion reactors were offline. Her ship was officially crippled by Alliance standards.

  “Sir, Admiral Heyden on visual,” Seto said, interrupting Sarah's damage inventory.

  Admiral Heyden appeared on the main screen, his image blurred in and out of clarity as EMP pulses affected the signal. Smoke trails lined the ceiling behind him. The command carrier Binogi was damaged. “Sarah, good to see you. My tactical officer reports nukes going off in your section.”

  Sarah took a deep breath. “Admiral Heyden. Seven grapplers got through our pickets, one of which scored a direct hit on a light shuttle carrier with an FTL missile.”

  “Are you sure? That shouldn't be possible,” the admiral asked. “The missile would be the size of a grappler.”

  “There are no other hostiles in our immediate area, sir,” Sarah responded. “We were able to trace the source of the missile. Definitely the grapplers. More important are the results. Large debris from the carrier has impacted the Stennis. Offensive targeting is down, all of our nukes are offline. Our starboard defenses are down, high and low. We're calling in our escorts close to provide cover on that side, but that will take a—”

  A flash of static covered the main screen, followed by a momentary glimpse of flames on the wall behind the Admiral. The view screen returned to displaying telemetry.

  No! Not Heyden, no…

  Incredulous, Sarah looked at her communications officer. “Seto, what was that? Get the Admiral back.”

  “I'm attempting to reestablish communications, Captain, but First Fleet is not responding. I'm not getting anything from the Binogi or any of her escorts.”

  “Sir, I'm detecting numerous gamma ray pulses from the location of First Fleet,” Corriea said.

  Sarah slammed the bottom of her balled fist into her gravity couch.

  Damn you Hive filth.

  The situation was deteriorating rapidly. “Commander Gilbert, notify all surviving fleets that Seventh Fleet is retreating to rendezvous position gamma, then restate with urgency to Seventh Fleet ships that we are leaving.”

  “Roger, position gamma.”

  Harmeen broke in. “Defensive systems auto-firing.”

  A continuous slight vibration coursed through the ship as railguns alongside fired into space.

  “Status,” Sarah demanded.

  “Incoming long range missiles, they just dropped out of FTL. Sensors reporting gravity lens flares at two seven three mark two nine zero,” Corriea responded. “The port railguns are engaging at full efficiency. AI reports forty flares.”

  “Forty! That's a lot of firepower. We must be one of the best remaining targets.” Sarah tapped her personal console and stared at an external view of the ship. Streams of red tracers raced away from her battlecruiser.

  Corriea looked at Sarah, his face alive with urgency. “Our escorts are also firing. Computer says just under four minutes until first potential detonation.”

  Sarah looked at the tactical overlay on the main screen. Green friendlies dotted the display near the Stennis, and circles of red indicated the expected location of enemy ordinance. Expanding fans of blue traced out from the Stennis and her escorts, illustrating coverage of the railguns. Numbers reeled next to the images, indicating distances, vectors, and speeds.

  Corriea quickly interpreted the data. “Eight Hive heavy cruisers and escorts closing fast. About one hour until close combat range.”

  Sarah's reputed luck didn't seem to be with her today. “Eight? Talk about overkill. Retreat is our only option now. Mr. Seto, advise Hinden and Schein to expect company if we can't jump.”

  “Do they have nuclear release, Captain?” the comm officer asked.

  “Not unless we can't get out of here, in which case we'll let it all go. But not yet.”

  “I'll advise,” Seto confirmed.

  “Mr. Corriea, once the railguns stop firing, align us for our jump. The singularity better be ready. I want to go on my word.” Sarah paused for Corriea's acknowledgment, then continued. “Commander Gilbert, how long until we have the escorts in range?”

  “The Yascurra, the Fyurigan, and EF2358 are in range now, along with a local freighter, the Palino. Other ships are straggling in. The heavy cruisers, pardon me, the Schein and the Hinden are twelve minutes out. Next is the Amalli which will be in range in fourteen minutes. The Vixen and Mongol are at least thirty out, and farthest away are the strike gunships, over an hour away.”

  Sarah scowled. “We'll wait for the Schein and Hinden. We can't afford to leave them.” Sarah closed her eyes and grimaced as she considered her options. The Amalli might make it, but the ships farther out needed to find another ride. “We need the Vixen and Mongol too, but we don't have that long. The Hive cruisers will start pummeling us with missiles long before they close for railgun combat. Tell the Amalli to give it all they've got. Put out a general call on all frequencies to ships wishing to ride our bubble. The Hive are going to hear it, so our riders will have fifteen minutes to get here, at most.”

  Gilbert's frustration flashed across his face, mixed with reluctance. “A good plan.”

  Sarah cleared her throat. Emotion was starting to eat at her. “Commander Gilbert, ask the captains of the Vixen and Mongol if they'd move to intercept the Hive cruiser squadron. Give them a choice, either to intercept or try to find another ride out of here.”

  “I'll explain it to them, Captain,” Gilbert replied. “They'll appreciate the choice.”

  Sarah looked back at tactical, and noticed significant change. “Status of ordinance, Mr. Corriea?”

  “I think the first set of missiles are destroyed. Approximately twenty more missiles dropped into realspace nearby, and the railguns are engaging the new targets.”

  Sarah snapped at the young officer. “You think? Approximately?”

  “It's the best I have,” Corriea responded. “Aft sensors are destroyed and fore sensors are responding intermittently. Twenty is my best estimate.”

  Sarah noticed the determined look on the young man's face, admiring his composure in a desperate situation. “Then it's the best estimate, Mr. Corriea. How long until first impact?”

  “With the new set of hostiles, just over fourteen minutes, Captain.”

  “That's cutting it close with the Amalli.” Sarah barked orders in rapid succession. “Commander Gilbert, tell the ships coming with us not to worry about fuel, burn what they need to burn to make it here on time. Advise Mr. Corriea when Amalli is riding the bubble. And Mr. Corriea, your orders are to jump immediately once that ship is in range. Don't wait for my orders or any other stragglers, just do it. Understood?”

  “Yes sir,” they answered in unison.

  Next comes the waiting game. Come on Amalli.

  Chapter 40 - Retreat From Hamor

  22 ORS 15326

  Sarah fidgeted with the consoles at her station. On the system strategic display she noted reported enemy locations and strengths. The situation wasn't good, the remaining Alliance forces were outnumbered four to one, although some Hive forces seemed to be leaving the field of battle. That was a move Sarah didn't understand, but the machines had their own agenda.

  With a deep sigh, she pushed the displays away from her and looked around the bridge. A cylinder set deep within the Stennis, the bridge was a semicircle of five officer stations, and the other half of the circle was viewscreen. Each officer station had it's own displays as well, four separate holographic interfaces on articulating arms. Most of the time the crew faced toward the center of the room, so they could see each other. Only under acceleration would the crew not face each other, as the gravity couches distributed acceleration forces.

  On the port side of the bridge, a hatch led to the fleet comm center. Behind the officer stations was a ready room for briefings or private discussion. Hatches in the floor and ceiling provided acces
s to crew gangways. The room was filled with conduits and instrument panels. It was much like any starship bridge Sarah had ever been on, except this one was top of the line.

  Her eyes settled on her first officer. Strapped snugly into his station, his eyes were closed, his fingers interlaced in meditation.

  I wish I knew that sort of calm.

  As if Gilbert sensed her gaze, he opened one eye, looked at her, and then closed it again. “What makes you fight, Captain?” he asked.

  “Curious about my motivations or my personal life, Commander?”

  “Whichever you'd like to share. We have several minutes free. The crew are doing their jobs. This might be the most peaceful conversation we ever get to have.”

  She smirked, but he was right. “It might be. Hopefully not the last.”

  He grinned, seeming to sense he broke the tension.

  “I fight because it's all I know,” she said.

  He opened his eyes and looked at her, concern on his face. “Your home planet was lost?”

  “Twice.”

  His voice softened. “I'm sorry. I was hoping to lighten the moment, not bring up your loss. Somehow my blabbering took us in the other direction.”

  Sarah didn't want him to think her past was a factor on the bridge. “That's alright, Commander Gilbert. We should all reflect on why we fight once in a while. My story is a tragedy that has been repeated a billion times since the Hive arose. Sometimes it seems like it would be easier to lay down and die, but that's not what my crew deserves. The Seventh Fleet are my family now, I suppose. They're all I have left.”

  “So you adopted them all?” he asked. “That's a lot of war college to pay for.”

  Sarah grinned at his weak attempt at humor. “I wouldn't say adopted. But I fight for them, so they can have families someday, or return to the ones they've left behind.”

  That's the public version, at least.

  Gilbert smiled. “I've known you for only half a year now, but everyone sees your devotion to the crew. It's obvious.”

  “Is it?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

  Gilbert scoffed. “I thought we were having an honest conversation. You know damned well the crews sign up for this fleet voluntarily.”