Ep.#12 - A Price Too High (The Frontiers Saga - Part 2: Rogue Castes)

by Ryk Brown

The bridge lurched violently as a series of explosions rocked the ship.

  “What the hell was that?” Nathan wondered.

  “Missiles!” Kaylah replied. “I never even picked up their launch!”

  “Up forty complete!” Josh reported.

  “Jump us one click!” Nathan ordered.

  “One click jump, aye,” Loki replied.

  “Pitch back down, bring our tubes onto that cruiser, and fire at will,” Nathan instructed as the jump flash washed over them.

  “Pitching back down!” Josh acknowledged.

  Bolts of red energy slammed into their shields, rocking the ship further.

  “Aft ventral shields are down!” Cameron warned. “Midship ventrals are at ten percent!”

  “Decks C and D, sections forty-seven and forty-eight report complete loss of power and life support,” Naralena reported.

  The ship lurched again as more plasma bolts struck the hull.

  “Hull breach!” Naralena reported with alarm. “Aft ventral section!”

  Another explosion shook the ship, knocking several people to the deck.

  “Aft propellant tank just took a direct hit!” Cameron exclaimed, using the side of the tactical console to steady herself as she reached to pull Jessica back to her feet. “Heavy damage to engineering sections eighteen and twenty!”

  “I’m getting thrust level warnings on the port outboard main drive,” Loki warned.

  “Get the shot, Josh!” Nathan urged.

  “Five seconds!” Josh replied.

  “How’s our jump line?” Nathan asked.

  “It’s clear!” Loki replied.

  “Missile launch!” Kaylah reported urgently. “Eight inbound from Battleship One! Ten seconds!”

  The targeting piper on Josh’s weapons screen turned green. “I’ve got a lock!” Josh declared. “Firing!”

  Four sets of triplet plasma torpedoes leapt from the underside of the Aurora’s nose, streaking across the ten kilometers separating the Aurora from the target. Two seconds later, they slammed into the cruiser’s unprotected hull, blowing it open. Josh pressed the button again, holding it down and sending three more groups of triplets toward the doomed vessel.

  “Escape jump!” Nathan barked. “NOW!”

  “Jumping!” Loki replied as the blue-white jump flash washed over the bridge, yet again. “Jump complete.” “Fire in engineering section twenty!” Cameron reported.

  “Evacuate and vent the entire section,” Nathan ordered.

  “We’ll have to take the outboard port main drive offline,” Cameron warned.

  “That’ll make our turns to port slow as hell,” Josh complained.

  “Damage Control, Captain,” Nathan called over his comm-set. “How soon can you get fire teams to engineering twenty?”

  “Bulkheads one four seven and one five eight auto-sealed the moment the fire broke out,” the chief explained. “The only way to get a fire team in there is externally. Good news is, Cheng automated everything down there, so no one is stationed in that section.”

  “Understood,” Nathan replied. “Vent it,” he instructed Cameron.

  “Venting,” Cameron replied.

  “Helm, get us to the rally point,” Nathan instructed.

  “Turning to the rally point,” Josh acknowledged.

  “Cheng, Captain,” Nathan called. “How long to restart port outboard main after the compartment is vented?”

  “I do not know,” Vladimir admitted. “When the port aft propellant tank blew, we lost all control and data links to that drive. I’m getting a repair team into pressure suits, now. Once the fire is out, they can go in and re-establish the control links. Hopefully, that is all that is wrong.”

  “Get that engine up, Commander,” Nathan ordered. “I don’t like fighting with a limp.”

  “Aye, sir!”

  “Jumping to rally point,” Loki reported as the jump flash washed over the bridge.

  “I think I can reroute power to the aft ventral shields,” Cameron reported. “All but three of the emitters are still intact. It won’t take more than one or two hits to knock it out again, but it’s better than nothing.”

  “Do what you can,” Nathan agreed.

  “Two contacts!” Kaylah reported. “Lightnings!”

  “Raise them,” Nathan instructed Naralena.

  “P-Seventy-Two Lightnings, this is the Aurora. How do you copy?” Naralena called over comms.

  “Aurora, this is Del Shelton of Subvert. How is it you know of us and our assets?”

  “Patch me in,” Nathan ordered.

  “You’re connected,” Naralena replied.

  “Mister Shelton, this is Captain Nathan Scott of the Karuzari Alliance ship, Aurora. How we learned of your organization and its assets is a long story that I’d be happy to share with you later, assuming we all survive. For now, I need you to listen. Can you do that for me?”

  After a moment, Del replied, “Go ahead.”

  “The ships attacking you are the Dusahn. If they take your world, and its technology, we will be unable to stop them from growing and conquering the entire galaxy. By ourselves, our chances of defeating those last two battleships are slim, at best. But with your help, I believe we have a chance to save your world.”

  “We just lost two ships attacking a cruiser,” Del replied. “I don’t see how we can be of help against two battleships.”

  “Your ships use the same type of gravity emitters as the Sugali fighters. When flown at extremely slow speeds, with their grav-lift systems at idle, they are able to pass through the Dusahn’s shields. We’ve used them to get inside their shields and disable their shield emitters, allowing us to defeat four of their battleships.”

  “And you believe our ships can also penetrate their shields,” Del surmised.

  “To be honest, we don’t know for sure. In fact, you’d have to fly in backwards to make it work,” Nathan told him.

  “Backwards?”

  After a moment of silence, Nathan continued. “I know it sounds crazy, but that’s the reality of the situation.”

  Another moment of silence.

  “Captain Scott, I believe it only fair to tell you that SilTek Security has issued a level-one warrant for your arrest.”

  Jessica looked over at Dylan.

  “Level one means ‘dead or alive’,” Dylan explained.

  “Our sources inside the government tell us that the Dusahn have promised to destroy our world unless we turn you over to them.”

  Nathan turned to Kaylah as he tapped his comm-set to mute it. “Keep a sharp eye out for contacts.” He tapped his comm-set again and continued. “The Dusahn’s jump range is very limited, so it had to have taken them weeks, if not months, to get here,” he explained. “We only learned of your world about a week ago. So, the only way the Dusahn could know we were on your world would be if someone in your government told them.”

  “Or someone in yours,” Del replied.

  “If you knew what my people have been through recently, you would not say that,” Nathan assured him.

  “Fortunately for you, we of Subvert have little faith in our government, not since they began selling off our jump-missile inventory, thus putting our own world at risk.”

  “Then you’ll help us, help you?” Nathan surmised.

  “I will, but I cannot speak for my cohort,” Del replied.

  “I’m in,” the other pilot replied.

  “What is your name, sir?” Nathan asked.

  “Alair Hainen,” the pilot replied. “Why?”

  “I like to know the names of those who are willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of others.”

  “Perhaps you can send us instructions on what we are to do,” Del suggested. “I am eager to get this over with so I can hear more about how you
learned of us, and about your alliance.”

  “Thank you, Del,” Nathan replied. “My helmsman has personally flown the Sugali fighters through the Dusahn shields. He will instruct you on the procedure,” Nathan told him, snapping his fingers and pointing to Josh, signaling Naralena to patch Josh in.

  “You’re on, Josh,” Naralena said.

  Nathan walked over to Kaylah as Josh began explaining the procedure to the Subvert pilots. “How’s it look?”

  “They’re still the only two contacts in the area,” she replied. “But, their shields are pitiful. There’s no way they’ll survive this.”

  “They have to use their swarm tech,” Dylan said, having overheard them. “I’m sorry for eavesdropping, Captain, but… Well, they have to use the swarms.”

  “What exactly are the swarms?” Nathan asked.

  “They’re robots, kind of like spiders, with cutters and tiny plasma cannons. They’re only about ten centimeters wide, but they’re deadly as hell.”

  “They don’t sound very deadly,” Nathan disagreed.

  “By themselves, no, but they use a hive AI. They work together to accomplish a goal. Once the Lightnings are inside the Dusahn’s shields, they can release them. Then, they’ll latch onto the enemy’s hull, find their shield emitters, and bring them down.”

  “I doubt the Dusahn could even target anything that small,” Cameron said, overhearing the conversation as she came up behind them. “We can’t.”

  “If either one of those fighters comes anywhere near us, let me know,” Nathan instructed Jessica.

  “If they were going to use their swarms against you, they would’ve already done it,” Dylan assured him.

  “They’re ready, Cap’n,” Josh reported.

  Nathan took a deep breath and sighed, tapping his comm-set to rejoin the conversation. “Gentlemen, my sensor officer informs me that your shields are inadequate against the Dusahn’s weapons.”

  “Yeah, we sort of figured that out already,” Del admitted.

  “I believe your best chance of survival is to penetrate their shields, release your swarms with instructions to disable the target’s shield emitters, and jump out as quickly as possible. If you remain within their weapons range for more than ten to fifteen seconds, well…”

  “Understood,” Del replied. “I’ll want to hear about how you know about our swarm technology, as well, Captain.”

  “Deal,” Nathan replied. “One Lightning per battleship. Go for their ventral side, just forward of their main propulsion heat exchangers. You’ll have the fewest number of point-defenses on you, there.”

  “Understood.”

  “We attack in two minutes,” Nathan added. “Good luck.”

  “To you, as well, Captain,” Del replied.

  “Helm, take us to a position directly above the targets, and set up for the attack jump,” Nathan ordered.

  “Above?”

  “Yup.”

  “You got it,” Josh replied.

  “How are we doing on jump missiles?” Nathan asked Cameron.

  “We’ve burned through half our load,” Cameron replied.

  Nathan sighed. “Then we’ll save them until the end,” he decided. He looked over at Jessica as the Aurora jumped to its next turning point. “One shot, one kill.”

  “Damn right,” she replied, smiling.

  “Coming about to attack course,” Josh reported.

  “Attack jump in one minute,” Loki announced.

  “What’s your plan B?” Cameron asked.

  “I don’t know…ram them?”

  “Not funny,” Cameron scolded.

  Dylan looked concerned. “This will work, right?”

  “You wrote the code, didn’t you?” Nathan replied. “You tell me.”

  “I didn’t write the code,” Dylan insisted. “I just helped clean it up a bit.”

  “Why didn’t you have the AI write the code?” Nathan wondered.

  “AIs aren’t allowed to sacrifice themselves,” Dylan replied. “They’re also not allowed to coordinate thought between AIs. That’s one of their primary laws.”

  “And Subvert took it upon themselves to break it,” Nathan surmised.

  “They didn’t have much of a choice,” Dylan defended. “This attack confirms that.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Nathan agreed.

  “Coming up on attack jump,” Loki reported.

  Nathan returned to his command chair. “Let’s do this,” he confirmed as he took his seat.

  “Jumping in three……two……one……jumping.”

  Nathan watched the main view screen as the blue-white flash washed over the bridge. In the blink of an eye, the view changed from the empty blackness of deep space to the image of SilTek filling the screen, with two small, long, black triangles making their way across it, a wave of impact explosions trailing behind them on the surface.

  “Jump complete,” Loki reported.

  “Two battleships, dead ahead,” Kaylah reported. “Twenty kilometers, passing from port to starboard.”

  “Any sign of our friends?” Nathan wondered.

  “Negative,” Kaylah replied.

  “Maybe they’re not as dumb as I thought,” Jessica said half to herself.

  “Wait, I have one of them. Just jumped in two hundred meters from Battleship One. He’s flying backwards and decelerating. He’s…” Kaylah’s tone changed. “He’s gone. They shot him down.”

  “All turrets on Battleship One,” Nathan instructed.

  “What about Two?” Jessica asked.

  “He jumped in too far out,” Josh commented.

  “We can’t fire on him until the other P-Seventy-Two makes his attack run,” Nathan explained.

  “You have to arrive no more than fifty meters from their shield perimeter,” Josh continued, “or you’re still in their defense zone.”

  “You told them that, right?” Nathan asked.

  “Of course I told them,” Josh defended. He looked at Loki. “I did, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, you did,” Loki assured him. “I heard you.”

  “Battleship One is rolling to port,” Jessica reported. “He’s trying to protect his unshielded, dorsal midship shields.”

  “Battleship Two is launching short-range missiles,” Kaylah warned. “Eight inbound; fifteen seconds to impact.”

  “Engaging point-defenses,” Jessica announced.

  Nathan watched the main view screen as trails of point-defense cannon fire streaked toward the incoming missiles. “Helm, five degrees to port. Prepare to jump eight clicks.”

  “Five to port,” Josh acknowledged, initiating the slight course change.

  “Eight-click jump, ready,” Loki added.

  “Ten seconds to impact,” Kaylah warned. “Battleship One is targeting us, as well.”

  “Where the hell is the other Lightning?” Cameron cursed as the first volley of energy weapons fire impacted the Aurora’s shields, shaking them violently.

  “He’ll be here!” Dylan assured her, not sounding entirely convinced, himself.

  “Five seconds to impact,” Kaylah announced, her tone rising in urgency.

  “Jump us,” Nathan ordered.

  “Jumping,” Loki responded as the jump flash washed over the bridge.

  “Ten degrees to starboard,” Nathan ordered. “Helm has fire control. Target Battleship One and fire when ready.”

  “Helm trigger is hot,” Jessica confirmed as Josh started his turn back to starboard.

  “New contact!” Kaylah announced. “The other P-Seventy-Two just penetrated Battleship Two’s starboard forward shields! He’s flipping over and releasing something!”

  “The swarm!” Dylan cried out as more incoming fire rocked the ship. “He’s releasing his swarm!”

  �
��We really need to think of a better name,” Jessica grumbled. “Sounds like the title of a really bad creature vid.”

  “Firing!” Josh exclaimed as he sent the first wave of plasma torpedoes toward Battleship One.

  “Target is reversing his roll,” Kaylah warned.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Josh muttered under his breath.

  “Keep pounding him, Josh,” Nathan urged.

  “The other P-Seventy-Two is jump…” Kaylah stopped mid-sentence and sighed. “They took him out as he was jumping.”

  “Keep firing,” Nathan ordered his helmsman. “What about the swarm?” he asked Kaylah.

  “I saw them release, but I lost them in the background clutter off the surface of the battleship,” Kaylah explained.

  “Is there any change in their shields?” Nathan wondered as the ship rocked from more weapons fire.

  “Negative,” Kaylah replied.

  “Forward shields are down to forty percent!” Cameron warned. “Average overall shield strength is down to fifty percent and falling.”

  “Battleship One is firing missiles!” Kaylah warned. “Seven seconds to impact!”

  “Engaging with point-defenses!” Jessica reported.

  “Hard to port and roll ninety!” Nathan ordered. “Escape jump as soon as your line is clear!”

  “Hard rolling turn to port!” Josh acknowledged as he ceased fire and pushed his flight control stick hard to the left, pulling it back, as well, as he jammed the throttles forward.

  “Three seconds!”

  “She’s turning slow!” Josh warned.

  “Brace for impact!” Nathan announced.

  Three explosions rocked the ship, nearly shaking Nathan out of his command chair.

  “Clear line!” Loki announced as he pressed the jump button.

  The jump flash washed over the Aurora’s bridge, and the violent shaking stopped. For a moment, there was relative silence; with only the sounds of various alarms warning them of failing systems all over the ship.

  Nathan took a breath and spoke. “Damage report.”

  “Port outboard engine is still offline,” Cameron replied. “Forward shields are down to twenty percent, aft port ventral shields are still down. All other shields are at maximum of forty percent.”

  “What’s our remaining jump range?”