by Daniel Gibbs
For the rest of the flight, Calvin sat and watched as shuttle after shuttle landed on the Lion; the fact that she was moving at flank speed made it all the harder, but high-risk maneuvers were something they’d trained for repeatedly. I’ve got to make someone pay for this, Calvin reflected. I can’t let my Marines die for nothing. Cohen better have something up his sleeve, because allowing the League to get away with it isn’t going to fly.
While the bridge of the Lion was still a mass of slightly controlled chaos, David had managed to wrap his head back around the battlespace. The Lion’s fighter squadrons and Marine transports were successfully taken back aboard, while the rest of the carriers had been able to recover their small craft. All in all, the fleet was making good on its escape, but in so doing, they had depleted most of their missiles. The Lion’s forward and aft vertical launch systems were empty and in the process of being reloaded, but they were almost out of the minefield, and, he hoped, home free.
“TAO, ETA to crossing the minefield’s outer boundary?” David asked.
“Less than forty-five seconds, sir.”
David glanced at Aibek. “How are you holding up, XO?”
Aibek winced. His head appeared to still be bothering him, but David was glad he had come back to the bridge. “I’ll be fine, sir. Nothing a good night’s rest can’t fix. Or perhaps, the sweet smell of victory.”
David smiled ever so slightly. “Glad to see your sense of humor is intact.”
The idle chitchat of the two men was interrupted by Ruth’s voice in a tone that was near panic. “Conn, TAO! New contacts, bearing 343, positive azimuth 30, range fifty thousand kilometers! Three primary contacts designated Master Six-oh-one, Six-oh-two, Six-oh-three. Three Alexander class battleships. Numerous escorts include Rand class cruisers, Cobra class destroyers, and Lancer-class frigates!”
David’s mind leaped into overdrive; Seville’s trying to mousetrap us. The ships in front will hold us in place, while the fleet coming up our aft will run us down. Classic hammer and anvil. Not if I’ve got anything to do with it.
“TAO, display the new contacts on the holoviewer and zoom in to that portion of the battlefield.”
“Aye aye, sir!” Ruth answered.
David spun his chair around, viewing the battlefield through the holographic viewer; it showed him the relative position of the new League ships. The three Alexanders were coming toward the fleet in a line abreast formation, with their escorts bunched out ahead of them. Taking a moment to process the League’s tactics, David quickly devised an engagement plan. “How’s this sound, XO? We go straight down their throats. Every ship we’ve got… overwhelm them before they can pin the damaged ships down.”
Aibek stared at the display himself. “That is an aggressive strategy, sir. One worthy of a Saurian. Keep in mind we have limited support from our fighters and bombers.”
“We’ll get no support from them, XO.”
Aibek raised a scale over his right eye. “We could get some of them back into space to help…”
“No, that’s suicide for the pilots. The squadrons are shattered, the comms network is in tatters, and most of those fast movers only have half a tank of fuel, and whatever energy left in their neutron cannons. I won’t ask men and women to go out and die needlessly. The capital ships will punch our way through.”
“Of course, sir. I didn’t mean to suggest…” Aibek began.
“I know you didn’t, XO. I’m sorry, I’m even more direct than normal right now.”
“Ah, your inner Saurian is coming out.”
David laughed, needing just a little bit of release amidst the pain and chaos around him. He turned his chair back around, toward the front of the bridge. “Navigation, plot an intercept course on the battleship in the middle of the formation, Master Six-oh-two! Stand by to engage on my mark.”
The reserve navigator, Second Lieutenant Rachel Marks, quickly responded, “Aye aye, sir. Intercept course set.”
“Communications, signal the fleet to form up around us, with the least damaged ships in the lead. Order all ships to engage the escorts; the Lion will deal with the League battleships.”
“Aye aye, sir,” Taylor replied.
“TAO, firing point procedures, forward magnetic cannons, and neutron beams, Master Six-oh-two.”
“Firing solutions set, sir.”
David glanced at Aibek. “We’ll conduct an alpha strike on the center battleship with our particle beams. Then we’ll engage the other two ships. That ought to keep them guessing.”
Aibek nodded, but David could tell from how he was shifting the scales around his eyes and the top of his head that he was quite uneasy with the plan.
“Conn, communications. The fleet has acknowledged your orders,” Taylor interjected.
“Navigation, all ahead full.”
“Aye aye, sir, all ahead full.”
David felt the massive engines of the Lion engage, pressing him back in his chair through the effects of the inertial damping systems. “TAO, ETA to weapons range?”
“We’ll be within their weapons range in sixty seconds, sir,” Ruth answered; as she was speaking, the information on her console began to change. “Conn, TAO! Aspect change, Master Six-oh-one, Master Six-oh-two, Master Six-oh-three. All three contacts and their escorts are moving toward us on an intercept course, range, forty-thousand kilometers. Enemy vessels are now moving at flank speed, ETA twenty seconds to weapons range.”
“Conn, communications. Incoming message from Admiral Seville for you, sir.”
“Put it on my viewer, Lieutenant,” David said, wearing an amused smirk on his face. “Can’t think of a better way to pass the time.”
The face of Admiral Seville appeared on David’s monitor. “Ah, Colonel Cohen. We meet again.”
“Hasn’t been long enough, Admiral,” David replied, his voice a hard edge.
“I take it you’re in command after the gallant defeat of the noble Admiral Kartal?”
“Kartal’s smallest claw has more honor in it than your entire ship,” David ground out. “What do you want, Seville?”
“Ah… what do I want? Such an expansive question, Colonel Cohen. What I want… I want to be back on Earth, enjoying my life and the fruits of the League’s labor. I want to see the end of this conflict and humanity reunited.”
In spite of himself, David couldn’t help but smirk. “Sounds like you’re ready for retirement, Admiral. We could help you fill out the paperwork if you’d like?”
“Such a generous offer! I see that wit of yours hasn’t dulled with time. Ah, but we didn’t come here to trade banter, did we? I’d like to offer you the opportunity to surrender before your fleet is crushed between my forces. There’s no need for such an extreme loss of life.”
David leaned forward in his chair, his face twitching with anger. How does this man live with himself? He’s got the gall to make it sound like he wants to avoid loss of life? “I appreciate the offer, Admiral. But I’d rather destroy the ships you’ve placed in front of us, come back later, and finish the job.”
“Taking pleasure in killing doesn’t become a religious man, Colonel Cohen.”
“Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. What you have done to others will be visited on you. That’s straight from the Torah, Admiral. Now I think we’re about ready to engage your forces, unless you’d rather warn them off?”
“I think not, Colonel. See you in the gulag,” Seville replied, his face curled up in a smirk.
The vidlink feed blinked off.
“Conn, TAO! Entering maximum weapons range of enemy contacts.”
David grimly looked forward. “TAO, match bearings, shoot, all weapons, Master Six-oh-two.”
Weapons fire lashed out from the Lion of Judah, slamming into the shields of the first League battleship in its sights. All around the Lion, her consorts filled space with bright neutron cannon beams, magnetic-cannon rounds, and what few missiles they had left. League escort craft exploded left and right; the Lancer cl
ass frigates and Cobra class destroyers were especially hard hit. But the League wasn’t defenseless, the weapons suites of the scores of enemy ships they faced gave as good as they got. David winced every time a CDF or RSN icon blinked out, another crew lost, another family that would never see their loved ones again.
“Conn, TAO! Repeated impacts on Master Six-oh-two’s forward shields. They’ve weakened substantially sir.”
David glanced up at this plot before he spoke toward Rachel. “Navigation, line us up perfectly with Master Six-oh-two.”
“Aye aye, sir, adjusting our heading.”
“TAO, firing point procedures, forward magnetic cannons, neutron beam emitters, and the forward particle beams, Master Six-oh-two.”
“Firing solution set, sir.”
“Navigation, TAO, confirm bearings matched for forward particle beam strike.”
Rachel glanced back at David. “Bearing matched, sir. We’re on target.”
David nodded, annoyed that she broke bridge protocol and took her eyes off the navigation station. “TAO, shoot, magnetic cannons and neutron beams.”
Another round of weapons fire exploded from the Lion, impacting the shields of the League battleship; David waited until those weapons had connected before ordering the next strike. “TAO, shoot, forward particle beams.”
Ruth pressed another button on her console, and the massive particle beams housed under the Lion’s flight decks opened up. The enormous draw of energy caused the lights on the ship to dim momentarily as power roared from them into the deep of space. The vessel was lined up nearly dead on with the Alexander class battleship, and all four beams struck its weakened forward shields. After a moment, those defensive screens failed, and the energy punched through the League vessel’s hull, turning it molten and eviscerating the ship. A few seconds later, secondary explosions began to bloom all over the battleship’s hull, followed by a massive explosion, which turned the once mighty vessel into a debris field.
Watching the tactical plot, at that moment, David had no remorse and no compassion. He just moved on to the next task. The enlisted members of the bridge crew, after so much loss, were ready for a victory. Shouts began to ring out, and Rachel joined in the cheering. David didn’t hear the master chief pipe up, so he did it for her. “As you were!” he bellowed. “Focus on the task at hand; there’s still two more battleships out there and a whole lot more Leaguers!”
Chastened, the personnel that had been cheering immediately fell silent and returned to their duties. Ruth then interrupted David’s thoughts. “Conn, TAO! Aspect change, Master Six-oh-one, and Six-oh-three. Enemy vessels are slowing down, sir.”
David looked back up at the tactical plot; it showed the two battleships on a course that would lead to one off his starboard quarter, the other off his port quarter. It was time to finish this fight before the trailing League ships caught up and made everything go sideways.
“TAO, firing point procedures, port side magnetic cannons, and neutron beams, Master Six-oh-one! Firing point procedures, starboard side magnetic cannons, and neutron beams, Master Six-oh-three!” David commanded in a calm and clear voice.
“Firing solutions set, sir,” Ruth responded automatically. After nine months of working together, they were an utterly synchronous team.
“Match bearings, shoot, all weapons.”
Now the Lion split her fire between the two League warships; although easily a match for one of the battleships, two at the same time was a different matter. The League ships, in slowing down, allowed themselves more time to focus fire on the Lion’s forward shield arc. Magnetic cannon and neutron beam fire crisscrossed space, while the League’s signature plasma-based weaponry thundered back in return. Hit after hit was landed by all three ships, their size and range making missed shots almost impossible.
“Conn, TAO! Forward shield collapse imminent, sir! Moderate damage to both vessels’ shielding,” Ruth reported as the exchange of fire continued.
“Navigation, flank speed. Take us into the debris field left by Master Six-oh-two. Everything we’ve got. TAO, what’s the status of our vertical launch array reloads?”
“Aye aye, sir! Answering flank speed,” Rachel called out, and even as she said it, David could feel the Lion move forward with just a little more purpose.
Ruth checked the status of the missile cells, then glanced back at David while shaking her head. “Sir, forward VRLS is fifteen minutes from positive reload. Aft VRLS is at seventy-five percent capacity.”
David’s mind raced. Only one launch array at seventy-five percent was still ninety missiles, but how many were Hunters? “TAO, how many Hunter missiles are loaded into the aft launch array?”
“Forty Hunters and fifty Starbolts, sir. Reloading teams are about to start work on the last cell—”
“Order them to cease reloading activities and make the aft VRLS ready for combat,” David interjected; forty Hunter missiles were enough for what he had in mind.
“Aye aye, sir.”
More rumblings shook the bridge; the League ships were connecting with plasma weaponry and had the Lion dialed in. David took the precious time to glance at the tactical plot of the entire battlespace; the Ajax class destroyers and the motley group of Saurian and CDF heavy cruisers were cutting through the League’s inferior ships, but the League was still drawing blood. As he watched, several friendly icons blinked out, indicating a destroyed vessel. While he reviewed the battlefield, there was a noticeable decrease in hits being taken to the Lion. Switching back to the localized view, he saw the Lion had entered the debris field from the destroyed battleship. That should buy us a few seconds for what I’ve got planned.
“TAO, firing point procedures, port side magnetic cannons, and neutron beams, Master Six-oh-one. Firing point procedures, starboard side magnetic cannons, and neutron beams, Master Six-oh-three. Load EMP rounds into all magnetic cannons.”
“Firing solutions set, sir.”
“TAO, firing point procedures, aft VRLS; twenty Hunters and twenty-five Starbolts, Master Six-oh-one! Firing point procedures, aft VRLS, twenty Hunters and twenty-five Starbolts, Master Six-oh-three! Make tubes one hundred twenty through two hundred ten ready in all respects and open outer doors.”
Aibek looked at David. “Take down their shields then use the Hunter missiles to strike killing blows?”
David cracked a smile. “Exactly, XO. We just have to stay alive long enough to do it.”
“Firing solutions set for missile armament, sir!” Ruth cut in.
“TAO, match bearings, shoot, all magnetic cannons, and neutron beams.”
Ruth pressed the corresponding buttons to fire the magnetic cannons, watching the shells race away from the Lion. Most of the shells struck home, exploding when they hit the energy barrier that protected the League warships. As soon as she detected fluctuations in the battleships shield energy, she followed up with full power neutron beam blasts.
“Conn, TAO! Master Six-oh-three shields have failed! Master Six-oh-one shielding is reduced to thirty-five percent effectiveness.”
“TAO, shoot, Hunters and Starbolts, Master Six-oh-three.”
Forty-five missiles erupted out of the aft missile array, one after the other every half a second.
“Conn, TAO! All missiles running hot, straight and normal. Impact in ten seconds on Master Six-oh-three.”
David stared at his tactical plot, which showed the missiles tracking into the icon for the League battleship. Point defense on the League ship knocked many of the Starbolt missiles down, but he’d expected that. Hunter‘s had an advanced artificial intelligence, and were far harder to evade, spoof, or destroy. Every last one of them hit the same quadrant of the enemy vessel, causing massive explosions that pierced the armor plating of the ship and damaged the inner hull.
“Conn, TAO! Master Six-oh-three is slowing forward momentum and has ceased coordinated firing. Some weapons appear to be under local control, but she’s essentially disabled.”
Well,
they’ve got guts. I’ll give them that… to keep firing weapons blindly while controlled only by the gun’s crew spoke to a level of commitment David rarely saw from the League. He opened his mouth to give the next order, but Ruth spoke first.
“Conn, TAO! Port shields close to collapse, sir,” Underscoring her point, the ship rocked under repeatedly plasma hits from the remaining League battleship. “Port shield failed!” Ruth followed up.
“Navigation, right full, thirty-five degrees up bubble, present our ventral shield to the enemy.”
“Aye aye, sir,” Rachel almost shouted back as she manipulated the controls to move the ship.
David felt the ship begin to adjust to its new heading, while the artificial gravity generators onboard made it appear as if the vessel had sharply tilted upwards for a split second before they compensated for the effect. Enemy fire continued to rake into the hull of the Lion, each hit registering as a shudder. Then the tremors were gone; the ventral shield was now taking the enemy fire. He looked at his plot as the Lion began to execute its turn, bringing the forward weaponry of the ship to bear on the final battleship that stood between them and escape.
“Conn, TAO! Aspect change, Master Six-oh-one! She’s coming about and maneuvering to attack our forward shield!” Ruth announced.
David looked back at the tactical plot one more time before locking his eyes on Rachel. “Navigation, come to course zero-six-zero, direct bearing on Master Six-oh-one!”
“Aye aye, sir, course adjusting!” Rachel answered, her voice a little more crisp and sure of itself.
“TAO, status of the forward particle beams?”
“Still recharging, sir—at least five more minutes,” Ruth replied.
We don’t have another five minutes. “We’ll have to make do with the rest of our weapons complement then,” David said aloud, with a sidelong glance at Aibek; the big Saurian was in his chair, but it seemed clear he was still suffering the adverse effects of his previous injury. “TAO, firing point procedures, forward magnetic cannons, and neutron beams, Master Six-oh-one.”
