A salvo of missiles streaked across the bay and then another. The tactical reported several gauss impacts on the energy shield and then missiles exploded in their hundreds. Recker’s eyes darted to the reserve gauge, which had dropped but was already climbing again. More explosions briefly halted its climb and then up it went again.
“The Ixidar is drawing on its ternium modules to boost the shield recharge, sir,” said Eastwood. “At this rate, neither the Extractor nor the mode 3 will become available.”
“In that case, we’ll have to clear some of this chaff from the bay,” said Recker. “When things quieten down, we won’t need our shield so much.”
The words were bold, when in fact the combat had hardly started. Hundreds of missiles came in from every direction, their plasma encircling the Ixidar’s shield, and Recker guessed the only thing keeping the Lavorix from completely saturating the bay with missiles was because they had so many damn ships crowded inside.
He fired the destroyer cannon again, turning the outer five hundred metres of a battleship into crumbling flakes. The Ixidar crashed into the fragmenting innards of the stricken craft and it exploded into particles.
“End of the bay coming up,” said Montero. Her hands moved with greater certainty across the sensor panel and Recker had no complaints about the visibility she provided.
He slowed the Ixidar to a standstill while maintaining the tumble. The next charged cannon pointed on target and he fired it into a cluster of three rapidly moving cruisers.
“Back we go,” he said, tapping into the engines.
The Ixidar raced along the bay and Recker fired the next cannon instinctively, cutting an enemy battleship in half. The intact front section began spinning and collided with a second vessel nearby.
Before Recker knew it, the Ixidar was up against the entrance doors again. He fired a cannon at a pair of clamped heavies and accelerated for the other end of the bay. On the forward feed, he could see movement everywhere. Lavorix warships sped to and fro, jostling for position. Missiles he sensed as fast-moving blurs which turned into fiery spheres of incredible heat.
All the while, the Ixidar’s cannons charged and discharged to devastating effect. Every Lavorix warship was now in flight and the double hits were harder to come by. Recker didn’t try to complicate matters and he took each shot without hesitation, pulverising the enemy ships and turning them into dust.
“We received another shut down code, sir,” said Eastwood. “The stupid idiots sent it to the primary controller again.”
“It won’t be long until they figure it out,” said Recker.
The Ixidar came to the bay’s end and he set off for the opposite one, discharging the cannon at the same time. At some point during the last transit of the bay, Recker’s grasp of the method had improved enormously and he’d figured out how to control the speed of the Ixidar’s tumble so that the next charged cannon would be aimed in the direction he intended. No longer was he taking snap shots at whatever target happened to be in the sights – now he was hitting the most threatening enemy warships each time.
“I feel like a die on the craps table,” said Eastwood.
Under constant bombardment, the Ixidar accelerated along the bay. Testing his skills, Recker veered left and right, each movement producing a crunching impact with a Lavorix spaceship. Despite its mass, the Ixidar was incredibly manoeuvrable and he had no problem keeping clear of the bay walls.
“Down to fifty-eight targets, sir,” said Montero.
Instead of reducing the quantity of inbound missiles, thinning the enemy numbers gave them greater space from which to fire unimpeded. For a time, the Ixidar’s shield was so thickly wrapped in plasma that the reserve gauge fell steadily.
“I think we’ve reached the limits of what the hardware can do, sir,” said Eastwood. “If this continues, our chances of firing the Extractor are slim and the chances of a mode 3 escape are zero.”
“We’re walking the edge, Lieutenant,” said Recker. “Sooner or later, the enemy will send that shutdown code to the secondary or tertiary controllers and if we’re not out of here before then, we’ll be killed and the enemy will retrieve the Ixidar.”
The moment he said the words, Recker understood the choices which lay ahead. If the Lavorix recovered the Ixidar, they’d use it to punishing effect against the HPA and Daklan fleets, while the only way to prevent them from taking back the warship was to mode 3 out of the bay.
There’s another way, Recker thought. I could switch off the shield and let the enemy destroy the Ixidar.
The idea was the best way to keep the warship out of the enemy’s hands, but at the same time, it guaranteed the deaths of everyone onboard. Gritting his teeth, Recker shot down another Lavorix warship and then a second when the next cannon had charged.
“Whatever happens to us, doing what we’re doing to the enemy feels great,” said Montero.
Recker wondered if she’d read his expression or if she’d arrived at the same conclusion herself. Either way, he was glad that Montero had put a positive swing on the situation.
“Each one of these enemy ships we take down is one less our fleet has to face,” he said.
The Ixidar was at the end of the bay and Recker repeated the same routine of flying at high speed for the opposite wall, banking left and right, up and down to strike the enemy warships. Meanwhile, the Lavorix fired without cease and the Ixidar’s shield fell below fifty percent. It wasn’t going to be enough to prevent Recker finishing off every last one of them – as long as the shutdown code didn’t arrive first – and he accepted without guilt the feeling of euphoria which came from turning one of the enemy’s primary weapons against them.
“Down you go!” said Montero when another of the enemy battleships was turned into particles.
For once, the Lavorix had no answer to the merciless punishment Recker meted out. His lips drew back into something that wasn’t quite a smile and not quite a snarl and he gave the enemy everything the Ixidar was capable of.
“Thirty targets remaining, sir,” said Montero. “Make that twenty-nine.”
“Still no shutdown code,” said Eastwood.
When the number of Lavorix warships fell to twenty-five – mostly cruisers, with a couple of heavies – their bombardment was not enough to prevent the Ixidar’s shield reserves from stabilising at thirty percent. Even so, it was frustrating for Recker that the continued drain on the propulsion was keeping the Extractor and the mode 3 options unavailable.
“This is crazy,” said Montero, shaking her head in wonder.
Three more Lavorix warships went down and then a fourth. Their decaying carcasses dropped to the bay floor, to join the ever-growing mountains of dust and part-disintegrated hulls left by the Ixidar’s onslaught.
By this point, the incoming firepower was reduced enough for the shield reserves to nose upwards. Recker felt no better for it – with each passing second, he felt closer to the brink. A decision would have to be made, whether he liked it or not.
The final heavy cruiser went the way of the others and a solid impact knocked a smaller cruiser into a second. The collision happened just as both spaceships were launching missiles and a salvo from the first craft tore apart a third Lavorix spaceship at the extreme end of the bay.
Recker took a deep breath. “I’m sorry folks, I’ve got to do what I think is right. We can’t let the enemy have this warship back in one piece.”
“No need to apologise,” said Eastwood. “Do what you have to do.”
Hoping he was making the right choice, Recker reached out and switched off the Ixidar’s shield.
Chapter Thirteen
Hundreds of missiles cascaded into the Ixidar’s unprotected faces, putting a second of the destroyer cannons out of action. The other four remained operational and Recker disintegrated one cruiser and collided with a second. Here, deep within the Ixidar’s hull, he felt nothing of the impact and nothing of the explosions which left the exterior plating in a patchwork crate
red mess of burning alloy.
“The Extractor should be available soon, sir!” yelled Eastwood in excitement. “Now the shield isn’t sucking up our spare output, there’s plenty available for the other onboard systems!”
“Whoa, I’ve got an inbound comms request from the Gorgadar!” said Montero, almost jumping from her seat.
It was news Recker had not anticipated and it almost broke his concentration. “Accept the request!”
“It’s Lieutenant Burner, sir,” Montero said. “The Gorgadar is still in the DEKA-L system and Commander Aston is holding position at extreme range.”
Recker had the Extractor activation controls up on his screen and he checked if it was ready to fire. It wasn’t and the readout gave no indication of how much longer it required. “What are Commander Aston’s intentions?”
“She has not committed to a plan, sir - she was unaware of our situation.” Montero broke off the conversation with Lieutenant Burner. “The enemy warships have stopped firing!”
Montero was right. A few missiles, launched before the Lavorix received the cease order, crashed into the Ixidar’s plating, their explosions pitiful against the vast expanses of hardened alloy. The enemy had stopped attacking but Recker had no intention of doing so. He fired the charged cannon, scoring a direct hit on one of the dwindling number of enemy warships.
“Why?” said Eastwood. “They were firing just a moment ago.”
Recker cursed himself for a fool. “The Lavorix know the Laws of Ancidium better than we do - they wanted to slow the Extractor recharging and to stop us using a mode 3 escape. They could only accomplish that by bombarding our energy shield.”
“If they know the Ixidar so well, they must be aware both the Extractor and a mode 3 transit will become available that much faster now that the shield is down. There’s no way they’re letting us get out of this,” said Eastwood. “Unless…”
“Shutdown code,” said Recker.
“Damnit, they just sent it!” yelled Eastwood. “This one’s being diverted into both the secondary and tertiary controllers.”
A light appeared on Recker’s console. “Extractor available!” he shouted.
His hands moved at once and he touched the Extractor activation button. A targeting option came up and he directed the firing cone as quickly as he could towards the Ancidium’s stern and discharged the weapon.
At the same moment, the Ixidar’s propulsion fell utterly silent and Recker’s link to the weapons systems was cut.
“Sensors going offline,” said Montero. “Sensors dead and I’ve been kicked out of the comms channel to the Gorgadar.”
The bulkhead screens went dark, denying the crew a sight of what was happening in the bay. Recker quickly checked the other menus and discovered that nothing was available. He swore and smashed his clenched fist on the panel.
“Did the Extractor fire?” asked Montero.
“Yes,” said Recker. “I’m sure it did.” He swore again. “The shutdown code stops me running an audit.”
“The life support is active,” said Eastwood. “Which is a good thing since we’re about to impact.”
Mentally, Recker predicted when and where the Ixidar would come down. He knew the bay had gravity not so different to that on most populated planets, and the warship had been travelling at speed towards the bay’s end, while a variation he’d introduced in its path, in combination with the tumble suggested the Ixidar’s landing would not be a soft one.
A distant thud and a boom came to Recker’s ears. He listened carefully and it got louder, becoming a scrape and a shudder.
“All the way through nine thousand metres of alloy,” said Eastwood. “I guess that means we’re down.”
“What now?” asked Montero.
“Did you learn anything from Lieutenant Burner?” asked Recker.
“Only what I told you, sir. I don’t think they want to risk the Gorgadar, but they’re too loyal to fly off and not come back.” Montero met Recker’s eye. She was a smart one.
“I don’t think there’s anything they can do,” he said. “We can’t lose the Gorgadar.”
“How did they even get a signal to us through the Ancidium’s walls?” asked Montero.
“An FTL comm will bypass anything,” said Recker.
She nodded in understanding. “And since our suit comms lack an FTL receiver, they can’t speak to us now.”
“Got it in one, Corporal.”
Recker stood and looked around the bridge, while he pondered their position. “We destroyed plenty of the Lavorix warships, but I’m not sure I can call this a victory,” he said. “The Ixidar’s armour took a pounding there, yet its energy shield generator is still operational. All it needs to destroy our fleet is guns and that shield. The Ancidium doesn’t even need to get involved.”
“The Ixidar lost another gun,” Montero pointed out.
“Four’s enough, Corporal.”
“And wouldn’t those have been squashed by our landing?” she asked.
“They’re probably designed to retract.”
“In that case, can we disable the operational guns with explosives or something?” she asked. “Or what if we locate the shield generator and Private Enfield lays a whole pack of charges on it?”
“The shield generator modules on the Aeklu and Verumol were about a thousand metres cubed,” said Eastwood. “All of Private Enfield’s charges wouldn’t make any more than a scratch on the surface.”
Montero climbed from her seat and began pacing in a way that reminded Recker of himself. He’d have laughed if the situation weren’t so grim.
“There’s got to be something we can do,” she said. “Can’t we warm up one of the shuttles and lightspeed out of here? It’ll be a while before the Lavorix can put enough soldiers inside the Ixidar to prevent us reaching one of the bays.”
“Nice idea but the shuttles will be affected by the shutdown code as well,” said Eastwood. “If someone stole one of your warships, you wouldn’t want them escaping once you’d put the vessel into an offline state.”
“I guess,” said Montero.
Recker was suddenly taken by her enthusiasm. It was how he’d been once, in the dim and distant past. Now every decision he made carried such a weight that he could no longer afford to get anything wrong, and it had made him shrink within himself. He missed how he used to be.
“The Gorgadar’s shuttle might not be affected by the shutdown code,” said Recker suddenly. “It’s lightspeed capable.”
“I’d rather live to fight another day than be captured, tortured and killed by the Lavorix, sir,” said Eastwood.
“You and me both, Lieutenant.” Recker had a worrying thought. “An HPA shutdown code doesn’t disable a warship’s internal doors. The Lavorix might do things differently.”
“Only one way to find out,” said Montero. She strode to the door and touched the access panel. “Not working. Damn.”
“That one requires special codes before it’ll open, Corporal,” said Recker. He approached and tried it himself. The door opened. “If this one works, they’ll all work.”
“That’s great, sir. Those Lavorix are going to be hopping mad when they arrive and find us missing.”
The urgency of the situation wasn’t lost on Recker, and time was passing. He called for Vance and Shadar to meet him at the bottom of the bridge steps and he descended to meet them.
“It is a shame we must concede the Ixidar to its creators,” said Shadar. “I can see you have no option, Captain Recker.”
“It sticks in my craw, Sergeant. Maybe things could have worked out differently, but here we are. We’ve got a chance to escape – assuming the Gorgadar’s shuttle is operational – and I intend to take it.”
Vance didn’t do anything other than acknowledge their circumstances and began shouting orders at the squad. The Daklan responded too, in the same way the human soldiers responded to Shadar. Only a year ago, Recker would have never thought he’d see it happen, yet now it se
emed natural.
“We should move,” said Sergeant Shadar.
“This way to the lift,” said Recker.
The internal shuttle wasn’t far and he sprinted for it. When he stopped at the panel used to summon the car, he felt concern again at the thought of what the shutdown code might have disabled. Recker’s worries were unfounded – the car hadn’t moved since it first brought the squad to the bridge and the doors opened immediately.
“How long will it take the enemy to establish themselves within the Ixidar?” asked Vance, while the car descended to the lower station.
Recker had been mulling the same question and hadn’t arrived at a satisfactory answer. “I don’t know, is the simple answer, Sergeant. The Ixidar has plenty of shuttle bays and they’re the most obvious ingress points.”
“They’d have to find an empty docking bay or remote pilot out an existing shuttle,” said Vance. “If it were me, I’d fly out every docked shuttle, bring in my troop carriers and fill the Ixidar with as many soldiers as I could lay my hands on.”
“At which moment, you’d notice if one shuttle didn’t respond to remote access requests,” said Recker, spotting where Vance was leading. “Damn.”
Recker had been relying on slipping off the Ixidar while the Ancidium’s troops landed elsewhere. If Vance was correct, that might not be so easily accomplished. “We’ve got to move fast,” he said.
The lift car descended rapidly, but not rapidly enough for Recker’s liking and it was hard not to fidget.
“We’re going down an extra stop this time,” he said. “That’ll take us out closer to the shuttle.”
“The way we should have come first time around, you mean, sir?” asked Private Drawl.
Recker's Chance Page 10
