Countdown

by John Walker

  “Thanks.” Justin changed course again, diving straight toward one of the satellites. He blasted away again, the shields catching every bolt. Wait a minute. He pulled up and away, flying toward Katya’s position. “Nina, what if we can damage these things just before they discharge? They have to use energy to do it… maybe they’ll be vulnerable.”

  “We’re about to prevent them from doing that,” Nina said, “but it might lower the shields in the process. I’ll give you a countdown of when to expect it.”

  “Thanks.” Justin came around, getting other ships to form up on him. They’d perform an attack run at the right moment, when they could potentially do the most damage. I hope my theory’s correct.

  Meanwhile, the Gold Empire pilots waged a brutal, savage fight with the ervas ships. It became clear they were fighting for their home just as surely as the enemy. If we lose here, they’re the ones who suffer. We’ll have a reasonable amount of time before we have to worry about these bastards getting to the border.

  He wondered if an attack force made it to any other target yet… if there were battles being waged elsewhere in the galaxy. Were they faring better? They don’t have to deal with these satellites so that’s possible. It all depended on how many vessels they were fighting… and which system the attack set upon.

  The satellites sparked, electricity dancing over the surface of the nearest one. Scans still didn’t give him any information about its status but that was good enough for him. “Get that thing!” Justin dove at it, opening fire. “All fighters, engage that satellite with everything you’ve got. Be daring, guys. We may not get another chance at this.”

  At first, he swore the shots were still being deflected… then the nose of the satellite burst free, cast off from a direct hit. “Yes! We can hurt it! Get it guys, get it!” Their combined firepower tore through the thrusters of the thing, causing it to spin toward the surface of the planet.

  In a matter of moments, it began to burn up, plunging into the atmosphere.

  “Scratch one!” Justin redirected, flying directly for the nearest one to them. They started powering up… he remembered what happened before. “Get behind them! Now! Everyone move!” He veered to get away from their sides just as the beams linked up. “They’re charging! Fire! Everyone fire now!”

  ***

  Noah winced as the Morrigan took a heavy blow from one of the smaller ships, a couple blasts that gave them a real knock. The tactical board showed a nightmare of casualties on both sides. Every ship took enough of a licking to be orange. That meant significant shield damage and some hull damage.

  “Scratch one,” Nina announced. “They got a satellite. Once they sent the jamming signal, that seemed to lower their defenses too.”

  “That’s great news,” Noah said. He inhaled to continue when the beams connected the various satellites again… though there was an obvious hole in the net. “Um… I thought that would prevent another attack. What’s going on, Mac? What happened?”

  “They are charging,” Mac replied, “but they cannot target. Not yet. By the time that’s done, they may well be able to though. The war dogs are coming online. I will have them initiate a larger jam. Something that should prevent the planet’s surface from interfering with the fight realistically.”

  “How?” Nina asked.

  “I’m having them land the ship directly on the building responsible for military affairs. They will annihilate it in short order. That will give us the breathing room we need… at least until more satellites come into range to stop us.”

  “Those things are going to fire again!” Dorian yelled. “If the last time is anything to go by, we’ve got less than two minutes and… what the hell? Someone’s coming through hyperspace!”

  Noah groaned. “Great… reinforcements? How many ships?”

  “Just one,” Dorian replied. “I… I’ve seen this signature before.” He turned in his seat. “Sir, that’s Tobin Loch! That bastard is back!”

  “Oh, we do not have time for you right now!” Noah clenched his fist. Maybe he’s got Rita with him. I might be able to get her back but… this isn’t really the time! We’re too busy! “Hail that piece of filth once he arrives. I want some answers from him.” But they didn’t have time to worry about it at the moment.

  Two destroyers converged on their position, laying into their front. Erica opened fire, catching one just right to open their side, popping a massive panel free. Scans indicated people were swept into space… a significant amount of their crew. Noah turned his attention to the other one as it veered away, giving them a broadside of turrets.

  Yes, pepper us with potshots, Noah thought. It won’t help you. He directed Erica to get after the next battleship, the real threats besides the satellites. We’ll worry about them shortly… when they get the chance to kill us again… or fail. I vote for the latter.

  ***

  Rita stood on the bridge of the Lockdown as they emerged from hyperspace. The chaos spread out before them took her breath away. She stood there, leaning on the safety rail with her eyes wide. So much debris… they’ve been at it for a bit. I can’t imagine how much they’ve already lost. Or how many people have died.

  She moved to a chair, strapping in. “What’re those satellites?” She asked.

  “Ervas tech,” Gabby said, “defensive satellites. They’re capable of high energy output.”

  “How do you just know that?” Rita looked at the woman. “Have you seen them before?”

  “Yes, around their colonies.” Gabby shrugged. “Mister Loch has had us brawl with the ervas before. We’ve seen some of their capabilities. Many of this ship’s functions are designed to defy them.”

  “How powerful are those things?”

  “Normal ships can’t withstand more than two attacks… usually only one.” Gabby tilted her head. “Our shields are powerful enough to absorb a full blast though.”

  “Give me a target trajectory of those things. Who are they going to hit if they go off?”

  Gabby took only ten seconds to reply. “I’ve put their silhouettes and names on the board.”

  Rita leaned forward to read them. The Morrigan was on the list. The others she wasn’t sure of. “Holy shit… put us between that vessel and the beams!” She slapped the arm of her chair. “Do it now! Move! Get us over there!”

  The pilot engaged the thrusters, hurling them forward. Rita found it odd how smooth the ride was, how little she felt the movement. The artificial gravity proved to be vastly superior to their own. As the ship careened toward their destination, the satellites began to glow brighter.

  “Come on!” Rita shouted. “Push it!”

  “We’ll get there in time,” Gabby said. “When they hit, what do you want to do with the power?”

  “Excuse me?” Rita asked.

  “We’ll absorb it and be able to throw it somewhere else. What do you want to take out? Range will be limited, unfortunately.”

  Rita smirked, looking over her options. She picked one of the ervas battleships. “Nail that one. Bring him down.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  This ship is incredible. Rita wished McCully and Zem would’ve joined her. They remained with Torrence and the others. None of them trusted the crew of the Lockdown. The general consensus remained that they’d be betrayed sooner than later. Whether or not that was true, they had to take the chance. And now we’re about to save a bunch of lives.

  Another thought dawned on her. They might not like this idea much. If it doesn’t work…

  Gabby’s confidence helped. They must’ve done it before. The others on the bridge worked diligently, a pilot and a tech officer. The systems aboard must’ve been complicated because neither bothered to look up. Their commander used her console to gather information on her own.

  “Can you hail the Morrigan?” Rita asked. “I have a feeling our rapid approach might make them a little nervous.” I should’ve thought of that the moment we arrived. The chaos got to her. I’m not a bridge officer
. This isn’t my schtick. Still, if the Confeds started shooting, they’d all be in a lot of trouble.

  ***

  “Communications are fuzzy,” Dorian said. “I’m having a hard time hailing the Loch’s ship but it’s coming in fast. Straight toward us!” He paused. “Their weapons are not online. What the hell are they doing?”

  “Ramming us?” Nina offered. “That wouldn’t make any sense.”

  “No.” Noah narrowed his eyes. “Erica, prepare for evasive maneuvers. We’ll have to time this if we don’t want them to adjust and get us anyway. In fact…”

  “They’re firing!” Dorian shouted.

  That’s…too fast! Noah opened his mouth, ready to shout an order to move. The beam winked into existence…he felt convinced they were done. We’ve got seconds to live. His breath caught in his throat as the beams burst from the different satellites, tearing into the dark of space for another assault.

  Noah didn’t close his eyes… but neither did the world as he knew it end. He looked around, shocked… elated… confused. Nina exchanged a glance with him before turning to Dorian. The viewscreen had switched back to the tactical mode rather than displaying the action directly in front of them.

  “What happened?” Nina asked. “Um… why are we alive?”

  “Shit!” Dorian grunted, tapping his panel. “I twitched.” The viewscreen shifted, giving them a view of Loch’s vessel parked practically in front of them. A tremendous beam burst forth from the bow, cutting through the nearest ervas battleship… effectively annihilating it as if it had been the victim of the shuttles.

  “I… need to talk to them,” Noah said. “What the hell is going on?”

  “The attack took out the rest of the Gold Empire scout vessels,” Dorian announced. “We lost three more destroyers. Looks like that’s all they got. I’m working on comms with the… pirate… ship thing.”

  “Readings from the satellites,” Mac added, “indicate the power level was considerably lower. They must have fired before the system was ready. Combine that with being down a satellite, and they made an error. That attack may not have destroyed a larger vessel. I would say crippling would’ve been possible though.”

  “Understood.” Noah got on the comms that were working, directly to Wilmarth. “Listen, can you guys finish the last battleship? I’m charging those satellites to help the fighters take them down.”

  “Sounds good,” Wilmarth replied. “Make it happen.”

  “Gaston,” Noah said, “give us some cover. Blast whatever smaller ship tries to come at us. We’re heading out. Erica, you heard the order. Close on the planet’s surface ASAP.”

  Nina leaned close. “I’d recommend we go at it from an angle in order to mitigate the possibility they’ll blast us with those weapons again.”

  “That should not be a problem,” Mac seemed to overhear her from the microphone. “The war dogs have come online and are making their descent to the planet’s surface. They will be in position in less than five minutes at their current rate of speed.”

  “Are you kidding?” Erica asked the question. “That must mean they’re really hauling ass! Pulling… I don’t even want to think about the kind of g’s they’re experiencing.”

  “They don’t care,” Noah replied. “They can pretty much go as fast as the engines will let them and likely pop out before they even reach the surface.” He turned to Dorian. “Do you have the comms yet? We need to talk to that ship.”

  “I’m working on it, sir.”

  “Captain Markel?” Wilmarth’s voice came through the speakers. “That’s Tobin Loch’s ship! How did it…I don’t even know what to say…absorb? How did it collect that energy?”

  “We’re trying to find out,” Noah replied. “As soon as we get through to them.” He didn’t want to move before they knew what was going on, but they were on the clock. If those lasers attacked a third time, he had no idea if they’d survive…or if the pirate vessel could pull the same trick again.

  “I’ve got them!” Dorian shouted. “Putting it on screen!”

  Rita’s image flickered into view. Noah let out a sigh of relief. “I had a quiet suspicion you were involved!”

  “How’s it going, Cap?” Rita grinned. “As you can see, this ship is highly advanced and crazy amazing. I’m going to take a stab at the plan and say you want those satellites out of commission. Pretty much it?”

  Noah nodded. “Yes, indeed. We need to get moving.” He pointed at Erica. “Get us underway. Rita, will you be accompanying us?”

  “We’re on it,” Rita said. “Forming up on your port side.” The screen returned to normal.

  Now we’re getting somewhere. Noah leaned back, letting himself relax. He still hadn’t entirely recovered from the moment he swore they were on the verge of death… when the blasts came their way.

  It’s okay. That wasn’t our time. The enemy ships are all but destroyed… their last defense is on the way out. Hold the line, Markel. Just a little longer.

  ***

  Justin laid into another of the satellites, biting into the metal with every hit. The damn thing seemed tougher than the first one they took out but then he realized there weren’t as many ships taking it on. Many of his allies had to hold the line against the fighters, even with the Gold Empire at their backs.

  The escorts broke from the war dog shuttle. It made its way down to the surface, breaking atmosphere. That gave them a handful of fighters to join the fray, which he hoped might be enough to take down at least two of their targets. Even as he painted them on the screen, he felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

  If we can barely hurt the second one, how the hell are we going to take out nine more of these in any sort of real order?

  Another surge of energy showed up on his scanner, indicating the satellites were on the verge of firing again. Justin cried out for everyone to scatter. He dove toward the surface in an effort to evade the beams. A couple screams over his comm were cut short. He checked the HUD for confirmation of who might have been lost… what might’ve happened.

  “Sound off! Immediate squadron!”

  “Barker here.”

  “Porter present.”

  “Lancaster made it… but sir…”

  Come on… no! Justin spun around, hitting the satellite from behind. He didn’t want to hear the report. Some part of him already knew what they were going to say. They needed to stay quiet so she could speak up, to let herself be accounted for after the blast. When the satellites fired…

  “Katya…” Lancaster cleared her throat. “She’s… I saw her ship…”

  Goddamn son of… Justin swallowed back his feelings, thrusting them into his gut. He came dangerously close to his target before veering around it. The afterburners shoved him hard into his seat, giving him something else to think about other than the death of his friend… his second-in-command.

  “Barker,” Justin cleared his throat to try again, “Barker, you’ve been promoted. Keeping hitting those things. We cannot let them go again!” He bit his lip as he flipped around, prepping to make another pass. Losing someone close to him made the situation feel dire, worse than he thought it could get.

  The ships kept battering at their target, melting bits but not quite closing the deal. I hope the Morrigan gets here soon. We’ll never get through all of them otherwise.

  ***

  Rita received a private communication request, one that came from the Morrigan but not the bridge. She tapped it, stepping away from Gabby. So far, the commander hadn’t questioned their attack into ervas space too much. It was only a matter of time before she started wondering what happened to her boss.

  “Who is this?” Rita kept her voice low.

  “Your damn brother!” Oliver replied. “What the hell’s going on? Noah just told me you’re okay and on some pirate ship. What happened?”

  “Can’t really talk about it right now,” Rita said. “What’re you doing over there?”

  “Keeping order mostly. The last
mission they ran some assholes got aboard and caused real trouble. I had to make sure it didn’t happen again. Anyway, everyone’s fine this time. Why can’t you talk?”

  “Take three guesses,” Rita rasped. “Seriously, I can barely talk to you right now. This is a precarious situation. Just know that we’re good. Um… I do have bad news.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Nostros…” Rita looked back at Gabby. The woman was not paying any attention at all. “He… he didn’t make it.”

  “Goddamn it, what happened?”

  “We’ll tell you later. He was our only casualty.” Rita cleared her throat. “We’ll talk soon, brother. Stay safe over there.”

  “You too.”

  Rita returned to Gabby. “How close are we to the targets?”

  “Getting there.” Gabby turned to a woman on the left. “How’re we doing on the reactive armor?”

  “Still recharging, ma’am. One more minute.”

  “Is that what allowed us to take the blast?” Rita asked. “How’d you get that?”

  “Some kind of tech we discovered in the frontier,” Gabby said. “Loch brought us to a variety of bases. We’ve been incorporating things into this vessel for quite some time. In fact…” She motioned to the pilot. “You should be in range to start firing. Take the ones on our far left first. They’re away from the allied fighters.”

  “You can shoot them from here?” Rita wasn’t incredibly familiar with ship-based weaponry, not to the point of knowing how effective their range was. What she did understand came down to targeting. Distance messed with the computer’s ability to make reasonable adjustments to the weapons.

  Apparently, not a problem here.

  “Easily.” Gabby motioned. “Watch.” The weapons discharged… one of the shuttles winked out of existence, gone before it even had the chance to burst into flames. “Target the next one.” She paused, checking her terminal. “You’ve got less than two minutes before they can fire again… less time if they don’t care about the power.”