Whip's day had been less eventful. Her day time been spent in study of tactical planning and, more specifically, on what were the best practices for weapons use that had come from the simulations. We still had very little real-world weapons data, as our engagements with the enemy fighters had been limited.
I filled the crew in on Paige's discovery and accomplishment and then gave the bad news that we had probably lost her to the realms of research. Everyone warmly welcomed Chad.
We were soon connected to our DSim and heavily involved in destroying the simulated enemy while trying to protect ourselves. Chad quickly proved his worth. At the completion of our second scenario, I was startled by a warbling sound from my implant. It was Paige. I rolled my eyes at how quickly I had forgotten we had a direct channel to one another.
I answered, and Paige began to detail her morning’s events. The team had agreed to leave the one QE comm channel between us intact, and when not in use for testing, it was available to us. I was elated at the news and took a bit of comfort in the fact that she had insisted I keep my end of the connection. It gave me hope she might harbor some of the same personal feelings for me that I had for her.
She said she was unsure of when she would be able to talk again, as they had been busily ordering truckloads of the equipment used to create entangled particles.
At about forty thousand tries per entanglement, it looked like the fleet would not be rolling out this new technology to the masses anytime soon. I thanked Paige for keeping me in the loop, and we ended the conversation with a prolonged goodbye.
As I turned to tell the others about Paige, Red chimed in with a shocker. One of the crewmen on Defender A15 had taken ill, and a replacement offensive specialist was needed. My first thought was that we were going to lose Whip.
Then Red barked out that I was to report to conference room D422 to meet with my new team. I was being called up to active duty early because of the QE comm device in my head.
Channel 1647 was going to be tapped into by Battle Command at Paige's end and by the squadron at my end. We were to be a bridge for instant communications between the ground and our ships in battle.
Chad had me unhooked and was congratulating me as we walked together toward D422. I was bothered that I had not been given the chance to say goodbye to my crew. That, and the fact I was now heading into a completely new situation, had my nerves on edge. Chad picked up on it during the walk and cut back on his normal chatter.
Even though we had studied each position thoroughly, I was not a weapons officer. I had little experience in the DSim on when to activate and deploy weapons when under the gun. I viewed my handful of scenarios training at it on level one as wholly inadequate.
When I arrived, I was greeted by the A15 team and was immediately quizzed about the QE comm. I gave them my limited explanation, after which we were thrust into a briefing of the upcoming mission.
We had one week to train before an attempt was to be made at taking out the remaining two alien craft. I expected the new crew to be working me harder than a rented mule during that time. We practiced scenario after scenario of attacks against two alien fighters just to toughen us up.
I was a wreck and made the same mistakes again and again. I began to doubt my ability to run my post. When I was sent into battle, would I be a liability for my team instead of an asset? The thought clawed at my subconscious.
The simulations were run with eight Defenders against two alien craft. Each time, we came away victorious but at the expense of more than half our ships. It was beginning to look like a suicide mission.
Chapter 9
* * *
On the morning of the planned attack, we were assembled for a short briefing in room D422. Word then came down that A15 was to be used as a communications ship only. We would maintain a station well away from the action but close enough to keep Command's communications with the other Defenders near instantaneous. I wondered what the need was, with the fighting taking place so close to Earth, where our communications were already near immediate.
I was then told the purpose of our being there was to work out any kinks with using channel 1647 as our comm link. For A15, it would not be much more than a training run. Go, park, sit, and be nothing more than a comm channel.
From the conference room, we were taken into the hallway of doors and walked to an elevator at one end. The elevator took us down what I would guess was another four floors. We exited into a heavily guarded holding room for a thorough bio-identity check before being led through a heavy door into another room. The room contained another track, with six large doors on the walls.
One of the doors opened, and a minibus-sized vehicle rolled out on the tracks. We boarded the minibus and were strapped in tightly, and the door closed behind us. Once again we were in complete darkness. I could then feel the movement of the vehicle as it began to spin slowly. After it stopped, I could hear one of the doors opening and could then feel the minibus moving through the door.
After the door closed behind us, we sat quietly for several seconds. Then the dramatic acceleration began. We were pressed back in our seats through five solid minutes of increasing speed followed by another five minutes of deceleration. I could only imagine how far we had traveled. Moments after the minibus came to a stop, it began to once again spin. When it finished, we were left completely disoriented as to the direction we had come from.
The door opened to a soft light, and several crewmen came in to assist us in our exit. The eight members of team A15 were then hustled into the next room, where another complete bio-identity scan was done.
We were next herded through several more hallways and elevator rides before emerging in a hangar at Regents Field. The hangar housed the Defenders for the day's mission. There sat our loaf of bread with a big "A15" sign sitting on an easel beside it.
The adrenaline began to pump as we approached our ship. The sodium oxide coating was almost pure white... it was a breathtaking sight. When first told of the coating, I wondered why the Defender would not ignite and burst into flames if it came into contact with moist air.
We had quickly learned that an extreme high-temperature ionized bonding process allowed the coating to bind with the aluminum shell of the Defender in a way that repelled interaction with water. It was one of the only pieces of technology on the ship I could grasp. That understanding was the first and only benefit I had ever derived from my chemistry degree.
We boarded the Defender from the rear and made our way to our stations. It still felt strange to me to be sitting at the offensive post. Chad quickly had me buckled in and connected. The handlers exited, the door was closed, and the Defender powered up. This was it. We were going into space to battle an enemy that, to date, had us outclassed and outgunned.
I went through my checklist and reported my station status to the pilot. We had forty thousand rounds of tungsten coil gun pellets and a complement of eight BHD-tipped, active-skinned nuclear warheads.
One new addition to the warheads had been an improved sensor that would allow better tracking of the alien vessels. The BHD warheads were now essentially "fire and forget." The warhead would detonate if it came within five hundred meters of its intended target. The advance would make my job much easier if my station was called upon. Pop up a screen, select a target, activate a warhead for delivery, and then press a flashing yellow holo-button.
The squadron of eight Defenders lifted from the ground and slowly made their way out of the hangar. Other than the slightest sensation of movement, the experience was no different than that of a DSim.
We taxied to a point and tilted straight up, and within seconds we were leaving the atmosphere. We quickly reached a rendezvous point 150,000 kilometers from Earth. Orders were given, and the seven Defenders advanced on the alien targets as our ship sat idle.
Once the Defenders were within forty thousand kilometers, my combat display lit up. All fifty-six of the BHD warheads aboard the seven ships were fired at once. The ima
ge on my holo-display was insanity.
The BHD nukes had immediately locked onto their targets and were closing in rapidly. The alien fighters began immediate evasive actions. The actions taken were unexpected. The fighters dove straight down into the atmosphere and headed toward the largest undefended city on the ground.
Ground fighters would be scrambled to defend it, and they would be no match for the alien craft. As a consequence of their tactic, the BHD nukes all activated their fail-safe modes. The nuke would disarm, the sensors would disengage from their intended targets, and the BHD drives would take the devices back to Regents Field, where they would land harmlessly.
Nukes going off over a major city would not bring victory. Before my commander had the chance to stop me, I took the initiative to launch two of our BHD nukes. They would sit silently for ten minutes with the active skin shielding their existence.
I was quickly chastised for the move. The ground commander came on, asking why I had wasted two of our weapons. I said I had done it as a precaution in case the alien craft headed our way. Only moments had passed before the announcement was made that they were indeed coming after the seven Defenders that had fired upon them.
I watched in anger as all seven ships turned tail and ran. They had already been given orders to evade and return to base. As the alien fighters shot up through the atmosphere, they both made a hard turn and headed in our direction. Their angle of attack prevented us from returning directly to Regents Field.
As our pilot turned us away from the oncoming ships and accelerated, I launched another BHD warhead with a one-minute activation delay. I had programmed it to turn on and then seek out the nearest enemy fighter.
Again the Battle Commander came on the comm, asking what I was doing. I told him I was protecting my crew and taking a shot at eliminating the enemy. He again reiterated that our orders were to evade the enemy and return to base.
I suggested to our pilot that he take us for a swing around the moon, where we would have a chance of evading the attackers and then returning to Regents Field through our initial rendezvous point. I was initially denied my request until I told him of my plan.
I reasoned we had the two BHD warheads sitting there that we could possibly use against our pursuers. After a few moments of thinking about it, he changed course for the moon. At the same time we turned, the one-minute delay on the last BHD warhead concluded and the warhead went active. It immediately turned and began its pursuit of the nearest alien fighter.
We now had the two fighters chasing us and one BHD warhead chasing them. As soon as we passed behind the safety of the moon, we began a long, arcing curve of a turn to get ourselves lined up to return to Regents Field through the initial rendezvous point.
The two BHD warheads I had left in waiting had also been programmed to activate and seek the nearest alien craft. I had our pilot slow our speed slightly to allow our pursuers to think they were catching up. The closer they came to that point, the better chances we had to unleash my surprise.
The alien fighters slowly closed in on us as the one BHD warhead closed in on them. We passed the rendezvous point, and seconds later the two BHD warheads activated. The alien fighters were caught between the three warheads. The fighters turned in opposite directions and began making sharp directional corrections.
The BHD warheads were relentless in their pursuit. Again the alien craft had the turning-radius advantage over us, but the warheads continued to challenge. My battle display was a mosaic of wide turns and flashing beacons. The fighter with two BHDs in pursuit soon met its fate. Two bright flashes told the story as the fighter was turned into small bits of space junk.
The second fighter began moving from side to side, using its gravity weapon from about two kilometers’ distance. The tactic worked, as the BHD soon lost its only sensor and the alien fighter was free to move away.
I got on the comm and begged the Battle Commander to allow us to pursue. I was denied. We returned to Regents Field, landed, and taxied into the hangar. I was dejected. On one hand I felt vindicated for my use of the BHD warheads, while on the other I felt I had not gone far enough. Had I launched one or two or three more, we might have taken out the remaining alien fighter.
As the rear door to the Defender opened, I expected a screaming ground commander and a visit to the brig. Chad was the first handler in, and he had orders. Our team was to wait there because General Buck was on his way up. I looked around the hangar with the external cameras and wondered what all the commotion was. The seven other Defenders were quickly being reloaded with BHD warheads.
General Buck arrived a few minutes later. He came straight into our Defender and straight to my chair. After staring at me for a moment, he then barked out an order. I was to be the offensive commander for the squadron.
He congratulated our crew on an outstanding performance and set us as the lead Defender to go back up after the remaining alien fighter. General Buck then put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed hard. He remarked that I knew how to piss them off and get things done. He wanted me to give the orders as to what our next strategy would be.
At first I was a little overwhelmed. This was a lot of responsibility being thrust upon me. Then I thought about what our mission was. We were defending our families, our homes, our freedom, and our way of life.
I wasn’t sure why, but I was suddenly very confident of my ability to lead. That happy-go-lucky attitude I had always laid claim to, now seemed like something I had seen in a movie. I was different… I felt... different.
As soon as the General left, I heard the warble sound from channel 1647. It was Paige calling to congratulate me. I told her I was happy to hear her voice, and the remainder of the conversation ended up being nothing more than small talk. We again said our long goodbyes before the channel once again was given over to Battle Command.
I had a difficult time getting the image of a smiling Paige out of my head. With her blonde hair, big brown eyes, and the way she carried herself when she walked, I had no doubt I was in love.
My moment of Zen was soon broken as the other Defender commanders began to give status. Within minutes, the BHD warheads had been replenished and the order to head out was given.
This time three Defenders were sent ahead to take up position to prevent the lone alien fighter from diving into the atmosphere. It soon recognized what was happening and turned itself toward Epsilon Eridani at full throttle. It was fleeing.
As soon as we exited the atmosphere, we were in full pursuit. We were faster and would overtake our enemy within minutes. There was nowhere for it to run… or so we thought.
It was headed toward the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. If it was able to make it there, it would gain a big advantage due to its maneuverability. The alien fighter could quickly turn to avoid collisions. We could not. I punched in the numbers on the battle computer, and with our current rate of acceleration, we would not be able to overtake our enemy in time.
I asked for a comm link through to Pop. He came on all chatty about how I was doing and what was new. I told him I had an emergency and then asked if there was a way to modify the reactor feeds and how long it would take. We needed more power to the BHD drives.
His reply was that it would take at least twenty minutes, and that was if he was there and had the needed materials. I asked if there was any other way to boost power. The comm was silent for a moment, and Pop came back with one other possibility. We could turn off the active skin and divert the extra power to the BHD drives.
Pop added that we would not be able to move through atmosphere. He also reasoned that we would feel the effects of inertia should we choose to speed up or slow down.
His final thought was that it would be catastrophic if we were to collide with anything while traveling the speeds we would be traveling. Even debris the size of a pebble would punch through our aluminum skin, making us pop like a balloon.
I punched the numbers into the battle computer, and they came back with
us catching the alien fighter before it entered the asteroid belt. I consulted my crew as to what their thoughts were on deactivating the skin given the dangers. Their response was immediate: "Do it."
As the power was diverted, I could feel the pressure of acceleration beginning to press me back into the seat. As the skin deactivated, the change in inertia became almost crushing.
Our reclamation suits attempted to compensate by increasing our oxygen intake and adding a counterpressure of their own. We needed three minutes of diverting the skin power to catch up to our prey.
I was unsure if I could take the pain, but I was determined to try. I first encouraged the others to hang in there and then began to push harder with a speech about what this all meant. Why were we here at this moment in time? This was our moment… our calling. If we could catch and take out this fighter, it would give us the remaining four months to prepare for the arrival of the larger ships.
I then realized that my crew was unaware of the two larger advance ships. I told them what I knew, which only helped to confirm the importance of our current mission.
I watched a counter ticking down from one minute. It was excruciating and seemed to move at half the speed it should have. When the final seconds ticked by, the power was restored to the active skin and the inertial effects quickly diminished.
I programmed two BHD warheads with angles of three degrees to the right and three degrees to the left. It would give us one pass at using our coil gun and getting out of there before the warheads both closed on the target.
I powered up the coils and fired a test shot before engaging the enemy. The guns worked perfectly. We were traveling at just over half light speed. It was the fastest we had taken a Defender since they had been in service.
The timing of firing the coil guns had to be precise. There was no way I could do it myself. The battle computer and sensors would have to earn their keep. I punched in the target and the weapon to use, and the computer immediately responded with a precise countdown timer.
SODIUM Trilogy Part One Page 37