Imprint of Blood

by Phil Huddleston

  But those pangs of envy were brief. Ligeia could not conceive of another way to live. Her husband had been killed years before, on Amasya, fighting the rebels there. That was the way of it. Warriors had a life to live and accepted that life. Or they were not true warriors.

  Suddenly, her AI pinged and the small repeater holo in her cabin came to life. It showed a large force of starships entering the outer system, heading directly for Aronte. Over her AI implant, she heard the XO ping her to come to the Bridge. Somehow, Ligeia knew instantly it was a diversion. She didn’t know how she knew it - but she knew it as certainly as her own name. This was a ploy; the real threat was elsewhere.

  Quickly she issued an AI comm to her destroyer squadron, with a copy to Fleet Intelligence and to the battleship Athena behind her in orbit, advising them of her intuition. There was no response from the Athena or from Fleet; but her own squadron of two destroyers responded quickly. She ordered them to stay close behind the Athena as a screen; and to scan other sectors of the system - not to focus on where the too-obvious enemy was.

  Dressing quickly in her warsuit, she went to the bridge and studied the larger holo there, as her remaining First Watch officers assembled. Nothing stood out in the sensors; the fleet at Hypnos was powering up to move into position as a blocking force between Aeolis and the outer system invaders. The enemy was coming hard; they were up to almost one-third light, an utterly stupid speed at which to be traversing a solar system with the possibility of unmapped rocks and dust in front of them. But they came on, still accelerating. Ligeia counted the ships in the enemy formation; there were ten ships, from cruiser size down to destroyers.

  Commander Roxana Sappho, now her XO, ventured, “Mum, it’s going to be hours before contact - should we send some of the First Watch back to rest for a while?”

  Ligeia shook her head. “No. Keep them here. There’s something not right about this. It’s too obvious. I want us to be ready for anything.”

  Ligeia turned to her Tac Officer. “Battle Stations, Hestia. Charge the railguns and the beamers.”

  “Aye, Mum,” called Hestia, although confusion was written on her face. Her comm bead glowed. The klaxon sounded for Battle Stations, and soon Ligeia felt the familiar sounds of clanking and rumbling as weapons systems came online and railgun rounds started moving to the cannon. The two destroyers of her squadron also reported weapons ready for action.

  Comm Officer Areas spoke suddenly. “Mum, Fleet just issued orders for the Berenice and her squadrons to go out and join the Merope at Hypnos!”

  “No,” moaned Ligeia. “Are they terminally stupid? It’s a diversion! Didn’t they pay any attention to my comm at all?”

  Ligeia put her head down and quickly called on her AI for the Captain of the Athena, Nephele Adrianos. Ligeia and Nephele had been together at the Imperial Naval Academy - they were like sisters. In a few seconds, she had her on the line, looking at her via a small personal holo formed in front of her vision.

  “Nephele! Can’t you stop them sending Berenice out? It’s a terrible mistake! This is a diversion, a ploy! There’s going to an attack on some other vector!”

  Nephele shook her head. “I tried, Ligeia. I told them. But they just don’t believe the rebels have that many ships. Intel is they only have twelve ships, and we see ten of them in the outer system. Fleet is convinced that’s the threat, and I can’t talk them out of it.”

  Ligeia groaned. “Oh, my Stars, how did idiots like that get into Fleet Intel?”

  Nephele shook a finger at Ligeia. “Watch what you say, dear. That kind of statement has a way of getting back to Fleet.”

  “I don’t care, Nephele! In the next few hours, they’re going to have proof of just how stupid they are. We’re going to get hammered, dear, mark my words.”

  “Maybe,” said Nephele. “But that’s the hand we’re dealt. In the meantime, just keep your screen behind me covering my ass, and keep yourself up front. Keep me screened and I’ll take care of protecting Aronte. Off.”

  “Off,” sighed Ligeia, closing comm. She looked at her crew and shook her head. “Well, girls, all we can do is all we can do.”

  For the next few minutes, they watched as the rebel fleet in the outer system came on, while the cruiser Berenice left the L2 point behind the Greater Moon and piled on the g-force to head out to join the Merope’s task force at Hypnos.

  “It’s suicide for those rebels,” said Commander Sappho. “They’ll be cut to pieces.”

  “They’ll never fight,” said Ligeia. “It’s a diversion. They’ll hare off at the last minute after the real fight starts here.”

  Sappho looked at her. “How can you be so sure?”

  Ligeia made a grim smile. “Wait and see.”

  Almost the second she said it, the holo blinked and a warning came up on the sidebar, repeated on the AI channel.

 

  “Told ya,” said Ligeia. “They took out the QE network. They’re coming in from another vector.” She rose from her command chair and paced around the holo tank. “Look hard, girls! They’re out there somewhere! Let’s find them!”

  Ten minutes later, they were still scanning when suddenly Hestia jumped. “Got ‘em!” she shouted. “Dead toward the Lesser Moon, just coming around!”

  “How many?” asked Ligeia.

  “I count…twelve ships. I designate…five cruisers…seven destroyers. They just started a max decel to slow down for orbit. We’re in a bad position – as it stands right now, we’ll be too far in orbit ahead and out of range when they get into firing position behind the Athena. We could try to vector back but I think it would be quicker to drop down around the planet and try to get back around behind them! It’s going to be up to the Athena and the destroyers to hold them off until we get around.”

  “Get us around fast, go as low as you have to!” barked Ligeia. “Send your plot to the Athena and the destroyers. Guns – stay ready on weapons!”

  Ligeia issued a quick order to her destroyer squadron, still holding in position behind the Athena. “Hold them at all costs until we get around to support! Do not let them get into bombardment position over Aronte! Remember your families down there!”

  Her two destroyers acknowledged the order. Ligeia felt the Kleitos shudder hard as the engines fired and Hestia slammed her down toward the planet, shortening the orbit they would have to traverse to reach the enemy.

  Suddenly, in the holo, Ligeia saw the Athena flicker and then wink out. Seconds later debris flared in all directions on the holo. Ligeia pounded the arm of her command chair, cursing. Quickly she regained control, staring at her crew, whose eyes were as big as saucers.

  “It appears we no longer have the Athena to protect Aronte, girls. It’s up to us now.”

  ***

  Eugenius grinned sardonically as the battleship Athena, 100,000 km in front of him over Aronte, was turned into an expanding cloud of debris by explosive charges set in her fusion reactors. It had not been easy getting members of the Rebellion onboard as crew; but they had been planning this for three years. In the end, they had made it happen. They were brave men; there was no other way to do it properly except to stay on board, watching carefully for the right opportunities - and then to continue to stay, nursing their hidden explosives over the final days - to make sure they were not accidentally discovered. They were brave men; but now they were dead men. Eugenius sighed. When this was over, those men would be recognized as heroes.

  But now he had a battle to fight. Eugenius scanned the holo. The single active cruiser around Aronte had been in an orbital position well ahead of the Athena when the battleship was destroyed; that cruiser’s orbit now put her out of the fight for the moment, in no position to do anything of significance for many minutes. Suddenly his Tac Officer jumped.

  “Sir! That’s the Kleitos!” he cried.

  Eugenius smiled. The Creator was favoring him today. The Kleitos. Satra. The
bitch that had killed his friends, those many years before. Now diving toward the planet, trying to get around in time to intercept him as he settled in to bombard the capital. He laughed. She wouldn’t make it, not unless she dove into the atmosphere, and no cruiser could do that and survive. He’d destroy Aronte right in front of her, while she watched. And then the rest of his squadron would kill her from behind. It was perfect.

  Meanwhile, the two destroyers that had originally been behind the Athena were coming up to meet him, tits-out. Two against twelve. It was suicide for them.

  Well out from the planet, Eugenius saw the Berenice, which had departed the L2 point beyond the Greater Moon at max emergency accel toward Hypnos, now frantically braking, trying to reverse and get back to Aeolis. She would not make it in time either, he confirmed, certainly not in time to stop the bombardment that was coming.

  In orbit far in front of the Kleitos, on the backside of the planet now, the Leto – the third cruiser that had been orbiting the planet - was coming to life. And out by the Greater Moon, he saw two more ships showing engines online, two destroyers. But they would not be enough. By the time those three were capable of movement, his fleet would be shooting their asses off as they struggled to ready their weapons. And he would already be bombarding Aronte and launching his assault shuttles. He began issuing orders.

  “Cruisers Valiant and Revenge, take the Leto behind the planet, ambush her as she comes around the other side.”

  Then, as an afterthought, Eugenius almost yelled into the comm, “And after you kill that one, take out the Kleitos too! She’ll be right behind!”

  He received acknowledgements from the Valiant and Revenge and they pulled out with their two escorting destroyers at a slight tangent, to position for an attack on the half-ready Leto as she came around the planet directly into their weapons.

  “Cruisers Destiny and Freedom, take the two destroyers coming up to meet us, keep them off my tail.”

  Eugenius turned to his XO, Commander Petrus. “Ready railguns for bombardment,” ordered Eugenius. “Give the assault shuttles the fifteen-minute warning!”

  “Aye, sir,” acknowledged Petrus.

  ***

  Ligeia cursed again as she realized her squadron of two destroyers would have to face the incoming enemy alone for the moment. She turned to Hestia. “How low can we go, Hestia? We’ve got to get around!”

  Hestia looked at her console and shook her head. “I’m already in the fringes of the atmosphere, Mum. I don’t think we can go any lower.”

  “Yes, we can,” said Ligeia. “Take us down, Hestia. Cut another ten minutes off our transit time.”

  Hestia looked panicked. “Mum, I don’t think we can survive that!”

  Ligeia looked at Hestia calmly. “Yes, we can, Hestia,” she said quietly. “Our families are counting on us. Take us down.”

  Hestia, face white, nodded. She worked her console. In a few seconds, Ligeia heard a light rumble as the cruiser slid farther into the fringes of the atmosphere. That soon turned into a heavy, whistling scream, and then the Kleitos bucked and rolled, resisting the unnatural environment she was in. Her crew were all strapped in now; but as the ship sank farther into the outer atmosphere, the ship began tossing them around like rag dolls. They were riding the ragged edge of being out of control. Alarms sounded as heat built up on the hull; red lights popped up on the consoles. Ligeia stared at Hestia, who looked back at her with wide eyes. Ligeia smiled. Hestia looked uncertain for a moment, then slowly smiled back at her. Ligeia nodded. “We’ll be fine, Hestia. Just hold the course.”

  ***

  Eugenius watched with satisfaction as his cruisers Destiny and Freedom, along with their two destroyer escorts, opened fire on the two AEN destroyers rising out of orbit to meet them. Within seconds, the space between the two forces was filled with a fierce web of beams, cannon rounds and missiles. Hits on both sides took chunks out of the ships, but all six ships kept firing, the two AEN destroyers charging uphill at the four rebel ships. Then, one of the AEN destroyers, the Adrestia, went quiet; either her fire control systems or her weapons were blasted, and she had nothing left to fight with. Quickly the rebel cruisers Destiny and Freedom focused on the other AEN destroyer, blasting her to bits in short order. Their momentary inattention was fatal; by the time her bridge crews refocused back at the Adrestia to finish her off, it was too late. The crippled destroyer had accelerated madly and plowed into the Destiny at better than 22kps, sending both up in a huge, expanding cloud of debris and parts.

  Eugenius slammed his hand against his command chair, cursing. “Damn it!” he yelled across the bridge. “Why couldn’t they see that coming?” His bridge crew ducked their heads, silent.

  Eugenius growled, his eyes burning. “This time, they pay. They’ll pay for everything.”

  “Sir, coming up on Aronte. We’ll be in geocentric orbit over the city in ten minutes,” called the Tac Officer.

  “Excellent,” cried Eugenius. “Prepare to fire. Target the Palace first.”

  “Aye, aye, sir,” called the Tac Officer. “Rail guns ready, firing in ten minutes.”

  ***

  As the Kleitos came around the planet, Ligeia stared at the plot, willing it to update from her limited radar and lidar feeds. With a ping, it did. She saw a huge cloud of debris where her two destroyers had been scant minutes before. She sighed. Off orbit, well away to skyward, the half-prepared AEN cruiser Leto was making a run for it, pursued by two rebel cruisers and two rebel destroyers firing at her from behind. Above and behind the Kleitos, a single rebel cruiser and two escorting rebel destroyers, obviously the force which had taken out her destroyer squadron, were vectoring back toward the rebel flagship to take up their screening positions. They were about 25,000 km over the Kleitos and would fall well behind her, due to her inner vector. In front of her and 36,000 km up, the other cruiser and its covey of two close-in troopships followed by two protective destroyers was almost over Aronte.

  “Looks like they’re down one cruiser, Mum,” called her Tac Officer. “The destroyers took one out!”

  Ligeia smiled a hunter’s smile. “Every little bit helps,” she said. She studied the plot. She recognized the rebel flagship – at least, she assumed it was the flagship, since it was the foremost cruiser and was in heavy decel to position for a geostationary orbit over Aronte. It was the Medusa, an older cruiser last seen on patrol near Maia. It had disappeared two years ago, with no trace ever found. “Those bastards,” she breathed.

  The Medusa was the same size and mass as her ship, but with slightly less powerful engines. It carried six railguns and six beamers, the same as the Kleitos. Two troopships were tucked in close, their bay doors already opening to drop assault troops. They were trailed by an escort of two destroyers. She studied the plot for a few more seconds and then smiled.

  “They’ve screwed up, Sappho,” she said to her XO.

  “That they have, Skipper,” confirmed Commander Sappho. “The two squadrons chasing the Leto have taken themselves out of the fight. They should have stayed with the main force and taken us out as we came around. And the other cruiser and two destroyers are going to be a bit late getting back into a screening position.”

  “Don’t take us up into higher orbit just yet, Sappho. Keep us down here as low as possible. I have an idea.”

  Sappho nodded. “Wilco, Skipper.”

  Ligeia studied the plot. She noticed how close the troopships and the destroyers were to the cruiser. If she could stay low a bit longer…

  “Sappho - disable the accel interlocks. Then issue an abandon ship order.”

  Sappho stared at her, horrified. “What?”

  “Now, Sappho,” said Ligeia quietly. “Abandon ship. Right now. Issue the order, disable the accel interlocks, and get the hell out of here.”

  Sappho stared at her, comprehension slowly crossing her face.

  “No, no, no,” she breathed.

  Ligeia looked hard at her. “Sappho, if you love me, you wil
l do this for me. Now. There is no other way.”

  Sappho shook her head, but slowly the shake changed to a slight nod as she realized it was the only viable alternative to save Aronte. Her comm bead flashed as she issued the orders. Suddenly the klaxon sounded, and the sound went out over every comm unit and backup loudspeaker on the ship.

  “Abandon ship. This is not a drill, this is not a drill. Abandon ship. This is not a drill, this is not a drill.”

  The warning repeated, with the klaxon sounding continuously in the background. The horrified bridge crew stared at Ligeia. She stood from her command chair and stared at them. Comprehension dawning across all their faces, she thought she would have to physically shove them off the bridge, but Sappho intervened, first pushing one, then another, toward the hatch. Slowly they backed away from her, their eyes glistening with tears. Under Sappho’s pressure, they finally, reluctantly, left the bridge.

  When the last one but Sappho was gone, Ligeia looked at her. She nodded to her for a job well done. Then:

  “I have always loved you as well as I could, Sappho,” Ligeia said.

  “I know,” breathed Sappho, her eyes wet. Tears ran down her cheeks.

  “Go quickly, Sappho. You don’t have much time,” said Ligeia.

  Sappho nodded, then with a step out the hatch she was gone. Ligeia stepped to the helm console and sat, strapping herself in. She issued a command via her bead and the console switched displays to show lifeboat status. On the screen, Ligeia saw the lifeboats leaving the ship, the board quickly turning from green to red as one after another departed the vessel. Finally, only one remained, the one containing her bridge crew – and Sappho.

  “Go, my darling, go!” said Ligeia, pounding the console in frustration. Finally, the last escape pod launched, and Ligeia knew she was alone on the ship. Her bead glowed as she issued one more set of commands to the AI, and the ship obediently turned upward, toward the enemy, and went to max in-atmosphere acceleration of 25g. Waiting a few seconds until she was sure of her vector, Ligeia issued one more command, programming the AI to perform a final task for her. Just before she issued the execute command, she stopped for a moment and sighed. She would miss her daughter. If the Creator allowed.