Kasyanov looked at her tac screens. She knew what was coming and there wasn’t a helluva lot she could do about it. She would give him the free shot and continue to pursue. She hoped some of her ships would get a shot at him.
She bypassed her squadron commanders and talked directly to all her ship captains. “We are going to take punishment here, but our pursuit of the smaller force and the pirate missile ships must be maintained. When any Zeke or pirate ship gets within range, you will focus all your offensive weapons on the enemy. Until that time, all ships will be defensive only.”
The OrCons closed on Barrett’s squadron while continuing to defend against the pursuing Typhoon group’s constant barrage. Orion ships were hit and, occasionally, one fell out of formation with significant damage. The Zekes continued to deal with these Orion cripples as before. Surrender or get blasted. The OrCons always opted for the “blasted” option.
Exactly on the time hack, Barrett’s force fired. The pirate salvo of four hundred and five missiles led the way with the escorts adding their missiles to the assault. The OrCons flew directly toward the incoming storm of destruction. Once the pirate ships were through firing, they turned ninety degrees back to their original course. Their hatches closed and atmosphere was pumped into the holds. Then missiles would roll from the overhead storage into their firing racks. This would take two minutes. The escorting warships turned away also but continued to fire at the oncoming Orion ships.
Just prior to the second time hack, all Typhoon flotilla ships ceased firing to ensure they would have full launchers ready at the right moment. When the time hack arrived, an eruption of projectiles flew at their targets. The two incoming hellstorms would arrive at their targets together.
Admiral Kasyanov knew this moment was always coming, but she would not be driven off her target. The small flotilla remained her objective, and she planned accordingly. Her ships would always have to absorb a free salvo from the small Zeke group, so it might as well be now. “Continue forward. All interceptors will engage the missiles in our flight path.”
The Typhoon missiles coming from the rear would only be engaged with lasers, guns, and shields. These missiles would do the most damage. The incoming swarm from Barrett was engaged at maximum range by Orion interceptor missiles. They steadily reduced the threat until less than a hundred missiles hit shields and hulls. Damage was done to seven ships, but all maintained course and speed in their chase.
The Typhoon barrage was not reduced nearly enough by the close-in Orion defenses. Missiles impacted on three heavy cruisers and knocked all three out of formation. A series of explosions in one of the cruisers left pieces of wreckage spinning away and few escape pods getting clear.
The OrCons continued closing on Barrett while switching their defenses to the rear for a brief few seconds. They had to cut down on the continuing flood of missiles from the Typhoon warships. Only the Orion flagship engaged the incoming missiles from Barrett’s warships. The OrCons were almost in range for their own missile volley when Barrett turned to port again. He would get another giant salvo off but would take punishment in return. The OrCons switched their missiles back to Barrett.
Barrett formed his battle line with two columns of five warships each in front of the five freighters. The Zekes would readily sacrifice their ships to protect the missile boats. He settled back in his command chair, at peace with it all. Barrett knew his force had had it easy until now, but the respite was over. There would be no magic maneuvering, no tactical rabbit being pulled from a subspace hat, no glorious charge, and no quarter asked or given. They were now at the point all battles eventually get to: the killing and dying part, now mutual to both sides. The more you killed and inflicted damage, the greater your own chances of survival. Nothing could change that simple, universal truth of battle. It was that way for Alexander the Great’s army and was still that way today.
Barrett’s warships were continuously shooting offensive missiles at the oncoming OrCons, but they were not getting through the defenses. The OrCons closed on him and fired a volley from all their ships. The small Zeke force switched to interceptors with the pirate ships shooting a volley. The OrCons continued firing at the cyclic rate. They knew this was their last, best hope to destroy the flotilla and would press this advantage to the limit.
The Zeke defenses initially beat back the incoming barrage due to the large second salvo of interceptors from the pirate ships, but the pirates needed two minutes to reload, and the OrCons attack now pressed in on Barrett’s ships. Guns, lasers, and shields joined in the defense. Hits were taken on the shields of all warships as the two columns of warships alternated positions to allow ships moving into the second row a brief time to regenerate shields.
The Orion ships continued to take missile hits from the Typhoon force behind them but refused to augment their defenses in that direction. Orion missiles tore into Barrett’s close-in defenses now, and shield impacts steadily increased. The lead destroyer in the front row took hits to both engines and dropped out of formation. Missiles bore in on the lead ship in the second row, the light cruiser Percheron. Unluckily, a wave of missiles impacted amidships. The shields stopped five missiles but not the next six. Explosions shook the ship, and she broke in two. The path was now open to the lead pirate freighter, Dragon. The missile boat took three hits on her shields, and they collapsed. Three more hits were immediately made on Dragon’s engineering section and engines.
A slight gap in the incoming missile barrage saved the freighter. Cockeyed Bob, behind Percheron, tried to move forward to cover Dragon but had to dodge the expanding Percheron wreckage and the escape pods coming outward from the wreckage. Gawain was behind Dragon and Maclyn Yardley recognized the danger in the developing situation. “Move ahead! Flank speed!” Yardley ordered as she leaned forward in her chair. “Get abeam of Dragon!” Yardley reacted without hesitation, and her bridge crew did the same. Gawain moved abeam the slowing Dragon just as more missiles arrived. Gawain took the missile hits aimed at Dragon. Her shields stopped four missiles. Her hull stopped two missiles, but the third one penetrated just behind the bridge. The explosion blew into the bridge from behind. The force hurdled people against the bulkheads and equipment stands. Yardley was thrown from her chair as she wasn’t buckled in. She landed face down amid the debris on the deck. Her face was cut and her shoulder hurt, but she didn’t notice. She rose to her feet and scanned the bridge. Two crewmembers were staggering to their feet, but five more were still on the deck. The compartment was getting cold, and it was increasingly difficult to breathe. There were many holes in the hull, and life support systems were having a challenge in keeping up with the escaping atmosphere.
“Help me with our people!” Yardley ordered the sailors now on their feet. Each of them grabbed a downed shipmate and moved toward the hatches at the rear of the compartment. When Yardley saw their proposed departure route she said, “No! We took the hit back there.” She pointed to the ladder leading down one deck to operations. “There.”
The two men obeyed as Yardley checked a man who was not moving. He was dead, and she then helped a young woman to her feet and half carried her to the ladder and then down it. The operations compartment was also damaged but not to the extent of the bridge. Crewmembers were trying to recover from the shock and return to work or assist the bridge people. She passed the woman to another, less wounded, woman and moved back up the ladder to the bridge. She went to the last wounded man who was sitting dazed up against the helm while trying to stop massive bleeding from his left leg. Yardley tore fabric from the shirt of the dead crewman and tied it around the wounded leg. “There is help below,” she encouraged the man as she helped him stand. He nodded as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and they set off toward the ladder.
Cockeyed Bob was now in between Gawain and the OrCons, but the reduced flotilla defense meant more Orion missiles were getting through. A second wave of four missiles hit Gawain. The hull stopped two from penetrating, but one entered th
e empty forward crew’s quarters while the other hit just behind the original hit aft the bridge. Due to the weakened structural integrity there, the second hit behind the bridge caused greater damage than the first hit. The concussion blew Yardley and her wounded companion across the compartment and slammed them into the forward bulkhead just below the large portholes. They laid in a heap. Yardley was bleeding from both ears and had deep wounds in her back and her head from flying debris. She also suffered a severe concussion and internal injuries. She had difficulty focusing so she felt, rather than saw, three pairs of hands gently lifting her. She heard Kit Kinkaid’s command voice nearby bringing organization to the chaos. She smiled as she slipped into a coma, knowing her ship was in good hands.
Chapter 41
Three more destroyers of Barrett’s force took severe damage and fell out of line. All the other warships had taken multiple hits but were holding position. The remaining three active freighters put out a salvo of interceptors to buy some time for the defense.
The Orion fleet was now down to thirteen ships holding formation as they closed on Barrett’s dwindling force. They had ignored their pursuers in their quest to destroy Barrett but had paid a heavy price. The Typhoon group suffered few casualties in the latter stage of the battle, so Hawkins still had forty-two ships on his battle line, and they continued to pound Kasyanov’s flotilla with all offensive fires. With the loss of each ship, the OrCon defenses weakened which, in turn, accelerated the loss of more ships. The thirteen ships dropped to seven as six ships, including the flagship Chempion, dropped out after suffering massive damage. The OrCons scored one last hit on Barrett’s vessels by smashing the light cruiser Haflinger and forcing her off the firing line. Then the last Orion seven ships were quickly overwhelmed by missiles from their pursuers.
Hawkins talked over the command net. “First through Fourth Squadrons will return to our original battle line where we have ships in need of support. Fifth Squadron will pick up all pods regardless of their nationality, starting here and working your way back down the path of the fighting. Admiral Barrett, hold position. Damage reports and ordnance levels are to be routed to the flagship immediately.”
Hawkins had not forgotten the enemy fleet behind him. That OrCon force had forty-four ships and would be augmented by the three ships that had been trailing his warships. All were battle ready. They were over five hours behind them when the battle started. The fight with Kasyanov took three hours. The remainder of the Zeke fleet had to get back to the original engagement site to protect the initially damaged ships from the pursuing OrCons.
Hawkins had the forty-two ships currently in his formation, plus the two heavy cruisers left with the first crippled ships, and whatever Barrett had that was still battleworthy. He also believed some of his ships that had fallen out due to battle damage could be brought back at a reduced level of effectiveness. He had a slight advantage in ship numbers, but his crews were tired, most of his ships had some damage, and ordnance was depleted. They had sailed from the Aurora Empire with munitions stuffed in every available space aboard each ship, but the fighting would have used up well over half of his stores. In any future fight, the enemy would just have to engage long enough for the Zekes to deplete their ammunition and then move in for the kill. Years of fighting in the Badlands had taught Hawkins many lessons. Among the first was never accept battle on even terms. The simple fact was trading one for one with the Goths actually favored the Goths as they had dozens of warships in the Badlands for replacements and he had none. He felt the same here. The Royal Navy and Pirate Flotilla One had achieved three victories. Losing the majority of his ships to achieve a fourth victory would take some of the glitter off the recent accomplishments. He saw no reason to do that. He would collect his damaged ships and all the escape pods and return to home space. If the trailing Orion ships wanted battle, he would do it on his terms. After all, he still had Wilson and his raiders.
The Zeke fleet split up as thirty-four ships, led by Typhoon, raced back along their original track while the eight remaining ships of Fifth Squadron began picking up all the floating pods within the long swath of battle debris and engaging diehard OrCon cripples. Of the three ships that had been the first Zeke casualties in the fight, two were all underway at reduced speed while one light cruiser was abandoned and rigged for destruction. Covered by the two heavy cruisers left behind, the two survivors had been slowly moving up the path of the battle. The three Orion ships that had been following the Typhoon group since Rurik were hovering on the edge of missile range of the two heavy cruisers while watching the action. The River class cruiser Missouri was one of the warships left to cover the rear of the fleet and was the first to see the arriving Orion fleet on her sensors.
“Missouri has the OrCon fleet that has been following us on her sensors now,” reported a watch officer on the flag bridge. “Sending the screen.” The watch officer tapped three virtual keys and the Missouri sensor feed was now available on all tac screens aboard Typhoon.
Tactical started giving out the numbers. “At current speeds, the OrCons will be within missile range of the Missouri group and whatever survivors are still in that area in two hours and twenty minutes. We will be close enough to put out interceptors to protect the group in two hours.” She paused as she ran more numbers. “Forty-four enemy ships confirmed plus the three ships that have been following us. Not certain, but at least nine are battleships or battlecruisers.”
The flag bridge grew quiet as everyone worked all the possibilities and probabilities of the upcoming encounter with the Orion warships. After two minutes, Captain Bond, Levant’s OpsO spoke, “We have damage reports coming in.” He paused and looked at Hawkins. “Dragon has twelve dead and eight wounded. Her captain says Dragon is cold tits with no chance of getting her back online.”
Hawkins nodded. He knew that ship was part of the command of Admiral Barrett, but Barrett would leave the decision to the pirate chain of command. Dragon was one of their prime assets, and they would make the call on her fate. Rafe didn’t hesitate. He knew if Riki Takahashi couldn’t get Dragon working, nobody could. “Tell them to pull off the crew and any ordnance they can get and prepare to blow her up.” Bond nodded as he turned back to his console.
At that moment, Barrett came up on the command net. Raferty knew the look. He had seen it often enough from his captains. Bad news was coming. Hawkins said quietly, “Switch to private channel.” Barrett did, and then the Admiral said, “After Dragon was hit, Captain Yardley pulled Gawain abeam her and took several shots intended for Dragon. Bravest thing I’ve ever seen a merchant sailor do. The ship is still underway, and I am getting casualty reports now. I do know that Captain Yardley was badly wounded going back onto the bridge to pull out another sailor. First Officer Kinkaid has Gawain now. I’ll keep you posted on Yardley.”
Hawkins nodded. “Please do.” He changed topics. “Fifth Squadron should have taken care of the last of the diehard Orion wounded ships in front of you. If the other three missile boats are good, please send them forward now. I may need them, and they aren’t the quickest ships in the universe.”
“They are on their way. I’ll escort them just in case some of the Orion cripples still have some fight in them,” Barrett answered and then signed off.
Hawkins reflected for a moment before turning back to the present situation. He wouldn’t have expected such an act of Yardley. Not that he considered her a coward or anything near that. It was just that she had no vested interest in Flot 1 or its people. She was an outsider with a one-mission contract and a crew that may or may not kill her after mission accomplishment. Hawkins allowed himself a slight smile. People could still surprise him. Usually, it was in a bad way, but not this time.
“Didn’t see Yardley ever doing that,” said Tactical from right behind him. Hawkins jumped at the nearness of her voice. He turned to look at her. “We owe her one,” she said in a cryptic tone before turning away. Rafe had to agree that was true, and he was a believer in pa
ying one’s debts.
The four Zeke squadrons ran back along the course of the battle, passing wounded and dead ships and scores of escape pods. They would arrive in time to cover their disabled ships from the pursuing Orion fleet. Any Zeke vessel that could get underway was moving in the opposite direction. All were at a reduced speed and, probably, reduced combat ability. Hawkins needed them moving now to get them as big of a head start as possible in case the upcoming battle went bad.
Tactical looked up from her station. “Captain Wilson filed his subspace report two hours ago. He should be halfway there now. The timing should work.”
Hawkins said, more for himself than anyone else, “We should be fine.” He believed in Wilson, but he was also glad O’Hare was with him. He looked intently at Tactical and Captain Bond. “We need to make our movement look believable when we move back to our spot.”
Bond spoke first, “We’ll get it done. I’m arranging with one of the damaged cruisers, Yangtze, to put out engine noise as a marker as the time gets near.”
“Good,” Raferty said. “We probably get one shot and need to do some damage. The three missile boats are coming, and they might get here in time.”
Levant remarked, “If the OrCons go immediately to the attack, the timing will go to hell.”
Hawkins nodded in agreement. “They might just do that; figuring they have the best odds they are going to get right at the start of the battle. The longer they wait, the more disabled ships we might get on line and the farther away our other crippled ships will get to safety in home space. We need to move as fast as we can here to keep the OrCons from getting ideas.”
Along the return route, the Typhoon battle staff, in concert with input from ship captains and squadron commanders, passed judgement on every damaged Royal Navy ship they encountered. There had been twenty-one ships that had dropped out of the battle due to damage or destruction. Some ships had already been abandoned and others, although still manned, were clearly too far gone to save. Hawkins let it be known over the command net that he would let individual captains sway him from ordering their ships blown up, but if a captain promised to be underway and that didn’t happen, Hawkins would be very unhappy, and he was a believer in revenge. In the end, only seven of the disabled ships were able to get at least one engine online and start for home. The remainder had their crews removed and were rigged for command destruction.
Smoke on the Wind Page 25