by Ryk Brown
“Me and my gunners,” Charnelle replied, sounding as if she’d rather not be reminded of the ordeal.
“Gunners usually do,” Aiden said, “which is odd, since they’re the most exposed. Still…”
Charnelle looked at Aiden, noticing the guilt on his face. “It’s not your fault, Aiden.”
“I didn’t say it was.”
“I know that’s what you’re thinking. No one made us come along. We both could have said no.”
“You said yes because I said yes,” Aiden insisted. “And Sari said yes because you said yes.”
“Even if all that’s true, it was still our choice, and we both knew the risk.”
Aiden didn’t respond at first, then finally sighed and said, “I’m just glad you didn’t die.”
Charnelle smiled. “Aw, you care.”
“Shut up.”
“One more jump to the rally point,” Charnelle said, still smiling. “What are you guys now, one and two?”
“The objective isn’t necessarily to kill them, Char, but to keep them on their toes and afraid to abandon their positions to come to the Rogen system.”
“I’m just teasing, Aiden,” Charnelle assured him as the last jump in the series cycled. “We’re at the rally point.”
“Striker Leader…check in,” Robert called over comms.
“Two,” Gil replied.
“Three,” Aiden answered.
“Okay, boys and girls,” Robert began, “today’s target is a light cruiser, apparently one of their older models. We’ll be targeting their port aft shields. I’ll go high, Gil goes low, and Aiden goes straight in.”
“Why do I always get the straight-in approach?” Aiden wondered.
“We’re trying to build up your battle nerves, kid,” Gil laughed. “That, and because we just don’t like you.”
“But, I’ve got Charnelle with me,” Aiden replied. “You like her, right?”
“Just her bad luck, I guess,” Gil joked.
“Stop whining, kid,” Robert insisted. “Five-second intervals, five seconds on target. Single pass, then everyone takes their own evasive home. Understood?”
“Got it,” Gil replied.
“Understood,” Aiden responded. “Third in really shouldn’t be straight-in approach,” Aiden said to Charnelle. “They’re at full GQ by then, and the straight-in approach has the most guns on them. The first one in should be straight in.”
“Look who’s whining now,” Charnelle said. “Third has the best chance at the kill shot, and straight in has the best damage angle.”
“Whose damage,” Aiden said, “theirs or ours?”
“Attack jump in thirty seconds,” Robert warned.
“Heads up, everyone,” Charnelle announced to the rest of Striker Three’s crew. “We’re about to go on the attack. Sound off.”
“Sensors, ready,” Sergeant Dagata reported.
“Systems, ready,” Chief Benetti announced.
“Port gunner, ready,” Ali replied.
“Starboard gunner, ready,” Ledge followed.
“Ten seconds,” Charnelle announced.
“One just jumped,” the sergeant reported.
Aiden settled into his seat, moving it closer to the console in preparation for the engagement.
“Two just jumped.”
“Three seconds…two……one……jump.”
Aiden pressed the jump button. A split second later, his forward shields lit up, and his ship shook violently. “What the…”
“They’re already locked onto us!” Sergeant Dagata exclaimed. “Eight guns!”
Multiple warning alarms sounded in Striker Three’s cockpit.
“Forward shields are down to ten percent!” Charnelle warned. “We need to jump clear!”
“I’m turning to a clear jump line!” Aiden exclaimed.
“Forward shields are gone!” Charnelle added.
“Ash!”
“I’m working on it!”
The ship rocked from side to side as several plasma blasts slammed into their hull.
“Hull breaches!” Ashwini reported.
“Two emitters are gone!” Charnelle announced. “We may not be able to jump!”
“Ash! Do something!” Aiden begged.
“You do something, Aiden!”
Aiden yanked his flight control stick and flipped his gunship end over end.
“What the hell?” Charnelle exclaimed.
“Aft shields at seventy percent!” the chief reported.
“We’re on a collision course, Aiden!” Charnelle warned. “You’ll never get enough thrust to change course in this attitude! You’ve got to flip back over!”
“If I do, we’re toast!” Aiden insisted as he attempted to change course with only his translation thrusters.
The ship bounced and then shifted violently, as if it had hit something solid.
“Shit! We’re inside their shields!” Charnelle added.
“Ali! Ledge! Blast any gun you can!”
The ship continued to shake as more energy blasts struck their aft shields.
“Aft shields at fifty percent!” the chief reported.
“I got one!” Ali reported from the port gun bubble.
“Ash! Can you channel more power into the translation thrusters?”
“Not without taking it from shields!” the chief warned.
“I got another!” Ledge reported excitedly from the starboard gun bubble.
“Target the top edge of that ship and blast away!” Aiden ordered.
“What?” Ali replied.
“YOU HEARD ME!” Aiden barked. He pushed his flight control stick to the right, rolling the ship over one hundred and eighty degrees while they continued to fly backwards toward the enemy ship.
Energy blasts from the Cobra gunship’s two gun turrets pounded the top edge of the Dusahn cruiser’s port side as they closed on the enemy vessel. As they fired, the topside thrusters on the gunship also fired, causing it to come up and over into a nose-first flight orientation, just as its underside slammed into the damaged port-dorsal edge of the cruiser.
The ship bounced hard, nearly tossing Aiden and Charnelle from their seats, despite their restraints. There was a terrible sound of tearing metal, and they were both thrown forward against their harnesses. The sound of twisting and tearing metal continued, sending violent vibrations throughout the gunship, and then it suddenly stopped. Aiden looked over at Charnelle, shocked that they were still alive. He pulled his flight control stick back hard, bringing their nose back over onto the enemy cruiser they had just collided with, and pressed the firing button. Four triple shots of plasma torpedoes shot out from under their nose, slamming into the side of the enemy cruiser not two seconds later. The cruiser’s hull gave way, and secondary explosions detonated from within as the enemy ship’s systems were completely disrupted.
For several seconds, Aiden could do nothing but stare in disbelief.
“Their shields are gone!” the sergeant announced.
“Which ones?” Charnelle immediately asked.
“All of them!”
“Gunners!” Charnelle called. “You still with us?”
“Firing!” Ledge replied as he opened up.
“I’m with you!” Ali answered, also firing.
“Aiden!” Charnelle yelled, shaking him from his stupor.
“Right,” Aiden replied, pressing his firing button and holding it.
Streams of staccato bursts of plasma poured from the backward-flying gunship’s two side-mounted gun turrets, as well as solid lines of laser fire from the automated turrets mounted on its upper and lower surfaces. Waves of plasma torpedoes leapt from its under-mounted tubes, slamming into the enemy cruiser’s unprotected hull, tearing it open even more, until it finally broke apart and exploded.
“That has got to be the most difficult way to destroy another ship ever invented!” Charnelle exclaimed.
Aiden looked at her, smiling in disbelief. “It worked, didn’t it?”
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“If we’re going to jump, we’d better do it now!” Chief Benetti warned. “We’re dumping jump energy by the bucket loads!”
“Max jump range!” Aiden ordered. “Get us as far away from here as we can get!”
“It’s not going to be far!” Charnelle warned as she frantically prepared an escape jump. “GO!”
Aiden pressed the jump button and, a moment later, everything went black. “Did it work?” he wondered.
Emergency lighting kicked in, offering scant illumination in the gunship’s cockpit.
“Everything’s dead,” Charnelle realized.
Aiden unfastened his shoulder restraints and pulled himself upward in the microgravity, to peer out the window. The ship was tumbling. “I don’t see anything,” he said. “Not debris, not Palee, nothing. We must have jumped.”
“The question is where,” Charnelle realized.
* * *
“We should hold up here,” Commander Prechitt said as he aborted his jump sequencer.
“Auto-jump sequence has been aborted,” Max reported.
“We still have two jumps to go,” Talisha replied.
“Current position is one point three two light years from destination,” Max added.
“The Rogen system was attacked a few days ago,” the commander explained. “If we jump in unannounced, there’s a good chance a Gunyoki will blow us to bits.”
“A Gunyoki?”
“A veritable tank of a fighter. Surprisingly maneuverable, especially considering its ungainly appearance.”
“Shall I enter this class of fighter into my database?” Max asked.
“We’ll worry about that later, Max,” the commander replied.
“As you wish, Commander.”
“So, we just fly in?” Talisha wondered. “That’s going to take a while…like about fifty years.”
“My guess is more like five minutes,” the commander opined.
“I’m not following.”
The commander’s tactical display began beeping. “I guess I underestimated them. Two contacts just jumped in. We’re being targeted. I suggest you power down everything, except comms, and fast,” the commander said as he started shutting everything down.
“This is a very odd strategy,” Talisha insisted.
“I agree with Miss Sane’s assessment,” Max added.
“Trust me,” the commander insisted.
“Targets are shutting down all systems,” Chian reported as he studied the sensor display. “Targets are attempting to go stealth.”
“Shenza Nine, Shenza One Zero,” Sten called. “Targets are going cold.”
“They’re still squawking,” Jenna replied. “Something’s not right.”
“I don’t like this shit, Jenna,” Sten insisted. “I say we put a few into them and sort it out later.”
“Hold on, Sten,” Chian argued from the back of the Gunyoki fighter. “There was something familiar about those contacts.”
“Can you still see them?” Jenna wondered.
“Negative,” Chian replied. “All I’m picking up are their transponders and our targeting returns.”
“Come on, Jenna,” Sten urged.
“Their shields are down and their weapons are offline, Sten,” Jenna reminded him. “We can’t fire on them while they’re defenseless.”
“Gunyoki fighters, this is Commander Prechitt of the Karuzari Alliance. Hold your fire, repeat, hold your fire.”
“Did you hear that?” Delan said.
“Unidentified ships, Shenza Nine. Challenge.”
“Lima four one seven, Mike Oscar two five one five.”
“That’s today’s ID code,” Chian confirmed.
“Shit, Commander!” Sten barked. “We were about to light your ass up! What the hell are you flying?”
“A pair of Sugali fighters,” Commander Prechitt replied. “And thanks for not frying us.”
“I thought you were on Casbon, sir. What the hell are you doing out here?” Jenna wondered.
“I need to speak with Captain Scott, urgently. Can you get me cleared in?”
“We’ll launch a comm-drone straight away, sir,” Jenna replied. “We should have your clearance in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.”
“Jesus, Sten,” Chian said from the back seat. “You were about to fire on a commander.”
“Hey, our world almost got fried a few days ago. I think I have the right to be a little trigger-happy.”
“I hear ya,” Chian replied.
* * *
“Your little plan screwed us up worse than when you tried to bounce us off the surface of Kohara,” Chief Benetti scolded.
“Hey, that worked,” Aiden insisted.
“Well, this time it didn’t,” the chief replied.
“We’re still alive, aren’t we?”
The chief just glared at him.
Aiden sighed. “How bad off are we, Ash?”
“Well, our entire back half didn’t jump with us,” Chief Benetti began. “Hell, I’m surprised we jumped at all, to be honest. So, we’ve got no power, just the emergency batteries for lights, comms, and basic life support.”
“So, we’re basically a lifeboat,” Charnelle surmised.
“A really crappy one, yes,” the chief agreed.
“How long can we last?” Aiden wondered.
“A couple days at the most,” she replied. “Assuming we don’t develop a leak or a battery fails, or a Dusahn patrol finds us and finishes us off.”
“We can extend that by everyone staying together in a confined space,” Charnelle suggested. “Preferably as close to the center of the ship as possible.”
“The center of what’s left of the ship,” Sergeant Dagata corrected.
“This is about as good a spot as any,” Aiden decided. “Once they figure out something happened to us, they’ll launch a search party.”
“How are they going to know where we are?” Ali wondered. “We don’t even know where we are.”
“They know which evasion algorithm we were scheduled to use,” Charnelle told her. “That’s where they’ll start.”
“For all we know, we’re still deep inside Dusahn territory,” Ledge reminded them.
“Space is big,” Aiden assured him, “the chances of anyone finding us are astronomical.”
“Not helping,” Sergeant Dagata commented.
“I meant someone who doesn’t know where to look,” Aiden explained. “Look, we just have to stay alive as long as we can, and hope for the best. Right now, we’re all still alive, and we’ve got enough of a ship left to keep us that way for a few days. Chief, figure out how to stretch our energy resources for as long as possible. And everyone, let’s keep a positive attitude.”
“Yeah,” Chief Benetti agreed. “I’m positive we’re fucked.”
“Chief,” Aiden scolded.
“Sorry,” Ashwini replied. “It’s my personality type.”
Aiden looked at Charnelle. “We’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I’m certain of it.”
“I know,” Charnelle replied, albeit halfheartedly.
* * *
“Commander,” Nathan greeted as he and Cameron entered the command briefing room. “Welcome back.”
“Thank you, sir,” the Commander Prechitt replied. “I’d like to introduce Talisha Sane, Nighthawk fighter pilot. Miss Sane, Captain Scott, and Captain Taylor.”
“A pleasure, Captains,” Talisha greeted.
“Nighthawk?” Cameron wondered.
“The Sugali A-four Seven J, Advanced Tactical Fighter,” Talisha explained. “It is commonly referred to by the Sugali as the Nighthawk.”
“Please, be seated,” Nathan replied. “I was told your need to speak with us was urgent. I hope everything is alright.”
“The Ahka have attacked twice in as many days. The last time, they tried to drop nukes on us. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Miss Sane’s quick thinking, they would have succeeded.”
“Casualties?” Came
ron asked.
“Three ground crew, one pilot, and four ships…all in the second attack,” the commander replied. “The first attack they weren’t expecting any fighters. The second attack, they jumped in low and quick, pounding the hell out of us in minutes. Miss Sane was the first up, then myself, Commander Verbeek, and Ensign Topetti. None of us would have gotten up had it not been for Lieutenant Shan and Ensign Garson, who were just returning from patrol when the attack began. Their cover fire helped the rest of us get airborne. Captain, the Ahka now know about, not only, our Eagles but also of the Sugali Nighthawks. The fact that they came at us with nukes, tells me they are willing to escalate in order to maintain their superiority over the Casbons. We need to take the fight to them. We need to strike them hard, target their carrier ships, as well as their surface defenses, so they know we mean business.”
Nathan looked to Cameron. “Captain?”
“The fact that the Ahka have nukes, and are willing to use them, is enough of a reason for me,” Cameron agreed. “However, I would only attack their ships, not their surface defenses. We have no idea what other threats there are in that area. If we take out their surface defenses, we leave them wide open for attack. Better to take away their ability to attack others, and then follow with a warning that if they attempt to do so, again, their surface defenses are next.”
“If we don’t take out their surface defenses, we are putting our own ships at risk,” Talisha argued.
“Our Reapers have very good shields and very precise ordnance,” Cameron insisted. “They should be fine.”
“Our Reapers?” Nathan wondered.
“That is why you came, right?” Cameron surmised. “To ask to use the Reapers for the attack?”
“Yes, it is,” Commander Prechitt admitted.
“You could’ve just sent a comm-drone,” Nathan pointed out.
“It had yet to return at the time I made the decision to return, myself,” the commander explained. “Besides, there was something else I felt you needed to see. However, I think you may also want Miss Ta’Akar and Doctor Sorenson present, as well.”
* * *
“New contact,” Kasma reported over Robert’s comm-set. “It’s Striker Two.”
“Anything, Gil?” Robert called over comms.
“Nothing,” Gil replied. “We followed his evasion route all the way back to the first waypoint after the attack. I was going to jump into the outskirts of the system and take a peek, but I figured we’d better check back in first, just in case the kid just got lost and had shown up. I guess he didn’t.”