“I don’t know, I’ve never done it before.” He looked across at Starfire. “If she can do it, how hard can it be?”
“Piss off, Hal!” snapped Starfire, who had to take a seven day course to get her ticket for supertankers, “how do you know all this stuff?” Hal threw her a sarcastic sneer. Erion looked slightly harassed. This wasn’t how pre campaign meetings were supposed to go.
“We’ll shuttle the human pilots back and forth and we should have all the tankers hiding at the edge of the Terrellian system in three or four days’ time,” Erion glared at them both and Starfire pretended to look sorry. “We’ll add on a day for unexpected delays so we’ll time the rescue for five days’ time at oh two hundred.” She looked at Vermillion. “Would you let King Kaura know, please?”
“It will be done,” she said, “Five days’ time at oh two hundred.”
“What about the fighter escort?” asked Tranter? I thought you wanted twenty fighters.”
“We’re still sending them, Tranter,” said Raan, “but they’re going in from the Terrell side twenty minutes before the tankers. The Rising Star and the Grennig will be with them.”
“We’re the diversion, then,” said Hal.
“Yes,” said Erion, “the Rising Star, the Grennig, the fighters and The Rebel.” She smiled at Tranter and he winked at her.
“But Kaura has told us about the beacons,” said Vermillion. “They will know as soon as you enter the system. They will be ready for you.”
“I’m counting on it, Vermillion,” said Erion quietly. “I want to draw every enemy ship away from Planet Serrell. I know those tankers will be coming in on the dark side of Serrell, but they don’t go very fast.”
“And they’ll be full of dragons on the way out,” added Raan, “that’ll slow ‘em down even more.”
“People will die,” she twisted her head back and forth. “You could die,” she added.
“Yes,” said Erion, quietly, “some people will die.”
“Kaura would not want this,” said Vermillion, she sounded very upset.
“And that’s the reason we have to go,” said Erion.
“I do not understand,” her beautifully crafted head swivelled around the room, looking at them all. “I do not understand.”
“The Trenee are good people, Vermillion,” began Erion. “They’ve been living on Serrell for thousands of years and along we come, blowing up their planet, building underground bomb factories, prison compounds and now a new Information Retrieval building. They even took in the descendants of the people who exploded a thermo-nuclear device on their planet. They are so advanced, they could have wiped everyone off the face of it, but instead, they went underground and hid themselves away and they are prepared to stay hidden forever if it means saving lives.”
“But, you just said that people will die.”
“Sometimes that has to happen, Vermillion,” put in Tranter, “sometimes, for the good of everyone else, people have to die.” She lowered her head, clearly upset.
“Coffee and cake, I think,” said Starfire, brightly.
Chapter 19
“Everyone set?” asked Erion. The Grennig sat outside on the concrete pad, alongside the Rising Star and The Rebel.
“Rarin’ to go, Major,” answered Jed Cloud from the Rising Star. She was a sister ship to the Grennig and Erion smiled as she caught sight of a tiny Callon Cloud waving to her through the window by the engineering station of its Pilot Section. She shouldn’t have done it, she should have shown a little decorum, as befits the battle supervisor, but she waved back.
“We’ll see you on the edge of the Norbus system, Major,” said Jed Cloud. They watched the Rising Star lift lazily up into the sky and swivel on her thrusters to face due south and lift her nose with a thunderous roar. They watched the red glow from her engines until it disappeared into the clouds and Erion said,
“Grennig to The Rebel, come in.”
“This is The Rebel,” Tranter’s voice come over the com.
“Get going, Captain Tranter, we’ll see you at the rendezvous.” She and Tranter had said their goodbyes the night before; now it was business as usual.
“See you on the other side, guys.” The little black ship lifted up on her thrusters until she was thirty feet in the air, then shot off like a missile. She was gone from sight in seconds.
“Good luck, Grennig,” called Vermillion over the com.
“Thank you, Vermillion. Try not to worry; we’ll be back soon.”
“Lift off, please, Lieutenant,” said Erion calmly, and the Grennig rose slowly into the air and headed away.
Once they were in hyperspace, Erion slid back her seat. This was a complicated mission because of the long distances involved. They had received their last message from Thirty Seven twelve hours previously and everything was ready to go. Ten, fully fuelled supertankers, converted to carry the mighty Trenee, were now sitting on the border between the Badlands and the little Terrellian system. The next time they spoke, the Grennig would probably be under fire. Well, they were on their way now. She spoke to Delta Ten.
“Del, I know you’re a free machine and subject to the rules and regulations of the crew, just like everyone else, but could you just do this one favour for us?”
“You wish me to stand the watch until we get to the rendezvous?” he suggested. “I would be honoured.”
“Thank you, Del,” Erion stood up, “Come on guys, it’s almost time for a meal. Let’s take this one all together.” They all thanked Delta Ten and left the pilot section. There was something about this mission that had them all on edge. Erion turned at the hatch, “Del, leave everything on standby and holo in when you can. I have a funny feeling about this one.” He nodded his head in submission.
“As you wish, Major.”
One level down, they all sat around the dining table in the crew lounge and drank their coffee. Played with their coffee cups would have been a better term for it as they mostly sat with their own thoughts. Starfire twirled her cup around in her hands and Raan slid his cup back and forth across the table. Hal handed round the cigarillos and they all set the sliding band around the filter to silver to calm them down. Even Erion took one and for a few minutes, they sat and inhaled the calming vapour. The wide space between Erion and Starfire shimmered and Del’s hologram appeared from the waist up. His console appeared to melt into the table in front of him, but he appeared solid himself.
“I know I should get my head down for a bit,” began Starfire, “but I don’t feel like sleeping. I know it’s not good luck to say it, but I think this is going to be a bad one.”
“You’re right, Lieutenant,” said Raan.
“What, about the bad luck?”
“No, Star, I don’t feel right about this as well.”
“I don’t think the Grennig is going to come back,” said Erion, quietly. Nobody bothered to ask Hal. They didn’t want it to get any worse.
“How can you know what is in the future?” asked Delta Ten.
“Del, how many fighters do you estimate are on the Aurian Marine Base on Terrell?” asked Erion.
“At any given time, an average of sixty to eighty,” Major.”
“And Galactic Police ships?”
“That is more difficult to predict, Major as their travels are not routine. Perhaps four, long range, armed Planet Hoppers. There may be more at the new site on Serrell. If a Battle Cruiser has stopped in for supplies there could be as many as thirty fighters on board.”
“What about the base cannons?” put in Raan.
“The upgraded information Lieutenant Starfire brought back from Terrell shows eighteen gun emplacements on the surface.”
“And we have the Grennig, the Rising Star, The Rebel and twenty wasps,” said Starfire. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out our chances.”
It was one in the morning, AST, when the Grennig slid to a silent halt by the side of the Rising Star and The Rebel on the border of the Norbus and Terrellian Systems. The
Grennig crew looked refreshed and ready for battle, but in fact, none of them had slept properly. In the end, they stayed in the crew lounge and dozed on couches for the entire trip.
Five minutes later, The Josie Dog appeared towing the two tankers that carried their fighters. Every ship was painted up to look like a Pirate raider and Honoray had given them permission to fly his colours, the red flag with an hourglass. It meant they would fight to the death.
“What’s the Josie Dog doing here?” asked Erion.
“My idea,” said Tranter, proudly. “The Alliance has decided to buy her. She can take four fighters on two decks, plus she can pull two tankers. “We got twenty four wasps altogether.”
“Four more fighters than we thought,” said Starfire, “and the Dog is armed with laser cannon. Things are looking up.”
“Who’s flying the Josie Dog?” asked Erion.
“It’s me, Major,” said a voice Erion vaguely recognised, “Rin Jakoral. I left the Palace Air Force and joined the Rebel Alliance to represent Katraia. I got Moon with me.”
“Howdy,” said a hard voice.
“Captain Jakoral,” said Erion, astonished. “Welcome to the Alliance. And you too, Mr Moon.”
“Hi there Jak,” said Raan. He grinned at Starfire, “Jak’s a good pilot and Moon is…, well you know.” Captain Jakoral had shared a previous mission with them on Katraia and had been their gunnery officer on the Grennig for a short time. The last time Raan saw Moon, he was personal bodyguard to Lord Fabidon, the King’s Advisor. He was very skilled with bladed weapons and a ruthless fighter. A bit like Hal without the class or sense of humour, Raan thought, but just as efficient at killing. Things were definitely looking up.
“Major,” said Delta Ten, “I am in contact with Thirty Seven on Tanker Ten. They are at the border with the Badlands and the Terrellian Sector and await your instructions.”
“Tell him to send the first two out in one hour Del. That gives us time to get to Terrell and start causing a ruckus.” She waited until all the fighters had left the tankers and nodded to Del, “Would you put me on the com, please?” Del nodded and she cleared her throat. “Can everyone hear me?” She got affirmatives from all ships. “I hope you have all had a chance to study the holograms that Tranter brought back from the Pirates, showing their raiding tactics. Usually in a Rebel Alliance attack like this, we would have worked out our strategies and our strike force targets. This time, the best strategy I can describe is ‘every man for himself’. Their fighters seem to work in groups of three, so I’d like you make eight groups and harass as many targets as you can. I repeat, we don’t want to start a war with the Aurian Marines. Just try and get them to follow you away from the base. We just need to keep them busy while we evacuate the refugees from Serrell.
The Rising Star and The Rebel will join the Grennig to take out the gun emplacements. Don’t put yourself in danger to take anyone down, just get them concentrating on you. The tankers will go in two at a time and we figured on ten minutes per tanker to load our passengers, so we have to keep them busy for nearly an hour.” Erion and Hal exchanged a glance. A pirate raid on a stationary target would normally be over in minutes. She continued, “Captain Jakoral, I need you to keep close to those tankers of yours and be ready to evacuate on my word.”
“Yes, Sir,” he answered.
“The plan is to keep the Marine Base busy as long as we can. Try to do as little damage as possible, without it looking like that’s what you are trying to do. We don’t want to make them too angry. Keep to unoccupied territory if you can and try and keep the damage minimal. If there are problems on Serrell, Tranter and I will deal with it. Any damaged fighter is to get straight back to its tanker and dock. General Cloud, if we have to leave, stay on Terrell and co-ordinate the fighters and the Josie Dog. If the situation becomes untenable on Terrell, get everyone out of there. Don’t come to help us. That is a direct order. Do you understand?”
“Sure, Major.”
“I mean it, Jed. No last minute rescues this time.”
“Yes, Major,” he sounded upset, but Erion didn’t want him flying in to save the day and seeing the Trenee boarding their ships.
“Del, please contact Thirty Seven and tell them to set off for the dark side of Serrell in pairs with ten minutes apart.”
“It is done, Major.”
“Right then, Erion caught Starfire’s eye,” Battle positions, please. Let’s get to Terrell. Raan took his place on the port gunnery section and Delta Ten slid into his vacant seat as co-pilot. Erion transferred all Delta Ten’s controls to her navigation station and nodded quickly to Starfire. She engaged the engines and the Grennig disappeared in a flash of colours.
The Grennig and the Rising Star, their engines reconfigured to show Federation signatures, screamed over of the Aurian Marine Base on Terrell at zero height, just to wake everyone up at two fifteen in the morning. Hal and Jed, working together, scored a direct hit on the Base field generator and all the lights went out for ten seconds. Delta Ten, using his night vision, guided Hal’s laser cannons to the gun emplacements and five were taken out with a quick burst of an electro-magnetic pulse. The guns were useless, but their operators were unconscious, not dead. The emergency generators came back on, but by that time, the Josie Dog, The Rebel and twenty four fighters were buzzing around the black skies, aiming at generators, gun emplacements and unoccupied storage depots, either with magnetic pulses or half power cannons.
“The first two tankers are away, Major,” said Delta Ten.
“Good,” said Erion. There was a bang as the Grennig received a hit on its port side.
“They have fighters in the air,” said Hal, scoring a glancing blow one of them, which caused it to spiral away.
“Lead them away, Starfire,” said Erion, “All ships, turn away from the base,” Starfire turned the Grennig from the Marine base as if it was running, followed by four enemy wasp fighters. Hal and Raan shot them all down, careful to hit the engines, and they spiralled away, their pilots dangling from parachutes before their fighters exploded on the ground.
“There goes the Josie Dog,” said Raan, as Captain Jakoral flew rings around two Galactic Police planet hoppers. It scored a hit on one, and it retired back to its base, one engine on fire. Erion’s attention was taken by a brief yellow flare out of the port window.
“One of our fighters has been destroyed,” said Delta Ten.
“Things will soon start to hot up,” warned Erion. She leaned forward slightly, “Try to keep safe everyone, and lead them away from any buildings if you can,” she shook her head. An unprovoked attack on an innocent target just didn’t feel right. A Marine fighter caught fire and they could see the pilot dangling below his parachute as he wafted back down the surface and Jed’s near miss on a gun emplacement caused something else to explode. The little fighter spiralled to the ground and there was a silent explosion on the base.
“Damn,” said Erion.
“We are picking up a distress call, Major,” said Delta Ten.
“Put it on the com,” she ordered.
“The hospital wing is one fire,” a frightened voice called. “We need help. Somebody, please help. We’re trapped inside. We can’t get out!”
“Frag it, we hit a hospital,” Jed was swearing furiously.
“Get there, Lieutenant,” ordered Erion. She turned the Grennig to fly at full speed to the target.
“Foam at your command, Hal,” said Delta Ten calmly, thinking for himself again. The Grennig slowed down to hover over the burning building and Hal flicked a casual finger over his console. Tons of water and foam cascaded over the hospital out of the Grennig’s waste ducts and the bright flames on the ground went out. They were bombarded from all sides, but Jed Cloud and a few fighters tried to protect them.
“The fire’s out,” yelled Raan, “Starfire, go!” She turned the Grennig and they flew away from the base, taking all the attacking ships with them.
“Six tankers are now away, Major, but th
e Tankers Seven and Eight report enemy fighters above them. They cannot leave.”
“That’s our cue, Del,” muttered Erion. She raised her voice, “Jed, Tranter and I have to go. Take command, General Cloud.” She flicked another finger over a crystal. “Tranter, get over here.”
“I receive command,” said Jed Cloud, formally. “You hear that guys, Rising Star is the Flagship now, let’s see if we can lure them away even further. Major, what’s our timeline?”
“As much as you can give us, General. I need fifteen minutes but if it looks too bad, get out of there. My safety minimum was just met.”
“Understood, Erion,” said Jed, slowly. He knew what that meant. He hadn’t been told exactly what was going on, but he did know that Erion and Tranter were helping thousands of people to leave Serrell undetected. She had just told him that enough people had been rescued to call the mission a success.
Erion had evacuated people in wartime before and the safety of those under her command, not just the refugees, had to be taken into consideration. She would have set a target, where the safety of her troops outweighed the protection of the dwindling refugees left on the surface. Jed shuddered inside. It was a job he wouldn’t have taken for anything. He pulled himself together. His task now was to stop anyone following the Grennig and The Rebel.
“Del,” began Erion, “contact Thirty Seven; tell him we’re on our way.”
“Yes, Major.”
“We’re coming up on Serrell,” said Raan, as they headed for the planet’s silhouette, aiming for the horizon.
“Multiple fighters coming up on our trajectory,” called Hal. He had never raised his voice before and they could see why. Twenty Galactic Police ships, obviously on their way to Terrell to help out, met them on the cusp, a thousand miles above the surface of Serrell. It would have been as much of a surprise to them as well and Erion hoped to take advantage of it.
“Split and attack,” ordered Erion, and the Grennig went one way and The Rebel another.
“Friend Tranter?” said a horrified voice in the cockpit.
Starfire and the Space Dragons: A Grennig Crew Adenture Page 24