by JN Chaney
The strike ship moved toward The Galactic Dawn, followed by The Star. I unloaded my beam cannon on the first section of The Dawn’s hull, leaving a long drag mark across the metal plating. It looked like a burn, though I was certain it hadn’t done much damage. Larger Union ships had several thick layers of plating, making it difficult to break through the hull and cause serious damage. They could take a beating better than any ships in the galaxy, although I was certainly going to put that to the test before the day was out.
“Tritium core is at 91%,” Athena’s voice rang in my ear.
Abby brought The Renegade Star in and released a volley of quad cannon missiles, striking the same spot I’d hit a second ago, and immediately retreated. She couldn’t sit in the open for very long, not without drawing attention from The Dawn.
The blast opened the plating even further, creating more of a divide in the hull. I followed that with yet another blast, hoping to do as much damage as possible, no matter how small, in the few seconds we had.
The Galactic Dawn’s cannons turned and fired on my general position, but they couldn’t seem to get a lock. Lucky for me they still hadn’t figured out how to target ancient Earth ships.
I dove forward, closer to The Dawn, nearly grazing its hull. An orange light flickered high above my position, which meant their shields had just activated. I was trapped inside, but that only meant I could do more damage.
I flew in close and hovered above the blind spot near the center of the ship, where the guns couldn’t reach, then proceeded to fire several bursts of successive shots.
Brigham would have to make a choice, since he couldn’t hit me from here. He’d have to either drop the shields and release his strike ships or sit here and take excessive damage.
Either way was fine with me.
I ordered my targeting system to aim for the engine section, then fired my beam cannon at the hull, slowly splitting it apart.
As I expected, the shields flickered off in short time. Brigham would send in his fighters to deal with me before I had a chance to fully disable his carrier, but that was ignorant thinking on his part.
There was more to this bird than a simple canon.
With the hull open, I pulled in closer and imagined my ship dropping a mine—the same mines Athena had loaned me during our assault on Priscilla.
The bomb released from beneath me, shooting forward at the exact location I wanted—inside the broken hull.
I let myself grin. “Abby, I’m coming back! Get to Titan!”
“On our way,” she returned.
I checked the radar to see the blue dot that represented The Renegade Star making its way to the gas giant. Titan was on the other side, still letting its core recharge.
While I observed the holo, a flood of red poured out from beneath my position. The strike ships, hundreds of them, were dispersing into open space. They would come for me first, but none of this was a surprise.
I brought my ship above The Galactic Dawn, speeding forward, between two raised canons. Each of them took aim at me, firing torpedoes. I pulled up and then sideways, avoiding the projectiles. Since they couldn’t lock onto me, the shots continued into the darkness, uninterrupted, while I followed the edge of the ship’s hull, sticking close.
The other strike ships began moving after me, following my flight pattern. I stuck as close to The Dawn as possible. Whatever shots they missed would hit the carrier, so I didn’t let myself grow too far from it.
Multiple strike ships came up behind me, finally firing on my rear. Apparently, killing me was more important than the safety of their own starship. I’d take that as a compliment.
My vessel shook from the rear blast, but hardly enough to slow me down. It hadn’t been a direct hit. Two other missiles flew past me and into The Galactic Dawn’s hull. Lucky day, since that meant they still couldn’t get a lock on me.
I cut thrusters and turned the ship so I was facing the attackers and returned fire. I sent a beam of blue energy straight directly into them, decimating six of the strike ships in a single blast. The other pursuing ships behind them dispersed, like a flock of spooked birds.
I turned my ship around again, letting the others go. My enemy was bigger than all of them, and far more dangerous. I brought my ship high above The Galactic Dawn, then leaned forward so that I could get the carrier in view.
I was staring at one of the most powerful vessels in the known galaxy, housing hundreds of smaller ships, and it was helmed by a seasoned general with decades of combat experience. Anyone watching from the outside might have thought this was a one-sided fight and that I was suicidal for even attempting it.
But he who controls the battlefield, wins, and right now I had the advantage.
I had a goddamn moon.
“Athena, status check!” I snapped.
“Tritium core is at 95.6%,” returned the Cognitive.
I grinned. “Good enough! Now, bring that fat ass out here!”
“Understood.”
The cannons on The Dawn fired on my position again, hitting my shields and jerking the entire ship. The blast sent me flying, but I managed to reorient myself in a few seconds.
My radar detected another set of missiles, headed straight for me. The old man must have figured out how to target me, finally.
It was good while it lasted.
I ordered my ship to push forward, away from the torpedoes. They followed me, gaining on my rear as I continued. I pulled around and aimed my cannon, shooting at the two bombs as they neared.
The blast struck the first missile, destroying it, while the second continued. I didn’t have time to hit it, so I’d have to take the blast directly. I hoped my shields could handle it.
Right before the torpedo was about to reach my position, a beam of blue light struck its side and ignited the missile. I nearly fell back in my seat. “Holy—”
“Hey, Captain,” said a voice over the com.
A ship swept across my screen, one that seemed to be identical to…
“Alphonse?” I asked, leaning forward. “Is that you?”
An image popped up on my screen, and I saw Alphonse from the waist up. He gave me a nod. “Sorry for the delay. It took some time to get these tattoos on me.”
“I wasn’t expecting you to make it out here, so I’ll count this as a bonus,” I said.
He smiled. “As will I, Captain.”
“Stick close to me and try not to get shot, Al. We’re heading back to Titan before things get out of hand.”
“I’ll follow your lead, sir,” he said.
I brought my ship around to face The Galactic Dawn. “One last thing,” I muttered, sending a mental command to the bomb I’d left behind.
Instantly, the hull of The Galactic Dawn exploded, ripping metal from metal, splitting a massive chunk of the ship away from the body. The lights of The Dawn flickered as pieces of the ship scattered into open space.
Brigham reacted by raising the orange shields on the carrier, but it was too late to fix what was already broken. He’d be working repairs on that carrier for months.
I turned my craft back toward the distant gas giant, enticing Brigham to follow.
I stared at my holo display and watched The Galactic Dawn, wondering if the old man was actually going to keep coming after me. He certainly hadn’t shown any signs of stopping yet.
The massive red dot blinked, staying in the same position for longer than I felt comfortable with. I was about to turn around and fire on him again when the carrier finally began to move.
I had to admit, even with a large chunk of its hull missing, the carrier ship was still intimidating. Hopefully, Brigham would feel the same when he saw my backup.
As we neared the gas giant, I spotted Titan hovering inside the planet’s atmosphere. The Renegade Star was behind her, waiting for its chance to act.
The Galactic Dawn fired at Titan, using all of its remaining canons. Hundreds of missiles left the carrier at once, filling the gap between th
e ships.
I approached the Moon with enough firepower following me to glass a small planet. Was Brigham trying to destroy Titan? Either he was smart enough to know what it took to disable that ship or the opposite was true and he was trying to wipe it out completely.
Either way, I wagered it wouldn’t matter. The old man had yet to witness Titan’s true potential. He was about to have a rude awakening.
Alphonse and I brought our ships inside the safety zone of Titan’s shield. Once there, I heard Athena’s voice come over the com. “Activating shield.”
I was barely inside when the blue wall appeared around Titan and multiple bombs collided with it, creating ripple after ripple as the shield absorbed the explosions. Less than a few seconds later, all of the missiles had landed and the shield was still holding.
I let myself breathe a short sigh of relief, then I remembered how close to death I’d just been, and I was suddenly tense again. “Alphonse, dock your ship and join the others. Abby and I will be there soon,” I told him.
“Captain, I don’t think I should abandon you,” he responded.
“I’ll be right behind you,” I assured him. “You wanna be part of this crew? That means following orders.”
“I understand,” said Alphonse.
I watched him enter the orange and red clouds in the planet’s atmosphere, disappearing as his ship drew closer to Titan.
At the same moment, countless strike ships filled my radar, leaving The Galactic Dawn and heading toward us. Titan was still inside the planet’s upper atmosphere, half-hidden from the enemy’s line-of-sight.
The swarm of ships came together in a crowded mass, flying through the void, toward Titan’s position, exactly as I had hoped.
“Now’s your chance, Athena!” I said, ordering my little ship to the rear of Titan, dipping far into the stormclouds. “Let those bastards have it!”
“Moving into position and deploying assault beam,” informed the Cognitive. “Please, stand by.”
Titan moved through the clouds until the incoming fighters were in sight.
The glow of the shield around Titan dropped and several blue beams formed at various points around the ship, each of them several times larger than the one from my little vessel. They shot through the planet’s atmosphere and out across the void, unleashing the wrath of a two-thousand-year-old civilization.
In a single breath, the blue beams tore through dozens of ships, breaking them to dust, and scattering the rest. What few remained were either immobilized or forced into a spin.
I was taken aback by the sheer magnitude of the attack. I’d never seen anything so destructive.
The beam continued through the ships, toward The Dawn, plowing straight into its shields. The blast stopped after a moment, but Athena followed it with another, almost immediately.
Titan struck The Dawn a second time, not giving it a chance to retaliate. Athena followed that up with a wide spray of torpedoes, bombarding The Galactic Dawn with everything it had. The carrier withstood as much as it could before the shield collapsed, breaking apart like orange glass.
As the beam hit, it broke a huge chunk of the hull clean off, splintering the ship, but not destroying it. The Union had built it well, with multiple reinforced layers of protection.
“Siggy, drop the lift,” I sent. “I’m coming in.”
“Of course, sir,” answered the A.I.
I brought the little ship closer to The Renegade Star, right as the cargo bay opened. With little more than a thought, I ordered the vessel to deploy its landing gear and touch down on the floor, sealing its magnetic legs in place.
“Captain Hughes,” said Athena. “Please, be advised that multiple enemy vessels are approaching through the nearby tunnel.”
“What are we looking at?” I asked, waiting briefly for the lift to close.
“Two additional carrier class starships are inbound. Each is equivalent to the estimated size of The Galactic Dawn,” she answered.
I paused at the message, taken back for a second at what I was hearing. “Did you say two more carriers?”
“Correct,” she confirmed.
“Athena, you need to open a tunnel and move!” I snapped, leaping out of my chair. The ship door opened and I ran into The Renegade Star’s cargo bay, heading to the nearby stairs.
“What is your estimated time of arrival?” asked Athena.
“Just go!” I ordered. “Get out of their line of sight and head beneath the clouds again, then open that tunnel. We’ll drop a few mines to slow them down, but we’ll be right behind you!”
I made my way through the upper deck and into the corridor, racing toward the front of the ship. Abby’s voice came over the com as I entered the lounge. “Jace? Where are you? What are we—”
I pulled open the door to the cockpit to see Abby and Freddie look at me. “Swap out,” I said, motioning with my hand.
Abby stepped out of the seat, giving me room. “Siggy, stay close to Titan and prepare to deploy mines!”
“Understood,” said Sigmond. “Welcome back, sir.”
“Jace, what’s going on?” asked Abigail.
“We’re running,” I said, not even bothering to strap myself in. “There’s two more Dawns headed our way and I’m pretty sure we’re fucked if we stay.”
“Even with Titan?” asked Freddie.
“I’m not chancing it,” I said, glancing at him. “And get your ass in the back, Fred! The nun has a better eye for killin’. I need her on guns.”
“R-Right,” he answered, getting to his feet.
Abby sat down in the co-pilot chair, bringing up weapon controls.
Athena’s voice cut in. “Forming a new slip tunnel.”
I was about to ask how long it would take, but I got the answer immediately. The rift began to form, surprising all of us as it split the atmosphere apart. Orange and yellow clouds swirled, turning darker as the green rift collided with them. “Holy shit,” I said. “That didn’t take long.”
“It must be the new core,” said Abigail.
“That is correct,” answered Athena. “Entering slipspace in ten seconds.”
“Is it safe to open a tunnel inside a planet’s atmosphere?” asked Abby.
“We’re about to find out,” I muttered. “Athena, keep going. We’ll be right behind you.” I pulled the controls sticks and brought us out from behind Titan, moving out of the Moon’s flight path. “Siggy, how are those mines looking?”
“Ready for deployment, sir,” said the A.I.
I looked at Abby. “Keep an eye on any strike ships they send at us. If they get close while we’re deploying these things, we’re dead.”
“I’ll handle it,” she said with a short nod.
I took another breath, watching as Titan entered the tunnel. We only had a handful of seconds to get those mines in place before the enemy ships showed up.
So much for having a plan.
Twenty
We deployed about a dozen mines in record time, although that was only a third of our inventory. The Galactic Dawn was immobilized, but we were about to have more firepower at our backs then any of us could conceive.
Hell was breaking loose, and quickly, and I felt the fire on my heels.
Titan had gone through the slip tunnel, expecting us to follow right away. The rift was still open, too, and I knew better than to let it close. It would take far too long for us to get it back, and I honestly had no idea whether we could in this atmosphere. I just had to finish getting these mines—
A tunnel opened right behind The Galactic Dawn. Another carrier emerged, edging its way out of the rift at the same slow speed as its predecessor.
My eyes widened at the sight of another massive enemy ship. Fuuuuuck.
Before I could even turn to Abby and say the word I was thinking, a third ship flew in and arrived near the edge of the system, bringing a beeping red dot onto the holo display.
And there’s number three. Well, shit.
“Uh, o
h,” muttered Freddie.
“You said it.” I touched the controls. “Siggy, let’s follow the others. We need to go before the tunnel closes!”
“Understood,” said the A.I.
Abby held the weapon controls in her hand. She had that look on her face, the kind that said she was ready to go down fighting if it came to it. Not that it would. I sure as hell wasn’t ready to die, not here. Not in a place like this.
The slip engine hummed inside the belly of The Renegade Star, and a beam shot from beneath the cockpit, targeting the existing tear as it appeared before us. It only took a few seconds for the tunnel to widen back to its previous size, but it was all the time we needed.
Behind us, several dozen strike ships flew in our direction, headed straight for the minefield. I had played this game before, so I knew full well what Brigham was doing. He would sacrifice every last fighter if it meant stopping me here and now. He was a military man, which meant everything at his disposal was fodder, so long as it built towards his singular goal. All 10,000 of his soldiers would die if it meant he could have the prize… if it meant he could have Lex.
A few of the mines exploded as the fighters collided with them. The bombs didn’t even have to move very far. It was like the ships were trying to hit them, like they knew they were on a suicide mission.
I began to move The Star into the rift, pressing the control sticks forward, easing us inside. “Steady now,” I muttered.
“Hurry, Jace,” said Abigail. “We don’t have much time before they—”
A sudden explosion lit up the display as another ship collided with another bomb. Finally, there was a clean path through the field. That was my fault, I reckoned, since I had only managed to drop a short supply.
I just had to hurry, before anyone else showed up.
“Incoming missile,” said Sigmond.
“Fuck it!” I snapped, pushed the control sticks forward as hard as I could, ignoring safety protocols for slipspace entry.
The radar showed the bomb headed towards us. “Turn the ship!” said Abigail.
I already knew where her head was at, so I didn’t argue. I brought The Star around, cutting thrusters as we continued to move into the tunnel. When we were facing the oncoming missile, she took aim and fired a wide spray.