“They’ll speed up,” Kim said.
“Maybe not,” Ben said. “They don’t want to spook us.”
“Too late for that,” Kim said.
“How long until we reach our jump point?” Ben asked.
“At the current speed, just over an hour,” Nance said. “But at top speed, we can be there in a little more than ten minutes.”
“Increase your speed, Kim,” Ben said. “But do it slowly. I don’t want to make it appear that we’re running.”
“Copy that,” Kim said.
“Nance, send the signal,” Ben said.
“It’s not too soon?” Kim said sarcastically.
“Better too soon than too late,” Ben replied.
Kim had no trouble staying on their outlined trajectory. It might have been better if she’d had more to do. Her eyes kept returning to the plot projection that showed their jump point, the planet, and the two Imperium patrol craft. They were Corvairs, part surveillance craft, part attack ship. Much larger than a fighter, with long-range laser cannons, and heavy shielding. They were faster than the Modulus Echo, traveling through the system at just slightly under light speed when they engaged their main drive engines fully.
In a fair fight, the Echo wouldn’t stand a chance against an Imperium Corvair, but Kim had no plans to fight fair. If it was up to her, she wouldn’t fight at all. They had replaced the missiles they used in the Briggs system and had plenty of fuel, but Kim didn’t want to take on the Imperium forces. She didn’t believe in luck, but after barely escaping their last mission alive, not to mention knowing that over two thousand people on the Imperium cruiser had died in the black hole, she didn’t want to take any more chances.
“They’re increasing speed!” Nance said.
“Go, Kim,” Ben said. “Get us out of here.”
Not that she needed to be told. Kim had already slammed the throttle to its stops and was counting on the planet’s gravity to give them a boost of speed. Suddenly, four small ships came rocketing over the top of the planet.
“Four Confederate fighters on the screen,” Nance said.
Kim glanced up and saw a group of mismatched fighters. They were all old, and none had shields to speak of. Each had short-range laser batteries and a pair of high-velocity missiles. There was enough distance between the Imperium ships that they didn’t need to react at first to the enemy vessels. They had already altered course, with one moving to cut off the Echo’s escape, while the other moved to catch them from behind.
“Time to hyperspace jump?” Ben said.
“Four minutes,” Nance said.
“Those Imperium ships will be in range before that,” Ben snapped.
“Extreme long range,” Kim said. “We’ll see whatever they fire at us with plenty of time for evasive maneuvers.”
“You really think the Confederate forces are strong enough to take out both patrol craft?” Magnum asked.
“Surely Silas has more vessels moving around the planet,” Ben said.
“They better hurry, or they might miss the party,” Kim said.
“Missiles away,” Nance said.
“And the fighters are pulling back,” Ben replied. “This is insane.”
“The missiles are tracking,” Nance said. “Thirty seconds to impact.
“If the Imperium Corvairs don’t have defensive systems,” Kim said.
“Looks like they’ll have to choose,” Nance said. “Shoot at us, or defend themselves.”
Kim thought that was an easy choice, which was why it shocked her to see the Corvairs unleash a heavy barrage of long-range laser fire at the Echo.
“Incoming fire,” Nance said.
Kim pressed her joystick forward while pressing the toes of her right foot forward and her left heal back. The Echo dove into a tight, spiraling nose dive, skimming across the planet’s upper atmosphere as the laser fire flashed over them.
“I can’t believe it,” Ben said.
“Solid impacts on both vessels,” Nance said. “It wasn’t enough to break up the ships, but it took out their engines.”
“Why?” Ben said. “What on earth would cause them to sacrifice themselves like that? There are no other Fleet vessels in the system.”
Understanding dawned on Kim suddenly. It sent shivers down her spine as if she’d just been doused with cold water.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Ben continued.
“Unless they have help coming,” Kim said.
“What? That’s impossible,” Ben replied. “There’s no way they radioed for help and can expect reinforcements this quickly.”
“It’s a trap,” Kim said.
The Confederate fighters had resumed course and were streaking across the system toward the seemingly defenseless space station.
“No...” Ben said. “No way.”
“I’ll bet they’ve got reinforcements just sitting out there in the dark,” Kim said, “maybe even a single light hour from here. Far enough from the heliosphere to be completely overlooked, but close enough that they could signal when they first caught sight of us.”
“The Corsairs aren’t the hunters,” Ben said. “They’re the bait.”
“The Imperium doesn’t care if they lose a few ships, as long as they get us,” Kim said.
“The Confederate fighters are so anxious for a win they’ll fall right into the trap,” Ben said. “They think they’ve got all the time in the world to come back and mop up the Corsairs.”
“Didn’t Silas say they would be filming the battle?” Kim asked. “Odds are, there’s another ship somewhere close by.”
“And they’ve got nowhere to run,” Ben said.
“Better shoot them a warning,” Kim said. “I’ll be at our jump point in a minute and then we’re out of here.”
“Wait,” Ben said. “We can’t leave them.”
“Like hell we can’t,” Kim replied.
“Maybe we can help,” Ben said.
“I could plot a course closer to the space station,” Nance said.
“Do it,” Ben agreed.
“Wait a second!” Kim shouted. “Are you out of your mind? It’s a trap.”
“And we can’t let them fall into it,” Ben said.
“What if they have gravity-generating interdictors, Ben?” Kim snapped. “Did you think about that? Did you consider the fact that this might be our only chance to escape with our lives?”
“If the Confederacy loses this station, they won’t have access to Zexum for us,” Ben said.
“We can find it somewhere else,” Kim argued. “We won’t need gas if we’re dead.”
“We’re not going to die,” Ben said.
“Are you starting to believe the rumors about yourself?” Kim asked. “We’re not heroes, remember? We got lucky in the Briggs system. We can’t push it.”
“And we can’t turn our backs on the only friends we’ve got left in the galaxy either,” Ben said. “Set a course for the Imperium space station.”
“You’re insane,” Kim said.
She felt a white-hot fury building up inside her. She trusted Ben in most circumstances, but she had a bad feeling about the battle ahead. They had no idea what the Royal Imperium had planned, but Kim knew their favorite tactic was to rush ahead with overwhelming force. Whatever was waiting out there in the darkness, she knew it was more than enough to take out their tiny ship and crush whatever Confederate resistance might come against them.
“Fine,” Kim said, turning the ship away from the planet and steering a course for the distant space station. “I just hope you can live with the consequences.”
Chapter 36
Ben had a suspicion that the Imperium was sending an unbeatable ship, and he wasn’t wrong. One moment there was nothing beyond the Imperium space station, and the next a massive cruiser was there. It appeared, as if out of nowhere, dropping out of hyperspace in an instant. The largest ship of the line, a battle cruiser. Unlike the cruisers that had blockaded Brigton, the battle cruiser
had huge batteries of laser cannons and railguns capable of bombarding entire planets.
“Time to jump point?” Ben said.
“Too long,” Kim snapped.
“The nav computer is still working,” Nance said.
“We stay here, we’re dead,” Kim said.
“The Confederate fighters are retreating,” Magnum said as he pointed at the display screen.
The four minuscule fighters were turning away from the Imperium space station as the huge battle cruiser loomed up over the station. It hovered there, as an entire squadron of Imperium fighters came racing out of hanger bays on either flank. The flight of the small, fast-attack fighters was perfectly coordinated and reminded Ben of an old video game he had played as a child.
“They won’t make it,” Kim said, referring to the Confederate fighters. “There are too many Imperium ships.”
“Jump point is ready,” Nance said.
“That’s toward the battle cruiser, Nance!” Kim said.
“That’s where Ben told me to put it,” she said in her strangely calm tone.
Ben saw the answer. It was a long shot, both figuratively and literally. But it might work...maybe.
“It’s perfect,” Ben said.
“Perfect? Perfect? Are you kidding me?” Kim complained. “We might escape, just maybe, if we turn back now.”
“There’s no time to calculate a new jump point,” Ben said. “Besides, that won’t help the Confederacy.”
“Forget the Confederacy,” Kim said angrily.
Ben ignored her. He understood her concerns, but he didn’t have the time to explain his plan.
“Magnum, can you remove the safety features on our rockets from up here?”
Magnum hit a few keys on his console with his large fingers. Then he looked at Ben, then nodded.
“Good,” Ben said. “Fire them. All we’ve got.”
“What good will that do?” Kim snarled. “You won’t get even one of them past the battle cruiser’s defenses.”
“We’re not aiming at the battle cruiser,” Ben said.
“What good are twelve missiles going to do against a squadron of fighters?” Nance asked, with none of Kim’s acid tone.
“Absolutely nothing,” Kim said. “From this distance, they’ll be out of fuel long before they reach the fighters. And without being able to track them, the Imperium ships will just avoid them.”
“True,” Ben said. “That’s why we’re not targeting the fighters.”
“I’m telling you, Ben, you’re wasting ammo by firing at the battle cruiser. They have automated defenses. Their lasers will blast the missiles before they even get close. And their armor is too thick for our missiles to even make a dent.”
“We’re not firing at the cruiser,” Ben said. “Magnum, target the fuel reserves on the space station.”
For a moment, the bridge was silent. Everyone was contemplating Ben’s plan.
“They’ll think you’re firing at the Imperium fighters,” Kim said, her voice much calmer than before.
“The battle cruiser’s defenses won’t engage because the missiles aren’t a direct threat,” Nance said.
“How fast?” Magnum asked.
“Space them a few seconds apart,” Ben said. “But fire all twelve. There’s no sense in holding back now.”
“Firing,” Magnum said.
The bridge fell silent again as Magnum fired twelve missiles in just under thirty seconds. In space, the missiles left no contrail, but the exhaust from their fuel supply glowed like tiny shooting stars.
“You think they’ll get through the fighters?” Kim asked. “It looks like most of them are simply forming a perimeter around the station.”
“It’s all a show to the Fleet,” Ben said. “Just another simple mopping-up expedition. Unless they see the danger, but I’m counting on their overconfidence.”
“They’ve almost caught the Confederate fighters,” Nance said.
“Time to our jump point?” Ben asked.
“Seventy-seven seconds,” Nance said.
“Time to impact?” Kim asked.
“Fifty-nine seconds,” Nance said.
“Will we reach the jump point before the Imperium forces?” Ben asked.
“We’ll get there before they do,” Nance said. “But we’ll be in range of their lasers the final eight seconds.”
“Okay, engage the forward deflector screens,” Ben said. “I’m shutting down life support and subsystems to route all power to the engines.”
“Roger that,” Kim said. “Altering course slightly so that I don’t give away our jump point trajectory.”
“They got one of ours,” Nance said.
It wasn’t necessary to point the loss of the Confederate ship out. The explosion in the distance was plain to see. Flashes of laser fire were visible all across the display screen.
“Missiles are out of range,” Magnum said.
“Let’s hope that the Imperium forces don’t see them as a threat,” Ben said.
“Those valiant fools,” Kim said. “The Confederates are actually fighting the Imperium forces.”
“They don’t stand a chance,” Nance said.
“They can’t outrun them,” Ben said. “They’re dead either way.”
“Better to die fighting,” Magnum said. “Maybe take a few with you when you go.”
“That’s a cheerful thought,” Kim said. “Why don’t we focus on surviving.”
“Ten seconds to impact,” Nance said.
“Come on, come on,” Ben murmured.
“We’ve got fighters headed this way,” Kim said.
The first missile hit a clumsy Imperium fighter and detonated. The explosion was large enough to be seen on the Echo and sent a wave of dread through Ben. It took the officers on the battle cruiser a valuable second to recognize the danger. The big ship began to turn away from the space station while massive beams of laser light erupted from her batteries.
“They’re shooting their own fighters?” Kim said as dozens of Imperium vessels vanished under the barrage of laser fire.
“It’s defensive fire,” Ben said. “They’ve spotted the danger.”
The only ships that were out of danger were the fighters pursuing the Confederates and a squad of four that was racing toward the Echo.
“Prepare for evasive maneuvers,” Kim said.
“Come on! Something’s got to get through,” Ben said loudly, trying to will his tactics into working.
“Three seconds to laser range,” Nance announced.
Ben held his breath. The battle cruiser was moving, but she wasn’t fast. Her lasers continued to blast wildly in a seemingly random pattern. Dozens of Imperium fighters were destroyed by friendly fire, and the rest were taking refuge in the shadow of the space station.
Kim dipped low, as if about to dive, then slammed the joystick back and sending the Echo straight up in a spinning maneuver that left their enemies guessing. Ben saw laser fire flash below them. He was scrambling to keep the camera feed on the space station, but with Kim in a fight for survival, it was impossible. Still, one of the missiles made it through the defensive fire from the battle cruiser scrambling to escape. Ben didn’t see the missile impact the Zexum fuel tank, or the resulting chain reaction, just an intense light that took everyone by surprise.
Kim steadied the ship as the Imperium fighters broke off their attack. A blindingly bright ball of fire was expanding.
“Oh my God,” Ben said.
The Imperium space station was enveloped, as were many of the fighters. Tiny flashes showed the ships exploding. The battle cruiser had made half a turn and was rising upward, but she wasn’t fast enough. The fireball caught her. The long military vessel seemed to hover half in and half out of the fire. Then she, too, exploded as the fireball of Zexum gas continued to expand.
“Kim,” Ben said.
“You don’t have to tell me,” she said.
None of them could tear their eyes away from the carnage as
the ball of fire continued to expand. It was brighter than the system star and rushed through space. Kim’s hand found the hyperspace controls and suddenly, with their enemy destroyed, time slowed. Ben could see fiery bits of metal shooting through the sky, but not fast enough to escape the expanding ball of fire.
Then, like the flip of a switch, they were gone.
Epilogue
“We might be dead,” Kim said.
“Does that mean I have to listen to you complain for all of eternity?” Ben asked.
“We’re where they told us to go, but there’s nothing here,” Kim said. “I’m just saying. Maybe the fireball got us and we don’t know it yet.”
“Very funny,” Ben said.
They were back on the bridge after being in hyperspace for nearly eight hours. They were in the middle of nowhere, just empty space. According to Silas, someone from the Confederacy was supposed to meet them there and give them their next assignment. Ben preferred to think of the assignments as jobs, but without any other offers, he recognized that they were officially in the employ of the Confederacy without any say in what they did or didn’t do. As long as the Royal Imperium wanted them dead, they were too dangerous for anyone to risk hiring them. They couldn’t even pick up passengers for fear that their Kestrel class ship would be seen and reported to the authorities. If they wanted to keep flying, they worked for the Confederacy; it was as simple as that.
“I wonder how big the explosion got?” Nance asked.
It was the question on everyone’s mind. Ben had done a little research and knew that enough Zexum gas, in the vacuum of space, could burn for months, like a miniature star. It wouldn’t reach Bannyan Seven, and the planets closer to the space station were nothing but rocks with no life that might be affected by the blast. The Confederate resources, other than the four lost fighters, were safely shielded by the gas giant, and Ben knew the fighters would have died anyway. At least, as Magnum had said, they went down fighting. Ben hoped they lived long enough to see the battle cruiser’s demise.
An hour later, another ship appeared. It wasn’t close, but it was the only thing in the system. With its running lights on, the ship was easy to see.
“That’s our contact,” Ben said.
Jump Point: Kestrel Class Saga Book 2 Page 24