“Are they trying to ram the enemy?” asked Massey in shock. “There’s no way they’ll be quick enough!”
“They’ll get close,” said Chainer. “The enemy’s changed course to avoid an interception.”
Duggan still had his eyes on the tactical screen. The dot representing the Lustre vanished without warning. “What?” he asked.
“The Lustre has exploded, sir!” said McGlashan. “What the hell?”
Duggan cycled through the options on his tactical display and saw a vast cloud of radiation, expanding at enormous speed away from its centre. The cloud engulfed the Dreamer vessel and continued beyond.
“The enemy shield is gone, sir!” shouted Chainer.
“Engines too, from the looks of it,” said Breeze. “Their output is close to zero.”
“Fire everything!” said Duggan.
“Continuing as before, sir,” said McGlashan. “We might not need to bother.”
Duggan realised what she meant. There were still hundreds of Lambdas in flight. Four of them hit the Dreamer ship within a hundred metres of each other. Duggan called up the external feed and zoomed in on the enemy vessel. The Lambda blasts had opened up a huge, deep breach into its hull. Duggan didn’t know enough about the design of the Dreamer ships, but the damage looked severe.
With its engine output reduced, the Dreamer warship wasn’t able to take effective evasive action, making it easy for the Rampage’s AI to predict the enemy’s course. Duggan watching intently as another twenty Lambdas cascaded against the length of the spaceship. Plasma washed over and through its armour, hiding much of the hull behind a fierce glare. More missiles plunged into the stricken vessel, tearing it into three parts. Still the barrage continued, until the enemy ship was scattered in glowing pieces over a huge swathe of Kidor’s sky.
There was no cheering, only relief, tinged with sadness. Duggan fell into his seat and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “See if you can get in touch with the other ships and find out who we’ve lost. Then speak to the people on the shuttle and ask what happened. Whoever was on the Lustre has saved a lot of lives.”
“Aye, sir,” said Perry.
“There’s got to be a better way to defeat them,” said Duggan. He set a course for Kidor, though not before he’d caught the unreadable expression on Lieutenant Nichols’ face.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
THE EIGHT SHIPS which had set off from the Juniper were reduced to six, with the loss of twenty-two soldiers and crew. The captain of the Lustre – a woman called Anya Gottlieb had issued the evacuation order for her ship, but had stayed behind to activate the self-destruct facility in case the Dreamer ship came close. Duggan silently congratulated her for her prescience and sacrifice. There queue of tributes to pay was building.
The shuttle had nowhere to dock and shadowed the other ships. The ES Rampage had two docking bays, both of which were occupied. Duggan was more than happy to jettison one of his two shuttles and this he did, programming its onboard computer to keep the craft stationary in case anyone ever came to recover it. Lieutenant Nichols offered no protest. A short while later, the shuttle from the Lustre docked and ninety additional personnel boarded the Rampage. There was room for them, though it was a little cramped.
“We took some hits,” said Breeze. “This time we came out of it mostly intact. Even if we lack the weaponry to destroy the enemy, we can still ride a few punches.”
“I agree,” said Duggan. “The Space Corps have come up with a solid design here. Once our weapons technology catches up, the Galactic class will be a force to reckon with.”
“What are our orders now, sir?” asked McGlashan.
“Ensign Perry, contact the other vessels - order them to stay close and in standard formation. We need to be on guard against the possible presence or arrival of another enemy warship. This time we will be clustered tightly enough to focus our fire, instead of being spread halfway across the solar system.”
“I’m advising them, sir,” said Perry.
“We’ll approach slowly until the ES Extraction and ES Furnace join with us. Then we will do a controlled sweep of the planet’s surface to find this pyramid we’ve been sent to locate.”
“The Extraction or Furnace might have already located it,” said Massey. “I’ll find out.”
“When is the heavy lifter due, sir?” asked Breeze. “I reckon we got lucky on Trasgor when the enemy didn’t send reinforcements.”
“I’m sure you’re correct, Lieutenant,” said Duggan. “We’ve got between four and six hours until the MHL Goliath comes. That’s plenty of time for something to happen, so we’ll remain on high alert.”
The search would have been finished quickly if the six vessels had been able to disperse into different orbits. Duggan was insistent they stay together, which slowed things down. In common with Trasgor, this planet was mid-distance from its sun and not otherwise remarkable. There was no sign it held great quantities of rare metals or anything resource-wise which would make it a specific target for settlement. However, its distance from the sun would ensure it would be neither too hot, nor too cold, once it had a suitable atmosphere to support life.
“The oxygen levels are higher than I’d expect and they’re on the way up,” said Chainer. “Same as we found on Trasgor.”
“We’ve had a confirmed sighting of another pyramid, so it’s here,” said Duggan. “Can you track the source of the oxygen?”
“That’s what I’m doing now, sir. The concentrations are higher close to Kidor’s equator. I’ve sent you the details.”
“Got them,” said Duggan. “I’m changing course. I’d like you to keep scanning for any further emergency broadcasts from the people on the surface.”
“Of course, sir,” said Massey smoothly.
“Got it!” said Chainer excitedly. “They’ve left this one in pretty much in the same place as the one on Trasgor.”
“I’m sure there’s a reason,” said Duggan. “What’re the readings from it?”
“There’s an energy shield with an eight-kilometre diameter, which comes as no surprise.”
“No sign of anything else?”
“Nothing our sensors can pick up. There might be defensive emplacements like Trasgor. In fact, I’d bet money there’s something inside the perimeter.”
“Are we going to disable them with the nukes?” asked McGlashan.
“We’ll hold for a moment,” said Duggan. “Let’s make a very quick sweep for the Bulldozer’s missing crew.”
“I think I’ve already found them, sir,” said Massey. “There’s a beacon on the ground about two klicks from the energy shield perimeter.”
“I see it,” said Chainer. “It’s firing out a signal along the floor of a valley and almost flat across the planet’s surface. No wonder we didn’t spot it sooner.”
“Why would it be doing that?” asked Duggan.
“I don’t know, sir. Maybe something’s disturbed it. The signal is strong, but it’s going nowhere except a hundred trillion miles out into nothingness.”
“What’s the terrain like around it?”
“There are high hills. Rock, stone, the usual stuff. The beacon is near a cliff face. And look! Something has exploded right at the top. There’s a big chunk of the rock missing.”
“A missile?”
“I’m certain that’s plasma damage,” said Chainer.
“Any sign of the people who operated the beacon?”
“Nope. They might have been killed, sir.”
“I’m not so sure,” said Massey, chewing her lip.
“What do you mean?” asked Duggan, standing at her shoulder.
“If the beacon was originally broadcasting directly upwards, it would have been found by anyone determined to do so. I wonder if the Dreamer warship fired a missile at the source of the signal, only they hit the top of the cliff by mistake. If they caused enough rocks to tumble down, they could have buried the beacon or knocked it over.”
“
Then the signal apparently vanished, making the enemy think they scored a hit?” asked Duggan. He wanted to believe, but wasn’t yet convinced.
“It’s a possibility, sir.”
“It’s a poor job if they managed to miss a ground-based target,” said Reyes.
“Stranger things have happened,” replied Duggan. He stood abruptly. “I’m going to send a few of the troops in a shuttle to take a look. We can’t launch a two gigaton nuclear warhead at the energy shield if the Bulldozer’s crew are holed up somewhere close by. Lieutenant Nichols, you’re going with them.”
Nichols couldn’t conceal his surprise. “I’m needed here,” he spluttered.
“To do what? Keep an eye on me? You’re going to go and have a look at what we have to do in the Space Corps from time to time. How can you make a firm decision on how we treat our assets if you don’t experience it first hand?”
Nichols gave Duggan a look that was not at all friendly. “I have done this before, Captain,” he said. Even so, he had no choice in the matter and climbed from his chair.
“Ensign Perry, please tell Lieutenant Ortiz that she is to choose eight of her men and women to go on a short trip to the surface, leaving from Shuttle Bay One as soon as they’re ready. Make her aware that Lieutenant Nichols will be joining them and that this should be a quick in and out, without the need for gunfire.”
Nichols left the bridge, glowering as he did so. He wasn’t stupid enough to outright mutiny, but he made his displeasure obvious. Duggan didn’t care – if Nichols wanted to involve himself in how the Space Corps used its equipment, he should be prepared to get his hands dirty.
“The atmosphere has improved in here already,” said Chainer, taking a swig from a can of hi-stim.
“Lieutenant Chainer,” warned Duggan.
“I was just saying, sir,” Chainer replied.
A short time passed, before Ensign Perry announced he’d received notice from Lieutenant Ortiz that she was ready to depart.
“Good. Tell them to make haste. Find out what happened to the crew of the Bulldozer and get back here,” said Duggan. Ortiz wasn’t known for taking her time and the shuttle departed swiftly. It backed out of its bay, rotated smoothly on its axis and then raced off towards Kidor.
“There’s no sign of hostile activity from the Dreamers,” said Chainer. “No change whatsoever.”
“Good - keep watching. Commander McGlashan, destroy anything that emerges from the energy shield.”
“They’d have to be foolish to stick their heads outside,” said Breeze.
“I know,” replied Duggan. “However, for all their technology, I’m starting to believe our enemy are not completely infallible. They’ve made mistakes before.”
Duggan ordered Perry to request regular updates from the shuttle. A moment later, the voice of Lieutenant Ortiz came through the bridge speakers. “I’m going to bring us in low and flat and stick close to the valley floor. Everything’s clear so far, though I’m sure you know better than we do, sir.”
“There’s no sign of anything hostile,” said Duggan. In truth, a surface-launched missile could destroy the shuttle before there was time to blink, let alone try and intercept it. There was a risk in sending the shuttle to look for the missing crew and Duggan was fearful. In other circumstances, he’d have gone himself, yet he carried too much responsibility now to go out on a limb to save people who might already be dead.
“Want me to order a bombardment on the shield in case they let their guard down?” asked McGlashan.
Duggan cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier. “Thank you for the reminder, Commander. It’s too late, now though. The shuttle is too low for the enemy to target it with surface missiles. If they were going to do anything it would have happened already.”
“We’re at the landing area, sir,” said Ortiz. “I’m going to set the shuttle down.”
“What do you see?”
“It’s rough. This area of the valley is filled with rocks. I can read the signal from the beacon clearly and it’s somewhere amongst the mess.”
“Any signs of life?”
“Nothing I can see. There’s a cave in the cliff wall.”
Duggan looked questioningly at the comms team. “I’m sure there is, sir,” said Chainer. “We could easily miss something like that from directly overhead. Particularly if there’s an overhang.”
“We’re down safely,” said Ortiz. “We’ll have to go outside and take a look around.”
“Keep us informed,” said Duggan.
He paced back and forth for a few minutes, impatient to hear an update. The bridge had begun to smell of ozone and metal, where previously there had been little discernible odour. It had been the same on the Terminus. The scents would have been comforting in other circumstances.
“The cave looks deep,” said Ortiz. “We’re going inside. I’ll leave Flores at the entrance in case we lose the comms. I have no idea how far they’ll work through the rock.”
“Roger.”
“Sir?” said Breeze, alarm in his voice. “I’ve just read a fission signature, about a third of an orbit away from us. It’s massive and it’s not one of ours.”
“Ghast or Dreamer?”
“Bigger than an Oblivion. And the Ghasts don’t know we’re here,” Breeze replied.
Duggan swore. If the newly-arrived warship was bigger than an Oblivion, that made it at least five kilometres in length. The Ghasts’ capital ship was far larger than that, which left only one possibility.
“There’s no way we’ve got the firepower to beat a Dreamer ship as large as that one,” he said. “We’ve got to assume they’ll come towards the pyramid.”
“I’d say so,” said Breeze.
“How long have we got?”
“Minutes if we’re lucky,” said Chainer.
“Sir, I’m receiving several requests for orders from the other ships,” said Perry. “They’ve detected the arrival and they want to know what to do.”
The possibilities roiled in Duggan’s head. He chased each one, finding nothing but dead ends. The odds were too great and the dangers too much to face. “Order an immediate retreat. Full speed to the Juniper.”
“What about the shuttle, sir?” asked McGlashan.
Duggan gave her a grim smile. “The ES Rampage is not going anywhere, Commander.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“LIEUTENANT ORTIZ, we’ve got hostiles – more than we can deal with.”
“Sir, Lieutenant Ortiz can’t hear you.” The voice belonged to Flores. “She’s inside the cave with the others.”
“Get them out of there and be ready to board the shuttle. We’re going to do a couple of orbits and see if we can pick you up.”
“Yes, sir,” said Flores.
“We should leave with the rest of the fleet, sir,” said McGlashan.
“I don’t want to abandon our soldiers, Commander.”
“There may be little choice. The enemy clearly knows we’re here. They’re going to hunt us down and they’re going to destroy this ship and everyone onboard.”
“What about the Goliath?” asked Duggan. “We can’t communicate with them when they’re at lightspeed. We need to do something!”
“A couple of hours till the Goliath arrives,” said Chainer.
“And another hour after that until they can return to lightspeed,” said Breeze.
Duggan stayed quiet, though his mind was in turmoil. The mission had failed and he accepted that. The enemy ships significantly outclassed those of the Space Corps, so in a way they’d fared better than could be expected. However, he couldn’t stomach the thought of abandoning Ortiz and the others. He’d also made a promise to Captain Erika Jonas and it was a promise he wasn’t going to break. He realised how angry he was and did his best to push the emotion aside before it swamped his rational thought.
“The Vestige, Extraction and Brazen have gone to lightspeed,” said Breeze. “The Paranoid and Furnace are almost ready.”
&nb
sp; Duggan got into his seat and took the control bars. He swung the ship until it was facing the opposite direction to the Dreamer warship and increased power to the gravity drives. He brought them low to the surface and the hull temperature climbed at once. McGlashan came over and stood next to him. She spoke quietly.
“Sir, we have to leave. There’s no way to tell if the enemy ship will pursue us or if they’ll stay directly over the pyramid. Whatever happens, the shuttle is too easy a target. We’re both going to get shot down if we try to let them dock.”
“I know, Commander,” he replied with equal quiet. “I have no choice but to try.”
“There is always an alternative, sir, but these decisions are the hardest of all. You wonder why I’ve not pushed for a promotion. This right here is the reason for it.”
“Sir, there’s another fission signature,” said Breeze. “High overhead at a distance of two hundred thousand klicks.”
“What is it?” asked Duggan sharply.
“It’s the Goliath, sir,” said Chainer. “It’s arrived early.”
“Try hailing them! Tell them to swing around and get away!”
“I’m getting nothing when I try to contact them,” said Chainer. “Their comms are down and they won’t be equipped with a backup facility.”
“I’m detecting missiles,” said Reyes. “The curvature of the planet stops me from seeing the source, but it can only be from the enemy warship.”
McGlashan ran the few paces to her console. “Fifty in the air,” she said. “They’re targeting the MHL Goliath.”
With his heart sinking, Duggan watched the wave of missiles speed across his tactical display. He zoomed out until the MHL Goliath appeared as a distant, green circle. Time slowed and everything around him faded into a dimly-realised blur. He opened his mouth to speak, unsure what he wanted to say. In the end, no words came out. The red dots of the enemy missiles reached the larger green circle. Without ceremony, the screen went blank.
“The Goliath is gone, sir,” said Chainer. “They managed to shoot down about six of the incoming missiles with their Bulwarks.”
Chains of Duty (Survival Wars Book 3) Page 17