Wolfhound

by Kindal Debenham

  The source of the torpedoes was easy enough to find. They had come from one of the nearby boat carriers. Obviously the pirates had wanted their raiding motherships to have some kind of defense after all, and it was just as obvious Jacob could no longer count on the pirates wanting to take the ship intact. Growling a little in frustration, Jacob yanked the flight wheel to the side, jerking the destroyer off course and out of the incoming torpedoes' path.

  Both torpedoes shot past the Wolfhound, already accelerating to a terrifying speed. As their onboard targeting systems informed the projectiles that they had missed, the torpedoes began a wide, looping curve to come back around. Unfortunately for them, Ensign Delarouge had apparently been ready for the maneuver; partway through the curve, small anti-missile flechettes sprayed from the electronic warfare pod at the front of the ship. The bladelike missiles were armed with a complex laser and electromagnetic burst package designed to kill other projectiles. Before the torpedoes could complete their turn, both had been rendered blind and deaf to the universe, reduced to so much unguided junk metal.

  Even so, the pirates had still gained one benefit from the failed projectiles. Taylor’s gun banks, their aim skewed by Jacob’s sudden evasive maneuvers, fired wildly. Many of the shots went wide, barely coming anywhere near the Bloodthorne. Those that did were easily picked off by the defensive turrets. By the time Jacob could recover from the course change, the Wolfhound had already passed the target and was leaving the pirates in their wake.

  Logic told Jacob to keep running for open space until the riftjump; logic had little to do with Jacob’s mindset at that moment. He jerked at the flight wheel again, setting the sails to turn the Wolfhound for another attack run on the still sluggish pirate craft. The turn would bleed off speed, but that was necessary. With Dianton still facing the wrong way, they would still have an open shot at the Bloodthorne’s DE sails, and possibly the bridge. He couldn’t pass the opportunity up.

  Yet as the destroyer came around for another pass, warning sirens again filled the bridge. Singh shouted, but Jacob could see the problem already. The second carrier had launched another pair of torpedoes, once again cutting across Jacob’s line of attack. He cursed as he maneuvered to dodge the new set of projectiles, once again losing speed as he wove through a maneuver. Flechettes chased the torpedoes down, and Jacob once again focused on closing with the Bloodthorne, which had descended toward the asteroid mine as Jacob approached.

  Then, just as Jacob opened his mouth to order Taylor to fire again, the Bloodthorne made one final maneuver. It swapped end for end, replacing the vulnerable DE sails with the giant, bow mounted plasma cannon.

  The cannon fired one short burst. It carved across space like a terrible bolt of frozen fire.

  In that spear of plasma, Jacob saw the end of every life on his ship. Time seemed to slow as it streamed towards the Wolfhound, and his fingers seemed to move through mud as he dialed back the DE sails in an attempt to dodge it. Even as the ship slowed, the burst of fire shot straight between the arms of gun decks one and two, close enough that Jacob almost imagined the gun crews could feel the heat radiating from it.

  Then the danger was past, and Jacob found himself staring at the image of the Bloodthorne as the two destroyers continued to drift towards the asteroid mine. Jacob had to fight to keep his hands steady as the plasma cannon shifted its aim. The pirates were likely not going to fire a second warning shot now.

  A glance confirmed just how bad the situation had become. He saw the corvettes and frigates closing in around the ship, the carriers still ready to fire more torpedoes, and the destroyer below waiting to tear them apart. Jacob shivered with horror as he realized that they were now well and truly trapped.

  At her station, Al-shira stiffened in her seat. She spoke with a wooden voice. “There is a signal coming in from the destroyer. They are demanding our surrender.”

  Jacob still horrified at himself, took a moment to respond. He nodded to Al-shira. “Go ahead and put him on.” She nodded and he braced himself.

  “Hello again, Ensign Hull. I see you have some ill will toward me and my clan, but that’s understandable. After all, I am going to kill you.” Dianton’s cruel mirth was terrible to bear, but Jacob knew he had no choice. The pirate continued. “I am in a merciful mood, however. Surrender now, and we will leave it at that. No family, maybe not even all of the crew. What do you say?”

  Jacob glanced at the countdown for the riftjump. There was only another minute and a half remaining. If he could just distract the pirate for that long, there was still hope. “I will need some assurances before I do anything of the sort. Otherwise, we will fight.”

  “No, no you won’t.” The false humor in Dianton’s voice had once again drained away, replaced by something cruel and malicious. Jacob could almost feel the hatred coming through the speaker. “If you make any move I don’t like, resist our boarders at all, I will kill you. I will gut your pitiful ship with our plasma lance and nail your carcasses to my hull. Play nice, shut down your Capistan, and I may limit myself to just dealing with you alone. Understand?” Boarding skiffs started to launch from the carriers, and the small ships swept towards the Wolfhound.

  Jacob felt himself go stiff. “What?”

  The pirate’s voice came back full of contempt setting Jacob’s teeth on edge. “Isn’t that your gambit here, Hull? Keep me talking and distracted so you can riftjump to safety?” A low, lethal chuckle echoed through the bridge, and Jacob felt the situation sliding away from him again. “I’m afraid I’m not that stupid. From my man’s calculations you still have about a minute left before you jump, and about half that long before you are all dead. Surrender now or you all die.”

  Jacob hesitated, but there was no other choice. He couldn’t let them all die, and if there was a chance for Erica to be safe, he had to take it. Still berating himself, Jacob opened his mouth to surrender, and then, quietly, unobtrusively, his console beeped.

  Confused, he glanced down. In the projection, the Bloodthorne suddenly flashed as it crossed a predetermined line in space. Below the gathered ships, there was a flurry of motion in the debris cloud. Jacob glanced at Al-shira, who was now staring at him in sudden understanding as a swarm of training drones rose from hiding and charged the pirate fleet in a crazed rush.

  The pirates, surprised by the cloud of small craft, opened fire in a frantic pattern, spraying railgun fire across the void and missing horribly. The drones were barely half the size of the boarding skiffs, and they had been designed to make them hard to track and hit. The fact that their miniature DE sail rigs were blazing away with all the acceleration they could handle didn’t help the pirates much either. Brake sails deactivated, every single one of the drones shot upwards, making a beeline for the Bloodthorne.

  Explosions tore through the debris field as the pirates frantically tried to reorient their weapons on this new enemy. The training drones opened fire as well, their own shells lancing in at the targets they tracked. While the shells they fired looked real enough, Jacob knew that they had to be firing some kind of training round, designed to explode harmlessly when they got too close to something. The useless rounds did a good job of confusing and fouling the enemy sensors and defense grids, however, filling the surrounding space with interference as they shot up towards their true target.

  As the drones drew close, the Bloodthorne activated her DE sails to avoid them. The bow of the pirate flagship came up, pointing away from the cloud of training drones, while the DE sail rigs blazed as the pirates fought to gain the enemy destroyer time and distance. The drones chased after it, firing wildly as they accelerated still further.

  As the pirates continued to scramble, Jacob touched the link for both Taylor and Laurie. “Guns, you are clear to fire on the Bloodthorne. Laurie, intercept the boarding skiffs. We have enough damage without worrying about boarders.” He paused.

  “Acknowledged.” The Gunnery officer’s gruff response was followed by a double volley of railgun shots al
ong the Bloodthorne’s course. Twenty four railgun projectiles bracketed the pirate flagship, forcing the plasma turrets to focus on burning down the shells rather than cutting the drones below the ship apart.

  Meanwhile, the four closest boarding skiffs dove headlong into a pair of sailjammer missiles. Unlike the railgun shells, the EW weapons only needed to draw close to their targets. When they were close enough, the missiles projected a wave of particles meant to overload and disrupt the DE sails carrying the skiffs forward. The tactic was brutally effective. Sail rigs on the boarding craft shut down, leaving them helpless to perform any but the most basic maneuvers. As they continued to coast forward, the defensive turrets on the Wolfhound opened fire, tracking across the skiffs with surgical precision. Armor melted, hull plating evaporated, and three of the four patrol boats were left gutted and ruined. It would have been a brutally satisfying display if it had not reminded Jacob of how easily the Bloodthorne would be able to do just as much damage to the Wolfhound with its plasma cannon.

  The final pirate skiff drifted past on a course that took it clear of the Wolfhound. The DE sails flickered as they struggled to bring up their main propulsion again, but it was clear the sailjammers had done more damage than they would have done to a larger ship. Unfortunately for the pirates aboard, that course did not take it clear of the asteroid mine below; the skiff slammed into an abandoned smelter and tumbled away, a complete and utter wreck.

  High above the Wolfhound now, the Bloodthorne paused in its climb, spinning around to bring its weapons to bear on the drones trailing behind it.

  Jacob’s eyes darted to the countdown for the riftjump. Not long now! Then new alarms rang out across the bridge. Singh would have jumped out of his seat if he hadn’t been strapped in “We’ve been targeted. Missiles launched!”

  The next instant, the plasma cannon carved through the cloud of drones, melting several to scraps of metal and burning through the drifting asteroids beyond. Burning through the aftermath of that powerful weapon’s stroke, two missiles, each with a warhead capable of blasting the Wolfhound from space, streaked towards them. A volley of anti-missile flechettes from Ensign Delarouge’s turret met them halfway, and the missiles exploded in a cloud of shrapnel that swept across space towards the Wolfhound. The other pirates had started firing on them as well, and railgun shells sped in at them from every direction.

  Then countdown beeped as the generator finished charging. “Navaja, jump now!”

  The communications link to the Bloodthorne blazed to life again. “Hull!” Dianton’s voice was harsh with frustrated rage. The sound of it cheered his heart.

  “Have fun, pirate.” Jacob closed his eyes and envisioned Commander Roger smiling in approval.

  The remaining drones came around in tight narrow turns that led them in at the enemy craft at sharp angles. The console chirped again as the riftjump generator activated. Reefhome, here we come. Space blurred around them and the Wolfhound made the jump through the dimensional gap torn open by the generator. The last sight Jacob had was of half a dozen training drones slamming into Dianton’s ship, tearing open armor and unleashing terrible explosions. It was a beautiful sight.

  Chapter Fourteen

  One instant the stars were filled with the chaos of battle and the angry remnants of a pirate fleet. The next, Jacob found himself in the rock-strewn chaos of Reefhome.

  Reefhome was the spacer term for the system, which had once acted as an unlicensed trading hub and a quiet supply area for traders across the Celostian Union. It had been home to a single space station, one that tended to be self-sufficient thanks to a combination of commerce and well-planned food production lines. The system itself held little else that was notable, save for a large number of comets and the colossal asteroid belt that dominated the inner orbits. From what he'd pieced together from various conversations, in the distant past a pair of large, gaseous planets had collided, breaking up to form the massive belt from the scattered remnants of both themselves and their many, rocky moons. While the belt provided a large amount of natural resources, the system was far enough out of the way that only the most independent-minded or solitary people came to live on Reefhome Station.

  Jacob could remember many visits to Reefhome Station as his father flew the trade routes between Celostia and Rigannin, and he'd always liked the feel of the place. True, it was a dangerous system, and since it had not been officially under the control of any government or the protection of any navy, it was generally ignored by law enforcement. While people there had to deal with near-constant pirate troubles and other issues that usually plagued an independent spacer’s system, they had been happy to handle it and always claimed they had little reason to complain.

  It had only been a year or so before his parents had died that Jacob had heard about the destruction of the colony. Apparently, the station’s sturdy defenses had finally failed to drive off a pirate attack, and every inhabitant had been slaughtered during the fighting. The system had been empty ever since, as far as Jacob had been told.

  Which was why he was surprised to hear Al-shira speak up a few minutes after the jump. “Ensign Hull, I am detecting quite a few transmissions closer in system.” She frowned. “They are not directed at us, but I believe this system is inhabited.”

  Jacob blinked and turned to Singh. “Can you run a scan for me? See if those signals are located close to where the Station used to be.” He paused and thought of the pirates. “See if you can locate a rock to hide behind, too.”

  “Yes, sir.” Singh’s absentminded response caught Jacob off guard. He sat back in his seat for a moment, wondering why a simple ‘sir’ had given him such a feeling of accomplishment, when Singh spoke up again.

  “There are several signals. It appears the Station is active, and there are half a dozen ships around it. None appear to have noticed us.” Singh hesitated. “They seem to have the same style of equipment as the pirate fleet we just got away from.”

  Jacob blinked in surprise. This must be one of Dianton’s bases. How has he been able to keep it working without anyone noticing? He shook his head. “Is there a place we can hide? We need some time to analyze the situation before we head in.”

  “Yes sir. There’s an asteroid that should be able to shield us from the Station if we get behind it fast enough.” The Sensor ensign sat back and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “We could always send out the skiff to take some readings while we wait.”

  “Sounds good. Helm, get us into position.”

  The petty officer twisted the sail rigs back to life, and brought the Wolfhound around towards the nearest asteroids. Within a few short moments, the Wolfhound slipped into the shattered cloak of Reefhome, safe from prying eyes. Jacob gave a sigh of relief, and then he stood. He nodded to Al-shira. “I’ll be working with the others to see what else can be done. Keep me updated on any changes.”

  She nodded, still apparently somewhat reluctant to be taking orders from him, and he left.

  The Marines standing in the antechamber nodded to him as he walked by, and he returned the nod without much thought. As Jacob walked, his mind whirled with the possibilities. Reefhome Station could have the supplies and information they needed, but he would have to figure out how to get past a pirate fleet to reach them. Not too hard right? He sighed as he started down the access ladder, his boots clanking against the hard rungs. There was still too much to do.

  “I still don’t understand why we have to do this.”

  Jacob shook his head as Ashford’s mutters started up again. He did his best to ignore the man, focusing instead on the sight of the Wolfhound’s skiff making its way past the curve of the asteroid they had hidden behind. The way the Marine sergeant was staring at him didn’t help Jacob think any more kindly of him, though.

  “The reason why we’re doing this is so we can figure out what is happening near the Station.”

  Hearing Taylor explain the situation for him brought Jacob a little bit of relief. At least I won’t have to figh
t him over everything now.

  “It’s a lot less likely the pirates will catch sight of the skiff, but if Singh is careful and really does his job well, we can use the readings he gets to put together a snapshot of the situation there.”

  “And do what? We still don’t have any calculations or starmaps worth speaking of. We still haven’t been able to find a single place the fleet might have a ship.” What Ashford left unspoken echoed throughout the room, in spite of remaining unsaid.

  A better officer to command, as well? I know, I know. Jacob sighed again, this time a little louder.

  Taylor seemed to have reached the point of exasperation with Ashford as well, setting his feet in a solid stance and facing him head on. “Look, if you have an idea about how to do that, say it. If not, stop whining about things. We don’t need any more of that happening, believe me.”

  For a long moment, the Gunnery ensign and the Marine sergeant stared at each other. Neither seemed willing to back down, and the two Marines stationed at the door of the room seemed about to intervene, as uncomfortable as it was going to be to break up a fight between two higher ranked officers. Jacob saved them the trouble.

  “Ashford, how are the discipline problems doing?”

  The question drew the sergeant’s attention back to him immediately, and the standoff was broken. Ashford’s voice still seemed to be more growl than answer, though.

  “The crew is starting to be broken in, I think. There have been fewer fights, and everyone is keeping to their assigned duties.” He paused. “There are a few cases you’re going to have to make decisions on. As the ranking officer, of course.”

  Those last words came out partway as a sneer, but Jacob dismissed them with a shake of his head. “Just send the paperwork to me, with your recommendations. I’ll see to it first thing.” Ashford would probably never grow to respect him, but he had already resigned himself to the fact. It’s not like I’m going to have to deal with it forever. The job’s not permanent after all. What had been more surprising was the change in attitude among some of the other officers and crewmen over the last few hours.