by Ryk Brown
“Or less,” Josh commented as he double-checked the contact’s course. “Moving into recovery position,” he added as he took hold of the Reaper’s flight control stick and throttles.
The Reaper’s engine pods rotated into position and fired up, sending the ship into a tight turn to the right as it accelerated forward.
“Speed?” Josh asked.
“Two seven,” Loki replied. “Fifty closure.”
“Two seven? Jesus, I can run faster than that.”
“It’s a submarine, Josh,” Loki reminded. “Forty closure.”
“Lining up.”
“Thirty seconds on the recovery clock,” Loki warned. “You need to move quicker.”
“No problem.” Josh fired his thrusters, increasing their rate of closure on the approaching jump sub.
“Don’t ram them, Josh.”
“Oh ye of little faith,” Josh responded as he fired his braking thruster at full power at the last second.
“Fifty meters, ten closure,” Loki reported. “Shit, new contacts. Two octos; active sensors.”
Josh flipped on his comms. “Hang on, guys. It’s a hot extract.”
“Thirty meters,” Loki reported. “Octos are painting us.”
“Be ready to jump,” Josh told him.
“I was ready hours ago,” Loki replied. “Twenty. Octos are launching missiles!”
Josh added a little more thrust to increase their rate of closure.
“That’s too fast,” Loki warned.
“So they get jostled a bit,” Josh replied. “Better that, than getting taken out by Dusahn missiles.”
There was a thud that shook the Reaper as the grappler made contact with the jump sub.
“Got ‘em!” Josh declared.
“Ten seconds to missile impact!”
“Pull them in, and let’s get the fuck out of here!”
“Locking the jump sub in place!” Loki replied.
“Come on!”
“Locked! Clear to jump!”
Josh didn’t wait for Loki to finish his statement, pushing the jump button the moment the word ‘locked’ came out of his friend’s mouth. “Taking evasive,” Josh announced, twisting the Reaper into a tight turn, and then jumping again.
“Pressurizing the bay,” Loki announced. “You guys okay in there?” he called over his comm-set.
“What the hell is going on?” Jessica demanded.
“Hang on!” Josh warned as he rolled the ship in the opposite direction.
“We were detected,” Loki explained over comms as he climbed out of his seat and headed aft. “We’ve got two octos on our ass,” he added as he passed between the engine bulkheads and pressed the door override. The door slid open, and a rush of air washed over him from behind as the pressure between the cockpit and the jump-sub bay equalized.
Two flashes of blue-white light revealed a pair of Dusahn octo fighters jumping in only a few seconds after the Reaper. Missile turrets on both ships suddenly dropped open, pivoting toward their target, and launched a pair of tiny missiles each.
“Shit! They’re still with us!” Josh yelled from the cockpit. “Incoming missiles!” he added as he jumped, yet again.
The hatch on the top of the jump sub popped open, and Nathan quickly climbed out. “Did they see us?”
“I don’t know,” Loki replied. “Maybe. They were pretty far out when they first painted us.”
“Maybe?” Jessica barked as she followed Nathan out of the jump sub.
The Reaper rolled to the right and spun, causing all three of them to lose their balance, reaching for anything to steady themselves.
“What the hell are you doing?” Loki asked over comm-sets.
“Fighting back!” Josh replied as he spun the Reaper around. Two flashes of light appeared as he brought the Reaper around, and Josh immediately opened fire as he brought his throttles up to full power. Both octos flew past them on either side, unprepared for the sudden increase in their rate of closure.
Josh twisted his flight control stick slightly, altering his course just a bit before jumping again.
“We’ve got to lose them,” Loki declared as he jumped back into the copilot’s seat.
“No shit,” Josh replied. The sensors beeped again. “They’re still with us.”
“How the hell do they do that?” Jessica wondered.
“Just jump us directly back to the Rogen system,” Nathan ordered. “Rapid-fire jumps so they never get a chance to get missiles on us.”
“What?” Jessica said, shocked.
“If the general was telling the truth, they won’t follow us all the way back, for fear of putting all our forces in the system on alert, which would spoil their next attack,” Nathan explained.
“What next attack?” Loki wondered as his fingers danced across the weapons console.
“Long story,” Jessica told him.
“I’m dropping spoofs and mines behind us after each jump,” Loki announced. “That should shake them.”
“Whatever works,” Nathan agreed. “Just get us back home.”
CHAPTER THREE
“I’m sensing that you believe the general is in earnest,” General Telles surmised, staring at Nathan from across the conference table.
“I can’t know for certain,” Nathan admitted. “There’s just something about it that rings true to me.”
“It could be an elaborate plan just to get you into the combat arena with Lord Dusahn,” General Telles pointed out.
“To what end?”
“If the general is telling the truth about his leader’s obsession with you and the Aurora, it would be understandable that he might want to kill you himself, personally, in front of all the castes. Doing so would cement his position as leader of the new Dusahn Empire. With you and, presumably, the Aurora eliminated, nothing would stand in his way. The Dusahn would finally have their interstellar empire, and with the resources and technology available to them in the Pentaurus sector, they would soon become a threat to all of humanity.”
“Which is why I’m tempted to take him up on his offer,” Nathan said.
“You’re not fighting him,” Jessica stated plainly.
“Why not?” Nathan wondered.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Because he’ll kill you,” Jessica replied.
“How do you know?”
“This guy has been training his entire life, and you haven’t. That’s how I know.”
“But I’m the new and improved version of myself,” Nathan said, half-joking.
“What did Josh call you?” Cameron wondered, trying to remember.
“Conathan,” Nathan replied. He turned back to Jessica. “I’m not suggesting that I fight the guy tomorrow. We have to defeat their entire fleet, first, and that’s going to take time…probably months.”
“He has been training for years, Nathan,” Jessica reminded him.
“I’m a fast learner, and you can train me.”
“I can kick ass with the best of them,” Jessica boasted, “but I’m not the one who should train you, not for something like this.”
“Then who?” Nathan wondered.
“I will train you,” General Telles said.
Everyone in the room looked at the general.
“Not me, personally,” the general added. “The Ghatazhak will train you.”
“It would probably help if we knew something about this Chankarti stuff that Lord Dusahn is trained in.”
“It would be reasonable to assume that the Zen-Anor have had similar training,” General Telles said. “We have ample footage of them in action.”
“You’re seriously going to do this?” Cameron asked, dumbfounded.
“I’m not saying I am, but I’m not ruling it out, eit
her,” Nathan replied. “However, I think it would be prudent to prepare myself for that eventuality, just in case.”
“I suspect, after we slap you around a bit in training, you’ll realize what a dumb idea it is,” Jessica chuckled.
“I’m still your CO, remember?” Nathan said.
“Not in the training ring, you’re not,” Jessica replied.
“Captain, Comms,” Naralena called over the intercom. “Urgent call from Commander Kaguchi.”
“Put him through,” Nathan ordered.
“Aye, sir. One moment.” A few seconds later, she added, “Go ahead, sir.”
“Commander Kaguchi, this is Captain Scott.”
“Captain,” the commander began, “one of our patrols detected two Dusahn frigates tucked in behind Venshi Seven.”
“How long have they been there?” Nathan wondered as Cameron pulled up the Rogen system chart on the main view screen.
“The last time that area was scanned was two and a half hours ago, at which time it was clear,” the commander replied.
The seventh moon of Venshi has a short orbital cycle,” Cameron said. “Its next orbit will bring it in line with Rakuen in approximately ten minutes.”
“Why take the risk of hiding in the system?” Jessica wondered. “They could have just launched jump missiles from outside the system.”
“The closer they are, the better their target tracks,” Nathan reminded her.
“Jump missiles need a few seconds to reacquire their target after coming out of the jump,” Cameron said. “The further out you are, the longer the missiles need to reacquire. It is only a second or two, but those two seconds can mean the difference between a hit and a miss.”
“Why only two frigates?” Nathan wondered.
“Force recon?” Jessica suggested.
“Which means it’s likely there are more attacks to come,” Cameron surmised.
“It would also cast some doubt on General Hesson,” General Telles commented.
“Pardon, Captain,” Vol interrupted, “do you have orders for us?”
Nathan studied the plots on the view screen a moment. “Have the Gunyoki attack the frigates at precisely two minutes prior to their reaching their missile launch point, but instruct them not to destroy the targets.”
“You want us to allow them to escape?” the commander wondered.
“I want you to let them launch their missiles,” Nathan corrected.
“We’re going to have less than three seconds to intercept the incoming missiles,” Jessica warned.
“If we already know their launch point, and when they are coming, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Cameron insisted. “Close, but not impossible.”
“Why not just kill them now?” Jessica asked. “One Orochi could take them both out.”
“We’re already dangerously low on jump missiles,” Nathan explained.
“My Gunyoki are fully capable of destroying both targets,” Commander Kaguchi insisted.
“The more capable of defending ourselves we appear, the sooner the Dusahn will send more powerful ships,” Nathan surmised. “We can defend against jump missiles, but if the Dusahn park a battleship in front of us, forcing us to duke it out, we’ll lose. We need to appear more vulnerable than we are.”
“Understood, Captain,” Commander Kaguchi replied. “We will do our best to appear to be, ‘vulnerable’.”
“Not an easy task for the Gunyoki, I’m sure,” Nathan commented respectfully as he ended the call.
“Are you sure about this?” Jessica asked as they all rose from the conference table.
“Am I supposed to be?”
* * *
“Miss Avakian,” Nathan called as he led Cameron, Jessica, and General Telles onto the Aurora’s bridge. “Contact the Glendanon and the Weatherly, and tell them to prepare to defend against incoming jump missile attacks from Venshi Seven, but instruct them not to change position or engage those missiles without direct orders.”
“Aye, sir,” Naralena replied.
“You’re really going to play this game,” Jessica said as she took her position at the tactical console.
“All of war is a game,” Nathan said as he continued to the command chair.
“I could use another pair of hands, here,” Jessica admitted.
“Will these do?” Cameron asked, stepping up next to Jessica with her hands held up.
“Nicely,” Jessica said, moving to her right to make room. “You take port, I’ll take starboard.”
“Has it occurred to anyone that there could be another explanation for the Dusahn only sending two frigates?” General Telles asked. “Not to mention allowing them to be spotted prior to the attack?”
“It has,” Nathan said. “The question is, if they are decoys, where will the main attack come from?”
“The opposite direction?” Josh suggested.
“Too obvious,” Cameron said. “I’d attack from forty-five degrees off axis of the decoy attack, from well outside the patrol perimeter, and time the attack to occur only seconds after the decoy missiles come out of their terminal jump.”
“So, we’d have to reassign point-defenses that were already assigned, causing a delay, which would allow at least some of the missiles from either wave to reach us.”
“Perhaps you should task the Glendanon and the Weatherly to intercept any missiles not coming from Venshi Seven,” General Telles suggested.
“Good idea,” Nathan agreed. “Naralena, tell the Weatherly to handle any inbounds coming from zero to one seven nine on both axes, based on a direct line between the Aurora and Venshi Seven. Tell the Glendanon to take one eight zero to three five nine. We’ll take anything coming down the center.”
“Do you wish to modify the original restrictions on engagement?” Naralena asked.
“The restriction only applies to inbounds coming down the center. We’ll ask for help if we need it.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Which way do you want us to face?” Josh wondered.
“Directly toward Venshi Seven,” Nathan replied, “but don’t come about until I give the word.”
“You got it…sir,” Josh replied.
“One minute until the targets behind Venshi Seven will have a clear line of fire on our position,” Kaylah announced from the sensor station.
“Gunyoki Command reports they have dispatched two squadrons. One to the far side of Venshi, the other to the opposite side of Rakuen from us.”
“Apparently, Commander Kaguchi has similar suspicions,” General Telles said.
Venshi Seven filled the windows of Vol Kaguchi’s Gunyoki fighter as he came out of the jump. A quick glance at his tactical display showed that the other twenty-four fighters had jumped in behind him. “How’s it look?” he asked his weapons officer.
“This side of Venshi Seven is clear,” Isa assured him. “If they are on the other side, we cannot see them; which means they cannot see us.”
“I am adjusting course to skim the surface of Venshi Seven. When the targets launch, we will be able to jump in to their starboard beam, turn, and attack them directly.” Vol activated his nav-link. “Transmitting course to all Gunyoki.”
“Holy crap,” Chief Mando gasped as he read the message on the view screen.
Aiden turned his head, concerned. “What is it?”
“Flash traffic. A Dusahn attack is about to occur.”
“From where?” Aiden wondered.
“It doesn’t say.”
“How do they know?”
“It doesn’t say.”
“Did we get any targeting orders?” Aiden asked.
“No, they just want us to go to general quarters and await orders.”
“We’re just supposed to sit here and do nothing?” Aiden turned back around to face his console. �
�I can’t wait until they install more guns on these things. Flying a missile frigate sucks.”
“New contacts!” Kaylah reported from the Aurora’s sensor station. “Missiles! Eight inbound!”
“I’ve got them,” Jessica announced. “Ten seconds to impact. Engaging starboard point-defenses.”
“Direction?”
“Directly from Venshi Seven,” Kaylah replied.
“Two down,” Jessica said.
“Helm, turn toward the inbounds,” Nathan ordered.
“Four down.”
“Bringing in port-defenses,” Cameron reported as the ship turned its nose toward the remaining inbound missiles.
“Six down,” Jessica reported, her tone intensifying as the last two missiles closed on them.
“New contacts,” Kaylah interrupted.
“Seven down,” Jessica continued.
“Twelve gunships!”
“Brace for impact!” Cameron called over the ship-wide intercom.
“Eight down!” Jessica declared triumphantly.
“Gunships are vectoring toward the Glendanon,” Kaylah added. “They are engaging.”
Nathan’s eye danced across the displays surrounding him—the ones floating on the spherical main view screen, the see-through displays on the front of both helm stations, the ones on the overhead to his left and right—each of them relaying vital information about the battle.
“Gunyoki Command reports the frigates jumped away immediately after launching the first wave of missiles,” Naralena reported. “They are pursuing.”
“More contacts!” Kaylah warned. “Eight more! Eight seconds out!”
“Eight missiles headed toward the Aurora!” Bonnie reported from the Weatherly’s weapons and sensors station. “Engaging!”
Captain Hunt glanced at his tactical display, noting that the missiles were in their assigned engagement area.
“Twelve gunships are attacking the Glendanon,” Denny reported. “They are defending.”
“Two down,” Bonnie reported. “Octos! Six of them! Just jumped in off our starboard side! They’re targeting us!”