"Hit them, hit them hard!" said the Captain, "I want to see holes in her hull. Relentless might be an old lady, but she's got it where it counts."
Two more phased plasma shells struck below a bow-mounted gun port and tore off an entire compartment, sending twisted metal off in a cloud of debris. None of the defensive weapons on board could do anything to stop them, so Captain Galanos ignored them, and proceeded to hit the heavy cruiser with a bewildering array of gunfire. The damage was light, but continuous, and designed more to harass than to destroy. The XO spun around, an almost excited look upon his serious brow.
"Captain, our fighters have cleared a path on vector six-three. The transports are coming in right behind them. It's going to be close, very close."
"Good work. Get them aboard fast."
One of the larger screens changed its view to show the transports and their fighter squadron moving to the port side of the ship. The fighters peeled away at the last moment, giving the transports space to land. The landing deck outer airlock doors were wide open as the transports flew in at high-speed. Gunfire raked the hull just as a group of six Byotai fighters strove into view. Nate held his breath and watched in awe at the sight of the incredible landing. The speed of the approach was much higher than normal, and the manoeuvring thrusters glowed bright with energy as they slowed the transports down. Even the engines were not enough, and they were forced to rely upon the triple layer of crash nets installed for such an occasion.
"No," said Captain Galanos, her expression changing from relief to concern in an instant.
"Drive those fighters back!"
It was too late, and the fighters broke through the light defensive screen and put hundreds of rounds into the outer landing deck. Many struck the deck, some even hitting the transports. The Alliance fighters spun around and engaged them at close-range, but it wasn't enough.
"Captain, look!"
The XO pointed at the vertical tactical display where ANS Gorgon had drifted further away to provide a more accurate curtain of defensive flank. Captain Galanos observed the group of small ships making their way to towards the flank of the Alliance ships. Her jaw hung open as she watched the first burning tug. The vessel was not Byotai, but it was most definitely heading towards them, and it was flanked by another three similar craft, each heading right at the ships.
"Target the tugs. Destroy them!"
They were half the size of a standard frigate, and though unarmed, surprisingly tough. The defensive turrets on ANS Relentless tore chunk after chunk from them, but that wasn't enough to stop the hulls from hurtling towards the huge open sections along the hull, and even as the assault ship rolled to avoid them, they altered course to match the position.
"Close the landing doors, now!"
The doors were massive sections of reinforced plate, capable of blocking the path of something up to the size of a Mauler. There were two open on the port flank to give the transports and fighters access to the outer landing deck. Though partitioned from the main deck, it was still a major vulnerability that if exploited, could cripple the ship in seconds. Nate watched the models of the ships, as well as the space-time distortion lines that normally showed when close to large astronomical bodies. The Alliance ships in particular created an odd distortion around the powerplant sections of the hulls.
It can't be, surely not.
Nate looked again and counted the lines for the third time. Each time the carrier exerted more power, the field changed. It wasn't much, and the fighter crews were already trained to avoid getting too close during their manoeuvres. He looked back at the tugs and immediately spotted where they were heading. Nate knew immediately what was going to happen, but he couldn't believe for a moment the rest of the crew were oblivious to the danger. Even the ship's computer appeared to have utterly failed in identifying this new threat.
"Captain," he called out.
The Captain looked back, saw it was the cadet, and turned back to look to her XO. At the same time, the guns on both capital ships continued to fire at the tugs. Nate spoke again, but a junior officer stepped in to block his path and called over to Sergeant Perkins.
"Escort them from the CIC, Sergeant. This is a combat environment. It's not a place for...cadets."
"But, Sir, the tugs are not coming for..."
The Sergeant moved in quickly and reached for Nate, but he ducked to the side and managed to avoid his grasp. Again the man tried to grab him, so he twisted away, and then moved around the tactical display with the man hot on his heels. He reached the unit and pointed at the incoming ships just as the Sergeant grabbed him.
"It's too late. Look!"
Captain Galanos saw what he was pointing at, and though annoyed at his interruption, she knew instantly that he was right. The Captain took another step to the right and moved her hand around the shape. Vector lines showed the affect of the powerplants and artificial gravity units on all the major vessels.
"Of course, they are using the residual pull from our gravitometric wake to swing around us faster than expected. It will improve their rotation speed by up to...fifteen percent."
She moved nearer to the unit and used her hands to change their projected course. Instead of hitting the carrier, they actually moved around. Normally, their engines would not be quite powerful enough, but by staying close to the gravitometric generators, they could use the distortion to boost their manoeuvrability enough to do it.
"They will swing in against Gorgon from the opposite side. Very clever, I should have seen that."
She tapped the icon for the ship and called out anxiously to the Captain of the destroyer. The delay in answering seemed like an age, and as she waited, the crew continued directing all of their weapons at the ships. Finally, the image of the veteran Captain appeared on one of the main displays.
"Captain Granger. Take evasive action now. The tugs are swinging around my dorsal section and coming for your flank. I repeat, they are not intending on ramming my ship. It's yours they are going for."
"Understood, Captain."
She shook her head in irritation.
"By removing our escort, we will be left defenceless and alone in Byotai territory. They can see how well armoured Relentless is, so they are hitting the weaker link in our defence."
The XO offered no argument or discussion, just the matter of fact tone so rarely seen in the civilian world. The wire diagram of the destroyer started to move, but it all looked too slow and ponderous to have any beneficial effect on the Alliance warships. Nate felt the marine's arm on his hand, and he began to slide away from the CIC. The XO saw what was happening and shook his head.
"He spotted this. Maybe he'll see something else. Right now, we cannot leave a thing to chance. Leave him be."
"Sir," said the marine.
His tone was stern, but like all of the marines, he was quick to react. The man then turned around and went back to his position near the entrance to the packed room. Nate looked at the displays and found the largest showing a view of the space battle outside. Even though the ship continued to shudder as projectiles hit it, it still felt far removed from the battle raging outside. Cassandra leaned in and whispered to Nate. The air from her breath tickled his ear and made him shudder, to both their surprise.
"Good work, Nate. You just got yourself noticed."
Nate looked at her for a moment, but try as he might, he could not tell if she meant noticed by her or the crew.
"They are awfully close," said the XO.
Captain Galanos watched the Liberty class destroyer perform a bizarre twist for such a big ship, simultaneously putting a volley into the tugs. Three missed by a matter of metres, but four managed to make a final adjustment and struck her aft, just a short distance from the engines. At first there was no clear sign of damage, and then came a series of small flashes as those controlling the tug detonated her engines. The final blast was followed by a large section of the destroyer breaking off, taking one of the primary thrusters with it.
"No...that...is not good," said the Captain.
She then looked to Nate.
"You were correct, cadet. Never be intimidated by those around you, even me. I was wrong, and you were not."
Nate wasn't sure what to say, so just nodded quickly. The Captain had little interest in continuing the conversation in any case, and moved along the CIC to speak with the other officers. Cassandra and Billy joined Nate and looked carefully at the imagery. Billy looked pale as he watched multiple sections rip off the destroyer. Then a colour image of the Captain appeared on the large viewscreen.
"Captain Galanos. I've sustained major engine damage. We can follow, but not at full speed. I recommend you withdraw from battle now. We can cover your exit."
A heavy volley of phased plasma shells struck the assault ship, and this time one of them managed to penetrate deep inside the bow. Multiple alarms blasted, warning those inside of the danger. Then a series of bright shapes popped up on the far left side of the tactical display. The XO was already examining them, and when he looked to the Captain, it was clear they faced a bigger problem.
"Two Byotai cruisers, plus escorts. They'll be here in less than ten minutes."
More alarms activated at the engineering display, and the XO shook his head nervously. As every second went by, so did more warnings of failed systems, breached hull sections, and damage to the outer armour.
"Captain, we can't take much more of this."
Captain Galanos lifted her hand to her chin as she considered her options, limited as they were. They could stay and fight alongside the damaged destroyer, or they could flee and leave them to their fate. ANS Relentless was a tough durable ship, and she knew they could fight three or even four ships on their own, even with a limited air group on board. They still had the station and its own squadrons of fighters to deal with, and now there were more ships coming in.
"How long until we can activate the main engines?"
The XO checked with the navigator who was already plotting a revised route.
"Sir, engines are spooled up ready, and the course is plotted in to avoid the minefield. As soon as the fighters are aboard, we can activate the engines."
The Captain looked dubious at his suggestion. Relentless was a big ship, and the gaps in the minefield were difficult enough to navigate even without the chance of them exploding upon impact.
"That is a very small window, less than a kilometre between the mines. Can we make it through without sustaining major damage?"
The man nodded quickly.
"Yes, Sir. The mines are proximity high explosive charges. We will be moving too fast for the debris to be a serious issue."
Captain Galanos shook her head.
"I don't like this, not at all. I want to stay and fight, but the lives of our crew and of our passengers outweighs the desire to hurt the enemy."
She lowered her eyes momentarily before looking back at him, her eyes hard and focussed with purpose.
"Send the signal to our fighters. It's time to leave."
Both watched in silence as the Byotai warship shifted course and focussed its attention on the damaged destroyer, rather than hitting the more durable shape of ANS Relentless. Though much more heavily armed than the carrier, she was far less able to take a beating. One round after another hit her flank until an extra mission module exploded and breached the ship’s spine, leaving the vessel dead in space.
"No!" Captain Galanos exclaimed, "Not Gorgon."
The XO tagged the remaining fighters and contacted them directly.
"Get back now. It's time to leave. I repeat; all Alliance fighters withdraw to Relentless immediately. We leave in one minute. Get on board, or stay behind."
Both watched the screen as the spacecraft moved towards the final remaining open hangar door. They made it to within three hundred metres before the wing of fighters bearing black painted markings appeared. They carried the symbols of the Mognathus training squadron and were heavily armed. Apart from their integral gunnery systems, half of them also carried a number of missiles and heavy anti-ship torpedoes in large launch pods. Nate pointed at the first fighter.
"That's DuFarl's squadron. The Black Hunters."
Captain Galanos turned her attention to the young cadet.
"DuFarl?"
"Yes, Sir. He is the senior Byotai cadet, a graduate of the last intake and their ace. He is in charge of the base's Star Crusader competition team."
Captain Galanos shook her head. The XO continued issuing orders as the ship prepared to activate its main drive engines. For a fraction of a second, he glanced at the tactical display.
"Fighter ace? These kids might ace the simulation, but real combat is not the same thing. Our pilots will shoot them out of the sky. That much I promise you."
Captain Galanos sighed.
"We were misled, all of us were. These Byotai cadets are not just simulation veterans; they all have actual combat experience. This has been planned for a long time. Look at them. There is no way they are just simulator pilots."
As if to clarify her point, the fighters performed a tight spinning manoeuvre, and then split up, four heading for the damaged destroyer and two more chasing after the Alliance fighters. Every twist, roll, and slide performed by the Alliance pilots matched by the Byotai, leading to a violent free-for-all between them. The Captain looked to her officer.
"These are not just cadets!"
One of the Lightning fighters lost an engine and spun off into space, pursued by the lead fighter. It spun about as though out of control, but then managed to loose off two bursts, one of which caught a pursuing fighter. Sparks flashed along the fighter's hull before one detonated and tore apart the cockpit. Billy's face flashed yellow, and Nate looked at him as he watched the bright explosion.
"DuFarl is a combat pilot. Can you believe that?"
Billy moved his focus from the battle to his friend and shrugged.
"Yes, well, I suppose so. You saw what he was like in the simulation. He took it seriously, even the training bout."
Cassandra gave him a hard look, but he didn't notice. The battle was unfolding just like the simulated battles they'd fought so many times before in the Star Crusader simulation. Nate spoke quietly to them both, doing his best not to be heard by the senior officers.
"We've seen DuFarl in action already. And he's flying that fighter no differently to the simulated drones."
Cassandra nodded.
"He's not a cadet, is he?"
Captain Galanos rubbed her forehead gently, waiting for the last remaining fighters to make it back. All eyes were on them as the craft weaved in and out of fire from both enemy fighters and the Byotai capital ships.
Captain Galanos called out to her crew, urging them to work harder and harder, "Protect those fighters. They must make it back in one piece."
Smoke poured from one of the engines of the nearest craft, a rudder section had been blasted clean off. Two missiles moved close by, and it vanished from view for a fraction of a second. There was silence in the CIC, until it appeared with its remaining engine roaring at full burn. The two were just a few seconds from the closing doors.
"Start the countdown. We leave in thirty seconds."
The XO looked flabbergasted.
"Captain. We cannot leave Gorgon and our ejected pilots behind. They'll..."
The Captain looked to her XO and shook her head.
"No, we cannot stay. There is nothing more for us to do. All of them have bought us time with their very lives. If we stay, we dishonour them all."
She nodded at the nearest display.
"Set the clock to twenty-five seconds."
Another officer called out from the other side of the CIC. Some of the lights had failed, leaving an entire section in almost total darkness, lit by nothing more than the displays strewn around the room.
"One fighter aboard."
Captain Galanos swallowed uncomfortably.
"One? What about the second?"
They
all knew the answer, but she had to hear it for herself.
The XO said what they were thinking, "That's it, Captain. Only one made it home."
There was a palpable sense of loss inside the carrier. The vessel was only lightly equipped for the diplomatic visit, with little more than a skeleton crew and a handful of fighter pilots. Now all of those were gone, save the one pilot that had made it back.
"Outer door shut, retracting inner decks. We are launch ready," said the XO.
Captain Galanos turned her attention to the crippled destroyer. The vessel was clearly dead in space, yet while explosions ripped through her hull, she still fought on. The squadron of Byotai fighters spun about to avoid gunfire from the destroyer, and that brief moment gave the carrier one last moment to activate its engines. Captain Galanos reached out for one of the convenient grab handles, knowing the initial burst of power would be equal to more than thirty thousand kilonewtons, and then increasing by the second. The inertial dampeners linked to the gravity system would be able to compensate, but all those aboard would still feel the effect.
"Captain Galanos, he's coming back," said Nate.
All eyes turned to the formation of Byotai fighters. He was correct, and a single craft had turned back to point right at their flank.
"Ten seconds!" yelled the XO.
It took a moment for the ship's sensor to track the target, and no sooner was it on the tactical display, when it broke up. Instead of an object, there were now eight, and each displayed the same mass an energy signature.
"Anti-ship torpedoes," said the tactical officer, "They are tracking and on course. Our weapons are off-line and retracted."
The man looked to the others, but there was little point in saying anything more. The engine sequence was active, the defences lowered, and the course laid in. Either they would blast away from the carnage of the starbase, or they would remain alongside the wreckage of ANS Gorgon. Nate looked to his friends. Billy looked on nervously, but Cassandra knew as well as Nate did, this was going to be close. One of the displays flashed white as something exploded on or inside the destroyer. Nate felt nauseous, knowing how many people would have been on board the Alliance vessel.
Star Crusader: Hero of the Alliance Page 9