"We've failed," said Matilda, "Nate was..."
Rex instantly blocked her audio channel.
"It's not over till I say it is. Target the primary weapon systems of the frigate. Fire on my mark."
The six fighters were now trailing dust and debris, as the outlet vents of their engines became so hot sections of metal were now burning off and drifting behind in a shower of red-hot sparks. Nate twisted his head around and watched the left engine of Matilda's fighter catch fire. It only lasted a few more seconds and then flashed. The explosion vaporised the fighter instantly. Again the voice of Lieutenant Higgins returned.
"Matilda is down."
Nate shook his head in frustration.
No way, we can't do it.
"Stay with me," said Rex, "We have to protect the carrier."
Nate continued shaking his head in frustration, but this time kept his thoughts to himself. If these had been manned fighters, they would have just lost a pilot, and in less than five minutes into their first mission.
We should have put a cordon around the carrier!
The computer locked onto the target, the grouping of super-heated emitter ports along the front of the frigate. Another flash indicated where the carrier had been hit. This time a massive section of hull tore off. More flashes spread through the hull, and then the entire stern tore off in a bright white explosion. The forward view of the fighter automatically went dark, a throwback to the days when planetary bombers were required to carry nuclear weapons on board. It was only for a second and quickly reverted to the normal frontal view.
"Carrier has multiple breaches. Engines are off-line, fires throughout," said Lieutenant Higgins, "It's not looking good. I suggest..."
Rex cut the channel and overrode the voice of the officer.
"Stay in formation. After the attack, change to position Theta, and follow me, fire!"
With their missiles now gone, it came to their kinetic weapons. The mixture of medium and large calibre guns opened in a devastating storm of firepower. The hull-mounted guns were modifications of the heavier weapons carried by marines, but the new 60mm wing-mounted cannons were deadly. With all five fighters now blasting away, they punched hundred of holes into the bow of the ship.
"Theta formation!" Rex yelled.
The fighters spun in different directions, like an ever-widening star shape. At the same time, they spun about to use the sliding position and continued shooting. Each fighter was flying sideways and raking the frigate as they flew along her hull. The guns were far from capable of destroying the ship, but they were certainly able to inflict major damage on the sub-systems, weapons, and engines. Dozens of point-defence turrets tried to track them, but the pilots were experienced enough to dump countermeasures as they hurtled past.
"Reform and follow me."
The fighters passed the rear of the ship and then formed up into the loose v formation. At the same time, the few turrets aboard ANS Relentless were making short work of the enemy fighters. Only one remained, and Rex quickly despatched the final one with a single burst. He started speaking just as his fighter, as well as Cassandra's, vanished.
"Break formation!" Nate cried out.
The remaining three fighters pulled away from the position as the frigate fired again. The invisible energy beam was impossible to avoid, and by straying between the two ships, Rex had led them straight into the paths of the frigate's main guns. Nate spotted another flash as Relentless was hit once more, and this time not even her armour could save her. An explosion engulfed her entire hull, and then his vision went black.
What?
He then felt hands at his head and the helmet removed. In front of him was Lieutenant Higgins, and he didn't seem particularly happy as he examined Nate's face.
"Well, that was not ideal, was it?"
Nate pulled off the straps and slid out of the seat.
"No, Sir. We failed."
The man stepped back and nodded in agreement. By now the other five had done the same and joined Nate to listen to the dressing down they all expected from their one and only chance to pilot the drones. Rex spoke first and quickly tried to dismiss the scenario.
"We did what we could, but a cruiser and two squadrons of fighters was..."
"Silence, cadet."
Lieutenant Higgins lifted his hand over the central pit, and the three-dimensional models showed what happened in the battle. It started with the asteroid field and the carrier, and then to the arrival of the first enemy fighters.
"This is a class scenario, used to check the tactical awareness of pilots."
The imagery paused, and he selected the first group of enemy fighters.
"These are expendable fighters, sent on a decoy mission. They draw out the defences and leave the carrier vulnerable. Half of your fighters was enough to deal with them, perhaps even two, if the pilots were competent enough."
He continued the display. Though the battle had been short, this replay seemed to go on forever. When the frigate materialised, he paused it once more.
"Relentless is heavily damaged and incapable of defending herself, even against a frigate. Where are my fighters?"
Rex looked to the others, but all were silent. Rex appeared as if he was going to answer, but Lieutenant Higgins answered his own question.
"Like most raw recruits, you've got your eye on the target, and not the mission. Three or four escorts around the carrier could have dealt with this frigate in less than thirty seconds. The ship is only modestly armed against fighters, yet by the time you returned it had already crippled Relentless."
Nate knew what needed to be said, and he stepped ahead of the group.
"We screwed up. We wanted to prove we could be pilots, that we could fight when we needed to."
For the first time Lieutenant Higgins smiled.
"Finally, one of you takes responsibility. Yes, and you have proven to me that you can fly. Now you need to learn how to fight."
He moved his hard, penetrating look to the other five.
"Get some food in you, and then get back here. You have forty-five minutes. We have a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it in."
The six cadets waited in stunned silence.
"Well? What are you waiting for, pilots? Get some chow, and fast!"
CHAPTER SEVEN
Alliance Armoured Assault Ship 'ANS Relentless'
Day 3
The fighter had exploded, that much Nate remembered, but everything else was little more than a blur. The fighters moved so quickly that a mistake of even a split second would make the difference between victory and disaster. He closed his eyes again and tried to remember quite how the explosion had struck his fighter. No matter how hard he tried, he could find nothing more than the flashing white light and the exploding consoles.
This is getting crazy.
He watched Cassandra and Matilda describe a manoeuvre from the previous engagement. Gone were the pieces of equipment or advanced technology, and in its place they were doing what pilots had been doing for centuries, using their hands. While Cassandra described the manoeuvres in detail, Matilda seemed more interested in the specifics, the use of lateral thrusters, manoeuvring jets, or burners to make subtle corrections. She even brought up the detailed elements of the weapons, from the hardened slugs of railguns through to the power of the anti-ship missiles. The Lightning fighters might not have been particularly advanced, but they were relatively simple to fly, and very heavily armed; the perfect craft to train the cadets on in the simulation.
"You okay, Nate?" Billy asked.
He looked to his right to the round, but sympathetic face of his friend. The two had found themselves thrown together after the initial evaluation in the Alliance. While both were good pilots, when paired together they seemed to work as one. Nate was by far the more aggressive, but Billy was cautious. Separately these could be dangerous, but combined into a pair, and the strengths of Billy became obvious. He was a check to the often-excitable Nate. He was always
there, the perfect example of a reliable wingman.
"Yeah. That last one hit hard. The explosion."
Billy rubbed his forehead.
"I know, tell me about it. My head still hurts as well."
Nate nodded. His forehead was throbbing, and still they were not allowed to stop. While the other newly pressed members of the crew went about their chores, the six new members of the air-wing were being put through their own training. Less than ten hours had passed since the failure in their first mission. Since then Nate had gone over what they could, and should, have done over and over again. And when he wasn't thinking about the mission, the six had then been grilled about avionics, weapon configuration, ranges, and performance. It had much in common with school, except this time it was for real, and surprisingly to him Nate loved it. Since he'd been a small kid, he'd grown up listening to stories about the wars, and of his late grandfather. Admiral Lewis was something of a legend in the Navy, and to his family a bitterly lost war hero. If people weren't talking about the Admiral, they were busy trying to emulate him.
I still can't believe this.
Nate smiled, and although exhausted from their work, he could still hardly believe his own luck. He imagined launching one of the drones and engaging Byotai fighters for real, and it sent a very real shiver through his body. Only then did he notice Cassandra watching him. As their eyes met, she looked quickly away and used her right hand to operate the Secpad on her left wrist. All of them now wore the same sealed PDS suit as Lieutenant Higgins, though the nametags had been removed and so far not replaced. The six were spread out around the pit and looking at the model of the most recent mission.
"Okay, what happened? Why did you just get wiped out by a small number of fighters?"
Cassandra lifted her hand to get the Lieutenant's attention.
"Go on."
"Well, Sir. The Biomech fighters used their speed and manoeuvrability to stay in close to our formation. At this range, it was difficult to hit them without striking our own fighters."
"And then?"
This time Billy spoke, "Nate and me dropped back to provide covering fire, and destroyed the first fighter. The second managed to evade, and one of us hit Rex's control system."
Lieutenant Higgs sighed.
"Exactly. Individually, you're doing fine, but you're still making mistakes as a unit. The two of you have to watch your fire. A clear target can become blocked in a fraction of a second. Cadet Hampel, watch your rear cameras. They were lined up for too long, and you said or did nothing. In a simulation you might be able to make it by losing a few pilots or birds."
He pointed to the walls of the room, "But out there, in the void of space you cannot take that chance. We have a finite number of birds, and when they are gone, we are dead. You will learn to function as a team, or you will die."
He straightened his back and groaned a little from his numerous wounds. Nate tried not to look, but the marks on his body, especially those on his forearms and neck, made it impossible not to. Billy stepped on his foot and quickly distracted him from looking.
"We've got just over two days till we reach the fleet. Who knows what we will find out there. I need all six of you combat ready by then."
He waited, and Nate wondered if they were supposed to say something. Rex and Jack were unusually silent, and he could only assume it was something to do with the fact they were all exhausted. Nate moved his eyes upwards to the timestamp on the video replay of their simulated battle. It was almost midnight.
"Okay. Get some rest and be at the hangar deck at six sharp. Understood?"
Nate looked to Billy and Cassandra, both of whose eyes were wide open at this. Matilda checked her wrist-mounted Secpad and then looked up at the officer with faded, tired looking eyes.
"That's six hours, Sir?"
Lieutenant Higgins grinned.
"Well done, Flight Cadet. You can crash my birds and tell the time. Outstanding, simply outstanding."
Jack laughed, and for his trouble received a withering stare from the Lieutenant.
"You find that funny, do you?"
Jack shook his head and quickly quietened down.
"You've done your basic training on the Lightnings. It's not perfect, but it's enough to move to the next stage."
He looked to each of them as they tried to work out what he meant.
"It's time you saw the birds up close and personal. Six hours to rest your bones, and then grab chow before meeting me on the deck. Don't be late. You'll see what you've been flying so far. Then it is time for your graduation to the real deal."
Nate and Billy looked at each other, but neither of them spoke. Instead it came to Cassandra whose face had lit up at the prospect of examining the aging fighters first-hand.
"Real deal?"
Lieutenant Higgins nodded slowly.
"Yes, Cadet. You've completed basic training on a simple space fighter like the Lightning. You won't be flying them, though. If you're to protect the carrier, you will need to learn to fly the Avenger drones."
Nate, Billy, and Cassandra looked to each other, and Billy's eyebrows lifted up in surprise.
"Finally," he said excitedly.
* * *
The canteen was quiet, and until Nate entered the doorway was bathed in darkness. The lights flickered on, apart from one in the centre that persisted in flashing intermittently.
"Yeah, that's not going to be annoying, is it?" Rex grumbled.
Rex and Jack pushed past and headed for the line of sealed metal containers at the far end. To the right were three cylindrical units, each connected to a tap.
"Man, am I hungry," said Billy.
Nate's friend wandered off, and Cassandra followed close by, giving Nate only a cursory glance. Matilda moved to his side and looked back at him while rolling her eyes. With her wide-framed glasses she had to lower her head to get a better view of him.
"That's not going to work with her."
Nate lifted one eyebrow in confusion.
"What?"
Matilda laughed to herself and then walked past him to join the others, leaving him alone at the entrance. He was about to follow when he heard footsteps coming closer. There was nothing to be concerned about, not when travelling at such vast speeds through space. Nonetheless, after everything they had seen so far, he found it impossible to be at least a little concerned. Unlike the rest of the crew, the six of them were completely unarmed.
Stay back.
Nate took three steps away from the doorway and then turned back to face whatever was approaching. The noise of footsteps stopped, and then in came a single individual. To his surprise it was the Byotai officer, and a single marine with him. Though fully armoured, the marine moved relatively casually and carried a carbine in its mount on the side of the body. At seeing Nate, the Private stopped and deactivated the helmet visor and faceplates. Each piece melted away to reveal the smiling face of the marine he'd last seen during their flight from the starbase. She nodded politely towards the new insignia on the tight-fitting PDS clothing.
"Flight Cadet Lewis."
"Private Valentine."
The mention of her name seemed to piqué her interest.
"Who told you my name?"
Nate tried to play it coy, but he clearly failed because she burst into laughter. The others heard the commotion, and Nate spotted Cassandra looking at her before turning away with an exasperated look on her face. Private Valentine moved in closer to him.
"Ouch. That's gonna hurt."
Private Valentine waited near Nate as the alien officer moved away to join the others in getting food. Rex and Jack already had theirs, and upon seeing the reptilian creature they moved well away and sat at a table at the far end, five tables from the food. Cassandra and Billy were a little less obvious, but even they moved, leaving just Matilda. Either out of curiosity, or foolishness, she tried to speak with him. Of the six of them, she was the only one that had mastered even the very basics of its language. Nate listen
ed carefully as Matilda struggled with her pronunciation.
"Hvernig ert þú?"
At first the Byotai seemed not to have noticed. But then he turned around and lowered his head politely.
"Ég er góður. Þakka, barn."
The words were slow, and Matilda moved her head as she tried to translate each of the words. It took her a moment but she seemed to finally understand. The two continued, with the Byotai often repeating himself.
"Wow," said Private Valentine, "We were told your group was special, but I thought they meant you were the kids of some rich diplomats or something."
She looked at Nate, her eyes seeming to burrow deep into his skull. He could see faint signs of light brown hair, slightly curly, and pushed back behind her head.
"What's your special skill, Nate?"
"I...uh..."
Valentine laughed.
"Talking to women isn't one of them, is it?"
Rex had wandered over, but Nate had no idea quite how long he'd been there. Any confidence he might have been able to build was immediately lost with Rex, and finally Jack nearby.
"Private. What's going on here? This place is for Alliance officers only."
The happy expression on the very lightly tanned skin of Valentine vanished in an instant. Though they were not technically in the military, their provisional posting was classed as a battlefield commission, each the equivalent of pilot officer in the Alliance Navy.
"You should be saluting me," said Rex.
Any pleasure at seeing the group had already completely vanished in the presence of Rex. Private Valentine shook her head in frustration.
"No, Flight Cadet. Rules in the Alliance Navy are clear on saluting, but since leaving the starbase that has changed."
She looked to Nate, who did his best to offer a sympathetic expression.
"More than half of our crew is now civilian. Rules on saluting have been relaxed, for now. This kind of Naval discipline is not something that can be attained in a matter of days. These changes are temporary, just like your rank."
Star Crusader: Hero of the Alliance Page 13