FNS Disna coasted out of the thickest concentration of debris, and his Scans cleared. Everywhere they looked, damaged ships littered the area. Captain Koral considered the evidence and realized the Kislaran Fleet no longer existed. He knew Disna and Valaron couldn’t help. His tactical Officer announced targeting Sensors painting the Hull and a massive flight of Missiles approaching from the nearest Battle-Station. At last, the Pirates had seen them. Koral’s mind switched to automatic as he weighed his options. Tactical fired at the incoming ordnance, trying to thin the Missile ranks. Koral realized their only chance was to reverse course and run for the Jump-Point.
He contacted Captain Hival on FNS Valaron to tell him the plan. Dapren Hival’s relief was understandable to Fana Koral, even over the Comms link. Koral didn’t blame his colleague. The two ships rotated around their transverse axis to bring Primary-Drives into action and reverse course in the least time. Point-Defense on both ships continued to swat incoming Missiles out of Space during the turn and deceleration. A few Missiles hit debris which threw them off course or destroyed them. Even with this destruction, Missiles still made it through the maelstrom to explode against either Disna’s or Valaron’s Shields.
These two lasted longer in Hangelore than any earlier Federation ship. They completed their turns and spooled the Primary-Drives up to maximum thrust. Because neither vessel carried the same velocity, they had on Jump exit, they took less than three minutes to reverse course. They fought their way back into the debris field and relative safety twenty minutes after they arrived. Targeting Sensors on the incoming Missiles lost FNS Disna and FNS Valaron in the clutter, so they switched to predictive mode. The Missile computer analyzes the last known course and speed of their targets and changes direction for a predicted ship location. A ship only needed to speed up, slow, or change course and the Missile might miss. Debris itself posed another hazard for the Missiles. So much debris remained that collisions destroyed or threw most Missiles off course long before they reached the predicted ship locations. After Disna and Valaron entered the thickest concentration of debris, the Missiles lost lock on them.
Disna and Valaron approached the Jump-Point, preparing to flee Hangelore. They had dropped their Shields, ready to Jump when one of the last three Mines near the Jump-Point sensed a nearby target and attacked FNS Valaron. The Mine hit a weak spot in the Hull, tearing through and into the Engineering spaces beyond where it detonated, causing catastrophic damage. Debris from Valaron’s demise hit Disna, causing extensive damage to her Sensors and hull. A large chunk of FNS Valaron was spinning toward Disna when she Jumped to safety.
FR-892S
FNS Disna’s return to FR-892S surprised the remaining Kislaran ships. Captain Koral shared his Scan data with the others and waited for a reaction. The Patrol-Boat Captains struggled to accept the disaster suffered by the Kislaran Fleet in Hangelore. They wanted to bury their heads in the sand unable to believe their eyes. They didn’t understand that their Task-Force no longer had the firepower to attack Hangelore. The Freighter Captain Thast Ruhsha was more pragmatic, accepting Admiral Zhavan had lost this battle. He was a retired Naval Officer who understood the predicament better than anyone. He’d left the Navy, frustrated with the Kislaran Government as they starved their protection. The remaining Kislarans still argued when two Pirates Down-Jumped, on top of them.
FNS Disna’s crew were still on edge after their escape. They reacted within seconds, firing a full spread of Missiles at the incoming ships and swinging gun turrets to ire on the Pirates. The Missiles streaked away from the Destroyer’s launch tubes toward the interlopers. FNS Disna’s fired heavy weapons soon after the Missiles left their launch tubes, adding to the force of arms. The Pirates never stood a chance, Disna’s Lasers hit first, burning holes deep into their hull and crashing the Shields before they stabilized. Missiles struck home soon after and both Pirates became expanding clouds of debris. The Patrol-Boats never reacted to the Pirate’s arrival until after Disna destroyed them.
Thast Ruhsha opened a Comms channel to Koral first. He said, “This place is not safe for my Freighter, Captain Koral. What are your orders?”
“Lahoshar is the nearest Federation world to us, we’ll go there first. Disna needs repair, and they have facilities we can use. We’ll decide what next on the way.”
“The Patrol-Boat Commanders are struggling here, order them to Lahoshar, they’ll obey.”
“I’ll do that, Captain Ruhsha. Start for the Jump-Point to Federation Space while I get the Patrol-Boats moving.” Koral chuckled and continued, “Are you giving the orders here Captain Ruhsha?”
Ruhsha grinned and shut off the Comms channel. Koral opened Comms to the Patrol-Boats and issued his orders. The Captains didn’t argue, at least somebody was in charge. They turned their Boats and headed off after the Freighter. FNS Disna brought up the rear to guard against anybody else who came from that direction.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
NEWS FLASH
Lahoshar
Twenty days later, the Kislarans reached Lahoshar. When they Down-Jumped, two Taipans on patrol near the Jump-Point sent an immediate challenge. The challenge surprised Fana Koral until he remembered how close they were to Hangelore. Lahoshar had problems with Pirates years before, but they survived and even prospered because FNS Theseus and FNS Thor arrived to intervene. Since then, the Lahoshans had built a formidable defense network and a thriving trade with Cambridge. Lahoshar had every right to their paranoia. The Kislarans lived in a quiet part of the Federation, and their mindset wasn’t warlike. Until Brondar, the delanot were more interested in fighting among themselves.
Captain Koral opened a Comms Channel to the Taipans, identifying himself and his ships as the remnants of Admiral Zhavan’s Task-Force. To support his claim, Koral sent Sensor records from Hangelore. The Taipans stayed quiet for a while. Koral knew they were close, but his Sensor Techs didn’t find them, these human-built ships are stealthy.
Half an hour later, the Taipans contacted Koral again, giving instructions detailing trajectory and speed to approach their world. Koral acknowledged the message and sent orders to his small Fleet intending to follow their instructions to the letter. FNS Disna was in no condition to fight a battle against these Patrol-Boats. The group hadn’t gone far when another Patrol-Boat appeared off FNS Disna’s port bow. This ship broadcast IFF codes that identified her as FNS Kurama, a Cobra. Kurama’s Captain opened a Comms channel with Disna. Captain Koral took the call in his Ready-Room. Lani Camon, Kurama’s Captain, looked at him from the viewscreen.
Camon said, “Your ship looks beat up Captain. Do you need immediate help?”
“No Captain, nothing immediate. Disna has sustained damage, and we could use help to repair her well enough for the trip home. We’re low on repair material and spares.”
“You’re a long way from Kislara Captain Koral, what brought you here?”
“Pirates attacked our colony on Brondar. The Queen sent us to help, and our Admiral took us Pirate hunting. Along the way, we found the coordinates for Hangelore and Admiral Zhavan decided to clean them out, but Hangelore’s defenses are formidable. Those defenses smashed our Fleet, Disna is the only ship to escape.”
“Thank the Deity you did, with coordinates, the Federation can act.”
“Attacking Hangelore is impossible, the defenses are too strong.”
Camon gave a wintry smile and said, “Maybe, we shall see. There’s one human who might succeed.”
“Colin Gordon? Is he a Superman or something?”
“A Superman, no but he’s a tactical genius. Commodore Gordon has won against insurmountable odds. When he saved Lahoshar, he stopped four ships in one batch with two Cobras. Soon after, he almost stopped another eight with the same Cobras and little ammunition. My friend, Suni, was with him during the second fight. Suni said the man is brilliant, a true leader.”
Koral had no reply to this, choosing to concentrate on repairing his ships and going home. He still needed to d
ecide where to go when they finished here. A day later, they entered orbit around Lahoshar where Government officials contacted Captain Koral, inviting him to their world for briefings. Fana agreed, they might help repair FNS Disna and deserved his time.
After he briefed them, a Government Minister asked, “Where will you go from here Captain Koral?”
Fana replied, “I’m not sure, Sir. I don’t know if anyone survived in Hangelore and must report this disaster. My group can head for Cotoni or Kislara. Cotoni has more resources to help, the Queen is in Kislara, and I must tell her.”
“Kislara is further for you to travel, Captain. You’ll find the help you need sooner in Cotoni.”
“I understand, Sir, I’ll discuss it with the others before we leave.”
Koral returned from the surface to supervise repairs on his ship.
Five days later he sat in his Ready-Room with the three remaining Task-Force Captains.
Koral said, “We must decide where to go next. Cotoni is closest, and they have the assets to help. What are your thoughts?”
Captain Siran said, “We must return to Kislara. We must tell Queen Taveli.”
Koral nodded and looked at Ruhsha who shrugged, noncommittal. Fana looked at Captain Sarelni and raised an eyebrow in a query.
Sarelni replied, “Kislara is my choice. Captain Koral, our first duty must lie with Kislara and Queen Taveli. We must return and tell our Queen what happened.”
“Neither of you will visit Cotoni?”
Both replied in unison, “No, Sir.”
Koral realized they had no give. He tried one last time. “If anyone can help the survivors in Hangelore, Cotoni can. Kislara can’t, we don’t have enough ships left.”
Sarelni said, “If Cotoni tries to help, they’ll suffer a disaster too, Queen Taveli must decide.”
Koral understood their determination, his mind said they must head for Cotoni, his heart dictated Kislara. He sighed in resignation, suspecting a mutiny if he ordered them to Cotoni.
FNS Disna Enroute to Kislara
Seven days after Koral met the Lahoshans, the Kislarans departed Lahoshar bound for home. Fana Koral had doubts. He reviewed his Sensor Logs, picking out dozens of escape pod beacons and thought people had survived the Fleet’s destruction. Fana worried that they delayed help for those people by going to Kislara first. If Queen Taveli wanted help, she’d ask Sankarah. Koral’s little group needed another sixty days to reach Kislara. They must brief Taveli then wait while she decided what to do. A Fast Courier took ten days to reach Sankarah from Kislara, then Headquarters needed time to gather their Fleet.
Cotoni was thirty days from Lahoshar and Sankarah three days further. Koral worried he’d made the wrong decision. He was the leader of this group because he was most senior, but if he tried to take the others anywhere but Kislara, they might mutiny. Captain Ruhsha called him while they transited a System early in the journey.
Ruhsha said, “Are you sure going to Kislara is a wise decision Captain Koral?”
“No, I’m not, my head tells me Cotoni is better. My concern is the others will mutiny if I try for Cotoni. There are no winners after a mutiny. I’m not sure I have authority to lead this group.”
Ruhsha chuckled, then said, “You have authority, Captain Koral. When you returned from Hangelore, these two dithered, you decided on action, and they followed your orders. Hell, when those Pirates arrived, your ship destroyed them before the Patrol-Boats reacted. I’m glad you escaped. The Federation will know what happened, but going to Kislara introduces delay.”
The intercom pinged then. Ruhsha heard the ping and closed the connection. Koral understood the Bridge wouldn’t call unless they needed him. He opened the circuit to the Bridge.
He asked, “What’s wrong?”
The Sensor Tech replied, “Captain, I’m seeing a ghost on Sensors from time to time, right the edge of our range. They appear for a while, then disappear. Later, we pick him up again.”
“Is he following us?”
“I’m not sure, Sir.”
“Okay, keep an eye out, tell me if something changes.”
Koral considered this new information and realized he needed help. He called Simalon and asked for her Captain.
When Ruhsha joined the Comms, Koral said, “May I ask your advice Captain? Our Sensors see a ghost on the edge of our Sensor range. I’m not sure if he’s following us, watching the System or what.”
“Tell me Fana, have you read the stories of Colin Gordon’s exploits in recent years?”
“A little, the man is famous.”
“Do you know how Colin Gordon sent the Courier from Lahoshar to Cambridge?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Gordon convinced the Courier Pilot to go through Jump at two percent above the published maximum. This tactic shortened the trip and defeated an ambush. If we enter Jump at between one and two percent above, we’ll arrive in our target System but past the usual exit point. If somebody is waiting at the Jump-Point to ambush us, we’ll emerge well past them and have a head start for the next Jump-Point.”
Koral mulled this over for a while. If Pirates waited, he couldn’t let them ambush these ships. If Koral’s group tried this, they might arrive in Kislara faster, or not. He read more of Colin Gordon’s exploits, concluding they had to try the faster transit. Now to convince Siran and Sarelni. Koral sent them the relevant information and ordered them to read the data. Several hours later, Sarelni called.
“Are you proposing we enter Jump faster than our manuals tell us?”
“I am, Captain Sarelni. What’s your opinion?”
“If it works, we’ll reach Kislara earlier.”
“True, and if it doesn’t, we may not reach Kislara.”
“Sir, my Sensors have picked up a shadow. This was a successful tactic when Commander Gordon tried. I say we use this and Jump faster.”
“And Captain Siran?”
“Together, we can convince him. And Ruhsha?”
“It was his idea.”
Siran took a while but agreed before they reached the next Jump.
Kislara
Koral took care to arrange the convoy for the Jump. The Patrol-Boats transitioned first with FNS Disna and the Freighter Simalon following them. The group entered Jump at 1.4 percent above the published maximum entry velocity and arrived five hundred thousand kilometres further into the next System. With one successful Jump, everyone’s confidence grew, and they didn’t hesitate when Koral varied the entry velocity at each Jump-Point. The group cut three days from their journey by doing this. The shadow stayed with them, only disappearing a few days before they reached Kislara.
When they arrived home, Koral announced his arrival to the picket and proceeded toward their homeworld. On the way, he sent a full set of Scan data and FNS Disna’s Logs to Headquarters, so they understood what happened. When he’d finished with those tasks, he settled back to wait for the ax to fall. Koral commanded the one ship to escape Hangelore. People might brand him a coward, he thought. Fana walked around FNS Disna visiting every deck. The Captain was saying goodbye because he expected arrest when they docked. Several hours before they reached the planet; FNS Disna received orders for priority docking. Fana thought the ax was coming closer but sent the orders to the helm and called his First Officer.
When Lieutenant Commander Lamana arrived, Koral said, “Sevarn, I’m expecting they’ll arrest me after we dock. That’ll leave you in command until a replacement arrives. Take care of Disna and the crew. Keep your head down, I’ll take the heat on this if they let me.”
“Sir, we’ll stand behind you.”
“No, Sevarn, the decisions were mine alone, and you obeyed orders. Any blame must be mine. Go, watch the Bridge, I must prepare.”
With Lamana gone, Fana retrieved a portable storage device and loaded an unedited copy of the Sensor Logs and his ship’s Log. While the device loaded, he packed a few things into a bag then sat to wait for docking to complete.
; After they docked, Lamana paged him from the Bridge, saying, “Captain, docking is complete. Two visitors are waiting at the dock for you, they’re Security Police.”
“Okay, thank you Lamana, tell them I’m coming now.”
Fana rose from his cot, pocketed the storage device and left for the hatch. He arrived to find four police waiting. One took his bag, and the others guided him away from the ship to a waiting Shuttle. Although the treatment wasn’t harsh, Fana thought they were taking him for interrogation. Fana was right, but the questioning didn’t follow the form he expected. The trip from Kislara Orbital to the surface was fast, and soon they left the Shuttle behind to board an Air-Car. The destination surprised Koral, it was the Royal Palace. After the Air-Car landed, the Officers escorted him into the building and waited with him in a comfortable sitting room.
Fana waited for half an hour when the Police tensed just before Queen Taveli entered. She examined Koral for a moment.
Taveli turned toward a guard asking, “Any trouble?”
“None, my Queen.”
“Good, leave us. I must have a private word with Captain Koral.”
The Police bowed to their Monarch and filed from the room. When Taveli entered, Fana Koral had knelt with his head bowed as a sign of respect and submission.
Taveli said, “You may stand Captain, we have much to discuss. I’ve seen your Logs, now tell me everything you excluded. Three other ships returned with you, are you the only survivors?”
Star Strike: Book 3 of the Star Man Series Page 32