by Chris Hechtl
“Where are we?” Irons asked.
Sprite threw up an updated map on his plot. A line was drawn out with their course as well as the projected course of Convoy 3 Baker and the raiders. The raiders were classified as tangos on the board, with the two destroyers labeled Tangos 1 and 2. The two frigates were labeled Tangos 3 and 4 while the single corvette was labeled Tango 5. The Senka corvette was labeled Tango 6 and the corvette guarding the Antigua jump point was labeled Tango 7. All of the corvettes were Apollo class vessels.
“The Tango fleet has changed course slightly, Admiral. They are crabbing away from us slightly,” Zen warned.
“Then I think it is time for us to drop the facade don't you? Order Convoy 3 Baker to pass through our ranks and meet up with our fleet train. Order Xavier and Charlie to break wide then suck them in.” He remembered that the Apollo class corvette Charlie had been intended to be the picket in the system. He'd passed on the orders several months, no, more than a year ago. He wasn't certain if they'd been a part of the convoy or had responded to her defense. For the time being it didn't matter.
“Tangos are altering course, Admiral. They are attempting to get away,” Zen warned as the plot was updated.
Irons smiled slightly. They had the range and speed advantage now. “Accelerate. Mister Moore, execute op plan baker 1,” Irons ordered.
“Aye sir. Accelerating to flank speed, sir. We'll cut ahead of them, sir,” the chief stated.
“That's the plan,” Irons said. Xavier and Charlie fell back; they were both damaged and couldn't keep up with the other ships. The admiral had anticipated it however.
Within minutes Maine and her consorts had won the race to the jump point, gaining several thousands of kilometers of space between them and the Horathians. The hunters had just become the hunted. He couldn't help but smile a cold feral smile, a baring of teeth. He noted he wasn't the only one in the bridge to do it either.
The Horathian fleet was now pinned between two opposite forces headed to the wrong jump point with nowhere to go. He was curious about what they would do. If they tried to run his gauntlet, they'd die like fireflies in Maine's weapons fire when she turned her broadside on them. If they tried to cut along another axis, they'd cut them off.
He didn't have long to wait. In seconds the ships changed course, this time moving in on Xavier and her consort.
“Tango 1 is a Nelson class admiral. Tango 2 is an Antelope. They are going to tear Xavier apart,” Lobsterman reported. “They are attempting to break the lasso with defeat in detail,” he warned.
“Not if we can help it. Execute Op Plan Delta on the tick,” Irons ordered. He knew the enemy's strengths now. A Nelson, Antelope, Horseshoe frigate, a Manta frigate and the three Apollos were no match for Maine let alone the rest of his ships.
“Delta, aye aye, sir,” the AI replied. Immediately orders flashed out to the other ships.
“It was as you expected,” Sprite murmured.
“More like as I'd hoped, Commander. I was hoping they'd take the bait and go for Xavier. It will be rough but they'll have to take it,” he said.
“She's tough. She's been through worse,” Sprite replied.
Irons grunted but didn't respond. Had they scattered or regrouped on the Senka jump point they would have had been able to escape. He would have been forced to split his forces up to try to run them down. Instead they were remaining concentrated.
“Tango fleet is launching fighters. Eight so far, sir,” CIC reported. Eight small icons blinked onto the plot around the destroyers. Irons nodded.
His people were about to be hurt, in some cases badly. He had to accept that. But he could mitigate it. Already some of his weapons drones were spreading out to cut off the enemy's retreat. Anyway they tried to run they'd find a weapon drone firing into their teeth. Even if the drone only got a piece of them it should be enough to slow them down.
It wasn't going to go so easily however. When the admiral tried to use his remaining weapon drones to cut the enemy off they fired a broadside of nukes and flash clouds at the weapons drones, frying their sensors. “Someone over there is good,” the admiral observed. The enemy was staying together in a loose formation that offered them mutual support. “We're going to have to go in, go toe to toe with them.”
“They are staying as far out of Maine's range as they can, Admiral. Your plan to pin them didn't work,” Meia warned. “I've lost half our drone compliment,” she stated.
“I see that. Do what you can with the rest.”
“Permission to get our fleet train to dump out more, sir?” Mia asked hopefully. Her fingers hovered over the board.
“Denied. I want them to keep back. Far back. They may need the drones they've got for self-defense if this goes bad,” he said as the battle lines started to form up clearly. His corvettes were already tangling with the Tango 5. It was rapidly turning into a furball as the enemy ship tried to draw one or the other corvette into range of her consorts.
“Admiral, Tangos 1 through 4 are changing course for the fleet train,” Meia warned.
“I see that. I believe it is a ruse however to draw us off. Check for decoys. Alter course to intercept. Spit the difference, Ensign Poseidon,” he ordered. Ariel nodded. A new course was projected on the plot, and Mister Moore adjusted to it without being ordered.
“If they'd scattered it would have invited defeat in detail,” Lobsterman observed. “They stayed tight, and it's costing them the engagement.”
“Yes, but someone might have gotten away. The way things are going they won't. The longer the Senka corvette hesitates the closer our fighters get to engaging her.”
“All the better that they aren't smart then,” Chief Moore said from his couch.
“Not quite. Admiral, the Senka picket has charged her hyperdrive and is about to jump out. We can't stop her in time. The Antigua picket is on its way there now,” Zen said.
“Frack,” Irons muttered. He didn't want news of the battle to get back to the pirates. Apparently he wasn't going to get the clean sweep he wanted after all.
“Can we send someone after them?” Lobsterman asked.
“No,” the admiral growled.
“The Tango corvette is down. Echo has reported she's dead, Admiral. Both Echo and Tweedle Dumb have taken minor damage,” Meia reported, still working her station like a concert pianist. Irons flicked his attention at her plot and then grunted in acknowledgment of the report.
“Have Echo head over to Xavier and tie into her point defense. Xavier could use the support,” the admiral ordered. “Recall the fighters. No,” he held up a hand, countermanding the order before it was sent. He checked the geometry and then frowned. It would be tight, but doable if the enemy didn't speed up more than a couple KPS. “Send half to hit the corvette running towards them. Leave the other half to stay on the jump point when they get there.”
“In order to catch up with the corvette they'll have to drop stealth, Admiral. They'll know they are coming,” Meia warned.
“So be it.”
“Aye aye, sir, transmitting the order,” Lobsterman stated.
“Charlie is reporting injuries on board,” Zen reported. “She's taking heavy hits,” he warned as he clacked his mandibles. Charlie was working with Heart of the Tiger to hit the two frigates. But the wounded Federation corvette was a bit outgunned by her slightly larger opponent.
The admiral eyed the plot and shook his head. “We can't send a shuttle now. Order Tweedle Dumb to cover them for now,” the admiral said. “This shouldn't be much longer,” he said, watching Bounty and Apple tear into one of the Horathian destroyers while the other tried to keep away from Xavier and Maine. Fighters from the two destroyers were still swarming about Xavier but they were down to firing passes with their on-board guns, which made them more of a nuisance than a real threat. The frigate tangling with Heart of the Tiger staggered then vomited debris out of her port flank. She split in half, pieces spinning about. The Federation frigate was already shifting target
s to the other frigate.
“We've lost two more weapons drones and one of our defensive drones,” Meia reported.
“Not much longer,” Irons murmured.
...*...*...*...*...
Dita let Coglin and Blake hit the incoming corvette while she sat on the jump point with the other fighters. When the Apollo noticed them coming in it attempted to pick up speed, throwing everything it had to get to the jump point before it was intercepted.
“Stupid prick. Doesn't he know he has to slow down?” Wong demanded.
“He's panicking,” Dita said. “Which is why we're staying stealthy. He has to brake then charge his hyperdrive or he'll blow up when he ... shit he's changing course!” The course change and acceleration took Blake and Coglin by surprise. They over-corrected. By the time they adjusted course, Dita realized they'd never intercept in time.
“Course is for the planet! He's headed straight in!” Wong said, voice picking up in alarm. “If he hits ...”
“Or if he engages his hyperdrive as he hits it'll be devastating to the planet,” Dita said, working at the computer. “Now shut up a minute, I'm busy,” she growled, throwing up a plot into her tiny AI and then having it work out the adjusted course. There was no time to contact the fleet for orders. “Wong, take your three and continue on to the jump point in case he changes course again. The rest of us are going to break stealth and hit the pirate. Don't let her get to the planet at any cost,” she ordered.
“Aye, ma'am,” Wong said, sounding disgusted.
“See you back at the barn,” Dita said, dropping her stealth as her fighter's engines reignited.
...*...*...*...*...
“The last corvette has changed course for the planet, Admiral,” Lobsterman said quietly. The admiral looked up in surprise. He scowled at the course projection. The corvette was headed in at 90 degrees, clearly ready to kamikaze. If he had his hyperdrive hot when he did, it could kill most of the population on the planet. “Get the remaining fighters on her. Don't let her near that planet,” the admiral ordered. The plot changed as half the fighters under stealth blinked into visibility and lit their drives off. “Ah, I see Ensign Dita has anticipated the order. “Why half?”
“She's covering both bases, sir,” Meia replied.
“I'm not sure four fighters will be enough to take that corvette out,” the admiral murmured, dreading what was about to happen. And again, he felt the sick certainty that he could do nothing but watch it unfold.
...*...*...*...*...
“Okay, we can't hit them with missiles until we're almost on top of them. The missiles don't have the legs for a stern chase,” Dita said. “So, hit them hard with everything you've got, don't hold anything back,” she said. They had an hour before the engagement window opened. Her nerves were screwed up tight. She was keeping it together though.
When Dita's fighters got into range of the corvette they immediately cycled out their missiles as quickly as they could then changed course to follow along in a parallel course just out of range. The twenty-four missiles swarmed the corvette like wasps but many were picked off by the small ship's laser cannons and point defense. Two were sucked away by decoys. The last two hit her shields, buckling them but not making them fall. They flickered though, another good hit would make them fall Dita judged.
“We've got a piece of her but not big enough. We're going in,” Dita said, pulling her mask on tighter. “Scissor them. Oliver, go high; I'll go low. By the numbers folks,” she said. She flipped her fighter over and then dove down. They were going to come back up and hit the fighter at the same time, forcing her to divide her fire to cover both axis of threat. Hopefully they'd get some shots in to overload her shields.
“Here we go,” she said, pulling out of the dive and into a climb, aiming straight at the corvette. It immediately started to open up on her, shooting rail gun rounds. Her AI plotted the shots and angle of expected fire by watching the belly turret and where it was pointed. She jinked side to side and started firing back with her own gun just as her wingman caught a hit and staggered. She didn't glance at him; she was too intent on dishing out her own return fire and staying alive.
Suddenly the shields glowed blue under the combined fire, bright enough to force the enemy ship to stop returning fire in order to protect itself. But the shields had already been weakened by the missiles; after a second they flared and then died abruptly. Weapons fire stitched into the ship, tearing and gouging at her hull and thin armor.
Dita heard a yodel over the open channel but only grimaced a grin of fear and anger. She hit it again and again but it kept going.
“We can't stop it! Even if we hit it she's still going to hit the planet. We need to knock her off course!” Oliver said, voice rising in panic. “What do we do??”
“I've got this,” a determined voice said as Dita and the other fighters broke off. She turned to see her wingman midshipman Travis Bodger “Bugger” adjust his course, not away but straight in.
“What ...”
“Travis! Eject!” Dita said, voice rising in fear for her wingman as he bore straight in. She saw something kick free of the fighter just as the corvette's belly gun opened up again. It got one feeble shot at the fighter as something tumbled away then the two vessels intersected. Bugger had set his fighter's drive to keep going so she plowed into the corvette, pushing her off course slightly before her overloaded microreactor exploded. The detonation sparked a blinding detonation within the corvette's crumpled frame as the heat from the nuclear explosion triggered her own ordinance to go off.
“That got her!” Oliver said, cheering.
“Travis!” Dita said, circling the area. There was too much interference from the explosion to pick up any radio signal. Finally she picked up a weak IFF. She started to breathe a sigh of relief until it blinked red. “Oh no,” she whispered. “Travis,” she said softly.
“What happened to Bugger?” Oliver asked. “Isn't he okay? He ejected right?”
“He must have been cooked by the explosion or something,” Midshipman Ximena Llano said softly. “He's out there but his suit vitals are flat lined,” she said, voice tinged with sorrow.
“Damn,” Dita said, feeling the tears flow. She angrily wiped at her eyes with one hand as she circled the area. She finally got enough composure to hit the radio. “Flag this is Alpha flight. Tango destroyed. One down. Need SAR here. No hurry,” she said flatly. Her voice caught as she finally caught sight of the orange flight suit. It was tumbling end over end, limbs splayed out. The helmet was shattered when she saw it in the sunlight. “No hurry,” she repeated softly.
...*...*...*...*...
“Roger that Dita. Good work. All of you,” Meia said from the bridge when she got the transmission. She scrubbed at her stinging eyes angrily then inhaled and exhaled slowly.
She looked up when she felt a presence behind her. “Make sure Bugger get's a medal for this, sir,” she said. “And his family is taken care of,” she said.
The admiral nodded mutely. He turned in time to see the last enemy frigate be torn apart by Apple and Heart of the Tiger.
“All targets destroyed, Admiral. No survivors,” Lobsterman reported.
“All ships have sustained damage,” Chief Sindri reported over the intercom. “We've got minor damage to the shields. We're already making repairs,” he reported. “This is one tough ship,” he said.
“Order SAR flights out. Away a gig to Charlie to help with the wounded. Offer the same to Xavier and any damaged ships in Convoy 3 Baker. Commander Sprite, post battle clean up, you know the routine. Get our people sorted out and back to the barn. Deploy recon drones in a perimeter shell as well as to each of the jump points. I want to know if there are mines there or not,” he ordered.
“Xavier confirmed there are, sir, but we will check.”
“Once SAR duty is secured I want Intel bots and teams on the enemy ships. Make sure they don't take any chances though,” the admiral ordered.
“We're on it, sir,�
�� Sprite said quietly. The admiral nodded.
...*...*...*...*...
Once the battle was over and the star system was declared secure Maine met up with Xavier to take on her wounded and help with her repair survey. Captain Naomi Samuel came over on the last pinnace carrying wounded. Lobsterman organized a proper side party greeting. The captain saluted the ship AI's avatar. “Permission to come aboard?”
“Permission granted Captain Samuel,” the ensign replied as he returned the salute as the Officer Of the Deck. Captain Samuel turned smartly and then saluted the colors.
The admiral nodded as he watched the process, then turned his attention to other matters while the young woman was escorted to the flag bridge.
“Admiral, Captain Samuel to see you, sir,” the AI said formally. He turned to see the captain enter the bridge. She came to attention and saluted him. He returned the salute. “Good to see you again, Naomi,” he said, shaking her hand. She looked great in uniform, the picture of a proper captain he observed in approval. She had matured nicely over the past several years in his absence.
“I am glad to see you again, Naomi, and Xavier as well. Even if she's a bit beat up once again,” he said wryly.
“Nothing we engineers and old Carnage can't fix,” Sindri said with a grin as he entered behind the captain.
“Oh, manners,” the admiral said when Sprite gave him a pointed look on his HUD.
“Introductions are in order,” Sprite said, projecting a full size avatar of herself onto the bridge. “Commander Naomi Samuel, captain of Xavier, please meet Lieutenant Commander Vestri Sindri, Maine's chief engineer and the admiral's acting G-8 ships.”
“A pleasure to meet you, ma'am,” Vestri said, holding out a meaty hand. She looked at it then smiled politely and shook it.
“Quite the grip,” she observed dryly.
“I picked it up from turning wrenches, ma'am,” Vestri replied as they broke the handshake.
“Vestri's quite the engineer and damn good at his job. I'm proud to have him on board,” the admiral said.