The Long Road Home (A Learning Experience Book 4)

by Christopher Nuttall

  “The enemy is launching a second salvo,” Callaway reported. He paused. “Captain ... the odds of them scoring a hit are practically zero.”

  “Watch them anyway,” Elton ordered. Either the enemy were trying to swamp Odyssey or they had something up their sleeves. “And continue to target any missiles within point defence range.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Callaway said.

  “Picking up messages from the planet,” Williams said. “The planetary government is ordering the Harmonies to stand down. They’re citing chapter and verse from interplanetary treaties ...”

  “I doubt the Harmonies will pay any attention,” Elton said. The planetary government might have been wiser to keep its mouth shut. Force One alone could devastate the system and their reinforcements were already on the way. The Harmonies didn't need to listen. “If they contact us, don't bother to reply.”

  “Aye, sir,” Williams said.

  Marie coughed. “Captain, we’re approaching Point Loki,” she reported. A new icon blinked to life on the display. “We’ll be in position in two minutes.”

  Elton wished, again, for a proper cloak. Stealth mode was sufficient against passive sensors, but the Harmonies were using their active sensors on full power. It was quite possible that they’d burn through stealth mode before it was too late. If he ever got home ...

  We’ll have a war on our hands, he thought, numbly. And too much else to worry about.

  “Tactical, prepare to deploy ECM decoys,” he ordered. On the display, the enemy ships belched a third volley of missiles. Their targeting locks were so imprecise that he doubted half of them were going to come within a million miles of his ship. “Launch on my mark.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Callaway said. “Do you want to engage the enemy?”

  “No,” Elton said, after a moment. “We cannot risk expending our remaining Hammers.”

  “Aye, sir,” Callaway said.

  Elton heard the discontent in his voice, but said nothing. He understood precisely what the younger man was feeling. Firing back would have been pointless, yet it would have been satisfying. He dismissed the thought in some annoyance. They’d stripped the freighters bare, just replacing everything they’d expended at Harmony. They couldn't afford to waste missiles just to distract the enemy.

  “We’ll be at Point Loki in thirty seconds,” Marie reported.

  Timing is everything, Elton thought. He felt sweat trickling down his back. Screw this up and we’re dead.

  “Deploy ECM,” he ordered. “And send the go signal to the Filial.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Williams said.

  Elton leaned forward. The sudden torrent of ECM would confuse the enemy sensors, just long enough - he hoped - for the Filial to jump into FTL. His engineers had worked for hours, modifying her drive so her signature was close to Odyssey’s. She wasn't an exact match, but combined with the ECM it would be too similar for the Harmonies to ignore ...

  “Take us into stealth,” he ordered. The last flight of enemy missiles had lost their targeting locks completely and gone ballistic. He couldn't help thinking that the alien beancounters were going to go ballistic too. “Now!”

  The light dimmed, automatically. On the display, Filial raced away in FTL. The enemy ships seemed to hesitate, then jumped into FTL themselves. They'd take up position outside the system, hoping to track Filial down. And they would succeed, they’d think ...

  We loaded the ship with enough antimatter to give them a nasty surprise, Elton thought, as the enemy ships vanished in the distance. They’d missed Odyssey completely. And they won’t have a hope of escaping contact.

  “Captain,” Callaway said. “The enemy ships have departed.”

  Elton nodded. “Get us to the remaining freighters, then start towing procedures,” he ordered, shortly. The enemy ships would get a nasty surprise, true, but he knew better than to think it would take them all out. They’d know they hadn't found Odyssey the moment they set eyes on Filial. “We have to get out of here before they realise they’ve been tricked.”

  “Aye, sir,” Marie said. “ETA twenty minutes, unless you want to drop out of stealth mode.”

  “No,” Elton said. The enemy would figure out what they’d done, sooner or later, but he would prefer to keep them guessing as long as possible. “Keep us stealthy.”

  “Force Two is still inbound,” Callaway reported. “But a number of civilian ships are still fleeing the system.”

  Elton glanced at the display. If anything, Callaway had understated the case. Thousands of starships were fleeing in all directions. He hoped, desperately, that Kami would return to normal soon enough. The inhabitants hadn't done anything to deserve punishment. But there was no way to be sure. He’d just have to pray.

  “We’ll blend in with the crowd,” he said, finally. “And once we link up with the bulk freighter, we can start the next part of the plan.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  And yet, mustering the force necessary to take out Sol will leave them weak elsewhere. Our most pessimistic projections still predict that the Tokomak will literally lose hundreds of thousands of ships attacking Sol, regardless of the outcome. Giving them more targets to test themselves against, before moving on to the hardest target, may convince them to prepare for a long war.

  Who knows? It may even encourage them to consider peace.

  -Solar Datanet, Political Forum (Grand Alliance Thoughts).

  “This bridge is a mess,” Biscoe said. “If this ship was assessed by the SUCB, Captain, it would fail.”

  Elton couldn't disagree. The Solar Union Certification Board would have had a collective fit of the vapours if they looked at the bulk freighter. She was functional, by the strict definition of the word, yet most of her systems really needed to be replaced. Her bridge was not only weirdly-proportioned - a regular problem when dealing with alien ships - but dirty and cramped as well. The SUCB would probably have denied the bulk freighter a licence, preventing her from docking at most Solar Union facilities. And while her commander could file an appeal, no Citizen’s Jury would ever support him.

  “Her main computer has also been replaced with something from another ship,” Biscoe added. “The links to the drives are fine, as far as we can tell, but some of her internal communications nodes are crapped out because they’re incompatible with the new computer system. I’ve got the engineers installing some bypasses, yet ... frankly, calling this ship a mess is an insult to messes.”

  “As long as she gets us through the gravity point,” Elton said. “Is the hold suitable?”

  “We can fit Odyssey into the hull,” Biscoe said. He smiled, rather thinly. “I don't think anyone has ever tried this before.”

  “I saw it in a movie once,” Elton said. “Let’s hope the Harmonies didn't see it too.”

  He smiled at the thought. Human movies - and television series - had been a surprising hit across the Sol Sector, although he didn't think they’d spread much further. The Galactics hadn't shown anything like as much imagination as humanity when it came to popular entertainment. They might view Independence Day I, II and III as light comedies, rather than serious movies, but they had nothing to match them. Elton had seen a couple of galactic movies, back when he’d been in the academy. They’d been bland and completely forgettable. Maybe it was a translation problem, but he couldn't see how anyone could stand to watch them for more than twenty minutes or so.

  “I’ve got the engineering crew working on struts and explosive bolts,” Biscoe said. “We can break free within seconds, if necessary. But ...”

  He met Elton’s eyes. “If they slam a missile into the freighter’s hull,” he warned, “we might be blown away too.”

  “I know,” Elton said. “There’s no way out without taking a serious risk.”

  The concept had seemed simple enough, when he’d thought of it. Buy a large bulk freighter, one that had no obvious ties to the Solar Union. Put Odyssey inside the freighter - the largest freighters in the galaxy could h
ave carried a battleship comfortably - and then fly the freighter through the gravity points. As long as the Harmonies declined to inspect the ship physically, they should have no reason to suspect trouble.

  But we don’t dare return to Harmony itself, he thought. We’ll have to enter the gravity point chain from another direction.

  And yet, the more he thought about it, the more he realised just how much could go wrong.

  Biscoe cleared his throat. “We should be ready to depart in five hours, assuming the engineering crew finish their work on time,” he said. “Captain?”

  “That should be fine,” Elton said. “Are the control links in place?”

  “Yes, sir,” Biscoe said. “Williams is currently devising a holographic head for any communications. As long as they don’t want a face-to-face meeting, sir, we should be fine.”

  “And if they do, we’ll just have to make a run for it,” Elton said. He’d simulated possible engagements time and time again. If they were very lucky, they might just make it through the gravity point before the enemy had a chance to react and open fire. But there would almost certainly be defenders on the far side too. “And then it will be your turn to think of something clever.”

  “Of course, sir,” Biscoe said. He shrugged. “At that point, sir, we might want to consider heading for another set of Galactics.”

  Elton shook his head. There was no way to know who could be trusted - and who they didn’t dare touch with a barge pole. If they were completely barred from Hudson Base ... he wasn't sure what he’d do. Perhaps they’d have to obtain another freighter and try to sneak through the gravity points, leaving Odyssey behind. He couldn't think of anything else.

  “Inform me as soon as you’re ready to start moving Odyssey into the freighter,” he said. It should work, theoretically, but he’d never heard of it being done outside bad simulations and worse movies. “I’ll be in my quarters.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Biscoe said.

  Elton teleported back to Odyssey, then walked slowly to his quarters. They had made a clean break, he thought. The Harmonies hadn't passed within half a light year of their position, as far as they could tell. But that didn't necessarily mean anything. The Harmonies knew as well as he did that Odyssey needed to pass through the gravity points if she wanted to go home. He would be surprised if they weren't rushing to fortify every gravity point within their sector.

  If they hadn't started already, he thought, remembering the fortresses they’d seen on their way to Harmony. Who knows just what they’re doing with the other Galactics?

  He opened the hatch to his quarters, then sat down on the sofa. His doubts were mocking him, reminding him - again - of just how little he knew. There was no way he could show his concerns on the bridge, not in front of the crew. And yet ... what was going on? Was humanity doomed to war with all the major powers? Or were the Tokomak hoping to use the Harmonies to do some of the fighting, thus winning time to prepare for the coming offensive?

  His intercom bleeped. “Captain,” Rebecca’s voice said. “Can I join you?”

  Elton hesitated. He was surprised the ambassador hadn't summoned him to her quarters, although he did have to admit that Rebecca seemed more understanding than some of the other diplomats he’d known. But part of him just wanted to be alone for a while ... he shook his head in frustration. Duty called, even if they were well beyond diplomacy.

  “I’m in my quarters,” he said, finally. “You’re welcome to visit.”

  He rose and ordered two coffees from the food processor, placing one of the mugs on the table. Rebecca might want something stronger but, even with implants and nanities to flush alcohol and its effects out of his system, Elton knew better than to risk it. He looked up as the hatch hissed open, allowing the ambassador to step into his cabin. She looked around with considerable interest.

  “Captain,” she said, seriously. “You have a nice cabin.”

  “I don't spend enough time here,” Elton said. “Someone in the design centre assumed that the captain would have a family with him, people who’d need all the space.”

  He picked up his coffee and sat down facing her. “And I don’t have a family, so the space is wasted,” he added. “Rats.”

  Rebecca smiled. “I thought the idea was that getting bigger quarters matched getting a higher rank,” she said. “Or was I misinformed?”

  “You also get more duties and more things to worry about,” Elton said. “And while you do get a bigger cabin, you don’t get to spend so much time in it.”

  “Perhaps you would, if you had a family,” Rebecca said.

  Elton considered it. He understood the reasoning - Odyssey and her sisters were intended for long-term missions far from Earth - but he wasn't sure he liked it. Having families - including children - on the ship would just present him with more problems. But then, they had run into deadly danger. A ship on a long voyage without running into anything dangerous might be quite a welcoming environment for a family.

  “I doubt I’d have the time,” he said, finally. “The captain is never truly off-duty.”

  “And there would be political implications too,” Rebecca added. “What happens if the captain is married to one of his officers?”

  “It would be awkward,” Elton said. The Solar Navy did have a fair number of officers who were married to other officers, but the personnel department worked overtime to keep one partner from being superior to the other partner. It would definitely mess up the ship’s internal politics. “And it would cause trouble.”

  “True,” Rebecca agreed. Her lips twitched. “But what if the captain started an affair on the ship, during a very long-term mission?”

  Elton leaned forward, unable to hide his annoyance. “Is there a reason you wanted to see me, Madam Ambassador?”

  Rebecca seemed oddly surprised, although the expression vanished quickly. “I’ve been reviewing the files,” she said. “We might be able to find some allies if we head away from Harmony.”

  “Might,” Elton repeated. “Can you promise anything?”

  “No,” Rebecca said. She met his eyes evenly. “But it’s something to bear in mind.”

  Elton was tempted to order her to leave. He could - he was the master of his ship, at least while she was well away from Sol. Rebecca might be offended - she might even file a complaint when they got home - but she would have to leave. And yet ... it struck him, suddenly, that she felt isolated too. She’d been head of her department before they’d had to escape Harmony, a department that was now completely useless ...

  “It is,” he said, feeling a flicker of affection. “What did you find?”

  ***

  “They’re not monitoring the system, as far as we can tell,” Tyler said, as they made their way through the network of passageways. “Are they?”

  Levi shrugged. “Marines can chew nails and shit iron ka-bars,” she said, sarcastically. There were bodymods that allowed marines to do just that, if they wanted. “But even the greatest marine in the world couldn't sense an alien starship lurking near the ring.”

  She resisted the urge, barely, to tell Tyler to shut up. She'd been taught patience in Boot Camp, where hiding under cover could eventually lead to the chance to take a shot at a known terrorist shithead. She liked action, but she knew when to wait for the best chance to make her mark. Tyler, on the other hand, didn't have any of that training. He wanted to do something now, instead of waiting for four days before leaving the flophouse. She didn't really blame him, but there were limits.

  The ring wasn't deserted, but there were fewer people in the main thoroughfares. Most of the ships that had fled when the Harmonies had been detected were still gone, although a handful had come creeping back when the Harmonies had abandoned the system. A number were probably still running, Levi thought. Kami played host to smugglers, pirates and terrorists from all over the sector. Quite a few of them had probably suspected that Judgement Day was approaching when the Harmonies had arrived.

  Serve
the bastards right, she thought, although it was a problem. Fewer starships meant fewer chances of finding a berth. Maybe one of them would have taken us straight home.

  “Here,” Tyler said. His implants pitched a set of listings at her. “All going to Hudson Base.”

  “And all likely to be searched thoroughly,” Levi said. Maybe they could dress up as Klingons - there were enough real aliens that no one would pay much attention to a fake one - but a blood test would reveal the truth. If she was in command of the enemy forces, she would make sure that everyone passing through the gravity points was vetted. “They know we were here, remember?”

  She skimmed through the listings until she found the one she wanted. It would be costly, of course, but they could afford it. And it had some very definite advantages.