Hard to starboard, thought Gallant, maneuvering the ship. He drove full speed toward his escape path.
“Missiles approaching, starboard side,” said Kelsey, calmly.
Gallant was too busy to reply. The next moment, the Titans’ plan revealed itself. The destroyers on the port side, once again were once again working toward him, and he guessed that they were making a concerted effort to close the net around him. However, they were trying to get the convoy out of the way at the same time.
He had only seconds to make each decision. He thought, Hard to port.
A cruiser spat a missile in his direction. The warhead detonated off his starboard side, but did no damage.
Hard to starboard, up five degrees, he thought as he maneuvered. It was an attempt to get a better position. The Eagle worked around the convoy and moved to cross the bow of one of the ships.
To avoid the ponderous broadside of one of the destroyers, Gallant moved closer to one of the convoy ships. His efforts to keep the merchantman and the combat ships confused were working. The situation remained risky, however. Gallant’s maneuvers compelled them to make maneuvers within the asteroid field that could cause collisions. Sure enough, the merchantmen collided, one after another. Some were struck by asteroids as well. They spewed debris in front of the remaining ships, further confusing the radar image.
Gallant had already strayed dangerously into the field’s most highly densest area, and the ships in the convoy were scattering farther away from him. He maneuvered the ship once again. Amidst the confusion, Gallant could see that the destroyers were trying to avoid collisions as much as trying to attack him. Gallant’s mind was constantly processing multiple calculations, yet it still didn’t seem enough.
The number of ships in so small an area was working against the Titans; because they had to avoid collisions, they couldn’t fire at the Eagle indiscriminately. Gallant weaved his magic as his neural interface offered him a complete picture of the objects around them in space.
He tried to forecast the courses of the ships and at the same time avoid the asteroids and missiles. He had to remember the rate at which the destroyers could fire their missiles and how close he could get before a plasma blast would be headed his way.
He heard Kelsey curse, as the Eagle had a close shave with an asteroid. The Eagle twisted and ‘leaped.’ Several missiles approached, but the Eagle’s magazines were empty. They exploded nearby, and the shock wave caught the Eagle.
Gallant's tense mind spent several seconds trying to understand what had happened. The Eagle had been damaged.
There were now fires and damage within the ship, so he operated the fire-suppression system while keeping the ship on course.
Another flash of light and another explosion smashed near the fighter, adding to the chaos within.
Kelsey coughed and moaned. He could see that she had been seriously injured by shrapnel and the fire.
She cried in pain as she struggled to remove the jagged metal penetrating her pressure suit and cutting into her legs. Blood gushed from her lower torso. Molten metal and burning electrical panels discharged toxic fumes and blinding smoke.
Gallant said, "Don’t move. I’m coming as soon as I can." He watched as her blood created a red flower on her uniform.
It took all of Gallant’s self-control to turn away from Kelsey and concentrate on the battle. Turning the fighter in a tight spiral, he moved away from the main formation of the attacking Titan ships that nearly surrounded them. With an acrobatic evasive maneuver, he headed for the one remaining avenue of escape. Without any antimissiles, he was helpless against the crisscrossing missile barrage that threatened to engulf them. As Gallant pushed the Eagle’s thrusters to maximum, the fighter’s impaired engines strained to accelerate and break clear. The engine finally spit out a blistering stream of plasma, propelling the Eagle forward. Gallant concentrated on plotting a course through the dense asteroid field and avoiding the trailing ship-killer missiles that the Titans sent streaking after him. After several tense minutes of performing agile maneuvers, Gallant and Kelsey found a temporary respite.
Despite the hopeless appearance of the situation, Gallant fought on. He swerved as the Titans closed in. He accelerated upward as they flew toward him. He reacted to outmaneuver his enemy.
His throat tightened as he looked into Kelsey’s face, promising himself he would help her as soon as possible. He concentrated to clear his thoughts as his heart thumped hard. He felt sweat trickle down his temple. The ship’s tactical display revealed a hopeless situation. All he had was speed and maneuverability.
Gallant would have to win his escape somehow, but the enemy would not be easy to deceive. Fortunately, the chaos of the convoy and the resulting collisions was truly traumatic. The asteroids continued to offer extra cover.
Suddenly, Gallant found what he had been looking for; a planetoid of sufficient size where he could hide. It provided the opportunity to carry out his plan of faking his destruction.
He fired his lasers into debris left from the Eagle making it look like it had been destroyed in the last missile attack. Next, Gallant settled on an asteroid with a crevice deep enough for him to hide his fighter and avoid detection by radar.
He put his fighter down in the rocky fracture and waited. A number of Titan scouts passed by, but he remained unobserved. He desperately hoped the Titans would believe he had been destroyed. After a while, Gallant’s radar screen revealed that the Titans had moved off, looking elsewhere, and he started to consider ways to leapfrog to other hiding positions that might get him closer to Mars. Unfortunately, the last explosions had damaged his communication system, and he couldn’t send an immediate warning to Mars.
Gallant watched as the remaining undamaged convoy ships gathered speed and moved toward the nearest fortress. Meanwhile, more scout ships joined the search in the immediate area. Gallant was concerned that his vessel might yet be found, but he had no time to be preoccupied with that now. He had to help Kelsey.
Finally, he was able to turn his attention to his critically injured companion. The moment that he saw Kelsey’s bleeding and broken body, dark thoughts spilled over him. The fear of losing her filled him with a deep and profound sadness that threatened to overwhelm him.
"Kelsey, stay awake. Look at me; it’s going to be OK." He carefully pulled broken metal shards out of her flesh and quickly applied a tourniquet to her right leg. Then he pressed his hand against her left calf to control the bleeding while he applied a large bandage. Kelsey grimaced but bravely stifled a cry. He looked at her as he injected a pain reliever and watched as the medication started to work. Slowly, her contorted expression relaxed. "Thank you, Henry," she said, her chest heaving. As she became composed, Gallant cleaned the rest of her wounds.
Even though he had completed his treatment, he was still concerned about her going into shock. Nevertheless, he let his mind wander to the grave threat that the United Planets now faced.
Anxiety and strain brought focus to his thinking, but he was careful not to disturb Kelsey. His irritation increased at the thought of how much he hated the time he was wasting keeping her from the medical aid she needed. As he looked at the console screen above her, he could see his own reflection. His tangled brown hair caused his ill-tempered frown to return. A curse went unspoken on his lips. He noticed Kelsey struggling to deal with her suffering.
As they remained in their dark hiding place, Gallant continued his discontented examination of the ship's condition. He kept his doubts to himself while he tried to repair the ship’s systems.
The data he had collected was in a horrible state as a result of damage the equipment had suffered. Broken storage lockers spilled food and equipment all over the floor. Burned electric panels smoldered.
Once more, a shadow of doubt crept into his mind, and he put his hand to his temple, rubbing his forehead.
Gallant realized what he must do. The Titan attack on Jupiter Station had been a diversion, designed to lure away
part of the Mars Fleet while the huge alien fleet remained hidden, ready to pounce. With his ship badly damaged and no functioning communication equipment, he had to warn Mars about the Titan deception. And he had to save Kelsey.
CHAPTER 22
The Eagle cast a tiny shadow against the wall of its hiding place inside an asteroid. With each passing hour, the shadow advanced like the arm of a sundial, highlighting the scarcity of time. Gallant continued to collect data on the Titan fleet, but he was concerned about Kelsey's severe wounds.
The two UP officers hunkered down in their hiding place hour after hour. They weren't getting any sleep, just a few catnaps. They bled oxygen into the fighter from reserve canisters. They also opened canisters of lithium hydroxide crystals to absorb the excess carbon dioxide. Doing this allowed them to turn off their environmental life-support system, reducing their electronic emissions, but it also made them feel nauseated and achy.
Gallant’s mind was sufficiently active, but his movements felt labored, as if his arms refused to carry out simple tasks. In his dilapidated condition, Gallant mumbled to himself, and his voice sounded strange. He tried to concentrate on the tasks he needed to complete.
Gallant’s escape options seemed thwarted by the many destroyers still scouting the area. He couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding. Like in a dream, his weariness combined with his worry to exaggerate his every movement, slowing down his work repairing vital equipment.
Kelsey was sedated and lying quietly on the sleeping couch at the bottom of the tiny fighter compartment. Gallant had dressed her wounds and given her what medication he could. Her best chance now was to get to a hospital facility on Mars as soon as possible and get the best medical treatment available.
Titan cruisers showed up occasionally but then disappeared again. The presence of these ships worried Gallant. But each time the radar screens came up with a hit, the contact was lost almost immediately, drowned out by the background of space and meteorites. Gallant lost and rediscovered enemy cruisers multiple times. By now he had gone several days with little sleep.
He worked on repairing the ship’s communications equipment in an effort to contact the Mars Fleet to alert them of the dangers hiding in the asteroid field. He thought, Perhaps they could send a rescue ship with medical support for Kelsey.
The worst moment came when the last oxygen canister was exhausted. Until this moment, nothing was certain. They might've been killed or captured at any moment, but the possibility of escape had remained open. Now Gallant had no more time to make necessary repairs. They had reached the end of the line. It was necessary to start the environmental system and move out of their hiding place.
Gallant considered forgetting about flashing a message to the Mars Fleet for the time being. Since the Titans on the Jupiter frontier were not mobilizing for an immediate attack, he decided to wait for events to unfold. This course of action gave him the opportunity to play a strategic card. The United Planets would have a clear advantage once they got this information because they could take action before the Titans were aware.
A fleeting gentle gust from the air-conditioning duct blew across Gallant's perspiring forehead as he restarted the life-support equipment. He still didn’t know whether Kelsey would survive her injuries. The thought of going back to Mars with her life still hanging in the balance appalled him. Gallant looked around the madhouse of damaged equipment and burned panels. He examined the instruments again, trying to determine what was best.
First, he restored as much of the life-support and engine function as he could. Then he compared the different options for trying to jury-rig the communications gear. The sudden flurry of activity gave him something to take his mind off the circumstances.
Gallant calculated a winding escape path from the asteroid cluster toward Mars, but the path was so narrow and difficult to traverse that it increased the risk factor. Nevertheless, he made a stealthy dash to escape. To his great relief, the Eagle moved away from the Ceres cluster undetected.
Several days after he escaped, things were still looking gloomy. Kelsey's blood pressure was falling, and the amount of asteroid cover he would have for the next stretch of space was not very comforting. He knew he couldn't play hide-and-seek with the Titans forever. The damage condition of his spacecraft was such that he could only manage to operate it at 0.03c, a speed far below his ship’s maximum capacity.
-------------------------------
Mars was on the horizon, and rescue was in sight. Gallant’s plight would soon be over. He was finally able to get a rudimentary communication signal through to the Mars Fleet without tipping off the Titans. His message included the fact that there was a secret Titan base in the asteroid field and that he had key Titan equipment for analysis.
The fleet sent a relief ship. The wisdom of his actions and the courage of his efforts would soon be determined. He said, "Kelsey, can you hear me? We’re almost there. Hold on a little longer."
Gallant vectored his craft toward the destroyer coming to their aid. The destroyer met them, and rescuing hands gathered the pilot and his astrogator to safety. Gallant reached back into the cabin and grabbed the alien equipment along with the memory chips on which he had recorded information about the enemy’s base.
Gallant immediately got Kelsey into the medical facility, and then he told the captain what he had learned about the Titans. The captain related this information to Mars as quickly as he could. Gallant gave a breakdown of the Titan force and their fortresses and support facilities. A lieutenant from the destroyer handed Gallant a message from the admiral. It included orders to report for debriefing as soon as he reached Mars. While on the destroyer, Gallant answered questions from the ship’s technicians about the equipment and data he’d collected. This information was forwarded to the Mars Fleet.
When they reached Mars, Kelsey was moved to an emergency room under the care of a team of doctors and nurses. Gallant agreed to have his own wound attended to, but only if this took place in the room adjacent to Kelsey’s. The doctors tended to Gallant's injuries and provided fresh medication for his arm. Skin stem cells were taken, and he was scheduled for skin graft surgery.
After eight hours of extensive surgery, Kelsey returned to the care unit. The doctors told him that she was off the critical list but still had a lot of recovering to do. The medical staff was in and out of her critical-care area, providing her with around-the-clock monitoring and care.
-------------------------------
The information about the Titan fleet caused a great stir in the Mars command. They had been on the brink of going to Jupiter's aide, but now this decision was stalled. Admiral Collingsworth wanted to hear directly from Gallant.
CHAPTER 23
The port on the United Planets' battle cruiser Superb, the flagship of the Mars Fleet, afforded Midshipman Henry Gallant a splendid view. It revealed the Red Planet rotating majestically. He was conscious of the planet’s familiar, almost welcoming, appearance in contrast with his final view of Jupiter. Subconsciously, he was aware of the numerous fleet warships orbiting nearby, but they weren’t his immediate concern. He continued to stare straight ahead, lost in thought. By arriving early, Gallant had secured a few coveted minutes alone to reflect on recent events. It gave him no solace.
Reluctantly, he turned away from the mesmerizing imagery and paced the length of the compartment. It wasn’t the typical austere conference room found on most spaceships. This oversized chamber was reserved for dignitaries visiting the fleet’s flagship, and as such, its walls were decorated with depictions of historic figures accomplishing great feats. Gallant found the overall effect imposing and a little intimidating.
His mind ran through recent events and his pivotal choices, causing him to second-guess each decision. Despite his disquiet, he congratulated himself on remaining calm before what he expected to be a fierce grilling from the fleet’s System Intelligence Agency (SIA). He smiled to himself. He felt his mind functioning smoothly and efficiently. He
even imagined he could hear meteorites pelting the Superb with a rat-a-tat, just as they did against his Eagle, but the armored hull made that impossible.
Pacing helped stretch his stiff back and leg muscles. He hated the thought of how his fit and toned body had been confined for so long in the Eagle.
He spent a few minutes fussing over his wounded left arm, not because of the pain, but because the bandage protruded visibly from under his jacket sleeve. Self-consciously, he pulled at the sleeve, trying to obscure its unsightly presence.
As the appointed hour for the meeting approached, he took his seat at the large ornate table with his back to the entrance. The memory chips containing the video, data, and logs from the Eagle were to his right. On his left was the Titan AI CPU unit he had captured. The objects were an open invitation for someone to join him and examine his offerings. He barely noticed the full-length viewport turning black when the door to the room opened and an officer entered.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” a voice asked from behind.
He looked over his shoulder and saw a woman in her early twenties. She was dressed in a sharply pressed uniform bearing lieutenant stripes. She looked as if she were beginning a big day rather than reaching the end of a long work period. Her blond hair was neatly trimmed above her shoulders. She carried an armful of documents and computer paraphernalia. He surmised she had an office close by. He was pleasantly surprised and couldn’t help glancing around one more time. Where was the interrogation team he was expecting?
"Do you mind?" she repeated. "I expect the senior officers to arrive soon, and I’ll move, I promise. All the seats are likely to be taken when everyone gets here, but I need to get some preliminary issues resolved. Then we can proceed with the debriefing. I’m Julie McCall, SIA," she said as she extended her hand.
Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space (The Henry Gallant Saga) Page 17