Star Crusader: Siege of Kalar

  “Colonel. Our pilots spotted something unusual. They suggest we could use it.”

  “They?”

  Higgins nodded nervously.

  “Yes, Sir. Specifically, Lieutenant Commander Holder, on behalf of Flying Officer Croft.”

  “The videogamer?”

  “Yes, Sir, but she is not just a gamer. She is one of…”

  A massed barrage of gunfire slammed into the bow the ship. This time it hit with such weight all of those on the deck were thrown nearly a metre. Some of the officers staggered or fell, while Gun merely reached up and placed a hand on the ceiling. Two Marine guards moved inside to help those that had fallen. Colonel Gun turned back to Higgins.

  “I’m running out of time, Commander. Show me.”

  Commander Higgins made some changes and brought up a view from several minutes earlier. It was footage from the forward gun cameras attached to the Phantom heavy fighters.

  “It looks like they used their high-speed ships as carriers for the smaller ones. In theory it should be possible with any ship using similar engine technology.”

  Gun straightened his back and shook his head. He did not look particularly impressed.

  “We know this, Commander. Did you not see the light cruisers hidden inside their transports?”

  “No. You don’t understand, Sir.”

  That brought utter silence to the deck. Even General Honorius, who’d walked over was stunned into silence at his words. It took a full four seconds before Gun spoke, and they all waited to hear his response.

  “Then explain it to me…quickly.”

  Higgins changed the timecode to a minute earlier, and they watched in amazement as an advanced cruiser came into view. A single ship then lifted away from its hull and moved away to join the other ships in the battle.

  “Wait…is that what I think it is?”

  “Yes, Sir. They are using them to piggyback ships into battle.”

  Gun licked his lips.

  “And you’re saying we could do this?”

  He answered without hesitation and brought up a model of ANS Agincourt, one of the three Spartan Class ships in the fleet, along with a pair of Byotai attack cruisers positioned right alongside it. At first it gave the impression of a single massive ship. Though the same configuration as the Confederate Class ships, it lacked the vertical extension needed to power the primary weapon system, and thus left more space around its hull.

  “Yes, Sir, if we do it this way.”

  General Honorius looked at the image and then started to laugh. The Byotai attack cruisers were ten metres shorter than the Spartan Class, and to make them move as close as possible, Higgins had rolled the Byotai ships so that they looked like an X from the front. The hulls may have been touching, but it was impossible to tell from this angle.

  Captain Delatorre moved to investigate; evidently fascinated by what he was looking at. He chatted for several seconds with the other members of the deck crew. Most were actually Thegns, and their grasp of engineering principles was close to the average Human.

  “Well, can it be done?”

  His Chief Engineer, a short, stocky man called Jenson rubbed his brow. He looked nervous as he answered.

  “By diverting all energy reserves from our weapons, I can boost the size of the energy density field by a factor of three. There would be enough space, but not for the entire journey home.”

  Gun’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.

  “What? My engineers told me this couldn’t be done.”

  Jenson forgot for a second quite whom he was talking with.

  “Sorry, Sir. Yes, it can be done, but all weapons must come off-line for at least a minute before the nacelles will be fully activated, and can leave the system. The nacelles will take time, and any interference will disrupt them for hours.”

  General Honorius shifted uncomfortably.

  “Yes, but will it work?”

  Jenson did his best to look confident but utterly failed to hide his doubts.

  “In the lab, in ideal circumstances, yes, it will definitely work, Sir. I’ve checked the mathematics, and the kid is right, whoever she is. But there are major risks. If any of the ships are disrupted, they will be stuck here with no chance of escape.”

  “How long will it last?”

  The man’s eyes looked up as he ran the numbers through his head. One of the Thegns extended a hand with an old style Secpad unit, much like the touch tablets of the twenty-first century. He shook his head and then tapped his temple with his index finger. A few seconds later he stopped, nodded, and then spoke.

  “This will give us ten hours, maybe a little more. Then we’ll need to cool the systems for at least five hours.”

  General Honorius was already at the left of the three large screens and checking the star map data. He’d watched the Humans enough to understand how to move items on the unit and quickly dragged icons into position to plot a route. Finally, he turned back, beaming.

  “It can work. Ten hours is more than enough if we run the two Rifts to Fiorr Veej.”

  Gun needed no further confirmation. It was just what he’d been looking for.

  “Very well. Get me Katanga.”

  He looked to the General as the mixed formation of ships continued to batter away at the enemy. Gunfire raged continuously, but none of it seemed to bother him at all.

  “I’ve got a plan, but we need to be bold. And it’s going to take some serious self-control.”

  General Honorius laughed at this.

  “Self-control? What do you have in mind?”

  Gun pointed to the scene of the battle.

  “We need to lose, and fast.”

  “What?”

  Gun grinned, beaming with that wicked smile that always seemed to show just a few teeth.

  “Our flagship is crippled, and our forces break away to withdraw.”

  The General looked stunned.

  “Splitting our forces at this moment would be madness. They would run down the ships, stop them from leaving.”

  Gun shook his head.

  “No. That isn’t what will happen.”

  He pointed to the enemy flagship, the advanced and powerful Tabarzinn. It might be a new ship to them, but they were already very familiar with the capabilities of the Star Empire Grand Cruisers. They were of a similar size to the Confederate Class ships, and therefore bigger than almost every Alliance warship. This one had differences, and Gun could see from the schematic that it carried more Byotai style mass driver weapons than might be expected for a ship of its size.

  “Tabarzinn is a gunboat, a damned big one, and she’s coming right at us.”

  “So?”

  Gun grinned.

  “We will feign engine problems, drop back, and fight her. We will take a volley, and then raise the white flag.”

  The General looked at the massive warrior for several seconds as he analysed the proposal. He couldn’t quite believe it.

  “And you think that will be enough to get the fleet away? What if it works? You are willing to sacrifice this ship?”

  Gun laughed, a great roar of amusement.

  “Who said anything about losing, General?”

  Colonel Gun licked his lips with anticipation.

  “Now…get me through to Spartan and Khan. They need to get ready.”

  “What can I do?”

  Gun considered that for a moment.

  “Explain the plan to Katanga, and make sure his captains put on a good show. They need to make this look as though they’ve completely given up.”

  General Honorius seemed quite happy with that.

  “I see. I have a few ideas.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Kalar Anchorage, 9th Quadrant

  January 13th 2473

  Nate gently tapped the controls, nervous that too much pressure in a direction could be the final straw to finally break his already crippled fighter. He held his breath, and then relaxed as the Phantom drifted to the right. The engines fl
ared with power, and as before he was back in formation with his comrades. The rear cameras showed a never-ending trail of sparkling lights, a reminder that he was still losing fluid with every passing second.

  “Okay, pilots,” said Commander Higgins, “The fleet is moving in closer to the Anchorage, and I mean close. Fighters will pull back to provide cover.”

  “Understood,” replied Lieutenant Commander Holder, “Moving in now.”

  Icons appeared on the forward console, showing their new course, and Nate checked the data before making the course changes.

  “Pilots, follow my course and move to the Anchorage. Stay frosty, we’re going to run out of room fast down there.”

  Nate looked to the objective as he listened. He’d already spent quite enough time ducking and diving through the complexities of the Anchorage. Now his ship was in quite a state, and just as likely to tear itself apart as it was to follow his commands.

  “Sir.”

  He turned his attention to Valdis. She was panting, one of those odd moments where she needed to regulate her temperature. The two were not vastly different in build, but her metabolism was clearly unique, and the Byotai well known for struggling to maintain their temperature when stressed.

  “Not much longer, and…”

  The spacecraft pulled hard to the left, and Nate yanked on the controls. The retro thrusters kicked in, and for a second the craft began to spin. Valdis stopped panting and grabbed her own controls. It didn’t take long to right the craft, but for their work the main reward was a dull vibration coming from one of the thruster banks.

  “Great,” said Nate, “Another problem.”

  The Phantom settled into a strange course, its engines constantly flaring. Nate struggled with the controls, and Valdis did her best to compensate via the computer-based trim controls. For one person it would have been all but impossible, but together they managed to keep the fighter on course. Nate looked out of the cockpit and spotted dozens of shapes off to his left. There were a lot of fighters there, and most seemed to be on his side. A glance in the other direction showed the column of ships, the mixed formation of fourteen military vessels, all still embroiled in battle.

  “I can’t believe we’re still flying.”

  The fighter shuddered again, and a ventral thruster collapsed, throwing them off course by several metres. Nate brought them carefully back into position, but not before redirecting more power to the stabilisers.

  “Well, don’t get too excited. There’s plenty left that can go wrong. This fighter is barely holding together as it is.”

  Nate understood exactly what she meant. The formation of ships was now a kilometre or two from the surface of the Anchorage, and barrelling past the outer sections of the facility. The more daring captains came in so close they had to roll and twist to avoid many of the obstructions that extended out into space. Every single one was moving dangerously fast, the only possible way of trying to stay safe.

  “Wow! Look!”

  Nate followed her direction and looked out as the enemy cruisers split up to flank the last pair of ships in the allied formation. Both sides jostled for position around the station, but as the long snake-like column moved across the surface of the facility, a single ship was caught out alone. It was a Spartan armoured transport, and taking a substantial amount of fire.

  “They are getting absolutely pounded. We need to help them.”

  Nate reached for the communications toggle, but Valdis stopped his arm.

  “We’re in no state to get into another fight. Just keep her steady. I’ll run the guns.”

  Nate hesitated, knowing she wasn’t wrong, but that still didn’t make him feel any better. So they remained in formation along the flanks of the ships and continued to scan for signs of enemy fighters. He glanced back just once. Two Byotai cruisers pulled back from the column, enough to assist their comrade. But then more Star Empire ships swept in, threatening to engulf them. The odds were two to one in the enemy’s favour, and they took full advantage by hitting the Alliance ship with everything they had. Chunks of armour tore off, and hundreds of small flashes marked the impact of heavy projectiles. The battle looked truly awful until a Confederate Class ship split away to join them. Nate watched the Alliance flagship pull away from the safety of the fleet and engage the enemy harassing the rear.

  “It’s Victorious, look.”

  Her engines blazed with fire as she headed right for two nearest ships, almost ramming them, while firing every weapon on board.

  “Look!” Nate shouted, increasingly frustrated that he could not help.

  A warning indicator on the retrofitted Alliance communications gear flashed; followed by a symbol he’d only ever seen in simulation.

  “What is it?”

  Nate leaned forward and tapped the button.

  “Flashcom alert from Commander Higgins. It’s a disregard order for the next command.”

  “A what?”

  The internal speakers activated, sending the open channel message from ANS Victorious to anybody listening. Normally, it was used for important matters that must be put on record, or when commanders spoke to the captains of a fleet.

  “This is Commander Gun of the Interstellar Assault Brigade. Close your gun ports, and prepare to be boarded. I will not ask again.”

  “What?” Valdis shouted.

  Nate shrugged.

  “I…I don’t get it.”

  Another message soon followed, and this time it was in alien tongue of the Anicinàbe. Nate tapped an icon on the screen and then grinned.

  “It’s coming from their flagship. He’s baiting them. But why?”

  “Biomech puppet.”

  There was a long pause, and before the alien could say more, Colonel Gun laughed.

  “Kalar Anchorage is ours. Leave, or face annihilation.”

  The reply came back, and though the translators took a moment, it was obvious to anybody listening that the enemy commander was angry.

  “It is time to face justice. Synthetic.”

  The Alliance warship moved on past the enemy ships and quickly broke out of the formation. A pair of Byotai attack cruisers joined it as their engines flared brighter than ever. Then they all opened fire, sending beams and shells at the formation of three enemy ships. Lights crackled along the Star Empire vessels as they returned fire. Nate looked to Valdis and shook his head, as though he was incapable of understanding what was going on.

  “Uh…is it me, or are they turning back?”

  The open channel whistled loudly as an alien voice filled it. The translator had a hard time doing its job due to the speed and anger in Katanga’s tone. Valdis reached forward and deactivated the unit. Nate began to protest, but she signalled for silence.

  “He is telling the Colonel he will not fight for Kratha. He is leaving.”

  “What?”

  Formations of enemy fighters broke away from the Star Empire formation and moved in between the Byotai and Alliance vessels. Turrets hammered away, gunfire and missiles from both sides crashing into metal armour. Small explosions wracked the outer plates of the Anchorage as stray rounds missed their target, causing even more damage to the abandoned facility.

  Nate shook his head with stunned surprise.

  “Guess they don’t want us leaving.”

  When he looked at his forward view, he noticed the engines of the six remaining Byotai cruisers glowed bright with power. They were still close to the Anchorage, but moving faster and faster, and leaving the enemy craft behind. They followed a straight line, with the Spartan Class ships and the Byotai attack cruisers fleeing from the battle. One or two of the enemy pulled away, and then in one movement the entire group of ships pulled away and changed course.

  “Do we stay here, or do we go after them?”

  Valdis shrugged just as the communications channel flashed. Nate relaxed a little at seeing it was encoded, as normal. He was not a fan of tricks and cunning stratagem. And much preferred a straight up fight. />
  “Higgins here. On my command, all fighters get inside the nearest ship you can find. You have five minutes, any more and you’re staying behind. The fleet will move to a high orbit over the planet Kalar Sopitam. Stand by.”

  Nate blinked twice and then saw a massive tower coming right at him. It was almost four hundred metres long and extended far out from the Anchorage. There was no time to pull away, so he applied all engine power to the lower thrusters. They lifted up and skimmed past the metal structure with metres to spare. Nate held his breath as they whooshed on by, half expecting a terrible crash and explosion, but they burst out right behind a pair of Mokku fighters.

  “Where did they come from?”

  Valdis shook her head while spinning the turrets around. Before she could fire, many more enemy craft appeared, each now blasting away. The enemy ships were all gone, but the nine ships were now being attacked by a relentless horde of fighters.

  “They must have used the Anchorage as a screen from our sensors.”

  “Smart move,” agreed Valdis, “Very smart.”

  “Okay, pilots. Stay in pairs and engage the enemy. Don’t stray too far.”

  Nate gulped and pulled on his controls as his comrades moved from the ships. Metre by metre he drifted away until even closer to the station. There he could see two fighters join up with another six. The fighters spun on the spot and blasted into the flanks of the Alliance ships.

  “You ready?”

  Valdis nodded in agreement.

  “I’ve got three turrets still live, and I’m ready for some shooting.”

  Nate licked his lips and rolled to the side, giving her a clearer shot.

  “Let ‘em have it!”

  The turrets opened up, and to his surprise they worked this time. Shot after shot crashed into the Mokku fighters until finally one exploded, and another spun out of control before crashing into the structure.

  “Wow!”

  He pulled on the controls and had to roll sideways as the gap shrunk. The Alliance ships were four hundred metres from the outer parts of the Anchorage, and that meant Nate had to fly in that narrow corridor. Most of it was quite open, but every few hundred metres, he needed to fly above or below another dangerous obstruction.