“Maybe, maybe not. You saw them. They were surrounded, and there was no way out.”
“True, but that was Spartan out there. Nobody can kill him.”
Valdis laughed again.
“Nate, have you not learnt yet? Everybody can die, and everybody will. Few get to choose when.”
Nate looked back into space. Even when travelling at such high relative speeds, nothing seemed to move. If he closed his eyes, waited, and then opened them it was possible to detect some subtle changes, but that was it. As he looked down, he could see the latest regional maps and scans of the current battle. It was incomplete, but the Alliance fleet was broken and trying to regroup. At the same time, a new formation of ships had arrived, and looked like they would easily secure the System. It was a disaster.
“Standby, pilots. Prepare to launch on my command. We arrive in sixty seconds.”
Nate opened his eyes and looked over to Valdis.
“Are you ready for this?”
Valdis nodded.
“We’ve been waiting long enough. We can do this, Nate, we can.”
Both looked ahead and out into space, just as a Byotai voice filled their ears. Nate grinned at the terrible pronunciation and accent. Clearly, he’d been coached on his speech, though Nate wondered whether the effort had really been worth it.
“This is Katanga. Kratha faces ruin, and only we can spare him from ignominy.”
Valdis laughed at hearing that part.
“Very modest.”
The Warlord continued, and with every extra word Nate felt his blood begin to pump. What he lacked in eloquence, he more than made up for with passion.
“So…we hit the Rift and then strike the enemy from the rear. Move fast and do not stop. We are outnumbered and outgunned. But…but, we have surprise on our side, and the firepower to punish them. May your deaths be glorious!”
Nate shook his head at that last part.
This is it, then, showtime.
* * *
Alliance Armoured Assault Ship 'ANS Relentless'
Fiorr Veej System, Deadlands
January 19th 2473
Three torpedoes raced past, narrowly missing Rex’s fighter before hammering into the nearby Helion cruiser. In simulation, Rex had seen these ships take a heavy beating, but today that seemed to be far from the truth. Each impact blasted massive holes in the hull, and soon enough the ship was a wreck, and one he needed to stay close to, if he wanted to avoid being hit by more gunfire.
“Rex. Move in behind Augustyniak.”
He pulled on the controls and rolled into formation with the next fighter. The Foss siblings moved slightly behind him, creating a box of Lightning fighters. Rex looked about and spotted Hawkins appear from behind a destroyed fighter. He raced to the front of the formation and pulled in even closer to the ship. They moved quickly, ducking past the wreckage to fool the enemy’s sensors, and then appeared right behind a large formation of Mokku light fighters.
“Break and attack!”
The five fighters split apart, though still maintained a modest distance between them in case they needed help. Rex took aim at the nearest targets, and two to exploded right in front of him. He performed a barrel role, dropped down from above, raking a pair of them. One quickly exploded, but the second broke apart and fell from view.
“Okay, good work,” said Hawkins, “Now back to the fleet.”
Hawkins rolled to the right just as the stream of shells hurtled past. Two Alliance fighters exploded nearby, and Rex did his best not to watch as their broken fuselages spun away. They were running, and running fast to get away from the wave of new ships. The latest craft were dangerously close, and even at this distance able to target and fire on fighters with relative ease.
“What’s happening?” Torabisu asked.
“We’re falling back, that’s what’s happening!” Hawkins yelled.
More explosions tore in front of them, and the last few fighters struggled to evade the missiles and flak chasing them. The only thing that calmed Rex’s nerves was the line of Alliance warships, though even they were moving away from the battle. At the centre was the majestic looking ANS Promethium. The aged Warbarge was now surrounded in a cloud of flickering lights. At first Rex thought her guns were firing, but then he realised the lights were sparks and explosions.
She’s being pounded.
Rex’s eyes opened wide with fear as the Star Empire ships swarmed into the System. The Rift was barely the size of his fingernail from his current position, yet the entire view was now filled with scores of ships as they came in from behind and at his flanks. It was like a great race, with all of them heading in the exact same direction. The vanguard channel activated, and the familiar voice of Captain Galanos filled his ears.
“All ships break formation now. Break!”
“Do it! Break!” Hawkins said.
Rex boosted his engines at the exact same time as the others, and they scattered. Then came an almighty flash, followed by the arrival of a ship that appeared to be a kilometre long, perhaps even bigger. Rex increased his forward thrust and accelerated away, putting ANS Promethium in the upper left of his cockpit view.
“This is…”
He froze as the entire Warbarge exploded. At the centre of the vessel, a great flashing sphere of energy appeared. The sphere expanded bigger and bigger until it utterly enveloped the ship. Then came a bright flash. The sphere collapsed, leaving a shattered hulk broken into a thousand pieces behind it. Next came dozens of voices over the communication channel. Not even the calm, stabilising words of Captain Galanos could stop the rout. The massive Star Empire warship moved through the wreckage of Promethium and began firing on the plethora of lifepods and lifeboats trying to escape the carnage.
“Knighthawks, we can’t leave them out here. We have to help.”
Rex looked to the left at the gigantic vessel ploughing through the wreckage. Its hundreds of turrets blasted apart many of the lifeboats that strayed too close.
“I’m with you Hawkins. Let’s do this.”
The small group of Lightning fighters rolled about and raced into the maelstrom. Mokku fighters detached from the enemy fleet to give chase as they ducked in and out of the wreckage. A Liberty Class destroyer moved in to assist them. It took a broadside from not one, but fourteen enemy ships.
“Hit the lower hull turrets and boost your engines to the max. We won’t last long down there.”
The five fighters increased their engine power to the maximum, and then ducked in and out of the huge ship’s superstructure. Another group of fighters, plus a pair of Bulldog gunships saw what they were doing and joined them.
“Captain Hawthorne, Barracuda Squadron. We’re with you.”
“Thanks,” said Hawkins, “Follow us in.”
Scattered groups of Mokku fighters took their time to destroy lifeboats, and nine Star Empire fighters paid the price before they had any idea what was happening. Rex and the others then broke formation to hunt down the rest, buying valuable seconds for the survivors to escape. The dogfight went on for several minutes until finally there were no more left to protect.
“Okay, stay close to the ship and work around to her flank. We need to clear a corridor before we break out into the open.”
Every few seconds another turret would appear, and Rex expertly locked onto each one before hitting it with gunfire. They were so close that only a handful of them at a time could return fire, giving the pilots at least some chance.
“Rex, I need you to…”
Hawkins never finished his order. A stream of shots from the ship cut his fighter in half. Rex spun out of the way and struck his port side wing on the structure before moving away. More Alliance fighters succumbed, until the survivors were looking to him.
“What do we do?” said one.
In his panic he couldn’t identity the voice. “Rex…what do…”
Another Lightning fighter vanished in a fireball, and two more circled away to avoid the e
xplosion but clipped each other. He thought he spotted the IFF marker on Augustyniak, but then his fighter crashed headfirst into the side of a Byotai shuttle, destroying both in a bright whiter flash.
“No…what’s going on? We have to get out of here!
More questions came in from other pilots, but Rex could think of nothing to suggest. The Alliance fleet was broken and running to the safety of the reserve line, and that was now under bombardment from the massive enemy fleet. He opened his mouth to speak, but then spotted the alert warnings as eight more ships advanced through the Rift behind them. He didn’t even see the Mahingan behind him, and it opened fire, filling the cockpit with shells. The fighter exploded, joining the others in a cloud of destruction.
* * *
Alliance Armoured Assault Ship 'ANS Relentless'
Fiorr Veej System, Deadlands
January 19th 2473
Captain Galanos groaned as she watched the annihilation of a Helion heavy cruiser. The ship should have been easily capable of protecting itself, but nothing could stop her being struck by three civilian ships at once. The captured Byotai transports tore into her hull, creating openings and entry points for hundreds and hundreds of militia soldiers to rush inside. The video feed from the eternal cameras showed the drama, and a live feed from her captain reveal the horror inside.
“Listen to them. They need our help,” said Commander Harper.
Galanos turned away and pointed to the distant line of Alliance ships.
“No, our duty is to preserve as much of the fleet as we can. We rejoin Churchill and fight back. I will not sacrifice Relentless and my escorts in a battle I cannot win. Now…divert all remaining power to the engines.”
She held on tightly as the ship increased its engine power. Every remaining ship in the vanguard accelerated away from the fight as fast as they could. In front of her was the image of Admiral Churchill, and though everything seemed to be lost, he still looked calm and collected. Shots crashed into the hull, and though warnings sounded through the deck, she knew they could take the beating.
“Admiral, we’ve lost this fight. Get back through the Rift. You need to rally at Helios.”
The Admiral shook his head.
“No chance, Captain. I have my orders. I will defend the entry to Helios for as long as I can. Go back to the rally point and get in formation. Concentrate your fire on my selected targets.”
“But, Admiral…”
Relentless shuddered once more, and this time the XO shook his head.
“That wasn’t good. We just lost control of the fourth lateral thruster bank.”
Captain Galanos pointed to the nearest enemy ships.
“Get us away from here, and keep firing back. Even in retreat we keep fighting!”
The remaining engines pulsed with power as Relentless and three of her escorts accelerated away. Behind them the enemy fleet continued to increase in size, simultaneously bombarding the Alliance formations. It was now a matter of attrition, and the Star Empire fleet had more ships, and a willingness to expend them.
“Captain. The new ships, they’re moving away.”
Galanos lifted a hand and looked to her XO. She wasn’t entirely sure which ships he was referring to. The battle was a complete and utter disaster, with little organisation left of note.
“Which ships, and moving where?”
She already knew the answer, as she watched the Leviathan ship and dozens more of the more advanced Star Empire vessels racing away and vanishing from view. She’d assumed the Alliance fleet would face the continued might of the entire Star Empire fleet.
“Serpentis.”
Galanos shook her head.
“They are heading for Makos. And we can do nothing about it.”
She looked at the Admiral and saw the frustration on his face.
“Captain, we’ve been played. This entire attack was to pin us down so they could mobilise forces against Makos.”
“Do we stand, or do we withdraw?”
As she asked the question, she turned her attention to the tactical overview. Even with a large contingent of the enemy forces now gone, there were at least fifty ships in the System, plus almost as many civilian ships carrying militia into combat. It was possible they could deal with them, but then, as before, another group of ships pushed through the Rift, increasing the size of the enemy forces. Even worse, every enemy vessel was now firing continually. There were flashes and explosions rippling through the Alliance perimeter as both sides battered each other. Another destroyer vanished in a nuclear fireball, punctuated by four more ships coming through the Rift.
“Damn it,” said Admiral Churchill, “We’re outnumbered two to one, and there’s no sign of them running out of reinforcements. We have little choice, Captain. It is…Wait…we have something else approaching the Rift.”
Galanos’ stomach churned as her brain ran into overtime. She imagined all manner of vessels about to breach the Rift and finally seal their doom.
“More Star Empire ships?”
Admiral Churchill shook his head, and a smile formed across his face.
“No. It’s a friendly IFF contact, confirmed by the computer.”
“From whom?”
“Katanga.”
A wry smile formed across the Admiral’s face.
“Stand your ground, Captain.”
Galanos looked stunned. She had no chance of winning, not now.
“I’m sorry, Admiral. You said what?”
“You heard me. Stand your ground. I’m coming to you.”
She swallowed, desperately trying to clear her parched throat.
“To me?”
“Yes,” said Churchill, while clenching one fist.
“Katanga is coming from behind them. It’s time for the final act of this encounter to play out. We will crush them between our forces and clear this System. Are you with me?”
“Always, Admiral.”
“Very well. It is time to go on the offensive.”
She started issuing orders, and to her surprise, every one of the captains obeyed. Even though outnumbered and heavily damaged, they turned around to face off against their pursuers. They opened fire, while behind them the powerful ships of the Orion Battlegroup accelerated to join them.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Alliance Assault Carrier ‘ANS Indomitable’
Approaching Fiorr Veej System, Deadlands
January 19th 2473
“Five…four…”
The counter ran down, but Nate was transfixed on the approaching shapes. Everything in the distance was razor sharp and unmoving, but now something else was right in front of them. At first it was just a dot, but in seconds it dominated the horizon.
The Rift.
A light blinked on the retrofitted Alliance computer display as the ship’s nacelles deactivated the energy-density field, and they appeared at the destination, ten minutes from entering the massive Rift to the Fiorr Veej System. The place was far from deserted and packed with scores of ships, aligned in three massive columns, and waiting as though at a counter in a store. They were arrayed for movement, not combat, and there were dozens of fighter squadrons towards the front.
“Wow!”
Until now they’d been reliant upon tactical data from the sporadic streams sent out through the Byotai data network. In seconds, Nate’s tactical overlay showed the position of the enemy, the Rift, and their disposition, and it left him stunned.
“I thought we were running into the last few ships.”
“Yes,” Valdis agreed, “Still, at least we can’t miss from here.”
As well as the numerous ships, three of the cruiser size Rift engineering ships were partially inside the Rift itself. Nate winced as he noticed the specification looked suspiciously similar to the equipment used by the Biomechs in the last war. For all their talk of hatred towards the Biomechs, they seemed quite happy to use and copy their own technology.
“Wait a second. Aren’t those modified Biom
ech ships?”
The tactical display showed the configuration, and a good part of the ship was clearly Biomech in origin. Valdis didn’t seem particularly surprised or concerned at the news.
“They are using them to keep the Rift open. And look, they have more.”
Nate turned his attention to the left column of ships. At the front were two more of the engineering ships, followed by dozens of captured Byotai warships.
“And there is the rest of your fleet.”
For the first time Nate could see pain in Valdis’ face. Those ships were hers, an inheritance she’d now lost to these upstarts and traitors.
I imagine it was bad enough to lose them, but now she has to fight against them.
He turned his attention back to his job.
Stay on track, Nate. Don’t screw this up.
The fighters and Byotai attack cruisers split apart into a wide column pointing directly at the Rift.”
“Okay,” said Nate, “Ready weapons.”
He checked his flanks.
“Phantoms, are you ready for this?”
Billy and Cassandra responded promptly from their respective craft. Though lacking one fighter, the small group had spread themselves between the fighters. Luckily, the Phantoms were a lot bigger than their usual craft and had little problem accommodating the extra numbers. Another fighter moved out to their flank, and Nate watched it wag its wings. It was a Kerberos Pattern Lightning fighter, and he knew from the way it moved it was Lieutenant Commander Holder.
“This battle is an impossibility,” said Cassandra.
Matilda then cut in.
“They are not through the Rift yet. We don’t have to beat them all, just the ones fighting Admiral Churchill.”
Nate smiled as he listened.
Smart, very smart.
“That is correct,” said Holder, “We’ve got our orders from Katanga. We’re moving in to attack.
“Alliance ships will engage the columns as we move through. Byotai attack cruisers and all fighters will target the Rift Engine ships.”
Star Crusader: Siege of Kalar Page 24