by Chris Hechtl
“It'll mean tightening the formation but aye sir,” the human male replied with a dutiful nod. “You mentioned one last trick, sir?”
“Yes. Tell the ships on point I have a small job for them. Call it … a snatch and grab. And let the gun mounts know we'll have some target practice for them,” he said.
“Aye, sir,” Kyle said dubiously.
:::{)(}:::
The Retribution Fleet moved in ever closer for the kill. However, they were surprised when the Fed forces, most distant and therefore not under the missile barrage, hit the edge of the Oort cloud and used their tractors to sling rocks back at them into their flight path. “Why? It's not like we can't dodge,” Catherine demanded.
Suddenly the rocks and ice balls exploded in their faces. “They fired on them? Again …,” the clouds seemed to be thick but spreading quickly. As they did the center began to thin out.
“That's why,” Sedrick snarled, pointing to the number of fired missiles. The sudden explosions threw off their sensors, momentarily blinding them. “It's like a cloud wall. Smart.”
“Desperate more like, but I see it. It won't help them for more than a second or two. See? We're already passing it,” she said just as the point battle cruiser Musashi passed through the cloud and erupted into explosions. The flagstaff gaped as her shields buckled and fell. She seemed to stagger in place, her drive cutting out before it sputtered back to life. When the debris cleared, she could see the ship's bow was blackened and twisted, but she was obviously still in the fight.
“The bastards put a swarm of missiles up. They timed it to hit our ships just as we were passing through them!” Sedrick growled in disgust.
“Cute,” Berney growled.
“Again, smart. You've got to give them credit; this chimp is good,” Lieutenant Herod said in grudging respect.
Catherine glared at him. He hunched his shoulders and looked away, suddenly aware of his audience and how his statement must have sounded.
“Every moment that our sensors were down meant a moment they could shift position and a moment they didn't have to endure our fire,” Admiral De Gaulte stated. “Time to energy range?”
“Twenty minutes, Admiral. We'll have less than a minute in energy range time before they jump though,” Sedrick said, glancing at the clock.
“Hyperdrive charging,” a rating reported.
“That means they'll have to slack off fire from their missiles and they'll lose coordination in the last moments of translation. They won't be able to fire at all in ten minutes and definitely not when we're in energy range, sir!” Catherine exulted. “We've got them!”
“Don't count your victories before they are yours, Commander. They tend to slip out of your fingers when you do,” the admiral admonished as he turned away. He waited a moment then turned to Sedrick. “Set a countdown for their drive to get to 100 percent and another for when we get into energy range,” he ordered.
“Aye, sir,” Sedrick murmured, sketching out the script on his tablet. After a moment two counters appeared on the main view screen as well as the holographic plot. One seemed to be cascading down faster than the other however.
“What is going on?” Catherine demanded. “Did you screw the programming up?” she snarled, turning on the intelligence officer.
“I don't think so,” he said dubiously, checking the script. “No … I tied it to their recharge rate,” he said.
“It's their speed. Despite the damage they are charging far faster than we can apparently,” Lieutenant Herod stated gruffly. “Our energy weapon window just evaporated, sir.”
The admiral grunted. “Pour on the speed. Make up the difference,” he ordered.
“I wish it was that simple, sir, but we're already strained to the max. The engineers are already passing on warnings. Anymore and we could look at some bad damage, sir—self-inflicted, possibly catastrophic,” Jeremy warned, shaking his head.
“Damn it,” Sedrick muttered over and over.
“It's time for us to pick up some of the slack. Commander, Executioner and Star Mauler are to begin firing. Fire plan Baker. Keep the others on Gamma,” Admiral De Gaulte ordered.
“Aye aye, sir,” Catherine said. “Sir, we're getting reports of bow magazines being expended. Work crews are moving more missiles from the other magazines, but it will cost us time and throw weight,” she warned.
“Very well. Keep me posted,” the admiral growled.
:::{)(}:::
The sudden increase in fire boded ill for Second Fleet. “It looks like the dreadnaughts have finally started to fire, sir,” Kyle reported.
“I see that,” Amadeus acknowledged.
“They are independently targeting the fleet, sir. They are going for the Shizouka Division.”
“Hopefully, Captain Mayweather can handle the shit storm headed her way,” the admiral stated.
:::{)(}:::
Renee grimaced as she noted the incoming missile fire targeted on her division. Shizouka and Jiangsu stepped up their counter missile fire in a desperate act of self-defense. At first the missiles seemed to stop the wall of death coming at them. But the missiles saturated the defenses of the two battle cruisers within minutes, and some missiles started to get through their innermost envelope to hit their shields.
Jiangsu's Neobear Skipper Commander Oval did his best to handle the mounting damage. But when his port side took too much damage he rolled the ship. The maneuver to “turn the other cheek” while under fire cost them precious time, time that allowed more missiles through Shizouka's defensive umbrella as she tried to take up the slack.
Fourteen missiles hammered Shizouka's shields, temporarily halting the launch of counter missiles as they were battered down. Two missiles got through the dying shields to hit her dorsal deck forward of her tower scouring away her main turrets and point defense there. A dozen gunners and techs died in the carnage.
But far worse hit was the already damaged Jiangsu. Her sister's abrupt stop and her own momentary inattention proved to be her undoing. Two dozen missiles hammered her recovering shields flat and then a second wave cut through unopposed to batter the ship from stem to stern.
Renee heard her sensor rating suck in a breath and then exhale it slowly. She looked as others stopped to see the fireballs fade and Jiangsu's drifting battered hulk slowly tumble out of it.
“Comm, do your best to raise them. DCC, get to work. Guns, pick up the slack the best you can. Flight OPS, if we get a window I want you out there to pick off anyone you can,” she said as another missile bombardment came in.
“Something tells me we're not going to get the chance,” the boat bay officer replied quietly as another missile spread appeared on their sensors.
:::{)(}:::
“Admiral, Jiangsu has been badly hit. She's a write-off, no way she can jump. We haven't contacted anyone on board yet. Excuse me, I mean we've tried, no one is answering. And per your orders we can't slow so …”
“So the wreckage is drifting behind us. They'll be out of shuttle range in what, a half hour?” Amadeus asked, interrupting the painful report.
“Closer to an hour, sir,” Kyle stated.
“Keep me posted. Get some cover to Shizouka. Rotate in Quenor's Division.”
“Aye sir.”
“Have them both launch SAR shuttles, volunteer only. But be quick about it,” he warned.
“Aye, sir.”
“Switch our fire from attack to defense,” the admiral ordered, looking at Garfield.
Garfield's black ears went flat, but he nodded. After a moment their missiles went out in a slower stream targeted not for the enemy, but for the incoming missiles. Then the missiles cut off altogether as the force emitters changed from acting as shields to bending space around each ship.
:::{)(}:::
“It looks like we've got one, sir!” Sedrick said triumphantly. The ratings grinned and cheered tiredly.
“Good. Now get me another and another after that,” Admiral De Gaulte ordered. “Is s
he a kill?”
“Yes, sir. Her division mate is chewed up. They are rotating fresh ships to cover her, sir,” Catherine stated. “And their weapon fire has changed. They fired a few more volleys, but they are targeted at our missile volleys, not our ships. They are going off in the face of the missiles and causing massive splash damage. They've created a window for at least a minute, possibly two before their remaining missiles expend themselves.”
“Damn it. Keep me posted.”
Catherine nodded, but she was dubious as to why he wasn't celebrating. Then she checked their missile status as part of her routine. The BCs had fired nearly half their missiles. The dreadnaughts were better off but for how much longer? Well, they had … she frowned when she noted the time. Less than ten minutes.
:::{)(}:::
“Fighters have been recalled. The drones have taken up some of the slack, but we can't fire counter missiles so we're taking more hits, sir,” Kyle reported. “Quenor's taking a pounding.”
“Damn,” the admiral said mildly. SAR?”
Kyle shook his head. “None of the ships could get a shuttle off; the pounding was too intense. The last report said that her self-destruct package went off. If anyone is alive, it won't be for long.”
“And we can't help them, and the enemy isn't going to. Damn,” Jojo said quietly.
Amadeus glanced at her then back to his OPS officer.
“Sir, Quenor's lost her shields. They are trying to recover them,” a rating replied.
“Time to the next volley?”
“One minute, sir,” the rating replied in an emotion-ladened voice.
“They'll never make it,” Kyle said, staring sickly at the plot. “Not in that time,” he said just as he noted a ship moving out of position. “What the hell?”
“Sir, Taurek De Nor has moved out of position to cover her division mate,” a rating said unnecessarily.
“Comm …,” Kyle stopped himself. “It's too late anyway,” he said after a moment as the volley came in and the ship desperately tried to stave off the inevitable. But her gallant move also cut off the view from Quenor, so her point defense was obstructed, too obstructive to fire around her consort.
Missiles were cut down by the dancing fire of the invisible point defense lasers and even a few KEW rounds, but near the end of the onslaught, too many missiles got to their final acquisition mode to be stopped. Ten missiles exploded against the ship's dorsal port shields, then ten more just as it began to buckle. Jojo sucked in a breath as the last four missiles tore into her drive section and ripped one of her primary nacelles off. The nacelle tumbled away in ruin.
“Sir, Taurek De Nor is still alive, but she's battered. They …”
“Two minutes to jump. Warning, two minutes to jump,” Captain Vargess said over the intercom. “All stations secure for jump. Comm, blackout in five …four … three … two … one.”
“Sir …,” Jojo said as their incoming data stopped. The computers switched to showing their last estimates and highlighted each entry in yellow.
Amadeus just stared at the plot. “They'll make it or they won't. We can't do anything now, Lieutenant,” he said quietly.
She too stared into the plot and then nodded ever so slowly.
:::{)(}:::
“Can we squeeze any more speed …,” the admiral stopped his question when he saw Catherine's grim shaking head. He exhaled noisily. “All right.”
“Sir, we're having a hell of a time getting through to them. The defensive drones have run out of counter missiles but …,” Berney waved a hand to the plot. “Well … look for yourself.”
The admiral turned and scowled. The space around the fleeing federation ships was a cauldron of death. Energy weapons were firing with reckless abandon from the drones. When a drone expended its charges, it maneuvered into a cluster of missiles only to explode with eye-searing brilliance that took the missiles with them.
“We're getting some shots in, but not enough to stop them, sir,” Catherine reported. Her eyes flicked to the countdown clock. “Five seconds to jump. Sir, we need to get clear,” she warned.
“Helm, execute break away. Guns, fire every … never mind,” the admiral said as he noticed the energy discharge from the nearest enemy ship. Nothing was going to get through the wave of gravitational energy now. “Abort missile fire,” he ordered, turning to the tactical section.
“Aye aye, sir,” Lieutenant Myron Chekov his staff tactical officer said hoarsely.
“Damn it, they are going … going … gone,” Berney said just as the Fed fleet jumped. The admiral's eyes turned in time to catch the pulse as the ships leapt into hyperspace.
“Damn,” Sedrick said, shaking his head.
“Damage report,” the admiral ordered mildly.
“None sustained on Executioner or Star Mauler, sir. We've been getting reports of sustained damage on Musashi and the other ships however. Their last sprint volley did some damage to almost every ship, sir.”
“Understood. Get me a time estimate on when we can jump. In the meantime,” he said turning to Catherine, “get logistics off and running. I want the fleet resupplied now. If that means draining the munitions ships dry, so be it.”
“Aye, sir. And the ships too damaged to keep up?” Catherine asked, impressed that the admiral was thinking and planning ahead.
“Order the fleet train to do an assessment. If they can't, we'll pull everyone but a prize crew, pack them with our wounded, and then send them to Dead Drop,” he ordered.
Catherine nodded, making a note. “Aye, sir. And next?”
“Fuel. Then sleep,” he said with a grimace. “That includes you too, Commander.”
“Aye, sir. SAR duties?”
“If we get any beacons and can arrange it, by all means pick them up,” he said expansively. If you pick up any enemy beacons, let INTEL know,” he said nodding to Sedrick. “I'm sure they'll have questions for them.”
“Yes, sir. But if they follow the federation guidelines, then they'll have suicide packages,” Sedrick warned.
“To avoid rigorous interrogation methods or being turned into a changeling. If they were desperate enough to jump ship, then we can use that to our advantage. But you've got to find some first,” the admiral said, waving a dismissive hand. “In the meantime,” he paused and then yawned. A second yawn made him grimace. “Damn it.”
“Sir, you can get some rest. We've got this covered,” Catherine said. Sedrick and Berney nodded in support.
“Passing orders now?” the admiral asked.
“Just … respectfully requesting,” Catherine replied.
“No matter. I know. I'll bed down in a moment. Get me that SITREP so I won't worry about it,” he said. “We'll work on what we learned and how to plug any gaps when we jump,” he said.
She nodded as he walked out. It took her a moment to realize he was still intent on the hunt. She grimaced then nodded.
“No rest for the weary, eh?” Berney asked. Her grimace deepened before she nodded.
“I suppose we should get this done so he can bed down. The sooner he's tucked in, the sooner we can do so as well,” the princess replied.
“Now that's an incentive to bust our ass a little more if ever I heard it,” Berney replied, rubbing the small of his back before he made a show of cracking his knuckles and getting back to work.
Chapter 14
“Sir … we're still getting reports in. The fleet train is clear, all accounted for,” Kyle stated.
The admiral nodded. There was no way they could resupply while in hyperspace, but it was nice to know the unarmed ships had survived. They'd need them the moment they exited hyperspace. In the meantime the ship's crews would have to do their best to make what repairs they could while underway in hyperspace.
“Sir … Taurek De Nor … She didn't make it,” Jojo said in a strangled voice.
That announcement turned to a sad silence on the flag bridge. After a long moment, Admiral White cleared his throat. “They didn't
jump?” he asked.
“No, sir,” she shook her head. “They did. Quenor just reported that they broke up on transition. Apparently the damage was too extensive,” she reported in a neutral tone.
He could tell she was fighting tears. She knew the bridge crew; she knew they'd been beaten. Hell, they all knew that part. Amadeus sighed. “Very well. The other ships?”
“All are accounted for, sir. It may take some time before they signal they are ready to translate up to a higher octave though,” Kyle reported.
“Very well. But I have one ship in mind to do so right away,” the admiral stated.
“Sir?” Kyle asked, blinking at him.
“We need everything we've got—logs, raw data, any reports generated, everything. I want it transmitted to the nearest courier. While you are doing that, I'm going to write my hot wash and send that as well.”
“Aye, sir,” Kyle replied with a dutiful nod. He turned after a moment and got to work. The admiral studied the man's back for a moment then went to work as well. They were down but not out he thought as he settled himself.
:::{)(}:::
Once they were clear of pursuit, Admiral White ordered the logs of the battle and his report to be transmitted to UFDV-010S, one of his couriers. He then ordered her to translate up through the higher bands and get to B-95a3 faster than the fleet could.
“We'll follow as fast as we can,” he finished.
The order puzzled the courier crew but they followed it. After a moment the courier translated up the octaves.
“Sir?” Jojo asked, concerned. She was fighting the fatigue and exhaustion but determined not to stand down until relieved.
“We need to get the warning out as fast as possible,” the admiral said with his back still to his flag Lieutenant. “Every moment is precious now. John is going to need to pull out all the stops to get as much hardware to us as he can if we're going to stop them short of Protodon,” he stated. “Meanwhile, we need to backstop every ship in transit. Stop them in Protodon where we can draw on them if B-95a3 is safe. I don't want to lose small groups in transit if I can help it. And heaven help us if we lose an entire convoy!” he shuddered and shook his head.