Enemies on All Sides (Maraukian War Book 4)

by Michael Chatfield

  Moretti watched as Zedra gathered the rest of her equipment, dressed as she might usually have. Now she slipped on armor and with ease strapped on her sword. She patted her chest. “Now we’re ready.”

  Their phase one had really just begun.

  Chapter Seventy-Five

  LMFC Righteous

  Oort Cloud, Emarl System

  10/3557

  “Then, once we have defeated the ground units in detail, it would be good to escape the system and then hit the different facilities such as the refineries,” Strong said. They had been in meetings since they arrived in-system, going through plan after plan before arriving on their current edition.

  “Hit the Yard at range, then the station before pounding the ground below into oblivion. If it looks like the patrols are going to capture us, we bring them under fire. With just two ships against twenty, they don’t stand a chance,” Karain said with a note of approval.

  Strong saw through her and her ways. Like how she had tried to seduce him this entire trip. He might give in to his wants later, but he didn’t want Senator Rimateus thinking he was shirking his duties before they had victory.

  “If we get entangled, we will exit the system, transit around it and hit the refineries or the patrols or the planet,” General Tau added, nodding.

  It was a good plan and it would allow them to use their numbers and cause chaos in the Emarl system as quickly as possible.

  “Then we are agreed,” Strong said as an alarm went off.

  He looked up with a frown. The holographic General Tau shimmered slightly as he turned around too.

  “What is that noise?” Admiral Karain demanded, angry at having her meeting interrupted.

  “We’ve got transition signals!” a sensor operator yelled, panicked.

  Strong cleared the map filled with plans and then brought up a real-time map of the area around the fleet. His stomach dropped and his extremities went cold as his scalp tingled.

  “Fuck! Put us at our best speed for the Yard with a course out of the system!” Strong yelled.

  The navigation officer looked to Karain.

  “Do it!” she barked, confused by the order. As she looked at the map, it was clear that she didn’t see what Strong did.

  “They exited the system, used their Alcubierre drives to regroup and they’re coming in right behind us. They’re still far away, but we don’t know what these ships are capable of. They must’ve known that we were coming and planned accordingly. This kind of coordination—fuck.” Strong shook his head.

  He revised who he was fighting. They weren’t a bunch of hillbillies but a trained and potent navy. He expected that Admiral Hall, who had only led Earth Military Force carriers, wouldn’t be up to the job of commanding a fleet like this one.

  He also got his first look at the Emarl navy’s newest battleships and carriers. Information such as the number of guns they had was readily available, but otherwise the infographic on the ships was filled with question marks.

  These weapons hadn’t been seen before.

  Seeing their best guesses, it looked as if they had smaller missiles than legion standard and they had rail cannons, power and payload unknown.

  The carriers hadn’t opened their acceleration rails, so there was no knowing what kind of ships that they held.

  “Bring everyone to full readiness. I want the gliders ready to deploy if needed,” Strong said.

  Karain looked at Strong, a questioning look in her eyes.

  “Seems that the Emarl navy is really damn focused on fucking up our plans,” Strong replied to her look.

  “Though they’re just some backwater system,” Karain said.

  “Backwater? They just pulled nineteen true warships, that look like they were made to hunt down other ships, out of nowhere. No, this ain’t some backwater. If my gut is right, those warships might be more advanced than what the legion has.” Strong gritted his teeth.

  “We can still defeat them,” Karain said, assured in her strength.

  “We should be able to, but we need to stay together. We won’t be able to inflict the damage that our masters want.” Strong was looking at the map, trying to think of the way to bring the most damage and escape with his life.

  Having nineteen ships on his ass was one way to truly motivate someone.

  The hunters become the hunted, Strong couldn’t help but think sourly.

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Senator Rimateus’s Residence

  Roma, Hellenic System

  10/3557

  Rimateus laughed at Senator Kris’s joke. The others around them fell into laughter.

  Around them, they could see the information coming back from the Luyten fleet. They had their own front-row seat to the action.

  To them, it was an exclusive event, the kind that they attended but didn’t share, like their blood sports.

  Rimateus moved to another room and looked over the system. The information showed that the system was more developed. There was a man examining the forces and talking to a few women with him, explaining everything as if he were some grand strategist.

  Rimateus smiled and hid his eyes behind the cup. The fop had little power, but he still liked to show off at different parties. People like him weren’t worth Rimateus’s attention.

  “I thought I might find you here,” Benefactor Yi said into Rimateus’s ear, her voice slow and seductive.

  “Benefactor Yi.” Rimateus grabbed her hand and bowed to her. “It is great to see you.” Rimateus laughed as he moved closer to her.

  Her eyes lifted in interest, moving from his chest to his eyes. “You do know how to make a lady feel flattered.” She drank from her glass, her playful side falling to the side a bit as she activated a sound-cancelling device in one of her rings.

  “I thought you told me that this system was cleared of all threats—that they were nothing but a backwater,” Yi said, her anger clear.

  Rimateus frowned slightly. He hadn’t anticipated so many forces in the Emarl system either.

  “You saw the same information and prediction models as I did. We didn’t know that they were going to start waking up Earth carriers and bring all of those people into the system, or that they would set up skill schools and start training everyone,” Rimateus said in a low and angry voice in her ear.

  Yi looked Rimateus over from the corner of her eye, drinking from her glass slowly. “We have a lot riding on this. We must make sure it doesn’t fail.”

  The hologram changed around them. The patrols were still being reported around the system, but now there were nineteen ships coming right up the Luyten fleet’s back end.

  Rimateus looked over to the new development. “How the hell are they there? Aren’t they still patrolling?” Rimateus muttered, confused.

  “They must have a faster-than-light sensor system in place. They used that to see our fleet coming in, then they left the system. Using micro transits with their Alcubierre drives, they got in behind our fleet. It looks like our forces are aiming for the Yard.” Yi’s analytical voice cut through Rimateus’s confusion.

  “It’s still twenty-three against nineteen, though,” Rimateus said.

  “That is true and we have tonnage on our side. But those ships—I haven’t seen anything like them before. When they fight, the Luyten forces are going to need to do everything at their disposal to make sure that they defeat them.” Yi’s voice calmed Rimateus. It looked as if things wouldn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped, but their goals would be realized and they would still be able to carry out their plans.

  Rimateus’s NIAI tried to interrupt him but he shook his hand, dismissing it. Yi was one of the pillars in his growing strength; he didn’t want her to feel as though she wasn’t important. Also, she had shown that she was not just a pretty face; she had an inner strength and eye for tactical matters that Rimateus didn’t.

  Both of these factors made her more attractive to him.

  “I will trust in my lady’s words,” Rimate
us said.

  Yi’s smile reappeared as she hit her ring once again and the noise from around them seeped in.

  “Twenty-three against nineteen! Hah! I could win with half of their numbers!” one of the senators said.

  His followers laughed and reassured him.

  Then the nineteen ships accelerated.

  “Are those numbers real?” A frown appeared on Yi’s face as she looked at the fleet.

  “What?” Rimateus asked.

  “That acceleration profile. That’s faster than the quick reaction ships of the legion. They’re nearing the speeds that one might find in a racing craft.”

  Rimateus was alarmed. It seemed nothing that they had predicted for the Emarl system was right.

  Again, he shook his hand, dismissing his NIAI from contacting him as he focused on what was happening in front of him.

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  ENS Moby

  Oort Cloud, Emarl System

  10/3557

  “Looks like they aren’t all that fast,” Taelyon said.

  The others on the bridge watched as the distance between the Emarl fleet and the Luyten fleet shortened as they got closer and closer.

  Now they were at ranges where their ships’ sensors were getting real-time updates instead of having to rely on the sensor platforms that had been sown through the system.

  “All captains, this is Admiral Hall. Prepare to present broadsides. Run the guns.”

  The announcement came across the bridge as Travestki passed the order on to his gunners.

  Chen could only shake his head. Their gunners weren’t normal in the slightest. Instead of using AI for their targeting solutions, they had mergers manning their weapon emplacements. With reaction times that were down to tenths of a second, once hooked up to the cannons they were in fact better than the AI systems.

  “Missile tubes are open. RSDs are being loaded,” Travestki reported.

  Chen sat back in his seat, merging with the ship.

  The gunners were checking their weapons. Armored sections of hull opened to reveal missile tubes. The Alcubierre drive had been tucked away into its own armored sections.

  The main armored doors that led into the landing bay were opened to reveal the RSD and seeder’s launcher system.

  The ship’s weaponry was all activated. The reactors ramped up, ready to supply the massive power needed for these different weapon systems.

  The different merging-capable people all started to merge with the ship, bringing new areas online. The Moby changed from just being a ship to a warship.

  Chen could feel the power at his fingertips, the slightest gesture capable of moving the entire ship and raining down destruction on their enemies.

  “Present broadside!” Hall said.

  The entire fleet except the supply ships started to move, their rear end swinging around as they cut their main engines, drifting on their built-up inertia now. The ship’s port or starboard sides were now facing the rear of the Luyten fleet that was accelerating through the system still, leaving their engines pointing at the Emarl fleet.

  Firing solutions for the entire fleet were compiled in seconds; guns moved onto target and trajectories for the missiles were altered.

  “All ships fire!”

  Chen felt the Moby shift as the rail cannons fired as one, followed by a volley of missiles and another blast from the rail cannons.

  The plot started to fill with tens, then hundreds of different small little wasp-looking items that were rail cannon rounds and missiles closing in on the Luyten fleet.

  They came in, wave after wave, stacked on one another, just targeting three of the Luyten fleet’s ships, inundating them with weapons fire.

  The Luyten fleet looked to be reacting as they were now turning their broadsides to meet the Emarl fleet.

  It looked as if they were confident that they could overwhelm the Emarl fleet and win in a battle of fire superiority.

  Chen felt the Moby working at full capacity as they fired again and again, just watching the slow and laborious maneuvering of the Luyten fleet.

  A cold smile could be seen on his face as the Luyten fleet turned.

  The firing solution changed as new targets were selected.

  Taelyon shifted the ship as the rail cannons and missiles once again sent their payloads off, with the rest of the fleet joining in.

  The Luyten forces completed turning their broadsides to meet the Emarl fleet. Their rail cannons and missiles started to fire.

  “Looks like they’re heavily reliant on missile systems,” Francis reported. There were many more missiles than rail rounds coming toward the Emarl forces.

  “All ships, prepare to go skinny and accelerate.” Hall’s voice came across the main channel as the weapons fire tracks started to intersect with one another.

  Space might be massive but their fire was passing close to one another, so there was the occasional explosion as the opposing forces met.

  “Turn and burn,” Admiral Hall ordered.

  The ships of the fleet fired their thrusters. The heavy gravity made everyone feel sluggish as they went from showing their broadside to facing the Luyten fleet head on.

  Decoys and defensive systems started to fire, creating a screen for the incoming missiles to distract and pull them off their main target. The ship’s engines went to full thrust, showing their true acceleration profile, which was thirty percent higher than what they’d displayed before.

  Everyone was pressed back into their seats as the acceleration hit them hard, their speed increasing at an incredible rate.

  “Prepare for close action, five minutes!” Francis called out.

  “Good and ready here,” Travestki reported.

  Taelyon pushed the engines faster. The Moby lurched ahead of the other ships as they moved into formation behind, creating three sections. The Moby was up front and in the middle, while the remaining fleet was split into two columns farther back and on either side of the ship.

  Chapter Seventy-Eight

  LMFC Righteous

  Oort Cloud, Emarl System

  10/3557

  Karain watched the Emarl fleet turn to present their guns and fire on her fleet.

  “Bring our broadsides to bear. Let’s show them what firepower really means!” Karain said. Even though she had taken this position to increase her standing, she was excited to see how their ships performed.

  The Luyten force’s movements were just slightly less coordinated compared to the Emarl ships.

  Karain’s people had been trained by Rimateus’s advisors and turned into true captains and crews.

  Although their reactions were good, their ships’ speed was slow. They were massive ships and shifting something that size and weight was no simple job.

  The Emarl ships continued to fire their cannons and unleash volleys of missiles again and again, creating a sea of fire.

  With turning their ships, Karain’s fleet couldn’t accelerate anymore and with their lower velocity compared to the Emarl fleet, they were closing in on one another.

  She looked over to Strong, whose impassive face didn’t give anything away.

  He was still standing at the command table, looking over the battlefield.

  The ships stopped moving and opened up with their broadsides. The leading missiles from the Emarl fleet were a third of the distance to their own fleet.

  “Defensive systems to max! Fire on the Emarl fleet!” Karain yelled.

  The rail cannon rounds and missiles from the Emarl fleet were hard to track in the depths of space. It was only when they got in close that the command table started to populate with sensor readings.

  “Shit,” Strong hissed. The two approaching volleys of weapons fire converged.

  Karain frowned as missiles started to explode. They were much more powerful than she thought they would be.

  “Their rail gun rounds have an anti-matter payload in them!” Strong yelled out, looking to Karain.

  “The enemy shi
ps are shifting into a new formation!” a sensor operator said as the Emarl fleet turned around and started to accelerate for all they were worth.

  “They were hiding their true acceleration! Get us turned around—they’re going to cross our formation!” Strong barked.

  “Turn the ships!” Karain yelled. An uneasy feeling made her grit her teeth and grip her armrests.

  She had been told of the power of anti-matter. After all, she had a number of weapons that had been secretly handed to her just in case an issue arose.

  These weapons were much more terrifying than nuclear warheads that she was at least familiar with.

  The weapons fire crossed one another. There were a few explosions as all of the Luyten ships slowly started to rotate.

  Admiral Hall had waited until they were all set in their positions before he had his fleet charge forward.

  This meant they had to go from a stationary position, requiring more energy and taking a longer time to rotate around.

  Karain was cursing the other admiral in her mind. It looked as though he was a lot more capable than she thought.

  The fleet hadn’t finished turning when the first rounds moved in close to their targets.

  Close-in defense systems started spewing out rounds as explosions appeared around three ships in the fleet. They were the biggest ships in the fleet and had the greatest mass, so they were even slower than the other ships in trying to turn.

  Missiles rocked even the massive converted freighter before the rounds seemed to come out of nowhere and slam into the side of the carrier.

  The anti-matter rounds were devastating. There was only a few ounces in the rail cannon rounds but their destructive force was to be realized. When they hit the freighters, sections of armor were torn apart and the ship spat out atmosphere, metal, and people into space.

  The ships shuddered again and again under the withering firepower.