Baxter gave a short, barking laugh. “Easy for you to say. You won’t be in the trenches.”
Sara raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying that you and your special forces won’t be able to handle it? You’ll have Boon to back you up—she’s an army all on her own.”
“I guess were invading a dreadnought, Silva,” Boon said, leaning hard against the doorframe.
“We can do it, but it’s going to be tough. Our biggest problem is that we don't know the layout of the ship,” Baxter said, scratching his chin.
“Maybe the Elif spy network has the plans for it? We can ask this Sir Reitus, and Ambassador Foss.”
Baxter nodded. “It’s a start. Let’s get out there, it’s starting to smell like animals in here,” he said. He held up a hand in surrender toward the glaring eyes of Silva and Alister. “No offense.”
Sara gave a laugh, and opened a comm channel. “Gonders, come meet us in the docking bay.”
“I’m already here, ma’am. The commander wanted me to get you up to speed on the fleet’s plans,” she replied.
“Good, we’ll be right out.”
Baxter slid out of the pilot’s seat and, with a smile, squeezed past Boon, who stood and turned to follow.
Sara reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her back. “Boon, I know you want to take your time with Gonders, but we don't have that luxury. She is a good woman and, arguably, a better mage than anyone else aboard besides you and me. Baxter’s told me on several occasions that she would beat him in a straight up duel. You need someone to cover your back, and she really is the best choice.
“But I’m not going to ask her to be your bonded guard if it’s going to make you so uncomfortable that you can't perform,” she said, giving the blushing woman a warm smile. “Will you be able to do this? I need to know now. Honestly, putting all your personal feelings to the side, she is the best option.”
Boon looked to the back of the shuttle to make sure Baxter was out of earshot. He was lowering the ramp, not paying them any mind.
“I would love for her to be my guard, and I couldn't ask for better backup. It’s just that…” She bit her lip and turned a little redder. “The bonding lets you feel the emotions of one another. She’s going to know I like her, and not in the ‘let’s be best friends’ kind of way. What if she’s not okay with that? Or worse, what if she hates me for it? Plus, I know she strives to be the best mage in the fleet; what if she hates me for skipping past her?”
Sara stood and put a hand on her shoulder. “Love is a weird thing, Alicia. It can show itself in many ways, and not all of them obvious,” she admitted, looking past Boon’s shoulder to watch Baxter as he walked down the ramp to the waiting Gonders. “Sometimes it starts as admiration, or respect of someone’s abilities, and sometimes it starts as a rivalry or jealousy. But it never starts at all if neither one of you starts the conversation. We have a little time before you and Gonders are going to be needed for this assault—I suggest you two have a nice, long conversation about what the bond does, and what each of you expects. I think you’ll find she’s amenable to your particular orientation. The world has moved on from when your parents and their cult tried to stop time.” On impulse, she leaned down and kissed Boon’s forehead. “You’re a good soul, Alicia. Anyone would be lucky to have your affections.”
Silva affectionately rubbed her cheek on Sara’s hand, still resting on Boon’s shoulder. That made her smile.
“Thank you, Captain,” Boon said, and wrapped her arms around Sara, squeezing her in a tight embrace.
They walked down the ramp together toward where Gonders was waiting, standing at attention in her black battlesuit.
Sara gave her a salute in greeting. “Where did Baxter go?”
Gonders returned the salute and said, “He is returning his armor to the storage locker, ma’am.” She looked over at Boon, and her mouth dropped open at the sight of Silva draped around her neck. “You have a familiar? How?”
Boon smiled shyly. “It sort of happened when we were on leave,” she said, then mentally kicked herself for such an obvious and vague answer. She tried again. “Captain Sara taught me the spell on the way back from Colony 788. I practiced it for days before I finally got it right. This is Silva. Silva, this is Isabella.” Boon turned bright red before amending, “I mean, Specialist Gonders.”
Gonders, in a completely un-Gonders way, gave a laugh and a bright smile.
Damn, she really is beautiful. Good eye, Boon, Sara thought with a smile of her own.
Sara slipped an arm around Gonders’ compactly muscled shoulders. “Walk with us, Gonders, we have something to ask you,” she began.
She led them toward the locker dispensers, where Baxter was just shutting the door on his armor. He turned and headed for the door before they were halfway there.
“Let’s talk, just us girls for a minute…” Sara said, watching Baxter’s retreating backside a little longer than was appropriate. Alister gave her cheek a lick, snapping her back to the present. “Right, just us girls.”
“Um, okay. What can I do for you… ladies?” Gonders asked, trying to play along, but feeling somewhat lost.
“Are you dating anyone, Isabella?” Sara asked, and there was a strangled choke from Boon, who was trailing behind the two women.
“Oh, you really meant a ‘just us girls’ kind of talk. Okay. Uh, no, I haven’t found the right… person yet. I’m usually too busy with training to get close with anyone,” she said, then threw a quick look back at Boon. “I like my morning runs, though.”
Sara caught the look, and raised an eyebrow. “Boon, you run in the mornings, don't you?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she squeaked.
“It’s ‘Sara’. We’re just some girls, having a conversation. I’m not ‘ma’am’ right now, got it?”
“Yes, ma’am… er, Sara,” she said, hanging her head in mortification.
“Isabella, how would you feel about being attached to Alicia in a long-term sort of way?” Sara asked, and Boon choked again.
“I’m sorry, uh, Sara, but what is this all about?” Gonders asked, taking a step back and looking at them both in confusion.
Sara pressed her thumb to the locker door, and it popped open. She turned and stepped into the armor cradle, opened her armor up, and stepped back out. “Alicia is a twin, but her sister died when they were very young,” she explained, closing the armor and then the locker door, and turning back to Gonders.
“Okay, I’m sorry about that, but what does it have to do with me?”
Boon opened another locker and began the process of storing her armor, while Sara continued. “When someone becomes a War Mage, they need to be careful, or their power will overwhelm them. Almost all War Mages in the past were twins, and as twins, they shared the burden—but Alicia doesn’t have anyone. There is a way she can do this, but it means bonding with another mage. That mage would then become her guard and, as a side benefit, they would become more powerful, as well.”
Gonders knitted her eyebrows in thought. “Okay, but what does that have to do with me dating anyone?”
Boon stepped up, having finished with her armor, and spoke before Sara could continue. “Because the guard and the War Mage are not only attached in name, but they are also intimately linked through the Aether. As far as we know, it’s a permanent arrangement.”
Sara was impressed with Boon’s courage. She was still flaming red, but pushing on despite her fear.
“I assume you want me to bond with you?” Gonders said, putting a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow at Boon.
The girl nodded quickly. “But you should know that we would share emotions, along with knowing the other’s general location and condition.”
That surprised Gonders. “We could read each other’s minds?”
Boon shook her head stiffly, still exuding nervousness. “Not so much read each other’s exact thoughts, as more… general feelings. Would you say that’s right?” This last she asked of Sara.
Sara nodded. “I only get the occasional emotions form Baxter, usually because he wants me to feel them, or because it’s so strong.”
“You and the Sergeant Major are bonded?” Gonders asked in surprise. “But I thought you had Captain Cora.”
“It’s a long story, but yes. Baxter and I are bonded,” Sara said.
Gonders was quiet for a minute, chewing on her lip as she considered their words.
Finally, she smiled and looked at Boon. “I would be honored to be your guard.”
Boon smiled so hard, Sara thought she was going to tear her cheeks open. Then her face dropped, and she said, “Before you agree, you should know something…” Boon bit her lip, her anxiety a mirror image of the specialist’s. “I may have feelings that you won’t like,” she said guardedly, her head down.
Gonders smiled. “I doubt that,” she said, stepping up and lifting Boon’s chin with a finger so they were looking each other in the eye. “Why do you think I run in the gym every morning?”
Boon blinked a few times. “To stay in shape?” she guessed quietly.
Gonders laughed. “That, but there’s also a certain ensign I like to see, who comes like clockwork.”
Boon blinked again. “Who?”
“Oh, for crying out loud, Boon. She means you, you dummy. She likes you. Now, you two get out of here. Go to my quarters. You can perform the bonding there, and have a little time to talk, or whatever,” Sara said, gently pushing the two toward the door.
They thanked her and began walking side by side. Silva slipped from Boon’s neck and hopped onto Gonders’ shoulder, where she began rubbing her face on the woman affectionately.
Watching the two walk away, Sara was hit by the realization that they were nearly opposite in appearance. Gonders had light brown skin, and black hair with brown eyes, showing off her Spanish heritage, where Boon was pale white, with blonde hair and blue eyes, as if she had just walked out of the pages of a Nordic fairytale.
Same with me and Baxter. That’s just got to be coincidence, right? She shrugged, and headed after the two women, keeping some distance to give them a little privacy. Fuck. I forgot to get the update that Gonders was supposed to deliver, she realized. Oh, well. What’s the point of having an all-seeing sister if not to ask for information?
“Hey, Cora. What’s happening?” she said into her comm, as if she were greeting a drinking buddy.
“So, Boon’s a War Mage too, huh?” Cora greeted dryly.
Sara grimaced. “Oh, right. So, I have some good news; Boon finished the spell.”
Cora sighed. “You don't say.”
35
Two hundred and fifty-six ships waited in formation close to Earth, ready to warp into battle at the first sign of the Teifen’s arrival. The complete first fleet made up the bulk of the ships at two hundred vessels, and the remaining fifty-six ships were all that had been completed of the second fleet. They sat in fighting formations of ten ships per group, each ship able to cover their companions in the heat of battle.
Admiral Deitrik Johansen was in overall command of the fleet, and had given his orders and speech an hour before. The speech was rousing, but ultimately uninspired. ‘We shall not fall; fight on and with pride,’ etc. The orders, however, had Sara seeing spots, she was so angry.
“How can he not see what an asset we are to this fight?” she raged to Grimms and Cora, while pacing the small ready room.
“Captain, I think the problem is that he does see what an asset we are, and is afraid to lose it. He is working under the assumption that the governor’s fleet is damaged and in need of resupply. Their numbers are close to our own—we even have the advantage there by a slight margin. He is making the call that best suits the situation,” Grimms said in an entirely too reasonable a tone for Sara.
“If the battle is going badly, then we step in. We’re support, just like the rest of the second fleet. That is not the reason I am upset,” Cora said, her voice becoming hard. “The fact that he does not want us to even attempt a rescue of the emperor is beyond foolish, if you ask me.”
Grimms again played the voice of reason. “The prince has proven himself unreliable, and the UHF Command thinks a rescue mission is a waste of time and manpower during the battle. They would rather disable the dreadnought and attack in force, when we control the battlefield.”
“The emperor could be dead by then. Our only chance to save him is if we hit the Teifen fast and hard; they’re not going to sit around and wait for us to pick them apart,” Sara said, crossing her arms.
“I agree, Captain,” Grimms said, drawing a shocked look from Sara. “Command has sent word that they have developed a few new toys from the plans on the core we delivered. We already have some impressive warheads loaded into the gauss cannons, as do the rest of the fleet. We can hit a lot harder than the Teifen are used to. We are even able to prevent the enemy from warping away, but the higher-ups don't want to use that device until it becomes absolutely necessary. It will disrupt not only the Teifen’s capabilities, but also our own.”
“So, we wait? Just stand by while the battle takes place?” Sara inferred flatly.
“Captain, you’re already in a lot of trouble with Command. I don't want to see you compound the problem by disobeying orders during an engagement. Despite the fleet not having actual combat experience with the Teifen, they are trained well, and will perform to the best of their abilities. I think we should follow their lead,” Grimms said, holding up a hand before Sara could interrupt. “That being said, I agree with you that the emperor should be a top priority. It seems that the Admiralty is split on this issue, as well. Admiral Franklin has sent a message requesting we carry out an attempt at rescue, if the chance presents itself.”
“Wait, the admiral is ordering us to go in?” Cora asked.
“Not ordering, just making a strong suggestion. He will cover for us if the need arises.”
The alarm for battlestations went off, sending a wail through the ship. Sara and Grimms ran out of the ready room, and onto the bridge.
“One Teifen carrier has warped in. The fleet is engaging, ma’am,” Mezner reported.
Sara and Grimms bellied up to the holo projector to observe the battle.
“Cora, jump us to the designated support area,” Sara ordered, marking the location on the holo projector. Admiral Johansen had sent the second fleet the coordinates as soon as the enemy was spotted.
They slipped into the Aether and back out again a few million kilometers from the battlefield. Sara settled in to study the battle as it unfolded.
A red icon appeared, twenty-six light minutes from Earth. As they watched, the first fleet began warping in formation, their green icons disappearing, and then, a few seconds later, reappearing on top of the new icon. Sara zoomed in to view the engagement area. The first formation of ten ships had warped in almost on top of the Teifen carrier, at less than five hundred kilometers, and opened up with gauss cannons. A thin line of orange showed the path of gauss slugs, and blue lines showed the Aether cannons. Two blue lines shot out from each of the cruisers, hitting the Teifen carrier broadside, followed by thirty or more gauss rounds. The carrier was still spilling fighters out of its bays when the overwhelming attack ripped the ship in half.
A cheer went up from the bridge crew at first blood, but the fight was far from over. A second Teifen ship warped in, followed closely by a third, then a fourth. The number of warships grew rapidly, until the space was filled with them; then the battle was on in earnest. Fire was being exchanged at incredible rates.
The human forces fought in formations of ten ships: one carrier, two cruisers, three destroyers, and four corvettes. The carriers quickly dumped their fifty fighters, then took a defensive position, providing cover fire for their heavier hitters. The cruisers focused on damage, having two Aether cannons, and ten of the large, tri-barrel, gauss turrets. The destroyers provided cover with their heavy armor and mage-supplemented shield generators, similar to what the Teifen the
mselves used. And finally, the corvettes would use their mobility to warp in and out of the battle, hitting soft spots in the enemy, before jumping out again. The entire dance took close communication and organization, as the group would make moves in unison, dodging incoming fire as best they could.
The tactics worked well, until the formation was broken. When a destroyer went down, it would open the rest of the formation to attack until a reserve could be called up from the second fleet, which was on standby. Those few seconds it took for the reserve to get to the line could cost another ship, creating a chain reaction that would end with several ships disabled or destroyed.
The Teifen fought in packs rather than formations. The carriers would spill their fighters out as close as they could to the human ship formations, then warp away, leaving the small, fast fighters to fend for themselves. Each of the fighters were armed with heavy torpedoes that they would only fire when right on top of their targets, giving the defenders less of a chance to shoot them down. The torpedoes were not all that powerful, but the Teifen were good at timing their strikes, and would wait for their targets to take several hits before letting the ordnance drop. On more than one occasion, a cruiser or carrier had succumbed to this blitz technique.
To make things more complicated, packs of Teifen cruisers and destroyers would take turns firing on a formation, before warping to another and coming at them from an unseen angle. No one pack would look for the kill shot, instead wearing the enemy down one volley at a time, in a relentless torrent.
After twenty minutes, it was obvious that the Teifen—while having slightly fewer ships, and being already damaged from their engagement with the Galvox—were keeping the battle in balance. Their superior tactics and highly aggressive natures made them far more dangerous than the UHFC had anticipated.
A ship icon appeared outside the battleground, behind human lines. It was the dreadnought, still badly damaged from its engagement with the Galvox. Despite its wounds, it began pouring fire into the rear guard of the human formations.
Dreadnought: War Mage: Book Two (War Mage Chronicles 2) Page 19