The Rogers made the jumps and was soon back at Divinia. The raid on the third depot went as planned. At the fourth, fifty Karthian cruisers were waiting for them. Jasper countered by sending in his remaining Collins ships. The Karthians were routed and the gatrellium captured before an even larger Karthian force jumped in.
Back at Divinia, the Rogers was moved into a repair dock, where her damaged transducers were to be replaced.
Mace clenched and released his fists several times.
“You OK?” asked Johnny.
Mace nodded. “Side hurts a little. Almost tore the arm off this chair. That was pretty intense back there.”
Johnny chuckled. “What was intense about it? That was insane.”
Mace shook his head. “How’d we end up in this insane business anyway?”
“It was either this or be victims. And I’m not much for being a victim.”
Mace nodded. “Me either. I guess that makes us both insane.”
Chapter 25
*
The Rogers slowly pulled out of the repair dock.
A jump to the Alpha Centauri site had Mace wondering: “I thought they dumped it all here?”
Johnny laughed as he pushed a button. “They did.”
A holo-projector shut down, revealing a vast pile of gatrellium.
Mace said, “Maybe we should just cover the Earth with those projectors. They’d never know we were there.”
Johnny replied, “Unfortunately, it would still show on scans. And we have all the RF signals bouncing around from the surface. The projectors are only good for hiding the visual.”
Mace stroked his goatee. “I keep forgetting that. Should we be burying this stuff or something?”
Johnny laughed. “You must have missed science class this morning. We could bury that a kilometer down and they would see it the first time they looked for gatrellium.”
Mace said, “Well then, why do we have our cave lined with the stuff? Won’t that make us sitting ducks?”
Johnny shook his head. “Jeff and Gnaga used some kind of gatrellium copper alloy. Scanner waves are diffused or something, meaning the scanner only sees the surrounding dirt. Jeff said they could dig into the data and find us, but they aren’t likely to do that without a reason.”
“So we really aren’t all that safe hiding in there.”
Johnny answered, “Never were. But the alternative is sitting in the open, so I’ll take my chances in the cave.”
Mace said, “We should cover this pile in the gatrellium copper and then bury it.”
“I think that’s being discussed. At the moment it’s a question of resources.”
Mace tapped his gloved fingers on his armrest. “I’m so ready for this to all be over. The constant tension, the death and destruction … enough is enough.”
Johnny walked over, placing his hand on Mace’s shoulder. “I’m gonna give you the same pick-me-up talk Jane gave me last night.”
Mace looked up. “This has to be good. What’d she say?”
Johnny chuckled. “Was short and sweet. She told me to man-up.”
Mace half smiled. “That does sound like a Jane solution. Did it work?”
Johnny laughed. “Don’t know. I’m still trying.”
Jasper came over the comm. “The Karthians have formed up for a jump, but they haven’t budged yet.”
Mace said, “You think we hit them hard on those gatrellium stockpiles? That was a huge amount we just grabbed.”
“Couldn’t say. This is the first time they’ve formed up like that and not made the jump. Maybe they are having to evaluate their options since we raided those depots. Scouts aren’t reporting any new ships coming through the rift. There’s usually a slow trickle before they form up and join the rest of that fleet.”
An officer approached Jasper. “Sire, we have wormholes opening.”
Jasper pushed the info to his main display. Hundreds of wormholes opened and ships began streaming through.
Jasper scowled. “Well, crap. Here they come.”
Mace said, “That looks like all of them. Sure you don’t want to pull the rest of those microwave stations forward?”
Jasper sat silent for several seconds before barking out the order: “I want all orbital stations here, now!”
Mace turned to Johnny. “You might want to grab Jane and Jenny and head to your shuttle.”
Johnny nodded as he stood. “This time we’ll start with taking out their power. Should move things along faster.”
The Karthian fleet numbered more than nineteen hundred ships. The massive station sat behind them, acting as a repair dock and a depot for restocking supplies. The assault line stretched out for two hundred kilometers. The battle for Croawla was only moments away.
Johnny opened a comm channel. “We’re ready.”
Jordan Crawford followed: “Ready here as well.”
The Karthian fleet moved forward all at once. The Targarians waited patiently. The microwave stations were the first to fire, poking small holes in the hulls of the approaching ships. Seconds later, laser pulses were traded from plasma bolts. The attacking fleet moved into and through the much smaller Targarian force, targeting the microwave stations.
The Rogers moved up to meet four cruisers as they laid siege to a nearby station. The shuttles departed and were soon clamped to Karthian hulls. Hans Mueller worked his magic with the ship’s cannons as Mace worked the wormhole and green energy weapons.
An opening in a Karthian hull was followed up by a precision shot from the Rogers’ cannons. The exploding ship was the first loss of the immense battle. Minutes later, the two assaulted cruisers went offline, but not before the microwave station was destroyed. The Hull of the Rogers rumbled as repeated rounds from the cruisers found her dampening field.
The shuttles each moved to new targets as Hans shredded the disabled ships. Four new cruisers joined the remaining Karthian ship as the next microwave station was attacked.
Mace said, “Keep at them people! We need a win here!”
A new ship approached. Twenty shuttles emerged from bays down each of its sides. Hans changed his targeting, destroying half before the first was able to attach to the Rogers’ hull.
Liam yelled, “They’re clamped on, Mr. Hardy! Three so far!”
Mace unbuckled his belt, standing from his chair. “Mr. Geerok, take over for me!”
Humphrey Mallot stood as well. “I’m coming with you, Mr. Hardy.”
Mace hesitated before waving him on. “Someone please inform us of any hull breaches!”
As they ran toward the ship’s armory, word came from Liam Hobbs on the bridge. “Deck six, section C. Camera showed Karthian soldiers before it was taken out!”
Mace replied as he handed Humphrey Mallot a plasma rifle and an AR-15. “Patch through the hallway feed, Mr. Hobbs. I wanna know when they leave that room.”
“They’re moving into the hall already. Second breach on deck four, section F. And a third also on deck six.”
Mace took a deep breath. “Hope you said your prayers, Mr. Mallot.”
Humphrey grabbed Mace by the arm. “Hold up.”
“What you got going?”
Humphrey logged into a console. “I suggest you set your gravity on those boots to the highest level.”
Mace thought for a moment, before grinning. “I like the way you think, Mr. Mallot. Everyone, this is Hardy. If you aren’t strapped in, set your boots to full gravity. We’re about to change our environment for those intruders.”
Mace gave Humphrey a nod. “Do it.”
The ship’s gravity was inverted, turned full on, and then flipped back to its original setting, again at full capacity. The invading Karthian soldiers slammed into the ceilings before being thrown hard back against the floors. Mace struggled to maintain his balance as the ship’s gravity flipped full-on in one direction and then the other for most of a minute.
Liam came over the comm as the gravity restored to normal. “I show three sets of in
vaders down. Some are moving, so you might want to get in there and clean up.”
Mace yelled into his comm: “Every able-bodied person on deck six report to the affected areas and see to it those soldiers don’t regroup. Mr. Mallot, genius move. Let’s go clear deck four.”
Hans said, “The shuttles are away. Scratch two more cruisers.”
Mace jumped down the final four steps in the stairwell before bursting into the hall. Three Karthians were already beginning to stand. Three plasma rounds saw to it they were unsuccessful. The remaining fifteen soldiers were terminated with prejudice, then Mace turned into the room that had been breached. A tube extended from the shuttle into the room.
Mace sprinted for the tunnel, blasting an unsuspecting Karthian crewman standing at the other end before turning to the cockpit. Short work was made of the two pilots before the Army Ranger returned to the Rogers.
“You cleaners on deck six, make a run into those shuttles and gut them as well.”
Liam said, “We need to be rid of those ships, Mr. Hardy. They’re making maneuvering difficult.”
Mace nodded, then stopped. “Mr. Hobbs, how many hits have we taken since those shuttles clamped on?”
“None, sir.”
Mace tilted his head to one side. “I’m thinking we keep them. Might be we’re not being targeted because of those. Try taking us closer to one of those cruisers. If they don’t return fire, Mr. Mueller should be able to cut them up.”
As Mace walked onto the bridge, Liam replied, “You were right. That cruiser let us come within a kilometer. Mr. Mueller taught them to fear our weapons. They’re limping back toward that station.”
“Fly us in as close as you can to every cruiser we encounter.”
Johnny came over the comm. “We still need you to run cover for us.”
Mace shook his head. “I want you and Crawford to bring those shuttles back. This is our new strategy until they change theirs. We can kill twice the ships this way. Bring ‘em back.”
The shuttles docked. Mace gave orders for the breach holes to be covered with hull plating and sealed. Charges were added to the breach tubes, so if needed they could be blown away.
Johnny took over the comm station on the bridge. “We could have continued out there.”
“We have a free pass with these Karthian shuttles attached. We can’t provide you cover and make use of this at the same time. I’d rather have you here safe and sound.”
Johnny said, “Those Collins ships all have holo-projectors. Could they broadcast images of the Karthians shuttles being attached?”
“Scans would reveal they weren’t there.”
Humphrey replied, “I believe Mr. Mueller does his targeting using visual.”
Hans nodded as he loosed the next barrage. “Scans are only good for positioning. I select targets based on visuals. I suspect the Karthians do the same.”
Mace opened a comm to Jasper. “I’m sending you some images of Karthian shuttles that are attached to our hull. I believe the Karthians have been avoiding taking shots at us for that reason. Try using the holo-projectors on one of your ships. See if the Karthians bite.”
Jasper turned to one of his aides before turning back to the comm camera. “We’re taking a beating—dishing it out but taking one, too. We’ve lost a hundred eighteen of our three hundred eighty stations. We’re also finding them to be less effective.”
The image of Jasper on the Organ Cave shook as multiple rounds impacted his ship’s dampener fields.
Mace replied, “If you use the projector, you can go right in close on those cruisers. We’ve managed four kills since discovering it, and they aren’t shooting back.”
Jasper nodded. “We’ll have those images up momentarily. If this works I’ll personally come over there and kiss your boots.”
Mace laughed. “You don’t have to do that, but Johnny might enjoy it.”
Jasper scowled. “That overgrown goat-catcher can kiss my boots.”
Johnny chuckled. “Goat catcher? You’re slipping.”
Jasper waved a hand as he returned his concentration to the fight. “Meh. I’m in the middle of a war. Best I got. Hang on… projector is coming online.”
Jasper Collins barked out several commands.
Mace asked, “Well?”
Jasper slowly shook his head. “Idiots stopped shooting. I’m rolling this out to the fleet.”
The comm closed.
Johnny said, “You know what this means, don’t you?”
Mace replied, “What?”
Johnny looked over his shoulder. “Only gonna take a few minutes for them to figure out those shuttles aren’t real. That’s when they’ll start shooting again. Including at us.”
Mace nodded. “Mr. Mallot, if that happens, blow those breach tubes so we can be rid of those things.”
Liam smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Hardy. They’re giving me fits.”
The Targarian fleet had a surge in kills that lasted all of eight minutes. When the Karthian ships began shooting back, a handful of the Collins ships were caught off guard. The Targarians were forced back into their strategy to defend the remaining microwave stations. As the next several hours passed, the Targarian numbers continued to thin.
Humphrey gave status. “Stations are down to eighty orbitals. The fleet has lost sixty-five ships, a third of those Collins class. I count three hundred ninety Karthians destroyed, another hundred eighty-six have left the fight.”
Mace sighed. “That’s not enough. We need something to give us an edge.”
Mace opened to Malcom Stark. “We need your ships.”
Stark replied, “I cannot commit to your fight. We will fight here, for our own space.”
“What if I promised you ten thousand tons of gatrellium?”
Stark laughed. “You don’t have ten thousand tons of gatrellium.”
Mace nodded. “We do. We stole it from four depots back in Karthian space. You commit the Earth fleet and I’ll give it to you when we’re done.”
“And why would I trust you?”
Mace pursed his lips. “Because I have yet to lie to you. We’re at war. We need your help, and we need it to stop this war before it makes it to Earth. Croawla may only have a couple hours left. We then fall back to Divinia. Bring your ships and make a stand with us there.”
Stark was silent for several seconds. “This gatrellium, you are certain you have it and that you can deliver it when the fighting is over?”
“Even if I have to pack it there myself.”
Stark said, “I’ll have an answer for you shortly.”
The comm closed.
Chapter 26
*
The orbital microwave station count at Croawla dropped to thirty-five.
A comm came in from Malcom Stark. “Mr. Hardy, I may have found a mercenary army willing to offer their help in exchange for gatrellium. They will require fifteen hundred tons up front as earnest money.”
Mace asked, “Who are they, and how can I be certain they’re worth it?”
Stark smiled. “I believe you know Mr. Knuttin?”
An image of Frado Knuttin showed on a split comm display. “Mr. Hardy, it is good to see you. I am sorry for the difficulties my government has caused you. Their decisions went against my wishes.”
“What can you offer?”
Frado replied, “As you know, we recently acquired the wormhole technology. Gatrellium is suddenly at a premium. Our supplies are very thin. I’ve been authorized to sell, or I should say lease, a hundred of the older dreadnoughts that my corporate fleets have been using. You will have to provide your own crews.
“The consoles are configurable, allowing Humans to pilot and operate the ships. They are well automated and can be mastered in a few hours’ time. They also offer a low-end military grade microwave cannon. And when I say low-end, I am talking cannons that are still far superior to the commercial grade units you currently posses. Are you interested in a lease?”
Stark said, “I wi
ll volunteer the crews to man them.”
Mace took in a deep breath as he fired off several rounds from the wormhole weapon. “Any way we could lease five hundred? I can offer more gatrellium.”
Frado smiled. “I’m afraid I couldn’t arrange that deal. At most, I may be able to provide two hundred, depending on what our military council says. They would be made available for the duration of the Karthian conflict, not to exceed one of your Earth years in term.”
Mace nodded. “Make it happen, Mr. Knuttin. And make it happen now.”
Stark replied, “There is still the question of the gatrellium.”
Mace said, “I’ll have deliveries coming your way in a few minutes. Get those ships here as soon as possible.”
Mace passed word to the ore-hauling ships, and the first load of gatrellium was on its way.
Johnny said, “You do know Stark is gonna take a big cut of that, right?”
Mace replied, “He set up the deal, he’s providing the crews. Frankly, I don’t care if he keeps it all. There are three and a half billion Targarians down on that planet. If we don’t do something, they will all be dead in a couple days.”
Another hour passed and the last of the orbital stations was annihilated. The Targarian fleet dropped back to within the atmosphere of Croawla to fight. The Collins ships had superior handling when in atmosphere. The hundreds of ground stations provided extra firepower.
Johnny said, “You gonna tell Jasper help may be coming?”
Mace slowly shook his head. “Not until it’s a certainty. Besides, knowing Stark, he will purposefully delay until the fight has moved to Divinia. I don’t think they will make it here before then.”
Johnny frowned, “Can’t say I like giving the UF all that gatrellium.”
“It’s all we have for trade. I’m sure we could buy their protection with the rest of that stockpile, but not without selling them Earth and making us all second class citizens like the Mawga. We’re already seeing what that’s shaping up to mean.”
Humphrey said, “Mr. Hardy, those ground stations are taking a pounding. If this pace continues, we’ll be done here in an hour.”
Mace replied, “Thank you, Mr. Mallot. Not like we have a choice in the matter. The longer we keep them fighting here, the longer we have to get those UF ships in the fight.
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