The fleet was in the early stages of preparing a gap through which Resolve could dash with some hope of success, but everything visible to the Chessori was, in reality, a feint engineered by Admiral Trexler. Mike had George open the appropriate channel to Trexler, and they began discussing the plan over the radio, hoping to further mislead the Chessori who might be listening.
A carrier-based Airborne Warning and Control plane, AWAC’s as they were referred to, circled lazily to the north, directing the armada of planes forming above and to the east. Timing was everything. The carrier’s planes could not remain aloft indefinitely, though all carried maximum fuel and no weapons. At least that was the plan. Mike was not at all certain that Admiral Trexler would hold to that part of the plan. To do so was probably asking too much of him and the pilots, but the Navy was not to fire a shot today. The plan did not include letting the Chessori know that, however.
Trexler called him back a few minutes later with a triumphant edge to his voice. “Check your long-range scanners, Mike.”
Mike motioned for Reba to join him on the net. He desperately wanted all the advice he could get. From the east, from the direction of California, they discovered three land-based AWAC’s planes spread far apart at high altitude.
“Oh, Mike, I think you’re going to like this,” Reba said.
“Why?”
“I’ve never seen three AWAC’s participating in the same mission. I don’t know what Ray has managed to cobble together, but I think it will be interesting.”
As they watched, other planes began appearing from over the horizon, planes of all types and at all altitudes. George’s scanners discerned incredible detail. He discovered transport planes, tankers, stealth fighters and bombers, normal fighters, B-1 bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, and high above, verging on the edge of space, something moving at extremely high speed. Something new in our arsenal, Mike wondered? Reba had no clue what these aircraft were. Soon, a vast armada filled the sky to the east.
How had this been put together so quickly? It was an incredible feat of impromptu planning to have all these aircraft arrive at the same time.
And it got better. The AWAC’s crews were the star of the show with the greatest challenge of all this day. Aboard them, military controllers deftly vectored each aircraft toward its assigned position to form an incredibly intricate pattern. When viewed through Resolve’s scanners, the pattern gradually began coalescing into an empty corridor surrounded by aircraft from the surface of the Earth to near the edge of space. A Horn of Plenty, narrow at the bottom, widening out higher up, Resolve would be provided a semblance of protection, a chance of safe passage as she raced into space.
“Get ready, Mike. You have ten minutes,” Trexler advised. “Be prepared for an initial trajectory of due east. We’ll give you all the protection we can. We’re locked and loaded.”
Ellie returned to the bridge, Otis reported ready at his gun, and Resolve’s crew was complete. The last planes were approaching their assigned positions, and surface ships had opened up a fair gap to the east. Farther to the east and higher, Resolve’s departure corridor, as clearly obvious as Admiral Trexler could make it, waited for them.
Four of the Chessori ships hovered near the corridor at various altitudes. Two moved inside the fleet closer to the carrier, sensing that something was about to happen. Four more held their positions behind the fleet.
“It’s time, folks,” Trexler announced. “We won’t be able to hold this together much longer. Our weapons are all armed and ready. Good luck. And don’t forget your promise.”
“Will do, Admiral. Reba sends her regards, but I have to say she’s fired up. She’s where she wants to be.”
Trexler went back to doing whatever it was that admirals do, which probably included a lot of worrying. Mike studied his screens, keeping George busy computing trajectories of all participants. The trajectories soon merged into the perfect pattern, and it was time to go. The Chessori reached the same conclusion at the same instant. The four Chessori ships trailing the fleet sprinted east for the escape corridor to bolster the four already there. Yes! They had fallen for it.
Mike issued the command to George. One moment they hovered beside the carrier steaming eastbound at full speed. The next moment they were gone, streaking westward into a setting sun, in the opposite direction from the escape corridor. Admiral Trexler’s feint had worked. Resolve was a good hundred and fifty miles ahead of the eight Chessori that had fallen for the diversion. The admiral had given them the minute or so of spacing he had promised. The two higher Chessori ships merged with Resolve by the time they reached the stratosphere and the battle was joined, but two-to-one odds were just fine with Mike. His crew could handle them, though this was no longer a simulation. George was prepared to cut Ellie and Jake out of the net instantly if the Chessori mounted a psi attack, but Mike didn’t think it likely. The Chessori had been caught with their pants down.
Ellie commanded the guns and the gunners. She invited both Chessori in close by withholding fire until Resolve’s rear shields glowed from hits. Mike, unnerved, forced himself to stay out of her way. Her own nervousness was exposed to all on the net and was as great as his. Finally, she commanded all four gunners to fire simultaneously on the same ship. It ceased to exist. Moments later, just as a weak burning sensation filled Mike’s body, the remaining Chessori suffered the same fate. The burning stopped instantly.
They had made it. Though trailed by eight more Chessori, they had a good lead and could breathe easy for a while. Mike focused ahead, his chest swelling with pride for himself and the crew. And now . . .
They were in space! Through his senses on the net, space was beyond description, beautiful and inspiring. Stars and nebulae of every color imaginable filled his view. Earth looked as it always did in photographs, blue sapphire and brown deserts partially hidden by clouds and storm systems. The sun had set over the eastern portion of North America, and corridors of city lights sparkled between gaps in the clouds. When the full array of George’s sensors fed him data, Earth glowed with an aura of energy and life regardless of whether it was day or night, cloud-covered or clear. But he liked the normal view better. This was his home the way he had imagined it would be.
And he was saying goodbye to his home. He, who had never seriously contemplated leaving Earth, had come to the place our astronauts had visited. He wanted to feel what they felt, stare at the stars, study the Earth below, investigate everything new, but he could not.
What waited ahead for them? Behind, eight Chessori fighters lagged beyond maximum firing range, and Mike was not overly concerned with them yet. He put the long-range scanners to work and told everyone to relax while George gathered data and flew Resolve on the preplanned trajectory.
Resolve was sprinting toward the nearest jump point, some two and one-half weeks away, out beyond the orbit of Neptune. Even then, still within the solar system, a jump toward Gamma VI would be risky, and they would delay the jump until out beyond the orbit of Pluto if they could.
Mike called Admiral Trexler. “Your guys were great, sir. We made it.”
Mike could almost hear the smile on the other end of the line. “Congratulations. We’re already standing down here. I’ve never seen anything move so fast. You were out of sight in just a few seconds. Our job is done.”
“We took out two more, and the others are trailing, but they’re not a problem. Thanks for the help, sir.”
“My pleasure. Remember our deal.”
“I will. Let everyone know that The Lady sends her personal thanks.”
“I will. Safe voyage, Mr. Carver. Don’t forget about us down here, and I’m speaking not just for myself but for the billions unaware of what’s happened here.”
“I won’t forget my roots, Admiral. So long for now.”
Information began trickling in from George’s sensors, then George sent an alert notice. A squadron of fourteen ships, including what George calmly informed him was a Fleet heavy cruiser, the B
eta IV, lay dead ahead.
“These are Empire ships?”
“Yes.”
“Hey, we made it! We’re rescued, Princess!” he shouted, elated, “They’re your ships.”
“Maybe,” she replied. “George, have they hailed us yet?”
“No. They are in contact with the Chessori ships behind us, however.”
Silence filled the net. Reba jumped in first. “George, demand they identify themselves. Demand further that they respond to our message by turning away from their present course for some period of time. I don’t know how you measure things in space. If we were in surface ships I’d demand a thirty degree turn in some direction. You figure it out.”
George did. They waited several long minutes, but there was no response from the oncoming fleet.
“They’re not friendly, Mike,” Ellie announced with heavy heart. “A demand from Resolve should have been acted upon instantly, without question.”
“How long ‘till they’re in firing range?” Mike demanded of George.
“A few hours,” George informed him, demonstrating with lovely schematics how the oncoming fleet would reduce speed to match vectors with Resolve and end up flying formation on them. “But Mike, who cares?” he added. “It’s a heavy cruiser.”
“So what? What’s a cruiser? Have we seen a cruiser in any of the simulations you’ve given us?” he demanded.
“Of course not. Resolve cannot fight a cruiser,” George informed him calmly. “Cruisers carry ships like this within their bellies, like aircraft carriers. Would you send one plane against an aircraft carrier?”
“Depends on the weapons carried by the plane, I suppose. What do you think, Reba?” Mike queried.
“That’s a tough one,” she answered without hesitation. “Certain weapons can do the job, but getting them through on one single plane would entail a high risk of failure. You’d probably use smart torpedoes or missiles rather than send a plane.”
“George, do we have anything like that aboard?” Mike demanded.
“No. Projectile weapons pose no threat to ships in space. Only weapons that use light are fast enough. You've seen how sprightly these ships move. Besides, that’s not the problem. That ship is an Empire cruiser. It’s one of ours, and I know its capabilities. Mike, it carries a tractor beam.”
“I don’t like the sound of that, George. What’s a tractor beam?”
George, patient as always, answered with pictures, demonstrating how a beam projected by the cruiser could lock onto another ship and hold that ship as if frozen, even pull it in like a fish on a line right into the cruiser if desired.
“Not fair. How come we don’t have one?” Mike demanded.
“It takes a ship as large as a cruiser to power a tractor beam, Mike. A tractor beam requires massive amounts of energy to cocoon our drive. The only way to escape a tractor beam is by turning off our drive, but then we are powerless to maneuver, which has the same result.”
Mike’s bad feeling got worse. He and Jake had George run a number of scenarios through the navigation computers to see if they could come up with an escape plan, and beautifully intricate schematics resulted, but nothing worked. They could avoid the cruiser for a while, but as soon as they turned, the Chessori trailing them would move closer by cutting the corner, eventually catching up with them. Mike did not like their chances against eight Chessori. In the long run, they couldn’t outrun the cruiser no matter which direction they went. All scenarios showed it relentlessly in pursuit, eventually catching them.
They could return to Earth with only a quick brush through the Chessori trailing them, but then what? Where could they go? The Chessori would be right behind them. There wouldn’t even be time to get out of the ship, and they couldn’t stay submerged forever. Nothing worked.
Two hours passed with no solution evident. They needed creativity. They needed the synergy of group discussion to find that creative idea. Mike called a time-out. He placed all the shields on maximum as everyone left the net. Otis was called from his gun, and they gathered on the bridge for a conference.
Mike explained the situation, then waited for suggestions. Reba’s response was quick. “They’ve crossed our T,” she stated, nodding her head. When they turned blank expressions on her, she explained. “It’s an old naval expression. It means the enemy has outfoxed you, put you in a position where you cannot escape, usually a result of your position in relation to themselves and any surrounding terrain. Your only recourse is to join battle, but the T would never have been constructed by the enemy if you had any chance of winning.”
Mike had already tried using Earth and the moon to block the Chessori pursuit, but George’s scenarios had shown it wouldn’t help. The only other terrain he was aware of was the entire solar system, but how could that be of help? He closed his eyes deep in thought. The germ of an idea tickled the back of his brain, and he considered it for a time, then broached the subject with Jake.
>We need to jump, right now,< he said. Jake remained silent as he digested Mike’s words. Mike could actually sense the initial confusion in Jake’s mind, something he’d never sensed before.
>It goes without saying that it’s dangerous,< Jake finally answered. >We might all be killed, but everything else looks just as bleak. I see one major stumbling block. I don’t think George will let us jump. His most fundamental programming prohibits him from letting us do anything he considers dangerous.<
>You’re the science expert here. Can we reduce the danger to a reasonable level?<
>Hmm. Maybe. The solar system is like a flat disc. If we jumped perpendicular to the system, there wouldn’t be as much to hit. I can’t say what effect the planets and sun would have on our track, though. They’ll certainly alter it. We’ll need George’s help to study it.<
Mike turned his attention back to the group. “Our only recourse is to fight,” he stated. “If we fight, we will not win. Period. Any more suggestions?”
“Sure,” Reba offered. “Surrender. It’s the last option I would want, but it’s better than being dead. The odds are slightly overwhelming here. I would say we either find some way to get away from these Chessori, or we surrender.”
Stunned looks met her suggestion. Otis growled, startling Reba. Had she ever heard him growl? Had she even been told who and what a Protector was? Mike had not taken the time to explain, and he doubted if Ellie had either.
“Sorry, Reba. Surrender is not an option here. You don’t know the full story. We haven’t taken the time to tell you, and you’ve been gracious enough not to press for explanations. If I can put it simply, there’s a galactic society out there that Earth knows nothing about. It’s led by a Royal Family, it’s in the midst of a civil war, and the throne may already have fallen. Ellie’s daughter, Alexis, is aboard this ship. She’s the heir to that throne, and she might be the last remaining person in the line. Now do you see why they want this ship so badly?”
Reba stared at him as the wheels turned in her mind. She turned to Ellie with a piercing look and spoke softly. “That fleet’s only task is to ensure that there are no more heirs.”
Ellie nodded, remaining silent. Reba pursed her lips. “It goes without saying that you and I, Mike, could surrender.” Before those words had time to sink in, she added, “I decline surrender. I chose to accompany all of you without knowing all the facts, but the more I learn, the more I sense your answering to a higher calling. I choose your path, not because I agreed earlier, but because I sense that it, and you, are right.”
Ellie rose and embraced Reba. Mike joined them with an arm around each, and Jake made his presence known through Mike. Otis sat nearby, his ears twitching. “You have not chosen, Mike,” Ellie asked gravely.
“How can you even ask after everything I’ve done for you?” he demanded softly.
“We are a wonderful, intimate group,” she replied, squeezing Reba and him harder. “I like us, and I like being part of us, whatever happens.”
They were back where they�
�d started. Eight Chessori fighters chased from astern, a whole squadron waited ahead, and there was no turning away.
Otis spoke. “My Lady, talk to the crew of the cruiser. It does appear that there has been a coup. If so, it is new. Not all will support it. The crewmembers might not even know about it. I promise you, if there are Guardians aboard, they are loyal to you.”
“I’ve tried, Otis. They will not open a channel to us. The moment they do, I’ll be ready. Until then, perhaps they are as smart as we give them credit for. They might well be dealing with internal dissent as we speak.”
“Okay,” Mike announced. “Surrender is not an option, we can’t stay and fight, we can’t turn around, and we can’t keep going. Any other ideas?” They all remained mute. “I have one. It’s a long shot, but it’s the only way out of this that I can see. We’ll just have to disappear.” Blank looks met this announcement, but he had no inclination to smile. “We’re going to jump. Now.”
Ellie jumped to her feet in alarm, but just as she started to voice an objection, she reconsidered. She sat back down with a thoughtful expression.
Otis was more certain. “You can’t, Mike. Jornell tried the same thing as we left Dorwall, and we were a lot farther out in the system where it’s less dangerous. George is the most sophisticated AI our society has produced, and he could not compute a safe jump. It’s just too dangerous.”
Last of the Chosen (Spirit of Empire, Book One) Page 13