by T. J. Jones
“Commander, I feel it’s worth noting that even at maximum warp it would still take them half a century or better to make the journey to the fringes of Alliance held space.”
Adrian nodded. “Yeah, I know. He’s holding something else tightly to his chest. Maybe they’ve got something of their own equivalent to the quantum drive.”
Jarod paused mulling it over. “From what we have seen of their technology I wouldn’t agree on that theory. It’s more likely they are willing to commit the resources to the effort.”
Adrian waved off the subconversation. “Anyway. It is not a matter of when they are going to reach home. It’s a matter that they plan to commit to it.”
“Agreed.”
“So we have two options. Stand and fight them now. Or run and try to stop them with the fleet later.”
“The arbitrator’s forces will be converging on this system soon,” Dekav said. “A battle here would prove advantageous for both our forces.”
“Once they arrive” Jarod added.
Adrian nodded. “Yeah, so I think it’s time we start playing our own bluff. He kept us in play long enough to get that data. Let’s keep him in play long enough to make sure he never gets to use it. Options.”
“Well, the nebula is going to strongly interfere with accurate quantum drive headings. So he would have to vacate the immediate area to do so.”
“So we anchor him here. Good. How?”
“We bomb the hell out of his engines again and engage them. Toe to toe,” Ben said over the comm. Jarod had linked him in.
He glanced back to Jarod. “Can we handle them until their battlegroup shows up?”
“We’ve taken their measure technologically. I think we know what surprises they are packing. It shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Why are we discussing ruining my ship again?” Tia asked over the comm line from engineering.
“Because it’s us or home.”
“Well. Make it worth it, then. I’ll try and hold her together as best I can,” she said reluctantly.
“We also have the stardrive separation option. The spinal lance cannon would go to wide projection mode without the fore sections barrel, but it would still pack a hell of a punch if we can deal with their shields.”
“And the fore section can hang back in the nebula and fire from cover,” Mary Jo noted. “I’ve been working on a targeting algorithm that works with the primary sensor grid. I can patch it through to the tactical console and boost the accuracy.”
“Good. Do it. Let’s go to Caution Alert. Notify all civilians to proceed to their quarters and make ready for battle. All officers operating from the battle section proceed now. Ben, get your birds ready for a fast drop. Are you familiar with the battle of Aporia?”
“Not personally, Commander, but I’ve read the after action reports.”
“You’ll recall the deployment method?” Adrian asked with a grin.
“Heh, yeah. I’ll make sure my guys are ready.”
He gestured for Dekav and Jarod to follow him to the lift. “Sol, stay here and run guns and security for Mary Jo. Mary Jo, the bridge is yours.”
Trident stepped through the bridge doors almost colliding with Adrian. “Oh! Commander, sorry. I didn’t know you were going to be leaving.”
“Strap in, Lt. we’re going to war.”
She looked at him and then to Mary Jo, who was taking the captain’s chair. “I’ll join you in the battle section.”
Adrian nodded and gestured for the other two to shuffle into the lift car. “Sounds good.”
“I would surmise your plan is to separate the sections and use the battle section to attack the enemy ship.”
“That I do, Lt.”
“Would it be rather un-Stollan of me to say I would like a chance at payback?”
Adrian smiled. “Maybe a little. That almost sounds sort of human.”
“My mother was human,” she admitted quietly.
He leaned close and whispered, “It’s ok. So was mine. I turned out alright.”
Vail looked up at him and nodded. “So I see.”
“Dekav, you know that ship better than anyone. How can we really make them hurt?”
Dekav pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Their ship is sturdier than yours. Built with many redundancies. However, it does, lack more than one command center. If you were able to take their bridge out of play, it would cripple the entire vessel.”
“How can we do that?”
He shook his head. “With your weapons, it would not be very easy. The command station lies at the center of the ship. Beneath many decks of armor and weaponry.”
“So a simple targeting solution wouldn’t work.”
“No, Commander, it would not. There is, however, another way. But it would entail great many risks.”
“Like what?”
“Teleporting directly to their vessel, and planting an explosive on their bridge after incapacitating their crew.”
Adrian pursed his lips. “Another assault like that would be very risky. We’ll have to wait and see on that one.”
Dekav nodded. “Of course, Commander.”
The lift opened and the ship lurched as he tried to step out knocking him into the wall. “The hell?”
“That wasn’t an attack,” Jarod noted.
“Commander, the Truth has us in some kind of tractor beam.”
“Hold fire until I’ve separated the star drive and gotten his attention.”
“Understood. Hunter out.”
Adrian looked at the others. “Let’s go, people. We’ve got us a hog to wrestle.”
“A what?” Dekav asked.
“A pig. Short, heavy, surly sonofabitch. Y’know what? Never mind. Let’s go free our ship.”
The trot to the battle bridge was short. They all squeezed into its less than spacious accommodations. Before they had used it as a backup command center for the ship. Now they were actually going to use it for its intended purpose. Vail and Tiaahl both fell into their respective stations and Dekav took a seat next to Adrian.
“Power online. Access codes verified. Preparing separation sequence,” Vail announced. Through the decks where the two sections separated, airlocks activated and lifts detached. The ship’s Caution Alert upgraded to battle stations. They watched on the main screen on the battle bridge as the battle section detached from the fore section at one-quarter subluminal speeds. The star drive banked and then rolled out next to the fore section picking up speed.
“Let’s show them our teeth. Fire the spinal lance cannon.”
Jarod leaned down over his console. “Commander, firing it now would damage their shields but it would be at a diminished effect. It’s best saved for when their shields are down.”
“The capacitors will recharge by then. Fire the lance.”
“Aye, Commander, preparing to fire.”
“Lt. Vail, take us in on this course.”
“Course laid in.”
The star drive of the Odyssey pushed ahead of the fore section still locked under the tractor beam. Once it was ahead of the fore section, it fired its spinal lance cannon, discharging a massive and violent fan shaped spread of phased photonic energy. The Truth’s shields absorbed the brunt of the strike and buckled but recovered.
“Good, now lay in this course, and proceed to three-quarters subluminal speed.”
Vail looked impressed. “Aye, sir.” Inputting the commands.
“Get ready down there, Ben. You’re on deck.”
“Don’t worry, Commander. I’ll try not to steal the show.”
“We’ll see,” Adrian said wryly.
The star drive lurched hard to port. The inertial dampers in the ship were struggling to keep up with the momentum its mass was generating. Once the aft was facing where the lance had struck, Adrian gave the word. “NOW!”
The fighters and bombers all screamed from the aft launch bay riding the ship’s momentum, discharging munitions as the Odyssey fired a volley of missiles as well.
Its various beam cannons and smaller ship to ship turrets went hot, striking out and hitting the Truth’s shields at the same time the Truth’s offensive array went live.
“Good, now we’ve got their attention.”
On cue, the fore section’s beam weaponry lit up streamers of highly phased photonic energy, screaming outward and striking the tractor beam emitter. The Truth was hauling the fore section out of the nebula with no resistance. Adrian zoomed in on the emitter’s location. “Ben, make that location your next target priority.”
“Copy.” The fighters and bombers moved like a swarm of angry metal hornets, stinging the Truth with capital ship munitions and missiles. Orange and red plumes blossomed along the white and black hull of the Truth.
“Suck on that, you bug-faced fuck,” Adrian growled as his fighter squadrons landed multiple direct hits on the emitter. The tractor beam flickered. “Tiaahl, get our people free.”
“Aye, Commander.” Several warheads launched from the star drive, demolishing the emitter point. The tractor beam wavered and a blast from the fore section’s beam array dropped it.
“Get out of there, Hunter. Use the nebula for cover. He won’t nuke it with you in it. He wants us back in those slave pens.”
“Like hell he does,” Vail barked while rocking the battle section hard to starboard, dodging several warheads aiming for the starboard nacelle that went wide. The General ARea Defense Integrated ANti-warhead defense system was already lancing them out of the battlespace with satisfying anticlimactic little pops. The airspace within immediate proximity of the Odyssey thundered in micro explosions and condensed guided laser weapons bisecting the enemy warheads.
“Those are some damn nice moves, Lt. Almost reminds me of me,” Adrian said with a wry grin before refocusing. “Alright, let’s keep the pressure. Next heading. Tiaahl, I’m counting on you.”
The star drive banked and accelerated to full subluminal speed running a strafing pass with its beam cannons as the fighter swarm used the ship for cover and banked widely around for another pass. Once the Truth was facing the Odyssey star drive’s aft, it launched several mk. X warheads from all tubes, illuminating the battlespace in brilliant red and orange hues as each round detonated against the Truth’s resilient shield network.
“Commander, it’s worth noting the Truth could be dishing out much more punishment than it is,” Tiaahl said with a puzzled expression.
“He’s going soft on us.”
“Why?”
Adrian scowled, “he wants his cattle still,” he typed a new maneuver into his console. “Lt. Vail, new heading. Execute.”
The star drive whipped around again, using its maneuvering thrusters to aid in the turn, and the subluminal drives flashed as they jumped to full power, dumping the secondary power into them fully for five seconds to achieve the max burn. He was essentially running the fighters and the star drive in opposite strafing patterns hoping to punch a hole in the shield. He had no clue if it was working.
All he had at this point was hope. Hope and a fuck load of missiles and beam weapons.
“Give me a full spread here,” Adrian told Tiaahl. The star drive of the Odyssey hurled a ring of missiles that detonated against the Truth’s shields at the epicenter of the spinal lance cannon round.
“Their shields are holding.”
Adrian leaned back in his seat, the leather creaking. “God damn. All right. Give the fighters and bombers the green light. Find targets and make them gone. Let’s dig in and see what we can do about making this asshole hurt.”
“Aye aye, Commander,” Jarod replied.
Chapter Eighteen
The arbitrator was sitting forward in his command chair feeling anxious. The battle would be nearing soon. They were nearing a turning point in the elite’s history. In the empire’s history even, such that it was. The Elites casting off the yoke of the prophets and becoming their own people again. He would show them. The shame of the role of the arbitrator would be no more. He was going to alter that as well. Bring back the honor of being the arbitrator. He was going to make it become the avatar of his people once again.
“Arbitrator, the enemy has opened fire on the Truth.”
“The docent has made his move,” Legan mused. “Alert all elite ships to prepare for battle when they drop out of warp.”
“Yes, Arbitrator,” the helmsman responded, inputting the message.
Legan leaned back into his seat some, and the silver etched plate armor shifted around his body slightly as he did. “What’s the status of his battlegroup reinforcements?”
The helmsman went over his long-range sensor scans for a moment to recheck data and then turned back to face the arbitrator. “They should be dropping out in 15 microcycles.”
Legan’s eyes narrowed. The Truth against any vessel other than a dreadnaught was problem enough. When one factored in its support ships and the opposition faced overwhelming odds. Vay’s battlegroup could punish entire fleets. A single vessel would wither over time regardless of its might. He silently prayed for Commander Rain and his USS Odyssey to hold out.
“Gods be with you, Commander. For soon so shall I,” Legan prayed under his breath. Everything hinged on the Odyssey being able to detain Docent Vay long enough for the elites to mount their insurrection.
Docent Vay gripped his command station angrily. He was still waiting for the computer to decode and decompress the data packet that Kaine had transmitted to them. As a result, they were going easy on the human vessels. However, Commander Rain was no fool and he was laying it on as thick as he could with some rather impressive displays of command, tactics, and firepower. He was already beginning to second-guess his orders to fire “softly” on the human vessel.
“How long until the remainder of the battlegroup arrives?”
“Five microcycles.”
Vay leaned back, relaxing his grip on the station. A cold smile spread across his face. Good. He could relax then. Soon his entire battlegroup would be here and nothing the humans thought to do would matter. They had the nebula to their backs and the Truth to their faces. Soon there would be no other options and the more time they spent here attacking him vainly, the more they invited their doom. Such fools.
“The enemy commander’s tactics are quite exemplary. It would be a shame to subjugate him into the lowest caste.”
Vay nodded with Cor’s assessment. “Quite true. The empire could make good use of his skills. And we could leverage the lives of his people and the planet to pressure him into service.”
“A cunning thought, Docent,” Cor complimented him.
“Yes, it rather is, is it not?” Vay turned his attention to the battle raging on the command screens. If all the humans were as tenacious and skilled as this one, going to war with them would be no easy feat. He was willing to bet, however, that this one had seen the most battle earning him his place on such a ship. It would be wise to assume he was facing down the best vessel they had constructed. Just as they were facing down the best vessel, the empire had constructed.
The two avatars of two different unions fighting for dominance. The poetry of the situation pleased him. In a better mood now, he glanced to his fire control officer. “You, fire at will.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
The Truth and Jubilation lit up the battlespace into a hellish zone of weapons fire as it began to fire at the Odyssey’s star drive with far more weapons than it had used before. The Odyssey suffered several strikes. Vay folded his arms and leaned back smugly.
“Now what, Commander Rain? What cunning trick will you play now? What tactic or maneuver will you execute now that I have brought the full brunt of my vessel to bear on you? Foolish human. Helmsman, ahead full.”
The battle bridge of the Odyssey’s star drive was showing a little wear. The main screen had suffered a crack that formed after taking one of the few hits Vail had not been able to dodge when the Truth opened up with all weapons singing.
“Commander, it’s getting reall
y hot outside,” Ben spoke up over the battlenet.
“Fall back. Time to let them find the party favors.”
“Aye aye, Commander. All wings fall back to rally point Bravo.”
The steel swarm of fighters and bombers bobbed and weaved back away from the Truth as the Odyssey veered hard to port and fell in with them. The Truth pushed forward at full speed.
“Time?”
“One minute,” Jarod announced.
Adrian sat as far forward as his harness would allow him. “Come on, you sonuvabitch. Just a little farther. That’s it. Keep going.”
The screens all flashed white. The Truth had pushed right into the deployed Boron spatial charges the bombers had laid out. A full spread.
“Jarod, a full spread of mk. X’s. Come about full and give the lance a second round. Ben, give ‘em hell. Let’s make them earn every inch of ground.”
The star drive swung around hurling a volley of warheads as the barrel of the spinal lance cannon began to charge excited phased photons at the end of its muzzle. Like a thousand tiny orange-red suns that swarmed and condensed into one singularity. The steel swarm loosed another volley of warheads of their own. The shield surface of the Truth groaned in protest as detonations blossomed in a rapid staccato.
“Charge primed, Commander.”
“Fire,” Adrian ordered.
The small sun at the end of the Odyssey’s barrel whined before bursting open and spewing a cone-shaped array of destruction against the face of the Truth.
“Direct hit, sir. Reading damage to the hull. Still attacking.”
The ship rocked several times from multiple hits again. Strike after strike. He tried to order Jarod to return fire. Thrown to the floor from a violent explosion that jolted the star drive. Then it all stopped.
“Commander,” Jarod addressed him to the main screen. The fore section had pushed out of the nebula to use its shields to cover the star drive, laying down fire with its stronger beam cannons.
Mary Jo popped on the screen. “Commander. Looked like you could use a break.”