I ordered the Hawks to come in even closer to the Dresdens. We were within a couple of minutes now of canceling their fighter overtake velocity, at which time we would begin to open up the distance to both them as well as the battle cruisers, whose much lower acceleration meant we only had to worry about their missiles.
A red light flashed on the bridge and a damage control officer reported that one of the bow launchers had jammed. My exec was stationed in the stern of the ship in a separate backup bridge. She immediately ran forward to the missile room and commed me moments later, “They are tearing into the system to get it back up, but it will be out of action for at least five minutes, possibly more, sir. I’ll keep you informed.” I thanked her.
We initiated our final launch of capital missiles, sending a stream of them back towards the battle cruisers. We adjusted their acceleration so that the last ones would catch up to the first ones for the final sprint. I sent forty of them curving around to take the battle cruisers from head on, where they had few lasers. The balance of them would envelope them from two sides at approximately the same time. I wanted to eliminate their ability to target one missile at a time. Additionally, we ordered them to cycle their acceleration up and down when they reached energy weapon range.
We were running out of both time and weapons. If we didn’t kill those two ships with this launch they could swamp us with missiles just as we were trying to do to them. This attack would determine whether or not we had a chance.
By now, our Dresden’s were down to less than thirty counter missiles each, and we had a huge number of missiles coming up our track towards us. We’d destroyed well over one hundred, but there were still over three hundred in flight. We would have to fight the last ones with lasers only, although the Hawks had antigravity shields as well as their lasers. Their fighters continued to accelerate but they were still a long way from energy range and it was possible that they couldn’t get close enough before our superior acceleration pulled us out of range.
We finished launching all of our capital missiles and watched their tracks as they arced around to come in from three sides. The ability to control these missiles was a welcome feature, but I didn’t understand why these bugs were so much better at hitting them with ships that were relatively underpowered. We were now playing with their first team.
The battle cruiser lasers began firing their anti missile lasers well before they would have a chance to get a kill, but they didn’t lose anything by it. We’d hurt one of the two battle cruisers and it was falling behind the other one, although they were still able to support each other. Elian did some calculations and commed me, saying, “Robert, by the time our missiles arrive the two battle cruisers are going to be separated enough that they won’t be able to support each other properly. Let’s pray that they don’t match acceleration.”
The ambassador commed me on the bridge and asked for a report. In a calm voice I said, “Sir, we have just launched all our remaining capital missiles at the two battle cruisers. If we can’t kill them with this launch, we’re going to be in for a rough time. In fact, even if we do, we still have to deal with the missiles already in flight. We are now beginning to widen the gap between them and us but we’re still within their missiles envelope, and we will be for another fifteen minutes. We’ll know in about seven minutes whether or not our own launch will be successful.” He asked me, revealing a large amount of ignorance about the destructive power of nuclear missiles, “What would happen if one of their missiles hit us?” I said, “Sir, their missiles can destroy a five million ton carrier, we mass about one percent of that.” He thanked me and blanked the screen.
I watched as our missiles stormed in towards the two enemy ships. The battle cruisers were trailing behind us and the gap between the two allowed us a good shot at their lightly defended bows. They would have one hundred and twenty coming in at the top and bottom of their formation, and forty at their lightly defended bows. It should work. I hoped it would work.
Finally, their lasers began hitting missiles, just as methodically and expertly as before. Their fighters began maneuvering to better take on the missiles coming in head on, a smart move that we hadn’t seen previously.
There were so many explosions surrounding their ships it looked like you could walk from one to the other. The huge missiles streaked in inexorably and I began to breathe easier. They were killing missiles extremely fast, but there were simply too many. Suddenly, one hit, then another, then three. One of the ships exploded in an immense ball of fire. Right behind it, the other broke in two and then both halves exploded. I told Elian, “We should have fired those at the beginning. Damn, those things are tough!”
We still had over two hundred and seventy missiles coming up behind us. We emptied our racks of counter missiles. I received a report that they had freed up the jammed launcher which immediately resumed launching. Moments later the Hawks began lasing out at the incoming missiles. I ordered them to target both their lasers on one missile at a time. We didn’t want leakers getting through, as their terminal velocity was now quite high. All the missiles were targeted on our two ships, just as we’d targeted their two.
Elian and I talked about the tougher missile defenses this flotilla had, compared to the others. We didn’t come up with any brilliant observations beyond our initial ‘Oh shit’.
The bulk of their fighters had remained behind to cover the battle cruisers, where their heavy lasers had been very effective at killing our missiles. Now they went to max acceleration heading for us, but they were effectively out of the fight, and it looked as if the closer group of twelve fighters was not going to catch us either.
Meanwhile, the missiles continued to close on us. We had sixteen Hawk lasers, firing in pairs every five seconds. On average, we were getting seven or eight missiles with each group of shots. At this rate, we were golden, but we’d had enough bad surprises that I couldn’t relax.
As the range decreased, the Dresden lasers began targeting the incoming missiles. I had the same problem that I had given to the bugs – the missiles were coming up from behind, and we had few stern lasers that could target the missiles. I made a radical turn that opened up our main banks of lasers. Missiles began exploding more rapidly, but each explosion was closer.
I counted thirty inbound missiles within twenty thousand kilometers. The last one was destroyed less than one thousand kilometers from us, too far out to do any damage to anything other than my heart.
I checked our screens carefully and spoke to all our crews, “Crew, this is the captain speaking. We have successfully destroyed the two battle cruisers, as well as all their missiles. Their fighters cannot close to energy weapons range and have turned back toward the mother ship, leaving us with uncontested possession of this particular piece of void. As we have expended all of our offensive and defensive missiles, I am cutting our vacation short and returning to base. I wish to congratulate this entire crew for your outstanding performance under very difficult conditions. My report to Admiral Lee will include my recommendation that you all receive one of his doughnuts, although if I praise you too highly he may give you a hug, which could put you in a body cast. You may now stand down from battle stations, but we need to maintain a complete sensor watch for the next two hours. I need reports on our condition from department heads ASAP.”
I could hear some relieved laughter from my bridge crew, and hoped it was being mirrored around the ship. They had earned it.
The ambassador commed me moments later and I told him that we had beaten off their missile attack, and we could see no more immediate threats. He asked me if he could come up to the bridge and I ordered a marine to escort them both up for a look.
Ten minutes later the two came onto the bridge. Everyone was exhausted from nearly eight continuous hours at battle stations, but there was still a lot of work to be done.
Ambassador Leung said, “Captain, could you please analyze for us what happened?”
I said, “Sir, I believe tha
t a careful analysis of our mission will demonstrate that you cannot expect the Hawk to operate continuously for such a long time without suffering some breakdowns. That is what happened here. We successfully rescued the stranded crew, destroyed the almost priceless ship and began our egress from the area. We believe that in the course of pulling the crew off the Hawk we advertised our presence. Unfortunately, our shuttle is not stealthy and I have no doubt that it was the shuttle emissions that gave us away. They would have been able to recognize its drive characteristics from the first shuttle we sent in.”
“They immediately launched a large contingent of fighters, and two very large battle cruisers, a class of ship we have previously not encountered. It is considerably larger and better armed than any ship yet recorded, including our own mothballed battle ships. When they arrived at the approximate location of our rescue they spread their ships out in a search pattern, while their battle cruisers maintained their original courses.”
I paused to take a drink of water and continued, “It is my belief that we would have escaped without being pinned down had they utilized normal search patterns. However, they did something very unorthodox: their fighters blindly launched a large number of missiles in an attempt to find us.”
“I’ve never seen this tactic used before and it isn’t something fleet is likely to adopt, but it succeeded in its mission of locating us.”
“One of the missiles came close enough that we had to destroy it, thus giving away our position. We immediately went to maximum acceleration, and the battle cruisers began launching missiles at us. Those two ships succeeded in launching nearly four hundred missiles before we were finally able to swamp their defenses and destroy them. Despite the destruction of the two ships their remaining missiles continued to pose a grave threat to us. We destroyed all of them, the last one at a distance of approximately one thousand kilometers, or put another way, within roughly two seconds of destroying this ship. We suffered no casualties, save for a missile technician who was lightly injured.”
He nodded his head and looked around the bridge. He asked, “Lieutenant Padilla, realizing that it is a bit early to ask for conclusions, I would still like to hear your thoughts on this mission.” I grinned and said, “The flotilla we have just traded missiles with uses the same weapon systems and fights in much the same way as the other flotillas we encountered previously, although we have noted large differences, chiefly in the area of missile technology, such as, of course those two huge battle cruisers.”
“I believe there is ample evidence to support the conclusion that this flotilla is connected in some way as yet unknown to the other four. We do not know if they were allies or enemies of each other. Lieutenant Turner has a, well, not a theory surely, but he has suggested the possibility that this group houses the ‘queen bee’, which is the term he used. We have no evidence to support this idea, but it does seem to explain their behavior. They failed to go to the aid of the other four mother ships but reacted violently to any incursion anywhere near their own mother ship. Of course, it would have been difficult to communicate at such a large distance, but the other groups knew of the existence of this group, so I presume the opposite is true. I do not believe, whatever else transpires, that this race is going to communicate with us in any way, shape or form save with violence of purpose. They behave as if we pose a dire threat to their existence, and in my opinion, they pose a terminal threat to humanity.”
Ambassador Leung looked around the bridge for a moment before replying. “Captain, would you please prepare a written analysis? I would greatly appreciate it if you could have it ready for me a day or so before we return to base. Additionally, please allow me to compliment you and your crews for your magnificently fought defense. The fact that you suffered no casualties whatsoever is a testament to your relentless training. I would also like to apologize if anything I have said previously were to be construed as demeaning of the Fleet in general, or of the ship and personnel I have been a guest in. I wish to assure you that my report will make note of your professionalism and integrity, both in your dealings with me, and with your crews.”
The ambassador reached out and shook my hand, nodded politely to the other members of my bridge crew and left. His assistant spoke not a word. I stood for a moment, thinking that he might be more confusing than our enemies.
The return trip was uneventful, which was a welcome relief. After eight hours at max acceleration we shut down our drives and pulled the Hawk crews off for a well-deserved rest. I asked Chief Kana to go through all eight Hawks and check them out while the crews rested. It took nearly eight hours for his inspections, which noted a few minor problems, but nothing major. The breakdown of the one Hawk did not seem to presage further losses.
The second day after our battle we invited the ambassador to eat in the wardroom. Everyone was still tired, but the mood was ebullient. We were extremely happy to have escaped unscathed, and to be going home.
The ambassador was as warm and open as he had been cold and, well, even colder previously. The transformation was striking. Although I wasn’t going to ask, I believed that the change was due to his coming face to face with the reality that, no matter what he wanted, this race of beings was utterly implacable. He also seemed to have warmed up to Elian’s ebullience and direct nature. My exec was cute, and that may have swayed the old goat as well.
After we gained five hundred million kilometers of separation from the bug flotilla, the Hawk crews returned to their ships and we initiated a series of jumps, landing us back in earth space soon enough to forestall the departure of the FFC and replacement Hawks.
Jupiter base was beginning to look like home to us. As the huge pad lowered our ship, we began shutting systems down. It took the usual long time for the crawlers to move us into our hanger. When the huge chamber finally aired up, the distant personnel hatch opened and a large number of maintenance personnel and official visitors began streaming in. Among those visitors was the admiral himself.
Admiral Lee was the first person to enter the ship. He saluted the flag and asked permission to come aboard, then stepped forward to personally shake my hand. He said, “Captain, welcome home. I’ve read your report, and I tend to concur. It appears that there is no way these beings are going to communicate with us. I’ve also read the ambassadors report, and you seem to have a new convert. His report parallels yours, by the way. I believe that the Senate is going to have to decide just what to do with these incursions. Nobody wants war, but frankly, the thought that the bugs might colonize a system anywhere near us is enough to keep me up nights.”
I said, “Sir, Elian and I have prepared a report detailing the performance of the missile systems. We have a new wish list, some of which will give you a headache for certain, but nonetheless, it can’t hurt to ask.”
The admiral grinned at me and said, “That’s what you think. If they agree to any of your proposals, for example a stealthy carrier, it only means someone has to develop the Damn thing. Me, for instance. On that subject, we are in fact doing just that. We have begun modifying a Fleet Auxiliary Carrier to serve as a model for a new type of task force, composed of Hawks, or their replacements, accompanied by the Dresden class of destroyers, or their replacements. Don’t look for it any time soon, however. They’ve spent a month just arguing over the composition of the armor, or possibly what color of green to paint the heads. Well, enough said. I invite the two of you to dine with me this evening, nineteen hundred hours. My aide will give you directions. Please convey my personal congratulations to your officers and crew for a job well done.” He reached out his hand and shook mine.
With that, the admiral turned and headed back to his office. He was still operating with a minimal support staff, and I don’t know how he managed, but I could see remarkable changes in the base, just in the two months since we left. The first time we arrived the place had been three quarters empty, now it was jammed with ships and personnel. I looked forward to seeing the results of all those credits t
hat were being thrown at the Fleet. After seeing those huge battle cruisers in operation, I knew that we needed more firepower than that which a couple of destroyers could provide.
That evening Elian and I walked together to the personnel hatch of the hanger and caught a ride to the admiral’s quarters. We were admitted by his wide-eyed and innocent appearing aide – the very definition of a false appearance if I’d ever seen one - and shown to a dining room, with seating for far more than the admiral and we two.
We stood, talking shoptalk to Lt. Graziano, who, it turned out, had met both our wives. She admitted, during the short conversation, that she wanted to transfer to a ship, but said that she loved working for the admiral. It was pretty clear, talking to her, that she admired the admiral quite a bit, an attitude we shared.
Within moments, the room began to fill up as more people entered. Finally, the admiral showed up. He was late for his own diner party, and apologized. He didn’t explain, didn’t have to, but I assumed it was unavoidable.
We were shown to our seats, which had been assigned, and food began to appear. It was a good meal, but nothing extraordinary. I hadn’t thought about it, but had heard that many admirals asked for and received special perks, such as expensive food for their own tables. This did not appear to be a custom shared by Admiral “doughnut boy” Lee.
Hawk Seven (Flight of the Hawk) Page 59