Void Dragon

by William Kephart

  "We've got a whole Enemy fleet out their trying to kill us and I don't need to worry about my crew killing each other too. If you can't understand each other then you need to learn, fast. If we can't work together we're dead. If I hear about any more problems Heads.Will.Roll. Am I clear?"

  The troopers with a less-than-adequate command of Standard got at least that last part. They snapped to attention, saluted, then filed out of the mess hall in a more-orderly-than-normal fashion. Tian's eyes expressed gratitude. Wen gave her a nod then headed back toward her office, nearly running into Major Zhamisce.

  "My compliments, Captain, couldn’t have done it better myself," he said. Wen was not in the mood to discuss command methods; she acknowledged him and kept walking.

  He continued, "I just got called, looks like you didn't need me after all."

  Nima sent Zhamisce anyway. She told him not to do that. They would have to have words.

  "Well then, I'll get back to work," he said, and made a motion for the remaining marines to follow him. Wen had a funny thought.

  "Chandra jen," she said to no one in particular.

  "Ma’am?" Zhamisce asked, looking surprised.

  "What does it mean?"

  "It's Nihindi, old Mei dialect, not a very nice thing to say. It means 'dirty Ren thing,' like saying you're a slave of the Ren but you think you're one of them. I haven't heard it since I was a kid," he said.

  "Is that what the Mei think?"

  "It's uncommon since the Equality Edict, but some have long memories. Corporal Yimran believes the rebellions never ended. I think she refuses to improve her Standard on principle." He made an exasperated noise. "Listen, Captain, she's a good trooper. I promise this won't happen again. I take full responsibility."

  "Don't worry about it, Major; I consider today to be a learning experience. We're all on edge here, just see this doesn't happen again. Dismissed."

  Wen walked down the passageway and settled back into her office. Nima had the conn for a few more hours and she needed to catch up on admin. Her screen indicated a greenshift jump was immanent. She sat back for a moment and braced herself as she felt rather than heard the huge amounts of energy being vented.

  The distortion field enveloped the ship in odd shades of green and violet, forming a tight seal of warped space-time, and then a pull that came from everywhere and nowhere. The feeling was like an elevator about to go down or holding in a breath a little too long, an uneasy suspension. A moment passed as the ship settled, flickering into existence in a star system light-years distant. The shift was complete.

  Only moments later the proximity alarm went off.

  "THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. GENERAL QUARTERS. GENERAL QUARTERS. ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS."

  The Enemy was there.

  ***

  Wen made a mad dash for the command deck. The Captain's office was conveniently placed so she could make these trips quickly. She noted with approval that Nima had already evacuated the command chair for her and was busily coordinating with the other ships at his own desk. She sat down heavily and summoned her screen.

  She ran a hand over the display coalescing before her eyes; there were swirling clouds of light particles, greens and purples and oranges, and felt it all gradually solidify beneath her fingers until the controls were opaque and responsive.

  She entered a few commands and it projected a relief all significant objects within range. The Enemy ships were formed up in a line abreast, approaching them on an intercept course. Close, but not too close. We have some time. This was it. This was really it.

  "The Commodore is hailing us, Captain," Xinren said.

  "Patch her through, Commander." A small screen with Commodore Jiang's likeness lit up on the Captain's left.

  "It looks like they've already spotted us, Captain. I've made the decision to engage. They're coming to us so no counter shift necessary. We'll have a few minutes before they're in range; we need to to go over the battle plan while we have time."

  "Void Dragon standing by for orders, Commodore."

  "They have five dreadnoughts to our four, an apparent disadvantage, but they don't know about you. I want it to stay that way. Our dreadnoughts will form a line of battle and intercept them once we all have our shields up.

  Captain Li of the Kongming will hold the left flank, the Two Rivers and Jade Wind in the center. I'll hold the far right with the Liangshan. The Enemy ship on the extreme left will remain unengaged. I want the Void Dragon in my wake and out of sight for now. Hopefully, the light-noise will hide you long enough for them to take the bait. It's a gamble but we're not going to get a better circumstances than this for a real combat test."

  "Moving to position, Commodore. Any further instructions?"

  "It's your time to shine, Captain Wen. We'll force them to match us before you start your approach. Once we've gotten them well-engaged and pinned down I want you to burn for their right flank. When the shooting starts communication will become difficult and you'll be isolated, so be careful.

  "Sweep your fire from right to left across our front. I'm counting on you to get there before their unoccupied dreadnought can do the same on our left. If not, they'll have a clear shot for the Kongming. Do not attempt a combat shift today. We're taking a lot of chances as it is; I don't want to add one more variable that can go wrong. Just conventional propulsion should serve. Show us all what the Void Dragon can do. Jiang out."

  The plan was solid, though not overly bold. Wen wondered for a moment if she could shift in right then and shred the entire Enemy fleet minutes before they got their shields up, but no, going in unsupported like that was how she failed in simulation. She had orders, so theatrics would have to wait.

  The squadron fell into formation and began their approach. With the recent shift energy sinks would be empty, and it would be a few minutes before either the Gongyue or Enemy vessels managed to generate enough power to raise shields.

  Those on the command deck had an anxious time while engineering scrambled to get major systems back online. The dreadnoughts would be vulnerable for most of the approach. Tian was much faster; she had the Void Dragon's shields and main gun's acceleration rails powered up in just under a minute.

  "All systems online, Captain," Tian said over the intercom.

  Wen double-checked her display and saw the tell-tale flicker of a shield cone that distorted the profile of the ship.

  "Excellent work, Lieutenant. Please send my compliments to the whole engineering staff; you may stand by," Wen said. "Steady on, Mr. Nima, try to keep us as close behind the Liangshan as possible. With shields up we should be able to hug their stern without issues. Doesn't look like anyone has taken notice of us. Prepare to burn hard when the front line opens fire."

  "Acknowledged, Captain," Nima said, sounding more serious than Wen had ever heard him.

  It’s real now. Her eyes became unfocused as she took in everything at once, her mind accelerating and gearing up for battle.

  The Enemy formation moved aggressively, with four of their ships headed directly for Jiang's dreadnoughts and fifth breaking off to turn their flank and threaten the Kongming on the left. There was no indication they were suspicious of a trap, even though it was out of the ordinary for four dreadnoughts to voluntarily stand their ground against five.

  One by one the engineers on the rival dreadnoughts powered up their systems and prepared to engage. Getting the shields online took priority so neither side was firing, wouldn’t be easy to hit anything this many light-seconds out either.

  After a few minutes the Enemy ship on the Gongyue right fired the first volley. It struck the Liangshan. The projectile hurtled forward at a speed imperceptible, and dashed itself upon the fine point of the dreadnought's shield. The transparent field flashed violet as it strained against the force of the shot, and the ship's orientation was knocked askew, but was quick enough to right itself.

  The shots were not intended to do damage, but to lock the ships in place. A dreadn
ought taking fire could do no other than present its least vulnerable section to the enemy. The ship on the far left of the Gongyue squadron was not firing, but drifting menacingly to their left flank, seeking a killing shot where the shields would not be enough to turn aside the blow.

  Commodore Jiang ordered her own ships to return fire, and their courses distorted from the force of the guns. Ports on the massive segmented rings spit green xinium waste-gas to push them back into proper alignment. The return fire was as ineffective as the initial barrage. The question of victory or defeat fell to the flankers.

  "That's our signal. Take us out Mr. Nima; it's time to reveal ourselves. Commander Xinren, hold your fire until I give the word. Let's see if we can't take the pressure off our comrades."

  "Very good, Captain. I think they're in for a shock, just wish I could see their faces," Xinren said. His enthusiasm was all about the command deck. Battle was joined; this was what they were waiting for.

  Carefully, carefully, she kept the bow oriented towards the path of Enemy fire. They cleared the Liangshan and advanced. Already engaged, there was nothing the Enemy could do to check their progress. The trap was sprung.

  Soon enough they closed the distance and Xinren glanced back expectantly.

  "Just a little closer, Commander. I want to make sure. Mr. Nima, get me ten more degrees."

  Nima took them even closer. There. "You're cleared to fire, Commander."

  "With pleasure, Captain." Xinren made a few adjustments and exhaust from some of the ports pushed them into alignment. "Steady...steady...FIRE!"

  The hull jerked as the shot was propelled the length of the ship, gaining momentum as it reached muzzle velocity. The automated loading mechanism groaned as it elevated another round of high-density shot into the vacuum acceleration chamber, waiting for Xinren's order to fire again.

  The unfortunate recipient of his wrath, the Enemy dreadnought, was not standing up well. After the first shot the shields failed and the second rent and tore the ship in two. The reactor went critical immediately and xinium forced its way out in all directions, embroiling the debris in what looked like a small supernova. Xinren smiled at his work and moved to continue right down the line.

  The destruction happened so quickly the other Enemy ships didn't immediately react, their own flanking ship continuing its course. The battle was getting a little hectic with light-noise and Xinren had to triangulate the next Enemy ship’s position from it’s firing pattern rather than conventional sensors. However, in the space of another minute he managed to get a good fix and sent another Enemy ship to the abyss, a hit to the energy sinks that caused the shields to lose cohesion and tear the ship apart.

  "Good shot, Xinren. Wait, what the—"

  "Bugout bursts, Captain, looks like they're running," Nima said, sounding relieved.

  And so it was. Wen's display was flooded with junk data from all the light-noise the Enemy ships were pumping out, a desperation tactic to cover their escape. They’d won. The Enemy was running.

  "Any word from the Commodore?" Wen asked.

  "The Liangshan is sending something, Captain. I'll need a moment to parse it," Nima said.

  "Understood. Commander Xinren, while he's working I want you to triangulate the position of the remaining Enemy vessels. They're not going anywhere fast and we can probably catch them if you can get a fix. It should be easier for us since we're closer than the rest of the squadron."

  Their signals were digitized photon pulses, fast, but unreliable after a certain distance, and prone to interruption or outright failure with ships firing all around. It was a deadly balancing act to keep close enough to maintain contact and coordination while staying spread out enough to avoid envelopment.

  "Astrogation, Gunnery, report if you have anything for me."

  "Got a fix on their propulsion, Captain. Hard to hide burning thrusters for any length of time," Xinren said.

  "Outstanding, Gunnery. Mr. Nima?"

  Nima and his staff on the astrogation station fiddled on their screens for a moment more. It really was difficult to get a signal through in this kind of battle. Wen hadn’t realized how far away they were. The Void Dragon made distance seem like nothing.

  "Commodore Jiang instructs us to pursue and destroy the remaining two dreadnoughts in the Enemy skirmish line."

  "Two? I thought there were three?"

  "She further instructs us to let the final ship go as it is already breaking off and will likely be beyond conventional pursuit once we finish with the others."

  "We'll see about that. Let's get going, and mind the fire from our own ships. They might have trouble distinguishing targets at this range."

  Her object tracker was still complete chaos. Xinren was damn good to catch them in all that noise, she thought.

  "Got a firing solution, Captain," Xinren said.

  "So soon? Looks like I let the range creep up on me. Well, it's been fun boys, but it's time to get serious. Fire at will!"

  The doomed ships had no room to maneuver as Commodore Jiang Brought up the Liangshan, Two Rivers, and Jade Wind to fully cut them off. With the rapid fire from Xinren's cannon and glancing blows from the Gongyue dreadnoughts, they never had any hope of escape. Wen noticed the Kongming was nowhere in sight, though.

  There was cheering on the bridge as the final Enemy vessel was snuffed out, the dead hulk drifting anticlimactically as it lost power and went cold. The crew wouldn’t last long and the ship would probably degenerate into a debris field from all the structural damage.

  The Void Dragon's first action was a resounding success. Commodore Jiang was prepared to let the last ship go, but Wen had other ideas. Emboldened by seeing four kills in as many minutes, she felt like finishing with a good round five.

  "Mr. Nima, set a pursuit course, I want to cut off that last dreadnought before it can escape."

  "Captain, with all due respect, as fast as we are we can't hope to catch them now," he said.

  "I think we can. Tian, prepare to shift. I've already plugged in a course; prepare to jump on my mark."

  "But Captain, Commodore Jiang said..."

  "That was an order, Nima! Jump now!"

  They shifted with the push of a button, materializing at close range a moment later. Too close!

  "Nima! Maximum reverse, put some distance between us and that ship!"

  The Enemy greenshift drive was charging and the Void Dragon would be obliterated if they ventured too close to the shredded space-time.

  "Xinren, prepare to fire," she ordered.

  "At this range, Captain? We'll be caught in the blast!"

  "We're fast enough to clear the blast radius at maximum reverse. Just wait a moment."

  "Captain, they're about to shift out," Nima said.

  "Then fire."

  "But Captain..."

  "Now!"

  The explosion was the most violent thing Wen had ever seen, and she was a veteran officer who had been fighting a deep space war for years. With the Enemy ship controlling the reaction destroyed raw xinium radiation erupted in all directions, painting the black with oppressive green fire. The Void Dragon's shield integrity dropped precipitously.

  "Shield integrity eighty eight percent, seventy two, fifty four..." Xinren said anxiously.

  "Tian! All power to shields and rear thrusters, get us out of here!" Wen shouted.

  The lights flickered on the command deck. Wen's fingers bit into her chair.

  "Forty eight...forty three! Thirty nine! Thirty seven! Thirty Six!"

  No...not yet...

  "Shields steady at thirty six percent integrity," Xinren said, and slumped into his chair.

  Not yet. "Mr. Nima, take us back to the squadron."

  "Captain, priority message incoming. Commodore Jiang wishes to speak with you, privately."

  Chapter 5

  "I'll take it in my office. Mr. Nima, you have the conn," Wen said.

  Wolf Five maintained a stationary formation a short distance from the Void Dragon and
the charred hulk of the last Enemy dreadnought. The flagship Liangshan was at its head, awaiting Wen's reply. Light-noise from the battle had died down enough for reliable communications to be established. All that remained on their sensors was some light background radiation left over from the reactors of the destroyed Enemy ships.

  Wen got up and made for her office, pausing briefly to return the spontaneous salutes of various crewmen. Expressions were light and spirits high; none of them had ever witnessed a victory so quick or complete, the near disaster apparently forgotten. Small scale fleet actions were usually inconclusive, the equivalent of trading pawns, with victories only by the narrowest of margins. For most of them this was their first win that really felt like they had actually won.

  None but Nima seemed particularly concerned that Wen had technically disobeyed orders. She was prepared to justify her actions, though unsure whether Jiang would be responsive to her arguments. That last bit was razor close, and she was still coming down from the adrenaline. In some ways she felt too tired to be afraid.

  Here we go. The conference screen in her office flickered to life. Wen waited for the Commodore to speak first.

  And waited. Are we just going to stare at each other?

  "Do I even need to say anything?" Jiang asked finally.

  "Commodore, I— "

  "Stop.

  "Admiral Song told me this would happen. I told myself I was mentally prepared for it. I even had contingency plans to account for your behavior, but you surprised me.

  "You obeyed my orders. You followed my battle plan, and carried it out perfectly. I've never heard of an enemy squadron wiped out with no casualties, especially while technically outnumbered and outgunned. You and the Void Dragon performed amazingly well, certainly beyond my expectations. You were the decisive factor in winning this battle, and then you disobeyed my direct orders."

  "I had— "

  "I'm not finished, Captain! What I want to know is why you did it. Why? After seeing the speed and firepower of our new frigate I was prepared to let you test it out. I only wanted see how it would perform conventionally in its first engagement. This was a scientific control, to establish what this ship was capable of under normal circumstances. High Command wanted to test the ship in a variety of situations. You followed every order but the most important one. Why? Did you feel the need to assert your control? To throw it in my face? To show you are a real captain?"