"Follow me!" Ensign Hawkins yelled.
Nate activated his burners and felt the familiar kick in his stomach as they lurched ahead.
So it begins.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
50,000Kms from Fiorr Veej Rift
A pair of Hawkmoth fighters exploded just in front of Nate as he crashed through their wreckage. His comrades followed right behind, still firing as they went. The entire area around the fighters filled with flames and flashes, and then they burst out into clear space.
"Yeah!" Rex yelled.
Nate blinked, but when his eyes opened he was amazed to find a line of dots heading right at him. The computer scanners had failed to detect the threat, but he could tell what they were. He'd played fleet defence missions enough to know when warheads were heading right at him.
"Break!"
Nate yanked on the stick and rolled his fighter, pulling the trigger just as a volley of hypersonic torpedoes screamed past. They were close, and had they been proximity-detonated missiles he might have been killed there and then. Luckily for him, they were ship killers and heading directly at ANS Relentless. As he moved back to his previous course, he looked back to make sure the guns of the fleet were doing their job. It was almost impossible to see them now with so many guns firing. Puffs and flashes rippled around the ships as though they were putting on a lavish firework ceremony.
"Stay with me," said Lieutenant Commander Holder.
The spacecraft from both Knighthawk and Corsair Squadrons formed up into four small units, a mixture of different marks of Lightning fighters, along with the two extra gunships. The Lieutenant Commander took the lead position, with her fighters rolling into position with incredible poise and prowess.
Nice, Nate thought.
"Lock on the nearest three heavy transports. Target these locations. Prepare Sea Skuas."
Nate didn't both checking what they were, and simply acknowledged the order and locked on the designated positions with his weapons.
"On my mark...Fire!"
Each fighter released a pair of the missiles and then immediately rolled away from their firing positions. These heavy anti-ship missiles continued to accelerate as they hurtled towards the bow of the ships. Long-range guns from the fleet had already hammered the front vessels.
"Great work. Watch your tails. We've got fighters. Break and engage."
When they reached the half-way point, the missiles split up, some moving above the ship, others below, and the rest head out to the side. That was the point at which the enemy fighters finally closed the distance. Nate tugged twice on his controls to avoid them as a great mass of Hawkmoth and Mahingan fighters rushed through their formation. Incredibly, neither side was hit, but it did momentarily break their formation.
This is insanity.
A quick glance ahead showed him a line of Alliance ships, all shrouded in flashes. Streaks leapt out from their many gun systems, and if it weren't for the overlay system, he would have had no idea what was happening.
"Knighthawk Two, evade, now!"
Nate didn't hesitate and instantly moved his controls. He rolled out of the path of a drifting engine and rejoined his small formation. Off in the distance he spotted Corsair Squadron in pursuit of a unit of newly arrived Komodo heavy bombers.
"Good work, Knighthawks. Keep hitting their fighters and give the heavies the space to use their big guns," said Commander Higgins.
Nate smiled at hearing this. Their craft were much better suited to the close quarter melee with other fighters than they were against capital ships. He looked again at the fighters from Corsair Squadron and suddenly felt a strong desire to fight alongside then. The icons for the missiles changed course, and Nate watched for a brief moment as they arced back towards the ship and moved in against its sides.
Beautiful.
"Missile contact," said Lieutenant Commander Holder.
Nate glanced briefly at his tactical overlay and watched as dozens of them made it past the minimal turret defences and exploded in a series of terrible blasts. By the time the sixth missile hit, the first ship tore into three sections, with flashes leaping about the wreckage. The two at its flanks took more impacts but kept on coming, even though they were now burning on multiple decks. Another icon popped up in his line of sight, and this one surprised him. It was a lone gunship, and as Nate closed the distance, he spotted four of the medium fighters moving in to attack it.
"Stay in formation, Knighthawk Seven."
"Right behind you," said Matilda.
Nate glanced back and quickly found the brutish shape of the Bullnose gunship right there. And to its left the Lightning piloted by Rex.
So who is that?
Nate looked back at the lone gunship and immediately knew.
Billy!
"Okay, follow me in. Billy is flying as bait. We'll use him to pick them off."
The three spacecraft rolled to the left and accelerated towards the distant gunship. The enemy fighters were right behind it, and unfortunately for them, Nate and his comrades were just four kilometres away and right in their blind spot.
"Use guns, and make the shots count," said Nate.
The three spacecraft closed the distance until the shot was almost impossible to miss.
"Fire!"
The guns of the two Lightnings were powerful enough, but when the 60mm chin-mounted railguns on the gunship opened up, it was devastating. The first burst struck one of the Mahingans in the fuselage and cut it in half. It spun out of control and cut into the second; what remained of the rest quickly dealt with by turret fire from the other fighters. Only one of the damaged craft managed to pull away, but without thinking, Rex boosted his engines to pursue.
"Back in formation!" Nate snapped.
The engines of the fighter pulsed once more, but he then reduced speed and fell back into position. A pair of Hawkmoth fighters appeared from behind a large section of a damaged ship and streaked past, directly in front. They passed by the area recently vacated by Rex, leaving them exposed to the full arsenal of the fighters. Two turned to attack Rex, but the rest of the group was already there. Billy had accelerated just in front of them and took a long burst of gunfire that crashed through his right flank. A turret ripped off, but the gunship kept on flying, much to Nate's amazement.
"Now!"
As before, they opened fire with their guns, hitting the Hawkmoths as they passed. One lifted up to escape, but Matilda was on the fighter like a flash. Though it managed to avoid her main gun, it was too late to avoid the burst from her forward mounted turrets. With so little time to react, they were cut apart, and the wreckage from their craft joined the many others now littering the space before the Spacebridge.
"You were right, Knighthawk Two," said Rex, "Thanks for the heads up."
Nate smiled at hearing him speak. It was quite an admission on his part.
"Affirmative, Knighthawk Three."
The formation split apart to avoid the wreckage, regrouping in a wide circling position as they looked for new targets. Other fighter squadrons from the fleet were engaged in all directions, and Nate could have watched them for hours had it not been for his own modest part in the mission. The supercarrier was still heading towards ANS Warlord, but with much of her protective screen of ships gone, she had slowed her advance and sent in a wave of ships to soak up the fire first. The great ship waited behind its suicidal militia ships like a general coordinating a battle from the rear echelon; only trading shots with ships and fighters if they strayed too close. A signal flashed on Nate's overlay from Corsair Squadron.
Lieutenant Commander Holder.
"The enemy carrier is falling back behind its escorts. Admiral Churchill needs heavy weapons brought into the fray and fast. The carrier appears to be readying her flight decks, presumably to launch a fighter strike. My fighters have detected large numbers being readied to launch, including twenty plus Komodo bombers."
Nate swallowed uncomfortably at that news. He remembered the la
st time they'd gone up against Komodos, and it hadn't been much fun.
"Corsairs and Jackals will attack now."
Nate licked his lips with relish.
"Sir, we will support you."
"Negative, Knighthawks. Get back to Relentless. Rearm, and then get back here, fast! This battle is a long way from over."
Nate pulled his fighter around, and the rest of the unit formed up with him.
"You heard the Lieutenant Commander. Get back and rearm fast. We've got a fight to win."
They accelerated away from the enemy ships and towards the line of beleaguered Alliance warships. Nate could see the bow of Relentless was already open and landing fighters almost continually, as she rearmed and launched them in a matter of minutes. As Nate lined up to land, he wondered when was the last time she had been in such a fight. Once given permission to land, he moved through the bow and shook his head.
Who cares? Just grab the ammo and get back out there!
* * *
Nate waited in silence as the elevator continued moving to its position on the port hangar deck. The craft rocked gently as it made its way through the shaft in the heart of the ship. With no pomp or ceremony, he emerged onto the deck, and it took a few moments before the fighter was stationary. The clamps moved into position to hold it firmly onto the deck, and then the canopy hissed open. Nate kept his helmet on, but deactivated the faceplate so that he could breathe in the warm air. A friendly face appeared at the top of a ladder, as one of the deck crew came to check him.
"Good to have you back, Sir. What do you need?"
"Thanks, refuelling and rearming. Just anti-ship ordnance."
The man looked back and called out to his deck crew. Robotic loaders and machines were already connected to his fighter and busily lifting weapons to his pylons. It was more like the process carried out by a motorcar racing team, and even Nate was amazed at the speed and skill on show.
Now that is impressive.
"What about your wing, Sir?"
Nate leaned to the side and glanced back at the angular winglets. One had lost a section from the tip.
"She'll live."
The man nodded and moved back down from view.
"Eight minutes and you'll be back in the air, Sir."
* * *
They had been back in action for twenty minutes already and taken several close hits. Rex had been hit in one of his engines, and Nate had even lost another winglet to a nearby missile blast. The battle had degenerated into a mess as ships faced off against each other in small skirmishes. Meanwhile, large bands of roving fighters swirled about in bloody dogfights.
An Alliance destroyer vanished in a circular white flash. When the explosion cleared, he was stunned to see the ship had gone, to be replaced by a burning hulk.
"Mayday, mayday!" called out a terrified voice, "ANS Boston is down. We've sustained multiple atomic strikes. Powerplant is down, engines destroyed. Crew are evacuating. Need..."
Another pair of blasts shattered the stern as an atomic warhead ripped off a section the size of a frigate. Smaller pulses of energy showed where lifeboats blasted away from the ship, but another explosion ended the chance of many of them being able to escape. Nate glanced at the clock in his cockpit. The mission seemed endless.
"My...damaged..take command," said Ensign Hawkins.
Nate looked to his right. The other half of the Knighthawks was forming up alongside his own group. He almost burst out in happiness at seeing they were all there, even though Hawkins' fighter was burnt all down the one side. A section of his port fuselage was missing, and electrical cables and circuits lay exposed to the violence of the battle.
"Affirmative," said Nate, "I'm taking over the position of Knighthawk Leader. All form up. We need to assist the ANS Boston."
"Negative," said Commander Higgins, "You will follow the Lieutenant Commander's lead."
Nate began to argue but was silenced by the stern voice of Captain Cornwallis who overruled both of them.
"Your orders are clear, Knighthawk Squadron. I am sending all available fighters in this quadrant of the battle to the enemy carrier."
His voice was taken over by Commander Higgins.
"You heard the Captain. Knighthawks will join in a four-squadron assault on the carrier. Here are your targets."
Waypoints popped up for each target, one allocated to the entirety of the Knighthawks. They had been given the centre of the ship where the fighters were launching.
"ANS Harbinger will lead the attack on the ship, supported by three frigates. Your job is to keep the fighters busy before she gets there, and then regroup to assist in the attack."
He sent in additional target data to each of them.
"Hit her fast, and before she can launch all her fighters," said Commander Higgins, "You'll have backup on the way."
"Sir," replied Nate.
He passed on the orders to his wingmen, and then as one they hit their burners.
"Yeah, I've detected more fighters preparing for launch," said Rex, "They're mobilising on her upper deck. And it's protected by a patrol of ten, no, twelve fighters."
"Understood," said Nate.
Even as he spoke, he was busy checking the layout of the massive ship. It was easily the same overall size as ANS Warlord, but clearly optimized for a strike role. Large launch decks opened and closed along her flanks, but it was along the middle of the upper superstructure that housed the single largest array of launch tubes and recovery bays. Around these gaping openings were dozens of towers bristling with guns and missiles systems.
That's our target?
Nate scanned the position ahead and then found them. The computer tagged more than a dozen on their unloading racks. Another four had already launched and were staying close to their capital ships, moving along their hull to avoid detection.
"Got 'em," said Nate, "Follow me in. We'll strafe those hugging the hull of the ship and then regroup with Corsair Squadron. Follow me!"
The spacecraft activated their burners and moved in close to the bow of the massive ship. This was an old Byotai warship that must have been modified and reactivated in the last few years. Though lacking many of the advancements in modern ships, she was still tough and easily the size on an Alliance cruiser. What made her stand out among the other ships was the large section in the middle of its upper superstructure. There were multiple large openings that led down into a vast hangar area.
"Stay close to her hull. We need to avoid her turrets," said Rex.
"Yeah, I got that," muttered Nate.
They moved to within a hundred metres, weaving in and out of the upper superstructure. Nearby ships fired at them, but so close to the warship, it was impossible to hit them without causing damage to the ship itself. Three Mahingan fighters crossed their path and were quickly punished, leaving the Hawkmoths desperately trying to escape, like small fish pursed by a large predator. Under and over they went, with the enemy fighters spinning about and sending sporadic shots at the Alliance fighters. It was far too little to stop the pursuit, though. And as they passed by the large nacelles, they moved into a more open area, one that gave them little space to hide.
"Open fire!"
The Squadron fired with everything they had. Some of the rounds hit the fighters, but most glanced off the heavily armoured superstructure. They twisted and rolled as they continued along the full length of the ship. One spun around and fired a burst at Nate. A handful of bullets struck his armoured cockpit. The computer-guided turrets on the gunships hit back hard, and then the enemy fighters vanished.
"Regroup at point seven-zero-seven," said Captain Cornwallis, "ANS Harbinger needs fighter cover for her attack. She's moving to strike the carrier's flank. ANS London and New Berlin are providing covering fire via medium-range bombardment. Do not stray into the path."
"Sir," said Nate.
The two destroyers formed up in the path of the carrier and presented their flanks to the ship so that they might maximize their fir
epower. At the same time, ANS Warlord continued to pound every ship in sight, using her long-range guns to breach the armour and inner compartments of anything that moved into her line of sight. Nate tagged the waypoint and contacted his wingmen.
"Let's go."
A bright flash marked their departure as they moved to join with the rest of the Squadron, as well as the Corsairs. Nate used that brief window to check on the status of the battle. It had been raging for almost fifty minutes, though to him it felt more like an entire day. A quarter of the militia ships were now gone or crippled, but the rest had fanned out to try and pin down the Alliance ships in one on one combat. The voice of Commander Holder came over the internal speakers, and Nate listened carefully to whatever she had to say. Of all the pilots he'd met so far, there was none more competent and inspiring to him.
"Relentless. Our missiles are almost expended, and we're running low of fuel. I need an update on the operation and the evacuation."
Captain Cornwallis answered almost immediately, and Nate suspected he'd probably been thinking the same thing.
"Understood..."
There was a short pause, presumably as the Captain checked details with the senior officers aboard Relentless. Nate used the moment to check for his ship's position in the fleet. It only took a moment to spot her in the middle and surrounded by her flak guns. A single militia transport was alongside her and almost the same size as the Alliance ship. The improvised weaponry on the militia vessel was no match for the thick armour and multiple weapons on the old ship of war. Blue flashes marked the firing of the deck guns as she battered the militia ship, making it pay for coming too close.
She is one hell of a ship.
"Evacuation is now seventy percent complete, and the Rift is securely mined. Nothing will get through without detailed navigation data," said Captain Cornwallis, "We've already secured the safety of more than two hundred thousand people. Just five more ships to go before we can leave."
Operation Hellfire Page 22