Sisterhood of Suns: Pallas Athena

by Martin Schiller

  “Lena, you don’t want to be friendly with the neoman,” she warned. “You remember what Corporal n’Darei told us? We don’t want to stand out.”

  “I remember,” Lena replied, folding her arms stubbornly, “and Private bel Freda and Corporal n’Darei can both stuff it up their pipes if they don’t like it. The Private told us to help with the work and that’s just what I did. Besides, there’s no call for the way she acted. She could have handed the wrench back just like I did. We’re all Marines, even him.”

  “Just the same,” Kaly replied, “we’re new here and we don’t need to get on anyone’s bad side.”

  “I know that, and he may be as ugly as anything the Goddess has ever created,” Lena said, “but it was still wrong.”

  USSNS Pallas Athena, Neutral Space, Unclaimed Zone Adjacent to the Sagana Territory, 1043.03|21|00:97:63

  Mearinn was on third watch when the Athena monitored a transmission from the Agleope system, and as soon as the situation became clear, she woke Katrinn, Lilith and Ellyn. “We have a problem in Agleope,” she informed them, “Hriss raiders are attacking the mining operations in the system’s asteroid belt.”

  All three women dressed hurriedly and ran to the lift, very nearly colliding with each other. “It looks like Command was right about the Hriss, Lily,” Katrinn said as the lift ascended.

  “Yes,” Lilith replied. “Now, let’s hope we can catch them before they slip away.”

  The lift opened onto the command deck and as a group, they went straight over to Mearinn. From the displays on the sitscreens, Lilith could tell that they were looking at least one Hilla-Class light cruiser and a small group of fighters. And from the transmissions that they were receiving, the Territorial Marshals were doing their best to defend the main mining station, but they were clearly out-matched.

  “We’re already prepping for Null,” Mearinn said as she surrendered the command chair. “We should be making the transit in two minutes, and helm estimates a ten minute passage.”

  Which meant that they would be too late to prevent any casualties, but still well within an acceptable time-envelope to catch the raiders in-system if they were going after the mineral resources. If the raid were merely punitive however, the whole thing would be over and done with before the battle group would arrive.

  “With luck they’ll be greedy and this is all for minerals,” Lilith said, calling up a cup of tea for herself. “Do we have any kind of track showing where they came into the system?”

  “Yes, Commander.” A holo showed the area where the raiders had exited Null, along with their line of travel to their target.

  “Good,” she replied. ”As soon as we come out of Null I want the signature of their ship and a scan of the stellar neighborhood for any Null points.”

  Every time a spaceship created a gate to enter Null, a remnant of that rift remained after the transit, and if the ship wasn’t in some form of stealth, an energetic trail was left behind by the ship’s in-system engines. The same held true for any exit back into normal space.

  Each ship’s plasma drives also left a distinct signature that was as unique as fingerprints, or a bioplasmic aura. If the Goddess favored them, the raider’s energy signature would be detectable, and match a trail leading back to one of the nearby Null transit points. If they were even luckier, the same trail would lead back to the raider’s home system.

  The odds were long against this though. By and large, the Hriss weren’t idiots, and when they had raided Persephone, the gate they had created to enter Null had been well outside the immediate stellar neighborhood, making it anyone’s guess where they had come from.

  Hopefully, things will be different this time, Lilith thought, and she said a little prayer to the Lady to tip the scales in their favor.

  “Ma’am,” the helmsmistress informed her. “We’re ready to make the transit.”

  “Good,” she answered, “let’s get to work.”

  ***

  The instant that the battle group exited Null, Lilith ordered general quarters sounded and gave the command for the Nighthunters to launch their fighter-interceptors. Their exit back into normal space had been as close to the asteroid belt as they had dared to get, and they still had another ten minutes before they would be inside of that zone and within missile range.

  When the Hilla-Class light cruiser realized that they were there, it began to leave the area immediately, abandoning its own fighters, and their pilots, to their fate. The sitscreens showed the cruiser moving away from the asteroid belt at full in-system thrust, and Lilith only hoped that the Freya interceptors, and their fighter escorts, would have enough time to cut them off before they reached clear space and made their transit. It was going to be a close thing, but the battle group had the terrain in their favor; the asteroids were thick around the cruiser, and it was not as nimble as the smaller interceptors that were closing in on it.

  The flight leader hailed the cruiser in Hriss’ka, “Hriss warship! You have entered Sisterhood space and attacked it. Power down and surrender immediately or be destroyed as pirates.”

  The Hriss captain replied with an expletive, and the small group of enemy fighters turned about and headed at the interceptors. It was a brave, but utterly futile move. The Freya’s banked away to engage the light cruiser, while their escorts, the faster Valkyrie aerospace fighters, attacked their Hriss counterparts and drew them away from the Freyas.

  Although the Hriss pilots were determined, their fighters were a generation behind the Valkyries, and much less maneuverable. They were also outnumbered three to one. The Valkyries let loose with a volley of anti-spaceship missiles, and as the Hriss fighters tried to evade them, they closed to within gun distance and fired their rail-guns in short bursts.

  One Hriss fighter was immediately damaged by a missile, and lost all thruster control. It spun out of control until it hit an asteroid and became a ball of plasma.

  The second Hriss fighter was sheared in half by gunfire and the third met its fate when it tried to evade a Valkyrie’s rail-guns and flew too close to a stray missile. In a few seconds, only the cruiser remained, and the Freyas were gaining on it like wolves closing in on their prey.

  The vessal had just cleared the asteroid field by this stage, and was powering up its Null-wings as its gunners tried to shoot the Freyas down. It was far too late however, and the interceptors were too agile for the energy bolts to find their marks. The Freyas avoided the defensive fire with ease and rolled down at the ship, letting their missiles fly.

  The first one hit the cruiser’s Null-wings on the left side, shearing them off and making any transit impossible. Its sister plowed into the cruiser’s engines and the third and final missile cut the cruiser completely in half when it struck amidships.

  This was all the punishment that the vessel could withstand, and it exploded. Debris flew everywhere, and the lead Freya pilot sent her interceptor into a victory roll, cheering over the com. The battle, as such, was over.

  “Well, that was certainly short,” Lilith remarked dryly, “Did we get a match on that cruiser’s engine signature?”

  “Yes, we did,” Mearinn announced triumphantly. “The engines match to a track leading into a Null point just inside Hriss space. Even better, the track leads straight back from the transit point to a nearby star system. I’d lay odds that that’s their base. It looks like they got careless this time.” She sent a holo up to Lilith’s chair that pinpointed the location.

  Lilith noted that the system’s star, blandly labeled as CD48 2259, was a G3-4V type. This made it the perfect location for a T-class planet, and for a Hriss raider base. “I agree, Mearinn,” she said. “I think 2259 merits a much closer inspection.”

  “Commander, if we enter Hriss space with our battle group, we could start a war,” N’Dira warned.

  “I fully appreciate that possibility, Advocate,” Lilith returned. “But we may not have any choice in the matter. If it is there, we cannot leave that base operational. I suggest
that we send the Demeter to tend to any survivors at the mining station and adjourn to my office to confer with Rixa.”

  An urgent message was sent through Null and out to Rixa, and by the time that Lilith and her officers had settled themselves in her office, Admiral ebed Cya had appeared on the holo.

  “I was afraid that we would find the raider’s base inside the Hriss territorial boundaries,” the Admiral said. “And I agree with the Advocate that this does present us with a delicate situation.’

  “However, we have clear evidence that the raider came from there. Our legal affairs specialists with the AG’s Office were contacted as soon as you sent us word, and they feel that this amounts to nothing less than a clear act of piracy. Unless the Hriss government acknowledges the raiders as an official part of their armed forces, the AG believes that they will stand aside and let us take action.’

  “Personally, I agree with their assessment. The Hriss Imperium knows full well that if they do acknowledge the raiders, that it would give us reasonable cause to declare hostilities. And the Admiralty does not believe that they desire open war with us at the moment.’

  “Therefore, I am ordering you to proceed to the location of the suspected base, and neutralize it. There is one proviso however: because of the recent raids, and a lack of detailed intelligence on current Hriss military strength and intentions, one of your priorities will be to gather whatever intelligence material you can.’

  “I realize that it would be swifter and safer to simply bomb the site from space, but we must gain whatever insight we can before the Hriss make another aggressive move.’

  “Towards that end, I am also ordering the Penthesilea to break off from her picket duty and join your battle group. The Penthesilea will provide you with additional firepower, and as you know, she is currently hosting a company of trained intelligence specialists. They will bring their skills to bear once you have isolated and secured the enemy’s command and control center. Do any of you have any questions about this mission?”

  Lilith nodded, and the Admiral acknowledged her. “Yes, ma’am. I am concerned about the number of casualties that we might suffer in a ground action. Apart from the C and C installation, are there any other assets that we will need to concern ourselves with?”

  “None,” the Admiral answered. “Aside from securing that specific complex, you have free reign to bomb the rest of the planet to atoms and the goddess damn them all. That should limit your people’s exposure and also prevent you from becoming involved in anything protracted.’

  “There is one other thing. Once the Intel people have completed their work, we want the C and C complex to be completely destroyed. We don’t want to make it easy for the Hriss to determine exactly how much we were actually able to learn. Make your operation as swift as possible Commander, and leave as few traces as you can.”

  Ellyn n’Dira raised her hand. “How will the political end of things be handled, ma’am?”

  “As for that,” Ebed Cya replied, “we will recommend that the OAE Diplomatic Corps contact the Hriss ambassador as soon as possible and ascertain their position. If the dialogue exceeds the time that you need to prosecute your action, we will express our regrets to the Hriss, and explain that we were in hot-pursuit of suspected pirates. As my mothers used to say, ‘it’s always better to apologize than to ask for permission.”

  N’Dira nodded and shared her superiors dry chuckle.

  Erin taur Minna, also had a question for the Admiral. “Is there any chance that the raiders will receive assistance while we are attacking the base?”

  “We cannot be sure of that, Captain taur Minna,” Ebed Cya admitted. “Quite frankly, we are gambling that the Hriss government will will not send any additional forces to challenge you. There is the remote possibility that they might, which is all the more reason for your battle group to prosecute your action with due haste. Goddess willing, you will be able to gather your intel and destroy the base before any such naval units could respond---if they respond. Does anyone else have concerns that they wish to address?”

  “No, ma’am. I believe we are done,” Lilith replied. “Thank you.”

  “I wish I was going out there with you,” Ebed Cya said. “My prayers will be with you though. Good luck and good hunting.” The Admiral ended the call.

  “I wonder how long Naval Command will take to place that call to the Diplomatic Corps,” Katrinn asked with a grin. “Or for the diplomats to get around to contacting the Hriss Ambassador?”

  “Long enough for us to get across the border and take care of our mission, I’d wager,” Lilith opined. “Let’s not take a lack of bureaucratic initiative for granted however. I want us ready to transit as quickly as possible. Also, please wake Col. Lislsdaater and Dr. elle’Kaari and have them come topside to meet with me right away; this is going to be a Marine operation once we have the high ground, and we have to expect casualties.”

  ***

  Kaly and Lena had been sound asleep when the Athena received the distress call from the Agleope system. They were awakened by Corporal n’Valri.

  “N’Deena! N’Gari! You two need to get up to the bridge right away,” she declared, shaking them awake. “Get your blasters on the way and make sure you have extra battery packs.”

  “What’s going on?” Kaly asked blearily.

  “It looks like we’re going in after Hriss raiders,” N’Valri answered. “I need you and your battle sister to stand watch over the main lift in the command center. Your job will be to control access to the bridge, and repel any Hriss that might board us and try to capture it.”

  “Yes, Corporal!” Kaly replied, coming to full alertness. Her pulse raced at the thought of having to deal with Hriss Warriors inside of the ship itself, and she could tell that Lena was just as nervous as she was.

  “Don’t worry,” N’Valri assured them, knowing full well where their thoughts were taking them. “It’s simple SOP duty. There’s never been a hostile boarding in the history of the Navy. They just want to cover all the possibilities. More the like, we’ll vaporize the raiders, and that will be that. So, just look tough and stand guard duty until you are relieved.”

  The Corporal left them to round up some other Marines, and Kaly and Lena dressed and hurried over to the armory lockers. Even though it was unlikely that there would be any emergency that they would personally have to contend with, they were still expected to expedite their response. Once they had their weapons, they headed topside and entered the command center.

  Neither of them had ever had the occasion to visit the place before and they had to force themselves not to gawk in awe at the huge sitscreens and the beehive of activity going on all around them.

  Fortunately, they were met by a Private, who patiently directed them to where they needed to be, which turned out to be standing to either side of the lift doors. “Just stay out of everyone’s way,” she advised, “and wait until someone tells you that you can leave your post. And look at the bright side, you’ll get a front row seat for the only action we’re likely to have.”

  The Private proved to be right about “front row seats.” They did have a pretty good view of everything that was going on, and were able to watch and listen as the fighters destroyed the enemy cruiser and its escort. It was a short battle, but thrilling to watch, and when the stand-down from general quarters was sounded, they were sent on their way.

  They managed to get as far as the armory before they got the word that the “unlikely action” was not only likely, but immanent. They were instructed to report to the Marine Briefing Center and join their unit.

  Col. Lislsdaater stood at the head of the room on a low stage, along with the rest of her officers, and the room, although a large affair, was crowded with troopers and their Troop Leaders, and some women had to stand or lean against the bulkheads.

  “Marines,” she said as a holo of a star system came up at the head of the room, “I have just been informed by Commander ben Jeni that our battle group is head
ed into Hriss space to attack and destroy an enemy base.’

  “As you veterans know, ordinarily the battle group would simply nuke the location from space while we stood security posts aboard ship. That is not the case today.’

  “We have been charged with the task of going downside after the high ground has been secured and capturing and securing the enemy’s Command and Control Center. We are to neutralize any enemy resistance that we encounter along the way and hold the facility while the Navy Intel people gather vital information. I would show you the layout of the installation, but at this time, we are not certain where on the planet it is, nor its extent.’

  “What I can tell you is that despite any bombardment from orbit, we can expect heavy resistance, in the form of enemy troops, gun emplacements and even armor. We will have the assistance of Navy fighters, and fire support from the battle group, which will give us an edge.’

  “However, I would be lying to you if I said that I thought that this was going to be easy. It won’t, and some of you may not come back when this is over.” For an instant, she glanced directly at Jon, and catching herself, pointedly looked away to someone else. Lilith hadn’t specifically ordered her to include the neoman in the ground action, but Lislsdaater knew, without having to ask her superior, that Lilith would consider the operation as another chance for him to succeed, or as she fully expected, to fail.

  If he did fail, then it would be his last failure and they would finally be shut of him. The ground assault would surely be bloody, and quickly claim anyone who was not truly fit to be a Marine. In her estimation, Fa‘Teela wasn’t fit to be a Marine. Instead, he was a walking casualty. He just didn’t know it yet.

  “For some of you,” she went on, “this operation will be your first taste of combat, and I will offer you this advice: rely on your training and listen to your Troop Leaders. Do what you are told and don’t play the heroine. That is all for now, troopers. As soon as we have more information, your unit leaders will be briefed. May the Goddess watch over you. Dismissed.”