Crimson Tempest

by Anthony James

  “Off they go,” she said.

  The four of them watched soberly as three hundred and sixty Lambda missiles sped across the intervening space towards the disabled Cadaveron.

  “First wave impacts in ten seconds,” McGlashan said. “We’ve not got enough missiles to keep this up all day.”

  “Pulling us away to one hundred and forty thousand klicks,” said Duggan. “I don’t want them firing at us when their power comes back.”

  “Will it happen in time?” asked Chainer. “I’ve lost count of the seconds.”

  “We’ve gone past one minute already,” Duggan replied.

  “I’m detecting Vule traces from their port side,” said McGlashan. She looked up. “One hundred and five successful Lambda strikes from the first wave.”

  “Shit,” said Chainer. “That’s got to be enough to knock out three Cadaverons.”

  “Sixty more confirmed strikes.”

  “There’s going to be nothing left for the next ones to hit,” said Breeze quietly.

  By the time the remaining missiles reached the position of the enemy vessel, their guidance systems were reduced to chasing ever-smaller fragments of the Cadaveron. As Duggan swung the Crimson towards Kryptes-9, all that remained of the heavy cruiser was a cloud of metal shards and white-hot dust.

  “Let’s get over here and see what’s happened to the Deeper,” he said.

  As the spaceship accelerated across the vacuum, Duggan found questions jumping unbidden to his mind. If Admiral Teron only had partial access to the systems onboard the Crimson, what sort of rank would be needed for full access? Outside of the Confederation Council, he could only think of one name and it wasn’t somebody he wanted to hear from again – a name that would bring him only trouble. The man who had condemned him to life in the backwaters of the Space Corps. He put the thoughts aside and concentrated on the current situation.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  There was no sign of the ES Deeper. The Brawler was heading towards the planet with a trajectory that indicated her captain was intending to take a random orbit in the hope of intercepting the Ghast heavy cruiser. The destruction of the second Cadaveron had taken hardly any time and the Crimson rapidly gained on the much slower Gunner.

  “Do we have any data at all on the Deeper’s position?” asked Duggan. “I don’t want to end up chasing around Kryptes-9 for a day in the hope that we stumble across an engagement.”

  “We’ve got no details on their flight path at all, sir,” Chainer replied. “I’ve just enquired with the Juniper and her AI can only provide a flight path until the Deeper went behind the planet. The Juniper’s got the best sensor arrays this side of Monitoring Station Theta, but they still can’t see through two hundred thousand kilometres of rock and ice.”

  “We should be grateful the enemy captain took the bait, sir,” said McGlashan.

  “The stupid warlike bastards,” snorted Breeze. “They’d have had a shot at the Juniper if they’d acted together.”

  “I’ve seen them behave like this before,” said Duggan. “It’s as if they get a medal for every Confederation ship they shoot down.”

  “Or a promotion,” offered McGlashan. “It makes you realise how little we know about them.”

  “We can guess their motivations by their actions. Today they’ve screwed up badly and given us the opportunity to capitalise on it.”

  Chainer called over. “Sir, I’ve got a priority request from the Juniper. It’s Admiral Teron.”

  “Don’t hang around man, patch him through.”

  “Coming through now.”

  Teron’s voice spoke into Duggan’s private channel. “Good work, Captain. The Juniper’s preparing to jump. I want you to take the Crimson and get out of there as soon as you can.”

  “Sir, what about the Deeper? A single Anderlecht is going to have a tough time against that heavy cruiser.”

  “I know, Captain. I’ve been there myself and come home with the scars. The Crimson’s too valuable to lose. As soon as the Juniper departs, you will set a course at maximum speed. You are to rendezvous with the Archimedes.”

  “Sir, with the disruptors we can help the Deeper.”

  “I gave you an order, Captain. As soon as the Juniper leaves, you’re to break off any attempt at engagement and make for the Archimedes.”

  “Our fission drives have gone cold since we fired the disruptors.” Duggan looked across at Breeze with a stare that told him not to say anything that might be overheard. “I don’t know how long till they’ll be ready.”

  “I know how they work, Captain. I’ve read the files,” said Teron with a dangerous edge to his voice. He sighed and spoke again. “Captain Duggan, those are the only working disruptors that the Confederation possesses. If the Crimson is destroyed, we lose access to a weapon that might bring us back onto an even footing with our enemy.”

  “I understand, sir. The Ghasts have a new long-range missile. We’ll do our best to keep them at bay until the Juniper goes to lightspeed. Over.” Duggan cut the channel before Teron could order the Crimson to withdraw to a position closer to the space station. He looked at Chainer. “I don’t want him getting through again, Lieutenant. Block any further communications from the Juniper. Make it look like a technical issue.”

  “Aye, sir,” said Chainer.

  “Lieutenant Breeze, any clue as to when the Juniper will leave us?”

  “They’ve been holding at peak output for nearly four minutes, sir.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “No sir, it wasn’t. I don’t know when they’ll be ready. There’s a good chance they don’t either.”

  Duggan guided the Crimson into a high orbit and continued to close in on the much slower Gunner ahead of them. “Get me a channel to the Brawler.”

  “Short range comms channel coming through, sir.”

  “ES Brawler, this is Captain John Duggan, please acknowledge.”

  “Captain Duggan, this is Commander Emily Smith.”

  “You left the hangar ahead of us. Did you pick up the enemy’s orbit?”

  “Negative, sir. We’re approaching this one blind in the hope we can help out.”

  “Don’t engage the Cadaveron without assistance. You can’t beat it.”

  “Understood. Want us to ride with you, sir?”

  “Negative. I don’t think you’ll be able to keep up.”

  The Crimson flew past the Brawler at a distance of three hundred klicks and almost double the velocity. “So I see, Captain. Good luck.”

  “She sounds nervous,” said McGlashan once the communication channel was closed.

  “Can’t say I blame her,” muttered Chainer, a sheen of sweat visible across his forehead.

  “Fission drive back up to sixty percent,” said Breeze. “At least we’ll be able to shut them down.”

  Duggan remembered something McGlashan had said a few minutes ago during the fight with the second Cadaveron. “How many missiles do we have left, Commander?”

  “Three hundred and twenty-one. Enough for one and a half full-cluster launches.”

  “Normal procedure is to carry enough for twelve launches from each tube,” said Duggan with a frown. “The Crimson should have been loaded with over two and a half thousand missiles. We should have more than fifteen hundred left.”

  “Maybe they sent her out with a half-load for her trials.”

  “The Crimson wasn’t on a trial. It had entered active service. Somewhere along the lines it’s fired well over a thousand missiles from its payload. When things calm down I want you to find the audit logs.”

  “Will do sir. Ten to one they’re in the locked-down databanks.”

  “I’ll not put a dollar on it, even at ten to one, Commander.”

  Lieutenant Chainer cut into the conversation. “The Juniper’s accelerated to Lightspeed-G, sir.”

  Breeze had been monitoring it too, and his eyes were wide. “The biggest fission output I’ve ever seen.”

  “Could ru
n a couple of pocket calculators from it, then?” asked McGlashan.

  “I’m picking up another signature from the far side of Kryptes-9,” said Chainer. “Too small to be a Cadaveron.”

  “The Deeper’s, getting ready to haul out,” said Duggan. “No point in them sticking around here to get themselves blown up now that the Juniper’s gone. “Looks like our work here is done for now. Lieutenant Breeze, get us ready to leave as well. Set a course for the Archimedes.”

  “Winding them up as we speak, sir. There’s not been time to get them to re-route to one hundred percent, but they’re near enough. Let’s see what she can do this time. Thirty seconds till we’re ready. I’ve sent a warning through to the quarters below. They’ll be at a shade over ninety percent when we go and should climb to ninety-nine post-jump.”

  “Want me to speak to the Brawler, sir?” asked Chainer. “They can’t have missed it either.”

  “Tell them to leave the vicinity at the earliest opportunity. I doubt Commander Smith has any orders, so she can pick the New Earth military base or she can head over to Angax if that’s where her gut takes her.”

  “Commander Smith sends her regards, Captain. They’ll take a look at what’s happening around Angax.”

  Duggan smiled. There were plenty of brave men and women in the Space Corps.

  “Sir?” It was Chainer. “The fission signature’s died.”

  The smile drained away. Duggan knew the answer, but had to ask the question. “Without departure?”

  “Yes sir. The Deeper hasn’t gone anywhere.”

  “Want me to cut the engines?” asked Breeze.

  Duggan shook his head, certain that the Deeper had been destroyed. He clenched his teeth, suppressing the urge to try and force an engagement with the enemy vessel. He remembered Teron’s words that the Crimson had the only disruptors available to the Confederation. He knew himself that the engines were something special, even if Teron hadn’t mentioned it. There were many other secrets to the warship, he was sure. Layer upon layer of them, hidden away from him, yet tantalisingly close. He didn’t want to be known as the man who threw away humanity’s chance of settling the score for the destruction of Charistos. Over a billion dead, with tens of billions more hoping for something to come that might improve the odds of victory. Against that, a lone Cadaveron was an insignificant prize, which only a madman would chase in the circumstances.

  “We go for the Archimedes. Best speed.”

  The words had scarcely left his mouth when the entirety of the Crimson’s eleven hundred metre length was shaken by a vibration that rolled through the bodies of the men and women on board. Dizziness and nausea crashed into Duggan, battering him with increasing intensity until he felt consciousness begin to fade. Before the merciful relief of the darkness claimed him, Duggan had enough time to give thanks that the ship’s engines were only at ninety percent when they made the jump.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Captain John Duggan cracked an eye open. He was in his chair on the bridge. A few feet away, McGlashan groaned slightly, beginning to stir. Breeze and Chainer were out for the count. It looked like Chainer might have caught his forehead on the edge of his console and there was a bump already beginning to form. Duggan tested his body and found that his strength was returning quickly. Regardless, he was in no hurry to test it out.

  “It’s like being back in the academy gravity acclimatiser,” said McGlashan, her words slurred. “The one you can’t beat, where they turn it up until everyone blacks out.”

  Duggan grunted a response, not ready to make light conversation. “Lieutenant Breeze? Lieutenant Chainer?”

  Breeze jerked at the sound of the voice. He was a strong man and would be angry with himself for falling unconscious. “Sir?”

  “What’s our status?”

  As Breeze brought himself round, Duggan pushed himself upright and half-stumbled towards Chainer. He checked his pulse – it was beating strongly. The bump on his forehead looked like it might need some attention from Corporal Blunt.

  “Sir, we’re going at a tiny fraction below Light-T and still climbing. They’re going to have to invent a new scale.” Breeze looked dazed and Duggan wasn’t sure if it was because of the effects of the acceleration or because of the speed they’d attained.

  “Sergeant Ortiz, please report,” he said.

  Ortiz spoke, her voice notably weaker than normal. “Damn, sir.” She cleared her throat loudly and apologised for it, like she wasn’t thinking straight. “We’ve got cuts and bruises. Corporal Blunt’s checking Diaz out for concussion.”

  “Send the corporal here as soon as he’s finished with Diaz. Lieutenant Chainer’s taken a knock to the head. Send Monsey as well. I need her plugged in to the core as soon as she can. The Juniper’s escaped and we downed one enemy Cadaveron. Next stop, the Archimedes.”

  “Good news about the enemy vessel, sir. I hear there’s real steak on the Archimedes. A herd of cattle in the hold, just waiting to be turned into the best cuts of beef.”

  In spite of the circumstances, Duggan couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t want to rain on your parade, Sergeant - I doubt there’s ever been a cow within a thousand klicks of the Archimedes.”

  “Until I see otherwise, I’ll continue to believe, sir.”

  Duggan closed the comms channel and turned his focus back to the bridge. His head had cleared and his strength had just about come back. Chainer moaned quietly and his lips moved slightly.

  “Think he’s okay?” asked McGlashan, concern on her face.

  “Just a knock on the head, Commander. I’m sure Corporal Blunt will have him right as rain in a few minutes.” Duggan peered in closely – Chainer was paler than usual and his face was dripping with sweat. It was hot, but not that hot.

  “The fission drives have climbed up to full,” said Breeze. “Ninety-nine percent available and we’ve topped out at dead-on Light-V. That officially puts us as easily the fastest ship known to man, woman, or Ghast.”

  “I like those figures, Lieutenant. Feels like we’re setting a new Confederation record for speed. We’re the trailblazers of the Corps,” said McGlashan.

  “Five days and eight hours until we rendezvous with the Archimedes. Assuming she doesn’t change course or speed in the meantime. Or decide to make a lightspeed jump somewhere.”

  “The Juniper should have sent a message on ahead. If not, we might be following the Archimedes around like a lost dog until we find it.”

  “Five days?” asked Duggan. “Which sector’s she in?”

  “Garon sector, according to our path and ETA.”

  “What the hell is the fleet’s capital ship doing out there?” asked Duggan. “That’s about as far from Axion as you can get.”

  Neither McGlashan nor Breeze offered an answer. Breeze shrugged and looked uncomfortable at the possibilities.

  “Who commands it now?” asked McGlashan.

  “It should still be Admiral Johnson,” said Duggan. “The man’s not known for his reluctance to face danger head-on. I wonder why he’s taken the flagship so far away from it.”

  Corporal Blunt arrived, bringing his box of tricks with him. Duggan pointed to Chainer and the medic nodded his acknowledgement. He unslung his medical pack and crouched down to start poking at the half-conscious Lieutenant Chainer. Within seconds, he had several wires attached to Chainer’s flesh.

  “Nothing to worry about, sir. He has a mild concussion, but nothing to keep him off duty. He’s going to feel like crap when he comes around. Want me to give him a shot of something?”

  “I need him at his best,” said Duggan.

  “Right you are. One dose of synthetic adrenaline it is. We call it adrenaline, but that’s just so people think it’s something nice and friendly we’re sticking into their arm.” He held up a large needle, filled with a clear fluid. “The list of drugs in this is so long it’d take a med-student a week just to write them down.” With that, he jabbed the needle unceremoniously into Chainer’s ar
m. There was a quiet hiss as the syringe’s onboard micro-brain squirted the fluid into the lieutenant’s vein. The result was immediate. Chainer practically jumped upright, his eyes sharp and bright.

  “What?” he gasped.

  Corporal Blunt was familiar with the reaction and continued to speak to Duggan as if his patient didn’t exist. “He might become nauseous in a few hours when that wears off. If he needs any more, let me know.” Blunt turned to Chainer as if only just realising he was there, before clapping him on the shoulder in a familiar manner. Every field medic Duggan had ever worked with had some sort of oddness about them and Blunt was no exception. It was probably how they coped.

  “Thank you, Corporal. I’ll speak to you if I need anything further.”

  “Right you are, sir.” Blunt gave a half-smile and turned to leave. The arrival of Monsey with her own kit meant it was a squeeze for him to get through the door.

  “I need you to continue as you left off, soldier.”

  “Will do, sir.”

  “Commander McGlashan tells me you’ve unlocked one of the databanks?”

  “I have, sir. Even that felt like breaking through a brick wall with a toffee hammer. There was no chance to index any of the data. I didn’t access it via the expected method of entry.”

  “That’s fine,” said Duggan. There’d been no time for any of them to start sifting through what they’d found. He indicated to Monsey that she should get on it and she nodded. He looked at Chainer to see how the man was doing. The lieutenant had recovered from his shock awakening and was hunched over his console, his hands blurring as they called up data feeds from the ship’s sensors.

  “How’re we doing, how’re we doing?” said Chainer to himself. His voice carried an almost frantic note. Duggan recognized the effects of a high dose of battlefield adrenaline.

  “Lieutenant Chainer, how long till our long-range comms are functional? I’d like to get a message through to the Archimedes as soon as we come out of lightspeed.”