He gestured to his ComChief. “Cut off that AV broadcast. Send a Come-Back signal to Ignacio and Vigdis. Tell them to FTL jump to join us here above NooHik.”
“Signaling,” Denise said softly, the sound of her tap-tapping sounding loud to Jack. “Acknowledged by the Badger and the Hawk. They will be with us shortly.”
He looked to the captains whose ships had been hit by the Gyklang particle beams. “Gareth? Aashman? What’s the story on your ships?”
The leader of the Second Belter Fleet looked up, his forehead shiny with sweat. “Everyone’s alive. Angelique tells me Matthias’ suit was punctured by shrapnel when one of our deuterium oxide tanks blew up. Our medoc says he’s got a punctured kidney. She’s removing the fragment as we speak. Our mechbots and crew are sealing the hull ruptures.”
The brown face of Aashman looked grim. “One of my Sikh crewman was less fortunate. Samdīp Khalsa Singh was in our Lander, ready to head out on grav-pull salvage, when a particle beam sliced through that part of the Mongoose. He’s vapor. And we are going to need time to weld steel bars across the gaping hole the particle beam cut in our hull.” Behind the Hindu moved three bearded Sikh crewman in vacsuits, each wearing a blue turban under their helmet. Their expressions were sorrowful. The man who had taken the decoy role at their first battle with the Gyklang blinked quickly, as if emotion were about to overwhelm him. “Singh was an amritdhari of the highest level who always kept his kes clean and protected.”
Jack understood Aashman’s point, having asked about how a Hindu devotee of Vishnu had come to command a ship crewed only by Sikh men. His clean-shaven fellow captain had chosen to wear a red turban as a sign of being a lion protector, or singh, of his crewmates. And of those they chose to protect. Aashman had always shown respect for every Sikh custom. Which Jack would also do.
“Please know that the name of Samdīp Khalsa Singh will be added to the memorial stele at 253 Mathilde.” Jack’s gut churned from the loss of another human, a person with a family, a heritage and hopes of his own. While the Mongoose’s Sikh crewmen could have left their ship and stayed in the Asteroid Belt as free-will crew willing to serve another ship master, they had chosen to join his anti-predator crusade. Licking his lips, he waved to his Hindu ally. “Your ship will be guarded by other fleet ships in coming battles. Can you blip jump? Make FTL?”
“Yes!” the man said loudly, then winced as he realized his error. “Fleet Captain Jack, the Mongoose is able to fight in all future battles. Once we have the gap welded over with beams we can maneuver as needed.”
He nodded. “Understood.” Jack looked to the captain of the Leopard. “Captain Kasun Guardiya, please guard our ally while he is making repairs. We have two hours before further combat.”
The Sri Lankan gave Jack a folded palm salute. “We will guard our brave ally and his crewmen. May the Lord Buddha smile upon them.”
Jack saw the sensor image of his fleet gain two new red dots. Which meant that Ignacio and Vigdis had arrived.
“Incoming signal,” called Elaine. “From the planet below.”
The true-light image of the world NooHik moved to the left side of the front screen while Elaine’s sensor track of system emissions moved to the right side. Leaving the middle for the new AV broadcast.
A group of seven ChikHo ostriches took form. They stood in a line within an orange-lighted room. Based on their height, Jack thought four males and three females now fixed on him. To one side stood a black-feathered ChikHo, operating a pedestal panel. No one else was present in the large room, although woven tapestries hung from the curving walls. Images on the tapestries showed ChikHo battling yellow-skinned predators who resembled jaguars, based on their gold and black spots. Other images showed cities made up of large domes and elevated ramps that gave access to the domes. One image showed the long tube of a ChikHo ship heading for the white globe of their moon Sotop. The central ostrich lifted his short wing-hands and spoke.
“Father Leader Jack Munroe, we are the Flock Leaders of our ChikHo people. We see that you entered a kick-fight with our Gyklang masters, killing them all,” the ostrich said in a series of hoots that were quickly translated. “You invite us to join your Freedom Alliance. Yet our two ships at the fifth orbital say many Gyklang ships are returning in-system. Why should we risk our world upon your chirps?”
Jack lifted his sword, laid its tip in his left gauntlet and smiled toothily. “Because we humans never enter a kick-fight without winning! Our toe claws are sharp and many. We possess weapons unknown to the Gyklang. If you wish, we will join your two ships at the fifth orbital gas giant and fight these returning Gyklang.”
A chorus of shrill chirping broke out among the seven ostriches, with wing-hangs gesturing and black feathers fluffed out.
“Enough!” shrilled the central ostrich, his yellow legs stomping the sand-covered floor. “Some of us are old enough to remember the times before the Gyklang came. When our spaceships traveled past ScreeHik, past the Rock Belt beyond it, past the fifth world of AlloHik and beyond it to our outermost world of DikHik.” The Father Leader paused, his black eyelashes fluttering swiftly, as if filled with emotion. “Our exploring ship was challenged to personal combat by the Gyklang who had hidden in our cometary disk. Those ChikHo were defeated. And we learned of this system where only carnivore predators travel the stars, thereby to battle local people and add them to their Hunt territory. Will you Humans become our new masters? Will you claim our island of Dutop? Will you eat our people?”
“No! None of that will happen,” Jack yelled, his heart hammering. Licking his lips he gestured to his crewmates. “Beside and behind me you see my fellow humans. Mother Leaders and Father Leaders they are. All have battled with me against other Hunters of the Great Dark in different star systems.” He gestured to Denise. “See this AV imagery of our final battle against the HikHikSot predators of the star Delta Boötis B. They had come to our Sol system with a colony ship. We killed that ship. Then we went to their home star system and killed every ship sent against us! Before we left their system, we caused the moon above one of their planets to fall on that world, killing billions of HikHikSot.” Jack sighed, wondering what would convince these subject people Aliens to join his efforts. “We will leave your system upon your request. You will be in control of your world and the future of your people. But we humans are building a Freedom Alliance of thinking people who reject this system of predators ruling star systems! Will you ChikHo join our battle?”
More shrill chirping happened, too fast for clear translation by Anonymous. The central ostrich whacked a nearby ostrich with one wing-hand. Which quieted the others. The Father Leader scanned his group of avians, then fixed on him.
“Father Leader Jack Munroe, if you can travel to the world of AlloHik, our two ships there will fight with you against the incoming Gyklang ships. They are Black Claw and Talon Strike. Our ships may be few and unable to ignore inertia, but our kicks are deadly! Let our lasers join with yours to kill these Gyklang!”
Jack felt intense relief. Behind him he heard gasps of relief as his crewmates realized their battle efforts had produced a new ally. “Father Leader of all ChikHo flocks, we will join your two ships and make a kick-fight never before seen on your world! Will you send word to your ships to join our battle?”
“Yes!” cried the central ostrich. “My flock name is Deliwanda. My flock cousin is Father Leader of one of our ships. The other Father Leader will obey my command. Which is now going out! It will be heard just before you arrive. Meanwhile, our base on the moon Sotop is ready to refuel your flock of ships. Our Long Eyes say your ships move on fusion drives like our ships, in addition to inertia-free movement.”
Jack saw the pleased looks of his fellow captains, including Gareth and Aashman, whose cabins were free of smoke. “Father Leader Deliwanda, your Long Eye telescopes are accurate. But we do not need refueling before we battle the Gyklang. However, we will accept your offer upon our return from battle.” He saw Aashman give him
a thumbs-up sign that his ship was able to blip jump. “We depart now for your world of AlloHik. Meanwhile, you may wish to assert control of your island Dutop. Stop the eating of your ChikHo by the Gyklang Hunters!”
The black feathers of Deliwanda fluffed out, increasing his body size by a third. “We still have hypersonic birds able to attack the hostage-eating corrals on Dutop. It will be done!”
“Until later,” he said, waving to Denise to shut off his broadcast. He fixed on the images of his allies. “Admiral, captains, let us leave now for the fifth planet. Once we arrive at AlloHik, the incoming Gyklang ships will detect our graviton pulses and leave grav-pull to attack us there. But we will be ready for them!”
Hideyoshi nodded sharply. “The Bismarck will lead! If you agree, Fleet Captain?”
“I do. Take the lead, and have your Drive Engineer send out a time-lock signal to all fleet grav-pull drives. Our wounded ships are willing to blip jump with us. We jump now!”
“Incoming signal,” called Max. “Grav-pull drive activating.”
The front screen images went hazy. Ships and stars blurred. The grav-pull blip jumps came so fast that the brief true-light images vanished and the outside became a haze of light, as if a cloud enclosed the Uhuru.
“Brother,” called Elaine. “We will arrive at AlloHik a half hour before the incoming ships reach its orbital.”
That half hour would be enough to coordinate an attack formation with the two ChikHo ships now orbiting the gas giant. Meanwhile, Jack calculated their trip outward would take an hour to cover four AU. Which gave him time to hit the toilet that lay just past the hatch entry to the Spine. He stood up and walked fast. A full bladder was not something he wished to carry into battle!
♦ ♦ ♦
The gas giant AlloHik was the size of Neptune but its atmosphere resembled that of Saturn and Jupiter. Colorful it was.
“The ChikHo ships are below us!” called Elaine. “All fleet ships have arrived safely.”
“AV broadcast going out on the signal frequency of the Flock Leaders,” called Denise.
Jack smiled at the quickness of their expert in linguistic analysis and animal ethology. Their ComChief sounded like the experienced spacer she was. No longer shy, or impulsive, she was willing to make a decision by herself without waiting for orders. Jack loved having people like that on his side. He looked to the motion-eye above the front screen.
“Father Leaders of the ships Black Claw and Talon Strike, are you ready to join us in fighting the Gyklang?” he said.
“Incoming signal,” called Denise, her tone matter of fact, as if every day a fleet of 23 human ships spoke to avian Aliens who resembled the ostriches of Earth.
Two AV images took form in the middle of the screen. The ostrich on the left spoke first. “My flock cousin Deliwanda has given us the chirps we have long wished to hear!” The ChikHo wore a tight-fitting vacsuit of brown fabric that left only his talon toes and wing-hands uncovered. He sat atop a round plate supported by a metal pillar. Restraint straps ran from his back to hooks beside each talon-foot. A clear helmet enclosed his head. Two brown eyes scanned Jack and his crew. “My flock name is Guto. The Black Claw has seen imagery of your fight against the Gyklang ships above NooHik. How can my nest mates fight with you?”
“The same from the Talon Strike!” chirped the other ostrich as he fastened straps to his vacsuit even as other suited ChikHo moved to sit atop round plates. “My flock name is Tookeet! My nest mates are ready to kick-fight these black-furred creatures!”
Jack waved acknowledgment. “Father Leaders, maintain your orbital vector. My flock will blip jump to join you above the clouds of AlloHik. With the planet below us, we will see the incoming Gyklang. Use your lasers against any enemy ship that comes in range!”
“Your chirping is understood,” said Guto.
“Our kicks will be deadly!” chirped Tookeet.
Jack looked to the front screen. “Admiral Hideyoshi, please lead us to join our allies. Let us assume a dome formation facing outward. Our Higgs ships should orient at the north, south, east and west points of our formation!”
“The Bismarck leads,” said the Mars admiral calmly.
Brief flickers of light showed on the screen as the Uhuru’s grav-pull acted in concert with the drive activation signal sent by Hideyoshi’s drive engineer. Seconds later they had arrived.
The two white tubes of the ChikHo ships had their globular noses aimed outward, with their drive modules pointed down at the gas giant. Each ship’s pair of lasers was aimed outward. The fleet ships shifted on maneuvering thrusters to assume the outward facing dome formation he had ordered.
“Jack,” called Elaine. “My Sensor panel says the Gyklang ships are nearly here! The five from planet four are closest while the other ten are close behind. They are . . . yes, the leading five are slowing their blip jumps to allow the others to catch up. All fifteen will emerge together!”
Good. Jack liked the chance to take on fifteen at once. “All ships! Fire your railgun loads now! Let’s create our own mine field of ball bearings! Follow up with your Fire-and-Forget missiles set for infrared lock-on.”
The Uhuru shook as Maureen fired their railguns. Jack glanced at his Tech panel, and saw the reloads for the railguns were already moving to insert in the electromag launchers. A second shaking told him the ejector tube just below the Pilot Cabin had launched his ship’s first missile. Other ships also fired missiles. Those missiles moved slower than the eleven klicks per second of the ball bearings, but their presence in the space ahead would complicate any blip jump maneuvers by the Gyklang. He scanned the Sensor emissions display to one side of the screen. While the graviton pulses of the Gyklang fleet would give them a directional vector for their emergence point, infrared heat emissions from each ship would allow the fire control sensors of each fleet ship to lock-on to a target.
“They’re here!” yelled Elaine.
This time the ships of Jack’s fleet fired first.
Blue particle beams speared into the darkness. Rapier pulses of green laser light reached out. Black threads of antimatter streaked forward.
Turnip ships exploded, split in half, tumbled wildly and went to yellow-white globes of plasma as they were hit by the antimatter threads.
Fifteen had arrived in a loose grouping spread over a hundred kilometers.
Eight still lived.
The Gyklang jumped sideways, up, down, backward, every direction possible to avoid being impaled on the directed energy beams fired by the 23 ships of Jack’s fleet.
“They’re coming in!” cried Elaine.
Jack could see that.
The surviving turnip ships split into pairs and headed for his ships like a cloud of bumblebees.
His Tech panel went red with a target lock-on.
He slapped the Fire Control on the panel.
The Uhuru’s pair of HF lasers shot green lances at a Gyklang turnip ship that had stayed in one spot too long.
The ship’s particle beam root end melted. As did its four laser mounts under fire from the laser nodes of the Bismarck and the destroyer Yamamoto.
The ships of his Belter fleet shot paired green and blue slashes at the dodging turnip ships. Like Maureen’s Battle Module, his first battle allies had paired particle beam and antimatter emitters. With a range of 10,000 kilometers for both beams, they laid waste to the approaching Gyklang ships. Which, after all, were forced to approach the fleet and their ChikHo allies from a predictable vector.
Two pairs of red laser beams shot out from each ChikHo tube-ship. They hit a pair of turnip ships, melting large parts of the Gyklang hulls. Their targets began tumbling.
Green lasers from the Eagle, Hawk, Grizzly and Ferocious hit those tumbling ships, melting the four laser mounts on each ship. But leaving intact the ball of the main body. Which would soon be ventilated by the onrushing wave of ball bearings.
A final pair of turnip ships suddenly appeared just a thousand kilometers out. The root ends o
f the particle beams were aimed at the Uhuru and the Mongoose.
“Maureen!” he yelled even as he ordered their laser pods to lock-on and fire.
Aashman’s ventral and dorsal lasers fired at the right side turnip ship even as it twisted to bring its neutral particle beam root-tip onto his ship.
The Alien’s neutral particle beam root brightened as it began emission of a beam . . . then it vaporized into white sparkles as Jack’s hydrogen-fluorine lasers and Aashman’s gunners both hit the root-tip with their lasers.
A blue particle beam slashed out from the left side turnip ship.
The Uhuru shuddered.
Jack’s scan of his Tech panel showed the right laser pod had been sheared off by that beam. Which was better than the Pilot Cabin being decapitated from the rest of his ship.
“Die!” screamed Maureen.
A pair of blue and black beams shot out from the Battle Module, hitting the attacking ship’s root end.
But the two powerful beams did more than just melt the root end beamer. They blasted through the entire south half of the turnip ship in a yellow plasma glow of split open compartments that quickly became ionized vapor as the antimatter beams turned solid steel into white-hot plasma.
The left side ship blew up as the paired beams reached its inner fusion reactor. Tiny fragments spread out from the billowing plasma ball that had been an enemy ship.
The right side ship’s laser mounts now melted under the impact of twenty lasers fired by the rest of the fleet. And by the two ChikHo ships. It tumbled in space, a golden ball of half-melted steel. The bear head image on the ship was discolored by hull ruptures ripped into the ship by green and red lasers.
Freedom Vs. Aliens (Aliens Series Book 3) Page 25