“Was nothing,” said the Russian spy. “Sometimes all that is needed is different perspective.”
“Good,” replied Calvin. “Squad, let’s get the hell out of here!”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Tau Ceti ‘d1’ Orbit, May 25, 2019
“Everyone’s aboard captain,” said the operations officer.
“About time,” growled Captain Deutch. They were leaving five minutes late. The shuttle had developed an engine malfunction on its way back and, despite what he had said about leaving it behind, he had waited for it. They only had two of them, after all, and there wouldn’t be any more for quite some time. “Punch it!”
“Full speed ahead, aye sir!” said the helmsman.
“Are we going to make it?” Deutch asked Steropes.
“They are probably going to get a maximum range shot off at us,” said Steropes. “They may also get another shot at us before we make it to the stargate. It does not look promising.”
“Will we be able to shoot back?” asked Deutch.
“Unfortunately, it does not appear that they will come within range of our missiles,” Steropes answered. “Ours only have a range of about eight million miles. Their missiles are larger and outrange ours by about 25%, giving them an effective range of about ten million miles.”
Bridge, Wanton Killer, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“The Terrans are accelerating around the other side of the star from us,” said the sensor technician. “The vector will put them very close to the stargate to the Gliese 832 system.”
“These Terrans are full of surprises,” replied Captain Sssseth. “They show up in an ancient Eldive ship, but are able to effectively mine the stargate. Now this. I thought they would have the courtesy to run back to wherever their stargate is, to give us its location so that we could pay their civilization a visit. But instead, they go the opposite direction so that we have to chase them down.” He looked at the tactical map. An experienced captain, he saw immediately what the enemy was trying to do. “Will we be able to get a shot at them before they get behind the star?”
“Yes sir,” said the weapons technician. “It will be a maximum range shot, but the target is a cruiser, and an old one at that. We may be able to overload her defenses.”
“I’ve got detonations on the surface of the fourth planet’s moon!” called the sensor technician. “It looks like two 40 kiloton nuclear explosions at the research facility.”
Sssseth hissed, “Full of surprises, indeed.”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“How close are they going to get to us?” asked Captain Deutch.
“They are going to be at about nine million miles at their closest point of approach,” answered Steropes.
“And what is the range of their missiles?”
“About ten million miles.”
“How close are they now?”
“Ten million miles.”
“Shit.”
Bridge, Wanton Killer, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“We’re at 9.5 million miles,” said the weapons technician. “We can get off three volleys if we launch now.”
“Fire at will,” said Captain Sssseth.
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“They’re launching,” noted Steropes. Calvin thought he said it far too calmly for the gravity of the situation. “21 missiles inbound. One must have failed to launch.”
“You are cleared to engage when in range,” said Captain Deutch.
“Clear to engage aye,” replied the defensive systems officer. “Missile hatches open. Laser hatches open, and mounts extending.” The ship’s point defense lasers were normally stored inside the hull to prevent damage to them during transit and were physically extended through a hatch when needed. “Standing by to launch counter-missiles.” The lizards’ anti-ship missiles continued to track inbound. “Seven million miles. Six million miles. Five million miles. Launching counter missiles.” He pushed a button. “First volley away.” 27 missiles leapt from their tubes and raced to meet the incoming missiles at over 100,000 G’s. Calvin could see flashes of fire on the view screen and feel a slight rumble through the hull of the ship as the missiles launched from the ports below the bridge. They were quickly lost in the vastness of space.
“Second volley launching from the lizard ship,” Steropes advised. “21 more inbound.”
“Second volley of counter-missiles away,” said the DSO. “The first volley should intercept the incoming missiles at about four million miles; the second wave at two million miles.” The CO could see lights winking on and off on the DSO’s display. “Intercept.” He continued watching. “14 missiles still inbound.” He moved a switch and pushed a button. “Firing at second volley...Second intercept of first volley; six missiles remaining. Lasers firing.”
Calvin knew that he wouldn’t see the point-defense lasers firing, although he wished he could. He could see their effects as several missiles detonated when lasers hit them just right. Others were destroyed without detonating or caused to miss. He waited for the impact of missiles on the ship...but there were none.
“First volley destroyed,” the DSO said. “Second volley intercepted by counter missiles at 3.3 million miles. 16 remaining.”
“The lizard ship is launching a third volley,” warned Steropes. “22 missiles inbound.”
“Second intercept of second volley at 1.4 million miles...eight missiles remaining,” announced the DSO. Calvin could see that intercepts were happening closer to the ship. That was bad. “Launching at third volley,” the DSO called. “Counter-missile tubes at 50% remaining.” The DSO’s voice had risen in pitch several notes.
“Lasers firing at the second volley...computer modeling indicates we’re not going to get them all. Brace for impact!”
* * * * *
Chapter Thirty-Two
Bridge, Wanton Killer, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“Second volley away sir!” called the weapons technician. “21 missiles launched; Missile Tube 17 did not fire again. The technician is still working on it.”
“Are those all nuclear tipped?” asked Captain Sssseth.
“Yes sir,” replied the weapons technician. “The third volley will incorporate the new laser warheads. My intentions were to knock their shields down with the first two volleys and then hit them with the laser warheads once the shields were down.”
“Excellent,” remarked Captain Sssseth. “If it works, you will be seated next to me at dinner.”
“Thank you sir!” replied the technician. To be seated next to the Captain was a tremendous honor. The Captain was always served first...dinner might still be moving when he got his turn.
The weapons technician refocused on his panel in time to note, “Third volley has launched. All 22 tubes fired this time.”
“As they should,” remarked Captain Sssseth. “I will expect the technician in charge of Missile Tube 17 to report to me after the battle.”
Dinner time would not go so well for him, the technician thought with a shudder.
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
The ship was buffeted by two distinct detonations. “Two missile hits, one fore and one aft,” called the duty engineer from where he sat next to the helmsman. He began the assessment and casualty control process. “Most of the damage was absorbed by the shields, but there was some shock damage. I also have radiation alarms going off between Frames 205 and 216.
“We are out of range of any further missile launches,” noted Steropes.
“Understood,” said Captain Deutch, more focused on the damage control. “Do we have any casualties?”
“So far, medical is reporting two crewmen with radiation burns and one broken arm. All are being treated.”
“Shields at 40%. Third volley intercepted by counter-missiles,” the DSO called. “Nine remaining. Engaging with lasers.” His voice was now up almost an octave.
“Shit!” sw
ore the DSO. He turned on the ship’s intercom. “All hands, brace for shock!”
Calvin, already strapped into his seat, held on as tightly as he could. This time he felt at least three explosions in close proximity to each other, although they didn’t feel as strong. Somewhere in between the pulses, there had also been a flash on the view screen. Calvin hoped that the smaller detonations indicated that they were further away and better contained.
He was wrong, he saw, as the ship lurched noticeably.
“Sir!” yelled the duty engineer, “One of our engines is out, and there is a 3’ wide hole through engineering! We’re venting!”
“Calm down,” admonished Captain Deutch. “Damage report. Where is the hole?”
“Sir, the missiles that just hit us weren’t armed with nuclear warheads; they had laser warheads. Their detonations fired bomb-pumped lasers. Our shields held against the first one. The second one caused the aft shields to fail, and it inflicted some minor damage to the ship’s armor at Frame 157. The third one struck with full force and put a hole from one side of the ship to the other, passing through the control room of Engine #1.”
He listened intently to the damage control network for several seconds. “The engineering crew has stabilized the antimatter and shut down the engine, so we are not in danger of the antimatter exploding, but the engine is going to be down for a long time until a ton of cabling can be re-run.”
“I estimate one month to have it operational using only my robot techs,” said Solomon. Most of his concentration had been on guiding missiles and lasers during the battle. “With the entire engineering section helping and access to a repair facility, it could be done in a week.”
Captain Deutch made a wry grin as he looked at Steropes. “Know of any repair facilities nearby?”
“None that would be willing to help us,” replied Steropes.
Captain Deutch turned to the duty engineer. “OK, so where does that leave us?”
“With only one engine, our maximum acceleration is only going to be about 175 G’s. Most of the other systems can be re-routed, so we still have power, water, and air, but we may have to turn off some non-essential equipment. The Chief Engineer is still assessing the damage.”
Deutch turned back to Steropes. “I’m guessing that halving our acceleration means that we’re not going to beat the lizards to the stargate, are we?”
“No sir, we’re not,” said Steropes, shaking his head. “We could try jettisoning some of our extra mass. That might give us a little more acceleration, but it won’t be enough. It won’t be anywhere close to enough. The lizards are going to catch us well before the stargate.”
“We only need to jettison a few things,” said Calvin, looking at the tactical map. “I’ve got an idea.”
* * * * *
Chapter Thirty-Three
Bridge, Wanton Killer, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“Got him!” shouted the weapons technician. “The last missile hit at least one of his engines. His acceleration was dropping off as we lost him behind the star.”
“Good,” replied Captain Sssseth. “In that case, it is only a matter of getting the ship turned around and running them down.” He looked pointedly at the helmsman, who had been late slowing the ship.
“We are almost stopped,” the helmsman said. “We will begin accelerating to chase the Terrans in less than five segments.
“Good,” repeated Sssseth. “I want to see what these Terrans taste like.”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“OK, the lizards have cleared the star,” commed Steropes. “Cut it loose.”
“All right,” said Night, “unhook your tie-downs.” 28 members of the platoon unclasped tie-down points on the replicator. “On three,” ordered Night. “One...two...three!” All 28 lifted as one, and the replicator began to separate from the Vella Gulf. Although it didn’t have weight, it still had mass; it took all of their suit-aided muscle power to get it moving, but once it started separating from the ship, it kept going.
“Good job,” complemented Night. “Now, let’s get below so we can try and outrun these lizard bitches.”
“Dayam,” said Corporal Jimmy ‘Colonel’ Sanders in his southern drawl, “We jus got this pig up har an’ now we’re kickin’ it loose? Ain’t that sum shit?”
Bridge, Wanton Killer, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“I’ve got them,” said the sensor technician. “It looks like they were going to try to hide behind one of the smaller planets. Wait, what’s that? It looks like they just jettisoned something...something big...it looks like they just dumped the replicator that they stole from the research facility!”
“Do you want me to match up with it so we can pick it up?” asked the helmsman.
Captain Sssseth gave the helmsman a scornful look. “No, not while we’re going into combat. What if a lucky shot hit it and destroyed it? Would you like to explain to the Admirality how it got broken? I don’t. No, just mark its coordinates, and we’ll pick it up once we’re done with the Terrans.”
“Why would they just dump it after they expended so much effort in getting it?” asked the helmsman.
“They are obviously trying to coax more acceleration out of their damaged ship,” replied Sssseth. “It won’t work, though. We already have a higher velocity than they do and more acceleration capability as well. There is no escape for them.”
* * * * *
Chapter Thirty-Four
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“They are rapidly catching up to us,” said Steropes. “They have about 300 G’s more acceleration than we do, so that is to be expected.”
“Do we have any mines left?” asked Captain Deutch.
“Yes sir,” said the offensive systems officer. “But we only have about 200. Without some sort of confined area, they will not be very useful.”
“I am aware of that,” said the CO. “Load them into some of the counter-missiles and launch them in front of the lizard ship. I want them to see the mines launching and know that they’re there. Maybe we can get them to slow down so that we can make it to the gate. And maybe we’ll get lucky, and they’ll run over one. Either way, I don’t want them onboard when they start shooting at us again.”
Bridge, Wanton Killer, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“Sir! The Terran ship is launching missiles!” called the sensor technician.
“What? What are they doing? We can’t be within their range...” Captain Sssseth mused. “Shields to front!” he ordered. “Prepare to launch counter-missiles!”
“That’s weird,” said the sensor technician, “the missiles only travelled about two million miles, and then they blew up.”
“How big a detonation did they have?” asked Sssseth.
“That’s also weird,” replied the technician. “The force of the explosion was smaller than what it should have been.”
“That’s because they weren’t trying to blow anything up,” hissed Sssseth. “They were scattering more mines in our path. Helmsman, alter course to starboard to stay clear of the minefield.”
“Yes sir!” replied the helmsman.
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“Sorry Captain,” said the defensive systems officer, “but the lizard ship altered course and avoided the mines. It didn’t work.”
“What do you mean ‘it didn’t work?’” asked Captain Deutch.
“They didn’t slow down, and they didn’t hit any of them,” answered the DSO.
“That’s ok,” replied the CO, “I never really expected them to destroy the ship; I’m just trying to buy us some more time.”
“The lizards are at fifteen million miles and are beginning to slow down,” said Steropes.
“Why would they do that?” asked the helmsman.
“Obviously, they don’t want to go flying past us,” replied Captain Deutch. “This way they can stay within weapons range longer, or
maybe even board us. In a stand-up fight, they win.”
Bridge, Wanton Killer, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“Ten million miles,” called the weapons technician. “We’re in missile range.”
“I’d like to get a little closer,” replied Captain Sssseth. “I’ve never seen an Eldive cruiser before, and it’s unlikely I ever will again. I want to play with this one a little. Besides, I don’t want to kill the ship; I just want to knock down its defenses so we can board them. Close to 500,000 miles. We’ll take them with lasers.”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“I don’t get it,” said the helmsman. “They’re in range. Why don’t they fire?”
“They’re playing with us,” said Captain Deutch. “They could send out a full missile launch any time they wanted, and it would overwhelm our defenses.”
“Why would they do that?” asked the engineer.
“Either because I pissed them off, and they’re trying to make this last as long as they can,” said the CO, “or they don’t want to destroy us for some reason and are closing to laser range, hoping to disable us. Either way, it’s not because they feel sorry for us.”
“Seven million miles,” noted Steropes.
“Fire all missiles,” said the CO.
Bridge, Wanton Killer, Tau Ceti System, May 25, 2019
“They’re firing!” yelled the sensor technician.
“Did you think they would just let us come up and board them?” asked Sssseth. “Of course they’re firing. Shoot them down!”
* * * * *
Theogony 1: Janissaries Page 30