by Ryk Brown
“What about the octos?” Talisha asked.
“To hell with the octos,” Robert replied. “The octos can’t attack Orswella! The gunships can!” he explained as he pressed his jump button.
“Shit!” Gil cursed as the gunship slipped from his sites. “I almost had him!”
“Turn to two seven five, up eight,” his copilot instructed.
“Give me a range, Jela,” Gil instructed as he rolled his gunship into a tight turn to port.
“One point eight!” his sensor officer replied.
“You sure?”
“No.”
“At least you’re honest,” Gil commented as he rolled out of his turn and pitched down a few degrees. “Eyes open, everyone,” he added, pressing his jump button.
“Deshi, you and I are going after Gunship Three,” Commander Prechitt ordered over comms.
“Target course is one eight seven, twenty up relative,” Max reported.
“I’m with you, Commander,” his wingman replied.
“Cristos, Siena, go after Gunship Four,” the commander ordered as he rolled into his turn and began pitching up.
“Gotcha, Chief,” the pilot of Razor Nine replied.
“Estimated jump range of target is two point five light years,” Max added.
“Two point five,” the commander confirmed, more out of habit than necessity. “You with me?”
“I’m with you, boss,” Deshi promised.
“What about us?” Talisha asked.
“You three go after the octos,” the commander instructed.
“Got it.”
“Guns free, Max,” the commander ordered as he reached for his jump button. “You see him, you shoot him.”
“Guns free, confirmed,” Max replied.
* * *
The lights in Nathan’s quarters switched on as the intercom next to his bed beeped three times in rapid succession. At the same time, the trim lighting turned red, and the general quarters klaxon sounded in the corridor.
Nathan’s eyes snapped open, still dreary and bloodshot. He sat up on the edge of his bed and tapped the intercom before speaking. “Report?” he inquired as he pulled on his boots.
“Nighthawks found the gunships and octos,” Cameron replied. “They’re five minutes away from Orswella. Ship is preparing for the jump, now.”
“On my way,” Nathan replied, grabbing his comm-set from the bedside table.
* * *
“Got ‘em!” Kasma announced. “Two one zero, ten down, eight hundred thousand clicks!”
Robert immediately turned his gunship to its new heading while adjusting his jump range.
“They jumped!” his sensor officer added.
“How far?” Robert demanded.
“Best guess…one point five light years.”
Robert readjusted his jump range as he rolled out of his turn.
“That light is two point six seconds old,” his copilot warned.
“I know,” Robert replied as he pressed his jump button.
“Jump complete,” Sasha announced.
“Scanning,” Kasma reported over comm-sets. “Old light, same course and speed, he baby-jumped! Maybe thirty light minutes!”
“He’s trying to shake us,” Robert decided, dialing up a thirty-light-minute jump and pressing the jump button. “Scan again!”
“He’s turning,” Kasma announced, “and accelerating!”
“I need a course,” Robert reminded him.
“He’s still turning…”
“Which way?”
“To starboard! He’s pitching up, as well!”
“Crap! He’s jamming!” Kasma reported. “New course! Three two five, eighteen up! Fuck! I lost him!”
“Did he jump?” Robert asked.
“He must have!”
“How far?”
“I don’t know!” Kasma replied. “He was masking his jump!”
“Damn it!” Robert cursed as he dialed up another jump.
“What are you doing?” Sasha asked.
“Best guess,” Robert replied as he made another turn.
“But you’re turning off the target’s course.”
“His last turn was away from Orswella,” Robert said. “No way he’s aborting. He’s just trying to fool us into looking in the wrong direction.”
“You have no way of knowing where he is now.”
“If I try, I may fail,” Robert replied. “If I don’t try, I’ll definitely fail.” He pressed the button, jumping his gunship ahead one light year. “Start scanning, Kas. All directions, all ranges.”
“Scanning,” Kasma replied.
Robert could tell by his sensor officer’s tone that it was a useless endeavor.
“What now?” Sasha asked.
“We scan for one minute, and then we jump to Orswella,” Robert replied with a sigh. “What else can we do?”
A brilliant blue-white flash of light appeared less than one hundred kilometers above Orswella, revealing a single Dusahn gunship. Within a few seconds of its arrival, the ship rolled over, bringing its guns toward the planet, and opened fire on the surface below. Bright orange bolts of plasma leapt from the gunship’s barrels, streaking toward the undefended Orswellans below.
Another flash of blue-white light revealed a second gunship, followed by eight more, smaller, flashes announcing their escort fighters. The second gunship also rolled over and opened fire on the planet below as the octo-fighters spread out to better defend the gunships against any attackers.
The warning sirens on Orswella had been sounding for three minutes when the first strike came. Orange bolts of energy slammed into buildings and plowed through rooftops; the pressure waves blowing them apart from the inside out.
People in the streets screamed and scattered in all directions, panic overwhelming the city in the blink of an eye. One, two, three, four impacts at a time followed by a few seconds of nothing but screams and the sounds of crumbling structures, and air-raid sirens. Then the process repeated. One, two, three, four shots blowing apart everything they rained down upon. More screams, more panic, more smoke, more fire…then the process repeated again.
Thirty seconds after the bombardment began, the rain of fire doubled in its intensity and frequency. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. For the people who had not yet reached the shelters, all they could do was pray they would be spared.
“Jump complete,” Pip reported from Striker Two’s copilot seat.
“Multiple bandits!” Jela reported over comm-sets. “Two gunships and eight octos!”
“Where they at, Jela?” Gil inquired.
“I’ll give you three guesses,” his sensor officer replied.
Gil glanced at his tactical display, then immediately turned toward Orswella and touched his jump button again, instantly transitioning from their arrival point, a few million kilometers from Orswella, to low orbit twenty kilometers behind the attackers. “I’ve got ‘em…dead ahead, twenty clicks,” Gil reported as he dialed up a nineteen-kilometer jump.
“Gunyoki are maneuvering to attack,” Jela warned. “From the target’s starboard side, forty-five degrees high.”
“Let me know when the Gunyoki jump in,” Gil instructed. “That way, their guns will be on the Gunyoki instead of us.”
“New contacts,” his sensor officer reported.
“Two more gunships,” Pip added, examining the tactical display. “Four octos, ten clicks behind us.”
“New contacts are opening fire on the planet,” Jela reported. “Gunyoki are jumping.”
“Here we go,” Gil said, pressing the jump button.
Two Dusahn gunships and eight octo-fighters appeared directly in front of Tham’s eyes as his Gunyoki fighter came out of its attack jump. He immediately pressed the firing trigg
er on his flight control stick, sending red-orange pulses of plasma energy from the main guns, on the front of his port and starboard engines, toward the nearest gunship. “I’m on the lead gunship!” he announced as he continued to fire. “Gento, target anyone who turns to attack us!”
“No shit,” Gento replied, locking their gun turrets on the two octos already turning toward them.
“I’m on the second gunship!” Ki reported over comms as he began his attack.
“Joay! Kio! On me!” Tham called over comms as he continued his attack on the lead gunship. “Kaori! Udo! On Ki! Everyone else on the octos!”
“New contacts!” Gento warned. “Gunships, octos, and Striker Two!”
“Striker Two! Maigo Leader! Target the gunships! We’ll deal with the octos!”
“Striker Two is jumping!” Gento reported. “They’re on their asses!”
“Striker Two is on the gunships!” Gil reported over comms.
“New plan!” Tham announced. “All Gunyoki find an octo and dance!”
* * *
Nathan left his quarters and entered the corridor just as Josh, Loki, and Kaylah jogged past him on their way to the bridge. Alarms still sounded, and the red warning lights pulsed all along the corridor as Nathan fell in behind his staff, following them to the bridge.
Nathan passed through the entrance airlock and onto the bridge.
“Captain on the bridge!” the guard at the door announced as his captain passed.
“Report,” Nathan beckoned as he moved toward the command chair at the center of the bridge.
“I’ve ordered a course change toward Orswella,” Cameron replied as she rose from the command chair and stepped aside. “According to the last message, we should have two minutes before the Dusahn reach Orswella. Waiting for the ship to reach general quarters before jumping.”
“Ship is on course for Orswella,” Josh reported as he replaced the C-shift helmsman and took his seat.
“Jump is plotted and ready,” Loki confirmed, also taking his seat.
“All weapons are charged and ready,” Jessica added, stepping up to the tactical console after having just entered the bridge.
“All compartments report general quarters,” Naralena reported from the comm-station.
The general quarters’ alarm ceased, and the red warning lights at the bridge entrance stopped flashing.
“Shields up,” Nathan ordered as he stood in front of the Aurora’s command chair.
“Raising all shields,” Jessica acknowledged.
“Mister Sheehan,” Nathan called as he took his seat, “jump us to Orswella.”
“Aye, sir,” Loki replied. “Jumping in three……two……one……”
* * *
“Holy crap!” Sasha exclaimed as Striker One came out of their jump. Before them was the planet Orswella. In orbit above it, a battle had already begun. Twenty-four Gunyoki and one Cobra gunship were attacking Dusahn octos and gunships.
“About time you got here, Bobby,” Gil called over comms. “Half the Gunyoki are veering for the group ten clicks back, to your port. Put the hurt on those goddamned gunships, and see if you can get them to stop pummeling the surface!”
“We’re on it,” Robert replied. “Kas, is everyone here?”
“I count four gunships and twelve octos,” the sensor officer replied.
“What about the Nighthawks?” Robert wondered.
“Not on my scope.”
“Keep an eye out for them,” Robert instructed as he turned toward the two gunships to port and pressed his jump button.
A split second later, two Dusahn gunships and four octo-fighters filled his front windows. Robert pressed the firing button on his flight control stick, sending four plasma torpedoes racing toward the lead gunship, lighting up its port shields. He held the trigger down, sending wave after wave of torpedoes, but the gunship’s shields held. “Damn, they’ve got good shields,” he complained, firing incessantly.
“Octos have a bead on us!” Kasma reported.
Striker One’s shields lit up as incoming fire from the Dusahn octos slammed into them, the ship shaking violently with each impact.
“Shields are down to eighty percent,” Sasha warned. “We can’t take more than a few seconds of this!”
“Contacts!” Kasma called over comm-sets. “Nighthawks!”
Commander Prechitt turned his Nighthawk fighter toward the octos, attacking Striker One the moment he came out of his jump.
“Four Dusahn octos are attacking Striker One,” Max reported. “Striker One is maintaining their attack, but their shields will give out before their target’s shields fail.”
Commander Prechitt glanced at his tactical display as more Nighthawks came out of their jumps around him. “Razors!” he called over comms. “Attack the four octos attacking Striker One!” he ordered as he dialed up a micro-jump and pressed his jump button. Suddenly, the battle was less than a kilometer away from him, dead ahead. He angled his fighter slightly left, putting his targeting sites on the nearest octo. “Max, weapons free on all octos. Only shoot at what you can hit.”
“I always do,” Max replied, locking the Nighthawk’s turrets on the two nearest octo-fighters.
Commander Prechitt opened fire, sending bolts of energy streaking toward the nearest octo. The enemy fighter’s shields flashed as the bolts of energy slammed into them. The octo immediately turned away from his pursuit of Striker One, coming around quickly toward the commander. Just as he came around, the enemy fighter disappeared in a blue-white flash.
Four more blue-white flashes followed as the rest of the octos, and then the gunship, jumped away.
“Targets have jumped,” Max reported.
“No kidding,” the commander replied.
“Targets have reappeared,” Max reported.
“Shit!” Gil cursed over comms. “Get these assholes off of me!”
“Razor Three is on it,” Talisha announced.
“Razor Four is with you,” Ensign Tellor added.
“Striker One has jumped forward to support Striker Two and the other Nighthawks,” Max reported.
“Desh, let’s join them,” the commander instructed his wingman.
“I’m with you, boss.”
“I’m hit!” Joay yelled over comms. “I’m coming ap…”
“Fuck!” Natsu exclaimed. “Maigo Five is gone! These bastards are all over…”
“Jump!” Tham ordered.
“Six is gone!” Gento reported from Maigo One’s back seat.
“All Maigos, Leader!” Tham barked. “Hit-and-run tactics! Five-second engagements! Don’t let them gang up…”
Tham’s ship suddenly rocked violently as multiple weapons blasts impacted his aft shields.
“Four octos on our six!” Gento warned. “We gotta…”
The Gunyoki fighter rocked again. Tham felt an incredible heat on his backside. Alarms began sounding all over his console, and his cockpit filled with smoke to the point that he could no longer see. “Gento!” he yelled but got no response.
“Tham!” Krish, Tham’s wingman, called over comms. “Pitch down and jump into the atmosphere!”
“I can’t raise Gento!” Tham replied, feeling for the jump distance dial on his flight control stick, spinning it down to its minimum setting of one half kilometer, then rolling it back up, counting each click.
“The back half of your cockpit is gone!” Krish told him. “Gento’s gotta be dead! Get down low and bail out!”
“I can’t see shit!” Tham replied while counting clicks.
“Two more octos are moving to your six! Jump now!”
Tham pressed the jump button, hoping he had dialed correctly and wouldn’t jump right into the surface. There was a deafening thud and a sudden rush of air as he was thrown forward against his shoulder restr
aints. The smoke, which had blinded him only moments ago, was instantly sucked from his cockpit, and he could see the surface rushing up toward him, much closer than he had hoped. Without hesitation, he reached down between his legs and grabbed the ejection handle, pulling up sharply.
An explosion went off all around him as his canopy blew away from his ship. Tham felt himself blown back against his seat by the rush of air. Then, a second later, another explosion underneath him went off, and he was rocketed from his doomed fighter.
“Targets have jumped!” Kasma reported over comm-sets.
“What the hell?” Robert exclaimed as the ship rocked violently.
“Two gunships just jumped in behind us!” Kasma reported as the ship continued to rock.
“Aft shields are down to twenty percent!” Sasha warned.
“One of the gunships is targeting Striker Two, and one of them is targeting us!” Kasma added.
“Aft shields are going down!” Renny warned.
“Octo escorts have jumped, as well!”
Robert adjusted the ship’s pitch, bringing their nose over to face behind them, opening fire on the attacking gunship.
“Aft shields are barely holding on at five percent!” Renny announced. “One more hit and they would’ve been history!”
Robert glanced out the forward window as his fourth round of plasma torpedoes slammed into the closest gunship.
“The second gunship is maneuvering,” Kasma reported. “He’s translating upward.”
Robert looked out the window again as the second enemy gunship, attacking Gil’s gunship, rose up behind Striker Two and then disappeared in a blue-white flash.
“Contact!” Kasma warned. “Directly behind us!”
The ship lurched violently as something slammed into them from behind. Alarms began sounding, and warning indicators lit up all over the console as systems began failing throughout the ship.
“Aft shields are gone!” Renny reported.
“It’s the second gunship!” Kasma added. “They jumped just past us.”