A heavy silence hung over the chamber. His officers had been quiet before, but now they were as statues, not moving, barely breathing.
“As we speak, the beings left on Zakros are in the process of being slaughtered, and there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it. From here on out, our options are extremely limited. Unless we decide to flee to the Kaithian home system and huddle in Home’s orbit with as much of the Fleet as has made it there…unless we do that, we’ll have to stay on the run from now on. The Milky Way belongs to the Progenitors. They’re just finishing the process of scouring it—killing off those unlucky or foolish enough to have not evacuated yet.”
He drew a deep breath and let it out in a slow hiss. “From now on, even when we move through IU core systems, we’re maneuvering through enemy territory. The Progenitors could strike at any time, surrounding us, and when they do, we must be ready to punch through and continue on toward our destination.”
“What is our destination?” Chief Benno Tremaine asked.
“That’s what we’re here to discuss,” Husher said. “The decision is ultimately mine, but a lot rides on it, which is why I’ve called you all here: to get your input before I make the final call. We need to decide what our priorities are. Do we think simply defending Home is a viable long-term goal? Personally, I don’t think it is. The Progenitors’ resources are virtually unlimited.”
“What do you consider a viable long-term goal, Captain?” Ek asked, from the other end of the long, oaken table.
“I don’t think we have any,” Husher said. “I think we have a single viable goal, and it’s a short-term one. We need to make it to the Progenitors’ home universe. And we need to kill those we find there.”
Scot Winterton spoke up. “Apologies, Captain, but—”
“Don’t apologize for disagreeing,” Husher said. “I called you here to speak your mind, and everyone here has my full permission to do so.”
“Yes, sir,” Winterton said. “I was going to say that the way you’ve framed things seems to suggest that making it to the Progenitor home dimension is a single objective, when in fact it’s a set of multiple objectives. We don’t know how to transport a ship as big as the Vesta through the multiverse, so that has to be priority number one. Assuming we’re able to obtain that knowledge, in order to implement it, we’d need shipbuilding facilities as large as those the Progenitors destroyed in Feverfew. We’re not sure any such facilities exist any longer. But let’s entertain for a moment the possibility there is still such a facility and that we’re able to reach it—we’d still need to defend it while making the modifications. The Vesta will be inactive while any upgrades are made, so I’m not able to guess how we might do that. Even supposing we did…that would still leave transitioning through the multiverse on a voyage without historical precedent, to face an enemy we know very little about, and to either defeat them or force them to call off the attack.”
Winterton fell silent, expressionless, and Husher raised his eyebrows. Then, he chuckled—he couldn’t help it. He was pretty sure no one but the stoic sensor operator could have mustered such a dry account of all the problems confronting them, right to the captain’s face.
“That was an extremely comprehensive analysis, Ensign,” Husher said, still smiling. “And I’m glad you gave it. It’s good to have every possible objection on the table from the outset.” He met the gaze of the other officers, one by one. “Winterton’s right. What I’m about to propose fails every objective analysis. Every analysis except one, that is: we have no other option. When you have only one shot at victory, you must take that shot, no matter how improbable it is. The other option is to lay down and die, and everything about how I was raised and how I was trained rebels against the thought of that. I know you all feel the same. I’ve lived and worked with you on this ship for many months—most of you, I’ve done so for years. I know you. And I know you refuse to say die.”
“What’s your plan, sir?” Ensign Amy Fry asked.
“The last conflict the galaxy faced, the Gok Wars, ended with the defense of the Arrowwood System.” He didn’t mention that he’d been the one to lead that defense. His officers knew that already, and bringing it up would only amount to boasting. “I’m hoping Arrowwood can play a vital role in ending this war as well.”
As he paused to gather his thoughts, he noted the heavy silence inside the conference room. Despite Winterton’s skepticism, which probably mirrored that of several others, his officers were clearly desperate for a way forward. Some action they could take that might give the galaxy hope.
“Like Winterton pointed out,” Husher went on, “for all we know, the Progenitors have taken out every shipbuilding facility in the galaxy. But if not, then Arrowwood’s facilities are the most likely to have survived, thanks to the way that system is laid out. Their facilities occupy orbits below the orbital defense platforms protecting Summit, the system’s only colony. The Gok Wars taught the IU the importance of Arrowwood, and their fighter defense group is unmatched throughout the Union, either in skill or in numbers.
“If Arrowwood stands, then that also addresses the problem of how we’ll defend Vesta while she undergoes upgrades. We can rely on the system’s existing defenses, bolstered by our own Air Group, as well as our battle group.”
Winterton cleared his throat. “We still haven’t gotten to the part where we figure out what those upgrades should be, exactly, Captain.”
“Yes,” Husher said, nodding. “And as you’ve already pointed out, Ensign, shipbuilding facilities will serve as prime targets for the Progenitors. If Arrowwood hasn’t been attacked yet, it soon will be, especially when the enemy detects our interest in it. We’re going to use that to accomplish our objectives. When they hit Arrowwood, we’re going to disable one of their ships, and then we’ll steal their interdimensional tech from it.”
Husher looked around the conference room one last time, meeting each of his officers’ eyes in turn. “I’m open to being dissuaded, but that will involve one of you proposing a plan that’s more likely to work.”
No one spoke. Not even Winterton.
Husher nodded again. “Okay, then. We’re doing this.”
Chapter 36
Shrapnel-Laced
“Transitioning into Arrowwood now, sir,” Winterton said. “Waiting on sensor data to come in.”
“Acknowledged, Ensign.”
Several minutes later, Winterton spoke again, and when he did, he confirmed his own predictions, made in the conference room just two days before: “Summit is under attack by fifty Progenitor ships. Fifteen of thirty destroyers are positioned underneath the colony’s defense platforms, and the fighter defense group is spread thin trying to deal with them all. The remaining destroyers and twenty carriers are focusing on three separate defense platforms from above, while being engaged by the system defense group.”
“How many warships remain of that system defense group?”
“Twenty, sir.”
Husher closed his eyes. In one sense, the attack represented incredibly good fortune. After all, it gave them plenty of targets to try and disable in their effort to steal the Progenitors’ interdimensional tech.
But fifty ships…
It was the largest Progenitor force he’d seen in the field, and it was clearly meant to break Arrowwood. Without the Vesta’s intervention, it would almost certainly succeed. Even with their help, the colony’s survival was far from certain.
“Nav, set a course that takes us around the colony and terminates at an uncontested defense platform, well away from Progenitor missile range.”
“Aye, sir,” Chief Ortega said. Noni was still recovering from her episode caused by lucid, though Doctor Bancroft said she would soon be cleared for duty again.
“Coms, order our battle group captains to set courses to join the system defense group in engaging enemy ships positioned above the orbital platforms.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The journey through the beleaguer
ed star systems between Feverfew and Arrowwood had been an extreme test of Husher’s resolve to see this mission through. Almost every system they’d entered had been under attack, and to watch orbital defense systems compromised by a merciless attacker while doing nothing to step in and help…it had required Husher to harden himself, more than he ever would have wanted to.
It made him wonder how much of the galaxy’s population was actually going to make it to Home. A long rebuilding phase had followed the Second Galactic War, but Husher wasn’t sure it would be possible for the galaxy to ever recover from this one. Providing we survive it at all.
At last, they reached the end of Ortega’s course. Throughout it, Husher had kept every missile tube loaded, with a mix of Banshees and their last remaining Hydras. He’d also ordered Commander Ayam to standby to scramble the Air Group at a moment’s notice.
But to his surprise, the Progenitor ships hadn’t used their interdimensional capabilities to surround the Vesta at any point.
Maybe they have an inkling of what we intend. If the enemy thought there was even a chance of Husher using the Arrowwood shipyards to gain the ability to travel through the dimensions, they would want to destroy them as quickly as they could.
“Nav, make for the nearest destroyer positioned underneath the defense platforms’ orbit, while keeping the Vesta above them, of course.” The supercarrier’s mass was such that, if she strayed very far below the defense platforms, there would be no escaping Summit’s gravity well. “Coms, get me Captain Syms.”
Within seconds, he was talking to the captain—audio only, of course, since the captain of Summit’s fighter defense group was currently engaged in furious combat.
“Syms here,” the Winger said. “Go ahead.”
“Captain Syms, this is Captain Husher of the IGS Vesta. I’m—”
“By the talon,” Syms said. “Captain Husher, I can’t believe you’ve come to our aid once again!”
“We’ll do what we can. But I’ll be honest with you, Captain: our main reason for coming is access to your shipyards. I’m keen to make an upgrade to the Vesta that I think will prove essential to winning the war.”
“That’s certainly something I can get behind,” Syms grunted—he was probably coping with tremendous g-forces at the moment. “Either way, my pilots will get quite the morale boost once they learn you’re here.”
“I don’t want to distract you, Captain. I’m getting in touch to ask that you disengage from the Progenitor destroyer we’re approaching—I’ll have my Coms officer send its designation to you now.” He nodded at Fry, who nodded back, then did as he’d indicated. “That should help you pressure the enemy’s other low-orbit positions a little more, and hopefully keep them from compromising any defense platforms in a way that can’t be repaired quickly. In the meantime, we’ll bring everything we have to bear on neutralizing our target. Then we’ll switch to the next target, send you the designator, and have you disengage from it. As long as your defenses continue to hold, we should be able to increase the pressure on the enemy until it becomes overwhelming and they disengage.”
“I’m fully on board, Captain Husher,” Syms said. “I think I’d be crazy to say no to a plan from the savior of Arrowwood.”
Husher suppressed the urge to wince. “Uh, thank you, then, Captain Syms. I look forward to wiping the Progenitors from this system with you.”
“Thank you, Captain. Syms out.”
Husher released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, then turned to Tremaine. “We need to make every missile count. The Progenitors likely know we’re running low. I want you to have all Hydras pulled from the forward missile tubes and replaced with Gorgons. Standby to fire the entire forward barrage at the target.”
The Tactical officer frowned. “Sir, if the Progenitors know we’re running out of missiles, aren’t Gorgons exactly what they’d expect from us?”
“Yes. And that’s why I’ll be scrambling the Air Group at the same time, including Ayam’s subspace squadron.” He turned to Coms. “Fry, tell Ayam not to bother having his squadron enter the launch tubes. Instead, order them to transition to subspace directly from the hangar bay, and do their accelerating within subspace. They won’t have the same energy, and it’ll take them longer to reach the target, but when they do arrive it should be unexpected enough to let them strike the final blow.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Husher waited until the Vesta was halfway between two defense platforms, affording them the safest firing solution for their missiles—one that had the lowest chance of hitting either a platform or the planet itself.
Once they were in position, he gave the order: “Fire missiles, Tremaine. And launch Pythons.”
“Aye.”
Pythons streamed from the Vesta, shooting down Ravagers as they worked their way toward the destroyer, which had been abandoned by the planet’s own fighters mere moments ago.
Now, the Vesta’s Air Group stepped up the pressure, keeping the destroyer occupied, so that it had no opening to use its particle beam. The missile barrage Husher had ordered helped with that.
Without the backup of its fellow warships, the assault proved too much for the destroyer, and missiles began to get through, even though they’d clearly anticipated the Gorgons. Even some Python squadrons managed to evade point defense turrets long enough to get in volleys of kinetic impactors, along with a few Sidewinders.
Then Ayam’s subspace fighters appeared out of nowhere, connecting with a flawless alpha strike. The destroyer exploded, and the subspace fighters vanished before colliding with the shrapnel-laced conflagration.
“On to the next,” Husher barked.
Chapter 37
Redouble
Two more destroyers fell in quick succession, to roughly the same approach.
The Progenitors are getting sloppy. Husher could see why: they were too focused on breaking the colony’s defenses. Each ship was acting independently to do its part to accomplish that, which harmed their coordination overall.
In the meantime, both the Vesta and Summit’s fighter defense group worked in tandem, whittling down the destroyers trying to take advantage of the defense platforms’ unprotected underbellies.
When the Vesta succeeded in taking down the fourth destroyer, letting Captain Syms and his fighters put even more pressure on the remaining ones, Husher knew they’d stabilized. To back up that assessment, a group of squadrons commanded by Syms took down a destroyer of their own, allowing them to split up to attack the remaining ten targets occupying orbits below defense platforms.
But the Progenitor warships were finally changing their tactics, doing more to support each other. The carriers and destroyers above the defense platforms were inching toward their fellows below, trying to back them up.
Easier said than done with those platforms pounding away at them. After what had happened at the end of the Gok Wars, Summit’s planetary government had lobbied the IU hard for beefier orbital defense platforms, and they’d received them. Judging by their performance today, they were just as deadly as advertised.
On the other hand, only fourteen system defense warships remained of the twenty that had been active when the Vesta entered the system. And the Vesta’s own battle group had been whittled down to seven ships. Slowly, Arrowwood’s defenses were crumbling.
“It’s time,” Husher said, his eyes on the tactical display. “That carrier there, moving to support our next logical target.” He sent the designator to each CIC officer’s console. “That’s the one we’ll disable. Winterton, is Ayam still in realspace after taking down the last destroyer?”
“He is, sir.”
“Get me him, Coms.”
“Ayam here,” the Winger said a few moments later, over a two-way channel.
“Commander, your squadron will be instrumental in disabling a carrier so we can steal its tech—here, I’ll send which one to your computer now. I don’t see how else we can execute the type of surgical attack we nee
d to destroy her capacitors so that she can’t transition out. We don’t have the luxury of deciding which of our missiles gets through, and the same goes for non-subspace fighters. But if we send everything directly at a main capacitor, our intention of disabling her will become obvious.”
“And that’s where I come in.”
“Indeed. We’ll do everything we can to make it seem like we simply intend to target the destroyer, but at the last second, we’ll switch to the designated carrier, hitting them with enough to keep them busy. That should give you the opening you need to flit into realspace and target their main capacitors, on the port and starboard side. With those gone, they won’t have the energy to power their quantum engine.” Assuming that is how they travel between the dimensions.
“A lot of variables here, Captain,” Ayam said. “Luckily, it’s the type of situation I thrive in.”
“I know it. God speed, Commander.”
“Thanks, sir. You too. Ayam out.”
Ayam’s squadron vanished from the tactical display seconds later, and Husher turned to Tremaine. “Time to use those last Hydras, Chief. I want a barrage loaded into the forward tubes consisting of only Hydras. Calculate two firing solutions; one that sends six at the destroyer, and another that sends the rest at that carrier.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Coms, tell the Air Group that if any of the Hydras make it through, they’re not to fire on the enemy carrier. We’re trying to capture her, not destroy her.”
“Aye.”
The Vesta reached a point equidistant between two defense platforms, and a slight tremor ran through her and up Husher’s chair as the Hydras left the forward tubes.
Ixan Legacy Box Set Page 62