by John Walker
“Honestly, that all depends on if he finds what he wants.” Biggun shrugged. “I have no idea how long that will be.”
Zem brought up the locked file, clicking through their inventory. Loch kept one large ship, something bigger than a destroyer but smaller than a battleship. That was likely what he took with him. Everything about it appeared to be customized. He’d hoped he might make a guess about how long it took to travel through hyperspace.
I know where this asshole’s coming from, Zem thought. And I’m pretty sure he’s coming back here. “He have another hideout he visits? Or will he return here? I need some specifics.”
“He told us he’d be back as soon as possible,” Biggun replied. “He wasn’t going to do anything else. No pickups, no deliveries, nothing.”
“And do you know what he was after?”
“Yeah, some broad that screwed us over.” Biggun shrugged. “She and her crew hosed an assignment after borrowing a bunch of cash.”
“Did he say he was bringing her back here?” McCully asked.
“Yeah.”
“You sure?” Zem clenched his fist in an effort to keep his cool. “He said he was bringing her back?”
“Yes, man. He’s bringing her back! Jesus Christ.”
“Good. When they return, we need you to make sure he comes down.” Zem gestured to the screen. “You’ll be on comms. Make sure they land without incident and you’ll get all that bullshit she offered you. But… for the record? We didn’t screw up. And if that’s the pretense this son of a bitch is going on, then you’re all a bunch of dumbasses.”
“Hey, I only know what I was told.”
“You weren’t there when Rita came then?” Zem asked. “You seem kind of important. I feel like you would’ve been involved in the negotiation or something. Or at least in the same room.”
“I was off world at the time.” Biggun swallowed hard.
This guy’s lying. Probably because he just realized I was one of the people he talked shit about. Zem wondered if it mattered. Not at the moment but it might eventually. “I don’t trust him in here. We might be waiting a while. Lock him up in a nearby room. Make sure he can’t do anything in there.”
“Whoa, why am I being locked up? I agreed to help you!”
“Relax.” McCully motioned for Nostros to take him down the hall. “Better to be locked up than the alternative.” Once they were gone, she turned back to Zem. “Okay, so now we know what’s going on. You know where he’s coming from. How’d we beat them here? They had a real head start.”
“The Bounty is badass,” Zem replied. “A prototype from your buddy Whitaker’s days of research and development. I’m thinking we’ve got a few hours… tops. That means we’ve got our work cut out for us. This place has to be rigged. I brought plenty of explosives, stuff we can use for traps. Let’s get them in here.”
“Because we don’t know how many people are coming down,” McCully said. “I suggest we funnel them into the main room. He seems to have it set up like a medieval audience chamber. We’ve got plenty of cover, good positions to fire into, and we can trap the locations around us to ensure we don’t have people come up behind us.”
“Bringing you was a good idea after all,” Zem replied. “I’ll join you when I’ve finished looking over their inventory. I’m all for using their own shit against them too. Once I find them all, I’ll get to work. Map out the space and let me know what you want me to do. I’ll trust you can get this done.”
“Gee, thanks. I’ve never planned an operation before.” McCully huffed, turning away.
“Wait.” Zem moved over to her, touching her shoulder. “Listen, I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole. I want you to understand where I’m coming from. Rita… she and Borden are the only people I have left in the world. Well, them and Torrence now. I take it real personally what’s happened so… I’m just intent on getting her back.”
“I understand.” McCully nodded. “We’ll finish this together. And we don’t have to do it by committing atrocities. Believe me. This won’t be a big thing.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Zem watched her go, turning back to the computer. Okay, Rita. We’ll have this place ready. When you get here… you won’t have to stay for long.
***
Noah stopped by medical when he returned to the Morrigan. Jack Shelley had yet to wake up. He didn’t stay long. Medics stated he remained in a coma. Their recommendation was that he be returned to Confed space as quickly as possible to recover in a proper facility at either a space station or one of the major planets.
He authorized the transfer, but it hurt his heart to have to. He knew there was no reason to keep him around if the prognosis suggested he’d be in recovery for a prolonged period of time. A transport shuttle would take him to the MerCon ship for staging where he’d travel back in their facilities.
This left Noah with a dilemma of needing a first officer. They technically had time to fetch a new one, at least they believed so. But he wanted to take someone already on board. Someone he could trust to have a solid opinion and do the right thing. Particularly a person with experience as a fighter pilot.
He made his way to Nina Larson’s quarters, knocking twice. She called for him to come in, rising from her bunk to attention as he did. “Sir… sorry, I didn’t know it was you.”
“At ease,” Noah said. “I had a couple things I wanted to discuss.”
“Sure.” Nina loosened her stance, clasping her hands behind her back. “What can I do for you?”
“First, now that you know about Whitaker, that Marshal Northam’s in his proper position again, what do you think of our situation? Are you feeling better about the decision we made to defy the order to return home?”
Nina’s cheeks flushed. She nodded. “Yes, sir. I’m… I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“I have absolutely no grudge about that,” Noah replied, “and I’m not here to gloat about it being the right call. It could’ve just as easily bitten me in the ass, and we’d be in serious trouble. In fact, part of the reason I’m here is because you were willing to speak your mind in that case… you had a conviction. It’s important.”
“Sir?”
“Commander Shelley has been seriously injured. He’s going home.” Noah sighed. “He’ll be off the ship within the hour. That leaves a vacancy. One I’m hoping to fill before we head out. We’re on the verge of a major conflict and I need someone I can trust to be on the bridge with me. Coordinating with the other departments and our fighters.”
Nina’s eyes widened. “Are you suggesting—”
“I am offering you the opportunity to take that role. You’ll have a temporary rank increase to Commander. When this is over, we’ll talk again to see about making it permanent if that’s what you’d like.” Noah stepped closer. “What do you say? Will you do it?”
“I…” Nina swallowed hard. “Sir, I’m not entirely sure I know all of what Commander Shelley did.”
“During the fighting, you’ll primarily be guiding the fighters and helping me with tactical. You know the ship, and trust me, I wouldn’t be asking you if I didn’t believe you are the right person for the job.”
“Are you sure I wouldn’t be better leading the squadron? And who would do it if I’m not there?”
“I’m willing to take suggestions,” Noah replied, “but I’d recommend Justin do it. He’s got plenty of combat experience, and he’s been seconding you anyway. I’d put him in charge. And you’ll still be guiding them. You’ll just have the opportunity to do it without being directly shot at yourself.”
“He’s a good call.” Nina’s shoulders finally slumped as she stared at the floor. “I know I don’t really have time to think about this. I’m going to accept. I’ll do it, sir. I’m assuming you need me to jump right in?”
“Sooner the better.” Noah motioned at the door. “When you’re ready, head up to the bridge. We’ll fill you in on everything happening. You can brief the pilots, let Justin know, then we’re
pretty much on our way. Right now, we’re waiting the go ahead to travel to ervas space. Our fleet’s going to meet us on the border. Lots to do, Nina.”
“I won’t let you down, sir.”
“I know.” Noah clapped her shoulder. “See you later. Thanks again.” He headed up to the bridge, logging into his terminal right away. It took a moment to update Nina’s status while also transferring Jack off the ship. Once the administration part was done, he turned to Erica and Dorian. “Jack’s on his way home. I’ve assigned Nina to take his place.”
“What?” Erica looked over her shoulder with raised brows. “Wow.”
“What’s wrong?” Noah asked.
“Just… surprised, I guess. She was pretty outspoken at the meeting.”
“That’s why I picked her. She’s got the nerve to tell me how it is when necessary. I need a partner more than a parrot. Anyway, don’t you like her?”
“Yeah, I like her fine. She’s cool.” Erica shrugged. “I just didn’t expect it. That’s all.”
“Who did you have in mind?”
Erica shook her head. “No one. I don’t get paid enough to even think about that stuff.”
Noah chuckled. “Dorian, you’re quiet. What’re your thoughts?”
“Who takes over for her?”
“Justin.”
“I like it. I’ll do my best to help her get caught up and acclimated.”
“This is definitely the crucible,” Noah said. “We’ll be going into battle soon. I’m keeping her duties focused. She’s got fighters and coordination with some of the other departments. Figure out what you absolutely must hand off and make that the priority. Otherwise, we’ll divvy it up.” He leaned back. “Otherwise, we’re playing the waiting game.”
I don’t think it’ll be much longer though. And when we get word, the next steps will come quickly. Noah appreciated the time to prepare but he looked forward to knowing the outcome. It’ll happen soon enough. Best to let it go in its own time. Which was really easier said than done but then, there wasn’t much of a choice either way.
***
“Sir!” Daisy shouted, startling Sasha to look in her direction. “Sir, the second ship just performed a microjump! They’re directly behind us on the other end of this asteroid field. Weapons are powering up right now!”
“Are their shields still damaged?” Sasha asked. “Get me some information.” They couldn’t spin back around just then. Not with all the rocks floating about in the way. He needed another few moments to break free of the obstacles so they could address the other vessel. I can’t believe they had the nerve to try that.
Throughout their confrontations with the ervas, they rarely performed risky hyperspace jumps. That seemed to be the purview of human commanders. The Confeds were willing to do it all the damn time. Those Gold Empire officers who came from their ranks also had no qualms pushing ships to the limit like that.
Sasha himself had only done it once. The act scared the piss out of him, and he refused to try it again unless it became absolutely necessary. What would push him that far, he had no idea. Perhaps the threat of total annihilation but if that was the case, he doubted he’d have time for the calculations.
I barely am going to have the time to do a proper jump in a few minutes.
“They are still damaged,” Daisy said. “But their weapons appear to be at full power.”
“How long before we depart the field?” Sasha asked.
“Two minutes. We’ll be in range of their weapons in one.”
One minute of attacks to our rear. Exactly what we prevented the other ship from doing. Good job, you assholes. I have to hand this one to you. I’m impressed.
“Can they get the damn thing off of us?” Sasha needed that device gone. They couldn’t jump from the asteroid field but once they cleared it, they’d have the opportunity to break and run. The ship waiting for them could not keep up. They’d have three or four volleys at the most before they’d be out of range.
Unfortunately, that means putting our ass to them a second time. Dammit! The odds felt like they were in his favor. Two enemy ships, one damaged, the other occupied, gave him some space to maneuver. But eventually, he’d find himself fighting both. Destroying them quickly seemed unlikely, making a head to head battle impractical.
“Engineering is cutting through it now,” Daisy said. “It is superheated. They’re having a hard time getting close to it. The radiation is serious. It’s giving off quite a bit.”
“Are our hazard suits sufficient?”
“Affirmative, but only just. They probably won’t be any good when they’re done. They’ll definitely have to detox when this is all over. Possibly for a while though medical is only speculating on that right now.”
Perfect. On top of everything else, my people are being poisoned by the damn thing. And it’s not even a type of radiation we’re familiar with. Alien crap. Sasha sighed, rubbing his eyes. I wonder if they have more of these. I’m sure they do. That means they can infect other vessels. I have to get this information back to the fleet.
The intelligence they put together may well be the key to winning the war… or at least defending against special weapons. Tactics had also come to light. When pushed in a corner, the ervas were willing to take big risks. Even with ships that suffered severe damage. Not only did they go into hyperspace with engine problems, they performed a microjump on top of it.
Which also means they really want our asses. Sasha tried to ignore that part. The determination of his enemies made it obvious how much trouble they were in. At least there are only two ships left chasing us… so far as we know. He winced as rocks battered the shields, ervas blasts accompanying them. Two sides hit at the same time.
Part of the risk versus reward of going in here, Sasha reminded himself. We’ll be out shortly, and it’ll have been totally worth it. The ervas ship is still stuck in the middle. They were struggling to clear their immediate surroundings of the rocks, to break free of the trap but they’d be there for quite a while. Thirty more turrets wouldn’t help them right now.
“Which one of them hit us?” Sasha asked.
“The one we’re approaching,” Daisy said, “the other is on full defensive. They’re struggling to clear the larger rocks, but they’ve already burned up a good fifty that struck their shields. Damage is pretty extensive. They won’t be chasing us any time soon.”
Thank God part of this worked. Sasha turned all his attention to the ship they were approaching. “Marston, when we clear the field, turn to the starboard side. As we come around and they enter our sights, open fire on them. Give them everything we’ve got before engaging the engines, full thrust.”
“Aye, sir. I’m on it.” Marston continued maneuvering them through the rocks. He did a fantastic job but there was no escaping unscathed. Every bang of a rock made the ship shake and the deck vibrate. They smacked hard though the shields prevented any major damage. Each blow knocked their energy reserves down a notch, sometimes by eight percent.
Come on, baby. You’ve got this! Hold on for another thirty seconds! You can do it!
They cleared the rocks. The ervas left behind in the field advanced, pushing forward despite taking a serious beating from the rocks. It opened fire, hitting the Broken Light from two angles. Their original pursuer was taking a huge gamble and scans showed they received serious punishment from their impatience.
Hull damage on their port bow didn’t slow them down though. Even as holes appeared here and there, they continued firing, laying down an impressive array of fire. Their partner did the same. Marston tilted the vessel, protecting their thrusters at the cost of the back and side taking more of the punishment.
Shields held though they were dropping fast. These came from their normal attacks, causing the shields to go down even after the hits. Fortunately, Engineering knew how to contend with that side effect, which meant they could keep them up as the thrusters pulled them away.
Neither of the enemies had it in them to
keep up. Once the Broken Light got out of range, the fight was over.
For how long? Sasha wanted to stay behind, to finish them off. I can’t afford to take any more damage. Even if they defeated the two ervas ships, a delay in departing that sector might mean the difference between life and death for some of the fleet. They need to know about that device.
“Engineering report,” Daisy said. “They think they can jam the device but cutting it… that’s not going to be possible.”
“As long as it won’t rip us out of hyperspace,” Sasha replied. “Actually… it may be better if we can preserve it. I’m pretty sure someone will want a look at the thing… to check out that technology. Maybe it’ll help us in the fight to come.”
Another two sets of volleys splashed against their shields. These brought about a real reaction, a dramatic tremor that made parts rattle behind metal panels. Even when it settled down, Sasha swore he heard things clattering around him. He gritted his teeth, offering a silent prayer that the ship would hold together.
“They might get one more off,” Marston said. “But we’re nearly out of range. Should be another few moments at most.”
Sasha noted they were at full throttle, but the HUD showed they were only getting ninety percent efficiency from the thrusters. Damage from that earlier hit.
“I hate to keep after this,” Sasha said, “but what’s our ETA to hyperspace recharge?”
“It’s ready,” Daisy didn’t sound certain, “and we’ll be able to jump shortly.”
“Why do I sense a but in that statement?” Marston asked the question.
“Because of that device. Engineering has sealed around the breach in the anchors that it’s used to clamp onto the hull. They’re putting a jammer in place, basically a massive sensor they can pump power through to overwhelm its ability to receive signals. I’m skeptical that it’ll work. I have no data to support my concern but…there it is.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Sasha said, “even getting a system away will be better than waiting here.” Of course, getting yanked out of hyperspace probably isn’t good for the systems. We might not survive a second time. He kept those thoughts to himself even though he figured the others felt the same way.