Decker's War Omnibus 1

by Eric Thomson

  “Of course not. There is no such thing as the Garonne Navy. I made up our banner a few days ago, just in case we had to go into battle.”

  “Dare I ask?”

  “Probably not. You’ve got a ship to sail.”

  “And you’re afraid that I’ll blow my top?”

  “No. I’m afraid you’re going to lecture me on the difference between appropriate and inappropriate again. We don’t have time for that.”

  Talyn, eyes still on the helm, gave him the rigid digit salute, something Zack seemed to find so inordinately funny that he barely managed to swallow an outburst of laughter.

  “Does he do inappropriate things often?” Steiger asked.

  “You have no idea,” Talyn replied. “There are days when I think he desperately needs adult supervision.”

  She touched her controls.

  “We’re changing course. You can turn us into a mercenary’s worst nightmare now.”

  **

  “Sir, one of the ships has tacked and is headed for us.”

  “What?” Captain Gurik sat up in his command chair and stared at the tactical schematic. “Have they lost their ever-loving minds?”

  “Its power curve just spiked.”

  “Put it on screen. I want to see what that idiot looks like.”

  The video feed zeroed in on Phoenix, just in time to see the camouflage plates move aside and reveal gun turret after gun turret. A dark opening, like the mouth of a shark, appeared on its underside, unmasking the missile launchers in its belly.

  Gurik dropped back in his seat, eyes wide.

  “What in heaven’s name is that?”

  “No beacon, but they’ve displayed some sort of identification.” A clear visual of the Q-ship’s flank filled the main screen.

  Gurik’s jaw dropped.

  “Keele,” he said in a quivering whisper, “tell me I didn’t just have a stroke.”

  “No sir.” The lieutenant fought hard to keep a straight face. He lost the battle within seconds and choked back a laugh. “We are indeed looking at a black rectangle with the representation of a raised middle finger in white upon it. Not quite a jolly roger, although...”

  “Umm, sir...” the sensor tech raised his hand again, “they’ve locked on to us with what looks like naval grade targeting sensors.”

  Keele lost his amused expression and glanced at Gurik, whose face was quickly changing from its usual brick red to an alarming puce.

  “May I suggest we break orbit and get some maneuvering room?”

  “What?” The captain blinked several times before seeming to regain some of his composure. “By all means, yes, Keele. Warn Merlin and tell them to follow suit. We’ll try to get that dumb bastard between us and teach him a lesson in courtesy. Giving me the finger indeed. I’ll give him plasma indigestion.”

  **

  “Really, Zack?” Talyn growled once she’d realized what he had done. “Isn’t it a bit juvenile even for you?”

  “Not really.” He sounded completely at peace with himself. “It’s the kind of thing that’ll either have them rolling on the deck laughing or feeling insulted enough to seek satisfaction. Either way, I’ve just messed with their minds, and that gives us an advantage.”

  Steiger started laughing.

  “He’s got you there, Captain. I think it was a brilliant move.”

  “You would, Miko,” Talyn said over her left shoulder, not bothering to restrain a brief chuckle.

  “Okay, Zack,” she continued, “I’ll take your psychological warfare excuse at face value. It beats thinking my partner is still an overgrown adolescent.”

  “They’re breaking orbit, both of them,” he replied, ignoring her sarcasm. “I suggest you get on the ass of the nearest one. Based on radio traffic, I think it’s the lead ship anyway. With luck, we’ll spook them long enough to let Verrill and his bunch land safely.”

  “You’re not going to fight?” Steiger sounded surprised.

  “Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting,” Decker quoted, his right hand raised like an ancient orator. “Sun Tzu. Mind you, if they start shooting, I’ll return the favor.”

  “Don’t bet on self-preservation taking the upper hand with those Avalon folks.” The mercenary replied. “Your jolly digit flag might have riled them enough that they’re looking to count coup. Corporate prestige is a big thing with them, you know.”

  “As long as it gets the buggers away from Garonne long enough, I’m happy. Of course, we’ll still have to land, but I’m counting on our smaller size and better maneuverability to help us evade them.”

  “What if they have missiles?”

  “Then they have missiles, but nothing like ours and they’ll definitely use them as a last resort - too expensive.”

  “And you don’t have to worry about that?” Steiger asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.

  “Ask Sera Moneybags when she’s not busy trying to sail us up a sloop’s skirts.”

  **

  “He’s turned to follow in our wake, and he’s accelerating,” an alarmed Lieutenant Keele reported. “We’re now also being actively targeted by a missile controller. It could mean they’re about to launch.”

  “Where’s Merlin?”

  “Still on the other side of the planet. He’ll not be able to get this pirate in his sights for a little while yet.”

  Captain Gurik started gnawing on the drooping tip of his mustache, struggling with the question of whether or not to be the first to shoot and possibly face accusations of piracy or wait for the intruder to commit himself. There were still three freighters to consider. If he let the mystery Q-ship run wild for too long, they’d slip through the blockade. In the end, he decided to hedge his bets.

  “Tell Merlin that they’re to divert and intercept the others. We’ll deal with this one ourselves. Guns, lock on and prepare to fire at my command.”

  **

  “Crap.”

  “What?” Talyn asked, startled by the intensity of Decker’s curse.

  “He’s run up his guns and has locked on to us. I guess it’s time to drop Sun Tzu and go with the guy who said hit ‘em hardest with the mostest. May I go weapons free?”

  “You may. Try not to blow your entire load at once. There are two of them, and it seems like the other one is changing course to intercept our friends.”

  “I can help with that,” he said, smiling. “Firing aft tubes at number two now. That ought to get their attention.”

  “Zack,” Steiger asked, “do you want me to go down and reload?”

  “If you think you can manage without blowing us up, that would be great. I’m about to fire the forward tubes as well, so knock yourself out.”

  “Was that wise?” Talyn asked once the mercenary had left.

  “Does it matter?” Decker shrugged. “I may have mentioned that she seems to know her way around Navy ordnance, and besides, I get the feeling Phoenix might not make it out of this in one piece.”

  “Optimist.”

  “Nope. Realist. We’re over gunned, but it’s still two against one. They may be rentals, but we shouldn’t assume that makes them stupid.” He paused for a fraction of a second. “There. Let’s see what our Avalon buddies do with four Mark Twenty-Threes.”

  **

  “Fire.”

  Gurik’s order seemed loud in the small bridge compartment, but the gunner’s mate obeyed instantly.

  “Sir, the intruder has launched six missiles, two in Merlin’s direction and four at us,” Keele said, sounding more than a little alarmed. “If I didn’t know that they weren’t for civilian use, I’d swear we’re looking at Mark Twenty-Threes.”

  “Or maybe it’s a damned Navy Q-ship.” The mercenary captain was suddenly horror-struck by the idea. “Don’t tell me we just fired on a Navy ship. No wonder they gave us the finger.”

  A dozen plasma streams erupted from the intruder’s impressive bank of guns, almost three times more than Morgana could fire a
ft, and Gurik’s face lost its dark red shading in an instant, replaced by a greenish-white sheen that matched his pained expression.

  The sensor tech made a quick gesture across his chest and murmured, “For what we are about to receive...”

  “Engaging missiles,” Keele announced when the gunner fired Morgana’s four close-in defense calliopes, each with eight tubes and capable of spitting plasma at a rate of three thousand rounds a minute.

  But Decker had timed it well. His first gun salvos splashed against the sloop’s shields almost at the same time as the fire control system opened gaps for the calliopes to shoot through. With the weight of plasma he’d thrown, a few rounds were bound to get through and hit the hull.

  A few did.

  First, they scratched the paint job, then they ate divots into the smooth hull, setting off damage control alarms on the bridge. Then, the first of the four missiles exploded, and the gunner’s mate raised a cheer.

  A second salvo bloomed from the intruder’s guns, ready to take advantage of a weakened shield if one of the missiles managed to explode its warhead against it.

  The calliopes took out a second missile.

  The third one detonated within spitting distance, sending Morgana’s damage control warnings into overdrive while the shield generators fought against the energy released by the massive nuclear blast.

  Missile number four’s detonation sent such a huge feedback surge through the abused generators that they shut down moments before burning out.

  Gurik stared at the status screen, mouth wide open, stunned by the unexpected reversal of fortune, unable to comprehend that a smaller ship had outfought him. The signalman’s voice snapped him out of it.

  “Sir, the intruder has just told us to bugger off before he shoots again.”

  “What?” The words didn’t make sense.

  “I said that the intruder told us, and I quote, bugger off before I shoot at you again, and make you swim home.”

  As if to emphasize the point, a single round streaked by Morgana, bare meters from her port nacelle. Then, as if it had already tired of the brief fight, the unknown ship began to turn away, giving them another good glimpse of the jolly digit ensign on its flank, the final insult to a captain who’d always thought himself equal to anyone in the regular navy.

  Of course, he had no idea that the man who’d bested him was a lowly ground pounder, a species he personally looked down upon. That knowledge would have been enough to trigger a stroke.

  “Should I fire again, Captain?” Keele asked in a tentative tone. “Perhaps use the missiles this time?”

  Gurik shook his head, unable to speak. When he did finally find his voice, he ordered them to a safe distance so they could restart their shield generators. Merlin would have to take care of itself, but the enemy no longer enjoyed the element of surprise. The Avalon crews now knew exactly what they were up against. The intruder would be made to pay, with interest.

  **

  “One down, one to go.” Decker sat back, beaming. “And Miko managed to reload the missile launchers.

  “We surprised him. The other will be expecting your tricks. At this point, a head-to-head fight is going to cost,” Talyn replied, “and he’s turning away from the freighters to meet us. In fact, it looks like they’re already entering the atmosphere.”

  “Mission accomplished.” Decker gave her a thumbs up. “I propose to fire the entire missile load and then shoot like I’m the greatest practitioner of the old spray and pray method. There’s no point in landing with a full ammo locker.”

  “You really do think we’re not taking off again, don’t you?”

  “Call me prescient. We want to figure things out, we need to be down there.”

  “Figure what out?” Steiger asked from the doorway. She was slightly out of breath and covered in a sheen of sweat from the effort.

  “Why we’re in this line of business instead of making money at the poker tables.” Zack shrugged. “Considering the success of my latest bluff...”

  Steiger was smart enough to realize that was the only answer she’d get but still examined Decker with questioning eyes for a few heartbeats before sitting down again.

  “He’s locked on to us, and I imagine he won’t stint on the missiles, this time, cost be damned,” Decker said. “And since there’s no point in hoarding ours...”

  He touched the control screen and expelled his entire reserve into space.

  “No need to head down to the hold again, Miko. We only had one reload.”

  “I noticed.”

  The missiles’ drives were bright sparks on the main screen for a few seconds before they accelerated out of visual range, their warheads locked onto the second Avalon sloop. Moments later, the mercenaries launched a salvo in return.

  “This ride is about to get bumpy,” Decker warned, turning full control of the calliopes over to the AI so he could concentrate on the main guns.

  “One pass, Zack,” Talyn replied. “We’re not turning back to duke it out.”

  “I got that. We’ll not be landing with a dry ammo locker after all.”

  **

  “Is he insane?”

  Merlin’s captain shook his head in wonder at the unidentified ship’s wild rush.

  Then, the intruder opened up with a stunning amount of firepower for its small size.

  “With that much ordnance, I’d say his madness might be justified,” the first officer replied, “but thanks to Gurik’s stupidity, he’s achieved his goal. The freighters slipped through the blockade without inspection.”

  “This one won’t and his little joke of a battle ensign won’t make me lose my temper either.”

  There was little love lost between Merlin’s commander and his colleague aboard Morgana, the former having privately voiced, on more than one occasion, his opinion that the latter was a blowhard.

  “We’re engaging his missiles now.” A pause. “He’s engaging ours.”

  “We’ll shortly know which one of us gets to stitch the other’s hull,” the captain said, eyes locked on the tactical display.

  It ended almost before it had begun. Merlin shuddered like a spastic eel when one of Decker’s missiles got through the defensive fire, but the shields held. Barely.

  The Q-ship’s wasn’t as lucky. Two mercenary missiles evaded the calliopes and collapsed the bow shield. In the seconds it took to turn the ship and put the keel shield between it and the oncoming salvos, a dozen direct hits ate away at the outer hull, damaging the forward thrusters and taking one of the calliopes out of action.

  The two ships passed each other almost within visual range, connected by streams of plasma until the intruder entered the upper atmosphere and quickly vanished around the planet’s curvature.

  “Get us back into orbit,” the captain ordered. “I want to see him land. With any luck it’ll be somewhere we can strike without causing our paying customers any heartache.”

  “We’ll likely be too late,” the first officer warned.

  “Then we’ll be too late.” He shrugged. “We’re not responsible for what happens on the ground anyway. I just thought it might be a nice bonus. Their damned militia can find them for all I care.”

  **

  “Told you we’d take a beating,” Decker said, “the guys on that ship aren’t as dumb as the others.”

  “You’re a regular psychic. Well done. But it’ll make landing just a bit hairy,” Talyn replied, her attention focused on the AI’s damage control report. Then something caused her to look up.

  “You’re still firing?”

  “Satellites. Why leave the opposition with eyes and ears?”

  “Nasty, but effective,” Steiger approved. “Verrill will like that.”

  “When you’re done killing innocent electronics, get in touch with the folks on the ground and tell them we’ll need a long runway to land. The damage we took will prevent us from making a vertical approach.”

  “How long?”

  “Ten kilomete
rs should do. If it can be free of stuff like sharp rocks or tall trees, so much the better. I’m not expecting a spaceport tarmac but trying to land on top of a jungle isn’t going to work out well for anyone.”

  “I didn’t think we were going to get back into space anytime soon either. Good thing there’s work to do where we’re going.”

  He activated the comlink, a pleased smile on his lips.

  “A regular psychic,” Talyn muttered, her attention back on the balky helm controls, “and a real pain in the ass too.”

  TWENTY

  “You have got to be kidding me.” Decker snorted loudly. “How good are you at water landings?”

  “Why?” Talyn’s tone held more than a mild edge of irritation, proof that she was feeling increasingly out of her depth flying the damaged starship.

  “You’ve got your almost ten kilometers without big rocks or trees, though where I come from, we call it a river.”

  He touched his controls.

  “The aerial view is on the port screen for your delectation. Note the sudden stop at the end of the rather narrow valley that holds our proposed landing strip. I would suggest we bleed off a lot of forward velocity well before kissing the water.”

  “Noted,” she replied with dripping sarcasm.

  “It’s not as bad as you may think,” Steiger interjected. “That sudden stop at the end is actually a broad and deep overhang carved out of the cliffside by the river eons ago. It’s the closest thing we have to a secret lair big enough for small ships like Phoenix and the freighters.”

  “You mean there’s room for all four ships under that rock?” Decker was incredulous. “How is it that the government forces haven’t found something that large yet?”

  “Not all four, Zack.” Steiger shook her head, smiling. “Sorry about that. I meant it’s big enough for a ship of this size. If you’re not going to lift off for a while, it’ll do just fine to hide Phoenix. The freighters will be leaving the moment they’ve offloaded.”

  “Good to hear. I’d hate to trigger the self-destruct on the old girl. I’ve rather gotten fond of her.”