Carinae Sector: 02 - Admiral's Fury - Part 3 - Fleet Action (4 page)

Robert began adding further encryption layers to both of his cruiser designs even as the old recording finished. Emma waited patiently as he completed his tasks before he turned to regard her from his research station. As they both walked off to get a late meal he made two brief comments to her on what they had just discovered.

‘So first we have to survive the Jerecab and then modify our development program. We have to then find a way to test new ship designs and equipment without the vassal races identifying our efforts.’

The two captains quietly reviewed these new insights between themselves as they strode along the empty and dimly lit passageway back to the canteen.

                                                                     ***

Mary Neilson watched with approval as the bridge crew on the Exeter ran through their final checks. John Griggs had the junior officers all working to a very high standard and the admiral gave him a tight smile of thanks. The lieutenant commander looked across at her as he reported on the actions of the Sspol in space nearby.

‘The Sspol are due to intercept the Jerecab shortly after our closest approach. Their own vector is unlikely to be affected by any of our actions.’

Mary calmly looked over the status screens for a moment, and once again she noted that her tactics today would seem strange to any of the galactic races. Now content she gave her next series of detailed orders.

‘All ships are to launch their first missiles in two minutes time as our high speed approach will add velocity and range to the missiles. The first missiles are all to be set for delayed acquisition of two minutes and that will allow us to pass through the leading edge of the armada. All destroyers will waste gate one hundred tonnes of fuel ten seconds before we pass through the armada. The course change will then occur immediately afterwards and we will maintain a full engine burn for fifteen minutes.’

The admiral only had time to sit back for a few moments and go through her main simulation, before the missile launch timer chimed and Lieutenant Commander Griggs spoke again.

‘All ships launch the first missiles. The second missiles are to be launched in five minutes with standard target acquisition settings.’

The thirty human destroyers each launched six missiles that rose a kilometre above their rapidly moving launch sites, before coasting at reduced power as the weapons turned onto the vector of the Jerecab armada. The city class destroyers continued racing at high speed towards the enemy ships as the one hundred and eighty missiles formed up in their wake. The range timer for the spinal mount weapons now chimed and the heavy particle cannons fired as their commanders chose selected targets.

Mary noted that the Jerecab were also launching missiles and she counted hundreds of them racing towards her ships.

                                                                     ***

Admiral Baunrus could not believe his luck for finally the humans had committed their main fleet against his armada. The human destroyers were approaching at thousands of kilometres an hour and he looked at his standard simulation in satisfaction. The communications officer called out with an urgent message from the second Jerecab fleet commanded by Captain Neanres. The view screen came alive and Neanres gave a stiff bow of respect before speaking rapidly.

‘Admiral, the humans are planning a delayed acquisition attack with their first flight of missiles. They will then attempt a high speed course change using a novel method…’

Admiral Baunrus held onto his data tablet tightly as he bristled at the temerity of Neanres. He then roared an angry response back at him, for the captain and his ships were still only light minutes away.

‘Shut up Neanres you fool. I spotted the missiles earlier and I am not concerned about them as their own ships will get in the way of their missiles. I see no possibility of the destroyers changing course quickly. The humans have stuck their heads into the jaws of my armada and I aim to chew long and hard.’

Baunrus then hissed in fury but did not speak as he glared at Neanres for long moments. The captain finally flinched as his admiral’s response arrived, but he spoke anyway and the admiral at least noted he had the courage to back up his convictions.

‘Admiral with all due respect the rapid course change will free up their missiles and the humans will also launch at least as many missiles again at closer range.’

Baunrus now watched a scene from one of their first battles when one of the lead frigate sections had run down a damaged destroyer. He knew that the destroyer had escaped by the barest of margins before it had been destroyed a short time later in the next star system. The scene showed the obviously damaged destroyer with a confused comment from a Jerecab commander. ‘…the destroyer is charging her particle gun yet does not have time to turn to attack with the weapon…’ The scene then changed to show the destroyer accelerating heavily towards the hyper jump point after a large explosion occurred behind the ship.

The admiral’s attention was diverted as a series of large explosions bracketed his armada as the powerful particle cannons of the humans tore at his ships, and several of the frigates were soon smoking ruins. Baunrus was still not convinced entirely about Neanres’s opinion, though he sent the eight closest ships further forward at high acceleration. He then spoke coolly to Neanres, who was watching him calmly.

‘Captain, a change of plans is needed, so divert and assault their colonies inside the asteroid belt. Your two main targets are the human mining colonies of Ceres and Vesta. You will then head for a point halfway between the Earth and its moon, and you will hold station at this location. We will meet you at Earth in two days time.’

Neanres soon gave a silent nod of understanding before the admiral motioned for the connection to be dropped. Baunrus sat back for several moments and reviewed the updated simulation after programming a late course change for the human ships. He did not like what he saw in the results and hissed in anger across the bridge.

‘The key will be if the humans continue charging weapons as they turn away from the armada. All ships are to accelerate and alter course to pass behind the planet Neptune…’

The admiral now placed his latest orders into the simulator and liked the latest result even less. In rage he threw the data pad across the room and began to rant about how much he hated the humans. The device fizzled in electronic ruin against the far wall of the bridge as the space battle increased in tempo.

                                                                     ***

Admiral Neilson watched calmly as the Jerecab missiles continued on towards her ships. Precisely a minute before the missiles came inside defensive range, she issued a pair of orders.

‘All ships are to fire all turret weapons across our approach vector, and fire at will with all point defences.’

Mary knew that she would not have to specify any further orders for the spinal mount weapons, now with only two minutes to their next discharge. Also she knew that the next flight of their missiles would be released in roughly four minutes. The admiral then noted that eight Jerecab frigates were accelerating heavily and she felt flustered as she added an additional pair of commands.

‘All ships to target the leading eight frigates with their particle cannons, also all ships are to treat these forward enemy ships as collision hazards.’

The destroyers opened fire and the massed fire power of their laser turrets blew massive holes in the swarm of approaching Jerecab missiles. The battle raged on the approaches to Neptune as John Griggs called out with another update.

‘The first flight of missiles are well into target acquisition, the Sspol will be here in ten minutes and the Barus research fleet is another fifteen minutes behind them.’

Mary looked a round the bridge and grinned broadly to hide her nervousness as she replied.

‘Well it will be all over one way or another for us well within the ten minutes.’

The timer for the spinal mount cannons chimed and the eight leading Jerecab frigates were blown to pieces by the massed firepower of the thirty destroyers. The remaining missiles arrived and Mary watched anxiously as their point defences clawed down missile after missile. A series of blasts rocked the human fleet as the missiles arrived and exploded. The admiral noted that the starboard section of her fleet was taking the brunt of the assault and she issued an urgent order.

‘The right wing section is to begin urgent evasive action and all ships are to concentrate our point defences to help them.’

Mary was not sure of the value of this command for the speed and fury of the Jerecab missile assault had been unforgiving. Lieutenant Commander Griggs called out across the bridge as reports from across the fleet arrived.

‘The Cairo has been badly damaged by five missile strikes and has lost directional control. Her life support is stable though they have heavy casualties. Both the Munich and the Beijing are heavily damaged and limited reports are coming through at this stage.’

The missile launch timer chimed, and Mary gave a steely pair of orders as she awaited further news of the three damaged ships.

‘Launch the second flight of missiles immediately and prepare for our dramatic course change in two minutes.’

Mary hauled up a navigation display of the three damaged ships and noted first that the Cairo was now clear and tumbling away into interplanetary space. The admiral then noted that the Munich and Beijing were tumbling and remaining on a fixed course as she issued another urgent order.

‘Munich, Beijing, you both need to take urgent evasive action for you are crossing a wreckage zone at high speed.’

Mary received only a mangled reply from what she assumed was the destroyer Munich as a lieutenant brought up two view screens showing both ships. The Munich tumbling slowed as the crew fought to stabilise the ship. But the destroyer collided with several smaller pieces of frigate wreckage that first demolished the remaining shields and then destroyed the ship. The Munich blew apart in a series of explosions as her particle cannon generators exploded followed by the main reactor. Mary watched in horror as the Beijing struck a half a Jerecab frigate dead on without even attempting to evade impact. The high speed impact folded up the destroyer even as it exploded in a furious flash of heat and light.

The navigation timer chimed and the remaining destroyers altered course as John Griggs gave an urgent order.

‘Two hundred tonnes of hydrogen and oxygen in the waste gates now, discharge in fifteen seconds.’

The particle cannon timers were ignored as the commanders on the remaining destroyers personally took charge of the next step. The commanders pressed their covered waste gate buttons in unison and twenty seven miniature suns blossomed well outside the shields of the destroyers. The flare of the explosions still tore at the shields of the destroyers, even as the glare faded and the Jerecab pressed home their attack, but the battle had changed. The destroyers now fired their main engines at full thrust in further acceleration as the explosions forced them quickly away several hundred metres in space. Any remaining Jerecab missiles were also blown apart by the explosions as the Jerecab commanders looked on in shock.

                                                                     ***

Admiral Baunrus had first felt elation at news of the first losses of the human destroyers, for it was all predictable and go along to a semblance of a plan. However the rapid series of large explosions caused by the humans dumping fuel had thrown his commanders off. He was yelling at several of them in turn to concentrate their fire on the still undamaged destroyers when two waves of human missiles then arrived in quick succession. A small part of his mind noted that the missiles were heading for the port or left flank of his armada where had he located most damaged of his ships.

Baunrus fumed in rage as only half the missiles were destroyed due to the rapidly shortening range of the battle. Over one hundred and fifty missiles raced into the flank of the armada and chaos ensued. A series of explosions destroyed over a dozen frigates in quick succession and he lost another four ships to collisions and friendly fire. The admiral fumed in rage as the tactical officer spoke clearly across the bridge.

‘The Sspol cruiser will be in range within six minutes and they are accelerating heavily as they close to our position. Nine minutes after the Sspol attack finishes, the Barus research fleet will then arrive, also at high speed.’

Baunrus was mainly worried about the heavy firepower of the four Sspol cruisers as he gave urgent orders in response across the bridge.

‘All ships are to retreat to well outside the orbit of Neptune, and I will send the coordinates shortly. I want covering fire to protect all the damaged ships that are attempting to retreat.’

The armada reversed course and attempted to withdraw from the area as the ships of the other races began to arrive. Powerful beams of light from the Sspol cruisers bracketed Jerecab ships as the massive silver globes raced out from the limb of Neptune.

                                                                     ***

Gindane had watched the savage battle nearby with keen professional interest as her own fleet crossed the remaining few million kilometres to Neptune. The humans were making good on their high speed escape even if they had lost ten percent of their forces. The Sspol were now arriving on the scene and every time a broadside from one of the four cruisers struck a frigate the Jerecab ship would promptly explode. One of her lieutenants had been attempting to keep score and he gave an update in rushed tones.

‘I can see three human destroyers gone, the humans then accounted for over two dozen frigates but not all of them have exploded. The Sspol have destroyed another dozen ships and they are now moving to one side of the withdrawing armada. At this rate we will only be left with a few disabled frigates to target.’