Ep.#6 - "Head of the Dragon" (The Frontiers Saga) (53 page)

“Hard to starboard and rolling,” Mister Chiles answered as the Aurora rolled to her right and reversed her turn.

Nathan concentrated on his situation. His ship was damaged, but still able to fight. The Avendahl was closing on him and would be able to take him out in no more than fifteen minutes, if not sooner. If he straightened out to line up his tubes to fire his simple line-of-sight torpedoes, he would just draw the enemy closer still. His ground forces had been overrun, and the status of the insertion team responsible for capturing the emperor was unknown. If he failed to destroy the Avendahl and Caius was removed from power, there was no telling what the Avendahl’s captain would do with such a superior weapon at his disposal. At the very least, if he destroyed the Avendahl, even if the emperor remained in power, the Corinairans might stand a chance. After all, they had the jump drive technology, the Takaran fabrication systems, and even several months to use them to develop a defense against the battle group that was en route to the Darvano system at that very moment. Even if the Aurora did not survive the battle, destroying the Avendahl was the only safe option.

“Twenty seconds to missile impact,” Mister Navashee reported.

“Point-defense is firing,” Mister Randeen announced.

“Mister Willard,” Nathan began, “do we still have the Yamaro’s transponder?”

“One missile down,” Mister Randeen reported.

“Yes, sir,” Mister Willard answered, “but it is no longer connected to the Aurora’s comm-array. We rigged it with a battery and its own mini dish when we used it to add a message to the comm-drone from the Savoy system.”

“Two down.”

“Where is it?” Nathan asked.

“It’s still in the shop at the aft end of the starboard fighter alley.”

“How long will it take to reconnect it?” Nathan asked.

“Three down.”

“There is no need,” Mister Willard assured him. “Simply turn it on and place it on the flight apron. The signal is more than strong enough to provide a tracking signal for the KKVs.”

“All four missiles intercepted. Down to one hundred thousand rounds, sir.”

“Very well,” Nathan acknowledged, his attention still on Mister Willard. “What’s the flight time for the KKVs to here, at top speed?”

“From the closest KKV platform, about eight minutes, sir.”

“How long to prepare the strike code?”

“A few minutes, sir.”

“Do it,” Nathan ordered.

“How many?”

“All eight,” Nathan answered. “Three hundred meter spread, two rows of four. We can’t afford to miss.”

“Yes, sir,” Mister Willard acknowledged.

“And get someone on that transponder,” Nathan added.

“Yes, sir.”

“Captain?” Mister Randeen began, albeit without much vigor. “Is there no other way?”

“I’m afraid not, Mister Randeen,” Nathan answered. “That ship must be destroyed at all costs. That includes us.” Nathan stood up and straightened his uniform shirt. “Gentlemen, we will have to maintain the battle for nearly ten minutes. During that time, we must convince the Avendahl that we are doing everything within our power to destroy her. She will not follow us blindly to her doom. She has to believe that she is only moments from destroying us, all the way up to the last moment. Helm, you will continue a series of sudden changes in direction, maintaining maximum power throughout. Tactical, whenever we reverse our turn, you’ll have a moment when you can fire torpedoes as our tubes line up briefly. It isn’t going to be easy, but it’s better to fire and miss than to die with a bay full of unused weapons. Maintain point-defense as needed until we run out of rounds, then switch to slugs and do what you can. And feel free to continuously fire missiles at her as well.”

Nathan paused for a moment. “Comms, patch me through to the Falcon.”

“Yes, sir,” Naralena answered. “Channel open.”

“Falcon, Captain Scott.”

“Captain Scott, go for Falcon,”
Loki’s voice answered over the comm-set.

“Guys, in a few moments you’re going to receive the strike code for the KKVs. You are to jump out to the platform and transmit the package, then return to verify the launch time. After that, I need you to notify the C2 of the situation. We’ll draw the KKVs in with the Yamaro’s transponder, just like we did with the Wallach. We’ll try to get out of the way before it’s too late, but without the jump drive, that’s unlikely.”

“Captain, let us take the transponder in,”
Josh suggested.

“Someone has to get the launch code out to the platform, and our jump drive is offline,” Nathan explained. “I appreciate the offer, Josh, but I’ve got another mission in mind for you. After this is over, I need you and Loki to try to reach Earth. Theoretically, you should be able to make a thousand little jumps to get there. Tell them what happened out here. Tell them that the jump drive works. Give them the technology of the Pentaurus cluster so they can defend themselves against the Jung.” Nathan waited for a response from Josh for nearly thirty seconds. “Josh?”

“We’ll get it done, sir,”
Loki responded.

“The strike code is ready, sir.”

“Transmit the package to the Falcon.”

Nathan took a deep breath.

“Strike package received,”
Loki announced.

“Don’t let me down, guys,” Nathan told them.

“We won’t sir,”
Loki answered.
“Good hunting.”

For a ship that was in the midst of a battle, the bridge seemed oddly quiet for a moment.

“The Falcon has jumped away, sir,” Mister Navashee reported.

“Then let’s get to work, gentlemen. Stand by on tubes one and two, Mister Randeen.”

* * *

“
C2, Falcon,
” Loki called over the comms.

“Falcon, go for C2,” Cameron answered.

“C2, Falcon. The Aurora is using the KKVs. We just transmitted the launch package. She’s going to act as decoy again, just like with the Wallach.”

“Things must be pretty bad,” Cameron commented to Ensign Yosef.

“Falcon, C2. Are they using the Yamaro’s transponder again?”

“Affirmative,”
Loki answered.

“Why didn’t they assign you as decoy?” Cameron asked. “You’re much faster and a lot harder for the Avendahl’s guns to hit.”

“I know. We suggested that,”
Loki explained,
“but the Aurora’s stuck about three clicks away from the Avendahl and can’t escape.”

“What? Why not?”

“Something about the Avendahl’s ZPED is interfering with their jump drive fields.”

“Can’t they outrun her using the sub-light drive?”

“They were, but something was holding them back. Just before they were about to get far enough away to jump, they took a hit and lost some propulsion. They’ve been losing distance steadily since. The Captain’s trying to lure in the KKVs before he gets so close that the Avendahl tears him apart.”

“Shit,” Cameron muttered to herself. She took a moment to compose her thoughts. “Any word from the Karuzari?”

“Negative, we were hoping you had heard something.”

“Nothing since you last updated us,” Cameron assured him. “Damn it!” Cameron’s mind was spinning. Everything about their plan seemed to be coming apart. Her only hope was that the battle of Answari was not yet lost.

“Sir?”
Loki called.
“He made us promise to jump all the way to Earth to tell them what happened and share our technology with them,”
he explained solemnly.

“Don’t worry, Loki,” Cameron told him. “You’ll get your chance. I promise, no matter how this all turns out, the word will get back to Earth.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cameron took a deep breath. “Falcon, C2. New orders. Jump back to Takara and monitor the situation. Attempt to make contact with ground forces and the insertion team, then report back.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And send a jump shuttle back here to us just in case. We don’t want to be left stranded out here if everything goes to hell.”

“Yes, sir. Falcon out.”

Cameron stared long and hard at the holo-map hovering above her plotting table. With the Aurora sacrificing herself to ensure the destruction of the Avendahl, it was going to be a long time before any of them got back to Earth. And if Tug’s insertion team failed, they were going to have to find some way to defend Corinair. Despite her belief that Nathan had made the right decision in forming the Alliance, she was starting to believe that taking a jump shuttle and making a thousand short jumps to get home might be the best course of action.

* * *

Caius and his guards strode quickly down the hallway, crossing the final corridor before entering the dimly lit safe room. “If the attack follows us, seal this door!” the emperor bellowed as he entered the chamber.

Two of the six guards accompanying him stopped and took up positions on either side of the doorway, facing out, their backs to the safe room.

“How did those people get past security?!” the emperor yelled at the leader of his guard detail.

“I do not know, sire,” the guard responded respectfully.

“And how did a thousand Corinari get into Answari? I suppose it was that magical disappearing ship from Earth the Admiralty was rambling on about. The very idea is preposterous. Those old fools are just worried that their fleet will be downsized now that the Karuzari are no longer…”

The emperor’s words were cut short by energy weapons fire from deeper within the chamber as Tug and his team came out of hiding. The guards quickly returned fire, stepping in front of the emperor to protect him from harm. The first two guards immediately fell, their wounds still sizzling from the energy weapons’ blasts. Three of the Karuzari fell as well, victim to the rapid-fire energy weapons carried by the emperor’s personal guards. The two guards at the door responded as well, moving to the sides to get a clear line of fire around the emperor. Weapons fire continued to fly for several more seconds until, finally, there were only four people standing.

“Stop where you are!” Tug ordered with more conviction than he had ever mustered in his long life.

Caius stopped just short of the exit, his back still to his attackers.

“Hands high!” Tug added. The emperor raised his hands above his shoulders, his red robes falling down his arms toward his torso. He waved his hands back and forth, spinning them from front to back to show that they were empty. “Do not shoot. I am not armed.” The emperor waited for a moment, half expecting to be shot in the back at any moment. When he realized that was not about to happen, he continued. “State your demands, and I will consider them.”

“We have no demands,” Tug began. “We are here to place you under arrest.”

“Under arrest?” Caius asked, turning slowly as his hands lowered a bit. “Are you mad? On what authority?” he laughed. “And for what charges?”

“For the crimes of genocide against the people of Corinair and Taroa, to start, and for the murder of your father, King Austyn of Takara…”

“Do I know you, sir?” Caius asked, squinting to see their faces through the shadows and the haze caused by the still burning tapestries and upholstery damaged by the energy weapons fire.

“…and for the attempted murder of your brother, Casimir, the prince of Takara and the true heir to the throne.”

Jalea’s eyes shifted to Tug for a brief instant, his accusations about the deaths of the former leaders of Takara coming as a surprise to her.

“Don’t be absurd,” Caius argued. “And what evidence have you?”

“Witnesses,” Tug told him as they continued to move toward the emperor, “to the attacks on Corinair and Taroa, and to the attempted murder of Casimir…”

“Impossible,” Caius protested. “Casimir died in space, alone.”

“He was not alone,” Dumar stated as he stepped out of the shadows.

“You!” Caius sneered. “I paid you for your silence!”

“A payment that I deeply regret accepting,” Dumar told him. “Had I known that the prince was alive, I assure you, I would never have considered your offer, sire.”

“I will have your head for this betrayal,” Caius seethed.

“Doubtful,” Dumar responded confidently.

“I do not understand,” Jalea confessed from the shadows. The more the others talked, the more confused she became.

“Max was not the only one there when your assassins struck, dear brother.” Tug stepped out of the shadows, the light from above casting odd shadows across his face.

Caius gasped, his mouth hanging open at the sight of his older brother. “This cannot be,” he hissed. “You are long dead. I saw the gun camera video! I saw your interceptor explode!”

“I nearly was dead,” Tug admitted. “What you saw explode was the assassin’s missiles as I slipped into FTL. Had I not been rescued by an unknowing cargo ship, I most certainly would have died from my injuries—that or suffocated in the cold of deep space. By the time I recovered from my wounds, I had lost all interest in returning. My father was dead. My brother was corrupting all that his fathers before him had built. I was happy on Haven growing molo. But you could not control yourself, Caius. Takara was not enough. You wanted more. You wanted an empire…”

“Enough!” Jalea screamed as she leapt from the shadows, grabbing Caius by his robes and putting her gun to his face. “No more talk!”

“Jalea!” Tug yelled. “Do not…”

“You bastard!” she screamed. “All this time, I believed in you. I believed in our cause!”

“Jalea,” Tug begged.

“All the talk of liberation, of freedom. You only wanted your title and your throne! You are no better than this arrogant little fool!” She shoved her gun in Caius’s mouth.

“Do not!” Tug yelled, raising his own weapon and pointing it at them. Dumar raised his weapon as well.

Jalea began to circle to her right, pulling Caius along with her, holding him in front of her as a shield. Tug and Dumar circled to match her movements, keeping themselves and their weapons facing her and Caius.