First Command (47 page)

* * * * *

      
Squadron Commander Leon George led his four Scylla straight at the heavy cruiser.
 
They flew in and amongst the 48 torpedoes launched by the eight Charybdis.
 
The defensive fire from the K’Rang ships had not started yet.
 
They must be running low on missiles.

      
As they approached, the cruiser opened fire.
 
Plasma bursts and particle beams reached out and attempted to hit the torpedoes.
 
Every third shot, it seemed, hit one of the torpedoes and set them off.
 
Leon calmed his three other pilots and had them fall back slightly.
 
He saw defensive missiles leave the pods on the defensive frigate.
 
As the missiles homed in on the torpedoes ahead of them, Leon called out, “Let’s go,” and pushed his throttle to the stop.
 
The four Scylla formed up into two-ship formations as they dropped down below the cloud of remaining torpedoes, and surged forward toward the heavy cruiser.
 
The defensive missiles flew over them after the torpedoes.
 
They were now in between the defensive missiles and the cruiser.
 
All he had to do was to survive for half the remaining distance to the cruiser.

      
Leon’s sensors saw guns on the cruiser start to move to point in his direction.
 
He called to his flight to go evasive.
 
The four ships executed a complicated set of dives, climbs, and rolls, complicating the gun director’s job to the point of impossibility.
 
Unable to fire directly on the torpedo ships, the K’Rang switched to area bombardment.
 
This was only slightly more effective.

      
Almost to the release point, Leon gave a five second countdown and ordered his ships to fire, after which they were released to get back to base as best they could.
 
Sixteen torpedoes streaked toward the cruiser.
 
These were souped-up torpedoes, faster than normal torpedoes by a factor of four.
 
The torpedo ships broke in all directions and increased speed to clear the area before the K’Rang got their range.
 
Leon looped back to the way he had come, to watch the effect of the torpedoes.

      
The torpedoes sped toward the cruiser.
 
The cruiser’s close in defense system took out eight, but the other four sped on.
 
Two torpedoes hit the heavy cruiser behind the bridge and took out the rear facing guns and rear missile bay.
 
Two torpedoes went high and missed the heavy cruiser, but hit the light cruiser just below the bridge and in the bow.
 
The light cruiser split into several pieces and tumbled through space.
 
The remaining three torpedoes from the initial salvo plowed into the burning hulk of the light cruiser.

* * * * *

      
J’Kalt picked himself up off the deck.
 
He took over the nearest sensor monitor and scanned for any further attacks.
 
He saw only the retreating torpedo ships.
 
So, the Humans still have tricks to play.
 
So did he.

      
J’Kalt called the captain to get a damage report.
 
The aft gun turret was destroyed, as was the aft missile pod.
 
There were no missiles, so that was no loss.
 
Ten crewmen in the aft turret control center lost their lives in the explosion.
 
Considering it could have been worse, those were acceptable losses.

      
Now J’Kalt had to determine what trap the Humans were up to, directing their path as they were.
 
He knew it would not be in their best interests, and he needed to figure it out sooner rather than later.

* * * * *

      
Captain Alden had some difficulty reforming his fleet.
 
Many of the captains felt their mission was over when Fleet rescued Mrs. Debran.
 
He reminded them they hadn’t yet been paid and they still were under contract to Mr. Debran.
 
26 ships rendezvoused with him at the entrance to the star cluster and followed him in.
 
He thought to himself, “How could they be finished when their four operatives were still on the surface?”

      
They approached Barataria carefully and called for planet clearance long before they came into defense system range.
 
At first the Baratarian controller told them to go away, they had entered a war zone.
 
Alden told them he had 26 warships and four fighters to add to their defense, courtesy of Mr. Friedrich Debran, and their tone changed dramatically.

      
Maynard himself came on the circuit and granted them permission to enter planet orbit and did they need to land.
 
Captain Alden said they did as some of their ships lacked true living quarters.
 
Maynard turned them back over to the controller and thanked them for their timely appearance.
 
The controller guided them into Lafitte City’s spaceport where four operatives, alerted by coded transmission, awaited a ride off planet.

      
As the controller gave them landing instructions, Maynard was in communication with Admiral Minacci, giving him the good news.
 
Minacci was pleased and asked Maynard to have this Captain Alden give him his capabilities and ordnance requirements as soon as possible.
 
Minacci reflected that he now had a reserve force at just the right moment.
 
He sent out a general recall message to all forces, but the Vigilant, to form up at Barataria and prepare for their final defense of the planet.
 
The Vigilant was to maintain contact with the two K’Rang task forces.

* * * * *

      
Fleet Commander J’Kalt, speeding forward down the gravity tunnel, came to the realization that the sensors on his flagship were more sensitive than those on the two Shadow Force destroyers had been.
 
He could see branches off the tunnel that must have been invisible to the destroyers.
 
When he compared their sensor record to his, the cruiser’s sensors were more than two times more sensitive.
 
He could see multiple paths out to what must be the main passage.
 
He was about to turn that to his advantage.
 
First, he had to have Captain H’Rak’s force to join with his.

      
After an hour, the light task force came in range of the heavy cruiser’s sensors.
 
J’Kalt had them guided in to rejoin his formation.
 
They adopted an all-around defensive posture.
 
J’Kalt took stock of their logistics needs and cross-leveled ammunition through the remaining fleet.

      
When he took stock of his situation at the end of resupply, he saw that he had enough defensive missiles for three Human heavy salvoes.
 
It would have to be enough.
 
His cruiser and the remaining destroyers had enough heavy missiles to do some major damage to the Human fleet, whatever its consist.
 
If it was the assault landing fleet the spies had reported on, he had more than enough.
 
He discounted the dispersed minor combatants as not much of a concern, feeling he could deal with them if they appeared.

      
He realized they had been at battle stations for 36 hours.
 
He noticed his captains were slurring their words and slow to respond.
 
He held his fleet in defensive posture long enough to rest his crews and get some hot food into them.
 
No need to stumble into battle with a fuzzy head.
 
The final battle would wait for some rest.

* * * * *

      
Kelly reported the extended halt of the K’Rang fleet and suggested to the Admiral that they probably needed some rest.
 
Over 36 hours of combat would reduce any crew’s combat effectiveness.
 
He had been changing watches on the Vigilant as they moved from overwatch position to overwatch position, shadowing the K’Rang fleet.
 
It was relatively low risk and kept his crew fresh.
 
Kelly assumed most captains had done the same.

      
Kelly retired from the bridge to his ready room and called up the gravimetric plot for this sector.
 
Kelly assessed the K’Rang commander stopped here for a reason.
 
He always assumed he might have missed something and now he resolved to find out what it might be.
 
He examined the sensor data and could see little to suggest the K’Rang’s intentions until he turned up the gain on his gravimetric analyzer.
 
Five as yet undiscovered gravity tunnels appeared around the space the K’Rang fleet occupied, like spokes on a wheel.

      
Kelly had made a mistake.
 
Immediately behind the K’Rang fleet was a tunnel leading directly into the main passage to Barataria and thence the exit into GR space.
 
Kelly got on the communicator to the Admiral to inform him.

      
Admiral Minacci was concerned, but not alarmed.
 
He knew he was taking a chance when he had asked the Vigilant to do a quick survey.
 
The Vigilant had light years of space to survey in a very short time.
 
Of course they were going to miss some detail.
 
Minacci had the Leviathan laying mines in preparation for the defense of Barataria.
 
He added higher priority to some additional fields in their tasking and was done with it.

      
He thought a bit about the Vigilant’s young captain.
 
He was impressed with him.
 
He had yet to not accomplish a mission.
 
His actions against the K’Rang scouts probably saved the 3rd ALG’s bacon.
 
If the combat power in this K’Rang fleet had come in with knowledge of the gravity tunnels and of Barataria, he’d be the one stopped and licking his wounds with only half his force, or worse.
 
He would have to see what he could do for LCDR Blake, if they all survived this.

      
Now, it wouldn’t do to let the K’Rang get too rested.
 
As soon as the mines were laid, impeding the shortest gravity tunnel to the main passage, he sent in some sortie orders for the fighters, attack ships, and torpedo ships.
 
There was no use in letting the K’Rang get too much shuteye.

* * * * *

      
Sally had finished the evening meal and sat down with Russell to eat.
 
The two of them ate quietly, absorbed in their own thoughts.
 
A palpable fear had settle over the camp.
 
Rumors had been flying through the encampment all day.
 
The K’Rang were in orbit!
 
Fleet reinforcements had arrived!
 
The K’Rang had landed and were advancing on the camp!

      
That last one by a screaming hysterical woman in the dinner line caused Sally to leave the kitchen and slap the nonsense out of her.
 
It brought her to her senses, and Sally wound up holding her in her arms while the woman had a good cry.

      
Russell got up from his seat and came over to her side.
 
She had been wool gathering, thinking about that hysterical woman, and didn’t realize he had moved.
 
She looked over, saw him and jumped sideways.

      
“Russell, shuffle your feet when you move around like that.
 
You almost scared me out of a year of my life.”

      
Russell didn’t say a word.
 
He just knelt down beside her and took her hand.
 
Sally realized what was about to happen and her eyes got all misty.

      
With only a little quaver in his voice, Russell held up a ring, and said, “Sally Halstead, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

      
People all around them noticed what was going on and a hush came over the dining hall.
 
People looked on as if they were all holding their breath.

      
Sally burst into full-on tears, grabbed Russell about the neck and shouted, “Yes!”
 
The dining hall erupted into cheers and applause.
 
People lined up to shake their hands, hug, and congratulate them.
 
The pent up fear and frustration evaporated as people had something positive to focus on.

      
When the felicitations died down, Sally asked, “Where did you get this ring, it’s beautiful?”

      
“One-Eyed Pete gave it to me as a going away present.
 
He said our relationship was the most poorly kept secret he’d ever known.”