The Honour of the Knights (First Edition) (29 page)

“
Very well,” Parks said to Hawke. “I will be in contact as
soon as we are ready to begin manoeuvres.”

He ended
the communication as another request came in. He acknowledged that
it should be received, and was greeted by the holographic
projection of a deceptively young-looking woman. She was graced
with near flawless olive skin, bright hazel eyes, and black hair,
tied into a neat bob on the top of her head.

Parks
had met Commodore Sima Mandeep on a number of occasions before and
each time had forgotten just how beautiful he found her. He had
always been disappointed that he had never found the time to get to
know her better. Today was very unlikely to offer any such
opportunity, either.

Mandeep
presented a warm smile. “Hello, Elliott. Good to see you again. I
hope we didn’t keep you waiting long.”

“
Your timing was perfect, Sima. We just arrived ourselves,”
Parks said, finding it difficult not to return the woman’s smile,
something about it feeling a whole lot more personal than
professional. Even her teeth looked perfect.

“
Nice setting for it,” she said, her eyes shifting to gaze
upon the generous backdrop they had been granted.

“
I will be sure to send you a copy of our footage, after
everything is wrapped up.”

“
Much appreciated, Commodore,” she smiled again.

Parks shifted the conversation back to the operation. Now was
not the time to be drawn in. “We are beginning fighter defence
preparations and will shortly be executing tactical formation
manoeuvres. As agreed,
Grendel
and
Leviathan
will lead the assault run. If you could have
Captain Silverthorne liaise with Captain Meyers to ensure that
everything is in place, then I will give the go-ahead for us to
begin.
Griffin
and
Grendel
’
s Mother
will cover the midfield, with
Ifrit
acting as
rearguard.”

He knew
that Mandeep had already been fully briefed on every aspect of the
operation, but reiterated it once more to ensure that all bases had
been covered.

“
Understood. I will be in
touch.
Grendel
’
s Mother
out,” Mandeep said, before her face disappeared from the
holographic screen.

Parks
watched from the bridge as a variety of craft streamed from each of
the assembled carriers and took up positions ahead of the group. A
number of fighters turned about and came to rest next to the
capital ships.

“
All of
Griffin
‘s
Initial Run fighters and transports deployed and ready, sir,”
Parks was told.

“
Excellent, send word that we are ready to move into
position,” Parks ordered.

The word was sent and
Leviathan
and
Grendel
started forward, their
starfighters following them like obedient puppies.
Griffin
and
Grendel
’
s Mother
in turn followed at a distance, the four carriers all moving
closer to the expected arrival point of
Dragon
and her escorts. If they were
too far from
Dragon
‘s
arrival point, it would give the
battleship ample time to escape the ambush. They slowed as they
approached their designated positions and Parks addressed all four
carriers for one last time, before they adopted radio silence and
awaited their quarry.

“
Manoeuvres complete, Commodore. In position,” Meyers
reported.

“
As we are,” Silverthorne added. “We have boarding parties on
standby.”

“
In position,” Mandeep said.

“
Rearguard ready,” Hawke said.

Parks noted that
Ifrit
had barely moved since arriving at their
destination. Though it irritated him, he chose to ignore it. Hawke
did have a somewhat persuasive argument, but Parks still felt that
his command and firepower would be more appreciated up front. He
once again buried his feelings.

“
Good,” he said. “You should each be aware
of your role in this operation, which we will begin the
moment
Dragon
is sighted. Should anything unexpected occur, that we cannot
quickly and effectively handle, then we will form a tactical
retreat. Commodore Hawke, I expect, will cover us in such an
event.”

“
You will have my full support if such an event does arise,”
Hawke replied.

“
Excellent,” Parks said. “Excellent. Now we wait.”

Although, from the way his hands had started to perspire, he
got the feeling that they wouldn’t be waiting for very
long.

* * *

Dodds sat up as the red alert rang throughout the carrier,
various orders and requests sounding from the PA system and echoing
down the ship
’
s
corridors. He felt a sudden overwhelming compulsion come over him,
and he sprang off the bed and made for the
quarters
’
exit.

“
Hey, come,” he said to the others.

“
Where are you going?” Estelle said.

“
To find somewhere to get a look,” Dodds
said. “I’ve never seen
Dragon
before, and I might never get
a chance like this again. I want to see this thing with my own two
eyes.” He was surprised that Estelle was not keen to do the
same.

“
Wait for me,” Enrique said, as he clambered off his own bed.
Kelly followed suit, stretching as she did so. Chaz tailed the two
out the door, heading off down the corridor, silent as ever. Dodds
lingered by the quarters’ doorway.

“
Hey, Dodds, what’s the holdup?” Enrique called
back.

“
Just a second,” he said.

“
Okay,” Enrique nodded and continued walking with Kelly and
Chaz.

Dodds
looked back to Estelle who was still perched on the end of the bed
he had once occupied. “You not coming?”

“
No, I
’
ll wait here,” Estelle said,
shaking her head. “If they need us, they
’
ll look for us here,
first.”

“
Sure?”

“
Positive.”

Dodds
studied her. She looked pensive. He made to head off, then
hesitated and came back to the doorway. “Are you okay?”

“
Yeah. Like I said, I just want to make sure we can be
contacted.”

“
Hmmmm, okay.” Dodds was certain that
Estelle, as he, knew that it was a not a well-tailored excuse. The
ship
’
s PA
system could be used to contact anyone aboard the ship, no matter
where they were.

As he jogged down the corridors to catch up with the others,
he wondered if there was something else playing on
Estelle
’
s mind.
Had she suffered a sudden attack of nerves the moment that the
alarm had started, the reality of the situation having only now
sunk in? Perhaps Estelle was now feeling some of the concern that
had gripped Kelly back on Spirit: realising that they wouldn’t be
fighting against a bunch of pirates or supporting an assault on a
small, little-defended insurgent installation, but instead be
facing up against seasoned starfighter pilots and
battleships.

No
, he thought to himself, catching
up with the others who were holding the door to the deck
lift.
Estelle just needs time to
prepare.

* * *

With the
quarters empty, Estelle lay back on the bed that Dodds had vacated
and began taking slow, measured breaths, her heart threatening to
burst out of her ribcage.

“
Please stop ringing,” she whispered to the alarm. “Just
stop.”

* * *

Emerging
from the deck lift, Dodds found himself in the one part of the ship
that he would have preferred to avoid, his arrival here a result of
following others, who also wished to observe the
operation.

Griffin
‘s
bar, located on the port side of the main elevated portion of
the carrier, offered a panoramic view of the surrounding space. The
intention was to provide a pleasant backdrop for those relaxing and
enjoying a drink. Due to its position, the bar was - aside from the
bridge - the best place on the carrier to get a feel for what was
happening outside.

Many other crew members were already clustered by the windows
towards the bow and the four
Knights
hurried over to see what was
happening, Dodds thankful that he was spared the sight of any
alcohol with the way that he was feeling. Even before he had made
it to the windows, Dodds could hear people cursing under their
breath.

“
That
is a
big ship,” Chaz said. Taller than his companions, he did not have
to try and see between people
’
s heads, being able to look over
them, instead.

Dodds managed to find himself a spot and felt an equal sense
of pure ambivalence. Unmissable, even at its distance ahead
of
Griffin
,
was
Dragon;
the
massive battleship lying side on to their carrier, looking
graceful, yet menacing in every aspect. Ahead of them,
Grendel
and
Leviathan
could be seen
approaching, the tiny blue specks of starfighter engines leading
the way.

“
Where are the frigates?” Kelly asked, searching in all
directions. She was standing on a chair.

“
Don
’
t know. Can
’
t see any,” Dodds said, though he
took little time to look. He found he was unable to tear his eyes
away from the battleship that was their target.

“
Intelligence may have got it wrong,”
Enrique said. “Wouldn
’
t be the first time.”

* * *

Parks had been bemused by the appearance of the stolen
Confederation battleship without its escorts. Not that it
needed
any.

Dragon
had arrived in the system not
long after the allied forces had completed their tactical
manoeuvres. A jump point had formed within their vicinity and Parks
had ordered the immediate commencement of the operation. Bombers,
alongside their support fighters, had surged forward to greet the
newest arrival to the Aster system. Troop transports had joined
just behind them, ready to attach themselves to
Dragon
‘s
hull and deploy their deadly cargo of toxic gases and
boarding parties, the moment the battleship was
disabled.

“
Prepare to transmit the override, Mr
O
’
Donnell,
”
Parks said.

“
Ready on your order, sir,”
O
’
Donnell
said, after verification at his console.

With the glow of starfighter engines growing ever smaller,
Parks turned to the four holographic camera feeds he had earlier
requested to monitor the operation. Each was sourced from a
different target: one traced the starfighter and troop transports;
another focused in on
Dragon,
herself. Yet another followed
Leviathan
and
Grendel
, and the last, the cockpit
view of the leader of the Initial Run flight group.

Even
from where he stood, watching the holographic relays, Parks found
the sight of the massive Confederation battleship staggering. The
fact that it was also in the hands of the Enemy was causing him
considerable apprehension. He could not begin to imagine what the
pilots seated within the front-line might be feeling at this time;
though with the battleship having begun to turn to face its
attackers, it could well be a sense of utter foreboding.

“
Approaching
Dragon
,” the flight group leader
communicated to
Griffin
. “Will be within weapons range in thirty
seconds.”

Parks noted that some of the fighters were lowering their
speed, so as not to expose themselves to the
battleship
’
s
weapons systems too soon, their wingmates passing them by. Although
both
Dragon
and
the carriers that had come to meet it had been outfitted with
similar weaponry, the turrets of
Dragon
had been upgraded to
compliment the ship, granting them an increased range and thereby
allowing them to be fired from a greater distance. That distance
would soon be met by the flight group.