Winds of Vengeance (29 page)

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“Keep firing!” Josie Strand was standing on the bridge again. The adrenalin was coursing through her veins along with the stims she’d just taken. She was wired, alert, sharp…and far too fidgety to sit down. Her crew didn’t pay it any attention…they knew her by now. And they knew better than to say anything, including warning her that she was taking a risk not being harnessed into her chair. One solid hit could send her flying into a bulkhead…and a broken back or neck was a foolish way to die in a space battle. She knew all that, and she’d buckled herself in half a dozen times, but she kept unharnessing and leaping out of the chair again.

“Captain, gunnery stations report the batteries are too hot. They’re requesting permission to reduce the rate of fire by thirty percent.” Hahn looked over at her, his eyes telling her he already knew her answer.

“Negative, Commander. Order Commander Willis to do whatever he can to increase the heat dispersal rate, but the batteries are to maintain maximum fire.”

Her eyes were fixed on the display, watching as another First Imperium Gargoyle emerged from the warp gate…and right into
Starfire’s
concentrated fire. The display only showed an icon, a representation of the enemy’s location, but Strand could imagine her ship’s energy weapons ripping into the enemy vessel, tearing through its hull and bringing destruction to its inner compartments.

The First Imperium’s technology was highly advanced, but they suffered the same systems disorientation the human vessels did when emerging from a warp gate. Indeed, it was even worse, as the AI’s that ran the ship were non-functional for the first minute or two after a transit.

She watched as the report came in…the enemy Gargoyle destroyed. It was the tenth ship her force had eliminated, and they’d hardly taken a scratch in return. It was a dream position, but she knew it wouldn’t last forever. Her guns would burn out, their casings literally melting as some point. Despite her firm order to keep firing, she knew she would have to rest the batteries soon, or at least reduce the rate of fire. And when she did, it would give the emerging enemy ships a respite, one that would allow them to get some ships into the system and operational. Then it wouldn’t be a one-sided fight any more.

She stared down at her indicators. The lasers were still in reasonable shape, but the main particle accelerators
really
were on the verge of burnout. She had to think of something…

Her eyes caught the missile displays. Her external racks were gone, expended in the first encounter with enemy forces, but her magazines were full.
Starfire
was well inside normal missile range, but now a thought crept into her head, a lecture at the Academy, one they’d scheduled for a slow time, just before the semester break. It was a tactic used during several of the fleet’s battles, one pioneered by Admiral Compton. The use of missiles at short range, fired in sprint mode directly at targets.

It was normally almost impossible to score a direct hit on an enemy vessel with a missile, at least firing from normal range. The short ranged tactics used in the fleet’s battles had involved huge numbers of weapons, taking advantage of the slightly larger but still small chance of each weapon scoring a hit. But
Starfire
was in a unique situation now. Strand knew where each enemy ship was emerging…and she could be sure there would be no course changes, at least for a minute, perhaps two.

“I want all missile launchers loaded.” A short pause. “
Intrepid
is to load all launchers as well.” It still felt strange commanding another capital ship, being responsible not just for her own vessel and crew, but another battleship…and both sets of escorts. She had to keep reminding herself she had an entire task group at her command, and not just
Starfire
.

“What?” There was confusion in Kahn’s voice.

“You heard me, Commander.” Her voice was sharp, harsher than she’d intended. But she didn’t have time to explain herself. In fact, she didn’t even have time to deal with her crew…

She plopped down hard in her chair, grabbing the headset and clipping it in place. She fired a thought to the ship’s AI. “Load all missile tubes. Download sprint mode nav data, and prepare to arm and fire.”

“Loading sequence initiated. All tubes will be ready in forty-seven seconds.” She could have sworn she’d ‘heard’ the AI’s response, but she knew it hadn’t been audible, just a thought injected into her mind. She found the direct connection to her ship’s main operating system disconcerting, but she could see the advantages too. The next generation of the republic’s spacers would probably man a battleship with no more than a dozen souls, and each would be totally integrated with the electronic intelligences that ran the vessel.

If there is another generation…

“Commander Kahn…the main batteries are to cease fire in forty seconds. I want full emergency cooling protocols as soon as they shut down.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Strand knew Kahn had his neural link connected…and that meant he knew exactly what she was doing. She wasn’t sure he understood, not yet. But he would in about forty seconds.

“Commander Willis reports ready on emergency cooldown. Main guns will be ready to resume fire two minutes after initial shutdown.”

“Very well, Commander.” The accelerators had their own liquid nitrogen cooling system that siphoned off the immense heat the weapons generated, but the emergency protocols would increase the flow rates, well past safety levels…almost to the red line. She’d half expected a complaint from her engineer, or at least a warning of the risks. But Willis was a pro, and he knew the situation as well as she did.

“All launchers loaded, Captain.
Intrepid
is still loading…”

“Arm all missiles. Enter guidance coordinates…target the warp gate, the primary emergence point of the enemy ships.
Intrepid
is to stand by.”

“Yes, Captain.” Kahn’s voice was more animated, the dawn of understanding. A few seconds later: “All missiles armed.”

“I want two launches every ten seconds…and I want each tube reloaded the instant it launches. All safety procedures are waived.”

“Yes, Admiral. Gunnery reports main batteries have ceased fire. Emergency cooling procedures underway.”

“Very well…launch first pair of missiles.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

An instant later
Starfire
shook lightly. It was barely perceptible, but Strand could feel it.

She stared at the display, watching the two small dots appear…her two missiles. They moved toward the warp gate, accelerating at maximum, burning their fuel supplies at a rapid rate. But it didn’t matter. They weren’t intended to maneuver, or to target enemy ships specifically. That wouldn’t even be possible in the gravity well of the warp gate. No, they were sprint missiles, fired directly at a point in space, where they would detonate. It took pinpoint targeting to make sprint missiles work in normal combat…but the warp gate’s core was less than ten kilometers in diameter, and that meant the missiles’ lethal zone could cover a good portion of its surface area.

She felt the ship vibrate again, the next two missiles launching. And two more dots appearing on the display.

“Admiral,
Intrepid
reports her missiles are armed and ready to launch.”

“Very well.” Strand closed her eyes, focusing on the neural connection. It was a little disorienting switching back and forth between interacting with the ship’s AI and snapping orders to her officer. She took a deep breath and centered herself. They’d taught meditation techniques in the Academy when they’d introduced the neural links. But the direct connection to a ship’s AIs was a new system then, still experimental, and she’d only had a brief introduction. She knew the officers now at the Academy would be more comfortable interacting with their AIs…but none of them were with her now, so she had to make the best of it herself.

“Commander,
Intrepid
is to commence launching as soon as our tubes are empty. Same procedure, two launches every ten seconds.”

She turned to look at the display, but then she stopped and closed her eyes again. She didn’t need the screen…all the data was there, pushed right into her mind by the AI. It was fascinating and disturbing, but there was no question she had a better view of what was happening. She could
see
her missiles, moving toward the warp gate. The lead birds had exhausted their fuel…they were ballistic weapons now, moving forward at close to 0.3c toward their detonation points a few klicks from the warp gate.

She watched as the lead missiles moved closer…and a new enemy ship slipped out of the warp gate and into normal space. She saw her warheads approaching. She knew it wasn’t the actual events she was seeing, just a recreation the AI was projecting into her mind. She watched the missiles move forward…and then detonate. The first pair bracketed the enemy vessel, one exploding about a kilometer away. That was close enough to cause massive damage, but none of that mattered. Half a second later, the second missile detonated…less than two hundred meters from the enemy vessel.

The stricken ship was blasted with immense radiation. Its hull was superheated, melting and then vaporizing in a fraction of a second. Strand’s lips moved, morphing slowly into a smile, one that widened as the next enemy ship transiting suffered the same fate. It was working. The two capital ships had enough missiles to bombard the warp gate until their main batteries were cooled and ready to resume fire. That didn’t mean she could hold the warp gate forever…but it definitely extended the time she could last.

The enemy has to run out of ships eventually…

Don’t they?

Chapter Twenty-Four

Excerpt from President Compton’s Speech Emergency Declaration

My fellow residents of the republic, I come to you today on a matter of the greatest importance. As you all know, some time ago we lost contact with the vessel
Hurley
, which had been assigned to deep space exploration and warp gate cataloguing. In response, I ordered Admiral West to assemble a search and rescue mission, and Admiral Frette took command of the expedition. We have now received word from the admiral, and the news is grave.

Our forces have been engaged in battle, and they have confirmed the identity of the enemy. Ships of the First Imperium.

The old enemy has returned, and battle has been joined. I don’t have to remind anyone of the threat First Imperium forces represent, not only to Admiral Frette and her fleet, but also to the very survival of Earth Two and the republic. I cannot help but think of the days of the old fleet’s journey, something many of you will remember, as no one who was there will ever forget. And now, as then, the deadly danger requires decisive action.

I have signed an executive order, effective immediately, indefinitely postponing the election planned for next month. I know this will be upsetting to many who oppose my continued leadership, but we now face a grave threat, and we cannot now afford the risk of internal dissent. Further, I have declared martial law and suspended the constitution for the duration of the crisis.

I will address you again when we have more information, and further details on the steps we will be taking to prepare for what we now face.

To all the people of the republic, Tanks and Natural Borns, Mules, those who support me…and those who have opposed my candidacy…I ask you all to join with me now, to rekindle the spirit that brought us here, that saved the fleet from certain destruction. For we are one, and our differences shrink to insignificance when we are confronted with an outside enemy.

The republic…forever.

Navy Headquarters

Victory City, Earth Two

Earth Two Date 12.09.30

“I guess I should be grateful for the First Imperium. They certainly gave me a better reason to seize power than the stuff we came up with.” Harmon’s voice was dark, ominous. His tone wasn’t exactly sarcastic, but his comments were definitely a sort of gallows humor.

West just nodded. She might have been angry at someone else for making a joke out of mankind’s great enemy. She’d lost too many friends, too many comrades to the First Imperium, Terrance Compton right at the top of that list. But Max Harmon got a pass as far as she was concerned. He’d fought as hard as anyone in the war…and he’d been one of the small group that had infiltrated the enemy home world and destroyed the Regent. Besides, he’d been even closer to Compton than she had been…and he’d been devastated at the admiral’s death.

“So, what do we do? We have no idea what Nicki Frette and her people are up against. The reports suggest they got through the battle with relatively light damage…but now she’s taken her forces deeper into space, following
Hurley’s
course.”

“What can we do? We don’t have anything concrete, at least no actionable data. For all we know, Admiral Frette destroyed the entire enemy force. We have faced such groups since the Regent’s destruction.” Connor Frasier sat along the one edge of the large conference table. He’d had his armor on earlier, prepared for any unrest that might have occurred after Harmon’s speech, but the Marines had things well in hand, and Frasier had taken the chance to ditch the cumbersome suit.

The streets were quiet, even the political candidates staying out of sight. Harmon had taken no chances…he wasn’t about to allow the politicians running against him to suggest he was lying about the threat. After his speech, he’d broadcast the footage Frette had sent back, scenes that left no doubt, none at all, including visual images that chilled the blood of every pilgrim watching. Human forces had again faced those of the First Imperium.

The younger residents of Earth Two had been raised to fear the First Imperium above all things, to view the ancient robots like some kind of bogey men, something fit for nightmares but not to face in reality. And for the Pilgrims it was even worse. The republic’s older residents had already faced the forces of the terrible enemy…and they knew the horror was real.