Badger (41 page)

The seventh shell slammed home just forward of the officer’s mess, drilling a short hole and exploding. Jacob was jerked against his harness as the shockwave traveled to the bridge, and he gritted his teeth as a splotch of red grew on the corresponding projection. He looked at Al-shira, who was conferring with her officers. She met his eyes and nodded. “Not enough to stop us, sir. Damage control parties are already sealing the area off.”

He nodded and turned his attention back to the attack in time to see
Feist
slide out around
Wolfhound
and dive straight for the cruiser. Jacob shook his head; if he hadn’t known better, he would have suspected Commander Kenning had intentionally let
Wolfhound
take the beating instead of his own ship. Jacob tried to banish the suspicious thought and concentrate. His squadron could not afford to make a mistake at this point, not now that they were engaging larger craft at close quarters.

Whatever his motivations, however, Kenning showed no hesitation in bringing his own weapons to bear on the fleeing Oduran cruiser. Both heavy railgun decks sprayed shots along the length of the cruiser’s missile bays, managing to pierce the point defense enough to batter the cruiser’s armor. Then
Feist
tilted up on one side to give both plasma lances a clear shot, and again two beams of horrible heat stabbed out toward the enemy.

Both streams of plasma raked the cruiser’s flank, clawing at the
Scythe
class ship with talons of thermonuclear fire. Armor plating and hull metal glowed, melted and burst as the superheated gas tore through them. As
Feist
pulled away she left nearly the entire side of the cruiser ablaze. Twin furrows continued to belch secondary explosions and burning atmosphere, and the cruiser reeled away in clear distress as her crew attempted to put some distance between their now-exposed hull and
Feist
’s fire.

Unfortunately for the Odurans, Jacob had no intention of letting them escape so easily. He opened his mouth to order
Wolfhound
closer, but he heard Al-shira anticipating him. “Close with the enemy cruiser and try to keep us in their aft. The guns don’t fire as easily back there, and we can continue to hit them where their armor’s weak.”

The Helm acknowledged the instruction, and
Wolfhound
drew close to the enemy. Still trailing debris and trying to shield its wounded side, the cruiser presented the destroyer with an opportunity for a beautiful firing pass.

Jacob smiled. “Wide open, Commander Al-shira.”

“I know,
Captain
. But it’s a little too damn obvious, don’t you think?” She tapped her console. “Guns, fire the first shots at her rear compartments, then switch to the front blade again. We’ll stop her in space and let the rest of the fleet mop her up.” Another acknowledgement came back, and she arched an eyebrow at Jacob. “You’re not the only one who can command a ship,
Captain
.”

Jacob grinned, and turned his attention back to the screen when the guns fired. The Odurans caught the first incoming shells easily, their defensive fire blasting the shells into oblivion well short of the armor. The next two volleys tore straight past the Odurans’ defenses and slammed straight into the fragile looking DE sail rigs that gave the cruiser its main source of maneuverability and acceleration. Rig spars broke like sticks in the hands of a cruel giant, and DE sails fell out of existence like spiderwebs in a gale. With a sudden jerk, the
Scythe
class ship hurtled helplessly through space, her main source of acceleration abruptly a collection of shattered metal and electronics only a repair yard could hope to salvage.

At the same time, the Odurans took the chance to fire back. This time their target was
Feist
. The modified destroyer’s armament plainly worried them, and they poured every shell their guns could fire in Kenning’s direction. Under any other circumstance, a destroyer would not have stood up to that kind of close quarters fire from a cruiser, not even one designed to stand off and hurl missiles.

Fortunately, circumstances had placed Lieutenant Laurie Bellworth in charge of the defense turrets on
Feist
. The Odurans aimed nine heavy railgun turrets at the destroyer and fired each no less than four times. The shells numbered close to forty as they closed on
Feist
, a terrible hail of destruction that would have made a cruiser cringe. A smaller ship would have been expected to try and outmaneuver the attacks, dodging as much as possible as the shots tracked along their course. At the very least, instinct would have demanded a reflexive jerk toward safety.

Feist
did not make a frantic last minute dodge. Kenning’s destroyer stood her ground, and a sudden brilliant display of plasma fire rippled out from her defensive turrets. The lines of superheated gas traced paths through space that suddenly bloomed with explosions. Shell after shell detonated as Laurie caught them, but still more shot past those dying blasts and kept coming. Laurie’s turrets swept in tighter, sharper arcs as the range decreased, and Jacob’s breath caught when he realized how many were left. It seemed impossible the ship wouldn’t take severe damage, and he wondered if this was how the first ship of his squadron would die.

Then the shells were past, and Jacob stared at his screen. Not a single one had struck
Feist
. There hadn’t even been a glancing hit or a last minute intercept. Every shell that had been spared the turret’s fury was a clean miss, and the rest had been stopped short. He let out a low whistle and glanced at Al-shira. She was staring at her own screens in astonishment.

Jacob triggered a communications burst directed in the destroyer’s vicinity. “Well done Laurie.
Feist
, come around and hit the cruiser again, then we’ll help the rest of the squadron take out the other cruiser.”

“Negative,
Wolfhound
. Stay clear of the cruisers.”

Jacob blinked at the unfamiliar voice until he recognized Captain Carson. He had enough time to begin to ask what the captain of the
Richard
was talking about when three torpedoes slammed into the bow of the
Brute
class ship. They tunneled through the entire length of the Oduran craft, breaking the superstructure of the warship into splintered, shattered wreckage before they tore free of the aft. As the projectiles left the cruiser, the Oduran ship’s sails went dark and its turrets stopped firing. The final barrage of railgun fire from the
Beagle
reached it a moment later, only to batter an already mortally wounded ship into an even more useless hulk.

Jacob checked the origin of those three torpedoes and found the
Richard
charging into the fray. While it still trailed debris from the missile hits, the
Crown
class cruiser obviously still had some fight left in her as she closed with the
Scythe
class ship. It was clear Captain Carson was intent on revenge, but Jacob was not about to let the cruiser have all the fun. He opened a channel to
Setter
. “Commander Flint, change missile target to the
Scythe
class cruiser. Try to take out their guns and missile bays if you can.”

“Yes sir. Launching missiles.” The destroyer fired all three missiles as
Feist
came around for another run. Jacob tapped the console to open another channel to Commander Kenning as the projectiles came in.

“Commander Kenning, concentrate your run on the lower portion of the cruiser. We want to pull their attention low while the missiles come in.” He looked over at Al-shira. “Commander Al-shira, likewise. We want to give the others the chance to sucker punch this guy.”

She smiled. “I think I can manage. Helm, open up a little distance and then target their bridge. Let’s give their captain something to think about.”

As
Wolfhound
fell back,
Feist
swooped under the cruiser, plasma lances firing. The beams cut through the armor on the cruiser’s underside, leaving the cerrafiber plates there a tangled, gaping mess.
Wolfhound
’s guns opened fire a moment later, bombarding the battered enemy ship’s armor further, even as the
Richard
fired on the ship from the other side. Yet before the shells from the cruiser arrived, the missiles from
Setter
slammed home. Jacob barely restrained a whoop of joy when the blasts broke the back of the enemy ship, snapping its slender hull like a twig.

A thrill of victory coursed through Jacob, and then there was a sudden flash on his tactical screen. He looked down and stared in horror at the sensor readings coming from the main battle line. All four Celostian dreadnaughts were struggling forward into a hailstorm of railgun and missile fire while their escorts frantically tried to fend off swarms of Oduran light craft. The entire Celostian line resembled a punch drunk boxer trying desperately to stay standing.

Yet those ships looked far better than
Badger
. The flagship had placed itself directly behind the main battle line where the stronger hulls and armor of the dreadnaughts could give it shelter. Nivrosky’s planning had not kept the ship safe from the enemy vanguard, however. Faced by twice their number, the Celostian ships in the van had been nearly overwhelmed. While the remnant struggled to engage a portion of the Oduran ships, the rest of the Oduran vanguard had swept down on the flagship with terrible strength.

The flat wafer of the Celostian flagship had taken several dozen hits, and fires burned in several parts of the hull where atmosphere had ignited.
Badger
continued to shoot forward along the course it had set, but the DE sails were out, and if they did not come online soon the rest of the line would leave the ship behind. The Oduran craft swung out after their firing passes, bleeding off their momentum. It would not be long before they came back around to finish the brutally wounded flagship off.

Lieutenant Samuels at the communication station jerked and looked up. He looked over to Jacob, his face pale. “Signal from the
Seat
. Admiral Lien is now in command. The High Admiral is unreachable.” Silence spread across the bridge in the wake of the news. Jacob shook his head and set aside his fears for Alan Nivrosky’s life. He forced himself to ask the next question.

“Do we have new orders, Lieutenant?”

The Communications officer shook his head in mute terror, and Jacob felt a dread settle into him. Memories of the simulation room crept up on him, bringing a twist of doom. Without the flagship, confusion would spread through the ranks. If Admiral Lien did not rally the Celostian ships soon, things could deteriorate into a rout, and the fact that she was too distracted to notice the advantage his ships represented didn’t bode well. There had to be something he could do to reverse the momentum of the fight.

Then his gaze fell on the enemy flagship, and he felt filled with determination. He activated his communications for the squadron and spoke in what he hoped was a steady voice.

“Captain Hull to Squadron 43. Form up on
Wolfhound
and prepare for another attack run. We are going to hit the enemy dreadnaught at the rear of the Oduran formation. They’ve hit our flagship; now it’s time to hit back. Please confirm my orders and set courses appropriately. Captain Hull out.”

Chapter Twenty

Commander Kenning responded almost immediately. “Captain Hull, you’re taking us into engagement range with a dreadnaught. We’ll be destroyed as soon as we open fire.”

Al-shira touched a control on her own station and answered before Jacob could. “Not if we do it right, Commander.
Wolfhound
’s course is set.” She met Jacob’s eyes across the bridge and nodded. He returned the nod and hoped she could see the gratitude he couldn’t speak.

Flint was the next to speak. His voice carried none of the challenge Kenning’s had, and Jacob felt relief fill him. “
Setter
is with you. I assume you think that one is the enemy flagship?”

Jacob nodded before he could stop himself. “We think that ship has the Reverend on it, Commander Flint. If we can hit their flagship hard enough, we might be able to break up their battle line. Units from the front might actually try to pull back to stop us.”

Leon spoke next. “Which might give the rest of the fleet a fighting chance. It might even save my…the flagship.”

The words sounded cold. Jacob sat back as he realized what the loss of the flagship would have meant for Leon personally. A bolt of shame writhed through his guts. If the High Admiral had not made it to an escape pod in time...

Jacob had opened his mouth again, unsure of what to say, when Leon’s voice returned. The words were firm and disciplined again. “
Beagle
copies, Captain Hull. Assign us our targets.”

“This is insane!” Commander Kenning’s voice was on the edge of laughter. “If we close with that ship there won’t be enough pieces for the rest of the fleet to figure out what happened to us.”

“And if we don’t, Commander Kenning, then there won’t be a fleet to pick up after us when the battle is over.” Jacob winced when another cruiser exploded, this time one that had been guarding a dreadnaught’s flank. “We have no other option.” He paused, wanting to berate his reluctant commander, but he forced himself to focus on the tactics instead of his disappointment. “There are enemy ships acting as escorts for the target.
Wolfhound
and
Beagle
will hit the two frigates closest to the rear on our way past.
Setter
, target the frigate on the port side, and then take out the flagship’s DE sails.
Feist
, destroy the frigate to starboard and once we’re past the escorts, try to rip out the dreadnaught’s starboard weapons with your lances. Once those are down we can put more holes in the bastard. Do not acquire targets until the last possible moment; we need to take these ships by surprise. Captain Hull, out.”