Battleship Furiosa (5 page)

We could still help out here.

Just as he
though
t the words, his eyes picked out
the low fuel warnings already showing on his system.

"Sir, we can call in drone
tankers and stay in the fight.
"

"That's a negative.
R
eturn to Relentless."

The remnants of the unit
accelerated away as ANS Retaliation
finally turned her main guns back to the enemy flagship.
They'd already crippled the smaller ships, and with their guns
added to the damage already caused, the battle was over almost
before it had begun. Even so, the enemy refused to surrender, or to
even abandon ship. By the time Nate reached the open bow landing
deck of ANS relentless, he was feeling nauseous.

Why won't they stop firing and just
surrender?

In most simulations, ships would
stri
ke their colours after sustaining a
certain percentage of damage, or if their casualties had reached
unsustainable limits. War was terrible enough without sacrificing
those unable to continue to fight further. These rules seemed to
not apply here, and try as he might, he could not shake the
terrible thoughts of what was happening inside those enemy
vessels.

Something made him
look back, and as he glanced at the rear view,
the mighty vessel flashed once and then disappeared inside a
monstrous atomic explosion. The flash faded, and the broken hull
split apart from dozens of internal blasts.

This isn't war.

Nate sighed
as he passed the forward gun turrets of Relentless. The old
warship was nothing as big as the Battlecruisers, and only
two-thirds the size of the Crusader Class warships. Yet at two
hundred and eighty metres in length, she was still a substantial
vessel. He noticed two of the turrets tracking him and felt a
tingle of nerves as the powerful weapons followed him in. These
guns were easily capable of blasting him to atoms, especially as he
was following a direct landing path into the ship.

Stay cool and land the damn thing.

There were three other fighters
already inside, so he flew past them and headed for a designated
landing point nearer the bow of the ship. Th
e yellow interior lights flashed by as he passed over the
gunships and fighters, following the landing procedures that he'd
practiced hundreds of times. So routine was it that he barely even
noticed the moment he made contact with the deck, or when the
clamps lowered his craft into the internal elevator
system.

Why did they
throw
their ships
away?

* * *

Nate had been back aboard for three
hours and spent most of that time being debriefed, and then going
over damage and issues with his fighter with the deck crew. The
battle had ended as soon as it had started, and now he was back to
the routine of the patrol schedule. Pilots would have short
segments of time to rest, get some food, and stretch their limbs
before being rotated back into the field. He just wanted to sleep,
but then the message from Captain Galanos had arrived. Since then,
he'd been paralysed, unable to do a thing other than wait. That had
been forty minutes ago. Now he was outside the Captain's door, but
it seemed as though it had taken a whole day. He could hear the
officer's voice as she spoke to one of the Corsair pilots.

The tone was clear, even if the
words were not.
Finally, the door opened
and out came the surprisingly calm pilot. Only when she'd moved
alongside him did he notice it was Lieutenant Commander
Holder.

That can't be good!

The officer
looked at Nate, shook her head, and then marched
off.

"Come in."

Nate gulped and then stepped
inside. He wanted to go and see his friends, but since the end of
their mission, he'd been unable to find even thirty seconds to
contact them. Now he was being dragged in to see the Captain, and
right after the Lieutenant Commander.

This is
it
, then.

He'd never been in this room
before, and as the door clunked shut behind him
, he wondered if this might mean the end of his time in the
Squadron. They had plenty of kills to their names but had also
taken a number of losses.

"Sir."

Nate waited at attention
and looked directly ahead at the seated officer.
Captain Galanos returned the salute with a grumble and then nodded
at the chair in front of her desk. He sat down and glanced briefly
at the place. It was a large area, easily big enough for two
people. The Captain had modified the layout, making it suitable
both as her personal space, as well as a small office.

"Captain Cornwallis is back as
CAG, and Commander Higgins is running over your fighters as we
speak. He intends on cannibalising the damaged craft to rebuild our
squadrons within the next six hours. Now, how are you after that
last patrol?"

"Sir, u
h...okay. The last patrol wasn't easy. But
we..."

"Yes, I know,
" said the Captain, "You made it back, but you lost another
fighter due to some questionable discipline. That's something you
need to resolve, and fast. I've put Commander Higgins on a review
of our fighter operations. Your results are impressive, but your
losses are unsustainable. I need pilots, but I also need
fighters."

I knew
it
.
They're disbanding us.

The
y
shared a look across the room and try as he might, Nate could stay
silent no more. His greatest fear wasn't being killed or losing a
battle, it was to be taken away from this grand enterprise, one
that he should never have been a part of to begin with.

"Sir, you can't shut us down.
We've done as much as any other squadron, and we're still combat
effective. Even with..."

Captain Galanos
lifted her hand to silence him.

"Who said anything about disbanding
you?"

She then shook her
head.

"The review will look at your
training, tactics, and of course, our equipment. High Command has
plans for this somewhat unique squadron. That's not why I called
you in here, though."

She licked her
lips and then nodded to the doorway. As she spoke, her eyes
kept moving to an area at the side of the room. Nate started to
look there but snapped back when the Captain's eyes met
his.

"That last engagement cleared the
area, our minelayers are back in action, and the area
seems...well...relatively clear. The Admiral believes we may have
given this Legate a bloody enough nose. What do you
think?"

Nate's eyes widened in surprise.
He might be a successful fighter pilot, but his knowledge of fleet
strategy and tactics was very limited. So surprised was he by the
question that he didn't notice Captain Galanos nodding to somebody
in the shadows.

"I've no idea, Sir."

The Captain watched him and
sighed.

"Okay, out with it. The main
reason I kept you and your friends on was that you are my wildcard.
You came here on a different path, and you offer a different
approach to problem solving. Now, what's the problem?"

Nate rubbed at his chin as he
spoke.

"None of this makes any sense.
Sending in a few ships at a time, all it does is lose them
ships...And..."

"Yes?"

"Well...it pins us in position to
deal with them. We will not move for fear of exposing the Rift
home. We have lost all mobility while the enemy has a free hand to
do whatever he pleases. They will attack us I am sure, but when it
suits them, and after they have done whatever it is they are
doing."

Captain Galanos
looked at him for a few seconds and then
smiled.

"What do you mean by that, Ensign?"

He
swallowed and wondered if perhaps this was the time for him
to keep quiet.

"The Star E
mpire has substantial forces at their command. Where are
they and what are they doing?"

"That is exactly what Prince
Kratha said.
"

She
made a noise as though she was clearing her throat, and to
Nate's astonishment the battered looking figure of General Honorius
appeared from the dark corner of the room. Alongside him was the
stern looking figure of Lieutenant Heiskell, the commander of the
marines on board the ship.

"Ensign Lewis."

The voice was robotic, due
entirely to the translator unit the alien always carried. In the
low light the reptilian figure look sinister and dangerous.
Nate leapt to his feet, a little unnerved by the
unexpected guest, but the Captain signalled him to stay there. The
alien moved closer and then waited at the side of the desk. Nate
was surprised to see him and had assumed that by now he would have
been aboard one of his own ships with the Prince. The General then
looked to the Captain and nodded slowly.

"I told you
this isn't right. Don't you find it odd that we've not
heard from General Makos in more than twenty-four hours? Not one
signal has reached us from the relay at the Serpentis System. Is he
coming here, or has something stopped him?"

The mention of this individual piqued
Nate's interest.

"Did you say the General?"

Both
officers looked at him, but this time the General
spoke.

"Yes
,
General Makos. He is a true patriot and a hero to our people. The
last contact we received from him was that he was mobilising all
forces at the Tenth Quadrant, ready to join the Prince in his
efforts to save then Empire. Then a Star Empire taskforce blockaded
the Spacebridge back to the Alliance. After that, we heard nothing
and can only assume the worst."

Captain Galanos' eyebrows lifted
as she looked into Nate's eyes.

"We've already discussed this,
Ensign. That is not why you're here."

Nate licked his lips, clearly nervous
at the tone.

"All I want from you is your
assessment, as a gamer and as one of the few people that has dealt
with all sides in this crisis. You may have useful insight into the
enemy's intentions."

The General lifted his head and made an
odd snorting sound. Captain Galanos looked at him but clearly had
no idea whether he was being disparaging, or if it was yet another
oddity with his species.

"So tell me, Ensign. If this was
a simulation, and you were on the other side and in charge of their
military forces, what would you be doing?"

He
took
in a short breath and tried to imagine being in the same position.
Long-term strategy was not his thing, but small fleet engagements
and complex missions were something he'd dealt with on hundreds of
occasions. He contemplated trying to come up with something
intelligent, but the look on their faces served as a reminder that
they had neither the time nor the patience for that.

Just say what's on your mind, fool.

"
If I
assume I have an enemy of equal strength, I could only win by
engaging part of his fleet at once. I would use the time bought by
sacrificing a few warships and many useless transport ships to
strike elsewhere."

As Nate said the words, he
actually began to believe them. It was something they'd often
experimented with in the cold and clinical environment of the
simulation. When lives were no longer at stake, it was much easier
to intentionally lose ships and sacrifice entire battlegroups to
achieve particular objectives. As he looked at the other two, he
could see they were in at least partial agreement.

"Yes, I'd send my entire strength
against the one ally the Prince has left, and end this war before
it can begin. With the Byotai finally knocked out, it will just be
us left. And without Makos, I suspect we are significantly
outnumbered?"

"You think he is in danger?"
asked the Captain.

Nate nodded
, and at the same time, a light began to flash in the room.
The Captain's Secpad bracelet flickered, and she lifted it to
listen. It was the XO.

"Sir, we have more ships coming
through. Five this time, and they are dropping fighters.
The Admiral is sending in three more cruisers to
assist Promethium."

Her eyes rose and looked to Nate.
She was an adult, an officer with years of experience. She might
not look particularly old, but Nate could tell from her eyes that
she'd seen this all before. Marks on her cheek served as a constant
reminder of the permanent scarring suffered by so many in the
fleet.

"You still think this is a
diversion, Ensign?"

He
nodded without thinking.

"Yes
,
Sir. They are throwing ships at us to keep us here. That much I am
convinced about. As to what else they are doing."

He shrugged.

"Well, I can only guess at that,
Sir."

The Captain looked to her
officers and nodded, as though what Nate had said agreed with
exactly what they already though
t.

"If we're right, Makos could be under
threat. We have to act."