Frontiers Saga 10: Liberation (18 page)

“Aye, sir.”

“I noticed several of the cruiser’s shield emitters exploding as we passed, sir,” Lieutenant Yosef reported from the sciences station. “Another round of plasma shots might have collapsed her shields.”

Nathan turned to face the tactical station directly behind him. “Mister Randeen, how many seconds do you need between plasma torpedo shots?”

“It takes thirty seconds to recharge to full power after each shot.”

Nathan turned forward again. “Helm, once we come around, match the cruiser’s speed plus a few meters per second. We’ll jump in ten kilometers aft of the target and pound her stern with plasma torpedoes.”

“Aye, sir,” Mister Chiles answered. “Turn will complete in twenty seconds.”

Nathan turned around again to face his tactical officer. “I’d like to get at least three or four rounds of plasma torpedoes into her stern,” Nathan said.

“Aye, sir.”

“With any luck, that will collapse her shields and give us a clean shot at her main drive.”

“I would think so, sir.” Mister Randeen smiled.

“The cruiser’s forward shields are down,” Mister Navashee reported. “She’s probably got quite a bit of hull damage to her bow as well. I’m seeing a lot of hull debris in the area.”

“Excellent. Once we pound her stern, we’ll accelerate and climb over her, pounding her topside with our quads as we pass overhead. Then we jump back to…”

“Jump flash!” Mister Navashee interrupted. “It’s the Falcon!”

“Flash traffic,” Naralena added. “Falcon reports a Jung frigate has just jumped in near Metis. She’ll have a firing solution on the Celestia in thirty seconds.”

“New course!” Nathan ordered. “Get us back to Metis now!”

“Calculating new jump,” Mister Riley announced.

“How long until this cruiser has weapons range on Metis?” Nathan asked.

“Four minutes, twenty seconds,” Mister Randeen answered.

“Jumping in ten seconds!” Mister Riley reported.

“As soon as we come out of the jump, deploy all weapons, including the missile launcher,” Nathan ordered. “I want to be ready to shoot as quickly as possible.”

“Aye, sir,” Mister Randeen answered.

“Five seconds,” Mister Riley continued.

“Tell the Falcon to jump to just out of the cruiser’s weapons range…” Nathan began.

“…Four…”

“…Shadow and monitor until we get back but do not engage…”

“…Three…”

“…Jump back and alert us if she changes course or speed.”

“…Two…”

Naralena did not answer, instead transmitting the instructions to the Falcon before the Aurora jumped.

“One……jumping.”

The bridge filled with the blue-white light of the jump flash as the Aurora instantly transitioned from their position far beyond the Jung cruiser and the orbit of Jupiter to its new position approaching Metis. A series of
thuds
was both heard
and
felt, as the decks of the bridge shuddered beneath their feet.

“Jump complete.”

“Taking fire!” Mister Randeen reported.

“From where?” Nathan demanded.

“Contacts!” Mister Navashee reported. “Two Jung frigates!”

“Where are they?” Nathan said.

“The one that’s firing on us is astern of our starboard beam, forty degrees above. Range is ninety-seven kilometers and closing.”

“Return fire!”

“I can’t, sir,” Mister Randeen reported. “The Celestia’s fighters are all over her.”

“Then how is she firing at us?”

“I don’t think she is,” Mister Randeen explained. “I think it’s just rail gun spray that missed our fighters and is hitting us.”

“Captain!” Mister Navashee interrupted. “Four missiles are locked on the Celestia. Impact in ten seconds!”

“Mister Randeen!”

“Locking on them with forward rail guns now!” Mister Randeen reported. “Helm, give me a quick roll to port so I can bring in more guns!”

“Eight seconds!”

“Do it!” Nathan ordered.

“Rolling!” Mister Chiles responded as the Aurora began to roll to port.

“Five seconds!”

“Firing rail guns!” Mister Randeen announced.

“Four……”

Nathan watched as the image of Metis at the bottom of the main view screen began to travel across and up the port side of the screen, moving into the top middle of the screen directly above their heads.

“Three……”

Rail gun fire spewed out at incredible speeds, sending a cascade of half-meter-diameter slugs raining down into the path of the enemy missiles as they raced toward the Celestia. As they neared their intercept points, the rail gun rounds broke apart, fragmenting into hundreds of smaller pieces and spreading out slightly as they continued to travel into the path of the missiles.

“One down!” Mister Navashee reported. “Two down!”

“Two……”

“Three down!”

“One……”

Nathan cringed when the fourth missile erupted as it, too, was struck by the Aurora’s fragmented rail gun fire. Even from this distance, he could see that the Celestia was being struck with fragments of the exploded missiles, especially the last one to have been intercepted.

“All four missiles destroyed!” Mister Randeen reported.

“Where’s the shooter?” Nathan asked.

“Dead ahead, slightly above… I mean, below us,” Mister Randeen answered.

“Helm, pitch down until you see the target,” Nathan ordered. “Tactical, put two plasma shots into the target.”

“Pitching down,” Mister Chiles answered.

“Standing by on the plasma torpedoes,” Mister Randeen answered.

“Comms, check on the Celestia,” Nathan ordered.

“I have a firing solution,” Mister Randeen announced.

“Fire at will!” Nathan ordered.

“Firing tubes one and three!”

“Celestia reports hull breaches in her forward sections. Unknown damage,” Naralena reported. “No casualties.”

“Two direct hits!” Mister Randeen reported.

Nathan turned to his left toward his sensor operator. “How bad is she?”

“Her forward shields are weak but still intact, sir. She rolled at the last second. Otherwise, we would have hit her with all four shots.”

“Can we get off another shot?”

“Negative,” Mister Randeen reported. “Target is about to pass under us. She’s firing her rail guns at us now.”

“No kidding,” Nathan mumbled as the deck again shook beneath his feet. “Roll us over and show them our belly.”

“Rolling over,” Mister Chiles reported.

“Come about as soon as you finish your roll. Let’s make a run at the other frigate.”

“Aye, sir,” Mister Chiles answered.

“Mister Randeen, as soon as we make our turn and our aft tubes come to bear, let’s leave our friend with a pair of nukes to deal with.”

“Aye, sir,” Mister Randeen answered. “Loading nukes in the stern tubes.”

Cameron nearly stumbled as the bridge of the Celestia shook from the impact of incoming debris still raining down on them. “Is that frigate still coming?”

“And closing fast!” Luis answered from the tactical station on the Celestia’s bridge.

“If she fires another round of missiles…” Ensign Schenker began.

“Not at this range,” Cameron said. “She’ll go to guns.”

Luis shook his head. “She’s firing rail guns.”

The bridge began to shake even more violently as the words left Ensign Delaveaga’s mouth.

“How’s our gun?” Cameron asked as she grabbed the side of the tactical station to maintain her balance.

“Almost there!” Luis watched his screen as the targeting sights for their one and only weapon, the Takaran plasma cannon turret, moved toward the image of the incoming frigate on his screen.

“They’re pitching up!” Ensign Schenker called out from the sensor station.

“Compensating, raising the barrels, and… firing!”

Cameron turned her head forward as a barrage of bright red bolts of energy leapt up from above and behind the position of the Celestia’s forward facing cameras. The angle of the stream of plasma bolts raised slightly as Luis continued to fire.

“Full mag!” Cameron demanded, wanting to see the destruction that she hoped was taking place. The image on the view screen changed, and it was suddenly filled with the image of the Jung frigate charging at them and pitching upward as it prepared to pass over them. “They’re showing the belly! Keep firing!”

Luis kept the weapon firing. The image of the Jung frigate on the view screen flashed red as the plasma shots first bounced off the frigate’s lower shields. Then, the frigate’s shields gave way as numerous emitters along the underside of her hull began to short out and explode. Bolts of red plasma tore into the underside of the frigate as she passed overhead, ripping her open from stem to stern until the shots finally hit one of the frigate’s propellant tanks. The frigate exploded from inside her hull, breaking her into two sections of differing mass. Her forward section began to tumble end over as her aft section pitched down, exposing her inner decks to the Celestia’s line of fire. Plasma shots found the frigate’s aft section’s interior. More internal secondary explosions ripped the aft section apart, sending massive chunks of the ship in all directions. Several pieces traveled forward, given extra velocity by the force of the secondary explosions and sending the pieces crashing into the tumbling forward section. It, too, exploded, breaking apart into hundreds of smaller sections and strewing her insides, as well as her crew, across the vacuum of space.

Cheers erupted across the Celestia’s bridge, including some from Lieutenant Commander Kovacic.

“Finally!” the lieutenant commander exclaimed. “After months of listening to depressing reports about the subjugation of our own world, we get some payback!”

“Whoa!” Mister Navashee yelled in excitement. “The Celestia just pounded that frigate with her plasma cannon!”

“Aft cameras!” Nathan ordered. “Zoom in!” The main view screen immediately switched to the aft view and magnified. The screen was filled with chunks of debris both big and small, as well as numerous bodies.

“Way to go, Cam,” Nathan said.

“Contacts!” Mister Navashee reported, breaking the moment. “Eight inbound. Probably missile launches from the other frigate.”

“Back to forward view,” Nathan ordered. “Comms, order those fighters to break off their attack and return to cover the Celestia.”

“Aye, sir.”

“And tell them to spread out wide. I don’t want to pound them with our point-defense fire.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Time to impact?” Nathan asked.

“Twenty seconds,” Mister Randeen reported.

“Are we on an intercept course yet?” Nathan asked.

“Aye, sir,” Mister Chiles answered from the helm. “Our turn is complete.”

“Pitch down two degrees so we can bring more of our forward rail guns into play.”

“Pitching down,” Mister Chiles answered.

Nathan spun around. “Can you still get our forward plasma tubes on that frigate?”

Mister Randeen smiled. “Just barely.”

“Fire as soon as you have a solution, Mister Randeen,” Nathan ordered, “and don’t stop firing until that ship looks just like the other one.”

Mister Randeen’s smile became even broader. “Yes, sir.” He looked at his displays. “Fighters have cleared our firing solution. Firing point-defenses. Angling the tubes now.”

Nathan turned forward and looked at the main view screen.

“I have a solution on the target,” Mister Randeen reported. “Firing.”

A pair of red bolts of plasma flew forward directly over their heads and to either side of the main view screen. A few seconds later, another pair streaked forward in similar fashion. Then a third pair.

“Target destroyed,” Mister Randeen reported.

Nathan felt a wave of relief wash over him. “Threat board?”

“Jovian system is clear of threats,” Mister Randeen reported.

“Comms, how’s the Celestia?” Nathan inquired.

“She’s taken more damage from debris from the frigate, sir, but she reports that she’ll survive,” Naralena stated.

“Sensors, status of that cruiser?”

“She’s still about thirty light seconds out, sir.”

“Mister Riley, prepare to jump us back out to that cruiser, same as before.”

“Aye, sir,” Mister Riley reported.

“Comms, tell the Celestia we’ll send the Falcon back while we take care of that cruiser, and we’ll be back shortly.”

“Aye, sir.”

“We have unfinished business,” Nathan said, looking at his tactical officer, a confident look on his face.

“Jump plotted,” Mister Riley reported.

“Initiate jump,” Nathan ordered.

“Jumping in five……four…”

“Jump flash!” Mister Navashee reported from the sensor station.

“Abort the jump,” Nathan ordered.

“Jump cycle aborted,” Mister Riley answered as he canceled the sequence.

“Flash traffic from the Falcon,” Naralena announced. “Falcon reports that the cruiser turned toward Earth and went into FTL.”

Another sigh of relief washed over Nathan.

“Very well. Stand down from general quarters,” Nathan ordered.

“Standing down from general quarters, aye,” Naralena answered.

Nathan tapped his headset. “Flight, Captain.”

“
Captain, go for flight,
” the flight control officer answered over Nathan’s comm-set.

“Bring the Falcon and all Talons in the area on board and refresh. Replace the Talons on lookout. Get the Falcon refueled and back up as soon as possible, then send them back to Earth monitoring and comm duty.”

“Aye, sir.”

“And as soon as you get the Celestia’s birds refreshed, send them back to their ship.”

“
Yes, sir.
”

“Helm, as soon our birds are recovered, take us back to our position over the Celestia and restart propellant transfer operations.”

“Yes, sir,” Mister Chiles answered from the helm.

“Nice work, everyone,” Nathan said as he turned and headed aft. “Hopefully, the Jung will spend enough time licking their wounds for us to get the Celestia off that damned rock and out into space again.” Nathan continued aft, passing behind the tactical station and around the comm-center toward his ready room door. “You have the conn, Mister Riley.”

“I have the conn, aye,” Mister Riley answered.

Nathan entered his ready room, closing the hatch behind him. He moved around behind his desk and sat down carefully in his chair, placing his hands flat on his desk in front of him. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his body. More frighteningly, he could feel the satisfaction of having just destroyed two more Jung ships. Even the bloated, grotesque faces of the Jung crewmen floating out in space did not bother him.