The Black Sheep (A Learning Experience Book 3) (38 page)

“Send the message,” she ordered.  There would be time to make it up to him later, after the war was over.  No doubt there would be plenty of time while Fleet Command argued over what should be done.  “And attach copies of all the sensor records too.”

***

“I thought you’d be in Marine Country,” Max said, as Hilde joined him in the observation blister.  “Don’t you have things to do?”

“There’s very little for us to do now,” Hilde said.  The hatch closed beside her with an audible hiss, then locked.  “The major intends to have us exercising constantly once we’re on the move, but until then all we can really do is stay out of the way.”

“Like me,” Max said.  The fleet was preparing to depart and he’d been told, in no uncertain terms, to keep his head down.  Going to the observation blister had been a gamble, but he’d been going crazy in his cabin.  “Don’t they have a use for you?”

“Not at the moment,” Hilde said.  She smiled, rather dryly.  “There’s a joke in the corps, Max, about what happens to us marines when we’re not needed.  They put us in a stasis box, with a big sign telling people to break the glass in case of emergency.  Right now, some of us would probably be better in stasis.”

Max lifted an eyebrow.  “I thought you would be spearheading an attack on the alien world ...?”

“Apparently not,” Hilde said.  “If the Druavroks refuse to surrender, the Captain intends to smash their defences, spaceports and suchlike from orbit, then withdraw from the system.  It doesn't call for anything from us.”

“Oh,” Max said.  “Does that bother you?”

“I understand the practicalities,” Hilde said.  “But, at the same time, landing on an alien world ... it would be one hell of a challenge.”

Max nodded.  The Druavrok homeworld, according to the files, was heavily defended, with orbital battlestations, ground-based planetary defence centres and a population ready to die to defend their world.  If landing on Amstar had been bad, with mass attacks by enemy soldiers, landing on their homeworld was bound to be worse.  And, with a sullen and unfriendly population, securing the planet was likely to be a nightmare.  It would cost the Grand Alliance hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of lives ...

And yet Hilde was right.  It
would
be one hell of a challenge.

“It would be a costly one,” he pointed out.  “And really, what do we gain by landing a force on their homeworld?”

“That’s the question,” Hilde admitted.  “If we wanted to exterminate them, we could just nuke the world from orbit.”

Max felt sick.  He’d had to put together a report on what the Druavroks had done to Palsies, making it clear that
no one
had provoked the Druavroks into committing mass genocide.  No doubt,
someone
would try to argue that the Grand Alliance had pushed the Druavroks into doing something they wouldn't have done normally, but it wouldn't get very far in the Solar Union, where hard common sense was drilled into children from their very first day.  The Galactics, on the other hand, might wonder just who was truly to blame.  They knew the humans had been the first race to truly stand up to the Tokomak.

“Or just mine orbital space with self-replicating mines,” he said.  “They can remain trapped on the planet’s surface indefinitely, once we take out their spaceports and defences.”

“I know,” Hilde said.  She gave him an odd little smile.  “But it would have been glorious.”

“Not for the people on the surface,” Max pointed out.

“We look for the chance to constantly test ourselves against the best the universe has to offer,” Hilde said, ignoring him.  “It’s what we
are
.  And yet, we keep asking ourselves if we live up to the standards set by the marines who landed on Iwo Jima, or the paratroopers who marched through Goose Green ...”

“You do,” Max said.  “Really ...”

Hilde met his eyes.  “How would you know?”

She tapped her chest meaningfully.  “I wouldn't be allowed to fight back then,” she reminded him.  “And not all of the
men
who joined us would be able to match the locals, not without genetic engineering that simply didn't exist ...”

“It doesn't matter,” Max said.  “All that matters is what happens, here and now.”

“I suppose,” Hilde said.  She smirked.  “Can I carry you back to the cabin or would you like to walk?”

“Walk,” Max said.  “Maybe I should run.”

“You should,” Hilde agreed.

***

“The fleet is ready to depart,” Yeller reported.  “All ships are standing by.”

“Take us out,” Hoshiko ordered.

She sat back in her command chair, keeping her face impassive.  The Druavroks would have to be psychic to guess what she had in mind, but they
had
managed to deduce her intention of hitting Palsies and plot a cunning ambush.  It was just possible the enemy fleet intended to circle around and reinforce their homeworld’s defences ...

And if that happens
, she told herself firmly,
we cut and run
.

“The fleet has entered FTL,” Browne reported.  “We’re on a direct course for Druavrok Prime.”

Hoshiko closed her eyes for a long chilling moment.  Three weeks to Druavrok Prime, three weeks back ... it would be one and a half months before she had the slightest idea what, if anything, had happened to Martina.  And then ...

No
, she thought, rising. 
There is nothing I can do now, but stay the course and pray I’m right
.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

A famous news anchor was publicly assassinated in Washington DC, while interviewing the newly-appointed Director of Homeland Security.  A message emailed to GNN immediately afterwards stated that Barbara Bosworth was murdered for spouting federal propaganda, rather than doing her duty as a reporter.  Bosworth was particularly loathed by certain elements of the population for her treatment of conservative and religious figures ...

-Solar News Network, Year 54

“There’s a
what
coming in our direction?”

“An enemy fleet,” Griffin said.  He couldn't help feeling a flicker of sympathy for Lieutenant Hassan, but there was no time for shock.  “A very
big
enemy fleet.”

“The Grand Fleet has to come,” Hassan said.  “Sir ...”

“The Grand Fleet will not be coming,” Griffin said.  The hell of it was that Captain Stuart might well be right to take the offensive, rather than come to Martina’s rescue.  But he still felt betrayed and abandoned.  “We will have to fight on the assumption that there will be no reinforcements.”

“But sir ...”

“
That will do
,” Griffin snapped.  He took a moment to calm himself.  Hassan didn't deserve to have the problem taken out on him.  “I want you to order our irreplaceable technical staff onto a freighter, which is to hide in interplanetary space.  If the battle goes badly and the system falls, they are to make their way to Amstar, where they will be of some use.”

“Aye, sir,” Hassan said.  “Should we send a message to Sol?”

Griffin snorted.  “Telling them
what
?”

He shook his head.  “I’ll put a ship through the gravity point if we lose the battle,” he added, after a moment’s thought.  Too much depended on just what the Druavroks had in mind, but in their place he would certainly smash the planet’s fabbers and orbital installations, even if he didn't land ground troops.  “But they may intend to seize and blockade the gravity points themselves, rather than target the planet.”

“Yes, sir,” Hassan said.

Griffin’s wristcom bleeped.  “Commander, this is Ensign Swan,” a voice said.  “Tracking has detected a large fleet approaching on the predicted vector.  ETA four hours and counting.”

“They made good time,” Griffin muttered.  He cleared his throat.  “Understood, Ensign.  Pass the alert to the planetary government, then declare a state of emergency.  All defences and warships are to prepare themselves for battle.”

He rose to his feet.  “I’m on my way,” he added.  “Lieutenant, you have your orders.”

“Yes, sir,” Hassan said.

Griffin cursed under his breath as he hurried through bland corridors - the naval base didn't feel lived in, not yet - and into the CIC.  The warning from Amstar hadn't come in time to make any real difference, although the courier boat had almost burned out its drives in the desperate race to get there before the fleet.  And the news wasn't good ... he pushed his worries aside as he stepped into the chamber and looked at the display.  A large flight of red icons were slowly crawling towards the system.

“The planetary government has declared a state of emergency,” Tabitha said.  “They’re calling out the militia and putting civilians in bomb shelters.”

Which won’t be enough if the bastards render the planet uninhabitable
, Griffin thought, grimly. 
Martina may be about to die, no matter how much effort they spent in building up their defences
.

“Put the command network on full alert, then check the redundancies,” he said, out loud.  It wouldn't take the Druavroks long to realise that the defences were being controlled by the naval base, not if they’d already determined that the best way to keep Captain Stuart from receiving reinforcements was to block the gravity points.  “I want them ready to take over if something happens to us.”

“Aye, Commander,” Tabitha said.  “Our own shields and defences are ready ...”

She paused.  “Commander, two of the armed freighters just slipped into FTL and vanished!”

“Probably decided they didn't like the odds,” Griffin commented.  He had fifty-nine warships under his command, but none of them were any larger than a cruiser, while the Druavroks had at least two hundred
battleships
bearing down on them.  The freighter crews had to know they were grossly outgunned.  “Can you blame them?”

He leaned back in his command chair and waited, as patiently as he could.  Reports flooded the system, reports of panic on the surface, reports of the government doing what it could to keep everyone calm, reports of officials insisting that the planet should surrender at once ... he couldn’t help thinking, when the chips were down, that most aliens were remarkably similar to humans.  But then, the dictates of survival never actually changed.  A race that didn't put its own interests first was doomed.

“They’re still coming,” Tabitha said.  Her voice quavered.  “Commander ...”

Griffin frowned, inwardly.  “Your first combat action?”

“Yes, sir,” Tabitha said.

“It never gets any easier,” Griffin said, with the private thought that Tabitha’s first combat action was likely to be her last.  If he’d been plotting an attack on Martina, he would have hammered the naval base first and disabled the command datanet.  “But all you can do is brace yourself and remember your training.”

He smiled, inwardly, as the hours slowly ticked down to zero.  It never got any easier to go into battle for the first time, no matter the training.  Training officers weren't actually
trying
to kill their charges, even during live fire exercises.  There was always that thin margin of safety, a margin that no longer existed when the fighting became
real
.  And combat wasn't a disease.  Repeated exposure didn't make one immune.  An experienced spacer could die as easily as a maggot fresh out of the Academy.

“Commander,” Tabitha said.  “I’m picking up several large forces approaching from several different directions.”

“Show me,” Griffin ordered.

He leaned forward as a new set of icons - several new sets - appeared on the display, advancing towards the system.  He sent a command into the processor and plotted their course backwards to their most likely point of origin.  It looked, very much, as though the Grand Alliance was sending help.  And that meant the coming battle wasn’t hopeless after all.

“I see,” he said, out loud.  “We need to hold the line, then.”

“Yes, sir,” Tabitha said.

Griffin leaned back in his command chair as the hours became minutes and the minutes became seconds.   The relief forces might not be able to stop the Druavroks individually, but collectively they should be equal or greater to the approaching enemy force.  And yet, if the Druavroks detected the relief force, they’d probably turn tail and run.  He wouldn't blame them, but it would mean losing the chance to destroy - or cripple - their fleet.

“Order gravity bombs to be deployed as soon as the enemy drops out of FTL,” he ordered.  It was unlikely they’d be able to detect the relief forces already, but that would change when they finally arrived.  “I want their sensors as badly scrambled as possible.”

“Aye, sir,” Tabitha said.  “Twenty seconds to arrival.”

“The freighter is standing by,” Hassan said, stepping through the hatch.  “They’re well out of enemy detection range.”

“Good,” Griffin said.  He motioned towards the secondary tactical console.  “Take that, then stand at the ready.  The enemy are about to appear.”

He sucked in his breath as the enemy ships flashed into existence, wrapped in so much ECM that it was hard for his sensors to track and isolate individual ships.  The Druavroks had
definitely
been learning, he noted; they’d make it harder for his missiles to lock onto their targets until they were much closer, although human advances in fire control would minimise the effect.  He studied the display for a long moment, watching as the enemy fleet shook itself down.  They’d managed to improve their operational patterns too.

“Launch a shell of drones,” he ordered, coolly.  The gravity bombs were already detonating, making it harder for the Druavroks to see the oncoming fleet.  “And then stand by to open fire.”

There was nothing subtle in the Druavrok advance, he noted, as the enemy closed on the planet’s defenders.  They were merely moving forward, trapping the defending warships against the planet.  He cursed under his breath as the enemy ships launched drones of their own, making sure of their targeting solutions before opening fire.  And then the display sparkled with deadly red icons.

“Enemy ships have opened fire, sir,” Tabitha said.  “They’re targeting the warships.”

“Order all ships to return fire,” Griffin ordered.  “And then execute evasive patterns.”

He watched, grimly, as his freighters belched missiles, then dropped into FTL and vanished in the direction of the hidden fleet train.  If the battle lasted long enough, they’d return with reloads of ammunition ... thankfully, the gravity bombs would conceal their escape too.  And if the defenders were
really
lucky, the enemy would assume that was all they were
meant
to do.

“Decoys are coming online now,” Tabitha reported.  “The enemy missiles aren’t being diverted.”

“They must have solid tactical locks,” Hassan said, as the defenders started to spit point defence fire towards the oncoming storm.  “The warships are pulling back, but it isn't fast enough.”

“They’re targeting the ships that deploy point defence,” Griffin said.  He studied the pattern for a long moment, puzzling over how the trick was done.  No one, not even humanity, wasted
that
much effort on developing missile seeker heads.  Anything close to true AI would be fantastically expensive.  “Launch a second set of drones and sweep them through the enemy missile swarm.”

“Aye, sir,” Tabitha said.

Griffin watched, grimly, as his warships took a pounding.  Their point defence was far better than their opponents, and they had the advantage of human-level command datalink, but the Druavroks had fired far too many missiles into the fray.  Twenty-two warships were blown out of space, their defences battered down before the missiles completed their destruction and annihilated them.  The remainder stumbled backwards, but the Druavroks kept coming, pushing them back against the planet.  Even the loss of a dozen battleships to the swarm of missiles launched by the freighters didn't slow them down.

Of course it won’t
, he thought, grimly.  He’d seen the Druavroks fight too many times to believe they could be deterred by casualties.  They were happy to trade hundreds of starships in exchange for crushing their enemies. 
Their blood is up by now
.

He glanced at the timer.  They had to hold out for at least another hour before the reinforcements started to arrive, but he honestly didn’t know if they
had
thirty minutes, let alone another hour.  And then new red icons flickered into life on the display.

“Commander,” Tabitha said.  She sounded shocked.  “I’m picking up small craft within the missile swarm.”

“They must be feeding the missiles updated targeting information,” Griffin said.  It was a neat trick, although it wasn't unprecedented.  The small craft were barely visible when compared to missiles blazing towards their targets.  “Pass the word to the warships, Ensign.  Take them out.”

“Aye, Commander,” Tabitha said.

Griffin forced himself to watch as the Druavroks pressed their offensive.  Their fire became a great deal less accurate once the small craft were picked off and destroyed, but as they kept advancing they started to target the facilities in orbit.  Griffin cursed, again, as their missiles slammed into some of the orbital defences, although now the orbiting weapons platforms could add their own fire to reinforce the remaining warships.  Missile pods, floating in orbit well away from the shipping lanes, went online, launching flocks of missiles towards the enemy targets.  For a moment, the Druavroks seemed to hesitate before resuming the offensive and launching a new spread of missiles ...