A Show of Force (41 page)

“Wellsy?”

“Command is tasking Scouts One and Two to attack the two frigates over Sorenson, Cap,” Ensign Wells answered.

“I’ve got the Aurora,” Ensign Agari added. “She just jumped in over Kohara. I’m pretty sure she’s making a run at the three frigates coming around the planet’s far side.”

“That leaves us with the one still on patrol further out,” Commander Eckert realized.

“They’re far enough out that they may not yet realize what’s going on,” Captain Nash said. “We may get one last chance at a surprise attack here.”

The combat jump shuttle shook violently as its windows became clear again.

“Jump complete,” Ensign Latfee announced. “Altitude, one thousand meters and holding, speed at one five zero.”

“Open the doors,” Lieutenant Kainan ordered. “Gunners stand ready.”

The two gunners in the aft compartment activated their controls, causing the side doors of the shuttle to slide aft, disappearing into the bulkheads. The gunners clipped their harnesses to large rings built into the ceiling just inside the door, pulled their weapons down from above the open doorway, and then swung them outside until they locked into their firing positions hanging just outside the doors. The gunners sat down on the floor, with their feet stepping onto small ledges that had deployed from either side of the shuttle. The change in position relative to the ceiling caused the harnesses to become taught, allowing them to safely lean outward as needed to angle their weapons in all directions.

Commander Telles leaned into the open doorway, noticing the setting sun on the far horizon, as the last of the second wave of shuttles and boxcars jumped into the skies of Kohara. Above him were several boxcars, each carrying four Kalibri airships and two heavy airships. The under-hung airships were released one by one, dropping fifty meters before their ducted rotors spun up to full power, allowing them to continue flight under their own power. As soon as the last airship was released, the boxcars jumped away, beginning their journey back to Porto Santo to reload and return with a new payload.

“Two four north, directly below,” the lieutenant announced.

“I’ve got fast movers on the threat board,” Ensign Latfee warned. “Our seven o’clock low. Forty seconds out.”

“Any Falcons in the area?” Commander Telles wondered.

“Falcons, Falcons, Jumper One over sector two four north. Fast movers to our east, thirty seconds out. Looking for help.”

“
Jumper One, Falcon Leader
,” a voice replied over the comms. “
I’ve got two birds to your north, vectoring your way. They’ll be there in twenty seconds. Suggest you take it to the deck and use the buildings for cover.
”

“Falcon Leader, Jumper One. Copy that, taking it low. Make it fast,” Ensign Latfee replied as the lieutenant pitched the shuttle downward toward the city below.

“Hang on, gentlemen,” the pilot warned.

Jessica, Gerard, and his men stormed into the broadcast studio. Gerard fired his energy rifle into the ceiling, causing instant panic on the broadcast floor as camera operators and technical crew ran screaming for cover.

Jessica looked about the studio, recognizing the set as belonging to one of the many news broadcasts that Naralena had been watching for the last few days. “Perfect,” she smiled. “You!” she hollered, pointing at a camera operator cringing in terror behind the base of his camera. “Keep that thing pointed on me, understand?”

The camera operator just looked at her blankly.

“Did you hear me?” she asked. “What the…”

“They don’t understand English,” Gerard said. He barked out a translation, and the camera operator immediately got back to his feet and swung his camera around at Jessica.

Gerard turned to one of his men, barking orders at them in Cetian as well. Two of them went to cover the entrances, and the other one headed for the control room. He looked at Jessica, who was still standing in the shadows. “Perhaps you should move over there?” he suggested, pointing at the set.

“Why?”

“The light is better.”

“Okay,” Jessica replied, moving toward the news desk in the center of the well-lit set. She looked at the newscaster sitting behind the desk. She was one of the few people in the room who did not run and hide when Gerard fired his first warning shots.

“Hi,” Jessica said to her as she came around the desk to stand next to her. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna shoot you, as long as you just sit there and be quiet.”

“I’m a newscaster,” the woman replied. “I’m not paid to be quiet.”

Jessica looked at Gerard. “Hey! I thought you said they didn’t understand English?”

“As a general rule, yes,” Gerard replied. “However, there are always exceptions to any rule.”

“Who are you people?” the newscaster asked. “Are you CLA?”

Jessica looked at her funny for a moment. “Ah, Cetian Lib… They are, not me. I’m from Earth.”

The woman recoiled slightly, in a state of semi-controlled terror.

“Relax,” Jessica told her. “All that shit the Jung have been feeding you about the plague is exactly that… shit. The bio-digital plague died out on Earth about nine hundred years ago.”

“But, the quarantine…”

“More shit. The Jung tried to conquer us just like they conquered you guys, only we managed to liberate ourselves, just like we’re about to liberate your world as well.”

“But, we’ve seen video,” the woman argued. “Your world is in ruin… the desolation, the poverty, the sickness and death…”

“All true, I’m afraid,” Jessica admitted. “But not because of the plague, because the Jung tried to bomb us back into the Stone Age… Twice!” Jessica got a puzzled look on her face. “Or was it three times? I lost count. Point is, they’re lying to you.”

“Why are you here?” the woman asked. “Are you trying to make all of Kohara believe you as well, at gun point?”

“Actually, I could care less what you people believe. I’m just here to get a message out using your emergency transmitter.”

“What kind of message?” the woman asked.

“The usual stuff,” Jessica replied. “Hi, Mom, having a great time. Wish you were here. That kind of…”

Jessica interrupted herself as she noticed guards moving down a corridor on one of the monitors on the wall. “Movement on the monitors!” she yelled at Gerard.

Gerard turned and saw the monitor as well. He barked a warning to his men, just in time for them to get into better position and open fire on the charging security forces.

Jessica watched on the monitor as weapons fire flew back and forth. The engagement only lasted a few seconds.

“Better make this quick,” Gerard said. “Jung have got to be on their way already.”

“Just tell me when to start talking,” Jessica replied.

“Start already!” Gerard instructed.

“Is that thing on?” she asked.

“The green light on top means it’s on,” the newscaster explained.

“Oh, thanks,” Jessica replied.

Jessica chuckled. “Funny how many things you find that are the same everywhere.”

The newscaster looked at her, unsure of her meaning. “I having a feeling I should interview you.”

“We’re ready!” Gerard reminded her.

“Maybe another time,” Jessica told the newscaster, just as the green light on top of the camera lit up.

Jessica turned and looked at the camera. “This is Lieutenant Commander Jessica Nash of the Alliance ship Aurora. I’m trying to get a warning to the Alliance. The Jung have two battleships hidden behind a small moon called Itimor, orbiting a gas giant called Tandral. It’s the third gas giant in the system. Some of their comm-drones can go one hundred times light, so they already know about the liberation of Sol, and everything else. If you can hear my voice, get word to the Aurora. An ambush will be coming from a moon orbiting the third gas giant. Two more battleships are hiding, waiting to attack…”

Jessica stopped mid-sentence, noticing that Gerard had grabbed his weapon and was leaving the control room. “What’s going on?” she asked as the green light on top of the camera shut off.

“The Jung have arrived.”

“What about the message?”

“I have set it to repeat. We must hold them off for as long as possible.”

“They’ll just take out the transmitter,” Jessica said as she followed Gerard out the door and into the corridor.

“They will, as soon as they realize what we’re doing. For now, we fight while we can.”

“How long do we have?”

“It depends.”

“On what?” Jessica wondered.

“On how long it takes the Jung to kill us.” Gerard replied.

“Great,” Jessica said as she flipped the safety off on her energy rifle.

“Foxtrot ten destroyed,” Mister Navashee announced in rather routine fashion.

“Helm, new course,” Nathan began, “turn toward foxtrot…”

“New contact!” Mister Navashee interrupted. “Charlie four is back! Two kilometers off our starboard side! She’s firing! Guns and missiles! Ten seconds to…”

“Snap jump!” Nathan ordered. “Five hundred meters! Helm! Kill the mains and kick our tail out twenty to starboard!”

“Jumping five hundred!” Mister Riley replied as the jump flash washed over them.

“Kicking out the tail, bringing tubes to bear.”

“Snap shot, triplets out the stern tubes, Fire when ready!” Nathan ordered. “Standby on another half-kilometer jump!”

“Snap shot, stern tubes, triplets, firing…” Luis paused for a moment, waiting for their tubes to line up with the Jung cruiser that was now five hundred meters behind them and to starboard.

“She’s bringing her guns around again, and her missiles are turning to track,” Mister Navashee warned.

“…now!” Luis announced. “Torpedoes away!”

“Snap jump five hundred meters!” Nathan ordered.

“Jumping.”

“Helm, come ninety to starboard and forty-five down relative, quick as you can.”

“Ninety to starboard, forty-five down, aye,” Mister Chiles replied.

“Be ready on a third snap jump, same as before,” Nathan told his navigator.

“Standing by to snap jump, five hundred,” Mister Riley acknowledged.

“Port tube missed,” Mister Navashee reported. “Starboard tube hit. Her ventral shields are weak.”

“How weak?” Nathan wondered.

“Two or three more hits should bring them down.”

“Turn complete,” Mister Chiles announced.

“No time,” Nathan commented. “Lieutenant, charge the main cannons. Full power, single shots.”

“Charging main cannons to full power, single shots,” Luis acknowledged.

“Snap jump us another five hundred meters, Mister Riley.”

“Snap jump, five hundred,” the navigator replied as the jump flash spilled out across the hull on the main view screen, then filled the bridge momentarily. “Jump complete.”

“Forward tubes to bear, Mister Chiles,” Nathan urged. “I want a clean shot at her belly.”

“I’m with you, sir,” Mister Chiles replied as he manipulated the Aurora’s helm controls to rapidly bring their nose up on the target.

“If she goes to FTL again…” Luis began.

“I don’t think she can, sir,” Mister Navashee commented.

“Almost there,” the helmsman said.

“Target is rolling,” Mister Navashee warned. “She’s trying to protect her weak side.”

“Three seconds,” Mister Chiles reported. “Two……one……”

“Firing!” Luis announced.

Four massive red-orange balls of plasma energy streaked across their main view screen, from the edges toward center, disappearing a split second later. Just as soon as they disappeared, four flashes of yellow-white light appeared in the distance at the center of the Aurora’s screen.

“Direct hits!” Mister Navashee reported with excitement.

“Full mag,” Nathan ordered.

The view screen changed a moment later. It was now filled with the image of the fourth Jung cruiser as secondary explosions ripped it apart, sending debris both large and small in all directions.

“Mister Navashee, where are foxtrots eleven and twelve?” Nathan asked.

“The Scout ships are already on them, sir.”

“Very well. Helm, take us into orbit over Kohara. Let’s see what we can do to help out our troops on the ground.”

“I understand how you got the name ‘Hotshot’, but how did I get stuck with ‘Stretch?’” Loki asked from the back seat of the interceptor.

“You’re the tallest guy in the whole damned unit, Loki,” Josh exclaimed.

“What does ‘Stretch’ even mean?”

“It’s an old Earth term,” Josh explained. “It means ‘tall guy’. You see it all the time in old vids and stuff.”

“
Ten seconds to intercept,
” a voice called over the comms. “
Four, you take the two to the north, we’ll take the two to the south.
”

“Four copies,” Loki answered. “You get that, Hotshot?”

“Sure thing, Stretch.” Josh smiled as he altered their course slightly starboard to intercept their assigned targets.

“Painting targets now,” Loki announced. “Steady while I deploy.”

“You got it, Stretch.”

“Please stop calling me that.”

“Might as well get used to it, Stretch.”

“Opening weapons bay doors,” Loki reported. “Launching missiles.”

Josh glanced up over his forward console as their two missiles streaked away on invisible jets of thrust, their tails glowing white hot as they disappeared in the distance.

“Ten seconds to missile impacts,” Loki reported. “Target two is maneuvering. He’s dropping countermeasures and climbing right. Target one is down!”

“Turning onto target two,” Josh reported as he rolled slightly to starboard and pulled their nose up a bit, adding in a bit more power on his main engines. “Where’s that second missile?” Josh wondered.

“Tagged a countermeasure,” Loki replied. “Locking another missile on target.”

“Save ‘em,” Josh insisted. “We’ll be guns in a few seconds at this speed. Besides, the night is young. We might need those missiles later.”

“Switching to gun turret,” Loki said. “Pull high and force him to dive and give me a better angle.”

“How do you know he’s going to dive?” Josh wondered.

“He doesn’t know we’ve got a nose turret, Josh,” Loki explained. “He thinks you’re trying to engage him in a straight-out dogfight. He’ll roll over and dive. He’ll think he can turn tighter than us because of our lifting body design.”

“He’s right, but so are you,” Josh said as he pitched the nose up a bit more.

“Not too much,” Loki warned, “or he won’t buy it.”