Ep.#14 - "The Weak and the Innocent" (The Frontiers Saga) (38 page)

* * *

Captain Roselle and Commander Ellison stood on the catwalk overlooking the Jar-Benakh’s main hangar bay, as several hundred Ghatazhak s
oldiers escorted the unarmed Jung troops as they disembarked from their shuttles, to detainment areas that had been setup in several adjacent hangars. The looks on the faces of the Jung men were a mixture of confusion, frustration, and disappointment. In some cases, the captain thought he saw looks of embarrassment as well.

The captain watched the activity below, shaking his head in disbelief. “You know, I was sure that wasn’t going to work worth a
damn
. I guess that’s why I’m not an admiral…yet.”

“We’ve still got three more loads to go,” the commander reminded him, “not to mention another couple hundred men still at the orbital shipyards.”

“I suppose fear of getting nuked from orbit will make a man quick to do as he’s told,” the captain said with a wink as he turned to exit. “Make sure they don’t dally, Commander. I want to make sure we’re ready to bug out fast, in case the next part of this plan goes to shit. We could have a whole battle group dropping in outta FTL at any moment wondering what the hell we’re doing.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

“Half light, sir,” Mister Chiles reported from the Aurora’s helm. “Killing the mains.”

“Very well,” Nathan replied. “Open the doors and standby
for deceleration burn.”

“Opening decel doors,” the helmsman replied.

“Lieutenant Tillardi, you may deploy the jump KKVs,” Nathan instructed.

“Aye, sir,” the lieutenant replied.

“Topside camera,” Nathan added.

The Aurora’s spherical main view screen switched to the forward facing camera on the front of the main drive section.

“Magnify,” Nathan instructed.

The image on the view screen cross-faded, revealing a magnified image of the two JKKV deployment racks, each of them sitting in on one of the topside launch and recovery platforms. Nathan squinted, straining to see the clamps that held each weapon in place on the rack as they all opened at once, releasing their hold on the weapons.

“Weapons are free-floating,” Lieutenant Tillardi reported.

“Downward translation, Mister Chiles,” Nathan ordered.

“Translating downward, aye,” the helmsman reported.

All eyes on the bridge, except for those of her helmsman, were locked on the main view screen as the two pairs of Jump KKVs rose slowly upward out of their cradles. The weapons had to remain on their precise course and speed in order for them to successfully intercept their targets more than a light hour away.

“Separation is ten meters and rising,” Mister Riley reported.

“One percent on the deceleration engines, Mister Chiles,” Nathan ordered.

“One percent decel burn, aye.”

Nathan continued to watch the main view screen as the Aurora began to gradually decelerate, making it appear as if the four JKKVs were pulling ahead of them when, in fact, the Aurora was falling behind them. The devices continued to rise upward on the view screen, as the Aurora fell further behind them and continued to drift downward from them as well.

“Safe maneuvering distance in ten seconds,” Mister Riley announced.

“Stand by for full deceleration burn,” Nathan instructed.

“Full decel burn, standing by,” the helmsman replied.

“Celestia is approaching safe maneuvering distance as well, sir,” Mister Navashee reported.

“On Mister Riley’s count, Mister Chiles,” Nathan added.

“Decel burn in three……two……one……burn.”

“Deceleration engines at full power,” Mister Chiles reported.

“Speed is decreasing,” Mister Riley reported. “Estimate combat maneuvering speed in fifteen minutes, thirty seconds.”

“Very well,” Nathan replied.

“Celestia reports their JKKVs are away, and the Celestia is at full deceleration,” Ensign Waara reported from the comms station.

“Mission clock shows eighteen minutes to first attack jump,” Jessica reported from the tactical station.

Nathan turned to his left and rose from his chair. “Now let’s just hope that those antimatter mines do the trick,” he said as he headed toward his ready room, “or we’re going to be chasing down those jump KKVs for hours.”

“Not to mention having to fight this battle
in
the Tau Ceti system,” Jessica added as the captain walked past her.

Nathan looked at her as he passed, a look of uncertainty on his face. “Fingers crossed. You have the conn.”

* * *

Captain Poc walked through Scout One’s EVA bay, between the rows of spacesuits on either side, making his way forward. They had been following the Ju
ng battle group on its way to the Tau Ceti system from the 82 Eridani system for several hours, ever since they left the Karuzara with ten antimatter mines on a makeshift deployment rack attached to their underside.

“How are things looking, Mister Todson?” the captain asked as he stepped through the hatch into the operations compartment.

“No change, sir. The target is still on the same course and speed.”

“Then we’re good for deployment?”

“Yes, sir, it looks that way,” the Ensign replied.

“Excellent,” the captain said, glancing up at the mission clock to the right of the cockpit ladder. “Racks looking good as well, Lieutenant?” he asked his chief engineer monitoring the console just forward of the sensor officer.

“I wouldn’t call them
good looking
,” the lieutenant replied. “More like a mess, really. They slapped that thing together in one hell of a hurry, if you ask me. To be honest, I’m just praying none of those mines snag on release. Last thing we need is an antimatter mine dangling from our belly when we jump away.”

“Have a little faith, Lieutenant,” Captain Poc said as he ducked his head under the bulkhead up into the hatchway and started up the angled ladder that led up a meter and a half to the scout ship’s cockpit.

The captain climbed up the ladder through the angled hatchway and stepped onto the deck of the cockpit just behind the flight seats. “Commander,” the captain greeted as he stepped over the center console and climbed into the pilot’s seat.

“Coming up on the deployment jump,” Commander Jento reported.

“Very well.”

“Jump point in ten seconds,” the commander added.

Captain Poc settled into his seat as his executive officer and copilot counted down to the jump point. Everything about the deployment of the antimatter mines had been calculated down to the millisecond, and the entire sequence was being handled by the scout ship’s flight control computers. All they had to do was keep the ship on the assigned heading and speed which, once established, required no effort at all.

“Jumping,” the commander reported.

Captain Poc glanced at the displays, which were the only way they had of knowing they had jumped. He hated the few second lag that always followed the jump, while the ship’s navigation system recalculated their location, course, and speed, after instantly transitioning between distant points in space.

“Jump complete,” the commander reported.

“Deploy the mines,” the captain ordered over his comm-set.

On the underside of Scout One, ten ungainly looking devices were released and began floating away. Tiny maneuvering jets began to fire, first on the outermost mines, then inward, one pair at a time. The mines began to spread out evenly as they continued on the forward trajectory that their host ship had imparted onto them.

“
We have a good deployment,
” the lieutenant reported over the comms. “Mines are spreading out, nice and even.”

“Arm the mines,” the captain ordered.

“
Mines are armed.
”

“Begin deceleration burn,” Captain Poc ordered.

“Beginning decel burn,” the commander replied. “Two minutes to detonation.”

“
Two minutes ten seconds until the battle group can detect them,
” Ensign Todson added.

Captain Poc studied the deployment display as the icons representing each mine continued to maneuver into position, spreading out evenly in both height and width to cross the flight path of the approaching battle group.

“
Deployment pattern looks right on the money, Captain,
” Ensign Todson reported.

“That’s it,” Captain Poc said, “we’ve done our part, let’s clear the area. I don’t want to be anywhere near those mines when they detonate.”

* * *

“Cap
tain on the bridge!” the guard announced as Nathan came out of his ready room

“One minute to mine detonation, Captain,” Jessica reported from the tactical station.

“Set general quarters,” Nathan ordered as he headed to his command chair. “How are the jump KKVs doing?”

“Still running true and sending back good telemetry,” Lieutenant Tillardi reported. “They’re currently about three million kilometers ahead of us.”

“Thirty seconds to detonation,” Jessica updated.

“All hands report general quarters, Captain,” Ensign Waara reported from the comm station. “The XO is in combat, and the Chief of the Boat is in damage control.”

“Very well.”

“Twenty seconds to detonation.”

Nathan sat in his command chair, reviewing their carefully orchestrated battle plan in his head as he waited for the last few seconds to pass until the mines detonated and started the ball rolling. Once that happened, the element of surprise, if they had it at all, would be lost. He looked over his shoulder at his old academy friend, Jonathon Tillardi, carefully studying the telemetry from the eight jump KKVs he had spent the last two months building. The lieutenant’s eyes were dancing back and forth, and he was biting his upper lip. The poor guy was nervous. Nathan remembered how nervous he had been the first few times he had taken the Aurora on the offensive. It was different than when you were attacked. You were taking an action, the result of which would be the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of human beings, quite possibly the ones on your very ship. He knew that his friend was feeling that kind of pressure at the moment, as lives were depending on his devices working properly.

“Detonation in five seconds,” Jessica reported. “Three……two……one……detonation.”

Nothing happened on the bridge, not even an electronic beep. The scheduled detonations were occurring more than one billion kilometers ahead of them. If their calculations were correct, it occurred right in the path of the approaching battle group, only a hundred kilometers ahead of them.

The seconds continued to tick by as they waited. Five, then ten, then twenty seconds passed.

“Contact!” Mister Navashee reported. “Jump flash! It’s Falcon One!”

“Incoming transmission from Falcon One,” Ensign Waara announced. “Detonation confirmed. Battle group is out of FTL.”

“Transmit the launch codes,” Nathan ordered.

“Transmitting launch codes, aye,” Lieutenant Tillardi replied.

“Mister Riley, stand by to execute first attack jump,” he added.

“Ready for jump one,” Mister Riley replied.

“Current speed?” Nathan asked, realizing he forgot to inquire when he had first returned to the bridge.

“We’re at standard combat maneuvering speed, sir,” Mister Chiles replied.

“Eight good jump flashes,” Mister Navashee reported.

“Execute jump one in ten seconds,” Nathan ordered.

“Jump one, coming up in…five…”

Nathan glanced up at the mission clock. They were right on the money.

“…four…”

“All weapons show ready for action,” Jessica reported.

“…three…”

Lieutenant Tillardi was facing forward, but his eyes were closed. Nathan wondered if his friend was praying. He had always worn a cross around his neck, but Nathan had never asked him about it.

“…two…”

An odd thought suddenly crossed Nathan’s mind…

“…one…”

Who do the Jung pray to?

“…jumping…”

Nathan closed his eyes momentarily as the jump flash washed over the Aurora’s bridge.

“Jump complete,” Mister Riley reported.

Nathan opened his eyes. The main view screen was littered with secondary explosions across its right side…

“Multiple contacts!” Mister Navashee reported with earnest.

Sections of the Jung battle platform, many of them larger than the Aurora herself, were spiraling away from the main cluster of explosions…

“Eight contacts, varying class and size!” Mister Navashee continued.

…Nathan could make out the two Jung cruisers on the far side of the battle platform as it came apart. Both were maneuvering to…

Did he say eight?
Nathan thought.

“Is that including the Celestia and the Falcon?” Nathan asked urgently.

“Yes and no,” Mister Navashee replied. “One of the eight
is
the Celestia. She jumped in on the opposite side of the platform, but the Falcon is not on my sensors!”

“ID those seven contacts!” Nathan barked.

“The battleship is undamaged!” Jessica warned. “I’ve got her dead ahead and turning into us! Helm! Two to port and four down! Fast!”

“Two to port and four down!” Mister Chiles replied as he pushed the Aurora’s nose down and left as instructed.

“That can’t be?” Lieutenant Tillardi declared in disbelief.

“Tillardi! Transmit the self-destruct orders to all surviving jump KKVs!” Nathan ordered.

“She’s firing!” Mister Navashee warned.

“Firing all forward torpedoes!” Jessica announced. “Triplets across the board!”

Nathan spun around to look at the lieutenant, having not heard an acknowledgment from him. “Tilly!” he yelled as the red-orange light of the Aurora’s plasma torpedoes streaking away from her lit up the inside of the bridge. “The self-destruct!”

“Yes, sir,” the lieutenant finally acknowledged, coming out of his stupor and returning his attention to his console.

“She’s taking us head-on!” Jessica declared. “All eighteen guns!”

“Helm! Up ten and go to full power!”

The bridge shook as rail gun fire slammed into their bow. Nathan watched the main view screen as chunks of their forward section were blown in all directions as the massive rail gun slugs from the Jung battleship tore into the Aurora’s hull.