Opening Moves (58 page)

“
And when they fight and die it'll be to preserve two of those three things,” Gwythyr replied evenly. “I'm asking the ultimate sacrifice from them, a sacrifice every soldier knows might be waiting for him. I told you this would be the hardest thing to endure. This is why. Only your home world matters. Now, if you don't mind, I have a battle to run.”

Staring at him with tears welling in her eyes, Mairwen backed away and collapsed on the dust-covered floor. Nothing had prepared her for this, not the long years as an ambassador nor her acquaintance with the ways of the Tuathaan. But the worst thing was she knew the grizzled, small male alien was right, and that simply made her break down and cry on the floor of the command center as the fate of her people hung in the balance all around her.

Dreadnought SUNBURST, 12
th
Dominion Fleet

“Forward, brave warriors! Forward unto dawn!”

Pyshana felt invincible. After the initial stall in her sector's attack, Dominion warships were now all but unopposed, with the Érenni defenders breaking and running in the face of her onslaught. It was a great victory, and it was
her
victory.

Captain Farwalker was getting the best out of her flagship. Despite the seemingly crippling damage they had suffered, SUNBURST operated nearly at full potential and cut down the enemy wherever she found them. Fiery green plasma laser beams seared the crumbling Republican squadrons as they tried to hold her back.

“We've almost broken through in enough strength to proceed to attack the main targets,” Farwalker said. “We've got a window of opportunity of about thirty minutes before platforms from the far side of the planet will have shifted to counter us.”

“
I want this part of space free of any disturbances,” Pyshana commanded. “All fleet units shall pursue any escaping vessels, missile units will start planetary cleansing, I'm sure my brother will provide the tools for that job,” she smiled wickedly.

“
Strategos! Incoming!” Farwalker's eyes had widened as she reported frantically. “Eighty Republican ships have just popped into existence seven thousand klicks down the Zed, port side!”

“
Adjust course and speed;” Pyshana ground her teeth. There was
always
something that tried to sour her achievements. “Fire at will!”

The 12
th
Fleet was out of its battle formation. In the confusion of the breakthrough the fleet's squadrons had hurriedly squeezed through wherever they could, pushed forward by their strategos with no real coordination, just a need to get into range with the Érenni. Pyshana had not even thought of reasserting any semblance of control. Her efforts had solely concentrated on driving them forward instead of preparing a cohesive battle plan.

Captain Natara's units, limiting their emissions to a minimum, had coasted into close range in the confusion of the expanding battle. In the massive jamming and the infinite heat sources all around them they had simply vanished off the plot. Her counterattack cut into the throng of Ashani ships like a giant scalpel. Their own drives roaring back to life the Republican ships rapidly closed the distance, racing right into the enemy's flank, a lightning storm of laser beams and nuclear explosions heralding their coming.

“I want those Érenni ships dead!” the strategos snarled, struggling against her shock harness.

“
We can't get into a favorable position!” Farwalker retorted. “We're too bunched up in the breach, Ma'am! Following ships are being held up by the forward ones, and they are hemmed in by those coming along behind.”

“
Then break up the fleet!” Pyshana gasped. “Do I have to think of everything?”

“
I'll give the order, but we are so out of position…,” she trailed off under her commander's angry glare.

More ships were turned into flaming husks or expanding clouds of gas and debris as 12
th
Fleet flailed around under the assault, its return fire barely scratching the Érenni ships. Natara kept her vessels moving, not allowing the Ashani to gather enough firepower in one place to stop her. She realized it was a game of cat and mouse, and it wouldn't take the Ashani long to organize themselves into a unified fighting force again, but by then she hoped to have inflicted enough damage on them to stall them until her reinforcements arrived. All she needed was a little more time.

“
This is pointless! Assemble our escorts!” Pyshana snapped. “We will proceed with the attack.”

“
Alone, Ma'am?! Are you serious?” For the first time Farwalker sounded seriously shaken.

“
Don't question me! Of course I am serious!” she grinned, her eyes almost glazed and far away looking. “The Érenni are beaten, Captain. All we need is just one final push to tip them over the edge! We can do this, we can administer the final defeat ourselves!”

Farwalker gulped. “I advise we wait for the whole fleet to move into position, Strategos.”

“So noted. Now follow my original orders.”

With a barely audible sigh Captain Farwalker gave the commands, and SUNBURST veered away, followed by two dozen other ships of its escort. While the fleet milled around behind them Pyshana headed away to drive deeper into the Érenni front.
Central Command
saw the ships leave but could do nothing about it. They had nothing left to counter Pyshana and had to stick to their plan of rallying their fleets and preparing to strike back.

“
Come on!” she roared, almost laughing. “This is why we were born, to lead our people to victory!”

“
Strategos! Your brother is urging us to stay with the fleet,” Farwalker relayed a message. “He warns we're heading into…”

“
Ignore it, all speed ahead!” Pyshana laughed in joy. “We shall never be forgotten!”

Farwalker agreed with that, but the reason they would not be forgotten was what troubled her.

They burned down a couple of damaged Érenni ships and began to reach orbit, swinging around the curve of the planet. The ships were silhouetted by the planet below, their sharp angles black against the clouds and oceans below.

“
Nothing can stop us now!” Pyshana grinned madly. “I told you there wouldn't be! We will destroy their capital city and wipe them off the face of this world!”

As soon as Farwalker heard the words 'capital city' she realized what Corr'tane had been trying to warn them about. “Seven hells!” she gritted. “All ships break off! Break now!”

“How dare you!” Pyshana tried to leap. “What gives you…,” her voice faded as SUNBURST's sensors caught something on the horizon coming up over the curvature of the planet. Something
big
.

It was the planet's
Fathal
-class battle station meant to provide the main defense for the capital city below against just the sort of attack Pyshana had in mind. Unbound energy leaped from the station's flanks and tore into Pyshana's formation with almost contemptuous ease. One moment there was an escort of two dozen frigates and destroyers. The next moment there simply wasn't anything anymore.

SUNBURST shuddered and screamed as super-heavy plasma lasers no dreadnought could mount bit through her armor as if it was paper. The flagship put all its energy into a frighteningly tight turn. The maneuver hadn't come a second too soon as it threw the multi-million ton vessel out of the first salvo's full brunt. Its thrusters went into emergency power, straining and bending every support on the dreadnought's pockmarked hull. An energy beam as thick as an air car barely missed its central axis. Had it hit the concentrated plasma would have cut the ship in two. The way it was, the battle station's fire severed communications across the hull and cut the port side engine block off. Mangled by its own acceleration and the incoming fire SUNBURST's bridge seemed to crumple in on itself. Loose metal shards ripped through parts of the command crew while whirling equipment and consoles ripped from their mountings, crushed bones, and left those hit unconscious. A last burst of reaction mass erupted from her remaining engines. Then SUNBURST, the once proud flagship of a once proud fleet spun away under inertia, out and beyond the Érenni defenses.

Dreadnought CLAWBLADE, 3
rd
Dominion Fleet

“Strategos Pyshana's vessel is out of contact,” Pryatan reported calmly.

“
Has it been destroyed?” Corr'tane's voice was calm and precise. The prospect of his sister's death had terrified him earlier, but with every passing hour, every new foolish move, his intensely hot fear had cooled considerably. He was ashamed of that, but he couldn't help it. There was a bigger picture to consider.

“
SUNBURST is crippled. Weapons, drives, reactors: all offline. We get an IFF signal, most likely some auxiliary generators are still running. They've drifted back out from orbit and are not pursued by the Érenni.”

“
I see.” He focused on the highlighted sector of space through which his sister's dead flag ship floated. Another screen showed the Republican reserve approaching their lines in good order, a wall of missiles preceding them. “Dispatch a squadron to retrieve it and any survivors you find.” He took a deep breath. “If my sister is still alive and in condition for transport, you will take her to me without delay. There's a lot I've got to say to her,” he added with a voice as cold as ice. “Put me on fleetnet.”

Pryatan punched a number of keys into her master command station. “Ready, sir.”

“Strategos Corr'tane to fleet. Begin withdrawal now, starting with the rearmost units. Form a rally line at the following coordinates and hold there. An Érenni counter attack is heading your way, I want to see a slow and careful withdrawal to preserves our forces.” He gritted his teeth, the longer canines biting into his gums. “Move the fleet forward into covering positions. We'll slow that counterattack and allow the less damaged ships to retire safely. Corr'tane out.”

He frowned at the display, then a ghost of a smile came to him.

“Now would be the time for our diversion.”

Érenni Central Command

Akvô, Home world of the Érenni Republics.

As the battle around Akvô entered its final phase every eye in the command center watched as the Dominion began to execute a picture-book retreat. The gathered Republican forces were finally driving back the invaders. One could almost feel the sense of relief permeating the walls. There was hope in almost all eyes.

It took them valuable seconds to see the dozen red triangles pop into existence almost thirty thousand kilometers away from where the battle was being waged. There were defense platforms in the vicinity, but they too needed time to react to the new threat. Having slipped past the Érenni's attention much like Captain Natara's forces had done to the Dominion barely an hour earlier, the warships instantly began firing missiles: not at the orbital defenses, but at the planet below.

The defenses reacted quickly. A wave of fire converged on the missile ships, quickly destroying them, but the first wave of missiles got through. It was far from being enough for global saturation. It wasn't even one of Corr'tane's more potent creations like the one the Dominion had employed against Senfina. But the combined barrage of neutron charges, space-to-ground nukes and bio-engineered warheads would still call dozens of millions into the halls of the dead upon release, and more once the pathogens and the panic spread. Nuclear explosions blossomed in Akvô's atmosphere and plumes of aerosols dispersed across cities unaffected by nuclear fire.

In the bright light of victory they hung like a cloud, souring the Érenni population and leaving the officers in the control room in stunned silence.

“Why?” Mairwen rose from the floor, her voice shivering. The white carpet of dust still lying heavy on everything. Tracks ran down her face, showing tears which she did not hide. “Why do they do this? Why do the Ashani want us dead!?”

“
I don't know,” Gwythyr replied sincerely, sympathetically. “For territory, for power, who knows? Maybe just because they can.”

“
They've poisoned our world,” she stumbled on her words, the grief trapping those sounds in her throat. “Why did they do it?!” she yelled through the tears. “Why should they care!?”

Gwythyr looked away. These were questions for which his combat-trained mind had no answers.

The Dominion was in retreat. The Republican Defense Force was restoring the planetary defenses. It had been a very close battle. Too close for his liking, but they had won. They had protected Akvô, at least for a little while longer. And yet the price weighed high on him. If they were
lucky
the missiles that had penetrated their defenses had killed a hundred million people. He knew it was the price of war, but it made it no easier to bear.

“
Damn you!” Mairwen screamed. “Damn you and your kind! A curse on conquerors and warriors! Damn every last one of you! How many more have to die before the universe realizes war is not the way!?”