Scout Force (58 page)

      
He ordered the fleet to slow to give time for the other battle fleets to move into their positions for the coordinated attack.

* * * * *

      
LCDR Timmons and Kelly had used the time to calculate jump points in preparation for the attack.
 
Sensors had picked these ships up at maximum range and there were over two hours of tracking data to work from.
 
The K’Rang fleet formation had not changed for the entire time they approached.
 
The escorts were arrayed around the four battlecruisers.
 
An outer ring of frigates surrounded the fleet.
 
Next inside this ring, at the front of the formation were the four destroyers.
 
They were the short range defensive ships for the battlecruisers.

      
In the center of the formation were the four battlecruisers, followed by the missile cruisers.
 
The battlecruisers were the heavy punch of the formation.
 
They were equipped with guns and missiles, heavy armor and shielding.
 
The missile cruisers were the fast, long-range punch of the formation and only lightly armored.
 
They each carried hundreds of extended-range missiles designed to take out large capital ships.
 
If this fleet crossed the frontier, it could do serious damage to the 1st Combined Fleet.
 
Trailing the missile cruisers were the two logistics ships, inside the frigate screen.

      
Their plan was to take out the two support ships in the first jump.
 
Hopefully, one or two of the frigates would stay with them as the fleet moved off.
 
Chief B’s viruses and trojan horses would be deployed into the formation’s C3I system, if possible.
 
Next they would take out two of the missile cruisers.
 
The next pass would go after the other two missile cruisers.
 
Their goal would be to disable the engines and leave them drifting or moving at such slow speed that they couldn’t engage in combat.

      
Follow-on jumps would attempt to take out some of the frigates.
 
If they could knock off half of the frigates, they’d be in good shape for the next jump, in which they would unleash half the missiles, one per battlecruiser.
 
If they were that successful, maybe the K’Rang would retreat to lick their wounds.

      
Chief Watson told the captain that the ship was secure and ready for combat.
 
He thanked him and ordered the crew to battle stations.
 
He looked at the bridge crew and said, “Exec, you back up the helmsman and the gunner.
 
Chief Watson, you back up navigation and the engineering position.
 
I’ll watch Sensors.
 
Navigation, plot and lock in our jump points.
 
Helm, prepare to execute.
 
We will not stop longer than three seconds inside the K’Rang formation.
 
Helm, count out loud when we jump in and then jump us out.
 
Do not hesitate.
 
Do not wait for an order from me.”

      
“Aye aye, sir.
 
Three seconds and then jump us out.”

      
“Helm, execute.”

      
The Vigilant leapt out of the nebula at full power 6 speed. The K’Rang sensors, probably set for max range, wouldn’t even resolve the Vigilant this close.
 
If they detected anything, it was only a blur.
 
The Vigilant came in immediately behind the two support ships.
 
The gunner used the forward plasma cannons on the far support ship, shredding the hull.
 
Two of the turret gunners took out the engines of the near support ship.
 
The third turret gunner, unable to bear on the support ships, took out the nearest frigate’s engines.
 
At the count of three, the helmsman jumped the ship into the gas giant.

      
The captain had the sensor plot on his monitor and it showed the K’Rang fleet in disarray.
 
The attack was so swift they didn’t even know from where it came or where the attacker went. The frigates, destroyers and cruisers were wildly firing in all directions and lighting up every active sensor, trying to find the phantom ship that just hit them.
 
The captain watched as they slowly came back under control and moved out again.
 
The disabled frigate and the support ship remained behind.

* * * * *

      
The realization that they were under attack came slow to the Shadow Leader.
 
The possibility that the Humans could have penetrated this far into K’Rang space was inconceivable, even though he had presumed the sector command ship destroyed.
 
When the Fleet activated all its active sensors and could find no attacker, it caused him to wonder if the ships hadn’t merely gotten too close in formation and collided.
 
It was not unheard of for ships to run into each other, especially when only operating on passive sensors.

      
He called for detailed reports.
 
The response was that a small ship had appeared in their formation, fired on several ships, and disappeared.

      
Shadow leader M’Trang knew the Humans did not have invisibility capability.
 
He set his staff to looking for places the Humans could use to hide.
 
Their next attack would be their last.

* * * * *

      
Chief Watson made some quick calculations and passed them to the navigator to plot and lock in the jump points.
 
When the navigator and the helmsman reported they were ready, the captain gave the order to jump.

      
Once again, the Vigilant leapt into the K’Rang formation and fired.
 
Two of the lightly armored missile cruisers were wracked with secondary explosions.
 
The Vigilant jumped out of the formation, as missiles and plasma fire zeroed in on their former location.

      
They jumped into the nebula, and the sensor display showed the explosions from the two missile cruisers damaging one of the other missile cruisers and one of the battle cruisers.
 
Missiles from the two burning missile cruisers fired off and flew through the formation, hitting other ships.
 
One of the frigates took a direct hit amidships and exploded into a fireball.
 
The formation broke up and ships moved in all directions, fleeing the conflagration.
 
All ships in the formation were indiscriminately firing guns and defensive missiles to intercept the missile cruisers missiles.
 
This caused even more random damage to the formation.

      
The captain ordered the Vigilant to jump within close range of the broken formation.
 
Four missiles were targeted against the four battlecruisers.
 
The Vigilant jumped within 100,000 km of the fleet, fired its missiles, and jumped for the gas giant.
 
The Vigilant actually outpaced its own missiles as it passed over the formation.

      
Once they had settled into the planet’s atmosphere, the sensors showed all four battlecruisers received direct hits.
 
The missile cruisers’ errant missiles had flooded the defensive systems of the formation and the four missiles ran unimpeded into the four capital ships.
 
The matter/antimatter warheads and resulting explosions consumed all four.
 
Two frigates and the damaged missile cruiser were close enough that the shock waves from the explosions took them out as well.
 
The Shadow Destroyer stopped dead in space, its engines off line.

* * * * *

      
Shadow Leader M’Trang picked himself up from the deck.
 
A dead sensor operator lay over his legs.
 
He kicked the corpse away and screamed, “Captain, get a damage report.
 
Sensors, get new operators in here to work the systems.
 
Communications, get me the status of all Fleet ships.
 
Put me in contact with Admiral S’Gor.”

      
A radio operator was first to report, “Sir, Admiral S’Gor’s flagship was totally destroyed.
 
As senior Shadow Leader, do you assume command or would you pass that to one of the other ship’s captains?”

      
“No, I will assume command.
 
Have some undamaged frigates close with us.
 
I will decide on whether to move to another ship once we determine our status.
 
Where are the damage reports, captain?”

      
Damage reports came in.
 
The engines were down and would need to be restarted.
 
Engineering expected it would take ten minutes to have maneuver control and twenty for full power.

      
“Inform the Fleet that I have assumed command.
 
Have the Frigates lay alongside.
 
The remainder of the ships should form a defensive bubble.”

* * * * *

      
Vigilant held position in the gas giant to give the K’Rang a chance to settle down.
 
Two frigates moved to the disabled destroyer’s aid, probably to pull off survivors, arrange a tow, or assist in damage control.
 
The remaining ships formed a defensive bubble.
 
The three remaining destroyers and two frigates formed a perimeter around the remaining missile cruiser in the center of the formation.
 
All ships pointed outward, away from the cruiser.

      
The captain gave orders to jump out to fire the last four missiles at the cruiser and active destroyers.
 
Once the calculations had been completed, the helm jumped the ship to within 100,000 km of the formation.
 
As the missiles left the launcher, the Vigilant made the jump to the larger nebula.
 
The missiles did their work, taking out the four larger ships, but two frigates were hot on the Vigilant’s tail.
 
They had figured it out.
 
They were on a direct path to where the Vigilant had entered the nebula, and they looked angry.

* * * * *

      
The Shadow Leader chastised the frigate commanders for their reluctance to chase the Human ship into the nebula.

      
“It is only one ship.
 
It should be easy prey.
 
Go in and flush it out.”

      
As you command, Shadow Warrior, but for one ship, it has wreaked a significant amount of devastation.”
 
      
The Shadow Leader personally worked a sensor console to attempt to resolve the location of the Human ship in the nebula.
 
The earlier blast had destroyed many of the specialized sensors that made a Shadow Scout Destroyer so formidable.
 
The Shadow Warrior was unable to coax the remaining sensors to give up the Human’s hiding place.

      
As the frigates entered the nebula, their communications were lost.

* * * * *

      
Vigilant moved deep into the nebula and ordered a turn 30 degrees to port and 30 degrees up.
 
No use being where the enemy expected you to be.

      
“Bridge, Sensors, the destroyer is moving again.
 
It and the two other frigates are moving in this direction.”

      
That complicated matters.

      
The frigates reached the point where the Vigilant made its turn and continued straight ahead.
 
The captain gave orders to go wide around them to come up on their rear.
 
If the Vigilant could take them out while they were blinded by the charged gases in the nebula, it could even the odds some.

      
As the Vigilant moved above and to port of the frigates, they showed no reaction.
 
The Vigilant came around to abeam of them and was preparing to turn to attack their engines when both ships erupted in gunfire.
 
Every gun on the two ships was firing blindly into the space around them.
 
Fortunately, none of the fire came close to the Vigilant.

      
The captain lined up with the sterns of the two ships and waited.
 
They wouldn’t be able to keep the firing going for long.
 
As soon as the firing let up he would order the ship in to take the two frigates out of action.
 
Chief B called forward to report the destroyer and its two escorts were holding just outside of the nebula.