Battle of the wilds, p.1
Battle of The Wilds, page 1
Battle of The Wilds
Empire Rising Book 19
D. J. Holmes
https://www.facebook.com/Author.D.J.Holmes
d.j.holmess@hotmail.com
Comments welcome!
Cover illustrated by Tom Edwards:
tomedwardsconcepts@gmail.com
https://tomedwardsdesign.com/
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales are entirely coincidental.
Copyright © D. J. Holmes 2024
Prologue
IS Trident, Karacknid Space, 10th August 2512 AD, (three days after the close of The Call of Honor).
With her impulse engines burning a bright red, the Imperial dreadnought Trident surged through the cloud of debris that had once been a Karacknid cruiser. Her point defenses blasted several large chunks out of the way, while her shield flared as it deflected hundreds of microscopic ship fragments. Around her, a thousand additional Human, Varanni, Crian, and Vestarian ships appeared as they followed the flagship's advance through the Karacknid squadron that had tried to intercept them.
Together, they charged toward the system's only inhabited planet, rushing in to catch the defenders off guard. As they approached, they flipped end over end and began to decelerate to slot into a high orbit. From the carriers in the fleet, hundreds of smaller craft were shot out of launch tubes and began to form up into squadrons of twelve.
"Inform Wing Commander Sommerville that she can begin her attack now," Admiral Becket ordered from her command chair on Trident's bridge. "Open fire with our missiles as soon as we come into range."
"Aye, Admiral," Becket's Chief of Staff responded.
*
With an ease that came from having done it more than a hundred times before, Georgia Sommerville calculated the timing of her attack run to perfectly match the first missile salvo that erupted from Trident and the rest of the Allied fleet. She then quickly assigned targets to each of her sixty squadrons. When she was done, she returned her focus to the Karacknid world her Hellcat was hurtling toward. The enemy could easily see her force approaching; if they had a response, it would come soon.
Sure enough, Georgia's Hellcat picked up energy spikes from several small stations less than thirty seconds later. However, they were so few that she was able to count them herself. Just thirty-one, she thought as she assessed the situation. The world Admiral Becket's fleet was attacking was home to a warship construction yard. Yet, the scans the fleet had taken as it approached suggested that the yard could only construct frigates and destroyers and appeared to only be able to build one hundred simultaneously. I guess that's all the fighter cover such a small construction base gets, Georgia said to herself. With a tap on her Hellcat's control panel, she activated her COM unit. "Eagle, Blue, and Arrow squadrons will move to intercept those fighters. If you can rejoin us and make your attack runs with us, do so; if not, fall back to your carriers after engaging those Karacknid fighters."
“Understood,” Eagle Squadron's leader confirmed, and then was joined by his two comrades.
As their thirty-six Hellcats increased their acceleration rates and moved ahead of Georgia’s force, her fingers twitched on her flight stick. A part of her wanted to join them. She knew she could kill two or three of the Karacknid fighters. Doing so would likely save one or two of her own pilots from being shot down. Yet she had to think of the bigger picture. Becket needed the battlestations arrayed around the construction yard taken out; that was her primary mission.
In silence, Georgia watched as her three squadrons engaged the Karacknid fighters that had come out to intercept her attack. First, the thirty-six Hellcats fired off their anti-fighter missiles. Then they swooped in, plasma cannons blazing. The Karacknid fighters, wanting to get past the three Allied squadrons and force more of Georgia’s main attack force to engage them, tried to fly their way through the skirmish. As anti-fighter missiles began to find their mark, and then the deadly fire from Georgia’s battle-hardened pilots scored hit after hit, only five Karacknid fighters were able to punch through the fire directed at them.
“Venom Squadron, detach two flights to finish them off,” Georgia snapped. “Eagle, Blue, and Arrow, do not pursue; maintain your momentum and rejoin us.”
Seconds later, eight more Hellcats moved ahead of Georgia’s wing. Like their consorts, they engaged the remaining Karacknid fighters with their anti-fighter missiles first, then began to decelerate and turn to finish off their prey. Realizing they were going to survive to reach Georgia’s main body of fighters, the Karacknids tried to dodge the incoming missiles and then engaged the two flights from Venom Squadron. All five were blown apart at the cost of just one Hellcat.
Georgia shook her head when the brief scuffle was over. Whoever had commanded the enemy fighters had been a novice. Despite slowing to engage the Karacknid fighters, Eagle, Blue, and Arrow Squadrons had only taken three losses and were already accelerating again and would soon be able to match her wing’s velocity. All the Karacknids had managed to do was to reduce the strength of her attack by three fighters. You can only beat what’s in front of you, Georgia told herself, not for the first time. Ever since Becket had begun their raid into the Karacknid systems adjacent to Conclave space, Georgia’s fighters had been encountering second-rate Karacknid fighters and pilots. All of Tanaka-lan’s elite pilots had clearly been moved to their border that faced her species' Empire.
“All right, pilots,” Georgia said as she switched COM channels to speak to every pilot in her wing. “You know the drill by now. Stay right behind Admiral Becket’s missiles and make sure you hit your targets. After that, get out of their line of fire. In and out, that’s all we need to do today.”
Switching COM channels again, Georgia made a few final tweaks to the targets she had assigned to her squadrons. Then, she let go of her flight stick, rolled her shoulders, and worked to relieve as much tension from her body as she could. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly and fell into her trance-like state. Reaching for her flight stick again, she began some slow evasive maneuvers as she tested her Hellcat's controls and maneuvering thrusters. Over the course of twenty seconds, she built the maneuvers up until they were as complex as she could make them. Around her, the one thousand fighters of her wing did likewise.
Ten seconds later, thousands of small pin pricks of light raced past her Hellcat's canopy. Admiral Becket's missile salvo had caught up to them. With their attack timed to perfection, the point defenses of the Karacknid warships and orbital battlestations opened up on the missiles just five seconds later. The dark green hue of the densely vegetated planet in front of Georgia quickly gave way to a wall of fire as missiles began detonating by the hundreds before her. Here and there, stray Karacknid laser beams zipped past her Hellcat, but none came close enough to worry her.
Despite the intense defensive fire from all the Karacknid orbital stations, the short-lived fiery explosions from the destruction of Imperial missiles were suddenly replaced by rapidly expanding bright blue spheres as antimatter missiles detonated among their targets. Though the detonations ripped apart Karacknid warships and orbital stations alike, with no more missiles to target, the surviving Karacknid gunners switched targets. A hail of defensive fire immediately began to rain down on Georgia’s wing.
While shields flared and explosions began to erupt amidst her fighters, Georgia’s heart rate didn't falter. All her focus was on the next evasive maneuver, and then the next. She felt no fear. Almost as if she had a sixth sense, she could feel where the next laser beam was coming from. Almost without thinking, she wove her fighter through everything fired at it. Then, just as her Hellcat beeped at her to signal she was in range, Georgia depressed her thumb, firing one and then a second anti-ship missile. In a flash, both shot off ahead of her Hellcat as their powerful engines kicked in.
Without a second's hesitation, Georgia swung her Hellcat up and away from the green world and the Karacknid orbital stations. If any Karacknid gunners tried to shoot at her, none came close to scoring a hit. Twisting her head, Georgia watched the progress of her missiles, even as she continued her evasive maneuvers. Both were targeted at a massive Karacknid battlestation. Its size meant it had no hope of evading the missiles. The only chance it had now was to shoot both down. Had it just been her two missiles, that would have been no problem. Yet ten fighters from the squadron Georgia had flown with had survived to fire. With twenty-two missiles racing toward it, the battlestation had just seven seconds to hit them all.
Even with help from two frigates that were in close formation with it, they failed. Three missiles, including one of Georgia’s, slammed into the battlestation. Each penetrated the battlestation's armor, outer hull, and several decks before detonating. In the blink of an eye, the antimatter eruptions blasted the battlestation into a million fragments. Both frigates were ripped apart by the shrapnel. One detonated a second later, while the other quickly began to be sucked down by the planet’s gravity.
Mission accomplished, Georgia said to herself as she widened her focus to see similar explosions appearing all across the planet’s equator. Every battlestation guarding the construction yard was either destroyed or looked to be badly damaged by her wing’s assault.
*
"Take us into mark VII range," Becket ordered as soon as Georgia's fighters pulled up and away from the Karacknid world. With almost a
For forty minutes, Becket watched in silence as her staff officers set about reducing the Karacknid warships and orbital infrastructure to debris. They worked together like a well-oiled machine, not needing her input. Over the last three months, they had assaulted and destroyed at least twenty similar Karacknid orbital bases. Becket nodded in approval of their efforts. At the beginning of her campaign, almost all of her officers, including many of her captains, had seen little or no combat. Now, every officer in her fleet was as experienced as any in the fleets she had led in Humanity's first war with the Karacknids twenty-five years ago.
"The last orbital stations have been destroyed, Admiral," Albright, Becket's Chief of Staff, reported. "We're ceasing fire. By our count, we've taken out one hundred and two battlestations, ninety warships, and over five hundred other orbital stations. Seven ships have been badly damaged and will have to be scuttled, but we've been able to get most of their crews off. Another seventeen are going to need some time to effect repairs; they'll have to be sent back to Scalatar."
"Very good," Becket said as she nodded to Albright. "Very good," she repeated, raising her voice to make sure all her officers heard. "Set course for the rendezvous point. We'll meet with Shraw and see how his raids have gone."
Once again, Becket's officers got to work, efficiently reforming her fleet, and turning it onto a heading that would take them back toward the shift passage they had entered the system from. Despite her pleasure at their capabilities, it caused lingering doubts she had been trying to suppress for weeks to rise again. Both in the battle and afterwords, her officers were showing that months of constant combat were the only way to hone a warrior's skill. Yet, it was also a reminder to Becket that they had now been fighting for months with little to show for it.
Her dramatic double battle, where she had defeated two large Karacknid fleets in the space of two days, had now been some time ago. After the battle, she had returned to the Das’tana clan's home system and devastated its orbitals. Then, facing almost zero resistance, she had been able to split her fleet up into many smaller squadrons and ravage almost every system the clan controlled. She had systematically eradicated their industrial capacity. Now, she was beginning to make inroads into the Tars’tazan clan's space. So far, altogether, her analysts estimated that they had destroyed as much as three percent of the Karacknid Empire's economy. Yet, for months now, Becket's scouts hadn't detected any large Karacknid forces moving to intercept them. It was as if Tanaka-lan didn't care even the slightest about what Becket was doing.
For some time now, Becket had been telling herself that she was getting worried for nothing. That all their attacks had to be having an impact. It was just a matter of time before large Karacknid formations started to enter the area, proof that her campaign was successfully drawing away Tanaka-lan's strength from the frontline with Human space. But what if he really doesn't care? Becket asked herself as she mentally reviewed the information from all the scouting reports she had received over the last several weeks. Over a hundred important systems within striking distance of her fleets had been identified. If all of them combined the warships they had protecting them, they could perhaps put together a fleet to confront her with. Yet none seemed to be attempting to do so. It was as if there were no more competent Karacknid commanders left in this part of their Empire.
If they're not here, then there's only one place they can be, Becket said to herself as she felt butterflies begin to dance within her stomach. She had been a naval commander long enough to know what that meant. Her instincts were confirming what her reason was leading her toward: He doesn't care. And if he doesn't care, it's because he thinks he has the capability to conquer Earth in one single attack, Becket forced herself to accept. Which means everything we've done has been for nothing.
In her mind, Becket calculated the route her ships would have to take to get back to Earth and the border forts facing Tanaka-lan's forces. First, they would have to retreat back through the Karacknid systems they had raided, then return to Scalatar and back to another location before heading through the Gift and then eventually to Earth. Seventeen weeks, she figured. If she gave the order right now, it would take seventeen weeks for her ships to get to Earth. And then maybe another month to get to the frontline if the fighting had already begun. Too long, she couldn't help thinking, fear filling her as she imagined Tanaka-lan laughing at reports of her attacks while he simply massed his ships on the border with her species' empire. But the sooner we start, the sooner we'll get there, Becket told herself, her teeth clenched together. Now that her instincts and reasoning were aligned, she knew she had no other choice.
"Change of plans," Becket said to her officers as she pulled up a holo map of local systems in her command chair. Reaching out, she tapped one of them. "We're heading here instead. I want the first frigate sent to Shraw and our other fleets. I want to rendezvous here as soon as possible. All fleets are to end offensive operations immediately and head to the rendezvous point. From there, we're heading back to Scalatar. We've wasted enough time attacking weakly defended systems. If Tanaka-lan hasn't come to confront us by now, then he's not going to. Which means he is somewhere else. We need to get our ships back to Earth before it's too late, for I fear they are going to be desperately needed in the not-too-distant future."
"Of course, Admiral," Albright said, the confident look he had been sporting after their victory vanishing from his face. Instead, lines of concern marked his forehead. Becket guessed she had a similar look as she locked eyes with Albright and nodded to him. She didn't need to say any more; it was clear he understood the significance of her abrupt change of plans.
Though she hoped she was wrong, Becket was certain she was not. As her ships began to change heading once again, her thoughts went to James, Emilie, Jonathan, and the other naval commanders that she counted among her closest of friends. If she was right, Tanaka-lan would have already begun his invasion before she reached Earth. In the grand scale of things, her six thousand remaining warships were not likely to be enough to tip the scale in the massive fleet battles that were coming. Yet Becket desperately needed to stand alongside her friends as they prepared to fend off the assault they had all known would eventually come. Hold on, she thought toward them. Hold on.
Chapter 1
It is important for both military historians and naval cadets to study the famous speeches of our past. For the former, it gives us a unique insight into the minds of those whom we study, for the latter, it gives you some training in case the day comes when you must make a speech of your own.
-Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.
House of Commons, Earth, 10th August 2512 AD, (same time).
Nerves filled James as he stepped up to the podium that had been set up for him. Despite them, he couldn't help but look out over the sea of faces gazing up at him. Since its construction, the House of Commons had been designed with two additional wings that could be opened to seat the Representatives from the Senate and the House of Servants. With the observation galleries also filled to capacity, over six thousand of the Empire’s most powerful and influential people were watching him in silence.
James took a deep breath to steady himself. He was about to make the most important speech of his life. Although he had argued that Christine was better equipped to address the three houses of the Empire’s government, she had insisted he do it. He was the naval officer; he understood the situation better than anyone else.
Projecting as much confidence and calmness into his voice as he could muster, James began. “Commoners, Senators, and Servants, I am here today exercising my right as Emperor to address you all concerning the gravest news we have received since the Empire’s founding. As you all know, months ago we received news that the Karacknid civil war had ended. With the approval of the Admiralty and each of your oversight committees, we initiated pre-emptive strikes designed to delay what we all knew was inevitable.
