Empires gambit, p.46
Empire's Gambit, page 46
“You’re talking about a fighter strike?” Ya’sia said. James nodded. “I will lead it,” she told James as determination replaced her grief, in her facial expression at least.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” James said. “The rest of the fleet will wait here. We can carry out battle simulations and drills with the Kalassai. You can take all our fighters and gut the Karacknid fleet. When you return, we should have a plan in place to advance on the Karacknids’ homeworld and finish this for Jourm and our families back home.” Ya’sia nodded at James’ words. The look on her face told him all he needed to know. She would not fail.
*
Triumphant, 11th March 2486 AD, (two days later).
Moments after exiting shift space, Triumphant’s sensors detected exactly what Ya’sia had been expecting. The scouts she had sent ahead already confirmed the fleet of Karacknid capital ships was still in the system Jourm had fought and died in. Off to one side, a group of about two hundred light ships had been carrying out repairs. Both groups were still there. Ya’sia couldn’t help but glance at the area of the system where Jourm’s flagship had been destroyed. There was no sign of it now. It had taken less than a week for the debris to spread out so much that Triumphant’s sensors weren’t detecting any of it. At least at this range. We will do you proud, she thought towards Jourm. “Launch all fighters. As soon as they are clear, begin moving the fleet forward. We will stick to timetable A.”
For ten minutes, Ya’sia watched as squadron after squadron of fighters and bombers were launched from the carriers, converted freighters and even storage freighters in her fleet. It took another few minutes for them all to form up into a large ball. Then, igniting their engines at just one percent of their capacity, they slowly began to move away from Triumphant. Moments later, Triumphant’s engines came to life as she and the five hundred warships escorting her carriers moved along a different heading.
For six hours, Ya’sia remained on the bridge of her ship as she watched the Karacknids. There were more than a hundred light craft patrolling the space around the enemy capital ships. They didn’t concern her though. Her fleet was not moving anywhere near them. She had initially found it curious that the Karacknid fleet hadn’t advanced further after their victory. Yet it did make sense. No doubt they were waiting for news from the ambush of her and Somerville’s ships. They were probably holding position to block any Allied ships that might have escaped from the ambush. But you didn’t put out enough scouts, Ya’sia thought towards the commander of the enemy fleet. She had sent several strong squadrons, each accompanied by a carrier ahead of her fleet. Fighters had destroyed at least fifteen Karacknid scouts in the previous system they had been in. Given the current position of the Karacknid fleet, it was clear they had not received any word of her approach. “It’s time they knew we were here,” Ya’sia said when her ships were finally in position. “Bring up our reactors and let’s go to maximum acceleration.”
With her ships just over halfway through the system towards the shift passage Jourm’s ships would have entered from, Ya’sia intended it to look like her ships were trying to sneak past the Karacknids. The Karacknid fleet reacted as soon as they picked her up on their gravimetric sensors. Powering up their own reactors, they turned and began to give chase. Ya’sia had the momentum advantage, though the Karacknids were out-accelerating her. Many of her ships were releasing copious amounts of electromagnetic energy and some even had visual signs of battle damage. To the Karacknids eyes, her fleet would hopefully look like it was limping along like survivors they might expect to see fleeing.
Ya’sia smiled when the Karacknids took the bait. They left the three hundred light ships carrying out repairs behind. Then the Karacknid fleet split further. Five hundred light and medium cruisers increased their acceleration rates and pushed ahead of the dreadnoughts. On the holo display, it became clear that they would catch up to Ya’sia’s fleet about an hour before they could jump into shift space. All the Karacknid cruisers would have to do to allow their larger counterparts to catch up was to engage Ya’sia and force her fleet to carry out evasive maneuvers.
For two more hours, the chase continued with both groups of Karacknid ships gaining on the Allied fleet. Despite the threat, Ya’sia felt no nerves. The Karacknids who had killed Jourm were about to pay. That was all that consumed her thoughts. She had no room for concern for herself. All four of her legs tensed when the Karacknid capital ships suddenly altered course. It started with the rearmost ships, then it spread throughout their fleet. They all turned to face their starboard sides to their rear. “It is beginning,” Ya’sia said to her staff officers.
*
Wing Commander Hawthorn knew she technically wasn’t supposed to be leading the attack from her Spitfire fighter. If Somerville had been present, he would have forbidden her. Yet he wasn’t, and so she had taken the liberty. Plus, the first sortie would take over ten hours to complete. She needed to be with her fighters for such a mission, not sat back on a carrier watching what was happening from afar. Like Ya’sia, she had been watching the Karacknid capital ships closely. As soon as they began to turn on her scopes, she knew they had been detected. “Take out their scouts!” she ordered over a general COM channel.
Four squadrons of fighters sprang to life on her gravimetric sensors. They split into half squadrons and charged the eight destroyers that were trailing behind the main Karacknid fleet as a rear-guard. Seven of her fighters were destroyed by defensive fire. Every Karacknid scout ship was blown apart as two or three plasma missiles smashed into its side and ripped apart each of the small vessels. Now there can be no doubt, Hawthorn thought towards the enemy fleet commander. There was no way to tell how many of her fighters the Karacknid scouts had detected, but the Karacknid capital ships would know a fighter attack was on its way in. And you have no escorts. The thought brought a feral grin to Hawthorn’s lips. Ya’sia had promised her a juicy target, and that was just what was being served up.
For another five minutes, she kept radio silence as she allowed her ships to stealthily close with the Karacknids. Two hours ago, they had cut their engines and had been travelling on momentum alone. There was no need for any course changes, Ya’sia had drawn the Karacknid capital ships right into the kill zone. When the time came that stealth was no longer going to aid them, Hawthorn flicked on her COM unit once more. “All right, listen up ladies and gentlemen. This fleet played a big role in killing our friends. And if we don’t stop them here, they will try and strike us in the rear once we move towards the Karacknid homeworld. They need to be stopped here and now. Make every shot count, but don’t stick around after you fire. I don’t want any heroes today. If one strike doesn’t work, we can always come back for a second. All engines to full. Happy hunting!”
Around her Spitfire, three thousand six hundred fighters suddenly sprang to life. They all shot ahead of Hawthorn as she sat back in her cockpit. Her fingers twitched. She wanted to activate her engines as well. Yet those days were over. She was a Wing Commander now. As much as she hated it, she couldn’t go charging in like a newly minted rookie any longer. At least I’ll get a good view, she thought. Her fighter would zip past the Karacknid fleet just minutes after her strike had gone in. She’d get to see up close just what damage her pilots were about to cause.
Within seconds of her fighters announcing themselves, the Karacknid capital ships opened fire with their point defenses. Even without their escorts, they were able to put out a great deal of fire. Fighters began to disappear in large numbers. More than a hundred were blown apart before they could release their weapons, but then the rest came into range. Two thirds of Hawthorn’s force were Imperial fighters or bombers. They released almost three thousand plasma missiles. Instantly, the Karacknids’ defensive fire switched to the missiles. If they could be destroyed before detonating and releasing their balls of plasma, Hawthorn’s attack would prove toothless. Yet that meant the fire that had been directed at the Alliance fighters slackened significantly. For another fifteen seconds, they raced in towards the capital ships. Then they came into range with their laser beams. Each fighter fired one beam at a Karacknid capital ship. They had all selected their targets carefully. No more than two fighters targeted each dreadnought or battleship. Hundreds of explosions appeared on Hawthorn’s scope as the Karacknid capital ships suffered at the hands of the Alliance fighters. Laser beams burnt through hull armor and ripped apart internal sections. The destruction and confusion caused the defensive fire to falter. Just a handful of seconds later, hundreds of plasma missiles detonated. Large expanding balls of plasma then washed over the Karacknid fleet. Hundreds more explosions erupted as the plasma balls disintegrated ships. The Imperial fighters had pulled up and out of defensive range of the Karacknid ships as soon as they released their missiles. The Alliance fighters, however, did not. Continuing their evasive maneuvers, they zipped right through the Karacknid fleet. As soon as they did, they turned nose over tail and lined up their laser cannons for a second shot. This time, they sought out undamaged capital ships. It took ten seconds for their capacitors to charge again, but as soon as they did, another eight hundred laser beams reached out to strike at the Karacknids. More explosions rippled up and down their formation.
As her fighter approached the Karacknid fleet, Hawthorn stared out of her canopy. She wanted to see with her own eyes just how much damage had been done. What she saw made her nod in appreciation of her pilots. There had been one hundred dreadnoughts and four hundred battleships at the heart of the Karacknid fleet. She couldn’t see one of them left undamaged. At least half had been destroyed outright. The rest would not be participating in any naval battles for many months. They would all need to be brought to a shipyard for repairs. Once her fighter passed beyond weapons range of the Karacknid ships, she powered up and moved to join her force. They all slotted in around her once again. One hundred and eighty-six fighters were missing, yet they had destroyed more than three times that many Karacknid vessels and likely severely damaged twice as many again. You accomplished your side of the plan, Hawthorn thought towards Ya’sia, and we have ours.
*
Ya’sia thought much the same as images of the fighter strike reached Triumphant. The Karacknid fleet had been gutted. It had lost nearly a third of its numbers and probably closer to half of its force. “There’s no point continuing the ruse,” she said to her staff officers. “Bring the fleet up to maximum acceleration. Put us onto our new heading.” Throwing off any attempt to still look damaged, Ya’sia’s fleet increased its acceleration rates by thirty percent. The fleet then turned away from the system’s mass shadow. They set course for the prearranged rendezvous point with Wing Commander Hawthorn’s fighters. There, Ya’sia’s carriers would pick them up and refuel and rearm them. And then we can finish you off, she thought towards the remaining Karacknid capital ships. One more strike would be all it would take, she was sure. And if the Karacknid escorts still wanted to pursue her, she would happily deal with them first. Not one single ship is getting out of the system alive, she promised the survivors of the fleet that had killed her friend.
Chapter 35
To command, a leader must make sacrifices, the greater the command, the greater the sacrifice.
-Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.
City ship Abode, 18th March 2486 AD, (one week later).
James felt horrible. His clothes were wet and heavy and clung uncomfortably to his body. The skin on his hands and face felt irritated. Perhaps worst of all, the air coming through his breather was stale. It kept making him want to cough, yet if he did so, it only worsened the problem. The one positive was that he wasn’t out of breath. Even Emilie’s chest was moving up and down beside him quite fast. The benefits of my augments, and all of Sergeant Harkin’s training, James thought to himself, thankful it was finally coming in useful for something. With a great deal of effort, he fought to ignore all the things his body was telling him. For in front of him, the most important council of war he had ever participated in was about to begin.
Emilie had told him they were going to meet in the city ships’ Gathering Chamber. Her description of it had been impressive, yet it didn’t compare to the real thing. It wasn’t hard for James to imagine the tens of thousands of Kalassai that Emilie had spoken to in this very chamber. It would have been intimidating beyond belief. Thankfully, there were only fourteen floating above him. Ten Mothers to represent the Kalassai people and four of their senior Admirals, including Admiral Fug-sal, the senior commander of their fleet.
Gathered around James, all standing on the Chamber’s floor, were his senior commanders, including Ya’sia, Maleck, Jil’lal, Becket, and Scott. Given the size and power of the Kalassai fleet, James had accepted the Mother’s request to meet on their ship. Emilie had also told him that it would be all but impossible for the Kalassai to leave their ships, so he had little choice in any case. Movement over James’ left shoulder made him turn slightly. Admiral Shraw was the final commander to join them. Out of all allies, on their feet, Gramrians were by far the most capable warriors. On a planet’s surface, they moved with a speed and grace only special forces marines could match. Yet as Shraw tried to use his clawed hands and feet to swim through the Kalassai goo, he was barely able to make headway. James had expected the dinosaur-like alien to use his tail to help, but it just swayed behind in motion with his body. Turning back to face the Kalassai, James ignored Shraw and gave the Gramrian a few seconds to regain his dignity. Then he stepped forward and bowed deeply. “It is an honor to be able to meet you in person, esteemed Mothers and Admirals. I hope this meeting proves fruitful for our fleets and for the future of both of our species.”
One of the Kalassai Mothers matched James’s movements, came forward slightly and then wrapped its tentacles around its body and lowered its head towards James. “As do we,” it said. James guessed it was Vern-sal, only because Emilie had told him she had taken pre-eminence among the Mothers. “Though the loss of a part of your fleet was tragic, fortune smiled on us upon our meeting. Let us hope it continues to do so as we advance together.”
“It was more than fortune smiling, it was down to your people’s willingness to fight and your commanders’ capabilities. We owe you a great deal of gratitude. Without your fleet’s arrival, my ships might not have escaped,” James said.
The Kalassai uncoiled its tentacles and began to sway back-and-forth slightly once more. “And without your fleet’s willingness to take such risks, my people would never have had the courage to confront the Karacknids. We both owe much to each other and before this is over, both of our debts will likely increase even more.”
James bowed again to the Kalassai. Then he turned to his commanders and began to introduce them one by one. Vern-sal took a moment to speak to each. Then the Mother introduced its fellow Mothers and the four Kalassai Admirals. James had come to know each of them over the last several days, for while Ya’sia had been launching her successful strike against the eastern Karacknid flanking fleet, he and the rest of his fleet had been carrying out simulations and drills with the Kalassai warships. James believed they had developed a number of strong tactics, in no small part thanks to the four Kalassai Admirals. Despite his familiarity with their personalities though, as each was introduced, James still could not tell any of them apart.
When all of the formalities were over, Vern-sal turned back to James. “We would like to thank you all for agreeing to meet with us in person here on Abode. We know from Commodore Somerville that it is not the most pleasant experience for many of you. We appreciate you accommodating our requirements. Attempting to board one of your ships would be very dangerous for us.”
“Do not mention it,” James replied. “We are happy to be here.”
“In that case, we may turn to our most important topic of conversation. War is upon us all, the niceties of diplomacy can be left for others in the years to come, if we are successful.”
James smiled around his breathing piece. “You do not know me well. But if you did, you would know those are words I am pleased to hear. As we sit here, we are only two weeks from the Karacknid homeworld. If we are to be successful, now must be a time of action, not endless words.”
“To that end then,” Vern-sal said, “let us begin with the most pressing question. Who is to assume overall command of our two forces? If we are to defeat the Karacknids, we must act as one and not two separate fleets.” Before James could respond, Vern-sal continued, as it spoke it waved its tentacles towards the other Mothers. “We have given this some considerable thought. We believe Fug-sal should command our two fleets. It is our most experienced commander, and our fleet comprises the bulk of the combat strength of our two fleets.”
James couldn’t help but glance at Emilie. The whites of her eyes were as visible as his. This was something he hadn’t expected. From either side of him, James sensed movement. He had no doubt Ya’sia, Jil’lal, and the others were not pleased. They had been planning their attack on the Karacknid homeworld for months. They had all sacrificed much, including friends to get here. And perhaps worse, the Kalassai were an unknown factor. Whilst they had been fighting the Karacknids for years, the Kalassai had been running and hiding. Yet they probably think the same of us, James said himself as he tried to think carefully before he spoke. We are all an unknown factor to them, and we’d be asking them to trust us with their ships.
