Alpha strike, p.26
Alpha Strike, page 26
The remains of the first wave of drones slammed into his ship before the missiles reached the second wave. By the time they got to Hunter, less than one-fifth of them were left, but that was still a lot.
“The first wave of drones has rammed us,” Derek said. “No serious damage, but we’ve lost a number of laser clusters. We managed to mostly rotate the missile launchers back out of the way before they got here, so we still have the final two salvos ready.”
“The first salvo of missiles has detonated,” Amanda said. “We have good hits on the enemy formation. They were too close together, and our missiles have taken out a large swath of them. Second salvo coming into detonation position now.”
The drones used their lasers to take out as many of the incoming missiles as possible, but once again, the Navy designers had done their work well. By the time all four salvos had detonated, the swarm of drones in that second wave had been reduced by three quarters.
That left fewer drones than had been in the first swarm to be dealt with by the lasers. That was much better than Jack had anticipated, and it gave them a chance of coming out of this alive. If the enemy had kept themselves bunched together and attacked simultaneously, he doubted Hunter could’ve survived, but they had a chance now.
Of course, being rammed by the drones that made it through was no easy task. They took out even more laser clusters and missile batteries. The last of them finished exploding just as the motherships came into laser range.
Unlike the drones, the motherships were dodging much more effectively and had opened the distance between one another. It wasn’t that they were more agile, but they had some electronic countermeasures of their own. Some of that was known by the old Navy designers, but some seemed new. In any case, they didn’t fall as easily as Jack would’ve liked.
“Rotating the ship,” Derek said.
“Firing salvo five,” Amanda said a few seconds later. “And firing salvo six. That’s it, sir. We’re out of missiles. Continuing with the laser duel.”
Between the missiles and the lasers cutting down the number of motherships closing in on them, they reduced the last wave by more than half, leaving an awful lot of motherships to come crashing into them.
Then the Locusts pulled an unexpected maneuver right at the end, condensing into a tight formation and racing for the engineering section. Derek tried to compensate, but Hunter wasn’t maneuverable enough, and the survivors of that suicide run slammed into his ship all at once, coming from almost directly aft.
The simultaneous detonation of all those fusion plants sent a jolt through the ship that was strong enough for him to feel. The lighting flickered, and alerts began wailing from the damage control console.
“We’re on battery power, sir,” the damage control officer said. “All power is offline.”
“All enemy motherships have been destroyed,” Amanda said. “There were a couple we had to take out with lasers after they somehow missed us, but we had enough power for that in the capacitors. We have no hostile units left in this system that I can detect.”
“Derek, what does our orbit look like?” he demanded.
The young man tapped at his console and let out his breath in a rush. “Our orbit is stable, sir. Even with the impact, Hunter has a lot of mass, and it didn’t shift us that much.”
Jack pressed one of the buttons on his chair arm. “Engineering, this is the bridge. Status?”
There was no response for several seconds, enough for his tension level to rise even higher.
“Engineering?”
“Ferraro here. Sorry, bridge, we’re a bit busy. We’ve taken major damage and lost pressure. All four fusion plants are down, but I think at least one of them should be back up in a few minutes. It’s still running, but we lost some of the power transmission cables.”
Jack let out his breath slowly. “Getting power back would be good. What else?”
“We’ve lost most of our fusion drives, at least temporarily. We also took a hit to the independent quantum drive. Sir, I’m afraid it may be gone.”
That was a gut punch. Without the quantum drive, they were trapped in New Copenhagen.
“Are you sure?”
“Sure? Not completely, but based on what I’m looking at, I think repairs will be problematic. The whole thing is split wide open.”
Jack sighed. “That’s bad, but we have options. We can use cutters to get the gate we brought out to a good spot and open access to Port Royale. They have spare parts and even whole drives there. We can still fix this.”
“And then there’s the other bad news,” Ferraro continued. “The motherships breached the compartment where the gate was. It’s in smaller pieces than our drive. Sir, I’m afraid that we’re stuck.”
34
It took Connor half an hour to locate cleaning supplies inside the cargo shuttle and clean up the control area. He wasn’t squeamish, but he didn’t want to sit in a dead man’s blood—particularly someone he knew, even if only through business.
Tina was nearby, which was good because he’d need her assistance with what came next. It was time to contact other people on the planet and not just those within his circle.
Until now, he’d been working as a criminal mastermind. Someone that oversaw an illegal operation working in the shadows, moving people and things the government of the Confederation frowned upon.
As crimes went, it wasn’t as objectionable as piracy and such, but the authorities still didn’t want to deal with people like him, and he had scant experience dealing with them, other than through bribes.
Corrupt government officials weren’t what he was hoping to find, and if he wanted to elevate Port Royale to something more than a smuggler hideout, he’d have to do better.
“How are we going to do this?” Tina asked as she dropped into the seat beside him. “The civilian communication network is gone, though I suppose we can use Hunter to bounce the signals around if she’s in position. Do you even know who to contact?”
“I know several people inside the government, but they’re the kind of folks that don’t want to advertise that they know me. They might be able to provide avenues to contact others if I can convince them to, though. Assuming they’re alive and in a position to do anything, of course.”
If they’d had air superiority, he’d have been tempted to fly closer to the major cities, but they had no idea how many aircraft might still be out there. They’d just have to do this the hard way.
“And what do you plan to do once you get hold of them?” she asked with one eyebrow raised.
“Start negotiating a bilateral treaty so Port Royale can assist them in exchange for recognition. Just because Jack made an agreement doesn’t mean I don’t need other avenues of support. The Navy can overrule him, as can the Confederation Council. The more local agreements I come to, the better for my people and me.”
He grimaced. “Not that it looks like we’re going to be discussing that with Port Royale anytime soon, not unless your engineers are a lot more talented than I expect. The loss of your ship’s independent quantum drive—and the quantum gate we intended to set up—is a real blow.”
“It is a problem,” she admitted, “but someone else’s problem. Focus on getting the people here to work with us. You’re charming, so that shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
“You wouldn’t believe how obstinate some people can be,” he grumbled. “Politicians have egos bigger than your battleship. I don’t know who’s in charge, and the odds of them being resistant to working with the likes of me are significant. We’ve got the contact information from Captain Dufaux to follow up on as well. I suggest you handle that end.”
“What are you looking for me to get them to agree to? I feel confident I can speak for Jack, but I’m not as well versed in what you’re looking for.”
He took the headset hanging on a small hook off to the side and slid it on. “I can handle negotiations. Right now, we just need to open lines of communication. Either people will have to come here, or we’ll need to visit them. The security situation isn’t stable, so we’ll have to figure out how to make that happen.”
Using a signal bounced off the battleship in orbit, Connor called the likeliest of the people he knew inside New Copenhagen’s government: Francesco Scazzosi, a minister in the planetary government in charge of health services.
That might sound like an improbable point of contact for a smuggler, but there was a brisk trade in counterfeit medical equipment and drugs. Nothing harmful, of course, but some corners cut here and there, and maybe a few serial numbers scratched off. They’d worked together since before he’d founded Port Royale, and Connor trusted the politician within the narrow limits that he trusted anyone.
With the planetary communication network down, every locality had been thrown back on its own resources. His communications signal would reach the destination if it was available, but they wouldn’t be able to transmit back unless they had access to something that could get a signal to the battleship in orbit, where the crew there would retransmit it to him.
Therefore, he was surprised when Scazzosi answered the call almost immediately. “Who is this, and how did you get my number?”
“Francesco, this is Mark Connor. I’ve come visiting with the battleship in orbit. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
There was a long pause on the other end, and then the man spoke much more softly. “I’m extremely busy, Connor, and I can’t afford to have anyone know that we’ve done business in the past. What do you want?”
“I’m hoping to lay that out to whoever is in charge.”
“Unfortunately for both of us, that’s me. Most of the council and the previous president were killed in the capital. Let me ask this more strongly. Why shouldn’t I disconnect this call and pretend we’ve never met?”
Connor almost laughed. Francesco was a decent human being—for a crooked politician—but he was hardly the caliber of person needed to lead a world, particularly in the midst of an alien invasion.
“You’ve dealt with me enough to know that I represent a powerful economic force,” he said in a tone meant to calm the politician. “It’s time for me to be completely honest about where I’m based and what we have to offer because my people and I don’t want to see New Copenhagen fall.”
“That’s nice, but the economy is the last thing on my mind right now.”
“Let me finish. There’s a system near here that used to be a secret naval facility but was abandoned. It was made to support battleships like the one in orbit right now. I’ve got tens of thousands of people there and everything we need to build orbital missile launchers to help protect this world, other than the warheads buried in the volcano behind me.”
There was a few seconds of silence. “Keep talking.”
“Our space manufacturing capability is small, but intact. The one thing we lack is people, particularly with experience in building the things we need. And by we, I mean both our systems. We’ve struck a deal with the Confederation Navy to recognize our system, so we’re operating as a governmental entity. There’s an opportunity for us to help one another, Francesco. All I’m looking for is a chance to sit down with you and the Navy people and hash out the specifics.”
Scazzosi was silent for so long that Connor thought the connection had failed. He almost disconnected and tried calling back before the other man spoke again.
“The last thing I can afford is to have our relationship become common knowledge. We’re already on the verge of losing control, and I can’t let my people down. If you screw me, you’ll not only take me down but maybe make it so that it’s impossible to govern this planet all. Do you understand?”
“Believe it or not, Francesco, I’m a governmental leader myself now, so I do understand. We don’t have to mention how we met, though I suspect the people around you might be a tad more forgiving once they understand what your connections have brought. Local space is clear, but we’re uncertain if the Locusts have more aircraft down here. Somehow, we need to make arrangements to meet at a safe location. Do you have any ideas?”
“Our planetary defense forces aren’t as depleted as the Locusts might wish. I received a report about a Locusts attack on a facility in the Arctic region. Is that where you are?”
“It is. I’m here with some Marines from Delta Orionis, and we’ve held off the attack, though the Locusts took down the volcano itself. We think the facility is mostly intact, but it will not be easy to dig out.”
Scazzosi started to say something, but Connor heard a knock on the other end of the call. Francesco took the comm unit away from his mouth, but it was still close enough for Connor to hear the Scazzosi speaking to someone in a hushed tone.
“My assistant tells me that someone from the planetary defense forces is on the official line trying to get me in contact with someone claiming to be associated with the Confederation. Would that be at the same location?”
Connor looked over at Tina and covered his comm for a moment. “Did you get hold of somebody and get forwarded to whoever is in charge?”
She nodded. “I’m waiting for them to get him on the line. Why?”
“Because I’m speaking to him right now. We may have to see about making this into a conference call.”
“You’re talking to the person trying to get through the military side, aren’t you?” Francesco asked. “I’ll let the military people sort out the best way for us to meet, and I’ll take you at your word on how you’re going to behave, Connor. My people really do need assistance, so I hope you’re not lying to me. What is it you’re looking for?”
“Recognition on my end. Port Royale is still something I’m sure the Confederation Council would rather sweep under the rug, and the Navy hierarchy might feel the same. The more people I can help inside the cluster, the firmer the ground I’m standing on.”
Francesco took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay. Once the planetary defense forces say it’s safe to meet somewhere, I’ll meet with you and the Navy representatives. I’m already getting word about the battle in orbit, and it seems you’ve been honest with me thus far. I know the Navy will need our help kicking the Locusts out of the cluster, and we’ll do what we can. If Port Royale—wherever that is—supports us, we’ll support them, too. Friends have to stand together when the enemy is at the gates.”
“Then we’ll meet soon. Take care, Francesco. A job like this can kill a man.”
Connor disconnected before Scazzosi could respond and raised an eyebrow at Tina. “He says he’s willing to work with us,” he told her. “You can hash out the details with the planetary defense forces about how to get together. If we can strike a deal, we might have a chance. If, of course, we ever get that big hulk of a ship of yours moving again.”
Rather than listening to her conversation when she started talking into her comm, Connor hung the headset back up and walked out of the shuttle. Their position was precarious, but it wasn’t hopeless. He’d do what he could to make this work, and they’d just have to hope for the best.
35
Alan was forced to make his way into engineering via a temporary airlock because they still hadn’t restored pressure. The engineering team would be working in suits for the foreseeable future as a large section of the hull had been breached.
Though he was certain there had been death and injury during the attack, there were no signs of it as he made his way down the eerily silent lift. He was getting far too familiar with moving around ships that had been holed during combat. He wished that would change, but he suspected things would get worse before they got better.
The very first thing he saw was how much damage the rear of the chamber had taken. Hunter had a dozen fusion drives to move her and based on the level of destruction, they’d lost more than half of them.
The independent quantum drive was in worse condition. A large chunk of the hull or perhaps debris from one of the fusion drives or motherships had split it wide open.
He spotted Kelly Danek’s distinctive vacuum suit as she led a team examining the damaged quantum drive, and he wished her luck trying to get anything done with it. From his perspective, it didn’t seem repairable.
It took a bit more effort to locate the assistant chief engineer, but he finally spotted Charlie Ferraro watching over people working on one of the fusion drives. Hopefully, one that could be repaired.
“Hey, Professor,” the engineer said when he walked over to him and waved a hand to catch his attention. “We’re a little busy.”
“Indeed you are. I promise not to take up more of your precious time than necessary, but I need to get an understanding of how deep a well we’ve fallen into. In your expert opinion, do you think the quantum drive is repairable?”
“Not a chance. Commander Danek will keep working on it, but I don’t see us getting out of this system without building a new one. It’s just too trashed.”
“I was afraid you’d say something like that,” Alan said with a sigh. “I know we lost power during the fight. Does that mean all the power plants are gone?”
“Not quite,” Ferraro said. “One of them is definitely gone, but the other three will be repairable to some degree. In fact, we’ve already got one back online. I expect the second to be cleared for service within the hour. That last one might take several days. It took a hard knock, and we want to make sure it’s in good shape before doing anything fancy with it. Even the one that’s out of service may be repairable if we can get some specialty parts manufactured for it.”
“Well, that’s good news. What about the fusion drives?”
“Those fall somewhere in between the quantum drive and the power plants. We lost some on the way in, and we took a big hit during the fight. Out of the twelve original fusion drives, one is intact, and five seem repairable. Not to say they’re going to work at full capacity once we’re done, but at least they’ll work.”
