Frontiers Saga 12: Rise of the Alliance (11 page)

“All stations report manned and ready,” Naralena reported. “The XO is in combat, and the chief of the boat is in damage control.” Naralena glanced forward toward her captain. “The ship is at general quarters, sir.”

“All ships report general quarters, sir,” Lieutenant Eckert reported from the tactical station. “All weapons, charged and ready.”

“Alert all ships to start their battle clocks on our jump flash,” Nathan ordered. “Mister Riley, let’s go do some business. You may execute combat jump one when ready.”

“Aye sir,” Mister Riley acknowledged, fighting back a smile as he checked the countdown timer on his jump status display. “Executing combat jump one in twelve seconds.”

“The Aurora has jumped,” Ensign Kono reported.

“Battle clock has started,” Luis reported from the Celestia’s tactical station.

“Ten seconds to combat jump one,” Mister Jakoby added.

Cameron glance at the time display on the center console between her navigator and helmsman directly in front of her. Beneath the green time display the red battle clock display was counting upward from zero. Below that, a third time display that indicated the time remaining before their next jump also counted down.

“Five seconds.”

Cameron placed her hands on the arms of her command chair, appearing as relaxed as possible. From her first day in the Academy, all she had ever wanted to do was to command a ship. Now, she was not only the first woman to command an EDF ship, but she was also the youngest person to ever command one. She should have been happy, but the only thing she felt was concentration… Intense and focused.

The Celestia’s jump flash washed over the bridge.

“Jump one complete,” Mister Jakoby reported.

“Contact!” Ensign Kono reported from the sensor station. “Frigate two, ten kilometers out and one above, slightly to starboard. Transferring track to tactical.”

“Mains are at zero,” Ensign Hunt reported, “bringing our nose onto the target.”

“Five seconds to firing solution,” Ensign Delaveaga said.

“Triplets on all forward tubes,” Cameron reminded him. “Be ready for singles from our port plasma cannons.”

“Forward tubes locked on target,” Luis announced, ignoring his captain’s not-so-subtle reminders. “Firing triplets, one away… Two away…”

“Combat jump two, ready,” Mister Jakoby announced.

“Three away…”

“Impacts!” Ensign Kono reported with excitement.

“Four away…”

“We caught them by surprise, sir,” Ensign Kono exclaimed.

“Execute jump two,” Cameron ordered, paying little attention to her sensor operator’s exclamation.

“Jumping in three……”

“All of them! Direct hits!” Ensign Kono continued.

“Two……”

“Target is breaking up!”

“One……”

“Well done, Ensign,” Cameron congratulated.

“Jumping.”

Nathan watched the main view screen as his first target broke into several large pieces. Explosions from deep within broke those pieces up even further, sending debris out in all directions along the frigate’s original path of travel. Nathan felt a rush of adrenaline as the Aurora made its first kill of the day.

“Frigate one is destroyed,” Mister Navashee announced.

“Jump two in five seconds,” Mister Riley followed without missing a beat.

“Very well,” Nathan said calmly. The first kill had gone according to plan. He imagined the Celestia on the other side of the Alpha Centauri B system, executing the same maneuver and tearing apart their target with similar ease. The jump drive had always given them a significant advantage over the Jung, but now, with the addition of their new weapons, their advantage was even greater. Frigates and gunboats were no match for the Aurora or the Celestia. Neither were cruisers if they were caught by surprise, as they fully intended to do this day.

The jump flash washed over the Aurora’s bridge, dissipating as quickly as it had come.

“Jump two complete,” Mister Riley reported.

“Contact, cruiser one, seven kilometers to starboard and one point five down.” Mister Navashee’s voice was calm and professional. “Transferring track to tactical.”

“Firing solution in three seconds,” Lieutenant Eckert reported, “locking all forward torpedo tubes and plasma cannons on the contact.”

“Second contact, cruiser two, one hundred and fifty-eight kilometers ahead, it’s on the same orbit as cruiser one,” Mister Navashee added.

“I have a firing solution,” Lieutenant Eckert reported, “firing all forward tubes.”

Red-orange flashes of light illuminated the Aurora’s bridge as twelve plasma torpedoes, in four groups of three, streaked over their heads on the main view screen.

“Firing all plasma cannons,” the lieutenant added.

Nathan glanced slightly to his left as larger balls of red-orange plasma left what were once the forward openings of the Aurora’s port-side fighter launch tubes. “Execute jump three,” Nathan ordered. It was a waste of breath, as his crew knew the battle plan inside and out, having rehearsed it repeatedly over the last twelve hours.

“Jump three, in three……”

“Arming aft tubes for triples,” Lieutenant Eckert announced.

“Two……”

“Pitching up,” Mister Chiles added.

“One……”

“Torpedo impacts,” Mister Navashee reported.

“Jumping.”

“Locking aft torpedoes on target,” the lieutenant said as the jump flash dissipated.

“Jump three complete,” Mister Riley added.

“Maintain visual on the aft track.” Nathan watched the main view screen as the image suddenly shifted to the feeds from their rear cameras and instantly zoomed in on the first Jung cruiser that now lay behind them as the shots from their forward plasma cannons broke the ship apart.

“Cruiser one destroyed,” Mister Navashee announced.

“Stand down aft torpedoes,” Nathan ordered, “execute jump four as soon as possible, Mister Riley.”

“Jump four, aye. Three seconds.”

“We’re off to a good start, people,” Nathan said. “Let’s keep it up.”

“Turn complete,” Ensign Hunt reported from the Celestia’s helm.

“Jump three, Mister Jakoby,” Cameron ordered. “Helm, start your yaw maneuver and bring our nose down slightly.”

“Aye, sir, yawing to port and pitching down,” Ensign Hunt acknowledged.

“All forward tubes ready to fire,” Ensign Delaveaga added.

“Jumping,” Mister Jakoby reported as the Celestia’s jump field emitters sent the blue-white light of the jump across their hull. “Jump three, complete.”

“Frigate three,” Ensign Kono reported from the sensor station. “Three kilometers out, five hundred meters to port, coming up fast.”

“Primary yaw maneuver complete,” Ensign Hunt reported. “Our nose is on the target, continuing yaw to track the target as we pass.”

“Fire at will,” Cameron ordered.

“Firing triplets,” Luis answered as he pressed the preprogrammed firing button for torpedo tube one. “One away.”

A group of three red-orange plasma charges streaked overhead along the left side of the Celestia’s main view screen as they raced toward the Jung frigate which was now growing larger on the left side of the view screen. They were quickly followed by three more groups of charges, each announced by the Celestia’s tactical officer as they left their tubes. The Celestia continued yawing to port as she slid by the enemy frigates starboard side, continuing their plasma torpedo barrage as they passed.

Cameron watched with fascination as the bright yellow flashes reported the impacts of their torpedoes against the target’s hull. The Jung ship had also been caught by surprise, just like her sister-ship before her, and each plasma torpedo ripped through the target’s hull with ease, igniting secondary explosions from within. By the time their second round of torpedoes had left their tubes, the Jung ship was already coming apart.

“Frigate three, destroyed,” Ensign Kono announced.

“Cease fire,” Cameron ordered. “Helm, bring our nose back onto her course. Prepare for jump four.” Cameron almost felt pity for the crews of the two frigates they had just annihilated, for they had stood little chance.

Nathan watched as his crew went about the task of destroying the next enemy target. Each station called out their actions as they were performed, not so much for their captain but rather for one another. Occasional glances at the battle clock on the helm and the tactical display just above it on the bottom of the main view screen told Nathan that everything was going according to plan. He had no idea how the Celestia was doing, as her engagement areas thus far were too distant for them to pick up on their sensors during the brief intervals between jumps. He would know soon enough, however, as their respective courses were about to cross.

“Jump six complete,” Mister Riley reported calmly as the Aurora’s jump flash subsided.

“Cruiser two’s shields are experiencing a cascade failure,” Mister Navashee reported, slight satisfaction in his tone.

“Very well,” Nathan answered.

“Pretty sure we took out their main power on that last volley,” Lieutenant Eckert commented as he queued up the Aurora’s stern torpedo tubes to fire. “Firing triplets from the stern tubes. Five, away. Six, away.”

Without Nathan even having to ask, the lieutenant switched the main view screen to the aft cameras once more, increasing their magnification to maximum just in time to see their torpedoes strike the unshielded cruiser’s hull. Bright yellow flashes marked the impacts, followed by internal secondary explosions. The massive cruiser began to break apart, splitting into two massive pieces. The pieces each spun in varying directions as a result of their own internal explosions, forcing gases, debris, and bodies out into space. Two seconds later, the slowly spinning aft section exploded, sending more debris slamming into the forward section of the Jung cruiser.

“Scratch cruiser two,” Lieutenant Eckert said with pride.

“Starting our turn to port,” Mister Chiles announced as he pressed a button on his helm console to execute the preprogrammed turn that would put the Aurora on course for her next jump.

“Shall we launch Falcon One?” Lieutenant Eckert inquired.

It was the first actual decision Nathan had been required to make since he had given the order to start the attack when they were still at the rally point a mere ten minutes ago. “Affirmative,” he answered. “You may start phase two, Lieutenant.”

“Phase two, aye,” Lieutenant Eckert answered. “Green deck. Launching Falcon One.”

Josh glanced out the left side of Falcon One’s canopy as the outer layers of the Aurora’s hull slid past them from top to bottom.

“
Ten seconds to launch position,
” the flight controller reported over his helmet comms.

Josh scanned his flight instruments one last time to ensure they were ready for takeoff.

“Jump to rally point, plotted and locked,” Loki announced from the backseat of the interceptor. “Time to jump, twenty seconds.”

Josh looked up as the massive outer doors over them retracted into the sides of the vertical elevator shaft, revealing the star-filled blackness outside the Aurora. A few seconds later, the elevator slowed noticeably, then shuddered to a stop level with the Aurora’s topside. He turned his head as far left as possible, then turned it quickly to the right, scanning the area both around and above them before takeoff.

“
Falcon One, Control. You are cleared for takeoff.
”

“Falcon One, lifting off,” Loki announced over the comms.

“Here we go,” Josh mumbled as he fired their ascent thrusters for a brief moment. “Off on another incredibly exciting mission,” he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The Falcon ascended with ease as the elevator pad’s artificial gravity faded away, releasing its hold on their spacecraft. Josh added forward thrust, abruptly as usual, sending them rocketing forward.

“Five seconds to jump,” Loki reported as the Aurora fell away and slid behind them.

“Still feels weird to be calling ourselves
Falcon One
instead of just
Falcon
.”

“We’re not the only Falcon any more, remember?” Loki answered.

“Yeah, I know. Still feels weird, though.” Josh checked his instruments, making a final adjustment to their course and speed. “On the marks, ready for jump.”

“Three……two……one……jump.”

Loki’s faceplate went opaque for a split second to protect his eyes from the jump flash. When it cleared, his sensors showed all fourteen Falcons waiting patiently at the rally point just beyond the outer edges of the Alpha Centauri B system. “Falcon One to all Falcons,” Loki called over the comms. “Phase two is go. Good hunting.”

“
Alpha Leader copies,
” the first voice answered.

“
Bravo Leader copies,
” the second one followed.

Josh watched as fourteen flashes appeared in rapid succession, less than two hundred meters off their starboard side. “Okay, I admit it.
That
was pretty damn cool!”

“All torpedoes away!” Luis reported from the Celestia’s tactical station. “Firing plasma cannons one and three!”

“Jump five, Mister Jakoby,” Cameron ordered.

“Jump five, aye… In three seconds,” her navigator answered.

“Torpedo impacts!” Ensign Kono announced. “Target’s outboard main propulsion is offline. She’s venting fuel from her starboard side!”

“Jumping,” Mister Jakoby announced as the blue-white jump flash began to build on the main view screen.

“Helm, flip us around,” Cameron ordered as the jump flash washed over the Celestia’s bridge. She knew it was more of a reminder than an order, as her helmsman already knew what maneuver came next. However, she just couldn’t help herself. Perhaps, given time, she would develop the ability to sit back and monitor her crew’s actions, and allow them to do their jobs, but for now, reminding them what came next made her feel like she was in control. She hoped they would understand.

“Pitching our nose up and over,” Ensign Hunt replied.

“Jump five complete,” Mister Jakoby reported.