Frontiers Saga 12: Rise of the Alliance (43 page)

The Jung fighters overhead had broken formation in their desperate attempt to avoid the sudden fire that had caught them all by surprise from below. They had lost eleven of their flight of sixteen, and the remaining five quickly tried to reform into a cohesive unit.

The combat jumpers reappeared again, this time coming out of their brilliant white flashes from above and to the east, the sun at their backs. Although the Jung fighters detected them on their sensors, they did not see them until it was too late. The combat jumpers swooped down from above at high speed, blasting away with both their side-mounted twin energy cannons and their topside turrets. A minute later, Jung fighters were falling from the sky on to the island below, exploding in fiery crashes as they slammed into the ground.

The combat shuttles split into two pairs, each pair headed up and away in opposite directions. They flashed again as they climbed away, disappearing once more. They left behind relative silence, punctuated only by the ocean waves and the sound of burning buildings and Jung wreckage.

“Well, that wasn’t much of a challenge,” Sergeant Jahal stated as he watched the tactical displays from the safety of Porto Santo’s underground command bunker.

“I believe those pilots were not properly briefed about possible jump drive tactics,” Lieutenant Telles replied. “We should not depend too heavily on such oversights in the future.”

“Lieutenant,” the communications officer called. “We are getting reports from our outposts of similar attacks, on all the major continents.”

“Advise all outposts to hold their position if possible. If faced with overwhelming forces, they are to abandon their outposts and use the combat jumpers.”

“Ghatazhak do not like to withdraw,” Sergeant Jahal commented.

“This war will not be fought on the ground,” Lieutenant Telles told his sergeant. “The Jung will send their forces down to the surface to try and keep us busy, to keep us unaware of their true objectives. We must remain mobile. We must stay one step ahead of our enemy. Only then can we respond properly once the Jung’s true objective is revealed.” He turned to look at his sergeant. “I trust that our assets are safe?”

“Still tucked away in the caverns on the far side of the island,” the sergeant answered, grinning from ear to ear.

Lieutenant Telles looked at his sergeant with an odd expression. “You smile way too much for a Ghatazhak, Sergeant.”

“Perhaps that is why I shall always remain a sergeant, sir.”

Commander Dumar opened his eyes. His head hurt, his body ached. Something wet was running down the side of his face. The room was dark, punctuated by occasional flashes of light from shorting circuits. The flashes revealed a haze that filled the control room. He could hear people making sounds, calling out to one another. He was in a sitting position, leaning against something… A wall, or the back of a console.

“Commander!” a voice shouted.

Dumar recognized the voice. “Over here!” A body moved toward him in the flashes of light, coming to kneel by his side a moment later. “Mister Bryant, what is our status?”

“Unknown. Are you injured, Commander?”

“Nothing serious, I suspect.” He reached for his head and felt a wet, open wound. “Maybe a laceration or two. We need power, Mister Bryant. Get us power.”

“Yes, sir.” Mister Bryant stood in the darkness. “Power! Are you still with us, Mister McKinney?”

“Yes, sir,” a voice called out. “I’m on it, sir.”

“Everyone, find your stations and wait for power to be restored. Help will be here soon.”

“Mister Bryant,” Commander Dumar called. “The emergency doors. Did they close?”

“I believe so,” Mister Bryant replied as he searched the darkness, using the flashes of light to try and see the main entrance to the control room. “Yes, yes, they are closed.”

“Very good, then we are sealed in for now. Backup power and life support should come on automatically in a few moments.”

Lights began to flicker along the edges of the room, as if commanded to do so by the commander’s very thoughts.

“You see?” Commander Dumar said, trying to smile. He could see Mister Bryant’s face more clearly now. “You are bleeding, Mister Bryant.”

“As are you, Commander.”

“I’ll survive,” Commander Dumar said, reaching up. “Help me up.” Commander Dumar rose to his feet with the help of his trusted subordinate, and began to look around the dimly lit control center. The shorting circuits had died down to only the occasional spark. “We must ventilate the room of this smoke.” He looked around some more, noticing a fallen overhead truss that had smashed into one of the consoles and had crushed one of the technicians. There were others injured as well, but of the thirty men in the room, at least twenty of them appeared to be no worse off than himself.

“Reactors are still online,” Mister McKinney reported. “Our primary feed has been damaged. I am rerouting the power. It will only take a minute.”

“At least no one appears to be shooting at us,” Mister Bryant said.

“A blessing indeed,” the commander agreed. “We need sensors and communications, first,” he continued. “Then weapons. We also need to establish comms with our security forces. Also, contact flight operations and determine how many functioning shuttles we still have, in case we have to evacuate.”

“We’re working on it, sir,” Mister Bryant promised. “Everyone is doing what they were trained to do. You should sit. Let me clean you up.”

“Don’t worry about the blood,” Commander Dumar told him. “It makes me look tough. Just spray some coasep on it.”

“Yes, sir,” Mister Bryant answered as he reached into the med-kit and pulled out a small spray bottle. He shook it a few times and then sprayed it onto the commander’s still-oozing head laceration. The laceration bubbled for several seconds, then formed a solid, skin-colored patch over the wound, sealing it off.

Half of the overhead lights came to life, illuminating the room unevenly.

“Main power is restored,” Mister McKinney reported.

“Good work, Mister McKinney,” the commander said.

“It will take a few moments for all the systems to restart,” Mister Bryant said as he sprayed the coasep over the cut on his left arm. He looked at his commander. “It was a bold move, Commander,” he said. “How did you know it would work? If the platform had jumped a second earlier…”

“We would still have collided,” Dumar assured him. “We were on a head-on course as we came around the planet. I had only seconds to act.”

“But where did you…”

“The Aurora was preparing to do the same thing,” the commander told him. “Only, their mass would not be enough. Only something of equal or greater mass would…”

“We have enemy ships in the main access tunnels!” one of the technicians reported. “They’re blowing open the airlock doors!”

Dumar stood, turning to look toward the main view screens. “Show me!” he ordered.

The center screen came to life, revealing two gunships coming through a massive hole blown through the inner airlock door that lead into the main central bay. Immediately behind it came a Jung troop shuttle. The camera swung to follow the ships as they descended on the main docking platform. Karuzara security forces were running out onto the platform wearing pressurized Corinari combat gear, firing at the descending enemy ships. They were no match for the gunships and were cut down easily.

“They mean to board us,” Mister Bryant said with surprise. “But why? They could just destroy us from outside…”

“They mean to capture a jump drive,” Commander Dumar told him.

“Weapons are coming online,” another technician announced.

“Sensors are operational!”

“Where is the platform?” Commander Dumar demanded.

“Target is only ten kilometers away, heavily damaged and drifting away from us, toward Earth. I’ve also got multiple incoming gunships and troop shuttles coming our way from the platform.”

“Target the smaller ships with our laser turrets,” Dumar ordered. “Target the platform with our plasma cannons.” He grabbed the edge of a nearby console to steady himself. “Fire at will.”

“Anything?” Nathan asked.

“No, sir,” Naralena answered. “I’ve been hailing them on all channels, even data links. They are not responding.”

“Keep trying.”

“Aye, sir.”

“How long until they are far enough apart?”

“Assuming they have an array of antimatter reactors, all of which will breach when the first one does… Best guess is ten minutes, sir.”

“How many troop ships have entered?” Nathan asked Jessica.

“Twelve so far,” Jessica answered. “They’re about the same size as our utility shuttles, so say, twenty men in each?”

“That’s two hundred and forty men,” Nathan exclaimed.

“The Karuzara’s got at least a thousand people on board,” Jessica reminded him.

“Technicians and engineers, yes,” Nathan argued. “But how many trained combatants?”

“At least a hundred, I think.”

“Comms, contact Telles. Tell him to send everything he can to the Karuzara.”

“What about the Jung forces on Earth?” Jessica reminded Nathan.

“Let them run around and blow shit up,” Nathan said. “Our people went into shelter hours ago. They can survive another hour until this is over.”

“Weapons fire!” Mister Navashee announced with excitement. “From the Karuzara! They’re firing on the platform with their main plasma cannons!”

“Yes!” Nathan exclaimed as he spun around to see red-orange bolts of plasma energy slamming into the damaged battle platform as it continued to slowly drift away from the Karuzara asteroid. “They’re still alive!”

“Laser turrets as well,” Mister Navashee added. “They’re targeting the Jung shuttles.”

“Let’s help them out,” Nathan said. “Mister Chiles, move us closer.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Tactical, target our lasers on those ships. Target our quads on the platform’s big guns. She may not be shooting at the Karuzara, but she’ll damn well be shooting us.”

“Yes, sir,” Jessica responded with enthusiasm.

“Comms, tell the Celestia to move in as well,” Nathan added. “Same targeting instructions.”

“Jump complete,” Mister Jakoby reported as the Celestia’s jump flash subsided.

“Target, ten kilometers, port quarter, four down,” Ensign Kono reported.

“Lieutenant,” Cameron began. “Target the platform’s big guns with our quads. Target her shuttles and gunboats with lasers.”

“Guns with quads, ships with lasers,” Luis acknowledged.

“Jump flashes,” Ensign Kono said. “Four, five… make that eight jump flashes. Eight combat jumpers.” Ensign Kono turned to look over her shoulder at Captain Taylor. “It’s the Ghatazhak, sir.”

“Tactical, give them cover fire as best you can. Concentrate on the gunboats first.”

“Aye, sir.”

Cameron stared at the image of the wounded Jung battle platform as it drifted helplessly away from the Karuzara asteroid. Pieces were flying off of her hull as the Aurora’s guns pounded the platform’s gun emplacements located on the side of the platform facing the Karuzara asteroid. “God, we could take that thing out so easily right now.”

“New contacts,” Ensign Kono reported. “More gunships and fighters coming from the platform.”

“Jesus,” Luis exclaimed, “Is that thing hollow?”

“New contacts are headed our way,” the sensor operator added.

“Tactical, change your targets. Lasers on the fighters, quads on the gunships.”

“Changing targets, aye,” Luis answered.

Cameron continued to watch as the approaching ships began to blow apart as the Celestia’s weapons tore into them. “Damn,” she exclaimed under her breath as she noticed that there seemed to be no end to the number of ships pouring out of the platform’s last remaining hangar arm. “They just don’t stop coming.”

“Gunships are accelerating,” Ensign Kono reported. “They’re on a collision course, Captain.”

“Helm, prepare for evasive…”

“Gunships are going FTL!” Ensign Kono exclaimed, cutting Cameron off in mid-sentence.

“Escape jump!” Cameron ordered. “Brace for impact!”

“Escape jump, aye!” Mister Jakoby answered as the collision alarms sounded throughout the ship.

Cameron’s eyes were fixed on the main view screen. In that instant, she could see the gunships disappear from view, just as the pale-blue light poured out of the Celestia’s jump field emitters and across her hull. At such close range, they had no more than one or two seconds before the FTL gunships would traverse the short distance between them and the Celestia and slam into her hull. At the same moment, she instinctively grabbed the arms of her command chair and braced herself, holding her breath, and waited for the jump flash that would save them from destruction.

It never came.

“The Jung have made it past the defenses in our main bay,” Dumar told Nathan over the comms. “They are trying to get to the mini-jump drives. I suspect they will load them on their shuttles and try to escape…”

“Captain!” Mister Navashee interrupted. “Four gunships! On a collision course and accelerating!”

“Snap jump, Mister Riley,” Nathan ordered.

“Gunships are going to FTL!” Mister Navashee added in a tone of well-controlled panic.

“Snap jump, aye,” Mister Riley answered.

“Sound collision alarm,” Nathan ordered as he grabbed the arms of his command chair and braced himself.

The blue-white jump flash washed over them, fading away as quickly as it had come. Nathan realized he was holding his breath, and let it out slowly. “Position?”

“Two light seconds out from the target,” Mister Riley reported. “Course of one one eight, fifteen up relative.”

“That was too close,” Jessica commented.

“Automated distress signal from the Celestia,” Naralena announced.

Nathan felt a cold chill run down his spine. “Helm, come about and bring us back onto the target,” he ordered. “Mister Navashee, scan the position reported by the Celestia’s ADB.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Mister Riley, prepare to jump us back to the engagement area.”

“Aye, sir,” Mister Riley acknowledged.