Operation Hellfire (22 page)

"Yeah, I've detected more fighters preparing for launch," said Rex, "They're mobilising on her upper deck. And it's protected by a patrol of ten, no, twelve fighters."

"Understood," said Nate.

Even as he spoke, he was busy checking the layout of the massive ship. It was easily the same overall size as ANS Warlord, but clearly optimized for a strike role. Large launch decks opened and closed along her flanks, but it was along the middle of the upper superstructure that housed the single largest array of launch tubes and recovery bays. Around these gaping openings were dozens of towers bristling with guns and missiles systems.

That's our target?

Nate scanned the position ahead and then found them. The computer tagged more than a dozen on their unloading racks. Another four had already launched and were staying close to their capital ships, moving along their hull to avoid detection.

"Got 'em," said Nate, "Follow me in. We'll strafe those hugging the hull of the ship and then regroup with Corsair Squadron. Follow me!"

The spacecraft activated their burners and moved in close to the bow of the massive ship. This was an old Byotai warship that must have been modified and reactivated in the last few years. Though lacking many of the advancements in modern ships, she was still tough and easily the size on an Alliance cruiser. What made her stand out among the other ships was the large section in the middle of its upper superstructure. There were multiple large openings that led down into a vast hangar area.

"Stay close to her hull. We need to avoid her turrets," said Rex.

"Yeah, I got that," muttered Nate.

They moved to within a hundred metres, weaving in and out of the upper superstructure. Nearby ships fired at them, but so close to the warship, it was impossible to hit them without causing damage to the ship itself. Three Mahingan fighters crossed their path and were quickly punished, leaving the Hawkmoths desperately trying to escape, like small fish pursed by a large predator. Under and over they went, with the enemy fighters spinning about and sending sporadic shots at the Alliance fighters. It was far too little to stop the pursuit, though. And as they passed by the large nacelles, they moved into a more open area, one that gave them little space to hide.

"Open fire!"

The Squadron fired with everything they had. Some of the rounds hit the fighters, but most glanced off the heavily armoured superstructure. They twisted and rolled as they continued along the full length of the ship. One spun around and fired a burst at Nate. A handful of bullets struck his armoured cockpit. The computer-guided turrets on the gunships hit back hard, and then the enemy fighters vanished.

"Regroup at point seven-zero-seven," said Captain Cornwallis, "ANS Harbinger needs fighter cover for her attack. She's moving to strike the carrier's flank. ANS London and New Berlin are providing covering fire via medium-range bombardment. Do not stray into the path."

"Sir," said Nate.

The two destroyers formed up in the path of the carrier and presented their flanks to the ship so that they might maximize their firepower. At the same time, ANS Warlord continued to pound every ship in sight, using her long-range guns to breach the armour and inner compartments of anything that moved into her line of sight. Nate tagged the waypoint and contacted his wingmen.

"Let's go."

A bright flash marked their departure as they moved to join with the rest of the Squadron, as well as the Corsairs. Nate used that brief window to check on the status of the battle. It had been raging for almost fifty minutes, though to him it felt more like an entire day. A quarter of the militia ships were now gone or crippled, but the rest had fanned out to try and pin down the Alliance ships in one on one combat. The voice of Commander Holder came over the internal speakers, and Nate listened carefully to whatever she had to say. Of all the pilots he'd met so far, there was none more competent and inspiring to him.

"Relentless. Our missiles are almost expended, and we're running low of fuel. I need an update on the operation and the evacuation."

Captain Cornwallis answered almost immediately, and Nate suspected he'd probably been thinking the same thing.

"Understood..."

There was a short pause, presumably as the Captain checked details with the senior officers aboard Relentless. Nate used the moment to check for his ship's position in the fleet. It only took a moment to spot her in the middle and surrounded by her flak guns. A single militia transport was alongside her and almost the same size as the Alliance ship. The improvised weaponry on the militia vessel was no match for the thick armour and multiple weapons on the old ship of war. Blue flashes marked the firing of the deck guns as she battered the militia ship, making it pay for coming too close.

She is one hell of a ship.

"Evacuation is now seventy percent complete, and the Rift is securely mined. Nothing will get through without detailed navigation data," said Captain Cornwallis, "We've already secured the safety of more than two hundred thousand people. Just five more ships to go before we can leave."

Nate breathed long and slow at hearing that. The civilians were the ones suffering in this military conflict. And it was the one thing that made the mission bearable, knowing that every second bought time for them to escape to the relative safety of the Deadlands, and on to the Alliance.

"The enemy fleet it holding up, though. Warlord broke the initial attack with a overloaded broadside that crippled five ships in less than fifteen minutes."

Nate sensed the pride in his voice.

"But now they are trying to hold us in place before their reinforcements can arrive. They will be here in a little over thirty minutes."

Nate spotted the dots in the distance as they moved closer to Corsair Squadron. Two more waited further away, along with a complement of heavy bombers. It was a combined force of nearly thirty fighters, all ready for the attack.

"This is it, Ladies and Gentlemen. We will hit the carrier hard and draw as much fire away from our capital ships. Vampire Squadron will hit the ship, everybody else, the fighters. Good hunting!"

All of the fighters boosted their engines and accelerated towards the flank and lower superstructure of the supercarrier. Nate's grin widened as they moved closer and closer. This was what he'd dreamed about for years, a massive force of Alliance fighters engaged in as desperate battle. He might even have enjoyed it, had it not been for the flak defences that now opened up.

"All fighters, break and attack!" said Lieutenant Commander Holder.

They split apart and raced around the ship as though they were flying low over a space station. Gun towers blasted away at them as they tracked the fighters. Nate increased the forward thrust on his fighter to make it a little more difficult.

"Directly ahead, four fighters," said Rex.

"Good eyes, Knighthawk Three," exclaimed Nate, "Get 'em!"

They moved in close, perhaps too close, but Nate wasn't going to let a single one of the enemy escape, not while the fighters from the other squadrons did their best to hit the carrier with their heavy weapons. As Knighthawk Squadron hit the fighters hard, the contact flashes of impacts rewarded them as everything was thrown at the monstrous supercarrier. The vessel reminded Nate of some mythical sea monster, large and terrifying, yet unstoppable in a fight. As the dust and flames cleared, the ship remained as though it had barely been scratched.

The fighters weaved in and out while firing short busts as they engaged in a long and bloody duel around the carrier. Fighters from both sides circled at high speed, chasing each other. Gunfire lashed back and forth, battering the capital ship, as well as destroying fighters and bombers with ease. Vampire Squadron had already launched two bombing runs, and this had lost three of their number in the attacks.

"Knighthawk, escort the Vampires in. We'll cover you," Lieutenant Commander Holder grunted.

Nate's eyebrows rose as he heard her voice. Gone was the calm, commanding tone, and in its place the sound of a woman fighting for her life.

"Affirmative. Knighthawks, with me."

The fighters, two gunships, and drone gunship pulled up and around the ship in a corkscrew motion. As they emerged above the ship, Nate spotted Vampire Squadron already descending on the centre of the ship.

You fools, you need to stay closer.

He tried to contact their squadron leader, but they were either unwilling or unable to respond. Nate had intentionally kept his fighter excessively close to the ship to negate most of its defensive firepower. The pilots of the renowned Vampire Squadron were now sacrificing their own safety for the chance of a better hit on the ship.

Suicidal!

Enemy fighters chased after them, and Nate quickly spotted them.

"With me, Knighthawks."

They moved in quickly, using the superstructure to shield them from as much fire as possible while cutting down any craft that came too close to the Vampires. One by one flak guns hit the fighters as they tried to move above the launch bays. Finally, only three remained operational. They came within three hundred metres and then launched their missiles. The fighters fanned out, dumping flares and chaff. A series of small explosions flashed along the hull, and one even exploded against a launch rail, destroying three waiting fighters.

"Get away from there, now!" said Nate.

Nate and his comrades rolled away from the ship, though never too far away to make for an easy target. A second longer and the ship's guns would have been able to hit them hard.

"Those defence turrets are tough. We need to stay well away from those," said Ensign Hawkins."

"Agreed," said Nate.

The Squadron accelerated away from the deadly ship just as gunfire from the multiple Alliance ships hammered into its flanks. At the same time, the pair of Alliance destroyers raked her bow with guns. ANS Warlord, however, continued to fire at every ship at the same time, allocating relatively little fire at this one ship.

Why not hit the carrier, too?

Two bright flashes answered his question as a pair of militia ships were cut apart by the long-range guns of ANS Warlord. It had taken time, but finally Nate understood.

This whole battle, it's about buying time and space for our battleship. She can destroy any vessel in this fleet, given time.

"Nate, I've got a wild idea," said Billy.

"Call signs only, Knighthawk Ten."

He moved the Squadron below the line of sight of yet another series of gun towers before his curiosity got the better of him.

"Go on."

The carrier, her hull is exposed, but our ordnance is low and not having much effect, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, why not deliver our cargo inside, personally?"

Nate wasn't quite sure what he meant until he recalled their conversation earlier.

"You still have the implosion bomb? Captain Galanos let you keep it on the drone?"

Billy laughed.

"Yes. It’s supposed to be there to help support any Marine boarding parties, but I don't see why we can't use it."

Nate thought back to the enemy ship and the potential weak points. He tried to envisage attacks at various parts, but kept coming back to the most heavily protected part of the ship.

"Knighthawk Seven, where should we place it?"

Matilda answered immediately.

"There's only one location worth hitting, the ship's primary hangar system. It's in the centre of the ship and the best protected by the tower defences."

Nate knew it was a risky mission, perhaps even borderline suicide, but the payoff could be substantial.

"Okay, then."

He connected to Relentless.

"Captain Cornwallis, Commander Higgins. We have a plan, but I'm going to need some help."

50,000Kms from Fiorr Veej Rift

Nate looked at the shimmering image of the Star Empire Legate and shook his head. He had no idea which ship the figure was actually on, though suspected it was likely to be the supercarrier.

"Close your gun ports, withdraw your fighters, and prepare to be boarded. You will return all Byotai criminals to our custody."

Nate nearly laughed, and then grinned at hearing the public response from Admiral Churchill.

"This is sovereign territory, and we are here at the behest of the Imperial State."

The shadowy figure replied in a thick accent, though without translators.

"The military base, planets, orbital facilities, and Spacebridges are all property of the Star Empire. You will surrender...or suffer the..."

Admiral Churchill blocked the audio and broadcast over the top.

"This is Admiral Churchill of the Alliance Orion Battlegroup. You have sixty seconds to vacate Byotai territory, or will suffer unimaginable losses."

The transmission ended, and Nate shrugged.

Okay, interesting. What's he talking about?

Nate pointed the nose of his fighter at the supercarrier and then checked his flanks. All that remained of the Battlegroup's fighters were with him, and at his back the formation of gunships. He'd done his best to hide Billy's own craft in the middle to try and avoid drawing the attention of the enemy flagship. All of their fighters had sustained damage, and two of Corsair Squadron's fighters had been forced back to Relentless after sustaining major damage. Lieutenant Commander Holder moved her untouched fighter to the front of the massed formation and wagged her wings.

"Okay, pilots. Third time lucky. We have to get through this time. The fleet needs breathing space."

The myriad of spacecraft boosted their engines and moved through the violent space battle. Even as they passed by damaged ships, a number of fighters turned to intercept them. Nate kept them on course and relied upon the turrets of the gunships to create a clear path to the target.

"Two more minutes. Stay in formation."

The supercarrier shrugged off an entire barrage of missiles as it moved past ANS Warlord and directly towards the Helion cruisers. One was already burning from a previous attack and in the process of a massed evacuation, as the rounds shattered its flank. Another volley broke its stern before triggering a long series of secondary blasts.

Two Helion cruisers were lost in an explosion bigger than anything yet seen in the battle. The enemy supercarrier had managed to breach the Alliance battle line and focussed its full firepower on the two already damaged vessels. The alien ship was tougher than expected, and though it had taken a heavy beating, it still remained functional and able to unleash an almost continuous barrage of gunfire on the ships at its flanks.

Nate couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the two vessels break apart as though they'd moved too close to a black hole. Dozens of distress calls filled his ears, and he deactivated the open channel for a moment, unable to listen to their cries anymore. A blinking light on his tactical display marked the position of the last few Byotai ships. He glanced at the unit and exhaled at seeing four more entering the Rift and escaping the battle.

That leaves just one more ship. We can do this.

The battle had raged for an eternity, and now, as the Squadron formed up for its assault on the carrier he heard this. The voice of the Admiral returned to him, yet he still could barely believe it.

"No matter what happens next, you can be proud of what you have achieved."

He shook his head and concentrated on the target ahead. All of the Alliance ships were now fully engaged and making their way back to the Rift. It was slow progress, as they had to keep every single target busy to prevent them from firing upon the last remaining Byotai transport. This one was a massive craft, nearly two-thirds the size of ANS Warlord. Her starboard engine assembly burned from damage sustained as she moved past the battle. Two of the Alliance destroyers, ANA Cardigan Bay, and an entire fighter wing moved at her flanks to protect her.

What about the fleet?

Nate looked for Warlord and found her in the middle of the battle with enemy ships now racing to try and block the Rift, and stop the ships from following the civilians to safety. There were just twelve Alliance ships and four surviving Helion cruisers at the mouth of the Rift facing off against twenty-one Star Empire ships, including the dreaded supercarrier. Even as the battered ships began a slow withdrawal, the first of the enemy reinforcements arrived. At first it was just a handful of frigates, but every few minutes marked the arrival of yet another vessel, until the enemy forces numbered thirty ships, and rising.

"Give them covering fire," said Lieutenant Commander Holder, "Knighthawks, get in there and do your job."

"Sir."

Nate flexed his muscles as he led his squadron past a pair of burning transports and out into the open space that led to the carrier.

"This is the Admiral. All ships fall back to the Rift in good order behind the civilians! Do not dawdle."

One by one the ships altered their courses but continued to blast away with their guns. Most were able to change course, but not ANS Warlord. She was the only ship capable of tackling the supercarrier, and in a series of suicidal manoeuvres, the enemy flagship and her escorts had managed to face off in a classic ship versus ship duel. Scores of guns opened fire on both sides, and though ANS Warlord was clearly the more powerful ship of the line, the Star Empire forces made up for it by sending other ships around her to try and pin her in position.

"Okay, pilots, this is it," said Nate, "Burners, now!"

It was only a short distance, but it did leave them open to the defensive fire of three different ships. As they accelerated ahead at dangerous speeds, the other fighter squadrons moved away to begin a complex series of distraction attacks and wild weasel missions. Nate turned away just as a missile struck a fighter. He nearly choked but refused to check who it had been.

Concentrate on the target, Nate.

Flashguns filled every corner of space with exploding shells, and tracer fire from the kinetic guns rushed past. Only the deadly particle beam weapons used by some of the Alliance ships left no discernible distortion in space, though their explosive impact was obvious as ships were hit every few seconds.

"Okay, here we go. Follow me."

Nate swung his fighter in behind the engines of the carrier and glanced to his right. He could see ANS Warlord opposite the ship, her hull covered in flashes. Nate shook his head and quickly spotted the Rift to his left, as well as most of the Alliance fleet beginning to give ground.

"Get close and stay close."

The seven spacecraft hugged the superstructure as they worked their way along the top of the supercarrier. Guns and missiles fired upwards, but most of their shots were either directed at the Alliance ships, or the diversionary attacks by the other squadrons. Straight ahead were two large towers, almost fifty metres high, and joined at the top by a large domed section bristling with guns.

"Underneath!" Nate said.

The gap was small between the columns, but by rolling a little to the left, he burst through, the others following just metres behind.

"Knighthawk Leader!" Fletcher yelled, "We've got company."

Nate checked his scanners and spotted them.

"I see them, six Mahingans and closing fast. Increase speed and concentrate on the target."

He then contacted Lieutenant Commander Holder.

"Sir, we have fighters on our tails."

"Understood, Knighthawk Leader. We'll do what we can. Just hit that ship. Do not fail us."

"Sir!"

Nate rolled his spacecraft around to avoid a bank of antenna and then ducked in and out of the many obstructions. He knew what lay ahead, and he was staying low for as long as possible,

"Everybody still here?"

One by one they answered, and Nate almost relaxed. Almost. As he circled around an exhaust system, he spotted the large major obtrusion ahead. Beyond that the lower part of the superstructure and the launch deck for the ship. What really worried him were the multiple large towers that they would have to face.

"Ready missiles. Fire on my mark."

The formation lifted out from cover and towards the towers. Nate's eyes widened as they opened fire, sending a terrifying volley towards him and his friends. He hit the lateral thrusters and skidded to the right as a burst rushed by. It missed by just a metre and struck the banks of antenna extending out from the ship.

"Fire!"

In unison the entire Squadron released their cargo of missiles. Dozens and dozens of Sea Skua missiles dropped from their hardpoints and blasted away at hypersonic speeds towards their targets. At the same time, they fired with guns and turrets, showering the defensive turrets with everything they had. It was almost impossible to see as the weaponry from both sides struck out, filling that tiny part of the battlefield with death and destruction. As expected, the defensive systems on the ship concentrated on the missiles. It was common practice for fire-control systems to prioritise threats to the ship. Many of the missiles were knocked out, but a number punched through the defences and made for the large armoured towers.

"Weren't expecting that, were ya?" Rex yelled.

Nate opened his mouth to speak, and then choked upon seeing the IFF icon for Ensign Augustyniak vanish. There was no time to check on him, and he could only hope and pray that it was nothing more than equipment failure. Half a second later the missiles struck their targets, and the defences disappeared behind a wall of flame and white-hot thermite payloads.

The fighters moved back close together and then rolled upside down before dropping inside the massive hole that run through part of the ship. Smaller towers blasted them, and warning lights flashed up on Nate's helmet as soon as he past them. Two gunships followed him, while the others screamed past the towers and on towards the ship’s nose. Most of the fighters followed them, but two remained on the tail of Matilda's gunship.

"We're inside the primary hangar deck," said Nate.

"Good work. Do what you need to do, and get out of there," said Lieutenant Commander Holder.

Nate could see long brackets fitted above and below him from which scores of fighters hung down. Many more were moving into launch positions, and he spun around so that he could rake them with gunfire. It was only minor damage, but as he watched the projectiles rip into the metal, he started to yell. Two fighters broke from their mounts, and a third caught fire. The two gunships did the same, using their multiple gun systems to wreak violence all around them.

"Roll!"

Nate spun around so that he was facing back the way they'd come in from. The Lightning came to a stop, and he used that brief moment to aim at the two approaching fighters. Matilda did the same. Billy piloted the drone gunship deep inside the ship behind them. They paused for a second, and then in came the two medium fighters. The pair travelled so fast they had little chance of hitting the waiting Alliance spacecraft. The Lightning and Bullnose gunship opened up and cut the incoming Mahingans with ease. As the wreckage scattered past them, Nate glanced over his shoulder.

"Billy, are you ready?"

His friend's voice came back immediately.

"We're in position. You need to go, fast!"

"Got it."

Nate moved his hand to his thruster controls and then hit the communications channel for all the fighters.

"Payload has been delivered."

"Great work," said Lieutenant Commander Holder, "Everybody, fire whatever you have left, and then get out of here! All fighters to the Rift, maximum burn!"

He pushed the engine controls forward while also activating his burners. Gouts of flame blasted from the engines as the two spacecraft hurtled out from the cavernous interior of the ship and into space. Turrets attempted to shoot at them, but the majority concentrated on the threat still presented by ANS Warlord and the fleet as it moved steadily to the Rift.

"Civilians are away," said Admiral Churchill, "Everybody out of the system...now!"

His voice crackled with distortion as the battleship continued to take hits. The pair of fighters moved in alongside the battered flank of the nearby ANS New Berlin as the ship joined the others heading for the Rift. Once safely behind the cover of its powerful guns, he looked back at the enemy fleet. They were scattered, most of them now in position to encircle the Admiral who was forty kilometres behind their current position.

"Sir, shouldn't we go back to help Warlord?"

"Negative," said Lieutenant Commander Holder, "This system is gone. Follow the cleared paths at the Rift and get to safety. Now, let's see if this plan has worked. Activate the warhead."

There was a short pause until Billy's nervous voice returned.

"Activating implosion device...now."

Nate tapped his controls and changed the cockpit view to one facing backwards. The two largest ships stood out amongst the other ships. There was no flash or obvious explosion, but as he stared at them, a rippling effect ran from the centre of the supercarrier all the way to its stern. A few seconds later the entire hull seemed to split in a hundred places, and white and blue energy lashed out as though trying to escape from an inferno.