Out of the Black (Odyssey One, Book 4) (33 page)

He didn’t want to rain on her moment, but the news wasn’t all good by far.

“We registered close to a thousand Drasin ships in the system, and we had to dodge others on our way in and out,” he told her. “Earth is holding the line on the ground, but they’ve got no assets to help clear the sky.”

“The
Odysseus
and her sisters will be ready soon,” Gracen said. “I am constantly amazed by how fast they can build a ship.”

“Six ships, no matter how advanced, are going to have a hard time putting any kind of real dent in the enemy forces, Admiral,” Carrow said tiredly as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened.

Gracen didn’t respond until she was sure the corridors were clear.

“Six ships, plus the
Enterprise
. That’s all I could bargain for in the short term,” she said tersely. “Can Earth hold out long enough for more?”

“How long?” Carrow asked, morbidly curious.

“At least six months, more likely a year.”

“No chance,” he answered as he let her into his private office off the bridge. She took a seat in front of the desk as he walked around behind. “It’s a minor miracle that they’re still holding the line. No one back home is sure why the Drasin haven’t dropped everything they have yet.”

“They’re holding back?” Gracen frowned.

“It seems that way,” Carrow said. “The President’s office has been working on building transition weapons to engage the fleet . . .”

“From the
surface
of the planet? That’s insane,” Gracen hissed. “Even if they could aim it, no one knows what atmosphere or a geomagnetic field will do to a tachyon stream.”

“They’re getting desperate, ma’am.”

Gracen shook her head. “Long past getting, if they’re thinking about firing a transition cannon from the surface
of an inhabited world. The number of things that could go wrong . . .”

“You’d know better than me, ma’am,” Carrow said, just a little testily. He’d never been read into the transitional waveguide folder, since his ship wasn’t scheduled for the upgrade for a few more months.

Gracen was silent for a time, thinking about it. Initiating transition was tricky enough in microgravity, but pulling it off while fighting a significant gravity well would take some major fine tuning of the system. What scared her most, however, was what happened if they succeeded but lost containment of the beam while launching an armed nuke.

Best case was a delayed detonation, but the worst case was split between a premature detonation and the scattering of the bomb’s atoms across God alone knew how much airspace. The kind of radiation fallout that would cause would be . . . unprecedented in human history.

“I hope they know what they’re doing,” she murmured. “It’s a big risk.”

“They’re playing for keeps, last hand of the game if they lose, ma’am.” Carrow shrugged it off. “There’s no point in holding anything back.”

“No,” she admitted. “That is the truth.”

She sighed, but pushed it off. “I assume you were able to update the President and his advisors on our situation?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Gracen steeled herself. “And the reaction?”

“They’re not happy with you right now, ma’am,” Carrow admitted candidly, but then shrugged. “The President said, however, do what you have to do.”

She closed her eyes, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She’d have done that anyway, but at least now she knew that
someone at home understood to a degree at least. It was like Carrow had said, it was maybe the last hand they’d ever be dealt. Go big, or go home. There weren’t any other options.

“Alright,” Gracen said. “Then we’re going to take our little squadron of heroes and we’re going to make every little bit count.”

Ethan Carrow nodded determinedly. “Understood, ma’am.”

“Admiral.”

Tanner half turned, surprised by the voice. “Elder. You . . . came to the command center?”

“We need to speak,” Elder Corusc said. “Your private duty area?”

“Yes, of course.” Tanner gestured. “Right this way.”

They walked over to the office and took a moment to get settled before Elder Corusc spoke. “I understand that the Terran ship, the . . .
Enterprise
? has returned.”

“That’s correct. They settled into our orbit within the last cycle.”

“I know that, according to your reports, you didn’t know where they went . . . but we both know where they went, Admiral. Have they informed you as to what they found?” Corusc asked, his tone heavy.

“No.” Tanner didn’t bother denying the knowledge. “I expect that I will be informed, quietly, within the next day, most likely by either the ambassador or the admiral.”

Corusc nodded. “Very well. Admiral, the elders need to know that information as well.”

“Of course, but I thought that you preferred not to be aware of anything that went against current policy?” Tanner
said, knowing that at the moment the councils were engaged in politicking beyond the normal hassles. There was a growing element that wanted to risk absolutely nothing that might bring the Drasins’ attentions back to the colonies.

Personally he considered that to be blind, but it wasn’t his decision to make.

“That is still the case for the most part,” Corusc sighed, “but this is too important. We need to know what the Drasin are doing, and it should be our ships and our eyes out there. But as things currently stand, we will have to lean on the Terrans a little more.”

“We have been doing that far too much already,” Tanner said firmly, a scowl on his face.

“On that, we are in agreement, Admiral,” Corusc said. “However needs be as they must. Please, contact me as soon as you know what is happening at the Terrans’ home system.”

Tanner nodded. “Of course, of course. I doubt that there will be much information to be had. However, the Drasin have had four times the period they need to destroy a world. Most likely that armada is on the move again.”

Corusc nodded heavily, knowing where Rael likely thought it would go. “I understand that, but perhaps the Terrans will surprise us one more time.”

Tanner chuckled. “I doubt they will ever cease surprising me, Elder. Captain Weston still shocks me to this day, and he left this fabric many days ago.”

On the
Enterprise
, Captain Carrow really only had one pressing question to ask.

“Where do we go from here?”

Gracen considered the question for a while before she answered. “As soon as the Heroics are ready, we’re going on an offensive.”

Carrow nodded. The Heroics was the name they’d give then new class of ships constructed of mixed Priminae and Terran technology. The
Odysseus,
the
Heracles,
the
Achilles,
the
Bellerophon,
the
Hippolyta,
and the
Boudicca
made up the class on the Terran side. The Priminae had their own names, but Carrow could never quite remember them.

“An offensive with six ships is a risky move, if you don’t mind my saying so, ma’am.”

“I know, but we don’t have time to wait for more,” she admitted. “Any pressure we can take off of the Earth’s forces, well, the longer they’ll be able to hold out. Time is the one thing that we desperately need on our side now.”

Carrow nodded. “I’m not sure that the
Enterprise
can keep up with the Heroics, ma’am. What is there for us?”

“You have a T-drive. You can keep up with anything that flies,” Gracen answered, “but while you were gone I was working on something for you.”

Carrow leaned forward. “And what might that be?”

“Tachyon waveguide cannons,” she answered. “They’re a bit faster to build than entire ships, so I earmarked four from the first run for the
Enterprise
.”

He smiled, relaxing a little. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ve felt more than a little exposed without them.”

“Just remember, Captain,” she reminded him, “the
Odyssey
and Weston took on the Drasin several times without them. Don’t rely on the technology. Sometimes it’s just good tactics that win the day.”

“The
Odyssey
and Weston didn’t find themselves staring down a
cloud
of the damned things until after they were
equipped with the t-cannons,” Carrow said. “I’ll feel a lot better out there with some serious standoff capability.”

Gracen could certainly understand that. The ability to drop an artillery barrage on the enemy’s heads before you were even in their line of sight, let alone their range, was a game changer. It was the sort of technical advantage that they needed desperately to make the most of, because the odds were obscenely arrayed against them.

“Still, even seven ships with waveguides . . .” Gracen shook her head. “It’s not going to be easy.”

Carrow snorted. “Try impossible.”

“Exactly,” she admitted tiredly, “which is why we need to work on the Priminae. We need to get them to commit some of their Heroics to the task.”

“That won’t be easy either,” Carrow said thoughtfully. “I don’t know them as well as you, I’m sure, but they strike me as extremely conservative. They prefer to be isolationist. They’re not going to like exposing themselves, not for us.”

“No, no they won’t,” Gracen agreed. “And if anything you’re underestimating just how conservative these people are. It’s strange, honestly. They have an ideology that would give our conservatives hives.”

“They don’t use money, no capitalism,” Carrow answered, “and until the Drasin showed up they had basically no violence, so the idea of a right to bear arms is actually alien to them. They’ve run on the same government for longer than we’ve been recording history. The idea that they might have to overthrow an oppressive regime literally doesn’t occur to them in their
fiction
. However, they understand the urge to mind their own business, and wasting resources is something they understand, oddly enough.”

Gracen nodded. “Which means we have our work cut out for us. I want you to talk to the colonel, see if he can work his contacts. I’ll speak with the ambassador and Admiral Tanner.”

“Will do,” Carrow said.

“Excellent. We have a few more days before the Heroics come off the slips, then maybe a few weeks of scouting and running ops near Sol,” Gracen said. “But I want the Priminae on board before we launch a full offensive.”