Out of the Black (Odyssey One, Book 4) (51 page)

All ships involved in the battle were moving at relativistic speeds, hurtling into the system and ultimately toward Sol at unreal velocities. Relative to one another, however, the speeds were measured in mere hundreds of kilometers per second.

The
Odysseus
and the
Heracles
went dead stick within one thousand kilometers of the
Achilles,
lasers firing furiously as they closed the range on a purely ballistic trajectory. The
Achilles
also killed its space warp as they closed, Drasin vessels vaporizing under the close fire of the closing ships.

The three passed well within a hundred meters of one another, moving over five hundred kilometers per second relative to each other. It was a range that would have caused their drives to interact dangerously had any of them been actively warping space-time.

As it was, it merely caused every alarm on three ships to scream and several people to start praying as they watched. Most, fortunately, were completely ignorant of the situation until it had completely passed.

“Targets eliminated,” Milla Chans announced, letting out a long, slow breath and a shiver of adrenaline-fueled fear as she spoke.

“Good,” Gracen croaked slightly, shaken by the actions of her helmsman.
Really should have known better. Fighter pilots. Lord
.

“Signal the rest of the squadron. Get everyone back in formation,” she ordered. “I don’t want anyone else caught out alone like the
Achilles
. Tighten up.”

“Aye ma’am,” Susan said. “Orders sent.”

“Coming about, ma’am.
Heracles
is with us,” Steph announced. “The
Bellerophon
is catching up to the
Achilles
.”

“The
Hippolyta
and the
Boudicca
are closing ranks, securing the rear,” Susan told them.

“Good,” Gracen said. “How many are left inside knife range?”

“Twenty-eight, ma’am.”

“Damn it,” she hissed, shaking her head.

Knife range was the distance within which they could not target with their transition cannons. Outside that range, as
long as they had munitions, the task force could stand off almost any imaginable enemy. Inside it? They were down to lasers and armor, and not a whole lot more.

That wasn’t to say that their lasers and armor weren’t impressive. Gracen knew that they were downright frightening. But it left the door open for a fair fight, and that was one thing she wanted to avoid at all costs.

“Can we outrun them?”

“Not a chance, ma’am,” Steph said. “These crates are fast, but they’re on us and they’re fast too. Take them here, take them now, and take them fast.”

Gracen nodded. She knew that herself but felt the need to ask the question.

“Very well. Close ranks. I want our flanks covered. Issue orders to
Boudicca
and
Hippolyta
to execute rearguard formation.”

“Roger, ma’am. Orders issued,” Susan said a moment later.

“Give me the
Enterprise
.”

“
Enterprise
online, ma’am,” Susan answered instantly.

“Captain Carrow, I need a fighter wing in motion in thirty seconds.”

The
Enterprise
’s captain took a few seconds to reply. “Mission, ma’am?”

“Antiship engagement.”

A few more seconds of light-speed delay passed, then Carrow’s voice came back. “Bravo wing is scrambling now.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

Gracen looked across her command deck and nodded resolutely. She could do this.
They
could do this.

“Issue to all ships,” she said calmly. “Fire on any target as they bear.
Clear
them out of our sky.”

“Yes ma’am, firing as we bear,” Milla Chans answered, already coding the assault into her station.

“Orders issued, Admiral. All ships acknowledge.”

“
Enterprise
, Bravo Actual.”

“Go for
Enterprise
Control, Bravo Actual.”

“Bravo Squadron is ready to launch,” Commander Thane Clarke said calmly. “Request go.”

“You are go.”

Thane nodded. “Bravo squad launching.”

The first two Vorpals roared out of the bay as the next pair were lined up on the cat, following less than a minute later. It took under ten minutes to put the entire squadron into space, and they were burning fuel at a truly appalling rate as they vectored around and headed for their targets.

“Bravo Actual,
Enterprise
Actual.”

“Go for Bravo,
Enterprise
.”

“Clarke, watch your back out there,” Captain Carrow’s voice came on the line. “Those ships are putting out enough power to erase the
Enterprise
from existence. Do
not
get between the Heroics and the enemy ships, that is an order.”

“Yes sir.”

“Get into range, hit them with everything you’ve got, and then get your sorry asses back on my decks. Are we clear, Mr. Clarke?”

“Crystal, Cap. We’re on it.”

“Good. Go wipe those bastards from my sky.”

“With pleasure, Cap,” Clarke said calmly before switching channels. “Alright, boys and girls, the captain’s given us our
flying orders. We hit them fast, hit them hard, and clear the sky of those alien pieces of crap. Bravo Squadron, on me.”

The drive flares of the Vorpals hitting full burn briefly eclipsed the Sun as the lithe fighters tore away from their carrier and toward their targets.

On the
Odysseus,
Admiral Gracen eyed the closing tags on her screens with a baleful eye, recognizing just how close she’d let the enemy get to her squadron before they were spotted.

If we don’t get them fast, they’ll cut us down to pieces
.

“Admiral! Movement from the main body of the enemy ships!”

It was everything Gracen could do not to start cursing out loud, despite what an admiral losing her shit would do for morale.

“Vectors?”

“They’re pulling past cislunar space, climbing up-well, ma’am.”

Gracen grimaced, knowing just who they were climbing up to meet. “Damn it.”

“It’s worse, ma’am,” Winger said, shaking her head.

“How?”

“If I’m reading this right, they must have cleared their decks before coming our way. The siege on Earth must have just taken on a whole new level, ma’am.”

Gracen closed her eyes.
I never wanted to be the trigger for Armageddon. What do we do now?

She gritted her teeth and took a breath, setting her jaw. “We can’t do anything about them yet, but keep one eye on that force, Michelle.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“We’ll wipe them from the Black as soon as we’re finished with their friends out here,” Gracen said steadily. “Miss Chans, if you please, lock all lasers on the closest Drasin and relay intercept coordinates to Mr. Michaels.”

“Yes Admiral. Coordinates relayed.”

“Mr. Michaels,” Gracen said simply, “I would much appreciate it if you and Miss Chans could make that ship . . . disappear.”

“Aye ma’am. It’ll be a genuine pleasure.”