The Landfall Campaign (The Nameless War) (41 page)

Arlidge gave his civilian superior a cool look. Perhaps now only nominal superior Eulenburg thought to himself. There might well be hell to pay down the line if it were judged the military had overstepped the mark but that was a concern for another day.

“
I believe, as we agreed some time ago, that we cannot allow the scenario to develop in which the Nameless throw their weight against one shelter at a time,
”
Arlidge said after a moment.

“
Yes, we must draw the Nameless into fighting all three of us at once,
”
Xiaochuan agreed.
“
I have aircraft that can reach Douglas Base but nothing that can reach Endeavour without airborne refuelling, which isn
’
t going to be possible once we come under close siege.
”

“
Likewise,
”
Arlidge said with a nod.

“
While I can reach targets around both of you. I will provide support where I can to both of you,
”
Eulenburg said, although he wondered once they were down to burst transmissions whether their agreement would be worth anything.

“
Can we not stop them from landing?
”
Barton asked. Despite the interference, Eulenburg could see that the Governor knew what the answer was going to be but was desperately hoping to be wrong.

“
We have about forty space fighters between us,
”
Xiaochuan said.
“
They have over seventy
starships
. However despite that, I believe we have to commit the fighters.
”

“
You want to contest orbit?
”
Eulenburg said dubiously.

“
No. There is no serious prospect of holding them outside orbit,
”
Xiaochuan said with a serious shake of the head.
“
I speak of bleeding them by targeting their transports.
”

“
If we throw all our fighters in there, there ain’t going to be a hell of a lot of our fighter complement left afterwards,
”
Arlidge objected.

“
The fighters are there to be used and, yes, lost,
”
Xiaochuan replied seriously.
“
The cargo and troops on those support ships are undoubtedly destined for use against us. A single missile can destroy as many of them in orbit as dozens of atmospheric sorties that would be needed to achieve the same results on the ground.
”

There was an undoubted truth in that statement, a brutal truth though, Eulenburg thought to himself. Arlidge was also right. Putting so few fighters against so many opponents wouldn’t leave much, especially with the survivors spread across three different sites.

“
Besides, space fighters are lumbering vessels in atmosphere. I have my doubts that we will be able to get them up once we come under close siege,
”
the Chinese General added.

With the interference to their communications it was hard for Arlidge and Eulenburg to exchange a look but they gave it a good try. Meanwhile Xiaochuan sat looking like the personification of calm.

Eulenburg looked over his shoulder through the door into Four C’s main chamber to the main holo. The cluster of red icons was still making its slow approach, currently about four hours out.

“
The decision ultimately rests with you Admiral,
”
Xiaochuan said, breaking the temporary silence.
“
You command approximately half the fighters on the planet and have primary access to the detection grid. No strike can go in without your support.
”

Eulenburg looked back again into Four C and the main display. Could they make enough of a difference to justify losses that were guaranteed to be punishing? But then could they afford to huddle inside their perimeter and surrender the initiative?

“
We’ll put in the strike,
”
he said turning back to them.
“
We’ll go in when they start making their landing.
”

Xiaochuan and Arlidge both nodded their agreement.

“
We shall prepare our forces and await word from you,
”
Xiaochuan said.

“
General,
”
there was a note of warning in Barton’s voice.

“
My government has issued instructions that operational control of our military assets will only be given when those units operate outside planetary atmosphere.
”
His tone was almost apologetic.
“
While operating in atmosphere they are to remain under my direct operational control.
”

“
Of course,
”
Eulenburg replied.
“
I understand.
”

“
There
’
s one last thing,
”
Reynolds said.
“
Can we inform Earth?
”

“
The jammers, Governor, they are still in place,
”
Eulenburg answered.
“
We have no means to get a message to them.
”

“
That’s not quite true,
”
Arlidge said.
“
I still have one message drone in orbit that I can ping with a laser. But it
’
s my last one.
”

“
Is it worth expending I wonder?
”
Xiaochuan pondered.

“
Luck of the draw has put it between two of their jammers.
”
Arlidge shook his head.
“
I can’t guarantee it staying intact though. Not if we have starships wandering around up there.
”

“
Of course,
”
Eulenburg said before adding.
“
It might be as well to use it.
”

“
That is a decision that will be made
here
,
”
Barton replied in a prickly voice.

“
Of course Governor. The drone is the property of the United States of America,
”
Eulenburg replied in a placating tone.
“
However it is also the last contact with Earth. With your permission I would like to append my own report, so that if you decide to launch, I can update my superiors.
”

“
By all means Admiral,
”
Arlidge replied before the Governor could reply.
“
We
’
ll also extend the same courtesy to the Chinese administration. Any remaining space in the drone
’
s memory will be divided equally among the other national contingents.
”

“
Thank you General. Your offer is a generous one. If there is nothing else gentlemen, we have a battle to prepare for.
”

“
Indeed we do,
”
Arlidge gave a brief smile.
“
I look forward to meeting you all in the flesh when we celebrate the fleet
’
s lifting of the siege,
”
he added before signing off.

Hurry up and wait. It was a cliché of military service but only because it was true. For over three hour Eulenburg waited in Four C, watching the Nameless ships slowly approach. He knew that at some pointed he had eaten but for the life of him he couldn’t remember what.

Forty-one space fighters were now armed and ready on the runway, waiting for the Nameless to achieve orbit and start making their drop. Douglas’s atmospheric and drop fighters were already airborne, ready to escort their space fighter colleagues up to the edge of space.

“
Looks like they’ve learned respect for our ground missiles anyway,
”
Captain Gillum observed.
“
That
’
s a strong defensive formation, sir. We could support the fighters with fire from the missile batteries.
”
The Nameless fleet was staying close to the equator and someone or something had given a lot of thought to creating a formation that gave multiple overlapping fields of fire.

“
No,
”
Eulenburg replied without taking his eyes off the display.
“
If we use up the missiles we might have nothing to throw at those bombards of theirs if they make another run at us.
”

Gillum hesitated,
“
Sir, we have projections on fighter losses. Do you want to see them?
”

“
Forty to sixty percent?
”

“
The projections sir, are saying fifty to sixty-five.
”

“
It makes no difference,
”
Eulenburg replied with a sigh.
“
We have to do it.
”

“
Admiral,
”
called out one of the junior officers at the sky watch consoles,
“
the transports are starting to open their outer hatches.
”

“
Thank you sensors. Coms, inform Endeavour and Anshan that we are commencing launch of the space fighters. Captain, get our birds up.
”

“
Yes sir,
”
Gillum replied.

Within a few minutes four icons appeared on the main display. On the far side of the planet from the Nameless fleet they merged into a single formation and started to accelerate. The Nameless transports were launching drop ships now, scores of them. On the display they resembled spores, like some terrible fungus dropping towards the planet. The fighters rounded Landfall and the two sets of combatants caught sight of one another. More icons appeared as the Nameless warships started to fire. The fighter formations loosened as each crew worked to find room for evasive manoeuvres. From the coms section Eulenburg could hear radio chatter. He was too far away to make out individual words, only their tone. As the Nameless missiles reached the fighters the voices became higher pitched as some chopped off with horrible suddenness, joined by the screams of those for whom death wasn’t to be so clean.

As Eulenburg watched impotently while the battle raged above, he understood why some officers saw space fighters as a slightly unclean way to fight. An admiral commanding a fleet of starships would probably be on the best ship, positioned in the heart of the formation, but still took his or her chances along with everyone else. With fighters though, the commander stayed safe while young men and women were thrown into harm
’
s way.

There was a lot of interference now on the plot due to chaff, missiles and wreckage. There was no way to determine how many fighters remained but whatever was left continued to charge. As the range dropped it was now the turn of the human fighters to launch their capital ship missiles. The Nameless switched from attacker to defender as they salvoed out dozens of dual-purpose missiles to intercept the incoming projectiles. Most of the fighter
’
s cap ship missiles were stopped well short but a few got through. One transport broke in half as a pair of missiles took it amidships. Two escorts haemorrhaged atmosphere as holes were punched into their hulls.

The Nameless might have expected the fighters to break off at this point but they charged on, in amongst the lumbering drop ships. With guns and anti-fighter missiles, they ripped into their targets. Mixed as the alien and human vessels were, the drop ships served as both targets and shields for the fighters. Dozens of drop ships were blown apart or riddled with gunfire. A few, in their desperation to escape their killers, lost control and tumbled helplessly into Landfall’s atmosphere. As fighters exhausted their ammunition they dropped back down into the atmosphere continuing to use the drop ships as cover.

“
Admiral,
”
shouted someone at sky watch,
“
the two Nameless starships we couldn’t classify are launching vessels.
”

“
More drop ships?
”
Eulenburg replied.

“
Negative sir, they’re smaller than the drop ships.
”

Gillum examined the data on his own display before turning to Eulenburg.

“
Admiral, the configuration is
…
I think they’re drop fighters!
”