Frozen Soul, and other works: March 2019

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Chapter 190 - Aftermath

(Main Bridge, BSN Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, Cadra Primaris)

“What is the status of the fleet?”

Slave-Captain Virstina looked up as the Master announced his presence by speaking the moment the doors opened to allow him onto the Main Bridge. She forced down a chuckle at the memory of what he had brought back with him after his ‘shopping trip’ when he decided to play civilian for a while on the station. There was a story there, but it was for another time. Snapping herself back to the present, she nodded to the Master, and said, “Master, the last gunships have returned, and the few who had been damaged have been repaired. We are ready to deploy on your command.”

The Master smiled at her, and said, “Good, good. Any news from the Consortium yet?”

“Sector Administrator Woldmane just sent word. She wishes to speak with you as soon as possible regarding the fleet movements.”

“Very well, open communications.”

Moments later, Woldmane’s face appeared on the main screen. She looked haggard, but that wasn’t unusual, given the confirmed threat that the sector was facing. Everyone already knew that the Coldana system was essentially a write-off. If the X’thari couldn’t be stopped, and soon, then things would get very hairy, very fast, and everyone knew it. The Master nodded grimly as he greeted her. “Sector Administrator. I trust you are reading the reports from Coldana?”

“Yes, it is worse than I feared. A Harvester hasn’t been seen since the last war. The attacks it has already taken would have destroyed a decent sized planet, and yet it remains relatively intact! Even with Tenth Fleet arriving to reinforce Fifteenth Fleet, I do not think it will be enough.”

“It won’t be. However, I have confirmed that there are multiple nomads in system now, all with some of the best sensor suites money can buy. Their six ships should be able to escape the Swarm. Five are Black Star ships, fitted with X’thari drives. They are currently leading the X’thari escort ships on a chase about the system, leaving the heavier ships open. The sixth is a free trader of Imperial make, and equipped with a Transition drive. They are already poised to escape, but have committed to staying until the last Consortium warship is destroyed. I am told that they carry with them messages from every soul on Cordana that wished to send word.”

Woldmane gulped. “That is a heavy burden for a free trader. Where will they fall back to?”

“Last I heard, they would make their way here, to the Cadra System. The Black Star ships will use their anchor drives to escape and evade. We do not know whether the X’thari are able to track and follow ships using anchor drives to their destination, but it would be foolish to believe that they cannot. So, the Black Star ships will be going somewhere isolated, before making their way to a place where there will be plenty of guns to ensure any followers are greeted as they deserve.”

“That is well.” Woldmane sighed. “I wish that the problem could simply be solved with the ships in Coldana, but we must assume that the Harvester and the Swarm will survive, despite the Navy’s best efforts.”

“Indeed, Administrator. Is there any word on reinforcements? The Black Star Navy can aid an evacuation of a single system, and protect refugee craft en route, but we are no match for the X’thari Swarm itself. Not grouped together as they are. There’s simply too many of them.”

“On that note, I have some good news. Thanks to your Nomad networks, the word has gone out quickly that the Swarm has moved once again, and a Harvester has returned to Known Space. This has allowed us to put the Treaty of Helbizore into effect. All major powers will unite to end the X’thari threat to this sector. The Consortium Navy is sending Fifth and Seventh Fleets. The Confederate Navy is sending their Sixth and Twelfth Fleets. The Ihm Navy is sending the Second Great Armada. The Free Worlds Alliance has mobilized the Kul’tiran First Fleet. The only trouble is the Empire. Their navy was ravaged by the Civil War, and they have yet to repair the damage. But they have committed to sparing the Ninth Fleet. The Terran Empress herself asked if the Black Star Navy would be joining the fray.”

“The Black Star Navy will stand with the major powers. Our First Group is already here, and here we will remain. I have given the command for our Fourth Group to join us, as well. They are already on the move towards the nearest Gateway. Once we have confirmed that the Black Star ships currently in Coldana have not been followed, the Fifth Group shall make for the Grathdan Sector, as well.” The Master smiled with grim determination at the look the Administrator gave him, as the entire bridge crew nodded approvingly. “The X’thari are a threat to all life in the galaxy. The sooner we end this threat, the better. Where will the fleet gather?”

“Ah, eh-hem. Sorry, I had expected that to take slightly more negotiation. But since you convinced even the pirates to not make trouble during this time, I guess it was to be expected. At any rate, the fleets will be gathering at Grimshield’s Bane, the closest system to Coldana. Either they will gather, and then plan the attack, or they will be the first line of defense if the Harvester finishes Coldana too soon.”

The Master was about to say something, when alarms sounded. From the sensor station, Lieutenant Barclay called out, “Transition warning! One ship transitioning in. Senor network makes it as an Imperial civilian freighter, Zvezdnoye Nebo-class!”

(Mollen POV)

With an icy calmness that was merely skin deep, I looked to the Administrator, and said, “Administrator, please stay on the line. If this is who I believe it to be, then you will need to hear this, as well.” She nodded in understanding. We both knew who this was, and what their news would be. Turning to the communications station, I called out, “Comms, hail the freighter, and ask them to identify.”

“It is the Fucking Bitch, Admiral. Says she is outbound from the Coldana System, last ship to make it out.”

“Very well, request a copy of the tactical data to be sent to the fleet, while the rest is to be sent to Cadra Primaris. And if her Captain will speak to us, patch her into our conversation.”

The screen split into two parts, with Woldmane on the right and a human woman on the left. I could only see her head and shoulders, but she gave off a feel of being ‘solid’ and ‘well-built’. She looked like someone who had seen too much, but was holding it together because there was a job that needed doing. I nodded to her, and said, “Captain Chernikova, I presume? I am Admiral Mollen, of the Black Star Navy. Sector Administrator Woldmane is on the line with us.”

Chernikova just nodded. She took a second, and then steeled herself. Her voice had a very distinct Russian accent to it, made thicker by the emotions she was clearly trying to hold back. “Admiral, Administrator. I’ll just come out and say it. Coldana has fallen. The Harvester is damaged, but still intact.”

I nodded stiffly. I had expected it to be that way. “I understand. You stayed until the Consortium ships were gone, yes? Can you give us the tactical data? We need to see what went right and what went wrong, if we’re going to have a prayer of destroying that monster.”

Steely eyes locked on to mine. “We have all the sensor readings you could ask for, Admiral. When they knew that it was going to be the X’thari, the guys at the Navy yards offloaded all our cargo and filled us to the brim with sensors and computer databanks. We’re transmitting the sensor data starting from when the X’thari first showed up. Admiral Fullstout sent a personal note after Firebringer failed. The Harvester has multiple shield layers, and the damage caused by Firebringer’s second hit on the Harvester itself clearly did some damage. However, they did not have the time to remove more of the hardware safety locks on any of the hyper-capable ships.”

Raven brought up the note on my HUD, and I quickly reviewed it and the notes she’d made on it. “Hmm. Raven’s preliminary analysis agrees with Fullstout. She says that, if we were able to hit it with more firepower, we could defeat the shields and take down the Harvester. However, the X’thari clearly learned from that attack quickly. We won’t easily get a second shot at ramming multiple shuttles into the thing.”

Chernikova growled. “You can’t mean to say it is hopeless! You, of all people—”

I raised a hand to cut her off. “Indeed. Black Star has overcome long odds before. And we have already committed to helping the Allied Fleet end this threat. But we will not do that by disregarding the tactical realities. This is the data we needed you to bring us, Captain Chernikova. We know that it can be hurt. We know that it can bleed. If it bleeds, then we can kill it. We just have to figure out how.”

I paused, and then said, “There is still time before the Allied Fleet can assemble. For now, why don’t you dock with Thadmere Station? The technicians there will handle downloading the personal messages and other data that Coldana sent with you. Word has already spread that a ship stayed behind to bear witness to the last defiance of the Consortium Navy, and by the time you dock, they’ll learn you left your cargo behind to bring the dying messages of Coldana to the rest of the Consortium. That should earn you some good will with the locals. And I have just transferred ten thousand credits to your ship account, to split between your crew. I think that will buy more than a few drinks, or time with paid companionship, if you desire, to keep your mind off things for a while.”

Chernikova flushed, and was about to say something, when Woldmane cut in, “As Sector Administrator, I am issuing funds from the sector budget. For twenty-four hours after docking, the crew of the Filthy Bitch do not have to pay for any food, lodging, consumables, or services on Thadmere Station. Your docking fees in the Grathdan Sector have been waived in perpetuity, so long as you own your ship. The people of Coldana and the Consortium owe you a great debt for bringing their final words to their people.”

The Russian captain took a breath, and nodded. “Thank you, Admiral, Administrator. I am sure my crew and I will be more than happy to take you up on those generous offers. At the moment, however, it feels like we ran from a fight, and none of us much care for that, not when so many other people fought and died, knowing they couldn’t win.”

“Captain, I am telling you this, and I want you to tell it to your crew. Those men and women you watched lay down their lives were dead the moment the X’thari raised their ugly heads and decided to move on Coldana. There was no power in the known galaxy that could have saved them. One lightly-armed freighter would make absolutely no difference in that. What that freighter did do, however, was bring out the will of the people of Coldana and the Consortium Navy, along with the sensor data that will ensure that those deaths were not in vain. They fought with everything they had, knowing that, through you, their valor would be remembered, and that their deaths would be avenged by the intel they fought and died to give you to bring to us. Do you understand, Captain?”

Chernikova straightened up slightly as I slipped into a command voice at the end, there, but she simply took a deep breath, and nodded once, not saying anything. There was a fire in her eyes, and I didn’t doubt that the station’s bars were going to get very, very short of alcohol in the near future, but with any luck, she wouldn’t slip into the far more destructive cycle of guilt. This game was real enough that ideas of survivor’s guilt were actually applicable here, especially if you truly lived the game.

“Very well, then. Proceed to Thadmere station, Captain, and good job.” I offered a salute to her, before closing the channel. Turning my attention to the Sector Administrator, I said, “My people will analyze the sensor data in depth. May I impose upon you to use the FTL comms to transmit the data to the other allied fleets, so that they have time to begin their analysis while we are forming up?”

“Of course. I may not be a military leader, but I will not allow the Grathdan Sector to fall without doing anything I can to stop it.”

I nodded with grim appreciation. “That is all any of us can do, Administrator. Do our utmost, exhaust all possibilities, and hope and pray that it is enough. Admiral Mollen, out.”

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Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Monday, March 25, 2019

Chapter 189 - Delaying Action

(BSS Heartseeker, Coldana System)

”Captain, the X’thari have committed roughly one hundred and forty-five thousand ships in pursuit, evenly divided amongst the group. The remaining ships, all cruisers or dreadnoughts, are holding course as they escort the Harvester.”

Drah Sross nodded grimly. “Twenty-nine thousand to one isn’t great odds. Fortunately, we’re not fighting.” She hit the button to turn on the group comms. “Heartseeker to all ships, go evasive. We need to keep them busy as long as possible, but we are under orders not to die out here, and I intend to make sure I follow that order!”

“Heartseeker, Prometheus. Understood. So long as the tarpits stay up, we should be able to make enough thrust to keep out of weapons range.”

“Nephilim here. We’ll keep the bastards occupied as long as we can. Secondary anchor drive charged and ready, primary already charging.”

“This is Stiletto. We’ll keep the bugs dancing all night if we have to.”

“Flux Capacitor reads, Heartseeker. We have good tracks on the swarm. We’ll keep out of their way, but can we at least take a few of them out as we go?”

Drah looked over to the side, where the projection of her ship’s Nomad AI, Adam was ‘standing’. “Adam, contact the Master through the Nomad networks, and ask for permission to engage.”

“Understood, Captain.” There was a brief pause, and then the AI looked at her. “Admiral Mollen gives permission for all Black Star forces in the Coldana System to engage the X’thari, but only from outside X’thari weapons range. Use of Starbolts has been authorized. Additional orders incoming. If possible, forces are to remain in local Escape and Evade mode until the Consortium navy ships have been destroyed, before executing Double Jump. Targeted systems: Amazon, then Star’s Reach. Fifth Group has reinforced Third Group in the system, in case the X’thari are able to follow ships through anchor jumps. Any group ship that comes within X’thari weapons range is to jump immediately.”

Drah nodded. Turning to the comm again, she said, “All right, people, we have new orders! Continue escape and evade as long as you can, but use of Starbolts is authorized, so I don’t want anyone coming back with weapons still on board. But don’t get cocky! If you get within X’thari weapons range, you earn yourself an immediate ticket out, and you buy drinks for the rest of us when we hit port. Otherwise, keep flying until the Consortium Navy ships are dead, and then Double Jump to Star’s Reach by Amazon. Remember to target the proper holding area, so that the patrols don’t swat you from the sky!”

“Captain, sensors are detecting a ship on our current evasive path. It is in stealth mode, but appears to be a freighter of Terran make.”

Grithad drek! That had to be the Nomad ship that had been providing tactical data before they had arrived! “Open a channel, tightbeam transmission!”

(Free Trader Fucking Bitch, Coldana System)

“Amazing! They peeled off so much firepower with just five ships?”

Captain Chernikova shook her head at Gregor’s outburst. “They played on the one reason no one in Known Space uses the X’thari drives. Something about using one on a non-X’thari ship drives the bugs mad, and they drop everything else to seek and destroy. If they had brought more ships, they might even have gotten the capitol ships to join the hunt.”

Timofey nodded slowly. “Those five ships, they can’t hope to kill enough of the Swarm to matter, but they are drawing the majority of its strength off, allowing the Consortium to attack the big ships, and maybe hurt the Swarm enough that they will be delayed in going after any other worlds in the sector. The more time they are forced to spend in Coldana, the more time for an allied fleet to form up and take the fight to the Swarm.”

“These ships are clearly a modification of those Starlight Raven freighters, but they can’t have any kind of cargo capacity worth talking about! What are they even good for?”

Alevtina grinned. “They’re scouts, Gregor. You don’t go hunting without having an idea of where to go, right? There is a lot of unexplored space out there. From the readings we’re getting, those are probably the fastest, and most heavily armed, long-range scout ships in the galaxy right now.”

“You mean that crazy American is actually looking to hunt down the X’thari homeworld?”

Timofey laughed short and barkingly. “HA! Wouldn’t you, if you had his resources? These X’thari, they are a threat to the entire galaxy, but no one can ever end their threat, because no one knows where they live. But if you find where they are coming from, then you can maybe strike a blow that they won’t recover from.”

Manka looked up from the communications station. “Captain, we’re getting a tightbeam transmission from the closest of those Black Star ships.”

Alevtina paled. “Quick, pull up the projected track of that Black Star, and the ships following it! Manka, put them through!”

The view of the battle was replaced by the track of the BSS Heartseeker and its followers, and the cone of their projected track had the Fucking Bitch right in the middle of it! Next to the track, an image of an Ihm female in a Black Star civilian ship suit came up as the connection was established. “This is Slave Captain Drah Sross of the BSS Heartseeker. If your ship is transition capable, you need to get out of here. We cannot keep these X’thari occupied forever.”

“Captain Chernikova Alevtina Vitalievna of the Fucking Bitch. We are transition capable, and ready to transition at a moment’s notice. But we made a promise to the Admiral that we would stay and bear witness to the end of Fifteenth Fleet, at least. Even if it is the only thing we can do, they deserve that much.”

The Ihm grimaced, but nodded. “We will try to draw them away from you, then. My orders are escape and evade until Fifteenth Fleet is destroyed, or the X’thari get in weapons range of us. We’ll work to rile them up a little more. Suggest that you transition immediately if the X’thari get in weapons range. Your ship is going to be the only one with detailed scans of the damage the Consortium Navy did to the Harvester. If you can get it to Cadra Primaris, Black Star and the Consortium Navy are beginning to gather any ships they can there. The more data they have, the better able they will be to come up with some kind of plan.”

Alevtina grinned, and said, “Captain, I assure you that nothing would please me more than to make sure this data gets to the hands of someone who will use it to take that bastard down.” She glanced at the projected track again. The cone had moved slightly, as Heartseeker adjusted course. She overlaid the estimated effective sensor range of the X’thari scouts for detecting her ship. “If you can bring them around another twelve degrees, we should be able to keep out of their sensor lock range, so long as we keep radio silent.”

Slave Captain Sross looked at her numbers, and frowned. “We should be able to pull that off. But it will be close. You’ll need to be ready to bug out as soon as we do. The moment the X’thari lose us, they’re likely to go active and start looking for new prey to take their aggression out on.”

“Understood, Heartseeker. Good luck, and good hunting. We meet again, first round is on us.”

“Copy, Fucking Bitch. Safe flight and warm breeze. Heartseeker, out.”

(Fleet Command Center, Coldana Prime, Coldana System)

Admiral Fullstout watched with a stoicism that he did not feel as the Fifteenth Fleet charged into odds that were suicidal by any stretch of the imagination, but were now such that they actually had a hope of doing some significant damage to the enemy fleet. Maybe a thousand of the X’thari ships had been lost in the fury of Firebringer’s assault, as fighters became kamikazes at superluminal speeds, but there were still far too many for his ships to take on. He would have liked to be up on the command deck of his flagship, the Blade of Drakon. Better to die fighting to the last ship than to wait here in the command bunker for the X’thari to come to him.

That was a trap, and he knew it. His ships would be best served, and their sacrifice would mean more, if command and control of the fleet remained steady throughout the fight, allowing them to coordinate so they could kill more of the enemy ships. That meant he had to stay back, where an unlucky shot to the flag deck couldn’t cut the head off Fifteenth Fleet before it was able to do all the damage it possibly could. If he was sending his fleet to die, then he would ensure that they had the best chance possible, damnit.

He was also the senior military commander for the Coldana System. The Marines answered to him, in the end, as did all other military personnel in the system. That meant he needed to be here, for when the ground defense started. There would be enough chaos without trying to reform the chain of command, or establish which priorities a new commander might have. There was no time for such things, not when there were X’thari who would be in desperate need of killing as the people of Coldana made them pay for every centimeter of ground in blood.

“Fifteenth Fleet reporting in, Admiral. They have engaged the Swarm’s capitol ships.”

Fullstout nodded. He could see it on the screens himself, but the words needed to be said. A sense of order and calm would keep people from giving in to fear and despair. The grim purpose of making the bastards pay would drive them. That is the only thing he could think of, now. Making sure that the enemy bought their lives as dearly as he could possibly drive the price.

“Have the 333^rd Destroyer Group form up on the flank. Tell them to target the X’thari cruisers to try and pull them away from the dreadnoughts, so the Blade of Drakon and the other heavies can get in and fight it out.” He took a breath, and said, “All ships are to target primary reactors and engines. Any ship that is disabled and out of the fight is to be ignored in favor of bleeding the enemy as much as possible.”

“Understood, Admiral.”

“Have the analysts figured out which ships are the Hunt Leaders yet?”

“Probable guesses only for the most part, Admiral. We have one confirmed, the superdreadnought at the front of the formation, along with a half dozen probables running from 30-67% based on comm leakage. Can’t intercept their comms, but the radiation leaks when they aren’t in stealth, perhaps due to shield design.”

“All superdreadnoughts are to concentrate firepower on the confirmed target. All possible command ships are to be given priority target status. If we can kill the Hunt Leaders, then intel suggests that the Swarm will start breaking up into individual Grand Hunts or smaller groups, and stop coordinating their efforts until new Lead Hunters can be designated.”

“Admiral! Sensors are detecting hyperdrives entering the system!”

“That has to be Tenth Fleet. How many ships? What make are they?”

“Fifteen ships, Admiral. Four superdreadnoughts, three battlecruisers, five heavy cruisers, two frigates, and one corvette. IFF is detecting ships from Tenth Fleet as well as the ships we had on sector patrol based out of Ekyinos. The Spear of Tagrun is leading. All the ships appear to be heavily damaged.”

Fifteen? If Tenth Fleet had picked up the sector patrol and folded them into the ranks, then they would have had easily over two hundred ships! No matter. He would not see their sacrifice go in vain. Looking at the map, he saw something! If they could just take advantage of it…

“Give my regards to Admiral Warhelm, and feed him the tactical data. He has the angle on the Harvester! Tell him to leave the Swarm to us, flank speed to the harvester. Give him everything we have on those shields!”

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Chapter 188 - Last Stand

(Fleet Command Center, Coldana Prime, Coldana System)

Fleet Base Coldana had twelve shuttles, primarily used for in-system transfer of personnel on shore leave, though they were also available for search and rescue work, when that was needed. Unfortunately, despite being the primary fleet base for the Fifteenth Fleet, they were somewhat lacking in manpower. They were, after all, on the back end of nowhere, as far as the Consortium was concerned, and most of the fleet’s screening elements had been parceled out for antipiracy work.

Of course, even if they had been blessed to have their entire fleet in Coldana, it would not be enough for what was coming. The X’thari Swarm measured in the thousands, and no one was sure whether they could actually kill the Harvester. This was an effort beyond anything the Consortium Navy could put together, certainly on no notice, with no time to build up their forces.

One hundred and twelve warships of the Consortium Navy were present here. One hundred and twelve shups, against one hundred and seventy-five thousand. Admiral Fullstout was proud of his fleet, and he certainly had not allowed training to lapse, despite this being a backwater post. Indeed, training and competition between crews was vital to keeping up morale. He would put any one of his crews against twice or even three times their number, and lay money on his crews, his ships. Even at five to one, he would lay even odds on his people. But they were outnumbered over FIFTEEN HUNDRED to one! There was no fleet in existence who could beat back such odds.

But they could hurt the X’thari, buy the time the Consortium needed to gather the fleets. He knew that Admiral Warhelm and Tenth Fleet were already on their way. They would crash into the X’thari swarm as well, bleeding them. He had no illusions about their chances, however. The X’thari were simply too many. But, if they could bleed them enough, slow them enough, then the rest of the fleet would have time to gather before the entire sector was overwhelmed.

“Admiral, Shuttles 1 through 6 are in position. Fighters have launched. Firebringer is ready.”

“Put me on, system wide.” The officer nodded that he was on, and Admiral Fullstout looked into the camera. “Men and women of the Consortium Navy, Citizens of the Consortium, People of Coldana, I am Admiral Fullstout. As you know, the X’thari Swarm is upon us. Their ships number in the hundreds of thousands. I will not lie to you. There is no way for us to win this fight.”

“We will not survive this battle. But how we go out will define how we are remembered for eternity. Will we simply lay down, roll over, and let these… creatures destroy everything that we have built over generations? Or will we fight the hopeless fight, for no reason other than to ensure that the motherless bastards bleed for every last step? Every minute we resist is another minute the Consortium has to rally the fleets. Every drone killed and ship destroyed is one that the swarm has to replace. The longer and bloodier we make our final stand, the greater the chance that the Consortium will be able to rally troops to fight the Swarm.”

“Now is the hour of our final test! Now is the last stand of Coldana! Now we show the universe that the flames of Jormak Lavabrew, who forged the Consortium from the disunited clans, has not gone out! Now the X’thari learn that the grim defiance of Karfun Coldblight, first settler of Coldana, has not gone missing in his descendants, and those who carry on his legacy!”

“To all the people of Coldana, I say to you, FIGHT! If we are to die, then take as many of the bastards down with you as you can! To the men and women of the Navy, you are the first defense. Give them to the icy grip of the Hell-queen herself! If we must die, then we must die, but make it a death to be remembered in song for all eternity! DEATH AND GLORY AWAIT US!”

Admiral Fullstout took a moment to breathe, and then said, “Execute Firebringer!”

(Free Trader Fucking Bitch, Coldana System)

If anyone asked, Captain Chernikova would say with certainty that there was a problem with the air filtration system. That was why it merely looked like her eyes were tearing up. Not that she would be alone. The entire crew were silent, watching the screens as the Consortium got into formation, ready to defend the planet against the oncoming X’thari. They had all been listening to the Admiral’s speech.

Timofey bowed his head. “That was good. That was almost Russian.”

Whatever Chernikova was going to say flew from her mind when she saw the sensors. Overlapping tarpits were covering the entire system, but suddenly six shuttles went to lightspeed, covering the distance between the fleet and the X’thari in seconds. And they didn’t stop.

Six massive explosions appeared on the scanners, as one by one the shuttles met a X’thari ship at superluminal speeds, resulting in an impact that was beyond what any ship’s shields or hull could withstand. Six capitol ships exploded with such vigor that the closest scout ships were also destroyed. Six shuttles, with their crews, in return for thirteen enemy ships destroyed. That was a favorable trade in anyone’s book. But it would not be enough.

Then the fighters attacked. Two hundred fighters, with fifty bombers following behind them, launched themselves into the gap created by the six shuttles, throwing themselves into the fire while the X’thari were still reeling from the sudden attack. Their suicidal attacks deepened the hole in the X’thari lines, as ships burned and died by the dozens.

That was when the final six shuttles went to warp, one by one. The first four hit more ships, clearing the path. The last two, however, made it through. Like a bolt from the hand of a vengeful god, they struck the Harvester, traveling at over five hundred times the speed of light! Their impacts each hit the Harvester with a force of 337 YOTTAJOULES! Each was worth 80.5 PETATONS of TNT!

In any just and sane universe, that would have been the end of it. One such impact would be enough to crack open a moon. Two, especially so close together, would shatter it. In a universe ruled by a kind and loving creator, any biological creature, even the Harvester, would have been a miniature nebula after being reduced to its component molecules by such an impact! For a brief moment, Chernikova allowed herself to hope.

The interference from the explosions cleared, but Chernikova did not see it. A psychic scream blasted across the solar system, stunning every living creature who heard it. Wiping the blood from her nose, Chernikova desperately looked at her plot, and hope died.

“It’s still there!”

How? How could it be able to shrug off such an impact? It would have to have shields to equal a planetary… command… center. “Oh god, those bastards! They have PLANETARY shields on that thing!”

Gregor, her copilot, frowned as he looked over the readings they were getting from the military sensors. “Don’t think so, Captain. Not sure, but I think it was more like layered shields. Shuttle 11 hit the top layer, blasted it to hell, and took out one or two more. Shuttle 12, she hit another one, but there must be a limit on how many shields they could layer, because the Harvester is clearly damaged. Looks like some massive burns, and the thing is BLEEDING!”

“With everything they hit it with? It should be DEAD, not bleeding! How the hell is it still alive after a dreadnought blowing up took out seventeen percent of the thing’s total mass lass time?”

“Cap’n, you’re forgetting, last time the Harvester was trying to eat the dreadnought. They were inside the shields, inside the ‘hull’, when it went off. Grenade is pretty damn dangerous in a hallway, right? But toss one at the Bitch while we’re in deep space, with shields up, and it is no big deal. They never fought the Harvester’s shields before.”

(Fleet Command Center, Coldana Prime, Coldana System)

“Damn. For a second there, I really thought that was going to work.”

Admiral Fullstout sighed. It WOULD be too much to ask for the gravest threat to the known galaxy to be wiped out so early in the battle, he guessed. “So did I, Captain. So did I. Any word on what that scream was about?”

The captain shook his head. “No sir. Best guess is that it was the Harvester, in pain. This suggests that the psy abilities of the X’thari have not been fully examined in the past. If their Harvester is powerful enough to affect the entire system because it got hurt…”

“Then there isn’t any point in trying to land someone on the thing. Even with 1000% Psy Resistance, there is no way someone could withstand that thing’s power, especially at close range.” He shook his head. “Guess it is a good thing I sent all the Fleet’s Marines down to the surface with all the weapons and ammo that they could carry. They wouldn’t have been much good up here.”

“Admiral, the X’thari are closing ranks. The hole is gone.”

Admiral Fullstout nodded grimly as he watched the X’thari continue their advance, with twice the number of ships between his forces and the Harvester now. There was no way he could force another hole, not now that the enemy knew what his plan was. Even if he sent his entire fleet, it would be impossible. “Understood. All ships, initiate Last Stand. Protect the planet as long as you can. May the Ancestors guide your path.”

Half an hour after the failed attack on the X’thari fleet, Fullstout was still on edge as he watched the enemy advance, relentless and unstoppable. Suddenly, a sensor officer called out, “ADMIRAL! Multiple Anchor drive signatures! Five signatures total!”

“Hmph. I guess we should be honored, boys. The bastards went and called for reinforcements!” Fullstout looked at the screen. Still, if that was the X’thari, they had certainly come in at strange points. All five points were clearly too small to be anything other than scout craft, but they were separated in five different directions, forming a pentagon perpendicular to the ecliptic. When the ships finally reappeared in realspace, Fullstout’s eyes widened. Those weren’t X’thari ships!

“Incoming transmission, Admiral! It is from the new ships!”

“Put it through!”

“This is Black Star Ship Heartseeker and sisters. Tenth Fleet is heavily engaged, and taking casualties in an attempt to relieve you. Nomad communications networks are helping spread tactical data on the situation.”

“This is Admiral Fullstout, Fifteenth Fleet, Consortium Navy. That’s better news than we had hoped, Heartseeker. We can confirm Firebringer is a partial failure. The Harvester is wounded, but still active.”

“Understood. We currently show the X’thari fleet splitting up, with most of the escort ships moving to intercept or chase us. We’ll draw them off as long as we can before jumping out. At the very least, your ships will get a good shot at their heavy hitters, even if you can’t get to the Harvester.”

Five ships, draw off all those escorts? How in the worlds were they planning on doing that? He had no sooner thought that, than he saw that it was coming true. Five great tendrils of the Swarm split off from the approach to Coldana, chasing the five quick-moving Black Star crafts. But why?

“Of course!” Fullstout looked to the officer who spoke. He grinned sheepishly, and said, “The Black Star ships came in on X’thari drives, Admiral! The only reason no one uses the X’thari anchor drives is because it riles up the X’thari, and they rabidly attack any ship they see using one, forgetting anything else!”

Fullstout’s eyes widened. “All ships! Advance on the enemy! Full speed ahead! Kill those fuckers before their escorts get tired of chasing Black Stars!” He paused, and then said, “Heartseeker, Admiral Fullstout. Many thanks to you and yours. Ancestors guide you.”

“Spearfather guide your blade, Admiral. Heartseeker, out.”

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Friday, March 15, 2019

Chapter 187 - The Storm Breaks

(Flag Bridge, CNV Spear of Tagrun, Interstellar Space)

There was a tension on the flag bridge as Tenth Fleet approached the Line. There was no physical line, of course. It was simply the line past which all contact had been lost by Consortium ships approaching the Coldana System. The line past which the X’thari waited.

Admiral Warhelm was no exception to that air of tension. He had fought in the last X’thari war, as the captain of a destroyer, and knew first-hand how dangerous the X’thari could be. Three formerly habitable worlds in the Free Worlds Alliance were now barren husks, stripped clean of all biomass and their resources stripped down to the bedrock. Each time before, the system had been isolated from the rest of Known Space, and only a single ship had ever escaped the ‘Dead Zone’ once it went up.

That ship was a Terran-built corvette that had gone completely silent, and engaged a ballistic course with the best stealth they could manage, heading ‘up’, away from the ecliptic. The INS Fitzroy spent seven days pretending to be a hole in space, allowing their Transition Drive to trickle charge. For six days, they were forced to listen to the cries of the people trapped on the planet of Hurin’s World. Six days listening to those cries falter, and then fail. On the seventh day, there was silence. On the eighth day, they hit the heliopause, and were able to Transition away.

The Fitzroy brought with it the only survivors of Hurin’s world and the combined Allied Fleet that had tried to hold back the X’thari. Thirty souls, all told, from a fleet of over a hundred ships. Thirty souls, from a system that was home to millions.

But the survivors were not the only bounty the Fitzroy brought with her. For the first time, the Galaxy at large were able to lay witness to the horror of a X’thari Harvester. A massive bioship the size of a small moon, it physically latched on to Hurin’s World, and began to consume it like a living creature. As it ate, it ‘birthed’ new X’thari ships, and the initial drones to crew them.

Still, the Consortium had not spent the intervening years idle. Knowing that the threat of the X’thari could one day return, they had focused a great deal of attention on active detection systems, hoping to destroy the X’thari advantage when it came to stealth attacks, and on defensive systems, to ward off the powerful grav lances the X’thari ships used. That these improvements also helped defend them against other groups, such as the Terran Empire, was a delightful bonus to something that had been a military necessity.

The Tenth Fleet was in formation Red Nine. This was one of the formations they had developed to try and detect stealthed X’thari vessels, with active scanners tuned to find X’thari hulls in particular. In the few tests they had been able to run, the overlapping sensor fields had been very effective in detecting X’thari ships. Whether that would be true in practice, however, was anyone’s guess.

With a practiced ease and nonconcern that flew in the face of his internal concern, Warhelm keyed his console to send a transmission to the entire fleet. An admiral must appear to be the calm at the eye of the storm, after all. “Men and women of the Tenth Fleet, and the Auxiliary Forces of Grathdan Sector, this is Admiral Warhelm. By now, you will have heard rumors of the foe we face. I will confirm some of them now. The X’thari have returned in force to Known Space, and, this time, their first target appears to be the Coldana System.”

“Given the communications blackout with Coldana, the exact number and disposition of our foe remains uncertain. The last time the X’thari used methods like this, it involved no mere True Hunt, but the Swarm itself descending upon Known Space. We must assume that the Swarm has once more returned to Known Space.”

“However, much has changed since the last time the X’thari darkened the skies of Known Space, when the joined forces of civilization united to push back the Swarm. Our ships are stronger, faster, tougher than ever before, and our sensors are primed to seek out and identify X’thari raiders lurking in stealth. Our crews are some of the best trained in the galaxy. Our tactics have evolved to account for the habits and psychology of the enemy.”

“Most importantly, however, is the recent arrival of the Nomads to Known Space, bringing with them new ideas and new capabilities. We now know that the Nomad communications networks cannot be stopped by the technology of the X’thari. Because of this, we know the enemy we face. Because of this, we know that Coldana yet stands. Because of this, we know that any information we can gain while in contact with the swarm will make it back to Fleet High Command, even if all our ships are lost. Because of this, should the worst happen, there will be other forces ready to stand fast and protect the planets at our backs.”

“I will not lie to you. Not all of us will survive this day. Perhaps none of us will. But there are four hundred and eighty-five MILLION souls on Coldana Prime alone. Fifteenth Fleet, which is stationed at Fleet Base Coldana, contains two hundred thousand souls, including the auxiliaries and support personnel living at the base. They still stand, and are waiting for aid. And Tenth Fleet will do our best to bring it to them. It may be that our best is not enough, and that we will fall and fail, but if that is our fate, then I say we make the bastards bleed for it!”

“We will not abandon the people of Coldana or the Fifteenth Fleet. We are the Consortium Navy, and it is our duty and privilege to be the shield between our people and those who would threaten them. In front of us is an enemy that consumes worlds. Behind us are civilians. Young men and women, children, the elderly and the infirm. They cannot fight this fight, and I would not wish it upon them. So, we will take the fight to the enemy, and ensure that, no matter what happens, the X’thari will always remember Tenth Fleet!”

He took a breath, and barked, in a crisp, clear voice of command, “This is Admiral Warhelm to all ships. All forces are to advance at best speed. No one stops until they reach Coldana! Warhelm, out.” And with that, he cut the channel.

(Free Trader Fucking Bitch, Coldana System)

“It just feels wrong, Captain.”

Captain Chernikova growled at her main gunner (not that a Zvezdnoye Nebo-class freighter, even one configured for smuggling, had much in the way of guns). “Damn it, Tima, do you think I like this any more than you do? But we are the only ship that can possibly get the word out if things go bad, and you know it. That Admiral Fullstout showed me the records of the ship that escaped a situation like this before. The X’thari ships numbered in the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS, Timofey! The last time, they only stopped the Swarm when an entire fleet bought enough time for a dreadnought to make a suicide run on the Harvester when they caught it between systems. They overloaded their reactor right in the Harvester’s mouth. Even then, eighty-three percent of the Harvester remained. Half the X’thari forces dragged the Harvester away, while the other half scattered into Hunts, forcing navies to spend three years hunting them.”

Kharzov Timofey Viktorovich grimaced, and then shook his head. “Still feels wrong, Captain, like we’re running away.” He turned, and headed for the ship’s recreation deck, likely to work some frustration out on the training dummy.

Alevtina sighed to herself. When she had managed to get her hands on the Fucking Bitch, she had been all too happy to recruit an all-Russian crew. But she had to admit that the callous way they were skulking off, hoping that the X’thari didn’t see them until they were outside the Heliopause, and could escape… well, it wore on her sensibilities as well. It was something one might expect of the Chinese, or the Koreans. Even the Americans would be less than pleased at something like this.

But she had to face facts. Her ship was the only one in the system that could possibly escape. If the X’thari did come with one of their Harvesters and the swarm that came with it, then there was nothing that they could do to stop it. The moment a Harvester appeared in this system, the people of Coldana were dead. It was just a matter of the physical world catching up to the reality of the situation.

The Fucking Bitch could not save the people of Coldana. However, the deadliest weapon in any navy’s arsenal was intelligence. Knowing this, the Consortium Navy had upgraded her ship’s sensors to military grade, and placed as many additional sensor systems on the ship as they could manage. In their hold were stacks of computers, containing not just the processing power and storage space to get every last bit of data on the Swarm that they could, but also to hold as much of Coldana’s data networks, including personal messages from every Coldanan who wished to send final letters to kin elsewhere. The Fucking Bitch was effectively the Last Will and Testament of the Coldana System as a whole.

Coldana would die when the Harvester arrived. That was a foregone conclusion. But if Chernikova Alevtina Vitalievna had anything to say about it, they would damn sure be remembered, and their sacrifice would not go to waste.

But, even so, Timofey was right. It just felt wrong, turning tail and running, when you knew that millions were going to die. She sighed, and slipped into the Nomad communication nets. The others needed to know what Coldana had planned.

(Fleet Command Center, Coldana Prime, Coldana System)

Admiral Fullstout had not slept. The idea of doing something so mundane as sleeping when the looming specter of the X’thari was upon them was simply ludicrous. He knew, as well as the rest of his command, that there was nothing that they could do to stop the Swarm if it came to them.

Everyone knew that the situation was hopeless. There wasn’t any force that could reach them in time, and with enough strength, to make the difference. That was the cold, hard truth. But that didn’t mean they weren’t going to fight. The more damage they could do to the swarm, the better the chances the rest of the Consortium would have.

And the Navy wasn’t going to be the only ones fighting. The armories were being opened up, and everyone who could hold a gun was being given one. Everyone knew that there would be no surviving what was to come, but they intended to bleed the Swarm for every centimeter of ground. It would not be enough, but it was all they had. Their one real hope was that the Fucking Bitch managed to get away with the sensor data, so that the Navy could find a way to end this.

Suddenly, alarms began going off in the command center. The invasion alarm was sounding. The X’thari were not even trying to hide, not with the massive numbers that were coming in. Fullstout’s mind boggled at the numbers. One hundred and seventy-two thousand five hundred ships. Just thinking in such numbers was more than he could bear. And then there was the Harvester, in the center of the swarm.

A grim look came over his face. “Set off the tarpits. We’ll slow them down as much as we possibly can. All ships stand ready to fight. Send word to civil defense. Let them know that the Swarm has arrived.”

He paused, and then looked to an aide. “Have the shuttles been prepared?”

“Yes, Admiral.”

“Have the pilots man their ships. Operation Firebringer is a go.”

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Monday, March 11, 2019

Chapter 186 - Before the Storm

(Flag Bridge, CNV Spear of Tagrun, Interstellar Space)

Admiral Gifol Warhelm was glad to be finally underway. Coldana was the primary naval base in the Grathdan Sector, so when Coldana went out of contact, gathering relief forces that could be sent was a problem. Sending individual ships was pointless, as it would just leave them to be destroyed individually. So, he had been forced to wait and concentrate the relief forces.

His Tenth Fleet had been stationed in the Helfan Sector, on the edge of the Ihm Imperium. The word of Coldana’s silence had spread rapidly through the Fleet, and orders were quickly cut for him to reinforce and relieve the fleet base, since relations between the Consortium and the Imperium were as good as they typically got for the time being. Getting from one side of the Consortium to another quickly was a minor logistical nightmare, but that is why all fleet commands trained for rapid redeployment, in the case of invasion. He had to leave much of his fleet train behind to make the best time, but he had arrived in the Grathdan Sector a mere three weeks after Coldana was first reported as going dark.

Fortunately, the Consortium was not so foolish as to place all their forces in a sector at a single fleet base, but Ekyinos was only a secondary base, little more than a supply depot, really. Originally intended as a base for forces tasked to antipiracy efforts, Warhelm knew it was completely unsuited to the task of being the launching point for his forces. Further, it was also on the other side of the Sector from Coldana. Which is why, when he brought his fleet through the Gateway at Dagon, he had the remaining sector forces rally with him at the Cadra System, along with every logistics freighter they could manage bringing supplies from Ekyinos. This would shave two weeks off the time necessary to rally the combined fleet, and an entire month off the time to relieve Coldana.

His only worry, when devising this plan of action, was the fact that stripping the Sector of every warship he could get his hands on would leave the trade fleets vulnerable to pirates who would try to take advantage of the situation. But a Fleet Base does not simply drop off the face of the universe for a lark. Something was desperately wrong at Coldana, and that meant he needed all the guns he could get, and he needed them sooner, rather than later.

The lack of information was disturbing, in more ways than one. He had the feeling of flying off into the void, without charts or instruments to guide him. Preparing for an adversary you did not know the capabilities of was a near impossibility. But if they were able to silence an entire system so completely, then they needed to be able to predict and prepare, so that he didn’t end up wasting his fleet, rather than saving Coldana.

The only good news in all of this was that the Sector Administrator had not been idle. When the Fleet Base went dark, she clearly recognized the need for relief forces, and knew where they would have to come from. Even before he had departed from his base in the Helfan Sector, the Sector Administrator had commandeered a Navy cruiser, and had gotten a mercenary group to patrol the spacelanes in the sector and keep pirates in check. They even had capitol ships that could help defend the sector capitol, if needed.

Such quick action was to be commended, and Warhelm had already sent messages publicly supporting the Sector Administrator’s actions to both Fleet Command and the Trade Council. Far too many of the Sector Administrators would be too afraid of harming their precious bottom line to make the hard choices that were required when it came time to actually defend the people and territory under their command. They would have spent a month or more negotiating the terms of the agreement to get the mercenaries to do the most work for the least amount of money and the fewest billable expenses. While that may be useful for normal situations, a crisis demanded swift action. One did not become a Sector Administrator by being wasteful with capitol, of course, but Sector Administrator Yutreda Woldmane was clearly able to tell the difference between ‘business as usual’ and a crisis.

Even better, from his point of view, was the fact that she had not insisted on coming with him and the Tenth Fleet to relieve Coldana. Too many Administrators would feel the need to put their fingers in the confection to ensure that they got credit for any successes, and could be there to forcefully lay the blame on someone else if there were failures. It always resulted in a dramatic drop in efficiency and often became the source of adverse results. She had remained on Cadra, and he was extremely thankful for that.

His ruminations were disrupted by the sound of a chime, indicating that someone was approaching the Flag Bridge’s doors. He tapped a command into his screen, and saw the scene outside, with a lowly Ensign being stopped by the marines outside the door. Normally, no ensign would ever be allowed onto a flag bridge on a Consortium Navy flagship, but the guards checked the ensign’s identification against a list, and then allowed him in.

Frowning, Warhelm brought up the Ensign’s file, to find out what would cause the marines to allow him onto the flag bridge. Ah, there it was. A Nomad, just recently graduated from the Consortium Naval Scholarium. That gave a possible reason for the Ensign to be on his flag bridge. Once news of the Nomad communication networks was verified by Naval Intelligence, he had issued a standing order that Nomads wearing the uniform be allowed access to command staff if they had received mission critical information via their networks. The same order also stated that wasting their commanders’ time would be harshly punished.

He heard the Ensign come to a halt behind him, the telltale sounds of someone coming to attention. “Sir! Ensign Hassot Alebraids reporting according to standing orders, sir!”

Warhelm turned, and viewed the Ensign. A Gauz male, he wore the uniform well, and didn’t have any of the silly affectations that most Nomads appeared to have. Discipline was important in the Navy, and this Ensign was clearly taking the lessons to heart. He would have to examine his file in more detail later on. Nomads had been at the center of several major changes recently, so keeping one on good terms would serve him well.

“At ease. I take it the Nomad communication networks have picked up something important, Ensign? Let us hear it, then.”

The Ensign shifted into the at ease position, and said, “As you know, Black Star ships have been patrolling the space lanes to curb piracy. According to chatter, they have encountered at least five X’thari raiding groups, each a third of scout ships. Survivors of one of the raiding groups appeared to jump out, heading towards Coldana. Black Star has sent out a general warning to all Nomads, letting them know the X’thari are on the hunt, and encouraging them to spread the word to local forces. Black Star has already used the planetary comms at Cadra Primaris to inform system governments across the sector.”

Admiral Warhelm nodded. “So, the Black Stars discovered the X’thari, and then moved to inform the sector as quickly as possible, via whatever means they had available. And you, hearing this, brought it straight to me. Very good. If we had more Nomads like you and the Black Stars, then we would have fewer problems. What is the disposition of the Black Star Fleet?”

“With a X’thari presence confirmed, Admiral Mollen is recalling all Black Star ships to Cadra Primaris. When he learned I was in Tenth Fleet, he specifically asked for me to pass along that the Black Stars would act as a backstop, should things goo poorly. The few Nomads in the Coldana system haven’t found any traces of the X’thari, but they’re standing ready to pass along information as it comes through.”

“Excellent. Anything else to report?”

“Yes, Admiral. A Nomad claiming to be part of the Shatterback Clan of pirates has come forward offering an ‘arrangement’ with the Black Stars. From what was discussed, the pirate clans have also been losing ships to the X’thari, and are discussing their options. Admiral Mollen told them that, if the clans did not engage in piracy during this crisis, then his contract with the Consortium would not require him to hunt them. If they took that time to engage in ‘less than legal’ shipping concerns between planets, or heading out of the Sector, then that was not part of his contract, and none of his concern.”

“And they knew you were listening to this?”

“Yes, sir. This happened after I had identified myself as a member of Tenth Fleet, and Admiral Mollen had discussed his plans.”

Warhelm nodded slowly. “So, even the pirate clans understand the gravity of the situation, and are looking for options. Ensign, I want you to get back on that communication network, and let that pirate know that, on authority of the Tenth Fleet, ships conducting legitimate rescue and relief missions during the crisis will not be hindered, regardless of whether they may have ‘lapsed’ on registrations or have been identified in illicit acts previously. Dismissed.”

The Ensign saluted, and then walked off the bridge, presumably to get in contact with the Nomads. Looking over to his aide, Captain Millbrew, he said, “Millbrew, fire up the mobile FTL comm, and transmit the Ensign’s report to the nearest buoy, and have it retransmit to all planets and fleet resources in the sector. And get that Ensign’s complete file for me. I want to see if he is in line for promotion.” He paused, and then added, “And pass to all ships in the fleet, ‘Expect X’thari involvement, formation Red Nine’. Not much else we can do until we find them.”

(Fleet Command Center, Coldana Prime, Coldana System)

The Fleet Command Center had been the site of barely controlled panic for the better part of a month, now, ever since whatever happened to plunge their system into a communication’s blackout had descended upon them. Fortunately, the Coldana System was relatively self-sufficient, and did not rely on imports of foodstuffs like some systems did to keep people from starving within days. Without imports, Coldana could support its colony and system infrastructure for months without hardship. Rationing had been put into effect, however, so that reserves could be established. Current estimates were that, with the rationing, they would be able to sustain Coldana’s population for a year, if nothing changed. That is when medicines and certain other non-food necessities would begin running out.

None of which made Admiral Fullstout happier about the situation. Whatever was keeping ships from getting in or out of the system was also keeping the FTL coms from connecting. He needed information on the outside world, and the threats his people faced. And the only source was… distasteful.

Chernikova Alevtina Vitalievna was a human. Worse, she was a Nomad. As if that wasn’t bad enough, her ship, the Fucking Bitch was a confirmed smuggler, dealing primarily in contraband psychoactive materials and slaves. However, Captain Chernikova was the only Nomad in the system, which meant she was the only way he had of getting news from the outside.

“So, it is confirmed that the X’thari are responsible, then? That is… unfortunate.”

Chernikova shrugged, and said in that heavy accent of hers, “I don’t see what is so bad about it. Yes, the bugs are nasty, but what can they really do if the people on the ground fight? The gravity outside is three times that of Earth. They would not last long once they left their ships. Hell, Gauz are the only ones that can walk around here without grav belts.”

Fullstout shook his head. “Oh, it is very bad. If the people from Shadowgate were responsible, I could at least see an occupation in the future. With this being the X’thari, then this would be the largest action since the last X’thari war. In that war, entire planets were consumed, down to the bedrock, and left as lifeless husks, stripped of all resources and biomatter to feed the swarm.”

Chernikova frowned. “Well, that will definitely suck for whoever’s on the planet when they get here.”

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Chapter 185 - Raiders

(BSN Jester, Interstellar Space)

Three on two was not exactly great odds. Too much could happen in a fight like that. It was far too close to a fair fight. And if there was one thing that was absolute doctrine in the Black Star Navy it was that fair fights should be avoided whenever possible.

Jester and Isis announced their arrival with a blast from their main guns, focusing fire on the closest of the three X’thari scouts. The superdreadnought-level weapons combining to smash the scout vessel’s shields, likely doing some pretty severe damage to the ship itself. Questions about how much damage they did were rendered moot a second later, when one of Jester’s ship-killer missiles hit the crippled scout straight in their engines. Power on the scout ship died a half-second before the ship exploded, likely caused by reactor damage.

Two on two was still far too close to a ‘fair fight’ for Simimar’s liking, however. “All right, one down, two more to go. Isis, you have lead on this one. Jester will follow you in.”

Switching from the ship-to-ship frequency to internal coms, he said, “Meriel, keep a sharp eye on those sensors. I don’t want one of those bastards looping around to try and take us from behind. Susan, get us in formation with Isis, and follow their lead. We need to kill these bastards fast. Aiduin, we’re probably going to start stressing the shields in a second. Give me what you can get. Kitten, work with Fagan on Isis. I want these X’thari out of my sky.”

SexKitten purred happily. “Will do, Captain.” Simimar didn’t need to look over at her to know that she had her ‘game face’ on. She might play around a bit (more like constantly) normally, but now it was time to work. And if there was one thing about SexKitten that was one hundred percent pure Felisan, despite her being a Nomad, it was that she never messed around when the hunt was on.

With that, Simimar tried to get that freighter on the coms. “Alebeard Shipping Vessel True Brew, this is Black Star Navy Jester. Damage report. Can you clear the engagement zone?”

“True Brew to Jester. Shields are at 5% and climbing on secondary generators. Currently on backup power. Will need to make repairs before engaging FTL.”

“Jester copies, True Brew. Maintain best course and speed away from engagement area. We’ll keep the X’thari off your backs.”

Gritting his teeth, he switched to Isis’s frequency. “Victor, civvie freighter unable to disengage. Wounded duck scenario. We need to keep the raiders focused on us.”

Isis’s Captain grunted. “Fair enough. Bogey’s Two and Three are turning to intercept us. We’ll hold their attention, don’t you worry.”

“Take the lead on Three, he’s closest. We’ll follow you in, and watch your back.”

“Wilco.”

Simimar turned his attention back to his navigational plot and the sensor logs. Two on two was a fair fight, but X’thari raiders and Black Star gunboats didn’t stack up evenly. They had their strengths and weaknesses. The X’thari were light, nimble craft that had a small (but significant) advantage in speed, especially on single vectors. The gunboats had a tighter turn radius, and were built strong enough to take the extra stress of flipping a vertical 180 degrees, firing back along their flight path. Their main weapons were stronger and had a longer range than the X’thari grav-lances, but the lances were on turrets instead of spinal mounts, meaning the X’thari didn’t have to be facing straight at their prey to shoot it. Of course, the gunboats did have the advantage of shields and missile loads, and their point defense could still hurt a X’thari scout if they didn’t have shields up.

Everyone who served on a Black Star gunboat got cross-trained. You learned enough of the other person’s job so that if shit went down, and they were either incapacitated, off the ship, or whatever, you could work the problem. Didn’t have to be a master at it, but you did have to know how to sing a few bars, in a pinch.

Susan Glass, their human pilot, had slipped into her seat even before the first shot was fired, and she was following Isis’s pilot in a twisting ark that aimed to cut off the X’thari the computer had named Bogey Three. Simimar didn’t bother giving her orders, instead, he was keeping track of the battlefield, and listening to the communications channels, so they could coordinate with Isis. Meriel Carfiel, their knelfi backup mechanic was also their primary medic, but until people or machines needed fixing, she was sitting at a console, keeping sharp track of the sensors, making sure that Bogey Two didn’t get in behind them, or make a run on the freighter. Breaking off on an attack run towards the freighter would be a very un-X’thari thing to do, when there was stronger prey around, that wasn’t crippled, but the bugs were clever, and weren’t above leading an enemy into a trap.

Which is also why Aiduin Rolana, their knelfi Engineer, was already working to keep this gunboat running smoothly while the weapons were flying. The Nomads had a lovely saying about the ‘Demon God’ Murphy, and how everything that can go wrong eventually will go wrong. Which is why they had five crewmembers on a ship that could be easily run by three, maybe even two. Redundancy wasn’t a bad thing, when it came to military hardware.

This battle would be over soon enough. Whatever else the X’thari were, they weren’t stupid. The destruction of their first scout ship caused them to break off their attack on the True Brew. Bogey Three was trying to turn, and get out from under their guns, and was going in three dimensions to try and make up for their inferior turn radius. Bogey Two, on the other hand, was looping back, looking to…

Meriel spotted it. “Captain! Bogey Two maneuvering to try and get on our six!”

Simimar grit his teeth. “Transferring power to rear shields! Susan, keep us masking Isis. Let them worry about Three. SexKitten, I want a missile headed Two’s way, ASAP! Give them something to think about besides shooting us full of holes. Aiduin, I need all the shield power you can give me!”

“Missile away!”

The gunboat rocked as the X’thari grav-lance raked their shields, jerking everyone up short by their safety harnesses. Simimar grimaced as he saw the numbers. Forty-five percent reduction in field strength from that single hit, and that was after they’d been reinforced! Damn, but those grav-lances packed a punch.

Bogey Two rolled into a corkscrew spiral to evade the missile, doing its best to keep us in its sights, while denying us an easy targeting solution. And if they broke to engage, the X’thari would have a free shot at Isis. It wouldn’t take them long to break through her shields, and then the odds would be worse.

“Isis, Jester. These Xithies are getting on my nerves. You feel like a bit of a game with them?”

“Jester, Isis. Now that you mention it, this is starting to annoy me a little bit. Perhaps we should try and clear the air? Surprise Party?”

“Affirmative. Call the shot.”

“Surprise Party in three… two… one… BREAK!”

The X’thari were hunters. They may have adapted well to the concepts of space combat, but they were not soldiers. They were hunters and they fought and flew like hunters, preferring to stalk and entrap their prey. Black Stars were military, pure and simple.

Surprise Party was one of the maneuvers that all Black Star Navy pilots trained in as part of their formation training. On command, Isis abruptly angled up and cut all thrust. Jester burst through the space her sister had just been in, boosting speed and rebalancing her shields, a brace of missiles flying from her forward tubes as her main gun fired at Bogey Three. They all missed, but that was only a minor disappointment. The main thing was keeping that scout’s head down. Bogey Two couldn’t break off in time to target Isis, and flew right past the gunboat, which quickly reengaged thrust as it angled down, bringing her main gun in line with two’s stern. Now, it was two on one, and both ships were pursuing Three once more.

Then the presence of the tarpit was gone, along with the last X’thari scout. Simimar breathed out a sigh of relief. “Isis, Jester. Bogey Three has quit the area. No sense chasing them into whatever defenses they have at their base. Form up on True Brew. We’ll cover her until she is able to go to warp.”

“Copy Jester. Forming up on Slowby McSlowface.”

Simimar chuckled at the ancient joke, and looked around. “Meriel, Aiduin, run diagnostics, make sure nothing worked loose when we got our bell rung. Susan, take us towards the freighter. SexKitten, keep an eye out for that last ship, in case they get their nerve back.”

While the crew got to their tasks, Simimar logged the last course and speed of the X’thari raider, and included it in the incident report he was writing. Switching frequencies, he transmitted, “True Brew, Jester. Two X’thari scouts destroyed, one running. Isis and Jester will remain on station until you are underway. Suggest expediting warp repairs, in case they come back.”

“Brew copies, Jester. And thanks for that.”

“Just doing our job, Brew. We’ll let you get back to your repairs. Jester, out.”

(Main Bridge, BSN Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, Cadra Primaris)

Slave-Captain Ara Virstina was at ease. At least, that was what her crew saw of her. There were multiple battles going on, according to her reports, but none of them affected her deployment orders. The attacks had all been launched by X’thari raiders, all in light scout craft, fighting in Thirds. Since even if her ships left at this moment, they would be hours or days late by the time they got to even one of the battle sites, all she could do about them was collate data, and prepare her report for the Master.

So far, the attacks had been typical commerce raider actions. The ‘what’ and the ‘how’ were normal, the only oddities were the ‘who’ and the ‘why’. X’thari didn’t typically go shooting up transports in interstellar space. That wasn’t their thing. The fact that they were dealing with multiple X’thari incursions throughout the sector also meant that this was likely more than a simple skirmish.

At least the battles were going well. So far, they hadn’t lost any ships, primarily because they were launching surprise attacks. Like the X’thari, Black Star’s screening elements were ambush predators at heart. Once the X’thari committed to an attack on one of the bait freighters, the Black Stars would pounce. Sure, they hadn’t gotten away with those victories free and clear. Several gunboats were damaged, a couple critically, and Wisteria had suffered a grav-lance hit when she put her hull between a raider and a freighter, sending her on emergency power temporarily. Fortunately, they hadn’t lost any of the ships.

Still, all of this spoke to a much larger X’thari presence in the Grathdan Sector than anyone had suspected. Dutifully, Virstina went through the reports, until she came to Jester’s after-action report. Something troubled her about it. Pulling up the sector map, she plotted the action site, and then the course the Raider that escaped took to break contact. It was a straight-line course to the Coldana System.

Virstina sighed. She was privately glad that the Admiral had decided to play ‘hooky’. Everyone knew that he got antsy when he was cooped up for too long, so giving him some space to be ‘normal’ was all well and good. Of course, she DID have a tactical team following her Master discretely. He hadn’t ordered her not to, and by this point he probably already knew they were there. He could pretend he was a normal man, but Virstina had a responsibility to see that he stayed alive.

Now, she was going to have to cut his ‘vacation’ short. Hitting a button on her communicator, she waited until the other side picked up, and said, “Raven, it is Slave-Captain Virstina, on the Ama-no-Murakumo. We have multiple confirmed X’thari raiders in the sector, striking freighter traffic. One scout ship escape, probable destination Coldana.”

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

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