Legacy Fleet: Invincible Page 6

  “Roger that, Ramrod.” Choo-choo’s normally girlish voice was low and tight with tension.

  “You got it, boss.” Easy’s bass voice was reassuring in the mayhem.

  The alien ships were everywhere, flying in no apparent formations, just . . . swarming was the only word he could think of. He ripped off a blast of cannon fire and nailed two of them. His wingmen were doing the same. Like shooting fish in a barrel, as his grandfather would say.

  “Holy Mother of Fudge, there’s a ton of them,” Choo-choo said. “They’re like ants.” Another blast of cannon fire from his right and another alien exploded right in front of him. The debris smacked against his cockpit, leaving a spiderweb of cracks.

  “Red Squad,” Whippet’s voice boomed in Ramrod’s headset. “Get through the fighters and get us a close-up recon on the mother ship. We need to know what we’re dealing with here.”

  “Roger that, CAG.” Ramrod punched the throttle and laid on the cannon again. At this rate, he’d be out of ammo before they even made it to the mother ship.

  The alien fighters were getting more numerous the closer they got to the host ship. Ramrod blasted two more aliens in his path before disaster struck. His panel flashed a warning. Projectiles streaked past his cockpit window.

  “I’ve got one on my six,” he yelled.

  Easy fell away from his left side. “Break right on my mark, Ramrod. Now!” Ramrod jammed his stick over and rolled. The space behind him lit up with an explosion.

  But there were two more, one on either side of him. The alien fighters closed in, crushing him between them. Ramrod used his cannon to clip the nose off the fighter on his left, but the damage to his craft was done. He jacked around in his seat, looking for Choo-choo, but she was dealing with her own devils. She blasted another fighter. “Hang on, Ramrod,” she called. “I’m coming!”

  An alien fighter appeared behind her. “Choo-choo, on your six!”

  It was too late. His friend’s craft imploded in a fiery bubble. He heard Easy cursing in a solid stream over the open net.

  “Easy! On me!” Ramrod shouted. He was having trouble maintaining a steady course. One of his stabilizers must have been busted by the kamikaze run he’d just endured.

  Easy appeared on his port side, flashing him a tight smile. “Let’s get some pictures, boss,” he said.

  They burst through the last wave of alien fighters, giving them an unobstructed view of the Swarm ship. “Whippet, are you getting this?” Ramrod said.

  “Yeah, Ramrod, it’s coming through five-by-five.” He could sense the despair in the CAG’s voice. “Good job, Red Squad.”

  Ramrod didn’t answer. Flying next to the Swarm ship was like being a mosquito on the ass of a bull elephant. The alien ship seemed to have no point defenses other than fighters. They cruised past a massive laser emplacement. He wasn’t an expert on energy weapons, but it was the biggest laser he’d ever seen on any ship in his life.

  “Looks like an armadillo,” Easy said. Ramrod nodded. The armor on the alien ship overlapped like the scales of a living creature, each layer reinforcing the one behind it.

  Ramrod was having increasing trouble with his course control. “We need to cut this short, Easy. I was hit back there and the damage is getting worse.”

  When they swept past the scoop opening on the side of the Swarm ship, Ramrod got a good look straight down the gullet of the alien flight deck. He gulped. Hundreds of shadowy fighters clung to the walls of the curved hangar, like bats hanging from the walls of a cave.

  “There’s so many,” Easy whispered.

  As Ramrod watched, a group of six fighters detached from the wall and swept into an organized flight pattern, heading straight for them.

  Whippet’s voice boomed in his ears. “Red Squad, pull out. Now!”

  ***

  ISS Defiant – Bridge

  Captain Gretchen Kang had made her peace with what was about to happen. She fingered the prayer beads on her wrist, a tiny bit of calm in the midst of the chaos around her.

  “The Eagle is launching fighters, ma’am.”

  “Very well.” She touched her armrest and raised her voice. “Midwest Squadron, it appears that our negotiations have not gone well. Diamond formation on me, shields at maximum.” She broke the connection.

  “Helm, give me an intercept course to the Eagle. Flank speed.”

  Within minutes they reached the cloud of fighters around Mannix’s ship. He’d taken some damage on his port side but still looked capable. On the other hand, the Eagle’s fighter squadron was getting decimated.

  Using shields and point-defense systems, she mowed a path through the fighters. Not pretty, but effective against the smaller craft.

  “Status report,” she called.

  “Shields at seventy percent, ma’am. The Midwest squadron is still in formation.”

  “Very well. Open a channel to Eagle.” She paused. “Captain Mannix, I’m coming up on your port side, sir. I’ll engage the lead alien ship with rail guns.”

  “Roger that, Captain Kang. We’re trying to recover fighters, but it’s a losing battle. I’ll join the party as soon as I can. Eagle, out.”

  Kang switched channels. “Midwest Squadron, gamma formation. Concentrate rail gun fire on the lead ship.” Acknowledgments flowed in and Gretchen saw the ships form a battle line to maximize their projectile firepower. They broke through the thickest concentration of fighters and the alien ships were clearly visible. She smiled grimly. Time for some payback for all those fighters.

  “Fire on my mark,” she said. “Three, two—”

  A brilliant green laser shot out of the lead ship. She heard the sensors officer pull in a sharp breath. “Ma’am, I—I—the Minnesota and the Iowa, they’re gone.” Another bolt of green lanced out of the lead alien ship. “The Kansas, too.”

  “All rail guns, continuous fire,” Kang replied. Between the incessant vibration of the Swarm and the pulsing of the rail guns, it felt like she was riding a horse. “Damage assessment.”

  “Surface damage only, ma’am—as far as we can tell.” The laser spurted out again. “Illinois is gone.”

  The Eagle crossed the viewscreen, her rail guns blazing, a cloud of enemy fighters in close pursuit. A small explosion erupted on the surface of the alien ship. Kang pointed to the screen. “Weapons, target all rail gun fire on that spot.”

  “Aye-aye, ma’am.” Gretchen noted with satisfaction that the explosion was growing into a golden ripple of fire across the hull of the alien ship.

  A text message popped up on her private screen. “From Mannix: Omega Protocol in effect.” She tapped out an acknowledgment.

  “Ma’am, one of the other ships is moving.” The sensors officer pointed to the screen. The alien ship on the port side was pulling forward to block their fire on the lead Swarm vessel.

  Gretchen nodded. “I’m taking that as an acknowledgment that we’re having an effect. XO, maneuver us so we can keep up the fire on the lead ship.”

  “Aye-aye, ma’am.” The ship banked hard as the XO took control. Eagle had the same idea, turning in a wide arc to keep a clear line of fire on the damaged alien craft. Gretchen could see the Eagle had a long gash across her side—probably from laser fire—and she was leaving a trail of debris in her wake. The alien fighters had backed off, though, and her rail guns continued to pound at the lead alien ship. The blossom of damage on the hull of the massive vessel continued to expand.

  The second Swarm ship began continuous laser fire on the Eagle, making the viewscreen glow with green light. Mannix’s shields were all but gone, and the alien laser carved a broad arc across the heavy cruiser’s side. More atmosphere and debris vented.

  The Eagle accelerated toward the alien ship, toward the spot where they’d managed to cause damage.

  Omega Protocol, thought Gretchen. Suicide run. She clutched at the beads on her wrist, saying a silent prayer for Mannix and his brave crew.

  But it was not to be. The two alien ships conc
entrated all their laser fire on the Eagle’s engine room. Where the core was housed.

  The Eagle evaporated in a flash of light.

  The laser fire turned on the Defiant. The ship bucked as its shields tried to absorb the energy of the alien barrage.

  “Shields at fifty percent, ma’am.” The weapons officer had a note of panic in his voice. “And falling fast.”

  Mannix had waited too long. She would not make the same mistake.

  “Weapons, continue to target the damaged area on the lead alien ship. Shift all shields to protect the reactor core.” Gretchen paused. “Helm, plot a collision course to the lead alien ship. I want us right in the middle of that damaged area.”

  The bridge crew were all looking at her now. She fixed the expression on her face. “I have been ordered to use the Omega Protocol.” The hum of the Swarm was so loud she had to shout. “It has been an honor to serve with you all.”

  The sensors officer was crying quietly at her station and somewhere behind her, comms, maybe, she heard the sound of praying.

  “Course laid in, ma’am,” the XO shouted in her ear.

  The alien laser fire slashed across the hull, and she felt a ripple under her feet as one of the decks below them vented to space.

  Gretchen fingered her beads for the last time.

  “Engineering, give me everything you’ve got. Helm, engage.”

  The ship leapt underneath her, but whether it was from the engines or the enemy fire, she couldn’t tell.

  Chapter 14

  UEF Headquarters

  New York City

  They’d dispensed with diplomatic protocols for the meeting. Each head of state flew to New York overnight with a minimal security detail and no press entourage. None of them had slept much, if at all.

  President Quentin Chamberlain surveyed the room and was not filled with hope. It said something when it felt like the most accessible person in the room was Russian President Oleksiy Ivanov, his most ardent rival.

  But that was yesterday, Chamberlain told himself, before they faced mutual annihilation. Ivanov was watching him, his heavy lids and impassive features concealing a genius-level mind. Chamberlain had been briefed that the Russian was a chess grand master.

  Chinese Premier Sun Wu was much more youthful than he appeared in press pictures. Given the Chinese penchant for all things ancient, they probably doctored his photos to make him look older. Sun sat with pursed lips, giving nothing away while he waited for the meeting to start.

  And then there was the Supreme Leader of the Caliphate, Masoud el-Hashem. Chamberlain had half expected the famously inward-looking Caliphate to reject his request for a face-to-face meeting. But here they were. El-Hashem was dressed in simple robes of soft beige and seemed the most at ease in the room. He smiled at Chamberlain and nodded pleasantly as if they were at a cocktail party.

  He’d deliberately excluded all their defense ministers and the heads of state for all the member nations of the UEF. Sure, they’d feel rejected, but unless he could get these three men on his side, it didn’t matter a whit if France joined in the fight or not. They needed firepower and lots of it.

  “Gentlemen,” Chamberlain said. All eyes were on him. Between them, these men represented the majority of the billions of people spread across inhabited space. “Twelve hours ago, a small force of UEF Fleet ships engaged the aliens—we are calling them the Swarm. The end result was complete destruction of our forces.”

  Chamberlain had to force himself not to throw an accusing glare at Ivanov. That selfish Russian prick might have been able to make a difference and he’d sat on his hands.

  “And what did you learn from the engagement, Quentin?” Ivanov’s voice was like gravel crunching underfoot, probably from the two packs of cigarettes he smoked every day. Chamberlain resisted the urge to smack the smile off Ivanov’s fat face. He took a deep breath to calm himself.

  “The alien ships are equipped with large numbers of fighters and ultra-high-power lasers. They have minimal shields and are susceptible to projectile weapons. The fighters appear to be below par with ours in terms of maneuverability and firepower, but they outnumber us by an order of magnitude.”

  He let that sink in. Even Ivanov seemed to sober up at that assessment.

  “Do we have any idea what they seek?” el-Hashem said. He had a soft voice with a musical quality to it.

  Chamberlain shook his head. “All attempts at communications have gone unanswered. Based on their actions here and at Alpha Centauri, I think we can safely assume they mean us harm.”

  “Are you sure of that, President Chamberlain?” It was the Chinese premier. He had a commanding baritone, the kind of voice used to giving orders. “Perhaps if you had not met them with heavily armed warships you would have had a different outcome.”

  “If I may point out, Premier Sun, we have also lost all contact with an undefended research station on Alpha Centauri. We presume that station was wiped out.”

  “You presume, Mr. President,” the premier persisted, “but do you know? Perhaps their communications capability has been damaged.”

  “Perhaps,” Chamberlain admitted, “but unlikely.”

  Wu shrugged and Chamberlain continued.

  “The purpose of this meeting is to form an alliance against what we believe is a threat to humanity—all humanity, regardless of race, creed, or political persuasion. I recommend we pool our defensive resources and meet the alien force with our combined might.”

  Chamberlain let his words hang in the air. They were pretty good, he had to admit. Something for the history books that he could be proud of having said.

  El-Hashem spoke first. “I’m afraid the Caliphate has very little in the way of warships, Mr. President. As a theocracy, our military is mostly limited to troops and the means to move them through space.”

  Chamberlain nodded. That was mostly true, although the intelligence they had on the Caliphate was remarkably spotty, a result of having spent too many generations focused on the Russians and the Chinese.

  “We see merit in your proposal, Mr. President,” Premier Wu said. “We will participate, as long as we have an equal say in the decision-making process.”

  Chamberlain resisted the urge to smile. That had been much easier than he’d anticipated. His aides told him the premier would be the holdout. He turned to the Russian. “Well, Oleksiy?”

  The Russian’s eyes shifted beneath their heavy lids as if he was searching for an exit. Finally, he nodded. “I agree, but we need to decide something else first.”

  Chamberlain frowned. “I assume you mean the command structure. We’ve been giving that some thought and—”

  “No, I mean your GILD system.”

  Chamberlain froze. How on earth did the Russians know about that?

  “I’m not sure what you mean, Oleksiy. That’s no more than some journalist’s wet dream.”

  “Do not insult my intelligence, Mr. President. I happen to know that you were planning a vote to turn the system on this very week but some unfortunate events prevented that from happening.”

  Chamberlain reached for a pitcher of water, pouring himself a glass. The liquid did nothing to quench the dryness in his mouth.

  “What is this GILD system?” the Chinese premier asked.

  “Space drones,” Ivanov replied, clearly enjoying himself. “A high-power laser platform able to fight by itself using artificial intelligence.”

  Wu looked at Chamberlain. “This is true?”

  The president shifted in his seat. “Oleksiy is overstating the capability, but he has the basic facts correct.”

  “And this system is operational now?” Wu said. The smugness was gone from his expression, replaced by a wariness.

  “Potentially,” Chamberlain admitted.

  “It is imperative that we use the GILD system to engage the aliens before they get closer to Earth, Quentin,” said the Russian.

  “I disagree,” said Wu. “This is the kind of weapon that will put
us all in danger. I cannot support that decision.”

  “Premier Wu,” began Chamberlain, “I believe it is in our best interest to use all of our assets in this fight.”

  Chinese Premier Wu stood. “Then the People’s Republic of China will not be part of this alliance.” He stalked out of the room.

  Chapter 15

  ISS Invincible – Briefing Room

  Addison did her best not to flinch as Admiral Kilgore’s voice narrated the blow-by-blow destruction of the Eagle, the Defiant, and the four ships of the Midwest Squadron. When the Defiant crashed into the alien vessel in a blazing explosion, The senior officer’s face filled the screen.

  “That’s what we’re dealing with, Captain Baltasar. For all the efforts of Captains Mannix and Kang and their crews, the Swarm fleet sustained minimal damage and has maintained steady course and speed toward Earth. We’re recalling the entire Fleet to face this threat. We want the Invincible to attack the alien rear guard at Mars Station.”

  Captain Baltasar frowned. “Admiral, even at max g’s and full inertial dampeners, we won’t reach Mars by the time the Swarm gets there.”

  Kilgore nodded her gray head. “I know, Captain—that’s why you’re being authorized to perform an intra-system q-jump.”

  Quantum drive, technology that connected a quantum field coupler to the ship’s hull, allowed a starship like the Invincible to “jump” through space-time. Although it had been in existence for the last fifty years as a military technology, its use was strictly regulated to open space for travel between systems.

  Kilgore let that sink in. “As of this moment, we are in a state of unrestricted warfare against the Swarm. The Commander in Chief is meeting with the heads of state from Russia, China, and the Caliphate as we speak to combine our military might against these invaders.”

  “And we still have no idea what they want, Admiral?” Addison asked. Surely an alien race capable of interstellar travel would have managed to expend some effort on the ability to communicate.