Defiant (Lightship Chronicles) Page 20

  “You could hit them both!”

  “Unlikely,” I pointed to the tactical display on the main viewer. The two ships were far enough apart that the enveloping plasma would hit Vixis before she could reach Impulse, but not by much. My bridge crew and I watched helplessly as the plasma closed on Vixis while Vixis closed on Impulse.

  “Detecting a power surge from Vixis, sir,” said Karina from her station.

  “What kind?”

  “Uncertain, sir,” she replied.

  “XO, how long until—”

  “Seven seconds, sir,” said Babayan. Then we saw it. The same sickly colored green energy weapon that the automatons used streaked out from Vixis and through Impulse’s damaged Hoagland Field.

  The green energy beams impacted against Impulse’s hull. Then she broke in half amidships, and her stern twisted away and exploded.

  Our anti-graviton plasma arrived seconds later and enveloped Vixis. We watched the blinding white-and-silver shimmer of the plasma exploding as it impacted Vixis’s Hoagland Field. Then the screen adjusted for light, and the plasma faded.

  Vixis was still there.

  “Her field is down!” exclaimed Babayan.

  “Enter a firing solution! Use the mass-destruction warhead we have left and fire the torpedo!” I commanded.

  “Forward torpedo bays took a big hit during the first volley, sir. They say they can’t comply for seven minutes if they are to meet minimum safety precautions,” replied Babayan.

  “Damn the safety precautions!” I said.

  “Captain.” The voice came from behind me. From Gracel. It was all I needed to hear.

  “Belay that. All ahead toward Vixis,” I ordered. I went to the Historian’s station.

  “We won’t catch her,” I said. She shook her head no.

  “But you wounded her,” she said. I turned back to the tactical display. Vixis was accelerating now and pulling away from us. I had a decision to make.

  “Longscope officer, status of Impulse II?” I said.

  “Forward hull is drifting, sir. Many escape pods in the vicinity, sir,” Karina said soberly. “Her stern aft of bulkhead seventeen is completely destroyed.” My decision was made for me.

  “Mr. Longer, reduce speed to .00003 light. Mr. Layton, reset our course to rendezvous with Impulse II. XO, alert search and rescue teams,” I said. I sat back down, watching as Vixis sailed away from us and Impulse II—or what was left of her—grew closer.

  “Captain.” It was Ensign Layton’s voice. “Captain, receiving a communication. It’s from Vixis, sir. Audio only.”

  I stood to attention. “Let’s hear it.”

  “Captain Cochrane, this is Prince Arin, commander of the Vixis,” the voice said. I had no doubt it was a legitimate com from the prince.

  “What do you want?” I asked in an annoyed tone. There was a chuckle at the other end.

  “Just to tell you that today was only your first defeat. There is more to come, power you cannot even conceive of. Tell your Union Council to surrender now, and your ships and your worlds will be saved from the same decimation that befell Carinthia. If you continue this conflict . . . well, very little of what you are and what you cherish will survive. Do you understand me?” Arin said.

  “I have always understood men like you, Arin. Men like you must be destroyed at any cost,” I said. Now there was open laughter on the channel.

  “Brave words, but pointless, as you’ll soon see. I look forward to our next meeting,” he said.

  “And I look forward to pulling my sword from your throat, Prince,” I said, and I meant it. The laughter came again.

  “Indeed, Captain. I’ll look forward to you trying.” Then the signal was cut, and a few seconds later Vixis vanished from the Pendax system with a hyperdimensional flash.

  The bridge crew were all looking at me. I sat back down in my command chair.

  “Let’s get our comrades back,” I ordered, and the bustle on the bridge resumed as the crew switched their duties from battle stations to search and rescue.

  To Carinthia

  Search and rescue took five hours to complete. We pulled in more than thirty lifepods with seventy-six survivors aboard. On one of them was Captain Dobrina Kierkopf.

  I met her face to face on Defiant’s shuttle hangar deck with a security team in tow. She was directing her surviving crew to assist with getting the injured to sickbay when I interrupted her.

  “Captain Kierkopf,” I said, calmly but with force. She spun around and glanced at the security detail on either side of me.

  “Captain Cochrane,” she said.

  “Have you identified your surviving second-in-command?” I asked.

  “My XO, Kaaren Treblont, survived,” she said.

  “Call her over.” After a few seconds a tall, dark-haired woman came over and saluted me. I saluted back.

  “Commander Treblont, I am placing you in field command of the surviving members of Impulse II as of this moment. I want a manifest of all surviving crew members, their physical condition, and their assignments aboard Impulse. Get that list to Commander Babayan on the bridge ASAP. She will help you to match your healthy crew to assignments that need filling aboard Defiant. As of now you will report as requested to any of my senior staff and assist them in any manner they see fit. Am I understood?” I asked.

  “Yes, Captain,” said Treblont, then looked to Dobrina.

  “Captain Kierkopf,” I said, turning back to Dobrina. “I am confining you to quarters for willfully disobeying my orders as field commander of this mission and for killing more than half of your crew. You will have a security detail outside your doors at all times until the grand admiral or another such higher authority can determine your fate. Do you understand and accept my orders?”

  “I do,” she said. “But I want the captain to know—”

  “Save it for Wesley,” I said. “I lost fifteen of my own in this attack, and you lost a great deal more, including most of the marines I loaned you. Those losses are on your head, Captain. And I don’t want to hear from you about it again.” Then I waved the security guards—one man and one woman—forward, and they marched Kierkopf off without another word.

  I turned one last time to Treblont. “Carry on, Commander,” I said, then strode quickly away from the deck.

  My longwave conference call with Zander was quick and uncomfortable. He didn’t try to defend Dobrina, and I made it clear early on that I wasn’t willing to listen if he tried.

  “I’ve recalled all my free Wasps save one at my boss’s orders,” said Zander. “He’ll be coming home in the remaining Wasp with the Princess Janaan. I guess Sandosa can wait for now.”

  “It can,” I agreed.

  “There are still three in each system to assist your local navies, but we’re going to have to make more, it seems, and soon.” I shook my head at that.

  “I don’t think there’s time. This has the feel of an endgame move by Arin and the Empire,” I said.

  “Is that what your intuition tells you?” I nodded.

  “That, and it’s also the only logical play. I’m heading home to Quantar immediately via Carinthia. Anything you want me to convey?” I asked. Zander shook his head.

  “No. But I do have one request. Let me bring Dobrina and the survivors of Impulse aboard Vanguard.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?” I looked at Zander intently, barely able to contain my fury at what Dobrina had done to her ship, her crew.

  “Because the only place I’m dropping her off is at the admiral’s doorstep,” I said.

  “What about her crew? I could use trained spacers—”

  “No, Lucius. Your job is to defend Pendax with what you have. Mine is to get out of this system and back to Quantar as quickly as possible. We’ll decide how to proceed from there.”

 
“So there’s no moving you?”

  I shook my head again. “No.”

  “Very well, Captain.”

  “There’s one more thing,” I said. Zander raised his eyebrows at me on the monitor. “The wreck of Impulse II will have to be destroyed to keep her from falling into enemy hands. The Empire could learn much from what she contains.”

  “They already have Vixis,” protested Zander.

  “Standard scuttle protocol, Captain. Now, do you do it, or do I?” I asked. He sighed.

  “I’m not sure I could be the one to destroy another fair lady with her name,” he said.

  “Fine. I’ll do it. I hope to see you again, Lucius, in better times,” I said.

  “The feeling is mutual, laddie.”

  With that I signed off and went to my bridge, there to plan the destruction of one of my sister ships.

  High-yield torpedoes would normally be the order of the day to scuttle what was left of Impulse II, but I wanted to save my remaining ordnance. I ordered up the gravity weapons display and selected the anti-graviton plasma. It would disintegrate the hulk of Impulse down to the molecular level—probably even good enough for Admiral Wesley.

  I ordered us closer, and we took up a position ten clicks from Impulse. Then I ordered full stop while I powered up the weapon. Lena Babayan came up to me then.

  “We haven’t completed a full rescue survey. There is still a tiny chance there might be survivors aboard who couldn’t make it to the escape pods,” she said.

  “I’m aware of that risk, XO,” I said, trying hard not to be annoyed. The last thing I needed was more guilt on my conscience. I turned to Karina, who had yet to yield her longscope station to her relief. We’d been at work for more than twelve hours, and none of the primary bridge crew had left even though I had given them leave to do so more than three hours ago.

  “One final longscope scan for bio signs, if you please, Lieutenant,” I said to her. She nodded acknowledgment and started her scan. She forgot to “Aye, sir” me, but I wasn’t going to hold it against her or nitpick. We’d all been through too much today.

  After a few minutes she came back to me with a negative on bio signs. I looked to Babayan. “I’m satisfied, XO. Your opinion?”

  She shook her head. “No opposition to carrying out the scuttle, sir,” she said. I went back to my console and sat down, and Babayan joined me. I went to the display and looked at the firing button for a few moments, thinking about the men and women who had been lost in the battle.

  “Rest in peace, Impulse,” I said in a soft voice.

  “Rest in peace,” repeated Babayan in a whisper that only I could hear. Then I fired the weapon. The plasma enveloped the cold hulk of Impulse II in a matter of a few seconds. With no Hoagland Field to protect her, she went quickly and quietly, the silver cloud sparking for only a moment before she vanished from history forever.

  I stood. “Mr. Layton, how long to the jump point to Carinthia?” I asked.

  “Ninety minutes at max cruising speed,” he stated. Max cruising speed was .005 light-speed. We were half an AU away.

  “And how long to High Station 3 at Carinthia after that? I want a reload on our missiles and torpedoes.”

  “Roughly two hours at that speed, sir,” Longer said.

  “So ordered. All primary bridge crew are to complete their duties and hand off their stations for a minimum rest period of three hours. I don’t want to see any of you on the bridge until then. That includes you, XO,” I said.

  “Acknowledged, sir,” Babayan replied. Then she called the relief shift to the bridge, and everyone scrambled to leave as quickly as possible. I waited a few minutes longer than the rest as Karina handed off the longscope station to her understudy, and then we went down to our stateroom together, hand in hand.

  I didn’t bother to undress when I got inside, just removed my boots and duty jacket. Karina took a couple more minutes, then slid into bed next to me wearing only her body suit top and underwear. She was warm and inviting, but I was too tired to even let my mind go there. I wrapped her in my arms, took in the deep scent of her hair, and then we both fell asleep without another word.

  Sleep provided me no relief from my discomforting dreams once again. I was glad when the alarm chime sounded: thirty minutes to High Station 3. I roused Karina gently, kissed her once tenderly, then was up and out of our room while she was still dressing. We’d hardly said a word to each other the whole time.

  We jumped into Carinthian space, and to my surprise, both Fearless and Avenger were closely positioned near High Station 3. I called Dietar Von Zimmerman, captain of the Lightship nearest High Station 3, Fearless, as members of the day shift slowly started taking up their positions again. Many had eyes still red with fatigue. That included Karina, who looked much the worse for wear. I doubted she’d ever let herself be seen as she was now—messed hair, little makeup, red, tired eyes—in a social situation.

  Captain Von Zimmerman chimed back to my request, and I took it in my office.

  “I hear you had quite an ordeal at Pendax,” said Von Zimmerman.

  “And at Skondar, Captain. We’ve lost many good men and women, and Impulse II was a major casualty. I had to scuttle her,” I replied.

  “My god, the reports didn’t say that,” he said. “I’m sorry to hear. Did Captain Kierkopf survive?”

  “She’s confined to quarters pending a review of her actions in the battle,” I stated. Von Zimmerman looked shocked.

  “Captain, are you sure—”

  “The Admiralty will decide her status, Captain. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like docking clearance at High Station 3 for a reload of my atomic ordnance. We lost three launch bays in the battle, and I’d like to replenish my other bays before we go on,” I interrupted. I wanted no part of a discussion about Dobrina’s actions or her fate.

  “Granted, Captain. Where are you ultimately bound for?”

  “Back to Quantar. She needs two ships defending her at the moment, just like Carinthia.”

  “Understood.”

  “That brings up one more question, Captain. Why are you and Avenger deployed so close together?” I asked. Von Zimmerman looked uncomfortable with the question.

  “Let’s just say I had a disagreement with Captain Ozil, sir,” he said. I tried to repress my emotions, especially my anger. Carinthia was too important a system for trifles like this, and she would undoubtedly still be a major target for the ousted regent, Prince Arin, who craved the throne there.

  I put Von Zimmerman on hold and signaled Captain Ozil onboard Avenger to join the conversation. Once I had them both on the screen, I lit into the young captains.

  “You two have to stop this bickering, this quest for glory. Neither of you have seen battle before. Well, I’ve seen enough in one day to make my stomach turn. I am not your superior officer, but I am your senior in battle experience, so you will follow my orders. Captain Ozil, since you are closest to Carinthia, you will take Avenger to the L2 Lagrange point and defend your home world until you are relieved. Captain Von Zimmerman, once Defiant has been resupplied, you will make the jump to Pendax and relieve Captain Zander and Vanguard. You will send them here to Carinthia to take up your position, and you will take up station defending Pendax until you are relieved. Am I understood?”

  “You are, sir,” said Von Zimmerman. Ozil also gave his verbal agreement. I wasn’t satisfied.

  “I will report your behavior to the Admiralty when I arrive at Quantar. This is not a game, gentlemen; it’s dead-serious business, and many millions of lives are at stake. I want you both to think about that while you are defending all Union worlds, not just your own. Now, I am going to walk a few meters to my command chair, and by the time I get there I want to see you both underway, or there will be more repercussions. Am I understood?” This time the “Yes, sir”s were in unison. I shut off my monitor with
out another word and made for my chair. A quick glance at the tactical display showed that both ships were already moving. Babayan came and sat next to me.

  “New tactics, sir?” she asked.

  “I want Zander one quick jump away from Quantar or Pendax in case of an attack. These two kids don’t seem to know what they’re doing,” I said.

  “They’re both twenty-seven, sir. You’re only twenty-five,” she pointed out. I stood.

  “Battle experience can age you greatly, XO.”

  “I agree with that, sir,” she said.

  Once the two remaining Carinthian Lightships were in position, Avenger at Carinthia proper and Fearless at the jump point, I ordered us into dock at High Station 3. Since the restock and the trek back to the jump point would take four to five hours, I ordered the bridge crew to take another rest period, and I joined them. Babayan insisted she wasn’t tired and requested to stay on the bridge through the transition, so I let her. She was tough as nails, that was for sure. My orders were to wake me up thirty minutes from jump space, which I planned on using instead of our mobile jump capabilities. No sense in using it until we had to.

  This time Karina and I both got undressed and sank fully into our temperfoam bed. I was almost out when she touched my arm.

  “Are you still awake?” she asked softly.

  “I am now,” I replied without moving. She rubbed her hand across my chest.

  “Is there anything I can do to relieve your stress?” she asked.

  “No,” I said instantly. If she was hinting at recreational sex, it was the furthest thing from my mind. I felt like I’d been up for four days. I rolled onto my side, and she wrapped an arm around my abdomen in a comforting way.

  “What are you going to do about Dobrina?” I was even more uncomfortable with that topic. It was true my relationship with her was complicated, but her actions at Pendax were not.

  “She’s lucky she’s not in the brig,” I said. “What she did was irresponsible, careless with the lives of her crew. She wanted revenge on a personal level. She let that get in the way of following orders, and she got a lot of talented young people killed.”