The Sparse Lands, page 21
part #6 of Steven Gordon Series
Baxter nodded. ‘It looks like they intend going out with a bang. Alert all of our fleets. Expected time to engagement twenty minutes.’
‘The Catataracs seem to be following, they are changing formation. It isn’t any attack formation I know of.’
An operator called over. ‘Sir, Admiral Valachean is requesting to speak to the Human Commander.’
Baxter smiled. ‘Put him on.’
Baxter stood up straight and looked up at the screen above the table.
‘Admiral Baxter. A pleasure to see you again.’
‘Admiral Valachean.’
‘Do you have any of that delightful root beer with you?’
‘I most certainly do. What can I do for you today?’
‘You may be aware that there is a fleet heading in your direction. It is hostile and has intent to kill your Goodwill Ambassadors.’
‘We have been expecting your arrival for quite some time now.’
‘I wish to state at this moment that the Catatarac fleet has no intention of attacking you, your ambassadors or any of your ships. We have severed official ties with our allies.’
‘I see.’
‘I would presume that there were no Human forces present during the recent battle on the outside of the asteroid field?’
‘Of course not, nor any Federation forces.’
‘Then in my mind there is no reason for us to go into conflict with each other.’
Baxter took a deep breath. ‘I agree. You do seem to be approaching our fleet though.’
‘We will not come within firing range. We will maintain what I consider a reasonable distance and keep our shields up but our weapons powered down. My only interest now is to try and leave here. Could you convey to the Ambatta that I wish to call for a cessation of hostilities?’
Doch Grish placed a hand on Baxter’s shoulder and gently pushed him away.
‘Admiral Valachean, I am the military Commander for the Ambatta race. My name is Doch Grish. Now why should we answer your call for a cessation of hostilities? We saw you firing on our home world.’
‘I fired on an automated base that had no life forms within its structure. It was merely done to try and prevent further loss of life amongst our allies. Only your relay stations have been taken out. If I was you, I would have it rebuilt a hundred feet underground and shielded.’
Grish burst out laughing. ‘What makes you think it isn’t?’
Valachean went stock still for a moment. ‘I see. Clever, very clever. A trap within a trap. You Ambatta are a worthy foe.’
‘Your people, your King, is responsible for all of this, all the deaths that happened today. Your race were also the ones who first attacked us centuries ago, and were responsible for the Federation getting involved in our conflict. That led to the deaths of millions of my people Admiral Valachean. If you think we are going to allow a single one of you to escape alive you are wrong.’
‘I understand Commander.’
‘You have only one chance of escaping here, which is to force your way through the asteroid field. If you try and land on our home world we will crush you. Other than that Admiral Valachean, you can float about out there until your fuel runs out or you starve to death. We really don’t care.’
‘You mean you won’t risk a single life trying to fight us?’
‘Every life under my command is precious to me Admiral. I will not risk a single one if I don’t have to.’
‘That is exactly what I am trying to do Commander. So I understand your position.’
‘It is a big solar system Admiral. Find a nice cosy corner to rot and die in. Be my guest. Your death will only come swifter if you attack anything or anyone within it.’
Doch Grish walked away, and Baxter replaced him.
‘It would seem you have your answer.’
‘I have one more question, if you would be kind enough to answer it?’
‘If I can I will,’ Baxter conceded.
‘Pan Lo Tae´ is a personal friend of mine. He has a habit of throwing himself into the thick of it. Did he survive the battle?’
‘His ship was seriously damaged in the fight, but he is fine.’
‘Thank you for that consideration Admiral. I would ask you to send over a basket with a few of those root beers, but I doubt if you would have enough for the whole fleet.’
Baxter laughed. ‘I wish things could have worked out differently, and we could have met as friends.’
‘We would meet as equals Admiral, but I am sure the friendship would have followed naturally.’
‘What are you going to do now?’
Valachean smiled. ‘I have a little something in mind. Watch and see.’
The screen went blank. Doch Grish moved back to Baxter’s side.
‘He doesn’t sound like he is giving up just yet.’
Baxter shook his head. ‘I wonder what he is up to. Valachean may be an enemy, or his King is at least, but I’m damned if I can’t help liking him.’
‘You have met?’
‘We have. I put him straight on a few things, mostly misinformation about the Human race.’
‘Have you ever seen any creature so ugly?’
Baxter laughed, ‘I pretty much said that straight to his face. He wasn’t even insulted.’
‘Unusual for someone of his status.’
‘That is true. He is a very able commander; the best the Catataracs have to offer.’
‘You sure? He hasn’t impressed me any today.’
‘Look at it from a different perspective, of all the enemy forces engaged here today, who has lost the least ships, has used the least fuel, and is in the best condition with the least casualties?’
‘You have a point, but I’m still not particularly impressed. He is trapped. He is going nowhere.’
Baxter looked again at the map in front of him and wondered what Valachean was up to.
chapter 45
Steven had watched the ships swarm around the planet on their long range viewers. It was too far to make out a great deal of detail, but it was something to watch. The knot of fear in his gut had gotten tighter and tighter as the day had worn on. It had eventually got to the stage where he was feeling dizzy and sick. There was a moment when he considered going to the planet and trying to talk to them. It was a split second before he gave the order that a voice had whispered in his ear.
‘There are thousands of Ambatta ships hidden in the asteroids behind us. They are there to protect us if we are attacked. There are those in the hierarchy of the Ambatta who still think we are a part of all of this. If you head towards that planet, they will believe you are showing your true colours and trying to join their enemy. They will destroy this fleet in a matter of minutes. You are not a soldier. You are not a trained diplomat. You are not some universally accredited peace negotiator. Sit there, on your arse, do nothing. Wait! The same as the rest of us.’
Steven felt his stress levels drop a little.
‘Hey Charlie. Thought you weren’t going to help anymore.’
‘I’m thinking of everyone else here, not just you. Komoru did swing by and apologise though. I am reconsidering my position.’
Steven nodded. ‘I understand. Either way, I will stand by your decision. Stay close for now.’
Steven almost jumped out of his seat when the twenty minute warning was announced.
Steven heard Charlie move away. He swung round.
‘Where you going Charlie?’
‘We got twenty minutes. I’m going to take a piss before everyone else gets the same idea and grab a juice.’
There was no laughter, but a sudden rush amongst the bridge crew to do exactly the same. Steven shot down to his quarters. He discovered his hands were shaking. This wasn’t his first fight but he realised in that moment that it doesn’t get any easier, any better, in fact it gets worse. The Sarge had once told him that the first troops on Omaha beach had been the youngest, the green troops, simply because they had no real fear, no real comprehension of what was about to happen. Steven hadn’t understood it at the time, but now he did. Now it made perfect sense. He washed his face and dried his hands. He couldn’t face a drink; not even water. He made his way back up onto the bridge. He was shocked by how close the enemy now were.
Charlie was back and standing behind his chair.
‘They are getting close.’
‘We are still on full magnification.’
He suddenly remembered the prank he had pulled with Hailie’s comet; he felt such a fool doing that now. ‘Reduce magnification to normal please.’ The enemy fleet receded into the far distance. ‘I can’t see them anymore.’
‘There’s a communication from Admiral Baxter. It says our two ships are the main targets. It is the Haspsopot that are attacking. The Catataracs have pulled out of the fight. They want nothing to do with fighting us. We are to do our best to keep out of the firing line.’
‘Thanks Sid. Acknowledge the message please.’
Howe strode over. ‘I suggest that we put ourselves behind one of the big battleships sir.’ Steven hesitated. ‘We can take a few hits from one of their destroyers, but we can’t take a full broadside from one of their battleships.’
Beaver called over from his consul, ‘No need. The fleet is reorganising around us.’
Seconds later a large battleship slid in front of them. ‘What ship is that?’ Steven asked.
‘That’s Big Willy,’ Charlie supplied the answer. ‘The Sir William Wallace.’
Steven took a deep breath. Now they couldn’t even see what was going on. The minutes began to drag by. The first they knew of the battle was when Big Willy began to shudder. Suddenly they were surrounded by flashing light. A few seconds later Babes was struck.
‘What the hell was that!’ Steven cried out.
‘Enemy fighters, they have crashed the party and are intending to destroy us.’ Charlie told him calmly from behind his seat.
‘Guns!’ Steven cried out, ‘Keep them off us. Full shields.’
Steven felt helpless as Howe and Beaver shouted out commands. More and more fire slammed into them. Here and there came a cry of joy as a fighter was blown apart, but there was a lot of them. The Humans were hampered by how close together they were and the risk of hitting each other. A sever jolt threw some of the crew to the ground.
‘Damage report!’ Steven shouted.
Charlie grasped his shoulder. ‘We got bigger problems. Big Willy has been severely damaged. We need to move.’
Steven’s attention was taken up by the big ship in front which seemed to begin to slide downwards.
‘Hailey get us out of here.’
‘Where?’
‘Anywhere.’
‘Yes sir.’
Babes began to turn and pick up speed. She jolted again and again as shots slammed into her. Three fighters seemed to be hit at the same time. They slammed into the shields of the nearest ship and exploded. Fighters from Big Willy swarmed around them.
A friendly face appeared on screen. It was Commander John Logan.
‘Captain Gordon, we have been detailed to keep those fighters off your back.’
‘What about your ship?’
‘They are still fighting sir. Don’t worry, we are good at this shit.’
Despite his fears, Steven felt himself smile.
The intensity of the battle seemed to increase around them. Their senses were assaulted by the lights and explosions. The amount of hits they received decreased significantly; the intensity of fire from the Human ships increased. All of a sudden the battle seemed to end. There were no more flashing lights.
Sid spun round on his seat. ‘We have been ordered to move sir. We are to join the second fleet.’
‘What second fleet?’
‘The one that came through the field to cut off the Haspsopot.’
Steven remembered, ‘Right, that one.’
‘More news sir, half the Catatarac fleet has escaped.’
Fighters flanked them as they wound their way around the ships. Coming out into the open was a shock to all. There was hundreds of miles of debris, explosions and bodies. They skirted the mass until they were clear of the debris field. Babes couldn’t go very fast as she had damage in her engine room. It was a sight that would haunt Steven for the rest of his life.
chapter 46
Valachean was on his feet as soon as the Human fleet made an appearance. He had stretched his fleet out into a circular pattern. They had been split up into groups of a thousand. They were still orientated to run parallel with the field. He had chosen his spot well.
‘Do we have any group orientated with that breach?’
‘Groups three, two and one are closest sir, in that order.’
‘Get three to line up with that breach and everyone else to follow. Hurry! Count the seconds between incursions.’
In the distance, a thousand Human ships had jumped into the field. They began to peel off. Twenty second after they were completely out of the way a second group arrived, and followed their flight path. He had only been able to spend ten minutes explaining to his captains and navigators how he intended to escape the trap they were in. He had correctly surmised that if the whole Modloch fleet was outside the field, then their Human companions wouldn’t be far behind.
He had pointed to the Human fleet on the map. ‘Our Human adversary is Admiral Baxter. We have all heard of him. He relies on speed, manoeuvrability and ingenuity to win battles. Tactics born of fighting on something they call the high seas on their home world. I know it’s Baxter because I have just spoken to him.
‘Having his ships sit in the one position, like a big fat juicy bale of hay, is not his style. That can mean only one thing. It is some form of trap. I have little doubt that the Ambatta have a large fleet of ships sitting behind the Humans. The problem is, it isn’t much of a trap. At the first sign of the Ambatta, our former allies can simply jump away, reform and turn it into a running battle of attrition.
‘Baxter doesn’t like battles of attrition. He likes to trap you and pound you. So far no one has bothered the Humans. It has kept them out of this conflict. The moment our former allies hit them, that is all going to change. Their best hope of catching the Haspsopot is to come in from four different directions at once. To come in from one single side would allow the Haspsopot room to escape.
‘Baxter has another twenty thousand ships at his disposal. They have nothing on this side of the barrier to protect, so they will all be close. They will be lined up out there, waiting to come to the aid of their ships on this side of the barrier. This means the Ambatta will open the field to allow them access.’
He held up a hand with his fingers spread. ‘Five chances, that is all we will get. Four breaches. Five groups of five passing through each breach. The gap between the Humans clearing the breach and the next group arriving is the time gap we will have to get out.’
Valachean moved his hand across the screen so all were in little doubt. ‘Five chances before that breach closes. Once they are committed they won’t be able to close it. They will arrive in groups of a thousand, exactly the same as we are. It is the most efficient, and the maximum number of ships controlled by one, in this configuration.’
He let his hand drop. ‘Problems. If we jump out on the exact same trajectory as the Humans, we are going to hit the next group coming in. Distance. We need to calculate different distances for each group so we don’t crash into each other. The Humans will be stationary outside the system. We will have to jump to a point inside it, which makes us vulnerable to any forces out there. Time. Timing is the biggest factor we have to overcome. I have calculated the most likely points where the breaches will occur.
‘Orientation, timing and speed is key. Put the best pilot and navigators in each group in charge. If you don’t make it out you will perish here. I’m splitting the fleet to give us all a better chance of reaching one of those breaches. If you get out, head to the rendezvous already stipulated in your orders. Meet up with the survivors of the battle from outside of the field and head straight for our home world. High command will take over from there. Do not linger. Enemy forces may well be heading for our home systems as we speak. Priority is our home world. If none of us make it, all of our people will be left defenceless. Don’t even wait for me. That is an order.’
He had sent out confirmation orders and then waited. He had a number of operators keep watch on the battle with the Humans. He could see the doubts in the eyes of some of his aides. The Humans seemed to be getting the worst of it, but it was too early in the battle to say for sure. The Haspsopot fleet slowly spread right around the Human fleet, each captain determined to score a kill. Valachean spotted the moment.
‘Stand by, stand by all ships, begin to turn towards the field.’
The manoeuvre had barely begun when the first breach opened. A second and a third appeared a few seconds later. With a sinking feeling Valachean realised his own thousand ships were the furthest away from any of the breaches.
‘Flank speed, head to the third breach navigator. Line us up on the way.’
Group three had reached their desired position just as the second wave of Human ships cleared the breach. They jumped. Group two followed five seconds later. Group one was further away. They slowed down as the third group of Humans appeared. The moment they were out of the way, they jumped.
‘Group four has a problem sir. Their lead ship has suffered a malfunction. They are transferring lead to another ship and falling out of formation.’
Valachean slammed his fist into the arm of his chair.
‘Order them to jump individually. Are we going to make it?’
His navigator turned in his seat and moved his head slightly. Valachean sat back. They watched the efforts of the fourth group. Individual ships began to jump. Some were able to jump in groups. He received a report that half the group was ready to jump, just as the fifth group of Humans appeared. He opened his mouth to shout a warning but it was to no avail. The group jumped just as the breach closed. He didn’t need to ask if they had made it. The field seemed to belch rocks as they watched. Ripples in the field radiated out in a circular motion.
