Galaxy Undone, page 24
"We have about fifteen minutes before things get ugly again," Damian replied. "But we're still alive right now, and our shields are in decent shape. Lo'ane has taken the brunt of it. Her shields are offline. Only the raylium armor is keeping her in the fight."
That definitely isn't good news, Ishek said.
Caleb fell silent, hesitant to say the words that spilled from him next. "Sarge, in all honesty. We came expecting some resistance, but nothing like this. Kagata tricked us, and Iagorth is obviously prepared. You have an opening to jump out of here, and live to fight another day with a decent portion of the fleet intact, and with Castra still alive. You need to take it."
Damian chuckled. "Cap, you don't think Haas already said the same thing? His entire strategy when he saw the number of Specters out here was to create a lane out, not a fortified defensive position."
Caleb glanced at the grid with fresh eyes. His lack of fleet-level combat experience was showing, as he'd misread the maneuvering. He saw it now. A path from the grouped fleet away from Achnea.
Away from him.
He didn't like it, but it needed to be done. "So why are you still here?"
"Castra ordered us to stay," he replied. As a former member of the Royal Armed Forces, it was probably all the reason he’d needed to stay, even if it was suicide. Especially after what had happened on Atlas soon after Lo'ane had fled the planet.
"No offense to Castra," Caleb said. "But she's never been in a battle before. There are still thirteen Specters out there, and our fleet is down to twenty-five from forty. Plus Lo'ane has no shields. Destroying seven Specters is a great day's work, our losses comparatively minor given the circumstances. But they're adjusting to our tactics faster than I'd hoped. Erasing our edge. We'll be lucky to destroy even one more."
"I know all this, Cap. And I relayed most of what you said to her. She doesn't care. She said you didn't give up on her on Primary Station when the Legionnaires came for her. She's not military, Cap. She's only thinking with her heart. But she's the Empress-in-waiting, and if you ask me, someone who thinks with their heart is exactly what the Spiral needs right now."
"That may be true, but she won't live long enough to become Empress if she won't jump out of here."
"If it makes you feel any better, the Free Legion won't leave, either."
"It doesn't make me feel any better. If Castra dies, the resistance dies. Crux wins. Iagorth wins. She has to know that."
"She does. She made her decision, foolish as it may be. Suicidal as it may be. It's not unusual for someone's greatest strength to be their biggest weakness. It's our job to make that decision work."
Caleb balled his hand into a fist, squeezing tightly to release some of his frustration. He hadn't gone through too much effort to find and save Castra just to see her throw her life away. But Damian was right. Castra had lost half her face and nearly died trying to help a stranger. She would risk a lot more to protect him. The only thing he could do was try to make her choice the right one.
"So, what's Haas' plan?" he asked.
"Look at the grid," Damian replied.
Caleb shifted his attention to it. The fleet had moved again. Only instead of heading away from Achnea, they were undertaking a synchronized burn toward the planet. "I don't understand."
"We're moving to a low orbit to cut off as much of the Specter's attack vector as possible. That'll allow us to more easily keep the fresh sides of our ships facing the enemy and buy us more time to lay into them with everything we have."
"Except everything we have isn't enough. Besides, you're intentionally putting your back against the wall. You'll have zero chance of changing your mind and escaping."
"Castra won't change her mind. I'm sure you know that. As for our offensive capabilities, Johan, Naya, and Tae are reviewing with Jack and Penn the data we collected on the Specters. They’re trying to determine if there's anything we haven't considered that would breach the ships from the inside or outside."
I wonder if anyone's ever tried spearing a Splinter into a Specter before, Ishek mused.
"Wait. What was that, Ish?" Caleb asked out loud.
Hiro's sword does a fine job against Legionnaire armor. Raylium is not completely impervious. Perhaps a sharp instrument would work better than kinetic force.
"Even if that worked, how would it help?"
You could load a nuclear warhead into the Splinter.
Even if that worked, Gorgon is only carrying four warheads. That isn't nearly enough. Also, the Splinters don't have autopilot or targeting systems. Someone would need to pilot them into the Specter.
An honorable end, if I say so myself.
The comment gave Caleb pause. He didn't want to ask anyone on his crew to throw their lives away like that. Given the circumstances, however; how could he not at least entertain the idea?
"Sarge, do you know if anyone has ever tried to spear a Specter with a breacher?"
"Ram it with a splinter?" Damian replied. "Wait. Are you serious?"
"It's Ishek's idea."
"Hold on."
Damian's comms went silent. Caleb used the pause to check the forward viewscreen. The Nightmares had already entered Achnea's gravity well, pushing hard toward the atmosphere. The blockade had given up shooting at them, turning their attention toward the resistance fleet's approach and leaving the ground defenses to handle the incoming fighters.
"I asked everyone on the bridge, plus Penn," Damian said, returning to the channel. "The consensus is that since only pirates use breacher class ships, odds are it's never been attempted. I can't imagine any pirate being dumb enough to go after a Specter. Even if you make it inside, there's only one way home and hundreds of Legionnaires blocking your path."
"So it might work," Caleb said.
The statement left Damian at a loss for words. "I...I suppose it could. I mean...nobody's ever… What does Ishek have in mind?"
"He wants to kamikaze nukes into the Specters."
“What’s a kamikaze?”
“A suicide pilot.”
"That's brilliant and terrifying."
Thank you.
"I suppose it may be worth a shot," Damian continued. "The stars know we have nothing to lose, but there's still a few problems with the idea. For one, we only have two nukes left. We already burned a pair. For another, who would be crazy enough to volunteer for a suicide mission?"
I have another idea.
"What is it, Ish?" Caleb questioned.
Instead of nukes, we send away teams. Groups of five. Once they breach, they go for an outer hatch and open it, allowing the other ships in the fleet to target the hole and slip a warhead through. That removes the first limitation.
"And requires five times more volunteers," Caleb complained. "Plus they'll have to get through the Legionnaires to reach their target."
Except most of the Legionnaires are on lockdown, leaving the outer portions of the ship mostly clear. What is the human expression? You cannot break an omelet without making some eggs.
"That's sort of it. Sarge, how many Splinters do we have?"
"Six functional, another six waiting on repairs."
"Do we have parts for them?"
"Aye, Captain. But since our pirating days are behind us, we haven't wasted time putting them back together."
"It may not be a waste of time after all." Caleb paused, again considering Ishek's idea. Everyone who boarded an enemy Splinter would be making a one-way trip. It was a hard ask. Given the circumstances, it was a straightforward decision. "Send word across Gorgon. We need volunteers."
CHAPTER 43
Captain, our Nightmares have entered the atmosphere and are ready to begin their search for khoron, Jeff informed him.
Copy that, Caleb replied. We're standing by for ingress. His gaze moved from the forward viewscreen to the sensor grid, taking in the full scene. The Nightmares began as a grouping of dots over the planet, so close it filled the entire bottom half of the projection. Then the dots separated, some moving faster than others until they maneuvered into position. Then they broke away from each other, one in each major cardinal direction.
In low orbit, on the opposite side of the grid from Medusa's position, the two blockading Specters exchanged fire. Lo'ane and the Free Legion Specter took point in the approach. The weaker ships in the fleet sat nestled behind them, Gorgon in the center, as well protected there as possible.
The remaining eleven Specters had all updated their headings, but the unexpected movement by the resistance fleet had caught them by surprise, requiring additional time for them to cut their velocity and come about. The original fifteen-minute estimate had extended closer to forty before the full bulk of the defense could regain a firing solution.
Not that Iagorth needed the full strength of his defenses to finish the fleet.
"Sarge, sitrep," he said, activating the comms.
"Captain, good news and bad news. We have more volunteers than we expected."
"Is that the good news or the bad news?"
"Both," Damian replied. Caleb understood what he meant without an explanation. "To be honest, I'm surprised by the crew's willingness to sacrifice themselves for the cause. It seems you've had a positive effect on them."
"We've come a long way from putting down mutinies, that's for sure," Caleb answered. "We only need one volunteer for the first Splinter. Preferably someone with training on flight controls."
"Atrice volunteered."
Caleb winced, afraid Damian would say that. "No. Not unless we're desperate. He's too valuable."
"For his flying, or his cooking?"
"Both."
"What about Mathias, from Callus? He also volunteered, and he claims he has experience as a shuttle operator."
Caleb opened his mouth, ready to answer with a reflexive negative. Since he had helped Caleb rescue Castra and shut down the mining operations, Mathias had been one of the resistance's most fervent supporters. It wasn't a surprise to him that the man had volunteered. But their friendship made it that much harder to accept his willingness to give himself up for what amounted to an experiment.
"Captain?" Damian pressed, waiting on an answer. "Every second counts."
The words sat in Caleb's mouth like lead. He had no good reason to ask for someone else. Only personal ones. "Get him prepped."
"Aye, Captain. Should we load the second Splinter as well, in case our plan is a success?"
"Affirmative. Select whoever you think is appropriate. I trust your instincts."
"Aye, Captain."
"What about the non-functional Splinters? What's the ETA on affecting repairs?"
"The techs and engineering teams think they can get them all running within the next half hour."
"Looking at the grid, that seems like it'll be just in the nick of time."
"Like I said, every second counts."
"Keep me posted."
"Aye, Captain."
The comms fell silent. At that moment, the entire universe seemed completely still, despite the intermittent flashing of energy beams traded between the two Legion Specters and the resistance ships. The eye of the storm. For as much as he wanted to enjoy the moment of respite, he would have gladly traded it for a swifter resolution. Waiting had never been his strong suit, and he knew that once the eye had passed, everything would happen all at once.
It came sooner than he expected.
Captain, our Nightmares have determined the likely position, Jeff announced.
"Ham, coordinates incoming," Caleb said. Copy that, Jeff. Go ahead. He entered the coordinates into the ship's computer as Jeff recited them. The moment he entered the last digit, he whipped his head back to Ham. "Let's go."
"It's about time," Ham replied, opening a channel to the rear of the ship. "Get ready for some Gs. We're going in." He pushed the throttle open and adjusted Medusa's heading. The thrusters flared, shoving Caleb hard into his seat as the ship launched toward the upper atmosphere.
"Captain," Damian said. "The Splinter is loaded and ready for launch."
Caleb's jaw clenched in response to the statement. He knew the moment was coming, but now that it had arrived, he didn't want to give the order. He had to remind himself that Mathias was a volunteer. He wanted to be part of this and had accepted his fate. Now Caleb needed to do the same. "You're clear to launch," he spat.
"Launching now," Damian replied.
Caleb shifted his attention from the blob of green in the forward viewscreen to the grid. The atmosphere had already reduced the sensor range, but he clearly made out the new contact as it sped away from the center of the resistance fleet, headed for one of the blockading Specters.
"Cap," Ham said. "Something's happening on the surface."
Caleb looked back at the viewscreen, his brow crinkling in confusion as a dark tendril expanded from beneath the surface sea of green. "What is that?"
"I don't know, but it can't be good."
Another glance at the grid. ”Whatever it is, it isn't showing on the sensors."
It appears the enemy knows we know where they are, Ishek commented. There's no more reason to hide.
Captain, Jeff cried. Our Nightmares are under attack.
Caleb's attention bounced back to the viewscreen, where he found the two Nightmares closest to the tendril. The darkness had split into three lines, two going after the two Free Legion ships, the third heading straight for them in Medusa.
"Are those ships?" Ham asked. "There have to be thousands of them."
Caleb recalled how Damian had once mentioned swarms. This had to be what he’d meant. "They're drones," he said. "Although, considering they're Relyeh, I imagine they're at least partially organic."
"I don't think it matters if their brains are circuits or cells," Ham complained. "There are just so damn many of them."
Caleb tapped on his control board. "I'm setting the FCS. Standby." He couldn't mark individual targets if he wanted to. They were too small and numerous to pick out, especially at their current distance. Instead, he locked onto one and magnified it with one of the forward-facing cameras, not only getting a better look himself but teaching the FCS to attack anything that resembled it.
Each drone was nearly two meters long, thin and disc-shaped, with no obvious source of propulsion. It reminded Caleb of a Pebble, albeit a Pebble with raylium armor. He wasn't sure how Medusa's guns would fare against the aircraft, but he was about to find out. If the Nightmares were any indication, the Slates, as he immediately took to calling them, were formidable but not indestructible. Even with their enhanced armor, the Nightmares' plasma fire knocked them down in two or three shots.
Then again, any other drone Caleb had even encountered would have succumbed after a single hit.
And there were so many that one of the Nightmares vanished into a cloud of Slates, its guns unable to keep up with the number of craft attacking it. The Slates appeared to detonate when they hit the Free Legion fighter, first breaking down its shields before gouging into the starship's armor. Within seconds, nearly two hundred or more members of the swarm had exploded against the Nightmare, breaching the armor and sending it into an uncontrolled descent toward the forest canopy, smoke pouring out of multiple open wounds.
The second Nightmare didn't fare much better, though its more skilled pilot shook off the first group of Slates trying to ram it. A steady stream of fire knocked out most of the drones ahead of it, though more than a few detonated against the shields, each explosion weakening the craft a little more.
The whole thing reminded Caleb of the trife on Earth, using their superior numbers to overwhelm humankind. It was the preferred Relyeh tactic, just as effective here as it had been back home.
"Captain," Damian said over the comms, reminding Caleb of the other activity he was keeping an eye on. "Mathias is nearing the target."
Shifting his attention to the upper half of the sensor grid, Caleb found the Splinter had nearly reached the Specter. Cover fire from Lo'ane kept the enemy warship from getting a bead on the smaller breacher, energy beams lashing past the diminutive craft.
"Here they come," Ham said, pulling Caleb's attention away from the Splinter. Medusa's FCS opened fire the moment the swarm came into range, the ship's frame shivering as the motorized turrets made dozens of rapid adjustments to their aim, blasting the first few lines of Slates out of the sky before they could come any closer.
"Five, four, three," Damian counted out, dragging Caleb's eyes back to the Splinter. He realized he was holding his breath as the counter hit zero and Mathias' craft speared through the Specter's shields and hopefully dug into the hull.
"Sarge?" he asked after a few seconds passed without a report. He tapped his control board, looking up at the sky through the overhead camera feed. He could see the Specters in orbit above. Both remained in place, with no sign of distress. His stomach dropped. Mathias had died for nothing. Ishek's plan hadn't worked. "Sarge," he asked again, still eager for confirmation of the outcome. "Sarge, come in."
The comms appeared to be offline. Caleb gave up contacting Gorgon. He didn't have time to dwell on the failure. The Slates had finished the second Nightmare, the entire swarm redirecting toward Medusa. The ship's guns continued blasting drones out of the sky by the handful as they descended almost straight down toward the target, the Slates rising straight up. They were losing ground to the swarm, and once it reached them, they would be hard-pressed to survive for long.
"I have a feeling this won’t end well," Ham said, throwing Medusa into a high-G maneuver to confuse the swarm and disrupt the drones' targeting. Caleb grunted, quickly growing dizzy in response to the change in direction. Medusa complained too, the frame flexing as he pulled them out of the dive at the same time he went into a wild corkscrew.
The front line of Slates shot past, unable to adjust in time. The drones further back reacted quickly to the change in path, shifting like a flock of birds so that the back end swung into line with Medusa. The guns tore into them, knocking a dozen more out of the sky, but it wasn't enough. A series of detonations rocked the shuttle, knocking them around as Ham cursed and spiraled away.
