Blood War 1: Last Stand of the Legion: Rift (15 page)

LYTEN SYSTEM

RIFT

FLEET ANCHORAGE

BATTLESHIP ROW

DESTROYER CAPELLA

BRIDGE

Commander Ririsa Grogen stood on the bridge of her destroyer astounded at what she was seeing. She liked to keep the bridge display screens on window so she could see her ship. At fifteen decks above the main deck, the bridge was located on the stern in a disk that contained the bridge and all the command spaces of the vessel. The Capella stretched out close to two hundred yards to the bow with a 30-yard beam in front of her, all manner of sensors, communications devices, and weapons covered her surface. There was a beauty in the functional complexity of her hull. Normally she could watch her ship for hours, just enjoying watching it function, but that peaceful scene had been changed into one of complete chaos.

The normal traffic of the Fleet Anchorage had been replaced by dozens of alien
fighters attacking the fleet. She watched in horror as a torpedo crossed her bow and exploded against Phoenix. Debris flew out into the space between the ships, some of it with enough force to damage the Capella. Torpedoes and missiles were crisscrossing the anchorage as alien fighter after alien fighter targeted the ships at their docks. The fleet was being destroyed without being able to fight back.

The Capella was berthed next to the Phoenix on her starboard side. The
two ships shared a dock. The Capella was preparing to launch in twenty-four hours while the Phoenix was being refitted. The Pereus also scheduled for refitting would take Capella's berth. Now all of that seemed to have been plans made in a different time. The explosions she was seeing aboard the Phoenix had just changed the world, as she knew it. Ririsa knew that if she did not move quickly the torpedoes meant for the battleship to her port and the battleship Leo berthed to her starboard would eventually find the much smaller Capella. She leaned over and touched her command screen, which floated, in front of her command chair.

"All hands General Quarters. I repeat general quarters. Man you
r battle stations. This is no drill. I repeat this is no drill. The fleet anchorage is under attack. I repeat the fleet anchorage is under attack. Man your battle stations."

Ririsa then touched the direct comm link to the Capella's engine room.

"Chief, is the Engineer Officer of the Watch there yet?"

"Negative."

"I need full power as soon as you can give it to me. Don't wait for him."

"Aye, aye Captain."

Ririsa knew that the engine room had begun to spin up the drives in preparation for their launch tomorrow and should be able to give her full power very soon.

             
"Ma'am," The engine room Chief said. "Who's attacking us?"

"Fuck if I know Chief. But I am not going to sit here and be a target. Get us the fuck out of here."

"Aye, aye ma'am."

Ririsa could imagine the confusion below decks as sailors rushed to their battle stations. She had almost a full crew of one hundred and fifty naval personnel and another fifty Legion
naires. All leaves were over and the only missing personnel were those on last minute duties around the anchorage. Ririsa reached again for her comm console and pressed the Harbor Masters button.

"Dunc
, are you seeing this?" Ririsa said. She and Dunc Havfu had served together on several ships as they came up the ranks.

"Yeah, Ririsa what do you need?"

"I'm getting underway. I am not going to sit here and be a fucking target. Drop the moorings."

"Roger."

Ririsa glanced to her port and saw the magnetic mooring cables fall away freeing the Capella.

"Ririsa you are free."

"Is anybody else underway?"

"Negative not yet. You
’re the first."

"Roger, Dunc. So the channel is clear."

"Roger that."

"We will be underway in a few minutes."

"God speed Ririsa."

Thank you, Dunc give me a heads up if you see anything I might need to know."

"Roger. Got to go."

Ririsa turned back to her battle console. The bridge was fully manned by this time. Her helmsman stood next to her. He looked so young
, suddenly.

"Helmsman how much power do we have?"

"Fifty percent. Engine room advised we should be at full power in five minutes."

Just then a torpedo streaked by the bridge and tore into the Phoenix. Debris flew outward
, some striking the Capella, setting off alarms.

"Helmsman
, we do not have five minutes. Get me the fuck out here. All ahead. Give me what you can get out of her."

"Aye, aye ma'am."

With the delicate hand of a veteran the young seaman eased the destroyer away from the dock and forward into the channel.

"Captain
, we have gun mounts already firing at targets. They have not been given the weapons free order and we are still in port."

Ririsa snapped her head around and stared at the new Lieutenant. He seemed more than a little overwhelmed by what was happening. He had a deer
-in-the -headlights look of a newly minted Lieutenant in over his head.

"Mr. Tmesgen
, those sailors are reacting a damn sight better to the situation than you are. In case you haven't noticed we are under attack by an unknown force and if we don't get the fuck out of the anchorage and into the fight we are going to become target practice. Now snap out of it and get my weapons systems on line. And since you seem to need the order all weapons are free."

Then to empathize what she had said she reach
ed for the ship wide comm and said,

"All hands weapons free, I repeat all weapons free. Fire at will. I repeat fire at will."

“The Capella is going to get into this fight by God if not another ship does. Flight crews report to the flight deck and make all preparations for a combat launch. All Legionnaries report to ships and prepare for immediate launch."

The first torpedo to strike the Capella slammed
into her starboard side. Ririsa felt her ship shudder under her but she seemed to shrug off the damage. The helmsman lurched as the deck bucked underneath him but he stayed at his post. He glanced down and saw he had full power.

"Captain
, we have full power now."

The Chief
and engine crew had done a hell of a job. She did not think anyone could have brought the power up that quickly.

"All engines ahead flank. Helmsman get me the fuck out of here."

Ririsa glanced at the damage control display. The torpedo had struck near the crew quarters; a number of alarms on decks above and below were showing red. She touched her comm button to the Damage Control Center.

"Damage Control."

"Captain."

"How we doing?"

"Captain, that last torpedo struck the crew quarters. We do have casualties but going to battle stations early saved a lot of lives. I have teams in the area treating the wounded and sealing the hull."

"Any other major damage?"

"Not yet Captain."

Just then another explosion rocked the vessel.
Ririsa could see red lights flashing on the Damage Control Panel in front of the Lieutenant.

"Ma'am."

"Lieutenant, get back to work. Keep me informed when you have a moment."

"Aye,.."

The Lieutenant closed the circuit before he could finish answering her. Good, Ririsa thought, he was getting his priorities right. The ship came first over reporting to the Captain unless it was critical. She changed her display to the ships Damage Control. The damage was deep in the vessel. The torpedoes seemed to be designed to penetrate into a vessel before they exploded. Since they were berthed next to a battleship they were probably designed to penetrate the armor on a battleship and the light skin of a destroyer was not going to set off the warhead. It was a blessing and a curse. Instead of fighting to keep the ship airtight, they were fighting fires and damage deep in the ship where the life support system and the engine space resided for that very reason. A lucky hit by one of those torpedoes could bring the ship to a sudden stop.

Ririsa held her breath as the Capella picked up speed as she moved into the channel
. More and more of her rail guns and scram cannons came on line and commenced firing on the incoming fighters and torpedoes. Now she had a fighting chance. Ririsa wanted to get out of the harbor so she could use the Long Lance torpedoes that filled her ammunition locker. She had to close with the attacking fleet.

LYTEN SYSTEM

RIFT

PLEIDADES FLEET ANCHORAGE

BATTLESHIP
PEREUS

BRIDGE

Rear Admiral Tamara Lule was in her quarters finishing up some planning for the coming patrol when the ships’ General Quarters alarm sounded.

"General Quarters. General Quarters
, all hands man your battle stations. I repeat man your battle stations. This is not a drill. We are under attack."

As if to emphasize the alarm
, Tamara felt the ship jolt and alarms began to sound.

"Hull breach, hull breach in compartments 56 through 89. All Repair Teams report to sections. Hull breach, hull breach. This is not a drill. I repeat this is not a drill."

Tamara was out of her Flag quarters and sprinting the short distance to the bridge. Captain Avako was ashore for last minute details before they set sail the next day. She needed to take command of the vessel from the Officer of the Deck. She was damned if she was going sit in her quarters and let the Officer of the Deck fight this fight with her Flag Ship.

"Attention on deck
," a young seaman said when she stepped on the bridge.

"Who is Officer of the Deck?"

"I am Admiral," Lieutenant Commander Silvera said.

"Report."

"The anchorage is under attack from an unknown force."

Then
Silvera simply touched the command screen on the bridge to bring up a window view of the anchorage. From their mooring to the starboard of Battleship Row they had a ringside view of the attack. Tamara watched as fighter after fighter made passes at the battleships moored there. Explosions were rocking almost every ship. She began to see the gold winking of scram cannons, the red streaks of twin rails as they fired at the fighters and finally the silver lines of the final defense mini spitting out thousands of rounds a second trying to explode torpedoes and missiles before they could strike their ship. The defensive fire grew by the second but it was puny compared to the attacker’s fire. An alien fighter flashed by the bridge firing at something Tamara could not see.

"Very well. I am taking command. Are you normally in the Combat Information Center?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"I want you to stay here with me. You know the ship like the back of your hand and I am going to need all the command help I can get."

As the Task Force Commander Tamara was not in command of any specific vessel, she was in command of all of them. While the Pereus was her Flag Ship she was really along for the ride and had not been a part in the day-to-day operations of the vessel. But she was damned if she was going to be a passenger when the ship was under attack. Tamara sat down in the Captain's chair and glanced at her combat screen floating to her right. The ships gun mounts were being manned and coming on line one after the other. Avako ran a good, well-trained ship.

"Legionnaires?"

"Not yet, ma'am."

"Let's get
them off of the ship and into the fight as soon as possible."

"Most do not have full combat loads on board yet."

"We can't wait. Get them off the ship and into the fight. They will have a better chance out there even lightly armed than sitting in the Hanger Deck."

Silvera turned
to the ship’s talker.

"Make it so."

The seaman immediately started the announcement.

"Make all preparations for the immediate launch of all Legionnaires. Repeat make all preparations for launching Legionnaires."

Another explosion rocked the battleship. The Pereus was proving to be a tough ship; she hardly shuddered with this hit.

"Commander
, are the Swift Boats being prepared?"

"Aye
, Ma'am."

"Good. Away all boats."

"Make it so."

"All hands. Away all boats. Again away all Swift Boats."

"Ma'am. The Capella is underway."

Tamara looked down Battleship Row and saw the Capella pulling out of her mooring next to the Phoenix. As soon as she was clear of her mooring she immediately increased her speed into the channel. Grogen was a good Captain. Just then she saw the Bernards beginning to get underway firing from her gun
mounts, as she moved through the anchorage. It was a good feeling to see two of her best Captains getting into the fight. Two small ships going in harms way with no thought of the difference in the size of the force they were facing. They were living up to finest traditions of the Navy.

"Commander
, how long before we can get underway?"

"They started the spin up when we sounded general quarters. Last time I had report we still
had under ten percent."

"Very well. Engineering is ahead of where I thought they would be. Excellent. Get us underway as soon as you think we have enough power to move. I don't like being a sitting duck."

"No shit," Silvera said before he could think.

Tamara looked at him and they both laughed.

"Sorry ma'am."

Tamara could only shake her head. He had said out loud what she was thinking.

"Mr. Silvera, advise the Legionnaires and Swift Boats to follow the Capella to provide protection and coordinate their attacks."

"Aye, aye ma'am."

If she couldn't join the fight now at least she could help them out. The ship was rocked by another explosion.

"Ma'am
, the Groombridge and the Rigil Kent are both spinning up and report they should be able to get under way with us. The destroyers Lupus, and Lalande are all preparations to get underway and expect to very soon. The cruiser New York just reported she has begun spinning up her drive and should be underway in minutes."

"Thank you Commander.  Advise all ships in our Task Force we will form up as soon as we leave the anchorage. Have the Lupus and
Laplander screen for us and the other ships until we are formed up."

Two more battleships, that makes four destroyers and a cruiser
- things were looking up. Not really but they could at least give a better account of themselves. With the combined Legionnaires complements of fighters they might be able to at least make the bastards pay for the attack.