Call to Arms (Black Fleet Trilogy, Book 2) (32 page)

“Helm is answering new heading,” the helmsman called out after he’d throttled the engines back to bring the ship onto her new course. “Engines back to full power.” They were now pointed slightly inward of their desired trajectory, so the engines could keep them from flying wide of their new course from all the momentum they carried from the inner system.

“We’ve got some movement from the Phage.” Barrett sat up straighter at his station as the data came in. “Bravos are taking up a screening position in front of the Alphas, but they’re between us as we stand now, not where we’ll be when we make our closest pass.”

“They’ll rotate the formation to keep us blocked,” Jackson said. “Are they focused on us or the
Brooklands
?”

“They appear to be entirely concerned with us and the
Icarus
, sir,” Barrett said. “The
Brooklands
is still over three AU ahead of us, and the enemy is not positioning any ships to cover her.”

“It’s just how you said it would happen, Captain,” Hayashi said. “How did you know?”

“It’s how I
hoped
it would happen, Ensign,” Jackson corrected. “This was one of a few responses Dr. Allrest’s model predicted, given the size of the swarm we’re looking at. From here we can narrow it down even further, as long as they don’t have a significant number of ships arrive before we get there.”

“If this works, we could take out a huge part of their fleet before the battle even starts,” Barrett said hopefully.

“Except that we’re only seeing a fraction of their available forces.” Jackson frowned. “There should have been at least five times this number here already… as well those Charlies.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky, sir,” Barrett answered.

“You can’t actually believe that, Lieutenant Commander,” Jackson said in disgust.

“No, sir.”

****

“Incoming transmission from the
Ares
, sir. We’re a go for our primary target package.”

“Very well,” Captain Lee said. “Tactical! Begin tagging and prioritizing targets based on data coming in through the Link. Assign weapons to each target, and do not begin active scans until I tell you.”

“Aye, sir.”

This was it. Captain Wolfe had been right about everything so far. The Phage were more concerned about the two faster targets than the comparatively slow single target with the low power output that was flying on a course that wouldn’t directly intercept them. Although Wolfe had access to data from some of Tsuyo’s top eggheads, it was still uncanny how well the man seemed able to predict the enemy’s movements and reactions.

“How many weapons per target, sir?” his tactical officer asked.

Lee looked over in irritation, until he realized the lieutenant hadn’t been present at all the planning briefings.

“Three Shrikes per Alpha,” Lee told him. “Do not target any of the Bravos.”

“That leaves thirty-eight missiles aboard, sir.”

“I’m well aware of that, Lieutenant,” Lee said. “Now carry out your orders.”

“Aye aye, sir.”

Lee help up a hand when his XO looked like he was about to walk over and dress down the tactical officer for questioning his orders. Everyone was on edge, and some small lapses in discipline could be overlooked. The crew had only seen one battle, and that had been from well outside the periphery while they watched a whole armada of Third Fleet ships get ripped to shreds.

The bridge crew watched the Link data anxiously as the
Ares
and
Icarus
began to slow their mad charges and arm the forward laser projectors. Though laughably out of range, the leakage from the powerful weapons would hopefully keep the Phages’ attention for just a little longer.

“Approaching the zenith of our arc, Captain,” the OPS officer said.

“Tactical, full active scan,” Lee ordered. “Populate the board and unsafe the weapons.”

“Aye, sir.”

****

“Bravos are still focused on us, Captain.”

“Excellent,” Celesta Wright said with a confidence she didn’t feel.

The hardened nose cones of the tactical nukes the
Brooklands
was carrying were a great, simple innovation that had killed their fair share of Alphas, but they were affixed to the same old slow, unmaneuverable missiles that were easily intercepted or dodged.

“Ma’am!” the panicked shout of her OPS officer broke into her thought. “Twenty-seven Alphas have just appeared on the grid!”

“Calm down!” Celesta snapped. “Give me the information calmly and concisely. Where are the new arrivals?”

“Same distance from the primary star as this formation… sixty-two degrees laterally and fifteen degrees inclined.” The OPS officer’s face turned bright red at the sharp rebuke.

The formation was at another point just outside the system boundary, but nowhere near where they were operating and much too far away to offer any assistance to the Alphas the
Brooklands
was about to open fire on.

“Coms, get me a command channel to the
Ares
.”

****

“Tell Commander Wright and Captain Lee to stay on mission,” Jackson said to Lieutenant Keller. “Contact the
Artemis,
and tell Captain Forrest I want her tracking and managing the new arrivals. She has permission to reposition the remaining Ninth Squadron ships as she sees fit.”

“Yes, sir.” Keller slipped his headset back on.

“The
Brooklands
is spitting out her missiles,” Barrett said. “Ten seconds until their main stages ignite.”

“Coms, have the
Brooklands
clear the area,” Jackson said. “Tell Captain Lee he is advised to tighten his escape vector to avoid the new arrivals, even if it means losing velocity.”

“Yes, sir.” A now harried Lieutenant Keller continued to talk to four different ships at one time about three different subjects.

“
Brooklands
is accelerating back down into the system,” Hayashi reported. “Missiles are now actively homing and flying toward the Phage formation.”

“Tactical, give them a light show,” Jackson said.

“Aye, sir,” Barrett said. “Firing forward laser cannons.”

The forward projectors on both the
Ares
and the
Icarus
began firing in a strobing sequence that Jackson hoped would at least confuse the Phage long enough for the missiles to find their targets.

“Phage ships are breaking formation,” Barrett said. “Bravos moving to intercept the missiles, and the Alphas are moving back and away.”

“The new Alphas that arrived have integrated,” Jackson said. “They’re now too smart to fall for such a transparent deception. Coms, get me the
Icarus
and—”

“Captain, word coming in from the
Artemis
.” Keller cut him off. “Another massive Phage formation has appeared outside the system. The Link should be updating their positions now.”

The monitor showed that the other two formations were arrayed so each Phage group could cover a one hundred and twenty degree sector. The small group sitting outside the system was meant to goad him into a rash move, but they’d already planned to move in the rest of their forces in such a way that they cut off any chance of escape.

He’d only committed three ships out of his total force to the first formation, so he wasn’t nearly as out of position as the Phage likely hoped he’d be. In fact, despite now being outnumbered, it looked like his forces were already in good position to block any individual group from getting too far into the system, at least in theory.

Jackson had no illusions that the collection of untested crews and outdated warships weren’t going to be hard pressed to hold their own against the Phage when they decided to attack in earnest. From what he could see, they were experimenting and studying them as much as they themselves had been studied.

“Detection grid has another group of large ships transitioning in. This one is inside the outer edge of the system,” Barrett said.

“Receiving transponder squawks now, sir,” Hayashi said. “They’re ours. Six ships… Oh wow.”

“Ensign?”

“Captain, they’re all
Dreadnought
-class battleships,” Hayashi said.

“Incoming transmission on the Fleet-wide general frequency,” Keller said.

“Put it through,” Jackson said.

Could they really be about to fly into a contested system, in the middle of a battle, and try to grab him? Or would they simply order the fleet to withdraw?

“This is Admiral Joseph Marcum aboard the battleship
TCS
Amsterdam
.” The familiar voice came over the bridge speakers. “I am placing all six ships in this squadron under the command of Senior Captain Jackson Wolfe in defense of the Nuovo Patria Star System. Let’s give ‘em hell.
Amsterdam
out.”

“Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” Jackson said.

Chapter 18

“Three… no, five impacts confirmed,” Barrett said calmly. “Good detonations. One Alpha still appears to be under power.”

“So we missed four completely,” Jackson said. “Still, better than I thought we were going to do.”

“Tactical, confirm four destroyed Alphas and one non-combat capable,” Lieutenant Davis said.

She’d come up to relieve Ensign Hayashi just before the
Ares
reached weapons range with the Phage formation as per Jackson’s instructions. With her additional authority as XO, he was pleased to see that she took it upon herself to lighten the burden on him and help manage some of the more “mundane” parts of combat, if they could so be called.

“Four confirmed destroyed,” Barrett said. “Cannot give any certainty on the fifth, but the four remaining ships are now turning toward us and accelerating into the system.”

Jackson watched the tactical display. “I see them.”

The gravimetric detection system provided a time stamp on the incoming data, so the tactical computer could tell him how old the displayed data was and where the target likely was in that instant. It wasn’t guaranteed accurate, given the advanced propulsion the Phage were using, but it was better than just taking a wild guess like he used to when all he had was long range radar.

Jackson weighed his options as four fresh Alphas, and possibly one more that still had some teeth, turned in toward the
Ares
and moved past the outer edges of the system. The two destroyers could likely take out the incoming ships, but it wasn’t a lock that they would be able to fly away without sustaining significant damage themselves, and that wasn’t even taking into account what a few dozen speedy little Bravos could do.

“Nav! Get me a course back down into the system that maintains as much velocity as possible to swing us down by Nuovo Patria,” he ordered. “Coms, make sure the
Icarus
gets our projected course, and inform Commander Wright that we’ll be withdrawing from the immediate area—”

“Fifth target is destroyed, Captain,” Barrett smiled. “It looked like it was going to try and join the others, but it exploded right when it began to accelerate.”

“Outstanding!” Jackson said. “Coms, pass our compliments to the
Brooklands,
and have Captain Lee rally near Black Fleet Battlegroup Two. Inform him that the rest of his missiles will likely be used to control the overflow around the edges—to keep the main Phage formations away from the planet.”

“Aye, sir!”

“New course is plotted and vetted, Captain,” Specialist Accari said.

The talented young spacer had been called up from his department by Jackson, specifically to run the nav station during the battle, much to the chagrin of the chief petty officer that normally manned first watch.

“Helm, come onto new course. All ahead full. Take us to .05c and hold velocity,” Jackson said, forcing himself to sit down and appear calm, so as not to agitate his crew.

“Ahead full, aye.”

“OPS, let me know when we come within two-way com range of the
Amsterdam
,” Jackson said quietly to Lieutenant Davis.

“Yes, sir,” she said.

He wasn’t completely certain what Marcum was doing in the system. The fact that he’d announced himself as
Admiral
Marcum seemed to indicate there had been a major shift in priorities, at least within CENTCOM. Whatever the reason, he was glad to have six brand new battleships sitting in the system, even if he had no clue as to their capabilities.

“Coms, send a discreet message to the
Amsterdam
,” he said. “I need to know what they’re carrying and a rough summary of the
Dreadnought
-class capabilities.”

“Sending now, sir,” Keller said.

“We’re receiving word from the rest of the fleet, Captain,” Davis said. “The Phage are now entering the system from all three points, and more ships are appearing at the edge of our sensor range. Still no sign of any Charlies.”

“That bothers me more than anything else.” Jackson felt like he was missing a significant piece of the big picture.

For the next few hours, the bridge was calm and quiet as his crew sifted through information as it came in over the Link and monitored the
Ares
while she was diving down into the system at full power. During that time, two Fifth Fleet squadrons arrived from the New European Commonwealth, and the first of the Phage formations met up with the Third Fleet ships Jackson had put in orbit around the sixth planet. The Phage could have just flown by them, but he’d correctly surmised that they wouldn’t leave an enemy behind them. The quiet only lasted a little longer as reports from the initial engagements began rolling in.

“We’ve lost our first ship, Captain,” Lieutenant Keller said somberly. “Third Fleet destroyer, the
Palli
.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Jackson struggled to keep his voice neutral. He knew there would be losses, but that knowledge didn’t made losing a whole crew any less horrific. “OPS, keep the ship’s log updated with any Terran casualties, and have a com drone loaded and ready to launch at all times.”

“Aye, sir.”

“We all knew this wasn’t going to be a lossless victory,” Jackson said to the bridge crew. “We will lose more ships before this battle is done. Let’s stay focused, and make sure none of those sacrifices are wasted.”

“Captain, the second Third Fleet squadron is bugging out after the loss of the
Palli
.” Barrett kept his eyes trained on the positions update on the display. “They’re making a run for the Pyeong-on jump point.”