Carinae Sector: 02 - Admiral's Fury - Part 3 - Fleet Action (14 page)

‘All ships are to pull back two hundred kilometres and will maintain formation one hundred kilometres above the moon. We will retreat to cover the moon based assets to the north of the main landing site. All nearby missile frigates, corvettes and civilian ships are instructed to cover our destroyers as best as possible.’

The destroyers all began pulling back as they remained in formation, and Mary was relieved to note the fleet maintained the covering fire they needed to defend against a missile attack. The smaller ships were on their way as Mary considered her next orders. Long minutes went by and the Jerecab merely held position without launching missiles.

Mary knew that her fleet were now facing imminent defeat unless she could somehow engineer a victory with the two hidden cards she had at her disposal. She knew that the fleet had already lost eight destroyers with another six badly damaged, even if the losses amongst the Jerecab armada were much higher. The admiral was also concerned that only sixteen of the larger moon based missiles had launched earlier and she had issued further orders for Robert Seville to get the other missiles urgently launched into space. She had heard nothing further from Robert, so that left her with her last wild card to play.

Rick Gordon yelled a warning across the bridge, but Mary could see what was happening from the main view screen.

‘Admiral the armada has launched over two hundred missiles at our fleet…’

The enemy missile launch was a bit late by her estimation, by about five minutes, but she knew that on such decisions battles could be won or lost. The missiles raced for her fleet as the smaller ships raced into the locations recently occupied by the destroyers. Mary felt a dry knot of fear inside her as she realised that they would soon be taking on a large number of casualties. Rick looked at her critically as she gave the expected order on the missiles and then another urgent order to deploy her last trump card.

‘All ships are to switch to covering fire and engage those incoming missiles. Remember to provide covering fire for the outlying ships closest to the Jerecab armada. Captain Stone, activate the mobile guns on the surface and engage the enemy frigates or incoming missiles as they bear. All ships are advised to expect incoming fire past them as the guns attack the Jerecab armada.’

Mary watched with renewed interest as a relayed video feed from the moon showed a number of tracked vehicles or ‘moon tanks’ as they had been nicknamed, that were located to the south of the main landing facility. The large guns were already elevated and she watched in hope as they fired at the oncoming armada.

Rick Gordon looked over the time and distance calculations for the oncoming missiles and spoke quietly.

‘The Jerecab missiles will arrive in ninety seconds Admiral.’

                                                                     ***

Chapter 7

Captain Robert Seville was bounding across the Luna surface in a clumsy loping run, with small stones and grey moon dust scattering around him as he hurried along. Overhead the massive battle between the armada and the defenders flared again as a Jerecab frigate exploded in a white-hot nuclear fireball. Robert had earlier left his team behind after urgently giving them instructions, especially to his right hand man Paul Taylor.

‘Paul, get the team back to cover at the eastern engineering station. You then need to check the two power conduits nearby, and ensure they are both functional, as we have to launch those remaining missiles. I have to go to the western station to launch the other missiles manually and one man alone might go un-noticed by the Jerecab.’

Robert had not waited for a reply as he picked up a small tool kit and bounded away west across the surface of the moon. He had a good idea of what the problem could be and he was soon bouncing at a fast clip past several of the un-opened covers for the unlaunched missiles. A series of flashes darkened his helmet for a few seconds and he knew that another fighting ship well overhead had also been destroyed in a nuclear explosion.

Robert tried not to think about the radiation that could be sleeting through his scantily protected body. There was a slight chance of the Jerecab shooting him from orbit with a larger ship based laser, in which case only fragments of his suit would possibly survive. He was also aware that there was a highly increased risk of his space suit being torn open by a flying piece of space ship from the overhead battle.

Robert steeled himself to move forward quickly and he was soon threading around another series of unopened missile hatches. Suddenly a series of bright flashes overhead and to his right caught his attention. Paul must have fixed the secondary conduit problem on the eastern field, and up to eight of the larger missiles were now heading towards the Jerecab armada. He was relieved to see these missiles launch and knew that this left only the remaining twenty-four missiles near his own location to be sorted out.

Robert located his destination and by radio eventually managed to key the access cover panel for the control station to open as he approached. The panel was just like the covers for the missiles around him, except it covered the control station that held the auxiliary controls and relays for the missile silos. He was also well aware that control station only went down into the surface for a few metres before it reached solid rock.

Robert entered the open panel cover in a flurry of stones and dust and lost valuable seconds trying to see through the dust he had thrown up. By instinct, he found the main interface location of the control station and he jacked his space suit in so he could use the heads up display. The display came online after several very long further seconds and he soon spotted the problems stopping the launch sequence.

Robert could see that one of the power conduits, unfortunately the one that the remote control systems were using was now damaged or offline. The conduit had possibly been destroyed either by a piece of a destroyed space ship or a direct hit from the powerful lasers on the Jerecab frigates. The fuel top up pump was also offline for some reason, and the large missiles were down five to ten percent on their fuel storage capacity after sitting below the surface of the moon for several weeks. He wasted no time in getting around the two problems, as he knew that the time remaining for Mary and her fleet of ships was rapidly running out.

Robert knew that the facility had redundancy built into it, and that the restraining bolts were no longer an issue as his crew had manually released them all earlier. The Long Lance missiles had only been tested a few times and Robert knew that this would still be a concern as he worked away on the latest problems. He was mindful of the power drain on the secondary energy conduit as he feverishly altered the launch options inside the control station. First, he set the secondary power conduit as the new default for all remaining missiles. He then instructed the now powered missiles to boot up in blocks of six sixty seconds after the first block of missiles initiated their start up functions. He finally selected the over-ride to emergency launch the first six missiles in two minutes without topping up their fuel tanks.

Robert repeated the instructions across to all missile controls after many long seconds and was relieved to see all his instructions accepted. He was confident that the missile controllers would handle the changes in programming and fuel status given the closing range of the Jerecab armada. The engineer got green lights from the first six missiles as they entered their launch states, and he was suddenly worried for his own safety, as he realised that he was in the middle of a missile launch area protected only by his flimsy space suit.

Emma was now yelling frantically over his suit radio and he could tell that she was crying.

‘Robert you fixed the missiles and they are launching in four blocks shortly. Get the hell out of there!’

Robert looked over the top of the control station and considered the long distance he would have to cover in his space suit. He instead pulled a large pair of grips from his small tool kit and attacked the pair of gas struts holding up the access cover hatch. Long seconds went by and he was aware of the nearby launch hatches slowly opening as he disconnected both gas struts. Emma was in turn crying and yelling, ‘I love you Robert…’ as he then quickly pulled down the heavy cover hatch.

The ground around his refuge shook as the first six missiles launched and Robert quickly wedged the access cover down with his grips before he crouched underneath the desk of the control station. The heat from the launching missiles seared through the smoked and toughened glass of the access hatch for several long seconds as the missiles clawed their way into space.

Robert yelled out repeatedly in reply to Emma that he loved her as the next six missiles also began to launch. His suit began to smoke on the outside as the dust on the dust covers smouldered. He urgently shook the hot dust from the suit covers off onto the decking in the rapidly increasing temperature of the control station. The last blocks of missiles also began to launch and Robert crouched as low as possible as fire again swept over his flimsy refuge.

                                                                     ***

Admiral Baunrus struggled once again with his self-control as he berated the commanders of the leading section of frigates.

‘Yes, I know the humans are now firing those big guns and that three flights of large missiles are approaching. I don’t care what your objections are; you will engage those destroyers at all costs.’

A young lieutenant now stood nervously next to the admiral and Baunrus transferred his bile onto the unfortunate junior officer, as all his other former flag commanders had earlier been transferred to command other ships in the armada.

‘What the hell are you looking at lieutenant? Do I have to shoot you as well?’

The lieutenant avoided looking the admiral in the eye as he firmly narrated his report.

‘Admiral, about a dozen ships are now approaching from the fourth planet Mars, they appear to be more mining ships and will enter range shortly. The Barus cruiser squadron will arrive within twenty minutes.’

Baunrus decided to cut the lieutenant some slack and merely grunted in annoyance before he hissed a reply.

‘Well now if we are lucky we can always force those ships to surrender as their destroyers will shortly be wrecked. They left their attack too late compared to the other mining craft and the Barus cruisers arrival will be too late to affect the battle. So back you go to your console lieutenant.’

Baunrus looked over the status of the battle and knew that victory was not far off as yet another human destroyer exploded after being struck by three missiles. He was expecting the rest of the missiles to destroy additional destroyers, however he screamed again in fury as he realised what was happening.

‘Those masses of smaller ships have come in from the flanks and rear of their destroyers, and they are running interference on our missiles. All ships are to use their lasers to knock down those small ships before all our missiles are used up.’

Baunrus watched as an old missile frigate, and several of the smaller corvettes and mining scouts blew up as they deliberately ran into Jerecab missiles. He grudgingly admired the resolute courage of the human pilots, even as another lieutenant called out from across the bridge.

‘The first of those large human missiles launched from their moon are staging into multiple warheads. I count eight warheads per missile and they are rocket propelled. The launch platforms are slowing down but are also engaging and destroying our own incoming missiles. Another two waves of these missiles are several minutes behind the first wave.’

Baunrus watched in disbelief as the status of the battle changed in seconds. A swarm of smaller warheads now raced for his frigates, and the admiral now regretted that he had committed them forward several minutes earlier. He was beyond screaming anything and he could only silently watch in horror as several of his best frigates came under a strong combined attack. The few surviving human destroyers had regrouped and again lashed out with their heavy spinal mount cannons, as the smaller ships in front of them sacrificed themselves against any incoming missiles. He yelled out urgent orders as the human fleet rallied and counter attacked.

‘All lead frigates are to hold the line and do not advance further. The rear sections are to advance forward and support the lead sections of the armada. Switch all guns to point defences and destroy those incoming missiles.’

One of his other lieutenants came forward again with another data tablet and a very annoyed Baunrus snatched it off him. The admiral took in the space battle and was aware at a visceral level that the humans were rallying and fighting back hard. He sunk back into his command chair and groaned in desperation as he took in the latest simulation.

                                                                     ***

Admiral Mary Neilson felt rising hope as the battle begun to swing very slowly back in her favour. The Jerecab had been forced to switch over to the wholesale use of their laser weapons to defend themselves against oncoming missiles. Mary spotted something, but Lieutenant Rick Gordon gave an urgent order to the Exeter’s point defences as she looked on with approval.

‘Gordon to all point defences - target those four missiles at bearing Red 20, Azimuth 50.’

Mary knew that despite her ships now regrouping that this could amount to only a temporary reprieve. The simulations were still showing a Jerecab victory, but the losses among their ships were already over eighty percent. She noticed that Omerio’s ships were getting much closer and she gave Rick Gordon another order.

‘Lieutenant, prepare two simulations showing the Jerecab only having point defences for another fifteen minutes. The last missiles will have been used up by that stage.’

Rick was already engrossed in spotting something else happening at the edge of the battle and he called out in reply.