The Bright Black Sea (66 page)

As for the larger battle, I knew less about it than
before, only that the space all around us constantly flickered with
explosions large and small. I dimmed the display and just followed
what my fighter was up to on my com link. Once I got used to it, it
wasn't all that stressful – our four frontline fighters did all the
hard work.

Vynnia, Ten, Min and I, plus two relief mercenary
pilots, rotated in guard duty, so I had eight hours off between
four duty stints. There seemed no point in going back to my ship
proper – I could worry in the mercenary base just as easily as in
my cabin, so I appointed Illy acting captain and bunked with the
other pilots. Molaye called several times volunteering her
services, but I was never available. I didn't want to deal with
her. I just told Illy that under no circumstances was she to allow
Molaye out of the ship.

The following day each attack intensified – now five
or more ships in quick succession. Our front line fighters spent
most of their effort countering the missile barrages that enemy
fired ahead of their attack, leaving them little time to inflict
damage on the numerous attacking ships themselves. This allowed
them to redeploy those ships to attack several times in a day once
they'd decelerated and turned, for another run at us. Our front
line fighters could only be relieved one at a time.

The big attack came on the day before we'd reach the
brief shelter of the drift stream, involving every ship they had at
their disposal. They'd held off attacking for several watches
(allowing us a brief spell to get some much needed rest) while they
gathered all their available ships and positioned them for the big
push. While we couldn't know what they were thinking, my fellow
pilots felt it wasn't a case of desperation – this is what they'd
been setting us up for since the attacks began. They'd worn us down
and now they were going to overwhelm us with numbers. They still
had fifteen ships to throw at us and rather than send them in five
or six at a time, they were positioning them to attack the ship
from 360 degrees, hoping to overwhelm the jump fighters and the
ship's own defenses. They made no effort to hide their intentions.
Desperation or confidence. Your choice.

They chose my watch in the jump fighter to do so,
though I don't suppose it was any less frightening watching from
the bridge.

D'Lay deployed every fighter and seeing their intent,
sent them out to meet the attack, keeping only Min and me back. Out
numbered, and unable to engage every ship, D'Lay chose to
concentrate his fighters on fewer ships and take them out, two or
three at a time. This left Min, me and now the
Lost Star
to
deal with the missile barrages of the ships left unengaged and
their missiles unchallenged. We divided the defense into four
sectors to keep the jump fighters out of the way of the ship's
missile defense system. Min and I positioned our fighters above and
below the ship, to allow it a clear field of fire for its
anti-missile defenses.

The more distant approach battle lasted perhaps half
an hour. And there was a maelstrom of explosions, with missiles and
ships, large and small, streaking though the torn fabric of space
so fast and furious at us that only the jump ships themselves knew
what was going on. The
Lost Star
added a score of scars to
its hull, taking hits form the small anti-missiles filling the
space about it. I was being thrown wildly about, useless, really as
the jump fighter danced and dashed about, dodging missiles and
launching its own in what must have been a brilliant ball of light
and debris that was the culmination of the attack. I could hear and
feel the ting and clang of glancing small missiles and debris, but
I emerged operational.

As the Despar ships passed by the ship, D'Lay ordered
a general pursuit, and with the danger to the
ship
now all but passed, Min took off in pursuit with
the rest of the wing, leaving me no choice but to follow. I'll not
deceive you into believing I did so with any enthusiasm, but I
realized that any ship we damaged now would unlikely be able to
attack us again before we reached the drift stream.

As the confusion of the chase lessened as the ships
diverged, I found myself on the tail of a fair sized tramp
freighter, and began to press an attack in order to get closer to
be able to launch the larger, anti-ship missiles I had aboard. I
was just skillful enough to know that you'd want to get close and
launch your attack either from directly ahead or astern where the
anti-missiles could not respond fast enough.

My target had likely expended most of its missiles in
the attack and over the course of the whole engagement, so I was
able to work my way in close without having to do a great deal of
jumping about. It used its steering rockets to try and keep me on
its broad side, firing the occasional missile and barrages of
smaller anti-missiles to keep me at bay. By now, I'd a great
confidence in my ship to deal with these, and concentrated on
closing and anticipating my opponent's next move. Time was
meaningless in the midst of the action. As the ships diverged, the
sense of battle had receded and it had become a duel between the
ship's captain and me, and I'd every intention of winning.

D'Lay's recall of his boats came over my com link,
but since my boat had not gone out to meet the attack, I'd still
enough fuel to continue to press my attack, and decided to not hear
the recall and press on a little longer, since it seemed I'd be
able to win in the end. I was a warship, and she, an old tramp. I'd
been on the receiving end too long...

D'Lay noticed my lack of response and ordered me
back. I pretended my com link was down...

And just like that, he'd made the move I'd
anticipated, and I had my jump fighter close and astern, too close
for any of his missiles to hit my fighter or block my missiles. I'd
had him. And yet. And yet, I hesitated. Putting several missiles up
the his exposed rocket tube would not merely disable the ship,
they'd blow it to atoms.

I found I couldn't fire.

I opened a laser com link to the ship ahead and sent
on the common frequency,

'Despar ship. You've two minutes to abandon ship
before I fire. Two minutes starting now.'

I glanced at the flashing red light on my visor
display warning me that we were into the fuel reserves and I'd have
to return soon or I'd not be able to catch up with the ship any
time soon...

D'Lay had now noticed my position and ordered me to
fire, “Neb-damn you fire and get back”, the warning light flashing
and the clock slowly ticked down my two minutes, I fingered the
fire button torn, I'd not wait a second longer than my two minutes,
no matter how unreasonable that time limit had been. It came and
went. Damn you captain, you're doomed, get the Neb off... My new
deadline was two minutes and thirty seconds. The ship's boats
blasted away at the two minute forty mark, and I waited five more
seconds and sent three missiles down the ship's main rocket engine
tube, and hit full power to my forward facing rockets, throwing me
forward against the restrains as the view before me exploded into
light and debris. My jump fighter make a few jerky moves to avoid
debris and I started back for the
Lost Star
, with a very
angry read light flashing in my visor. I'd enough fuel to get back
to the ship, but it took over two hours. I maneuvered it into its
launch bay in the hold on vapors.

'The skipper'd like to see you, Captain, once you've
freshened up,' said the service tech as I crawled out of my
fighter. He looked like he was trying to be serious.

'Ah, you might check the com system, I think it took
a hit or something.'

He gave me a grin. 'Right. It happens.'

01

I took my time showering and donning a clean jump
suit. I wanted to talk, too.

I reported to the control bridge.

'Ah, Captain,' he said greeting me. 'Here, at last.
Take over Kin,' he said to the other officer at the control
desk.'

'The tech said I could shower and freshen up before
reporting,' I replied, choosing to be dense.

He gave me a glowering look and showed me into his
small, bare office, a desk and two chairs. 'Want a drink? We should
have time now.'

'If you're having one. A small one.'

He drew out two bulbs of Ram's Rock Rum and tossed
one over to me. We unsealed the bulbs and squeezed out a sip.

'When you're flying one of my boats, you're under my
command,' he began straight away.

'Of course, Captain,' I replied. I'd decided that for
both our sakes, I'd stick with my story of a com link failure. 'Did
I miss any order? The last I heard was a general chase. I believe
my com link went down. Likely a result of getting nicked by an
anti-missile or chuck of debris. Not uncommon, I suppose.'

'I rather doubt that, if you don't mind me saying
so.'

I shrugged. 'I don't mind, now, if, that's all you
have to say, we've more pressing things to discuss.'

'We do?'

'I was wondering what you have in mind for your plan
B. The way things are looking, we need to make some new plans
before we reach the drift stream. We'll be in the blind spot in two
watches, and we'll be altering our course and speed. I was
wondering if you had any preferences.'

'Alter our course? Have a plan B?' he said, folding
his hands and resting his chin on them. 'You're making unwarranted
assumptions.'

'I hope not. I'm assuming Boscone hired the best, so
I'm pretty certain you've a Plan B. And C. And D.'

He shook his head and sighed. 'Well, the thing with
mercenary work is that your client pretty much calls all the shots.
They hire you to do a specific job, and tell you how to do it. Or
try, anyway...'

'Except that it's becoming clear that we may not
reach Boscone unless we use the drift stream to make changes
that'll disrupt Despar's plan of attack. As I'm sure you realize,
we'll soon be in position to make a course change that they'll not
be able to detect until it will be too late to respond with the
bulk of their forces prior to reaching the general region of
Boscone Reef.'

'So you're now a tactician,' he said
sarcastically.

'No, you are. I can, however, call on two experience
Patrol officers for their professional opinion. I've had a chance
to talk with them and, like me, they think a slight change of plans
and course is called for,' I said carefully.

'What are Vyn and Tenry suggesting?' he asked
mildly.

'I think professional courtesy prevents them from
making direct suggestions, but they told me they'd only stay on our
present course with a Marlin class frigate and a flight of jump
fighters. But with a nearly exhausted half a flight and an old
tramp, they'd imagine you'd be on plan B now.'

'Despar made their move early, and lost.'

'Vyn and Ten don't believe the killing blow has been
struck yet.'

He shrugged. 'I think I'm in a better position to
judge that.'

'Not to be too critical, but I'm not absolutely
convinced.'

'This is my profession. With all due respect to Ten
and Vyn, their Patrol experience doesn't match mine. I think we've
seen the bulk of Despar's forces and have defeated them.'

'That may be the case, but it does not alter my
concern for the safety of my crew and ship. I can't see how any
changes of course I make will make our position worse than it is
now. So there's no reason not to do something fairly random to
minimize surprises on the far side. We'll still be more than six
days from the Boscone Reef. I'll not gamble on your instinct.'

'I'm sorry, but I see no compelling reason to change
either our course or our speed. We'll stay with our originally
planned course. I paid a large premium for your services. I'm sorry
you're getting nervous, but you're being paid very well to endure.
You'll just have to tough it out.'

I shook my head. This was my ship, or Min's, but mine
to run.

'No. I don't. You agreed to a standard Unity charter
to carry your contingent to Boscone. Everything else, like using my
ship as your operational base over the course of the passage was
just an informal understanding between us. The wording of the
standard charter gives me the right to make course alterations to
avoid hazards. I believe proceeding along the original course
presents a very serious hazard, far greater than what you want me
believe... So I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist on exercising
my right to avoid these additional dangers. I'll consider any
suggestions you make, of course, but the decision is mine, Captain
D'Lay.'

'And how do you expect to avoid them?'

'I'm starting by consulting with you,' I said with a
smile. 'I don't want this to divide us.'

'We damaged or destroyed nine of the fifteen ships
they deployed against us. I think we've won. I doubt there are many
left on the far side of the drift. We've just about accounted for
every ship in my intel report, so there's no need to make any
changes at all. We'll have a day or more to recoup and be fresh for
whatever they have left to deploy.

'That being the case, why would you object to a
change of course? It wouldn't matter , would it? I'm considering
increasing our speed and altering our course to run along the coast
of the reef, decelerating and entering it when we can do so safely.
If you're right and we find ourselves free of opposing ships we can
simply decelerate and enter the reef all that much sooner. I don't
see why you're objecting.'

'I have my reasons.'

Care to state them?'

'I don't owe you an explanation. It's my
bailiwick.'

'Sorry, that doesn't cut it. I know we took out a
fair number ships today. And I suspect you're thinking you job is
more than half done and want to finish it on the other side,' I
said watching him closely.