Last Measure of Devotion (TCOTU, Book 5) (This Corner of the Universe) (12 page)

The
minor, last-second victory in maneuvers was a minor comfort to Heskan.  His own
section was facing two-to-one odds against the opposing vanguard and the Saden
main would still contribute some fire as well. 
Just having Formidable from Sade’s
main launching her missiles at us is bad enough.
 Every missile directed
at us is one less GP we use against the enemy.

Cottineau
huffed as the tactical plot pulsed briefly, nullifying their first volley of
missiles directed toward
Courageux
.  There was little time for further
remorse as the second wave of enemy Javelin-IXs entered
Dioscuri’s
point
defense umbrella.

As with
the first wave, the final Saden missile was intercepted a comfortable 3
ls
ahead
of them.  Given the longer reload sequence of the launchers and the relatively
slow speed of the missiles, it seemed to Heskan that corporate missile warfare was
more a nuisance than threatening. 
Anelace faced almost as many missiles but
had less than half of Dioscuri’s lasers and even she mostly protected herself,
Heskan reflected.  He snorted lightly as he recalled the tens of thousands of
missiles defeated during his career as an escort captain.

As
if reading Heskan’s mind, Cottineau questioned, “Captain, should we risk assigning
just one GP turret for the remaining missile waves and use the leftover to
augment our fire at
Courageux
?”

“I
like your aggressiveness but our job is just to survive this pass intact.  I
already jeopardized that by trying to get too clever early on and I’m not
pushing things further.”  He glanced toward his WEPS officer.  “Peyton,
maintain full point defense through the entire pass.  The twin Maclexes will do
enough talking for us.”

Both
Gentry and Cottineau nodded acceptance but the first officer shifted against
his shocksuit restraints toward Heskan and whispered, “You’re right, of
course.  It’s easy to get overconfident when sitting inside a ship as massive
as Dioscuri.  Add the fact that everyone knows what you accomplished on Elathra
and I think most of our crew believes we’re invulnerable.”

Heskan
looked nervously between Cottineau and the tactical plot.  The Saden vanguard
commander had apparently accepted his section’s present position while the main
began to rotate downward in a vain attempt to lessen the distance to
Dioscuri
. 
Sixteen ships were focused on Heskan’s meager, four-ship section.  “We’re about
to put that theory to the test, Mike.”

Semi-translucent
symbols representing
Courageux’s
latest missile trio flared into
existence on the tactical plot.  Although not visually verified, the salvo
predicted by Gentry’s weapons section was a near certainty.  This was the
opposing fourth-rate’s fourth salvo of Javelins.  Given her launcher’s recycle
time, she would have but one, final opportunity to fire again at the estimated
range of 6
ls
.  After that final trio was loosed, the aging line ship
would be unable to reload in time before
Dioscuri
sailed past her. 
Firing missiles at a withdrawing enemy after a completed battle pass would be a
major infraction of corporate rules designed to yield decisive combat results
but with minimal loss of life and property.

Dioscuri
launched her own quartet of
missiles in response to
Courageux
.  Heskan held little hope they would
find their target but each missile streaking toward
Courageux
was a
distraction that would soak up fire otherwise meant for his van.  Like the
Saden line ship,
Dioscuri
would have but one more volley to send toward
the enemy.

“Third
wave entering PD envelope now,” Gentry announced with equal parts excitement
and fear.

All
but a single bridge officer simultaneously rocked forward with anticipation against
their seat restraints as the tension spiked on the bridge.  Only Heskan
remained motionless, learning long ago to fight the urge to spectate during those
brief, pivotal moments of point defense.  Instead, he tried to calculate when
he could order his section onto a new course without disturbing the final shots
from
Jinete
, the trailing snow in his formation. 
Taking time lag and
our separation into account, I can order our course change in…  What the hell
is our main doing?

Heskan
squinted at the tactical plot as Vernay’s section began to distort
inexplicably. 
Ajax
was shooting forward with half of the formation
while other ships seemed to have missed the apparent order to increase speed. 
The line of ships stretched disturbingly apart.  Even accelerating ships were
slipping away from each other. 
No, they weren’t given a fleet speed change,
it’s almost like they’re just running individually.

To
his left, Cottineau stuttered, “W-why are they doing that?”

Heskan
shook his head in exasperation.  “Too late to find out now,” he glowered. 
“Let’s just work on surviving the next few minutes.”

Both
missile volleys from the opposing vanguards fell prey to defenders over the course
of several seconds.  Half a minute later, each line ship’s general purpose
laser turrets once again reached out toward a new, fourth missile wave. 
Dioscuri’s
initial bursts obliterated the three inbound missiles easily just as the range
between combatants closed to 10
ls
.

After
waiting patiently inside their control compartments for nearly three minutes, teams
on
Dioscuri’s
two heavy laser emplacements entered the fray.  Charged
energy speared forth from the twin lenses of each Maclex turret.

On
the bridge, Heskan watched an intense strobe of light flicker at
Courageux’s
beam.  The burst of light painted itself over the fourth-rate’s shield in an
awesome display of competing energy.  Heskan felt his pulse quicken as he
recognized the results of a near miss with a missile. 
That couldn’t have
been better timing; our heavy laser shots are following right behind those Javelins,
he thought optimistically.

Several
seconds later,
Dioscuri’s
own primary shield shuddered under the strain
of return fire.  Deep inside the second-rate’s hull, her Kennedy 400-Series
shield generator struggled to meet the Saden rebuke with equal force designed to
absorb and deflect the incoming heavy strike.  Unlike its smaller cousin, the Advanced
Integrated Protection Screen, or AIPS, which protected a ship in a continuous
envelope, the Kennedy generator created a massive flat shield that provided
excellent protection but only in a single direction.  Large warships
accommodated this flaw by simply placing multiple generators to create enough
individual shields to provide complete coverage.  Corporate warships, however,
did not have the mass available to be afforded such luxury and hence, the
delicate art of angle and position of a line ship’s main shield had been
studied, debated and refined over the last century. 
Dioscuri’s
precisely
calculated heading and roll now angled her shield to best protect against the
different attack planes of the Saden van and main.  The result had the incoming
fire striking the shield at a greater angle than was typical.  The severe angle
helped the shield deflect the hostile energy, rather than forcing the barrier
to absorb it.

Heskan’s
only evidence of the successful defense against the Saden assault was the
smooth, normal operation of his ship and his green-lit status console panel. 
He knew he was more passenger than captain at this point.  Like all battles
fought before his, these priceless moments were now in the hands of junior
officers and enlisted sailors.  Heskan tried to push the feeling of
helplessness aside and worked toward maintaining the situational awareness that
would help shape his future commands. 
Dioscuri
trembled lightly as
Heskan watched
Courageux’s
main shield flare brightly against Maclex
fire.

The
slight jolt on the bridge caused
Dioscuri’s
navigation lieutenant to ask
frantically, “Did they penetrate our shield?”

“That
was our last missile volley,” Gentry replied while curtly shaking her head.  The
knuckles on the woman’s hands were white.  “We’re entering GP range now.”

Dioscuri
cracked the 5
ls
shell of
her adversary a heartbeat later.  General purpose lasers from both line ships
continued to swat desperately at the last missiles remorselessly tracking them. 
Grips tightened further on targeting controls as the tension elevated.  Each
gunner knew that a miss against an incoming Javelin meant the subsequent laser
burst would be “wasted” on the surviving missile rather than directed at the enemy
now sailing inside their weapon’s range.  The added pressure took its toll on
the gunners.  Between both ships, only Gunnersmate Thomas eliminated his target
on the first attempt.  However, Thomas ignored
Courageux
and, following
his instinct, assisted his fellow gunners in
Dioscuri’s
final missile
defense.

Between
the line ships, twenty individual GP lasers recycled in the span of two
heartbeats.  The final two Javelins spearing toward
Dioscuri
erupted
into heat and light 2
ls
from the ship as the small lasers found their
marks.  Supplementing the GP defensive fusillade was the third burst from each
Maclex turret.  Heskan coolly observed the controlled chaos of the battle even
as his flagship’s shield fought valiantly against the rush of energy lashing it
from
Courageux’s
second heavy laser volley.  Before Heskan could
interpret the results of the latest incoming strike, each ship barked more GP
fire.

The
two line ships sailed in graceful silence past each other at a range just
fractionally over 4
ls
.  Light laser fire directed at
Dioscuri
four seconds ago spanned the distance to punish her primary shield further.  Eight
discrete laser bursts struck, causing eruptions of light to splay over her
protective barrier.  As the shield struggled, each ship unleashed death a third
time from their general purpose lasers just as the vessels reached the closest
point of their approach.  The Saden barrage was supplemented this time by the
single, heavy laser turret on the brig,
Excellence
, sailing dutifully 5
ls
behind
Courageux
.

Heskan
monitored
Dioscuri’s
shield status with troubled eyes as his ship unleashed
yet another volley of hate from its GP turrets.  A moment later, he saw his
shield display flashing an ominous red as heavy laser fire raked
Dioscuri’s
starboard beam for a third time.

“Main
shield failing, Captain,” Lieutenant Evelyn Freeman announced with a wince. 
Dioscuri’s
SENS lieutenant followed up with an even sharper cringe, “Formidable is
brushing against ten light-seconds.”

Across
the span of nearly three million kilometers, Admiral Lane’s flagship from the
Saden main,
Formidable
, entered the heavy laser range threshold to
Dioscuri
.
 The twin turrets of her vessel, located on the mid-deck, adjusted their aim slightly
and disgorged beams of hellfire toward the Seshafian invader.

Closer
to Heskan’s ship, the third GP volley fired from
Courageux
finished what
it began thirty seconds ago as the remnants of
Dioscuri’s
abused main
shield teetered and collapsed.  Inside the bridge, alerts heralded
Dioscuri’s
vulnerability to its captain. 
All we’ve got now is the AIPS,
Heskan
thought grimly while quickly estimating the remaining time his ship would linger
in the kill zone.  He shuddered slightly at the answer. 
Our AIPS won’t be
enough.

The first
physical blow against
Dioscuri’s
hull struck exactly three minutes and
fifteen seconds into the contest.  The rebuke came not from
Courageux
but from the single heavy laser volleyed from
Excellence
.  Sade had installed
Excellence’s
Maclex turret, unusual armament for a mere brig, after the decommissioning
of the corporate system’s first fourth-rate,
Dauntless
, nearly two
decades ago.  Rather than see the fearsome weapon sit idle in a repair yard,
Sade’s fleet admiral lobbied for the heavy laser turret to be integrated into
their newest, largest brig at the time.  The wisdom of that decision manifested
years later as charged energy struck
Dioscuri’s
thin AIPS screen and
pierced it amidships.  The screen absorbed nearly eighty percent of the beam’s
energy before cutting out to avoid overload.  The remaining twenty percent
struck duralloy armor, which melted and calved grotesquely near the Number One
missile port but otherwise protected the line ship’s interior.  As if sensing
Dioscuri’s
exposure, the brigs
Gyrfalcon
and
Superb
took their own,
ill-advised potshots at the Seshafian flagship despite the imposing distance
between them.

Dioscuri’s
liquefied armor had yet to
freeze in the cold of space when further GP laser fire from
Courageux
missed the retreating line ship by a scant 41,000 kilometers.  After a
heartbeat’s reprieve, a second GP salvo was issued from the trio of Saden brigs. 
Gyrfalcon
and
Superb
held out little hope for hits, but
Excellence
,
brushing inside of 5
ls
from
Dioscuri
, unleashed her entire
arsenal with aplomb.

Moments
later,
Excellence’s
GP laser salvo painted itself over
Dioscuri’s
exposed beam.  The triumvirate fired from
Excellence’s
GP emplacement
scorched deep furrows into
Dioscuri’s
middle deck just forward of the
Number Four missile port.  Exterior compartments expelled their contents into
space as the ship’s hull breached.  Farther ahead, Gunnersmate Third Class
David Peterson never knew what hit him as fire from
Excellence’s
dual GP
turret pierced the forward-most gunner’s position on the ship.  Additional
strobes of light melted and pierced armor across the length of
Dioscuri’s
bow in a mural of ruin.  While still reeling from those blows,
Formidable’s
Maclex lasers added to the portrait of destruction occurring along the front of
the stricken flagship.

Damage
was pouring into
Dioscuri
now. 
Formidable’s
quartet of heavy
laser fire cleaved deeply near the bow.  Three of the four beams were stopped only
after penetrating nearly seventy percent through the ship.  Interior
compartments decompressed as horrified sailors desperately fumbled to secure
their shocksuits.  None of the exposed Seshafians had experienced decompression
before, adding the complexity of chaos to the simple action of sealing their
helmets.

The
fourth beam of charged energy from
Formidable
pierced completely through
the relatively narrow prow of
Dioscuri
.  Twin rivulets streamed from the
second-rate’s formerly beautiful bow, like whiskers of some gigantic creature,
before containment fields snapped into place to end the spectacle.

In
contrast to
Dioscuri’s
front,
her starboard beam continued to spew
wreckage in gruesome fits and coughs as the range increased between her and the
Saden formations.  Parting light laser fire from
Gyrfalcon
and
Superb
missed by wide margins even as
Courageux’s
final heavy laser shots found
their marks.  The four streams of light cored the after-third of the warship’s
hull evenly between her middle and top deck.  The first twin beams lashed over
the aft dual Maclex turret with seemingly little effect.  Two heartbeats later,
however, an enormous explosion rocked the ship hard enough to pitch her bow
upward slightly while gouts of flame purged the entire turret from its mount.

The
remaining two heavy laser shots from
Courageux
impaled Engineering. 
Dioscuri’s
core was spared rebuke but Sub-lieutenant Jacqueline Archer and her entire section
inside the Power Conversion Control compartment were fleeting witnesses to the
catastrophe of a runaway power converter.

The bleeding
and cratered flagship sailed on for several seconds before the final hostility
directed at her, a Maclex shot from
Excellence
, swept well aft.

Heskan
wiped fiercely at his brow.  He had come to loathe the feeling of sweat
trickling down his face. 
It feels too much like a bug crawling on me,
he thought while drying his gloved hand.  The tactical plot showed Vernay’s
main would complete her ad-hoc pass against the Saden main in another twenty-six
seconds.  The two Seshafian sections had yet to exchange data regarding the
combat pass but Heskan could tell from Vernay’s terrible position that her pass
would not amount to much.  “Mike, find out how bad we’re hurt,” he growled
while frowning at the display.

The
formations had met at an acute angle and were now sailing safely away from each
other.  The lack of follow-up missile fire was unnerving as Heskan considered
how vulnerable his ship was. 
Now that we’ve passed through each other, our
line ships are completely exposed with our battlesides facing in the wrong
directions.
  Far worse than
Dioscuri’s
exposed flank was the chaotic
state of Vernay’s formation.  The six-ship main had distorted into bedlam. 
Ajax
“led” her section with nearly a 10
ls
gap between herself and the nearest
ship,
Falcon
.  The ships of the Iron Brigade maintained better formation
integrity but trailed
Ajax
at a distance of 14
ls
.  Covington’s
Hawk
had apparently missed the command and was no longer sailing in the section’s third
position where it had started.  She now sailed fifth in line, behind the Iron
Brigade and slightly askew with
Hobelar
.  On its face, the state of the main
was inexcusable.  Heskan stared sourly at the collection of ships, unable to
think of any reason why Vernay’s formation could have ended up so scattered.

He
leaned to his right and opened the vanguard command channel.  “All ships of the
van will continue line ahead and follow the flagship.  Dioscuri will execute
immediate sixty-degree turn to starboard.  Maintain fleet speed.”  He
disconnected from the channel and added, “Make it a slow turn.  I don’t know how
badly the other ships in our section were damaged.  Once we’re sorted out, set
a course toward the C-Three ship.  I need to talk with Captain Nguyen.”