Operation Hellfire (23 page)

"Yes!" Nate cried out.

The Alliance battleship swung away from the crippled carrier and began accelerating towards the Rift and the rest of the fleet. With the carrier no longer a threat, she now turned her guns on the lesser ships of the enemy and exacted a heavy toll on those that strayed too close.

An image of the Prince Kratha appeared on his screen, much to Nate's surprise. It was on the open, unencrypted channel so that both sides could see and hear him. Nate knew he was still aboard Relentless, and just showing his face was sure to anger his enemies. He spoke in his own tongue, and Nate had to wait until his computer system translated. It was mainly insults hurled at his foes but ended with a promise, one Nate would never forget.

"Today I leave my homeland, but I promise I will return, and vengeance will be mine. I leave you with a gift."

Nate's brow tightened, especially when the Byotai vanished and was replaced by a blurred image of the Byotai Reserve Base they had so recently fought over. More than a dozen ships were moored on or near it.

What's he up to?

A yellow dot grew in size at the base of the station, and then to Nate's astonishment it completely enveloped the platform. The image vanished, and Nate was left speechless. He looked ahead and watched Relentless move through the Rift, closely followed by a pair of Crusaders. Soon it would be his turn. He breathed a sigh of relief as the icons for Rex and Hawkins disappeared as they entered the Spacebridge to safety. The counter showed five seconds until he reached the tear in space-time, one that would take him to the Fiorr Veej System in the Deadlands.

Half of us through, we might all make it out of here.

That reminded him of Warlord. He looked back and found himself shaking as he watched the massive ship pursued by more than thirty enemy ships. It looked like a painting, and he could almost imagine the title reading as something like the Last Stand of ANS Warlord. He wanted desperately to turn back and help, but as he hit the Rift, his view changed and he found himself many light years away, and in an alien and unfamiliar place.

"Fiorr Veej!"

Alliance Armoured Assault Ship 'ANS Relentless', Fiorr Veej System, Deadlands

Nate's body shuddered as the canopy opened. He'd already deactivated his faceplate and took in a series of quick breaths. The claustrophobia of the fighter had never been an issue, but the last few minutes since he'd landed had unnerved him. Trapped inside the darkness of the ship, with little idea what was going on outside. The top of the ladder appeared, and without waiting, Nate detached his harness and climbed out of his fighter. He moved so quickly that he made it just two rungs before he slipped and dropped down. Luckily for him, the deck crew were on hand, and one grabbed him before he hit the ground.

"Sir, are you injured?"

Nate shook his head as he regained his balance.

"I'm good, thanks. Just nerves."

The man smiled and moved on to the many other spacecraft. Nate could see some of his friends further away as they watched a large screen on the wall of the deck. He walked towards them and ran into a small group of Corsair pilots. They shook his hand in turn and though tired, Nate finally felt he was now actually part of the crew. The last to shake his hand was the indomitable shake of Lieutenant Commander Holder.

"You and your people did well out there today."

"Thank you, Sir."

She then smiled, something Nate had rarely seen, before nodding and walking away. She stopped and then looked back.

"One of your pilots, Augustyniak?"

Nate gulped as he nodded.

"A Hammerhead from Warlord picked him up in the retreat. Apparently, he suffered burns, but he's okay. Thought you'd like to know."

Nate thanked her, and when he turned back, Hawkins stood there shaking his head.

"I can't believe we all made it back from that. And Augustyniak got himself a taxi home, too."

He reached out a hand to Nate and he took it, shaking it slowly. At his flanks were Fletcher and the Foss twins, who were uncharacteristically quiet.

"We kicked some serious ass out there today, Nate."

The group moved nearer to the large display. Nate followed them but was stopped a few metres short when Billy and Cassandra came charging in. Cassandra glanced at him, but then veered towards Rex. Billy, on the other hand, came straight to Nate and threw his arm around his friend.

"Man, can you believe it?"

Nate groaned as Billy squeezed him a little too tightly. As they separated, Billy noticed Nate was looking up at the screen as well.

"What is it?"

"Look," said Nate.

More pilots and crew walked over to watch the external video feed. It must have been coming from one of the vessels further back, as the foreground was full of ships. Nate recognized some of them from the battle, but there were many more he hadn't seen in the fight. So intently were they all looking that no one noticed Captain Cornwallis and Commander Higgins arrive on the deck. They moved closer until alongside the other pilots.

"What ships are those?" Cassandra asked.

"Those are the ships of the Helios Battlegroup. Twelve major warships, and each itching for a scrap," said Captain Cornwallis.

Several of the pilots looked to the Captain, but Nate was the first to speak.

"Why are they here?"

The Captain nodded to the massive screen.

"That's why."

Far off into the background was the flashing whirlpool that was the Rift back to the Ararrh System. Energy lashed at the mouth as a ship came through. Everybody held their breath as the battle-damaged hulk of ANS Warlord appeared. Hundreds of small fires covered her outer hull, and debris followed her like a cloud of smoke.

"She made it!" Rex cried.

Most of the deck crew and pilots cheered as they watched the heroic warship pass safely through the minefield and towards the rest of the battered ships. Nate scanned them and stopped when he moved past twenty ships. It was effectively the combined weight of two-thirds of the Alliance strength under Orion Command, and with numbers came safety. He looked at Billy and grinned.

"So, that's it, then."

Billy gulped and lifted a hand to point at the screen. Nate looked back and nearly choked upon seeing five Star Empire warships come through the Rift. These were large, cruiser Class vessels. ANS Warlord's flanks and stern-mounted guns blasted them as they gave chase. Some of the pilots stepped back in horror, only to cheer when the first of the proximity mines activated. They flashed as the powerful objects ripped chunks out of the ships. The Alliance battleships steamed away from the Rift, leaving the badly damaged enemy ships alone and trapped in the field. Each time they tried to move, they were struck by more of the weapons.

"Look," said Matilda.

ANS Warlord turned around to present her left flank to the five ships, and the other Alliance vessels arrayed their primary weapons on the target. A familiar voice announced himself over the speakers.

"The Admiral," whispered Nate.

"The Deadlands have been designated a neutral zone by the Orion Security Council. Withdraw, or be destroyed."

There was silence on the deck as they all waited and watched. The five ships were stuck. Matilda shook her head.

"They should leave while they can."

"Agreed," said Nate, "Unless they want a war."

To their astonishment, the five ships activated their engines and proceeded to plough through the minefield and towards the Alliance ships. One opened fire, sending a dozen heavy shells towards the line of waiting ships.

"As you wish," said the Admiral.

The audio feed clicked, and then the line of ships opened fire. The mixture of particle beams, railguns, and automatic cannons proved deadly. In less than a minute, the five ships were nothing but hulking ruins. Captain Cornwallis exhaled slowly as he watched the destruction before moving away to speak to several of the deck officers.

"That was a..."

"Massacre?" Rex suggested.

Commander Higgins, who had until now been silent, shook his head.

"No, Son. That was a message from us, and from Kratha. The only thing this Tahkeome understands is force. Now he knows how far he can push us. We offered him quarter, and instead he turned on us. Things are changing, and fast."

Nate shook his head.

"I don't understand, Sir."

"Have you not seen the news in the last hour?"

Again Nate shook his head. Obviously, he could not have known, and based on the smile on the Commander's face, he didn't expect him to. His friends gathered in to hear what the Commander had to say. Even some of the deck crew had crowded around so that it became more of a public announcement.

"When we first escaped on board Relentless, I didn't expect much of you cadets. Since then, you've proven yourselves repeatedly, and we've made it this far."

He lifted his hand to his mouth and nodded.

"This has just been made public. The Security Council on Hades has voted unanimously for the border systems to be declared neutral. It's backed by the Klithi and the Khreenk. All of them want to stop any further expansion of this new regime. You've seen their capacity for violence. They have to be stopped, now."

He pointed to the screen. Small tenders and tugs now surrounded the five shattered ships, presumably there to move debris and look for survivors.

"Alliance peacekeeping forces are being mobilised along the border to protect any systems that requests assistance."

He smiled as he looked from left to right, examining each of their faces.

"Because of you, the Byotai Empire endures. Imperator Kratha declared his succession when we arrived at Ararrh. Already systems along the border are declaring for him."

Ensign Hawkins asked what all of them were thinking.

"What happens next, Sir?"

Commander Higgins grinned.

"The Helios Battlegroup will take over guarding this system. The rest of us get a chance for some rest."

"And the revolution?" Nate asked, "What of this Tahkeome and his Legates and legions of militia? Is the fighting over?"

Some of the pilots and crew had already melted away, but not Knighthawk Squadron. Each remained and listened carefully to the Commander's next words. Before he could speak, Captain Cornwallis joined him and spoke to Nate.

"The Star Empire is unified, and they have a fleet of over seventy ships spread out along our border. What do you think is going to happen? I suggest you all get some rest. You need to be ready for when Tahkeome or Kratha make their next move."

He lifted an eyebrow and walked away with Commander Higgins at his flank, leaving the pilots alone on the deck. Hawkins sighed and then indicated for them to come closer.

"I don't know about you lot, but I need something to drink, and as soon as possible."

Billy laughed.

"Rec room?"

Hawkins put his arm around both Nate and Billy.

"Of course. Come on, before somebody starts another shooting war."

The moved towards the nearest of the high-speed elevators and found the doors open and waiting. They squeezed in and looked back at the hangar deck. Operation Hellfire was over for them, at least for the time being. But for the deck crew and their robotic machines, it was a day like any other. Engineering teams began stripping away broken or partially damaged components. Sparks flashed from one end of the hall to the other. The doors slid shut, and Rex turned to Nate.

"So, this Valentine. When are we going to see her again? I kind of miss her old war stories. She gets into scrapes that make our fights look like videogames."

Nate laughed. A month ago that would have been true, but not today.

"In about five minutes. She's already there, and according to her, she's got some wild stories to tell us."

The door opened, and the cool air of the ship washed into the elevator. Nate closed his eyes and inhaled. He couldn't believe they'd all made it back. When he opened his eyes, his friends had moved out from the elevator, and in front of him was Private Valentine in her off-duty uniform. Rex moved close to her and lifted his eyebrows.

"Nate says you've got some interesting stories to tell."

"He's not wrong."

"Come on, then," said Rex. He moved past her and down the passageway. The others followed, leaving just Nate and Valentine in front of the elevator doors.

"So, you made it back in one piece," said the Private.

"Just about," replied Nate.

"Good, you're no good to me broken."

Nate looked confused, and Martina Valentine grabbed his hand.

"Come on, I think your friends are waiting."

THE END