Tactical Error (8 page)

“If the mission had been less important, I might have believed
you.” The ship paused, and her camera pod shot up in a habitual gesture
of surprise or alarm. “Incoming ships. Three of the beggars, and by their
size they can only be Fortresses.”

Velmeran’s first thought was that the Union had finally decided to
bring Kanis in line. The colony and its flaunted independence had been a very
sore point with the Union for centuries. But why Fortresses? The immense
warships now only traveled it groups of three, too tall a task for any one
Starwolf carrier even with the new missiles that cracked their quartzite armor.
The Fortresses were not especially useful in planetary invasions in themselves,
but they could keep a lone Starwolf carrier from breaking up an invasion.

“Move to intercept,” Velmeran ordered. “Buzz past them
just out of range. We want to lure them away. How soon can the Vardon be
here?”

“Five hours, even if they covered the entire distance in a series of
long jumps,” Valthyrra answered. “Is there any chance that we can
chase them away?”

“The idea is to delay them for now,” he answered. “If we
can harass them in a series of hits and runs, we might be able to keep their
attention on us long enough for the Vardon to get here.”

The Methryn rushed directly at the trio of Fortresses, still moving very
quickly into system at more than half of light speed, flying in very close
formation of barely fifty kilometers apart. Since the vast ships were
themselves twenty-five kilometers in length and wider than a Starwolf carrier
was long, they made a very impressive sight indeed. Only the development of the
energy-plasma missile that could peel the quartzite shell right off of these
invincible monsters, together with the incredible destructive power of the
Starwolves’ conversion cannons, had made it possible for the Kelvessan to
fight these immense engines of war.

Even so, carriers and Fortresses had fought only five times in the past
twenty years, to the destruction of two of the larger ships. The Fortresses had
countered the Starwolf advances by flying and fighting only in groups of at
least three. The Starwolves could have pressed the issue by attacking the Union
ships in their own battle groups, and Velmeran had sometimes thought that he
should. But the Fortresses were a force to be considered even for the Wolf
fleet, and he had no wish to engage these ships except under circumstances
entirely of his own choosing, when he could press every advantage. At the same
time, the Union was very reluctant to press these very expensive machines into
battle situations where they could be destroyed, and they could usually be
bluffed into withdrawing by a Starwolf carrier taking a determined posture. But
once a trio of these ships were entrenched in close orbit, a lone Starwolf
carrier was usually the one to retreat.

The Methryn continued her determined rush at the enemy ships, a swift run
that Velmeran hoped would be taken as a prelude to the launch of the missiles
that would crack the quartzite shields of the Fortresses. She would have made a
very inviting target, except that she was still well out of range. At the very
last moment, just before she would have come under fire of hundreds, if not
thousands, of powerful cannons, she turned sharply and shot away at an angle.
The Fortresses turned as one to follow.

As the Methryn retreated, a simple, brief signal was broadcast from the
Fortresses, intercepted by the slender antenna that the spider drone had put
through the door of the transport bay. The signal was received by the small
transceiver that had been left in the shadows of the bay, relaying to the
little automaton a message that would not have otherwise penetrated the
ship’s shielded hull. Deep within the interior of the carrier, the drone responded
to that message in an abrupt and violent manner, exploding with tremendous
force, taking out a length of the main switching core, the one vulnerable link
in the Methryn’s power grid.

The entire ship was plunged into a moment of darkness as the entire main
power network failed. The Methryn’s engines and defensive shields powered
down, and even the ship’s atmosphere and gravity were lost. On the
bridge, Valthyrra’s camera pod sank slowly to the deck as her entire
computer network went down. After a moment the ship’s emergency backup
systems came on line, restoring a minimal environment control and lights. A few
seconds later, backup generators powered up to restore Valthyrra’s main
functions. She at least was self-contained, but even she could do nothing with
a dead ship.

“Valthyrra, what hit us?” Velmeran asked. He watched as
Consherra abandoned her station without a word, hurrying to main engineering.

“Nothing hit us,” she replied absently. Her camera pod was
returning slowly to position as her primary attention remained elsewhere,
exploring her self-diagnostic network. “Something internal failed. My
main switching core seems to be down. That is damned peculiar.”

“Why?”

“Because it is a relatively new unit,” she explained.
“That unit is not prone to sudden failure, and it was inspected recently
with no sign of any problem. Chief Engineer Tresha is inspecting the damage
now.”

“An explosion has shattered the main link of the switching
core,” Tresha herself reported immediately. “The explosion has
every appearance of having occurred externally, although there is nothing
anywhere near that could have caused such an explosion. I would say that it
looks very much like sabotage, if I thought that anyone could get on board this
ship.”

It had happened before, although certain measures had been taken on board
all Starwolf ships since Lenna Makayen’s successful penetration of the
Methryn twenty years before. Velmeran frowned. “I would not rule it out.
The main question I have now is, how soon can you have main power up and
running?”

“We are already clearing out this unit,” Tresha responded.
“We have no ready replacement for the unit, but we can rig a makeshift
connection that would give us at least three-quarters full power without
certain redundant safeguards. No less than twenty minutes.”

“Get to it. I will find you that time,” Velmeran ordered,
nodding to Valthyrra to close the line. “Sweep out this ship with your
sensors for intruders, although I am sure that you will find none. Nothing
biological could have sneaked past your routine sweeps, but a small automaton
is something we never considered before now. Right now, we have another
problem.”

“Afraid so,” she agreed. “Should I prepare the
packs?”

“Would twelve packs do a damned thing to stop three Fortresses?”
he asked in return. “How long before those ships intercept us?”

“About ten minutes, allowing for their present determination. They
will be close enough to open fire in only five minutes.”

“I do not think that they will,” Velmeran said. “Keep one
thing in mind. All Fortresses have a receiving slot in their lower hull the
right size for a Starwolf carrier, with grappling arms and docking probes. For
the first time in history, the Union has a disabled carrier within reach, and
they will not refuse the prize. We cannot stop a capture, but we might be able
to prevent a boarding long enough to get power back. They will be able to
attempt boarding at any one of six airlocks along our lateral groove. That
means two packs with heavy guns each, ready to move into the docking probes as
soon as the seals are made. Other crew-members will have to go secretly out
onto the hull, to plant explosives that will free us from the grapples.”

“Will that work?” Consherra asked, returning from the
engineering station. “We could put all of our transports out and have
them tow us long enough to get power back up.”

“It would take at least ten minutes to set that up, and then they
would begin shooting at us to prevent our escape. We have to entice them to
capture us.”

“Tresha says that she has found the remains of some type of small
probe in the debris,” Valthyrra reported. “It seems that you
guessed right.”

Velmeran had apparently guessed right about something else, for the long
minutes passed and the three Fortresses held their fire even after they were
well within range. Then, as it began to move up close behind the Methryn, the
lead ship began to rise slowly until it was slightly above its prey.

“They definitely are moving to intercept,” Valthyrra announced.
Since the main viewscreen was still down, the bridge crew was dependent upon
her reports of everything that happened outside the ship. “I anticipate
that they will move in to begin grappling procedures in the next minute.”

Outside, the massive Fortress began to settle slowly over the top of the
Methryn’s broad, flat, upper hull. Although the Fortress’ own hull
was a maze of angled plates designed to deflect enemy fire, one large section
under its nose was essentially flat, with an impression designed to fit
perfectly over the armored upper hull of a Starwolf carrier. Maneuvering in
careful, precise movements, under the control of her own sentient computer
system guided by her sensors, the Fortress aligned herself perfectly over her
prey and settled in until the two hulls met with an echoing impact. The
grappling arms moved in quickly, catching the carrier in the deep indentation
of the lateral groove that ran completely around her hull, locking the two
ships together.

“That does it,” Velmeran remarked as the rumbling echoes of
contact died away. He turned to Valthyrra. “Are you able to see those
grappling and docking probes?”

“I can get external cameras on some of the grapples and all six of the
docking probes.”

“Warn our people at the airlocks when they seem about to open up and
come through,” he told her. “Do not allow them to destroy your
airlocks. Open up first. How much longer on those repairs?”

“Less than ten minutes now,” she reported. “I am sending
the crews out now to begin planting the explosives on those grappling
probes.”

Smaller airlocks along the Methryn’s lateral groove opened, and
crewmembers began to move outside cautiously. Wearing the solid black armored
suits of the pilots, they stayed under cover of the deeper shadows as they
moved secretively along the hull to the grappling probes. The probes themselves
were massive rectangular blocks which locked tightly into the carrier’s
lateral groove, hinged at the top where they swung in against the captive ship
and completely retractable into the Fortress itself. They were to plant their
explosives on the back sides of each probe’s hinge, its single point of
vulnerability and, fortunately, well away from the Methryn’s own hull.

Within the Methryn, Pack Leader Baressa readied her two packs for the
assault on the airlock they had been set to guard. She could well guess that,
once a Fortress had a carrier captive, actually boarding it would be a very
difficult task indeed. The trick was to get a boarding party through a single,
relatively small series of doorways at the airlock itself, where the attackers
could be easy targets as they came through at defenders who might not have to
show themselves. She knew her advantages and meant to make the most of them.

She also knew that the airlock design was by necessity not the best for
bringing an overwhelming press of attackers to bear quickly. Valthyrra reported
that the shape of the airlock probes suggested a fairly large lift dropping
down into a huge, staging area, where the attackers could assemble under cover
before charging the airlock itself. The only thing she could not know was what
to expect when those doors opened. She could be facing human soldiers, massive,
armored sentries, or the giant Kalfethki warriors that Velmeran had found on
board the Challenger years before.

“The docking probe is moving in,” Valthyrra reported through the
communication system built into Baressa’s helmet. “Stand by.”

“Acknowledged,” she responded, stepping aside from the airlock
doors so that she could wave her defenders forward. “Move those beasts
into position and power up. Everyone else move to cover.”

Several of the pilots under her command brought forward a pair of massive
cannons, each one bearing four barrels designed to fire rapidly in pairs, and
protected by its own heavy, armored flaring. These guns could make short work
even of Union sentries, but were protected against almost any weapon that was
likely to be brought against them through that airlock. Set to fire straight
through the tube of the airlock, they could be operated remotely through their
own sensors by operators who never had to show themselves. Baressa hoped that
these two guns would be enough to hold this airlock for the few minutes they
would need.

She did not need to be told when the docking probe made contact; she could
hear the impact of the structure against the Methryn’s hull even through
her suit. She waved the remainder of her pilots to cover, within either the
main corridor directly opposite the lock or the two side corridors. The
Starwolves were themselves armed with powerful rifles, the only weapons that
would stop both armored sentries or Kalfethki warriors.

“Stand by. I will open the doors on my count,” Valthyrra
reported to her defenders throughout the ship. “Three. Two. One.”

The doors snapped open, revealing a group of sentries standing near the
airlock and, at least to the few Starwolves who saw them, seeming to wear the
most startled expressions. The pair in the very front were just preparing to
bring their powerful cannons to bear on the airlock doors, a task that would
have probably taken several moments of concentrated effort. The sentries just
stood there for a couple of tense seconds as their simple brains adjusted to
the unexpected. Then they attacked.

Baressa waited as they charged forward, until they were well within the
airlock, before she had her main cannons open fire. The searing bolts from the
powerful weapons cut effortlessly into their armor, discharging in violent
explosions that ripped the automatons apart. Baressa was actually relieved to
see that it was sentries that they faced, and not living opponents, for all
that they were walking arsenals. Massive sentries continued to press forward as
rapidly as they could, to be destroyed by bolts from the cannons and rifles of
the Starwolves as they pressed through the narrow tube of the airlock. Within a
minute, the tight passage was blocked with the shattered hulls of fallen
sentries, too heavy for the automatons on the other side to force their way
through, and they were too heavy and awkward to climb over the top. Those which
did attempt the passage only presented themselves as easy targets.