November 22nd, 2266. 23:58 Apus Minor Research Facility 2Z01-A
John was standing over the terminal and shaking his head. Some, but not all, of the data that his suit had recorded, was garbled. It could be fixed, but it was a pain in the ass to see that. His harried state was because the first of several Naval Intelligence shuttles was touching down. The same was true of what the scientists had transferred as well.
Any mention of any spoils he had acquired was quickly squirreled away or outright deleted from the records. John was playing a dangerous game in doing so, but he was adamant about playing this one close to the vest. Perhaps too close, everything he was doing now could easily result in a general court-martial. Despite the risks, John persisted in his desire to obfuscate, though he was sharing what the scientists had uncovered in the hopes that his lack of findings wouldn’t draw too much review.
“Lieutenant Lief, NI has touched down. Their senior field agent wants to chat with you before we bounce,” Captain Taylor shouted from the shuttle’s ramp.
“Thank you, Captain. I’ll be but a moment,” John said as he continued furiously with his work.
Perhaps Dr. Hamelin was right all along. Some of the juicier details that were uncovered weren’t being shared. Not even with so-called friendly sources. Still, John wasn’t willing to risk things at this time. And with him being the only survivor it enables him to have a certain degree of control over the narrative.
One thing that he was absolutely sharing was the ingenious design of the Predecessor’s fusion power plant. Being able to use a fuel that could fuse into a new molecule and then break down that newly created molecule back into the original source was a thing of beauty. If the Confederacy was able to implement such a thing they could truly lord over the other powers.
John transferred the remaining data that he alone had deemed transmissible to a data slate. He hopped up from his seat and jogged through the shuttle and down its ramp. Captain Taylor was standing next to a man he hadn’t seen before.
“Lieutenant Lief, this is Special Agent Derek Jung.”
“Agent Jung, I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting,” John said as he shook the man’s hand.
“No, we have not. Your actions, crazy as they may be, are well known to me.”
John grinned as he handed the data slate, “This is what we’ve got now. There seems to be a fair amount of static and other garbage polluting the data. I’ve got my VI looking into it now. This is what’s freely and readily available. The things the scientists had acquired, which I took from them before leaving the facility, were left in the storage locker that Captain Taylor briefed you about.”
“Much appreciated. We’ll take over things from here.”
“We are dismissed,” Captain Taylor said.
“Let’s get home,” John smiled as he looked at Bart, “Don’t work too hard Agent!”
Just after Bart finished walking into the deck of the cargo hold the ramp began closing. The pilots were already well underway in the checklist as the engines were spooling up. Shortly after the pair took their seats and belted in the oversized shuttle began to slowly lift off the shuttle pad. Its wings and engines began to move and as it did so, so too did the direction the shuttle moved.
It was finally time to get back to the ship. John was surprised at how much he wanted to get back to his ship. It wasn’t often that they got to spend time on surface worlds. And yet here was wanting to run back to the void.
“Did you hear from command?” Bart asked John.
John shook his head, “What do they want to do now?”
“Staying in orbit until reinforcements from Sixth Fleet show up.”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me. NI has what, three cruisers in orbit?” John shook his in disbelief.
“Oh, it gets better,” Bart laughed, “They are here on an Intelligence gathering mission only. They are not here to provide planetary assistance.”
“Fucking useless,” John whispered under his breath, “What’s the ETA on reinforcements?”
“Not sure, heard less than a day. So, what’d you find down there?” Bart looked up at the ceiling for a moment then back at John, “Or has that shit been classified yet?”
John shrugged, “Dunno, did see an absolutely badass fusion core. Oh man, if we could design that…”
“How about weapons?”
John nodded, “Saw some. They were all pretty brittle. Pretty much anything I wanted turned to dust when I touched it.”
“That’s a bit disappointing. I was wondering what kind of alien ray guns they had?”
“Right?” John chuckled, “They were pacifists though, weapons were used for hunting or sport most likely.”
“You sure about that?”
“As sure as one can be,” John’s tone turned morose, “What we could have learned from them.”
“They could’ve squashed us under their heels if they wanted to though.”
John shrugged, “I don’t think you are wrong, but I’m not sure they knew how to conduct warfare toward the end.”
The men’s conversation was interrupted by the pilots, “We are docking in ten minutes, the Waukesha will be finishing her orbit just as we get up to her orbital plane.”
The conversation died down in the transport’s hold. Everyone was eager to get back home. None more so than John. He desperately wanted to be back in the captain’s chair and not risk his life for some insane theory. A quiet chuckle could be heard from John’s seat. Who was he really kidding? Even in the Waukesha, there were still life-or-death scenarios.
03:22 CNS Waukesha Bridge
John was leaning forward in his captain’s chair. He had been up nearly twenty-four hours now. Exhaustion hadn’t set in, yet, but that would come inside a couple of hours. Times like these were why he was thankful for his superhuman stamina.
“Rex, adjust heading, two-four-five, down thirty degrees, increase speed by ten percent,” John commanded, “Where the hell is she going?”
“Changing course,” Rex said from the helm, “Lazily I might add.”
Monique called out from the rear of the bridge, “She doesn’t seem to be in any hurry, almost like she’s ignoring us.”
“The NI ships have not yet confirmed if they will render any assistance, Captain,” Deb said from the communications terminal, “Their response was only what their primary mission was here.”
“Not that I’m one to advocate for skipping a fight, but is this wise?” Brian asked, “Picking a fight with her could be bad news.”
“Deb, check with Commander Buckley. Are the fighters and bombers ready?” John asked as he stared at the tactical screen.
“They are locked and loaded,” Deb responded, “They await your word. They are going to remotely pilot them.”
“Time till Naval assets jump into the system?” John asked.
Monique shook her head, “They are an hour out at a minimum. We’ve not received confirmation of a deep gravity well transition either.”
“Which means they are at least two hours away under the best-case scenario. Four hours or more could be likely,” Brian said from tactical, “Are you sure this surprise is good enough?”
“It better be. But I know NI isn’t going to ignore a chance to be the one to take down this ship. They know what’s going on.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Brian rolled his eyes, “So they are going to swoop in and steal our kill?”
“Smart play on their part. Let us take the risk while they mitigate their risk,” Deb said.
“Rex, estimate time to interception. Are we still on track?”
“We are making up ground on her, but the estimate interception point is beyond the ideal range.”
John nodded, “Increase to flank. Go to yellow alert. Monique, please display the interception time onscreen.”
“All ahead flank,” Rex said.
Brian continued to be the shift naysayer, “If they adjust their speed, they will outpace the designated engagement zone.”
“Monique, what do our scanners show?”
“Their course, attitude, and speed remain constant. We will reach optimal engagement range with them four kilometers after the ideal targeting zone.”
The countdown timer continued to tick down. Anxiousness was being exuded by all, including John. Their plan to attack what was effectively a battleship could be construed as folly. John hadn’t let the crew down yet though. Still, fighting well above her weight class was something the Waukesha and its crew had successfully done several times over. Despite that confidence, there was equal parts bravado and confidence in succeeding in this mission.
John crept forward once again in his seat; his anxiousness had risen to levels never experienced before. The timer was almost at zero. It was almost time to close the trap on their adversary.
And then at the penultimate moment, it disappeared from the sensors. Spaceships don’t go ‘poof’ and vanish. Optical cloaking devices do exist, but they work differently than what was witnessed. It was as literally a case where the ship ceased to exist.
John stood up, “Alter course, zero-two-two, up fifty-nine degrees, decrease speed. What happened?”
“We were actually tracking a hard light image of the Icarus,” Monique said, “Our scanners detected the optical devices just when it shut down.”
Brian added some context to Monique’s answer, “Our scan resolution couldn’t pierce the light to see the emitters.”
“Where is the Icarus?” John said as he turned to sit back down in his chair.
“They are burning towards us, coming in from two-zero-eight,” Rex said.
John plugged some data into his small terminal built into his armchair. A grin spread across his face. And the countdown timer was restarted.
“Rex, come about and increase to half ahead. I also want you to plot a course to flip around and head directly at the Icarus when I order you to,” John said calmly, “Brian, get ready to spring our trap. We’ve still got a game to play.”
Both men nodded and confirmed with quick acknowledgments. The Icarus’ attempt to trap the Waukesha could be used against them. John was no longer feeling anxious, he was almost giddy with excitement.
The issue that was looming over everyone was whether or not the Naval Intelligence ships would engage the enemy. NI assets were loath to engage in ship-to-ship combat. It wasn’t that their crews, who were drafted from the Naval fleets, weren’t up to the job. No, it was because those ships contained so much valuable intel. Losing a ship and not being able to secure its wreckage was a serious concern.
Thus, the Navy generally ignored any Naval Intelligence assets that were present on the table. John, with his unique and intertwined history, was making a mighty presumption that they’d jump into the fray. He legitimately didn’t know if they would move to aid them.
But that was worth the gamble. As much as the Navy would deny it, the Icarus was a legendary ship. In many cases, its mystique overshadowed the legendary ships of fleets past. It had done what the Naval ships couldn’t do, create a multi-generational history.
John’s introspection ended when the Icarus increased its speed once again. She was done stalking her prey, the pirates were itching at the chance to pounce on their prey. The Waukesha responded in kind; her engines were ordered to flank speeds.
The time ticked down, second by second. Tension in the bridge was elevated, but the crew was handling everything beautifully. The surprise stunned them only briefly, everyone was focused on the plan.
“Message coming in from the Icarus, captain,” Deb said.
“Put it on screen.”
The screen at the front of the bridge split into two. The tactical screen was scrunched down and slid to the left seamlessly. Next to it was the smug look of the Icarus’ captain and several angry-looking pirates.
“You have much explaining to do young man.”
John shrugged, “I think there’s less explanation than you suspect. I put one of yours down that got bit by a fucking wild owlbear. Then I dropped another one of your crew that was convinced by the eggheads to be a beta tester for them. That was an unwise decision.”
“Why then did only two of my crew return?”
“I didn’t kill the third one. He wanted me to do so but I ignored his unspoken plea,” John shrugged, “He died with his lover in that thing.”
“Such a cold-blooded bastard,” Rene said, “We will receive proper compensation in…”
“Flesh? Come now, tritanium and ceramic alloys are more likely. Your dead compatriots aren’t coming back. Coming at us is only going to increase the number of dead crewmates.”
“That is unlikely. As good a captain as you are, you are but only one ship,” Rene gave off an evil-looking grin, “Come now, the reputation of your so-called peers is well known to all.”
“You’re the one being presumptuous. As much as I and the Navy would like to ignore or deny it, your ship is a living legend. You think those captains would give up a chance to take part in the slaying of a legend?”
An awkward silence fell upon the participants. The pirates looked pissed. Rene in particular looked like he would start breathing fire. John was cool as a cucumber, as was his crew. Emotions were clearly clouding the pirate’s judgment.
That was fine for John, emotional responses didn’t always lead to the most tactical of decisions. And more importantly, the countdown continued to climb down. The Icarus was inching toward the desired kill zone.
“You think too highly of your peers. They won’t assist you.”
John nodded, “That’s a distinct possibility. But is that a bet you are willing to risk?”
Brian muted their audio briefly, “They are inside weapons range. Their rail turrets are locking on.”
“At this range, we should be able to dodge and avoid those rounds with ease,” John said, “Unmute us please.”
“Captain Lief, you will pay for your transgressions upon my crew.”
John stood up and took a pair of steps forward from his seat. He held his arms behind his back. Confidence was being exuded off of him. The pirates could plainly see that. So too could they see it was affecting the bridge crew. This was a crew that believed in its captain and its mission.
“I see three outcomes. Firstly, you break off this foolish attempt at an attack run then scurry off and do whatever it is you do. Secondly, you fuck around and find out what kind of fight I can bring to the table against you. Thirdly, I’m the overconfident one and I end up getting my ship and crew killed,” John spoke without a hint of emotion, “One of those three I do not believe is possible and of the remaining two there is a clear winner for you.”
“Arrogance from you Naval pigs. I thought you were different from your background. You are no different than the others. We don’t normally attack…”
“Choose your next words wisely Captain. I am not the opponent you want to mess with,” John made a gesture to Monique, “We are enemies but coming to blows will be more painful to you than I.”
The screen abruptly ended. A second later the Icarus fired its railguns. Several things happened in quick succession. The Waukesha banked hard while turning back in towards the Icarus. All of the drone fighters and bombers began launching from the rear bays. No manned fighters were included this time though. Thirdly the Icarus had finally moved into the kill zone.
“Red alert, let’s get some,” John grinned as he calmly led his crew into danger.
Two hundred missiles that were waiting patiently in the void all activated. A sphere of lethality surrounded the unknowing Icarus. The micro-missiles were the first wave to activate with the cruise missiles and torpedoes to follow.
John’s ultimate plan was to flood the Icarus’ sensors with the cluster missile while the larger, and much more lethal, cruise missiles and torpedoes devastate the ship shortly thereafter. All the while holding back a portion of both so they’d have multiple waves attacking the big pirate ship. A large portion of those micro-missiles were targeting various weapon systems on the Icarus’ hull.
Inside the Waukesha the increased power draw could be heard through the conduit. The distinctive sound and vibration of the rail turrets firing were also felt. They were getting stuck in. The Waukesha was more than happy, and capable of fighting above its weight limit.
“Icarus’ first rail volleys missed us. They will be more accurate as we get nearer to her,” Brian said from the weapons console.
“Launch the first wave of missiles. Fifteen-second delay ought to be enough for the second wave.”
“Aye aye, captain.”
Sixty missiles suddenly awoke from their slumbers at the same time. Their maneuvering jets got the missiles pointing in the right way before their main engines fired. Thanks to a combination of luck and excellent positioning, John lured the Icarus into a spherical trap. Missiles were zooming toward the Icarus from all directions.
Just before they reach optimal range for the pirate ship’s close-in combat systems the missile’s shells split apart. Hundreds of small rockets and homing missiles were launched from each. The Icarus went from tracking a manageable number of inbound targets to thousands in an instant.
That was ultimately the end goal here. Because of that sensory overlord, there was a hope that the fighters and bombers from the Waukesha on attack vectors could be hidden from return fire. And that wasn’t all, the larger and much more deadly cruise missiles and torpedoes were present in that follow-up wave.
The Icarus rolled hard to one side in an effort to dodge some of the unguided rockets. Unfortunately for her, that put her in the firing path of at least six rail slugs from the Waukesha. The rail rounds flattened when they struck the kinetic shields. The rounds superheated with some slag and debris making it through the shields, splattering all over the impacted area.
Her kinetic shields held strong but were noticeably weaker in that sector. More missiles impacted against the shields. Some were shot down, but the overwhelming number of targets caused the close-in-combat weapons to track irrationally.
The Achilles heel of the Icarus, which was unknown at the time, was despite having state-of-the-art weapons, shielding, and armor. Her computer systems were woefully out of date. The onboard virtual intelligences were simply incapable of handling that many targets, unlike the modern Confederate systems, which were adept at handling a dizzying number of targets.
With her kinetic shields taking a beating, but still holding strong, the second wave was upon them. The pirates would not dare to underestimate this young captain ever again. That is, should they survive this encounter. The cruise missiles, fighters, and bombers all began striking the Icarus and roughly the same time.
Kinetic shields flared angrily out of commission. Power was shunted into backup and tertiary systems internally. Armor plating was scarred all over. Secondary kinetic shields were brought online, but they weren’t going to offer substantial protection. The most noticeable damage dealt was three of the Icarus’ rail turrets were totally destroyed. The others all looked to take substantial damage.
“Solid hits. She’s hurt.”
“Close the distance, and target the fucking bridge,” John said excitedly, “Launch the third wave with the torpedoes to be activated when the micro missiles launch.”
“With pleasure, sir,” Brian said gleefully.
“It’s time to cut the head off the snake,” John was grinning from ear to ear.