The Black Sheep (A Learning Experience Book 3) (32 page)

He glanced at the timer, baring his teeth.  Whatever else happened, the prey were in for a very nasty surprise.

***

“The enemy fleet has begun to assume defensive formation,” Brown reported.  “They’re launching probes towards us.”

Hoshiko frowned.  “Are they powering up their FTL drives?”

“I think so,” Brown said.  His voice was doubtful.  “It’s impossible to be sure, Captain.  Their drives are heavily shielded.”

“I see,” Hoshiko said.

She cursed under her breath.  Two squadrons of enemy battleships were a worthwhile target by anyone’s standards, not least because they were scattered rather than concentrated into a single formation.  She
knew
she should follow in the footsteps of her ancestors - both sides of her family - and strike them before they had a chance to escape.  She’d only have to face them again, perhaps in a far larger and deadlier formation.  And yet ... the more she looked at it, the less sense it
made
.  Something was definitely very wrong.

Task Forces 2.1 through 2.5 cannot handle an enemy defensive formation
, she thought, grimly.  By now, the Druavroks would have a good idea of just how capable her missiles were ... and reprogrammed their point defence systems to cope with them.  A hundred freighters firing missiles
might
be enough to smash the enemy formation before it could escape - or it might not. 
But if I order the rest of the fleet forward, we may spring a trap.

She studied the display.  Humanity’s probes, active or passive, were among the most capable in the known galaxy.  There was
nothing
between her fleet and the enemy ships, apart from dozens of pieces of debris from the first set of battles for the system.  And her probes had taken a look at the debris and concluded it was harmless.  There was nothing lying in wait for her ...

“Captain,” Brown said.  “The enemy fleet is definitely powering up its FTL drives.”

“Understood,” Hoshiko said. 
That
changed matters.  The enemy fleet had to be smashed before it had a chance to escape - or summon reinforcements.  “General signal to the fleet, Lieutenant.  The battle line will advance to engage the enemy.”

“Aye, Captain,” Brown said.

***

“Warlord, the prey are advancing forward,” the sensor officer reported.

“Excellent,” Warlord Joist said. 

His mouth lolled open in silent amusement.  By any reasonable standard, three
thousand
ships bearing down on his fleet was anything
but
excellent, yet it made the prey overconfident and worked in his favour.  Powering up the FTL drives and keeping them on standby, despite the wear and tear on the drives themselves, had proven to be enough to lure the humans forward.

“Continue assembling the formation,” he ordered.  The humans wanted to back him against the planet’s defences and he would oblige them, for as long as it suited him.  “Launch an additional set of long-range probes, then bring up
all
of our targeting sensors and sweep the enemy fleet.”

The sensor officer offered no objection, even though it was generally regarded as a tactical misstep.  Passive sensors were silent, utterly undetectable, but active sensors could be located by the enemy ... often before the active sensors detected the prey themselves.  The humans could isolate and track each and every one of his ships, just by their own emissions.  They’d find it a great deal easier to target their missiles now ...

But you won’t have a chance to fire
, he told himself, sternly.  He didn't understand why the humans, let alone the other prey, were coming to the defence of the weak, but he could take advantage of it. 
And even if you do, you’ll risk the entire planet when you start firing missiles towards a gravity well
.

***

“The enemy ships are bringing up targeting sensors, Commander,” Biscoe reported.  “They are trying to locate our ships.”

Griffin stroked his chin in growing concern.  The Druavroks were acting uncharacteristically ... and that worried him.  Were they panicking?  Were they torn between the impulse to stand their ground and fight, despite knowing it would mean certain death, and the unfortunate necessity of a tactical retreat?  Given what he’d read about them in the reports, he wouldn't have cared to be an enemy officer proposing to refuse battle.  He'd probably have his throat slit by his superiors or be assassinated by his juniors.

He glanced down at the sensor feed and swore under his breath.  There was nothing.  The enemy didn't have anything, apart from a hundred ships in orbit that seemed torn between a futile last stand and a withdrawal from the field of battle.  It made no sense to him at all.  If
he’d
been in their place, he would have lifted the siege and abandoned the system without a fight.  Losing eighteen battleships for nothing would weaken the enemy quite badly.

Which is why the Captain is trying to bring them to battle
, he thought. 
And, on the face of it, she’s right
.

“Continue monitoring the situation,” he ordered, finally.  It was a useless order and he knew it, but he had to say
something
.  The sense that something was badly wrong was growing worse, far worse.  “And stand-by to launch additional probes.”

***

“Warlord, the prey are in position,” the sensor officer reported.

“Send the signal,” Warlord Joist ordered.  The timing wasn't
quite
perfect, but only the gods had ever been
perfect
.  All that mattered was that the prey were in the kill box, ready for the slaughter.  “And then stand ready to repel attack.”

***

“Commander,” Biscoe reported.  “I’m picking up ...”

Griffin swore as the display lit up with red icons,
behind
the Grand Fleet.  Hundreds of icons, spearheaded by seventy battleships and fifty-six battlecruisers.  The Druavroks had laid a trap and the Grand Fleet had blundered right into it.  He stared in horror, unable to quite comprehend what he was seeing.  They’d
known
the system was empty, save for the fleet laying siege to the planet.  How the hell had the Druavroks managed to sneak a fleet into the system without being detected?

And they have enough firepower to kick our ass
, he thought, numbly. 
The Grand Alliance is about to die
.

Chapter Thirty-One

The Alliance for the Preservation of the United States has posted an ‘enemies list’ on the datanet, listing over twenty thousand politicians, newspaper writers, liberal statesmen and other opinion-shapers for crimes against the United States.  All of the named ‘enemies’ have been ordered to report to Texas for internment, pending deportation.  A bounty has been placed on the heads of any ‘enemies’ who refuse to enter the holding camps.

-Solar News Network, Year 54

For a long moment, Hoshiko could only stare in horror.

The Druavroks had trapped her fleet with a precision she could only admire, combined with a willingness to sacrifice their own people that chilled her to the bone.  If the timing had been messed up - and it wasn't
perfect
- she could have obliterated eighteen battleships before the second fleet slammed into her rear.  As it was, she was caught between two fires ...

... And the time for correcting matters was short,
very
short.

They sneaked a fleet into the system without alerting us
, she thought, numbly. 
How the hell did they do it
?

A dozen ideas flashed through her mind.  The Druavroks had been the local enforcers for the Tokomak and they could have been given a secret weapon.  But if there had been a way to travel at FTL speeds without radiating betraying emissions, she thought, the Tokomak would have used it themselves at the Battle of Earth.  There was no reason to share it with the Druavroks when it could have proved a decisive advantage ...

Understanding clicked. 
The freighters
, she thought. 
Every freighter that entered this system was towing a battleship under cloak.  They released the ties as soon as they dropped out of FTL and hid, well away from the planet.  And we didn't have the slightest idea they were there until it was far too late.

She pushed the thought aside as she studied the display, considering her options at lightning speed.  The Grand Fleet could hurt the enemy badly - she hadn't expended her missiles on the first enemy force - but they’d trap her against the planet and tear the fleet apart, piece by piece.  No, a straight-up missile duel wasn't in the cards.  She needed to extract her fleet from the trap and reconsider, not fight when the enemy held most of the advantages.  But there were options ... slowly, an idea took shape in her head.  It would be costly, immensely so, yet she saw no other way to preserve the Grand Alliance.

“Order the fleet to alter course,” she ordered.  All hope of raising the siege had to be abandoned, now the second enemy fleet had arrived.  “I’m designating a vector now.”

“Aye, Captain,” Brown said.

“Any ships that kept their FTL drives stepped down are to bring them online,” Hoshiko added, grimly.  Jumping the fleet out would be easy, but the Druavroks would simply give chase, running down her warships before they could put enough distance between themselves and their pursuers to make pursuit impossible.  “All missile-armed freighters are to prepare to fire their missiles in a single barrage.”

She sucked in her breath.  “Deploy additional probes,” she added.  “I want every last enemy ship localised.”

The Druavroks weren't hesitating now, she noted grimly, as the fleet altered course slowly, far too slowly.  They were closing in relentlessly, their targeting sensors sweeping space and locking onto her hulls, firing off probes of their own.  They’d have no trouble picking out her warships, she suspected, and simply overloading their point defence by smothering them with missiles.  No doubt they’d copied the tactic from her own attacks on enemy fortifications.

This is a reverse
, she told herself, coldly. 
But we will be back
.

“Signal to Commander Rogers,” she said, looking up.  His face appeared in front of her, seconds later.  “Commander, on my mark, I will be passing tactical control of every non-Solarian ship in the fleet to you.  Your orders are to designate a RV point, then jump out as soon as possible and scatter the fleet in all directions to prevent pursuit.  If I, Commander Wilde or the other captains fail to make it back, return to Amstar, link up with Captain Ryman and do what you see fit.”

Commander Rogers looked pale.  “Captain ... what about
you
?”

“If I don’t make contact, promote yourself to squadron commander,” Hoshiko ordered.  She didn't bother to point out that if
all
of her captains were dead, there wouldn’t
be
a squadron any longer.  “At that point, you will be in command of the Grand Fleet.”

She closed the channel without bothering to wait for a response.  The Druavroks were closing in, their weapons locking onto the warship hulls.  Somehow, she wasn't surprised they weren't bothering to target the freighters.  They’d
definitely
learned a few things from the earlier encounters, not least the simple fact that the freighters were defenceless - and harmless - once they fired off their missiles.  It would be far more effective to target the warships.

“Commander, the squadron is going to show them
precisely
why the Tokomak were so scared to tangle with human warships,” she said, keying her console.  “I want a full barrage of missiles, ECM drones, gravity mines - the kitchen sink - and then I want the squadron to turn and charge the enemy formation.  Let them see our challenge.”

There was a long pause.  “Understood, Captain,” Commander Wilde said.  “Enemy ships will enter firing range in ninety-seven seconds.”

“We open fire as soon as they enter range,” Hoshiko ordered.  If nothing else, the barrage would do a great deal of damage.  “And then rotate ships and
charge
.”

She closed the connection and looked at Max Kratzok.  The reporter looked pale.  He wasn't a
complete
ignorant when it came to reading the display, after all; he’d
know
just how badly they were in trouble.  And charging the enemy formation, even behind a barrage of missiles, gave only slim odds of survival.  It was quite possible she and her entire squadron were about to die heroically, covering the retreat.

At least we won’t be abandoning the Grand Alliance
, she thought, as the timer ticked down to firing range. 
They’ll watch us die to save alien lives
.

***

Griffin was honestly unsure if Hoshiko was completely brilliant, absolutely insane or some combination of the two. 
Charging
the enemy fleet was madness, yet it was the only way to salvage as much as they could from the looming disaster.  They had blundered - he had to admit
he
hadn’t seen the looming trap either, before it had sprung closed - and now the only way out was to fight.  And yet, all of his fears had finally come true.  The squadron was facing destruction at the hands of a vastly superior foe.

If we survive
, he told himself,
something will have to be done.  But not now
.

“Prime all weapons,” he ordered.  Closing to knife-range, they’d have to put the weapons on automatic or hundreds of tempting opportunities to take a shot would be missed.  He cursed - again - the lack of an AI.  “Ready everything we have to engage the enemy.”

“Aye, Commander,” Biscoe said.

“Don’t let us fly a predictable flight path for a second,” Griffin added.  “Pretend you’re flying an assault shuttle, because we’re heading straight into the teeth of enemy fire.  We do
not
want to take a hit.”

“Aye, Commander,” Lieutenant Sandy Browne said.  “Our flight path will be completely random.”

“Enemy ships entering firing range,” Biscoe reported.  “They’re opening fire; I say again, they’re opening fire.”

The command popped up in the display.  “Fire,” Griffin ordered.  “And then take us right into the heart of their formation.”

***

Warlord Joist allowed his teeth to show openly as he admired the display, silently congratulating the Great Lords on their plan.  The prey were already losing their admirable discipline, turning away from the planet instead of taking the opportunity to obliterate his force before they were obliterated in turn themselves.  There was no hope of escape, even if they jumped into FTL.  The secondary fleet had enough smaller ships to hunt down the enemy warships and bring them to battle before they had a chance to escape.  It would scatter the fleet, but it couldn't be helped. 
And
it would be worthwhile.

“The prey have opened fire, targeting the secondary fleet,” the sensor officer reported, as the display lit up with a solid mass of red icons advancing towards their targets.  “They have fired ... they have fired over fifteen
thousand
missiles.”

Impressive
, Warlord Joist thought.  It was a one-shot weapon, it had to be, but even a
single
colossal wall of missiles being launched into space was terrifying. 
If they could do that several times in a row, they might win the battle outright.

“It also shows their weaknesses,” he said.  “Target their warships and open fire.”

***

“The enemy ships have opened fire,” Brown reported.  “Their missiles appear to be targeted on our warships.”

“As expected,” Hoshiko noted.  “Rotate ships, then charge!”

She braced herself as the starship altered course, following the wave of missiles she’d launched towards the enemy ships.  The decoys and ECM drones would make it harder, far harder, for the enemy to pick out the real ships, although she had no illusions just how long they would remain effective as they closed with the enemy.  Hopefully, the Druavroks would be too busy trying to swat as many of the missiles out of space as they could to notice what she was doing.

“Commander Rogers, I hereby transfer command of the remaining ships to you,” she said, as the first missiles started to slam into their targets.  “You have your orders.  Good luck.”

She blanked the console, then watched the display as the enemy ships grew closer.  She’d reprogrammed the missiles, trying to disable as many enemy ships as possible rather than destroying them, but it was a fiendishly imprecise targeting matrix.  An enemy battleship exploded into a ball of fire, another was saved - barely - by an enemy cruiser taking the missile that would have wiped the battleship out of existence.  Dozens of other starships fell out of formation, some leaking air into the icy darkness of space, but others were still advancing forward, belching a second salvo of missiles.  They
knew
she didn't have a second mammoth salvo in her.

Just surprise
, she thought. 
And the very best of human tech
.

“Go to rapid fire, then fire at will,” she ordered.  “I say again, fire at will.”

Perhaps it was her imagination, but the Druavroks seemed to flinch as her squadron bore down on them.  Charging right into the teeth of enemy fire was suicide, yet
they
had been quite happy to do it in the past.  They hadn’t thought to expect such behaviour from other races, Hoshiko thought, as the squadron opened fire, spitting out antimatter missiles, phaser bursts and leaving a trail of mines in their wake.  Her ships ducked and dodged like shuttles making an opposed landing, forcing the Druavroks to fire wildly in hopes of scoring a hit, their weapons raking holes in the enemy formation.  And yet, somehow, they survived ...

“
Harrington
has taken heavy damage,” Brown reported.  “She’s out of control!”

Hoshiko had barely a second to switch her display to the stricken cruiser before
Harrington
slammed right
into
an enemy battleship, blowing both ships into vapour.  By any reasonable standard, it was a worthwhile trade, but for her it was disastrous.  One-ninth of her most advanced ships - along with an irreplaceable crew - was now gone.  Even if Sol dispatched reinforcements when they received her first set of messages, it would be at least eight months before anything arrived ...