First Assault Page 3

sent.

  Negative. It is not a Bion vessel.

  Valeria cursed under her breath. Whatever it was, it came with a bad timing.

  The door to the bridge opened, revealing both Bion-looking and cybernetic men she did not recognize sitting at their computer screens around the command seat. She forgot this was not the Aquila. Nonetheless, she strode past them and took the command seat. Captain Galerius tried to protest, but she said, “I am taking command over the battleship, captain. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “I am better suited for the role,” he said.

  Valeria didn’t have time to argue. “You may be right, captain, but the emperor put me in charge of his fleet until his return. You got his transmission before he left, I believe?”

  Captain Galerius opened his mouth and then closed it. He nodded. “Of course, commander,” he said. “I am at your disposal.”

  The unknown ship was now visible on the wide screen on the bridge. It was silvery and elongated and unlike anything Valeria had seen before. It was foreign design to her, and its building materials were brand new like the ship was manufactured yesterday. The hull shimmered from the scattered solar rays in the distance.

  “Where did it come from?” she asked.

  The flight officer in front of her who was avidly tapping buttons under a small screen replied without turning, “You won’t believe this, commander – it came from beyond the system.”

  She considered that for a moment. “That is impossible. Check again,” she said.

  The flight officer then turned to face her. Valeria’s eyes zoomed on his tag – Ensign Gavius. “I already checked five times,” he said. “The ship came from beyond the system, I am absolutely positive.”

  “Did you calculate its current trajectory?” Valeria asked him.

  The ensign turned back to his screen. “It’s heading straight for the outpost.”

  Valeria turned toward a bion-looking woman, sitting to her right. It was the communications officer who sat there on Aquila. “Hail them.”

  The woman pressed a button, said few words, and then waited. No response. She tried again, waited a little longer. Still nothing. “They are not responding,” she said to Valeria.

  Valeria turned to her left where the weapon systems officer sat on Aquila. “Do we have any weapons online?” she asked the man.

  “Negative,” he replied. “Clodius is working on it.”

  Her eyes moved to another Bion-looking woman next to him – the engineering officer’s seat. “What about our engines?” Valeria asked her. “We might need to leave sooner than we had hoped.”

  “Clodius is working on it,” she replied.

  “Tell him to work faster,” Valeria said. Next she demanded status report from the merchant captains in her fleet. One by one they replied they were in position around the outpost. Something good to hear for a change.

  The unknown ship was getting closer, its speed and course steady, almost as if it didn’t care about the small fleet standing in its way. It made uncertainty creep in Valeria’s mind. Gods know how dangerous this ship is if it isn’t swayed by our fleet.

  “What are the scans showing?” Valeria asked the electronic warfare officer sitting in front of a large screen with a geometric image of the unknown vessel on it.

  “The ship has a powerful core, commander,” she said. “But I can’t detect any weapons. Either the ship is unarmed or the weapons are something we haven’t encountered before.”

  Valeria sent to her captains – All units prepare for a swarm maneuver. She would send the merchant ships as a fodder until the battleship’s weapons come online. They were to harass the ship from close range and keep it occupied by drawing its fire away.

  But not all of the captains agreed with that. Ovidius sent – I refuse to let my men die like this. His ship started turning away from the fleet.

  Captain Ovidius – Valeria sent – return to your position or I will have you executed for disobedience.

  Laughter came in her head along with his words – Do whatever you like, commander. I am leaving one way or another. He also sent some of his emotions; he was self-confident to a point that angered Valeria.

  You think I will let you go?

  She sent to her fighter – Engage Sand Storm. Take out its engines. She planned to strip away everything that was useful from that traitorous ship and then leave its crew to die on the outskirts of the system. It was what Emperor Lucius would’ve done.

  The reply, however, didn’t come. Valeria wondered if her two remaining fighters would stay loyal after that. It was those two ships with true firepower in her fleet. It would be a death warrant for the rest if the fighters decided to leave.

  And then she heard the pilot’s voice in her head – Acknowledged – was his reply, simple but powerful – Engaging Sand Storm.

  Valeria exhaled.

  The unknown vessel was now in firing range. Her merchant fleet started swarming their enemy from every direction, firing their close-range turrets at its hull.

  “Where are my weapons?” Valeria asked again, louder this time.

  The electronic warfare officer turned away from her screen. “Commander,” she said, “I am reading a massive power spike inside the vessel – I believe they are powering their weapons.”

  What sort of weapons? Valeria wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. Modius, where are you? – she sent.

  I am on my way to the battleship.

  You better hurry. We might need to leave the second our engines come online – she sent again.

  I understand, commander – was his reply – but I am afraid it will take some time until I prepare the infirmary for the boy. If we leave before I make the necessary modifications, no inertial dampers will keep him from splattering on the bulkheads.

  Valeria cursed again. The only thing she could do was stare at the screen and watch the shimmering metal hull of the unknown ship sparkle some explosions. But it was not enough. It was not nearly enough. She wanted it gone, evaporated, before it could threaten her fleet.

  “Engines are online!” called the Bion-looking officer. It was music to her ears.

  “Prepare…” for departure, Valeria wanted to say, but stopped. How much time do you need, doctor? – she sent.

  I don’t know, fifteen minutes, twenty, maybe more.

  You must do it in five. She couldn’t risk losing the battleship and more of her merchant ships for the boy. She couldn’t. Gods, help me.

  A flash of light, blinding as the sun, lit the screen and caused her to squint. One of her ships disappeared from the sensors. She sprang to her feet. “Report!”

  “We just lost Steel Mechanic!” someone replied.

  It felt like a deadly blow to her. Steel Mechanic was the only ship in her fleet with engineering parts, and not just that – it was one of her few remaining loyal ships. She hated herself for ordering swarm maneuver and staying here longer than needed. It was time to leave this place, she knew it was, but somehow she couldn’t give the order. Not yet.

  Modius, hurry up! – she sent. And then to Clodius – give me my weapons, Clodius!

  I just gave you your engines, commander. Order retreat or give me more time to work – he sent.

  We don’t have time!

  Well, if you didn’t bother me every second you might have had your weapons by now. Let me work.

  She was going to smash his head for that.

  Another explosion lit the screen.

  “We lost Star Gazer!” was the report this time. She accessed her cranial computer for details – Star Gazer, carrying quadcopter parts from Stratonis to Palatine.

  Captain Galerius turned to Valeria. “We have to leave, commander. We will lose all ships we have!”

  Valeria stood immobile, staring at the screen, at her loyal captains who were sacrificing their lives and the lives of their crew members so she could protect her boy. She knew Galerius was right, she knew she had to leave. Even the emperor would chastise her for losing so many ships
for nothing.

  “Modius needs more time,” she said quietly.

  “Modius cannot have more time,” Galerius said. “Order retreat, commander.”

  C’mon, doctor…

  Galerius grabbed Valeria’s arm, turned her to face him. “We will lose our fleet, commander. Our battle will be lost before it even began–”

  And then the electronic warfare officer shouted, “They are preparing for another shot!”

  Valeria turned toward the screen. The merchant ships were maneuvering around the unknown vessel. They spiraled up and down and traversed left and right. Some even moved in circles as they fired their weapons on the shiny hull.

  Frang moved closer to Galerius. “I am afraid the captain is right, commander,” said Frang. He was looming behind Galerius. “We have to leave immediately. We cannot afford to lose another ship.”

  She could feel the pressure on her, squeezing her body to a point where she could not breathe. It made her feel small and useless and surely breathless. She had to make the right choice and relieve that pressure. Her instinct told her to choose the boy, but her logic, the way her father taught her to think, told her to choose the lives of her men. It was the only way…

  But she had already decided.

  “Activate electronic countermeasures,” she said to the officer to her right. She turned to the pilot, “Full speed forward, ensign. If the enemy vessel fires again, by gods we will give them big enough target. I believe it is time we shared the burden with the other captains.”

  AILIOS

  There was a moan but in Ailios’s head it was a needle that dug deeper every time he would hear it. By now it was so deep that it