The Search for Gram Page 8

  “Helm,” the CO asked, “are we going to outrun it?”

  “No, sir. That torpedo thing is slower than a normal missile, but it’s still a lot faster than we are.

  “Are the shields going to stop it, Steropes?”

  “I don’t know, sir. Probably not.”

  “Shit,” said the DSO, who had been counting on the shields. “10 seconds to weapon impact on the Gulf.” He switched to the ship’s internal communications network. “Missile hit in five seconds. All hands brace for shock!” He turned off the comms system and said under his breath, “Three…two…one…”

  The ship rocked as the torpedo impacted. Despite the acceleration dampeners, the crew could feel the ship decelerate, and the lights dimmed before coming back on full strength. Warning lights began flashing on consoles all across the bridge.

  “Sir!” called the duty engineer. “We just lost Engine Room Two, and all of the equipment linked to it. I don’t have any communications with anyone back there. Damage crews are responding.”

  “The unknown ship is moving,” said the DSO. “It’s turning to follow us and is accelerating.”

  “Launch the fighters,” said Captain Sheppard; “maybe they’ll have better luck.”

  “Fighters launching,” replied the OSO. “Ops reports nine fighters launched. Lieutenant Commander Hobbs’ fighter is having mechanical problems and is being repaired.”

  “We have 12 fighters,” said Captain Sheppard. “Where are the other two?”

  “I don’t know,” replied the OSO. “They are no longer showing on my board.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When the torpedo hit, the other two fighters must have been in its area of effect. They just vanished from my screens as if they no longer existed.”

  “Roger,” acknowledged the CO. He turned to the communications officer. “Download our mission logs to a message missile and launch it back to Golirion,” he ordered. “That way, at least someone will know what happened.”

  “Yes, sir,” replied the communications officer.

  Captain Sheppard turned to Captain Nightsong. “Any ideas, Captain?” he asked.

  “None,” Nightsong replied. “Everything you’ve done seems to be by the book. I expect your actions are very similar to what our ships would have done.”

  “Yeah, and look what that got the Blue Forest.”

  “Indeed,” replied the Aesir. “We must come up with something else.”

  Asp 02, Proceeding to Unknown Ship, 14 Herculis System, June 14, 2021

  “What happened to 11 and 12?” asked the squadron’s executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Sarah ‘Lights’ Brighton.

  “They’re gone, XO,” said her pilot, Lieutenant Carl ‘Guns’ Simpson. “‘Primo’ Miller was talking to me over implant, and he cut out at the same time as the flash.”

  “I just heard from the Gulf,” said Lights; “that flash was some sort of unknown weapon. Detach and let’s get a quick damage assessment while the rest of the squadron launches.”

  “Roger that, ma’am,” replied Guns. He switched to the Gulf’s Departure frequency and called the ship on the radio. “Asp 02 is ready for launch.”

  “Roger, 02, you are cleared for launch. Detaching in three…two…one…launch!”

  “02 is clear of the ship; proceeding on mission,” commed Guns.

  “Roger, 02, get some for us!”

  Guns flew down the length of the ship toward the stern. “Holy shit,” he said as he glimpsed the back ring where half of the Asps had been mounted. “Vella Gulf, Asp 02, it looks like something took a big bite out of the back of the ship,” he commed. “I don’t know how the weapon did it, but the cut looks smooth; there’s no jagged metal at all. It’s just gone!”

  “What do you suppose did that?” asked Lights.

  “I’ve seen a lot of battle damage in my short time as a space fighter pilot,” replied Guns, “but I have never seen anything like this.”

  Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, 14 Herculis System, June 14, 2021

  “What is the status of the strike?” asked Captain Sheppard.

  “Nine fighters are approaching the unknown ship and are preparing to attack,” replied the OSO. “Lieutenant Commander Hobbs’ fighter is still attached to the Gulf. One of its motors has a problem that the maintenance technicians are working on.”

  “Who’s leading the strike?”

  “The squadron’s XO, Lieutenant Commander Brighton, in Asp 02,” replied the OSO.

  Captain Sheppard turned to the duty engineer. “Do we have a casualty list yet of who we lost in the torpedo strike?”

  “Yes, sir. We lost Lieutenants Danny Walling and Larry Albertson in Asp 11 and Lieutenants Kenneth Miller and Ira Hensley in Asp 12. We also lost the assistant engineer and five other personnel in Engine Room Two.”

  “Damn,” said the CO. “We absolutely can not take another one of those hits.” He turned to Steropes. “How are we doing, Steropes?”

  “The unknown ship is gaining on us,” Steropes replied. “With only one engine operational, the enemy ship will catch us well before we get to the stargate.”

  “Continue firing,” said Captain Sheppard; “maybe we’ll get lucky.” He turned to the duty engineer. “We need more power. When will they have the other engine back online?”

  The duty engineer shook his head. “I’ve been listening over the damage control circuit. I’m sorry, sir, but I think this is the best you’re going to get. The damage control party said the engine bay is open to space, and everyone that was in it, including the assistant engineer, is missing. They appear to have been sucked overboard. We’re already running Number One harder than we’re supposed to, and the chief engineer doesn’t know how much longer it will last.”

  “Tell them to do what they can,” replied Captain Sheppard.

  “I will, sir, but from what they’re saying, most of the motor has disappeared. It’s just gone, sir, as in no longer there.”

  “Solomon, can you confirm the actual motor is gone?” asked Captain Sheppard.

  “I have one camera in the engine room,” replied the artificial intelligence, “and it appears a large portion of the motor has been physically removed from the ship.”

  “Can you play back the video and see how that happened?”

  “I have played it back 237 times, and I have not been able to determine the cause. In one frame the motor is there; in the next it is missing. Its disappearance corresponds to the detonation of the weapon fired at us by the unknown ship.”

  “Sir, the mission logs have been downloaded to a message missile,” said the communications officer. “It is ready to be launched to Golirion.”

  “Send it along with the video of the engine bay.”

  “Aye, sir,” replied the communications officer. “Launching.”

  “New contact!” The OSO and DSO both called moments later.

  “Sir!” the DSO added. “The new ship destroyed the message missile.”

  “What?” asked the CO. “Where is it?”

  “It’s only 100,000 miles off our starboard beam,” said the OSO.

  “Destroy the bastard!” ordered Captain Sheppard. “Fire all weapons!”

  The OSO pushed a button. “Grasers firing,” he said. The crew could also feel the jolts of more ASMs launching. “Grasers effective,” added the OSO. “The new vessel is smaller than a frigate, and doesn’t appear to have any shields. The grasers are going right through it! Missiles will hit in three…two…one…”

  Asp 02, Proceeding to Unknown Ship, 14 Herculis System, June 14, 2021

  “Formation looks good, XO,” said Guns. “All fighters are in a line abreast.”

  “Coming up on firing range,” replied Lights. “It’s odd they haven’t tried to stop us yet…”

  “Hey, I’m not complaining,” said Guns.

  “All ships, Asp 02,” commed the XO. “I just talked to the Vella Gulf. Whatever it was that hit the ship removed a large portion of one of the engine r
ooms. The Gulf cannot afford to be hit by another one of this ship’s weapons. We have got to take it out. We will launch missiles and then close to laser range. Stand by to fire on my mark. Three…two…one…FIRE!” 45 missiles detached from the fighters and leapt forward, racing ahead of the fighters as they continued toward the unknown ship.

  Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, 14 Herculis System, June 14, 2021

  “Holy shit!” cried the OSO. “The new target didn’t defend itself. All the missiles hit, and it has been completely destroyed!”

  “Captain Sheppard,” said Steropes, “I am getting increased power readings from the other ship, similar to the readings we saw just before it launched the weapon that hit us.”

  “What’s the status of our fighters?” asked Captain Sheppard. “Will they be able to hit it before it launches again?”

  “Torpedo launch!” called the DSO.

  “No sir,” said Steropes. “The ship has launched another weapon. The fighters’ missiles will arrive in six seconds.”

  “Damn it!” said the OSO. “The ship disappeared before any of the fighters’ missiles could hit. I was hoping we’d get lucky, and one would go for the torpedo, but that didn’t happen. All the fighters’ weapons missed, and the torpedo is still coming toward us.”

  “Fire everything you’ve got!” ordered the CO. “Kill that torpedo.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Steropes. “The smaller vessel didn’t defend itself; it just sat there and let us destroy it. It was almost like the enemy wanted us to destroy it.”

  “Perhaps they were gathering information on our weapons systems,” Captain Sheppard replied. He turned to the communications officer. “Launch another message missile. If nothing else, we’ll at least get the word back to Golirion.”

  “Yes, sir, launching another missile back to Golirion,” replied the communications officer.

  “Defensive fire ineffective against the torpedo,” said the DSO. “When a missile gets to where the torpedo should be, it disappears, and the missile flies through the spot. The lasers seem to hit it, but do not have any effect.”

  “Give me some options,” said Captain Sheppard. “What else haven’t we tried?”

  “Lieutenant Commander Hobbs just launched, sir,” said the OSO. “I’m having him fire his missiles at the torpedo, but that’s all I can do.”

  Asp 01, 14 Herculis System, June 14, 2021

  “Asp 01 is clear, proceeding on mission,” commed Calvin.

  “We just got retasked, sir,” said his WSO, Lieutenant Sasaki ‘Supidi’ Akio. “We are supposed to try to stop a torpedo headed toward the ship. I have the target on your screen. We must turn quickly; there is little time.”

  Calvin pulled harder on the stick, yanking the fighter around in a tight turn.

  “Stand by to fire,” said Supidi as the nose of the fighter came into line with the target. “Fire!”

  Calvin pulled the trigger on his stick, and the missiles launched. The torpedo was already close, and it only took a few seconds before Supidi said, “They missed.”

  “There’s no way we’re going to hit the torpedo with our laser,” said Calvin. “One last thing to try…” He pulled the fighter back to the right and into the path of the missile.

  “It’s been nice flying with you, sir,” said Supidi.

  There was a flash, and the fighter was gone.

  Asp 02, 14 Herculis System, June 14, 2021

  “Shit,” said Guns, “We just lost 07.” After the enemy ship launched the torpedo, a number of high energy lasers had opened up on the Asps as their crews raced to get within the range of their fighters’ lasers. The Terrans had already lost Asp 03 and Asp 06 in the first attack; the loss of 07, with its crew of Lieutenants John McCarter and Vernon Shepherd, made three.

  No time to dwell on it.

  The victor of fighter battles on Earth and in space, Guns continued to jink the fighter back and forth, seeming to instinctively know where the next laser bolt would go. The rest of the pilots followed him, dodging back and forth.

  “Five seconds,” said the XO, working the targeting solution. Sweat puddled in her suit as its environmental system strained to keep up. “Stand by…fire!”

  Guns pulled the trigger, and laser fire splashed down the side of the alien destroyer. For the first time the vessel was hit. Although its armor withstood the majority of the laser fire, several jets of mist showed where holes had been opened in the hull, and atmosphere vented out.

  Asp 05 followed, opening more small holes in the destroyer’s side.

  “Pour it on,” commed the XO. “If we can open enough holes in it, maybe we can get them to disengage.”

  Asp 08 and Asp 09 followed Asp 05, with 08 going down the port side and 09 down the starboard. Without warning, the alien vessel disappeared, and the two space fighters vanished with it. When the enemy ship reappeared two seconds later, Asp 04 was in the same space as the enemy ship. The speeding metal slug that had been a space fighter, along with its crew of Lieutenant William Santiago and Lieutenant Keith Dodd, tore lengthwise through the alien destroyer until it ran into something explosive, and both vessels detonated catastrophically. There were several large pieces of the alien ship remaining; of the fighter and its crew, there was nothing.

  Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, 14 Herculis System, June 14, 2021

  “Fuck,” said the DSO under his breath. In a more normal tone he said, “The enemy vessel disappeared and then came back. When it reappeared, Asp 04 was in the same space it occupied. Both Asp 04 and the enemy vessel have been destroyed.”

  “Call back our fighters,” said Captain Sheppard. His tone was muted; he could scarcely believe the devastation which had just overtaken his air wing. “How many do we have remaining?”

  “Three, sir,” replied the OSO. “The XO in Asp 02, Asp 05 and Asp 10. The rest have all been destroyed or are missing.”

  “75 percent of the air wing gone in a single engagement,” said Sheppard, shaking his head.

  “Captain Sheppard, the Jotunn vessel has begun moving,” said Steropes. “It appears to be heading in our direction.”

  “Helmsman, keep heading for the stargate. OSO, have the fighters join with us enroute.”

  “New contact!” called the DSO. “It’s a little ways behind us…small ship…it’s Asp 01, sir. Asp 01 just reappeared!”

  “Get them aboard ASAP,” ordered the Captain, a little bit of hope seeping into his voice. “Have the other two fighters reappeared?”

  “No, sir,” replied the DSO.

  “Keep an eye out for them,” said the Captain. “If they show up, call them back.” He turned to Steropes. “Is there any chance of the Jotunn vessel catching us or getting within weapons range?”

  “No, sir,” replied Steropes. “As long as we don’t slow down, we have a large enough lead to easily beat the Jotunn ship to the stargate.”

  “Good,” said Captain Sheppard. “While we’re recovering the fighters, try to figure out what the hell just happened. There will be a staff meeting in my conference room once the fighters are back aboard.”

  Chapter 7

  CO’s Conference Room, TSS Vella Gulf, 14 Herculis System, June 15, 2021

  The aviators filed into the conference room, heads down and feet dragging. Most were covered in sweat; all looked like they had been crying.

  Calvin and Lieutenant Commander Brighton took seats at the table, the remaining flyers sat down in chairs behind them. There were a lot of empty chairs.

  Captain Sheppard could see Calvin and his XO looked particularly distraught. Charged with keeping the men and women under them safe, they felt the loss more than anyone else. Sheppard knew how they felt. He was ultimately responsible for the lives of everyone on the Vella Gulf. The entire fiasco was his fault. He had two choices: wrap himself in grief or learn from it and make sure they were ready the next time they met the aliens.

  He intended to be ready.

  Still…“Calvin…XO…I just want you to know how sorry I a
m for your losses.”

  Calvin nodded, not trusting his voice to say anything.

  “I’m sorry…and I intend to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” continued Captain Sheppard in a firm tone. “The purpose of this meeting is to try to figure out what happened, so we’ll be ready the next time we meet them.”

  “But—” said a voice from the back row.

  The CO tried to identify who had spoken, but couldn’t. “Yes,” he said, “I know we destroyed their ship, but I doubt that was the only one they had. I don’t know how many they have or how close they may be, but we need to get back to Golirion and report. We need to rearm ourselves, and we need to replace our losses. And then, we need to come back here and kick their asses! I intend to negotiate for peace with them…but only once I have knives to their throats and knees in their balls!”

  Captain Sheppard saw the aviators were nodding their heads. They looked like they were back in the game. “All right,” he said. “Before we can do that, we need to figure out what the hell happened. First, does anyone have any ideas on what it was that they hit us with? How was it able to destroy a large portion of our ship, yet still be survivable by Calvin’s fighter?”

  “Lieutenant Bradford and I have been discussing it,” said Steropes. “We have come to a tentative conclusion, but it is one which will be hard to accept.”

  “Why is that?” asked Captain Sheppard.

  “I’ll get to that in a second, sir, but I need to give you a little background information first,” replied the lieutenant from Department X. “When we started looking at the weapon, we realized this was the most important question, because we need to know what the weapon is in order to counter it. I searched the entire data banks of the TSS Terra’s replicator and came up with precisely nothing. So, whatever that weapon is, I can confirm that it doesn’t exist in alliance technology.”