Part 20

“Watch me walk and watch me stand
As ice flows over this promised land”

The beat of drums to action. The drums lived in the head of the Captain and the Ex-Admiral. No doubt noises lived in their crews minds too. Most likely drums aboard the Smokeless Fire, but on the ‘Chance who knew. She had a far less orthodox crew.

Four Maringer pods dashed forward and lashed out with the last four Krugers. They fired and they turned back for home. Not looking at their missiles path or the attacking wall that was flying in. They fired and turned. The ‘Chances last two fighters in escort. Not firing a shot but just holding formation.

Captain Freddie watched it play out. He watched ranges, he watched a plan. He gave the order to full burn the engines and leave formation. The missiles ran forward. The Golden Chance ran forward.

Ex-Admiral Van Gehan ordered a looser formation amongst the cargo ships.
They complied, but with concerned brows and questions flying but left answered they complied.

The Sterateel wall of missiles came closer. In formation behind that were their eight deadly fighters and behind those two gun ships. It was an imposing formation.
Captian Freddie watched the Kruger countdown, then counted down from five.
The main compression engine on the Golden Chance kicked in at full power. In a sudden, and temporary blast of energy turned to fog, turned to gone she vanished.

The Krugers detonated.
Space convulsed.
Space spasmed.
Lights shone.
Darkness brooded
Gravity swirled.
Missiles tore apart
Engines ran hot
Chaos lived in the approaching onslaught
Every calculation of place and distance meant nothing.
Every planned course was diverted
Every sense of seeing the target obscured.
Half the missiles died.
Half flew randomly.

The fighters lost formation and did not know which way to go. Some lost fuel. Some suffered injury.

Flew spewed into space.

The Maringer pods docked with the Smokeless Fire. Free of their charges the fighters took on an aggressive pose, locking on their missiles and firing into the madness. Van Gehan waited for the moment when he would say fire.

Not far away at all in a burst from nowhere the Golden Chance emerged. Behind the enemy lines. Away from the Chaos. Away from space turned in all the wrong directions but most importantly behind the gun ships.

The scene was set.

The ‘Chance turned to descend on her enemy.

Part 19

Freddie was up, out of his char and out of his office. Transferring his call to the Admiral through to the Command Centre as he moved, cradling the stone in his hand.
Ko-on pointed to a map.
“They’re staging” he said.
Captain Freddie looked. Ko-on was right. Small objects were launching from the Sterateel support ship. They were drifting forwards away from the ship and coming to a halt. It was missile staging.
“How many so far?”
“24 at the last wave sir”.
Freddie nodded.
The ex-admiral joined in
“Freddie, I’m launching the pods now”
Freddie smiled
“Sandro, launch the fighters. They’re to support the Smokeless Fire, and her pods.”
“Understood sir, as per plan”
“As per plan Sandro. Put me through to them”
“All yours”
“This is the Captain. I know you’re down two. I know I’m asking a lot of you this time. Just do what you can be lucky”
The Captain smiled at Ko-on.
“Everything ready?”
“Yes Sir’
“Then get everyone locked down and ready to go”
The captain jumped in his cockpit and waited for Ko-on’s call to arms to go through the ship. Then he picked up the chromed performance microphone.
“Attention all. This is it, this is the traditional third Sterateel attack wave, the big push. Everything they’ve got at us. It’s going to be a lot. It’s going to be tough. We’ve got a plan and we’re going to be lucky. We’re going to win”
The cockpit doors sealed shut. The command centre was empty. It’s crew and everyone else in the ship sealed tight in their own little capsules.

Part 18

‘From where I am I can see ever reaching eternity’

Eternity seemed close at the moment. In a darkened office with a beer and an open box sat the Captain. His stone glowed. He knew who it was.

“Hello Admiral, how are you?”
“Betting you’re looking at your shiny’s Freddie”
“You win, go and collect.”
“The medals are nice aren’t they?”
“You know how it. How are yours?”
“Happy I think. Not missing a warship too much”
“Well I hate to tell you, but that ship of yours is hardly a tramp steamer”
“That’s true Freddie. She’s quite nice”
“One day I’ll have to retire onto a tub like that”
“You will. Bet she’ll be full of all kind of interesting bending of the rules”
“Well, look who I’m learning off.”

The Ex-Admiral laughed

Freddie swigged back some beer and looked into his box of shiny medals.
“Well Van, we did good last time we bent the rules, let’s hope this all works out”
“I know Freddie. Hoping is what I’m good at, that and mad plans”
“I did enjoy Midtreanas. Even if it scared me half to death”
“And left you working out the defences for a middle of nowhere system”
“Well Admiral, true I wasn’t keen at first, but Hajamke has grown on me”
Freddie could hear the ex-admiral smiling.
“It’s a nice place for a home Freddie”.
“I like the oceans, Van, the oceans are wonderful, so are the people, nicer than the old worlds”
“It’s gotten to a soft spot in my heart too”

Alarms started to ring.

Part 17

“So we talk, with familiar words.
Nothing new, just words and answers the same for ever more
We always use the same old words, ever ever more”

“So”, said Captain Freddie, “what do you think of that”
The lights raised from the dim twilight that Freddie and most captains of Fleet liked to conference in up to more pleasing ambience.
“It’s mad, a nightmare, but I can see more hope in it than a stand-up fight”, replied Ko-on
“That’s the spirit. You know we don’t stand a chance in a broadside encounter.” smiled Freddie.
“It’s all clear to me, and we’ll get the programming worked out; but is this how you got through Midtreanas?”
“Yes, madness, hope and pushing things to the limit. Always the way in the frontline”
Ko-on paused for a moment. “You and the Admiral think we’re in a front line?”
“Absolutely Ko-on”
“It’s only one ship and it’s attendants” said Ko-on.
“It’s only one ship, it’s attendants and a cloaked bomber. That and our Star Pool will be active soon. This fight, it’s the start. A lot more will come in the next few days. The Sterateel, start small, but large enough to divert ships. They want us to call in help, but to not think there’s an invasion force standing by”
“How do you know?” asked Ko-on
“I don’t really, but it’s a used tactic. Common enough for them. We’re about to become a tactical system. They want the combat ships and colony out of the way” said Freddie
“The Star Pool?”
“Will be used to launch an attack against Fleet and then destroyed. But you can’t do that with an angry system snapping at your heels”
“So it’s all about Fleet?”
“Has been” said Freddie, “For a long time now. We are just Fleet to them”
Ko-on nodded. He’d been brought up on the benefits of Fleet in the war with the Sterateel. Everything was Fleet and them.
Ko-on smiled. “I’d best get things organised with Jolo. He’s going to love this”
“Thanks Ko-on. It’s going to be good.”
“That I do not doubt” Ko-on smiled as he walked out of the Captains office.