Send in the Hero (The Hunter Legacy Book 3) Page 7

  "The planet seems to have turned Retro. They're claiming Ragnarok is coming and it will be caused by those who use technology. They're attacking anyone who enters Midgard, without warning."

  "Ragnarok? That old myth? Hell fire, I knew they were strange, but that’s one old fairy story that doesn’t even frighten kids anymore."

  "They don’t think so. Warn your government. They seem to be building ships. At the moment, they're protecting their space from any who enter, but your government should seriously consider blockading this jump point. They could decide to come through any time, and I wouldn’t put it past them to attack planets."

  "That’s a pretty harsh judgement on them."

  "Let me put it this way, all attempts to communicate with them are met with a single repeating message. They don't even attempt to communicate with anyone. The Americans have the Miami jump point blockaded on their side already. If they decide to come out, this door is unlocked for now, and it’s the only way they can go without a fight. Tell your government what I said. Let them hear the message. Ask them to pass it on to the Sci-Fi sector government. I hope they'll do the right thing." I pulsed him the message, and our recording of what happened at the planet.

  "I'll pass it on for you."

  "Thanks. By the way, I have a station under tow and ships coming through here over the next day or so. If you get a blockade going, please let us through. Midgard is only using Missile Cruisers and Talons. I don’t use them, although I've been collecting derelicts, so some might be coming through. After two days from now, we should be well gone."

  "I'll pass that on as well." The channel closed.

  I did an email with what I’d heard for the Admiral and General, and sent it and the email that was stored off, and jumped us back into Midgard.

  All hell had broken loose while we were gone.

  Eight

  Tiredness fell away as adrenalin surged through me.

  There were fighters dogfighting everywhere. Two missile barrages were inbound from separate vectors.

  I selected the nearest dull red dot and locked it, pushing in full speed and turning towards it. I ignored the fighting going on around me and even hits on the shields.

  The girls jumped for the nearest gun positions.

  The Missile Cruiser was stopped, broadside on.

  I approached it at an angle looking to attack it at the front end. There was no fire at me, which I found surprising. Looked like it only had heavy missile turrets, and needed fighters to defend it. My bonus, their problem.

  The Cruiser loomed larger and larger, and I held off fire until the last moment, putting a single gun salvo and five torpedoes into her side, about ten meters back from the front. Her front shields went down. I juked us hard away, and flipped Gunbus end for end, pulling the speed off her. I gave the Cruiser one more torpedo, and the hull breached. I yanked us away from the Cruiser, and locked in and set course for the second Cruiser.

  "Life signs?" I asked Jane.

  "None," she said.

  "Good," I said. "That’s all I thought I needed to do. Punch a hole in and let them decompress throughout the ship."

  The other one was across the battle site, so I bulldozed my way through.

  I lined up the second Cruiser and gave it the same treatment with the same result. I left it sitting there, and headed back into the melee.

  I locked the nearest Talon, sent it two IR's and moved on to the next one, while I took Gunbus into the center of the storm, started to circle and let the turrets deal with missiles and close by enemies. Lock, shoot, shoot. Lock, shoot, shoot. Over and over until the magazine was empty.

  The last red dot simply vanished. I brought Gunbus to a stop. There were ejected pilots all over the place. I sent out all my SD droids to pick them up.

  I opened a channel to the squadrons and my people.

  "Starman, you still here?"

  "Yes sir. Mostly, anyway," replied Greer. "Sabres and Epees, everyone form up on me."

  "George? Annette?"

  "Here boss," said George. "No damage, but it was damned close a couple of times."

  "I'm going to need a tow," said Annette. "In fact, I need to be picked up. I've got hull breaches, and I'm losing life support."

  I nodded to Jane and she re-tasked an SD droid to go to Nightshade. I dispatched a salvage droid to bring Nightshade to Gunbus.

  "Help on the way," I said. "Anyone else need pick up?"

  "Those of us who are left are mostly ok," said Greer. "We all have damage, but we're intact and functional. I hope like hell we don’t have to fight again anytime soon though."

  "You and me both," I responded.

  I brought Gunbus to a stop, not far from Greer's ship.

  "Jane, take control of the Cruisers and send them through the jump point. Also any of the Talon's that can still move. Make a neat parking area out of the way of the jump point, same as we did last time. Send out the salvage droids for the rest, and have them make a mountain of debris on the other side. The jump point has to be clear by the time the station gets here."

  "Confirmed."

  "When Nightshade gets here, dock her in the hanger."

  "Confirmed."

  I sighed deeply. I looked to the girls. They looked at me. We all jumped up and hugged.

  "Can I join in?" said a voice in a British accent, from the doorway.

  We jumped apart as if caught in the act of doing something naughty.

  I leaned against the back of my seat.

  "You must be the ejected pilot?" I said.

  "Eric Neilson, call sign 'Nascaspider'." He held his hand out and we shook.

  "That’s an interesting call sign you have. Sounds like it has history."

  "Certainly does. I did my post graduate studies on the Peru ruins. One of the large geoglyphs is a spider, dating to somewhere between four hundred and six fifty AD. When I did my military training, I went on about it so much, it became my call sign."

  "What are you doing in this neck of the woods?"

  "I work for the Apricot Mapping Service. I'm one of their explorers."

  "I've not heard of them. Excuse me a moment." I turned to the girls. "We've more guests arriving, can you meet them at the airlock and make them comfortable in the common room please." They nodded and left.

  "Actually, very few have," went on Eric. "We supply all the maps that nav systems use, but no-one actually questions who supplies them. It suits us. We quietly get on with the business, and everyone updates their maps periodically. I must thank you for the timely rescue."

  "Sorry I couldn't get there faster. I'll have your ship towed so it can be repaired."

  "Thanks. I appreciate that. The boss will too. Speaking of ships, this one is damned impressive. What is it? And aren’t you a bit young for Commander's insignia?"

  I sighed.

  "It’s a long story, and yes I am. Both young and a Commander. Gunbus is a new design. Heavy Corvette masquerading as a Heavy Transport. The shipyard owner who built her is working on a lesser model for release as a Heavy Luxury Yacht."

  "My boss may be interested. He's been looking for a better explorer design for years now, and I just proved what we have isn’t good enough. What is going on here anyway?

  "I wish I knew. The local planet seems to have gone extremist nut job on us. They think the end of the world is nigh, and blame anyone using technology. I'm just trying to get home, and the Americans with me are trying to protect their sector."

  "Where's home, ah?"

  "Sorry, Jonathon Hunter. Australian sector. Specifically Outback."

  "I've not been out that far yet. I've mostly been doing the run between Cobol and San Diego, looking for undiscovered jump points. Never occurred to me I'd jump into a war zone where the hostiles shoot first and don’t bother asking questions."

  "You and me both. Umm, if you will excuse me, I have things to attend to. If you go down to the common room, you can join in with the other pilots that are coming aboard. Get yourself something
to eat and drink. If you need a bunk, come back up and you can have one of the staterooms. We're going to be a bit crowded downstairs I think."

  "Thank you. I'll do that." He turned and left.

  I slid back into my chair.

  "How many Talons were there Jane?"

  "Ten squadrons."

  "Holy shit. How did they come up with that number? More importantly, how many more do they have?"

  "Unknown."

  "I wonder if they hit the other jump point at the same time."

  "We won't know until we get there."

  "Hell, I hope the station is ok." I had a very bad feeling take ahold of my guts. "Is Nightshade docked yet?"

  "Just completing. The last SR droid has docked too."

  "Get that SR droid on board, we need to get moving. Leave the salvage droids here to complete the cleanup."

  "Confirmed."

  "What was the end scores for everyone?"

  "Gunbus killed the two Cruisers and thirty seven Talons, including Amanda and Aleesha making six kills each. George twenty. Annette eight."

  "You know, leave the score board up in the common room, and update the crew's figures. May as well make that a permanent feature. How did the Americans do?"

  "Confirmed. Greer fifteen, Breckenridge three, and the remaining American pilots, thirty seven between them. Thirteen pilots ejected. All SR droids are on board now. We can proceed."

  I opened a channel to Greer.

  "Commander, are you ready to get out of here?"

  "Yes sir. How are my pilots?"

  I looked at Jane. She nodded.

  "I don’t know details, but they're all on board in one piece."

  "Thank you sir."

  "Form up on Gunbus, we're heading for where the station should be by now. I’d suggest your pilots get as much rest as they can, we don’t know what awaits us there."

  "You think they hit somewhere else as well?"

  "I think it's very likely. I would have."

  "Shit. I would have too. Lead on sir, sooner we get there, the sooner we know."

  The channel closed.

  "Jane, put us on course for your best estimate of where the station is, at the fastest speed the fighters can manage."

  "Confirmed."

  I opened a channel to George on Excalibur.

  Jane answered.

  "Sorry Jon, George is asleep. He said to follow you, and went out like a light."

  "Fine Jane. Let him sleep until we get to the station. Once we do, assuming everything is ok, land Excalibur on the station and rearm. After, bring her into the hanger."

  "Confirmed."

  I prepared emails for the Admiral, General and Mercenaries Guild. But couldn’t send them.

  Task complete, I yawned loud and long, struggled off my seat and headed down the stairwell.

  In the common room, I found a table full of very tired and disgruntled pilots, Breckenridge among them. Other than Amanda, Aleesha and Annette, who looked really down, there was only one other woman. I started over to her. She saw me coming, shouted "Commander on deck" and stood at attention. The room followed her. I jerked to a halt.

  "At ease, please." They slouched back into their seats.

  "Thank you for picking us up so quickly sir. Lieutenant Commander Miriam Young."

  "Please don’t do that again Commander. I'm not very comfortable with that sort of thing."

  "As you wish sir. But we all had a bird's eye view of you in action sir, and frankly, you scared the shit out of us. I've never seen such flying before. None of us have. Nor have we seen a ship with this one's capabilities before."

  "Born out of necessity I'm afraid. Me and the ship both."

  "Whatever sir, I'm just glad we didn’t lose anyone, and without you, we would all be toast."

  "What happened?"

  "They must have followed us from Midgard sir. Beyond scanner range. No sooner did you jump out, they lit up our scanners and hit us with every missile they had. Fortunately, we had time for a measured response. So the initial barrage didn’t hurt us as much as it could have. After that, it deteriorated into a melee, the likes I've never seen before. They had the numbers, but we had the training and discipline. Your Excalibur pilot was amazing. He spent most of his time taking the missile heat off anyone near him. He probably saved the rest of the wing."

  "He's a rookie. This was only his second fight."

  "He's made thirty six kills in only two battles? That’s amazing! Still, that Excalibur is one hell of a fighter. I'll be recommending we buy at least a squadron of them when we get back to Yorktown."

  "Well that won't be for some time. We're on the wrong side of the system now. I suggest your people get some sleep. There are twelve bunks in the barracks. Have them use them, and the facilities. You follow me upstairs."

  I went over to Annette.

  "How's Nightshade?"

  "Battered but not beaten. The repair droids are working on her, but it will be a while before life support is restored. They need to fill a few holes before it's even worth looking at the damage to the life support."

  "You better sleep upstairs." She nodded and followed me.

  I beckoned to Eric and the girls. The five of them followed me upstairs. At the top, I pointed to a stateroom each for Miriam and Eric, and they went straight in and closed the doors behind them.

  "You three will have to use the last stateroom. It’s a bit crowded for three, but it's even more crowded downstairs."

  "Not to mention wall to wall testosterone," said Amanda with a twinkle in her eye. The other two giggled.

  "Thanks Jon," they all said, and disappeared inside.

  I went into my own room and looked for Angel. She was asleep in her cat bed. I left her alone and flopped down on my bed.

  "Jane, wake me when the station becomes visible, preferably just before it appears on the scanner. Gently this time please, no alarms!"

  I didn't hear her response. I was asleep the moment I finished talking.

  Nine

  Gunbus and her escort approached the station. The four women and Eric were on the Bridge with me. Our eyes were glued to the scanner, waiting for the station to show up. We all dreaded what we might see.

  A white dot appeared, followed by a second one. The station and the John Wayne, towing the General Custer. We breathed a bit easier.

  Red dots appeared, surrounding the white dots.

  Missile dots appeared from three directions. It looked like three barrages of two hundred missiles each. Two seemed aimed for the station, the other for John Wayne.

  As we watched, the white dot representing the two ships winked out.

  The missile dots merged with the station dot. We held our breath, looking into space in front of us where the shape of the station was visible.

  The station exploded.

  We looked at each other, horror on all our faces.

  Three more barrages of missiles appeared. This time they were headed for us.

  I woke up in stark terror and fell off the bed, landing on my left side.

  "What the fuck was that?" exclaimed Amanda and Aleesha together, bolting upright on the other side of the bed from where I'd been.

  I crawled as fast as I could into the bathroom, and violently threw up. I lay on the floor panting heavily.

  Meow?

  White fur nuzzled my face. Angel patted my nose gently. I reached out for her and tickled her.

  "You alright Jon?" asked Amanda from the bedroom.

  "Jury's still out," I responded, still lying there.

  I waited until my breathing was back under control. I hauled myself to my feet, and padded out. I was still in my fatigues, not having removed the suit before sleeping. I sat back on the bed, letting the suit roll back into its belt shape. Breasts pushed into my back from two directions as the girls hugged me.

  "What was that?" asked Aleesha.

  "Divine help us, I hope that wasn’t a premonition," I said.

  "Oh hell no, not that, sur
ely?" said Amanda.

  "Jane, time please," I asked.

  "ETA station is approximately half an hour. It's visible in the distance, but not yet on the scanner."

  "Any signs of trouble?"

  "Negative."

  The three of us sighed together.

  Two naked girls climbed off the bed, pulled my underwear and socks off me, and dragged me into the shower. Under any other circumstance, it would have been erotic. With these two, it wasn’t far out of the ordinary. But with my heart still pounding away, it was the least bit of anything, although the touch of normality was helping me calm down.

  We finished in the shower, and sat at the dining table. Jeeves had breakfast in front of each of us within seconds of us sitting down. Mine was a full grill. I’d eaten it all before I remembered I didn't eat breakfast. I left the girls still eating and went towards the Bridge. There was the sound of paws scratching litter in the background as I went out the door.

  I sat heavily in my chair and stared forward.

  "You need to wake up now Jon," said Jane softly.

  "I am awake."

  "Yes Jon. But you really do need to wake up now."

  "I AM awake!"

  "I know Jon, but it's really important that you wake up now." Her voice was getting more and more urgent.

  "Jane, stop already. I am awake."

  "Yes, of course you are, but it's vitally important that you wake up now."

  "Stop saying that."

  "GET YOU'RE HEAD IN THE GAME, JON!" yelled Jane.

  I jerked clear out of the chair and crashed into the helmsman's chair, crashing down to the deck on my left side.

  "You okay Jon," asked Amanda from the doorway.

  "No," I said. "I think I'll stay here a while."

  I lay there until the girls picked me up and propped me back in my chair.

  Everything went blurry. I sat there trying to clear my vision.

  SLAP. A hand wiped hard across my face, stinging and bringing tears to my eyes.

  Jane was standing in front of me. The girls were staring at her open mouthed.

  My head cleared suddenly and with complete clarity, I sat up straight.

  "I'm here. I'm happening. Damn that hurt!"