Solar Warden, Jakob Waechter [book club suggestions .TXT] 📗

inform the Captain,” Ryan decided.

 

“Missiles are closing in,” Clark informed.

Captain Fisher looked at one of the tactical 2D displays which was showing a closer look of it. It automatically zoomed in as the missiles approached the enemy.

Light signatures were registered by the sensors. Then the missiles vanished from the screen.

A bit later shots were passing the Icarus in a far distance.

“They could be soon in weapons range or better targeting range,” Clark said. The shots were also something like the railgun, but a bit faster and were illuminating. Though there were some theories what exactly they were, because plasma should not last that long. Whatever it was it had a similar precision as the railgun and that was the deciding factor for the weapons range here.

“When we are ready to jump?” Fisher asked.

“In about three minutes,” the helm replied.

“Prepare another missile salvo just in case. But alter the flight path. Avoid a direct course. Fire when ready.” Fisher thought this was worth a try and would keep them occupied.

“Aye, sir,” the weapons officer replied and altered the parameters. “Missiles away.”

“Ryan is on the com,” the communication officer informed.

“Put him through,” Fisher replied, “Ryan, you made a decision?”

“Yes, we go down to the cave. The course is already altered. What time window do we have to be down there?” Ryan asked.

“I guess at least three hours if not more. We have to figure the things out. If our jump works as expected, we will then also strip off a fighter from your escort and when you land leave you with one fighter and one combat drone,” Fisher replied. He looked now at the countdown for the jump.

“Affirmative,” Ryan confirmed.

“Do our physicist found out something?” Fisher asked and continued, “Let one of Ryan’s escort pilots lead the combat drones, then they have to fly slower. He should not engage the capital ship.

10 second to jump coordinates.

The missiles were closing in. The enemy fighters started to shoot again.

8 seconds. Now Missiles vanished from the screen.

7 seconds.

“They still found nothing unusual,” the communication officer replied.

Three of the enemy fighters were hit and exploded into pieces.

3 seconds.

“Then jump as soon as we can,” Fisher ordered.

0 seconds.

“Jumping,” the navigator confirmed.

 

“They are gone,” Ryan said as he looked at the tactical screen. It was a bit delayed because of the distance. The enemy fighters were changing the course now. Still they were far away and with the speed they had built up, it would take them some time to alter course to a new target.

“The door in the cave is opening,” Samuel informed.

“Then we have to hurry,” Ryan replied and switched to Owens, “We need to go down fast, they opened the door in the cave probably to lock the first door we hacked.”

“Affirmative, then get all in the seats and fasten the belts,” Owens informed the other ships.

The combat drones and one fighter went ahead. Ryan and Newman helped Knight into the seat. He could now move all body parts a bit, that helped a lot.

Ryan informed Owens as soon as all were prepared. Then it started to shake and the acceleration was to feel as they went over the limits of the inertial damper. It was a maneuver they could do only for a short time and when entering the atmosphere, they had to compensate a lot more effects. This time they would go down as a fireball directly over the facility area. Giving a target highlight in the sky. The combat drones were the first. Compared to the stratosphere jump this was a hell ride. Flying down with an insane speed. Then decelerating with about five G were three G could be compensated. It would have gone a bit faster. But the leader of the shuttle group in SW-3 shuttle, wanted to let the fighter and the combat drones have a bit time to secure the area. Which meant to spread out and scan.

Then the shuttle went in and landed near the cave. The area was still monitored by the scout drones. SW-6 and 7 went first out of the shuttles, with the bikes they headed into the cave. SW-2 took care of the still not fully operational three. They brought them into SW-1 shuttle to put their combat suits on. SW-5 secured the area of the defect combat drone which Newman and the other two scientists started repair.

Samuel tried do check what the Grays were doing. SW-3 went into the cave and checked all incoming sensor data which meant the position of the enemy fighters and what was happening in the cave.

The assigned one combat drone and one fighter stayed while the others left now back into space. The rest of the combat forces followed SW-6 and 7 into the cave.

Watkins also lead the rest of the scientists into the cave as it was clear that the three Grays they spotted would not make much resistance.

Yamada was guiding the combat troops in. All three Grays were in the control room. They didn’t even try to shot down the drones which were on standby.

Fujita was now trying to scout the open door. There was another hall, it looked quite similar and all doors were closed.

Now three Grays went out of the control room. They seemed to know what was coming. Samuel could at least tell they had removed the spy connectors. How successful they were with the door he could not tell. But the last was closing.

 

Captain, I have the physic department on the line,” the communication officer informed.

“Put them through,” Fisher was now waiting. In mind he did plan now how to intercept the fighter first.

“Sir, we got a new gravimetric signature it’s on the location where we wanted to pick up the shuttles,” came it over the speaker.

“Clark get this on a tactical table,” Fisher ordered at once.

Clark did the synchronization with the physics department. He had not to do much as reroute the hyperdrive system to the table.

Fisher looked now at the table. “They must also see us and already know that the shuttles are not coming,” Fisher said.

He was now guessing what they maybe could do in the hyperspace. Till now the Icarus was the first ship. There was only one smaller drone test ship before. So it was not possible to test much of the hyperspace physics then to travel fast and safe to a different location.

“Can they shot at us?” Fisher asked.

“Maybe. With a torpedo with his own hyperdrive,” came the answer from the physic department.

Fisher looked at the volumetric display. He needed a new position for the Icarus to regroup with the combat drones.

“It’s moving towards us!” Clark shouted.

Alerted Fisher glanced back to the table with the display of the hyperdrive system. It was not too fast.

“Move back,” he ordered. Then he selected a location with his finger in the volumetric display and marked it with a gesture of the other hand. “Helm, I marked a new position. Bring us as fast as possible three.”

“Affirmative.”

“We will leave the hyperspace there and recall our combat drones. I need to know if we can detect them from normal space or if they can shoot at us out of hyperspace and how. This torpedo theory sound likely.” Fisher wanted to do other things first, but things went different. Now the physicists were busy again. Fisher checked the tactical position. The enemy ship was slower at the moment. What were they up to? They had the same limit, Fisher thought. In the gravimetric field of the planet they could also not leave the hyperspace. That meant they would be at least safe there. But how close could they jump out to them. The first time there was quite a distance between them. Not only because of the gravimetric field. Learning the hyperspace mechanics while in a combat situation was not what Fisher wanted. The enemy ship did not accelerate further, but it surly could. Also the question was can the aliens fly faster in hyperspace.

“Recalculate our exit point with our combat drones recall and the enemy fighters. Optimize this as good as possible,” Fisher ordered.

“Aye, sir,” the helmsman replied and started the calculation. He had not much time they were already close. The helmsman did the final correction and showed it on the volumetric screen. “This gets us five minutes faster to the drones.”

“Good, as soon as we are there, launch the sensor probes. Do a fast scan and exit,” Fisher did not want to give the enemy ship a chance to surprise them in hyperspace.

“Affirmative.”

Now Fisher was thinking. Without destroying the enemy ship, they could not escape. Risking a pursue in hyperspace was not a thing he wanted to try out. But step by step, first the fighters then the next problem. Without loses of combat drones it won’t work again.

“We reached the exit point. Sending probes,” Clark informed.

The enemy ship kept the speed and still headed for the Icarus. Fisher was looking at its movement.

“All clear,” Clark reported.

The Icarus jumped out of the hyperspace.

“Recall the combat drones and the fighters to our position,” Fisher ordered. He looked at the volumetric display. The enemy fighters were heading to the planet were the combat drones currently were. The enemy capital ship also appeared further away. Now the enemy fighters changed the course for the Icarus. Also the enemy capital ship was heading for the Icarus as Fisher checked it again. But why did it jump out so far away. There must be a reason. “Alert all personal we are in combat. Everyone have to put on combat suits or space suits, now. Clear the bridge and move to the combat bridge!”

Fisher wanted to order this in hyperspace where they should have had more time, which they hadn’t. Now with the approaching fighters it was about 40 minutes for the confrontation. But he had to encounter them sooner not to endanger the ship. He checked the volumetric display again. The combat drones were fast enough. There were some possibilities.

 

“The Icarus is back. They are now preparing for a fight,” Yamada informed Ryan.

“Good, keep me informed. We might need their hacking support,” Ryan replied. They used all the bikes they had available. Owens was now with Taylor on the way to the old landing zone where they abandoned bikes they could not take with them.

“SW-6 and 7 secure as fast as you can the doors. Samuel is joining you, to cut the connection,” Ryan ordered.

The teams went into the big hall while the first door was still open. Three Grays were at the closing door in the last hall. A surface drone was with them. All Grays were not armed. The thick door was slowly closing at their position. SW-6 and 7 took position at the end of the huge hall. The closing door prevented to target the Gray as they went behind it.

“We cannot pursue the Grays. The door is closing and we would risk getting cut off,” Diaz informed Ryan.

“Just hold position and let Samuel secure the door control,” Ryan was close to the huge hall entrance.

Samuel arrived. He went to the other side and unplugged the network cable. Then he used two spy connectors to access both sides.

The door started to close. That was unexpected as Samuel already unplugged the cable. As he could not remove the cover plate of the power distributor. He jumped on the bike and went out with it.

“What’s happening the door is closing?” Ryan asked as Samuel went out.

“I don’t know yet. I’m on the way to the control room. The Icarus support can also help to analyze.” Samuel went with the bike to the control room, stopped and jumped off to get in.

“Kelsey we have problems with an unexpected door closing,” Ryan radioed meanwhile.

Samuel already knew where to look at. They had the last time done a full analysis here. He checked for the communication devices they had disconnected. They were all now reconnected. So he unplugged them again. With connecting another spy connector, he started to analyze now.

“We have a bit delay here