“Conn, Communications. The Hadley acknowledges our instructions. Escape pods launching momentarily.
A new cluster of blue icons appeared directly next to the Greengold before accelerating away. Anxiety made Tehrani’s heart beat faster with the realization that the next few minutes would be decisive.
Five minutes earlier, Justin had been about to declare victory. While the hostile craft were formidable opponents, Alpha and Beta had worn them down, and Lanchester’s Law had been in effect. Then the carrier appeared, disgorging more than two dozen new enemy fighters. Charlie element had launched, joining Alpha to provide eight Sabres on the battle space. Three Boars from Beta element were left along with a group of Mauler bombers.
Justin fought to keep situational awareness and control of the battle as he pawed the vacuum, looking for his next target.
A new voice broke into his commlink. “CSV Zvika Greengold actual to Alpha leader.”
“This is Captain Spencer, ma’am.”
“The Hadley is launching escape pods. Covering them is your top priority. Once they’re safely aboard the Greengold, we’re pulling out.”
“Wilco, ma’am.”
“Greengold actual out.”
Justin toggled his commlink to the all-fighters channel. “New orders, people. We’ll provide close escort for civilians escaping the freighter. Gamma element, switch your target to Master One. Beta, provide overwatch for Gamma. Charlie, you’re with the rest of Alpha and me. This is a target-rich environment, folks. Watch your backs, don’t take unnecessary risks, and use the Greengold to your advantage. Her point-defense emplacements are accurate and deadly.”
“I live for a target-rich environment,” Mateus replied to scattered chuckles.
“Maintain focus,” Justin snapped.
“Wilco, CAG.”
Justin snickered involuntarily. Yeah, I guess I did sound like Whatley just now. He checked his Sabre’s stores as the craft rocketed toward the escape pods. A group of pirates had broken off and headed straight for them.
He switched his commlink to the guard frequency. “Escape pods, this is Captain Justin Spencer, Coalition Defense Force. Adjust your heading five degrees to port and increase speed to maximum.”
“We’re going as fast as we can, CDF.”
Damn. Even with afterburners on, Alpha and Charlie elements were at least three minutes away. Justin flipped back to all-fighters. “Alpha, Charlie, stand by for max range. These guys are tough. Switch missiles to dual-launch mode, and make sure you don’t spike the same bandit.”
Green acknowledgment lights lit up across the squadron-readiness screen.
On the HUD-based sensor display, one of the pod icons disappeared. Justin double-checked and confirmed its destruction. Bile rose in his throat. Bastards.
He toggled the commlink over to guard frequency. “What the hell is wrong with you people? Leaguers are better than shooting down helpless spacers.”
A rough voice answered him. “Maybe God will judge me for it, Terran.”
Justin wrapped his hand tightly around his flight stick. “I think I’ll send you on to say hi to Him for me. How about that?”
“Take your best shot.”
The missile-lock-on tone filled the cockpit. Justin had picked the nearest bandit as his first target, assuming it would be either the most aggressive pirate or their commander. Either way, the fighter was going down hard. He squeezed the launch button. “Alpha One, fox three.” Two Vulture LIDAR-tracking warheads dropped from the Sabre’s internal stores bay and raced into the void.
“Charlie Two, fox three.”
“Alpha Four, fox three.”
Other pilots called out their launches, and the battle space filled with dozens of missiles. Robust electronic countermeasures on both sides and chaff deployments in the hundreds spoofed most, but a few got through, causing light shield damage.
Justin’s forward shield indicator dropped after a few hits from energy-weapons fire before he rolled out of it. Quickly scanning the HUD’s sensor display, he saw one fighter curving back toward the pods. Not so fast, you son of a bitch. Justin kicked his afterburner to maximum and accelerated. “This is Captain Spencer. Hadley pods, are you still with me?”
“We’re here, CDF.”
“Break left relative to us and bug out toward the carrier. We’ll cover you.”
“Acknowledged, CDF.” The voice had an odd quality to it, as if the person speaking had accepted death.
Purple pulses ripped through one of the pods. The following explosion turned it into a cloud of dust. Rage built within Justin. He wasn’t used to feeling that emotion in the cockpit, but seeing civilians murdered for no reason brought it out in a way he’d never experienced. Whoever the pirates were, they didn’t deserve to live. The missile-lock-on tone sounded again, and Justin pressed the launch button.
Twin warheads accelerated away from Justin’s Sabre along with Vultures from Feldstein and Adeoye. Six in all, they tracked the single bandit relentlessly. Half were spoofed by either ECM or chaff, but the others pushed forward, bracketing the enemy craft. It had nowhere to go. One after the other, small explosions dotted across its shields.
“Alpha Three, guns guns guns.” Adeoye’s voice sounded garbled across the commlink. His Sabre slid behind the pirate, and bolt after bolt of blue neutron-cannon energy zipped through the void. The enemy rolled away, attempting a scissors maneuver to get behind Adeoye.
Unfortunately for the pirate, Justin had already anticipated such a move. With the bandit’s aft shields below twenty percent, he made every shot from his neutron cannons count. A dozen bolts later, the enemy exploded in a mass of orange-and-blue fury. “Alpha One, splash one.”
Justin toggled the channel to guard. “Hadley pods, you’re clear. We’ll fly close escort back to the carrier. If you’ve got any more juice in your engines, now’s the time.”
“Acknowledged, CDF.”
The voice of another pilot filled the commlink. “Rot in hell, whoever you were.”
I can’t disagree with them. Justin took the momentary lull in combat to check on Beta and Gamma’s progress. Master One, the up-gunned corvette, was still very much in the fight. The Maulers were lining up another attack run while a horde of fighters from the pirate carrier bore down on them. If I leave them out there, they’ll get cut to shreds.
He toggled the commlink to a private channel with Green. “Alpha One to Beta One. Come in.”
“Beta One reads you loud and clear,” Green replied.
“There’re too many of
