The survivors of Epsilon Reticuli were the best of the best, not merely the luckiest.\u00a0 Oh, luck had a part in getting us out, but we don\u2019t rely on luck.\u00a0 We train hard, we fight hard, and then we party hard.\u00a0 In that order.\u00a0 We hit Serenity like a hammer. \u00a0The Chinese never saw us coming.\u00a0 They outnumbered us by way more than I was comfortable with, but we were not a rag tag fleet fleeing from destruction.\u00a0 We were a well-oiled machine.\u00a0 We were the best of the best because we had to be to survive.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Avenger-class starfighter\u2019s nose glowed bright as it pierced the wall separating hyperspace and normalspace.\u00a0 She passed through the wall into the star-studded darkness of normalspace, radiating light in every color of the rainbow.\u00a0 The very fabric of time and space convulsed around the fighter and four more of her kind exploded into existence around her with rainbows of their own.\u00a0 Displays lit up with their status reports, indicating they had pierced the wall with no damage and were ready to fight.\u00a0 More colorful light shows tore at the space around them and hyperspatial energies from twenty-two more starfighters heralded their arrival to the entire star system.<\/p>\n
It was an impressive display.<\/p>\n
Another five Avengers held formation far ahead in stealth mode, making as non-impressive a display of holes in space as they could.\u00a0 Low-powered whisker lasers sent high-band scouting updates of the Chinese fleets to the newly arrived Avengers and screens flashed with far more data than the pilots could process. \u00a0The roving eyes of the pilots could see enough though.\u00a0 The fort inside the Red Line wouldn\u2019t last much longer.\u00a0 Deflection grids hung in ragged shreds from constant missile fire and lasers boiled armor off in wide swaths.\u00a0 The wreckage of warships and station modules floated around the fort, some boiling away as they were caught by the massive energies flung back and forth between the Chinese fleet and the Alliance fort.<\/p>\n
Then the fort bracketed a Chinese frigate with a quartet of gravitic cannons that tore it apart and only twenty attacking starships remained around the fort.\u00a0 The cannons moved onto another target and it was time to make their entrance known.\u00a0 Like anyone had missed it.\u00a0 Still, it was always polite to introduce oneself before commencing to kicking the enemy\u2019s collective ass to the other side of the galaxy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello boys,\u201d Jack said and glanced towards Betty with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Captain Jack of Hart Squadron, Republic of Texas Marine Fighter Attack Wing 112, the Cowboys, to all Chinese combatants in this system.\u201d\u00a0 It was a long introduction but Jack imagined that the longer it took him to deliver it in his jaunty tone the more time his enemy had to realize they were seriously fraked.\u00a0 The Chinese wouldn\u2019t run.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t how they were wired.\u00a0 Not yet at least, but there were short-term goals and long-term goals to look at.\u00a0 And in the long term he wanted them to crap their pants and run away every time they heard one of his fellow Cowboys arrive.<\/p>\n
In the short term he was happy to just use his jaunty tone to see if he could drive them into doing something stupid.\u00a0 The Chinese had a chip on their shoulders the size of a star system after what they saw as centuries of European dominance.\u00a0 Nothing would annoy them more than another Westerner dismissing them as irrelevant.\u00a0 \u201cSurrender now and I might let you go back home to your little Zen rock garden things again.\u00a0 Or die.\u00a0 Your choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so glad you don\u2019t talk to me like that, Boss.\u201d\u00a0 Jesse\u2019s face appeared on one of the screens and Jack chuckled.\u00a0 The two had been together since flight school and knew each other better than they ever had their own families.\u00a0 They were<\/em> family in every way that mattered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat can I say?\u00a0 I\u2019m still trying to make you think you\u2019re a smart guy,\u201d Jack said with a wink.<\/p>\n Katy\u2019s lips pursed into an \u201coooh\u201d shape and she gave Jack a thumbs up on her screen.\u00a0 \u201cSmart guy<\/em> or smart aleck<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBite me.\u201d\u00a0 Jesse aimed the comment in her direction with a raised finger and a smile.<\/p>\n Katy rolled her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t bring my magnifying glass today.\u201d<\/p>\n Jesse winked towards Jack.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t realize your eyes were that bad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEyes forward, people,\u201d Betty\u2019s holoform said and waved at one screen.<\/p>\n On it several small frigates with fighter escorts pulled away from the battered fort and began accelerating towards them.\u00a0 They coalesced into an effective battle formation as Jack watched and he grunted.\u00a0 It would be so much easier if they just surrendered.<\/p>\n Jack sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWell I did ask for that, didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith bells on,\u201d Katy said with a dark chuckle.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s us Cowboys,\u201d Jesse chimed in.<\/p>\n \u201cAlways in high demand,\u201d Jack finished for him.\u00a0 Katy rolled her eyes at both of them.\u00a0 \u201cYou receiving, Gabbie?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am receiving,\u201d Los Angeles\u2019<\/em> cybernetic mind answered in a garbled tone from the other side of the hyperspace wall.\u00a0 \u201cThey are crossing the Red Line on our screens.\u00a0 Do you confirm?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I confirm.\u00a0 They are crossing the Red Line,\u201d Jack said formally after a quick glance at the screen in question.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t enough bandwidth on the channels that crossed the wall to joke around.<\/p>\n \u201cBrace yourselves,\u201d Gabrielle said.\u00a0 \u201cWe are coming.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMusic to my ears,\u201d Jack replied softly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack thought he picked up a suspicious tone through the interference but he wasn\u2019t certain.\u00a0 \u201cNothing,\u201d he answered in a voice as clear of guile as the driven snow.<\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u201d\u00a0 Yes, that was a doubtful tone there.\u00a0 \u201cIncoming,\u201d she announced and Jack began looking around.<\/p>\n Then normalspace exploded in the middle of the Chinese formation, multicolored tendrils of hyperspace reaching out to rock every ship.\u00a0 Two frigates careened away from the sudden mass, crushed multiple fighters in their haste, and bounced too close to a third frigate.\u00a0 Deflection grids ground against each other and failed, leaving two of the ships momentarily vulnerable to any attack.\u00a0 Fighters scattered in every direction to avoid the chaos and the Chinese formation simply came apart.<\/p>\n The energy faded quickly, revealing the bulk of a single destroyer.\u00a0 Jack glanced at a display showing it and smiled at the name.\u00a0 Harrington<\/em>.\u00a0 Talk about sending the right girl for the job.\u00a0 The Austin<\/em>-class destroyer was a proud product of the Fleet 2300 Project that had pulled America to within hailing distance of the technical capabilities they needed to fight a conflict the size of The War.\u00a0 Her 215 meters started with an armored forward wedge carrying most of her heavy firepower, flowing back to a fighter bay capable of carrying a full squadron of Hellcats, and ending in her long and lean engine section that could push her further into hyperspace than any American destroyer ever built.\u00a0 The Austins<\/em> were designed to be fast, agile, and deadly, and Harrington<\/em> lived up to that reputation within a second of surfacing into normalspace.<\/p>\n She remained motionless for a moment, surrounded by scattered minnows, and then her spinal gravitic cannon came to life.\u00a0 The twisting vortex of gravity designed to punch holes in capital ships tore through one frigate\u2019s tiny deflection grid like it was nothing.\u00a0 And then it proceeded to rip the ship itself apart just as easily.\u00a0 In less than a second it simply ceased to exist as anything other than spare parts.<\/p>\n Then the weapons turrets on both<\/em> flanks twitched into action, filling space with the exhaust of missiles clawing for Chinese warships.\u00a0 Deflection grids failed and explosions tore at the shocked frigates.\u00a0 Laser turrets came to life and began to melt armor as he watched.\u00a0 Then Harrington<\/em> spun in place under the power of her massive engines and two heavy laser cannons pulsed into the shattered and melted frigates without mercy.\u00a0 Lasers designed to destroy capital ships vaporized the frigates lightly-armored hulls and bored deep into their internal systems.\u00a0 Atmosphere belched out of failing bulkheads, fires clawed out into space, and debris scattered from dead and dying warships.<\/p>\n The Chinese frigates didn\u2019t go down without firing of course.\u00a0 Even caught unaware by Harrington\u2019s<\/em> arrival, they still had time to fill space between them with weapons fire.\u00a0 But frigates were designed to kill fighters, and Harrington\u2019s<\/em> defense grid was built for jousting with capital ships.\u00a0 Point defense batteries chattered at maximum speed and clawed dozens of missiles out of space.\u00a0 The deflection grid easily shrugged off the few shots that made it through, leaving the destroyer virtually untouched.<\/p>\n It was an amazing sight.\u00a0 Wreckage that had once been half a dozen Chinese warships spread out and away from the unwounded American destroyer as she turned to face the other Chinese warships.\u00a0 That made it his turn to act again.<\/p>\n Jack raised one finger and smiled at Betty before opening his mouth.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Captain Jack of Hart Squadron again.\u00a0 That was one<\/em> of my ships.\u00a0 Do you want to see the rest<\/em> of my ships or are you ready to raise those nice little white flags for me?\u201d<\/p>\n Harrington\u2019s cybernetic mind flickered into being on the console with one eyebrow raised and opened her mouth.\u00a0 \u201cYour<\/em> ships?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Faith,\u201d Jack said with an unrepentant smile.\u00a0 \u201cJust acting the part.\u201d\u00a0 He winked at her.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m even feeling a little thespian.\u201d<\/p>\n Faith made a show of looking around the cockpit.\u00a0 \u201cFunny.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see anybody else in here.\u00a0 Little or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack gave her a thumbs up but gamely stayed on target.\u00a0 \u201cWanna help?\u201d<\/p>\n Faith shook her head and waved her hands around.\u00a0 \u201cHologram. \u00a0Can\u2019t feel things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome with me to a cyber bar and I\u2019ll make<\/em> you feel something,\u201d Jack said with a wink.<\/p>\n Faith laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou promise?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cScout\u2019s honor,\u201d Jack answered and raised his hand in the traditional Boy Scout salute.<\/p>\n Faith raised both eyebrows in disbelief.\u00a0 \u201cYou<\/em> were a Boy Scout?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shook his head and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWhy is everybody so surprised to hear that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMust be the sterling character you show,\u201d Betty interjected with an amused smile.<\/p>\n \u201cHush you,\u201d Jack said with a scowl, but the twinkle in his eye put the lie to it.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t you see I\u2019m having a conversation here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell excuse<\/em> me.\u201d\u00a0 Betty rolled her eyes at him.\u00a0 \u201cI just wanted to be sure you knew that the rest of those ships are closing on us.\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t want you to miss it with all the flirting.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cWell of course<\/em> I know,\u201d he said and scanned the displays again to see what he\u2019d forgotten to notice while he was talking.\u00a0 They were approaching all right, and far too quickly for his peace of mind.\u00a0 He frowned for a moment as ideas flashed through his mind, and then he turned a crooked smile back towards Faith.\u00a0 \u201cWanna run away with me?\u201d<\/p>\n Faith examined him for a moment before responding.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you have in mind?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack pointed at the fourteen destroyers and frigates closing on them.\u00a0 \u201cBack away from that<\/em>, please?\u201d Jack asked.\u00a0 \u201cMake it look like you\u2019re running like a\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cScared little girl?\u201d Faith completed for him.<\/p>\n Jack cleared his throat but wasn\u2019t about to give up.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I would never say such a sexist and derogatory comment about a strong young lady like you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Faith said with a raised eyebrow.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t<\/em>!\u201d Jack protested.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you thought it,\u201d she said behind pursed lips.<\/p>\n \u201cSure!\u201d he gave in with a shrug.\u00a0 \u201cAnd then I thought better of it once my mind caught up to my mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n Faith narrowed her eyes and examined him like a particularly questionable used suit and then made a show of looking at the oncoming ships.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you?\u00a0 Are you going to run too?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Jack answered with a wide grin.\u00a0 \u201cHow else are we going to bait our little trap?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur<\/em> trap?\u201d Faith asked in confusion.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you are<\/em> the biggest and most beautiful piece of the trap.\u201d<\/p>\n Faith rolled her eyes at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re lucky.\u00a0 My captain agrees with you.\u201d\u00a0 She turned to look towards the ship and the destroyer\u2019s engines began burning at full power, driving her backwards and away from the Chinese.<\/p>\n \u201cWith what?\u201d Jack asked.\u00a0 \u201cThis being our trap or\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n Faith smiled back towards him again.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 Now aren\u2019t you going to run?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u201d\u00a0 Jack nodded towards Betty.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Captain Jack to all Cowboys.\u00a0 Turn around and run away from all those big bad warships heading our way.\u00a0 And make it look<\/em> like we\u2019re running away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat shouldn\u2019t be too difficult,\u201d Jesse chimed in and his fighters began falling back and away from the approaching ships.<\/p>\n \u201cRunning away, aye Captain,\u201d Ken transmitted and his Avengers turned as well.\u00a0 Dawn\u2019s fighters followed him two seconds later, peeling away from the oncoming ships and passing through Jack\u2019s formation like wraiths.<\/p>\n \u201cMy turn, Boss?\u201d Katy asked, her eight fighters still holding position around his.<\/p>\n Jack studied the approaching destroyers and frigates for a moment before deciding that it felt right.\u00a0 \u201cYour turn,\u201d he returned and the fighters broke away.\u00a0 They passed him on blue fusion flames and began receding away after the destroyer.<\/p>\n Jack flexed his fingers and waited.<\/p>\n \u201cJack?\u201d\u00a0 Betty looked at him with a concerned look.<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet.\u201d\u00a0 Jack let his eyes go out of focus and he just watched the oncoming squadron.\u00a0 It was too small to be a real fleet after all.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re coming.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBoss?\u201d Katy asked in concern.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m on it,\u201d Jack said and glanced at the sensor display.\u00a0 It still didn\u2019t feel right.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you should be going, Boss,\u201d Katy said in a more stubborn tone.<\/p>\n \u201cJust one more bit,\u201d Jack returned and glared at the oncoming ships.\u00a0 There was something wrong.\u00a0 And then he saw it.\u00a0 Frak.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Betty!\u201d he shouted and twisted the stick around.<\/p>\n \u201cRunning away now,\u201d Betty reported and they spun on plums of flame.\u00a0 A moment later the main engines kicked in and gravity kicked him in the backside as they went to full burn.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing, Boss?\u201d Katy asked in a very concerned voice.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting a little too full of myself actually,\u201d Jack answered with a wince.\u00a0 The Chinese couldn\u2019t accelerate as fast as him, but they had built up an impressive amount of speed before he turned away.\u00a0 And now he knew what was wrong.\u00a0 They were accelerating far faster than any Chinese destroyer he\u2019d ever seen before.\u00a0 So were the fighters.\u00a0 The Chinese had come out with some new engine upgrades the powers that be didn\u2019t know about.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t good.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m plotting intercept in twenty seconds.\u201d\u00a0 Katy appeared on one of his consoles looking far more serious than usual.<\/p>\n Jack gritted his teeth.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, that\u2019s about right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut they shouldn\u2019t be doing it.\u201d\u00a0 Katy\u2019s voice betrayed her annoyance at the Chinese for doing something they shouldn\u2019t be doing.<\/p>\n Jack responded with a dark chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cTell me about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHang in there.\u00a0 We\u2019ll come back for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d Jack ordered.\u00a0 \u201cMaintain course and acceleration.\u00a0 Prepare to come about on my order only.\u201d\u00a0 He talked right over her objection this time with a look towards Betty.\u00a0 \u201cGabbie!\u00a0 You seeing this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am receiving,\u201d the cybernetic mind of Los Angeles<\/em> answered.\u00a0 \u201cI see fourteen starships and numerous fighters accelerating faster than rated maximums and crossing the Red Line on our screens.\u00a0 Do you confirm?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah.\u00a0 They are definitely<\/em> going faster and they are so<\/em> crossing the Red Line right now,\u201d Jack said and realized his heart was racing.\u00a0 He\u2019d fraked up.\u00a0 He should have noticed their acceleration profile earlier.\u00a0 They\u2019d caught him flatfooted and showing off.\u00a0 Stupid.\u00a0 Stupid.\u00a0 Stupid.<\/p>\n \u201cI also see approximately forty fighters catching you in ten seconds.\u00a0 Do you confirm?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConfirmed,\u201d Jack growled and swung them around to bring their weapons to bear on the Chinese again.\u00a0 They were still too far away to see anything other than spears of light, but the canopy expanded each one so he could see it clearly.\u00a0 Even the fighters got their own little images showing where they were in relation to the warships and that relation was far too close for him.\u00a0 \u201cCan you do something about it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe squadron is in position,\u201d Gabbie crackled.\u00a0 \u201cPrepare to receive reinforcements in strength.\u201d\u00a0 The last word was barely intelligible through the static that filled the frequency as rainbows exploded off the Chinese flank.\u00a0 The fighter shuddered as gravity pulsed and quaked under the assault of the three American destroyers.<\/p>\n Adams<\/em>, Hernandez<\/em>, and Garcia<\/em> accelerated out of the fading light on plumes of blue flame and gravitic cannons ripped into the Chinese without mercy.\u00a0 Laser cannons followed the gravitics, passing through smashed deflection grids, and Chinese armor boiled under the assault.\u00a0 Then smaller missiles and lasers clawed out and tore several Chinese fighters apart.<\/p>\n The Chinese reacted quickly, spinning to open fire on the new threats.\u00a0 Their formation shifted, ships pulled up or dived down to rain fire on the destroyers from multiple vectors.\u00a0 They shot past the primary armored wedge and weapons began to impact on the deflection grids covering the softer fighter bays and engine section.\u00a0 A few more seconds of that and the destroyers were going to be in some serious pain.<\/p>\n \u201cAll Cowboys, form on me,\u201d Jack said, trusting Betty to transmit his command to the other Cowboys.\u00a0 They spun instantly and began burning towards his location.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t forget about me,\u201d Faith said and Jack saw Harrington<\/em> spinning to follow.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll never forget about you,\u201d he chuckled back.<\/p>\n \u201cGood,\u201d Faith said with a playful smile.<\/p>\n The five remaining American frigates appeared in another display of multicolored hyperspatial energies, arriving on the far side of the Chinese formation from the destroyers.\u00a0 It was a nearly perfect hammer and anvil attack, with the destroyers playing the part of the anvil.\u00a0 The frigates opened fire with every weapon they had and swamped the already overloaded defenders with missiles and laser batteries.\u00a0 Fighters exploded, frigates careened off course, and even one destroyer spewed flame as several missiles found their mark.<\/p>\n But frigates did not a strong hammer make.\u00a0 They did good for their throw weight and took advantage of a momentary weakness by softening up the Chinese far more than they could have been expected to under normal circumstances.\u00a0 But the Chinese spun their weapons turrets to face them and five frigates stood no chance against the singular focus of over a dozen warships bringing fire from multiple angles.<\/p>\n \u201cWait for it,\u201d Jack repeated as first Clark<\/em> and then Vega<\/em> began to vent atmosphere and fire.\u00a0 They wouldn\u2019t be able to take much more of this.<\/p>\n \u201cIncoming,\u201d Gabbie announced and gave Jack just enough time to grasp the controls before hyperspace flowed into normalspace mere kilometers in front of his nose.\u00a0 The canopy polarized to keep Jack from going blind, but the computer displays remained up so he could watch the heavy cruiser USS Los Angeles<\/em> surface into normalspace with all the deadly grace of a shark on the hunt.\u00a0 Nearly six-dozen Hellcats came with the heavy cruiser and Jack smiled.\u00a0 Behind him, Harrington\u2019s<\/em> maneuvering thrusters went to full power and she pulled up to fly over the larger warship.\u00a0 It was time.<\/p>\n \u201cNow!\u201d Jack ordered and slammed the throttle forward.\u00a0 He pulled up and his fighters swept over Harrington <\/em>to find their targets.\u00a0 Katy\u2019s squadron flared off his starboard side and Jesse came up on his port at maximum acceleration.\u00a0 Ken and Dawn passed beneath Harrington<\/em> in a line, and thirty-two Avenger-class starfighters joined nearly six-dozen Hellcats to open fire in unison.<\/p>\n Nearly two hundred gravitic cannons reached out and tore into destroyer or frigate deflection grids.\u00a0 Hundreds of miniature missiles clawed their way towards the Chinese, and lasers pulsed at maximum power to burn down any Chinese missile they found.\u00a0 The Chinese squadron convulsed under the triple assault of the destroyers, frigates, and fighters, their deflection grids shredded and their armor melting.<\/p>\n Then Los Angeles<\/em> opened up and her twin gravitic cannons hit like the hammer of God.\u00a0 They reached out to grab two Chinese destroyers by the scruff of their necks and tore them apart with gravitic sheers measured in the thousands of gravities.\u00a0 Her six lasers lanced out at the speed of light at six Chinese frigates, burning the defenseless ships alive in seconds.\u00a0 Harrington<\/em> spun to port and opened fire on a destroyer closing the range with the American frigates.\u00a0 Her single gravitic cannon tore through the destroyer\u2019s deflection grid and smashed the engines into ruin.\u00a0 Her twin laser cannons burned the frigate escorts and the American frigates renewed their assault.\u00a0 Then a wave of capital missiles swept through the surviving Chinese warships and miniature black holes tore at them for fractions of a second without mercy.<\/p>\n \u201cCease fire,\u201d Captain Wyatt ordered and every gun went silent.<\/p>\n Jack flexed his fingers and waited, but the remains of the Chinese squadron would never threaten anyone ever again.\u00a0 Fully half of the ships were just gone, nothing but rapidly expanding fields of wreckage.\u00a0 The rest looked more like a dog\u2019s chew toy than warships, ragged edges torn off and spinning away.\u00a0 Holes filled most of them, and atmosphere vented into space.\u00a0 Fires burned and Jack knew they would never move again.\u00a0 They were done.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s my girls,\u201d Jack whispered.<\/p>\n Faith gave him a doubtful look.\u00a0 \u201cFirst we\u2019re your ships, and now we\u2019re your girls?\u00a0 Someone\u2019s<\/em> got delusions of grandeur.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI prefer to think of it as good taste,\u201d Jack said with a wink and nodded towards Betty.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we do make a great team,\u201d Faith said with an approving smile as she and the Avengers decelerated to match Los Angeles\u2019<\/em> course and speed.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe they fell for that,\u201d Captain Wyatt interrupted any further verbal sparring.<\/p>\n Jack laughed at the welcome interruption.\u00a0 \u201cThe Chinese were building great walls and gardened cities while our ancestors were living in caves and wearing animal skins.\u201d\u00a0 Jack aimed an amused smile towards the screen she looked out of.\u00a0 \u201cAnd they are mighty proud<\/em> of that.\u00a0 Nothing burns them more than when one of us little savages<\/em> treats them like they don\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Captain Wyatt laughed and shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI guess.\u00a0 I mean, obviously\u2026but still.\u00a0 Why would they fall for it at all?\u00a0 They violated standard tactics by sailing into two<\/em> traps.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMost fleet commanders wouldn\u2019t by now,\u201d Jack said with a shrug.\u00a0 \u201cBut the Chinese were a peacetime navy until The War started, just like we wehre.\u00a0 There are still plenty of young, proud, hot headed, Chinese squadron commanders that got their commissions due to politics rather than skill out there.\u00a0 It\u2019ll take a while for us to burn through all of them,\u201d he finished with a wink.<\/p>\n \u201cGood points.\u201d\u00a0 Wyatt looked to the side and nodded before looking out through her camera again.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Captain Olivia Wyatt of the heavy cruiser Los Angeles<\/em>, to all Chinese combatants.\u00a0 Your allies at Epsilon Reticuli have failed.\u00a0 We have returned.\u00a0 Now surrender immediately or you will join them in death,\u201d she finished with a dismissive tone.<\/p>\n Jack smiled.\u00a0 She really was quick.\u00a0 It was nice to work with people who could count to twenty without taking their shoes off.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d Jack asked with his gaze on Betty.<\/p>\n Betty aimed a knowing look at him.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s way out of your league.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI meant the Chinese.\u00a0 Do you think they\u2019ll fall for it?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty crossed her arms and gave him a doubtful look.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 They probably left their less experience commanders behind to clear out the forts while the fleet commanders hit the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Jack said with a wince.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo if they don\u2019t run, this is going to be a real fight,\u201d Betty whispered sadly.<\/p>\n Jack pursed his lips and let out a long breath.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m thinking too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well,\u201d Captain Wyatt said from her display.\u00a0 \u201cYou choose death.\u201d\u00a0 She nodded and her signal shifted back to scrambled military frequencies.\u00a0 \u201cAll ships, assemble on Los Angeles<\/em> and set course for Serenity.\u00a0 Eighty percent of maximum acceleration, now,\u201d she finished and turned away from the camera.<\/p>\n The heavy cruiser\u2019s engines came to life as her image faded out and Jack raised an eyebrow towards Betty.<\/p>\n Betty smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAccelerating now.\u201d\u00a0 The acceleration pushed him back against his chair with just enough pressure to tell him that they were moving again, but not enough to hurt.\u00a0 The long and steady accelerations were always much easier on the body than dogfights, though nothing made one feel as alive as a dogfight.<\/p>\n Jack glanced across the displays, watching his Cowboys maintain position around Harrington<\/em>.\u00a0 The destroyer in turn held position off Los Angeles\u2019<\/em> starboard flank as the other destroyers moved into position on their own fusion plumes.\u00a0 The Hellcats split up and surrounded their home destroyers or Los Angeles herself as the frigates moved out to the edges of the formation where they could better intercept incoming fighters or missiles.<\/p>\n Jack examined the formation for several seconds, considering its strengths and weaknesses in his mind.\u00a0 Then he nodded in approval.\u00a0 \u201cAll Cowboys.\u00a0 Form up off Los Angeles\u2019<\/em> bow and prepare to plow the road for her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGot it, Boss,\u201d Katy acknowledged and her fighters began moving immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cAll over it, Boss,\u201d Jesse transmitted and followed Katy\u2019s squadron.<\/p>\n \u201cBy your command, Boss,\u201d Ken said with a knowing smile and swung his fighters around.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep watch, Crane,\u201d Jack said with a frown.<\/p>\n Ken raised an eyebrow at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 Jack shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cJust\u2026keep a watch.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got a feeling I don\u2019t like.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGot it, Boss,\u201d Ken said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll keep my eyes peeled.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded towards Ken and turned to Betty.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s move.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty smiled and their engines came to life.<\/p>\n Jack turned towards the display that still showed Harrington\u2019s<\/em> cyber with a flirtatious smile.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for the song and dance.\u00a0 It was fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Faith raised both eyebrows at him.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you know me.\u00a0 Always happy to dance with a real Cowboy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d Jack returned and tipped his cowboy hat towards her.\u00a0 \u201cNow be careful out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Faith just shook her head and laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m a warship.\u00a0 I don\u2019t do careful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen shoot them faster than they can shoot you.\u201d<\/p>\n Faith nodded in approval.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s more like it.\u00a0 And back at yah.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack turned away from her display and returned to examining the American squadron as it formed up for war.\u00a0 The far more numerous Chinese fleet waited for them in orbit and he began chewing his lip.\u00a0 This was not going to be an easy battle.<\/p>\n Well, he\u2019d been hoping for an exciting welcome at Serenity.\u00a0 He really had to be careful what he wished for.\u00a0 Sometimes he got it after all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The survivors of Epsilon Reticuli were the best of the best, not merely the luckiest.\u00a0 Oh, luck had a part in getting us out, but we don\u2019t rely on luck.\u00a0 We train hard, we fight hard, and then we party[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2307-angel-strike-earc","uentry","postonpage-1","odd","post-author-medron-pryde"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3648"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3650,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3648\/revisions\/3650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}