Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 When the Chinese struck, they killed three Peloran destroyers, a starbase, and every Peloran on them.\u00a0 It took us three weeks and five light years to track that fleet down.\u00a0 It\u2019s kinda funny.\u00a0 I made my first trip to the Western Alliance colony in Alpha Centauri at the head of a Peloran Battle Squadron pursuing a Chinese war fleet that outnumbered us more than thirty to one.\u00a0 That is one of the more interesting ways I have first arrived in a new star system.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jack watched the multicolored bands of hyperspace flow over him as he and Betty took their turn on patrol duty.\u00a0 Ahead of them he saw the black mass shadow of a star sucking the colors into it like a maelstrom.\u00a0 The trail of their enemies led into that.\u00a0 He glanced around, confirming not a single ship was in sight.\u00a0 The new Peloran-upgraded sensors could see further into hyperspace than the ones the Avenger was built with, but still nobody was in range.\u00a0 He checked the displays that showed the locations of the other Cowboys, spread across a thousand kilometers of hyperspace.\u00a0 They also reported nothing in sensor range.<\/p>\n
Jack frowned.\u00a0 The patrols just weren\u2019t good enough.\u00a0 The Shang trap at the convoy had proved that.\u00a0 Neither the probes nor the fighters were really good enough to see everything around a fleet.\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 He just couldn\u2019t accept that there was no way to know<\/em> if someone was waiting for them in hyperspace, just barely beyond sensor range.\u00a0 There had<\/em> to be a way to detect them before they jumped in and started shooting.\u00a0 Accepting a situation like that was a good way to lose a war.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, Jack, enough obsessing,\u201d Betty said.<\/p>\n Jack shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThere just has<\/em> to be a way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI said<\/em> enough obsessing,\u201d she said in a more stern tone.<\/p>\n \u201cFine.\u00a0 Fine,\u201d he answered with a defensive wave of his hands.\u00a0 \u201cI just wish-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJack!\u201d Betty shouted.\u00a0 Her twenty-centimeter hologram glared at him, fists jammed in her hips.\u00a0 \u201cEnough!\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sighed and relaxed back in his seat.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Betty.\u00a0 I just wish\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Betty said with a sad smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou just don\u2019t like the situation.\u00a0 Trust me, neither do we.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been trying to find a solution to it for over two thousand years.\u00a0 We\u2019ve never found an acceptable solution short of throwing more fighters onto the patrols.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that takes carriers.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty spread her hands out.\u00a0 \u201cWhich we don\u2019t have here.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack frowned.\u00a0 He\u2019d read that every Peloran Battle Squadron was supposed to have a support element that included a carrier.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t remember what it was called but it was on the tip of his tongue.\u00a0 He shook his head in annoyance.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is<\/em> the carrier?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty sighed.\u00a0 \u201cAneerin is not in high favor on Pelora.\u00a0 Under the Albion, he commanded a Battle Fleet<\/em>.\u00a0 Now he has six warships.\u00a0 They ordered the carrier and the other ships home long ago to keep him in check.\u00a0 And now we find ourselves in the situation you have been obsessing over.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack chewed his lip and an idea began to form.\u00a0 \u201cThe onboard fabricators can basically build anything, right?\u201d he asked, waving a hand at the Avenger that had been mostly rebuilt in just that way.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Betty said in a doubtful tone.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, all we need is more fighters then, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cAnd more pilots to fly them.\u00a0 And the carrier with the living space for them and the repair facilities for the fighters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight, right.\u201d\u00a0 Jack rubbed his jaw, turning his idea over in his mind, looking for holes.\u00a0 \u201cAnd that\u2019s the hard part, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 Transporting the fighters that give us eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly,\u201d Betty said in a sad tone.\u00a0 \u201cWe just have to hold out until the Battle Fleets arrive.\u00a0 Then everything<\/em> will change.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Jack said, still rubbing his jaw.\u00a0 \u201cThe people who took his fleet away to keep him in check will be so happy with him for pulling them into a war that they\u2019ll give him a fleet and all its recon assets so he can do whatever he wants,\u201d he continued in a sarcastic tone.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 I totally see that happening.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty glared at him before shaking her head.\u00a0 \u201cFine.\u00a0 You have a point there.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWe keep on thinking that all we have to do is hold out until the promised Battle Fleets arrive and then we\u2019re saved.\u00a0 What if they aren\u2019t coming here to save us?\u201d he asked and waved his hand behind them.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if they\u2019re coming to keep Aneerin in check?\u00a0 To stop him from entangling them in some backwater?\u00a0 That Shang seemed real certain Aneerin would back off.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty met his gaze and chewed her lip.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t like where you\u2019re going with this,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n Jack laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, neither do I.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty\u2019s eyes went wide and she jumped to her feet, straightening her dress and hair with quick moves of her hands.\u00a0 \u201cHal!\u201d she said in an excited tone as the comm. screen came to life.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Betty,\u201d Hal said with a smile.\u00a0 His face turned to Jack and he added \u201cHello, Jack.\u00a0 We are approaching Alpha Centauri.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack glanced back at the maelstrom before them.\u00a0 That fact was real obvious.<\/p>\n \u201cOur last information on the situation there is eight hours old,\u201d Hal continued.\u00a0 \u201cWe need real time intelligence.\u00a0 Are you up for it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Betty said, holding her hands behind her back.\u00a0 \u201cIs there anything else we can do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack put a hand on his chin and smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cBe safe,\u201d Hal answered in an earnest tone.<\/p>\n Betty gave him a shrewd look.\u00a0 \u201cYou want us going in quiet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery,\u201d Hal said.<\/p>\n The comm. panel lit up with another signal.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Cowboy One to all Cowboys,\u201d Charles transmitted.\u00a0 \u201cPrepare for soft translation to normalspace.\u00a0 Full EMCON, eyes only.\u00a0 Stay away from any large fleet formation if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack raised an eyebrow at Hal.<\/p>\n Hal shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cSo, maybe I was looking for an excuse to talk to my favorite fighter,\u201d he said with an innocent voice.\u00a0 \u201cSue me.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty gave him an amused smile, not seeming angry with him at all for finding the excuse.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I declare, Hal,\u201d Jack said in a high-pitched southern drawl as he waved an imaginary fan.\u00a0 \u201cIf you keep this up you will make me blush.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty turned a shocked gaze to him, but Hal chuckled and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cWorry not, little lady,\u201d he said in western drawl and tipped an imaginary hat towards Jack.\u00a0 \u201cMy intentions are pure and direct.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sniffed at him and continued to wave his imaginary fan.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I declare, but you are a forward young man.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty stomped her foot down on the console.\u00a0 \u201cJack, I swear I will throttle you in your sleep if you do not stop this instant!\u201d<\/p>\n Jack waved his imaginary fan and gave her an innocent look.<\/p>\n Betty glared at him.<\/p>\n Charles interrupted their standoff.\u00a0 \u201cTranslate in three\u2026two\u2026one\u2026now.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack closed his eyes, felt the universe flash around him, and opened them to see the blackness of space with stars dotting it and the golden orb of Alpha Centauri A hanging in the distance.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not done,\u201d Betty said in a huff.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d Jack said and tipped an imaginary hat towards her.<\/p>\n \u201cBetter,\u201d she said with a sniff and the displays began to fill with information.<\/p>\n The Alpha Centauri Trinary System was home to the two oldest Terran colonies, first the Chinese as their first step in the space race, and then the Western Alliance colony three years later.\u00a0 The Chinese still claimed the whole system belonged to them, though the Western Alliance ignored that claim.\u00a0 The tensions of that arrangement made it the most heavily fortified system short of Terra itself.\u00a0 It also happened to be the most heavily industrialized<\/em> system short of Terra, and Jack swallowed as their sensors began to log the titanic amount of refinery and factory stations in stationary orbit over the world the Americans and their allies called New Earth.\u00a0 Unsurprisingly, the Chinese had a different name for it but Jack neither knew nor cared what it was.<\/p>\n The displays continued to fill with tags for Western and Chinese installations, and finally starships began to appear.\u00a0 Jack frowned as the battle lines rendered and he realized they were warships.\u00a0 Flags began to appear over the Western Alliance ships, showing a massive British fleet over nearly one hundred ships, with a dozen or so German and French ships in support.\u00a0 Jack\u2019s eyes widened as he recognized one of the British Dreadnoughts<\/em>, surrounded by a squadron of battleships that looked small next to it, firing broadsides of gravitic cannons and missiles like they were going out of style.\u00a0 Chinese flags began to appear on the massive wall of battle facing the British, and Jack licked his lips long before the sensors confirmed what he had begun to suspect.\u00a0 The Peloran had tracked their prey across five light years, half a dozen destroyed convoys, and now here the Chinese lay in his sights.<\/p>\n Nearly two hundred Chinese warships, half of them heavy cruisers, were arrayed in a wall of battle and firing massive missile salvoes into the British fleet.\u00a0 Light cruisers, destroyers, and fighters of both sides hovered between the two main fleets, intercepting missiles from either side with their point defense batteries, and sometimes with their own deflection grids.\u00a0 A British destroyer speared a Chinese destroyer with a grav cannon, and nearly half a dozen missiles homed in on the wounded ship.\u00a0 Jack blinked as its deflection grid failed completely and a dozen nearby British destroyers and light cruisers shredded it with rapid-fire laser arrays.\u00a0 It simply ceased to exist under the assault, but the British paid a price.\u00a0 Several Chinese missiles snuck through the momentarily reduced point defense and ripped into a British light cruiser.\u00a0 It bucked as explosions sunk into it and then something deep inside the ship exploded, ripping the ship apart from the inside.<\/p>\n Jack shook his head as another grav cannon salvo from the Dreadnought<\/em> and its escorting battleships ripped into a squadron of Chinese heavy cruisers, piercing their deflection grids and ripping armor away, flinging it away from the wounded ships.\u00a0 Their missile salvo died far short of the cruisers though, the Chinese screen absorbing them.<\/p>\n \u201cWow,\u201d Jack whispered as he just took in the magnitude of the battle.\u00a0 Fort Wichita had been a mere couple squadrons compared to this and he thought it big.\u00a0 Now, for the first time, he could see true fleets of war at battle with each other, and the scope of it all amazed him.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Betty answered.\u00a0 \u201cThis<\/em> is what a true battle looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we caught them.\u00a0 What the Hell are we going to do with them now?\u201d Jack whispered.\u00a0 They only had six ship compared to all of that.<\/p>\n Betty smiled.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re giving the Peloran a real-time feed from ten perspectives on everything going on right now,\u201d she said, and the other Cowboys spread out and flashed on the screens.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ll know exactly where to strike.\u201d<\/p>\n As if on queue, six Peloran warships flashed into normalspace right behind the Chinese formation.\u00a0 Weapons fire connected them and a dozen Chinese heavy cruisers reeled away, wreckage spraying from their ruined flanks.\u00a0 Fighters exploded from the Peloran launch bays and the plot came alive with missiles.\u00a0 Point defense batteries shifted to deal with them, and Chinese fighters swung around to meet the Peloran fighters.\u00a0 The Peloran Battle Squadron fanned out, spreading the fire across the Chinese fleet and more cruisers belched flame and atmosphere as the British missiles began to break through the point defense.\u00a0 Explosions wreathed the Chinese fleet from one end to the other.<\/p>\n The sensors began to note gravitic surges from the Chinese fleet and Betty gritted her teeth.\u00a0 \u201cTheir running,\u201d she reported as the Peloran fighters spread out, sweeping across the Chinese fleet.\u00a0 Missile tracks at point blank range appeared and disappeared almost faster than Jack could see.\u00a0 The Chinese fighters fired at them, but seemed more concerned with ducking back inside their motherships before they jumped out, and only a few of the Peloran fighters spun away or exploded.\u00a0 Spread out as they were, the Peloran fighters could do little more than tag them with a few missiles apiece that did little more than dent armor.<\/p>\n Jack grunted.\u00a0 It might be good psychological warfare to show the Peloran could hit them all, but it didn\u2019t seem to be doing much actual damage to them.\u00a0 A series of flashes worked their way across the Chinese fleet and it faded away, leaving behind a couple dozen smashed and spinning hulks.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s that,\u201d Jack said with a shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a real pity we couldn\u2019t destroy more of them before they ran.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be so sure,\u201d Betty said with an intrigued look on her face.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack raised an eyebrow and waved a hand at the screens.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re gone<\/em>.\u00a0 We can\u2019t track \u2019em in hyperspace!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot usually,\u201d Betty answered with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cBut I think Aneerin just changed the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack was about to ask how when Aneerin\u2019s face appeared on the comm. screen. It showed he was speaking on a scrambled signal, broadcasting to the entire allied fleet.\u00a0 The man smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI am Aneerin ap Taliesin and I wish you all good health, now and forever.\u201d\u00a0 He raised a hand to forestall any answers.\u00a0 \u201cI know the song and dance when allies meet.\u00a0 We do not have time for it.\u00a0 The Chinese are attempting to escape.\u00a0 We have seeded them with homing drones that can be tracked while in hyperspace.\u00a0 We will follow and destroy them.\u00a0 We welcome all allies to the hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n With that, the Peloran squadron turned away and the fighters returned to their landing bays.\u00a0 A dozen German heavy cruisers and destroyers pulled out of the British formation and accelerated towards the Peloran squadron.\u00a0 A face that could have been the base for an artist\u2019s stereotypical painting of a highborn German officer appeared on the comm. screen.<\/p>\n \u201cI am Flottillenadmiral Axel Aarne,\u201d the man said in a thick German accent that heavy metal singers wish<\/em> they could copy.\u00a0 \u201cVe vill fly vith you.\u201d<\/p>\n Not to be outdone, the French light cruisers and destroyers accelerated past the German ships.\u00a0 Jack rolled his eyes as the French commander appeared.\u00a0 \u201cBetter get out the white flags,\u201d Jack said with a chuckle.<\/p>\n He felt something smack his arm and he looked at Betty in surprise.<\/p>\n \u201cJack, that\u2019s mean,\u201d she said in a stern voice.\u00a0 \u201cThe French have a long and illustrious military history!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell that to the Germans,\u201d Jack answered with a smirk.<\/p>\n \u201cNapoleon,\u201d Betty said with an answering smile.<\/p>\n \u201cA short man with delusions of grandeur,\u201d Jack returned.<\/p>\n Betty sighed.\u00a0 \u201cActually, Jack, he was taller than the average person of his day.\u00a0 And do you remember it was the Russians<\/em> who defeated him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSee?\u201d Jack said as if that settled everything.\u00a0 \u201cHe lost.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty pointed at the German fleet.\u00a0 \u201cWho did he have to roll over to get<\/em> to the Russians?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack frowned and brought a hand up to rub his jaw.\u00a0 \u201cAh.\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 Good point.\u201d\u00a0 He gave her an impish smile then.\u00a0 \u201cCan we still have the white flags ready though?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cYou are impossible sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack gave her a disappointed look.\u00a0 \u201cWell, obviously I have to work on the times when I\u2019m not<\/em> then.\u00a0 I can\u2019t have people spreading about rumors after all.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty sighed in an exasperated way.\u00a0 \u201cNo white flags, Jack.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack pouted and she crossed her arms with a stern look.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBetter.\u201d<\/p>\n The comm. panel blinked and Charles\u2019 voice came over the speakers.\u00a0 \u201cAll Cowboys, form on me.\u00a0 We have been ordered to support the German task force in this hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoger that,\u201d Jack answered and nodded to Betty.<\/p>\n She smiled and sent them flying towards Charles fighter, which was moving towards the Germans.<\/p>\n Jack smiled again.\u00a0 \u201cThe Germans.\u00a0 So can we-.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 Betty arched an eyebrow at him.<\/p>\n Jack blinked.\u00a0 \u201cBut you didn\u2019t even let me finish!\u201d<\/p>\n Betty sighed and placed both hands on her hips.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack affected an outraged expression.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u00a0 It might have been something important!\u201d<\/p>\n Betty gave him a shrewd smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou smiled.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack returned her smile with a raised eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cHey.\u00a0 I smile just fine when it\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty crossed her arms.\u00a0 \u201cNot that<\/em> smile.\u201d\u00a0 She cocked her head to the side, daring him to contradict her.<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s expression fell.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u201d\u00a0 She was getting too smart for him.<\/p>\n Charles\u2019 voice returned to the comm. panel.\u00a0 \u201cAnd no practical jokes, Jester.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack glared at Betty.<\/p>\n Betty answered him with a smile of pure angelic innocence that he did not believe for a microsecond.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get you for that,\u201d he mouthed.\u00a0 She waggled her eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, Chief,\u201d he said out loud.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t dream of it, Chief.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Charles said in a disbelieving tone.\u00a0 Then his transmission shifted to cover the squadron.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s move people!\u201d Charles ordered and Jack watched the screens as the squadron came together.\u00a0 At maximum acceleration, it didn\u2019t take long for the fighters to match course with Charles.\u00a0 A minute later, they came around with a final burst of acceleration and slipped in beside the German squadron.<\/p>\n Jack scanned the ships and pursed his lips.\u00a0 They were painted various shades of dark grey from stem to stern, making it hard for his eyes to focus on them.\u00a0 What he could<\/em> see though told him that these ships were not<\/em> designed to be beautiful or graceful.\u00a0 They were war<\/em>ships.<\/p>\n The comm. panel flashed and the German commander appeared.\u00a0 \u201cVe are happy to fight vith you,\u201d the man said in a voice that ground the words out like a cheese grater.\u00a0 Jack couldn\u2019t tell if the man was mad or if that was just his normal way of speaking.\u00a0 \u201cYou may land on der Brandenburg<\/em> and ve vill proceed to follow them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cActually, we can save time and just translate with you,\u201d Charles said in a helpful tone.<\/p>\n \u201cVas ist das?\u201d the German spat out.<\/p>\n Charles smiled.\u00a0 \u201cOur Avengers can translate into hyperspace.\u201d<\/p>\n The German\u2019s eyes narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cI have heard reports of these new craft.\u00a0 I thought they vere just another American story,\u201d he ground out.\u00a0 \u201cVe shall see how you do.\u201d\u00a0 He turned away from his camera.\u00a0 \u201cBrandenburg<\/em>!\u00a0 Beginnt countdown!\u201d<\/p>\n The German disappeared from the screen to be replaced by another man who gave them all a stern look.\u00a0 After what appeared to be a quick scan, the man nodded and began to speak in a tone that matched his commander perfectly.\u00a0 \u201cDrei\u2026zvei\u2026eins\u2026 einf\u00fchrung.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shut his eyes, the world flashed, and he opened them to see hyperspace again.\u00a0 He frowned in thought as the screens began to flash with data and the general location of the Chinese fleet slowly appeared.\u00a0 They were running towards Alpha Centauri B.<\/p>\n \u201cWas that the cyber?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Betty smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2026he\u2019s a guy<\/em>,\u201d Jack said in wonder.\u00a0 He\u2019d gotten use to the idea that the Peloran had some male ships, but it just didn\u2019t seem right here.\u00a0 Ships were supposed<\/em> to be ladies after all.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s German,\u201d Betty said with a chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cGerman warships are always male.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u00a0 Why?\u201d Jack asked, keeping an eye out and watching the German fighters launching into hyperspace.<\/p>\n Betty shook her head as the Germans accelerated towards the Chinese fleet.\u00a0 She kept up with them easily.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of cultural reasons for it.\u00a0 The best I can tell from old linguistic records, everybody called any ship they planned on living on for a long time by a female name.\u00a0 The English with their months-long travels around the world are the best example of that.\u00a0 They made it normal for all ships, even fighting ships, to be ladies in the English-speaking world, which is why I am me<\/em>,\u201d she said and waved her hands down her very female form.\u00a0 \u201cGermany was never a great naval power though, mostly made up of coastal defense boats, and I think they figured that men should fight.\u00a0 If I\u2019d been born there, I would have been a much more proper masculine warrior like that Teutonic fellow,\u201d she finished with a wink and a wave of her hand towards the comm. screen.<\/p>\n Jack pursed his lips, looked at her, and nodded. \u00a0\u201cI think I like you just the way you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty bestowed a pleased smile on him.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, thank you, kind sir.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack looked around in mock confusion.\u00a0 \u201cOK.\u00a0 Who<\/em> are you talking to now?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty laughed and patted his hand.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, I\u2019m still trying to figure out why the French think of their warships as male.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWeren\u2019t they real big on the oceans back in their day?\u00a0 You know, before they started manufacturing white flags?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty slapped him again.\u00a0 \u201cBad Jack.\u00a0 I take back the \u2018kind sir\u2019 bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Jack returned with an impish smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d hate for people to get the wrong idea about me.\u201d<\/p>\n The comm. panel blinked.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Cowboy One to all Cowboys,\u201d Charles transmitted and a navigation beam appeared on the screens.\u00a0 \u201cFollow my beam.\u00a0 We are on forward recon duty,\u201d he said and accelerated.\u00a0 The rest of the squadron accelerated away from the German squadron with him.\u00a0 \u201cWe will be providing targeting information for the fleet so secure to laser comms and maintain low power levels.\u00a0 We really don\u2019t want to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoger that,\u201d Jack answered with the rest of the Cowboys.\u00a0 He frowned at the screen that showed another squadron of fighters keeping pass with them.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are they doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose fighters on our starboard wing are our German shadows,\u201d Charles answered.\u00a0 \u201cIt seems that the Flottillenadmiral does not think we can do our job and is sending someone he can trust to do it for<\/em> us should we fail as he expects.\u00a0 I say we show him just what Americans are capable of.\u00a0 You with me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOorah!\u201d Jack shouted in chorus with the other Cowboys.<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u00a0 Now be careful.\u00a0 We are approaching our prey.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack looked to his screens to see the Chinese fleet ahead of them.\u00a0 The Cowboys and the German squadron flew outside detection range, and far back out of their own detection range the German warships continued to close the range at a more sedate pace.\u00a0 He only knew where they were because of the comm. probes flying behind them, forwarding their messages back and forth through the soup of hyperspace.\u00a0 Icons showed where the French and Peloran squadrons were, far enough off to the sides that only more comm. probes kept the fleets in contact with each other.\u00a0 Smaller icons showed where the French and Peloran fighters moved ahead, scouting for the exact locations of the Chinese warships ahead of them.<\/p>\n The comm. panel flashed and Aneerin appeared on it with a grim expression.\u00a0 \u201cAll ships, prepare to move into targeting range.\u00a0 Remember that these are the ships that killed the White Swan<\/em>, the Raven of Winds<\/em>, and the Star Raptor<\/em>.\u00a0 We shall give them no mercy.\u00a0 Fighters.\u00a0 Acquire targets.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack grabbed the throttle and stick as they accelerated towards the Chinese fleet.\u00a0 He peered ahead, watching the multicolored hues of hyperspace for any clue of what lay beyond them.\u00a0 The bands of gravity that rippled through hyperspace were so strong that they bent light itself, making it hard to detect anything more than a few kilometers away even with the Peloran upgrades.<\/p>\n Jack licked his lips as a shadow appeared ahead of them, followed by another and another.\u00a0 Betty slowed their approach and the shadows clarified, their gravitic engines calming the chaos of hyperspace and showing them the general shapes of Chinese destroyers and heavy cruisers.\u00a0 On the screens, more cruisers and destroyers appeared as the other fighters sent the results of their recon back through the comm. probes.\u00a0 They knew what the edge of the Chinese formation looked like.<\/p>\n \u201cCommence bombardment,\u201d Aneerin ordered.\u00a0 \u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack watched the screens where missile tracks shot out of the German, French, and Peloran warships, traveling in a long curve that brought them into attack range from a completely different angle than they\u2019d been fired from.\u00a0 The missiles streaked in at terminal attack velocity and activated their gravitic generators.\u00a0 In their last second of life, they generated gravity equivalent to a small black hole, shredding the bands of gravity around them, and then let go as their power ran out, exploding into a wave of gravity and shrapnel.<\/p>\n It was always impressive to see a well-placed missile salvo ripping a deflection grid apart, but Jack\u2019s eyes opened wide as he lifted them from the screen to actually watch<\/em> the Chinese warships.\u00a0 For a moment, the multicolored hues of hyperspace dimmed around the Chinese, as the missiles\u2019 gravity wells sucked all light into them.\u00a0 When they released their hold on gravity, he watched hyperspace itself recoil, the bands of color snapping back into place, sometimes ripping right through an unprepared warship.<\/p>\n The edge of the Chinese fleet literally ripped apart under the assault.<\/p>\n \u201cHoly sh-,\u201d Jack whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cMove in!\u201d Charles interrupted in a tone that accepted no delays.\u00a0 \u201cWe need more targets!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoger,\u201d Jack whispered and Betty moved forward, slipping into the wreckage that had once been warships.\u00a0 They became even more effectively invisible than before in the clutter, and hazy intact warships appeared in the distorted bands of hyperspace.\u00a0 More missiles streaked in, hyperspace recoiled from the assault, and the ships came apart.<\/p>\n \u201cCloser!\u201d Charles shouted.<\/p>\n They inched through the expanding wreckage and more warships came into view, firing missiles blindly in the direction the bombardment came from.\u00a0 The missiles never even came close to the allied squadrons.\u00a0 Chinese fighters flew into view as well, looking for any attackers, but most of them had to be focusing on the path of the missiles.\u00a0 The few over here were probably wishing they were over there and not spending nearly enough attention trying to find the threat that lay right under their noses.\u00a0 More missiles streaked in and tortured hyperspace whipped through more Chinese warships and some fighters.<\/p>\n Jack swallowed.\u00a0 Aneerin had been right.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t a battle.\u00a0 It was a massacre, and they truly were showing the Chinese no mercy.<\/p>\n A series of flashes ripped through hyperspace beyond where he could detect anything, and the hazy positioning they had on the Chinese fleet faded away.\u00a0 They had fled back into normalspace to escape the utter destruction being visited on them here.\u00a0 A few seconds later, information trickled through the comm. probes to show him what another squadron saw in normal space.\u00a0 Half of the former Chinese fleet hung in space, scanning desperately for the enemy who had found them in hyperspace.\u00a0 Jack glanced at the screens showing hyperspace and winced as the Peloran warships accelerated towards the remains of the Chinese fleet.<\/p>\n The comm. panel flashed and Aneerin appeared on it again with a satisfied smile.\u00a0 \u201cNo mercy,\u201d Aneerin repeated, gave a swift nod, and the comm. screen faded.\u00a0 The Peloran squadron flew past Jack\u2019s location, close enough he could see them with the naked eye, their gravitic drives causing eddies of darkness in hyperspace.\u00a0 They flashed out of hyperspace before his eyes, flashed back into existence inside the Chinese formation on the screens, and all Hell broke loose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 When the Chinese struck, they killed three Peloran destroyers, a starbase, and every Peloran on them.\u00a0 It took us three weeks and five light years to track that fleet down.\u00a0 It\u2019s kinda funny.\u00a0 I made[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2304-forge-of-war-1stdraft","uentry","postonpage-1","odd","post-author-jack"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511","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\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=511"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1833,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions\/1833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}