When the Chinese struck, they killed three Peloran destroyers, a starbase, and every Peloran on them. It took us three weeks and five lightyears to track that fleet down. It\u2019s kinda funny. 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. 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. Ahead of them he saw the black mass shadow of a star sucking the colors into it like a maelstrom. The trail of their enemies led into that. He glanced around, confirming not a single ship was in sight. The new Peloran-upgraded sensors could see further into hyperspace than the ones the Avenger was built with, but they still detected absolutely nothing. He checked the displays that showed the locations of the other Cowboys, spread across a thousand kilometers of hyperspace. They also reported nothing in sensor range.<\/p>\n
Jack frowned. The patrols just weren\u2019t good enough. The Shang trap at the convoy had proved that. Neither the probes nor the fighters were really good enough to see everything around a fleet. He shook his head. They needed more hulls in hyperspace to keep an eye out. There had<\/em> to be a way to get more sensor platforms out there so they could detect the enemy before they came up and started shooting. Accepting the situation as is was a good way to lose a war.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Jack, enough obsessing,\u201d Betty said.<\/p>\n Jack shook his head. \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. Fine,\u201d he answered with a defensive wave of his hands. \u201cI just wish-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJack!\u201d Betty shouted. Her twenty-centimeter hologram glared at him, fists jammed in her hips. \u201cEnough!\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sighed and relaxed back in his seat. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Betty. I just wish\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Betty said with a sad smile. \u201cYou just don\u2019t like the situation. Trust me, neither do we. We\u2019ve been trying to find a solution to it for over two thousand years. We\u2019ve never found an acceptable solution short of throwing more ships onto the patrols. Either fighters or dedicated scout ships.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that many fighters require carriers.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty spread her hands out. \u201cWhich we don\u2019t have here.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack frowned. He\u2019d read that every Peloran Battle Squadron was supposed to have a support element that included scouts and a carrier. He couldn\u2019t remember what it was called but it was on the tip of his tongue. He shook his head in annoyance. \u201cWhere is<\/em> his support?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty sighed. \u201cAneerin is not in high favor on Pelora. Under the Albion, he commanded their best Battle Fleet. Now he has a Battle Squadron<\/em>. They ordered the carrier and the other ships home long ago to keep him in check. They did not foresee him going to war with such a weak force.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack chewed his lip and an idea began to form. \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 \u201cCould they build new scout ships?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty winced. \u201cI suppose they could<\/em>. But there\u2019s only twenty-four hours in the day, and the fabricators have been working at maximum to repair the damage we\u2019ve taken. Rebuilding the Avengers with Peloran tech has taken up most of the rest of the cycles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut if we get ahead of the damage, we could<\/em> build more fighters, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty shook her head. \u201cWe\u2019d need more pilots to fly them. And the carrier with the living space for them and repair facilities for the fighters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight, right.\u201d Jack rubbed his jaw, turning his idea over in his mind, looking for holes. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the hard part, isn\u2019t it? Getting transport for the fighters that give us eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly,\u201d Betty said in a sad tone. \u201cWe just have to hold out until the Battle Fleets arrive. Then everything<\/em> will change.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Jack said, still rubbing his jaw. \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. \u201cI totally see that happening.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty glared at him before shaking her head. \u201cFine. You have a point there.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shook his head. \u201cWe keep on thinking that all we have to do is hold out until the promised Battle Fleets arrive and then we\u2019re saved. What if they aren\u2019t coming here to save us?\u201d he asked and waved his hand behind them. \u201cWhat if they\u2019re coming to keep Aneerin in check? To stop him from entangling them in some backwater? That Shang seemed real certain Aneerin would back off.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty met his gaze and chewed her lip. \u201cI don\u2019t like where you\u2019re going with this,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n Jack laughed. \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. \u201cHal!\u201d she said in an excited tone as the communications panel came to life.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Betty,\u201d Hal said with a smile. His face turned to Jack and he added \u201cHello, Jack. We are approaching Alpha Centauri.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack glanced back at the maelstrom before them. That fact was real obvious.<\/p>\n \u201cOur last information on the situation there is eight hours old,\u201d Hal continued. \u201cWe need real time intelligence. Are you up for it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Betty said, holding her hands behind her back. \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. \u201cYou want us going in quiet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery,\u201d Hal said.<\/p>\n The communications panel lit up with another signal. \u201cThis is Cowboy One to all Cowboys,\u201d Charles transmitted. \u201cClear for surface action. We are going in soft. Full EMCON, eyes only. Stay away from any large fleet formation if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack raised an eyebrow at Hal.<\/p>\n Hal shrugged. \u201cSo, maybe I was looking for an excuse to talk to my favorite fighter,\u201d he said with an innocent voice. \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. \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. \u201cMy intentions are pure and direct.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sniffed at him and continued to wave his imaginary fan. \u201cWell, I declare, but you are a forward young man.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty stomped her foot down on the console. \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. \u201cSurface 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 Earth\u2019s oldest interstellar colonies. The Chinese had arrived first in the space race, and then the Western Alliance colonized it three years later. The Chinese still claimed the whole system belonged to them, though the Western Alliance ignored that claim. The tensions of that arrangement made it the most heavily fortified system short of Terra itself. 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. 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. Jack frowned as the battle lines rendered and he realized they were warships. Flags began to appear over the Western Alliance ships, showing a massive British fleet of over one hundred ships, with a dozen or so German and French ships in support. Jack\u2019s eyes widened as he recognized one of the British dreadnoughts, 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. 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. The Peloran had tracked their prey across five light years, a half 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. Light cruisers, destroyers, frigates, 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. A French destroyer speared a Chinese destroyer with a grav cannon, and nearly a half dozen missiles homed in on the wounded ship. Jack blinked as its deflection grid failed completely and a dozen nearby British destroyers and light cruisers shredded it with rapid-fire laser arrays. It simply ceased to exist under the assault, but the British paid a price. Several Chinese missiles snuck through the momentarily reduced point defense and ripped into a British light cruiser. 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 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. But their missile salvo died far short of the cruisers, and the Chinese screen easily absorbed them.<\/p>\n \u201cWow,\u201d Jack whispered as he just took in the magnitude of the battle. Fort Wichita had been a mere couple squadrons compared to this and he thought it big. 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. \u201cThis<\/em> is what a true battle looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we caught them. What the Hell are we going to do with them now?\u201d Jack whispered. They only had six ships compared to all of that.<\/p>\n Betty smiled. \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. \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. Weapons fire connected them and a dozen Chinese heavy cruisers reeled away, wreckage spraying from their ruined flanks. Fighters shot out of the Peloran launch bays and the plot came alive with missiles. Point defense batteries shifted to deal with them, and Chinese fighters swung around to meet the Peloran fighters. 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. 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. \u201cThey\u2019re running,\u201d she reported as the Peloran fighters spread out, sweeping across the Chinese fleet. Missile tracks at point blank range appeared and disappeared almost faster than Jack could see. The Chinese fighters fired at them, but seemed more concerned with ducking back inside their motherships before they dove for safety, and only a few of the Peloran fighters spun away or exploded. 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. 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. 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. \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. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack raised an eyebrow and waved a hand at the screens. \u201cThey\u2019re gone<\/em>. We can\u2019t track \u2019em in hyperspace!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot usually,\u201d Betty answered with a smile. \u201cBut I think Aneerin just changed the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack was about to ask how when Aneerin\u2019s face appeared on the communications panel. It showed he was speaking on a scrambled signal, broadcasting to the entire allied fleet. The man smiled. \u201cI am Aneerin ap Taliesin and I wish you all good health, now and forever.\u201d He raised a hand to forestall any answers. \u201cAnd that is all the greeting we have time for. The Chinese are attempting to escape. We have seeded them with homing drones that can be tracked while in hyperspace. We will follow and destroy them. 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. A dozen German heavy cruisers and destroyers pulled out of the British formation and accelerated towards the Peloran squadron. 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 wished<\/em> they could copy. \u201cVe vill fly vith you.\u201d<\/p>\n Not to be outdone, the French light cruisers and destroyers accelerated past the German ships. Jack rolled his eyes as the French commander appeared. \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. \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. \u201cActually, Jack, he was taller than the average person of his day. And do you remember it was the Russians<\/em> who defeated him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSee?\u201d Jack said as if that settled everything. \u201cHe lost.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty pointed at the German fleet. \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. \u201cAh. Right. Good point.\u201d He gave her an impish smile then. \u201cCan we still have the white flags ready though?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty shook her head. \u201cYou are impossible sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack gave her a disappointed look. \u201cWell, obviously I have to work on the times when I\u2019m not<\/em> then. I can\u2019t have people spreading about rumors, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty sighed in an exasperated way. \u201cNo white flags, Jack.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack pouted and she crossed her arms with a stern look. \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBetter.\u201d<\/p>\n The communications panel blinked and Charles\u2019 voice came over the speakers. \u201cAll Cowboys, form on me. 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. \u201cThe Germans. So can we-.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d Betty arched an eyebrow at him.<\/p>\n Jack blinked. \u201cBut you didn\u2019t even let me finish!\u201d<\/p>\n Betty sighed and placed both hands on her hips. \u201cI didn\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack affected an outraged expression. \u201cWhy? It might have been something important!\u201d<\/p>\n Betty gave him a shrewd smile. \u201cYou smiled.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack returned her smile with a raised eyebrow. \u201cHey. I smile just fine when it\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty crossed her arms. \u201cNot that<\/em> smile.\u201d She cocked her head to the side, daring him to contradict her.<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s expression fell. \u201cOh.\u201d She was getting too smart for him.<\/p>\n Charles\u2019 voice returned to the communications panel. \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. She waggled her eyebrows. \u201cOf course, Chief,\u201d he said out loud. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t dream of it, Chief.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Charles said in a disbelieving tone. Then his transmission shifted to cover the squadron. \u201cLet\u2019s move people!\u201d Charles ordered and Jack watched the screens as the squadron came together at maximum acceleration. It didn\u2019t take long for the fighters to match course with Charles. And then 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. They were painted various shades of dark grey from stem to stern, making it hard for his eyes to focus on them. What he could<\/em> see told him that these ships were not<\/em> designed to be beautiful or graceful though. They were war<\/em>ships.<\/p>\n The communications panel flashed and the German commander appeared. \u201cVe are happy to fight vith you,\u201d the man said in a voice that ground the words out like a cheese grater. Jack couldn\u2019t tell if the man was mad or if that was just his normal way of speaking. \u201cIs it true that your Avengers are hyperspace capable or is that propaganda?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is very true,\u201d Charles said in a helpful tone.<\/p>\n The German nodded. \u201cVery vell. Ve shall see how you do.\u201d He turned away from his camera. \u201cBrandenburg<\/em>! Beginnt countdown!\u201d<\/p>\n The German disappeared from the screen to be replaced by another man who gave them all a stern look. After what appeared to be a quick scan, the man nodded and began to speak in a tone that matched his commander perfectly. \u201cDrei\u2026zvei\u2026eins\u2026 einf\u00fchrung.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shut his eyes, the world flashed, and he opened them to see hyperspace again. He frowned in thought as the screens began to flash with data and the general location of the Chinese fleet slowly appeared. They were running towards Alpha Centauri B.<\/p>\n \u201cWas that the cyber?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Betty smiled. \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2026he\u2019s a guy<\/em>,\u201d Jack said in wonder. He\u2019d gotten use to the idea that the Peloran had some male ships, but it just didn\u2019t seem right here. Ships were supposed<\/em> to be ladies after all.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s German,\u201d Betty said with a chuckle. \u201cGerman warships are always male.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. 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, cutting a swath through hyperspace that spread out behind them. Jack felt the engines power up, thrusting them through hyperspace on their own, the knife-edge of their long nose cutting through the gravitic waves with ease.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of cultural reasons for it,\u201d Betty said with a shrug. \u201cThe 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. The English with their months-long travels around the world are the best example of that. 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. \u201cGermany was never a great naval power though, mostly made up of coastal defense boats, and I think they figured that men should fight. 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 communications panel.<\/p>\n Jack pursed his lips, looked at her, and nodded. \u201cI think I like you just the way you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty bestowed a pleased smile on him. \u201cWhy, thank you, kind sir.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack looked around in mock confusion. \u201cOK. Who<\/em> are you talking to now?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty laughed and patted his hand. \u201cOf course, I\u2019m still trying to figure out why the French think of their warships as male.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack frowned. \u201cWeren\u2019t they real big on the oceans back in their day? You know, before they started manufacturing white flags?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty slapped him again. \u201cBad Jack. I take back the \u2018kind sir\u2019 bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Jack returned with an impish smile. \u201cI\u2019d hate for people to get the wrong idea about me.\u201d<\/p>\n The communications panel blinked. \u201cThis is Cowboy One to all Cowboys,\u201d Charles transmitted and a navigation beam appeared on the screens. \u201cFollow my beam. We are on forward recon duty,\u201d he said and accelerated. The rest of the squadron accelerated away from the German squadron with him. \u201cWe will be providing targeting information for the fleet so secure to laser comms and maintain low power levels. We do not wish to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoger that,\u201d Jack answered with the rest of the Cowboys. He frowned at the screen that showed another squadron of fighters keeping pass with them. \u201cWhat are they doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose fighters on our starboard wing are our German shadows,\u201d Charles answered. \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. I say we show him just what Americans are capable of. You with me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOorah!\u201d Jack shouted in chorus with the other Cowboys.<\/p>\n \u201cGood. Now be careful. We are approaching our prey.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack looked to his screens to see the Chinese fleet ahead of them. 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. He only knew where they were because of the communications relays flying behind them, forwarding their messages back and forth through the soup of hyperspace. Icons showed where the French and Peloran squadrons were, far enough off to the sides that only more communications relays kept the fleets in contact with each other. 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 communications panel flashed and Aneerin appeared on it with a grim expression. \u201cAll ships, prepare to move into firing range. Fighters. Acquire targets.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack grabbed the throttle and stick as they accelerated towards the Chinese fleet. He peered ahead, watching the multicolored hues of hyperspace for any clue of what lay beyond them. 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. 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. On the screens, more cruisers, destroyers, and even frigates appeared as the other fighters sent the results of their recon back through the communications relays. They knew what the edge of the Chinese formation looked like.<\/p>\n \u201cCommence bombardment,\u201d Aneerin ordered. \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. The missiles streaked in at terminal attack velocity and activated their gravitic generators. 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. For a moment, the multicolored hues of hyperspace dimmed and twisted around the Chinese as the missiles\u2019 gravity wells sucked all light into them. When they released their hold on gravity, he watched hyperspace itself recoil. The bands of color snapped back into their preferred course, free once more to flow from star to star as they had for eons beyond measure. And sometimes they ripped right through an unprepared warship.<\/p>\n The edge of the Chinese fleet literally ripped apart under the assault.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, frak me,\u201d Jack whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cMove in!\u201d Charles interrupted in a tone that accepted no delays. \u201cWe need more targets!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoger,\u201d Jack whispered and Betty moved forward, slipping into the wreckage that had once been warships. They became even more effectively invisible than before in the clutter, and hazy intact warships appeared in the distorted bands of hyperspace. More missiles streaked in, hyperspace recoiled from the assault, and the ships came apart.<\/p>\n \u201cCloser!\u201d Charles barked.<\/p>\n They inched through the expanding wreckage and more warships came into view, firing missiles blindly in the direction the bombardment came from. The missiles never even came close to the allied squadrons. 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. 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. More missiles streaked in and tortured hyperspace whipped through more Chinese warships and some fighters.<\/p>\n Jack swallowed. This wasn\u2019t a battle. It was a massacre.<\/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. They had fled back into normalspace to escape the utter destruction being visited on them here. A few seconds later, information trickled through the communications relays to show him what another squadron saw in normal space. Half of the former Chinese fleet hung in space, scanning desperately for the enemy who had found them in hyperspace. Jack glanced at the screens showing hyperspace and winced as the Peloran warships accelerated towards the remains of the Chinese fleet.<\/p>\n The communications panel flashed and Aneerin appeared on it again with a satisfied smile. \u201cNo mercy,\u201d Aneerin ordered and his image faded. 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. 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":" When the Chinese struck, they killed three Peloran destroyers, a starbase, and every Peloran on them. It took us three weeks and five lightyears to track that fleet down. It\u2019s kinda funny. I made my first trip to the Western[…]↓ 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":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2304-forge-of-war-earc","uentry","postonpage-1","odd","post-author-medron-pryde"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5311","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=5311"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5312,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5311\/revisions\/5312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}