{"id":8850,"date":"2019-10-21T00:01:01","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T05:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jackofharts.com\/?p=8850"},"modified":"2019-10-21T20:36:02","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T01:36:02","slug":"wolfenheim-emergent-viii-earc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/?p=8850","title":{"rendered":"Wolfenheim Emergent VIII eARC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wolfenheim Emergent is available at the following retailers<\/p>\n

Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Barnes and Noble<\/a><\/p>\n

Apple Books<\/a><\/p>\n

Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n

Smashwords<\/a><\/p>\n

The following is the electronic Advanced Reader Copy originally sent to my Beta Readers in December. Take a look, and if it interests you, the final version is available for purchase now.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The Shang are a truly determined enemy. I think I\u2019ve said something like that before. But it is a point that must be repeated if we are to remember it. Because forgetting it would be disastrous for all of us. They will hunt us until we force them to see that we will cost them more than they think they can gain. They are rational in their own way, you know. The trick is teaching them that we are a tougher nut to crack than they thought we were. The harder trick is cracking them back. The toughest trick is making them realize<\/em> they\u2019ve been cracked.<\/p>\n

VIII<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Malcolm snapped his five-point harness together to hold him securely and the canopy slid back to seal him away from the rest of the universe. The Blackhawk began to rise and Dawn\u2019s action figure-sized hologram sat down atop the main console in her customary position. The canopy flashed once and the displays began populating it with information as landscape fell away beneath them.<\/p>\n

Then their fighter pulled up onto its tail and the main fusion torch drives came to life with a dull roar. They rocketed up into the pale blue sky on tongues of bright blue flames and Malcolm felt the gravity push him into the back of his seat even as the compensators bled off the worst of it. The sky quickly faded to a star-filled blackness, and they accelerated up towards where Wolfenheim<\/em> held position in the lower orbitals.<\/p>\n

They passed the first of the hibernation pods ejecting from the increasingly skeletal ex-starship, and Malcolm tracked their descent towards the new colony. It would take time for all of the pods to leave Wolfenheim<\/em> and land at the colony site.<\/p>\n

They wouldn\u2019t have that time if he didn\u2019t buy it for them.<\/p>\n

Malcolm grasped the controls and swept them around the colonization ship to face towards Normandy<\/em> and the Shang.<\/p>\n

Dawn nodded towards one of the displays.<\/p>\n

Malcolm shifted to see Olivia\u2019s disapproving face on it and tried not to look like a rebellious little boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cDirector?\u201d The single word came infused with a thousand meanings that Olivia managed to convey with amazing skill. Disbelief that he could be stupid enough to do what it looked like he was doing. Disappointment in the fact that he was<\/em> stupid enough to try it after all. Hope that she could dissuade him before it was too late. Doubt that he would be that easy to divert.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain,\u201d Malcolm said as if this were the most natural thing in the world.<\/p>\n

Olivia pursed her lips at him with a look that schoolteachers spent years perfecting for use against their most troublesome charges. \u201cMight I ask what you\u2019re doing up here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m defending my colony.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia sighed. \u201cWith all due respect, Director, you\u2019re of more use on the ground right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith all due respect, Captain, the people I hired will run it better than I ever could.\u201d Malcolm corrected. \u201cI\u2019m here to make certain they get that chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re wrong, Director,\u201d Olivia said with a shake of her head. \u201cBut I don\u2019t have time to argue with you, so just hold position behind Normandy<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOlivia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes widened in surprise and snapped back to his.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve done our jobs. We\u2019re done<\/em>. Complete. Finis. We\u2019ve gotten Wolfenheim<\/em> here. Now we need to buy her the time she needs to get the colonists down safely. This isn\u2019t our job, now. It\u2019s our life. Every single one of us in these big bad warships and fabulous fighters are expendable. Those colonists are not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia let out a long breath as she considered his statement. Then she sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t finished rebuilding all of our sensor nodes, and we\u2019ve still got half a dozen power runs that aren\u2019t running power. Most of our backups are working, but I can\u2019t tell you how valuable more eyes in tight formation with us will be. So I\u2019m trusting you to watch my rear while I shoot the bad guys for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm frowned but couldn\u2019t think of a suitable argument against her request. It made sense, even if it made him feel like he was letting others do more dangerous jobs while he hid around flagship.<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides, Caroline\u2019s going to catch us sooner or later, and I don\u2019t want to explain to her that I let you die,\u201d Olivia said with malice aforethought. \u201cWe need you<\/em> to keep her from shooting us<\/em> on sight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm\u2019s frown deepened at her dirty pool. It wasn\u2019t fair of her to bring it up like that. But he couldn\u2019t fault her on that logic either.<\/p>\n

Olivia smiled at the acknowledgement that she was right. \u201cSo why don\u2019t you just be a good boy and watch my rear for any nasty surprises the Shang have for us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm couldn\u2019t argue with a single word she said. Well, there was the part where she asked him to be a good boy. He couldn\u2019t let that<\/em> go without an answering riposte.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll watch your rear any time you want,\u201d Malcolm said with a wicked wink.<\/p>\n

Olivia shook her head. And if she said \u201cMen,\u201d it was soft enough that he could pretend he hadn\u2019t heard it.<\/p>\n

He chuckled and slotted his fighter into position behind and above Normandy\u2019s<\/em> bulk before returning to scanning the displays.<\/p>\n

One display flashed for his attention and he focused on it to see a dozen Blackhawks peeling off Normandy\u2019s<\/em> Combat Air Patrol. Space Patrol? Star Patrol? Whatever it was the navy types called it now. The dozen drones took up formation around his fighter and each one blinked on the display as Dawn successfully brought them under her control.<\/p>\n

Malcolm looked up to her holoform atop the main console with approval.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love having a whole posse of my own,\u201d she said with a pleased smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too,\u201d he answered and flexed his fingers in preparation for the battle to come.<\/p>\n

Another display flashed and he checked it to see Erik Torson\u2019s flagship and a stream of escorts accelerating towards them at maximum power. They crossed the Red Line denoting the closest anyone could approach in hyperspace as he watched and Malcolm smiled. Mister Smith hadn\u2019t wasted any time raising a decent jamming wall that should keep the enemy playing honest. Then he saw the twenty Shang ships following the Aesiran across the line while spitting missiles after the fleeing ships.<\/p>\n

Malcolm glanced towards Dawn and she nodded in understanding.<\/p>\n

\u201cErik?\u201d Malcolm began in a quizzical tone. \u201cWhere\u2019s your convoy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence answered him for a few seconds until Erik\u2019s smiling face appeared on another display.<\/p>\n

\u201cSafe and hiding,\u201d the massive Aesiran said in a thoroughly pleased tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot<\/em> hiding,\u201d Erik said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiving them a nice big target to pursue?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly.\u201d Erik frowned and looked away from Malcolm for a moment. \u201cThough they sent a few more after me than I planned on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking the same thing.\u201d Malcolm looked around and smiled. \u201cIf you pull them in a bit closer I think we can help scrape them off of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that we need the help, you understand?\u201d Erik asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d Malcolm answered gregariously. \u201cJust being neighborly over here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood neighbors are hard to come by,\u201d Erik said.<\/p>\n

A display blinked for attention and Malcolm watched the nine Aesiran ships begin laying on more acceleration. Time to intercept blinked on the edge of the display and Malcolm nodded in approval.<\/p>\n

The Aesiran had enough of a lead on the Shang that they could reach Normandy<\/em>, come about to match vectors, and even decelerate down to Normandy\u2019s<\/em> velocity before the Shang caught up. That would make it nine Aesiran warships and nine Earthbuilt warships upgraded to Peloran tech assembled in a single battle formation.<\/p>\n

And then there were the Smiths and their capable little fighters that would sow chaos of their own.<\/p>\n

Malcolm nodded again. He would put that force up against twenty Shang destroyers any day of the week.<\/p>\n

Another display blinked for his attention and Malcolm brought his head around to see hyperspace open once more in a series of staccato multi-colored explosions. Two. Four. Ten. Twenty ruptures opened and closed and data codes filled the display as it verified what more was coming for them.<\/p>\n

Malcolm let out a long breath.<\/p>\n

Twenty Shang destroyers moved out of the fluctuating area of space to link up with the first twenty, and Malcolm knew this was not going to be nearly as easy as he\u2019d hoped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Erik said with immense calm. \u201cWe won\u2019t have any problems finding people to shoot at.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are moving to meet you,\u201d Olivia broke into the conversation with matching calm. \u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do I have to worry about?\u201d Erik asked with false bravado. \u201cThere\u2019s only forty screaming Shang starships on my heals. I laugh in their general direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia smiled at him. \u201cJust as long as you keep running my way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Erik said. He snorted then. \u201cI\u2019m a brave and fearless warrior, not a stupid one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you are,\u201d Olivia whispered and gave him an approving look.<\/p>\n

Yet another display flashed for Malcolm\u2019s attention and he turned to see Dawn looking at him with a meaningful expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been analyzing these ships since they first started arriving,\u201d Dawn said. \u201cTheir emissions match the two destroyer squadrons we left at Arnami Prime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm blinked in surprise. \u201cThey\u2019ve been following us all this way?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dawn raised on eyebrow at him.<\/p>\n

Malcolm hung his head. It was<\/em> one of the more unnecessary comments he\u2019d made in the last few minutes. Of course<\/em> they would have followed if they\u2019d managed to stay close enough to track his people into hyperspace. And if he was being honest with himself, a Class One Colonization Ship like Wolfenheim<\/em> was a large target to track. But they hadn\u2019t picked up any sign of being tracked. He\u2019d hoped they\u2019d managed to lose any pursuit. Now he know that was a forlorn hope.<\/p>\n

Then the second part of her observation kicked in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey only had two squadrons near us when we ran,\u201d Malcolm whispered. \u201cAnd there\u2019s nothing wrong with Wolfenheim\u2019s<\/em> engines. They may not have been able to slow down to pick up reinforcements along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dawn gave him an approving smile. \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you hear that?\u201d Malcolm asked and turned his attention back to the displays showing Erik and Olivia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did,\u201d Olivia said. \u201cThat is hopeful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erik gave her a disbelieving look. \u201cSo now the fact that we may only<\/em> be facing forty<\/em> Shang destroyers is hopeful<\/em> news?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot exactly hopeful<\/em>,\u201d another voice said and John Smith\u2019s face appeared on another display. His eyes carried far more experience with death and destruction than his cherubic young face should have held. Then the old man in the young body laughed. \u201cBut certainly comforting<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erik aimed a disbelieving look at the fighter pilot as the sensor display showed the Aesiran fleet approaching the end of their run. They would need to come about and start slowing down very soon if they planned on linking up with Normandy<\/em> before the Shang hit them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou take your comfort in strange places, Mister Smith\u201d Erik said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have no idea, Mister Torson,\u201d Smith answered. Then he pulled his teeth back into an expression a shark would be jealous of. \u201cBut they are about to find out exactly how bad a mistake they made in following us.\u201d<\/p>\n

A trio of massive fusion engines lit off nearby and Malcolm turned to the left to see Surprise<\/em> accelerating away. She\u2019d abandoned her cargo pods in low orbit, leaving her hundred-meter forward wedge mostly alone with the massive engine section designed to drive up to five cargo modules. It made her look like some kind of hot rod dragster hitting the gas and roaring away.<\/p>\n

But there was something new about her lines and Malcolm smiled.<\/p>\n

Mister Smith had been a busy little beaver since Arnami Prime, and he\u2019d had a fair bit of a smashed up Shang destroyer to be busy with. Yes, much of its structure had been torn down to repair the other ships of their squadron, but nobody had wanted to burn up the weapons. And so Mister Smith had taken those weapons, along with just a little bit of the Shang destroyer\u2019s hull, and built a small weapons pod that now rested between the engines and the main wedge.<\/p>\n

It carried ten Shang missile launchers and numerous smaller point defense laser and missile clusters. Adding those to the main heavy gravitic cannon in her nose, and the numerous point defense clusters her main hull carried, Surprise<\/em> was very possibly the most dangerous warship currently in the system. Normandy<\/em> certainly carried more weapons, but Malcolm had a feeling that she was about to be awful jealous of what that other little warship was going to do in the next few minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Captain John Smith of Phantom Squadron,\u201d Smith transmitted on all channels. \u201cMarine Fighter Attack Wing One Twelve, The Cowboys. This colony is under my protection. Leave immediately or be destroyed. This is your first, last, and only<\/em> warning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think your Cowboy knows something we don\u2019t?\u201d Erik asked in a whisper.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure hope so,\u201d Malcolm answered with a smile.<\/p>\n

No Shang answered this time. Considering the last commander who answered him had died seconds later after Murphy\u2019s squadron cut the heart out of their formation, that was probably smart of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Smith?\u201d Malcolm asked with a raised eyebrow.<\/p>\n

John Smith shook his head in answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d Malcolm said in disappointment. \u201cA bluff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t run this time,\u201d Smith returned with a grim look. \u201cWe have to hold the line, whatever the cost. And I will use every weapon I have to do that. Even a bluff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erik nodded in approval. \u201cIt is an honor to fight with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm smiled. \u201cYes, it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCut the chatter, boys,\u201d Olivia said in a far more serious tone. \u201cThey aren\u2019t running.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d Smith said and the sensor display showed his formation accelerating away from the main fleet to flank the enemy.<\/p>\n

The Aesiran fleet swung around in a long arcing curve as Erik smiled. \u201cWe will have your flank, my lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm smiled and placed his hands on the Blackhawk\u2019s controls, mentally preparing himself to become one with his fighter once more. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll watch your rear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia rolled her eyes. And if she said \u201cMen,\u201d it was quiet enough he could pretend not to have heard.<\/p>\n

Then it was time to turn his head to the right and watch the gleaming Aesiran ships slide to a relative stop next to him. Psychedelic rainbow hues flowed from their multi-angular hulls with a hypnotic beauty that set them apart from the Peloran, Arnam, or Shang ships he\u2019d seen. They were truly alien in a way that pulled the eyes over them, and it was difficult to think of them as warships.<\/p>\n

But point defense satellites hovered around them like tiny flees, strobing death and destruction towards the incoming Shang missiles. Lasers lashed out from the hull to destroy missiles the satellites missed, and energy shields swept across any surviving missiles that came too close for comfort, smashing them away with contemptuous ease.<\/p>\n

It was an amazing sight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here,\u201d Erik announced in a formal tone. \u201cWhat next?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow we kill them,\u201d Mister Smith returned with a grim look. \u201cPardon me, but I have some customers to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

His communication cut out and Surprise<\/em> and his Avengers pulled further away from the combined force.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is an elegantly simple plan,\u201d Erik said into the silence. Then he frowned. \u201cThough it lacks some specifics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia smiled at him. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. I and your captains have been coming up with those specifics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erik looked away from his pickup for a moment, chuckled, and turned back. \u201cI see you are ahead of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProfessionals,\u201d Malcolm said with a smile. \u201cIt\u2019s why we hire them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed,\u201d Erik returned. \u201cProceed as you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Olivia said. Then she turned away as another Shang missile salvo erupted.<\/p>\n

The displays blinked to show one hundred missiles streaking away from the Shang fleet. Then they multiplied to two hundred. Three hundred. Finally four hundred missiles filled space and accelerated towards the defenders.<\/p>\n

Malcolm swallowed and a chill ran down his spine. Even after Surprise\u2019s<\/em> upgrade, the total number of missiles his fleet could answer with was forty two.<\/p>\n

They were outgunned ten to one in a long range duel. It was sobering to realize just how much the Shang outclassed all of their offensive capabilities in a missile duel.<\/p>\n

Which was why they weren\u2019t going to engage the Shang in a missile duel.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll units,\u201d Olivia began to order and movement plans flickered into being on Malcolm\u2019s displays. \u201cClose the range and engage the enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hundreds of blue fusion flares ignited at her command and the fleet accelerated towards the approaching Shang destroyers without warning. The Aesiran flares appeared far whiter than the Earthbuilt ships, and they didn\u2019t have the telltale look of fusion fire. Whatever they used was a far cleaner burn, and Malcolm wondered if it was even a fire to begin with.<\/p>\n

It looked almost like it could be an energy field.<\/p>\n

He watched the Aesiran slide effortlessly into Olivia\u2019s formation on those energy field drives. Then more defense satellites spewed out of their flanks and moved to cover the entire formation like tiny guardian angels as the fleet charged the oncoming Shang destroyers.<\/p>\n

The Shang missile salvo burned in and Malcolm felt his Blackhawk vibrate as countermissiles erupted from his missile racks to meet them. More countermissiles streaked out from the other fighters and starships, and decoys and jammers flared in the heavens. Lasers lashed out to burn any missile they could find, and Aesiran defense satellites smashed more aside with their energy shields.<\/p>\n

They destroyed hundreds of Shang missiles in the mere seconds it took for them to travel between the two fleets.<\/p>\n

But the Shang had sent four<\/em> hundred missiles on their way, and no point defense network of a fleet that small could stop all<\/em> of them.<\/p>\n

The survivors of that massive salvo met the wall of Terran and Aesiran frigates first. The Shang didn\u2019t want to shoot those tiniest of starships. They didn\u2019t carry enough weaponry to threaten any Shang warship, but they weren\u2019t designed to threaten starships anyways. Every spare meter of their hulls sported sensors and point defense turrets designed to stop enemy missile swarms, and those inner defenses filled space with lasers beams, and shorter ranged countermissiles as the Shang missiles crossed their wall while seeking the larger and more powerful ships behind them.<\/p>\n

Six Shang missiles somehow decided to swoop down on Cochrane<\/em> at the last instant and they tore through her final defense zone in a split second. Her last ditch defenses picked off three of them in that moment, but three missiles made it through everything the frigate had. They smashed into her and she staggered to the side like a kicked puppy as she belched air, fire, and debris into cold space.<\/p>\n

Ten more missiles streaked in on Philadelphia<\/em> and Rouen<\/em> as they held Normandy\u2019s<\/em> flanks. The destroyers\u2019 last ditch defenses sent three more into oblivion, and several Aesiran energy shields smashed three more into metallic dust. But everything they had simply wasn\u2019t enough. Both destroyers rocked as the surviving missiles tore at their flanks, but they held their position with a dogged determination.<\/p>\n

Then nearly ten percent of the massive volley found their primary target with painful accuracy. Normandy\u2019s<\/em> last ditch point defenses, Aesiran defense satellites, and more energy shields than he could count clawed twenty of them out of space before they entered their terminal run. Fully ten of them died on Normandy\u2019s<\/em> deflection grids. But the remaining ten shot through the weakened grids and tore at Normandy<\/em> herself with horrible accuracy.<\/p>\n

The light carrier bucked as her starboard hangar pod came apart without warning and spewed air and debris all over space.<\/p>\n

Malcolm\u2019s eyes went wide as the wreckage spread out behind her and he pulled his throttle to the side. Thrusters flared and his Blackhawk accelerated away from the spewing traffic hazard before any of it could hit him. His other fighters echoed his action, but one of them spun out of control as a launch bay hatch blotted one of its engines away in an instant.<\/p>\n

\u201cMother of God,\u201d Malcolm whispered and his heart hammered in his chest. \u201cThat was too<\/em> close.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll ships, return fire!\u201d Olivia shouted over the sound of alarms in her background.<\/p>\n

A salvo of forty two capital missiles erupted from Normandy<\/em> and her escorting destroyers and streaked towards the Shang on blue fusion fires. Then a single gravitic cannon opened up and connected Normandy\u2019s<\/em> nose with a Shang destroyer for an instant. A gravitic cannon designed to stab into the heart of enemy battleships pierced the destroyer\u2019s deflection grid and crushed the warship in an instant.<\/p>\n

Malcolm saw the Aesiran destroyers glow as energy crackled from the tips of the many spires surrounding their central core. The energy coalesced around the central spire and then lashed out to connect them with Shang ships in the distance. Armor and structure exploded from their targets as Erik\u2019s command ship joined the assault with a larger energy or gravity beam that simply wiped its target away.<\/p>\n

Malcolm shook his head in amazement as his Blackhawk\u2019s capacitors emptied themselves into the gravitic cannon in her nose. Lights dimmed around him and gravitic vortexes from all of his fighters shot out towards a single Shang destroyer. Ten of the cannons hit their target and tore at the deflection grid that was proof against any other assault.<\/p>\n

The warship\u2019s gravity generators were far more powerful than any fighter could match, but he had a squadron<\/em> of Blackhawks, and their attacks drilled down to mere centimeters. The gravitic beams cut through the destroyer\u2019s grid, dictating their will to the universe for a mere second, and tore into armor, and sucked internal air and structure into space. Atmosphere boiled, flames erupted, and the beams bored further into the destroyer\u2019s inner core, pinpricks of destruction that penetrated bulkheads, computer systems, and living beings.<\/p>\n

The wounded destroyer twisted away, trying to escape his fighter squadron, and the vortexes ripped through the maneuvering target. The cannons shut down, their capacitors drained, and the destroyer accelerated away, ten horrible claw marks riven deep into the hull, deflection grid rippling like a lake hit by rocks. Then it exploded as its missile bunkers cooked off in an orgy of self-immolation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYippie ki-yay!\u201d Malcolm shouted in exaltation.<\/p>\n

Another display flashed for is attention and Malcolm focused on it to see Smith\u2019s ship and fighters slash in from flank and penetrate the Shang formation like a phalanx of sharks. Surprise<\/em> crushed one destroyer with a sustained gravitic blast, and then her missiles slashed in from point blank range to hammer another destroyer into wreckage. The Avengers joined the assault with thirty-nine gravitic cannons and almost thirty impacted two Shang destroyers with enough firepower to injure cruisers.<\/p>\n

What they did to the destroyers was catastrophic. Deflection grids collapsed, armor buckled, atmosphere boiled into space, and explosions rocked the saucer-shaped ships from one side to the other as they tried to maintain formation with their sister ships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s six of them dead, and eleven damaged,\u201d Dawn said from her perch atop his console. Her voice betrayed her complete and utter approval of that result. \u201cThey won\u2019t forget that<\/em> anytime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm nodded in agreement. Six dead enemy destroyers for the cost of one damaged frigate and what amounted to minor damage to Normandy<\/em> and her destroyers was an insanely impressive return on investment in his opinion. Surely even the Shang wouldn\u2019t keep fighting after being on the wrong end of a loss ratio that heavy.<\/p>\n

The Shang fleet twisted to the side as if on queue and began accelerating away from Wolfenheim\u2019s defenders without even bothering to turn. One instant they were on course for planetary orbit, and the next they moved back out towards the edge of the gravitic jamming that kept them in normalspace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re running!\u201d Malcolm exclaimed in triumph.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t get cocky,\u201d John Smith ordered as his ships spun around to aim their weapons at the Shang again. \u201cThey\u2019re still shooting at us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm turned back to watch something like three hundred missiles launch into space as they opened range again. They streaked in and Malcolm\u2019s fighter vibrated again to the pattern of launching countermissiles to hunt the ship killers. Every ship and fighter in the fleet echoed that response, and a solid wave of point defenses savaged the incoming swarm again.<\/p>\n

Only thirty missiles made it through all of those defenses this time, but they focused their fire on the eight remaining frigates holding the forward wall. Four of them lost lock and sought out the largest target they could find. They smashed into an Aesiran destroyer and tore through its combination of shields and deflection grids. Malcolm winced as it leapt like a scalded cat, spinning out of formation and shedding pieces of armor and structure as it went.<\/p>\n

The frigates were not so lucky. No less than three missiles found each of them, and one unlucky frigate became the center of attention for a full six missiles. Gravitic energies tore and ripped at the frigates as they held their defensive wall to the very last second. And then all eight of them winked out of the displays as they fell out of the fleet\u2019s defensive formation.<\/p>\n

Malcolm looked through the canopy and it faithfully zoomed in to show him the ruin of their wall spreading out and fading away. Some of the ships still lived in some manner, though he wondered if they would ever fly again. Others were simply gone with dispersing wreckage the only evidence that they\u2019d ever existed.<\/p>\n

Malcolm\u2019s jaw gaped at the enormity of the damage done to his fleet in so few seconds. His entire screen was gone in a single instant. There was no way they could survive another salvo like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay on target,\u201d John Smith ordered as Surprise lashed out at the retreating enemy.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoger that,\u201d Malcolm said. Another fleeing target flashed on his display and their recharged gravitic cannons struck out once more.<\/p>\n

The Shang fleet writhed under the return assault of gravitic cannons, missiles, and lasers built to burn capital ships and Malcolm watched icon after icon blink off the sensor display. Ten disappeared in all, a full quarter of the Shang fleet, and Malcolm smiled. Six others joined their sisters in orange or angry red to denote heavy damage, and Malcolm rethought his momentary doubts.<\/p>\n

Maybe they could hold the Shang after all.<\/p>\n

The Shang crossed beyond the Red Line denoting the edge of gravitic interference and seemed to pause for as second. Hyperspace opened around them and the ships faded out of normalspace. Then the displays lit up with the existence of another two hundred missiles shooting in towards the defense fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re targeting Erik!\u201d Dawn shouted as the Blackhawk vibrated around them with countermissile launches.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see that!\u201d Malcolm returned as the displays marked the missiles\u2019 inexorable approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cNormandy\u2019s<\/em> interposing!\u201d Dawn shouted.<\/p>\n

Malcolm turned to see the carrier spinning on her beam to turn her port side to the approaching missile swarm as she swung in front of the Aesiran command ship.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, hell,\u201d Malcolm muttered and slammed his throttle forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we doing?\u201d Dawn asked as they accelerated past the carrier.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiving those missiles something else to shoot at,\u201d Malcolm said and relaxed back into his seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure that\u2019s wise?\u201d Dawn asked with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m pretty sure it isn\u2019t,\u201d Malcolm said in response as they plowed into space before the wounded starships. Then he shook his head. \u201cBut I\u2019ve lost enough people today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dawn nodded and smiled at that. \u201cGlad to see we\u2019re on the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n

A display blinked to show him Jackie White\u2019s Blackhawks moving into position beside him and Malcolm smiled. Then Jones and Anderson joined them and a veritable wall of Blackhawk starfighters held the line.<\/p>\n

The Shang missiles were going to have to work for this.<\/p>\n

Decoys and jammers shot out from the fighter squadrons, and scores of missiles lost target lock. Laser cannons and countermissiles shot out towards the missiles that fought through the electronic warfare, and scores more died. Normandy<\/em> added her own fire to the defense, as did Erik\u2019s command ship and every other surviving ship in their formation. Lasers, missiles, and energy shields destroyed scores more, but the fleet\u2019s point defenses had been too badly damaged to stop everything the Shang sent their way.<\/p>\n

Malcolm held his hands on the controls as the surviving missiles came in for the kill. His left hand rested on the throttle controlling movement in every direction, his right hand holding the stick directing orientation. It was deceptively simple and complex at the same time, especially for someone who\u2019d never played fighter sims in his life. But training turned it into instinct. He no longer thought about moving. He just moved.<\/p>\n

Malcolm felt danger coming, and he went elsewhere. He moved the throttle to the left without taking time to form a coherent thought on the matter. He simply wanted to be elsewhere, and the better part of a dozen fighters accelerated with him as the missiles entered their final attack run.<\/p>\n

Several fighters moved between him and the missiles in the last instant. One lost an engine and fell out of formation as a missile exploded near it. Another came apart and her engines exploded out in every direction to a different missile. And a third fighter simply disappeared as it rammed a missile aimed directly at him.<\/p>\n

Several more missiles shot past Malcolm on their way to the depths of space, but nearly a quarter of the missile salvo broke past everything he and the fleet could do. Nearly twenty missiles streaked in towards Normandy<\/em> and impacted on the previously-damaged port hangar bay she\u2019d interposed. The gravitic missiles twisted and tore the hangar bay off the starship and sent its remains careening into the void in a fan of wreckage.<\/p>\n

But most of the surviving missiles flew over or under the carrier and arced around to attack Erik\u2019s command ship. Defense satellites and energy shields moved to meet them in orgies of mutual destruction that stopped nearly half of them in the last instant. But almost twenty missiles pushed through every active defense the Aesiran ship had. They tore its deflection grids apart and the starship reeled to the side as it shed entire sections of the smaller spires that ringed the central tower like shattering glass.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that hurt,\u201d Erik said through the sound of shrill alarms in his background.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me about it,\u201d Olivia returned with a wry smile. \u201cI don\u2019t have a carrier<\/em> anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm spun his fighter to get a good look at the former carrier.<\/p>\n

Normandy\u2019s<\/em> hangar pods were simply gone, and the clawmarks of gravitic whips had left the wing-like structure that had connected them to the main fuselage in tattered ruins. Even the main fuselage sported clawmarks and one or two of her missile launchers were simply gone. At least her engines remained mostly intact, and most of her other weapons could still fire from the look of things. But there was no doubt that the most powerful warship he\u2019d brought out of Alpha Centauri had been horribly mangled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can still beat them if they come back,\u201d John Smith said as his formation began making its way back to the rest of the fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut can we survive beating them if they come back?\u201d Malcolm asked with a pointed look at the other fighter pilot.<\/p>\n

John Smith gave him a wry look. \u201cDoes it matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt matters to me!\u201d Malcolm retorted.<\/p>\n

Then hyperspace opened and forty Shang warships faded back into the system.<\/p>\n

Malcolm\u2019s displays flickered as his sensors recognized twenty of them as the destroyers they\u2019d just faced. Though four of the most heavily damaged ones hadn\u2019t returned. That was good news, of a kind. Far worse news was the twenty much larger ships accompanying them, and Malcolm\u2019s heart dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s going to hurt,\u201d Malcolm said with a sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t recognize those ships,\u201d Olivia said, but her voice was tinged with more interest than a feeling of incoming doom. \u201cWhat are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are Shang raiders,\u201d Erik answered. \u201cThey specialize in looting battlefields and planets after their destroyer escorts deal with any pesky resistance like us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of weapons do they carry?\u201d Olivia asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty light weapons for something their size,\u201d Erik returned. Then he gave her a shrug that spoke volumes. \u201cBut considering the damage we\u2019ve taken so far, they\u2019re not light enough for our purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we can not win this fight,\u201d Olivia said as the Shang began to advance on the planet again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shall die together today,\u201d Erik said. \u201cI can think of worse things in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are a strange man.\u201d Olivia shook her head but a smile colored her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust think how strange I\u2019ll be once you get to know me,\u201d Erik returned with an answering smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn all the time we have?\u201d Olivia asked.<\/p>\n

Malcolm looked towards Dawn and they shared a smile of their own. At least he could say he would be with friends at the end.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t knock it,\u201d Erik said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about the rest of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia\u2019s smile softened and she nodded in acceptance. \u201cI guess we are at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm ran his hand over the communications display and it flashed to confirm he was transmitting to all ships and fighters. The Shang continued to accelerate towards their standard missile engagement range and he smiled at the camera.<\/p>\n

\u201cLadies. Gentlemen. And whatever it is the rest of you are.\u201d He flexed his fingers and prepared to face the enemy one more time with a smile on his face. \u201cIt has been an honor and a pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wolfenheim Emergent is available at the following retailers Amazon Barnes and Noble Apple Books Kobo Smashwords The following is the electronic Advanced Reader Copy originally sent to my Beta Readers in December. Take a look, and if it interests you,[…]↓ 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":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2309-wolfenheim-emergent-earc","uentry","postonpage-1","odd","post-author-medron-pryde"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8850","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=8850"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8851,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8850\/revisions\/8851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}