Chapter 39
ARAZIS
After Isabella stormed off, she got to work inside the swarmer explaining the controls. Mark, Eric, and Tristen knew nothing of these fighters other than they heavily relied on refuelling. Saiin was with them too now, he knew only marginally more than the Kushan. She was quick to explain the various subsystems the fighter had to offer. “This one’s a normal swarmer unit. While they excel at close combat, any long-term skirmish is usually avoided as our fuel pods leave us vulnerable to attack while docked. A swarm usually works quickly against enemy fighter craft, leaving our frigates to clean up heavier units.”
“Sort of like defenders but mobile ones then?” Tristen said.
“What’s a defender?” She asked.
“A fighter that doesn’t rely on engines but stays in close formation to a guarded unit.”
“Not quite, a swarmer heavily relies on its engines to evade incoming fire.”
“Fair enough.”
“In any case if the Kadeshi pilots are to enter the fleet’s makeup I would suggest giving them familiar craft they already know.”
“I agree,” Mark said. “That’s why I asked for one scout and one swarmer to be brought out for the day’s exercises. Figure out the differences between our technologies.”
She continued. “Advanced swarmers by contrast can spend more time away from dock, have increased firepower, but carries roughly the same weaknesses.”
“And those weaknesses are?” Tristen asked.
“Well, multi-gun corvettes proved effective, as did drone frigates. Anything capable of targeting multiple swarmers at once would be your best bet.”
“The Taiidan have a similar unit to the multi-gun corvette but nothing like a drone frigate.”
“What about strike support?” Mark asked, curious.
Tristen responded. “There’s a support frigate, yes. Similar to your fuel pods it leaves docked ships vulnerable to attack.”
“Strategy normally would be to keep the fuel pods behind a line of frigates. Our encounter was a little bit messier as we had to coordinate with two unfamiliar fleets.”
“The other two flagships you mean?” Eric asked.
She nodded. “The other Needles had their own strategies they employed. The Suteh for example had many Elite Guardians in its fleet who employ their own strategy. Communicating between all three fleets was not ideal and likely led to our defeat, or at least contributed to it.”
“Can you explain something to me?” Eric asked. “How in the world did your people manage to corner the Mothership in the first place?”
“Before our first encounter we took care of the Turanic Raiders your fleet were chasing. They proved easy targets and opened with hostilities. We took care of them. How we stopped you Kushan was luck, really. You were on the same trajectory as the Raider carrier and so we spotted you entering our node network. Our inhibitor field only has so much range after all. And other than the Suteh and Ptah there were no active Needles in the vicinity. Once our captain deemed the first battle lost, we retreated to a location in your travel path calling on anyone in range to help.”
“So there was simply no one available?”
“Yes. You must understand, we have not had many enter the nebula in decades. Centuries since our last notable encounter. Sometimes the Raiders venture in thinking themselves mighty, but normal patrols rarely encounter anyone. And so we were caught unprepared not knowing what to expect. As for our inhibitor technology, I don’t know much about it personally. Seeing as the mysterious ship at our last stop had a couple Kadeshi frigates in its influence I’d guess we got it from that wreck.”
“It just feels like if your people have such a strong presence in the nebula they wouldn’t have let us jump away so easily,” Eric said.
“There’s another factor you aren’t considering,” Tristen said to raised eyes. “Jump speed. Mothership has a unique hyperdrive capable of longer and quicker jumps. The Kadeshi and even the Taiidan are stuck with short jump modules and have to make multiple jumps to get to the same destination.”
Eric continued. “So we were simply able to outrun anyone who could have responded, now I get it.”
“It’s likewise how you intercepted my former carrier’s fleet. We’d only just exit hyperspace when our long range sensors picked something up. Furthest jump we could make directly from Kharak. Your Mothership and its fleet were able to catch up to us no problem.”
“I suppose it also helps that one of our Needles’ inhibitor field suffered a malfunction trapping us in until its defeat.”
“What do you mean?” Eric asked.
“Remember our first encounter how the Amun jumped away and repaired itself? We were unable to do that the second time around. I’m unsure why, maybe the Ptah was using older hardware. I’m not exactly the expert when it comes to the inhibitor field, or even the hyperdrive for that matter.”
“We’re also not thinking of another possibility,” Saiin added. “It was planned.”
“Huh?”
“If our fate was to intercept the old exiles again, surely you don’t think higher ups were unaware of who was approaching and what kind of hyperspace signature it was.”
“Then why attack?” Arazis asked.
“As a test maybe? I’m just speculating.”
“I doubt it, but I also cannot rule it out. Captain Jeremiah was acting odd in his defeat.”
“I don’t really know one way or the other. I’m just a frigate gunner after all.”
“It’s quite a jump to insinuate that higher clergy members plotted for this though, Saiin.”
“I know, but you also have to admit it was strange. In decades we’ve not encountered anyone, then all of a sudden a Turanic carrier followed by these Kushan? I would not put it past the clergy to send in a scouting party just to test them, if they knew.”
“But how would they have known?” Mark asked.
“The hyperspace signature of your Mothership is so similar to our own. And as you know, Ara, we can detect every hyperspace signature of our own within the nebula thanks to the node network.”
“You mean they saw us coming?” Mark asked. “It felt that way, I’d have to admit. Like we were expected.”
“I can’t believe it, Saiin.”
“Why not?”
“I just can’t. You’re insinuating they moved the Amun and the others around like on a game board.”
“You’ve been raised by a priest, so I get why you’re hesitant about this. But am I wrong to suspect it?”
“Well, no. The clergy works behind the scenes on a lot of issues. I just don’t see Jeremiah willing to play along.”
“Probably had no idea.”
“So he and thus we were used, then?”
“Seems like it to me but again, I’m just a frigate gunner.” There was a moment of quiet contemplation before he continued: “Either way, we’ll likely never know.”
The group went through the pre-flight checklist for the swarmer, watching Arazis handle the various controls and warnings. Like how it was running low on fuel. “Luckily it isn’t going anywhere cause this tank’s almost empty,” she said. “And that’s it, it’s ready to go.”
“Simple enough. Not a lot of legroom in one of these things is there?” Mark said stepping into the cockpit.
“Not meant for legroom,” she answered descending the ladder.
There was a crowd gathered, Isabella among them. She walked back over to their gathering, curious. “I figured I’d gather some of our own new recruits so we can all train together.”
The others began to arrive slowly in groups of three or four, always with someone. She paid close attention to their faces. They appeared in brighter spirits than the day before, but some still showed their worries. The Kadeshi slowly gathered around, but kept their distance to the group of Kushan who were busy chatting among themselves. This was everyone that was left. Out of three Needle fleets, only the few dozen pilots in front of them remained. Some familiar faces but most she had never met.
“Arazis,” she heard a familiar voice call out.
“Vania, welcome aboard.”
“Looks like you’re in charge now.”
“Jealousy isn’t like you,” she said.
“Not jealous, just uneasy.”
“I’m sorry about your squad.”
“Likewise.”
It was Mark who spoke next. “Both these ships have been set to simulation mode. Our goal today is to see where you all stack up against each other. We don’t have many pilots to spare, as you can see by the small group of Kushan to your right. This fleet was a colony mission first and foremost, never meant for direct combat. We made due. You Kadeshi are free to take your leave if fighting alongside a former opponent is too much, but we would appreciate your help.”
“I guess I’m up first,” Vania said.
RIESSTIU
“All that moves is easily heard in the void,” he heard said across time and space itself. The Emperor stood alone in the hyperlink aboard his fortress-class flagship. “All that moves,” he repeated. “Let them come.”
TO BE CONTINUED