Know Thine Enemy

Chapter 30

Sacrifice

"Nine minutes between each launch?" Scott asked. "That will have to do."


Shay shrugged. "Commander Pitcher was working under drive so his people can't exit the ship. Since we cannot automate transferring the missiles, they need to be moved and inserted into their airlocks by hand. We are lucky he could adapt and install even that through the ship's hull this quickly."


"At maximum acceleration, the ship killer will fall far behind us once outside of the gravity bubble. Coordinating them into our salvos will be almost impossible," Scott said, standing and walking over to his models. "I could never do it."


"But she can," his XO said, "Matvei has dozens of hours in real wartime conditions. Have you seen her calculate in her head?"


Scott nodded. "She has the attack run calculated faster than she can enter the request into the fire control computer. Yes, I've seen it."


Scott trusted her, but as the Admiral had warned, he could not be sure what she would do in every battle situation. Matvei was not trained at Earth Academy.


The com chimed, and Scott touched the accept. "Captain here."


"Sir, a message from the Akhotova."


"Yes, Chief."


"The Commander sends his compliments and says he will begin his attack run in fifteen minutes. He wishes us luck and orders Captain Matvei to reach earth and secure help for his people. He left her a message in Russian."


"What is the translation of the message, Chief?"


The Chief turned to face Scott, his face a bright red. "Ah, sir?"


"The translation, chief," Scott asked, arching his eyebrows.


The com officer looked down at his hands. "Captain, I translated it, but... it's meant for his wife, and... not something I'd like to say out loud. Do you want me--"


"That won't be necessary, Chief, Scott said, "Carry on."


"Forty-five minutes until engagement range, Captain," Waters said.


Shay said, "By now the Russians have begun to fight the enemy. It may even be over."


Nodding his head, Scott said, "Mr. Waters, monitor the data from the Akhotova as well as the passive scans. We need to know what the outcome of the battle is, how much time he bought us?"


The noise on the bridge quieted as Ensign Waters updated the holo-tank. They watched the action with their Russian screening group knowing that what they saw was fifteen minutes old. Volkov kept his group close enough to interlace their defense but not threaten or interfere with each other's attacks. He placed his battle group in front of the six ships forcing them to veer off the pursuit of the McHenry. Scott watched as they started to move into one classic attack pattern leading the Aeons to respond, only to move to another, splitting and regrouping, leading the enemy to pursue and change their strategy. As Volkov's group neared the cluster of ships, their ability to intercept the incoming missiles would drop. Eventually, their luck ran out, and Scott winced as he watched the first destroyer wink out--destroyed. He heard Matvei's sudden intake of breath, sharing her horror at the lives lost.


"Engagement range in thirty minutes," Matvei reported, the pain evident in her voice.


"Very well, Tactical," Scott answered, never taking his eyes off the battle.


The second destroyer slowed and appeared to drift. It continued the last heading, no longer under power. Two of the Aeon ships were also drifting. The battle group had at least disable two of the ships--at great cost. Only the Akhotova remained to fight the other four. The lead ship blossomed, its reactor breached, leaving three to face Volkov. His ship's acceleration was down to thrusters. He was damaged yet still able to fight.


Two of the remaining enemy ships moved closer and began to shuttle something from one ship to the other. The third took up position between the two ships and the Akhotova. All the ships stopped firing, holding their relative positions.


After a few minutes, Shay commented, "That's odd. What are they doing?"


"Volkov must see something we can't," Scott said.


Waters spoke, "Fifteen minutes until engagement range."


"Sound general quarters, Mr. Lembke." Scott said.


As the crew raced to battle stations, they watched the four ships continue for another few minutes until the Akotova started moving as if to get around the opposing lead ship: swinging around to the side of the other formation only to have the lead ship move between them again. They tried the other side, and the forward Aeon ship responded the same way.


Finally, Volkov must have lost patience, or seen something about the transfer going on between the shielded ships. He ignited his main engines and headed directly for the side of the three vessels, launching his missiles, most at one of the two following the screening ship.


"All stations manned and ready, Shay said. "Five minutes to engagement range."


"We have our battle to deal with," Scott said. "Ms. Matvei, are we ready to execute missile pattern Alpha?"


"Yes, sir." She answered.


"You may proceed."


With Scott's words, the ship began to shake with multiple launches. Matvei continued to throw every tube at the approaching two ships. They knew there was no need to conserve ordinance for if they did not get past the two they faced, the mission was over and the crew likely dead. Every few minutes Matvei reported another pair of the ship killers ejected into space through their special airlocks. If not for the greatly extended range of these prototypes, their attempt to use them in such an unorthodox manner would be impossible.


"Approaching first pair ignition point. Three, two, one, launch successful," Matvei said, and after a few seconds, she added, "Final pair ejected second pair ignition point. Three, two, one, launch."


By this time the missiles launched by the oncoming ships that had gotten past the Interdictors, reached the McHenry's point defense bubble. The lasers successfully destroyed all that remained, allowing only one close enough to do damage when it exploded. The ship shuddered, and the gravity field fluctuated slightly.


"That was a near clean miss. Why did the gravity--"


"Commander Pitcher is on it," Shay said.


Any significant fluctuation in the gravity at seven hundred Gs' would turn the crew into so much organic material spread on one side of the ship.


"Final pair ejected. All offensive tubes, rapid fire. Ship killers launched," Matvei said. Pausing for a moment, she reported, "Alignment is eighty-five percent."


At that moment, the ship shuddered again, and the lights flickered off. A few seconds later, the emergency lights came on. Scott knew the main engines had shut down as the faint noise, felt more than heard--ceased. The ship was still moving but was no longer accelerating. The gravity field was still up but was slightly unsteady.


"Damage report," Scott barked.


"Standby, Captain," Shay said.


"Ms. Matvei?"


"Approaching terminal range, all ship killers still active. Four enemy missiles avoided Indictors, entering point defense bubble."


"Captain, half the port side lasers are down," Shay yelled.


Tapping his console, Scott yelled, "Brace for impact. Damage control, standby."


A few seconds later, the ship jerked to one side throwing Scott against his restraints. A shock-wave of impacted pushing him the opposite direction. Scott was yelling instruction, but he couldn't hear himself. The light indicating an inner hull breach flashed an angry red. He could feel the air rushing by his face. He swung his head in Matvei's direction and saw her sealing her helmet, all the while watching her tactical board, he lips moving. Scott, still disorientated from the impact to his still healing head, managed to grab his helmet, sealing it in place. Through his earpiece, he heard Matvei.


"Terminal range acquired, remaining screening missiles detonating."


This point was the crux of the plan. The forward ordinance would be set to detonate just inside their point defenses, throwing out the full force of their warheads creating momentary almost impenetrable interference. The ship killers, with their heavy armor, could pass through the expanding destructive cloud, remaining undetected by their point defenses until too late.


It almost worked. Two ship killers got through to one ship and successfully destroyed it, leaving only a cloud of expanding debris. Only one made it through to the second ship, the antimatter penetrator allowing the missile to penetrate the engineering portion and exit the opposite side--without detonating.


Another shock rattled the McHenry and Scott blacked out. He came to, floating, held to his seat by the safety harness. Ensign Waters drifted by wearing no helmet, still strapped to his sheared off seat, clearly dead. He knew there was atmosphere by the lack of expansion in his emergency vacuum suit. The emergency bulkhead to the forward exit was closed, the light indicating vacuum on the other side.


"Second ship...drifting," Matvei reported through Scott's helmet, finishing with a racking cough.


Shay floated against her straps watching the sensor display. She must have transferred it to her station when Waters died.


"Report on... last ship, Commander." Scott tasted blood.


"Still drifting, sir. Their drive section is severely damaged, even though our missile did not detonate. They are venting atmosphere, surrounded by debris. Damage report in a few minutes."


Scott started to unstrap himself to assist the injured.


"No sir!" Shay said, "Let the others deal with the injured. That ship is on an intercept course with this vessel. We will worry about the crew and try to get our weapons online. We don't know what the other ship can do still." She looked down at an indicator and started to speak. Before she could, the gravity returned, and they all dropped to their seats.


One of Shay's eyes was swollen shut, but she continued her report. "All drives are down. Commander Pitcher says no chance of repair on the Alcubierre drive. Sub-light engines, possibly, but he can't yet say how long. Hours at least, maybe days. All weapons and point defenses are also offline. Rescue is trying to reach some of the fire control crews. Some are reporting they're alive."


"Captain," Matvei interrupted. A small ship, possibly an assault shuttle, has detached from the other ship. It's coming our way. I think they mean to board us."


"Board us? That makes no sense. Look at what they've done to the fleet. They haven't boarded anyone."


"Something special about this ship," Shay said. "They've had ample opportunity to destroy us. It must be the bodies we took off that ship."


"Ms. Matvei, how long until they reach us?" Scott asked.


"Thirty minutes, Captain. I figure it will take another ten to breach the hull." Scott touched the all ship on his panel.


"This is the Captain. Prepare to be boarded. An enemy shuttle is approaching. Contact in thirty minutes."

Borders

"Major, how many of your men are able bodied?" Scott asked, over the comm.


"I'm pulling my people off of damage control now. We have twenty-four dead, ten in stasis, and sixteen too injured to fight. We have sixty-two combat ready including myself. We only have forty-nine vacuum rated sets of power armor. Most of the other thirteen will have some protection with emergency skin suites, but if holed..."


"I get the picture, Major," Scott said.


There are standard protocols for resisting boarders as there are to board enemy ships. Even with pirates, he didn't think hostile boarding had been done in centuries. Pirates ran and were destroyed or surrendered. Scott knew Major Farrel would have drilled his marines in defending against boarders, even if he felt they would never need it. The critical areas of the ship would be defended, sick bay had the additional protection of being in the most protected portion of the ship, deep in the center. Only five minutes had passed since Scott's announcement, and he needed to give the Major what they surmised was the purpose of the coming shuttle.


"Major, there is something else. There have not been any cases of the enemy boarding our ships." Scott looked at Matvei and she shook her head. "Not our ships, or those of the Russian Federation. We think they are after the two bodies we have in stasis."


"And you need me to adjust our defense to cover that probability," Farrel said, then added, "Captain, it would be best if we cleared sick bay, but there's not enough time. The most critical cases are in there and trying to move them would be impossible."


"Just a moment, Major. Ms. Matvei, any indication on where they intend to board?"


The Russian captain checked her tactical display. "Possibly the evacuated portion of the ship. The hull is damaged there allowing easier access."


Major Farrel spoke up, "They don't know the location of sickbay. With the numbers they can cram into that single shuttle, it would take them quite a while to fight their way through the ship before finding their target."


"They know about where to find sickbay," Matvei said. "Our ships are very similar to yours."


Scott wondered how she knew that. If there was a later, he would find out.


"Captain," Shay said. "Yamamoto's relief force is sixty minutes out."


It might be over by then, Scott thought. "Commander, inform the approaching task force we are being boarded. Ask them to be ready help the moment they arrive."


Farrel spoke, "Captain, I'll station my men at the critical areas of the ship, but I'm going to place a reaction team in the center to move to intercept them if you can let us know where we need to be."


"We'll give you as much notice as possible, Major. Captain, out."


"Time, Ms. Matvei?"


"Twenty minutes, Captain."


Scott switched to the comm channel the marines used, listening to their preparations to receive the enemy, his main focus was on the repairs and his bridge crew frantically trying to make order out of chaos.


Matvei spoke, "Captain, the approaching shuttle is unarmed."


The weapons on an assault shuttle couldn't seriously hurt a warship the size of the McHenry. Normally, they could destroy them with point defenses."


"How do they know we can't take them out?" No one answered him."


"As we expected, they're approaching the blown compartments," Matvei said.


"XO, inform Major Farrel."


"Why are they slowing so far out?" Matvei asked.


The holotank flickered to life. One of the repairs accomplished by his crew. The McHenry sat in the center, the shuttle moving alongside. They slowed further.


"That makes no sense," Waters commented.


"Where are they?" Scott asked.


"Just past Bridge Deck, sir," Shay replied. Scott glanced at the closed emergency door, which had vacuum on the other side, the main hull open. He glanced at the two Marine sentries and started to speak. Scott was slammed against his harness and saw debris fly past him towards the hatch side. His helmeted head impacted the chair, and everything went dark.

******

He was on his back being lifted onto a gurney. Fluid covered his eyes hindering his vision. Matvei's voice came through his comm.


"Commander Shay, there are more Aeons trying to enter through the emergency airlock on our good side. The shuttle hasn't moved since they delivered the charge that breached the emergency bridge door. The marine team has dispatched the threat trying to enter through there."


Scott couldn't speak, and the pain is his head had him holding onto consciousness. He knew that airlock was the quickest way to sickbay. The Marine channel was still on in his suit and he herd Major Farrel trying to get his teams moving towards the borders. They had been heading to the predicted entry point in the damaged areas where the shuttle sat motionless, waiting. The gurney moved down the corridor toward sickbay. Even in his addled state, he knew they would pass dangerously close to where the boarding party was likely to pass. His head began to clear though the blood in his eyes hindered his vision.


"Multiple breach points," Scott heard Farrel say. "They've broken into small teams. They're all heading in the direction of sickbay. It looks like ten pairs."


Small teams are easier for his crew to meet and deal with individually, but the number of teams. A few would make it through. The injured crew in sickbay was in trouble. Scott grabbed the arm of one of the suited men moving him towards somewhere Shay thought was safe. He recognized, even through the blood, the gym as they passed.


"Stop!" Scott said. The men moving him obeyed. He sat up. The telltale in his suit indicated normal ships atmosphere, so he removed his helmet and wiped the blood out of his eyes, waiting as the dizziness subsided. He tapped his comm.


"Captain to Doctor Lehr." After a few moments, he replied.


"We are busy down here, Captain, and aren't you supposed to be on you way to sickbay?"


"Yes, yes, I was, but I've thought of something. Lets give them their two bodies. Have the Marines or some of your staff move the aliens out into the corridor. Let them have their dead."


Lehr went quiet for a couple of seconds, and Scott heard one of the corpsmen talking with someone off channel.


"John, I already moved them out of sickbay in a stasis pod to make room to treat more serious cases."


"Where are they now?"


"In an empty food pantry near the number two [mess hall]."


Scott switched channels. "Major Farrel, do you have anyone near mess hall two?"


"No, Captain. That's not near any of the breach points, nor is it considered a critical area."


"How long until you can have someone there?"


"Fifteen minutes, Captain."


Shay's voice broke into his comm. "Captain, internal sensors show a pair of Aeons headed in your direction towards sickbay. You need to get out of there. You are injured, and unarmed."


Farrel added, "I think that is their primary team. They are heading directly to sickbay while the others seem intent on causing confusion. They are going in an indirect route, firing only at those who fire on them."


"Commander Shay, keep me informed. I'm going to get the pods and place them in the corridor where that team is headed. Give them what they want so they can leave my ship."


Shay's quiet intake of breath would only be noticeable to Scott, who knew her so well.


"Yes, Captain," she reluctantly agreed.


"Corpsmen, lets get those pods. Come with me, both of you."


"Yes, sir," they both said.


They moved down the corridor, Scott sometimes touching the wall to steady himself. He could see the men with him frowning. Crew moved out of the way to let their Captain's party pass.


"The dizziness is getting better, I'll be fine," Scott said.


"I hope so, sir," one man said.


"The Chief Medical officer is going to have our hides for allowing this, even if you ordered it...sir," said the other.


Less dizzy, but with his energy dropping, Scott said, "That is the least of our worries right now."


They had left the gurney behind as the pods had graviton generators to allow them to be moved. Scott wished they could stop a moment, as he was tiring. They passed the gymnasium section with its one large and multiple small workout rooms and entered the deserted mess. The pods were there, as the Doctor said.


"Captain," Shay said. "That pair of Aeons will be on top of you in less than five minutes."


"Acknowledged, Commander."


The three men activated the graviton generators and moved the pods into the corridor.


"Melynda, order the crew to move off this deck."


Without answering, he heard his XO's voice over the comm ordering all crew members to clear the area.


"Major Farrel, am I facing armored intruders?" Scott asked.


"One is armored, one is not. They all have vacuum suits."


"Are they leaving charges to blow the ship after they complete their mission?"


"We've been watching for that on the sensors, and have checked the areas behind them where the sensors are down. They are not leaving anything except downed soldiers, some injured but alive."


"What is so special about these two?" Scott mused, looking at the two pods.


"I wish we had weapons," one man said.


They had just passed by the gym and Scott had seen Chief Jean's pair of museum pieces mounted above the VR game console.


"You," Scott said pointing at one man.


"Taylor, sir."


"Crewman Taylor, stay here and hold onto these pods. You, come with me." Scott led the other man into the gym. He released the swords from their mounts, handing one to the man with him.


"Captain?" the corpsman asked, looking at the sword as if it was going to attack him."


"It's all we've got, corpsman. I don't want to be helpless. One of the two coming our way is vulnerable, but I don't intend to face them. Let's go."


They joined Taylor waiting in the corridor whose incredulous look at the swords would have been amusing in different circumstances. Scott tapped in the code that would shut down the stasis field and allow the pods to open.


"Captain, they are approaching the intersection," Shay said. "If you don't get the pods there immediately, they will pass them by."


"Let's move these," Scott said, pushing one of the pods. They made it to the intersection and adjusted the angle of the two units more upright. Scott opened the covers preparing to leave.


"Captain," Taylor said, tension in his voice.


Scott turned to see two Aeons stopped in the corridor, not watching the pods, but the sword in his hand





Editor's Note: This chapter was reconstructed from our father's unfinished draft. We have made no alterations or edits beyond obvious spelling/grammatical mistakes, and attempted to be as faithful as possible to the outline he left where scenes were left unfinished. - Kristopher, Gavin.