Pike's Purpose (Sandy Pike series Book 4) by John Spearman

Author:John Spearman [Spearman, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

11

When the troop transports reached orbit, they began launching hundreds of drones. Some of the drones, despite their small size, had the ability to project a radar image nearly identical to an assault shuttle. Most of the rest of the drones were counter-battery weapons. The decoy drone would draw fire from defense lasers and railguns on the planet’s surface. Their counter-battery partners took winding, fluttering courses down to the surface before homing in on the source of the fire and destroying it.

The transports launched three waves of drones, trying to smoke out all the enemy artillery positions. After the third wave, the assault shuttles were loaded. They streaked down to the surface. Only three were hit by enemy fire—none seriously.

The assault shuttles distributed the Alliance soldiers to every significant population center. Larger transport shuttles began delivering flitters and other military equipment. Later they brought down materials the soldiers would need to house and feed themselves and to keep prisoners.

They were a few clashes with black-clad OHS personnel, but they were one-sided and brief. For the most part, the members of OHS were trying to hide. The local residents were only too happy to tell the Alliance soldiers where to find them.

“Admiral, PB 125 reports two HUW attack groups spotted in system K313,” Sandy Pike’s flag lieutenant, Yancy Brooks, reported. “Estimated arrival in the Isolde system in just under four days.”

“Thank you, lieutenant,” Sandy replied. “My compliments to Admiral Swift and instruct him to proceed to Isolde. Same orders to the squadron.”

“Aye, aye, sir.”

Sandy would have hated to admit to his wife that he was thrilled to be heading into a battle again, though he suspected she already knew it. While the last few years had presented a number of challenges, none of them carried the same urgency or threat of dire consequences that conflict did. Years before, as they were facing the decision whether to rejoin the Alliance navy, Puss Boyle had leveled with Sandy that the years they were running their cargo business aboard the Alice May had been as exciting as being a delivery truck driver. Sandy had realized Puss was right.

Being the commander-in-chief of the Alliance Navy was not akin to being a truck driver—far from it. But keeping the navy sharp—ready to respond to any threat—was more difficult the longer they went without any such threat materializing. It was necessary, essential even, but not anything to get his blood pumping.

His two battle groups, along with the flag squadron, would be an equal match to the HUWs in terms of capital ships. Sandy suspected his force would outnumber the HUWs in the smaller classes of ships, which was all to the good, but the outcome would be decided by the SDNs and battlecruisers. His reverie was interrupted by the “ding” of an incoming message.

“Have the boys pissed themselves with excitement yet?” it read.

Portia Thompson, the Chief of Boat (or COB as the position was known) was one of the most senior noncommissioned officers in the navy. She could pick her own posting and had served on Percival when it was Admiral Horton’s flagship.

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