Spacers: Storm Break by Scott Bartlett

Author:Scott Bartlett [Bartlett, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mirth Publishing
Published: 2022-11-26T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Aboard the New Jersey

Nimbus System, Clime Region

Earth Year 2293

Thatcher had seen to it that both Legion and Terminus had come to the Dawn Cluster’s cold regions with ships packed full of Hellborns. Everywhere one of the missiles could safely fit, one was put, and he’d gone as far as to have extra missile launchers installed to increase the general rate of fire even further.

Mikhail Volkov was many things, but a slouch wasn’t one of them. Red Sky had come similarly armed. And though a significant amount of ordinance had been expended during Thatcher’s and Russo’s initial invasion from the west and north, there had been plenty of time to restock during the weeks they’d circled Sunrise System like birds of prey.

And so they had restocked, largely from their own production ships.

That fact was reflected now by the tactical display, which looked cluttered even in the holotank’s expanded view of the system. Thousands upon thousands of Hellborns flew toward Greatheart’s fleet, from two different directions, in a Hellfire barrage the likes of which the Cluster had never seen. Glowing black icons filled the holotank, to the point where Thatcher had to tell Guerrero to turn down their size on the graphical interface.

“Aye, sir,” Guerrero said.

She went a step further, instructing the computer to combine missiles in close proximity to each other into numbered groups. That made things a lot cleaner, and let Thatcher get a clearer view of what was actually going on in Nimbus System.

He’d had a suspicion that Greatheart had followed orders to leave Sunrise System with great reluctance, and what he saw now in the man’s fleet posture seemed to confirm that.

Thatcher had ordered the missile barrage divided between two groups of targets: the seven Solari Group facilities in-system, and the ships positioned to defend them. But none of the warships under the enemy admiral’s command showed any interest in neutralizing the missiles aimed at those facilities. Instead, they focused their fire on the Hellborns targeting their own ships.

So he’s not suicidally dedicated to keeping the UNC’s secrets, then. Thatcher supposed that wasn’t the most revelatory piece of intel, but it was intel nonetheless. As an ancient Chinese battle commander had once said, If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Every piece of information about an enemy was relevant, even if it only helped recalibrate the finer points of one’s understanding.

As for the revelation that Greatheart wasn’t willing to put his life on the line, nor the lives of his spacers, to defend the Solari installations...it did come as something of a relief to Thatcher, since he’d based part of his tactics on the expectation that it would indeed be the case.

Because, as it turned out, the missiles headed for the Solari Group facilities weren’t actually intended for those facilities.

“Sir,” Guerrero said, a note of consternation in her voice. “Some of our missiles seem to be veering off-course.”

“Incorrect,” he said, and his Ops officer turned, perhaps upon hearing the smile in his voice.

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