Chapter 34: Concourse to War — Part 6
Two fleets left Coalition space for Union territory. Devon led Antans’s fleet, and Kris gave orders to the fleet from Vodia. The flagships were both the latest models, with triple pulse deflectors and triple pulsed plasma cannons. They seemed to own their sector of space, despite their small size and sleek design. Kris and Devon explained the mission to the volunteer resistance force, who listened carefully to his words. The general feeling shared by all was a deep sense of nervous anticipation, and no small amount of fear. Devon spoke first, his voice a calm, controlled dialog of details. He explained a strategy that would, for all intents and purposes, put the Coalition forever at odds with Emperor Grison.
“We’re going into a demilitarized zone. The Cynosure has taken two worlds of the Triple Alliance and killed one of their leaders. Planets Harden and Lathe are now under Cynosure occupation. Even as we speak, a new member of the Coalition is under siege, and our allies seek to defend it despite our obvious differences. Let us show them how honorable we can be. The Chran, whom I am not familiar with but who were until recently Emperor Grison’s most prized weapons in the routing out of Cynosure war fleets, will be acting under Leadership of General Storm. She and North will be pushing into Grison’s territory to break off supply routes. Susan thinks we can trust the Chran, but only because of their alliance with General Storm. Shadow is of the Clan of Storm, for those of you who are Vodian Historians and familiar with her lineage. I have learned to trust those who Susan puts her faith in, but if they fail, or the Chran turn on Shadow, we have to be prepared for a long, hard battle. We’ll be pinned in by three massive armies, and what would have been one hell of a fight to begin with will turn into a desperate struggle for survival. Be ready for this contingency, but don’t expect it.”
Kris spoke up when Devon signaled to him. “In order to win this battle, we have to force the Emperor’s troops back to their own space and make it too costly for them to think of attacking again. A small dispatch from Earth will be meeting us, to make sure we have the coverage we need to keep the Emperor’s juggernauts and Deep Space War Birds from overpowering us early on in the battle. Those of us who know Vertigo know how much of an asset she’ll be. The Kindred and three small fighters lead her fleet. They’ll be acting as our shock troopers, striking ahead of the armada, and reporting on enemy positions, then retreating before the first wave of forces can arrive.
“For those of you who wonder how four ships could be expected to survive in the heart of the enemy fleets, know this now. The Kindred and her fighter support are among the fastest, most dangerous, and above all, the most vulnerable ships in the sky. Our duty is to give them a way to retreat once they’ve opened a hole for us. As you can see on your roster, we’ve teamed up Vodia and Antans fleets for this offensive. We’ve 45 minutes before the attack. Be at your ships and ready to fight.”
Baron Thomson, yet again covered in blood, yelled orders to the troops. His ship was crippled, guarded by only one other ship. Baron Winson was at the forefront, her ship badly damaged, acting as cover for the Baron’s crippled vessel. A medic tightened a bandage around a gash on the Baron’s leg. He looked desperately around, trying to find a way to make his loss a worthy one. The situation, to him at least, was starting to look miserable. Winson kept him alive, using her own ship to shield him from the worst of the attack. Grison’s ships had moved in on Cinder from all sides, pushing back the Union’s fleet until those that survived were pinned in and defending Winson’s world. Riley knew better than to trap them entirely, so she had left the illusion of escape open to them, a bare sector of space that seemed unguarded, and safe to escape through. Winson and Thomson knew better, however, as they were familiar enough with military strategy to see such a ploy. Individual ships would be able to squeeze through holes in Riley’s fleet. Nobody trying to flee through the Gauntlet would escape alive.
“How bad is the ship?” Winson asked, her own ship taking a beating.
“We’re losing atmosphere. We have maybe an hour before we suffocate.” Thomson said. “We have no external view at the moment. How fares the rest of the fleet?” The Baron asked.
