perfect,” Kris said, with a grimace toward her own screens, where her plan was now, finally, playing out.
Though not entirely to expectations. A batch of the fast movers tried to drop below and come at Vice Admiral Yi’s squadrons from the rear. A division from Scandia, Odin , Thor , Loki , and Frigga , dropped out from Admiral Bethea’s task group to chase them down and destroy them.
The alien commander chose that moment to have a half dozen of the big boys charge the human line. They died, but the humans shot their forward batteries empty. Then all four of the alien dishes charged.
It got frisky for a bit as some aliens went in faster than others. They died but bought time for others to get closer. Admiral Yi flipped his ships, fired the aft batteries, boosted up his deceleration . . . and danced away from the onrushing fleet.
That bought the aliens space and time, but in the end, Yireorganized his ships and began the slow process of herding the aliens toward the jump.
“That was why I didn’t give you an exact estimate,” Nelly said. “You can say what you want about those bug-eyed monsters of yours, Kris, but they are wily.”
“And there are a whole lot of them,” Penny whispered.
Kris winced; each alien warship had a crew of least a million. The base ship could have as many as 50 billion aboard.
No, we don’t want to grapple and board with one of those monsters.
The room fell silent as that image invaded everyone’s mind. Kris moved to break it before they all froze in place. “Does Doc Meade think she can do anything about this genetic modification?”
Jacques shook his head. “It’s more than a simple medical lab on the tip of the spear can handle. She suggests we transfer some of the aliens who followed you home back to human space.”
That got a well-needed chuckle from the staff. Jack had led a boarding party that had confronted an old alien woman who’d shouted her defiances, then tried to take her own life and have the dozen or so children with her do the same.
Sleepy darts had put a stop to that madness.
The alien woman’s ragings had helped the pacifists among the Alwans come to terms with the realities of what faced them. Meanwhile, the alien kids were having a ball watching cartoons and learning computer games.
I bet the Enlightened One didn’t see that one coming, Kris thought with a grin. He, always a he among these people, called the shots and led a massive and compliant people in a galaxy-wide search for life, any life, and the never-ending work of murdering it.
Not on my watch you won’t, Kris had sworn. Today was just another day on the job.
The key staff gnawed on that for a while, then Amanda brought up the present production plans from the plants and fabrication facilities on Alwa’s moon. This raised the effort to fabricate laser armor and spin out big frigates with 22-inch lasers from the yards.
People talked of many things, but always with one eye on the screens.
“Those aliens are desperate,” Jack muttered. “Desperate people do desperate things.”
Right about then, the aliens did something very desperate.
4
Nelly was the first to spot a change. “Kris, three of the aliens’ fast movers have taken off for the other jump point at 3.5 gees.”
The screen of the other system now showed a wedge of ships moving away from the battle, headed for the distant third jump.
“I wonder what that’s all about?” Kris said.
“Maybe someone wants to hedge their bet on this fight?” Jack offered.
“Or get a better view of what happens next,” Jacques put in. “The jump may just be in the direction they’re headed. It will give them a better view around their own battle line.”
“And what will that battle line be doing?” Kris muttered.
Yi had let his ships get a bit close to the alien dishes. Maybe they’d slowed down, and he hadn’t noticed. Now twelve ships flipped around and leapt toward his squadrons at 2.5 gees acceleration, the max
Though not entirely to expectations. A batch of the fast movers tried to drop below and come at Vice Admiral Yi’s squadrons from the rear. A division from Scandia, Odin , Thor , Loki , and Frigga , dropped out from Admiral Bethea’s task group to chase them down and destroy them.
The alien commander chose that moment to have a half dozen of the big boys charge the human line. They died, but the humans shot their forward batteries empty. Then all four of the alien dishes charged.
It got frisky for a bit as some aliens went in faster than others. They died but bought time for others to get closer. Admiral Yi flipped his ships, fired the aft batteries, boosted up his deceleration . . . and danced away from the onrushing fleet.
That bought the aliens space and time, but in the end, Yireorganized his ships and began the slow process of herding the aliens toward the jump.
“That was why I didn’t give you an exact estimate,” Nelly said. “You can say what you want about those bug-eyed monsters of yours, Kris, but they are wily.”
“And there are a whole lot of them,” Penny whispered.
Kris winced; each alien warship had a crew of least a million. The base ship could have as many as 50 billion aboard.
No, we don’t want to grapple and board with one of those monsters.
The room fell silent as that image invaded everyone’s mind. Kris moved to break it before they all froze in place. “Does Doc Meade think she can do anything about this genetic modification?”
Jacques shook his head. “It’s more than a simple medical lab on the tip of the spear can handle. She suggests we transfer some of the aliens who followed you home back to human space.”
That got a well-needed chuckle from the staff. Jack had led a boarding party that had confronted an old alien woman who’d shouted her defiances, then tried to take her own life and have the dozen or so children with her do the same.
Sleepy darts had put a stop to that madness.
The alien woman’s ragings had helped the pacifists among the Alwans come to terms with the realities of what faced them. Meanwhile, the alien kids were having a ball watching cartoons and learning computer games.
I bet the Enlightened One didn’t see that one coming, Kris thought with a grin. He, always a he among these people, called the shots and led a massive and compliant people in a galaxy-wide search for life, any life, and the never-ending work of murdering it.
Not on my watch you won’t, Kris had sworn. Today was just another day on the job.
The key staff gnawed on that for a while, then Amanda brought up the present production plans from the plants and fabrication facilities on Alwa’s moon. This raised the effort to fabricate laser armor and spin out big frigates with 22-inch lasers from the yards.
People talked of many things, but always with one eye on the screens.
“Those aliens are desperate,” Jack muttered. “Desperate people do desperate things.”
Right about then, the aliens did something very desperate.
4
Nelly was the first to spot a change. “Kris, three of the aliens’ fast movers have taken off for the other jump point at 3.5 gees.”
The screen of the other system now showed a wedge of ships moving away from the battle, headed for the distant third jump.
“I wonder what that’s all about?” Kris said.
“Maybe someone wants to hedge their bet on this fight?” Jack offered.
“Or get a better view of what happens next,” Jacques put in. “The jump may just be in the direction they’re headed. It will give them a better view around their own battle line.”
“And what will that battle line be doing?” Kris muttered.
Yi had let his ships get a bit close to the alien dishes. Maybe they’d slowed down, and he hadn’t noticed. Now twelve ships flipped around and leapt toward his squadrons at 2.5 gees acceleration, the max
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