The Black Guardians: Book 4 in the Black Guard series, page 19
"Captain, I've transferred Captain Ceder to your station," the XO said.
"Captain Ceder," Blatt said with another jolt of anger at the double use of the rank of captain. In the navy, it was a god-like position, whereas in the army it was equivalent to a full lieutenant in the navy. In the army, a captain was usually in charge of a platoon. Quit it, he chided himself. The two attacks by the Skulls and the recent ambush of the Black Leopard had him on edge. The Home guard would have ample warning of an attack, but a lone cruiser frequently had little or none. The enemy had all the advantages: they knew where you would exit the Wave, and they could hide by lying at minimum power with their system in passive mode. The worst part, you were alone, whereas they could bring additional help.
Claudette's voice broke into his musings.
"Captain, the senior Black Guard, Ceder, on your line."
"Captain Ceder, what is your status?" Blatt asked, having gained control of his black mood.
"Captain Blatt, we have satisfactorily resolved the situation here and successfully completed the contract. We should be ready to leave tomorrow."
"Excellent. I will send a shuttle to pick you up tomorrow at noon," Blatt said, relieved they would be leaving Kenmora so quickly.
"We will be ready. Ceder out."
"XO, see that we have a shuttle on the ground at noon tomorrow," Blatt said, wishing they were leaving today but hiding the feeling. "The Guard has completed their contract."
The next day, Captain Blatt was in the shuttle bay to meet Ceder and his team of sixteen when they arrived on the Crouching Tiger. After Blatt returned Ceder’s salute, he spoke, "Ceder, I assume you were on the planet when the cruiser engagement occurred, but did you hear anything about the incident?"
"Sir, my team and I were on the Leopard when three Outpost cruisers appeared–" Ceder began but was interrupted by Blatt.
"Let's have this conversation in my conference room, in one hour. I want to get the Crouching Tiger under way first."
"Yes, sir, one hour in your conference room."
"XO, the Guard are aboard, begin preparations to leave orbit. I will be on the Bridge shortly," he said as he made his way to the lift.
"Captain on the Bridge," the XO said as Blatt entered the Bridge.
"I just talked to Ceder," Blatt said, still with that itchy feeling something was not right. "He said he was on the Leopard when the attack happened and claims Outpost was involved. I told him to meet me in my conference room in an hour. I want you here on alert. If Outpost is involved, it may be the start of a war, and they will have multiple ships in the area." As far as he could see from the sensor suite, the area was clear except for one merchant vessel, which appeared only lightly armed. "Have some kaffa and snacks delivered to the conference room. I'm hoping Ceder has details."
"Ceder," Blatt said, refusing to call him captain. He knew it was petty, but he could not shake his irritation. Ceder was a low-level army officer and didn’t deserve to have that honor on a naval ship. They might think they were somehow above rank, particularly Captain Sapir, who had on several occasions ignored colonels and generals. He resisted the urge to slam his fist into the table but managed a few calming breaths. "Grab a cup of kaffa and a snack if you want and take a seat," he said and waited as the tall, lean man poured himself a cup of kaffa and sat.
All the Black Guards appeared to be cut from the same cloth: quiet, self-assured, and deadly in their plain black uniforms. Ironically, the Guardians were adopting that same look and choosing to wear no medals. The only difference in the uniforms was the Guardians wore navy rank whereas the Guard, while unique, had more traditional army rank insignia.
"You said you were on the Leopard when it was attacked?"
"Yes, we had been in Kenmora space for only a little over an hour when Captain Lambar was notified that there were three Outpost cruisers behind us. They had apparently been waiting near the Wave exit on minimum power. Two began chasing us while one remained at the exit. Captain Lambar thought it was there to observe the confrontation. At the time, the two chasing us were out of missile range. The captain had my team and me loaded into two shuttles since he thought it unlikely the Leopard would survive a battle against two Outpost cruisers. He thought the shuttles might get noticed but ignored if launched during a missile engagement. I know that Outpost fired first, and he was right: no one targeted the shuttles."
"Do you know anything about the actual battle?" Blatt asked, wondering if the attack was meant to provoke the Jax into firing on the Outpost cruiser and therefore implying Jax started the war, or if the purpose was to begin reducing the number of Jax cruisers somewhere where it would be their word against the Jax.
"Our shuttle pilot said that Captain Lambar had chosen to concentrate all his fire on the cruiser identified as the Dagger and managed to destroy it before releasing his fighters. He said that was useless, but the fighters were dead either way. Later, our shuttle pilot claimed one fighter got lucky and miraculously rammed the cruiser identified as the Stiletto and destroyed it. At that time, the Leopard was still under power; however, the third cruiser, identified as the Karambit, entered the area and finished the Leopard, which was in no condition to defend itself."
Blatt now knew the reason for his uneasy feeling. If Outpost knew Black Guards had survived, they would want them dead in case they knew the details of the ambush, and that would also present them with an opportunity to destroy another lone Jax cruiser. He could possibly survive against two armed mercenary ships, but not against two cruisers, especially those from Outpost, Valhall, or Lariw. Those were modern ships of war although not quite up to Jax standards in technology or crew, but close enough, and that damn Noam’s solution was fighters crewed by children. He was tired of this multi-command nonsense. He was not only the captain but mature and experienced. He was lord and master of the Crouching Tiger, as the saying went. So, if the time had come to take no prisoners, he would call the shots. They would follow his orders, his tactics, and his strategy.
"Captain?" Claudette's voice in his earbud. "I have identified the three cruisers: the Karambit belonging to Outpost, the Doberman belonging to Valhall, and the Mamba belonging to Lariw. The Karambit is remaining near the Wave while the Doberman and Mamba are on a vector to intercept us."
"Call Battle Stations," Blatt said, calm now that all his doubts were gone. "We are at war with Outpost and their allies."
"Should I brief Commander Shaw, the AFS-4 squadron leader?"
"No. They aren't going to make a difference and could complicate the engagement. They have fighters, so release them when I release Commander Hideko's fighter squadron. No, release them after I release Hideko’s squadron. I don't need kids fucking up his tactics."
"Yes, sir," Claudette said, wanting to argue with Blatt, but he had appeared unusually hostile ever since entering Kenmora. Everything she had learned talking with acting Lieutenant Commander Shaw led her to believe the Besras were far more than fighters. They were ship killers, but she could sense that Blatt was in no mood for an argument. Ten minutes later, Shaw called the Bridge and was informed of Blatt's decision.
Commander Shaw
"I demand to be released," Shaw insisted after hearing Blatt's orders.
"I'm the captain of this ship, not you, kid. You have your orders. If you ignore them and leave, I will have you shot as a deserter!" he screamed and cut the connection.
"What did he say?" Williams, the weapons officer, asked.
"According to Claudette, the XO, there are three alliance cruisers in the area. One near the Wave exit as an observer and two on a vector to intercept us. Blatt has called Battle Stations certain the two intend to attack the Crouching Tiger. I requested to be released to do our thing, but Blatt refused, going as far as to order me to stay put and informed me he will shoot us down as deserters if we attempt to leave before he releases us."
"That's an illegal order since we don't report to him," Williams said indignantly.
"That true, but I think he means it," Shaw said.
"So what? They can't see us to target us. Besides, the Crouching Tiger’s odds of survival are close to zero without us," Williams insisted.
"I agree, but what if he can target our heat signature as we leave?" Shaw felt like a target hung between two cruisers. "He's an experienced captain. Let's hope he’s got some clever strategy and too hassled to explain it to a very junior officer." He gave a wry smile.
"Let's hope it is that, rather than too old and pigheaded to learn new tricks."
Captain Blatt
"Captain, the two cruisers will be within missile range in thirty seconds," the XO said, her voice calm and smooth.
"Open fire when they are in range. Alternate firing between the two. Maybe we will get lucky," Blatt said, leaning back in the captain’s chair and looking relaxed. That’s my job now, he mused, to look like I have everything under control. Actually, I do. It's tradition–take no prisoners.
The battle became more intense as the cruisers closed the distance, and the time between missile launch and time to impact went from well over a minute to less than a minute, to less than half a minute to only seconds. He noticed that the Jax ECM was at least ten to twenty percent better; however, that became less meaningful as the distances shortened and the number of hits increased. And although the Tiger's turnaround time was fifteen percent faster, it had to split its missiles between two cruisers. The math was not good. Over the first twenty minutes, the triad fired a hundred missiles to Jax's hundred and fifteen –good news. The triad had scored twenty hits, whereas Jax had scored twenty-eight – also good news. The bad news: Jax had split its targeting between the two triad cruisers, scoring thirteen on one and fifteen on the other, and so far, none of the hits had been fatal.
"Captain, we have lost two missile launch tubes and are losing power," Claudette announced calmly like announcing a Wave exit. There was no need to panic. Everyone was resigned to dying. The goal was to send as many of the enemy as they could to perdition.
"Release the fighters, Claudette. We are due for a bit of luck. According to Ceder, one of the Black Leopard's fighters did manage to ram one of the Outpost cruisers and destroyed it."
Commander Shaw
"They have released the Tiger’s fighters. We are next," Williams said. "Blatt wants us to support the fighters."
"That's total bullshit. He lost the battle and now he wants the fighters and us to try and ram one of the enemy cruisers. The fighters have no choice since they are dead without the cruiser. We have a choice, and a fighter free-for-all is no place for a Besra. Neither the enemy or Jax fighters will be able to see the Besra and could run into us; however, both will be able to target our heat signature. We were assigned to support the Crouching Tiger, but not at the cost of exposing the Besra's capabilities, which could put Jax at risk. Open our squadron communication link."
"The channel is open," Williams said reluctantly and frowned at Shaw.
"When the bay doors open, I want the squadron to scatter. You are not to engage the enemy fighters or cruiser. That is an order. After you clear the area, we will assemble at the Wave exit. There we will destroy the enemy scout and return to destroy any enemy cruisers in the area and pick up as many surviving navy personnel as possible. Is that clear?"
"But…" someone began but was cut off by Shaw.
"That is a direct order. We will seek revenge, but the Besra’s secrecy is the highest priority, not the Crouching Tiger. Its fate is already sealed. Clear?" Shaw said and received two weak agreements.
The bay doors opened less than a minute later, and one by one, the Besras were launched into the melee. Shaw was barely five seconds into his acceleration when the energy from a massive explosion swept his Besra along with every fighter in the area hundreds of kilometers deeper into open space.
Shaw regained consciousness sometime later. It took him close to an hour to free himself of his restraints and to do the same for Williams, and another hour to revive him. He concluded they had both sustained concussions from the violent impact of the energy wave that hit them. Together, they spent a full day repairing essential equipment.
"I'll be forever grateful for those classes on the Besra's equipment and how to diagnose and repair them," Williams said when everything that could be was repaired. One engine had been lost, but the Besra was functional enough to make it back to Jax. "If not, we would have died, very slowly, lost in Kenmora space."
They wandered the area of the battle for a day and concluded one of the Besras had been hit by a fighter's missile, setting off the twelve Vulture W8R missiles, which subsequently destroyed the Crouching Tiger, Doberman, all the fighters, and the other Besra. The enemy cruiser at the Wave was no longer there or anywhere their sensors could detect.
Having no other choice, they headed for the Wave exit and Jax.
55 – Mostly More Good News
"Gentlemen, this is Captain Van Hadt, who just returned from Kenmora," Joshsa said, smiling. He had invited Mason and Vega to hear first-hand the results from Kenmora and to discuss the future war with the Jax. "I thought you would like to hear his report. Interestingly, he was an observer at the engagements with the Black Leopard and the Crouching Tiger."
"Good morning, gentlemen. Upon hearing that Jax had a contract with a king on Kenmora in the Hydra Federation, Mr. Joshsa sent three cruisers – the Dagger, Stiletto, and Karambit – to ambush the Jax cruiser transporting the Black Guard to the contract. I stayed near the Wave as an observer, in case the Jax had developed something new under Admiral Noam as the Dagger and Stiletto ambushed the Black Leopard. The captain of the Jax cruisers chose to concentrate his fire on the Dagger exclusively. He was successful in destroying the Dagger although having incurred heavy damage. In desperation, Jax released their fighters and against all odds one fighter managed to ram the Stiletto and destroy it. I used the Karambit to destroy the Leopard which was at that point barely functional."
"You said a fighter destroyed the Stiletto," Mason interjected when Van Hadt stopped for a sip of water. "A regular fighter or a new type with special capabilities?"
"I was too far away to identify specific fighters, but on the sensors, they appeared all the same. In addition, the Jax fighters came in a single swarm with the intention of overwhelming the Stiletto's defenses. One managed to get through. A one in a thousand event, but it happens. The fighters knew the Leopard was finished, so they had nothing to lose, otherwise they would never have attempted it."
He paused. When no one had any further questions, he continued, "When Mr. Joshsa learned that the Black Guard detail had escaped the Leopard and were on Kenmora, he sent the Karambit, Mamba, and Doberman to intercept the Jax cruiser, which would be sent to rescue the Black Guard. We arrived after the Crouching Tiger had picked up the Black Guard detail and were on a vector to the Wave exit. Again, I stayed to observe and report any anomalies. The Doberman and the Mamba chose to attack the Crouching Tiger from opposite sides, and the Jax captain chose to split his fire between the two cruisers. The Crouching Tiger inflicted significant damage on both cruisers and was all but non-functional when he released his fighters. This time, the Mamba and Doberman fighters were able to contain the Jax fighters. I'm not sure what happened next, but there was an explosion in the space between the Doberman and Crouching Tiger, which destroyed the fighters and caused significant damage to the closest two cruisers. Afterward, the Karambit and the Mamba returned to Outpost."
"What caused the explosion?" Vega asked, sounding worried.
"It is unclear. I would say a missile hit a storage area of missiles. In other words, a fluke."
"There appears to be a number of flukes in our two engagements with the Jax," Mason said. "That is not encouraging."
"I rather conclude that the results were positive," Joshsa said. "In each encounter, we only lost one cruiser and destroyed one Jax cruiser. It is clear from our two engagements the Jax has no secret weapon. One has to expect good and bad luck. Jax is now down to five cruisers, and they need cruisers to transport the Black Guard to their contracts. One more kill and Jax will be reduced to four, and we will be at eight fully functional cruisers. Jax will be forced to use one cruiser to transport the Black Guards to contracts, leaving only three to guard Jax. In fact, they may be tempted to use two for protection, leaving only two to protect Jax. In either case, we could easily overwhelm them with our remaining eight cruisers. And even assuming the two to three losses, we would have five to ambush the returning two."
"How do we justify invading Jax to the alliance?" Vega asked.
"We claim they were ambushing our cruisers in the other systems. We were lucky to have survived the encounters." Joshsa smiled. “No one witnessed the battles, and there will be no Jax alive to dispute our claim.”
"What were our cruisers doing in these other systems?" Mason asked, playing devil's advocate.
"Negotiating trading agreements for the Helix Alliance." Joshsa’s smile was even larger this time. "If some don't believe us, so what? Since the majority is not affected, they will write it off as a long-term feud between Outpost and Jax, which ended badly for Jax.”
"What are you suggesting?" Mason asked after looking at Vega and seeing him nod.
"Jax has a current contract on Ceetana," Joshsa said. “They were transported there by the Sabretooth, which has remained in orbit. This is a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. We ambush the Sabretooth to establish whether the two previous incidents were flukes or something more sinister, and if not, destroy another Jax cruiser, putting us one step closer to annihilating the mighty Jax.”
