Countdown by John Walker (most life changing books TXT) 📕

“Charge the enemy,” Mac said. “Pass them by. Give the order to all battleships to do the same. Spread the angle of our course so we can all spin around to hit them in the rear. That should grant us the element of surprise and we might just reclaim the initiative at that point.”

The plan had merit but it also represented tremendous risk. Flying by the enemy as he suggested meant subjecting themselves not only to the main guns of the battleships but their turrets as well, which in their current state may have been enough to cause some damage. But…it was better than a running gun battle at a disadvantage.

“New course,” Noah said. He plotted the waypoints for the others, putting them far enough apart to ensure none of them ran into each other when they performed the suggested maneuver. “Full power, Erica.”

As the rear thrusters fired up, he checked the destroyers. They were on the winning side though the destroyers took more casualties. One seemed to be gone completely, the other disabled. A general SOS went out from them, but they had to know they weren’t getting any help soon.

On the opposite side, the ervas took a real beating. Of their twenty-five destroyers, seven had been annihilated. Five more seemed to be disabled. That left thirteen which had disengaged from their opponents and were hustling back toward the planet itself, probably to intercept the fighters that were about to start in on the satellites.

I need to get them some help.

Noah commanded the remaining destroyers and scouts to get after them. If they harassed the fleeing vessels, they may well take them out before they caused the fighters any drama. Those smaller ships don’t need that. They’ve got enough on their plates without taking potshots from those pricks.

“Put the tactical view behind me,” Noah said. “I want to see them coming.” The screen shifted, displaying the enemy ships directly ahead of them. Green blasts winked into existence throughout the wall of their opponents, dropping continuous fire in their direction. As they charged into that, the Morrigan shook dramatically.

Every hit brought them closer to losing their shields, to take some serious damage. The fight’s far from over. We’ve got to make it before they get through. Noah held his breath, narrowing his eyes. They were within a thousand kilometers…closer…their weapons continued firing as well, giving the enemy as good as they delivered.

Noah glanced over his shoulder, noting one of the enemy battleships showed red. That filled him with some relief but unfortunately, two of his own vessels were in a similar state. It only means they’ve lost their shields. They don’t necessarily have hull damage. But that might’ve been academic.

“Dorian, I need a damage report from BS two and three.”

They passed over the enemy. Turrets laid into them at that point, tiny assaults that nevertheless did the trick. Those weren’t powerful enough to bring about a trembling reaction, but they taxed the shields nonetheless. As they reached the other side, Noah’s eyes widened. Three destroyers seemed to be waiting for them, ships that broke from the fighter pursuit.

“What’re they doing there?” Noah asked. “How’d they sneak up?”

“I can’t say,” Dorian said, “but it has something to do with the way the satellites are playing with our sensor equipment.”

“Lay into them, Erica! Hit those guys with everything you’ve got!” Noah knew that messing with the destroyers would give the battleships a chance to turn but he didn’t have a choice. While smaller, those vessels were more than capable of doing some serious damage, especially to the rear.

Noah took a look at the tactical screen again. The battleships were turning around. The destroyers wouldn’t withstand much in the way of an assault. They couldn’t possibly have the defenses to hold up against the main cannons. But their job was to distract, to buy time and they were doing a fabulous job of it.

Meaning we’re about to be hit from the flank, even if we start turning fast.

“Need a hand?” Wilmarth’s voice piped over the comm. “Sorry we’re late.”

“The Gold Empire ships are here!” Dorian shouted. “They’re in position!”

Thank God. Noah let out a sigh. “We need you to immediately flank these battleships! Get in the fight right away!”

“Our fighters are deployed,” Wilmarth replied. “They’re en route to support your other vessels. We’ll be along shortly. Give us… two minutes.”

“We can withstand that.” I hope. Noah watched as the destroyer they focused on burst into a ball of green-white flames. The others were chewed on by the battleships. BS One and Four managed to get turned around. They would not be flanked by the enemy…and might even be able to keep them busy. “Deploy whatever you’ve got, guys. We need time.”

But the ervas fleet would get their shot in.

Spinning seemed like a poor idea. They’d passed the ships to hit them from behind. Their shields remained damaged. No, they needed another tactic altogether. Something to account for the surprise attack by the smaller ships. Noah considered his option for a moment… then made up his mind.

“Erica, drop us down five thousand kilometers while moving forward. We’ll loop around.” Noah got on the comm. “If you’re not spinning charge forward. Go up or down, whatever makes sense based on what can target you. Go fully mobile. I’ll paint some waypoints to keep us from tripping on each other.”

“What’re we doing now?” Nina asked. “Sorry, I was talking to the pilots.”

“Pretending we’re in a fighter,” Noah said. “Hold on tight. This part of the trip won’t be pleasant.” But it may well save our lives. He gripped the chair tightly, prepared for the inevitable crushing force of the swift movement.

***

Sasha ordered the immediate push on the enemy battleships, but he wished they would’ve had an opportunity to evaluate the situation first. The operation