Read Scourge: Book Two of the Starcrown Chronicles Page 45

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  “Flight deck reports that the last fighter is back aboard, sir,” the comm officer said. “Crash teams are standing down. Lt. Herrick was able to bring in her ship without incident. She’s reported to be in good shape, although the flight mechanic says her ship is a write off.”

  Of the nine ships in Alpha squadron, only two had made it back to the Gulliver. Both fighters had taken damage when ships close to them had exploded. Ironically, it had been the explosions of those ships that had saved them. The force of the blasts had pushed their fighters out of the firing range of the defensive batteries surrounding the entrance to the hidden stronghold. Lt. JG Sanders, squadron designation Alpha seven, had lost one of his lateral stabilizers but had taken no other damage aside from some superficial scorching. He had been able to bring his fighter back with little difficulty.

  Alpha three had been a different matter. Lt. Herrick’s fighter had been peppered by debris from the explosion of Captain Kirov’s ship. Several pieces from his ship had torn through the fuselage of her fighter knocking out one of her engines and destroying two thirds of her instruments. The cockpit had depressurized instantly but her flight suit had kept her alive. Miraculously none of the debris had struck her, even though one piece had come within centimeters of her head.

  But the damage to her fighter had been severe. The single remaining engine could only generate half its normal thrust and was subject to sudden, unexpected flare outs. The flight controls were stiff and sluggish and the navigational shields had failed, exposing the ship to the damaging effects of repeated micrometeoroid collisions. By the time she returned to the carrier her once smooth and shiny craft had the deeply pitted and abraded appearance of something that had been subjected to the fierce ravaging of a sand storm. It had taken every bit of her piloting skill to bring the crippled fighter back to the carrier while keeping out of range of the pirates’ guns. However she had made it back to the Gulliver alive, after which Admiral Saha ordered the flight deck secured. Fighters would no longer figure in their assault on the pirate stronghold.

  Once the surviving pilots were safely aboard, Admiral Saha settled himself at his board and studied the tactical display he had called up. The battle group had completed the nova formation and was awaiting his orders. With the enormous particle cannons guarding the entrance to the stronghold they could not go in after the pirates. They would have to drive them out.

  While the ships under his command carried a number of weapons that could tear through even the kilometers of rock protecting the pirate base, his first priority was to ensure that the King was safe. But that didn’t mean he had to sit on his hands and do nothing.

  “Captain Rogers, signal the rest of the battle group to prepare to fire on the pirate asteroid. Bombardment is to be limited to blasters and tier 3 level missiles and down. I want to shake their tree without causing any major damage … for now. If we can make them think we’re going to come blasting through the body of the asteroid to get at them maybe we can scare them into making a run for it. And be sure to repeat my standing orders not to fire on any ship without my express permission, even if one of our own ships is taking fire.”

  “Aye, Admiral,” Captain Rogers said before he turned to his console.

  As the captain relayed his orders to the rest of the battle group, Admiral Saha prepared himself for the upcoming engagement. One way or another, he was determined to see that this pirate business was brought to an end, once and for all.