The Cairo Saga, book 4: Operation Chindit
Part 6: First Strike

CNS Spirit Sight
Zenith jump-point
Un-named system
Isle of Skye
Lyran Alliance

"Why is the boss in such a bad mood?" Bradley asked over a table in the small mess hall, "He's been snapping at people all day."

"It was that unplanned hyperspace jump last night." Sinade blushed, "It caught us at an unfortunate moment."

"Coitus interruptus?" Slone asked; her eyebrow raised suggestively.

"In a big way. Add to that he gets jump-sick if he doesn't have time to prepare." Sinade shuddered, "I swear to god that nothing could shock me right now."

"I am two months pregnant." Rebecca sipped her fruit juice, ". It is Roberts and I am keeping it."

"What!" Sinade blinked, shocked by what her best friend had just said, "How?"

"As someone who has two children of her own, you should be at least somewhat aware of how procreation works. Even Trueborn understand the mechanics of it." Rebecca replied sarcastically, "I stopped taking my contraceptive pill after he proposed to me on the way out from Callisto-V: I knew that he wanted to have a family and as a freebirth I have no problem with the concept. I realised I was expecting the day before he was killed. Although we were never officially married, I have taken his name and intend for our child to carry it as well. If it is a boy, I will name it in his honour."

"Well, congratulations." Sinade nodded slowly, "You do realise that we don't have a doctor onboard who's qualified to deliver a baby?"

"Humans have been reproducing successfully for over a million years." Rebecca pointed out, "I am confidant that the two of us can get through this with the proper planning."

"Wait a minuet." Sinade gulped, "What do you mean by 'the two of us'?"

"I think she wants you as her birthing coach." Bradley smiled, "I think it's a good idea: you have been through it twice already…"

Any reply was cut of by the sound of alarms calling everyone to action stations.

"What we got this time?" Cairo sailed through the bridges clamshell doors just moments before they closed.

"Incoming EM signatures." Star-Commodore Leroux called up a star-map on the main holo-tank, "Looks like at lest two JumpShips in the 175,000-ton range. Best estimate is a pair of fully loaded Invaders."

"Any hope that they are friendly?" Cairo asked hopefully

"Neg: there are no reports of any resistance units this far into Word of Blake territory having access to JumpShips." The old Nova Cat pilot shook his head "I have ordered weapons hot."

"I take it there is no way we can jump out?"

"Again, Neg: we need at least 36 more hours to recharge our Lithium-Fusion batteries. Our unexpected escape from that Eagle last night used up all our energy."

"Yeah, about that…" Cairo started, but was interrupted by one of the crewmembers.

"First JumpShip entering system!" The tech at sensor station reported, "Target confirmed as Invader class JumpShip. IFF reads as Word of Blake transport Strength of Conviction. Target confirmed as hostile."

"Stravag!" Leroux hissed, "Weapons free: fire as they bare. Helm; bring us in on a course that will put us between the two ships when the second one appears from hyperspace. Air-Boss: I want all fighters in the air and raining fire 30-seconds ago!"

The bridge descended into what could best be described as organised chaos as the crew hurried to fulfil their captain's orders. Cairo drifted over to the main view screen just in time to see the second JumpShip appear.

A sphere of brilliant white light appeared out of nowhere, churning with unimaginable energy. It grew until it looked like it was going to sallow the entire system, and then disappeared in a flash. Cairo blinked, trying to get rid of the after-image and saw the needle-thin shape of a JumpShip.

"Second target confirmed as Invader class JumpShip." The sensor tech reported above the din, "IFF reads as Word of Blake transport Unending Sermon. Target two is confirmed as hostile."

"Time to weapons range?" Leroux asked no one in particular.

"60-seconds to optimal firing range." The fire-control officer reported, "We are in range for forward Naval Lasers."

"Port laser track Strength of Conviction. Starboard laser to track Unending Sermon. Target engines only."

"Target lock confirmed. Firing port and starboard lasers!"

Beams of emerald energy flashed between the accelerating Corvette and the stationery JumpShip's, slicing through the transports minimal armor like a hot knife through butter. One beam connected with Union class DropShip, and the transport stopped the assault with its own armor.

"In range for forward-arc class-10 Naval Autocannons!" The fire-control officer yelled over the din of whaling alarms and klaxons, "20-seconds to optimum range on main gun."

"Set the 10's to fire on the DropShips as they bare." Leroux was crouched over the holo-tank, "Prepare main gun to fire: one round per JumpShip."

"NAC/10's locking on DropShip. Main gun loaded and preparing to fire!"

The Spirit Sight shook twice as her light NAC's fired at the scattering DropShips. The Union that had been hit by the lasers exploded when one round found the weakened armor and ripped right through, detonating the ships fuel tanks. The blast snapped the back of the Strength of Conviction, destroying its Kearny/Fuchida hyperdrive by shattering the delicate germanium/titanium core.

The huge NAC/40 in the Spirit Sight's nose swung round to face the second transport. The Warship shook violently as the cannon fired, its high-explosive shell covering the distance to the Unending Sermon to quickly for the JumpShip to react.

The round struck the doomed transport just forward of the engineering section, blasting the station keeping drive still furled solar-sail clear of the doomed ship. The damage set off secondary explosions that perpetuated along the length of the ship, finally culminating in the destruction of the command module at the nose.

"Survivors?" Cairo asked, his mouth dry.

"We are reading two DropShips still under power." Leroux looked at one of the side-screens, "A Union and a Gazelle: both sending out distress signals."

"Are there any inhabitable planetoids in this system?"

"Neg."

"Options."

"We can not take on that many prisoners: we have no way to guard them, and even if we did, we lack the supplies to support them. We could drop them off at a nearby planet, Skye is within range, but that would breach our standing orders. The only alternative is…"

"Very well." Cairo nodded, turning pale as he moved towards the hatch, "Do what you must."

"I will." Leroux nodded solemnly, "Fire control, lock lasers onto the Gazelle: firing-point procedure for all available weapons."

Cairo found himself standing in the doorway to the ships mess hall, looking like death warmed up. He could see everyone looking at him, wondering what had happened during the short and rather one-sided battle.

"What happened?" Sinade was the first to pluck up the courage to ask directly.

"We ran into a pair of Word of Blake transports." Cairo replied, unable to meet her gaze, "There were no survivors."

TBC…