Chapter 6 – Go!
Deployment +170 Hours:23 Minutes:07 Seconds (First Lieutenant Banga Mission Clock)/
CMA Argo, Harvest Colony
"Damn it! This better buy us time!"
"It will. I've calculated it."
"Just like you calculated the course back home?"
Jeff shot Brad a heated glance from the NAV chair, but Brad's was far more livid. Maybe Brad could smooth things over as he always did, but the time didn't exist for it right now.
"Massive heat bloom to six' o'clock—some kind of thermal energy weapon," Brahm broadcasted over the comm. "Deploying flare."
"Will we make the asteroid field, Jeff?"
"Yes. I'm positive we will."
"You'd better be right."
"Weapon's velocity is overtaking the Argo's," Brahm shouted. "Recommend evasive maneuvers."
"Prepare emergency dorsal thrusters," Banga ordered Selonke. "Purge on my mark."
"Weapon impact in twenty seconds!"
"Jeff, how long until we reach the asteroid field?"
He looked over with an obvious uneasiness. "Eighteen seconds."
Brad looked away and thought for a few heartbeats. "Sounding collision alarm. All hands: Brace for impact!"
Maybe, just maybe, they could make it to the asteroid belt in time to evade the alien torpedo. And maybe, it wouldn't shatter some asteroids into a million other torpedoes.
Brad looked at the countdown timer :10
"It didn't take the flares. It's still coming."
Brad tried to pay attention to the torpedo gaining on them from the rear, the asteroids looming ahead, and the frantic announcements over the PA.
"Holmes, target all asteroids in our envelope with the auto cannons. Selonke, dodge the larger ones," Brad begged with widened eyes.
Selonke had never seen Brad so scared and desparate. In fact...this was the only time Brad ever was scared. It made him concentrate harder than ever before. Because Brad was the closest friend he ever had and here he was, about to watch it all disappear.
:05
Large objects were suddenly visible in front, barely contrasted against the blackness of space like reapers in the dark. Banga tensed in his chair as they seemed to strike out to the Prow of the Argo. "This is gonna be real close!"
:00
Asteroids in front were blasted apart from the twin 50mm guns, Holmes and the computer targeting algorithms turning them into soaring pebbles. The Argo sailed through it all, a cloud with thousands of tiny rock fragments showering it in a furious barrage. They dimpled and pierced the outer hull, turning it into Swiss cheese. This could actually work, but the real threat was lurking behind. Banga could feel shockwaves penetrate the hull as muffled explosions sounded to the stern.
"Aft cameras!"
The aft view snapped on screen. It was a ruby-red teardrop of molten plasma racing behind him, with static electricity crackling around its edges, and still on target. It looked like a molded, crimson solar flare. It rushed in pursuit, tackling entire asteroids in the Argo's wake as the ship jerked and oscillated left to right. It melted through the rocks like a hot knife through butter. It wasn't slowing down.
"Whoa!!! Sir!!!"
Banga yanked his eyes from the console displaying the rear view and looked squarely into the view port. The stars ahead were gone. A massive asteroid blotted out the fore view.
"Purge! Purge! Purge!"
Selonke slammed the control. The Argo shuddered and jolted downwards with furious force. Banga flew upwards with his seat restraints straining him back into the seated position. He grunted against the inertia pushing him up into his restraint harness as the electronic systems surged out from the explosive shockwave. "Gi-vvve. Hhhhh-Me. Fffffft. Cmmmmras."
The aft view refreshed itself and the asteroid they nearly missed was completely gone—vaporized. Nothing occupied the space where the energy projectile just was.
The Argo's trajectory stabilized. The titanium-A framework and carbon fiber panels settled to their original positions and groaned as the stresses on them resigned.
"All stop!"
"Emergency thrusters depleted. We have reserves," Selonke mustered out of breath.
Brad rubbed a hand over his sore chest. The restraint harness had dug hard into his flight suit and he could feel a tingling all across his chest where the material ground down his skin. "Are we still in the debris field?"
"Affirmative, we should be able to hide here long enough to get a jump back to the Epsilon Eridani system."
"Good. Brahm, monitor for that ship and never stop. Pryor, work on any maintenance issue that needs attending, and Holmes, give me status on ammunition."
"Fifty percent auto cannon ammo."
"Sealing outer bulkheads," Pryor announced. "Hull breaches in C deck, sections one through three. I don't think the debris hit anything vital though, but long-range communications are down."
"Sir, I'm getting nothing out there. I think it's turned back," the comm. officer confirmed. "I'll keep monitoring and I'll get on long-range comm. in the meantime."
"Everyone: I want damage reports around the clock until Selonke can get us out of here."