Orion Gambit - Traci Ganner series book 2

Orion Gambit - Ch 10

Chapter 10

The Trap Springs

Eleven heavy cruisers arrived from hyperspace and headed purposefully for Regulus B, the type K2 dwarf star in the Leo constellation. Their purpose was clear—to send another message to First Marshal Pearson.

They were not able to deliver their message to Regulus A, because it had a much greater population and a star defense base that would easily destroy several of the cruisers before they could render it impotent. Thus they chose the smaller colony in the Regulus B star system.

As they approached the Regulus colony world of Asperion, they aligned their approach vector for easy access to the largest city on the planet. Braking for a standard orbit above the planetary cityscape, they opened their bay doors and readied to rain nuclear missiles down on their target. This would send a very clear message. They would prove that Admiral Pearson was unable to defend the citizens of the Empire.

As they were about to release their potent weapons on the undefended world, their scanners picked up a disturbing message. A rather large fleet was coming in behind them.

The leader of the raiding party called off the strike and immediately broke orbit and headed deep below the star system elliptical in an effort to find a hyperspace lane.

As the cruiser division began to gain momentum, they realized their mistake. Coming in from the other side was the rest of Third Fleet. This was not a response force—this was the entire order of battle.

The cruisers again changed direction and scattered, hoping to escape the jaws of the vice closing about them. But there was no escape. As the first missiles began to close with the running vessels, they slowed to try to defend. But eleven heavy cruisers are no match for four hundred missiles. They formed up and began to pour defensive fire into the walls of death closing on them from both sides. It was now only a wait to see which missiles would arrive first.

But Mihialovich had trained his captains well. Failure was not an option. One of the ships began to signal for surrender. He even struck his shields in an attempt to show his solidarity.

Seven of the remaining nine ships seemed to come to a desperate decision. They waited until the missiles were within forty thousand kilometers of their position, and then they opened fire on their cowardly fellow with every beam cannon that could be brought to bear in its direction. The resulting explosion as the heavy cruiser Polearm was bombarded with enough energy to melt through its armor and set its hyperspace engines ablaze was eye-watering, so intense that it destroyed every missile incoming from Admiral Charleton’s task group.

Unfortunately, it did nothing to stop the missiles from the rest of Pearson’s fleet. In just under three minutes, all eleven heavy cruisers were dead.

* * *

“Well, sir, that should almost even us up for the losses he caused our picket forces,” Commodore Santos reported. But Scott was now committed; this was only the warm up. Fortunately he had lost no ships in this encounter. But that would soon change. He was about to take his entire fleet into Altair and challenge whatever was waiting. Soon, only he or the duke would be left standing. He was almost beginning to not care which of them it was.

As Third Fleet entered the Altair system, they met only four light cruisers and one battle cruiser.

“Sir, it looks like the duke is deeper into the southern colonies than we thought,” Admiral Pirelli said. “He only has a picket defense force here to guard against our retaliation.”

“Bernard, you aren’t buying that any more than I am,” Scott said with a grin. “No, according to the latest intel, he’s here. But I want to keep the fleet together to find him. If he’s hiding in hyperspace, he should show up once we have moved far enough in-system. If he’s not, then his forces should be hiding near Altair Six. It’s the only gas giant in the system.” Scott thought for a moment. “That’s where I would hide,” he said.