''They were desperate?''
''And they are still closing.''
''They can't change course that fast this close?'' the Chief of Staff suggested, but there was little force behind his words.
The Admiral frowned; there was something missing. Something he needed to know but had not been told. Had that Longknife girl pulled another trick out of her bag? The destroyer was commanded by a Santiago. Story was the Longknifes and Santiagos went way back. Let's see what happens if we take a shot at killing that Santiago woman. ''The destroyer withheld its fire. Order Revenge, Retribution, and Retaliation to take it on with 18-inch fire as soon as they can steady on course.''
''Aye, sir,'' said the Duty Lieutenant.
''Close with the battleships,'' Kris ordered. ''You can't do anything against their armor, so don't waste a full pulse unless you can fire right up their stern.''
''Don't fire until you're looking up their kilt at their hairy balls,'' Luna chortled. ''Come on, you damn chunk of ice. Quit jigging around and give me a peek.''
Luna and two of her friends now hounded the third battleship in line; Kris kept an eye on the fourth one as Tom danced around it. His efforts to find a way in were hampered by the evasive program that seemed to only let them take one step closer before they dodged and dipped two steps back. But the evasion overrides kept the 5-inchers missing. That was the choice: stay in position for a good shot, or stay alive. No good options.
''Kris, the main battery on the battleships are activating.'' ''What could they be aiming for?'' she asked no one. ''One just fired,'' Penny said. ''It went for the Halsey!'' ''Nelly, look for 18-inch turrets opening on the battleship. Give it a 20 percent pulse.''
''Our battleship's not firing. It's the one up the line.'' ''Change target,'' Kris ordered even as Nelly was saying, ''Changing target,'' and ''Firing Laser One. 20 percent.'' ''Tell me how we did, Penny, Moose.''
''Looks like you got that turret,'' Moose said. ''Bad things are going on inside that ship. Really bad things.''
Captain Luna was getting tired of this June-bugging around. She danced, her battleship did a jig right with her. Nobody stepped on anybody's toes. This was getting boring.
But the next battleship down, the one that belonged to Princess Kris, was not paying all that much attention to what went on around the next boat up. Paying real close attention to what Kris and those with her were doing, but not that much to what the boats hounding its buddy did.
''Seeing how the princess just poached on our boat.'' Luna muttered; she hit the override, squelching evasion, and swung her boat around just as that battleship presented her stern quarter.
Luna mashed the Fire button, sending twin 12-inch lasers up the rear of her target. For a second nothing happened. She frowned.
Beneath her, her boat bucked as a 5-inch laser cut into it. ''Damn,'' Luna growled has she twisted the stick for evasion… nothing happened.
''Looks like we bought it, folks,'' Luna ordered. ''Time to go,'' she said, reaching for the handle on her high-g station that would turn it into a life pod for a few hours.
But her boat still had power, and before it failed, she saw the most lovely sight as her target started to bubble, first at its stern, then amidships, holes opening in its ice as plasma shot out from reactors no longer contained.
''We done did it.'' Luna smiled. Then a 5-inch laser cut through her bridge.
''There she goes,'' Tom said. ''Luna got her.''
''And they got Luna,'' Penny reported.
''Let's get that one,'' Kris said, switching targets to the next battleship up the line.
''We just got dinged,'' Tom reported. ''Nothing we can't handle, but those damn 5-inchers are a pain.''
''Nelly, take out a few secondaries on this one. 10 percent shots if you see a chance.''
''Will do.''
''Let me know if any more of those main turrets are powering up. How's the Halsey doing?''
''Not so good,'' Penny reported.
''Engineering, what can you give me?'' Sandy asked.
''Not much, Skipper. They got our main feed line. I'm sucking reaction mass from the secondary line, and not much of it. 15 percent at max, ma'am.''
''XO, you have the conn. Use what we've got to evade.''
''Aye, ma'am.''
''In a moment, I'm gonna ask you to hold her steady. You ready to do that?''
''If you're finally gonna off-load our pulse lasers at that bastard, you bet, ma'am,'' came back cheerfully.
''Sensors, talk to me. How's the flag doing at recharging his main battery?''
''They ought to be coming up real soon now.''
''Pulse, you got a bead on them?''
''Dialed in, ma'am. At least, as dialed in as I can with us doing all this bouncing.''
''Hold your horses. I'm about to give you a steady shot. You better make it worth our while.'' It would be a him and us situation. The Halsey would get one good shot at him. He would also get one good shot.
''We'll make him regret he ever came here, ma'am. Ever thought the Halsey would be a pushover.''
''Make us proud.''
''They're charged, ma'am.''
''XO, one more dodge, then launch Foxers and hold steady.''
''Bouncing now, ma'am. Steady now.''
''Fire.''
''All pulse lasers firing, ma'am.''
The lights went dark in the Halsey's CIC. ''We're hit aft, ma'am. Engine room's offline. Hit forward, ma'am. Bridge is offline. So are lasers.''
Then a laser cut through the CIC, and Sandy had just enough time to reach for the activation handle on her survival pod.
''The Halsey's off net, Kris,'' Penny said softly.
''But they got the flag. It's really cooking,'' Tom reported.
Two more 18-inch turrets had taken hits while they were open, aiming for the Halsey. The battleship beside them was sparking into space. One of the yachts, freed from chasing the ship Luna had nailed, cut in to slice off two engines. Raw plasma shot into space… and for that moment, as the ship slowed in its evasions, Phil ducked the 106 boat in for a solid shot up its stern. He got it, but the next warship in line got a shot at Phil, and his boat shot away, out of control and spewing life pods as its plasma slowly ate it from the rear.
It was a mêlée of the worst order, with small boats going at the large ships like dogs against bears. The bears were hurting, three of the battleships were now vapor, but there were oh so many dogs down, too. ''Tom, we've got to get the flag.''
''I hear you. Fintch, move us up the line.''
They danced into the fight around the middle surviving ship, dodged several shots from its 5-inchers, took out a turret that offered them a shot, and wound themselves into the battle royal around the flag just as the survivors of Kris's old Division 2 blew out the last battleship in line.
It cost them. Only one, the 108 boat, was still in good shape … and it was about drained dry. ''Rendezvous with a tug that's close at hand if you can,'' Kris ordered. ''Recharge.''
''Kind of makes them a target,'' Tom said
''It's up to the rest of you to keep that other battlewagon too busy to bother the 108,'' Kris said.
They piled in, but one yacht was immediately shot out, and the last runabout died as well. Still, the other hung at it's neck, dogs gnawing at a bleeding bear. The bears were dying, but so many of the dogs were dying with them.
Kris dialed her commlink to a guard channel. ''This is Princess Kristine Longknife, commanding forces defending Wardhaven, calling to those forces that have invaded our orbit and demanded our surrender. You are defeated. Only two of you survive. Are you prepared to surrender?''
''Never,'' the possibly not future governor of Wardhaven said.
''You are still shooting at us,'' the Admiral said, waving the governor to silence. ''Are you offering me a cease-fire?''