James nodded. It was unlikely in the extreme that the aliens had managed to put a blocking force together, but he had to admit that they’d managed to surprise human starships as they came out of the tramlines before. If the frigate didn’t return, the whole mission would have to be reconsidered.
“We’re ready, sir,” he said. “Wish them luck from us.”
Ted sucked in a breath, then looked over at Lopez. She looked back at him, sweat shining on her dark forehead. Ted couldn’t blame her. Jumping into an unknown star system had always been tricky, even before the aliens had attacked Vera Cruz… and now, they were using a drive modified using principles humanity didn’t fully understand. His imagination provided far too many ways the experiment could go horribly wrong.
“Order War Hog to jump,” he commanded.
The tramline was a light red on the display, a warning that alien starships could emerge from it at any time. He watched as the frigate crawled towards the tramline, activated her drive and vanished, then waited, silently counting away the seconds. There should be two minutes, minimum, before the ship could return. More, perhaps, if the ship needed to evade incoming fire or adjust her position. If the tramline wasn’t entirely stable, or there had been a fluctuation in the drive, the ship might have been tossed out at speed or on a completely random vector. Or, worst of all, their drive might have burned out, leaving them stranded on the far side of the tramline.
“Two minutes,” Lopez said.
Ted braced himself, knowing that he would have to order a second frigate through the tramline if War Hog didn’t return. He couldn’t risk a larger ship, not even Ark Royal or the two small escort carriers. And what would he do, he asked himself, if they couldn’t get through the tramline or neither of the frigates returned? Go back to Earth with their tails between their legs?
There was a ping from the display. “War Hog has returned, sir,” Lopez said. “She’s undamaged.”
“Good,” Ted said, relieved. If they’d lost the frigate… he pushed the thought aside, annoyed with himself. “Send me a copy of her data.”
He glanced down at his console as the live feed streamed into view. The analysts would go over it in cynical detail, but all that mattered, right now, was that the frigate had made transit safely and that there were no traces of any enemy presence in the system. Nor was there much of anything, he saw; the star seemed to have nothing more than a handful of cosmic dust and debris orbiting at a distance. There were certainly no planets that might have attracted settlers.
“The system appears to be empty,” he said, opening a link to the command network. “However, we will proceed under stealth, on the assumption that the system is picketed, as we head towards the second tramline. Should we detect any traces of alien presence, we will — of course — attempt to avoid contact.”
He paused. “We will proceed through the tramline in the planned order,” he continued. He saw no reason to make any changes, not now. “I will see you on the far side.”
Closing the channel, he looked up at the display. “James, take us through the tramline,” he ordered. “And then prepare to launch starfighters if necessary.”
He settled back in his command chair as the starship advanced towards the tramline. There should be no sense of anything until they actually triggered the drive, yet he was sure he felt something as the carrier crossed the limit and entered the tramline. He looked over at the timer and braced himself, then felt the jump as the carrier hopped from one system to another in a split second. The display blanked, then started to display the take from the passive sensors. As far as they could tell, the fleet was the only intelligent life for light years.
A star system no human has seen before today, Ted thought, awed. It wasn’t an important system, hardly worth the effort of visiting… and yet it was completely new. History probably wouldn’t consider it as important as the first visit to Terra Nova, yet it was something that couldn’t be taken from his crew. He smiled as he considered the other advantages. And it has a tramline that skips past the front lines.
One by one, the fleet passed through the tramline and assembled at the RV point. Ted checked the records carefully, then sighed in relief as it became clear that the entire fleet had passed though safely. He issued a handful of orders, waited for the fleet to shake itself down into a rough formation, then settled back in his command chair. They’d take two days to reach the next tramline, at least on the course he’d preset, but there was no need to speed up. If the aliens were watching the system, they’d be looking for anyone trying to cross the system at speed.
“Take us towards the next tramline,” he ordered. “Alpha crews can rest; Beta crews are to watch for any signs of trouble, any at all.”
“Aye, sir,” Fitzwilliam said. There was a hint of irritation in his tone, a droll reminder that Ted was stepping on his toes. “We’ll get what rest we can, sir.”
Ted looked down at the deck, embarrassed. “Please do,” he said, trying to apologise silently. “And inform me if anything changes.”
Fitzwilliam glanced at his display. “We could detail a frigate to take a look at the asteroids here,” he said, after a moment. “They could play host to an alien settlement.”
“They could,” Ted agreed. There were quite a few human settlements in otherwise useless star systems, settlements established by people who just wanted to be left alone. For all they knew, the aliens had people who felt the same way too. Part of him wanted to check, just to be sure, but there was too high a chance the frigate would be noticed. “But I don’t want to run any risk of detection.”
“Understood,” Fitzwilliam said. He changed the subject, carefully. “Admiral, please make sure you get some rest.”
Ted scowled. He would have preferred never to leave the CIC, at least until they returned to Earth. But he knew it was impossible, no matter what stimulants he took. He’d just grow more and more exhausted until he started snapping at officers, or collapsed or the ship’s doctor relieved him of command.
“I’ll be in my office,” he said. At least he’d had the foresight to have a comfortable bed installed in one corner of the compartment, even if it was a little undignified. “And make sure you get some rest too.”
“I will,” Fitzwilliam promised.
Ted smiled. No doubt Commander Williams would make sure of it.
Chapter Thirteen
“People are getting a little short-tempered, sir,” Rose observed. “The rooks aren’t used to this sort of stress.”
Kurt sighed, inwardly. He rather wished he’d been able to invite Rose alone, rather than Rose and the other Wing Commanders. They could have found their own way to relieve stress. But there had been no real alternative to inviting them all.
“They’ll have to get used to it,” he said. Three months of intensive training wasn’t enough to prepare the rooks for being separated completely from Earth. They’d have enough problems learning to live without the datanet or a few days of leave at Sin City without adding in any others. “We can’t go back just because they feel uncomfortable.”
It was hard to blame them, really, he knew. The fleet was crawling through a system that might — or might not — have a strong alien presence. Not knowing was worse, in a way, than picking up a swarm of incoming alien fighters. The latter, at least, would give them something to hit. Instead, they just had to pray the system was unoccupied and keep practicing every hour they could in the simulators. If nothing else, he had to concede, the rooks had improved remarkably since the Admiral had explained their mission.