Chapter 23 - Reminiscence and Rocks_Tidal Lock

Nova sat in her Viper in silence while three other fighters drifted alongside hers. Jake and Eckos flew the Rattlers to her left while Alf flew a Viper behind her. The four were tasked with sentry duty, and the maw of Specter Gate stretched below them. Perhaps out of boredom, Ecks was singing over their comms channel.

 <Someday I''ll fly among the stars...>

 Nova glanced at the abyss below them. Nothing in existence rivaled its total blackness, and staring into it was staring at oblivion itself, an oblivion where even light could not escape. Yet somehow, their ships were perfectly capable of diving in and emerging unscathed, a paradox poorly explained by the game''s developers. Her orgmates never realized, but this paradox unsettled Nova.

 <Someday I''ll skip along on Mars...>

 Despite her traversals through hundreds of gates, orbiting a gate gave her the same queasiness as standing at a cliff''s edge. Thankfully, with automated traversal, she could simply look away and let the nav computer to take her through. Only when Nova traversed manually did she truly confront the void, with her every instinct screaming to turn back.

 

 It''s just VR, she reminded herself, forcefully averting her eyes.

 A burst of propellant sent the Rattler before her into a roll. A second burst sent it spinning. <Ecks…> Jake whined, <are you sure those Suns are coming?>

 “Jake,” Nova sighed, “be patient.” And stop wasting your propellant just ''cause you''re bored.

 The Rattler continued tumbling before her eyes. Another jet of hot gas pushed Jake''s craft floating away.<But these systems are still private! We could be here for weeks if the source is wrong!>

 “So… Ecks?” Nova asked. “Can you explain?” She glanced to the other Rattler and leaned back into her stiff seat.

 <Not much to explain,> Ecks said. <The intel is solid, we discussed it at our last org meeting.>

 <Oh, right, I missed it because of work,> Jake said, stabilizing his craft.

 <Actually, there''s more than one piece of evidence,> Eckos said. <A few days ago, the Crimson Suns ambushed the freighter belonging to the Fortune Divers in Van Eyck. An hour later, our source heard from a known Suns member that they stole the nav data to all our private systems. The Divers also confirmed that their pilots slipped up, so we''re certain the data is out there.>

 <How do we know they''re planning an attack?> Jake asked.

 <Wouldn''t you? Their reputation took a beating last time we met. The Suns are probably thinking the only path to redemption is by taking us down. And there''s no better way to do that than to claim our new dominion for themselves. The source also overheard their plans, so we even have the time of their planned departure – which happened to be an hour ago.>

 “So… Just a little longer, Jake,” Nova said.

 <Hey Nova, want to see something longer?> Alf interjected.

 Nova pulled her Viper around and sprayed Alf with plasma.

 <Wait! What!? No warning or lock!?> Alf slid away as the shots splashed off his ship''s shields.

 Friendly fire warnings rang from her console. Alf''s Viper glowed as its shields recharged. Smiling, Nova released the trigger. Thanks for that, Alf.

 <Okay, okay, I''ll wait,> Jake said. <But if that source is wrong, I''m going to splash their ass.>

 <Good luck with that,> Ecks said. <That source happens to be flying the Phantasm today.>

 “Umm…” Nova paused. Sinn declined to mention his source when revealing the Crimson Suns'' invasion plans, but Eckos casually identified that exact person. “Ecks… April is flying the phantasm today…”

 <The fuck!? April? A spy? That seems wrong on so many levels,> Jake said.

 <Sounds like sex on an elevator,> Alf added.

 Nova suppressed a laugh as all their apprehension vanished. Though crass on the surface, Alf always managed to disperse their group''s tension or elevate their moods with perfect timing. She couldn''t tell if these acts were intentional or coincidental, but Nova appreciated it all the same.

 <It''s not what you''re thinking Jake,> Eckos said. <A real world friend of hers is a Suns member, and he didn''t know April joined us. The guy happily revealed everything without anyone asking.>

 <Can''t blame him,> Jake said. <April really doesn''t seem the type to join a combat org like ours.>

 “So anyways…” Nova said, “you guys''re okay with the plan, right?”

 Eckos said, <but I can''t think of anything better.>

 Jake said. <Did we really have to spend five hours yesterday gate diving?>

 <It was the only way to test that ''emergence algorithm'' rumor,> Ecks said. <With Mayto in the org, we would''ve tested it sooner or later.>

 The day prior, Mayto mentioned a rumor that the Black Hole Legion could predict a ship''s exit vector from their system gates. Seeing a chance to even the odds, Aero elected to investigate the possibility, which resulted in thirty-some Wraiths repeatedly diving and traversing through Specter gate for an evening while Mayto, Guinea, and April collected their emergence data.

 “Well… seems like it''ll work out,” Nova said. While imperfect, the Wraiths substantiated the rumor and gained the ability to predict ship emergence vectors up to two minutes following the traversal of two leading craft.

 <Emergence prediction, antimatter rockets, chaff torpedoes, and four lambs for the slaughter,> Alf said. <Knowing Aero, it''ll work somehow.>

 “Umm… Alf? If by ''lambs'' you mean us, you and Ecks''ll be gone before they''re close,” Nova said. “It''s me and Jake that might get splashed in this plan.”

 The Suns far outnumbered the Wraiths, and any head-on encounter would end in the Wraiths'' annihilation. To improve their chances, Aero arranged a trap for the approaching invaders assuming the Wraiths could predict the Sun''s arrival trajectory. Their battle plan, therefore, required at least two Wraiths to transit into Specter minutes before the first Sun ships, a role which fell to Nova''s flight.

 <But why us?> Jake asked. <Not that I mind.>

 <You know why,> Eckos said. <Sinn and Aero picked us since you hate waiting so much.>

 <Seriously!?>

 “Jake…” Nova sighed. Why do you always do that?

 Eckos chuckled. <No Jake, it''s because each of us can dive manually if needed.>

 <Well,> Jake said, <it has been a while since it was just us.>

 <Yup, not since our Cloud Wraith days,> Eckos said, <back when Jake was still our best pilot.>

 “Ecks…” Nova said, “you didn''t have to add that last part…”

 The Cloud Wraiths was the name of their former, four person org. While Eckos was technically the leader, the four had no true hierarchy. Instead, they shared a desire to reach the apex of Parallax PvP, and they honed their skills by attacking anything that moved, regardless of opponent affiliation or numeric disadvantage.

 <Hey, it''s fun to think back,> Eckos said. <Remember when we first met Sinn and rest of Temple Dawn? Both Myles and Aero were still flying fighters back then.>

 <Yeah, I remember,> Alf laughed. <Those two sucked harder than my grandma''s vacuum cleaner.>

 By chance, the four Cloud Wraiths had attacked a merchant convoy escorted by Sinn, Stevie, Myles and Aero of the then Temple Dawn org. To their disappointment, two of the four escort fighters lacked any apparent dogfighting skill. But the result went beyond the Cloud Wraiths'' expectations.

 <Did you forget that we lost that battle?> Jake asked. 

 “No point in thinking that,” Nova said. “Only Aero''d use a freighter to shield the escort fighters. Almost everyone would''ve ignored those two.”

 <The knight used his princess as a shield,> Alf added. <And it worked somehow!>

 <I''m actually glad we lost that one,> Ecks said. <Lots of good things happened after that, and it''s probably the reason we''re following Sinn and Aero today.>

 Following their encounter in combat, Myles reached out to the Cloud Wraiths, and their two orgs worked several jobs and raids in cooperation. Finding that the two groups meshed perfectly, the eight unanimously agreed to an org merger, resulting in the birth of the Temple Wraiths org.

 “Warning,” her Viper''s system chimed. “Unknown contacts approaching.”

 <They''re here,> Ecks said. <Wu-Jian frigates, Duvi and Wasp fighters, Fulcrum bombers… it''s the Suns alright. At their speed, they''ll reach this gate in six to ten minutes.>

 “Okay, stick to the plan,” Nova said. “Alf, dive in three minutes and let everyone know they''re coming.”

 <On it.>

 “Ecks, dive a minute after that.”

 <Roger that.>

 “Jake and I will wait until they reach this gate,” Nova continued. “If they send fighters first, we stall and dive manually at the last minute possible. If not, we dive before their frigates arrive.”

 <Yup. Let''s do this!>

 <hr>

 Aero sat in the command center on Libra station oblivious to the bustle of NPCs around him. Instead, his face rested in his palms, fingers drumming against his forehead, as he listened to the conversation over the org comms.

 <April, are you sure you don''t need Aero on board the Phantasm?> Sinn asked.

 If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.<I''m fine Sinn.>

 <You know that Aero can command just as easily from there as from the station. Right?>

 

 <Hey Aero,> Sinn said. <It would be safer if you were on board the Phantasm too, don''t you think?>

 <For God''s sake Sinn!> April exclaimed. <Are you that afraid that I''d crash this ship or something?>

 Aero sighed, finally breaking his silence. “Seriously, Sinn, you sound like my mother right now. The Phantasm will be fine. April single-handedly ran the ship in our last dominion war already.”

 <What are you talking about?> Sinn asked. <It''s not the ship I''m concerned about.>

 <Wait… Sinn…> April stuttered. <Are you trying to… >

 <Oh crap, was that too obvious?> Sinn asked.

 “Huh?” Aero stood from his chair. “What are you trying to do Sinn? If there''s something–”

 <IT''S NOTHING!> April interrupted.

 Aero jumped and threw off his headset. Ears ringing, he looked up and found over a dozen NPC faces staring back. Then, he realized the headset had hit the radar operator''s console behind him.

 “Is something wrong sir?” the station chief asked.

 “It''s nothing,” Aero said. He strode over and picked up the device. “Carry on.”

 The NPC crew turned back to their duties as Aero put his headset back on. Grumbles and complaints from half the Wraiths poured through the earpiece when Aero reseated it.

 <Sorry everyone… I didn''t mean to shout...>

 <My bad guys,> Sinn added. 

 Why do I want the Suns to show up sooner? Aero collapsed back into his seat.

 He looked up at his holomap, centered on the system''s gate. Prominently displayed were two asteroids, each four hundred meters in diameter, moved into the gate''s orbit by the Fortune Divers. They were made mobile with antimatter rockets and formed the crux of their battle plan. The Phantasm and Libra Station were positioned at opposite sides of the gate, surrounded three dozen green and blue dots, respectively representing Temple Wraiths and Fortune Divers ships. It was the largest force Aero ever had at his disposal, and the first time he had command over another org.

 I should check up on the Divers, Aero thought.

 Aero ordered the comms officer to arrange the contact. Within seconds, Remmy appeared on his screen. <Hi Aero,> he said. <Anything new?>

 “Nothing yet, everything''s set with your ships, right?”

 <Well, some of them still can''t believe they''re participating in a dominion battle.>

 “Will they be okay?” Aero asked.

 <Sure. I never imagined their sim ratings would ever reach this high,> Remmy added. <Nowhere near your standard, of course, but we can manage.>

 “Good to hear,” Aero said. After weeks of drilling and practice under the guidance of Nova and Jake, coupled with more independent practice in sim battles, the Divers'' defense squadron had reached a respectable level. By Nova''s evaluation, their skills were ''above average for a combat org'' and well beyond the standard requisite for prospectors.

 Remmy grinned. <At least, we Fortune Divers know how to defend our gates.>

 “Sir!” the radar operator interrupted. “A ship just emerged from the gate!”

 “Record its exit vector,” Aero commanded. “And watch for a second traversal.”

 “Vector saved. Arriving ship identified as Wraith four.”

 <Looks like it''s time,> Remmy said. <The Fortune Divers are standing by for your orders.>

 <The British are coming! The British are coming!> Alf announced.

 <Well that was really clean for Alf,> April said.

 <Or was it?> Alf asked.

 After a moment of silence, April groaned. <You can''t be serious...>

 Laughter flooded their channels. Chuckling, Aero was forced to silence the group. “Comms, comms. We''ve got work to do everyone.”

 He issued a string of commands and the fleet jumped into action. Fighters organized themselves into their respective flights and frigates began their final preparations. Once Ecks arrived, all allied ships converged on the predicted emergence point. They would constantly shift until the enemy arrived, ensuring the fastest possible response. A minute later, Jake arrived. With him came the total Suns'' fleet strength.

 <They''ve brought forty-five frigates, one-four-four fighters, and six-zero bombers.> Jake announced.

 That''s ten more frigates than we planned for. Aero grimaced. “We have no chance against those full numbers. Kill anything that makes it through the gate as soon as you can.”

 Then, Nova arrived. <They''re thirty seconds behind me.>

 Here goes nothing. Aero stood from his seat. “Chief, deorbit the asteroids. All stations, prepare for combat.”

 To Aero''s dismay, the predicted emergence Suns'' point was out of Libra Station''s weapons range. He would have to shift the battlefield into its proximity at some point. “Guys, you won''t have station support in the beginning. Be careful out there.”

 Sinn''s image popped onto his viewscreen. <Relax Aero, we got this.>

 With a blinding light, antimatter rockets mounted on the two asteroids ignited at full power. On his holomap, the two spheres dropped in succession toward the gate, inching their way to the predicted Suns'' entry point. The seconds crawled by as he waited for the enemy''s arrival. I hope this works...

 The first red dots appeared from the gate. A flight of Duvi fighters, the map displayed. The asteroids still beside their path.

 “All ships! Splash those fighters, now!” Aero commanded. “Save your missiles for any torpedo bombers that make it through.”

 The red on his map vanished with the four Duvis crushed under a maelstrom of plasma. Another eight red dots appeared. Another eight fighters. They avoided the oncoming asteroid. This second group launched a volley of missiles before collapsing. Two blue dots, Divers'' Wasps, vanished as well.

 Teeth clenched, Aero stood and checked the viewscreen. Enemy fighters were sidestepping their trap with ease. Fuck, if this doesn''t work...

 The first frigate emerged from the gate. His first asteroid finally reached its destination. The enemy rolled away, but its thrusters scraped against the rocks. The ship tumbled out of control before the Phantasm''s plasma cannons pierced its half-crushed hull.

 <Yes! It''s working Aero!> On screen, Sinn bubbled with glee. <We can do this!>

 “Stay focused Sinn, their fighters are getting through.”

 Another two frigates emerged. They collided head on, and two fireballs erupted on the asteroid surface. Cries of joy poured through Aero''s headset. Sinn provided his own sound effects with each explosion.

 <BOOM!>

 <Drink of the day – Wu-Jian on the rocks!>

 <I''ll take one with a splash of Fulcrum!>

 <Ka-BOOM!>

 <Damn! We''re getting some fighters too!>

 As the asteroid fell into the gate, dodging became increasingly difficult for the smaller red ships. The first groups slipped by, but soon, even the speediest of ships could not avoid the Wraiths'' trap. Every collision flashed on Aero''s screen to a crescendo of cheers. After a mere ten seconds, the first asteroid plunged into the gate, leaving a cloud of debris in its wake.

 “Keep your eyes open everyone,” Aero said. “You''ll have work soon.”

 Five seconds would elapse before the second asteroid would reach the emergence path – enough for a small fleet to pass in relative safety. Through that window, two frigates, and twelve Duvi fighters traversed. The Wraiths fighters dove toward the gate to intercept the arriving enemies. The two sides exchanged missile and plasma fire, but the Suns forces waned in face of the counterattack.

 <Time for round two!> Sinn exclaimed.

 While the Wraiths engaged with this Suns'' group, their second asteroid sealed the gate emergence path once more with equal performance. April deftly managed any fighters which slipped past their wall of stone. Flowers of flame blossomed on the asteroid''s surface, too numerous for Aero to count. Not a single enemy ship remained in Specter when the second rock disappeared into the void.

 “Chief! Get me a kill count!” Aero commanded. He had no idea how effectively the asteroid drops damaged the enemy fleet. Given their larger than expected numbers, Aero had a greater task than the Wraiths planned for.

 “Sir,” the station chief said. “We''ve sank an estimated twelve frigates, forty-eight fighters, and thirty-four bombers.”

 Great. It''s as if the asteroid drop failed completely according to our plans. Aero cringed. “And our fleet?”

 “Down six Wasps, two Rattlers, and a frigate.”

 Just great.

 The Crimson Suns'' fleet now flooded into Specter system. Each red fighter emptied its missile bays once it entered range. Every frigate and bomber charged toward the Phantasm upon emergence, dropping their payloads before crumbling under fire. His own ships would soon collapse under the onslaught. Aero frowned. His mind raced trying to accommodate the additional ships into his plan. The allied fleet was doomed at this rate. He took a deep breath.

 “All ships, regroup at Libra station. All ships, regroup at Libra station. April! Use six chaff torpedoes to cover the retreat.”

 Their response was instantaneous. Five ships and twenty-five fighters turned about and pulled back at full speed. A wall of silver burst into existence, shielding them from the Crimson tide. A few fighters wandered through the chaff cloud in chase, but these ships splashed in seconds. Evidently, the enemy commander knew when to hold his forces back.

 The metallic fog cleared, and a throng of red dots blanketed the gate''s far side on Aero''s holomap.

 Now the real battle starts.

AliNovel

Chapter 23 - Reminiscence and Rocks