The Black Sheep (A Learning Experience Book 3) by Christopher Nuttall
Authors: Christopher Nuttall
Tags: Science-Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Space Opera, Military, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Genre Fiction, War, first contact, Galactic Empire, Space Fleet, Space Marine
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weapons on Amstar would wipe out their own settlements as well as every other race on the planet. “Can you raise the manned platforms?”
“No, Captain,” Yeller reported. “They’re still spitting missiles at us.”
Hoshiko nodded as something slammed into Fisher’s shields. “Target them too,” she ordered, as the last enemy ship made a suicide run. It didn't get into ramming range before her phasers burned through its shields and ripped it apart. “Try to avoid targeting anything else unless it’s shooting at us.”
“Aye, Captain,” Yeller said. “What about command and control satellites?”
“If they’re helping the Druavroks, take them out,” Hoshiko snapped. “If you think they’re helping the Druavroks, take them out ...”
She broke off and watched as a spread of missiles obliterated a handful of platforms, one by one. The platforms were vulnerable - a single burst of phaser fire would be enough to take them out - but there were too many of them to take them all out quickly. She swore under her breath as a couple of platforms started firing towards the ground, then relaxed slightly as the platforms were blown apart.
“Good thing they don’t have true AI,” Wilde commented. “They could have targeted us as well as the planet at the same time.”
“They must have bought the cheap versions,” Hoshiko agreed. “Or drew them straight from the Tokomak.”
It made sense, she thought, although she’d have to check the records to be sure. The Tokomak hadn't been too keen on the idea of allowing anyone to fire on a planet’s surface and had modified their technology to make it tricky for the platforms to engage both starships and the planet’s surface. It did make a certain kind of sense, she knew; a single missile with an antimatter warhead, or even with a standard nuke, would do one hell of a lot of damage to the planet’s surface. And the platforms were designed to defend the planet, rather than keep the population a prisoner.
“No active PDCs,” Biscoe reported. “I’m picking up a number of military formations on the ground, but nothing that seems capable of posing a threat to anything in orbit.”
Hoshiko nodded and interfaced her mind with the computer datanet once again. The final manned platform was spitting missiles in all directions, but it was old and outdated, ill-prepared for a full-scale attack. She had to admit the Druavroks were stubborn; they knew they were going to lose and yet they were still fighting. Maybe they thought there was no point in trying to surrender. Wilde had been right. The other races on Amstar wouldn't hesitate to take a brutal revenge for attempted genocide.
The ship shuddered one final time as the orbital battle came to an end. Hoshiko checked the live feed from the other eight ships - three had taken minor damage, including Harrington - and then turned her attention to the planet itself. It was definitely an odd world; it looked, very much, as though the Tokomak had been more interested in producing full-sized megacities, each one several times the size of the largest city on Earth, rather than settling the planet as a whole. But there were still a large number of military formations on the surface ... and hundreds of scorch marks where alien settlements had once been.
“Target their formations from orbit and take them out,” she ordered. They weren't too close to non-Druavrok settlements, as far as she could tell. Besides, she had the feeling that giving the aliens a chance to find human shields would be disastrous. Collateral damage was normally unavoidable, particularly when KEWs were dropped on targets from high overhead, but it should be kept as low as possible. “And then try and make contact with the humans on the ground.”
She cursed under her breath as Yeller went to work. Captain Ryman had supplied them with a whole list
“No, Captain,” Yeller reported. “They’re still spitting missiles at us.”
Hoshiko nodded as something slammed into Fisher’s shields. “Target them too,” she ordered, as the last enemy ship made a suicide run. It didn't get into ramming range before her phasers burned through its shields and ripped it apart. “Try to avoid targeting anything else unless it’s shooting at us.”
“Aye, Captain,” Yeller said. “What about command and control satellites?”
“If they’re helping the Druavroks, take them out,” Hoshiko snapped. “If you think they’re helping the Druavroks, take them out ...”
She broke off and watched as a spread of missiles obliterated a handful of platforms, one by one. The platforms were vulnerable - a single burst of phaser fire would be enough to take them out - but there were too many of them to take them all out quickly. She swore under her breath as a couple of platforms started firing towards the ground, then relaxed slightly as the platforms were blown apart.
“Good thing they don’t have true AI,” Wilde commented. “They could have targeted us as well as the planet at the same time.”
“They must have bought the cheap versions,” Hoshiko agreed. “Or drew them straight from the Tokomak.”
It made sense, she thought, although she’d have to check the records to be sure. The Tokomak hadn't been too keen on the idea of allowing anyone to fire on a planet’s surface and had modified their technology to make it tricky for the platforms to engage both starships and the planet’s surface. It did make a certain kind of sense, she knew; a single missile with an antimatter warhead, or even with a standard nuke, would do one hell of a lot of damage to the planet’s surface. And the platforms were designed to defend the planet, rather than keep the population a prisoner.
“No active PDCs,” Biscoe reported. “I’m picking up a number of military formations on the ground, but nothing that seems capable of posing a threat to anything in orbit.”
Hoshiko nodded and interfaced her mind with the computer datanet once again. The final manned platform was spitting missiles in all directions, but it was old and outdated, ill-prepared for a full-scale attack. She had to admit the Druavroks were stubborn; they knew they were going to lose and yet they were still fighting. Maybe they thought there was no point in trying to surrender. Wilde had been right. The other races on Amstar wouldn't hesitate to take a brutal revenge for attempted genocide.
The ship shuddered one final time as the orbital battle came to an end. Hoshiko checked the live feed from the other eight ships - three had taken minor damage, including Harrington - and then turned her attention to the planet itself. It was definitely an odd world; it looked, very much, as though the Tokomak had been more interested in producing full-sized megacities, each one several times the size of the largest city on Earth, rather than settling the planet as a whole. But there were still a large number of military formations on the surface ... and hundreds of scorch marks where alien settlements had once been.
“Target their formations from orbit and take them out,” she ordered. They weren't too close to non-Druavrok settlements, as far as she could tell. Besides, she had the feeling that giving the aliens a chance to find human shields would be disastrous. Collateral damage was normally unavoidable, particularly when KEWs were dropped on targets from high overhead, but it should be kept as low as possible. “And then try and make contact with the humans on the ground.”
She cursed under her breath as Yeller went to work. Captain Ryman had supplied them with a whole list
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