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  “That’s not the problem, Annie.”

  “I know but the rest won’t matter if you can’t get the first part right.” The tiny ship shot in toward the giant ship’s bow and suddenly the blue field around it disappeared. The attack ship arrived five miles in front of the Dreadnaught with its nose pointed perpendicular to the oncoming giant; its entry speed of fifty miles per second immediately took effect as soon and the blue FTL field disappeared and pushed the ship directly vertical above the Dreadnaught. Ten beams fired out of the bow of the ship but arrived after the ship had moved away vertically. Annie turned off the main thrusters and flipped the ship end over end. As the bow lined up with the giant vessel, Sammy fired a salvo of six missiles at the Dreadnaught from the three launchers as it passed below. The attack craft continued to rotate and once the nose was vertical to the giant, the FTL Field activated and it disappeared. The entire attack took less than a half second.

  The six unarmed missiles began hitting the Dreadnaught’s force field, where they were burned out of existence. Tegen looked at his weapon’s officer, “Tell me what just happened!”

  The weapon’s officer was shaking his head, “The Attack Ship came at us head on and was inside our scanner’s range before we could react. It evidently came in using its FTL field at a high speed and the pilot had the ship arrive with its nose pointing above our path. Once the FTL field disappeared, the speed it entered the field sent it moving above us at a high rate of speed. It moved out of the bow blaster’s coverage in less than a hundredth of a second. That’s too fast for us to react, Sir. Once it was above the bow it flipped and fired six missiles at us and then accelerated away FTL. The Blasters on the side of the ship couldn’t redirect to the bow in time to fire on it.”

  “Did we even get a shot off?”

  “The bow blasters fired ten beams and the side array could only get off two; it appears we missed. The blasters defending the sides of our ship redirected but not in time to hit it.”

  Tegen stared at his officer, “Are you telling me that attack craft arrived sideways to us?”

  “Yes, it did.”

  “How did it manage to do that without changing course?”

  “It evidently turned off its thrusters and was coasting inside its FTL field. It arrived perpendicular to our line of travel and once the field was deactivated, its entry speed and direction when it went into the FTL field became the main force acting on it; it sped away above the bow.”

  “Is there any defense against that maneuver?”

  “The only thing that would stop it is to be moving at a much slower speed and constantly changing our course. This can only work when its target is moving on a predictable heading. If we had been changing course at random, that approach would not have worked. It would have appeared inside the coverage of our side blasters.”

  Tegen shook his head and smiled, “Well, they got us this time. Let’s not allow that to happen again.”

  “I’ll do what I can, Sir.”

  ***

  “Sammy, that really was a great flip!”

  “I really didn’t think I could do it fast enough but my new thrusters are remarkable. The small size of our ship is what made it possible. It’s much easier to turn than a Theta. This opens a whole new set of tactics.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We can accelerate in front of a ship or from the rear, deactivate the FTL field, have our original speed take effect, flip, fire, and run. There are numerous permutations of this to work on. Our ship is so small that it’s simple to change direction. We could even appear and bait them to redirect their blasters as we moved into the area vacated and fire on them.”

  Annie thought about it and smiled, “Let’s hope Fleet appreciates what we’ve done.”

  ***

  Two hours later, after Annie was read the riot act for her reckless behavior and threatened with court-marshal if she ever endangered another ship by such foolish stunts again, she decided the lessons learned were still worth it. Fleet wouldn’t care if she endangered an enemy ship. Two hours after that, Ian Montgomery promoted her to Captain and gave her a hundred new Attack Ships to teach the maneuver. She shook her head and Sammy said, “I’m not going to try and figure this out. It doesn’t make sense.”

  Annie smiled, “It makes sense, if you see those actually doing the fighting know what works and what doesn’t. Desk jockeys will never get it.”

  “I suppose.” There was a pause and the computer said, “You have to admit it was really fun doing it.”

  Annie’s smile was huge, “You have no idea how much. What made it the most fun was seeing that Dreadnaught Captain having to congratulate us.”

  “If nothing else, that alone made it worthwhile.”

  Chapter Two

  “Drey, what sort of test processes are you using to select the new pilots for the attack ships?”

  Drey chuckled, “Why do you ask, Ian?”

  “It appears that the one who conducted the initial trial of the new ship was somewhat inventive in her tactics.”

  “Don’t you mean to say she was downright reckless?”

  “That’s a better description…it also appears the other pilots that have been selected are also a bit…uhhhh…”

  “Crazy?”

  Yes, crazy is the right word.”

  “Who would you say is the best pilot we’ve ever seen in the Union?”

  “It was Gary Lungen before he died.”

  “Have you ever looked at Gary’s traffic report?”

  “I can’t say that I remember it.”

  “It was longer than your arm. It was that wackiness that made him so effective and we need that quality in pilots that will fly the attack craft.”

  Ian paused, “Tell me why?”

  “Because they’re expendable and they know it; they’ll be attacking ships a hundred times their size looking for a way to get close enough to attack. They have to have an edge in getting in and they have to think they’re ten feet tall and indestructible.”

  “Sort of like you and Dee.”

  “And Gary.”

  “Are you finding enough qualified pilots to fly the ships?”

  “That’s not been an issue so far; although they are somewhat difficult to control.”

  “That’s not good.”

  “They’re straightening up; I shot one of them in the leg with a blaster for not paying attention to my instructions and all the others have now determined that they need to follow our military protocols; at least when I’m around.”

  “Was that necessary?”

  “His injury will save them. They need to understand discipline and that this is not a game for fun. The instructors tell me things have changed dramatically since that incident.”

  “What did that pilot do to deserve being shot?”

  “He asked who died and left me in charge.”

  Ian stared at Drey on his display, “Are you serious?” Drey nodded. “Didn’t he know who you were?”

  “He did; but it appears my reputation has been forgotten or not known by many of them. Now they know and all their instructors have to do to get them in line is threaten to call me in to discuss their issues.” Drey paused and sighed, “Ian, those pilots will be at their best when flying alone against a target; however, there will come moments where they are going to be ordered to attack in an organized fashion with other ships and they will have to be disciplined enough to do it.”

  “Have you caught any flack for shooting him?”

  “Not really; it appeared the other members of his wing were glad to see him out of the service. He didn’t play well with others.”

  “Moe thinks the invasion will start in less than a year.”

  Drey’s expression changed and he remembered his conversation with Dee’s subconscious, “What makes him think that?”

  “Our probes have seen that the galaxy that sent the original probes to M87 is close to being completed. They’re going to have to go somewhere else once t
heir food supply runs out there. Moe says the probes don’t see many places for them to continue their current attacks. We have some time before that happens but not more than a year.”

  “Do you think they’ll come here first?”

  “Actually, I was going to ask you that same question. Does Dee sense anything?”

  “No, not really; that would make me think they’re going to M87 first.”

  “It does make the most sense they would go there; especially if they think most of the major inhabited planets here have been destroyed.” Ian paused, “We need to know how our ships measure up against their technology.”

  “Are we going to assist M87?”

  “The jury is still out on that one.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know if you’re aware of the most recent discoveries we made about that species, but they have the King and First Councilor really concerned.”

  “What have we learned, Ian?”

  “We’ve sent probes to the other galaxies that had signals beamed to them from the one that will be coming to invade and the magnitude of the invader’s size is scary. It appears the invaders are a space faring civilization with numerous fleets that invade galaxies. Their numbers are in the billions and their main warships are more than two miles long.”

  “Do we have a reading on their beam strength?”

  “We do and it’s not good.”

  “So what’s the plan?”

  “It’s been decided that when they send ships to M87, we’re going to send a couple of the older model Thetas to attack them. We’ll know better where we stand once that happens.”

  “What are you going to be doing in the meantime?”

  “We have to update the old Thetas to the new reactors and get our fleets organized. We’re approaching more than forty million ships and getting them working together is not easy. New ship production is going to slow while we update our existing fleets.”

  “You should use Moe and the Kilper Computer to make that happen in an organized fashion.”

  Ian paused and thought about the suggestion, “I haven’t considered that. That might work. What are you going to do?”

  “Dee and I are going to get the attack ships organized and work on their tactics. Their numbers are going to explode now that the ship has passed its trials; it doesn’t take near as long to build one of those ships as a Theta. We need to find the leaders for the new fleets coming online.”

  “Let’s plan to get together soon. We all need to be on the same page when hostilities start.”

  “I want to know what new developments Euclid had come up with; just let me know and we’ll be there.” Ian nodded and ended the call.

  ***

  Kregen looked at Marissa on his display, “I really wish you had not taken this new assignment.”

  “Kre, you’ve found your place in the Navy. I really think this new ship is a gift from God.”

  “Why?”

  “Because these ships are called Attack Ships and I’m at my best when I’ve been given a target. These are the ones that will go out and pick a fight; you know that’s my nature.”

  Kregen stared at her shaking his head, “Things just won’t be the same without you here.”

  Marissa smiled, “What are you saying?”

  “I’ll miss you.”

  “Come on, Kregen; you know I’m a pain in the neck most of the time.”

  “That might have been true at first, but not anymore. You know we work well together.”

  Marissa stared at the large Kilper Warrior and smiled, “We wouldn’t be together much longer anyway; the new Thetas only require one pilot; we would have been separated.”

  “Is that why you left?”

  Marissa sighed, “That’s part of it.”

  “What’s the other part?”

  “Kregen, you need to find a good Kilper female and have a family.”

  “Are you saying you were starting to have feelings for me?”

  “Just let it go, Kre. We’re where we belong and I know we’ll make a difference in the coming conflict.”

  Kregen stared at her, “What’s your position in the new fleet of attack ships?”

  “Actually, I’ve been promoted from Captain to Rear Admiral. I’ll be taking the first fleet and will work with whoever is given the second and third fleets.”

  “How many ships will you command?”

  “About a hundred thousand initially; that number will grow once the other two fleets are built.”

  “I know you’ll do a great job.”

  “Thanks, Kre. That means a lot.”

  ***

  Marissa spent the next two weeks getting her officers organized and was seeing progress in their working together. She leaned back in her chair and watched as the squadrons went through maneuvers looking for the pilots that possessed enough talent to lead others. “Marissa, I think you need to change my name.”

  “Why is that, Kregen?”

  The computer put an announcement on her screen and she read it. She immediately contacted Kregen, “What is this!?”

  Kregen looked at her and smiled, “You can run but you can’t hide. I’ll not let you get away that easy.”

  “But it says you will be in overall command of the new Attack Fleets.”

  “I was forced to take a promotion to join. It appears the Prince thinks highly of my skills.”

  “Kregen, this is just not going to work.”

  “You really need to look in your heart, Rissa. You are the only one I want in my life and you need to get used to it. Take as much time as you need, but I refuse to let you run from what I know is right.”

  The display went dark and Marissa stared at the dark display for several minutes. She shook her head and smiled, “Your new name is Marty.”

  “New name accepted.”

  “Now find out where Kregen’s located and take me there.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t need as much time as he thinks I do.”

  “I’ve located him.”

  Marissa punched her panel, “Captain Bengel, take command of the fleet and make them do it again. I expect them to get it perfect next time.”

  “Yes Sir. When will you be returning?”

  Marissa smiled, “I’ll let you know.” The small Attack Ship disappeared. Captain Bengel conducted eight new maneuvers before Marissa returned.

  ***

  Drey and Dee sat in a bar on the planet Rigel and watched the attack pilots causing major damage to the establishment. The bar fight had started slowly with two drunk pilots duking it out but soon others piled in. Dee lifted her glass as a pilot flew across their table scattering their meal to the floor. She took a drink as Drey stood and grabbed a pilot, stumbling toward them and guided him in another direction. Rigel was the main liberty planet of the newly formed Attack Fleets and every bar in the commercial area was experiencing the same turmoil. Dee looked at Drey, “Your pilots appear to be somewhat…undisciplined.” Drey nodded and hit a pilot between the eyes as he rushed up to their table. The pilot fell to the floor and Drey sat back down. Dee took another sip and tripped a pilot rushing by their table, “How long are you going to allow this behavior to continue?”

  Drey looked at her and shouted above the turmoil, “They’re just letting off a little steam. It appears the qualities we need in an attack pilot do have some drawbacks in other behavior. Their aggression comes out rather easily.”

  Dee shrugged, “You know they’re going to soil your reputation as being in control of your subordinates. Everyone will say you’re losing your touch.”

  Drey looked at her with a frown, raised his wrist unit, and said, “Do it now.”

  Dee stared at him, “Do what?”

  “I happen to agree with you; this has to be stopped. After all, my reputation must be defended properly.” Dee turned around as she heard a noise at the door of the restaurant.

  Fifty armored Marines entered the bar and lifted their blasters. The high freq
uency hum of the blasters being activated permeated the room and the mayhem ended instantly with the fighting pilots staring down the barrels of the Marines’ blasters. The pilots were marched out of the bar and gathered in the middle of the street. They looked around and saw Attack Pilots were being forced to march out of all the other establishments in the business section and forced to stand together in the middle of the square. It took another fifteen minutes but finally, more than a thousand pilots were rounded up in the center of the street and surrounded by blaster carrying marines. A Marine Colonel entered the bar and went to attention, “Sir, we have them outside.”

  Drey returned the Colonel’s salute as he stood and offered Dee his hand, “Please come with me, Darling.” Dee smiled, picked up her drink, and followed him out the door. The pilots gathered in the middle of the street were extremely nervous. The Marines surrounding them had their blasters energized. They were all trying to determine what was going on when one of them shouted. “It’s the Dark Officer.” Silence descended on them. Even the hundreds of restaurants, saloons, and bars had turned off their music and silence descended around the gathered pilots. They watched Drey exit the bar and leisurely walk out on the elevated front walk way. This was not good! Everyone had heard about his execution of a pilot for insubordination.

  Drey looked at the thousands of pilots and they saw his expression was flat and unemotional. After a long moment, he looked at the Colonel standing at the rear of the gathering and yelled, “If you burn every one of them, how long will it take to clean up the mess?”

  The Colonel paused and yelled back, “About thirty six hours, Sir.”

  Drey nodded slowly. “Couldn’t you do it any faster than that? I don’t want these businesses to suffer loss of income.”

  The Colonel thought about it and shook his head, “Not without calling in another battalion, Sir. Just eliminating the smell will require twenty four hours.”

  Drey nodded slowly and scratched his chin. “How long would it take to get them here?”

  “About ten hours, Sir.”

  The pilots listened to the discussion and felt immense fear. The Marines had their blasters raised and most of them thought they were going to die. Drey looked at the closest pilot to him and said, “Pilot, if I burn every one of you, do you think the others in your fleet might know the behavior you idiots have just been exhibiting here is not acceptable?”