Stand Into Danger: Empire Rising Book 0 by D. J. Holmes
Authors: D. J. Holmes
Tags: Science-Fiction, Space Opera, Military, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Exploration, Space Exploration, Galactic Empire, Space Fleet, Space Marine, Colonization
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same frequency when they were trying to lock onto us. I only managed to confirm they were the same sixty seconds before that second salvo was about to hit us. There was no time to try and explain to Hamilton to get him to switch the frequency of our main radar so I powered up the auxiliary array. I hope that was ok?”
“Ok?” Jonathan said delighted. “Of course it was ok. Well done Lieutenant. You have shown a lot of promise. Your personnel file is going to look a lot more impressive when we get back to Earth.
“Now,” he said turning to address everyone. “Let’s deal with those last two destroyers in orbit around New France and see if we can get in contact with whoever is leading the resistance down there.”
Chapter 5 – Reunion
22 nd September 2439, Aurora system.
Once again Somerville was pacing back and forth on the bridge as Achilles jumped out of shift space into another French system. After taking out the final two Russian destroyers that had been bombarding the colony of New France they had barely slowed down long enough to attack some of the Russian ground forces themselves.
General Ney, commander of the surviving French army units on New France, had contacted Somerville. He had given them all the sensor data he had on the Russian fleet, as well as a situation report to be passed on to the French government. After getting a list of targets Ney wanted hit by Achilles’ last six ground attack missiles, the two men had said their farewells. Neither knew if the other would survive the coming battles but they had each wished the other luck.
Somerville had been shocked as he watched a replay of the initial battle for New France. The Russian fleet had come in and smashed the French fleet in minutes. They had then moved on to the colony’s battlestations and reduced them to space debris almost as quickly.
Their ease of victory was evident in the sensor data. The Russians had constructed a new type of warship. A close up of one of the ships revealed a name in Russian that someone on New France had translated as ‘Behemoth’. The name was fitting. Achilles was one of the largest ships in the Royal Space Navy. She could fire a broadside of eleven missiles. Soon the first two heavy cruisers would be finished and they would take the honor of being the biggest and most heavily armed. The Russian Behemoths would dwarf even those ships.
In the replay of the battle, Jonathan had seen each of them fire thirty missiles in every salvo. The Russians had five of them and alone they could rain one hundred and fifty missiles on their enemy. After reviewing the battle, Somerville had taken a closer look at the ships in the Russian fleet that were guarding the shift passage that led back to Earth. Sure enough, the five Behemoths were there, waiting for any French ships that came to try and help New France.
Jensen had missed them before because they were powered down, conserving fuel. As soon as Achilles used the colony’s gravity to sling shot herself towards the shift passage home, they had powered up and tried to intercept the British ship. Thankfully, the replay of the battle had given Somerville a vital piece of information, the acceleration and top speed of the Behemoths. He had used that data to calculate the best route around them. It had added over six hours to their journey out of the system but it had allowed Achilles and her crew to escape without having to go toe to toe with the monsters.
When the Russians had realized they weren’t going to capture the medium cruiser with their larger ships they had released their smaller light cruisers and destroyers to chase her down. Jensen had used her radar trick on the first missile salvo that had come Achilles way and the return fire had damaged a light cruiser. That had given their pursuers second thoughts and Achilles had escaped unharmed.
Somerville had been reluctant to use the trick again. When they had first
“Ok?” Jonathan said delighted. “Of course it was ok. Well done Lieutenant. You have shown a lot of promise. Your personnel file is going to look a lot more impressive when we get back to Earth.
“Now,” he said turning to address everyone. “Let’s deal with those last two destroyers in orbit around New France and see if we can get in contact with whoever is leading the resistance down there.”
Chapter 5 – Reunion
22 nd September 2439, Aurora system.
Once again Somerville was pacing back and forth on the bridge as Achilles jumped out of shift space into another French system. After taking out the final two Russian destroyers that had been bombarding the colony of New France they had barely slowed down long enough to attack some of the Russian ground forces themselves.
General Ney, commander of the surviving French army units on New France, had contacted Somerville. He had given them all the sensor data he had on the Russian fleet, as well as a situation report to be passed on to the French government. After getting a list of targets Ney wanted hit by Achilles’ last six ground attack missiles, the two men had said their farewells. Neither knew if the other would survive the coming battles but they had each wished the other luck.
Somerville had been shocked as he watched a replay of the initial battle for New France. The Russian fleet had come in and smashed the French fleet in minutes. They had then moved on to the colony’s battlestations and reduced them to space debris almost as quickly.
Their ease of victory was evident in the sensor data. The Russians had constructed a new type of warship. A close up of one of the ships revealed a name in Russian that someone on New France had translated as ‘Behemoth’. The name was fitting. Achilles was one of the largest ships in the Royal Space Navy. She could fire a broadside of eleven missiles. Soon the first two heavy cruisers would be finished and they would take the honor of being the biggest and most heavily armed. The Russian Behemoths would dwarf even those ships.
In the replay of the battle, Jonathan had seen each of them fire thirty missiles in every salvo. The Russians had five of them and alone they could rain one hundred and fifty missiles on their enemy. After reviewing the battle, Somerville had taken a closer look at the ships in the Russian fleet that were guarding the shift passage that led back to Earth. Sure enough, the five Behemoths were there, waiting for any French ships that came to try and help New France.
Jensen had missed them before because they were powered down, conserving fuel. As soon as Achilles used the colony’s gravity to sling shot herself towards the shift passage home, they had powered up and tried to intercept the British ship. Thankfully, the replay of the battle had given Somerville a vital piece of information, the acceleration and top speed of the Behemoths. He had used that data to calculate the best route around them. It had added over six hours to their journey out of the system but it had allowed Achilles and her crew to escape without having to go toe to toe with the monsters.
When the Russians had realized they weren’t going to capture the medium cruiser with their larger ships they had released their smaller light cruisers and destroyers to chase her down. Jensen had used her radar trick on the first missile salvo that had come Achilles way and the return fire had damaged a light cruiser. That had given their pursuers second thoughts and Achilles had escaped unharmed.
Somerville had been reluctant to use the trick again. When they had first
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