The Ascent

Chapter 17

I sat alone in C&C suffering through constant two G acceleration as an irritating trickle of sweat ran down the small of my back. I checked my pressure suit helmet strapped to the side of acceleration couch, ensuring it was properly secured against rapid manuvering and resisted the urge to seal the crash pod. In the event of depressurization it would automatically do that, but as I sat nervously waiting for first contact, there wasn't much for me to do. All the planning had been accomplished beforehand.

"How's it going over there?" Cathrine asked on a private channel.

I tried to sound nonchalant. "Just waiting."

"I know. It's driving me crazy."

I chuckled, testing the com links to my wing for at least the dozenth time.

"Why aren't they going trans-luminal?" Cathrine asked. "The Cacks prefer hit and run tactics."

"I heard a rumor that they've hired a Solarian strategist. It looks like he's enforcing unit discipline. Since the H-drive would normally sever the EPR transceiver links, their use of grav-drive means they plan to use organized fleet-wide tactics."

"This could be a little tough."

I punched up the gravimetric sensors. There was no way our lens formation, as thin as it was, could hold back a properly trained Cack fleet. We would be forced into a conical formation as we plunged into the enemy's formation and, unless we quickly took out Righteous Ruler's flagship at its center, we would ultimately be forced into a defensive sphere as our smaller fleet was surrounded and overwhelmed.

In addition to their numbers, the Cack's grav-drives gave them another advantage. It allowed them to attack at the speed of light without severing their EPR connections. However it made them show

up on the gravimetric sensors like a tight swarm of fast-moving planets. Though the matter-antimatter engines of our own fleet plunged us forward under multiple gravities, we seemed to crawl in comparison.

"I heard Sherman and Shines Like the Sun argued over the fleet formation when they saw Righteous Ruler's fleet," Cathrine said.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Shines Like the Sun wanted to use a conical formation and drive straight for the center of the enemy formation. As he put it, we only have to defeat his brother, not the entire fleet."

"Good point. I take it Sherman was not convinced."

"No, he was afraid the more aggressive formation would be too easily bogged down and overwhelmed."

As we watched the enemy's slow advance, our conversation faded out. Though they approached across the system at light speed, watching them on the gravitic sensors was like watching a time-lapse simulation of two galaxies colliding over the course of billions of years. A message flashed on my monitor and, to my surprise, it was a personal message request from Shines Like the Sun himself. I accepted. "Yes, sir. How may I help you?"

Sunshine listened to the translation click and chitter, then replied. "Contacting Commanders of the winged fleet, I seeking status of readiness."

"All wings report they are ready for combat. Do you have any further instructions for them?"

"Reporting, please, to the crews the oracle saying the futures of our success predominates."

"Yes, sir." The Cacks had three oracles on staff and didn't make a move without consulting at least one of them. They had even asked for my kairogram earlier saying they could combine all such kairograms into a composite represented the fleet. I only hoped it would actually help us.