"Battle for Midnight Ch 1" by Bjørn Tore Lædre

The ship was extremely quiet at this point. It had moments before come out of so-called “Rift Space.”In that state it had been since it left the solar system two months earlier. And for the ships commanding officer Rift Travel was a pain in the ass. And cryogenic sleep was the cause of this resentment.
Fleet Admiral Nandi Olsen is the youngest of that title in the ESFMs history. That in itself was a point of resentment for many of the junior officers. But the fact that made this worse was that the Fleet Admiral was a female. It is one of many problems she had to face when she toke command of the ESFM Tellus . The ship is the first of her class, and powerful. The enemy of the United Earth government has, to the best of the fleet’s knowledge, not a ship in its service to challenge her. This was a comfort for Nandi, but only a little comfort. You should not be complacent when it concerns the enemy, had her mother thought her.
You may find this funny but Admiral Olsen’s father wasn’t the one to push her in to military service. But her mother General Caroline Olsen, commander of a special division of marines, known as Black Sword.
Suddenly a light appeared in the middle of the bridge. A moment earlier that space had been occupied by the tactical hologram. Now a man in an old uniform “stood” there. He lacked an eye and an arm, the uniform was of a Napoleonic era British Admiral uniform.

‘’What do you see, Nelson?’’ asked Nandi. The man toke an old monocular too his good eye and scanned an imaginary horizon. Before replying.

‘’Long range sensors is picking up Rift Space openings near the Midnight sun. I suggest elevating readiness from yellow to orange, Madame Admiral.’’ The hologram waited for an answer from Nandi. As you may have picked up by now this isn’t a real person. Nelson is a projected image of the shipboard AI. Its job is to ensure that the ship is operating at the best capacity. By some reason the programmer had chosen the reported personality and image of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar.

‘’Very well Captain Sadowski sett readiness to Orange. Signal the fleet, prepare to form battle formation’’ said Nandi and watched the tactical hologram closely. If the enemy chose to appear in orbit round the sun they could take the advantage. The suns gravity well can be used in slingshot maneuvers.
Nandi’s fleet where pretty much in the middle of the system. An asteroid field was basically the only thing that would impede their travel distance. She might use it. At the same time she would hold her options open. Like every other good commander, on every other battlefield throughout history.

‘’System, give me rapports at five minute intervals. And get tree fighter squadrons on CAP, at all times, if you please’’ ordered Nandi.
‘’Aye, ma’me’’ the system officer and the communication replied at about the same time. Her Task Force consisted of nineteen ships. Mostly Winthers class Frigates, proved in battles in the safety systems for the most part. The twelve frigates have experienced crews and an arsenal of missiles, ranging from the TH to Hellfire. Both are old missile systems but at least they work without problems.Witch was more than Nandi could say about the new Hurricane missiles the Tellus is equipped with. Hurricane missiles can be configured as one or two stagers, with the added problem of having four types of warheads. The standard high explosive and the not so standard fuel\air warheads are used for attacking small to medium warships. While the Neutron and Atomic warheads can be used against multiple targets.

‘’Is that what I think it is, Nelson?’’ asked Nandi. Multiple dotes had appeared at the anticipated coordinates. And more in the few seconds it had taken to say those eight words
‘’Correct, madam Admiral. It is a small enemy Task Force, I’d say four CVs strong’’ the AI confirmed. Four Carriers meant two Battleships each and the escort on top of that the total goes up to eighty Cruisers and Destroyers, in short ninety-two enemy warships in a small Task Force.
‘’Okay, weapons designate main targets as Delta, Echo, Foxtrot and Golf. Communication, signal a twin line battle formation to the fleet and signal battle stations. Navigation, give me a direct course for target Golf-two. Get to it people’’ ordered Nandi. She didn’t wait for the enemy to make the first move, but took on the nearest Battleship. If the enemy vessel knew what’s best for it, it will target the Tellus first. That could be a mistake for both ships, thought Nandi. The enemy ships main armament consisted of twin Super Chemical Laser Cannon, which would cut the human battleship in half if struck. Off course in order to sight the Super CL cannons the whole vessel would have to be pointed directly at its intended target.

‘’Navigation, distance to targets?’’ the Fleet Admiral asked.
‘’Hundred thousand km distance to target Golf-two. Five minutes to battle range’’ replied the navigation officer.
‘’Hostile air wings is incoming. Heavy bombers with fighter escort. Large boarding craft a minute behind them’’ the systems officer informed the bridge crew.
‘’Launching all fighter squadrons. Green and White squadrons are engaging now’’ the junior communication officer responded.The Tactical hologram zoomed in on the fighter melee. White and Green where totally outnumber, every missile they had in their weapon bays went in to ballistic mode the second they had the range to hit.
First line of defense is in engagement, went through Nandi’s head. That means that there are only the Hellfire missiles and the TAG cannons before the titanium battle plate gets its first test. Let us hope it doesn’t go that far, wished the Fleet Admiral.

‘’Enemy Super Cannons are powering up at maximum capacity. First enemy ship is in within firing range of our lead ships’’ notified a junior systems officer.
‘’Weapons, lock on to targets Golf-one and Golf-two. Ready Hurricane battery A to D. Have G to H stand ready with one Nuclear warhead each’’ ordered Nandi. While she was saying it she took deep breaths, so deep that she could feel physical pain in both her breasts. Her uniform was so tight that she tough it would rip. But it held, and she started relaxing again. This was part of her battle preparation. Your mind must be in the game at all times, her first commanding officer had told her many battles ago. He had died in the first battle Nandi took part in.

‘’Navigation, give me random evasive maneuvers till we’re in firing range’’ ordered Nandi. She had started pacing round the tactical hologram. Every movement in space got mimicked by the hologram, by means of the sensor array. Small course changes happened at thirty second intervals, as random as possible at least.
Then a bright laser cut trough space at the speed of light. The massive Cannon onboard Delta-one had fired strait at the center of the fleet. The only thing that gave it a small chance of impacting was the ordered lines the human ships used. The targets seemed small to the enemy’s targeting ability.
The laser missed by about hundred meters on the frigate War Devil, that ship had sentimental value to Nandi.

‘’Firing distance in tree two, ready to fire, Admiral!’’
‘’Fire Battery A to D….’’ the sentence got interrupted by shaking from the ship.
‘’Systems, rapport’’ the Admiral demanded.
‘’Enemy bombers hit the starboard firing station. Hull plate at seventy per cent’’ reported the systems officer.
‘’Firing Hurricane battery A to D at target Golf-two, now’’ got announced from the weapons station. Muffled sounds of missile engines echoed thru the ship as eighty of them left their respective firing tubes. Vapor trails on the hologram confirmed that not only had Tellus fired, but at least seven other ships also.
While the human Battleship maneuvered out of the enemy’s line of fire, hundreds of Hurricane and TH missiles impacted. Against the enemy’s battle plate each ballistic projectile detonated. Space around the enemy vessel turned brightly yellow for a few seconds. Pieces of armor plating, equipment and body’s of the insect like enemy drifted free thru space. How long they would float like this, Nandi could only imagine.

‘’Madam Admiral, the enemy battle ships are preparing Saturn V missiles. They will be ready in sixty seconds’’ the information came from an invisible Nelson. The speakers were fuzzy but easily understandable.
‘’Give me the status on Golf-two’s damages?’’ asked Nandi.
‘’Propulsion and secondary armaments are out of action. Primary still operational’’ reported the Sensor Officer. In other words, unless a ship strays right in front of the Super CL Cannon, it couldn’t in the world hit its target.
‘’Launch our Bombers. Targets are the BB’s Saturn V launchers. Will they reach it?’’ asked and ordered the Fleet Admiral.
‘’Bombers are launching. Now! They’ll get the second wave, ma’me’’ a junior communications officer answered.

Only the second wave, the first could take out the entire Tellus on its own. The Saturn V’s engines light up and after a few moments of anticipation they launched.
‘’Stand by to maneuver!’’ shouted Nandi. A silent answer in from of a nod came from the Navigation Officer. Again she held her breath, this is going to be a close one, she concluded.
‘’CVs and half the Cruisers are retreating towards this point, Madam Admiral’’ said Nelson and appeared inside the tactical hologram. His small figure pointed toward a small signal array.