"Battle for Midnight Ch 2" by Bjørn Tore Lædre

A free floating signal array in an un-colonized system, that didn’t make sense to Fleet Admiral Olsen. Not unless the enemy had laid it out for us to find.
‘’Nelson, what was the reason the patrol included the Midnight system?’’ asked Nandi
‘’The last recon vessel detected unknown signals. We’re here to investigate it’’ the shipboard AI Nelson answered.
Why the hell would the high command send an entire battle force for that? Someone knew the important nature of the signal in itself. Who, that didn’t matter at the moment. In any case they would pay for not informing her of it. She never let herself be made fun of, by anyone.
‘’Send the Lightning strike, Speed Demon and Ultrasonic round the sun to recon the assembly point, ma’me’’ suggested Captain Sadowski. She nodded. The speed ability of those tree ships was quite respectable. They have about double the speed of the rest of the human fleet. Only the fastest fighter craft can outrun them on sett distances.Reality drew her back to the moment. Several Saturn V missiles were only ten seconds away.
‘’Evasive action! Now!’’ shouted Nandi, and waited for the maneuvering thrusters to fire up. When they finally did ignite, the entire ship shot several hundred meters to starboard in the time it took the missiles to harmlessly past by.
‘’Bomber leader reports, all BB Saturn V launchers are out of action’’ informed the junior communication officer. Good, that is one thing at least, thought Nandi and looked closer still at the hologram.
‘’Ma’me, marines rapport boarders near the main reactor! Defense is holding, but they’re not capable to drive them back. New information coming in…. A small detachment is heading for the bridge. The marines are unable to prevent them’’ called someone out.
‘’Activate bridge defense grid. Call up marines from the bow to reinforce the Bridge’’ ordered Nandi. The crew responded instantly to the orders. Three or four sailors raced past the Admiral to activate the bridge Gatling guns. Outside the blast doors that separated the bridge from the rest of the ship marines started assembling. Each steel beam that protruded from the bulkhead had at least one defender. Their SMGs and Assault Rifles pointed down the corridor. On the first sign of hostiles they fired. The muffled sounds of lasers incoming and projectiles going out drew Nandi’s attention for a second, then.

‘’Target Foxtrot-tree and fire batteries E to H, hold the Nuclear missiles’’ ordered Nandi.
‘’Madam Admiral, there is a problem with the Hurricane guide system. We’re not able to target the enemy. Basically, our high-tech missiles are no more than rockets now. We need a clear shot to hit them, not unlike the enemy’s Super CL Cannons’’ said Nelson.
‘’Can you fix it within the next thirty minutes?’’ asked Nandi. She knew the answer; the AI wouldn’t give her tips on the tactical use of the “Rockets” if the problem was easily fixed. Therefore she just nodded, and thought.
‘’Navigation, give me a collision course on target Foxtrot-tree. Weapons ready batteries E to H, still hold the Nukes’’ ordered Nandi.
‘’Ma’me?’’ the navigation officers stood up and stared at her. She didn’t have the time to explain so she rushed to the Navigation consol and tapped in the course. The ships maneuvering thrusters reacted precisely to her commands.
‘’Systems, give me everything you got from the main propulsion engines’’ she commanded, and shifted her gaze between the Navigation consol and the tactical hologram.
‘’Aye, ma’me! Setting main propulsion to hundred per cent capacity now’’ a systems officer responded.
‘’Nelson, tactical evaluation of my current actions’’ said Nandi, and moved from main navigation to maneuvering control.
‘’Playing chicken is not often a tactical masterpiece. But if they flinch, which is a slim assumption. We have the best maneuvering ability and will therefore have a point blank shot at target Foxtrot-tree. I would not have taken these actions if I was you, Madam Admiral’’ answered Nelson.
‘’Well I did ask for it’’ she said in a low voice.
At the top speed the human Battleship could obtain she neared each second to the alien Battleship. Like beasts that stare at each other before the leap, studying every move from its adversary. Trying to find weakness in the adversary’s armor.
The Battle was in its twenty-fifth minute. Space was a mass of lasers and missile streaks crisscrossing paths of infinities in to the darkness in the distance. Only the human holograms made sense of it. Tracking every hostile energy projectile, finding its intended targets.
‘’Here it comes’’ whispered the Fleet Admiral. She waited the target was thirty seconds out, then as fast as her finger could move she tapped on the delayed action button. And then she activated every maneuvering thruster that would help in the maneuver she wanted.
‘’Foxtrot-tree is turning at two degrees per second to port, ma’me!’’ reported Captain Sadowski.
‘’If we do not change our course then collision is unavoidable, Madam Admiral’’ informed Nelson.
‘’Navigation give me a course correction of two degrees per second to port’’ she ordered.
That would give the two ships enough room to give the human ship an advantage. The knowledge Nandi had about the alien ships made that clear. But she had been surprised before. Take nothing for granted, she reminded herself.
The ships starting passing each other at a kilometers distance. A near accident it would be called in the civilian fleet. The massive bulk of the enemy shielded Tellus from midnight’s sun. What had seemed like a partly gloving ship now turned to a black mass in space.
When the alien ships forward batteries had been passed Nandi decided to activate the delayed action. She pressed the button.

‘’Main propulsion all reverse’’ ordered Nandi. The effect of the delayed action had already started taking effect. Slowly the Tellus started to turn starboard. Like a skid in a car, she had in effect pulled the ships hand break.
‘’Reversing, ma’me’’ confirmed a system officer.
‘’Nelson, take the helm. Give me the best firing solution on their bridge if you can’’ said Nandi.
‘’Aye, Madam Admiral. Correcting roll. Fire when ready’’ said Nelson.
But she didn’t get the time to give the order. In an instant the alien battleship melted away under the fire from a Super CL Cannon. The problem with this little surprise was that the entire Battleship got engulfed in the energy projectile. All fifteen hundred meters of alien battle plate, reactor and weapon systems melted away before the human’s eyes.
‘’That is a new weapon, ma’me’’ stated a startled officer.
‘’Confirmed, lieutenant. It has the energy output of at least eight Super CL cannons. It doesn’t need to hit the Tellus to destroy her completely’’ informed Nelson.
Nandi keyed the main communication channel.
‘’Admiral Olsen to all ships; Codeword: Dunkirk’’