Chapter 100

"Retract triple shield, release the "Rivers"; throttles space idle" Clare ordered as Venus masked the USN wall.

The acknowledgements came through.

"Mr Windsor, turn us stern to the wall. Guns, as soon as we clear the planet, missile attack on target one centre line and flagships."

"Turn to engage, aye Ma'am. Helm, pivot the stern seventy three and up nine."

Jane Foster acknowledged as she used the stick to adjust the thrusters.

"Centre line and flagships, aye Ma'am. Transit time will be halved Boss, gravitational effect of the planet, the birds will get a sling. I'll use the Yankees for rebro as the angle from here ain't the greatest"

"Very well Guns. Phip, can you com those clowns and tell them to clear my line of fire. I know they are trying to do the right thing but they are just getting in my way"

"I can be a bit more diplomatic about it, can't I? We shouldn't discourage them."

"Whatever..." Clare waved her hand as Phip moved.

Phip sat at a com with Morg's permission and dialled in her frequency and encryption, selected a tight beam and sent a pulse on the setting indicated by the screen's analysis of the holo.

"Station using this com, identify."

Phip transmitted

"Encrypt alpha nine seven two.Go!"

The voice which responded had metallic overtones,

"Identify"

"Panty Hose, this is Central Halo three; got a message from your merchie, clear the line of fire. Over."

"Halo three, I take it that ramp opening is a missile magazine that we heard rumours about. Over."

"Ain't no rumour, Panty Hose so get out of the way."

"Wilco Halo three."

The RN ships diverged – they weren't going to abandon their charge - and positioned themselves to be able to quickly return.

"Yankees report sixteen DDs moving to intercept us as we come round the planet, Ma'am."

"Very good, EW, designate them three bravo and use the scouts to keep them away from us. Will they interfere with out missile track?"

"Negative, Ma'am; they are angling to intercept about level with the wall."

"Very good, EW.

The holo showed the MCs dropping behind "Sundowner" as they were under reverse thrust and "Sundowner" was still at space idle albeit in a tilt to the track.

"Missiles away, Ma'am."

"Very good, Guns, you might see if the main armament can take out the trailing DDs; I'd rather you didn't hit a scout."

"No, Ma'am. Desleigh, Michelle, use the after gun turrets on target three bravo; Cedric you take the two front squadrons and the girls will take the rear two."

"Suits TJ, onto it."

The frames accelerated around the corner; TJ used the scouts' input to alter their vector and the battle 'puter skewed their tracks toward the unprotected wall. TJ released the missiles from the frames and a perfect storm of missiles manoeuvred to impact upon their designated targets. Every targeted DN became space bunnies.

Someone was not to far away from the ball as the BCs collapsed their shields and began to move to pass through the wall. TJ observed,

"Ma'am, they are moving to get the other side the wall and either deploy shields on the outer side and or engage us."

"My thought exactly, Guns; expedite missile programming and be ready to take them out as they poke their bows through the wall. Mr Windsor, full turn over and reverse thrust to take up the planned position. (Morg acknowledged as Clare continued) EW what's the DD situation."

"Last of them gone now, Ma'am. Nothing left in the trailing squadrons. Five wrecks only from the lead group. No scout casualties."

"Very good, EW. Guns, main armament into the edge of the wall as we go past."

"Edge of wall, aye Ma'am. Ladies (tapping his screen to signal Desleigh and Michelle) targets of opportunity in the edge, select a target and destroy it, then move onto the next, the bigger boys first."

"Clare, Panty Hose asks if he can get some of those guns of yours."

"Tell him when he gets bigger."

"Sundowner" was curving over the wall just as the bows of the BCs began appearing and the nearer ones opened fire with their bow chasers.

"One point fives Ma'am. Wont even warm the shields."

"Very good, Guns. Mr Windsor, ask for their surrender..."

"Aye Ma'am" and selected the guard frequency, and while Morg was setting up the link;

" ... Hold fire with the guns"

Desleigh acknowledged.

"All USN ships, we have you locked in with our missiles, you cannot raise shields. Surrender stat and indicate by strobing running lights. Do not scrub your 'puters and do not in any way sabotage your ships. You have one minute or we continue the action."

"The BCs are still coming through and more of them firing on us."

"Guns, engage target two."

"Target two, aye Ma'am. Missiles away. Transit time four minutes."

"Very good."

"Sundowner" ceased her retro burn and continued ballistically matching velocities with the wall holding over the earth side of the wall and the MCs were doing similarly on the Almond side of the wall.

"Ma'am, scouts' vids show the ships in the wall are bringing their armaments to bear."

"Confirm we are at their extreme energy range."

"Ah, actually, Ma'am, we are outside it."

"Better far than near, EW."

"Second that, Ma'am."

The wall opened fire in an impressive display. TJ had taken the possibility of a bombardment into consideration and he had brought the frames vertically over the BCs and then let them accelerate into the thinner fire of the bow chasers. Enough of the missiles got through to blow the bow off every BC.

"Guns, main armament back on that edge and missiles to destroy the wall from this side."

"Engage target one, aye Ma'am. Main?"

His answer was the crackling thumps of the one point eight rifles commencing firing.

TJ began firing the missile frames held in "Thames'" shields with a minute between salvos allowing the following salvo to remain clear of the exhaust heat of the power plants:

"Outer two rows of the wall targeted, salvo one ... and missiles running...

Next rows targeted, salvo two ... on the way...

Next rows targeted, salvo three ... on the way..."

Salvo one had dispersed and come in from outside the wall's barrage. Most of the ships disintegrated into smoke and transient flame. The others were transformed into lifeless hulks

" ... Salvo four on the way..."

"Strobe lights flashing all over the wall, Ma'am."

Salvo two impacted with the same result.

"Abort strikes Guns" Clare snapped.

TJ did not immediately acknowledge as he bent to his screen and selected the abort tab on each salvo and pressed it – then he acknowledged

"Salvos aborted, Ma'am"

Salvo three had almost impacted when it detonated. Of the thirty of the wall targeted in that salvo only nine survived suffering major damage and heavy casualties. The ships themselves had later to be destroyed.

""Sundowner" This is Admiral Hopper on "Burnside", I am the senior surviving officer. We surrender and request permission to search for survivors."

Morg had used the guard to confirm that every ship had surrendered by strobing the running lights warning that any ship which failed to indicate surrender would be destroyed. The ships of the wall were at least familiar with the accurate fire upon the dispersed BCs and prudently heeded the warning. The surviving ships outside the wall had seen, electronically speaking, the destruction of individual elements of the screen even if the source of the destruction had not been located let alone identified. They too prudently strobed running lights.

Clare's further orders were for the screening elements to close up on that side of the wall, the wall to maintain formation and to continue earthwards at two hundred gravities. Any ship wandering off for any reason would be destroyed no questions asked.

The request to search for survivors was approved but restricted to three hours by four DDs.

"EW, shift the Yankees to positions about the wall and escort each DD with two scouts and drop one momentarily out of stealth from time to time just to let them know they are under escort... (Cedric acknowledged.)

Freighter Control – we are really going to have to come up with a better name – Dorothy, keep "Thames" this side of the wall outside their energy range. Move "Tees" to the other side of the wall and "Tyne" to formate on me. Stay outside enemy energy range. Maintain triple shield. I have Dusty send some HACs as escort... (Dorothy acknowledged.)

Aviation, detail two HACs to escort each Missile Carrier and bring the others back to the roost. Rotate the HACs and use Gennies in the right seat – give them experience and rest the Trainees. (Dusty acknowledged.)

XO, drop us back to trail the wall. You heard about the MCs? Good. Now what can we do about resting the crew. I'll need to keep a full complement in MC control so I can manoeuvre each as needed, that's a deck officer and six. The Daughters, I think, as I'll need Dorothy on the bridge. The bridge, an OW and two seaters, four on Weapons and two on EW...

Before you stand down TJ, as soon as that DD departs those wrecks use two frames from the after tubes and destroy them. They are a menace to navigation but it will also serve to tell that lot that targeting can be individual...

Anything I've forgotten?"

Phip waved a hand to attract attention.

"Ah, yes the Royal Navy. They did think they were protecting "Sundowner", didn't they? Ask them if they'd like to consider shadowing the wall from the lead. And before they start getting overjoyed thinking they get a ship's share of the prize money point out that there were three Missile Carriers, ten HACs, sixteen scouts and "Sundowner" out there in addition to them and that is a thirty second share to each of them... (Clare moved to look at the sidebars on the screen at Weapons) and according to TJ's record, a thirty second share of two twenty four line of battle, thirty two CLs and twenty eight DDs is not petty cash...

As for you, on this bucket it's even shares and with you the ship's complement is sixty five*...

But don't forget, Harold has to get his share up front."

"Captain leaving the bridge."

Phip's services were gratefully accepted even though she had not been on a bridge let alone commanded a ship for several decades. Shirley Wood wasn't given a chance to volunteer, she just got rostered.

The velocity of the combined fleet was increased to three fifty gravs.

"Tees" rolled some frames and these were locked in on the captured ships.

The MCs collapsed the triple shield and went into stealth. The HACs and scouts remained in stealth moving in apparently erratic paths but just to remind the wall they were being watched, the stealth was momentarily dropped.

There was only one incident. TJ had the watch.

""Sundowner", "Burnside", the destroyer "Watson" has lost power and is dropping out of the formation."