The 28th Gate: Volume 6

Episode Seven Before the now defunct corp Enix Fayer dissolved, they manufactured two light autocannon systems, unoriginally named the EF Mark 1 and the EF Mark 2. Though technically portable mountable cannons, the EF Marks are large, bulky guns and require setting up a portable mounting tripod before they can be fired, which really means they aren’t portable enough to be carried and deployed by anything less than a group of three soldiers. But if you need to fortify and hold a temporary position, they are good for it. Once set up, an EF Mark 1 is capable of firing as many as twelve thousand rounds per subchron when fed by an integrated munition crate. The primary difference between the two models is what they fire. The Mark 1 was the original and is still the more common system, designed as an anti-infantry weapon. The Mark 2 was designed around the same core mechanics, but supercharged to chamber larger rounds, making it effective against armored infantry and light vehicles. This means the Mark 2 has a larger barrel and slightly different lines overall. But otherwise, the two look the same. Of course, I only knew about this from stories about the things. I’d never actually seen either an EF Mark 1 or a Mark 2, though I thought I knew enough to identify it if Gloria and I ever came across one during a salvage operation. Granted, in such a case, I also figured it wouldn’t matter if we couldn’t identify which model it was—we’d take it either way. Turns out my assumptions were only partially correct. I am Gerome Wessting Maunhouser, president and CEO of Maunhouser Corporation. And you, Gabriel Maunhouser, are my brother. The words still echoed through my mind, even rotas later. I’m so glad I’ve found you at last, he’d said. Come home, please. Let us end this meaningless war. You might have expected my reaction—raging at the controls and killing the connection, or screaming something like, “I’m no Maunhouser!” But I didn’t. In that moment, I just smiled and calmly turned off the comms. I didn’t even wait for him to finish his explanation about why he was calling, because I was sure it was another cheap ploy. And yet, in the rota since, the words still lingered whenever I didn’t have something else to think about. Of course, after the combined Militia and Oversight fleets had escaped through the Selma II Gate with the refugees from CUMA, we were still being chased by Maunhouser, so I did have plenty else to think about. I was aboard the Endurance, still tethered to the Celestial, when a small fleet came through the gate following us. As the new ships arrived, though, they didn’t look like a corporate fleet. They had the varied shapes and patterns of an Oversight fleet. “This is Fleet Captain Omron representing the Oversight and Review Board Remnant Fleet, please identify yourself,” Omron hailed across an open channel. I didn’t wait for a response before bringing the Endurance’s systems online because I feared I already knew what the answer would be. “Captain Omron? You’re still alive?” The voice from the other end was almost taunting. “In that case I shall take double pleasure in this attack.” “Militia Fleet,” Omron said, switching to a closed channel. “The incoming vessels are no longer Oversight affiliated. They are traitors from the Fifth Fleet. They are Maunhouser now. Treat them as such.” Quatra quickly took over the channel, issuing orders and maneuvering our numbered fleets into position to protect the still unarmed Celestial. The traitorous Fifth Fleet was too small to pose a serious threat to us, which could only mean they were attacking as a stalling action to keep the combined fleet pinned until a larger Maunhouser fleet could arrive. Fortunately for us, they weren’t the only ones interested in a stalling action. “We just have to hold long enough for Zyser to arrive with Fleet Three,” Quatra finished. “So, no one needs to take any unnecessary risks.” There was a bitter and sorrowful note in her order, and I couldn’t help but feel she was experiencing the loss of Captain Kyrshaw all over again. But I had other things to focus on. I disconnected the ARGB and pulled the Endurance away from the Celestial. With Kyrshaw gone, the remaining ships in Fleet Two had been reassigned to the other fleets. So, it wasn’t immediately clear where I should be flying, since Quatra had officially attached me to the Celestial after the battle around Selma III. I wasn’t about to let that stop me from joining the fight, but if I was taking the Endurance up against Oversight fighters, I figured I’d want a copilot. And I knew just who to ask. Technically, she’d been attached to the Diam as support crew when most of the Celestial’s crew had been reassigned to make space for refugees. But after a quick request, Captain Sera agreed to let Penjani fly with me. There were flurries of ships launching from the Diam when I brought the Endurance in, but a moment later I met Penjani at the entrance to the fighter bay. “Hunter? What’s all this about?” she asked. “I just received orders I was needed here.” I gave her a grin. “You still want to fly?” Penjani scowled and gestured to her wheelchair. “I can’t manage a fighter anymore. Not until I can finish my new legs. And probably not even then.” My grin grew wider. “I never said anything about a fighter. I came here for a copilot.” I hooked a thumb over my shoulder pointed to the Endurance. It took a moment for my request to sink in, but when it did, her eyes lit up. She didn’t say a word before she had her chair up into the cargo area of the endurance assault craft, though I did have to help her maneuver into the copilot’s chair in the cockpit. “One subchron,” I said when I heard the other request I’d made of Captain Sera arrive in the fighter bay. “I need to help them get these into the cargo area.” To be fair, that request had taken a bit more convincing of the good captain. When I slid back into my chair a few subchrons later, Penjani gave me a questioning glance. “You’ll see,” I replied with a wicked grin. She just sighed. “Well your ship’s ready for launch whenever you are.” “Excellent,” I said. “And as long as you’re in that seat, this is our ship. Now let’s go make ourselves useful.” We launched from the Diam as soon as we had clearance. I took care of piloting and gave Penjani most of the weapons. I also had her watching the comms as streams of orders for the combined fleets flowed from the Celestial. “Where are we attached?” Penjani asked me, unsure which comm channels she should be listening to. “I don’t know. Does it matter?” “Of course, it matters!” she snapped as she pulled up the fleet orders. “Looks like Quatra pulled you from Fleet Two before Captain Kyrshaw left, so you weren’t reassigned when the rest of Fleet Two was.” “Yeah, I already know that part.” “But I don’t see a listing for you in one of the flights.” “Nope. Which means we can go wherever we like!” I punched the engines up, driving us toward the front. Penjani sighed. “Well, Fleet Captain Omron has the Oversight fighters engaging the enemy fighter squadrons, and there aren’t any torpedo ships in the opposing fleet, so Quatra’s ordering most of the Militia fighter wings forward to engage their interceptor-destroyers and clear lanes for our larger ships to strike their battleships.” “Excellent!” We passed our own destroyers and then dove into the fray, closing on the nearest opposing destroyer. “Start by targeting their point defenses! Without them, they’ll be easy pickings for our heavy fighters!” Penjani opened fire as soon as we were within range, and I have to say she handled the guns well. The Endurance tore through MPD battery after MPD battery as I swept us in and then dipped away again. It was, after all, one of the roles the assault craft had been designed for. “Watch out!” Penjani called. “The Diam is moving into range!” I rolled the Endurance and throttled the engines just as a particle cannon barrage from the Diam tore through the destroyer we’d been targeting. But the cruiser behind it only took a glancing blow before returning fire, and the closest enemy battleship launched a series of torpedoes from well outside of normal range. “It’s no good,” Penjani said. “The cruiser is screening the battleship. And it looks like those torpedoes were modified for ranges beyond Oversight specifications. The Diam can’t get a shot at the battleship until the cruiser is down.” “Then we have our next target!” Penjani shot me a skeptical glance. “You want to take an endurance assault craft against a cruiser?” “Wouldn’t be the first time,” I countered. “But at Selma III you were flying with an entire assault wing! This time most of our fighters can’t get past the interceptor-destroyers. We’ll be lucky to make a single run, and it’ll be solo!” I flashed her a grin. “Yeah, but we’ll have my little surprise in the back. Just get ready to open the cargo area when I tell you to.” Penjani groaned but turned back to the weapons. “I should have stayed on the Diam,” she muttered. “Should we at least wait until one of the other assault wings makes a run?” “We could wait for them to make a hole,” I replied. “But I don’t see time being on our side. Better to find an opening ourselves.” I pitched the Endurance into a roll to dodge incoming fire, and Penjnai grabbed the console in front of us with a gasp. But she didn’t stop firing. “There!” Penjani shouted, pointing to a space between two destroyers as one advanced and the other repositioned to present a less damaged portion of its hull. “That’s your hole! Take it before they close ranks again!” The Endurance dove at my command, slipping through the firing arcs of the two larger vessels. As we passed, Penjani unleashed a barrage of missiles that streaked off in different directions offering both offensive punch and a nice distraction for any of the point defenses those ships might have been tracking us. A moment later we were through, heading straight for the nearby cruiser. “Hunter, I don’t understand what you think this will—” “Get ready to open the cargo bay!” “But we’re almost in range of their—” “Open the bay!” I shouted even as I kicked the Endurance around on its axis, throwing the cargo area’s rear door toward the cruiser and hitting the engines hard. “Torpedoes away!” I roared with triumph. Then I pitched the Endurance into a tumble even as the torpedoes from the cargo area careened toward the cruiser. Since I hadn’t used a proper launcher, they didn’t activate their engines or targeting systems, but we’d been traveling fast enough and close enough they didn’t need active targeting systems. Few people expect an assault craft to be carrying anything as large as a torpedo, let alone four of them. By the time the cruiser’s gunners started targeting them, they were too late. The gunnery crews only managed to intercept one of the torpedoes before the other three collided with the hull of the cruiser, tearing through layers of armor and decking until they left the ship drifting with a colossal void in its side. And with the strike, we opened a hole for our own battleships to advance, which quickly broke the line of the destroyers before them with concentrated particle cannon fire. And if that hadn’t been enough, Penjani had more good news to share. “Fleet Three is here!” she shouted, throwing her arms into the air for a brief moment of exultation. “They’re joining from Maunhouser’s flank!” I spared a quick glance toward the beautiful scene of a friendly fleet streaming in to join the battle. “It’s about time they showed up,” I added with a grin. “Zyser would have been sad if he’d missed the fight.” Even as I said it, I spotted the orange and gray patterning of the ZYR battleship at the core of Fleet Three. Arrayed around it were dozens of other ships, many representing other corporations that had joined us after Zyser’s persuasive urgings. “This shouldn’t take long now.” “You’re right,” Penjani replied. “The Maunhouser fleet is already pulling back. They’re making for the gate.” I pitched the Endurance forward, sweeping past a retreating destroyer, and then a brilliance light from the gate itself tore my attention away. More ship were arriving. “Penjani, whose are those? We have more ships inbound through the gate!” At first, I only saw a couple of small support craft, and for a moment I feared the huge Maunhouser fleet that had been chasing us in the Selma system might have finally caught up, but then a large, distance raider appeared.