The 28th Gate Volume 4

Episode 7-2

Yet still the cruisers continued fighting, providing cover for the battleship as they ducked in and out of range. Escorts are designed to take that kind of a***e and continue the fight, but I worried about how much longer the Celestial would survive once they realized our ancient ship wasn’t as well armed as a third-rate battleship. And there was little I could do in the Dagger to stop those monstrous warships. Besides, one extra fighter in the fray wouldn’t really do much to turn the orbit of the Oversight fighters as they ploughed through our own.

So, I decided I needed to do something more drastic.

“Wing Two, hold where you can,” I said. Then I throttled up the Dagger’s engines and launched myself toward the gate and the Manayan fighter transport.

It spotted me as I came in, but the crew must have assumed I was trying to flee through the gate, since the larger ship moved to intercept me. This only worked to my advantage. By the time they realized I had made them my target, they had already committed. Besides, they probably figured I would be easy prey. Even if fighter transports are lightly armed, they still command more than enough weaponry to defend themselves from the occasional stray fighter.

But then, I wasn’t in a stray fighter.

The Dagger still wasn’t armed with much, just the pulse laser Penjani and the others had strapped to it before I recovered the Essta. But with the right aim, I figured it might be enough to punch through the light armor of the Manayan transport.

“Hunter, what are you doing?” Quatra called as I approached the fighter transport.

“I’m giving the Oversight fleet something else to worry about,” I answered.

I didn’t wait for Quatra’s reply before I started my strafing runs. I started by targeting the transport’s reloading and launch bays, figuring those would be the areas with the least armor, and then I swept in with my accumulated speed as I kicked into an elaborate tumble to avoid the transport’s point defenses.

I was hoping I’d land a few lucky shots and find something explosive to trigger. My hope didn’t work out, but I did manage to score some solid hits in my first pass, and my tumbling technique meant I dodged all the incoming defensive fire.

As I pulled the Dagger around for another pass, I caught a glimpse of the battle behind me, closer to Selma IV. I couldn’t see the details of the ships from that distance, but I could make out the flashes of light from the Celestial firing its main guns, and the flickers of light as those hits landed. Around the flashes and flickers, specks of light glittered in a cloud, presumably marking the fighters engaged between the two major combatants. And a quick glance at my wing’s status indicators assured me most of them were still in the fight.

Then I was around and again headed for the fighter transport.

I can’t really say I had a detailed plan in harassing the transport. I suppose I’d hoped that by drawing attention and putting it under fire, the Oversight fleet would be forced to pull a few fighter squadrons back to support the transport. Of course, now that I’ve thought about it, I’m not sure what I’d have done if they had. I just knew that in most engagements, fighter transports remain untouched, so its crew wouldn’t be as hardened to combat, and I figured it was a critical piece of a small Oversight fleet like the one we faced.

So, I wanted to make them flinch.

What I didn’t expect was that the entire transport would start pulling away from me, headed back toward the gate. For a moment, I thought I’d hit something critical and done more damage than I’d realized. But then I understood.

“Hunter,” Quatra called. “The Oversight fleet is withdrawing!”

The fighter transport was pulling back because the entire fleet was retreating. If they’d commanded the field, I’m sure they would have recovered their fighters first, but when withdrawing, the fighters can make it through the gate on their own. So, the fighter transport would be the first through the gate, while the fighters, escort cruisers, and battleship would be following.

“Hunter! They’re pulling back!” Quatra called again.

Even with the additional prompting, it took another michron before the seriousness of my situation set in. With the Oversight fleet withdrawing, it meant they’d all be passing right through me to get to the gate.

“Get out of there!”

I wheeled my little Dagger and abandoned tumbling altogether, pushing as much speed as I could into my flight away from the gate. Rather than head back toward the Celestial, and the wave of Oversight ships headed my direction, I angled for the gate myself. This meant I had to put up with a few persistent gunners from the Manayan transport, still eager to claim a kill. But I angled my flight so that I soon fell out of their range until the large ship slipped into the gate and vanished. Then I readjusted my course and continued past the gate, hoping to put as much distance between where I would be and where the oncoming Oversight fleet would be departing.

After the Oversight fleet jumped, I started back toward the Celestial. Quatra had Wing Three out again as search and rescue. The fight had been rough, if brief, but we hadn’t lost many in the attack, aside from the devastating losses felt by Greene’s heavy fighters.

I was only partway back to the action when I received a call from Quatra. I braced myself, expecting her to attack me for having gone out alone again. Instead, she had news.

“Hunter,” she said, opting for a visual connection, “I have Gloria on the Q-com. She’s receiving another message with no ID signature. I’m patching it through to you now.”

I nodded.

She gave me an encouraging smile. “We’ll be monitoring you from here.”

The screen went blank for a moment before I saw Gloria’s face. She nodded and the screen when black again. This time, though, the vague outline of figure stood against the dark background.

“Hello, Hunter,” the synthetic voice said. “I’m glad you answered. You’re in quite the predicament, now, aren’t you?”

“Who are you?” I asked, ignoring the figure’s comments.

“That’s not important just yet,” the voice replied. “What is important is that by now your little band has surely experienced the power of an Oversight fleet. The Oversight and Review Board has decided you are a threat. They’ve already shut down your broadcast and are now moving to destroy you. But I can help.”

I narrowed my eyes at the masked face. “We don’t have a fight with Oversight. Fayatt attacked us. Quatra’s working it out now.”

Even in the darkness I could see the figure smile. “Oh, how little you understand. The AAA Corporations want you stopped. Oversight follows their orders. So, you have no choice but to fight Oversight. But I have resources to help you. AAA resources.”

“That’s very generous of you,” I offered as an accusation.

The figure shifted, a shrug perhaps, then said, “I have no need for generosity. Our interests are merely aligned. And by working together, we can accomplish so much.”

I just shook my head. “Not interested,” I said. “I don’t work with cloaked figures. If our interests are aligned, you shouldn’t fear revealing your identity. Otherwise, no deal.”

The figure’s voice darkened, even through the electronic masking. “Do not jump to decisions you will regret. I am offering you a cessation of Oversight’s attacks, of which you have only yet had a taste. Know that I do not offer such friendship lightly, nor do I appreciate when it is rebuked.”

“And I don’t respond to threats,” I growled. Then, louder, “Cut the line, Gloria.” And the screen went blank for a moment before Gloria’s face reappeared. She gave me that look she used when she thought I’d let my temper make a decision for me, and I knew she was right. Even so, I didn’t regret the decision. Something about the entire conversation felt wrong to me.

Quatra appeared on the comms a moment later. She didn’t look pleased. And for once, it wasn’t my fault. “This isn’t good,” she said. “Though, I can’t say I disagree with your decision. I’m not sure we want friends like that. But it does reinforce my concerns about Oversight. Meet me on the bridge once you’re back aboard. We need to make plans.”

Quatra wasn’t on the bridge when I arrived. She’d already gathered her staff for another meeting. She gave me a nod when I entered.

“The news keeps getting worse,” she said to me. Then, to the rest of the room, she continued, “Shortly after the Oversight fleet disengaged, I finally received a response from the Oversight and Review Board. Rather than attempt to relay the meaning, I’ll just play it again for you.” She turned and triggered the replay.

A dark silhouette appeared on the screen, black against a light-gray background with the vibrant emblem of a gate set within a giant O appearing behind. “Representing the Corporate Intergate Commerce Oversight and Review Board, I must inform you that your hostile actions against multiple corporate entities in good standing will not be tolerated. You will vacate any property you have seized and return control of those territories taken back to their rightful owners. If you do not comply with these stipulations, the Corporate Intergate Commerce Oversight and Review Board will be forced to take military action. Furthermore, note that any attempt to impede, restrict, or otherwise interfere with the flow of intergate commerce through or around any gate will result in swift and aggressive retaliation.”

When the playback ended, Quatra turned to us with a sigh of defeat. “We’ve angered Oversight. If they come after us again, there’s nothing we’ll be able to do. It’s time for us to give it up.”

But I shook my head and pointed. “No, this will work in our favor. I know we didn’t expect to draw the attention of Oversight yet, but we always knew that would be a possibility. And now we can say they attacked us, without provocation. Even in their official message to us they didn’t acknowledge that. And with the support of CUMA, we can use that with our public announcement about Civilization. Fayatt’s attack on us is just one more example of why we must begin dismantling the corporate structure. Surely Oversight will understand better than anyone. They might still ask us to disarm, and if they do, we’ll comply. But they’ll have to side with us after we release why we were attacked by Fayatt in the first place.”

But Quatra shook her head. “Hunter, I already have reports that a much larger Oversight fleet is mobilizing. They’re coming for Selma IV and the Celestial first, then they’ll sweep through Selma II.” She stood there for a moment with her fist clenched in frustration. “I don’t know what to do. Oversight is supposed to be the ultimate protective body. But it seems their own fleet broke the rules, and they’re just ignoring it. We tried to go through the right channels, the proper protocols, but it got us nowhere. Oversight’s official stance is that we provoked the attack, that we overstepped the line.” She turned away for a moment, composing herself. When she turned back around she looked very tired. “I’d hoped Oversight would back us if we made a bold move, that they’d have to back us if one of the corporations attacked. But that’s failed. They’re ready to call us outlaws.”

“What about the strange messages Hunter’s been receiving?” Gloria asked. She shot me a shrug. “I know you don’t like dealing with people in the shadows, Hunter, but maybe it’s worth finding out more.”

Quatra nodded with a sigh. “Perhaps. I’m not convinced even that would save us, but if they have access to one of the AAA corporations—one of the senior members of the Oversight and Review Board—it might be enough.”

“We have to try,” Katherine said. “We should make contact again to apologize and ask for their help, or at least find out what they’re offering. But you’re right that we should also make alternative plans. What are our chances against a full Oversight fleet?”

Greene shook his head. “Nominal. The Celestial might hold against portions of the Oversight fleet, but not for very long. And against a full fleet, our forces would quickly be surrounded and overwhelmed. Even planetary defenses are no match for a full fleet. Attempting to stand against such a force is suicide.”

“What if we don’t stand?” Katherine asked in a soft voice. At first, I thought she meant surrender to Oversight and face whatever repercussions we had earned. But Captain Kyrshaw understood what she meant.