Rings of Havoc: HAVOC REIGNS, #3

By J. Scott Nelson

Naval security crippled Sparrowhawk, trying to limit Willa’s influence. Now she’s aboard the experimental ship and under attack. Her hail Mary repair, gets her out of the frying pan. But the fire’s hotter and her desperate repair caused even more damage. Damage that may be beyond even her ability to repair.
Tasked with rescuing Willa, Garner can’t directly confront their unknown enemy and the only indication of Willa’s location is the enemies stronghold. Taking the fleet to Jupiter to both protect operations there, and get closer to Willa’s possible location. He’s still light hours away from where Willa and Sparrowhawk might be. The enemy doesn’t cooperate and launches a full scale attack on Earth’s operations in the Jupiter system.
Two bioengineered alien hybrid super soldiers are loyal to Abernathy. Eight survived and Abernathy must confront thirty years of fear to seek out the rest of them. Each has the potential of dominating or destroying humanity. The others though, might be controlled by the enemy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Scott Nelson
• Release date: Aug 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9780990362227

Book preview

In some ways writing the third book was much more difficult than the first two. At the same time, most of the things that made the first two hard, had been solved by the time I got to book three. I think it was the distractions of solving the problems with books one and two. I’d still like to thank all the writers and podcasters who helped by answering my dumb questions. See the dedication in Havoc Canyon for the full list of those people, I won’t repeat it here.

In the third book the issues were more about staying focused on the project and in the story. This time I had an editor working on it with me, which taught me more than I really want to admit. My lovely wife Marquita is my editor. I know she showed tremendous restraint to keep her criticism related to grammar and readability. I can’t express how much she contributed to the finished product. Now she’s edited the first two and I have re-release them. Don’t worry if you already have them they will update the old version to the new. At least that’s what I understand.

Marq, I know you are tired of telling me to put a question mark instead of a period at the end of a question. Just know it is totally muscle memory. I know better. I’m trying to catch them. I’m just thankful I have you to catch them for me.

Many people have been encouraging and supportive of my efforts. I would like to thank you all, I simply don’t have the ability to make that kind of list.

Scott

Naval security crippled Sparrowhawk, trying to limit Willa’s influence. Now she’s aboard the experimental ship and under attack. Her hail Mary repair, gets her out of the frying pan. But the fire’s hotter and her desperate repair caused even more damage. Damage that may be beyond even her ability to repair.

Tasked with rescuing Willa, Garner can’t directly confront their unknown enemy and the only indication of Willa’s location is the enemies stronghold. Taking the fleet to Jupiter to both protect operations there, and get closer to Willa’s possible location. He’s still light hours away from where Willa and Sparrowhawk might be. The enemy doesn’t cooperate and launches a full scale attack on Earth’s operations in the Jupiter system.

Two bioengineered alien hybrid super soldiers are loyal to Abernathy. Eight survived and Abernathy must confront thirty years of fear to seek out the rest of them. Each has the potential of dominating or destroying humanity. The others though, might be controlled by the enemy.

Saturday November 17, 2096

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Supra-Orbital Space, von Braun Station Air Dock, Marine Security Command Post

1730 Hours

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Lieutenant, there's a carrier approaching without clearance. The Corporal on the sensor control board switched the video to the main wall screens, interrupting the football game to a chorus of boos and shouts. "IFF indicates that it's Challenger. She's coming in fast and is in the defense zone."

Why haven't the auto defense systems engaged?

Before the Corporal could answer, Baird Garner's face appeared in the wall screen. Lieutenant, sorry for dropping in without warning but something has come up. I'm shuttling over a dignitary. We will be taking that little project off your hands.

Captain, I can't allow that. Hell, Sir. I don't think I can even allow you back on this dock since you transferred out.

You will receive all the authorizations you need before I arrive, but check the registration on her. You will find that I'm still listed as her master. Garner out. The screen returned to the image of Challenger.

Hitting the 'Alert' button he sent all his security team to action stations. As he turned to suit-up, his screens lit up with two messages. The first was from the CSO, Commander Space Operations, UEA Naval Space Force. The second was from the Commandant of the Marine Corps General Shaun McEwan. The CSO was the only man in the Marine's chain of command that out ranked the Commandant. Both communications were short and to the point. Captain Garner will give possession of the vessel docked under the Lieutenant's guard to the dignitary that will be accompanying him. Do not interfere.

Before he could recover from the shock of seeing the messages, in order to request verifications, his Company Commander and the Base Commander both video linked to his console. Neither man appeared happy. In fact both looked down right angry. The Marine General spoke first, Follow the order's Lieutenant, they are confirmed. The General's comments made the Colonel keep his mouth shut, but he nodded in agreement.

Yes Sir. The auto-defense systems...

"Lieutenant, I'm asking the same damned questions, apparently someone else has command authority over my weapons systems. They activated but turned out away from Challenger. You'll probably never hear another word about today, but I sure as hell will." The General's image blinked off but the Colonel's remained.

As soon as that vessel casts off, you can consider your unit relieved and your post discontinued. Prepare your personnel to disembark to Newton Station. Prepare for a full combat security patrol scenario. Transport will arrive within two hours.

The screen went dark as the Lieutenant barked a useless, Sir.

Fifteen minutes later Keeshond docked with the c-tube at the outer end of the air dock. Garner and Willa flew the c-tube's fifty meter length and stepped out onto the quay. They talked for a few minutes before the marines reached them and the Lieutenant noticed the obvious emotional struggle they were both having. He was discreet enough not to remark on the emotional tension, but simply said, ID and orders Sir.

Garner smiled gently and said, Just when you decide that it's safe to relax and watch the big game, everything goes to hell in a handbasket. We go to war with unknown hostiles and all the old rules just don't matter anymore. Stand down Lieutenant. You've gotten all the authorizations you're going to get this time around.

Garner and Willa walked on and the marines allowed them to pass then followed about ten meters back. The two talked all the way to the gang plank, which was attached to the little ship by a magducer at the base of the ship's hatch.

Finally he said what he was afraid would set her off, but still had to be said, We need you to stay in contact with us, especially since you will be in that. He nodded toward the little ship. "Her name is Sparrowhawk by the way."

I'll be near Thebe if you need me. I'm guessing it will take me a while to get this bucket working.

Jupiter's moon? Willa nodded. Jupiter's magnetosphere will make finding you almost impossible. Sensors will be almost useless.

That's exactly what I'm counting on. After a pause she added, I'll contact you personally, as soon as I'm underway, then you will be able to contact me. I'm not sure how much I trust fleet comms anymore.

Willa turned and looked at the ship one more time getting a good mental picture of its configuration. Nodding toward thrusters on the ship she asked, Those your design?

Garner just nodded and didn't react to the realization that his identity as the designer was no longer secret. Who have you told about that?

No one. And I won't tell anyone. It just looked like something you would design.

Now he was astonished. Do you expect me to believe that you didn't hack the fleet comp cores to find out?

I don't expect you to believe anything, but no, I figured out when Winnie told you to give her to me. You had to be the engineer in charge of her development and I guessed the rest.

Sparrowhawk had four oval thrusters each longer than her fuselage that were shrouded in a metal skin that looked like it had been extruded from the hull of the vessel. The thrusters were about five meters wide and two tall. The inboard pair were about five meters from the fuselage and the other pair another ten meters out from them. In spite of her understanding of the ships design, the thrusters looked like they were mounted in wings. This little ship would never need wings.

There were two pair of additional nacelles, long thin, elongated octagons in cross section, that were even longer than the thrusters. Willa didn't seem to notice them at all.

Little is a relative term. Compared to Challenger it was small, but it was about four times the size of Keeshond. Her hull was smooth, with no visible joints between panels, nor fasteners to hold stuff together.

There was a pattern of little hemispherical nodes mounted in a grid all over her surfaces. Willa knew that Sparrowhawk must have twin fusion reactors that were more powerful than any of the reactors on Challenger. The reactors would be mounted inside the rear of the fuselage, in addition to dedicated reactors built into the thrusters. She also guessed that power from the thruster reactors could be shunted to the primary drive.

At the gangplank Willa started to work on her wrist comp, the hatch opened and she walked aboard as the power systems came on line. Garner started to turn away but turned back when he heard Willa start cursing loudly and decide to check on her. Walking over to the hatch he called out Something wrong?

Why the frack did you take all my software and firmware off the core?

The core was wiped before I was brought in. I think Fleet Security did it.

Come aboard so I can close the hatch He did and the wave suppression field tickled his ear drums. Did you have trouble getting the core to work? At least now she wasn't screaming but yelling could have described her questions.

Yes we spent about half our time trying to get the core to accept a new operating system.

This comp core is a new version of a quantum processor designed to work only with 8-code. I'm surprised you got anything to work on it.

We could barely maneuver on thrusters. The other systems checked out per design specs, but we couldn't establish command and control over them.

Now you know why your efforts failed. I'm surprised you didn't call me in to get the core working right.

"I tried but was overruled. Then they decided that by giving me implants, I would be able to access to the comp core from inside the system and might be able to solve the problems then. I was supposed to take her aboard Challenger next month to resume development. Then you decided to rain havoc on the universe and screwed up everyone's plans."

You can't be serious? You're blaming all of this on me?

I know it's not your doing, but you have to admit, you seem to be a catalyst that is precipitating events.

Willa nodded, That seems likely, but I'm not sure I can take all the credit.

Garner rolled his eyes and turned his back on her, You do understand that almost fifty thousand people have died.

Forty seven thousand nine hundred and seventy two as of a couple of hours ago. There are currently three hundred forty one in critical condition and another six hundred and sixteen in grave condition. Willa's tone was ice cold. I did coordinate all rescue and recovery operations remember.

If you hadn't the total dead would probably be more like a hundred thousand. Garner didn't sound angry with Willa, but he was frustrated. You just sounded so flippant. And this latest thing on Newton...

I was nowhere near any of that.

...might take the toll above fifty thousand. Garner continued his sentence ignoring her interruption.

You know all the other secrets, but. He broke off, indecision squeezing his throat like a noose.I can face treason charges for this but with this ship you need to know what you're facing.

For once Willa picked up on his internal conflict and didn't try to ruffle him. Okay.

The CSO has recently come to the conclusion that a secret military is being built or has already been built. We don't know who is behind it. We don't know if the President is aware, or congress for that matter. We think that they are behind the drug distribution and that's why they are so violent when there is something disrupting the distribution.

Are you saying that the druggies have war ships?

Yes and they appear to be using Fleet designs, modified to make them more powerful and better armed. Hell, we think their stuff was manufactured in our fabbers.

Holy, fracking crap! Willa didn't shout this time and to Garner that was worse.

Willa this isn't the time for...

If hearing something that scary isn't the right time for a cursing tirade, when the hell is?

So you really didn't know?

Willa just shook her head and waited a couple of heartbeats before saying, I don't understand why I didn't see this possibility, it seems so obvious.

The CSO had a little more data to go on.

So what does this mean for me?

"If everything that's happened since you shot up that capsule is any indication they're still trying to kill you and now you have our cutting edge tech, so I'll bet they want Sparrowhawk too."

This is too much to consider right now. I've got to transfer the data from my personal core back in my lab on Earth. I can't use Fleet Comms to do it now.

Can you use Newton's comms?

No, I'm more confident of S3 comms. I put some encryption systems on their core and I'm the only one who has ever used them.

Okay you've got the how figured out, now what's the problem?

It's over fourteen hundred terabytes. That will take at least three hours to transfer and it's going to take some time to establish the secure transfer links.

Do us a favor and launch. The security detail has orders to Newton and they can't disembark until you do. You can do the transfer from outside the air dock can't you.

I have to do the download outside the air dock is anechoic, transmissions can't penetrate its hull. Everything transmitted in must use fleet comms. Outbound traffic too.

Do you need any help from me?

No Garner, you've done all I could ask. Thanks. She was obviously anxious to get busy and trying to end the talk, but at the last second she asked, "Do you think that the rogue ship is a threat? Should I stay with Challenger until I get everything working?"

"I don't see any way around making that assumption and the Admiral has already taken care of that. Challenger and Enterprise are tasked with protecting Sparrowhawk until we can't keep up with her."

Okay, I'll park a hundred clicks from the S3 operations raft between von Braun and Vulcan. At least until I can get the ship's core on line. And then it's catch me if you can.

Garners eyes went blank, as if he was looking inward, then "Enterprise will be in coverage range in ten minutes. It should take at least that long to get you through the airlock. It will take about two hours to swap out her weapons section and she will be good to go." He opened the hatch and walked down the gangway.

How did you protect the rest of the ship from the explosion?

Garner almost snorted and resigned himself to the fact he couldn't keep Navy secrets from Willa. Your force field projectors, he said indicating the small lumps on the hull of Sparrowhawk. "We've been moderately successful developing them and getting them operational. The only place we've integrated them fleet wide is the separating bulkheads of the weapons sections for all the carriers and the destroyers.

Pentagon West, Elizabeth, Colorado

1830 Hours

________________________________

What happened to von Braun's automated defense systems? Abernathy didn't show anger or agitation. In fact the only emotion Garner had ever seen in the man was directly related to Willa.

"I slaved them to Challenger. Vulcan's systems too."

Figured as much.

They're independent systems?

I left them alone. Abernathy nodded in response and broke the connection.

Abernathy's screen blanked and new comms links opened showing the Marine General on von Braun and his civilian counterpart. Evacuate all civilians immediately. He disconnected before they could respond.

Then Abernathy's image reappeared on Garner's screen. I just ordered all civilians evacuated from both stations and all the frigates in system are on the way too, you should have three in two hours, four more in three hours and six more in five hours.

If anything is going to happen, that last bunch can help clean up the mess. Garner said, before the screen went black again.

Sunday November 18, 2296

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UEA Challenger, Supra-Orbital Space, Between Vulcan Station and von Braun Station

0010 Hours

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Sparrowhawk reached the parking datum off the S3 raft four and half hours earlier and now Sunday was ten minutes old. Willa estimated that the file transfers would take another forty-five minutes to an hour and a half. She didn't know exactly how it was all organized. She had just done a complete data dump. Then she could start configuring the ship's core for operations as she found the files she needed.

This way she would have all her private files and experimental or conceptual work with her and she could just hide out in a corner of the solar system to work. Few people would be able to contact her and only one, as of now, would know where to look for her. It was a calculated risk creating another copy of these files. But to her knowledge, no one had figured out her field math and everything was encrypted based on that math.

While she waited for the data transfer to complete, she worked furiously at the engineering console. Her first priority had been to get the comms operational even though she couldn't trust it. She had needed the transmitters but not the Fleet Comms network to contact Garner directly through his implants. Her wrist comp was sufficient to manage the actual traffic and networking of this non-standard communications system. They agreed to do the bulk of their communication through normal channels, but the really important or sensitive stuff needed to go through their private sub-net comms channel.

Willa had a large music collection on her wrist comp and had turned up a selection of non vocal emotionally powerful music that energized her mind. The volume was almost deafening. Sitting there focused on the four screens she had slaved together for a work station, she didn't notice when the comms screen lit up with Garner's face. He said her name several times before he just happened to choose a moment between songs to shout, Willa!

In spite of his concern he laughed out loud along with his bridge crew as she jumped. She almost growled at him when she said in an unfriendly manner, Now what do you want? This made everyone laugh even louder.

Garner waited while she turned down the volume of her music to an overwhelming rumble before speaking, The rogue ship is on an intercept course, ETA forty-two minutes. I need you out of there in thirty-five.

The upload won't be complete then. I can't move until it's finalized.

Willa you have to move out. It will take him a minimum of four hours to re-acquire and set up another intercept if you move within twenty minutes. After that you will be within weapons range and that's using our weapons effectiveness values. His guns are bigger and more powerful.

Garner, you don't understand. The core is fully committed. I can't use it for any other purpose until it completes the upload. If I stop it the core will most likely be corrupted and not be worth more than any other brick in a wall. If the transfer is interrupted for even a millisecond, there is a ten billion to one chance against it booting at all and more like ten trillion to one that it will boot on the first try.

I'm sending an engineer over. He can rig a manual control to fire the thrusters without the core control system.

I still can't move. The transfer signal is tight beam and would have to chase us around the sky. Even a millisecond of transfer loss and the whole thing fails.

Can he get more power out of the reactor than it's rated for?

Commander Calder can, but only for a short time.

Before we do that I need to ask him some questions. I bet you've got other things to do than spending twenty minutes getting him over here and if all he can do is move us once or twice in a straight line, it just won't be worth the effort.

I'll conference him in. After a few seconds the older Commander appeared in the screen.

Garner says you can bypass core control of my thrusters to a manual system. Would it disable normal core operation of those systems?

The Commander's brow furrowed as he looked into the screen and considered the question, then "Are you aboard the Sparrowhawk? Willa and Garner both nodded but didn't speak. Ayah, I could. But you are correct. It would disable the core to thruster control interface."

Willa cut off Garner as he started to speak, Can you tell me how to boost reactor power levels.

Willa watched as the old engineers eyes shifted to Garner on his comm screen. They narrowed as he waited for the expected interruption from Garner, which didn't come. Then after almost five full seconds of silence, he again slowly said Ayah. Paused still again as if waiting for the proper way to answer a question that he couldn't believe had been asked, before finally continuing, I could but I'm not sure that I should.

Then his eyes went wide in surprise and he started to speak, but was cut off by his captain, Winn, we need this request met as soon as possible. No discussion. To Willa he said, This could be used to sabotage any vessel in the fleet. Turning back to Calder he said, Deliver it personally to my hand on a chip.

Winfield Calder, simply said Yes Sir. I'll get the necessary files and clearance packets ready for you immediately.

"I'll send it over in a shuttle. They can dock with Sparrowhawk for the transfer."

Thanks Winn. The engineer's image dropped from the comm. I guess we've just got to protect you where you are. Do you really think that a runaway reactor is the only way to destroy the ships systems?

I'm not sure, but it will make this boat too hot to salvage for a while, maybe long enough to prevent them from getting their hands on her. Willa disconnected.

Through his implants Garner saw Willa's text, Forget the chip. I can boost the core power as much as I need. I' not going to blow the reactors. I've already linked my wrist comp in to the control system. I should be able to fire each main thruster independently. I want them to think I'm dead in space. He acknowledged and the connection broke.

"Challenger to Enterprise."

"Go ahead Challenger"

"Elsa, Sparrowhawk is stranded in space for at least another hour. How familiar are you with her?"

I've had a very unsatisfying briefing on her. Can you tell me any more than Fleet did?

"No. I've got to give you an order that you're not going to like. Sparrowhawk is more important than both of our ships. We have to defend her at all cost."

Commander Elsa Grace Haley attended command school with Garner seven years earlier. In school she'd been the wonder kid who was expected to lead their generation into space and she resented Garner's success, but in a friendly competitive way. You can't be ordering me to sacrifice my ship. Scrolling across her screen was the words, 'Pretend that you won't follow my orders. Argue.'

Elsa right now you're just an acting Captain. If you want that status to become permanent follow orders.

"The Rogue's railguns pack a lot more punch than ours and she's got double the guns we've got. Something like a thirty percent increase in projectile acceleration and her projectiles are about half again larger than ours. Her missiles are faster and we counted twenty four launchers. It also looked like they had some kind of magazine loader that could reload automatically."

I know what the report says Captain Haley. I wrote it. Garner's voice had gotten hard. "I'm going to assign you to protect of Sparrowhawk, when Rogue..."

You're giving her a name now? Elsa appeared to be mocking Garner, insolence and anger dripped from her words.

To an observer that wouldn't know better, Garner seemed to swell up in indignation, I've got to call it something. That seems good enough. Or do you have a better suggestion? Elsa was one of only two women he'd dated since he joined the service. She had always been able to aggravate him.

Garner had eventually scared her. He seemed to thrive on the aggravation. He was the only person she had ever met who performed better when he was rattled. She thought his brain became supercharged. He was the only man she hadn't been able to manipulate to her will. She won all the exercises against him, but when she realized that her advantage was the limited thinking of those making up the exercises and his looking for problems that weren't imagined for the exercise, she'd decided her ego couldn't handle him.

"What's wrong? Is your lesbian she beast honey bear on board that little ship. You know she isn't going to have anything to do with you.

True to Garner's expectation Elsa had picked the most tender spot to jab. He had to fight down the urge to take the bait. When Rogue gets with in missile range, shield Sparrowhawk with Enterprise. I'll ram Rogue if I have to."

"But that's all a last ditch effort. When we've run out of all other options, I've got a plan to reduce Rogue's options. Let's see if we can make her collide with the air dock on von Braun."

Captain. Both Garner and Haley turned to their sensor station officers at the same time and both heard almost the same report.

When Haley's attention returned to Garner she asked, Is this your doing? Garner nodded and Haley stated, "Railgun fire at this range is pointless. Rogue can track the projectiles and just fly right by the slugs."

Garner actually smiled, "That's exactly what I want her to do. Those slugs are the walls of a funnel. As she gets closer to the narrow end we have a better shot at killing her because we know where she has to go. The narrow end opens just in the lee of the station's orbit. von Braun is going to jettison the air dock on my signal and if we're lucky maybe we can force Rogue to collide with the air dock."

You don't think we can kill her?

She has more than enough firepower to counter our weapons fire and still bring the fight to us. We could get lucky, but I'm not counting on it.

How... Seeing some more text from Garner appear on her comms screen, Haley started to ask him how he was doing that, but she looked up to see him shaking his head.

Okay. We'll do this your way, Garner. But by God, if this goes bad, I'm going to feed your liver to my goldfish.

Contrary to the tone of the conversation and expectations from their failed relationship, Garner never doubted Haley's professionalism. He knew that she would follow orders, even if it meant the destruction of Enterprise.

UEA Enterprise Supra-Orbital Space, Between Vulcan Station And von Braun Stations

0020 Hours

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The comms screens died, but the text continued to scroll across the bottom of Haley's screen for two more minutes. When the text ended, her first officer said from over her left shoulder, This isn't coming through Fleet Comms.

Haley smiled at Lieutenant Commander Hien Chinh and replied, I know and when this is over the first thing I'm going to find out is how he managed that little trick. Now she was serious, Does his plan have a chance of working?

I thought he was an engineer, not a tactician. I'm embarrassed I've never thought of using railgun fire to control the path of an enemy ship. I like it. He was quiet a moment before adding, Does he really believe that Fleet Comms is compromised.

Haley looked at Chinh and said, That scares me much more than being at a technical disadvantage in combat.

"If what he said is right, Rogue has more than double the guns and missile launchers of both carriers and her weapons are more powerful."

Haley asked, "If Garner thinks that Fleet Comms has been hacked, why did he tell the plan for funneling Rogue over the comms system." She was a warrior, brilliant at maintaining situational awareness and controlling multiple weapons systems, but she wasn't a tactician and she knew her limitations.

Chinh let out an enthusiastic laugh like a kid admiring a great move in a game, I thought that was the most brilliant tactical move of everything in his plan.

What? How do you figure that?

"Yeah, if Rogue is listening in on the comms, now she knows it's a trap, she will have to break off now, unless she's prepared to take a lot of damage. Setting up another attack run will take time and by then we could have Discovery out here to help. If she decides to fight it out, then she's pretty much committed to a kamikaze run."

Haley's opinion of both Garner and Chinh went up a couple of notches. "Comms start trading arguing transmissions with Challenger, make stuff up, nothing crazy, sound like I am ready to kill Garner instead of Rogue, act like I don't trust his command decisions. Then turning back to Chinh, If Challenger orders us on a vector, add twenty two degree, to the first course, subtract three degrees for the second and add twelve for the third. After that repeat the sequence. You're in charge of our course and timing. I'll direct weapons and attitude."

Sensors reported again, "Challenger has begun firing her railguns also."

Chinh let me know when we're in position.

We will be at the initial point in six seconds

Weapons, On Chinh's mark. continuous slow rate fire on all railguns. Fire on the assigned vectors only.

UEA Challenger, Supra-Orbital Space, between Vulcan Station and von Braun Station

0020

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Rogue was as large as the carriers, but she had a unique configuration and her long axis was her leading edge. Narrow like and not much of a target. Her thrusters were on the top and bottom surfaces near each end. Between the thruster pairs on top and bottom, were mounted her railguns and missile launchers.

At the twenty minute mark, absolutely nothing new happened. Rogue continued to close at maximum thrust on the position of Sparrowhawk.

Griff stepped over to Garners chair, Well I guess she's committed.

Garner ordered, Launch fighters.

Five minutes later both carriers had combat launched all their fighters. Enterprise launched twenty four fighters, six squadrons. Challenger had eight squadrons or thirty two fighters. Enterprise had been the first of her class and design changes had increased the usable space on the hanger/flight deck for Challenger, the newest carrier. Two training squadrons based on von Braun, eight more fighters had supplemented the force, even though they weren't combat ready.

The fighters formed up around the tube of railgun projectiles, they would have to line up their shots aiming at two targets for each missile.