Read Online Forge of War (Jack of Harts) by Medron Pryde - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Medron Pryde
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glanced up to see Cowboy Eight’s damage codes going red. That would be Drew and Jasmine. Her nose flew away, separated by the concentrated fire of a dozen Shang fighters. Her laser turret went with it. The damaged fighter swung away from her attackers, trying to open the range.
“Covering fire!” Charles ordered and nine Avengers swung around as they maneuvered randomly, avoiding enemy fire as much as possible. Gravity twisted through the Shang formation, ripping deflection grids and fighters apart, and thirty-six laser barrels sought out the survivors.
Jack brought the stick over, because he felt like it, and scanned the displays. Two more of those frigates still harassed the Peloran fighters, ripping holes in their screening formation. Someone had to do something about them soon.
“Betty?” he asked.
“Almost certainly,” she answered.
A frigate flashed in the display. “Cowboy Three to all Cowboys. Flights Four, Five, and Six, focus on that frigate and kill it. Flights Two and Three, we will provide covering fire. Now!”
“Oorah,” Jack said and swung his fighter around to face the last of the Shang fighters sent to harass them. Six Avengers, including Drew’s injured fighters that still had two very functional main cannons, charged forward deeper into the battle that raged around the Peloran squadron.
“Fire ’em up, Betty,” Jack ordered and kept his eyes scanning for threats as he maneuvered them wherever he felt like going at that particular moment. The grav cannons and lasers lanced out, taking down another fighter, and the survivors broke away, leaving the rear of the Avenger formation unmolested.
The head of the formation fired and twelve waves of gravitic sheer tore into the frigate. The frigate bucked under the assault, its deflection grid failing, and armor ripped away. A squadron of Peloran heavy fighters took advantage of the situation, hammering its other flank with lasers and breacher missiles, and explosions wreathed it from stem to stern.
More Shang fighters swarmed in and Jack and the other three Cowboys spun to fire on them. He scanned, watching the frigate break apart under the assault and took in a deep breath.
The Peloran battleship and her escorts accelerated past the third frigate, her heavy fighters ripping into it on the way by. Massive rents in the Peloran ships’ flanks spewed wreckage and atmosphere into space. It was obvious they’d taken a severe beating in the last few minutes but they continued to accelerate, firing into the rest of the Shang formation, missiles and grav cannons shredding the deflection grids with their gravitic interference. Lasers punched through, and for a second the Peloran ships were close enough they even fired kinetic lances at a significant percentage of the speed of light. More Shang ships and piece of ships spun away and the formation scattered, individual ships diving into hyperspace with a flash of light.
A face appeared on the display and smiled at them. “Thank you. You saved me from taking heavy damage.”
Jack looked over at Betty with a raised eyebrow.
“That’s Hal,” she answered his unspoken question. “He’s the Guardian Light .”
“Ah. Of course,” Jack returned. “It’s a pleasure to help,” he said to the warship.
Betty cocked her head to the side before smiling. “New orders coming in.”
“Cowboy Three to all Cowboys. Engage datalinks with the Peloran squadron. Slot in and prepare to protect them.”
“Oorah,” Jack and the others answered without a pause. “Betty?”
“Way ahead of you, Jack. Datalinks are synced…now.”
The displays flashed and he saw the Peloran squadron arrayed in them with new codes that showed their situation. Bad. Nearly half their point defense was gone, most of their missiles and lances had been expended, and their armor was a memory in more places than he wanted to think about.
“Damn,” Jack
“Covering fire!” Charles ordered and nine Avengers swung around as they maneuvered randomly, avoiding enemy fire as much as possible. Gravity twisted through the Shang formation, ripping deflection grids and fighters apart, and thirty-six laser barrels sought out the survivors.
Jack brought the stick over, because he felt like it, and scanned the displays. Two more of those frigates still harassed the Peloran fighters, ripping holes in their screening formation. Someone had to do something about them soon.
“Betty?” he asked.
“Almost certainly,” she answered.
A frigate flashed in the display. “Cowboy Three to all Cowboys. Flights Four, Five, and Six, focus on that frigate and kill it. Flights Two and Three, we will provide covering fire. Now!”
“Oorah,” Jack said and swung his fighter around to face the last of the Shang fighters sent to harass them. Six Avengers, including Drew’s injured fighters that still had two very functional main cannons, charged forward deeper into the battle that raged around the Peloran squadron.
“Fire ’em up, Betty,” Jack ordered and kept his eyes scanning for threats as he maneuvered them wherever he felt like going at that particular moment. The grav cannons and lasers lanced out, taking down another fighter, and the survivors broke away, leaving the rear of the Avenger formation unmolested.
The head of the formation fired and twelve waves of gravitic sheer tore into the frigate. The frigate bucked under the assault, its deflection grid failing, and armor ripped away. A squadron of Peloran heavy fighters took advantage of the situation, hammering its other flank with lasers and breacher missiles, and explosions wreathed it from stem to stern.
More Shang fighters swarmed in and Jack and the other three Cowboys spun to fire on them. He scanned, watching the frigate break apart under the assault and took in a deep breath.
The Peloran battleship and her escorts accelerated past the third frigate, her heavy fighters ripping into it on the way by. Massive rents in the Peloran ships’ flanks spewed wreckage and atmosphere into space. It was obvious they’d taken a severe beating in the last few minutes but they continued to accelerate, firing into the rest of the Shang formation, missiles and grav cannons shredding the deflection grids with their gravitic interference. Lasers punched through, and for a second the Peloran ships were close enough they even fired kinetic lances at a significant percentage of the speed of light. More Shang ships and piece of ships spun away and the formation scattered, individual ships diving into hyperspace with a flash of light.
A face appeared on the display and smiled at them. “Thank you. You saved me from taking heavy damage.”
Jack looked over at Betty with a raised eyebrow.
“That’s Hal,” she answered his unspoken question. “He’s the Guardian Light .”
“Ah. Of course,” Jack returned. “It’s a pleasure to help,” he said to the warship.
Betty cocked her head to the side before smiling. “New orders coming in.”
“Cowboy Three to all Cowboys. Engage datalinks with the Peloran squadron. Slot in and prepare to protect them.”
“Oorah,” Jack and the others answered without a pause. “Betty?”
“Way ahead of you, Jack. Datalinks are synced…now.”
The displays flashed and he saw the Peloran squadron arrayed in them with new codes that showed their situation. Bad. Nearly half their point defense was gone, most of their missiles and lances had been expended, and their armor was a memory in more places than he wanted to think about.
“Damn,” Jack
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