Free Galactic Alliance 3: Honor Thy Enemy by Doug Farren Page B

battle groups and four Mispha class interceptors. A virtual console appeared and commands were issued.
    Returning his attention to the Kyrra, Chomach said, “Three battle groups have been dispatched. Why is this particular Chroniech ship more important than the others that have made it into Alliance space?”
    “We believe the ship to be capable of generating a field that will allow the Chroniech to breach the hyperdimensional field.”
    “We shall give priority to its destruction. I have been ordered to request that you proceed directly to Almaranus. My readings indicate that you are already on the correct course. I have no ships capable of matching your current velocity but if you wish to slow down I can assign an escort.”
    “We do not require an escort. Time is of the essence,” the Kyrra replied.
    “Very well,” Chomach said. “You are to contact Almaranus as soon as you are able.”
    “Understood,” came the terse reply and the communications link was closed.
    Chomach quickly reviewed the current tactical situation. The Chroniech had managed to react quicker than anticipated to the disappearance of the hyperdimensional field. The enemy ships consisted of six light cruisers, three heavy cruisers, two battleships, and one of unknown class of considerable tonnage. This last vessel had already been identified as a serious threat by the Kyrra.
    The tactical data displayed so far was based on the estimated tonnage and energy signature of the associated ships. Detailed scans were being blocked by interference fields. The unknown ship had mysteriously reversed course as soon as the fold had been reestablished and was now slowing to a halt relative to the fold. As Chomach watched, it dropped out of stardrive.
    Chomach scanned the tactical display until the movements of the remaining Chroniech ships began to show a pattern. They’re all running in different directions, he thought. They may be trying to draw the bulk of our ships away from the one the Kyrra warned us about or they may simply be trying to escape so they can regroup later. Chomach quickly split his remaining resources into several groups and issued orders.
    Mishpa class interceptors, which had been strategically positioned throughout an enormous volume of space, were soon racing toward their designated targets. Built by the Rouldians, the Mishpa class interceptors were sleek craft designed for but one purpose – to intercept an enemy warship and force it into normal space. Their stardrives were constantly being updated to keep them state of the art. They carried minimal weapons but were protected by the tightest and strongest shield known to Alliance science.
    Chomach congratulated himself on the positioning of the interceptors. The Chroniech ships were fast – very fast. If the interceptors had been in formation with the rest of the Alliance fleet they would have been unable to catch the fleeing enemy ships. The Mishpa class ships could achieve a maximum sustained speed of 4,683c. The fastest Chroniech ship was racing away at a speed of 4,884c. But, because of Chomach’s positioning of the interceptors all of the Chroniech ships would be intercepted in a matter of minutes.
    Because of the Kyrra’s warning, Chomach had ordered the Rin’Bak to join the other ships now approaching the mysterious stationary Chroniech ship. The titanic juggernaut, easily the largest ship ever built by any Alliance race, lagged behind the rest of the force.
    Using his VR helmet and the interlinked data-net, Chomach focused a tight sensor beam on the unknown vessel from the nearest Alliance ship – an interceptor. At first, no additional information was obtained but that slowly began to change as the interceptor closed on its target.
    The unknown ship’s gravitational footprint seemed to indicate it had a mass on the order of 470 kilotons putting it in the heavy battleship category. The energy signature, however, was much higher than expected and did not seem to contain