Free The Tactics of Revenge by T. R. Harris Page B

first traces of the main Human force moving toward the Juireans. Soon the aliens would have to divide their attention to confront this new threat. At that point, the punishment his squadron was taking would be lessened—
    Just then, an excruciatingly loud sound came from the port side of his ship. Alarms began to sound, as lights flickered and sparks shot out from the control boards behind him.
    “Report!” he called out.
    “We’re taking damage to the port perimeter, hull breaches in a number of locations,” Tim Carlson cried out from his position at the console. Tim knew the intimate operations of the ship better than anyone, so he was in the best position to evaluate the damage. “Damage control teams are being deployed. Port weapons battery is offline.”
    “Send the port weapons crew to assist with DC,” Lee commanded. “What’s causing the damage?”
    “We’re passing through a field of microscopic meteorites. The forward field is being absorbed by the well, but others are passing through the diffusion screens and ripping through the hull.”
    “I’m reducing speed; that should limit the damage.”
    “If the Juireans don’t blast us to dust….” said Latoya Scott, Lee’s navigation officer.
    “Anyone else in the squadron reporting damage?” Lee asked the room.
    Steve Sexton, his communications officer turned toward his captain. “Most of the forward units are reporting damage. The rear units are turning back.”
    Lee watched the forward tac screen as the four stacked lines of Juirean battlecruisers continued to close on their position. He made a decision.
    “I’m turning toward the asteroids. We’ll use the forward gravity well as vacuum for the particles to clear a path.”
    As the disk-shaped Klin saucer turned to port, the buffeting from the particles began to decrease, but now he was ass-end to the advancing Juireans. Where is Falcon Squadron? They better engage soon.
    On the screen, Lee could see the blue-indicated contacts from his supporting squadrons move further into the gap down the middle of the Juirean lines. The two hundred Human ships passed cleanly into the opening then began to separate, with two units each beginning their attack on the rear of the Juirean lines. Immediately, the Juirean advance began to slow, as rear units broke off their pursuit of Lee to confront this new threat.
    Once Lee was out of range of the Juireans, he slowed his ship down to a crawl, minimizing any further damage from the unseen meteorites.
    “Damage report – how we holding up?” he called out.
    “The breaches are being sealed, but the port weapons are still down and we’ve suffered damage to one of the generators, Carlson answered immediately. “Well intensity is down by thirty percent.”
    “Quarterback to Eagle Command, report,” an announcement blasted out of the comm speakers. “Condition update.”
    “Eagle Command to Quarterback. We’ve entered the outer edges of the asteroid field and have suffered damage to our weapons, hull and generator. I will be assembling the other damaged ships at fallback position L-151 for assessment and to commence repairs.”
    “Understood,” came the immediate reply. “Repair units are already on station.”
    Oh well, Lee thought, that didn’t go exactly as planned….
    Just then a remarkable thing began to happen. One-by-one, the red Juirean contacts on the tac screen flared bright and disappeared. The momentum of the flares grew exponentially, until, in the span of about thirty seconds, the Human forces suddenly found themselves completely alone on the battlefield.
    Lee was on the comm with Command immediately. “What happened to them?” he asked without protocol.
    The answer that came back was from Admiral Levin himself. “The Juireans have activated deep-gravity wells and have bugged out. The gravity waves have them departing the system.”
    “I thought they never retreated, sir?”
    “That was our belief as well. Commander, continue on to