Battle In Space II

Ensign Flandry, Chapter Seventeen.

Continuing the exciting narrative from the previous post:

"'Our two destroyers took care of the enemy's without suffering much damage.'"
-Poul Anderson, Young Flandry (New York, 2010), p. 176.

OK. That tells us what happened with New Brazil and Murdoch's Land. The Merseian commander of the six craft approaching from Saxo sends one of his destroyers against each Imperial destroyer. He still has one cruiser and two destroyers against the badly damaged Sabik and Umbriel.

The Merseian destroyers scatter as Captain Einarsen empties his magazines of hyperdrive missiles and destroys one of the enemy. Murdoch's Land and Antarctica close in on one destroyer. Another Merseian moves to assist it. New Brazil and a third Merseian approach each other. Umbriel moves to intercept the cruiser and her accompanying destroyer, both of which dive towards Sabik, although the destroyer then turns towards Umbriel. Sabik, taking a direct nuclear hit, loses lights, air, gravs and hyperdrive.

Communicating by radio, Commander Ranjit Singh assumes command and orders the spacesuited Ensign Flandry, who had been on board only as an alien liaison officer, to man a gun. Flandry and Dragoika alternate at a gun's hydraulic aiming system and its batteries-recharging handwheel. Murdoch's Land, now wrecked, and Antarctica, now out of action, have accounted for two destroyers. New Brazil still fights a third. The fourth, suffering from a damaged hyperdrive alternator, can only crawl at superlight and has fired all its missiles but returns to clean out Sabik with guns.

Dragoika spins the handwheel. Flandry fires, penetrating the enemy's hull, together with four other Sabik gunners. He shoots to disable the quantum-field generator. Sabik spins. When Flandry again sees the enemy, it has destroyed one section of Sabik but is retreating under gravitics, maybe unable to go hyper. A gun turns toward them but Flandry melts it shut. New Brazil arrives and destroys the Merseian. Umbriel, Antarctica and New Brazil reach the rogue planet after the scoutships have departed.