Betrayal of the Federation

by K M Dean

  General Terry Giles, SOL/FED Marine Chief of Operations said, “I agree with Captain Landau. We can use more Marine candidates we can train right now. Considering the upcoming campaign, I am expanding the training facilities for our Marines. At some point, we will need replacements for personnel losses. We are preparing for that scenario now. All we need are people”

  “General Giles,” asked Admiral Anderson. “How is the campaign going on Grenushania?”

  Giles replied, “It is going well, but it is slow work. I don’t expect to see our Marines back here for the next several months at least and more likely a year.”

  Admiral Anderson said, “All right everyone, good work. As always if you need something or have question, call my office. I will let you get back to work. Captain Hiller and Commander Qobrun, please stay.”

  After the rest of the joint chiefs had filed out of the room, Admiral Anderson turned to Captain Hiller and Commander Qobrun and said, “We need to begin some operations against the Jian. If we can keep them busy defending it will take them longer to build their forces against us. I am hoping for some ideas.”

  Qobrun spoke up, “Admiral, the Jian have been concentrating on any nonaligned races or races they have subjugated but are resisting their control near their area of influence. They need to expand their industrial base to aid them in the upcoming war. They are spread thin. If we can either liberate or destroy those new conquests, we can slow the Jian’s’ ability to build and staff war ships. I have a list of potential targets intelligence believes are critical to their efforts.”

  “All right Qobrun, get me a copy of your list of possible targets and your recommendations.”

  “Anne are your monitors ready to go?”

  Anne replied, “Admiral we have four monitors that just came off training, they have been certified for active duty. We will have four more ready in a few weeks.”

  “Okay Anne. We need to set up a new division for these covert boats. I believe they need a lot of autonomy, but they must have someone to keep track of what they are doing. Any suggestions?”

  Captain Hiller spoke up. “Admiral, Captain Amber Cordev was badly hurt in the battle at Grenushania. She suffered a spinal injury that has restricted her to a wheelchair, but her mind is as sharp as it ever was. I believe she would be a great candidate for this position.”

  Qobrun said, “I agree Admiral. Captain Cordev has been involved with the Monitor program as a consultant while she recovered. She is familiar with the boats and most of the crews. I think she would do an outstanding job.”

  “All right,” Admiral Anderson replied, “thank you both. I’ll take it from here. Put the crews on alert. I will issue orders for them as soon as the section is formalized.”

  After Captain Hiller and Commander Qobrun had gone Admiral Anderson asked Lieutenant Mendoza to have Captain Cordev report to his office. Half an hour later Lieutenant Mendoza said, “Captain Cordev is here to see you Sir.”

  “Show her in Lieutenant and bring us some coffee please.”

  “Of Course, Admiral.” As Captain Cordev maneuvered her wheelchair in to his office. Admiral Anderson was pleased to see that it was one of the new state of the art chairs.

  Captain Cordev sat at attention and said, “Captain Amber Cordev reporting as ordered sir.”

  Admiral Anderson replied, “At ease Captain. How are you doing?”

  Captain Cordev replied, “Just fine Admiral, this chair is amazing. Don’t get me wrong, it will never replace my legs, but until we develop the technology to repair spinal cords it will do nicely.”

  “Well hopefully that day will come soon Captain. In the meantime, I have been told that you have been very involved with the new Monitor stealth boats. What do you think of them?”

  “I think these ships are going to play a critical part in the defeat of the Jian. The concept is not that different from the submarines used by many nations of Earth in the twentieth and twenty first centuries. The only criticism I have is that the ships need to be better armed.”

  Admiral Anderson replied. “I didn’t know you were a history buff Captain, but I happen to agree with you on the concept. However, the boats were designed to do surveillance work. They need to be able to monitor, not attack. Their stealth technology is their best protection. That is why we never really considered arming them. If you think they could be better utilized by arming them, put together a proposal for me.”

  “Admiral if we use the boats for nothing other than surveillance, they will be fine as they are. I am just concerned about what happens if they need to become more aggressive. There may come a time when the Captain has no choice but to defend the ship. Now, other than the four torpedoes they have on board the captain has no options.”

  “All right Amber, I am not going to simply say no, but I do want to get them in to service. Once they are operating we will revisit arming them a little better. You love these boats don’t you Captain?”

  “I do Admiral, they have intrigued me since I came on the project.”

  “How would you feel about heading up the squadron? We have four boats ready now and should have four more in a few weeks. I need a commanding officer for the monitor boats who believes in the program and can make it work. It would mean you would become a part of my staff. What do you think?”

  “Admiral, I am used to being in the battle. Sending others in harm’s way is outside my experience. I would love the job, but are you sure I am the best choice?”

  “Amber, there is no doubt in my mind that you are the very best choice for this position. No doubt at all, otherwise I would not have asked you. You have my complete confidence.”

  “In that case Admiral Anderson, I accept the job.”

  “Outstanding Captain Cordev.” Said Admiral Anderson. “I will issue orders for you and orders establishing the Federation Navy Special Warfare Command. This is to be an ultra-top-secret command. Make certain all your people have the necessary clearances. Choose your staff from people you trust. They will all have to be cleared by the security section. Security is of the utmost importance. The only defense our Special Warfare Command people will have out there is that no one knows they are there. Contact Rick Hill and advise him what you need in the way of offices. They must be in Navy country. Contact Admiral Duran’s staff about the people you want and need. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call. You need to get this program running quickly and smoothly. I want ships ready for assignment within one week. Questions?”

  Captain Cordev replied, “none Admiral. With your permission, I’ll get started.”

  “Thanks Amber, if you run in to any roadblocks call me.”

  As Captain Amber Cordev left Admiral Andersons office she realized that she did have a problem that would absolutely have to be handled. And it had to be handled tonight.

  She was not looking forward to it.

  The evening had begun with dinner in her quarters and rapidly progressed to passionate lovemaking. Just as it always did. Tonight, was going to be different though. Amber knew it would have to be different.

  Later that evening, as they were resting in her bed, Amber Cordev turned to her lover and said, “My dearest we have a problem.”

  Commander Indira Sukhov said, “What might that be Amber? I am happier now than I have ever been.”

  “Indira, Admiral Anderson offered me command of the Federation Navy Special Warfare Command. That is the former Monitor group. I accepted. That means I am no longer a consultant. You are in my direct chain of command. Our relationship conflicts with the Federation Navy Unified Code of Military Justice. To continue our relationship would be a court-martial offense.”

  “Amber, what can we do? I am so in love with you.”

  “And I with you, precious Indira, but we have few options.” I would have to give up my command, or you would have to transfer to another command. I have worked very hard for command Indira. After I lost the use of my legs I thought any chance I had was gone. I can’t give up the only o
pportunity I may ever have to continue my career. Could you give up command of the Barracuda?”

  “I could not Amber, you know as well as I that command of my own ship is a lifelong dream for me. What shall we do?”

  “Indeed, my love.” Replied Captain Amber Cordev, “what shall we do. What we shall do my dearest is keep one another in our hearts. I will continue to love you and perhaps one day we may be together again. For now, we must keep a professional relationship. I will be your commander and you will be one of my officers.”

  “When you leave here tonight, it will be a sacrifice we must make to fulfill our oath to serve and protect the Federation. We can hope for a future that will include us both, but it cannot happen until our service has ended. But for tonight we shall be one. Just for tonight.”

  A few days later in Admiral Andersons office.

  “Admiral Anderson, we have developed some options to begin our campaign.” Said Commander Qobrun. “There are four systems of strategic importance to the Jian. The Delta Ceti, the Drakkana System, the Omicron Abugida System and the Subra System. These systems are nonaligned systems that are near Jian space. Other than the Drakkana system, they are all technologically advanced and have active space programs. they also have extensive orbital ship building facilities and they have active space navies, but they are no match for the Jian, or for that matter the Federation.”

  “The Jian must move on these four systems. They can’t afford to have them at their back. They also need their facilities to bolster their ability to build up their own military capability.”

  “Obviously, the Federation cannot protect all those systems, but if we could place a Monitor boat in each of those systems we could alert a fast-moving response fleet when a system is coming under attack. The Jian cannot attack two or three systems at one time and maintain control of their existing empire. We are certain they will try to take them one at a time. Our ability to communicate via FTL is unique and gives us a strategic advantage.”

  “We propose using the stealth ships of the Special Warfare Command. We would place one in each system. They would drop four-qubit Cluster State FTL transceiver beacons on their way in. The stealth ships would loiter in stealth mode. If a Jian fleet entered the system, the stealth boat could alert the Fast Attack Group. The Fast Attack Group could strike, unexpectedly, within hours and, hopefully, catch the Jian unawares.”

  Admiral Anderson turned to Captain Amber Cordev. “Amber, are your people ready?”

  “Yes Admiral”, replied Captain Cordev. “I have four ships ready now.”

  “Good work Amber, they will be working closely with Admiral McCreary.”

  Admiral Anderson had promoted Captain Morin McCreary to Admiral shortly after the return from Grenushania, along with the promotion he had given him the new Devastator class command ship Odyssey. The Odyssey had come off the ways just a few weeks ago and Mac had been working his crew hard to make certain they were battle ready. Admiral McCreary was in attendance at the meeting.

  “Mac, the reason I asked you to join us is that I want you to head up the Fast Attack group. This meeting is a strategy session to firm up the ships involved and the rules of engagement.”

  “Qobrun, what kind of ships do you anticipate the Jian will be using to take control of the nonaligned systems?”

  Qobrun replied, “Admiral, our research indicates that the Jian have historically used a Heavy Legaliri class Battle cruiser with a couple of Myoxx-class cruisers. Each Myoxx cruiser is accompanied by two Medium Cruisers and four Drazeer-class escorts. The Legaliri Battle Cruiser is smaller than our Carriers, but they are slightly larger and carry just a little more fire power than our new command ships. The Myoxx class cruisers match up pretty much with our medium cruisers. The Jian medium class cruisers match up with our destroyer class ships and the Escorts are roughly the equivalent of the SOL/FED Corvettes.”

  “Admiral,” said Admiral McCreary. “The answer would be to send a carrier with plenty of escorts.”

  Admiral Anderson said. “That is true Mac, but we only have one Ultron carrier and it’s an early ship. It is not capable of being upgraded to the new weapon and power systems. After the success, we had with the Ultron carrier, George H W Busch in the Gliese system it was decided to build five more carriers with the updated power and weapon systems. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be ready for months. I am not comfortable using the only carrier we have in a fast attack group. She is a great ship but cannot keep up with the smaller ships and her armament and defense systems are outdated.”

  Mac said, “Qobrun, how many fighters does the Legaliri class cruiser carry, and do the Myoxx-class cruisers carry fighters?

  Qobrun replied, “We are not certain about the number, but their size indicates that they could not have more than Eight total squadrons on board the Legaliri cruiser. The Myoxx class cruisers each carry two fighter squadrons. The new Biloxan class fighter they have developed is about the same size and is nearly a match for our new Curtana[12] fighter. They have nothing that equates to our new Halberd fighter bomber.”

  Mac said, “We only carry six squadrons of Curtana fighters and two of the Halberd fighter bombers on the command ship and four squadrons of fighters on the Medium Cruisers, the Devastator destroyers don’t carry any at all. We would be at a decided disadvantage. Ideally, I would like to take a command cruiser, two medium cruisers and four destroyers with destroyer escorts. But we need to be able to deploy more fighters.” Said Mac, he then said. “Admiral, if I can’t have a carrier, how about giving me the “Jeep”[13] carrier from the Eldirelian Campaign?”

  The Ultron “Jeep” carrier Ariel had defensive shields and a good spread of defensive weapons but no offensive armaments. Its sole purpose is to transport fighter and bomber squadrons. The “Jeep” carriers have 18 squadrons of fighters and ten squadrons of bombers. They also have full repair facilities and the spares to keep fighters and bombers flying in the heaviest of battles.

  Mac said. “Being a late model Ultron ship, she was in the process of being upgraded to the new Devastator power and weapon systems. She could be ready by the end of the week. With the new power, she would have no problem keeping up with the Fast Attack Group.”

  Admiral Anderson said, “She is yours Mac. What else do you need?” Mac replied, “a factory ship, a supply ship and I should be good to go.”

  “All right, the code name for this action is going to be “Operation Predator’. Mac, I am giving you command of the operation. You will be taking the Cruisers Thunder and Constitution, the destroyers Damascus, Zambezi, Gallantry and Intrepid. Your destroyer escorts will be, Sherman, Argonaut, Venator, Regent, Concorde, Fortuna, Manticore and Geronimo. They are all the new Devastator class ships. The Ariel “jeep carrier” will also be assigned to the task force. The fast attack group will be supported by one Factory Ship - SFN Armstrong and one Supply Ship - SFN Reginleif. Neither of those ships can keep up with your attack group, but they can follow in time to resupply you.”

  “Mac, I don’t need to tell you that we are stretched thin. We can’t afford to lose any ships right now, but we must slow down the Jian juggernaut. This is putting you in a hell of a spot, but I am certain you can handle it. That’s why I picked you. I will issue orders to all concerned after we finish here. Any question anyone?”

  There were none. Admiral Anderson said, “dismissed. We will reconvene tomorrow at fourteen hundred hours to finalize everything.” “Amber, could you stay for a moment?”

  After everyone else had gone Admiral Anderson said, “Amber, I am sorry I have put you in a tough position.”

  “How so Sir?” Asked Amber

  “Amber, I have become aware of your relationship with Commander Sukhov.”

  “Oh!” Said Amber, “how did you find out, we were so careful.”

  “I am the Admiral Amber, I know everything.”

  Amber said, “I am sorry Admiral, I can resign if you like.”

  “That will not be necessary Amber. I do need t
o know how you intend to handle the situation, and that it will not affect your command decisions.”

  “It won’t, Admiral. Indira and I talked about it last night and we have agreed to put our relationship on hold for the duration. Perhaps later when it is convenient, one of us could transfer to a different command, but until then our relationship will be professional. Nothing more.”

  “Thank You Amber, that is all the assurance I need. I will see you tomorrow.”

  The next day

  At fourteen hundred hours sharp, everyone was seated in his ready room.

  Mac lead off. “Admiral, we are ready to move out. We have identified an empty system that is nearly equidistant from all four of the systems identified by Commander Qobrun. The assembly area will be the Zeta Catana System. There is nothing in the Zeta Catana System. Its star is a Red Dwarf. There is one planet, but it is tidal locked[14] and has no life of any kind on it. There are a couple of rocky moons, but nothing of interest otherwise. The Fast Attack group will lie doggo there and wait for the Monitor Boats to report in. Captain Cordev has the information on the Special Warfare boats and assignments.”

  “Admiral, the Special Warfare boats will leave within the hour. They are topping off their stores as we speak. Their orders are sealed and will not be opened until they are under way. Each ship will be dropping FTL beacons, so they can communicate with us here and the Fast Attack group. They are under orders to maintain radio silence until they have identified a threat to the system they are monitoring. At that time, they will send a coded message to the Fast Attack group with copies to you here.”

  “Thank You Captain,” Admiral Anderson replied. “Alright everyone. Let’s get this operation under way. “Mac”, let us know when you are established in Zeta Catana System. Good work everyone. Be careful out there.”

  Three days later Mac reported in ready in Zeta Catana System.

  Chapter Seven

  In Harm’s Way