Soon our cosmic weapons of war will stream over the new portal bridge from Oort Base. It’s the last days for the evil Empire of Cygnus Prime. Here’s what’s coming for them.
Orion battle carriers loaded with Starfighter drones equipped to launch 10 THOr munitions shells that launch a plasmatic barrage of devastating energy.
Battlestar weapons platforms have a main gun pulling enough power to run a dozen cities, releasing the energy in a tremendous bolt of raw destruction. In a devastating duality, the ships are also equipped with two brand new Interstellar-war Model Railguns. The large-bore and small-bore IMRs throw a mix of conventional rounds and spooky penetrator projectiles. Spooky munitions utilize a quantum shift displacement field to help push through energetic shielding and hulls.
Destroyers capable of FTL travel are recon marvels with plenty of offensive capability, carrying conventional and unconventional ordnance. There is the tried-and-true Hypervelocity Active Kinetic Impactors with a high yield nuke for that extra bit of pop when needed. The unconventional surprise is the new SSC3 missile with Growler Warp Field Quake technology, perfectly tuned to tear up the very fabric of space-time, not to mention enemy dreadnaughts or pesky pentalinks.
More activity. Those must be port-crews dropping construction material and equipment. The loads some of the sibling port teams can lift is remarkable. I’ll have to make a point to look in on the Allenmore Four. Now, that’s a crew. Amy, Brody, Cody, and Dean. Triplet boys with their fraternal older sis to watch over the brood. As a sibling team, they hold the record for lift capacity. The theory says, with lift capacity, it’s all about having identical siblings. However it may work, they’re the best around for a heavy lift.
And, finally. Here’s our schedule coming through for the next few days. Shockwave has a couple of days of light duty! We’re required to stay on a military base. Someplace on Earth sounds inviting to me, but I couldn’t get around the argument that we should stay immersed in a dark starry backdrop. So, Darkside Base it is. I wanted to get a look at the new Grounder troops anyway. They’ll make up the bulk of our Prime invasion forces.
***
Darkside Base is almost back to normal from the devastation brought on by Sybil. It’s still May 24th. Para and I are going to observe some Grounder training in Assembly Cavern B-3. I’m told suits will be available at-location. Now to find Para; she must have woken early. Yeah, Darkside is a good place to take a nap.
Para is doing some last-minute shopping and will meet me there. I had best get a move-on. Base map shows me here and I need to go there. Why does the map-usher want me to walk that way when there’s a perfectly good access tunnel right here? It’s a pressure sealed tunnel.
And I should have taken the usher route. It’s cold and gloomy. Better lighting up ahead, hope it’s the end of the stupid side tunnel.
This doesn’t look good. Two guys shoving a third around, and it’s heating up fast.
Two against one is usually not a fair fight. “Hey! What’s going on here?”
The big guy looks wound-up. “Ahh-ten-shun! Fall in soldiers!
“You, private. The one getting smacked around. What’s this about?”
The nametag says Jones. “Ma’am! We were having a minor disagreement is all, about those of Kreahaam, ma’am. These guys were spouting off about how many bugs they’re going to kill during the invasion. I merely pointed out that I’ve been to Kreahaamtowne, and the bugs seem like pretty good folk. When they aren’t any queens around.”
None of these guys is even going to land on Kreahaam. “You, Big Guy. Is that the straight-up?”
The big guy has a sneer for me. “True enough. Now, leave us to our work, and mind your own business.”
Well, that wasn’t very nice, worthy of some Moon pushups at least. “You are my business, grunt. Get down and let me see 500 pushups. Or, true-oath, I’ll have you mucking out the old bug cesspools with a mop. Is that understood... soldier?”
His eyes grew big, and he finally noticed my captain’s bars. “Uhhh. Yes, ma’am.”
It’s time to move along. “When you finish with your pushups, go that way. If I even hear a whisper that you’re causing any more trouble, I will hand you the mop myself. Is that understood, soldier? You’d better save that testosterone of yours for Cygnus Prime. It may just help to keep you from being fried to a crisp by some Primer or his mil-bot. That should be the focus of your attentions.
“And you two, move along, the other way. I want to see you acting like besties.
“One more thing. I know some bugs personally. They are good folk, when apart from the queens. Remember that!”
And here’s Para, also ignoring the map-usher’s directions. “Good job, Viz.” We moved down the tunnel. “That really was a good dress-down. Saw the whole thing. You’re taking your rank a lot more seriously these days.”
“Yeah, well, we’re going to be mingling with regular military now. I’ve got to own my position in the rank and file. You’re pretty good at ordering people around, yourself.”
“I learned from the best, big sis.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing, big sis... Sir.”
“For pity’s sake, Para. And make that ma’am, unless you want to be scrubbing potatoes for the next fortnight.
“That reminds me. Rock and Roll are sure keeping their heads down, and making sure they have a bunch of side projects to oversee.”
“Roll said they’re worried your promotion might be catching. They’re trying to stay on the technical side of things, where they belong. You know, as opposed to a people-oriented role.”
“We’ll see how that works out.”
***
Things are about to start moving fast. It’s May 26th. The Oort-Sleepy bridge is open, and the Viper Strike Fleet, made up of three entire battle groups, is forming up in Oort space. They’ll be moving on to Sleepy, for the crossing through Looking Glass, to Kreahaam. The operation to liberate Kreahaam is called Alice in Wonderland. Wonderland for the sake of brevity. Someone in strategic planning must have a vivid imagination, though I suppose the mission names were inevitable, since we’ll be... going through the Looking Glass.
The architects of the Wonderland operation insist only one battle group is needed for the operation. But Solcom has witnessed enough Empire surprises to be on the cautious side. They’re sending the entire Viper Fleet, meant for the Cygnus Prime operation, out to Kreahaam. Two of the battle groups will stand by, just in case.
Solcom has been tight-lipped about Viper. I know the fleet won’t be crossing the Kreahaam to Cygnus Prime bridge, even if the Growler crashes the dome. The ships aren’t set up for atmospheric operations. But the fleet will have to hit the Primers before the troops stream across the bridge. No doubt an epic plan is in the works. Three entire battle groups!
A fourth battle group will remain in the solar system. Two invasions, three if you count Sybil, has left the human race extra cautious.
I have to say, seeing so many ships in contiguous space, has a keen emotional effect. This is really happening. While the composition isn’t static, each group is generally made up of an Orion class battle carrier with 100 starfighters, 20 battlestars, and 5 FTL destroyers. In addition to the warships, each strike group has an Orion class propellant hauler and a variety of tender ships hauling parts, equipment, and supplies. There are also a few troop-transport ships for the stopover at Kreahaam.
Let’s check the clock. Rock will be picking me up... in 5 minutes. We have a little job to do before the SID science guys spoof open the Looking Glass-Kreahaam bridge. They have control of the operating system so now it’s not much more than a flip of the switch. Where was I?
The three battle groups making up the Viper Strike Fleet are named after their battle carrier ships, similar to ocean navy aircraft carrier protocol. The names are good reminders of the purpose for this military expedition. Freedom, Liberty, and Justice.
The Freedom Battle Group is tasked with t
he Kreahaam operation, commanded by Admiral Wu, aboard the SLSF Gagarin. Liberty and Justice will be there for backup if needed. Viper Command is stationed aboard the SLSF Armstrong within the Liberty Battle Group, under... Admiral Hollstad.
I had opportunity recently to ride on the SLSF Armstrong, all the way up to FTL-10. It felt as though we sank into ever more rapid gravitational currents that swept us on our way, our speed only limited by the energy poured into the system. The commander chuckled at my imaginative description of the ride, assuring me that we were motionless inside our warp bubble. No doubt, my ride was a lot more fun than his.
*COMMUNAL: Hi, Viz. Why do they use terms like gates and bridges, when it’s ships that are doing the crossing?
“I don’t know. Why do they have ships going through gates and crossing bridges?”
*COMMUNAL: I don’t know, that’s why I asked.
“You’re asking me? I thought you had a knock-knock joke going. I have no idea.”
*COMMUNAL: Oh. Okay. Good luck with Dee and Dum.
“Thanks, Communal. Rock should be here any minute. See you at Jabberwocky. Oh, I should give a quick rundown of some of the mission labels. Like Dee and Dum.”
*COMMUNAL: Yes. Jabberwocky. I understand Jabberwocky Part One. Solcom must gain control of the gate to lock out Cygnus Prime. They can’t have a fleet of Primer dreadnaughts coming across to spoil the Kreahaam invasion party. What is confusing, is Solcom wanting to cross over to the Prime side to control the bridge system and dome, or destroying the dome with a Growler. The intent isn’t to send warships through Jabberwocky. They aren’t effective in atmosphere, for flight or weapons fire other than rail. Viper is set up as a space interdiction operation.
And for the Goodnight ground operation on Cygnus Prime, they can port troops planet-side from anywhere. They don’t need to crash the dome. I could go on and on. It’s all quite confusing.
“Haven’t you done your characteristic sleuthing of the Solcom database?”
*COMMUNAL: I have indeed. And I was evicted so hard, one of my sectors was fried. They’re being very... careful... with Jabberwocky information.
“Believe it, or not, I had the same questions. Well, pretty much the same questions, for Grandad. Tee. Whatever. I bugged him so much, he actually pointed a finger at me. But then he settled down and said something like, we may need a back door. What could that mean?”
*COMMUNAL: A back door? See how you humans are? Gates and bridges and back doors, all totally out of context. How do you even communicate? We’ll see you at Jabberwocky.
Now I can’t get the whole Jabberwocky thing out of my mind. The domes on Cygnus Prime have been locked down, effectively denying access to our port-techs. The only way in is through a Primer gate. So, they want to use the Growler to blast the dome protecting the gate system bridging Cygnus Prime and Kreahaam. In order to have a back door? It is confusing.
Now, where was I? In the big-picture, seizing control of the Kreahaam system is an important objective as we move along the star-road to Prime. But freeing those of Kreahaam is also an important aspect of the mission. It’s inevitable, we’re going to need allies, especially if the Cygnus Prime operation doesn’t go exactly as planned.
Beyond space and atmospheric operations, a significant ground invasion may be necessary for the Wonderland mission on Kreahaam. SpecOps units are already operating on the Kreahaam worlds, stirring up the nests with psy-ops tactics. Scotty and Tee were involved in formulating the OPORD Directive. Who could better understand queen control techniques than one who lived under their control, and one who delved into the depths of their minds.
Solar League ground forces will handle only the especially hard targets of the Queen of All Kreahaam Palace and the Empire Fortress Complex. A large group of paramilitary volunteers will join Scotty in the nest-by-nest assaults. A lot of people on Earth have come to respect the post-invasion bugs. Kreahaamtowne is probably helping with that. No one knows what will happen when the Queen of All Kreahaam is defeated. The hope, of course, is that the bug queens will capitulate. If not, it will be a long slog toward planetary occupation.
With Scotty and Tee involved in the planning process, I know there will be some clever tactics to bring the regular folk of Kreahaam to our side of the bargaining table. The queens will be another story. Rise up, people of Kreahaam!
The real power in the Kreahaam system is the Empire delegation, located in a fortress very close to the High Queen’s palace. That fortress could pose a problem. Then there are the two bombs. I was at one of the battle council meetings where an official, I think from Australia, posed what I thought to be a good question.
He said to Scotty, “Hey, mate. I’ve been pondering. What’s stopping your high queeny from, say, doing a number on the Kreahaam portal gate that bridges Prime. A nice 20 kiloton surprise. No more Empire for you bugs. You would be on your own for 1,000 years give or take.”
Scotty answered: “Sure, and that could be done but for this and that. This bein the not knowin how far the nearest Empire controlled world may be from our homes. That bein the nasty bombs hangin over our worlds by an itsy-bitsy thread.”
Identical Matter/antimatter bombs are positioned in orbit above each of the Kreahaam worlds, controlled by a sort of dead-man’s switch. The Kreahaam monarchy is convinced the bombs have sufficient yield to end their civilization. If something happens to the gate, or if the Empire is just in a bad mood, the bombs drop. Or they just explode. Either way, the planets would be rendered uninhabitable. Well, that information certainly changed the level of complexity for the Wonderland Assault.
Rock still isn’t here. I’ll give a quick rundown of the moving parts. For the mission to succeed a lot has to happen.
* The bombs hanging over the Kreahaam worlds need to be eliminated. Those are labeled Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum. How about we just call them Dee and Dum. Shockwave must take care of those before our Battle Groups cross over to Kreahaam controlled space. Well, point of fact, Kreahaam is in Empire controlled space because of Jabberwocky.
* A second gate in the Kreahaam system is paired to Looking Glass at Sleepy. With the SID in control of Looking Glass, they know a bridge can be established. And they think the bridge can be locked open. Probably. But to seal the deal, there are a few SpecOps squads all set to hit the Kreahaam side gate just as it opens to form the bridge. I’ve got to say, I wish I was a part of that takeover, just to see the look on the bug faces as three entire battle groups stream through.
* Jabberwocky is, of course, the primary portal gate in the Kreahaam system, bridging Kreahaam to Cygnus Prime. First, the gate control center must be captured and secured, and that must be done quickly, before the control center crew can send a message on to Cygnus Prime. After Kreahaam is secured, we’re going to cross over to Prime. But I won’t have any detailed information about our objective until the spin-up of the actual operation. There is something odd about that part of the Jabberwocky sub-mission that is cloaked in secrecy.
* The palace of the Queen of All Kreahaam needs to be taken or destroyed. Ideally, the High Queen will be taken alive, persuaded to surrender, and help to convince the Kreahaam population to accept Solar League oversight.
* Humpty Dumpty is another crucial factor. Humpty, the Empire fortress site, needs to have a great fall. That is key to the liberation of Kreahaam, and a superluminal start to our invasion of Cygnus Prime.
* Most of the heavy lifting will take place on Kreahaam-In. But we can’t neglect Kreahaam-Out. White Queen is the initial ground assault on Kreahaam-Out, to either capture or kill the super-colony queen, and seize the throne room.
* Finally, Alice in Wonderland comes in two Acts, the beginning of a new era for Kreahaam. Scotty formed a Kreahaam War Council that has laid the groundwork for the complete liberation of all Kreahaam. Kahlum, whom I know and respect, is his right-hand bug. The League will handle initial operations to crush the war-fighting capabilities of the queens, and the Empire garrison. Then Scotty and hi
s volunteer paramilitary forces will take over, with the League screening as needed. I guess that makes Scotty in the role of Alice.
There has already been extensive covert work on both Kreahaam worlds in preparation for this momentous time. Scotty’s council believe the application of queen pheromone blockers will win the day. Having bugs directly involved in the liberation of their worlds can only help the process.
And Rock’s still not here.
I’ve got bugs on the brain, let’s lighten things up with a quick rundown of my recent visit to Kreahaamtowne. The word seems to be getting out, but most people haven’t yet visited. Let’s lighten things up a bit.
As the clock wound down before our deployment, there was time for one quick outing. I thought, before we crashed Kreahaam, why not visit the model bug town on Earth? A quick ping to the guys showed it to be a good idea. And in 10-minutes a bunch of us met in the public lot outside Shockwave HQ. Me, Para, Rock, Roll, Fierce, and his girlfriend Amy. A couple of seconds later we were strolling along the cobblestone streets of Kreahaamtowne. My first impression, it reminded me of a Bavarian village, though with a lot more stonework.
No building was more than 3-stories tall. Above ground, the buildings were shops, restaurants, and pubs. Businesses. The buildings had a good deal of ornate stonework and woodwork; shutters by the windows. Planter boxes below windows, filled with colorful flowers. Small balconies with wrought-iron railings; colorful lighting. The shops sold merchandise of all sorts. There were cleverly worked pieces of art, hand-made rugs, pottery of all sorts.
Bakeries showcased breads and pretzels and sweet delicacies. Restaurants featured foods from cultures all over the world. We only saw one restaurant that specialized in Kreahaam food. Those of Kreahaam enjoy beer and similar beverages. So do a lot of people. There are plenty of pubs.
The people of Kreahaamtowne keep their homes in the underground spaces of the buildings. There were tours available for anyone who might be curious for a peek into a bug’s home-life, though we didn’t have time to visit.
Invasion: Journal Three (Shockwave Book 3) Page 18
