The Tanith Gambit

by Dietmar Wehr

  When Trask made that decision to hold back the six pinnaces, it dawned on him that it wouldn’t be long before the Rivington spaceport would be hip deep in pinnaces from all of the captured ships. Most of the pinnaces were armed with turreted cannons for ground support of combat troops and most also had limited anti-missile capability but nothing useful for anti-ship combat. Trask wondered if they could be converted to some kind of anti-ship configuration and called in his senior engineers to get them thinking about that as a long term project. After the engineers went away and brainstormed for a bit, they came back with what they called a missile boat concept. To make it work, each pinnace would have its cannons replaced with missile launchers. Cargo space would be used for missile storage, shuttles to be used for boarding parties and storage of consumables to allow each converted pinnace to operate for long periods without the need to replenish supplies from a mother ship or base. They would still retain their hyperdrive capability to enable them to be moved around to star systems where they might be needed. It sounded good on paper but the engineers balked when Trask told them that he wanted two, 200 ft. missiles boats to be able to take on and win a battle against one 2,000 ft Viking ship. They didn’t think that was possible. Trask told them to find a way.If they could figure out how to accomplish that goal, then a standard 2,000 ft battleship, carrying four missile boats, instead of standard pinnaces, would have the combined firepower of three battleships and the four missile boats would need less crew in total than the two battleships they’d be replacing. That was the kind of radical shift in combat strategy and tactics that could tip the scales against Space Vikings as a whole IF they could make it work.

  Three days after the Marduk crews took their ships home, a freighter arrived from Beowulf with the components of a new shipyard. The collapsed matter plant wasn’t ready to be shipped yet but it would be in a few more weeks. By then, the shipyard would be back in operation and could start repairing structural and basic mechanical damage that didn’t involve collapsed matter armor. With mechanisms like missile loading equipment repaired, as well as power, life support and damaged compartments restored, the combat power of most of the captured ships would increase dramatically although most still had hull armor and electronic damage, that needed to be repaired before they were back at 100% capability. But it was a start and Trask was pleased to see real evidence of progress.

  Captain Roger-fan-Morvill-Estherson entered Prince Viktor’s plush office and the Prince waived him over to the comfortable chair opposite Viktor’s desk.

  “Do sit down, Captain. It’s been a while since you’ve visited Xochtil. I hear that you have some fascinating loot that seems to have come from Marduk? I’d love to hear how you came by it.” Estherson took his time sitting down. He really didn’t want to tell Prince Viktor what had happened on Marduk and he now wished that he’d taken his ship somewhere else but Xochtil was the closest Viking base to Marduk and it had seemed like a good idea at the time.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Viktor might be only a Prince of a backward planet containing a Space Viking base but he had let it be known that he insisted on being addressed as a planetary Monarch. “I ah…came by that loot because my ship, the Damnthing, along with two other Viking ships, raided the Marduk city of Drepplin in the aftermath of the battle to retake Marduk away from Prince Lucas’s enemy Andray Dunnan.” He was about to say more but stopped when he saw Prince Viktor suddenly lean forward and become much more attentive.

  “Wait a minute! I know that Trask was hunting this Captain Dunnan who allegedly killed Trask’s wife but it sounds like you’re saying that Dunnan conquered Marduk? How could he possibly do that and even if he could, why would he?” Estherson sighed. Now he’d have to go into the whole background story.

  “I’ll explain how it all happened, Your Majesty. When Andray Dunnan hijacked Duke Angus’s ship, Enterprise after killing Prince Lucas’s wife, he spent the next several years gathering resources and allies in his mad plan to conquer Marduk from within. By sending spies to Marduk, Dunnan was able to identify a man by the name of Zasper Makann, who had extreme ideas about engineering some kind of…I think Otto Harkaman called it a fascist revolution that would leave Makann in absolute control but at that point Makann had virtually no followers and no financial backing. Dunnan used his raiding profits to finance Makann’s rise to power. I won’t bore you with the details but suffice it to say, that Makann, was able to maneuver himself and his followers into a position where they could take control of the government and armed forces. Andray Dunnan became the Navy’s new Admiral and he arranged things so that he was the real power behind Makann. Some members of the Marduk Royal Family escaped and fled to Tanith, where they convinced Prince Lucas to gather a fleet together to liberate Marduk. My ship happened to be at Tanith at that time and I, along with two other Viking ships, saw an opportunity to raid a Civilized World for the first time in over two centuries and we agreed to join the fleet, which consisted of several ships loyal to Prince Lucas plus ships from Amaterasu and Beowulf, as well as four Royal Marduk Navy ships that were still loyal to the old regime.”

  “Our fleet managed to overpower Dunnan’s Viking ships and the four ships that were crewed by Makann’s followers. We then landed at the Capital city of Malverton and fought a vicious ground battle which ultimately took that city back. By then, my ship and the other two Viking ships were given tacit approval to raid the city of Drepplin which was still supporting Makann. When we finished raiding that city, I came straight here.” Viktor’s eyes were intensely staring at him and Estherson didn’t like that. After a few seconds, Viktor said.

  “That is a VERY interesting story, Captain Estherson. By how much would you estimate Marduk’s navy has been reduced in terms of the number of ships it can field now?” It was obvious what the prince was thinking and Estherson really didn’t want to say but if he lied and then Viktor found out the truth from one of the other two Viking ships that were sure to visit Xochtil sooner or later, then Estherson would face the Prince’s wrath and Prince Viktor’s willingness to hold a grudge were legendary as was his temper.

  “Well…ah…all four of the renegade navy ships were destroyed as were two of the navy ships loyal to the Crown. Other ships were in the process of gathering at the rally point at Gimli but they hadn’t arrived at Marduk by the time I left. I don’t know how many ships Marduk has in total now.” Viktor looked disappointed.

  “But you say at least 6 navy ships were destroyed outright?”

  “That’s correct, Your Majesty.”

  “What about ground-based, anti-ship defenses?”

  “Those were attacked and destroyed after the space battle by ships controlled by Prince Bentrik and Prince Lucas.”

  “If I recall, Marduk has a navy base on one of its moons, doesn’t it? Is that base still operational?”

  “Yes, there is a moon base and it still exists but it’s taken a lot of damage and was not able to participate in the defense of Marduk at all while I was there.” Viktor paused to consider Estherson’s comments.

  “And there was considerable ground fighting?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “It sounds like this was essentially a civil war with help from Trask and his allies. Is that more or less correct, Captain?”

  “I believe that you’re correct, Your Majesty.”

  “Do you have any videos of the action, Captain?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. We took videos of both the space and ground battles by my ship and troops. Would you like to see them?”

  “Yes, Captain. As soon as possible. If they confirm what you’ve told me, I’ll have an interesting strategy to consider.” Estherson shivered with fear. Something he almost never did as a Space Viking.

  “I’ll arrange for them to be delivered to you right away, Your Majesty.”

  “Very good, Captain. You may leave.” Estherson couldn’t leave the room fast enough for his liking. It was obvious what Prince Viktor was contemplating and Esther
son didn’t like it one bit. In his opinion nothing good could come from a Space Viking attack on Marduk. If Viktor won the battle, the future looked bleak for Estherson’s friend, Prince Lucas and if Viktor lost the battle and survived it, he’d probably blame Estherson for his losses. Estherson had to find a way to get word of the impending attack to either Prince Lucas or Prince Bentrik, but how? Taking his own ship away from Xochtil now would just tip Viktor off and Viktor’s ships would fire on him on his way out of the no-jump zone. Estherson had to find another way. That opportunity came 110 hours later after Viktor presented his grand plan for the Raid on Marduk to a group of five Viking Captains. Viktor asked each Captain in turn if he’d be willing to join the Raid. Three of the Captains said they would. When it came to Estherson’s turn, he said,

  “I’ve seen how dangerous the Marduk Navy can be first hand. My ship’s participation in this raid will depend on there being at least…10 other ships involved in it. Less than that and I’ll pass.” Viktor was not pleased and his expression looked it.

  “Well, Captain Estherson, I’m frankly disappointed that you’re not more enthusiastic about this raid. You should understand that if your ship does not participate in the raid on Marduk, it will no longer be welcome on Xochtil in the future.” That was perfectly okay with Estherson since he’d already made up his mind not to come back here again anyway.

  “I do understand that, Your Majesty, and I’ll take that into consideration.” Viktor nodded and turned to the last Captain, whose ship had literally just touched down a few hours ago.

  “What say you, Captain Forvill?” Forvill looked around at the other captains and at Estherson in particular. He hadn’t met the other three before but Estherson he knew and rather well at that. He had a high opinion of Estherson’s judgement and if Estherson was lukewarm to the raid then he was sure to have a good reason for it. Forvill decided to make some excuses.

  “Well, I thank Your Majesty for the opportunity to participate in this raid however, my ship has taken a lot of damage, which I estimate will take several weeks to repair, not to mention the fact that a lot of my people are injured, some seriously and they’ll need even longer to get back into fighting shape. It also occurs to me that if this raid is successful, then Marduk will be wide open for further raids since they’re not likely to be able to rebuild their fleet and defenses for months, maybe years and with a population of, what did I hear…3 billion, there should still be plenty of loot to be had on follow up raids with minimal resistance. Therefore I must respectfully decline your invitation, Your Majesty.” Viktor looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. The silence in the room was deafening. When he finally did speak, it was clear that his rage was barely under control.

  “You may think that waiting to see the results of the first raid before taking advantage of a vulnerable Marduk is a smart strategy HOWEVER….it is predicated on the assumption that my shipyard will repair your ship’s damage in the meantime. If you’re not prepared to carry your share of the load on the first raid, then I see no reason to allow your ship to take up valuable shipyard time when there’ll be other ships that also need repairs and ARE willing to participate on the first raid. So…you have a choice now, Captain Forvill. You and your ship can wait until AFTER the raiding ships have returned from Marduk AND have all of their damage repaired and only then will your ship be allowed into the shipyard OR you can take your ship elsewhere for repairs but that will unfortunately mean that you won’t know if the raid was successful and whether follow up raids make sense. I need a decision from you NOW, Captain!” For Forvill, the choice wasn’t difficult. Waiting in orbit around Xochtil for the raiding ships to return AND be repaired would require months and at the end of that time, there was no guarantee that his ship would be repaired anyway. Prince Viktor was just capricious enough to deny Forvill’s Ragnarok the chance for repairs just out of spite. If he might have to go to another base to get repaired anyway, he might as well do it now.

  “After careful consideration, I’ve decided to take my ship and seek repairs elsewhere, Your Majesty.”

  “So be it! You have my permission to leave the room and I suggest that your ship leave Xochtil within the hour and never come back!” Forvill quickly got up and made the requisite bow to Viktor who looked away in obvious disgust. As Forvil was leaving the room he heard Viktor say.

  “Your presence is no longer needed here either, Estherson. I have things to discuss with real Space Viking Captains, who aren’t afraid to take some risks!”

  Both captains were escorted to the Palace’s entrance and from there to their ships’ groundcars, that were waiting for them at the foot of the wide steps. Neither captain said anything until they were standing beside Forvill’s groundcar. Forvill looked at Estherson and said,

  “Well, my crew isn’t going to be happy about having to take our damaged ship to another base. They were looking forward to some rest and the chance to spend some hard earned loot here. Did I do the right thing, Captain?” Estherson quickly looked around to make sure that none of Viktor’s people was within earshot.

  “Yes, you did. My suggestion…my STRONG suggestion is that you take Ragnarok to Tanith and let Prince Lucas know about Viktor’s plans for Marduk. I guarantee you he’ll be grateful for the information. Just don’t let Viktor’s people know where you’re going. If they ask, tell them you’re going to Hoth or Nergal.” Forvill looked dubious.

  “Tanith, eh? I’ll think about it. It’s too bad we won’t have time to catch up over drinks and women but if my ship is going to leave within the hour, I need to get back there now. Maybe when we meet again, you’ll be able to tell me what this was all about, eh?” Estherson nodded as he shook Forvill’s hand. Forvill got into his groundcar and left for the spaceport. Estherson walked to his vehicle and did the same.

  Chapter VIII

  Harkaman wasn’t sure what to expect when both of his ships emerged from the last micro-jump just beyond the no-jump zone of Dagon but he certainly wasn’t expecting what he did find. Absolute silence. No micro-waves, no video or audio transmissions. Nothing.It was just like arriving back at Tanith after the Battle of Marduk. Harkaman ordered Nemesis via tight beam laser com to refrain from omni-directional emissions of any kind. If his two ships could sneak up on Barragon’s base, so much the better. The 2 hours it took to transit across the no-jump zone under normal space drive were nerve-racking to say the least. When both ships maneuvered into the standard geo-synchronous orbit of approx. 25,000 miles altitude, they were able to use their optics to look at Barragon’s base which was just emerging from the dark side of the planet. They did see some evidence of power usage but no ships. That was disappointing. It meant that Barragon probably wasn’t home and unless he showed up while Harkaman’s ships were still here, part of Otto’s mission, settling accounts with Barragon, would not be accomplished. He just hoped that there was something of value here to make the whole trip worthwhile.

  Both ships maneuvered in order to descend with the local star directly behind them to hide them from visual observation until the last few seconds. The actual landing went off with perfect surprise. Most of the base’s personnel were still asleep. Harkaman’s ground fighters flew down in contra-gravity vehicles and took control of the whole base literally in a matter of seconds. By the time the two big battleships gently set down on the spaceport tarmac, his ground troops were rounding up the base personnel who looked stunned and demoralized. Harkaman waited on Corisande’s Bridge while his men found whoever was in charge of the base in Barragon’s absence. They soon found him and brought him to Harkaman. The man looked scared. Harkaman decided to speak first.

  “I’m Admiral Harkaman and my ships are here under orders from Prince Lucas Trask of Tanith, to recover the equipment that was taken from us by your boss, Barragon. So I’d like some information. First of all, who are you and where’s Barragon?”