by Ryk Brown
Josh looked confused for a moment before it dawned on him. “Ah, you’re joking, right? Sir? You are joking, aren’t you? Jess?” Josh sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “Of course she’s joking,” he reassured himself as he turned to follow Loki. After a few steps, he turned around and continued walking backwards as he watched Jessica walk away without looking back. “She has to be joking,” he muttered as he turned back around and continued walking.
* * *
Nathan entered the Karuzara’s conference hall with Vladimir and Jessica, pausing inside the doorway to look around the room. The senior-most members of the Alliance’s three remaining ships were present, each of them clustered in their own little groups. In addition, leaders from the different operating groups on Porto Santo were in attendance. In total, there were more than twenty people waiting patiently in a room designed to hold five times that number. The relatively low attendance was disheartening.
Nathan spotted plenty of empty seats to the right of Cameron and the Celestia’s senior officers, all of whom appeared more comfortable in their surroundings than most of the others in attendance. They had been living and working on the Karuzara for more than a month and today’s meeting represented a welcome break from the never-ending grind of trying to repair and upgrade their battered ship.
Nathan and his group moved into the room, making their way along the outside aisle and then in between rows. “Captain Taylor,” Nathan greeted as he took a seat next to Cameron. “Commander,” Nathan added, nodding at Cameron’s XO, Commander Kovacic on her left.
“Good to see you all,” Cameron replied. “How long have you been back?”
“A few hours,” Nathan commented as he settled into his seat. “Had a long after-action debrief.”
“I heard it was a rough battle. I heard you came out relatively unscathed, though.”
“For once,” Nathan said. “Unfortunately, others weren’t so lucky.”
“I heard about Tug,” Cameron said, her tone becoming sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Nathan. I know how close you two were.”
“Thanks.”
Cameron leaned forward, looking past Nathan to Jessica. “Good to see you made it home, Jessica. How’s Robert?”
“He’s still out of it, but he’ll recover. Probably killed a few thousand brain cells, so he’ll be dumber than before…” Jessica stopped as Admiral Dumar entered the room and the murmurs began to fade.
The admiral walked up to the podium and paused to look out at the faces of his people. He had seen most of them less than an hour ago in the after-action debriefing. Others he either saw occasionally in passing, or on his frequent visits to the various facilities on Porto Santo Island. “First, I’d like to thank everyone who had to suffer through that rather agonizing debriefing. I know from experience that one of the hardest things to do, next to battle, is having to talk about it afterwards and listen to others critique your actions. But it is how we learn, from both our own mistakes and from the mistakes of others. My summaries and opinions of the Battle of Tau Ceti will be available for all command personnel by the end of the day. I strongly suggest that everyone, whether you participated in the action or not, read them.”
The admiral took a moment to let his words sink in before continuing. “As you all know, we lost a lot of good people yesterday, not only in the Sol sector, but in the Pentaurus sector as well. We lost a lot of good ships as well. For those of you from the Pentaurus sector, you should know that yesterday, a rebellion occurred in the Takar system. A handful of noble houses, with the assistance of members of the Ybaran Legions, overthrew and unseated House Ta’Akar as the leading family of Takara. In the process, they executed Casimir Ta’Akar. His eldest daughter, Deliza Ta’Akar, along with Yanni Hiller and the original data cores from Earth, escaped with the help of Captain Suvan Navarro and the Avendahl. They are all currently in the Darvano system. The loss of civilian lives on Takara was minimal, however the loss of military lives and equipment was substantial. Furthermore, the impact these events will have on Alliance efforts in the Sol sector have yet to be fully determined. However, it is safe to assume that the effects will be substantial. Going forward, we must assume that no further military assistance will come from the Pentaurus cluster, at least until such time as a new order has been established. Until that time, I suspect the Avendahl will be forced to remain in the Pentaurus sector in order to protect the Darvano and Savoy systems against potential expansion attempts by the noble houses of Takara.”
“Have there been any indications of such intentions by the nobles?” Major Prechitt asked.
“As of yet, there have been none.”
“How many ships do the nobles still have at their disposal?” Major McCullum wondered.
“The most recent report from the Avendahl was that Takara has two jump-capable battleships, one of which is heavily damaged, as well as at least one cruiser that has yet to be fitted with a jump drive.”
“Can the Avendahl defend against two jump-capable battleships?” Nathan wondered.
“Technically, it is an even match in terms of firepower,” the admiral explained. “However, I know Captain Navarro to be a gifted tactician. I am confident that, should the nobles press their attack with their current forces, the Avendahl will be victorious. The point, however, is that she will not be available to come to the Sol sector for some time. Therefore, it is best for us to plan our course ahead based on the assumption that she will never be able to come to the Sol sector.”
Nathan glanced around the room at the faces of his fellow officers. Although none of them would say it, he could see the disappointment in their faces. A capital ship was exactly what they needed to stand up against the Jung battle platforms and, without the Avendahl, their only recourse was to conduct surprise attacks with KKVs, of which only a few remained.
“Unfortunately, the Avendahl is not the only resource we have lost. The conflict in the Takaran system has also cost us any hope of further Ghatazhak reinforcements.” Admiral Dumar looked to Commander Telles. “Commander, what is your current force strength?”
“Four hundred and eighty-seven,” Commander Telles replied. “Once the wounded have recovered, that number is expected to rise to approximately six hundred.”
“Is that number sufficient to liberate a Jung-held world?”
“Possibly,” the commander replied. “Depending on the enemy force strength, what close air support we have available, and what level of collateral damage is deemed acceptable. However, no matter what those parameters may yield, there will always be friendly losses, and with each engagement, those losses become less affordable.”
“Major Prechitt?” the admiral said, changing his focus.
“There are only two Falcons operating. Two more Falcons will be back online within the week, but the other four ships may not be repairable. We have five boxcars, six troop shuttles, twelve combat jumpers, and four cargo shuttles remaining. All of our Kalibris and heavy airships are still at full strength. And of course, the various shuttles assigned to both the Aurora and the Celestia are all still available. So that adds four utility, two personnel, two cargo, and two SAR shuttles from each ship to the count. Now that may sound like a lot of ships, but it is not. We barely have enough shuttles to deploy the entire Ghatazhak detachment on the ground at once, let alone give them any air cover. However, I do have some good news. It seems that the primary assembly facility used to produce the EDF Eagle fighters is not as badly damaged as we were led to believe. I inspected the site myself the other day, and we may be able to get it up and running in as little as two months, as opposed to the original estimate of three to four months.”
“The Eagles are short range interceptors,” Luis pointed out. “You can’t operate them from the surface against anything in space, and you’d need bases all over the world to provide any significant coverage, not to mention thou
sands of fighters and pilots.”
“Could we put mini-jump drives in them?” Jessica suggested.
“No room,” Nathan told her. “Plus you’d take a weight penalty, thus cutting into either her range or ordnance package.”
“The Celestia’s missile bays are being converted into a launch deck specifically for launching Eagles,” Cameron explained. “Four side-facing launch tubes both port and starboard. Eight ready-birds in the tubes, and eight more on the deck on standby. We’ll be able to launch sixteen fighters within five minutes and additional waves every fifteen minutes.”
“Where are you storing all these ‘waves’?” Jessica wondered.
“We converted both main cargo decks below the flight deck into hangars, maintenance areas, and weapons storage,” Cameron answered.
“Where are you storing your consumables?” Commander Willard wondered.
“We turned the lower forward decks into consumables storage,” Commander Kovacic explained. “You’d be surprised how much less cargo space you need when your average mission duration drops from years to weeks.”
“How long will it take to get all these new fighters?” Nathan wondered. “It takes months to build each one, even with an efficient assembly line.”
“By using Takaran fabricators and by purchasing used propulsion and maneuvering systems from the Corinairans, we have been able to get the production time per fighter down to two weeks,” the admiral stated proudly. “That is also due largely to President Scott putting a number of infrastructure repair projects on hold in order to dedicate more of Earth’s fabricators to reproducing themselves. In fact, we started fabricating structural components more than a month ago. We already have the components to build twenty airframes, and the engines should arrive in a few weeks.”
“You’re going to spit out a new Eagle fighter every two weeks?” Nathan asked, finding it difficult to believe.
“Yes. And we’re giving work to people who need it,” the admiral added. “Putting roofs over their families heads, and food on their tables. A small production town has already sprung up around the plant.”
“Where are all the resources for this project coming from?” Nathan wondered.
“The Earth has plenty of resources,” Commander Kovacic explained. “Much of the raw materials have been sitting idle in warehouses since the Jung first invaded months ago. Industry was practically dormant during the initial Jung occupation. The most significant resource needed is labor, and people are lining up to work.”
“How do we pay them?” Nathan asked.
“No one is asking for money,” the commander continued. “Hell, the Earth’s economy hasn’t even been reestablished yet. The barter system still rules down there. People work for food, for housing, for medical care, for security. Hell, they work so that they have something to do…to have a purpose.”
“With the profits from the sale of Tannan propellant to the Pentaurus markets,” the admiral added, “we are able to purchase the food and resources necessary to not only build fighters, but also to feed and care for the workers building them, as well as their families. It gives them hope.”
Admiral Dumar paused, taking a deep breath. “Based on Major Prechitt’s assessment, I believe our days of liberating worlds are at an end. At the very least, we will have to take each case individually and decide if the rewards justify the risk. In the case of Tau Ceti, I believe it did. Thanks to the quick thinking of Captain Scott, and the heroic efforts of Commander Telles and his men, we now have another Jung battleship in our possession.”
“How badly damaged is she?” Nathan wondered.
“We are still in the process of transferring prisoners to the surface,” the admiral replied, “however, initial reports are promising. Since the Aurora sustained very little damage during the Tau Ceti engagement and Lieutenant Commander Allison is busy finishing up the Celestia’s refit, I would like Lieutenant Commander Kamenetskiy to take a team over, get the power restored and conduct a thorough assessment of the Jar-Benakh’s condition.”
“Gladly,” Vladimir replied. “May I ask what are your plans for the Jar-Benakh?”
“It’s an asset, Lieutenant Commander, and a sizable one at that. I plan to use it. Exactly how, I have yet to determine. At the very least, it would augment our defense of Earth.”
“It will take seven months just to get her here,” Vladimir said, “assuming her FTL systems are still functioning and she can make best speed.”
“Not if we fit her with a jump drive,” Admiral Dumar replied.
“The Jar-Benakh is more than five kilometers long,” Vladimir reminded the admiral. “That’s going to take well over one hundred emitters just to make a single array, and at least four jump field generators, maybe six.”
“The Karuzara originally had nearly one thousand emitters, and thirty jump field generators. We’ve already started cannibalizing our jump systems in order to speed up the refit of the Celestia. I intend to continue to do so, making not only the Jar-Benakh jump-capable but also those two unfinished Jung frigates in the Cetian shipyards.”
“But the Karuzara will no longer be jump-capable?” Vladimir said, pointing out the obvious.
“We never intended for her to remain jump-capable,” Admiral Dumar explained. “We only needed to get her here, to the Sol system. That’s why the entire system was installed over the surface, only routing the primary power grids up to the surface. It was a temporary installation from the start, as we fully anticipated using its components to outfit other ships in the Sol sector.”
“We do not yet control the Cetian shipyards,” Commander Telles reminded him.
“No, we do not,” the admiral admitted, “and our failure to liberate Kohara has complicated the matter.”
“It would not be difficult to take that facility by force,” Commander Telles pointed out, “however, it would not be unlike the Jung to destroy the facility and the ships within it, rather than allow it to become an enemy’s asset.”
“I have considered that possibility as well,” Admiral Dumar agreed. “After debriefing Kata Mun, the Koharan reporter that Lieutenant Commander Nash brought back with her from Kohara, I believe we may be able to convince the Cetian people to join the Alliance.”
Nathan looked at Jessica, a quizzical look on his face.
“Oh yeah,” she whispered, “I knew there was something I forgot to tell you.”
“It matters not what the Cetians wish to do,” Commander Telles said, “not while there are still more than a thousand well-armed Jung on the surface of Kohara.”
“Maybe we can coordinate something with Gerard and his people?” Jessica suggested. “Perhaps they can find a way to get the civilians clear of the Jung strongholds so we can take them out from orbit without too much collateral damage.”
“While collateral damage to the civilian population should be considered, the securing of those assets should be of greater priority.”
“So, we should just waste all the people unlucky enough to be in the neighborhood when we attack?” Jessica challenged, glaring at the commander.
“Civilian casualties are part of the horror of war,” the commander stated coldly. “It is one of the reasons wars are avoided. However, it is insufficient as a reason to not take control of those resources.”
“Please.”
“The argument is immaterial,” Admiral Dumar insisted, interrupting them. “Once the Jung realize they are losing whatever hold they have left on the Tau Ceti system, they will destroy whatever assets remain. We’ve already inflicted enough collateral damage to their world, when we struck to cover the withdrawal of forces from Kohara. I see no reason to inflict more, only to see the prize taken from us at the push of a button. Besides, we have a bigger problem to deal with… The fact that the Jung have a much better interstellar communications
system than we had originally believed.” Admiral Dumar looked at Jessica. “Lieutenant Commander?”
Jessica sat up as she prepared to speak. “While undercover on Kohara, we made contact with a deep cover EDF spec-ops named Gerard Bowden. He’s been there for at least twenty years. The Jung have a tiered communications system. The battle platforms act as central messaging hubs. Each of them knows where the others will be at any given time, as their movements are coordinated by Jung command, back on the Jung homeworld.”
“I don’t suppose he told you where their homeworld is located?” Nathan asked, knowing the answer.
“No. He confirmed that they go to great lengths to keep that information a secret. In fact, only clan leaders know how to find their way back to their homeworld.”
“Clan leaders?”
“Yeah, I’ll get to that,” Jessica said. “Ships in the field exchange messages with the nearest battle platform, as do Jung-held worlds. At this level, most comm-drones travel at a top speed of twenty times light, so their communications between battle platforms never take more than a few months, tops. The leaders on the battle platforms make the decisions and give the orders to the ships and worlds within their sphere of authority, based on the governing protocols they receive from the Jung homeworld. The battle platforms have comm-drones that can travel at one hundred times light, at least that is the highest speed that Gerard could verify. It could be faster, we just don’t know. This means that even if a battle platform is on the opposite side of the sector, it’s only going to take a year to get a message home. For most of them, considerably less, depending on their proximity to the homeworld.”
“How do the battle platforms communicate with one another?” Nathan wondered.
“Directly, with high-speed comm-drones. They have thousands of the damn things on board, and they send them out on a weekly basis, to every other battle platform in the network, either relayed between platforms along their route, or direct.”
