by PP Corcoran
#
Tama Narath let out an exultant cry. They were through the last of the heretics’ fleet! All that remained was the orbital defense platforms and he was sure that his ship’s battle armor was strong enough to shrug off their weakened fire and punch through to the planet below. He sat back in his command chair and gave a silent prayer of thanks to the Creator that he had allowed him to complete his small part of the Ehita.
#
The Garundan Bassa class destroyer Hortath lay unmoving in high Earth orbit. Part of the visiting Garundan training flotilla, she had been ordered to fill a gap in the inner defense shell after the HVM and grazer platforms in this part of the shell had taken significant damage.
Captain Yaja was immensely proud of his little ship and of how its young crew had performed in the battle. Every order had been followed and executed flawlessly. Which, considering that this was the first inter system cruise of any Garundan ship, made him beam with pride. With the arrival of First and Third Fleets, victory was assured, so it was no surprise that he had allowed his mind to wander away from the tactical display. When the officer at tactical called to him, he began to berate himself. His heart stopped as his eyes settled on the display. Bearing down on the Hortath was vast bulk of an enemy Vulture.
“Tactical. Go active on ECM, let’s see how many of his missiles we can confuse.”
The small pause from Tactical was enough to let Yaja know that there was something wrong before he had a chance to focus on the confused face of the tactical officer.
“Sir. He hasn’t launched any missiles… My plot shows that he is on a collision course with the planet and his speed’s increasing. The local missile platforms are launching and the grazers are engaging, but…”
The officer didn’t need to finish his sentence. Yaja could read the plot as well as the tactical officer could. The Vulture’s course and speed could only mean one thing. He intended to crash into the planet and the firepower of the defense platforms even augmented by Hortath wasn’t going to be enough to stop him. In his mind’s eye, Yaja could imagine the destruction that would wreck on the humans’ home world.
Yaja was a man of deep honor and he, like the majority of Garundans, felt they owed a debt of honor to the humans who had sacrificed so many of their own to protect his world when it was threatened by the Others. Now, it seemed, fate had decided to call in the debt.
His features became stony and his voice steely as he turned to his navigator. “Plot an interception course with the Vulture. Maximum thrust.”
The Hortath leapt forward like the thoroughbred racehorse she was. Closing the distance between herself and the onrushing Vulture. Yaja raised himself from his command chair and brought himself to attention. The small bridge crew followed his unspoken cue and stood.
Yaja felt the emotion of the moment fill him as his heart swelled with pride. Not trusting himself to speak, he snapped out a parade-ground salute, which his crew returned. Holding the salute, he used his other hand to flip the cover off the ship’s auto destruct button. As the enemy Vulture filled his display, he smashed his thumb down on the button with all his might. Every remaining missile aboard the Hortath and the fusion power plants exploded as one. Ripping the Garundan destroyer and the Vulture into nothing more than boiling plasma and small pieces of hull, which flew into the Earth’s upper atmosphere and burned up like small shooting stars.
Debt repaid in full.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Repercussions. Military. Political. Personal.
CENTRAL COMMAND – Mont Salève – EARTH – SOL SYSTEM
Deep under Mont Salève, the Pit was a hive of subdued activity. It was three days since the Others were defeated, and as the population of Earth fought to come to terms with how close they’d come to their own annihilation at the hands of an implacable enemy, the military leadership of the Commonwealth were busy taking stock of their surviving forces and planning their next move.
As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Keyton Joyce in particular was feeling the pressure from the politicians as they began the inescapable witch-hunt into who would eventually shoulder the blame for allowing the Others to come so close to victory. Keyton looked around the table at his fellow Joint Chiefs and the assembled fleet commanders. His eyes lingered for a moment on the one military person present who wasn’t a member of the Commonwealth. High Commander Botac. When Fifth Fleet’s back had been against the wall, rather than seek out a place of safety, High Commander Botac had committed her forces to the battle on the side of the Commonwealth. Forces that had undoubtedly allowed Fifth Fleet to hold on until rescued. They were all good men and women who deserved his unwavering support. They had all read the tactical situation the way he had. Third Fleet’s opportunity to take out a major enemy naval base that threatened Garunda had been too good a possibility to pass up. The imminent enemy attack on Alona that had called for the only Commonwealth force available to come to the Empire’s aid. The fact that that force had been First Fleet, Earth’s primary defensive fleet, had been thought at the time as of no major concern. After all, the Others didn’t have the gravity drive, so any enemy fleet approaching the Sol system would be detected in plenty of time for units of Second Fleet in Janus to fold into Earth’s space and reinforce the understrength Fifth Fleet, and if that wasn’t enough Third Fleet was only a fold away.
How completely they - Keyton gave himself a mental reproach - he had misread the situation. When First Fleet arrived at Alona, the Others activated their hidden buoys, which made the use of the gravity drive impossible. Admiral Jing had understood the implications of the situation immediately and fought his way past the enemy fleet and plotted a course for home, but that still left Admiral Chavez and her understrength Fifth Fleet to stand alone against the main enemy fleet that had appeared at the edge of the Sol system. If not for the selfless sacrifice of Admiral Catney who’d remained at his post to ensure his communications drones remained free from the dampening field and carried the call for help, then it could all have ended differently.
As it was, the tenacity of Chavez’s defense and the quick thinking of Admiral Glandinning had saved the day. Chavez held long enough to allow Glandinning’s cruisers to fold into Earth’s space and use anti-matter warheads to clear an area of space from the enemy buoys large enough for First Fleet to arrive unobserved in Earth’s orbit. First Fleet maneuvered into the perfect ambush position and used Fifth Fleet as the cliff face to dash the enemy’s forces against. When Glandinning repeated his trick of clearing a large area of space of the enemy buoys to allow Third Fleet to fold in behind the enemy fleet, any hope of an Others’ victory vanished. But he still had to try. In a last, desperate gamble, the enemy fleet commander had used his few remaining ships to blast a hole in Fifth Fleet’s defenses that had allowed his flagship to make a suicide run at Earth. Just as it had seemed that nothing could stop him, a single Garundan destroyer, the Hortath appeared as if from nowhere. The Hortath was as a minnow to a whale but without hesitation, its crew set a course to intercept the enemy and rammed him. When the resulting fireball of expanding plasma had cleared, there was no sign of either ship. There were no survivors.
The weight of responsibility was heavy on Keyton’s shoulders and before this meeting he had had a more private meeting with his fellow Joint Chiefs during which he had announced his intention to resign his position as head of the Joint Chiefs at the end of the day. Both Tolas and Horan had attempted to persuade him to remain, but Keyton knew that the political reality of the situation was that someone would have to take the blame for allowing the Others to come so close to destroying humanity's home. No matter how strongly Tolas and Horan protested that they would have both made the same decisions, the fact of the matter was that they also understood that the public, in their fear, was looking for a scapegoat and Keyton would rather they took his scalp than anyone else's. This war wasn’t over and they would need good people to see it through and Keyton wasn’t willing to allow someone else to take
the fall so he could keep his post.
Keyton looked across the table and saw the indefatigable faces of his two fellow chiefs. Time to get this show on the road. Keyton caught the eye of the commander standing ready at the lectern and gave him a small nod. A single low tone sounded in the room and whatever whispered conversations had been taking place came to a hurried conclusion as attention focused on the commander who paused briefly as the room descended into attentive silence.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. For those of you who don’t know me, I am Commander Irene Spicer and I am attached to the Combined Joint Chiefs’ planning staff. The briefing this morning will consist of three parts. Firstly, a quick round-up of current Commonwealth force levels and capabilities. Secondly, our proposed response to the enemy assault on the Sol system. And thirdly, an in-depth planning study which will involve you taking our proposals away with you and brainstorming with your own planning staffs. This third part must be completed in no more than twenty-four hours.”
This last comment drew a few gasps from around the table. As of yet, none of them were aware of what the Combined Joint Chiefs were planning, but they all knew that twenty-four hours wasn’t a long time to iron out the wrinkles in any plan on paper, never mind get it into actual operation.
Commander Spicer gave them a moment to catch their collective breaths before continuing.
“We now know that the Others’ assault on the Alonan Empire was a ruse to draw forces away from the Sol system and trap them in Messier 54. However, First Fleet quickly recognized the threat and was able to break through the blocking force the Others had placed in the system to hold them there. The latest post-battle analysis puts the enemy losses at fourteen Vultures, twenty-eight Buzzards, and eleven Goshawks. The remaining enemy ships…we believe three Vultures, six Buzzards, and only one Goshawk have reportedly made their way to the edge of the system and entered fold space. Destination unknown. The Alonan navy remains on high alert and is using its gravity drive-capable cruisers to comb the system in case the Others attempt a second sneak attack. First Fleet losses during the breakout amounted to one Bismarck battleship, eight Nemesis battleships, seventeen Vulcan heavy cruisers, twenty Talos cruisers, and twelve Agis destroyers. In addition, First Fleet lost another Nemesis to engineering damage on the voyage home. This ship is currently being recovered by fold-capable tugs and will be taken to Janus for repairs.”
Keyton thought he detected a fleeting wince pass over the face of Ai Jing as his fleet’s losses in his desperate dash back to the Sol system were made public for the first time before his face once more returned to its normal implacability.
“During the action in the Sol system, First Fleet suffered a further two Bismarcks, five Nemesis, eleven Vulcan and two Talos either destroyed or damaged beyond repair. In conclusion, First Fleet’s current fighting strength remains at around fifty-five percent.”
The silence in the room was a tangible thing. First Fleet. The pride of the Commonwealth navies had, in a single enemy operation, been reduced to nearly half its original strength.
A wave of the hand from Keyton urged Commander Spicer to continue.
“Third Fleet, however, remains at virtually full strength, minus BatFor 3.3 which is currently being held in Garunda for system security. That gives us three Bismarcks, six Nemesis, nine Vulcans, nine Talos, and nine Agis.”
John Radford and his Third Fleet had arrived just a fraction too late to take part in the melee that had whirled around Fifth and First Fleet. What enemy ships remained were shattered husks of their former selves and what fight they had been able to put up had been met with overwhelming return fire.
Commander Spicer physically braced herself for what was coming next. “Moving on to Fifth Fleet. As of zero eight hundred hours this morning, Fifth Fleet in its entirety was designated non-operational due to combat losses...”
Keyton could only watch as with this single, sweeping statement he saw the shoulders of Analisa Chavez slump. Fifth Fleet had held against all odds and had paid the heaviest of prices. Not a single one of its battleships or cruisers was combat effective. A little over ninety percent of its ships had suffered major damage which would require them either to be scrapped or spend major time in the hands of the yards. Analisa’s own flagship, TDF Furious, had more holes in it than a Swiss cheese. Keyton dragged his attention back to Spicer as she continued her rundown.
“With the arrival of elements of Second Fleet from Janus, it supplements our available units for further operations considerably…”
“I’m sorry, Commander, but exactly what further operations are you talking about?” interrupted Radford. “Surely we need time to consolidate and rebuild our defenses before we go looking to pick another fight.”
Keyton held up a hand to stop Spicer. “Admiral Radford. It is the opinion of the Combined Joint Chiefs that, having reviewed the intelligence gained by your assault on the enemy naval base, and from the size of the forces which he has deployed in Messier 54 and here in the Sol system, that these two actions combined have severely depleted his naval strength.”
John was shaking his head. “With all due respect, sir, that intelligence may be faulty.”
A murmur of agreement went around the table. The other fleet commanders could see John’s point. The Others’ sudden ability to harness fold space could well allow them to appear at any time anywhere in Commonwealth space. Only Ai Jing remained silent.
Keyton leaned forward in his seat and perched his elbows on the table. “Your thoughts, Admiral Jing?”
Ai sat still for a few moments before he manipulated the controls embedded in the table. Above him, the holo cube came to life, displaying various star systems broken into blocks. “What you see in front of you is a representation of space which we believe to be controlled by the Others. This has been extrapolated from data recovered so far from the naval base secured by Admiral Radford’s forces. As you can see, it is broken into fourteen sectors. Each varying in size and shape, but with one consistent string running through them.”
The eyes in the room stared at the image, trying to discern what Ai could see but they couldn’t. Another tap of the controls and names began to appear next to some of the stars.
Robert Lewis, Commander Second Fleet was the first to spot it. “Well, I’ll be damned… these sectors contain either a planet we know the Others have destroyed or where we have encountered them… Look. There’s Garunda and there’s 70 Ophiuchi. Each sector has two points highlighted.” Robert was becoming more animated as he went on. “I’m willing to bet that one point is their naval base for the sector and the other is a target planet.”
Ai nodded sagely. “Exactly, Robert. It appears to me that once the Others find a planet that holds sentient life, they establish a forward operating base in a secure location. Build up their forces then move on to the offensive.”
Now it was John’s turn to speak up as he looked quizzically at Ai. “Hold on a minute. If this is an accurate representation of enemy space, I don’t see any colonies.”
For the first time in what seemed like an age a smile tugged at the corners of Analisa Chavez’s mouth. “They don’t have any, do they?” She turned to Keyton and a feral smile formed on her face. “We know where their home planet is and we’re going after it, aren’t we?”
Keyton gave her a knowing wink. “Commander, if you would, please.”
Spicer manipulated the holo controls and a single sector enlarged to fill the entire holo cube. This sector alone had a single planet highlighted. With a flair for the dramatic, Keyton announced in a loud voice: “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the target of Operation Hades. The enemy’s home world. At zero three hundred hours day after tomorrow, the massed fleets of the Commonwealth and our Benii allies will begin the biggest naval operation in history. The complete destruction of the enemy’s ability to wage war!”
The various admirals all began to speak at once, only Analisa Chavez remained silent. With her battle damage she would hav
e to remain on the sidelines as the remaining Commonwealth fleet avenged her dead. A subtle clearing of a throat caused her to turn to her left. High Commander Botac stood towering over the slight human admiral. “Admiral Chavez. As Benii forces are to be involved in the operation I feel it prudent to request a liaison officer of at least flag rank to accompany me on the bridge of the Koslla. Would you be available?”
Analisa could only look up at the Benii for a few shocked seconds as her mind scrambled to answer. “It would be an honor, High Commander.” I will have my revenge, you murdering bastards.
#
CAPE TOWN – EARTH – SOL SYSTEM
The door of the holding cell slid silently into its recess as the cells lights flickered on, bringing the interior of the cell into stark relief. The disheveled figure lying on the single raised bed raised itself into a sitting position and drew a deep breath as it prepared to release a long and vocal tirade at whoever had entered the three meter by two meter room that had been its home for the past two days. The planned tirade stalled as the cells occupant’s eyes focused on the visitor. A diminutive female figure in the uniform of a naval admiral. Recovering quickly from the unexpected sight, the cell’s occupant decided to change tactics.
