ARMS Domers Unite: (Book 6)

by Stephen Arseneault

  "How were you able to construct a generator?"

  "Your destruction at Jellon wasn't very thorough. True, you shut the system down, but you left enough intact for my team to figure out what they needed to build this unit. Oh, and if you talk to Bannis about this, he will deny all knowledge of this effort... as he's been instructed to do. Now, if you don't mind, we have a lot of work to do. You should be on your way."

  The ride back to Midelon was full of speculations that only added questions. The remaining hours waiting were spent in the supply hut, conversing with the AI and then with Alex.

  Gandy walked in. "Probes are being loaded on the Hailstorm. Should be all set in about five minutes. You gonna pipe the signals back here for us to watch too?"

  "That's the plan," Harris said.

  "Sixty thousand ships going into a fight. That's... that's just mind boggling. The Domers know this is going down, right?"

  "We decided against telling them," said Tawn. "We were worried Croft might try to market that info to them in an attempt to open a diplomatic channel. He still thinks peace can be made."

  "Too bad we can't offer to fly them across our space, where they could just flee from the Frizoid, or whatever they are."

  "We offered as much. They had no interest. They're committed to claiming this space for their masters."

  "Too bad. Even if they were to stay, we have plenty of space now with the Earthers mostly gone."

  "We aren't looking for others to bed down with, especially if they have no qualms about genocide."

  The AI opened a comm. "The probes are loaded and ready. I've programmed the bots aboard the Hailstorm to disperse them in a pattern that will yield the best coverage of the attack."

  Harris stood. "Excellent, let’s get this show on the road. Time to see if Humans have a shot at survival."

  As Harris stepped up through the Bangor's hatch, a new comm came from the AI. "Harris, the Hoya are on the move at Barrier. We may have missed our opportunity. They appear to be splitting into three groups. It may be several hours before I have sizes and directions."

  Harris rolled his eyes. "Figures they'd move right when we were ready. So we're stuck with waiting again?"

  "There is an alternative—the Hoya fleet at New York. Much smaller, but still a viable target. None of our attack parameters will change."

  "You're suggesting we shift our attack to that fleet?"

  "I am. And with that change comes the increased possibility of a complete victory."

  "You have up-to-date scans of New York?"

  "I do. I will adjust orders for the fleet if you decide to make this change."

  Harris glanced at Tawn. "Any opinion?"

  "One sounds as good as the other. I don't see that it makes a difference in the grand scheme. We can either fight these Hoya or we can't. Let's get moving so we can find out which."

  "AI, alter the orders to make the fleet at New York our new target."

  "The fleet is on the way."

  "Whoa, hold up. We'd like to be there."

  "A comm link with all the data from the probes will be provided. There is no need for your presence."

  "Still, I'd like to be present."

  "The Banshee fleet will await your arrival."

  Twelve minutes later, the Bangor slipped through a wormhole. An image of the New York colony planet was just visible on the nav display.

  Harris said, "AI, make it happen."

  The horde of Banshee ships moved forward, twenty thousand, two hundred fifty-six in all.

  Harris reclined in his chair, locking his fingers behind his head. "Don't know if I should be excited or terrified."

  "Maybe a little of both?" Tawn replied. "I just wish we had our sensors running. Having that 3D map available during a fight leaves no question as to what's happening."

  The AI said, "I will be attempting to populate that same map as the data comes in. Whether you are there or safely at Midelon, you'll see the same streams."

  "If it's just the same, I'd prefer being here."

  Eight minutes passed before the visual feeds showed on the display. Three minutes later, the first Hoya ship appeared. Before it could move, a gamma missile detonated its warhead, firing a high energy beam through the near craft—and through another that had just come into alignment. The AI simulated a line being drawn through the two ships.

  Tawn said, "And so it begins."

  Half a dozen detonations flipped up on the screen before the first of the Hoya ships took action. The display lit up with lines, most showing a green for a double strike. Yellow signified a single strike, blue for a partial, and red for a miss. Ships that had taken hits either remained in place or continued in their prior direction.

  "Those early hits aren't moving. I have to take that as a good sign."

  Harris nodded. "At a minimum, they appear incapacitated. Which is a win."

  "Fifty-six Banshee's lost already. Not bad considering the difference in firepower."

  Harris pointed. "Here, those five Banshees look to be headed for the surface?"

  "I guess we'll find out if that's so."

  The AI said, "I evaluated your suggestion that it may be better to have sensors. Those five craft are indeed heading for the surface. We should see them break away momentarily."

  "There they go. And... three of the Hoya right after. There's one… two… four… and five dead Banshees. That didn't quite work out for us, did it?"

  "It did not. I've diverted a second team to approach from behind the planet."

  Tawn said, "If those numbers are correct, we have two hundred forty kills to ninety-seven Banshee losses. That's with a hundred eighty-six missiles used. So far we're running about 4 percent on the plus side of what we need to take that whole fleet down."

  Harris highlighted a portion of the display and zoomed in on a single ship. "That look like the broadcast ship we captured, only larger?"

  "Much larger, but yes."

  "You think that might be the one they travel with that keeps them hidden?"

  "AI? You have an opinion on that?"

  "I do. The physical characteristics do appear to match that of a broadcast ship."

  "They have any others like that in the fleet?"

  "One moment... two others."

  "Target those with our missiles. And have a squad of Banshees follow up with ripping them apart."

  "The orders have been given. I will highlight those ships as the attack commences."

  Tawn leaned back, locking her fingers behind her head. "The Great war would have been over after a couple fights if we had this tech back then. The real-time coordination by the AI leaves us the bandwidth to sit back and cherry-pick targets."

  Several minutes passed before the second squad of Banshees attempted an assault of the ground building. Again the Hoya response was swift, annihilating the fighters before they closed to a range where they could fire their rail cannons.

  Harris scowled. "Has to be a way in there."

  "What's it matter? We have a complete picture of the fight as it's happening. I actually like these visual feeds."

  "We have no idea if the gamma-rays are actually working. I'd like to see a bioscan showing results."

  The AI said, "I've highlighted the missile interaction with the first of the broadcast ships. As you can see, the beam scored a direct hit. The Banshees are following immediately after. And... the target has been destroyed. Second target will be up in forty seconds."

  Harris asked, "What are the chances of getting a gamma hit on that surface building?"

  "I would place the odds at 100 percent. The building is stationary and the gamma weapon can be fired from orbit, and will remain effective."

  "Let's do that. If for some reason we have to go down there, I'd rather we didn't have to deal with any Hoya fighters."

  "I've given the command. We should have visual confirmation in fifty-nine seconds. While we wait, the second broadcast vessel is within range. The weapon has been detonated... we have a
direct hit. Next target in one minute eighteen seconds."

  Tawn said, "This fight feel different to you?"

  "It does," Harris replied. "Not being in the actual fight leaves you feeling as though you're somehow cheating or not giving your all."

  "Must be what it always felt like to our strategic commanders who were calling the shots without being in the fight. I can't say it's comforting."

  "Not only that, but we have these bots fighting our fight for us. Glad we're not losing any of our own. That's fantastic. But it leaves you with the exact feeling you were just talking about. Strange."

  The AI said, "The Hoya have moved to protect the third broadcast ship. Should I risk extra resources in an attempt to destroy it?"

  Tawn shook her head. "Not right now. The loss of sensors isn't costing us anything at the moment, so let's just keep doing what we're doing."

  The fighting continued as a mass of chaos they could only see with the eye, thousands of tungsten pellets flying in every direction, some misses yielding collateral damage that included friendly-fire. Banshee losses had topped over a thousand. Fifteen hundred gamma missiles had been fired, eliminating more than nineteen hundred Hoya ship crews, the ships themselves left to drift as they were when the weapon struck.

  — Chapter 25 —

  * * *

  Two hours into the effort, the losses on both sides were running near even. Four thousand Banshees had been obliterated while forty-two hundred Hoya vessels were no longer under control of the living.

  "We may just have a shot at this," Harris said.

  Tawn replied, "We still have the larger fleet at Barrier to deal with. Correction, the one leaving from Barrier."

  "This fight should give us a lot of intel on what tactics worked and what didn't."

  "That goes the same for the Hoya, you know. Next time around they'll be making adjustments as well."

  "Don't think that's true. They have no contact with each other. The other fleets have no idea what's happening here. Unless they have some magic comm we don't know about. Besides, we can always bring a bigger fleet. And more missiles. Those have worked wonders."

  "Speaking of that, there's been enough residual gamma from those explosions to push the radiation meters on our hull up by 20 percent. AI, are we in danger from any of that?"

  "Your internal sensors indicate a modest increase within your cabin. This is another reason I would suggest this fight is better left to us. You're being here serves no good purpose, and will even endanger you from this distance."

  Harris asked, "Why should we have to worry way out here?"

  A gamma-ray beam fired from that distance remains a health risk. A direct hit on the Bangor would most assuredly cause damage to your DNA. The Bangor's shields weren't made to take that level of radiation."

  "OK, sounds like we shouldn't be here."

  "Your departure, now, would be prudent."

  The ship turned, slipping through a wormhole to Midelon space before making a run down to the surface. Trish, Gandy, Sharvie and Garvis were gathered in the supply hut when Tawn and Harris walked in. The same 3D image of the fight was floating before them on the display wall.

  Gandy said, "Did you see? They got the last of the fleet broadcast ships. The only one left is the smaller one tied to that surface facility. They might lose that interference field here real soon. What are you two doing back here?"

  Tawn sat in a chair. "The AI advised us we might fall victim to an errant gamma beam. Harris had the indicator on his suit saying we had already taken in more radiation than on a normal day. Best not to have Humans anywhere near the fighting when those gamma missiles are in use."

  "A direct hit by a beam, even at the ten minute distance we were at, would still kill us, combat suit and all," Harris added.

  "Anyone talked to the colonel?" asked Tawn.

  "About an hour ago," said Gandy. "The AI has a comm feed going there and to Domicile with the same thing we're seeing here."

  A new comm was opened. "Colonel? You liking the results?"

  "So far we appear to be running even. Given that we're here with production and repair capabilities, I'd say that gives us a distinct advantage. And we piped the signal through to Domicile."

  "Have you talked with the admirals and generals back there?"

  "Just minutes ago. They're cautiously optimistic. I've heard the President is unhappy with the results, as he sees a win as a rebuke of all his policies. When asked if the images should be broadcast to the public he was emphatic about saying no. He is especially perturbed that there are no Humans involved in the fight. It completely crushes his main argument for peace, that we can't risk Human lives."

  "Maybe the people will finally wise up to having a strong defense when there are known enemies out there."

  "Maybe."

  "Any word from your DDI contact?"

  "Morale is up. Projects are moving forward. There's a huge shakeup occurring in the New Earth division seeing as how that threat is now gone."

  "We ran into Rumford out at Eden. She had our version of that interference field up and running there."

  "Haven't heard about that."

  "Has a whole team out there running experiments. I tell ya, I wouldn't have expected the change we've seen out of her. There was a time I was certain she was in the emperor's pocket. She's actually been a big help to us while out at Midelon."

  "My contact did some digging after he sprang her from the DDI’s care. She was on some very secretive team that he said he wasn't able to break. Doesn't know who they reported to or what section was funding her. He called it the blackest black program he had ever seen."

  "Doesn't much matter now. She's out there doing our work, and from what we can tell, doing it right."

  "We're expecting the first framing for a freighter to be complete by week's end. Component construction is ongoing, so assembly will start immediately from that point. We should have her complete and waiting on hull plating in about six weeks. Flight tests of the Gruberg should be happening in about ten weeks."

  "I still can't believe you named her that. What have I really done to deserve a ship named after me?"

  "You and Tawn have been instrumental in guiding us to where we are today."

  Harris chuckled. "Yeah, including almost getting us wiped out with a restart of the Great War. Look, all we've done has been in reaction to what others have done. Some of those reactions were just being in the right place at the right time. Most of what we've done has been because of having access to Midelon. And we stumbled into that."

  "Your path may have been unexpected, but your decision making and determination to do what's right have not been. They speak to who you are. And those decisions, from the both of you, are worthy of a ship taking your name."

  Tawn said, "OK, I think we've argued about this enough. Any further thoughts on what we're seeing here today?"

  "We'll share our analysis once the fighting has wrapped up. No sense in drawing conclusions when the battle still rages."

  The comm was closed. On the display wall, lines signifying gamma beams and streaks showing railgun rounds being fired filled the image. With the scale, the cloud of ships seemed to move infinitely slow. A yellow haze represented the interference signal.

  Gandy said, "We just passed twelve thousand Banshees lost. The Hoya are at just over fourteen thousand now. And we still have almost eight thousand missiles left."

  Harris said, "Hate to say it, but the AI has done a great job of running this battle. We couldn't have expected better out of a thousand planners and commanders sitting in a vast war room."

  Tawn nodded. "I have to agree. One thing we haven't discussed is the aftermath of this."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Those Hoya ships… half will still be fully functional and without damage. That's a huge fleet for somebody to salvage."

  "Huh… you think those could be turned around and used against the other Hoya fleets? Who’s gonna fly them?"

  Gandy
raised a hand. "We can turn out a thousand bots a day now. And they're instantly trained. What if we start turning them into crews? How many do we need to operate each of those ships?"

  Harris opened a comm. "AI, given an average sampling of the Hoya ships in a fleet of ten thousand ships, how many of our worker bots would be needed to crew those ten thousand ships?"

  "Are you suggesting we use the undamaged Hoya ships as part of our fleet?"

  "I am."

  "To be exact, thirty-seven thousand, four hundred sixty-eight."

  "How many bots do we have right now?"

  "Nine thousand three hundred twenty-three."

  "If bot production was made our highest priority, with, let's say... sacrificing no more than 15 percent from the Banshee and gamma missile lines, how long would it take us to reach that thirty-seven thousand mark? And what would our other production numbers be?"

  "Twenty-four days. Our newly completed Banshee fleet would be in the sixteen hundred ship range, with missile production yielding a similar number."

  Tawn said, "Assuming we'll need at least ten thousand Banshees and that many gamma missiles, I'd say twenty-four days won't cut it. What's our optimum schedule to crew the ten thousand Hoya ships, build ten thousand Banshees, and ten thousand gamma missiles?"

  "Six weeks, two days."

  "And do we have directions and estimated arrival dates for the other Hoya fleets."

  "Yes. The fleet designated as 1A has eighteen thousand, four hundred fifty-two ships, with just over 70 percent being warships. The—"

  "Wait. What? What are the other ships?"

  "Support. The same ratio can be seen in the other two split fleets."

  "Why weren't there any support ships at New York?"

  "I cannot answer that question."

  "Go ahead. Continue with what you were saying before."

  "Fleet 1A is heading toward Nesua with an expected arrival of thirty-seven days from today."

  "OK. Nesua is empty, so no urgency there."

  "Fleet 1B consists of fifteen thousand, two hundred eight ships. Current heading is Gantway. Expected arrival is forty-five days from today."