by S. H. Jucha
The crews hadn’t filled their ships before the second fleet arrived. The third followed a day later, and the fourth arrived soon afterwards.
Fleets one and two were on the ecliptic, but they had entered Talus space on vectors that were about forty-five degrees apart. The other pair of fleets transited far above the ecliptic, and neither fleet was directly above Toral. Fortunately, the home world was on a far pass around Talus from all four fleets.
As was Hector’s habit, he immediately conferenced the principals of the Talus defenders on Ellie’s comm.
The scout ship was located near the third group of arrivals — four ungainly looking warships. Ellie, Hector, and Sargut examined the images Linn sent to the Freedom.
“Battle damage,” Sargut said, recognizing scars on the fleet’s hulls. The occasional antenna was truncated or missing too.
“The two fleets have an even number of ships,” Taralum noted. A sister was acting as a relay for the commander’s side of the conversation.
“Negative,” Taralum replied. “This isn’t done. The wedge requires a lead ship, a heavy, as you call it, and equal legs.”
“This was an Artifice requirement,” Sargut explained. “It enabled the entity a measure of confidence, when tracking the fleets that arrived and patrolled Talus’s periphery.”
“There is no such situation, Alphons,” Taralum replied. “A race who manages to rise after being reduced isn’t given a second opportunity. If Artifice deemed races a threat a second time, their systems would have been destroyed, as it was intended for the Chistorlan home world.”
“Those two fleets attacked Toralian colonies first,” Sargut volunteered. “They lost ships in their encounters and were easily repulsed due to their ships’ obsolescence. They came here seeking an easier target.”
“Don’t be fooled,” Taralum warned. “The other fleets are still battleships. They’re capable of launching hundreds of missiles in each salvo. The combination of velocity, mass, and explosives will create extensive damage to the orbital station or the planet’s surface.”
Ellie examined the data on each fleet. She noted that none of the fleets were racing toward Toral, but they weren’t sitting stationary either.
“Eventually, these four will record one another on their telemetry,” Sargut said, interrupting Ellie’s thoughts. “Each will probably assume the others are here for the same reason.”
“It’s improbable,” Taralum replied. “The appearance of fleets two, three, and four suggest that the other races would have shunned them after they were reduced.”
“Taralum is pointing out that their languages wouldn’t have been shared for fear of being associated with races that displeased Artifice,” Sargut interjected. “Without understanding the language, coordination would be impossible.”
Ellie had a thought, but she worried it might create greater exposure for Talus’s peripheral locations.
“Only Artifice’s most ardent followers attacked outposts,” Sargut replied. “The majority of races found Artifice’s directives distasteful, and they executed the entity’s orders with limited operations on the home world or habitable colony. However, it’s possible that one of these fleets might be the exception, but it’s doubtful.”
Ellie cogitated on the number of inbound ships, the potential missile count, and the wildly different approach vectors. There was no ducking the issue. The defenders were outmatched. She repeated that thought until it became a mantra in her head. Angry at that line of thought, which was depressing her, she wiped it from her mind. Then she looked at the problem from a different perspective, wondering how to even the odds. Moments later, she grinned.
“I’ve seen that expression before,” Sargut remarked. “It gives me hope.”
Ellie used a wire-frame model of the system to lay out her plan. She spoke in rapid-fire commands, as she added points in the holo-vid, which Hector replicated to the admirals.
When Ellie reclaimed her command chair, she wore a half-smile, with one side of her mouth arching up.
Sargut hadn’t seen that human expression before, and he cast a glance at Hector. Hector had seen a similar appearance on Tatia’s face when her forces were on the hunt. He sent to the president’s ear comm,
After the battleships were detached from the Omnian commands, they continued to sail toward positions that could defend against launches by fleets three and four. It would be many days before fleets one and two were a danger.
The Tridents accelerated on vectors pointing them above the ecliptic but away from the two inbound fleets. For all intents and purposes, they appeared to be running away, deserting Talus. The two commands transited into the dark but only for a short distance. Then they executed another short transit, each command arriving behind fleets three or four.
Immediately after their transit exits, Adrianna and Alphons ordered the launch of their travelers. Then the warship commands accelerated on attack vectors. They caught the alien fleets unaware and targeted their sterns.
At the velocities the Omnians attained, they had time for only one pass. The Tridents targeted the engines, and the travelers raked the hull’s vulnerable locations as they passed.
After the unimaginable swift action, which
only the controllers could execute, the Omnian warships flew toward their respective battleship groups to reform their augmented squadrons.
Behind the Trident commands were the damaged and dying battleships of aggressor fleets three and four. Ships were either left derelict by destroyed engines, or they were dying by secondary explosions from missile detonations.
Following Ellie’s orders, a single battleship in each fleet was left untouched.
Soon after the Tridents and travelers passed the aggressor fleets and delivered their pounding, Linn reported shuttles exiting ships and heading toward the undamaged ones.
Hours later, Linn added a final report.
There had been a brief celebration about the success of the lightning strikes against fleets three and four. A discussion had ensued about the possibility of repeating the maneuver. However, fleets one and two had entered the system on the ecliptic. Any Omnian transit designed to surprise the aggressors would exit outside the system’s gravity well. That maneuver would give the inbound fleets adequate warning to turn and confront the Omnian warships.
Instead, Ellie ordered the commands to form. She added the Our People to Adrianna’s group, and they sailed to engage fleet one. Alphons was assigned the smaller fleet two.
The city-ship’s telemetry indicated the incoming fleets’ engine flares were minimal. Neither one was burning reaction mass to hasten the forthcoming confrontation.
The city-ship and the Tridents in the Omnian commands made the engagement envelopes for those defenders more than three days away. However, the aggressors and Talus battleships could start throwing missiles at any time.
Genoa sent,
Ellie briefly eyed Sargut before she turned away and faced Hector to hide her frustration, which she was loath to transmit to the president.
Hector linked Ellie’s staff and Sargut for the anticipated conversation.
“President Sargut,” Ellie and Sargut heard, “this is Governor Sunnamis. I’ve the colony’s council aboard. The members are anxious to speak with you.”
“Congratulations on maintaining your governorship, Sunnamis,” Sargut replied. “We’re busy here, at the moment. A total of three aggressor fleets have been sent home over the past half annual. In recent days, two more were destroyed. Now we face another two.”
The comm was silent, and Ellie could imagine Sunnamis’s bridge crew observing their monitors filling with images of the battle scenes and the onrushing fleets.
On the Our People’s bridge, they heard a voluble discussion break out. It was apparent that the council was on the bridge with the governor. The conversations were animated.
“Governor Sunnamis, we can converse later,” Sargut said, interrupting the arguments and intending to end the call.
“President Sargut,” Sunnamis said anxiously. “The council is in favor of assisting you.”
Assuming that the council meant to enter the fray, Ellie said, “Governor Sunnamis, this is Admiral Thompson. Have your commander determine the present intersection point with the larger, more powerful fleet, which is inbound.”
“Perhaps we should discuss our strategic options,” Sunnamis interrupted.
“Perhaps you should let your fleet commander execute the tactics I assign, Governor,” Ellie shot back.
“Admiral Thompson, with respect, this is a Toralian affair,” Sunnamis replied firmly.
“Governor Sunnamis,” Sargut said forcefully, “we’ve no time for your political machinations. Either your commander follows our Omnian admiral’s orders, or you can station your fleet outside the system until these aggressors are vanquished. If you choose not to take part in our defense, your noncooperation will be taken into account.”
“My fleet commander was removed,” Sunnamis replied. “Captain Dortagut was promoted to replace him.”
“Wait one,” Ellie snapped.
Linn reported.
“This is Fleet Commander Sotagar, President Sargut. We’ve been sent by our council to aid you. We’ve repelled several attacks on our colony, and it was thought you could use some help.”
“Commander Sotagar, we appreciate your offer,” Sargut replied, “In time, your telemetry will display multiple fleets inbound, including that of Governor Sunnamis.”
“Curious,” Sotagar remarked.
“We’ve thought so, Commander,” Sargut replied. “Please wait, while I discuss your offer with Vice Admiral Thompson. If it’s accepted, you’ll take her direction.”
“We await your response, President Sargut,” Sotagar replied and closed the call.
Ellie used her implant to mute the bridge audio pickup. Turning to Sargut, she asked, “Who do you trust?”
“I would believe Sotagar’s words over that of Sunnamis,” Sargut replied, “but a council aboard Sunnamis’s ship adds another dimension.”
Holding on to her temper, Ellie replied, “We’re about to engage a powerful, superior battleship fleet. I need to hear from you which of these forces I can depend on to fight with us and not turn on us when we’re weakest.”
“I believe you can accept both their offers,” Sargut replied, fervently hoping he was right. “Sotagar hasn’t mentioned any political leaders aboard. His fleet is here to defend us. Recall, he led the revolt against the governors. As for Sunnamis, she’s undoubtedly convinced the council to retain her because she’s promised them our technology. Her fleet must aid us because they know they need the sisters.”
“Not the answer I was hoping to hear, but it’ll have to do,” Ellie said, and turned on the bridge audio pickup for Sargut’s participation.
“Confirmed, Admiral Thompson, we’re setting sail immediately,” Sotagar replied.
“Your pardon, Admiral. This is Fleet Commander Dortagut. The governor and council are transferring by shuttle to another ship.”
“Are you in command, and did you understand my earlier request, Commander?” Ellie asked, switching to vocals for Sargut’s benefit.
“Affirmative to both questions, Admiral,” Dortagut replied. “You wish me to sail to a position that will bring us in behind the inbound fleet. The aggressors will see that they’re trapped between our forces.”
“Excellent, Commander,” Ellie sent. “We’re going to make that fleet commander rethink his visit to Talus, but understand this clearly, I want that fleet to flee, not fight.”
“Then you’ll want my ships to trail theirs but not too closely,” Dortagut reasoned.
“That’s correct,” Ellie replied.
Over the next two days, the Omnian and Toralian fleets maneuvered to present their strengths to the aggressors. As the distances closed, the attacking fleets were face
d with overwhelming odds and little opportunity to exact some measure of revenge against Toral.
While fleet encounters were still a day away, the final moments were anticlimactic.
The smaller inbound fleet, which faced the combined forces of Alphons and Sotagar’s commands, abandoned the ecliptic. Without firing a missile, the ships dove below the system, accelerated, and transited away.
Fleet one hesitated a little longer. The commander’s telemetry eventually recorded the destruction of the two inbound fleets above the system. The swift pass of the smooth-hulled ships had been devastating. Then the commander witnessed the third fleet run away.
At some point, the aggressor commander probably considered it was the better idea to drop the idea of harming the Toralian home world. The presence of Toralian and Omnian fleets indicated an increased risk of retaliation against the commander’s home world for any damage to Toral. Executing a fast exit above the ecliptic, the fleet disappeared into the dark.
-28-
Negotiations
“Now the difficult task begins,” Sargut muttered, when it was confirmed by Genoa that fleet one had cleared Talus space.
“I thought we just completed the difficult tasks,” Ellie returned.
“You’ve not dealt with a Toralian council,” Sargut replied, in a desultory fashion. “Those individuals didn’t come here to help us, expecting nothing in return.”
“They might want Omnian technology, Sargut,” Hector said, “but it’s in your hands to set the terms.”
“That’s not true,” Sargut replied. “The governors and the councils have the power to restrict citizen travel, and Talus’s primary need is to expand its population.”
“Does this include Sotagar?” Ellie asked.
“Unknown,” Sargut replied. “There’s the possibility that the governor and council of his colony sent his fleet to defend the home world. I don’t know what other authority might have been granted him.”
“First things first,” Ellie said. She connected to Alphons and Adrianna to recall their commands to Toral. Then she requested Genoa contact Commander Dortagut.
