by Lee Guo
Now, if she was wrong...
She shook it away. She was not wrong.
No, she was definitely not wrong.
Ka's First Fleet, Main Group
Supreme Battlecruiser Usha'Tera
Hal-Dorat hissed. The dozens of lower ranking Cats around him shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
Of all the hundreds of holographic data parcels displayed before him, the most disappointing one had come. The Pra had somehow, in some sudden manifestation of ingenuity, turned away in a retreat. Ten million sophonts had averted sudden destruction—just like that.
Well... the emphasize was ‘sudden’. ‘Sudden’ meant they wouldn’t all die in the next hour. But that didn’t mean a lot of them wouldn’t die in the next day. Surely, the very fact that they had amassed in a single area with so many slow technologically disadvantaged ships meant at least half of their battle strength would be taken out. Somewhere, in the head of Hal-Dorat’s, the chants of bloodlust echoed constantly without end. In his five hundred years of living, he’d never been one to disengage from an obvious chase. And this was exactly what it was. A hunt.
For the might of the home sun, he would obliterate as much as he could from the Pra, despite their sudden brilliance. There was no greater trophy, in the conventional battle sense, than to see the wreckage of the enemy’s vessel, however temporary, or his corpse. Whether it was in a fight without modern weapons or one in space, that particular satisfaction could only be brought with the end of one’s enemies. And—what made it all more soothing is that he knew the Pra’s generals were on their slowest ships. What they thought as their greatest assets and means of protection were in fact—slow-moving coffins destined to disappear into hyperspace once their warp bubbles fade.
If only the Pra knew what was about to await them, they’d be spreading out in every direction trying to evade what was coming in the belief that Ga sensors wouldn’t be able to search and destroy them all.
If only they knew...
But of course, Hal-Dorat hissed…they didn’t.
He ordered the fleet directly in front of the retreating enemy…not the three fleets hidden behind him…to move at fastest speed for every ship. That meant his spheroid formation would break as his faster ships would outrun the slower larger ships, but of course, it was necessary.
Betelgeuse Combined Fleet
Dreadnought Beginner's Luck
Bridge…
“They’re breaking formation! My god, they’re fast!” the sensor tech yelled.
Vier stopped speaking to Captain Willock and now she saw her suspicions coming true.
To an ordinary observer, it didn’t make sense. If the Cats broke formation, they would be destroyed easily. But that was only assuming the Cats had comparable battle technology, like all along. But if the Cats were far more advanced, then the break in formation would not be much of a danger to their fleet.
The sound of hurried adrenaline woke the bridge into a new rampant frenzy. Beside her, Captain Willock barked orders.
She saw the thousands of fast moving enemy ships, moving at speeds of 25,000 SL to 35,000 SL. That was a lot faster than previously believed. And if their fearlessness was any evidence that they were right to be fearless, every ship within the human fleet slower than 25,000 SL was in danger—including hers, every flag officer, every dreadnought, battlecruiser, and heavy cruiser.
Her tactical mind went into overdrive. Ships heavier and larger than heavy cruisers comprised of over 50 percent of the human fleet, and over 90 percent of fleet personnel as well as tonnage. Losing them would be a serious blow to sector assets. A plan must be created to save them.
Thinking deeper, she realized there were, actually, several methods to save them. Outrunning the enemy while maintaining fleet solidarity was impossible, so now everything relied on two things, how well they could defend against the enemy attack if they chose to maintain the fleet together, which relied on what new surprises the enemy had in store for them, and whether it was better to initiate the Scatter method.
The Scatter method’s official name was called the Evasion Protocol, which was the last resort tactic in case the fleet battle was totally lost. Basically, the plan entailed every warship within the fleet to literally split up in a massive cone shaped dispersion. It would be unlikely the enemy fleet could properly hunt down each of the runaway ships since human hyperlight scanner probes would go into hunt-and-kill mode to take down enemy sensor probes. Each human warship would also activate their sensor jammers to further prevent an accurate sensor scan. Depending on the level of alien sensor technology and how sophisticated their sensor probes were in fighting human probes, anything from ten percent to eighty percent of the remaining human combatants could leave the battlefield intact.
However, there were things that required more judgment. Was the Scatter method needed? Could they defend against the incoming threat of small, but fast attack ships that the enemy suddenly revealed?
On her chair, there was a button to the admiral. She hit it.
A minute later, a rushed Mu Pei appeared in holographic form. “Hold on, Kleingelt. I’m patching everyone to the flag command net.”
Seconds later, eighteen holographic faces hovered in front of Vier. Each flag officer within the fleet, from First and 2nd commodores to rear admirals to vice admiral Mu Pei himself, appeared before her in an organized display.
The center face, Mu Pei, spoke, “Let me be blunt, people. We have approximately half an hour before their fastest ships reach our slowest ships—providing we continue retreating the pace of our slowest ship. I have opened this meeting to discuss what to do in light of the fact that we did not plan for this contingency. I assume that it is obvious by now to everyone that the enemy has been hiding unknown technology, as Admiral Kleingelt has suggested, at least about their propulsion capabilities. Since the enemy does not fear the fact that they’ll be fighting with their smallest ships unsupported by their largest ships, we must also assume that they believe their smallest ships can outmatch or outgun our entire fleet by themselves using technology unknown to us. Since our slowest ships comprise 90percent of our manpower and battle strength, I want to focus on how to save our greatest assets without beginning the Dispersion Protocol. I am open to the possibility that they cannot be saved without dispersing the fleet, but I don’t want to focus on that scenario yet. I will go first with a plan that is most obvious.
All the commanders remained silent as they listened.
Mu Pei cleared his throat. “The most straightforward plan is to take everything we got, including our fastest ships, and align them in a perfect Catch-cloud to receive the enemy’s attack. We will continue to use a concave lense formation, except this time we’re facing a much smaller enemy fleet in our immediate battle range. Because we’re facing only their fastest ships, the total enemy combatants will be reduced by as much as fifty percent, maybe less. Of course, the fact that we’re facing 50 percent less ships is less important than the fact that we’re facing them with a 9 to 1 tonnage advantage, since their fastest ships are also the least powerful.”
Some of the commanders nodded from their holoscreens
“However, I cannot reiterate how blatantly dangerous this all seems,” Mu Pei continued. “It is obvious that they are willing to fight such an uneven battle. That means, unless they intend to suicide their fastest ships, they believe they have the technology or tactics to fight even at such a mass disparity. Of course, there is always the possibility that they have some type of technology which makes it even more unfair, for instance, something that enables them to damage us at a range that is beyond our missile weapons. In that case, we have no choice but to disperse or hope their ammo supply runs out if there is a limit to such a potential technology. If their fastest ships are equipped with such a technology, we will be in a devastating position. Any thoughts?”
“Sir,” Commodore Stamos spoke with a stern face at the lower left. “What if they don’t have any new unrevealed weapon
technologies and are simply sending all of their fastest ships at us for a different reason?”
“And what reason is that, commodore?” Mu Pei raised his eyebrow.
“Perhaps,” she replied. “They wish to delay our fastest ships from retreating at their fastest pace, through forcing them inside a concave lens formation that is formidable but slow-moving?”
“Why delay our fastest ships? For what purpose? If they have the technology to defeat our slowest and fastest ships together, allowing our fastest ships to escape means nothing. If they don’t have that technology, and their whole purpose is to bluff or threaten us with the possibility of having such a technology, then what for?” Mu Pei asked.
Stamos shrugged. “I don’t know, sir. I’m just suggesting a possibility. Um...perhaps they hope to destroy our slowest ships and our fastest ships together when their slowest ships reach us?”
Mu Pei thought about it, and then shook his head. “Unlikely. As you recall, while we are in this concave formation, our fastest speed is the speed of our slowest ships. The fastest speed of their slowest, biggest ships are almost equal, but slightly slower. They will never catch up at this rate, unless one presupposes that they are once again, hiding some new propulsion technology.”
“I understand, sir,” Stamos said, now quiet.
Mu Pei gazed back in silence momentarily. “If their purpose for sending their fastest ships is to simply delay us from running away so their medium-speed ships can reach us, it still relies on the assumption that their lightest and medium lightest ships can outfight our entire fleet without their heaviest ships. This assumption still relies on a technological superiority. Any other thoughts?”
“Sir,” Rear Admiral Ju-Pont interjected. “Stamos’s idea opens up new possibilities. There is an even greater problem. We don’t know what other assets they could be hiding. If they have hidden their propulsion technology, they could be just be as well be hiding entire fleets. We don’t know if 4800 warships comprise the majority of their assets or are just a portion of their total assets within this sector. What if they are attempting to prevent our fastest ships from running away because they have a whole fleet of fast ships able to move at 30,000 SL, and we cannot see this fleet because it’s beyond our sensor range?”
Mu Pei nodded. “That’s a daunting idea. But until we see this additional fleet, I cannot act as if it already exists. However, in the case that the possibility you are suggesting is true, that they do have fleets of ships in reserve, and that they’re just using their fastest ships to pin our fastest ships down, we will soon know when their fastest ships don’t engage us, because they don’t have the tech advantage.”
“By then, it’ll be too late, sir,” Ju-Pont replied. “Sir, given what we now know, and what we can possibly infer, I suggest our best course of action is to activate the Evasion Protocol immediately.”
Vier found herself nodding. As she gazed at all the heads, a dozen of them were in agreement.
Mu Pei was hesitant. “Not yet, my officers. I will order the fleet to keep our jammers on standby. I want to exhaust all other options before I disperse the fleet and admit defeat. Any other thoughts?”
“Yes, sir,” another commodore, named Mintz spoke. He was a handsome blond. “There is the possibility, however slight, that they actually intend to attack with their fastest ships even without new technology. There is the possibility that not only do they intend to use their fastest ships to prevent our fastest ships from escaping, that instead they want to engage us with them, even without any advantage.”
“Why would they do that?” Mu Pei asked.
“Perhaps they think they can lure our fastest ships out of the vicinity of our slowest ships?”
“How?” Mu Pei countered. “Why would we ever split up our fleet without resorting to the evasion protocol?”
“Perhaps,” Mintz answered. “They believe we will test their lightest fastest ships in an attempt to ascertain the true nature of their battle technology before those ships reach our heaviest assets and it’ll be too late to activate it.”
“Why don’t we?” Ju-Pont asked.
Faces lit up with the new suggestion. The idea wasn’t bad, Vier thought, except for one thing—
“—That’s a great idea, Mintz.” Rear Admiral Ju-Pont interrupted her thoughts. “—we can send part of our fleet out to test what they’re hiding. It would be a small portion, perhaps less than ten percent. It’s obvious that such a small portion would be sacrificial. Still, it’s better than not knowing what will happen if we chose not to disperse our fleet and those fast attack ships get here.”
“And if they don’t have any new weapons technology,” Another admiral said as he nodded. “We can always engage their forward elements with the rest of our fleet.”
“The idea is admirable, but a waste of resources,” Vier interjected.
“Oh?” Ju-Pont asked, who had previously recommended they go in to dispersion mode.
Vier continued, “If we are indeed behind in weapons technology, and it’s quite obvious we are, we’ll be splitting up our fleet and sacrificing ten percent of what we have. It’s obvious that they’ve been hiding their tech. All their actions follow that way. We should activate the protocol immediately, instead of wasting a scouting fleet to test what they have.”
“How do you know we’ll save more ships by activating the protocol than binding them together as one,” Mu Pei asked, whose thinking suddenly changed. “When we have not yet tested how they actually fight? We could be wasting a golden opportunity to take out a large portion of their fleet.”
“We do know how they fight, sir,” Vier answered. “I am almost—No, I am certain they are hiding various new weapons at least. I can tell by the fact that they’re acting like they’re coming in for the kill. We should enact the most cautious plan immediately. I know a predator when I see it, and in this case, we are definitely the prey.”
Mu Pei murmured something, but she didn’t hear it well.
For the next five minutes, the faces argued in front of her. For the longest time, a debate occurred between two sides. Some rejected her as too fearful—others supported it.
Eventually, Mu Pei announced, “As apparent as it is that we have witnessed our most aggressive admiral adopt the most cautious plan, I should trust her instincts since they have proven to be right before. However, the fact remains that we know very little about their actual capabilities for sure. Although it’s apparent that they are showing themselves as incredibly strong, five percent of our battle strength is not much to sacrifice to find out if that is true. The fact is we cannot admit defeat without truly finding out the enemy’s strengths. Once we disperse, it’ll be very difficult to come together because the jamming and sensor probe loss will prevent communications between our ships and by then, we’ll be unable to become a solid fight force. We have an unusual opportunity right now to fight only a portion of their fleet, and I don’t want to waste it. Because of that, we need to find out now, before I give the order to disperse. I approve the plan to send a portion of our fleet to test the enemy.”
Vier bit her lips.
A tension rose in the faces of the flag officers displayed before her. No one wanted to be the sacrificial testers. No one wanted to be the ultimate pawn that wagered their life on whether the fears and suspicions of the fleet were true.
“Commodore Lancelet,” Mu Pei finally said. “Take your fleet and combine it with Rear Admiral Oscar’s and attack the enemy’s leading units of fast attack ships. The rest of us will maintain formation while speeding away at best possible speed. If they offer no massive advantage in technology, our remaining main fleet will come to assist. If they do, we will access the level of their advantage and decide whether to implement the evasion routine. In that instance, you are to retreat. Good luck…Lancelet and Oscar.”
The two flag officers nodded bleakly.
“If there are no more to discuss, then the orders are final,” Mu Pei stated. He waited a minute
, but no one spoke. “This meeting is adjourned. Good luck, everyone.”
The faces in front of her disappeared.
On the main holo, she saw Lancelet and Oscar’s detachment of slow-moving battlecruisers and light-cruisers decelerate and turn towards the incoming force of much smaller sized alien destroyers and cruisers. The enemy’s forward chasing fleet, as Vier named it, was about 2300 ships, and in terms of tonnage, only comprised about twelve percent of all the alien ships that were observable within the region. They were the lightest but most agile ships the aliens had. In a way, Vier was glad. She did not want to fight the Cats’ main fleet which was trailing behind the forward chasing fleet. The Cats’ main fleet had ships that were eight times as large as the biggest human dreadnought. Some of them were over five kilometers in width. But the idea that everything was doomed regardless of whether her ships fought the alien super-dreadnoughts, gave her little relief.
Somewhere, out in the world of hyperspace, an alien battle commander knew everything about everyone. What would she give to be him or her? The idea that there was an even larger gigantic armada belonging to an unknown race existing out there made her tense. Surely, these 4700 alien ships she saw in front of her was not the entire battle force of this alien empire. If the aliens truly were what they were—conquerors—they would need a much larger force to maintain their dominance in societies which they have already conquered as well as for societies they intend to conquer. The fact is, humans knew very little about this alien empire—it’s size, it’s strengths, how many worlds it had, the disposition of its leaders, and its societal make-up. It would be incredibly foolish to assume that 4700 warships made up the alien’s total fleet. It would also be stupid to assume that the total human warships was only 4700. But she was certain the aliens knew everything about humans by now. They had conquered so much.
Five minutes later, she watched on holo as the human sacrifices almost entered extreme battle range of the enemy’s forward fleet. The human ships sent to test the enemy were much larger than the enemy’s forward fleet. Thus, although there were only 200 human ships, their size and tonnage was about equal to the enemy’s 2300 ships. Of course, the fact that they were slower and less numerous meant that the enemy would be able to surround it from all sides and destroy it using their hyperbeams even if they didn’t have a hidden tech advantage.
