“Gentlemen, I take it you have news?” she asked, barely able to hide her anticipation.
One of the men in the long coats drew her attention. He wore no insignia, as was standard for the department, Even the Admiral was wary when around them. The world of intelligence and espionage was one of intrigue, spying and betrayal, areas she preferred to leave to them.
“We believe we have enough evidence to suggest the Victorious wasn’t simply captured by the enemy. From the data we have managed to extract from the AI hub, recovered by Admiral Churchill’s team, we obtained several Ident codes.”
“Ident codes?” asked General Rivers.
“They are unique codes for the command and control systems on our warships. They’re used to uniquely identify systems and ships in the Fleet, for communications and data transfer,” explained the Admiral.
“Indeed,” added the Intelligence Officer. “What is most interesting, is that all the codes we have decrypted correlate directly with traitor vessels or installations that turned against our forces during the initial uprising.”
“You’re suggesting a central source for controlling them?” asked the Admiral.
The officer shook his head in disagreement.
“Not quite. The communication is encrypted, but appears to be a sequence of triggers. It appears likely this information was more a timer for the actions of various groups and equipment.”
“A computerised starting pistol then?” asked the General.
“Essentially, yes, that is right. A series of data packets were sent to a large number of destinations, with timed sequences of orders to be carried out.”
“Interesting, I’m not entirely sure how this helps us though. I assume there is more?” she added.
The officer turned to one of his comrades and nodded. As he moved back, a woman in almost identical clothing stepped forward to speak.
“Admiral, what we have found is based upon the information retrieved from the damaged systems by Commander Anderson and his team on Prometheus. We used the data retrieved from the computer systems to establish a temporary link with the master signal. It didn’t last long, less than ten seconds, before it was re-sequenced and then cut off.”
“What did you find?” she asked suspiciously.
“The factories and research laboratories are being sent control orders directly from a single source. If we are correct, it is also being used to send signals to a very interesting set of ground installations through this System.”
“Let me guess, Prometheus and Kerberos?” asked General Rivers.
“Yes, specifically the Ministry of Defence on Yama City, the post now controlled by the Church of Echidna.”
“I thought the Church was part of the command structure, possibly the political wing of the insurgents.”
“That may well be, but the technology, the financing and strategy are being controlled from a remote source. If our findings are accurate, the Church is just one of the groups working for, or in, collaboration with this source.”
“Your team on Prometheus discovered something similar, did it not, General?”
“Yes, Admiral, according to Sergeant Spartan, the technicians told him the Prometheus compound received its control orders and direction from a source known simply as the Core. We assumed it was a ship or base somewhere in the Proxima System.”
“Not here,” interrupted the Intelligence Officer. “Our data shows the signal streams are coming directly from the Anomaly,” she said seriously.
The room was silent for a moment, as General Rivers and Admiral Jarvis considered the gravity of this important piece of information.
“If you are right, this means the entire Proxima uprising is being monitored, funded and controlled by parties in Alpha Centauri. How can they respond quickly enough with the time difference?” asked the General.
“It isn’t like that. The probe we sent was able to send a signal back through the Anomaly, before it was destroyed. If a signal can be sent though that point, then the enemy would have a delay of only eight hours between the Anomaly and Prime. That is easily enough time to organise major operations or to start new manufacturing tasks.”
“This would explain why they need the AI hubs in the System. A delay of roughly eight hours would make it impossible to remotely manage complicated systems such as warships.”
“That is our interpretation also. From the intelligence obtained by Commander Anderson on Prometheus, Agent Johnson on Kerberos and the data recovered by the 7th Fleet, it seems clear that the enemy forces in this System are under the direct command of forces in Alpha Centauri. The actual running of the conflict requires a faster response and a more central form of leadership, that can rally citizens and organise violence on a city-based level.”
“Like the Church of Echidna and the Zealots?” asked General Rivers.
“Yes, it would appear so. If I am to understand that the Church and its resources are under the control of parties outside this System, then that will be both a problem and an opportunity. If we can cut off the forces from their high command, we may find these forces will become less well organised and vulnerable to being attacked piecemeal,” suggested Admiral Jarvis.
General Rivers shook his head in disagreement.
“No, I don’t think so, Admiral. It is understandable that the enemy would be receiving intelligence and strategy from Alpha Centauri. But I cannot believe for a moment that the forces in this sector are incapable of mounting an effective operation without their assistance.”
The female Intelligence Officer lifted her hand, indicating she had something to say.
“The communication from the Anomaly is not continuous, so we can conclude that their facilities, ships and forces in this System are to function independently of their command structure.”
Admiral Jarvis considered their comments, before moving to the computer system in the middle of the room. With a few hand gestures, she accessed the strategic map of the Proxima Centauri Star System and its eleven planets. She examined the dispositions of the colonies and the known enemy forces, before turning to her audience.
“Assuming this information is correct, then we have three simple choices if we want to end this war, and quickly. Believe me, a quick end is my top priority. My suggestions are as follows.”
She brought up the location of the Anomaly. A short distance away was a blue icon, indicating the small task force already on its way to the location. Admiral Jarvis pointed at the location.
“Option one, we move directly to the Anomaly and take the fight to whoever is responsible. We take the bulk of the Fleet and hope that once through, we can isolate the headquarters of the enemy and completely destroy it. This, of course, still leaves us with the enemy forces here to contend with. We could then bring reinforcements back with us for a general offensive. Option number two, we concentrate our efforts on the enemy forces here and cut them off from their base of support in Alpha Centauri, by blockading the Anomaly. The last option is to ignore the Anomaly, using every ship at our disposal to destroy them once and for all. What do you think, General?”
General Rivers shook his head and turned away from the display.
“Well?” asked the Admiral impatiently.
“I appreciate you want to get this offensive over, trust me, so do I. I’m concerned at the level of intelligence we currently have. We know a little about their command and control, but nothing about the leadership, their motives and strategy and most importantly of all, their disposition. How many ships do they actually have? What about factories, like the one we now control on Prometheus?”
“You surprise me, General, I thought you would have been the first to want to strike the enemy,” she said.
“Of course, but not without knowing what we face. With the planetary militias calling in their army units, our remaining forces are heavily depleted. My ground forces currently consist of just three Marine battalions and nine fully operational, equipped and mobile Army battalions. I’ve go
t another fifteen spread throughout garrisons, most on Prime, of course. That isn’t enough to occupy one minor planet or even a major colony, let alone to conduct a continuous war. We might have the ships, but do we have the manpower to actually take and hold ground?”
“I’m assuming you have a suggestion?”
General Rivers straightened up and gave a wry smile.
“You sensed that? Well, a slight modification to your last option might give you the fast offensive that you want, as well as providing the troops and intel that I think we need to continue the war effort.”
“Go on,” she said enthusiastically.
“We blockade the Anomaly and send in scouts to investigate the route. They can make contact with Terra Nova and establish the situation there. Ideally, we can open up a resupply route. If not, we can block or mine the area to stop ships using it. As you know, I can get most of the infantry off world and on ships in less than forty-eight hours. I recommend we adopt a planet hopping strategy. We hit a populated planet first, clear the enemy and set up forward bases and recruitment centres. We leave behind a small number of troops to train the locals and draft new battalions from the local population.”
“Then we load up and move the Fleet to the next location, land the troops and do the same?” she replied as she considered his ideas.
“It will be slower than I had hoped, but it does have benefits. By keeping the Fleet and the ground forces close together, we can maximise our effectiveness. The only real problem with this is, that it will allow the enemy free reign to move through the sector and attack at will.”
“That is true, Admiral. I therefore propose we select targets we can secure quickly at the beginning. We need maximum results in the shortest possible time. I would suggest either Agora or Orthrus. Both have seceded, and I can guarantee the population will already be reeling under the occupation.”
“Yes, this is more like it,” said the Admiral, with what looked like a happy expression. She turned to the intelligence staff that had been stood quietly.
“Do you have any intelligence that could be of assistance with this strategy?” she asked.
“Analysis of the limited data, from the probe sent into the Anomaly, confirms that the link to Alpha Centauri through the Anomaly appears stable. We were unable to ascertain the situation on the other side, other than two points. The first is that the final image, after substantial enhancements, shows the planet appears as it should. There are no major landmass changes or atmospheric alterations.”
“Why the landmass changes?” asked General Rivers.
“There is always the possibility that the rift may affect both time and distance. It may be that objects crossing could find themselves at a radically different time period. Our science teams stated it was unlikely, but we had to check.”
“Is that even possible?” he asked.
“Our theoretical physicists argue between themselves about it. Ultimately our evidence says no, so it isn’t an issue. The second point is that on the extreme periphery of the image, we found this.” She handed over her datapad.
General Rivers and Admiral Jarvis stared carefully at the blurred and heavily damaged image. It wasn’t immediately clear, until the Intelligence Officer pointed out the faint blue tint in the corner, showing the edge of the planet’s atmosphere.
“A ship? What is the problem with that?” asked the Admiral.
“We have analysed this image for more than three days and have produced this approximate design. We estimate our figures are about seventy percent accurate.”
She brought up a three-dimensional model of a vessel. It was about the size of a Confed frigate, but much rougher in shape and unlike anything the Admiral had seen before. The two most distinctive parts were the engines and the weapons arrays, both were more substantial than anything the Confederacy used.
“What the hell is that?” demanded the Admiral, her tone suggested both anger and surprise.
“We’ve checked out records and so far, the only matches that we have are for the drive system here,” she pointed towards the rear of the ships. “We found designs using the same parts in the factories on Prometheus, though they are much more powerful than would be required for a craft of that size. The data sent to us by Commander Anderson’s research team, suggests the site has been running for over a year and they have the means to produce a vessel roughly every six to eight weeks.”
“I saw the report, I assumed the craft were small transports for their infantry. Are you suggesting they have been building warships? Why haven’t we seen them?”
“That was our first assessment, Admiral. Following the reconstruction created, based on the images from the probe, our assessment has been revised.”
The Admiral looked over to the General before looking back to the Intelligence Officer.
“With these characteristics, it is highly probable that they have built different classes of ship, though none bigger than the projected design here. Records from Prometheus customs databases show two privately registered passenger liners that roughly match the engine configuration. It is therefore our assessment that an unknown number of these vessels may be throughout the sector. There is a very strong possibility that some of them may have been travelling through the Anomaly. If the enemy has other factories, it is possible more vessels could have been built.”
Admiral Jarvis sighed as she examined the data. She checked through the records and looked at the file on the two passenger liners. There were clear similarities between the grainy images and the projected design created by the Intelligence staff.
“In our last report, we highlighted the reconnaissance runs that confirmed no activity on the colonies. The only locations lacking in reliable reconnaissance are Agora or Orthrus,” said the officer.
“Agora? Unlikely, the planetary resources are minimal and the population smaller than Kerberos. They would have to shift substantial resources to the surface and that would have been noticed. The only reason Prometheus went hidden for so long was because it was well below the surface and on a planet, with an abundance of raw materials and a large supply of slave labour. Orthrus is a possibility, though only in the last few months. Prior to that our Marine garrison would have reported unknown activity,” explained General Rivers.
The last officer, who until now had been silent, stepped forward and pointed to the map.
“It has been my opinion for some time, that the most likely place to construct vessels would be in relative secrecy out on the Rim. Until the uprising this was the only place, other than Prometheus, where the ships could have been built. I have been examining data from the Tamarisk mission months ago and there appears to be something very interesting going on there,” he said almost excitedly. He pushed the sequence of images onto the main display. It showed a series of heavy transports, along with one of the unknown ships.
“You will notice that this vessel seems to have the same engine and weapon configuration as the vessel at the Anomaly.”
“You’re suggesting we have seen these ships over the last year, without even realising it?” asked the Admiral.
“We are not in agreement on this issue. Though my comrade is correct, with regards to the ship, there is no guarantee it was made out on the Rim. It is fair to add that the area contains limitless source of asteroids, stations and ships. Construction of civilian vessels, as well as maintenance and repair work, is conducted there all the time and would easily mask this kind of operation,” added the female Intelligence Officer.
The Intelligence staff waited while the two senior commanders examined the information carefully. On the display, the Rim and Prometheus were a large distance apart. The planetary colonies dotted throughout the large star System had all, until recently, been part of the Confederacy. It seemed ridiculous that until only a month ago, an entire factory and research site had been discovered buried inside one of the planets itself. Admiral Jarvis checked the details on the ships, specifically the projected specification and
potential for combat.
“These warships. What can you tell from the power and weapon configuration? I don’t recognise these weapon ports.”
“That, Admiral, we do not know. We will need to see one in action before that can be ascertained,” she answered.
“I don’t like this, not at all. If this is correct, we may well have a problem. What if they have managed to get warships to Alpha Centauri? That image clearly shows a potential threat waiting on the other side. Maybe the reason we’ve heard nothing for months is because the entire System has been overrun?” said General Rivers.
Admiral Jarvis nodded in agreement.
“I will send out a signal to our commander in the field. I want full reconnaissance conducted on every colony, planet and station in Proxima. I don’t care what the consequences or the risks are, we need information and fast! I anticipate a start to our operation in a matter of days. If they have the ability to build ships, it means we could be fighting a losing war if we wait any longer. Each day they get stronger, while our forces become smaller and more tired. I want reports on my desk within twenty-four hours!” she said to the Intelligence team, before turning to General Rivers.
“General. I need forces at full readiness for combat. If there are attempts being made to establish factories on seceded worlds, we will need to stop them fast. Your three Marine battalions and twenty-four Army battalions need to be embarked on ships and ready for combat operation in one week! Is that possible?”
“It won’t be easy, I’ll need to requisition civilian vessels, but it can be done. If we are planning on assaulting ground forces, I could do with more heavy infantry,” he said, also turning to the Intelligence team.
“Thank you, that will be all.”
After a series of sharp salutes the team marched out, leaving the two commanders in the room on their own. Admiral Jarvis looked ay him curiously.
Battle for Proxima Page 6
