Frontiers 05 Rise of the Corinari

by Ryk Brown

  “Gentlemen,” Nathan stated, but was not heard above the din. “Gentlemen! Please!” he shouted, standing up in the hopes of drawing their attention. He raised his hands and shouted again, but still it was of no use. “EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP!” Nathan roared, demanding their attention. He kicked his chair back and climbed over the top of the table, landing inside the circle of conference tables at which the attendees were arguing. He was not going to stand for any more mindless discourse. These people were going to listen.

  “Gentlemen, now is not the time for debate. Now is the time for action. We have thirty days to prepare a defense.”

  “And what do we do if we are successful in defending ourselves?” Mister Briden asked. “The Ta’Akar will return, and most assuredly in greater numbers. Can you defend against an invasion as well?”

  Nathan looked around the room, noting that each of the translators had communicated Mister Briden’s words to their superiors, most of whom were nodding their agreement with Mister Briden’s concerns. “We attack,” Nathan stated calmly. “We take the fight to them. We hit them where they are most vulnerable.”

  “And where might such vulnerabilities be, Captain?” Mister Briden challenged. “The Ta’Akar are everywhere.”

  “They are?” Nathan asked. “I don’t see them here now. Nor did I see them when we first arrived.”

  “They appear randomly, usually when you least expect them,” Mister Briden warned.

  “The Ta’Akar are not everywhere, sir,” Tug stated emphatically. “They only wish you to believe as much. They control all interstellar travel and communications within the Pentaurus cluster, therefore they control all information as well. The Karuzari have weakened them over the decades, reduced their numbers by more than half. Because of this, they have abandoned the worlds they once held that lay beyond the cluster. They have gathered half their remaining fleet around their home system to protect themselves, while they shuffle the other half amongst their remaining systems.”

  “And what is the size of their remaining fleet?” Mister Briden asked.

  “Our last estimates showed three battle groups, two of which are stationed in the Takaran home system. The third battle group is unaccounted for and is presumably roaming the cluster as we speak. In addition, there are seven more unattached vessels patrolling the cluster. Two cruisers and five frigates.”

  “That is eighteen ships,” one of the general’s translators declared. “We cannot possibly take on eighteen ships.”

  “We don’t plan to,” Nathan insisted. “We thin the herd. A series of strikes against isolated targets, combined with a series of comm-drones sent to deliver deceptive information to the enemy. If we can get the Ta’Akar to dispatch at least one of her two battle groups from the Takaran system, we could then conduct a surgical strike against their command and control, perhaps even against Caius himself.”

  “You are proposing that we attack the Royal Palace of the Ta’Akar?” Mister Briden sputtered. “Are you mad?”

  “It is not the dragon’s claws you must fear,” one of the general’s translators began, “nor is it his tail…”

  “It is the fire in his eyes and mouth,” Tug finished.

  “Gentlemen,” Nathan stated calmly, “I propose we cut off the head of the dragon.”

  * * *

  “I’ll need you to represent our interests at the planning table with the Corinari generals,” Nathan told Cameron as they walked quickly through the hospital corridors.

  “I need to be back on the ship,” Cameron protested. “We’ve got a new crew that needs to be trained, and in a really short amount of time I might add.”

  “Aren’t you forgetting something, Commander?” Nathan said. “You’re still a patient in this hospital.”

  “Oh, I can fix that real quick,” Cameron insisted, stopping at the nearest nursing station. “Get me a doctor, now!” she ordered a nurse. The young woman behind the counter stared at her blankly, not understanding a word she was saying. “A doctor! Do you understand?”

  Another woman, older than the first, stepped up. “Can I help you?”

  “Yes, I need to speak with a doctor right away.”

  “Commander…” Nathan began.

  “Don’t even try, Nathan.”

  “I can order you, if you’d like.”

  “And I can ignore you, if I’d like.”

  “Cameron, I need you completely well and at full strength when the Ta’Akar come.”

  “And I will be, but you also need a crew that’s as ready as they can be, and for that you also need me.”

  “Cam…”

  “I’m fine, Nathan. I’m at full strength, I’m telling you. I don’t even know why I’m still here.”

  “I’m sure that if the doctors thought…”

  “Look, if the doctors say I can go, will that be good enough for you?”

  “Of course, but…”

  “Great.” Cameron looked around. “Where the hell is a doctor when you need one?”

  “Can I help you, miss?” the older woman in medical attire asked.

  “I don’t know; are you a doctor?”

  “Yes, I am Doctor Marcella. What seems to be the problem?”

  “I need someone to tell my captain here that I’m cleared to check out,” Cameron insisted.

  “You are the young woman from the Earth ship?”

  “Yes.”

  “Your case was presented in conference the other day. Quite interesting.”

  “Great, I have an interesting case. Can I go back to my ship?”

  “You should probably speak to your doctor about that,” Doctor Marcella advised.

  “Look, Doc,” Cameron pleaded, “I just need to know if it’s possible for me to return to my ship. I have work to do there, and I feel fine."

  “It is my understanding that you still have nanites working inside you. If that is the case, then you still require periodic monitoring to ensure their proper operation, as well as their discharge from your body when their work is complete.”

  “Yeah, I know. I have to relieve myself in metal trays. Don’t remind me,” Cameron said, rolling her eyes. “Can’t I do all that on the ship?”

  “Well, there are portable nanite monitoring devices, but they are not routinely used as they…”

  “Ah hah!” Cameron interrupted. “That’s it! Get me a portable monitor!”

  “Excuse me, Doctor, but is it at all possible that Commander Taylor could return to the ship using some kind of portable monitor setup?”

  “It is possible,” the doctor admitted hesitantly, “but you would need a doctor familiar with nanite therapy, as well as a nanite technician on board as well.”

  “Great,” Cameron explained. “We’re heading for combat in a month anyway. Seems to me having a few nanite specialists on board might be a good thing, right?”

  “All right, I’ll look into it.”

  “You’ll look into it?” Cameron asked, not satisfied with his answer.

  “I’ll request it,” Nathan promised, “but only if Doc Chen agrees. Meanwhile, you get busy with the Corinari generals and light a fire under their butts. We’ve got a month, tops.”

  * * *

  “Good morning, everyone,” Nathan greeted as he sat down for his morning briefing. “As you can see, we have a new member joining us. For those of you who have not met Major Prechitt, he will be joining us as the commander of the Corinari Aerospace Group being assigned to us. In other words, the major is our new CAG.”

  A round of, "Welcome aboard,” greetings were tossed about the room.

  “Excuse me, sir,” Major Prechitt asked, “CAG?”

  “Commander Air Group,” Nathan explained. “It’s the acronym we use to describe your position. It’s left over from the days of surface navies back on Earth. I guess in your case, however, CAG would stand for ‘Commander Aerospace Group.’”

  “Yes, of course,” Major Prechitt said. “Like Master Chief Montrose’s title. ‘Chief of the
Boat’ was it?”

  “Yeah, something like that,” Nathan agreed. “How are things shaping up with our new air group, Major?”

  “The first group of twenty-four interceptors will be ready to begin flight operations from the Aurora within two weeks, Captain. In light of the new threat, efforts to get the second wing ready have been doubled. However, there is an additional problem in that the second wing is being formed using interceptors from multiple nations, so there will be some compatibility issues to be worked out, as well as some procedural ones.”

  “I can make it easy for you,” Nathan said. “Normally, on an Earth ship, whatever the CAG says goes, at least in regards to the operation of the air group.”

  “It may not be that easy, sir. There are some cultural issues to deal with as well. However, I feel confident that they will not present too much of a problem. My biggest concern is the amount of time available for launch and recovery training. Ours crews are trained for ground operations.”

  “We’ll be able to provide some assistance in that area, Major. Both the XO and I are pilots rated for deck-ops, so we have some experience in that area. Plus, we have quite extensive policies and procedures manuals available in the mainframe for your people. If you like, we can have them translated into Corinairan as well.”

  “That will not be necessary,” Major Prechitt assured him. “At least half of my pilots already speak Angla, and the rest are going through intensive language training as we speak. I would rather not give them an excuse to ignore their studies.”

  “Very well,” Nathan responded.

  “Sir, do you have any idea when we can begin training?”

  “Both fighter alleys are clear and ready,” Vladimir stated. “And the entire forward section is at least habitable now. There are still things to work on, but your people can move in whenever you are ready, Major.”

  “Excellent,” Major Prechitt exclaimed. “We will begin setting up shop immediately. That way, I can get the ground, I mean, deck crews trained and ready before we fill your bays with fighters.”

  “I believe I like the sound of that,” Jessica stated.

  “We’re getting some refits on our missile systems right now,” Nathan stated, “but as soon as that’s done, we’ll be ready for open space again. I expect that’ll happen well before your fighters start landing.”

  “That is good news, Captain. Eighty percent of our training has traditionally focused on atmospheric intercepts, with the other twenty percent spent on orbital. My pilots have almost no training in deep-space engagements.”

  “I suspect that will change rather soon, I’m afraid,” Nathan admitted. “Commander Taylor and I will lend any of our limited knowledge and experience in that area as well.”

  “Thank you, sir. Anything you can share with us will be of use.”

  “Doctor Sorenson?” Nathan said, inviting Abby to begin her updates.

  “The Corinairans have successfully tested their first mini-jump drive equipped shuttle. They are currently installing the necessary sensory and deep space navigational gear required for their new mission as early warning ships. They expect to be able to produce and deploy at least four of them before the Loranoi arrives.”

  “That will make Tug happy, I’m sure,” Nathan commented.

  “Where is Tug?” Jessica wondered.

  “He and Josh are out in the interceptor searching for the Wallach.”

  “The Corinairans have expressed their displeasure at the fact that they have only one pair of fabricators available for the purpose of creating the mini-jump drives,” Abby stated.

  “Tough,” Nathan answered. “We may be full up with rail gun ammo, but they’re nothing but dumb slugs. That means our only defense against a missile attack is to jump away, which is great if the jump drive is working. But if it goes down, we’re screwed. So until they can get some of their factories to agree to start producing fragmenting point-defense rounds for us, we’re hogging those fabricators.”

  “Captain, even with all the fabricators running twenty-four hours a day, they will still not be able to produce enough frag-rounds to be of significant use,” Vladimir pointed out.

  “Yeah, I know that, and you know that,” Nathan explained, “but the politicians on Corinair don’t, and I don’t have time to beg those industrialists to start stamping out ammo for us. This way, I get the politicians to put the pressure on them.”

  “Da, konyeshna,” Vladimir agreed.

  “They do realize there are two heavily armed Takaran warships on their way here, don’t they?” Jessica asked.

  “They believe the Loranoi is coming,” Nathan admitted, “but I’m not so sure they believe that the Wallach is coming as well.”

  “What, one warship’s not enough?”

  “They seem convinced that we can handle the Loranoi all by ourselves,” Nathan said.

  “Then why are they even bothering with the early warning shuttles?” Jessica asked.

  “I have no idea,” Nathan admitted. “I suppose it makes them feel better.”

  “The Loranoi is a formidable ship,” Tug warned. “She is equipped with the most advanced missile batteries and target acquisition systems. She also has an advanced electronic countermeasures system, which makes it very difficult to lock weapons onto her during battle.”

  “Great,” Jessica commented.

  “How are things going with our EC suite?” Nathan asked Vladimir.

  “Slowly I’m afraid. It was severely damaged, and the power surge that resulted fried most of it and the control runs, all the way back to the control console on the bridge. I do not think we can fix it, as we simply do not have the parts.”

  “Captain,” Willard interrupted, “I may have a solution for you.”

  “Yes, Ensign?”

  “I am no longer an Ensign, Captain. My shipmates and I are now officially considered defectors from the empire. Therefore, we no longer carry a rank.”

  “Duly noted,” Nathan said. “Congratulations, by the way.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” Mister Willard said. “As I was saying, the electronic countermeasures equipment on the Yamaro was undamaged and is currently not scheduled for use. It is not as advanced as that on the Loranoi, but it might be possible to remove it from the Yamaro and install it on the Aurora.”

  “Do you think that would work?” Nathan asked.

  “Their transponder array was pretty easy to adapt to our systems,” Vladimir said. “If it works, it would be better than nothing.”

  “Very well. I’ll put in a request to the Corinairans to allow you to get started on that, Mister Willard.”

  “Yes, sir,” Mister Willard acknowledged.

  “Excellent. Moving on then.” Nathan turned to Doctor Chen. “Doc, how are things looking in Medical?”

  “I’m happy to report that, for the first time since we left Earth, I have nothing but empty beds. Two more crewmen have returned from their rehabilitation down on Corinair. Those remaining will be there for at least another month. Also, along with more staff, we are also getting more diagnostic and laboratory equipment.”

  “More staff?” Nathan asked.

  “Yes, sir. Somebody has to show us how to use the new equipment, and since we are expected to go into combat in the near future, they decided they might as well give us doctors. In fact, they gave us two trauma surgeons, as well as about eight nurses and technicians. We’ve almost got a full staff at this point.”

  “Well, with two more shifts coming on board in the next few days, we’re going to need them.” Nathan stated. “What about the nanite guys?”

  “They’re coming aboard with Commander Taylor later today,” Doctor Chen stated.

  “Cam’s coming back?” Jessica asked.

  “Yeah, I was saving that last,” Nathan joked.

  “Great,” Jessica said, “now we can get our butts chewed on a daily basis.”

  “Well, she’ll be touching down around fifteen hundred, so be ready,” Nathan warned. “Very w
ell, that about does it. We’ve all got lots of work to do, so let’s get to it. Cheng, Abby, and Mister Willard, if you’ll all please remain, everyone else is dismissed.”

  Once the others had left the briefing room, Nathan began speaking again. “Mister Willard, how many comm-drones are there remaining aboard the Yamaro?”

  “I believe there were twelve when we arrived in the Darvano system, Captain. There are probably just as many on the comm-drone platform in the Darvano system, the one used by the local Ta’Akar communications office.”

  “How much do you know about their programming?”

  “Enough, mostly about their communications code. Although I was primarily a communications technician, I also worked quite closely with the men responsible for maintenance and programming of the drones.”

  “Could those drones be reprogrammed to fly courses and speeds according to instructions transmitted to them on the fly?”

  “The ones from the Yamaro, yes. They are already programmable, as they were designed to be used from anywhere. But the ones used by the Darvano system are fixed-destination drones, designed to travel between Darvano and Takara. They would need to be rewired.”

  “Could that be done?”

  “I believe so,” Mister Willard stated. “They are essentially the same, with just slightly different navigational packages. Even if they cannot be rewired, you could use the fabricators to create copies of the navigational packages in the Yamaro’s drones and install them into the ones from the Darvano platform. May I inquire as to why?”

  “I was thinking of using them as faster-than-light kinetic kill vehicles.”

  “Really?”

  “If we could get a Takaran ship into a designated kill zone, we could send the jump interceptor out to a drone parked some distance away to issue launch orders. At FTL speeds, it would pack a hell of a wallop.”

  “Bozhe moi,” Vladimir exclaimed. “Do you realize how much of a ‘wallop’?”

  “I haven’t tried to calculate that yet,” Nathan admitted, “but I’m pretty sure it would be enough to penetrate the shields of a Ta’Akar battleship.”