CHAPTER 27
ASTEROID BATTLE
Admiral Collingsworth led twenty-four battle cruisers, sixty cruisers, and over two hundred destroyers into the center of the asteroid belt. The battle cruisers formed a three-dimensional diamond similar to an arrowhead with Superb at the very tip. The cruisers formed a spherical shell around them, and the destroyers formed a larger shell around the entire formation. As sunlight reflected off the titanium hulls, the fleet produced the visual illusion of a sparkling ball suspended in space.
The admiral sat in his command chair on the flag bridge looking at the main viewer staring into the asteroid field as swarms of tiny meteorites pelted Superb’s shielded hull. As the ship moved through space at standard velocity, the light of distant stars formed a backdrop while the reflected light of planets and asteroids flashed by. The admiral was surrounded by members of his staff working at the many technical stations. The usual ship noises were drowned out by the flurry of buzzing voices from these officers. His chief of staff, Captain William Pierce, hovered next to him whispering in his ear, providing a constant stream of information about ships, personnel, and orders.
Gallant sat in the ready-room with the other officers of Superb’s Squadron 801, awaiting orders to scramble. The pilots relaxed in their form-fitting pressure suits as they monitored the fleet’s progress on the viewer screen. Their armored suits rested in their fighter cockpits, ready for action. They expected to engage the Titans in a slugging match, soon. Morale was high and they were eager to meet the enemy.
Rumors about Gallant’s exploits were widely circulated and the pilots peppered him with questions. He answered them, as he had so many others, with short specific facts. Questions such as the speed advantages of the Titan cruisers came up, but Gallant reminded them that the Titan battle cruisers were only as fast as their UP counterparts, so that would limit the overall Titan fleet speed.
Thoughtfully, Sam pulled Gallant away from his inquisitive shipmates. He looked at Gallant’s arm and asked, “Henry, are you ready?
“I’m fine. Don’t worry. You’ve trained with me for the past week. Do you have any doubts?” said Gallant leaning against the ready-room hatch leading to the fighter hangar bay.
“No, of course not,” said Sam. He fidgeted a bit and then added, “I just wish they would make up their minds and let us launch already.”
“We’re still too far away to engage,” said Gallant as he considered the distances involved.
“Regardless, I wish we were going into action rather than spending all this time maneuvering about, while they think about it,” said Sam.
“What a firebrand!?” exclaimed Gallant.
“Me? No. I just mean ..., Oh I don’t know what I mean,” Sam concluded.
“Be patient,” said Gallant. He showed his friend a strained smile and said, “Our time will come.” He looked at the viewer screen to get an update on the fleet disposition. He could hear commands being issued from the flagship to different elements of the fleet. By switching communications channels, he could also eavesdrop on the individual unit commands.
As the fleet approached the orbit of Ceres, Admiral Collingsworth ordered a course change. They were now heading directly toward Ceres. There could no longer be any doubt about their intensions. The Titans had to conclude that their secret base had been discovered and any hope of getting behind the Mars Fleet and attacking Mars, was over.
Orbiting Ceres was the Titan armada of 12 battle cruisers, 72 cruisers, and 288 destroyers. The Ceres family asteroid-cluster offered them a complex interweaving mesh of asteroids, orbiting so as to create numerous voids and passages. Here visual and radar detection was limited by the unusually high asteroid density. The Titans had remained hidden for some time and they had built their defenses in depth, with minefields and overlapping fields of fire. Strong fortresses with scores of missile launchers guarded the approaches.
Considering the total number of missile launchers, Admiral Collingsworth estimated that his fleet had a significant advantage over the Titan armada. However, allowing for the fortresses significantly reduced that. The question was, would the Titans fight from behind their forts.
As the fleet approached Ceres, Gallant listened as Admiral Collingsworth gave deployment instructions to the Mars Fleet, dividing it into three functional divisions. The First Division led by Superb was the main battle force consisting of eighteen battle cruisers with a strong cruiser-destroyer escort. It was intended to face the Titan armada.
The Second Division, commanded by Admiral Hue, was a close-in bombardment force intended to tackle the Titans fortresses and facilities. It consisted of six battle cruisers with a cruiser-destroyer escort.
The Third Division, commanded by Admiral Collins, was an assault force intended to land the marines at the Titan facilities. It consisted of the assault and supply ships that had been following behind the Mars Fleet along with a destroyer escort.
Gallant knew that the Mars Fleet was powerful, well drilled, and prepared for action. He was also aware that Collingsworth hoped the Titan Fleet would come out from behind their fortresses and give him a chance for a ship-to-ship engagement. The admiral’s worse fear, however, was that the Titans might flee before he could unleash his destructive power upon them. On the other hand, if the Titan fleet did flee, the fortresses could not withstand the onslaught of the Mars Fleet.
Gallant listened to the clamor coming from the hangar bay as the squadron’s fighters were completing last minute preflight checks. The technicians were reporting to their LPOs as each requirement was completed. The details of the Eagles’ readiness captured Gallant’s attention momentarily, until he heard Admiral Collingsworth order the fleet to increase speed and close on Ceres.
The question of how the aliens would respond was quickly answered. The Titan armada was beginning a mass evacuation from its facilities. They were filling their warships with base personnel and leaving the slower transport ships behind.
Sam said excitedly, “Look at the radar scope! They don’t want to tangle with us. They’re packing up and clearing out!”
Gallant said, “They’re cutting their losses and abandoning the base. They must be preparing to retreat toward Saturn. They’re leaving their fortresses to fight a rear guard action. I suppose they will be destroying as much of the facilities as time permits.”
Sam said, “You mean they’ll destroy as much, as Admiral Collingsworth permits.”
As the Titan armada began moving in the direction of the outer planets, Admiral Collingsworth ordered, “All ships, man battle stations.” Throughout the fleet a great clatter erupted and thousands of men and women scrambled to their stations. The admiral had hoped for a decisive engagement, but now he would have to content himself with the destruction of the Ceres base.
The crews quickly manned battle stations. A moment before the ships had been full of hustle and noise, now everything was still and silent. Admiral Collingsworth ordered the First Division (the main battle force) of the Mars Fleet to slowly follow the Titan armada and to engage any Titan ships that might try to reverse course and return to Ceres.
Admiral Collingsworth ordered the Second Division to prepare to destroy the enemy fortresses. He kept the marine assault force ready to go in and dig out the Titans embedded in the facilities and stations after Second Division had done its work. Stretched within the asteroid defensive position were refueling and supply stations that had allowed the Titans to maintain their operations for a prolonged period of time. These were an important prize for the United Planets’ fleet to capture.
Despite all the preparation, Admiral Collingsworth assumed there would be great chaos and confusion once the action got underway. But he trusted the officers and crews to handle any situations.
"Inform me when Second Division reaches a position where missile flight time drops to one hundred twenty seconds," Admiral Collingsworth said to Superb’s commanding officer. In considering how to destroy the fixed fortresses, he ordered the Second Division to mov
e against the flanks of the forts.
While Superb and First Division maintained its position between the enemy fleet and Ceres, the range continued to fall as Second Division closed on Ceres. An officer reported, "Missile flight time for Second Division is one hundred twenty seconds, sir.”
“Very well,” said Admiral Collingsworth. He added, “Admiral Hue, commence firing.”
Second Division’s battle cruisers began a bombardment on the powerful forts. The division concentrated its fire on the outer fortresses first. Admiral Hue dispatched a task force of cruisers and destroyers to specifically target the space stations and methane production facilities. They fired missiles from either wing while the battle cruisers stood off at long range to pound the unsupported alien fortresses. Holding their present course exposed some of the division’s ships to the heaviest fire, so fighters from various battle cruisers were sent to put up a defensive screen of antimissiles to cover them.
The fortresses launched a heavy volley at maximum range. Admiral Hue’s ships responded in kind, while their fighters kept up a stout defensive fire. After a while the fortresses’ fire dwindled. Admiral Hue ordered his ships to close on the targets while keeping up withering salvos of missiles. Slowly, the fortresses were reduced. But Second Division was also suffering. Several destroyers and a couple of cruisers withdrew from action.
Admiral Collingsworth was still considering the possibility that the Titan armada might counterattack while the Second Division was engaged. As the assault of the fortresses continued, Superb kept the main battle force in position to challenge the Titan armada, if it changed course.
Gallant thought that the obstructing strong points would have to be eliminated individually in order to make progress against the position as a whole. The interlocking missile batteries were an especially difficult problem to eliminate. But as the minutes passed, missile fire demolished many of the forts. Before long, the forts were seriously damaged and their fire slacked.
The first phase of the battle was nearly over. Admiral Hue’s attack had crippled the enemy. When he was satisfied that he had devastated everything he could reach from long range, he ordered, “Hard to port, come to course 120, azimuth up 10 degrees, speed 0.002c, at time 1626.”
Admiral Collingsworth now ordered Third Division with the marine assault ships to seize the remaining fortresses and subdue any remaining resistance.
The Third Division had no battle cruisers with it, so Admiral Collingsworth decided to dispatch Superb’s fighters for support. He ordered Superb’s captain, “Launch all fighters. Clear a path through those mine fields.”
“Launch all fighters; launch all fighters!” bellowed from the speakers in Squadron 801’s ready room. Pilots and astrogators scrambled into the hangar bay and began climbing into their Eagles.
Gallant heard Sam’s voice, “About time,” as they boarded their ship and sealed the hatch.
They waited impatiently for their turn on the launch catapult. Then their Eagle was streaking away from Superb and pulling alongside the rest of Squadron 801. The sharp accelerating motion of the fighter felt comfortingly familiar.
The battle cruisers of Second Division continued to fire at the fortresses at long range, even as Squadron 801 flew toward the inhibiting mine fields.
Gallant was already tied into his neural interface and picking out individual mines to blast with his laser while Sam calculated their relative position and course corrections.
“Satisfied?” asked Gallant.
“You bet,” said Sam stoically.
The fighters flew in a close formation, blasting everything in their path, meteorites and mines alike. They began clearing a narrow, but secure path through the mines. However, the remaining missile batteries on the damaged fortresses still had some bite. Forts on either side of the asteroid channel launched missiles at the fighters. It was going to be hot work, as long as the fighters were confined to the narrow channel.
Gallant saw the exhaust plume of missiles fired from the fort on their port side. He thought It’s unfortunate Admiral Collingsworth didn’t see fit to send some bombers along on this mission. We could have retaliated against those forts. He radioed, “The asteroid channel spirals around to port and the mines are locked into a corresponding orbit. The forts will have us under a vicious crossfire as we pass. I recommend that we detail an antimissile group.”
The Squadron 801 commander concurred and ordered, “Flights one, two and three, shift to missile defense.”
Despite the threat of the missile barrage, the discipline and training of Squadron 801 asserted itself, and the designated ships continued blasting mines while others shot antimissiles at the incoming missiles from the forts.
Several fighters suffered near misses and Squadron 801 took its first casualties. Gallant maneuvered his Eagle in a twisting loop to avoid the missiles, but the severe motion jammed him hard against his harness. Sam grimaced fretfully behind Gallant as an equipment locker broke open under the shock of a near miss explosion. Some objects flew around the cabin as Gallant conducted difficult maneuvers through the channel. A small fire started but was quickly put out by Sam’s swift response.
Despite the explosions, the fighters kept on with their task of clearing a path for the marines. Squadron 801 was able to complete its mission despite the hazards. Eventually, the assault ships followed behind the fighters. They began detaching assault shuttles full of marines to land near various facilities and forts.
“Thanks,” Gallant heard over the local channel from a nearby shuttle. Gallant appreciated the simple acknowledgement and looked over his shoulder at Sam who also looked pleased. The Squadron was able to return to Superb.
As the marines began landing, several of the Titan buildings exploded. Apparently the aliens managed to destroy some facilities to keep them out of UP hands. The marines swarmed over other buildings and took possession of the equipment and facilities. They also tried to take prisoners, but the Titans fought to the death. No prisoners were captured. However, a great deal of Titan computer equipment was salvaged for examination.
Soon the entire Ceres asteroid cluster and all its defenses were either wreckage or captured.
Admiral Collingsworth led the First Division in an effort to catch the fleeing Titan fleet, but they wouldn’t accept battle. While the Titan fleet streamed in the general direction of the outer planets, Collingsworth returned to Ceres to keep the Mars Fleet together, as it consolidated its hold on Ceres.
The Titan armada continued toward the outer planets, until the next day when the fleet split in two. The larger force, which included all the slower battle cruisers, headed directly for Saturn. A smaller force of cruisers and destroyers headed for Jupiter at maximum speed. This second cruiser force was clearly intended to reinforce the existing Titan cruisers at Jupiter and to finish the destruction of the Jupiter Fleet. It was a bold move, one that Collingsworth had to answer. Given the speed advantage of the cruisers however, the Mars Fleet would not arrive on the frontier in time to help.
Admiral Collingsworth’s solution was to order the formation of a flotilla of six fighter squadrons and six bomber squadrons, one hundred and forty-four ships in all. From the Superb’s ready-room, the pilots again scrambled to their ships. There was a great deal of curiosity about their new mission.
Admiral Collingsworth opened a communication channel to address the flotilla crews. He ordered, “Mr. Gallant, because of battle field exigencies, you will take command of the fighter-bomber flotilla with the temporary rank of Flotilla Commander. I am giving you this responsibility because of your exceptional abilities to evaluate and direct ships through your neural interface.” He paused, and then added, “You are ordered to make best possible speed to Jupiter. Your flotilla is to engage and defeat all Titan forces threating the frontier.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” responded Gallant, determined to meet the challenge given him.
Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space Page 52
