Scimitar's Glory: A Swordships Odyssey Novel

by Dietmar Wehr

  HQ TO EXCALIBUR ACTUAL. YOUR REPORT ON GOLD HORIZON ATTACK IS BEING PROCESSED. RECOMMENDATION FOR AD HOC FLEET FOR TAU CETI HAS BEEN TAKEN UNDER ADVISEMENT. EXCALIBUR IS TO TAKE UP PARKING ORBIT UPON ARRIVAL AND AWAIT FURTHER ORDERS. END OF MESSAGE.

  He showed it to Soriya. “What the hell is there to take under advisement?” he asked. “The only reason for not sending a fleet to Tau Ceti would be that they don’t think the Tong are pushing deep into UETO territory and that the Tau Ceti Colony isn’t in any danger, and there’s no possible way for them to know for sure that’s the case! Hoping it’s so and doing nothing is unconscionable!”

  “Maybe they decided to send the fleet but haven’t figured out what ships will be involved or who to lead it?” said Soriya in an obvious attempt to calm Koenig down.

  “Who to lead it? Yeah, I’ll bet you that’s what this is all about. Political maneuvering by flag officers who are legends in their own minds and want to take command of that fleet.”

  Just as the ship slipped into its assigned orbit, Koenig got a video call from Nakatomi.

  “Good to see you again, Wolfe. I heard what you found and for what it’s worth, I agree with your assessment. If there’s even a slight chance that the Tau Ceti Colony is in danger, then we have to act accordingly. I can also tell you that a friend of mine at HQ has told me they will send a fleet, and the only thing holding it up is deciding who to put in charge.”

  “You mean who wants to hog the glory more than anyone else, right?” asked Koenig.

  Hanson snorted. “Ha! No, that’s not it. It’s the complete opposite. Everyone thinks this mission will be a complete disaster, and no one wants to be stuck with it!”

  “Really? I wonder if Dejanus knows about the mission. She may not, you know. Not if they’re keeping this between the flag officer clique. Thanks for the info. I’m going to hang up now and try to contact Dejanus. Out.”

  Ten minutes later he managed to get her on an audio channel only.

  “Tyler, it’s Wolfe. Listen, have you heard anything about an ad hoc fleet being put together to defend the Tau Ceti Colony from a suspected Tong attack?”

  “What? No. Nothing like that. Do you know something or are you just spreading gossip?” she asked.

  Koenig told her about the Nimitz base and Gold Horizon colony attacks and his hunch that Tau Ceti was next, as well as the gossip from Durendal’s CO.

  “It’s a logical assumption to make,” she said, “The Tau Ceti system is part of the jump path that leads from Gold Horizon to Earth. Even if the Tong don’t bother to stop and attack the Colony there, they’ll have to pass through the system to get to Earth, and that’s a good enough reason to send a fleet there. And yeah, I can see how some of the senior flag officers would not want to touch this mission with a ten foot pole. There aren’t a lot of fleet assets here right now. Durendal’s just back from the Rift recon. Curtana’s out somewhere. I think Corregidor is here, ah, so is Valley Forge I think. Not sure what other ships are here, but I know there aren’t many. On the other hand, there aren’t a lot of TOSF ships left period. We’re stretched mighty thin now, Wolfe. If the Tau Ceti fleet is destroyed or suffers heavy losses, that just might leave the TOSF crippled.”

  “If no one wants it, then they might give it to someone who volunteers for it. Here’s your chance to redeem yourself in their eyes, not that you should have to, but you have good strategic and tactical instincts, Tyler, and I know I’d feel a lot more confident going into that battle if you were in overall command.” There was silence on the other end for so long that Koenig wondered if Dejanus was still on the line.

  “I’ll be honest with you, Wolfe. Part of me wants that command, and part of me is scared of getting it. If I screw up, billions might pay the price, not just the colonists.”

  Koenig took his time responding. “I think you can pull this off, Tyler. The Tong won’t be expecting a fleet in Tau Ceti. We’ll have the element of surprise, and you’ll hopefully have Excalibur and Durendal with our gravity cannons and stealthiness as well. That’s got to count for a lot. If one of the senior officers is forced to take command, he or she won’t want to take risks. They’ll turn and run as soon as they think they can justify it. For this to work, we need someone who wants the mission to succeed and is willing to take risks. Do you know anyone like that who’s at least as good a tactician as you are?”

  “No.”

  “Then who does that leave?” asked Koenig.

  “Me. I’ll get back to you, Wolfe. God help us all if you’ve made the wrong choice.” The click told him that she had hung up.

  Chapter Sixteen:

  Dejanus entered the inner office of the Chief of Space Operations, Admiral Corrigan, and strode confidently up to her desk.

  “Thank you for seeing me, Admiral,” said Dejanus in her best professional voice.

  “You’re welcome, Commander. I won’t ask you to sit down because this will have to be a quick meeting. I’m in the middle of something important. What’s on your mind?”

  Dejanus took a deep breath. Time to go all in. “I know about the mission to send a fleet to Tau Ceti to ambush the Tong attack. I want to command that fleet, Admiral.”

  The look of surprise on Corrigan’s face told Dejanus that Wolfe had been right. There was a fleet being organized.

  “What makes you think…” Corrigan left the sentence unfinished. “I’m not going to bother asking how you found out about the mission, but I am curious about where you found the nerve to come in here and ask for command of a fleet that normally justifies a flag officer in command.”

  Dejanus didn’t bat an eye. “I heard that no one else wanted it. I’m already in the doghouse for losing Replenisher, and I don’t have much of a career left to lose. If you want someone willing to take risks, then she’s standing right in front of you, Admiral.”

  “Normally I’d dismiss even considering someone who has nothing much to lose as likely to be too reckless, but there’s a fine line between being too reckless and being just reckless enough. At least you’re not trying to hide your motivation. Your honesty does you credit. I’ll keep your willingness to volunteer in mind, but I’m not promising anything. Is that understood, Commander?”

  “Yes, Admiral.”

  “Good! You’re dismissed.”

  As Dejanus walked out of Corrigan’s inner office, before the office door had even closed behind her, she heard the Admiral say, “Com, get me Admiral Scofield. I think I have good news for him.”

  Koenig read the fleet-wide flash message two hours later.

  TO ALL SHIPS. 7TH FLEET IS BEING RE-ACTIVATED EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. THE FOLLOWING SHIPS WILL BE ASSIGNED TO 7TH FLEET. CORREGIDOR, VALLEY FORGE, YORKTOWN, KURSK, ARDENNES, BARENTS SEA, GAVUTU, EXCALIBUR, DURENDAL, TRAFALGAR. VICE-ADMIRAL TYLER DEJANUS IS 7TH FLEET COMMANDER EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. END OF MESSAGE.

  Dejanus didn’t waste any time. She called for a video conference five minutes later, but some of the COs were late in checking in due to being asleep or on the surface away from a communications station. When everyone was finally on line, Dejanus got straight to the point.

  “Now that everyone’s here, I’ll skip the usual pleasantries and get right to it. 7th Fleet will be leaving orbit as soon as all ships signal that they’re ready to go. This means all crew are aboard and ships have at least the minimum level of consumables. If you’re not on your ship right now, get back to her asap. If there are any crew not on board, get them back asap too. I’m going to be really pissed if the Fleet is still in orbit an hour from now. If your ship hasn’t been topped up with missiles, let me know before we end this call, and I’ll take care of that. Same goes for vacant crew positions, although ships may have to operate short-handed if the vacancies can’t be filled quickly. Now, unless you have a crew issue or missile load situation, you’re free to leave this call. Excalibur and Durendal COs will remain on line until I dismiss you. That’s all for now.”

  Two COs had crew vacancies. Dejanus told them she wou
ld deal with it. After that, Koenig and Durendal’s CO were the only ones left on the call.

  “I wanted to talk privately with you two because your gravity cannons and stealthiness are unique, and we should figure out how to make the best use of those advantages. I’d like to hear your thoughts, comments, and suggestions on how your two ships should be used when we get to Tau Ceti.”

  When it was obvious that Nakatomi was not going to say anything right away, Koenig cleared his throat and began speaking. “As both of you know, I was the one who recommended sending a fleet to Tau Ceti. I’ve been thinking of how a fleet could defend that colony against a superior Tong fleet, and I have an idea not just for Excalibur or Durendal but for 7th Fleet as a whole.”

  “I thought you might, Wolfe,” said Dejanus. “Let’s hear it.”

  Koenig couldn’t help grinning. Dejanus knew him too well. “The challenge that I see facing 7th Fleet is knowing when and from which direction a Tong fleet is coming. I checked with Astro, and there are two possible jump paths that are short enough to be used by the Tong that will get their fleet to Tau Ceti. Those two paths mean that when the Tong fleet hits Tau Ceti’s gravity well, one ship, situated in between the likely drop points, would have difficulty detecting any Tong ship. Two ships would have a much better chance of detecting them if each one was positioned slightly further out from Tau Ceti’s gravity well threshold at the most likely point where the Tong ships would emerge. This will cause the Tong ships to be silhouetted against the sun while Excalibur and Durendal will be behind them and difficult to see against the background sky. Then, if a relay ship can be positioned above the sun so that either one of us can send a tight comlaser signal without giving ourselves away, the relay ship can pass that on to you and the rest of 7th Fleet.” He paused to organize his thoughts.

  “That’s the easy part. The harder part is what happens next. As long as Durendal or Excalibur aren’t detected, they can try to shadow the Tong fleet as it gets itself back together and then does whatever it’s going to do. If the light cruiser can keep the Tong fleet between it and the sun, it should be able to track the fleet passively and keep you updated on what the Tong are doing. You can then determine how best to engage them. My suggestion regarding that would be to attack the Tong fleet from behind before they get to the Colony. The planet is in a good position right now. It’s almost on the opposite side of the sun from one jump emergence point and about 111 degrees around from the other. The nearer jump emergence point is actually the less likely one from the standpoint of requiring a longer jump path to get there. If the Tong are eager to get to Earth fast, they’ll take the other route and arrive at Tau Ceti on the far side of that sun.”

  Dejanus looked pleased. “I like the idea of detecting them from their silhouette against the Tau Ceti star. Have your Astro send the details to Corregidor and Durendal. As for hitting them from behind, that would be a neat trick if we could pull it off, and I’ll keep it in mind when the time comes. Any other ideas or comments from either of you?”

  “Not right now,” said Koenig.

  “Nothing at the moment, Admiral,” said Nakatomi.

  “Okay then. If either of you think of something before we enter hyperspace, let me know. Commander Nakatomi, please excuse us while I have a private conversation with Commander Koenig.” When it was clear that Nakatomi had left the call, her expression relaxed a bit.

  “I’m not sure if I should thank you or curse you for pushing me to volunteer for this mission, Wolfe. 7th Fleet is not all that powerful as fleets go. Corregidor is the only super-heavy, and four out of the ten are light cruisers. If we get into a missile slugging match, the lights aren’t going to add much to the volleys.”

  Koenig nodded, his expression serious. “That’s why I came up with the ambush from behind idea. We can’t afford to wait in orbit around the planet for the Tong fleet to get into missile range and then slug it out. That’s what they would want us to do.”

  “I agree. I’ll have lots of time to consider my tactical options along the way there. By the way, Wolfe, I heard a rumor that you and the other two Javelin cruiser COs have made a secret pact to rally at the GED asteroid if the TOSF is defeated. Is that true?”

  “It’s true. I know I have no authority to make an arrangement like that, but I felt it was necessary.”

  “You didn’t—have the authority that is—but I’m glad you did. When I got my field promotion to Vice-Admiral, I was given a quick orientation to flag rank secrets. There’s a network of secret supply depots, which have been set up under Plan Omega, which is preparation for the worst-case scenario. If the TOSF is more or less wiped out, any surviving units will be instructed to head for a rally point, to be determined by the senior most surviving flag officer. Those units are then to conduct a guerilla operation using the supply depots. I shouldn’t even be telling you this, but I have a hunch you might need to know that they exist and where they are. I’m sending you a coded datafile. The decryption key is Replenisher. If anyone finds out I shared this data with you, neither one of us will ever command anything other than a desk again, and it’ll be a very small desk. I strongly suggest that you memorize the locations and access codes and then delete the file. Okay, enough chitchat. I’ve got a lot to do in the next few hours. Is Excalibur ready to go?”

  “She’s ready, Ty—Admiral.”

  Dejanus gave him a friendly smile and nod before the image dissolved.

  7th Fleet boosted out of orbit 55 minutes later. Since Tau Ceti was a red dwarf star, getting there in a single jump was risky for most ships. Therefore, the usual routine was to jump to Sirius, a larger than normal, though not giant, blue star that was relatively close to Tau Ceti. The Fleet arrived at Tau Ceti after a journey of 69 hours. A quick check of transmissions from the Colony showed that the Tong had not yet arrived. Excalibur and Durendal took up their positions beyond the star’s gravity well threshold on the sides where a Tong fleet was most likely to appear. The rest of 7th Fleet took up position over the sun’s north pole with a direct line-of-sight to both light cruisers. Now that everyone was in position, the only thing left to do was wait. Koenig made sure that everyone who would be taking a turn as Bridge Duty Officer knew not to go to sleep while on duty, and the AIs were instructed to make sure of that. While human eyes could not look into the sun for more than a few seconds at a time, the tactical AI could look continuously for the very small dark dots against the sun’s background that would be the tipoff for the presence of ships. When seconds might make the difference between victory and defeat, the BDO had to stay alert in order to issue the appropriate orders as quickly as possible.

  After seven days had passed with no signs of the Tong, both Koenig and Dejanus wondered if they had guessed wrong. Dejanus had privately made up her mind that she would send a light cruiser back to Earth to ask for further orders if nothing happened in the next 48 hours. Thirty-five of those hours had gone by when something occurred.

  Koenig was in the middle of his duty shift when the tactical display pinged for attention, with the voice of the tactical AI following immediately after.

  “Two ships have just been detected at the gravity well jump threshold. TacComp calculates an 89% probability that these are Tong ships. Recommend going to Battle Stations.”

  “Yes! Battle Stations it is! Com, send the contact report to the flagship and Durendal, then give me inter-craft!” With the Battle Stations alert sounding throughout the ship, Koenig waited until the com AI gave him the signal that he had inter-craft communications. “This is the CO. It looks like the Tong have arrived. Everyone stay calm and alert. This is it. Koenig out.”

  As soon as Koenig finished speaking, the tactical AI jumped in. “Bogies are designated as Tango1 and Tango2. Both Tangos are maneuvering.”

  Koenig checked the display. He saw two red triangles right on the jump threshold, and they were now moving up and to the right, relative to Excalibur’s orientation.

  “Tactical, what is TacComp’s assessmen
t of the odds that the Tong fleet flagship is where both Tangos are moving to?” asked Koenig.

  “Assessment is 97%. ”

  “Astro, you know what to do,” said Koenig in a now calm voice. The astro AI had been carefully briefed in advance and would now try to keep Excalibur in a position where it could continuously track the Tong ships, and eventually the Tong fleet, by silhouetting them against the sun. Koenig checked the timing of the initial contact. It would take almost eight minutes for the contact report to reach Corregidor. Excalibur would continue to send updates every 30 seconds, including its own position and trajectory. With a little luck, Corregidor would be able to send back orders via a tight-beam comlaser without the Tong seeing it.

  Two and a half minutes later, a third ship came into view and was designated Tango3. Koenig, now completely enclosed in the Command Pod, was beginning to sweat. The interior of the pod was supposedly climate controlled, but he felt hot and realized that he was breathing fast. In spite of everything he tried in order to stay calm, his heart rate was still beating faster than normal.