Teresa wiped her brow.
“Is that the best you can do?”
Kowalski continued fiddling with the equipment and made a few more adjustments on the software.
“It’s not easy. The whole point of this gear is it is very low power and easy to slip past civilian scanning equipment. Sergeant Lovett can only transmit when in the forward weapons battery, and he can’t stay there for much longer.”
Teresa nodded and said no more.
“My team has dispersed, but they’re looking for us. Sergeant Keller is acting as defence. I might be able to contact him. I need intel and guidance. Will check for your transmission in three hours.”
Teresa waited for a few more seconds before realising the message was finished.
“That’s it?”
“Looks that way. From what I can tell, there’s a lot of internal communications traffic, so they must be ransacking the place. Let’s just hope Lovett can stay hidden for long enough.”
Kowalski turned in his chair towards the two senior marine officers.
“What do you think?”
Lieutenant Weathers looked to the Major and then to Teresa and Kowalski.
“Spartan’s tough, physically and mentally. He will hold, and in the meantime we need to get over there. We need evidence to clear him and the battalion.”
“I don’t think that will be enough. Based on the speed of the investigation, and the cutting off of long distance communication, I would say Captain Hobbs has a plan.”
“Like what?” asked Teresa.
“Well, we’re due to arrive at the Anomaly shortly. It can’t be a coincidence that this is all happening at the same time. What happens if we arrive to find she has split the fleet?”
Kowalski nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, that would be perfect. We arrive to help, only to find they’ve turned us against each other. We’ll lose this taskforce and the Union fleet will pick off our follow-up waves one by one.”
Major Daniels checked a diagram on his datapad before laying it out on the table. It showed the disposition of the major groups of ships.
“It is worse than that. If we lose this battle, we lose all our major warships, apart from those being used by General Rivers in his ground battles. We’ll be defenceless against Union space forces. They’ll turn around and sweep through the System and finish us off once and for all.”
“Assuming there is even anybody left at the Anomaly. They’ve been alone for over two weeks now. Could they hold that long?”
Major Daniels looked as optimistic as he could.
“Both sides were pretty evenly matched. By withdrawing to the prepared defensive positions around the debris, Captain PJ Williams should be able to make a decisive encounter for either side almost impossible. The question is, which side will get there with reinforcements first?”
He turned his datapad around, so they could all see the journey they were on and how long they had left. Several of the Jötnar leaned in to take a closer look. The rest of the marines could see from where they were positioned.
“As you can see, we’re on a one-way mission here. Either this taskforce of fifteen vessels makes it to the Anomaly as one force, or we will probably all die on our arrival. I need a full tactical response team capable of overrunning Oceania. One way or another, that ship is coming back under our control. Khan, Weathers, I need the two of you to come up with a revised plan. Six Jötnar as an escort isn’t going to cut it anymore. Somehow I need at least a platoon of heavies aboard that ship. When the time comes, we will be assaulting her, and I want minimal casualties. Put a plan together using any assets we have on board.”
Khan and Weathers nodded in agreement. Khan seemed almost excited at the prospect, but Lieutenant Weathers seemed far from convinced at the course of action.
“Get your people ready,” added Major Daniels.
Lieutenant Weathers turned to the small number of marines present and started making arrangements. Khan began gesturing, and it was clear his idea of a plan was to smash a hole in the hull and board the ship just as though it were another enemy cruiser.
The Major moved closer to Kowalski and Teresa.
“As for you two, we need to link up with Sergeant Lovett. There will be others on board that we can use. The next engine cut is due shortly. Take a small team and establish a site on the ship. I need you to stay in regular contact, once per hour to keep me informed.”
“How will we get any kind of craft between the ships without being spotted?”
The Major smiled at Kowalski.
“I’ve been working on that. Just make sure your unit is ready to go. I’ll have Khan and Weathers ready with their own unit in the landing bay. We will time their assault as late as possible. Your intel will decide when and how we take this further. At the next transfer, I will create a diversion like you cannot imagine, so it should give you a big enough window to get to the ship. Just make sure you’re prepared.”
“We’d better get ready then,” said Teresa.
* * *
The CiC was busier than normal. A drill thirty minutes earlier had dragged all of the crew to their action stations. It had been a short event, but the simulated attack by an enemy cruiser had gone well. Even Admiral Jarvis appeared pleased with the speed that the weapons and defensive systems had been brought online. Based on previous battles, it was critical that the ship was battle ready in a matter of minutes. The Admiral was stood to one side, discussing the drill with the command staff. Several major issues had come up with the ability to repel boarding parties. This was all halted when the critical message alert came through. Lieutenant Nilsson turned in her chair.
“Admiral, I have a heavily encoded status package from the Furious Battlegroup. The first section is jammed, so I’ll see what I can do.”
As she waited, the Admiral moved to the vertical display.
“Get me the last known ship dispositions from the Anomaly.”
The tactical officer hit several buttons and instantly transferred a detailed model of the Anomaly, along with the four capital ships. At the centre was CCS Furious, the heavy cruiser and flagship of the group. Around her were the other three cruisers, Bellerophon, Perseus and Patroclus.
“Admiral, the data packet has been heavily jammed, but our error detection protocols have recovered most of the message,” said Lieutenant Nilsson. “I’ll send it to your system now.”
“Thank you.”
The badly damaged video feed appeared on the screen, and the communication data went directly to the vertical display. The main feed was the external cameras from CCS Furious. The swirling clouds of the Anomaly provided a vivid background, much like a nebula with powerful colours and streaks. Two cruisers moved past the camera, and a pattern of white lights flickered in the distance.
“That’s gunfire,” explained the tactical officer.
“Yes, if I’m not mistaken that is long-range autocannon fire.” A number of the shells approached the first cruiser but were instantly destroyed by the cruiser’s own point defence turrets.
“Lieutenant Jane Matterson, Acting Commander of the Furious Battlegroup. We have established a strong defensive position in the Anomaly. As per our last reports, we are holding but are uncertain as to how long. Three more enemy frigates have arrived, and we expect more to arrive shortly. The orbital turrets and minefield are doing their job, but the Union frigates are picking their way towards us. If we are not relieved in six more days, I will have to order a full-scale withdrawal of this area. Perseus has sustained major damage to her engines and will be unable to leave the Anomaly. Current casualties since our arrival are now at over six hundred, and climbing. I have attached detailed information on the enemy dispositions, as well as expected forces from the rest of Proxima. There is something else though.”
The woman’s face vanished to be replaced by a series of grainy images.
“I managed to get two automated sentry drones through the Spacebridge to the other side. They w
ere both destroyed in less than thirty seconds, but not before they were able to conduct a full spectrum sweep of the other side.”
“They have data on Alpha Centauri?” asked Captain Tobler.
Admiral Jarvis looked to him then back at the data.
“It would look that way.”
One of the sets of images showed the planet Terra Nova, the most important planet in the System, and the capital of the entire Confederacy.
“Seconds before our second probe was destroyed, we picked up tracking signals from a number of Confederate warships, and all were broadcasting correct IFF signals for the fleet. If out database is correct, we have detected over a dozen cruiser and battleship class warships. They are within twenty hours travel of the Spacebridge and that would put them another three hours from our defensive position here.”
“Confederate ships, interesting,” said the Admiral under her breath.
Captain Tobler walked to the tactical desk.
“Check the stats on those vessels. Who was last in command, and do we have any data on them since the start of the uprising in Proxima?”
“Sir,” replied the young man, who quickly returned to his computer and starting loading the various databases for crosschecking.
“It is critical that you are..” the transmission stopped.
“What? Is that it?” demanded Admiral Jarvis.
“Yes, Sir, something managed to clamp down on the signal stream at that point. They must have positioned some kind of ECM or interdiction vessel between the Anomaly and us.”
“So they are expecting us then,” added Captain Tobler.
“Perhaps. Either way, if they picked up the signal, they could easily have put two and two together. Frankly, I’m amazed we’ve been able to hold onto the area for so long while General Rivers runs havoc through the sector.”
Captain Tobler nodded in agreement.
“It is odd though. I’d expected a number of their vessels to return to protect Kerberos, at the very least. By keeping this exodus on track, they have essentially abandoned Proxima Centauri,” he added.
“Say what you will about them, they have been well organised to the level of insanity. If they are leaving here, it is for a good reason. My gut tells me the Anomaly is the key. Those Confederate warships that are waiting at Terra Nova could be just that. What if they have finally assembled a force, and intend to enter the Anomaly to investigate? Unless the Union are able to match them, they could lose the vital Spacebridge and be unable to stem a vast surge of reinforcements into this sector. Either way, our mission at the Anomaly has just been made even more important. Nothing must stand between us and control of that Spacebridge.”
The Admiral closed the video screen and turned to the command officers around her.
“I want a further series of drills. When we arrive, I intend on engaging their fleet immediately. I don’t care what their numbers are, but CCS Crusader will lead the charge, and we will not stop until they are driven away. This battle will not just decide the fate of the Anomaly. I intend on using it to remove their ability to engage us in space ever again. It will be the most important space engagement in the last fifty years.”
She swept her hand across the map of the sector.
“This is it, people. Now, to your posts.”
The command staff saluted and returned to their specific duties and problems to solve. Admiral Jarvis turned to the secondary display and checked the image of the Confederate ships. Though she had not mentioned it, there was one thing that concerned her. It did not affect her plan, but it was a concern, especially because of the finite number of ships and resources she had left. As she looked at the images, she spoke quietly to her left.
“If those are our friends, why are the ships all on my mothball list?”
She shook her head, unsure exactly what it all meant. By all accounts, the ships were due for scrapping, not battle. Either the Confederate forces in Alpha Centauri had been running low on ships, or somebody else had gained access to the obsolete hardware. Even more worrying, was that either option implied something had happened to the primary fleet.
“What has happened to the battlefleet of Alpha Centauri?” she said to herself before sitting down and checking the data once more.
* * *
Sergeant James Lovett, and two of his most trusted privates, waited near the third aft cargo bay. It was one of the least used parts of the ship when away from port and was surprisingly bare. He could only assume that the ship owners had stripped away anything valuable prior to handing over the ship. It made sense; there was no point in risking civilian stores and spares when they were already taking a chance on losing the entire vessel. He tried to imagine how much the luxury liner was worth, but he gave up after adding up the number of rooms and furnishings he had already seen.
“How much longer?” asked one of the men. He wore civilian crewman’s clothes but underneath his urban camouflage pattern uniform.
James double-checked his watch.
“They were due here five minutes after engine shutdown. That was ten minutes ago.”
“I thought there was supposed to be a diversion?” asked the second marine, a tall, attractive woman with an odd scar running down from the corner of her lip. Her dark hair was cut short and pulled back behind her head.
“Be patient,” said James, but neither of the two marines seemed placated by his words. Being far from friendly forces, their nerves were already frayed. The three were instantly drawn to a flashing red light on the Sergeant’s datapad.
“Crap, the proximity alarm. Take cover,” said James.
The three marines pulled themselves back and into the darkness of the storage area. It was spacious, and luckily for them the sections with a low ceiling along the bulkheads were poorly lit.
A man walked into the room with a gait that struck.
“Sergeant, are you here?” asked a familiar voice. The three marines stayed still, waiting for any sign of trouble.
“It’s me, Sergeant Keller. Spartan told me you would probably be near one of the outer loading hatches. I’m here to help.”
Sergeant Lovett moved out from the darkness with his service pistol pointed at the other man’s chest.
“James, I thought I might find you down here.”
“What do you want, Marcus?”
“Something is going on, and I think Spartan might be onto something.”
“Bullshit. You’ve done nothing but stab him in the back since Euryale, so why should I trust you?”
He moved around Marcus with his weapon still in view. He looked behind Marcus and checked nobody had followed him. There were two ways into this area, and the second proximity alert hadn’t been triggered. He relaxed a little, but not enough to lower his sidearm.
“Go on.”
“Captain Hobbs is up to something, and I think it is more than her personal problem with Spartan.”
“So I’m supposed to just believe you’re on his side now?”
“No, I’m not on his side, or Hobbs’ side or anybody else’s. I’m a marine with the Confederate Marine Corps, just like you. I’m interested in one thing.”
“Really, and what might that be?”
“The truth. I need to know what the hell is going on here between Hobbs, the crew, Spartan and this fleet. We’re going into battle soon, and we need everyone ready.”
Sergeant Lovett looked far from convinced, but he did know Marcus well, and there was sincerity in his voice. The two had fought alongside Spartan in many actions, and although Marcus had turned from the Jötnar, he had never seen him do or say anything that would betray the Confederacy or the Corps. He knew he was taking a chance, but with the clock ticking he needed to make a decision, and one that would resolve the situation on Oceania, and fast.
“Okay, Marcus, you have my attention. What do you have in mind?”
Marcus nodded, happy that he was being listened to, even if still with suspicion.
“Captain Hobbs hates S
partan, that much we all know. She thinks I feel the same.”
“Don’t you?”
“No, I’ve never hated him. He’s a great marine. I just could not follow in this new direction, but that isn’t the point. Hobbs is convinced I am firmly on her side. I bet I could get her to incriminate herself in some way.”
“How?”
“We’ve had two meetings so far to discuss the trial. It’s all a setup. Spartan and Gun will be convicted, and then out of the airlock they will go. If we could record this meeting, we could get the information out to the rest of the fleet.”
“Okay, that’s a start, but there’s a problem.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner.
“The ship-to-ship communications system has been shut down, and in the last hour Oceania has put out a blocking signal. There’s nothing going in or out anymore.”
“Interesting, she must have allies on the bridge. That’s a problem. The information is useless unless we can get it out to the fleet.”
“What about the internal comms system? We could warn the crew and marines on board.”
“Maybe, but the internal comms are routed through the bridge. I know, because I tried to send a distress signal out when this all started, and it transferred directly to the bridge for authorisation.”
“So we need to get the information on Hobbs, find out what she is up to and then assuming we get it, seize the bridge and transmit the data to the fleet and the crew?”
Marcus smiled.
“Yeah, something like that. We’re going to need help. We can’t do it alone.”
Sergeant Lovett rested his chin in his hand for a few seconds.
“Don’t worry about that, meet me back here in an hour, and we’ll make arrangements. I’ll work out how to get the extra muscle.”
“Agreed, but remember, don’t use any internal comms gear on the ship. It will be detected, and you’ll be tracked down in minutes. Hobbs already has two squads out looking for you.”
Marcus turned and walked away. As he moved, the ship’s internal alarm fired up. It was a dull, two-tone affair designed to inform without annoying. Marcus checked his datapad.
Star Crusades Uprising: The Second Trilogy Page 50
