by Doug Farren
His next call went to his executive officer. A few minutes later the XO arrived. “We have been ordered to Mintaka.”
Following proper military protocol the executive officer had remained standing. “I have read the transmission,” he replied. “The Alliance is evacuating and pulling back from this area of space. I would imagine that it is in anticipation of a possible breach of the barrier by the Chroniech.”
Chomach stuffed a large piece of raw vegetable into his mouth and crunched on it until he could talk again. “It is not like the Alliance to run away like a bunch of cowards. There must be some reason for these new orders.”
The executive officer knew exactly why the Fleet Commander was playing this question and answer game. Chomach had spent ten years as an instructor at one of the best Tholtaran military schools. He still enjoyed challenging his officers by playing as if he knew less than they did.
The XO thought for a moment then replied, “Perhaps the Kyrra who came through from the other side have provided information regarding a possible Chroniech invasion. Given the capabilities of the ships we witnessed earlier it would appear that a strategic withdrawal might be warranted.”
Chomach set his utensils down and looked his executive officer in the eyes. “I am surprised you would agree to this. We should be gathering our forces here, near the fold, so as to attack them in force when they appear.”
“Under normal circumstances I would agree. But, perhaps, there is a logical reason for the withdrawal.”
“And that would be?”
“If we gathered all available ships in this area they could suddenly become widely scattered if the Chroniech find a way to shutdown the field. The enemy ships would be grouped into fleets and our ships would be easy targets since they would be scattered. Some might even end up on the other side of Chroniech space, 1,200 light years from the Alliance.”
Chomach thought about that for a few moments then nodded his head in acceptance. “I also agree with their decision. Remaining here would be a bad idea. But, if the barrier is to go down, then the Chroniech will invade the Alliance through this area of space. I have deployed thirty probes to help keep watch in case this happens. Select eight ships and detach them from the fleet. Assign them to patrol the area several light years from the edge of the barrier.”
“An early warning patrol?”
“Exactly – dismissed.”
Shortly after entering Alliance space, the Kyrra had established contact with the military command on Almaranus. Hampered by the thirty minute communications delay between them, it had taken several hours for the Kyrra to convince the Alliance of the danger they faced. Several more hours were required before a defense plan had been worked out and the orders had been issued.
Three Kyrra ships had come through the barrier into Alliance space. The original plan had been to land them at Almaranus. But, after the Kyrra had explained what the ships contained, the Alliance had suggested a different, closer location – the remote mining outpost of Mintaka.
Contained within the three ships were the essential components necessary to construct an automated factory capable of producing three types of shield generators at the rate of one every four hours. The complete specifications for the supporting elements of the factory and the types of raw materials with which it needed to be supplied had been transmitted to the Alliance.
The ideal location for such a factory would have been Almaranus. It was heavily defended and all the materials necessary to get the factory running were readily available. Unfortunately, it was 183 light years away. Mintaka was 68 light years closer shaving nearly two days off the Kyrra’s travel time. It was a world rich in minerals and was already being heavily mined. The recent discovery of a vast deposit of iridium had made it a strategic resource worth protecting and the military had established a small presence on the planet. A quick review of the resources available on Mintaka also showed that it contained all the necessary equipment to get the Kyrra factory up and running.
The military had ordered the local authorities on Mintaka to take whatever measures were required to create the supporting infrastructure for the soon to be operational factory. Within hours of that order, a factory that had once been producing preformed structural supports for luxury starships had been shutdown and was being rebuilt at a furious pace. Even so, it would be several weeks before the Kyrra factory was operational.
The relatively tiny military presence in the system would soon be expanded by an order of magnitude as the Alliance provided the resources to protect the now vital Mintakan system. Chomach’s fleet would temporarily guard the system until the permanent defense force could be assembled. More weapons and equipment would be sent as soon as it could be gathered.
After reviewing the data provided by the Kyrra, the Alliance knew it was in a race for its survival. All Alliance warships were being pulled back from the old Chroniech border. Civilians were strongly requested to evacuate to areas deeper within Alliance space. Factories capable of building military weapons and equipment were ordered to maximize output. Militarily strategic areas were being fortified as fast as such fortifications could be built.
In addition to the equipment contained in their ships, the Kyrra had provided the Alliance with plans to allow them to upgrade their current shield generators. Most of the shields in use by the Alliance would be able to have their protective abilities increased by roughly fifteen percent after a short visit to an overhaul facility. Plans for advanced weapons the Alliance was capable of building were also provided but it would be several weeks before the factories could start turning them out.
In the end, it would all come down to numbers. The Chroniech had been busy building a massive fleet of powerful warships. Ship for ship, ton for ton, the Chroniech warships were superior in every detail to any ship the Alliance currently possessed. Unless something changed, the only hope the Alliance had to win the coming war would be to attack each and every Chroniech ship with superior numbers. But, according to the Kyrra, that would be very hard to do since the Chroniech had tens of thousands of ships at their disposal and their shipyards were turning out more at a prodigious rate.
Given enough time, the Kyrra hoped to change the odds in favor of the Alliance. The shield generators soon to be produced by the factory ships would help protect an Alliance warship against the new Chroniech weapons. The advanced weapon systems would also give them an edge provided they could be deployed in time.
The Kyrra factory ships would also produce one more gift for the Alliance – a completely new interstellar communications package. This innovation was something the Kyrra had learned from the Chroniech. The impressively large and exceedingly complex device would enable an Alliance ship to communicate with a similar device instantaneously across any distance. The signal could not be traced nor could it be tapped. Due to the complexity of the transceiver, the Kyrra factory ships could turn out only one matched pair every 53 hours.
The main problem with the new communications system was that it required the construction of a massive, complex communications hub. The transceivers were based upon a strange blending of transdimensional and quantum physics. The devices were produced in matched pairs with one being installed on a ship and the other in the communications hub.
Because the devices could only communicate with their matched counterpart all communications using the new system had to go through the hub. This created a single point of vulnerability for the entire Alliance communications network. The hub, therefore, had to be built in the most secretive location possible and protected against virtually any assault. The Chroniech also had such a hub and not even the Kyrra knew where it was located.
All of these advances were welcome but they also presented a major scheduling headache for the military. Mintaka had suddenly gone from a mining colony to the single most important planet in the war effort. Somehow, all the new devices being assembled by the Kyrra factory ships would have to be moved from Mintaka to the rest of the fleet. Every shi
p in service would also have to be scheduled for a short maintenance stop-over at the nearest shipyard. All this had to be done without weakening the fleet’s ability to respond to a Chroniech invasion.
* * * * *
On the distant world of Havatanu, the Base Commander watched as the military machine revved up its engine. His was a unique command. Havatanu was a large, lifeless moon orbiting a gas giant in a binary star system. The base was located under 900 meters of rock and it housed a unique military think-tank.
Scientists and military specialists from all across the Alliance worked together in an unstructured, uncontrolled environment designed to stimulate the production of new ideas. For the past six years Falnath, the renowned Rouldian scientist had been working on a highly controversial, top secret project. Rumor had it that she had gotten her idea while browsing through the Kyrra knowledge bank during her stay on the worldship.
Commander Jim Cross had been carefully chosen for his role as Base Commander. Not only did he have the people skills necessary to deal with the often eccentric scientists, but he himself had a keen military mind. As he read through the communications flying across the military channels it occurred to him that Falnath’s project, if it could be made to work, could help in the defense of the Alliance.
Falnath responded to his call by appearing in his office. In order to promote the free exchange of information, Jim had had the door to his office removed. He had a true open door policy. Falnath simply walked in and settled into a cushioned ‘chair’ built specifically for one of her race.
“You wished to see me Mr. Cross?” she asked after making herself comfortable.
The Base Commander had been refreshing his memory by reading a summary of Falnath’s project. Turning from the screen he replied, “I didn’t mean to take you away from your work – you could have called.”
“I am awaiting some test results,” the scientist replied flicking her massive tail in a display of Rouldian excitement. “This gave me the opportunity to go for a walk.”
To emphasize his next point the Commander reached out and tapped his monitor. “This is impressive – do you think you can ever get it work?”
“We are conducting a test flight now. The results should be available in a few hours.”
“Another one? According to the project file your test flights have resulted in the destruction of five ships. This does not exactly inspire a great deal of confidence in your project.”
“The math is sound,” Falnath replied defensively. “We are having problems with translating the equations into a workable prototype. What we are trying to achieve is unbelievably complex and failures are to be anticipated.”
“Agreed, but your failures are quite spectacular. Your last test, if I recall, not only destroyed the prototype but it also damaged the observation vessel as well.”
“They were too close,” Falnath replied defensively. “You did not call me here to discuss my past failures though.”
Commander Cross nodded his head in agreement. “The Alliance is preparing for war with the Chroniech. I was hoping that… ”
Falnath’s tail snapped down and struck the carpet hard enough to shake the room. “The Chroniech! So I was right – they have figured out how to breach the barrier.”
“It’s worse than that,” Cross replied. “The Kyrra have informed us that they will have to drop the barrier altogether in the near future. If they don’t, the worldship could be destroyed. When that happens the Chroniech will invade. From the information we have from the Kyrra we will be out-numbered and out-gunned by a considerable margin. Your project could help even the odds.”
“I am confident that we will have a solution soon.”
“Please keep me informed. If you need any additional assistance let me know and I will see that you get it. I would like to be updated any time you have some new information.”
“I believe we have all the resources necessary at this time,” Falnath replied. Getting up from the chair she added as she headed out the door, “I will let you know the results of this test as soon as they are available.”
Commander Cross sat in silence for several minutes after Falnath had departed. His facility was charged with coming up with new technologies to assist the Alliance in defending itself against any form of attack. Although many advances in weapons, shielding, and stardrive technology have resulted from the efforts of the scientists working on Havatanu the Chroniech had apparently countered those with advances of their own.
He had seen thousands of wild ideas as well as thousands of practical ones appear in the massive project database the research station maintained. Perhaps a review of everything ever proposed but not yet implemented would yield something useful. It would be a daunting task but it was a challenge worth taking – one seemingly especially suited for him.
Jim Cross was a workaholic dedicated to his job. He was thin as a rail, nearly bald, and had skin so white his coworkers and friends referred to him as an albino. His mind had an attention to detail that few could match. He did not excel in any particular science but, instead, knew a considerable amount about almost everything.
The Commander started a fresh pot of coffee – which he tended to drink by the gallon – then made himself comfortable, and got to work.
A Question of Honor
Captain Zatch Batack watched as his ship settled into position within the gathering attack fleet. The helm checked his board then locked the controls into automatic station-keeping. “We are in position,” the helm informed him.
“Acknowledged,” the Captain replied. Fresh out of the shipyard the newly built heavy battleship had performed admirably during its initial space trials. Massing over 615 kilotons and armed with the most advanced weapons possible she was built to perform one function, and to perform it well.
Word had finally come from fleet command that the impending attack on the Alliance was soon to commence. Ships that had been stationed throughout the empire were forming into attack fleets near what used to be the Alliance border. Ever since the hated Kyrra had erected the hyperdimensional barrier the Chroniech had been building ships at a furious pace. Most of them, including the one Captain Zatch now commanded had been built for a single purpose – to obliterate anything that stood in its way.
The Captain’s thoughts, however, were not entirely centered on the operation of his ship, nor upon the preparations that were being made to attack the Alliance. “I will be in my stateroom,” he informed the helm who automatically assumed command of the bridge.
The Captain stood up and, as he turned to leave, heard a tone sound from the command console. Turning back around he acknowledged the incoming message. The status summary on the main display was replaced by the face of Commander Aruthra Chazataktak, the ship’s operations officer. “May I see you in your stateroom Captain?” he asked without preamble.
“I am headed there now.”
“Very well – I will be waiting.” The screen shifted back to the status display.
On the way to his stateroom the Captain started to get worried. Recently, in anticipation of war with the Alliance, he had moved his wives and children from their home on one of the outer worlds to one located in a more protected area of the empire. Two days ago the passenger ship they were on had failed to pass by one of the tracking stations. While accidents were rare, they did occasionally occur – usually with disastrous results. The Commander could very well be delivering bad news.
The operations officer was patiently waiting by the Captain’s stateroom door. As soon as the door had closed behind them he said, “I have received news of your family. They are all safe and are on their way to Tepchok.”
The Captain felt as if a weight had been lifted off his heart. His relief, however, was short lived as the destination finally registered. “Thank you for the good news. Why Tepchok? That is a military base on an airless moon, not a civilian world.”
The Commander paused before replying. Choosing his words carefully, he said, “The
circumstances surrounding their rescue have generated some concern. They are being taken to Tepchok to be debriefed and quarantined.”
The Captain sat down and motioned for the Chazataktak to do the same. “I am assuming you have the details of this rescue?”
The Captain was well aware of the fact that his operations officer was the brother of Aruthra Manetgu, the Supreme Fleet Commander. Normally, such relations had little effect on how someone was treated within the military. In this case, however, Captain Zatch was grateful because it meant he had access to more information than would normally be available.
Aruthra produced a memory chip and twirled it lightly between the fingers of his left hand. “This came directly from the Supreme Fleet Commander's office. I am the only person aboard who knows its contents.”
Aruthra set the crystal down on the desk in front of the Captain then continued, “According to the ship’s automatic log recorder the stardrive experienced a failure causing the ship to suddenly drop to normal space. They did so directly in the path of a small asteroid. It wasn’t large enough to force the ship to make a course correction but it was big enough to damage the ship in normal space. Two seconds after dropping out of stardrive the asteroid impacted, destroying one of the ship's fusion reactors.”
Captain Zatch was stunned. Asteroids were occasionally encountered in deep space but it was a relatively rare occurrence. Stardrives were extremely reliable and failures were very rare. The odds of a stardrive failure happening at the same time as an encounter with an asteroid and having the asteroid and the ship have intrinsic velocities that put them on a collision course made the odds of this kind of accident astronomical.
Commander Aruthra allowed the Captain to grasp the magnitude of the accident then continued his explanation. “The damage to the area of the ship near the point of impact was extensive and it appears as if a power accumulator malfunctioned. The voltage on the power grid spiked causing many systems to burn out. The accumulator apparently exploded causing extensive damage to the aft cargo area and setting off a secondary explosion. Something in the cargo hold exploded which damaged engineering. A second power accumulator in engineering then exploded, blowing the ship into several pieces. All power was lost and the emergency beacon was destroyed.”
