Castle Vroman

by Thomas DePrima

  "She faced down two hundred Milori ships in the last engagement, with just a dozen SC ships."

  "But she fooled the Milori into believing she had hundreds of warships at her command."

  "Yeah," Vyx said chuckling, "kind of makes you wonder what she'll pull this time."

  "But didn't you just say tricks won't work this time?" Kathryn asked.

  "Not exactly. What I said was such tricks as she used last time won't work. I meant that the Milori won't again believe she has a larger force than their intelligence has told them. It's how she uses her forces this time that will make the difference. I've never played chess with the Admiral, but I suspect she'd wipe the board with me."

  "I don't understand," Kathryn said. "We know we're greatly outnumbered by equally powerful military forces, we know that the Milori won't throw their ships away by attacking the base as the Raiders did, we believe the Milori won't fall for any tricks about phantom forces, and yet you have this unshakable confidence in Admiral Carver to defeat the Milori through chicanery?"

  "I prefer to call it battle tactics. Throughout the history of combat, the most successful strategists have been those who were most brilliant at the art of deception. We know our ships are assembling in staging areas well away from the station. The Milori will probably think the ships are still all out on patrol. The admiral might be counting on being able to draw off part of the invasion force to corral them in an electronic cage where they can be destroyed."

  "The old 'divide and conquer' ploy?" Nelligen said.

  "Why not? All she'd have to do is allow a couple of warships to approach Stewart, fire a spread of torpedoes, and then appear to run away. With four fleets of warships at his disposal, the Milori commander would probably decide to send a couple of dozen ships in pursuit. He knows he's eventually going to have to fight every warship we have."

  "Why not just have all our ships attack the Milori fleet once they surround the station like she did when the Raiders tried to recapture Stewart?" Byers asked.

  "She could, and that's a standard tactic taught at the academies. While the enemy has their attention focused elsewhere, hit them on their flank with everything you've got, and when the smoke clears there will be a lot less enemy to hit back. But when the smoke clears, the enemy is going to come at you with a vengeance, and if the enemy had overwhelming superiority to begin with, it's a pretty good bet there'll still be a superior force to be dealt with."

  "But at least you've whittled their numbers down a lot," Nelligen said. "It will give our forces a much better chance."

  "True," Vyx said, "and that may be her plan, but I'd wager her strategy is a lot more sophisticated than that. She told me she expects the Milori to travel in small groups this time so we can't cage them in an encircling minefield. Perhaps she intends to intercept some of those groups before they even get to the station and destroy them before they can link up with the main body."

  "Now that makes real sense," Byers said. "We can catch them in situations where we'd have the superiority."

  "But in order to do that," Vyx said, with a hint of a smile, "the base will need as many spotters out here as possible to report the routes of the various groups in time to establish ambushes."

  Byers' jaw dropped momentarily. "I take back what I said before about this job." A bit red-faced, he added, "The food is ready. Let's eat."

  * * *

  Chapter Fifteen

  ~ March 28th, 2280 ~

  Using the SimWindow in her office, Jenetta watched the newly arriving ships enter the cavernous port and moor at their assigned docking piers before she rushed down to the docking level. She hurried aboard one of the ships, barely taking time to complete the formality of asking for permission to board. She had to maneuver her way through corridors filled with boxes and equipment as she made her way to the bridge.

  "Admiral on the bridge," a young ensign shouted out as she entered. Everyone immediately came to attention.

  "As you were," she said. Walking to the lieutenant commander standing next to the command chair, she said, "Commander Gallagher?"

  "Yes ma'am, Admiral," The sandy haired officer said. "Welcome aboard the Colorado."

  "Thank you. Welcome to Stewart Space Command Base. It's wonderful to see this little ship again. How was your trip?"

  "Fast, ma'am, incredibly fast. The entire trip took just twenty-one days instead of the eighteen to twenty-two months that it would take most other Space Command ships to make the same trip. I'm glad the trip was so short. It's been pretty crowded aboard ship with all the extra ordnance and personnel. We've got supplies and non-crew personnel tucked into every spare cubic centimeter of space on this ship."

  "Any problem with the shipboard functions? Communications, power, navigation?"

  "None whatsoever, Admiral. This ship must be the most studied and tested ship ever produced at the Mars facility, at least since its initial trials when you discovered its incredible capability."

  "And the Yangtze was able to keep up with you?"

  "We traveled abeam one another for the entire trip. The ships were in constant telemetric communication."

  "Very good, Commander. These two little ships are more welcome than the newest battleships would be."

  "Really, ma'am?"

  "You'll understand soon enough. Have you received your new orders?"

  "Yes ma'am. We had originally been directed to dock with the Prometheus and the Chiron using the special docking collar each has for this class of scout-destroyer ships."

  "For the immediate future these ships will be operating as independent vessels. They'll join their battleship hosts at a later date."

  "Aye, Admiral."

  "The base housing officer will be aboard shortly with billeting orders for non-crew personnel, and the warehouse officer will begin cargo operations to clear your decks of supplies intended for the base. You and your crew will remain aboard for the present. The base personnel office will begin issuing new assignments very soon."

  "Oh, I assumed we were being assigned to the Prometheus."

  "As you'll come to learn, we're very short-handed out here. We find ourselves in the unique position of having many more warships than we have crews to man them. Until Space Command can fill the majority of our empty slots, we're staffing ships through temporary reassignments. I don't know which ship you'll be assigned to, but once everything settles down in a few months you'll be permitted to request transfer to your original posting, or you may wish to remain where you are."

  "Aye, Admiral. I'm ready to go wherever I'm needed."

  Jenetta nodded once. "Welcome to Stewart, Commander. Carry on."

  * * *

  "Captain Gavin is here, Admiral," Jenetta read on her com unit when it buzzed. "He'd like a few minutes of your time if you're free."

  "Send him in, Lori," Jenetta said.

  Jenetta stood and came out from behind her desk as the Captain of the Prometheus entered the office. "Larry, welcome back."

  "Thank you, Jen. It's good to be back." Changing his tone to one of concern he said, "What's going on here? Why were we directed to station the ship a few billion kilometers from the base? And my engines hadn't even cooled down before shuttles started arriving to take more than a third of my crew off the ship for reassignment elsewhere."

  "It's necessary. I've recalled all ships not scheduled to return before the middle of April. The Prometheus was assigned to just one of six staging areas."

  "Staging for what?"

  "Grab a cup of coffee and have a seat. I'll tell you what I can."

  After preparing a mug of coffee at the beverage synthesizer and taking a seat in one of the overstuffed chairs facing Jenetta's desk, he asked again, "Staging for what?"

  Jenetta had returned to her seat behind the desk and taken a sip of coffee from her mug. "Repelling an invasion. The Milori are returning, in force. My information is that they're coming at us with over four hundred ships this time, less the twenty-six we found hiding and engaged."
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  Gavin just looked at her for a few seconds, then scratched his cheek lightly. "Four hundred? It's going to be quite a party. Any idea when?"

  "Our best guess is on or about May 12th. We've received two reports of passing Milori ships from spotters on the fringe of our network. They're traveling in small groups this time, rather than one large fleet. I'm sure the intent is to avoid being corralled, but interestingly it makes them easier to spot because they're so spread out."

  "How many ships will we have to put up against them?"

  "One hundred sixty-three, if everyone gets back in time. More than a third of those are ships we captured in battle. That's why we needed so many of your people. We began stripping crews from other ships months ago so the people assigned to the newly commissioned ships would have plenty of time to train and become proficient in their operation. With each returning ship, we're reestablishing decimated crews where we had to make drastic reassignments. When we're done, most ships will be operating at about sixty percent of normal crew strength, but that should be enough for the battle."

  "Just barely. What's our plan?"

  "Our intelligence is that the Milori will come directly to Stewart and encircle the asteroid. We'll seal it up when we know they're close and try to ride it out. If they're sloppy and get too close, we'll show them we're not defenseless. I've beefed up the number of gun emplacements on the surface again and greatly reinforced the doors against possible ramming. I'll remain on the station to talk with the fleet commander and try to 'mess with his head.' If I can't convince him to abandon his plan and return peacefully to Milor, then we'll have to engage. When I give you the word, the ships in your battle group will move in fast and strike. With any luck, the Milori will be so pre-occupied with my 'head game' strategy that you'll have a slight initial advantage. We'll transmit the CIC live action video to all our ships via an encrypted signal so you'll know what's going on at all times."

  "Then we just slug it out?"

  "Until the very last Milori ship is destroyed, or we are."

  "Any chance of more reinforcements arriving?"

  "Nope, we're on our own. If we can't destroy the Milori, then we must inflict as much damage as we can. If we don't stop them here, this part of Galactic Alliance space could be lost to us. We'll be pushed back to the pre-expansion border."

  "I'm not too crazy about the odds. We learned, during the last fight, that the Milori ships are almost as powerful as ours. Our task force of fifteen ships was barely able to defeat the two dozen damaged Milori ships that escaped the cage."

  "I'm not crazy about the odds either, but we have to play the cards we're dealt."

  The two officers stared at one another without speaking until Gavin said, "When my shuttle was approaching, I saw a couple of ships that resembled the Colorado at the docking piers"

  "Yes, the Colorado arrived yesterday, along with the Yangtze, the scout-destroyer for the Chiron."

  "I assume they'll play a part in this engagement?"

  "Of course. I'll be using all of our available assets. By the end of April there won't be a single warship left in port, except for the five normally remaining for the protection of the base. Rather than coming here to re-provision the Prometheus, send your list to the Supply Officer. We'll send your supplies out to you by transport. Most station personnel and all private citizens are totally unaware of the ship concentrations in the staging areas, and I haven't allowed shore leave to make sure that it remains a secret. I don't want Milori spies to know we're aware of the pending invasion any sooner then necessary. The warships that are currently in port will leave on different days so they don't appear to constitute a task force, and the last five warships will leave when we know the Milori are only about a day away."

  "You think it's still a secret?"

  "I'm sure of it."

  "How can you be so definite?"

  "Simple," she said, smiling. "Not a single newsie has been to my office to ask about it."

  Gavin grinned. "Newsies! I'm thankfully not burdened with them. Has Space Command made contingency plans to handle the Milori if they get past us?"

  "They haven't told me of their plans, but I asked them to notify the commanders of the other sectors discretely so that word of our preparations don't get back to the Milori. I'm sure the Milori plan on attacking one of the bases on our flanks next and they realize that they'll have lost the element of surprise, but Stewart has to be the larger threat to them considering their past defeats, and they'll want to take us on while their fleet is at full strength. Revenge against me is also a consideration."

  "I agree, after the way you made them look like complete fools last time. Any word on Admiral Vroman and the crew of the Lisbon?"

  "None. For all we know, the Milori have sent them back to Milor."

  "I really hate to say this, and I know how it sounds, but I'm not completely displeased that Admiral Vroman never made it here. I feel much better about our chances with you preparing the reception for the Milori."

  "Thanks, Larry, but I'm sure Admiral Vroman is a good base commander or the Admiralty Board would never have assigned him to a forward base."

  "I've met him several times and I know that he's a great organizer, but I'm not so sure about his abilities to handle a situation like the one we face now. He would probably never consider engaging in 'head games' or subterfuge to confuse an enemy in battle. He's more of a 'damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead' type officer, and that's not good when you're facing an enemy that has vastly superior numbers."

  "I thought by now I'd have my own ship. If Admiral Vroman hadn't been abducted, I'd probably be almost to Higgins Space Station."

  "I don't think so."

  "Why not?"

  "As soon as the Milori threat was known, the Admiralty Board would have had your ship turn around and return to Stewart. They couldn't afford to have their most battle-experienced flag officer sitting behind the lines with a major invasion coming."

  "But Admiral Vroman would already have been installed as the base commander."

  "I'd be willing to bet that the Admiralty Board would have found a way to put you in command, even if it meant giving you a third star."

  "Oh my god, don't even suggest such a thing," Jenetta said laughing. "I've got two too many now."

  Gavin smiled and said, "It might have been the only way to put command back into your hands without insulting Admiral Vroman. If they had simply taken responsibility away from him, it would have been like a slap to the face of an excellent officer. It would still have been something of an affront to see you promoted to Vice-Admiral just so you could assume command, but not nearly as bad as being replaced by someone of equal rank and much less seniority."

  "You've always been a hundred percent accurate when predicting such events before, so I won't disagree with you. I guess I should be thankful I never turned over Stewart to Admiral Vroman. I was looking forward to it though. It's hard to believe it's been more than a year since the Lisbon incident."

  "You don't look a day older."

  Jenetta smiled again. "No, I don't. You'd think I'd have a few gray hairs after serving as base commander for more than six years, but my modified DNA prevents that from happening. Oh, by the way, I know where Mikel Arneu is holed up! And I do mean holed."

  "I'm surprised you don't have him in custody already if you know where he's been hiding."

  "I would, except I can't spare the resources right now to pick him up. But as soon as this thing is over, if we survive, I'm going to get that bastard, put him in a detention cell, and toss away the key."

  "How did you find him?"

  "During my years as base commander, I've had ships check out every asteroid within twenty light-years of Stewart. I knew Arneu was close because a message he sent to me congratulating me on my promotion to captain was too timely to have come from very far away. But for all of our searching, we couldn't locate any hollow asteroids nearby. Then one day it occurred to me he might be hiding in the open this
time. Scruscotto is close enough for the message to have reached me when it did, and the planetary traffic is heavy enough to conceal Raider traffic. Not having a real planetary government, it would be possible for the Raiders to conduct business without any regulatory agencies to worry about. So I sent a team of intelligence people to investigate and they managed to locate the Raider Ten base. It's underground to hide its size, and has a working mine fronting for its real activities of theft and smuggling."

  "Congratulations."

  "We haven't got him yet, but we will. When I think of confronting him, I almost have trouble staying focused on the threat from the Milori, but the more imminent problem always pulls me back."

  "As it should. How's the rest of the family?"

  "Very good, thanks. Billy, Christa, and Eliza are here, of course, and we see each other often. I hear from Mom, Dad, Richie, Jimmy, Andy, and my two sisters-in-law almost every week. Mom keeps asking when I'm coming home for a visit." Jenetta paused to sigh. "I tell her soon, but I'm beginning to think that's a lie. Even after this fight, I'll still have to wait one or two years for another flag officer to be assigned to Stewart and travel here. But enough about my problems. How are you doing? How's the Prometheus?"

  "Still the best ship in the fleet. At least until they christen the three new battleships in a couple of months. I understand they're pushing hard to complete them. Too bad they won't be ready in time to greet the Milori."

  "Yes, they should be something. But I bet they can't compare to the Prometheus. You know I've been in love with him since I first since saw him?"

  "They say the new ships, the Themis, the Boreas, and the Hyperion are incorporating engine changes that will let them run circles around us."

  "There's more to a ship than just speed."

  "All three new ships are Prometheus class, so other than the speed enhancements there's little difference. I was informed that the Prometheus, the Chiron, and the other three Prometheus-class battleships will be recalled to the Mars facility sometime in the next two years to receive the same engine upgrades. They just want to wait until all the bugs are worked out. I also hear they've started laying the skeletons for the next generation of battleships. I was offered one if I wanted it. I said yes."