Temple of S.A.R.A.H. 7: Upgrades

by Ben Winston

  I nodded. "Complete with unit patches and insignia. Speaking of which, I see you got a promotion; my condolences."

  Tul-sa nodded. "I appreciate that, Doctor. It would seem everyone else thinks this was something good."

  "Come on, Lieutenant! Someone had to get stuck wearing the bars!" one of the troops replied.

  "You can stow that shit, private! Or would you like me to assign you to the Veranorian kitchens for duty?" Tul-sa threatened. The two Veranorians on the shuttle smiled at the threat.

  "Either way, it's good to see you again," I said. "Officer or non-com, you're still you."

  "Just remember that when we get back to Apollo and stuff you into your armor," she replied.

  Alliance Apollo Base

  Selene, Earth's Moon

  Sol System

  With Vance's permission, Sarah tapped into the feed from GMASS and let us watch the Arac invasion. The only word I can think of to describe what I saw was brutal.

  The defense turrets left at GMASS had been upgraded from their former installations and they were even more effective. It was also clear that the Aracs had no idea what cybernetic warfare was or how to use it, as they simply kept throwing ships and missiles at the turrets until they were finally destroyed. The destruction had been hideous. It was difficult to tell because the Aracs had brought so many ships to Galtar, but Sarah told us that they had lost over a hundred trying to destroy the missile turrets and gun emplacements.

  However, the surprises for the Aracs had only just begun as the Shallans had left weapon installations on the GMASS facility as well. Those had special programming not to fire until a ship got within a certain distance, thus guaranteeing a hit. Most of those weapons were small mass driver type weapons that would lock on and pound on a target until it was destroyed. It was during this phase of the assault that it was shown that the shields on these new ships were rather weak, and almost pathetic. The armor under them however was far stronger than what the Alliance used.

  It was armor designed to repel physical or mass weapons, which meant it shattered under the constant barrage of projectiles from the mass drivers, but there were so many layers of armor it was a wonder the ship had enough power to even move. Once the mass drivers were finally destroyed, the remaining Arac ships began an assault of the GMASS facility. They forced docking at certain points and poured thousands of troops into the huge facility.

  The large arachnids ran through the entire facility in force, ready to kill anyone they found, but there was no one there. That was when the entire GMASS facility was detonated in a timed forced overload of all the power reactors in the entire facility. The devastation was terrible to watch, and when the plasma cleared, after pushing shredded ship and body parts into deep space, the Arac force had lost fully two-thirds of its fleet.

  When the remaining forces entered orbit to attack the planet, it was clear they expected yet another attack and they were not disappointed. Ground based missile batteries opened up on the ships in orbit and more Arac ships died before they could be destroyed. However, several of what could only be called troop transports made it to the surface and that's when the real brutality began.

  There were some weapons used, but for the most part, the two Hives fought without them. The Galtar Queens had been freed of all control by AI Susan for just this purpose. Eventually, the Grand Hive ran out of ground forces and the fighting on the surface slowly ground to a halt. However the ships still in orbit began laying waste to the surface of the planet, killing off the Galtar Hive troops by the millions.

  The Galtar Queens pulled their remaining fighters back into the hives to sit out the bombardment as the ships in orbit pounded the surface into dust.

  "They should have done that before they sent down their troops. They might have stood a chance if they had," Tul-sa replied from her spot on our sofa. "Hiver Queens aren't very bright, I guess."

  "Let's just hope they don't learn from their mistakes," Ellie said quietly.

  Munitions exhausted, the orbital ships backed off, out of range of the ground based weapons and just sat there as if waiting. The battle, such as it was, had not been all that long. The longest part had been the ground assault. I couldn't even call it a battle; the Grand Hive continued to press forward with complete disregard for the safety of their ships and the beings manning them. It had been nothing more than a wholesale slaughter.

  "If this is the way the Grand Hive is going to fight, this is going to be a short war. The Queen pretty much slaughtered her own troops," I said.

  "It's the simplest form of warfare. Swarm your objective with an overwhelming number of troops and equipment. Yes, it’s pretty hard on your own troops, but when you can reproduce as fast as the Hives can, it is an effective tactic. You also have to remember the drones that we just saw die did not have personalities of their own. In hiver society, there is no sense of 'self'. The drones exist for the Queens; the Queens are really the only ones with any intelligence or thoughts of their own. The drones are nothing more than that; drones. It would be no different if we fielded robotic devices instead of soldiers," Tul-sa explained. "You have to remember, the Queens can replace those drones lost today in very short order. It’s the reason they took those worlds between Galtrar and Veranor."

  "Those planets were for breeding?" Julie asked. "What are they using for food? We do know that hivers can't reach maturity without proper nutrition."

  "They have farms. If we could get images of the surface of one of their planets, I'm sure you would see that almost the entire surface is nothing but farms. While the hives themselves are underground," Ellie explained. "They have a mining caste as well. In a lot of cases the old mines are used to expand the hives. Other than building star ships and weapons, the hivers are not an industrial society. Everything is about the needs of the Queens."

  "Maybe that's why the Grand Hive pounded the surface of Galtar like they did; the Queens there won't be able to replace their drones without food from the surface," Jamie replied.

  Tul-sa shook her head. "No, the bombardment wasn't complete. While they did use nukes in some places, it won't be enough to destroy the ecosystem of the planet. They can still produce food, and I'm sure we'll see that as soon as the Queens think it safe to come out again. I doubt it'll be fast enough to counter the Grand Hive, but I'm certain she'll at least try. It's really too bad she'll never get the chance to save her world. It would be very interesting to see how well she would do."

  "What do you mean?" Julie asked.

  "The Synod infected the Queens with a lethal disease to prevent them from going rogue like they did on Galtar. The fleet only left them a two month supply of the drug when they left Galtar. They'll die out before the Grand Hive can return," Tul-sa replied. "It's too bad none of the landing craft made it back to the fleet; they might have infected the rest of the Grand Hive."

  I nodded agreement. "Sarah, can you tell us how it's going at Novalus?"

  Main Force Command Center

  Ares Base

  Icarus Plateau

  Mars, Sol System

  The command center Vance referred to was a very special facility built under the base. It was a different and unique application of the programming suite designed by Dr. Eric Cowan. Each tech and operator had their own, small, dedicated holographic 'suite' built around their station. The walls of which could be made transparent, if needed, without the loss of the displayed data. The command chairs in the center were the largest and the most complex as they could function and take data from all the other, smaller, workstations.

  Vance thought the design to be much more useful and efficient than the old style command centers where the command staff was surrounded by rows of consoles and work stations. With this set up, there was no shouting for information as each station was constantly connected to each other via comms. Although, if the comms failed, they could still communicate, but they would have to raise their voices. All in all it was a pretty efficient set-up, and Vance liked it. From what he had
gotten from the operators and techs, they loved it.

  However, today those thoughts were far from his mind as Vance took his place in the facility and activated the comms. "May I have your attention please, as of now, we are assuming command of all Alliance military assets. The Novalus system is under attack by the Grand Hive, and Guardian Station is preparing to evacuate. Lord Admiral Hearlis has passed his flag to us temporarily in order to better deal with the situation at Novalus.

  "The Grand Hive is also attacking GMASS and the Galtar system. That situation we will only monitor and record the data for analysis later. For now, we need to see what we can do to help with the Novalus situation. It's time to go to work folks!" he finished and began opening holographic monitors for fleet status and forces distribution. "Operations, bring all fleet units and our system defenses to alert status. Order Orpheus battalion to Apollo as added defense in case we are attacked. They can escort the departing department heads back to the base."

  "Yes Sir," the operations officer replied.

  Vance quickly sorted out the data he was seeing into sections and had them displayed on a three-dimensional map of Alliance space. He could access any group or fleet simply by reaching out and touching that icon on the map.

  "AI Helen, show me everything we have within six hours of Novalus, please," he asked.

  "Left lower monitor, Lord Admiral. Also, you have an incoming message from Admiral Toffin of the Simonian Home Guard."

  "Open it in a central Monitor please." Vance replied.

  "It is a busy day, Lord Admiral Vance," the large Simonian said by way of greeting.

  Vance nodded agreement and kept reading the list Helen had given him. "That it is, Home Admiral. What can I do for you?" 'Home Admiral' was the title for the senior most Simonian military leader. He was also personally charged with the protection of the Simonian home world, which is why he was not on staff at Guardian Station.

  "Although they will not arrive for eleven hours, I have divided my guards and have sent half to Novalus. To make up this difference, I am moving several ships from our colony fleets to the Home World. You should have that data any moment. I am calling to inquire where you would like my ships to arrive," the Admiral asked. "Currently, they are headed for the standard system entry point."

  Half of the Simonian home fleet was a significant force; technically a fleet unto themselves numbering almost fifty ships. It could very well turn the tide of the battle if Novalus could hold out that long.

  "I just got here myself, Home Admiral. Let me find out that information for you," Vance replied and asked for a secure comm to Lord Admiral Hearlis.

  "It’s about to get messy here, what's up Vance?" Hearlis said.

  "Home Admiral Toffin sent half his Guards to you. He would like to know where you would like them to drop out," Vance relayed. "He is on comms with me right now."

  "Half! What is he gonna do if the Aracs attack Simonia?" Hearlis asked, shocked.

  "Lord Admiral, there has not been so much as an Arac probe craft in our area. I feel safe undertaking this action. I am also pulling a few ships from various colonial fleets to make up some of the difference. It is my sworn duty to protect my people. I believe that includes humans and Shallans. Besides, we do have Simonians living on Novalus do we not?" the big ape grinned. "It is only an added benefit that this action will also protect our Veranorian allies as well."

  Hearlis chuckled. "I can't argue with you, even if I wanted to, Home Admiral. Your assistance is gratefully accepted. I assume they have a standard entry vector plotted?"

  "They do, however, that can be changed if you need them in another place," Toffin replied.

  "Well, the fighting hasn't actually started here yet, so it is difficult to say where they will be needed. For now, I would say that they maintain course and we'll direct them once they arrive," Hearlis replied.

  "If I might make the suggestion, Lord Admiral," Vance said. "Have the Simonian fleet arrive at a position close to the hyper-limit at solar north. The star's radiation will help mask their arrival, and the position will cut their transit time to whereever in the system they will need to go."

  Hearlis looked thoughtful. "That is a very good idea, Vance. The heavier radiation might be a problem for them though; arriving that close to the star will undoubtedly cause at least a solar flare."

  Toffin nodded agreement with Vance. "Even so Lord Admiral Hearlis, Lord Admiral Vance is correct. Any flare caused by their arrival will take time to arrive. In that time, the fleet can be moved. I will send the new destination to the commander immediately. It is dangerous, yes, but they will do you the most good arriving in this manner."

  Hearlis nodded acceptance. "How long will they take to get here?"

  Toffin looked away a moment. "Ten hours, fifteen minutes standard. I sent them the moment we heard of the attack. It has been one of our contingency plans for attacks on the Core Worlds."

  Hearlis smiled. "I am sure they will be of great help in the coming battle. Thank you, Home Admiral."

  Toffin nodded gravely. "I will let you get back to your duties now. Send word if we may be of more assistance. Altuis Denay my Lords."

  Before either man could reply, the big ape broke the connection.

  "That'll certainly help, we just have to hold out for another ten hours," Hearlis said.

  "Actually, I'm doing the same thing Toffin is doing. I'm pulling one or two ships from different places that are close enough to get to you in a reasonable time. I don't know how much it'll be when we're done, but some is better than none." Vance replied. "I heard a rumor that transit times might not be as much of an issue soon."

  "What do you mean?" Hearlis asked quickly.

  Vance smiled tightly. "Some of the folks on Apollo are working on something called a hyperspace gate that will make long transits almost instantly. It's still theoretical, but knowing them, it'll be a reality pretty soon."

  "Your people there have made so many innovations, so quickly, it's almost a wonder how the Alliance ever got along without them," Hearlis replied.

  Vance chuckled. "I think the Synod was suppressing a great deal of research and breakthroughs. The folks at Apollo are just trying to get us caught back up. Many of the ideas they are working on have their origins in the Alliance."

  "I can attest to the validity of those hyperspace missile turrets! The mass readings on the incoming fleet have been steadily dropping since they started firing. It's still a larger number than what we have here, but they have to be taking serious losses." Hearlis said. "AI Susan just gave me a report on the Galtar assault.

  "These new hiver ships seem to be skewed heavily against physical weapons. A good deal of the ships' mass has to be all the layers of armor they are carrying. Their shields are comparatively weak while their weapons are slightly stronger. Targeting is much less effective as well. They have much stronger engines because of the mass of the ships, but they are not any faster than ours. Ship crew members are considerably smaller than a typical Arac. Which means they can get away with much weaker artificial gravity generators.

  "So, how are the hyperspace missiles doing so well against them?" Hearlis asked.

  "It's hyperspace. The missiles, after they enter hyperspace, actually react as if they are energy weapons because of the properties of hyperspace. If those ships were not in hyperspace, those missiles would not be doing the amount of damage they are doing now," Vance explained.

  "Ah, that's right, I remember now. Something about energy state transference or some such. I really don't care how it does it as long as it does." Hearlis replied. "I'm going to mute you now, Vance. The bugs are dropping out in five minutes; I'm about to be pretty busy."

  Vance nodded. "I'll have Helen listen for you, but I'd like to keep this channel open."

  "Agreed. Let me know who you can get sent and how soon they are going to get here," Hearlis replied.

  "Will do, good luck Hearlis."

  "Thanks, we're going to need it," Hearlis said and muted
the channel.

  Alliance Apollo Base

  Selene, Earth's Moon

  Sol System

  Because of the alert, all the labs were closed and any work being done was being done from home offices. I was more worried about what was going on in the outside world, so I was sitting with the rest of my family and our guests/guards, Lieutenant Tul-sa and two of her troopers. The two troopers were there to guard the door as well as escort us if someone needed to go somewhere. Apparently, the same service was being given to all department heads. Since there was no fighting going on, I didn't really mind that much, after all, the Marines had to be somewhere since their old barracks was now a plasma dynamics laboratory.

  I did have an idea so I called Doctor Ced. He was one of the lead weapons systems designers for the Alliance and a good friend of mine. "Ced, are you keeping up with the events at Novalus?"

  "Of course I am; I was born there you know," he replied worriedly.

  I nodded. I hadn’t actually known that, but it was a good reason for him to be watching. "We watched the Arac assault on Galtar and it got me to thinking; what affect would plasma have on that heavy armor?"

  Ced blinked a couple of times, thinking. "It would eat through it. If we knew what it was made out of we could even 'tune' the frequency of the plasma to be more effective. But how would we deliver it?"

  "An old television show I used to watch had a weapon called a plasma torpedo. I have no idea how such a thing could be built, but if it would get plasma onto one of those ships maybe we should think about it," I offered.

  "A Plasma Torpedo, huh?" He said thoughtfully. "A torpedo, unlike a missile, has only guidance thrusters and no main propulsion. It is a weapon fired much like a bullet from a slug thrower." He thought some more. "We'd have to build a launching mechanism for them, since the closest thing our ships have to that is the magnetic catapults for launching fighters."