There were a variety of maneuvers that Admiral Bryant wished conducted at 44 Bootis. Preparation and practice were always keys to success. "Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." was a quote from Abraham Lincoln that always played in his head. First, he wanted the standard movements, where Tactical Groups jump in and out of an area to attain synchronicity in those operations. If you're looking for total surprise in a force situation, you need to be able to appear out of nowhere simultaneously.
The second set of maneuvers were new to this Fleet. The Group Commanders were to order jumps in and out by both of their Squads together, and by each Squad to different destinations. The idea was to get the Group used to working under the direction of its Commander, and to working both alone and together.
The third stage of the war games was to repeat the first two steps with orders coming from the Fleet Command. This would perfect the communications and command chain between all the units involved. The final three days were spent with Groups handling defensive or offensive roles in simulations that including point-scoring mimicked weapons hits.
After a couple of false starts, the entire operation went smoothly with the Fleet Command, the Group Commands and all the ships performing excellently. But, the two beefier squads stood out. Of course, they were more formidable, but they were a little more coordinated in all of the first two sequences, and head and shoulders above the rest in the last two sets of operations. They were by far, the best at handling both defensive and offensive tactical situations. This was a testament to Stevens and Tonaka. Not only that, but it served to validate Bryant's promotion decisions.
After ten days of operations, Bryant ordered five days of rotating leaves to 44 Bootis A Prime, known as Tetrad to its inhabitants. During the break, he would write a strategy for the Fleet based in part, on Stephenson's old one. That would become a Command Document that would be passed to the Group Commands for implementation when separated from Fleet Command. It would also be the basis for future Fleet Tactical Action Messages, including the ones he would prepare for the first deployment, after leaving 44 Bootis. Before departure, he would take the time to complete a detailed report to send to Theatre Command and up the chain. It would include all the changes in rank and assignment and the results of the maneuvers conducted over the past ten days.
Sending reports in space was a curious operation. There were no direct communications, at theses distances. Electromagnetic waves would take years to reach the destination. Instead, verbal and data reports were stored in communications drones, which made the jump to the intended recipient, who would retrieve the device. That way a message that would take years to travel to a particular destination would reach it in days. In this case, the Theatre Commander would receive the report, in nine days. The only way to speed up the process at all was to have the probe transmit its data as soon as it exited the jump, which would save about half a day.
George was in the process of writing orders sending the Groups off on regular patrols when he was sure he saw a bright flash of light through the port side windows of his office on the Flag Bridge. He stood at the portal taking in the inky scene. Twenty seconds later, there was another flare. He was certain it was weapons detonating somewhere near them.
"Bridge, did anyone else catch those weapons' flashes?" George inquired into his activated communicator.
"Aye, Admiral. We're tracking them, now.' A voice he recognized as Nichols responded over the communication system. 'You're welcome down here - if you'd like to watch over it, sir."
"No Captain, you don't need a hovering Fleet Commander, now. Let me know when you have its source and are sure of what it is." Bryant replied.
"Aye, sir." The line closed off.
Over the next ten minutes, George saw another fifty of the flashes, which grew larger as they came from positions progressively closer.
"Sir, those bursts are weapons’ explosions!' Nichols was back on the horn. 'They originate from bearing three forty-five, elevation seven point five. The last ones were launched from a quarter light year out and detonated nearly six hundred billion miles from us. However, I believe that whoever is firing is approaching us in a series of consecutive short jumps. Based on detonation points to now, they will be in weapons’ range in another ten minutes."
"Stephen, have communications get me a secured line to the Grenada, please?' Bryant ordered and clicked off. 'Commodore Tonaka, can you report to my office, immediately, please?" He had activated communication to her.
"Aye, Admiral." Came the response.
Tonaka hustled in just as Stevens called in about a minute later.
"Tom, I have Grace here. We've picked up weapons fire closing on us at bearing three, four, five by elevation seven and a half. They seem to have detected us but are trying to establish engagement distance. They appear to be using weapons’ rounds for ranging, firing each time they exit a short jump. They are leap-frogging towards us, and it looks like they will be in range in about eight minutes. I will have Grace divide Columbia Group into Squads but hold this position until you’re ready. I would like you to split Grenada Group. Direct one Squad to the left flank the other to the right of where they will land next. Whoever they are, they're headed right at Columbia. They're only about a quarter light-year out. You'll have to get an exact trajectory and jump each squad, so you catch them at their rear, by surprise. I need to know your exact execution time. We will fly the two Squads of the Columbia to a point half way between the intruder and us shortly after you go to FTL. Based on their pattern of short leaps, they will make one more stop-and-shoot exit, before executing the final vault to us. So, our hop should put us right at their exit aperture as they emerge. With you coming at them from slightly behind and to the sides, we should be able to overwhelm them, even if they are a much larger force." Bryant ordered.
"Aye, sir." The response came over his communicator at the same moment launch times, and trajectory courses came in for the Grenada squads' jumps. George punched in the numbers, did a few calculations of his own, and pointed out the Columbia launch times and trajectories to Grace.
"I got your info, Tom. That's approved. We've programmed our jumps. I'm sending our schedule and courses to you, now." He said as Grace waved herself out of his office quietly tapping on her data pad to issue orders to her Group.
Bryant watched out the view window as Grenada split into two, each squad heading towards different jump points. He felt the customary shudder in the deck below his feet as the Columbia began to move. There was the familiar lurch as they crossed their FTL threshold. Then, just as suddenly, they exited the vortex directly in the path of a small fleet of vessels. George had never seen these designs before. Most were relatively saucer shaped. A couple had the form of large cigars. Still, others were orbs. He wasn't sure whether or not they had fewer decks or the inhabitants were very small, but the crafts were very slim and sleek. Each saucer was about one hundred seventy-five meters in diameter. But from keel to top deck plating, they were no more than thirty meters in height. If the intruders were similar to humans in size, these vessels could only be two or three decks in height, suggesting a relatively small crew.
The Columbia rocked a little as vibrations from a kind of thunder rolled through her interior. She had taken weapons fire the moment she exited the wormhole. Bryant observed the launch of about eighty fighters from her sides in a period of about five minutes. It was evident, Grace was holding a reasonable reserve force still, and he was proud that they could launch two fighter craft every seven and a half seconds. Bolts of particle charges whizzed through space as the two forces exchanged fire. The Columbia and her heavy Cruiser fired deadly salvos of spears from their railguns. As he scanned the space around them, Bryant could see the Columbia Group’s light squad off to their port side and observed a significant portion of the interlopers’ formation breaking from their main flotilla, to head for it. Fifty Columbia Raptor class fighters intervened, while thirty remaine
d on stations with the original body. As the Columbia Group took continuous blows from the intruders, he noted that Grace was still hitting the two assemblages with constant streams of weapons fire from the Carrier’s vast arsenal. Her many cannon placements were aimed at numerous targets on multiple enemy ships, as were those of her accompanying Cruiser and Frigates.
Suddenly, the two Grenada squads emerged on each side of the enemy rear, presenting a hail of rounds from a different vantage point. Grenada launched another eighty raptors. These split into two, bearing towards positions that supported both of Columbia’s fighting squads. Within a couple of minutes, the encircling Boots Fleet was shooting at the superior force, which was now on the defensive. But the enemy returned volleys at a similar rate. The flickers, streaks, and detonations from exchanged salvos of weapons fire resembled a nighttime fireworks display, lighting up the battlefield, like a bright summer day. There was a sudden fusion flare as the Minneapolis from the Columbia Group went up like an exploding star. Then, the Cleveland from the Grenada Group exploded. Boots had lost two Frigates in a matter of minutes.
Bryant sent an urgent communiqué to his two Group Commanders. "Use of anti-matter weapons is authorized. - Bryant."
He eyed all four squads beginning to slowly yield to the opposing force, though, they continued the barrages on their nemesis. Of course, their adversary would think they were winning this skirmish, but in reality, the force was giving ground to avoid damage from their own armaments. When a buffer zone of a hundred kilometers had opened between Boots and its encircled opposition, each Columbia and Grenada Group ship launched two missiles. Detonating like supernovae, each one of these weapons destroyed an enemy vessel in a series of twenty-eight fusions flares much like those of the Minneapolis and Cleveland - filling the space with debris and wreckage of all types - each fragment following its own deadly trajectory. The remaining five vessels attempted to regroup, but Boots Fleet kept piling on the conventional fire, disabling one ship after another. As the brilliant flashes diminished, George could see the remnants of partial hulls coasting through the void careening off each other, in unpredictable ways, accompanied by an immense accumulation of flotsam and garbage, so integral to peoples’ lives - and bodies that cluttered the entire battlefield.
He tapped in new orders. "Recover one or two whole enemy bodies and return them immediately to the Columbia.' Bryant ordered, then added in reflection, 'It would not be bad to have one intact ship, too."
He needed to begin an investigation of the invaders immediately. This had been a fairly significant force.
The battle took a different turn, now. It was much more measured, from a Boots Fleet point of view. They were trying to disable the enemy without destroying them, but without accepting too much more mutilation of their own ships or people. One of the Frigates and three newly launched Raptors took up positions to protect a recovery shuttle that moved into the outskirts of the battlefield. Meanwhile, another enemy ship flared into oblivion while a second went completely dark after a spear, fired by Grenada, penetrated deep amidships. If it wasn't playing dead, this ship could be a great capture.
"Grace, send a strong force of Marines to board that vessel. Make sure they're well covered, in case we need to destroy it." He ordered.
Half an hour later, two enemy bodies were being moved to sickbay, as a Cruiser began to take the secured enemy ship in tow. The entire remaining Boots Fleet was left fighting three damaged opposing vessels. Supply ships went in and out of the battle area resupplying various crafts, while the enemy was now having great difficulty maintaining the campaign.
"Grace and Tom, let's finish it. We have two bodies and a captured ship. Let's not risk any more of our people or ships." Bryant said as he directed his communication to both of them.
Boots' weapons fire increased dramatically as they moved further out. Then, a single anti-matter torpedo was directed toward each remaining saucer. Thirty seconds later, they had been vaporized. The battle was over.
A communiqué from Nichols indicated that George and all three Flag Officers were requested in the Medical Bay. Bryant logged off, heading out along the corridors. He met up with Grace and Stephen on the way.
"I ordered my Exec to meet Admiral Stevens in the Shuttle Bay," Nichols said.
The three waited in the hallway outside Sick Bay, for Stevens. Tom arrived about fifteen minutes later. It had taken time for the Grenada to jump back to the Fleet and shuttle him over.
"Welcome, Tom. I can only assume that this is about our two dead enemy combatants." Grace offered.
"Can we go in and see?" He asked.
They were met inside by a flitting, nervous Lieutenant Commander Hajt, the Chief Medical Officer, who seemed over-excited in anticipation of something.
"None of you are going to believe this.' Hajt said excitedly forgetting all protocol. 'This answers questions we've had for maybe - three centuries."
"Get on with it, Commander.' Tonaka ordered. 'And next time, you follow protocol, when you meet a Senior Officer.
Hajt walked them over to a gurney, hesitated for effect, then slowly pulled the sheet back from over the face of the body. There was a collective gasp of surprise.
Its finely wrinkled skin was so gray - it was nearly silver in color. Massive almond shaped closed eyelids slanted upwards towards the sides of the head. Two nostrils exited a slight rise in the front of the face between and below the inner corners of the large eyes. Thin gray-blue lips formed a narrow mouth.
Hajt continued to withdraw the sheet, revealing a delicate frame about four and a half feet in height and proportionately small relative to the head. The entire body could not have weighed more than thirty-five kilograms. Spindly arms came from articulating shoulders and were hinged by an elbow and terminated by a rotary wrist ending in a narrow-palmed hand sporting four elongated fingers. Thin legs looked barely able to support the small frame and ended in relatively long feet with three toes.
"As near as we can tell, they are bipedal, but not very physically active. These creatures have generous brain casings and four-lobed brains. Vocal cords are present but seem underused. They can talk, but probably don't do it much. We think they employ telepathic communications most of the time. They appear to be the very creatures that were described for so long by those we all thought were short a few cards in their decks." Hajt chuckled, as he finished the summary.
"Yes, it would seem you're right' Bryant responded. 'But, the question is, why would an advanced civilization, who have been space-faring much longer than us, suddenly attack after spending a few centuries studying us peacefully. Their perception must have been that something has changed. Somehow, we scared the hell out of them. We'll need to see what we get from that vessel we took in tow." Bryant finished as he turned and led them out of Sick Bay.
"Let's meet in the Flag Boardroom in twenty minutes. I would like all our Chiefs there, along with the head of the team studying the captured vessel." Bryant ordered as he turned down the corridor.
...............................................................................................
"Lieutenant Commander Ireland, give us your report on the enemy ship," Bryant directed.
"Aye, sir. As you know, we have engineering heading a large team to analyze it. We haven't had a lot of time, so this is somewhat preliminary. First of all, we took three live prisoners from the disabled vessel. Overall, these ships would be more potent than ours if they had as much power to draw on. They have a much more robust shielding system and better weaponry, both limited by the power supply, which appears to be undersized. However, the spear that penetrated their hull went right through that part of engineering, so it will take more work to be sure of their generating capacity. Particle weapons are limited in range because of this energy deficiency. Shields are more robust but easily overloaded. We should adapt them for our ships. The biggest thing in our favor, at this point, is our anti-matter weapons. They have no defense to them, and they seem to have no analo
g to it in their immediate arsenal.' Ireland finished his summary, then, added. 'Of course, we'll have more for you as we dig deeper. This is only the start."
"Does anyone have any views on this incursion?" Bryant asked.
"Yes, sir. I think it was a probe. A test to see how strong our defenses really are." Nichols piped in.
"Captain, I think you're right. For some reason, the Grays are thinking of invading. I know that if I were sending a probe, it wouldn't be larger than, five percent of my total capacity, so I believe that we are speaking of a force that’s at least twenty times what we saw. Moe, do you have the proposal on Fleet expansions, yet?" Bryant asked his chief.
"Yes sir, I have a presentation that lays out both ideas but recommends the enlarged Groups and balanced Squads. I will forward it to you." He responded.
"Not yet. I'd like you to incorporate this battle into it, as an example. We lost two frigates and over two thousand lives, today. In both cases, they were Frigates in the weak squadrons. An argument can be made that these losses could have been avoided with the proper balance. Those ships would have been protected better. What was the conclusion in your report?” Bryant asked.
"Sir, I took the liberty of using the point of view of completing deployment of the subs and adding two Carriers and two Cruisers to each Fleet. I also allowed for the Task Force Commands and the Squad Command level. It includes the inflation of the Fleet Level Marines to the Division level under a Major General, and all the appropriate new Commands and additions to Senior levels that would be required. With the subs, this expansion does double our capabilities but represents an increase of only thirty percent in personnel and assets. It is definitely the most cost efficient way to increase strength." The Chief finished.
"Good. Add the information on this battle. Send it to me. I'll edit it. You revise and resubmit, and we'll get it off to the Quadrant tomorrow afternoon with the reports on this battle. It's a lot of work, but I know you can do it." Bryant said with a smile.
Righteous Reign The Series: E-version Boxed Set Edition Page 17
