If the scheme fails, it will be our Federation's last gasp. If it succeeds, we will live on to fight another day. Regardless, we are now nomads with very little outside support.
Admiral Kurt Brubacher Inspector General
Part One
Chapter 1 In The Here and Now
Friday, August 2, 2267
"Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even." Muhammad Ali
Everyone aboard kind of wonders how I can keep up such a personal regimen. But, I find that exercise keeps me physically and mentally sharp. It also allows me to exorcise my "Helena" demons. Though she died five years ago last March, I miss her as much as I did the day it happened.
If I jog from the lifts forward, in the starboard corridors; then, skirt the bow and head for the stern, rounding it and returning up the port passageways to the elevators, each lap of each deck of The FSS Examiner is eight-tenths of a kilometer. That means I complete ten kilometers every day by using the twelve levels that permit this course.
All OFSA warships are immense. The Frigate, our smallest class, is built on a platform based on a minimum area required for our Relativistic Gravity Generators. And, their overall size is designed to fit the basic needs of a deep space craft on long-term assignments. All others are multiples of this class adjusted for specific requirements. The Cruisers are assembled on a bigger platform. The Carriers are grander, still. They support one hundred ten Raptor fighters and over fifteen hundred Marines; besides their operational crew. And, the Super Carriers have one hundred fifty percent of the volume of the Carriers and are the Headquarter's Stations of all the senior tactical Field Commands. Their enormous size sustains the several thousand Staff personnel a Headquarters needs to manage its subordinates. These Command Stations are also the temporary supply depots for these subsidiaries. They are like central warehouses storing extra food, gasses, fuel, and ammunition.
Each is eight hundred sixty-five meters along the keel by three hundred thirty meters abeam. At one hundred sixty-one meters high, they stand seventeen decks tall. Headquarter's stations offer all the services of a small city. But, they are also armed for battle and their own defense. Over one hundred cannon batteries and one hundred forty missile launch platforms are scattered among a myriad of torpedo ports, docking bays and the two fighter launch tubes gracing port and starboard sides. Two hundred twenty fighter craft sit in its hangars. One of these monsters is a threat; but, this is the Headquarters for Fleets of many similarly equipped ships.
By the time I return to our quarters, I am emotionally and mentally prepared to socialize with and parent my five-year-old son Bryant Edward. Tall for his age, he is somewhat wiry and has developed the impish sense of humor his mother had. He has a lot of her features and other characteristics, too We generally enjoy a meal and some personal time before I place him in the Nanny's care and head to my office on the Flag Bridge of this monster vessel.
When I reach my workspace on the sixteenth deck, I spend a moment peering out my view window. I can make out the first hundred or so vessels closest the Examiner. The rest are dwarfed as they extend into space as far as I can perceive. The ones before those that disappear into the void are just hard to see dots in the distant blackness of space. And, this is not the entire Command. Some are on remote missions. The star we currently circle is much like Sol. But its system is incredibly different. Once at my desk, I begin to review today's mail, and I check my schedule. One thing I've noticed about our current situation is the reduction in junk mail. It almost seems like a relief until I remind myself why they no longer transmit. My COS, Deputy, two Tier Two Commanders, and four Theatre Commanders will join me soon.
The Examiner is the flagship of Zeta Command and combines with the FSS Interrogator as Inspector General Branch Headquarters. A group of eight Frigate and two Cruiser Class Vessels serve as the Headquarters' Security Flotillas protecting both ships against attack. Zeta employs the largest group of people designated "Staff" of all the mobile organizations. Originally chartered as the Inspector General Branch, our operation is responsible for all the intelligence, security, investigative, and law enforcement throughout the Federation. Because of that, we need a large number of people to support all the field agents involved. And, we still require the traditional management group to keep everyone paid, housed and documented. Because these are all classed as "non-tactical" positions, our "Staff Offices" are immense, requiring space for nearly eight thousand throughout the two supercarriers.
Between mid-2262 and late-2265 IGB was upgraded to a "Headquarters" grade operation and revamped from two Theatre Commands of eight Fleets to twin Tier 2 Authorities with two Level Three subordinates each. Those four Tier Three Commands still manage eight Fleets each; bringing our total strength to thirty-two from sixteen. Inspector General Branch was also endowed with a separate Grade Three operation of Three Fleets of seventy covert vessels known as "Subs" because of their invisibility cloaks. In all, IGB boasts five hundred seventy-six warships, fourteen supercarriers, four mobile hospital units, and one-hundred-eighty-four supply vessels, besides the "Subs" and its security compliments. Only Fleet Admiral Bryants' Epsilon Command is bigger. Aside from its designation, it is Mobile Fifth Rapid Action Command.
During all the upheaval, I was promoted to a Fleet Admiral, a level twelve Officer Rank. I am one of a Commission of nine "Five-Star" officers running the OFSA, now. My Tier 2 operations are each controlled by an Admiral (11), and my level three ones are each administered by an Admiral (10). Fleets are directed by Vice Admirals (9). Within those outfits, the Task Forces are managed by Rear Admirals (8), and the Groups are under the authority of Commodores (7). Captains, Commanders, and Lt. Commanders are the "Masters" of individual ships depending on size, function, and responsibility. The entire operation requires over one million four hundred thousand personnel. And, Zeta is but one of six "HQ" level hubs. Mobile Fifth RAC has more than two million people. The other four Tier One authorities employ about a million people each. So, all in all, the OFSA manages around eight million when you include all ground operations like Academies and the main Headquarters Campus on Rigil.
Such a grand expansion became necessary because the Federation extended its borders in October 2262, to satisfy admission petitions by the CauDo and the Grays; doubling the volume of space occupied by our interstellar government and absorbing another fifty-five hundred planetary systems. Fifty-two of those contained advanced humanoid cultures.
So, the OFSA went on another significant enlargement - the third in ten years. Existing Tier Two Commands were doubled in size and upgraded in authority to Tier One level to improve manageability. From that point on, there would be six Mobile Field Headquarters Commands associated and coordinated by the fixed Rigil OFSA Headquarters. Within the confines of the legislated Rules and Regulations, each was an independent authority.
Despite the mayhem such rapid growth creates, things went relatively smoothly. The four Quadrant Commanders and I were all upgraded to the Fleet Admiral class in a promotion ceremony on Tuesday, November 30, 2262. Nine level ten officers were upgraded to Admiral (11) at the same time. Other moves rippled through lower ranks in each Command; but, those were handled locally.
Things went well for the next several years. Production and delivery of the new vessels and training and development of new people kept our standards high, despite the numbers involved. Throughout this upheaval, we continued executing our responsibilities.
I fell into a rhythm during the nearly five-year span. I became a "nine-to-fiver." In my mind, it was crucial to be home to Bryant Edward for dinner, each night and to spend "quality time with him daily. And, another person came into my life a couple of years ago. Fredricka Whitehead managed to get close despite my responsibilities, the potential conflict of interest, and my grief. She will never displace Helena in my heart or mind; but, she's pretty unique, too. And, th
e sex ain't too bad either.
Though Bryant, my Command, Fredricka, and Helena occupy a great portion of my thoughts, I have new worries. All of the OFSA does. We are now part of an unusually large but ineffectual Rebellion; instead of the protectors of our Federation. And that union of planets no longer exists. We were essentially "run out of town on a rail."
The Examiner is currently in orbit around HD 47186 a Sol-like star. It has a complicated group of planets with moons - uninhabited by intelligent life. But there is a Saturn-sized gas giant in the right orbit, with one of its own satellites that does support plant, insect and animal life. There is plenty of fresh water and lots of oxygen in the atmosphere for us to harvest. I have ordered the entire Zeta command here. We are in hiding from a very powerful invasion force that implemented a very effective Rampant Ramage throughout the Orion Federation in April 2267. Gamma and Epsilon Commands are in similar circumstances elsewhere.
We were unfamiliar with the ship designs we encountered and didn't even know who the invading species was. When we made contact with the Spiel, after the attack, they explained this species was referred to as the Isesinis. And, I can tell you from actual contact; that their ships are impenetrable to our weapons. Their armaments are much superior to ours. But, the real kicker is their motive power. The do not use "Jump" technology. So, the energy of a wormhole snaking its way toward us is not there. That means we cannot see them coming. And, we don't even understand any of this engineering. It is well beyond us, at this time.
The Spiel added that the Isesinis hold a region that is one hundred sixty light-years across, fifteen degrees above and below the ecliptic, and two hours in breadth as viewed from Sol. Its closest border is nearly four parsecs from the Orion Federation Boundary. It is an Empire with the seat of power in a small system three and a half light-years from one we know as Markab. This dictatorship rules an estimated thousand systems distributed through nearly seven hundred eighty-five thousand cubic light-years. We speculate they control about twenty-five technologically advanced intelligent species within their borders.
Their enormous formation appeared suddenly at Kappa Pegasus. They routed OFSA forces there and secured it in half a day. Then, they divided into three deployments. One held their current prize while the other two split and took 79 Ceti and 109 Pegasus, the next day. A week later those two forces converged on the Sol system, after taking another seven systems on the road to Sol. A week after that, they moved on to Kentaurus and took Rigil. Alpha and Delta Commands were annihilated. Only half of Beta survived; but, lost nearly its entire leadership. The last thing I heard was that they were staying with Gamma Command somewhere in Virgo, just off the border. And, through it all, we failed to destroy even one of their warships. At this point in time, they seem invincible.
There is a rap on the doorframe. "Your senior team reporting as ordered, sir" Admiral Elasima barks as they all step inside and salute.
I return the gesture halfheartedly. " Get the hell in here, grab a coffee or something, and relax. You all know you can just walk in. I don't enforce those protocols when we're not with less senior officers."
They are all jabbering as they cross to the bar between the two view windows. After choosing their refreshments, each selects a seat on one of the three sofas or two chairs in the conversation pit at the end of the office opposite the desk. Six Level-10 and three Level-11 Admirals make for a lot of "brass" in one small area.
"I think we have waited long enough. We've taken some time to absorb the shock of what happened and maybe even mourn a little. But, it's time we climb out of our funk and begin planning ways to take back our Federation.' I offer as I drag a chair over from my desk to position myself where I can study them all intently. 'There are dozens of things we can be doing, right now."
"I can't see what we can do. These... Isesinis... seem invulnerable," Can Nguyen offers.
"Nobody's indestructible."
"Do you know something?"
"No more than you. But, the laws of physics are on my side!"
"How do you propose we find a weakness?"
"That's why we're here. We need to build a plan." I conclude.
"I think we need to find out what other OFSA forces are located out there and bring us all together, somehow." Tom Hurst was quite succinct.
"Good Point,' I observe. 'I had a thought about that. I'm pretty sure all our largest ships - the Carrier and Supercarrier Class ones - run astronomy labs of one type or another. And, those departments should still be conducting regular business; despite what's happened. So, why can't we mimic some kind of natural signal; but, with a slight variation that might be caught by an observer?"
"You mean like background radiation with a little modification?" Savign injected.
"No - more like a pulsar that isn't quite right." Greg Astinov inserts.
"And, we could broadcast it continuously. Our forces could home in on it and direct a communications beam at us." Savign and Astinov were really into the idea and playing off each other.
"Yes, and we don't just respond to their hail. We make sure any respondents are using all the right protocols and offer something only service personnel would know."
"You see. Nothing is hopeless. We are already making progress." El points out.
"So they contact us and want to meet. How do we protect ourselves? It could still be our antagonists - faking it. They could use our attempt to set a trap." Andy Urquhart speculates.
"Yes, that's true,' Astinov replies. 'But, the one piece of technology we have that the Isesinis couldn't defeat was the covert vessels. We could set the reunion somewhere else monitored by a cloaked Sub Fleet. If the right people show up, they relay them here, under escort."
"Okay that all makes sense; but, it has to be a signal they'll look at - and examine." Anna Arce adds.
"I was thinking about that. What about a millisecond pulsar at the frequency of our cesium clocks. We could add some atypical variation - a little different than the real pulsars. We could make every hundredth cycle just a bit shorter, for example. We'd need to use a rotating emitter to emulate properly; so, we program the servo controller to speed up for the one cycle." I mumble - sort of thinking out loud as the thoughts were still forming.
"What pulsar category?' Andy queries, then adds. 'Gamma could be dangerous to anything nearby. Radio dissipates widely and is too easy to identify as a false signal. Light emission comes from the high magnetic ones, and we could slightly defocus a laser to get the right effect. We have lots of rotational laser emitters for our communication systems. But, light might be detected by the other side." Urquhart is interrupted.
"How so?" Astinov queries.
"High magnetic pulsars are relatively rare and millisecond ones in that category are even less common. So, our adversary might immediately suspect it."
"I think it's a chance we have to take. We can do the best with that type, and the frequency is a clue to our people. I say we go with the millisecond magnetic pulsar." Astinov responds.
"I agree.' I inject. It's the one we can fake the best."
"So, how do we imitate the size. It has to look like it came from a distant one; but, still big and forceful enough to simulate a cosmic source at a distance of six hundred light years, or so." Savign asks.
"That's not really an issue. We stack three Carriers and synchronize the same signal from each. From any distance at all, the beam will look like it came from something a lot larger than a warship." Astinov counters.
"So that takes care of sending out an invitation. What do we do about our unwanted guests while we wait? We can't just let them think they have carte blanche." Rho breaks her silence.
"I concur. I think we should use two SOCC Fleets to reconnoiter a region just inside the border along Boötis. We can slowly work them in deeper - if it's safe enough. They can give us good intelligence about our local area. And, if they come across an enemy vessel, they can call for help. We can try to overpower individual ones, somehow. We need to capture o
ne if we're ever going to figure out how to defeat them." I said.
"How do you think we could accomplish that?" Rho asked.
"At the moment, the only thing I see is an overwhelming force. If ten or twelve ships corner one, we could rain enough firepower down on it that we should be able to overload those shields. Who knows? Maybe it'll take fifty ships. But, the laws of physics give the greater force the advantage. We need to deploy a Theatre Command to the closest point off of the border near where SOCC is working at any time. Savign needs to call in the cavalry if they find any lone ships. And, that help has to be close; so, we don't let a fish slip off the hook." I conclude.
"So, Savign is going to put together a plan. Two Fleets doing recon - one always in reserve here. Greg will rotate his Theatres to work with the subs. The other three Theatre Command Ships will stack up and send the signal. I'll get the orders together. Kurt can authorize them, and Rho will have them to you all, today." El states.
We sit around shooting the bull for another fifteen minutes. Then, the meeting dissolves. I go back to my mail.
MEMO
From:Fredricka Whitehead AP Pool Reporter
To:F. Admiral K. Brubacher Zeta Commander
Re:Interview
Date:August 1, 2267
Admiral,
As you are aware, I have endeavored to keep the million and a half in your command posted on current events within our little goldfish bowl. I have also used the news to maintain a historical record of events, as they transpire. I am sure that Pool Reporters in any other surviving Commands are attempting to preserve the same standard. Though it may take a long time and considerable effort, I have no doubt that the remaining OFSA will take back our Federation and these records along with official logs will help us develop a picture of these "dark" years.
However, there may be a gap in the historical information that develops due to a loss of information from those years between this past Federation expansion and the present. The massive undertaking to double the OFSA and its ability to police the Federation throughout that turmoil was only sketchily dealt with by the press, then.
Righteous Reign The Series: E-version Boxed Set Edition Page 91
