There was a long silence as we got over the shock and let the idea sink in.
"I think your right," I said sheepishly.
"Me too - unfortunately," Steven added.
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"I had an idea that's going to scare the hell out of all of you. But, if you take the time to consider it, I think you'll agree it'll work." George blurted out before anyone could introduce any other subject at the meeting, the following morning.
"Go ahead, George." The curiosity was palpable in Bill's voice.
George spent an hour describing the plan in a lot more detail. Nichols and I chimed in from time to time. Admiral Bryant had considered it a lot over the evening and improved the basic sketch into a masterpiece. There were looks of terror on the attendee's faces during portions of the presentation. There was a long silence after George finished.
"I think you're right, George," Grace spoke first. Then, one by one, all agreed.
We ended up deciding we would take three weeks to assemble the field and practice. Meanwhile, we would all deploy specific Theatres to conduct smaller raids to keep the pressure on.
We selected Lambda Boötis as our first major target. We'd need to capture Delta Boötis on our way to it, so our rear was secure. But, Lambda was logical for several reasons.
First, there are ship manufacturing plants and orbital assembly docks there. Next is the Academy. And, the system is the first one that's densely populated in the corridor we are going to attempt to take back. Finally, the Grays are such a peace-loving people, they would find it especially trying to live under the yoke of tyranny. But, we would all implement this one together. George and Steven would take on the significant flotilla there. My objective would be the Headquarters and its surrounding formation. And, George would have authority over the entire combined operation.
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The first problem in our plan turned out to be our model of the super base. Placing that many small heavenly bodies near each other creates a problem we hadn't considered. Their mutual gravity draws them together. The false starts and failures became embarrassing. Several shuttles wound up with dented hulls attempting to control all the moving components.
But, it was Vice Admiral Svjosloki to the rescue again. He used CNC laser cutting equipment to cut carbon fiber epoxy panels to a pattern he created. Several were glued together to form the squares and triangles of the base stations. Then they were assembled by shuttles and personnel doing EVAs. In the end, we had an actual full-sized model of the enormous station and panels to build a second one. He even added plastic boxes and flaps to simulate the heat exchangers covers and vent flaps. And, replacement skin panels were available for exchange with the ones we damaged in practice. His entire venture took less than a week. We would have been another month - if we got the damn asteroid thing right at all.
For the two weeks, after it was completed, Raptors shot out the targets at limited power settings to reduce damage to the imposter. SOCC would move in and launch small probes containing the transmitters, and our Tier 3 Fleets would approach and fire dummy missiles at the homing target. In the end, we got it down pat. So, I submitted my plan to George.
SOCC would split into its Fleets. Eighty vessels would monitor nearby hot spots. Eighty would be scattered throughout our attacking force as hidden assets. And the last Fleet would deliver the signaling devices. That group would work in twenty-six groups of three. Two subs would protect each one releasing the weapons payloads.
Zeta T1-1 and T1-2 with a Polemista Theatre each would attack formation vessels close to the station. Zeta T2-1 would launch the actual attack on the Base Station. Zeta T2-2 with a Theatre of Polemista would stand in reserve and would be trained to replace any Zeta warship role. So our attack would at first seem to be general in nature but would focus on the Polyhedron in the end.
We would notify all other Commands and leave the field, immediately after determining our payload was delivered and functional. The Zeta T2-2 contingent would protect our withdrawal. We would jump to a point one light-year distant.
George's forces would come at the enemy contingent from its westward side and above, with all guns blazing and fighters launching as fast as possible.
Nichols and the Spiel would do the same from below. Both groups would approach from the same side but at different elevations so there was no chance of being caught in each other's crossfire. Each would leave a Theatre in reserve.
To the enemy, it would seem that four thousand ships made a general attack and just got lucky.
When those two divisions received word from Zeta Command, they would jump to a location a light-year away, too, but, different from ours.
All Zeta - SF SOCC in the two on-site Fleets and all Epsilon - SF would back-off but stay relatively close to monitor the detonations before heading for our locations.
Headquarters and Mobile Hospitals would be originally positioned at the fallback points a light-year away.
But we still had to secure Delta Boötis first, to protect our rear and use it for staging.
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When I received the SOCC surveillance of Delta Boötis, I breathed a sigh of relief. The Isesinis were not there. It seems they are strictly staying within Federation Borders. Delta is unoccupied and less than two light-years from the boundary. At the same time, George was receiving his report on the Gamma Boötis recon mission he initiated. It will be the target immediately following Lambda on our way along our pathway to Sol.
I had Savign send a small contingent to Delta to ensure its stability until more forces arrive there. She was to monitor only; then report if our antagonists appear. She is not to engage because we are unable to fit the covert ships with the new shields. It would interfere with the cloaking technology. Then I wrote orders for Zeta T2-2 to go there with a similar sized unit of Polemista and occupy it. They were to access SOCC sensor feeds before entering, and ensure no strangers arrived before the attack date. On that day, they're to leave two Fleets there with the SOCC squad and jump to the fight to take up the reserve roll.
I notified our other OFSA forces. We agreed to meet at Delta on Saturday, October 24, 2268. By design, we are not close to it. We will need to execute jumps totaling one hundred eight light-years to reach it. The distance was within a parsec plus or minus for the others. We would make the trip in ten days at forty percent. We would all need a day's rest to recuperate. Our troops will be in better shape after some leisure. We jumped out on October 14.
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Wow, this is a sight to behold. There are roughly six hundred fifty-five Epsilon, three hundred and eighty Gamma/Beta, and three hundred twenty-five Zeta ships, not including Subs, all packed into a one thousand mile cube with another one thousand Spiel and eight hundred Polemista vessels. That's nearly thirty-two hundred in the relatively tiny block. Add the invisible Subs, and you're at just over thirty-seven hundred plus all the various fighter craft. This is a mighty Armada to aim at one target, even if it is well defended.
We will jump to our objective tomorrow. It's about a twenty-two light-year flight. That takes four days at twenty percent velocity. So the attack is slated for fourteen hundred on October 29. We won't rush it because we don't want our people stressed. We will remain in contact with the remaining SOCC and Zeta T2-2 contingent in our vortices to monitor the status of Delta Boötis.
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Our warships are reeking havoc on ships around the big base one. But, they're taking a lot of crap, too.
It's serving the purpose, though. Attention is focused on them as our fighters bear down on the giant Headquarters. The Isesinis do not seem worried about it. I think they believe it is invulnerable to our assault. Each Raptor and Machskaf makes several attempts. Some even expend all their ammo before replacement by another combatant attacking the same target. Destroying a heat exchanger only reveals four ten-inch diameter openings. Eliminating a vent cap means exposing an orifice only fourteen inches square. I realize that's why there are so many. This is not exactly as it seemed from drawings or practice runs. We have to find a real weakness soon. If not our Raptors will be turned into mincemeat. We have already lost twelve, and they only attacked ten minutes ago. Only two hundred fighters from Zeta T1-1 are dedicated to destroying the diminutive targets. Another two hundred sit in hangars waiting to relieve them as they are destroyed or need refueling. A hundred more from two other Fleets in the same outfit have been assigned the task of protecting the first group. Again, an equal number sit waiting to offer them a respite. The rest of Zeta Command's active Raptors are devoted to attacking the Isesinis battleships, defending against their fighters, and assaulting the base's weapons ports when they attempt to open them.
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From his Headquarters George watches the Epsilon action unfold. They come in from the rear and above. The entire contingent is firing from the minute the enter the region. Thirteen hundred and sixty fighters were in flight by that time. Five hundred forty-four Epsilon warships were raining hell from above with them.
But, they are paying for it with pain of their own. The Isesinis quickly took out two frigates. And ten Raptors have already been lost, just a dozen minutes into the brawl. But, there are now nearly seven thousand of the little weapons platforms involved. So far, Epsilon Command has watched seventeen Isesinis vessels erupt into fusion balls, and nearly a hundred of their fighters go spiraling off like fireworks pinwheels.
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Steven Nichols is also eyeing his combined Gamma / Beta / Spiel force. They came in from the rear and below less than fifteen minutes earlier with all guns blazing and nearly fourteen hundred fighters launched. Now eight thousand Raptors and Raiders fill the region. His forces have taken out ten warships and two dozen enemy fighters, so far. Fighting is fast and furious. Boots Fleet has lost the Cruiser FSS Nebraska, and Hercules is now missing the Carrier FSS Laos. Thirty-four Raptors and Raiders from all Fleets Nichols' Commands have now been shot down.
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I'm getting a little antsy, now. We've been in the thick of things for an hour and a half, and we haven't opened an orifice big enough to hit with a homing drone. So far, we have bounced many of them off the hull in futile attempts. Most of the targets are too small to hit in the midst of battle.
Two Raptors and a Polemista Machskaf-class fighter have been furiously working at the garbage chute hatch. It finally gives way, revealing a cavernous opening deep into the orb. They back away. Finally, a target we can hit!
Two transponder drones appear from open space; traveling on a direct path to the large opening. As they disappear into the hulk, they are tracked by the invisible Subs that fired them. One lodges in the central refuse hold. The other goes through and ends up near the first; but, just inside another conduit routed to the opposite side of the GPHC. The vessels relay the signals to two hovering Frigates.
The FSS Monitor and the FSS Forensics each fire an antimatter torpedo aimed at one of the homing devices. Our fighters safeguard the projectiles as the enemy tries to keep them from reaching their goal. There is a significant flash and burp from the garbage dump as it exhausts a giant puff of smoke into space, and a third of the orb just disappears in a sparkling flare. The weapons do not contain enough antimatter to annihilate all the substance of the base ship. But it is sufficient to deal it a fatal blow. There are flashes from all over the vessel. Parts of the hull begin to glow. It almost seems to breathe as it slowly pulses from expanding and contracting internal environmental gasses.
I get on the horn and notify my partners. "Get the hell out of here! She's going to blow!"
We are recovering fighters, as we withdraw. SOCC will cover our departure as they stay behind to monitor. We won't actually get to see it explode. That would be a significant risk. But, we will observe the feed from SOCC.
Hundreds of enemy warships are demolished as the big soccer ball detonates, sending them headlong into each other. It is the largest fusion ball I've ever seen, and the fallout travels out nearly a million miles and beyond. The remaining enemy ships vault to - who knows where. We all jump back in. Lambda Boötis is ours again.
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The next three days are spent burying dead, tending to injured, counting our losses, and renewing our relationship with the Grays. It is particularly enjoyable to see Chief Commissioner Argat, again. He is an affable person. We also take the time to complete the debriefing, since we're all together, now.
And, we hold a meeting and decide that Delta Boötis will become our staging area, for now. We will keep a substantial defensive force at Lambda. But, Delta makes more sense. No one should look for us there, and it leaves no rear to protect.
We have a beachhead now. It's only about two thousand cubic light-years out of the eight million of Orion Federation space. But it's a start. And we have a shipyard and Academy.
Two days into our visit with the Grays, Sextans, and Hydra Fleets show up. They have been in hiding since the invasion. Their thirty-five surviving ships are battered but fully functional. They have lost a Carrier, ninety-six raptors and over six thousand people between them. It is really nice to see that some of Alpha HQ survived. We fold them into my command. I have all vessels booked at the Lambda shipyard and grant all personnel one month's leave there. They need the rest and recreation. To a person, they look like they've been through hell.
On the way back to Delta Boötis, I decide I'll take two full days with Bryant and Fredricka. We spend the time playing games and visiting the mall. We watch movies and eat out. There are many trips to the ice cream parlor. I am fully relaxed when I return to work.
At the next Commission meeting, we are shown video sent to us by the Isesinis. We see a small moon orbiting a gas giant. From the background stars and the system's appearance, we realize it's a planetary system in Proxima Centauri, next door to Rigil. The filming is done from a ship a short distance off. We see one of the big enemy Headquarters' ships. One of their big weapons comes forward through a hatch door. A continuous beam is projected at the moon. It takes a good two minutes, but cracks appear with glowing melted lava erupting from them. Another couple of minutes and the rocky orb begins to pulse. It seems to expand and contract and its incandescence increases with each inflation. A minute later, the moon explodes sending rock, dust, and magma into surrounding space. Through the last portion of the presentation, a strange reverberating baritone voice-over tells us "I am governor Kilkos of the Isesinis Empire. If you continue, this is what you face. Think of the risk to you - and to your people." It is a not so thinly veiled threat.
But, we agree we cannot back down. In the end, we may even lose a planet. But we can free over a hundred others and well over a half trillion people.
Next up - Gamma Boötis.
Chapter 19 Running the Gauntlet
Wednesday, November 11, 2268
"Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility." Peter Drucker
It's been nearly six weeks since the remains of Crux Fleet left their hiding place to find Zeta HQ. And it's been one hell of a harrowing trip, so far. HD 70642 was w
ithout incident. But, the second stop at HD 67458 provided a preview of coming events.
At HD 70642 they had harvested water, gasses, and lithium, and were able to process enough sea water to replenish deuterium supplies. With the exception of stops like this, there is normally little Federation traffic here because the system is uninhabited by any animal life except fish on the b-planet. But, some of those fish are edible, and there are plants on this world analogous to many on earth. So, two extra days were taken to harvest food. At least they wouldn't starve if anything delayed them. They had plenty of rice and fish for protein and carbohydrates. Many leafy greens and root vegetables would provide additional nutritional needs. The menu may not be as tasty and diversified, but it would be healthy.
Fortunately, the days before leaving Delta Velorum were spent doing skip-offs. These are special drills practicing jumping quickly out after re-entering normal space. The routine is usually repeated if they are going into an area with a possibility of hostile forces. Those drills were all that saved Crux Fleet at HD67458, the second stop in the journey to Zeta HQ. That was earlier today. And, when the order to jump is transmitted, it always includes two alternate positions, in case. Once at the first position, OFSA vessels would launch again to cover any trail they may have left.
Crux Fleet re-entered regular space from their vortices to find nearly eight hundred enemy ships and one of the terrifying polyhedrons there. Their first alternate was vector RA 120.11701º by Dec. -29.40344º at 83.46 Ly, which is two and a half light-years from HD67458 and the second was RA 120.007º by Dec. -29.303º @ 85 Ly a distance of one parsec from the original choice. Captain Hernandez always has her finger on the "send" button to transmit the skip order. So, she did.
The problem is inertia. No matter how good acceleration and deceleration curves are programmed, jumping in and out and repeating it all again in short order is very disorienting and disruptive to humanoid physiology. A body faces heavy negative G-forces followed by positive ones and then repeats it all over again a little while later.
Righteous Reign The Series: E-version Boxed Set Edition Page 110
