Steg said, “What are the odds the Xesset know we’re in transit between the Arkadie System and Djii? They must have spies, informers, feeding them information. ImpSec would jump at the opportunity to be rid of us—at least, of me. If the aliens staked out a limited number of intermediate systems, there’d be a possibility of detecting our transit. This is a trap. Nyx, expect an incoming Xesset fleet anytime. Signal all crew to action stations. Change course, a hundred degrees vertical and after two minutes, another hundred degrees to starboard. Find an asteroid to use as a shelter.”
Five minutes later Nyx halted Dreamer beside a small lump of ice and rock. The two destroyers took up protective positions. The bridge crew was monitoring for transmissions or for indications of an incoming fleet. Seconds ticked into minutes. Steg conferred with Jessie and Nyx, and others of his senior team; the Alliance officer attended as a guest.
“I’m not sure of the motives of the Xesset,” Steg said. “They could be waiting for something else. Perhaps we’re not their target. Or they haven’t been able to detect enough of our presence to warrant calling in their backup. Nyx, continue checking for signs of other starships. They could be holding position, while waiting for a better identification of us and our location. This is where hunting the enemy can be nerve-wracking.”
Jessie added, “Keep in mind the longer we wait, the more likely a distant fleet can arrive and catch us here.”
“What if—I know this is an extreme thought, but you’ve caused both Xesset and ImpSec substantial damage—what if the Xesset are working with ImpSec? And they’re waiting here for an ImpSec fleet to join them?” The speaker was Commander Hamilton.
Finch said, “You’re far more devious than me. Although, I suspect there’s a high probability you’re right.”
Jessie and Steg looked at each other, worried frowns on each face. “Would they—” began Jessie.
“Oh, yes, they would. The question is: do we want to destroy more ImpSec starships, or avoid battle this time?” Steg had more ImpSec starships than he could effectively crew and deploy; any more captures represented a richness that would pauper the task force. On the other hand, if he could eliminate more Xesset and neutralize another ImpSec destroyer or two, the benefits were to him and the task force. He was silent for close to a minute.
Jessie and Steg spoke at the same time, and they said the same thing. “Stay, fight the Xesset. If ImpSec are involved, it’s a bonus.”
Nyx said. “I agree. So do Echo and Amber. It will delay us, perhaps a day. We can travel faster and catch up on our schedule. All we have to do is find the Xesset force.”
Hamilton said, “That’s an aggressive approach. I like it.”
Finch said, “I agree.” Stacia and Tessa nodded; they had not expected otherwise.
It was another two hours before Nyx detected new starship activity in the system. A single ship entered, jumping out of s-t, and shielded within seconds. Nyx tracked it despite its attempt to hide as it headed to the distant asteroid. It was not Xesset. Presumably, its intention was to rendezvous with the other ship. Five minutes later, another starship exited s-t. This one was Xesset, and Steg and Nyx both detected the wash of evil. It, too, shielded and headed to the asteroid.
“Wait,” instructed Steg. He was intrigued by the arrival of the two ships that had immediately headed to the distant asteroid. Nyx’s initial assessment was that the first one was ImpSec, and she was busy delving into its systems, searching for confirmation and more data. He added, “They may have more on the way. Nyx, could we move closer without being detected?”
“If you want. Unless they’ve suddenly improved their sensors, we’ll be invisible to them.”
“Do it.” The bridge was silent as Nyx moved Dreamer, escorted by Amber and Echo, closer to the asteroid where the Xesset starships had headed.
“Damn,” breathed the Alliance officer.
Steg shook his head; he understood Hamilton’s reaction. It seemed they all were holding their breath. Dreamer’s bridge was silent.
The display screen revealed a fleet of starships: destroyers and frigates, aligned side by side. Steg counted twenty destroyers. They were silent, motionless, unpowered, apparently waiting for some pending event. There were forty or fifty frigates, similarly arranged, together with a number of smaller starships.
“Nyx, come to a stop. Signal your companions. They are to be extremely cautious. They need to back off. We must remain totally shielded. I don’t want Dreamer to take on that many warships. Two are Xesset. Dig into as many starship systems as you can. I want to know who the others are, where they’re from, what they’re doing here. Grab as much data as you can. When you’re finished, we’ll head to Djii. Make it quick.”
Steg and the bridge crew breathed a combined sigh of relief when Dreamer jumped for Djii. Amber and Echo remained in-system to monitor activities; they would jump out and report to Steg if they identified major changes in the disposition of the strange fleet. Nyx had harvested more data than they could assess. He would share it with Alke and Zhu when they reached their destination and possibly include the senior Imperial Navy officers. At least one of the starships was ImpSec, and two, possibly more, were Xesset, although he had identified others. The remainder were a mix from alien and independent human systems. Until the data had been thoroughly assessed, he couldn’t determine whether they were voluntarily part of a fleet or captured starships. They had work to do to unravel the mystery. The fleet represented a danger to the task force, of that he was confident.
oOo
CHAPTER 31
STARSHIPS WERE CROWDING into Djii space. The ImpSec destroyers and frigates Steg and Nyx had captured in the Arkadie system, Djiis’ own fleet, other ex-ImpSec warships, and Homeworld’s contribution had been supplemented by Imperial warships and supply ships. The small way station was close to reaching its maximum workload. Busy shuttles were moving people—humans and aliens—between the way station, various starships, and Wanderer.
Steg instructed Aadan to set course to Wanderer. Alke broadcast a welcome, as did Zhu. Docking Dreamer was an easy task, one that Aadan handled with ease. Steg arranged to meet with General Theas and Admiral Tziksis first and planned other meetings through the remainder of the day, including one with Admiral Breval and his fellow flag officers.
Tziksis did not waste time. “Steg, friend, Imperial officers are in total disarray. Not sure, we are, whether it is purposeful sabotage or inability to work together.”
“I agree, it’s very disappointing,” Theas said in support of the Djiis admiral. “Perhaps we should reconsider our joint task force and have them establish their own.”
“This is more serious than I expected,” said Steg. “I’m meeting with Breval later and will discuss the situation with him. What’s your status?”
“We succeeded with every war game presented by Alke,” Theas replied. Tziksis nodded his head, eyestalks bobbing. “Plus Darga have arranged more volunteers than we can accommodate. Deliveries of supplies including munitions are on target.”
“Also, your Homeworld starships are here, crewed fully and with supplies. Their tactical teams are working through the war games, so far with excellent success,” added Tziksis.
“So we have our core of ships. Can you provide crew for any of the warships we’ve captured from ImpSec?”
“Working with Homeworld to see what we can do. More ships than crew is early conclusion,” Tziksis said. “Messages we have sent to other independent systems for help. Waiting for replies, we are.”
“Good. I’m planning a major briefing early this evening after I’ve met with Denke and others. You—both of you—and your senior officers, are invited.”
“We will be there,” Theas confirmed. Tziksis nodded, his eyestalks moving in response.
Denke was in conference with Zhu and Alke when Steg reached the conference room. He’d invited his two Alliance officers, Jessie and Hamilton, to attend. Apparently, the Imperial Tac officers had only conducted cursory r
eviews of all the Xesset material, and none had attempted to learn the language. There was a gap looming, and he was not sure how to manage the different approaches.
“Summary, please,” requested Steg after he’d briefed Denke and the AIs on the visit to the Alliance center of government. He was saving news of the gathering of starships for later discussion.
Denke frowned, as though wondering where to commence. He said, “They’re a shambles. I’m wondering how the Imperial Navy ever won a battle.”
“I agree,” said Alke.
Zhu’s nodded, “I’ve researched. Over the last fifty or more years they’ve fought small engagements only and won those by using overwhelming force. Their opponents have been smaller pirate fleets or what the Imperials regard as rogue systems, which, for example, had refused to enter into treaties. The Imperial Navy typically arrived with five or ten times the number of warships of their opponents, or in the case of Homeworld, used traitors to undermine the defenses of their smaller target.”
“So they’re on a steep learning curve?”
“If only they’d learn,” said Denke. “We’ve run numerous war games during the last seven days, predominantly the one based on Zhu’s encounter with the Xesset—The Battle of Harm’s Way. They fail to coordinate their forces. Each captain wants to show he’s smarter than the others and they separate or make random guesses and get destroyed. Every time.”
“How do we break them of this habit?”
“Shoot them?” suggested Alke.
Denke frowned. “If I wasn’t part of the Imperial military—”
Zhu said, “I agree with Alke.”
Steg took a deep breath. “All right. In tonight’s briefing with the senior officers, we’ll establish these rules. We’ll dismiss those who breakout, irrespective of rank or seniority. Any admiral who experiences more than five dismissals, we’ll also remove from the task force. We’ll recommend to the Emperor he either demotes or removes these officers from the Imperial Navy. We’ll inform the remaining officers that in a real battle, they’ll be subject to court martial if they disobey a command.”
“It’s likely to be the only solution. However, we could see a substantial thinning of the ranks as a result.”
“We might be able to compensate for losses. The Alliance general was supportive. The young officer who traveled back with us is impressive. I hope we get more of his caliber.”
“We could use Alliance expertise and enthusiasm to motivate the Imperials. Make it competitive. Tziksis and his team performed exceptionally well; unfortunately, there’s not enough of them to get us out of this hole,” Denke said.
“What about the Homeworld officers?”
“They also performed credibly. Tziksis’ teams beat them by only two points. I think the Djiis experience of Xesset occupation is motivating.”
“I agree. Now, my final item. We encountered an interesting situation on the return journey. When we transited AR 84993 we came across a fleet consisting of Xesset, ImpSec, and other groups. We identified an odd mix of humanoid and alien origins. In total, there were eighty or more warships.”
“What? ImpSec are siding with Xesset?”
“That’s what we want to determine. The fleet was parked with everything shut down, as though waiting for something—a trigger event of some kind. We left Amber and Echo to monitor them and let us know if they see any movement or new ships arrive.”
“Steg, this is alarming. If the Xesset have expanded their reach, if they’re recruiting other races, even Imperial traitors—”
“Yes, it worries me, too. Apart from the fact of betrayal, we might have thousands of additional warships to fight.”
Denke was slowly recovering from the shock. The AIs were silent; they’d already been briefed by Nyx and had commenced analyzing files she’d uploaded.
Steg continued, “Nyx accessed numerous starship systems and copied as many files as she could without detection. She’s transferred copies to Alke and Zhu. They’re now on your shared intelligence folders. It’s a massive amount of data. I’ve got Jessie working with Hamilton, the new Alliance Tac, to explore as much as they can.”
“A priority?”
“Definitely. I’m considering either using Wanderer to wipe out this fleet or dispatching an Imperial unit. I want a strategy decision as soon as possible. Do we attack, or do we simply continue to monitor them? Or something else? My preference: send in an Imperial team and see how they fare in a real battle situation.”
Denke smiled; it was a grim expression. “The last suggestion is attractive—although we could lose more than we gain.”
Steg shrugged. He knew there was a risk of loss; however, he wanted to test the Imperial Navy in a real conflict. He said, “I’d like to know whether we can depend on the Imperial Navy in a real fight. Talk to Jessie and Hamilton, include Zhu, Alke, and Nyx. We need that strategy analysis. I’ve scheduled a meeting with everyone—Imperial, Djiis, Homeworld—for this evening. I’ll announce our plans based on the team’s analysis.”
“Alke, please tell Jessie I’m headed her way. If Hamilton’s available, include him in the message. Ten minutes. We’ll have something for you as soon as possible,” Denke promised. “By the way, I’ve been successful with my recruiting activities. We have two thousand recruits on the way, although I’m reluctant to call them that, they’re experienced, ex-Special Forces members who were retired early—very early. They’re scheduled to arrive in two days, with another two thousand shipping in as soon as I can arrange transport. I had tremendous support from General Boston and the senior officers of IIS; they were helpful. We’ll have experienced personnel, NCOs, and officers who have all worked together before.” He flicked his rank badges on one shoulder. “I think that deserves a general rank to lead, don’t you?” He left the room before Steg could comment.
Steg said to Alke, “Did the Acolytes provide formal documents for me to use to promote someone like Denke?”
“If they’re part of a Homeworld force, yes. I suggest, as he’s been seconded to the task force, we can use them. Brigadier-General?”
“Yes. We’ll make it official in the meeting tonight.”
oOo
CHAPTER 32
THE MAIN CONFERENCE room audience was fewer than four hundred Imperial Navy officers; there had been some winnowing of numbers as ImpSec imposters, House of Aluta members, and others, hyper-critical of the task force, had been removed. Steg and his team, including four AI holograms, were present on the stage. Adrias dimmed the lights and Steg, highlighted by a single spotlight, waited for conversations to cease.
He said, “Thank you. I have an introduction and a promotion to announce. First, I’d like to welcome Tac Commander Graham Hamilton, Alliance Special Forces.” Adrias added a spotlight to illuminate the officer and there was a polite ripple of applause. Steg continued, “As admiral for the task force, I’m promoting Colonel Denke to Brigadier-General.” This time the spotlight was focused on Denke. “General Denke’s responsibilities are increasing; he has recruited sufficient resources to form two divisions. I may need to find another suitable officer to share his responsibilities. Please congratulate General Denke.” This time the applause was louder and more sustained.
“I’d like to welcome the Homeworld force. While we’re still developing our naval capabilities, I think we’ve made a good start. They’re here with three warships and two hundred fighters.” He waited for the modest applause to end.
“Next item: as you know, we visited the Arkadie system to invite the Alliance military to join our task force and to discuss our need for their support. I’ll present a report to your senior officers detailing the meetings in Kerra. In brief, after some intensive discussions where we presented our background data on the Xesset threats, the Alliance military command has agreed to send starships to join our task force. They will match the Imperial contribution. They’ve also agreed to help crew and supply starships we’ve recently added to the task force. The first Alliance warships
will arrive in five days.”
Steg paused in case the Imperial audience had comments. The arrival of Alliance starships and personnel would have a significant impact on the task force, and he wanted to give the assembly an opportunity to react. When there were no audible comments or questions, he continued, “I understand the naval teams established by Admiral Breval are experiencing varied results with the war games we developed. In some cases, the results are well below the level we require. I have a caution for you—we expect far better performance. I have some proposals to make that I will discuss with the senior officers immediately after this meeting. I’ll now open the floor to questions.”
An Imperial officer in the middle of the audience raised his hand. Adrias focused a spotlight on him and advised Steg, “Lieutenant Roberts. He’s senior grade. Aggressive.”
“Yes, Lieutenant Roberts?”
“I’m tired of your war games nonsense. When are we going to do some real work?”
Steg estimated at least fifty officers agreed with the lieutenant, based on the supporting cheers and comments.
He said, “When your team wins a war game. Show me you can work together. Show me you know how to work as a team. Do that, and I’ll arrange as much action as you can handle.”
His reply was met with a loud chorus of boos and some critical comments. Steg noted the senior Imperial officers did not react. He suspected the later meeting would have some interesting content.
“Lieutenant Roberts and others who are not interested in war games and team building, please provide your names to your admiral. We’ll arrange alternative activities for you. When I conclude this session, I’m meeting with your senior officers, and we’ll discuss possibilities.” He was tempted to draft the objectors into a unit and send them on the mission to take out the mixed fleet in system AR 84993. There were downsides to that strategy; failure was a likely result. He needed to gauge the attitude of the Imperial command team.
Diamond Cut: Book Three in The Glass Complex Trilogy Page 19
