Elian and I talked to each other and decided that our loss of ability to observe the inner workings of the fleet was not as important as the imperative need to remain unobserved. The bugs clearly came to the conclusion that somebody was out there, and they were now busily going about looking for him – us – in the very logical way it did everything.
We sent encrypted messages to the other four Dresdens to pull well back, and to continue to pull back as long as there was any chance of being spotted or pinned between two enemy forces. The other Dresden captains had seen what could happen – they’d watched it happen to Elian and I, so I wasn’t terribly worried that one or more of them would turn cowboy on me.
Unlike some of the officers we had been reporting to, I did not like issuing very specific orders that would handcuff a ship’s captain. I attempted to ensure that all of my people had the best possible understanding of our mission, and then I operated on the assumption that they would respond correctly to changing circumstances. I had yet to be disappointed, and wasn’t this time.
For the next five days we edged around the outer periphery of the now huge globe of ships the enemy had put out. They were now scouting out to nearly one hundred million kilometers. Our large advantages in stealth technology allowed us to avoid contact relatively easily. In fact, their expanded perimeter meant that their flights were now much further apart.
By our own reckoning we were now very close to the location of the battles between our fleet and the four colony ships. So many ships had been destroyed in this area that our own fleet considered it a dangerous region, due to the millions of tons of debris that were all that was left of their ships.
If our own fleet hadn’t changed position it would now be roughly three hundred million kilometers distant. I seriously doubted that Admiral Lee would permit his forces to be so close.
We were beginning to run low on supplies and it was with a sense of relief that we received an encrypted transmission alerting us that we were about to be relieved by four other Dresdens.
We began pulling even further away from the bug fleet and met briefly with our replacements. We passed over all our most recent data and slowly pulled away for what we were coming to regard as home, the Constitution.
We gradually upped our acceleration as we increased our separation from the bugs and made a short jump, dropping us within a couple of million kilometers of our fleet. We signaled our arrival and headed in.
Admiral Lee invited all four Dresden captains to shuttle over for a debriefing. As we were without a shuttle, we hitched a ride on a Kestrel. It didn’t smell new anymore, although I didn’t mention that to the crew, who assuredly knew that.
Our arrival on board the Constitution served to remind me that we were preparing for an epic battle. Our fleet now included eight carriers with nearly three hundred fighters, mostly Dash 4’s, but with a collection of heavily refitted Dash 6’s as well. The admiral was scouting heavily and at far greater distances than our fleets were accustomed to. I presumed this to be due to the fact that if our enemy could pinpoint our location, he could do to us what had been done to the Essex. This was a war in which the attacker held all the cards. We were safe only as long as our location was unknown.
The admiral greeted Elian and me with a tired smile and waved us over to shake our hands, then pointed to a large seating area, which held a coffee service. We served ourselves and settled down. He grunted as he sat, the first time I’d ever heard that sound and he smiled faintly, “Yeah, I’m getting old fast. If our government doesn’t get off the dime and make a decision I’m going to have to fight my ship from a wheelchair. You know we’ve been out here on station for six months and they still don’t know what to do. There has been fierce opposition to the Fleet ‘unleashing the dogs of war’ by some on the left and similar calls for us to do exactly that by an even more vocal right. I’m not so certain that they’re going to be able to make a decision at all. In some respects, that would be preferable to a decision to attack. I’ve informed headquarters that Fleet cannot maintain this operational tempo for much longer. I didn’t give a specific date, but we’re already running into problems with some of our older ships that were rushed into service. As it stands, I’ve had to send one carrier back to Jupiter base, and of course you can’t send a carrier alone, so I had to send another carrier along as an escort, plus four priceless destroyers.”
He sighed and asked, “What’s happening?” Elian wiggled his fingers at me so I answered, “Sir, approximately fifteen days ago they apparently began recording the series of battles that led to the destruction of the four colony fleets. They reacted by bringing in all their fighters. Fourteen hours later they launched a large number of very heavy fighter based patrols, backed up with from two to four destroyers. Since that time they have patrolled incessantly out to a radius of roughly one hundred million kilometers. They are probably looking for evidence of the destruction of something; either the colony ships or whomever attacked them. I have no idea what they will do now that they have lost their, I guess you could call it, purpose of life. We’re dealing with a species that has spent two thousand years chasing after members of their own species. The only thing going for us is that they have just decelerated from a ten light year voyage and they probably don’t have much reactor mass left, so they can’t just sit out here forever.”
The admiral looked at Elian but he had nothing additional to add. Admiral Lee said, ”We’ve tried to estimate just how much fuel the sixth bug fleet would have left after running their engines for so long, but we have absolutely no better idea than you do. Listen, someone came up with an idea and I’d like to see what you two think of it. She wondered, if earthgov wouldn’t approve an assault on their fleet, and it also didn’t want to allow them to colonize our own region of space, if there might be a middle path. Would it be possible, she asked, for us to destroy their ability to make war without killing them all? Her thought was that we might be able to destroy their carriers and smaller combat vessels while leaving their mother ships intact. She thought that perhaps we could ‘escort’ them, as she put it to that solar system, and supervise their colonization. In effect, she asks if we could force them to remake their society into one that wasn’t such a deadly threat to us. What are your thoughts?”
Elian and I had talked about this several times, but we hadn’t come up with any reason to think it might be either possible or not. We looked at each other and Elian smiled. He said, “Sir, we’ve discussed this possibility, but we don’t see how to work it. Assuming that we can accomplish the destruction of all their combat craft, leaving their mother ships intact, how would we be able to force them? We don’t have a working translator yet. Well, we didn’t last I knew. But, supposing that we can develop a method of communicating with them, and we tell them they have a choice of either getting killed or submitting to us, we have no way of knowing what they will do. Frankly, their apparently totalitarian social structure could as easily lead them to suicide as allow them to submit to us. Despite all that I think that from a moral perspective, we ought to try something that doesn’t include their extinction. Elian, our execs and WO Kana agree, sir. Do you have any indication that earthgov is considering something like this?”
The admiral shook his head and said, “I’ve sent this idea up the chain of command, and by now it ought to have reached our government, but that is all I know. Hell, just call me a mushroom.”
He sat for a moment and then brightened, “I’ve got to send a carrier to Lubya for some maintenance that can’t be performed here. Would you two care to serve as escorts? It would just be a relatively quick turnaround, but you ought to be able to get in a little leave.” I nodded somberly and he grinned, “Your poker face needs work, commander. The carrier leaves in six hours. As we speak, you should have an FFC nearing your ships to refill your bunkers and larder. Do you have any problems that need to be addressed here?” We shook our heads and he said, “I’ve got a meeting in a few minutes, but I’d appreciate it
if you two miscreants would stick around. I want to pick your alleged brains about those tactics you’ve proposed, but the only free time I’ve got is my evening meal.”
We said our ‘yes sirs’ and stood. We saluted and left. In the outer office Lieutenant Graziano asked us if we’d been informed of the sixteen hundred ‘soup and debriefing’ as she put it. We nodded and she waved to us with a nice smile. Very nice smile. We were safely married, so perhaps she was letting her guard down. We wondered out loud if WO Kana might be welcome and she brightened visibly. She told us to go ahead and comm him, and she would make certain to fly it by the admiral.
We commed the Grant and requested the presence of WO Kana, who we thought would have some valuable input, along with some much needed humor.
We met the former chief on the flight deck at fifteen hundred hours and spent some time looking at one of the newly refitted Dash 6 fighters. Fleet had replaced its mag bottle with a newer, more powerful unit, added some desperately needed armor and increased the size of its energy mount. It was no quicker than before, but it had a much more powerful energy punch and might be able to survive getting hit. Probably not, but now it was possible. We were told that all of the nearly two hundred Dash 6’s were being refitted as rapidly as possible, which probably meant that they would arrive too late.
We were admitted into the admiral’s quarters and found seating for five, meaning the ‘debriefing’ was not going to include anyone else. The admiral was missing, not an unusual occurrence. He breezed in five minutes late trailing some fire and brimstone. Lieutenant Graziano followed along behind, speaking forcefully to someone about a readiness report. She finished by saying, “Captain, the admiral wants that report on his desk by eighteen hundred hours. I should tell you that he will be in no mood for anything other than that report. Can I tell him that you will deliver it on time?”
We listened in fascination as she paused in mid stride, presumably listening to someone tap dance. After nearly thirty seconds she said, “Sir, I apologize for interrupting you, but I have an urgent comm call for the admiral. He’ll expect you at eighteen hundred hours. Thank you sir.” She closed the connection and almost visibly refrained from throwing the tiny comm unit at the bulkhead.
Admiral Lee had seated himself and was deliberately not paying attention to his aide, allowing her time to get her temper under control. As she sat he grinned at her and asked, “So, lieutenant, what did Captain Speer say?”
I was very surprised that the admiral would conduct business in front of us, but not so much that I stopped listening. Lieutenant Graziano had by now regained her composure and said, “Sir, Captain Speer told me that there was no way he would be able to provide the readiness report by the time requested. He said that he would, and I quote, ‘get it to the admiral as soon as I am able. Unquote.”
Admiral Lee grinned, surprising me. He said, “Lieutenant, contact Captain Han, who happens to be currently on board this very ship, and request that she present herself here in my quarters as soon as possible.”
Lieutenant Graziano stood and walked briskly out the hatch, reappearing a couple of minutes later. She sat back down and stewards appeared with covered dishes. We were served and began eating. I really hoped to be around when the other shoe dropped.
Fifteen minutes later a steward stepped over to the admiral and leaned in close. He said something quietly and Admiral Lee said, “Excellent. Ask the captain to come in and please set her up with a place setting and some food.”
The steward went to the hatch, opened it and gestured to someone presumably just outside. A moment later a short, squat vaguely Asian woman entered. Before she could salute, the admiral stood and leaned toward her with his hand out. She stepped forward and shook firmly. Admiral Lee pointed to a vacant chair and said, “Welcome captain. Will you please join us for a quick meal? If you haven’t met my other guests, they are, Lieutenant Commanders Turner and Padilla, commanding the Lee and Grant, WO Kana, serving on the Grant and my aide, Lieutenant Graziano. Gentlemen and lady, this is Captain Han, late of the inactive reserve. Captain Han last served as the commanding officer of the Invictus, one or two captains ago, as I recall.”
We all nodded and Captain Han looked across the table at WO Kana. She said, “Warrant Officer Kana, please allow me to congratulate you on your recent marriage. You may not know this but Chief, well, Senior Chief Kana now, served under me on two separate tours, and I can think of no better senior chief in the Fleet. No deadlier either, come to think of it.”
WO Kana beamed and said, “Thank you sir. The chief is looking forward to regaining her title, and I am as well. She has been using me as a sparring partner and I could really use a break. In fact, I suggested to Commander Padilla that he might wish to assist her preparations, but he discovered that his duties made that impossible.”
I grinned and said, “I couldn’t very well command that fine Dresden the admiral has seen fit to place into my hands, if I were in hospital, or um, deceased.” Everyone laughed and I could feel the mood in the admiral lighten as he joined in. He added, “I’ve seen footage of Commander Padilla, and he’s right: he’s a very good brown belt who should be ready to test for his black belt, but I do believe that the senior chief would take no more than a couple of seconds to tie him up in knots.” Everyone laughed again and the admiral picked up his fork, causing everyone to do the same.
We ate quickly and fifteen minutes later his steward had cleared the table and brought in a coffee service. We were served and the steward left, leaving us alone.
Admiral Lee asked ostentatiously, “Captain Padilla, did you get enough sugar for your coffee?” Elian almost snorted, but caught himself in time. I smiled angelically and said, “Yes sir, just enough.” The admiral grinned and said, “Can’t have my captains suffering sugar withdrawal during a battle, can I?” I tried to maintain a poker face, with the usual results, and agreed, “Absolutely correct sir.”
The admiral took a sip of coffee and leaned back in his chair. He turned to Captain Han and said, “Captain, I’m glad you’re here. I’ve got a job for you, and it won’t be pleasant, but I need you and I know you’ll do it to the best of your considerable ability. I’m relieving Captain Speer, and sending him back to Jupiter. My aide is going to find a suitable spot for him, somewhere not on earth, where his many skills will be fully utilized. Meanwhile, I’ve got a carrier that is falling apart and I need you to get it and its crew whipped into shape. You won’t have very long, perhaps not any time at all if we’re unlucky. Questions?”
Captain Han surprised me by not showing the slightest emotion. She asked, “Sir, what is her condition?” Admiral Lee said, “The Brezhnev has been suffering a series of equipment failures and her flight crews are performing so poorly that if we weren’t at war I’d send the ship in. For obvious reasons, I can’t afford to lose her and so I’m giving her over into your hands. I wish you had more time, but I think the crew is a good one, it just needs the kind of leadership I know you are capable of. I want you to spend a little time here with me while we bring you up to date on our own fleet readiness and on the bug sixth fleet. Captains Turner and Padilla have just returned from another scouting expedition to the bug fleet, and they’ve also performed a quick survey on the apparent destination of the colony ships. Commander Padilla, would you please quickly sum up for Captain Han the bug fleet order of battle?”
I spent the next ten minutes covering the number and quality of the bug combat vessels, causing Captain Han to visibly blanch. She asked, “Seven hundred fighters?” I said, “Sir, we’ve observed seven hundred; we believe this bug fleet is capable of launching as many as eight hundred or more fighters. All of the ones we have seen appear to be superior in acceleration to those we encountered during the battles with the colony fleets. We have no data on their missile capability, but their destroyers and cruisers use targeting radar, so they’ve got them. Their mother ships are much smaller than the colony ships, but we believe that to be due to the intended purpose of
this fleet, which is offensive rather than an effort to colonize a new system. Actually, it was originally two fleets that have joined together within the last fifty years.”
Admiral Lee said, “Commander, please quickly sum up your estimate of how our fleet would go about attacking and defeating this new incursion.”
I said, “Sir, our conventional ships, the destroyers, cruisers, the one battle ship and our carriers are, with the sole exception of the Constitution, not capable of taking on the bugs in an open engagement. We would be overwhelmed and destroyed, probably within less than half an hour. However, our Dresdens, along with the Hawks and Kestrels can approach to within a very short range without detection and launch approximately thirteen hundred missiles. We estimate that were we to attack the bug carriers with the first launch, we would be able to destroy or disable all of them. Following that, we would rearm and launch a second and possibly third attack, targeting first the mother ships and finally all their remaining ships. We estimate that we would suffer very few casualties. Unfortunately, we won’t know how effective our Mark 67 missile will be unless and until we use it, but we believe it will work well enough. Meanwhile, our fleet must remain out of range of the bugs, for at least two additional reasons: first, if they see us they’ll probably attack; second, if they see us, they’ll probably wonder how this underwhelming force could possibly have defeated the colony ships, and then they’ll probably attack. We do not recommend that we permit the bugs to observe our jump capability, short of a very dire emergency, such as for example, an attack.”
Hawk Seven (Flight of the Hawk) Page 79
