He leaned forward in his chair as he appealed to the Queen again. “Your Majesty, we simply cannot spare the forces for what you ask.”
Alexis was not pleased. “You have assets to build a private Navy, but there is nothing to support the Empire’s position in the Badlands? I find that to be a sad comment on your priorities, Mister Prime Minister.”
She stared at him. In defense, he turned to Admiral Wu. “Your view on this, Admiral?”
The Admiral did not like getting caught in the middle of this. He couldn’t please both of them so he went with the truth. “Mister Prime Minister, we do have some older ships that could never be used in battle against the OrCons. They are currently on border duty far away from the war or are serving as training vessels for new sailors and recently commissioned officers from The Academy. I think we can come up with a few to send to the Badlands. I will certainly look into it.”
Strickland nodded. It was not the answer he was looking for, but it was a way out. He turned to Alexis. “I’m sure Admiral Wu will provide the ships to honor your request, Madam.”
The Queen was not to be mollified. “It is more than my mere request, Mister Prime Minister. If events unfold as I believe they will, we will owe someone a big favor, a very big favor. These ships are the least we can do, and I hope Admiral Wu does not go stingy with the numbers.”
Strickland looked unhappy now. He knew the Queen had her own sources of information, and she would never divulge who, what, where, or why on these sources. Now she seemed to be one-step ahead, again, and he knew nothing about the information that lay behind her veiled comments. He could think of no good response so concluded, rather lamely. “I’m sure the Admiral will keep you well informed on this topic, Madam.”
The Queen looked at Strickland. She was impermeable. A frosted window that allowed nothing to be seen. A cold, frosted window. At last, she nodded while providing closing comments. “I look forward to receiving a milestones timeline soonest for this transfer of ships to the Badlands, and seeing a list of perspective commanders for that unit. It would please me to see it done quickly.” She gave both men a cursory smile. “Thank you for your time.”
Chapter 22
Pirate Flotilla One closed on Aegis at maximum sustained speed. They would arrive only six hours before the attacking OrCons. Contact had been established with Admiral Levant and his staff, and information flowed between the two forces. Hawkins asked for the Aurora plan for the defense of the system.
Upon hearing the request, Admiral Trevor Levant frowned slightly. The last thing he wanted was amateurs mucking up the water, but he had just received a P4 from Admiral Barrett endorsing this Captain Hawkins. Besides, Levant knew he needed all the help he could get and, if the pirates were ignored, they might reconsider their commitment to the upcoming battle. Levant sent his battle plan to Flot 1. Rafe, his staff, and the other pirate captains reviewed the plan. They recommended changes to incorporate the pirates and returned the revised plan to Admiral Levant.
Levant was intrigued as he reviewed their input. The original Zeke plan was for the Royal Navy ships to offer battle in front of the Aegis base. The base defenses had been integrated into their fire support plan and helped offset the slight advantage the OrCons had in numbers. Levant expected the enemy ships to attack in concert with the attack craft from the four strike carriers. His ships would have to honor the greater threat from the attacking ships and would be limited in their response to the small attack craft. Using missiles against the attack planes was akin to using a shooter against a fly. The weapons of choice against the small-sized threat would be guns firing canisters and lasers but any shifting of such assets to that threat would take defensive firepower from the major fight with the large enemy ships. There was no correct answer here. Just a choice between courses of action with different flaws. Levant had decided to concentrate on the larger threat and react to the small attack ships as required. In the proposed plan submitted by the pirates, the small attack craft would be negated by maneuver, and then the pirates would handle the attack craft carriers while Levant would face off against the remainder of the enemy ships. The Zekes would still be outnumbered but would have fighting chance if the small attack craft were taken out of the fight.
Levant had long concluded his force could not win. He was aware of the numbers coming at him, and his only hope was to engage this superior enemy force at his best advantage and sacrifice his ships in hopes of inflicting so many casualties on the OrCons they would have to cut their raid short and depart before hitting Buckler and Signe. He had been reinforced by two patrols that had been close enough to divert to join his fleet, but major Royal Navy reinforcements were two days away. They would not arrive in time for the battle but could cut off the raiders if the enemy lingered too long in the Electra System. Levant knew Orion Admiral Kupin would not loiter. She was much too smart to allow that to happen. But if Levant could hit the Orion ships hard while dragging out the battle, it was possible the enemy would be left with too few numbers and too little time to continue their attack. Levant felt the sacrifice of his fleet and the Aegis base might keep Buckler and Signe whole.
Levant knew the enemy would have accurate intelligence on his force. The OrCons would have had intelligence agents in place for many weeks among the civilian ship crews and on Signe. They would have counted his fleet over the last several weeks and would have known about the arrival of the two patrols. An ambush from subspace was not really an option. If the OrCons could not account for all the Zeke ships on sensors as they closed in, they would simply slow their approach and search for the hidden ships by white phones. Once found, those subspace ships would be in deep trouble. Levant couldn’t risk any of his ships for such a tactic.
The new plan called for an adjustment in time to allow for Flot 1 to get into position and to ensure the enemy carriers were at their most vulnerable when the pirate strike against them occurred. The plan called for a sacrifice on the part of the Royal Navy, and Hawkins was not convinced Admiral Levant would do it. Admiral Levant had reviewed the pirate recommendations and had it passed around his staff and squadron commanders. Surprisingly, the majority of the Royal commanders liked the recommended changes. There would be a sacrifice, but there was now a chance of achieving a victory. The new plan allowed the oncoming OrCons to account for all the Zeke ships as they closed for combat. The OrCons would then close their ranks and focus on the Zeke battle line. Of course, they would have no idea the pirate ships were here so would not be looking for them. There would be an ambush from subspace after all.
The initial Royal Navy set up would be the same as in the original Zeke plan. The Royal Flotilla would establish a battle line in front of the Aegis base. It was the obvious place to establish the defenses. The advancing enemy would have to fight through the Aurora ships and base defenses to achieve a victory and then be able to push on to Buckler and Signe. The new proposal called for the Zeke fleet to abandon their position in front of Aegis as the OrCons closed in and to retreat toward Buckler. Aegis would be on its own. Levant did not like the sacrifice required on his part, but he liked the idea of losing all his ships even less. He had already begun evacuating Aegis upon receiving news of the oncoming enemy force three days ago. Now he would expand that order so the only people left would be a minimal crew manning the defenses.
The civilian space traffic had begun to depart Aegis as soon as the threat became common knowledge. Word had spread quickly and, as it passed from person to person, the threat expanded exponentially. Soon it was thought that half the Orion Navy was five minutes outside sensor range. Several civilian ships were going through customs at Aegis and these were being processed as quickly as possible. The few Navy transports in the area were loaded with sailors, equipment, and supplies, and moved out toward the small base of Buckler located three hours away, or were ordered out in space a safe distance away. There they would await news of the battle. If the OrCons broke through in any great numbers, the ships would scatter like
pigeons. With the general evacuation now completed, there were only a few diehard ships reloading cargo they had just unloaded, and then these ships would cram more equipment and people in any leftover spaces. They would be gone in a few hours.
The destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 22 on picket duty had formed a net far out in front of Aegis. They picked up the oncoming enemy ten hours prior and were retreating back toward Aegis while keeping the enemy on sensors. They had linked up their sensors with the flagship and all other friendlies. They would provide continuing updates on the exact approach vector and numbers of the oncoming Orion raiders.
The approaching pirate formation swung out wide to pass the two bases well outside of sensor range. The Orion spies in port or on nearby civilian ships providing continuous information would not know of them. They also stayed well clear of civilian ships who would immediately broadcast the sighting of a formation of warships. Raferty would have closed on Aegis in subspace if time had allowed for it, but it was not an option. The warships of Flot 1 gave Aegis a wide miss, but the three pirate freighters aimed directly at the base. They would mingle with the departing civilian traffic. At the appropriate time, they would join the tail end of the mass departure and head toward Buckler just ahead of the retreating Zekes.
The pirate warships moved past the bases toward the approaching enemy. They would slide in behind the retreating line of Zeke destroyers and go subspace. The destroyers would move past the pirates and two hours later, the enemy would pass by. At least, that was the plan.
“Contact with DesRon 22. Captain Jack Wilson,” reported Hyatt Renaldo from the communications station.
“Please send him to me,” Rafe directed from his captain’s chair.
The image of a thin faced, bearded man came onto Rafe’s screen. He smiled. “Captain Jack Wilson of the Queen’s destroyer Brodie, currently in command of Destroyer Squadron Two Two. How the hell are you?”
“Good, Captain. And yourself?”
“Could do with a drink. I understand you indulge aboard your ships on a regular basis.”
Rafe smiled. “We do, indeed. What’s your pleasure?”
“I lean toward whiskey myself. My damned XO drinks gin.” Wilson smiled again. “Man has no breeding.”
Rafe laughed. “After this little dust up, I’ll see what I can dig up around here.”
“Damned decent of you. I suspect the base will be destroyed so can’t get anything there. War truly is hell.” He glanced off screen as he was clearly checking on the closing enemy. He looked back at Hawkins. “My handy tac screen says you are in the right location and the enemy is just under two hours in front of me. We are thirty minutes in front of you and both of our formations are closing on your position.”
Hawkins checked his own systems for confirmation. He looked at the imagery of the closing enemy via the sensor returns Wilson’s ship was sending to all participants. He nodded at Wilson. “Looks about right as far as the timing. We’ll go under in three minutes. You should pass over us in twenty seven minutes as you withdraw toward Aegis.”
“Concur,” Wilson responded. “Have one last request, if convenient.”
“Name it.”
“I wish to see this Killian O’Hare. I understand she has one helluva hallie on her face.”
Hawkins laughed. “That is certainly true.” Rafe looked down at his comm to call O’Hare up but he needn’t have bothered. A second after Rafe’s comment, she popped up on the screen and would be on Wilson’s screen also.
No confirmation of her presence was needed as watching Wilson confirmed he saw her. He leaned in, hitting his magnification button several times, and then let out a low whistle. “The comments do not do you justice, Captain O’Hare. That is indeed one helluva hallie, and it works for you.”
Killian gave him a gracious smile. “You are too kind, Captain Jack.”
Wilson’s smile broadened. “How did you know that was my nickname?”
“How could it be anything but that?”
“Beautiful, smart, and a great hallie.”
“Didn’t they tell you I’m crazy?”
Wilson was undeterred. “Even better. I like crazy. We could use more of it around here.” He shifted his gaze slightly to Hawkins. “Captain Hawkins, perhaps we can do some sort of exchange program. You send me Captain O’Hare and I’ll send you Commander Giselle Reynaud, captain of Sallet. That ship is three down the line from me.”
Hawkins laughed. “Has Commander Reynaud already volunteered for this new program of yours? That is quick work, Jack.”
Wilson shrugged. “She has not exactly volunteered but that is the only way this would work. As it happens, Giselle Reynaud is my wife.”
The two pirates laughed as Wilson shrugged again. “On second thought, disregard all that. Giselle would love being a pirate and probably wouldn’t want to come back. I would miss her.”
“Good luck to you, Captain Jack,” Killian gave him her best smile, and the wolf hallie smiled too. She was gone.
“Love that hallie,” Wilson muttered. He looked at Rafe. “Good luck to you, Captain Hawkins.”
“Call me Raferty, Jack.”
“Good luck, Raferty.”
“Also to you.”
The two signed off.
Two minutes later the pirate formation slid into position and went subspace.
Chapter 23
Admiral Levant paced the flag bridge of his ship, the battlecruiser Typhoon. He was impatient. He knew what was coming, and it would not be pretty. He just wanted to get it started. Like most military people, he found the waiting for the beginning of the inevitable battle to be the hardest part. He reviewed the sensors yet again. The oncoming enemy consisted of two battleships, ten battlecruisers, sixteen heavy cruisers, twenty-one light cruisers, and a screen of twenty-six destroyers. Lingering behind this advancing wave were the four attack craft carriers and seven supply ships. The carriers were maintaining pace with the other ships, but Levant knew they would pull up short and launch their attack craft as the other enemy ships surged forward into the attack. He knew they would get as close as possible while still maintaining a safe distance from the Aurora formation. He did know the flight duration of the attack planes was approximately three hours and assumed the carriers would close to a prudent distance from his formation to allow for their planes to conduct their attacks without worrying about the endurance limitations. From the current enemy formation, Levant could not tell how many ships would stay with the carriers as an escort when they did drop behind the main attack formation. He hoped they would keep only a few ships back so as to make it easier for the pirate attack, but he suspected the enemy would put the supply ships with the carriers and cover them both with one escort. The escort would be composed of light cruisers and destroyers. Hopefully, not too many light cruisers and destroyers.
Levant looked at his own forces in a battle line around his ship. Ten battlecruisers, fourteen heavies, fourteen lights, and twenty destroyers. He also had the destroyers currently on the picket line tracking the enemy. He was slightly outnumbered, but it was the four carriers that ensured the enemy superiority. The Royal Navy had no such ships, but Levant had been an advocate of them so had followed their development in other navies. He knew that the squadrons of attack fighters, armed with missiles, could be a force multiplier in battles such as this. They could divide his defenses or take quick advantage of any holes in his defensive shield of missiles, guns, lasers, and decoys. He also knew they had two weaknesses. They were limited in fuel and ordnance so had to return to their carriers to replenish both. Their time on station was dependent on the distance from their carriers. They probably would carry two missiles for this mission. The OrCons had used the fighters in the opening days of the war but very little since. Levant suspected the OrCons were not impressed with the results achieved by their little craft and had been reevaluating their combat role. From the after-action reports, Levant came to the conclusion the OrCons had made two mistakes. They employe
d them in too small of numbers in the big fights to make a difference, and they threw them into the thick of the fighting. In his view, the attack fighters had to be used in significant numbers to offset their limited ordnance delivery per plane, and they had to be used on the flanks of the battle, not flying through the middle of two battle lines of capital ships throwing broadsides at each other. They could also be used in a reserve role. Loiter behind their own battle line and let the fight develop. As soon as a hole was punched in the enemy line, send them in. Levant had followed Admiral Kupin’s career regarding her advocacy for aircraft carriers. He knew she would not waste this opportunity by making the same mistakes as her comrades had done. He and his force were about to be a test case in her employment of the attack fighter weapon system. He would have rather foregone the honor, but there was nothing to be done except hope the pirate adjustments to the original plan worked.
“Captain Wilson reports the pirates are subspace,” a comm specialist sounded off.
“Very well,” came the rote reply from the flag watch officer.
Captain Bond moved to the Admiral. “Our picket destroyers should pass under them in twenty six minutes as they fall back to us. The enemy will pass by them in one hour and fifty-four minutes at current speeds.”
Levant nodded and reiterated a key part of the plan. “We have to move forward to ensure we appear on their sensors just before they would come into white phone range of Hawkins. We need to ensure we get their attention. Once they focus on us, we will slide back to Aegis.”
Echoes from Yesterday: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 4 Page 14
