by Dietmar Wehr
“Open an audio channel to the Squadron.”
“Channel open, Sir.”
“This is Shiloh. Plan Alpha III has just been put into effect. The 144th has been ordered to Tango Delta 6 asap. You’ll be receiving the necessary course change data shortly. Because of the short distance to TD6 and back, we won’t have to worry about fuel consumption and therefore we’ll be making a high speed jump. It’s imperative that the 144th arrive at TD 6 before the enemy gets there if they chose that star system as their next destination. Once we arrive at TD 6, I’ll contact our picket ship already stationed there and then I’ll determine how we’ll proceed based on the situation at that time. Shiloh out.” He turned back to look at Chenko who said.
“Course and speed for Tango Delta 6 has been plotted and uploaded and all ships report ready to execute, Sir.”
“Very well, XO. Helm, execute the course change!”
“Executing course change now, Sir.” As all eight frigates began to both accelerate and change their headings via autopilot, Shiloh looked at the Tactical display and saw that the other two squadrons were also coming around to the new headings for their own high speed jumps. Two more frigate squadrons remained as they were. They would continue to defend this star system in case the enemy jumped past Tango Delta 6, 8 and 9 altogether. That was highly unlikely but nevertheless had to be guarded against because the base itself had minimal defenses. The optimum combination of normal acceleration and jumpspace speed enabled the 144th to arrive at the outer edges of the Tango Delta 6 system in just over 12 hours. Even as the squadron decelerated, Shiloh sent a tight beam transmission to the point in the system where the frigate on picket duty was supposed to be. With the distance between them measured in light hours, it was almost 7 hours later when Shiloh received a reply from the picket ship. No sign of enemy activity so far. Shiloh happened to be on the Bridge when the 339’s message arrived. When Chenko arrived to take her regular duty shift, Shiloh shared the message with her and asked for her comments.
“Well, Sir. I don’t think we can jump to any conclusions just yet. Even though TD 11 is just over 4 light years away and it wouldn’t take those ships long to get here, they may still be in TD 11 or they might have turned around and gone back home OR…they could easily have jumped to TD 8 or 9 instead. How long we wait here is a good question.” Shiloh nodded.
“I agree with your assessment. The question I’m now trying to grapple with is how close we take the squadron to the picket ship. I don’t want to give away her position if those alien ships do show up but then again, waiting for hours for a transmission to reach us eliminates a lot of tactical options. What do you suggest?” Chenko pondered that question for a few seconds while Shiloh waited. Finally she said.
“My recommendation would be that the Squadron not be any further away than five light minutes. It’s unlikely that the tactical situation would change drastically in that period of time but further than that could be problematic.”
“Yes, I agree. When you take the con for your duty shift, that’s what I want you to arrange. Let’s put the squadron within five light minutes of the picket ship, on a heading that’s in the general direction of the nearest gas giant, at a speed of…1500 kps. At some point, I’ll want the squadron to loop back around but we don’t have to worry about that now. Let’s keep our link to the picket ship active at all times so that they know our position and vector. Also keep a message drone ready to deploy in case something develops that Base Commander Korolev needs to know about.”
“Yes, Sir. Even though I’m early for my duty shift, I can relieve you now if you wish.”
“Thank you, XO. I’ll take you up on your kind offer.” In a louder voice Shiloh said. “The XO has the Con!” As she took his place at the Command Station, he took one last look around and then left the Bridge for a bite to eat in the Wardroom and then a short power nap in his cabin. When no sign of the enemy ships appeared during the first 12 hours, Shiloh felt more relaxed. He ordered the crew, which had been on alert status to stand down to normal routine. When another 24 hours went by without news, the all too familiar sense of boredom, that he and the crew had suffered through while on defensive patrol at Bradley base, now seemed to resurface. Over the last several months, he and Chenko had established a routine whereby they would meet in the wardroom during their overlapping off-duty hours for a game or two of chess. Shiloh was getting better at it and he would actually win the occasional game. This time he was losing badly and Chenko seemed to notice.
“You seem distracted, Cmdr. Your game isn’t up to the standard that you’ve been displaying lately.” Shiloh nodded.
“You’re right. I’m having difficulty concentrating on this game. This waiting is getting to me more than usual. When we were on defensive patrol at Bradley, we weren’t expecting trouble and we had the occasional simulated battles with the other squadrons to look forward to. Here, it’s just us and we could be in the fight of our lives at literally any minute. What worries me more than anything else is the thought that there may be more than the three ships that 257 detected. I’m confident that this squadron can hold its own against more or less even odds but if we’re outnumbered, then things could get really nasty and unfortunately, the Powers That Be did not, in their infinite wisdom, give me any guidance in the Alpha III plans as to when and under what circumstances I’m allowed or required to withdraw the squadron from combat.” Chenko did not respond right away but then said.
“Let’s hope that situation won’t arise, Sir.”
“Amen to that, XO.” Chenko made a move.
“Checkmate.” Shiloh nodded and tipped over his King. Chenko said. “Another game?”
“Nope. My mind’s not into the game at the moment. Let’s hope my strategic skills are sharper when the enemy finally does show up.” Shiloh got up from the table, nodded to Chenko and walked away. Six hours later, as Shiloh was getting ready to assume the Con for his Bridge shift, Chenko called him.
“Bridge to Cmdr. Shiloh!”
“Shiloh here, go ahead.”
“339 has just received a contact report from one of the recon drones. Six unknown ships tentatively identified as hostiles have been detected approaching the furthest away gas giant. With the transmission lag from the drone, that news is over ten hours old but we’re just getting it now.”
“Okay. Put the Squadron on alert. I’ll be on the Bridge directly. Shiloh out.” As Shiloh was about to leave his cabin, he felt a wave of dizziness that was strong enough to force him to sit down. The view of the cabin faded out to be replaced by a vision of a wounded Chenko asking him how he came up with the idea of luring the ships into an ambush by ordering the picket ship to micro-jump closer. The vision faded before he heard his own reply. When the cabin came back into view, the dizziness went away and Shiloh was able to stand again. He ran to the Bridge where Chenko had already vacated the Command Station. As Shiloh sat down he asked.
“What’s our status, XO?”
“The Squadron’s on alert. No further reports from 339, Sir.”
“Very well. XO, you’ll con the ship while I handle the Squadron as we did last time. I’m going to send a message to 339 which I want the rest of the Squadron COs to hear as well.”
“Yes, Sir.” Chenko snapped her fingers at the Comm. Tech to make sure he was paying attention, who nodded and manipulated his controls. Chenko then walked over to the Helm station and tapped Lt. Verlander on the shoulder. He immediately got up and let her take the Helm Station. When Shiloh received word that the communications setup was ready, he said.
“Shiloh to 339. This is what we’re going to do. I want 339 to micro-jump to a point 50,000 km in front of the Squadron’s path. Those enemy ships will detect your emergence and jump in to intercept and that’s when we’ll surprise them! While 339 is doing that, the Squadron will deploy a dozen recon drones in a shell around our current location with active scanning and will go to Battle Stations. As soon as the enemy ships jump into combat range, I’ll g
ive the command to open fire. We’ll concentrate our fire. 344’s Weapons Officer will determine the targeting sequence. 339 does not have to acknowledge this message. You’re arrival by micro-jump will be reply enough. Shiloh out.” As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Chenko order the ship to Battle Stations. With Chenko looking after the 344, Shiloh motioned for Senior Lieutenant Sykes, the Weapons Officer, to come over to his station.
“Sir?”
“I want you to concentrate the squadron’s fire, Lieutenant. Pick three targets and assign three frigates to each of the first two with the remaining two frigates on the third. As soon as a target is clearly damaged and no longer maneuvering, switch to a new target. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir.” As Sykes went back to his station, Shiloh checked the status of each frigate in the squadron. All were now at Battle Stations. The larger Tactical display showed that a wave of recon drones had been launched and were moving into their prearranged positions. Sensor data from their active scanning was being received but nothing to report so far. With a touch of the simulated button on his Command Station view screen, he opened up the audio channel for squadron communications and heard Falkenburg talking.
“…if they don’t take the bait?” Before anyone else could reply, Shiloh said.
“If those enemy ships don’t try to ambush a single frigate, I’ll be very surprised but if that happens then I’ll seriously consider going after them directly. Anyone else have any questions?” Cmdr. Adams replied.
“Yes, Sir. Will 339 be joining us in the battle?”
“That’s the plan, Felicia. As soon as 339 arrives, she’ll be ordered to join the squadron and tie her laser fire into our collective targeting strategy. In the meantime, I want our recon drones to be out in front. Let them take enemy fire. Don’t use your ship’s active scanners unless you’re no longer getting sufficient targeting data from the drones to get hits. If the 344 is knocked out of action, then Cmdr. Sanchez will assume temporary command of the squadron. Rico, if you see my ship unable to maneuver and I’m out of communications, then take over, okay?”
“Okay, Victor. I got that!”
“Speaking of communications…Fletcher!” The Comm. Tech looked over. “Make sure a message drone has the latest data and launch it back to Bradley Base ASAP!”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Okay, everyone. Let’s stay on our toes! It’ll take another two and a half minutes for my message to reach the 339 and then another few minutes for them to change heading for a micro-jump here. If a ship shows up at about the right time, let’s not fire on it until we know for sure it’s NOT the 339. I’ll keep this channel open but I want idle chatter kept down to a minimum. Standby everyone.” Shiloh checked his ship’s status and saw that it was at Battle Stations and that Chenko seemed to have everything well in hand. His own Bridge crew were now speaking into their microphones in low tones in order to be able to hear voice commands from Shiloh or Chenko. The Tactical display was now showing the sensor data from the various recon drones actively scanning the space near the squadron. Shiloh found that he was breathing fast due to adrenaline rush and fought to slow it down. At least this time they won’t catch us by surprise he thought to himself. He asked himself what else he could do to improve his ship’s chances of making it through this battle successfully. If the Bridge took a direct laser hit, most of the senior officers would be killed. Perhaps the XO should be redeployed in Engineering just in case.
“XO.” Chenko looked at him and he waived her over.
“Yes, Sir?”
“Just to be on the safe side, I want you to shift your conning of the ship to Engineering, in case the Bridge takes a hit. Verlander can take back the Helm Station and the Con temporarily until you get to Engineering.” Chenko said nothing for about two seconds, then nodded and turned away giving orders to Lt. Verlander and the other Bridge crew about her intention to resume command of the ship after reaching Engineering. Shiloh checked the time display and saw that the 339 would be receiving his message right about now. The next four minutes seemed to take forever.
At that point, the Tactical display pinged to notify Shiloh of a new contact. A single ship emerged from jumpspace at the extreme edge of the recon drones’ scanning range. Its transponder automatically answering the electronic challenge with 339’s ID. Before the Weapons Officer could verbally announce the ship’s arrival, Shiloh said.
“I see her, Lieutenant. Fletcher, add the 339’s to the open squadron channel.”
“Yes, Sir….go ahead, Sir.”
“Cmdr. Caru, I see that you got my message.”
“Yes, Commander. I’m not really sure if I want the enemy to take the bait or not?” They both chuckled. Shiloh was certain that he would have had some reservations as well if their positions had been reversed. At least, Cmdr. Caru hadn’t disputed Shiloh’s orders. Technically, he wasn’t required to obey Shiloh’s orders because they were the same rank and because the 339 wasn’t part of the Squadron. On the other hand, refusing to cooperate in any plan that had a good chance of a significant victory against the enemy would have been difficult to justify to Admiral Howard afterwards.
“Cmdr., I’d like to add the 339 to the squadron fire control net and therefore it would be ideal if you brought your ship closer. Okay with you?”
“Yes, that’s fine. We’ll stand a much better chance of surviving the battle if we’re not dangling out here all by ourselves when they show up. I’ll have my Weapons Officer get in sync with yours.”
“Excellent. Keep your channel open. Good hunting to you and your crew and to the Squadron. I expect we’ll see some action very soon.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Shiloh could tell that Caru continuing to talk to his own people because his voice sounded further away as he turned his head away from the microphone. Shiloh figured that they had another 3-5 minutes before the enemy showed up but they reacted must faster than that. Less than a minute after talking with 339’s Caru, the Tactical display pinged again and this time 6 ships emerged from jumpspace and were almost immediately designated as hostile contacts. Shiloh immediately touched the view screen command to the Squadron to commence fire. Sen. Lt. Sykes acknowledged instantly.
“We have good targeting data! Opening fire!...Two Hits by God! Weapons recharging…ready to fire in …three…two…one…firing again!” Shiloh watched the display as one, then another of the enemy ships staggered from damaged propulsion effects, then both blew apart. One more enemy ship was clearly damaged even as Caru’s 339’s ship symbol started blinking indicating hull breeches and atmospheric venting. She was the obvious target since not enough time had passed to allow her to merge with the rest of the squadron. Shiloh could dimly hear Caru yelling to his crew about damage control and then suddenly his voice was cut off. The symbol on the display broke apart and faded away. Shiloh realized he had been holding his breath and forced himself to breathe again. Looking back at the enemy formation, he realized that there were only two enemy ships left and one was falling behind the other. Just then power to the Bridge flickered for half a second and on his Command Station, half a dozen status indicators changed color from green to yellow. The ship had been hit but apparently not too seriously. Before he could say anything the lead enemy ship jumped away and just seconds later, the lagging ship blew apart. The battle was over. Shiloh checked the display’s duration of battle indicator and was shocked to see that the entire battle had taken less than 30 seconds! His squadron display showed that 299 and 301 were damaged.
“Shiloh to Squadron. Report damage and casualties as soon as you have that data.” Shiloh noticed that Sen. Lt. Sykes was listening to his earpiece and looking at him at the same time. When it was obvious that Sykes was no longer listening to anything, Shiloh motioned him to come to his Command Station.
“Is there something I should know, Lieutenant?”
“Yes, Sir. I’ve just been informed that Cmdr. Chenko was slightly wounded when her console in Engineering shorted out from a power over
load. She’s on the way to Sickbay and I’ve been informed that I have the Con, Sir.”
“Very well Lieutenant, find out what damage and casualties we’ve sustained and then get back to me.” As Sykes returned to his station, Shiloh said in a louder voice.
“Lt. Sykes has the Con.” The other Bridge personnel nodded their acknowledgement. By the time Shiloh received all of the after action damage and casualty reports, he realized that the 144th had been very fortunate. Only two crew killed and half a dozen injured. Both 299 and 301 were still space worthy and in fact still had all their weapons functional as well. Upon further reflection, Shiloh admitted to himself that the Squadron’s luck was due to Cmdr. Caru and 339’s misfortune to suffer the brunt of the enemy’s attack. After thirty minutes had passed without any further sign on enemy activity, Shiloh ordered the Squadron to stand down from Battle Stations. He left the Bridge to go to Sickbay and ran into Chenko in a corridor on the way there. The right side of her head was covered with the sprayed on bioplastic material that functioned as a bandage.
“Glad to see you’re up and around, XO. What happened in Engineering?” Chenko nodded and took a breath.
