The Jovian Sweep (Asteroid Scrabble Book 1)

by Martin Bourne

  “Ah, Admiral Courage! A pleasure to see you, sir, a genuine pleasure!” The Coordinator actually deigned to rise from his chair and waddle around to stand in front of Courage. He felt his right hand smothered by both of Wentworth's and pumped up and down enthusiastically. Courage heard a click as the door closed behind him. The orderly had magically disappeared.

  “Err, thank you Coordinator”.

  Wentworth stopped his relentless pounding of Courage’s hand and laid a sweaty palm on his shoulder. He leaned in as if about to impart some mighty secret. “And once again my sincere thanks for clearing up that messy little business on Verdrag so efficiently and quietly. I said then you were a man to watch for the future! The whole of the Virtue Confederation owes you its gratitude sir, and I add my own sincere personal thanks to that!” The Coordinator, having given his quota of personal touch, returned to the security of his desk. “Yes indeed! Admiral Jack Courage – a fortunate man with an appropriate name, in every sense of the word.”

  Courage inwardly grimaced. The accident of his name had followed him for a long time.

  “Are you sure you would not care for some refreshment Admiral?” asked Wentworth courteously.

  “No thank you Coordinator.” In truth his mouth was very dry, but he only thirsted for news.

  “Well, perhaps you won’t mind if I get something?”

  “Of course not Coordinator.” As if there could be any other answer.

  Wentworth pressed a button on his expansive desk. Instantly a panel opened and a beautifully ornate drinks dispenser rose from the desk interior. Wentworth’s pudgy fingers operated it expertly, delivering a fiery looking concoction which he slurped at noisily. Courage waited impatiently. It was only when he saw a gleam in Wentworth’s eye that he realised what was going on.

  His suspicions were confirmed when Wentworth took his time putting away his glass, then made a great show of extracting a thick sheaf of vidscrolls from the inner recesses of his desk. He peered at several of them unnecessarily.

  "So. We have received intelligence that the Triangle League will be making a move against the Jovian system. We want you to take command of a new fleet, the Jovian defence fleet, and stop them." He handed over the vidscrolls.

  So there it was. The Jovian system. Jupiter and its horde of satellites. A long way away indeed. He took the proffered documentation.

  "As I recall, Amethyst is the current duty Depot Ship for Jupiter, is she not?”

  Wentworth rolled a considering eye over him. “You keep up to date with developments Admiral! I like that. Yes I do.” He shifted slightly on his chair. “Amethyst is indeed the assigned Depot Ship for the region, but as I am sure you appreciate it is a particularly large area, covering not only Jupiter but all the nearer asteroids to it. She cannot spend all her time in the Jovian system itself.”

  Courage found a log amongst the pile of scrolls. “It seems periodic visits are all that any of the Jovian satellites have received over the past two years.”

  “Yes, well, flying the flag and all that. It all helps our position out there.”

  Courage speed-read the vidscrolls. “The threat assessment doesn't appear to include the strength of the Triangle League force.”

  Wentworth's eyes flickered, then he tapped once, twice, and then a triumphant third time on his vidscreen. “There! A fuller intelligence estimate is now available on your perscomp admiral! As I am sure you will appreciate, it is secure information." He spoke up as Courage raised his perscomp. "You can peruse it at your leisure later, as long as you observe the necessary security protocols. In brief though, we expect a major fleet deployment. Several large Depot Ships, half a dozen or so light Depot Ships, plus attendant support units of course." There was a half-second pause. "There might be assault transports too.”

  “Assault transports?”

  “It is possible they are planning an invasion of one or more of the satellites.”

  Courage felt his mind swim. An invasion? That was alarming news. Wentworth hurried on before he could speak again.

  “It is not considered likely you understand, because of the distance an all, but the possibility cannot be entirely ruled out.”

  Which meant that it was very possible. Courage needed time to digest the implications, but of course that was exactly what he was not going to get.

  "Now I expect you'll want to know your command?” Wentworth tapped at his desk and a series of 3D hologram images popped up. The podgy fingers played across the consoles with surprising speed. It certainly would not do to underestimate this man. The soft, jovial exterior was an illusion, a distraction carefully cultivated to lull the unwary.

  "The bad news is that there is no Jovian Defence fleet. Not as such.”

  This next bombshell was quietly delivered. Courage could not help but stare, and mentally cursed as Wentworth’s eyes gleamed.

  "This appraisal gives the impression that the Virtue Strategy Board considers the threat to Jupiter to be serious," he said, carefully.

  "Oh they most certainly do. And indeed it is! Unfortunately - as I am sure you are aware - our resources are seriously stretched at the moment. And there were many among the general staff who considered, and with no little justification too I might add, that the prosecution of existing operations should take precedence over the establishment of a defensive fleet that only might be needed.” Wentworth shook his head in a very passable imitation of regret. “There are always more demands on the navy’s assets than can be comfortably met."

  Courage knew what he wanted to say, but it was better to pause. "I trust sufficient units will soon be made available," he said, keeping his voice carefully neutral.

  “To be sure admiral, to be sure! Even as we speak, units are being added to your roster. I feel confident that when fully assembled you will be able to give any force the Triangle League will deploy into the area a very close run for their money!”

  “Still being added?”

  “Of course. The more the better, wouldn’t you say?”

  “I would. But this intelligence estimates the attack will occur within the next few weeks. If the Jovian fleet is still not fully mobilised….”

  “The situation is hardly optimal, I agree. Still, all that can be done is being done.”

  Courage mentally sighed. It was an all too familiar situation. VSB spent forever poring over intelligence reports in the minutest detail, but they rarely believed anything that didn’t already fit their collective wisdom. All that could be done was being done all right, to compensate for the fact that they had been yet again comprehensively outmanoeuvred. So, Jack Courage, admiral expendable, had been detailed to try and restore another hopeless situation.

  Or provide a scapegoat, as the situation warranted.

  Wentworth broke into this internal reverie. “The main bulk of the force is already on its way to join Amethyst. Four ‘Nebula’ class Depot Ships, plus their attendant support ships, are half way there in fact. The Depot Ship Valiant has already joined her. Two more ‘Gemstone’ class Depot Ships, Tourmaline and Sapphire will be leaving soon. You can travel in one of them yourself. You have not served with either before?”

  He shook his head. Of course Wentworth knew everything about his record.

  “A pity. However, I’m sure you will soon form a good rapport. Both first class modern vessels.”

  As he spoke schematics and statistics flowed into the holovid imager. ‘Gemstone’ Depot Ships were indeed impressive vessels, but their design criteria had been skewed heavily towards endurance, to the detriment of fighting capabilities. It was a reaction to the need to protect the Virtue Confederation’s expansive commercial interests. "Gemstones" were indeed new, fast and well equipped, but they did not field a great many war drones, not by modern standards anyway. And it was the drones that did the actual fighting.

  From the look of the schematics someone had modified Sapphire with an extra flight deck, but that still amounted to only about a hundred and eighty drones. It might be
possible to squeeze in two hundred, if he had time. In comparison, a modern Triangle fleet Depot Ship would be carrying at least three hundred - the bigger ones even more.

  Wentworth was watching him. “The major Jovian satellites have their own self-defence forces, do they not?” Courage asked, to break the silence.

  “Yes. Fairly nominal ones. Surplus Confederation drones to be exact. Their link warriors are locals, trained by our military advisors out there. It’s good that they think they are making some kind of contribution.”

  Even Courage did not miss the inclusion of the word ‘think’, but decided to let it slip. There were more important questions.

  “What's their status?”

  “As I said Admiral, there are always more demands for resources than can be met. The local garrisons and outposts were most favourably maintained before the war, but alas, as the conflict has widened many units had to be reallocated to more important theatres.”

  “Rather ironic now.”

  Wentworth’s eyes sparkled. “Indeed, indeed. Still we had to operate on the information available at the time. After all, we can hardly keep substantial forces idle against threats that might appear, when other theatres are facing real threats now.”

  “What about personnel?”

  “All of the warships are fully complemented.”

  Courage shifted in his chair. “It is, I believe, common knowledge that experienced link warriors are now progressively reassigned from older Depot Ships to more modern ones.”

  Wentworth was still smiling, but his fussy rearranging of objects had ceased. “That would seem a sensible use of resources, given that the newer vessels see a lot more actual combat.”

  “Perhaps so, but if half of the Depot Ships assigned to this new fleet have been backfilled with inexperienced warriors..."

  “Such speculations are heavily exaggerated.”

  Nothing more was forthcoming. Courage, inevitably, broke the silence.

  “Anyway, I was more wondering about command personnel.”

  “A full biog of all ship captains is included in your brief.”

  “I was thinking more of my personal staff.”

  Wentworth picked up a vidgraph, examined it minutely, and replaced it in almost the same place. “You mean your aides?”

  “Yes. I would like Sally on this one, if she is available.”

  “Who?”

  Courage fought down his irritation and spoke as evenly as he could. “Commander Sally Cromarty.”

  Wentworth sat up. “Ah yes. Commander Cromarty. I'm sure that could be arranged. She was your aide during the affair at Mathilde, was she not?”

  Courage tried not to bristle. “I have indeed worked with Commander Cromarty before,” he said evenly.

  “Well,” said Wentworth, smiling in a passable imitation of understanding. “Let us hope for more success this time.”

  The barb was not lost on Courage. “I took the only possible action that I could at Mathilde.”

  “Of course, admiral, of course.”

  “The board approved my decisions fully.”

  “Oh dear,” said Wentworth, his expression full of anxiety, “I do hope the business at Mathilde is not weighing upon you Admiral.”

  Courage ground his teeth. "No. Of course not."

  Wentworth beamed at his victory. “Well, then nothing more needs to be said.” He leaned over and extended a podgy hand. “I wish you the very best of luck in your new command Admiral Courage.”

  Courage recognised dismissal. He took Wentworth’s hand. It was soft with a veneer of cold sweat.

  He didn’t remember reaching the entrance of the building. He looked around. The protestors were still there. He caught sight of a placard. ‘Punish the traitors,’ it read. Yes, that might happen.

  There was one unpleasant duty left. The prospect of talking to Rose Courage was not appealing, but she was very good at extracting promises.

  He made the connection on his perscomp, running through what had happened today, what he could safely say, what he could highlight and what he must gloss over. It didn’t help. Rose was very incisive when it came to these things.

  “Oh Jack. You’ve let them put on you again!” she wailed after he had finished his initial pitch. “Can’t you see that? They’ve given you an impossible assignment! If you win, they’ll take all the credit for sending a fleet to protect Jupiter. If you lose, they’ll wriggle out of the difficulty by putting all the blame on you! No one will remember how few ships they gave you, or how weak they are!"

  When Rose put it like that, it all sounded so obvious. Why did he find it so hard to figure these things out at the time? He was supposed to be good at tactics. Was it just the expectation of getting a command that made him so easy to dupe? He tried to fight the self-pity that welled up inside. Was his sister right? Was this a career-finishing assignment? Certainly reading between the lines there was little glory to be had here – not that he desired anything so insubstantial anyway.

  But there was duty, and there was patriotism, and to Jack Courage, such things really did matter.

  Chapter 7.

  Delaney Military Academy, Courage asteroid.

  The room was cramped. The only light came from a giant vidscreen covered in technical scribble. A grey haired woman looked quizzically at the ranked equations, as if she could not believe she had produced them, before turning to her class.

  “Countermeasures is the most useful, the most technically demanding, and yet the most underrated of the disciplines studied at this academy,” she whispered.

  The thirty odd cadets straining to catch Instructor Boyes' soft voice suppressed a collective mental grimace. Every instructor in the academy always said that their particular area of expertise was the most important, the most difficult and yet also the most neglected. Every instructor bemoaned the scant attention paid to their specialisation by an uncaring administration and the lack of appreciation of it by a lazy cadet force.

  Nonetheless, as Josie did a quick look around, she had to concede that Boyes did have a point. This, the pinnacle of the advanced countermeasures course, was nowhere near as well attended as the advanced piloting class earlier. It was noticeable that the assorted piloting and gunnery classes were always the best attended. Cadets wanted to be pilots and gunners. It fitted the image of the dashing link warrior.

  It wasn’t just that the glamour. Specialising in piloting or gunnery was good for your career. It impressed the promotion boards as well as the general public. When she had been selecting her final classes Josie had taken the time to look over current drone squadron rosters. A disproportionate number of Gunners and (especially) Pilots were drone crew commanders, and Gunnery and Piloting specialists certainly made up the overwhelming majority of troop and squadron commanders.

  Experience in the academy also made it clear that cadets that chose to specialise in the electronic disciplines were generally lower down the social pecking order. In this regard Sensors specialists at least had the advantage that they had to work closely with gunners, or they wouldn’t be able to find targets to shoot at. In the glossy Holodramas the sensor operator was always the cheeky subordinate to the handsome Gunner hero or glamorous heroine Pilot. In fact, Sensors specialists were sometimes depicted as measuring their social status according to the relative merits of the Pilots and Gunners they worked with.

  If Sensors specialists were grudgingly accepted as an essential part of the team, Countermeasures specialists were regarded as little more than a necessary evil. The common perception was that they were over-studious, non-assertive techno-freaks. It wasn’t a totally unfair analysis either. It took a great deal of concentration to operate Countermeasures successfully, and in Josie’s experience Countermeasures specialists were often quiet and unassuming, Boyes being a classic example. In the holodramas the Countermeasures specialist was a background character, or the comic relief, or sometimes not even present at all. In real life they got none of the credit for successful actions and
all of the blame if their own drone got zapped. It didn’t matter that the usual reason for a drone being shot out from under you was that the Pilot had made a wrong move, or cut too much acceleration. Or that the Gunner had missed a sitting target and thereby allowed an enemy drone to shoot back. No, avoiding enemy fire was up to the Countermeasures specialist, wasn’t it? If your drone got zapped, there was one obvious person to blame.

  It could be worse though. If sensors and countermeasures specialists were treated with some disdain, those few who majored in systems engineering were positively despised. Most of the cadets who did deign to take more than the minimum in systems engineering only did so because they had a gap in their schedules that had to be filled. Nobody did it as a backup in case anything went terribly wrong on the main examinations. Advanced systems engineering was by far the least useful discipline for link warriors anyway, as so few drones had need of a dedicated systems engineer. It had gotten to the point now where even applying for a systems engineer certification was seen as an admission you couldn’t hack it in the more ‘important’ specialisations.

  The snobbery didn’t end there. Systems engineering was the only one of the five main link warrior disciplines that was also taught to other military personnel. Flight techs had to know a good deal of systems engineering, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to maintain drones. There were elitists who thought that link warriors who took more then the minimum in systems engineering were associating beneath their lofty station. The feeling was encouraged by the knowledge that some flight techs had graduated to becoming link warriors on the basis of exceptional systems engineering results. It wasn’t common, but it did happen. The linking aptitude didn’t always surface early in life.

  Trying for a systems engineering certification had confirmed for Josie that there was another, unspoken, reason for the dismissal of the subject. The simple fact was that it was hard. Very hard. She was the only link warrior left in the top class, and she was struggling. The drop out rate for the systems engineering stream was by far the highest of any of the qualifications, and that surely couldn’t all be down to lack of talent. Systems engineering had more classes, more practical sessions, more and longer examinations. None of that would have mattered if there had been some great reward at the end of it, but frankly there wasn’t.