The Jovian Sweep (Asteroid Scrabble Book 1)

by Martin Bourne

  “It’s all a question of psychology. The Triangle League navy may seem to the uninitiated to be very sneaky, but in fact they are remarkably unsubtle. They are fond of feints and diversions, sudden redirections of angles of attack, that kind of thing. They are really rather good at it actually. Their problem is that they almost ALWAYS do things like that. It’s never straightforward with the Trigs. Matters are never as they seem. When I saw this huge fleet bearing down on us, standard accelerations, standard battle formation, everything by the book, I knew there must be something else.”

  He arrived at the holotank, activated it, and paused while they arranged themselves against the railing. “And the most obvious move would be another force coming in on our flank.”

  Courage brought up the strategic map. “An attack force above or below the plane would be unlikely. It would take longer for them to get into position and they would be easier to detect. Besides, what would their objective be?” Courage made motions in the holotank, tying it into his perscomp to show his personal analysis. Lines of attack appeared and moved in a magical, preternatural way. “An attack on our corewards flank, around HERE, would be altogether more likely. There would be more sensor interference for them to hide behind; more merchant traffic to hunt; and it would be more dangerous to us strategically.”

  “Ah,” nodded Cromarty in agreement. “It would block our line of retreat back to Confederation space!”

  “Exactly. But if they did have another attack force coming in from corewards, then why would there be a very large and very unsubtle direct advance at us as well? The only possible answer would be that it was intended to “flush us out” from the Jovian system.”

  “We would naturally retreat along our lines of communication!” said Cromarty, sudden understanding lighting her eyes, “back towards the Virtue asteroids.”

  “And right into the arms of what would have to be another very large Triangle fleet.” Courage shifted position, putting his thoughts into words carefully. “It would have to be a very large force or they wouldn’t be able to take us on. The odds are they don’t have that much force – the Triangle League may have more immediately available resources here than we do, but there’s still a limit to what they can deploy. However, it scarcely matters. If they did have such a fleet coming in from corewards we would have everything to lose by moving towards them. If they were not coming in from that direction, then we have nothing to gain by going that way. Therefore, the only logical path for us to take is to move spinwards.”

  Cromarty was nodding and Prince had the look of a man who had just had an advanced mathematical theory explained to him. Captain Raime had resorted to his traditional impassivity.

  “A second Triangle fleet to spinwards of us would make a lot more sense,” continued Courage. “It would be a small raiding force, highly mobile, preying on the commercial traffic between the Jovian satellites.

  Cromarty clicked her fingers. “Those reports of overdue merchant ships. They were to spinwards of us.”

  “Exactly. Of course there’s lots of interference from Jupiter at the moment - but it’s unlikely all of them are having communications problems. No, silver will get you platinum they’ve been jumped by a Trig raiding group.”

  Prince nodded. “I see now. Their main force pins us into position against Ganymede and the inner satellites, while their raiders rip up the outer satellites and the Jupiter Lagrange point sites.”

  “Correct. But we know something more. I always thought it would be unlikely this whole Trig operation in the Jupiter system would be a feint, and when I found out just how many ships they had I was sure. If this was all a feint to draw us out of position, why have a very large force at all? Especially when that force is their premier fighting formation. That left either a raid or an invasion. If it was an invasion why would they bomb Ganymede Ultima? They'd want the facilities for themselves. If they planned to invade, why have a secondary force at all? No, I am convinced that there is a second Trig force this side of the system, and it’s going to be a light raiding group.”

  A deck officer called out. “Contact! Wyvern reports possible enemy drone detected!”

  They hurried back to the holotank. Another deck officer piped up.

  “Amethyst reports an unidentified drone contact too sir.”

  The first deck officer spoke up again. “Wyvern now reports multiple drone contacts.”

  Courage allowed himself a tight smile. “And there they are.”

  Cromarty shook her head. “Well done admiral.”

  Courage turned to Raime. “Now Captain, you will have ample opportunity to do your…duty. I suggest you sound battle stations.”

  Raime paused, saluted, and hurried off, calling out to his subordinates.

  Courage then addressed his aides. “General signal. All ships to battle stations. Accelerate to maximum cruising speed and form a wide disperse wall of battle. We drive at them hard Commanders. Very hard, before they can regroup.”

  Chapter 29.

  Calypso class light support drone “snapdragon”, virtually.

  The deafening sound burst suddenly and horribly over Belofte’s rather wayward address system. It was an announcement everyone had heard before, but never so urgently loud, nor with such a tinge of excitement and a hint of panic.

  “Red alert, red alert, battle stations! All hands to your battle stations! This is not a drill! Repeat - this is not a drill! All link warriors to the drone flight bays. Immediate, I say again immediate, combat launch, all squadrons!"

  The old hands were on up and gone while the ex-trainees were still sat, looking at each other with a mix of shock, fear and denial.

  Donal Courage popped his head back around the door. "Well, what are you all waiting for?" he asked. "You're not cadets anymore.” He looked straight into each of their eyes in quick succession. “Move!"

  Josie didn't so much find herself running with the others to the flight decks as being carried along with them, but even with all the tension and excitement, she was sure that Donal’s gaze had dwelt on her a little longer.

  At the flight deck there was ordered confusion, medics and deck officers directing link warriors in every direction. Luckily Josie saw Vadal going into a flight bay and hurried to it. When she got in Ruwewang was already linked and Vadal was making the final connections. The affable comms man gave her a wink and then his face went blank. She hurried to her own seat. Amazingly her hands were steady and she completed the linking process quickly and smoothly. There was the familiar swirl of disorientation, and she was linked.

  She could sense Ruwewang and Vadal already working the gunnery controls. She began to carry out her own pre-flight checks, starting with Sensors. As she moved onto Piloting she felt Vidal's presence shifting to Comms. After a short interval both internal and external comms controls kicked in.

  "Belofte control to all squadrons. After launch move to sector Omega and assume a Salowski-Wong assault formation. CM-2506 callsign is "Icecap". CM-1121 call sign is "Tango". Be advised, CM-1120 from Amethyst is on your spinwards flank, callsign "Compass".

  “Tango Leader – acknowledge Belofte control.” Flip to the squadron net. “OK team move out. Form up on me when we are ten microspatials out.”

  “Seat one ready,” said Ruwewang, her mental voice precise and clipped.

  “Seat two ready,” sang out Vadal.

  Josie’s lot on seat three was a multiplicity of systems to check.

  “Are you ready seat three?” said Ruwewang.

  A good question. She didn’t feel ready, but she guessed the answer needed to be “yes”. She was responsible for so much on this drone, but surely they wouldn’t really need all of it. Would they? There would be time to check countermeasures and sensors while they were in flight. They wouldn’t be pitched straight into it, would they? She answered as clearly as she could.

  “Seat three is ready.”

  “About time. Alright, move us out.”

  Josie mentally punched the co
ntrols and Snapdragon rushed down the launch ramps and was flung into space. The Epee’s propulsion systems were not the best, and in spite of Josie’s best efforts, the clumsy drone slewed slightly off course. Ruwewang was onto the slip immediately.

  “Steady Pilot!”

  “Yes Ma’am. Sorry Ma’am.”

  Josie brought Snapdragon back onto course as carefully as she could. That took time and mental effort, and inevitably something else came up.

  “You have to keep up with the rest of the squadron Pilot!”

  Josie chanced a quick look at her scanners. The cluster of blue dots that was CM-1121 were already impossibly far away. How had that happened?

  “We’ll be getting a snarl from Tango Leader any minute. He's new and he's useless but I don't want to create a bad impression! Close up Pilot! Fast as you can!”

  “Aye, aye Ma’am.”

  “And try not to give our position away!”

  The injustice of that made her blanch. How could she close on the squadron without accelerating and blowing out reaction mass? If an enemy were looking…well they were still a long way off. Perhaps they wouldn't get spotted.

  Pushing the engines as much as she dared, they gradually gained on their squadron mates.

  "Alright," said Vadal. "Tying us into the squadron net."

  Instantly Josie's senses were assaulted with the stressed chattering of people desperately trying to appear cool.

  "Tango 5 - Yikes – how many of them are there?"

  “Tango 14 – oh, we are gonna be in for it today!”

  “Tango 9 – Don’t matter. More of them there is, the more there is to shoot at.”

  “Tango 11 - More chance you’ll get one this time Sami!”

  “Tango 9 – Ha, ha, very funny!”

  There was a sudden burst of static, a whining electronic blur that blanked out the next ten seconds of banter.

  “Tango 4 – I can’t see a slagging thing.”

  “That’s because you’re very bad with Sensors Solly.”

  “Stuff you Thornton!”

  “Tango leader – ok calm down everyone.”

  The hubbub subsided for a while, then built up again. It was an external call that brought true order.

  "Belofte control calling Tango. Move to support Icecap.”

  Icecap? That was the callsign for Donal's squadron!

  "Tango Leader – acknowledge Belofte control. Tango Leader to all Tango’s, come spinwards five degrees on my mark."

  Josie readied the controls.

  "Tango Leader - and in three, two, one...MARK."

  Josie mentally activated the controls and Snapdragon swung into the new course. It looked good. She made a fleeting check. Everything looked normal. They were cruising along serenely. She hoped everything actually was normal. She made a couple of minor corrections anyway.

  "Tango Leader to Belofte control. In position."

  "Tango 3 - We're still moving up Leader."

  “Tango 8 – Tango 15 what are you doing?”

  There was a sudden burst of static. The connection died. Josie felt Vadal mentally refine the channel tuning.

  “Tango Leader – come in Tango 15.”

  “Tango 8 – Tango 15 cut right across me!”

  “Tango Leader – alright tragic little waif, I saw. Tango 15 you are straying ahead. Return to formation immediately.”

  “Tango 15 – I think our drone has a problem leader.”

  “Tango 11 – yeah, its’ crew!”

  “Tango 8 – right in front of me.”

  “Tango Leader– everyone shut up! If you got nothing to say keep quiet! We'll be in the thick of it in a minute.”

  The interplay was so fascinating that Josie almost missed the electronic ping that told of another course alteration.

  “Belofte control calling Tango. New course transmitted.”

  "Tango Leader – acknowledge Belofte control. OK everyone, execute a six degree declination immediately. Icecap is calling for help.”

  It was good that Tango Leader had helpfully repeated the course change, otherwise Josie would have been hopelessly lost, or even more hopelessly, having to ask Ruwewang. Then the second part of the message hit home. “Icecap” was calling for help. Oh wow.

  "Tango Leader to all Tangos, accelerate to three-fourths cruising."

  Josie set the controls, and switched to Snapdragon's rudimentary sensors. All she could see was two masses of little blips, the closer one around them mostly solid, the further one, that of the enemy, diffuse and unfocussed. Josie knew that the electronic fog surrounding the Triangle drones would dissipate the closer they got. Their sensors would gain power and steadily burn through the enemy countermeasures.

  Of course, the enemy’s sensors would be doing the same.

  She mentally licked her lips. She was handling this drone’s scanty electronic defences. She would be responsible for protecting them if they got too close.

  “Tango 14 - Trig medium attack drones dead ahead!”

  “Tango Leader – I see them, 14. All right boys and girls. Here we go - combat acceleration five-five. Nice and coordinated now. Watch yourselves, watch your spacing, and by all that’s virtuous watch out for each other!”

  Sparked by adrenalin, Josie jerked the engines when she pushed for more power. Snapdragon careered. Josie hurriedly righted the drone, dreading a verbal lash from Ruwewang, but nothing came. She chanced a quick check on the internal systems net and nearly dropped out of link with shock.

  The fire control on the huge laser culverin was turning over in absolute harmony. She had never seen any gunnery system so perfectly aligned, not even in textbook simulations. Ruwewang’s concentration on it must be absolutely total.

  “Tango 2 – I think I can see heavy drones mingled in with them Leader. Passing sensor info over.”

  “Tango Leader – yep I confirm that 2. Everyone be aware. The enemy has heavy drones in company.”

  “Tango 5 – I can see…hold on...”

  “Tango 9 - Slagging evil trick, mixing in heavies with the trooper drones.”

  “Tango 4 – Mixed squadrons aren’t that clever. You’re as slow as the slowest drone type.”

  “Tango Leader – what can you see 5?”

  “Tango 9 – yeah but its good when the firing starts.”

  “Tango Leader – respond please 5.”

  “Tango 3 – Slag, their sensor pulses are strong!”

  “Tango Leader – stand by to engage.”

  “Tango 19 – I’m in contact!”

  "Tango 7 - In contact too. Scanning for targets.

  “Tango 4 – I got a heavy concentration of Trigs coming in, 158-55-92.”

  “Tango Leader – 4, repeat that bearing.”

  "Tango 10 - Icecap are doing well."

  "Tango 18 – Sure, they got good drones."

  Josie checked her sensors. Even on the Epee's rudimentary sets she could see that Icecap - CM-1121 - was splitting up and spreading out.

  "Tango Leader – I say again 4 repeat that bearing.”

  “Tango 4 – that’s 158-55-92 repeat 158-55-92, coming to 157-54-92 now.”

  "Tango Leader - got them 4. Tango, wheel corewards twenty.”

  Josie immediately plotted a course and pushed power into the engines, then pulled up short. Only two others were obeying the order.

  "Tango leader - come on Tangos, keep it together."

  “Tango 16 – I got a target. Ready to pass information.”

  “Tango 2 – I can’t see anything.”

  “Tango 16 –anybody picking up?”

  “Tango 17 – I’m in firing position 16. Pass your target.”

  Tango 17? That was Snapdragon! And that was Vadal’s mental voice. He sounded so different on the squadron net.

  “Tango 17 – Tango 16? Pass your target.”

  “Tango 16 – sorry 17 I lost the lock. Standby.”

  “Tango 17 – copy 16.”

  “Tango 4 - They’re coming in much slower than usua
l. I think they might be massing round 133-58-92.”

  “Tango Leader – Copy that 4 – well spotted. Leader to all Tangos - swing rimwards forty degrees.“

  Josie readied the engines, saw again that no-one was paying any attention to Tango Leader. She chanced another look on sensors, and saw a muffling white flare, dead ahead, growing in intensity. Instinctively she twitched. Snapdragon slewed slightly. The white blaze rippled across the length of the front arc and skittered off to rimwards. Josie had a rush of panic. Was there a fault with the sensors? Would she get the blame?

  “What was that?” she blurted.

  “That, ensign,” said Ruwewang tightly, “was a Trig ion bolt.”

  “Your little jink saved us from getting fried,” Vadal observed cheerfully.

  Josie didn't have time to feel a sense of pride, for just then all hell broke loose.

  “Tango 11 – Incoming fire!”

  “Tango 23 – Slag that was close!”

  “Tango 2 – we’re hit, we’re hit!”

  “Tango Leader – respond 2.”

  "Tango 16 – am taking evasive action, stand…”

  Another burst of static.

  “Tango 19 – 16 is gone.”

  "Tango Leader - acknowledge 19."

  “Tango 6 – We’re gone! Activating self-destruct.”

  “Tango Leader – Tango 9 can you see either 2 or 11?”

  “Tango 7 – Gottim! Gottim! Scratch one Hussar!”

  “Tango 20 – good shot 7.”

  “Tango 9 - Tango Leader negative on 11.”

  “Tango Leader – Tango 11 – where, in the name of all that is Virtuous, are you?”

  “Tango 2 – we are withdrawing. That hit fused our sensors solid.”

  “Tango 12 – We got a lock, firing now!”

  “Tango Leader – Tango 11 respond.”

  “Tango 4 – we’re coming round.”

  “Tango 9 – slagging heavy drones!”

  “Tango 12 – I think I got one too.”

  "Tango 14 - Slag! They're driving right at us!"

  "Tango 23 - Evade, evade!"

  "Tango 3 - Coming round spinwards to you Leader."

  “Tango 9 – We should slagging well seed our squadrons with super heavy types.”