by Charles Lamb
With a nod in reply, Sara turned and left the command center, hoping to get some much-needed rest now that she knew he was alive.
Chapter 2
Colonel Edwin Banks nodded at the brief message relayed to him in London. With half the strike team made up of his people, Jake had the good manners to insure Banks was properly informed of the mission status. He had wanted to accompany Jake on the mission, but good sense prevailed. They acknowledged that, considering their positions, both men could not be off planet at the same time.
Since Banks had led the SAS team in Hong Kong, and accompanied Ivan on the reconnaissance mission that uncovered the alien armada, Jake had won out for this trip. Although the true extent of the mission’s success was yet to be understood, Edwin presumed that the pesky raids had been dealt a lethal blow.
As outlined in the mission plan, Jake would not be delaying their departure to transmit the entire after action report, rather they would vacate the area as soon as possible, and then report in full once they returned to friendly space. In Jake’s absence, and with a full-blown war erupting, Edwin had been studying up on everything he could find regarding naval strategies.
Although the materials were predominantly terrestrial and nautical in content, he was able to extract the occasional gem of information that applied to their space fleet. Besides just studying the somewhat modern-ish British and American naval strategies, he also went back in history, reviewing Greek, Roman, Chinese, Japanese and Russian tactics.
As he studied the references to tactics and strategies around naval conflict, there was one subject that enticed him. The Privateers of the 17th and 18th century were able to operate freely in enemy waters, striking targets of opportunity under a letter of marque, empowering them to carry on all forms of hostility at sea. While he didn’t envision attacking NeHaw vessels, there were other prizes of interest.
He was also able to review much of the NeHaw data, recently translated by the ALICE systems and made available to all. He was also surprised to discover the ALICE archives contained much speculative information on what war in space would consist of.
While he had no idea who Robert Heinlein and Orson Scott Card were, he noted they had contributed a substantial amount of thought on the subject.
----*----
Jake sat at the navigation station working on his after action report as they traveled in FTL. He had made several attempts at completing it earlier, but always found a good reason to do something else. He scanned the contents on the display before him, reviewing the sequence of described events for its accuracy.
After they destroyed the outpost, taking the forces there by surprise, they scoured the valley looking for anything that might be of interest. Satisfied they had recovered what little remained of the command center systems and other loose items from the ships, they then returned to the Phantom and made a hasty retreat. Heading directly away from the planet, he paused only long enough to send the success message.
As the only experienced pilot in the group, Jake manned the pilot’s seat until they had jumped to FTL. Once he was satisfied all was well, he had a Marine, fresh from flight training, take the chair and monitor things while he worked nearby.
Although not an astronavigator himself, Jake had asked Dallas, the Texas ALICE, to pre-program the ship's navigation system to guide them to and from the target area. There were also a few added alternate flight plans, should they find themselves needing to evade hostile vessels. In addition, there was a return home option that flew them straight to Earth.
While he worked, Jake could hear laughter from down the passageway, likely emanating from the galley. That compartment had become the impromptu gathering area for the team, Marine and SAS alike. Even though their meals were all pre-prepared and stored in stasis boxes, the galley was still the center of public life.
He was extremely pleased at how well the two groups had blended, both on combat and social activities. Men and women, SAS and Marine, all were interacting on an equal basis, which he found gratifying. He had no idea what the shared joke was, but from the sound of things, it was popular.
Jake had left it to Sargent Carson, who as the senior NCO, was to organize the troops for duties aboard ship, as not all functions were automated on such a small vessel. When not on duty, the free time activity of choice had turned the galley into more of a pub. While beer and wine were available, its consumption was regulated by the ship’s Biomonitoring systems and intoxication was not tolerated.
He was debating once more on delaying the completion of his report and joining those in the galley, when alerts sounded on the bridge around him.
“Colonel, I think we have a problem,” the Marine next to him announced.
“Let me check,” Jake replied as he scanned the panel before him and then rose to look over the man’s shoulders.
“We dropped out of FTL,” Jake commented absently as he verified all the settings were correct on the pilot’s console. He did a quick scan of the area, looking for any signs of vessels in the area before continuing to diagnose the situation.
“Problem sir?” Sergeant Carson asked as he appeared at the hatch to the bridge, apparently drawn by the Audio alert. Cutting the alert before answering, Jake continued to work while replying.
“We dropped out of FTL and I have no idea why,” he answered as he continued to review the displays around him.
“Any hostiles in the area?” Carson asked as he glanced out the bridge windows.
“Nothing on the scanners, but I think we might need everyone at their station until we get this worked out,” Jake said as he worked. At that, Carson left to get the troops organized, and then returned to wait and watch as Jake worked. After a good ten minutes, he huffed in exasperation.
“Well, I have no idea what’s wrong. Everything is as it should be, all systems report green, but we aren’t moving.”
“Do we know where we are Sir? Maybe we can call for assistance or perhaps we should put down?” Carson asked after a moment’s consideration.
Stopping what he was doing, Jake moved back to the navigation station and flipped through a few displays. Suddenly, he jumped back over to the command console, and breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Sergeant Carson with a less worried expression.
“We should definitely set down, get everyone ready. Thank goodness the cloaking is working because we are still deep in NeHaw space. We need to find someplace safe to hide until I get this fixed.”
----*----
Leftenant Daniel Atkins was at a crossroads in his life. Entirely bewitched by the granddaughter of Colonel Thomas, he found himself being drawn into the inner circle of those directing Earth’s recoveries. At Patti’s side, he had been privy to all the intimate details of the battle plans and strategies put forth. His opinions were considered in everything they attempted.
Now, with a full-on war on the horizon, he was presented with a dilemma. Tied to Patti as he was, he could continue to work by her side and act as a military planner, his experience a keen addition. His other option was to continue to pursue his life’s goal of commanding in the field, leading troops on missions, and securing the safety of more than just the Earth.
They were currently back in London, where Patti had agreed to accompany him and work. He was researching, using the NeHaw data, trying to predict the future. His intent was to categorize all the possible environments ground troops would encounter and verify Earth had the means to operate there.
While the Americans seemed to have an abundance of resources, most of their tactics involved large scale operations. From his personal experience, he very much doubted what they had would accommodate the SAS approach to things. SAS preferred a more subtle hand, slipping in and out of enemy strongholds, planting the seeds of discontent. Or maybe just a lot of bloody explosive.
He was happy to find that a good number of potential battlegrounds could support human life with little or no additional equipment. For those that required more than just breathing ass
istance, his research suggested the American’s complete battle suit, with optional power assist, addressed the challenges. As he logged and categorized each location, he could see the value in continuing his work. However, he could also envision himself leading the troops deployed to each potential confrontation he analyzed.
No closer to a decision on his future, he went back to his studies, relying on fate to help push him in the right direction.
----*----
Brian sat in the command chair of the battleship that was ALICE-3. As one of only two vessels possessed by an ALICE system, he liked to think he collaborated rather than commanded. With the escalation of hostilities, he had been ordered to take the ship and proceed to the Wawobash system. Once there, his instructions were to protect the shipyards at all costs.
Everyone expected the NeHaw to attempt to try and cut Earth’s supply lines, and then through attrition, eventually deplete the fleet. As long as the humans had access to the Wawobash for ships and the Kortisht for drives, the Earth could continue to field far more ships than they had crews to operate them.
With all the ships the Wawobash currently had under construction, it was unlikely a Kortisht drive shortage would affect them anytime soon, so Wawobash was considered the top priority. Presently, the top Wawobash effort was the space station sections currently under construction. These sections, once assembled in place, would create the fortress intended for the edge of Earth’s solar system. The need for a resupply and rapid response location was now greater than ever.
To date, no other aligned world had offered ships and crews to help in the fight, but all were more than happy to supply the humans with anything they needed in that effort. To that end, Jake had allowed the ships that had surrendered after the last engagement, changing sides to align with Earth, to return to their home worlds. It was his belief that sending them to defend their own people rather than trying to press them for direct support was of greater value. His argument being that people fought harder defending their own homes.
Brian tended to agree with Jake’s opinion, believing that they were better served having the alien ships at home anyway. It was less work for Earth not having to directly protect those planets, and it avoided having halfhearted fighters in the fleet. By leaving them to defend their home worlds, Earth could expect their absolute best effort and it freed up other resources here.
Having stopped the ship in a stationary position just inside the edge of the Wawobash system, Brian asked ALICE-3 to deploy two of the four Lanai Combat Patrol Ships they had on board, manned and ready for distributed firepower should the NeHaw come calling. Satisfied all was well, he then ordered the battleship closer to Wawobash, where they could intervene should it become necessary.
About two thirds the way there, he had ALICE-3 stop, establishing a stationary position. There, they were to wait for whatever the NeHaw dreamed up next. On a whim, he began an inventory of the ships under construction, as well as their readiness, just in case.
----*----
Jake had located a suitable planet; moon actually, in a nearby system for them to put down. Its location permitted them to hide from any hostile space traffic, thus allowing him to shut down the cloaking systems in an effort to determine the source of his FTL problem.
The star systems in this part of NeHaw space were densely packed, and the data in the ship's computers indicated a significant amount of non-FTL space travel here due to the closeness of the systems. Even so, it was a day’s travel from their current location to the moon, which was orbiting a gas giant similar to Jupiter back home.
The moon had a gravity of .85 Earth normal and appeared to have a breathable atmosphere, with a slightly higher Oxygen content and a Helium/Nitrogen inert gas filler mix. The dense atmosphere was tolerable without environmental suits, and the moon’s surface was uniformly flat, i.e. without mountains or valleys to hide in.
As he piloted the Phantom, he continued to run diagnostics on the ship's systems, looking for the cause of the FTL drive failure.
“Colonel, should we radio our status home?” the Marine sitting in the co-pilot’s seat asked.
“No, I don’t trust the NeHaw communications network not to betray our location. Even if they can’t decrypt the message, they might be able to track the message back to our location.”
“Sir, the scope is still clear of traffic, but that moon we are headed for is off the charts with plant life. I don’t find anything resembling animal life, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t wildlife there,” added the SAS female added from the tactical station. She had stepped in to assist with the increased workload at tactical. With Sergeant Carson now occupying the navigation station, all four seats in the small cockpit were filled.
“The sensors are Wawobash standard, so we have to assume they would detect possible known lifeforms. Regardless, I don’t plan on staying long enough to find out,” Jake replied.
As the others watched, Jake piloted the Phantom, still cloaked, into the atmosphere. He worked cautiously as he tried his best to avoid cloudbanks that would betray their passing. To Jake, the ground below looked to be one continuous jungle, the dense growth covering all the dry portions of the planet’s surface.
Rather than large oceans, the surface water appeared to be a patchwork of lakes and interconnecting rivers. Once below the clouds, Jake slowed the ship to a more reasonable speed, allowing them to cautiously survey the area below and search for a spot to put down.
“Still no signs of lifeforms beyond plant and insect. I have the sensors set to alert on those species dangerous to humans. No hits so far,” the woman announced.
“What about there?” Sergeant Carson asked as he pointed over Jake’s shoulder at a small clearing ahead. Jake nudged the ship to the right and slowed until they hovered right over the area Carson had indicated. In the display on the console, they could see directly below the ship, where they could make out what appeared to be several downed trees.
Well, Jake assumed they were trees, but their shape was not what he expected. The lower gravity and denser atmosphere allowed the plants to grow unusually thick and bushy. These must have fallen victim to an insect infestation, as there were no signs of fire or other destructive occurrence. The scanners did find an excessive number of minute critters about.
“Right, let’s give it a try,” Jake announced to the bridge crew, as he started to lower the ship into the clearing below. Still cloaked, he dropped the landing gear and placed the ship into an opening just large enough to accommodate the vessel with a minimal amount of disturbance to the surrounding vegetation. Although the ship was invisible, that didn’t extend to the nearby plant life, so he wanted to prevent telltale indicators of their presence.
Once on the ground, Jake went through a series of checks to verify their stability on the surface of the moon. Satisfied that they were in no immediate danger, he turned to the others.
“Scanners still clear?” Jake asked the SAS woman.
“Yes sir, no traffic in orbit or local space,” she replied confidently.
Looking at Carson, Jake directed, “OK, let’s get a team together and scout the area, while I take a look at the ship and see if I can find the problem. I want to go topside and do an external survey. I’d like to see if maybe we picked up something in space that’s disrupting the FTL field,” he explained as he rose from his seat.
Turning, he flipped the switch that shuts down the ship’s cloaking system. He then returned to addressing the SAS trooper and Marine, as Sergeant Carson had left to gather his scouting team.
“You two need to stay here and keep tabs on things. Shout if anything shows up on the scanner, and turn the cloaking back on whether I am back in or not. We don’t want unexpected visitors spotting us here,” Jake finished before leaving the bridge and heading for the ladder that would take him to the exit hatch on top of the hull.
----*----
Linda was becoming concerned. Jake and his team were starting to be noticeably past due. While
she was well aware that unexpected things came up, this was now well outside the window of reasonable delays. Per her request, ALICE had reviewed all the recent intercepted NeHaw message traffic, and while she had found non-military references to the attack, there was nothing on the perpetrators.
The NeHaw military had begun protecting their transmissions in a fashion that the ALICE systems had yet to decipher. Once detected, Jake had them put a team of humans together to assist in the effort. So far, all attempts to break the encryption had left the group with gibberish.
Linda again flipped through the latest reports, looking for any positive data. Finishing, she was starting to leave the command center to go see Sara, when one of the staff called out to her.
“Ma’am, Colonel Banks is looking for you,” the girl announced. Looking hardly older than 16, Linda could see she was still in training with one of the senior command center staff nearby, coaching her. She sighed as she considered it wasn’t so long ago that she had been learning here.
“Thanks, I’ll take it over here,” she replied as she moved to an open station.
“Colonel, what can I do for you?” she asked lightly just as Edwin’s face appeared in the display.
“Major, delighted to see you again. Have we heard from our wayward wanderers?” he asked, not entirely hiding his concern.
“Unfortunately, no. I was just about to call a meeting on the subject. As you know, they are traveling under a communications blackout, and any communications systems that might betray their location have been removed or disabled, less they alert the enemy to their presence.”
“More’s the pity. Yes, I understand. Please feel free to include me at your convenience,” Banks replied.
“I will notify you as soon as it’s arranged,” Linda replied and cut the connection. She understood that the Colonel was not implying his attendance was optional. Turing to the trainee that had put the call through, Linda waved at her and the trainer.
