Against All Odds

by DePrima, Thomas

  "We'll commence this operation at exactly 0320. Each of you will arrive one thousand kilometers from the armada and fire a full volley of torpedoes at your designated targets. Drop a sensor buoy, then accelerate to maximum Sub-Light speed while building your departure envelopes. Your navigators all have your assigned vector for Light-9375 speed. We'll be fifty billion kilometers away before any of the torpedoes reach their targets. From there we'll head for the established rendezvous point and wait for the data from the buoys. Any questions?"

  "Is 0320 significant?" Commander Dillon Wilder, the commanding officer aboard the Tigris asked. "Is it their sack time or something?"

  "No. As far as we can determine the Uthlaro don't observe any particular time for rest. There's always a fourth of the crew on duty. They have four seven-point-three hour watches each day. Anything else?"

  "Isn't this the maneuver you used at Milor?"

  "Yes, it is. It worked very well once. Let's hope it works again. Some of the Uthlaro ships have been here for many months waiting for the others to arrive, so they might have grown complacent in their tight clusters. By approaching at Light-9375, we'll be inside their alert perimeter before their sensors even report our presence. If your torpedo gunners are fast and accurate, we'll do some serious damage today. Anything else?" When no one spoke, Jenetta said, "Okay, let's go kick some Uthlaro butt so hard it lodges up between their eye sockets."

  The mood on the bridge of the Colorado was tense, as it was on the other ships. Jenetta sat coolly in her bridge chair, sipping coffee as if she had nothing more on her mind than deciding what to have for breakfast. The plans had been set, the course laid in, the double envelopes built, and there was little for her to do except give the word to engage the Light-9375 drive.

  At 0320 Jenetta said simply, "Engage". The ship moved quickly and arrived where it was supposed to be, on time. After firing all bow tubes, the tactical officer immediately launched a sensor buoy. The helmsman began rebuilding the double temporal envelopes while torpedo guidance specialists were still directing their torpedoes for maximum effect. In most cases the target point wasn't a spot on a hull, so the specialists were using coordinates in space for the point of detonation. They locked their settings as the helmsman announced the envelopes were built. The Colorado disappeared at Light-9375 before a single shot had even come its way. Over the next twenty seconds, the rest of the task force appeared around the Colorado at the RP.

  "Everyone complete their mission without a problem?" Jenetta asked when a conference call had been set up.

  The other captains, all smiles now that they were fifty-billion kilometers from the enemy ships, either nodded or verbally confirmed that they had.

  "Very good. We should have data from the sensors anytime."

  "Coming in now, Admiral," The tactical officer said.

  "Put it up on the front screen, Lieutenant."

  An enhanced view of the armada they had just attacked, provided by coordinating the signals from the sensors deployed at the RP, appeared on the large monitor at the front of the bridge. Suddenly, a tremendous explosion that almost white'd out the screen erupted among a group of clustered Uthlaro ships, then another and another and another. For most of the next thirty seconds, the front monitor was a blank screen of blinding white as multiple explosions filled the space being observed by the twenty sensors.

  As the explosions ended, blackness descended over the area once again. The sensor buoys compensated for the changed light level and immediately relayed an enhanced image of the area as the bridge crews of the SC ships stood transfixed by the spectacle. Where the most formidable armada ever seen in space had been just seconds before, there was now death and destruction on an unprecedented scale. The Uthlaro fleet had been ripped asunder by the three-hundred-sixty WOLaR torpedoes. The destruction had taken less than a minute. Sections of broken ships tumbled off into the blackness of space as minor explosions continued to ripple through the former fleet. Bodies and parts of bodies, most blackened by explosions or fire, floated everywhere.

  At first glance it seemed that the entire fleet must surely have been destroyed, but then a few ships began to move, most dragging broken sections of other ships that dangled from docking points.

  "Wow!" Commander John Cleviss of the scout-destroyer Mississippi said.

  "I think this should slow their advance down a bit," Jenetta said, seeming almost apathetic.

  "They can't possibly recover from this," Lt. Commander Soren Mojica, the Captain of the Nile said. "They'll have to turn around and head home."

  "It wouldn't stop us," Jenetta said. "And from what we've seen of their dedication to duty, they'll keep coming at us until they're dead. We'll hang around and watch for a while to see what happens. According to my intel, they weren't scheduled to leave here for a few more days."

  "Shouldn't we attack them now while they're still in shock and finish the job, Admiral?" Commander Kimberly Riccio of the Amazon asked.

  "Look at the telemetry," Jenetta said. "Ships are already moving away from one another. It appears that a quarter of their ships are under power. We hurt them, but there's still a very large and dangerous force there. And right now everyone still alive aboard those ships is awake, angry, and looking for enemy targets. Let's give them some time to get tired and stand down before we send our regards again."

  A day later, a number of the Uthlaro ships had moved off a short distance to a staging area apart from the site of the destruction, but they didn't link up. They maintained at least a ten-kilometer distance from one another. According to data from the sensor buoys, two-hundred-three ships had left the original area and five-hundred-thirteen remained behind. Over the next two days, three more ships moved out of what Jenetta had begun calling the 'Junkyard.'

  At 1417, the two-hundred-six Uthlaro ships got under way towards Quesann.

  "Aren't we going to pursue, Admiral?" Commander Frank Fannon of the Yangtze asked.

  "No, we know exactly where they're going and when they'll get there. I'm more interested in the Junkyard right now."

  "The ships in the Junkyard are in no condition to attack Quesann, Admiral," Commander Omega Kostopolis of the Seine said.

  "No, not as they are, but they're trying to get their ships repaired. If they do, they'll either join the others or attack the base on their own if we've been able to destroy the others. We've already learned how tenacious these warriors are. They will not turn back while they live. They'll just keep coming at us until they cease to breathe. I want to make sure none of the ships in the Junkyard can follow their original orders."

  "So do we attack them again?" Commander Scott Hyland of the Hudson asked.

  "Yes, at 1630. The Uthlaro fleet will be two hours away and unable to return in time to be helpful. Everyone prepare their ship. We'll commence action in two hours."

  Jenetta had time to send reports to Quesann and the Admiralty Board, and take care of a lot of little details before she was needed back on the bridge.

  At 1630 the twenty ships engaged their engines and returned to the Junkyard, immediately jamming the IDS bands with deployed satellites. Many of the five-hundred-ten ships were beyond repair, but Uthlaro crewmen in EVA suits and bots were everywhere, working on the less damaged ships. As the SC ships arrived, they immediately began pouring laser fire into the central area of the damaged ships where the computers are located. Some ships began to return fire and a few managed to get torpedoes off, but as the devastating fire from the task force of tiny ships ripped the guts out of any enemy ship not already ripped apart, the resistance died quickly. Knowing that the Uthlaro would never surrender while they lived, the task force continued to pour fire into the ships until every ship was permanently out of action. It may have seemed like overkill, but the small SC force didn't let up until there was no doubt every ship was dead. When they ceased fire, none of the five-hundred-ten ships would ever be useful for anything except scrap metal. The Junkyard was truly a junkyard when the task force pulled back to
a safe distance as a security precaution.

  "Now I'm sure we'll never have to face any of those ships in battle," Jenetta said. "I suppose we should change the name from Junkyard to Graveyard."

  "There are still two-hundred-six warships headed towards Quesann, Admiral." Commander Diana Durland of the Danube said. "How do we stop them?"

  "It's four-hundred-ninety-one light years to Quesann and it will take them more than sixteen months to get there at Light-375, so we have plenty of time to prepare our greeting. If anyone has any ideas, please share them. We certainly can't pursue and use the envelope-merge tactic to stop them and we already know the electronic-debris tactic won't work on them."

  "The only thing I can think of is to confront them," Commander Frank Fannon of the Yangtze said. "Perhaps they're angry enough to stop and destroy a task force of small SC ships."

  "I'm not entirely sure we'd be successful in a fight where we're outnumbered ten to one, Frank. We might be better off waiting until we meet at Quesann. I like the odds of two to one a whole lot better."

  "Okay, Admiral," Commander Fannon said smiling. "What you say makes sense."

  * * *

  "I have distressing news," Uthlaro Prime Minster Taomolu Barguado said to the Council of Ministers. "Admiral Krakosso has sent word that just hours after the reserve forces joined them, while they were in war conference, the fleet was attacked at the rendezvous point.

  "Attacked?" Minister Ambello Neddowo said, jumping up from his seat. "Attacked by whom? Who would attack a seven-hundred-sixteen ship armada?"

  "I can think of only one answer to that— Space Command."

  "How many ships did we destroy?"

  "According to the report from Admiral Krakosso, the enemy ships appeared suddenly, attacked in a lightning raid, and then disappeared within minutes of their arrival."

  "Did we destroy any?"

  "No, none. The damage was apparently all one-sided."

  "Damage? Did we lose ships?"

  "Yes."

  "In a lightning raid?"

  "Admiral Krakosso reports five-hundred-ten ships were damaged too badly to continue on schedule. They will attempt to make repairs and catch up."

  "What?" Minister Neddowo said, sagging back into his chair in shock. "Five-hundred-ten ships damaged too badly to continue immediately?"

  "Yes, that's the number given by Admiral Krakosso."

  Sitting up straighter again, Neddowo said, "That's impossible. Either he was drunk when he said it or you were drunk when you listened to his message."

  "I've had the clerk prepare it for playback, if you'd care to listen for yourself."

  "I certainly would."

  Barguado nodded to the clerk and the image of Admiral Krakosso appeared on the large monitor. "Sir, it's my sad duty to report we have been attacked most viciously. Twenty small ships appeared from nowhere, without warning, fired weapons of incredible power, and then disappeared again. It happened too quickly for us to respond while they were about us and we cannot pursue them because we don't know where they went. Two-hundred-six ships will continue on to the objective and, while most of us have sustained damage to some degree, all are space-worthy. The five-hundred-ten we leave behind have varying degrees of damage, but many are beyond repair. Our engineers will attempt to return as many as possible to service using the destroyed ships for replacement parts. We estimate no more than one-hundred-fifty can be restored to service before we engage the enemy. They will try to catch up or else join us at our new base at Quesann.

  "Admiral Krakosso. End of transmission."

  Minister Neddowo sat silently in his chair, staring at the table in front of him with glassy eyes. His mouth was working but nothing could be heard by those around him.

  "What is your pleasure, Gentlemen?" Barguado asked. "Shall I recall the fleet while we still have at least two-hundred-six space-worthy ships marginally capable of defending our borders?"

  "No!" Neddowo suddenly screamed. Jumping up he screamed, "No, no, no! Not when we're so close!"

  "Close to what?" Barguado asked. "Annihilation of our fleet?"

  "If Carver had a quarter of her fleet patrolling five-hundred light-years from Quesann, then it reasons other parts of her fleet are patrolling other areas. When our fleet arrives at Quesann, we'll be virtually unopposed. We'll destroy her base and cut off their links with Region One. They'll be too far away from their supply line and they'll have to leave the Region."

  "We've lost six-hundred-seventy ships to Carver," Minister Ulalahu Valhallo said. "We can't afford to lose any more."

  "We don't know we lost those first ships to Carver. Barguado said we've only lost contact with them."

  "After this latest defeat, I think we can safely assume we lost them to Carver," Barguado said.

  "We must continue. We have two hundred more ships in various phases of construction, so we can easily replace the lost ships. Many of the ones we sent were older ships anyway."

  "Older or not, they represented a substantial investment," Valhallo said.

  "This initiative will work."

  "And if it doesn't?"

  "If it doesn't, I'll personally reimburse the treasury. That's how sure I am of its success."

  "Very well, Ambello," Valhallo said. "We'll continue on your personal assurance this venture will be profitable, or you'll reimburse the treasury for all losses."

  * * *

  "My King, I've received another message from Admiral Carver," Hudeerac Minister Vertap Aloyandro said after entering the King's sumptuous office and walking to where His Majesty was relaxing in his favorite chair with a good book.

  Closing the tome and looking up, King Jamolendre sat up and said, "What does she have to say, Vertap?"

  "She thanks us for the information we sent regarding the location of the Uthlaro fleet. She states her twenty-ship task force was able to engage the Uthlaro there and that she successfully destroyed five-hundred-ten of their warships, most of which were destroyers. Two-hundred-six damaged vessels managed to get away, but she's confident they'll locate them again."

  The king's shock was reflected on his face. "She destroyed five-hundred-ten Uthlaro warships in one engagement with just twenty ships?" the king asked.

  "That's what she claims, my King."

  The king slumped against the back of his chair. "Space Command must be far more powerful than I ever could have imagined." Shaking his head, the king said, "How could we have ever have allowed ourselves to become associated with the Uthlaro?"

  "The damage has been largely undone, my King. Admiral Carver says she will notify the Admiralty Board of her decision to return the ceded territory to us. She'll make the official announcement at a suitable time after the Uthlaro have been dealt with, but she won't interfere with any of our ships traveling through the territory. We're free to continue our trade with any planets located there and defend the territory as before."

  "Wonderful. Thank you, Vertap. The kingdom owes you a huge debt of gratitude."

  "I'm happy to have been of service, my King. Uh, Admiral Carver has also requested any information we have on the Uthlaro warship production facilities."

  "She wants to know the location of their shipyards?"

  "Yes, my King."

  "She means to destroy them I suppose, as she did with the Milori shipyards."

  "That would be a reasonable assumption."

  "Send her anything we have, Vertap. We want to stay in the good graces of Admiral Carver and the Galactic Alliance. And if she does destroy the Uthlaro ability to produce warships, we'll have one less powerful neighbor on our borders to worry about."

  "Yes, your majesty."

  * * *

  "I apologize for the short notice," Uthlaro Prime Minster Taomolu Barguado said to the Council of Ministers, "but we've received a message from Admiral Carver and I felt you should see it immediately." Nodding to the clerk, Barguado took his seat.

  A head-and-shoulders image of Jenetta Carver appeared on the council chamber's
huge monitor as ministers reached for translation headphones.

  "I am Admiral Jenetta Carver of the Galactic Alliance Space Command. You have violated our borders and perpetrated unprovoked attacks on our space stations, planets, and citizenry. Since all of these acts occurred without a declaration of war, the Galactic Alliance Council has branded you a rogue nation and Space Command has treated your acts as piracy.

  "To date, we have destroyed six-hundred-fifty Uthlaro warships and their crews in Galactic Alliance space. I inform you now that the five-hundred-ten vessels left behind at your staging area will not be continuing their mission after making repairs. We returned to the location and concluded our business there.

  Since these incredible losses appear not to have convinced you to halt your attacks, I've formulated a new plan of action. The Galactic Alliance Council requires that a declared state of war exists before Space Command military forces enter the territory of another government with intent to do damage. Therefore, as of today and with the approval of the Galactic Alliance Council, I am formally notifying you that in response to your border incursions, attacks, and known objectives, an official state of war exists between the Galactic Alliance and the Uthlaro Dominion.

  "Jenetta Carver, Admiral, Commander of the Second Fleet and Military Governor of Region Two, aboard the Colorado. Message complete."

  "What did she say?" Minister Ellwano Murcuro asked aloud. "Does she mean she's coming here?"

  "It sure sounded that way," the minister on his left said.

  "Ridiculous," Minister Neddowo said. "It's all a ploy to have us recall the two-hundred-six ships headed to Quesann. She realizes their sneak attack on our fleet failed and she's desperate for us to cancel their mission."

  "I would hardly call her attack a failure. In mere seconds she stopped five-hundred-ten ships. We've been unable to contact any of them since the ships with working envelope generators departed. We have to assume she did as she said and they are lost to us."

  "Well, she can't stop our fleet while it's traveling faster than light, so this is an attempt to get us to stop them."

  "That doesn't make sense," Minister Valhallo said. "If all she wants is for them to stop, she can wait until they reach Quesann. They'll have to drop from light speed to commence their attack."