“As I was saying, Admiral….” Billy paused as the first pair of Trionic Cannon streams slashed downrange and seared through the two blocks of Axe-Blades on the left and right flanks of the attack.
“We’ve knocked a hole in their Cruiser strength and their Carriers, so Sal’nor had either to use his Axe-Blades or risk losing them in another of our attacks.” Billy briefly gazed at the battlefield, as thousands of Ganthoran Axe-Blades were vapourised in the great one hundred metre wide swath of annihilation caused by the Trionic Cannon.
The Axe-Blades, swarming to meet the slow-moving Star-Destroyers, hurtled towards the huge Alliance warships that they had been told they could overwhelm by sheer weight of numbers. Instead, thousands of single-seat fighters flattened in the classic unstable Trion stream before exploding into billions of atoms a split-second later. All along the lane of the Trion Streams, those fighters that the Trions struck were annihilated. This was the terror weapon that had smashed Grobbeg’s Frontier Fleet, and had terrified many of Kallet’s troops. It was now being turned on the great Axe-Blade host of the Combined Frontier Fleets.
“With his Cruiser formations reduced to shambles, there was no way he would be able to string together anything like a cohesive battle formation, so the Cruisers were going to be staying at home. The Destroyers had been barely touched, so Sal’nor is always going to have that option to provide fire support for the Axe-Blades,” Billy said.
The simple truth, however, for all the explanations and calculations, was that Billy Caudwell simply did not know whether General Sal’nor would send the Cruisers to support the Axe-Blades and Destroyers. Watching the unfolding battle positions, Billy could see that the two flanking formations of Axe-Blades were on course to pass beyond the positions of the two Star-Destroyers.
He’s either going to swing them in at the last moment for a full frontal assault with the entire Axe-Blade formation, or he’s going to try to surround the Star-Destroyers with two pincers.
“Just like the Zulus.” Billy smirked, absent-mindedly watching the approaching avalanche of Axe-Blades and Destroyers.
“What was that, sir?” another of the Third Admirals around the War Table asked.
“He’s going to try to envelop us with the two pincers that he is developing out on our flank,” Billy indicated, “not that it will do him any good.”
“No, sir.” the Third Admiral smiled in his confusion, thinking that sometimes it was best not to ask.
Meanwhile, the two Star-Destroyers were about to complete another quarter turn as they slowly marched up to the huge swarm of Axe-Blades. Moving forward, the two Star-Destroyers were spinning slowly, gracefully and elegantly on their vertical axes to bring the next Trionic cannon to bear on the rapidly advancing Axe-Blades.
On the War Table image, Billy could see that the Destroyer oval formation was starting to catch up to the Axe-Blades and was shaking out into a horse-shoe formation, with a large bulge to the rear of the centre. Like a huge crab sending out its pincers in search of food, the Destroyers were forming up to support the Axe-Blades, which confirmed Billy’s idea that they were about to attempt an encirclement of the two Alliance Star-Destroyers.
Not that it mattered to Billy Caudwell. When the Axe-Blades approached, the Star-Destroyers would not be sitting waiting to be fired at by the Ganthorans. The Trionic Cannon from the enormous Star-Destroyers fired, once again, within seconds of each other. And, once again the Trion Streams hurtled downrange, carving a lane of annihilation through the oncoming Axe-Blades on the flanks of the Ganthoran attack. The one hundred metre wide stream tore a gaping hole in the Ganthoran attack, flattening those fighters struck for a split-second, then annihilating them in red, roaring flame and destruction. Thousands of Axe-Blades fell to both Trion Streams, but the Ganthorans pressed onwards with their attack. This time, the Destroyers to the rear of the Axe-Blades also felt the destructive effects of the Trion Streams. Dozens of Destroyers went through the process of flattening and being annihilated as the stream of unstable Trions disrupted the molecular integrity of their hulls.
For one unfortunate Destroyer crew, the very tip of an extended weapons pod was their undoing. With the tip of the “Screaming Death” weapons pod caught in the very edge of the Trion Stream, it, at first, looked like the vessel might survive. However, the stream of unstable Trions was just as corrosive as any powerful acid. With the weapons pod struck by the stream, the unstable Trions quickly began to bond with those of the Destroyer’s hull. The unstable Trions from the stream sought out stable partners on the vessel’s hull and crept rapidly across the superstructure. To anyone viewing the vessel from outside, it would appear like the vessel was being dissolved as the unstable Trions rapidly overwhelmed the hull, sweeping down from the weapons pod and onto them main body of the ship. The Destroyer captain, quickly comprehending that his vessel was in danger, jettisoned the weapons pods. But, it was already too late. It took only four seconds for the unstable Trions to consume the hull. The vessel then flattened and, with its crew, was consigned to oblivion by a massive explosion. It had taken only five seconds to annihilate the Destroyer, which was five seconds of life more than many of their comrades also struck by the Trion Stream had enjoyed.
“How long to contact with the Axe-Blades?” Billy asked as the two Trion Streams smashed through the Ganthoran formation.
“One minute and ten seconds, sir,” was the response from the WATO.
“Very good, WATO,” Billy said, “when we fire the next Trion Stream, take us into the Axe-Blades, one hundred and fifty percent of their attack speed and open fire with all Self-Defence Turrets.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why one hundred and fifty percent of their attack speed, sir?” Another of the Third Admirals at the War Table looked to Billy for a logical answer.
Once again, Billy took a deep breath, not out of frustration and agitation, but simply to begin his answer. The idea to bring one Third Admiral from each Fleet to his Senior Staff had been his own. The best way for officers to learn the intricacies of how to handle a Fleet in combat and the tactical assumptions behind it was to watch it happening for real. It also gave Billy the on-the-spot information that he required with regard to the status, effectiveness, and capabilities of the Fleets that these Third Admirals came from. As First Admiral, Billy had the most experience of Fleet-on-Fleet combat, and the best way for someone to learn was to ask questions.
“Because, Admiral,” Billy began patiently, “we’re going to go through their formation like a dose of salts. We can’t afford to stand still with so many of them around. And, when we emerge from the other side of this attack run, I’d prefer to show these Ganthorans a clean pair of heels, rather than wait around for them to overwhelm us. Keep moving, keep firing and let them chase after us. Use your advantages and keep the initiative.”
Around the War Table image, heads nodded. It was a good strategy. It was unconventional, but so far the attack run with the Self-defence Turrets of the Star-Cruisers had paid off. The Ganthoran “Six-Cigar” Carriers were a total shambles after the successful Star-Cruiser strike, and now Billy Caudwell was attempting to hand out some of the same medicine to the single-seat fighters.
Watching the War Table image, Billy could see the range between the two Star-Destroyers and the Ganthoran Axe-Blades narrowing.
“Engineers, engage the Force Shielding on both Olympus and Colossus, maximum intensity,” Billy ordered.
“WATO, fire Trionic Cannon straight ahead when the guns bear,” Billy added.
“Yes, sir.”
No matter the occasion, making an attack run through over two hundred thousand enemy fighters was a risky business, and a malfunction in Propulsion could easily leave them stranded. If the Force Shielding failed, they would be slowly picked apart like a carcase by a host of ants. This had to be a quick and clinical strike to savage the Axe-Blades. There was no need for a defensive position here - mobility and Force Shielding would be the key.
“F
ull Force Shielding engaged, Sir,” a female voice emerged from the darkness of the War Room.
On the War Table image, Billy could see the great horde of Axe-Blades and the horse-shoe of Destroyers starting to converge on the two Alliance Star-Destroyers. In a few seconds, the Axe-Blades would be in weapons fire range. The two Axe-Blade formations on the flank were already starting to turn inward making their attack turns to encircle the huge Alliance vessels. The curved horse-shoe of the Destroyers was also starting to close inwards to support the Axe-Blades.
“They’re opening fire, sir!” a Scanner technician shouted.
Out on the battlefield, tens of thousands of “Screaming Death” weapons pods were activated, sending hundreds of thousands of individual sonic waves and electro-magnetic pulses towards the two huge Alliance ships.
Inside the slow moving Colossus and Olympus, it was like being inside a bell when a hammer struck it. The massive blow of “Screaming Death” smashed onto the Force Shielding; sending a huge shock wave through the hulls of both Star-Destroyers. The huge warships lurched for just a second, absorbing the massive shock, and continued relentlessly onward, spinning slowly to bring to bring the Trionic Cannon to bear.
In the War Room, Billy was jolted as he stood at the War Table. And, with as much grace and poise as he could muster, he clutched the edge of the table with his right hand. The War Table image flickered for a split second, and then returned.
Meanwhile, the Ganthorans continued the bombardment from their single-seat fighters. Wave after wave of “Screaming Death” smashed against the Force Shielding of Colossus and Olympus. However, at maximum intensity, the Force Shielding of the two Star-Destroyers was more than a match for the Ganthoran weapons. Inside the two Star-Destroyers, things were starting to become uncomfortable, but there was never any real danger of the Force Shielding collapsing.
Even inside the massive Alliance warships, crew members were being shaken and jolted as they stood to their battle-stations. But, Billy Caudwell knew that they had to absorb a few more seconds of Ganthoran weapons fire before he could respond effectively.
“Damage!?” Billy called from the War Table, over the shuddering and shaking of the warship.
“Minor damage, sir!! No casualties!!” a voice said.
“WATO, are we ready to fire Trionic Cannon!?” The vessel juddered and shook under the tremendous impact of the “Screaming Death.”
“Ten seconds to firing, sir!!”
“Very well! Activate Self-Defence Turrets and link them to the Tactical Computers!” Billy called.
“Yes, sir!”
With ten seconds to go until the Trionic Cannons were ready to fire, Billy knew that he had to set up the link between the Self-Defence Turrets and the Tactical Computer. With the Star-Destroyers travelling at one-hundred-and-fifty percent of the speed of the Ganthoran attack, the gunnery crews would have little or no chance of hitting anything as they sped past the great swarm of targets. The Star-Destroyers, carrying close to sixty-thousand Self-Defence Turrets, each with two low-yield pulsar-cannon, could make a significant dent in the Axe-Blade and Destroyer formations. But, it would have to be with the guns in automatic mode.
The reflexes of the gun crews would just not be able to cope with the myriad of targets that would become available to them.
Instead, Billy had linked the guns to the Tactical Computer. The Tactical Computer would run all of the numbers and permutations that would identify the Ganthoran vessels in the great scrimmage that was to follow. The Tactical Computer would analyse just how much of a threat each individual Ganthoran vessel was, and allocate it a Threat Potential Score. The Tactical Computer could calculate and re-calculate each individual’s Threat Potential every second. When the Tactical Computer had calculated all of the Ganthorans’ Threat Potentials, it would send signals to the Self-Defence Turrets, directing their fire to the most dangerous vessels attacking the Alliance ship. And, with one threat eliminated, the tactical Computers would search for the next most dangerous one, until all the threats had been destroyed.
“Trionic Cannon ready, sir!” the WATO called as the Star-Destroyer shook and jolted.
“Very well, ready the Self-Defence Turrets and move us in when you open fire!” Billy said.
“Propulsion ready, sir!” another voice called.
“O.K., let’s do it!” Billy grabbed the edges of the War Table with both hands.
One second later, both Trionic Cannon fired straight ahead. The twin Trion Streams burned a two hundred metre path through the mass of Axe-Blades that were attacking the Star Destroyers from the front.
With the Axe-Blades massing for the final assault, the casualty rate amongst the single-seat fighters was appalling. Almost two thousand of the small, single-seat fighters flattened and then exploded as the Trion Streams smashed through their formation. And, having fired straight ahead, the Trion Streams then seared through the major body of Ganthoran Destroyers that formed the lump to the rear of the horse-shoe. Like a running flame on a fuse cord, the Trion Streams annihilated one vessel after another in rapid sequence as they carved their way, unopposed, through the Ganthoran ranks. When the last of the Destroyers in the lane of destruction had been struck, the Streams hurtled towards the Cruisers and “Six Cigar” Carriers that stood in their way.
The crews of the Cruisers and the Carriers in the way of the Trion Streams had no opportunity to avoid their fates.
Like a speeding bullet, the Trion Streams cut through the static Cruiser and Carrier formations. Presuming that they were safe from the Alliance guns, whilst the Axe-Blades and Destroyers handed out a little pay-back for their earlier mauling, the crews were caught completely unaware. One of the one hundred metre wide lanes of annihilation seared through the single Cruiser that stood at the front of the Cruiser Screen. One Stream smashed through two more damaged Cruisers until it reached a damaged Carrier in Timmeg’s formation. The other smashed through the Cruiser Screen, catching two of the Ganthoran vessels on the weapons pods. It took ten seconds for the unstable Trions to consume and annihilate the two Cruisers. Then, having signed the death warrants of two Cruiser crews in the Cruiser Screen, the Stream hurtled onwards, devouring another damaged Cruiser and one of Sal’nor’s undamaged Carriers.
Meanwhile, as the Carrier was being annihilated, the two Star-Destroyers attacked the horde of buzzing and zipping Axe-Blades that were about to envelop them. From a slow, lumbering start, the huge engines of the Star-Destroyers ramped up their output and hurled the two huge warships toward the Ganthoran fighters. The front line of Axe-Blades was completely overwhelmed by the two enormous Alliance warships. Ganthoran Carriers and Cruisers did not possess such a formidable turn of speed, and the Axe-Blade pilots did not expect these two huge cities in space to have such amazing agility.
Like two enormous steel wrecking-balls, the Star-Destroyers smashed into the approaching line of Axe-Blades, and at the moment of impact, hundreds of Axe-Blades were shattered against the Force Shielding of the two marauding Star-Destroyers. The Axe Blade pilots, with no hope of avoiding the massive warships, fired their ineffectual weapons one last time, and perished in the red, roaring flames of destruction that peppered the Force Shielding of the massive Alliance ships.
“We have contact with the enemy, sir!” a Scanner Technician called.
“Thank you, Scanners!” Billy continued to cling onto the edge of the War Table.
“Propulsion!” Billy said, “Warm up that Trion Drive of yours and get ready to take us to the Star-Cruisers’ location!”
“Yes, sir!”
“WATO, when we emerge from this, I want one shot from the Trionic Cannon from both Olympus and Colossus, go for the heart of the Carrier formation, and then get us out of here!” Billy began to lurch forward, towards the War Table.
“Yes, sir,” the WATO called out enthusiastically, “Self-Defence Turrets opening fire, sir!!”
“Good!” Billy responded, “Now hang on and enjoy the ride!”
Some of the Third Admirals, around the War Table had taken a more cautious approach, and were seated on the floor around the War Table, hanging onto the edges as if their lives depended upon it. However, several others stayed on their feet and held on; savouring the excitement.
On the War Table image, the two Star-Destroyers had just punctured the line of Axe-Blades, and the real slaughter had just begun. With the Star-Destroyers entering the Axe-Blade formation, the Self-Defence Turrets had received their first firing instructions from the Tactical Computer. Simultaneously, the Self-Defence Turrets had opened up on the Ganthoran Axe-Blades that had survived the initial impact, and were making their attack runs on the huge Star Destroyers.
And, in a few vicious seconds of low-yield pulsar-cannon fire, around eight thousand Axe-Blades were shot to pieces. With rapid-fire pulsar-cannon being aimed at the highest identified threats to the Star-Destroyer, the Self-Defence Turrets tore the first targets to shreds. On the War Table image, it resembled thousands of tiny twinkling lights in a Christmas bauble, with each little flicker being a Ganthoran pilot losing their life. Looking at the tactical situation on the War Table, Billy could see the two Star Destroyers starting to scythe their way through the centre block of Axe-Blades. This meant that the two flanking movements were about to snap the jaws of their pincers closed – on nothing. The two Star-Destroyers were rapidly advancing, and the two Ganthoran pincers were about to overshoot. Even with some skilled manoeuvring, the Axe-Blades on the flanks would have to sweep around to start any form of pursuit, and by then, the Colossus and Olympus would be long gone.
Billy had outsmarted Sal’nor with that move, and now the two Star-Destroyers were shattering their way through the centre of the Axe-Blades. Like a bulldozer smashing through a wall of sand, the two Star-Destroyers ploughed through the great swarm of Axe-Blades that were speeding towards them on their own attack runs. The Ganthoran pilots, with enough distance and presence of mind, began to veer their fighters away from the advancing Star-Destroyers. Some had just enough time to fire their weapons as the huge Alliance monsters advanced. Unfortunately, for some of them, there just wasn’t enough time or distance to avoid the great space juggernauts that were bearing down upon them. Those who had the right angle of approach pressed home their own individual attacks on the huge ships that seemed to have an amazing turn of speed. Many of the Ganthoran Axe-Blades did manage to fire at the large and speedy warships, to little effect. And, having fired, many chose to set off in pursuit of an enemy that rapidly outpaced them. Those that got too close in their attack runs were savagely cut apart by the Self-Defence Turrets, whilst those that could not avoid the Star-Destroyers were shattered on the Force Shielding.
The Ganthoran Gambit (The First Admiral Series) Page 15
