Steele's Demon Star

by Dietmar Wehr

  Sogard took one last look at the status board of his squadron. Communications with the other destroyers were intermittent, but enough data was reaching his ship that it was obvious all five of his ships were in no condition to keep fighting.

  “I surrender my ship and my squadron, Admiral Hara. Can I ask what the condition of Admiral DeSoto’s squadron is?”

  He saw her eyes open wide in surprise. “Nolan DeSoto is commanding those cruisers? I guess this makes us even for what he did to the HRCN during the war. I don’t know what condition his squadron is in. Once your ships have been secured, I’ll send two of my cruisers back to Admiral DeSoto’s group to ascertain their situation and accept his surrender. Now that you’ve formally surrendered, any resistance by any of your squadron’s personnel will be considered a resumption of hostilities and my ships will respond accordingly. Is that clearly understood, Commodore?”

  “Yes, Admiral. That’s clear. I’m having a little trouble keeping my ships in communication contact, but I’ll do my best to make sure my people cooperate.”

  “Understood. My ships will have to come back around to match velocities with yours. In the meantime, I suggest you determine which of your ships has life support that’s suffered the least damage and move all your survivors and injured to that vessel. That will make it easier to assist your people, and it’ll make your communication problem easier for you. We’ll contact you again in a few hours. Hara clear.”

  As the Commodore’s face faded from her display, Hara wished that her ships didn’t have to swing around in a big arc in order to decelerate enough to match velocities with the crippled destroyers but building up that massive velocity advantage had been the only way to get within laser range before the destroyers went super-luminal. That same speed differential had made it imperative that she get Sogard’s surrender as quickly as possible before her squadron passed his and went out of range again. It was possible that some of his ships might be able to repair their EG drives before her ships came back around. If that happened, Admiral DeChastelain would be unhappy about it, but Hara couldn’t see how she could have done anything to prevent it and still have time to demand Sogard’s surrender from a position of strength.

  As it turned out, all five destroyers were still coasting in formation by the time her squadron had returned. Two of them had life support in relatively good condition, and Sogard had elected to split his remaining three surviving crews between the two of them. Hara ordered medical teams to join the boarding parties. The injured personnel were few in number, but most of those were seriously hurt.

  While that was happening, she detached Relentless, Steadfast and Valiant to check on DeSoto’s cruisers and destroyer. To no one’s surprise, all seven of his vessels had taken far heavier damage, and more casualties than Sogard’s had. Even so, there wasn’t enough room on her ships to securely hold what survivors there were. One of DeSoto’s cruisers still had a functioning life support system. All of the Admiral’s uninjured crewmen, including himself, were moved to that cruiser while the injured were brought on board the three HRCN ships.

  When Hara knew exactly what the situation was in terms of prisoners and injured, she detached Indomitable to carry back her report and request for personnel transport capacity to relieve her from the responsibility for all the prisoners. Being tied down to the two groups of crippled ships was tactically risky, and the sooner she was free to maneuver, the better she’d like it. No one on the RSN ships seemed to be expecting more reinforcements, but Hara wasn’t going to make the mistake of assuming that no more ships were in transit. As she watched Indomitable accelerate away on its return to Caledonia, she wondered what Mac was doing now.

  Chapter Eleven

  Steele arrived at Admiral DeChastelain’s office with some apprehension at receiving a summons even before Diamond K entered a parking orbit. He was no longer an active officer in the HRCN and even when he had been, he had never been ordered to come to the office of the Chief of Space Operations. The Admiral’s Aide ushered him into the Admiral’s inner office immediately.

  “Come in, Captain Steele,” said DeChastelain. He pointed to the empty chair sitting opposite his desk. Steele didn’t know if he should salute the Admiral or not. He decided to be on the safe side and did so. A small smile broke out on DeChastelain’s face as he nodded his acknowledgment of the gesture.

  “Before we get to the reason why I summoned you here, Captain, I’d like to know how your latest survey went.”

  “Of course, Admiral. AR27 turned out to be entirely routine. We identified three wormholes that lead further into Human Space plus one wormhole that leads to a previously unexplored system. The survey drones found it to be quite normal as well with an unremarkable super-giant blue sun at its center. The latest tweaks to the survey drones are resulting in a much more complete picture of what the drones are finding at the other end of wormholes. I’ve already dropped off the data modules to the Astrographic Department on my way here.”

  “I’m pleased to hear that there were no complications. I imagine that you and your crew are hoping for some down time.”

  “Yes, sir. We’ve been on the go almost continuously for three months now. I’d say we’ve earned some R&R, sir.”

  “I agree with you, Captain, however, I’m afraid that won’t be possible right now. You see, the situation in AG38 has increased in importance and urgency. Admiral Hara managed to cripple six RSN heavy cruisers plus six of their destroyers for almost no damage to her own force when they tried to take control of AG38 from her. We’ve sent two personnel transports to being back her prisoners if that’s the correct term for them. It’s not clear if we’re once again in a state of war with Socorro, but we might be, and if we’re not, we may soon be. Right now, AG38 is the only system we know of, that connects to that black hole system. It’s imperative that we find out how many other wormholes that system has and where they lead. As you know, we haven’t sent you back there yet because you didn’t have the specialized equipment that you recommended would be needed for further exploration. We’ve taken your recommendations to heart, and the specialized equipment is now ready for field testing. It can be loaded aboard your ship within twenty-four hours. Is there any reason why you can’t be on your way to AG38 when that’s completed?”

  Steele was shocked. The HRCN had moved far faster than he had expected. And while he understood the logic behind the urgency, his people needed a rest goddammit! The problem was the contract signed by the HRCN. It clearly spelled out that the HRCN reserved the right to demand that the Diamond K and her crew exceed the maximum performance parameters specified in the contract if planetary security was at risk. He could challenge that assertion, and the dispute would go to third-party arbitration, but he had a strong hunch that in this case, the Arbitrator would rule in favor of the HRCN and just disputing the issue at all would generate some negative feelings with senior HRCN personnel including Admiral DeChastelain.

  “Can my crew at least have forty-eight hours so that they can spend one complete day with their families, Admiral?” He could tell from the Admiral’s expression that he didn’t like the request.

  “I can tell from your tone that you think I’m being unreasonable, but there’s a side to this that I don’t think you’ve considered yet, Captain. It’s entirely possible that King Pierre will throw a much larger force at AG38 and push Admiral Hara out while you’re exploring the black hole system. If that happens, what do you think your chances are of getting out of there while the RSN is guarding every wormhole? I’d say the chances are pretty close to zero. It seems to me that the sooner you get back there, the sooner you’ll finish the survey and the less chance you’ll take of being caught by the RSN.”

  Steele sighed. “You’re right, Admiral. I hadn’t considered that. However, it’s not like I’m asking for a week or a month’s delay. I’m willing to take the risk for an extra twenty-four hours.”

  “I hope I, and you, don’t regret this, but you’ve got your forty-e
ight hours.”

  “Thank you, Admiral. Diamond K will be on her way again in forty-eight hours. I guarantee it.”

  “I’ll hold you to that guarantee, Captain. There is another issue that I wanted to discuss with you. As you may have heard, the Stellar Alliance Grand Council has approved a new policy of monopolizing the collection of all wormhole transit fees within Stellar Alliance territory to be carried out and enforced by Navy warships. Our government and our Navy couldn’t care less what the SAN does within its own borders, but that new policy is apparently just the first step. Phase One they call it. Phase Two calls for taking control of all wormholes within human space, and we do care about that. The problem is that the HRCN isn’t even in the same league as the SAN when it comes to relative fleet size. My staff has been looking at an idea that has the potential to checkmate the SAN as far as Phase Two is concerned, and I’d like to get your thoughts on it because the Diamond K would be impacted by this concept if it becomes a reality. What the Navy is thinking of proposing is that a multi-star nation organization be created where each member star nation would contribute ships, personnel, and money. This organization would assume complete responsibility for monitoring, controlling all wormholes outside of the S.A. and collecting all transit fees to be distributed among the members after reinvesting some of the revenues into more ships, etc. One of the secondary missions of the organization would be the survey of new wormholes, including exploring new star systems. Ships like the Diamond K would be ideally suited to that role. Eventually, this military organization would buy newly built ships specifically designed for the survey and exploration mission, but initially, it would have to either buy or contract for the services of existing ships. How does that concept strike you, Captain?”

  Steele took his time answering. “It sounds good in theory. I just wonder if it can be implemented given the tensions between Caledonia and Socorro not to mention tensions between other star-faring nations outside of the S.A. If I put myself in King Pierre’s shoes, I’d have trouble seeing how sharing transit fees with other star nations benefits me more than keeping those fees from systems my Navy controls.”

  “Hm. Well, I’ll do some role-playing myself as King Pierre’s senior naval officer and make the following points to His Majesty. First, he’d be sharing in transit fees for wormholes that his Navy couldn’t possibly control no matter how hard they tried. Second, if he elects to stay out of the organization, it will eventually grow to the point where it can take control of his wormholes by force, and he’d end up with no transit fees at all. With regards to the current tensions between His Majesty and those simple-minded fools in the Hereditary Republic of Caledonia,” both men laughed, “I’d also point out that if all wormholes outside the S.A. are under control of this neutral organization, then there’s no longer anything to fight over. And with the resulting reduced tensions, His Majesty could afford to redeploy some of the Navy’s budget to other equally pressing needs the Kingdom has now.”

  Steele cleared his throat and chose his next words carefully. “Couldn’t that last point apply just as well to the HRCN, Admiral?”

  DeChastelain grinned. “You picked up on that right away. Yes, it could if there wasn’t a long-term threat on the horizon from the S.A.’s Phase Two. If the Stellar Alliance Grand Council is determined to grab every possible wormhole, they’re not going to let the formation of this kind of organization stand without taking action against it. And that will mean that the navies of member star nations will have to become the strategic reserve. My recommendation to our government would be to plow whatever transit fee revenues we get back into the HRCN as new construction for major combat ship types. I don’t see my Navy shrinking at all, Captain. Longer term I see it growing.”

  “Are you that certain that war between the Stellar Alliance and the rest of humanity will happen, Admiral?”

  DeChastelain leaned forward. “That’s what this idea really boils down to,” he said in a low voice. “Given how arrogant S.A. politicians are when it comes to star nations further out, I can’t see them exercising any restraint whatsoever if they think their Navy is the meanest dog in the yard and can bully the rest of us into backing down. And they’ll be proven right if we can’t unite fast enough.”

  Steele hesitated before responding. “Admiral. I regretted not having the opportunity to command a ship in combat during the war. I’d like to think I’ve demonstrated my tactical chops during what happened with New Troy and Paradyne. If a war with the Stellar Alliance is coming over the horizon, I don’t want to spend that war commanding a survey-exploration ship.”

  The Admiral leaned back and nodded. “I can understand that. I wish I could promise you a combat command when the war comes, but I don’t know if I’d be in a position to make good on that promise. What I can do is give you a favorable reference when the opportunity presents itself. You may not have impressed other senior officers in the HRCN, but your actions in that system against those odds did impress me.”

  “Thank you, Admiral. That means a lot to me.”

  “I take it then that if this military organization comes into existence and is looking for officers to command the armed ships, it’ll deploy, that you’d be interested in that job?” asked the Admiral.

  “I’d be interested, yes, but I’d be even more interested in being called back to active duty in the HRCN and given command of a warship, Admiral. I’m sorry if that sounds selfish, but it occurs to me that commanding a destroyer that’s collecting transit fees from a wormhole would be a good way to become the first casualty of a war if…when the SAN make their move.”

  “I can’t fault the logic of what you just said, but you’re right, it does sound a bit selfish to expect someone else to take that risk while you’re given command of something more powerful.”

  Steele wondered if he had just sabotaged his chances of getting any combat command, he had always found that being honest with superior officers was the best policy in the long run.

  DeChastelain reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a cigar. After lighting it and taking a puff, he gave Steele a contemplative stare for a few seconds.

  “I’m not sure if I should be telling you this because since you’re not on active duty, it’s really none of your business, but there are extenuating circumstances that you’ll be aware of in due course. Your actions in that New Troy super-giant, I believe it’s now been designated as AR47, has generated a debate among my planning staff about the merits of a radical new warship design concept that can duplicate that maneuver Diamond K pulled off by deploying missiles from the cargo hold. There are a couple of analysts who are pushing the idea of a design that could carry and deploy large numbers of missiles essentially the same way, although it would be highly automated, while the ship is maneuvering. It would have to be equipped with lots of tractor beam that would grab each missile as its deployed to pull it along with the ship. The advantages are obvious. It’s the disadvantages that are not obvious. For one thing, the ship would have to be big, at least at the upper end of the range for battlecruisers although if the ship were going to be armored, it would have to be close to dreadnought size. That means it would be slow and clumsy. To accommodate the deployment of missiles that way, the shape of the hull would interfere with laser turret fields of fire and in fact, those tractor beams will be diverting a lot of power that would normally be available for laser fire which implies that the number of laser turrets will be small for a ship that size. The reason why I’m bringing this up is that there’s already resistance to the idea in the feedback my staff has been getting from line officers who have been asked to comment on it. Part of that resistance, aside from the ‘not invented here’ syndrome, has to do with their lack of awareness of the threat we face with the Stellar Alliance. They understand that a ship like this would only have one purpose and that’s in a war against an opposing fleet. It’s not well suited for any other type of mission and if there’s no war coming, then being given command of a ship like that
could become a career-ending dead end.”

  Steele stifled a laugh but allowed himself a smile. “I’d jump at a chance to command a ship like that, Admiral. A radical design like that is just what the HRCN needs if we’re going to war with the SAN. Giving them a bloody nose a couple of times will knock the arrogance off their faces.”

  The Admiral took another puff of his cigar. “Well, don’t hold your breath for that command. We’re a long way from having ships like that ready to deploy. But I like the idea of having a surprise up our sleeves when the SAN finally sticks its nose where it doesn’t belong. Okay, Captain, we’ve had a nice chat which I expect you to keep to yourself. There’s nothing else that I wanted to discuss so you’re free to leave.”

  Steele got up and made a point of saluting. DeChastelain used his cigar to return the salute and Steele exited the office.

  In spite of the near mutiny when Steele informed the Diamond K’s crew of the very short down time, he kept his promise that the ship would be underway again by the time 48 hours were up. On board were the new, improved survey drones that were also much larger than the old ones which were still in the ship’s cargo hold as well.