by Dietmar Wehr
“We hear ya. We’ll be there when Humanity needs us, CAG. You can count on us.” Shiloh nodded and smiled.
“I never doubted that for a second, Iceman.” He paused again, and then said, “Let’s change the subject to something less somber. I’m curious to find out what A.I. humor is like. Bring the others into this circuit so that I can hear them and vice versa and then I’d like to hear some jokes.” Shiloh spent the next half hour chatting and laughing with his pilots. There was no way for him to know for sure but his gut told him that he and they had bonded in the same way that human pilots would have. As he walked back to his quarters, he wondered if he’d regret getting that close to them when some of them were lost in battle, as they inevitably would be.
Chapter 4 - To The Victor Goes The Swagger
The trip to the star system containing the Avalon Colony was uneventful. Defiant arrived at the outskirts of the system, made two microjumps to arrive beyond Avalon’s 11 light second gravity zone and contacted the Nimitz Base that had been hollowed out of the planet’s small moon. With contact established with Nimitz Base and their identity confirmed, Defiant began its maneuver to drop down into orbit around Avalon’s tiny moon and the Space Force base on it. Tanaka was conning the ship from the Bridge so Shiloh elected to contact the Nimitz Base Commander from the comfort of his quarters. The image that appeared on his screen was that of Senior Commander Ingrid DeChastelaine. They had met briefly a couple of times but he remembered her.
“Hello, Commander. I wasn’t aware that you’d been made Nimitz Base CO. When did that happen?” asked Shiloh. DeChastelaine smiled.
“Hello, Victor. No need to be so formal. Ingrid will do fine. I took over here about two months ago. We weren’t expecting Defiant. Is something wrong?” Shiloh nodded.
“Yes. Obviously you haven’t gotten the word from Omaha yet. There’s an alien incursion, made up of 42 ships, headed into our space. I’m convinced, but can’t prove, that they’re headed here in order to attack the colony.” He went on to describe the detection and battle. DeChastelaine’s expression grew serious quickly.
“Oh Shit, Victor! What makes you think they’re headed here?” Shiloh hesitated.
“Just call it a strong hunch, Ingrid. What have you got here in terms of mobile defenses?”
“Twenty-five CFPs. That’s it! How soon could they be here do ya think?”
“If they push it to the limit, they could be here in less than 24 hours. How are you fixed for Mark 1s, Ingrid?” She frowned and shook her head.
“None. You know the rules, Victor. CFPs can’t carry fission warhead drones while in the same system as colonized planets.” Shiloh cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten that stupid regulation. Defiant had less than a dozen left over from the Battle at Green4. Not enough to equip all her fighters with even one each.
“Okay, what kind of payload do you have?”
“Over two hundred Mark 2s plus laser modules for the CFPs.” Shiloh took a deep breath as he considered the possibilities. Laser modules designed to be carried by fighters, didn’t have enough power to burn their way thru any kind of half decent hull armor or at least not fast enough to be really useful. The Mark 2s were kinetic energy penetrators with a fast drone built around a thick rod of depleted uranium. Given enough velocity, the kinetic energy released upon impact, would turn the depleted uranium rod into a jet of superhot plasma that could cut through even the densest armor. It was the perfect weapon for disabling a ship, IF you happened to hit it in the right spot. To be certain of disabling a ship quickly, you had to hit it with multiple Mark 2s. At least all of the fighters in the system now, could carry their fill of Mark 2s.
“Well, if that’s all we have, then we’ll have to make the most of it. I’ve got 17 fighters left. Can you arrange to have 85 Mark 2s brought up to the ship as soon as possible?”
“You bet, Victor. I imagine you’ll want fuel too, right?” Shiloh nodded.
“Yes but that can wait until after we reload. How soon can you get your fi…your CFPs loaded with Mark 2s?” DeChastelaine frowned with concentration.
“Don’t hold me to this but I think we can do it in six hours if we had too. I’m reluctant to pull them all off jump detection patrol at the same time.”
“Understood. Once we get our reloads, my CFPs can help carry some of that load. I don’t think we should count on my time estimate as a minimum, Ingrid. These bastards have already surprised me once with their acceleration. We should push our people to get ready as quickly as we possibly can just in case they’ve got more fuel capacity that we estimated.”
“I agree. What else do you need, Victor?” Shiloh thought for a couple of seconds, then said,
“Nothing else that can’t wait. I’ll get back to you shortly so that we can co-ordinate our deployments. Thanks for your help, Ingrid. Shiloh clear.” As soon as the connection was cut, he said.
“Intercom…Bridge.”
“Bridge here.”
“Sumi, the Base is going to replenish our fighter weapons load as best they can. Do whatever you can to expedite the transfer and as soon as we disconnect, find the DCAG and have him report to my quarters asap.”
“Understood, Sir. Anything else?”
“No, Sumi. That’s it for now. Shiloh clear.” While he waited for Falkenberg to arrive, Shiloh pondered what he should order the DCAG to do. He had a very strong feeling that stopping the attack would require the use of the fission-armed Mark 1s. Defiant could fire them herself but she could only be in one place at a time and if she happened to be in the wrong position or if the enemy fleet came charging in at high speed, her Mark 1s might not reach them in time. In his vision, Howard said they had barely prevented the enemy ships from attacking the planet. That sounded like the defenders had used every possible means of defense and if that was the case, then it implied the use of the eleven Mark 1s that Defiant had left. On the other hand, Howard hadn’t congratulated him for taking the initiative and deploying the Mark 1s on his fighters. That didn’t mean he hadn’t done it but neither did it mean that he had. He was completely on his own for this decision. Damn the man for not being more forthcoming! He heard the buzzer that announced that Falkenberg has arrived. When the DCAG entered, Shiloh stood up and met him half way.
“You wanted to see me.” said Falkenberg.
“Yes. The base is sending up 85 Mark 2s as soon as they can. They’re going to call their own fighters down from jump patrol to get them armed but that’ll take time and I’ve offered to have our fighters fill in the coverage gaps in order to speed that up. So, get our fighters loaded with jump detection gear and one recon drone each. I’m now going to give you an order that’s a violation of standing regulations. If you obey it, then your career will be just as far out on a limb as mine will but I think it’s necessary under the circumstances. I want Iceman and ten other fighters of his choice, to carry our remaining Mark 1s. Get them loaded first and sent out on jump patrol. Then send out the rest as soon as they have their Mark 2s, then we’ll bring Iceman and his ten back aboard to top up their load as well. Are you willing to step out on that limb with me?” Falkenberg said nothing for so long that Shiloh was certain he would say no.
“Ah, what the hell. I’ll do it, Sir.” Shiloh grinned at him.
“Good man! Tell Iceman I’ll be down to the bay to speak with him soon. You better get moving, Brad. I don’t want us caught unprepared.”
“Understood, Sir.” As soon as Falkenberg left his quarters, Shiloh left as well.
Ten minutes later, he was once again in the Hangar Bay hooked up to Iceman’s fighter by direct connection. Iceman already had his attack drone loaded along with one recon drone. As soon as they were linked up, Iceman spoke.
“Have you had another vision? Is that why you’re violating regulations by ordering us to carry Mark 1s in a colonized system, CAG?”
“No vision, just erring on the side of caution.” said Shiloh.
“Ah, roger that, CAG. Any last minute instruct
ions?” Shiloh took a deep breath and said.
“Yes. If…no, when the attack begins, I’ll be in constant contact and I’ll let you and your boys know when you can use the Mark 1s but I’m also going to rely on your judgment. If, in your estimation, there isn’t enough time to get authorization from me, and if that’s the only way to stop the enemy, then you and your boys do whatever is necessary to stop them and I’ll take responsibility for any adverse consequences.”
“We hear ya, CAG. We’ll be careful.”
“That’s what I needed to hear. I’ll see all of you when this is over. CAG clear.” Shiloh checked the time. His next duty shift on the Bridge wasn’t set to start for another hour and a half. He wasn’t hungry and didn’t feel like wading through his pile of administrative paperwork. Maybe it was time for some leadership by walking around. If he started at the back end of the ship, he might be all the way up to the Bridge by the time his duty shift started. For half a second he contemplated making a detour to the Officers’ Mess to get a pickle but decided that would just confirm any suspicions as to his questionable mental state!
When the estimated minimum time for the arrival of the enemy fleet came and went, Shiloh breathed a little easier. The anticipated message drone from Omaha Base had arrived with confirmation that the Quick Reaction Task Force was only a few hours behind it. All fighters in the system were loaded, fueled and back on patrol. Defiant was refueled and had 11 Mark 2 drones ready for launch, while she maintained a tight orbit around the planet. The QRTF, when it arrived, was somewhat of a disappointment. Four Sentinel class combat frigates. Shiloh was hoping for more but apparently some were held back to defend Omaha Base in case that was the real target. With the benefit of his visions, it was easy for Shiloh to call that a stupid move but he reluctantly acknowledged to himself that for someone without that certain knowledge, it was a strategically prudent precaution to take. Naturally the attack took place during his sleep cycle. He woke up to the blaring of the ship’s Battle Stations siren with Tanaka’s excited voice calling him via his implant.
“Bridge to Commander! They’re here, Sir! Repeat…they’re here…” Shiloh shook himself awake and started to get up.
“I’m awake, Sumi. What’s happening?” He was glad he decided to sleep in his uniform for just this kind of emergency.
“Jump detection contacts! Lots of them!” When he was sure that she wasn’t going to say more, he said.
“From what bearing?”
“ALL of them! They’re coming at us from 360 degrees and all three axes!” The near panic in her voice shocked him. By this time, he was running down the corridor to the Bridge. She was already vacating the Command Station chair when he entered the Bridge. Before she could relinquish command, he said in a loud voice.
“The XO still has the Con. XO, take the Helm station; I’ll look after the fighters!” She looked at him with wide eyes but nodded and stepped over to the Helm Station. As he got himself strapped into his chair, he quickly switched com channels to the open channel with the Nimitz Base.
“Nimitz, this is Shiloh! Order your recons to active scanning!” Without waiting for a reply, he switched to the fighter com channel. By prior arrangement, DeChastelaine had agreed to let Shiloh take tactical command of her fighters too. “CAG to fighters! Launch your recons and go active! Light’em up! We need to see their vectors and speeds! If you have a viable intercept solution, take the shot!” By now he was strapped in and had time to actually look at the tactical display. Tanaka was right. Red triangles indicating jump emergence points were all around the planet as well as above and below it. There was something about this strategy that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Concentration of force was a key tactical concept that should theoretically be valid to any species. There was strength in numbers and it minimized communication lags. So why was this alien fleet…this alien, A.I.-controlled fleet behaving this way? They must know that they risked being picked off one at a time. He didn’t have an answer to his question and…no vision either.
“Task Force Leader on Tac 4, Sir!” yelled the com tech. Shiloh switched over to that com channel and said.
“Shiloh here. Go ahead Task Force Leader!” As he spoke he searched the display to find the four combat frigates. They were following standard doctrine and were in close formation orbiting the Nimitz Base moon.
“Victor! Get your fighters into action!” Shiloh suppressed his surge of anger. Task Force Leader Sobrist and he were both Senior Commanders. The deployment order from HQ on Sol had placed all ships in the Avalon system under the authority of Sobrist BUT it also made it clear that when Shiloh was wearing his Commander Autonomous Group hat, he had sole discretion on how to use those fighters. Not only was Sobrist’s urging that Shiloh get the fighters into action a completely unnecessary stating of the obvious but it was also a distraction that Shiloh as the CAG didn’t need right now.
“I’ve already issued orders to them to…” he stopped talking as the tactical display was updated with the first results of the recon drones’ active scans. They had all the incoming enemy ships on radar now and he was stunned by their speeds. 27,552 kilometers per second! And when he checked their acceleration, he was shocked to discover that they were DECELERATING! Avalon’s gravity zone was just over 3.3 million kilometers in diameters. At about 9% of light speed, the alien ships would reach the planet in 2 1/2 minutes. His outer shell of fighters on jump detection patrol were considerably closer to the planet but had much lower velocities and it wasn’t at all clear to Shiloh whether or not those fighters could intercept any of the incoming ships. He also couldn’t understand why the enemy was decelerating if they intended to fly past the planet. If this was supposed to be a hit and run raid, then the smart thing to do, would be to accelerate to get out of enemy range as fast as possible. But before he could concentrate on that problem, he had to get this fucking Task Force Leader off his back!
“I don’t have time for this, Sobrist! If you have orders for Defiant, you talk to my XO, who’s conning the ship while I handle MY fighters! CAG clear!” He cut the channel to Sobrist and switched back to the fighter channel at the same time.
“Iceman! Co-ordinate movement, targeting and drone fire by all fighters to maximize interceptions! You can figure it out and transmit the necessary instructions faster than we can!”
“Already on it, CAG, but interception’s not going to be the problem. These bogeys are all headed for dead center impacts on the planet. They’re not trying to veer off for a close pass. If they’re carrying multi-megaton fusion warheads then enough of them hitting the planet, could render it uninhabitable from fallout and weather effects. Disabling their ships with Mark 2s won’t prevent the derelicts from hitting the planet.” Once again Iceman’s quantum brain had figured it out far faster than human brains could have. Why settle for laser blasts against a few ground targets when you could effectively kill an entire colony with radioactive fallout and nuclear winter effects. Even if the colonists could all be evacuated in time, which was a BIG if, the planet would still be rendered useless for a long, long time. Now he understood why this enemy fleet was A.I. controlled. It was a kamikaze mission from the very beginning.
“Iceman, your team is authorized to use your Mark 1s at your discretion. All fighters have to be prepared to ram enemy ships if that’s the only way to stop them. Sobrist! If you’re monitoring this channel, your frigates have to use Mark 1s to completely destroy any bogeys within reach! Don’t waste intercept solutions on Mark 2s! Iceman! Figure out where Defiant can be of most use and transmit that data to our Helm and Tactical computers. XO! Do you copy that?”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Let the Helm computer follow Iceman’s instructions! Weapons! When you get targeting instructions from Iceman, go ahead and fire! Understood?”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Any further information we should know about, Iceman?”
“Yes…this will be close.” was all he said. Shiloh looked at the tact
ical display’s elapsed time since enemy arrival and was shocked (again!) to see that there was now just over a minute left before impacts on the planet. Things were happening fast on the display. A lot more drones had been launched and were trying to use their high acceleration to intercept the much faster bogeys. Shiloh suddenly realized that some of the recon drones were attempting interceptions too. Well why not. He thought to himself. The same tactic had worked for him in their first encounter. He berated himself for not giving explicit orders to do that and then thanked God that Iceman had instructed the other fighters to do it on his own initiative. The combat frigates had fired drones too in addition to their laser weapons. Shiloh watched as one of those drones reached a bogey, which then disappeared from the screen. Clearly Sobrist had heard his plea to use Mark 1s and had complied. More and more of the bogeys were getting hit and stopped decelerating. Then Shiloh noticed that some of the recon drones were disappearing too. The bogeys were firing their lasers at the source of the radar emissions but too late to try to escape detection. Each bogey now had at least one kinetic energy warhead drone tracking it with low powered range finding laser. The display pinged for attention. Iceman’s hand-picked team had just fired their Mark 1s. At almost the same time, several fighter icons merged with enemy ship icons causing both to disappear from the display.
