"We next performed two dozen hyperspace transitions, twelve up and twelve down, inside the published system periphery, at closer and closer distances to the calculated system periphery. Our closest transitions so far have been three-quarters of the way from the published system periphery to the calculated system periphery.
"Transition stresses increased, but upward transition stresses never exceeded the stresses from the unmodulated transitions at the published system periphery, and downward transition stresses never exceeded fifty percent of the stresses from the unmodulated transitions at the published system periphery."
"So it's working," Lutzdorf said.
"So far, so good, Sir."
"All right. What's next?"
The general quarters alarm shocked Jan out of bed. She jumped into the nearest shipsuit, zipped her boots on, and ran for the starboard ladder to the bridge. As watch-standing crew, she was just one level below the bridge and was there in less than two minutes. She took her position at the console she used for the hyperspace transition testing.
Lutzdorf had just settled into his command chair.
"Commander Chavez. Status?" Lutzdorf said.
"Six point sources made an unscheduled hyper transition on the system periphery. They powered up, and began accelerating to Valore at their best speed. CIC makes it two heavy cruisers and four light cruisers making 1.4 gravities. Looks like a smash and run. No word from the Planetary CIC or Admiral Naguri yet, Sir."
"Time to calculated system periphery?"
"Ninety minutes, Sir."
"Lieutenant Childers. Can you put us right in front of them? Right smack in their path?"
"I believe so, yes, Sir."
"Do it. Go for five light-seconds in front of them on their current vector. Show them our bows, and drop us in at their velocity. Commander Takahashi, take your numbers from Lieutenant Childers."
"What's that battleship doing swanning around out here all by herself?" said Captain Fred Gwinnett, Admiral Hawbaker's Chief of Staff.
"Don't know, Fred. Doesn't matter. That big bastard can't catch us. It's the cruisers around the planet I'm worried about," said Admiral Jules Hawbaker, commanding Brunswick's Third Fleet.
"That battleship's transitioning into hyper, Admiral," Lieutenant Commander Chambers said from Plotting.
"All guns aft. If she comes in on us at all, it will be from behind. Full power to shields aft."
The Jean d'Arc was completing her flip in the hyperspace bubble, to put her less vulnerable bows toward the enemy.
"Transition available in one minute, Sir," Jan said.
"All right, hit them as soon as we come out of hyper. Guns free. Fire at will."
"Guns free. Fire at will. Yes, Sir."
"Full power to shields forward."
"Full power to shields forward, Sir."
"Go ahead, Lieutenant."
"Set modulation technique Gamma-5," Jan said.
"Modulation technique Gamma-5 set."
"Shut down hyperspace field generator per Gamma-5," Jan said.
"Shutting down hyperspace field generator per Gamma-5 modulation.
"Hyperspace bubble dissipating."
"Hyper transition zero mark zero, five light-seconds," Chambers said.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Hawbaker shouted.
The Jean d'Arc dropped out of hyperspace five light-seconds in front of Third Fleet, bows on, and at the same velocity toward the planet. Her guns had been pre-aimed, and only minor targeting modifications were necessary. Third Fleet had no forward shields energized, and her guns were out of position. The Jean d'Arc fired twice.
There was no return fire.
Twelve hours later, another force of six ships transitioned out of hyper on the system periphery on the other side of the ecliptic. They hypered back out fifteen minutes later.
"Well, clearly what they were trying to do is suck Admiral Naguri out of position with the first force, so the second could come in unopposed," Lutzdorf said.
"I think that's right, Sir. And when they didn't see the first force, and Admiral Naguri had not moved away from the planet, they figured it was a blown op, somehow, and bugged out," Stewart said.
"Exactly. What's also clear is how important this ability is, to maneuver in hyperspace inside the published system periphery."
"Sir, are you at all worried we exposed that capability, when it is supposed to be so hush-hush?"
"Nobody out here but us and them, XO. And none of them went home."
Captain of the Sensor Tender CSS Clermont
"I have to tell you, Lieutenant Childers, that little episode out in Valore got a lot of people's attention. I think it's safe to say most of the stick-in-the-muds and doubters have become quick converts to your hyperspace mathematics," Rear Admiral Stepic said.
"Thank you, Sir."
Jan was back at Sigurdsen, meeting once again with the Assistant Head of Personnel for the Tactical Division.
"We have now received authorization – and budget – to perform large-scale testing and detailed mapping of the calculated system peripheries of all Commonwealth systems for the purpose of tactical advantage in our defensive operations."
"That's very good news, Sir."
"Indeed. Which brings us back to you. We do not need you to be involved in all this data gathering and mapping. We may need you for analysis or working out wrinkles later, but that's a ways down the line yet. Which allows us to concentrate on your career development for a bit.
"As that trip on the Jean d'Arc was only six months, you are not yet ripe, in my opinion, for the Advanced Tactics Course starting next month. The standard requirement is a year of shipboard duty. So I have been looking around for a six-month deployment shipboard for you, and I think I have just the thing.
"Now, I'll warn you right off, it's not a warship. But I have a six-month deployment for the sensor tender CSS Clermont to Parchman to do some routine maintenance. She needs a skipper, and I can justify giving you an independent command on a small support vessel for six months, especially, given your hyperspace work, one that is maintaining sensors at the system periphery. That would bring you back here in time for the session of ATS that begins in seven months.
"The Clermont is built on a destroyer hull, so it's normally a Lieutenant Commander's berth. I checked with CSF Fleet Personnel Division, and they've authorized your promotion outside the zone if you take this assignment. The CSF Science Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the Victorious Action ribbon didn't hurt in getting that approval."
Everyone aboard Jean d'Arc had received the Victorious Action ribbon. Jan received the Distinguished Service Medal for her actions on Jean d'Arc that allowed the slower battleship to maneuver to engage the Brunswick fleet. The CSF Science Medal was a late response to her doctoral thesis, once it had been proven in space by Jean d'Arc.
"I realize we're pushing you pretty fast, Lieutenant. We need good heavy ship captains, and I'm willing to break some eggs to get them. There's no experience more valuable for a heavy ship captain, in my opinion, than early command of smaller vessels. But if you think it's too soon for you, there's no black marks for demurring on assignments outside the zone.
"What do you think?"
"If you think I'm ready, Sir, I'm good."
Stepic stood and held out his hand. Jan shook it.
"Well, then, congratulations, Lieutenant Commander."
"Ma'am, we have a hyperspace transition detection off our starboard bows, zero-one-zero mark zero-one-five on the ship, at forty-seven light-seconds," Sensor Tech Morgan Pomeroy said.
"I see it. Are there any scheduled transitions out here for this time window?" Lieutenant Commander Jan Childers, captain of the sensor tender CSS Clermont, asked.
"No, Ma'am. She's a warship. Preliminary identification is a light cruiser."
"Is she one of ours?"
"No, Ma'am, she's an outer colony design. No transponder active."
"Well, that's not good. Let's just keep loping alon
g for a bit. Sound general quarters. Maintain profile."
The Clermont was on routine sensor placement and updating chores along the system periphery of the Parchman system. She was built on a destroyer hull, but was fitted with equipment and racks for sensor pickup and deployment in place of two guns. She therefore lacked even a destroyer's firepower, with only a single destroyer-grade beam weapon for self-defense. Up against a light cruiser, she had no chance whatsoever.
They had operated at reduced acceleration and power levels to keep a low profile out here on the system periphery. Any incoming ship would most likely identify them as a small private vessel, a tramp freighter or perhaps a large yacht, at least initially.
Jan saw no reason to change that perception. Yet.
The captain of the Tenerife light cruiser TSN Assyrian was surprised to find a vessel so close, and on a crossing course, when they emerged from hyper.
"What is it, Kavorski?" Captain Cyril Antonov asked his sensor tech.
"Hard to tell, Sir. Not warship power levels. Could be a small ore ship. Or maybe a big private yacht. No transponder signal," Chief Petty Officer Miles Kavorski said.
"Great. Just great. We're supposed to be on a grab-and-run commerce raid, real quiet-like, and we trip over somebody who could potentially identify us later."
"We're a pretty generic outer-colony design, Sir, and we haven't done anything to identify ourselves. Can we just let them mosey on by?" Antonov's executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Linda Ferretti asked.
"Yeah, maybe. Let's lie doggo here for a bit. A small commercial sensor suite probably hasn't even picked us up. Stand down our power levels and let's see if we can't just let them on by before we get under way."
"Status change. She's reduced her power levels. Looks like she plans to let us go on past, Ma'am. If we had commercial sensors, we wouldn't have seen her," Pomeroy said.
"Interesting." Jan motioned her executive officer, Lieutenant Susan Sidana, over. "She's definitely up to no good, because if she were just here visiting, all legal and friendly, she would have powered up, not down, and be headed in-system, whether we saw her or not. She's here to commerce raid, and we're not big enough to be interesting, but she doesn't want us to be able to identify her. She's hoping we'll just go on by."
"That's what we're going to do, though, isn't it, Ma'am? Tangling with a light cruiser could be really unhealthy."
"No, we need to know who's pulling off these raids. Then the powers that be can decide how to handle it. You know, through diplomacy, or maybe a little thinning out of their navy in their home space. But we have to know who it is to do that. So here's what I want to do. When we get to our nearest approach, I want to light her up, then run like hell for the buoy. We'll drop a cluster of sensors in her path, and get a good ID on her as she runs by them."
"We're nearing our closest approach, Ma'am," Pomeroy said.
"All right. Helm, you ready?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Chief Petty Officer Klaus Jankovic said.
"Give the signal, Morgan."
"Ten seconds. Five seconds. Now," Pomeroy said.
"Execute!" Jan ordered.
"Status change. Sir, that freighter has just gone to warship power levels. Destroyer class. She's altering course towards the inner system at what looks like her full acceleration. She's pulling over two g's," Kavorski said. "Sir, we're being painted."
"Damn it! Bring up our power levels. Activate shields. Pursuit course, full acceleration. Weapons, stand ready," Antonov said.
"Well, Ma'am, it worked. He's after us, all right. Shields up, active sensors are painting us," Pomeroy said.
"What's his range?" Jan asked.
"He can reach out about five light-seconds, Ma'am, so we're still too far apart for either of us to hit each other with more than a love tap, and we're faster, but he's going to cut our corner on this vector."
"Understood. Helm, when he gets within his range, I want you to initiate a random circular zigzag around our base vector, with a period of three seconds. Jink us around. We're small and we're fast. It'll make for a rough ride, but let's plan on not being wherever he aimed when his beams get here."
"Sounds like a good idea to me, Ma'am," Jankovic said.
"Pomeroy, deploy the sensor cloud."
"We're coming within range, Sir," Kavorski said.
"Open fire."
"He's begun firing, Ma'am. So far, his beams are going through wherever we were going to be without the zigzag."
"Maintain random zigzag. Keep running for the buoy."
"She's zigzagging on a random pattern, Sir. When our beams get there, she's changed her position around her base course just enough to dodge them. She's small enough and accelerating hard enough, it makes her really hard to hit," Kavorski said.
"All right, let's see if we can't hit her anyway. Guns, run a random pattern around her base course. Take pot shots and let's see if we get lucky," Antonov said.
Clermont shuddered with an impact.
"They're taking random shots around our base course, Ma'am. We took a glancing blow from that one. It weakened the number 3 shield," Sidana said.
"They got lucky. Rotate us to get the number 3 shield offside and maintain profile. What's the status on the sensor cloud?" Jan asked.
"They'll pass through it in the next few seconds, Ma'am," Pomeroy said.
"Status change, Sir. Several dozen small objects ahead on a crossing course," Kavorski said. "They're sensor drones."
"Damn it! They'll ID us for sure. Can't we move any faster?"
"Got her! Tenerife Space Navy, Mongol-class. Man, we even got a picture of her hull number. CC17. Library says she's the TNS Assyrian, Ma'am," Pomeroy said.
"Excellent, Morgan. Good work. Comm, transmit sensor data to Parchman Fleet HQ," Jan said.
"She's running for that small asteroid, Sir. Can she be planning to hide behind it?" Kavorski said.
"It's not big enough, and even so, at her velocity, she'll overfly it. Keep firing. I think we got a piece of her there. She rotated to swap her shields."
"Coming up on the buoy, Ma'am," Pomeroy said.
"Is the Assyrian in range?" Jan asked.
"Yes, Ma'am. Just coming within range of the buoy."
"Lieutenant Sidana, power up the buoy and open fire."
"Status change. Sir, that asteroid is powering up," Kavorski said.
"Powering up? Powering up what?" Antonov asked.
There had been zero emissions from the asteroid. So it was unmanned, whatever it was. What could be –
"Evasive maneuvers! Hard to port!"
The remote control beam mount – what Jan had called a buoy – was an unmanned battleship-grade beam weapon with its own internal power system. The Assyrian had maintained its base course unswervingly since the pursuit began, and the Clermont had its targeting dialed in to a fare-thee-well.
Its first powerful beam blew through the light cruiser's shields and hit her in her bows, skewering the ship down her long axis. The Tenerife vessel started to come apart and then exploded as her powerplant blew up. The second beam torched off the debris.
"I admit I questioned the utility of dragging that stupid thing around everywhere we went, Ma'am," Sidana said.
"There were times I wondered myself, Sue, but I just didn't like being way out here with our little popgun and no one to turn to if we ran into somebody unfriendly. And they were just sitting around. No one uses them because they have no maneuver capability beyond their aiming thrusters, so they're easy to avoid if someone knows what it is. When I asked for one, Logistics said, 'Sure. Why not? Nobody else is using them.' Latching on to it and dragging it around from one AO to the next every time we moved on was getting pretty tiresome. But I'm glad we had it along," Jan said.
"Oh, I think you can count me in, too, on that score, Ma'am. It sure saved our bacon this time."
"Well, we could have probably just gone on by the Assyrian, pretending we didn't see her, but we wouldn't have found out who was doing the
raiding. Parchman Fleet HQ was happy we got a positive ID on her. I predict Tenerife will be less pleased."
Advanced Tactics School
“That assignment turned out to be more exciting than I thought it would be, Commander," Rear Admiral Stepic said.
"Yes, Sir. Me, too."
"That was nicely handled. Your use of a remote control beam mount to give you options has gotten me thinking. We're going to be looking at them again, to make sure we're not missing any opportunities they might present. Standard thinking has to be reassessed from time to time, and I think it may be past time there."
"It sure proved handy for us, Sir."
"So I understand. By the way, your identification of the Assyrian has given the Commonwealth Foreign Minister a pretty big club to go after Tenerife with. The diplomats are pleased with us this month. And the Combat Medal looks nice on your uniform next to the Science Medal, Commander. I checked with Records. You are the first person to ever receive both the Combat Medal and the Science Medal, in their entire careers, much less within a single year."
"Really, Sir?"
"Really. Fleet Personnel had to think about order of precedence just so they could tell you how to wear them both."
The CSF Combat Medal was awarded to officers who had commanded a ship in battle and survived. No small thing in a space force, where any direct hit from an unblocked beam usually resulted in the loss of the ship with all hands. The CSF Science Medal was awarded for advancing the science of space warfare in such a way as to significantly increase CSF's effectiveness in carrying out its mission. Jan had received the Science Medal after the Jean d'Arc had destroyed the Brunswick Third Fleet at Valore nine months prior by using Jan's hyperspace theories to position itself to advantage.
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