Simmons rubbed her chin while she pondered the railgun. Part of the massive design was the need for length to accelerate the slug to a speed sufficient to cause the kind of destruction intended. In the end, it was all about energy transfer, both upon impact and during the firing of the weapon. If she could design a railgun that could be housed in the hull of Loki, she would have an anti-ship weapon that was virtually undetectable.
The limitation of the design was that once fired; the projectile was going to travel in a straight line. That meant that it would be useless against most maneuvering targets. She checked the clock. It has been almost three hours since she’d eaten and she was ready for more. She returned to the galley and, after a far less frantic meal than her last one, turned in for a few hours of sleep.
When she woke up, the repair drones had completed what they could. The main engines were, once again, functional. Simmons plotted a course to intercept and recycle the remaining portions of the ship that had been ripped away upon her arrival. Once her long range sensors were functional, she’d be able to tell for sure where she was and plot a short jump to refuel.
Simmons returned to the project she’d been working on the previous day. She pulled up the railgun from Behemoth and shrank its scale until it was a hundred meters long. At that length, it would shoot a slug weighing roughly a hundred kilos. The slug could be lengthened to add weight, but it would take more energy to get it up to speed. She overlaid the railgun on Loki’s design specification. The railgun ran through most of the second deck and would interfere with the uppermost portion of the reactor compartment, but it could be contained internally.
She started running calculations on the destructive power. She set up a simulation against a battleship and let the railgun fire into the thickest part of the forward armor. The simulation showed the front of the battleship blowing open like an overinflated balloon. Her eyebrows rose in surprise.
Would the Loki have sufficient power to run the railgun? A quick power consumption check showed that it could, but it would need to use some highly efficient energy accumulators to make it work. It couldn’t be run directly from the reactor like the plasma cannon. She wouldn’t be able to make quick follow-up shots, either. The energy accumulators would need to be recharged between each shot, but the railgun would be a perfect stealth weapon. A slow smile spread across her face.
She input the design and updated the priority to the drones rebuilding those sections. The material requirement for the railgun was heavy, and the energy accumulators would take up most of what had been crew berthing and several of the science labs. But it would give Loki offensive capability that no ship its size could match.
She watched as Loki slowly caught up to and recycled most of its missing pieces before setting a course for the fifth planet. She waited patiently as the ship slowly grew before her, the repair bots working in concert with the larger utility drones to place large support structures and then cover the aft section of the outer hull with armor. The forward section of the railgun was built and nano-welded into a single monolithic structure. The aft portion of the railgun would be completed as materials became available, but Simmons had prioritized getting the exterior structure of the ship built and armored. The smaller internal pieces could be built and put in place by the damage control bots.
It had taken another three days before the long-range sensors came online. The Loki looked undamaged from the outside, but the forward sections were still mostly open inside the outer hull. The sensors showed several star systems within her very limited range. Two of them held gas giants that looked like they would provide plenty of fuel. After a few hours of number crunching, the computer told her where she was. She’d come out of her jump exactly on course, but she’d stopped three lightyears short. That was probably because the mass nullification field emitter had failed as she’d entered the jump ring.
She programmed another simulation to confirm her suspicion and found that it was likely that the boat bay blowing out had caused enough of a change in her ship’s profile that the emitter had burned out trying to compensate. She felt satisfied with the answer, and decided the design she’d used was sound and would work if she rebuilt it.
Before she made her jump to her first target, she needed to prepare. She’d need a small craft to make her landing, and she’d need a suit of battle armor specifically suited to her mission. She started a new program to design a new kind of pinnace that incorporated the stealth systems Loki used. Offensively, it wouldn’t be very powerful, but she could include a pair of drones on external mounts to help her if needed, either as decoys or to add combat power.
The build would only take a few hours using the manufacturing ring once she had enough raw materials on hand. Loki moved towards the fifth planet to scavenge methane first. She watched as a pair of drones equipped with her new utility load outs went to the surface of the small planetoid and ripped chunks of methane up. They dragged them back to the ship and let the manufacturing ring break them down.
The process of replenishing her air supply took about ten hours, with two drones making trip after trip. The internal air was resupplied within an hour, but the reserves took much longer to completely rebuild. A short trip through the system got her to a large asteroid field. The Loki moved on autopilot, consuming asteroids with needed mineral deposits. Soon, Loki was producing replacement drones, her new pinnace, and the remaining internal components. Damage control bots scurried through the passageways, carrying components and rebuilding everything from toilets to defensive gun mounts.
While the bots did their work, Simmons designed a new suit of power armor. She’d worked with both the Navy and the Marines to design new units based on the materials technology available from Aeternum. For her suit, she decided she would need a system that was lightweight, mobile and difficult to detect. Maximum freedom of movement and dexterity was important to her. She worked on the design for several hours, agonizing over each detail until she had everything worked out. She’d had to make a few compromises with the design, but all in all, she felt it was second to none.
The entire assemblage was flat black and covered in a layer of material that would absorb most radio frequency signals that ground forces relied on for battlefield sensors. If anyone from the Lashmere military started looking for her, she would see them coming a long way off and would be virtually impossible for them to detect. She also added a heavy backpack mounted canon for heavy offensive hitting power.
Satisfied with the design, she sent the build command to the internal manufacturing plant. She yawned and stretched. The day had grown quite long. She turned in, allowing the ship to continue repairing itself. Once her repairs were done, she would jump to the first of her target systems.
Admirals Stokes and Misato, along with Captains Patho and Fuchs sat in a large conference room. They were joined by a number of high ranking Marines and several other naval captains. The gathered men and women waited patiently while others were still filtering into the room and finding seats. Patho sat next to Fuchs.
“Did you get the meeting notes, Fuchs?”
“No. What’s this one about?”
“No idea. Hopefully, we’ll get clearance to go rescue Hanlon and Drogue by the time it’s over.”
Fuchs nodded his agreement. “Sounds like a great plan. Are Banshee and Siren ready to go?”
“Yeah, I have all of them ready to go. Ah, I think the meeting is starting.”
Stokes stood and walked to the presentation screen. He tapped his wrist comp, turning on the screen.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This briefing is going to be in three sections. First, we will be discussing updates to our marine battlefield systems, after which all marine officers are free to depart. Next, we have an update to our planned expedition to Earth, and lastly, we will be discussing updates to the fleet and a few other minor things.”
Misato said, “We also have further news on information taken from the Alliance database.”
&n
bsp; “Ah, yes. Thank you, Admiral,” Stokes said. “Alliance ground troops use directed energy weapons when engaging in ground combat. We’ve devised a number of offensive and defensive strategies Some relatively minor and some may be quite profound. Some of the technologies used by the Alliance are quite innovative and can be used to great effect by our troops.
“The Alliance has devised a kind of battlefield mist that disrupts directed energy weapons. They use it to make all of their combat as non-lethal as possible. We plan to use it to render all hand-held energy weapons ineffective. At this time, all Marine units and naval ships are being issued multi-type rifles and sidearms. These weapons will have the standard energy types, including lethal and stun settings. In addition, they will also have a second fire setting that allows the weapons to shoot slugs. Right now, we’re using a type of chemically bonded explosive projectile encased in a densified ceramic. Rifles will carry a hundred rounds and can be reloaded quickly using self-contained magazines. Sidearms will hold thirty rounds and can be reloaded the same way.
“Using these rounds will allow our Marines and sailors to maintain offensive ability, while effectively disarming any attacking forces. Ground based launchers and ship board dispensers are being put in place over the next few weeks. Assault drop ships will have supplies of these launchers installed as resources become available.
“Improvements to the battlefield armor taken from the designs Captain Patho and Major Aves used during their infiltration of the Alliance Headquarters will be implemented over the next several weeks. All ground forces and space based Marine units will have upgraded battlefield capabilities. Any questions so far?”
A Marine colonel raised his hand. At Stokes’ nod, he said, “Admiral, could you elaborate on the enhanced battle armor a bit, please?”
“Of course. The materials engineering allows us to increase energy resistance by over forty percent and kinetic resistance by seventy percent. The armor will have limited built-in passive stealth systems and can be equipped with enhanced active stealthing at the cost of the usual battlefield artillery. The normal loadout will have a backpack mounted energy canon, multiplying the normal offensive power a single trooper can carry. The energy cannon can be replaced by a projectile cannon that loads explosive rounds for either direct or indirect fire.
“On board systems give a combat endurance of more than seventy hours in full power mode, and the armor can operate for weeks if power levels are carefully managed. The armor now incorporates updated sensor technology that allows each soldier to update the combat information net with local information and to receive data from all other sources on the network.” The assembled Marines looked around at each other, sharing nods of appreciation for the pending updates to their equipment. “If there are no further questions, all Marine officers are free to leave, but you are all invited to stay, should you desire.”
A few of the Marines did get up and leave, but most of them stayed. Stokes continued the briefing. “The expedition to Earth is scheduled to leave in three weeks. The fleet is being quickly rebuilt. We intend to find out why the Alliance believes it is of such value, and we will also be taking fewer vessels than originally planned. I intended to take at least two full battleship divisions, but that would leave Lashmere at less than a quarter of its current strength. Instead, I will take Victorious, two assault cruisers, two salvage and support ships, six destroyers and four stealth corvettes. These fifteen ships represent the minimum safe number of ships I believe have the combined ability to successfully complete the mission.
“According to the database taken from Aeternum, Earth is hundreds of jumps from here, so the fleet will be operating far outside support range. The force sent to Earth will have to be self-sufficient in every way. I plan to command the expeditionary force. Admiral Coffee has given me permission to accept volunteers for each of the other ships in the force. Are there any questions?”
Patho raised his hand. When Stokes nodded, he said, “Sir, is there any information about the region through which the Earth expeditionary force will be traveling?”
“Most of the region is space originally occupied by the Terran Empire. As a result, we presume it is now mostly in the hands of the Etyrni. I’ve been empowered by the president to engage in diplomacy with any races I meet along the way with the goals of mutual defense and non-aggression. If possible, we’ll be making friends along the way.
Our fleet is being updated with an order of battle of more than five hundred ships. The Lashmere Naval Academy is running at maximum capacity, and we anticipate we can have the fleet fully crewed in roughly one year. Our losses during the battle with the Ulef are being made up, and the fleet will soon be stronger than it was before the battle began. Are there any questions, now?”
Captain Powell raised his hand. “Who will be in command of the forces remaining in Lashmere, sir?”
“Admiral Brand has been put in command. The shipyard will be under his executive officer’s command. We plan to run the shipyard down to minimum personnel once the fleet is complete. The remaining crew will be small enough that an admiral will no longer be required to command it.
“Additionally, we have decided not to build a new version of Aeternum at this time. It was discussed thoroughly, but at this point, we feel our resources are better spent building new artificial islands so our population can grow beyond the confines of our single continent.” Artificial islands had been built before, but the oceans of Lashmere were prone to violent storms that could be quite destructive. Only the coastal regions had been safe for that kind of building. The new materials engineering brought by the Aeternum allowed for stronger constructs that could withstand more violent storms.
“We also plan to seek at least a one new planet to colonize. Some of the stealth fleet will be utilized to scout nearby star systems to find a planet that can either be inhabited or terraformed to be suitable for human occupation. Some of the fleet will have to be dispatched to any colony planets for protection from the Alliance and, possibly, the Woduur.”
“One of the marines raised his hand and asked, “Have we definitively determined that the Woduur are our enemy?”
“All evidence points that way, General. Further analysis of the captured intelligence clearly indicates a long history of cooperation and understanding between the Woduur and the Alliance.”
One of the naval officers asked, “Are we considering a separate colony for the Karn people?”
The question surprised Stokes. He stole a glance at Patho, who had an obviously expressionless mask on his face. “We don’t have any plans in that direction. Despite the unrest that has recently gripped the south, we are seeing better and better relations among all of the people of Lashmere. As a matter of fact, since the battle with the Ulef, there has been a huge reduction in terrorist activities from the separatist movement. The Mooreland science academy recently announced it would be opening a new oceanographic annex along the southern coast. Building a colony for either the Karn or Ebrim exclusively sends exactly the wrong message. Any colony built by Lashmere will be for all the people of Lashmere.”
The officer sat back in his chair, an abashed expression on his face. The two men sitting on either side of him subtlety scooted their chairs away. Stokes fixed the remaining officers with a firm gaze. “Anything else?”
Patho said, “Sir, when are we leaving to rescue Drogue and Hanlon?”
“Admiral Coffee and I discussed that yesterday. You will have orders within the next day or two.”
Patho nodded and said, “Thank you, sir.”
Fuchs said, “Just one more thing, sir, if you don’t mind.”
“Go ahead, Captain.”
“I’d like to suggest we assemble scouting forces to survey not only systems nearby that may contain habitable planets but all systems in the area. Right now, we’re operating from data that’s either captured from our enemy or from a database that was last updated five thousand years ago. Our sensor network gives us good visibility on app
roaching ships and high energy readings for the three hundred lightyears around us, but we have no idea what we aren’t seeing. The sensor net also has a number of huge blind spots resulting from red giants, nebulae, and singularities in the area. We need to clear these blind spots and discover what, if anything, is in the area.”
Stokes was nodding, and an expression of approval was on his face. “Excellent suggestion, Captain. I’ll propose your idea to the counselor of war and Admiral Coffee the next time I talk to them.” He glanced around at the other officers. “If there’s nothing else?” When no one spoke, he said, “Very well, dismissed.”
Chapter 15
Theo Cobb sat at his desk in the Enforcement Division. His fingers worked feverishly at the terminal on his desk. Special Agent Stone may have gotten him reassigned, but he still knew every trick, loophole, and backdoor in the Lashmere computer network.
The absence of attacks by the Karn separatists had him worried. Ever since the formal surrender of the old Karn government the separatists had operated on a relatively predictable schedule of actions. Those actions were almost always directed against the Lashmere World Government.
He tapped his way through an encrypted backdoor into one of the secure intelligence servers. Field reports had been filed by Stone since his reassignment, along with initial analyses and raw data gathered by field assets. Cobb perused the documents with an expert eye. Something about the situation was wrong. The Karn activities in the old Ebrim region were largely unaffected. There were three conformed cells in the northern area, but the south was quiet. It was as though the people involved in all of the southern cells had simply dropped off the face of the planet.
He brought up a set of timelines. There was a flurry of unidentified computer infiltrations that occurred during the run-up to the battle with the Ulef. The cyber-attacks had been identified, but the analysis indicated it was part of a distributed protest organized by Karn youth. Cobb scratched the side of his chin while he thought. Something about that conclusion made no sense.
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