The Fallen

by Paul B Spence

"They got to him first."

  "Apparently."

  There was no question in either man's mind regarding who they were.

  "What are we going to do? If the Sentient Concord goes down, all of Admiral Meleeka's hopes go down with it. We know that Fleet Command has been infiltrated; now it looks like Ffoulkes had been subverted, too. Are we really going to assist in this?" Dorian asked.

  "Do you think we have a choice? If we try to run, they'll destroy us before we can get to the hyperlimit."

  "Would it really come to that?"

  "What do you think?" Jin Rai said bitterly.

  Dorian nodded slowly. "What about Meleeka's other ships?" he asked.

  "What about them? Less than a tenth of the ships in this task force were on the list. What would you have me do? Attack our own ships?"

  "No," Dorian said, considering the options. "But what if we just refused to fight? They might court-martial us, but they wouldn't try to destroy all of us together."

  Jin Rai nodded slowly. "For that to work, we'd have to wait until we arrived at GL 570."

  "Use tight-beam lasers to talk to the other captains," suggested Dorian. "Look at it this way: if Ffoulkes is waging illegal war, at least we won't go down with him."

  "I hope so, and that just might work. It would give the Concord more of a chance, anyway. I wish we could warn them somehow."

  "They can't be completely ignorant, sir. They have to know the Federation is going to attack them sometime. The bullshit with Prism guaranteed that. They might even know that we're massing in this system. I'd have scouts all along the Frontier if I was them."

  "You're right, of course. Get me the other captains on the list, and be discreet; we still don't know how many of our own crew we can trust. Most of those replacements we got were shipped directly from New Kenton, and that planet is a hotbed for Drennanists. We have to be careful."

  "There is something else to consider, sir."

  "What's that?"

  "This task force represents most of the available forces in the Federation. The Concord isn't going down without a fight. The few of us refusing to fight might be just enough to defend the Federation against alien aggression. First Fleet never has been brought back up to full numbers after the Nurgg War. Other than these ships, there can't be much more than a few aging patrol frigates left to defend the entire Federation."

  "You're thinking about the Homndruu Biocracy?"

  "They've been skirmishing along our borders recently. However, we shouldn't discount the Wolf Empire, either. Not after Serendipity and Vesuvius."

  "You're right, XO. Thank you. That just might be the argument that sways the other captains. Set up the calls, if you please."

  "It's official," Mandor said as he strode into the lab. "The Earth Federation is massing ships at Xi Bootis. An attack is imminent."

  "What?" Bauval looked up from his air screen. "Where is that?"

  "Gorgothinland," Mandor replied. "The closest inhabited Federation planet to this system. They've got a Federation fleet supply base there. With them massing in that system, their target has to be Dawn."

  Mason crossed herself and muttered a prayer. "What are we to do?"

  "I'd like for the two of you, and Ana, to join me on the Arcadia."

  "You want us in space during the battle?" asked Bauval. "Is that really wise?"

  "I think you'll have a better chance of survival in the ship with me than you would here on the surface."

  "You don't really think they'd bomb the planet," asked Mason, "do you?"

  "Count on it," Mandor said grimly. "They blame us for the massacre at Prism."

  "What is the Concord going to do?"

  "We're going to fight. What else can we do? We can't evacuate seven billion people from Dawn, and we aren't going to just give the system to the Federation. If things get too bad, some of our forces will fall back to Steinway. The rest will stay here and fight to the bitter end. Steinway is our primary industrial center, and heavily fortified. We've been producing defenses there as fast as we can for months. We’d eventually be able to launch an offensive to take back this system."

  "Do you think the Concord fleet can win?" Mason asked.

  "Quite frankly?" Mandor shook his head slowly. "No. I think the best we can hope for is to hurt them so badly that they can't go after our other systems."

  "What about the Rhyrhans?"

  "We've notified them. They're going to send ships, but it will take them almost a month to get enough ships here. I don't think we have that long."

  "Have you told Ana?"

  "Not yet," said Mandor.

  "What do you think Drake will do?" Bauval asked. "Do you think he'll help?"

  "I was going to ask you that."

  "What could he do against a fleet?" asked Mason.

  "I don't know. Maybe nothing, but I don't want to rule out the possibility that he could be very helpful."

  "Think about it," Bauval said. "A single Theta can take out a ship; we've all seen reports of that. Drake seems to be more powerful than any Theta we've encountered. At the very least, he could sow some confusion. That would have to help."

  "Send him after the command ship?"

  "Why not?"

  "Do you think he'll do it?"

  "I think he would if Ana asked him," Mason said slyly.

  "I was hoping you’d say that. I have to make other preparations," said Mandor. "Would you speak to Ana about it for me? The name of the flagship is the Agamemnon."

  "We can do that," Bauval replied. "Why does that sound familiar?"

  "It was the ship in command of the taskforce that abandoned you on Cedeforthy."

  "Interesting. It that as coincidence?"

  "I don't know. Commodore Ffoulkes seems like a loyal officer of the Federation, but I don’t know that I’d trust him. He wasn’t on Meleeka’s list."

  "Has there been any word on Tebrey?"

  Mandor frowned. "No, nothing yet. When I last spoke to Drake, he seemed sure that Tebrey had returned to our universe, but he hasn't been able to find him. He said Tebrey was cloaking himself, whatever that means. Damn, that's a strange thing to say."

  "If Tebrey has returned, he'll try to reach Dawn."

  "Let's hope he gets here while it's still intact."

  Chapter Seventy

  Two hundred ten Earth Federation ships transited simultaneously into the outer system of GL 570, creating a huge wave front of glowing hydrogen and a tremendous gravitic shockwave that propagated across the system. The ships came in right at the inner edge of the system’s hyperlimit. It was a gamble. Too close, and the ships would have been torn apart by the gravimetric stresses as they crossed the hyperspace boundary into realspace. If they arrived too far out, the Concord would have too much time to react to the arrival of the Federation Fleet. The commodore was hoping to take the Concord forces by surprise.

  Captain Joseph Jin Rai put little faith in that plan. He strongly doubted that the Concord had been caught napping. Even if they had, they wouldn't fail to notice hundreds of ships transiting into their home system. The commodore was an idiot.

  "I'm receiving a message from the Agamemnon, Captain. We are ordered to proceed in battle formation toward the planet Dawn."

  "Acknowledged, Lieutenant."

  The bridge tensely awaited orders that didn't come.

  "Sir?" asked Master Chief Norcross. "The course is laid in, sir. Shall I proceed?"

  "The captain will let you know when he wants you to do something, pilot," Dorian said sharply. He was afraid of how the crew was going to react when they found that the captain was effectively mutinying against Ffoulkes' command.

  "Sir, there is another message coming in from the Agamemnon. It is the commodore, sir."

  "Patch it through to my screen, Lieutenant."

  "Damn you, Jin Rai! I don't know what you've said to those other captains, but I know it was you! I will personally watch you blown out an airlock for this! Hell, I'll do it myself!"

  "Commod
ore, this war is illegal and unjust. I am compelled under Article Three of the Conduct of Interstellar Warfare to refuse any orders that I feel are morally suspect. I tried to tell you that before we jumped into this system. I cannot in good conscience participate in the slaughter of innocents."

  "Damn you! Lt. Commander Dorian! Take command of the Manticore and follow out my orders. Arrest Captain Jin Rai."

  The XO leaned over the captain's shoulder so that he could be seen clearly on the air screen. "I'm sorry, sir. What was that? I'm afraid your transmission was garbled."

  "You'll all be facing a court-martial!"

  "I think you have other things to worry about besides us, Commodore," Jin Rai said quietly. He'd been watching the mass of Concord ships reacting to the arrival of the Federation Fleet.

  "You're dead!" Ffoulkes screamed. "If any of the crew is listening, I order you to take control of that shi –" The transmission cut off as the XO reached across and tapped the display.

  "I don't think we need any more of that, Captain," said Dorian. "So...what now, sir?"

  "Get in touch with the other captains who are with us. We need to decide where to go from here. Also, we should broadcast our neutrality as soon as possible. I'd hate to be destroyed by the Sentient Concord at this point."

  "Very true, sir," Dorian said as he settled back into his acceleration couch.

  "Admiral on the bridge!"

  "As you were," said Admiral Mandor Shadovsky. "What's the situation, Captain?"

  "The Federation ships came in right where we thought they would, Admiral. They began moving in immediately," Torenth replied. "Strangely, a small number of the ships haven't moved since they arrived."

  The Arcadia, like its sister ship, the Arcturus, had been designed as a fleet command vessel, with extra acceleration couches on the bridge for admirals and other VIPs. Mandor settled into one of these with practiced ease and initiated the tactical displays.

  "Odd. What does Admiral Macklin make of it?"

  "He's not sure, sir. It could be a tactical reserve, but it seems too small to be effective for that. The admiral has ordered all ships to ignore them until they become a threat."

  Mandor nodded to himself, thinking quickly. "I don't think it's a reserve. The enemy commander would be a fool not to commit everything he has to try to take us out with overwhelming numbers. Not that they don't have that as it is. Right now we may actually have more firepower on our side, with the missile platforms."

  "Yes, sir. May I ask what you think it is?"

  "I suspect it's a parting gift from an old friend, Captain."

  "Sir?"

  "Never mind, Torenth. What are we doing now?"

  "Admiral Macklin has all of our forces spreading out to meet the attackers. He is hoping that we'll be able to intercept any missiles directed at the planet."

  "I hope so, too, Captain. Patch me through to the admiral, please."

  Mandor's central air screen immediately flickered into life with a view of the bridge of the Arcturus. Admiral Macklin raised one hand for Mandor to wait as he finished issuing orders to another ship. Then he turned his attention to the screen and smiled grimly.

  "What can I do for you, Shadovsky? I'm a bit busy."

  "I won't keep you long. I wanted to let you know that I think your assessment of the ships hanging back is essentially correct. I suspect those are ship under orders from the late Federation Admiral Meleeka. She'd contacted me with a list of Federation ships that were loyal to her and to the Federation. Those ships would be unlikely to attack us, even if ordered."

  "We just received a message from one of them, actually," Macklin said. "It's from the FSS Manticore. The captain of that ship claims the ships hanging back are neutral and will not take part in the battle. He says that they're waiting to receive survivors for transport back the Federation. I'm glad somebody is confident in our ability to defend ourselves."

  Mandor nodded. "Captain Jin Rai of the Manticore was on that list. It was also the ship that fought alongside the Arcadia at Prism."

  "That makes sense, then."

  "I'll not take up any more of your time, Admiral. I just wanted to share my assessment of the situation."

  "It is appreciated, Mandor. Let me know if you think of anything else; we need all the help we can get. Good luck."

  "And to you, Joseph," Mandor replied.

  It would become known as the First Battle of Dawn, and more than six hundred million people would die in the seven hours of fighting, most of them civilians on Dawn. The Federation Fleet would endure the worst losses of their history since the Nurgg War; the Concord Fleet would be all but annihilated.

  The first stages of the battle were fought by the automated defenses of the outer system. The Concord had seeded the inner range of the hyperlimit with bomb-pumped gamma-ray laser mines with a tactical kill range of two hundred thousand kilometers. The Federation ships drove forward with abrupt course changes, hoping to evade the beams, but the grasers still took a devastating toll on the attacking ships.

  One of the carriers, the Endurance, took three close-range graser hits down its central line and exploded, with the entire crew of fifty-eight hundred still aboard. There were no survivors. The worst loss was the troop transport, the Spirit of Mars. A graser hit literally cut the outdated ship in half. Four thousand crew and ten thousand planetary militia were lost as the ship exploded.

  Commodore Ffoulkes ground his teeth in frustration as his ships were hit again and again by the deadly beams. On his tactical display, he could see the Sentient Concord ships forming a classic wall of battle, the ships close enough to support each other with defensive fire. ECM interference meant that his information on the ships in that formation was sketchy at best. It could be a wall of battle cruisers or a wall of frigates, for all he could tell.

  The damned Concord technological advantage was already starting to show.

  "Order all ships to fire a salvo of missiles at the planet," he ordered.

  "May I mention to the commodore that at this range, the Concord ships will able to destroy most of the missiles long before they reach the planet?" his executive officer, Commander Ratana Vipavakit, said quietly.

  "If they are busy shooting down missiles, they won't be firing at us, Commander."

  "And if they don't get them all, sir?"

  Despite what the Concord had done to Prism, Ffoulkes knew his XO wasn't comfortable with the idea of indiscriminant bombardment of civilians. He suspected that she secretly agreed with Captain Jin Rai, and only her loyalty from having served with Ffoulkes for so long kept her from voicing her concerns. Not that it would have changed his mind.

  "If they don't destroy them all, then the planet will be softened up for our invasion forces, Commander. Execute my order."

  "Yes, sir," she replied.

  Ffoulkes wasn't sure, but thought he heard her mutter something like, God help us all, just after she relayed the order. As long as she followed her orders, he didn’t care who she prayed to.

  Chapter Seventy-One

  "Son of a bitch!" exclaimed Chief Petty Officer Keanan Bharati.

  "What is it, Bharati?" Torenth asked. He didn't like waiting for the Federation ships to come to him. He would have much rather jumped in close and given them a taste of what his graser and plasma cannon could do to a ship.

  "I've got missile launch from all of the Federation ships. I've got four hundred... eight hundred –" he swallowed convulsively "– one thousand two hundred twenty missiles launched, sir."

  Torenth nodded. The Concord ships could fire about half that number – more with the missile platforms. Still, it was going to be close. "Plot the targets, Chief, and prepare our defenses."

  "Plotting," Bharati said more evenly. "They're aimed at the planet, Captain, high trajectories out of our immediate intercept range. From the sensor returns, I would say they are most likely high-yield multiple fusion warheads, typical Federation missile loads."

  Torenth nodded to Admiral Shadovsky; th
e admiral had been correct in his assessment that the Federation ships would fire on the planet first. The paths of the missiles were designed to make the Concord ships move out of support range of each other. It was a good plan, and Torenth hated the man who had thought of it.

  "Notify Admiral Macklin that we’re breaking orbit and preparing to intercept."

  "Captain, we have a problem," Lt. Commander Michelle Storm reported.

  "Tell me something I don't know, marine," said Jin Rai. He sighed. Venting his frustration on her wasn’t going to fix anything. "What's the problem?"

  "There was a break-in at arms locker three. It has been stripped. We also have security cameras offline in five places. We may have a situation, Captain."

  "Reinforce the guard at the armory, and send troops to the shuttle bay and bridge."

  "Sir, there has been talk..."

  "Spit it out, Commander."

  Storm's eyes focused on a point just above his head. "There has been talk that you are disobeying orders by not joining the battle, sir."

  "I have my orders from the Admiralty, Commander. That supersedes anything the commodore orders. I'll not tolerate mutinous talk aboard my ship. Is that clear?"

  "Very clear, sir. Thank you, sir." She deactivated the screen.

  "Problems, Captain?" asked Dorian, leaning close.

  "Indeed, XO." Jin Rai said softly. Then, "Initiate a security lockdown on the bridge doors, and get sidearms for the two of us. If there is anyone on the bridge you’re not confident about, escort them out first."

  Dorian nodded stiffly and walked back over to his couch.

  "What's the situation, Captain?"

  "Six missiles got through, Admiral," Captain Saeunn Viknorov replied coldly.

  Admiral Macklin winced in pain. Each missile had carried five twenty-five megaton warheads; the energy was multiplied five-fold when their velocity was factored in. He knew just what those missiles would be doing to the civilian population on Dawn. At least the most populous cities were on the other side of the planet from the battle at the moment. The missiles mostly struck in the low-population island areas. That didn't make it any better for the millions who had just died, however, or the people along the coasts of the continents who would die when the tsunamis reached them.