“I grasp the theory, General, but this will require far more disrupter units than we presently have at our disposal,” said Armaments. “Depending on the breadth and depth of the disrupter fields, it could take literally thousands of units.”
“I realize that, sir,” said Torrance.
“Is it feasible?” asked the First Minister.
“The disrupters are uncomplicated in design and simple enough to manufacture,” said Armaments. “But even with re-tooling of existing facilities it would still take months to construct that many units. On top of that there is the question of deployment.”
“And in the meantime?
“In the meantime,” said Torrance, “we maintain the status quo and draw out the conflict, preferably with as little bloodshed as possible.”
“Fight when necessary but offer the enemy no provocation,” said Defense.
“Correct,” said Torrance. “Sooner or later they’ll see what we’re up to but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“So that’s your plan,” said Interior. “To hide behind… a wall?”
“Not, Mr. Secretary, it is not.” said Torrance.
“As you may appreciate, General, the Secretary of the Interior is not well versed in the finer points of military strategy,” said Defense with just the right amount of sarcasm. “Perhaps, for his benefit, you could explain the fundamentals of offensive defense.”
“Of course,” said Torrance. “Mr. Secretary, I understand your concerns about hiding behind a wall. History teaches us that walls exist to be broken. Defenders tend to hide behind them and attackers hone their offensive skills looking for ways to breach them. The strategy of offensive defense differs in the sense that while we do indeed construct a barrier – a shield, if you will – the primary objective is not the protection of our assets. It is the destruction of the enemy. We invite him onto the shield and then pull him into pre-determined killing zones – the sword to go with the shield. We deplete his forces and sap his morale whilst at the same time protecting and building up our own.”
“And you believe this strategy of… offensive defense… will bear fruit?” asked the First Minister.
“With providence, the line will hold, First Minister. But a commander who relies on providence alone is doomed. I will need your full support – first with building up our defensive network and then constructing new ships and training new recruits. We already have reasons to be optimistic – the latest Intruder intelligence gathering platforms have entered squadron service and the first batch of our new Z class destroyers is nearing completion. Both classes are superior to anything the Combine presently have in their inventory. Most importantly, morale within the services remains high. We already have a highly trained, professional force at our disposal. Provided us with the tools, allow us to build up the fleet and I believe we can get the job done. If nothing else, we may be able to blunt the Combine war machine sufficiently to persuade their leaders to consider revisiting the peace table.”
The First Minister gazed up at the strategic map which was still on display. He nodded slowly and his face began to harden. It seemed to Torrance that he was sitting a little straighter in his chair and if his expression wasn’t exactly one of defiance, there was at least a look of hope in his eyes. The Defense Secretary noticed it too, and so did Interior. It was easy to tell which man was the happier.
“Well, gentlemen,” said the First Minister, “I suggest we adjourn. General Torrance, we thank you for your clear and concise address. Protocol dictates that the War Council considers the matter in closed session, though I see no reason why we should not look favorably on your proposals. You will be informed of our decision in due course.”
“Congratulations, sir,” said Seagers as they made their way back to their waiting car. “I believe you’ve managed to make an enemy of the Interior Secretary.”
“Not much of a surprise, Major. I think I had my card marked the before I was even confirmed in the job. The good news is that like the Defense Secretary, Armaments sees the situation for what it is. Give up now and God knows what terms the Combine will give us. In truth, I think the First Minister realizes that too but he’s been browbeaten by so many reaction groups that he’s losing sight of his main objective, which is to lead us out of danger. The man just needs some support… that and a little belief.”
“Not going to get much from Interior,” said Seagers.
“True, but it’s not Interior that worries me,” said Torrance. “It’s people like the Treasury Secretary. If what Defense said was true – and I’ve no doubt that it is – anyone that easily led has no place on the War Council, or any other council for that matter.”
“I noticed that the Treasury Secretary never opened his mouth once during the meeting. At least we know where the Interior Secretary stands.”
“Peace at any cost, apparently. Tell me, Major, What price would you be prepared to pay for peace?”
“With respect, I don’t believe the question serves any useful purpose. You have to earn your peace. It can’t be bought – except the old fashioned way, with blood sweat and tears. And,” he said, tapping his eye patch, “with a few assorted body parts. History is replete with all the relevant lessons, sir. All that is required is a willingness to learn.”
“Did you ever think of going into politics yourself, Major? Your insight might prove useful.”
“Not really, sir. I think I prefer soldiering. Much easier to kill your enemies than debate them.”
“The trouble with politics is that you don’t always know who your enemies are, Major. At least, not until it’s too late.”
“Are you referring to the War Council?”
“Maybe, though I think we have enough allies for the time being. Even if Interior drags the Treasury Secretary along with him, Defense and Armaments will oppose them.”
“Leaving the First Minister with the deciding vote, but whatever they decide, it will still have to go before the senate,” said Seagers.
“The senate has never gone against the decision of the War Council and don’t imagine they’ll start now. That’s not to say they won’t in the future, especially if the downward spiral continues. And there lies the crux of the matter, Major... We just have to make sure that it doesn’t.”
Chapter 2: Haalikon
Within twenty four hours, the war Council confirmed its approval of Torrance’s proposals and so began the final evacuation of Oneida, Ebron and Haalikon. Already severely disadvantaged by several years of front line conflict, their once substantial civilian populations had dwindled by degrees until all that remained were the die-hards, those either too proud or too stubborn to give up the only homes they had ever known. Finally, even they had to accept the inevitable, the last few families dejectedly boarding their transports to begin new lives under the light of some distant sun. But even the die-hards had to admit that life on a brave, new world would likely be preferable to living under a Combine flag on the old one.
No sooner had the civilian population departed than the engineering battalions moved in. They quickly set about reducing to rubble any still functional facilities that might aid the Combine war machine. First to go were the few remaining military installations; hangars, repair shops, storage depots and barrack facilities were all blasted upwards at the head of expanding plumes of smoke and flame. These were soon followed by power stations, transport hubs and docking facilities. All were leveled. The grand finale was the spectacular detonation of all remaining fuel and ammunition stocks, a display of pyrotechnics impressive enough to put a smile on the face of even the weariest combat engineer. The demolition crews would later state that they’d never had such fun. As the last Alliance units broke orbit and headed back to the safety of the new front line, the only things remaining were the orbital defense batteries which would stay on-line to the end.
* * *
The Haalikon system remained uninhabited for precisely ten days – the time it took the Combine high command t
o confirm that the planet had been abandoned and then assemble a suitable strike force. Their intelligence services had revealed that Oneida and Ebron had also been evacuated but Haalikon was chosen as the primary target, partly because it was closest, but mostly because it was the largest and until recently the most heavily defended. If Haalikon fell, the other two worlds would follow suit in very short order.
The Combine invasion force dropped out of warp twelve light hours from the Haalikon sun, well out of range of any warp disrupters that might still be operational. First to enter real space was a screen of destroyers, frigates and hunter killers. Dispersing ahead, they were quickly followed by the main body – a fleet carrier with its attendant cruiser squadrons. Finally, the transports and troop carriers arrived, a dozen lumbering giants whose value and vulnerability were underscored by the presence of three battle-cruisers in close escort.
On board the fleet carrier, a two star admiral waited patiently as his chief tactical officer conducted a system wide scan.
“No apparent enemy activity in-system, sir,” said the tac officer. “No power signatures, no electro-magnetic traffic on either military or civilian bands. No active sensors. The threat board is clear.”
“Very good,” said the admiral. “Captain, order the fleet to form up on the carrier and lay in a course to Haalikon.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
As the captain began barking out a succession of orders, the admiral turned to study the holo-map projected above the tactical officer’s console. So the intel was correct – the Alliance had cut and run. It made sense, of course. Haalikon was just a little too exposed; just a little too close to Combine space and just a little too far from reinforcement and resupply. Just a little… but in conflicts won by fine margins, just a little was altogether too much, and so the Alliance had retreated, and although that had saved him the job of having to evict them, there was still work to be done. Intelligence indicated that Haalikon’s orbital batteries were still in place, and further, that they were the very latest stealth units. They’d be powered down and invisible to sensors until something wandered into range. Then they’d burst into life, unleashing volleys of solid shot, missiles and proton beams at their unsuspecting prey. They were formidable adversaries, but the admiral had ways to counter their threat – if indeed that was as far as the threat went. Despite the assurances from Combine Intelligence Services, there lurked in the back of his mind the notion that this might yet be an Alliance ploy – an attempt to lure a portion of the Combine battle fleet into action and trap them between a regiment of orbital batteries and a mobile attack force. The High Command was confident that the Alliance lacked the resources to mount a successful counter attack and they might even be right, but that didn’t mean to say that they were incapable of launching an effective spoiling attack.
“The fleet is in position, Admiral.”
“Very good. Match the acceleration profile of the slowest transport and increase speed to point six light. Take us to within one hundred Ks of the target.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Moments later the fleet moved off, its squadrons staying in loose formation as they headed in system. Aboard the flagship, the navigation officer calculated that the passage would take a full eighteen hours. Four hours of acceleration to reach point six light, ten hours cruising and than four more hours of deceleration. In any other circumstances, ample time enough for the ship’s crews to rest up and prepare for action. But not today. If the enemy wasn’t already aware of their presence, they soon would be. Eighteen hours would be a very long time to remain at action stations but there were drugs to keep the crews alert, and the crews themselves would readily agree that it was far better to be alert than dead.
Haalikon was protected by a screen of forty eight orbital batteries, thirty two Stalwarts and sixteen of the heavier Paladin platforms. They circled the planet at a height of thirty seven thousand kilometers, the precise altitude required to push satellites into the sweet spot of geosynchronous orbit. Each unit was tasked with defending a specific area of space. Together, the forty eight units formed an overlapping and interlocking defense network designed to bring an invader under fire from two or more defenders.
The first unit to detect the approach of the enemy was Paladin P4. The Paladin was a flattened sphere eighty meters in diameter. Fuelled by a small fusion reactor – at present powered down – the unit was directed by an artificial intelligence known as Zeus. At present, P4’s Zeus was acting autonomously but that would change as soon as the defense network went active. Then the Zeus units throughout the network would coalesce into a greater intelligence, a single hive mind.
P4’s ultra sensitive passive sensors picked up several distinct signals which Zeus speedily analyzed and compared with the registry stored in its database. It soon classified the contacts as Combine combat vessels. The most powerful signal was emanating from a Vanquisher Class carrier. It was cruising in company with a screen of lighter vessels, though some were still too far out of range for an accurate classification. Behind the leading formation was another made up of heavier vessels, types as yet unknown.
Zeus waited patiently as the range closed and several minutes later it had gathered enough information to make an accurate determination of the formation’s exact composition, speed and heading – fifty six enemy vessels were on a direct course for Haalikon and closing fast. Following protocol, Zeus consulted its tactical database and concluded that the approaching formation was as assault/invasion force.
As the range of the attacking force closed, Zeus raised its defense status and brought more systems to standby. If and when the enemy entered P4’s lethal killing zone, the battery would go fully active, but for now it would do nothing to betray its position. The Paladin’s composite hull would contain any internal emissions and deflect active radar. As far as the Combine were concerned, P4 was just a hole in space and would remain that way until it was called on to fulfill its mission.
Zeus watched with a measured eye as the Combine formation decelerated and came to a halt, still outside the Paladin’s effective weapons range. It estimated the probability of such an event occurring to be less than 15%, which was the closest it would ever get to experiencing surprise. Doctrine dictated that an approaching enemy would launch an immediate and sustained attack with as many vessels as it could muster. The objective would be to overwhelm the defenses by getting the maximum number of rounds on target in the shortest possible time.
Zeus considered all possible scenarios, ran the appropriate simulations and concluded that the attackers were either waiting for reinforcements or were preparing to withdraw. It recognized the possibility that there were extraneous circumstances which its programming could not allow for, but like a human intelligence it concentrated upon facts, not conjecture.
There one thing of which Zeus was certain; once the enemy was engaged, the exchange would be as short as it was ferocious. Its orders were clear; destruction of the enemy was its only consideration. It would expend all its ordnance and then self destruct, preferably with one of those enemies in close proximity.
Aboard the Vanquisher, the Combine admiral was preparing his next move. Intelligence had provided him with all the relevant details regarding the strength and depth of the defenses, including the number and type of the orbital batteries. His own gravimetric sensors confirmed that there were a large number of satellites orbiting the planet but what he didn’t know was their exact locations. It didn’t take a tactical genius to recognize that in a conventional attack, there were quite enough of the defenders to make a mess of his attack squadrons.
But there were other options open to him. Leaving the transports in the company of the battle-cruisers, he deployed half his cruisers and escorts to repel any possible Alliance counter attack, and arranged the other half around the carrier. Once the formation was in position, he moved to within striking distance of Haalikon.
The Vanquisher carried a normal compliment of six air assault squadr
ons. Four dedicated air to air units and a further two mutli-role ground attack squadrons. Both types utilized the same basic airframe; the only real differences were in weapons payload and armor. The fighters were quicker and more agile – the multi-role ships carried greater protection and were consequently more sluggish.
A twelve plane formation could be scrambled in under thirty seconds using the fast reaction launch tubes deployed along the carrier’s dorsal plane. The tube turn-around time was barely a minute, which meant that the whole combat air group could be launched in under ten minutes.
Fighters could also be launched from drop gates under the hull. Seldom used except in drills or emergencies, the drop gates were slower and gave the fighters no initial thrust advantage. But the drop gates did have their uses; unlike the launch tubes, they could launch all manner of craft, including the carrier’s complement of shuttles, freight haulers and recon birds. Today, the flight deck was packed with unmanned drones. They were called Mimics. Just five meters long, they resembled a Combine fighter but were otherwise uncomplicated in design. Unlike a fighter, they were unarmed, carrying instead a sophisticated electronics pack which could be configured to emit the electronic footprint of any vessel in the Combine inventory. Today they were set up to imitate the Whiplash, the Combine’s standard attack fighter.
Across Enemy Space Page 3