by C. R. Daems
"An astute observation. I'd never thought about it before, but everyone not on the Bridge must have a similar feeling during a battle. And they can't see the ESP or the monitors." The Bridge was involved in the action and had an ability to affect the outcome. The rest of the crew were blind passengers. "The Issog's favorite tactic is skipping close to you and launching missiles which, because the cruisers are close, give you only a few seconds to counter. Their hit to launch ratio is consequently very high. They have only an eight-second-skip capacity, so the initial contact with them is the most dangerous part of the engagement. If you can survive that encounter, the battle becomes more or less even. I have been trying to make them use up some of their skip capacity before the Sixth Fleet emerges. That will make the Vamps less effective."
"Yes, it's important to know your enemy’s strengths as well as his weaknesses." Akar said, looking thoughtfully in my direction. I nodded and switched monitor one to the Backup Bridge.
"Commander Disanto, Maize, any questions?" I asked while monitoring the sensors and watching the ESP, which reflected the battle between the Vamps and the Sixth Fleet. The eight Issog cruisers were destroyed, while the Commonwealth lost only two.
"Your strategy was to encourage the Issog to use their skip capacity," Maize said, nibbling on her lower lip in thought.
"And to damage as many as you could," Disanto said.
"Both are true, but inflicting damage was a nice to have result rather than a goal, and only possible because of the unique nature of the Odin. Firing on them was more to draw their attention to me, and hold them near the Wave."
"I wonder if the Issog have some way of computing vectors fast and accurately to within twenty thousand kilometers of a cruiser the way you can?" Maize asked, frowning in thought.
"That's an excellent question. I've often wondered that myself. It might have something to do with the way they communicate."
"What now?" Disanto asked. "Neither you nor the squadron have much skip capacity left, and no support coming."
"Good question. One should have a strategy going into battle, but understand it may have to change. You have to be flexible. This may be a case of waiting for support. The idea isn't to be a hero—it's to win with the least losses. After all, this isn't the final battle of the war." I cut the connection.
I pondered the problem of the remaining four batmobiles. I didn't want to be a hero, but I did want to kill Vamps, and I needed to test the potential of the Odin—the difference between aggressive and reckless. If we could get the Vamps to skip to us, then maybe we could skip, which would just about exhaust their skip capability and make them more vulnerable, although the Vamps didn't seem inclined to cooperate. Since they didn't look human, too many captains made the mistake of thinking them less intelligent. I executed a four-light-second skip to catch up with my squadron. As the Bridge solidified, I connected to Sobek and Amsit via a tight beam connection, which would give us a secure communication link.
"Captain Bergan, Lahti, what's your status?"
"Operational with a four-second skip reserve," Bergan said.
"Not a scratch, and also a four-second skip reserve," Lahti said. "What now?"
"For now, we wait. The Vamps around Durban have too much of an advantage for us to engage them. The fleet has destroyed the eight Vamps and will be moving toward us. Let's see what Admiral Simons wants us to do. We may not have destroyed any batmobiles, but I believe we saved a lot of lives today by our actions."
"You're right, but not having fired a shot doesn't feel right. Makes you want to skip down to Durban and engage the four Issog cruisers there," Bergan said, his lips set in a crooked smile.
"I imagine that is what Admiral Simons plans to do, and we'll be part of it. The difference is, now we are more likely to survive the encounter." I cut the connection. I knew how Bergan felt, because I felt the same way.
The fleet reached our location five hours later, as each cruiser used its remaining skip capacity to reach our present position. Simons had us wait ten hours to recharge our skip capacity. During the delay, the wounded were treated and essential repairs made. Then, the fleet skipped to a position just short of the eight-light-second mark. Skipping saved the fleet the two and a half days’ travel time it would have taken to travel the four light-seconds at five hundred and fifty gravities. The Sobek, Amsit, and Odin had their full skip capacity, however the fleet only had four skips remaining.
On their arrival, Simons called a conference. After everyone was online, she spoke.
"First, congratulations. Eight Issog cruisers on a bad day, of which we have too many, are a match for our typical fleet of nineteen. On a normal day, we lose as many as three for every two batmobiles we destroy. One for one is a good day. Today, the Issog had a bad day and lost eight to our five." She was smiling when she finished. I was glad she didn't single out the Odin. My squadron may have made things easier, but it was the other five squadrons which had done the real fighting, and suffered the losses. "I think we should take time to finish necessary repairs and make sure all the wounded are treated before we destroy the last four." That got nods of agreement, and she cut the connection to everyone except me. "You did well, LaFon. The Vamps aren't nearly as deadly when they can't skip. I think having them bunched up like they were decreased their effectiveness. It appears to affect their coordination." She frowned in thought. "Any ideas for the remaining four?"
"Since we are within four light-seconds of the Vamp cruisers, I could dart in and fire on one of the batmobiles and skip out to see what they will do. If they fire on me…"
"Lipscomb, check with the squadron commanders and determine the condition of their squadrons," Simons said, deep in thought. Several minutes later Lipscomb handed her his tablet.
"Yes, I think that will work." She typed on the tablet for several seconds. "Lipscomb, get me a tight beam to the squadron leaders." Simons sat back with her hands held like a steeple below her chin, studying her tablet.
"Ma'am, they're online," Lipscomb said.
"We have four batmobiles in my reserved parking," She began, eliciting smirks and snorts from the captains. Even Lipscomb smiled. "All joking aside, they have their full skip capacity and are very dangerous. We need to shake them up and hope that throws them off their game. The Odin is going to skip in, fire on them, and skip out. Three seconds after the Odin skips, the cruisers with the least damage will skip-attack the batmobiles. That will be the six cruisers I've identified. You should arrive five to ten seconds later, giving you at least thirty seconds before the Vamps can reload and fire. I'm hoping the Odin will rattle them, and that we can benefit from the distraction. The remaining cruisers will join us after the batmobiles are destroyed. Questions?"
A few captains had questions about the vectors and timing. Afterward, the clocks for the Odin jump were set to fifty minutes. As the clocks ticked down, I calculated the vector for batmobile B1, the cruiser I intended to target, and then set up my one-second escape skip and waited.
When the elapsed-time clock hit zero, I skipped. The Bridge faded into a shadowy mist. When it cleared, I used the sensors to determine the distance and direction, set the targeting information for the missiles, and fired in less than eight seconds, a feat I doubted any ship could duplicate in less than thirty seconds—except the Issog. They could usually calculate and fire within fifteen seconds. I idly wondered if it were their software or their method of communicating commands.
I calculated the impact at ten seconds—too fast for the Issog to react. Besides, their commander had a difficult decision to make. If he fired at me and the fleet skipped to his position, he wouldn't have any missiles ready for forty-five seconds. So, he would have to skip, but where? He couldn't be certain until the fleet skipped—he didn't know the entire fleet wouldn't skip. And he couldn't allow me to continuously fire missiles without responding.
Ten seconds later, nine of my twelve missiles scored and multiple explosions could be detected. Shortly afterward, B-1 lost power
as it spewed debris into space. Fifteen seconds had passed and I knew they had my position. As I waited for the Issog to fire before skipping away, I checked the distance to the closest batmobile, B2, and computed the impact time at twelve seconds. Therefore, if they took another twenty seconds to fire, I could fire again and still safely skip away before their missiles arrived. I smiled when twenty-six seconds later the three batmobiles fired—it must have been an agonizing decision for the commander, and the forty-five second response was an impressive reaction given his options. The weapons panel indicated ready, so I fired, and then skipped one-second.
When I checked the sensors, the second batmobile I had targeted looked to be only marginally functional. Several seconds later, the six Commonwealth cruisers appeared. Either the Issog were rattled, or else they miscalculated, because the two remaining ships jumped immediately—into the half of the fleet which hadn't jumped—and arrived without any missiles loaded. The Issog put up a respectable fight considering they couldn't respond immediately, and the engagement lasted only minutes.
* * *
"It feels like Christmas." Simons took a sip of her wine. Twenty-four hours had passed, and she had invited me to dine with her and Captain Lipscomb, her de facto second in command. "We defeated twelve batmobiles, only lost five cruisers, and freed the citizens of Durban. The Odin certainly was a significant factor…actually the Odin squadron. I can't believe you managed to fire twice and disable two cruisers without damage," Simons said, but it was more a question—how?
"We tend to agree that an ability to save time targeting, computing vectors, and missile time to impact in a war would give us little advantage in engagements with the enemy, because tactics rarely depend on split-second decisions. But, it's that ability which allowed me to confuse the enemy and get off a second load of missiles. I could compute the time to impact for the undamaged Issog cruisers, so I knew how long I could delay. The Issog commander couldn't ignore me, yet he had to fear the fleet skipping if he fired. His decision took three seconds too long." I watched as Simons and Lipscomb digested the scenario.
Simons laughed. "That's ironic. That's actually the Issog's advantage. They are able to compute targeting information at least twice as fast as we can." She took another sip of her wine. "Independent command authority makes me nervous. But this time, it was consistent with the strategy we agreed upon, and it saved lives and ships. I'm glad you're commanding the Odin—you have war experience and understand the Issog. You're aggressive but you aren't reckless. I hate to think what would happen if they had enlisted some young hot-shot captain for the Odin's test case."
"I like what you've done, integrating the Amsit and Sobek with the Odin," Lipscomb said, nodding approval. I too had questioned how one ship was going to make a significant difference, not to mention getting sufficient captains trained in time."
"Since you have a better…feel for the Odin than I do, how do you see it helping if—no, when the Issog return to their bloodbank for…supplies?" Simons leaned forward.
"I think the Odin squadron is effective as bait for a trap or in creating confusion because of its ability to react quicker than the Issog. Of course, a lot will depend on the configuration of the Issog squadron sent to pick up supplies or to provide replacements." I had an idea but didn't want either Simons or Lipscomb to think I wanted to dictate strategy for the fleet.
"On the one hand, I would agree based upon what I've seen so far. We need to evaluate the Odin concept, which means you and your squadron can't be held in reserve or even used as I would a normal squadron. On the other hand, we have to be careful not to get the Odin destroyed by being overly aggressive." Simons closed her eyes for what appeared a painful thought or memory. "As harsh as it sounds, you can't jeopardize the Odin to save another ship. Do you understand, Captain LaFon?"
"Yes, ma'am. I understand." I did, but it went against all my instincts, and I wondered if logic or instinct would win in the heat of battle.
* * *
With some trepidation, I decided to visit Durban to see firsthand how much of the rumors about the Issog were true. The risk seemed minimal. The marines reported having killed the Issog contingent on the planet and having freed the inhabitants, and Akar was going, along with an additional four Mactans.
"You're at far more risk on the planet, and there is no guarantee the marines killed every Issog," Akar said when I raised my eyebrows as the additional Mactans entered my shuttle.
I nodded. He was right to be concerned. "Are you curious as to what we will find, Akar?"
"Yes, sir. All knowledge is useful." He smiled. "I would like to meet an Issog while we’re there in case, at some later date, we might have to fight some of them to protect you."
"Know thy enemy." I nodded. "If we can't find an Issog to fight, I'll find some marines to talk about their experience. I'm sure they would love to talk to Mactans."
"Yes, that would be helpful, so long as it didn’t distract us from protecting you." His lips gave a sight twitch of a smile.
Using my ICD, I contacted Colonel Storch, who had a ground vehicle dispatched to take me to him. It was old, and had seen better days, and could only accommodate three plus a driver comfortably, so two Mactans squeezed into the back along with Akar, and four stood on the platform used to step into the vehicle. When we arrived, the colonel was standing outside a long narrow shed attached to a modern building, which may have been an administration building before the Issog invaded. He saluted when I exited the ground vehicle.
"Sorry, sir, but we are short on vehicles. Most are being used to transport survivors to medical stations, and afterword to get identified. This building, and the attached shed, was one of the many blood…stations." When I nodded, he proceeded into the main building and gave me a brief tour. In one section were fifty large refrigeration units, each containing a couple hundred plastic two-liter bags of human blood. Other rooms contained what looked like a laboratory for inspecting, or maybe adding something, or filtering the blood, and still others for producing containers, and equipment to collect and store the blood. "The rooms upstairs appeared to be reserved for the Issog staff." He continued through a door into a narrow shed. "Here—" He choked and had to take a moment before continuing. The smell was overwhelming—feces, urine, blood, and the space gods only knew what else. "Each person was strapped to an individual…milking station and had multiple IVs inserted in his or her arteries. Food was dispensed through one of the IVs. When a milking station failed to deliver the required amount of blood, the individual was removed and killed, if not already dead. His body was then drained of any remaining blood and a new body attached." When we exited the building, none too soon, Storch stopped and took a deep breath. Bile rose into my mouth, and it was all I could do to keep from throwing up. "There are several of these buildings located throughout Durban. Half of the population managed to escape when the Issog invaded, not that it mattered. The Issog hunted them when the reserve stock began to run low."
"How many do we estimate survived?"
"The early estimate was that half of the ten million on Durban were captured when the Issog invaded. Only ten percent of those survived. The Issog are estimated to have captured fifty percent of those who initially escaped, and early reports indicate thirty percent survived. We understand from those we talked to that an estimated twenty percent of the escapees died of other causes. So, our best estimate is that three million survived."
That was not only a scar that would last for generations, but there was no guarantee that the Issog wouldn't recapture Durban.
"Thank you, Colonel. If you have any marines who fought the Issog, please have them contact Colonel Akar." I nodded towards Akar, who stood next to me.
"Yes, sir. I have several marines who fought the Vamps. I'll tell Gunny Chow to arrange it when we get back to the Odin. If you will excuse me for now, I need to see to the cleanup." When I nodded, he saluted and left in the direction of a group of marines.
"What do you think, Akar?"<
br />
"The Issog are formidable fighters."
"How did you determine that?" I asked, confused as to how he had reached that conclusion, and why he didn't comment on the human tragedy.
"Judging by the number of dead and wounded marines, and the relatively few dead Issog. Of course, that's my initial opinion based only on what I've seen on our drive here."
"What about the human disaster here?"
"It's a tragedy for the humans involved, but to the Vamps, humans are prey, and this isn't much different from the way we raise and process our animals for food."
"But humans are intelligent beings!" I felt anger and outrage at the comparison.
"All animals have intelligence and feelings. To the Issog, humans are just edible animals, not a higher form of life like an Issog." Akar's voice carried no hint of an argument or condemnation of the Issog.
I stood there in shock, but could sort of see his point, if I stopped to consider it from the Issog's perspective. Humans had certainly committed enough atrocities against humans over the years, and the treatment of our food animals wasn't always pretty. My head ached from seeing the milking stations and Akar's reasoning.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Commander Akar of the Mactans
"I'm Commander Akar of the Mactans, and these men are Sergeant Ceba and Corporal Dache. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I'm interested in learning how the Issog fight, in case we encounter one or more."
"How about a trade? We'll tell you about the Vamps if you will share a little about the Mactans," Gunny Chow said. He was almost as wide as he was tall, and looked to be all muscle. When Akar nodded, he continued. "The Issog…Vamps are very deceptive because they are small and look fragile with their small, furry heads and thin bodies, arms, and legs. They can't actually fly, but that flap of skin that extends from their wrist to leg permits them to glide long distances, even from ground level with a running start. Their skin is very leathery, and acts like a pellet-proof vest. The nails extending from their thumbs and big toes cut like knives. So, in one-on-one encounters, they use their skin flaps to blind you, and those four talon-knives to shred you. Like you, they carry weapons and communication devices hanging everywhere. Around their neck is a computer communication device, clipped to one arm is a pellet and laser combination weapon, and on the other arm is a stun gun. Both weapons are light and small, but lethal. And they don't have to remove them, because the controls extend to their hands. Their reflexes are fast like a dog or cat’s. They are good shots, and know the target areas most likely to kill humans." He turned and waved to a corporal who was dragging a dead Issog. "We are going to stuff a few so we can use them as training aids. He'll be larger, closer to his normal size, when stuffed." Chow spent the next half hour explaining the best and worst places to shoot, knife, and punch. "Your turn," Chow said with a smile.