Desperate Measures: The Issog

by C. R. Daems

  * * *

  The next six days settled into an intense routine. We would start with breakfast, then go to the simulator, where Elaine rearranged the Issog and Perkins' assault cruisers so that the individual cruisers had the same numbers but different positions, making each exercise the same yet different, as the same ships were not being attacked or near each other. Then, we would have a long dinner at a five-star restaurant where we discussed the results.

  The first day using the Durban exercise, Perkins tried attacking the Issog he considered the weakest, then those with the fewest skips remaining and least time until they could fire, then just those with the least skips, and finally those with the longest time remaining to fire. The second day using the Yorklan exercise, he tried the same tactics. At the end of the day, we concluded the results were roughly the same—each tactic produced the same outcome. The third day, he switched to attacking the strongest Issog cruisers first, those who were ready or close to ready to fire or had the most skips left. The fourth day, he tried the same tactic on the Yorklan exercise.

  Afterward we invited Elaine and met at the Regency, a very old restaurant with old-world charm. The tables and chairs were made from beautifully sculptured wood, and the area open enough to give each table a degree of privacy. The light from the crystal chandeliers set low, almost like candlelight, combined with the massive stone fireplace to give the room a warm comfortable glow. Old-world operas played in the background, just loud enough to be heard and enjoyed without interrupting speech.

  "This was just what I needed," Perkins said, raising his glass to Elaine and then me. "It's clear that attacking the strongest cruisers in the area first produces the best result by as much as twenty percent. Without those simulations, the data Copernicus produces would have been of little value. A lot of interesting data but of no help. Now, thanks to Elaine and you, it's valuable information I can use to make assignments." He snorted and took a sip of his wine. "The problem is that this exercise would be good for all commanders who may be asked to lead the first wave of cruisers after the Odin."

  * * *

  "Well, what have you two been up to? I understand you've spent hours in the simulator and eating out while the rest of us are trying to get the fleet ready to fight Issog," Simons said the next day in her office on the Sakhmet after waving us to sit. A slight twitch of her lips spoiled the rebuke. Lipscomb sat off to the side looking stern. I wasn't sure if from his earlier meeting with Simons or my presence. He had been cold since my suggestion to leave Durban undefended.

  "Captain Lipscomb was right," Perkins began. "The data that Copernicus sends is overwhelming."

  I heard Lipscomb snort. Perkins turned and smiled good-naturedly. "So, at Zoe's suggestion we have been running simulations to determine which information is the most critical and gives the first wave cruisers the best advantage. Rather surprisingly, the simulations indicate the best strategy is to attack the strongest Issog cruisers first. That gives us a significant advantage. With the practice I've had, I can now locate the strongest cruisers within ten seconds and have squadrons assigned within twenty. I doubt the Issog can duplicate those response times."

  "You know that will make you the official first-wave commander," Simons said, her face showing real concern. First-wave commander was a risky position, as that group suffered the highest losses. Being the official first-wave commander significantly reduced his chances of survival.

  Perkins laughed. "I told Zoe I didn’t want to be a wartime admiral."

  Simons stared at Perkins and me for a long time. "The Commonwealth is fortunate to have people like you and Zoe, who are content to serve where the Commonwealth needs you. The space gods know you're both qualified to lead a fleet."

  Like Perkins, I didn't know what to say. I did agree with Simons that Perkins would make an excellent fleet commander. I didn't know about me. I liked being the Odin's captain and messing with the Issog. The thought of leading a fleet definitely didn't interest me. Being a fleet commander felt like being a bystander—entering the system after the real action and observing the carnage. No, I was very content with my present assignment.

  "Zoe." Simons broke into my musing. "I'll want you to conduct a few seminars for the new captains. See if you can help them understand the Issog and their techniques. If you can help save even one captain's life, it will be worth it."

  * * *

  When I arrived at the simulation room the next day, Bergan, Lahti, and six captains I didn't know were standing around talking near a table with a variety of drinks and sweet rolls. Elaine was adjusting three monitors to face a semi-circle of six chairs. She smiled and winked.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, if you will take a seat, we will begin. Bergan, Lahti, drag up a couple of chairs for yourselves." I walked to stand in front of the monitors and waited as everyone sat. "I'll let everyone introduce—" I stopped when Simons's aid entered the room and shouted.

  "Attention."

  Everyone bolted to their feet as Simons and another Admiral entered the room along with Perkins, a captain, and a commander whom I assumed was the other admiral's flag captain and aide.

  "At ease," Simons said as she strode to stand next to me. "I'm Admiral Simons, commander of the Sixth Fleet. Captain LaFon is the captain of the Odin and the zeta squadron leader. Her squadron captains are Bergan and Lahti. Captains Flowers, Ramos, and Hill are new Sixth Fleet squadron leaders." She pointed to each as she mentioned their names. "I've asked her to explain her participation in the invasions of Durban and Yorklan. Admiral Gutierrez is commanding the Fourth Fleet." She nodded at the stocky grey-haired man. "He will be backing up the Sixth Fleet on our visit to Durban, and the Sixth will be backing up the Fourth on their visit to Yorklan."

  Gutierrez stepped forward to stand next to Simons. "Captain Marsh is the Captain of our Odin class cruiser, designated Thor, and his two squadron captains are Dewey, commanding the Atum and Howard, commanding the Nunet." He followed Simons to the second row of seats Elaine had set up while the introductions were being made.

  "Elaine is a member of the Next Robotics corporation and has been critical in helping us prepare the Sixth Fleet, and me, in the creation of the first Odin fleet." I stopped to let the side comments subside. "The first test was on Durban. What I intend to do today is recreate our engagements on Durban and Yorklan, as each was unique.

  "In order to test the Odin squadron, Admiral Simons sent us into Durban space five minutes ahead of the fleet to hopefully disrupt any Issog guarding the Wave. When we exited the Wave, the Issog were in a standard eight-cruiser configuration: four at two light-seconds and four at four light-seconds…" The presentation went on for two hours because of the number of questions.

  "Interesting, Captain LaFon. You don't seem to have destroyed any cruisers. In fact, you appear to be avoiding…contact," Gutierrez said. Although his face and tone were neutral, the implication was clear—you're avoiding combat while others are dying.

  "The Issog's strength is their ability to skip close to our cruisers, determine an attack vector in half the time we can, and fire. When their skips are depleted, they lose that advantage. Odin's mission was to disrupt the Issog by encouraging them to use their skips and leaving them unprepared for the first wave of the Sixth Fleet."

  "That has been an extremely effective strategy," Simons interjected, "and it was even more so at Yorklan, where we encountered a total of fourteen Issog cruisers near the Wave. If it hadn't been for the Odin, the entire Sixth Fleet would have been destroyed.". I took that as my cue to begin the critique of the Yorklan engagement. Captain Marsh cautiously approached me during a short break midway through it.

  "I'm glad for this seminar. I wasn't sure what Admiral Gutierrez expected or, for that matter, how my three cruisers were going to make a difference." He looked in Gutierrez’s direction, and seeing him talking with Simons, continued. "Judging by his remark to you, I'm afraid he's expecting the Thor to be killing more Issog than the rest of the squadron."

&nbs
p; "That would be the worst use of the Odin class cruisers. If the Issog destroy the Thor, it can be replaced in three months. Replacing you would take a year. If you like, we can schedule time for the Odin and Thor squadrons to exchange experiences," I said, seeing some of the tension in Marsh's face relax.

  * * *

  The next day, Perkins showed up with Captain Moss, the senior officer from the Fourth Fleet, who would lead the first Wave into Yorklan. Bergan, Lahti, and I reviewed in detail each move we had made and why. I hoped my insights into the Issog's tactics and what we had learned on our recent encounters would prove helpful to Marsh and his two squadron captains.

  "Remember your mission. It’s easy to forget in the heat of battle and you want to join everyone killing Issog," Lahti said. "As Captain LaFon frequently reminds us, our job is to make it easier for the fleet to destroy the enemy by using up their skips and hopefully rattling their commanders into doing something stupid."

  "Lahti is right. In the heat of battle it's easy to think you aren't doing your share, but if you stick to your mission, you will make a significant contribution and save lives." I said to reinforce the message.

  "As the first-wave commander, I vouch for that," Perkins said.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Durban Revisited

  The next day we began lining up in departure order: the Odin squadron, the Sixth Fleet's first and second-wave cruisers, the Thor squadron, and finally the Fourth Fleet's first and second waves. By early evening we were approaching the Wave with five-minute separation windows.

  "XO, prepare the ship for Wave transition," I said as we reached a spot within thirty minutes of the Wave.

  "Commander Sainz, announce Wave transition within…" Disanto glanced at the chronometer. "Thirty minutes."

  "Wave transition in thirty minutes," Sainz said, and then made the announcement over the systems' loud speakers and sent the same message to each crew member's ICD. I couldn't help but compare the time it took to initiate commands with a normal Bridge configuration versus when I had full control. Not only the time for normal human communications, but also the redundancy—an XO having to repeat each command several times to prevent mistaken or misunderstood commands. Of course, normally the lost seconds didn't matter, not even during an engagement…but in rare instances where the lost seconds did matter, those seconds could be the difference between living or dying, winning or losing.

  The trip to Durban would take a little more than two days. There was no point in obsessing over what we would find, or in trying to develop a plan, since we could only guess at the Issog's configuration. They might have decided to abandon Durban, or to double their normal eight-cruiser configuration, anticipating we would return in force. And even though that was my first choice, the actual configuration would determine our best approach. I could only do what I had told Bergan and Lahti to do: remember our mission is not to kill Issog but to weaken them for the Sixth Fleet's first wave.

  * * *

  As I entered Durbin, my ESP blossomed to life, displaying a daunting configuration of twelve Issog cruisers—four at two light-seconds, four at three, and four at four—reinforcing my admiration for the Issog commanders—they weren't stupid. They had anticipated we would send in another large force and were prepared to repulse it. All twelve cruisers were close enough to support each other without wasting critical skips and were spaced to prevent the Commonwealth from skipping away to avoid them. I shut my eyes for several seconds to dislodge the extraneous thoughts, focusing on the solution, not the problem. I opened my eyes and sent the following data-stream to the Amsit and Sobek before connecting via tight-beam.

  MiVa000222Sb and MiVb180220Sa

  "When the Issog skip to your position, use the vector in the first package to jump to the two-light-second mark. Use your discretion, but I'd like you to jump to the three-light-second mark using the second package's vector if you can. We may want to draw them away from the Wave."

  I had just cut the connection when the four batmobiles at the two-light-second mark, B1-B4, skipped to our position. As they solidified, I abstractly noted Copernicus had annotated S2/0 under each of the B1-B4 Issog cruisers—indicating they had used two seconds of their skips and were capable of firing their missiles. I quickly computed the vector to B4, which was the closest to me, and fired six missiles a few seconds before the Issogs could fire. The Amsit, Sobek, and I skipped a few seconds later. The next move was the Issog's, and it would give me an indication of the coordination between the normal four-cruiser squadrons.

  I was somewhat surprised when the four Vamps, B5-B8, at the three-light-second mark skipped to the two-light-second mark to engage us. Not illogical, as B1-B4 needed time to reload, while B5-B8 were ready to go.

  When I had acquired their positions some eleven seconds later, I fired six missiles at B5 and smiled when the Amsit and Sobek fired four each. I didn't think they had calculated the Vamps' positions that quickly, but their discharge gave the illusion they would be vulnerable while they reloaded. We skipped to the three-second mark when the Issog fired. I was pleased to note that both B4 and B5 had turned yellow.

  The Issog, B9-B12, at the four-light-second mark jumped to the three-second mark. This time I targeted B9, fired, and skipped to the four-second mark. The Amsit and the Sobek followed without firing.

  Seconds later, B5-B8 skipped to our position. I waited for them to acquire my position and fire. When they did, I jumped to the three-second mark and smiled when the Sobek followed seconds later.

  B9-B12 still had approximately thirty seconds to reload, time enough for the Odin squadron to determine their position and fire. I targeted B11 and fired six. As I watched, the Amsit and Sobek fired four each, and B11 and B12 went to yellow.

  I skipped to the one-second mark knowing there was another two minutes remaining before the first wave would exit the Wave. By now I had several of the Issog commanders mad, and B1-B4 followed me as B5-B8 skipped to the two-second mark. I determined the position of B3 and fired my remaining six missiles. When B1-B4 fired, I skipped to the zero-second mark as the Amsit and Sobek skipped to the one-second mark, acquired the Vamp’s position, and fired. A good move but dangerous. Good because the Vamps couldn't fire for another forty seconds, but dangerous as the Amsit and Sobek had only a one-second skip remaining and it would be another two minutes before the fleet would arrive. I waited until B1-B4 had reloaded and fired before skipping to the one-second mark as the Sobek and Amsit skipped to the zero mark. I targeted B6, as B3 and B4 had gone red, and fired six. B1 and B2 skipped to the zero mark. I stayed at the one-second mark and felt a stab of guilt, knowing I was not only avoiding the action, but that my squadron could use the help. Or, I could have skipped to the four-second mark, forcing B9-B12 to chase me, thus using more of their skip allowance as well as pulling them away from the Wave. But that would have used up my skips, and the Odin would have been vulnerable with four Issogs targeting it.

  Noting that B1-B2 had just fired at the Amsit and Sobek, I skipped back to the zero-second mark, selected B1, and fired. Shortly afterward the Amsit and Sobek fired. B1 went Red and B2 yellow. At the same time, B5-B18 jumped to the one-second mark and B9-B12 skipped to the two-second mark. Seconds later the first wave arrived. Copernicus showed:

  At the zero-second mark: B1-Red, B4-S3/30 Yellow, B3-Red, and B4-Red.

  At the one-second mark: B5-S6/0 Yellow, B6-S6/0 Yellow, B7-S6/0 Green, and B8-S6/0 Yellow.

  And at the two-second mark: B9-S2/0 Yellow, B10-S2/0 Green, B11-S2/0 Yellow, and B12-S2/0 Yellow.

  A very respectable showing. There was only one Vamp at the Wave, although with a four-second skip remaining. Three of the four Vamps at the one-second mark were Yellow and they had only two-second skips remaining. Although the four Vamps at the two-second mark had six-second skips left, three of them were yellow.

  I contacted the Amsit and the Sobek as B4 was quickly destroyed and the fleet jumped to the one-second mark.

  "Stay put," I said when they a
ppeared. Their faces lost their predatory grins as I continued. "Great job, but we are finished for now. Your instincts were good and the main reason we have been so effective. Look at the Copernicus results. We have a solid team, so let's not take unnecessary chances." I knew the battle-rage they were feeling. They had the Issog on the run and wanted to be in on the kill—so did I.

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later, the twelve Issog cruisers had been destroyed. Simons slowed the fleet while she assessed the damage and considered her assault on the four remaining Issog orbiting Durban. The fleet had lost five cruisers, and four had major damage.

  While waiting for the fleet to make necessary repairs and care for the wounded, she called a meeting on the Sakhmet to include Perkins, Lipscomb, and me, and invited Admiral Gutierrez, Moss, his designated first-wave commander, and Marsh, the Thor’s captain.

  "Attention," Simons’s aid shouted as she and Gutierrez entered. We had been there for some time, had collected drinks from the sideboard, and were standing around discussing the engagement.

  "At ease," Simons said, waving us to sit. "Last year I would have suspected divine intervention had we fought the Issog to a draw. This year, I would consider it a poor showing if we lost an equal number of cruisers. Today's results have me back considering divine intervention. Twelve Issog cruisers within two light-seconds of the Wave should have been a disaster." She stopped for a sip of the wine her aid had set in front of her.

  "Might have been better if the Odin had participated with the first wave. The Odin doesn't have a scratch. Certainly, the Odin squadron could have taken out another cruiser or two, if you hadn't hidden behind the Fourth Fleet," Gutierrez said, disgust dripping from each word. Simons looked about to say something, but I spoke before she could.