The Turret: Starclan Foundation

by James McAlliater

  “Relax, cadet. Tell me a little about yourself, son.” Jock leaned back, hoping to relax the young man a bit.

  “Well, Sir, my family has served in the military for over 1500 years. I grew up on the USF Naval Starbase at Salt Lake City. It just seemed natural to go to the Academy.”

  “I can understand that, cadet. Now, about Corrine…”

  “Oh, Sir! I have only the best intentions…”

  “Relax. That’s an order. You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe that, or if Corrine didn’t believe that. Do you know this is her first date?”

  “Sir? But, she’s coming to the academy next year, Sir. I don’t understand. She’s never dated?”

  “I never understood it either, son. Her mother seems to, or so she claims. Corrine always said it would be a waste of time, and cruel to the boy she went on a date with. She has me miffed. Oh, well, you’re here, so you must have made quite an impression.”

  “Mr. MacAlister?” Tracy’s voice sang from the door.

  “Tracy, are you two ready?”

  “Yes, Sir.” Tracy said as she opened the door all the way and walked into the room. She looked stunning in a simple green dress with a pearl necklace, white handbag and matching shoes. Jock caught a hint of perfume.

  “Tracy, you’ve met Mr. Halsey. You look lovely, dear.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Mac.” She smiled her response.

  “A-hem!”

  The three turned to the doorway at the cough. Jock’s mouth hung open. He had never seen his daughter like this before. Oh, she’d gone to proms and dances, with Tracy or stag when Tracy had a date, but Jock had never seen his little girl as… as a woman. A very stunning woman. Sandy, at our Senior Prom.

  Her long blonde hair flowed freely to just above her hips, yet was pulled back from her face. She wore just the slightest hint of lipstick and eye shadow; the blush on her cheeks was natural, as it intensified just a bit when she looked at Mike. Her dress was a stunning bare-shouldered pink and silver, cut close to her waist and loosely around her hips.

  “I think I may be underdressed!” Jock broke the tension.

  “Don’t be silly, Father. You look fine.” Corrine said, as her gaze remained fixed on Michael.

  “Where did you two get these outfits? Don’t tell me you packed them?” Jock whispered to Tracy.

  “Really, Mr. Mac. A girl must always be prepared!” Tracy whispered back.

  “Okay, people. Let’s go. We do have reservations! Mademoiselle, s’il vous plait?” Jock said as he offered his arm to Tracy. He smiled as Mike followed his lead with Corry. I don’t know why, but I like that kid. Maybe that’s just because she likes him. Good enough!

  ***

  Mars L-2

  USF Dreadnought

  Flag Bridge

  Standard Earth Date December 3, 3478

  Rear Admiral Jock MacAlister surveyed the people at the virtual meeting. Each ship’s Captain was logged in, along with those present in the room; the four Commodores, Rear Admirals Musa and himself, and Fleet Admiral Bucktooth. He felt confident in this group, and in the fleet they had equipped and assembled.

  “Gentlemen, Ladies, at ease. This meeting is to review and confirm our training operational plan before we put it into effect tomorrow at 0600 hours, SST. Admiral Musa, will you please review Operation Black Smith.”

  “Thank you, Admiral Bucktooth. This fleet is presently comprised of one hundred and thirty eight ships; sixty-two light cruisers, thirty heavy cruisers, sixteen battlecruisers and twenty battleships. We will deploy the fleet into battle formation as illustrated here…” The Admiral indicated the viscreen where a diagram showed the ships arranged in roughly a disk shape.

  “Each battleship will have one heavy and two light cruisers as escort. They will comprise Task Force Anvil.

  Ten of the battlecruisers will be escorted by one heavy cruiser and one light cruiser each; this will form a Task Force Hammer.

  The remaining ships, six stealth battlecruisers each escorted by two stealth light cruisers, will form our reserve force, task Force Nail.

  Anvil will form a disk deployment at the Earth side of the formation, with the Hammer ahead and to the center. The reserve squadron, Nail, will support Hammer as needed.

  “The plan is to set Anvil in the path of the Bugs, to cross their ‘T’, and use Hammer to pound anything still moving after crossing the Turret line into the Anvil. Any questions?”

  “Sir, what if the Bugs try to move around the Anvil?” Captain Rhodes of the heavy cruiser USF Nili Patera asked. She knows the answer, Jock thought, but she also knows others here don’t! Smart officer! No wonder her ratings are so high.

  “Rear Admiral MacAlister will explain. Admiral?” Admiral Bucktooth selected Jock to answer due to his role in hacking into the alien computer system.

  “Thank you Admiral. The Bug computer system contained a wealth of information on the Bug society and military; these are essentially one and the same. The Bugs are like a hornet nest; they seem to blindly attack, without strategy or planning. Their only method of attack is to enter a system at roughly one-half light speed, and to rapidly decelerate only when near the target planet. This target planet is always the most heavily populated world in the system; they ignore outposts, stations, and bases in the initial wave. The tactics outlined in their computer system indicated…” Jock swallowed hard, “just over twelve thousand Invader class ships in an average attack. The colonizing vessels follow only after confirmation of victory.

  “They have little maneuverability when entering a system. Their ships just don’t have it built into them, and their attack plans preclude it.”

  “What are their ships like, Admiral?” The viscreen indicated Commander Kesa MacAlister, Commanding Officer of the heavy cruiser USF Bear Mountain Bridge had asked that question. Again, she knows the answer; she’s just making sure the rest of the team does too. I’m glad I couldn’t talk her out of this command. I was wrong and selfish trying to keep her in R&D. God, what a team we have here!

  “The Bugs attack ships are oval in shape and are roughly a kilometer long. The structure is similar to that of the bugs themselves. Their ships are thick-skinned and hollow, entirely one monocoque structure. One large room inside the twenty-meter thick outer hull. Penetrate the hull, and every Bug on the ship dies. They carry two main weapons on each ship; a dense projectile carried external to the hull, as we see on the viscreen here, and a powerful beam-type weapon mounted near the midships region. They have a blind spot in front of and behind their ships, as well as to the side opposite the beam projector. Next question?”

  “How will they attack, Sir? What tactics do they use?” Captain Charlie Walker of the battleship USF South Carolina asked.

  “Their attack tactics are simple, enter the targeted system at half of light speed and in tight formation, release the projectiles before decelerating hard. The projectiles clear a path to the targeted planet, taking out any mines or missiles along the way; then they impact the planet, in most cases destroying it. They then use their beams to mop up.

  “We will use their plan to our advantage. We have seeded the predicted paths with millions of tons of sand and fine asteroid ore tailings, a passive micro-minefield that is dependent upon the Bugs high velocity attack profile to be effective. Further in-system, our ADS systems, or Turrets, have been reactivated, updated, enhanced and expanded. The Turrets are much further out from Earth, the target, than the Bugs plan on being when they release their projectiles. They are now armed with Super High Velocity Railguns, plasma lasers, extended range gravitic grapples, Shrike nuclear missiles, and GravTorps. But the Turrets biggest assets are their new reactors; the Gravitic Nuclear Opposition Reactors on our Turrets have twelve thousand times the power output of a Bug Invader ship. The Turret lasers carry fifty times the energy of the Bug beams, and the average Turret has forty-four installed. The twenty gravitic clamps in each Turret complex have enough power to divert the Bug ships as they pass, forcing a prematur
e deceleration. They also have enough range to overlap with the next closest Turret. So do the lasers.

  “The plan is for the Turrets to launch their Shrikes and GravTorps to wait in the Bug’s path, while attacking with multiple SHVR rounds. The railgun rounds will be a grapeshot derivative; each round consisting of ninety-six one-kilogram lead balls designed to spread out and create a large kill area;” as long as they get past the projectiles, Jock thought, “between the five Turrets covering the projected path, the SHVRs will kill any Bug ship within a twenty thousand kilometer area. The Shaver rounds will arrive first, followed by the Shrikes, then the GravTorps. Then we grab any ships that are left by the gonads, using the G-clamps, and hold them as the lasers cut them up.

  “Anything that makes it past the Turrets is ours. Our battleships and battlecruisers carry the same lasers the Turrets do; the heavy and light cruisers lasers are one half and one third the power of the battleships respectively; still much more powerful than the Bug beams. Our ships will also be firing Shrikes, GravTorps and Shavers. Tens of thousands of them. We will meet them with the Hammer just inside the Turret line; the object is to drive them into the Anvil.

  “Anything that makes it past us has to deal with Admiral Seymour’s Beta Fleet; three hundred and ninety eight heavy cruisers.

  “We have the tools. We need to learn how to fight them. These exercises are designed to teach us how to maneuver our ships in formation at FTL relative speeds; how to pursue and overtake the Bug ships, to destroy them before they destroy Earth.”

  Jock sat down. He thought about a lot as a few others asked peripheral questions. It is a good plan. A very good plan. It’s the best we can do. I have no doubt of that. Is it good enough? We do have the tools, if we can learn to fight them.

  ***

  Chrysler Building

  55th Floor

  New York City

  Standard Earth Date December 3, 3478

  The tall slender woman leaned back in the oversized leather chair and stared out at the Manhattan skyline below. Her dark brown hair almost hinted an auburn tint in the sunlight. She turned back to her desk and picked up a datatab. She opened the file ‘JOURNAL’ and began talking, the words appearing on the screen as she spoke.

  “I have seldom left this room during the past fifteen months.” Her pretty face frowned, and a single tear tried to form in her eye. “How different ‘life at the top’ really is from what I used to dream of. I’d planned to do so much good once I got here, and to enjoy it. How did I come to be… this? People have been destroyed, people have… died. So I could move on. And up. How had I changed so much? When? Now…”

  “Bong-bong-bong!”

  The comm signal snatched her attention as swiftly as it evaporated her tears.

  “Go!” Her hard, cold voice commanded.

  “We have the Bug computer database. It’s being analyzed as we speak. Preliminary examination shows that we should have many useful items we can patent. And much useful information on your other line of inquiry.”

  “Good. Your payment will be deposited today. Your bonus will be paid when I have something I can use. Dismissed.” She abruptly cut the comm link.

  Something I can use.

  “Chaos and unrest brought me to this position,” she told the datatab, “and they will take me where I have to go.”

  ***

  First Marine Logistics Training Unit

  Near Mars Orbit

  LCPA-44

  Standard Earth Date December 3, 3478

  “Close up, Halsey! You’re drifting out again!” Marine Captain Tony Constantine’s voice blared in Michael’s ears. Dammit! Why does it drift like that?

  “Aye-aye, Sir! She seems to drift a little.”

  “They all do, Halsey. Slight variations in thrust alignment, load distribution, local gravimetric variations, and a billion other anomalies. Compensate. Pay attention!”

  “Aye-aye, Sir.”

  The collection of eighteen blunt-nosed, boxy landing craft seemed to shimmer as the cadet pilots struggled to keep their ships in formation with the auto dampers off. The exercise was a little advanced for this point in their training, and Tony hoped it wouldn’t kill anyone; space didn’t give you a lot of second chances.

  The unit was out there to support the Fleet’s combined maneuver exercises. The first FTL maneuvers by large numbers of ships ever. There just weren’t enough dedicated SARAs, or Search And Rescue, Armored ships built yet. These kids could do a search & rescue if they had to; they are all good pilots. Might as well get in some formation training while we’re waiting out here!

  “Williams! Stay on line!” Tony snapped out. I’ll have to watch them closely this trip, or they may not come back.

  ***

  USF Dreadnought

  Flag Bridge

  Standard Earth Date December 3, 3478

  “Target away, Admiral. Velocity zero-point-five light speed.” Lieutenant Alvarez announced.

  “Countdown until Target is in position.” Jock directed.

  “One minute, Admiral.”

  “Give us a five-second countdown over Fleet Comm, Lieutenant.”

  “Aye-aye, Sir.”

  “Open Fleet Comm please.”

  “Fleet Comm open, Admiral.” Ensign Jason Bennings confirmed from the comm station.

  “Rear Admiral MacAlister to Hammer; Target is away. We will execute maneuver “Hammer Strike” as the Target passes. Look sharp people, focus, and trust your training.”

  “Five. Four.” Bennings’ voice cracked just a bit, “Three. Two.” Bennings voice finished solid and strong, “One! Target passing!”

  “Execute Hammer Strike!” Jock calmly ordered.

  The ten battlecruisers each with their two cruiser escorts engaged their FTL drives at the same instant, closing the gap with the Target asteroid within a few seconds. Task Force Hammer spread out into the attack formation designed to give maximum firepower exposure to a Bug fleet.

  Everything moved in synchronized orchestration as the Target approached the Anvil.

  “Rear Admiral MacAlister to Hammer; prepare to disengage. Execute Turn Alpha.”

  Ten giant battlecruisers and the twenty escorting cruisers turned ninety degrees port and accelerated away from Task Force Anvil’s position. It looks good, Jock thought.

  Then the heavy cruiser Nili Patera drifted slightly sunward as alarms rang out on the Fleet Comm. The drift increased as the ship began a wobble. She moved further off course at tremendous velocity until she struck the South Carolina. The impact broke the Nili apart and caused the massive South Carolina to collide with her escort, the heavy cruiser Bear Mountain Bridge. The cruiser broke into three large pieces at the impact, each drifting in a different direction.

  A hollow feeling grew in Jock as the ships collided. He feared a snowball that could involve most of the fleet. But their training had been solid; commanders and crews responded instantly with appropriate maneuvers to keep the collision localized. No more ships were damaged, but the formation ended up spread over an immense area of space.

  “Damage report from the South Carolina, Sir!” Bennings voice cracked his announcement. Jock listened to the bad news as he looked at the Dreadnought’s Captain, sitting ashen-faced next to him. Charlie Walker had trained an excellent crew; his ship would survive, and he already had boats launching to look for survivors. Jock was more worried about his flagships’ CO right now.

  “Charlie, are you OK?” Jock asked quietly on his private comm link.

  “Gridley, report!” He snapped.

  “Yes, Admiral. I’m fine. Sorry, Sir.”

  “Charlie, she could be all right. She could be dead.” Jock whispered. “You and I will talk about this later. For now, box it and concentrate; your crew needs you here.”

  “Aye-aye, Jock. Thanks.” Chuck Gridley replied over the private command link. His voice rang out over the ship’s comm; “Damage report! Talk to me people!”

  The bridge crew that had been briefly st
unned by the collisions now moved with a new focus.

  Jock began skimming the reports streaming onto his datatab.

  ***

  First Marine Logistics Training Unit

  Far Mars Orbit

  LCPA-38

  Standard Earth Date December 3, 3478

  “Attention! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!” Captain Constantine’s voice clamored like an alarm over the comms of the eighteen landing craft. “Emergency verifications now people!” Tony watched as eighteen green lights flashed on his Commander’s Heads Up Display. Damn, that was fast.

  “We have multiple collisions with breeched hulls in the immediate proximity. We are to proceed on SARs duty to the following coordinates. This looks bad, people. Trust your training, and stay focused, don’t rush things. Use formation Delta from our briefings. Thrust levels ninety. Go!”

  ***

  USF South Carolina

  Flag Bridge

  Standard Earth Date December 3, 3478

  Charlie Walker blinked. Then he blinked again. His eyes wouldn’t clear. He was looking though a red blanket whenever he opened them. That must have been some party last night, judging from this hangover, he thought. What was it for, anyway? His promotion? Yeah, that had to be it! Promotion to Captain, flagship Captain! What’s that racket? It sounds so far away…

  Charlie tried to sit up, and found he couldn’t move. Something was covering him, something heavy and hard. And cold. He reached up to touch it…

  “Don’t move, Captain. Help is coming, just hold on, and for God’s sake don’t move!”

  I know that voice. Ensign Derek something. Why is he giving orders?

  “Ensign, report!” Charlie managed to get out.