He began, “First, what we know: On August 10th, Seventh Fleet was positioned near the outer periphery of the Void, the largely empty expanse that borders human occupied space. It was heading to Lubya when a large force of fighter craft attacked it. An outlying picket, the Horsham was destroyed with all hands within approximately three minutes after the initial engagement. Fighters from the Essex and her sister ship, the Invictus, were launched, and over the next few minutes attacked the intruders. Fifteen Dash 6 fighters – our newest model – were destroyed, and over the next thirty minutes, five additional destroyers were hit with repeated heavy energy fire and lost. We suffered over one thousand dead Navy personnel in that first engagement.”
He looked around the room and resumed, “We had a rough parity in numbers of fighters, but our energy weapons were largely incapable of inflicting damage to this heretofore unknown enemy while their energy weapons proved to be capable of destroying our fighters and destroyers, and if they’d been able to get within range, of our carriers.”
“Over the course of the next four days, our fleet was attacked multiple times, and with the exception of the two Auxiliary carriers and their Fast Fleet Cargo ships, small, fast transports, all remaining fleet ships sustained major damage and we lost more than sixty percent of our front line fighters.”
“Admiral Andreeson decided early on not to jump out. His determination was that doing so would have saved the capital ships while losing all our remaining fighters, their crews and their ships, including the technology behind them. Additionally, he did not have any information on the location of the enemy fleet and had to assume it possessed FTL, meaning if he revealed that key piece of technology this unknown enemy might be able to easily locate one or more human systems.”
“Members of his crew performed heavy modifications to an old craft the Essex was transporting to long-term storage, and after minimal testing sent it out to try to determine the location and makeup of this new threat. The tiny four-person ship located an enemy fleet and spent a great deal of time gathering intelligence. It also attacked the central ship, a craft massing, we now estimate, twenty-eight million tons. One of two heavy missiles struck home, causing an unknown but we believe negligible amount of damage to the ship. Those missiles were armed with the largest nuclear weapon in federal inventory.”
“After returning to the Essex, that ship was joined by three additional and equally heavily modified craft, returned to the enemy fleet where they once again gathered intelligence and attacked, hitting it with four out of eight heavy nuclear missiles, once again causing what we believe to be relatively light damage.”
He looked around again and said, “I have just been informed that the Essex and two escorting destroyers were lost with all hands, after returning to that region of space to attempt to determine the exact nature of the threat facing us. Fortunately, those four small craft were able to return to Lubya, bringing with them large amounts of data on what we face. In that same general region of space we know of three additional fleets, all with roughly the same makeup; one globular ship massing twenty-eight million tons, an assortment of what we would call heavy cruisers, four types of destroyers and approximately three hundred heavy fighters. Each. At last report, all four fleets were converging. We know of one additional fleet, situated roughly ten light years distant, and on a different heading. We do not yet know of its exact makeup, or if it is allied with the other four.”
“These ships were built by a race of beings previously unknown to us. We do not at present know the origin of this species, save that it has traveled for what is probably several centuries. The fleets have taken different paths to reach our portion of space, but are now decelerating and coming together. They do not possess FTL, and in general their technology is inferior to ours, their weapons more powerful, perhaps by an order of magnitude. Individually, our current fighters and destroyers are no match, and this species, just in any single one of the four fleets we know about, greatly outnumbers the total firepower of the entire Federal Fleet.”
He took a sip of water and continued, “This is what we believe: These fleets may represent an exodus of an entire species, looking for a new home. Their ships are all heavily armed, demonstrating a warlike nature and history. They have never attempted to communicate with us, and we do not know how they communicate with each other. Based on the tactics employed, we believe that if or when they locate a human-occupied system, they will destroy it. That is to say, all human life in that system. We believe they came from a planet with a greater concentration of heavy metals in it, that they are looking for, or came from, a home world that would be poisonous to us. We believe it possible that the fleets we know about may not be the only ones. Finally, some of my experts have postulated that these four or five fleets are fleeing, are being pursued.”
He turned to look back at the premier and nodded. She stood and said, “We will now field questions.”
She was doing everything possible to avoid attention. For once.
A forest of delegates signaled their desire to ask questions. She chose one – he didn’t know how or why, and a man stood. His name and place of origin appeared overhead, and on the screens of each of the delegations.
The man said, “What assets does the Navy have, and what is it doing to destroy these invaders?” A straightforward question, reasonably shocking and astoundingly ignorant.
Shin Ho said, “We have recalled all reservists, we have federalized all Navy assets currently being used by local systems. We are attempting to move four carriers out of mothballs, we are utilizing what we have learned to modify older versions of federal fighters, principally the Dash 4, we are conducting research on applying those same lessons to our destroyers, we are attempting to determine if our mothballed capital ships are in good enough condition to warrant reactivating, and we are renovating all known versions of one attack craft. That is the ship used by the Essex to learn virtually everything we currently know about this species, and the only craft presently able to get anywhere near the enemy without being detected.”
The questioner asked, somewhat vehemently, “I asked what steps the Navy is taking to attack and destroy these beings?”
Shin Ho cocked his head, “I just answered your question. We currently have a total of seventy-two destroyers in space, and those are spread across thirty-nine systems. We have one remaining Fleet Auxiliary carrier, currently in Lubya, we have reactivated and dispatched two Fleet carriers to join the Invictus, and we are engaged in finding additional carriers. Finally, we have Home Fleet, with two Fleet Carriers, an additional two fleet carriers in yard and at present not operational, and thirty-one destroyers of various classes and ages. Understand, this represents the entirety of Navy assets in space. Virtually every single one of these ships is older to far, far older than the men and women who crew them. Based on what we have already learned, there are things that can be done to make them less detectable, virtually nothing that can be done to make them more powerful or better armed. The enemy utilizes different sensors than our Navy and to date has been able to easily locate every single spacecraft Navy possesses, with the sole exception of that very small attack craft. We have less than one hundred of them, many of those are older, less capable versions, and all of them are stored on fleet bases all over human space. They all require extensive updates and modifications, and that, together with the modifications to the mothballed Dash 4 fighters has overwhelmed Navy resources. We estimate that it will require approximately six months to bring all available attack craft up to the point that they can return to space and be effective. Additionally, at present your Navy has only one heavy missile that is capable of even damaging the enemy ships, and that weapon suffers from the same deficiencies as do our ships – it is easily detected by the enemy, there are relatively few in Navy stores and we have determined that the quantity presently available is not sufficient to overwhelm the enemy’s defenses. We have alerted the manufacturer and provided it with the specifications for kits r
equired to update the missiles we currently own, and we have ordered new versions.”
The questioner asked, “And, what can you tell us about those efforts?” Shin Ho had hoped for that question, or one similar. He said, “The manufacturer is attempting to negotiate a new contract, one that includes large sums of money for R&D, new tooling and the like. We have not been able to reach agreement or been given a timetable.”
The room seethed with noise, and half the room seemed to want the floor. Shin Ho waited while the premier selected the next person. He’d been very careful about his choice of words, what he said and how he said it. Just because he preferred the hammer to the scalpel didn’t mean he didn’t know how to use a knife.
A woman rose to her feet and practically yelled, “What have you done about this outrageous attitude?” Shin Ho calmly said, “Absent a declaration from this body, I can legally do nothing more than what I have already attempted. The manufacturer is aware that we are in a time of peace and it is adamant that it will require many months of very expensive work before it will be able to produce the modified missile, and perhaps years for a new missile.”
She asked, “With the declaration that you are requesting? What then?” Shin Ho said, “I will send Federal Marshals to their offices. I will subpoena records, take testimony and if any laws have been broken, all relevant officers of that corporation will be held accountable. We would be legally able to require the company to produce the weapon in the least amount of time.”
She asked, “Is there more that can be done? Other manufacturers?” Shin Ho was going to owe the woman big time – the questions were perfect. He said, “Due to fleet downsizing, the civilian contractors who provide us with ships and weapons have largely either ceased operations or been absorbed by other companies, now engaged in civilian projects. At present, there is only one company capable of producing the heavy missile. In terms of shipbuilding, we face roughly the same situation – shipyards that have in the past built Navy craft have not received a single new order in over ten years, and they have moved on to the civilian sector or ceased operations entirely.”
She managed to get in one more question, even while a forest of requests lit up the Premier’s screen, “What steps can you take to acquire ships and weapons that will be able to defeat this enemy?”
Despite a high level of agitated noise, he spoke quietly, “Fleet Base Jupiter is capable of performing much of the work required to modify and update the small number of fighters and attack craft that we have identified as being capable of taking the fight to the enemy. We already have a good idea of the type of larger craft we need to design and build, and we are engaged in doing just that. We are speaking to every single yard that we think might be capable of producing new warships, but you must understand, that is a lengthy process that will require years and vast sums of money.”
Bedlam.
It took the premier ten minutes to regain order. She finally directly asked Shin Ho, “Admiral Lee, what do you request of this body?”
The room promptly went quiet. He said, “Navy must have new weapons and it must have new ships. My office will, within the week, release the general specifications for a new fighter, a new version of that attack craft, new destroyers and two different versions of new carriers. Right now we have two intermingled problems: the first is to ensure that the three closest human systems to these enemy fleets are protected. We estimate that their presence and location can potentially be detected within six months. That will give us perhaps a few years at best before their fleets can reach those three systems. We have very little time to develop resources, and unless we make every effort to do so, our destruction is, I believe, inevitable. Therefore, we must utilize what we have right now in order to monitor this enemy, determine what it intends, and inflict as much damage as possible with the extremely limited resources available; second, we must develop weapons that are capable of defending our systems from attack.”
The premier asked, “Admiral, are you saying that our Navy, the one you head, is incompetent or incapable?”
He didn’t even turn his head, “Madam Premier, I have given this congress data on the weapons held by this new enemy, and I have given you the data on the weapons that your government has provided to Navy.”
She demanded, “Answer the question.” He said, “Madam Premier, I have provided you the information I have available. It is now up to this congress to make an informed decision.”
Everyone knew that he’d only held the office for a short time, and had inherited it due to mountains of corruption. The trials he had ordered were very public, and the details that were emerging were ugly in the extreme. Right now, he held a good hand, he just had to be very careful not to misplay it.
She asked a third time, “Admiral, if you do not answer my question, I will hold you in contempt.”
Shin Ho continued to look around the room, “I have devoted my adult life to the Navy. My record as a serving officer is a matter of public record. I have commanded ships in war and in peace, and believe that right this minute we are in a war that will determine whether or not the human race survives. The men and women of your Navy have pledged their lives to defend the thirty-nine worlds – all of them. I pledge to provide those men and women with the very best ships, weapons and leadership possible.”
He’d neatly not answered her question three times, and returned to his seat, hoping he’d done enough, hoping that this Congress wasn’t going to shoot the messenger, at least today. He thought that his abrupt, direct nature was anathema to the world of politics, at least the current version, but in a sense, the invasion meant he would be able to bring back his Navy from the dead, while preventing the entire race from getting annihilated.
Chapter 44
Admiral Alexi Tretiakov, Fleet Carrier Krakow, Lubya
His ship accelerated out of Lubya, heading toward the Void, and accompanied by two additional Fleet Carriers and six destroyers. Even as they headed out, fighters were docking. Tests had revealed that some of those fighters had been poorly modified and still radiated capacitor noise. He knew his fighters were quiet, but there were three carriers in this group, and the other two had just arrived in Lubya. It was their fighters that had frequently failed the tests.
They went to the usual trouble to mask their origin and entry point and jumped three extra times, coming out in space twelve million kilometers from the Bugs.
The idea was to attempt to swarm one of the Bug flotillas, and get enough heavy missiles into it to either kill or severely damage it.
They immediately began launching fighters and within two hours had sanitized the area. Those fighters were replaced by nearly two hundred Dash 4’s and 6’s that slowly accelerated toward the distant Bug fleet. The first fighters, docked, topped up their tanks and resumed their patrols around the three vulnerable carriers.
This was to be the very first large-scale fleet engagement in many years. They had a total of one hundred and ninety-two fighters in the attack itself, plus six 4th Gen destroyers. The fighters were going to attempt to clear a path for the destroyers to get close enough to launch heavy missiles.
One hundred and twelve of those fighters were Dash 6’s, armed with unmodified AR-15 light missiles. The remaining eighty were all the larger Dash 4’s, each one modified to mask their capacitor noise. These fighters had more powerful energy weapons than the Dash 6 and were more resistant to energy weapons. It was hoped that they would be a match for the Bug fighters.
They accelerated for thirty minutes and shut down their drives, planning to be able to get to within one million kilometers without detection.
This was the largest collection of federal fighters to congregate in one place since shortly after the civil war. In all those years, there had been little development of military hardware. Today’s fighters were capable of a little better acceleration but the Navy had ceased production of the heavy fighter, favoring instead lighter, faster and smaller versions. Today’s craft were only able to c
arry four light missiles.
As they closed to within eight million kilometers they noted increased activity in the enemy fleet.
Their gravity sensors told them they had been seen, and at an extremely long distance. It took a long time to decide, but the captain of the lead destroyer ordered the attack to continue. In truth, he had little choice.
Their fighters may have gone unobserved, but those destroyers were like beacons in the night.
At this distance the fighter’s limited sensor equipment couldn’t determine exactly how many fighters they faced, but even if all of the roughly three hundred fighters attacked, they thought they had a chance to fend them off long enough for the destroyer to perform an L&L, or Launch and Leave, the somewhat sarcastic description favored by most pilots.
Another acronym, ‘R&R’, meant much the same thing: Raid and Run. Neither were part of the official jargon, both were better known and more often used than ‘Preemptive Strike’ utilizing ‘Area Access Control’ forces to perform a ‘Space born Control Intercept’ via a ‘Master Space born Attack Plan’.
At seven million they were able to count over two hundred incoming fighters under heavy acceleration.
Hawk Flight (Flight of the Hawk Book 3) Page 25