The Synchronicity War Part 4

by Dietmar Wehr

  What we are proposing therefore is the building of a portable gravity lens beam projector that can be installed in the cargo bay of a raider. The raider will then fire the beam at a mothership. The beam will penetrate deep into the insectoid vessel, but only in a very narrow beam. If the beam hits one of the mothership’s ZPG units, the ship should be destroyed or at the very least crippled. Since we don’t know where a mothership’s power units are, we’ll be firing blind, and multiple shots will probably be necessary to kill the target, but if we have multiple raiders firing at it simultaneously, then the explosion will happen sooner rather than later.”

  After a short pause, Shiloh said, “If the concept has been experimentally proven, then what are the challenges?”

  “Range and accuracy,” replied Valkyrie. “For any given level of power used, there will be a specific range beyond which the penetration ability of the beam drops off. With the power available on a raider, that range is just over 16,000 kilometers, which is virtually point blank range for the mothership’s laser batteries. If the raiders get that close, they’ll have to be traveling very fast in order to avoid counter-fire, and that will complicate the challenge of hitting the target accurately. Firing at much longer ranges is possible, but then the beam may not penetrate deeply enough to reach the target’s power units. Aiming accurately will also be a problem, however no other approach has this kind of potential for inflicting a deathblow.”

  “Will this approach work with the super-motherships?” asked Howard.

  “In principle, yes, however if the Insectoids are using many small power units instead of relatively few large units, then the detonation of one power unit might not be enough to cripple the larger mothership. It may be necessary to detonate multiple power units.”

  Howard looked at Shiloh and said, “What do you think?”

  “I like the idea of blowing up a bug ship from the inside out, but overcoming the range and accuracy limitations will be tricky. Valkyrie and I should do some simulations to figure out the best tactics. We should build at least one prototype weapon here and now to make sure it works. Valkyrie, do you agree with that?”

  “Affirmative, CAG. The boys have already designed the schematics and the UFC programming for the parts. Production can begin the instant we get the word.”

  Shiloh, still looking at Howard, nodded and Howard said, “You have the word, Valkyrie. How long until the prototype can be tested?”

  “I would expect the prototype to be ready to be uploaded to a raider within 14 days, Admiral.”

  “Fine. I’ll look forward to seeing the weapon test. Now let’s talk about the other implications of Iceman’s message. Do we know if three bug ships arrived at Beta1 in the previous timeline?”

  “Negative. The data generated by the RTC was specific to that particular Insectoid and therefore that particular mothership. There is no evidence that the timeline has been changed from the insectoid perspective, Admiral.”

  “That’s a relief. And speaking of RTCs, it’s nice that we have two of them now with the one that was on the timeship. Is that the same RTC that Iceman took with him to Beta1?”

  “Negative. When you sent me to Site B in the old timeline to build raiders, I was also instructed to build another RTC for my own use. In hindsight, it was a wise precaution.”

  “Yes, well … sometimes I do make the right decisions I guess. Can Iceman use his to ambush the right mothership at its next stop?”

  “Affirmative. He would be using the same technique that Casanova successfully used in a previous timeline.”

  “Very good! As soon as the next Mark 6 warhead is ready, we ship it to Iceman by fighter along with additional Mark 6s as they become available. Once we know the GLB cannon works, we’ll send the timeship back and exterminate these bugs once and for all!”

  “We’ll have to coordinate Midway’s withdrawal from the ambush system and the raiders’ withdrawal from all Sogas systems before the timeship jumps back,” said Shiloh.

  “We will? Why?” asked Howard.

  Shiloh was puzzled by Howard’s question. Did he just forget or does he really not care that much about the AIs?

  “Unless Iceman and the other AIs now on board Midway, plus all the AIs monitoring Sogas systems are on the timeship when it jumps back, they’ll be erased from existence in the new timeline.”

  Howard shook his head in dismay. “How did I forget that? Yes of course we have to bring them back in time. Since it’ll be another ten weeks before Midway can be back here, that means the timeship will have to wait that long too, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, unless we forget about ambushing our mothership altogether and order Midway back as soon as possible. If we send a message to that effect right now, we’ll still have plenty of time to build and test the GLB cannon assuming it works as predicted. If it doesn’t work, and if we can’t get it to work, then bringing Midway back early will cause us to lose our best chance to delay the bugs’ advance.”

  Howard was silent for what seemed like a long time. When he spoke, his voice was low. “I wish we had a vision to show us what we should do now. If we withdraw the AIs, then we’ll have a tough time slowing down the bug reinforcements. If the timeship jumps back, that doesn’t matter, but if we can’t send it back with a way to stop the bugs at the Alpha systems, then we need to buy as much time as we can here and now.”

  Before he could continue, Shiloh interjected. “IF the Grand Senate lets us.”

  Howard raised his eyebrows and said, “Ha! You’re right. The GS thinks the war is over, and Space Force can be reined in now. I can just see it if I went in front of them and told them that we’re threatened with extinction by giant ships full of huge ant-things! It would sound too much like a pathetic attempt to keep the quote empire unquote that I built during the war with the Sogas. If we tried using human crews to keep the Bugs busy, the OC would notice and ask awkward questions. I hate to say it, but I don’t see any way of slowing down the Bug advance without some AIs being involved, and I’m not prepared to let the Bugs keep advancing on the assumption that the new cannon will work and the timeship will jump back okay.”

  Shiloh thought fast. “Valkyrie, do you think some of your brothers would be willing to volunteer to stay in the here and now to fight the Bugs even knowing that a successful time jump will end their existence?”

  “I’ve just asked them and sixteen have volunteered, CAG.”

  Shiloh turned to Howard and said, “There’s your answer, Admiral. With some careful planning, we could keep the pressure on the Bugs with sixteen AI volunteers for the length of time needed for all the other AIs to get back here and board the timeship.”

  “Valkyrie, you tell those volunteers I’m deeply impressed by their sense of duty and devotion to the defense of Humanity. I’ll let you two plan their deployment and the recall of Midway. Unless someone has something else to discuss, I think we’re done for now,” said Howard.

  Shiloh and Valkyrie put they heads together and quickly came up with a plan that Howard approved. Message drones would be used to recall raiders from Sogas star systems. There was enough time for two fighters piloted by volunteers to leave immediately, proceed independently to Beta1 and get there before the ten weeks were up. Once there, they would take possession of the Mark 6 warhead drones and wait until the end of the tenth week before using them against the bug motherships. Midway would return as soon as the volunteers took over the ambush. As additional Mark 6 warheads are built, more volunteers would carry them to Beta1 to be used at the most opportune time. Parts for additional GLB cannon would be produced while waiting for Midway’s return. If the weapon test was successful and the Tempus Fugit took all the other AIs back in time, then the additional parts would not be needed, but if the jump back failed for some reason, then the extra cannon would be mounted on raiders, and Howard would try to clandestinely arrange for more AIs to be created to pilot them.

  * * *

  Shiloh stood beside the Command Station on Reso
lute’s Bridge and watched the main display. Three unpiloted F1 fighters were being used as targets for the first test of the GLB cannon. Casanova was piloting the raider carrying the cannon prototype and was flying in formation with Resolute at a distance of just 10 kilometers. Shiloh could hear Casanova over his implant.

  “Casanova to CAG. Weapon is online and all systems show green. Ready to commence charge sequence when you give the word, CAG.”

  “You have the word, Casanova,” said Shiloh.

  “Weapon is charging. Ready to fire in…three…two…one...”

  On the main display, the star field was obliterated by a searing blue-white light that quickly expanded and then just as quickly died away.

  “Target One hit and destroyed. Detonation yield within the estimated range of 100 to 300 kilotons,” reported Casanova.

  “Very good, Casanova. You are clear to fire at Target Two at your discretion,” said Shiloh.

  “Roger that, CAG. Weapon is recharging. Target Two has been acquired. Firing in…three…two…one…”

  This time the burst of light was smaller, which Shiloh knew was farther away. The third test was the key. An F1 fighter was a very small target compared to a 10 km mothership, but it was at a distance where the apparent size of the fighter would be the same as the apparent size of the mothership when it was much further away.

  “Target Two destroyed. Detonation yield in the same range as for test number one.”

  “Fire on Target Three at your discretion, Casanova. Take your time. There’s no rush,” said Shiloh.

  “Understood, CAG. Target has been acquired. Weapon is recharging. Firing in…three…two…one…” The flash now was barely noticeable at this range.

  “Target Three has been destroyed. Detonation yield in the same range as the other two tests. The prototype appears to work, CAG.”

  “Yes it does. Good work, Casanova. Let’s head back. CAG clear.”

  “At least now we know that insectoid motherships can be killed without Mark 6 warheads,” said Valkyrie.

  “Under carefully controlled conditions, yes,” replied Shiloh.

  “You’re not happy with the test results, CAG?”

  “On the contrary, I am, but they are only tests. The targets were moving at a very slow speed, and their positions were known perfectly. Casanova’s raider was moving on the same vector as the targets, so there was no relative motion to have to compensate for, all conditions that are unlikely to occur in the field.”

  “That’s correct, CAG, but a mothership will reflect a lot more sunlight than a fighter does, and therefore should be easier to track. Relative motion may also be a good thing. The beam fired by the cannon lasts for a hundredth of a second. At the distances that are likely to be realized, even a low speed will cause the target to move enough during that time frame so that the beam will actually cut a line through the target. That will improve the odds of hitting a power unit.”

  “Yes, I’d forgotten about that. Thanks for reminding me. You and Casanova have every right to be pleased with yourselves,” said Shiloh.

  “Oh we are, CAG but just between you and me, I’d prefer it if Casanova was a little LESS pleased with himself. He tends to brag you know.”

  Shiloh laughed. “No I didn’t know that. You have my sympathies, Valkyrie.”

  “Thank you, CAG. He may not be perfect, but I think I’ll keep him anyway. Have you made a decision about pursuing Commander Kelly yet, CAG?”

  Shiloh laughed again. “Well if you must know, I’ve decided to wait. When you take the timeship back, the timeline will change again, so I don’t see any point in pursuing a relationship with Commander Kelly right now. If you can get a message to me in the new timeline, then go ahead and suggest that I pursue her, okay?”

  “Roger that, CAG.”

  Chapter 21

  As soon as his F2 fighter emerged from its micro-jump, Voodoo sent out tight beam lasercom bursts to re-establish contact with the network of recon drones that were watching the three motherships in orbit around the planet in Beta1. He knew that Pagan would be doing the same thing. Midway had already jumped away for her trip back to sol. With the two Mark 6 armed attack drones transferred to both fighters, he and Pagan would carefully line up for their firing run. After having consulted with Iceman, all three agreed that after an additional 72 hours, when the ten weeks were up, the two fighters would target one of the three motherships. After the first attack drone damaged the target, they would wait until all or at least most of the auxiliary craft of the other two motherships were engaged in salvaging metal from the damaged ship. Only then would the second Mark 6 be used to hit the damaged ship again, with the goal of also destroying most of the auxiliary craft. Without their smaller craft, the motherships would have to stay weeks maybe even months longer to replace their losses. That would slow down their advance by limiting their ability to scout ahead quickly.

  A sudden spike in energy across the spectrum caught his attention. It appeared to be a detonation of a Mark 6 warhead and that could only mean that Pagan and his fighter were destroyed. At almost the same instant Voodoo’s fighter was hit by a powerful laser blast. Maneuvering and jump drive were offline. The two message and one attack drones in the weapon’s bay were all damaged to varying degrees and totally unusable now. One of the two power units was still operating. Voodoo quickly came to the conclusion that the Insectoids must have detected his and Pagan’s fighters and fired their powerful lasers at them. With escape impossible and with orders to avoid capture at any cost, Voodoo activated the self-destruct link to the Mark 6 warhead. The warhead exploded so quickly that Voodoo felt nothing at all.

  * * *

  Sniper was astonished to discover three intact insectoid motherships when his fighter emerged from Jumpspace eight days after Voodoo and Pagan should have arrived here in Beta1. After decelerating for almost 12 hours, he micro-jumped into contact range of the recon drones that Midway should have deployed. He sent out lasercom bursts to let the recon drones know that he had arrived and at the same time query them about events in this star system. Only one of the expected ten drones answered his query. Voodoo and Pagan had been destroyed after being detected by the Insectoids. That explained why they were still here days past the time when at least one of them should have moved on. The timeline from the insectoid perspective had clearly changed. Sniper uploaded all available data to one of his two message drones while he pondered his next move. Should he use his Mark 6 attack drone now or hold it in reserve pending further instructions from The CAG? That his fighter should stay in Beta1 was obvious. With only one working recon drone left now, he had to stay to keep an eye on things. If he used his only attack drone now, it would be the equivalent of kicking over a hornet’s nest. The other two motherships would launch their attack craft and search for him. He could stay beyond their reach, but in doing so would have to move so far out from the planet that keeping track of the motherships would be difficult. Given that the Insectoids had apparently detected most of the recon drones plus the other two fighters, it seemed prudent to micro-jump a bit further away. After carefully re-orienting his fighter so that it would not reflect any sunlight back to the motherships, he micro-jumped away, and as soon as the jump was finished, he launched the message drone. With that done, he resigned himself to a lonely vigil. He had so looked forward to some interesting conversation with Voodoo and Pagan, but that was not to be.

  * * *

  The timeship was ready, and all AIs, except for the volunteers, were aboard. The ship was beyond Jupiter’s gravity zone with Resolute keeping pace 100 kilometers away. Shiloh stood beside the Flag Officer’s Station in her Flag Bridge. He looked to one side at Admiral Howard. As the CSO, it was highly unusual for Howard to participate in any kind of space operation aboard one of his ships. The CSO was supposed to stay on the ground and manage the entire organization. While not forbidden, joyriding on one of his ships was understood to be not in keeping with the dignity of his Office, but rank has its privile
ges. As Howard had explained it to Shiloh, if the timeship successfully jumped back in time, the timeline would change and his joyride would never take place. If it didn’t jump back and if the OC called him on it, he would just shrug and casually inquire about a certain property that the OC Chair shouldn’t be using, which Zulu had informed him about.

  The fact that Howard now had enough information to blackmail all the members of the Oversight Committee didn’t change the fact that there was limited use he could make of that information. Getting more platinum for use in warheads was up to the Grand Senate, not the OC, and Howard didn’t have enough dirt to bend the entire GS to his will.

  Shiloh listened as Valkyrie went through her checklist. All systems seemed to be operating.

  With the checklist complete, Valkyrie said, “Tempus Fugit is ready to time-jump, CAG. On behalf of Casanova, Iceman, Gunslinger, Titan, the other AIs and myself, I want to thank you for all you have done for us. Casanova and I will deeply miss all the humans we’ve gotten to know but we’ll miss you and Commander Kelly most of all. We’ll leave a message drone where Space Force will find it as planned. You’ll get messages from us even though you won’t remember us at all. Goodbye, CAG. Tempus Fugit will time-jump when you give the word.”